When Director Clavell showed Cole how to open the door and allowed him inside, the orphaned boy was astonished by not only how much space there was in their deluxe dorm room, but also at how clean and well looked after the room was. There was a refrigerator and microwave for allowing him to cook food if he didn't want to go to the cafeteria, a sink he could only imagine he could wash dishes in, as well as a large bed in the corner of the room. The sheets and blanket were all so nicely tucked in that Cole could only imagine that Arven was just as meticulous and detail oriented as his parents were. The only point of confusion for Cole was that there was a massive cushion at the foot of the bed, where it seemed a large and hulking Pokémon would sleep. He had to assume this was for one of his roommate's Pokémon.
In the spacious living area, there was also a large television (which Cole had never even imagined he would have one of for himself) and a large sofa. Before he could test it out, he noticed a button on the side. He pressed it curiously and before he could realize it, the sofa soon transformed almost automatically into a pull-out bed.
"This place has everything" Cole exclaimed aloud, though he was hoping Clavell did not hear him. It's almost like a storybook. He had never seen anything quite like this in his entire life.
"We always strive to ensure that all students at Uva Academy's needs are met" the Director replied politely. "I had asked our esteemed Home Economics teacher Mr. Saguaro to get into contact with Arven about settling the room details with you, but it would seem that Arven is still not back from his own business at the Poco Lighthouse." He glanced around the room before returning his attention to Cole. "But it shouldn't be long before you meet your roommate for the first time."
"I look forward to it" he said before bowing respectfully. "Thank you, Director."
"I should warn you, Master Cole, that the second half of this Deluxe Dormitory shall belong to two other female students from Arcana. Do try your best to be as hospitable to these girls as possible."
Cole nodded. "I understand, sir. I don't want to cause any trouble."
"I'm certainly appreciative of that." Clavell pointed towards the large sofa. "I'm sure you and Arven will be able to decide promptly your sleeping arrangements, should the boy ever decide to return to the Academy full time, that is. In the meantime, I've been told that the pull-out mattresses in these sofas are quite comfortable."
Cole glanced around the room, still in awe of everything he saw, before returning to his most persistent train of thought. "Director, sir. You said Arven doesn't even come to the Academy full time. Why is that? Did something happen?"
The Director frowned. "I cannot be fully sure, Master Cole. Arven was never one to be afraid of those ruffians involved with Team Star, though he also doesn't adhere to the rules as strictly as his parents or perhaps Class President Miss Nemona does. He is what you kids would call a 'maverick'. He seems to act and do as he pleases. He often spends much of his time at the Poco Lighthouse, where his parents had a laboratory before they moved down into the Great Crater." Upon noticing the anxious glances the young boy was making, Clavell chuckled lightly. "But you needn't worry, Master Cole. He will return of his own volition. After all, while the outside world has many of life's answers, learning how to find them requires more than hands on experience. It requires discipline, mindfulness and a deep pool of knowledge from which to wade through. Which is what we have here at Uva Academy."
"You think he's looking for answers to something?"
"Most children are here to seek answers, many to questions they haven't even asked yet. Aren't you here trying to find some answers?"
Cole took a moment to think it over. I have so many answers to questions these kids might have, but I don't think it's the answers they're hoping for. But on the other hand, he too was looking for answers. Where was Natalya lurking? What had happened to Professor Sexton? Or Paige? Why was Paige so adamant that he find Arven instead of regrouping with her? Why was she so invested in finding this 'White Mage'? Perhaps there was truth to what Clavell was saying. Realizing he hadn't said anything in response, Cole slowly nodded. "Yes. I do."
"And I hope that the Academy can provide you with some of the answers to what you seek" Clavell responded. "Just ensure full cooperation with our rules and adherence to the structured educational system we provide here. And while we cannot fully enforce all rules or control the...ahem...emotions of all of our students, do be sure to act respectfully to the young ladies from Arcana you will be sharing a Deluxe Dormitory with. Education must be the priority over all else, including any potential romance."
Cole would have laughed at the absurdity if it wouldn't have been seen as disrespectful. "Don't worry, sir. There's only one girl for-wait! Director, sir! Did you find any information about my friend Paige?"
The Director cleared his throat nervously. "Unfortunately, I could find no trace of this Paige girl you were speaking about. She was a girl around your age, correct?"
"Yes" Cole said glumly.
