wisteria

Name change request

'Ello!

Could I please get my name changed to: wisteria ?

Would appreciate it. Thank you! Happy Holidays :D

Pokemon: Chronicles

@Jujube
The Thundershock hit once more! The Charmander, already strained from his paralysis, couldn't take much more than a few attacks, especially Thundershocks from an electric type. With a groan, the fire lizard slumped over, his eyes positively dizzy looking. "Chaaar..." He let out a puff of smoke before falling down completely.

"Hey! Char!" Rorie returned him before he could hit the ground. "I can't believe we lost..."

Zaria won! Magnet gained one level!

She shook her head, looking just a little dejected. But then she snapped up and glared at Zaria. "It am down to luck and you won, good job." She extended her hand for a conceding handshake, her once harsh expression now softened. "I guess that forest fire story was true. Your Magnemite seemed to know their way around the stuff. Not bad."

The students were aflutter with whispers. "She won?"

"Not bad..."

"It was more luck than anything else though, wasn't it?"

Zaria would have time to respond if she wanted to, or Rorie would walk away.

---

@LuckyBlackCat
"Emmy! Defense Curl!" Nicholas shouted, his once arrogant eyes now furrowed with a little more uncertainty. As the Gust swooped the Sentret up once more, the pokemon rolled up protectively. "Seeeee!" The little rodent cried. When the gust slowed, the Sentret stood up, strained and tired looking.

Nicholas jabbed a finger towards Mell and Netty, snarling. "I've got you now! You've triggered our ultimate attack! Reversal! Emmy, use it!"

Emmy balled her tiny paws and glowed a fierce orange. A vortex of fighting type energy swirled around her before coalescing into a solid glow that then faded. Emmy shook her head drooped her ears as she let out a small, "sen..." Her strong tail gave out beneath her and she stumbled to the ground, too tired to go on, much to Nicholas' chagrin.

"Em- Emmy? No! We lost to a bug trainer?" He grabbed his face with his hands. "Arghh, no! You've got to be kidding me! And I trash talked the whole damn time! Damnit!"

Netty won! Mellona gained one level!

He ran to his pokemon, hugging the little Sentret's soft, round body before returning the creature. "I'm sorry, okay? I was an ass. To tell you the truth I got made fun of a lot last year when I caught Emmy. Everyone said Sentret couldn't be strong, so I guess it kind of got to me. That's not an excuse. But anyways, you won." He would stick around to hear what Netty had to say before walking away.

The students talked more. "She's got style."

"I guess she is a coordinator... Huh."

"I really like her dress!"

---

@Ryik
Crash! Though the sharp defense boost softened the blow, the Shuckle's attack was powerful and painful. "Gup..." It said feebly before passing out heavily.

"Gulp!" Bobby returned the pokemon, looking at his pokeball. He laughed, trying but failing miserably to hide the stream of tears running down his face.

Troy won! Shuckle gained one level!

Bobby walked over to Troy. "I just... I really wanted to win I guess. But we were no match for you. I guess we're not main characters after all..." He covered his obvious sobs by shoving his face into the crook of his elbow, his other hand stuck out in wobbly gesture for a hand shake. "But I won't give up!" He wiped the ocean of tears away from his eyes. "We won't give up! Let's shake on it!"

Troy would have the chance to respond, otherwise Bobby would simply run away bawling.

"All that with just a Shuckle!"

"The Gulpin wasn't that strong though."

"That Rollout's strong no matter what though."

---

@Crimson Flame
Another Sand attack landed on the Yamper with little effort from Rocky, who landed the hit squarely. "Arf! Arf!" Pachi yelped, still seeing double clones of Rocky and now he had sand in his eyes! As the Discharge came crashing down on the field, he ran around, trying to see where Rocky was-- but his attack hit nothing and nobody! Frustrated, the Yamper howled before rolling around on his back in a ferocious tantrum.

"Pachi!" Gerard tapped his foot impatiently. "Up! Come now, we've got a battle to win!"

"Arr... Woof..." The Yamper snuffled the ground and hid his tail between his legs before rolling onto his back and exposing his soft tummy. "Arrrr?" It was clear he wanted belly rubs. Students began to snicker. Gerard was furious.

"Pachi, Damnit! Up! You've got a battle to win!" Gerard rushed to the field while Caprea, who had been judging the match, cleared her throat. "It's clear that he doesn't want to battle," she said with an amused smile. "And as the trainer, you've already interceded on the pokemon's behalf, so it's over." Before Gerard could protest, Caprea waved a green flag in Tim's direction. "We have a winner for this match! Tim Wolfe!"

Tim won! Rocky gained one level!

"Noooo!" Gerard sank to his knees while Pachi, blissfully oblivious, rolled around with his tongue hanging out, mucking up his fur. "Ugh, Pachi, you're so spoiled..." Defeated, he knelt to give the puppy some affectionate pets. "Hmph, I suppose you won... But this doesn't mean we're friends. You're a breeder, don't you know that pedigree pokemon are the best?"

Tim would have a chance to respond before Gerard walked away. The students were in titters over Gerard's Yamper, although quite a few people did find his pokemon purely endearing anyways.

"So that transfer student won! I can't decide between Rockruff or Yamper! They're so cute!"

"His parents are pokemon doctors, right? I wonder if his Rockruff's specially bred..."

