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Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Prologue

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“Moooommmm,” Akko whined, squirming to free herself from her mother's tight embrace. “I'm going to be late!” The young woman with soft brown hair twisted, trying to create some distance between herself and her overzealous parent. 

“I'm just so proud!” Her mother wailed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sniffled and wiped them away fruitlessly with her overused hankey. “Part of me never thought this day would come!”

“ Mom , please.” Akko gasped, struggling to breathe as her mother's hug tightened , her ribs creaking with effort not to break under the vice-grip. Looking over her shoulder in hopes of reinforcement, she paled upon noticing her father holding her partner in a similar manner.

“Eeeee...” Her Eevee crooned, a slight hint of concern etched onto its tiny muzzle, soft brown eyes wide with a mixture of worry and silent pleading. The little fox’s fur almost matched its owners in colour as tiny paws churned against its assailants tightening hold.

Akko smiled, thoroughly touched by her parent’s display of affection as she watched her father and mother compete for who was crying harder out of pride for their daughter. Even if it did make either of them less than helpful in this situation.

After what seemed like forever, and after having her shirt thoroughly soaked, Akko's mother reluctantly let go of her daughter and nodded, hiccoughing softly.

“I know, we don’t mean to embarrass you, I'm sorry, I'm just—we're just—” Her mother amended, reaching out to hold her husband's hand as he released the ball of fur from his arms. Eevee immediately scrambled away, jumping onto Akko's outstretched arm before clambering onto her shoulder. The small pokemon puffed up and Akko chuckled, scratching her chin.

“We're just so proud of you,” her father finished, beaming.

“We may not understand why you want to be a Pokemon trainer rather than a Breeder like your father and myself,” her mother added. “But we don't need to understand, we just need you to be happy , Akko.”

Akko sniffled, starting to tear up herself, “Y-you guys.” She opened her arms widely for a hug and was once again embraced in a tight, teary eyed hug from her parents. “I love you guys so much.”

“And we love you, Mankey.” Her father pressed a kiss to her forehead as they separated, ruffling Eevee's fur as the tiny creature watched him warily from her perch. “And you,” he cooed at Eevee, reaching to scratch behind the soft spot behind her ear, “Little troublemaker.”

“Now are you sure you have everything?” Akko's mother asked, wiping away tears for what was likely not the last time and turning serious.

In response, Akko rolled her eyes and snatched the patiently waiting backpack from the ground. “Moooommmmmmm,” she groaned, looping one of the straps around her arm so it rested against the shoulder opposite Eevee's perch.

“I know, I know. But no matter how old you get, you will always be our little girl.” Akko's mother sniffled, threatening to break out into tears once again before her father wrapped her in a tight hug, redirecting her from embracing Akko for the umpteenth time. 

“Didn't you say you were going to be late?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and offering a knowing look.

Akko's eyes widened in terror as she realized that the small amount of time she had to spare was far past gone.

“Magikarp crackers!” she cursed quietly before breaking out into a dead run, waving a goodbye over her shoulder. “Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Love you guys!” Nearly tripping over a rock in the path, Akko resteadied herself as she continued to surge forward, spinning in step to boom back, “We’ll be back before you know it!”

“Bye, Honey! Remember to call! We love you!” they yelled back as Akko sprinted at a dead run down the main street of her small village, Pallet town, as she made for the main path that would take her to her destination.

“Well, Chariot,” she huffed, focus set on finally catching up to her hero, feet pounding down the well worn path. “We're on the way to Viridian City.”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 1

Eevee! Quick Attack!

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Akko sprinted under the sign that announced the arrival to Viridian City, sweat trickling down the back of her neck and chest burning. Eevee ran beside her, ears blown back by the wind and fluffy tail bobbing behind the small critter.

Chancing a glance at her watch, Akko breathed a sigh of relief as she saw she had broken her previous record and still had two minutes to make it to the academy on time. She could still make it!

Today was the beginning, the day she had been looking forward to for years! It was the beginning of everything that she and Eevee had trained so hard for, what she had dreamed about every night: the day she officially got her trainer license and set out on her journey! 

The trek to Viridian City was one she was used to, even if it was usually not made at break-neck pace. It normally took her just under half a day to make the journey, that was counting a couple stops along the way and a generously leisurely pace. Afterall, exploring and meeting new pokemon was half the fun.

Today it had taken her just under three hours rotating between walking, jogging, and running along the well worn path that Akko knew like the back of her hand. She and Eevee had been traveling it as often as they got the excuse to ever since she was little.

Viridian was the closest city to her small town that had a Pokemon Stadium that regularly featured high ranking trainer battles. It was home to some of the best stocked pokemon shops, a common tourist spot for travelling trainers and was surrounded by plenty of wild pokemon. Not to mention it was also home to the final gym challenge for the Kanto region, along with its nearly unbeatable gym leader. 

It was while watching one of her first live pokemon battles in Viridian that Akko had first witnessed her idol in action and had vowed to one day qualify to challenge the elite four. If—no, when— she completed that goal she would earn the right to challenge and meet her hero that went by the name of Shiny Chariot.

Akko almost lost stride as she thought of the gorgeous red head and the way she and her signature partner, a Pidgeot by the name of Alcor, had wiped out the challenger’s entire team in the Viridian arena!

Beaming as she stared into her mind's eye, Akko shook her head and glanced at her watch once more, she knew she should have left earlier, but mornings had never been her strong suit. Plus, it wasn’t really her fault that her parents loved her so much that they made her late, was it? That should work as a backup excuse if the worst was to happen. 

Hooking a sharp left, earning startled exclamations and curses as people moved out of her way and the city unfolded before her, Akko ducked and weaved to avoid colliding with one of the many pedestrians.

Viridian City was among the largest in the Kanto region, with tall skyscrapers, theaters and multiple stadiums and academies. Its population was well over one-hundred thousand and a stark contrast to the small town Akko had grown up in. 

Pallet Town had suited her parents line of work. Pokemon were more relaxed and generally happier in a quiet, more natural area and Pallet was nestled perfectly between a forest, with sloping hills and a small dock that led into the ocean on the south side. It was naturally suited for nearly every pokemon type and the perfect spot to build their large ranch that their business utilized. 

Viridian on the other hand was the exact opposite, with buildings hugging against each other and reaching up to touch the clouds, there was never a shortage of things to do or see. It was where Akko had come to take the test to acquire her challenger license that allowed her to compete with this season's would-be trainers. She could hardly wait. It felt like her entire body was humming with excitement and she could do nothing to contain the beaming smile that stretched her cheeks so far it hurt.

Turning around the upcoming bend, Akko could see the Academy just a few more buildings down the row, eyes growing wide as she watched one of the professors step out in a motion to close the door, signaling the cut off for this season's registrations.

“Wait!!” Akko yelled, gasping as her lungs burned from the further demand and Eevee looked up at her curiously before looking ahead to see what was distressing her partner.

The professor did not seem to hear her as she continued in her motion of closing the door and stepping inside, pulling closed Akko’s only chance to compete, and condemning her to wait another year.

“Eevee, Quick Attack!” Akko wheezed, legs wobbling and feeling like jello as she struggled to try to run just a little bit faster. She was almost there! They couldn’t give up, not when they were so close!

“Euuuwwee!” Eevee replied, activating the attack, little paws glowing brightly and dashing ahead, barely visible as more than a soft brown blur. The small fox-like Pokemon raced down the street, skidding as she veered and slammed into the door, causing a loud snap as the door broke in half and Eevee tumbled across the deck ears over tail.

Akko stumbled up to the door, almost falling over as she reached the threshold. Eevee bouncing around her feet and mewled in glee at a self-congratulated job well done. 

“The door's—” Akko heaved, leaning heavily against the entranceway, “Not closed—” She wheezed, trying to raise a shaking foot to step inside, “So I'm not—!”

Akko let out a scream as she tripped, too tired to raise her foot high enough over the doorway and stumbling, trying to catch her balance only to twist and grab onto the closest thing as she fell face-first towards the floor.

“Late.” Akko finished, her face firmly planted against a soft surface and words muffled. 

Eevee ran over, apparently unperturbed by her trainer’s actions and started to lick at Akko's cheek, bushy tail wagging in excitement and waiting to be praised.

Above her, a throat was cleared and Akko raised her head wearily, looking at the cause of the noise.

“Oh, hello!” Akko beamed as she looked into bright blue eyes belonging to a very angry, crimson-faced girl. “Sorry about that, my name's Akko.” Akko smiled, moving to sit cross legged on the floor and extending a hand in greeting. Maybe if she just acted natural then everyone would follow suit?

“Miss Kagari!” The older woman to her left screamed and Akko cringed, lowering her hand as she turned her head slowly, moving to scratch at her cheek nervously.

“Heh...” Akko tried to force out her best apologetic I-really-didn't-mean-to smile, “I'm sorry about the door, Professor. But I did make it on time, right?” Adding on a dash of please-don’t-kill-me for good measure. Peering up at the angry woman, Akko tried her best to place the woman’s name… She did remember that there was one in particular that was a real grump, and that was— Akko’s eyes widened as she placed the professor, swallowing nervously.

Professor Finnelan glowered at her, dark chestnut hair tied up into her signature tight bun as she stared down her excessively long, and slightly birdlike nose at her least favourite applicant. The older woman scoffed, roughly crossing her arms and she opened her mouth to snarl out her reply. “You most certainly did not !”

“What? No!” Akko wailed in reply, slamming her hands on the wooden floor and puffing out her cheeks as Eevee noticed the change in her trainer’s mood and her fur bristled, little frame arching and trying to puff up.

“Eee! Eee!” The little fox agreed.

“Now, now. Let's not be hasty.” A soft voice cut in, as a shorter woman pushed through the crowd and the other applicants moved out of the way. “Miss Kagari has a point, the rule is that participants have until the doors close.” The older woman smiled, a grandmotherly air about her as she reached down in an offering to help the blonde applicant—who had been all but trampled by Akko—to her feet. “So by that logic she has made it before the cut off.”

Finnelan scowled but deferred to her boss, “Yes, Judge Holbrooke.”

“Now then,” Holbrooke turned and smiled as she patted the top of the hand of the applicant she had helped up. “Are you alright, Miss Cavendish?” 

“Yes, Ma'am,” the applicant replied, brushing the dirt from her attire, expression even and pointedly ignoring Akko, who still sat on the floor. As soon as she had turned away, expression steeled, she was surrounded by two other girls, both murmuring, the shorter of the two shooting daggers in Akko’s direction. The girl called ‘Cavendish’ was tall, although shorter than Akko herself, it wasn’t by much. Long, naturally wavy, blonde hair flowed down her back to tickle the bottom of her shoulder blades as she straightened her lean frame, looking away from Akko. The barest hint of a blush quickly disappeared from her cheeks and she whispered replies to the other worried girls.

“See, Finneglan. No harm done!” Holbrooke chuckled and winked at Akko, pressing a crooked finger to her lips in a less than subtle display that brought a smile to the trainer’s face.

“Yeeeesssss!” Akko exclaimed, thrusting her hands into the air and laughing as she flopped back onto the ground. Eevee, seeing the shift in the mood of the room, cooed and jumped before tackling her trainer and peppering her with small licks, tail wagging. Akko giggled, trying to stop her small friend from the tickle assault and sat back up upon hearing the professor clearing her throat, loudly.

Around her, the other applicants regarded Akko with a range of emotions. Ranging from bewilderment, to surprise, right down to outright disdain. 

“Professor Ursula!” Finnelan quipped, causing the other professor behind her with midnight blue hair to jump from where she had been half hidden against the far wall. “I think it's about time we began explaining the rules and regulations—” The annoyed woman narrowed her eyes in Akko’s direction, causing the girl to squirm before continuing, her lips pursed. “To this years potential ,” she sneered, “trainers and other applicants. We are already behind schedule.”

“Y-yes!” the other professor squeaked, her voice cracking as a small blush of embarrassment broke out over her cheeks. She adjusted her glasses nervously.

The shorter professor had a softness about her, a stark contrast to Finnelan's sharp, angular features. Stepping to the front of the gathered combatants, she adjusted her light blue labcoat's sleeves, all of the professors sporting the same uniform.

“Right so, u-umm...” Professor Ursula began, her blush deepening as she dropped her eyes and rubbed at her forearm, fidgeting as she switched to readjusting her glasses and shifting her weight. “I will be going over the basis of the program, as well as touching on the most important rules. It will be review for some of you but please bear with me...”

Clearing her throat, Professor Ursula mumbled something under her breath before continuing at a more audible level. “Every single one of you has already met certain criteria in order to take part in this competition, entering in your chosen program.”

Akko nodded, clenching her fists and listening intently, barely able to swallow down her excitement as she felt ready to explode. All of the others around the room looked similarly intent, waiting with bated breath, Akko's antics already forgotten. 

“As you know, each of you had to pass one of three tests to enter. The first option was to pass a pokemon battle against one of the professors using loaned pokemon to even out the field to test your ability as a trainer. While you didn't have to win the battle, you had to display a certain level of understanding, knowledge, compassion and talent. Whether or not you passed depended entirely on the professor's discretion who had been your opponent and was graded based on your area of specialization.

“The second was a written exam that the applicant had to pass with a score of ninety percent or higher. The test went over a large variety of pokemon facts and general knowledge. Ranging from type match ups, the array of triggers for evolution, nutrition and general care-taking, etc. The test material changed depending on which area you wished to specialize. 

“The final option was to graduate from the pokemon academy. As some of you know, less than ten percent of people who apply to the academy graduate by the end as it is a vigorous four year program. Graduates from the program have always passed some if not all eight trials of our program and are able to pass both the first and second option easily. Meaning that they are given the opportunity, upon graduation, to compete without passing the first or second option.”

The room began to murmur, applicants whispering to their neighbors or friends. Behind her, Akko heard one young man whispering to his friend, “I heard that Diana Cavendish graduated top of her class from the academy.”

His friend scoffed, and whispered back. “Ya, but what did you expect, she's a Cavendish . It’s not like it’s fair to have to compete against her.”

Akko scrunched up her nose and glanced back over the girl she had all but mowed down with her graceful entrance and eyed her suspiciously. She seemed to be the only one not talking amongst the crowd. Instead she stood completely still, eyes closed and perfect, wavy blonde hair just being, well... perfect. By all appearances she seemed almost bored with everything that was going on, although how anyone could be bored at the beginning of the best day of what Akko considered to be her entire life was beyond her. Maybe those boys were right and this Diana Cavendish was just a bit too big for her britches.

Akko looked down at the girl's pants. No, they fit perfect, a little too perfect if she was being honest with herself. She scowled in disappointment.

Eevee shifted from where she was sitting on Akko's lap and cooed softly and as the trainer looked around she realized that the tiny brown fur-ball was the only Pokemon in the room. That was strange. She knew that everyone here must own at least one pokemon. Did no one else travel with their partner? Akko paused, considering that she hadn't noticed until now and wondered why the other combatants didn't have their partners out. She couldn’t imagine going anywhere without Eevee. It just wouldn’t feel right.

Shelving that thought for now, Akko turned her attention back to the slim girl to her left, noticing how everyone's attention seemed to be on her. Everyone seemed to be watching, murmuring, acting as if the contest was already over. The way they talked, it was as if they had already given up. There was no way that anyone—Cavendish or not—was truly that much better than everyone else.

Akko scrunched up her nose, watching as the other girl seemed completely at ease under all the attention and praise when a spark of inspiration suddenly occurred to her. Maybe Cavendish was as good as they all said. But, if she was that could also make everything that much easier for Akko. Afterall, only the best of the best ever got to challenge the elite four, so if she wanted to succeed, then she had to beat the best of the best of her fellow trial-goers. Plus, if she beat Diana now it would not only knock her down a few pegs but it would also make everyone take her seriously and know how awesome Eevee was! Maybe she could even skip straight to challenging Shiny Chariot a lot earlier than she had originally planned!

As Ursula raised her hands and was trying to quiet the room, with little success, Akko jumped to her feet, throwing her arm out wide to settle her extended pointer on this 'Diana Cavendish'. This unbeatable foe, the girl everyone was talking about and most importantly her—

“Rival!” Akko exclaimed, determination painted on her face, signed with a wide smirk.

Immediately the room went silent and Professor Ursula blanched. The only sound in the room was Akko's heavy breathing as she held her pose, feet spread wide apart and stance low, waiting patiently for a reply. She wasn’t surprised that shock would follow, afterall it wasn’t everyday that someone met such raw talent! Meaning herself, of course.

Slowly, the startled attention of the room that was centered on Akko shifted to Diana and waited with bated breath for the prodigy's reply.

Diana sighed, turning her head slightly, the smallest hint of tension visible in her shoulders as she opened her eyes and looked directly at Akko. There was no surprise there, no emotion at all as far as Akko could tell. The other girl seemed completely unperturbed by the challenge, almost bored. 

'Well, good!' thought Akko. They’d see just how bored Diana was once she had lost!

“Excuse me?” Diana asked, tone even and polite. 

“You heard me!” Akko all but yelled back, her entire frame moving with the volume she was forcing out. “As of right now, you and I are rivals!”

Diana regarded her evenly, features unchanging as she turned now to address Akko directly, who lowered her arm but held her stance as if ready for a fight. She paused, slowly studying her self-proclaimed rival from head to toe and setting her lips in a thin line before making and dominantly forcing eye contact.

“Earlier you said your name was Akko, and if I recall Professor Finnelan said your last name was Kagari, is that correct?” Diana asked, the question seemingly innocent and asked with that same—starting to become annoying—even tone.

Akko shifted her gaze and hesitated before puffing back up and bellowing back, “That's right! It's good you remember! And uh—” She could feel a blush starting to rise on her cheeks and neck, feeling all eyes on her and unable to look away from Diana's piercing gaze. “Because, uh—It would be really embarrassing for you, if you forgot your Rival's name—” Akko planted her hands on her hips and nodded. That made sense, way to be quick on your feet, Akko! “Embarrassing for you! That is...” Akko finished, her laugh coming out forced and nervous.

“Did you know that rankings are considered public knowledge and available to everyone? I would assume that anyone who is here, and taking this challenge seriously, would have already studied all of their competition. ” Diana asked, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips before she fixed her expression back to neutral, watching the confusion furrowing Akko's brows, taking that as her answer. “Did you know you are ranked at the bottom of the class? Additionally, you should also know that statistically the bottom quarter of combatants don't make it past the first gym.” Diana continued, and all eyes turned to Akko as she became bright red and she bit back a retort.

“So while you may not have been late today, it's not likely that you will make it past the first hurdle.” Diana paused, flipping a strand of hair out of her face, starting to turn back to face the front of the class before adding, almost as an afterthought,“I can see why you'd want to see me as your Rival, after all, I'm sure you've always been told to aim for the stars by parents blinded by unfounded pride. But I don't see why I should consider you a Rival, considering I very much doubt you will even make it past Pewter City.” 

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Anyone else nerding out over how perfect them being rivals is? Because Red and Blue? From the original series? Teams Red and Blue? :D 

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Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 2

Eevee! Use Toxic?

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Akko could feel her ears burning as the other combatants once again began to murmur and quiet laughter followed, Diana having turned back to face Professor Ursula who looked equally mortified. Was what Diana said true? Did the Professors really release all the test scores for everyone to see? Akko flushed with embarrassment, fully aware she had never erm… 'tested' well. Not that it should matter, it's not like there was a test for natural talent! She would still show her!

Glancing at the overseeing professor, Akko recognized her from her testing. Still torn as to how to respond, she tried to hide the way her hands visibly shook, angry at being dismissed. What did Diana know? Just because she's supposedly some super rich, super pretty, and allegedly—but not yet proven to be—super talented girl from this super-duper famous family didn't mean she was any better than her. Akko had worked everyday since she had first dreamt of being a Pokemon Master to make it this far and she'd be damned if she let some pretty blonde walk all over her just because she had really nice legs. Not that it should or did matter in the slightest right now! Or ever, focus Akko!

Furious, she looked down at her partner and found Eevee standing close, completely focused on Diana and ready to support her trainer. Akko found her confidence in the little fox and took a slow, steadying breath, finding her will to fight back as she once again raised her arm to point at her 'Rival'. Diana may have shaken them with her rebuttal but she hadn't won yet. 

“I challenge you! And when I win you have to acknowledge me as your equal and Rival in front of everyone!” Akko declared, voice booming from her chest.  

The room once again became dead silent, except for Professor Ursula who began stammering, trying to diffuse the situation that seemed fated to explode. “N-now girls, I don't think—" The Professor tried, futilely, as she waved her hands back and forth, smiling as she tried to swat the tension out of the air. 

Diana turned back to address her challenger, the smallest hint of amusement glinting in her eyes. “And when I win, what is it that you are proposing to be my benefit from this little battle? As far as I can tell you and your challenge serves to do nothing other than waste my time.” 

Akko bunched her fists and took a step closer, looking down as she raked her mind for something the other girl could possibly want. It's not like she had any money, not that the other girl probably needed it anyways. And nothing would make her trade away Eevee, and there wasn't much else that she possessed. So then what? Akko doubted that offering the same thing if Diana won in reverse would entice her at all. 

Watching and waiting a moment as Akko struggled to find a reply, Diana folded her arms and suggested in a bored tone. "How about: if your partner can land one hit on my partner, I will consider you my Rival and admit it to anyone who asks, I will not entertain the notion of making some sort of ridiculous announcement. 

"But if you cannot, then you will admit that you are not fit to be here and dismiss yourself before causing further embarrassment.” Diana paused, once again clasping her hands behind her back as she stepped closer to Akko and lowered her voice, “Immediately." Holding Akko's  gaze, Diana's visage remained unchanged, her tone still easily mistaken for bored as she waited for the reply. 

Akko blushed at the proximity and glanced to the side, unable to keep eye contact with the smoldering bombshell in front of her. Not that she'd ever admit it, out loud at least. 

“Girls please, this isn't—” Professor Ursula once again tried to interject, stepping closer to the two who were now only a couple inches apart, looking back and forth between them nervously. Try as she might to regain control of the situation, no one was listening to her protests and were instead intent on the impending battle. Even Professor Finnegan seemed to have little inclination to stop the scuffle, rather she seemed to be in favour of allowing Diana to fix her problem for her. 

All around her the murmurs grew, and Akko could hear one group arguing over how long it would be before Diana knocked her out. No one believed she stood a chance, no one was even entertaining the possibility. The only one that was still in her side, loyal as always, was Eevee. 

Watching the determination on her best friend was enough to reignite Akko's determination to prove everyone wrong. One hit? That’s really all Diana was cocky enough to wager? Akko knew she was inexperienced, but she believed in Eevee. They could do this. 

Snapping to attention, Akko barked back her reply, “I accept your challenge! Because I believe in my partner! And someone needs to knock you down a peg!”

Diana let out a soft—definitely not cute—snort, smirking as she gave her even reply, “Then we will settle this once Professor Ursula finishes her explanation that was so rudely interrupted by your outburst.” 

Akko glowered at her soon-to-be-confirmed 'Rival', opening her mouth to snap back a retort but biting it short and puffing out her cheeks, “Sorry Professor...” She mumbled instead, crossing her arms and turning away from Diana, angry and embarrassed, trying to ignore the snickers and quiet murmuring that surrounded her. 

So what if Diana was an academy graduate from the super fancy smancy school. That didn't mean anything! She was still going to land a hit, or rather Eevee was going to land a hit directly on Diana's partner and then everyone would have to acknowledge her. Especially when they saw their so called prodigy knocked off her hoity-toity throne. Akko grumbled to herself, fuming as the Professor looked between the two girls at a loss before sighing and continuing her explanation.

There was nothing she could do, it wasn't against the rules for the combatants to challenge each other. It was also not against the rules to place a wager on the match, so long as it didn’t involve anything illegal. All the Professor could do was hope that Akko could win her wager, somehow. 

Professor Ursula had been the one to test Akko, and the only applicant she had personally selected for this year's trial. She was new to the team and has only been given Akko because she was a last minute applicant and Finnegan was unavailable. Normally she would only be given the written tests to grade.

Truthfully, Akko shouldn't have passed. But there was just something about the girl that had made the Professor want to give the girl a chance. Perhaps it was a mistake, perhaps she had simply allowed her guilt to be the deciding factor. Whatever the case, it was done now and there was little she could do to further assist. 

“W-well, um...” Ursula readjusted her glasses, clearing her throat as she continued. “Passing the tests, right. So, um, once an applicant has passed one of the three requirements they are able to partake in the yearly challenge and can choose between one of three licenses. 

“The first is a Trainer's license and allows the applicant to partake in the gym badge challenge, and upon passing all eight gyms, they are then allowed to apply to take part in the Kanto league competition held at the end of each season. Prevailing in the league allows the trainer to earn the title, League Champion and allows the victorious Champion to challenge the Elite Four when they are ready.

“The second is a Coordinator's license and allows the applicant to compete in pokemon contests around Kanto. Participating and earning enough ribbons at these contests allows the Coordinator to take part in the Grand Festival at the end of the season to earn the title of Top Coordinator. Earning the right to participate in the Grand Festival also allows these Coordinators to travel to other regions to compete in the following season as well.

“The final license is a researcher’s license. This license allows access to Pokemon research databases and communication networks with other researchers. In addition, the researcher is expected to complete a study of their own, in order to apply to become an assistant to a pokemon professor at the end of the season. Successful applicants may choose their field of focus once their study has been approved.”

Professor Ursula paused, gesturing to another Professor standing behind her, a stockier woman with light brown hair. Her colleague nodded and left the room before Ursula continued. 

“In addition to the above perks, all three licenses grant you access to all the aspects offered through the Pokemon centers. You will have full access to the hospital, bunk rooms, cafeteria as well as computers and telecommunications. Finally you will have access to purchase many previously restricted items from the Pokemart, and your capture allowance has been increased in accordance with each license's specifications.” Professor Ursula paused, noticing the return of the other Professor, carrying a large box that she set on a table against the far wall.

“Each of you will receive a Pokedex from Professor Nelson, as well as your team assignments.” The shy Professor smiled, tilting her head slightly as she gestured to the stockier woman who paused to flash a wide grin.

“While she's finishing up, are there any questions?”

Instantly, Akko's hand shot into the hair, temporarily forgetting about her spat with Diana. 

“Yes, Akko?” Ursula prompted, voice wavering slightly as the murmurs around the room once again picked up, snickering coming from multiple participants.

“What do you mean by teams?” Akko asked, genuinely confused, trying her best to ignore the rumbling around her. 

Smiling softly, and trying to keep her voice even, Ursula replied. “W-well, we try to assign teams that consist of three people, one with each license type. We find that this system helps more applicants succeed and remain safe. While you do not have to remain with your team, it is highly recommended that you do as this is the first time many of you have left home by yourselves. It is a precaution that was implemented for each participant's safety. 

“However, please keep in mind that teams may also change as challengers drop out or are unable to pass the challenges as they encounter them. It is likely that many of you will have your teams altered in the coming months.”

Akko blinked, surprised by the answer. She hadn't expected to be assigned to a team. Although, company might be nice, travelling alone the entire time could get lonely and surely not everyone was as stuck up as Diana.

Throwing a sidelong glare to the girl to her left, she silently prayed that Diana wasn't on her team. Highly recommended or not, Akko wasn't sure she'd be able to stomach the other girl enough to have her as a travel companion.

Professor Ursula had said that the teams consisted of one of each license type, by the sounds of it Diana was also here for a Trainer's license. Maybe that meant there was no way they could be on the same team? Akko let out a sigh of relief, looks like paying attention in class actually paid off for once.

Gradually the volume in the room began to rise as excited teenagers started to chatter with their neighbours and friends. Professor Nelson was working as quickly as she could to set up the final check in for all of the eager challengers, half her focus on the constant stream of questions that were being fired her way.

“Excuse me, Professor?” One girl with bright red hair spoke up, a cocky smirk as she stood with arms crossed. 

Akko turned her attention back to the Professor that had given all of the instructions, trying her best to be patient and grateful she wasn’t the only one with a question.

“Yes?” Ursula replied.

“Can we trade teammates?” the girl with the fiery red hair asked, ponytail swinging like a cat’s tail as it prepared to pounce. 

Behind her, Akko heard one girl whispering to her friend, “I'm glad she asked, I mean, I didn't want to be rude but can you imagine if we got stuck with her .” She sneered and Akko resisted the urge to turn and tell the girl she wasn’t being nearly as quiet as she probably thought.

Instead she stayed silent, ears burning as she felt another blush creep up her neck and bunched her fists at her side. They'd all be begging to be on her team once she wiped the floor with Diana anyways. She'd show them, she just had to wait for the explanation to finish. They were all going to be eating their words once Eevee smashed straight into whatever Diana’s partner was. It was probably a Meowth or something, all the snotty girls back home had Meowths. Well, all except that one that had an Ekans.

Akko nodded to herself at feeling cheered up after her internal pep-talk, visions of Diana kneeling before her, defeated as Akko was given the due praise she deserved dancing in her imagination.

“W-well...” Ursula began, shifting her weight, the question making her visibly uncomfortable.

Before she could finish Finnegan cut in, her voice cutting through the murmurs like the crack of a whip. “No, you may not trade your teammates like playing cards. This exam is not something you get to take with your little haggle of friends. The teams have been balanced to the best of our abilities and just like you may run into a Pokemon that is unruly and hard to tame, so too are some people. That does not mean they have nothing to offer.”

The room became silent once again after Finnegan finished her rant, glaring down her long nose and offering a silent glare of disapproval to the room.

“R-right,” Professor Ursula flushed, bowing her head and trying to avoid eye-contact as a disapproving Finnegan glowered and walked past her, “so if you could please section off and stand in line for the license you’ve been approved for.” Ursula finished, gesturing to the marked off areas. Akko followed the gesture and easily found the section for trainers, standing in line and curiously looking around at all of the other eager challengers—definitely not looking to see where Diana had gone, or at her at all for that matter. 

The next short while was filled with people milling about and trying to form three, albeit not straight, lines. The room once again was filled with chatting and excitement as the Professors made their way through the lines until Akko reached the front and was handed her Pokedex, secondary license and a watch. 

The young brunette all but squealed with glee, flipping the device open and quickly aiming it at Eevee. The small pokemon perked up at the attention, happily wiggling and nuzzling Akko from atop its perch on her shoulder.

' Eevee, the small fox pokemon. This pokemon is known for its ability to Evolve into many forms due to its unstable genetic makeup. This pokemon is believed to be able to adapt to any environment and is still evolving into new forms every few years.' The pokedex chirped in a robotic voice, blue light flashing at the top of the red device.

“Um, excuse me,” came a shy voice to Akko's left and she jumped in surprise to look at a girl with ginger hair waving with a small smile. The girl was a fair bit shorter than Akko and looked like a girl who had walked directly out of one of the academy ads. Fully equipped with owl rimmed glasses and sweater vest. “I think we're on the same team...” The shorter girl all but whispered as her freckled face was devoured in a deep blush. “My name’s Lotte Yanson.”

Akko blinked at the other girl, trying to figure out what she was talking about before clapping her hand to her forehead and exclaiming, loudly. “Oh right, they did mention something about there being teams. I was so excited about this Pokedex and worried I’d be stuck with Diana that I completely forgot about—” Akko rambled.

The energetic girl stuck out her tongue, scratching the back of her head before suddenly extending her hand, quick enough that it caused Lotte to jump. “My name's Akko—er, Atsuko Kagari, but everyone calls me Akko, and this is Eevee.” Akko introduced, scratching under her partner's chin. “We have a trainer's license.”

“Yes, I know... You were, um, rather loud earlier.” Lotte replied, shaking Akko's hand before reaching up so Eevee could smell her hand. 

“Ya...” Akko grinned wider, letting out an awkward chuckle, “I guess I kinda was.”

“Hello.” Came another new voice from behind Akko, this time monotone filled with disinterest, “Does your Eevee know Toxic?” The new presence asked, completely ignoring the normal order of introductions and instead reaching out to study the overwhelmed fox perched on Akko’s shoulder.

Jumping, Akko and Lotte both turned to look at the new voice which belonged to a sunken looking girl with long, light violet hair. The girl had deep bags under her eyes and blinked slowly as she waited for an answer.

“No...” Akko replied, uncertain. “I don't think so, is that even a move Eevee is able to learn?” What she really wanted to ask was if the girl had slept in the last week, but decided that might be rude to blurt out as a first greeting.

In front of her the girl blinked again before her face slowly, but steadily, continued to break out in a grin, growing in size until it took over her features and yet somehow, remained small and muted. “Yes, actually. Toxic is unique in that any pokemon can learn it but it's fundamentally different depending on the pokemon using it. Would you mind if I taught her and then collected a few samples?”

“Uh, I guess not...” Akko replied, unsure. There was no harm in learning new abilities, even if it was weird for this random girl to ask Eevee to spit into a cup as a hello. “Who are you anyways?” 

“My name's Sucy, I'm your other teammate.” The other girl replied, gaze set on Eevee as she reached for the small furball who puffed up and growled, moving to Akko's other shoulder.

Laughing nervously, Akko took a step backwards away from Sucy's reaching hands as she reconsidered her answer. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, Eevee certainly didn't seem happy about it. Which was strange, Eeevee generally was happy to meet just about anyone making her reaction to Sucy rather peculiar.

Caught up in her back peddling Akko bumped into another applicant standing behind her and quickly swiveled to apologize before she realized who it was and scowled instead. Huffing, she crossed her arms and glowered at the girl behind her.

“Hello, Akko,” Diana greeted with the same even tone. “I was wondering where you'd gotten off to. I had almost assumed you’d decided that running away might actually be your most wise choice.” The prodigy’s expression remained neutral, eyes glinting like she knew some unspoken joke. It was infuriating. She was infuriating.

“Why would I run away when I'm the one who's going to win!” Akko sputtered back, heat rising to her cheeks as she tried to ignore just how attractive Diana was with that confident smirk. Or in general. 

Stop, Akko! She chided herself. 

Snorting softly, Diana flicked a stray strand of hair and gestured to a door at the back of the room that Akko remembered led into the arena from when she had taken her test. “Then after you.”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 3

Diana vs. Akko

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

A short while after reconfirming their battle, Diana and Akko stood at opposite ends of the training ring within the academy. Akko had her gaze trained on her opponent, battle stance taken and fists clenched as she waited for their referee to call the beginning to the match.

Beside her Eevee was waiting less than patiently, eager to engage in their first real pokemon battle. Sure, Akko had play-fought with wild pokemon near her home or pokemon her parents were watching and she had had small bouts between herself and the other kids, but never a real battle. Never a battle with anything at stake, or with a combatant who was also a trainer.

It would be fine though, she and Eevee had both trained hard, watched countless battles and been working for this for as long as Akko could remember. All they had to do was land one hit, no matter how gifted Diana might be, how hard could that be? Eevee was small, fast and had already been underestimated. They’d be fine, Akko nodded to herself, nervously turning her focus back to the match at hand.

The other trial goers were watching eagerly, the girl with the fiery red hair from earlier was even taking bets. Although that was shut down—and then quietly resumed—when Professor Ursula noticed. 

“Such a disgrace, what if the reporters get wind that an applicant passed our testing process and then couldn't even make it a day? The testing is hard for a reason and they will think we’ve gone soft!” Finnegan grumbled, arms crossed and lips pursed in distaste. “At least it will be to the young Cavendish, perhaps we can use that to our advantage.”

Akko felt her cheeks flare up with embarrassment at the older woman's harsh words, seemingly unaware that her words were being overheard—or perhaps, they were an intentional punishment for Akko’s rash challenge. 

Finnegan wasn’t alone though, all around the room Akko could hear more like comments. They varied, some even wondering if Akko was planning to use the runt sized Eevee for the competition. What was taking so long anyways? They were in the arena, both present and ready to go. Shoulder's shaking slightly, she turned to the judge and barked out, “What's the hold up, ref? Lets go!”

Ursula sighed and took her spot at the side of the arena. It was smaller than official arenas and did not have any of the environmental aspects that a lot of the high end ones sported. It was so unaccustomed to such uses, that it didn’t even have a spectators area or seating—forcing those who wished to watch to plaster themselves against the walls and pack in tightly. 

The arena was a simple rectangle, with a thick white line showing the boundaries, a trainer box at both ends. “Are you sure about this, Akko? There's no shame in coming back to fight another day.” Ursula asked quietly, genuinely concerned. “Sometimes we need to show the maturity to admit when we’re outmatched.”

It pained her to add to the already suffocating negativity that surrounded Akko, however while she did believe that Akko had potential, she had been watching Diana at the academy for years and knew her applicant was not ready for this fight. If she were being honest, she doubted anyone in this room would be a match for the young Cavendish as it stood.

Her warning however went unheeded, and without skipping a beat or seeming affected by the storm of commentary Akko grinned and gave the professor a thumbs up, “Don't worry, there will be another day because I'm going to kick her butt.”

Across the arena Diana smirked, arms folded behind her back, stance loose and relaxed. “I am ready as well, Professor.” 

“Alright, then...” Ursula cleared her throat and the room was silent. “The rules are simple. This will be a one on one match, no substitutions. In order for Miss Kagari to win, her partner must land a damaging blow on Miss Cavendish's partner through any means. She has until her partner is deemed no longer able to continue battling. In order for Miss Cavendish to win, she must knock out her opponent before receiving damage. Are these terms agreed upon by both parties?”

“Heck ya they are!” Akko proclaimed, Eevee agreeing with a loud yip standing to her left. Akko grinned, flashing teeth, feeling the excitement building. She had waited such a long time for this moment—her first official battle—where she could finally show everyone what she was made of! What Eevee was made of! There was no way all those kids back home would be laughing at them once they heard she took down some priss-pants Cavendish in her first ever battle! 

“I find those terms agreeable,” Diana replied, voice even, shifting her weight slightly to the left and turning to fix Akko with a hard stare. There was something there, and Akko felt her breath hitch for a moment. Diana’s expression was the same neutral, tight-lipped stare but her eyes held a flicker, a glint of... something. Unable to place her finger on what that look reminded her of, Akko shook her head and tried her best to ignore it. It wasn’t important right now. Despite that proclamation, Akko found herself searching again, but before she could evaluate it any further it was gone and Diana pulled the expressionless mask back on.

Could it be regret? No, that didn't make any sense, unless Diana was actually worried she'd lose? No, she was far too arrogant for that.

Pity maybe? That seemed more akin to something Diana-ish. Leave it to high and mighty gorgeous-pants to pity her opponent. She probably thinks this is already over , Akko thought to herself frowning .

Akko felt herself growing more and more angry as she became nearly certain that must be what it must be—or at least something likened to it—and fixed her opponent with a glare. Diana noticed the shift and frowned slightly before once again wiping her face clean.

“Alright then, begin!” Ursula shouted.

“Let's show her we're not as easy to beat as she thinks we are,” Akko whispered, and Eevee yipped in agreement, crouching down and baring her teeth. “I believe in you bud, I know you can do it,” she finished, voice low enough that only her partner could hear her.

“Go, Eevee!” Akko boomed, and the tiny fox pokemon leapt onto the field. 

With practiced ease, Diana reached down to her belt and grabbed the tiny ball that was attached and clicked the center button. With a mechanical whir, the ball enlarged and filled out in her palm. The other girl whispered, inaudible to the rest of the room before tossing the enlarged ball onto the field.

“Go, Cobalt!” Diana called, voice carrying a commanding tone as the ball burst open and her partner entered the battlefield. 

“Wait—what?” Akko balked, face scrunching in confusion as she stumbled while pulling out her Pokedex. Around her other combatants were also murmuring. Only the handful of academy graduates remained quiet. 

'Ponyta, the fire horse pokemon. This pokemon has long been considered the fastest land pokemon known. It is able to control its flames masterfully enough that it can choose whether or not it will burn those it comes in contact with.' The pokedex beeped and Akko looked at the picture on the screen then back to the battlefield.

“Ya I know what it is...” Akko muttered, annoyed. “But why are its flames blue?”

“My ponyta has a rare pigment mutation that is commonly referred to as 'Shiny',” Diana explained. Akko blushed, not realizing she had been watched. Although, looking back about ten seconds, it shouldn’t be a surprise she was since she had whipped out her pokedex in front of everyone.

Embarrassed, Akko stuffed the pokedex back into her pocket and returned her attention to the battle, cheeks burning. “Fine, whatever! We're still going to wipe the floor with you!” Akko barked back. 

Diana snorted, “You say that like it's some kind of advantage. Shiny pokemon only look different, they don't have any enhanced battle abilities. Honestly, Akko, if you're looking for an excuse to get out of this...” The heiress tilted her head just slightly and Akko felt her anger flare just a little hotter. “All you have to do is admit you made a mistake.”

“Just shut up!” Akko retorted and the room fell quiet once more. “Let's do this, Eevee. Quick Attack!” the fledgling trainer yelled, throwing her arm out and pointing at her to-be rival.

“Eee!” Eevee replied, small sparks of lights forming her paws as she took off, leaving a cloud of dust as the small fox hurtled toward the enemy Ponyta. 

“Cobalt, use Double Team,” Diana countered, voice still even and controlled. 

Her partner responded instantly, shimmering before spreading out in a wide circle with a dozen copies that all looked the same. 

Eevee burst through the image of Ponyta where it had been standing and skid to a halt, not expecting to hit nothing but air as the small kit tripped and rolled. With an indignant huff, Eevee jumped back to her feet and looked around, unsure of where to watch.

“Ha, running away already?” Akko grinned, “Eevee, Quick Attack! Smash through the images. It can't hide forever!” 

“Ee!!” Eevee crouched again, feet illuminating once again before she took off and sprinted for the nearest image, once again bursting through the decoy with an overzealous amount of force and tripping over her own paws. This time, however, Eevee was more prepared and regained her composure to slide across the ground. Little paws churning and claws digging into the worn floorboards, Eevee pulled the energy needed back into her feet before blinking across the arena again in a brown blur. 

“That's it! Again, Quick Attack!” Akko cheered, feeling her heart pound in her chest with excitement, temporarily forgetting what was at stake as she watched her partner.

“Cobalt, use Agility,” Diana countered and her partner responded, images starting to move in unison as they started to run circles around Eevee who tumbled to a halt in the middle of the ring. The circle became a blur of blue and white as the larger pokemon picked up speed. 

Confused, Eevee turned again and again, trying desperately to pick out the real one. Around the fox, hooves thundered in unison and flames licked at the air, legs running blurring together and causing a whirlwind of illusions that left the little fox unsure where to begin.

Akko froze, unsure what her next move should be when Diana's next command sent the first tendril of fear running down her back. She might actually lose. She didn't know how to counter this. Quick attack wasn’t working, Tackle was too slow—Eevee didn’t know anything that had a wide enough range to hit multiple images—

“Cobalt, use Quick Attack.” Diana smirked, seemingly amused at her own little joke as ten images of Ponyta moved in unison at a dizzying speed and Eevee took the first hit, sent rolling across the field. No sooner was the kit on her feet was she once again surrounded. 

Tail sinking and curling between her back legs, Eevee let out a small mewl and twisted her head back and forth, desperately searching for a hint as to where the next hit would come from. Before she was able to prepare, the enemy Ponyta once again raced in with a pincer attack and collided with another direct hit on the small fox. Eevee sailed across the floor, landing with a soft thud.

They couldn't win, Ponyta was too quick. There was no way to counter attack. Eevee was—Akko looked at her partner, pushing herself back up onto shaking paws and fur scuffled—she was counting on her, and Akko felt helpless.

“No!” Akko yelled, starting to step forward when she felt a hand on her arm. 

“Akko...” Lotte whispered, trying to get her attention. “I have an idea.”

Another hit landed and Eevee was sent sprawling, dirt starting to cake her fur and legs wobbling as she once again struggled to its feet, determined not to disappoint her trainer. Akko watched the small fox and steeled herself. If Eevee wasn't going to give up neither was she, she had to calm down before she became too overwhelmed and just think. They could do this. Diana might be good, but she wasn’t unbeatable.

“No, we have to do this on our own.” Akko replied, never taking her eyes off her partner, “Or it won't mean anything, I believe in my partner, and I know she's trusting me. So it's up to me to protect her.” 

Think Akko, think. The younger trainer took a steadying breath as Ponyta once again began to circle like a shark waiting for the right moment to go in for the kill. In front of her Eevee's legs were trembling and her head was hanging low.

Diana frowned, hesitating on giving the final command, glancing at Professor Ursula. Across the way, the other trainer seemed reluctant to end the match, her attention flicking between the battle at hand and the overseeing Professor.  

Think, Akko. Ponyta was too fast to win in a game of speed and Diana obviously was more experienced. There was no way to know where the next blow was coming from to prepare to dodge. Wait, there was nothing they could do to dodge but if the next attack was sure to hit… That's it!

“Eevee, get ready. We're about to win this!” Akko cheered on her partner and across from her Diana's frown deepened. With a deep sigh, Diana swallowed the last of her hesitation and called out the final blow.

“Cobalt, Quick Attack.” The words slipped from the young heiresses mouth, all emotion sucked from her words as she watched the end come. Once again Ponyta turned to cut through the center of the arena, hooves thundering and shaking the building, blue flames leaving a streaking after image as the stallion surged forward. Akko waited, breath held until right before Ponyta reached her target. Trust in her partner held Eevee to her position, the small fox staring at the image of Cobalt running towards her and ears turned back towards Akko, waiting—watching.

As the opponent's leading hoof landed, a step away from making contact, Akko called out, “Eevee, use Counter!” Instantly the small fox Pokemon was surrounded in a soft glow right before the stallion collided with the small fox and the energy around Eevee burned brighter, exploding and reflecting the blow back onto its opponent with amplified force. Both pokemon skidded backwards, Cobalt stumbling backwards, Double Team fading and the pony shaking the attack off. Eevee’s much smaller frame was sent flying backwards towards Akko.

“I got you!” Akko called, running forward a couple steps to catch her partner mid-flight and wincing as the wind was knocked out as the fox’s frame slammed into her chest she fell to land on her rump with a soft thud.

The room was silent as Akko slowly opened her eyes, instantly loosening her grip to check her craddled friend. Looking down, Eevee turned in her arms and let out a soft noise, blinking up at her trainer. “You did so good,” Akko praised, feeling tears start to burn the rim of her eyes. “I knew you could do it.”

Eevee looked up at her, letting out a soft yip and wagged her tail weakly, scruffed up fur standing on end as her trainer hugged her close and buried her nose in warm fur.

Around them, the room was silent with shock before the declaration rang out. “Akko wins!” Ursula replied after a few moments, seeming to recover as the room broke out in surprised shouts and cheers.

Across the arena Diana watched, mouth open slightly in surprise before she walked over to her partner and gently placed a hand on her nose, recalling him to his ball after a murmured praise in a job well done. Without another word she strode over to Akko and knelt in front of her. 

Suspicious, Akko scrunched up her nose ready for the verbal assault of how she only won by luck or some other ridiculous notion and clutched Eevee close to her chest. 

“Here,” Diana said, pulling out a small bottle with a nozzle attached. 

Surprised, Akko opened her mouth to reply before she realized she wasn't the one Diana was talking to.

 Ignoring the other trainer, Diana reached out and gently pressed the button to release the medicine to soothe Eevee’s nearest injury. “This will make you feel better, you impressive little thing,” she praised, her voice soft and slow. Nudging Akko's arm out of the way and fingers gently searching, Diana continued to treat Eevee with the potion. The medicine seemed to have a near immediate effect as Eevee started to perk back up, squirming in her owner's hold and tail thumping against Akko’s arms.

Giving the small fox a soft smile, Diana stood back up to her full height and her expression shifted to dark that was trained directly onto Akko. “And you, if we're going to be rivals, you are going to have to learn a battle strategy that isn't about purely throwing your partner at the problem until she breaks. You owe her more than that,” Diana snapped, keeping her gaze locked with Akko's until the latter started to squirm uncomfortably.

“I will see you in Pewter city, Akko.” Diana finished, turning on her heel and leaving the room with her two teammates trailing behind her.

Once she was sure that she wouldn't be overhead, Akko looked down at her partner and beamed. Tongue-lashing aside, Diana had all but admitted Akko had won. “You hear that? She called us her rival.”

Eevee mewled in shared merriment.

Maybe Diana wasn't all that bad.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 4

Viridian Forest

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

“Okay, today's the day!” Akko grinned, clenching her fists and pumping her arms. Beside her, Eevee meeped in agreement, striding with high paws and tail held up straight, the small fox brimming with the same eagerness and confidence that was being oozed from her partner.

“Today is the first step to becoming just like Shiny Chariot!” Akko continued, pointing to the heavens as she strode past the aged sign that welcomed the fledgling trainer to Viridian Forest, leaving the bustling city behind. With stars in her eyes, Akko marched forward, towards the thick tree line, ponytail swinging with each step as she journeyed onward. 

“Shiny Chariot?” Lotte murmured behind her, absentmindedly scratching at her cheek with her pointer finger. “You mean the Champion who was super popular a few years ago and then just disappeared?” 

Akko screeched to a halt and spun on her heel, instantly invading the shorter girl's space, jaw barely holding on as it unhinged. “Of course that Shiny Chariot! The most amazing, most prettiest, most awesome pokemon trainer to ever exist!” Plus about a hundred different things, but surely Lotte had to know at least that!

Beside Lotte, Sucy snickered, her bored expression widening in a toothy grin. “I wouldn't go that far, I guess she was okay during her fifteen minutes of fame. But with how much she show-boated I'm surprised she chose to be a trainer instead of a coordinator. Besides, she was just the Champion of Kanto, right? That doesn’t even make her the best of current time.”

Akko sputtered, clutching her chest in a dramatic flare as Eevee followed her trainer's lead and pretended to faint. “How is that possible?” Akko asked, and Eevee meeped solemnly in reply, twisting back and forth as she wriggled in the dirt. “Shiny Chariot won every single match with every gym leader in Kanto without a single loss, and then proceeded to win the pokemon league her very first year! ” Plus, you know—a hundred more equally as awesome things!

“And then she disappeared...” Sucy finished. “Most people think that she was so afraid of losing her title she cracked under the pressure and ran away.” The other girl finished, shrugging her shoulders and letting out a bored yawn.

Akko blinked at the absolute blasphemy that was being spouted from this no-nothing’s mouth. “Well!” She exclaimed, bunching up her fists, cheeks burning crimson. “Those people are wrong!” Akko retorted, voice hitching in indignation and crossed her arms, cheeks puffing with annoyance. “She would never run away!”

“Then what do you think happened, Akko?” Lotte asked, her voice soft and unaccusing.

“I don't—” Akko started, moving to scratch the back of her head. “I don't know. But she didn't run away. And—” Akko continued, her explanation coming out garbled and nervous, “And I'm going to prove it! Once I become the champion I gain the right to challenge anyone—even Shiny Chariot—and she will have to respond! Then I'll show you.” Akko let out a large puff of air, deflating as she kicked at a passing rock. 

Lotte and Sucy shared a look before jumping in surprise as Akko seemed to gain her second wind and once again pumped her fist into the air with a loud woop. “And in order to do that, we need to catch a Pidgey! The same pokemon that was the first pokemon Shiny Chariot caught!”

Throwing her arm out in an overly dramatic fashion, Akko pointed a challenge to the forest ahead of her. “And so we shall conquer the Viridian Forest and catch the best Pidgey there is! And with that we will beat the Pewter City gym and show that know-it-all Diana just what we can do!”

Akko couldn’t wait to see the sheer shock on Diana’s face as she stood holding her brand new, shining Boulder badge and Diana had to once again eat her words. Get knocked out of the competition in the first city? Pssh, they’d show her. 

Eevee cooed an agreement, jumping to her paws and crouching, already aware of what her partner would do next. “Here we go!” Akko yelled, taking off at a dead run with Eevee hot at her heels, leaving Lotte to protest behind her and Sucy to sigh in her wake.

“She does know that flying types aren't very effective against rock types, right?” the aspiring Professor deadpanned to her companion who only shrugged in reply. 

~o~

“Akko, will you please slow down!” Lotte pleaded for the umpteenth time in vain as her rambunctious teammate crashed through another bush, brandishing her acquired stick and scaring a nest of Caterpies who were sent slinking up a nearby tree to avoid trampling feet. 

Her efforts came to fruition as the dozenth Pidgey burst out of a bush and took off for the sky. “There! Eevee, get it! Quick Attack!” Akko panted, following the fleeing bird pokemon and avoiding the falling leaves from the disturbed treetops.

Instantly, the small fox's feet glowed as she sprang at a dizzying speed in pursuit of the fleeing Pidgey. Jumping into the air, the kit missed its feathered foe as it flapped to safety and instead collided with the base of a tree with a loud thunk.

“Aww man,” Akko pouted, jogging over to Eevee and picking her up. “How are we supposed to catch one if they just keep flying away?” She had been right that this forest was full of Pidgeys, but each time they found one it just flew away! How were they supposed to catch one when neither herself or Eevee could fly?

“Ewwweeee...” Eevee replied, her ears drooping and equally as disappointed with their lack of success. 

“I think you might be going about it the wrong way, Akko,” Lotte tried to interject, pulling Akko out of her pondering.

“What do you mean?” the fledgling trainer replied. “You have to weaken it before you can capture it, right? And to do that, Eevee's gotta hit one. Maybe we don't want any of these Pidgeys anyways. They all just keep running away.” Not much of a winner’s attitude to run away before the fight even begins, they definitely didn’t want those Pidgeys anyways.

“Well, what if you tried to use something other than Quick Attack?” Lotte prompted, trying to nudge Akko in the right direction without handing her the answer or making it obvious she was doing so.

Akko's nose crinkled in confusion. “I don't think Eevee knows any other moves...” Well, besides Tackle. But Tackle was basically just a slow Quick Attack so that didn’t seem like the solution. Then again, maybe Eevee had been holding out? 

Deflating, Akko looked at the curious kit and let out a deep breath. “Do you?” She asked, holding the small fox out at arms length.

Eevee tilted her head in what could only be correlated to as a shrug. 

“Well, Eevee can actually learn a lot of different moves, you just need to teach her,” Lotte continued. “And some moves work better against different pokemon. For example, a projectile attack would work better than a close ranged attack when you are using a pokemon like Eevee who can't fly or use vines against a flying type.”

Akko narrowed her eyes at her companion and puffed out her cheeks, suddenly suspicious. “Well if it's so easy, why don't you show me how it's done?”

Lotte blushed, embarrassed before clearing her throat. “How about a wager, you seem to like those?” the other girl teased, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips that she struggled to hide in an effort not to send her teammate back into the brush with her stick.

Akko considered the suggestion and set Eevee down. “What did you have in mind?”

“I will capture the next pokemon we encounter, and if I catch it you will let me help you.” Lotte smiled softly. “And if I can't capture it... um...” She paused, unsure of what the other girl would want.

“If you don't capture it you have to admit that you think Shiny Chariot really is the best all time champion, or ever.” Akko beamed.

“Really? That's what you want?” Sucy asked, expression bored as she finished sealing another bag of herbs she had been collecting and carefully cataloging in a small black book.

“Yes! What's wrong with that?” Akko demanded.

“Nothing, Akko. That's fine. I agree.” Lotte raised her hands defensively, trying to diffuse the tense situation. “Alright, lets see what we find!” the coordinator finished, walking back towards the trail and continuing on their journey.

Scowling, Akko followed after her and stuck her nose up as she passed Sucy, sticking out her tongue for good measure while Lotte wasn’t looking to scold her. So far, her impression of her sarcastic teammate was less than stellar, but at least Lotte seemed okay. Either way, they were both leagues better than being stuck with Diana Cavenpriss.

As the trio continued to walk along the road to Pewter City, it didn't take long before Lotte stopped, pointing to a rustling bush off the side of the trail, and reached for the pokeball on her belt, enlarging it with a click. “Here we go,” she breathed, a soft smile as she tossed the ball onto the trail and her partner burst forth in a red light. “Let's do this, Arthur!”

In front of her a medium sized canine took form, blazing orange fur shining in the midday light, contrasted starkly by the black stripes running down its spine and sides, accented by a fluffy white tail.

Akko tilted her head and reached for her pokedex. “Is that...?” She flicked open the device and scanned the pokemon in front of her. 'Growlithe, the fire type canine pokemon. This pokemon has very sharp teeth and a fierce protectiveness. Once you earn its trust, there isn't anything this pokemon won't do for you,’ the machine reported, adding the data.

Well, you don't see one of those every day, Akko thought to herself, and what's with the name Arthur? Is that some kind of knight reference?

“Alright, Arthur! Lets flush it out. Ember!” Lotte commanded and her partner let out a growl, taking a deep breath before spewing out red hot coals that set the bush on fire, successfully flushing out the hiding pokemon.

From the bush stumbled a small, yellow rodent who was slapping at its tail, surprised by the sudden attack. Wide, dark eyes turned to regard the travellers before the small pokemon turned, fur bristling up its spine and sparks spouting from bright red cheeks.

Akko quickly turned and pointed her pokedex at the new pokemon. 'Pikachu, the electric rodent pokemon. This pokemon is known for chewing on power lines and causing black outs. It stores electricity in its cheeks that produce sparks when scared or threatened.' 

“Alright, Arthur, that got its attention! Use Tackle!” Lotte called out and Growlithe barked before pushing off and colliding with the small rodent, sending it flying as it took a direct hit.

“Pii!” the small rodent squeaked, tumbling to a stop before jumping to its paws and sparking a warning at its assailant. 

Growlithe growled in reply, flashing his fangs as and waiting for the returned attack. It didn't have to wait long before the Pikachu used Thunder Shock and sent a ranged attack at its opponent.

“Arthur, use Sand-Attack to block the electricity!” Lotte countered and Growlithe spun, kicking dirt and stones at the electric jolt to successfully nullify the attack. “Good, let's finish this! Flame Wheel!” 

With a practiced flare, Growlith foamed flames around his mouth before shooting them out in front of himself, jumping into a spin before hurdling at the small rodent and landing another direct hit.

“Perfect!” Lotte clapped, reaching for a pokeball from her bag and throwing it at the wounded pokemon. The ball bounced off the rodent and snapped open, pulling the wild pokemon inside with a red beam and falling to the ground.

The ball shook once, twice... before coming to a stop and the red light dying, signalling a successful capture. 

Lotte watched, mouth slightly open before throwing her hands up in triumph. “Yes!” she cheered, laughing as Arthur ran up to her and jumped up, licking her face. “We did it!” She beamed, walking over to collect the ball, scratching her partner behind the ears. 

Akko watched the battle and couldn't help but feel that perhaps Diana was right and she really was at the bottom of the class. It never could have occurred to her to use Sand-Attack as a counter to Thunder Shock. And Lotte was supposed to be a coordinator, not a trainer.

Diana was right, she really did owe more to Eevee and needed to get better. Not that she’d admit that to her, it just meant they needed to study more, practise more. Now that they were part of the trials, though, it would be easier. They could battle real trainers rather than their pretend ones they had back home.

Sucking up her pride and masking her own insecurities, Akko smiled at Lotte. “I guess that means you won.”

Tearing her gaze off her newly minted companion's ball, Lotte blinked at Akko, appearing to suddenly remember their wager. “So you'll let me help you?” she asked, and Akko laughed in reply, looking anywhere but at the coordinator.

“A bet’s a bet, and I always pay my dues!” Akko replied, trying not to act as awkward as she felt. She was beginning to wonder if Lotte had tricked her into taking the help. Either way, Akko supposed it was fine, since she apparently needed it after all. “So what's first, coach?”

Lotte smiled and recalled Arthur to his ball after giving him a treat and well deserved praise. “Well, I'd say the first thing you should do is start researching your little friend. Your pokedex is actually a great tool for that and can teach you everything that's known about Eevee. From the type of food that it should eat depending on what you're aiming for—” As she talked Lotte attached the new pokeball to her belt and started to walk down the path, Akko and Sucy in tow. “—To the type of moves that Eevee can learn, along with the difficulty.”

“Difficulty?” Akko asked, unsure of what Lotte meant.

“Well, some moves are easier for a pokemon to master. For example 'Tackle' is pretty basic, while others are harder, and you need to teach them in order, like steps,” Lotte explained. “For example, the first fire move that Arthur learned was Ember, and we used that to train him how to use Flame Wheel.” Seeing Akko take a moment to digest the information, Lotte added, “Kind of like how you need to learn to walk before you can run.”

Akko pondered the new information, recalling how it looked like Arthur had enveloped himself in his own ember to create the Flame Wheel attack. “That makes sense...” she replied. “So I should teach Eevee a move like Ember?”

“Well...” Lotte scratched at her cheek. “Eevee can't learn Ember, unless it evolves into Flareon. But she can learn another ranged attack that I think would be perfect for catching a Pidgey.”

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Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 5

Eevee! Use Swift?

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“Swift?” Akko asked, standing beside Lotte in the small clearing they had decided to set up camp in for the night. 

After Lotte had captured her Pikachu, the trio had traveled down the path on the map they had been provided through Viridian Forest with relative ease. The area was known to be a safe starting point for fledgling trainers as the wild pokemon were rather docile and not very powerful. In addition to that, they were much more likely to run away than pick a fight, as Akko had come to realize, much to her and Eevee’s frustration.

The lush forest was home to a variety of bug pokemon, birds and a couple rodents; however depending on who you asked, the more important part was the diverse plant species that littered the forest floor. Sucy had spent the day gathering as many samples as she could get her hands on and pulling them off the path more than once. Akko really didn’t see what the big deal was, they were all green—well, the majority of them were all green—and they all came from the same area so how different could they be? 

“Yes, it was actually the move I was going to suggest in your battle against Diana.” Lotte explained, linking her hands behind her back with a patient smile as she watched the array of emotions wash over Akko at the mention of her Rival. “You see, Akko, Swift is a rather... unique ability. It's a fairly low ranked, easy to master, ranged attack that always does a fixed amount of damage, and more importantly, never misses. Which as you can guess, comes in handy when you find your opponent difficult to pinpoint.” Lotte smiled softly as Akko crossed her arms and recalled just how difficult some pokemon can be to hit. Not that it mattered, since they still won.

“Since you've spent most of your time watching league matches, I'm not surprised you haven't seen it used much.” Lotte continued, pulling Akko out of her recollection.

“You see, while you are fighting lower level pokemon it can be a devastating attack, since the damage of the ability isn’t based on the overall strength of the pokemon using it, however in higher ranked fights it does little more than tickle the opponent. The one thing people tend to forget though, is that if you use it correctly, it can still be a potent tactical move.” Lotte explained, watching as Akko scrunched up her nose, the telltale sign that she was working through some sort of internal puzzle.

“So, if Swift never misses, that means that no matter how many copies Diana had made of her Ponyta, or how fast it was, Eevee could have landed a hit easily?” She asked, glancing down at her partner who was seated beside her feet, picking at a stone caught in the mud between her toes.

“Correct!” Lotte clapped her hands, “Swift would be sought out the original and then Diana's double team would have been shattered.”

Akko frowned, Diana was right when she said she needed to do better. If she had known that in the first place, Eevee never would have gotten so banged up. But that just meant that she had to work harder, learn faster and above all never give up! If she wanted to truly be Diana's rival and equal, to be at the top of the pack just like Shiny Chariot had been during her year, she would just have to push herself more!

“Alright!” Akko exclaimed, surprising Lotte at the sudden mood change. “Lets do this! First we'll master Swift, then we'll master Hyper Beam and Super Power Beam Attacks galore and kick that know-it-all Diana to the curb!”

“Akko... Eevee can't learn—” Lotte tried to interject before being cut off as Eevee jumped to her paws and let out a noise resembling a high pitched bark.

“You heard Lotte, Eevee use Swift!” Akko commanded and her companion mewled in response, paws glowing before zipping forward and slamming into a tree trunk. “Wait, I don't think...” That was definitely just Quick Attack. At least Eevee was eager to try though and that was what mattered!

Akko lowered her arm slowly and watched as Eevee jogged back, seemingly proud of herself. “Well, I guess you were swift in the fast sense...” Akko smiled, scratching her friend behind her ears and laughing to herself. “But we're going for more of, um...” She pondered for a moment before opening her mouth wide. “Ahhh! See, Swift.” Akko tried to explain, sucking in a large mouthful of air and puffing her cheeks before blowing it out and making pushing motions with her hands.

Eevee flopped down onto her rump and tilted her head watching her trainer’s antics. It didn’t take long for the fox to lose interest and start scratching at her floppy ears with her back foot before nosing at the bag Akko kept on her hip, specifically where Eevee knew her goodies were.

“No, not treats, ahh. Swift, ahh!” Akko tried again, half spitting out two more mouthfuls of air. 

“You know, Akko. The Pikachu I just caught can also learn Swift. Maybe it would help if we taught them together...?” Lotte offered gently. “I need to work on bonding with him anyways.”

“Alright,” Akko pouted, watching as Lotte took her newly filled pokeball from her belt and tossed it to the grass, summoning her new companion.

Pikachu appeared in the grass and instantly started to shake itself like a wet dog trying to dry its fur, long ears flopping to and fro. The small yellow rodent looked around, wide eyed as it surveyed the camp and the two girls in front of it.

Excited to meet the new addition, Eevee mewled at the other pokemon. Pikachu jumped at the unexpected greeting and took up a defensive stance on all fours, sparking from its cheeks in a warning.

“It's okay,” Lotte said gently, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a container with the electric pokemon symbol, a lightning bolt in the center of a circle, and held out her hand filled with light brown pellets. “I'm Lotte, and this is Akko and Eevee.” She explained, patiently waiting for Pikachu to come to her.

Pikachu looked at her warily, sniffing at the contents in her hand before cautiously creeping closer and taking one in its paws. 

Giving it one more sniff, and deeming it safe, the new pokemon happily munched on the treat before letting out a gleeful squeal and greedily grabbing the rest from Lotte's hand. The coordinator in turn, laughed softly and reached out to gently pat the top of her new friends head. 

“Would you like to help us make dinner?” Lotte asked and her Pikachu tilted his head in response, cheeks still stuffed with its food as it continued to munch.

“What, dinner? I thought we were going to train them how to use Swift!” Akko protested, throwing her arms in the air and startling both pokemon. Under normal circumstances, Akko would never protest food—unless it was salad—but this wasn’t eating time, it was mastering-swift-time! For all they knew the strongest Pidgey of them all was right around the corner and they would end up missing their chance because Lotte wanted to eat dinner rather than train!

“We will, but there's no point in working on an empty stomach, and bonding with your pokemon is part of training one properly.” Lotte explained with an amused smirk as she walked towards the half set up tent—that had been Akko’s long forgotten chore—chuckling as Akko flopped back onto the grass with an excessively loud sigh. 

“Fine,” Akko huffed out. 

Over the next short while, Akko and Lotte started to prepare dinner as Sucy returned to camp and helped with finishing to set up camp, muttering under her breath the entire time. Afterwards, Sucy sat down and started to write in a small brown book as she sorted her green assortment into piles. Eevee and Pikachu all the while rotated between ‘helping’ make dinner and chasing each other around, earning a stern shout from Sucy as they stumbled through the sorted piles and made them, well… not sorted. 

Akko soon discovered it was very easy to be around Lotte, finding the soft spoken coordinator to be very friendly and knowledgeable. Lotte was happy to offer help, without making Akko feel like a complete idiot and was easy to talk to, quickly setting any worries at ease.

Sucy on the other hand... would take some getting used to, Akko thought to herself as she glanced at the grumbling girl. Hopefully she wouldn’t be like this the entire time they had to travel together, otherwise they may never end up getting along.

Once the food was ready, they all sat to enjoy dinner. As usual, Akko snuck Eevee a few pieces here and there each time the kit’s paw tapped at her thigh, which was rather frequent. After the surprisingly delicious meal, Lotte had Akko sat together to read through a document on her pokedex about teaching her pokemon new moves.

It was surprisingly insightful and offered a lot of different ideas that Akko had to admit she wouldn’t have thought of on her own. After which, Lotte found a couple different battle videos that demonstrated the move they were trying to learn for Akko and Eevee to watch. 

The next morning, Akko was surprised when she awoke to find her pokedex was stuck to her cheek, having fallen asleep while studying. Eevee was draped over her stomach, the small fox's favourite slumbering spot. With a groan, Akko pushed herself up and began her morning routine, careful not to awaken her sleeping companion's as she tiptoed out of their camp and dragged a yawning fox along with her. 

She returned an hour later, finding Lotte already boiling water over low embers with Growlithe cleaning his coat behind her and Pikachu watching from beside her. Sucy was sitting in the entrance to her tent, sorting through samples with a bored expression.

Jogging back into camp, with damp hair Akko beamed, “Good morning.”

Lotte looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “I didn't take you to be the morning type.”

“Heh,” Akko chuckled nervously, coming to a halt in front of the fire and scratching the back of her head. “I'm actually not, but I read this article a few years back about Shiny Chariot and her personal fitness regimen that she did with her team every morning and how she said it made her better trainer. And well...” The trainer shrugged, blushing. 

“That explains a lot,” Sucy interrupted, breaking her vow of silence. Akko and Lotte both whirled, surprised by the comment.

“What do you mean?” Lotte asked, pouring some of the boiling water into the three bowls she had set aside with oatmeal and raisins waiting in them.

“Diana staring for one.” Sucy explained, as if that would answer all the questions left up in the air. “Plus, how much energy you have.”

Akko blinked, combing her freshly washed hair with her fingers and taking the offered bowl from Lotte, “What do you mean?” She asked. She hadn’t seen Diana staring, she would have seen it since she was—nevermind. And her high energy was just her Akko-ness, at least that’s what her parents said. Besides, Eevee had just as much energy so it wasn’t that weird.

Sucy looked up from her work to accept the offered bowl from Lotte and glanced between the other two girls, pausing on Lotte's frantic motions of 'no!' before turning her tired gaze back to Akko, smirking and flashing teeth with a shit-eating smile taking over.

“Cavendish was staring at your legs every time you looked away.” Sucy explained, flicking her gaze back to Lotte who face palmed and shoved a large spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth.

“What?” Akko found her cheeks burning instantly at Sucy’s definitely incorrect statement. “No she wasn't! I'm sure she was just sizing me up as her Rival, or she was looking at someone else. Or maybe she was just thinking about something snobbish and wasn't even looking at me ,” Akko protested. Any of those reasons were much more likely to be the right answer rather than whatever Sucy was thinking!

“Or she was distracted by how short your shorts are.” Sucy retorted, visage not cracking as Lotte spat out her mouthful of oatmeal. “I mean seriously, I’ve seen underwear cover more skin than your shorts do.”

Akko spurted, spitting out scoffs as her face turned a darker shade of crimson that started to creep up to the tip of her ears. “My shorts are the appropriate length!” 

“O-okay!” Lotte cut between the two girls and in an attempt to douse the fire, “Will you look at the time, we really better get going before we waste the whole day, especially if we want to make it to Pewter with enough time for Akko to properly prepare for her first gym challenge!” With a clap of her hands, Lotte sent the camp into motion and ordered Akko to feed the pokemon from the marked containers in her bag.

Still fuming over Sucy’s comments, Akko spat out her tongue at the infuriating girl when Lotte wasn’t looking and received a very pointed smirk in return before turning her attention to her assigned job.

The trio marched through the forest in awkward silence, Sucy once again cataloging the plant life and collecting web samples from different bug pokemon that hung from the trees, oblivious to Akko's pouting.

“There’s no way plants are that interesting,” Akko grumbled under her breath on more than one occasion, smiling slightly when Eevee snorted and trotted dutifully alongside her trainer.

Lotte tried, futilely, to break the tension as Akko all but stomped down the path, nose in her pokedex as she continued to read through the material Lotte had suggested for her and losing her spot each time she stopped to glare at her teammate. 

“Okay!” Akko boomed, startling Lotte and Sucy who were seated around their campsite at sunset, both reading their own materials. “I think we're ready to give this a go!” The trainer pushed herself to her feet and walked a little ways away, Eevee stretching before jogging after her trainer. 

She had spent all day and night reading, which was far more than Akko had ever done before! She was positive that this was going to be a piece of cake and they would have no problem mastering this attack and then catching a Pidgey! Sure, Diana had some super fancy, fast pony but could Cobalt fly? Nope.

Grinning to herself, Akko turned her attention back to her partner who was yawning and waiting patiently. “Alright, Eevee. We've watched all of Lotte's videos so we know how this is supposed to work,” Akko began, giving her small friend a pep-talk to start off their training. 

“Eee!” The small fox replied, jumping to her paws and wagging her tail with excitement.

“So step one, is concentrating the attack’s energy to your mouth. So summon the energy like you would for quick attack, but instead of putting it in your paws, put it in your mouth.” Akko instructed, pointing at her cheeks and watching as Eevee nodded, crouching and visibly concentrating on her goal. 

The little fox narrowed her eyes, shaking slightly and gritting her teeth letting out a rising squeal as she tried her hardest to do as her trainer wanted. The first dozen attempts were flops as Eevee summoned the energy but found it drawn to her paws, glowing a faint white, before fading with a frustrated growl.

Akko watched, offering words of encouragement when an idea occurred. “Lets try something else,” she offered. “When I'm having trouble concentrating on one thing, I find it helps to have something to help me focus. So maybe you just need something to help you focus on where the energy should go.”

Rummaging around in her bag, Akko pulled a ball out of her bag and held it out for Eevee to take in her mouth. Thankfully, the small one they used to play would work perfectly for this. “Here, bite this and try to focus on the energy on the ball in your mouth.”

Eevee nodded, taking the small ball in her mouth and biting it, going back into a ready stance. “Good, now try again.” Akko encouraged, “You can do it, I know you can!”

With a soft snort, Eevee's eyes narrowed and ears flicked back as she once again summoned the energy for the attack. At first the energy flickered around her heels before the small fox bit down harder and flickered in her mouth, blasting the ball from her maw and sending it across the field.

Akko blinked, surprised before breaking out in a wide grin and cheering, sweeping Eevee up into her arms and giving her a tight hug.

“You did it!” She cheered, the excited kit in her arms squirming and mewling in joined merriment. “I knew you could do it, you're so awesome!” Akko praised, bumping her forehead against Eevee's. In return, the small fox licked at her trainer’s cheeks, earning a laugh as Akko tried to fend off the searching tongue. “Next step, how about we catch ourselves a Pidgey?”

Eevee meeped in agreement, jumping down from her trainers arms, ready to finish learning her new attack.

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Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 6

Eevee! Use Splash?

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The next morning Akko was washing up in the river that ran through the heart of Viridian Forest. Thankfully, this area was a little familiar to Eevee and herself, since it wasn’t all that far from home. They knew the layout well enough to know the large landmarks. Around the river, the foliage was particularly thick and a luscious, bright green colour, thriving from the close proximity to the clear water source. Wild pokemon were seen commonly along the river bank, visiting for a quick drink before scurrying back into the forest. 

Below the water’s surface shimmering goldeen swam, giving the riverbed a splash of colour that reflected off the rocks at the bottom. 

Lotte and Sucy should be awake by now. It was shortly after dawn and, true to her daily routine, Akko had finished her morning workout and was rinsing off with Eevee so she didn't start off the day as a sweaty mess. Although, fighting with the smelly fox to take a bath while she washed off was more accurate.

Cupping her hands to splatter some water on her face, Akko let out a surprised squeak when Eevee flicked her tail and splashed the brunette with a playful yip. 

Looking down at her now soaked shirt, Akko glowered at her little friend and stuck out her tongue. “We don't have time for this, Eevee. Lotte and Sucy will be wondering where we are.” Akko took the bottom of her shirt in her hands and raised it, twisting it roughly to try to ring the water out. “And more importantly if we’re late breakfast will be cold. Or worse, Sucy will do something to it!” 

Eevee grinned, showing teeth and crouching on her front paws, raising her rump, tail wagging before spinning and using tail whip to slap a large spray of water that thoroughly soaked her trainer. With what could only be a laugh, Eevee hopped and ran a circle around Akko's legs. 

Akko reached up slowly, grabbing her soaked hair and wiping the drenched locks from her face and took a deep breath. “Alright!” she declared, and Eevee paused beside her, wriggling in excitement. “This means war, come here!” 

Jolting up and away, Eevee took off down the riverbank, making sure to turn and splash water back at Akko before activating her quick attack and taking off again right before the fox was caught. 

Akko thundered down the river bank after the fleeting fox, tripping and skidding on the wet rocks while she swung her arms down and tried to capture her rascally partner.

“Come back here!” Akko yelled, watching as Eevee tried to do a particularly gloat-ish spin and tripped, paw catching on a piece of driftwood and rolling. “Got you!” Akko all but growled as she got her hands around the struggling kit, raising her partner to eye-level and receiving a nose lick for her effects.

“Oh, so it's like that, is it?” Akko grinned and held tight as Eevee struggled to get free and onto Akko's shoulders. “Well, lets see how happy you are when you're the one who's all wet.” With an evil, toothy smirk, Akko turned and held Eevee out over the shallow part of the river. 

The current wasn't fast, and they had swum in this river before, so there was no chance of the desperately struggling kit being hurt. Akko knew Eevee was a very strong swimmer, having grown up by the ocean. Not that she enjoyed swimming all that much. Akko also knew that Eevee hated getting her fur soaked because it meant multiple hours of grooming and general grumpiness.

Eevee looked behind herself, shoulder checking before looking back at Akko with a horror stricken expression, jaw slack before she started to protest vocally, wriggling and twisting as best she could to get free.

“You started this!” Akko reminded, holding the fox out at arms left to avoid her kicking and reaching paws. “Hasta la vista, baby!” 

Right as she was about to let the struggling pokemon fall to her wet doom, Akko jumped as she heard the bushes rustle behind her and looked over her shoulder to see who it was.

“Akko? What are you doing?!” Diana asked, surprise obvious on her face as she stopped mid-stride, looking from Akko to Eevee to her rival's very wet shirt before looking back up at the stunned duo. The shorter girl had traded in her long skirt for a pair of leggings and running shoes, a simple pokeball tee replacing her previous dress shirt.

Of all the people, in all of Kanto, why— “Diana!” Akko squeaked, voice cracking as she made to turn back towards the river bank. “This isn't wwwwhhaa!” Before she could finish her explanation, Akko’s foot slipped on a particularly slippery rock, her ankle bending at an awkward and painful angle, rapidly finding herself back peddling directly towards the river before toppling, a wailing Eevee still stuck in her grasp with paws reaching for the sky as the pair dropped into the water with a loud crash.

“Akko!” Diana yelled, rushing to the edge of the water and peering down as Akko resurfaced, spitting water from her lungs and mouth, Eevee surfacing beside her and scrambling for the river bank. The fox’s waterlogged tail dragged behind her as she struggled to pull herself onto the river bank, the usually large puff of fur weighing her down.

Watching the scene, mouth agape, Diana tried once, twice and thrice to form the questions that were hanging off the tip of her tongue but nothing seemed to want to come out. Instead, the other trainer watched with wide eyes as her jaw worked uselessly to figure out what she had just walked in on.

Coughing, Akko wiped her wet hair from her face for the third time that morning and let out a deep groan. Of course it would be Diana that happened to stumble upon them. Sure, they had never run into literally anyone else at this river in the morning, ever , but the one time they do it’s Diana! Of course it would be at the exact second that she was about to drop Eevee into the water and not while she was being assaulted by that very same pokemon. Although would that have been better? Then Diana would probably have just made some snide remark about how she couldn't keep her pokemon under control. Akko very much doubted Diana would be able to recognize two pals having fun if she had walked in on them earlier instead.

Akko chanced a glance up at the other girl, doing her best to be subtle and peeking out of the corner of her eye with her head still turned. And of course Diana would be positively livid, just look at how red she was turning? Now what was she supposed to do? She was completely soaked, plus covered in river stuff and there Diana was, up bright and early and looking absolutely perfect. It was a crime to look that good while sleeping on the forest floor. 

Seriously, what made it fair that—

Diana cleared her throat, pointedly looking away from the other girl, a deep blush colouring her cheeks and neck. “Are you going to get out of the water or just stand there all day?” she asked, snapping Akko out of her train of thought. Waiting for an answer, Diana stood awkwardly fidgeting with her arms crossed and fingers digging into her biceps.

Akko blinked at the question, then looked down. Oh. She was still just— Swallowing the wad of embarrassment that welled up in the back of her throat, Akko started wading her way to the river bank. As she pushed herself up onto her feet she winced and stumbled slightly before she felt Diana's hands on her waist, reaching out on reflex to steady the other girl.

“Sorry,” Diana muttered, stepping back as Akko shifted her weight off her left ankle with a grimace. “Are you alright?” the other trainer asked, turning her attention to Akko’s leg as she watched Akko trying to keep on one foot.

“I think I twisted my ankle...” Akko admitted sheepishly and turning her gaze downward. Eevee sat beside her, small tongue working overtime as she tried to groom herself, pausing to shake violently and spraying the two girls with a shower of water.

“Hey!” they both protested, glowering at the small fox who looked up and blinked innocently before turning away and going back to her work.

“Definitely not going to be a Vaporeon, are you little one?” Diana asked with a soft giggle, raising her hand to her mouth to cover a soft smile.

Akko watched the unfamiliar expression, surprised that the other girl was making a joke, jaw hanging low. Diana looked almost… nice? The soaked trainer had to look away before the sight left her short of breath and she shook her head to chase away unwanted thoughts. “She's always hated the water...” Akko confirmed instead with a grumble.

“Well, good thing she has other options then,” Diana replied cheerfully, crouching to pull a twig from Eevee’s fur. Silence hung in the air for a moment as Diana gently pet the annoyed fox who refused to take a break from her furious grooming. Glancing back at Akko, Diana stiffened and cleared her throat. “Are you going to be able to make it back to your teammates with your ankle?” she asked, gesturing to the way Akko was keeping her weight off her foot and cringing.

Akko considered the question, trying to put some pressure on it before wincing at the sudden sharp stab and hopped back onto her right foot. “I'll manage,” she grit out. It wasn’t like it was the first time she had to find her way back home after having what her mom called an ‘oops’.

Diana sighed and shook her head. “Don’t be stubborn, Akko. I'll help you. Is your camp far?” the heiress asked, reaching down and beginning to undo the sash around her waist. 

Akko followed the motion and felt panic rising. “What are you doing?” she squeaked, face heating up. Diana taking off any form of clothing was not something she expected in the slightest.

Without pausing or slowing her movements, Diana finished untying the sash and pulled it off before looking around for two thick sticks and finding what she was searching for in the brush she had entered through. “You need to wrap that ankle, Akko. Don't be a child.”

Diana knelt down in front of the other girl and broke one of the sticks to the appropriate length, holding it up against the side of Akko's ankle. “Now don't move,” she instructed as she started to wrap the slowly swelling foot, fingers gentle and careful not to touch the sensitive flesh.

It was snug, but stung before mellowing out to a dull throb. Akko did her best not to show any discomfort, not trusting herself to speak as her voice had already betrayed her twice in front of the obnoxiously attractive blonde. It didn't help that she couldn't seem to regulate her breathing, or that her face probably looked like a tomato. She was never going to live this down. Of course of all the times for someone to show up, not only had it been Diana, but she also had to go and hurt herself! Great second impression, Akko.

“Is that too tight?” Diana asked, tying a loose knot.

“No, it's fine. Thank you,” Akko muttered and tried to ignore the frown that spread across Diana's face. Was she hoping it was too tight?

“Alright then.” Diana stood up, brushing the dirt from her legs and shifting her weight awkwardly. “So...”

Akko looked up at her curiously, noticing how uncomfortable Diana appeared. Was she unhappy about her sash being dirty or maybe that it was just having to be around someone who was at the bottom of the class? Maybe she was worried about other applicants seeing them together and was reconsidering her offer to walk her back to her camp? Sure, she had admitted—begrudgingly—that they were rivals, but that didn’t mean Diana considered them friends. Plus, wasn’t there some rule about not helping your enemy? Frien-emy? 

“You don't need to walk me back,” Akko offered, focusing her gaze on Eevee. Truthfully she wasn’t sure how successful they would be if they tried to get back to camp without the help, but Akko knew she’d prefer that to Diana helping and further wounding her deflated ego.

“Don't be ridiculous,” Diana huffed, straightening herself. “You won't be able to walk back on your own on that ankle. You and I both know that.” 

Akko squinted at the other girl, weighing the likelihood that she was a mind reader after hearing her own thoughts parroted back to her. Or maybe she just said her thoughts out loud again without realizing? “I could just send Eevee back to get Lotte or Sucy, we’d be fine.”

Maybe Diana would accept that? She may not seem to like Akko, but she had called Eevee impressive on more than one occasion. Lowering her voice to a near whisper and muttering at a volume she didn’t think would be overheard, “You’re probably worried about people seeing us together anyways...”

It was Diana's turn to look surprised as she stared back at the other girl, genuinely unsure of how to respond. Akko caught the change in expression, realizing she hadn’t been as quiet as she had intended and shuffled. “You just look really uncomfortable.”

“Oh,” Diana breathed, opening her mouth to reply before stopping and nibbling her lip nervously, turning her head and tilting her chin. “It's not that Akko. I promise I am not worried about the opinion of others.”

Akko snorted, not buying it. “Sure. Whatever you say, princess. You were certainly worried about people's opinions back at the academy.”

Diana balked, becoming irritated with Akko's unwarranted snark. All she had done was help the girl. She didn't deserve to be snapped at. “Akko,” she tried again, swallowing her annoyance. It was normal for people and pokemon alike to snap when they were in pain. “I promise you it's not that.”

“Then what is it?” Akko barked back, feeling very much like she was back at the academy with everyone laughing, whispering, pointing. Diana had made it very clear back then that they were not friends and that she thought of Akko as less than nothing. So who was to say she wouldn't act the exact same way if they did run into another person on the way back?

Diana let out an exasperated sigh, throwing her arms up, still unable to look directly at Akko. “It's because you're soaking wet!”

Surprised by the answer, Akko looked down and her mouth opened in a wide 'o'. Her shirt was still dripping wet and clinging to her stomach, jean shorts not faring much better.

“And, you know…” Diana continued to sputter, a deep blush breaking out over her pale complexion, “for me to help you walk back, I'd have to put my arm around your, um...” Diana’s blush deepened, dipping down to bathe her neck as she spat out the rest of her sentence in a rush, “around your waist and you're filthy and soaked in river water as well!” 

