The Chasm

The clock tower cast a long shadow over the east wing, blocking the sunlight through one of the large, elegant windows of Sandgem Academy. As the tower finally yielded its deep, metallic tolls, hundreds of uniformed students flooded the grand halls with a sea of green and white, eager to leave the confines of the lecture halls. One student stopped at the shadowed window however, freeing himself from the flow of students to take a seat on the large window sill and lean his head back against the colorful glass.

He sighed in relief as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and loosened his tie, relishing in the end of the school day. At 20 years old he was about to finish his 15^th year of schooling, quite a feat for a child of Sandgem Town. Most of his friends had left after their fifth year, graduating at the age of ten and leaving Sandgem far behind, but he’d since made new friends and settled back into the diligent life of academia.

Before long another student freed himself from the masses, acknowledging his friend as he sat down next to him and assumed his usual position at the window. His uniform was unkempt to say the least, and his oversized white beanie with the neon green sweatband pushed nearly every rule in the Academy’s dress code.

“How was class, Cam?” the first boy asked, his eyes closed as he rested.

“Eh,” his friend replied.

The boy chuckled, “That good, huh? You know, you’d think after ten years of math you’d be tired of it by now. Or at least know enough to teach the class yourself…”

“Oh I so could,” Cameron said as he stretched, “But not just math; I could teach battle theory, Sinnoh history, you name it. I’d leave the biology up to you, though.”

“Gee, thanks,” the boy laughed, “Glad I’m good enough for something.”

As the sea of students dissipated an older man in a freshly pressed suit passed through the hall, stopping as he noticed the two boys at the window.

“Cameron!” he said, walking quickly towards them, “That was an excellent use of theorems in today’s class! It won’t be long now before the Board will be begging you to take a position here!”

“Thanks, Dr. Proctor,” Cameron replied, “Do you still need help on that proof you mentioned earlier?”

The professor quickly scanned around the hall, ensuring that it was devoid of his colleagues.

“Yes, actually,” he whispered, “No matter what I think to try, I just can’t seem to sort it out!”

Another voice suddenly echoed through the hall which caused Dr. Proctor to jump, his previous precautions apparently not as thorough as he’d thought.

“So this is how you’ve been making such groundbreaking research, Doctor! Using one of your students as your brain?”

“Dr. Anna,” Proctor replied nervously as he turned towards the woman, her long, white lab coat floating around her feet as she walked. “Borrowing is more the term; after all, his name is mentioned on all of my papers…”

“Regardless, this is going to cost you some serious points with me,” she teased. “Oh, and hello to you, JC,” she added, noticing the other boy at the window. “Tomorrow is the last day of the semester; are you excited?”

“Absolutely,” he smiled back as he rose from the window sill, “How’s your research coming?”

“Very well, thank you,” she replied, “The Board has finally approved our new budget so Professor Rowan and I should be starting up again very soon. Speaking of which, thank you so much for that ‘donation’ you made; it was very gracious of you. We see you around the Academy so much that we tend to forget how well off you and your family are.”

“It’s no problem, I’m just glad I could help out the Department,”
JC said, shaking her hand, “With as long as I’ve been here, this place has become like my second home.”

“Still, thank you,” she said appreciatively, “And if there’s ever anything I can do for you, you just let me know, alright?” She smiled, “It was nice talking to you, but now if you’ll excuse us…” she said, taking hold of her colleague’s arm, “Dr. Proctor and I have some things to discuss, don’t we, Doctor?”

“Ah, I suppose we do…?” he asked hesitantly, suddenly being led away by Dr. Anna. “Goodbye, boys!” he called behind him.

“See ya,” they said, turning back to the window. Looking out over the Academy’s wide courtyards, JC cleared his throat and rested his arm over his shoulder, letting his school bag hang against his back.

“It’s interesting that Proctor mentioned you taking a position here at the Academy…,” he started, “See, I’ve been thinking; with graduation coming up and summer starting, I was hoping maybe you’d want to leave town for a while. You know, get out and see a bit of the world…”

Cameron chuckled and shook his head, “I know what you’re thinking: you think that I’ll go along with you just for the summer but get so involved with being a Trainer that I won’t want to come back, and that we’ll just accept that as our new life.”

JC paused, sighing as he accepted that even his best disguised plans were transparent to his friend.

“Well, what do you say…?” he ventured.

Cameron shook his head, not saying anything. JC had been trying to get his best friend to leave with him since they had received their Trainer’s Licenses at the age of 10, asking him every year in hopes that he’d change his mind. It wasn’t like the suggestion was outlandish; in fact, staying in school for this long was out of the ordinary. And it wasn’t as if Cameron didn’t want to go either; math was great, but it was his second love. Something else was keeping him here.

“You know,” JC added, “I hear Dawn’s stopping by in a couple days… We could always tag along with her…”

Cameron inhaled sharply at the mention of that name. “Dawn…?” he asked quietly, turning his head towards JC.

As a young girl, Dawn Berlitz had lived in Twinleaf Town, a small borough near Sinnoh’s southwestern tip. The only child of a wealthy family, she had been enrolled in Sandgem Academy at the age of five along with her two best friends, Cameron Suou who lived two houses down, and JC Kalmikov from Sandgem, a coastal town roughly three miles to the east. The three had been nigh inseparable since the day they met, accomplishing all of their lives’ milestones together as a group and in spending all of that time together an adolescent Cameron had developed quite the crush on his female friend.

