Addison quickly found herself a spot at a table nearest the entrance to Professor Sexton's classroom, desperately trying to ward off the headache she'd been suffering through since waking up that morning. She couldn't tell if it was stress induced or not, but she could hardly focus. She'd even been struggling to establish a basic mental connection to Galatea, which had once been as easy as breathing was for her. Without her intellect or her own ability to determine what was real and fake, she was left to basically wing most interactions. She was hopeful the day would get easier as classes progressed, as she could rely on Morgan and perhaps even Cole for support. But the more her head seemed to feel as if it were splitting, the more she felt as if she couldn't even trust her basic senses.
She had been hopeful that Morgan would sit alongside her so she could talk to her about the pain in her head, but she had been seemingly roped into sitting alongside one of the new students, who Addison believed was the younger sister of the Kalos Queen, Serena. She then had a hope that Tommy would see the pain she was in and sit beside her, yet she lost another contest with Nemona in regards to this. He was practically glued to the Class President's side, the two talking about something she could only imagine involved battling between the two of them. This left her last chance for a normal interaction to be with Cole, who was still talking with Professor Sexton outside.
Cole's reaction to Sexton being their mentor shocked her. He seemed as if he knew who this man was, perhaps echoing some kind of past interactions between them. But she knew better than to press the issue. The gift she shared with Galatea, being able to probe people's minds, was as useful a tool as it was a curse to wield. If Cole knew she could probe his mind with the ease he took to read a book, would he ever trust her? If she had such a small amount of people to depend on, she needed all the friends she could get. And Cole was someone who seemed at least receptive at the idea of being her friend.
So it came as a relief to her that no one had any interest in sitting beside her, allowing Cole to arrive and sit beside her at the desk as Professor Sexton returned to begin their class studies. She gave him a smile and Cole replied in kind as both got comfortable and allowed their teacher to begin his initial lecture.
"As you all may be aware, Ms. Raifort has taken a leave of absence in the pursuit of one of her personal goals" Sexton explained. "So, until such a time that she can return for your regular classes, I shall be fulfilling her role as your History Teacher. It certainly helps that I am a studied scholar of world history, from the formation of the earth all the way to more recent events." He took a moment to clear his throat. "Many of you, I suspect, will look at this subject as a boring class that isn't worth interrupting your sleep over. Hmph. That would be a gross miscalculation on your part. History is being made every single day, in some corner of this planet. You all might be the harbingers of future history. Some of you may be the future Champion that unites the world. Some of you might become future diplomats that help reestablish contact between Paldea and the outside world. Some of you may invent or create the next way for humans and Pokémon to form stronger bonds. The fact of the matter is you, my students, are living history. And in this class, we will be studying those who have come before us, those of us who are currently making history and those of you who will create your own history. I hope you're all ready to begin."
"We are, sir" all of the students declared simultaneously.
Sexton looked through his list of students. "Now, let me see here. When I call your name, please say 'present' if you are here. Director Clavell mentioned we have something of a truancy issue here, but from the looks of things we have a mostly full classroom today. A couple of empty chairs, but that is probably to be expected. Hmmm. Abigail?"
"Present."
"Acadia?"
"Present."
"Addison."
Addison raised her hand. "Present, sir."
"Good to hear. Angie?"
"Present."
"Hmmm. Arven?" He looked around when no one responded and shrugged. "Hmm. I suppose not. Let me see, Bobby?"
"Present."
"Cole?"
Addison glanced over at Cole, who happily stood and almost saluted the Professor. "I'm here, sir."
This amused their Professor. "I see, son. Dana?"
"Present."
"Felice? Am I pronouncing that correct?"
The girl beside Morgan giggled politely. "You are, Professor. And yes, I am here."
"Excellent. Now, where were we? Giacomo?" He again let his eyes dart around the classroom and shook his head. "Another absentee student. Let me see, Jovi? Hmm. I supposed she's out as well. Mela? This seems to be a pattern. Morgan?"
"Present." Addison glanced over towards Morgan, who seemed engaged with her new desk buddy in Kalos Queen Serena's little sister.
"Nemona?"
Nemona rose with more enthusiasm than any of the others who had. "I am here, Professor! And I'm looking forward to learning!"
This caught Sexton off guard. "Hoho. I suppose your reputation speaks for itself, Miss Class President. So young and already contending with Geeta to be the Top Champion?"
Nemona flushed. "I love my battling, Professor."
"As Ms. Dendra mentioned. Few have ever gotten perfect marks throughout all of their Battle Studies years, yet you are on your way to doing so. I hope you keep that same enthusiasm for my class. Now where was I?" Sexton's eyes fell down on the list. "Uh, Penny?" He looked around the room, and shook his head. "Five absences. A bit disappointing, but not unexpected."
Tommy glanced around the room worriedly, prompting Addison to look at him in confusion. Had he somehow developed another crush since arriving yesterday? She tried to delve into his mind, but her headache was making her unable to do so. She quickly rubbed at her head in the hopes of it going away.
