Sunlight was harsh on the last day of August. Piercing through the window, it made the room feel much larger than it was, giving the wood-lined walls the look of gold. The only good it did for Sam was reveal the dust particles in the air. Something he could try and concentrate on. The boy sat on a large, old-timey leather chair, restlessly tracing lines across the handles. Leather was not a good material, he thought. It didn't absorb sweat. His heart jumped faster and faster, making the boy's chests feel almost as if someone's driven a thousand little needles into it. The feeling pressed on, turning his breath short, and the ringing in his ears more unbearable by a minute. Sam was rather bad at handling anxiety, mostly because he rarely ever felt it. Dust floating through the golden air wasn't successful at turning his mind off of things. He reached for anything else. The whole room reminded him of an antique shop. Considering what the room was, it made sense, but it didn't offer much comfort to the boy. Large wooden bookcase stood against the wall opposite to him, it spread from the floor to the ceiling. Sam could make out numerous leather-bound books of different sizes behind the glass, but the reflection of sunlight rendered his efforts to read the titles useless, other than causing a small headache. Sculpted out of clay, numerous statues of pokemon were gracing the room. Sam was at least certain they were supposed to represent pokemon. Some made that intent very clear, like the the large Dragonite head that stood on top of the stone beam right next to the doors. Or the miriad of small Sawsbuck statues that were placed on the wooden worktable in front of him. The other ones were more abstract. One of them, the one that stood on the window, looked like it came straight from the mind of a surrealist. From the oval base, numerous clay needles shot in all directions, cutting the incoming sunlight and creating mildly disturbing shadow on the floor. Sam couldn't deduce if it was supposed to be a pokemon. Maybe a Ferroseed going through an identity crisis? The though made the boy chuckle slightly, queting the nervous feeling a bit. Still, he made sure nobody else in the room caught him laughing.
Time seemed to be passing slowly. He was in there for maybe five minutes, judging by the old analogue clock hanging from one of the walls. With nothing else in the room to pay attention to, Sam's gaze landed on the man sat at the work table in front of him. Taking a look at the other boys who sat in the chairs similar to his was simply out question. He had arrived late, half-an-hour late, to this small ceremony of theirs, which had already ernead him a barrage of four dagger-sharp glares. Gripping at the handle of his chair, he forced himself to focus on the man at the table and nobody else. The metal plate sat between the two Sawsbuck statues read "Prof. Nolan". Sam was reading it just to calm himself down. He knew the name already. Shortly after the letter of acceptance, he had recieved the letter listing the name of his future mentor and history professor, as well as the names of his future teammates. That was early June.Whole summer he spent imagining what this man would be like, as well as the four boys sat next to him.
Little to say, the title of historian perfectly suited professor Nolan. His hair was cut short and kept neat, vibrantly brown. The boy thought he could make out a few streaks of grey that had snuck their way in there as well, but that could very much be a trcik of light. His rectangle shaped glasses caught the sunlight as well, making it impossible to see the man's eyes. Every now and again, the professor would carefully push them back up, without diverting his attention from the stack of papers he was working through even for a minute. As he kept on skimmimg over whatever he was reading, occasionally, lines would spread across his forehead. They seemed to be deeply carved into his skin, even more so thanks to the lighting. Sam would assume the professor was in his late forties. Complementing his face was the way the professor had decided to dress. Not that Sam could deduce much on that front. The man was fully draped into what seemed to be a trench coat, rendering anything the man was wearing beneath it hiddem from sight. Certainly, it was a strange fashion choice, considering the high August temperatures. Even if it did fit the season, the coat would be peculiar. It was grey, and clearly made out of some heavy material. It looked strangely old and new at the same time. Most strikingly, the colar had a bunch of strange symbols woven across it. They reminded Sam of ancient runes, which they probably were. The boy couldn't help but wonder if their professor had found this coat while digging through some ancient ruins. Sam looked down at his own clothes, feeling self aware. White running shorts and yellow and white soccer jersey he usually found comfortable made him feel even more out of place now. On second thought, his fashion choices might've added a bit to his not so splendid first impression. The boy ran his hand through his hair, hoping that would make him look at least a little bit better.
Professor Nolan let out a deep sigh, drawing Sam's attention back to him.