However, when their five-year graduation rolled around and the time for their journeys finally arrived, the three had to share an agonizing farewell as Dawn reluctantly decided to leave her home while her friends stayed behind to further their educations. She hadn’t returned since, having been travelling the Sinnoh region for the past decade, and that had only made the longing in Cameron’s heart grow larger for every moment they were apart. Every day he’d wish that on his way to the Academy he’d pass that big house and there she would be, back from her travels and waiting for him.

“Cameron?” JC asked, bringing his friend back from his memories, “Are you still with me?”

“Yeah, yeah I am,” he said, his mind racing. “Actually, I’m having a thought…”

JC’s eyes grew wide; could this finally be it?

“A thought, huh?”

“Yeah…” Cameron articulated as he started to walk from the window—he always did his best thinking while walking—“I mean, who says we have to finish our school careers now? Sure we’re nearing the end, but if we took a break or something now we could always just pick back up where we left off later…”

JC could barely contain his smile. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying…?”

“I’m saying that I’m going to start my journey with Dawn when she comes back into town,” he said, the wheels in his head turning at breakneck speed. “Oh, and you can tag along, too,” he added with a laugh.

“Say what you want,” JC said, shaking his head at his friend’s humor, “If you’re really serious, I don’t even care!”

Their laughs echoed together as they made their way down one of Sandgem Academy’s grand staircases, passing through the remaining students that still lingered inside of its cold, stone walls. At its entrance stood two solid oak doors, towering guards who stood open leisurely, allowing the students free passage to and from the Academy.

Outside of the building, the noonday sun’s reflection on the beautiful Lake Verity caused the crest of every wave to glow, shining and sparkling in a watery dance. The warm light fell on the cold stone of the castle, as Sandgem Academy was just that: a castle. One of three similar structures spread across Sinnoh, Sandgem Academy had once been known as Verity Castle, home to the royal family of Sinnoh. Set high on an island in the center of Lake Verity, Verity Castle had been the perfect strategic location during wartime, just like its sister castles, Acuity Castle and Valor Castle. Several years after the war, however, the royal family abandoned the castle and its memories of King Septimus in favor of a new castle on Suzuran Island off of the eastern coast of Sinnoh, leaving Verity’s grand towers and elegant grounds to be claimed by time. After the age of kings and kingdoms had passed, the old castles had been used for various purposes, finally being converted into three prestigious academies for Sinnoh’s youth.

JC glanced down from the school’s lofty height at the rocks that met the small waves, watching the bands of small students hop from rock to rock. The lake was a popular hangout for students—being the majority of the school’s grounds—and it had become almost a tradition for the younger students to sit at the water’s edge after school and toss their leftover lunches to the various creatures that inhabited it.

JC laughed to himself, remembering all too well when he and his friends were that age. Dawn had actually turned the little tradition into a game; they would see which fish ate whose crumbs, and the one who fed the biggest and rarest fish won and earned bragging rights for the rest of the day. He smiled; Dawn hadn’t always been the smartest of the three of them, but she’d had her moments.

They continued down the long stone bridge connecting the castle to the surrounding mainland, and from there to the dirt road encircling the lake. Before following it into the forest, JC turned back to catch a final glimpse of his favorite scene in all of Sinnoh; Sandgem Academy sat brightly in the sun, framed by a portion of the Coronet Mountain Range stretching behind it. The lofty mountains pointed high towards the heavens and, even from this far corner of the continent, the glorious Mt. Coronet was still visible, towering proudly over Sinnoh and the Academy.

The “dirt road” blazing a trail through the woods was actually National Route 201, and like many of the routes throughout Sinnoh it was really nothing more than a wide, dirt path through the dense forest that blanketed the majority of the continent. Thick trees rose up a few feet back from both edges of the road, giving Route 201 a large feeling of openness, while the dense foliage added a sense of natural seclusion. Hundreds of these routes spider-webbed across Sinnoh, giving the region an overall appearance of being rather underdeveloped and rural, but that wasn’t entirely the case. While the inhabitants of the Sinnoh region were very conscientious about maintaining the natural beauty of the landscape, several large cities had, in fact, arose out of the forests and dotted the region like fallen leaves on a pond.

Having reached a fork in the route, the two boys waved their goodbyes as they split up, returning to their respective townships; Cameron heading south to Twinleaf and JC continuing east towards Sandgem. JC walked with a slight bounce to his step; his excitement was overwhelming.

“I’m finally doing it,” he said aloud, “I’m finally going to see the world.”

◄►

JC was only five minutes from home before he finally noticed the small ball shaking in his pocket. He had been so preoccupied thinking about his upcoming trip that his feet had simply been set on autopilot as he daydreamed.

“Ah! Kai I’m so sorry!” he apologized, reaching into his pocket to pull out the small, golf ball-sized sphere. Half red and half white, the ball was metallically smooth save for a small white button dotting a black ring along the equator. JC clicked the button, and the sphere suddenly expanded to fill his hand, its functional size about that of a baseball.