"Sasha?"
"Present."
"Thomas?"
Tommy blinked before shaking out of his worry. "Uh, present, sir."
"And Zachary?"
"Present."
"Thirteen of eighteen are here" Sexton thought aloud before setting aside his class chart. "Now, for those of you who are born and raised here, some of our students with us here today are visiting us from lands far away. As those of you born here already know, Paldea has walled itself off from the rest of the world for about the last half century. Now, with her gracious wisdom, La Primera has allowed students from other regions to attend Uva Academy in the hopes of reestablishing contact with the outside world. Felice is from Kalos and Angie hails from the Sinnoh Region. Jovi, should she ever make herself present, comes from the Orre Region. And three of our students, Addison, Morgan and Thomas, are from Arcana. I'd like each of you new students to explain a bit about your lives back in your home region. Felice? Would you like to begin?"
Felice rose from her seat and gracefully made her way to the front of the class. "Well, my sister Serena is the Kalos Queen, the best Pokémon Contestant in the region. I want to be just like her when I grow up. It runs in my family."
"And what Pokémon did you receive upon entering the region, if I may ask?"
"I requested an Eevee" she explained. "I'd call her out, but I was told that's against the rules while school is in session." She bowed before returning to her seat. This prompted Angie, who looked utterly embarrassed to have to step up and talk about herself, to slowly make it out of her chair and saunter up to the front of the class.
"My family is into breeding in a place called Solaceon Town" Angie explained. "I want to challenge our region's Champion Cynthia one day, but my parents want me to carry on the family business. That's why they wanted me to come here, to learn about how to properly raise Pokémon. But if I can, I'd like to challenge this region's Pokémon League first. Me and my Shinx I've been raising are good to go."
Sexton nodded. "Good to hear, Angie. And I look forward to seeing if you can accomplish your goals. Thomas?"
As Angie skittered back to her seat, Tommy rose to give his own proper introduction about himself. Both Addison and Morgan exchanged nervous glances. Of the three of them, Tommy seemed the most uncomfortable about lying to the others in school. While they expected him to abide by the promise Bridgette and Billy were making them stand by, he could be a bit of a wildcard. Both looked on nervously as Tommy finally reached the front of the class.
"Okay, uh, I'm from Arcana" Tommy spoke up. "My sister is competing with Felice's in Kalos and I want to be a Pokémon Master one day, like Arcana's hero, King Michael Kingston."
"A King?" Nemona gasped. "I thought Paldea was the only monarchy left in the world."
Sexton chuckled. "Word has even reached our walled off shores of the exploits of Michael Kingston. One day, I hope to see if he lives up to his reputation and if you can achieve such heights, Thomas. And what Pokémon did you start off with?"
"My little Fuecoco."
"Hopefully you'll be able to demonstrate your skills here in Paldea. Now, sit on down and let Morgan come up next."
Addison looked to Morgan, who seemed to be sighing a mighty sigh of relief. She then quickly jumped to her feet and made for where their friend had stood to make her own announcements. "Like Felice and Tommy, my twin sister is into Pokémon Contests and is trying to become a Contest Queen in Kalos. I was taking care of an elderly relative when my own Pokémon Journey was supposed to start, so I got a bit of a late start, but I'm anxious to see what I can learn from and about all kinds of Pokémon both here and around the world."
Professor Sexton nodded. "So I see, Miss Morgan. I believe you made the right decision in applying yourself here. Which Pokémon did you start out with?"
Morgan smiled. "My little Quaxly, here." She lifted up her Pokémon's Ball and showed it off to the class. "You see..."
Addison attempted to listen as intently as possible to her friend's explanation about her budding friendship with Quaxly, but a sudden screeching noise pierced her mind with the force of a sword going through her gut. She grabbed her head and leaned heavily on her desk. Ugh...not this again!
Cole looked over to her. "You okay, Addy?"
She tried to massage her head, but the metallic buzzing didn't seem to be coming to a stop. "Ergh! Sorry, I-"
"Is everything alright, Addison?" Sexton inquired.
Addison tried to nod, but found her body slumping against the desk. She tried to steady herself with her hand, but it slipped and she fell onto the desk before crumpling to the floor in pain. She could only massage her head as everyone panicked at her present state. She desperately tried to reach out to contact Galatea telepathically, but found no avenue open for her mind to link to her friends. It didn't help that along with this metallic noise ripping through her senses, the others surrounded her with worried glances and panicked voices.
"Everyone settle down!" Sexton called, his voice commanding and authoritative. As most of the students dispersed, the Professor stood over Addison, studying her closely. "You're definitely not feeling well enough for this class, Addison. You need to see Nurse Miriam, immediately."