"No fair! Some people get everything handed to them."

---

As it came down to the final rounds, the class was quite shocked to see that none other than the transfers had made it into the semi-finals! There had been some impressive contenders in the second round, but now there was just Troy, Zaria, Netty, and Tim. "Well then! Let's randomize the matches... There we are! Tim and Zaria, along with Netty and Troy!" Caprea was all smiles and beaming as usual. "Yes, it's getting heated up now! I wonder how the top students will deal with each other?"

"Ha, well you know I'm rooting for the electric type pokemon, naturally." Tessa said, grinning as she adjusted her goggles and shrugged shamelessly.

"I want to say I don't have any favorites, but that's just because there are no grass or psychic types on the field," Caprea said with a chuckle. "So then... shall the matches get started?" With that, the transfers were now opposing each other on the field. Tim stood across Zaria while Netty stood across Troy. The entire class' eyes were glued on them, along with Tessa and Caprea. The two ladies grinned at each other before exclaiming:

"Begin!"

Greetings! Candy Cane Service!

Thank you for the Candy Cane!

Pokemon: Chronicles

@Crimson Flame
"Pachi! Use Bite!" Gerald commanded. "We'll best you, don't you worry-!" But as the Yamper dug into the Rockruff wth his jaws, the pokemon poofed away in a cloud of smoke. It seemed that there were still a few Double Team clones about, enabling Rockruff to get in a good Tackle after Pachi's missed bite.

"Arf!" Pachi let out a yelp as he was flung back. Even with a single hit, it was clear the Yamper didn't have the best defenses. That didn't stop Gerald though. He was determined to win and prove how pedigree pokemon surpassed all else.

"Pachi, go for another Discharge!" Gerald shouted.

"Arf! Arf!" The Yamper let off another blast of electricity just like before. Tim's response?

---

@LuckyBlackCat
"Heh, I'd remember your name if it was worth remembering... Wait--what?! Emmy!" Nicholas' smug smirk twisted into a look of surprise as Mellona's Struggle Bug swept across their field, sparkling and fabulous. Emmy the Sentret did get a Scratch in on Mellona, but taking a direct hit from the Struggle Bug hurt the Sentret quite a bit.

"Sen!" The pokemon was pushed back once more. Emmy wasn't looking too good, having taken a Gust and a Struggle Bug. Nicholas gritted his teeth.

"Hmph, we have one more trick up our sleeve Bug Catcher... and it's something nobody's ever been able to beat before." He smirked, crossing his arms. "Now then, Emmy, get another Quick Attack off!"

What was Netty's response?

---

@Ryik
The strategy executed well. Shuckle, with some shoddy steering, was able to swerve towards the Yawn bubble, kicking up quite a bit of rubble and debris. The bubble popped, but before the Yawn gas could envelop Shuckle, the turtle rolled away to avoid the effects.

"No! Damn it, at this rate..." Bobby wracked his brain. Gulp just wasn't good with his Poison Gas. What other moves could they use? "Gulp, use Acid Armor!"

The Gulpin's form slowly melted into a puddle before reforming once more. His cells rearranged, he could now withstand stronger physical moves. "Gup!"

"We're powered up!" Bobby pumped his fist into the air. "Let's see what you can do, RIVAL!" How would Troy react?

---

@Jujube
Magnet's aim was true, Thundershock made a direct hit on the Charmander. The pokemon howled and spewed a jet of flame from its mouth. "Chaaaa!"

"Char! Hang in there! Oof, you just got lucky!" Rorie screeched, jabbing a finger at Zaria. "This doesn't mean you're better or anything! Char, use another Smokescreen!" But as the Charmander went to belch another burst of smog, he froze in place, trying to move but his limbs seemed locked. A thin thread of electric current snaked around his body. It was a sure sign of the paralysis working.

"Char!" Lucky for Zaria, the Charmander couldn't attack this turn due to paralysis. How would she react then?

Pokemon: Chronicles

@LuckyBlackCat

Nicholas' Pokemon, a Sentret, made a wild dash forward. By the look of it, not even the sudden burst of speed could match Mellona's, or at least Netty hoped. Still, she had to think quickly. "Mel, sweep it back with Gust!" Mellona braced herself, buzzing louder as she whipped up a much stronger stream of wind than the earlier ones.

LuckyBlackCat

The Sentret was too close to change trajectory. He couldn't dodge the gust that roared after him, and was sent back flying before he could get damage on Mellona. "Seee!" he cried, completely getting swept off his feet.

"Emmy! Defense Curl to protect yourself from the fall!" Nicholas commanded. Emmy was able to curl up into a protective ball as he plummeted from the--albeit now dissipating--howling winds. The pokemon seemed to flash red for a moment as his defenses were raised. Still, this was just for his physical defense, it wouldn't help his special defense. The Gust attack would still do full damage should Netty choose to use it again. "Hmph, that was a lucky hit, Bug Catcher. I don't see how you're any different from the other bug trainers I've seen. Tell me, why do you all bother with such a common and weak type?" Nicholas grinned. "Before you answer that--Emmy, try a Scratch!"

The Sentret let out a shriek as it headed towards Mellona with glowing claws. Nicholas was relaxed and confident, despite the initial turn. What would Netty's next move be?