“Well, come on out!” he said, holding the ball out in front of him. The device split open between the red and white hemispheres, releasing a bright, glowing mass of white light from its interior. The mass hit the ground and swirled fluidly, finally taking the form of a small, furry-bodied rodent with a long nose. As the white light faded away the Poké Ball closed, and JC tapped the button again to shrink it back down to its previous size. He slid it into his pocket, reaching out his other hand towards the small creature in front of him who turned away from JC, showing his distaste.

His short fur was two-tone, being blue-green on his back with a tan underside, continuing down the long nose that stretched out in front of him. Four red circles of bare skin dotted his back like the corners of a square, pulsing and glowing a deep red hue.

“I’m so sorry, Kai!” JC said again, “I completely forgot you were still cooped up in there!” The creature spit a small flame out of his mouth and JC jerked his hand back.

“Now come on, don’t be mad…” he said as he reached out his hand again and rubbed Kai’s head. “Rowan made us put our Pokémon away for that lecture, there’s nothing I could’ve done!”

Kai squeaked his disapproval, apparently forgiving his Trainer as he rubbed his head into JC’s cupped hand.

“There now, that’s much better isn’t it?” he asked, his Pokémon squeaking in agreement.

“I thought so,” he laughed as he put his hand closer to the ground near Kai’s feet. “Climb on,” he nodded, “I’ve got some big news to tell when we get home!”

Kai tilted his head in curiosity before quickly scaling up JC’s arm and setting himself atop the boy’s head. “Don’t worry,” he added as the woods suddenly opened up in front of them, revealing the small town of Sandgem with its sandy waterfront and large beach grass fields, “I have a feeling you’ll be excited…”

◄►

“Wow,” JC sighed, leaning back in his chair happily. “I know I say this a lot, but that was really good.”

It was late evening, and he and his family were just finishing up a modest dinner in their lavish dining room. It had been a wonderful three-course meal: a delicious Oddish salad, roast Farfetch’d with leek along with deviled Exeggcute, and a mago berry cake, all prepared by their lifelong butler, Kovos.

Amenities such as these were rare this side of Sinnoh, but JC’s father, Leonard Kalmikov, had been more than able to provide for his family. Mr. Kalmikov was vice-president of the Sinnoh branch of the Silph Company, the leading technology corporation in the world, and as such he had amassed quite the fortune. He had worked hard his entire life, but it was worth it as now he was able to give his wife and two children a very comfortable life in Sandgem Town.

“You really did do a fantastic job, Kovos,” JC’s father agreed, “That Farfetch’d was cooked to perfection!”

“Thank you, sir,” he bowed, “It was a new recipe I was trying, one I received from a friend of mine in the Kanto region. I had hoped you would enjoy it as much as I had when I visited him last summer.”

“Well it was magnificent!” Mrs. Kalmikov smiled as she set her napkin on the table, “We’re definitely going to be requesting that one again.”

“Thank you, madam. As always, your words are too kind,” he smiled back to her. “Now, allow me to get those plates out of your way and I’ll have your evening teas out in a moment.”

Kovos swiftly collected everyone’s used plates and then disappeared into the kitchen; within moments the sound of a heating kettle could be heard on the stove, and JC decided that tea time would be the perfect opportunity to share his news with his family. He made small talk with his younger sister Vika, waiting until the teas had been served before presenting his news.

“So,” he began, “Cameron and I have been talking…”

“Oh?” his mother replied, “And what scheme have you two hatched this time?” she winked.

“Actually,” JC said, “I was finally able to convince him to go.”

“No kidding! How on Shia did you manage to do that?” his father asked, surprised. “That boy seemed so intent on staying at the Academy.”

“He probably bribed him with Dawn,” Vika piped in, sipping her tea, “Ms. Berlitz did say she was coming back in town…”

“That’s exactly what I did,” JC admitted, “It seemed like a good opportunity.”

“And that,” Mr. Kalmikov nodded, “Is excellent business sense. Good job, son! Just try and keep Cameron under control if you can; you know how he gets around Dawn…”

“Thanks, Dad, I will,” he smiled.

After they finished their drinks, Kovos gathered up the empty glasses and escorted JC’s parents to their usual place in the study while JC headed up to his room to prepare for his last day of school. He ran his hand along the dark wall and flipped on the lights, jumping suddenly as the sight of his father’s Luxray sleeping on his bed caught him off guard.

“No, no!” JC chided as he pushed against the enormous feline, “Off the bed!” Luxray watched him struggle through one sleepy eye, slowly rising from the bed and stretching as he shook his large, black mane. He stepped down off of the bed, standing nearly as tall as JC, and nudged the boy hard to show his displeasure at being awoken from his nap.

“Sorry, Luxray,” he apologized, rubbing the Pokémon’s large furry face, “But this is my room. Mom and Dad are in the study if you want to visit them.”

At the mention of his Trainer, Luxray turned and left the room, pushing past JC’s sister as he lumbered slowly down the hall.

“You know,” Vika said, popping her head into his room, “Delcatty and I could have left on our own anytime we wanted. We just didn’t want to go off and make you two look bad.”

“Sure…” JC said as he plopped down onto his bed. His younger sister had earned her Trainer’s License seven years ago and had her own partner Pokémon, just as JC had Kai. And just like her older brother, Vika had opted to enroll in Sandgem Academy instead of leaving home when she turned ten; even though she’d deny it Vika hadn’t wanted to leave her family, especially her older brother who she’d grown up with all those years. JC knew this, but he and Vika were always teasing each other, and he wasn’t about to let her get one over on him.

