She looked herself over carefully in the mirror. The blue, blazing pokeball logo of the League Club dead set in the center of her white shirt was the signal of a new start in a sense, one she didn't have the firmest amount of confidence in. Regardless, there was no going back now.
Starting from last evening and onwards, she now had another responsibility, outside of classwork. At least, Alysa didn't totally feel like she was out of her element. For now. Whether people would start treating her differently, or she'd be the same nobody that enters someone's mind to only be forgotten in no time at all, remained to be seen.
She did like the uniform though. She was informed by the receptionist that it counted as official academy attire and thus wasn't a dress code violation outside of her dorm room, so she could wear it wherever on school grounds. She even had the liberty to incorporate whatever accessories she wanted to, similar to how Drayton, Cripsin, and Lacey did for their own outfits. Alysa immediately chose to wear a favorite pair of dark blue leggings accented by purple flower patterns, for the sake of her legs not remaining uncomfortably bare. The same went for her exposed arms, now covered by plain dark blue warmers.
Last but not least, she put on her usual red bow hairband to help keep her unruly, thick waves somewhat in check. Seeing as this uniform was probably going to be her usual fit from here on out as she didn't see much point in going back to her autumn one, Alysa was tempted to experiment a little, but that could wait. She had homeroom to get to, before she was late.
Alysa left her dorm, naturally checking to ensure the door was locked, and went on her way. As half of her was suspecting, her new outfit did catch the attention of some students. She reached the classroom, and would have automatically gone to her usual desk following routine, if someone did step right in front of her. The girl reacted last second, stumbling backwards in shock.
"You joined?!"
Carmine's eyes were wide as saucers. She was amazed; by what exactly, Alysa couldn't guess. She and the taller girl had never held a conversation before now, and the overly-familiar tone she took had Alysa terribly confused.
"The...League Club?" There couldn't have been anything else she was referring to. "Yes...is there a problem?"
Near them, their classmates watched with a blend of emotions ranging from amused to incredulous.
"No. It's just surprising is all." Carmine's tone suddenly lacked all of its previous energy, returning to neutrality. She studied Alysa closely, amping her discomfort.
"You being all quiet aside, most people turn away from the club these days. I'm a part of it too, but I don't go by the clubroom much."
"What-" Taking honest-to-goodness offense to that, Alysa's mouth twisted up. People making assumptions about her, no matter how accurate they were, was a pet peeve nonetheless.
"I figured as much." She chose to address the latter half of Carmine's sentence. "Drayton mentioned something about no one really coming by."
"Ugh, you've been talking to that toothpaste-haired bozo?"
Carmine sneered, which was not a reaction Alysa could've predicted. Her displeasure towards the boy was plain to see. Also, toothpaste-haired...?
"I guess that makes sense. He is one of the elites, unfortunately." Carmine shook her head. "I'd watch my back if I were you, Alysa. That guy likes toying with people and never takes anything seriously. Could end up using you for some stupid prank."
Before she could give her rather passionate disagreement on that, Ms. Briar walked into the room, greeting the class with her normal bright demeanor. Their spontaneous discussion at an end, they and everyone else standing took their seats. As she went her hers, she met Amarys' gaze, who was watching the previous spectacle. She only gives Alysa a nod of acknowledgement and nothing more.
Briar started the attendance check, and Alysa was so caught up on Carmine's warning that she almost missed her name being called.
Drayton must have some kind of bad history with her for Carmine to believe in apparently the worst of him, but should that mean anything to her? She wasn't involved in it, and Drayton has given her no reasons to view him as nefarious in any way.
Still, Alysa couldn't shake how much Carmine speaking ill of his character frankly bothered her.
It was lunch time, and Alysa was looking forward to unwinding for the allotted hour and a half. The aromas of various foods had her stomach growling already, but the sight of someone at a table who was surrounded by 2 trays and a plate all filled was more intriguing in the moment.
Drayton was slowly eating fries from one tray, and spoonfuls of curry from the plate, while staring at the screen of his floating rotom phone. He did spot her standing at the cafeteria's entrance, and gestured with a head tilt and smile for her to come over. She did so without thinking twice.
"Look at you, all dressed up in uniform~." He hummed, slipping another fry into his mouth. "Makes you even cuter."
Taking a seat by him, Alysa was about to deflect the compliment as she tended to, but stopped. Gears turned.
"...Even cuter?" She inquired, somewhat rhetorically. That had implications of Drayton thinking she was already cute, and the playful look he was giving her right then made her frankly humor such a reality existing. For a second or two. Drayton said no more on it, instead bringing her attention to his trays.
