Specialized Combat Tactics and Maneuvers
Taught by Kurtis Vale, Orre Trainer Academy
Course Syllabus
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Welcome, students, to Specialized Combat Tactics and Maneuvers (or, if you like, “Spec” for short). This syllabus is being provided to each of you so that you know what to expect in my class, and so you cannot attempt to weasel out of an assignment by saying you were not prepared for it. Below, you will find information that will help you to succeed in my class. Do well, and you will find your tactical abilities significantly improved. Slack off, and you will find out just how terrifying a teacher’s wrath can be. Fair warning.

Hours
Class will be every day at 1:00pm, immediately after lunch, in room 215. Classes will last until 3:30pm on the dot; you are not allowed to leave early without my express permission. My office can be found through the door in the rear of the classroom; if I am not teaching, you can usually find me there. If you need anything, my door is always open.

Course Material
Spec will consist of two major aspects: theory and application. The theory portion of this class will consist of careful analysis of well-known strategies in combat, as well as proposing creative solutions to solving some of these strategies. Theories will consist of a good deal of paperwork and hypothetical situations, so remember to be both attentive and creative when forming your strategies; you will be tested on them. While I know many of you may think theories are not worth your time to study, bear in mind that without a sound battle strategy, your Pokémon may as well be fighting without you.
The application part of the class will consist of actual battles, both simulated and real, so always bring your Pokémon to class. These battles will be used in conjunction with your paper-written exams in order to determine the effectiveness of your proposed strategies. Bear in mind that my Pokémon are significantly more experienced than yours, and I do not believe in holding back; if you do not pay attention and apply yourself fully to your work, your grade and your Pokémon will suffer for it. Before you ask: no, this is not going to be the same as Mr. Adams’s course; success in one most certainly does not guarantee success in the other. Laziness, goofing off, and misbehavior will not be tolerated.

Classroom Rules
- Always be on time. Being late will result in penalties for that class.
- Bring your Pokémon to every class; we will use them quite often. Pokémon are allowed outside of their Pokéballs, but must not disrupt class.
- Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Any instance of cheating will result in a failing grade for the assignment in question. Multiple instances will result in severe penalties, up to and including expulsion.
- Have your homework out and ready to turn in at the beginning of class. Late work will not be accepted except in extreme circumstances (the definition of “extreme” is entirely at my discretion).
- You are responsible for your behavior, the behavior of your Pokémon, and the completion of all assignments.

Assignments
On occasion, and with varying frequency, I will assign homework for this class. Homework may be reading, writing, or involve active training with your Pokémon outside of class. Homework will be graded, and the average homework grade will count for 10% of your overall grade.
There will be a research paper due at the end of the semester. This paper is worth 25% of your overall grade, so it should not be taken lightly. The topic of your paper will be chosen by you, but each topic must be approved by me. You may propose a topic to me at any time until the end of the first month. Anyone without a topic at that time will be assigned a generic, boring, and very unenjoyable topic by me. You will not like what I give you, so I advise you to choose quickly. Also, no repeating topics; each student must choose a unique topic. I will be available at all times before and after classes to help students with this paper, so be creative and bold with your choosing; above all, choose a topic that matters to you, not to me.

Grading Scale
A: 100-90
B: 89-80
C: 79-70
D: 69-60
F: 59 or lower

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Homework: 10%
Classwork/Quizzes: 15%
Research Paper: 25%
Exams: 20%
Final Exam: 30%

Extra Lessons
After classes, usually at 5:00pm, I can be found in the field outside the school. Here, I offer special extracurricular lessons on the proper care of Pokémon. These lessons are entirely unofficial and ungraded; you may come and go at your leisure. If you wish to grow closer to your Pokémon, or if you feel your knowledge in proper caretaking is lacking (there is no shame in this – you are all students, and you are all here to learn), I encourage you all to attend.

Final Words
Each of you is in this academy for one reason: we believe in your abilities. You are here because you are exceptional trainers, and do not let anyone tell you differently. My goal for this class – no, for this school – is nothing less than to see each of you and your Pokémon become the very best you can be. Stand up, stand fast, forge your path, and never look back. You can do this; I have faith in you.
I look forward to teaching all of you in the coming semester.

