Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm Legacy918 and I wrote this story for fanfiction.net. I started writing this story in March and finished it yesterday so a user by the name of Gliscor messaged me telling me that I could post it here so here we are. Even though this story is already done, I don't want to rob you guys of the experience of reading one chapter at a time and being able to leave your thoughts about it so I'll pretty much just be posting a chapter every Saturday, most likely at night (where I am). On Fanfiction, this story was a Submit Your Original Character (SYOC) story so some of these characters were submitted to me by readers. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to open an SYOC here so I apologize that you guys won't get to do it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this tale and without further ado, I welcome you to Pokémon Academy!

[SIZE=12pt]Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I wish I did.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Chapter 1: A New Year[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh! This is gonna' be the best day of my life! Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh! My life! This is gonna' be the best day of my life! My life!" The fourteen year old boy sang along to his favorite song as he packed his toiletries into his red traveling bag. It was only 7:00 in the morning and he played upbeat music to keep himself awake and focused. The boy pushed down hard on the bag to squeeze all of its contents inside and quickly zipped it up. He slumped over the bag, tired from all the packing but looked up when he heard knocking on the door.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]At the door way stood a tall woman with long brown hair, hazel eyes, and light skin smiling at the boy. "You all packed, Alex?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The boy stood up smiling and responded, "Yeah, mom!" Alex was wearing a light gray T-shirt under an unbuttoned red flannel with black cuffs and collar, khaki jeans, red Converse, and a red and white cap. He was five foot nine and had short brown hair, emerald green eyes, and rosy cheeks. His mother's smile faded away as she looked at her son. Her oldest child was going away to a school thousands of miles away and she couldn't help but tearing up a bit. A look of concern appeared on Alex's face as he walked over to his mother and gave her a hug. "It's alright mom, this is going to be great!" He put a smile on to comfort his mother and it seemed to work and as genuinely excited as he was, there was a part of Alex that was nervous. He didn't know what to expect especially since his new school was on an island in the middle of the ocean. Alex was born and raised in the Kanto region where he decided that he wanted to become the Kanto champion. Pokémon Academy was on an island called Academy Island which was almost two-hundred miles off the coast of the Unova Region.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex's father came through the hall and said, "Hey Alex, you ready to go?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex and his mother pulled apart so he could say, "Yeah dad. Just gotta' load the car."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'll give you a hand." Alex's mother made way as her son and husband carried the luggage out of the room.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The morning air caused Alex to shiver. He could even see the fog coming from his breath. Alex and his father quickly loaded the car just as his mother approached them with his little sisters, Jamie and Jocelyn. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"Are we dropping off Alex now?" asked Jamie.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Their father nodded, "Yeah. We need to take him to the airport."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Make sure to send us pictures of the Pokémon you get over there!" Jocelyn exclaimed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex smiled at his ten-year-old sister and nodded. "Yeah...I'll make sure to send a pic of my very first Pokémon as soon as I get it." His sisters smiled back at him and his father put a hand on his shoulder letting him know that it was time to go. The family got into the car and drove to the airport. Alex's mother and sisters waited with the car but the tall woman made sure to give her son a goodbye hug and kiss. She cried as she saw her son and husband walk through the automatic doors with the boy's luggage. Alex and his father finished loading the bags and they looked at each other.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]His father spoke first. "I want you to have a great time at that school. And make sure you put studies before girls. I'm not letting you stay over there if you bring back D's and F's."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex chuckled slightly and responded, "Okay dad, I'll make sure to do good."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]His father smiled, "I know you will. I know you'll become a great trainer."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex returned the smile and nodded, "Thanks, dad." The two hugged and with that, Alex made his way to the plane. Once in his seat, he plugged in his earphones and looked out the window both excited and nervous to get to Pokémon Academy.[/SIZE]
____________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]Seven and a half hours later, the plane landed and the speaker said, "We have just arrived in Academy Island Airport. Please collect your personal belongings and exit the plane. Have a nice day." It was almost 4:00 when Alex gathered all of his luggage. Before leaving Vermillion City, he had received an email from the Pokémon Academy saying that there would be a bus waiting outside the building to take students to the school. Alex made his way outside and immediately found the bus because there was a man standing in front of it carrying a sign that said "Pokémon Academy." The man wore a white lab coat over a light purple shirt and light brown slacks. His hair was gray and he had a slight smile on his face.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Alex approached the man and the older gentleman said, "Hello there, are you going to Pokémon Academy?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yes sir."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Fantastic! I am Professor Oak. What's yours?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"It's an honor to meet you Professor! I've heard so much about you! I'm Alex Arceo."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"It's good to meet you too, Alex. Can I see your student I.D.?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex reached for his wallet and took out his I.D. With that, Professor Oak allowed Alex to load his luggage and board the bus. The bus was to leave at 4:00 so it was almost full. He searched for a seat and found one next to a boy with tan skin and brown hair. Alex asked, "Hey is this seat available?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Sure is!" With that, Alex sat down next to the other boy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm Alex, what's your name?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The other boy gave Alex a friendly smile and responded, "Nice to meet you, I'm Brock." The bus started moving and made its way out of the airport.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Where are you from?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm from Kanto. What about you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"No way! I'm from Kanto too! Vermillion City!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Really?! I'm from Pewter City!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"That's awesome! Huh, guess we'll be meeting lots of students from different regions."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah. What year are you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm a first year. What about you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"This is going to be my second year."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Really?! So what's the school like?