"No" Addison said almost drunkenly, trying to steady herself on all fronts. "I can handle-"
"Your nose is bleeding" her teacher informed her. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it underneath her nose. "Whatever is bothering you is not something lack of concentration will help with. Now, keep your head up as you walk to the nurse's office. I'm sure Nurse Miriam will take care of you." He glanced around the classroom until his eyes fell upon Cole. "Cole, be a good friend and escort Miss Addison here to the Nurse's office."
Addison tried to argue, but her mind, body, heart and every other part of her existence seemed to be torn in so many different directions that she could do little to resist as Professor Sexton and Cole helped her to her feet. Cole then put her arm around his neck and his arm around her waist so she could lean on him, all while she held the handkerchief up to her nose. A chorus of her classmates hoping she'd feel better echoed as the two left the classroom and headed out the halls.
"What was that noise?" Addison asked nasally, her mental capacity slowly returning to her.
Cole looked at her in confusion. "Uh, what noise?"
"That stupid metallic ringing" she replied, wincing in pain as a final burst of the noise pierced her and prompted her to slump badly until Cole helped prop her back up. "You're telling me you didn't just hear that?"
Cole shook his head. "I haven't heard anything, Addy."
Addison took the handkerchief off of her nose and gasped at how red it had gotten, quickly placing it back to prevent more blood loss. What is going on here? What is that noise?! Why is my nose bleeding like this? And why have I had such a splitting headache since this morning? She could not recall ever having her nose bleed like this before. She wondered if it might have broken as she fell onto the desk, but quickly realized her hands had prevented her face from hitting it. This headache of hers might have caused all of this. Or that stupid noise she was hearing...
"Don't worry" her friend assured her. "Nurse Miriam is a nice lady. She'll help you figure things out."
"I hope so" Addison groaned. "Because this noise is..." Hang on a second. What happened to that noise?! The metal sound had been ripping through her head and her ear drums since Morgan had begun talking about her Pokémon, but now had vanished from her mind and became little more than a memory. She did her best to pick herself up, but felt drained by both her headache and whatever that noise had been. "At least that stupid noise is going away. Hopefully forever."
Cole smiled. "That's a relief." He continued to gently lead her down the hallway and towards where Nurse Miriam's office was.
Addison looked up to her new friend and despite all the pain she was in, smiled a soft smile. It made her feel a bit better about the pain she was currently enduring if it meant she had someone besides her Arcanan entourage to depend on. She was eager to say 'thank you' to him, but remained drained from her pounding head. She simply relaxed her body and allowed Cole to escort her.
{}
Lizzie sat in Uva Academy's cafeteria, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor as she awaited Justin's arrival for his first break period to eat breakfast. But the longer he didn't show up, the more she began to wonder if she'd read Justin's schedule properly. After all, he may not be the brightest person she knew, but even he couldn't get lost on his first day of school when all he'd need to do is look on his Poke Gear at the map of the Academy provided to them by Director Clavell.
A small part of her wondered if Justin was avoiding her because of what had unfolded the previous evening when she interrupted the "study session" between him and Bridgette. Deep down, she was even beginning to regret how harshly she had treated Titanio City's former gym leader. But she had to endure two years of watching the Kingston trio deteriorate after she and Malcolm had abandoned the Pokémon League to their own affairs. With Michael slowly killing himself with the Crimson Fury, with Cameron being forced to take up more and more responsibility and to see Chris basically warp into an almost unrecognizable womanizer. She hadn't been able to vent to anyone besides Mark and even he was worn down by all of it. She unleashed years of pent-up anger on Bridgette after she'd given Malcolm his own fair share of grief before his death. And now, according to Billy, Bridgette had placed a Do Not Disturb sign on her door at the hotel and had been crying all night.
She hadn't meant to be so venomous to her, but she guessed there was little left she could do to mend the situation. Now, as she awaited Justin's potential arrival or not, sharing a table with kids who were talking about some kind of influencer Gym Leader that had sprouted up, she had to face up to how much damage she might have caused.
"It's not like I actually hate her or anything" she lamented to herself as she messed around on her Poke Gear, looking through Justin's latest uploads. I just don't want her to hurt Justin the same way the others were hurt.
Fed up with waiting for Justin, she pulled up her text message conversation to see Justin's schedule again. It was 9:15 AM according to the clock on the wall and on her device, which would put Justin...she smacked herself on the head. That would put him right in the middle of his Art Class with Mr. Hassel. She'd misread the schedule and wasted almost a good half an hour waiting for Justin to come, when he wouldn't be there for another 15 minutes.
"Guess I misread something yet again" she lamented. She'd wasted a good morning she could have spent getting in some more bonding time with Miraidon or training on some of the newer Pokémon that made their habitats in Paldea. She could have even gotten to learn a bit about the region as Amanda had been doing. Instead, she was sitting around in the cafeteria, waiting for someone who wouldn't be there until his class was over.