Regards,
Kurtis Vale

Terry took a deep breath as he stepped off the river ferry, Orre was a big place and he had been in that boat for nearly an hour, since he had arrived at the port this morning and was nearly as far from the Academy as possible. Several other students were getting off as well, and some were coming from buses shuttling in from other regions. He reached around to his backpack and fished out his Pokeballs. The ferry required that all 'mons be kept in theirs, and Aaron had not been happy about it. He took the ball with the green stripe running up from the button and tapped it with his thumb, with a click and the flash of a bright red light his partner materialized before him in the clearest and most flat ground the internal computer detected. "Damned amazing how they can fit all that in a tiny sphere." Terry mumbled to himself as Aaron leaped onto his trainer's shoulder, nearly knocking him down. "Gosh man, you know I can just barely let you ride on me now, when you evolve again you have to walk, and that's final." The Grovyle looked at him with big, almost pleading eyes.

The trainer scooped up his backpack and his Pokemon clung to it resting his head on Terry's shoulder. He unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket and read the directions aloud, "Orientation is in the main hall at eight sharp," he glanced at the time on his watch, Seven-Fifty, "And then you report to your first classes. According to this paper we have Mr. Adams first." He crumpled the paper back up and started towards the largest building. All around him other students were doing the same, some with Pokemon out, some not, some with rather serious faces, some laughing and joking with friends or Pokemon. He pictured the scene in his head and mentally zoomed out, seeing himself from third person "oh, so I'm one of the serious ones. Ah well no harm in that" he mused.

Clyde stepped off the ferry, and upon touching the ground Flash his Jolteon came out of the Pokeball on its own and started running around on the ground. "Those were made to keep you in, yet somehow you always find a way to get out of them Flash." Clyde spoke to his Pokemon and in response Jolteon stopped and gave quite a happy look at Clyde and started running around him. Clyde grinned and looked at all the other students who were getting off and sending out their own Pokemon and made their way to the Academy. "Might as well as follow them right Flash?" Clyde said looking down at Flash only to find that Flash had already started running other trainers. Clyde simply laughed at this as he started walking with the crowd as well. Clyde took out a piece of paper and memorized who he had first. "Mr. Adams huh? Well I hope he doesn't mind Jolteon being apart of the class." Clyde mumbled as he looked over at Jolteon who kept on sniffing random people and their Pokemon

Max happily stepped off the boat. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he pulled out one of his Pokeballs, and sent out a Pokemon. In a flash of light, Belle, his Togetic, appeared. She was thrilled to be out of that small space. "Toge toge tiiic!" The Happiness Pokemon exclaimed.

The boy smiled, and patted his Pokemon's head. "Hey Belle! I know you don't like being in there, but the ferry wouldn't let us have any Pokemon out. I don't get why, it's not like you're gonna hurt anybody. Haha!" The boy chuckled as he walked towards the school. "Well, you're free now!"

Both human and Pokemon had big smiles on their faces as they looked up at the Academy Building. The place was filling up with students and their Pokemon. Max smiled, and waved hello to some of the people he passed by, but a lot of them didn't seem to acknowledge him. "Well, this is gonna be our new home for a while. Wow, it's bigger than I thought!" He pulled out a folded up piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and read the contents. For a moment, his smiling mouth turned into a frown... "Dang... we have a class already? We just got here!" Then the boy shrugged his shoulders, and his usual smile returned. There was no point in being negative on the first day of school. "Oh, well. Let's look on the bright side. At least I'll get to meet some of the other kids!" So with that, he walked towards the directions written on the paper. "I just hope they don't mind you being part of the class!"

Belle nodded in agreement. "Togetic!"