"Did ya want one of these?"
Her eyes went to the tray holding the Academy Special selection and its components. She honed in on the bowl of ramen specifically. Distracted from her spiraling thoughts, her appetite was renewed.
"You paid for them, right? I don't-"
"It's on the house."
Drayton interjected, sweet and to the point. His sincerity once again left her in silent awe, but her hunger directed her to taking the bowl of noodles and chopsticks promptly. He went back to watching what looked like a clip of a pokemon battle on his phone, as she shoveled the broth's contents into her mouth eagerly.
When she remembered where she was, and looked upwards, Alysa noticed multiple pairs of eyes pointed at her and her companion. Self-consciousness curbed her enthusiasm, but it wasn't enough to stop her from eating altogether. Drayton himself provided solace, as just looking at him was enough to calm her somewhat. However, her mind wasn't at complete ease. Carmine's earlier words rose to the surface, Alysa again curious over her disdain for him.
He's been so nice to her. And from what she's observed from his interactions with the other elites at least, Drayton's a little mischievous sure but very easygoing in general. Alysa pondered over he and Carmine having a potential falling out or something along those lines, which she wouldn't find that unusual. Carmine came off as pretty abrasive, and she can imagine Drayton firing some snarky remark her way, which would likely flare her temper.
As she continued to eye the boy, she did focus on the tuft of stylized hair above his forehead.
...Hm, it did look toothpaste-like, didn't it? Now she can't unsee it.
Alysa flinched when Drayton's eyes flicked to meet her own, and she quietly scrambled to hide her previous gawking.
"What're you watching?"
"Just an old battle between past clubmates. A lot of them get recorded and saved for future reference."
He seemed bemused, probably from catching her red-handed. She would pretend to ignore it.
"To think, your eventual battles are gonna get saved in our records too..." He perked up. "Wait, I just realized I've never seen you battle. That'll be fun."
"I can say the same about you." In fact, she was far more interested in discussing his skills as a trainer than she was in her own.
"I heard you're the strongest in the Elite Four."
"Heh." Drayton scratched his cheek. "Not to brag or anything, but my pokemon are pretty talented. I do have the most wins compared to the others."
She snorted, eating more noodles before speaking again. "It is a little funny, to be honest. You don't come off as this super-strong battler..."
"Oh?" He laughed. "Looks can be deceiving. You've been proving that, you know."
"Huh? What-"
"Yo, Drayton! Alysa!"
Her question on what he meant would not fully come into existence, as a voice calling out to them both cut through the air. Crispin power-walked into the cafeteria, and straight to their table. Lacey followed behind him, exasperated but her fondness for the redhead's antics was obvious. Both sat at the table.
"We heard you joined the club!" Lacey beamed at her. "We're so happy to have you."
"Thanks." She was sure Lacey was especially pleased, as she was the first one to extend to invitation.
"Fortunately, you have something club-related to look forward very soon! Our supervisors agreed to host a tournament again."
"Cool. I guess my pushing worked." Drayton chuckled. "Has Kieran heard the news?"
"I told him, in our class earlier. He didn't really care." Crispin shrugged. "But at least he's not against it!"
"Well, that's good. It'd be a real bummer if he rained on the parade." Drayton smiled her way.
"Especially because it'll be Alysa's first one."
It dawned on her then. Of course she's expected to partake in it, considering how the club focused on battling and whatnot. She'll stand on the court with her pokemon, but rather than the small numbers of her practical battle class, there will possibly be dozens of eyes watching. And, all of the matches will get saved.
The reminder sent the heat wave of anxiety coursing through her veins, but Alysa refused to back out now. She didn't want to disappoint anyone, or herself.
"Right. My first..." An old habit kicked in; she pressed and spin her index fingers together. She was surprised when someone interrupted her small scale fussing.
Drayton took hold of her left hand with his right, palm facing upwards and his fingers clamping over her knuckles. It made her brain flatline in a sense, she only managing to look at him as a reaction.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Drayton's gaze was warm. "You'll be fine. You start out at the bottom of the ladder anyway, so losing isn't a big deal."
Alysa was dumbfounded, but then, a blazing heat set her skin aflame. It set in that HE was holding HER hand, and her heart started racing much faster. It worsened when Drayton didn't let go. She could see out of the corner of her eye that across the table Crispin and Lacey were sharing a look between one another, surely because of Drayton's audacity.
"O-Ok..."