---

@Jujube

"Magnet! Be careful! Avoid those fire attacks! And..." She squinted as the Charmander exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. That's... Smokescreen? So this Charmander knows Smokescreen and Ember... Maybe we can use our status moves, before it tries to mess with us. Can't let our accuracy fall when every move counts!

"Use Thunder Wave! Focus on paralyzing!" If they inhibited the Charmander's movement, surely the sides would be evened out a little. Magnet would try to dodge the Ember, then fire off a Thunder Wave. Zaria crossed her fingers.

jujube

Unfortunately, Magnet was not able to dodge the Ember, and was hit by the super-effective move. However, Magnet succeeded in paralyzing the opposing Char after he was hit. The Charmander's movements slowed to a crawl as electricity crackled around his body, locking his muscles in place. "Char!" he growled, trying to fight against the paralysis.

"Don't ignore me!" The girl, Rorie, stamped her foot. "Char, hang on! We've been paralyzed before. Fire off a Smokescreen!"

The Charmander was slowed, but not fully paralyzed. He snorted and spewed out a thick screen of black smoke. The smog cloaked the battle area, lowering the accuracy of opponents in the vicinity.

"You're one of those rangers, aren't you?" Rorie crossed her arms. "Was that story in class about the fire true? Let's see how you handle Char, then!" She grinned. Her Charmander was paralyzed, but they also had a little bit of cover from the accuracy drop they had inflicted. One pokemon paralyzed, and one with less accuracy, who would get unlucky first? Char still had the advantage with his typing, though.

That said, there could still be a strategy here. What would it be then?

---

@Crimson Flame

Tim took a moment to think moment to think of his next move. Rocky was faster than Pachi, but Pachi was an electric type, and could probably inflict paralysis on Rocky. That wouldn’t be good. ”Um... Rocky... Use Double Team... Please...”

The Rockruff ran around in circles, and created multiple illusory copies of himself while barking loudly. Tim hoped the Yamper would hit one of the duplicates, and he could get an attack in safely.

Tim shuffled his feet and twiddled his thumbs nervously. ”Um... uh... W-w-whatever happens... I-I-I hope our Pokémon can play together sometime...” He smiled sheepishly. ”Rocky would appreciate a fellow dog Pokémon to play with”

As Rocky created multiple copies of himself, Gerald cursed. "Damnit! We need to try to paralyze that inferior mutt! Use Discharge!"

Pachi barked happily, letting of a massive, jagged blast of electric energy into their arena. "Yip! Yiip!" Pachi cheered as lightning came thundering down.

"As if I would ever let Pachi play with your inferior mongrel!" Gerald shouted back, insulted by Tim's suggestion. "Pachi is a purebred Yamper, the finest of his kind! Your Rockruff could never compare! We only associate with the purest of breeds after all, Pachi would get sick playing with those dirty breeds and all that dander in their fur!" As he spoke, the massive bolts of lightning struck the multiple Rockruff on the field one by one until there was one left. But was it the real one? After a moment it became clear--Rocky had successfully dodged the attack!

"Pachi! Hang in there! We'll defeat that dirty cur! Be on your guard!" Gerald insisted.

It was Tim's move then! What was he thinking next?

---

@Ryik

Troy couldn't help but notice the attack's shoddy quality, sparser than one should expect and symptomatic of Gulpin's visible inexperience. Even in spite of Shuckle's defensive focus, power split is unlikely to yield much (if any) results this battle, and Shuckle should theoretically do the most damage through brute force.

As for Gulpin's attack, although poison is usually very difficult for a Shuckle to deal with before learning Rest, it's shouldn't be an issue for a 1v1 battle with healing available in between, so long as things don't get dragged out. Troy hates to take chances, but expecting a Shuckle to dodge an attack with no setup is like expecting the sun to stop shining. Still, it's not like there's no counter-measures.

"Block it with defense curl."

Shuckle withdraws into its shell and angles itself to avoid direct contact with the sludge as the poison comes to drape itself over his shell.

"Now, shake it off with rollout!"

Shuckle begins spinning rapidly, attempting to shake off the poison while it barrels toward Gulpin.

Though the Defense Curl raising physical defense didn't necessarily help defend against Gulp's special attack based Sludge, a defense boost was never a bad thing. And the move made Rollout more powerful to boot. Bobby's eyes widened with Shock as the Shuckle effortlessly shrugged off the poison type move. "B-But how?!" He sputtered, recoiling as the Shuckle barrelled into Gulp directly, which sent Gulp skidding back with a cry.

The hit had been a hard one. Still the Gulpin rose. It seemed like the opponents weren't defeated just yet... "Gup!"

Bobby searched out Troy's gaze. "Don't ignore me, damnit! I'm important!" He jabbed a finger, trembling. "You'll see! Our bond can't be defeated! Gulp, use Yawn!" The Gulpin opened his mouth wide and released a huge, dreamy pink bubble towards the Shuckle. "Ha! You'll be asleep in no time!" How would Troy respond?

Pokemon: Chronicles

How were their impressions? What was next?

---

@Crimson Flame
The students weren’t all too impressed by Tim, but it couldn’t be denied that he had a certain presence as of now. He had been scouted out by a top student even after the morning events, after all. They buzzed and wondered, and a few whispers sounded out.

“How did he get in here, again? He looks like he’s gonna faint...”