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well it's this huge campus with dorms, big classrooms, a Pokémon habitat enclosure, a main stadium, some smaller arenas, and a dining hall with delicious food from all over the world. As for the schedule, there are five hour-long classes that are on a rotating schedule so the last class you take for the day is the first class you take the next day. There's also curfew every day at 10:00 in the evening. We get weekends off and are allowed to go into the city as long as we are back by 10:00 on Sunday which is great because there are so many things to do. There's a city on this island with all sorts of stores and places to eat, a Pokémon reserve, and an amusement park.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Wow! This island really does have everything!"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]______________________________________________________________________________________[/SIZE]______

[SIZE=12pt]The boys kept talking until the bus stopped in what seemed to be a quad and the students were shuffled out to grab their luggage. Professor Oak was speaking, "When you're done getting your luggage, go find your counselors who are sitting at those tables over there." He pointed in the direction he wanted the students to look and continued speaking, "There, you will check in and receive your room keys so that you can leave your luggage in your rooms. The counselors have a roster with their students' names and they are seated in alphabetical order of last name of the students. Be back here by 50 so we can all eat in the grand hall." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex saw the students around him walk over to the counselors but they all stopped when a black limousine pulled into the quad. The front door opened to reveal an elderly gentleman wearing a white dressing shirt with a black vest and black slacks. He walked to the back door and opened it to reveal a beautiful girl with short blond hair, pale skin, and icy blue eyes. She wore a spaghetti strap yellow shirt with black stripes, black tights, and yellow heels. Alex stared at the golden haired beauty as she walked to the counselor tables ignoring all the attention.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Brock..." Alex began, "Who's that?" He didn't get a response. "Brock?" He turned to see Brock drooling over the girl and a dazzling gleam in his eyes.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Completely infatuated, Brock carelessly responded, "That's Elesa, she's a supermodel from the Unova region."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Super model huh?" No wonder she's got so many admirers.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah..." Snapping out of his trance, Brock stopped staring at Elesa and turned to face Alex. "It's too bad that she has a boyfriend.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Crap baskets[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]. "Well it's not surprising seeing as how she's so beautiful."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, practically every guy at this school has his eye on her."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex stayed quiet for a second before asking, "So should we go check in?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Brock nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Hey do you want to sit together during the welcoming feast after we put our stuff in our rooms?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Brock walked off into the crowd of students leaving Alex with nothing to do but check in. The counselors sat at tables cloaked in white cloth with a large poster facing outwards with two letters separated by a hyphen. It did not take Alex very long to find his counselor because his last name began with an "A". [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Alex stood in line, which progressed very quickly, until he was standing in front of a dark skinned woman with a teal Afro held back by a red and peach colored headband. In front of her on the table were the roster and small rectangular envelopes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She looked up at Alex and gave him a warm smile, "Why hello there, what's your name, sweetie?" She had a very welcoming energy radiating from every word she said.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex returned her smile and responded, "Oh, uh, Alex Arceo."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hmm, Arceo...Ah! Here you are!" She put a check mark next to his name and reached for one of the envelopes. She handed it to him and continued speaking, "Here's your room key. You'll be getting an email from me by the end of tomorrow to let you know when my counseling hours are. Besides that, welcome to Pokémon Academy!" She had a large smile showing that she enjoyed the school and wanted other to as well.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Thank you, um..."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Lenora, honey."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex smiled sheepishly. "Lenora...right. Thanks." He walked away and headed to his dormitory. The envelope said he was in the Tao Dorm which was only a five minute walk from the quad where the bus dropped him off. When he arrived, he stood in front of a six story building with two statues of Pokémon in front of it. Both were gold which did not hint Alex as to which Pokémon these were. They appeared to be dragons but Alex did not think about it for too long. He entered the building and went up to the third floor where he walked through the hall and read the numbers on the doors until he found room 315. He slid his card key into the slot and red light turned green allowing him to twist the doorknob and open the door. Inside, were two beds, two closets, two desks, and one door adjacent to the door he walked in from. Alex opened the other door to find that the lights were on inside. There were a couple sinks, a wide mirror, a door to his side, a curtain, and another door on the opposite side of the room so he assumed that this was the restroom and that it connected two dorm rooms. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex closed the door and walked further into his dorm room to find a suitcase on one of the beds and a black jacket hanging from a chair. Guess my roommates already been here. Just then, the bathroom door behind him opened and despite doing nothing wrong, Alex's heart beat accelerated and he quickly turned around like a prey hearing a predator approaching. Under the doorway stood a teenage boy, slightly shorter than Alex, with slightly tanned skin, crimson eyes, and black haired styled into a comb over. He wore a dark purple collar shirt, dark blue jeans, and gray Nike's with dashes of dark purple.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]An awkward smile crept onto the stranger's face as he said, "Uh, hey! I'm Mark, you must be my roommate."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex returned a more confident smile and responded, "Yeah, I'm Alex. Guess you beat me to picking the beds." He chuckled awkwardly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark's smile relaxed. "Yeah, is that cool with you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, that's cool, dude. So what year are you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm a freshman. What about you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah me too."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Man, I'm so excited to be able to get my first Pokémon."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah and don't forget the fact that we're on an island a long distance from home at a school with hot girls."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]They both started feeling comfortable. "Dude, I know right! As soon as I got on the bus there were so many pretty girls."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] "Ha! Ha! Yeah," Alex chuckled but quickly started speaking again, "Wanna' get going to the dining hall?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, and it's a good thing because I'm pretty hungry." Mark went over to his chair and grabbed his black jacket. The two exited their room and made sure the door was closed. As they exited the building, [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Alex saw, in the corner of his eye, something move. He stopped and turned his head to look but didn't find anything unusual. "What's wrong?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex stood still, moving only his eyes searching for something but found nothing. "I thought I saw [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]something move by that tree over there but I guess it was nothing."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Maybe it was a Pokémon or something."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex started walking again but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. "I don't know. I saw something move sort of how you see everything waver when you look through the heat coming out of a muffler."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Ghost Pokémon maybe?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex laughed, "I don't know what kind of ghost Pokémon moves like that but sure." As the boys walked down the cement path, a small, pale-faced, green haired Pokémon made itself visible. It sat on one of the dragon Pokémon statues as it watched Alex and Mark walk away.[/SIZE]