"Sorry for the wait, boys", the man spoke in an even voice. Deep and full, it radiated silent confidence, helping the boy ease up a bit. It could've been a simple fact that the room wasn't completely silent anymore. Sam had never liked silence. "The board just loves to send their documentation disorganised", professor's lips formed a small smile, "and since you are the first group I have for today, I thought it better to take some time and organise things straight away, hope you won't hold it against me". Instead of answering, one of the boys shuffled in his chair. It could've been two boys as well, Sam still didn't dare to look their way. "Not a talkative group, I see", professor says simply as he fixes his glasses, "alright then, I don't mind doing the talking". Sam's never before been labeled as 'not talkative' , the words feel wrong to hear, and he almost wants to object. He doesn't. Drawing more attention to himself is the last thing he wants to do right now. "Alright", professor lets out another sigh, "there are many things we are supposed to get to, so maybe we should start".
Taking another short look at the group of boys, the man clears his throat before he speaking again. "First and foremost, allow me to be the first one to welcome you to the Old King's School for Pokemon Trainers, on behalf of the school, as well as on my own accord", the professor's voice took a formal tone. Sam proped himself forward in his chair. He debated if he should thank the professor for a second. Thankfully, that was a decision he wouldn't have to make, as the professor was quick to continue with his monologue. "My name is professor Nolan, but I am certain you boys have figured that out yourselves by now", he states, "during your first year in this school I will be your history teacher as well as a mentor to your group". He made a gesture out of lowering his glasses, and Sam could see that his eyes were dark, black almost, carrying the tone of seriousness. The boy sat up straight instinctively. "I would leave my introductions at that for now, there will be plenty of time for them during this year, after all", he said returning his glasses back up, "I wish the five of you the best of luck, I hope you'll get along well among yourselves, and I hope you'll get along with me as well. Hopefully, I will play some small part in helping you grow into splendid pokemon trainers that I'm sure you boys will one day become". Sam gave a small nod, as if to let the professor know he was listening.
Professor clapped his hands slowly, leaning back into his chair. "As I said, you're only the first group I have to get through today, so, while I am sure you have many questions, I would have to ask you to refrain from asking them right now", the men continued, the formality dropping from his voice. "Tomorrow is a Sunday, and the school will host the welcoming ensemble for the freshmen, during which I believe the most of your questions will be answered", the man explained, "and, in case there are any questions left after that, we will have a homeroom class first thing monday morning, where I will be more than happy to answer all of your questions, as well as the questions of all of your classmates". He gives another careful look to the boys: "It's just a matter of logistics, explaining same things to each of my groups would be rather inefficient, I hope you boys can see it as such". Sam nodded slowly again, feeling the need to agree with the professor. Strangely, their mentor's flat tone seemed to demand quite a bit of respect. "Alright, now that we're done with all of that", professor lowered his hands on the table, "I believe I don't have to remind you all of how dangerous pokemon can be, and I am sure you will hear so much more about that at the ceremony tomorrow anyways". The man seemed to have stopped his train of thought in a second, suddenly leaning in over the table ever so slightly. "However, may I remind you that from this moment on you are officially pokemon trainers", he said in a firm voice, "you have earned the right to call yourselves that by passing our rigorous entrance exam, you have earned the right to carry your provisional traininer's licenses and get a partner pokemon". He pulled back again adding: "I would like to believe you boys understand that the pokemon you acquire today are not your pets nor are they something meant for flaunting around, it is of utmost importance to handle your pokemon, as well as yourselves, cautiosly". For the third time, Sam found himself nodding along to professor Nolan's speech. This time however, he didn't debate whether he should say something, as he had nothing at all to say.
Professor Nolan cleared his throat, moving the stack of papers a little bit aside. "Now that our little ouverture is over", he said as his hands disappeared behind the desk, "we can get on with the perhaps the most important part of our meeting". In one smooth movement, professor manifested a mid-sized box, presumably from one of his drawers. It was a simple creation, with the bottom half made out of white metal, and the upper half made from see-through red plastic. Far too modern looking, however, the box definitely didn't belong to this office. Professor Nolan held it up for a second, as if he was cheking it out, before softly lowering it onto the table top. "Right, this one's yours", the man said to himself. Giving a look of importance to his disciples, he added: "I have your future partner pokemon right here boys, I am sure you're excited to meet them". He looked down at the box. "I sure know I am not", he sighs. He looks up. "Last few years the schoolboard has been making some interesting choices, let's just put it like that", he tries to explain, "and I am frankly scared that they will continue the trend, anyways, it's not your problem to solve, so forget I said anything".
