Part Fourteen
Perspective: Natalie
Oreburge High School... A school with about five-hundred students attending. Since Oreburge is mostly mining and business, a lot of the people here come from out of town, instead of actually living here, hence the small amount of students. It's still a larger student body than the private schools around, and we don't have to wear uniforms.
The school itself is a wide, two-floor brick building, painted white, and roughly shaped like an F. Around it are the usually sporting areas: a football field, a track, a few baseball fields, a couple Pokemon battlefields...
Students are either gathered in front of the school or entering the building as I approach, trying to accept the fact that hanging out with Richter and Alice, training my Pokemon and battling Gyms is officially over... and it's back to school, where the only subject I'm really good at is English... vocabulary in particular...
Well, the sooner it starts, the sooner it ends. I approach the building which is going to be my most familiar place for the next several months.
“Heeeeey~! Natalie~!”
“Skaaaaaaaa!”
I look up to see something in the sky come down right in front of me. It's my friend, Maria, riding that metal bird I saw her with back in Veilstone... I think she called it Skarmory. A few students nearby take a brief look at the bird Pokemon. Well, Maria's Skarmory is the first Skarmory I'd ever seen, so I guess it's pretty rare.
Maria hops off Skarmory, and recalls it back to its Pokeball. Of course, school rules forbid students from having all but a few small Pokemon out of their Pokeballs indoors.
“Hey there, Maria,” I greet.
Maria, as talky as ever, says, “Hey, Natalie! It's great too see you again. School has started again. It's hard to believe. It kinda sucks, since I was on a roll too...”
“'A roll?'” I ask, “What do you mean?”
“I won three badges. I got my first at Veilstone City, but you know that already. I got my second at Hearthome City. It was a tough battle, but I won. I knew I didn't have much time left, so I decided to take your uncle's friend... which I guess makes her your friend... up on her suggestion, and battled Eterna Gym next. It was easy for my Fliers, and I got my third badge! I was doing great!”
“Your third badge?” I grumble, “Congratulations.” Dang... Even Maria's ahead of me...
“Thanks!” says Maria graciously, “What about you, Natalie? How did you do?”
“I got two badges...” I half-whisper, feeling inferior.
“Really? I know one's from Oreburge, but what about the other?”
“Veilstone,” I answer, “I got mine right after running into you over there. I lost my third battle...”
“Where was that?” asks Maria.
“Hearthome,” I respond.
Maria nods in understanding, “Oh... Well, that was my second Gym battle, but I found it harder than even my third battle, and you had a two-badge battle there. I probably would have lost myself, if the Gym Leader didn't hold back as much as she did... There's nothing to be ashamed of...”
“I'd rather have taken on Snowpoint,” I say, staring at the ground, “But... stuff happened...”
“I see,” says Maria nodding slowly, “Well, there's next summer...”
“I know...”
Maria puts a comforting hand on my shoulder, “If you want, we can train together when we have the time. Does that sound okay?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Awesome!” Maria turns around, with a swish of her hair in the direction of the school's entrance, “Well, let's get to class. We don't wanna be late on the first day back...”
“Yeah...”
As we're about to start walking, however, we see two people heading toward the school. One of them is a boy with shiny blonde hair, wearing clothes that look like they would cost a bundle to buy. The other is a brown-haired man with a trimmed mustache and beard, wearing clothes that looks as pricy as what the boy is wearing, plus he also has a long black coat slung over his shoulder instead of wearing it, probably because today is pretty hot. The man was smoking a cigar before stomping it underfoot when entering the building. For some reason, a lot of students are watching them... well, the man, at least, although I'm more focused on the boy, because he's really good-looking.
“Who are they?” I ask, “I haven't ever seen that boy here before. Is he a new student?”
Since Maria's always ready to talk, I expect her to give me a lengthy response, but all I get is silence.
“Maria?” I turn to see my friend look absolutely starstruck, “Oh... my... god! That's Raoul! He looks more badass in real life than he does on TV!”
“Raoul?” I remember Uncle Richter and Alice talking about him, though they weren't exactly singing his praises like Maria is.
Maria looks shocked, “What? You don't know who Raoul is? Do you even watch TV?”
“Um, no.”
Maria sighs, “He's the coolest trainer ever. He has a Pokemon battling show, and he always wins, and all his Pokemon are just as hardcore!”