Akko laughed lightly before breaking out in a deep chortle. It hadn't occurred to her that Diana had already thought out the entire process and was more worried about a little dirt, while travelling through the forest filled with dirt, than she was about anything else. Honestly, it was kind of a relief to know that was what ailed her mind the most. 

Diana glowered at Akko as she laughed, face scrunching up in a pout before crossing her arms. “If you really find it that amusing, maybe I'll just leave you here like you seemed so keen on earlier.”

“No, no.” Akko laughed, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, trying to stifle her laughter. “I'm sorry, it's just… it's so Diana to worry about a little dirt while you've been sleeping on a forest floor made of dirt for three days.” 

Diana glared at the offending brunette and Akko instantly felt herself back peddling, holding up her hands defensively. “Is it now?” the heiress asked. “And what makes you think you know me so well as to make a claim as to what ‘ Diana is like’ ?”

“You're right,” Akko tried to reassure, doing her best to swallow the last bouts of merriment before they escaped from her betraying mouth. “I'm sorry.” Trying to help soothe any other hurt feelings, Akko reached over and grabbed Eevee and held the little fox up so she was standing on her back legs and nudged her front paws into a pleading stance.

“Please forgive us,” Akko continued, her face hidden behind the annoyed foxes head in her best Eevee impersonation voice. 

Diana considered the other girl, staring at Eevee with a less than amused glare before the fox wiggled out of her trainer’s grasp and returned to her grooming. Letting out a sigh, Diana rubbed her forehead before her eyes flickered down and then turned to look away, clearing her throat. “Fine, apology accepted. Let's just get going.”

“So gracious,” Akko teased playfully, shrinking back when icey blue turned back to her in a narrowed warning.

“Don't push it,” Diana snapped back. “Wait, what are you doing?!” she rushed out, watching as Akko lowered her hands to pull her shirt up so she could try to wring some of the water out of it. The action exposed the brunette's stomach and soft abs flexing under sun-tanned skin, speaking to how fit the other girl was. It surprised Diana momentarily before her eyes were drawn to her arms as they flexed to twist the fabric tightly in her grasp.

Luckily for the entranced girl, Akko was too focused on her task to notice and Diana quickly fixed her gaze on the very interesting tree to her left before she was caught.

“You said I was too wet so I'm just trying to dry off a bit.” Akko explained, watching as the water ran out of her shirt and onto her sneakers. Beside her Eevee yipped and jumped out of the way, letting out a cross between a hiss and a bark at how close that new waterfall had nearly soaked her very recently groomed side.

“Right,” Diana replied, looking above Akko's head and studying that also very interesting leaf. “Let's just get going before people start wondering where we are.”

Akko snorted. “Sucy would just love that.”

“Excuse me?” Diana asked.

With a shake of her head, Akko laughed. “I'll explain another time.”

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 7

 A Wild A Pidgey Appears!?

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“So,” Diana drawled, clearing her throat as she tried to break the awkward silence that the travelling trainers had found themselves in. Akko had her arm slung across Diana's shoulders and was limping along trying her best to keep her weight off her injured ankle. Feeling guilty about their slow pace, Akko had tried a few times to speed up only to be scolded by Diana to take it easy so she didn’t hurt herself further. The terse exchange had left neither girl with an inkling as to what to say. 

The pair had managed to step on each other's feet, stumble, crash down and bump into each other awkwardly in the past half hour since they had begun their agonizingly slow trek back to Akko's camp site. All the while trying their best to minimize contact and snarky comments.

The blunders had left the taller brunette flustered and embarrassed, which she masked with awkward jokes, though unsuccessfully. It left the air silent between them except for breathed curses as they tripped over yet another tree root. How it was that tree roots of all things could be that stealthy, Akko wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn at this point they were out to get her.

“What were you doing out so early at the river anyway?” Diana continued, glancing out of the corner of her eye at her grumbling companion

Akko had her cheeks puffed and brows furrowed, almost missing Diana's sudden question to her inner monologue. “Same thing we do every morning,” she snapped, wincing as the throbbing in her ankle caused another distracting pang to run up her leg and eliciting a defeated sigh from the other girl.

“And that would be?” Diana pressed patiently, ignoring her urge to snap back and instead kept her voice even.

Akko eyed her skeptically, wondering if she should trust the other girl. While Diana had made an effort to be nicer at the river, that didn't mean it couldn't all be a ruse to find something new to use against her. It was hard to forget their only other meeting.

And it had been Diana that had made it public knowledge about her low standing in the rankings. Then again, she had also said it was available information to anyone who wanted to look, so maybe she shouldn’t put all that blame on the other girl.

Akko glanced down at the mostly dry fox trotting a safe distance to her side, Eevee’s tail still hanging lower than usual from its residual dampness, but seeming much happier than a short while ago.

Diana had also come over as soon as the fight ended and tended to Eevee, which Akko had to admit was really nice of her. Perhaps she owed her a second chance to prove she wasn't a complete snob.

“Akko?” Diana pressed, drawing the other girl out of her inner debate. “If you don't want to tell me it's fine, I was just—”

“No.” Akko shook her head and attempted a smile, which was difficult with the throbbing in her ankle. “I'm sorry, I was just thinking. You're probably going to think it's stupid.” Akko blushed, remembering all the teasing she had endured throughout her childhood and during her application interview. 

“I don't think you're stupid, Akko,” Diana replied, pursing her lips, cheek turned away. 

Akko studied the other girl before deciding to take the plunge. “Well, about eight? Maybe nine years ago, there was an interview with Shiny Chariot,” Akko began, ignoring the look Diana gave her as her attention snapped back to the other girl, looking slightly bewildered.

“She is kind of my idol,” Akko admitted. For some reason she found that much more embarrassing to admit to Diana than it had been with Lotte and Sucy. “Anyway, she said that she believed that training with your pokemon is important in order to create a strong bond and mutual respect. She believed that in order to be a great trainer that you had to train yourself as much as your partners. Because it wasn't fair to ask them to do something you wouldn't do yourself. She said that was the key to absolute trust.”

Akko found herself grinning wide as she looked up at the sky that peeked through the forest canopy, barely able to make out the flock of Pidgey that flew above. “I remember afterwards, she gave a demonstration of that trust—”

“With her Pidgeot, Alcor,” Diana finished, blinking and seeming to realize she had completed Akko's train of thought out loud rather than in her head and turned a deep shade of crimson.

“You saw it too!” Akko gasped, eyes going wide and all but bouncing with excitement. 

Diana opened and closed her mouth, swallowing before looking away, “Everyone saw that interview, Akko.” The retort came out cold, instantly quashing Akko’s growing excitement and feeling of kinship.

“Oh.”Akko deflated slightly. “Well, anyway... After watching her trust fall, she looked so peaceful, so certain that Alcor would catch her as she fell towards the stadium floor. I decided right then and there that was the type of trainer I wanted to be. So I started to follow her workout regimen and Eevee and I have done it together every day since.” Smiling, Akko could almost see the image of Shiny Chariot as her bright red hair whipped around in the wind, facial features relaxed, a grin breaking out before her eyes snapped open and she reached out, as if sensing Alcor as he reached her.

Diana pondered Akko's explanation, face scrunched up and body tense as they continued on their trek. “Anyway, I know I have a lot to learn still. But, one day, we'll make it to the pokemon league, and then I'll get the answers I'm looking for,” Akko finished, her voice dropping to a whisper as she breathed out the final declaration.

“Akko—” Diana began, jumping in surprise when she heard another voice pierce their conversation.

“Akko!” Lotte yelled, waving from the small clearing by their tent before jogging over to her teammate and rescuer. “Where have you been?” the smaller girl asked, looking between the two trainers in front of her, a thousand questions on the tip of her tongue but held in for another time. “Are you okay?”

“H-hey, Lotte,” Akko stammered, suddenly nervous as she tried to push away from Diana who held her firmly by the hip, shooting the other girl a warning glare. She had not gone through all the effort to help Akko hobble back to camp just to injure herself further to save face.

“Akko took a bit of a tumble and injured her ankle. Is there anywhere she can sit down?” Diana asked, her fingers digging painfully into Akko's side in a silent warning to stop being foolish when she felt the other girl once again try to break away.

“Of course.” Lotte took one last look at the pair before walking back to their camp and gesturing to the fallen log they had been using as a bench. Sucy looked up from her notes, glancing between the two trainers with barely contained amusement before silently returning to her writing.

“Thank you, Lotte. I trust you'll keep her off her feet for a day or two?” Diana asked, bending and helping Akko sit on the log, who in turn let out a sigh of relief. “I'm afraid my own teammates will be wondering where I am. I've been gone much longer than I said I would be.”

“I will do my best.” Lotte smiled sweetly, reaching down to scratch Eevee behind the ears as the kit ran up to the ginger-haired girl and twirled in a circle.

Diana returned a small smile and nodded, hesitating before turning to leave. “I will see you in Pewter City, Akko.”

Lotte looked down at Akko who was chewing on her bottom lip before nudging the other girl none too gently, and nodding towards Diana.

“Thank you,” Akko peeped. “You know...” She reached up to scratch the back of her head. “For helping me.”

Diana smiled, this time genuinely before nodding in acknowledgment. “I’m sure you would have done the same for me, had the situation been reversed,” she replied graciously before walking back down the path the way they had come moments earlier. 

Sucy and Lotte watched the other girl leave, waiting until they were sure she was out of earshot before turning to Akko—who had yet to take her gaze off the retreating figure of the other trainer—in unison.

“Are you going to tell us what happened?” Lotte asked, trying her best to suppress a smile.

~o~

Akko lay on her back on the grass, head resting on her knapsack, ankle elevated and wrapped in a new splint while swiping the screen of her pokedex, flipping to the next page. She had never had the opportunity to use anything like a pokedex before. The information in it was nearly limitless and each time she finished, hell, even started a new article or research paper, she was bookmarking three more for later. The sheer amount of information that was just there was mind boggling and it seemed like no matter what she wanted to learn about pokemon, it was available.

The young trainer couldn't help but wonder how much the other trainers knew in comparison to her. She had heard that those who trained at the academy had gotten pokedexes when they enrolled. If that was true, then Akko had a lot of catching up to do. Not that it mattered. All that meant was she had a lot more room to grow than everyone else. That was a good way to look at it. Akko nodded to herself, flicking to the next page.

Beside her, Eevee chewed on a stick while Akko's free hand dropped back down after flicking the screen to run her fingers once again through the thick fur coat.

As her fingers worked a stubborn knot in Eevee's mane, the kit stiffened, ears flicking forward as she locked her soft chocolate coloured eyes on something. The sudden shift caught Akko's attention and her fingers stilled, checking to see if she had accidentally pinched her friend while trying to get the knot out.

“What is it?” Akko asked, finding that Eevee hadn't even glanced in her direction, and was staring past the top of Akko's head, when the trainer heard a soft rustle. Stilling instantly, Akko tried to judge how she should react by Eevee's response.

The fox had her head tilted curiously, blinking slowly and nose twitching but otherwise unperturbed. Her body was stiff, but she didn’t look upset or scared. The coarse fur running along her spine wasn’t raised, so whatever it was it couldn’t be too dangerous.

Careful not to make any sudden movements, Akko slowly started to roll to her side when she heard a couple canisters clash against each other and fall onto the grass, followed by a soft chirp and the rustle of feathers.

Once Akko was at an angle where she could crane her head to see what Eevee was watching so closely, she found a small Pidgey pecking at an open can of food, flitting around by the top of her bag. The bird pokemon was rotating between using its talons and beak to pilfer Akko’s food, too engrossed in its task to notice the duo watching it intently.

This was their chance! Breath hitching, Akko held perfectly still, fingers still tangled in Eevee's mane waiting for the right moment so they didn’t scare off the bird pokemon. They had already learned that the Pidgeys in this forest would sooner run away than fight. She just needed to be patient.

Oblivious, the pidgey pecked at the food pellets, chirping happily before bouncing around to the other side, tail feathers wiggling as it happily readied itself to continue its feast before freezing, finally registering the two sets of eyes trained its thieving frame. The small avian creature tilted its head one way, then the other, before ruffling its wings and glancing down at the unfinished feast, debating if it had enough time for just a little more. 

Deciding it was safe to try for one more bite, the pidgey pecked at the pellet it had been working on, trying to take the rest in its beak before opening its wings to take off.

“Now!” Akko yelled and Eevee instantly opened her mouth, releasing a barrage of glowing stars that battered into the pidgey who cried out in surprise from where he hovered no more than a few centimeters off the ground.

Knocked off course, the bird pokemon stumbled into the bag where the open food containers were still sitting and Akko took the opportunity to clamp her backpack shut and cry out in triumph. “We did it!” She yelled, holding the bag shut against the beating wings and barrage of startled chirps. “I think...?”Akko finished, uncertain as the bag started to swirl and she heard a faint sound of fabric ripping.

Realizing that capturing a small bird with sharp talons, a razor beak, and an assortment of wind attacks in the bag that housed all of her clothes and belongings may not have been the best idea, Akko heard a faint whirring sound followed by a click as the bag went silent.

After a few cautious moments, she took a deep breath and decided to open the bag, keeping the opening squished shut so she could squint in through a sliver and ready to slam it shut if the pidgey was simply playing dead. Inside she found food pellets everywhere and even her card collection was safely intact—somehow, albeit covered in feathers. However, what caught her eye and made her hands relax so the bag fell open was that one of her pokeballs that had been knocked loose, expanded to its full size, sitting right in the middle of the mess.

Hands shaking, Akko reached down and looked at the pokeball, wide eyed and at a loss for words.

There was no pidgey in her bag… just the expanded pokeball, which meant…

Excitement threatened to explode forth from deep within and Akko glanced down at her partner who was watching her, equally full of anticipation. Sensing the good news, Eevee’s tail started to wag softly, cocking her head at her trainer and waiting while letting out small yips.

Taking a steadying breath, Akko tried to stop her arms from shaking as she reached inside to grasp the pokeball in her hand. Taking a moment to quell her nerves, Akko swallowed the lump in her throat before she tossed the pokeball onto the grass and a red beam of light produced her newly captured pidgey.

In front of her the small bird pokemon looked around, confused before making eye contact with its new trainer. 

“We did it!” Akko screamed, arms thrusting in the air and exclamation loud enough to send the other hiding pidgey springing into the air with unhappy cries. Her newly minted teammate regarded her slowly before bouncing back over to her pack and continuing to peck at its earlier snack, seemingly unperturbed about its new situation and more concerned with finishing its ransacking.

Eevee, all but wriggling with excitement, jumped directly for Akko's arms, trusting she would be caught before lavishing her trainer with licks across her face. Laughing, Akko caught the fox and snapped a quick picture, making sure to get her new friend in the background as he continued to eat his well earned dinner.

She had barely finished taking the picture before Lotte ran into view, worry and panic on her face as she came up to her teammate.

“What happened?” She asked, walking past Sucy who was sitting at the entrance of their tent nearby.

“A pidgey caught itself in one of Akko's pokeballs,” she drawled, amusement, or perhaps, happiness for the girl threatening to crack an expression across her face.

“No! Eevee hit it with Swift and we caught it!” Akko protested, and Eevee twisted in her arms, growling low at Sucy as if to confirm Akko’s story as the true version.

“That's amazing, Akko!” Lotte grinned. “I'm so proud of you!”

Blushing, Akko scratched the back of her head. “Thanks, Lotte.” The trainer flushed, feeling guilty that it was only half the story. “Sucy is right too, though. It did kinda run into the ball after Eevee hit it...”

“Well, however it happened, you are now the proud trainer of a pidgey. That's what you wanted right?” Lotte argued gently, nudging Sucy with her foot and shooting the other girl a look.

“Right, good job,” the other girl said, following her prompt to a T. 

Akko beamed, looking back at the pidgey who noticed the attention on him and flapped over to the other side of the bag, dragging its winnings along with it, cheeks full and wings straining to carry the load as big as itself. “I just wish I could show Diana. I took a picture.”

Lotte blinked at her, “Why Diana?”

Akko considered the question and swallowed the response that jumped to the tip of her tongue first, and instead said, “Because I want to show her how her rival is doing. I bet she doesn't have a second pokemon yet! You know, rival stuff!”

Sucy snorted, head propped up on her open palm and for once she seemed more interested in the conversation between her teammates than with her note taking. “Then why don't you just tell her?”

“What do you mean?” Akko asked. Diana wasn't there and she had no idea where her camp was. Plus, Akko was fairly certain if she ran around the forest trying to find her camp that she’d end up just getting scolded since she had told her to stay off her ankle for a day or two.

“The pokedex can send and receive messages from anyone you've registered and has accepted you as a contact.” Lotte explained. “I already have most of my class registered in mine. Along with you two, of course.”

“It can do that?” Akko asked, jumping when her new pidgey pecked her arm curiously before holding out her hand for the bird to inspect. Eevee watched her new teammate with avid fascination and a hint of jealous protectiveness from her perch on Akko's lap. As the pidgey cocked its head and studied Akko’s finger, it opened its beak to see if maybe this part of the human was edible before receiving a quick whack on the top of its head by Eevee’s paw.

“You mean you haven't gotten around to asking Diana for her number yet?” Sucy asked, smirking and earning a swift kick from Lotte. “I mean, it would be useful since you're rivals ,” she amended. It was just far too much fun to tease the bumbling brunette. Akko seemed to get easily worked up when Diana was mentioned, even if Lotte didn't approve of her taunting.

“No...” Akko admitted, scratching at her cheek with her pointer finger. Truthfully it had never even occurred to her to ask. It wasn’t like she had ever been able to contact someone without using her parents’ computer or phone. Or that she had very many friends in the first place. Clapping her hands together and earning a surprised squawk from the puffed up pidgey who was currently in a standoff with Eevee, Akko made a declaration.

“Well that just means I need to make sure to ask Diana for her number next time I see her!”

Akko beamed. What could possibly go wrong with asking your rival for her phone number?

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 8

Class is in Session

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

It had been two weeks since Akko had departed on her journey and just over a week since she had caught her new companion who she had nicknamed Mizar, which had been Lotte's suggestion. Akko had wanted a cool nickname for her pidgey. After all, Shiny Chariot's pidgey had one, so it was only right that hers did as well.

Lotte had explained that Alcor was the name of one of the stars in the big dipper, and that Alcor's partner star was named Mizar. So since Alcor was the star of Shiny Chariot’s show, Akko’s would be Mizar!

However, no matter how hard Akko tried to connect with her new companion, her new pidgey didn't give two flaps about what his trainer wanted. Whenever the small bird pokemon was released from his ball, he would ignore the beckons of his trainer and instead steal whatever food he could get his beak on, much to Akko's continued frustration. It didn’t seem to matter how or where they stored their food. Mizar seemed gifted when it came to figuring out how to remove lids or search out the hidden troves.

Sucy, however, loved the little bird and had made it a habit to watch Akko's nightly attempts at bonding with the pokemon. She would sit and watch, snickering the entire time and thoroughly enjoying the continued failure. The researcher even began to eat her nightly ‘snack’ at exactly the same time as Akko tried to bond with Mizar, which she claimed was a coincidence, but Akko was nearly certain it was on purpose. Needless to say, it certainly didn’t help matters.

Lotte, on the other hand, was making a lot of progress with her new Pikachu and had already begun to put on joint performances involving both Growlithe and the small rodent. Akko couldn’t help but feel a little jealous at how easy training seemed to come to Lotte. After all, she wasn’t even a trainer . That was Akko’s thing!

Plus, the first coordinator competition wasn't for another month and a half, to be held in Cerulean City! Meanwhile, Akko’s first gym battle was rapidly coming up and she needed to make progress with Mizar if she wanted any hope of winning! Still, it was nice to see Lotte so excited with her eyes set on the first place ribbon while she praised her pokemon for another job well done.

While Lotte was quickly becoming a good friend, Sucy was still a mystery to Akko. The girl was constantly scribbling in her book and making notes about different plants they encountered or pulling random webs or other pokemon—er, leftovers—into bags and labeling them for later, all the while muttering to herself with either a look of complete boredom or a grin that made Akko’s hair stand on end like a caterpie with a fearow hot on its tail. Akko hoped that the feeling of absolute dread and danger that accompanied Sucy’s grin and creepy giggle was just that she didn’t understand the other girl. Rather than, you know, actual danger.

It didn’t help that one night Sucy had offered to feed all the camp's pokemon, which Akko had initially appreciated until she came to see if she needed help only to find Sucy sprinkling some form of herbs on their food. She claimed it wouldn't hurt them but Akko had snatched Eevee away and gotten the fox a new bowl of food before trying desperately to take the food away from Mizar and earning a few new bite marks for her effort.

On a bright note, Eevee was excelling at an impressive pace. With Lotte's help and Akko's new-found, seemingly endless archive of information, they had changed their morning workouts and Eevee's speed and strength were already showing signs of improvement. Lotte had helped her adjust the kit’s food as well and Eevee seemed both happier with it, plus her coat was looking healthier. Akko found herself really proud of how much progress Eevee had made in such a short time.

If that wasn’t enough, the small fox had also perfected her Swift attack and had begun to learn two new ones that Akko was beyond excited to debut in her first gym battle. 

“...Akko, are you listening?” Lotte asked, pausing as the trio turned a bend in the path. They could make out the stone archway that signaled the entrance to Pewter City. 

Shaking herself out of her daydream, Akko forced her attention back on what Lotte was explaining. “Sorry, Lotte.” The preoccupied trainer flashed a goofy grin and scratched the back of her head. “I kinda got distracted when I saw a cloud that looked like Eevee, and I imagined how cool it will look when she lands a direct hit and knocks out the gym leader's pokemon in one hit!” Akko fist pumped, and beside her Eevee crooned, puffing out her fluffy chest with pride and confidence.

Lotte returned Akko's enthusiasm with a soft smile of her own, readjusting her backpack. “Well, just remember that gym leaders are really strong—”

“Ya, ya.” Akko waved off Lotte's warnings. As strong as they were, it wouldn't matter. She and Eevee were stronger than ever! “It won't matter, not when I have this rock star as my partner! I bet we could even take down Cobalt. Eevee's just as fast as that Ponyta now.”

Eevee meeped in agreement, bouncing and nearly tripping as she tried to puff her chest out even further.

“Even so... remember you only have two tries at this, Akko. Each season you get two attempts at each gym, and if you don't pass them in order you can't continue with the trials. You also have to complete each gym within a month of the previous one. It's already been two weeks since we began which means you only have two weeks left.

“Some of the other trainers in your class have already beaten the first gym and are using the two weeks left to capture more pokemon and train so they can leave as soon as the month is up,” Lotte cautioned, poking at the screen of her pokedex to bring up the rankings.

“What?!” Akko exclaimed, immediately invading Lotte's personal space to peer over her shoulder at the rankings brought up on the screen. It took a moment for the new tally to load and Akko groaned as she read the name at the top of the list. Of course Diana would be number one, and she had already beaten the Pewter gym.

“What do those numbers on the side mean?” Akko asked, pointing at the three columns.

Lotte blushed, “Oh, um,” she stammered, nervous and trying to think of a way to answer without setting Akko down a dangerous—and probably impulsive—path. While it was true that Akko had improved drastically, her ego had swelled at an even quicker rate and it was causing the fledgling trainer to make some brash decisions. “Well...”

Before she could reply, Sucy peered over Lotte's other shoulder and replied in her usual deadpan, “The first column is how many pokemon the trainer used to complete the gym. See how it says one out of two? That means she was allowed to use two. Usually you're allowed to use the same number as the gym leader has registered to use. So Diana completed the gym with only one pokemon knocking out both of the gym leaders.” 

Akko scoffed, muttering under her breath. “So? Eevee's going to do the same thing. It's not that impressive...” Scrunching up her nose, Akko hunched her shoulders and couldn’t help but wonder if Diana had used the same strategy to get her Boulder Badge as she had used against her.

Sucy smirked and continued her explanation. “The second column is how many attempts it took for the trainer to complete the gym and earn the badge. Again you'll notice that Diana only used one of her two attempts. So she took down the gym on her first try.

“And the last column is how long the battle took,” Sucy finished, thoroughly enjoying the immense displeasure on Akko's face. 

“So that means that three trainers have passed the gym already, and nearly a dozen have tried once already. Who are Andrew and Amanda?” Akko asked, trying to ignore the fact that if what Sucy said was true, then Diana had beaten the gym in less than seven minutes while using only one pokemon, while the other two that had completed the gym had taken more than double the time and had both used their second pokemon. Was she really that much better than the rest of the applicants?

Or maybe they had just swapped to their second pokemon? That was possible. Sucy didn’t say they had to be knocked out and from the other matches Akko had watched they were allowed to swap.

Akko scrunched up her nose, Diana's soft smile while she took care of Eevee creeping its way to her mind's eye before she forcefully shoved the image away. It didn’t matter. All that meant was now she knew the bar she had to beat. If anything, Diana did her a favour by making it so low! Eevee could beat seven minutes.

“Well, if I remember right both of them attended the academy with Diana and had graduated in the top five. There's rumors that Andrew is childhood friends with Diana and they’re ‘very close,'” Lotte explained, using air quotes around the last distinction. 

Akko squirmed, finding that bit of information more irritating than the rankings themselves. “But of course, that's just a rumor.” Lotte shrugged, closing her pokedex and returning it to her pocket. “All I know for sure is that his family is just as old, wealthy and well known as Diana's. You might recognize his last name actually... even though you didn't recognize Cavendish. It's Hanbridge.”

Akko snapped to attention at the mention of Andrew’s last name, “Wait, Hanbridge. Isn't that the same last name as the league commissioner?” Akko asked.

“Yes, his dad is the head of the League Commission. He’s the one in who gets the last say in all the Kanto League matters,” Lotte confirmed.

Akko swallowed the lump in her throat. So her rival was friends with the family who literally ran the Kanto League Cup and was on a seat for the world cup. That wasn't—well it was— really impressive, not that this new information was going to intimidate Akko… not in the slightest. But just because Andrew’s dad was some big hot shot and Diana's entire family were literally titled Masters just meant that her rival was a high enough bar to reach for. Right? It would be pointless to have a lesser rival when Akko was going to be the next Kanto Champion. Exactly.

“Well, what about Amanda?” Akko asked, silently praying she wasn't another legacy. The last thing she needed was a third arrogant hoity-toity to deal with, and she hadn’t even met Andrew yet, but Akko was certain he would be equally as suffocating.

“Amanda O'Neill. She isn't as well known as Diana or Andrew but she scored very high at the Academy. She's known for using speed based strategies and is rather hot-headed with sudden bouts of aggression in her battling. 

“What's interesting about her is she actually transferred from another region, opting to start in Kanto when she heard she was in the same age group as both the Cavendish and the Hanbridge heirs. She said she came to Luna Nova specifically for the competition,” Lotte explained as the trio walked under the stone archway that had Pewter City chiseled into the granite, the aged stone smooth with slight cracks showing.

The city, while much smaller than their starting point, was still impressive. Every building was either constructed from stone or incorporated the material in some way, either through decoration or building foundation. The city was quiet, a far cry from the hustle and constant thrum of Viridian City. The forest encircled the City, with the mountains looming in the background. 

As they made their way towards the pokemon center to check in, Akko was chewing on her bottom lip, some of her earlier confidence rushing out of the tiny hole Lotte had poked. As much as she didn’t want to admit it—and never would outloud—the competition was starting to get to her, especially since a lot of what she was learning was supposed to be common knowledge and yet she’d never heard of any of this before. Then again, Akko hadn’t had much interest in knowing any of the who’s-who growing up, other than Shiny Chariot, that is. 

She had spent all of her time with Eevee and helping out on the ranch, so maybe there was a lot that the other trainers didn’t know that she had learned growing up, even if she didn’t recognize some random last names.

“How do you know all of this anyways?” Akko asked, hoping to make herself feel a little better.

“You mean you haven't read everyone's bios?” Sucy asked, a smirk twitching into place as she drawled out her next tidbit of sarcasm. “I'm amazed you haven't memorized Diana's already. You know they have pictures, right?”

“Wait, we have bios?” Akko rebutted, gawking. How could they possibly have bios? Akko didn’t remember filling anything out. Unless that meant someone had followed her for a while and she hadn’t noticed. That wasn’t a creepy thought at all.

Snorting, Sucy replied, “Yes, of course. How do you think they pay for this whole thing? Why we don't have to pay for the medical care your pokemon receives, or the rooms at the pokemon center? Groceries? Literally anything? It was all in the agreement you signed before this all began, Akko.”

Akko paused. She did vaguely remember signing something that Professor Ursula had tried to explain to her, but all she remembered is that if she signed it she could become a trainer and take the gym challenge, so she did. Nothing else had really seemed to matter so she had just signed beside the marked x.

“...Yes?” Akko replied sheepishly, realizing afterwards that her response did not answer anything.

Lotte giggled. “Well, you see, being a trainer is like any professional sport. Right now you're considered a rookie and your stats, team and records are all recorded in your bio, along with where you came from and any other points of interest. People follow the season as it progresses and are able to watch your battles online and even sponsor different trainers they think show promise.

“Everyone has a bio and a tally of their battles and a list of their captured pokemon. You can edit your own 'About Me' section if you want to.” The coordinator shrugged and adjusted her backpack, waiting a moment as she saw the gears turning in Akko’s head. “I’m sure you’ve probably seen Shiny Chariot’s bio and stat page, right?”

“Ya!” Akko quickly turned mid-stride to beam at Lotte. Seen Shiny Chariot’s page might be putting it lightly, because she had all of her stats and battles memorized. She even had pages for all her pokemon, with information on their health, likes and dislikes, favourite foods and their progress. If that was what Lotte was talking about, that wasn’t so bad. 

“Okay, but what do you mean sponsors? If we already get everything for free why do we need those?” Akko asked. It seemed rather silly to be sponsored if her room, medical and food was already taken care of. What else could she and Eevee need? Although, with the amount of food Mizar seemed to eat, maybe a sponsor or two wouldn’t hurt.

“Well,” Lotte began trying to think of how to explain it. “As the season progresses, the applicants gain a fan following and it helps sell tickets for the League tournament at the end of the season and how they pay for all the services you use. Like our pokedex, for example,” Lotte explained. “Sponsors usually work for companies that are trying to sell different products. So… um,” Lotte paused, trying to figure out how to get Akko to understand. “So, like the shoes you’re wearing. If they were to sponsor you, they would expect you to wear their brand during battles as part of their sponsorship so your fans see it.”

Akko scrunched up her nose. That didn’t make a lot of sense. Why would she go to a battle without wearing shoes? Either way, it didn’t sound all that difficult.

“Okay,” Akko breathed, making a mental note to check out her own page later. “So you've read everyone's bio and even stuff like who's, er—” Akko looked away, ignoring the discomfort as she continued. “Who's close with who is on there? Like, personal stuff.” 

Sucy snickered, earning a smack from Lotte, who replied to Akko's inquiry. “Well, it can be, but those are more fan forum posts and usually don't show up until later in the season. I heard those rumors from the coordinator chat room.”

“Wait, the what?” Akko whirled, “You have a chat room?”

“Yes, we all do, Akko,” Lotte replied, “It's where we can ask advice from the others in our class, have discussions or share ideas. Sucy is constantly on hers.”

As Akko turned to look at the other girl in question, Sucy nodded in confirmation before adding, “Didn't you notice the icon at the top of your home screen that had a number that was constantly going up?”

“Well, ya,” Akko replied, recalling the rectangle that was constantly beeping and interrupting the videos she was watching. Honestly, she had just assumed it was there to irritate her. 

“That's your new messages. Any messages from the chat rooms you were automatically put into as well as messages from other people who also own a pokedex who's number you've exchanged will be in there,” Sucy explained as they walked through the entrance of the pokecenter.

The building smelt of cleaning supplies and medicine wafted out of the front doors as they whooshed open. The public building was filled with chatter and laughter, with different trainers and pokemon owners gathered in the lounge area, waiting while Nurse Joy took care of their partners. The entire building thrummed with life. 

Akko made a mental note to read through the messages in her chat rooms later when they were in their room. She had been looking forward to sleeping in a real bed instead of the forest floor all week. While the forest was much better for pokemon training, she desperately needed a long, hot shower and yearned to sleep in a big, soft bed. Plus, Eevee also really needed a bath since she still smelt badly after her dip in the river.

“Well, if it isn't the class clown,” a voice chirped from their left and Akko froze instantly. She recognized that voice. That was the voice of the same girl that had been among the loudest of those taunting her back at the academy.

Spinning on her heel to face her new foe, Akko paused when she recognized the face from Lotte's pokedex screen. The girl in front of her, with the taunting voice, was Amanda. She was standing with her arms crossed over her chest and a cocky smirk on her lips.

The other girl was approximately the same height as Akko and was just as athletically toned. “ I was beginning to wonder if you’d make it at all. We’ve been waiting all week. Truth be told, I'm surprised you made it this far, even if you do look worse for wear stumbling after out of the forest.”

Akko scowled, mirroring her stance as she folded her arms as well and puffed up her chest. “Why are you surprised? I beat Diana, remember?” Akko countered as Lotte and Sucy came up behind her.

The other girl scoffed, blowing a stray strand of scarlet hair out of her eyes. “Please, you only won on a technicality because Diana was reluctant to punish your poor partner more than she already had. She took pity on you and that runt of an Eevee.”

Akko could feel a deep blush creep up her neck and colour her cheeks. She had also noticed how Diana had hesitated. But it wasn't pity, she was just—well, it didn’t matter! What mattered was that Akko had won .

“If you're so sure about that, then why don't we have a battle, and I'll show you that it wasn't a fluke or because of pity or anything!” Akko challenged, ignoring the loud, deep laughter that followed as the other girl threw her head back and guffawed.

“Sure, I'll battle you. But only because I'm tired of listening to all the whispering about how you might have actually beat Diana fairly. Which we both know is bullshit.” Amanda growled, spitting out the last part with disgust. “It’ll be a cold day in hell when Cavendish loses to a nobody like you.”

“Fine, then you're on!” Akko all but shouted, thrusting her hand out to finish the agreement, feeding off her earlier confidence. She would shut Amanda up, and show everyone that she deserved to be here.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 9

On You Mark!

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

“Alright then!” Amanda smirked, arms crossed and stance wide as she stood on the far end of a battle skirmish field located on the outskirts of Pewter City. Directly opposite to her stood Akko, in the faded outline of the opposing trainer’s box. Eevee stood at her side, ready for the battle to start.

Against Lotte's protesting, the two hot-headed trainers had stormed their way to the field, Akko spitting mad and grumbling the entire way, only pausing to let Nurse Joy have a quick look at Eevee and Mizar to assure they were both in fighting shape.

Amanda wasn't right. There was no way the only reason she had won her fight with Diana was because she pitied her, pitied Eevee for winding up with such a useless and talentless trainer. And what did she mean by listening to the whispers about her battle with Diana? Did that have something to do with the chatrooms that Lotte had mentioned earlier? 

Apparently being away from the other combatants hadn't slowed down their cruel remarks in the slightest. To make matters even worse, it seemed she had unintentionally dragged Diana into their line of fire at the same time. As much as she disliked the other girl, she didn’t want to cause her any cruelty.

“Are you ready—” Amanda began before being cut off mid sentence, swinging her attention back towards town. 

“Wait!” Lotte hollered, clearly out of breath as she jogged through the back gate with a Professor close at her heels. The coordinator had disappeared when neither trainer had slowed or heeded any of her pleas, taking off in a different direction at a feverish pace.

Behind Akko, Sucy perked up with mild interest and there were soft remarks from Amanda's two watching teammates. The first was a short girl, possibly the shortest in the class, who was typing rapidly on a modified keyboard for her pokedex which seemed to be fastened to her wrist. Her dark hair was tied back in a low hanging ponytail, fastened with a large red bow.

The other girl was much taller and slightly stockier than her two teammates. Her hair was a soft pink, tied in two loose braids that ran down either shoulder. She wore a wide smile that was gentle and warm, seeming to hold no animosity towards either party. 

“What is it, Lotte?” Akko asked, genuinely confused and concerned as her friend held up a finger to catch her breath. It had to be important if Lotte felt it was necessary to interrupt what would be her second victory in a row.

“I can answer for her, I believe.” The Professor smiled weakly, and Akko recognized her as Professor Ursula from the Academy. The very same one who had resided over her battle with Diana.

“What are you doing here, Professor?” Akko asked, flicking her eyes towards Amanda as she noticed the redhead jog over so she could hear the conversation. 

“Well you see, Akko, a group of the Professors follow the combatants and applicants during the journey so that we can be nearby in case something happens so they can offer assistance. This way, they are also close if someone is struggling or injured. While you're all old enough and capable enough to take care of yourself, you're still all fledglings and still in training and it's our job to help along the way. As you’re also aware, you're all representing the Pokemon League or Commission, and it's our job to make sure you're following the regulations in place,” Ursula explained, her smile forced and tinged with sadness.

Amanda scoffed, folding her arms and blowing a strand of hair from her face, trying to appear aloof. “This was all explained back at the beginning of this thing. You'd know that if you had any business having a trainer's license.”

Clenching her fists, Akko swallowed a growl before Professor Ursula came to her defense. “You're correct, Miss O'Neill. Then I assume you must also be aware of the battle restrictions between trainers who have completed a gym challenge and those still needing to complete theirs? The rule is in place to stop trainers from purposefully keeping others from completing their gym challenge by injuring the other combatants pokemon. 

“In the past it has been an issue where some who have completed their gym battle would challenge another that hadn't in hopes of putting one of their partners out of commission until after the deadline had passed. While I'm sure this wasn't your intention, I still cannot allow yourself and Miss Kagari to have a battle until after she has passed or failed to pass the Pewter Gym.” The Professor pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, struggling to keep the smile on her face from growing.

“After all, as you so aptly put it, that too was also explained back on the very first day,” she added.

Amanda grumbled, kicking a patch of dirt. Akko felt a momentary elation before she realized that meant that she wasn't allowed to battle Amanda at all. So how was she supposed to make the other girl stop insulting her and Diana? Or just her? Why Diana popped up in that thought Akko wasn’t sure. 

She must have wanted to protect her rival because the stronger her rival is perceived the better it reflects on herself, right?

“But again, it was a lot to take in all at once. So it's understandable how a couple of minor points may have been forgotten, am I correct?” Professor Ursula pressed, voice gentle and non-accusatory as she kept her eyes locked on Amanda.

“...Yes, Professor,” Amanda grumbled in response, stuffing her hands into her jean shorts and kicking at a patch of dirt with a sour look on her face. The other girl was wearing a tight fitting black tank top with a baggy red one over top, the outline of a Moltres the fixture in the middle.

“Guess you got lucky, Kagari,” Amanda muttered, leaning in closer and lowering her voice to a whisper. “It's a shame, though. I guess that means I'll never get the chance to mop the floor with you, since there’s no way you and that runt Eevee are going to pass.” Shrugging, the cheeky redhead turned heel, not even giving Akko the chance to retort, and linked her fingers behind her head.

Sputtering, Akko opened her mouth to reply before another voice joined the debate, this one setting Akko's cheeks on fire. Of all the people to continuously grace her most embarrassing moments, of course it would be Cavenpriss.

“I wouldn't be so sure of that, Miss O'Neill,” Diana replied, spooking all of the previously concerned parties who had not noticed her quiet approach. To either side of the poised heiress stood her teammates, both about equal height. Akko recognized them instantly as two of the loudest to jeer at her back at the starting line.

The girl to Diana's left had shoulder length, wavy auburn hair that was tied back in a high ponytail with a perky yellow ribbon. She wore a mid-length skirt and could be pegged as a coordinator from a mile away. Even out on the road she wore a stylish and frilly white shirt and had her make-up done. Akko couldn't fathom how she had managed to pull that off. What did she do—pack a portable shower?

Directly opposite was a girl with longer, straight black hair. While she was more muted than her companion, she also held an air of privilege about her. Her posture was perfect, with a stiff straight back and elegant stride, keeping a perfectly timed one step pace behind her impromptu leader.

As the new trio finished their approach and Diana stood in an almost militant stance, feet spread at shoulders width and hands clasped behind her back with chin raised and jaw set, she turned an almost predatory gaze on Amanda. There was something there that made Akko’s hair stand on end, the same way it had back at the academy when she had held that same look. She still couldn’t quite place it, but Akko was nearly certain even if she had wanted to say something her mouth would refuse to open.

Amanda, stuck on the receiving end of that look, squirmed like captured prey and gulped, holding her spot and Diana's gaze, jaw grinding in a mock attempt to appear unphased.

“I do not appreciate the slander you've been painting the Cavendish name with.” Diana spoke with an even, calm tone that somehow still managed to send chills down Akko's spine. Eevee took a step back to cower behind her trainer's legs. “I understand that you are upset over your multiple losses at my hand while attending the academy, but that does not give you the right to go around attacking my family name. While you may not want to accept it, and Miss Kagari’s and my battle was not exactly traditional, Akko did best me. No matter how it was done or your speculation on why she won, the point stands that she did.”

Akko flinched. So Diana also believed that she had only won on a fluke. That was certainly what it sounded like, at the very least. At least that answered her question from earlier, even if the sting of hearing it from Diana wasn’t something Akko had expected.

“That being said, I will not allow such careless tarnishing to continue and I know that you will not be sated without some form of competition to flaunt your ego in. So, in an effort to extend a hand in peace, I will offer you this: we will have a race, consisting of Akko, yourself and I. Or, more precisely, a race between each of our partners.

“If I win, you will cease and desist with your cruel comments about both myself as well as Miss Kagari,” Diana continued. Akko perked up. She had not expected a race and was uncertain how she felt about Diana trying to protect her from Amanda. Maybe it was merely to cover her own hide, or perhaps it was pity. Regardless, Diana’s idea did offer her a way to prove herself without breaking the rules. It wasn’t a battle though, and Akko could fight for herself. She didn’t need Diana protecting her!

“I don't want any part in this race,” Akko snarled, and Diana turned to blink at her, surprised at Akko's angry tone. The prodigy shifted from surprise to confusion, eyebrows furrowing before she frowned. A ghost of hurt flitted across her features before she returned to her neutral position.

“That is your choice, Miss Kagari,” Diana replied, letting out a sigh before turning to look back at Amanda and the Professor. “I just had assumed you would be chomping at the bit for a chance to take Miss O'Neill up on her challenge from earlier. I was under the impression you were not the type to back down from a fight.”

Akko paused at that and reconsidered her earlier declaration, struggling between which would be the worst of her two options laid out before her. On one hand, Diana was right . She wanted nothing more than to put Amanda in her place and win her battles all on her own, without the help of a Professor or high and oh-so mighty Diana. 

On the other hand, accepting the offer would once again be accepting Diana's help and that was not something that sat well in her gut. She had already been forced to accept the other girl’s charity multiple times and each time she was left feeling lesser in a way. 

Diana was confusing, more so than anyone Akko had ever encountered. She could make her blood boil, embarrassed, or thoughtful. Somehow this gorgeous blonde who Akko had no clue as to how to read managed to bring a spike to her emotions that no one had before. Each interaction left her confused, analyzing every word, every movement trying to decipher even a small piece of what was real. 

It was why she was having so much trouble. Was Diana helping her to give Akko a way to prove herself for her own benefit, or for Akko’s?

Frowning, the confused trainer shook that thought away. Clearly it was for Diana’s own benefit and she was being a fool. She wouldn’t have stepped in if Amanda hadn’t been attacking the Cavendish name. Diana was just using this for her own benefit, and perhaps as a way to also defeat Akko after their last matchup to prove it really was just a fluke.

Oblivious to Akko’s inner dilemma, Diana continued to speak to Amanda, clarifying their competition. “If you win I will have this counted as if you had won a battle between us, or I will have one of your losses stricken from the Academy’s records. You may choose,” Diana concluded her explanation, turning to address Professor directly.

“To my knowledge this type of competition would not break any of the rules, whether Miss Kagari decides to partake or not. Is that correct, Professor?”

Ursula paused before replying, seeming to consider. “Well... I don’t believe it would break any rules, no. As long as it remained strictly non-combat.”

“Excellent, then what do you say?” Diana asked Amanda, flicking her gaze to Akko for the briefest of moments, questioning.

“What?! You can't be serious, Diana!” The girl with the auburn hair beside Diana balked, a hand shooting up to cover to heart. “It's bad enough they actually counted that joke of a match as a loss to her ,” She sneered in Akko's direction, huffing before turning up her nose and looking back at Diana. “On your battle record, a Cavendish with a recorded loss to some no-name riff-raff is bad enough. You can’t seriously be considering to allow another loss for a match that isn’t even real to—”

Diana frowned and held up her hand to silence the disgruntled girl. “While I appreciate your concern, Hannah, how I choose to represent my family name is up to me, and only me,” she retorted, jaw tense and successfully silencing her unhappy teammate who was immediately being comforted by her other teammate with hushed whispers. 

“Well, if you're so set on adding another loss to your nearly pristine record, who am I to say no?” Amanda replied, confidence radiating off her as she tossed a pokeball in the air before catching it with practiced ease. “But I'm surprised you proposed a race. I would have assumed you of all people would have remembered that my partner was the fastest in our class.”

“Oh, I remember. I'm simply confident that Cobalt will be able to beat your partner in a leg race,” Diana retorted, fighting down her grin and pushing a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. “Well, Miss Kagari, have you made up your mind on whether or not you will be participating?”

Still undecided, Akko glanced down at Eevee who was pressed against her calves watching the exchange with interest. The small kit perked up, large ears turning to fix on her trainer as her tail thumped against the ground. With a soft, affectionate coo, Eevee looked back at Akko, full of confidence and trust in whatever Akko decided.

Smiling, Akko found her resolve in the gaze of her partner and looked back up to address Diana. “Eevee seems to be up for it, so we're in! Besides, this is our chance to take you both down at the same time!” Akko declared, reaching down to pick up the fox and letting her clamber onto her shoulders where she took up her perch and bumped her head against Akko's cheek. Diana had no idea how much faster Eevee had gotten in the last few weeks of training with Lotte’s help. She was in for a Wailord sized surprise.

Amanda snorted, averting her gaze as she mumbled out her next inquiry. “And what happens if hell freezes over and Akko actually manages to win?”

“That would depend on what Miss Karagi would like.” Diana nodded, watching as Eevee continued to rub against Akko and almost fell from her perch in her overenthusiasm. “Akko?”

“I, uh—” Akko reached up to help steady her partner so she didn't fall and scratched behind her ears out of habit. She stopped to think about what she wanted. Honestly, just the opportunity to show the other, more seasoned trainers that she wasn't the joke everyone made her out to be was all she wanted. Just to be taken seriously. Like her father and mother always reminded her when her temper would get in the way, 'Respect is earned, it's not something you can demand.'

“If I win, I want to battle you both for real. No rules that tip the balance in my favour. I want a real battle, when and wherever I say.” Akko couldn't help it when her eyes flicked to Diana, catching her gaze. “Without either of you pulling any punches.” Finishing her request, Akko looked down and tried to suppress the flames that licked at her neck and cheeks. She had seen the confusion on Diana's face and could only assume the worst. She didn’t care if they gave her another win on her record or not, she just wanted the chance to prove she deserved the first one.

“Akko—” Diana began before being cut off by a bark of a laugh from Amanda.

“Fine, agreed! Silly thing to request though. Not that you have a Buneary's chance in hell of winning, but I would be happy to kick your ass anytime, anywhere, even when you don't win this race.” Still chuckling to herself, Amanda twirled her pokeball on the tip of her finger and looked back at the Professor. “So, how are we playing this?”

Akko nodded, confirming she accepted, and clenched her fists at her side. They could do this.

The three contestants decided to have the start and finish line be the entrance gate of the city. They agreed to wait there while the Professor monitored from above to ensure it remained fair. The city was surrounded with a stone brick wall, and the two team members of each competitor would wait at equal increments, shooting off signals into the air when one of the racing pokemon passed the marker so that the waiting trainers could keep a tab on their pokemon’s progress.

This would ensure that each pokemon made the entire trek as well as keeping an eye to make sure no fool-play was had during the race. They would be restricted from using any abilities that would increase their speed or give temporary bursts. Additionally, using any battle moves or body contact to impair another contestant was grounds for instant disqualification. 

“One more thing...” Professor Ursula reached into the pouch on her hip and grabbed a pokeball, tossing it into the air and summoning her partner. A larger than average Pidgeot burst forth and cooed at his trainer happily, landing carefully and folding his impressive wings. “My partner and I are going to keep an eye on the race from the air, just to make sure nothing goes amiss. Are you girls ready?”

The three participants nodded and Akko watched, curious about what Amanda's partner was. Diana had mentioned that her partner was fast, and Akko remembered from the other night that she had spent time reading up on Ponytas, that they were in the top three for land based pokemon in the Kanto region for speed. Which narrowed down Amanda's partner to one of two, unless her partner didn’t come from Kanto and was foreign like its trainer.

“Alright, here we go!” Amanda boomed, wearing a huge smirk. It was becoming a growing trend that all of the applicants that were vying for a trainers license seemed to share a competitive streak. Frankly, it shouldn’t have surprised Akko, considering this was a competition which led to a higher level of competition.

With a practiced flick, Amanda tossed her pokeball and the telltale red light erupted, revealing a tall, two legged, double headed bird pokemon. 

Doduo. Akko had to admit, the roadrunner certainly fit the redhead. From what she remembered when they had worked with Doduo back at her parent’s ranch, they were loud, competitive and loved to show off their speed. However, what really fit the bill was the sheer amount of cockiness and insatiable need to prove they were the best. She remembered her father having to constantly separate them from other pokemon, since each time another pokemon would begin to run or play the nearby Doduo would instantly run after it and tried to encourage a race.

Diana followed suit, summoning Cobalt from the confines of his pokeball. The equine pokemon shook his head, ears flopping back and forth before walking over to Diana and bumping her with his muzzle. With a soft murmur and a smile filled with affection, Diana scratched under his jaw and fished out a treat, holding her palm flat so he could take the offered sweet.

After receiving their instructions, each of the three pokemon lined up at the starting line, Eevee looking even smaller than normal in comparison to the two much larger pokemon. But if the small fox was intimidated, she didn't show it. She was in her hunkered stance, fur standing on end along her spine and muscles tense, ready to spring forward as soon as she was given the go ahead.

As they waited for Professor Ursula to spring to the air atop her Pidgeot—which Akko could swear looked bizarrely familiar—she became painfully aware of Diana’s close proximity. Uncomfortable, Akko tried to subtly take a step away, thinking perhaps she needed to make room for the other girl so she could see properly.

“On your mark!” The Professor began. “Get set!”

In unison, Cobalt, Eevee and Doduo tensed, ready to burst forward the second they were given the green light.

“Go!” Professor Ursula yelled, throwing her arm up, imitating a gate raising as the three pokemon took off leaving a thick cloud of dust in their wake.

Akko coughed. She felt tears burning at her eyes as they watched the three pokemon head for the first bend, following the stone wall that encircled the city. 

“Well, I guess now we just wait,” Amanda said, folding her hands behind the back of her head and breaking the tense air. Silence met her statement as all three looked towards the spot where the first team of spotters were waiting. It only took a couple minutes before a thunder shock was sent skywards, although a slightly different hue than Lotte's Pikachu’s, followed by a burst of stars in quick succession.

Those must be the signals from Diana and Amanda’s teammates, Akko frowned, waiting with baited breath until she saw the flicker of flames from Arthur a few seconds later, and her grin widened. That’s it! Go Eevee! You’re right behind them!

Diana shifted, glancing at Akko from the corner of her eye before shaking her head and looking towards the second milestone. The movement was so subtle that if Akko hadn’t been hyper aware of the other girl, she wouldn't have seen it at all. At least Diana and Amanda weren’t gloating yet. Eevee could still win this.

Akko's gut twisted, nervously waiting for the second and final marker before they were in the home stretch. It didn't take long for the first marker to go up, another burst of stars from a swift attack, however this time the first signal went off and all three girls looked confused when the second didn't instantly follow. Something had changed, but Akko didn’t know the other competitors' pokemon to know who’s teammate the swift attack had belonged to.

Or more importantly, where Sucy’s marker was for Eevee. It came a couple seconds later as a less than graceful spray of toxic spat bubbles into the air and Akko let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Those few seconds seemed like minutes, leaving her heart hammering in her chest as she whipped around, standing on her tiptoes to try to see the racers as they turned the corner. 

All three were painfully aware that a third marker hadn't been shot into the air yet and Akko glanced at Amanda from the corner of her eye, finding the other trainer’s fists clenched with a stress filled visage staring longingly towards the second marker, waiting.

Diana looked towards where Professor Ursula was hovering and a few moments later the marker from Amanda’s teammate, a spray of water, was seen above the town walls. At the same time, Cobalt rounded the final corner, coming into view of the finish line, hooves pounding and flames leaving a blue streak in his wake. 

All three shared reactions of surprise when close on his heels, Eevee rounded the corner, obvious strain from the effort as the small kit had her teeth grit and head down. Little paws with claws outstretched curbed and raked at the dirt below, sweat darkening the foxes fur as she pushed as hard as she could to catch the pony pokemon.

“Where's Doduo?” Amanda whispered, looking to Professor Ursula who was lagging behind, presumably watching the last racer from the air. Diana had similar concern on her face, her gaze torn between Cobalt and Ursula.

As Cobalt raced closer, with Eevee pushing as hard as she could to catch up, Doduo came around the corner, ankle visibly bothering the large bird pokemon. Beside Akko, Amanda was shaking, her fists clenched tighter as she watched her partner try to catch up to the other two, limp evident as he favoured his left side.

Try as she might, Eevee was unable to overtake Cobalt as the pony pokemon thundered over the finish line, overshooting it as he turned a tight circle and worked to slow his pace. His ivory coat was covered in a sheen of sweat as he trotted over to Diana and nosed his trainer affectionately, sides heaving. A moment later Eevee tore her way over the finish line. 

The small fox pokemon's finish wasn't nearly as elegant, trying to come to a dead stop beside Akko but instead skidding and tumbling in the dirt to slide to a halt instead. Seemingly unperturbed, Eevee regained her feet and tried to shake the dirt from her damp coat. Akko jogged over to her panting partner and scooped her up, ignoring dirty fur as she cuddled her closely. “You did so good!” she praised, looking up as Amanda started to jog down the path towards her obviously injured partner.

At that moment Akko felt nothing but pride for how far Eevee had come. She may not have won, but in comparison to the first competition between the kit and Cobalt, she had managed to keep up. It was alright that she hadn’t beaten Diana in a race, because Eevee had tried her hardest. Smiling, Akko hugged the squirming fox and laughed when she was met with an assault of slobbery licks and a thumping tail.

A moment later Professor Ursula landed beside Akko and Diana, patting her Pidgeot before recalling the large bird. 

“Well, it looks like Miss Cavendish won the race. All of your pokemon behaved admirably and I did not see any misconduct,” Ursula concluded. 

Akko frowned, unsure of what to make of the verdict. Amanda’s pokemon was clearly injured, so if no one had interfered with the other pokemon, what had happened? Besides that point, Akko had to admit she was disappointed that, while she had beat Amanda, it was on a technicality. It hadn’t been a fair win as far as she was concerned, not when they wouldn’t know if Eevee would have won had Doduo not gained a limp. 

That thought brought a measure of guilt. Eevee had tried her hardest and was clearly much faster than a few weeks ago, and Akko was very proud of her best friend. It wasn’t fair to Eevee to be disappointed when the little fox had put her all into that race.

Diana also did not seem happy with her victory, a tense frown refusing to leave her face. She praised Cobalt and was running her hands over the shivering pony pokemon, checking for injuries, but seemed more concerned for Doduo than anything. “What happened between the first and second checkpoint, Professor?” Diana asked, seeming to fight with herself to stop from going to Amanda’s aid.

Professor Ursula frowned and waited until Amanda walked closer. She was moving slowly with her partner towards the finish line, acting like a crutch when the bird pokemon stubbornly refused to return to his pokeball, determined to finish. Once he had crossed the finish line, the large bird sunk to the ground, inspecting his foot with his beak as Amanda pulled a potion from her bag and sprayed his ankle with it.

“I would also like to know what happened, Professor,” Amanda growled, glaring daggers at Diana, an unvoiced accusation. 

“Well, from above I saw your partners come around the bend with Amanda’s partner searching for an opening to retake his lead. Cobalt took the turn wide and Doduo tried to seize the opportunity to surge past. He ended up clipping his foot on an uneven rock and he tripped, almost colliding with Eevee in the process. Up until that point, Doduo and Cobalt were neck and neck. 

“That being said, no foul play was had and it was nothing more than a minor misstep that caused the injury. Which means Miss Cavendish has won your competition, with Miss Kagari coming in second place,” Professor Ursula finished, and all involved held their breath as they waited to see how Amanda would react.

To their surprise the other girl laughed, ruffling Doduo's feathers as his twin heads inspected their trainer, looking for treats and twisting their necks when she hit a particularly enjoyable spot. “Well, I guess we lost buddy. And Akko, I must admit, Eevee is a lot faster than the last time I saw her battle. Maybe that little runt of yours has some potential, even if the verdict is still out on you.”

Akko felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as Eevee squirmed in her arms and puffed her chest at the praise. She nodded silently, watching as Eevee enjoyed her spotlight and ruffled the fur on the top of her head. It wasn’t her moment, and seeing how happy the praise had made her best friend, Akko was more than satisfied with the result.

“But who knows.” Amanda shrugged, “Maybe there's hope for you as a trainer yet, if you two could improve that much in such a short span. Now just make sure you pass the gym challenge, otherwise I'll be rather pissed we don’t get to have the battle you put up such a stink about.” Amanda recalled Doduo, pushing herself to her feet and ignoring the fresh dirt that clung to her calves and thighs from sitting on the ground.

“I need to get my little monster to the pokemon center to make sure his leg is going to be okay. He’s a nightmare if he’s told to hold still for too long.” Amanda scratched at the back of her head, fingers ruffling the short hair at the back of her neck. “You just tell me when you want your ass kicked and I’ll be there,” Amanda finished, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Akko as she looked to Diana. The two girls seemed to share some kind of silent conversation before Amanda chuckled and waved a goodbye to the other two competitors and jogged to catch up with her teammates.

Diana smirked and shook her head, expression gone as soon as it had appeared, giving a soft pat on Cobalt's neck before she returned him to his pokeball as well. “My team and I should also be heading to the pokemon center so that Nurse Joy may check Cobalt, just in case. He will be needing a thorough grooming as well.” The heiress looked at the Professor and then frowned, seeming to want to say more but deciding against it. 

Akko waited, wondering if there was more or if she should add something to what seemed to be an awkward attempt at small talk. At least Diana wasn’t gloating, which was nice. And she hadn’t chastised Akko yet, which was also nice. Should she say congratulations on Diana’s win? Or maybe she was so used to winning it wouldn’t mean anything? Before she could blurt out an awkward attempt at filling the tense silence, Akko was surprised when it was Diana to speak first.

Scrunching her nose, Diana rushed out. “I just want to say that Amanda is right. Eevee has improved immensely over the last two weeks. Compared to her last battle with Cobalt, her speed and coordination are like watching two completely different pokemon.” 

Diana paused, chewing on her bottom lip and watching as her teammates approached before dropping her voice. “I would like to speak with you privately at some point, Akko. If you would find that agreeable.” She finished in a rush, nodding to Professor Ursula before turning to leave and meet up with her approaching friends. Diana seemed to duck her head, avoiding eye contact as she moved past without waiting for a response.

Akko only nodded, not trusting herself to speak when her tongue felt too big for her mouth, confused as to what that meant. Before she could think any further on the subject, Diana greeted her approaching teammates, who instantly began excitedly chatting and giving loud congratulations as they followed Amanda to the pokemon center.

Maybe she should have said congratulations after all. And what did privately mean? What could Diana possibly have to say that needed to be done in private? Maybe this was another moment like the river and Diana just didn’t want to be seen together in public? Akko really wished she could figure the other girl out, at least a little bit.

Lotte and Sucy caught up a moment after, the coordinator waiting with barely contained curiosity as she shared a look with her other teammate. “Well...?” she prodded gently, looking to Akko with a growing smile.

Akko shook her head, breaking herself out of her contemplations and looked at her two teammates who seemed to be sharing some kind of unspoken joke. “Well, what?” Akko asked, blanking on what it was they were looking for.

“Diana won the race,” Professor Ursula offered helpfully.

Lotte’s smile faltered, her voice shifting and lowering as she tried to comfort her friend. “I'm sorry, Akko. I'm sure Eevee did her best. You were going against two of the top three from the academy, it's nothing to be ashamed of,” she tried to reassure Akko. “Even keeping up with those two is really impressive!”

“Well, Akko didn't exactly lose either,” Professor Ursula added, winking at Akko. 

“Eevee came in second...” Akko scratched the back of her head, tapping the toe of her shoe against the dirt and trying not to let a large smile take over. “Uh—” She faltered, feeling the need to be completely honest with the results. “Doduo did trip though,” she mumbled. “But—” Akko added in a rush, “Eevee was beyond amazing!” the trainer assured her partner, wanting to make sure Eevee knew she was beyond proud of her. “Amanda and Diana both said that she’s improved a lot!” The young trainer beamed with pride, rubbing her nose against Eevee’s as she held her up, the small fox was eating up all the attention.

“So I guess even if you didn't win, you still got what you wanted?” Lotte prodded, scratching Eevee behind the ear and looking to her friend for confirmation.

“Ya,” Akko breathed with a smile, looking back to where she could barely make out Diana's retreating form. “I guess I did.” Lotte was right, all she had seeked was recognition, and even if she hadn't won, she had still taken the first step towards achieving that goal. At least she was nearly certain she had.

Amanda had agreed to her challenge, and even given something of a compliment. Akko still wasn’t sure what to think of her, but at least that was progress in the right direction and she did seem to care about her pokemon.

Diana was… Diana. She’d leave that confusing, tangled mess in the corner for now to deal with later. All she had to do now was make sure she beat Brock in her gym battle tomorrow. Doing that would be the final step to proving everyone at the starting line wrong.

“You know, you should really stop grinning like that while watching Diana walk away,” Sucy interjected, shattering the happy mood as Lotte turned on her with an affronted exclamation.

“Sucy!”

Akko scrunched up her nose, turning back to her teammates, confused about Sucy’s statement. “Staring like what?” Before Sucy could answer, Lotte was doing her best to block her rebuttal and Akko was left staring at her two new friends, confused as to what she’d missed.

Professor Ursula covered her mouth to hide her chuckle as she watched the banter between the three teammates.

Akko laid in her bunk later that night, in her own little slice of heaven on a soft bed and surrounded by the fluffiest covers and pillows she'd ever experienced. Freshly showered and in clean clothes with a groomed and purring Eevee curled up on her stomach, Akko flipped open her pokedex to do some reading before bed.

That newly developed habit still felt weird.

Her eyes watered in protest as she turned on her pokedex, the bright screen hurting her eyes as it seared into the darkness. Above her, Lotte snored softly, having fallen asleep reading one of her Nightfall books and mumbling happily to herself. Sucy was asleep on the opposite side of the room, claiming the bed opposite to the bunk bed that Akko and Lotte shared, muttering in her sleep.

Akko smiled, finding the soft noises familiar and comforting as she lazily ran her fingers through Eevee's fur.

As her pokedex finished loading, she noticed a red number one beside the person icon in the bottom right of her screen and clicked it curiously. Sucy had said she should pay more attention to that annoying red symbol. Akko found her jaw hanging open before spreading into a wide smile when she realized that Amanda had requested to share contact information with her and the young trainer had to stifle a squeal before clicking accept.

Once she felt herself calm back down, Akko looked for the conversation and chat rooms that Lotte had mentioned earlier. She found it exactly where the coordinator had described and looked through the recent discussion threads. 

At the top with a red exclamation point at the front, Akko read the subject line. '!Beware: Team Rocket recent activity.'

“Huh,” Akko breathed, her fingers stilling in Eevee’s fur. “I wonder who that is...” 

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Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 10

Akko vs. Brock

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Akko shuffled back and forth nervously. This was not what she had in mind when she’d said she wanted more recognition.

She was waiting in the trainer’s box of the arena at the Pewter City gym. Lotte and Sucy were standing close by, the former rambling off last minute tips and tidbits she thought would be helpful to her friend. Akko had tried to listen initially, but as her attention span reached its impressively short limit, her gaze had drifted around the stadium. 

When they had arrived there were already a few familiar faces in the stands. Amanda was sitting with her teammates, having apparently decided to take the conditions of her loss as literal as possible and was holding up a handmade sign cheering on Eevee. Not Akko. But the nervous trainer thought, close enough. Afterall, Eevee was going to be the one doing all the work today, so it was fair that she also had all the fans.

Another familiar face in the stands was Professor Ursula, who gave her a small wave and an encouraging smile when she noticed Akko looking in her direction.

However, the one that caught Akko's attention the most was Diana, sitting in the front row with her teammates who were prattling on to each other. Akko had attempted to wave to the other girl, but had ended up lowering her hand awkwardly when Diana didn't look up from whatever she was reading on her pokedex. 

That was stupid , she’d chastised herself, moving to rub the back of her neck in an effort to hide the unnoticed greeting. 

In the last ten minutes, in a stubborn effort to keep her attention away from the stands—and Diana—that were slowly gaining more and more spectators, she had turned to studying the field. Afterall, it was about to be her battleground, so it was important to familiarize herself, right? She was nearly positive that had been one of Lotte’s tips that she’d rattled off during the onslaught of information that was still leaving her mouth.

The battlefield was simple as far as arenas went. A standard size, smaller than the ones used in the official cup tournament, but still adhering to league regulations for gym challenges. There were boulders scattered around the ring, some small and others larger than herself and her two teammates combined. The ground was hard, unlike the soft forest floor that surrounded the town, more so resembling the mountains that loomed in the distance. 

It’s going to be more difficult for Eevee to gain traction, Akko thought to herself.

“And remember, Akko. Brock is a rock-type master, so Eevee's normal type moves won't be very effective,” Lotte continued, drawing Akko out of her train of thought.

“I know, Lotte. You've already reminded me, like, a million times already.” Akko rolled her eyes, trying to put on an air of confidence and ignore the butterfree in her stomach. She hadn't expected so many people to show up and it was starting to make her really nervous.

It would be fine though, right? All of their matches were recorded, so really it would be the same amount whether they watched from their pokedexs or in person… right? Akko swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried, futilely, to convince herself of that fact. 

Looking around, she still hadn’t expected so many people. It was even more than the amount of people who’d watched her last battle.

Lotte frowned, glancing to the stadiums where Akko’s gaze was continuously flicking to before stubbornly trying to hide the motion. “I know there's a lot of people here, Akko. But just try to ignore them. I'm sure they are just bored because they can't move on to the next leg for another week and a half... or they are doing some scouting before their matches, or—”

“Or they are curious about the trainer who has the only win registered against Princess Cavendish,” Sucy drawled, and Akko felt her breath catch in her throat, heart beating a little faster as she fought with her stubborn eyes that seemed to want to look back towards the girl in question. “They are probably all expecting you to do something amazing and be some sort of crazy prodigy.”

“W-what? No way,” Akko stammered. Her tongue felt too large for her mouth all of a sudden. 

Lotte smacked Sucy on the arm, glaring at the other girl. 

“What?” The researcher asked, looking at Lotte before seeming to realize that she had sent Akko into a panicked frenzy, the trainer now bouncing on the balls of her feet and shaking her arms. She was frantically trying to get rid of some of the nervous energy that was causing her heart to race.

“It's alright, Akko. You're ready for this. You don't need to be nervous,” Lotte tried to reassure.

“Nervous?” Akko squeaked, voice cracking. “Who's nervous? I'm not nervous.” She scratched the back of her head and let out an awkwardly loud laugh. “ I've totally got this. I beat Diana Cavendish, remember? Yep, we’ve totally got this...” That was right. She’d beaten Diana. Even if some people weren’t as convinced as she personally was about her victory. This would be fine, Diana had beaten Brock and Akko had beaten Diana, so this should be a cakewalk.

Before Lotte could reply, a buzzer went off and the door at the opposite side of the stadium opened, welcoming in the Pewter City gym leader, Brock. The tall, muscular man strode into the arena and radiated confidence. 

“Wow, full crowd today,” he greeted, waving a hand at the onlookers, a wide smile taking over as he looked around and was met with a series of cheers. Slowly, he addressed the crowd before walking up and standing at the center of the field opposite to Akko.

Gulping, Akko took that as her cue to do the same, and walked towards the center of the battlefield, arms comically stiff by her sides and legs feeling like jello. Eevee seemed to be sensing some of her trainer’s stress and walked in pace with Akko, her head low and one ear flicked back in Akko’s direction. Once they reached the center of the field and stood inside the pokeball symbol, she couldn't resist the urge to look over at the stands once more.

Diana still hadn't looked up. The other trainer now appeared bored and was studying her nails intensely. Akko wasn't sure if she was disappointed, angry or relieved. It wasn’t like some sort of nod or smile from the other girl would have made her feel like she wasn't about to fall on her face in front of everyone. Still, if she was going to come to the match, she could at least watch it.

“Akko, right?” Brock asked, hands in his pockets. The taller, older man was wearing jeans that were worn and faded, along with a bright orange T-shirt and green vest. He had dark brown, curly hair that stuck out awkwardly and naturally sun-kissed skin.

“Ya...” Akko all but whispered, attention still on the stands as the referee walked towards his spot on the sidelines, a small box that sat so he was looking towards the stands under the electronic scoreboard.

Brock smiled, following the nervous trainer's gaze. “Can I tell you a secret, Akko?” The gym leader asked, holding his hand up to block his mouth from the sightline of the viewers.

“A secret?” Akko replied, tearing herself away from Diana and focusing on the opponent in front of her.

“Everyone's nervous when they are standing where you are right now,” Brock reassured and Akko found herself smiling slightly. It helped to think that maybe even Shiny Chariot had been nervous when she had stood here, in this stadium, before she challenged the Pewter Gym. 

Not that she'd admit she was nervous. Because she wasn't.

“Thanks,” The young trainer replied as the referee raised his arms, a red and green flag in either hand.

With a loud blow on his whistle, he began the proceedings in a booming voice. “This will be a two on two battle for a Boulder Badge between Gym Leader Brock and Trainer Akko Kagari. There is no time limit and will conclude when both pokemon of either opponent are no longer able to continue, or until one side forfeits.” 

With a nod towards the pair at the center field, the ref continued. “If both combatants would shake hands, we will begin.”

Brock offered his hand and Akko shook it firmly, feeling the rough calluses on his fingers against her own. With a subtle nod to each other, both turned and walked back to their opposing boxes, Eevee trotting at Akko’s heels and looking around curiously. Upon reaching the painted outline rectangle of her trainer’s box, the railings around the box came up and both trainers were raised two feet so they overlooked the field. 

Alright. Akko tried to swallow the stubborn lump stuck in her throat, clenching and relaxing sweating palms. “We can do this. We got this,” Akko whispered under her breath, just loud enough so only Eevee could hear. With a shaky nod, she glanced down at Eevee who was sitting beside her. The small fox was all but thrumming with excitement, chomping at the bit for her chance in the spotlight.

“As per regulations, Brock will be the first to select his pokemon!” The ref called, voice amplified with the small mic attached to his ear. 

Akko already knew what the first selection would be and could hear Lotte's speech from earlier.

'Brock is a rock type master, and while he has many pokemon registered to him he only uses the same two in every gym challenge: his Geodude and Onyx. Both are veterans and have seen countless battles. You'll be hard pressed because both of your pokemon are at a type disadvantage. You'll need to be careful, Akko.'

True to tradition, Gym Leader Brock reached to his utility belt and selected his first pokemon, tossing the ball onto the field to summon forth his trusty Geodude. The opposing pokemon resembled a small boulder, floating over the ground and sprouting two muscular arms from either side. The rock type appeared unphased, not seeming to register the booming cheers that it was met with as it waited for Akko’s choice.

Akko looked down at Eevee, knowing full well that Mizar was not ready for a gym battle yet. While she had made tremendous progress with the bird pokemon, she was still heavily relying on using food to motivate him to listen to her. During training sessions that was all fine and dandy, but she wasn't allowed to toss treats out during a battle. All she could do was pray that he was still full from the large breakfast she’d given him and would listen—for once—without the extra motivation.

Which meant that her strategy relied heavily on Eevee being able to defeat one of Brock's pokemon and then damage if not defeat the other the same way. That being said, this was still a two on two battle and Mizar was her only other pokemon, so she would have to use the bird pokemon if Eevee wasn't able to finish both on her own.

Perhaps it would be better to use Mizar early and see what damage the bird could do rather than hope to clench the win at the end. That way all he had to do was land a couple blows rather than finish off the second pokemon and Eevee could fight an already worn down opponent. 

Making a snap decision, and much to the shock of her teammates, Akko selected the second pokeball from her belt and tossed it onto the field. Sometimes she just had to follow her gut. Hopefully Mizar wasn’t thinking the same thing.

“Mizar! You're on!” Akko proclaimed, catching the ball as it rebounded and her newest companion burst forth onto the field with a chirp. Mizar looked around, confused at the new surroundings and let out a string of chirps before catching sight of Akko and cocking his head. The small bird had his feathers fluffed and didn’t give the Geodude a single glance, all of his focus on his trainer as he stared at her hands for signs of food.

“Alright, begin!” The referee declared, slamming the flags down in a whoosh and bringing a surge of cheers from the crowd that sent Mizar into the air with a surprised squawk.

“Geodude, use—” Brock began instantly before stopping mid command as Mizar quickly zipped back towards Akko and hovered in front of the trainer box, black eyes searching Akko for her treat pouch.

“No, Mizar. I don't have any treats for you right now!” Akko whispered to the bird, trying to ignore the laughter from the stands. “But if you just listen to me now without treats, I promise I'll have lots for you later,” she begged, and for a moment it looked like the bird pokemon would listen before catching sight of one of the spectators from the stands munching away and flying off to sit on Amanda's companions shoulder.

“Mizar! No—” Akko whined as the referee cleared his throat.

“It appears that Akko's Pidgey is refusing to fight and has left the battlefield and will be disqualified!” He announced, and behind him one of the boxes on the board behind him was filled with a red 'x' on Akko's side.

The stadium broke out into a loud round of laughter and Akko felt the familiar burn of embarrassment flare up and lick at her cheeks and neck. “...Mizar, return.” She sighed, zapping the pokemon back into his ball, ignoring his indigent chirps as he was ripped away from the food he was trying to pilfer.

Akko glared down at the ball in her hand as the ref blew his whistle to quiet the spectators before motioning for the trainers to continue.

“Miss Kagari, will you select your second pokemon?”

Akko took in a deep breath and held it before hearing a yip beside her, seeing that Eevee was already jumping down and crouched at the field outline, waiting for the order and ready to go. 

While it was less than optimal, they’d just have to make it work. “Alright, Eevee. Let's show everyone what you can do,” she said, quiet enough that the stands could not hear her, and the comment was to her oldest friend only.

“Eevee, you're on!” she said louder and the kit jumped on the field, growling low and crouched, waiting for the flag drop to signify the battle start. The small fox had her teeth bared, rough fur bristled along her spine and muscles tense. The eagerness of the fox seemed to catch Geodude’s attention as the rock type met and held the stern gaze of his new opponent.

“Round two, begin!” the referee commanded, slamming the flags down once more.

“Geodude, use Tackle!” Brock called. His partner charged forward, large hands open and grabbing for the fox.

“Eevee, use Double team!” Akko countered and Eevee instantly shimmered and split into half a dozen copies, circling the rock pokemon as he crashed through the fox’s after image. “Don't give him time to recoup, use Agility!”

On cue, the fox began to run in a circle creating a brown blur that had the rock type at the center looking around, trying to pick out the real one. The scene was a direct reflection of Eevee and Cobalt's earlier match, but unlike that time, the pokemon that was in the center was calm and collected. It was evidence of years of training and experience as the pokemon just waited, trusting in his trainer.

“Geodude, use Rollout in the opposite direction!” Brock countered, and the boulder pokemon folded his arms around his body and dropped, instantly spinning like a wheel and rounding in a circle going in the opposite direction to Eevee.

The rock pokemon shattered three mirror images and was making quick work of Akko's strategy, spitting dirt and stones behind the rock pokemon as he gained traction and speed. Geodude was gaining on Eevee at a rapid pace, leaving no time to get out of the way and Akko called out the only option that she had.

“Eevee, use Counter!” Rollout had the ability to be a very potent move, but it was a move that gained more traction and damage the longer the duration. While Eevee would take a hit, it wouldn't be a big one if she stopped it now.

Skidding to a stop, the fox glowed a soft white as her paws dug into the dirt floor and Geodude collided with his mark. Eevee cringed, absorbing the blow before crying out and releasing the pent up energy, sending Geodude across the arena for heavy damage.

“Yes! Good job!” Akko called, cheering on her partner. “Now, follow it up with a Swift Attack!” Eevee heard the call and focused the energy for the next attack in her mouth, letting out a barrage of stars that were locked onto the other pokemon like heat —or in this case, rock—seeking missiles.

“Geodude, use Endure!” Brock called, the combo attack coming in hard and aware that no defense increasing moves would help against a Swift Attack. Akko's attack was a good choice against a high defense pokemon like Geodude.

The energy attack pelted the boulder pokemon, who was pushed further back and was left panting and showing signs of nearing his limit.

Yes! We've got him. Akko grinned to herself. Her homework had paid off from studying up on Brock's pokemon last night. Endure would stop a pokemon from fainting, but only left them with enough energy for one more attack, but she wasn't going to give him that chance.

“Eevee, finish him! Use Quick Attack!” Akko yelled and Eevee summoned the energy needed to her paws, readying the attack.

“Geodude, use Self Destruct!” Brock commanded and Akko felt the blood drain from her face, realizing her mistake too late. Geodude was too far away, Counter had sent him to the far corner of the field. Eevee wasn’t going to make it in time.

Time seemed to slow as she watched the energy surrounding Eevee's paws release and the fox sprang forward, closing the distance in an instant as Geodude began to glow and shake, his body becoming a blinding, searing white as he threatened to explode.

“No!” Akko screamed, her throat raw, but there was nothing she could do, no time to react as Eevee hurtled towards her target and with less than a few centimeters between her and Geodude, the boulder pokemon exploded at point blank range.

The devastating attack sent a shockwave through the air and Akko heard Eevee release a scream, the likes of which she had never heard from her friend before. The kit took the entire force of the attack and was sent backwards, slamming into the stadium wall with a sickening crunch, leaving an indent before slumping to the floor, motionless.

“No!” Akko screamed again, jumping over the railing and stumbling, fingers clawing at the cement to push herself forward towards her partner.

She reached her friend and fell to her knees, the stadium completely quiet and Akko barely registered the sound of feet behind her. Eevee lay in a heap, fur wet with blood and matted with dirt and small stones. The fox’s breathing was so shallow it was almost impossible to notice, her eyes shut and expression skewed with pain.

“She isn't moving...” Akko breathed out, hands shaking violently as she reached forward to touch Eevee. “Why isn’t she moving?” The trainer's eyes were wide with shock, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, not responding as hands shook her shoulders. She knew someone was talking, but it all sounded like she was underwater. 

When she didn't respond, Professor Ursula pushed beside Akko and gingerly scooped Eevee up, springing to her feet and shouting for everyone to get out of her way. Akko stared numbly at her hands where she’d just held Eevee, looking at the wet sheen of blood and finding herself too numb to process what had happened.

The next few hours went by in a blur. Akko allowed her friends to pull her to the pokemon center, mind numb and feet only moving from muscle memory. Mindlessly, she followed the insistent tug of Lotte’s hands and watched the end of her match as it played endlessly in her mind.

She sat in the waiting room at the pokemon center, staring at her hands which refused to stop shaking as she replayed what had happened over and over again. She watched as again and again Eevee was hit by a point blank Self Destruct attack, the pained scream echoing in her ears and drowning out everything else. She knew that sound was something that would haunt her, a sound she never wanted to hear again.

It wasn't until she was led into the room Eevee was recovering in and she looked down at the small fox—an IV drip in her front leg, and chest wrapped in bandages—that she finally felt everything catch up with her. The shellshocked trainer collapsed, sobbing and struggling to breathe, sinking into the pair of arms that wrapped around her.

“I’m sorry,” was the only thing she could get out between sobs as she choked on the knowledge she’d done this. This was her fault. “I’m so sorry.”

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 11

Reflection

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Akko wasn't sure how long she cried for. Eventually she had fallen silent, interrupted only by a periodic hiccough. Professor Ursula had stayed with her and had quietly told her visitors to come back later. The motherly woman spoke to Nurse Joy quietly when she had come to check on the sleeping kit, their conversation little more than a muffled blur before the medical professional scribbled something on her chart before leaving.

Akko’s eyes burned. Her body felt numb and all she could think to herself as she looked down at her best friend was, 'This is all my fault.' If she had studied more, had stopped to just think rather than pushing ahead with abandon, then Eevee wouldn’t be so hurt. If she had just been better , less arrogant, then Eevee wouldn’t have paid the price.

Diana was right that day. She had warned her, had told her she had to do better if she wanted to do right by her partner. Akko couldn't stop the replay in her mind's eye. She could hear the other girl's voice echoing in her memory like some cruel foreshadowing. 'A nd you, if we're going to be rivals you are going to have to learn a battle strategy that isn't about purely throwing your partner at the problem until she breaks. You owe her more than that.'

She had been so focused on proving everyone wrong, so sure that Diana was just being cruel. She had spent so much time and effort bolstering her own ego and assuring herself she was good enough that she hadn't stopped to think that maybe Diana was trying to offer her a kindness, a warning. Perhaps the other trainer simply cared about Eevee more than about needing to win or being right.

Akko looked at her friend who hadn't woken or stirred since she arrived. Eevee’s fur was rumpled, her breathing shallow, her small frame appearing fragile in the low light of the ICU. Tears welling in her already swollen and sore eyes, she couldn't stop her voice from cracking as she apologized for the hundredth time, “I'm so, so sorry,” Akko whispered, wiping at the welling tears with the back of her hand.

Professor Ursula watched the girl, heart breaking and guilt ridden. “It's not your fault, Akko,” she voiced, barely above a whisper, reaching out to rub the younger girl's back soothingly. 

Akko scowled, glaring ahead at the wall rather than turning to look at the Professor. “Then who's fault was it?” No one else had given the order, no one else had told Eevee to charge headlong into the enemy without thinking of the next move. She knew a good trainer should be thinking three steps ahead of the current moment and yet she hadn’t. In the heat of the moment she’d lost herself. That was her fault.

The professor opened her mouth to reply before setting her lips in a thin line, thinking better of her response before trying again. “It's no one's fault. These sort of injuries happen from time to time. There are going to be times in your career as a trainer when one of your partners is hurt, badly.” Ursula frowned, chewing on her lip. “It's part of life, no matter which profession you go into. Accidents happen. Just like in any sport, injuries and bad hits happen. All you can do is learn from them so they don’t happen again.”

“That's tauros poop and you know it, Professor.” Akko snapped back, pushing her chair back as she stood. “I didn't prepare like I should have and Eevee was hurt because of it. It wasn't an accident, it was carelessness.”

The angry and guilt ridden trainer matched the older woman’s gaze and found she couldn’t handle the pity that was shining back at her. Jerking her attention away, Akko stormed out of the room, mumbling that she needed air and headed through the front lobby, vaguely aware of the whoosh the front doors made as they slid open. 

In the hours since her match the sun had sunk in the sky, bathing the town a deep red and the streets had all but become vacant. Pewter City, while large, was a working town, and the majority of the population would rise with the sun, leaving the streets quiet.

Slamming her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts, Akko kicked a stone down the road, trying to vent some of her pent up frustration on the defenseless pebble. She walked in silence, replaying the battle in her mind over and over, cringing each time Eevee cried out and slammed into the opposing wall with that sickening crunch.

She had watched two of Brock's gym battles and read over his pokemon's known move sets and commonly used combos. She had known going into the fight that his Geodude would attempt to Self Destruct if it looked like he was going to be defeated, but in the heat of the battle she just… didn’t think.

Letting out a growl, Akko kicked the pebble viciously, sending it down the road to clink against the wall surrounding the town. She didn't think , that's all there was to it. So absorbed in winning, in matching the records of the top three, she had gotten over eager and didn't think about the incoming counter.

It was stupid and careless.

She was stupid and careless.

Akko stopped, standing in front of the stone wall at the edge of town, chewing on her bottom lip and staring at the ground like it held some form of answer and was so absorbed in her own thoughts she didn't hear the approaching steps.

“Akko?” 

Akko turned, jumping in surprise and looking at the Professor, feeling a small pang of disappointment followed immediately with panic. “Is Eevee awake?” she asked in a rush, breathing a small sigh of relief when the older woman shook her head no. It was bad enough she’d left at all, if Eevee had woken up and she wasn’t there, Akko wasn’t sure she’d be able to forgive herself.

“No, Lotte and Sucy came down to check on you and I thought you might like to talk,” she pressed, voice gentle. The Professor kept a respectful distance, standing a few feet away and linking her hands casually, in front of her waist. The offer to open up was left as just that, an offer. It was not being forced, it was not suggested in a manner that made it seem as if the older woman was expecting an apology for being snapped at. Akko couldn’t help but feel the guilt inside grow. This amount of care should be given to Eevee right now, not her.

Wrinkling her nose, Akko looked back at her feet and kicked at the ground absently. “...I'm sorry for yelling at you,” she mumbled, hoping that perhaps the Professor would take the apology and leave. Her chest felt tight at the notion of talking through a wound that was still so fresh.

Ursula smiled sadly and sighed. “You don't need to apologize, Akko. I understand, I was actually going to ask if you'd like to talk about why you sought out a Trainer's license. If I remember correctly, your parents are both well known Pokemon Breeders? You’d have a comfortable life if you had chosen to take over for them. But instead you chose a much harder path and chose to be a trainer. I was curious as to why.”

“Ya, they are,” Akko replied, confused as to what the Professor was hinting at. “Why, do you think I made a mistake, too?” she asked defensively, already feeling her hackles beginning to raise. She didn’t want to hear that she should just quit from her, too. Not now. Not after Eevee had just—

Ursula chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand as her shoulders shook. “No, Miss Kagari. I think you have the heart to make an excellent trainer. If I didn't, I wouldn't have passed you. I am simply curious.”