“He’s got medical experience? That’s hard to get.”

“Who hasn’t met a gym leader? Honestly…”

“Pokemon doctors make bank.”

”Please settle down, class.”

@Ryik
Troy had made quite the impression on the class. True, the top battler of the school had approached him, but even if Masaru hadn’t, Troy’s words and demeanor gave an air of cool nonchalance that seemed to command respect regardless. He was confident, composed, and held the class’s attention easily.

“What’s his pokemon?”

“He’s cool.”

“Who the hell is this dude?”

“All talk, pfft.”

“I don’t think he’s lying...”

”Settle down now!”

@LuckyBlackCat
Netty’s strong impression helped her quite a bit, though she had yet to convince the students that she was all that. But she’d stood her ground and shown serious gumption in the raucous jeers of the morning. Her style was nothing shabby either, even when she was wearing a very broken shoe.

“I like her dress!”

“Combee don’t evolve forever. How can she be all that when she’s just got a bug?”

“Show us your contest stuff if you’re so good, then!”

”Silence, class!”

@jujube
Zaria fared unfortunate. Though she had interesting things to say, her delivery was a little off. Her words were rushed and a little too eager, as if she wasn’t much more than a tryhard. Not to mention she hadn’t conducted herself too well in the morning. There weren’t too many jeers though, mostly because people had already dismissed her.

“Calm it down a little.”

“Are you 10 years old? Sheesh.”

“Cool, so how big was the fire?”

”BE QUIET!”

---

After the students had finished their ice-breaker, classes resumed. But it being the first day meant that it was mainly a review of their syllabus, the school code, explaining how some of the academic facilities worked, and more general-know how about academy life. The first day was light, with not much academic material being covered at all, and school was let out by 2:30 P.M. There was no direction or even so much as a mention of a homeroom tournament. The students were free to do what they wanted.

But Caprea did have an optional activity planned for them, if they were fine with that… It was all just school tradition.

“I wanted to assess all of you in battle today, but it’d take much too long to battle you all individually. Not only that, but my pokemon are quite a bit stronger than many of your own. I think it’s best for peers to work together, so let’s have a class 2-A tournament, shall we?”

The students began chattering.

“Did you hear that? A tournament!”

“Just in our class…”

“It’s the first day!”

“It’s after school…”

Caprea put her hands on her hips. “I forgot to mention, there’s a prize involved. Bragging rights, and-” she whipped out a technical machine with a flourish from her pocket. The small, palm sized disc glinted in the light, positively twinkling. “A Technical Machine! This one’s different than Hidden Power though. I promise it’s an interesting move.” The prize seemed to attract quite a few of the students interest at least, and a few of the reluctant looking ones straightened up. The stakes were steeper now. Caprea grinned.

“Looks like I’ve got your attention. Now, you’re to use no items in these matches. They’re going to be randomly drawn, and they’ll be simple 1v1 battles. I will be the referee for each. You’re a class of 24 students so we’ll pair you off in groups of 12. Then we’ll have the winners battle each other from there. Your pokemon will be healed every round. Any questions? Let’s walk to the Battle Facility together.”

The battle facility was different from the rest of PMA architecture, as it had been built much later on the campus. Most of the newer facilities and buildings were constructed to match the architecture of the PMA Castle, but the battle facility was a tower fortress, all chrome and steel with glinting windows. Walking in they were greeted by a spacious, minimalistic white lobby, with cool blue lights that pulsed around the room every so often, ever so faintly. They could see that there were a few stations with tablets, a healing machine in the far right corner, a PC system, all probably contributing to the near silent, yet constant mechanical whirring. If they had brushed up on the PMA brochures, some would know that the building was reinforced with concrete, mixed with some naturally shed Steelix Carapace and diamonds. It was built to withstand pokemon attacks and absorb massive amounts of heat, while supporting a myriad of battle terrains and boasting a brilliant sheen to boot. At the font front desk was the school’s head engineer and region electric gym leader, Tessa Nichols. She had a cup of black coffee in her hand and her eyes were ringed with dark circles, so she looked just like her usual self.

“Oh! Professor Caprea, how are you?” Tessa gave a wave. “And your students too! Hello! Ah, it’s the homeroom tournament isn’t it?”

“It sure is!” Caprea replied. “We were going to go on ahead, but before we do, would you care to watch?”

“Oh? That’d be fun! Thanks for having me! I could also help you judge, you know. You’ve got quite a few students to get through.”

”That’d be fantastic, thanks for the help, Tess!” Caprea agreed. So then Tessa Nichols would be watching their matches today? The pressure to perform well was higher than ever. While Caprea and Tessa chatted and laughed as they walked towards the reserved room, the students followed behind anxious, excited, and some were dreading the gym leader watching that was for sure. After all, a gym leader could scout students, or help them get their foot in the door when it came to becoming a prestigious pokemon professional. At the same time, nobody wanted to make a bad impression or embarass themselves.

The many rooms of the Battle Facility were rumored to be enormous, and they lived up to the expectations easily. Even though the room they were in was one of the smaller ones, it was large enough to contain a standard pokemon battlefield that was neutral terrain of packed ground, with ample room for seating. Though the terrain could be changed out, Caprea opted to leave it for the time being. She did make a stop by the control panel to set the facility cameras on; now she and Tessa would be able to see four matches on the larger screen, as well as in front of the bleachers directly. The rounds would consist of four matches each. “Good luck to you all! I’ll be cheering every single one of you on!” Tessa plunked herself in a front row bleacher. "Hope we've got some electric types... Oooh! I see a few!"