"Aren't the partner pokemon assigned over that personality test we did", a voice came from Sam's right. He still didn't dare look that way, but he could tell it was the boy in the middle chair speaking up. His voice was unusually high-pitched and nasal, making it rather irritating to hear.
"Right, well", professor Nolan scratched his head, "while that practice is not troublesome in and of itself, the actual choices have been". The professor stops, looking for the right word to say. "Concerning, to say at least", he finally decides, "and mind you, the number of known pokemon is so large, I am sure there are numerous picks that would fit each of our students, but the schoolboard seems to have taken the liking in making the most questionable of choices in that regard". Sam can hear the other boy letting out a small chuckle. "Well, anyways", professor ignored him, "last year I had a freshman who was given a Spiritomb as his starter, and that turned out to be a rather unfortunate choice, so I'm hoping they'll learn from that experiance".
"What happened?", Sam could tell the voice came from from the boy sat at the opposite end of the row of chairs. The voice itself was deep, somehow rough and mellow at the same time.
"In short, it got loose, no one could find it for a month", professor sounded rather unimpressed that he had been asked to tell the story, "it ran rampant on campus, using its ghost moves freely, causing numerous students and staff to develop insomnia, which led to a high number of hospitalized people". He sighed. "Well, that did end in quite a few lawsuits, so I hope they'll restrain from giving anyone ghost types this year, at least", he added more to himself. Fixing his posture, the professor added: "Right, before I forget, these pokemon you recive today have somewhat developed movesets, schoolboard wanted to make sure no student recieved a pokemon without a fitting move to use, so please do check that out on your pokedexes after you recieve your pokemon". Sam nodded again, feeling slightly nauseous. He had spent the entire summer trying to figure out how to work the pokedex he had recieved. So far, he only figured out how to make a call, and not even the video one. The thought of his new teammates finding out he was clueless terrified him.
"Alright, now that all of that is finally out of the way, let us proceed", the professor brought his hand down at the table. With a single flick, he opened the box laid in front of him: "let's find out what sort of questionable decisions await us, shall we". He picked up the first paper from his stack, looking over it. "Joe", he looked at the boy sat in the thrid chair from Sam's, "you are the highest ranking in this group, so I hope you don't mind going first". Sam's stomach sunk at the mention of the rankings. Naturally, he had spent hours studying the entrance exam rankings, and had already found his teammates on that list. Joe was ranked at number 4. Sam was number 300 on the list. As if that kind of divide wasn't enough to wreck his nerves, Sam was painfully aware that the school admitted 300 students each year. Certainly, his teammates knew that as well. And they had most likely found him on the list alredy, just as he had found them. Even if, by some miracle, none of them knew he was ranked dead last, they will were sure to discover the fact shortly.
"Don't mind at all", the boy said and Sam could hear him standing up from the chair. The boys's voice sounded calm and somewhat distant. Almost too soft to be a voice of a boy, Sam thought. Finally daring to look at one of his teammates, Sam fixed his eyes on Joe. First thing that caught his attention was the tan. Joe's skin looked almost as if it was made out of bronze. As he made a few short steps to reach the table, Sam did his best to note everything about the other boy that he could. His eyes were brown and somehow tired. Empty as well, giving a sense that the boy' s mind was somewhere else entirely. He wore beige pants, with a baby blue blouse loosely tucked into them. Over it hung a necklace that seemed to be made out of silver, though Sam couldn't quite make out what the small charm hanging from it was supposed to represent. The only thing that broke the soft aura the boy had around him was a black cloth sticking from his back pocket. Sam could swear there was a skull drawn on it. Regardless, Sam found it hard to believe this boy was the one who had ranked 4th in their entire year.
"Alright, let's see what do we have here", professor says carefully scanning Joe's information. His eyes drop mid way through. "Your partner will be Riolu, the emanation pokemon", professor Nolan says unenthusiastically, "which is yet another great choice". He picks up one of the pokeballs and looks up at Joe. "Guess they just couldn't pass up the opportunity to give a fighting machine that picks up on the emotinal state of its trainer to a teenager", the man sighs, "well, then again, you did rank highly, and you do seem like a calm kid, for your age at least". Professor Nolan looks him up and down noticing Joe's blank stare: "Alarmingly calm". The two boys still sat at the chairs start chuckling, and Sam fights the urge to turn around. Joe just ignores them. Still looking up at the boy, professor Nolan hands him the pokeball. Joe turns the device around in his hand carefully, as if he's waiting for something to happen. "What's wrong, you can relase your partner and meet him right now", professor Nolan says, "you know how to do it?".