“Oh.” Akko deflated, growing embarrassed as she scratched at her cheek. “Well, I guess the reason I wanted to become a trainer was because of Shiny Chariot.” The younger girl beamed, noting with mild curiosity the obvious discomfort of the other woman but writing it off. A lot of people disagreed with her opinion on her hero, it wasn’t uncommon for them to react the way the Professor was when she brought Shiny Chariot up.

“And, um... why is that?” Professor Ursula asked, falling into step beside Akko when the other girl folded her arms behind her head and started to walk down the road, staring up at the stars.

“Well... mmm.”Akko paused, walking in silence, trying to think of when it all really started. “I guess it was the day I met Eevee.”

“Did you know Eevee was actually abandoned at our farm because she was a runt?” Akko asked, tilting her head to look over at the taller woman from the corner of her eye. “You see, you can tell sometimes which pokemon are going to be runts just from the size of their eggs. I guess whoever found her egg didn't want her and decided that a Breeder's farm was the best place to leave her egg.”

“That seems rather cruel...” Ursula frowned. “Does that happen often?”

“Sometimes.” Akko shrugged, starting to fall into a slow walk around the perimeter around the city. “Other times people would find abandoned eggs in the wild, or elsewhere, and would just leave them with us. I guess they just assumed we’d take them in.” They were right, her parents were far too kind hearted to ever simply toss out a baby pokemon or say there wasn’t room. There had been many times when they were well past capacity and had to nurse baby pokemon inside their house. 

Akko remembered there was one time they’d found a nest of abandoned Pikachu eggs and their poor living room had turned into a nursery for the rodents. Did you know that baby Pikachus only sleep around four hours a day? Because Akko and her mom and dad did.

“Anyways,” Akko continued, “I was around six at the time and I had been begging my parents for a long time for a pokemon of my own. So when Eevee's egg showed up on our doorstep I was the one to find it and I remember bringing her inside and telling them that she was mine because I had caught her.” Akko blushed, feeling rather embarrassed as she recalled her puffed cheeks and determined stare as she clutched the egg tightly and refused to back down.

“I just knew, even then, that that egg was holding something special. I still remember sleeping on the floor beside her crate, soft brown and speckled egg wrapped in a blanket under a heat lamp. I spent weeks flipping through books trying to figure out what she was going to hatch into.” 

“I think my parents knew, but they didn't say anything.” Akko shook her head, smiling wide as she stared at the heavens. To be honest, she was nearly certain her parents knew that the egg belonged to an Eevee. They had never encountered an egg they didn’t seem to know. However, instead of spoiling Akko’s fun and giving her the answer, they talked and listened to her as she regaled them with all of her theories and showed all her proof. Even if at one point she was nearly positive the egg was going to hatch into a Raticate—despite that being impossible—simply because of the colour. 

As she continued to talk, the images of her recent battle were fading and were being replaced with memories of reading to her unhatched egg with a flickering flashlight, listening for her parents’ footsteps so she wouldn't be caught. Akko remembered all the nights her father had carried her back to bed after finding her asleep on her bedroom floor. She remembered talking to Eevee’s egg and telling her about all of the fun they were going to have once she hatched.

“When she hatched I was so happy, and I made sure to do everything right. My parents taught me how to bottle feed her, how to groom and take care of her. We were instant best friends. She would follow me everywhere. My parents even let her eat at the table—sitting on a stack of books so she could reach—and sleep in my bed. Even if my Aunt very vocally disapproved, my parents always made sure we could include Eevee when I asked.” 

Professor Ursula smiled, watching Akko fondly as the young trainer relaxed and rambled on. She remained silent throughout, finding Akko needed no encouragement to continue her stroll down memory lane and was happy to instead provide companionship for the journey.

“I used to hate pokemon trainers,” Akko started suddenly, catching the Professor off guard.

“You did? Why?” Professor Ursula asked, genuinely surprised and a little shell shocked by the sudden topic change.

“Because whenever I'd see them on TV they would call their pokemon out to battle, their pokemon would get hurt and then they'd call them back into their ball looking like they were disappointed or angry. To me, it looked like they were just using them and hurting them. I had never even seen a trainer so much as praise their partners. They all just used them. It was like they didn't realize that they were living, breathing and feeling creatures. Not just tools. And then they’d get on stage afterwards and take all the credit. All they’d talk about was their strategy and not the pokemon who carried it out and did all the work.

“And there were these kids in my village who were the same way. One boy even abandoned his Pidgey because they lost a battle. A single battle.” Akko glanced sideways at the following Professor to see her reaction.

“He was battling another boy and when his Pidgey lost he just abandoned it. He didn't even bother to bring it to the pokecenter, just left it there hurt and unable to get up.” Akko frowned slightly, remembering how Eevee and her had gone over after the boys had left and carried the small bird to the pokecenter across town. She could still remember the way it had chirped and looked around for its trainer, confused as to where the boy had gone.

“It wasn't until Shiny Chariot beat the Pokemon League and started to become really famous that things started to change. She would show how truly strong a pokemon could be if it was fighting because it loved and trusted its trainer rather than just because it had been trained to follow commands. Her pokemon genuinely loved her and she would always take the time to tell them that they did a good job, even if they lost. Her pokemon always came first, even when they interviewed her after the battle—all she wanted to talk about was her pokemon,” Akko finished her thought in a whisper, walking in silence for a few moments. 

“So why be a trainer then?” Professor Ursula asked, blinking back tears and trying her best to keep her voice steady. “Why not just use what she taught you to strengthen your bond with Eevee?”

“Because she disappeared.” Akko replied with a shrug. “When she was the Champion, going on tour and giving lectures and teaching trainers and people in general how to truly bring out a pokemon's inner strength—by building love and trust—things were improving.” 

“But then one day she just disappeared,” Akko frowned, stifling a shiver as a cold breeze blew in down the mountainside chasing the setting sun. 

She remembered that day, the news story that no one knew where the Champion had gone. Originally there were theories that maybe she went on a secret training trip and she’d be back. Akko remembered sitting and watching the news with her parents, going to sleep holding Eevee and sniffling back tears when her parents told her Shiny Chariot would be back soon and everything would be fine. Except she never came back.

“She just vanished without a word and people started to forget,” Akko continued, quieter this time. “ People started to forget her message. Everything she’d accomplished started to fade. It was like people just reverted back to the way they were and everyone started to follow the new champions. No one talked about Shiny Chariot anymore.”

Akko remained silent for a short while, reliving how much that time period had confused her. “Anyways.” She took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly before continuing, “It wasn’t until one day, when Eevee and I were out playing fetch in the back field, that saw a young trainer screaming at his partner because it wasn't learning a move as fast as he wanted or something...” Akko scrunched her nose up, the memory hazy except for the crystal clear picture of the trainer standing over his pokemon who was only trying to make itself small and get away.

“I remember yelling at him to stop and running across the field towards him. He had a stick in his hand, and... it was obvious he had been using it on his pokemon. Eevee lunged at him and grabbed hold of the stick and he kicked her. I remember punching him and when the fight was over I asked him why.” Akko took a deep, shaky breath. “Why would he do that to his pokemon?”

Turning to look at Professor Ursula, who was watching the younger girl intently, her focus on every word as Akko told her tale.

“Do you know what he said?” Akko asked.

Ursula shook her head, although she could guess. When she had been traveling on her journey she had run into many people who were similar to the young men and women in Akko's tale.

Akko looked back up at the sky and stopped, closing her eyes as she repeated the words that she could still remember the other trainer telling her with full conviction, with absolute belief that he was right. “He said that if you want a pokemon to listen to you, to give it their all, they had to respect their trainer. He said that the quickest way to earn that respect was to show that he was stronger, that he was in charge. He said that was how you earned a pokemon’s respect.”

She stood in silence for a moment, brown hair rustling in the night breeze, taking another deep breath, features slowly shifting to more relaxed. “It was around then I realized, as I listened to him quote the newest pokemon league champion, that if I wanted to make a difference the way Shiny Chariot did, I would need to become just as strong as she was.” Akko paused, fighting internally and reminding herself that Shiny Chariot was still out there, somewhere. “Is,” she amended.

“I decided right then and there I’d become a trainer because of how much I love Eevee. Because I believe, with all my heart, that Shiny Chariot is right and that true strength comes from love and understanding. Eevee has always been there for me. She’s always trusted and supported me. She's my best friend.” Akko wiped at the tears on her cheeks absently, trying her best to hide the unexpected reaction with the back of her hand.

“I just want people to see that pokemon have feelings, and that their true power lies in trust and love, not fear. I want to carry on Shiny Chariot's message, but no one will listen to me unless I become stronger.” Akko paused again, smiling as she remembered playing with Eevee as a kid, going to school, stealing cookies, being chased by baby Rhyhorns and countless other memories. Eevee had always been there, for every memory, every new experience. It didn’t matter if they got in trouble, fell into a river or stung by angry bug pokemon, she was always there. Eevee had never given up on her, never faltered. 

With that thought, Akko felt a rush of clarity. Earlier in the night she had been lost, ready to quit. It had seemed like nothing was worth the hit that Eevee took in that gym battle, but it wasn't just her call. They were in this together. This wasn’t just her dream, it was Eevee’s too.

They had agreed after catching that trainer and his stick that day that they would become stronger and had started training. They had decided that in their own way they would make the world a better place. To spread love and trust, to show people there was a better way.

Akko was so absorbed in her own thoughts she didn't notice as Professor Ursula was wiping away her own tears. The older woman’s chest swelling with pride that was enough to almost engulf the shame that sat as a permanent resident in her heart. 

“Thank you, Akko,” the older woman whispered, and the young trainer looked over at her curiously, blinking before flashing a large, toothy smile. 

“I don't know what for. I should be the one thanking you,” Akko replied, before seeming to have a thought. “Professor, the Pidgeot you used earlier—”

Ursula tensed instantly, watching the younger girl sharply and awaiting the next part of her question with bated breath.

“Was that yours or one of the academy’s?” Akko asked, expression neutral but curious.

“Um—Er, why do you ask?” Ursula asked, trying to quell the rising panic. Anxious, the Professor shifted her weight from foot to foot and hugged herself tightly, rubbing her arms to ask her nervousness as a chill from the night breeze.

“Well, I don't know if you noticed but my Pidgey doesn't exactly like me. I was wondering if you could help me with him. I still have a week to prepare before I have to take my next shot at the Boulder Badge.” It would be helpful if someone who had first hand experience with the bird pokemon could help her. Lotte had tried, but most of the stuff they’d read said Pidgeys were naturally competitive, which didn’t seem to be true for hers. Mizar seemed to only be naturally talented at gluttony. 

Professor Ursula blinked, freezing and delaying her reply before she finally managed to convey to her tongue that it should be wagging. “Oh, um. Yes, of course. I had some trouble with mine when we first became partners as well.” She replied, breathing a sigh of relief.

Akko beamed a wide smile, completely oblivious to her Professor’s near heart attack.

~o~

Akko returned to the pokecenter soon after her conversation with Professor Ursula feeling better. While she was still worried for Eevee and knew she had to do better—to be better—she had been reminded why she had worked to get her license in the first place. Why Eevee and herself had been training together everyday and the promise they had made each other all those years ago.

When she reached Eevee's room and pushed the door open she noticed that her partner was starting to wake up, her little paws and nose twitching with her eyes still shut. Akko felt tears start to well up for what felt like the hundredth time today and rushed to her bedside, placing a gentle hand on the kit’s side and smiling through tears when those soft brown eyes opened and found her. “Hey buddy,” Akko choked back a sob, chuckling slightly when Eevee keened happily, tail wagging and thumping on the hospital bed.

A moment later Eevee began struggling to get up and Akko tried to soothe her, hugging her gently instead, aware of the IV still in her leg and doing her best not to hurt her. When Eevee relaxed in her arms and nosed in closer to her neck, Akko couldn’t help the happy sob that wrenched itself from her chest.

“I want you to know I am so proud of you,” Akko whispered between tears as Eevee squirmed, trying to get closer with a happy purr. She wasn't moving with the same strength that Akko usually experienced but that hardly mattered. She was awake and going to be okay. “And I am so sorry.”

Eevee responded by licking a tear from Akko's cheek and her trainer laughed, scratching the fox behind her ear. They were going to be okay. Eevee was going to be okay, and that was the most important thing in the world to her.

A throat was cleared behind her and Akko jumped, doing her best not to jostle Eevee in her surprise but remembering that Ursula had said that she had left Lotte and Sucy with her partner. 

“I'm sorry to intrude, Akko.” A voice that belonged to neither Lotte or Sucy replied. She didn't need to turn around to know that it was Diana behind her, although the why Diana was behind her wasn’t certain. “I was just dropping off a salve that is a recipe my family has used for generations.”

Diana shifted her weight awkwardly. When no response came she cleared her throat and gently set the glass bottle down on the table beside Eevee’s bed. Nodding curtly, she finished in a respectful monotone, “I will leave you be. I am glad to see Eevee is awake.”

Akko was about to respond, turning and removing a hand from the soft fur of Eevee’s chest, pausing when she saw her finger tips coated in a green goop. Looking back to Eevee, she saw many of the larger wounds that marred the kit’s coat had that same mixture applied heavily to each. They even looked like they were beginning to heal.

Was Diana’s salve the reason that Eevee looked so much better than a few hours ago?

Lost in her train of thought, Akko barely snapped out of it in time when she heard the door being opened as Diana made to leave.

“Diana, wait,” she called. The other girl paused in the doorway, back facing herself and Eevee. “I just wanted to say I'm sorry,” Akko rushed out, her volume much higher than she had intended and her cheeks flushed as she pushed past that embarrassment.

Diana tightened her hand on the door knob. Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding for a moment before she responded in a strained voice, “I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Akko.”

Akko cut her off, rushing out, “No, not about that. I mean, I am sorry about that, but that's not why I'm apologizing to you.” Pausing to take a breath, Akko waited to see if Diana was going to snap at her again, but when no retort was forthcoming, she continued.

“I'm sorry for not listening to you before. I realize now that you were just trying to look out for Eevee but I was so absorbed in beating you I didn't stop and listen to what you were trying to tell me. I didn’t think , I just—I'm sorry for assuming—” Akko clenched her jaw, cutting herself off before she said something stupid. While she struggled to figure out how to continue, Diana loosened her grip on the door and saved her from her floundering.

“I accept your apology, Akko. I apologize for assuming about you as well. I am glad to see that Eevee is feeling better.” Hesitating in the doorway, Diana finished in a formal tone, “Good night.” 

Before Akko could ask what kind of assumptions Diana had meant the other girl stepped through the door and pulled it closed behind her, ending the conversation or any further inquiries. 

As she reached down to scratch Eevee again, Akko caught the glint of the overhead light reflecting off the glass bottle Diana had left and it dawned on her that she hadn't thanked her for mending Eevee... again. Letting out a sigh, Akko laughed when Eevee’s tongue started to assault her cheeks and held the fox, pressing her forehead to the kit’s.

“I guess we’ll have to thank her another time.”

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 12

A New Challenger Appears

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The sun had barely begun to peek out from behind the mountains the next morning when Akko was standing outside the pokemon center, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The morning air was chilly and dew was still coating the grass and stones, the sun little more than a ruby backwash against the waking sky. The young trainer was uneasy and found her feet rooted to the ground, throwing glances back over her shoulder. 

She felt guilty , like she was doing something wrong. Never before had she done a morning workout without Eevee, it was their bonding time. Even on the days when Akko hadn’t felt well, Eevee had stayed in bed with her, curled up against her best friend in an attempt to comfort. The same had been done when the situations were reversed, when the little fox had an off day Akko had stayed in and done whatever she could think of to make her feel better. 

After sleeping with her head on Eevee's bed,Akko had been awoken by an amused Nurse Joy. She had told Akko that her partner was well enough to go into general observation rather than intensive care, but it would still be another day or two before she could be released.

While that was great news, it still meant that Eevee wasn't able to go with Akko on her morning workout. Not that that had stopped the kit from trying to sneak out the door and follow Akko down the hall. She hadn’t made it very far before a tattling Chansey had scooped Eevee up and ushered her back into bed, lecturing Akko in a way that—while she had no idea what the Chansey was saying—seemed to be on par with one of her mom’s best.

That left Akko with her current dilemma: Would it be a bigger betrayal to her partner to go without her, or not go at all? After all they had begun their morning routine to follow the regimen that Shiny Chariot had set out years ago, and it was time to get serious. Plus, skipping the workout when the reason Eevee couldn’t go was because she put her all into her last fight felt… wrong. 

But it also felt wrong to leave Eevee alone in that hospital room, staring at the door and waiting for Akko to come back.

Akko let out a groan, rubbing her forehead when she felt a headache start to throb behind her temple, why was this so hard? 

A sudden hiss from the pokemon center door caused her to jump in surprise, turning to see who it was. “Diana?” Akko mumbled, unsure if maybe she hadn't woken up at all and was still dreaming.

“Good morning, Akko.” Diana replied, reaching up to tighten her ponytail, a new look that Akko was temporarily distracted by. Akko noted that the other girl looked like she was in desperate need of a coffee, sporting dark bags under her bleary eyes and was wearing tight leggings and a loose tank top. The attire was a complete one-eighty from her usual selection and Akko found herself staring, confused. Even the morning Akko had stumbled into Diana at the river—albeit a few hours later than the current time—Diana had still been dressed in fancy-smancyness. 

When Akko didn't reply and just continued to stare, mouth slightly agape, Diana pursed her lips and elaborated. “I thought you could use some company, you said that you usually workout with Eevee every morning and since she's currently unable to join you...” The blonde beauty trailed off, linking her hands behind her back and standing tall.

“Plus you've been standing in front of the pokemon center for twenty minutes.” She finished in a quiet mumble, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “If I'm intruding I can just go back inside.” 

Akko blinked, shocked at what was playing out in front of her. If she didn't know better, she would think that the great, amazing, completely perfect Diana Cavendish was nervous. Without warning, Akko snorted before breaking out in a laugh. “Have you ever even gone for a run before?” 

Scowling, Diana let out a huff and raised her chin. “If you're just going to be rude, I'll be taking my leave then.” 

Just as Diana began to turn on her heel to storm her way back inside, Akko reached out to grab the retreating girl's arm and tried her best to stop laughing. “I'm sorry,” She apologized, stepping closer and flashing a large smile and tilting her head. “You being here just seemed too good to be true, so I was actually trying to figure out if I was dreaming or not.”

This time it was Diana's turn to blink slowly and stare at Akko, trying to process what the other girl had just said while a blush slowly overtook her cheeks. Surely she had misheard her?

“You... Dream about me?” Diana asked, a slight smile tipping up the corners of her lips, unable to keep a small taunt from her voice. 

“Huh?” The confused trainer breathed. Was it really that odd to dream about people that you spent time with? Afterall, she dreamed about Eevee almost every day. 

Slowly, Akko replayed the conversation and took a moment to realize what she had said. Suddenly it dawned on her how her words had been taken as she processed Diana's reply, and the trainer found herself floundering, opening her mouth and closing it in rapid succession imitating a Majikarp out of water. 

“No!” She squeaked, “N-no! I just meant—” Akko was bumbling when Diana burst out laughing and the other girl couldn't help it when she just stared in disbelief. Because if Diana was breathtaking before, with her stoic face and rigid posture, seeing her laughing with a wide smile and body relaxed, skin aglow with the warm morning light, she was... Memorizing. 

Akko found herself unable to break the moment, to say anything and instead simply watched. 

When Diana finally stopped her laughing, and took a moment to catch her breath she raised a hand to her lips bashfully and stifled another small chuckle. “I'm sorry, Akko. I know what you meant, I just couldn't resist.” It wasn't a complete lie, but Diana was not ready to have that conversation or delve further into those... Whatever they were. So she decided to save both herself as well as the other girl.

“If I am bothering you though, do not feel obligated to spare my feelings.”

Akko shook herself from her trance and scratched the back of her head, chuckling awkwardly. She was curious about what Diana thought she had meant but was not going to look a gift Mudbray in the mouth. 

Chewing on her lip, she replied with great effort, “Actually, I think some company would be nice.” Akko smiled, trying her best to stop fidgeting and calm her heart rate. 

Stupid Sucy and her stupid poking and prodding. This was her fault. She was only reacting this way because she’d made all those stupid comments. Akko was just nervous about working out with someone who wasn’t Eevee—what if she got jealous? Not because of any stupid Sucy reasons.

Stupid Sucy.

Annoyed with the mental image of Sucy taunting her, Akko turned to begin at a slow jog. After a few steps she yelled back over her shoulder, “Are you coming, or are you just planning to stare at me for another twenty minutes?” The trainer grinned, proud of herself for that one and picked up the pace when she heard the other trainer yell at her in reply.

“Akko!” Diana shrieked, face burning as she took off at a sprint to catch the other girl who broke into a run to stay just out of reach, laughing.

~o~ 

Akko and Diana returned to the pokemon center just under an hour later, the latter dragging her feet and looking ready to return to the warmth of her bed. Akko was trying her best to not taunt her tentative maybe-friend, she really was. But it was just so easy when Diana had been struggling to catch her breath before they were even a quarter of the way through her usual warm up. She’d even had to cut the day short to spare the other girl who looked like she was one step into an early grave, not that she’d told her that.

Apparently she wasn't perfect at everything, and it made Akko beyond thrilled to finally have something she was able to beat her at. Point one for Akko, she thought smugly to herself, making a show of the fact that she had barely broken a sweat. 

As they slowed to halt, Diana dropped to her rump on the ground and was panting with her hair plastered to her forehead, caked with perspiration.

“Do you two really do this every single day?” Diana asked, legs feeling like jello.

“No,” Akko replied, struggling to suppress her wide grin and snickering when Diana looked at her with a suspicious squint as she subtly tried to swallow pants. “We usually do a lot more, but I decided to take it easy on you.” Akko laughed, jumping out of the way when Diana slapped at her legs, weakly.

“Brat...” She mumbled, looking to the side, trying to hide the small smile as Diana bit her bottom lip. “I didn't realize I was this out of shape.”

“Well, I think your shape is—” Akko stopped mid sentence, distracted by the next person to exit the pokecenter, and raised her hand to wave a greeting.

Diana swallowed the slight annoyance, and resisted the urge to ask Akko to finish her sentence. Instead, she took a deep breath and put her mask back into place, reminding herself she had to maintain the Cavendish name. Even if it was so very easy to slip when it was just Akko around. A habit she was sorely needing to correct.

“Good morning, Professor Ursula!” Akko beamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet, still full of energy. Maybe she should cut her workouts early more often, she still felt like she could run around the city at least a few more times. Wait, wouldn’t that count as just continuing her workout?

The older woman smirked, looking at Diana sitting on the ground and the energizer bunny still hopping around in front of her. The scene was oddly familiar and reminded her of an old friend.

“Good morning, Akko. Diana.” She nodded at both girls respectively, receiving a wide grin and weary nod in return. “How is Eevee this morning?”

“She's doing much better thanks to Diana's miracle goo,” Akko replied, “She even tried to sneak out of her room to come with me this morning but Nurse Chansey caught her. Nurse Joy said she isn’t allowed to do any training for another day or two.”

“That's amazing news, Miss Kagari!” Ursula replied, “I had heard that the Cavendish family recipe was amazing but I didn't realize it was that good.” 

Diana stood and brushed some of the dirt from her legs, back rigid and straight. “It is my mother's recipe, she is owed all the credit.” With a nod to the Professor, she turned to Akko, “I am going to go shower, I will talk to you later Akko.” 

The taller girl scrunched up her face in confusion, Diana's mood had shifted completely and Akko couldn't figure out what had happened. “Ya, Alright.” Scratching the back of her head, she added, “Maybe you could check on Eevee later, if you don't mind that is?” Had she done something to offend her? Maybe she shouldn’t have told her she’d cut the workout short afterall.

Offering a soft smile, Diana nodded in confirmation, “I will try. Good day Professor.”

Once Diana was out of earshot Akko let out a deep sigh, shaking her head before turning back to Professor Ursula and remembering that she had promised to help train with Akko today. Suddenly feeling recharged she jumped and let out an excited squeal, fists clenched.

“Alright!” She exclaimed, surprising the Professor at the sudden mood change, “Let's get to training!”

Ursula chuckled, “Have you even had breakfast yet?”

Instantly Akko deflated, and as if on cue her stomach growled, causing the enthusiastic trainer to blush and chuckle awkwardly. 

“I'll take that as a no,” The Professor smiled fondly, shaking her head.

~o~

Akko spent the next short while sitting on Eevee's bed, relaying her morning encounter with a wild Diana that had appeared and asking her best friend for advice and her opinion. Eevee listened, offering a few meeps of insight while enjoying sharing Akko's breakfast and getting scratches in all her favourite places.

Lotte and Sucy stopped by, sneaking in even more treats for the fox which were gobbled despite recently devouring Akko’s food. Even Amanda and her team stopped by to see how Eevee was doing. Eventually Nurse Joy became irritated with how crowded her hospital room had grown and kicked them all out, telling Akko to let her partner rest for a while.

Leaving a couple of her favourite snacks hidden under her pillow, not needing to tell her to be sneaky—Eevee knew, Akko left to find the Professor who said she would be outside when she was ready. Today was the day Mizar was going to learn to listen. Hopefully. 

She found the Professor sitting outside on a bench, reading a book that had a very worn cover with a thoughtful look on her face.

Sneaking up as quietly as she could, the curious trainer peered over her Professor’s shoulder and called out her greeting, “Whatcha reading?” Akko asked, tilting her head to try to read the faded title on the cover.

Surprised, Ursula jumped and closed the book, fumbling as she tried to shove it into her pack. “Oh, um...” She squeaked as Akko watched, suspicious. “Just a book that a friend gave me a long time ago.”

Akko hummed to herself, there were a few books her dad would jump like that when she asked what he was reading. Usually it was better not to pry any further in that case. Deciding it was best to remain silent, Akko while the other woman stood up and motioned to the training field that was beside the bench. 

“Shall we?” Ursula asked, fastening the latch on her pack and coughing to clear her throat.

Akko hummed suspiciously. Professor Ursula didn’t seem like the type to read those sorts of books though, especially not in public. Afterall, what kind of person would do that while sitting on a park bench? Contemplating that very question, Akko leaned in to inspect the flustered Professor, hands shoved in the pockets on her jean shorts. After watching her would-be mentor squirm for a few moments, she was distracted by the small crowd that was slowly approaching to watch her training session.

“Hey!” The energetic girl called, perking up instantly and waving as she bounced on the balls of her feet, too distracted to notice Professors Ursula release a sudden exhale as she sighed in relief. “What are you guys doing here?” Akko asked when the approaching posse was within earshot. 

“Eh, you know. Just bored since I already kicked the Boulder Badge to the curb,” Amanda smirked and gave an exaggerated shrug, taunting the other trainer with a raised eyebrow and folded arms. “Figured watching you try to train that Pidgey of yours would be entertaining, things almost as stubborn and dense as you are.”

Akko humpfed in reply, puffing out her cheeks and turning away. “Ya well, we'll just see about that! By the end of today he'll be better behaved than even your Doduo!” Akko punctuated the statement by spitting out her tongue.

Amanda let out a deep laugh, “Oh that’s rich,” the trainer mocked, making a show of wiping a non-existent tear from her eye. “As if a know-nothing trainer like you is going to be able to get that lazy bird to do anything. I bet you won’t be able to get it to heed even one command today.”

 Before Akko could cut in, Lotte offered some words of encouragement—elbowing Sucy as she snickered at the exchanged banter. “I know you can do it, Akko.” The coordinator cheered, giving her friend a thumbs up before shoo-ing Amanda and co away. The gentle girl ignored the protests from the redhead and ushered them to find spots on the sidelines to watch and share the snacks Jasminka had brought.

“Thanks, Lotte.” Akko beamed, touched that Lotte had stuck up for her. With a light sigh, Akko turned back to Professor Ursula, “So, what now Professor?”

“Well, I've been thinking about the best way to get through to your Pidgey, and if I remember right you said that he is very food motivated, correct?” Ursula inquired.

Sucy snorted, nose in a book as she replied sarcastically, “That's understating it. I’m pretty sure Mizar was a Snorlax in his last life.”

Akko frowned, touching the pokeball at her hip. “Ya, he really is. He doesn't seem to be interested in much else. He gets really mad if I try to force him to do anything besides eat, he even used his Peck attack on me once.” That hadn’t been a fun experience. Akko had the idea that maybe if she fed him after training rather than before he would be more likely to listen. Rather than the outcome Akko had hoped for, Mizar had puffed up angrily when he had been told the plan and attacked his trainer with a barrage of Pecks and angry tweets.

Nodding to herself, Professor Ursula continued. “To be honest Akko, being very stubborn with a bit of a temper is common for bird types. I'm not surprised you're having difficulty. I had trouble with my Pidgeot when I originally caught him as a Pidgey.”

“Wow, really?” Akko asked, genuinely surprised. Ursula's Pidgeot was very well behaved and well trained if her one encounter with it was any indication. The massive avian had waited patiently for his trainer to climb onto his back and had kept his body level the entire time. It had looked like the Professor had to use little to no effort to stay in the air.

“Yes, he was a bit of a brat if I'm being honest. Even used Whirlwind inside a room at a pokecenter once and completely destroyed it. Nurse Joy almost had my head that day...” Professor Ursula smiled, appearing to reflect on a happy memory, “Anyways, the point is if you just keep working with him, he'll come around.”

Akko nodded, feeling determined. Today was the day that Mizar was going to listen to a command! “Okay, so what do we do?”

“It's simple,” Ursula said, producing two small pouches from her bag along with two tiny rectangles. “These pouches have treats especially made for Pidgey, they absolutely love them. And these,” She held up the small rectangles, they were only a couple centimeters thick with one round button in the center on the flat side. “Are clickers.”

“When I tell my Pidgeot a command and he listens, I will click this button,” Professor Ursula pressed the button with her thumb quickly and it made a 'click'. “And then I will throw him a treat for doing a good job. The idea is that your Pidgey will see this, and will start to associate listening with getting a treat, thus creating a positive link between being given a command and completing the task. However, I need you to understand that it is very important he does not receive a treat unless he has properly followed your command. If he learns that he doesn’t have to listen in order to get his treat, it will be much harder to correct his behavior in the future.”

“Alright!” Akko fist pumped, excitement bubbling within. That didn’t sound hard, she could definitely do this! With a quick nod and internal peptalk complete, Akko grabbed her pokeball and threw it, summoning her Pidgey. “Are you ready, Mizar?” 

Appearing on the field, the bird pokemon ruffled his feathers and looked around, confused as to why there was no food immediately present. Ignoring his trainer’s question, Mizar blinked slowly and looked around, quickly spotting the treats the nearby crowd was enjoying and flying over to see what he could steal. 

“No, Mizar—”Akko groaned, slapping her palm to her face and letting out an exasperated sigh. “I'm sorry guys.” The trainer grumbled, trying to suppress an embarrassed blush as Mizar floated between the viewers and tweeted happily in an attempt to convince someone to share.

Unphased, Professor Ursula took out her pokeball and summoned her Pidgeot, waiting as the red light flashed and took the shape of her much larger bird pokemon. Smiling at him, she reached out and scratched under his chin. 

Without a word she opened her treat pouch and took out one pellet, holding it out for her partner to take from her palm after clicking the button. The noise seemed to catch Mizar’s attention and he turned to watch as Pidgeot happily gobbled up the offered treat.

The small bird tilted his head curiously, catching the smell of the treats and hopped over to squawk at the Professor, opening his beak and looking at her as he waited to be fed as well. Professor Ursula ignored the insistent chirps from Mizar, all of her attention trained on her Pidgeot and throwing a subtle glance at Akko.

Oh, right! Akko chided herself, snapping back to what she was supposed to be doing. “Mizar, come here! I have some too!” Akko called, opening her pouch and shaking it to get his attention.

Mizar looked back at his trainer, regarding her for a moment and Akko waited with baited breath. Apparently deciding that the same treats were much closer from the woman he was already in front of, the avian pokemon ignored her calls and turned back to Ursula, squawking more insistently and opening his mouth while staring at her with greedy eyes.

Professor Ursual continued to ignore the smaller bird, instead talking to her Pidgeot, asking him to do simple commands. The large bird happily obliged with each command, and the Professor watched as he completed loops and laps, clicking and tossing treats as he completed each request. All the while Mizar continued to hop around her feet, chirping louder and trying as hard as he could to get the treat hoarder’s attention.

Growing frustrated at the lack of food sliding down his gullet, Mizar puffed up and craned his head back, intending to use his Peck attack on the woman in front of him if that was what it took to get her attention. His small frame arched, beak glowing with his focus trained on her foot.

From the air Pidgeot spotted the attack and swooped down to protect his trainer before the smaller bird pokemon, throwing himself between his trainer and the enemy. Mizar collided into the stronger pokemon and bounced off without inflicting any harm, falling backwards onto his tail feathers when Pidgeot flapped his wings in a clear warning. 

With his wings spread and standing tall with his chest puffed out, the older pokemon looked formidable. Wingspan spanning out over six feet and standing almost as tall as Professor Ursula, the long colourful feathers that ran from the back of his head and down his neck rose up, telling the younger Pidgey to back off. Any other fledgling pokemon would have been properly chastised, unfortunately for Mizar—he often used his stomach rather than his brain when making decisions.

True to Amanda's description and proving he really was just as stubborn as Akko, Mizar puffed up in return, his smaller chest arching out and feathers ruffled. With a loud, indignant squawk the angry bird took to the air.

“Mizar! Stop it!” Akko called, reaching for her pokeball to recall her rebelling partner. This was so embarrassing, she had tried to show Mizar that she had treats too—maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.

“Wait, Akko.” Professor Ursula called, “I promise that my Pidgeot won't hurt Mizar. I think he wants to battle, let's just see how he handles this.”

“Really?” Akko asked, retracting her hand from her utility belt. Mizar hadn't shown any interest in battling... or training, or well—anything except food since she had captured him. Maybe Professor Ursula was right and she should be encouraging him, even if he picked an impossible to win fight and it was over food. “Alright, Mizar. If you want to battle, then we'll battle!”

Akko looked across the field at the opponent and gulped, she had to admit that Ursula's Pidgeot looked not only very strong, but also was more than a little intimidating. If Mizar was ready to charge at that giant ball of feathers and fury maybe he had more spunk than she had given him credit for.

“Alright, catch!” Professor Ursula called and her Pidgeot flapped his mighty wings, sending a wall of wind over the field, kicking up dust and rippling hair as he sprang skyward to catch the treat pouch in his talons. “If you want the treats, then go get them!” Professor Ursula challenged and Mizar's attention snapped skyward, instantly springing up to give chase.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 13

Mizar's Debut

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Upon noticing the growing tension on the training field, an unusual sight in the usually quiet town, it didn't take long for a crowd to form. For the majority of the year the town saw very few tourists or trainers, and those who did visit were more often than not, refueling before attempting to traverse the mountains. It was only in the month and a half after the newest trainers received their licenses that the town saw any real action. It was the peek of their tourist season, and as such had many looking for entertainment between gym battles.

However, because that very fact had become well known, many of the new trainers and combatants chose to train in the forest surrounding the town instead. While the viewership and free advertising appealed to a few, generally the more experienced trainers, it was nothing more than a distraction for the rest who were still trying to control unruly pokemon who were freshly caught. An issue that Akko was beginning to worry would affect Mizar as well as she looked at the growing crowd—many of which had brought snacks, similar to Amanda’s teammates.

So it was little wonder that within a few minutes the normally quiet training field had a couple dozen onlookers, a mixture of the other fledgling trainers and town folk alike. When word got out that Akko was once again apparently biting off more than she could chew, that was just fuel on the fire. The young trainer was gaining a reputation of being fearless and a bit careless. Two traits that were often seem to amount to little more than brazen stupidity.

“Twenty pokédollars says Akko puts another one of her pokemon in the hospital before the days out,” Akko heard from one of the benches and recognized one of the two snickering girls as Diana's teammates. 

The unwanted attention made Akko pause, and she was about to ask Professor Ursula if they could try again later, after all this was all for Mizar’s benefit and Akko very much doubted he’d receive any at the present moment. However, before she could voice her concerns, it seemed Mizar had another opinion on the matter at hand. The small avian pokemon was rising rapidly, aiming directly for his massive target hovering above. 

No heed was given to the crowd, not even a gluttonous glance to the people below. It seemed as if the little Pidgey had all of his focus and determination on the other bird pokemon and cared little for anything else that was happening around him.

As Akko watched him swoop in for the pouch in Pidgeot's talons, only to have his hopes dashed away with a graceful twirl from the larder bird. Missing his mark, Mizar flipped and went into a dive trying to catch his prize on the rebound. This time Pidgeot pushed backwards, flapping forward mightily with a powerful push of his shoulders sending enough of an air current to make the smaller bird have to focus on remaining airborne as he floundered awkwardly above.

Mizar was determined and once he had regained his balance he continued his assault, swooping low and looping, coming from every angle and keeping the larger bird guessing. Akko found herself smiling, it was the first time she had seen the pokemon show any real interest in anything other than food. Sure, he was going after a food pouch but if that was all he cared about he could aim for an easier meal rather than challenging Pidgeot. Most of the time he had just seemed bored and unmotivated since his capture, but watching him in the air it was obvious he was enjoying the challenge.

Maybe that was what she had been missing, Mizar wasn't listening because what she was asking of him wasn't interesting enough to him. She wasn't challenging him enough, and this battle was exactly what he needed. Maybe Akko had been too easy on him and Mizar was the type that needed to be pushed, needed to toe the line of defeat or stare the impossible in the eye and still have the courage to try. In retrospect, it was possible that the reason Akko hadn’t been able to get Mizar to respect her commands was because to him, it looked like Akko had no respect for Mizar.

As Akko contemplated that very notion, her partner cut a particularly sharp corner and flipped into a barrel roll, his beak coming painfully close enough to nick the pouch and the gathered crowd went wild. Cheering and whistling, some even letting out exclamations of surprise and encouragement. No one expected Mizar to win this duel, and seeing the little underdog come so close to victory was enough to light the spark of hope.

“Stop being so easy on him!” Professor Ursula called, barely containing a small smile. Pidgeot instantly responded, changing from simply dodging to making Mizar give chase. With a mighty flag of his wings, he took off and rotated between rising and diving, leveling out right before hitting the ground and kicking up a wave of dust as a gust of wind battered the crowd.

Mizar pumped his smaller wings furiously—six for each of Pidgeot’s one—no where near willing to admit defeat and giving chase, light streaming from his wings as he activated his Agility to try to match the older, seasoned pokemon. Akko felt her face break out in a wide grin. “You can do it, Mizar! I believe in you!” She screamed in encouragement, and she could swear that for a brief moment her Pidgey turned his attention to her rather than his target.

Cutting a corner and twisting, Pidgeot surprised his pursuer and got behind Mizar. Instead of panicking, the smaller bird showed just how much courage he had by coming to a dead halt and ducking, trying to snap his talons around the bag as Pidgeot passed overhead. All caution was thrown to the wind in favour of a chance at victory.

There was a surprised cry from the crowd and Pidgeot struggled to raise his talons in time to not collide with the smaller bird. The sudden downdraft pushed the Pidgey down to make an unscheduled, rough landing and the smaller bird let out a frustrated squawk. As he sprang back up into the air, Mizar hovered as he studied the circling target above, brown eyes trained on his quarry as he struggled with his next plan of attack.

This was it, Akko thought to herself. This was the chance she needed, to prove that there was a benefit to working together. Gathering her courage, Akko yelled out. “You can do this, you almost had him that time! I have a plan, just let me help you!”

Mizar regarded Akko for a moment, chest heaving before looking back up at Pidgeot who wasn't yet showing signs of beginning to tire. After what seemed like an eternity Mizar looked back to Akko and chirped his agreement. The young trainer couldn't help it as her eyes began to water, happiness surging through her chest with a warm rush. This was her chance. Their chance.

Shaking it off, she balled her hands into fists and pointed across the field, “Alright! All you need to do is bring Pidgeot to you, he's faster so you'll never catch him by giving chase.” Letting a mischievous grin overtake her face, and ignoring the momentary wash of guilt, Akko stared across the field and gave the command. A command she knew that only Mizar would be brazen enough to heed.

“Now, attack Professor Ursula!”

“What? Akko—” Professor Urusula balking, surprised at the unexpected command and above Pidgeot snapped his attention down, instantly on the defensive.

From the sidelines Amanda let out a deep, booming laugh and almost fell off the bench just as Mizar turned his determined gaze to Professor Ursula and the older woman took a defensive step backwards. Akko smirked, watching as Mizar took off as fast as he could directly for the Professor without giving it a second thought.

Just as predicted, as soon as he heard the command, Pidgeot went into a dive to shield his partner, flaring his wings brandishing his talons just as Mizar came into range. All of his attention diverted to protecting his master from harm. Akko grinned, Pidgeot reacted exactly as she had predicted.

Pumping his wings, Mizar nearly collided with the much larger Pidgeot before making a last second turn and reaching out his talons to grab the bag from his defensive opponent. Having claimed his prize, Mizar completed his loop of the training arena and did a boastful loop in the center of the field.

“Yes!” Akko cheered in triumph.

Pidgeot looked down at his talons, a genuine look of surprise on his face before looking back at his trainer who had an equal look of shock on hers. Neither of the seasoned combatants had expected the strategy that Akko and Mizar had employed. 

“I knew you were awesome!” Akko beamed with pride, running out onto the field as the onlookers cheered and murmured. Even the negative nancys on the benches looked genuinely surprised.

On the sidelines, Amanda had rolled off the bench in her fit of laughter and was now laying on her back gasping for air. “Who the hell thinks about attacking the other trainer as an actual battle strategy? Seriously, Kagari!” 

“She's right, Akko.” Ursula agreed while trying to offer some comfort to her pouting and embarrassed partner who was watching Pidgey swell and puff up to match his ego. The smaller bird even went so far as to spin in front of the older pokemon, earning a snap of Pidgeot's beak that was a little too close for comfort. Mizar however, appeared unperturbed—or perhaps was just as intellectually inclined as his trainer—and continued his obnoxious victory strut. “That kind of original thinking is what is going to make Mizar and you a formidable team.”

“Well, I don't know about all that,” Akko replied in a mutter, feeling slightly self conscious about all the attention she was getting. “It's not like what we did would be exactly legal in a real battle.” Or more accurately, if she had done that in a real match she could very well have her license revoked. “But...” Akko looked over at her partner and smiled as he noticed her and flapped over to sit on her shoulder, if only to have a higher perch from which to puff his chest from. 

It was also possible he was using Akko as a shield from Pidgeot’s ire, and Akko had to avert her nervous gaze when she noticed the deadly glare that was aimed in her direction.

“I think I know what the problem is that I've been having with Mizar.” She finished, risking reaching up to scratch the bird's chest and letting out a sigh when he didn't bite her finger. 

“Oh?” Ursula encouraged.

“I think the problem is he's just been bored. I don't think I've been challenging him enough.” Akko smiled, a new training regimen already forming. If a challenge was what Mizar wanted then they just had to work twice—or three times as hard! 

“You know, I think you might be right.” Professor Ursula smiled, watching as Akko giggled and was finally making some progress with her pokemon. The sight reminded her of the first time Alcor had listened to her, even if Akko did have less bandaids on her fingers from angry nips than she had. 

After the mock-battle with Professor Ursula the training with Mizar became much more akin to actual training rather than Akko begging him to please do something, although it still had its bumps. Akko spent the better part of the day working with her new partner, figuring out his limits and what he found too easy and just the right amount of challenging. It was slow going, and there were still times that Mizar simply refused to listen, but rather than be discouraged Akko took that as a hint and adjusted accordingly. She was beginning to understand her new friend, to uncover his personality as more than just a food loving connoisseur and was delighted with each new aspect she discovered.

Besides his love of food, she also found out the bird was fearless and loved anything involving speed and break neck turns. He was brazen and full of courage, willing to try over and over until he succeeded without giving up in frustration. Stubborn, was possibly a more accurate word. This led to Akko setting up an agility course and taking to throwing his treats as hard as she could, incorporating the reward into the exercise. 

By the end of the day she was exhausted and was very excited to tell Eevee about the new developments with their new teammate.

As Akko was heading back to Eevee's bed, licking an ice cream cone from the cafeteria, she was flagged down by nurse Joy mid-lick.

“Miss Kagari!” The peppy nurse called, pink curls bouncing as she flashed her signature smile. A smile that somehow had a way of being both very friendly and yet on the edge of snapping into something terrifying at the same time. A 'customer service' smile is what Sucy had referred to it as when they had arrived.

“I'm so glad I caught you, I wanted to let you know that Eevee could be released tonight as long as you promise you will take it easy for another day or two. Light exercise should be okay, but no battling!” The medic shuffled the charts in her arms as she spoke.

“Really?” Akko replied, tongue still stuck to her ice cream. She wasn't expecting Eevee to be released so soon, “Are you sure? You said she'd have to stay for another couple days at least yesterday.” It took everything for Akko to reconfirm, she desperately missed her best friend but had a nagging voice telling her to be responsible. Sucy called it her 'Diana voice'. Sucy seemed to have a name for a lot of things recently.

“Yes, I'm quite sure. Normally I would hold her longer but the ointment that Miss Cavendish has been applying twice a day is truly miraculous! You two really are fortunate to have a friend like her.” Nurse Joy reassured with a curt nod before grabbing a chart that she located with her shuffling, handing it to Akko with a pen clipped to the top for her to sign. 

“Friend... Ya...” Akko muttered, she wasn't sure why but the assumption made her a little uneasy. It wasn't that Diana and her hadn't been on friendlyish terms for the last week or so but they always seemed to be right on the edge of a lecture or fight. Plus, she was almost positive that Diana would scoff at being called Akko's friend, she barely even tolerated being called her rival after all. And rival was lower than a friend was, right? 

What Akko also found surprising was just how often Diana had apparently been in to check on Eevee. Sure, Akko had known that Diana had been by once or twice considering she’d found the goo on Eevee’s fur but she’d assumed after leaving the bottle that Diana hadn’t seen a need to stop by again. Maybe she was only doing it because she thought Akko would mess it up.

Regardless of Diana’s reasons, Akko would have to remember to thank her somehow later. At least Eevee seemed to be considered a friend, even ifAkko herself wasn't just yet. That was fine though, as long as Eevee was feeling better that was all that mattered.

Seeming to either not hear or not care about Akko's reply, Nurse Joy pointed to a line impatiently that needed Akko's signature for Eevee's release. Embarrassed at being caught lost in thought, Akko scribbled a messy attempt at her signature and held out the chart for the Nurse to take. Snatching it back with that same unnerving smile, Nurse Joy happily skipped down the hallway with a wave farewell.

Eevee was waiting for her sitting up on the bed, tail wagging and ears raised alert as she waited for her favourite person to appear. The only evidence of her rough battle experience was a missing patch of fur on her leg where the IV had been and some scabs on her nose and ears.

The kit was positively thrumming with energy and jumped up as soon as she saw Akko, running in a circle with a happy squeal. Excited yips escaping her chattering maw as Eevee jumped around on the bed in greeting.

“Hey there, pretty girl.” Akko smiled before remembering Nurse Joy's instructions. “Wait! Hey, stop!” She reached out to settle the kit who instantly tumbled to a stop and hopped on her back legs, trying to get a good angle to get onto Akko's shoulders. “Nurse Joy said you have to take it easy for another day or two.” 

Picking up her friend, Akko couldn't help the wide smile when the small fox wiggled in her grasp and nuzzled up under her chin with a purr, rubbing all over Akko's face and neck. Laughing, Akko hugged her tighter, sniffling as unexpected tears rimmed her eyes.

“I missed you too, I thought I'd lost you for a moment there...” She whispered in the dimly lit room, giggling when Eevee started to lick her cheeks, trying to comfort her best friend. Akko smiled and rubbed her nose against Eevee's who squirmed and rubbed her head across Akko's cheek with a meep. 

“I have so much to tell you,” Akko laughed, putting Eevee on her shoulder before wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands and turning to leave. She stopped when she noticed the figure in the door, Diana was watching her with an unreadable expression. It looked so forced to Akko she couldn't help but wonder how much effort she was putting in to keep the mask up.

“Oh hey, Diana.” Akko blinked, reaching up to wipe any evidence of her tears from her cheeks and trying to read the other girl who was standing with one hand on the door frame and one foot out the door as if to leave. Diana opened her mouth to say something before looking back down the hall and chewing her lip, the action appearing on reflex.

Sensing Diana’s discomfort, Akko fumbled for what to say. Maybe Diana had walked in on her and had felt awkward? That was certainly possible. However, she didn’t want the other girl to go just yet and desperately tried to think of what to say to encourage Diana not to leave, not yet at least. 

“I'm sorry, I didn't see you... Um...” Akko scratched at the back of her head, awkwardly shuffling her feet and searching for what to say. What was Diana here anyways? Not that Akko minded, obviously or should that be not obviously?

Suddenly she remembered and clapped her fist down against her open palm. “That's right, you had said you would come check on Eevee when I asked you this morning, that must be why you're here. Nurse Joy said you'd stopped by a few times.”

Diana regarded the other girl curiously, looking at Eevee who was perched on Akko's shoulder, sniffing her trainer's ear as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “She appears to be doing much better.” Diana offered, the statement coming out awkwardly.

“Ya, Nurse Joy said it's all thanks to your miracle goo.” Akko grinned, doing her best to ignore Eevee's ticklish curiosity. 

“It’s an ointment, Akko.” Diana amended quietly.

“Right…” Akko conceded, averting her gaze and once again finding herself unsure of what to say.

Both girls stood in silence, shifting from foot to foot. Akko couldn't pinpoint why but the entire interaction felt forced and awkward. She didn't want Diana to leave but something just seemed off... It was like she couldn’t settle when Diana was around, like she was constantly off balance. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, it was just one that Akko couldn’t seem to place. The feeling, whatever it was, seemed to only exist when Diana was around.

That feeling, while uncertain, was also addicting and Akko found herself missing it—and the girl connected—whenever she didn’t see her for a while. Maybe that was why she was so desperate to keep her here, if only for another minute or two. Regardless of if she understood why.

“Hey, um...” Akko began before Diana cut her off.

“Right, well I should be going. Good night, Miss Kagari.” Diana finished the conversation with an air of formality, turning and walking down the hall before Akko could even process the dismissal.

Blinking and working her jaw as she tried to process what had just happened, Akko let out a deep sigh of defeat. “Okay...” Tilting her head back and slapping her hand to her forehead as she let out a deep groan. “Urg... Why?” 

In response Eevee let out a happy, oblivious meep and rubbed against Akko's cheek. The trainer smiled, scratching behind Eevee’s ears in appreciation for the offered support. “Thanks.” She mumbled, deciding to head up her team's room. 

“Right, so about all that juicy gossip I promised to fill you in on.” Akko told Eevee as they wandered to their room, still scratching the kit under the chin. Talking to Eevee was exactly what she needed right now. The whole thing, whatever it was, with Diana was confusing but that wasn't what was important tonight. Or for the next few days.

If Akko had any hope of beating the Boulder Badge before the cut off for this season, she would need to buckle down and focus on Eevee and Mizar. Next time they faced Brock Akko would be ready, there was no way she’d fail Eevee again.

She just wished the blonde wasn't such a persistent occupant at the forefront of her attention, daydreams and general musings. 

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 14

A Different Kind of Battle

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The moment of Akko's anticipated rematch with the Gym Leader Brock was rapidly approaching. There was less than a week until the deadline when the first batch of hopeful, new trainers would be eliminated and Pewter was notorious for being the gym that ended the journey for the largest percentage of applicants.

As Diana had been so kind to point out back at the academy, an intimidating average of thirty percent of trainers wouldn’t make it past the first badge. While it was true that not all of them failed because they couldn’t defeat Brock—some simply realized that being a trainer wasn’t what they had expected—it was still a very daunting number.

Akko let out a groan, covering her face with her pillow and flopping back onto the bottom bunk that had been designated as hers. Not for the first time, Lotte gave her a concerned glance from where she was sitting on Sucy's bed, knees bent and book in hand. Akko knew her theatrics were probably worrying her friend, but Lotte had already done a lot for her and it wouldn’t be fair to ask for more. Besides, all she would really end up saying was that she was worried about the gym battle—which Lotte already knew and Eevee didn’t need to hear.

She had spent the last week doing nothing but training with Mizar and Professor Ursula. Eevee had wanted to join in as well, and after the couple days Nurse Joy had cautioned her to take, Akko had started to do light workouts with her friend again. Although Eevee hadn’t gotten the memo it was supposed to be light by the way she’d sprinted down the road as soon as Akko said she could go. 

While training, they’d had many visitors, Lotte and Sucy being the most common. However, Amanda and her team were a surprising—and not not unpleasant—close second. What bothered Akko the most was that Diana hadn't said a word to her since their awkward encounter in the hospital room.

It was almost as if Diana was avoiding her and Akko couldn't figure out why or what she might have done that had been the cause. Sure, it wasn't like they were best friends, or even friends, really… but she had thought they had been making progress. Or was Diana just so ridiculously perfect that she was just that kind to literally anyone? 

Maybe Akko wasn't special at all and Diana just made a habit of lathering up anyone's pokemon with her miracle goo. Maybe she pulled just anyone from the river, or joined them for morning runs. Although maybe the first part of that wasn’t so uncommon, it’s not like people made a habit of letting others drown if they happen to see them floundering in a river, right?

Akko let out another long sigh and pressed her palms to her forehead. Maybe stupid Diana Cavendish was just so frustratingly perfect that all of those gestures Akko had assumed meant they were getting closer, were really just Diana being Diana and it meant nothing at all. Maybe Diana was like that with everyone and Akko wasn’t special. Not that she thought she was special, just that… Diana maybe didn’t hate her anymore.

Still, no matter how much she thought about it, something just felt… off. It was a feeling that Akko couldn’t quite place that was nagging at the back of her mind with such consistency that she couldn’t seem to let it go.

That same feeling of being constantly off balance when Diana was around was still there, even if just as a persistent buzz at the back of her mind. Each time she thought about it, that one moment where Diana had joined her for her morning run the day after Eevee had been hurt still stuck out. That morning that they had spent together, without distractions or outside interference it had just been them. In that moment Diana had laughed, which sure might sound stupid but it wasn’t just any laugh… It was, how would she describe it?

Diana’s laugh had been genuine and warm, happy. It felt light and natural, effortless and somehow, free. Akko could swear it was the first unguarded reaction or response that she had heard from the other girl. It wasn’t the laugh of someone who was merely humoring their obligatory companion. The smile Diana had on her face was different, besides still being a rarity. It seemed to touch her eyes in a way that Akko hadn’t seen before, a smile that seemed to reach out and touch her in such a way that made her heart flutter in response and she found herself smiling as well.

Thinking back to the way Diana had looked in the rising sun, smiling and relaxed, Akko let out another deep, conflicted sigh. Why was this all so terribly confusion?

Hearing the distress from her teammate across the room, this time Lotte decided not to ignore it. “Are you alright, Akko?” the coordinator asked, setting her bookmark in place and closing her novel.

Pikachu and Growlithe looked up from where they were curled around her feet, taking the closed book as a clue that it was bedtime. Both of the pokemon had quickly learned—or perhaps, Pikachu had merely learned from watching Arthur—that once Lotte sat down to read she wouldn’t be moving for a while. Thus, the two would happily curl up around Lotte, receiving absent scratches and blissfully napping whenever the quiet girl settled in to read her favourite series.

Peeking out from under her pillow, Akko debated on whether or not to voice her inner debate, looking between Lotte and Sucy. On one hand, Lotte might actually be able to help, on the other hand, Akko really didn't feel like being teased by Sucy right now. Or ever, if she were being honest. The researcher was relentless, never letting an opportunity pass. Even if she had been a bit nicer as of late. Still, what was Akko supposed to say? ‘Do you think Diana sees me as a friend?’ No. That would be stupid, how would they have a better idea than Akko did?

Knowing Lotte was unlikely to let it go without some sort of an explanation, Akko spat out the first thing that came to mind. “Ya, just worried about the rematch with Brock, I guess,” Akko half fibbed, shrugging awkwardly from where she was propped up on her elbows. She was nervous about the battle, so it wasn’t a complete lie. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of what had happened last time. That being said, there wasn't a whole lot else she could do at the moment. She had watched every battle Brock had had in the last three seasons, even going as far as to read many thorough analyses about his battle styles and patterns on the forums Lotte had shown her. 

Eevee had perfected two new attacks that she had picked out specifically to counter the gym leader, and Mizar had made leaps and bounds of improvement. The bird listened to her a whopping seventy-five percent of the time now, only blowing her off when he felt like the task was below him. Or maybe he was just done for the day. Akko wasn’t entirely positive, but she was leaning towards the first option.

Once Akko had learned what the problem was, she had begun figuring out Mizar’s personality and realized he was very different from Eevee. Just like a person, he had his own likes and dislikes, things that excited him and annoyed him. It had been an interesting ride learning all about her new partner, and if she was being completely honest, the bird reminded her a fair bit of herself. Even if it annoyed her that Amanda had been the first to point that out.

Not that she would ever admit it. At least not to Amanda. But it did make it much easier to piece the bird pokemon together once she admitted it to herself. Plus, there was the added bonus of knowing that Mizar was always up for whatever crazy, challenging training regimen that Akko thought up.

Akko barely registered that Lotte had asked her a follow-up question and pushed those thoughts away as she refocused on her friend. “Sorry, what?” she asked, earning a soft smile and knowing look. 

Lotte opened her mouth to repeat the question before hesitating as she searched for the gentlest, least presumptuous way to repeat her concerns. “Well…” Lotte began.

Sucy however, did not have the same tact. 

Snorting and looking over the top ridge of her own book she repeated Lotte's question while adding a touch of her own personal flair. “Lotte asked if there was anything else bothering you because you’re a terrible liar, Akko.” The researcher cackled to herself when Lotte’s face turned a deep shade of red. 

Eyes growing as wide as saucers, Lotte floundered to try to amend the damage Sucy has just unleashed. “I did not say that!” Lotte turned to the researcher with a burning blush, smacking at the snickering girl's arm. “I just asked if there was anything else bothering you. It seemed like you might need to talk.”

“It's not us she wants to talk to,” Sucy countered in a borderline sing-song tone, using her book as a shield from Lotte’s assault. Akko looked between them, brow furrowing in confusion. There was a silent exchange between Sucy and Lotte, decided when Lotte let out a sigh and Sucy broke out in a wide grin. “Right, Akko?”

Not catching the hints that were thrown her way, and barely registering as they flew overhead, Akko pushed her pillow to the side and rolled onto her side, careful not to kick Eevee who was curled up on the end of her bed. 

“Why wouldn't I want to talk to you guys?” Akko asked, looking up when Mizar let out a soft coo and puffed up his feathers, perched and asleep at the head of her bed. As far as Akko knew they weren’t in any form of fight, so she had no idea why they’d think she wouldn’t want to talk to them. She was doing it right now! Maybe it was because of the comment Sucy made at breakfast? But—

“She's not saying that, Akko,” Lotte replied softly, playing with her hair and trying to figure out how to explain Sucy's comment without embarrassing the clueless trainer. 

While Lotte struggled with how to explain what Sucy meant in a more tactful way to Akko—knowing the other girl desperately needed to talk about it—Sucy held no such reservations. “We're saying it's obvious that the one you want to be talking to right now is Diana.” Sucy closed her book and set it aside, “Although I honestly have no idea why. She's a bit of a b—”

“Sucy!” Lotte interrupted in a panic, slapping her hand over the other girl's mouth. Once she was confident that Sucy wouldn't finish her sentence, Lotte removed her hand and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees.

“We've just noticed that she hasn't been around much lately...” Lotte continued, treading carefully. “And it seemed like you guys were getting along. You were so happy the other morning when you came back after she had joined you for your run, so we just thought...” Lotte trailed off, fiddling with her glasses and finding the secondhand embarrassment to be a bit too much for her.

Akko felt her face heat up, deciding that watching Mizar sleep was a safer option rather than looking across the room at the two prying ruffians. “I guess. I hadn’t really noticed.” Akko forced a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant and not like she was screaming like an Aerodactyl on the inside. How had Lotte known? And Sucy too apparently! Did Eevee tell them? “It’s not like she was around all the time or anything. Sure, maybe we’ve talked a couple of times but that doesn’t mean I’m always thinking about talking to her.”

“I don't even know if you'd consider us friends or anything.” Akko let out a noise that had intended to be a scoff but came out as a strangled snort. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lotte’s expression fall to something akin to—was that pity?—before looking at Sucy and letting out a sigh of her own.

Akko was finding it nearly impossible to hide the turmoil and confusion she had been struggling with for days now that she was being watched like a braviary from across the room. Even Growlithe and Pikachu were watching her intently. All of the attention was making her squirm and she started to fiddle with her thumbs before pushing herself up to sit.

Feeling the need to let out some form of release, Akko spat out her tongue at the two watching pokemon. Growlithe tilted his head back and forth, bushy tail starting to wag. The happy canine smiled a dopey smile as he regarded Akko and she felt herself let out a deep breath.

“It's just,” Akko started, letting out a sigh, “I thought we were making progress and I don’t understand what happened!” The trainer threw her hands up in the air, the frustration that rushed from her body upon voicing her own questions hitting her by surprise. “I mean, why else would she have joined me that one morning while Eevee was in the hospital? Is that like, just a normal thing people do?” she continued, looking at Lotte who gave her an encouraging nod to signal that she was following along.

“And she only lectured me like, five times!” Akko opened her eyes wide, trying to show how impressive such a small number was, and Lotte smiled in response.

“But then she was acting so weird when Eevee got released, and now I feel like she's avoiding me. Which is probably stupid because it's only been a week, and it's not like we're friends, ” Akko spat out the last word, nose crinkling before shaking her head and continuing. “But it's a small town, you know? I feel like we should have bumped into each other at least once by now, even by accident.” It didn’t make sense. Previous to their last encounter, Akko might not have spoken to Diana regularly, but she’d at least seen her around everyday at least once. They were both staying at the pokemon center so it made sense they’d see each other in the dining hall or lobby. It was like she’d just disappeared.

“I'm probably being stupid thinking she'd even find it worth the effort to avoid me,” Akko muttered, grabbing her pillow and pulling it against her chest, pouting slightly. Especially since that would mean that Diana was actively putting in effort throughout each day because of her, which didn’t seem likely. There was no way Diana thought about her as much as she did about Diana. Not that it was a lot. Just like, a normal not-friend-but-rivals amount.

“You aren't stupid, Akko. You shouldn't say that,” Lotte chided, searching for the right words to cheer up her friend.

“Well, she isn't all that smart either.” Sucy snickered, gulping when she noticed Lotte's dark glower. “I mean, you are improving...” she muttered in an effort to appease the wrath of the red head to her right. 

“If you ask me, you only have two options if it's bothering you this much.” Sucy shrugged, leaning back against the wall and crossing her legs. “You can either sit there and stew and wind yourself up with all the what if's and never get a straight answer while also driving us crazy.”

Akko scrunched up her nose, not liking option one. Especially since that was exactly what she’d been doing the last couple days and it certainly hadn’t helped. “Or?” she prompted.

“Or, you could grow a pair and just ask her if she's avoiding you. If she is, then at least you know, and it's her loss. Personally I find you much more tolerable than little miss priss pants. And if she's not, and it's just been a busy week, then you can stop stressing out so much about whether or not she likes you too.” Sucy smirked at her last comment, unable to stop herself from inserting at least one gibe. 

“I never said I liked her,” Akko retorted instantly, flushing a light shade of pink. But Sucy was right, as loathe as Akko was to admit it—her teammate was actually almost helpful. 

If she just asked Diana what was going on then she'd have her answer. Truth be told, one of the two possible answers scared her more than not knowing at all. Diana had already told her at the academy—more or less—that she didn’t like her. Did she really want to hear it a second time?

“She didn't mean like that, Akko,” Lotte reassured, continuing to run interference, not that Akko seemed to register the majority of the quips aimed in her direction.

“ Sure , I didn't mean it like that.” The researcher rolled her eyes, flashing a half grin at Lotte and bumping her shoulder, eliciting a soft giggle in response. Akko watched the exchange and smiled. At least her two friends seemed to be getting along, which was a big improvement from the beginning of their journey. 

Which meant that if Lotte and Sucy would get along—even having started off on a less than optimal foot—maybe there was hope for her and Diana. 

Swallowing her nerves, Akko muttered, “so, say I wanted to go with option two...” The trainer finished in a hopefully confident voice while playing with the ends of her hair, trying to act calm and smooth. “What would I do? You can’t talk to someone you never see, regardless of if she's avoiding me, I still need to run into her to talk to her. It's not like I haven't tried to bump into her.”

“Well, you could always message her,” Lotte offered helpfully. 

“But what would I even say? ‘Oh hey there, Diana. Just wondering if you were hiding from me on purpose?’” Akko asked, sarcasm dripping. That would go over well, even if she wasn't being avoided before, she definitely would be after that. If there was one thing that screamed stalker it was pretty much word for word that.

“You could just say something super short and nonchalant,” Sucy offered, ignoring the wary side-eye aimed at her from Lotte. The coordinator could sense that she was building to something, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

“Like what?” Akko blinked owlishly, jumping when Eevee yawned and arched, stretching out, little furry paws tickling the bottom of her trainer’s feet.

Sucy hesitated, seeming to weigh the pay out of her next words versus the backlash. “Well, I have heard that people in similar situations have used, 'You up?' with some success at initiating late night encounters.”

Lotte looked at the other girl for a moment before her mouth formed into an 'o' and her face darkened with a mixture of rage and embarrassment. “Sucy! She can’t say that!” she exclaimed.

Akko was left watching in confusion as to why Lotte was so furious at the researcher who was cackling and holding her hands up to shield herself from the pillow attack. What was so bad about asking if Diana was awake and willing to talk? It wasn't even that late.

~o~

The next morning it was finally time for Akko to challenge the Boulder Badge for the second and—regardless of the outcome—last time. If she didn't defeat Brock this time, her two seasonal challenges would be up and she would have to wait until next year. Finishing her preparations to leave, Akko stared at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror and noted the clear hesitation. She was nervous, so much so that her hands shook despite clutching the edge of the bathroom sink.

It was strange. She had been confident that she would beat every badge easily and on the first try when she had set out. Maybe it was because that was what Shiny Chariot had done. She’d been so sure that she would be the same in every step of her journey, the picture she had painted had been so clear, and now it was so muddy she didn’t know what was next, no matter what happened today.

It could also be that if she didn’t win today, she’d have to wait at least one more year to challenge the Pokemon League, pushing her goal that much further into the future. She had imagined that would be what concerned her the most if she lost today but that wasn’t the case.

Instead, all she could think about was that for the first time she felt like she had real friends. Other than Eevee, that was. And now she was so close to possibly losing them all. Sucy and Lotte would continue on their journey, along with Amanda, Constanze and Jasminka. She’d never had friends to talk to late into the night about her problems or worries, people her own age to help her or laugh with. She’d never had someone to challenge or joke around with—despite how annoying Amanda was.

Besides them, she would likely never see Diana again, except maybe on the year end coverage of the league proceedings or rich people magazines or something. 

Even if right now it didn't look that different from reality as far as ever seeing Diana again. Akko frowned and looked back at the reflection in her mirror, letting out a sigh before checking her utility belt to make sure it was secure around her hips. Eevee and Mizar's balls both sat in their clutches, shining after she had spent the night cleaning them. 

What was she doing? In just a short while she would be fighting against the strongest opponent she had ever faced and here she was once again focused on Diana. What was wrong with her? It was stupid. Stupid Akko! The trainer berated herself, scratching at her scalp before stamping a foot and letting out a deep breath.

Sitting beside her, Eevee tilted her head and pawed at her trainer's leg, confused. She had never seen her friend this distracted. Or, for that matter, quiet. Letting out a mewl, the little fox wagged her tail softly as she tried her best to cheer Akko up.

Akko shook her head and clenched her fists, replacing her frown with a wide grin as she let out a shout. “Alright, Akko, get it together! We're going to march into that Gym and mop the floor with Brock! Are you with me, Eevee?!” 

Jumping to her paws, Eevee let out a meep in agreement and ran in a tight circle.

“That's what I thought! Here we go!” Akko exclaimed, marching towards the door with high steps and swinging arms in a nearly cartoony image. 

Pulling the front door open forcibly, Akko let out a surprised, “Oof!” When she stepped into the hallway and slammed into a running figure. “Hey, watch it!” She said, rubbing her forehead and looking down to see who had run into her. “Diana?”

The other girl barely registered Akko as she got back on her feet and wore a scowl.

“Oh, um... Hey, Diana. I um, didn't see you.” Akko offered, nervous and voice wavering under Diana's dark glower. Without a word, Diana’s attention flicked back down to the watch on her wrist, lips a thin line.

Ignoring Akko’s apology, the other girl pushed herself to her feet and brushed off her skirt, barely offering a curt, “it’s fine.” Before checking her pokedex and cursing under her breath, moving to hurriedly push past Akko. 

The odd behavior from her normally polite companion caught Akko completely off guard and unsure of what to say, cursing the knot in her stomach from stopping any attempt to just say something—anything!

“Wait!” Akko called, hesitating when Diana stopped mid stride to look back at her.

“What is it, Akko? I'm in a bit of a rush.” Diana snapped, the tone she took so out of character that Akko was left staring speechless back, the words she had wanted to say caught on her dry tongue before they had a chance to escape.

Unsure of how to respond to the brash tone that was aimed in her direction, Akko cleared her throat and tried to ignore the sting that Diana’s words had caused. “It's just, my gym battle is today. I don't know if you knew—” Akko answered, voice low and unable to hold eye contact. Diana seemed furious, fists clenched and body rigid.

After a moment, Diana let out a deep, low sigh that came out as more of a growl,  causing Akko to flinch.

“I don't have time today, Akko,” Diana replied curtly and continuing on her rampage down the hall. After a few steps, she paused, speaking over her shoulder in a soft tone without making eye contact. “I’m sorry,” she added as what Akko assumed to be an automatic response rather than genuine remorse. 

“O-okay...” Akko responded, hand lowering to her side and unheard as Diana rounded the far corner and disappeared from sight. “Well, I guess that answers that.” Akko said to Eevee, the small fox looked just as perplexed as she lowered her ears sadly. Holding back the wave of hurt that hit her harder than she could logically explain, Akko glanced longingly once more at the direction Diana had run off before turning the opposite direction and taking her own path.

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 15

Akko vs. Brock:Take Two!

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Even though Akko knew Diana wouldn't be coming to watch her match, she couldn't help but continuously glance at the door to the stadium in the unrelenting hope that she might change her mind. Which as stupid as she knew she was being, she couldn’t help but feel that twinge of disappointment each time she looked over to see that Diana wasn’t in her seat.

The crowd was much smaller this time, the apparent hype of a breakout trainer who had defeated the Cavendish heir was popularly believed to be a fluke. Most of the early gossip about there possibly being a surprise upset among the unknown trainers had dwindled and lost their early spark. That being said, Akko wasn't without her share of support. 

In the stands Amanda was back with her sign, plus lighting upgrades courtesy of Constanze, showing her support for Eevee. Just Eevee. That was made abundantly clear with the literal 'small print' at the bottom of the sign that read, ‘Go Eevee, not Akko’. A sentiment that Akko was doing her best to focus on the support her best friend was receiving. After all, Eevee deserved it.

Besides Amanada and her two teammates were Akko’s own, Sucy and Lotte, who were all sitting close to Professor Ursula. As Akko looked to each, waving a silent hello from the trainer’s box, she received a mixture of cheers, thumbs-up and smiles or waves of encouragement. It seemed as if this time there would also be some pokemon watching the match. Arthur was even out of his pokeball and sitting on the bench beside Lotte with Pikachu using the canine’s head as a perch and vantage point. Not that the puppy pokemon seemed to mind as he wagged his tail and looked around, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.

And behind them... well, they were less familiar faces, but some Akko still recognized.

After her match with Professor Ursula, Mizar had gained his own small fan club of people from Pewter City. It seemed like there were a few people who were rather taken by Mizar’s brazen ‘can do’ attitude. As Akko looked around she was able to spot a couple who were scattered among the stands showing their support for the daredevil bird. One enthusiastic fan even went as far as to make a home-made Pidgey costume out of cardboard and was flapping away and holding onto a treat pouch. Akko really hoped that wouldn’t come back to haunt her as she nervously ran her fingers over the top of Mizar’s pokeball.

Letting out a sigh and shaking her head slightly, Akko smiled and couldn't help the pride she felt for how many people loved her partners. Sure, she had been utterly defeated in her first battle and Diana wasn’t there, but she was confident this was the day she took her first real step to achieving her dream. Looking around, Akko realized it didn't matter if no one had a sign with her name on it. What mattered was that everyone saw just how amazing her pokemon were. Which meant even if she did lose today, just seeing the love that was aimed at Eevee and Mizar, she had still achieved a small step towards reclaiming what Shiny Chariot had set the foundation for.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to win though. This time would be different. This time she was prepared, she had done the work. They had all done the work. Most importantly: this time, she wouldn't let them down.

As Akko finished her internal monologue, Brock walked onto the field. Checking the time on her pokedex, Akko chanced one last glance and frowned with disappointment when she found Diana’s seat still empty as the doors were shut. Accepting that she wasn't coming, Akko turned her focus onto her opponent and forced a smile, walking onto the field to meet him in the middle.

“I'm glad to see you came back,” Brock greeted as they stood in the center. “I was worried after the hit your Eevee took.”

Akko folded her arms and pointed with her thumb back at Eevee who was sitting at the edge of the trainer's box, fur bristled and chomping at the bit to begin the match. “She would have come back here to fight you with or without me. I’m just happy she let me come along.”

Brock let out a laugh. “Sounds like one of my little sisters.” The gym leader extended his hand and Akko grasped it tightly. “Let’s have a good match,” the gym leader finished with a smile and Akko nodded her agreement. 

“And it will end with you giving me the Boulder Badge!” Akko amended, earning a smile from her opponent before they turned to return to their respective posts.

As they finished their greeting, the loud sound of the referee blowing his whistle silenced the onlooking crowd. “This will be a two-on-two battle for a Boulder Badge between Gym Leader Brock and Trainer Akko Kagari. There is no time limit and will conclude when both pokemon of either opponent are no longer able to continue, or until one side forfeits.”

The referee looked first to Akko and then to Brock, receiving a nod from both he raised his flags. “Since both combatants are ready, we will select the first pokemon.” 

“Alright, Eevee!” Akko called, throwing her arm out as the fox rushed onto the field. While Akko had originally wanted to start with Mizar, Eevee had made it clear when they had been going over their strategy that she had a bone to pick with a certain boulder pokemon, and who was Akko to deny Eevee anything? 

“Let’s go, Geodude!” Brock called, tossing his pokeball to the field. The two pokemon regarded each other, the rock pokemon staring at Eevee with the same blank, easy confidence as the first match. Eevee's fur bristled, her claws pressing into the arena floor as she narrowed her eyes at her opponent, ready to redeem herself in their rematch.

“Begin!” The ref called, slamming his flags down and Eevee sprang into action without prompting, fully aware of the strategy that had been decided beforehand. The little fox’s fur was already shimmering as she split into six copies with a Double Team attack. The mirror images moved together and fanned out in a 'v', heads down and spreading out as they neared their target. This time Eevee didn’t rush to surround her target, she was calm and moved at a slower pace, watching Geodude closely and listening for the next instruction. 

“That again?” Brock frowned as he called out his counter. “Geodude, use Rollout!” 

Complying, Geodude folded his arms around his body and dropped, spinning in place to gain speed before spinning off and aiming to shatter the illusions intending to repeat the same series of events as last time. This time though, Akko had other ideas and declared her next move.

“Mimic!” Akko called, and all the Eevee's eyes glowed as she continued to run, the six foxes attention locked on Geodude before each image of Eevee jumped in unison, tail tucking between her legs as she curled into a ball and began to spin, successfully mimicking Geodude's rollout attack. As each of the double team images hit the ground they broke off in different directions, scattering around the arena and going in different directions.

Unperturbed, Geodude’s bulky frame slammed into the arena floor as he tore after his target as the six copies of Eevee began to also pick up speed, a side effect of mimicking rollout, becoming spinning brown blurs as they rounded the arena. Akko smiled. She had been hoping that if she had started the same way, Brock would use the same counter so she could take advantage of Geodude’s attack. Mimic allowed Eevee to copy any ability that any pokemon on the field used, and rollout was the perfect way to build up speed and create a distraction for phase two.

Spending multiple nights watching matches that Brock had with other trainers, Akko had noticed a pattern. Almost every trainer that had excelled in the match had used the terrain to their advantage. The field, like last time, was littered with rocks of varying size that created the perfect cover and obstacles for the fox’s small frame and Eevee was utilizing them to their fullest. 

Sticking to their plan, each time Geodude was about to catch the Eevee he was after, the Eevee in question would round one of the stones or use it as a ramp to launch into the air, successfully escaping from the much heavier Geodude in the air or using her smaller frame to make the tighter turn.

Akko watched the pursuit, breath catching each time a copy was almost caught before it flung itself high in the air. She needed them all for this to work, which meant they had to work separately and not in any pattern that Geodude could move counter to like their first match. She had to trust that Eevee would be able to control each copy with enough precision to escape. Seven copies had been that limit they had found in training, which was less than Akko had been hoping for as it left no margin for error. But it was enough. It had to be.

Right on cue, as Geodude rounded a large boulder after his current target, Akko glanced at the Eevee closest to her—the original—as she split into another image hidden behind a far boulder and the new copy broke off, leaving the original hidden from sight.

That made seven. Six copies plus the original.

Making sure she looked to where Eevee was still hiding, Akko waited until Brock looked across the field and then to where Akko was watching. Curious, the gym leader’s brow furrowed and Akko silently hoped he noticed the ploy they had started into motion.

She had to be patient, had to be perfect, or it wouldn’t work. So she waited. Waited for the next moment that Geodude followed one of the copies into the air and then—

“Now!” Akko called, and instantly the real Eevee skidded as she rounded the boulder, and let loose a barrage of Swift attacks, slamming into the boulder pokemon, the guaranteed hit sending him into a free fall to crash into the hard floor. 

“You know what to do! Mimic!” Akko called and Brock frowned from across the field, Geodude still picking himself up and seemingly having nothing for Eevee’s mimic attack to work off of.

“You can't copy an attack unless they are currently using it, Akko.” He called, holding his next attack until after Mimic had faded.

“We're not targeting Geodude!” Akko smirked, watching as Eevee's eyes lit up and turned to focus on one of her copies, jumping back into the air and resuming her rollout attack. Brock was correct that an attack could only be copied while it was being used, however the pokemon copied did not have to be an enemy, just on the field. That was something Akko had learned when Eevee had used her mimic on Mizar to knock an apple from a tree after watching him use gust for the same thing. Allies could be used as well.

Brock smirked across the field, genuinely impressed by the amount of improvement he was witnessing from the fledgling trainer. “Then let's see what you’ve got. Geodude, use Harden! Let’s see what they’re up to.”

As mimic took effect, the real Eevee joined the other spinning foxes and whizzed around the arena, making it impossible to pinpoint which was the real one once again. Once Akko was confident that her friend was anonymous among the crowd, she called for the Eevee brigade to circle Geodude. This time it was the Eevee crew that were the ones circling their prey like sharpedos. 

Six copies of Eevee turned inward and slammed into the boulder pokemon with the full force of a charged rollout attack, landing a devastating blow that sent the defending pokemon back a few steps, before circling wide. Eevee sent her double team copies out wide, purposefully making it possible to count the number of images for any who would try before turning and coming back for the next strike. Each time she went out wide, curled the arena and dipped behind the boulders, seemingly to make it impossible to track which was the real one.

Brock was someone who would know to count how many copies were on the field, Akko believed that. And in order for this to work, she had to be right.

Akko knew that each time a hit was landed with the rollout assault, it let Brock know that the real one was among the crowd. Double Team was an evasion tactic, not an offensive attack, which meant that if it was only double team images hitting the rock pokemon he would be completely unaffected when the Eevee images descended. She was also banking on the fact that Brock knew that there was one more copy on the field and suspected it was being held back for a reason. 

Akko clenched her fists nervously and prayed she was right. 

As another hit landed, Akko knew Brock had finished analyzing and was ready to make his next move. Without a word Eevee moved into the next phase of their plan and this time as the images retreated from Geodude, circling wide and dipping behind cover, the real Eevee split into another image making her seventh and final copy. Without missing a beat, the new copy used mimic to send itself back onto the field seamlessly, successfully holding up their ruse.

Akko tried to suppress her grin as Eevee hid behind the boulder, out of sight of Brock and Geodude and was successfully replaced by her clone. She needed to be careful not to give it away, Akko reminded herself and worked to keep from looking to where Eevee was hiding.

Again six Eevee's circled Geodude where he struggled to raise himself up from the ground, showing obvious signs of wear despite the time spent raising his defense. This was where the final gamble was. Brock had to believe there were only six copies plus the original. That there was one more hiding, unaware that there were two.

Confident he had figured out Akko’s strategy, Brock declared his counter, “Geodude use Rapid Spin! Clear out those copies!” The Gym Leader threw out his arm and watched as the pincer attack came in once more, perfectly aware that only six of the copies were present and confident that the real one was not among the group.

As the Eevee images turned inward, Geodude began spinning, countering the brutal attack by shattering all the illusions, proving Brock's suspicions correct as double team was removed from the field.

When the dust settled, Geodude was floating in the middle of the arena panting and the seventh Eevee sprang out from where she was hiding behind a stone. The kit bolted to the center, to stand a few feet away, looking no worse for wear and she crouched, awaiting the next order.

“So you hid the real one? Smart, you've improved.” Brock congratulated, a wide smile overtaking his visage. “But you should have hidden it better!” Geodude turned to look at Eevee, steeling himself for the final hit that would decide the match.

“Eevee, finish him! Quick Attack!” Akko called, throwing her arm out, not responding to the compliment. It was time to finish this, to see if her gamble would pay off. 

“Akko, no!” Lotte yelled from the stands, the coordinator standing up as she slapped her hands over her mouth and watched as Eevee responded and made a beeline for her opponent.

Brock almost looked guilty as he declared the expected follow up, his voice solemn. “Geodude, Self Destruct.”  

As everyone watched in mounting horror at having to witness a repeat of Akko’s last defeat, the stands grew silent. Responding to his trainer’s call, Geodude began to glow and shake, the rock type rapidly building energy for his devastating, final attack. 

With her eyes locked on Geodude, Eevee's feet lit up as she took off with her Quick Attack, trusting her trainer and flinging herself head first at her target. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Eevee came into point blank range, the stands grew silent, even the slight sneering murmurs were gone. Everyone seemed to resign themselves that this was how Akko’s battle was going to end once again. That Akko hadn’t learned from their last match and Eevee was fated to the same defeat as before.

Akko couldn't help the grin that overtook her face as she clenched her fists and watched the rock pokemon glow painfully bright. Her stride never faltering, Eevee pushed faster, covering the field in a blink. It was not enough, and just like last time, right before the kit landed that fatal blow, Geodude released the pent up energy and sent a shock wave through the stadium with a resounding boom.

The entire room was dead silent as the dust began to clear and spectators rose to their feet to see what had happened. It seemed that everyone in the stands, supporters and hecklers alike were standing, scanning the walls and floor looking for Eevee. The only one who was simply smiling, sitting silently and seeming to try to suppress her amusement was Professor Ursula, who was instead watching Akko.

“You absolute idiot! What were you thinking? Rollout may increase a pokemon's speed but you used Agility last time and that combo didn't work either! What kind of brain-dead logic did you follow that made you think this would wo—” Amanda started to protest from the stands, enraged that Akko would allow Eevee to be defeated in the same manner.

Without looking in her direction, Akko replied in a calm, even tone. “Will you relax Amanda? Just how stupid do you think I am?” Pretending she didn’t notice the unsure glance Amanda threw towards the rest of their group, Akko turned her attention back to the arena. 

As the dust settled, all present looked to the battlefield, hoping to figure out what had become of the tiny fox. Laying in a small, self built crater was Geodude, in the exact spot that his self destruct had triggered. The rock type lay unconscious, his stone skinned body covered in ash from the explosion.

However Eevee was still nowhere to be seen and the crowd began to murmur with confusion as to what had befallen the poor kit.

Spotting the fallen gym leader’s pokemon, the referee raised a flag in Akko’s direction and declared in a booming voice, “Geodude is unable to continue battling, first round victory goes to the challenger and her, er—” The referee faltered, looking around to see if his statement should be amended to a tie.

In response, Akko let out a woop and jumped slightly and to everyone's surprise the ground in front of Akko began to bubble slightly before Eevee poked her dirt covered head out. Once she was sure it was over, the kit sprang out of her tunnel she had created with her newly minted Dig attack and shook the dust from her fur. 

The little kit spotted the joy on her trainer’s face and joined Akko in the victory hops, letting out meeps of merriment as well, little tail wagging vigorously. 

“Very clever, Akko.” Brock congratulated from across the field, “I had thought I had only counted six copies but I suppose this means that your sneaky partner managed to create another without my noticing. 

“Ensuring she wouldn’t be hurt by the self destruct by having her hide underground was a nice touch.” The gym leader nodded towards the decimated battlefield and Akko swallowed a lump in her throat. The rocks and boulders that had been in place at the beginning of the match were nearly completely blown away by self destruct. If Akko had just hidden Eevee behind one of those, it may not have been enough. 

“But,” Brock cut back in, “When did you swap out the real one for the new clone?”

“Oh, uh—” Akko started, feeling a little embarrassed by all the praise and attention. “It was right before you used your rapid spin attack to clear out the double team images.” Akko explained, pointing to the boulder in front of her to the right, it was out of sight of both Brock and Geodude. “I let Eevee choose when she thought was the right time,” Akko shrugged. Eevee had always had better instincts for that sort of thing. 

They had gotten the idea from a video that Eevee and herself had watched of another trainer battling Brock a few years ago. The trainer had had his Sandshrew use dig to counter Geodude’s Self Destruct, which had been the original reason for teaching Eevee Dig. However, after some further digging and watching more recent battles, Akko discovered that after that defeat Brock had begun using earthquake to counter opponents who used dig. It had been disappointing at first, but then Akko realized that it could still work, she needed to figure out a different way to make it work. Dig could still counter Self Destruct, she just needed to be sneaky about it.