The huge screens towards the top center of the room began to scramble the student photos around, calculating… Ding! The matchups had been posted. The students took their positions. And eventually, the transfer students had to show their stuff, didn't they?

---

@Crimson Flame
Student Gerald would like to battle!

Gerald had a Yamper, and was personally offended by Tim's Rockruff. He was sure he'd had the only dog pokemon in the class, but then Tim had shown up. He had the best boy, and he was going to prove it of course, by having his pokemon beat this crybaby’s mutt. “Don’t take it personally when I win,” Gerald said with a smirk. “Go Pachi, let’s do this!” From his ball, a Yamper popped out with a happy yelp. It was puppy against puppy- who would prevail?

“Pachi, Tail Whip!” The Yamper wagged his tail ferociously, letting out few glimmering motes of debuffing energy to lower Rockruff’s defense. On an insight check, Pachi seemed a bit slower than Rocky, but this didn't mean there was no room for caution. It was an electric type pokemon after all, and there was chance for paralysis, along with long range damage... So how would Tim respond?

---

@jujube
Student Rorie would like to battle!

“I’m going to crush you,” the girl gloated with a manic look on her face. “Go! Char!” The form of a Charmander manifested, serious and proud looking. With a snort, Char let out a plume of smoke. “Char! Ember!” Rorie shouted, and the fire lizard let out a jet of hot sparks towards Magnet.

On an insight check, Zaria would realize that the plume of smoke that the Charmander had released was none other than the move smokescreen. She knew an additional one of the four moves the trainer had likely picked... Char probably had an accuracy reducing move. How would Zaria proceed?

---

@LuckyBlackCat
Student Nicholas would like to battle!

“Ugh, I used to run into trainers like you all the time in Viridian. The Weedle used to poison my pokemon and me waaay too much. I’m just glad you don’t have a Weedle. ” He grinned, feeling proud of his negging. "Say, why don't you just give up and call it a day? Ugh, I can see that you'll be difficult about this. Very well then." He jabbed a finger forwards as his pokemon leapt out from behind his back.

“Emmy! Quick Attack!” The Sentret charged towards Mell. On an insight check, Netty realized that Mell was much faster than the Sentret, but Quick Attack did give the Sentret an edge in speed, even if it was only for the moment. As it charged, she noticed that it was holding the Quick Attack for longer than usual as well. Perhaps this Sentret had trained this attack specifically. It could prove tricky to handle. How would Netty react?

---

@Ryik
Student Bobby would like to battle!

“Let’s do our best! Just kidding! I'M GOING TO BE THE BEST TRAINER IN CLASS AND DEFEAT YOU!” Bobby screamed as he chucked his pokeball to the ground, and a Gulpin came out. “Gulp, use Sludge!” The Gulpin lobbed a chunk of slimy poison towards Shuckle. "Gulp and I, you see... We go a far ways back. Our bond cannot be broken!" Bobby clenched his fist. "That is why... I, no WE, must defeat you!"

On an insight check, Troy would glean that the Gulpin's poison was weaker than typical poison. It seemed thinner, and less viscous than other poison type attack executions he'd seen. He would realize this Gulp's sludge attack had a smaller chance of poisoning his pokemon this round, around 20% instead of the typical 30%. The Gulpin looked a bit young, and it moved with a jerky inexperience. Perhaps it still had to warm up to use his poison moves effectively. Well, how would Troy pick his next move?

Pokemon: Chronicles

@Crimson Flame

“Oh... um... I-I-I guess so... My father bred him just for me as a birthday gift, and I’ve been raising him ever since he was a little baby puppy.” He started petting his Rockruff’s head. ”Isn’t that right Rocky?”

Rocky let out a happy “Ruff!” In agreement.

Evey wanted to roll her eyes, but she managed to keep it together. So was he trying to play nice? His answer wasn't one at all, nonetheless she smiled thinly in reply. "Ah, I see!" Perhaps later she'd be able to figure out whether his Rockruff was bred for power or speed. But it was time for class. She tapped the pokeball by her belt assuredly. "Looking forward to seeing how you all rank in the tournament today! Later!" With a final bright smile, and a toss of her hair, she was walking towards Class 2B.

@Ryik
"If you're looking for a battle, you might have to wait a while. We have class, after all"

Masaru sighed. "Tch, fine. I guess it'd be nice to see how you all do in the homeroom tournaments first." He glanced towards Evey walking away before turning back to Troy once more. "You better be ready the next time I challenge you. Later." Masaru left, and all that was left was for the transfer students to enter.

---

Class 2-A was a very large and colorful room for 24 students. There were skeletal diagrams of pokemon, plenty of maps, charts, and models. To their left and right were bookshelves and cabinets filled with supplies, while the other back half of the room was large and strangely filled with many toys, cushions, and soft rugs. Arranged in rows of five, the desks were wide, large enough for laptops and textbooks. Their teacher was a young graduate student by the title Professor Caprea, already sitting at her desk and rifling through papers. She was of average height, with her brown hair in a bun and wearing a labcoat over her blouse and slacks. Her green eyes were pleasantly crinkled, and her smile was broad in her square shaped face. There were a few whispers as the doors opened...