____________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]The boys arrived at the dining hall where they saw students walk through two large wide open double doors. They walked into a large room filled with conversations that echoed off the walls.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey I promised a friend that we would sit together. Mind if we go sit with him?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"No, that's cool with me!" Alex looked through the crowd, eventually finding Brock waving to him. The boys approached him and sat down next to him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey Brock, this is my roommate Mark. Mark, Brock." They shook hands and the three began talking amongst themselves. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]At the end of the dining hall was a long table where several people wearing white coats were seated. The only person not wearing a white lab coat at that table was a tall blonde woman wearing a long black trench coat with black fur lining around the collar. She stood up and tapped her glass to get everyone's attention "Good evening students!" She said confidently. "I am your dean, Cynthia Blackthorn. Some of you may recognize me as the Sinnoh League Champion. I welcome you to Pokémon Academy, a place that I founded to provide young trainers and Pokémon a positive environment to become powerful trainers and use the knowledge they learn here in their lives. Now before we can all dig in, I'd like to make a few welcoming announcements. Tomorrow, the freshmen will meet in front of the Pokémon enclosure in North campus. There, you will meet with Professor Elm and Professor Birch as they take you inside to capture your first Pokémon." The two professors raised their hands to show the students who they were. "Now since tomorrow is Sunday, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors will have the day to relax. However, at 5:00 tomorrow, we will be having our opening battle between last year's best third year trainers so I expect everyone to be in the main stadium on time. Now with all of the business out of the way, enjoy the food!" All of the students delighted in the food.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex ate like a king, tossing bits of rice into his mouth with chopsticks bowl after bowl. With a mouth full of food, he said, "Hey Brock can you pass the beef?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Brock looked at his friend with wide eyes amazed by his appetite, "Uh sure." He grabbed the plate of beef and passed it to Alex. Mark reached out with chopsticks of his own and snagged a piece of meat from the plate. The two roommates ate dish after dish and the whole table looked at them wide-eyed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"This is so good!" Mark exclaimed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I know right!" Alex commented. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]They each felt a hand on their shoulders and heard a female voice, "Enjoying the food are we?" They both turned around to see Cynthia standing behind them with a pleasant smile.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Alex carefully replied, "Oh, sorry about that. I've just been hungry since I was on the plane."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Oh no need to worry!" she responded kindly. "I am just glad to see the happy faces of my students. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]You're both freshmen correct?" They both nodded. "Fantastic! I like to make sure that I get to know each of my students. What are you names?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Alex Arceo."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Mark Villagran."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Villagran...Wait! Are you Eric's little brother?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, that's me" he replied with an awkward smile.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well it's great to have both of you as an addition to our school" she responded. "Now I'll leave you to enjoy your food." The boys watched as she walked off to spark conversation with other students.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"How does she know you're brother?" Alex asked.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"He's a third year here and from the report card and battle record that he's shown us back home, he's one of the top students here."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"It's true," Brock commented, "I've seen the guy battle and he knows his way on the battlefield. You must be proud of having a brother like him."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex noticed a glint of disappointment in Mark's eyes as he responded, "Oh...yeah." The rest of dinner was very calm as students and faculty mingled to get to know each other. After dinner, Alex and Mark said goodbye to Brock and returned to their room.[/SIZE]
____________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]"Dude I can't wait for tomorrow!" Alex exclaimed as he unpacked. "We're getting out first Pokémon!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I know! I wonder what kind of Pokémon we'll get."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm going to catch the biggest, strongest, coolest, freakin' Pokémon I can find!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"So you don't want a Magikarp then?" They both laughed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Definitely not!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"What about a Feebas?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I honestly prefer the Magikarp." Alex finished placing the last of his socks inside his drawer so he got up and jumped into bed. "Hey Mark..." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]His roommate looked away from his laptop, "What's up?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"What did you think of the dean?" Alex winked at Mark and flashed him a goofy grin.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark began laughing, "You mean Ms. Hot and Curvy? You seem surprised that she's the dean."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well yeah, I've never heard of her before. You know her because you're from the same region right?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, I'm from Sunyshore City in Sinnoh. What about you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm from Vermillion City in Kanto. I wanted to come here so that I can become an awesome trainer and go home to take on the Indigo Plateau to be the Kanto Champion!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well that's an awesome goal!" He closed his laptop and walked to the light switch. "We better get some rest for tomorrow." He flipped the light switch and the room was consumed by darkness.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A/N: Well there you have it! Alex and Mark's first day at Pokémon Academy! What will their first Pokémon be? Who else will they meet? Find out on the next chapter of Pokémon Academy: A New Dawn! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter and I'll see you all next week! Legacy, out![/SIZE]

 

A/N: Okay, so I know that I already messed up the whole posting every Saturday thing but I've been busy with school and if you've ever had a long day, you'll understand that when you get home, you just want to lay down so that happened more than once this past week. Anyways, I'm sorry for the lag but here's chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and that you'll enjoy this one too.