“You’re just jealous that Kai and I are going to outshine you,” he winked, provoking her. Even Kai added to the antagonizing, squeaking defiantly as he jumped up onto the bed next to JC.

“Outshine us?! I don’t think so!” Vika said, hands on her hips. “Battle. Tomorrow. At S.A. after morning classes.”

“Sounds good to me,” JC smiled, folding his hands behind his head. “Hope you do better than our last battle…”

Vika huffed as she stormed out of his doorway; not two minutes later, Kovos walked in carrying a stack of neatly folded clothes and a very sly look on his face.

“Is there anything you’d like me to pick up for you, Master Jemkyn? Perhaps maybe a towel you’d like to throw in?”

JC sighed loudly; despite being their butler, Kovos had always seemed to have a witty side when dealing with the children.

“Were you listening through the laundry chute again, Kovos?” JC laughed, poking back at him.

“Of course not, sir, I was merely so hard at work that I finished folding your clothes in record time,” he replied sarcastically.

“Do go easy on your sister tomorrow, won’t you?” he added, winking, “You know how upset she gets when she loses to you.”

“Come on, Kovos,” JC said back, grinning slyly, “It’s me!”

◄►

A decent crowd of students had gathered to watch the battle between siblings: JC Kalmikov versus Vika Kalmikov. It wasn’t a rare match-up as the two battled every other week, but the sibling rivalry always made for intense battles.

“Kai, ember!!” JC commanded, but Vika quickly countered.

“Shadow Ball, Delcatty!”

The crowds looked on anxiously as the two Pokémon moved to attack each other: Delcatty arched her back and hissed as a pitch-black sphere of energy grew in front of her bared fangs; needles of fire erupted on Kai’s back as he dug his paws into the dirt, bracing himself.

Delcatty launched her attack towards Kai, the sphere jetting across the battlefield towards him. He spewed several glowing embers from his mouth in counterattack, stopping the ghostly ball in its tracks.

The two attacks erupted in a small explosion as their raw energy collided, a small gust of wind sweeping away the kicked-up dust from the battlefield. JC and Vika stared each other down from their respective sides, completely focused on the scene in front of them. As was the Academy’s policy, one of the school’s professors, Edward Rowan, was presiding over the battle. Another professor, visiting from the Kanto region, was standing next to him and observing the battle with much interest. Both were dressed in their white lab coats, proudly displaying their positions as renowned scientists.

Professor Rowan stood with an intense look on his face. Not one to outwardly show emotion, the professor was always huffing at one thing or another from under his bushy white moustache, thinking himself the leading authority in his field. And with good reason, for at the age of 69 the professor had been everywhere and seen almost everything there was to see. Rowan had been working as a scientist out of his lab in Sandgem for over 48 years, focusing primarily on the growth and development of the various fauna of Sinnoh. His white hair and worn skin proved testament to his age, but his tall height, stern eyes and gruff voice had remained throughout his long life, giving him a very imposing presence.

The second professor was also an aged expert, yet Rowan’s junior in terms of seniority. His name was Samuel Oak, leading professor of the Kanto region and the top researcher on the relationships between human Trainers and their Pokémon partners. In addition to his position as a professor, Oak boasted a diverse range of interests and was in fact a very accomplished poet. His light brown hair had begun to gray, but his warm smile and soft eyes still gave him the very calm and approachable demeanor he had always been famous for. He watched the battle with much enthusiasm, always glad to witness up and coming Trainers in their quests for greatness.

Vika and JC continued to shout attack after attack to their Pokémon, trying desperately to get the upper hand on the other. JC called for a smokescreen and Kai blew plumes of thick smoke from the circles on his back, blanketing the battlefield in darkness. But knowing how her brother battled came in handy and Vika was able to quickly adjust in order to block him.

“Hyper Voice, Delcatty!” she shouted, confidently expecting victory. Delcatty tensed her ears back as she inhaled deeply, releasing a loud shriek that echoed across the entire battlefield and forced even the onlookers to cover their ears. Because of the smokescreen, JC was unable to see the condition of his Pokémon until Kai came stumbling out of the smoke cloud holding his paws against his head.

As Delcatty paused to breathe, JC ordered for his Pokémon to attack with everything he had left. Kai shook off the ringing in his ears and charged, sprinting up close to Delcatty and spewing bursts of embers at her from every angle. Winded from her last attack, Delcatty had a hard time dodging his embers and soon the sound of crackling fur began to fill the air.

Vika slumped her shoulders as she watched her defeat unfold before her very eyes. “No, Delcatty,” she said softly as her Pokémon let out a cry and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

“Delcatty is unable to battle!” Rowan officiated, “The win goes to Jemkyn and Kai!”

Vika sighed and pointed a Poké Ball towards her fainted Delcatty. The sphere fired a thin, red beam from the button that struck her Pokémon, converting her back into a fluid energy and returning her to the protective embrace of her ball.

“Sorry you had to lose again,” JC teased as Kai jumped up into his arms and licked his cheek.

Vika scoffed. “It was a lucky break,” she said, tucking away her Poké Ball. “If we’d gotten in another attack we would’ve beaten you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” JC shrugged as Kai playfully spit a flame at her, agreeing with his Trainer.

“Hey! Don’t you spit at me!” she chided, “I know where JC keeps your food!”