Despite it, she...liked it.
Alysa has zero idea why he was doing it, maybe just to help comfort her? But she liked it. There was something about the physical contact that invoked a swarm of Venomoth to take flight in her gut. The way he was looking at her was what brought it all together, heightening her embarrassment but soothing it at the same time. This act felt out of place, but telling him to let go also felt like such.
"Say, Drayton." Crispin spoke up, and appeared like he was fighting a grin from forming. Lacey merely looked on, smiling in a civil fashion, though Alysa could swear there was something more to it.
"Can you battle me? I've been wanting to get some training in."
The white-haired teen blinked rapidly, like he was coming to his senses. He released Alysa's hand, and she had to press it down onto the table's surface to stop herself from following the impulsive urge to trail after his.
"Sure. Been a while since we've battled, actually. Did...you want to do it now?"
"Yeah! No time like the present. Let's go to the main entrance." Crispin nodded.
"Sounds good to me."
The boys rose Drayton taking a moment to stretch as Crispin headed for the exit. Before following, he addressed Alysa.
"You can come watch, if you want." His face bore a smirk. "Get to see me battle."
"Ah- sure."
Like she would've turned that down. Drayton walked away, which drew out a semi-irritated sigh from Lacey.
"Naturally, he neglects to clean up after himself." She gestures to the trays and dishes left behind. Giving a short laugh, Alysa went to collect and return them to the counter, as per the cafeteria's rules when meals weren't finished. One of the lunch ladies had a Munchlax, who would eagerly eat whatever was leftover. Lacey picked up stray scraps from the table with a napkin to throw away, then the two girls were off.
They caught up with Crispin and Drayton just outside of the entrance, where the empty battle court was ready and waiting.
"Wish me luck, won't you?" Crispin half-heartedly requested of the girls, causing Drayton to laugh as he took his position on the court's left end.
"Oh, don't be dramatic. This won't have any bearing on your rank." Lacey put her hands on her hips. "And you say that like you don't think you'll win!"
"I mean...it'd be nice yeah, but we know how good Drayton is." He rubbed the back of his head. Alysa chose to interject.
"You did mention this was for training, right? Maybe you'll learn something."
"That's the plan!" His frying pan came up to rest against his counter, as Crispin took his place on the court's other side. Lacey prompted Alysa to sit with her on the nearest set of bleachers, which were on Drayton's side.
There was little fanfare going into it, but many students already present immediately put all of their attention onto the elites. Both boys sent out their leads, and their audience cheered. Alysa meanwhile, suppressed a giggle at Drayton's little hop during his throw.
Part of her enthusiasm now was getting to see just what pokemon he trained, the same going for Crispin. Drayton's Haxorus and Dragonite stood proud against their opponents: Crispin's Magmortar and Rotom in its Heat form. She could already tell from both sides that the pokemon were well cared for.
"You can go first, Crispin." Drayton leisurely called out, bending his arms so his hands could rest behind his head. Whether he was simply feeling that relaxed in the moment, or he was maybe bored was impossible to pinpoint. Regardless, she could tell Crispin got a burst of energy.
"Gladly!" He twirled his frying pan, and shouted commands to his pokemon.
Alysa knew a battle between two Elite Four members wouldn't be a dull show, but still, her expectations were blown out of the water. Crispin had the clear type disadvantage since his pokemon's offensive pressure was naturally cut in half due to dragon resisting fire, but it didn't damper his eagerness. Attacks from his Fire-types came fiercely and mercilessly, especially after he had his Magmortar strengthen the sun's rays with Sunny Day. Nonetheless, Drayton matched his opponent's intensity with his dragons head on. Clashes were explosive, and there were many instances where Alysa believed she or others in the bleachers would get burned by stray flames wafting about the arena.
She gaped all the while, entranced by the display of moves and maneuvers. As much as she was impressed by Crispin, Drayton and his team were phenomenal.
Despite Crispin's best efforts, the Dragon specialist was slowly gaining the upper hand. Haxorus and Dragonite eventually fainted, but not before they had KO'ed Crispin's leads and his following Talonflame. Drayton's Kingdra used Rain Dance, summoning rain clouds to weaken the sunlight and Crispin's Fire-types even further, next scoring a one-hit KO on Crispin's Camerupt with Hydro Pump. Its Swift Swim ability made it move much faster than the rest of the pokemon on the field, and with it backed by its teammate Sceptile, Crispin was soon left with his last two: Exeggutor and Blaziken.