[SIZE=12pt]Chapter 2: Catching Pokémon[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]An alarm clock blared through the room slightly lit from the small beams of sunlight that crept through the curtains. Alex groaned annoyed by the recurring noise as Mark reached for his alarm clock from underneath his blanket. He aimlessly slammed his hand down multiple times until he felt his target and turned off the alarm.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Much better," Alex said from under his pillow.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark got up from his bed and grabbed his clothes and tooth brush. He headed for the door and said, "Dude get up."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Without budging from his position, Alex responded, "Five more minutes."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm going to take a shower, you better be ready by the time I get back."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I will, I will." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark entered the bathroom to find another teenage boy inside brushing his teeth but he turned to look at the crimson eyed boy. This other boy had messy snow white hair with strange looking eyes–stranger than Mark's. His right eye was black while his left eye was white. He was five foot eight and wore a plain white shirt, an unzipped black jacket, black jeans, and black running shoes. He also had a bracelet on his left arm with a colorful stone engraved into it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]I've seen that somewhere before[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] Mark thought to himself. "Uh, good morning" he said awkwardly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The snow haired boy took his tooth brush out of his mouth and rinsed his mouth before standing straight and responding, "Good morning to you too. I'm Karitoru, what's your name?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Nice to meet you, I'm Mark."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Cool! What year are you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm a first year. How about you?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Same, and so is my roommate who's still sleeping."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark smiled, "Yeah, mine is too. Are you done with the shower?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, it's all yours."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Alright thanks man." With that, Mark stepped into the shower and closed the curtain behind him. Why does that stone look so familiar? After his morning rituals, Mark went back to his room to find Alex still sleeping. He's still asleep? A devious thought crossed his head. I've got it! He grabbed his alarm clock and placed it next to his roommates head. The alarm blared causing Alex to freak out and fall onto the ground.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Okay, okay you win!" Mark smiled victoriously and pointed to their bathroom door commanding his roommate to go get ready. Just then, that same door had opened and two boys poked their heads out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark recognized the first as Karitoru and assumed that the other boy was his roommate. Karitoru spoke, "Is everything alright in here?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The second boy added with a yawn, "Yeah, I was sleeping comfortably, man."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, nothing to worry about. I was just waking Alex up."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex had a confused look on his face. He asked, "Who are you guys?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"We're staying next door" Karitoru said. "I'm Karitoru and this is my roommate, Stephen."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yo." He said lazily. Stephen was about an inch taller than his roommate and had a rather lean build. He had light skin, short messy jet black hair, and forest green eyes. "I'm gonna' take a quick nap, if you need me" he said as he walked back through the door.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Oh no you don't! Get ready!" Karitoru followed Stephen leaving Alex with an eyebrow raised.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"What the hell was that all about?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Just get in the shower, will you?" Alex got up and did as he was told, grumbling as he walked into the restroom. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]When he returned, he asked, "So do you want to get some breakfast before going to the enclosure?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Sure, we've still got like forty minutes. Want to invite our neighbors?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Sure." They walked through the restroom and went into their neighbors' room. "Hey we're going to get breakfast, you guys want to come?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Karitoru was pulling on Stephen's arm while the lazy teen tried to stay under his blanket. The snow haired teen turned around, "Well I'm down but I've gotta' get this guy out of bed first."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex and Mark laughed and watched as the white haired boy forced his sleepy roommate out of his bed. Stephen dressed himself with a green T-shirt, a black hooded jacket, black cargo shorts, and black converse. A yin yang necklace hung neatly around his neck and green headphones blasted music into his ears. Once they were all ready, they went on their way to the dining hall. While they waited patiently for the elevator to arrive, Alex saw something odd. From the reflection of the golden elevator doors, he could see a little movement from behind him and his friends. He quickly turned around to find nothing but a white wall. "What happened?" Mark asked.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I think I just saw something move again."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Again?" asked Karitoru.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex explained his experience from the previous day but Mark and Karitoru didn't really believe that what he saw was real. Stephen, however, listened closely to every word he said, even with his headphones on.[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] After the elevator had arrived, the four teenagers made their way to the dining hall where they grabbed breakfast. [/SIZE]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]After they all finished their food, they went to the habitat enclosure where they saw their classmates gathering around the entrance. Professor Elm and Birch were talking while they waited for all the freshmen to show up. Professor Elm was of average height with messy short light brown hair and glasses. He wore a light blue dress shirt, green slacks, and brown shoes. Professor Birch had dark brown hair and was dressed more casually with a dark blue shirt, brown shorts, and sandals underneath his lab coat. Alex and the others approached the professors who had them sign their names in and wait until everyone was present. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A few minutes passed before Professor Elm announced, "Okay, it looks like everyone is here and on time, which is great! Now, [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Professor Birch and I will be your supervisors while inside the enclosure." A student raised her hand which caught Elm's attention. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"Yes? Do you have a question?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The girl had dirty blonde hair and indigo eyes. She wore a pink fedora, a sleeveless black shirt with a white collar, a red skirt, leggings, and black sneakers. "Um yeah, how are we supposed to catch Pokémon if we don't have any?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"That's a good question," responded Professor Elm. "What's your name?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Serena!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well Serena, we have here with us some pokeballs for you guys to use to capture the Pokémon inside. You will each get six pokeballs because you may not get a catch on your first try. If you happen to run out of pokeballs, you can come find either myself or Professor [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Birch and we will give you more. Also, if you have time after you capture your first Pokémon, you are allowed to continue catching them until time is up. There is no battling inside the enclosure so you will not be able to use Pokémon you've caught to make other Pokémon weak." Professor Elm looked around at the students then continued, "You will also get food to throw as bait which will make the Pokémon easier to capture. We will be here until 4:00 so that we can go to the stadium. That should give everyone more than enough time to catch a Pokémon. At noon, we will regroup at the entrance for lunch. We are having sandwiches delivered from the dining hall. You'll know when to come back to the entrance of the enclosure when you hear a bell on the intercom. Any questions?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Serena raised her hand again and asked, "What if we can't catch a Pokémon in time?