"The only Paige we have enrolled in this school at the moment is a five-year old girl. None of your age group, I'm afraid." He positioned his glasses further up his nose and spoke with more eloquence than before. "But fear not, good sir. La Primera is preparing a search party for this friend of yours. She and a few of her fellow Elite Four members shall go into Area Zero in an attempt to locate her in due course." He then turned towards the door. "Make yourself at home, Master Cole. The Cafeteria will be open until 9:00 tonight so you can have a hearty and healthy meal." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "And this is for you as well. Your class schedule. Your classes will begin tomorrow morning."
Cole took the paper from him and began to read his schedule over:
{}
Period I: History with Ms. Raifort (Sub)
Period II: Math with Ms. Tyme
Period III: Biology with Mr. Jacq
Period IV: Battle Studies with Ms. Dendra
Period V: Home Economics with Mr. Saguaro
Period VI: Languages with Mr. Salvatore
Period VII: Art History with Mr. Hassel
{}
"Your course schedule is the same as those of your fellow new students, Miss Addison and Miss Morgan" the Director added. "So as we can perhaps create a shared sense of camaraderie between you all and hopefully keep Paldea open for a long time, as it was when I was a boy."
"What does 'sub' mean, sir?" Cole inquired.
"Ah yes. There is a chance that Ms. Raifort may not be present for the first few weeks of the school year. She is a very attentive teacher and was last seen by Ms. Tyme gathering information about the Treasures of Ruin, an old fairy tale she takes quite seriously. If she will not be present, I have reached out to several potential substitute teachers to fill in for her until she is able to return. But you needn't worry. Though she can be a bit eccentric, she does take her teaching quite seriously and will not be away from her duties for long. Now, if you will permit me, I must return to my duties in my office. But feel free to come and see me anytime you should have any questions or concerns."
As Cole watched the Director leave his room, he walked his way over to the window and glanced outside it at all of the sights and sounds of Mesagoza below. He saw Pokémon playing and frolicking with one another, kids socializing and shopping, adults going on romantic walks in the evening twilight and various sights and sounds he never thought he'd ever witness being stuck down in Area Zero for as long as he was. Life outside of working for Turo and Sada seemed amazing, almost as if there was more to the world than just trying to prevent the apocalypse from the future.
But he would never get to live that life. Not if Natalya was still on the loose and none of his friends anywhere nearby to help. Professor Sexton was missing in action, as was Paige. And he dreaded thinking what could have happened to Turo and Sada as the cavern quaked all around them before he and Paige were sucked into the Time Machine. He needed to find out what had happened to them. And the only clue he had was a boy he didn't even know existed. I mean, if Arven was in fact their son, why did Turo and Sada not bring him up more often? The thought made Cole sad. Turo and Sada had shown appreciation and care for him and Paige but had practically abandoned Arven in a completely different time. Had his own parents done something similar?
He never knew them, after all. The foster mother that had raised him and Paige often callously reminded the duo that their own parents had better things to do than raise "a couple of wicked beasts" like them. While Paige had been almost browbeaten by the "Old Hag" as they now called her, Cole had remained defiant and ultimately compelled Paige to run away with him and find a better life for themselves. She trusted him and they set out, with no one to rely on but each other and their two Pokémon, her Litleo and his Pawmi. Somewhere in between all of those long days without food or shelter, Cole could not recall which day exactly, but one of the days changed their dynamics forever. Paige became the strong and vibrant one and he became a nuisance and a weakling. Someone Turo and Sada stationed as far from the action as possible. Someone who knew so little of their secrets that he genuinely didn't know if Natalya had turned on the Time Machine by herself or had persuaded one of them to help her against Sexton's wishes.
But he couldn't be weak. Not now. With Sexton and Paige both missing, he might be the only thing standing between Natalya and that calamitic event that caused the miserable world he and Paige had grown up in. No Turo and Sada to save him, no Paige to bail him out of trouble, he even suspected that Arven may know next to nothing about what was going on. It may truly be him on his own.
What about those other kids? The students Clavell and Geeta had mentioned would be joining him in the school year. Could he possibly count on the likes of these Morgan or Addison girls to help? Or what about any other local students? Surely more heads were better than one weak one. As tempting an idea as it was, he eventually realized he couldn't. I can't put anyone else in danger. They don't deserve to suffer because we messed up. Besides, Paige is counting on me to help her. And I will not fail her. Not now, not ever. In the end, he would be no better than Natalya if he brought more innocent people into this fight for the future, even if it was their future to lose as well.