She was about to head off and get some bonding time with Miraidon in, when she noticed Arven, the boy whom she had gotten her newest Pokémon from, making his way towards the breakfast buffet on display for the students to eat. He briskly pushed aside students until he made it to the food for student consumption, before letting out an audible sigh. "Did I miss out on the omelets again?! Jeez, I got to focus on other things before the other kids get the good stuff!"
Lizzie called over to him. "Hi Arven."
He turned around, confused that someone would be talking to him, until they made eye contact. "Oh. It's you. Lizzie right?"
She nodded. "I wanted to thank you for letting me look after Miraidon. He's not the brute you made him out to be."
Arven folded his arms. "Yeah, you must get along well with brutes. All that thing can be is a burden on whoever has to pay to keep its stomach full. My condolences to your finances, Lizzie." He looked back at the breakfast offerings and frowned. "Well, I guess I can make my own omelet in the kitchen." He walked over and grabbed a plate, beginning to fill it with the items he intended on putting in his omelet, including various peppers, cheese, cherry tomatoes and bacon.
"You seem to know your way around a kitchen" Lizzie remarked politely.
"When you look after yourself for as long as I have" he explained as he carefully picked his options, "you have to learn some time."
"I could use some learning myself" she admitted. "I plan on running my own Pokémon Day Care back in Arcana and I want to make sure I give any Pokémon in my care only the most nutritious and developmentally positive food I can."
Arven shrugged. "It's really not too hard. I'd offer to help you, but I've got my plate full." He looked down at the selection of food on his plate and sighed. "In more ways than this. Maybe once I've taken care of my mission, I can spare some time."
"Ooh a mission? What kind of mission?"
Arven waved her off. "Nah. I doubt you'd want to hear about it."
Lizzie shrugged. "I've got time to spare."
Surprised at her offer, Arven took a minute to think over his options and then sat in the seat opposite her own, placing his food on the table in front of him. "Okay, its gonna sound silly coming from me, but there is something very important I'm after. You ever hear of Herba Mystica?"
"Huh?"
Arven sighed. "Thought so. No one even believes it exists. Well, anyway, Herba Mystica is an herb with intriguing power behind it. It's the most concentrated amount of a certain kind of taste and unlock the potential of any and all who eat one if it's properly put into a meal. Even humans can become stronger because of it, but it's mostly meant for Pokémon consumption."
"Unlock their potential?" she repeated, glancing down at Miraidon's Poke Ball on her belt. "Do you think this could help-"
"There's just one problem. Actually, there's five of them." He reached into the satchel on his shoulder and pulled out a purple-colored book. He thumbed through the pages until he came across the one he was looking for. He then flipped the book over and showed it to Lizzie. "There are five known places where the Herba Mystica can be found, but they're all being guarded by these."
Lizzie looked at the page and blinked in confusion. Monsters of Area Zero? Herba Mystica? She began to read the excerpt from the book Arven had showed her:
{}
As we descended further into Area Zero, we began to catch glimpses of mysterious Pokémon-though we wondered at first if these huge, ferocious beasts were indeed Pokémon at all. One of our team suffered a brutal blow from such a beast and was mortally wounded, forcing us to retreat for a time. These Pokémon, be they bestial in nature or not, will prove to be a problem for further study of the mysterious lower levels of Area Zero. We cannot make more progress until we prove capable of avoiding or defeating such monsters.
A member of our survey team captured this photograph by chance. I notice a passing resemblance to the Pokémon known as Donphan yet differences such as its sheer size and the shape of its back set it apart-to say nothing of its treads of iron. And yet, this too was corroborated by another colleague claiming to see one which appeared to have tusks as long as a Seviper. Where do these Pokémon come from? How do they evolve into such beings of immeasurable power? We may never find out these answers in just one mission down here. We may need more power.
The only thing we successfully achieved on this venture was the discovery of what one of my colleagues had unintentionally discovered. Area Zero is home to wondrous herbs that instantly impart vigor when eaten. We dubbed them Herba Mystica and attempted to grow some in areas around Paldea. However, before we could harvest, its herbs were eaten by Pokémon-which in turn grew large and strong. We call these Titan Pokémon. Any future expeditions would be put in jeopardy should the Royal Family learn of this failure on our part, which is why we will keep this hidden from them as long as possible.
{}
"You mean to tell me these Pokémon became uber powerful because of this Herba Mystica?" Lizzie gulped.
Arven shook his head. "You don't know the half of it. Not only did they devour all of it, but now they guard it like a Dragon Pokémon guards treasure in those old fairy tales. And thanks to the writers of this book not releasing what they learned, no one in Paldea even believes this is real. They call it some urban myth like White Island or something."
"Well, what do you think?"
Arven looked astonished. "Huh?"
"Other people's thoughts don't really matter on something that's irrelevant to them" she explained. "Believe me, I have to go through that all the time back home. People injecting their opinions when not asked. The only opinion that matters is your own." She smiled politely. "So? What do you think? Are they real? Or fake?"