"I do", Joe's voice sounds distant, "it's just weird, I was sure a personality test would pair me with a psychic type, getting a fighting type pokemon is a bit of a surprise, that's all".
"Well, if you are dissatisfied, I'd be more than happy to inquire with the board if changing your partner is possible", professor offers, "we could get you a partner more suitable for a beginner and someone of your age, Ralts, for example, yes, Ralts is a good fit for a teenager, it doesn't pick up on hormon-driven emotions".
"No, thank you", Joe said simply, "I'm not dissatisfied, if this is the partner that was assigned to me I'm sure it will work out".
"Hey, hey, wait", the boy on the far end of the row of chairs shouts, "I am kind of dissatisfied with this".
"Fortunately, it is none of your business", the professor shoots a glance at the boy.
"It's definitely my business", comes the boy's rough response, "won't I have to share a room with this guy?".
"You'll have to share a room with all of these guys", professor reminds him with apparent enjoymnet.
"Well, there, what if this guy loses his shit and his pokemon picks up on that and starts trashing us?", the boy stays adamant. Professor Nolan sighs, but he doesn't have an answer to this question, which worries Sam. The other boy, on the other hand, takes the professor's silence on the issue as a personal victory, opting to keep talking: "or what if this little dipshit gets busy in the bathroom and his pokemon tries to have his way with us, huh?".
"Alright, that's enough", professor Nolan cuts the boy off, "I will not tolerate profanities".
"Why are you even worried about that", the irritating nasal voice of the boy sat in the middle comes again.
"How are you not worried", the other boy responds, ignoring the professor.
"I mean, I am", the middle boy clarifies, "it's just strange you are, no offense, but you seem like you'd be into that shit, you know".
"Both of you stop", the professor sits up straight. Before he can say anything else, Joe presses on the button of his pokeball, in a flash of light, a dog-like pokemon with metalic-blue fur appears in front of him. For a second, the pair stares at each other and Sam can immediately tell a similarity. Joe and Riolu both have the same look in their eyes, a look of cold and distance. Without saying a word, the pair turns around to face the other boys. The glance Joe is throwing at the other two boys is slightly frightening, even though there doesn't seem to be any anger behind it. Without a word, Joe walks back to his chair, taking a seat, right between the two boys who were commenting on him up until now. Riolu makes his way around the chairs, positioning himself right behind his new trainer. The rising tension between the three quickly gets under Sam's skin. This is not how he had imagined his teammates would be like.
Professor Nolan took a moment to recollect himself. Dissatisfaction with this whole affair was obvious in a way his shoulders tensed up and his chin shot up. He seemed to be on high alert. "Alright, a rough start, but we must go on", his voice carried a newfound firmness, "Ace, you are the second best ranked, would you please come up", the man said reading the name off the next one of his papers. The boy sat right next to Sam, the only one who hasn't said anything yet, stood up in a single not so gracious movement. He hurriedly made his way over to the desk, most likely under the impression of the interaction that had just went down. Sam tried to get a good look at him. His eyes were green and wild, that was the first, and only, thing that had stuck out about him. Other than that, Ace was a rather plain looking boy. His ashy blonde hair was cut short, exaggerating the pointy shape of his face. He was definitely shorter than both Joe and Sam. He wore a simple white polo shirt paired with denim jeans. He had a single green knotted bracelet around his left arm. Allbeit, Ace had seemed like an easy person to forget about. Most Sam could conclude about the other boy was that he was nervous about this, which made him feel a bit better. At least he's not the only one whose nerves were a wreck right now. Sam reminded himself that Ace was ranked at number 87, and the heavy feeling came back immediately. Professor Nolan looked further into Ace's paper, letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright, guess this one isn't that bad", he announces mostly to himslef, "I mean, it's not great, but it doesn't crack the top 10 board misfires I've seen, so I guess we'll survive".
"Does Joe crack the top 10 misfires list?", the rough voice comes again with a chuckle. Professor Nolan shoots him another angry look and the boy adds: "what, I think he likes being on top of the lists".