So this is the place, Alex thought to himself. Alex sat quietly as the bus slowed down, looking out the window at the academy he would soon be calling home. Houndoom placed his head on his partner's shoulder, sighing as he received a scratch behind the ears. It had taken a bit of convincing to get the bus driver to allow Houndoom to be outside of his Pokeball, but it had been worth it; Alex had no desire to sit next to anyone, as they would no doubt think that a bus ride and somewhat awkward conversation would mean that they and Alex were now friends. "It's not like I hate people," Alex told Houndoom. "I just don't have the time or interest to get to know them. We both know why we're here, right?" Houndoom looked up at him, and Alex could swear he felt his friend nod. "Yeah. Power," he continued quietly. "We'll become the strongest of them all, and then no one will ever be able to kick us down again."

As the bus finally came to a stop, the two of them began shuffling off with all the other students. A lot of them were talking and laughing. I'm not heartless, and I'm not evil. I just have an absolute focus on who I want to be, and how I'm going to get there. And when I look at all these other students, all I see are obstacles waiting to be overcome. The pair began walking toward the entrance, glancing at their schedule. "Looks like our first class is homeroom," Alex said. Houndoom glanced up at him, then began to observe all the other Pokemon and trainers gathering in the area. Alex looked down at him. Houndoom's eyes were fierce and focused, never letting his guard down for an instant, and Alex knew he was taking careful account of every sight, sound, and scent he could detect. This drew a small smile from Alex. Yeah. You and I are definitely partners, my friend. Alex looked back up, his eyes filled with determination and ferocity, mirroring those of his partner; both of them were looking ahead, seeing the path they'd chosen with clear and unclouded vision. They would walk that path until they stood on top of the world, and they would not falter, so long as they had each other.

"Let's go, Houndoom."
"Grruf."

Kurtis Vale looked out from the second-story window at all the new arrivals. Behind him, his Pokemon stood and looked down with him - well, except for Gengar, who had decided to take a nap on the floor.
"Well, this looks like a lively bunch," he told his teammates. That's what these four were to him: allies, comrades, teammates, and life-long partners. He smiled as the scenes of how the five of them had all come together quickly flashed through his mind. As the scenes ended, Kurtis turned to look at his team, drawing the curtain closed as he did so. Nidoking met his eyes, and that connection that goes beyond words was apparent. Weavile met his eyes, and Kurtis could easily see what was behind them: "When do I get to show off?" Gardevoir met his eyes, and the trust and devotion in them nearly made his heart melt, as they always did.

Gengar snored, which drew an exasperated sigh from the rest of them.

"Alright, team, this is our first year teaching at this academy. Actually, it's our first year teaching anywhere. That being said, I believe in all of you." He looked at Gengar. "Even you, lazy no-bones." Gengar snorted. "As we go into this year, I want each of you to remember two things. First, remember back to when we were younger: the fear, the uncertainty, and also the excitement and the thrill of new adventure. These students are now brimming with those very emotions, and though they are by no means inexperienced, each of them has so much more potential. It now falls to us to unlock that potential in them, testing the bonds between trainer and Pokemon, and working tirelessly to ensure that each of them is equipped to follow their dreams, and ultimately, to achieve them." He leaned down close to Gengar. "THAT MEANS YOU TOO, LAZY NO-BONES!" he shouted, sending Gengar flailing to his feet in surprise. The other three Pokemon laughed, while Gengar "humph"ed and crossed his arms.

"Now that being said," he continued, as his face seemed to grow harder, "the second thing I want you to remember is this: the best way to test metal is to test it in fire. We are not here to babysit or tend to them. We are here to teach them the many tactics of battle, and there is no better way to learn from that than first-hand experience. So always remember, unless I specifically tell you otherwise..." Kurtis grinned. "Don't hold back." Nidoking nodded, Weavile flashed his claws, Gardevoir's eyes shone with an ominous light, and even Gengar showed his ever-sinister grin. Kurtis had a reputation for his serious demeanor and cool head, even in battle, but he was willing to allow himself a bit of sadistic pleasure every now and then; besides, he really did care about these new students. He simply planned to ensure that each of them knew that battles were serious business.

Kurtis chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, class may still be a few hours away, but it's time to start preparing." He turned to walk to his desk, when he suddenly added, "And no naps." He heard a "hmph" behind him and knew that Gengar had just been about to stretch out for another one. As he approached his desk, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He wasn't sure why, but he had always preferred the simplicity and straightforwardness of a cell phone to the new Pokegears and Holo Displays. Maybe it was the sense of privacy. Maybe he was just old-fashioned.