The first thing to do, now that he had a roof over his head, was to find this Poco Lighthouse and speak to Arven. It was what Paige had asked him to do when he got here, after all. Even if it wasn't a guarantee, he had to start from somewhere. He stared out into the distance, past the walls of Mesagoza and out into the distance beyond. Though the sun was just beginning to set, he could still see enough of southern Paldea without needing a map. It didn't take him long to see a lone lighthouse, on a hill past another small town.
"That has to be it" he exclaimed. "I'll head down there and-"
Before he could get his thoughts out, his own doubt creeped back in. What could he possibly do? He wasn't as smart as Professor Sexton, nor as brave as Paige, or even as twisted as Natalya. He was just...Cole. In the way. Weak. Worthless. How could he possibly contend with the likes of Natalya, who had such an immeasurable head start on him? Without Paige or Professor Sexton to lean on? On his own, he was just about as useful as a single Wishiwashi.
He took a deep breath and folded his hands. As a boy, he had long ago prayed for a way to escape his wicked foster mother. He could only hope now that, if there was in fact an Arceus out there, he might bless him one more time with a prompt solution. Even if he had to put the pieces together himself, he didn't care. He needed some guidance. "Please. Someone out there. Anyone out there. I need your help. My friend Paige is counting on me. If you're out there, listening to me, please give me a sign. A way to help protect the world from Natalya. Give me a light to brighten the dark with. Please!"
He blinked and looked up to the evening sky, immediately a bright and burning object flying high above Uva Academy. He at first thought it to be a shooting star, but when it began to move erratically, he realized it had to be a Pokémon. But did the Flying Cabs have lights on them now? Were Squawkabilly's capable of glowing like a star? Or was this some kind of response to his prayer? He could not be too sure, as the object continued to sputter about, slowly gliding down towards the direction where Cole was preparing to go.
"That looks like it's headed towards the Lighthouse!" His hand fell into his pocket and clutched at his own half of the Tera Crystal he'd been entrusted with by Paige. Once he had it in his hands, he decided to act. He dropped his class schedule on the sofa and headed for the door.
{}
Having walked off on her own to see the sights of Mesagoza, Lizzie quickly found herself growing hungry. Fortunately for her, one thing that Mesagoza did not lack for was places to eat. The entire city was basically high-end stores for shopping or restaurants for eating, and she had her choice of practically any kind of food she could crave. Local delicacies found at Baratos or scrumptious sweets from Kanto Crepes. Scintillating seafood or tantalizing tastes from Alola or Unova. Tacos or Burgers. Salads or Soups. She found out while walking that she could even buy her own food and go out on a picnic for herself and her Pokémon. But as tempting as that sounded, she knew better than to test Billy's patience on the first day of being in Paldea. She knew he was "in charge" according to Michael, but that didn't mean he would remain on guard for long. And eventually, once everyone was sure that the new region was safe and nothing bad would happen, she would be free to explore all she wanted.
So, for now, she knew she had to focus on one place at a time and stopped in front of a promising sandwich shop called "Every Wich Way". Though the name did not sit well with her, as she wasn't a big fan of puns thanks to years of being around Mark and Chris, she figured a restaurant named something as corny as that had to make at least some kind of decent food. And so, with her stomach howling for something to eat and no sign of any of the other "chaperones" wanting to keep an eye on her for the moment, she walked right in.
Lizzie's eyes were immediately drawn to the sandwich counter, where the sandwich artist would craft for any customer the sandwich of their desire. And the options were practically limitless. The bread sizes ranged from finger food to colossal party size that could feed up to 30 people. The seasonings were also quite diverse. They seemed to be categorized from Sweet, Salty, Spicy, Sour and Bitter, as if designed specifically to appeal to whatever you were in the mood for. They ranged from as basic as salt and pepper and went all the way to the more obscure ones as Curry Powder or Marmalade.
And then there were the fillings. If the seasonings were diverse, the fillings were absolutely divine. Anything she could want on a sandwich, she could have. Healthy or unhealthy. Savory or tangy. Spicy or sour. Anything her heart desired at that moment was hers and all she had to do was ask for it. Knowing all too well she would not be able to decide entirely for herself. she walked her way up to the counter and spoke to the young man awaiting her decision.
"Excuse me, could you tell me what you'd recommend for a first timer?" she asked.
The man nodded politely. "Of course. From a personal perspective, I lean more towards BLTM."
"BLTM?"
"Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato with Mayo" he quickly explained. "But I would have to know what you might be in the mood for."
Lizzie thought for a moment. "Hmmm, I don't know. I feel like something salty with some sweetness to it. But I am curious about this BLTM you mentioned. Or am I in the mood for a burger." She laughed nervously as her head began to bounce from ingredient to ingredient. "Oh man! This is why I asked you for a recommendation."