She had spent the next day brainstorming, thinking of all different ways she and Eevee could trick Brock. But it wasn’t until she was out for a walk with Eevee and talking to the kit about home, she had remembered how they had used to steal cookies and in that moment it dawned on her.

Sometimes they would be caught, and in order to not have the delicious snacks confiscated, they had devised a bait and switch tactic. A tactic that while not exactly the same—since Akko wouldn’t be on this battlefield—could still be modified with a little Eevee flair. Who knew cookie thievery would help her win a gym battle? 

“Well, your teamwork was executed perfectly.” Brock congratulated, returning Geodude to his ball and selecting his next. “Alright then, let’s see how your teamwork handles this! Onyx, you're up!” Brock called, tossing his second pokeball onto the field. The sphere burst open and released a massive flash of red light that easily towered over fifteen feet high and loomed over the battlefield. 

Akko watched the massive pokemon take shape. She took a step back in order to take in the sheer, massive frame of Onyx. It was as she craned her head back that she realized why the stadium roof was so high. It was to accommodate such a monstrous contender. 

She had known that Onyx was massive, but seeing it this close… it was hard to describe just how tiny the giant made her feel in that moment. 

Eevee backed up slightly to make room for her next opponent, hopping backwards towards Akko's trainers box and crouching, her chestnut fur bristling and back arching as she watched the red beam solidify and the new rock type starting to take shape. She was ready for this challenge, holding no hesitation to attack the pokemon whose smallest link was bigger than her entire body.

As Brock's Onyx finished forming, it let out a bellowing roar, shaking the stadium and announcing his presence with a boom. The gargantuan rock pokemon's body rolled and shifted, connected boulders that made up his frame grinding like gears as he arched his neck to regard his tiny opponent. Around his rock encrusted body the stadium floor crumbled and the boulders that had been present were crushed or pushed aside, his tail moving in a slow serpentine motion. 

“Challenger, please select your pokemon,” the ref called and Akko smirked, fingers going down to the pokeball at her hip. She knew it was a newbie mistake to send a flying type to fight a rock type. It was a complete disadvantage, but somehow she felt like Mizar would like the chance to rise to the occasion. Somehow, Akko believed that from what she had learned about the little bird she was confident his reaction to seeing a fight with impossible odds only left him one option: to fight harder. This was the type of fight that Mizar would revel in, would come into his own and truly push himself to his limits. 

Eevee had already gotten her chance at redemption, now it was time to give someone else the spotlight.

“Eevee,” Akko called, the fox flicking her ears back but otherwise keeping her focus on the pokemon in front of her. “Return,” Akko finished and Eevee looked back, confused but heeding the command, running off the field and into the trainer box.

“Alright, Mizar,” Akko breathed, taking the ball off her belt and raising it up so it was in front of her face. “I know you can do this,” she whispered, “I believe in you. It's your turn to show everyone that last time wasn't a true display of your potential.”

Steeling her resolve, Akko threw the ball onto the field, summoning her second partner. “Mizar, I choose you!” The trainer's voice boomed out as she caught the rebounded ball and returned it to her belt. In a flash of red her partner burst forth with a flourish, already airborne and regarding his opponent.

Unlike last time, the bird pokemon didn't look to the stands, or heed the sound of crunching snacks. Instead, Mizar was focused completely on the massive pokemon towering in front of him. If it was possible, Akko would have sworn she saw the bird smile at the challenge and rose to the occasion to hover at eye level with Onyx, meeting the challenge at his height.

“Begin!” The ref called, slamming down both flags to begin the second round.

“Onyx, Slam!” Brock called, not giving Akko the chance to act first this time. With surprising speed, the boulders that made up Onyx’s body began to roll as he swung his massive bulk, aiming to crush the tiny bird. 

Mizar dipped to avoid the attack narrowly, his attention fixed on the opponent in front of him, oblivious as Onyx twisted to unleash a follow up. Desperate to warn him in time, Akko called out a warning for the incoming attack from the other direction. “Look out!” She yelled, catching the bird pokemon’s attention and Mizar flapped wildly to get out of the way of the whooshing tail, looking slightly shaken at the narrow call.

“Keep going! Slam!” Brock called, continuing the barrage. Onyx's body rolled and ground, twisting at impossible directions and using his uncannily dexterous bulk to force the bird purely on the defensive. Again and again the rock serpent’s tail crashed into the arena floor, crushing the stone below and destroying the field. Dust and dirt were kicked up in thick clouds, making it difficult for Akko to pinpoint her small partner that blended in with the debris.

“Don't panic! Use Detect!” Akko called, and Mizar's eyes lit up, reactions becoming smoother as he danced around the swinging bulldozer. Detect allowed the little bird to sense where the next attack was coming from and he moved into a graceful aerial dance as he continued to narrowly avoid the onslaught.  

“Now, Onyx! Use the stone you broke apart! Rock Throw!” Brock continued and Akko snapped her attention away from the aerial battle, realizing that all the missed Slam's had done serious damage to the stadium floor, breaking up the already battered arena. Destruction that resulted in the perfect ammunition for Brock and Onyx’s next attack.

“Mizar, get out of there!” Akko yelled, pointing towards the ceiling. If Mizar was hit by that Rock Throw attack the damage would be devastating. “Agility!” Their only hope was to get out of range and use Rock Throw’s lack of accuracy to their advantage. Not that you had to have good aim to hit with a barrage of massive, jagged stones.

Mizar responded by pumping his wings, talons folded up tight against his belly in an effort to pick up speed. As he flew, agility took effect and a light stream began flowing behind, leaving a streak of silver as he tried to get out of range of the attack. 

Onyx roared, tail curling around the loosened ammo and used his whole body to release the barrage of rocks aimed at the fleeing pokemon. The attack hurtled through the air and resembled an asteroid belt making it nearly impossible to predict and avoid. As she watched the attack close in on her fleeing friend, Akko realized too late that she had underestimated just how strong Onyx was, and how far he could throw a projectile. Try as he might, Mizar was not going to be able to out range the attack in time.

The stone barrage caught up with Mizar with a rapid approach, whizzing through the air. Trying his best to avoid the attack, Mizar beat his wings to get out of the way but with the attack coming from behind it made it even more difficult to react in time. All around him rocks thundered by in varying sizes, slamming into the ceiling above him and raining down debris that battered the retreating pokemon.

Mizar put on an impressive display of agility and prowess, twisting and weaving and using his Detect ability to navigate the assault. With graceful turns, he managed to avoid all of the largest rocks and Akko was beginning to think that maybe he would be able to get out of this afterall. However, all of that changed a moment later when a chunk of damaged ceiling fell and clipped the bird’s wing, sending Mizar into a spinning free fall. Taking a direct, and super effective hit.

“Mizar, pull up!” Akko cried, watching as the bird struggled to right himself as he plummeted to the ground, wincing noticeably as he tried to work his wounded wing. Akko took a step forward, fighting the urge to run out of the trainer box to try to catch her partner. Beside her Eevee let out a cry, shouting out encouragement to her teammate. 

Falling rapidly towards the ground, Mizar finally managed to catch the wind beneath his wings and leveled out. Unfortunately for the already struggling bird, it wasn’t soon enough. As soon as he managed to stop his freefall, Mizar found himself once again within range of Onyx’s brutal attacks. 

“Onyx, Tackle!” Brock called as soon as the bird was back within the rock pokemon's strike zone and the boulder pokemon lunged forward, swinging his neck so his neck collided into the enemy pokemon.

Mizar took the hit full force and was thrown backwards through the air, this time with no hope at stopping himself. As the small bird pokemon sailed across the arena he fell to the ground and tumbled, rolling across the field in a feathery mess. 

Akko felt her heart drop and couldn't help but feel as if she was watching Mizar receive the same punishment as Eevee had last time. She waited, whispering under her breath so only Eevee could hear. “No, come on...” Shaking her head, she clenched her fists and willed herself not to cry. Mizar would get up, there was no way he’d give up after only that much. He was far too stubborn for that.

From across the field, Mizar struggled to push himself to his feet and fluttered his wings once. With sheer stubborn determination, Mizar glared across the field in a way that told everyone present he wasn’t done. Not yet.

As Mizar struggled, glaring up at the waiting Onyx, the gathered crowd in turn waited with baited breath for what would happen next. A moment later the avian pokemon pushed himself up further and started to rise with staggering flaps, losing altitude before righting himself and rising again.

Mizar had his gaze focused on the enemy Onyx, and the tiny Pidgey had a look filled with determination and rage. Even after taking the thorough beating, and looking like he had just gone through the dryer, he was nowhere close to ready to give up. If anything, it seemed that all Onyx had managed to do was make Mizar mad .

Amanda was right. Akko grinned, breathing out a sigh of relief. You really are as stubborn as I am. 

Akko watched as Mizar struggled to stay airborne, and her fingers twitched towards his pokeball, debating if it would be better to recall him. She knew Mizar would not give up until he was forced to or was knocked unconscious, and Akko couldn't help but think back to how Eevee had looked laying in the hospital bed. 

Onyx roared, slamming his tail down and ready to continue once it was clear that Mizar was not done and to his, and everyone's surprise Mizar let out a battle cry in return. While it did not match the sheer volume of the other pokemon’s, it rivaled the other pokemon's confidence even in his beaten state.

Akko flinched, and gripped Mizar's pokeball, holding it in front of her and Brock held off his next attack, noticing the action. 

“Mizar—” Akko called, and her Pidgey looked over at her. Before she could say anything further the trainer paused, finding her words dying on her tongue. As Mizar met her gaze, she was met with the same look he had shown her when he had decided to trust her in their battle against Pidgeot. That same look of trust, of belief that if they worked together they could triumph—regardless of the odds. 

She couldn't explain it, but it was as if he was telling her to trust him, the same way he had chosen to trust her that day. Mizar was telling her to believe in him, that he wouldn't fail her again. 

“Alright, I'll trust you, I know you can do it.” Akko smiled, nodding to her partner as she lowered her arm and returned the ball to her belt. Mizar nodded at her in return before his focus swung back to Onyx and the tiny bird let out another cry in challenge. This time as he yelled out his assertion, the small bird pumped his wings and rapidly gained altitude. In mere moments he had once again risen to meet Onyx’s eyeline and Mizar let out one last shrieking call before his form began to shimmer.

“Wait,” Akko breathed and every set of eyes were suddenly trained on Mizar as the bird began to glow. “What's happening?”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 16

What? Pidgey is Evolving!

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“Wait,” Akko breathed and every set of eyes were suddenly trained on Mizar as the bird began to glow. “What's happening?”

Far above her, Mizar’s body was encompassed with a white, hot energy signalling his impending evolution. His form shifted, twirling in the air as he let out a cry. His wingspan grew, doubling in size. His frame gained bulk, talons growing and curling. 

Below, Akko squinted against the bright glow, watching — awestruck — as her companion transformed into his next stage: Pidgeotto.

With a mighty flap of his newly minted wings that sent a wave of wind around the stadium, Mizar rose to meet Onyx’s gaze, determined and ready for round two. The arena was filled with the thundering applause of the stubborn bird’s fanclub, shaking the windows and breathing a second wind into the battered bird.

“Looks like things just got interesting.” Brock smiled, arms folded across his chest. “Are you ready?”

Akko shook her head to clear the shock. Was Mizar really so stubborn that he had evolved just so he wouldn't lose to Onyx? She wouldn't put it past her partner. She was talking about the pidgey that had flown directly into the talons of a Pidgeot. Clenching her fists, she replied, voice full of confidence and pride. “You better believe it! Let's go, Mizar!”

Without missing a beat, Brock continued the battle, not giving the fledgling trainer an inch. “Onyx, Rock Throw!” the Gym Leader declared and instantly the titanic pokemon coiled his serpentine body around the debris scattered across the ravaged battlefield. With a deft twist, Onyx began launching an all out assault, sending multiple waves at the bird pokemon who was within close proximity.

Mizar took off in a whoosh for the ceiling, his newfound strength pumping his wings faster, moving out of the way of the attack. As he gained altitude, Akko got an idea and waited for the right moment.

“Get ready!” She called, watching as her partner cut through the air, aiming for the damaged ceiling. Right before the incoming projectiles came into range, Akko called out their counter. 

“Mizar, use Whirlwind! Send it back!”

Responding and trusting his trainer, Mizar flipped to face the incoming rocks, wings glowing as he flapped furiously, kicking up a high wind current that was laced with light streams.

Akko had thrown this particular idea out in the planning stages after finding that Mizar did not possess the strength to stop boulders as a Pidgey. But maybe, just maybe—after his evolution and with the altitude and distance already slowing the rocks—it would be enough to rain the attack back down on Onyx. 

They would never win this fight while staying purely on the defensive, and doing something reckless and unexpected was just Mizar's style. This had to work, because if it didn’t… Akko wasn’t sure Mizar would still be ready to fight after taking a direct hit from those rocks.

As Mizar’s wings pumped furiously, putting everything he had into the attack, the incoming rocks continued to fly through the air towards him. The bird pokemon continued to fight, letting out a furious cry and pushing harder and harder until the hurdling missiles began to slow. One by one they lost momentum, struggling in the aerial battle of wills before they began to fall, raining down onto the pokemon below. 

Onyx roared back as the attack was returned to him, trying to twist and move out of the way, but because of his bulk, he was unable to avoid the widespread attack. All around him, sharp boulders slammed into his body, causing his massive frame to shudder as it was pelted into the floor below and the behemoth let out an echoing cry as his own attack dealt heavy damage.

“Don't give him time to recover! Steel Wing!” Akko cried out, voice cutting through the loud din that filled the room. Mizar fell into a dive, wings tight against his side as he plummeted towards the floor fearlessly. Just before he slammed into Onyx, his wings snapped out and lit up once more, slicing across the side of Onyx's jaw before showing just how agile of a flier he was and flipping for a rebound.

The rock pokemon's jaw ground together as he was pelted again and again, slowly chipping away at the rock pokemon. Onyx attempted to counter attack but found that Pidgeotto's speed had an advantage as the bird flit around his bulk easily.

“Onyx, use Screech!” Brock called and his partner scowled, sucking in a deep breath before letting out a piercing scream that had everyone in the stadium clutching their ears as the ground shook.

Akko winced, hands covering her ears as she struggled to keep her focus on Mizar, finding her partner’s barrage was interrupted as he faltered, shaking his head back and forth, trying to stay airborne. 

The bird pokemon was disoriented and was unable to move out of the way as Onyx took the opportunity to issue his own counter attack, slapping the bird with his tail with a loud smack.

Mizar let out a cry as he was sent backwards, soaring across in an ungraceful manner as he struggled to stay airborne. Flexing his shoulders, the bird pokemon managed to right himself before hitting the ground and slowly began to rise again. For all his bravado, he was beginning to show signs of reaching his limit. His wings beat a little slower, his feathers were ruffled and his chest heaving, but the determination in his eyes remained as Mizar glared across the arena at his opponent.

Across the field, Onyx slammed his tail down, irritation showing on his features as the serpent-like pokemon arched his neck. The rock type was also showing signs of nearing the end of his stamina, the boulders that made up his body ground slower and his mouth hung slightly open as he glared right back.

It was time to finish this, all or nothing. Just the way Mizar liked to fight.

“Alright, Mizar you got this! Just one more, use Steel Wing!” Akko called. Without hesitation, Mizar dug deep to find the strength to push himself a little harder, gaining altitude, doing a slow loop above his opponent, searching for his moment and knowing it was his last. Seemingly finding it, Mizar let out a cry and tucked in his wings, descending on the rock type pokemon from above.

“Onyx, Take Down!” Brock countered, both trainers deciding to trust their pokemon and watched as the deciding blow was played out. 

Mizar dove, wings flaring out and lighting up as he activated his Steel Wing attack and Onyx waited, body tense and coiled waiting for the bird to come into range to strike. Right before connecting, Mizar barrel-rolled to the side as Onyx swung his head, trying to smash into the bird as he passed.

The bird’s plan worked, passing just under the strike without a scratch. Mizar leveled out and turned, aiming for Onyx's midsection, pushing hard to dodge the sudden tail swipe that followed every time Onyx had attacked. 

Akko held her breath, trusting Mizar's judgment as the bird streamed light out behind him and honed in on the titan's belly. The bird pokemon connected with Onyx, who cried out, lashing out with his large tail and sending Mizar rolling across the floor.

After taking the hit, Onyx staggered for a moment, body curled and faltering, trying to regain his balance before letting out a sign and collapsing with a heavy crash that shook the stadium. The large stone type let out one final shudder before laying prone, unable to continue the battle. 

Across the field, Mizar rolled across the debris littered floor, before slamming into one of the scattered boulders and coming to a halt in a heap of ruffled feathers. 

The ref looked at both pokemon, beginning a countdown with both flats raised. Neither of the combatants moved as the count ended and the ref made his decision. “Onyx and Pidgeotto are both unable to continue the battle. The winner is challenger Akko, with one pokemon remaining!”

Akko's jaw dropped, finding herself too shocked to react, barely registering as the assembled crowd let out a cheer and her friends left the stands to run towards her. “I won...?” Akko whispered before she was pulled out of her trance by Eevee head butting her legs, giving her trainer a firm yip before running onto the field towards Mizar.

Shaking herself from her daze and focusing on what was the most important right now, Akko ran after Eevee, unresponsive to her friends as they called out to her. Upon reaching the bird pokemon, Akko sank down and reached out tentatively, unsure of where she could possibly touch the worn down pokemon without hurting him. Eevee wagged her tail as Akko approached, jumping to the side so Mizar could shift his head to see Akko from where he lay. Upon meeting her worried scrutinizing the bird pokemon let out a soft chirp and tried to move his beak to butt against her hand.

Letting out a sigh of relief that he was alright, Akko scratched his chin the way she knew he liked and smiled at her two teammates. “I am so proud of both of you,” she praised, laughing when Eevee jumped up to lick her cheek. Mizar let out a string of chirps.

“Alright, alright!” Akko laughed, hugging Eevee as the kit wiggled in her grasp and Akko reached for Mizar's pokeball. “Come on, let's get you patched up at the pokecenter and then we can celebrate properly.” Akko clicked the ball, enlarging it. “All the food you can eat.” The trainer offered with a smirk, and Mizar instantly perked up.

As if trying to show he was fine and they could skip the doctor visit and head right for the grub, Mizar tried to push himself up before flopping back on the ground and letting out a defeated huff. 

Akko giggled and recalled the bird pokemon, standing up while still holding Eevee and looking around. She noticed Brock had recalled Onyx, the battle arena looking much larger without the titan's presence.

The Gym Leader was striding across the field, hopping over cracks and moving around the rubble of the destroyed field with practiced ease as he made his way over to the victorious trainer. “I believe I have something of yours.” 

Akko scrunched up her nose in temporary confusion before Brock opened his hand, the Boulder Badge gleaming in his palm. The small piece of metal shone under the stadium lights, the grey boulder decaled in golden trim waiting for Akko to claim her prize.  

Suddenly nervous, Akko reached out and took the badge, nearly losing her balance as Eevee twisted in her grasp to sniff at the prize.

“Congratulations, Akko. You have more than earned this.” Brock congratulated, offering his hand for her to shake.

Akko's face broke out in a wide grin as she gripped the badge and thrust out her other hand to shake his offered palm, startled when she was suddenly hugged from behind by Lotte, closely followed by the rest of her cheering section. Smiling impossibly large, Akko felt happy tears trail down her cheeks as she met the proud gaze of Professor Ursula at the side of the arena, clapping softly. 

Before she could say anything, she felt Amanda snatch away Eevee and proceed to pepper the fox with compliments, completely ignoring the protests of the following trainer. 

Akko couldn't be happier.

~o~

Much later that night, Akko was in the main reception area of the pokecenter, slowly sipping on a glass of punch, pouting profusely about already being banned from eating more cookies. After the match and taking Mizar to the pokecenter, Akko had been ambushed by Amanda and informed that because she had finally finished her gym challenge, and because she was the last trainer to do so, they would finally be having the traditional, celebratory party that followed.

Apparently Amanda had been waiting for ‘forever’ as the other trainer had put it, many, many times in an attempt to make sure Akko knew just how much of an inconvenience she had been. 

After checking with Professor Ursula who had confirmed that yes, said party was in fact a tradition, and not a prank run by Amanda, Akko had grown very excited followed by very, very nervous.

First of all, as Amanda had made abundantly clear, she was in fact the last trainer to complete her challenges, whether in victory, dropping out or defeat. She had been aware she had been cutting it very close to the deadline cut off, with less than forty-eight hours remaining. Akko just wasn't aware she was the only one left, nor that she may or may not have set a new record for world’s slowest trainer, depending on if she decided to believe Sucy or not.

According to Professor Ursula, the party was for the remaining competitors to meet each other and share their experiences thus far. As well as exchange contact information, discuss training regimens or battle strategies and hopefully foster a bond among the future pokemon experts of tomorrow. It was quite literally a meet and greet now that the remaining numbers had been trimmed considerably.  

Growing up in a small town — and maybe also because she had never had any human friends her own age — meant that Akko had never been to a party before. Well, that was excluding dinner parties hosted by her parents for their close group of friends. Or the tea parties that Miss Cartright used to host every week where she’d tell Akko all kinds of stories her mother would then wish she hadn’t.

The parties for two that she and Eevee used to have probably didn’t count either.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to make friends her own age, it was just hard to make friends when your best friend was an Eevee and everything thought you were weird. Not that Eevee wasn't an amazing best friend, but the kit didn't do much to help foster normal social skills. 

Which left Akko, with little notice and no idea what to wear. It wasn’t like she had packed many options. Who packed a fancy dress when they were going on an adventure to trek through the forest? She also had no idea how to conduct herself. Was she supposed to curtsy? Akko remembered people doing that in old movies at parties.

Was she supposed to bring something to eat? Her mom always told her it was rude to show up empty handed. But then where was she supposed to get food? They weren’t allowed to just take a whole tray of food out of the cafeteria. 

Akko found herself endlessly spinning with all the ways she could mess this up. This was the first time she felt like she had actual human friends who were her age. And real.

Lotte had been a godsend, sending off Amanda and Sucy when their teasing became too intense and even lent Akko one of the shirts that were reserved for her contests. The shirt was a pale yellow blouse that had a low neck, open shoulders and an open back. The coordinator had chatted happily with tidbits of advice while she had tried to tame Akko's hair, settling on leaving it down, held back by two small braids starting behind either ear.

Initially Akko had protested the idea of wearing something so different from her usual attire, but after a lot of reassurance that it looked nice on her she relented. Even if now she was regretting the choice, fidgeting with her sleeves and feeling very... naked. 

Which was silly. The shirt covered almost everything and there was nothing sensual about her back. At least Lotte had allowed her to wear her jean shorts, as a compromise for Akko agreeing to the shirt. It was just so... light and airy. It felt like there was nothing there half of the time. 

There was another reason for Akko's nervousness that had nothing to do with the where, when or how she was dressed. The party tonight was for all of the trainers and their teammates who had passed the first badge, which meant that a certain blonde would be attending. Not that Akko cared. She told herself she didn't. Not after Diana had made it abundantly clear earlier how she felt. Not felt. That wasn't the right word. How she... what? Had no interest in Akko in any form?

Akko sighed, taking another drink from her glass and looking back to the nearby table where her friends were gathered taking turns vying for Eevee's attention.

Her partner was undoubtedly the life of the party. No one could seem to pass by the adorable kit without stopping to pet her or offer a treat of some sort. It was heartwarming to see how happy her partner was, and how easily she got along with literally everyone. As much as Akko liked that Eevee was enjoying herself, she was left awkwardly leaning against the counter and unsure of what to do. The person — well, pokemon — she would normally talk to was currently preoccupied and Akko wasn’t sure how to insert herself into the conversation. 

Akko took another sip of her drink and watched as Amanda carefully balanced a treat on Eevee’s nose and the assembled crowd cheered for the little fox, seeing how long she could keep the treat from falling and thoroughly enjoying the attention.

Akko couldn’t even summon Mizar for company, since he was sleeping in their room. After a quick visit to Nurse Joy and being cleared with only a warning that he would be sore for a couple days, the bird pokemon had gorged himself on treats and fallen asleep, cooing happily. Akko had been overjoyed at the news, but that meant that her other 'wing man' was also unavailable.

There was always the talking to people option, but did anyone really know how to do that?

“Atsuko Kagari, correct?” A voice cut through the daydreaming trainer's contemplation and Akko jumped, almost spilling her punch on Lotte's shirt. The startled girl looked at the new figure, recognizing him from her class’s leaderboards. He was one of the few present who was taller than her, and had a jaw that could cut stone, framed by wavy, soft brown hair.

“Yes!” She squeaked awkwardly, blushing when her voice cracked and looking at the tall male figure who was leaning against the counter beside her. Great job, Akko. First time someone tries to talk to you and you go and stutter up a storm. The trainer kicked herself mentally.

The young man smiled, a smile perfected through years of practice to achieve just the right amount of charm without the usual flare of arrogance. His smile somehow made him appear approachable, friendly without a hint of mirth at her nervousness, making Akko feel a little more at ease. “My name's Andrew Hanbridge. It's a pleasure to finally meet the breakout super-star I've been hearing so much about,” he greeted, offering his hand.

Akko floundered for the proper reply, taken completely off guard by the compliment. That was definitely not something she had heard herself being referred to as before, and it didn’t seem like he was making fun of her.

“Well, I, um—” Akko scratched at the back of her head, taking the offered hand, her breath hitching as Andrew raised her hand and kissed the back of it before releasing her with a smile. 

Unsure of how to respond to such a gesture, Akko retracted her hand and looked around, searching for help and finding Lotte oblivious to the situation unfolding before going with her gut instinct and saluting back. “Likewise! To, er... to you, Andrew!” Akko responded goofishly, slapping her forehead internally at how she handled the situation. Saluting? Really, Kagari? What was that?

Andrew chuckled, a soft smirk tilting his smile. “I am sorry we haven't met before, I just don't find it prudent to introduce myself until after the crowd has thinned somewhat. Far too many names to learn, and far too few that matter.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Especially since the majority of this year's trainer applicants have already dropped out.”

Akko found herself instinctively stepping back as the other trainer leaned in uncomfortably close and laughed nervously. “Ya... I think someone said around thirty percent don't make it past the first badge, so that makes sense.” Akko shifted her weight, uncomfortable with the topic of choice. She felt bad for the trainers whose dreams were already crushed so early into the journey and couldn't help feeling sympathetic. 

After all, she had almost ended up in the same boat. It could have just as easily been her who had begun her journey back home tonight.

“This year was actually a record high,” Andrew countered, attention focused on the girl in front of him. Akko felt like she was under a microscope. What did she know about him again? Andrew Hanbridge...

From the rankings, he had been the second to complete the first gym just behind Diana. He was also some form of heir according to his information page, but why had she read that page again? There had been a reason. She just couldn't seem to place her finger on why.

“Oh?” Akko inquired, barely registering his reply.

“Mhmm, apparently more than half of the applicants have either dropped out or been disqualified,” Andrew continued, leaning back and continuing to watch Akko with an expression of curiosity and intrigue. 

That statement caught Akko's attention and she looked up, frowning slightly. “Really? Why?”

“You don't know?” Andrew asked, eyebrows raising. Akko shook her head no. “There have been multiple reports of Team Rocket increasing their activity lately and a bunch of pokemon have been stolen. A lot of trainers, coordinators and even researchers have dropped out, worried that their pokemon would be kidnapped.”

“That's horrible,” Akko breathed, genuinely shocked. She remembered seeing the forum posts with that annoying red exclamation mark beside it regarding Team Rocket activity and now wished she had actually read them. Maybe she should pay more attention to those little red notifications. 

Reflexively, Akko looked back at Eevee just to make sure she was still nearby and saw the fox sitting on Lotte's shoulder before jumping down and chasing a laser pointer that one of the trainers had on him. Eevee was joined by two other pokemon who were also enjoying the party, a Rattata and Lotte's Pikachu chasing the red dot and playing on the floor together. 

“Yes, well—” Andrew continued before looking over Akko's shoulder, his smirk changing from friendly to impish as he again leaned in closer. Akko stiffened. She hadn't expected the sudden invasion of her personal space and it left her feeling uneasy.

She was about to ask him to back up, feeling very trapped against the counter, when she heard a throat being cleared beside her.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Akko looked over at her savior expecting Lotte, and instantly stiffened once again when she noticed Diana standing beside her. Reflexively, Akko trained her gaze away from Diana, not wishing to incur her wrath if she was still in the same foul mood as earlier. The other girl wore a deep glower and had her stare boring into Andrew from where he was still leaning towards Akko, smirk having evolved into a cocky grin.

“Andrew,” Diana greeted, voice curt but not unfriendly.

“Diana,” he replied back, finally leaning away from Akko. She couldn't help the sigh of relief that she let out in response.

Diana paid Akko no mind and instead focused on holding Andrew's gaze. As Akko watched the other two present, she began to wonder if it was possible for two people to have a conversation telepathically. It certainly appeared that was what they were doing. The more Diana's brow furrowed, the more Andrew's smile grew.

Akko shifted from foot to foot awkwardly, unsure if she should say anything or just try to slip away unnoticed when Andrew broke the silence.

“Is there something you need, Diana? I was just beginning to become acquainted with Ms. Kagari,” he taunted. Diana's eyebrow twitched before she raised her hand and cleared her throat.

“No, nothing pressing. I was just going to inquire as to how your father was faring?” Diana asked, earning a frown from Andrew. 

That's why Akko had read his page! Because Sucy had mentioned that Diana and Andrew were childhood friends, and she may have also snuck in that some people were suggesting that the two might be more than friends.

Noticing that the two seemed to be back to their silent conversation, albeit this time it seemed that Diana had the upper hand as Andrew now wore the frown, Akko looked a little closer. It didn't seem like they were very fond of each other. Not that she cared, or was jealous. Or cared.

She had to admit that Andrew was very handsome, even if he paled in comparison to Diana. Why was it that every rich person seemed so hot? What was with that anyway? 

Akko decided to chance a glance at Diana. She had been forcing herself to focus on Andrew. Or the floor. Or the wall behind Andrew. Anything but Diana. She didn't need to give the other girl another reason to be angry with her, even if she wasn't sure as to why she was angry with her in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, and trying to be as unobvious, not obvious? As super smooth as possible. Akko shifted her position against the counter slightly so that she was standing more on an angle to Diana rather than strictly beside her. 

Trying to add to her smooth-hood? Smoothness? She took a swig of her drink and instantly regretted the choice when her breath caught in her throat and the bumbling trainer choked, letting out a sputtering cough.

Diana was wearing a skin tight, navy blue dress that cut off at her mid thighs. The dress had a thin slit on one side that went up to her hip and a low v-neck, accented with a necklace that reached past her collarbone. 

“Holy shit—” Akko blurted before slapping her hand over her mouth, horrified. 

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 17

A New Enemy Approaches

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“Holy shit—!” Akko blurted before slapping her hand over her mouth, horrified. Frozen in shock from what just happened, Akko felt her eyes grow wide, her mind refusing to process a believable excuse for her sudden outburst.

“Akko!” Diana chastised, turning her attention to the other trainer for the first time and fixing her with a disapproving frown. “Language, please,” she finished, giving Akko a confused once over, trying to figure out what had caused the sudden exclamation.

“Sorry,” Akko replied in an embarrassed mumble, nervously rubbing her arm as Diana turned back to her conversation with Andrew. 

That was so close, whatever that was. What was that, anyway? It was like she had no control over the sudden exclamation that had rushed out of her mouth. She just needed to not think about it, not that thinking in general was going well at the moment, not with the hammering of her heartbeat in her ears and the blood rushing to her cheeks. 

Nervously, Akko tried to keep her gaze down, away from the image that caused her to be unable to control her own tongue, and stared at the floor. It only took moments before Akko realized down had also been a poor choice. As her gaze roamed over the recently waxed floor of the pokecenter, catching the dark heels Diana was wearing, up to the lean calves that followed. Struggling not to be dragged further up.

No, Akko! Stop it! The trainer chastised herself, wishing that whatever was causing her to have so little self control would desist.

Diana and Andrew's conversation sounded like she was trying to listen to it from underwater. She was aware they were talking, but was unable to focus on what they were saying. She needed a chance to regroup, to collect herself before she said something else and wasn't as lucky. She needed an excuse to walk away without them being suspicious, or directing their attention back on her. The question, though, was what?

“Cookies!” Akko suddenly declared, voice loud enough to startle both Diana and Andrew before she stomped off, arms rigid and legs shaking. The other two trainers followed her departure with confused looks but neither tried to stop her. 

Akko let out a sigh of relief, the tightness in her chest releasing as she made her way over to the table that had been set up with an assortment of finger foods and pastries. As she looked over the selection she took in a deep breath, trying to clear away the last of her jitters. 

Well, that was not smooth, that was the exact opposite of smooth, ‘anti-smooth’, even. At least Amanda hadn't seen that performance, something told Akko that there was no way she’d be allowed to live that down if she had. She might not know Amanda very well yet, but everything about her just seemed like the type to not let an embarrassing moment go.

Akko let out a groan that earned a concerned look from a nearby group of friends, who took a step away and whispered amongst themselves. 

Desperate to escape, Akko reached out and grabbed a handful of cookies, shoving them in her mouth with one jerky motion before turning on her heel to retreat. Spotting Diana across the room, Akko thought better of her plan and decided it needed more than simply one handle of cookies and snatched the plate and took it with her. It wasn’t like her reputation with that particular group could get any worse, right?

After demolishing half the plate and ignoring the looks she was earning, Akko decided to try to re-enter her previous conversation, this time determined not to make a fool of herself. Diana was just a friend, er… not a friend. Well, not not a friend but also not a friend. Diana is just a not friend, which made total sense. She was, er, what was she? Akko paused mid cookie, mouth full, chewing thoughtfully before shaking her head and letting loose more than a few crumbs.

That's not important right now, focus! Akko gulped, steeling her nerves and solidifying her resolve about re-entering the conversation. Or entering it for the first time? She hadn't really been paying attention, and the only thing she had said wasn’t really a part of the conversation, right? Well, that she would have had to have been paying attention in order to know, which she wasn’t. Regardless, she was going to walk back to the area in which a conversation was being had.

Turning around, she looked back towards the counter she had been keeping warm for the majority of the night and frowned. Diana was gone and Andrew seemed to be leaving as well. Akko watched as he waved at a group of trainers, smiling as he made his way over to them.

That seemed strange. Where had Diana gone? Not that Akko was really the expert on what Diana would do in a normal sense, but she had just arrived. Why would Diana get all dressed up to only make an appearance for a few minutes?

Doing a quick once over of the room, Akko was left befuddled when the girl in question was nowhere to be seen. It was unlikely Akko would miss her if she were still in the room. To say Diana stood out in the crowd was an understatement. It also helped that she was the only person in the room who could compete with Eevee for the attention of others. Diana was often surrounded by a crowd of some sort.

Deciding to be brave, and telling herself it was because she needed to apologize for being rude and not because she desperately wanted to spend more time with the stoic blonde, Akko walked over to Andrew and tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Hi again.” Akko grinned, lopsided, and tapped her foot on the floor, trying to ignore the aghast looks from Andrew’s current company. “Do you happen to know where—?” 

Before she could finish her question, Andrew let out a chuckle at some unsaid joke and motioned towards the hall that led to the observation room in the hospital. “She went down there, didn't say why though.”

“Oh.” Akko blinked. How had he known that was what she was going to ask? 

Andrew winked at Akko's puzzled expression before turning back to his friends. Akko found the behavior strange, but decided not to dwell on it. Whatever the joke was that he was privy to, it didn't matter right now. 

Mumbling a quick thank you and trying to be as discreet as possible, Akko checked on Eevee once more and felt confident that she would be safe surrounded by so many friends before slipping down the hallway. 

The usually well lit hallway was down to one dimmed light along each wall, leaving the passage in twilight lighting. Not dark enough to make it impossible to see, but not bright enough to where Akko could see easily. It made the already usually confusing back hallways of the Pokemon Center more difficult to navigate. She found it a bit strange, but maybe it was to dissuade people from wandering around during the party? Or perhaps since it was the end of the city's busy season there weren't that many pokemon that needed overnight care? Or maybe it was as simple as it was nighttime and pokemon needed their sleep same as people did.

Whatever the reason, she thankfully knew this area of the hospital well, having visited Eevee multiple times per day while she was recovering, making finding her way much more bearable. 

As Akko walked down the halls of the hospital, she was starting to lean towards it being more to do with the end of the city's busy season coming to an end, as it seemed most, if not all, of the rooms were empty. Each room she passed was closed, the lights off with no sign of anyone else being nearby.

There were few pokemon in the observation room, all of which looked normal with the individual lights on overhead of the slumbering pokemon, but the majority of the beds were empty.

That did beg to question what Diana was doing down in this area late at night. Originally Akko had assumed that perhaps she was visiting someone else's pokemon with her miracle goo, the same as she had done for Eevee. That would have made the most sense. Maybe the critical care room was still open, then? It was the only guess Akko had as far as which direction to take. 

“Diana?” Akko whispered, the sound coming out as more of a hiss as she walked past multiple hallways that branched off to different sections. She wasn't sure why she was whispering. It came out reflexively and she didn't dwell on it, already feeling jumpy as her footsteps echoed down the hall.

Maybe this was a bad idea. She honestly had no solid idea where Diana had been headed and could have turned down another hall. It was also possible Andrew had lied, or had simply been mistaken. Wandering around, alone and aimlessly in the dark, didn't seem to be working. 

It was also possible that Diana had headed this way in an attempt to get some alone time. She was constantly being followed by a mob and being peppered with questions, after all. It would make sense. 

Still, she didn't want to give up just yet. If Diana did want to be alone then she'd just apologize and then leave her be. Akko nodded to herself in the dark, continuing on her search and nearing the critical care room. She was close enough to see the door and sure enough there was a flickering light that could barely be seen through the glass pane. 

“Diana?” Akko whispered again, this time a little louder. Was she supposed to be back here? That thought caused her to hesitate for a moment before continuing her trek. What if she ran into Nurse Joy or one of the other workers and got into trouble for being somewhere she shouldn't be? Akko shivered, memories of the displeased Nurse making her uneasy. She wasn't sure why, but she just found the woman scary.

From the end of the hallway, Akko heard a crash followed by muffled whispering and perked up a little. “Di—?!” 

She was cut off suddenly as a hand was slapped over her mouth and she was dragged into the room to her right and pressed against the wall. Momentarily too shocked to react, Akko let out a soft grunt against the hand over her mouth when her back hit the wall. Regaining her senses, she began pushing at her assailant before her eyes adjusted to the darker room and she stopped, trying to talk against the hand still pressed against her mouth. “Mmppft?” she mumbled.

Barely visible in the darkness Diana glared back at her, having to look up at Akko from where she stood all but pressed against Akko with a finger to her lips in a 'shhh' motion. Diana was looking back at her expectantly, waiting for acknowledgement of the request and Akko nodded slowly, chest heaving and unsure as to what was going on. Was Diana hiding from Nurse Joy as well? No that was silly, Diana was practically a goddess, there was no way she would be hiding in the dark from Nurse Joy. Sure, she was scary but not that scary.

As Diana slowly removed her hand, watching skeptically for any sign that Akko was about to burst out another question, Akko herself struggled to form one of the many questions waiting to get out. Why was Diana so close? Why was she lurking in a dark room, ambushing people? There had to be a light switch somewhere. Why did she have to be quiet? Wait, were they really not supposed to be back here at night?

No, that couldn't be, Diana wasn't a rule breaker. Maybe Diana had special clearance to be back here but normal people weren't allowed and she was trying to spare her from Nurse Joy's wrath? No, because that still didn't explain why she was standing in a dark room and—

Diana, for her part, was looking around at the floor, brow knit in confusion before she whispered out, “Where's Eevee?” Completely oblivious to Akko's inner monologue as she scanned the floor and even looked back down the hallway for the kit that was normally glued to Akko's leg.

Akko knew she was waiting for an answer from the expectant look she had fixed her with and opened her mouth to reply before she suddenly remembered how close she was. 

With that sudden realization, her reply dried up in her throat and for all that she was worth she couldn't seem to get past the fact that she could feel Diana's breath on her chest and neck. Lotte's stupid shirt doing nothing to dull that sensation at all. It was incredibly distracting. Not as distracting as Diana being right there , so close that if she moved at all she’d be touching her, but still not helping at all.

It's okay, just breathe. She doesn't know she's this close, or she does and is completely unaffected. Not everyone is a massive, jumbled mess, Akko! The bumbling trainer chastised herself. 

Akko knew she was squirming, palms sweating as she tried to push back into the wall and become one with it. Wasn't there an ability that allowed a pokemon to just melt into their element? What was it? Why couldn't she just be a pokemon? Then she wouldn't have to deal with all this stupid party nonsense or having to form words. Plus she might be able to breathe fire... that would be pretty cool.

“Akko?” Diana hissed, and her expression changed from confused to one of genuine fear, reading her counterpart’s discomfort as a sign that there was something wrong with Akko's beloved partner. “Akko, where is Eevee? ” she demanded with a little more force, her jaw becoming tense.

“Back at the party!” Akko squeaked out, trying to look anywhere but back at Diana who had her fixed with a gaze so intense it made her knees weak. Why was she asking about Eevee? Hadn't she seen the small circle of pokemon chasing laser pointers just a few minutes ago? Was it minutes? It felt longer. She felt dizzy and her legs like jelly, and all she wanted was for Diana to stop breathing for just one minute so she could regain some function. Or back up at the very least, maybe back up right out of the room. That would also help.

“Good.” Diana breathed out a sigh of relief, her eyes closing for a brief moment before she leaned towards the door and listened with an expression of deep concentration. 

Akko relaxed when Diana moved away and swallowed thickly, taking a moment to regard the other girl while her mind was still reeling. She was still wearing that dress. Which was an entirely stupid thought. After all, why wouldn't she be? It had only been a couple of minutes, right? When would Diana have had time to go up to her room, change into something less revealing and then come back downstairs to play ninjask in the dark? Besides, the dress was very spy movie-esque anyways.

Okay, Kagari! Smarten up and stop making a fool of yourself!’ Akko nodded to herself, barely registering that Diana was talking to her. She had come here for a reason? What was that again? Think!

Oh, right, because she had made a fool of herself at the party and then just left. Well, at least she was consistent, because she was doing the exact same thing right now. 

“Akko!” Diana hissed, and Akko blinked owlishly, suddenly aware that the other girl was once again looking right at her, face suddenly very close. When the bumbling trainer in question didn't answer but seemed to focus on her a little more, Diana sighed and tried again. “Do you have Mizar?”

“Mizar?” Akko parroted back, mind still too sluggish to form a reply. Why was Diana so close? If she had thought her breath on her neck and chest was bad, then she wasn't sure how to describe the feeling of her breath on her cheek, on her lips. Oh god, her lips. “He's, uh...”

Without realizing it, Akko found herself staring down at Diana's lips and realized how easy it would be to just—

Diana snapped her fingers by Akko's ear, causing the other girl to jump and snap out of her trance. Reiterating her question, Diana tried again. “Did. You. Bring. Mizar?” She cut off each word, speaking slowly. When Akko didn't reply, she tried to prod a little more. “Your Pidgeotto?”

Akko blinked and looked down at the angry—yet somehow still adorable—blonde in front of her and replied as the question finally registered. “No, he's—” Akko paused and it dawned on her. “Wait, you said Pidgeotto. You saw my gym battle?”

“That's not important right now, Akko!” Diana snapped back, appearing agitated. “Did you bring him or not?” For all her bravado, Diana tilted her gaze downward and Akko swore she could make out the barest hints of a blush.

“No, he's back in my room, sleeping. Well, he might be eating, I did leave him with a lot of food. He's a bit of a pig though so I doubt there'd still be food left—” Akko rambled, momentarily distracted from her current situation as she tried to calculate the likelihood of Mizar having not finished the foot yet. The probability was very low. “Why?” Akko asked in an afterthought.

“I don't have time to explain right now, Akko.” Diana snapped, seeming distracted as she chewed on her lip, appearing to debate something. She stopped when she noticed Akko flinch at her tone and worried her bottom lip before trying to soothe the wound. “I will fill you in later, I promise. But for now I need you to go back to the party and find Professor Ursula or another Professor and—”

Both girls froze when another crash was heard from down the hallway, this time much louder, followed by a muffled exchange. Before Diana could say anymore, the sound of a door opening with a creak sent goosebumps up Akko's arm. 

Once again Diana raised her finger to her mouth in a 'shhh!' motion and Akko nodded in reply. 

“Did you get them all?” A male voice inquired and Akko scrunched up her face, looking down at Diana who looked completely enraged. At least now Akko was sure that they weren't hiding from Nurse Joy, surprisingly that did not make her feel any better.

“I think so, it wasn't much of a haul though. Do you remember where the back door outta here is?” A female voice replied back, and Akko was vaguely aware that the footsteps were getting closer. In a moment they would be passing by the room that she and Diana were in. What did they mean by haul? Were they stealing injured pokemon from the pokecenter? 

Andrew had mentioned that a lot of pokemon had been stolen recently. Was that why Diana was back here? But how did she know—?

The footsteps stopped right outside the doorway and for a moment Akko thought that they had seen them and she held her breath before she heard the woman speaking again. “Well hello there, little fox. What’s an Eevee doing wandering the halls late at night?”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 18

Eevee! Use Mimic!

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

“Well hello there, little fox. What's an Eevee doing wandering the halls this late at night?”

Akko heard the voice of the unknown woman say, snickering as if to an inside joke. She felt her heart skip a beat, her lungs temporarily forgetting how to function as she listened to the sound of footsteps grow closer. 

No. She had heard that wrong, she must have. Eevee was safe, back at the party playing with Lotte and Amanda and—

“It's alright, we won't hurt you.” A male voice chimed in, his voice coming out sickly sweet, like he was trying too hard to sound sincere. 

His voice sounded alarm bells in Akko's mind, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Reflexively, driven by the need to protect her best friend, Akko pushed against Diana who was between her and the door. 

The heiress tried to slow down the enraged trainer, trying to whisper something in protest as she pushed back, trying to stop Akko.

After a short struggle, Akko slipped past paying Diana's wild gesture no mind. Enraged and driven by a single focused need to get between her partner and whoever was in the pokecenter late at night, Akko came around the door, startling the two figures clad in black. 

Too angry to form a question as to why the two figures were in the pokecenter or what they had intended to do to Eevee, she emerged, already swinging and landing solid a right hook across the closer target's jaw.

"Too bad I cant promise you the same thing if you touch even a single hair on her head!" Akko snarled back, shifting to put her body directly in front of her startled partner's.

Eevee let out a surprised yip, blinking at her trainer before puffing up in response. Not questioning her trainer's choice of entrance, the fox took a few steps forward so she was beside her partner and growled, her tiny frame tensing and bristling in a clear threat. 

Akko had landed a solid hit on the female speaker who had been standing closer to the door and stood, chest heaving, putting herself between the two figures and her partner. 

"Foolish brat!" The older woman spat, wiping at her chin and cheek with the back of her hand. "You just made a very stupid mistake."

Voice coming out as a snarl, Akko shifted to stop Eevee with her leg when she noticed the fox approaching, “I don't care who you are or what you do to me, you will not lay a finger on her!”

This is bad , Akko thought to herself, hands bunched into tight fists at her side. There were two of them and only one of her. Well, there was Diana too, but— 

Across from her the woman took another step backwards, moving to stand beside her partner, wiping her jaw again, a venomous glare fixing Akko in her sights.

The male speaker snorted, and reached for a ball on his belt, his other hand holding the strap of a black duffle bag. “Well that wasn't very nice,” He grinned, seeming amused by his fuming partner and placed a hand on his hip.

Both figures looked much older than Akko or Diana, sporting skin tight black shirts with solitary red 'R's in the middle. They both wore black leather boots that looked like they were made for mountain climbing and thick black utility pants. The uniform was finished with black masks that covered the top of their faces showing only their eyes.

Akko regarded the insignia in the middle of their uniforms and swallowed, thickly. If she were to guess, she'd say that these two were with the 'Team Rocket' Andrew had mentioned. Which meant that she really should have paid more attention to those annoying red exclamation marks. If she had, maybe she'd have a better idea of what she should do now. Or what were they doing in the pokecenter in the middle of the night.

Akko glanced at the duffle bag that was being held tightly by the male intruder and grimaced. It didn't take much to put two and two together to know what was in there. What else could they steal from a pokecenter? It's not like they'd need to steal medicine, the pokecenter was free. 

The real question was: how did they make it in here undetected when the building was full of pokemon trainers? Surely someone had to have noticed, there were so many people here. Or maybe that was the point. Everyone was so distracted with the party, no one would pay two more people wandering around much mind. 

“I'm not letting you take Eevee, or any of the other pokemon you have in that duffle!” Akko yelled back, her voice coming out with slightly less confidence as she shifted her foot back, trying to nudge Eevee away. 

Looking at the duffle bag in the man's hands, Akko could just barely make out lumps that seemed pokeball shaped. There was no real way to confirm that they were, but what else could it be? Either way, you didn't go wandering around in the dark, late at night without being up to something sinister. 

But what was she supposed to do? Sure, Eevee was awesome but could they really take down two opponents by themselves? Especially after the battle Eevee had had only a few hours ago with Brock?

Still, she couldn't just abandon those pokemon. They might not be hers but they still all mattered. They all had feelings, had partners they'd miss, they were all someone else's Eevee. She couldn't just walk away. 

Clenching her fists, Akko steeled herself for a fight. No matter her chances, they had to try. They were close enough to the party, surely if a fight broke out someone would hear them, right? 

Even if that wasn't true, they didn't know Diana was waiting in the other room. If she could just buy some time, lead them away, then Diana could get help. 

“Oh? What makes you think you'll have more luck stopping us from leaving than that annoying nurse? Although, an Eevee is pretty rare, we can spare another minute or two to snag that prize.” The male robber seemed to contemplate, his partner still nursing her swelling cheek, shooting daggers at Akko above her split lip.

“Enough of this brat!” the older woman snarled, seeming to give little weight to any motivator besides revenge. With a jerky motion, she grabbed a pokeball from her belt and tossed it out in front of her. 

From the ball produced a tall, baby blue duck pokemon with long talons and a single, shining jewel on his forehead. “I'm going to repay you for that punch and liberate your precious little pokemon, stupid bitch!”

Akko took a step back, still nervous about her chances, trying to buy some time was probably her best chance. “You aren't going to get away! My friend is already on the way to alert the whole city you're here!” 

The nervous trainer swallowed, trying to clear her throat of the thick lump that had settled in her throat. It was taking nearly all her focus to avoid looking at Diana who was waiting in the doorway, still out of sight. What was Diana waiting for? Every second she waited was only making this worse. If Diana had come down here alone in the dark, she had to have a plan, right? Surely her plan wasn't to find the robbers and then just watch them leave with a duffle of pokeballs. 

This wasn't good, that Golduck looks really strong, Akko thought to herself. Eevee looked up at her trainer, catching onto her hesitance as Akko seemed to be unsure of what to do. What now, Akko? Maybe Diana was waiting for a distraction. But what was she supposed to do? She couldn't really lead them away, there was no garentee they'd follow and then all those stolen pokemon would be lost. Maybe Diana didn't trust that she could hold off the two intruders and that's why she hadn't moved yet? That thought hurt a little, even if it was fair and Akko also wasn't confident she could either. 

Did Diana have Cobalt with her? There wasn't exactly anywhere on that dress for her to store a pokeball. Wait, was that why she was so concerned with whether or not she had Mizar with her? Because she didn't have Cobalt?

This wasn't looking good. There wasn't a way that she could exactly ask her without giving away that she was hiding in the room. Stupid, Akko! Is that what Diana was gesturing about? 

“There's still enough time to teach you a lesson,” The male speaker replied, if his partner was angry he just seemed giddy. Without another word he took a ball from his belt and tossed it out in front of him, producing an Ivysaur that shook itself before hunkering down with a snort. “I doubt my partner would agree to leave until she paid you back for that rude introduction anyways.”

“Wait, two on one isn't legal!” Akko protested without thinking, upon seeing the second pokemon enter the field and shake the leafy bulb on it's back. The reptilian pokemon hunkered on all fours, short claws protruding from its feet. The bulb on its back was in full bloom, a brilliant pink flower on its back with tropical leaves folding out underneath. This Ivysaur in particular looked like it had seen a lot of combat, aged scars peppering scaley legs and face, a notch in the ear. 

“Do we look like the type to follow league regulations, dearie?” The female robber cackled, eyes wild as she called out the first attack, “Golduck, Water Gun!” 

“Eevee, Mimic!” Akko called out the counter on reflex and Eevee bolted between her legs, eyes glowing as she copied the attack. In the hallway there was little Akko could do to get out of the way of the fight, if she wasn't careful she could easily come into the line of fire which would only distract Eevee and make this more difficult.

Upon using a water type move, the fox's neck tuff shifted with glowing light to resemble Vaporeon's neck gills as a stream of water shot out of Eevee's mouth and collided with the duck pokemon's assault. The two attacks met in the center and thundered against one another, neither side giving way as Eevee bent her knees and dug in. The fox's nails scraped on the tile floor as she tried to grip the floor to stop from being pushed backwards.

“Ivysaur, Vine Whip!” The male robber called and his dinosaur pokemon let out a cry before two vines sprang from beneath the leaves surrounding the blooming bulb atop its back. Akko registered the attack and knew that Eevee would not be able to counter both at once. 

If she told her to get out of the way, Akko would be hit by the Water Gun attack, additionally there wasn't much room for Eevee to dodge and was more likely to be hit by both rather than avoiding either. Akko did the only thing she could think of, and jumped in the way of the attack aimed for Eevee's side and crossed her arms in front of her chest and face, prepared to take the attack for her partner. There was no way they were both going to get out of the two pronged attacked unscathed, at least this way it wasn't Eevee who took the brunt of it.

“Abra!” Diana called from beside Akko and stepped out into the hallway, and instantly a new pokemon materialized in front of Akko, using its Teleport ability. “Protect Akko!” Diana commanded and the Physic type glowed, folding his legs and floating above the ground as a barrier formed and shimmered in the faint lighting, protecting Akko from Ivysaur's assault.

It was the first time Akko had seen Diana's second pokemon, the small physic type stood on two legs and had a humanoid figure with honey and coffee colouring. The pokemon had an angular face that resembled a fox, with small ears and long talons at the end of each hand. 

Akko breathed out a sigh of relief, she should have known that Diana would have a plan. 

As she stepped into the hall, Diana opened her palm and a pokeball dropped onto it, materializing the same way that Abra had and she grinned, nodding at Akko. The simple action was enough to make Akko instantly feel much more confident in their chances. Leave it to Diana to have some sort of fancy smancy plan while strutting into the hallway wearing a dress that—

Enough about the dress, Akko! Now was not the time!

“So it seems you did have a friend with you,” The female robber tisked, her Golduck making headway as Eevee's legs were beginning to shake, the stream from her opponent was pushing her back, despite her efforts. “Too bad she wasn't smart enough to run for help like you claimed!”

With that Eevee lost the war with Golduck as her attack sputtered and died, neck tuff changing back to the normal white puffs before her opponent's attack slammed into her and sent her into the wall. The tiny fox let out a cry as she crunched into the wall, falling to the floor in a soggy mess. 

Not one to give up, Eevee tried to push herself up, front legs trembling and fur dripping.

“Finish it! Ice Beam!” The female trainer commanded and Akko looked at her partner, and ran to provide cover, knowing Eevee wouldn't be able to get out of the way of the attack in time. 

“Cobalt!” Diana countered, throwing the summoned ball and calling her signature partner who thundered into the hallway, “Flamethrower!” 

The equine pokemon whinnied and let loose a blue flame to combat the beam of ice that Golduck threw towards Eevee and Akko. Cobalt positioned himself between Eevee and Golduck, blue flames running down his body causing all present to squint at the increase of light in the dark hallway. The fire type had the advantage against the ice barrage, evening out the strength difference and this time it was the duck pokemon who was on the losing end of the tug of war.

“Eevee!” Akko called, running over to her fallen partner and picking her up from the pool of water she was drenched in. Was she tired from the gym battle earlier? It wasn't like her to run out of gas so soon into a battle. She had seemed fine at the party.

Akko didn't have time to ponder on that conundrum, as she retreated to stand with Diana, out of the way of the combating pokemon. Eevee curled into her trainer's chest, small frame shaking and ears folded back. She felt completely useless, there was nothing she could do to help Eevee or Diana, all she could do was watch the battle unfold.

Unable to help herself, Diana looked over at Akko and Eevee before steeling herself and focusing on the pokemon battle in front of her. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted, not if they wanted a chance of winning this.

“Ivysaur, Poison Powder!” The male trainer called, the fog like attack being unaffected by Abra's barrier as the dinosaur pokemon shook the bulb on his back, producing a purple cloud in the direction of Cobalt and Abra.

“Safeguard!” Diana countered without missing a beat, effortlessly commanding both of her pokemon. Abra released the barrier rendered by Protect and shifted his focus to Safeguard, an ability that neutralized Poison Powder and made himself and Cobalt immune to status effects as long as it was active.

Just as Abra's barrier activated, Cobalt's flamethrower beat out Golduck's Ice Beam and Diana was on top of her combo assault, “Cobalt, use Agility and follow it with Stomp! Abra, Skill Swap with Golduck!” She knew it wasn't safe to send in her fire type point blank against a water type unless she neutralized the threat first.

Working in perfect synchronization, Cobalt's hooves glowed brightly as he seemed to blink into range of the opponent pokemon and forced all attention on him. The pony pokemon reared and thrashed, slamming his powerful legs tipped with diamond toes down around the two enemies, the hallway offering little in ways of room to retreat. The equine pokemon's bulk and range of striking forcing the two enemy pokemon into close combat.

“Golduck, Water Gun!” The female trainer called the predictable counter, and her partner shook his head, eyes and gem glowing in sync with Abra. The duck tried to use the requested ability and found himself terribly confused, jumping away as Cobalt struck out with his hind legs, narrowly missing landing a kick to his jaw.

“Skill Swap means Golduck can only use Abra's abilities right now!” The male robber hissed, grin having been replaced with a frustrated snarl, as Ivysaur tried to shrink away from the enraged pony pokemon. Retracting his vines when they burnt on contact from the engulfing flames. “Useless! Stop that ponyta!” He snapped at his pokemon.

Ivysaur tried to comply to the command, once again snapping its vines out only to receive a strike to its jaw and a burnt vine for their efforts. The dinosaur pokemon cringed and tried to shrink backwards, only to have its trainer scream at them in frustration.

“I don't know Abra's moveset!” The female robber snapped back and Diana smirked. Skill Swap was one of her signatures, she made it a habit to learn the move sets of all the pokemon she might encounter for situations such as these. However, the ability required a lot of energy to maintain, she didn't have long before it would wear off. She had to finish this. Now.

“Abra, Ice Beam, focus on Ivysaur!” Diana declared and the physic type pressed his hands together in front of his face, forming an energy ball that he pushed out with a flick, imitating Golduck's earlier Ice Beam that slammed into the enemy Ivysaur.

If she could just take down one of them and disable the other... She might have a chance at winning this.

Ivysaur screamed in agony, trying to back away from the beam of frost and took another kick to its the side for their effort. The dinosaur pokemon was receiving a double teamed focus between both of Diana's partners with no back up as the female robber continued to scream in frustration. They was already showing their limits, movements becoming strained and all Ivysaur's focus on shielding themselves rather than attacking. Their trainer doing nothing to help, reduced to screaming insults at the dinosaur pokemon for the thrashing they was taking.

“Wait, I know!” The female robber called, and in the moment she took to gloat Diana had already reacted.

"Abra knows Psychic, use that!" She called out, a grin sneaking back onto her face but it was already too late. 

Before Golduck had time to finish the attack, Diana glanced at the female trainer, yelling out her counter before the female robber would have a chance to regain her footing. “Disable!” She commanded and Abra's eyes flashed, instantly a rope of light snapped around Golduck's bill and silenced the duck pokemon. There was no way she was letting them get away, not this time. She had promised, and this wasn't a promise she was willing to break. Just a little more, she could do this. She had to, if she didn't then Akko would lose Eevee and she couldn't bear to watch that heartbreak on another person she cared about.

Letting her anger swallow her better judgment, fists shaking and drowning in her fury, Diana continued her assault, throwing out her arm and pointing her finger at the already beaten Ivysaur. “Cobalt!” 

Akko watched the battle unfold, completely baffled by how effortlessly Diana commanded both pokemon. Something was wrong though, it was obvious Ivysaur was beaten, the dinosaur pokemon could barely manage the strength to keep on their feet. The pokemon was no longer fighting back, all of their effort focused on trying to reduce some of the damage they were taking.

It was like watching her first battle with Diana, but back then the heiress had hesitated, had shown mercy. She had shown kindness to an already beaten opponent. But as Akko looked at Diana, she saw nothing but rage, completely blinded by it. There was no mercy in her voice as she declared her follow up attack.

“Flamethrower!” Diana bellowed and the horse pokemon reared, neck arching as he took in a deep breath to bathe the grass type at point blank range.

The dinosaur pokemon seemed resigned and simply closed their eyes, their trainer already running back to get out of the way of the attack. There was no chance of the beaten reptile getting out of range in the limited room, already struggling to move as it was. 

“No! He's had enough!” Akko protested and Diana looked back at her with a jerking motion, seeming surprised by the outburst. The distraught trainer felt Eevee turn in her arms, and barely registered the motion when Eevee's eyes glowed, a gem made of white energy on her forehead and the same white ropes wrapped around Golduck sprang up around Cobalt's muzzle and front legs. 

Mimicking Abra's ability, Eevee disabled the incoming attack from Cobalt, light from her eyes flickering before passing out in her trainer's arms.

From across the hall Ivysaur looked at Akko, with the same look of shock that Diana had fixed her with. The beaten pokemon's legs trembled before collapsing with a sigh, eyes drooping as they continued to look at Akko, expression swirling with confusion.

“Eevee! Hey! Wake up!” Akko panicked, shaking her partner lightly while holding her securely against her chest. The tiny fox didn't react, body lax and breathing slow, for all appearances she looked to be asleep. 

Cobalt fell to his knees with a crash, the ropes of lights binding his mouth and legs and the pokemon let out a muffled squeal. Diana watching in disbelief as the robbers continued to run, the male trainer recalling Ivysaur over his shoulder, the grass type having never looked away from the distracted trainer and fox who had spared them.

Abra's temporary hold on Golduck ended, the light ropes shattering and disappearing, the female trainer wasting no time as she called out one last command. “Flash!” The duck pokemon raised his arms and pointed the talons at the ends of fingers to his cheeks before the gem on his forehead flashed, temporarily blinding everyone on the opposing end.

Akko cringed and clutched Eevee closer, turning her shoulder to block any attack that might follow while she was unable to see. Head pounding and eyes burning she braced herself for an incoming attack that never came. Slowly the pain dulled and she blinked, squinting as she surveyed the area.

Cobalt was pushing himself up onto his feet, Disable having ended and Abra hovering beside Diana waiting for the next command. 

When Diana didn't move or say a word, Akko stepped closer to see if she was okay, was she not moving because she was hurt? The robbers were no where in sight, having bolted down the hallway. “Diana!” Akko prompted, stepping closer and reaching out. It didn't appear that Diana was hurt, she didn't look to have a scratch on her. “We can still catch them!”  Akko insisted, torn between going down the hallway and going back to the party to find help for Eevee.

Diana slapped Akko's reaching hand away without a word and turned to Abra. “Check outside, see if you can find them.” 

The way the command was said in such a way that made Akko take pause, Diana's voice was cold, emotionless. Her expression unreadable, and without another word she reached out to touch Cobalt's nose as he walked up to her with a snort. 

Abra shimmered and used his Teleport ability, already gone from the hallway. 

What was Diana doing? They were getting away! Why was she just standing there?

Diana closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Cobalt's, letting out a deep sigh and running her fingers along the underside of his chin. She made no move to say anything, or go after the robbers and the entire reaction confused Akko deeply. The pony pokemon stood perfectly still, ears forward and let out a soft snort, tail swishing slowly.

“Diana, I—" Akko tried again, biting her tongue when Diana interrupted her.

“Is Eevee okay?” Diana whispered, letting go of Cobalt and swiping her hand across her cheek, recalling Cobalt.

Akko squinted as the hall darkened considerably without the fire type's flames for illumination. Was Diana... Crying? She opened her mouth to ask exactly that before she felt Eevee squirm in her sleep and realized she was squeezing her rather tight.

Without waiting for a reply, Diana stepped closer and checked the fox. “She seems fine, just passed out from exhaustion. I have an energy snack back in my room, stop by later and I'll give her some.” After finishing her statement, Diana moved to walk past Akko and down the hall the way the robbers had gone.

“Diana, wait!” Akko protested, faltering when the other girl heeded her command and stopped, turning partially to look at her. “Er,” she mumbled, not having really figured out what she was going to say. “I know you already beat them once but you really shouldn't go off alone!”

Frowning, Diana looked back at Akko and seemed like there was so much she wanted to say but settled instead for, “I am going to check on Nurse Joy, they mentioned they had run into her. I already contacted Officer Jenny and the Professors while you were distracting them.” As if to accent her point, Diana held up her wrist to show the watch they had received back at the academy. The device was mostly hidden by a bracelet she was wearing. It had been effective enough that this was the first time Akko had noticed the watch.

“They will be here soon. I'll be fine, they are already long gone.” She finished, somber and continued to walk down the hall. “If they had escaped on foot Abra would have already spotted them.” 

Akko was about to go after her when she heard shouting from down the hall and turned to wave at the approaching officers. She didn't understand anything about what had just happened, Diana knew something but now wasn't the best time to force answers from her. Right now she had to take care of Eevee, she'd confront Diana later.

June 3 22

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 19

Cookie Thieves

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

After what seemed like hours, Akko lay on her back on her bed, unable to sleep with Eevee on her chest and Mizar perched on the window sill. 

Nurse Joy was fine, she had been knocked out by a Hypnosis attack and woke up without a scratch, if slightly confused. Officer Jenny had arrived with two Professors in tow, commanding her growlithes to try and find the trail of the escaping robbers. However just as Diana had predicted, as soon as they had made it around the corner and back into the observation room the scent simply disappeared.

There was no sign of a forced exit and all the doors and windows were still locked or latched. It left everyone involved baffled as to where they had gone. Because what else would accurately describe what had happened? Just like that: gone.

After doing a tally of the damage, they discovered that the alarm that warned against intruders was still active, it had simply never been tripped. They had flipped off the lights, putting up signs directing party goers from the back area, marking it as closed off. They had been quick and efficient, a dance that was smooth and practiced. Meticulous. Perfected. 

Without realizing it, Akko found herself gripping her sheets until her knuckles were bone white, teeth grinding in frustration. It didn't make any sense, how could they just disappear like that? How was it so easy for two people to just break into a pokecenter and steal dozens of wounded pokemon? What if they had done that a week ago and not tonight? 

Akko pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and tried to take a deep breath. Then Eevee would have been one of the pokemon in that duffle bag, just like the robbers, simply gone. What would she have done if Eevee had been stolen? She couldn't—She didn't want to even think about that possibility. 

Trying to force her mind away from what if's, Akko ran her fingers through the fur around Eevee's neck, calming her nerves by reminding herself that the fox was safe. Forcing herself to relax, Akko listened to the soft snoring from the multiple warm bodies in the room. It seemed like everyone needed a little comfort tonight. Pikachu and Arthur were both on the top bunk with Lotte, the latter being used as a pillow.

Even Sucy's normally shy partner was sleeping in the waste basket at the head of Sucy's bed, having dragged a pillow to cover himself so he was out of sight and hidden. The pillow did little to mask the smell he emitted though and Akko was thankful this was a rare occurrence.

Akko sighed, knowing there was no way that she was going to be able to sleep. Deciding to check her pokedex for the umpteenth time to see if Diana had replied, she wasn't surprised to see that the message still showed as read, but there was no reply. 

Why would she offer the food for Eevee and then simply disappear? 

Normally that thought would be easily dismissed, sure that there was a reasonable explanation. Easily might be a bit of an overstatement, but still she would be able to suppress it enough to tuck it away for later. However tonight Akko wasn't feeling reasonable. She felt angry and frustrated. It wasn't fair anything that had happened tonight. It wasn't fair that so many people were mourning the loss of their partners. It wasn't fair that two people could just do something like that. 

How had Diana known that the robbers were going to be there? Why was she being such an ice queen lately? How did the robbers get away? Why was Eevee acting like someone had taken a giant magical needle and extracted all of her energy? If Diana hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened.

No, that wasn't right. She knew exactly what would have happened, Eevee would be gone and it would be all her fault. Eevee was in that hall because she had gone looking for Akko, all because Akko had gone looking for Diana. A girl who had shown time and again that she was not interested in being friends. Stupid, Akko, stupid...

She was unable to do anything about the majority of that list, but she was able to do something about one thing. Akko steeled herself and focused on getting the energy treats for Eevee, that at least was something she could do. She could help her partner. Help her best friend who once again was the one to take the punishment for herself making a poor decision.

Gently, Akko lifted the sleeping fox from her chest and held her breath as she set her down on her pillow. Shivering at the sudden lack of heat from the warm fox, Akko grabbed her hoodie from her back pack. The garment was worn and was a crimson red, with a soft inner lining that Akko instantly sank into the feeling of.

As quietly as she could, Akko tiptoed to the door before chewing on her lip and looking back at where Mizar was perched on the windowsill. 

To her surprise the bird pokemon was staring back, watching his trainer with quiet fascination and Akko decided to bring him with her. It was probably foolish, it was unlikely that they would try to break in twice in one night, especially with all the police officers still milling about, but that notion did little to quell the unease she felt.

Without needing to say anything, Akko recalled the bird pokemon and held his ball tightly in her hand. There wasn't a belt on her pajama bottoms, but that was alright. The feeling of his ball in her hand was somehow a comfort, and with that she left the room, turning as she left so she could pull it closed. Focused completely on keeping the door from making a loud 'click', Akko didn't notice the figure sitting in the hall opposite to her door, partially hidden in the dark.

Diana waited until the door was fastened shut, knees pulled up to her chest and back against the far wall. She was regarding Akko like she was a puzzle, a hint of amusement as she watched the other girl try to sneak away, with an emphasis on try. 

“Not after more cookies, are you?” She asked once the door had clicked shut, her voice was even, trained to conceal any emotion. Even the hint of a joke seemed forced, the corner of her lips twitching up in a bemused smile that faded as quickly as it had appeared.

Akko nearly jumped out of her skin, heart in her throat and she found herself out of breath. It took a moment for her to adjust to the dim lighting of the hallway before she was able to make out the figure to match the voice.

“Diana?” Akko asked, as if to confirm what she was seeing and that it wasn't a mistake. Also that she wasn't dreaming, again. It was really embarrassing how often the other girl seemed to visit her dreams. Seeming to realize how loud her voice was, Akko paused, looking both ways before she lowered her volume to a whisper. “What are you doing sitting in the dark?”

“I brought these for Eevee,” Diana explained, rummaging around on the floor beside her before grasping a baggy filled with small, paw shaped treats. The quiet girl had her toes curled, feet apparently cold against the tile of the hallway. She had—much to Akko's relief—traded in the dress from earlier for a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and an oversized hoodie, the baggy clothes a small mercy on the already taxed trainer.

Akko looked at the sandwich bag and tilted her head, unsure of how to respond. She found herself deflating as she watched Diana chew on her lip, face turned away as if embarrassed, still holding up the bag for Akko to take. “I had meant to give them to you earlier, but—” Diana paused mid sentence, shaking her head as if to discard that line of the conversation.

“I didn't see your message until a little while ago and decided to bring them for you,” Diana rambled on. “It wasn’t until I was standing outside your door that I realized how late it was, I didn't want to wake you, so I just...”

As Diana trailed off it occurred to Akko that she had never seen the usually poised girl so disorganized. Under normal circumstances she might have found it endearing, possibly even teased her a little about it, but something seemed off. Scratch that, a lot seemed off and had for the last few days. Whatever was bothering the other girl, it only seemed to be getting worse.

“Decided to sit here until morning?” Akko offered, chuckling awkwardly. Honestly it seemed like something Akko would do herself, completely frozen by indecision into waiting awkwardly for the situation to fix itself. When Diana didn't respond, Akko reached out to take the baggy and put it in her pocket. “Thank you.” She offered instead and watched as Diana nodded, still not meeting her eye or looking up from the floor.

They stayed in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to do or say at this point. As much as she wanted to be angry at Diana, Akko found her anger slipping through her fingers like water. No matter how tightly she tried to cup her hands, it was still trickling away, the sad look on Diana's face smashing the dam. So then if she wasn't able to be angry, now what? She felt woefully unprepared for this encounter.

“I uh,” Akko scratched the back of her head and rubbed her foot against the back of her calf. “I was actually gonna go for a walk, since I can't sleep. You could come, if you wanted...” Akko glanced at Diana, pulling her knees tighter against her chest from her spot on the hallway floor and tried to lighten the mood, desperately wanting to see a smile. “I am not trying to steal cookies, I promise.”

The corner of Diana's lips twitched in a reluctant smile that was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Without a word she pushed herself up and brushed off her pajama pants before stuffing her hands in the front pocket of her hoodie, nervously fidgeting.

“Well, I suppose I can't let you wander around alone at night. With the lives of uneaten cookies on the line, that is.” Diana replied, the corner of her lips tugging into a fleeting, reluctant smile. Akko found herself grinning right along, hoping the darkness would be enough to hide the stupid smile that refused to be subtle.

They walked in silence down the hallway, not wanting to wake up any of the sleeping residents and made it down the stairs to the front lobby and outside without bumping into anyone. At this late hour it wasn't surprising, but Akko still breathed a little easier once they made it outside, she honestly wasn't sure how she'd explain what they were doing. Not that they were doing anything wrong, but when she couldn’t even explain it to herself, how was she supposed to explain to anyone else? She couldn’t exactly say she bumped into Diana in the hallway in the middle of the night and couldn’t yell at her because she was too cute so she made up the excuse of a walk.

Akko took in a deep breath as the cold night air hit her face and smiled. She loved the feeling and smell of the air in the early morning. This was much earlier than she was usually outside, but still there was nothing like it. The stillness and calm before the local populace awoke was humbling and it helped clear her mind, focus her thoughts. The young trainer walked down the dirt road without any real goal in mind, letting Diana lead the way and looking up at the moon and stars above them.

The night air was doing wonders for clearing her mind and was already feeling a little better and she found herself pondering a recent article she had read about some pokemon coming from the stars. It seemed impossible, but then again, a lot of things seem impossible until you learn a little more about them.

Without warning Diana stopped and Akko noticed after taking a few more steps and turned to look back at the other girl, noticing they were right by the outer wall of the city. Diana's hair was shimmering in the moonlight, lightly blowing in the night air and Akko found herself comparing it to the way she looked during the sunrise. It was different, the way the moonlight lit up her hair but no less breathtaking.

Stop it. Akko berated herself, looking away and forcing herself not to comment on the sad frown that Diana was still sporting, looking at the grass like it held all the answers.

“Thank you,” Diana whispered, Akko almost missed it, spoken so softly and sounding so broken. It caught her by surprise and she found herself shifting uneasily while she debated on how to respond. Whatever she had expected Diana to say, it certainly wasn't that. 

“For what?” Akko asked, unable to help the nervous chuckle. “I should be the one thanking you.” It was true, if it weren't for Diana... She didn't want to walk back down that road of thought.

Diana shook her head and moved to lean against the wall, placing her arms across the top and looking up at Mt. Moon that loomed on the horizon. “I almost crossed a line earlier, one I swore I would never cross. One I never thought I was capable of crossing. If you hadn’t stopped me, I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself.” 

Akko scrunched up her nose and pondered on that, deciding to mirror Diana's position and standing beside her looking at the mountains in the distance. Was she talking about the Ivysaur? Akko thought back to how angry Diana had been, and shivered at the memory. She knew it was silly, but it was the first time that she had seen Diana ever let loose, or rather fight without restraint.

It was obvious comparing the fight with the Team Rocket members to her battle with Eevee that Diana was an amazing trainer. She had been holding back with Akko, even with the recording of her battle with Brock she had been holding back. 

Akko found herself studying the other girl, trying to be subtle with a side glance while Diana was focused on the landscape in front of her.

“You were trying to rescue those pokemon, it wasn't your fault.” Akko offered, genuinely. “You were just trying to do what was right.” It was true, and Akko tried to let that bleed into her tone.

Diana closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, the guilt that was eating at her evident and Akko felt her chest ache at the pain that washed over her friend's face. “That's not an excuse, Akko. I need to be better than that, I have to be. It isn't the pokemon's fault if the trainer’s a bad person. They are just as much victims, living creatures that feel pain the same as you and I. What I almost did to that Ivysaur... Everyone experiences heightened emotions, but losing yourself to them isn't an excuse for being cruel.”

“You're only human,” Akko insisted gently, wanting to reach out and hug the other girl but deciding it might not be well received. “You're allowed to make mistakes.” 

Diana snorted, the sound odd coming from the heiress. “It seems like all I do is make mistakes,” She muttered, and finished in a whisper. “And everyone else is constantly paying for them.”

Akko studied the other girl who had her gaze focused on the mountains, expression neutral and she felt her heart break at the last admission. It occurred to her that Diana had many of the same guilty thoughts that she had, the same self blame. This perfect person, this amazing trainer, boundlessly kind and generous woman had the same worries, same doubts. That thought was both comforting and humbling.

Wetting her lips, Akko tried another point of attack. “If it weren't for you Eevee would have been taken tonight.” Pausing, Akko tried to suppress the blush that creeped onto her cheeks, turning away slightly as she whispered out her last point. “You saved us, and I haven’t had a chance to say thank you yet. So, you know…” Akko fought the stammer that was making her tongue thick and sluggish, “thanks.”

Diana flicked a glance at Akko, catching her eye before turning away again. Moments passed as they stood in silence and Akko began to think that perhaps she had struck a cord before Diana seemed to sum up some of her own courage to reply. “Eevee was only in danger because you were trying to find me.” The heiress blushed softly, pulling her hood up and sleeves down a little further to cover her hands.

“Exactly, so she was there because of me and you saved her. Lets not also forget when you literally, 'Protect'ed me.” Akko continued, feeling confident and grinning at the other girl. That joke was so bad all she was missing was a pair of finger guns, but she’d rather shrivel up and die than shoot a pair of those at Diana right now.

“No, Akko.” Diana cut her off with a frustrated sigh. “You were only following me because I've been such a poor friend to you,” Diana admitted and turned her head away so that Akko could no longer make out her expression. For her part, Akko felt her breath hitch and heart rate spike.

Friend. Diana had called her a friend. She, Atsuko Kagari was Diana Cavendish’s friend. At least that settled that debate. Furthermore, Diana had known that she had gone looking for her specifically, which while embarrassing, made sense. Why else would she have been wandering down the hall, in the dark, literally calling Diana's name? Still, the realization that she knew her motivations left her feeling unsettled. Like a growlithe pup who was constantly just begging for attention. It was... Embarrassing? No, that didn't sound right.

Akko was trying to identify the feeling that knowing Diana knew she was there specifically for her was stirring within her belly when the other girl moved suddenly.

Taking a deep breath, Diana turned to look at Akko directly, making sure she was looking her in the eye before her next statement, “I am sorry for the way I've treated you. I thought I was doing the right thing, keeping you out of it.” Diana shook her head, running her fingers through her hair and shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Regardless, that doesn't excuse my behavior and for that, I apologize.” She finished awkwardly, picking at the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

Feeling a blush sneak its way onto her cheeks, Akko swatted at the air and let out an indignant noise, “Pssh,” She replied on reflex, unsure of how to handle the heartfelt apology. She wasn't used to other people coming to her to apologize. Normally they would take advantage of the fact that she would easily forgive and simply sweep it under the rug. “It's all good.” Just don't do finger guns, Akko reminded herself. Or salute! She added, remembering her earlier interaction with Andrew.

Diana frowned, studying Akko's face intently. “It's not though, Akko. You are too good for people to treat you poorly, you don't deserve that. Or any of the harassment you've had to endure thus far.” Diana chewed on her lip, looking away as she forced out the last part, “I... I should also apologize for the part I played in the beginning as well. I am sorry, Akko.”

Akko felt her face burning at the blush that crept up her neck and bathed her cheeks with heat. She had no idea about how to respond to such a sincere statement and it was her turn to hide in her hood and croak out a response, “Thanks.”

The atmosphere again turned awkward as neither girl was sure of what to say. After a few moments, Diana resettled against the wall and sighed, looking at the mountain. Akko was unaware of how close the other girl had moved until she felt her head tilt, just barely grazing her shoulder as Diana lay her head down.

The movement had Akko's heart once again going off in a panic and it left her wondering if she should schedule a doctor's appointment. Just to check to make sure these constant attacks weren't happening for a different reason. 

They stayed in silence for a while before Akko decided to ask the question that was nagging at her, “What did you mean by, 'wanting to keep me out of it?'” She asked.

When Diana didn't respond, eyes closed and head resting a little more firmly on Akko's shoulder, the young trainer began to wonder if she had fallen asleep. “I didn't want to risk you losing Eevee...” Diana mumbled, sleepily. As if that answered everything.

Another minute of silence passed before Diana raised her head and Akko bit back her reaction of wanting the girl to return to her former position. The immediate loss of warmth caused a shiver to run down her spine.

“Is it okay if we sit for a moment? My legs are tired.” Diana yawned, rubbing her eyes.

Akko almost offered to finish the conversation later, Diana was clearly exhausted. Even knowing that, she couldn't help wanting to be selfish and continue talking just a little while longer. Or rather, wanting to stay within close proximity of the other girl in a comfortable silence that seemed to pull all of the stress and anxiety from her piece by piece. For once she decided to feed her selfish needs and Akko nodded before responding out loud, “Sure.” 

Both of the girls turned to slide down with backs against the rock wall, Diana pulling her knees to her chest, cheek resting on her knees. Akko found the sleepy look on her face adorable, too tired to check herself from staring openly, a soft smile on her face.

“A few days ago, Barbara's Clefairy was stolen.” Diana whispered, squeezing her legs a little tighter. “It happened the same day I joined you for your morning jog,” Diana continued, studying the grass shimmering in the moonlight. Too shocked to reply right away, Akko found her mouth hanging open slightly. 

“Why didn't you tell me?” Akko asked, trying not to sound accusing or angry. She had no idea, but thinking back there had been a definite lack of seeing Diana's teammates around. She had assumed they had lost interest after Mizar had managed to claim the bag from Pidgeot.

“I didn't want to distract you from training for your gym battle.” Diana replied quietly, the look of guilt returning and she played with the wrist cuffs of her sweater. 

Akko thought back, trying to match up the timeline. So it had happened on the day Diana had joined her, the day she had made her break through with Mizar and—

“I had gone to visit Eevee that night, I was actually hoping to run into you. I had intended to ask you for your help, I was frustrated. I had talked to Officer Jenny and the Professors, they had told me that multiple applicants were dropping out. That Barbara wasn't alone and they were doing everything they could.” Diana paused, taking in a deep breath and swallowing the lump in her throat.

“But when I saw you standing there holding Eevee, I heard what you said, how you had been afraid you'd lost her, I heard it in your voice. The heartbreak, you sounded like you were in so much pain...” Diana shifted awkwardly, trying to subtly wipe her cheek with her sweater sleeve.

“Even though I knew you’d say yes, there was no way I could ask you to help me, to ask you to risk losing her again. So I told myself it would be better if I got back Clefairy by myself.” Diana explained, “I was the one who promised Barbara I would get her back, you didn't owe her or me anything.”

Akko processed what Diana had said, trying to comprehend how much pressure Diana must be feeling. She had taken it upon herself to find her friend's pokemon when the people who were professionally trained to do just that were getting nowhere. 

Akko watched her for another moment before something occurred to her, “You don't blame yourself for Clefairy being stolen, do you?” 

Diana looked away, once again staring at the grass, clearly uncomfortable with the question. 

“It's not your fault, Diana.” Akko frowned, “is that why you were angry this morning?” Akko asked without thinking, instantly regretting it. Is that why you were avoiding me? Akko wondered, feeling guilty that such a selfish thought made its way into the forefront of her attention when Diana had just told her about Barbara. 

“Partially,” Diana admitted. “Barbara has been...” She chewed at her lip, knowing that Akko and Barbara didn't exactly get along. “Very upset, which is reasonable, considering the situation she's in. I feel like I've failed her,” Diana's voice wavered and Akko could tell she was fighting back tears.

“I promised I'd get Clefairy back for her, and all I've done is fail.” Diana continued with a sob, and Akko found herself wanting to reach out, to offer some form of comfort. “She trusted me,” Diana continued. “But I'm no closer than anyone else, and now because of me, more pokemon have been taken. I couldn't go back to my room tonight, I couldn't bear to hear her cry herself to sleep again.”

Diana tried to wipe away her tears again, just barely holding some semblance of control before she let out a sob with her next statement. “All because I wasn't strong enough.”

“Diana, it's not your fault.” Akko insisted, how could Diana think it was her fault? She wasn't the one who stole the pokemon. All she had done was try to fix the problem, without asking for any help or thanks.

Akko was at a loss as to how she could make her believe that, and as each moment passed she could feel the frustration building that she couldn't seem to make her feel any better. Even now Diana was trying to hide her tears, quiet her cries and stifle her pain. Ignoring every voice in her head that told her not to, Akko reached out and pulled the distraught girl against her chest, hugging her tightly. Trying to show her she wasn't alone.

As soon as Akko's arms wrapped around Diana and pulled her close, the other girl froze before her body seemed to deflate and the dam shattered. Diana broke down and cried, shaking as she clenched Akko's sweater in her hands and let all the feelings and frustrations she'd been holding in, out. Finally allowed herself to feel, to break and lean on someone else.

Akko shifted and held her tighter, pressing one hand to the back of the other girl's head, her other arm around her back as she held her close, letting Diana vent all the feelings of guilt she had been holding in. She was still at a loss for words and could only pray that the physical comfort she could offer would be sufficient to soothe some of her stress, some of her guilt.