Kai jumped onto JC’s head, his back bursting into flame as he squeaked in protest.

“Now now, Vika, you know better than to agitate a fire-type,” Professor Rowan said, coming up behind her. Both he and Oak had made their way to the two Trainers, ready to give their after-battle remarks.

“Sorry, Professor,” Vika apologized, backing down but sneakily sticking her tongue out at Kai.

“Well, Professors?” JC asked, “What did you think?”

“Vika battled very well today,” Rowan huffed, “Although she needs to work on using moves that limit her Pokémon’s response time; as we saw today, that can mean the difference between victory and defeat.”

“Very true!” Oak agreed. “And JC, still up to the same bold tactics I see!”

“Yeah, it works for me,” he smiled.

“And that’s what we’re all searching for, isn’t it?” Oak said happily, “A style that works for us? Just be wary; sometimes the best offense isn’t necessarily the best defense.”

“Yes, sir,” JC nodded, gratefully accepting his advice. 

“You both battled well today,” Oak continued, flashing the two students his trademark smile. “But your Delcatty’s probably in need of a trip to the infirmary, Vika! Why don’t you head over there now and while you’re at it, take the rest of the day off.”

Vika smiled wide, “Really, Professor? Oh thank you!” she said, giving him a tight hug and taking his dismissal note in hand. She waved it tauntingly in front of her brother before skipping off to the infirmary, happy to have beaten him at something.

“Here, JC, you deserve one, too,” Oak added, holding out a second slip for him, but Rowan intercepted the handoff and slipped the pass into his lab coat.

“I’m sure he appreciates the gesture, Samuel, but unfortunately this young man cannot miss his last lecture of the year.”

“Aw come on, Professor,” JC whined, “I just won another battle against Vika! Can’t I get a break, too?”

“No,” Rowan replied stoically. “We have a very important guest speaker today,” he nodded towards Oak, “Now hurry along, I’m sure Mr. Suou is already waiting for you there.”

“Alright…” JC sighed, shaking their hands before heading across the courtyard. Rowan and Oak both watched him leave, and once the rest of the students had dissipated from the area Oak sighed, putting his hands into his coat pockets.

“That boy is turning into one fine Trainer,” he said, calmly. “And I can definitely see your style in him, Edward,” he added with a chuckle.

“Jemkyn is improving as expected,” Rowan replied, “He and Cameron are both at the top of their class, just as we’d hoped. By the time they leave here they should at least have some skills compared to the others.”

“Given your track record it wouldn’t surprise me if they surpassed the others!” he laughed, “But you know, I’ll miss these little ‘check up’ visits once they graduate. To be honest, I was relieved when they stayed behind after Dawn left; it gave me an excuse to keep up my involvement this generation. With Kanto lacking even a single announced birth I haven’t had much to do, and I’ve become quite fond of those two…”

“Now Samuel,” Rowan said jokingly, “Don’t tell me you’ve started playing favorites!”

Oak laughed heartily, “Oh no, not at all. I’ve been keeping in touch with the other children as well. In fact, as I heard it Dawn will be stopping by soon…”

Rowan shook his head, chuckling to himself, “And not a moment too soon. We couldn’t have planned this better if we’d tried.”

Oak sighed deeply again, looking hopefully to the sky. “Edward, you know I’ve never been one to disagree with the Champions…”

“Doctor Oak,” Rowan interrupted, “We’ve been over this before. Our job is simply to prepare them; that is all. The final decisions are to be left up to Cynthia and the other Champions; and them alone.”

“I know, I know,” Oak replied. He sighed dismissively, finally turning his attention back to the Academy. “Let’s be on our way. We don’t want to keep those young minds waiting!”

◄►

JC wove his way through the rows of conversing students and their respective Pokémon already seated in the enormous lecture hall. The auditorium was big enough to hold 500 students, but it quickly became overcrowded when each student had a Pokémon of varying size next to them and Rowan tended to have them store their Pokémon in their balls during class time. However, with this being the last class of the semester, Rowan had made it a small tradition to allow their Pokémon free reign.

Spotting his best friend’s neon hat, JC eased his way along the row, squeezing past numerous Pokémon and their Trainers; small green leafy turtles, little blue arctic birds and energetic little chimps with fiery tails. Finally reaching his friend, JC plopped down next to him and one of the little blue birds: Cameron’s partner Pokémon, Piplup.

One of three “Starter Pokémon” presented to beginner Trainers in the Sinnoh region, Piplup were relatively abundant in the far north near Snowpoint City. Their “wings” functioned more like flippers, allowing them to spend their days swimming and diving for food, while their thick down kept them warm in the freezing waters; only around a foot tall, their blue feathers camouflaged them in their arctic home and their large eyes helped them hunt deep in the dark waters. Cameron’s Piplup chirped to Kai as he climbed down JC’s arm, the two Pokémon sitting together on the chair between the boys.

“So?” Cameron asked, “How’d the battle go?”

“Pretty good, actually,” JC answered as he made himself more comfortable. “Kai here’s getting faster; the battle only lasted like five minutes.”

Cameron looked impressed, “Wow, that is faster. You better watch out,” he said to Piplup, “Kai might be close to showing you up…”

Piplup quickly stood up in his chair, pounding a flipper to his chest and squeaking in his high, chirpy voice.