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Professor Birch responded, "Come talk to us and we'll work something out. That doesn't mean that you can slack off and expect us to help you out. The reason why Dean Blackthorn invented this exercise rather than accept only students who already have Pokémon is to create an environment where effort is not only rewarded, but encouraged. Besides, the harder you try, the more likely you are to catch more Pokémon and that puts you at an advantage. Now, if there are no more questions, we'd like you to make two lines to collect your pokeballs and bait. You will also be getting maps to help find you way back. Once you have your equipment, you can go inside." The students did as they were told, lining up, and after a few minutes, Alex, Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen all had their equipment so they went inside. When they entered the enclosure, they were amazed by the sight of various trees and plants, a sparkling river, and a mountain near the center of the enclosure.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Whoa! This place is huge!" Alex exclaimed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, I know!" responded Karitoru. "Where do you guys want to go first?" They all looked at their maps and analyzed the different terrains. There was a desert terrain, forests, a lake, some open plains, and the mountain.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"There's a specific Pokémon I'm looking for." Stephen said as he began walking.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I guess I'll go with him" started Karitoru. "I've gotta' keep him out of trouble. I'll see you guys at lunch!" He chased after his roommate leaving Alex and Mark to decide where they wanted to go. [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]They ended up deciding that they would go through the forest. [/SIZE]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]Alex and Mark walked through the trees spotting Pokémon every once in a while and tried capturing some but neither succeeded.[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] "Dude! This sucks!" Alex groaned impatiently. Just then, they heard the bushes move and they turned to see a Turtwig idly walking by. "This one's mine" he said licking his lip. He threw bait at the grass-type and it gladly began eating. Alex took out a Pokéball and enlarged it but just as he was about to throw it, another Pokéball dashed pass and bonked the Turtwig on its head before opening and welcoming it inside. "What the-! Mark did you do that?!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark was taken aback from the accusation, "No, I saw it come from over there." Alex turned to where Mark pointed to find another student with purple hair and a serious face. He wore an indigo and black jacket, gray pants, and indigo shoes. "Who are you?" The purple haired teen ignored Alex's question and walked to pick up the Pokéball. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The stranger turned with anger in his eyes, "The name's Paul."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"That Turtwig is supposed to be mine."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Then why is it in my Pokéball?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Because you stole away my chance at catching it!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"You snooze, you lose." He turned around and started walking away.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Why you little-!" Mark had to hold Alex back from doing something he would regret.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Forget about that jerk. One Pokémon is not worth getting in trouble." Alex relaxed himself and the two continued through the forest until they arrived at a lake. They looked closely to see a Sharpedo chasing after a tiny Squirtle. "That Squirtle's in trouble!" Both boys quickly took off their shoes, put their wallets and pokegears on the ground, and jumped into the water, swimming as fast as they could until they reached the Pokémon.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I've got the Sharpedo, you get the Squirtle!" Mark nodded and the two sprang into action. Alex grabbed Sharpedo by the fin and tried steering it another way while Mark grabbed the Squirtle and took it out of the lake.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Panting, Mark told the tiny water-type, "You're safe now." Alex returned and both of the boys were soaking wet.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Guess we should find somewhere with sunlight to dry off quicker." The boys said good bye to Squirtle and went on their way but as they were about to pass through the trees, Mark felt a tug on his wet pants. He turned to find the tiny turtle Pokémon looking up at him with enthusiasm in his eyes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"You wanna' come with me little guy?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Squirtle!" It nodded in agreement and with that, Mark lightly tossed the Pokéball and Squirtle jumped to press the button and enter its new home. The bell on the intercom rang signaling them to return to the entrance for lunch. "Aw dude, you didn't get a Pokémon."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"It's cool, I've still got the second half." His stomach growled and he gave a goofy smile while scratching the back of his head, [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"Besides, I can't catch Pokémon on an empty stomach." Mark chuckled and the two went to lunch. [/SIZE]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]After getting food, they took a seat on the grass, with slightly dryer clothing and enjoyed their food.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Whoa, what happened to you guys?" asked Karitoru as he and Stephen approached their neighbors.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well we had to save a Squirtle from a Sharpedo" Mark responded. "And I ended up catching that Squirtle so the wet clothes were totally worth it. Did you guys get anything?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well Stephen caught that Pokémon he was looking for and I got myself a Pancham on the way to lunch." All three boys summoned their Pokémon to reveal a Squirtle, a Pancham, and a Beldum.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"A Beldum, huh?" asked Alex.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Stephen nodded, "Yeah, my mentor had a Metagross so I decided I wanted a Beldum as my first Pokémon."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Where's your Pokémon?" asked Karitoru.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well, I sort of haven't caught anything but I'm definitely going to catch one this time!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well we've got out Pokémon, mind if we tag along?" asked Karitoru. Alex agreed so when lunch ended, the four boys went back into the forest. After a few hours of walking, the sun was on its way to the horizon when they heard what sounded like a group of Pokémon running. They searched for the commotion to find a Pikachu being chased by a group of Zangoose.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Pika! Pika! Pika!" The yellow mouse turned its head and shouted "Pi...ka...chu!" and a bolt of electricity wildly hit some Zangoose but almost hit Alex and the others as well.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey we better help it out!" Alex said. The others nodded and all four chased after the Pikachu and Zangoose. They all ran up a hill until Pikachu was stuck at the edge of a cliff. With nowhere to run, it faced its predators and got into a low stance with sparks of electricity resonating through the pouches on its cheeks.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Pi-ka-chu!" The electric mouse used another Thunder Shock attack that aimlessly hit the ground and nearby trees. As the boys came through the trees, a wild bolt hit a nearby branch causing it to fall. Mark quickly pushed Alex out of the way and the wood fell on top of him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Mark!" Alex yelled as he and his neighbors got the branch off of Mark and checked on him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm okay. My leg hurts a little, but I'm fine. Go save that Pikachu!" Alex nodded and had Stephen stay to watch over Mark while he and Karitoru went to Pikachu's aid. Just as a Zangoose was about to slash it, Alex covered Pikachu and endured the cold hard claws slicing through his shirt and skin.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Alex! You okay?" Karitoru went to his side.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Pika?" The wild Pikachu looked up at its savior.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah just a little scratch. Pikachu, I won't let them get you!" Alex turned around to face the Zangoose. "Go away and leave this poor Pokémon!" The Zangoose did not take his words seriously. Instead, they prepared for another attack when Pikachu jumped onto Alex's shoulder and sprung forward with electricity surging through the pouches in its cheeks.