Akko wound her fingers into Diana's hair, the other hand tightening around her waist.

She couldn't believe that Diana had shouldered so much by herself, even when she needed help she had put others first. Always putting everyone else's needs first. Akko promised herself in that moment that she would never allow Diana to face a challenge like this one alone, ever again. Even if she had to fight with her every step of the way, she would do everything in her power to support this amazing girl for as long as she was able. That resolution added yet another layer to why she couldn't fail in this challenge. She had to become stronger, if she wanted to stay with Diana. If she wanted to be strong enough to stand beside her, to be her support.

When Diana's sobs had settled slightly and breathing had changed to soft hiccoughs, Akko found herself running her fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her. 

Say something, Akko told herself. “I,” She coughed, trying to build up her courage and not really having a plan for what she wanted to say. “I don't know how much it means but I think you're the strongest, most amazing, generous...” Akko listed off, swallowing and stilling her fingers momentarily, “...beautiful, person I have ever known.”

Diana didn't respond, fingers clutching the fabric of Akko's sweater a little tighter as she listened, breathing uneven and sniffling quietly.

“I didn't realize it at the time,” Akko continued. “But even when we first met, you were already looking out for Eevee's best interests. You were already trying to protect her.” Already trying to protect me. Akko left it unsaid, pausing to recharge her courage. “I understand now, you were trying to warn me that if I wasn't careful. You saw a reckless, foolish, stupid—” Akko bit her tongue when Diana's fingers tightened in warning, and she remembered their earlier discourse.

Clearing her throat, she tried again, “Trainer who used her partner like a wrecking ball to keep a door open, and it made you angry. You were trying to tell me from day one, not to take my partner for granted, and I appreciate that more everyday. I hear your voice reminding me that I need to put her first, that I need to protect her. That if I don't take this... Challenge seriously, it's going to be my partners that will suffer for it.”

Akko rested her chin on the top of Diana's head and tried to figure out how to summarize what she was trying to say. “I just wanted to say thank you, you've always looked out for me... er, Eevee.” Akko finished, and couldn't help herself when she added. “And I would appreciate it if you would be a little nicer from now on to my newly confirmed friend, she doesn't deserve all the mean things you've said about her.”

Diana chuckled, pushing herself up and away from Akko, wiping her cheeks and looking up at her. Seeming to want to say something but deciding against it, Diana bit her bottom lip, a habit that was quickly becoming one of Akko's favourites. The action was so innocent, so ingrained that Akko couldn't help but wonder, as she stared, if she knew the way it made her heart flutter. The way it made her stomach twist and her mouth go dry.

“I'm sorry for making your sweater wet,” Diana mumbled with a blush, completely unaware of Akko's gaze, “I must look like a mess.” 

“Nah,” Akko replied, “Still just as beautiful as always.” The compliment slipped out before she could stop it or register what she was saying and blamed her sleep deprived blame. She had meant to keep that to herself. Wait, no! Urg, she was too tired to filter her thoughts properly for what should and should not be said out loud.

Diana smiled, and this time it was a genuine one. Albeit it, it was shy and she tried to hide it but for the first time in over a week it was real and Akko felt her heart flutter. Yep... Still just as beautiful.

Unsure of how to reply, and also not used to compliments, Diana looked at Akko, searching for confirmation of something. Akko felt herself blush and looked away from Diana's gaze, falling victim instead as her eyes were dragged down, drawn to Diana's lips. Sleepy brain was fogging her judgment and she found herself unable to look back up, or caring if she was noticed.

A small part of herself knew she should look away, that she was putting her newly formed friendship in jeopardy just because she had trouble schooling herself. That a moment ago she had been comforting the girl in front of her, she shouldn't be looking at her like... this...

Akko was vaguely aware that Diana seemed to be closer than before, the feeling of her breath could be felt on her lips and cheek. Stop it, Akko. She heard the reminder, but paid it no heed and her breath caught.

Suddenly the trance was broken as Diana cleared her throat, a blush on her cheeks as she turned away. “We should try to get some sleep, I don't want you getting sick sitting out here in a wet shirt.” She spoke with a slight waver in her voice.

Akko blinked, it literally dawning on her how late, or rather early, it was and sighed. That was close, too close, what were you thinking? Stupid, Akko. “Urg, Eevee is going to be up in a few hours and she's so persistent about morning workouts.” She groaned out, looking away and trying to force down the persistent blush that still had her cheeks burning. Her heart was thundering in her chest, she had almost... No. They were friends. 

Diana laughed, pushing herself up and offering a hand to Akko to help her to her feet and the action was so casual that it left Akko wondering if perhaps she had imagined the whole thing. No hint of recognition for what Akko had almost done on her features. Either Diana hadn't noticed, or she was sparing her from the embarrassment.

Either way, Akko was not ready to question it and simply took the offered hand and got to her feet. Even after she was on her feet, she found herself lingering, not wanting to let go just yet and took advantage when Diana did not immediately move away. 

This time it was Akko who looked away, stuffing her hands stubbornly in her pockets before motioning towards the pokecenter and falling into step beside the other trainer.

They walked back in relative silence until they reached Diana's room, her door being the closer one to the stairs leading up. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, “Hey, Akko?” She whispered, and Akko turned to look over her shoulder, eyes barely held open.

“Hmm?” She mumbled groggily, mind still replaying recent events, the overworked gears of her mind struggling to turn.

“Thank you.” Diana mumbled, fingers fidgeting with the cuff of her sleeves.

Akko scrunched up her nose, and tried to replay their recent conversation for what she was being thanked for now. “For what?” 

Diana flashed a lopsided smile, filled with affection and looked down at her hand on the door knob to her room. “For being you.”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 20

Sucy! Use Confusion!

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Complaining the entire way, Akko dragged her feet along the path leading to the entrance of Mt. Moon. All of the remaining applicants had headed out the following morning, hushed whispers about what had occurred the night before in the pokemon center circling around.

Their departure was delayed for a short seminar on ways they can stay safe with the recent Team Rocket activity. They were also given specific instructions on what to do if they encountered someone from Team Rocket. In summary it was stay with your team, call for help and run away. Wise words Akko never would have been able to figure out on her own.

The Professors had even gone as far as offering a free pass to anyone who wished to drop out and try again next season, allowing them to skip the entrance test entirely if they chose to wait.

After returning to her room from her late night encounter, Akko had stripped her sweatshirt and dropped it on the floor before collapsing and falling into all encompassing sleep. Sure enough, even after being apparently drained the night before, Eevee was up at the break of dawn and pestering her tired trainer. It was a relief that whatever had affected Eevee had worn off, but Akko found it hard to be relieved as she tried to use her pillow as a shield from the relentless assault or yips and licks.

The small fox was pressing her cold nose to Akko's ear and sniffing, jumping up and down on her back and tugging at Akko's tank top with her teeth. She was used to Akko's grouchy protests and easily dodged her swatting hand, tail wagging and enjoying her favourite game.

In an effort to get a little more sleep, Akko took the treats out of her sweater without thinking and dumped the bag on the floor, setting Eevee down on the floor with them and a chew toy.

It worked for about twenty minutes. That was before the energy boosters kicked in and Eevee proceeded to use agility all over the room, chasing anything that moved, or didn't and jumping on all three slumbering girls, waking up the other sleeping pokemon.

After that it was impossible to return to sleep between Arthur's barking and Pikachu's warning sparks, and Akko had reluctantly stumbled out of bed to take a cold shower in hopes it would wake her up. It didn't. Somehow she suspected that three hours of sleep just wasn’t enough for the human body to function on properly.

Even two hours later, Eevee was still supercharged and zipping all over the path, sniffing at plants and chasing bugs. Akko was too tired to try to curb her antics, but was still relieved that whatever had made her feel so sluggish the previous night had worn off. Maybe she just hadn't noticed how tired Eevee had been after the gym battle and all she really needed was a good night's sleep.

She should have also asked how many treats she was supposed to give Eevee at a time. Somehow she was beginning to suspect that the entire bag might have been a bad idea.

Akko watched as Eevee chased a shadow on the path before slapping at a leaf and jumping after it when it was caught in the wind and felt the corners of her lips turn into a smile. After the last few days, it was nice to see her best friend enjoying life without a care in the world again.

She couldn't seem to get the conversation with Diana from the previous night out of her mind and found herself fidgeting with her pokedex, wondering if it would be alright to message the other girl. Diana had been at the seminar, it was mandatory after all, looking just as exhausted as Akko felt. Now that she knew what was going on, Akko noticed the small indicators of Barbara's sorrow. The way her eyes were slightly puffy, how quiet the normally loud girl was.

“What do you think, Akko?” Lotte asked, slowing down so she was walking beside the sleepy trainer rather than in front of her, Sucy mirroring the action on the opposite side.

“Hmm?” Akko yawned, stumbling and kicking a rock that Eevee instantly dashed after to chase down the path. She hadn't been listening to the conversation Lotte and Sucy were having, trying to conserve energy by following behind them on auto pilot.

“Sucy was saying that she wanted to go down this path,” Lotte explained, holding up her pokedex so that Akko could see the detailed map of the interior of Mt. Moon. “But they mentioned that, that area was less traveled and the pokemon tended to be a little more aggressive.” 

Akko squinted at the bright screen, rubbing her head at the forming headache. She vaguely remembered the part of the seminar where they had gone over the region. To be more accurate she remembered the first five minutes before the presenting Professor's monotone voice had Akko falling asleep. She'd only woken up ten minutes later when Eevee had jumped at something that had apparently caught her interest on her nose.

“So we were wondering what you thought about going down that way.” Lotte finished studying Akko, slightly concerned about her friend waking up a zombie.

“That's fine,” Akko slurred, letting out another yawn, completely missing the look that Lotte and Sucy shared. 

“Are you sure? We could always make camp and continue tomorrow.” Lotte offered, jumping when Eevee zipped across the path in front of her and crashed into the base of a tree before shaking her head and continuing her rampage through the underbrush. “You just seem under the weather.”

“I'm fine,” Akko replied, waving off the coordinator's concerns, “just tired, I didn't sleep much last night.”

“Probably because you snuck out of the room in the middle of the night,” Sucy countered, and Lotte let out a surprised gasp.

“Akko!” She chastised, “after what happened yesterday you snuck out in the middle of the night all alone! What if something had happened to you?” Lotte fixed Akko with a disapproving frown that reminded Akko of the guilt trip her mother used to fix her with. 'I'm not mad, just disappointed.' Somehow that was always worse than her being angry.

Akko yawned again, the wheels in her mind turning sluggishly slow and she struggled to process which point to address first. “How did you know I snuck out last night?” She asked, sure that she had been all but silent when she left and returned.

“Oscar told me,” Sucy replied without missing a beat, like it was the most obvious answer.

Scrunching up her nose at that, Akko pondered out loud, “How could your pokemon tell you? He can't talk.” Plus the basket he slept in didn't have holes for him to peer through, so how would he have seen her?

Sucy smirked, and decided not to elaborate, enjoying the confusion and just shrugged.

“And I wasn't alone.” Akko continued, crumbling under the weight of Lotte's disappointment, hoping the fact that she brought a travel buddy with her would be enough to appease her. It should also work in her favour that it was Diana, right? After all, who would she be safer with than the top of their class? Then again, judging from their previous conversation about the girl in question, Sucy didn't seem to approve of her. As to why Akko still wasn’t sure.

“Who?” Lotte pressed, not buying the convenient excuse. “Eevee was far too tired to have gone with you.” She finished, eyeing the kit that was currently belly crawling across the path in an effort to sneak up on a bug. 

“Huh?” Akko blinked, not following, having already forgotten what they were talking about.

“Who did you sneak out with then?” Lotte clarified and it occurred to Akko that she had not only set up her own trap but baited it and then fallen face first. Stupid sleepy brain. She should have just said that Oscar was mistaken, how would Sucy prove that’s what Oscar had said? It's not like she could actually speak to him, right? It would have been a literal he said she said, except without the he being able to actually speak. 

“Akko?” Lotte pressed, concerned for her friend's safety and current mental well being, “it's really not safe for you to wander around at night alone, Professor Ursula said—”

“I was with Diana!” Akko groaned, tilting her head back. She had rushed out the retort without thinking about how it sounded, she knew Lotte meant well but she wasn't in the mood to be lectured. Her head hurt from lack of sleep and she just wanted to close her eyes for five minutes. She didn't want to debate on whether or not admitting who she was with was a good idea or not at the moment. 

It seemed to work because for a few minutes that's exactly what happened, silence and Akko let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh,” Lotte breathed, sounding nervous and Akko couldn't help looking at her, confused. For some reason the coordinator seemed awfully flustered, face flushed and playing with her glasses. Why was she acting so strange? “So, you snuck out in the middle of the night to see Diana?” She mumbled more to herself than anyone else. 

Well, I wouldn't put it in those words exactly, Akko mused to herself. She had intended to go find Diana to ask for those treats, and maybe partially because she was angry and confused and wanted some form of explanation. So then again, the way Lotte said it did summarize it rather well.

“I didn't realize,” Lotte stuttered, “I mean, um... That's good for you, A-Akko.” 

Akko blinked at her owlishly, she was missing something clearly. Was Lotte happy because she had been encouraging her to go talk to her the other night? So then Lotte did approve, and it was just Sucy that didn't approve. That much was a relief at least. If that was the case, then why was Lotte acting so strange? 

“I noticed that Diana also looked like the walking dead this morning, I didn't realize that was your doing.” Sucy teased, her voice amused and causing Lotte to squeal. Her comment was like adding gasoline to a fire and Lotte instantly seemed to overheat.

“Well, we didn't make it back to our rooms until nearly dawn.” Akko admitted sheepishly, and just narrowly missed stepping on Eevee who came to a dead halt in the middle of the path sniffing something. “We kinda lost track of time, I guess.”

Lotte seemed to combust and just let out a noise that sounded like a dying car, gaze fixed on the path and refusing to make eye contact with Akko or Sucy. The researcher wasn't faring much better, although for her part she looked more like a kid on Christmas morning than anything else. Or maybe in Sucy's case, like a researcher who had found a new, very poisonous plant. 

What are these two going on about? Akko wondered, clearly it was something they were both aware of. Had she missed something? The befuddled trainer walked in silence as she replayed the conversation in her mind again to see where she had missed the key piece of information. Even with the review, however, she still did not see what had Lotte in such a curious state and Sucy so amused.

“Is something wrong, Lotte?” Akko asked, defeated and unable to pinpoint what had set them off this time.

“No!” Lotte squeaked, voice a much higher pitch than usual. “No! As long as you're happy, I'm happy for you! We both are, right Sucy? We will support you!”

Grinning wolfishly, Sucy nodded her agreement. “So happy, you have no idea how happy.” She researcher blew a strand of hair out of her face, and true to her nature couldn't help but deliver her punchline. “Maybe now Diana won't be so stiff and stuck up.”

“Sucy, be nice!” Lotte chastised, looking at Akko's face twisted in utter confusion. “We don't want Akko to feel like she can't be around Diana in front of us, especially if they are um,” Lotte pressed her pointer fingers together, seeming to struggle with her phrasing. “You know, if you two are dating now.”

Akko couldn't help the surprise at Lotte's statement, how did they get to that conclusion? She had never said that! The last thing she needed was a rumor going around that she and Diana were dating, she was sure that the other party involved would be furious.

“We aren't dating!” Akko protested, in an effort to protect Diana's honour. 

“Oh...” Lotte breathed, face growing impossibly redder, “I had just assumed. I mean you don't have to, in order to, you know… I just—I didn't know. Um, that you two had that, uh.” The coordinator stammered on, lost in her ramblings and seeming to struggle to get out what she wanted to say.

“We're just friends,” Akko stated, wanting to lay all misplaced information to rest. “Diana even confirmed it last night,” She finished, unable to help the happy blush and the sense of relief and finally having an answer to that debate.

Lotte seemed at a loss for words and looked like the personification of a boiling kettle. Is she really that happy that she and Diana were friends? Akko knew she’d talked about it bothering her a few times but still, she didn't think Lotte was that invested. 

Sucy couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, the expression of merriment shocking both Lotte and Akko as they looked at the other girl in joint confusion. “Friends, pfft!” She snorted, wiping a tear away, “Friends with benefits, right Akko?” Sucy asked, elbowing Akko and chortling with glee.

Realization dawned on Akko and she joined Lotte in the club of voltorb cosplay—red up top and white below.

“No!” Akko looked between Lotte and Sucy, thoroughly embarrassed at the misunderstanding. “No! It's not like that, we just talked!”

Akko proceeded to recount the previous night's conversation, dispersing all previous misconceptions. She took care to leave out the more personal bits, feeling as if those were too private to share. Whatever had almost happened between them, she needed time to process that alone first.

She explained about Barbara's Clefairy and the reason for Diana's stress. Akko did not mention Diana's deep seeded guilt, or her breakdown, feeling that it was not something that was hers to tell. Lotte had eventually calmed down, embarrassed that she had misread the conversation so wildly, even if Sucy had shoved her down the wrong path. The researcher seemed to be the only one who knew exactly what both of the other girls were trying to say the entire time. Not that that had stopped her from enjoying herself.

The terrain gradually changed and the ground became rocky and inclined as they travelled. It took the better part of the day to reach the base of the mountains and the trio decided to make camp for the night before venturing inside. Even with Akko insisting that she was fine, she had eventually given in to Lotte's pestering and agreed that an early night might not be the worst thing.

Depending on which route they wanted to take through the mountain, it might be a while before they see sunlight again. There were four options, each had markers and faint, stringed up lights along the walls to help guide travelers through the winding caverns. Of course not every path was clearly marked, some ventured further into the belly of the mountain and were marked with caution signs. 

Eevee's energy eventually wore off and the little fox crashed from her high in a slumbering ball of fur inside Akko's sleeping roll, followed soon after by her trainer and the rest of the group.

The entire trek from Pewter to Cerulean City would take the better part of a week, with more than half being inside the mountain. Truth be told, the notion made Akko nervous. She had never slept underground, or even been underground before. Additionally, the low ceilings would leave Mizar at a severe disadvantage and Eevee was at a type disadvantage with most of the native wild pokemon. The journey was going to be a rocky one, even on the safest path.

Lotte did not fare much better, with Pikachu being completely ineffective against a lot of the wild pokemon and Arthur being on even ground at best.

They would need to be cautious moving forward, and ration the medicine they had purchased before leaving. Luckily Sucy was an expert in toxins, so at least the fabled Zubat hordes wouldn't pose much of a problem. The researcher was even excited about the possibility of multiple pokemon becoming poisoned so she could gather samples and study the different effects.

Akko awoke the next morning by being kicked in the jaw by Eevee's back paw while she dreamed of chasing something, little paws twitching and kicking, yipping softly. Sighing to herself and resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore, Akko got up and started to prepare breakfast for her teammates.

She was still tired, and slightly sore from sleeping on the hard ground. She'd grown accustomed to the soft bed from the pokecenter, with their fluffy sheets and pillows. Oh how she missed the pillows.

While the water was blowing for the breakfast porridge, Akko started to flip through the news listings for recent Team Rocket activity. They were starting to pop up everywhere it seemed, specifically around the mountains north of Cerulean City and the coast by Vermilion City. She would need to make a note of avoiding those areas. Luckily the mountains north of Cerulean could not be accessed from any of the routes they would be traveling down, so they shouldn't encounter any of the miscreants.

After catching up and confirming there were no more annoying red exclamation points she opened up Diana's contact. She hadn't really messaged her before, even after Lotte had shown her where to request to share contact information on her profile. Or after Diana had accepted later that day. She'd thought about it, written out a dozen messages before deleting them. The only one she'd managed to send was the one asking if it was alright to pick up the energy treats for Eevee, and Diana hadn't responded to that. 

Now that she was sure that Diana considered her a friend she felt a little more confident sending her a message. That's what friends do, right? That wasn't weird, or awkward, or weird. Nope, she'd just send a short message asking if her friend was feeling better. That wasn't a weird thing to do, right?

Or would that make Diana self conscious? Maybe she wouldn't appreciate her moment of weakness being brought up? Or would it be more inconsiderate to act as if it hadn't happened after she had opened up to her? Would Diana take that as a hint that Akko didn't want to be the type of friend she could open up to about that kind of stuff? That definitely wasn't the message she wanted to send her either. She wanted to be there for her, but sending a message that just said, 'Hey, you know how you cried on me the other night? I enjoyed that, lets do that again sometime!' Was not a good idea either. It would, without a doubt, give Diana the wrong idea.

It wasn't like she liked seeing Diana cry, she hated it! But it was nice that Diana had felt comfortable opening up to her. Or had it just been that Akko was there and she couldn't hold back anymore? Right place, right time? Or would wrong place, right time, be more accurate? Right time, wrong place...?

Akko scratched her head and sighed, why was this so hard? She just wanted to say hi! How are you doing? I miss you.

Wait! No, not that last one. That would definitely be weird. And awkward. It would be weird and awkward. 

Akko stared at her pokedex for a few more minutes before sighing and putting it away without sending the message she had typed out, momentarily distracted as Eevee trotted over, stretching and yawning, having smelt the food cooking. Smiling at the fox, Akko scratched her behind the ear, “Can you wake up Lotte and Sucy?” The trainer asked, knowing her partner loved waking up people, even if not everyone appreciated it. 

Eevee perked up instantly and leap-frogged her way over to Lotte and Sucy, yipping and licking their cheeks before tunneling her way into their sleeping bags and pestering them into the waking world. Akko received glares, and unhappy grumbles, neither of the other two girls being able to stay angry at Eevee as she wagged her tail happily. Able to throw blistering, grumpy, glares at Akko though? That they could totally do.

After eating breakfast and making sure all the pokemon were fed and happy, the trio made short work of packing up camp and Akko was looking around for her pokedex. Growing frustrated and rummaging through her bag for the third time, sure she had put it back, Akko shouted over her shoulder, “Lotte have you seen my pokedex?”

“No,” Lotte replied, from where she was sitting brushing Arthur, “Sorry, Akko. Sucy, have you seen it?”

“Ya, I have it.” Sucy replied, fishing the pokedex out of her pocket and handing it to Akko who let out a sigh of relief. “It was beside the campfire, I picked it up so it wouldn't get dirty or stepped on.” 

Akko smiled at the kind act, feeling like maybe Sucy was finally warming up to her. “Thanks, Sucy!” She beamed, pocketing her pokedex and checking her pokeballs again before going through her checklist to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

“Oh, and I sent that message you had typed out. You’re welcome.” Sucy added, shouldering her own bag and Akko gave her a puzzled look, trying to think of what message she meant.

Oh. Akko felt the blood drain from her face upon realizing what she meant. No! No, no, no. Akko scrambled to grab the pokedex from her pocket and turn it on. Maybe she was remembering the wrong message. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought?

Lotte and Sucy started to turn back towards the path that would lead to the entrance they had all agreed upon with a mapped out route, completely oblivious to Akko's sudden panic. 

Finally pressing that annoyingly, tiny button, Akko waited as the screen turned on and sure enough the message she had dreaded was sent, taunting her with the annoying confirmation and time stamp that it had been delivered.

“Crap,” Akko whispered, reading the screen as if in hope it would change if she just read it one more time. 'How are you feeling this morning, pretty lady?'

She had never intended to send that message. It had been typed out in a moment of weakness when she had typed out what she imagined people who were smooth would say, in hopes that if she just trusted her gut it would give her the answer to her inner debate. That's what her papa had always told her to do, just follow her gut!

Maybe she could still fix this, play it off? How do you fix that though?! Shoot, think, Akko! Maybe she could—No! That wouldn't work, Diana is too smart for that. Maybe she could blame it on Sucy, say it was a joke? That was certainly the most plausible.

While Akko was panicking, she noticed those dreaded three dot's come up that signified Diana was typing a reply. She was out of time.

“No, no, no!” Akko squeaked, alerting Lotte and Sucy to her turmoil.

Just then a new message came in with a soft ding and Akko felt her chest tighten, lungs refusing to draw in a breath while she read it once. Twice. A third time just to make sure.

'I am feeling much better, thank you Akko.'

Akko stared at the screen of her pokedex, mouth hanging open before it shifted to a wide, goofy grin. Diana hadn’t left her on read again. Diana had replied and didn’t seem to hate her message.

“Akko, are you coming?” Lotte called, and Akko jumped, shoving the pokedex in her pocket and jogging to catch up.

“Yes!”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 21

Pokemon or Rock?

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Akko felt like she was walking on air the rest of the day, which she knew was silly, it had only been one message. Their conversation hadn't gone on any longer, she hadn't even replied, taking off at a run to catch up with Lotte and Sucy.

Still, just that simple exchange had put the young trainer in an elated mood.

They had entered the caves after only a few, short set backs when they had a slight hiccough with reading the map. Whoever was in charge of marking the paths had done an excellent job and they had little trouble once they found the right entrance.

The inside of the caves fascinated Akko to no end, as she walked with her neck craned looking up at the stalagmite covered ceiling that housed slumbering Zubat. She had even managed to spot a couple babies clinging to the bellies of their mothers, or was it their fathers? Was there a way to tell with Zubat? Either way, it was so cute she had almost yelled back to Lotte who was clinging to Sucy like a lifeline, not enjoying the caves nearly as much as Akko or Eevee. 

At the last moment Akko had felt a headbutt to her legs from Eevee and stopped right before yelling out, remembering that they had been warned to keep the volume down around Zubat hordes so they didn’t to set them off. The nocturnal, bat pokemon was very sensitive to sound, and while generally docile during the day they were known to swarm when spooked.

The caves were extensive, and at one point Akko looked to her left and realized they were standing on a cliff. The far side of the path dropped off to show a series of other tunnels and intersecting paths that were being naturally created by the native pokemon who lived there. 

It was a constant surprise around every corner, and Akko found herself playing, 'Pokemon or Rock?' With Eevee, debating with the fox whether the particular fixture they were currently viewing was alive or not. Eevee had a bit of an edge with her sense of smell and was right more often than not, Akko did not have the same luck.

On the bright side, being pursued by angry rock pokemon who did not appreciate being poked ended up putting the group further along than they had aimed for for the day's progression. Albeit, neither Sucy or Lotte were impressed when the dynamic duo of Akko and Eevee once again started to bolt down the path being pursued by whatever they had annoyed this time.

Admittedly the game did have one small problem, in order to win the rock in question had to move to prove which of them was right. Which usually resulted in the grumpy rock type running them out of its territory.

That night they set up their tents, having been warned that while there was no danger of being rained on while underground, the tents would help to deter curious Zubat from bothering them while they slept. Lotte was convinced that the ceiling was going to collapse, or that they were going to be crushed by a migrating Onyx or tunneling Ryhorn or a pack of Digletts—You get the idea. As such, she made it a point of checking the time constantly to make sure they were on schedule and she didn't have to spend more than one second underground than what had been planned.

It took a while, but eventually the coordinator had relaxed enough to allow slumber to take her, Sucy close behind. After Lotte and Sucy had fallen asleep, and Eevee was curled up inside her sleeping bag and under her chin, Akko found herself staring at the screen of her pokedex. 

She was debating on whether or not to send Diana a goodnight message, unsure of how it would be received. Their previous exchange hadn't exactly left the door open for continued conversation... But then again, Diana had replied. She wouldn’t have done that if she had no interest in talking, right?

Now Akko found herself wondering if Diana had only replied because she felt obligated after Akko had listened to her confession. Why did she find this so difficult? It wasn't this hard to talk to Lotte or Sucy... Or even Amanda or anyone else. In fact she didn't even really think before she spoke in front of them.

Why was she so concerned with what Diana thought of her? It wasn't that she didn't care what her other friends thought of her. Or that she thought Diana would judge her or ridicule her if she said the wrong thing. So then what was it? Sure Diana was ridiculously attractive, like movie star quality but that didn't matter. Hot or not, Diana was also super nice so she shouldn't be so intimidated about something as simple as a text message.

Letting out a deep sigh, Akko dropped her face onto her makeshift pillow and let out a groan. Maybe Lotte would be able to help, she was always reading those books, and she didn't seem to have trouble talking to anyone. She even managed to tame Sucy!

Akko was about to close her pokedex, resigned to losing tonight's battle, and leave it for the next morning when those three dots popped up and once again she felt her chest tighten. After what seemed like a painfully long roller coaster, with those three dots doing the worm across the bottom of her screen. Disappearing and coming back a moment later, multiple times, Akko waited for the message to pop up.

After what seemed like an eternity a short message came through with a quiet ding that caused Eevee to kick her trainer's jaw in an unsaid, 'Shhh!' Sleep time!

'Goodnight, Akko.' The message was simple, but it was enough to elicit a squeal from Akko who instantly cringed when Eevee opened her eyes just enough to glare a warning at her trainer to be quiet.

'Sorry', Akko mouthed and Eevee snorted, burrowing her way deeper into the sleeping bag to sleep with her cold nose pressed against Akko's belly. Normally she would move the fox, the frigid sniffer enough to keep her awake all night, however at the moment she had more pressing matters to focus on.

'Goodnight.' Akko replied, smiling and hiding the bottom half of her face as she tucked her head like a squirtle in the neck of her hoodie. It still smelt a little like Diana, like vanilla and honey. She was surprised when Diana started to reply, Akko hadn't expected a reply and it took everything she had not to make a single sound or move, lest she incur the wrath of a tired fox. One who was prone to biting when she was sleepy and grumpy.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.' Diana replied and Akko felt compelled to assure her otherwise.

'You didn't wake me, I'm usually up later than Lotte or Sucy.' Akko typed out, hitting send with less than a minute passing since she had received Diana's last message. Should she say something else? She didn't want their conversation to be over just yet, but she also didn't want Diana to feel obligated to keep talking if she was tired.

Akko curled her legs up a little tighter towards her chest and Eevee mewled, rolling so she was the little spoon and wiggling happily before letting out a breathy purr. 

'How was your day?' Diana asked, the message surprising Akko when it popped up. She couldn't help the wide grin that conquered her visage and instantly started to type out a paragraph about the baby Zubat she had seen. Flipping through her camera, Akko attached a picture she had taken and sent it, deciding to use the one Eevee had photo bombed. 

They exchanged messages for the better part of the hour, and Akko found herself dozing off from exhaustion but not wanting to end the conversation. It took dropping her pokedex on her face and waking up when the device crashed down after slipping from her grip for Akko to finally concede defeat. She didn't need Sucy asking how she managed to give herself a black eye.

Typing out a good night message, Akko hesitated, debating with her sleepy brain which was quickly becoming the devil on her shoulder, if it would be too much. Diana hadn't seemed to mind earlier, or maybe she simply had too much tact to comment.

Maybe she was overthinking. If that was the case then she should just go with her gut, right?

Tightly pressing her eyes shut, Akko pressed her thumb on the send button. She held her breath and peeked with one eye, awaiting Diana's reply. When none came in the usually quick response time, Akko began to wonder if maybe she had fallen asleep. It was really late after all. Or maybe it hadn't been a good idea and she had made it awkward.

Why had she thought it was a good idea?

Akko closed her eyes and took a deep breath, jumping and nearly dropping her pokedex when it dinged.

She read down the conversation to the last two messages, reading the message her sleepy brain had convinced her was a good idea. 'I am going to try and get some sleep, goodnight pretty lady.'  

Looking a little further down, Akko read Diana's reply. 'Good night, Akko. Sleep well.'

Feeling elated that the message had been well received, Akko let out a muffled squeal before feeling a sharp pinch against her belly and yelping. Eevee was clearly annoyed about being awoken for the fourth time and Akko forced herself to remain still and quiet, a smile plastered on her face as she fell asleep.

The next day Akko woke up on her back with Eevee laying across her stomach, both parties having drooled slightly in their sleep. She was awoken by Lotte and Sucy, breakfast already prepared.

Akko missed her morning workouts, it had been two days since she had gone for a run and she was feeling sore and stiff, the hard ground not helping matters any. However, going running in the confusing and winding caves, no matter how clearly marked, wasn't the best idea. So she was left with just doing the stretches and sparring routine between Mizar and Eevee.

Mizar was beyond agitated and refused to participate, instead choosing to eat his breakfast as an angry ball of feathers. He was unimpressed with being coped up in the mountains, unable to fly or stretch his wings. Akko felt bad, able to sympathize with the bird pokemon, but there was nothing she could do. There was only one direct route from Pewter to Cerulean and it was through Mt. Moon. Returning him to his pokeball, she made a mental note to let him out as soon as they reached the exit.

Shortly after lunch the group reached the section of the caves that Sucy had wanted to visit and the researcher was overjoyed. The walls of the cave were moist and covered in moss and fungus, Paras and Parasect skittering around in the shadows. 

The insect pokemon left behind spore clouds when they were spooked that Sucy had given each person a pill to take to reduce any side effects. Eevee decided to travel via Akko’s shoulder, where she was above the splash zone, and lay across her trainers’s shoulders, ears flopping around as she looked every which way.

Lotte was still nervous, jumping at every little sound or movement and had decided to cling to Akko today instead of Sucy. The researcher held no such reservations and was studying the moss on the wall, mumbling to herself before going over to the growing mushrooms and taking samples. 

Akko was lost in thought, they had been standing in one spot for a little under half an hour while Sucy was scribbling in her note book when she felt Eevee tapped her shoulder insistently. 

“Hmm?” Akko hummed, turning to look at what had caught Eevee's attention. Barely visible, further down the path was a row of boulders that were covered in moss. The massive rocks were partially blended into the cave wall and seemed to be in order by descending size. It was odd, the order of them was mildly interesting but she didn't see what made Eevee so curious.

Staring at the ceiling was getting boring though... She could spare a minute and indulge Eevee with a closer look.

Leaving Lotte by Sucy, the coordinator not wanting to go inspect the, 'creepy row of rocks,' as she had described it, Akko wandered over, hands stuffed in her pockets. 

Once they were in range, Akko studied the rocks, still not seeing what had tickled Eevee's interest. Sure they were placed together as if on purpose, maybe by someone who had been a little more bored than Akko felt right now, but still. They had evidently been there for a long time, if the amount of moss and fungi covering them was any indication.

Eevee jumped off Akko's shoulders, landing on top and sniffing, ears forward. Tilting her head, Eevee looked up at Akko and tapped the rock with her paw, tailing wagging softly. It was the same thing Eevee had done the previous day when they were playing, 'Pokemon or Rock?' When she wanted to let Akko know she thought it was a pokemon.

“I don't know,” Akko laughed, the fox must be really bored. “These rocks look like they've been here a long time, I think you might be wrong with this one.” 

Eevee scowled at Akko, and jumped up and down, trying to prove her guess correct. The young trainer watched, leaning back on her heels while the fox jumped up and down on the boulders, scratching her paws over the moss.

“Just admit it, you're not right this time.” Akko whistled, smiling at the perturbed fox.

Eevee scrunched her nose up, glaring at her trainer and refusing to lose the bet. She opened her mouth, an orb of light forming as she started to build up energy for her Swift attack.

“Oh, now that's just petty! Are you really going to beat up a poor, defenseless, definitely-not-a-pokemon rock?” Akko taunted, sticking out her tongue at the annoyed fox and Eevee fixed her with a stare before turning her head and unleashing her Swift attack at the rock under her feet.

When nothing happened, Akko tried to stifle a laugh, reaching to pick up Eevee and return her to her shoulders. “You can't always be right, it's alright.” She tried to comfort, stumbling when the ground began to shake and a bellow sounded, loud enough for the hallway to tremble.

Eevee smirked down at her trainer from her perch, and Akko held perfectly still, looking around to see if anything had moved. When nothing had shifted position and the boulders in question were still lifeless, Akko poked Eevee's nose to wipe off the cocky grin and retorted, “That was clearly a coincidence—”

No sooner had she opened her mouth when another bellow sounded, this time much louder and the cave shook violently. The walls in the small room seemed to come alive and as Akko whipped her head around she noticed that those boulders that Eevee had inspected connected to a string that wound around the entire length of the room.

“What did you do!?” Akko chastised and Eevee curled a little closer to her trainer. 

“Akko!” Lotte yelled, barely heard above the rumbling as a stalagmite dropped from the ceiling between them, Paras and Parasect running to get out of the way. Before Akko could make it back to her teammates, the end of the string of rocks ripped loose from the wall, with a crash, leaving a running ripple as the walls and ceiling cracked. A large tail tip flicked across the path, crashing into the other side, cutting off the route between them with a thundering boom that sent another shower of stone of dirt raining down from above.

Another bellow sounded, this time closer and more chunks of ceiling crashed down from above as Akko jumped backwards, swinging her head to try and find a way to her teammates. The path was completely closed off as the massive, rocky tail thrashed again and Akko resigned herself to having to find another path.

“Get out of here! I'll meet up with you at the exit!” Akko yelled, doubting she would be heard over the thundering of the shifting and crashing rock and she scanned for a way out. She'd have to trust that Lotte and Sucy would be okay, right now she had to get out of here before Eevee or herself were hit by the crumbling pathway.

The long, lithe body of a massive, ancient Onyx, easily twice the length of Brock's, slithered around her. The gargantuan pokemon's body was covered in moss and fungi that shed like snake skin to litter the cave floor, awakening from a long hibernation. The rock type was enraged at being awoken from his slumber, joints arching as he tried to free himself from the natural growth that had occurred during his slumber.

Suddenly, Akko spotted a back way out that had been previously hidden by a large link of the rock type's body and she made a break for it, hoping it would meet back up with her teammates. No sooner had she run through the exit did the furious, wild Onyx thrash, causing a cave in and blocking off her exit.

Akko was suddenly encompassed in darkness so thick she wasn't able to see her hands as she held them up in front of her face. A wave of dirt and dust slammed into the trainer, and she coughed trying to clear her mouth and lungs, waving her hand in front of her face to try and clear the air.

Another bellow sounded, this time muffled behind the rock slide and Akko could feel the tremors beneath her feet settling down as the Onyx seemed to burrow further away.

“Great,” Akko coughed, reaching up to scratch Eevee behind the ears, partially in an attempt to comfort the spooked fox, as well as herself. The fox wasn't fairing much better, coughing and pawing at her nose. Thankfully she didn't seem to be injured, small victories. “You just had to attack the massive, sleeping, rock monster.” 

Eevee perked up under her trainer's fingers and tapped her paw against Akko's fingers.

Sighing, Akko rolled her eyes not that anyone could see her. As the air started to clear, Akko continued to wipe some of the soot from her face, ruffling the dirt from her hair. “Yes, you were right, it was a pokemon and not a rock. Is that really what you should be taking from this encounter though?”

Eevee seemed to ponder that question before tapping her paw against Akko's shoulder again, this time a little more insistently and Akko felt the foxes tail slap against her cheek as the fox wagged it. Despite the fact that her partner's antics had almost crushed them underneath a shower of rock, Akko couldn't help the smile that was just as insistent as the fox herself.

She hoped Lotte and Sucy made it out okay. Where was she anyway?

Akko fumbled in the dark to take her pokedex out of her pocket, saying a silent thank you that she hadn't lost it in her mad dash and flipped it open. The bright screen instantly made her regret that course of action and she slammed her hand over the screen to muffle the searing brightness.

Slowly, with more caution than Eevee had given before unleashing her Swift attack, Akko tried again to peer at the screen. First, she checked her location to see if there was a way to easily meet back up with Lotte and Sucy, the walls appeared to be pure rock and Eevee would not be able to use Dig to tunnel through to meet back up with them otherwise.

'Location unknown,' The screen blared back, a question mark blinking over a section of the map that had no routes listed. 

Letting out an exasperated sigh that caused Akko to jump when it echoed down the hallway, she decided to try something else. She opened up the chat window and searched for Lotte and Sucy, typing out a message asking if they were alright.

The coordinator was the first to reply.

'We're fine, are you guys okay?!' 

Akko let out a breath of relief, reading the message aloud so that Eevee would also know that they were fine. The fox might be smart but she wasn't able to read.

'We're okay.' Akko chewed at her lip, looking to her left and right. The light from the screen illuminated the area enough to see that Akko had three options as far as routes to take. The floor felt wet, but there didn't appear to be any pokemon or people around. 

'Can you make it to where we had designated for camp tonight?' Lotte asked.

Akko read the message, unsure of how to respond. Lotte had already been a stressful mess since they had entered the caves and telling her that the tunnel she was in was unmapped wouldn't help matters. She should be able to figure out how to get there once the map fixed itself, maybe she'd get lucky and this tunnel would run parallel to the other one. Eventually they'd find a wall thin or soft enough for Eevee to burrow through, right?

'Ya, I should be able to. I will keep you posted.' Akko replied.

'Are you sure? Should we contact a Professor?' Lotte instantly typed back and Akko considered the option. Contacting a Professor was supposed to be only used for Team Rocket or emergencies, right now this hardly classified. She wasn't hurt, Eevee was fine and just because the tunnel wasn't mapped didn't mean it was dangerous. All this meant was that they would get to go on an adventure together. Akko swallowed, repeating her resolution like a mantra as she typed her reply.

'No, I think I see a way to meet up with you guys. I will let you know if anything changes.' Akko typed back, nodding to herself she felt a little guilty fibbing but it was for Lotte's own good. The coordinator would only worry herself sick and as of right now there was nothing she could do or worry about. She could do this. She had Eevee and Mizar. She had plenty of medicine and food, if the moisture was any indication there was water nearby. She'd be fine. This was what being a pokemon trainer was all about, right? 

Remembering something from the previous day, Akko used her pokedex as a flashlight and rummaged through her backpack. Finding the desired item, she cracked the glow stick and held it up. The eerie green light illuminated the tunnel instantly and Akko looked around, eyes adjusting to the brightness.

She could do this.

“Ready?” Akko asked Eevee, reaching up to scratch under her chin.

Purring into the touch, Eevee stretched her neck and let out a confirming meep. “Eee!”

They could do this, nothing to worry about… What was a creepy, unmapped cave that was guarded by an ancient Onyx anyways, right?

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 22

Bedtime Stories

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

“Alright,” Akko mumbled, holding the glow stick so she could see her three options for paths to take. They splayed out in front of her like a three 'T' with herself situated at the crest. The path to her left led in the opposite direction that she wanted to take, if she was reading the map correctly. So then she should go right, right?

“What do you think?” Akko asked, holding up the map so that Eevee could see the screen. The fox regarded the screen, sniffing it before jerking her head back with a twitch of her nose and slapping her paw across the screen. The trainer laughed and wiped the screen clean before putting it back in her pocket. “That's what I think too.”

She was about to head down the path to the right when Eevee's ears perked up and she jumped down from Akko's shoulders, landing softly and scenting the air. The kit flicked her tail and trotted towards the middle path before stopping and sniffing the air again. 

“Eevee?” Akko questioned, stopping when she felt the fox jump to the floor. Something had obviously caught her attention, knowing her partner though it could be anything. The little kit was infinitely curious, and her curiosity would often get them in trouble. Case and point, their current predicament. “Come on, we have to get going, or Lotte's going to be really angry.”  

Akko started to walk down the path she had pinpointed as their best option once more before stopping for a second time when her partner didn't move. That was strange, normally she'd relent and follow along. There might be some pouting and protesting, even playful nips at Akko's ankles, but she never just ignored her trainer.

“Eevee?” Akko tried again, growing worried as she walked back towards the fox who was standing perfectly still except for the occasional twitch of her nose. “Hey, what's wrong?” Akko asked, kneeling down to pet her friend.

As soon as Akko's fingers made contact, Eevee jumped as if surprised and shook her head. “Forget I was here too?” Akko laughed, trying to play off how worried she was. Whatever had Eevee's attention it wasn't something as simple as a bug or leaf, that was for sure. But there was nothing down here, so then what? Akko tried peering further down the path to see if she could make something out, but it was too dark and the glow stick only lit so far. Whatever it was, they should probably steer clear.

A moment later, the pair heard Onyx bellow again, this time much further away and the hallway shook. Concerned there would be another cave in, Akko looked at the ceiling and studied it for cracks or signs they would need to dodge dislodged stones. Instead she found herself studying the ceiling, something about it didn't seem... Right. It looked...

Akko rose to her feet and moved closer to the wall of the passageway, raising the glow stick so she could get a better look. Upon closer inspection the trainer confirmed that the walls were also peculiar, and as she ran her fingers over the smooth stone she brushed against a strung wire that seemed to loop all the way down the length of the wall as far as she could see in the low light.

The tunnel was different from anything else she had seen since entering the mountain. Besides the obvious, that all the other tunnels were lit and marked, this one seemed carefully carved out. All the others were naturally made, slowly chiseled into the mountain by the migration paths of rock pokemon. They were rough, uneven and wild, without a clear objective or picture in mind. They wound like a current in a river, subject to change, to chisel the rock bed that paved the way.

This tunnel had smooth walls and a low, smooth ceiling. In addition to the wiring that ran along the wall, the floor also showed signs of rail tracks. She hadn't originally noticed, the floor covered in the fall out of the cave in from Onyx. but as Akko moved further along the more evidence she saw. It looked man-made and was almost perfectly straight, no sign of deviation present.

That didn't make sense though, if this was a man-made tunnel, why wasn't it on the pokedex map? Maybe it was an old, abandoned mine shaft of some sort? The wiring didn't seem old though, nor did the tracks.

Akko knelt down to look at the metal links, which showed no sign of rust even in the moist tunnel. Even the wooden planks that lay beneath were free of mold, showing no signs of rot.

The more Akko pondered on the possible reasons for all the clues to add up the uneasier she felt. Deciding it was in their best interest to leave before they found out whatever the real use for this tunnel was, Akko turned back to Eevee. 

“Eevee?” Akko called, a feeling of dread chilling her to the bone when the fox was no longer standing beside her. The trainer looked down all three possible paths, no sign of the fox in any of them and she felt panic rising, her stomach felt sick and she yelled as loud as she could, not caring who or what, might hear. “Eevee!” The only sound that followed was her own voice as it echoed around the passageways, taunting her.

Akko spun around, breath coming out in short, panicked bursts. “Eevee!” No, no, no! Where did she go? She couldn't have gotten far! She never should have taken her eye off her, Eevee was already acting strange. Stupid, Akko!

The curious fox must have wandered down the path she was so fixated on! Akko turned with a jerky motion and looked down the path that Eevee had been scenting and decided it was her best and only bet. She tried to ignore the dark thoughts and what ifs that prodded at her for attention. Eevee would be fine, she must have just seen a, a... a something. She would be just up the path, perfectly fine and had just chased after whatever had caught her attention without thinking. It was so dark, she just couldn't see her. That had to be it.

Breaking out into a sprint, Akko felt her foot slip on the slick floor and found the ground rushing up to meet her before she could react. Landing hard, her head slammed against a metal link of the railway, and she heard a crunch. She was vaguely aware of a stabbing pain that seemed to throb from the back of her head before everything went black.

~o~

An undetermined amount of time later, Akko awoke to the sound of a confrontation, punctuated with soft scuffling. Her head throbbed and she clenched her eyes shut in an effort to block out any light, the pain radiating from everywhere and nowhere at once was enough to make her wish she could fall back asleep. She was vaguely aware that wherever she was, the floor was cold, a small mercy against the skin of her cheek and legs.

Shouting sounded followed by a dull boom and Akko scrunched up her face, the small voice in her head telling her she should wake up. She didn't want to, everything hurt and all she wanted was to go back to blissful sleep where she felt nothing.

She'd been dreaming of... What had she been dreaming about again? It had been such a nice dream. Oh, that's right. She had been reading Eevee's favourite book to her, something they'd done often when she was younger. Was she back at home? How did she get there?

Her mom had given her that book, what was it called again? It was about a Bulbasaur and a Charmander. They didn't like each other at first, the Charmander was careless and would sometimes burn the Bulbasaur unintentionally and the Bulbasaur was hot-headed and slow to forgive.

She had been laughing when Eevee would nudge the page with her nose to flip to the next one, excited to continue the story. Eevee already knew how it ended... She just really loved that book. But then she'd left, where had she gone again? Akko squeezed her eyes shut, she could still faintly make out the image of her best friend pushing her bedroom door open and trotting around the corner before it faded away.

Akko let out a groan and shifted slightly, instantly regretting the choice when her leg and arm screamed in protest. Wincing, she tried to hold perfectly still and felt herself drifting back to sleep before something let out a screech of grating metal and a whoosh of air signaled that something had landed beside her. 

She didn't want to wake up. She had to find out where Eevee had gone, they needed to finish the book before bedtime... Before Mom came to turn off the lights... Eevee would be really upset if they didn't get to finish it.

The grating sound that made Akko's ears ring and her head pang sounded once more, accented with a click. Akko let out a breath, relaxing when she was returned to silence and felt herself drifting off once more before she felt warmth against her cheek. Someone was talking to her, didn't they know she was trying to sleep? Maybe if she just ignored them they'd go away...

“Akko!” The voice continued to prompt, starting to form distinct sounds that she recognized rather than the muffled white noise she had grown accustomed to. They sounded worried, maybe they were also wondering where Eevee had gone... Everyone liked Eevee better than her anyways. They shouldn't worry though, she was probably just hungry, she'd be back. Eevee always came back.

This time the call of her name was accompanied with a gentle pat on her cheek and a shake of her shoulders. Akko groaned, wincing with a sharp intake of breath when the movement set off a sharp searing surge up her arm and head.

Instantly the pestering hands stilled and Akko relaxed, trying once again to fall back asleep.

“Akko! Hey, no! You can't fall asleep!” The voice hissed. Why did they sound so worried... And familiar? Was Lotte trying to wake her up for breakfast? No, they didn't sound like Lotte. They sounded like Diana, but that wasn't right, Diana didn't know where she lived. She wasn’t ready for Diana to meet her parents.

Feeling another gentle pat on her cheek, Akko grimaced and opened her eyes enough to squint at whoever refused to let her get back to sleep. A cascade of blonde hair and baby blue eyes made her smile a dopey grin as she tried to speak, finding her throat dry and burning.

Coughing once and swallowing to wet it, she tried again, “Hey there, beautiful. What are...” Akko squeezed her eyes shut when her head throbbed painfully, unhappy at the movement and she let out a pained moan.

“Don't try and move!” Diana rushed out, her voice panicked and Akko smiled. At least she thought it was Diana, it would be nice if she was here. It had to be Diana though, no one else was that pretty. Maybe she had asked Lotte where she lived? Did Lotte know where she lived either?

Akko felt those fingers gently prodding at her head, trying to move away some of her caked hair and she flinched. Instantly the fingers stilled and she focused on Diana's voice when she spoke again, “I know it hurts. I'm sorry... It looks like you hit your head pretty hard.”

Akko wanted to tell her she was fine, she was just tired. She just needed to sleep a little longer then she'd be fine. It made sense, they always read books right before bed time, she just had to stay up long enough for Eevee to get back. What was keeping her anyways?

“Akko, where is Eevee?” Diana asked gently, fingers once again gingerly trying to move her hair. Why was she so fixated on her hair? It felt like there was something stuck in it. Maybe she got gum in it again, she hoped not… She had looked ridiculous last time when her mom had to cut her hair to get it out.

“She left while reading a book...” Akko mumbled, barely coherent and tried to hold still, not wanting to be scolded again. She just hoped Diana would be satisfied soon, her head hurt so much. “I think...” She felt herself fading but tried to finish her sentence, not wanting to disappoint her friend.

Akko smiled at that, friend. It sounded nice. Diana smelt nice. “She's looking for a cookie.”

Diana stilled, chuckling softly and Akko could all but feel the worry radiating off her. That wasn't right though, she had promised that she would do everything in her power to make sure Diana was never as upset as that night again. “That seems plausible.” Diana sighed, and Akko could feel more shuffling before her head was lifted. 

Instantly the pain in her head spiked and Akko whined out a protest.

“I know it hurts, but you're bleeding and we need to elevate the cut.” Diana replied, keeping her voice low and soothing before gently setting Akko's head on her lap. 

Akko was vaguely aware of the sound of ripping cloth before she felt pressure being applied to her head, reflexively she tried to move away. She didn't make it far before she felt a hand hold her down, the other holding the cloth tightly against head.

What does she mean she’s bleeding? Her mother had always said she needed to be more careful, maybe she’d cut herself and just not noticed? That happens sometimes. No... That wasn't right either. She had slipped, the ground had been wet and she'd lost her footing. Maybe Mama was right, she did need to be more careful.

Once she had stopped struggling, the hand applying pressure to her shoulder let her go and Akko could feel herself fading again. As much as Akko wanted to believe that this was Diana, it simply wasn't possible. Her mind must be playing tricks on her, she was really tired. Hadn't Lotte said once that if you're tired enough you can hallucinate? Maybe that's what was happening. It certainly smelt like Diana though, could you hallucinate smells?

“Don't you dare fall asleep on me, Kagari.” Diana chastised and Akko scrunched up her nose, whatever it was, they certainly could scold like Diana. Very realistic. “Talk to me.” The maybe Diana was right though, they had to wait for Eevee to get back, if she didn't come back soon she'd have to go looking for her. She never took this long and it was starting to make her worried.

Akko yawned, “About what?” She asked, wishing she had enough energy to open her eyes. She could almost hear the way that Diana was certainly chewing on her lip, it was definitely one of her favourite things.

Before Diana would reply Akko heard the metal grating again followed by a gruff, male voice.

“So, Miss Cavendish?” He asked, and Akko felt the body beneath her stiffen. “Have you reconsidered?” 

Who was talking? Maybe it was one of her father's friends. No, that didn't make sense, the voice didn't sound familiar, his voice had a grating quality that reminded her of nails on a chalkboard. It could be a customer who had come to board his pokemon, but then why had he said Miss Cavendish? Maybe he had come with Diana, it was an awfully long journey to make by herself.

“I—” Diana sighed, gritting her teeth. “If I will make the poultice, will you let them go once I do?” She asked, and received a chuckle in response. Akko fought with herself to stay awake, Diana sounded worried. What was she talking about? Was someone trying to get some of her miracle goo? Let who go?

“Of course, we aren't monsters. Now write down what you need.” The male voice replied, and Akko heard him walking closer before handing Diana something that sounded like a piece of paper. Scratching of a pen followed before the paper was returned to the man and he left, slamming the door shut and clicking the lock. “Remember, if you're screwing with me, I will do the same to the others as I did to this one.”

Akko could feel the hand on her head shaking and waited until she could no longer hear the agitating man's footsteps before speaking. “He's lying,” She breathed out in a whisper, trying to comfort her friend. Whoever that was, he was not a friend of Diana's. Maybe she was here because he needed her help? 

Diana didn't reply right away, but when she did Akko could hear the strain in her voice as she struggled to keep her voice steady. “Pardon?” She asked.

“He didn't hurt me, I did.” Akko laughed softly, the self deprecating laugh that followed having to fess up to making a mistake. It was embarrassing to admit that she had slipped because she was careless, but it was better than letting Diana think someone had beaten her up. Especially if they were using it to manipulate her. She hoped Diana wouldn't ask how she'd slipped though, the entire thing was a haze. Why had she been running again? And where was Eevee, she was taking forever.

“Akko!” Diana hissed, and this time she could hear the real emotion in the other girl's voice and it made her smile. It was nice when Diana didn't try to pretend in front of her, even if it was only when she was angry. Still, it was real anger. “Why are you smiling?” Diana huffed.

Akko couldn't help the low laugh that rumbled through her chest, wincing when even that tiny movement felt like a knife sending a piercing pain in the back of her head. “Ouch,” She mumbled before attempting to explain. “I like it when you're angry with me.”

“You... Like it when you make me angry?” Diana asked, skeptically. “You must have hit your head harder than I thought.”

Akko grinned a little wider, the sound of Diana's voice was helping her stay awake, finding the chance to talk to the gorgeous blonde, as more than enough motivation to stave off slumber for a little while. She still had to finish the book as well, where was Eevee? “I like when you don't try and hide how you feel.” She elaborated, “When you're angry you have a harder time keeping your stone face.”

Diana didn't reply right away before mumbling out softly, “I don't have a stone face,” And Akko couldn't help the small laugh that was bubbling inside from leaking out just a little bit. Whatever had Diana so concerned earlier, at least she was starting to relax. 

“Now what's so funny?” Diana asked, sounding like she was pouting a little bit. 

Despite the protests of her head, limbs and every muscle in her body, Akko forced herself to roll onto her back and open her eyes a crack. She felt drowsy still, like she had had too much cold medicine or that one night she had been caught drinking out of the wrong punch bowl. 

Was her room always this dark? Where was the light on her end table? Akko found herself staring at the ceiling before looking over and focusing on the baby blues that were studying her curiously, still showing a hint of fear.

“Hi,” Akko breathed, looking up at the girl she was sure was Diana now. There was no question this was real, now that she was able to see her. She might have a good imagination but no captured image was as good as the real thing. Whether it was memory, picture or video, there wasn't anything advanced enough to do the real thing justice.

“Hello,” Diana smirked and ran her fingers over the other trainer's forehead to brush her bangs out of her eyes. The smile was forced, reluctant and did nothing to mask the stress and worry underneath.

Akko closed her eyes at the feeling and hummed, “That feels good. I'm glad you came.”

When no reply was forthcoming, Akko opened her eyes again and looked up at Diana who seemed to be sporting a blush, looking away from her, fingers withdrawn. Bashful Diana definitely in her top ten favourite Dianas. 

“What did you mean by, 'You did this to yourself'?” Diana whispered, seeming to study their surroundings, looking anywhere but down at the girl whose head was resting on her lap. 

Feeling suddenly self conscious, she hoped Diana didn't notice the Shiny Chariot posted above her bed. Or the pictures on her mirror... or the other five posters. She should have cleaned her room, but she didn't know Diana was coming. 

Trying to be subtle, to see just how much damage was about to be done, Akko took in as much as she could without moving her head. It looked like they were in a small room with faint lighting coming from a single string of lights. The only exit was guarded by a wooden door with a small look through that was currently latched shut, locked on the outside. The floor was dry but still cold.

Where were they? This wasn't home. Akko winced when her head throbbed and she recoiled slightly, recent events starting to back. She wasn't home, where was she? Where was Eevee?

Akko tried to remember what had happened, eyebrows furrowing as the events before she had blacked out slowly came back to her. “I... Slipped.” She mumbled, trying to remember what had caused her to slip. What happened? Where was she?

“The floor was wet, I was trying to...” Akko cringed, head pounding before she remembered the reason she had been running down the slick tunnel. “I couldn't find Eevee.” 

The panic she had felt when she first realized Eevee was actually missing crashed against her like a cresting wave and Akko tried to push herself up with a jolt. How long had she been asleep? She had to find her! What if she was hurt, lost?

 The movement surprised Diana and she reacted just in time to stop Akko from falling back down when the panicking trainer realized her wrist had failed to hold her weight.

“Hey! Akko, stop! Just hold still.” Diana caught the agitated girl, helping her sit up when she continued to struggle, caught by surprise at the sudden shift.

“She just took off,” Akko mumbled, not fully registering the other trainer's protests, busy replaying the moments before her head had hit the rock floor, trying to piece together exactly what had happened. Each time she tried to push past the haze that seemed to shroud her memory, the piercing, all encompassing pain was back to dominate her focus and her train of thought fizzled. 

Trying to fight the wave of exhaustion that came back with vengeance, she sagged and found herself leaning heavily on the support Diana was offering. 

“I'm so tired,” Akko mumbled. I have to find Eevee , she thought to herself and the image of the fox pushing open her childhood bedroom door came back. She knew she wasn't supposed to sleep, Diana had told her she wasn't supposed to sleep, but... “I don't think I can stay awake anymore. I'm sorry.” As Akko closed her eyes she imagined she was speaking to the fox, guilt clawing at her stomach. I’m so sorry, Eevee.

She knew she had to find Eevee. She had to find her but her arms refused to move, her legs felt like lead and her head hurt so much.

She was so tired, she couldn't even keep her eyes open. If she just had five minutes, then she could figure out what to do... Diana would help her, she probably already had a plan. She was so smart.

“It's okay, you can sleep for a little bit.” Diana replied, unaware that Akko wasn't speaking to her any longer. She shifted to help both of them move so their backs were against the wall, settling so Akko had her head in her lap once again. “I've got you, we'll find Eevee, I promise.” Diana paused before letting out a whisper more to herself than the other trainer, “I won't let them hurt either of you.”

Akko nodded, the movement so small she wondered if she imagined it and let out a yawn. She felt Diana tentatively run her fingers over her forehead again, brushing her bangs out of her eyes before moving to play with her hair and rub her head soothingly. She almost commented on the affectionate action but remembered that last time her big mouth had caused said action to cease and decided against it. 

It hurt slightly, but she knew it wasn't intentional. Charmander never intended to hurt Bulbasaur, he was always only trying to share his warmth. He didn't realize... That Bulbasaur was unaccustomed to the burning licks of his flames. That the grass type was more sensitive to his natural heat than the other fire types that were his friends. It took them a little longer to understand each other, but in the end they became the best of friends.

Eevee always loved that book.

They stayed in silence for a moment and Akko could feel herself fighting off sleep stubbornly, focusing on the feeling of the other girl's fingers on her scalp. She could almost imagine they were somewhere else, that they really were back at home. 

Her Papa would love Diana, he loved everyone. Akko found herself smiling while her breathing slowed, she could almost see it... Her Mama would insist on telling Diana about how she and Papa had met, it was her favourite story. She told it almost as often as Eevee read that book. 

It had been love at first sight for her Papa, and he had brought her a flower and a compliment everyday for a month before she had finally agreed to go on a date with him. 

Akko had asked her Mama once, what had finally changed her mind. How she had gone from shooing him away, to agreeing to go on a date with him. She had explained that over time she had begun to realize that seeing Papa at the front door, holding a flower was the best part of her day. She'd spend her morning glancing at the clock, making sure she was able to hear the knock around the time he'd usually arrive. 

But how did you know that you like liked him? Akko had asked, wide eyed with arms folded on the kitchen table. At that time Eevee had been small enough that she could stand on Akko's shoulders on her back paws and perch her front atop her head.

Her Mama had looked at her Papa, full of affection, and answered, 'When you know, you know.' 

Akko scrunched up her nose, recalling the memory, at the time she didn't really understand. It had frustrated her immensely that no matter how many times she'd asked, they would never elaborate more than that. Saying that one day she would understand, but until she did, there was no way to properly explain it.

“Hey, Diana?” Akko mumbled, the words barely coherent. 

“Hmmm?” Diana hummed, watching her fingers while lost in thought, her face contorted in concentration as she tried to work on a silent puzzle. She was completely oblivious to Akko's personal home theater as she replayed childhood memories. Too busy working through her own inner musings.

“Can I tell you something?” Akko breathed, fighting back the sweet embrace of sleep as it beckoned her. She had to tell her, it was important.

“Sure.” Diana smiled softly, voice gentle. Akko could hear the smile and it filled her with pride, at least she was able to replace the frown from earlier. 

A goofy, tired grin in place, Akko whispered, “I think, I finally know,” Letting out another yawn and moving a little so there was less pressure on her shoulder and tilting her head slightly. She wasn't sure what compelled her to state the fact, but she felt like the other girl ought to know. She was so stressed, so worried all the time, Akko couldn't help but wonder how often someone told her that they liked her for just being her. 

Diana sucked in a breath, fingers stilling before she let out a small, breathy laugh. “I am not sure what you're talking about, but that's good.” 

Akko felt the corner of her lips twitch before they fell back into a relaxed lull, the embrace of sleep finally laying claim. The trainer fell asleep reading the book that Eevee so loved, finally finishing it she placed it on the nightstand and climbed under her comforter. When she held up the blanket for the fox to jump in she was confused to find she wasn't there. 

She had to find her.

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 23

Akko! Use Bide!

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Akko awoke with a start when the door to the room where she and Diana were being held let out a screech. It took her a moment to orient herself, the recent events coming back in blurry snippets. 

“Wake up,” A gruff male voice boomed, a pair of mountain boots coming into Akko's field of view from where she had her head laying on Diana's lap who had also drifted off at some point. Akko's head throbbed painfully, as if to remind her that it was still demanding the majority of her focus and she winced. She remembered that Diana was there, but she didn't know why or where 'there' was. She felt like there was something she had to do, she just couldn't put her finger on what.

Diana's thigh jerked under her head, fingers tightening from where they had fallen to drape across her waist and Akko heard her clear her throat. She could feel the tension in the muscles of her legs, the way her fingers clenched. The action automatically put Akko on high alert and she tried to hold perfectly still, so as to not draw any attention.

“Don't try anything,” The male voice warned and Akko chanced peeking up at him, biting her tongue when she instantly recognized him. It was the same Team Rocket member from the pokecenter, and as she watched his Ivysaur came through the cracked door. The dinosaur pokemon was scenting the room, curiously, pausing momentarily in the doorway with twin vines wrapped around two boxes it was carrying on its back.

Growing impatient at the slow pace his pokemon was employing, the Rocket member turned and barked out, “Hurry up!” 

Ivysaur flinched, instantly trudging across the room and Akko frowned. It was obvious the reptile's side was still bothering it, trying to keep its weight off their front left leg. Had their trainer even attempted to soothe its wounds? Bothered to use a potion? It certainly didn't look like it.

“Useless.” The male rocket member chastised, snatching the boxes off his pokemon's back who cowered but didn't dare move away. Roughly, he dropped the boxes on the floor beside Diana and nudged them with his toe. “Everything you asked for is in there, you have one day. After that we might get the idea that you need more motivation.”  

Akko was barely listening to him, looking over the scars that littered the unfortunate pokemon and wondering, trying to fight back the anger that was swelling in her chest. Ivysaur seemed to notice her and blinked, tilting their head and regarding her with a curious look.

The reptile reached out with a single vine and waved, before jumping when his trainer yelled out at them and ran as quickly as they could to get out of the cell before the door clanged shut.

Akko stayed where she was, listening to the receding footsteps before she felt Diana reach up and brush her hair out of her face gently. “How are you feeling?” Diana asked, and Akko could hear the strain in her voice as she struggled to keep her tone even. 

Slowly, Akko tried to roll onto her back, trying to stifle a groan when her body protested. Letting out a sigh once she settled again, she looked up at the girl who was fretting over her, already pulling one of the boxes closer to shuffle through the contents. 

Akko watched Diana flip through the provided ingredients, lips moving slightly as she listed off each item and smiled softly. Her head still hurt, and her wrist seemed to be worse for wear but overall it felt like she hadn't sustained anything that wouldn't heal on its own. It didn't feel like she was wading through fog anymore, it was easier to stay focused. It bothered her that she couldn't fully remember the conversation she had with Diana, what she did remember was muffled moments that seemed to drown out the words and only focused on the way Diana looked, sounded. 

“Better now,” Akko mumbled, somehow even stuck in an obviously unpleasant situation, as soon as she saw Diana she relaxed a little. It felt like everything would be okay, somehow.

Diana didn't seem to catch the unintended double meaning as she plucked a bowl from the box and selected two folded clothes. “That's good,” She replied, distracted and pushed the box away, setting the bowl on the floor beside her and the clothes over her shoulder. “Do you think you can sit up?”

“Uh,” Akko swallowed and nodded, “Ya, I should be able to.” 

It took a little maneuvering, and she was careful not to use her sore wrist at all but she managed to sit up with her back against the wall, letting out a sigh of relief and stretching out her right leg straight. The skin on her leg felt like it was stretching to its limits and she noticed for the first time that she had done a fantastic job of skinning the side of her leg. Good job, Akko, she chastised herself, grimacing.

Without speaking, Diana moved so she was sitting with her legs folded under herself and leaned in to inspect Akko's head wound again. She hummed to herself, lips forming a tight line before dipping the cloth in the basin which Akko glanced down to notice it was full of warm water. Apparently Diana had put some things on that list that were not part of whatever they had asked her to make. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Diana asked, gripping Akko's chin in her free hand and tilting her head so she could see the cut on her head a little better. As gently as she could manage she dabbed the dried blood with the cloth and started to clean the wound, peeling away caked hair.

Akko grimaced, the contact stung and she struggled to resist the urge to move away. She focused instead on the question Diana had asked and frowned, brows furrowing as she concentrated on recalling their previous interaction. “I remember waking up and—” She paused, sucking in a sharp intake of breath when Diana hit a particularly sensitive spot.

“Sorry.” Diana whispered, focused on her task and dunked the cloth to wash it out.

“It's okay,” Akko breathed, looking at her hands. “I remember you were there, but I don't remember how or why. I remember we were talking, but it's all kinda a haze.” She admitted, frustration building. She looked around the room and studied the walls, the only sound present the cloth being cleaned in the basin before Diana continued her quest.

“Sorry.” Akko mumbled, shuffling slightly.

Diana blinked, and paused what she was doing, seeming like she was pulled out of deep thought. “It's okay, Akko,” She forced a smile, trying to hide the worry that was etched across her face. “It's common to experience temporary short term memory loss after sustaining a head injury like yours, there's a good chance you have a concussion. It doesn't appear to be a bad one though, you were forming mostly coherent sentences earlier.” Diana wrung the cloth in her hands and moved to meet Akko's hesitant glance and smiled softly.

She opened her mouth before catching herself, expression falling with a shake of her head and she went back to what she was doing. “It looks like you just have a tiny cut on the side of your head. Honestly it looks a lot worse than it is, head lacerations tend to bleed profusely.”

Akko watched  as Diana nodded to herself, chewing on her lip and frowned. There was something Diana wasn't telling her, she was hiding something and it frustrated her that she still felt the need to hide how she was really feeling. They were literally sitting in—Arceus only knows where, probably some evil lair, dungeon type thing. As far as Akko knew, no one knew where they were and Diana was still worried about hiding her feelings. What was it going to take to make her finally say what was on her mind?

Instead of confronting Diana, Akko looked at the latched door while Diana was dabbing the side of her face and cheek to clean off the dried blood and dirt. She had a couple small scrapes on her cheek, her face cleaning up as soon as it was wiped with the cloth. The dark bruise that encompassed her cheek made it look a lot worse than it was.

When Diana remained silent, Akko went back to trying to remember what had happened, needing the distraction. She remembered going after Eevee, the floor was wet, that was how she slipped. That much made sense. As far as where they were, if the man from earlier was any indication they were in some sort of hide out that belonged to Team Rocket. That answered those questions at least, she could make out bits and pieces of that part of the conversation.

Akko found herself chewing on her lip, chest tight and anxious. She had no idea where Eevee was, or how long she'd been out. She had no idea if she was okay. Akko found herself staring at the thick door, as if she could burn a hole through it if she glared hard enough. Logically she knew there was nothing she could do as long as they were trapped here. The man had said one day, she had one day to figure out what she was going to do.

She needed to distract herself or she was going to start to panic again, that wouldn't help anyone or anything. Akko glanced at the other girl being held captive with her.

Why was Diana here? She could remember them demanding something, a piece of paper. The trainer looked at the box of herbs and other ingredients she couldn't name. They had mentioned a poultice, did they mean Diana's miracle goo? 

The thought brought back the memory of when Diana had helped Eevee and she had to focus on keeping the panic from rising again. Swallowing thickly, Akko looked down at her hands. 

“Eevee is missing.” Akko whispered, more to herself than the other girl present. 

Diana stilled and sucked in a breath, pulling her hand away when it began to shake, masking the reaction by dunking it in the murky water. “Yes...” Diana confirmed, hesitant like saying it out loud and bringing attention to it would make it worse. 

Akko sat in silence, allowing the reality to process, stifling the worry and anger that was threatening to spill over as she looked at the thick wooden door. She had to remain in control, couldn't let herself be swallowed in the feeling of being completely useless had shackled her with. There had to be something she could do.

Trying to be subtle, Akko reached down to her belt and wasn't surprised when Mizar's pokeball was missing along with Eevee's. It didn't surprise her, but it still hurt. She swallowed the white, hot rage that was building, mind racing as she tried to formulate some sort of plan. The man had mentioned one day, she had one day to think of a plan, and then she'd get them back. She had to believe they would be okay until then. Eevee was smart, resourceful. She was probably hiding somewhere, perfectly fine. 

Diana looked to where Akko's fingers had landed, gently running over the knocks on her trainers belt and frowned. “They took Cobalt and Abra as well.” She whispered, wiping her cheek on her shoulder before letting out a deep breath and dabbing Akko's cheek once more before she noticed her patient had turned to hold her gaze.

“We'll get them back.” Akko stated, confident, she had to believe that. There was nothing that Team Rocket could do that would keep her from getting her and Diana's partners back. “All of them,” She amended, thinking about Clefairy and the other stolen pokemon from the pokecenter. It didn't matter how long it took, she'd get them all back. 

“I promise.” Akko breathed, once again fixated on the door and constructing a plan. “You don’t need to do it alone anymore.”

Diana didn't reply, lost in her own mind, and instead turned her attention to cleaning the small cuts on Akko's palm, careful not to move the wrist that was resting across her lap. The coloration of the skin around her wrist worried her, the joint was a dark blackish-purple. The swelling had reduced dramatically though, which meant it would heal, mostly likely not broken.

It only took a couple minutes to clean the cuts that littered Akko's palm before she moved to the cuts that ran down the side of her right thigh and calf. It looked like she had scraped the side of her leg, it wasn't deep and had already begun to scab.

They sat in silence while Diana gently dabbed and cleaned the cuts on Akko's leg, apologizing quietly whenever the other trainer would jerk or twist involuntarily when she hit a sensitive spot.

“Hey, Diana?” Akko asked, breaking the silence, her face contorted in concentration. 

Without looking up, Diana replied. “Yes, Akko?” 

“How did you know that they were going to be there?” Akko asked, turning to look at Diana who's brow was knit in confusion and focused on what she was doing. “The other night at the pokecenter, how did you know Team Rocket would be there?”

“I didn't,” Diana mumbled, “Every night after Clefairy went missing I went for a walk, around the town, through the pokecenter. I told them that I was going to patrol to make sure that Team Rocket wasn't back, or to try to help catch them if they were, but—” Diana sighed, seeming to fight with herself for a moment before continuing.

“But in truth, I simply found it difficult to be around Barbara and Hannah. I know that's selfish, she was the one that had her pokemon stolen,” Diana flicked her gaze up to catch Akko's for the briefest moment before looking away, searching for a hint of judgment from the other girl. “I couldn't just sit around and do nothing, so I went out every night, just in case, just… hoping.”

They sat in silence while Diana finished her fretting before leaning back against the wall and letting out a sigh, dropping the dirty cloth in the bowl of water. “That night, at the pokecenter,” Diana sucked in a breath and hesitated.

Akko regarded her response, curiously. “What?” She prompted, trying to get her to open up.

Diana flicked her gaze at Akko for the briefest moments, chewing on her lip. “When I saw you talking to Andrew, I was... worried.” She admitted, quietly. “He has a tendency to stick his nose where it doesn't belong.” The other trainer shifted nervously before clearing her throat and composing herself.

“And when you left to get more—” Diana turned to grin teasingly as she drawled out the next word, “Cookies, he said something that caused an argument and I needed some air and I was caught unaware when I heard them. I was in the middle of trying to figure out what to do when I heard you call my name.”

Akko hummed softly, acknowledging what Diana had told her, it's not that she thought she was lying. She just couldn't shake the feeling that Diana wasn't telling her something, she just couldn't figure out what.

“You did a really good job by the way.” Diana said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Akko furrowed her brows in confusion, not following what she was being complimented for. “Huh?” She replied, gracelessly.

“I just find it very hard to believe that all of this ,” Diana motioned lazily with her hand, from Akko's head down to her toes. “Was the result of something as simple as tripping.” She turned her head slightly to flash a playful smile, putting air quotes around the last word.

Pouting, Akko looked down at her wrist and leg. Diana had a point, it did look like she had landed in the worst possible way. “What can I say, I've got a gift.” Akko shrugged, enjoying the banter and the small laugh that her response had elicited. She let out a shaky breath, clenching her other hand and tried to relax. She was being silly, she was just worried about Eevee and it was making her paranoid. 

“Maybe if you wore more modest clothes, there wouldn't have been so much skin exposed to be subject to your clumsiness.” Diana bit her lip and looked away, trying to stifle a laugh.

Turning so fast it made her dizzy, which was pretty easy considering her current condition, Akko gaped at the other girl. Was she flirting? No. She must be reading that wrong, there was no way.

“Still covers more than that dress you were wearing the other night.” Akko retorted, feeling like she had the upper hand for once. It was true though, or at least she thought it was.

Trying to recall the dress and judge the length only caused Akko to flush and quickly push that away. That stupid dress was going to be the death of her.

Diana arched an eyebrow at that comeback, “My dress was nowhere near as revealing as the attire you wear everyday. Your shorts are past, 'short' and dangerously close to skimpy.”

“My clothes are fine!” Akko whined, rolling her eyes. “If you don't like them, don't look!”

“I don't look!” Diana squeaked back, “I was just worried about other people looking,” Diana blushed, realizing what she said and worked on amending her statement so it wouldn't be misconstrued. “Worried for you, that is. I'm sure that's not the kind of attention you're trying to draw.”

Akko snorted, “As if I were able to draw that kind of attention from anyone.” Diana didn't have to sound so offended, she didn't mean to make it sound like she thought she was looking at her that way. There was no way someone who looked like Diana would look at her with anything akin to interest. 

Stewing in her own inner spiral, Akko was unaware of Diana studying her and decided to change the subject. “How are you here?” Akko asked suddenly.

Diana faltered and decided to start working on the demanded medicine before replying, caught off guard by Akko's sudden mood and subject change. “We were going through the lower tunnels.” Diana began, setting up the ingredients she needed in order, “Hannah had suggested we go through the trails that are known to frequent wild Clefairy, she thought it would cheer Barbara up. They weren't on the suggested trails, but we figured we'd be alright. Hannah has a Jigglypuff that would be able to put to sleep anything we weren't able to fight.”

Dropping a selected herb in the mixing bowl, Diana began to crush it into a paste before adding it to her concoction. “We were about half way through when Jigglypuff began to act strange,” Diana paused, something seeming to occur to her.

“Strange... How?” Akko asked, recalling the way Eevee had been fixated on something before she had disappeared. She hadn't even registered that her trainer was still there.

“She just stopped singing and froze,” Diana replied, glancing up at Akko with an odd look. “And then she took off suddenly, it surprised us so much that I ended up calling Cobalt and going after her.” 

“Eevee did the same thing,” Akko mumbled, “She jumped off my shoulder and was fixated on something so strongly that she didn't hear me calling her.” Finding herself once again looking at the door, she shook her head and decided to watch Diana work instead.

Diana hummed to herself, acknowledging Akko's statement before she continued, “That sounds... Accurate.” Diana paused, her jaw tense before she resumed answering Akko's earlier question. “We ended up following her directly into a hallway that wasn't on the map and before I knew what happened, two Team Rocket members had a hold of Barbara and Hannah.”

“One of them recognized me, and they talked among themselves before they told me to surrender or they'd hurt them, and when I recalled Cobalt they had Golduck use Hypnosis. Once I woke up, I noticed they had taken Cobalt and Abra and Hannah and Barbara were still asleep.” Diana paused, closing her eyes and recomposing herself, blowing a strand of hair that had drifted to impede her line of sight. 

“They dragged me out and locked the door to the room they were still in, they told me that I was going to make my family's medical salve for them. To prove their point they put me in here with you, said you hadn't listened to them and this was what happened.” Diana sucked in a wavering breath and closed her eyes, holding it before releasing it slowly. Without continuing she returned all her focus to the task at hand.

While Akko was digesting the new information she noticed that Diana had stilled and was staring at the floor, a look of concentration etched into her visage. 

“Akko,” Diana frowned, seeming to think about their conversation for a moment. “I think they have something that attracts pokemon.”

“What do you mean?” Akko replied, she'd heard of pokemon lures before. They were generally constructed to lure one specific breed or type of pokemon. 

“Well,” Diana continued, looking at the door, eyes moving as if reading a page before she took a deep breath. “This is just a theory but Barbara's Clefairy seemed distracted before she wandered off the day she was taken. We only know she was stolen because Barbara and Hannah say they saw the pokenappers before they disappeared.”

“Then at the party, Eevee seemed to be focused on something.” Diana continued, her voice rushed like she couldn't form the words as quickly as her mind was working. “That's what I was trying to tell you, Eevee's have incredible senses of smell, but she didn't seem to register that you were there even standing a few feet away. Your scent would be so familiar to her, she should have been able to notice you right away, but it didn't look like you were what she was looking for.” Diana listed off her reasoning, as if she was working it out as she went. “You didn't see it when you rounded the corner, but Eevee seemed surprised when you appeared. Like she was in a trance.”

“And then today, we were walking along some of the lower tunnels and Hannah's Jigglypuff started to act strange and wandered off.” Diana shook her head, as if to clear that thought away when her voice began to tremble.

“And you said Eevee was acting strange and then just took off? The only thing I can think of is that they have something that attracts certain pokemon. The only reason I don't think it affects all pokemon is because Cobalt didn't seem to register anything strange...” Diana trailed off, facial expression changing from thoughtful to concerned.

“Akko...” She breathed, “What if that was also what was causing Eevee to act so drained? You said she was completely fine the next morning, before you gave her any treats. She was awake and wanting to go running like usual.”

Akko tried to process what Diana was telling her, to wrap her mind around it but it didn't make any sense. It was true that Eevee had an exceptional sense of smell, but... 

“But as far as I understand it, lures are constructed to attract certain pokemon. My Papa used to use them to keep certain pokemon types in different areas of the ranch. I understand how one lure could potentially on both Clefairy and Jigglypuff, they are both fairy types and live in the same area with similar diets. But how does Eevee tie in? She has nothing in common with either of them.” Additionally while Eevee being so tired was odd, she'd even thought so herself, it was much more likely she was tired from the pokebattle than the result of some sort of lure.

“Then they are using something else to attract them,” Diana insisted, seeming sure of her theory.

Diana's theory might hold merit, but it didn't make a lot of sense to Akko. It didn't fit how she understood lures to work. They were just very different pokemon. What could they possibly have in common that they would all be affected? 

Both girls fell into silence, trying to process Diana's working theory in their own way. 

Diana continued to work on the demanded medicine and finished with a bountiful amount of time to spare. They had nothing left to do but wait, and Akko found herself staring at the locked door, running scenarios through her head and trying to figure out some form of plan. It wasn't like she had a lot to work with and she found her mind drifting.

Don't worry, Eevee, Akko thought to herself. I'm going to get out of here, and I'm going to find you. It doesn't matter what kind of whatever they had.

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 24

Pink Bubbles

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Akko was pulled out of her thoughts, running through her plan for when the Rocket member returned, when she heard the sound of approaching steps. Jumping to her feet, she pressed herself against the wall beside the door and waited. She'd only get one chance at this, she had to make it count. If this didn't work—Well, she'd rather not think about that. 

Truth be told her plan wasn't extravagant or clever by any means, it boiled down to punch him really hard when he came through the door and hope he didn't have back up. It wasn't flashy, but it was all she had come up with, it's not like they had a lot of options.

Holding her breath, she listened as the lock was opened, looking over at Diana who was watching, body tense sitting on the floor with the poultice sitting in front of her. They were banking on their focus being on Diana, to see if she had completed her task, to give Akko the two seconds she needed.

The door clicked signaling it was unlocked, followed by a thud. Akko frowned, confused and waiting for the door to creak open. Nothing happened for a moment, then two before the door slowly opened and Akko rounded the corner, fist leading, only to stop mid-stride and look around confused.

There was no one there?

“What in the—?” She whispered, feeling a bump against her legs and looking down.

“Saur!” Ivysaur beamed from where they stood in the doorway, pushing the door open with a vine. Behind them lay the graceless lump of their trainer, covered in white powder. The reptilian pokemon sat down on their rump, tilting their head and lifting a ring of keys up for Akko to take with one vine coiled around the ring.

“Thank you?” She replied awkwardly, not following what had happened. 

Akko registered Diana coming up behind her and looked over her shoulder, stepping to the side slightly so the other girl could see the situation in the hallway. She looked at the sleeping trainer and then down at Ivysaur, equally surprised.

“Well that works.” She breathed, just as shocked as Akko. 

When the dinosaur pokemon saw Diana they bent their head slightly, cowering and shuffled so they were hidden slightly behind the door.

“Did he knock out his own trainer with Sleep Powder?” Diana mused, focused on the sleeping man, “Can't say I blame him.” She finished before focusing back on the task at hand, moving to look down the hall both ways to see if anyone else had seen. “Akko we need to go, quickly.”

“I know, just give me a minute,” Akko replied, kneeling down and holding out her hand for the nervous pokemon to sniff. “It's alright,” She soothed, “Did you put your trainer to sleep?”

Ivysaur looked at Diana before glancing back at Akko with a nervous nod, flinching and unsure of how they were going to react. When Akko reached out to scratch them under the chin, the reptile tensed under the contact before relaxing when Akko's fingers worked in pleasant circles. Ivysaur seemed surprised, not used to positive reinforcement, slowly relaxing and letting their eyes droop.

“Well aren't you a smart boy,” Akko smiled and watched as the dinosaur melted into her touch. Gently, careful not to move too quickly so she wouldn't alarm them, she took the keys from their vine and motioned for Diana to hand her the jar of poultice she was holding.

Clearly nervous at being caught, Diana hesitated before handing Akko the jar, keeping both eyes on the hallway to make sure they wouldn't be caught. “Akko,” She hissed, “We need to get out of here before someone sees us.”

“I know,” Akko replied, not breaking eye contact with Ivysaur, keeping her voice low so she didn't startle the wary pokemon. She dipped her free hand into the jar, slathering her fingers with Diana's miracle goo and held it out for the pokemon to smell. When they seemed satisfied it wasn't going to hurt them she slowly reached around to their side to touch behind their front leg.

Alarmed, Ivysaur jerked away and tried to make themselves smaller against the wall.

“It's okay,” Akko cooed, “This will make your side feel better, I promise.”

Ivysaur studied her for a moment before stepping closer, the action agonizingly slow and Akko moved slowly to touch their side so they could move away if they wanted to. When Ivysaur didn't retract, she rubbed the medicine into their side and the relief on their face was instantaneous. Once she was sure that Ivysaur was starting to relax, Akko whispered to Diana, making sure to still not break eye contact with the rumbling pokemon. Their trainer had certainly done a number on them.