"Careful, he might decide to get on top of you", the nasal voice responds with laughter.
Professor Nolan hangs his head back. "Well, it's probably good for you to know that Joe is on top of that list as of right now", the man states, "hopefully that helps convince you into being careful".
"Wait, really, it's worse than the Spiritomb?", the rough voice inquiers.
"The Spiritomb is maybe number 9 on that list, or number 10 now", professor shrugs, "I mean it wasn't yet trained, so the most it could do was cause nightmares and jump-scare people, really, the problem with it was that it avoided being caught for so long, the problem with Riolu, however, is that it's a fighting machine that is now tied to the emotional state of fourteen year old, it could very much end up seriosly harming somebody if things ever go south".
"Could it kill us?", the nasal voice says, dropping the humorous tone.
"That's not out of bounds", professor gives the boy a serious look. Turning his attention back to Ace, he hands him a pokeball. "Either way, Ace, your partner is Rockruff, a rock type puppy pokemon", the man explains, "it's not too dangerous right now, they do like to bite a bit, however". Ace twirls the pokeball looking about ready to call on his new partner. "Now, just to give you a fair warning", professor slows him down, "Rockruffs grow highly agressive upon evolution, so please don't be too quick to evolve it Mister, or you are definitely cracking that list as well, and you have a good chance at taking that number one spot, alright?". Ace nods slowly, seemingly eager to get over with all of this.
The boy quickly flicks his pokeball into the air, releasing his partner in a flash of blue light. The small brown dog with sharp looking fur and big blue eyes curiosly stares at his new trainer. It doesn't take Rockruff too long to run up to the boy and start tugging at his leg. Surprisingly, Ace smiles at this. "You seem to be in a good mood", the boy says. His voice is weird sounding, Sam thinks, not in an annoying way, but it is obvious that Ace is trying to make it sound much deeper than it actually is. The next second Ace flinches, letting out a growl. "It bit me", he says through gritted teeth. He fails to control his voice this time, allowing it to crack.
"And we have a biter", the boy with the deep voice can't help but comment.
"Right, we have a guy with an emotional murder machine dog and a guy with an agressive purse dog, what's next?", the boy with an irritating voice jokes.
"The two of you seem to be getting along a bit too well", Joe notes flatly.
"Oh, no, you're not gonna get mad now Joe", the boy on the end of the row says sarcastically, "keep your emotions in check, buddy". Still, the two fall silent after that.
Ace rolls his eyes, hurrying back to take his seat. He shuffles in the chair getting comfortable, and lets Rockruff leap into his lap. "There, stay right there and be calm", Ace says in a low voice, carefully wrapping his hand around his partner's jaw to prevent him from biting again.
"You should get a leash for that thing", the boy sat in the middle, next to Ace, comments under his breath, but Ace ignores him.
"Next up is Ves", professor Nolan seems to have had enough of this charade. He quickly raises the next paper up in the air, as the boy sat in the middle stands up and makes his way over.
"Well, what do I get prof", Ves's voice comes of daring and more irritating than before. His black hair is cut short, and his eyes are brown, Sam notices, nothing out of the usual. He's wearing a simple red t-shirt paired with black ripped jeans, once again nothing worth noting. What sticks out the most about Ves is, in fact, his character. Even though his face looks nothing out of the ordinary, the high-pitched voice and a charisma of suburban mother made the boy seem rather punchable. Ves was on a chubby side as well, nothing too noticable, but it was apparent he had never thought of putting words 'no' and 'food' in the same sentence.
"Objection, your honour", the boy sat at the end yells.
"This is not an episode of Judge Judy, dude", Ace groans.
"He doesn't even need to have a pocket monster of his own", the boy disregards Ace's comment, "I mean just look at that ass, it's already monstrous".
"Stop looking at my ass, you freak", Ves turns around. Upon better inspection, Sam agrees with the comment. Ass was definitely the second most noticable thing Ves had going on.
"Hey, you know what", the boy laughs again, "if Joe ever gets horny, and Riolu picks up on that and decides to fuck one of us, I think it should be you, Ves".
"Why me", Ves's voice comes out an octave higher, "I thought you were looking forward to that, you monsterfucker".
"All I'm saying is, you're more fuckable", the other boy fakes a serious tone, "it's a compliment, really".
"Hey, Riolu, take notes", Joe adds flatly.