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"PI! KA! CHU!" A bright flash of yellow shot out from the tiny mouse striking the attackers. When the light was gone, Alex and [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Karitoru could see the group of Zangoose all lying on the ground knocked out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex looked at the rodent Pokémon. "Wh-whoa! That was amazing!" Pikachu smiled fondly as Alex got down to a knee to have more of a face to face with the yellow mouse. "You're really strong, Pikachu. I'm out here to catch Pokémon and I would be honored if you would be my first Pokémon." He reached out a Pokéball and held it out in front of him. The wild Pokémon stared at it pondering on whether it wanted to go or not. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Finally, it looked away and said, "Pika!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Oh, does that mean you don't want to come with me?" Alex looked down but felt something hop onto its shoulder. When he turned his head, he saw Pikachu standing on top of it. "Oh! I get it, you do want to come with me, but you don't want to be stuck inside a Pokéball." Pikachu nodded. "Alright, that's cool with me!" Alex and Karitoru returned to check on Mark and found him sitting against a tree while Stephen stood watching out for him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey! The Pikachu is safe!" Mark said[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, and it agreed to be my Pokémon."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Wait so why isn't it in its Pokéball?" Stephen asked.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"It does want to." Mark and Stephen looked at each other confused.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Mark asked, "Is that allowed?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Mmm, I don't really know. I guess we can ask the professors." The bell on the intercom went off again signaling them that it was time to go. "Here let me help you." Alex grabbed Mark's arm and slung it over his shoulders to help support him. Pikachu saw this and jumped on top of Alex's hat which was fine with the trainer. The four boys walked back to the entrance where everyone else was waiting.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Professor Elm and Professor Birch saw the limping boy and rushed over to him. Birch switched placed with Alex as Mark's new support. "What happened?" asked Professor Elm.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"A branch fell and it was about to hit Alex so I pushed him out of the way. The branch fell on my leg."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Elm asked Birch, "Can you take him to the hospital while I get everyone else to the main stadium?" His colleague nodded in agreement.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey, can we go with Mark?" Alex asked. "I wouldn't feel right going to the stadium without him."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Of course you can," Elm responded.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Oh and I have another question." Elm gave the boy his attention. "I sort of caught this Pikachu but he doesn't seem to want to go into his Pokéball."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A look of confusion spread through the professors' faces. "Doesn't want to go into its Pokéball?" asked Elm. "So it's made no contact with the device?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"No."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well then it isn't yours yet. It would at least have to be inside just once for you to be able to claim it as your own."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex picked Pikachu up off his hat and placed it on the ground in front of him. "Well Pikachu, can you do that small favor for me? Can you go inside the Pokéball so I can catch you? It will only be for a second and I promise I'll let you out as soon as you're caught." Pikachu looked at Alex indecisive of whether it should trust someone it had barely met. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]It saw a look of determination and sincerity in Alex's eyes so it smiled and commented, "Pika!" Alex took out a Pokéball and placed it in front of Pikachu. The yellow mouse tapped the button and was converted into red energy before going inside of the ball. The device shook and then it clicked.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Alright I caught it!" The ball began shaking again. "Huh?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Birch said, "I think it wants you to let it out already."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Oh, right!" Alex quickly picked up the Pokéball and called out Pikachu. "Sorry about that buddy, but I can promise you that you'll never have to go back in again." He gave his new Pokémon a confident grin and Pikachu returned it. With that, Alex and the others helped Birch take Mark to the infirmary while Elm led the rest of the freshman to the main stadium.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Inside the stadium, there were thousands of students all cheering as the competitors walked through their gates. On one side, was a tall serious looking teenager with spiky blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. He wore a blue jacket with yellow edges and a black collar, a black under shirt, dark gray pants, and gray shoes. His challenger was a light skinned and had a red afro. He wore a yellow collar shirt, a red belt, dark grey jeans, and black sandals.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I've been waiting all summer for this bro!" The red head said.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]His blonde friend smiled and calmly said, "Me too. I hope you're ready, Flint."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Same to you, Volkner." The two threw out their first Pokémon and the stadium was filled with loud cheering.[/SIZE]

A/N: So Alex and Mark have caught their first Pokémon but unfortunately, Mark's injured. Let's see what happens next time! Legacy, out!

 

A/N So I know that I owe you guys an explanation for why I didn't post last weekend but things are getting more and more time consuming with finals coming up in two weeks and my final project for my Digital Humanities class is due next week but I bring you another chapter! Onward!

[SIZE=12pt]Chapter 3: Oh! Brother...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The sky was black and the bright stadium lights illuminated the battle field. The two friends stood on opposite sides of the field staring directly at each other. They were each down to their last Pokémon and neither was ready to give up. The fiery red head was beaming with energy as the uninterested blonde maintained his cool. They both called out their last and most powerful Pokémon. On Flint's side, stood a red and yellow molten giant called Magmortar, and on Volkner's was a furry yellow beast known as Electivire. Even the two Pokémon were familiar with and respected each other. Both trainers and Pokémon looked to their opponents wanting to settle this and all their previous battles to see who would begin their rein as the school's top student.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Magmortar use Fire Blast!" A star-shaped blast of fire flew towards the yellow beast.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Electivire, dodge it with Double Team and hit him with Thunder." Electivire made fake duplicates of itself and successful escaped the Fire Blast, immediately using an attack of its own. Electricity appeared above Magmortar and a crash of lightning came down on him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey you okay buddy?" Magmortar recovered from the powerful blow having felt it before many times in the past. "Awesome! Now use Earthquake!" The ground shook in a terrible tremor that badly injured Electivire.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I see you've used a TM" Volkner said with a small smirk on his face.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah! And that was just for you, bro!" Flint responded with a large grin.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Electivire, Thunder Punch." Electivire curled its hand into a fist and electricity formed around it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Fire Punch!" Fire formed around Magmortar's fist and both Pokémon went charging at each other until their fists collided. Fire and electricity wildly shot out from the attack from all sides and the stadium was filled with a blinding light.[/SIZE]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]Alex, Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen were inside a hospital room watching the welcoming battle between Flint and Volkner on the hospital television. Mark was lying in the hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his leg, Alex was sitting down with Pikachu on his lap, Karitoru was leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets, and Stephen sat on the window sill still listening to loud music. On the TV, both trainers were very skilled and their Pokémon were incredibly powerful. Just when one would knock out his opponent's Pokémon, his would be defeated and this continued until it was down to Magmortar against Electivire.