"He isn't terastallizing Blaziken...?" Next to her, Lacey watched keenly; fists clenched into balls. After it dodged a Hydro Pump, Crispin had his Blaziken use Focus Blast on Kingdra, which connected but wasn't enough for a knockout.
"What's Blaziken's tera type?" Alysa forced her eyes away from the court just long enough to acknowledge Lacey's question.
"Fire."
"Hm. Well, that might be why. Losing the Fighting-type wouldn't help him at all here. Kingdra still has the upper hand either way."
"True...I thought the added power for his fire attacks would be better than nothing, but I guess it doesn't matter at this point."
Sure enough, Drayton's Kingdra proved to be dominant. Blaziken was swamped by a Hydro Pump that connected this time. Then, Sceptile finished off a distracted Exeggutor with a brutal looking X-Scissor.
Drayton was the clear winner, only losing 2 out of his team of 6.
As the rainfall came to a stop, the crowd applauded. Alysa brushed the water droplets from her arms and joined in clapping her hands, both feeling pumped and a bit saddened. Both of them couldn't win of course, but it was a shame Crispin lost all the same. She and Lacey joined the boys on the court.
"Man! Kingdra's still a menace." Crispin groaned, hiding his face in his frying pan. Drayton jovially laughed at that.
"She is, ain't she?" He gave the dragon in question a pat and rub on her yellow stomach. She trilled, and nuzzled her long snout against her trainer.
"That was a fantastic battle, both of you!" Lacey's hands came together. "I'm happy to see your pokemon's strength hasn't degraded from how much you slack off, Drayton."
"Heeey." He squinted. "You know I take battling seriously. That's like one of the handful of things where I do."
"Tell me about it..." Sarcasm was heavy in her tone and in her subsequent scoff.
"I just wish I got to your Archaludon at least. He didn't even hit the field. Wait...neither did Flygon." Crispin's face somehow seemed to press further into his pan. After recalling his pokemon, Drayton laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Kingdra let them take a load off, sure. She just got the better of you this time is all."
Alysa had a pressing thought on her mind, and figured there wasn't any harm in getting involved with the discussion.
"Yeah. Rain Dance and everything it did shut you down hard." She tilted her head. "Was Magmortar the only one who knew Sunny Day?"
"No. Talonflame does too."
This made Alysa's brow furrow. Her more analytical side was kicking in.
"You definitely sent it in too early then. You should've kept it in the back, to cancel Rain Dance down the line. That way, Kingdra wouldn't have been...as big of a problem."
Drayton, Lacey, and Crispin all stared at her with widened eyes. Her contemplation swiftly wore off, and Alysa started to sweat over if she said too much. She was even about to apologize, until Crispin banged his pan against his head.
"Ugh, you're right! Why didn't I think of that?!"
"Calm down Crispin." Lacey shook her hand, grabbing his arm and stopping the boy from potentially causing injury to himself. "It's only hindsight. Now you know, for next time."
"Heh." Alysa flushed at the eyes half-lidded smirk Drayton directed her way.
"Look at you, giving tips to an elite. Figures you're a smart cookie."
"I-It's, it's nothing really...Crispin would've figured it out on his own." Alysa looked away, clearing her throat. She never liked to take praise over things that – she thought – didn't deserve it.
"Honestly, I dunno if I would've. But thanks anyway Alysa!" The sting of his defeat was still clear, but he gave her a cheerful thumbs-up. It helped settle her nerves some.
"It's no problem. You were really cool out there." Now, the inner fangirling she kept at bay was baying for release. Her pink eyes faintly sparkled, though the resulting glitter of Crispin's eyes at the compliment were far stronger.
"So were you, Drayton."
She was deliberately putting it lightly. Her fondness for dragons was immense, and the way his own took charge was captivating. She wondered how he's trained them, if he obtained them already evolved or if he reared them since they were young. So many questions that felt too nosy to give a voice to, but she wouldn't keep her admiration of him a secret. He was surely an amazing trainer.
To her hidden surprise, a slight red hue overtook Drayton's features. He chuckled, and rubbed his nose.
"Naturally. Being cool is the Drayster way."
Even with the amount of composure she's seen him have, it seems even someone like Drayton can get flattered sometimes. This fact...delighted her, for a reason she couldn't identity. But it didn't matter. She enjoyed seeing him blush. Alysa would've loved to admire him more for longer, but their battle made her realize something very important.