"Oh, you shut up", Ves points a finger at Joe.
"Just stop already", professor says coldly, looking about ready to murder all three of them. Quickly glancing over the paper, he lets out a dissatisfied grunt. "Houndour, a dark and fire pokemon", he concludes, "another highly agressive one, capable of teraing a person limb for limb, the board really decided to go all out this year".
"Great, so do I get a number one spot on your little list now", Ves smiles as he all but snatches the pokeball from professor's hand.
"Yes, you definitely do", professor says, "and don't you dare let that thing out in my office, or you will get expelled".
"Well that's not fair", Ves argues, "Joe and Ace both got to release their partners".
"Right, but Rockruff is not dangerous as of right now, and Riolu's only dangerous if its trainer has hightened emotions", professor explains.
"Well, that's good then, since I'm pretty sure Joe has no emotions at all", Ves cuts him off, taking a chance to get another dig at his teammate.
"Oh, he has one emotion", Ace's voice cracks on, "and it's called horny, so you should watch your ass Ves".
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Oh shut up and keep playing with your pet over there", Ves glares at him.
"No, he's right, look at those eyes", the boy with a rough voice comments, "those are the eyes of a sexual deviant".
"Hate to ruin your fun, but I am asexual", Joe says simply.
"Hah, hear that Ace", Ves laughs, "you better watch your ass".
"Why me?", Ace isn't even trying to keep his voice from cracking anymore.
"Well, he just said he is Acesexual", Ves explains.
"That's... that's not what that means... I think", Ace says.
"Alright, trully, enough is enough", professor Nolan slams his hand on the desk. The boys have successfully drained the last bit of patience this man has had. "Ves, go back to your seat, and the four of you stay quiet from this moment on, understood?". Nobody answers the question, but the room falls silent. Sam notices Joe whip up his pokedex nonchalantly, as if he had just now rembered it existed. None of the other boys followed suit. Sam fixes his gaze at his feet, as he felt his heart race. His teammates were really not what he had hoped they would be. Joking around was alright, but this was not exactly friendly. Especially since they didn't know each other. And they were this rough and unfiltered. Joe was 4th, Ace was 87th, and they were giving them this sort of treatmant. Ves was ranked 162nd, Sam remembered, which was much lower than the first two but still much higher than Sam. And they were fucking with him like this as well. The last boy, his name is Teo, Sam recalled, is ranked at the place 255. Still higher than Sam. He gripped the seams of his shorts, thinking of what would happen once his turns comes. They just might eat him alive.
"Teo, you're next up", professor picks up another paper. His eyes immediately skim over the information. As the boy approaches his table, the professor carefully takes off his glasses, letting out a final defeated sigh. When he speaks again, his voice is even again, as if he had completely given up the fight and thus came back full-circle to his calm demeanor. "Well, congratulations, you now offically take a first spot on the list, and you take it by a mile", the professor says, refusing to hand over the pokeball. "The schoolboard must think it's so funny to give a complete beginner an Absol", the man has a wry smile plastered on his face, "yes, a great idea, let a fourteen year old have a pokemon that is literally called the disaster pokemon, that will most certainly end well".
"I'm fifteen actually", Teo notes. When the professor gives him a dry look the boy adds: "turned fifteen this April".
Professor Nolan rolls his eyes, almost shoving the pokeball into Teo's hand. "Just don't let that thing out in my office, and go back to your seat, so we can be over with this as soon as possible". Teo stands there with a mishevious smile for a bit, and Sam takes note of his appearance. First thing he noticed was how tall Teo is, definitely taller than the rest of them. He's dressed in all black, with a Gengar printed out on his shirt, and baggy pants graced by numerous chains. He wore his black hair in a buzz-cut, which, in Sam's opinion didn't work too well for him. It just led to his acne being way more noticable. Teo looked like someone who did his best to appear tough. His voice on the other hand, was much harder to pin down. It was rough and deep, which matched the way he looked, but it also carried a note of maturity that was rather unusual for a teenager. Sam hated to admit it, but the boy's voice was rather soothing as well. "Just take your seat", professor Nolan warned again, and Teo took a victorius turn on his heel before making his way back to his chair.
"Wait", Ace says suddenly, causing professor's face to sink. Before the man can interrupt him the boy asks: "Houndour is a dog, basically, right?".
"Right", Joe noted, "and Absol is basically a dog as well".