“Um... yeah... right... Anyway, who's the boy that was with him? His son, or something? Raoul looks too young to have a kid our age...”
Maria pouts, “He'd better not be! If Raoul's married, I'd...”
“Yeah, whatever, fangirl...”
The school's bell chimes.
“Let's go!” I say, “We don't wanna be late for our first class!”
Maria, breaking out of whatever daydream she's having, responds, “Oh! Right!”
We rush to our first classes, with the two of us parting ways inside the building.
---
My first class of the day, luckily enough, is a survival class, which is supposed to cover stuff people gotta do when spending more than just a few days in the great outdoors.
I bet this is the high point of a school day. With math, history, and English to follow, it's all downhill from here...
I'm sitting at a desk toward the front of the room, which seriously looks like it could use some reconstruction (some people call old buildings traditional. I call them inferior). I'd rather have taken one in the back, but too many other students arrived before I did.
Our teacher arrives, a middle-aged lady. She starts the class with the typical opening lecture, “Welcome to survival class. Here, we are going to learn all the essentials to life in the great outdoors, like how to start a campfire, how to hunt and cook, and which Pokemon to use when you are attacked by a wild one...” Jackpot! I just might be able to use some of the stuff I learn here.
The teacher then moves on to change the subject, “Before we begin, however, there is a new student joining us here at Oreburge High.” She gestures toward the door as the boy from earlier, and Raoul, walk in. There is some light murmuring, especially among the girls of the class.
“Introduce yourself,” says the teacher.
“Um, yes...” says the boy nervously, “My... name is Glenn. It's... quite an honor to be here.”
Raoul speaks up, “C'mon, boy! Show a little more spirit! You're gonna be world-famous someday!”
“I-I'm terribly sorry, father,” responds Glenn.
Raoul shakes his head, “Don't say sorry! If ya want people to like you, ya gotta act tough!”
“I-I'll try...”
Raoul steps forward, definitely dissatisfied with his... 'son's' intro, “Listen up, class. My name is Raoul, and if you're worth anything, you should know who I am! During the next Sinnoh Championship Tournament, I will become Champ, so knowing that, you'll all become rich if ya bet on me!” Does he even realize we're not the legal gambling age? More importantly, I haven't even talked to him directly, and I'm already turned off by his arrogance. It looks like Richter and Alice were right about this guy, “Glenn here, my adopted son, is my heir to the throne, and he will become Champ after my time has passed! Isn't that right?”
Glenn stammers, “Well, I will try my--” Raoul nudges Glenn, “Y-yes, I believe so...”
“Damn straight, boy. He'll become the most powerful trainer in Sinnoh, and maybe even the world, so you'd all better be nice to him and worship the very ground he walks on!”
The teacher speaks up, “Yes, thank you, Mr. Raoul. It's... a real honor for you to be here with us, but I have to begin my class.”
“Of course ya do,” sneers Raoul, “Okay, learn lots, boy..” He pats his son on the back and leave the room.
“Take whichever empty seat you like,” the teacher instructs Glenn. Without a word, Glenn occupies one of the desks at the front of the room, as those are mostly empty.
The class begins. The teacher spends the first half of the class talking in disturbing detail what can happen to people out in the wild when they don't have Pokemon to protect them. First class, and I'm already gonna have nightmares. Great.
The teacher then gives us bunch of examples of what Pokemon are weak against what. She mentions something about dragon-types being weak to ice-types, and all of a sudden, I want a dragon-type, since something like that sounds powerful, and I have three Pokemon to back it up if the opponent decides to bring out an ice-type.
One of the students behind me taps my shoulder, and sneaks a piece of paper to me. Secret notes? Aren't we getting a little old for this?
I look at the paper. It has a badly drawn picture of Glenn on it, along with a bunch of stuff describing him, mostly derogatory, written by various students, I guess, judging by the handwriting, like 'Lame Rich Kid Glenn' or 'Stupid Show-off.' There's even a cartoon bubble coming from the picture saying, 'I am the great Glenn. My dad is Raoul. Love me, worms!' I crumple up the piece and stuff it in my pocket. Was it obvious only to me that Raoul was trying to push his image onto Glenn? Besides, labeling him 'rich kid' of all things, just shows that they're jealous, if anything.