“Take these,” She held out the keys that Ivysaur had given her, jerking Diana's attention away from looking down the hallway. “See if one of them works on the cell Barbara and Hannah are in. You said they were put beside us, right?”

Diana took the keys, moving slowly to try to not startle the abused pokemon and stepped over the unconscious form of the sleeping Rocket member and tried the first key in the door of the cell beside theirs. 

Akko studied Ivysaur, once again taking in the scars that littered its face and legs. “Thank you for helping us,” She whispered, wiping the remnants of the poultice on her shorts when she had rubbed in the most that she could. She couldn't imagine the kind of courage it would have taken them to stand up to their abuser, what would happen to them if they were still here when he woke up. 

Ivysaur let out a steady rumble from deep within their chest, a pleased sound and moved closer to set their head down on Akko's lap, completely lost in the rarely received affection. There was no way she could leave this creature behind and she looked at the slumbering trainer to spot the pokeball on his belt.

Tentatively she reached out and snatched it, holding it in her hand and debating with herself. Even if she took Ivysaur from their abuser, if she stole them from their trainer, would that make her any better than he was? It was still stealing, right? What normally happened to the pokemon that were taken into custody? Maybe she should take Ivysaur with her and give them to Officer Jenny. That would be the right thing to do, right?

Akko looked down at the pokemon turning to mush in her lap and couldn't bring herself to fully accept that resolution. Everything in her was saying she had to make sure this precious creature was never hurt by anyone, ever again. It was obvious Ivysaur liked her, maybe this was their way of repaying her for what happened back in the pokecenter? It would explain why they were still wary of Diana. The last time they had seen her, Cobalt was attacking them.

While she was debating, Diana found the key that fit the lock and opened the cell that held Barbara and Hannah. Within seconds she was almost thrown backwards when two sets of arms surrounded her neck in a tight embrace. Reunited, the teammates shared a tight hug that Diana returned with a small smile.

Akko watched the exchange and smiled to herself, scratching behind Ivysaur's ear, the same way she knew Eevee liked. Even if she didn't particularly like Barbara or Hannah she was glad they weren't harmed, and the relief on Diana's face more than outweighed any negativity she might feel towards the other two girls.

“Wait, what's Akko doing here?” Barbara asked when she noticed the other trainer sitting on the floor, lap full of Ivysaur.

“And why does she look like she was run over by a Ryhorn?” Hannah added with an arched eyebrow.

“It's a long story,” Diana replied, stepping back when they released her. Turning to Akko, she noticed the pokeball in her hand. 

Hannah seemed to notice as well and pointed at the ball Akko was holding, “Is that, that guys Ivysaur's?” She asked, gesturing with a kick to the sleeping Rocket member on the floor, face scrunched with obvious displeasure for the man in question. 

“Ya,” Akko breathed, turning back to look at the pokemon who had all but melted into her lap, chest still rumbling. “I want to take him with us, but it feels like stealing—” Akko was cut off when Hannah stormed over and snatched the pokeball from her hand.

Ivysaur jumped at the sudden action, launching themself further onto Akko, almost knocking her over. While Ivysaur may not look like it, they were solid , and she found the air knocked out of her lungs.

Before anyone could protest, Hannah dropped the ball and slammed her heel down on it, breaking the device in one swift motion. “There,” She stated, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes and folding her arms. “Now that Ivysaur's free to go where he wants.” 

Akko stared, jaw unhinged, at the other girl. She glanced down at the ball that let out a spark before all the light inside fizzled out and then back up at the abrasive redhead. There was no way it could be that simple?

“What? Now it’s not stealing. Are we going to go or what?” Hannah asked, storming past Akko and down the hallway. “Because I've had enough of this! I am getting my partner back!” She growled, and was still mumbling and cursing, fists clenched as she started to storm on a clear warpath.

“Hannah, wait!” Barbara called, trotting after her friend and throwing an uncertain look back at Diana and Akko. A look that was clearly begging for them to follow, knowing there was no way she was going to be able to stop Hannah.

“You heard her. Let's go get them back.” Diana smirked as she walked past Akko, following her hotheaded teammates, she paused a few steps away to look down at the grass type, “You too, Ivysaur.”

Akko jumped to her feet, looking at the pokeball once more and still feeling a little guilty. Ivysaur nudged her legs once more with their nose and looked up at her, “Saur,” they rumbled, waiting. Akko looked back once more at the sleeping trainer. 

“Do you want to come with us?” Akko asked, and instantly the reptile broke out in a wide grin nodding and bumping Akko's legs. Well, it wasn't how she would have handled it, but that settles that, Akko turned and trotted down the hall after the reunited team, Ivysaur close at her heels. 

After catching up with the other girls, Ivysaur took the lead and jogged down the hallways, navigating the winding passageways with ease. Without them, Akko wondered if they would have ever found their way out. It looked like they had been kept in an area that was rarely used, most of the rooms empty and others used for storage. 

The rest of the base was similar to the room they had been kept in and the tunnel Akko had originally encountered. Every passageway looked the same, each with carefully chiseled walls and minimal lighting. It reminded Akko of a maze and she couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of trick to remembering how to get around down here. It would have been very easy to get lost in the winding hallways without their convenient guide. 

The few members they did run into they managed to sneak past, undetected, and soon found themselves crouching behind a stack of crates by the opening to a wide, open area. Ivysaur had stopped, pointing with a vine to where they were able to crawl into the small hidden space behind the small gap between the boxes, close to the wall.

They were still underground, that much Akko knew for sure, however the rocky ceiling in this new room rose sharply far above their heads, the room looking more egg shaped. It was full of large crates, some sealed and marked, others sitting open with lids propped beside them. There were easily two dozen Team Rocket members milling about, and Ivysaur gestured for them to move between two rows of crates where they had more cover.

It was obvious they were storing something, but it wasn't clear what. None of the crates were marked and there was very little laying about unaccounted for. After a crate was packed it was hosted up with ropes by twin Fearow and settled into place. This room was much brighter, with a ring of lights looping the room, resembling a christmas tree. 

There appeared to be three floors of tunnels, wooden stairs and beams built into the wall to grant access to other tunnels. Despite the obvious modifications this area looked natural rather than man made, the walls were rough and uneven rather than smooth and carefully cut out. 

After surveying the room, Akko peeked through the small gap of the crates that shielded them from view. She needed to see if there was some way they could get over to the other side where Ivysaur was pointing. If she had to guess, they were trying to tell her that was the way out. But how were they going to get across the room undetected with so many members milling about? More importantly, where was Eevee and the other pokemon?

Come to think of it, she needed to find her pack and gear as well. If she could find her or someone else's pack, they could use a pokedex to call for help. One thing at a time, Akko.

“That's a Moon Stone.” Diana whispered, her voice tinged with awe, looking through the crack closest to her.

Akko glanced at the other girl before looking in the direction she was focused. In the back of the room, being carved out by a half dozen Rhydon was a massive, glowing, pearl-coloured stone. It seemed all but two of the Rhydon were off to the side, their horns having been worn down to the nerves from overuse. The Team Rocket members were agitated at the slow down of production and were trying to force the Rhydon back to work, prodding their backs with some sort of metal rod that caused roars of protest.

Is that why they wanted the miracle goo? Akko wondered to herself, now that she thought about it, did they have access to medicine? She couldn't imagine a Team Rocket member could simply stroll into a pokecenter like any other trainer and leave afterwards without repercussion. Glancing down at Ivysaur she once again was very aware of the dozens of scars that littered their scaly hide. If the Team Rockets really did have limited access to medical care it only once again served to hurt the unfortunate pokemon more than the trainers themselves.

Leaving that train of thought for another time, Akko turned her attention back to the focus of the room. Looking closer, she sucked in a breath when she caught sight of dozens of Clefairy, all chained together, being forced to sing to the Moon Stone. The Stone pulsed in time with the melody, the fairy pokemon clearly exhausted and close to collapsing.

“That's not just any Moon Stone,” Barbara whispered from where she was kneeling between Diana and Hannah. “That's the Moon Stone that sits in the center of the ancestral grounds for the Clefairy. It's where they come to evolve and find a mate. But no one's been able to find it for years, so how did they...?”

Akko could hear the anger in her voice and looked around the room, there was no way they could fight all of the Team Rocket members alone. Even if they had more than just Ivysaur, who was in no condition to fight, they were still outnumbered six to one. Still, even knowing that, after seeing that the condition Ivysaur was in was more the norm than one extreme case, there was no way she would be able to leave them all behind.

There had to be something she could do.

While surveying the room Akko caught sight of a large basin, overflowing with pokeballs, with Eevee stuck in a tiny metal cage beside it. 

“Eevee!” Akko whispered, she looked at her partner and noticed she had been muzzled and was sleeping on her side. The trainer jumped in surprise when she felt Diana rest a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort. 

“We'll get her,” Diana assured and Akko nodded, appreciating the gesture. Eevee didn't look hurt, although from this far away it was very hard to tell. 

“Why isn't she in a pokeball like the rest?” Barbara inquired, looking at what the rest of the group was focused on. 

“Probably because Akko never has her in a pokeball and they couldn't capture her since she already has a trainer.” Hannah scoffed, earning a warning glare from Diana. “Sorry,” She muttered.

“It's okay,” Akko replied, before Diana could say anything. “We're all on edge, I know you're worried about your pokemon.” She flashed the other girl a forced smile, and Hannah looked at her slightly confused before turning away with a scoff.

“I thought they took your pokeballs?” Diana asked, frowning.

“They did,” Akko confirmed, drawing the words out and clicking in on Diana's line of thought. “So then why didn't they recall her...?”

“It would have been much easier than caging her and finding a muzzle, that's for sure.” Diana murmured, shooting Akko a look before trying to quell some of the rising panic. “I'm sure it's nothing,” She amended, “Either way you'll be reunited soon.”

Akko nodded, not trusting herself to speak and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Now how were they going to get across the room, undetected, free the fox and rescue all of the stolen pokemon, without alerting anyone they were there? Well, there was always her go in swinging and hope plan from earlier. Akko cringed at her very poor joke, glad she had kept that one to herself.

“I still think we should just get rid of those last two pokemon,” A female voice sounded from the other side of the crates as two Team Rocket members walked near where the four trainers were hiding. “They must have one crappy trainer, both of them are absolute monsters.” She continued, and the pair stopped beside the crates, their backs turned to the boxes.

The second member laughed, “You're just still mad that Eevee bit you real good.” 

“You would be too!” The first member snapped back, “And then when I went to check what else that girl had, it was just a common Pidgeotto and it came out angry. It attacked us as soon as it was out!” 

Akko smiled, feeling warmth radiate through her chest, she'd never been prouder of her partners than she was at that moment. She hoped Eevee bit them hard enough to make them think twice before snatching anyone's pokemon ever again. Plus it served them right, Mizar was probably mad he didn't get his dinner. Secretly, she hoped he bit them too. 

Beside her Diana was stifling her amusement, it was clear just whose pokemon the two members were talking about, and Barbara and Hannah shared a look that showed they clearly weren't surprised. 

“At least that Cavendish girl had some rare pokemon, that Ponyta will fetch a pretty penny.” The second countered, whistling low.

Diana scowled, a look so dark Akko felt herself flinch and had to fight the urge to move away, reminding herself she wasn't the aim of that glower. If she ever was she doubted she'd be able to do anything other than throw her hands up in surrender and beg for mercy.

After exchanging comments about other pokemon they had recently swiped, the pair moved further across the room and Akko let out a breath. That was close. At least they knew their hiding spot was effective, but still it was only a matter of time.

Now the question that begged an answer was, now what? They couldn't hide forever, eventually they were bound to be caught. The longer they stayed in one spot the more likely it was.

Akko turned to look at Ivysayr who was crouched beside her when she noticed them prodding at a small, pink, bubble with a vine that was floating in front of their nose. That was strange, she didn't recall any ability that Ivysaur had that could conjure something like that and it wasn't exactly a natural occurrence. Or was it? Clefairy were weird and this was their sacred grounds if Barbara was right.

As quietly as she could manage, Akko nudged Diana and pointed at the bubble. However, before Diana could follow where Akko was looking, Ivysaur tapped the bubble once more and it popped, disappearing.

Diana arched an eyebrow as if to say, 'What is it?' When she saw nothing where Akko was gesturing and all she could do was frown and mumble out her question, “Do you know any abilities Ivysaur has that makes a pink bubble?” 

Akko could see the skepticism as Diana replied, slowly, “No.” She paused before continuing, looking a little hesitant, “Is your head hurting?”

Unable to help the unimpressed glare, Akko huffed and turned back to Ivysaur while the other three girls seemed fixated on the Moon Stone. She knew what she saw, she wasn't crazy. She could hear Barbara and Hannah whispering, trying to see if the former's pokemon was among those performing. 

Watching the grass type, Akko nearly stumbled back and swallowed a scream when a face appeared in front of Ivysaur and blinked. Hovering above the dinosaur was a soft pink face with round ears and big eyes. The strange creature had a small body with short arms and big feet, long tail flicking and weaving behind its floating form.

Akko found herself tapping at Diana's arm again, incessantly, unable to form words in the shock that took over. But just as soon as the creature had appeared, it was gone and once again Diana turned to look in time to nothing but a clear space.

“Akko, are you sure you're okay?” She asked, brow knit with worry.

“It was just there, I swear!” Akko squeaked. She wasn't crazy, she really had seen a, a—something! It was there and then it was gone. Startled, she looked at Ivysaur and couldn't help but wish Sucy was there so she could ask her to speak to them and confirm her story.

Diana started to open her mouth to say something more when she was cut off by a low bellow, and everyone stilled instantly. The muffled rumble shook the room, it was deep and growled, rolling around the room and drawing the attention from everyone present.

The Team Rocket members began to look around the room, eyes darting and mumbling to each other. It was common for Onyx to migrate close to the area and cause tremors, but when nothing happened they returned to working as usual. The Clefairy, however, were unconvinced and had halted their singing and were trembling, hunched together. 

Ivysaur let out a whine and shuffled closer to Akko and a moment later the creature from before blinked back in front of the thoroughly confused trainer. A happy tilt to its eyes and a playful twitch of its long tail as it regarded Akko, curiosity dripping as it rolled onto its back, still in the air and looked at her upside down.

Pink tail swishing, the creature closed its eyes and let out a happy squeak, “Mew!” A pink bubble formed around the group as another roar sounded. Diana and the rest of her team jumped in surprise, turning to see what it was that had Akko so flustered earlier, none of the girls present were sure how to respond to the cheerful greeting from the pink puff.

This time the approaching creature was not crying wolf, and the roar was punctuated by the crash of flying stone, and reflexively the room was filled with shouts. Everywhere chaos ensued, members running into the large room from down hallways and filling the room with reinforcements trying to figure out what was happening.

From half way up the wall a large, dark blue and red dragon burst through the cave wall, thick talons leading and fins slicing through the rockbed. Announcing his presence, the dragon pokemon flashed his fangs and screamed into the room, showering the floor with stone debris and dirt. With a mighty slam of his thick tail he lowered his hammerhead and growled before letting out a screech that had the room shaking and everyone present recoiling.

From where they were hidden tight against the dragon type's back, a flash of red and white jumped from his back and a pokeball was thrown. The red beam from the thrown pokeball producing a massive Pidgeot that swooped to catch its trainer as she jumped from the back of the burrowing sand-shark.

Team Rocket members started to run, reaching for pokeballs and summoning their partners to repel the invader but the sudden intruder was faster. 

“Garchomp, Dragon Rage! Alcor, Twister!” They commanded, holding onto the back of their Pidgeot and crouching low.

Working like well oiled machines, Garchomp threw himself out of the freshly created entrance and landed with a thundering crash on the ground floor. His scales shimmered in the glow of the Moon Stone before he exploded with released energy, a wave of blue and red flames fanning out around him. 

The Pidgeot aimed directly for the dragon type, pounding his wings in a furious tempo and creating the base of the twister so the dragon type stood at the heart of the storm. The powerful winds picked up and merged with the Dragon Rage, pulling them up to and spreading them around the room to wash over all of the inhabitants.

“Eevee!” Akko screamed in a panic, not caring if she was heard. The fox wasn't in her pokeball, she was going to be hit by the attack!

Without thinking about whether or not it was a good idea, or how smart it might be Akko was on her feet and trying to push her way from where they were hiding to run across the room to where the fox was caged.

Ivysaur jumped up, alarmed at the sudden movement. Reacting instantly they threw out their  vines at a blistering pace and caught Akko around the waist with the first, stopping her from leaving the bubble that had been created. The second vine shot across the distance and latched around one of the bars of the cage and ripped it back towards them, the dinosaur pokemon letting out a pained grunt from the effort.

The cage flew towards them and Ivysaur released Akko so they would have both vines free to slow the incoming pokemon. Focus completely on the tiny cage that was coming towards them, barely outpacing the flames that were rolling across the cave floor.

Akko reached up and grabbed the small cage as it passed through the bubble wall, with the help of Ivysaur she caught the cage, stumbling back a step. Ignoring the throbbing in her wrist, Akko twisted and crouched so she was shielding both pokemon before the wave of dragon fire rolled over them. The entire room was bathed in the purple flames, shattering boxes and sending Team Rocket members running, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

Fearow flapped for high ground, trying to get out of range and Rhydon began a stampede, taking off through the closest exit and barreling through anyone in their way. The only ones unable to escape were the Clefairy and as the flames rolled over them, the Fairy types looked around in wonder, impervious to the Dragon type attack. The shackles around their wrists and ankles melting away and pooling on the cave floor.

Akko held the cage close as the flames smashed up against the pink bubble that surrounded them, opening her eyes tentatively when nothing happened. “Wow...” She breathed as she watched from the interior of the bubble, the dragon flames licking the outside but leaving them unscathed. 

The crates they had been hiding behind were blown away, destroyed in the sudden onslaught and Akko tore her gaze away once she was sure they were safe, to look at Eevee. 

The fox was pushing herself to her feet, shaking her head, dizzy at the sudden flight she had taken before she caught sight of Akko and mewled. Jumping to her feet, she started bumping against the bars and clawing at them, her voice muffled by the muzzle.

Akko looked at the grass type who was watching the flames roll with their mouth open, “Can you break the lock?” She had to yell to be heard above the racket, and Ivysaur snapped their attention back to her. The reptile looked at the lock before summoning a half dozen glowing leaves that zipped out and sliced through the metal lock, the destroyed device dropping with a clang.

Eevee was instantly through the door and throwing herself against her trainer. The fox stumbled, drained and barely able to stay on her feet in her effort to get to her trainer. Her tail sagged low, still trying to wag as she collapsed in her trainer's arms with a happy sigh.

“Thank you,” Akko said with tears in her eyes, patting the top of Ivysaur's head, knowing she never would have made it to the kit in time. Wrapping her arm, as tight as her injured wrist would allow around the tired fox, she scanned her for injuries and found none. Her fur was dirty and matted, in desperate need of a thorough brushing but she wasn't hurt. She hugged Eevee a little tighter, breathing a sigh of relief before turning her attention back to what was happening around her.

The flames began to die down, leaving the room smoldering and full of smoke. It became difficult to see through the dark smog and Akko found herself squinting trying to figure out what was going on. It was then that she noticed that at some point the pink bubble creature was gone, and all she could do was listen as the room was filled with the roar of battle.

The majority of the Team Rocket members had been knocked out with the powerful combo attack and were strewn across the room, those that were left appeared to be on the losing end of the war. Shouts filled the room, roars followed by crashes as the room shook. Above them Pidgeot had made quick work of the Fearow and chased the enemy birds from the room, claiming reign of the high ground with a shrill victory cry.

As the smoke began to thin Akko saw more pink bubbles present, shielding the basins filled with pokeballs as well as the Moon Stone. One last one popping up out of nowhere to shield the Clefairy from the continuing battle. 

The battle had worked Garchomp into a frenzy, bulldozing anyone or anything that came close as his fangs and talons flashed, tail whipping out to slam into anything that dared to come too close. The dragon type’s eyes flashed a deep, blood red as his maw opened wide and let loose a torrent of purple flames against all nearby combatants.

“Who is that?” Hannah asked, eyes fixed on the barely visible figure clad in white, still riding the Pidgeot far above them. Diana was flicking her gaze around the room, presumably looking for the strange, pink creature. Barbara had risen to her feet, fists clenched as she squinted to get a better look at the Clefairy. 

Clear that the battle was not going in their favour, the Team Rocket members were breaking for the exits, shouting as they went and abandoning everything, even their own partners in their mad dash to get away.

A Raticate jumped at Garchomp, thinking he had spotted an opening, only to be slashed with a fin tipped tail and sent into the smoldering remains of a stack of crates. A Golduck shot a wide stream of water at the dragon type, only to be countered by a Hyper Beam that ended his attempt at an exchange. 

The dragon type threw his head back and bellowed a challenge, the circle of pokemon around him dwindling and beginning to hesitate in their assault. Dark blue scales rolled and the dragon type lowered his body, breaking into a sprint, going on the offensive to barrel through any who were still brave enough to challenge him.

“They're getting away!” Hannah protested, pointing at the Team Rocket members who were heading for the exits. 

“No they aren't, look!” Barbara pointed towards the far wall where Ivysaur had been directing them, now filled with the telltale swinging lights of flashlights. The increasing glow was preluded by the sound of a multitude of paws pounding pavement as dozens of Arcanine ran into the room. The hound pokemon gave chase after the fleeing Rocket Members, barking and growling as they tore after their retreating targets. The canine pokemon were closely followed by Officer Jenny and other Officers, each shouting for the Team Rocket members to surrender and adding to the chaos.

As the officers entered the mix, Akko's attention was drawn back to the pokebattle, as Garchomp shimmered and disappeared into his pokeball. The vigilante was close behind, disappearing down the tunnel they had created, followed by a flicker of pink and a flap of wings. Leaving the wake of destruction before they were spotted by any of the swarming law enforcement.

Shortly after the pink creature left the scene, the bubbles surrounding the girls, Clefairy and stolen pokeballs popped. Barbara was already running across the room towards the Clefairy, closely followed by Hannah.

Akko was fumbling with the latch on the muzzle, retracting her fingers when Ivysaur sent another Razor Leaf to cut through the mechanism. The metal contraption fell onto the floor with a clang and Eevee shook her head, finally free of the restraint. 

Diana rose to her feet, standing close to Akko and still looking at where the vigilante had disappeared, a deep frown etched into her visage.

~o~

An hour later Akko found herself sitting outside with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders with Eevee sleeping on her lap. Ivysaur was hiding behind her, trying to shield themselves with their leaves and feeling very uneasy with all of the people milling about, one vine tugging at the blanket that covered Akko to drape it over their bulb. She had her good hand on their head, trying to rub soothing circles into Ivysaur’s scales. 

The grass type refused to leave her side, even going so far as to rumble a low warning, growl when one of the medical team that had come with the officers came over to check them. Akko had originally intended to mention that he wasn't technically hers when they approached her, but the words died in her throat. Telling herself that all she wanted was a few more minutes with them, reluctant to release Ivysaur into anyone else's care.

The police officers had been efficient and effective, although truthfully the majority of the work had been already completed by the time they arrived. Most of the members were still reeling or knocked unconscious and woke up to find themselves in handcuffs. Those that did manage to run down the halls were chased down by the professionally trained Arcanine and taken down.

Barbara had found her Clefairy among the others, exhausted and close to collapsing but otherwise unharmed. She had crumpled to the cave floor, holding her partner close and sobbed against the Fairy type.

They had been escorted out of the hideout and settled in the makeshift camp the officers had set up. Barbara and Hannah were checked for injuries before being moved to a waiting area for the next transport back to Cerulean.

Diana had ignored the same request, insisting she would stay with Akko until she was also finished being checked over. It was unfortunate that Ivysaur was making that very task difficult, but Akko couldn't blame them. They’d been through a lot. She wished she could grant the reptile a reprieve from the chaos but there was one hitch, she hadn't captured Ivysaur and it was still uncertain what was going to happen to them. Technically Ivysaur didn't belong to anyone at the moment. At least that's what she thought having their pokeball crushed meant, she wasn't completely sure.

They had discovered that the exits on the opposite side of the cave, where Ivysaur had been leading them, led to the outside of the mountains. They were exits along very high, treacherous paths that were rarely traveled. Making them the optimal back door to a secret base.

Akko still wasn't certain how they'd found them, but despite her attempts to gather information no one seemed to have a second to answer her questions. So she found herself waiting, a blanket around her shoulders, the back of which was also partially shielding Ivysaur from the cold air of the high altitude. 

She had so many questions, but one thing seemed to stick out and she just couldn't seem to shake it.

“Alcor, Twister!” The vigilante had called their Pidgeot Alcor. It couldn’t have been her, could it?

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 25

Ivysaur! I Choose You?

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

“Excuse me, Miss?” An officer walked up to stand in front of Akko, a crest she wasn't familiar with was emboldened on her black vest. The officer stood rigid, her posture professional as she waited for a response. Beside her stood an Arcanine, halting when his nose was lined up with his trainers shoulders, coat trimmed and meticulously groomed. Around his neck was a collar that had a single, tiny, flashing light sitting at the center.

“Yes?” Diana replied from over Akko's shoulder, and she suddenly remembered the other girl was still there. She really should have gone back with Barbara and Hannah, Akko was fine, Diana really didn't need to stay behind. Still, Akko was relieved she didn't have to stay alone, even if they had barely talked. That's probably why she had temporarily forgotten she was still there, for whatever reason Diana seemed to be in an increasingly terrible mood.

The mobile nurse that moved with the tactical unit had come by and checked them, offering compliments to Diana once she realized what her last name was. It almost appeared that she was too intimidated to improve on what Diana had already done to aid Akko, and simply signed off stating Akko was alright to take a transport back to the Pokecenter. The nurses' near fangirl response seemed to annoy Diana to no end, and she had all but dismissed the other woman.

Ever since that encounter she had gone quiet and begun snapping at anyone who tried to speak with them. Akko had tried to start some light conversation but was shut down almost instantaneously. They'd been sitting in silence since then, until the officer had approached that was.

“Are these yours? Archie here seems to think they smell like yours.” The officer asked, holding up two bags. Akko recognized hers instantly and made to reach for it, only to have her hand swatted and a warning look from her perturbed companion. 

“Yes, thank you.” Diana replied instead, taking the two offered bags, voice even and courteous. The officer looked between the two girls and left without another word, seeming to sense the strained atmosphere. Once the officer was out of ear shot and was back to stifling through the debris, Diana turned an irritated look at Akko. “You need to be more aware of your injuries,” She scolded, setting the backpack on the mat, beside where Akko was sitting. 

Scoffing, Akko reached and started to try to unzip her bag but found it difficult with one hand. She glanced at Diana to see if she was being watched or if she could get away with using her other hand as well but received a raised eyebrow that let her know she was toeing the line. 

“I'm fine.” Akko groaned, rolling her eyes. “You didn't seem all that concerned earlier,” She muttered, bottom lip sticking out in a pout. How much trouble would she be in if she used her teeth to help her open the bag? Her teeth weren’t injured.

“That was different, we didn't have the luxury of taking it easy. Now we do, and I expect you to rest your wrist and get it checked out properly.” Diana chided, “And I don't care what that nurse says, my limited knowledge is not a replacement for a proper medical examination.”

Akko sighed, glancing again at her backpack, all she wanted was to see if the snacks that Lotte had packed her had survived. She was starving! Maybe that's why Diana was cranky, Mizar certainly became a grouch when he missed a meal. It's not like they'd been given much to eat.

“You do realize the entire reason you were in that situation in the first place was because of that stupid game you were playing.” Diana continued, following Akko's stare and letting out a sigh as she crouched and unzipping the bag for her injured friend. “Honestly, Akko.”

Resisting the urge to dive directly into the backpack, Akko tried to look like she was paying attention to the lecture she was receiving. Nodded absentmindedly and straining to see if she could make out the contents of her bag without nudging it open any wider. She was beginning to see why Barbara and Hannah had been so willing to go back on the earlier transport when they had been approached. Originally Akko had assumed they wouldn't want to part with Diana again so soon, but when she had insisted she would wait until Akko was checked they had looked slightly... Relieved? Was that the right word? If it was food related, it would explain why they seemed to recognize the mood, this wouldn't be the first time they would have seen Diana 'hangrey'. Angry while hungry, that's how Sucy had described Mizar.

There could be another reason too, she was feeling on edge not having Mizar back yet. Was she in a mood because she still didn't have Cobalt or Abra back? 

Akko looked at the basins where the pokeballs had been recovered and moved outside to be catalogued. Each basin had three officers that were scanning and sorting the pokeballs in an effort to make sure they each got back to their trainers. It was only a matter of time before they found them, but she understood the unease while they waited. She wouldn't be able to breathe easily until she had Mizar back, although she might wait to call him until she had some food available. Even knowing that the people handling the stolen pokemon were professionals, there was still the nagging doubt that something had happened. That the one pokeball they didn't recover was hers. 

That would certainly explain Diana's mood as well. Akko chanced a look at the other girl and found her standing with her arms crossed and lips pursed, watching the men and women sifting through the basins. 

“They'll find Cobalt and Abra soon.” Akko offered, forcing a small smile. She hoped the assurance would be a comfort, but instead Diana stiffened at her words.

Aware that she had been caught staring, Diana forced herself to look elsewhere before replying, “I am aware,” She snapped back.

Akko's smile faltered and she scratched at her cheek, before flinching at the sharp pain that snapped back at her, at a loss for what she could do to make the other girl feel better. Or maybe if there was something that would be more accurate. Deciding to leave it be for now Akko turned her attention back to her backpack, saying a silent prayer that the Rocket Members had stashed all her stuff together, her pokedex had been in her pocket as far as she could remember. Her boulder badge had been on her trainer's belt as well, and neither item was in her possession when she woke up. Did they replace badges if they were lost?

Luck was on her side and inside the bag, sitting on top of her clothes, sat her pokedex. The device was scratched, most likely from her fall, but otherwise it was alright. Her snacks had been picked through, her cookies having been decimated and Akko pouted a little at their demise. So much for getting something to eat. As much as it annoyed her though, she couldn't blame them for being unable to resist, Lotte made the best snacks. 

None of her clothes appeared to have been touched, and tossed directly on top was her boulder badge. That was a relief.

As she felt along the inside for the zipper to the compartment she was looking for, she pulled it open and was pleasantly surprised when her empty pokeballs were still inside. I guess Team Rocket is only interested in pokeballs that have pokemon in them? Akko thought to herself.

Or maybe they just didn't search that well. Or they were distracted by the cookies, Akko pouted, once again looking at the empty bags.

Behind her, Ivysaur shifted when a pair of officers walked by them and tugged at the blanket to make sure they were covered. She still hadn't had a chance to ask what would happen to Ivysaur. A small part of her wanted to capture the pokemon and hope no one would notice, but that felt wrong. 

It was possible Hannah was right, and he was a wild pokemon now? Or would they still be able to tell who their original trainer was? Or maybe that only applied if the pokemon was traded? What would happen to that trainer's history if a pokemon was released? Were pokemon freed if their pokeballs were broken?

“You should capture him,” Diana responded to the unspoken question. 

Akko flushed, not realizing she was being watched and glad she didn't go with her first instinct. That would have been awkward to explain. Akko glanced sideways and saw Diana looking at her, chin resting on her palm.

“Isn't that like,” Akko had to look away, feeling slightly embarrassed at the question. “Stealing, or something?” It was probably a stupid question, it felt like a stupid question. This was probably something every trainer already knew. 

Diana hummed to herself and contemplated the answer before she spoke, putting obvious effort to keep her irritation out of her tone. “If anyone had ever reported how Ivysaur was being treated, I do not doubt he would have been confiscated from his trainer.” She began, weighing her answer. Akko wondered if she knew how much she was struggling with this and was putting effort into answering as completely as she could.

“When pokemon are confiscated, they are evaluated to see if they are able to be returned to the wild or if they need to be placed in the care of someone who is equipped to care for them. If you look at it that way, Ivysaur is in need of someone who is willing and able to care for him.” Finishing her response, she glanced back at the grass pokemon who was still nervously hiding from her.

Akko looked at the empty pokeball in her hand, still shrunk to a quarter of its normal size and couldn't seem to shake the guilt that was eating at her. 

“If you still aren't sure, you could always just ask Ivysaur what he wants. I think it's about time someone did.” Diana pushed.

Oh, she hadn't thought of that. It was a little embarrassing that it hadn't, actually. 

Taking care to move slowly, so as not to alarm the pokemon that was wracked with stress from all the people and pokemon milling about. Akko turned and lifted the blanket so she ducked her head under it as well, turning the blanket into a two person tent.

Ivysaur perked up when they noticed and tilted their head, curious. What was she supposed to say? Hey, I know you don't know me that well and your last trainer was a horrible person but how about belonging to a different trainer? That trainer being me?

“So...” She began, awkwardly and the dinosaur pokemon tilted their head the other way, regarding her with maroon eyes. Maybe she should just talk to them the way she talked to Eevee? Which was like a person. But easier. “Uh—I was just wondering if you were wanting to come with me?” Akko stammered, and only received a slow blink in return. “Or if you'd prefer someone else or if you'd prefer to be free, that's fine too.” This wasn't going anywhere, and she wondered if Ivysaur understood what she meant.

Deciding to try another approach she held the pokeball out on her open palm and Ivysaur seemed to recognize it instantly, a vine springing out from under the leaves on their back. Well that was either a good sign or a bad sign, it was hard to tell. There was a good chance the dinosaur was going to Vine Whip the pokeball out of her hand, wouldn't that just prove Diana's point that she needed to be more careful?

“See,” Akko scrambled for how else she could ask, maybe not answering was the same as saying they didn't want to go with her. Ivysaur’s self imposed debt was already more than repaid after all. “So—” She was interrupted when Ivysaur's vine moved closer and poked the center button of the ball, enlarging it before tapping it again.

Akko was about to protest, to warn the grass type when a red beam shot out from the ball and Ivysaur smiled as they were pulled inside. The ball shook once before the circle shone red signaling the capture completion and Akko gaped at the suddenly empty space. With the sudden disappearance of the grass type the blanket fell, leaving only Akko underneath before she pulled it off her face in a rush. Still holding the ball she couldn't contain the smile on her face and clenched it tight in her fist.

Ivysaur had chosen her, if that smile was any indication, and she would make sure not to let the dinosaur down.

“See,” Diana smiled, “Sometimes you just need to ask how someone feels, and they’ll answer for you.”

Akko blinked once before breaking out in a deep blush, scratching the back of her head, “Heh, yeah, I guess so.”

~o~ 

A short while later they were approached by an officer informing them their pokemon had been located and sent to the pokecenter at Cerulean to be checked over, purely as a precaution. They were put on the next transport to the city since Akko had been cleared, and it wasn't long before they were walking through the front doors of the pokecenter.

While she was grumpy that Akko had insisted on waiting until tomorrow to get checked out, Diana countered by insisting she would be carrying Eevee. Stating that the fox could not be held properly with Akko's damaged arm while the kit was still soundly asleep. She honestly wondered if Diana was being stubborn because she was still annoyed more than she thought Akko shouldn't carry her partner with her wrist. 

It was the middle of the night by the time they got in and Akko had turned more than a few heads. She hadn't had a chance to see herself in a mirror yet, but if she had to guess she looked like she'd gotten into a fight with a Machamp and had soundly lost. Technically that is what had happened, only she had gotten in a fight with the floor. She wasn't sure if that was more or less embarrassing. Reasonably, who could win a fight with a floor? Brock's Onyx had but he was a giant. He didn't count.

“Good Evening—!” Nurse Joy greeted, expression changing from customer service approved to surprised. “What happened to you two?” Once she realized what she had said, she cleared her throat and tried to amend her statement. “Oh, you must be the other two that were part of that nasty business in Mt. Moon! I wasn't expecting to see you tonight, I had assumed you'd have gone to the hospital first.”

Diana sighed, and Akko decided to take the lead as they walked up to the counter. She had just finished this argument and didn't feel like reliving it when she had only barely won. She hoped Diana would get over her grumpiness soon, but this should help at least. “Ya, sorry we're just really tired. They said our pokemon had been sent here?” Please say they are, Akko begged.

“I've been sent a lot of pokemon in the last couple of hours,” Nurse Joy's face fell and she looked back at the hallway leading to the back out of reflex. “Names?”

“Atsuko Kagari and Diana Cavendish.” Diana replied, drumming her fingers on the counter. Akko had opened her mouth to say Cobalt and Mizar, and flushed when she realized that Nurse Joy had meant their names. At least Diana had been chomping at the bit for that one.

Nurse Joy typed the names in and flicked through a few pages, scanning the information quickly. Without a word she turned and left, going into the back before returning holding a tray with four pokeballs on it. 

“Here you are!” She set the tray on top of the counter and Diana took the two balls closest to her, breathing a sigh of relief and clicking them into the latches on her belt. “I've only had time to do general evaluations to see which need urgent care and which can wait, none of your pokemon appear to be harmed. They were among the fortunate ones.”

Frowning, Akko went to mirror the action, when she noticed something, Mizar's ball appeared fine but the mechanism on Eevee's looked damaged. To test it, she clicked the center button with her finger and instead of opening, the ball made a whirling sound followed by a spark, remaining closed.

“Oh,” Nurse Joy spoke when she noticed Akko's panicked look. “I did notice that the mechanism on your pokeball appears to be damaged. We can repair it for you, but it will take a couple days since our usual mechanic is currently out of town.”

Akko looked down at the pokeball and frowned, recalling the sound of a crunch when she had fallen. It must have been Eevee's pokeball, that would also explain why they hadn't recalled her, her pokeball was damaged.

Normally waiting a couple days would not have bothered her, Eevee rarely used her pokeball as it was. However, Diana mentioning her theory about a lure was still nagging in the back of her mind. She had decided that if worse comes to worse she could always recall the kit until they were out of the area if she started to act strange. Eevee would hate it, but it was better than her going missing again. This would make things more difficult.

Perhaps Constance would be able to fix it.

“It's alright, I have a friend who should be able to fix it.” Akko replied, forcing a smile and trying not to look as worried as she felt. “Oh, I was wondering if you could check my Eevee and Ivysaur for me.” At the mention of 'her' Ivysaur Akko's smile changed to genuine.

Nurse Joy looked at Eevee still asleep in Diana's arms and nodded, taking the two pokemon from them and again going to the back room for a moment.

While they waited, Diana was running her fingers over her pokeballs, a thoughtful look on her face. Akko wanted to suggest that she summon them to help soothe her nerves but decided against it. It wasn't her place to butt in.

Nurse Joy was back before Akko could finish wrestling with herself and handed Ivysaur's pokeball back, gently passing Eevee back to Diana. “Well, physically your Eevee appears fine. She's not hurt other than a few small cuts on her paws which is fairly normal for traveling through the mountains. I am a little concerned that she hasn't woken up, but I ran the standard tests and as far as I can tell she's either just overly exhausted or a very sound sleeper. Keep an eye on her, but she should be alright.”

The medical worker continued, voice a little concerned. “Your Ivysaur has a lot of improperly healed injuries, and as far as I can see this is her first visit to a pokecenter. Did you capture her recently?”

“Yes, earlier today. He was one of the pokemon that was being used by a Team Rocket member.” Akko replied, clicking his ball into her belt, relieved that there was nothing pressing. It bothered her that Ivysaur had sustained so many injuries without proper care, but that would change from now on. At least there was nothing alarming.

“Oh, poor thing.” Nurse Joy shook her head, “Well, I would like to do a more thorough check up at a later time so I can create a complete medical record for her. But right now I am completely swamped and she appears to be in good health otherwise. She had one spot on her side that I found concerning but it appears to be healing at an impressive pace so it should clear up on its own.”

Akko blinked, something Nurse Joy said beginning to register. “Wait, Ivysaur is a she?” 

The nurse giggled in response and Akko felt her cheeks pink up, “Yes, your Ivysaur is a she. Don't feel embarrassed, it's hard to tell with them. There aren't any obvious physical indicators with them like there is with some other pokemon. It's a common mistake.”

Oh, well it wasn't like she'd asked. Could she ask a pokemon if they were a boy or a girl? It didn't really matter, guess she'd just defaulted to assuming it was a boy. That's embarrassing. Oh and the first thing she'd said to her was that she was a smart boy. Not that Ivysaur had probably noticed or cared.

Diana giggled beside Akko, amused at the range of emotions that were passing over her face before biting her lip to stifle them.

Akko glared back and stuck out her tongue, puffing up her cheeks in a pout.

~o~

A few moments later they were issued their room keys and given their room numbers. Lotte and Sucy were sure to already be asleep which, if Akko were being honest, was a small mercy. As much as she wanted to see them, she was barely able to lift her feet to make it down the hallway and she doubted she'd be able to answer any questions they were sure to have.

She would have messaged them to let them know they were okay, but her pokedex was dead. The recovery team had assured them that they had contacted their teammates and Professors to let them know they were okay and approximately when they'd be returning. Plus Barbara and Hannah had gone back earlier, it was possible they had talked to Lotte and Sucy. Then again knowing Hannah it was also possible they hadn't. She wasn't sure what exactly she had done to make them hate her so much but at the moment she was too tired to care.

Diana had insisted, or rather glared her insistence, on carrying Eevee to Akko's room. She had barely gotten a word out before her mouth had gone dry at the look Diana was giving her. Eevee wasn't even heavy! If she didn't know better she would have thought that Diana was putting off putting Eevee down. Not that she could blame her, the fox was very, very soft. And so warm. 

It didn't take long to find her room, and Akko swiped the card, pushing the door open. She found the room dark, as expected, and quietly tip-toed inside, holding the door until Diana was inside as well. 

Akko squinted, letting her eyes adjust and looked around the room that was the same set up as the one they had stayed in, in Pewter. Apparently all the pokecenters were using the same format. Or at least all of the ones she'd been to so far, all two of them. She assumed that they would be sleeping in the same beds as last time, Lotte on the top bunk, Sucy on the solitary bed but she also didn't want to set Eevee down on top of someone.

Once her eyes had adjusted a little, she squinted at the bed Sucy usually slept in before checking the top bunk, triple checking to see if she was mistaken, before she flicked on the small light on the corner table. There was no one there. Did she have the wrong room, where was Lotte and Sucy? She had to have the right room, or the key wouldn't have worked. 

“Akko,” Diana called, voice barely above a whisper and Akko turned to see her holding a piece of paper that was sitting on 'Sucy's' bed. Without a word she passed the paper to the other trainer, the room not large enough to where they were more than an arms length apart.

'Akko, we met with Barbara and Hannah earlier and they said you were fine and would be coming back soon. We decided to wait in their room with them since we all decided we needed the company and you'd be coming back on the next transport with Diana anyways. I left this note in case you came here first and wanted to know where we were.

I'm glad you're okay but I'm also very angry with you! See you soon.'

-Lotte

Leave it to Lotte to cross all her t's and dot all her i's. They must have been worried sick, she had promised Lotte she'd contact her with updates and then had just gone radio silent. How long had it been since she'd seen them? Two days almost? It was hard to tell while being stuck underground and sleeping for most of it. At least they made it out of the mountain alright, Akko let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she'd been holding. 

With everything going on she hadn't had much time to think about whether they had made it out alright or not. She should go get them so they could all go to bed, even if it would be so easy to just fall asleep right now. They were probably already asleep anyways, right? Akko sighed, knowing she had to go and find them before she could allow herself to sleep. She didn't need to worry them more than she already had.

“Looks like they went to wait for me in your team's room.” Akko reported, setting the paper down and turning to see Diana gently setting Eevee down on Sucy's bed. The kit's ears flopped as she curled a little tighter, hiding her nose with her tail but otherwise remaining asleep.

When the other girl didn't reply Akko suddenly became very aware of the fact that she was alone with Diana. It shouldn't bother her this much, she'd been alone with her plenty of times. She'd even been alone with her back at the hideout, locked in a room with her.

But this felt different. They were alone in a room, in the middle of the night, the only two people who had cards to access the room wouldn't come looking for her. There was no chance of anyone walking in, now would be a good time to ask her. No time like the present, right?

“Hey, Diana. Do you remember when you said I should just ask someone how they feel if I want to know the answer?” Akko inquired, slanting her eyes down and unable to meet the other girl's gaze.

“Yes...?” Diana replied, drawing the word out, trying to figure out what Akko was hinting at.

“Well...”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 26

Breaking Point

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

“Hey, Diana. Do you remember when you said I should just ask someone how they feel if I want to know the answer?” Akko inquired, slanting her eyes down and unable to meet the other girl's gaze.

“Yes...?” Diana replied, drawing the word out, trying to figure out what Akko was hinting at.

“Well...” Fidgeting with the strap on her backpack, Akko set down the article and scratched at the back of her head. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything, but there wasn't exactly that option anymore, now she was kinda trapped in needing to say something. Still, she could always make something up. Or maybe just tell her to forget it, they were both tired. No, Akko, don't be a wuss.

Diana raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'Well? Spit it out.' 

“Well, it's just...” Akko scanned the room, trying to find something she could focus on that was anywhere but looking directly back at the other girl in the room. Oh geez, maybe she really should just drop it. But last time she just let it go, Diana worked herself up to the point of breaking down. So what kind of a friend would she be if she just let it go? Logically, she was probably right earlier. No, Akko don't be a wimp! Just spit it out! There isn't going to be a better opportunity than this.

“What is it, Akko?” Diana folded her arms, tensing her fingers, voice back to its telltale deadpan. Void of any emotion. 

The sudden shift of Diana's voice solidified Akko's resolve, she was tired of the other girl hiding her emotions. It wasn't right that she felt like she had to build up a barrier to hide from the world. That she felt like she couldn't express her feelings when she was upset or hurting. They were friends and she obviously needed someone she could vent to! So if something was bothering her then Akko would just have to coerce it out of her. It's too bad she wasn't as easily bribed with cookies like her other friends. Come to think of it, had she ever seen Diana eat a cookie before? No, this isn't the time. Focus, Akko!

“I was just wondering if something was bothering you,” Akko mumbled, tilting her chin up and looking away. Diana's expression changed to confused briefly before flicking back to neutral and Akko found herself frowning. “It's just, you seemed really angry once we were out of the base, and I thought maybe it was because you were hungry, or because you still didn't have your partners back. But I just,” Akko rambled, letting out a sigh as she felt herself deflating and tried to meet Diana's gaze.

“I just, I can't shake the feeling that you're upset about something else, or as well as or... Whatever.” Well she could have worded that with a little more grace, but at least she managed to get it out. Fumbled and jumbled as it was.

Akko searched Diana's expression for a hint of what she was thinking, what she was feeling, and was disappointed when it remained steeled. When they first met she would have just shrugged at the way Diana had acted today, thought it was normal. Would have given up.

But after getting to know her, she knew better, knew how out of character she had been acting. Diana cared about other people's feelings and well being more than anyone she had ever met. There had to be something bothering her for her to act like she had been all day, snapping at people just trying to help.

The only other time she'd acted like that was when she was worried about Barbara.

“I'm fine, Akko.” Diana replied, exerting effort to sound like she was relaxed, the tight line of her lips giving away the fib. “I'm sorry for snapping at you, I'm just tired.” Pushing her hair behind her ears and out of her face, Diana moved to step closer to the door. “I'll be back to normal tomorrow.”

Panic rising when Akko realized Diana's intention, she stepped in front of the door without thinking and put herself between the other girl and her goal. Akko felt her eyes go wide when it sunk in what she had done, oh crap , she berated herself. Now what? 

Diana frowned, looking at the door latch, blocked by Akko's hand before raising her stare to meet her hindrance. “I'm fine, Akko. Really.” She insisted, forcing a smile and attempting to reach around the other girl for the door latch, “I'll let Lotte—”

Her protest was cut off when Akko reached back and covered the door latch with her hand, halting her from attempting to escape again. “You don't need to pretend with me,” Akko whispered and loosened her grip, letting out a deep breath, “do you remember the conversation we had, when we were, you know...” Locked up. Kidnapped. Trapped.

Diana didn't reply, staying where she was, standing with very little room between them. In the limited lighting it was hard to see the tiny cues that she was beginning to learn, but Akko could still make out the routine. The deep inhale, the slow exhale and the way Diana's jaw would tense before forcing her entire face to relax. She'd seen it enough to recognize it. She was hiding something, there was something she wasn't saying.

“When I told you that I liked it when you were angry with me,” Akko continued, looking out of the window on the other side of the room. The view was different here, but the mountains could still be seen in the background. “I don't remember that conversation very well, it's mostly a haze and I'm pretty sure I imagined most of it.” Like the feeling of you running your fingers through my hair.

Akko shook her head, stay focused, dumby. “But I meant it. I wasn't sure if you'd taken me seriously, because I wasn't making much sense...” Akko flushed, flexing her jaw in an effort to keep on track.

“And I want to say it again, you don't need to pretend with me, to put on a face. I like you for you, even when you are angry or sad,” Or the way you smile when you don't think anyone's looking. The way your lips move when you're organizing your thoughts. The way your fingers rub against your palm when you're thinking. The way your eyebrow twitches when you're trying to contain your irritation. The way your laugh sounds when it catches you off guard. 

Akko swallowed, forcing herself to count the stars outside her window rather than look at the other girl, trying to set her focus on something else so she could regain control of her thoughts. If she looked at Diana she wouldn't be able to get this out, she'd crumble, say something she shouldn't. She was barely able to concentrate as it was, when had it become common for them to be this close all the time? 

“You can trust me, Diana.” Akko whispered, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice, lest she betray how weak her legs felt, how sweaty her palms were. “I just want to help you, you need to talk about what's bothering you before you hit your breaking point. It's not good to bottle it up.”

Silence filled the room, the only sound that Akko could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat in her ears. She hoped she didn't push too hard, prayed she didn't undo all the progress they'd made recently. It would be truly ironic if in her effort to get Diana to open up, she instead shattered the connection with the only person she'd opened up to.

Was that right? Was she the only person? It didn't sound right, surely there had to be—

Diana closed her eyes, letting out a sigh and stepping back from Akko, pulling her attention away from the window. “We shouldn't be talking about this when we're both exhausted.” Diana looked at Eevee, still soundly asleep where she'd been placed. So there was something, that much was confirmed, at least. “I assure you nothing's wrong, but if you insist we can always talk tomorrow. But there really is nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

Akko frowned, fixed on the other girl who refused to meet her eye. What does she mean nothing 'she' needed to concern herself with? Was it just her she didn't want to talk to then? But, why?Why wouldn't she just talk about whatever was bothering her? 

As much as Diana tried to assure her nothing was wrong it just didn't seem right. Didn't feel right, in her gut, everything in her was screaming not to let this go. She just couldn't shake the chill that something was wrong, that this wasn't something she should drop. Her chest felt impossibly tight, she felt like she was about to burst with frustration. She didn't know what else to do, and felt helpless, useless at her inability to say whatever it was that Diana needed to hear.

She knew she should heed Diana's request and drop it, but everything in her was telling her to push harder. The first option meant she'd appease the other girl, they'd talk soon, right? Maybe she was being paranoid, imagining it. With everything that had happened, it was bound to leave her nerves a little frayed. Still though, something inside her refused to budge, refused to consider those rebuttals as anything plausible. 

“No.” Akko stated, clenching her fists.

“Pardon?” Diana blinked, caught off guard by Akko's sudden tone and demeanor change. 

Grinding her jaw, Akko felt her nails dig into the palms of her hands, frustration finally boiling over. “Stop it.” She croaked, biting off the words and letting herself succumb.

“Stop what?” Diana laughed, an awkward laugh that came out unbidden when you're caught in a situation you don't quite know how to handle. “You're not making any sense, I'm just going to go. I'll let Lotte and Sucy know you're here and we can talk tomorrow.” She finished in a rush, again reaching for the door latch, this time with a slight shake to her hand. The hardness to her gaze was starting to crack.

Reacting on instinct, Akko, grabbed Diana's wrist to halt her. Diana opened her mouth to protest, before letting out a small squeak of surprise when she found herself flipped. The words she had been about to speak were silenced when the air was knocked out of her, back slamming against the closed door.

Akko pinned Diana against the door her, careful not to hurt her, but not so far back that she could slip away. She found herself panting, wincing when her wrist protested being flexed, pressing her palm to the wooden surface over the other girls shoulder.

“Please...” Akko whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to process the countless emotions were coursing through her and she struggled to grip onto one before it slipped away, replaced again and again. She found herself shaking, unsure if it was because of the strain on her arm, or if it was because she was angry, frustrated or possibly from exhaustion. “Please don't shut me out again.”

Taking a moment to regain her composure, she opened her eyes and met Diana's searching azure with a pleading expression. Begging her silently not to close herself off again, to trust her. To see how much she cared about her, and know that it was alright to lean on someone.

“I—” Akko swallowed, refusing to let herself cry. She had promised never to let Diana shoulder everything alone, to never put herself through that kind of torture again. And she was failing. All she wanted to do was help, to be someone she could lean on, to trust. When they talked, it was like nothing she'd ever experienced before, everything else fell away. 

It felt like she had come home, like she had finally figured out where she belonged. It was different from every other bond she'd ever had, and it scared her. She was so terrified to do something to mess it up, to lose it as suddenly as it had crashed into her life. It scared her to think that this might all be purely one sided. That the reason Diana refused to open up was because she didn't feel the same way. That if she couldn't do this, she would see that as a confirmation. She couldn't understand, why wouldn't Diana open up?

She was vaguely aware of how wide Diana's eyes were, how impossibly blue, how they seemed to shimmer in the low light of the room. Were they always this expressive, or was it because she had surprised her? She looked afraid, but it was only fleeting, replaced by something else. She'd seen that expression once, but she couldn't place it and Akko shifted when her wrist protested, breaking her train of thought.

Diana appeared to be just as out of breath as she was, chest rising and falling rapidly, her cheeks slightly flushed. Her eyes flicking down periodically. Akko found herself studying the other girls expression, trying to figure out what she was thinking. If she only had a foothold, some inkling of what was wrong. Somewhere to start. Silently praying that she saw something that gave her the courage she needed to push forward.

If only Diana would stop biting her lip maybe she would be able to concentrate long enough to think. To figure it out. Instead all she could seem to focus on was how close she was, how warm her breath was. The way she was staring at her.

Ignoring the tugging fear or rejection, Akko forced herself to keep going, “I care about you, please let me help you with whatever is wrong.” Her wrist throbbed again, demanding attention and she winced, fingers twitching slightly and coiling into a fist. 

“Let it go, Akko,” Diana breathed, the demand was weak, her voice coming out as barely more than a whisper. Akko was acutely aware as Diana swallowed thickly, the bob of her throat, she could swear she could almost see the hammer of her pulse under her jaw. The moment seemed to happen in slow motion, only broken when Diana jerked her gaze away, her jaw tensing once again.

She was sealing herself off again, going through her practised mantra and the sight of it left Akko feeling like a bucket of cold water was dropped on her head. The motion a silent dismissal of Akko's pleas. Try as she might, she hadn't been able to breach the defensive wall that Diana had rectified. 

Sighing, Akko forced herself to step back and away from Diana. Just far enough that she was no longer pinned, but still selfishly close enough that she could feel the heat on her body. Too weak to move further away. She knew she couldn't force Diana to tell her, shouldn't push any harder. She was loath to admit it, but it felt slightly like a rejection. And it hurt. Stupid, Akko. This isn't about you. 

Diana didn't move away from the door, looking down at the floor. After a moment of silence, she whispered, voice reluctant. “It's not that I don't trust you,” Raising her gaze, twinged with worry, she tried to capture Akko's hurt expression. “It's just...” Diana tapered off, searching for the proper way to word it.

“Just what?” Akko pouted, unable to control her tone. She was frustrated, irritated, tired. Those were just secondary to the disappointment she felt. Not in Diana, she hadn't done anything wrong. If she was stronger, smarter, just more, maybe she would be someone Diana respected enough to talk to. 

She knew she was being childish, she needed to end this conversation before she said something stupid.

Shaking her head, Akko gestured to the door, hoping Diana would take the hint and just leave. Maybe Diana was right, they both just needed to sleep, things would be different when she could look at them clearly. She'd apologize tomorrow and hope she'd be forgiven. 

Diana hesitated, searching the other trainer's face and reaching out to touch her arm. “I care about you too,” She encouraged, offering a small smile in an attempt to comfort her friend. In response, Akko stepped back again, out of her reach and scrunched up her nose. 

She knew she was being unreasonable, was pouting and throwing a tantrum for not getting her way. But at the moment all she could focus on was the feeling of rejection she couldn't seem to shake. The voice in her head telling her she wasn't good enough. Maybe she was stupid for ever thinking she could be. Diana was perfect, gorgeous, basically a genius. Way out of her league. Stupid, Akko.

“Really, Akko?” Diana huffed, looking slightly irritated.

Akko remained silent, unable to meet Diana's stare. Maybe if she just said nothing she'd leave.

“Fine.” She spat, “You want to know what's wrong?” Diana growled, throwing her hands up and stamping her foot. “You, you're what's wrong.”

Balking, Akko jerked her head up to gape at the other girl, “Me?” Akko asked dumbly, the response coming out unbidden, shocked at the admission. As much as it matched up with her recent inner musings, she couldn't place what she had done. Couldn't put her finger on a time recently that could have upset her.

Diana stared back, brow furrowed and bottom lip trembling. She took a moment to steady herself before rushing out, voice cracking, “I thought you were dead.” Her voice dropped to a near inaudible whisper, hands lowering to clench by her side. “I thought—” Her jaw ground and she fixed her focal point on the floor.

Akko blanched, taking a step back, she what? Why would she..? “What?”

“When I saw you in that cell!” Diana shouted, not caring how strong the sound proofing between rooms, or how late it was. “They said, 'This is what happens to anyone who doesn't listen!' And then they threw me in there with you!” Her voice faltered, hitching and she slamming her fists against her thighs.

“It was just for a moment, but when I saw you, you were laying there covered in blood and dirt, you weren't moving!” Diana continued, breath starting to come out in heavy pants, hands shaking as they rose to run through her hair. “I couldn't tell if you were breathing!” Diana continued, voice steadily raising and stepping forward to erase the distance Akko had put between them.

There was deep-rooted fear in her eyes and she faltered, swallowing her tears, “it was minutes before you moved, before you reacted! Do you have any idea—” She stifled a sob and closed her eyes, “Every time I close my eyes, I see—” Diana's voice broke and she bit off her admission, taking a deep steadying breath before she continued, forcing Akko to hold her gaze. 

“I'm afraid, Akko.” She whispered, stepping closer again so there was no space between them, eyes searching, “You're so reckless, I'm afraid that if I take my eyes off you, you're going to do something stupid and wind up hurt again.” Diana ground out, looking at the floor. A moment later she wrapped her arms around herself, hugging tightly with fingers digging into her biceps.

Akko was at a loss for what to say, it had never occurred to her that she would be the reason Diana had been so upset all day. “Diana, I—” I what? What can you say to that, Akko? What if the roles had been reversed and she had seen Diana laying there? When she thought Eevee had been seriously wounded she'd all but shattered. It had felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest, like her blood ran cold. She'd been inconsolable for days. Diana was the only reason Eevee was okay. So now that it was her turn to help pick up the pieces when the roles were reversed, what was she supposed to say?

“I—" Akko tried again. 

Diana snorted, wiping her cheeks and throwing her hands up, continuing on her roll like a boulder that had been tipped just far enough to start to pick up speed. Once she had started the momentum steadily increased, and soon it was out of her control. “Do you remember that day at the river? I remember thinking that you were too reckless. You ended up twisting your ankle because you were playing with Eevee in the river and not paying attention.” She paused, voice lowering, seeming to mutter to herself more so than Akko, “Maybe if you weren't such an adorable dork—"

Diana closed her eyes, regaining her focus as she raised her voice to a murmur, “And then again at the pokecenter, when you followed me. Do you know what scares me the most about that night?” Diana asked, her voice lowering at the end, eyes raising to meet Akko's, scanning her expression for something unspoken.

“I wonder what would have happened if I had decided to turn right at the previous hall.” She admitted, “I was about to, but then I thought I heard something. I was sure it was my mind playing tricks on me, I was too desperate to catch them.”

“I was this close,” Diana held up her pointer finger and thumb, pressing them close enough that there was barely a gap. “To turning down the previous hallway and if I had, you would have—” She took a deep breath, raising a finger to silence Akko when the other girl opened her mouth to reply.

“You charged two dangerous criminals,” Diana let out with a large breath, taking a moment before continuing, face twisting in discomfort. “Without calling for back up, without thinking, and with your fist leading.” Diana growled, flipping back to angry, voice rumbling with a growl, “Do you know how reckless that was? How stupid? What if they had, had a knife? What if one of them was trained in hand to hand? There were two of them and they were both bigger than you!”

“Neither of them had a problem with attacking you directly, with playing fair, what would have happened if Abra hadn't heard me? If I hadn't been there?” Akko hesitated when Diana paused, eyes narrowing. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to reply, her debate was ended a moment later.

“And then,” Diana scoffed moving to pace in place, gesturing wildly with her hands to help express herself, “Then you decide to body block a Vine Whip attack!” 

Akko cringed, fingers reaching out to try to comfort the hysterical girl but unwilling to breach the remaining distance between them. “I was trying to protect Eevee.” She retorted, the excuse feeling weak even as she spoke it and Diana stilled momentarily, turning to glare at Akko when she continued.

“I know. I know that's what you were trying to do when that Dragon Rage attack was coming towards us you almost ran out into it. If Ivysaur hadn't stopped you, I don't even want to think about—” Diana faltered, steadying herself again. “You have such a big heart, Akko. I just, I'm scared that you're so worried about protecting everyone else that you don't take time to think about protecting yourself.” The last statement came out with an air of finality, barely above a whisper.

"It's not fair that you say you care about me, have made me care about you and then you're so reckless with your wellbeing."

Akko found she was holding her breath, and tried to read the expression on Diana's face. She looked like she was in pain, fingers digging tightly into her arms and gaze downcast. “I'm sorry I scared you, I know I can be stupid, sometimes.” Akko took the opportunity to reply, awkwardly trying to lighten the mood, to keep her voice from trembling. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been that. And she found herself woefully unprepared for this argument. What was she supposed to say that would make her feel better? She was right, in the heat of the moment, a lot of the time she acted purely off instinct and reflex, she didn't take the time to think. 

Even if she had though, in almost all of the situations that were listed, she doubted she would act any different. If she had to choose between Eevee or herself, she'd choose the former, every time.

 “But I will never apologize for trying to protect Eevee” Akko shook her head, unable to look at Diana any longer. She knew the admission wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she couldn't lie either. So instead, she decided to go a different route, “When I think about her getting hurt, it hurts more than anything I can express. I can't stand by and watch, do nothing, while someone I love is hurt. It's torture.” Akko clenched her fists, expecting to shouted at, slapped, anything.

“Then you know exactly how I feel when you do something reckless!” Diana roared back immediately, tears in her eyes, and the room fell silent.

Akko froze, her lungs temporarily forgetting how to work and she suddenly could relate to how a fish must feel out of water. She had heard her, perhaps the entire pokecenter had heard it. But she still couldn't believe what she had heard.

She had to have heard that wrong, or maybe she just misunderstood?

“You... What?”

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 27

You Think I'm Cute?

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

“When I think about her getting hurt, it hurts more than anything I can express. I can't stand by and watch, do nothing, while someone I love is hurt. It's torture.” Akko clenched her fists, expecting to be shouted at, slapped, anything.

“Then you know exactly how I feel when you do something reckless!” Diana roared back immediately, tears in her eyes, and the room fell silent.

Akko froze, her lungs temporarily forgetting how to work and she suddenly could relate to how a fish must feel out of water. She had heard her, perhaps the entire pokecenter had heard it. But she still couldn't believe what she had heard.

She had to have heard that wrong, or maybe she just misunderstood?

“You... What?” Akko questioned, the gears that turn the crank in her head screeching to a halt.

Diana stared back, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as she seemed just as surprised as her counterpart, neither willing to make the first move. It was like they were both caught in the headlight and were playing a game of chicken, to see who would back down first.

“I...” Diana mumbled, more to herself than Akko, brow slowly being pulled downward as she seemed to struggle for what to say. “I just meant that—” Pausing, she shyly peeked up, searching for how her words were being received. Her face contorted, as if she were trying to process her rebuttal as much as the shocked girl in front of her.

Another moment of silence passed, and Akko could do little more than work her jaw as her heart thundered in her ears. She knew she should say something, do something, the way Diana was looking at her. It was a plea, a question. Staring back, looking terrified was not helping the situation. 

Averting her gaze, Diana blushed furiously and shook her head. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep inhale and Akko felt her heart drop, expecting the next visage she would be presented with to have the wall back in place. 

Instead, Diana turned back, looking much calmer but also more exposed than Akko had seen her, and the sight of it made her breath catch in her throat. She looked somber, accepting and no longer wanting to fight.

“I care about you, Atsuko Kagari.” Diana breathed, squeezing her hands into tight fists as she forced herself to trudge forward, “You've become one of the most important people in my life, and I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to you.”

Oh. Akko blinked, of course that's what Diana meant. It shouldn't be disappointment she's feeling right now. All she'd wanted for the longest time was for Diana to recognize her, and then fought to be seen as a friend. So here was Diana, stating as clearly as possible that she was someone dear to her. She should be elated, instead she felt smothered in disappointment. 

“I understand that you're the type of person to put other people first,” Diana rubbed her arm, trying to shield herself subconsciously. “And I would never ask you to change that part of yourself. But, I worry about you.”

“So please, try to be a little more careful.” Diana looked up, eyes tinged with sadness, “For me?” There was still hesitance in her voice, as if she was unsure of whether or not she had said something she shouldn't.

Akko nodded, feeling her throat was too dry to croak out a response and Diana let out a sigh of relief. It was all she could seem to manage at the moment, working through her puzzling response. All of this had been because Diana was worried about her, cared about her. And yet, it wasn't in the way she had been stupid enough to hope for.

“I am sorry to... Drop all of that on you.” Diana continued, looking nervous and shifting her weight, Akko's continued silence making her uneasy. 

Akko swallowed, reaching out to lightly touch Diana's arm and forced a hesitant smile. She was still feeling shaken, caught off guard by Diana's rebuttal. She felt off tilt, but was too scared to argue with it, to question Diana's explanation. She knew what she wanted to ask, but she didn't feel quite brave enough. Instead she turned her effort to soothing the restlessness of her friend, “You don't need to apologize for being honest,” Scratching her head she tilted her gaze away and chuckled, “I know I can be, er—” Akko flushed, “Clumsy at times, I'll try to be more careful. I can also be thick sometimes as well. It helps when you're blunt with me.”

Diana smiled shyly, facial expression instantly relaxing. Trying to hide the amusement, she continued in a happier croon, “In that case, I'm not sorry.” She wrinkled her nose and met Akko's gaze with a playful smirk. “I'll make sure to scold you more often.”

Feeling her cheeks burn, the way Diana was looking at her was beyond adorable and could render anyone into a puddle of goo at her mercy. Akko grinned back, in all her goofy, lopsided glory and went with her whim, opening her arms and offering a hug. She felt a little unsure of how the gesture would be received, but hoped desperately Diana would accept. Somehow, physical comfort had always done more to ease her worries than any flourished words ever would.

Diana hesitated, looking slightly surprised. Fingers twitched, hand reaching out instinctively before she paused, looking up at Akko's inviting smile before taking the last step forward in a rush. Her face found the crook designed to fit her perfectly under her friend's chin as arms gingerly wrapped around Akko's waist, fingers bunching up the fabric of her shirt. 

Engulfing her friend in a bear of a hug, Akko coiled her arms around Diana's upper back and pulled her tight. Silently praying that she wasn't able to hear the pounding of her heart in her chest, or feel the heat radiating from her skin. She felt the other girl's fingers dig into the fabric of her shirt, grazing against the muscles of her lower back, as she buried her face in her neck and Akko tried desperately to calm her nervousness. 

Somehow it felt like Diana needed this more than anything else and Akko pressed her cheek against the side of her companion's head, holding her in the darkness of the room and focused on living in the moment. It was strangely intimate, and she began to wonder how long it was appropriate for a hug to last. It should be alright until Diana pulls away, and Akko decided to absorb every second she was being granted until the other girl pulled away.

She felt like she should say something, but was at a loss for what. She didn't want to just say the first thing that popped in her head, worried that the wrong thing would ruin the moment. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something had been left unsaid, unfinished, and reluctantly let go when she felt Diana pulling away.

Dipping her head to hide her expression, Diana tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and mumbled, “We should go to sleep... I will let Lotte and Sucy know you're back.” Even as she stepped back, the movement was reluctant and she glanced back at Akko, lips slightly parted like she wanted to say something else.

Swallowing it, she turned and took a single step towards the door before Akko heard herself say, as if she were watching the sudden declaration spoken from a third party.

“You could stay.” Akko froze, unsure of where that had come from. 

Diana's head whipped back, and she looked surprised but did not make a move towards the door or refuse the idea, looking back and searching for just one more nudge.

Akko flushed and looked at Eevee, miraculously still asleep. It wasn't strange for the kit to sleep through everything, she slept through Akko's snoring and twisting and thrashing after all. That was at times louder, and more disruptive than her and Diana's... discussion had been. “It's really early, I'm sure they're all asleep.” Akko paused, and continued to voice her reasoning aloud, convincing herself that that was the logical thing to suddenly suggest, out of nowhere. Like it wasn't giving her a mini heart attack, begun by the idea of the other girl leaving. It was stupid, they had just spent the better part of the week together, “There's no point in waking them up, we're all too tired to talk anymore tonight anyways.”

Diana looked away from Akko's attempt to look like a cat trying to keep a live bird in her mouth, and started to play with the hem of her shorts, “I suppose you could always just send them a message letting them know you're back and okay... So they don't worry or think something happened.” She mumbled, averting her gaze.

Akko nodded, glad that her reasoning had seemed reasonable rather than something... else. 

“And if they don't reply then we'll also know for sure they're asleep, and not waiting up.” Diana encouraged, smiling slightly. “It would be rude to wake them up, I know Hannah and Barbara were exhausted when they left.”

Akko clapped her fist to her open palm, about to confirm Diana's statement, instantly regretting the action when her wrist screamed and she peeked up to see if her reaction had been noticed. The other girl had changed her expression to a glare that sent chills down her back, and Akko smiled, nervously. Guess she caught that, “Opps.” 

Diana's eyebrow twitched and she let out a sigh, “I guess I don't really have a choice anyways, someone needs to make sure you're careful.” She finished the scolding with a smile, cheeks flushing when she mumbled, “It's a good thing you're too cute for me to stay angry.”

Akko grinned, “You think I'm cute?” She couldn't keep the teasing tone out of her voice.

“Don't push it,” Diana huffed, scrunched her nose in an attempt to look intimidating, failing when she couldn't keep the slight smile from tugging at the corners of her lips. Dismissing the conversation, she kicked off her shoes and grabbed her pokedex, typing on a quick message before setting it aside.

“I sent a message saying you were fine, but you went to sleep and we didn't want to wake them so I'm going to sleep here. Between the four of them, there's probably no where left for me to sleep anyways.” Diana glanced at Akko, unsure of how her fib would be received. Deciding against waiting for a response, Diana grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom mumbling as she brushed past, “I'm going to get changed and shower quickly.”

Akko nodded, watching until the bathroom door clicked shut before it dawned on her that she should probably change as well. Gripping the neck of her shirt, she tugged it up and sniffed, instantly recoiling when she realized how terrible she smelt. She shouldn't be surprised, it had been like what, three days since she'd been able to have a shower? Crap. That meant that when they hugged earlier... Akko wasn't sure which would be more embarrassing, Diana having realized how ripe she smelt, or her hammering heartbeat being noticed. Or both, both would have been the worst.

Feeling very self conscious, Akko decided she would shower as well once Diana was done, and set about collecting her supplies and a change of clothes. Once down, she decided to sit beside Eevee and wait, petting the fox gently. Her mind starting to drift in the quiet of the room, free of distractions.

So much had happened over the last week. The pokecenter incident, Eevee nearly being and then successfully being kidnapped. Making a fool of herself by being a massive klutz. Breaking out of the Team Rocket cell with Diana and co after befriending Ivysaur, and then seeing that strange pink pokemon. 

And then there was the vigilante, she was sure she had called the Pidgeot Alcor. It was true there were a lot of Chariot copycats and enthusiasts, the same with any world top ranked master. Still though, how amazing would it be if that were the real Chariot? It was next to impossible that Chariot would just show up as a coincidence when they were out of options when she hadn't been seen in nearly a decade. But there was still a very slim chance.

It was much more probable to be a copycat. There were thousands of people who had named Pidgeys, Pidgeottos and Pidgeots, Alcor. Besides that, Chariot didn't own a Garchomp, at least her last recorded roster didn't include one. Maybe she should check her card collection again, but she'd left the majority of them at home, only bringing her favourites with her. 

Akko frowned, working out a clump of dirt from Eevee's fur and threading her fingers through the long neck tuff fur to work out some knots. Still, it was a comfort to know that she wasn't the only one who still remembered Chariot and was trying to continue her work. As long as people were still fighting for mistreated pokemon, then Chariot would never be truly gone.

The shower turned off only a couple minutes later, and Diana stepped out of the bathroom, changed into a loose T-Shirt and shorts, combing her hair out.

“I didn't realize how gross I was until I saw myself in the mirror,” She chuckled, noting where Akko's attention had been. Striding across the room, Diana crouched in front of where Akko was sitting, “I'm sure she'll be fine in the morning, just like last time.”

Akko blinked, realizing that she had been staring at Eevee, lost in thought. It was easy to see the conclusion Diana had drawn, and Akko decided to play along, “Ya,” She breathed out a laugh, “She'll probably be up in a few hours and jumping all over the place.” Pushing away her earlier contemplation, Akko grabbed her pile of clothes and walked towards the bathroom. “I won't be long, you don't need to wait up, sleep wherever you want.”

Too distracted by the rapid fire rate of bullet points her mind was producing, Akko didn't notice the confused look Diana had trained on her back as she shut the door.

She had briefly looked in the mirror and noticed that her jaw was still showing the faint green and brown of a fading bruise, the scrape on her cheek almost completely healed. She was tempted to try to see if she could get a good angle to see the cut on her head but decided against it. With her luck she'd probably just end up falling, plus it felt pretty far back. She probably wouldn't be able to see it in the bathroom mirror.

Once the shower was ready, Akko leaned her forehead on the tiled wall, letting the warm water run down her back and sighing in relief. She could feel the layer of grime and grit rolling off her body, coiling around the drain as her sore muscles relaxed under the warm spray. It was pleasant, and if it weren't for her thoughts being insistently loud, she probably could have fallen asleep in the shower.

She thought back to the moment the vigilante had crashed through the upper cave wall, what would have happened if that hadn't happened? If they hadn't been found by some freak coincidence? There was a good chance that they would have been caught, they might still be down there. 

Akko sighed, pushing that thought away. It was pointless to dwell on what if's, what happened, happened. They were all okay, and she just needed to focus on that. Even trying to force that thought as the focal point to take away from the memory, the image of the dragon fire washing over the stone floor and threatening to engulf Eevee flashed by.

Too much had happened and she was feeling overwhelmed, her mind swimming and she struggled to hold onto any single thought for more than a moment. Every time she relaxed, another moment frozen and preserved in her inner eye would pop up. She would quash the worry, only to have another take its place. 

Anxiety tightened her chest and she tried to focus on taking in a deep breath, holding it before letting it go. Once, twice, three times. Continuing the mantra until her thoughts slowed to a more manageable pace. 

Akko frowned, 'I thought you were dead!' Diana's anguished voice echoing through her mind and she slammed her fist into the wall. With her eyes closed, memories flicked by unbidden. Reminding her of each bullet point in Diana's argument. Crashing into the academy and right into a very angry Diana. Playing in the river with Eevee and falling in herself when she was surprised by the sudden appearance of the blonde. Diana protecting her from Amanda in Pewter, even if she didn't want to admit it at the time, that was what she had done. Even when they didn't like each other, Diana had still protected her. Stupid, Akko. Why did she keep messing up? Stupid, stupid!

Diana was right, she was reckless. She needed to think before acting, even if she wouldn't change the order of importance that put Eevee's well being first, she needed to think of other ways. Ivysaur pulling the cage back with Vine Whip was a prime example of that.

The image of Eevee crashing into the gym wall and her tortured scream flashed next and Akko's arm shook. The panic of realizing Eevee was gone, that she had made the mistake of not watching her carefully enough. Logically she knew Eevee would probably wake up tomorrow and be fine, but she never should have gone through that to begin with. But she couldn't seem to silence that voice that was taunting her, reminding her that try as she might, even with putting the kit first, she still failed time and again to protect her.

She had to do better. She would.

Try as she might, Akko couldn't silence the nagging voices in the back of her mind, enjoying a movie night of playing the highlights of her recent mistakes on a loop. She needed to sleep, once she got a good night's sleep she would feel better. Tomorrow Eevee would be fine, she'd speak with Constance about fixing the pokeball and start focusing on training for the Cascade Badge. 

Letting out a deep breath, Akko quickly scrubbed as much as she could, trying not to agitate the scabs on her leg and got out of the shower. Trying to dry off quickly, she got changed and tiptoed back into the main room, half her focus still on the hum in the back of her mind.

Diana's back was turned to the bathroom, laying down on the bottom bunk. Akko looked at her blankly, realizing she had chosen to sleep in her bed. She probably didn't know, just assumed Akko would sleep with Eevee and she knew she shouldn't think too hard on it. It hadn't been deliberate.

Akko watched the steady rhythm of the other girls sleeping and sighed, she did say not to wait, and Akko pushed back the urge to wake her. It was stupid, there was no point in waking Diana just because she was feeling overwhelmed. She just needed to sleep.

Trying to be silent, Akko tiptoed to where her bag was sitting, resting against the leg of the bottom bunk Diana was sleeping on, and stuffed her dirty clothes inside. Slowly zipping the bag closed after mouthing a goodnight to Ivysaur and Mizar, cringing whenever the zipper made the tiniest noise. She debated on letting them out, but wasn't sure how they would react meeting each other for the first time and decided it would be better to wait until she wasn't nearly passing out from exhaustion.

As Akko turned to walk towards Sucy's bed, where Eevee was curled up, she felt a tug at the bottom of her tank top and stopped. She looked down to where Diana had three fingers pinching the fabric of her shirt, tightening when she was noticed. She tried to process the action, but found her mind slow to register the request. Did she forget something, Akko glanced at the bathroom, no the light was off and she couldn't hear the water running.

While she was debating, Akko felt another gentle tug, fingers twisting in the fabric. Diana had her face hidden, still turned the other way. Or?

Akko hesitated, glancing once more at where Eevee was sleeping before crumbling under the weight of that gentle tug. Needing the physical comfort after the last seventy-two hours and greedily accepted the invitation. Fighting against her instincts which were screaming at her to run, the way her nerves tingled and burned. She shakily moved the covers away and slipped underneath, laying down behind her silent friend making sure to leave a gap between them. It wasn't strange to sleep beside a friend when you were feeling upset, right?

That's what children did when they had nightmares, they would run to their parents bed to seek the closeness and reassurance. 

Akko regretted her decision almost instantly, the usual relief she felt by being in close proximity to the blonde backfiring. As her walls came crashing down, all of the anxiety, doubt and negative feelings she had worked to suppress came back with a roar. What if she had read that tug wrong and had just invaded Diana's space unbidden? She should have confirmed, should have asked. But she had been so starved and desperate to have that physical closeness back, needed it to ground herself that she had accepted the invitation without questioning it. 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Akko tried to quiet the voices that were singing and clutched the comforter, clenching her jaw.

'Thank you, for being you.'  

Akko curled her knees up closer to her chest, remembering the soft smile on Diana's face before she closed her door. The memory brought her some relief before flicking back to the look of serenity on her face as she gazed up at the mountains, moonlight glowing against her cheeks. Before taking a sharp turn and shifting to the look of fear as she felt the cloth against the cut on her head. She felt like she was drowning, she hadn't taken any time to process the events that had transpired recently. Now that things had settled down, the adrenaline dying away, it was like she had suddenly pressed play after being paused for the last three days. The quiet stillness of her surroundings offering no reprieve from the cruel onslaught of her own subconscious. 

It felt like she was being pummeled by wave after wave, crashing into her and forcing her back underwater every time she made it to the surface for air. As she broke through, she would feel momentary relief and attempt to gulp down air, when another wave would crash and she'd end up sputtering water instead.

“Akko.” Diana whispered, rolling over and gently shaking her friend's arm. When the other trainer didn't respond, she slipped her arm under Akko's head, using the other to pull her flush against her chest. Whispering a string of soothing words, “You're okay. Shhh, it's okay.”

The gesture caught her off guard, and it took her a moment to respond. It dawned on her that she was struggling to breath, that her hands were shaking. This was what she had been trying to avoid, to ignore. Akko wound her fingers into the fabric of Diana's shirt, using the physical contact as an anchor, muscles in her arms tensing and she took a deep breath.

Rubbing gentle circles against Akko's back, Diana kept whispering her soothing mantra, humming quietly, shifting closer so she could rest her chin atop Akko's head, fully swallowing her in her embrace. 

Akko sank into the contact, pressing her nose into the crook of the other girl's neck, taking in a deep breath and focusing on the other girl's familiar scent. Too tired to question whether or not she should. Too starved for affection to resist the gentle pull that melded them together, drawn to the radiating heat and quiet thrum of Diana's pulse. Slowly, but surely the gentle beat started to quiet each of the prickling voices, and she found herself starting to relax. 

“I'm sorry,” Akko whispered, breath hot against Diana's neck and she nuzzled her nose closer, breathing in the smell of honey and vanilla that was distinctly, Diana. Focusing on the steady rhythm of Diana's heartbeat, the scrape of her nails when she reached the bottom of her circle on her back, and dragged her fingers back up before going through the motion again.

Diana hummed, the sound vibrating through her chest and reverberating, and it reminded Akko of the way Eevee's purrs sounded when she was using her as a pillow. It was calming, free of any tinge of worry and Akko let the sound direct her own inner storm to stillness. They lay in relative silence, and Akko felt like she was in danger of falling asleep, her doubts and worries successfully defeated with the sound of Diana's heart and gentle humming. 

“You know you can lean on me too,” Diana whispered once Akko had quieted, the arm that was under the brown haired trainer's head curled, fingers running through her hair.

Akko flushed, shivering at the touch and tried to hide the effect Diana's touch had on her. Now that she was beginning to calm, she well, was beginning to not be calm. But differently. Akko became acutely aware of how close her face was to the other girl's neck. Of the fact that the back of her hand was grazing the skin on Diana's stomach, having bunched up the fabric of her shirt, and she stiffened once more. 

Suddenly, she felt like she should move away, like she was taking advantage of Diana's kindness and embarrassment washed over her. Selfishly, she stayed in place, body rigid and enjoying the feeling of Diana's nails on her scalp as she played with her hair. It was a strange mixture of emotions, caught between so nervous she felt like her heart would explode, and relaxed to the point of nearly melting at a simple touch. 

When Akko didn't reply, Diana pinched her hip, and Akko jerked, surprised by the sudden sensation.

“Did you hear me?” Diana asked, sounding slightly amused and draped her arm lazily over Akko's hip. 

Instead of replying, Akko pouted, she didn't know how to respond. She knew what Diana was trying to say, to offer. But she already felt like she relied on her too much, asked for more than she should. Her intention was to help quell some of Diana's stress, some of her burden, not add to it.

“Remember when you said I have a, how did you put it, stone face?” Akko could all but hear the eye roll and stayed quiet. “Well, you have your own type of stone face that bothers me too.” Diana continued, “You have this tendency to pause when you're trying to work through something, and more often than not I can tell you're brushing how you feel under the rug. You aren't a very convincing liar.” 

Akko scrunched up her nose, “You've never caught me lying before.” She retorted, childishly. Should she have admitted to lying? Probably not, but saying she had never lied before would also be a lie, so either would really end up in a loop. 

Diana snorted, fingers slowing steadily as they played with Akko's hair, “I've just never pointed it out before.” Yawning, she shifted slightly and Akko could feel her body relaxing as Diana also began to lose the war with sleep. The room slowly falling back into silence, only broken by the soft sound of breathing.

Akko yawned, struggling to stay awake, head feeling too heavy to raise from where it was resting. Too heavy and far too comfy against the soft warmth that was the nook she had discovered under Diana's chin. Closing her eyes, she managed to mumble, words barely different from a groggy groan, “Hey, Diana?”

Voice thick with sleep, Diana took a moment to reply, seeming to have to fight to stay conscious, “Yes?” Her fingers twitched against Akko's hip, and she curled tighter, leg hooking over Akko's thigh and pulling her closer.

Ignoring the spike of her heart rate, she whispered, “You're one of my favourite people too,” Akko flushed. She wasn't sure how Diana had known that she needed the human contact tonight, or why she had agreed so easily to staying and felt like she should respond to Diana's earlier statement. To make it clear that it wasn't one sided and she appreciated the other girl more than she could express. As much as she was trying to fight it, she was slowly becoming addicted to the other girl's presence. 

She wasn't perfect, or nearly enough to be worthy of the amount of affection that Diana had shown her, but maybe one day she would be.

Diana didn't reply, and Akko heard the shift in her breathing and wondered if she'd fallen asleep without hearing her. That was alright though, she'd have plenty of time to tell her again. Yawning once more, Akko nuzzled her nose closer and finally let herself drift to sleep. Drowning herself in the sound of Diana's heart beat.

The next morning Akko was awoken to the sound of the door opening, followed by a frantic squeak and a string of apologies.

“I'm sorry! I didn't—We'll come back after breakfast, I'm glad you're okay! Bye!” Lotte rushed out, pushing Sucy out of the room before she could say anything and slamming the door shut. Akko blinked, wincing when the morning light caused her eyes to burn, still feeling groggy and exhausted. Every muscle in her body was tight and sore, and she tried to move to alleviate some of the stiffness, momentarily confused when her arm refused to respond.

Drowsy, she looked to the left and found that she had rolled onto her back at some point and Diana was sleeping with her head resting on her shoulder, arm draped over her stomach. It appeared Eevee had woken up at least temporarily during the night, and was curled up against her other side.