"Why did Evey wanna talk to that kid?"

"They were talking to the top students? Masaru wanted to battle that guy?"

"I wish I could talk to them..."

The transfer students were able to take their seats next to each other, filling the last of the empty seats in the third row. "Hello and good morning, students! Good to have everyone here and on time. I am your homeroom teacher, Professor Floris Caprea. A pleasure to meet you all. Oh, I suppose I should introduce my pokemon too." She walked to the back of the room, fishing two pokeballs out from her coat as she did so. The capsules burst open with bright light that coalesced into the materialized monsters. One was a six foot tall blue-green bell type creature with arms and a totem like face. The other was a nearly ten feet tall brown green dinosaur with a long neck, leafy wings, and fruit growing from it's chin. "Ah yes, this is Nanabo and Bronza! My Tropius and Bronzong."

Pokemon in class? Caprea flashed a thumbs up. "I know what you're thinking, no pokemon allowed indoors. But there are rooms and buildings designated for pokemon to be inside, and the Academic Wing is one of them. You are allowed to have one pokemon with you, and there is a size chart as some pokemon are too large to have in class, naturally. So be mindful of that." She indicated towards the size chart next to the classroom door. "You may let your pokemon out, but remember: no distractions. If they can play quietly, there's plenty of enrichment toys in the back of the class that they can pick from. If your pokemon can't behave, they need to go back inside their pokeball. I hope I won't have to enforce that rule, so make sure your pokemon are behaving!"

Naturally, the next few minutes were filled with the trademark sounds of pokeballs opening, as the students rose and scraped their chairs against the floor. Even a first day at PMA allowed a little breathing room for the antsy students and pokemon, it seemed. The toy selection wasn't shabby either, ranging from chew toys to stuffed animals to complex puzzles, most pokemon would find plenty to entertain themselves with for homeroom hour. When they all settled down, it was quiet once more. The class seemed to feel a little more relaxed, thankfully.

"Put your energy into listening and paying attention today. We’ll be going over your subjects and the school’s expectations, so you’ll understand how to succeed at this academy. I’m excited to teach such dedicated students. The fact that you're here means you have the opportunity to accomplish much in your career, but remember...” She walked towards the front of the desk and leaned back, facing the class. "It isn't the school or the curriculum that makes you excellent. It is your diligence and work ethic. At the end of the day, you have to pursue what you want." Her voice was firm, but agreeable. It wasn't Caprea's intention to disillusion anyone, but rather get them in the proper mindset. “That said, there’s a whole slew of things we’ve got to cover today, but I’d like us to start off with an ice breaker. You’ve had those before, right?”

A murmur rippled through; a few students nodded, and Caprea nodded in return. “Right, so you have. Well, this one’s a fun one. It’s called Two Truths, and a Lie. Anyone ever heard of it before?”

Caprea analyzed the sophomore scholars before her thoughtfully. Bellamy had briefed her on what had happened during the assembly earlier. Hm, it's going to be an interesting year.

Some students perked up, being familiar with the game while others still looked uncertain. Caprea continued, “you’re all going to write your names and three things about yourself on the piece of paper in front of you.” Caprea picked up an index card on her desk and showed it to the class. “Of those three things, two of them will be true, and one will be a lie. Now, there’s a couple of tips I want to give you. First, mix up the order of the things you are writing! That is, don’t have your lie be the last thing on your list. Second, try to make a statement about yourself. What you choose as truth and lie can tell you a lot about a person, no?" She chuckled. Though she was jovial, she was also issuing a challenge. Who would try to stand out? In the pokemon world, there was no coincidence that plenty of pokemon professionals knew how to market themselves, and PMA being the academy that it was, made it exceptionally difficult to stand out among such closely matched peers. Which of the students here knew how to be noticeable? Of course, she mused, there were also professionals who didn't need to go commercial. All the same, this was a small but powerful prompt that would help her glean some insight into their minds, regardless of whether they wanted to be flashy or not.

"When you’re done, sit quietly and wait until everyone else is finished. I’ll be having you all come up to the front here-” she gestured in front of her desk. “To introduce yourself, and read your card. Then, the rest of us will try to figure out what the lie is. So!” She clapped her hands. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

“Professor Caprea, are you gonna be doing this too? Two Truths and a Lie?” A student asked.

“Nope, that’s just for you guys,” Caprea laughed. “And I'm not budging on that! Go on now, I’ll give you all 5 minutes to write something down. Come on!”

There were the sounds of paper sheets being taken out, pens being clicked, chairs being scraped-- school was officially now in session. When the five minutes were up, Caprea called out a name.

"Tim Wolfe, would you come up and introduce yourself?"

Pokemon: Chronicles

They neared the class...

---

After their jaunty stroll outside, the transfers approached class 2A in the large hall of the Academic Wing. There were a pair of students waiting to greet them as they walked down the hall. A girl with long orange hair and hazel eyes, while standing next to her was a boy with nearly black hair and red eyes. Evelyn Aster and Masaru Embers were waiting for the transfer students, it seemed, and though the transfers didn't know them exactly, everyone knew the transfers.