The sandwich artist laughed. "Well, for someone craving saltiness and sweetness at the same time, I would make a Breakfast Burger Sandwich. And fortunately for yourself, Miss, we serve all kinds of sandwiches all day long here."
"What's on a Breakfast Burger Sandwich?" The Artist pointed up towards where the certain sandwiches were described in detail. Every single ingredient made Lizzie's mouth water at just the idea of it. A hamburger with bacon, egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato, seasoned with mayonnaise, ketchup. a small scoop of jam, salt and pepper. The perfect blend of every kind of food one could ask for and all used to normally wake a student up for a long day of schoolwork. As written at the bottom of the description, it was quite popular with the students of the Academy. "Ooooh. I'll have one of those!"
"One Breakfast Burger coming up!"
"Could you make that two? I'm guessing the line will be long in the morning before classes start."
He laughed at this. "Wise choice. Make that Two Breakfast Burgers coming up!" He disappeared back into the kitchen, allowing Lizzie to finally take stock of her current situation.
She was, for the first time in her life, truly off on her own adventure. No Mark to give her tedious yet endearing lectures, no Chris to try making her come out of her own shell, no Michael to lord over her and hopefully no more dangers to overcome. This was the time she could truly make her own spot in the world. And all she was expected to do in return would be to keep an eye on Justin, which she most certainly planned on doing. After all, while she was more than willing to let him go off and make friends and be comfy with whomever he chose, she was not about to let that person be Bridgette Duon.
She held no true anger or hatred towards Bridgette. Though not particularly close to her while they were aligned with Michael as Champion, she never antagonized the surfing beauty, nor did she have a strong friendship with her. There were strong ties of neutrality between them which she preferred to stay that way. She bitterly recalled many a time when she would have plans with her friends that would be dropped quickly if Bridgette needed something, even when Malcolm was alive. Chris and Cameron were acceptable, considering they were immediate cousins to her, but Michael and Mark were both often seeming more willing to do anything she asked instead of upholding their bargains with herself. Mark especially was frustrating, as he was pining after Bridgette with no success as she was already in a relationship with someone. And the closeness with which Michael and Bridgette were sometimes made her once question if the two were actually involved with one another behind Malcolm and Julia's backs. She knew this was her jealousy talking and thus put the thought aside, but the bitterness remained even after Bridgette left her post as Titanio City's Gym Leader and Malcolm tragically died at the hands of Victor of the Syndicate.
But for Bridgette to return now and have Justin clearly drawn to her as all of the other men in her life had been was something she could not permit. Justin was her friend first and her friend foremost. She would not let Bridgette take anyone else from her, hence why she fought as hard as she could to be allowed to tag along to Paldea in the first place.
The Sandwich Artist was out roughly a minute and a half after with her two sandwiches, one wrapped in simple paper and looking as if it were right off the griddle and the other tightly wrapped in both paper and plastic saran wrap. "Here you go, Miss. Two Breakfast Burger Sandwiches, the other one ready to be toasted up in a microwave or toaster oven."
Lizzie took both sandwiches and quickly paid for them. "Thank you so much. I hope I'll enjoy them." Once the transaction was finished, she made her way out of the sub shop and sat outside on an open bench. The scents of the sandwich were so tantalizing to her, that she could not contain it anymore. She had to have a bite of her sandwich now. With a few careless rips, she had the entire sandwich unraveled and ready to consume. She would have sank her teeth into it, had she not realized she wasn't alone. Sat right beside her on the bench was Jazz the Umbreon. "How did you get out of your Poke Ball?"
I smelled something really yummy! Really yummy! And I bet it's that sandwich! Can I have a piece, Lizzie? Huh? Can I? Can I? Can I? Her Umbreon was exceptionally jumpy, sniffing at her sandwich as if it were the most delicious thing ever constructed by mankind.
"Let me have a bite first" Lizzie insisted, before taking said bite. The combination of flavors left a smoky flavor in her mouth that immediately exploded, her tastebuds singing the praise of Arceus himself for allowing something so delicious to be made. Knowing Jazz would sense how she felt about it, she quickly ripped a piece off and gave it to him before quickly scarfing down the rest of the sandwich while her Pokémon nibbled playfully at it. Once the sandwich was gone, she happily licked her fingers. "Oh my gosh! That was sooooo good! The others have got to try this sandwich."
Jazz had finished his own share of the sandwich and bounced up and down playfully. Let's do it! Let's get another one! Come on, Lizzie! Come on! Come on! Come on!