She needed to get herself in gear. To be in the tournament and underperform, after getting THIS glimpse into the elites' general skill, would be nothing short of a travesty. Not only that, Alysa knew there intrinsically more expectations on her shoulders due to how much she's been seen around the Elite Four by now, and the fact she shares her typing specialties with Lacey and Drayton.
She had things to prove, to her peers and to herself. She couldn't afford to not take it seriously, lest she genuinely become the academy's laughingstock.
"Well...I should get going." She re-adjusted her backpack. "I want to get in some training for my team in the Terarium, before the day's over."
"Oooh, good idea! Our tournament should be held next week, so now is the time to prepare for it!" Lacey's fist pumped, she and Alysa sharing a smile.
~x~
Drayton really couldn't help but feel warm inside from her praise.
For as long as he's been here, he was used to being lauded by countless students and even faculty in the academy. The battles he's won, the medals and trophies he's collected, the years he reigned as champion, those combined directed all types of admiration under the sun his way.
It was nice for the first year. But after that, words started falling flat to him. He eventually learned to tell when someone was being sincere and not just buttering him up for an ulterior motive, but it was never for him necessarily. Just his pokemon.
Which was fine and dandy. His team worked hard to get where they were, they deserved the attention. But where did that leave him in others' eyes? Did people really think he just twiddled his thumbs and never put in effort for his team?
Sometimes, it got on his nerves. On bad days, it really got on his nerves. He had enough of frustrating assumptions and no acknowledgement of effort he does put in back in his hometown, he didn't want to deal with it here.
But, Alysa. Alysa.
This girl caught his eye from the jump. He saw how she cornered and caught that Minccino without risk of hurting it too bad. Then, fate chose to shine on him when Lacey brought her right to the clubroom.
At first glance, she didn't have much going on that would interest most people. But he wasn't like most people. He could tell from the way she spoke and carried herself that there was a storm going on in that head of hers. He's often watched her, just trying to guess on what could have her expression take on that melancholic vibe at times.
It wasn't an appropriate look for her. Alysa was adorable, with the freckles decorating her rich, dark skin and the way her black hair curled around her face. That red bow hairband of hers completed her cutesy look. The times he's seen her smile and laugh were far more befitting.
Like now. She got into a chat with Lacey and Crispin over what kind of training she planned on doing, but Drayton zoned out the details out. He just...observed her. Observed the way her arms and hands hung relaxed at her sides, telling him her earlier nervousness was gone for the time being. Observed the way the loose portions of her hair bounced and swayed as she looked between the other teens, laughing at something Crispin said.
Drayton especially observed the way her plump lips curved with her smile. A pang shot through his chest, and he forced his eyes upwards off of them.
There was a brighter shine of life in those pretty pink eyes, as she talked about her pokemon that she obviously loved dearly. He still thought on and off about how she had coloring books and crayons and all that jazz for her Mimikyu. Talk about precious.
He didn't know enough about her yet for his liking, but his gut told him that she was probably among the most authentic people to come around this academy. He just needed to talk to her more, learn more about her, to prove it right for his own sake.
Drayton wasn't the type to actively want much these days, but he for sure wanted to be around her more.
"Ok, before I lie again I should really go now." Alysa, Crispin, and Lacey shared a laugh. She stepped away from them, meeting his gaze. To his satisfaction, he detected how her eyes widened a smidge and her fingers flexed. Her face darkened a degree. He staring at her always flustered her; she made it too obvious.
And yet, she still hasn't asked him why he liked staring, or told him to buzz off. So, Drayton would earnestly keep doing it.
"I'll see you all later."
Her lips twitched into what he knew was the beginnings of a smile, before she fully turned to walk back into the school. Hands coming to rest behind his head, Drayton watched her go, that airy feeling from before still clinging to his chest.
"I should go get my team healed. Did you...want to come with me to the center, Lacey...?"
He did glance over at the other two. Crispin's blush was about as red as they could get. Lacey either didn't notice it or didn't want to acknowledge it, only giving a nod.
"Sure."
The two went on their way, Crispin clenching his frying pan like his life depended on it. Drayton chuckled, knowing the guy cherished Lacey's company probably more than cooking itself.
One day, he'd confess to her surely. Until then, Drayton enjoy how amusing it was for him to be such a mess about it.
The boy walked past the gate and into the building at an unhurried pace. He should get his team healed up too, but the Polar Plaza did have its own self-serve healing machine. He'd use that, then chill there until curfew time neared.
He wonders if Alysa would be training in the biome. Does she even like it? Drayton smiled to himself, fantasizing about the two of them spending time there together at some point...