The girl greeted them. "Hey, glad you guys were able to make it!" She beamed. "I'm Evey!"

"Masaru," Masaru said quietly. By contrast, he seemed to be uninterested. But he was here, wasn't he?

The transfers may not have realized it, but as the five new students of the sophomore class, that meant they had not participated in the grade-level annual tournaments the year prior. They were the five new students that had been accepted, from the utmost of selective applicants, and while everyone in the sophomore class had battled each other at least once during their freshman year, no one knew what to expect from the transfers. Especially after the morning assembly. Everyone was wondering how the new kids at school would fair in battle.

And that would bring a whole slew of challengers to them, but that was for another time...

Anyways, it may not have been obvious to them, but Evey and Masaru, bearing the number 2 and number 1 spot in the school respectively, had earned their spots for good reason. They were analytical, sharp, and they scoped out the competition like hawks. Just like they were properly doing now. Because until Masaru had crushed an opponent in battle, he didn't usually assume he could just beat anyone. He had confidence, no doubt, but pokemon battles always had some small luck component to them. So he kept up his guard accordingly. It was the same for Evey, but being on the breeder track, she was also curious about Tim. She knew some about the incoming breeder students, being one of the top students in the program, but she didn't know enough to satiate her curiosity.

"Now listen, about this morning, that must have been terrible when they were making fun of you all. And I'm so sorry about it." Evey bowed her head before looking up again. "But it has to be said, some of you were causing a disruption. We're going to be having other assemblies in the school year, so some of you need to tighten your act. 'Kay?" Her sentence ended with a giggle, as if she thought their antics were funny, but not as if she were laughing at them. Or was she?

"Evey," Masaru spoke up. "Nobody cares about the listening to the rules. You're not here for that either." His eyes locked with Troy's as he spoke. "After all, wouldn't you like to know more about how the new students will fare in battle?" While Masaru wasn't necessarily underestimating Netty, Zaria, or Tim on what they had to bring to battle, Troy had obviously had the most composure during the morning fiasco. He hadn't seemed affected by anyone's jeers or taunts at all, and that had impressed Masaru. An opponent with strong composure meant a challenge, a challenge for him to win. Of course, he'd need to test his mettle against the other transfers as well. But that was for another day...

"Easy for you to say!" Evey snapped. "It's my damn job as prefect to make sure the students know the rules!" Realizing that she didn't sound like her bubbly self, she doubled back to being all smiles, tilting her head and batting her lashes. "Ehehehehe~ I mean, stop being rude, Masaru!" She turned to Tim. "You're a student in the breeding program, aren't you? Is your Rockruff specially raised?" And would it be able to beat her pokemon? No, that was impossible. She was the best breeder at this academy!

It was clear that the two of them were more interested in Troy and Tim, though Netty and Zaria could have commented or shared their thoughts with each other. As Evey and Masaru had stated their interests, the floor was left to the rest of them-- mainly Troy and Tim-- to respond. It was only a few minutes until class, so they didn't have much time to talk, but Tim and Troy had enough time to get a few words in, at least.

@Ryik@LuckyBlackCat@Crimson Flame@jujube

Pokemon: Chronicles

The ceremony...

---

”LEAVE US ALONE!”

jujube

Zaria’s attempt at damage control was less than favorable. Most students continued to whisper, chatter, point, and gawk. How pathetic was she? The noob couldn’t even come up with a decent comeback. Lame!

The two girls tried talking to the bullies, with varying degrees of success... Tim could never do that. In his experience, it only made the problem worse. Instead, he just sat down where he stood, and started bawling. Tears were streaming down his face. He clutched tightly to his Rockruff. This would no doubt make things worse, but he really didn’t know what else to do. He was brought right back to his childhood. And all the kids that made fun of him back home.

Crimson Flame

Others wondered about Tim and was he really such a crybaby? His Rockruff may have had decent typing, but it was thoroughly wasted on such a weak student. He was probably as weak as he looked, and would fair at the bottom of the battle rankings of the academy. In other words, he wasn’t a threat, and many of the students would treat him as such.

But it was all topped off by Antoinetta's grand gesture and declaration against the rest of the students.

Watching her Pokemon keep it together way better than she did, Antoinetta took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Then let's make sure we have the last laugh when we get to the top and they're all in our dust," she chipped in to the conversation. She stood up, holding on to the chair so she didn't topple again, and swept her eyes around the room at the bullies.

"You hear that? How can you act like Pokemon masters to be when you can't even act your age? So just watch us. Believe it or not, by the end of the year you'll see us rather differently, as we show you how it's done."

LuckyBlackCat

Those were fighting words, and some would rise to crush that challenge. If their fate hadn’t been sealed before, it was now. The new kids would need to figure out some way to stand out, some way to grab the year by the reins and surpass those around them. It had been declared, whether they liked it or not.

“Enough! That’s enough! You all need to calm down,” Bellamy Herb, keeper of the school orchard, came through. Maple the Meganium immediately sniffed out the crying Tim and wandered to his aid, greeting him with a reassuring snuggle. Immediately, the area was filled with a calming, floral and spicy scent–and just as quickly, the students quieted too. Maple fanned his blossoming petals out almost as though they were feathers, ruffling them smoothly. The Meganium’s presence was exactly what the situation needed, as the angry and hostile emotions from the room began to melt away.