Punching in a few numbers, Kurtis sighed as he sank into his chair while the other line rang. Eventually, the other person answered.

"Vale here. I hope you're ready, Adams. There's quite a lot of students out there, you know."
Adams responded as Kurtis watched Gardevoir begin to move a broom and dustpan around telekinetically. Nidoking made sure all the seats were aligned, while Weavile quickly - very, very quickly - placed the course syllabus on each table. Gengar floated around the room, hanging up posters and diagrams displaying both strategies and some pictures of famous battles. Kurtis began organizing his lecture notes as Adams finished what he was saying.

"I'll be fine. I'm actually looking forward to it. A teacher in a trainer's academy. What's not to look forward to?"
Kurtis stood and slowly made his way back to the window, dodging Weavile twice and side-stepping Gardevoir's broom.

"I'm aware of that. I'm a hard man, Adams, not a mad one. I would never do anything to intentionally harm a student or Pokemon."
As he opened the curtain again, Kurtis began to really look at the students arriving, as well as the various partner Pokemon that they had out and about with them. Many of them seemed quite excited about the upcoming year. Many more, it seemed, were looking ahead with rugged determination - Kurtis wondered how many of them would be able to maintain that look as the year rolled by. Several students in particular really sparked his interest.

"Just making sure. I'm preparing for class now, actually. ...Yes, 'this early'. I will not be found late, lacking, or unprepared on my very first day of teaching. Or any of them, for that matter," he added with a lighter tone. "...Very well. Best of luck with your first class. ...Okay. Goodbye." Kurtis clicked the End button and flipped the phone closed. Taking one last look out at all the students, Kurtis drew the curtain shut and headed back to his desk. His Pokemon were just about finished with the preparations, and he had plenty to do before his class began.

This, he knew, was going to be quite the year.

As the river boat stopped Clayton took a deep breath, he wasn't a particularly nervous person but riding on a boat that wasn't being driven by his father made him feel a little strange. The river air made him feel at ease though. He headed toward the boarding ramp to get off. The other students that had arrived by boat weren't that noisy, they might have felt a little strange as well considering most of them are from regions besides Orre. Clayton barely had to use his own feet as he was practically shoved off the boat, despite the anxious students the people were getting off fairly slow.
Once off the boat Clayton relieved Raider from his Pokéball quarters, the Piloswine yawned as he was released. "I miss the days where you were a little more eccentric..." He murmured, Piloswine grunted and stretched his stubby legs. He then started to race around Clayton, "Okay, okay! Chill out!" He chuckled as Piloswine snorted in defiance.

Clayton walked through the doors of the training academy, I wonder if Steven Stone will set some ground rules... he wondered. It wasn't too strange of him to break rules by doing something stupid because of a dare, but why would he bother backing down? He puttered over to the orientation sheet, supposing he might as well go there to check out what classes were, all students received newsletters informing them on such things but Clayton couldn't recall the exact classes. He picked up one of the sheets, there was orientation but would Mr.Stone be there? He didn't bother worrying. He read it was at eight so he whipped out his PDA (Pokémon Digital Assistant) and checked the time, seven fifty. His eyes slightly widened and he followed any signs he could see until it lead to the orientation hall/classroom. He looked behind him to see Raider right on his tail, he smiled and walked into the hall.

The bus shuffled along the path until finally it came to a stop with a low hum and a hiss, the smell of gasoline and engine wafting out into the air. Ritzy, who had been sleeping in her seat, rocked forward with the stopping of the bus, her forehead making contact with the seat in front of her. It was enough to wake her from her slumber, and she let out a soft curse as she rubbed her head with two fingers. She couldn't stay mad long, as she continued on, now rubbing her eyes to shake off the post-sleep grogginess, she looked out of the window to see that she had arrived at the academy. Ritzy couldn't leave her seat, her bag slung over her shoulder.