I glance over at Glenn, who is probably oblivious to any of this, and is now probably going to be the victim to some serious bullying. It didn't help that he looked so meek compared to Raoul acting like a big-shot.
---
The rest of the classes go by, none of which were nearly as interesting a survival class. Since this is the first day of school or something, the teachers didn't hand out any homework, which is totally swell because I hate homework, and it gives me more time to get some training done. All day, I saw Raoul around the school, probably waiting for his next big chance to introduce and unintentionally humiliate Glenn.
The last bell rings and I leave the building to go straight home. A bunch of student rush out the catch the bus, while others chat amongst themselves over stuff probably less interesting than Pokemon. Maria catches up with me, just as I'm at the bottom of the stairs to the school's front door, asking, “How were your classes? Were they fun? Are they easy?”
“So-so,” I answer, “I have one good class.”
“That's too bad. Oh well.”
“Oh well.”
Maria's face lights up, “Still, this is the best first day ever! Raoul was around all day!” Maria reaches into her book bag and pulls out a scrap of paper, with the name, 'Raoul,' written in sloppy cursive, “He even gave me his autograph!”
“What's so great about him?” I ask, “Sure, I guess he's appealing in a 'bad boy' kinda way, but he has the worst personality I'd ever seen. He's so... full of himself...”
Maria takes a moment to consider this, “Really? On his show, he keeps seeming to go for this really badass image, even all his Pokemon are strong, cool-looking, and fearsome to match, but I thought it was all an act. Y'know, trying to portray himself as a character. I didn't think he'd be like that in real life...””
“Didn't Glenn appear in any of your classes?”
Maria tilts her head to the side, “Who's Glenn?”
I nod, “I'll take that as a 'no.' It's the kid that was with him this morning. He introduced him to my class. Glenn seems to be a shy and gentle kid, but Raoul kept insisting on him acting like he does. It was... disgusting, really.”
“Darn...” says Maria, “That's no good. He seemed so nice when he wrote me his autograph...”
“Even if I were an egomaniac,” I say, “I think I'd be nice to someone who considers herself a big fan of mine.”
“That makes sense.” Maria sighs, “Oh well, at least his show's still cool, even if he's kind of a jerk in real life...”
Changing the subject, I ask, “Do you have any homework?”
Maria shakes her head, “No...”
I smile as brightly as I can, “Well, alright! Should we go to my house and have our Pokemon train against each other some?”
“Sure!” says Maria, “I'd be happy to!”
We walk away from the school. Observing my surroundings, I look to the right to see Raoul, hidden from plain sight behind a small hedge, with his back pressed against a wall at the corner of the school building, and peeking around the corner like he's spying on something. Other students seem to notice, but just keep walking. Why is a celebrity like him sneaking around? What is he looking at, out of sight? Considering that he's been nothing but bad news today, I feel I should at least look. I run over in that general direction.
“Huh? Where are you going, Natalie?” calls Maria behind me.
“I'm just checking something!” I call back.
I cut across the grass, well off the paved walkway and run to the side of the school. The side of the school, immediately around the corner, has a blind spot from the windows, so no one inside the building can see what's going on there. That's where I see Glenn surrounded by five boys, all of whom I'd seen around school, and hate because all they ever do is whine about how much school sucks and pick on smaller, nicer kids... and that looks exactly what's going on between Glenn and them right now.
What the hell is Raoul doing? Why isn't he defending his son? I run up to Raoul and ask him the exact words on my mind: “What the hell are you doing? Why aren't you defending your son?”
Raoul glares at me, and I gotta admit, with his steely expression, I sort of get why Richter was so afraid of this guy, growing up, “What business is it of yours, girl?”
I clench one of my fists and grit my teeth. I need to stand up to him. This should be easy after I tried to stand up to those Team Epsilon guys in Veilstone, “I'm... I'm making it my business, because you're not making it yours... and you should!”
Raoul shakes his head, “Hmph. If you really wanna know, a lesson's gotta be learned here. I'm sure those boys will piss off Glenn enough that he will snap and start telling them off. If Glenn's gonna have my hardcore image, he's gotta learn to deal with other humans when they give him crap. Not just Pokemon.”