Kai nudged him, knocking the proud Pokémon back into his seat as the lights dimmed above them; a spotlight followed Professor Oak as he walked onto the stage, waving to the hundreds of students gathered for their last lecture of the semester.

Rowan walked out with him, clipping a small microphone to the lapel of his lab coat. He huffed loudly, clearing his throat to begin his speech.

“Right! Well as you all know, today is the last day of classes for the spring term…”

Waves of cheers and applause washed over the two professors like a tidal wave, forcing Rowan to increase the volume of his imposing voice.

“However! We do have ONE more lecture for you all to listen to. You all know Professor Samuel Oak…” he motioned to his colleague, “And today he will be finishing his series of lectures on the technology of the current age, specifically technology related to the travelling Trainer. Now, I’ll gladly turn you over to the good professor…” he said, turning off his microphone and walking off stage as the students applauded.

“Thank you, Edward,” Oak said, “Well, well; it’s definitely a pleasure to be back in front of you all today! As the professor mentioned, this is the last installment in my series of lectures on Pokémon technology that I’ve been presenting for the past few weeks. But, before we begin, I’d like to start things off with a poem…”

Rowan sighed from his seat next to the stage, however many of the students moved to the edge of their seats, anxious to hear the famous poet’s’ words.

“Turtwig, the leaf on its head grows;

Piplup, diving into the water with a splash;

Chimchar, a battle, burst into flame.”

The entire audience stood and applauded the professor; his poems were truly something to marvel at.

“Thank you, thank you!” he said, happily accepting the applause for his passion. “Now then, let’s dive into the lecture, shall we? Last time we met, we discussed the Pokégear and the Pokénav. Today, in our final lecture, we will be talking about the Pokétch and the Poké Ball.” Oak clicked his remote, projecting the image of a bulky wrist-mounted device onto the screen.

“The Pokétch; an incredible device invented right here in the Sinnoh region by none other than the Pokétch Company, a small company founded in Jubilife City by their CEO, Mr. Suou. As you all know, a member of the Suou family attends this very Academy.”

The spotlight suddenly fell on Cameron who waved casually to everyone before losing the attention.

“Now,” Oak continued, “Much of Sinnoh’s youth own Pokétches, so you all should be very familiar with its capabilities…”

“You know,” Cameron whispered to JC, “Dawn has one of those… It’s pink.”

The professor clicked his remote again, changing the image to a larger, rectangular PDA that flipped open revealing dual screens.

“We talked about the Pokégear in our last lecture…” Oak said, circling it with a laser pointer.

JC leaned towards Cameron, “You know,” he whispered sarcastically, “We have those… They’re blue.”

Even from 80 feet away Rowan shot a disapproving look in their direction, and the boys quickly muffled their laughs.

“In a similar way that the Pokégear uses an expansion card to add more features to its basic programs, the Pokétch has access to numerous independently developed applications; these allow Trainers to use their Pokétches in hundreds of new ways, ranging from complex compatibility meters for breeding to simple timers for cooking.

“But now on to one technological marvel that makes the training, transport and storage of Pokémon possible: the Poké Ball!” Oak said, the familiar red and white sphere appearing on screen.

“The Poké Ball as we know it was developed nearly 40 years ago by the Silph Company in Kanto. The very first Poké Balls, however, were crafted in the Johto region nearly 200 years prior, using hollowed out fruits known as apricorns. These apricorns were then fitted with a primitive capture device very similar to the ones used today; that was about the time that the term ‘Pokémon’ came into use, being a contracted form of the antiquated phrase ‘pocket monsters.’”

JC nodded as he slipped his Pokégear out of his pocket and started a game. He may not have known how things were run overseas, but education in Sinnoh was very practical and the basics of Pokémon technology were covered very early in a child’s school career; kids here usually learned how to throw a Poké Ball before they learned how to write.

He listened with half an ear as the professor continued on for over an hour about the ‘catch rates’ of certain Pokémon, about what to do when your Poké Ball breaks, and about the Pokémon Association and their Rule-of-Six, prohibiting Trainers from keeping more than six Pokémon on their person at any given time. But his ears really perked up when he heard Oak mention free Poké Balls; he, along with the other 400-some students, all leaned forward with excited faces.

“Yes, you heard me right! As a sort of reward for listening to my series these past few weeks, I have for each of you here one of the 25 current Poké Ball variants from across the world! So make your way down to the front and claim your Poké Ball!”

The auditorium roared to life as everyone returned their Pokémon to their balls and rushed towards the stage, eager to get a free gift.

“SINGLE-FILE!!” Rowan shouted, his voice booming across the room without the aid of a microphone. The mass of students obediently fell into an alphabetically ordered, single-file line as Rowan’s familiar command unconsciously guided their movements.

Professor Oak, as brilliant and personable as he was, distributed a Poké Ball to each and every student, addressing them personally by name and presenting them with a specific ball that he felt suited their individual style. Student after student received a short greeting, a bit of small talk and then a Poké Ball, with each of the happy students either shaking the professor’s hand or giving him a warm hug.

JC stood anxiously in line; this wasn’t just going to be his first unused Poké Ball, it was a Poké Ball handpicked for him by Professor Oak! The world renowned Pokémon Professor, famous for his countless discoveries and groundbreaking research was giving him a gift; he could barely stand it!