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The doctor came in and said, "Well, Mark, you don't have any broken bones, but your leg is swollen and you'll have to stay in bed for the next few days."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"What?! But what about class?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"You can't walk until the swelling goes down. I say you'll be good to go by Thursday but if you keep icing your leg and get lots of rest, you'll get out a day early."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"So he's going to have to stay here?" asked Karitoru.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yes. You're all his friends correct?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex replied, "Yeah, I'm his roommate and they're in the room right next to us."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Okay, well you are all welcome to stay with him until 9:00 when visiting hours are over." The doctor exited the room leaving the boys alone.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The boys turned their attention back to the television when they heard, a commentator say, "Well it's a tie! This truly was an amazing battle ladies and gentlemen!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Another commentator added, "And what makes this battle even better is that fourth year students Flint Asher and Volkner Wattson have been friends since freshman year and they've competed for the top spot of their class with the score going back and forth. " At the center of the stadium stood Cynthia with Flint and Volkner on either side of her. "I think she's about to make her decision, folks!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cynthia had her usual relaxed smile as she looked out at the crowd. She held a microphone in her hand as she began speaking, "I think [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I speak for everyone when I say that you two really did deserve the honor to battle here today. You are both powerful trainers with a great connection to your Pokémon, however, I have to decide between the two of you who gets the title of being the strongest trainer at this academy. It gives me great pleasure to announce Volkner Wattson as the number one student at this academy." The crowd cheered wildly as the two friends shook hands and students rushed down from the stands onto the field to congratulate them both on the epic battle. As the cheering went on, Alex, couldn't help but watch a certain blonde girl run through the crowd and kiss Volkner.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]'It's too bad she has a boyfriend[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt].' Brock's words rang through Alex's ears as he watched the screen, focusing on the Unovian supermodel.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark noticed how focused he was, "Hey, you okay dude?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Huh?" Alex looked away from the screen.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I think he's got a little crush" Stephen teased.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A slight blush formed on Alex's face and he frantically said, "What? No! I mean she's hot but I don't have a crush on her."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The others chuckled. "Don't worry" Karitoru stated. "It's fine to have a little crush man."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah whatever." Alex's stomach began growling and now everyone else had something new to laugh about. "Uh, I'm kind of hungry. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Mark, is it cool if I go get something to eat and come right back?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, no worries, man. Aren't you guys hungry too?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Come to think of it, yeah, a little" responded Karitoru. "Want us to bring you something back?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Sure, thank you." Pikachu hopped onto Alex's shoulder and they went over to the dining hall, along with Karitoru and Stephen. Once they finished eating, they grabbed a napkin to wrap some pizza for Mark.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]When the trio returned, they found Mark eating noodles already and there were four other teenagers in the room. Mark's friends looked around at the unfamiliar faces.[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] There were three boys and one girl. The girl had slightly tanned skin and red hair tied into a bun on the upper right side of her head with long strands of her hair framing her face. Her eyes were sky blue and she displayed a friendly smile. She had a long sleeved shirt that revealed her belly, shorts, and boots–all of which were light blue with shades and tints of blue on the edges. She was sitting in the chair that Alex was in earlier. The tallest of the three boys had pale skin, messy crimson red hair, and hazel eyes. He wore a black sleeveless coat with golden edges that was held at the waste by a brown belt. Below his belt, the coat opened to reveal black pants with golden seams. He wore black shoes and to complete his outfit, he had a white scarf that looked like it had scales of some kind. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a calm expression on his face. Next in height, was a boy with light skin, brown hair–covered by a white knit cap–and black eyes. This boy wore a black and orange short sleeved shirt with the collar popped, black and gray shorts, green and orange shoes, and a green headband. He was standing next to the previous boy with a pleasant smile on his face.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex did not pay much attention to these three when he saw the fourth's eyes. They were a blood red exactly like Mark's. His skin had a bronze tan and his hair was black–styled into forward spikes. He was maybe an inch taller than Mark, but definitely no more than that. He wore a white dress shirt with a dark blue cotton blazer over it and over that, a light gray short-sleeved hoodie with black sleeves, edges, and hood. His pants were dark gray and they were held by a black belt. He had light gray and black Nike's and to finish his outfit, he wore a necklace with a stone exactly the same as the one on Karitoru's bracelet over his collar shirt. Perched on his shoulder was a small lavender bat Pokémon that looked directly at Alex's Pikachu with a confident smirk. Alex couldn't keep from staring at the boy's crimson eyes because although they were the same as Mark's, they conveyed a different emotion. He couldn't quite tell what it was. Considering this boy's eye color and the fact that he was standing close to Mark, Alex came to the conclusion that this was Mark's older brother.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey guys!" Mark said enthusiastically.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex broke eye contact with Mark's brother to look at his friend. "Hey, we brought you some pizza but I guess you're taken care of."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, my brother brought me some noodles." Alex looked back at Mark's brother. "Oh, uh, Eric, this is my roommate, Alex, and those two guys over there" Mark pointed to his neighbors "are staying in the room next door. That's Karitoru and Stephen. Guys, this is my brother Eric, and his friends, Skyla, Takuya, and Brendan."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Nice to meet you all" Alex said as he walked over to shake all of their hands.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Eric finally spoke with a relaxed smile on his face, "Same to you. This is my Pokémon, Noibat." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]It waved one of its wings and said, "Noi! Noibat!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"This is my buddy, Pikachu" Alex responded.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Pika!" The yellow mouse waved in return.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Eric looked back at his brother's friends and said, "Thank you for bringing my little brother to the hospital."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex felt a little easier, "Of course, anything for a friend!" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Eric smiled large enough to show teeth before he continued talking, "So you're all first years right?" They nodded. "How are you liking campus so far?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Karitoru answered, "It's really cool! I just can't wait to start battling all the strong trainers." He could've sworn that he saw Eric's eyes light up when he said "strong trainers."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well you're in luck" responded Brendan with a confident smile. "We're all pretty strong if you ask me." He spoke in a hushed voice and held his hand against the side of his mouth while pointing with his other hand, "Except maybe Skyla." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A vein almost popped out of Skyla's head as she yelled, "Oh shut it will you! You're not exactly the best around here either!" [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Everyone laughed at their little squabble.