“Well, if you're not gonna do anything...” I rush out of hiding. The boys have now pushed Glenn over onto his front and are weighing him down with two Geodudes. How did one of those morons pass the license exam? Ah, it doesn't matter! One of the boys is pressing his shoe down on Glenn's head.
It's me against five bullies. Yikes... I have to remind myself of the Team Epsilon thing again to let myself that know that I'd gone through worse.
I clench both of my fists and steel myself to avoid stuttering. I gotta show I'm the strongest-willed one here, “Hey! Leave him alone, you morons!”
“What did ya say?” says one of bullies.
Another bully says, “You got some major nerve. I kinda like that! How about a date cutie-pie?”
Ugh! The pickup line. I was expecting that, and considering that guy has a face closely resembling that of a lungfish and seriously needs to cut back on the candy bars, it's even less pleasant. “Here's an answer that any girl with sense would give you: no.”
“You're starting to piss me off!” growls one of the bullies, “Let's show this bitch what happens when people mess with us!” He extends his hand and that can only mean one thing. I reach down to my belt in anticipation, “Geodude! Yeah, both of ya! Tackle attack her!”
The two Geodude start charging at me. Of course, they're as slow as ever and I have enough time to send out a Pokemon to counter them, “Go! Kabutops!” Kabutops appears, one of the Geodudes slams into Kabutops, by my water/rock-type isn't the least bit phased. The other Geodude freezes, not knowing how to react.
“Aqua Jet!” I command. Kabutops bolts forward, slicing through the two Geodudes, knocking them out instantly. My Pokemon stops just short of the bullies and Glenn. The punks freeze as Kabutops approaches them. Good. I've got the power now. I walk up to my Pokemon casually saying, “So, you like to sic Pokemon on humans? That looked pretty fun. I guess I'll do the same.” I pat Kabutops's shoulder, and he slowly advances on the bullies.
“Let's get the hell outta here!” screams one of the bullies as he runs away at a speed I didn't thing humans, especially of his size, were capable of. The other punks do the same, leaving the fallen Geodudes behind. Some trainers...
I kneel down next to Glenn, “Hey? You alright?”
Glenn slowly rises, “I... think so...”
I help Glenn to his feet, “Try to stand up for yourself. Punks like them are weak people who pick on people they think are helpless. If you fight back, they won't give you a hard time.”
“I... just didn't want to make enemies out of them...”
“You did without doing anything.”
“The little lady's right,” says an approaching voice: Raoul, “If you had just been as manly as me, and told the lot of 'em off, they would have gone running. When they bring out their Pokemon, bring out yours. You've trained under my supervision, and your Pokemon are far better than some two-bit Geodudes.” Raoul lightly kicks one of the fainted Geodudes.
Glenn bows his head, “My apologies, father! I promise I will do better next time.”
Raoul glances at me and Kabutops, “As for the two of you...”
“Y-yes?”
Raoul nods approvingly, “You have a Kabutops. Not a bad find, not bad at all, and perfectly befitting of my image... and today may be a lucky day for both of us.”
“What are you talking about?” I inquire.
Raoul pulls a Pokeball from his belt, “This here is a rare Pokemon I'd recently won as a first place prize in a contest in Kanto. Combat-wise, it has a lot of potential, but, appearance-wise, it doesn't quite live up to the hardcore image I'm cultivating, you get what I'm saying? I will give you this Pokemon in exchange for your Kabutops. Do we have a deal?”
I shake my head, “No thanks...” I recall Kabutops back to his Pokeball.
Raoul's eyes narrow, “Hmph! Figures...” He glances at Glenn, “Let's go, boy.”
“Y-yes, father.”
As Raoul and Glenn leave, I call out, mostly from curiosity, “Hold on!”
Raoul looks back, “What is it, girl? You change your mind?”
“No, I... just have a question...”
“Ask away.”
“Does the name, Richter, mean anything to you?”
Raoul grins almost malevolently, “It does, though it sure doesn't mean much. What's it to you, anyway?”
“I'm his niece. He's been helping me train.”
Raoul bursts out laughing, “Hahahaha! So you're the one he's been mentoring? Maybe it's a good thing we didn't trade after all! Anything he plays a part in training is bound to be worthless! If you're in any way smart, girl, you'd ditch that fool and learn from a real trainer, like me.”
This makes me snap, “What do you know? Uncle Richter is a better trainer than you ever were or will be!”