"And you two have Riolu and Rockruff, which are dogs as well", Teo points out the obvious.
"Are you actually giving us all a dog pokemon?", Ves drives the point home, "and wait, is this actually how you grouped us together, cause if it is then it's frankly stupid".
"Definitely stupid", Ace agrees.
"Don't think the groups were formed like that", professor Nolan sighs.
"Does that mean I get a dog as well?", Sam says, forgetting all about his nerves for a moment.
"Oh, you finally decide to speak up", Teo chuckles.
"Right, dude, you were like 30 minutes late", Ace scoffs, "I think you should get a cat instead, you know".
"That would actually be hilarious", Ves chuckles.
"Right, we had to wait for you for so long", Teo agrees, "I think you deserve a cat, just so we can fuck with you".
"Why would we fuck with him for having a cat-like pokemon?", Joe wonders. The other three boys serve him tired looks. "What, I think cats are cool", Joe says flatly.
"Well, let me put this in simple terms for you", Ves perks up, "dogs are way more hardcore than cats, so if he got a cat, it would make him less cool than us, understand now".
"I understand you guys have a very strange perception of social hierarchy", Joe says under his breath.
"Oh my God, you sound like an old person", Teo rolls his eyes, "and not a cool old person either".
"Look, I just like cats, that's all", Joe responds in a flat voice.
"That's alright", professor Nolan says, "we can always exchange your Riolu for a cat, actually, the best course of action would be to give all five of you a Meowth, if you ask me".
"Wait, you mean like just one Meowth for the five of us?", Sam says fearfully.
"No way I'm sharing a pokemon with all of them", Ves agrees.
"No, idiots, he meant we each get a Meowth of our own", Ace rolls his eyes.
"That's what you meant?", Teo looks at the professor, fearful of his true intentions.
"Yes, you each get your own Meowth, that can be arranged", professor nods.
"You do realise this is a hypotetical situation", Joe remarks.
"Right, for now it is, but I can really arrange that", professor Nolan offers.
"No thanks, I like Riolu", Joe says simply.
"But you said you like cats", professor counters, "maybe just think about it".
"No thanks", Joe deadpans, "I like having an emotion-reading murder machine on my side".
"Wow, you found the most psychotic way to put it", Ace says sounding a bit concerned.
"Yeah, I like having a disaster pokemon as well", Teo agrees, "makes me feel safe, especially after meeting Joe".
"The two of you make me feel very unsafe, you know", Ace says, adressing Teo and Joe.
"Good", Teo responds.
"Well, now I feel like I'm being discredited here", Ves shoots up straight in his chair, "I can make you feel unsafe too".
"Can I just get my pokemon already", Sam says jolting up from his chair.
"Hey, what's the hurry, buddy", Ves raises an eyebrow at him.
"Right, I thought you liked taking your sweet time", Ace adds, "and ours as well".
"Sam, would you come up here", professor Nolan decides the best course of action would be to get this over with as fast as possible. Ignoring the other three boys, he looks over the paper. A look of relief graces his face as he hands over the pokeball to Sam. "Finally, a one that won't murder anyone", the professor says, "your partner is Yamper, an electric type pokemon". Sam feels relieved realising he had gotten a dog pokemon as well. "Not to say that one will be easy to train, they are known to be rather energetic", professor warns, "but at least it won't go causing too much trouble". Sam holds on to the pokeball, it feels much heavier in his hand than he had imagined, colder as well. "Go ahead, meet your partner", professor Nolan encourages him.
"Hey, that's not fair", Teo interrupts fidgeting Absol's pokeball in his hand, "I think it's only fair if I get to meet my partner as well".
"You lower that pokeball right now, boy", professor Nolan warns him.
"It's alright", Sam reassures him, "I can wait a bit".
"Nonsense", the professor waves him off, "release your partner, then we can slowly wrap up this little meeting".
"Alright", Sam says, insecurely throwing his pokeball into the air. The device opens, letting out a beam of blue light. The next second a small brown dog with a few yellow stripes appears in front of him, starting to run circles around Sam alomst instantly. For a moment, the boy forgets all about his teammates, his unfortunate first impression. He's just happy to finally be meeting his partner, and the pokemon seems happy to meet him as well. "Come here", Sam says extending his arms, and Yamper wastes no time in jumping towards him. The pokemon is surprisingly light. It immediately starts rubbing its cheek against Sam's, all while restlessly wagging his tail.