He tapped the shoulder of the girl in front of him and she jumped nervously, her body instantly freezing in place. “What ball do you think you’ll get, Kira?” he asked.

The girl turned to face him, lifting her eyes for only a second before staring back at the ground. “Um, well, I… I don’t really know…” the girl stuttered as she fidgeted with her hands. Embarrassed and fumbling for something to say, she brushed the bangs of her long red hair away from her face, flashing him her strikingly blue eyes.

JC loved those eyes, but honestly, there wasn’t anything about Kira that he didn’t love. She was two years younger than him but very gifted, often taking classes high above her actual grade level. Because of this, she was frequently a student in JC’s classes, and they had gotten to know each other fairly well over the years. Along with her two best friends Kara and Kylie, Kira was a very talkative and personable girl, but her nerve always seemed to evade her when JC was around; she would immediately blush and start fidgeting nervously, and when she tried to talk she could barely make a small squeak. JC thought it was cute, but Kira would only blush harder and continue to squirm. She had improved over the years, though, finally able to carry on short bursts of conversation with him.

But her timidity wasn’t without basis; unbeknownst to JC it was his fault that she was always jumpy and stumbling over her words. He had made quite the impression on her when they were young, and she had never forgotten it…

Kira had been walking Route 201 to her first day at Sandgem Academy when she had found herself cornered against a large tree, prisoner to one of the many wild creatures of the forest. Her captor, a large canine with short, black fur and bony ridges on its head and back, had her terrified and glued to the tree; it growled angrily as it stared her down, eyeing her small lunchbox greedily.

Frightened and all alone, Kira couldn’t help but press her back harder against the tree, hoping with all her might to just dissolve into it. She was only seconds from crying when a young boy jumped between her and the assailant, swinging his backpack out in front of him in an attempt to startle the creature. When the dog barked at him he barked back, scooping up a few small stones and pelting the creature. It jumped at him and clawed his arm but he kicked it hard in the ribs, sending it whimpering back into the woods.

Kira had watched the whole ordeal wide-eyed, and when the boy turned to her she quickly blushed.

“Th—thank you for saving me,” she stuttered, not meeting his eyes.

“No pro’lem,” he shrugged, holding his arm. “You okay?”

Kira nodded and slowly raised her eyes to him, gasping when she saw the blood dripping down his hand, “Your arm!”

“I’m okay,” he said, wincing, “Its nothin’!”

“No, let me help…” Kira urged, pulling a plastic first-aid kit from her backpack.

“So what’s your name?” he asked, watching her dab at his arm with a cotton ball.

“Um, my name’s… Kira…” she answered softly.

“That’s pretty,” he smiled, causing Kira to blush again. “My name’s JC. So why’re you out here all alone?”

“I’m on my way to school…” she explained, stretching an adhesive bandage across his arm.

“No way!” JC said loudly, “Me too! Do you go to San’gem Acad’mey?”

“Mhm…” Kira nodded, “It’s my first day.”

JC smiled wide, “That’s awesome! You wanna be friends?!”

“Oh, um,” Kira stuttered, “O—okay…”

“Awesome!” he said happily, grabbing her hand and walking with her the rest of the way to Sandgem Academy. Needless to say, Kira had been in love with him ever since.

“Well, um… Kai; he… he looks good,” Kira choked out, desperate to continue their conversation.

“Oh thanks!” JC said, looking up at Kai sitting on his head. “He just won a battle this morning so he’s feeling pretty good about himself!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful…” she congratulated softly, somehow timid and excited at the same time.

JC nodded proudly, “Yeah, it was pretty great. How’s Twiggy by the way? I don’t think I’ve seen him around lately…”

“A—Actually, Twiggy and I had a battle this morning, too… B—But now he’s back in his ball.”

“Well that’s cool!” JC said, excited, “Did you win? I wish I had been there to watch!”

Kira blushed, “Yes,” she squeaked.

“Very nice!” JC congratulated as he embraced her in a celebratory hug. Kira immediately melted into him, feeling her legs wobble a bit as she bordered on unconsciousness. The two remained together, enjoying the closeness of the moment until the student behind JC nudged him knowingly.

“Hey,” she poked at him, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I think the line’s moving…”

“Oh, yeah,” JC said, stepping back from Kira and clearing his throat, “Thanks, Erika.”

“No problem,” she laughed, rolling her eyes at their obviousness.

“Seriously though, Kira,” he added, “Great job on your battle.”

Kira blushed, quickly turning back to face the line. “Thanks,” she said, hiding her face from him as it beamed with pleasure.

The line dragged on for nearly 20 minutes before Kira and JC finally reached the stage, and as Oak finished up with the student ahead of her Kira straightened her uniform, wanting to look her best for the famous professor. Tugging her skirt into place, she had barely enough time to swing her heavy braid over her shoulder before the professor called for her to join him on stage.

Oak greeted her with a warm hug, smiling as he looked into her cool eyes. “Kira Fuego,” he said kindly, “How have you been, my dear?”

“Very well, sir,” she smiled back, bowing slightly to him. “I enjoyed your poem earlier; it was really deep and thoughtful.”

“Well, thank you very much!” he chuckled, “It’s always nice to hear when your work is appreciated! But now I have something here for you…” he added, digging through his bag. “Ah, here it is! This is called a Heal Ball…”

The professor dropped a small Poké Ball into her awaiting hands, its surface a beautiful swirl of purple and tan. Kira activated it, the ball growing in her hand and popping open to reveal its empty chamber.