Raoul chuckles, “Blind loyalty... how funny. If you were to look into the facts, you'd know that Richter had never beaten me in a battle; not a single one, and you have to audacity to say that he's better than me? He even teamed up with lovely little Alice against me a few months back and couldn't win... and both of them has the type advantage. You gotta work on the old brain, missy.”
“He'll get stronger and he'll put you in your place! He's going to be in the Sinnoh Championship Tournament too!”
Raoul just smiles, “'In my place,' huh? By the time the Tournament comes along, even Glenn here could beat him...” Raoul's face lights up, “Hm... I just got a most brilliant idea. How about a match, girl? You VS Glenn; Richter's student VS my student. How about it?”
“I'd... rather not,” says Glenn.
“You're going to do it and you're going to like it,” says Raoul flatly.
“Yes, father.”
“Fine,” I say, “I'll show you whose mentor is the 'worthless' one!”
Raoul gives me a sideways glance, “You got some mouth, girl. How about I make things interesting: If you win, which I doubt you will, I will just give you that Pokemon I offered you before, instead of having you trade for it. How about it?”
“Fine,” I say, “If you're going to judge whether or not to use it by by what it looks like, it's probably better off out of your hands.”
Glenn steps forward, “I've won three badges so far. How about you... um...”
“Natalie,” I introduce myself, “I'd won two badges, and I came close to winning my third.”
For the first time since I saw him, Glenn smiles, “I see. It looks like this will be an even match. That's good.”
“Are you done talking?” asks Raoul, “I don't feel like being here long, so how about we make this a one-on-one?”
“Sure,” I say. One-on-one... I just have to send out a Pokemon and hope I'm lucky on the type...
“That's fine,” says Glenn.
We both choose a Pokeball and send out our Pokemon.
“Go! Fearow!”
“It's time for battle, Skorupi!”
With a flash of light, Fearow appears in front of me. As for Glenn, he sends out a purple scorpion-like Pokemon, which is close to three feet long, with pointy blue eyes, two stingers on its forearms and a large claw on its tail. Since it's a scorpion, I bet it's a poison-type, but I don't know much else to expect.
Glenn is starting to look a tad disheartened, “It's a flying-type! This isn't good...”
Raoul lights a cigar, “Don't let it get you you, Glenn. A little type disadvantage won't stop you.”
“Okay...” Glenn extends his arm toward Fearow, “Skorupi! Poison Jab attack!”
Skorupi rushes forward and jumps up toward Fearow with its stingers extended, but Fearow increases his altitude, avoiding the attack.
“Let's do this, Fearow!” I call out, “Aerial Ace!” Fearow dives at Skorupi, which is unbalanced after landing, slashes with his talons, and then finishes the combo with a quick peck. Smokes rises from the wounds that were inflicted.
“No! Skorupi!” yells Glenn.
Raoul calms smokes his cigar, observing the battle, “You do realize Fearow has an evolutionary advantage over Skorupi, don't you? How about evening the score?”
“Y-yes,” responds Glenn. That seriously isn't fair. I don't have anyone giving me advice... “Skorupi! Acupressure!” Skorupi presses its tail down on its back, and suddenly, its eyes start glowing. Just what is it doing?
“Alright,” says Glenn, “Now, Skorupi! Slash attack!” Skorupi suddenly zips over to Fearow and delivers a fast swipe with its tail claw. Fearow winces, but quickly recovers. What the heck? Skorupi just moved so fast, my eyes couldn't keep up! Just what did it do?
“Lucky shot!” I say, “Fearow! Fury Attack now!”
Fearow dives down at Skorupi and delivers a flurry of pecks, but the scorpion manages to dodge each one like it's coming from far away.
“Good job, Skorupi!” congratulates Glenn, “Now counter with Poison Jab!” Skorupi sinks one of its stingers into Fearow's chest. My bird Pokemon staggers back, and takes back to the air, but is now breathing fast and sweating a lot. Poison? Damn!
“Hang in there, Fearow!” I yell, “Just keep fighting until it gets to be too much, alright?”
“Fear...” Fearow nods.
Skorupi somehow made itself faster, and that will keep being a problem unless Fearow can match that speed.