Smiling, she scratched behind the kit's ears and received a purr in return. A small part of her was aware that she was going to hear about this later, was going to be subject to endless teasing and pokes, but she was too content to care. Akko turned her head to the side so her nose was pressed against Diana's hair, drifting back to sleep for a little longer. 

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 28

Mystery Boxes and Vials

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Later that morning Akko awoke for the second time and was instantly tackled by an overzealous coordinator, already being smothered in hugs and questions. 

“Are you okay? What happened? Is it true that there was a Team Rocket base in the mountain? Is Eevee okay?”Lotte spewed out in rapid succession, not waiting or leaving time for a reply. “How did you guys get out? Why didn't you wake us? I'm so sorry about this morning—” Suddenly, Lotte fell silent and her face turned from gleeful to angry and Akko tried to shrink into her pillows. “You worried us sick!” Lotte scolded, punching Akko in the arm. It wasn't hard enough to really hurt, but it was definitely not playful either.

“Sorry,” Akko put on her best growlithe-pup pout and it seemed to be enough to quell the other girl's fury, at least momentarily. 

“Don't ever do that again.” Lotte pouted, folding her arms. Akko grinned, and noted that Diana had left at some point, which would probably explain why Lotte wasn't running out the door again. Thankfully Sucy seemed to be missing, and Akko let out a sigh, followed by a loud growl from her stomach.

“I saved you some breakfast,” Lotte giggled. “I'll trade you food for answers.”

After eating and catching Lotte up on recent events, they headed out to find the room where Constance and the rest of her team were staying. It wasn't difficult, Amanda was the only one who rivaled Akko as far as volume was concerned. 

The researcher studied the ball quickly before flashing a thumbs up and closing the door without a word. Akko was about to ask her what that meant when Amanda and Jasminka noted that Eevee was sleeping in her trainer's arms. 

“She's still tired, huh?” Amanda whistled, scratching behind the foxes ears. 

Akko looked down at her partner and sighed, Eevee had woken up and eaten a couple bites of food before going back to sleep. If it weren't for Lotte insisting they had to go to the hospital, she would have just stayed in their room and studied. “Ya, she's still pretty worn out from everything that happened.”

“We could watch her, if you have stuff to do.” Jasminka offered, “Amanda has to study for her gym challenge anyways, and I was just going to work on the final details for my pokemon's costumes.” Amanda nodded, trying to hide her excitement about the prospect of having the fox for the entire day.

“I don't—” Akko began, feeling a little unsure about leaving Eevee behind. 

Lotte cut in, picking up the fox and setting her in Amanda's hands, “That would be great, we're under strict orders to take Akko to the hospital and that would be a big help.”

Pouting, Akko had to fight the urge to snatch her partner back, she had just got her back! Why was no one letting her hold her? “Wait, who's orders?” Akko asked, catching up in the conversation.

Lotte smirked and said in a sing-song tone, “Di-an-a's.”

Akko flushed and beside her Amanda started to snicker, earning a scowl from the embarrassed trainer. Great, now even Lotte was starting to tease her, she had hoped to avoid that with Sucy's absence. “Lotte!” Akko whined, jogging to catch up with the retreating coordinator and sticking out her tongue at Amanda's taunts.

They met up with Sucy outside the pokecenter, and headed to the hospital. Lotte explained that she had bumped into Diana shortly before waking Akko and was informed of the trainer's promise to get checked at the hospital in the morning. Akko had hoped that it would be forgotten, but knew that she should know better by now. 

Sucy remained relatively quiet throughout the journey across town to the hospital, Akko had braced herself for endless teasing after this morning. But was pleasantly surprised when none was forthcoming. Maybe Lotte had finally some headway? Whatever the reason, Akko wasn't about to hand her ammo. Not that she ever needed to.

After being checked over, she was given a shot and a brace for her wrist. Her leg would be fine, it was just scraped and she didn't have any signs of infection. Additionally her head laceration was healing and she passed all the tests the doctor put her through, the only lasting damage was her wrist. It wasn't broken to any degree, that much was a relief, she didn't know how Diana would react if the next time she saw her she had a cast. Somehow she doubted the fab-tastic blonde would have agreed to sign her cast with anything other than a clear threat of bodily harm if she were to suffer anymore bodily harm. Akko found herself giggling at her own joke and had to wave off Sucy's curious look.

What she did have however, was a bad sprain which meant she'd have to wear the brace for a week and make sure not to agitate it. Still a brace wasn't bad, at least she could take it off to shower and it shouldn't be nearly as itchy as casts were. Now if only she could stop hitting it off things by accident. She never realized how close she passed by objects until her arm was an inch thicker.

While Akko was checking out of the hospital, her pokedex dinged. Lotte and Sucy were discussing the upcoming contest that was set to start in two days. Lotte had already signed up and was going over her routine with Sucy, planning to enter both Arthur and her Pikachu. 

Fishing the device from her pocket, Akko grumbled to herself about having to deal with an entire week with only being allowed to use one hand. She flipped it open and skimmed the notification at the top.

“What is it, Akko?” Lotte asked, noticing the perturbed look on the trainer's face.

“Diana just defeated Misty.” Akko mumbled, trying to tap on the notification with her thumb. Why hadn't Diana told her she was planning to fight at the gym today? She would have been there! It couldn't be that she didn't want her there, right?

Recalling the previous night, Akko found herself blushing and put that to rest. No, that wasn't it. Plus that was really fast, what did she do, wake up and then go pummel the gym? Guess that means Cobalt and Abra were both okay.

“That was fast,” Sucy commented, snatching the device out of Akko's fumbling hand and going to the statistics for the trainers. The researcher let out a low whistle and Akko tried to grab the device away, to see what it was the other girl was looking at.

Easily dodging her attempts, Sucy read off the report, “It says the battle took thirty-six seconds. Guess priss-pants really needed to blow off some steam.”

“That can't be right.” Lotte's eyebrows rose and moved to peer over Sucy's shoulder, also ignoring Akko's pout at having her pokedex taken away. They had their own, why weren't they looking at theirs! 

“Well, it's thirty-six seconds of actual battle time. So each time the ref waves his flags the clock stops or starts. Still though, she doesn't waste any time.” Sucy smirked and looked at Akko who was still fuming across from her. The researcher looked like she was about to say something 'Sucy-ish' before she glanced at Lotte who was fixing her with a warning look.

Grumbling to herself, Sucy continued to read the statistics. “It says she only used one pokemon, and defeated both of Misty's without taking a hit. She set a record breaking score.”

“Ya well, then I'll just need to beat it in thirty-five seconds.” Akko mumbled, finally succeeding in snatching back her pokedex and stuffing it in her pocket. Why hadn't Diana let her know she was planning on fighting at the gym? She had come to her battle with Brock so it would only be right for her to return the favour, right? Not that Diana really needed the cheering squad, that much was very obvious.

Lotte looked at Akko's tantrum, confused by her sudden mood change. “What's wrong, Akko?”

Before Akko could reply Professor Ursula came jogging up to the group, looking slightly out of breath, dark bags under her eyes. “Akko! I'm glad I caught you. Hello, Lotte, Sucy.” She nodded to each girl respectively and smiled.

“Oh, hello Professor.” Akko greeted, she hadn't seen Professor Ursula since they had left Pewter City. Whatever she had been up to, she looked ragged and in need of a very long nap.

“Akko, I wanted to talk to you, have you girls had lunch yet?”

~o~

After arguing over what kind of food to get, they sat at an outdoor patio, each munching on their own orders. It had been hard to notice the night before, arriving when it was pitch black but, now that she could see it properly Akko had to admit Cerulean City was gorgeous. 

The entire city had a flowing design, with light blue and white carved stone works and accents on most of the major buildings. It was much larger than Pewter, but not quite as large as Viridian. The city was nestled in the protective coil of the mountains, winding rivers on each side of the city, seamlessly worked into the design. 

There was lush wildlife, thriving from the bountiful water supply, multitudes of flowers littering the homes, yards and surrounding fields. At the center stood the gym, which looked more like a theater than a gym, advertising the show, 'The Sensational Sisters'. Beside the gym stood the Pokemon Contest Hall, bustling with activity as people were rushing to finish the preparation for the upcoming show, accented by a large fountain with a twisting gyarados spouting a spray of water into the sky. 

“So what did you want to talk about, Professor?” Akko asked, mouth still partially full of food. 

Professor Ursula took a drink and adjusted her glasses, “This won't be published for another day or two, but I wanted to let you know ahead of time.” She hesitated, seeming nervous before she delved further. 

“When the task force that rescued you raided the Team Rocket base, they found a device that they believed to lure certain pokemon to them. It put out a frequency that affected those pokemon with an almost trance-like quality.” 

Akko gaped at the Professor, Diana was right. But then, “Wait so you're telling me this because..?”

Eyes sad, Ursula nodded. “Because Eevee falls into that classification of pokemon. It specifically targets pokemon who evolve through the use of evolutionary stones.”

“So then Pikachu and Arthur?” Lotte asked, breaking into the conversation and sounding worried. 

“Would also be put into a similar trance if they were within range and not within their pokeballs, yes,” Professor Ursula confirmed. “The only options we have to combat the device at the moment is either keeping your pokemon that would be affected in their balls at all times while you're traveling to a new area.”

“Or?” Akko immediately interrupted, Eevee would hate that, there was no way she could coup her up in her pokeball indefinitely. Additionally, depending on if Constance had any issues fixing the pokeball, she may end up being cooped up in the pokecenter for a little while. As they had seen in Pewter, not even staying within the town limits was safe.

“Or...” Professor Ursula looked away, seeming uncomfortable, “They have noticed that pokemon that were previously afflicted, but have evolved through an evolutionary stone are no longer affected. That's why the team that rescued you were only employing Arcanine.”

So then, if she wanted Eevee to be safe she had to force her to evolve? Akko frowned and looked down at her plate, losing her appetite. She knew that it was possible that Eevee would evolve one day, what she evolved into was still a mystery, Akko had told the kit she would leave it up to her. But forcing an evolution felt wrong. Even if it was for her own safety, there had to be another way they just hadn't thought of yet.

“There's one more thing, Akko.” Professor Ursula cut in, dragging Akko out of her inner turmoil. “The frequency also has a draining effect on the pokemon who are subjected to it for a long period of time. They aren't sure how it works yet, but the working theory is that it confuses the pokemon's body into thinking it's evolving. However since they are unable to evolve without the stones being present, they are stuck in that middle zone. Kind of like being stuck in a loop with no off ramp available.”

Akko furrowed her brows when something didn't seem to fit, “But evolutionary stones are only one option for Eevee? If the frequency triggers evolution, why didn't she evolve into one of the other options?” Eevee had a lot of different evolution options, sure Flareon, Jolteon and Vaporeon were controlled options. But there was still Leafeon, Glaceon, Umbreon, Espeon and Slyveon. While the grass and ice options also required elemental triggers, the final three would have all been possible. 

Even if Eevee needed to be in direct moonlight or sunlight for the dark or psychic options to work, there was still Slyveon which only required a strong bond with their trainer. Was it because Akko wasn't nearby? But then when Ivysaur pulled the cage, was the frequency off? 

Professor Urusla seemed surprised by the question and chuckled, nervously, “Like I said, it's a working theory. It's not perfect.” She pushed a piece of food around her plate, “I wanted to let you know as soon as I heard, considering your recent run ins and that your team has so many pokemon that could be afflicted.”

Akko nodded, at least the reason Eevee was being drawn away fit. That was the only link that Eevee, Clefairy and Jigglypuff all shared. They all evolved through similar means. She had never heard of a lure being used for an evolutionary type group though. Or was it a lure? Professor Urusla had called it a frequency. So then it was, what? A sound?

“Thank you, Professor.” Akko sighed, for now it didn't matter if she didn't have the answer to every question, what did matter was that they knew what was causing it, sort of. So now she just had to figure out what to do about it.

She really hoped that Constance would be able to repair Eevee's pokeball.

After finishing lunch, the team bid farewell to the Professor and went their separate ways. Sucy mentioned wanting to check something for her research and left for their room at the pokecenter, leaving her explanation vague at best. Lotte decided to go and finish smoothing out her routine with Pikachu and Arthur, leaving Akko to her own devices. 

After lunch with Professor Ursula she had decided to exercise Mizar and Ivysaur which was a disaster. Mizar had been so excited to finally be out of his ball that he ended up scaring Ivysaur and she had to recall the frightened dinosaur and chase down Mizar. He ended up making a game of being caught and had Akko running all over town, even making a show of sitting on roofs and preening when she lagged behind. He really was putting on a show of flipping her the figurative bird.

Somehow she was sure it was payback for making him go without dinner one night, apparently being kidnapped was not a good enough excuse. So, in an effort to make sure that tomorrow's training would go smoothly she decided to head to the dinner hall and fed her grouchy team, packing a snack for Eevee and hiding it in her bag before leaving.

Unable to get the conversation with the Professor from her mind, she decided to go and check on Eevee and see if Constance had made any progress. Constance hadn't given her an ETA on when her pokeball would be repaired, but she was hoping that she might have a better idea about when the repair would be finished by now. Plus she had to pick up Eevee, even though Amanda had made it crystal clear she didn't have to rush, or come back at all.

A moment after knocking, there was a crash followed by the door swinging open with a friendly wave from Jasminka. Behind her, Amanda was playing some form of game, at least Akko hoped it was a game, with Eevee. The duo were crashing all over the room, knocking books and bags flying in their wake.

“Hey, how's—” Akko had to duck when Eevee jumped and Tail Whipped a pillow that went off course and nearly smacked her in the face. “—Eevee sitting going?” She finished, caught between wanting to join in and wondering if she should do something to calm the kit. It was still whiplash to see her go from sleeping for nearly an entire day to being back to full of energy, at least now she knew the reason.

“Great!” Amanda grabbed a set of rolled up socks that had landed on the desk and whipped them at the fox who dodged them with a twist. “Just about to finish whooping this one's butt!” 

Eevee barked back her own smack talk and knocked the socks back with another slap from her tail, Amanda narrowly dodging the return projectiles. They continued to trade blows as Akko stepped inside, closing the door behind her and looking at Jasminka.

“What game are they playing?” Eevee seemed to be enjoying herself whatever it was, she was hunkered down and letting out a string of her own insults to counter Amanda's, fur along her spine bristled and tail wagging furiously.

“Ya whatever, you fluff butt!” Amanda scoffed, grabbing a pillow by her feet and rocketing it at the tiny fox who held the high ground on the top bunk across the room.

“Eeeee!” Eevee squawked back, fur puffing up, apparently insulted by the nickname and breaking the pillow with a Swift attack. A burst of fluffy filling broke apart and littered the room floor like snowfall, leaving only the proud pokemon strutting like a peacock.

“That's cheating!” Amanda whined, looking at Constance, “Right? You're the ref!”

Constance looked up from her desk and between the two contestants, flashing a thumbs up before going back to work.

Eevee puffed out her chest and Amanda let out a whine, “Oh please, you're totally biased.”

Jasminka giggled and looked at Akko to answer her earlier question, “I don't think it has a name, they just started throwing things at each other and eventually started keeping score.”

Akko looked around the mostly destroyed room, it did look like they were having a lot of fun but Lotte would kill her if their room looked like this. She got annoyed if even a sock was left on the floor. Maybe she could join in here next time, or they could play outside and include all the pokemon, set up teams—

Oh right, she was here for a reason.

“I was actually going to ask how her pokeball was coming along,” Akko tried to peek at what Constance was doing but was blocked by her angle with the desk. Whatever she was doing, it looked rather intense, she was wearing magnifying goggles that had a light connected at the brow, a series of tools and heat guns laying strewn about. A magnemite sat on the desk, a power clamp connected to one of the magnets that seemed to be powering the device Constance was using. The electric type appeared to be enjoying itself, letting out a happy hum.

“Constance finished it a while ago, she's actually just finished working on an upgrade as well.” Jasminka replied, seeming unperturbed when Amanda rolled and ducked behind her to avoid a barrage of three socks launched in rapid succession. 

Akko paused at that, an upgrade? What kind of upgrade could you possibly give a pokeball? They were all pretty standard right?

Before she could ask, Eevee launched herself to land on Akko's shoulder and the trainer barely caught her in time, caught by surprise. Lighting up her mouth, sock in her teeth, Eevee launched a propelled sock at Amanda where she was hiding, hitting her directly in the forehead.

“Winner!” Jasminka clapped and Eevee cooed, wiggling happily.

“Pssh, whatever. I vote for a rematch.” Amanda pouted, unable to completely wipe the amusement from her face as she stood up, rubbing her head. “Good fight, little fluff-butt.” 

Eevee grumbled at the nickname from where she sat on Akko's shoulder, nuzzling her trainer's head affectionately.

“Thank you guys for agreeing to watch her today.” Akko said, reaching up to scratch under the kit's chin and receiving an appreciative rumble in response. “I couldn't get her out of bed this morning, but it looks like she's feeling better.”

“Of course, we'll Eevee-sit anytime you need.” Amanda offered, looking around the demolished room and letting out a sigh as she scratched at the back of her head. “She woke up around lunch time and then started zipping around, seems fine now. Any idea what keeps causing that?” 

Akko looked sidelong, registering that Jasminka had begun to feed Eevee some form of snack, pulling the brown pellets out of a pouch on her hip. Whatever it was, Eevee seemed to love them and was nearly abandoning Akko in her effort to get more. Jasminka was a coordinator like Lotte, maybe all coordinators were just gifted with knowing what food pokemon liked? 

Eevee's favourite treats were Lotte's after all.  

“Actually,” Akko drawled, watching the fox and remembering the conversation with Professor Ursula. She went on to reiterate the information the Professor had provided her with, since it was okay for one of the teams to be told, there was no harm in telling others, right?

After doing her best to explain the frequency that Team Rocket had been using, Amanda let out a low whistle. 

“Wow,” She breathed, looking at Constance who had turned from her work to listen as well. “Those bastards.” Amanda finished, scowling as she started to once again tidy the room up. By tidy it was more an effort to make a walkway, or trail through the chaos. “So Professor Ursula said the only thing you can do is either keep Eevee in her ball,” Upon hearing that suggestion Eevee let out a growl, flattening her ears.

“Or,” Amdana continued, “have her evolve. Neither of those sound like great options.”

Constance slid out of her chair, feet not quite reaching the floor from her perch and walked over to Akko, holding up a forest green ball with red quotation marks on either side of the center button, separated by a single yellow dot.

“That's not Eevee's pokeball,” Akko mumbled, staring at the strange pokeball. She had seen some of the professional trainers who had different coloured pokeballs, but she had always assumed they had simply been decaled. 

“It's a Friend Ball,” Constance responded simply, handing the ball to Akko with an air of finality.

Jasminka chuckled at Akko's confused expression, holding Eevee in her arms who looked completely content. “Constance is from the Johto region and is rather skilled at pokeball modifications, when Amanda and I were talking earlier about how much Eevee hates her pokeball she started to work on this. She switched out the upper half of Eevee's ball and altered it. A Friend Ball is designed to help a pokemon who has some anxiety towards pokeballs, they have soothing effects. This way, if she has to be recalled, hopefully it won't be as unpleasant.”

Constance nodded, waiting for Akko to respond to the gesture.

Akko looked at the ball in her hand, running her thumb over the shiny new upgrades to Eevee's pokeball. She didn't know what to say, she hadn't expected something so generous. “Thank you,” She beamed, blinking back happy tears and sweeping Constance up into a rib crushing hug.

The much smaller girl grunted at the unexpected strength Akko possessed, but let slip a small smile and a thumbs up to show she understood.

After staying to talk a while longer, and after Amanda and Eevee breaking out in a wrestling match, Akko stood in the doorway, waving goodbye with Eevee by her heels. The kit let out a large yawn, scratching at her ears as the door clicked shut.

Akko was about to walk back towards her room when she heard the door open behind her, Amanda stepping out into the hallway with a small, black box in her hands. “Did I forget something?” Akko asked, eyeing the box, it didn't look like anything she owned. Oh crap, maybe Eevee broke something important. She glanced down at the fox who was licking her paw and attempting to groom her mussed up fur.

Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time. And she had been earning some money from all the sponsors and fans Mizar had generated in Pewter, so she should be able to afford it... Hopefully.

“No, um—” Amanda shifted, feeling awkward and fiddling with the box in her hands. “Look, I just thought you should have these, just in case.” She shoved the box at Akko who fumbled in her effort to catch the gift shoved at her chest. “You know, in case you wanted to—” 

Amanda scratched at the back of her head, “Jeez, I'm not good at this. Look, I just really like the little fluff-butt and would hate to see anything happen to her. So I wanted you to have other options, in case you decide to go that way.”

She peeked at Akko, feeling her cool-girl air in place before scoffing, “It's whatever, just don't tell anyone I gave it to you. I don't want other people to expect freebies.”

Without waiting for a reply, Amanda turned and went back into her room, shutting the door.

Akko blinked, bewildered by the development and looked down at the small box in her hands. It was only about fifteen centimeters long, and about half as wide, with a simple silver clasp and black, painted wood. “What was that about?” She asked.

Eevee looked up mid-lick, tongue still sticking out of her mouth and tilted her head.

“Well, I guess we'll find out soon, let's go find Lotte and Sucy.” Akko tucked the box under her arm and started down the hallway towards her team's room, Eevee trotting to catch up and walk beside her. Amanda had said not to let anyone know she had given whatever it was to her, so opening the box in the hallway probably wasn't the best idea.

“We're back!” Akko called, closing the door behind her and kicking off her shoes, nearly jumping out of her skin when she noticed the mass on Sucy's bed. Sitting on the researcher's bed was the violet haired girl, covered in four Paras and one Parasect, their trainer unaffected by the bug pokemon skittering over and around her. For a moment it had looked like a mound of mushrooms had overtaken Sucy's bed.

Akko shuddered, and considered leaving the room. Her skin was crawling just looking at it, since when did Sucy have that many bug pokemon? Eevee hissed behind her, puffing up and hiding behind her trainer's legs.

“Oh, it's you.” Sucy drawled, blinking slowly before returning her attention to the vials in her hands. “Lotte is still out going through her routine with Pikachu and Arthur, she should be back soon.”

“Okay…” Akko replied slowly, swallowing. Maybe she should go, normally she didn't mind bug pokemon, at least not in small quantities, but Sucy was literally covered in them. There were so many eyes, and legs! Oh god, so many legs. Covered in oh so many tiny hairs. And didn't Sucy say they needed to be careful in the caves around the Paras and Parasect? Wasn't it dangerous for her to be covered in so many of them?

“So, uh—” Akko tried, locking eyes with one Paras who clicked his pincers at her, and Akko had to resist the urge to shiver. Why did their eyes have to be so beady? “When did you capture...?”

Sucy paused in her note taking and looked up, slowly looking left and right as if she was just remembering that she was, in fact, covered in insects. “Oh, after the cave in. They were just as scared of the Onyx as we were, and since their home was destroyed. Which was your fault, in case you forgot. I decided to take them with me, they're really cute, don't you think?” 

The researcher reached out and scratched the forehead of the closest Paras, smiling softly, expression mirroring a mother looking at a newborn babe.

Akko chuckled nervously, inching her way towards her bed on the other side of the room. “Right, c-cute,” Totally not the creepiest thing she had ever seen. She never thought she'd miss Oscar, or wish that Sucy had six Grimers instead of five bugs and one Grimer. “Didn't you say those were dangerous to get too close to in the mountain?”

Sucy rolled her eyes, not raising them from her work. “They won't release a spore cloud in here unless you spook them. And even then it will probably be a paralysis cloud instead of a poison cloud. You'd only be unable to move for an hour, two tops. So as long as you don't spook them you'll be fine.”

Akko slowly slinked from where her back was pressed against the wall and climbed onto her bed to press herself against the far wall. Eevee pushed at her trainer's lower back, forcing her way into hiding, using Akko as a shield, only her tail poking out.

Somehow she was beginning to think that Sucy's definition of fine and hers were completely different. Were those things even trained yet? It had taken her more than a week to finally get Mizar to listen to her, actually much longer than a week… He still only listened about half of the time. And Sucy had them for like what, three days?

Ivysaur was a little different, since she had had a trainer prior to her. So it wasn't as much as training a wild pokemon, as it was retraining a rescued pokemon. It was still yet to be seen if that would be easier or harder.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes when it occurred to Akko that they had never really been alone together before. Lotte had always been there to break the tension, or strike up conversation, or protect her from Sucy's teasing. Come to think of it, what did Akko really know about the researcher? She'd never really spent a lot of time talking to her, about her. Most of their conversations were, 'So what dumb thing did you do now? Or, 'I saw you staring at Diana's butt.'

Akko's eyebrow twitched, recalling all of their previous, 'conversations.' Sucy did seem more 'relaxed' today. She hadn't said a single word about this morning, maybe today was a good day to try to talk to her a little more?

She honestly didn't even really know what Sucy was researching or why. She knew it had something to do with poison type pokemon, wait, she did mention something about the move Toxic. No, that was just her offering an interesting tidbit. Interesting being subjective. Still, maybe it would help if she tried to form at least a tentative friendship with the other girl. Hell, she'd talked to the entire green team more than Sucy, and considering Constance wasn't exactly the chatty type that was rather pathetic.

At this point she'd almost talked to Barbara and Hannah more.

Akko scrunched up her nose in distaste, well there was no way she couldn't not correct that now. No way she was letting those two win at anything.

“So,” Akko drawled, pointedly looking away from the chittering mass of insects. She couldn't let Sucy know they bothered her, or she'd end up using them to prank her. Before she knew it she'd wake up with one crawling on her face in her sleep. Akko shivered, for her own sanity she needed to play it cool. “Whatcha doing?”

Sucy peeked up through a half-lidded eye, seeming unamused by the attempt at small talk. “Collecting spore samples and comparing them to see if there's any difference that correlates with the different diets I have them on.”

“Cool, cool,” Akko rocked back on her heels, earning a muffled squeak from Eevee when she nearly squished the hiding fox without thinking. Shifting her rump so there was more room for the kit, she tried to think of what else she could say. Sucy hadn't exactly left her answer open for questions...

“So uh, why are you doing... That?” Akko asked, fiddling with the box on her lap and resisting the urge to scratch at the scabs on her thigh. They were just so itchy! But Diana had told her not to scratch or she'd scar. Not that, that really mattered. Her legs were already littered with scars from childhood training attempts. Maybe scratching just a little wouldn't hurt, but it would look really awkward to scratch her left leg with her right hand. And she wasn't supposed to do anything strenuous with her left while it was in the brace. Did scratching count as strenuous?

Sucy watched the trainer, aware that her attention span had already ended and her mind was off in la-la land and debated on whether or not she actually had to answer the question. Or if she could just go back to work and let Akko riddle herself into forgetting.

The researcher silently contemplated her options before breaking out an evil grin, reaching for a vial from the stand on her desk and tapping her finger against it. “I'll tell you if you drink this.”

Akko snapped her attention back to the conversation at hand and eyed the vial of unknown contents, suspiciously. “Why..?”

Sucy shrugged, setting two of the Paras on the floor who skittered under her bed and Akko pushed herself back further. Please, please tell her that Sucy wasn’t letting them live there. She would really need to do a bug count before going to sleep, or she was going to have nightmares about literal bed bugs. 

“I'm bored, and I just thought since we're friends, you wouldn't mind.” She replied, nonchalant. “And if you do, I'll answer anything you want.” 

Akko considered the proposition, Lotte had been after her to try to be friendlier with Sucy. So if Sucy was claiming this was what it took for them to be friends, maybe it was a bullet she just needed to bite. Or drink? Wait, you can't really drink bullets? Focus, Akko.

She returned her attention back to the liquid Sucy was holding, it wouldn't kill her, right? Sucy liked teasing her, but she wouldn't actually try to kill her, right? No, there was no way she'd do something that could actually hurt her. It probably just tasted like rotten something and Sucy would get a good laugh, but that was worth finally making some progress with her.

Eyeing the vial, full of purple liquid Akko weighed the pro's and con's. If she got the chance to ask Sucy anything, maybe she could finally get some dirt on the other girl and finally have something to fight back with. It would be nice for Sucy to be on the receiving end for once.

“Alright, I'll do it.” Akko agreed, taking the vial that Sucy offered and sniffing it once. She recoiled instantly, watching the wide grin, overflowing with glee, overtake Sucy's visage. It smelt like burnt garbage. It was definitely going to taste vile, whatever was in that vial. Heh. Stop it, Akko! Focus!

Well, bottoms up. Akko raised the vial to her lips, tilting her head back and swallowed the entire thing in one gulp. It burned her throat, enough to make her eyes water and then the next thing she knew the room was spinning and her pillow came up to greet her.

“Huh, I didn't think you'd actually do it.” Sucy mused, looking dumbstruck. “Well, shit. I better make sure she doesn't die or Diana and Lotte will kill me.” 

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 29

Diana vs. Sucy

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Akko groaned, pushing herself up on her elbows and had to fight to stop herself from vomiting instantly. Her head was swimming and colours seemed to be shifting, it would almost be pretty if it weren't incredibly disorienting. 

Seemingly out of thin air, Lotte's face appeared in her line of sight and Akko smiled weakly. She was about to greet the coordinator, but had to once again wrestle with her gag reflex. Struggling to keep her dinner down, she heard an argument break out between her two teammates.

“What did you do!?” Lotte demanded, bunching up her fists and standing over Sucy who had her hands raised in surrender.

“I didn't do anything, she drank it all on her own. It's not my fault she's so stupid,” The researcher defended, looking a little guilty. She had her back pressed against the wall beside her bed and was trying to shrink away from the tinier, but surprisingly, very intimidating girl.

“Sucy!” Lotte yelled, face turning red. The researcher flinched and glanced toward Akko, with an expression a curious mixture of annoyance, curiosity and guilt. “I told you, you have to stop picking on Akko! What did you give her?!”

Sucy chuckled, nervously. “Well, I think I should remind you that I didn't think she'd actually drink it.” The researcher gulped when her redheaded friend's glower darkened, “If I'm being honest I don't really know what she drank, it was this mixture I was making for Oscar to—”

“You made her drink Grimer food?” Lotte shrieked, “They feed off toxic waste and garbage!” 

“Like I said—” Sucy tried to interject. Clamming her mouth shut quicker than a Cloyster's Vice Grip when she was once again subjected to Lotte's ire. 

Akko listened to the exchange, barely processing what was being said while her head spun. Eevee was sniffing at her mouth and hissed, puffing up and slapping the vial that had fallen to the bed. All of her focus was currently on trying not to throw up, and she squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to stop the room from spinning. 

‘I’m going to be sick’, she tried to warn them but found the words difficult to get out. She felt another wave of nausea and was barely able to withstand the barrage and decided it was probably best if she headed for the bathroom. It wouldn't be pleasant for anyone if she lost the war with her stomach anywhere else in the room. Akko opened her eyes and tried to focus on the doorway to the bathroom, the doorway that didn't seem to want to hold still.

Lotte seemed to be talking to someone, but all Akko could hear was Eevee's concerned croons as she nosed at her trainer's cheek. A couple minutes later the door opened again and Akko was distracted from her mental journey to the mysterious swaying doorway when she felt a cold hand on her forehead.

“What did she drink?” Diana asked, pressing the back of her hand to Akko's cheek and pursing her lips. Lotte glanced at Sucy, who did not answer fast enough for the trainer's liking. “I would suggest you tell me the truth, if I report that you poisoned your teammate on purpose you will be expelled from the program.” Diana hissed.

Lotte squeaked out a reply, “Sucy said it was something she was making for Oscar.” The coordinator looked at Sucy who had fallen silent, and seemed torn. On one hand she wanted to make sure Akko would be alright, on the other she didn't want Sucy to be expelled.

“Don't,” Akko groaned, clutching her stomach. Diana turned her focus back to the sweating trainer.

“Akko—” Diana started to argue, stopping when Akko gave her a pleading look, only managing to shake her head, 'no'. Unable to deny the other girl anything and crumbling under the plaintive stare she was subjecting her to. “Fine, but if you don't start to improve, I'm taking you to the hospital no matter how much you protest.” Without leaving room for further debate, she turned back to Lotte and issued an order.

“Can you go to my room and ask Barbara and Hannah for my medical pouch?” Diana asked, kneeling in front of the bed with a scowl firmly placed on her face. Her unhappiness with Akko's decision was apparent across her taut lips.

Akko felt her stomach do a flip, warning of another assault of her churning gut. Waving with her hands, she tried to motion for Diana to move her face away. She felt her arm being draped over the other trainer's shoulder and was about to protest, her head spinning from being pulled upwards.

Diana grunted, struggling to lift the weight of the other trainer. “Can you help me?” She snapped at Sucy and the researcher rose to her feet, hesitantly ducking under Akko's other arm. 

“You better not puke on me.” She muttered, looking away when Diana glared at her.

Together, they helped Akko walk towards the bathroom and the trainer felt momentary relief before realizing that she was about to throw up in front of Diana. Maybe she was wrong and whatever Sucy had her drink would kill her. At least that would be a small mercy. There was no way she was going to let herself do that in front of Diana, she'd just have to wait until she left the bathroom. Or just not, that was totally plausible as well. Akko fought a sudden surge from her stomach, losing some confidence in her ability to follow through with the last option.

A moment later Lotte was back, tailed by Barbara and Hannah who were trying to figure out what was going on. 

Great, now her humiliation would be spread everywhere. They would probably tape the whole thing and post it somewhere. No question was worth this. Akko groaned, causing Diana to flinch, looking at her with squinted eyes, bracing herself. Sucy almost let go, but froze when she noticed the look Lotte had fixed her with.

Once Akko had settled again, they moved quickly to finish their trek. They made it to the bathroom and helped Akko sit in front of the toilet, Diana taking her bag from Hannah and Barbara.

“Oh my god, is she going to?” Hannah asked, curling up her nose and pushing Barbara out of the bathroom. “What moronic thing did she do now?” The coordinator asked, retreating to the main, suddenly very cramped, room. 

A moment later Eevee crashed into the bathroom, squeezing past the multitudes of legs before being swept up by Lotte, little legs still running mid air. The fox let out a plaintive cry and tried to wiggle free, wanting to be there to support her trainer. “Oh no you don't. I do not want to bathe you later because you were too close.” 

While Lotte left the bathroom, closing the door for some privacy, Diana finished rummaging through her bag and took out a jar. Putting on a glove she twisted the lid off and dipped her fingers into the paste, her other hand tugging the neck of Akko's shirt down to expose her collar.

“Try to hold still,” She muttered, face angry. 

Akko was about to ask why when she felt Diana wipe the paste over her chest, and her skin tingled, the smell instantly coiled into her sinuses and she felt her stomach roar. Oh Arceus. There was no way she was going to be able to stop it now. The trainer looked at the gorgeous blonde sitting on the tiled floor beside her with a look of horror. She was about to tell her to get out when the first wave hit her, and she could barely react in time to make sure she hit the mark in front of her.

Diana wound her hands into Akko's hair, holding it back and looking away with a grimace. 

Once the wave had passed, Akko groaned and flushed the toilet, letting her forehead rest on the cold of the seat. She wanted to just disappear. Her entire body felt like it was sweating, her stomach was letting out dull pounding waves of pain and her throat felt raw. But more important than any of that, Diana had just witnessed her shame. This was it, her crowning achievement for lifetime embarrassment. 

Akko was vaguely aware of the other girl rubbing her back and looking at the other wall, trying to focus on the conversation in the other room that could barely be heard through the closed door. 

“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” Diana chided, leaning back against the cabinet.

Akko pouted, she didn't want to tell her, she was just going to scold her and say she was stupid like everyone else. Oh. Crap. It hadn't even been a full day since she had promised to be more careful. Stupid, Akko! Besides, even if she wanted to answer her, she didn't trust herself to speak and having only words come out of her mouth just yet.

When no answer was forthcoming, Diana continued to rummage through her bag. “The medicine I put on your chest forces you to throw up, it's used on people or pokemon who ingest something they shouldn't have. So don't try and fight it.” 

Akko jerked her head up, looking at the other girl. So Diana had inducted her shame into the hall of glory? Betrayal! She was about to squeak something indignant when she caught a whiff of the smell again and felt the tell tale sign that the war roiling in her stomach wasn't over.

Once again, Diana wound her hand in Akko's hair and held it out of the way, waiting until she had finished emptying the contents of her stomach. 

After successfully surviving wave two, Diana tried a different attack approach. “Well, if you aren't going to tell me what happened. Can you give me a reason why I shouldn't report your teammate and have her career ended as a researcher?”

Akko swallowed, once again resting her head on the smooth cold of the seat, the frosty porcelain doing wonders for her mounding headache. “Because it was my fault.” Diana hummed to herself, lips pulling into a tight line as she seemed to be listening to the conversation in the other room. 

“Somehow I doubt that,” Diana muttered, gaze fixated on the closed door.

Feeling guilty, Akko shifted her weight off her knees, her legs starting to fall asleep and moved to sit on her rump. She wanted to assure Diana it wasn't Sucy's fault, because it really wasn't, she hadn't forced her to drink it. Had just offered it as an option, she was the one who had drank something without asking what it was. Still, if she told Diana that it would be explaining what happened, and then she'd be really angry. It was also possible Sucy had meant it as a joke, she did have a strange sense of humor.

Scrunching her face in displeasure, Akko muttered, “We were talking and I asked her a question, and she said if I drank what was in the vial she would answer anything I wanted. Like I said, it was my fault, she was probably just joking. I should have asked what it was before swallowing it.” The nervous trainer looked at her friend who was still glaring holes into the door and gulped. It was times like these that if Akko were to guess what type of pokemon Diana would be, she would be sure it was a fire type.

Not that she often imagined her friends as pokemon, just sometimes. “Sorry.” Akko continued, and before she could say anything more the third wave hit her and her embarrassment tripled with it. Thankfully, with the third bout came a small mercy, feeling empty and seeing the end in reach.

“Urg,” Akko groaned once it was over. She really hoped that was everything, she didn't think she could go through another round of that. More importantly, she didn't want to do that in the present company again. 

She felt Diana rub her back once more before pushing herself to stand and running a washcloth under cold water, sitting back down and pressing it against Akko's forehead. “You don't need to apologize, Akko.”

Akko felt herself sink into the cold fabric as relief washed over her, her stomach still raw but it also felt like she might have a moment of reprieve. “You aren't mad?” She whispered, meekly. Or disgusted, entirely grossed out and never wanting to interact with me again?

“Of course not,” Diana responded, offering a sad smile. 

“Oh,” Akko mumbled, she had been sure Diana would be furious. Maybe she just didn't remember their conversation from last night? No, that couldn't be it. And Diana was too smart to not make the connection. Akko scrunched up her nose, and asked, confused, “Why not?”

Diana returned the confused look, “Because it isn't your fault, you trusted your teammate and she played a cruel joke on you.” The heiress' expression darkened and her eyebrow twitched as she looked back at the door, “And I still don't see why I shouldn't destroy her the second you're feeling better.”

Akko chuckled, nervously. The image of a furious Diana chasing after a fleeing Sucy was a rather humorous one, even if it wasn't something she would wish on anyone. “She did tell Lotte she didn't think I'd be stupid enough to do it.” She offered, trying to lighten the mood. As if that explanation would work to quell some of Diana's fury. 

Diana turned her attention back to her ailing companion, expression serious, “Akko, you aren't stupid.”

In response, Akko frowned. She certainly felt stupid at the moment, sitting on the bathroom floor after emptying the contents of her stomach in front of this literal goddess because she drank something she shouldn't have. She was going to have to think of a really good question to make up for this humiliation. Maybe she could ask Sucy if she had a crush on someone? Then she could get her back for all the times she teased her about Diana. No, that might not work. What if Sucy doesn't like anyone and then the only answer she gets is, 'no one'. Then this would all be for nothing.

“Akko,” Diana prodded, trying to draw the daydreaming trainer's attention back to their conversation. “Can I ask you something?” Once Akko had returned her focus to the conversation at hand, and had nodded her agreement, Diana continued. 

“Did you think there was a chance that what Sucy had offered you would hurt you?”

Akko flushed, no, she hadn't. “No,” She mumbled in response before elaborating, “I knew it would probably taste gross, since she likes to prank and tease me. But I thought it wouldn't hurt me, Sucy might like to poke fun but she isn't a mean person.”

“Then why do you think you're stupid?” Diana prompted, and Akko felt her eyebrows being drawn together as she tried to figure out where the other girl was going with this. 

“Because I drank Grimar food...” Akko replied, still searching for what the point of that question was. Wasn't it obvious? Because it didn't matter if she thought that it wouldn't make her sick, she had been wrong. Hence her current predicament. 

“That doesn't make you stupid,” Diana smiled softly, grabbing a berry from the same pack that she had taken the paste from, and offered it to the other girl with an expectant look. Akko eyed the purple and pink berry, taking it from Diana's palm and her stomach roiled. Looking back up at the waiting girl, Akko resigned herself and swallowed the small fruit, finding the taste a soft sweetness. “It just means you trust your friends.”

Akko frowned, confused by Diana's statement. 

Seeing that her point hadn't quite landed home, Diana grabbed another berry from her bag, identical to the one Akko had just eaten. “Do you know what this is?” When Akko shook her head, 'no' she continued. “If you didn't know what it was, why did you eat it?”

Akko scowled, feeling like she was about to be scolded but answered anyway. “Because I know you wouldn't give me something that would hurt me?” She asked, glancing sideways to see if she had answered correctly or not.

Diana smirked, a hidden glint in her eyes as she continued. “It's a Pecha Berry. It's used to cure, and combat poisoning, and this,” Diana held a small brown root that shone a bright pinkish-orange on the inside. “This is ginger root, people eat it to help kill any bacteria they may have ingested, it also helps to settle an upset stomach.”

“Ok...” Akko mumbled, not following Diana's point. She watched, semi-impatiently as the other girl stood once more and wet another cloth. Crouching down, Diana gently tugged the collar of Akko's shirt back down and wiped the paste from her chest and washed the cloth clean, cheeks tinged with a faint blush. 

“Before I explained those to you, did you know what they were?” Diana asked, focusing on cleaning the cloth and washing her hands thoroughly.

Akko pouted, leaning back, relieved to find that her stomach had settled immensely now that the smell was gone. Or maybe it was the berry. Or both, she honestly hadn't heard of most of what Diana was explaining to her before. “No,” She admitted.

“Do you believe me, now that I've explained what they are?” Diana continued and Akko felt her irritation rising, she really wished Diana would get to her point. All this drawn out explanation was accomplishing was making her feel stupider. Was stupider a word? Stupidish? Stupiderer? What do you call a dumb spider? A stupiderer. Heh.

“Akko.” Diana smirked, aware she had drifted off again, sitting down once more.

“Yes,” Akko huffed. Embarrassed at being caught not paying attention. Of course she believed her, what reason would she have for lying? 

“Why?” Diana poked, trying to suppress a grin.

Akko felt her eyebrow twitch in irritation, reaching the limit of her patience, head still pounding. Even if the cold cloth was doing wonders for dulling it slightly. “What do you mean why? Because you're my friend and I trust you, I know you wouldn't give me anything that would hurt me.” Oh. Crap. Akko caught herself mid-sentence and could all but see the amused smirk on Diana's face growing by the second. 

“Well,” Akko flushed, realizing she had walked directly into the point Diana was trying to make. “That still doesn't mean it wasn't stupid.”

Diana lightly touched Akko's thigh and smiled gently, “No, it just means you trust people and see the best in them. I have no doubt that before you drank that, you had already concluded that you'd be fine because you were sure Sucy wouldn't hurt you.” 

Akko couldn't help glancing at where Diana was touching her and blushed, looking at the door behind the other girl. “So you really aren't mad?” 

“No, Akko. Of course not.” Diana assured, “At least not at you.” The dark look that promised the future demise of one researcher returned and Akko chuckled nervously. “If I'm being honest, I really don't know why you consider her a friend. I realize you're forced to be on the same team, but from what you've told me, she seems like a bit of a bi—” Diana bit off the last word, looking a little surprised and cleared her throat. “A rather unpleasant person with a cruel sense of humor.”

Akko giggled, “You know she said something similar about you.” Wait. She shouldn’t have said that.

Akko glanced at the other girl and scolded herself. She really shouldn't have said that. Diana's expression had changed to irritation and she struggled to keep her voice under control.

“Oh? What did she say exactly?” The other girl asked.

“Uh...” Akko mumbled, trying to figure out a way to say that Sucy had accused Diana of having a stick up her ass in a way that wouldn't make her angry. Angrier. Angrierer. Not this again, focus! “You know, I actually feel better. Why don't we go see if Sucy survived Lotte?” Akko offered, trying to desperately change the topic of conversation.

For a moment, Diana looked like she was going to protest before sighing and relenting. She held out the ginger root and a second Pecha berry for Akko to eat before helping her to her feet. 

Akko staggered to her feet, and flinched when she once again felt Diana wrap her arm around her waist, offering support without a word. The embarrassed trainer mumbled assurance that she would be fine to walk on her own, and squinted against the bright lights. Diana hovered close by as she opened the door, mimicking a momma Pidgey ready to catch her baby when she fell during its first flight. The action only helped to increase Akko's embarrassment, and with a deep breath she opened the bathroom door on wobbly legs.

Eevee instantly jumped up from where she was curled up with her nose pressed against the bottom of the door and spun in a circle. 

“Hey, pretty girl,” Akko chuckled, trying not to step on the overzealous fox. “I'm fine, promise.” She assured the fox, and noted that Barbara and Hannah were still there. Great. Just what she needed. If she were being honest she had almost forgotten that they were there, and had hoped they had left. Luck really didn't seem to be on her side today.

“How are you feeling?” Lotte asked, sitting on the top bunk with a look of deep concern. 

Akko chuckled, trying to downplay the worry. She really did feel better, her stomach just felt like it had gone through a serious beating and her throat was a little raspy, but overall like she'd be alright in a couple hours. “Better,” If she were being honest, her pride had taken the biggest hit. “Diana gave me some fruit and it seemed to do the trick.” Akko flashed a smile, trying to help alleviate some of the worry from her friend.

A small part of her was also trying to help quell some of the rage that Diana had currently focused on the researcher, even if Sucy was doing her best to appear unperturbed. The guilty girl was sitting with her legs folded and watching Akko with an air of nonchalance, only her trained focus on Akko giving away her concern. 

“See, I told you she'd be fine.” Sucy said, ignoring the glare the heir had set on her as she waited for Akko to sit on the bottom bunk, who was leaning her back against the wall with a sigh of relief. Eevee hopped up after her, sitting beside her trainer sniffing her, curiously.

“Sucy!” Lotte hissed, fixing the researcher with a look that clearly showed she was expecting something specific.

Sucy looked up at the unimpressed coordinator and sighed, glancing down to where Akko was sitting and scrunched up her nose like she was the one who had to eat something unpleasant. “Fine, I'm sorry that Akko was stupid enough to drink Grimar food.”

This time it was Diana who corrected Sucy's half-attempt at an apology, turning to catch the researcher's eye and raising an eyebrow. A clear threat that she needed to do better than that.

“I'm sorry, okay?” Sucy pulled her knees up to her chest, looking uncomfortable with all the eyes fixed on her, “I really didn't think she'd drink it.” The researcher glanced at the collection of vials that were sitting in the rack on the desk, unable to resist mumbling out one last sassy remark. “In my defense, Akko is the one who has a doctor for a girlfriend. So it's not like anything that bad would happen.”

“Pardon?” Diana sputtered, freezing in her motion to sit down next to Akko and glancing at the other girl in question with a searching look. Akko was about to assure her she hadn't claimed any such thing, it was just Sucy teasing them when Lotte cut in.

“Sucy!” Lotte shrieked from above Akko and Diana.

“What?” Sucy retorted, a mischievous smile on her face as she attempted to redirect the conversation. “Holding hair back while you upchuck is girlfriend/boyfriend behavior. Not to mention what we walked in on this morning—”

Diana cleared her throat, cutting off the researcher with a slightly mortified look. Despite her embarrassment, she did her best to steel her expression. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but you did promise Akko to answer any question she wanted if she drank that vile concoction, didn’t you?” 

Hannah looked ready to burst upon hearing Sucy's teasing and was looking between Barbara and Diana, demanding an explanation. Barbara watched her flustered friend with a soft smile, a look that showed she was already in on the joke and felt a little bad that Hannah hadn't caught on yet.

Ignoring her teammates' floundering squeak and whispered exchange, Diana continued. She was aware that Sucy was trying to change the topic of conversation, and she wasn't going to allow it. She wasn't getting off the hook that easily. “In light of the outcome, I think that the agreement should be amended. I propose three questions, and that Akko can ask them whenever she likes. And you must answer them all, truthfully.”

Akko blinked, processing what Diana was saying and looking to Sucy to gauge her reaction. The researcher looked irritated at the suggestion, and opened her mouth to protest when Lotte chimed in from above. “I think that's fair.”

Diana grinned, a look that promised her revenge was close to coming to fruition. She lined up the last nail in Sucy's coffin, holding the researcher's terrified look before addressing her teammates, a relentless smirk colouring her words. “Hannah, Barbara, does that seem fair?”

“Are you seriously not going to address what she said?” Hannah protested, having not registered any of the conversation after Sucy's comment. Barbara elbowed her in the ribs, and voiced her agreement to the amendment.

“Sounds good to me.”

Seeing that she wasn't going to get her answer just yet, Hannah let out a frustrated groan and snapped back, “fine, yes. I agree. Whatever.” She turned a pleading look to her teammate, only earning a sympathetic smile and shrug in return.

“Akko?” Diana asked, voice gentle.

Really not sure what was going on, Akko nodded. She would have been fine with the one question they had agreed upon, she still felt like the entire thing was her fault. No matter what Diana and her word circle led her to admit. Still, with three questions it did take off some of the pressure of messing up the first one.

Plus, Sucy was the reason that Diana had witnessed her shame. To be more accurate, her shame times three. So three questions seemed an equal trade. With that in mind, Akko felt a little better at the changes to their agreement. Afterall, when she had to drink it, she knew there was a good chance she'd be sick. But she hadn't agreed to witnesses. So it was only fair that Sucy's end be changed to match, right?

“Fine.” Sucy grumbled, an embarrassed blush coloring her cheeks and picking at the fabric of her comforter. 

Akko shifted, her shoulder brushing against Diana's and she had to resist the urge to lean against the other girl. Her head still felt wobbly, like she was a bobble toy. She doubted that Diana would mind, or say anything but there was the problem of both their teammates. Sucy hadn't exactly helped the situation, accusing Diana of being her girlfriend.

She might know it was a joke, Diana knew as well. Obviously. But Hannah seemed to be on the verge of having a breakdown in her effort to receive confirmation that it wasn't true. Acting as if the world were ending. If it weren't for that, she'd probably say something. But if she were being honest, a small part of her was enjoying seeing her squirm. It was a little bit like payback.

Unable to resist, Akko glanced at the fuming redhead before sliding down against the wall and resting her cheek against Diana's shoulder. Akko could almost hear the steam whistling from Hannah's ears, like a kettle reaching its boiling point.

She considered changing her question, but decided to go with the one that started this whole mess. “For the first question, I guess I'll ask the same one as earlier: Why did you decide to become a researcher and what are you researching?” 

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 30

The Tale of a Lost Girl and a Lonely Grimer

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Sucy frowned and looked around the gathered audience, fixing an unreadable look on the trainer who sat across from her. With a small shrug she toyed with the sheets of her bed and tried to figure out where to begin. This wasn't a story she was looking forward to telling, in fact it was one she would have preferred to keep to herself. One that, truth be told, often changed when she recounted it to something made up rather than reality.

Across from her, Akko couldn't help the soft groan when her stomach lurched and Diana glanced at her, concerned. Sucy would tell that the attempted medic was still angry about recent events and let out a sigh, if she were being honest she did feel a little guilty. In an awkward attempt to make her concerned friend feel a little better, Akko flashed a smile and blinked, confused Diana blushed and looked away. Sucy snorted, they were both idiots.

The one benefit of having to witness the sickening display across from her was watching Diana’s intelligence drop into the negatives whenever Akko looked at her. It was probably the only reason neither of them had realized what everyone else already had.

“I guess I should give you the,” Sucy rolled her eyes, unhappy with Diana's choice of words. “Full explanation. Unless you'd prefer I kept it short? It is getting late.” Sucy asked, hopefully. It wasn't that late, barely after dinner. But, she couldn't help trying to find some loophole, or trick she could use to shorten her punishment. 

Akko perked up, she definitely wanted the long version. “I doubt I'll be doing anything else tonight, so long version!” The trainer settled in for the long haul, looking like a puppy waiting for the treat to drop so they could snatch it up. Across from her, Sucy scowled and muttered something under her breath. At some point while Akko and Diana had been in the bathroom, she had recalled the Paras and Parasects on her bed. The ones that had skittered under her bed, those were yet to be determined. 

“Fine,” Sucy sighed, “lets see.” The researcher remained silent for a long moment before glancing at the two girls sitting on the desk and desk chair. Hannah was still having a bit of a melt down over the earlier revelation, but whatever Barbara was whispering was seeming to calm her slightly. It was surprising that there were other people just as oblivious as Daphne and Velma. Then again, Scooby and Shaggy never were the sharpest tools in the shed.

“Well, I am originally from the Alola region, but when I was still very young my family moved to Kanto. Specifically, to Vermilion City. It's the city south of here, past Saffron.” Sucy deadpanned, stifling a smile as she recalled one of the few memories she still had about her birth parents. Learning to swim on one of the island beaches. They had moved to Kanto to try an experimental treatment when her mother had fallen ill. She'd only been five at the time. She didn't need to tell them that though, it wasn't relevant to this story or Akko’s question.

“Vermillion is also right on the water, it actually has one of the two largest ports in Kanto.” Sucy explained, slowly finding a rhythm to her story. “You might recognize it, since that's where Lt. Surge lives, the gym leader who holds the Thunder Badge.” It's also where she had been raised in one of the orphanages after her father had passed, only months after his wife. 

“Anyways,” Sucy continued, “It is also home to the largest water turbine in Kanto, it actually generates all of the power for the city and still has enough excess to sell to Saffron and other surrounding cities. About twenty years ago, they built a new turbine, because the previous one had become outdated and too small for the growing city.” It had been a big event, and brought a lot of workers to the area, along with expansion. Not that Sucy remembered it personally, it was before she had been there—or alive. But it was a popular talking point for the people native to Vermillion.

“Before the old turbine could be demolished, it ended up becoming a habitat for a lot of different pokemon and they decided to leave it be.” Sucy snorted, more like they couldn't figure out a way to extract all of the Grimer and Muk that had taken over the abandoned building. Didn't have the resources. Not that anyone ever told the kids that, most of her information was from snatching the daily paper. “In the end they just surrounded it with a fence to keep kids out.” Sucy paused, looking down at her lap with a thoughtful expression. 

“When I was growing up, all of the kids would tell all sorts of stories about the old, abandoned turbine building. They would say it was haunted, and full of all sorts of ghost pokemon and weird plants. They would scare the younger kids, saying that anyone who went in there, never returned.” Sucy smiled, at a hidden joke. They used to lay awake at night, in bunks and rooms not much bigger than the ones in the pokecenter, with flashlights and tall tales. Each time she heard the stories they changed, depending on who was telling them, each adding their own personal twist.

Not that she hadn't done the same more than once. It was probably why she enjoyed teasing Akko so much, the trainer reminded her of the more gullible kids at the orphanage. She reminded her of home. But admitting you cared for someone, it was left unsaid. Besides, most of the friends she did manage to make were adopted and whisked away to a new life. She had never wanted 'new' parents so it was fine that every adult seemed disturbed by her fascination with bugs and poisons. 

It didn't help that she was one of the few children where she grew up that took an interest in reading and experimenting. Questioning how and why things worked, things that could be logically explained didn't scare her. So she stood out, which was fine. She preferred to be left alone. 

Akko's eyes went wide, “was it true?” Yep, exactly like the younger kids hearing the stories for the first time.

The researcher paused, not expecting to be interrupted and looked at Akko who had an expression overflowing with excitement and expectation. “No.” She stated, as if it were the most obvious thing. “And I told them the exact same thing, I said they were stupid to be scared of the building and that if any of them bothered to do any research, they'd know it was only dangerous because it was in disrepair.” Stupid because it wasn't true. But they were too busy playing telephone, building up the story and skewing the truth to take the time to find out what was real. They were more interested in a good bedtime story than reality. 

It was true, that for most of them a fanciful story was all they really had. But stories do little more than a temporary comfort.

“Oh,” Akko pouted. She had been hoping for a different answer since they were heading to Vermilion next. Oh well, she'd just have to wait a little longer for a chance to encounter a ghost pokemon.

Beside her Diana shifted and slid down the wall slightly and set her hand on the bed between them. It was meant to be subtle, but predictably Akko found herself staring, and resisting the urge to hold it. So distracted in her inner tug of war that she almost missed the next part of the story.

“So anyways,” Sucy continued, glancing at Akko's less than subtle gaze. Despite what Lotte might say, it baffled her how neither of them realized how smitten the other was. Diana was helpful to the other applicants, sure, even Sucy had to admit that. But she wasn't warm , that affectionate smile, lined with patience and adoration was held specifically for one brunette dumb ass. And Akko, well. She was like watching a puppy trip and chase after her owner, tail wagging and tongue dragging. It was so obvious, that the only explanation Sucy could think of was that Diana was so used to people fawning over her that it had become, 'the usual'. 

Even that hypothesis was beginning to wear thin though. It was possible that she knew how infatuated Akko was with her, but then why hadn't she said anything? Sucy watched as Akko continued to stare at Diana's hand and sighed. She wants you to hold it, that's why she put it there, just do it. 

“When I told them that their ghost stories weren't true they told me to prove it,” Which was the typical response to anything. It was how one kid ended up puking for two days straight after drinking two cartons of milk. The continuous reorganization of the pecking order. 

“They also told me to bring back one of the flowers that grew inside as proof. That way we'd be able to see whether or not it was actually a 'ghost flower'.” Sucy continued, glancing at her pile of pokeballs sitting on the far end of her bed. She was silent for a minute while she seemed to be remembering a fond memory and smiled softly, reaching out to pick up Oscar's pokeball. It was so stupid, if it were actually a ghost flower how was she supposed to bring it back? 

“What did you do?!” Akko asked, impatient and beside her Diana could barely contain her amusement at the recovering trainer's enthusiasm. 

“I told them I'd go there that night once everyone had fallen asleep and bring them back their flower, so they'd see they were all morons for believing in ghost stories.” Sucy replied, also looking bemused and unable to resist the seductive allure of Akko's enthusiasm. No wonder she's so obsessed with Shiny Chariot, she's a sucker for a fanciful story. 

“So that night, once everyone had fallen asleep, I snuck out with a flashlight and went to the abandoned turbine building.” Well, once all the adults were asleep. She had received help from some of the older kids to climb out the window. “At the time I was only about ten years old, so I was small enough to squeeze through the chained up front gate, and found a broken window I could get in through at the front of the building.” To be fair she knew the window was broken because she had been there when one of the other kids had thrown rocks at it, causing it to break a couple weeks previous. “The inside was very dark, and smelt horrible but otherwise was just very damp.”

She could still remember dropping onto the tiled floor on the other side of the window, the front room was a reception type area and still had old, dust and mildew covered seats for waiting customers. The divider that could raise and lower like a drawbridge was flipped up, leaving the way to the back open. An invitation that would have scared any of the other kids. The door to the back wasn't locked, thankfully. 

“I wandered past the main lobby and down the hallways, and looked in any of the doors that weren't locked.” Most of them were filled with empty cabinets, or abandoned desks and chairs that hadn't been taken to the new site. The floor was slick, and besides a couple scurrying Rattata, the building was completely empty. “It wasn't long before I felt like something was following me, but each time I'd turn my flashlight to try and see who or what it was there was nothing there.”

It had really been more of a feeling, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end than anything. She hadn't heard a noise, or seen a shifting shadow, it just felt like there was something there, watching. “At the time I was sure it was the older kids who had dared me to go, so I thought nothing of it.” Sucy continued her story, shrugging as if it wouldn't have been completely terrifying. It wouldn't have been the first time the older kids had followed someone trying to complete a dare, if only to harass and hinder them along the way. To scare them into giving up. She wasn't about to give them the satisfaction.

“Eventually I found the main turbine room and the chain on the door was broken, so I went inside and started to look around.” The ceiling was caved in on the far corner, allowing moonlight to dance across some of the lapping waves of the pool. Deep under the water's surface, were grates that kept wild, sea pokemon out, but allowed the water to roll with the tide. “The turbine was massive, and was spotted with rust, still sitting halfway submerged in the harbor.”

The metal had been spotted with crustaceans and Shellder, a testament to its long hibernation. “On the far wall there was a row of computers that were used to control the machinery and when I was about half way through the room I saw something in the water.” I hadn't really thought much of it, if the underwater grates were in the same disrepair as the rest of the building, it was possible a school of Goldeen had squeezed through. Or in the darkness, it could also be dancing seaweed. She was no stranger to the ocean. Even with the aid of the flashlight though, she couldn't see much below the surface. The water clouded, unwilling to relinquish its secrets. 

“Poking through the surface of the water were small, glowing, green flowers that were swaying with the push and pull of the tide.” At the time it had seemed ironic to her, that the glowing plants were what the other kids had assumed to be ghost flowers. If any of them had bothered to crack a book, they would know it wasn't uncommon for underwater plants to seem to glow in the moonlight. 

“I looked around for something I could use to pull them to me, but I didn't see anything so I decided to swim and get them. They weren't far and I was a very strong swimmer.” She had kicked off her shoes, toes squishing against the slime that covered the waterside. Discarding her jacket and setting her belongings far enough back there was no chance of them being coerced into the water by the night wind. 

“I found the ladder that went down into the water and lowered myself down, leaving my shoes and flashlight on the platform and swam out to the plants.” It had been lined by long dead lights, and worn caution symbols that were long eroded past being decipherable. 

“As I got closer to the turbine, my feet started to kick against something slimy and squishy, but in the pitch black of the water I wasn't able to see what it was. At the time, I assumed it was just algae or seaweed.” Sucy shrugged, trying to play off how nervous the memory made her. Even though it had been years ago, it still brought back a bit of panic to recall the series of events. It was why she hadn't wanted to talk to Akko about it, well that and the other thing.

“So, after grabbing a couple flowers I swam back to the ladder and started to pull myself out.” Sucy focused on keeping her voice even, and ran her nail over the center stripe on Oscar's pokeball. “But when I reached for the second rung, the ladder let out a creak and snapped and I fell back into the water.” The metal had creaked, and a screw that had already been loose finally gave way with a screeching sigh. She remembered falling back into the water, submerging and kicking violently to avoid being hit by the ladder. Bursting back up through the water's surface, hair plastered against her face and screaming for help. Hoping that she had been right, and the thing following her had been the other kids to make sure she followed through on the dare.  

“After that it was a bit of a haze,” It was a lie, she remembered that moment of the night clearer than the rest. “I remember yelling for help and looking around to see if there was another ladder but I couldn't see anything in the dark and I was beginning to tire.” The clothes she still wore were pulling her down, her feet tangled in the weeds and lungs taking in more water than air.

“I dropped the flowers and tried to climb the wall without the ladder, but it was too high and slippery, my feet couldn't gain any traction on the stone wall.” Try as she might, even tearing a nail from her effort, she hadn't been able to find purchase against the water worn, smooth walls. “I would have drowned, except then that black figure that had been following me slid down the wall and reached out like oil over the water and sucked me in.” It had engulfed her, and she had blacked out as the thick substance slid over her mouth and nose. 

Sucy took in a deep breath, glancing up at Lotte who flashed a small, reassuring smile. “The next day I woke up in the hospital, I had no idea how I had gotten there. My arms and chest were covered in burns and the Matron was sleeping with her head resting on the bed.” She remembered waking up and looking at the IV stuck in her arm, the majority of her skin on her arms covered in a poultice and bandages. Confused as to what had happened or how she had gotten out of the water.

“They told me that when I didn't come to school the next day, the kids who I had made the bet with had fessed up, saying I had been taken by the ghosts and they had gotten the police involved. They said that they found me laying, unconscious on the platform in the old turbine room and had brought me to the hospital. They told me that the burns I had received were chemical burns.” At the time that had confused her, maybe the water in the old building was acidic and being in it so long had caused the burns. 

“Those stupid kids were more convinced than ever that the building was haunted,” Sucy snorted, seeming in disbelief as she recounted the next interaction. “They even started a rumor saying it was ectoplasm burns, and the doctors were covering it up. They wouldn't listen when I told them it wasn't from a ghost.” Mostly because when they said, ‘what was it then?’, she didn't have an answer for them. They even went as far as saying the ghosts had wiped her memory to keep their existence a secret. 

“Later that day, when I was staring out the window, after visiting hours, I noticed the bottom corner of my window was blacked out.” She'd almost missed it, with the sun setting and the trees outside casting shadows. “I walked over to see if it was just dirty when I noticed that it smelt terrible, and nearly screamed when a pair of eyes appeared and blinked at me.” 

Sucy smiled, affectionately and clenched the pokeball in her hand. “I remember he tried to knock on the window, a big goopey smile dripping all over the window sill. His hand ended up just making a wet slapping sound and he looked just as surprised as I did.” The grimer had tried to pull his hand away, leaving behind small droplets of goo and pulling the appendage away with a slurping pop. “I recognized him as the pokemon, Grimer, even if he looked different from the ones in the stories from back home. The Matron had attended meetings on what to do with the recent infestation that was growing out of control in the harbor.”

“I opened the window for him and he hesitated at first, waited until I moved to the other side of the room before he slid inside, collecting as a purple pool on the floor. And as I was watching, he reached inside himself and pulled three of the flowers from the water, out of his belly and handed them to me.” The flowers had been nearly indistinguishable, covered in muck and stems broken from the rough journey. The grimer had held them out, wide eyes blinking and gooey mouth forming a wide, dripping, smile.

“When I reached for the flowers, my fingers brushed his hand, and my skin burned.” It had surprised her, and she remembered recoiling and clutching her hand to her chest. “I instantly felt like I was going to be sick. He was so alarmed he plastered himself against the back wall and refused to come any closer. It was then that I realized that he had been the one following me and had pulled me from the water.” She had tried to ask him why he had helped, to thank the grimer but he slid out of the window and disappeared before Sucy had been able to run across the room.

“The grimer fled a moment later when we heard a nurse approaching, and I didn't see him again until I left the hospital.” She remembered putting the flowers in a vase beside her bed, but didn't bother trying to prove that the ghosts didn't exist anymore. There was no point, they didn't want to believe her, so they never would. That was around the time when the other kids started to avoid her, whispering tales spun from overactive imaginations more so than fact. 

“I had been grounded for sneaking out in the middle of the night, and I decided to figure out why it burned when I touched the grimer. I found out that grimer and muk from the Kanto region, are both primarily made of toxic sludge, and cause humans to become ill from prolonged contact and depending on their diets, can cause contact burns.” It had intrigued her at the time as to why the two variations looked so different. And she found out it was because the Grimer and Muk from Alola fed primarily on landfill, and garbage. Whereas the ones residing in Kanto fed primarily on the run off from plants. It affected more than just their appearance as well.

“A couple days later, I noticed him lurking in some bushes watching me read.” Sucy had been fresh out of the hospital, and was enjoying her new found privacy that came from all the hearsay about what had happened in the power plant. She had rented a book from the library about poisons and chemical burns. “When I beckoned him over he fled. The same thing happened the next day, and the next. On the fourth day I came prepared and set out a trail of treats I had stolen from the kitchen, from the bush to the tree where I was reading and waited.” 

“That day when he appeared, I pretended not to notice him as he slowly crept closer and absorbed all of the treats I had set out. By that time I was starting to grow accustomed to the smell and I had branched out my reading to see if there were any other pokemon who had similar issues.” He had only come close enough to raise himself like a tidal wave, lowering like the crashing of a squall, careful not to touch. Once he had calmed, she had started to read to him. And found out that the Grimer was just lonely, and enjoyed the books and conversation. After that day, he began showing up earlier, coming closer and staying longer. They had fallen into a comfortable routine of companionship.

“What I found out was that a lot of pokemon had qualities that can be harmful to their trainers. For example, Diana,” Sucy looked to the trainer in question, “your Ponyta has the ability to control who it burns with its flames. If a Ponyta doesn't like its trainer, it will appear to be burning hot to the touch and is not able to be ridden. However, if the Ponyta has a friendly bond with their trainer, they will appear warm to the touch but will not burn them.” The same went for its evolutionary form, Rapidash. There were even stories about the equine pokemon changing in the middle of a journey, after being kicked to run faster one too many times. 

It had been proven that the pony pokemon had full control over who it burned, even if the flames never fully extinguished until its passing. 

“On the other hand, a Charmander's tail has no such control. No matter the level of affection for their trainer, their tail will always burn on contact. It's fairly common for them to accidentally light furniture on fire.” The lizard pokemon had a habit of sleeping with its tail curled up towards its nose, so as to keep from accidentally setting the surrounding brush on fire. It had been recorded spouting flames and walking in a tight circle, creating a bed of sorts. Possibly also to keep from lighting the surrounding grass alight in its slumber. 

“Or Lotte, your Pikachu.” Sucy continued, moving away from the topic of fire types.

Sucy looked up, looking slightly excited as she continued. “If you touch both of its cheeks, it can control whether or not to shock you. However, if you touch both a Minun and Plusel cheeks at the same time, you will always be shocked, similar to licking the end of a battery. They have no control over it.” 

“The more I read, and the longer I had shared that time with Grimer I started to notice something. After a week of feeding Grimer his smell had started to change, and it no longer burned the second I touched him. I still felt sick if I touched him for more than a second, and prolonged exposure still caused skin irritations, but it was already a vast improvement. So I began to wonder if diet had something to do with how contact with their body is measured, or if I was simply growing more accustomed to him. Similar to how some people with fur allergies will gradually gain some resistance if they spend enough time with a fur covered companion.” Sucy had found herself obsessed with wanting to know if it was possible for Grimer to also control who he hurt, if it was possible through diet or vaccinations to live in harmony.

If there was a way to stop the town from driving them out, when they were just misunderstood.

“It was around that time that the town was starting to put into action plans to get rid of the wild Grimer and Muk, saying they were too dangerous to live so close by.” It was through the fear that someone would find him that she had started to hide him at the orphanage. Specifically, he would sleep in the garbage can. No one would question a foul smell coming from there, and that was also how she had originally come up with the name, 'Oscar'. After the misunderstood monster that hid in the garbage can on one of the shows the kids would watch. 

It had taken her a few months to save up enough to buy a pokeball to keep him in, and that day had been a huge relief. She had been so worried someone would find him, and take him away like the rest of the wild Grimer and Muk. Oscar had saved her life, so she wanted to return the favour by helping him live his life closer to people, where he wouldn't be so lonely.

“I started to research why some pokemon were able to control their impact, like Ponyta and Pikachu, while others cannot, like Grimar, Charmander and Plusle and Minun. And I started to test the effects of diets on pokemon that had negative effects on their trainers. So, I guess to answer your question that's what I'm researching and as for why...”

“You want to be able to hug Oscar.” Akko grinned, letting out a large yawn, and above her Lotte giggled. “To say thank you for saving you.”

Sucy looked back, opened mouthed and red faced. “No! I just want to repay him for saving my life.” It was the truth, he had just looked so lonely she just wanted to help people to see that they could live in close proximity to wild Grimer and Muk. They didn't need to be chased away, or avoided being captured. “And it's really interesting.” She mumbled, the excuse sounding weak, even to her.

“With a hug,” Diana agreed, earning a wide smile from Akko and an annoyed glare from Sucy.

This was the other reason she didn't want to talk about this. Now those idiots were going to be insufferable for days. “Whatever, does that answer your question?” The researcher huffed.

“Aww, I didn't know you were such a big softy.” Akko continued to tease, enjoying being on the offensive for once rather than the defensive. Sucy refused to reply, jaw tense as she set her pokeball back at the end of the bed. Unable to keep the small smile from poking through when she thought of her purple, gooey, friend.

The trainer yawned, rubbing her eyes and leaning her cheek a little heavier against the girl sitting beside her. Sucy was glad that she was alright, despite what everyone else seemed to think.

“So, then what about pokemon like Venomoth?” Hannah asked. “I read that their wings are coated in poisonous spores.” Sucy glanced at the inquisitive redhead, surprised by the question.

“They are.” She paused to consider her response, “I'm actually focusing on all poison types at the moment. Each pokemon has a slight difference in the poison they create. I've mentioned this before, but Toxic is unique in that each pokemon has the ability to learn it, but the toxicity differs depending on the pokemon. Venomoth is a good example, as more than just its wings are covered in poisonous spores. But, in comparison to Butterfree who has the closest comparable poison powder, their wings are safe to touch and even use a unique powder specifically for mating rituals that is completely harmless.”

Sucy paused, realigning her thoughts before continuing. “Grimer and Muk are actually considered the most toxic, most poisonous, pokemon in the known world. So by working with other poison types, I get a little closer the more I understand them.”

“Then are you hoping to find a way to neutralize the poison they secrete?” Lotte asked, looking thoughtful.

Sucy worried her lip, trying to figure out the best way to answer. “Sort of. I would like to find out why some pokemon can control who they hurt, and others can't. If I could do that, I might be able to figure out a way to give Oscar the same ability. If not, then I'm hoping to find a way to make them less volatile to be in close proximity with.”

“Wow.” Barbara breathed, earning a nod from her friend. 

“That would be a huge breakthrough for a lot of pokemon breeds that are considered unfavorable.” Diana commented, looking ready to fall asleep as well, resisting the urge to rest her cheek against Akko's head.

The normally rambunctious trainer had fallen asleep at some point. Figures. She's the one to ask the question and she's the only one not awake at the end of the story. If she thinks I'm explaining that again, she's dreaming. Sucy grumbled internally.

With the topic of conversation drifting to a close, Barbara started to comment on Lotte's books that littered the desk and the two fell into an excited conversation discussing their favorite characters in the Nightfall series. Hannah groaned, looking annoyed and soon convinced her friend that it was time to go to their own room and try to get some sleep. But, only after the two excited fan girls set up a time to have lunch together to continue discussing the book series. 

They stopped and asked Diana if she was going to come with them, the girl in question responding that she wanted to wait just a little while longer. To make sure that Akko was going to be alright before she headed off to sleep as well. 

Hannah had to be dragged away, still unhappy with how friendly Akko had become with their beloved teammate and pouted until the door closed. It wasn't long before Diana finally succumbed to sleep, using the top of Akko's head as a pillow and dozing off as well.

“You know that was really mean, right?” Lotte whispered once they were in a semblance of alone, sitting down on Sucy's bed and pulling her knees close to her chest. The researcher shifted, trying to hide her discomfort. She didn't like to disappoint the coordinator, for some reason she was the only one who made her feel any regret. “Why did you do it?” Lotte asked, voice quiet enough not to disturb the slumbering pair across the small room.

Sucy glanced at the shorter girl, no one had asked her why she'd done it, they'd all jumped to the conclusion she had some cruel reason behind her actions. “I wasn't lying when I said I really didn't think she'd do it.” She muttered, elaborating in an effort to make sure Lotte would believe her. Playing chicken was how she was used to dealing with these... Challenges. It had been a long time since someone had actually called her bluff. “She asked me something I didn't want to answer, so I was trying to make her back down.” She looked over to where Akko was dozing with her head leaning against Diana's shoulder. “I guess I underestimated her.”

Lotte followed where Sucy was looking, smiling softly at the odd pair across from them. Diana had also dozed off, but even asleep she looked proper and had her hands folded on her lap, head leaning slightly against Akko's. “I don't think Akko had many friends growing up, and she's just desperate for everyone to like her.” Lotte hesitated before saying a little softer, “you especially.”

Sucy hummed nonchalant, keeping her thoughts to herself. “I kept my word today, it wasn't easy, and that isn't helping.” She gestured with her chin towards the sleeping pair.

Lotte smiled, setting her hand on top of the researchers where it lay on the comforter, squeezing gently. “I noticed, thank you. Whatever is going on between them, Akko needs to figure it out for herself and all the teasing doing is making her self conscious.”

Sucy grumbled, not happy about being ordered to stand down and turned her face so that the other girl wouldn't notice the slight blush colouring her cheek, however she did not move to retract her hand. “Ya well, I'm just hoping you're right and they end up figuring it out sooner rather than later. Because once they do, it's open season again.”

Lotte giggled, “That sounds fair, just promise to be a little nicer to Akko, alright?”

“I really didn't mean to hurt her.” Sucy repeated, feeling like she needed Lotte to believe her, to help relieve some of the guilt she felt.

“I know,” Lotte nodded. “You're just scary on the outside with a big, soft, gooey center. No wonder you and Oscar get along.” The coordinator teased, bumping her shoulder against the taller girl.

Sucy rolled her eyes, “Or, it could be I'm not stupid enough to anger Diana, she's the scary one.”

“That too,” Lotte agreed, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence, before the coordinator giggled to herself.

“What?” Sucy asked.

“It's just,” Lotte shook her head, “you do realize the irony, right?” When the other girl stared back, blankly she explained. “Well, those kids dared you to do something they didn't think you'd be brave enough to do, and then you were almost hurt when you proved them wrong. Which is exactly what just happened between you and Akko.”

Sucy opened her mouth to debunk the claim, but remained silent when she realized Lotte was right. “Shut up.” She grumbled instead, earning a poke to the side of her cheek by her amused companion.

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 31

 A New Beginning

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The next morning, Akko woke up feeling refreshed, her stomach was still a little sore but overall she felt good. She was feeling better than she had in over a week, most of the stiffness was gone and her leg, while itchy, was no longer peppered with bruises. Eevee seemed to be sharing the recovery and was waiting by the door, running in circles while Akko laced up her shoes to go for their morning run.

While Akko still had to be careful not to jostle her wrist too much, she felt well enough to do a light work out and get her team some much needed fresh air. It would be good for them to do something more normal, more routine. It would help regain a sense of normalcy. 

Mizar was in a much better mood, and kicked up a friendly competition with Eevee to see which of the two were faster. Everyday it seemed that the gap was slowly closing, and Eevee was no longer able to outpace her avian rival with ease. Before long, the bird would overtake her, and Akko was not prepared for the tantrum that was sure to follow. The only one who didn't seem too keen on the group activity was Ivysaur who instead walked to a nearby bush to hide her face, and Akko reluctantly recalled the grass type and decided to try to work with the dinosaur one on one later. 

While she was returning to the pokecenter, she noticed Diana walking down the road and raised her hand to shout a greeting when Andrew also came around the corner and the pair departed together. 

Hesitating, Akko lowered her hand and watched as they disappeared around a building while Andrew was chatting away. Over the last two months Akko had begun to realize that Diana wasn't much of a morning person, and was generally grumpy first thing, so seeing her out and about barely after dawn was odd by itself. Even more puzzling was her choice in company, Sucy had mentioned they were friends but the only time she had seen the two interact was at the party a few weeks previous. And at the time they certainly didn't seem to like each other much.

Shrugging, Akko decided it wasn't worth worrying about and went inside to shower with Eevee hot on her heels. Maybe they had settled some of their differences.

After showering, and having breakfast, Akko went back to her room. It was empty as Sucy had taken her insect horde out to do... Something. At least she wasn’t doing her creepy bug stuff in their shared room today.

Lotte had left to do the last touches on her routine for the competition tomorrow. It was the perfect time to work with Ivysaur, while the room was quiet and she hoped the grass type would feel a little more relaxed.

So, once Eevee was situated on Sucy's bed with a new chew toy, Akko took out Ivysaur's ball and sucked in a deep breath. She hadn't made any progress with the dinosaur, whatsoever. Every time she summoned the pokemon, she was so spooked about everything that was going on around her, Akko had to recall her to calm her down.

Every sound, person and pokemon seemed to bring a new level of anxiety, and Akko was at a loss for how to help. It was beginning to seem that being in a city, or a house in general was all new to the pokemon. Instead of training, she figured that working on building trust and a stronger bond might be a better first step. 

It had come easily with Eevee, the kit had taken to her the second her egg had hatched and they'd be inseparable ever since. Mizar’s trust had taken mutual respect and constantly pushing the avian pokemon to surpass his limits. Ivysaur seemed to need something gentler, slower, with a lot more patience and support.

“Alright,” Akko steeled herself with a wide smile. “Today we're just going to focus on you being out of the ball for a while without panicking.” She had no idea if the grass type could hear her or not, but felt better saying it aloud regardless.

With a gentle toss, Akko summoned the grass type and she appeared, sitting on the floor between the two beds slowly looking around. Her shoulders instantly tensed and her head swiveled back and forth, taking in her surroundings. 

“Hey, girl.” Akko cooed, offering her hand for the dinosaur to sniff. “You're okay, I just thought you might like to hang out with me while I study.” Akko patted the bed beside her and leaned back against her pillow with her pokedex, trying to appear relaxed and allowing the pokemon to come to her.

Ivysaur sniffed at the air, and looked around the room. Eevee watched, curiously from where she was demolishing the toy on Sucy's bed and wagged her tail softly. The fox didn't seem to bother Ivysaur, and Akko guessed it was something to do with their first encounter being Eevee stopping Cobalt.

Curious about her new surroundings, the dinosaur slowly and cautiously walked around the room, nudging things with her vines and knocking down books and clothes to inspect. Akko did her best to remain still, trying to follow the pokemon from the corner of her eye. She would need to make sure to clean up the mess later, and said a silent prayer that nothing was broken. Lotte would understand a small, temporary mess—right?

Ivysaur appeared to be doing alright, she was still skittish and hesitant, jumping whenever something would move unexpectedly but she hadn't reached the point of panic yet. 

It took her a little over ten minutes to inspect the room to her satisfaction, before trotting back to where Akko was laying down and jumping onto the bed. The grass type moved so she was between Akko and the wall, nudging the trainer's arm so she could lay her head on Akko's belly and let out a content sigh. 

Akko had to exercise all her restraint not to cheer at the progress, knowing that Ivysaur was not the type of pokemon to take her enthusiasm the way Mizar and Eevee did. Instead Akko slowly laid her arm around the grass type and started to gently scratch at the itchy scales, flipping through some of the recent videos of Misty's challenges.

Every other trainer who had yet to battle the second gym was outside, training and working to make sure they would win their challenge. Akko knew it was important to teach Eevee and Mizar new attacks, but first she felt like she needed to work on Ivysaur's trust. Even if Ivysaur would not be ready to take on the gym, or possibly ever recover enough to battle again, that didn't mean her mental and physical well being wasn't just as important. Putting off her care, just because it wouldn't impact the upcoming battle, wasn't an option.

If she wasn't going to be able to join the rest of the team for their daily work outs, then she was just going to have to set aside another time for them to bond.

While rubbing circles into the scales on Ivysaur's cheek and chin, Akko came across the uploaded video of Diana's battle. She felt her breath hitch and suddenly became very nervous, which was silly. It wasn't like she was snooping, or invading the other trainer's privacy. The video was uploaded for anyone to watch.

Still, Akko hadn't had a chance to ask her why she hadn't told her she was challenging the gym. She also hadn't replied to the message Akko had sent her this morning, with her usual good morning greeting. 

The image of Diana walking around the corner with Andrew flashed by unbidden and Akko suppressed a scowl. Letting out a sigh, Akko set down her pokedex and dropped her head back. She was being stupid. Overthinking things that probably had simple answers. 

Last night had been overwhelming, embarrassing, and enlightening all at once. Akko sighed, faintly remembering Diana pulling a blanket up before tiptoeing out of her room, saying good night to Lotte and Sucy in a hushed whisper. 

Ivysaur shifted, looking at her trainer with half lidded eyes and rumbled her chest. 

“I'm okay,” Akko soothed, playing with the leaves that fanned out from below the blooming bulb on her back. Staring up at the ceiling, Akko recalled the poster of Shiny Chariot that still hung on the ceiling of her childhood home and smiled. Laying in bed, cuddling with Ivysaur, and just... thinking. It reminded her of the countless times she'd done the same thing with Eevee growing up. All of their schemes they had dreamt up together, all the cookies they had mowed down on before they were caught. It reminded her of home, and left a feeling of homesickness. 

They used to watch Chariot's shows, over and over to the point where they'd try to act out some of her shows together. At one point they had even spent the better part of a month trying to put together costumes to match the celebrity. It hadn't gone well. They had ended up covered in bruises and cuts from tripping and stumbling through all of the routines, but as night fell they had laughed. It was still one of her favourite memories.

An idea formed, fueled by the memory and Akko glanced over at the relaxed dinosaur, “have you ever heard of Shiny Chariot?” She asked, and Ivysaur opened her eyes with a blink, staring back at the trainer, confused. “She's an amazingly pretty, perfect, amazingly strong trainer who was really famous for a long time.” Akko began, feeling her face break out in a grin.

“A lot of people didn't like her because she was trying to change the way the professional pokemon league trainers trained their pokemon. She believed that the most important thing for a pokemon to unlock their true potential, was for them to trust their trainer, and for the trainer to believe and trust their pokemon. It made a lot of people really angry because she never lost, and put on these daredevil shows to display the level of trust she had with her pokemon.” Akko explained. Her papa had always laughed when she had asked him why people didn’t like her. He would say, 'Hunny, it's not that old dogs can't learn new tricks. It's that they are too stubborn to try.' It had made her laugh at the time, even if she didn't fully understand what he meant, she just enjoyed the goofy way he’d say it.

Eevee perked up while Akko was talking and mewled out her agreement, wagging her tail. “Would you like to see some of her shows?” Akko asked Ivysaur, and patted the bed on her other side for Eevee who instantly ran over and curled up on the opposite side, thrumming with excitement. “You know, she had this saying at the end of her shows.” Akko sucked in a breath, ready to put on her best imitation and then thought better, “Well, you'll see.” The trainer explained, and Ivysaur shifted so she could see the screen that Akko held up on her lap, making sure all present could view the screen.

It took her a while to search up the video she was looking for, most of the top searches that came up now were fan theories circling her disappearance. The majority of which were not flattering. They were all wrong though, so it didn't matter. One day, once she was champion and could challenge anyone she wanted. She'd find out why Shiny Chariot had disappeared, and then they'd all see that it was some super heroic, selfless reason. They'd see. Even if Shiny Chariot didn't respond to the challenge, she would make sure the world knew that she got where she was because of her. Because of everything she'd taught her.