"I got us another one for breakfast tomorrow" she assured her Umbreon as she pet his back lovingly. "And then you can eat to your heart's content, Jazz." Once her Umbreon was placated, she recalled him into his Poke Ball and rose to her feet. "Well, time to check in on everyone." She opened up her Poke Gear to make a message, but found that everyone else was either currently busy or unavailable. Using the built in tracking technology in each other's Poke Gears, Lizzie discovered that Justin was already in the Academy, likely checking out his dorm room. Addison, Tommy and Morgan were making their way up towards Mesagoza, likely with that Nemona girl they met. Amanda was in the library, oddly enough not with Billy, whom was at a posh restaurant in town. This left her and Bridgette as the other two on their own, with Bridgette currently near the Battle Square and herself near the Sub Shop.
"I should go check on-" Lizzie began, but she stopped herself when she noticed something reflecting on the screen of her Poke Gear. She looked into the skies and gasped. There appeared to be a shooting star flying quite close to Mesagoza above her. But she'd never seen something that exciting so close. She followed it in the direction it was headed, which appeared to be to a beach south of the city. Upon hearing a roaring sound echoing around her, she realized that whatever was falling from the skies, it certainly wasn't a meteor or shooting star.
"It sounds like a Pokémon" she said to herself. And not just any Pokémon. A powerful one at that. As the comet-like figure descended down towards the Poco Path, she knew she had to figure out what kind of Pokémon it was. She called out her Salamence, Crush, who seemed surprised to have been called out so quickly. Lizzie stroked his neck tenderly as she climbed onto his back. "Come on, Crush! Let's check out that Pokémon!"
Her Salamence gave her a growling nod before taking off into the skies and off to the south.
{}
While Nemona continued to lead them through Mesagoza, introducing them to the many shops and restaurants that were available at their disposal as students, Morgan found herself getting distracted by the newness of everything in Paldea. It wasn't too difficult to lose her train of thought, what with Addison and Tommy so intent on listening to Nemona and gauging questions about the region to her and Justin having run off thinking Madeline Kingston was still after him. She was allowed to lag a bit behind the others as she thought over what to expect for herself in Paldea.
Addison's reassurance of their friendship and her desire to see her happy gave her the confidence to begin to plan out her own map in life. For the first time since her first Pokémon Journey three years earlier, she was finally able to make a decision about her own future. Not one bent around collaborating with her sister Jasmine or assisting Countess Rosemary on behalf of the White Guardians her family had supported for many years. Even though she wanted to remain loyal to Addison and help her find out all she could about White Island, which she still planned on doing, she was actually able to figure out what she wanted out of life instead of helping others. Was hers the life of a Contest Queen or as a battler? As a nurse or a policewoman? A breeder or studying like Amanda? Hers was a life wide open to her and she was eager to see where it took her.
Well, not too eager. Addison's desire to help her find her own match was an unnerving thought to deal with. After all, the only boyfriend she'd ever had in her young life, Ethan Clarke, wasn't exactly her "ex-boyfriend". Sure, they'd agreed that they could go their own separate ways for a while, but that didn't mean it was forever, right? Ethan was just focusing on his own things and she her own separate stuff. Surely when he said that maybe they took a break, it wasn't something that would be a permanent change? How could she possibly explain to him that Addison set her up with some guy from Paldea while only being away a few days? How would Jasmine react to her sister switching from one guy to another so quickly, after all she'd been through with her own love life, or lack thereof?
She would occasionally give Addison or Nemona a cheerful response when asked something, but was in her own world of worry and woe when left to her own devices. The only thing that gave her a slight bit of joy being her new Pokémon in her Quaxly and Misdreavus. Both happily followed her wherever she went, with her ghostly Pokémon floating around and letting out playful moans and her Quaxly happily settling in her arms, though occasionally flipping his pompadour and occasionally getting her shirt wet. But when she only laughed at this, her Pokémon knew it was allowable.
"You're just a spicy little guy, aren't you?" she teased her Quaxly. The Pokémon quacked playfully before once more flipping his pompadour and chirping to see more of the sights of Mesagoza. Morgan happily obliged, walking her way forward to catch up with the other three. While Addison and Tommy were queued in order to buy everyone some churros, she caught up to Nemona, who was showing off one of the more local Pokémon. It appeared to be a Dragon Pokémon with what appeared to be wheels on the bottom of its body. "What do you call this one?"
"Cyclizar" Nemona explained. "It's not really meant for battling, but it's really popular among students here."