Arven looked troubled, but gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up. "I know it's real. After all the research I've been doing, it has to be." He then looked down at the book, his pride seemingly evaporating. "But if this Herba Mystica is real, that means those Titans guarding it must also be real. I don't think I'm cut for taking on a monster like that. Pokemon Battling isn't exactly my forte."
"You could always ask that Class President of yours. What was her name? Nemona?"
Arven snorted. "Her?! She's just like all the other kids. She only cares about the Pokémon League and being a perfect little student."
Lizzie thought for a moment. "Well, what about me?"
"You?!"
"I'm a capable Pokémon Trainer. You saw my Salamence, and he's just one of a plethora of Pokémon I've raised in my lifetime. I was a member of Arcana's Elite Four, after all. If you need help taking on one of these Titans, I could help."
"I mean, I'd welcome the help" Arven began, "but what about your job?"
"My job?"
"Aren't you supposed to be a chaperone to one of the new students?"
Lizzie smiled. "I'm fortunate enough to be a chaperone to a guy who is more than capable of taking care of himself." I also think Bridgette will step up in these regards, especially since Addison needs no one watching over her. "And besides, one of my biggest gripes is unfair odds. You may not be able to beat one of these Titans on your own, but with my help, we should be able to get that Herba Mystica for you."
Arven thought for a moment. "Oh...okay. I appreciate it, Lizzie." He collected his purple book and put it back in his satchel. "Okay, I have a partner in this now. That really helps." He took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. "Okay, here's the deal. While I have a vague idea as to where some of these Herba Mystica might be, the locations aren't exact. I'm gonna spend the next few nights doing all of the research I can on where for sure they are. When I'm sure, I'll get into contact with you." He quickly jotted down his contact info and handed it to her. "It probably will take a bit to get all the necessary things searched up, but I think we've got this." He quickly rose from his chair and sprinted for the exit. "Adventure is out there!"
Lizzie was surprised at Arven's abrupt exit and even more surprised when Arven nearly bowled over Justin in his haste to depart. Her charge shook himself out of his stupor and sat beside Lizzie. "What's his rush? I hope he didn't have to run to the bathroom or anything."
"He's just excited" she explained. "I remember you were like that when I got you to meet Katrina."
"I suppose" he exhaled, before lowering his own satchel and stretching out his body. "These advanced classes are hectic on me. I'm already halfway through my day and I haven't even eaten breakfast yet. Thank goodness its just the first day, or else I'd be completely overstimulated." He glanced over towards where Arven had run out. "Is he a new friend of yours?"
"I suppose so. I did agree to help him." She patted his hand playfully. "But only when you don't need me."
"Unless you're interested in helping me with all these assignments I'll have in store" her friend laughed, "I think you'll have all the time you need to help him."
She giggled. "Not really. Schooling wasn't exactly my best. I learn through experience, not books."
{}
Despite Addison's insistence that she could walk on her own, Cole remained by his new friend's side as they finally rounded the corner to Nurse Miriam's office. She simply kept her arm around his shoulder as he gingerly led her to what he hoped would be a chance for her to recover and figure out what went wrong with her during their first class of the day.
Cole was surprised to find Nurse Miriam's office was, already, filled with students suffering from various physical, emotional or mental ailments. Some looked so anxious that they might get sick into the trash cans the nurse had placed beside their cots. Others were dealing with the aftereffects of what appeared to be bullying, with stretched undergarments and heads drenched with what he could only assume was toilet water. Of the children currently under Miriam's care, only one of them was seemingly in need of care, which to Cole's surprise was Jovi. Apparently, she wasn't as over the sickness she had endured on her flight to Paldea as that Fanteen woman seemed to believe she was.
Cole and Addison looked nervously at the cavalcade of students awaiting Miriam's treatments and slowly made their way over to her as she sat beside Jovi, who seemed to be suffering from a illness not too different from Addison's. When Miriam noticed more students, she looked initially exasperated, until she saw the handkerchief full of blood under Addison's nose.
"Oh my" she gasped, rushing up to Addison's side and taking her from Cole's care. "What on earth happened, sweetheart?"
Addison still seemed to be fatigued from all that she had endured since the morning started, prompting Cole to take command of the situation. "She's had a bit of a headache since waking up. She tried to tough it out for class, but once her nose started bleeding, Professor Sexton knew she needed your care, Nurse Miriam."
"Well, fortunately this girl had you to look after her, Cole" Miriam admonished. "You can just leave her with me, so you can go on back to class." She brought Addison over to the last cot, which sat adjacent to Jovi's, and helped her sit before taking the handkerchief from her to study her face. "Well, you don't seem to be bleeding anymore, which is a relief. But I don't want you to do any physical activity for a while, Miss. Just lay down here and let me look you over for a bit."
Addison nodded. "Thank you, Nurse. I appreciate it." Her voice was still stuffy, as if fighting off the last of the blood her body seemed eager to shed. Before Nurse Miriam lowered her onto the pillow, she gave Cole a smile. "And thank you too, Cole."