Stepping out onto the Orre ground, she looked up, glancing up towards the academy, whistling sharply as she noticed the building, its establishments, and the number of students happily walking towards it, an assortment of Pokemon following, nipping at the heels or resting on shoulders or heads. Ritzy shook her head; she wasn't going to let one of her partners out, Ran would probably be too imposing, Zee wouldn't play nice, Nillie would probably melt, the poor girl, and Karo...well, she had just arrived and she didn't want to get expelled for one of Karo's little pranks. She trusted her partners, of course, but she didn't want to take any risks. After all, there was only one chance to make a first impression, and if hers was 'the girl with the unruly Pokemon', it wouldn't serve her true goal well at all.

So, with a slight skip in her step, Ritzy followed the crowd into the gates of the academy properly. The first step on her way to international fame.

Terry strode up the steps up to the main hall building, it was pointed out to them before they got off the transport as the first place to be. Aaron glanced around warily at all the other trainers and Pokemon, perhaps a thousand students were getting off and joining today. The trainer kept his eyes down and tried not to bump into anybody, Hoenn natives tended to be friendly and outgoing even with complete strangers, but he definitely bucked the trend. He passed through the crowd, trying to weave between people where possible to get this orientation over with. The large double doors to the main hall had Pokeball style door handles one would probably find at a Pokemon Center, and were being held open by two apparent faculty members. Terry walked in and the hall was decorated with numerous tables and chairs, some faculty and students already sitting down and conversing, as well as a podium on a raised platform at the end of the room, with apparent Teachers and a silver haired young man loitering and awaiting to begin.

Mr. Adams was one of the ones standing on the platform, organized in a row with around two dozen other teachers behind the Headmaster. “Can't believed I got roped into doing this again.” He muttered under his breath. He idly tossed a Pokeball into the air and caught it, careful not to accidentally hit the release button. Inside was his Lucario, his partner, and best friend, unfortunately teachers were not permitted a “Show of force” this year, possibly since he nearly destroyed the main hall.

Steven Stone stepped up to the microphone as the last students made it in and the doors closed behind them, Terry got a good look at him, something about him seemed important but he could not place it. With a slight clear of his throat the silver haired headmaster began his speech.

“Trainers, I would like to be the first to welcome you to the finest institution of Pokemon in our world. The very ground you are standing on right now will one day be regarded as more sacred than the regional Leagues of even Halls of Fame. By joining our third class ever, you will be at the forefront of a new age of Pokemon battling and competition. We encourage you to break traditions, play outside the rules, give no mercy, and be the best competitive battlers you can be.” He gave a slight chuckle “However, we here respect Pokemon and Trainers above all, so even though I am sure you have all read these off of your documents already, I am going to restate the rules.” There was a paper in front of him but he didn't bother reading off of it. “There will be no battling without an official mediator, period. Any of our faculty will be happy to referee your battles but don't try to go outside this rule, you will be caught. Do not interfere with another's Pokemon or possessions. Be to your classes on time, or early, and follow any rules the teachers may have. And finally, items are not permitted in battle, held or otherwise, as per the new Pokemon League rules set this year. You are all here because you show potential as Gym Leaders at the very least, so you had best get used to the standards the International Pokemon League sets.” Steven took another set of papers out from under his first stack on the podium. “Now that's out of the way, you are all to report to your homeroom classes.” He began to read off a list of names, Terry noticed his and others were under a teacher named Adams for their first class of the day. He got out of his chair when dismissed and counted his way down the hall until he got to Adams class. 108, he was apparently the first to find it, and the door was locked, he presumed his teacher had not yet made it.

((I know things are going somewhat fast but I have plans to follow, all player characters are in this as their first class out of convenience, and will follow the same day class schedule.))