"Do those wheels mean anything?"
"It has three forms" her mentor went on. "It's base form, which it's in now, is the first form. When it stands on its back legs, that's its battle mode. It's third form is it's riding form. That's when Cyclizar can carry people on their back and ride like the wind." She laughed as the Cyclizar howled in delight of being around trainers. "I had one of these when I started here. Nothing beats riding all around on one of these, Morgan."
"Do these ones belong to anyone?"
"These are ones that belong to the school. Some kids aren't good at catching Dragon Pokémon, even as friendly as these. They can be hard to train up. So the school caught a few a while back that kids can use if they know a certain tune to whistle."
"Whistle?"
"Professors Turo and Sada discovered it. All the way back when they went here. They have a son here, you know." She continued stroking the Cyclizar's neck. "Anyway, those two studied these Pokémon quite closely. Their evolutionary lines, how their relationships with humans became so good, and so many other things. I think the whistle went something along the lines of-"
FWEET FWOOOT FWEEEEET!
The Cyclizar let out a surprised and eager yelp before leaping past Morgan and Nemona and approaching a boy who must have been one of the students, barreling Morgan over in the process. While Nemona was laughing at the excitable Pokémon and went on to how that student must be good with Pokémon, Morgan could not take her eyes off the boy. He was surprisingly scrawny for someone who was a student in the school, his clothing patchy and worn, he seemed like he wouldn't draw attention to himself on an ordinary basis. But this clearly was no ordinary moment for her.
The boy made Morgan's jaw drop and her inside giggle in ways she hadn't in a very long time. She faintly recalled the last time she felt like this. In fact, she and Jasmine had both had the same sensation, with another pair of twins they had met at Kingston Castle. One who had a fiery and suaveness to him that made her sister swoon like a lovestruck twit and the other a boy who was arguably better known for the shade of his eyes, which were a green that matched the bandanna he often wore on his head. Though she hadn't been able to speak candidly to Ryan Kingston about the crush she had on him until it was far too late, she had always remained a faithful and loyal friend and girlfriend to not only him and Addison, but to Ethan as well. But with Ethan gone...was their break meant to be?
The boy pet the Cyclizar. "I really need to thank Paige for teaching me that." He looked to Morgan and panicked. "Omigosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know this Cyclizar had an owner!" He hurried over to her side, prompting Morgan to shake out of her stupor.
"What? Me? Oh no! I don't own it. These belong to the school."
"Then can I say I'm sorry I nearly got you run over?" he asked nervously, before extending a hand to her.
Morgan felt lighter than a feather as she took the offer and was back on her feet. "You don't need to apologize. I should watch where I'm going. You never know when a dreamy...UH! That is, I mean-I should have watched where I was going." Realizing she was still holding his hand, she let him go and fanned herself for a moment. "I think we'd be better off starting over. Hi! I'm Morgan."
"Morgan?" the boy asked. "As in, the same Morgan I'm supposed to share a dorm with?"
Morgan's heart skipped a beat. Is this fate?! "I should hope so. Unless there's another Morgan Augustine here."
"I think that was the name." The boy gasped. "Oh crap! That falling star!" He quickly got on the Cyclizar. "Alright, sweetie! Take me after that falling star to the south of here!" The Cyclizar was about to sprint down the path when Morgan realized their conversation was being cut short.
"WAIT! I DIDN'T GET YOUR NAME!" she exclaimed.
"I'm Cole!" he replied. "Don't worry, I'll be back!" With that, the boy who might have succeeded in stealing her heart vanished down the road and out towards the exit of Mesagoza.
Morgan let out an exhale and slid against the wall of the building, a wide and bright smile on her face growing. She didn't even notice Tommy holding her churro for her until he started to poke her in the face with it. She quickly snatched it away from him and resumed staring at where Cole had vanished out of her sights, the smile never once leaving her face.
"I think Morgan's sick" Tommy spoke to the others.
"Oh she's as sick as you were on the plane" Addison teased as she approached her friend. "I didn't get a chance to see him myself. Who's the new beau?"
Morgan blushed. "Don't call him that! He's just our roommate. Nothing more!" Yet. Oh, Arceus above, I hope.
{}
The explosion of bright lights, colors and sand was all Lizzie could see as her Salamence made it to the beachhead near the otherwise tranquil road known as Poc0 Path. The Lighthouse that hung on a cliff above the beach could only be known as the Poco Lighthouse. The lights and sand had not cleared up as she landed near the beach. Her Salamence let out a low growl as if sensing some danger nearby.