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Eric ignored them and spoke to Karitoru, "Well let me tell you something, because freshmen barely caught their Pokémon today, you guys will pretty much only be battling other freshmen trainers. I'm sure you guys know this by now, but every Friday, after school, we have three hours devoted to trainer battles in the main stadium."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Will we be battling?" asked Stephen.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"No," Takuya responded. "Dean Blackthorn only lets upper class men participate in weekly battles for the first few weeks so that you guys can pick up some strategies from watching us. Meanwhile, you'll be honing your skills in Battling Class with Chuck, Norman, or Crasher Wake."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Brendan added, "Those are the teachers, by the way. They also all happen to be Gym Leaders "[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Seriously?! That's awesome!" exclaimed Alex.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Stephen asked, "So will you guys be battling this week?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Maybe," replied Eric. "There are a lot of students and usually we have enough time for six battles. Some are quicker than others so they usually set up about eight matches just in case there's time after the first six. They let you know if you're battling on Thursday night so that you can prepare, but they don't let you know who you're going up against."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]After a few more minutes of talking, Eric looked at his Xtransciever and said, "Hey Mark, we've gotta' go now. Volkner, Elesa, and Flint are waiting for us at a restaurant on campus. We're all eating dinner together to celebrate the battle."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex thought to himself, He knows her?! Lucky mofo...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Okay, thanks for visiting," Mark said.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'll stop by for another visit tomorrow." Eric and his friends said their goodbyes and began leaving. On the way out, Eric noticed Karitoru's bracelet and a small smile formed on his lips as his eyes shot up to meet Karitoru's. The younger boy felt fear from looking into those eyes and was forced to take a step back. It was as though Eric didn't just look at him, he looked through him and it scared Karitoru. What seemed like forever ended as Eric walked out of the room with Noibat on his shoulder and his friends following behind.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The whole time that Eric was inside the room, Karitoru was burning on the inside with a question he just had to know the answer to. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, "Mark, where did your brother get that necklace?!" The others looked at him surprised.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Mark's eyes opened wide and he face palmed himself, "That's where I've seen that stone before!" Now everyone was looking at him with confused expressions on their faces. "When Eric came home this past summer, he had that necklace on and said that he got it from one of his professors, but I didn't see it much afterward. When I first saw you in the restroom, I noticed your bracelet and I knew that I had seen something like it before but I just couldn't remember where. Where did you get it?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"My dad gave it to me before I left home and came here. I wear it all the time, even in my sleep."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Stephen had to ask, "Even in the shower? Do you make sure to clean it with soap?" Karitoru stayed quiet and the others burst into laughter.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Hey shut up!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"You know we're just messing dude," Alex responded as he placed a hand on his shoulder.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"No! I don't need this!" Karitoru stormed out of the room.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex started "Hey wait!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Just leave him" said Stephen. "He just needs to cool off."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Shortly after Eric and the others left the hospital, they walked through campus on their way to meet their friends. Eric walked with his hands in his pocket and his Noibat laying calmly on top of his head. Skyla was walking next to him while Takuya and Brendan were behind them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"So is Flint treating us?" Brendan asked. "You know, seeing as how he lost." Skyla hit him upside the head, "Ouch!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Skyla said, "That's not very nice! Besides, just one of his Pokémon can wipe out your whole team."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Eric and Takuya laughed because they were already used to Skyla and Brendan's little routine. He would have a snide remark while Skyla would hit him and it never got old. Without looking away from the cement path in front of them, Eric said, "To answer your question Brendan, Elesa is paying for all of us. I told her, we could all pitch in, but you know how she is when it comes to her boyfriend."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"That's what you call love" Skyla said dreamily. She looked directly at Eric and continued, "I can't wait to find myself a boyfriend."[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Eric cracked a smile, "You know Falkner is available. I think you two would have a lot in common." He'd always liked playing with her like that. Playing hard to get always worked for him anyway.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Skyla threw a frown his way, "Of course he's single. All he does is play with his birds."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Brendan coughed, "Sounds like someone we know."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Skyla opened her mouth to say something but instead her cheeks burned red from embarrassment. The others started laughing when Eric suddenly stopped to look at the mountain at the end of the island. The others kept walking but stopped when they realized their friend was standing still. They all followed his eyes to see what he was looking at and they understood.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Takuya walked up next to him still looking at the mountain and asked him, "Are you going to try again this year?"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Eric simply said, "No, I'm going to get it this year."[/SIZE]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[SIZE=12pt]After visiting hours had ended at the hospital, Alex and Stephen said goodbye to Mark and promised to return the next day. As they walked, they heard a noise from the nearby trees. It sounded like someone was hitting something. They followed the sound to find Karitoru with his shirt off, punching and kicking trees with his newly caught Pancham training alongside him. Karitoru stopped and began doing clapping push-ups until his arms couldn't hold him up anymore. He pushed up one last time, with all of his strength, before collapsing. He panted hard as he lied on the cold grass.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Well he's gonna' get itchy" Stephen joked.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex smiled but chose not to respond or add to it. Instead, he started walking towards Karitoru and said, "Hey buddy," Karitoru lifted his head to see his roommate and neighbor standing in front of him. "We're really sorry about laughing at you back there."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Karitoru sat up straight and pulled out a Pokéball to call his Pancham back. "It's alright. It's just, that bracelet means a lot to me. My dad is a strong Gym Leader and I want to be just as great a man and trainer that he is. For years, I trained alongside my dad's Pokémon to get strong and be able to defend myself. He gave me that bracelet before I left home so for your guys to laugh at that, it just got me so angry." Anger entered his eyes again but left as quickly as it had appeared.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Alex took a seat next to Karitoru and Stephen sat down on his roommate's other side. Alex began speaking, "Sorry, I didn't know it was like that."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Yeah, me neither."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Karitoru looked at his friends and couldn't help but smile. "It's okay, just don't do it again. Or I might have to do that to you." He pointed over to a tree and got up to put his shirt back on. Alex and Stephen looked at the tree which looked like a Tauros had impaled it with its horns. There was an indentation in the tree and the bark was split. Once Karitoru was dressed, he walked up behind Alex and Stephen and said, "So you guys want to go back to the dorm?" They nodded and the three went to their rooms.[/SIZE]

A/N: So I'm still new to this so I thought that there was somewhere you guys could leave me feedback but because I haven't gotten any, I'm assuming there isn't. So now, if you guys have any comments, questions, or concerns, please message me. Legacy, out!