Queso, Jamin's Floatzel, was nothing short of pissed that she had to get out of the water. While the ferry had been slowing down Jamin had let her out to have a bit of a swim, but now they were on dry ground she had to return to her PokeBall. He ran his hand through his dreads and looked around. His first thoughts were somewhere between WHERE IS ALL THE GRASS AND FARMS WHAAAAAH and WOW FIREBALL IS GONNA LOVE THIS PLACE IT IS SO VERY HOT HERE. All around him there were other students around his age, and they all had their Pokemons flying or walking or running around them, looking delighted. Jamin wished he could take his out too but, looking at the other Pokemons he felt incredibly inferior. The fact that Fireball hadn't yet evolved had been pressing on his mind for a while now and he could clearly see a few Stage 2 evos dotted around. Would the others laugh at him? He'd found Queso as a Floatzel, so that didn't count. And Fireball was old enough to evolve, had been for a long time. Jamin knew no one was looking at him but he still felt his face redden. Would the other students laugh at him?

This thought was quickly pushed to the back of his mind as he entered the school, clutching the now ragged piece of paper that told him his schedule. He tended to fidget a lot when he was bored, and for some reason paper was always that one thing that got utterly destroyed, crinkled and ripped up. However, it was somewhat legible, even though he had to peer close to read some words.

Jamin quickly took a seat in the main hall, shrugging off his backpack where his multiple PokeBalls were kept. His bag slightly bumped another student's leg next to him, but Jamin wasn't looking. Rather, he was staring wide-eyed at the teacher at the front, who gave off such an aura of...competence, that he was quite taken aback. When he talked, he commanded complete attention, and Jamin was enraptured the whole way through. The assembly ended, and Jamin stood again, taking the crinkled piece of paper out again.

'Room 108...ok.' He made his way, asking a few people, and got to the classroom without too much of a hitch. There was another guy standing just outside the door, so Jamin just casually stood next to him, like, 'Yeah, I'm cool'. When the other student didn't go in, he took a breath and asked, 'Er...is the door locked?'

How do I delete a post.

Clyde followed all the other students into the main hall where Clyde took a seat near the front, and Jolteon jumped up and sat down on Clyde lap as they both looked at the man who gave off a powerful feeling without even demonstrating anything. For once Jolteon remained silent as he tilted his head while listening to him and once the speech was done, Jolteon reverted back to his energetic self as he started running around again. Clyde grinned at his Pokemon and did what the man instructed and headed towards the homeroom class. He walked for a bit until he found the room with 108 above it, yet everyone seemed to be waiting outside. Yet Jolteon walked up to the door and started tapping his paw against it.

As the assembly came to a close and students began separating out toward their various classes, Alex remained in his seat for a moment. Steven Stone, he thought to himself. I wonder how many trainers actually recognized that name. Even without the headmaster's doing anything but speaking, Alex had clearly seen the effect the man had had on the other trainers: the aura of power and experience that rolled off of him, keeping all eyes on him with rapt attention. Alex had been paying attention as well, but not like the other students. He had been considering what he knew of Steven from the time he had been the Hoenn Champion. After all, if Alex was going to be the most powerful trainer of them all, he would one day have to defeat the headmaster in a battle. To that end, he had spent time studying all the former Champions of the various regions, as well as gym leaders and Elite Four members. "Know your enemy," he told Houndoom, who glanced up at him in response. Alex sat for another moment, then rose and began walking to class. He arrived outside the door - room 108, taught by one "Mr. Adams" - to find several other students already waiting outside. Some were holding awkward attempts at conversation, but overall, it was rather quiet in the hall. Which suited Alex just fine. He leaned back against the wall a short distance away from the other students. He considered them beneath him. After all, they were only here to become stronger. He, however, was here to become the strongest, and that meant that all of these students were just another battle to win. As time began to tick by, all that was left was to wait.

((And yes, give us the bad guys! It'll make life SO much more interesting around here!))

Max followed all the other students into the main hall where he took a seat in one of the first seats he found. His Togetic took a seat on his lap, and they both looked at Steven Stone, the former champion of Hoenn, give a speech. It was interesting at first, until he started giving rules. Then Max tuned him out. The boy usually stayed on his best behavior most of the time, but listening to someone tell them what they were and were not allowed to do wasn't interesting to him in the least. Having to deal with his father's ridiculous rules was the reason he left home in the first place. Once he finished speaking, the room started to empty. Now, it was time to get to his first class.