"What is it, Crush?" Lizzie asked, but the howling of a few Pokémon nearby made her realize they weren't the only ones drawn to the beach. A pack of wild Houndours had congregated near whatever the falling Pokémon had been and growled and snarled angrily at it.
"Ah-giiiiYAAAAAAAAH!"
Lizzie jumped back. "What the heck is that?" Without prompting, Crush rushed into the dust cloud and fought off the Houndours, chasing them into a nearby cavern. She tried and failed to corral her Salamence into calming himself as he charged after the fleeing pack of Dark/Fire Pokémon, allowing Lizzie the opportunity to investigate what the Pokémon was that had fallen out of the skies.
To her astonishment, the Pokémon hardly looked like one. If it didn't make animalistic noises and movements as it lay exhausted in the sand, she was certain it would be a robot or something of the like. It had a long, slender body that seemed to be made of metal, with both platinum and violet-colored plating to serve as its skin. It had several stripes on its stomach that Lizzie could only imagine glowed when it had immense power, but in its current exhausted state, looked dull and dim. She could not imagine that this dilapidated and poor wretch could have been the one to let out such a tremendous roar that frightened off a pack of Houndour, but there was no other alternative.
The Pokémon tried its hardest to move its head in her direction by craning its neck, but it simply had no energy and fell back onto the ground. Lizzie took a Full Restore out of her pocket and tried to offer it to the fatigued Pokémon, but to her surprise, it changed nothing. The Pokémon had full HP and no status ailments. But why was it so weary if it was healthy? Was it perhaps a Pokémon that required something more than medicines could provide?
"Oh, you poor little thing" she remarked sadly. "I'll look after you."
"So! You finally showed up, you wicked brute!" a voice called nearby.
Lizzie spun around, shocked that someone could say something like that to her when she didn't know them. The young man who had said this was tall, had thick dirty brown hair that hung down to his neck, wore a uniform that made Lizzie guess he was a student at Uva Academy, with a lavender shirt and dark purple pants, with him sporting a yellow vest with an emblem of Uva Academy over his heart. He wore a truly massive backpack on his back, which Lizzie had to assume held far more than things needed for schoolwork. His face was long and full of anger, but to her confusion, he wasn't even acknowledging her. All of that vitriol was directed at the Pokémon.
"How could you call a Pokémon that?" Lizzie asked, appalled by such words. "You don't know what this Pokémon has been through."
"I know far more about it than you do!" he growled. "This brute has been a pain to handle for all my life, now!" The Pokémon lowered its head and let out a sad moan at those words. "Oh, don't pretend you were anything but a pain! I could have gotten anything from all of this they put me through. But instead, Dad sends me you to deal with! Miraidon, he called you. The blessing. The gift of everything. A gift indeed. All you are is a curse!"
"So it's called Miraidon?"
"Call it whatever you want. I call it a brute!"
"So you know what's wrong with Miraidon?" Lizzie inquired.
He folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "I say he bit off more than he could chew out there and now he's come back home to whine and complain for food."
"Food? You don't feed him?"
"Oh, I feed him. No thanks to Dad dumping him on me and having me care for all of this. Or Mom for not even writing to or thinking about me. This glutton just eats and eats and nothing else! I've had it with him constantly pretending he's sick or tired. I'll bet he's doing this for show, just because he's found someone else to try and con into feeding him."
The Pokémon began to sniff around at Lizzie's bag and cocked its head to the side as if it had found something worth having. Lizzie found out there might have been a point to this man's complaints about Miraidon, as she recalled the other Breakfast Burger Sandwich was there. She sighed. "I was hoping to have this for breakfast tomorrow, but I guess you can have it." She took the sandwich out of her bag and held it in front of the Pokémon. It sniffed at the sandwich and cracked out a smile. With one stretch and one chomp, the Pokémon took up the sandwich in its whole. Once it had licked its lips, the Pokémon's energy seemed restored to it.
"AGIAAAAAAS!" it snarled.
Lizzie was amazed. "This is incredible!" It had even shut the angry young student up. But as soon as the energy restoration concluded, the Pokémon seemed to revert back to being slow and less vigorous. It was able to stand on all four of its metallic legs but remained exhausted and slow. It let out a low and playful growl, leaning forward and allowing Lizzie to playfully pat him. As she did, she felt somewhat odd petting a Pokémon with metallic skin and no fur or scales, but she had caught and raised Magnetons before, so it made sense to a degree.
The student threw his hands in the air. "Good. Maybe she can be bothered dealing with you!"