Tim, directly next to the flowery Maple, would feel the silky soft flower petals cool against his skin, while receiving the most benefit from Maple’s abilities to boot. The effect would be quite soothing, and while it wouldn’t lessen the pain of being bullied, it could at least help him feel a little calmer, and a little less anxious moving forward.

“Ganiyu~?” Maple looked up, noticing Zaria then. He thought this small human child with long dark hair looked quite upset as well, and he reached over with his long neck to give her a quick nuzzle of reassurance all the same.

“Now then, I oughta give you all a stern talking to!” Bellamy crossed his arms and shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you all, disrupting and bullying, all the like!” He turned to the transfer students, doing a double-take at Valerie but mostly giving an even, strict glare. Not everyone was at fault here, and it was unfortunate that he had to yell. Bellamy hated raising his voice, but some things couldn’t be helped. “Everyone, be seated and be quiet. And I shouldn’t have to tell you in the first place!” He added, raising his voice to a near boom at the end.

There was silence.

Unbeknownst to many though, there were some others watching…. A small, rather elite duo…

“...” One of them had amber eyes, ash brown hair, and his general ensemble looked name-brand and expensive. And unlike the other students, his pokemon wasn’t outside their pokeball. He was a sophomore like them for sure as this was the opening ceremony for second years, though he certainly seemed older by his presence. Though the transfers may not have known or noticed him at that moment, his name was Masaru Embers, and he was the top student of the sophomore class. With one string of accomplishments after another, a mother who sat in an Elite 4 position, and fortune, Masaru was envied and idolized by those around him. He’d won several televised matches already and there were rumors that a few companies had reached out to sponsor him already for his trainer journey. At this moment, Masaru seemed interested in the transfer trainers, or perhaps disdainful. It was hard to tell since he always seemed to have a smug, a smirk, or nothing at all.

“Oh! Did someone catch your attention? Masaru?” A girl next to him asked. She was pretty, tall with smooth skin and long, rippling, orange hair and hazel eyes. Evelyn Aster, or Evey was another sophomore student who was reputable around the school. As a prefect, she was held to a higher standard of obeying the rules and leading the students, and nothing could have suited her more. Pretty, bright, cheerful, and a skilled battler to boot, it was no wonder why so many students respected Evey. At times, some students swore there was something more sinister and dark underneath the peppy surface, but those were just rude rumors as far as Evey was concerned, if she was at all.

“Not really,” Masaru replied, looking away. “Do you want to train later?”

“Hm? Is that all? Sure! But you’re not even a little curious?” She grinned. “They’re not in our homeroom class, so we won’t get to face off against them later. Caprea’s their teacher, least we can see all their pokemon though. I mean, I didn’t hear about any crazy transfers for this year but...”

“...” Masaru didn’t say anything.

As the final few trickled in and faculty began to usher for everyone to quiet, student pokemon were recalled and most took their seats by the time Principal Poplar arrived at the stage. “If you could all settle down please, we’d like to begin the commencement.” The last sparks of chatter faded while silence filled the room.

“We’d like to begin by....” It was boring, and none of the students were listening. Once this was over with, they could get on with their day. This was PMA, after all, where opportunity shined at their fingertips and there was always something to do if you weren’t in class. There were some who had summer assignments they were rushing to finish, others who wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep in their dorm, those who wanted to explore the campus, everyone had their own reasons. There were the transfer students too, but it was difficult to tell what they were thinking. They were unknown here, after all. Who knew what they were up to?

Mercifully, the speech ended. The applause was thunderous, partially because the crowd was grateful. Finally, the school year had begun.

Students were to go directly to their classes in the Academic Wing, located more towards the West side of the school. They would still need to attend their homeroom, meet their teachers, understand their expectations and coursework. Well, Bellamy would pull Valerie aside and kindly tell her to change her clothes before she attended her first class. But the five of the transfer students, whether they decided to walk together or alone, would find themselves heading through winding corridors or following the scenic outdoor pathways, before eventually settling into Class 2-A of the Academic Wing...

@Ryik@LuckyBlackCat@Crimson Flame@jujube@Ogobrogo

Pokemon: Chronicles

The first day! Student mayhem!

---

The crowd wasn’t the largest, and it was easy to attract attention when you were a group of five transfer students that were just a little rowdier than the others. The transfer students may not have noticed it, but one by one people had been turning their eyes towards them, whispering, pointing, laughing. With Zaria’s more than apparent stumbles, the gusting Combee, the barking Rockruff, the boisterous Munchlax, Valerie’s clothes, and Troy’s blank expression, they were looking quite notorious.

To the other students, the transfer students seemed weird. Their pokemon seemed untrained and rude, not to mention the whole lot of them just appeared sort of unimpressive in general. The crowd was aflutter with whispered jeers and muffled laughter. Who were these newbies? They were lame!

“What a bunch of weirdos,” someone scoffed.

“Aren’t they the transfer students? They’re not really one of us…”

“They’re idiots, just causing a ruckus!”

“They’re pretty entertaining. What a bunch of losers!”

The transfer students were making names for themselves, that was for certain. Things were still settling down, they just had to get through the next few minutes… Would they keep their heads down and try to assuage the situation? Or would they bark back? And would their bark prove to be less— or more— than their bite?