He eventually arrived outside the door of room 108. The place where his first class was to be held. There were several other students already waiting outside. Most of them were holding conversations amongst themselves. There was also one guy dressed in black leaning against the wall, with a Houndoom by his side. Max rolled his eyes at the sight of him. Judging from the way he looked, this guy looked like the kind of guy Max hated. The emo guy who thinks he's so cool, and, badass and better than everyone else just because he acts like an emotionless bastard. However, Max wasn't the kind of guy who would exclude people just because of the way he looked. Maybe he was just shy? So, Max approached the guy, and put an arm around his shoulder. "Hey buddy! You look a little lonely." he exclaimed with a friendly smile on his face. "So, it looks like we're gonna be in the same class. I'm Max, hopefully we can be friends."

Meanwhile, Belle, his Togetic, hovered around the Houndoom, and started squeaking excitedly. She had never seen a Houndoom before, and seeing one for the first time was rather exciting. "Toge toge tiiiiic!"

The boat ride wasn't so bad, in Chris's opinion. Though it was rather packed, and he wasn't allowed to have his Pokémon out, he did manage to entertain himself along the way by conversing with various other young trainers and some of the crew. Throughout the ride, he learned that the captain's first Pokémon was a Wingull, which was presently on his person in a pokeball. However, despite the pleasantries of the trip, Chris was glad when the ride was over and he had arrived in Orre. Stepping off the boat, Chris grinned as he removed four Pokeballs. However, before he could let everyone out to enjoy themselves, he noticed it was quite packed. There were a lot of people and Pokémon about. Chris hesitated, before stowing them away. "Hang on guys, it's just a bit too crowded here. I'll let you all out when there's more room for ya," he said aloud, before smiling again anyways.

Chris followed the crowd to where the sort of orientation would take place. If it wasn't packed enough outside, now everyone was in a large hall. Not much room to go around, so Chris felt his decision to keep his Pokémon in their pokeballs was wise. The headmaster began to speak up, and Chris immediately recognized him as Steven Stone. "The Hoenn League Champion," he whispered to himself, as he paid close attention to what the man had to say. He went over some basics and some rules. Rules which delighted Chris, considering it wasn't against to rules to battle at any time. All he would need is a referee. Chris spun one of his pokeballs on his finger, the one to Golett, as he listened to the class he was designated to go to. Room 108.

After a brief trip, the young teenager found the class. Though, the teacher appeared to not be present as a small crowd was forming outside the door. [I]I think it's good to let someone out,[I] Chris thought, considering the hallway was fairly roomy. Though he wanted to let everyone out of their pokeball, he figured since some of the others either had none or only one out, he wouldn't try to stand out too much. Chris grabbed one of his pokeballs and tossed it up, before catching it and clicking the button. A quick flash of light, and his Wartortle appeared next to him. "We're here," he told his water-type friend, who immediately smiled and responded. "Tortle!" it exclaimed, before looking around at the other trainers and Pokémon that were in the hall.

Terry wasn't surprised when another student made it to the room where he was waiting, he assumed the class would be rather large. He didn't take a good look at Jamin, just continued staring off at the wall in front of him while leaning on the wall, Aaron on the ground crouched down and growling, looking ready to attack.

"Yes, it's locked, I'm assuming our teacher is currently busy with something." He glanced down at his Pokemon

"Grrrooove..." He growled, Terry nudged him with his foot. "Don't mind him, he won't hurt you." Hopefully He thought. The reptilian Pokemon's leaves ruffled a bit, and he climbed up on his trainer's dropped backpack.

From across the hall, more students began to gather, presumably everybody else in this class. From the opposite direction, an older man sprinted down the hall carrying a massive pile of papers, binders, and books. With some occasionally scattering behind him. "Dammit I'm going to be late again," he muttered as he managed to get up to the door and fumbled for his keys while trying, and failing, to not drop any papers.

Behind him, at a leisurely pace, a Gardevoir walked up and telekinetically sorted all the papers into a pile. She held them lightly and smiled for her trainer, and he thanked her quietly. Mr. Adams opened his classroom and walked in with Gardevoir in tow. "Ah, come in, come in everybody, we're behind schedule as is!"