“You know, the reason Eevee and I started working out together everyday was because of her.” Akko continued, nonchalant and hoping her red haired idol might also spark something within the dinosaur. “She promoted a training regimen, and believed that you shouldn't ask your pokemon to do something you wouldn't do yourself. That exercising together helped to build a bond.” That it helped to understand your pokemon better, if you ran a mile in their shoes so to speak.

Ivysaur blinked at her trainer and snorted, shuffling so her cheek was resting against Akko's shoulder. The trainer smiled, finding the video she was looking for. It was one of her last shows, and Akko and Eevee had been lucky enough to attend it in person.

As she clicked play, Shiny Chariot walked out into the middle of the arena, wearing her show garb that consisted of a white, showy top and navy blue skirt, accented with a flowing cape and knee high, white boots. 

The champion waved at the crowd with a large smile, and began the introductions. As the crowd roared, the stadium started to shake before the ground burst open, spouting lava plumes as a massive Charizard burst onto stage. The dragon erupted flames from his jaws, wings flaring and rock flying as he wrapped his arms around his trainer and spun into the air.

They rocketed into the sky, the fire type spinning and spouting a dazzling display of flames before flaring his wings and coming into a stand still. The camera's zoomed in to show the wide smile on the champion's face as she climbed to stand on the dragon's back, waving to the crowd before letting herself fall backwards, plummeting to the ground.

With a flourish of feathers, Alcor appeared in the arena and caught the descending trainer in an arc, flying down until Chariot could touch her feet down and a booming chorus of cheers sounded. The bird type continued to flap upwards, after dropping off his trainer, flying a tight circle around the arena. Kicking up a torrent of wind that slowly picked up power, making all of the onlookers hold onto their hats and cover their eyes. 

As the crowd was beginning to quiet, two more pokemon thundered onto the field. This time a Beartic galloped on all fours, paws leaving snow where his feet padded down. Mirroring the bear pokemon, from the other side thundered a Rampardos. The rock and steel t-rex had his head down, and both massive pokemon were heading straight for their trainer.

Shiny Chariot stood still, waiting until Beartic came close and she jumped onto his back as his maw opened and ice drooled down to coat the ground. Slowly, the field was covered in ice and Rampardos went into action, breaking up the ground and slapping rocks towards the center. Each rock that soared above the thundering bear was hit with a ray of ice and together they formed a mountain. 

Beartic launched himself at the growing structure, using thick claws to pierce the ice and clambered upwards. Upon reaching the top, Shiny Chariot looked down, finding the waiting raptor watching her carefully. With a wave to the crowd, she jumped, landing on a properly positioned raptor tail before being flung back into the air. 

This time it was Alcor who caught her, and with practiced ease she mounted his back as Charizard let out a tornado of purple flames. The wind current that Alcor had thrummed up caught the flames, and as the dragon spun, the air became thick with spinning purple flames that washed out over the arena.

Beartic let out a roar, opening his maw and letting loose ice shards into the heart of the storm that burst, raining down shimmering snow and creating a visual display that elicited thundering applause. 

As the video neared an end, and Chariot stood in the center of the stage with her partners, waving up at the crowd her voice boomed into the mic she had hanging from behind her ear. “Remember, in order for people and pokemon to live in peace and harmony, we must all strive for our ideal world!” The catchphrase elicited a roar or applause, everyone who had followed the celebrity knew it was the wrap up to her show and she hopped onto her Charizard's back, doing one last loop from the sky before disappearing. 

Akko felt herself grinning wide enough for her cheeks to hurt, and Eevee was squirming as she closed the video. She looked at Ivysaur, who for the first time, looked excited. The sight of it brought happy tears to brim Akko's eyes and she scratched behind the dinosaur's ears.

“I know if she was still around, there's no way Team Rocket would be allowed to exist. She'd wipe them off the face of the earth overnight!” Akko asserted, feeling more motivated than she had in a while. “She would never stand for what you went through, and that's why I'm trying to continue her work. I also want to strive for my ideal world, and that's a world without violence and cruelty.”

As Akko scratched at Ivysaur's chin, enjoying the happy rumble and the relaxed expression on the dinosaur's face, she jumped when she heard a noise behind her. “Mew!” 

Eevee puffed up, just as surprised as her trainer and Akko swung her head around. Behind her, floating just over her shoulder, was the same pink pokemon from the cave. Ivysaur opened her eyes when her trainer's fingers stilled, and looked around, trying to see what had caught everyone's attention.

Dumbfounded, Akko stared, slack jawed as the pink pokemon flicked its tail and floated over to take a closer look at the trainer's pokedex. Ivysaur seemed happy to see the pokemon and greeted it with a tilted head, and waving a vine.

It's the pokemon from the cave, Akko repeated to herself in her head, too shocked to move, afraid if she did it would disappear. What's it doing here? How'd it get in here? The door and windows were both locked! As she watched, the pink pokemon hovered over to inspect her pokedex and flipped upside down, dangling its tail.

Eevee's attention switched to the flicking toy, and her bum wiggled, ready to pounce at the flicking distraction.

Without Akko turning the device back on, the screen of the pokedex lit back up and started to play the video of Shiny Chariot again. The pink pokemon let out a happy squeal and watched as the Champion said her catchphrase again, effortlessly keeping her tail away from Eevee's slapping paws and snapping teeth.

Once the video ended, the pokemon turned and blinked at Akko, moving closer until their noses were almost touching. “Mew!” It chimed again when suddenly the ground seemed to give out, and everything shifted. Just as quickly as everything went out of focus, it came back and Akko looked around at the unfamiliar settings.

She was standing in a field she didn't recognize, and there were two girls around her age standing in the moonlight. The first was shorter than herself, and was lean with short, blood red hair. She was covered in scuff marks, and was clutching a Pidgey with a damaged wing to her chest.

The second had grey-violet, wavy hair and wore large glasses. She looked out of breath, but she didn't look like she was hurt unlike her counterpart. 

“Why did you have to pick a fight with them!?” The second girl asked, swinging her arms out wide. She looked aggravated, and her words seemed to echo in Akko's mind. It was like she was viewing a memory that wasn't hers. The entire thing was surreal, it felt like she was strapped down and unable to move or speak. Being forced to watch the story unfold in front of her.

The redhead puffed out her cheeks, hugging the injured Pidgey a little closer. “Because they were hurting him!” She retorted, holding her ground. There was something oddly familiar about her, and Akko found herself drawn to the girl, trying to put her finger on why. 

“So? It's just a Pidgey! You could have been seriously hurt, you need to think before you act!” The second girl yelled back, arms lowering and clenching her fists, body shaking. “You should have gone for help, you aren't strong enough to fight them alone!”

“There wasn't time, I couldn't just do nothing! They were hurting him!” The first girl retorted, trying to hold back tears. Akko frowned, again trying to step forward. To say something. But again, found herself paralyzed and unable to react. She wanted to ask them who they were talking about, to offer to help. The entire situation was striking a familiar chord, and reminded her of the way her parents would scold her when she came home after getting into an altercation. 

Both of the two girls stood in silence until the taller of the two sighed, and rubbed her forehead, readjusting her glasses to sit properly on the bridge of her nose. “Why do you always have to be so stubborn?” She looked at her friend, who had taken to pouting and looking around, sniffling softly. 

“Because,” She grumbled, pointedly ignoring her friend who had stepped closer.

“Ya, ya. I know, you've said it a hundred time. You'll never stop until everyone sees things your way. You know it's a fantasy right? This ideal world you want to create.” The second girl smirked, gently touching her grumpy friend's cheek, wiping some dirt away. “Good thing you don't have to do it alone.”

The first girl blushed and shifted her feet, and Akko felt like she was watching a private moment. “Chariot,” The second finished, voice gentle and finally coercing her friend to look back at her. She was about to respond, to say something when she looked directly at Akko.

Akko stiffened, can they see me after all? Before she could ponder further, she heard a familiar noise, but it sounded like it had come from her. “Mew!” 

“What is that?” The second girl breathed, and just like that the world shifted again.

Akko blinked, and just as suddenly she was back in her room, laying on her bed with Eevee and Ivysaur both looking at her with confused expressions. That was... Shiny Chariot. Akko was sure of it. The hair, the expressions and the other girl, she had called her Chariot. They looked like they were in their early teens, but how?

Chest heaving, as if she had just gone through a strenuous activity, Akko looked around. Where did the pink pokemon go? “Hello?” She called, not really sure what else she was supposed to say. What else she was supposed to do, had that all just been a dream? Had she fallen asleep and not realized it? She had awoken from a dream, startled before, but—No. 

Before she had time to dwell on it, Lotte burst into the room holding Pikachu who was covered in some sort of grime, completely out of breath. The unimpressed rodent was kicking wildly, trying to get free, sensing its impending doom in the form of suds and warm water. “Chuuuuu!” Pikachu whined, kicking furiously.

“Akko!” She squeaked, looking completely bewildered, “Pikachu got covered in some sort of muck and I need your help giving her a bath! Oh my gosh, I hope we can get this out before the contest tomorrow! What am I going to do!?” The panicked coordinator stormed into the bathroom, holding a very irritated rodent, Arthur trotting into the room behind her with tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

Akko blinked, frozen in her spot on the bed. She looked down at her hands then back at the bathroom where Lotte had hurried off to, “Akko, please!” The coordinator called again, and Akko jumped up, dashing off to help her friend in the bathroom. Only pausing to set Ivysaur's ball down on the bed, she looked calm at the moment but Akko wasn't about to leave her without the option of returning, just in case.

“Coming!” She replied.

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 32

 The Fox and the Hound

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“Why today?” Lotte whined, filling the tub with warm water and testing to make sure it wasn't too hot. “Close the door behind you so she doesn't escape?” She called, voice panicked when Akko entered the bathroom.

Still partially distracted by recent events, Akko didn't react right away before shaking her head and closing the door. Whatever that was, it would need to wait, Lotte needed her help. “What happened?” Akko asked, closing the door and moving to kneel by the bathtub, grabbing Pikachu when the rodent was shoved into her hands. The tiny, yellow pokemon had her fur matted with some sort of black, sticky gunk and was squirming violently trying to get away. Apparently she enjoyed baths about as much as Eevee did.

As Akko narrowly avoided being kicked, Lotte was grabbing some supplies from her bag with a wild look of panic on her face. “Why today?” She repeated, “Appearance is half of the score in every event, we might as well not even enter if we can't get this out!”

Pikachu slowed her squirming and looked at her trainer, sheepishly. “I only took my eyes off her for a moment while Arthur was going through a routine, and when I turned back around, she was rummaging through someone's garbage and came out looking like this!” Lotte continued her rant, squeezing the contents of a bottle into the water and causing it to instantly foam up.

“Don't you dare shock me, you're in enough trouble as is, missy!” Lotte warned, taking Pikachu and dunking her in the water after checking to make sure it wasn't too hot. The rodent gave Akko one last, pleading look before resigning herself to her fate, and sitting in the tub with a very displeased look.

Akko helped Lotte gently work the soap into the pokemon's fur, and the duo worked together to clean the messy mouse. Pikachu sat in silence, ears down and looking defeated. The entire time, Lotte kept rambling, worriedly. 

In an effort to try to distract her as they worked, Akko asked, “How do contests work, anyways?” She had seen a few shows, but they had never really interested her. To be honest, she never really understood how they worked, which was probably why they couldn't hold her attention. Her parents had assumed that, with her hero worship of Shiny Chariot, she would enjoy contests. However, they were much slower paced, on smaller scales and half of the contest was just watching judges prod at pokemon and scribble on their clipboards.

Lotte screwed up her face with worry, and drained the tub, the water now almost as dirty as Pikachu and started to fill it again. Resting her head against her folded arms on the side of the tub, she let out a deep sigh before beginning to answer Akko's question.

“Well, they are similar to battles in a way. Just like how trainers need to collect eight badges to enter the year end competition, we need to collect a certain amount of ribbons to enter the Grand Festival at the end of the season.” Lotte began, tilting her head so her cheek was resting against her forearm, reaching out with her other hand and rubbing the agitated rodent's cheek with her thumb. “Five. to be exact. However, unlike your badges, we are allowed to collect more than five in a season. Whereas you're capped at eight per region. Also, while the only limit to the amount of trainers who can collect eight badges is how many are able to defeat each gym, we're limited to a set number of ribbons available throughout the season. That means if one coordinator wins ten ribbons, when they only need five, someone else won't be able to earn enough to compete.”

Pikachu started to relax into Lotte's talented touch, and leaned heavily into the affectionate stroke.

“There's multiple contests held all over Kanto every year. Each contest has four possible ribbons you can win, the first of which is given out for the best cared for pokemon. They check their overall health, coat quality, grooming and behavior.” Lotte paused to boop the rodent on her nose, giving her a disappointed mom look. “Which we won't have a chance at if you can't keep clean for a day.”

Pikachu wiggled her nose and stuck out her tongue, earning a giggle from her trainer. “The last three are presented to the top three coordinators, and their pokemon, in each category of the actual show section of the competition.” Lotte turned off the water, and added more soap, and both girls returned to their work of trying to clean the mischievous rodent.

“The first is titled as 'Beauty,' or 'Cuteness', it changes based off the city and the judges. Basically, the coordinator and their pokemon that put on the most beautiful, or aesthetically pleasing display are awarded that ribbon. The second is for 'Cleverness,' in other words, it just means whichever coordinator used their pokemon's abilities in the most unique or clever way.” 

When Lotte put it that way, it didn't seem much different from battling. In the end, pokemon battles were won by the trainer who used their partners abilities in a way that out maneuvered their opponent. It reminded her of Eevee tricking Geodude into using his Explosion on one of her clones.

Lotte continued, focusing on using her nails to gently coerce a particularly stubborn patch out of yellow fur. “The third and final is for 'Toughness,' it's one of the more difficult. It's awarded to the coordinator who had the most powerful display, kinda like trying to intimidate the rest of the competition or trying to elicit some form of strong emotion or reaction. Generally, you try to focus on winning the ribbon you're most confident in, since it's rare for you to win more than one of the final three ribbons in a single competition.”

Wiping her forehead, and leaving a couple bubbles behind, Lotte sat back on her heels. “I was hoping to win the overall health or the cuteness ribbon,” The coordinator worried her lip, “Since neither of my partners are very intimidating and the ribbon for cleverness is generally won by more experienced coordinators.”

Akko listened to Lotte's explanation, and tried to follow along but her attention was drawn back to the other room. Replaying the recent events and memory, vision? Mind voodoo type thing that the pink pokemon had shown her. The more she compared the young girl to the version of Chariot that she knew, the surer she was they were the same person. 

But what did Shiny Chariot have to do with that pink pokemon? More importantly, why was she the one being shown this?

“Oh thank goodness,” Lotte sighed and Akko's attention snapped back to the task at hand. “I think it's coming out!” Lotte's face was washed with relief as Pikachu was slowly returning to her usual, vibrant yellow and the soap was doing the trick.

Akko smiled, “Everything will be fine, and you'll do awesome tomorrow.” She tried to encourage, hoping her momentary lapse wasn't noticed. No matter what pokemon that was, or if she hadn't been dreaming, she had no idea what to do now. So waiting a couple days to talk to Lotte and Sucy about it would be fine, right now she had to focus on helping Lotte. After all the help the coordinator had offered her with the first badge, it was the least she could do. “I have no doubt you'll blow them all out of the water!” Akko accented the comment by playfully splashing some suddy water at her worried friend.

Lotte gasped when the water hit her, splashing back with a laugh. “Thanks, Akko.” She smiled, “I needed that.”

As they continued to work on washing Pikachu, falling into a comfortable silence. Lotte drifting off to go over everything she had to do for the show tomorrow, and Akko replaying her chance encounter. They heard a crash from the main room, and both girls froze.

In an attempt to soothe the ramping panic that was returning to Lotte's face, Akko stood up and dried her hands on her shorts. “That was probably just Eevee, Amanda taught her a new game yesterday. I'll go check and make sure they didn't break anything important.”

Lotte nodded, looking unconvinced but turned her attention back to the squirming rodent who was growing impatient with her bath time.

‘Please tell me they were just playing a game and someone ran into a wall, or the desk,’ Akko recited to herself. Not hard though, she didn’t need Arthur struggling to walk in a straight line from slamming into the wall. That certainly wouldn’t help Lotte calm down.

Pulling the door open, Akko found herself mere inches away from a massive, fluffy, tongue lolling face that greeted her with a wag of a bushy tail. 

On reflex, Akko slammed the door shut and checked to see if Lotte had seen. Once confirming the coordinator was safely distracted, talking to Pikachu and working on her paws she opened the door a crack again and slipped out.

“What did you two do?” Akko hissed, looking at Arthur who was laying down stretched out on the floor, looking very pleased with himself. This wouldn't normally be a cause for concern, except the amount of floor Arthur was taking up was exponentially more than this morning. Or even ten minutes ago. To be more accurate, there was less room that wasn't covered by canine than with canine.

“How?” Akko whispered, looking around and realizing that Eevee was nowhere to be seen, not that Akko could make out much of the room around the massive, fluffy wolf pokemon. Arthur whined and pressed his nose against Akko's stomach, stiffing at the soap that clung to her clothes. 

Laying sprawled across the floor was Lotte's former Growlithe, now Arcanine. Now Akko really was wishing that the crash had been caused by a game, or pretty much anything else. Not from Arthur's new bulk pushing the furniture out of the way to make room for him.

As Akko looked around for a clue as to what had happened, a who done it, she saw a familiar black box resting on the ground between Arthur's oversized paws. Reaching down, she picked up the box, now covered in chew marks and noticed the latch had been bent and the contents spilled out. 

Studying the inside of the box, Akko noticed that there were three slots in total, only one of which was still occupied, a Water Stone still safely strapped in place. 

“Oh, crap.” Akko breathed, even partially destroyed, Akko recognized the box as the one that Amanda had given her yesterday. They must have dug it out from where she’d hidden it under her bed. And then...

Akko looked at the base of her bed, and found the source of black, wood splinters coming from under her bed. No wonder she hadn't seen it this morning, she had completely forgotten about it. “Lotte's gonna kill us!” Akko chastised, and Arthur wagged his tail, ears perking up to regard the worrying girl. “You're supposed to compete tomorrow!” Akko continued in a hiss, well maybe it won't be so bad. Lotte did say one of the ribbons was for toughness, and Arthur did look a lot stronger now?

No, she said she was going for the other one. The one for being cute. Well, Akko looked at the panting dog, he was still just as cute, just bigger... and fluffier. Maybe having more to love gave bonus points? Somehow she doubted it.

While Akko was absently running her fingers over the two empty indents of the case something occurred to her, if Arthur had obviously found the Fire Stone. And the Water Stone was still safely latched in the case. Then logically, the final indent should have held a Thunder Stone. Where was Eevee?

“Eevee?” Akko called, hesitantly and feeling a little panicked. It would be fine. It had to be fine, even if her partner had evolved, at least now they had nothing to worry about for the frequency, right? But Jolteon wasn't nearly as soft and fluffy as Eevee was, Akko countered, pouting. 

Maybe Amanda could call her spike-butt now?

After a few seconds, Arthur looked back at his tail and Eevee's head poked out from underneath, holding a shining rock in her mouth. A wave of relief hit her and Akko edged her way around the giant dog pokemon to pick up her fox from where she was being swallowed by a pile of fur. Before she could say anything, Akko held the fox up in front of her and looked at the stone in her mouth.

Eevee waved her tail with a guilty look on her face, dropping the stone to clank on the floor. 

“There's the Thunder Stone,” Akko breathed, setting the fox on Sucy's bed and picking up the oval object, maybe it's defective? Or chewing on it doesn't cause evolution? Still, that's odd.

Before Akko could question it further, she heard Lotte let out a strangled squeal and realized they'd been caught. Not that they would have been able to hide the recent developments for long. Lotte would definitely notice that her Growlithe had undergone a sudden growth spurt of sorts. Looking back at the bathroom, the coordinator was standing in the doorway and staring at her previously puppy pokemon in shock.

“Akko, what happened?” Lotte asked, reaching out to scratch her increasingly excited pokemon. Arthur had started to wag his tail, which resulted in Akko being smacked in the face over and over from her unfortunate position. The wolf pokemon was not yet accustomed to his size, and bumped into furniture, back foot raising and finding purchase on Akko's bed. Tail smashing the contents of the desk all over the floor and causing a mess.

Holding her hands up to shield her face, Akko stepped backwards to stand on Sucy's bed, Eevee darting between her legs to swat at the assaulting tail. “Remember how I told you about Constance fixing and upgrading Eevee's pokeball yesterday?” Akko asked, while Lotte tried to calm her excited pup.

“Well, I forgot to mention that Amanda gave me something as well, because I kinda also forgot about it.” Akko chuckled, scratching her cheek. “After the whole thing with Sucy, I guess it got kicked under my bed and it looks like they found it and it may have had evolution stones for Eevee.” Akko rambled, putting the Thunder Stone back in the box and latching it in place.

Arthur calmed down, listening to his trainer's commands and sat down, tail still swishing back and forth like a broom, pushing the desk chair further and further with each passing thunk. Lotte seemed to spot something and reached down to pick up a Fire Stone from where it had been hidden, nestled between the canine pokemon's front paws.

The coordinator looked defeated, and scratched behind Arthur's ear.

“I'm really sorry, Lotte.” Akko mumbled, feeling guilty. She should have checked the box yesterday, or hidden it away somewhere more secure, until she had a chance to look at it properly.

“It's okay, Akko.” Lotte assured, smiling sadly. “I was debating on sitting this one out anyways, after everything that happened with you and Eevee. I haven't practiced as much as I should have.” Lotte wiped her hand on her shorts, realizing the larger dog meant more slobber. “And then Pikachu coating herself in gosh knows what, and now Arthur.” She gestured at the pokemon sitting in front of her.

“What? No!” Akko protested, stepping past Arthur and stumbling slightly. “You can't drop out! You were able to get Pikachu clean, right? And Eevee and I are fine! Plus, Arthur looks way more ferocious now!” Akko tried to encourage the other girl, gesturing to the wolf pokemon who was taking up the lion's share of the room. Akko raised her hands and pointed two fingers down to simulate fangs, “See?” She pushed up one of Arthur’s fluffy cheeks to show off his newly minted teeth, “big and ferocious.”

Arthur looked over at her, tilting his head with tears flicking, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. “...Okay, maybe ferocious wasn't the most accurate word. But, he's still cute!” Akko moved closer and puffed up his neck ruff, rubbing his cheeks so he imitated a smile. “See? Just bigger.”

Lotte still seemed hesitant, even if Akko's actions did elicit a small smile. “What about his costume? There's no way it will fit him now.” 

“Oh,” Akko breathed, Lotte had a point. Anything that would have previously fit the dog pokemon would definitely not now. “It was a suit, right?” Akko asked, recalling the garment that Lotte had been working on a little, each night, since before her first challenge with Brock. 

Lotte nodded, handing the Fire Stone to Akko so she could put it back in the box. Once the last strap was secured, Akko put the box inside the desk and closed the drawer, making a mental note to find something more teeth proof. 

“What if he just wore the bow tie?” Akko suggested, and Lotte seemed to contemplate the idea. 

“I could also open the jacket up and just have him wear the jacket across his back with a belt to hold it in place...” Lotte mumbled, seeming to work out a game plan as she talked. “Oh, but there's not enough time for me to do that large of a modification by myself.”

Akko looked at Arthur, taking in just how big he had become and had to agree with Lotte. It would be a lot of work to adjust the costume to fit him as he is now. “Well, maybe you don't need to do it alone.”

Lotte turned a sympathetic look at her friend, “Akko, I appreciate the offer but the last time you tried to help me sew, you ended up sticking yourself with the needle more than the fabric.”

Chuckling nervously, Akko shook her head. “No, I was actually thinking about someone else.”

~o~

“Hey,” Akko greeted when the door swung open a crack after the fifth knock. Barbara looked back with an arched eyebrow, glancing back over her shoulder and seeming as if she had just woken up. The researcher tugged at her collar, which sat lopsided on her shoulders. Her normally perfectly groomed hair mussed over flushed cheeks and a thin coat of sweat covering her chest.

“Diana isn't here.” She stated, flatly and moved to close the door, uninterested in anything else Akko had to say.

“No! Wait, please.” Akko persisted, she hated the idea of coming to these two above anyone else, but she owed Lotte. It was her fault that she was in this bind to begin with, and Diana had mentioned that Hannah was a very talented designer. Putting her hand on the door to keep it from closing, Barbara looked at Akko's arm, surprised.

“It's for Lotte, not me. We had a, uh,” Akko struggled to select the right word for their current predicament, “mishap.” That was about as accurate as she was going to get, “is Hannah here?” Akko asked, glancing at the small crack that the other girl had left. Not allowing the unwanted visitor to look inside the room, Barbara moved the door further closed to block Akko’s line of sight.

Maybe she had been napping? But it was pretty late in the day to nap, at this point you might as well just go to sleep. Oh crap, maybe she had been sleeping! Well, napping was sleeping. But maybe she was sleeping for the night sleeping.

It was only a little after dinner time though.

Barbara eyed the trainer standing in her door with an annoyed expression, seemingly torn between telling Akko to leave and agreeing to call for Hannah. After a moment of back and forth she let out an exasperated sigh, “ya she is, hold on.” Before Akko could reply, the researcher closed the door with a bang and began speaking with her friend, their conversation muffled by the door.

Akko waited, wondering if they were simply going to ignore her, or wait until she left, as she heard scuffling behind the door before it finally clicked open again. This time it was Hannah who appeared, looking less out of breath but also disheveled, whatever they were doing it was pretty obvious Akko had interrupted. If she wasn't desperate for their help for Lotte, she would have said she could come back later. It's not like she was exactly pleased at the prospect of coming, groveling to them for assistance.

“What?” Hannah snapped, flicking her curly ponytail back to rest between her shoulders.

“Um,” Akko flushed, and swallowed her pride. It was for Lotte, that's all she had to keep reminding herself. “Well, Arthur kind of unexpectedly evolved and Lotte needs help altering his costume for tomorrow. And since I suck at sewing, and Diana said you were really good it, at sewing that is.” Akko sucked in a breath, realizing her mistake in wording. “Not that you probably aren't also good at other things!” She tried to correct, and the coordinator narrowed her eyes, folding her arms across her chest.

 “I was hoping I could convince you to help her?” Akko finished the request with her best puppy eyes and tried to make her smile genuine. It's for Lotte, she reminded herself again.

Hannah pursed her lips, pondering the request before asking, “isn't Arthur a Growlithe?” 

“Well, he was...” Akko replied, aware of where this was going. “It was my fault, I know you don't like me. But it would mean the world to Lotte, please?”

The other girl debated with herself, and for a moment it looked like she would decline. “Fine,” Hannah sighed. “Only because Barbara seems to like Lotte.” The coordinator agreed, going back into their room and grabbing her bag before returning with it and Barbara in tow. 

Akko returned to find Lotte working on pulling out a line of stitching in Arthur's jacket, and told her the good news. Hannah seemed to instantly know where she was most needed with limited instruction, and the two went to work while Barbara did her best to assist. 

As much as Akko wanted to help, she always seemed to be in the way and decided to leave to give them more room to work, heading to the cafeteria to find snacks for the other three. Determined she would find some way to be useful. Besides that, it was obvious she was only serving as a distraction, the tension between herself and Diana's teammates thickening the air in the small room.

The trainer decided to order a hot chocolate, and wandered outside to sit on one of the benches outside the pokecenter and sat down, heavily. Wanting to get some fresh air before going back into the war zone. Eevee hopped up on the bench and curled up with her head on Akko's lap, closing her eyes with a happy purr as her trainer started to rub her long ears.

It didn't take long in the stillness of the setting sun for Akko's mind to start drifting, and she found her gaze transfixed on the dirt beneath her shoes. She couldn't seem to stop thinking about that strange pink pokemon, or memory she had been shown. If it was a memory, and not just some sort of weird dream. Or what any of it had to do with an impossible young Chariot. Maybe she had fallen asleep while watching the videos about the old shows, it would make sense for her to dream about Shiny Chariot if she had fallen asleep while watching them. But it had felt too real to be a dream.

“Good evening, Akko.” Diana greeted, and Akko jumped, startled. She had been so lost in thought she hadn't noticed the other girl's approach. 

Diana stood in front of where Akko was sitting with her back straight, a curious expression tinted with exhaustion. She looked rather dirty, or at least dirtier than Diana had ever looked. And considering they had spent the better part of a week stuck in a cell together, that was saying something. Her legs were covered in dried mud, even her shorts looked like she had taken an unexpected dunk in the river. There were small cuts on her hands, and even a couple small twigs in her hair. What had she been up to? 

“Oh hi, Diana.” Akko greeted, offering a smile, trying desperately not to blurt out the question on her mind. Somehow, Akko knew if the first thing she said was, 'Hey, you look like you were mugged by a bog monster.' Diana probably wouldn't stay for very long. And after the day she had been having, she could really use some recharging time.

“May I?” The other trainer asked, gesturing at the open spot on the bench beside Akko, and received a nod in response. Once she was situated, she glanced over at her friend, “how are you feeling today?” Diana looked down at her legs and seemed to realize how dirty she was, blushing faintly as she tried to remove some of the dried mud, subtly with her fingernails.

“Better, thanks.” Akko mumbled, kicking at the dirt with the tip of her shoe. The small talk felt awkward and she wasn't sure what to say. She debated on telling Diana what had happened this afternoon, but the more she thought about it, the more she wasn't positive it had really happened. Besides, if she said hey, remember that strange pink, bubble pokemon from the cave? Ya, it appeared and gave me some weird mind, vision, dream thing about Shiny Chariot as a kid. That would probably just make her sound crazy. Or like some sort of obsessed fangirl. 

“Is something wrong?” Diana asked, leaning back against the bench and petting Eevee gently.

Akko let out a chuckle, if only she knew. She needed to say something, or she'd be suspicious and would push for more. “Arthur evolved.”

“Oh...?” Diana questioned, “isn’t Arthur Lotte’s growlithe?”

Akko hummed a confirmation, scratching at an itchy scab on her leg. 

Diana noticed the action, and reached over to take Akko's hand, holding it in hers without a word to stop the motion. “So?” She prompted, and Akko knew what she was getting at. If Growlithe had evolved, he would have been exposed to a fire stone. So then it would have been on purpose, because who is stupid enough to just leave evolutionary stones laying around in a room with an Eevee and a Growlithe?

“It was a mistake,” Akko mumbled, trying to resist twitching her fingers, and felt a blush colouring her neck. “They found a box Amanda had given me while we were trying to bathe Pikachu,” Akko explained, looking over at Diana to elaborate. “She decided to play in a garbage can.”

“Oh?” Diana smiled, seeming amused. But otherwise didn't comment on the odd explanation.

“Ya, and Lotte was so panicked because the competition is tomorrow so we were trying to bathe her. So we weren't watching Arthur and Eevee, and they found the box Amanda had given me—” Akko paused, remembering Amanda's request. “I wasn't supposed to tell anyone she gave it to me.”

“I won't tell anyone.” Diana assured, rubbing her thumb over her anxious friend's knuckles.

“Okay.” Akko let out a breath, finding the soothing action to be an anchor. The warmth from the other girl's hand doing wonders, and easing the tension from her shoulders. “Anyways, she heard about the frequency thing and gave me evolutionary stones, in case I wanted to, you know...” Akko finished in a rush, unable to voice the final part. And instead just settled for gesturing wildly with her free hand.

Diana took in Akko's explanation, and seemed to try to work through on the puzzle while missing a couple pieces. “What, 'frequency thing'?” She asked, glancing down at the sleeping kit laying on the bench between them. “And I see that Eevee didn't manage to get her paws on one of those stones.”

Akko blinked, Diana hadn't heard about the frequency Team Rocket had been using. So then did Hannah and Barbara not know either? But why would Professor Ursula tell her, but not them? Their team also had two pokemon who not only could, but had been affected. There wasn't that big of a difference between two and three, so they should have been pretty high on the priority list, right? “They found out that Team Rocket is using a frequency that lures pokemon who evolve with the use of evolutionary stones.” Akko explained.

“You were right,” Akko shook her head, still baffled that Diana had managed to piece it all together before anyone else. She really was amazing.

“Oh,” Diana breathed, looking away and scrunching up her nose while she worked through a thought, silently. “And Professor Ursula said you needed to evolve Eevee?” The heir asked, looking at the happily purring fox.

“Not exactly,” Akko felt like she needed to defend the Professor, she had meant well. “She just said that the only two options they see at the moment are evolution, or keeping the vulnerable pokemon,” Akko glanced down at Eevee and lowered her voice to a whisper, so as not to upset her again. “In their pokeballs.” She finished in a hushed voice.

Diana followed Akko's glance and her mouth formed an 'o', “Not great options.” She agreed.

The pair fell into a comfortable silence, and Akko found she had relaxed her hand in Diana's at some point and continued to stare at the ground, kicking around a small rock. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Of course,” Diana replied instantly.

Akko flushed, feeling slightly foolish for asking but it was bothering her. “In order for a pokemon to evolve with a stone, they just need to touch it, right?” 

Diana gave the other girl a curious look, seeming to hesitate before answering. “That's right, why?” Akko squirmed from where she was sitting, and sighed, scratching the back of her head while offering a lopsided smile.

“And biting it would count as touching it, right?”

Diana frowned, “I don't see any reason why it wouldn't, did something happen, Akko?”

“No, it's nothing,” Akko shook her head, kicking the rock she had been playing with across the path and rising to stand from the bench. Taking her hand away, she made a show of stretching so Diana wouldn't take the action the wrong way. “Just curious, that's all. I need to get back, I left Lotte with Barbara and Hannah. They are trying to help her adjust Arthur's costume for tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Diana stood as well, brushing herself off. “You know you can talk to me anytime, right?”

Akko grinned, “I know.” She assured, she just wasn't ready to talk about her strange encounter or anything else just yet.

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 33

 Lotte's Debut

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The day of the contest had arrived, and they made it to the contest hall with plenty of time to spare. Lotte was a nervous wreck, going over her list of things she needed to bring and rambling to no one in particular. It had taken them the better part of the night, but with the help from Barbara and Hannah they had managed to fix Arthur's costume to accommodate his new bulk. So while they were exhausted, they'd made it.

After wishing Lotte luck, unable to join her backstage where the coordinators were putting the finishing touches on their pokemon and changing into their outfits, Akko and Sucy headed for the stands. They had a little bit of time to spare before the show would start, and Akko was excitedly looking for a good place for them to watch from.

Akko had been unable to sleep much, and had tossed and turned fitfully for the majority of the night. Unable to get her recent run in with the pink pokemon out of her mind, and had laid staring at her hands, trying to figure out if it had been real or not. It had felt so real, she had been so sure of it at the time. But the more time that passed, the more it felt like a dream rather than reality. She desperately wanted to talk to someone about the encounter, but not until after Lotte's debut. She didn't want to steal any of her spotlight, or be more of a hindrance than she had already been. 

She had eventually given up, and had gone for her morning work out. Today however, she greeted Ivysaur and offered the dinosaur the option of joining them. Akko had ended up recalling her when the grass type declined, and Akko took the time to assure her it was alright. After watching the Shiny Chariot video's together, Ivysaur did seem more interested but wasn’t ready quite yet. Still, she was hopeful that maybe one day soon, Ivysaur might feel up to joining them.

Again she had noticed Diana leaving with Andrew, early in the morning and pushed the annoying tug at the back of her mind away. It wasn't her business who Diana decided to spend her time with.

The other trainer had, however, replied to her good morning message today and had said she would be in the contest hall with Barbara, cheering Hannah on from the stands. Try as she might to be subtle, Sucy noticed rather quickly that she was scanning the stands and Akko prepared herself for the sass barrage.

The researcher had been rather muted, since the morning after she had returned from the mountain. Something had changed, and Akko couldn't quite put her finger on what or why. She hadn't been teased relentlessly since her return, even after that morning. Which, frankly, should have given the other girl at least a week's worth of ammo. Two tops. Then again, Sucy was fairly resourceful so who could say for certain.

More curiously, they hadn't really talked since Akko had drunk Oscar's food. At first she wondered if maybe it was in an attempt to avoid the other two questions she still had. But now it seemed like something else.

Akko felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked up to see what Sucy was gesturing at and noticed Amanda and Constance waving at them.

“Hey!” Akko smiled, taking the empty seat beside Amanda, “did Jasminka make it alright?”

“Yeah, she's nervous but ready.” Amanda grinned back, “Lotte?”

Sucy snickered, “she made it, no thanks to Akko.” She teased, offering a good natured smile. Before Amanda could inquire further, the lights in the contest hall were lowered, spotlights flicked on to illuminate the stage and a feminine voice crackled over the speakers. The Cerulean gym leader, Misty, walked out onto the stage waving a greeting and wearing a baby blue dress that seemed to flow like the tide. Her orange hair standing out as a stark contrast, tickling her shoulders.

“I'd like to thank everyone for attending today's competition!” She greeted, stopping mid stage. “In a moment we will begin the show section of the competition, but first I would like to introduce our judges!”

Misty proceeded to introduce the three guest judges, a well known, local designer. A coordinator who had won one of the sections in the previous championship, and finally the city mayor. As each guest was introduced, Akko was barely listening and was trying to subtly scan the crowd to see if Diana had made it. She didn't see the other girl anywhere, and tried to hide her disappointed pout. Just because she didn't see her, didn't mean she wasn't there. The contest hall was massive, and was filled to the brim. They wouldn't have been able to talk much anyways, she was just being silly.

One by one coordinators came on stage and introduced themselves and their pokemon before going through their routine. The first familiar face to appear was Jasminka, and she came out of the stage accompanied with her Lickitung and Munchlax. 

Amanda stood and let out a whoop when her teammate appeared, joined by enthusiastic cheers from Akko and Eevee as well. Only settling down when the music changed, cuing that her routine was about to begin. The trio put on a display that utilized Lickitung's Spit Up ability, and Munchlax used different enhancing abilities to catch the treats.

“Well that was... Creative.” Sucy drawled when the display had ended, earning a chuckle from Akko. It had been a different way to use that particular move, that was for sure. Although, she wasn't too sure how much of an appeal that routine would have.

Even so, as Jasminka bowed and made her exit, Amanda let out another whoop to show her support for her teammate and friend.

Hannah was the next familiar face to appear, and she walked onto the stage wearing an extravagant black dress, peppered in stars that changed to mirror a sunset. The sassy coordinator strutted onto the stage about half way through the contestant list, and had one of the best designed costumes they had seen so far.

 Beside her walked her Jigglypuff and a Meowth, the pink pop star pokemon had her mic covered in star stickers and Meowth had a decorated collar. After introducing herself and her partners, the trio put on a display that played with Meowth's Swift Attack, the stars being burst by different attacks from melodies, sung by Jigglypugg. Causing a rainbow display of fireworks.

Akko felt herself smiling wide, mouth open with amazement. She had never seen pokemon moves being used in this style before, the way coordinator's commanded their pokemon was a thing of beauty. Rather than harnessing the raw power for battle strength, they used the aesthetic side of the abilities to create dazzling displays.

Lotte was the last familiar face to appear, and was about three quarters of the way down the list of competitors. She looked nervous, and had chosen to appear on stage riding on Arthur's back, with Pikachu sitting in front of her, waving from behind the canine pokemon's head.

Arthur wore his modified suit, a simple red bow tie beneath his chin and the jacket of the suit across his back, fastened under his belly with a belt. Pikachu was also dressed up, wearing a bow tie as well with a small suit jacket of her own.

Hopping down Lotte introduced herself and her partners, wearing a simple white dress, a red ribbon tied around her waist tied into a bow, matching Arthur's against her back. As the music changed to a happy jaunt, Arthur trotted around the stage, showing off the shine of his coat and outfit. Turning inwards, he trotted over to where Pikachu was standing and sat down. Waiting for the command from his trainer to begin.

Lotte walked into the middle of the stage and both pokemon looked up, Arthur wagging his tail softly. Pikachu's ears perked up, attention fully trained on Lotte. With a simple nod, Arthur used his smokescreen to cover the stage and shroud them in smoke.

Akko frowned, how were they going to receive any points if the judges couldn't see them? Just then, Pikachu used Flash, lighting up her cheeks so the only thing you could see in the darkness were two glowing red orbs. Arthur opened his mouth and flames licked his lips before he used Ember to create flowers made out of fire, and spat them one by one into smoke. The two red dots showed where Pikachu was chased after the flowers, seeming to follow a string as it was tugged away and one by one she broke them with a crackle of electricity that shimmered through the smoke.

It had the crowd laughing along with the two playing pokemon, watching when Pikachu looked around for the next flower and found it behind her.

When Lotte finished her show, Akko stood up and whistled, clapping along with the rest of the crowd. Arthur trotted over to his trainer, distracted by the crowd and stumbled momentarily before righting himself. Like a lanky teenager not used to his body after a growth spurt. Despite all the obstacles, they still need an excellent job. The group watched the rest of the displays and whispered comments in awe or query. 

A few moments later, Misty walked back on the stage and let the crowd know that the judges were deliberating and that the winners would be announced shortly. It didn't take long before the judges motioned they were ready, and the winners of the different categories were called onto the stage. 

Misty took the offered envelope and walked back to the middle of the stage, calling for applause for all of the contestants for a fantastic show. Once the crowd settled, she opened the envelope and read the first line. “For the first ribbon, and for the most aesthetically pleasing display is,” She paused for dramatic effect before smirking and announcing the winner, “Hannah England, accompanied by Jigglypuff and Meowth.”

Caught by surprise, Hannah didn't react right away before walking up to Misty to accept the ribbon, blushing furiously. Akko clapped congratulations, frowning. That was fine, that wasn’t the ribbon Lotte had been hoping to win. She looked at her friend who was clapping with a smile on her face, and Akko was unable to tell if she was disappointed from this far away.

The second ribbon was announced, and a coordinator Akko didn't recognize, a tall blond boy, accepted the award for putting on the 'Cute' display. Again Akko clapped as he accepted the prize before going back to his spot. This time Akko couldn’t hide her frown, that was the one Lotte had been hoping for. There was still two more though, right?

The third was announced, and again it went to another gentleman that Akko didn't recognize. He was shorter than the previous winner, with large glasses and walked with an air of confidence. He looked like he was right at home inside the contest hall, that made sense though. Lotte mentioned that the third ribbon was usually won by the more experienced trainers.

Misty opened the envelope one more time, reading off the final ribbon, “And the final ribbon, for overall health and general care goes to,” The gym leader paused, seeming to enjoy the suspense as it was becoming routine. “Lotte Jansson, accompanied by Arthur and Pikachu.” 

Lotte seemed too shocked to react right away, and received a good natured push on her back to get her to react before she all but ran up to receive the ribbon. Akko stood up and clapped furiously, and Sucy surprised her by letting out a loud whistle. 

After the awards, the coordinators went backstage to start working on getting the costumes off their pokemon and changing. Slowly, the crowd in the stands started to file out of the stadium, leaving through the marked exits with a chorus of loud chatter.

After leaving the arena, Akko was chatting with Constance about the different types of pokeballs excitedly. Amanda and Sucy had left to see if they could find the other members of their team. Most of the coordinators were still backstage, changing out of their costumes and tending to their partners. They had been told it would be a while, but that didn't seem to deter Sucy or Amanda from going and waiting by the back door.

Constance spotted someone she seemed to know and waved goodbye, departing as well, leaving Akko to her own devices to pass the next hour or so. Letting out a sigh, she scratched her head and looked around. It was a gorgeous day, warm but not suffocating, the sun shining brightly with few clouds littering the sky. 

Deciding to enjoy the summer nirvana, Akko left the hustle and bustle of the stadium and went to find one of the multiple secluded fields that surrounded the city. With the plentiful amount of water, the surrounding wildlife was thriving, and the ground was swallowed by thick grass and a plethora of flowers and vegetation. 

Once she found a place that was quiet, with no sign of being bothered, Akko sat down at the base of a tree with Eevee and let out Ivysaur. The dinosaur pokemon yawned, as if waking from a nap and stretched, blooming bulb on its back reaching for the warm rays. Ivysaur looked around and scented the air, nervous about the unknown surroundings but relaxing once she didn't see anyone else. 

“Hey girl,” Akko called, offering her hand to the pokemon for scratches which were happily accepted while Ivysaur stretched out in the grass. Eevee hopped around, stirring up bugs and chasing after them. The fox leap frogged through the tall grass, all but disappearing, only the tips of her ears or a wiggle of a tail showing. She had struggled to stay still in the stadium, and had a lot of excess energy to wear off.

Once Ivysaur was calm, Akko took out Mizar's ball and let her see it. Her avian partner didn't seem to get along with the grass type, his aggressive personality clashing with her timid nature. “I'm going to let Mizar out, alright?” She asked, and Ivysaur blinked. Akko really wished, not for the first time, that she could understand the dinosaur pokemon. Or any pokemon for that matter, when were they going to invent something to help translate. That would be so cool. Although, if Eevee was given that it would probably just be, what's that? What's that? Can I eat it? Oops I ate it.

Not that Mizar would be much better, he would probably just continuously pester her for food. Akko laughed, tossing the ball and summoning the bird pokemon. Mizar flapped once, startling Ivysaur before going up into the tree Akko was sitting against and stretching in the warm summer breeze.

“It's alright,” Akko soothed, but even with the reassurance, Ivysaur wasn't sure and the dinosaur retreated to try and hide with her face pressed against Akko’s belly. Frowning, Akko rubbed her head, “I wish I knew how to help you.” 

She was beginning to feel like a failure as a trainer, nothing she did seemed to help. Ivysaur wasn't getting better, and it limited the amount of time and interaction she was able to have outside of her ball, or with others in general.

While Akko was worrying over Ivysaur, Eevee came trotting back with a mouthful of flowers that she’d pulled out by the roots with dirt still attached. Akko laughed, taking them from the fox who wagged her tail, “thank you.” Akko scratched the fox and accepted the offered gift. The flowers were a small assortment of wild flowers, typical to what you'd find in most of the fields around here. Thin stems with vibrate colours, pink, white, yellow, some a mixture or a variation. 

Looking at the small bouquet, Akko blushed and asked, “What kind of flowers do you think Diana would like?” If she even likes flowers. She might not. But girls were supposed to like flowers, right? Akko had never really seen the appeal in being given a dead plant, she much preferred chocolate if she had to choose from the typical stereotypes. But then again, the idea that someone you liked thought about giving you something, for no other reason other than to show affection was a pleasant thought. 

“I think I'd like flowers, if they were from Diana.” Akko smiled, shaking away the goofy expression and looked back at Eevee who was watching her, head tilted. “Well, do you think she'd like this one?” Akko asked, holding up the pink flower. Eevee wagged her tail, standing up to sniff the flower and sneezed.

Annoyed at the offending plant, she slapped it out of Akko's hand and once more on the ground, just to be safe. Always need to double tap to make sure it's dead. “Alright, not that one. Pink doesn't seem like her colour anyways.” Eevee had a point, she always had had better instincts for these things anyways. Akko nodded to herself, agreeing with the kit's assessment and held out the yellow next.

“What about this one?” She asked, and this time Eevee bit one of the petals, tasting it before spitting out with a disgusted look, tongue still poking out. “Maybe not,” Akko giggled, holding the solitary white one. “So I guess that means, this one?”

White did seem to suit her somehow, and Akko twirled the flower in her fingers. Diana would probably think it was weird if she gave her flowers though. Lost in thought, daydreaming about all the ways the action could be received, Ivysaur stiffened and cowered.

She was about to ask what it was, when a throat was cleared to her left, “hello, Miss Kagari.” Andrew greeted, looking amused. Crap, did he hear...? “Enjoying the sunlight I see.”

“H-Hey, Andrew.” Akko stuttered, embarrassed that her recent conversation could have possibly been overheard. Crap, crap, crap. Wait, he'd been hanging out with Diana the last few days, what if he told her? Akko flushed, and suddenly her recent musings became a little more real and she wanted to melt into the tree behind her.

Ivysaur let out a rumble of displeasure, and shifted so she was mostly hidden behind Akko. Andrew regarded the grass type and held perfectly still, avoiding making eye contact and trying to appear relaxed. “Is that the Ivysaur that you rescued from Team Rocket?” He asked.

How had he heard about that? Probably from Diana, the annoying voice in the back of her head teased. “Oh, ya she is. She um,” Akko looked at the nervous reptile and frowned. She had been hoping that a couple hours of fresh air and sunlight would help her relax, but it seemed the spot she had chosen wasn't secluded enough. Not that she minded Andrew, or had talked to him enough to really form an opinion. “She's still really skittish,” Akko admitted, feeling slightly defeated.

“Understandably, it can take some survivors of abuse years to fully recover.” Andrew replied, as if he were stating a fact. 

Years? She really hoped it wouldn't take her that long. It's not that she minded giving Ivysaur time to heal, to learn to trust. But, she was so stressed all the time. It would be nice if she were able to join her and the other pokemon on simple activities, so she wasn't so secluded. 

Andrew seemed to notice the tension on her face because he continued without waiting for a reply, “You know, there's a few things you could try that might help her. I have read a fair bit on the topic, about recovering from traumatic events.”

Akko looked at the other trainer, “Did something happen to you?” She blurted out, flushing when she realized how inappropriate that was. “Sorry, you don't have to answer that.” Stupid, Akko! Asking someone you barely knew something like that.

“No,” Andrew smiled, sadly. “It's alright, I actually became interested in an effort to help a friend.” ‘Oh,’ Akko said to herself, ‘they must have been a really good friend for him to go through all that effort.’ 

“Did it help?” Akko asked, looking back at Ivysaur who had a skeptical look on her face and rubbed her nose against Akko's shirt.

“I unfortunately missed my opportunity to try.” Andrew looked back towards town, seeming to mull something over when Akko remained silent, wondering what it was he could be thinking about that would elicit that look of concentration and regret. “But, if I could help your Ivysaur, maybe all that time reading won't go to waste.” He offered, shaking his head and turning his attention back to the group in front of him.

Eevee had moved closer and was sniffing at his shoes, batting at his leg and offering her head in an invitation for scratches. “Honestly, I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do,” Akko admitted, laughing awkwardly. “So any help would be appreciated. I don't know how you'll be able to help though, she's not fond of other people coming close to her. Boys especially.” She glanced at the other trainer, to see if her last comment had been received as an insult. It hadn't been meant that way, just something she had noticed.

“Was her last trainer male?” Andrew asked, slowly sitting cross legged on the grass and keeping an eye on the skittish grass type. Plucking a nearby cattail and dangling it for Eevee to play with. Mizar chirped, watching curiously from above. 

“Ya, he was.” Akko confirmed.

Andrew flicked the toy up, out of the way of swatting paws and hummed to himself, “Well, that would be why she's more skittish around men then.” He laughed when Eevee missed a swat and tumbled, head over tail before shaking the dirt out of her fur and coming back for round two. “You know, reptiles tend to strongly rely on their sense of smell. It's actually been proven that certain smells can subconsciously have calming effects on both pokemon and people. Think of the way your kitchen smells after your mother bakes a fresh batch of cookies, for example.” Andrew continued.

Akko scrunched up her nose, that was a smell she was very familiar with. Just thinking about it made her mouth water. “From the looks of it, your Ivysaur seems to use your scent to calm herself.” Andrew continued, leaning back and trying to keep the cattail out of Eevee's teeth.

Come to think of it, Akko recalled outside Team Rocket while they were waiting and Ivysaur had burrowed under the blanket with her. And then again, the other day, laying in bed when she had her nose buried in her shirt. Even now, as soon as she felt nervous she had come closer and buried her nose in her side. “I think you might be right.” Akko admitted, “But how does that help?” She was way too heavy to carry everywhere. Plus, it would give her a very small radius in which she could travel away from Ivysaur without stressing her further.

“Well, some people wear their partners clothes when they are feeling worried, or alone. Maybe if you had an old shirt, or a bandanna or something she could have, it might help.” Andrew shrugged, “It's just an idea.” Eevee wiggled her rump, launching herself into the air and clamping down on her fleeting foe, landing and shaking her head violently in an attempt to break the stem.

She did have a couple older shirts, maybe Lotte could help her adjust one so Ivysaur could have it tied around her leg or something. “Alright,” Akko nodded, “Thanks, I'll try it.”

“This next one might sound silly, but hear me out.” Andrew continued, rubbing Eevee's belly while her back legs kicked at his wrist, still chewing on her defeated prize. “A lot of the time, when pokemon are seized from abusive trainers or unsuitable homes, they are given new names. Think of it like they are starting over, a new life, a new name.”

“That actually,” Akko looked at Ivysaur and recalled all the times she had heard her previous trainer scream, or berate her before striking out physically. “Makes a lot of sense.” But what would she call her? Mizar had been Lotte's idea, and was a testament to Shiny Chariot. With Mizar being the twin constellation to Alcor. 

Akko worried her lip, and looked at the dinosaur. She was terrible at names, most of her names ended up just sounding silly, not something to be taken seriously. Ivysaur deserved a good, strong name. Something that suited her. Letting out a sigh, she rubbed the spine of the closest leaf on Ivysaur's back, something she noticed the grass type seemed to enjoy. 

“I have no idea what I would name her though,” Akko admitted, and it's not like she could ask Ivysaur. Even if that had been Diana's advice last time. If she asked Ivysaur what she wanted to be called, her vocabulary was fairly limited. Somehow she doubted, 'Saur' instead of Ivysaur would be enough for a difference to cause a distinction.

“Hmm,” Andrew seemed to consider the predicament. “What about Harley?” He offered.

“Harley?” Akko asked, it was a nice name but why that one? “Like a motorcycle?” She asked, recalling her Papa's favourite pastime. Vehicles weren't common, since pokemon were generally a faster and cheaper form of transportation. But he enjoyed fiddling with them.

“No,” Andrew laughed, “She's actually from a comic book.” 

“You read comics?” Akko asked, surprised. He didn't seem like the nerdy type.

“Ya, there's actually a few I think you'd like.” He replied, rubbing Eevee's ears, “But the one I'm referring to, the character's full name is Harley Quinn. She's a total badass, and is actually a survivor of long term abuse.” 

Oh, she was beginning to see why he had suggested Harley as the name. “In the beginning, she's completely in love with her abuser, and does anything he asks of her. It takes meeting someone who becomes very important to her, for her to realize that the type of relationship they have isn't healthy. And in the end, she's a large part of the reason for why he's defeated.” Andrew shrugged, “I think it suits her.”

Akko looked at the nervous Ivysaur, and had to admit from the way he described it, it did seem to fit. “Harley,” She whispered, to see how it felt and Ivysaur perked up, looking at her curiously. “And Harley,” Akko continued, looking back at Andrew. “In the end, she was, you know... Okay?” She asked.

“Yep,” Andrew nodded, paying attention to the fox that was chewing on his fingers. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to feel it. “It took a long time, and finding someone who had the patience to help her. But she recovered.”

“Alright,” Akko smiled, feeling like the name suited the reptile. “Well, how about that? Do you like the name Harley?” Ivysaur looked up at her trainer, and rumbled happily.

“Saur,” The dinosaur replied. That settled it then, Harley it was. 

Akko and Andrew chatted for a while more before they separated, and Akko headed back to the stadium to see if Lotte had finished and was ready to leave. But not until she had invited Andrew to join her tomorrow for her morning workout after he expressed interest. Even promising to lend her some of his comics that he thought she'd like.

She found Lotte and Sucy waiting outside, Lotte jumping up and down while she showed off her ribbon for healthiest pokemon. Arthur's stumble had presumably lost her, her chance at the other one she was hoping for. But getting one of the four was still phenomenal for her first show.

They celebrated over dinner, chatting about their favourite parts of all of the coordinator's performances and were joined by Amanda and the rest of her team. After a night of merriment, they headed back to their respective rooms and it wasn't until the door shut that Akko noticed Eevee had snatched a flower from the roadside during their trek, and carried it back to the room.

Ironically, or perhaps the fox really could understand her, it was a white one. Eevee looked at her trainer expectantly. Waiting for something, offering her a choice and Akko let out a groan. “You're going to be the death of me, you know that.” She teased the fox, ruffling her fur and taking the flower.

She could almost see it, the look on Diana's face if she were to knock on her door and give this to her. Why, though? What would she even say? Akko blushed, she'd probably just end up stuttering. Maybe Eevee should give it to her, she was the one who had toted the flower inside after all.

Akko glanced at the waiting fox, and snatched a piece of paper from the desk, scribbling a quick note. Picking up Eevee, she left and found Diana's room. Kneeling down she gave Eevee the note and flower, who took both in her mouth, obediently and sat on the floor where Akko set her down. The fox watched as her trainer retreated down the hall, ducking around the corner and pointing at the door.

Tilting her head, Eevee regarded the curious request before looking back at the door. Following the request, she scratched at the door and waited as it cracked open and Diana looked at her, sitting in the doorway and wagging her tail. 

“Well, hello.” Diana laughed, and Akko hid a little further around the corner, heart beating rapidly and feeling foolish for hiding. “Where's your trainer?” Diana mused, glancing down the hall and spotting the tip of a shoe barely visible.

The trainer smirked, deciding to play long and picked up the waiting fox when she batted at Diana's shin. Lifting her up, she gently took the note and flower, holding Eevee securely while she tugged at one of her curls with her teeth. Carefully, she opened the partially soggy note and read the barely legible scribble, “A pretty flower for a pretty lady.” Diana smiled, looking at the flower missing a petal and with a broken stem after being toted around the pokecenter in Eevee's mouth.

She glanced at where she suspected Akko was hiding and lifted Eevee up, “tell your partner thank you,” Diana said, a little louder than really needed. Eevee wriggled, mewling and kicking her dangling feet. Hesitating, she added, “and give her this for me.” Diana kissed Eevee's forehead and the kit squirmed, wanting to be put down.

Akko couldn't help but peek to watch the exchange and jerked back into hiding, a furious blush burning away at her neck and face. As Eevee trotted down the hall and greeted her, all Akko could do was walk shakily back to her room, grinning furiously. Waving at Eevee to be quiet so Diana wouldn't spot her.

Chapter Text

Little Pokemon Academia

Chapter 34

 Blue Eyed Fox

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Diana awoke to her alarm blaring, shutting it off and staring up at the ceiling above her, going through everything she needed to do during the day. The list just never seemed to go down, and it elicited a sigh that graduated into a yawn. Rubbing her eyes, she took one last moment of silence before forcing herself to get up and start the day. Picking up her pokedex, Diana double checked the challenge roster and saw that today was, in fact, the day that Akko had declared to challenge Misty. 

So that meant that she might not have time to go to the river today, she only had a few days left, and was beginning to worry she wouldn't finish her plan in time. Still, maybe if she stayed focused she could still find an hour or two. Diana closed her pokedex and set it aside, Akko would probably want to celebrate after the match. She had little doubt that she'd win, or at least give it a very commendable attempt. It would be interesting to see how Akko handled the altered arena, she had a way of doing the unexpected.

Letting out a sigh, she swung her legs out of bed and glanced at the cuddling pair on the bed on the other side of the room, smiley softly. She checked the time once more, and walked over to the window and looked outside, eyes trained on the front door of the pokecenter. 

Right on schedule, Akko walked through the front door with Eevee chattering up a storm beside her. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but could imagine it was something unique. Akko had a way of looking at the world that was fresh, new and the other girl's train of thought often caught her off guard. Challenged the way she looked at the world. It was nice. Even if her round about logic was frustrating at points, particularly when it became detrimental to her own mental health. Or she struggled to pick up on less than subtle social cues. 

If she were being honest, there were a few instances she was thankful for that last quirk though. 

Pulling her sweater a little tighter to fend off the cool morning air, she let her head rest against the glass of the window pane. She watched the other trainer go for Mizar first, which had become routine ever since Pewter City and summoned the bird, tossing him a treat to tide him over until breakfast. That particular tidbit had been added after one particularly grouchy morning and a bitten finger. 

More recently added to her routine was the summoning of Ivysaur, and Akko greeted the dinosaur with a smile, kneeling down to talk to her before recalling her and putting the ball back on her belt. All the while, Eevee darted around, barely able to contain her excitement and riling up her feathered friend.

Diana smiled and leaned against the window, watching as the trainer with boundless energy went through the stretching exercises. Exercises that Eevee tried to imitate, even if it just ended up with her rolling around in the dirt, and Mizar ignored. Akko took great care to warm up properly, and Diana averted her gaze, bashfully when her shirt would ride up to expose a toned stomach or flex her legs and arms. Akko jumped and pumped her fist, before jogging away with her teammates in tow. 

It had become a habit to make sure Akko got out in the morning alright, once she had recognized the pattern that the only days she missed, something was wrong. It was a comfort. She couldn't let herself admit any other reason for changing her routine to wake up an hour earlier. Even if it had become a very pleasant start to her day, and chased away her morning grumps more effectively than anything else. Yawning once the other girl was out of sight, Diana went into the bathroom and began to prepare for the day, humming to herself.

Toweling off her hair, Diana checked her pokedex and smiled when she saw the good morning message from Akko, biting her lip to keep the grin from spreading too wide. Sheepishly, she checked to make sure her teammates were still asleep. Hannah was still not fond of the bumbling brunette, even if Barbara was starting to come around. 

Once she confirmed they were still safely slumbering, Diana turned her attention back to the good morning message. Ever since Akko had thought she'd woken her up too early one morning, she had started to wait until she was taking a break in her work out to send the message. It was such a sweet gesture she couldn't work up the courage to assure her it was fine. To be fair, that would also be admitting that she had changed her entire routine for her as well. Which was not territory she wanted to venture into, not even within the pretext of challenging her own inner desires, not yet.

Typing one back, she went down to the cafeteria and fed her pokemon, before going outside to meet Andrew. Always one to be punctual, Diana expected to see her childhood acquaintance at the end of the road, and frowned when he wasn't there. He would always make a big fuss if anyone else was late, and yet he wasn't there. Figures. Yesterday had been close enough, where was he?

Diana checked her watch, chewing on her lip and looking down the road from the direction Akko generally returned. She'd prefer if Andrew arrived and they left before Akko returned, she found the way Andrew interacted with the other girl... Irritating. He was just so cheeky about it, and enjoyed getting under her skin. Always one to put on a show, even if his entire target audience consisted of just herself. Using Akko as a mere prop in order to stir up the reaction he wanted. 

As the minutes ticked by, Diana began to grow more anxious and checked to make sure Andrew had confirmed they would be meeting today as well. They had. The message was there, following the near exact replica from the previous days. So then where was he? She should just leave, she didn't want to lie to Akko about what she was doing but telling her the truth was also out of the question. At least for now. To be fair, it wasn't simply Akko. She hadn't spoken to anyone about her morning rendezvous, even her teammates. 

A moment later when she looked up, Diana felt her eyes narrow and hackles rise before quickly smoothing her reaction. What was he up to now? She debated on leaving before either of them saw her, but was too late when Akko came around the corner, chatting amiably with Andrew. 

The endlessly energetic trainer caught sight of Diana and waved wildly, breaking out in a wide grin that always seemed to cause Diana to blush. ‘She greets everyone that way, don't be a foolish schoolgirl with an all encompassing crush.’ Diana chided herself. Still, she allowed that soft voice at the back of her head, that whispered about how Akko's smile was a little bigger. For her. How she ran a little faster. For her. That was who Akko was, not even her compliments were abnormal. She even greeted Eevee as, 'Hey, Pretty Girl.' 

“Dianaaa!” Akko all but yelled from down the road, not seeming to notice her volume or the stares she received from passersby. It was endearing, how little the judgment of others seemed to bother her. It was a trait Diana was infinitely jealous of. How much simpler her life would be if she could ignore the politics that dictated her every step. Every comment.

As they approached, Diana couldn't help but notice that Andrew appeared to have joined Akko for her workout. He was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, clothes darkened with sweat under his arms and down his chest. Normally, he was very particular in his attire, and put great care into his appearance. It was strange, to see him in something so... Relaxed. It was true that Andrew was physically fit, but he preferred a gym to morning runs. He was up to something, of that Diana was certain, it was merely a question of what. Always more politics.

“Good morning, Diana.” Andrew greeted, voice cheeky and coming to a stop in front of her. Bristling, Diana tried to keep her glare under control, he was enjoying this far too much. Had he agreed to meet this morning with the explicit goal of this meeting? She wouldn't put it past him. But what did he have to gain by making sure that Akko knew about their recent arrangement? 

“Andrew,” Diana bit back, earning a confused look from Akko, who looked between the pair with her lips slightly parted. She probably thinks she did something wrong, good job Diana. In an attempt to soothe her worries, Diana turned to Akko and tried for a genuine smile, which normally wasn't an issue. However, while she was able to feel Andrew's smirk as he watched her, she was finding it difficult.

“Your gym battle is today, right?” Diana asked, and instantly Akko's expression shifted to elated. It reminded Diana of a puppy, and felt the wide smile's infectious pull as the other trainer all but bounced with excitement.

“Yep!” Akko confirmed, reaching up to scratch the back of her head and looking away. “Are you able to come?” The nervous girl blushed slightly, eyes widening in panic before she continued out, “You don't have to, you're probably busy. I just wanted you to know, if you wanted to go, that would be fine. Or not fine. Well, not, not fine.”

Diana giggled, silencing the other girls' nervous rambles, “I wouldn't miss it.”

Akko broke out in a lopsided grin and nodded, glancing at Andrew and seeming to keep whatever she was going to say next to herself before waving goodbye and heading back inside. Eevee snapped her attention back up, distracted by a skittering bug and followed her receding trainer with a yip.

Once she was safely out of earshot, Diana turned back to Andrew and gave him a look that let him know she was less than impressed. “You're late.” She growled.

“Oh, did I forget to message you? Akko invited me to join her this morning. I thought I'd told you.” Andrew smiled. She knew she shouldn't let him get under her skin, it only served to encourage him and decided to just drop it. What was done, was done. 

As she turned away, to begin walking to their destination, she couldn't help herself as she snapped, “I don't know what game you're playing, but don't toy with her.” Diana stormed down the road, no longer feeling in the mood to train. She should just head back to her room and get some of the research she wanted to do done, but if she did that then Andrew would win. Andrew could never win.

Following behind, Andrew remained silent until they reached the small, indoor training arena. One of the downsides about being from a prominent family meant that the tolerance for recorded losses was very low. More specifically: non-existent. Her sponsors acted as if they owned her, and demanded perfection.

From the moment she had entered the pokemon academy, every battle she had, had been recorded and made public. She was already under scrutiny for having a recorded loss to a, 'nobody trainer,' who then proceeded to be absolutely decimated in her first gym battle. She'd even lost one of her largest sponsors, with more threatening to shift their support to more promising up and comers. 

It was possible they were just blowing smoke, and Diana would love nothing more than to tell them just how little she cared for their veiled threats. However, with her Aunt turning up the pressure to sell off some of their family's property increasing, she didn't have that option. 

She had to make her gym battle with Misty a private showing in order to regain her sponsor's faith in her ability. To make them feel special and appreciated with the privilege of seeing her battle live only extended to a select few. The Cavendish legacy couldn't end with her, and while it bothered her to kiss the ring, she needed to be complacent in some demands if she wanted to rebuild their previous glory. 

It was a large part of the reason for why Barbara and Hannah still disliked Akko. She was expected to be perfect, to never fail or falter. The gym battles weren't even seen as obstacles as far as her family’s supporters were concerned, and any sign that they caused her to struggle would be met with grand opposition. 

Barbara and Hannah didn't think that the match with Akko, when they'd first met, should have been recorded as a loss, but in order to remove it from the records, both parties needed to agree. It wasn't that Diana doubted that Akko would agree if she explained it to her, she was positive she'd agree even if Akko didn't fully understand why she was asking. 

However, no matter the headache, backlash or abuse that Diana had received from the 'loss against the no body'. It didn't outweigh the amount of positive support and attention Akko had received for the recorded 'win'. And that was what it had been, a win. 

In all honesty, the backlash wouldn't have been quite so devastating if it weren't for the fact that Akko had lost her first gym battle. And soundly. A lot of the Cavendish supporters followed Akko for a short time, with keen interest. To see if, in fact, there was some foundation for Diana's loss. However, after such a resounding and humiliating defeat that was largely abashed as a 'rookie mistake'. Diana had received the brunt of the displeased rumblings. Even though Akko won her second challenge, it was by the skin of her teeth and it wasn’t enough of a difference to change any opinions.

Even if Diana were proud of her, and could see the leaps and bounds of improvement, her supporters still sneered at the idea of her having a recorded loss to such a, 'disgrace of a trainer.' It infuriated her. She wanted nothing more to tell them to take their funding and leave if they were going to say such things. But if she did that she would lose her family home, where her mother was buried. Where the grounds she was duty bound to protect resided. 

She was left between her duty to her family, and her affections for Akko. All the while, Hannah and Barbara were pushing for her to cave and ask Akko to remove the loss. But by doing that, she would need to explain why, and there was no way she could explain that it was seen as shameful by the rest of the world. She couldn't bear to see the heartbreak when she realized what Diana was saying. Because that wasn't how she saw Akko, but if she asked her to remove it, it would be like admitting otherwise. Like saying she agreed with all of the negative things that had been thrown at the girl who had become so ingrained in her daily life.

It was the same reason she hadn’t told Akko about her gym battle, and couldn’t bring herself to explain now. She had seen the hurt on her friend's face when she realized she’d missed it, and had wanted to assure her that she hadn't kept it from her out of embarrassment. But if she pulled at one thread, the entire weave would come undone and the damage would be irreparable. 

Andrew was in a similar spot, with similar pressures from his family. It was the reason for their morning rendezvous. These pressures and expectations resulted in their predecessors forming a pact that allowed them to be able to train together, without any of the possible repercussions. That while they couldn't trust other applicants to not record any victory, no matter how small, they were safe to train together. Andrew would never publicize a training session between them, and neither would Diana. 

It was not something she had intended to take advantage of, but after the mountain, the whispered mutterings had become louder. Along with the doubts in her mind of her own abilities, that she had thought were long silenced. She had been filled with unease, that could only be quenched with the drive to become stronger. At a much quicker rate than training solo could be accomplished. 

Unfortunately the only way to do that was to train, to practice, and there was only one option for that. And as much as she hated to admit it, Andrew was a formidable opponent. He always had been. If it weren't for their history, it would possibly be an enjoyable experience. She liked to be challenged, to compete against someone who pushed her. Made her think, dared her to try new things in a last ditch effort to claim victory. She enjoyed being able to take a risk without the looming repercussions if her risk didn’t pay off.

Unfortunately, each time she looked at the smile that came so easy to him. Charming and disarming. She was reminded of when they had been as close as siblings, and then the doors slammed shut, leaving her feeling empty and pushing away.

“You don't need to be jealous,” Andrew taunted once the door was closed and he had begun walking to the other side of the field. She had to quickly recant recent events to remember what it was he was referring to. Diana resisted the urge to frown, she wasn't jealous. She just didn't want Akko dragged into whatever Andrew was scheming, she didn't want her to be used. It had nothing to do with jealousy. 

“All she talked about the entire time was how amazing you are. As far as she's concerned, I don't know if I even exist.” Andrew shrugged, finishing his slow saunter to the other end of the training arena.

Diana didn't reply, silence was always the best way to deal with him. He'd eventually give up. Whenever he didn't garnish the requested response, he'd give up. Reaching down, she grabbed her first pokeball and threw it out, summoning her Kadabra. Yesterday her Abra had evolved, she had thought about telling Akko, but she wasn't in her room when she went looking and didn't want to bother her if she was busy. If she were being honest with herself, how elated she had felt at the prospect of seeing the pride on Akko's face, hearing her praise had scared her. So when she was not in her room, she took it as a blessing and left before she had time to reconsider. 

Andrew studied her, reaching down to touch his first pokeball and tossing it in the air before catching it. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed his pokeball out and summoned his Wartortle, the tortoise pokemon coming out ready to fight. Hunkering down, he looked at the familiar opponent and shifted his weight, ivy blue scales shimmering and feathered ears twitching. 

“Do you want to know why she invited me to come this morning?” Andrew asked, and Diana felt her irritation rise. ‘Probably because you tricked her,’ Diana scowled mentally, or because Akko was the nicest person and would happily talk with anyone. Not that it mattered, she just needed to ignore him until he gave up and finished what they had come here to do. At least their planned activity was cathartic. But then, beating Andrew to a pulp always was. 

“Kadabra, use Taunt.” Diana replied, trying to keep the smirk from her voice. Her partner shifted his feet and waved his arm in a circle, and Wartortle was surrounded in a red aura. The tortoise pokemon let out an enraged cry and started to prepare a Skull-Bash attack, building pressure and tucking his head inside his shell. If Andrew refused to fight her, then she'd force him to respond. Wartortle was helpless to resist the building rage that was mounting with his first assault.

Andrew clicked his tongue, “Well that was childish, are you so afraid of what I might say?” Turning his attention back to the battle, Andrew watched as his pokemon barreled across the field, knowing that any command he offered wouldn't be heard until Taunt ran out. Right as Wartortle was about to collide with Kadabra, the Physic type used Teleport to move to safety and the turtle crashed into the stadium wall.

“How about this,” He reached for his pokeballs and recalled his Wartortle as the pokemon pulled himself from the wall, unscathed and protected by his outer shell. He was being particularly stubborn today for some reason. Diana flashed an annoyed look, he had slowly become more and more insufferable over the last few weeks. “If I win today's match, you need to have an actual conversation with me.”

Diana scoffed, while he probably would not win, she didn't see what he could possibly offer that would make her want to take that deal. The entire goal of today was to not talk to him, still curiosity got the better of her, “And if I win?” She asked.

“I will leave Akko alone, just like you asked.” Andrew replied, clicking the ball back into place, “Since you aren't taking this seriously, maybe this will help change that.”

She was prepared to decline anything he had to offer, but hadn't expected that and was loath to admit she was considering it. It would be nice if she didn't have to worry about Andrew using Akko in his schemes anymore. “Fine,” Diana conceded, and recalled Kadabra, switching out his ball for Cobalt's. Then she'd just need to make sure this was a win, then whatever plan that Andrew had come up with this time would be laid to rest.

With a flick, she tossed the pokeball and her oldest companion came onto the field with a blaze of blue flames. Cobalt regarded Andrew, and whinnied softly in greeting, ears forward at the familiar face. The pony pokemon still held some affection for her male rival, she didn't blame him. Cobalt did not understand why Andrew had simply disappeared, not that she was much better off, and still remembered all the times he’d shown up to the pony’s stall with carrots in hand.

“There we go,” Andrew grinned, “Now just won't whine when we win.” Swapping out his pokeballs as well, he selected his second partner, tossing the ball onto the field. His Machoke came out and let out a challenging bellow, slamming his fists together. Always cocky.

Diana regarded the selection. She had expected him to take advantage of the fact that she had chosen first. Wartortle would have been a much safer choice. Or even his third partner, by all accounts Machoke was the least logical. Was he trying to prove some sort of misguided point? “Now who's not taking this seriously.” 

“Don't worry about us, are you ready?” Andrew asked, waving off the inquiry and tucking his hands into the pockets on his shorts. By all outward appearances, seeming calm and aloof. Diana studied him once more before nodding, switching her focus onto the battle at hand. His Machoke was not nearly as fast as Cobalt, but he was strong. Very strong. She would need to be careful that he didn't get a good grip on Cobalt. That was fine though, Cobalt had a much more versatile mid-range skill set than the fighting type. 

“Cobalt, Flamethrower!” Diana called, deciding to stay in mid range until she had a better handle on his strategy. Andrew always had a plan, a strategy and she would be foolish to disregard that. She didn't need to like him, to respect him. The pony pokemon responded instantly, the flames running down his neck bursting higher before a spout of flames erupted from his mouth and bathed the muscle bound fighter.

“Block it! Use Dynamic Punch on the ground!” Andrew countered, and Machoke raised a fist high, twisting his back and surrounding his hand in white energy before slamming it down. The ground around the fighting type's feet shattered, putting a wall of stone between himself and the bathing flames.

Well, there goes our deposit, Diana sighed pushing that thought away. Without having to be asked, Cobalt started out at a trot, keeping the flamethrower going as he ran a circle around his opponent, looking for an opening. The pony pokemon was seasoned enough that basic responses were ingrained, and did not need to be commanded. 

“Karate Chop!” Andrew called, his partner needing no further explanation as he started to punch the raised rocks, sending them as projectiles at the dancing equine. Rocks soared through the air, colliding into the stadium wall as they soared after their fleeting target. Cobalt reflexively increased his speed to keep out of reach of the stones.

When one narrowly missed hitting Cobalt on the withers, the pony pokemon had to release the flamethrower to further increase his speed. “Double Team!” Diana countered, and Cobalt split into four mirror images, running in counter clockwise circles to try to confuse their opponent.

Machoke paused his rock flinging and waited, studying the ponyta for any hint on which was the real one. They were playing a game of cat and mouse, and Diana knew it. It wouldn't work for long, Andrew was too seasoned to fall for such a basic counter, to panic and do something foolish.

After watching the carousel of pony's, making their rounds of the field, Andrew let out an exaggerated sigh. “You're not being any fun today, Earthquake!” Machoke let out a bellow and raised both hands above his head, linking his hands together before ramming them into the ground and causing a ripple to run across the field, the point of impact the central focus.

The after imagines of Cobalt shimmered and disappeared, the pony pokemon coming to a halt and struggling to stay on his hooves. “Bounce!” Diana called, and her partner launched himself into the air, soaring over the Earthquake attack. She wasn't keen on closing the gap between the two combatants, but there were few options available to her to counter an Earthquake attack. She just had to bank on the type advantage to be enough to counter Machoke's sheer strength.

Once the attack had reached its peak, gravity took over and Cobalt aimed himself back down at the fighting type who was rising back to his feet. Machoke looked up, locking his gaze onto the descending opponent and flexed. Hands clenching and legs tensing, as he prepared for the incoming attack. The fighter made no attempt to avoid, and instead put all his focus onto deflection.

“Catch him!” Andrew called, and his partner crouched, opening his hands and preparing himself.

‘There's no way he'll be able to catch that, he's at a disadvantage.’ Diana frowned, watching her partner descend from the heavens and collide with the waiting fighting type. The attack struck home, and Machoke let out a pained grunt, large hands wrapping around the pony pokemon's neck and chest, cushioning some of the blow. His feet churned in the abused ground, knees bending under the weight and Cobalt thrashed, being held up.

“Seismic Toss!” Andrew yelled. Machoke flinched, arms shaking and in visible pain from taking the attack directly, and let out a bellow as he pushed himself to lift and throw the pony pokemon. Diana hesitated, knowing he couldn't take much more abuse. Even if he had managed to counter the Bounce attack, he had suffered a massive hit. That hesitation, that struggle would be her undoing. As much as she didn't want to inflict further harm on the loyal fighter, she also did not want to abandon her partner in the middle of a battle.

“Flamethrower!” Diana called, and Cobalt opened his mouth as Machoke rotated his arms for the toss, at point blank range the fire type attack hit home and bathed his opponent in flames. Coating his chest and shoulders in licking, scorching, fire. 

Machoke finished his momentum, and threw the pony pokemon to crash into the far wall before falling to his knees. Dropping a hand to stop himself from collapsing entirely, breath labored. 

Cobalt let out a grunt as he hit the wall, landing against his side and crumpling. Exerting great effort, the pony stumbled before pushing himself up, head low and panting. On shaky legs, and ears forward he started to walk back towards the battlefield, dirt marring his ivory coat.

Diana looked between the two beaten pokemon and her heart clenched. “That's enough.” She said, walking over to her exhausted partner and stroking his cheek affectionately. This is where they would normally stop a battle, sometimes even before it had reached this point. And her pride was not worth pushing Cobalt or Machoke further, when they were hurting. 

Andrew would want to play it out, until Machoke was no longer able to fight, even if he was barely holding himself up as is.

If she had been willing to push more, to declare one more attack. She would have won. But ever since her encounter with Team Rocket, and having to watch the way Akko's Ivysaur would cower when she saw her. Diana couldn't bring herself to do that again, not for something as needless as not wanting to make small talk. Without a word, she pulled a potion out and pressed the trigger to release the spray. The pony let out a sigh, closing his eyes and bumping his nose to his trainer's chest.

Andrew regarded her, knowing better than to protest. Mirroring her actions, he went out to his partner and helped him up, applying a potion before recalling him and waiting. Looking around the stadium, rather than watching as Diana took longer with her partner. She always did. 

“Well?” Diana closed her eyes and waited, knowing he already had an entire speech planned out with his own form of sound evidence and logic backing him up. He had been doing it ever since they were children. Whenever something was bothering him, something that he knew she wouldn't want to talk about, he'd come with something in an attempt to butter her up. That was how she had obtained half of her Shiny Chariot cards.

“Well, what?” Andrew inquired, and Diana felt her irritation starting to rise. Why did he have to make a show of it? He knew very well, what.

“You won,” Diana grit out, finding the words put a foul taste in her mouth. It wasn't the loss that bothered her, it did happen from time to time. It was the insistence of making a game out of it. She returned Cobalt and set the ball back on her belt, folding her arms and walking to one of the benches that lined the training arena. If they had to do this, she didn't want it to be in public. There was enough going around the rumor mill about them being a possible couple. 

Following her to sit down as well, Andrew slumped back against the arena wall. “Actually I'd say it was a tie, so I guess that means we both get what we want?” He asked, with that damned attempt at a charming smile. “Unless you'd prefer neither of us did?” She heard the taunt, he was asking her, which was more important, him staying away from Akko or her keeping her inner musings to herself. What was more important, turning down the offered charity, or protecting Akko?

“Fine,” She breathed, defeated when she remembered the way Akko came around the corner with a grin on her face from this morning. Whatever it was that Andrew was up to, she didn't want Akko to be hurt when she realized he was only using her. Because what other reason could he have? “Then what do you want to talk about?”

Andrew leaned back against the stadium wall and ran a hand through his hair, “Yesterday, when I bumped into Akko, do you know what she was doing?” He asked, knowing he wouldn't receive an answer. Even if Diana had agreed to have a 'conversation' that more just meant she wouldn't walk away when he started to talk. Why was he so fixated on rubbing in their conversation from earlier? Did he really enjoy recounting each detail to her, just to watch her squirm with unease.

“She was talking to her Eevee,” He chuckled to himself, and Diana found herself smiling softly.

“That sounds like her.” She agreed, voice low, “Even though Eevee doesn't talk back I've heard them having full blown arguments.” Diana continued, laughing softly at the memory. That wasn't entirely accurate, while Eevee may not speak in the traditional sense, she certainly chattered enough to simulate talking. And Akko responded as if she understood every yip, growl or otherwise.

“They were discussing what kind of flower they thought would be your favourite.” Andrew continued once Diana had trailed off, and glanced at his companion, noting the faint blush that coloured her cheeks. “I wasn't kidding when I said all she wanted to talk about this morning was you. I know you think I was just using her, but I think it would be more accurate to say she was using me to ask questions about you.” Andrew chuckled, not seeming bothered at all about being used.

“What's your point?” Diana asked, not fully comfortable with talking to Andrew about something so personal. She was feeling flustered, thinking about Akko sitting in one of the meadows surrounding the city and talking to Eevee about something so... Akkoish. Still, she was curious which one they had decided on. Perhaps a white one, like the poor mangled specimen sitting on her desk. It probably had some subtly sweet reasoning behind it. Focusing, she closed her eyes and let out a breath, stealing her expression.

Andrew sighed, “You keep searching for my motive like I have some goal in mind.” Stuffing his hand in his pockets, he continued on, ignoring the look of disbelief and skepticism aimed his way. “It's just been a long time since I've seen something make you this happy. And I wanted to know if she was genuine.”

“That's none of your concern.” Diana countered, ignoring the flash of hurt on Andrew's face. She had fallen for that act once, but when it came down to it. When it mattered most, he had shown her who he really was.  

Shifting uncomfortably, he continued, “I know the reason you want to train with me all of a sudden is because she scares you.” Andrew continued to push at that sore spot he had successfully found out. 

Diana scoffed, struggling to keep her expression neutral. She clenched her fingers around the bottom of the bench, trying to keep her arms from shaking. So that's what this was about. He was wrong though. Things had changed, Team Rocket had been mentioned in newscasts for years, but now it felt real. Now it was real. It had nothing to do with what he was poking at.

“It scares you that you care about her,” Andrew pushed, giving his friend a wary look before driving his point home. “But she isn't your parents, Diana.”

Diana froze, feeling as if a bucket of cold water was dumped on her head unexpectedly. “How dare you.” She ground out, standing up and making to storm off. She felt a hand grab her wrist to stop her and shook it off, “You have no right!” She snarled, slapping Andrew's hand away and ignoring the defeated expression on his face. As much as he had expected the response, a small part of him had hoped she would confide in him. Let him help, like she used to.

As she stomped over to the stadium door, she heard him call from where he was still standing in front of the bench, head down and resigned, “It's okay to let people in, Diana. Not everyone is going to leave you.”

Diana faltered, biting off the response that jumped to the tip of her tongue. He talked like he wasn't one of them. She clenched her hand around the door knob, staring at the ground, “I might believe that, if it came from anyone but you.”

She jerked the door open and slammed it shut behind her, storming down the road without really looking at where she was going. He had no right. No right at all. How dare he bring her parents up like that, out of the blue. To compare Akko to them, she wasn't stupid, she knew they weren't the same.

I thought you were dead! Diana's step faltered, remembering the admission and shaking it away. That—That was different. 

Feeling tears threatening to spill over, she didn't register as she bumped into a shoulder and ignored the inquiry as she continued on her mission. Andrew had no idea what he was talking about. Akko wasn't like her parents, she knew that. She knew that, even if a small part of her knew he was right. Knew the reason she was so hesitant to open up more, to admit she had feelings for the other girl was because she was afraid.

Andrew talked like he understood, but if he understood her so well then why did he abandon her when she needed him the most? If he cared about her like he claimed, then why had it been so easy for him to suddenly throw her away. 

On that morning, she had awoken and gone to the dining hall for breakfast and found all of the servants gathered and whispering. Giving off sympathetic looks. That was the morning she was told her mother had passed in her sleep. A small part of her had known that her mother was sick, but it had never occurred to her that she could actually—that she wouldn’t get the chance to say goodbye.