He smiled back. "No trouble, Addy. Hope you feel better." He turned to make his way back to Professor Sexton's class, but was nearly bowled over by Fateen as she hurried over to see what had befallen Jovi. He barely had time to avoid crashing into one of the nauseous kids sitting as he recovered to take stock of the situation. "Whoa!"
"My poor little child" Fanteen shrieked. "How did this happen?"
"One of the students found her collapsed outside of her dorm room, crying about a throbbing headache" Miriam explained. "Strange to see two students worrying about this at the same time." She put her finger to her cheek. "Maybe there's a bug going around?"
"Did she..." Addison began, before groaning, "ugh...did she say...something about a...uh...noise?"
Miriam raised an eyebrow. "Ye-yes. She did. Some sort of metallic ringing."
Cole gasped. "That's the same Addy thought she heard."
Fateen looked panicked. "How could such a noise be permitted in an academy like this?!"
Miriam did her best to assure the frightened chaperone. "Only two students have claimed to hear such a thing up to this point. But I'll be sure to alert Director Clavell and La Primera to conduct an investigation." She bowed respectfully to both Cole and Fanteen. "In the meantime, I must ask you both to leave to allow the students to get some tender love and care."
Fateen shook her head. "I don't think she needs care you can provide, my child. What Jovi needs is some time in bed. I will discuss this with the teachers after the school day. But for now, she must get some rest." She took the same Crystal Ball she had cradled so gently earlier in the morning and held it out before Jovi, as the poor girl moaned and whined in pain. "Patience my child..."
"What is this going to accomplish?" Miriam admonished.
But the prophetess paid her no heed. "Jovi my dear..."
"It hurts" Jovi wept. "Please..."
"Everything will be fine..."
Jovi grunted. "No! It won't! I can't."
"Jovi. Everything will be fine."
Cole looked from Jovi to Fateen, curious to know what she hoped to accomplish. Until, to his shock, Jovi stopped shaking and writhing in pain and almost completely fixed herself into the bed Miriam had placed her in.
"How in the-" Miriam gasped.
"Everything will be fine" Jovi repeated, as if lost in slumber.
Fateen's eyes seemed to widen at this as she remained fixated on her charge. "You must rest your weary head."
"I...must...rest my weary head."
"Sleep. Sleep. Sleeeeeeep."
Jovi's head gave one final jerk before collapsing onto the pillow on her cot, out like a light. Cole would have been horrified more at this, had he not seen Addison also collapse onto the pillow into a deep and what he could hope would be an uninterrupted slumber. He looked worriedly from Jovi to Addison and then back to Fateen. Did...did she just do what I think she just did?
Miriam was flabbergasted. "I...I can't believe it. You have indelible knowledge of the human mind." She eagerly rose to speak to Fateen in more detail. "How on earth did you-"
"You see, my dear, many woes and illnesses are simply products of an overworked or fatigued mind. As you can see, all one may need is a good night's sleep to escape their woes." She waved her hand over the crystal ball and showed off what she wanted them to see was the impeccable power she possessed.
Cole glanced around and felt his hairs stand up. All of the other students had fallen into a deep sleep.
This did not go unnoticed by Fateen. "Hmm, it would seem my powers trouble you, my boy."
Cole backed away. "No. I'm just-"
"I sensed it in you when we met this morning. It's not rude to be put off by someone of my prowess. You must not be used to someone with my capabilities. Perhaps you need some rest yourself, boy. I sense a great deal of concern inside of your mind." She held up the ball until it was in front of Cole's eyes. Cole did all he could not to gaze directly into the ball, but he could feel Fateen's influence beginning to snare him. "You must relax, my boy. Close your eyes and enter your dreams."
Cole shook off his fatigue, including his increasingly weighty eyelids. He would not permit himself to fall asleep. "No, I can't. I..."
"You must relax" she insisted softly. "Take long, deep breaths and close your eyes."
"No, I-"
Where is the crystal?!
Cole immediately jumped back and fell to the ground. "No. No!" He heard her voice. That shrill, sinister voice that he'd been intimidated by for some time. But Natalya was nowhere to be found. The only three awake people inside the office were Fateen, Miriam and himself. He desperately scrambled back up to his feet and tried to make for the exit, a move which shocked both Fateen and Miriam. While Fateen seemed surprised at Cole's refusal for her kind of therapy, Miriam was doing all she could to settle Cole down before he genuinely needed her care once more.
She put her hands on his arms. "Cole? What's wrong?"
"I won't let-" he exclaimed.
"Cole?!"
Cole tried to calm himself down. "I really should head back to class, Nurse Miriam. Miss Fateen." He made to make it out of the nurse's office, but Miriam held him down and unintentionally preventing his escape.