After the 'opening ceremony' of sorts Clayton returned his Piloswine to its Pokéball and left the orientation hall. He reached in to his pockets for the class sheet but it seemed to be lacking the paper. He sighed in disbelief and ran back towards the orientation room. The last couple students were leaving and he made a dash for the room. Just before the the last of the people left he managed to get back in to find his paper on the floor, he probably could have asked a teacher but he didn't want to be scolded and he felt much more... safe with the paper, this way he knew every class for sure.
He looked at the paper as he left the room again, Room 108. Clayton started speed walking as he didn't want to run in case he ended up running in to someone or their Pokémon. He glanced up at the doors he passed to see how far he was from the class, "Room 102, 104, 106... There we go! 108!" He looked up and skidded to an abrupt stop, he had almost walked in to a roaming Gardevoir. To his relief he wasn't too late as his teacher, Mr. Adams, had actually just got there as well. He sighed again, but this time with satisfaction. If he kept this up it could get him in trouble, he was just lucky today. Right then a thought occurred to him, this was home room and among these students would be one of his room-mates for the dorms. He examined the students carefully, hoping he wouldn't get lumped with someone 'boring'.

Alex started, surprised by Max's sudden appearance. He drove a forceful (though not necessarily painful) elbow into Max's arm, knocking it off of his shoulder. Houndoom, in like manner, snapped at the Togetic floating around him, who flitted away just in time to avoid the nasty bite.
"Hey!" Max exclaimed, rubbing his arm. He opened his mouth as if to say more, but Alex quickly cut him off.
"I'm not here to make friends, especially not with weaker trainers like you. If you want friends, talk to the weaklings over there," he said, jerking his head toward the rest of the students. Some had heard the brief exchange and had turned to face him, looking thoroughly unhappy and insulted. Not that he cared.
"Dammit, I'm going to be late again."
Alex turned to see an older man suddenly come sprinting down the hallway, papers flying everywhere and a Gardevoir behind him catching them all telekinetically. "Thank you," he said as he fumbled his keys into the classroom door. "Ah, come in, come in everybody, we're behind schedule as it is!" Alex quickly (and somewhat gladly) walked off, leaving Max and Togetic fuming behind him, though he wasn't really listening. This is supposed to be our teacher? he thought. ...Well, I suppose if the former Champion of Hoenn thinks he's something... Alex held on to that hope as he took an empty seat. Houndoom sat directly beside him on the ground so his shoulders were just above the desk; he was curious to see what was going on, and also wanted to be on the lookout for danger. Both seats beside Alex were empty; he hoped they would stay that way. He doubted they would.

As Max expected, the guy he was talking to let himself out of his grip, and pretty much insulted him. He wasn't at all surprised, he was expecting that. It just gave Max more reason to talk to him. He usually hated guys like this. They always acted like they were better than everyone else because they act like emotionless bastards. Who wants to be around that? Having friends is fun! That display made Max determined to get this guy to open up.

The man that was supposed to be teaching the class arrived. His Gardevoir following behind him catching all the papers flying everywhere telekinetically. Oh cool! A Gardevoir! He thought, after seeing another Fairy type. They were soon allowed into class, Max looked around, and took one of the empty seats next to Alex. "Listen buddy, I don't know who you think you are, you may not have noticed, but you're kind of in school too. You can't exactly call me weak, when you're in the same class as me." He said with his usual smile. "And you should make some friends! After all, friendship is magic!" He gave him a thumbs up before turning his attention to the teacher.

His Togetic sat front and center on his desk. "Togetic!" She shouted as she pumped her small arm into the air.

Clyde waited patiently for the teacher to arrive and when he saw a teacher with a a Gardevoir get closer to the room. Jolteon moved out of the way as the teacher opened the door telling everyone to come in, So Clyde walked into class and took the middle seat in the front of class, as Jolteon jumped up on his lap and looked around the room, mostly at the Gardevoir the teacher brought with him. Clyde however kept his attention focused on the teacher, wondering what kind of trainer he used to be when he was younger.