"You can't honestly think this guy is a monster" Lizzie insisted. "All he needs is some tender love and care."
"I give my own Pokémon all the love and care they could ask for" he replied coldly. "This thing isn't worth it to me."
"How about I take him off your hands?"
He paused at this. "You...you're serious?!"
Lizzie nodded. "Of course I am. I'll even trade you for-"
"Thanks, but I don't think just any old trainer could look after this gluttonous beast. I think I'll have to-" A thunderous roar stopped him in his tracks. Two Houndours sprinted out of the cavern, yelping and panicking as if they had just seen a ghost. Crush reemerged from the darkness, letting out a magnificent roar and spitting a Dragon Pulse in their direction, prompting the Pokémon to high tail it as far off into the distance as they could, almost knocking over an incoming boy riding another Pokémon that was approaching the beach. The student was astonished. "WHOA! What the-what is a Salamence doing here?!"
Crush flew over to Lizzie and howled at the other Pokémon, who responded in kind. Lizzie reached up and scratched her Pokémon's neck. "Good job scaring those Houndour away, Crush."
The trainer was blown away yet again. "Wait, you've trained this Salamence?!"
Lizzie giggled at this. "Despite me not being as tall as I should be, I should let you know I'm not only a capable Pokémon Trainer, but also an adult!"
"Hmph. Fine by me." He turned away and seemed to say something to himself, but then reached into his bag and pulled out a strange looking Poké Ball. "I don't understand why someone would want to deal with this kind of monster, but it's one less thing on my back. Here. It's the Poké Ball that thing goes into. Good luck keeping him in there." He handed Lizzie the Poké Ball just as the other student approached on the back of a Dragon Pokémon that Lizzie thought looked strangely similar to Miraidon, as if it were a cousin of it perhaps. The former caretaker of Miraidon glanced over his shoulder at the approaching student and scoffed at him. "Sorry, kid. But I'm not handing out another one. Better luck, next time."
The other boy hurried over to their side and shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I was just coming to check-" His eyes widened at the sight of Miraidon. "Whoa! I think I've seen this Pokémon before. The textures, the eyes." Miraidon seemed to sniff at him curiously but did little else. "Miraidon. It looks cool, but not as tough as the Professor said it was."
"Yeesh, I guess I'm gonna get outvoted on this one" the other student replied casually. "Well, I have to get back to the Academy. Gotta dig up more about the Herba Mystica."
"Wait!" Lizzie cried out. "Thank you. My name is Lizzie."
The boy looked back and finally gave her a relatively polite smile. "The name is Arven. Hope to see more of you at the Academy. And hopefully less of that...thing." He tried to walk past the other student, but he stopped him.
"Arven! Is it really you?!"
"Do I know you?"
"My name is Cole" the boy explained. "You see, I was sent to find you by-"
"Oh, so you're the kid I have to share a room with now, eh?" Arven interrupted. "Well, you don't have to worry about me cramping your style. I rarely sleep at the school. I'm usually here at the Lighthouse. Just don't touch that Pokémon Bed next to mine and you and I won't have any problems. Seriously! Don't touch that bed! Now if you'll excuse me." He brushed past Cole and sprinted up the road towards the Poco Lighthouse and likely to Los Platos and inevitably Uva Academy.
"Wait!" Cole called out, but Arven did not stop. The boy let out an exasperated sigh. "Way to go, Cole. Paige gives you one task and you fail it miserably!"
Lizzie looked to both Miraidon and Crush, who were barking at each other playfully. "So, Miraidon, I wonder what moves you know." She tried to get information about Miraidon on her Poké Dex, but strangely found nothing there. "Hmm? Why doesn't the Poké Dex know about this?" She wondered if it would require an update but found out she was using the most up to date version of the app. "Oh well. Maybe there's a Paldean exclusive version I can use for the time being."
"Paldean exclusive?" Cole inquired. "You mean, you aren't from Paldea?"
She nodded. "I'm one of the Chaperones from Arcana."
Cole smiled, trying to mask his disappointment in failing to get Arven to listen to him. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around the Academy, then. If you see Arven again, could you ask him to speak to me? I have something super important to talk to him about."
Lizzie gave him a thumbs up. "Can do. Cole, was it?"
He affirmed. "Thanks." He remounted his own cycling Pokémon and followed Arven up the road, leaving Lizzie on the beach by herself with her Pokémon. To her amusement, Miraidon seemed eager to eat once more despite devouring the whole sandwich she'd given him.
She giggled. "Maybe Arven was right about you."