"Cole, you look pale" Miriam worried. "You should take some time to rest too." She tried to coax him down into a chair, but Cole knew the sooner he got away from this situation, the safer he would be. He slipped out of her grip and tried to go for the exit, but she caught his wrist and tried again to get him to sit down. He would have begun to frantically fight for his life, had Fateen not surprised him in that moment.
"Oh, my dear, perhaps the boy does need to go back to his studies" she spoke up after a moment of watching them. Miriam and Cole both looked at her in shock. Cole was so perplexed by what had just transpired, that he failed to notice Miriam was no longer trying to get him to sit down and instead only held onto him lightly. But he did not pull away either, curious as to what this mysterious woman had to say. Before either Cole or Miriam could wonder aloud why, Fateen continued. "Your office is full enough. If the boy doesn't feel he needs some rest, then we ought to let him return to his studies. If this is indeed a bug, it might be more important to let these students rest first before the next batch comes, heaven forbid."
Miriam looked over to Cole, her hand gently holding his as if to gauge his feelings. "Cole, are you sure you don't need anything?"
Cole could tell she genuinely was concerned for him. And he wasn't about to lambaste someone who had looked out for him for so long. He nodded to the nurse. "Yes. I'm okay. But I really should be getting back to class. Just promise you'll help take care of the other students." He desperately tried to use his eyes to gesture towards Fateen, as he was unsure of her intentions, but the movement went unnoticed by the nurse.
"Well, alright" she remarked somewhat sadly. "Just know you can return here for anything." She then finally released his hand, allowing Cole to depart from the office.
Once he was out of earshot, Cole shuddered at what he had just witnessed. That lady just put Jovi into a trance. Not only that, but she might have put all of the other students to sleep. But how? How could someone like this know the potency of crystals, let alone be able to effectively utilize them? That's it. No more fooling around. I need to talk about this with Professor Sexton after class. He then sprinted back down the halls towards the only person he knew he could depend on entirely. Besides Paige, of course.
{}
After Addison had collapsed in their History Class and Cole returned from the Nurse's Office without her, Tommy initially wanted to forgo the rest of his scheduled classes for that day to ensure his friend was okay but was coaxed by Morgan into keeping to the promise he'd made to his father and the rest of Arcana's Royal Council to not cause trouble in the region. He reluctantly agreed but found himself more glued to Morgan than he'd ever imagined he'd be. Not in a romantic sense, by any means. Sure, Morgan was nice and pretty, but he knew she only had eyes for the new kid Cole. And he wanted to keep becoming better friends with both Nemona and Penny.
But Addison's unexpected illness now made Tommy a bit nervous to trust himself around others and kept sitting with Morgan for whatever classes they had. Morgan welcomed it, as Tommy figured she too was concerned about Addy's wellbeing, but chose to say little. The only class Morgan did not sit with him, however, was their Home Economics class with Mr. Saguaro, just before their lunch time. She seemed eager to demonstrate to Cole her capabilities and even casually flirted with him, which prompted Tommy to laugh as Cole seemed almost oblivious to Morgan's wiles.
Tommy instead sat with Nemona for this class. He was tempted to try his own hand at flirting with his Class President crush, but found her almost bored to the point of sleeping through the first class, after she'd spent their entire Battle Studies course going nuts with Ms. Dendra. So anytime he would casually try to talk to her, she would nod before letting out an exaggerated yawn.
Once their class came to an end, with Mr. Sarguaro asking them all to come to their next class tomorrow with a recipe for their favorite food to share with themselves and their Pokémon, Tommy was again initially wanting to go and check on Addison. But deep down, he insisted on telling himself he could not. He felt obligated to in the name of their friendship and his unrequited feelings for her. And he knew she didn't want or need him to be there for her. She could take care of herself. And he needed to do the same.
He walked his way over towards the Cafeteria to grab some lunch to eat, looking over the rest of his schedule for the day in the process. "Let's see. We have Languages after Lunch and Art History with Mr. Hassel after that before the day ends." He would have a lot of free time after that, which he planned to use to become friendlier with his Pokémon. His Fuecoco was determined to show more of his fighting capabilities, but with battles expressly forbidden on school grounds, he knew he'd have to wait until after class to go and see some of the Wild Pokémon outside of Mesagoza.
Just have to clear it with my chaperone, he groaned to himself. Then again, so far since landing in Paldea, Billy had let him be for the most part. He was sure Billy would let him go and train his Fuecoco, even if it meant he watched over him in the meantime. Billy would not have needed as much persuasion as his father might have.
Tommy was about to get in line for a bite to eat, when his Poke Gear began to buzz wildly. He was curious as to who would be trying to contact him at such a time and saw that it was an unrecognizable number. He was about to let it ring, when he suddenly began to get curious eyes from his fellow students. He excused himself from the line and finally accepted the call.
"This is Tommy, right?"
Tommy blinked. The voice was almost unrecognizable. Distorted with a voice modulator to the point where it was almost sounding like a cheap science fiction villain of sorts. But with no other choice, he felt compelled to answer. "Uh, yeah. Who is this?"