“Fearow! Agility!” Fearow's pace quickens, and becomes faster than Skorupi. “Now, let's try it again! Fury Attack!” Again, Fearow dives at Skorupi, but this time, Fearow's increased speed overcomes Skorupi's evasiveness, and the scorpion Pokemon gets pounded repeatedly. The attack ends with Skorupi open for a final blow, “End this, Fearow! Drill Peck!” Fearow sinks his beak into Skorupi's back, and then twists it, intensifying the pain. With steam coming from the large puncture on its back, Skorupi faints.
Glenn recalls Skorupi, “Good job. You can rest now.”
Raoul sighs, “Did I honestly see that right? I could have sworn I taught you better than that, Glenn.”
Glenn lowers his head, “Sorry, father...”
I recall Fearow, “Don't worry, I'll get you to a Center soon.” I turn my attention to Raoul, “It looks like I overcame all odds and won that battle. Can I have my prize now?”
“Yeah, sure,” says Raoul, “I didn't want or expect you to win, but I am a man of my word...” He holds out his Pokeball and there is a flash of light. What appears is... I dunno what the heck that thing is! It's a blue and pink Pokemon, which looks a little like a... bird, or something. It has a beak, anyway, as well as a pointed tail and triangular 'feet' at its sides. Also, nothing on its body is... well, rounded. It's all flat surfaces and sharp angles. It doesn't even look like something made of flesh and blood. It seems mechanical, or something. This is the weirdest Pokemon I'd ever seen since Rotom.
Raoul says the the weird thing he sent out, “Awright, Porygon, you're getting yourself a new master.”
“Pory?” says the Pokemon in a scratchy, robotic voice.
Raoul points at me, “That little girl over there.”
'Porygon' turns to me and nods, “Gon porygon!”
Not knowing what to make of Team Natalie #5, I say, “Um... Hi. I'm Natalie.”
“Por.”
Raoul hands me Porygon's Pokeball and I recall it.
“Okay...” I say, “What is that thing, exactly?”
“A man-made Pokemon, Porygon the Virtual Pokemon” answers Raoul, “The result of many years of research by Kanto's Silph Corporation.”
“Right... so it's not even alive?”
Raoul chuckles, “Depends on your definition of 'alive,' I guess. It has feelings and all that, if that's what you mean. Anyway, the thing doesn't look tough, which is the reason why I didn't want it, but it can do a lot of things. It's a normal-type, but it can temporarily change to other types, like those of Pokemon nearby, plus, it's compatible with more TMs than I can count, so it can learn many attacks; It's the most versatile Pokemon there is. Also, it can enter and move around freely in cyberspace.”
“What's 'cyberspace?'” I ask.
“Look it up on your own time, girl. Let's just say it can enter a computer's network. At least you won't have virus problems.”
“Um... Thank you.”
“Don't go thinking I'm your friend,” warns Raoul, “I don't want to help anyone in league with Richter, but mommy always told me to keep my promises, so there you go.”
“Right...”
Raoul walks away, “We're going, Glenn.”
“Um... I'll catch up,” calls out Glenn, “There's something I wanna do first, okay, father?”
“Yeah, sure,” says Raoul as he turns the corner.
“Um... thank you for helping me,” says Glenn.
“Just try to stand up for yourself next time,” I say, “I don't want rescuing you to be a regular thing.” I start wondering if this is what school was like for Richter and Alice, with me playing Alice's role and Glenn playing Richter's role.
“I understand,” says Glenn, “and I'll try.”
“By the way,” I say, “You do realize that Raoul is trying to turn you into someone you clearly aren't, right? You should stand up to him too.”
Glenn shakes his head, “No. Father had helped me out a lot, and I owe it to him to do everything he tells me to. Goodbye, Natalie.” Glenn dashes away, trying to catch up with Raoul.
“What a hell of a first day this has been,” I think out loud, once Glenn is completely out of sight.
“Hey, Natalie!” Maria appears from around the corner.
“Hi, Maria...”
“I watched what went on...”
“Oh, you did?” I ask, “Thanks for coming to help when I was up against those bullies.”
“Sorry,” says Maria, “It looked like you had it under control. Anyway, you got a rare Pokemon out of it. That was pretty lucky.”
“I guess...” I walk back toward the front of the school, “Well, I gotta get Fearow patched up. Afterward, we can do some training, alright?”
Maria nods, “Yeah.”