“The Heal Ball heals minor injuries from any Pokémon you capture with it, without the need to take it to a Pokémon Center. Fitting for someone of your, ‘medicinal’ background.”

“Thank you so much, Professor!” she said gratefully, deactivating her ball and hugging him again. “I really appreciate it.”

“I’m sure you do,” Oak smiled. “Now, hurry along so I can get to your boyfriend here…”

Kira’s face suddenly turned cherry red as the professor called out her infatuation in front of everyone. She squeaked out a “yes, sir” before exiting the auditorium to the left, the students close to the stage trying to muffle their laughter.

JC shook his head and stepped up on stage, ready to receive his Poké Ball. But Oak put his bag aside, instead shaking JC’s hand and placing his free hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“You know, Jemkyn, I’ve been making these visits to Sinnoh since before you were born. I’ve seen you and Cameron and even Kira grow up before my very eyes. So trust me when I say that this ball represents you perfectly.”

Oak reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a white ball with several red crests arcing along its otherwise smooth surface. He placed it delicately in JC’s hand, lowering his voice to just above a whisper.

“For you I have a Timer Ball…” he said. “But, it’s something a little different. You see, this ball doesn’t just relate to your battling or your lifestyle like everyone else’s. In fact, your up-front aggressive style is quite the opposite. No, this represents something much deeper.”

The boy’s eyebrows rose in curiosity, and when Oak didn’t divulge further JC decided to prod the professor himself.

“Well…?” he nudged, “What is it? What’s it mean?” To his surprise Oak chuckled lightheartedly, his voice returning to its regular volume.

“Now, Jemkyn, you can’t expect it to be that easy,” the aged professor smiled. “You should know by now that if you want to know something, you have to actively seek it! And you and Cameron are going to be doing a lot of seeking on this trip of yours…”

“But what does that mean?” JC asked as the professor dismissed him, “And wait a minute, how did you…?”

Oak winked at him before turning his attention to a very impatient Erika, the professor’s confusing words rolling around in JC’s head as he exited the auditorium. As he waited for Cameron, JC tried to make sense of it all—the ball, the cryptic message, the deep look in the professor’s eyes—but after racking his brain again and again he had come up with only one logical explanation for Oak’s behavior.

Cameron’s right, he thought to himself, He is kind of loony…

◄►

Finally reunited after an hour of waiting, Cameron and JC were discussing their upcoming travels as they walked towards the stairs, anxious to leave Sandgem Academy far behind.

They were so engrossed in their discussions, excitedly showing each other all of the places they were going to visit on their Pokégears that they didn’t notice the two female students leaning against a wall, waiting for them. As the boys approached, the girls moved into their paths to intercept them, the pair of them stopping dead-center in the hall.

JC and Cameron would’ve crashed into them if not for the loud “HEY!” shouted through the corridor. They looked up and halted in place, only inches from the girls’ faces. It took JC a minute to focus on the face filling his field of vision, but he soon recognized her: it was Kara, one of Kira’s friends, a year younger than himself. She and her friends were three of the more attractive girls at the Academy, something he was definitely going to miss when he finally left town.

Like Cameron, Kara tended to break the Academy’s dress code, tying her olive-green neckerchief up in her long brown hair like a bandana and leaving the neck of her uniform uncovered and unbuttoned. Her Mudkip, a small, blue, amphibian with a tall fin on its head and orange, spiky gills on its cheeks sat on her head, staring blankly into JC’s eyes and giving him an unnerving feeling.

Kylie, on the other hand, was very conservative and often made a point to abide by all of Sandgem Academy’s rules. Her short, jet-black hair was tied back with a green ribbon to match her uniform flawlessly; she circled Cameron along with her Pokémon, a small green quadruped with a large leaf sprouting from its head and a ring of buds around its neck, silently examining him with their deep brown eyes.

“Is there something I can help you with, Kara?” JC asked as the girl backed up a bit, giving him some breathing room.

“Actually, yes,” she answered. “See, we heard that you two were going to be leaving town soon…”

“Yeah?” Cameron asked, “Where’d you hear that? And what’s it to you?”

“Rowan told us,” Kylie picked up, “And it’s nothing to us; we were just hoping you’d help us settle a little bet before you go,” she smiled deviously.

Just then, Kira came rushing out of a classroom looking very determined.

“There you are!” she said as she spotted her friends down the hall. “Look, I really don’t think you should say anything about it to Jemkyn…” she paused, finally noticing the two boys behind Kara and Kylie. Her face suddenly flushed and she turned to leave, but Kara caught her and dragged her into the group, draping her arm across the girl’s shoulders.

“See,” Kara said, “Kylie here thinks you guys are tough enough to make it out there on your own. But I don’t think so; I don’t think you could last more than a week. So, we were wondering if you’d battle us to prove who’s really stronger: you or us. Winner gets to start their journey; loser has to stay behind for another year.”

Kira’s eyes grew wide in shock, “Kara no, please don’t do this…” she protested.

“What do you say?” Kylie tempted, ignoring Kira, “You boys up for it?”

Cameron and JC thought it over for a minute before turning back to the girls with sly grins on their faces.

“You’re on.”