"Good. I was worried for a minute I might have hacked the wrong phone."
"Hacked?!" Tommy, upon realizing he was speaking loudly, lowered his tone. "What do you mean you 'hacked' my phone?"
"Well, as far as you're concerned, it basically means I'm in control of your phone at the moment. But that's besides the point. I needed to talk to you before the wrong people did."
"The wrong people?"
"Evidently, you've already got quite the reputation among a certain group of students in Paldea. My name is Cassiopeia. But that's irrelevant to the point at hand. What does matter to us now is you and what happened outside of Uva Academy yesterday." Tommy was confused until he recalled protecting Penny from a group of thuggish Pokémon Trainers, whom Nemona had dubbed Team Star. "You were the first person to stand up to a Team Star Grunt and not get frightened back into your bed. It takes guts to take on a Team Star member, which is why I think you and I could be helpful to one another."
Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Helpful? Look, Cassio-whatever. I'm just here to go to school and-"
"Look, you standing up to them has got the rest of the Team wondering if you're going to make a move on them" Cassiopeia warned. "And whether or not you want to pick a fight with them, it won't take long before they come to pick a fight with you. And if they come for you, like they've done so many others, you'll either get scared back to wherever you came from or they'll impress you into joining them."
Tommy gulped. "Okay, you've got my attention."
"I understand you're a trainer with some talent. My sources say you defeated those grunts handedly. And we may be able to help one another accomplish goals they may want to achieve."
"Sources?"
"Let's just say I've got two 'I's' on you at all times" the voice mentioned. "But I believe we can help one another."
"How can we? We don't even know each other."
"Perhaps we can fix that with something big I've been cooking up. Team Star is more than just a nuisance around the Academy. They've become a problem for the whole of Paldea. Any students who aren't impressed into joining them often find themselves hiding in fear of them. And that's not what a school or any place should be about. I'm sure you would agree with that, yes?"
Tommy, recalling how the Syndicate had tried to intimidate the entirety of Arcana into submitting to them after the Taghwan Hall Disaster, nodded to himself and clenched his fist. "All too much."
"I'm cooking up something big. The complete and utter dissolution of Team Star. I'm calling it 'Operation Starfall'."
"And you need me for this?"
"I'm not big into battles myself" his new "ally" explained. "Honestly, if I went up against them on my own, I'd probably get crushed without a second thought. But that's where you come in. Team Star is already curious about you. And I imagine if you and I join forces to take them down, we both could benefit in the long run. I would be able to stop an entire school from cowering at their hands and you'd be able to add onto your impressive resume. If a student who only just started is able to take down Team Star, you'd be considered a hero from Alfornada to Levincia. There wouldn't be a person in the region not interested in you."
Tommy began to picture himself as the conqueror of a group of thugs the same way Michael Kingston and his allies had whipped up the Syndicate or how Ryan had bested Mewtwo. How people would be cheering his name and worshipping him. Fans from all over coming to watch him battle and take on the forces of evil. He'd be irresistible. He could see it now, Nemona rushing over to him and hugging him, calling him her hero in that language of Paldea. Or Penny would finally want to hang out with him. Perhaps he'd be hailed as a champion in the making by the Academy and finally make his father proud. And, if in the slightest of chances, it were to happen, Addison might finally see him in a new light. Might even be willing to...
"You don't need to answer now" Cassiopeia added, breaking Tommy from his fantasy. "I'll be in touch over the next few weeks to discuss in detail. Until then, keep up the good work. Bye." And with that, the strangest yet most exciting call Tommy had ever taken part in ended.
As he put aside his Poke Gear, Tommy could not help but crack a wide and open smile, excited about the possible future he might have at his disposal. He boisterously leaped his way over towards the food line but came to a rapid halt when he nearly bowled over Director Clavell, who seemed eager to have some words with him.
"Ah, Master Thomas" Clavell hailed, quickly pushing his glasses up to cover his eyes. "Is your first day going well?"
Tommy nodded. "Of course, sir. I'm loving my classes. And I-"
"I notice you're quickly becoming quite popular" he chuckled. "I noticed you received a call during lunch."
The young man gulped. "Well, I uh..."
He waved off Tommy's nerves. "You need not worry, Master Thomas. Phones are a natural piece of technology one must use to be in contact with not only their friends, but your family back in Arcana. You are more than welcome to use them while you aren't in class. However, I do recommend you keep your conversations private. You never know if some unwitting ears are listening in."
Tommy bowed. "Yes. Thank you sir."
Clavell nodded. "Good. Now hurry along and get yourself some lunch." Tommy did as Uva Academy's Director asked and rushed to prepare himself some food to help carry him throughout the remainder of the day. As he joined up with a few of his fellow students on the line for lunch, he glanced backwards and was confused when he seemed to see Director Clavell deep in thought. But he quickly shrugged it off when he began to smell the Pizza on sale for the first day of school.