"Oh, how cute", Teo snarks, "he got a pet as well".
"Right, let's just hope him and his pet won't have all of us failing this year", Ace adds, causing Sam to feel almost a stabbing pain in his stomach. "I mean, I get it, you like Snyder, but did you really have to go for the number 300 here, buddy", Ace adds.
"Let's not start with this right now", Joe says calmly.
"Why not though", Teo counters him, "Ace is right, mister last place here and his little happy-go-lucky pet could very much cause all of us to fail".
"Well, you're not doing so great either Teo", Ace reminds him, "you're bottom of the barrel as well, buddy, you could also have all of us failing".
"Don't get started with me blondie", Teo treats him to a death stare.
"Let's not start with this", Joe repeats, still calm, "the classes didn't even start yet, let's take things slow".
"And just what are you going to do if we don't want to not start this", Teo scoffs.
"Okay, firstly, that sentence is just horribly constructed", Joe starts.
"Oh, please, you've seen his test scores", Ace laughs, "why would you expect him to know english".
"Okay, the two of you should really stop making our friend Joe mad", Ves chuckles, "or he'll have his Riolu either fuck you up or just fuck you, you know".
"Secondly", Joe ignores all of them, "the entrance exam scores were based solely on written tests, while the school itself is reliant mostly on the practical part, so all of you have equal chances of doing either well or poorly as of right now".
"Still, as far as the school records go, it's very rare for someone to make a huge jump in the rankings", Ace argues, "even if the school values battle portions more within its grading system, the entrance exam statistics hold up rather well".
"Oh no, the nerds are getting into it", Ves wails.
"Right, I'm not calling entrance exam rankings statistically unviable here", Joe retorts flatly, "and while that list stays mostly static in short term, over the period of four years, you can't argue that the changes aren't there, especially taking the team system into account".
"Does anyone understand what the two of them are talking about?", Sam wonders out loud.
"Not a single word", Ves admits, "the only thing I'm getting from this is that they are both nerds".
"Alright, alright", professor Nolan cuts them off, "how about we finally wrap this up, then you boys will be free to discuss among yourself somewhere far away from my office". He gestures for Sam to take a seat and the boy makes his way back to his chair, still carrying Yamper in his arms. Professor Nolan draws in a deep breath. "Right, this was probably the worst team meeting I have witnessed in my entire career, and mind you, I have worked in this school for 12 years", he says weakly, "plus, I still have five more teams to get through today, I can only hope they would be... more socially adept than you boys".
"Wait, are allowed to insult us?", Teo says.
"It's not by the book, frankly, but I think you boys are a worthy expection", the professor sighs. He makes a small pause to recollect himslef a bit. "Alright, I understand you are all young, you have all just met each other, and this is your first day here", he says in an even voice, "so I hope this whole debacle is a one-time thing". None of the boys say anything. "Let me remind you yet again that pokemon are not to be taken lightly", the professor continues, "and you have gotten yourselves a few rather tricky ones, especially for beginners, so please take this seriously and act responsibly".
"Tell that to these three, please", Ace side-eyes the three boys to his right, still firmly holding down Rockruff, "my dog is under control".
"It goes for all five of you", professor reminds him, "any pokemon can be dangerous if mishandled". Putting his glasses back on, the man adds: "there's a reason for the existance of pokemon trainers, after all". Sam notices the other four boys shuffling with unease. He himself is not sure what he feels about statements like this one. "With all that said, I wish you boys luck, let's hope this behaviour today was just a produce of your nerves", professor continues, "you'll find boy's dormitories on the eastern part of the island, I doubt you'll have any trouble with that".
"We'll handle it", Joe gives a nod of agreement.
"Right, then, I will see you tomorrow morning for the assembly", professor responds, "it starts at 10 AM, please be there at least 20 minutes early, so we don't create unnecessary lines".
"Well, why can't we just come 5 minutes early? ", Ves scoffs.
"There are 300 students in the first year, it will take some time for everyone to take their seat", professor says sharply, "let's not forget about faculty, and perhaps some older students decide to attend as well, then there's some time needed for the audience to quiet down and the speakers to prepare themselves, hope we're clear on why you would need to be there earlier than just 5 minutes".
"Oh, this assembly sounds like a big thing", Sam says wondering.
"It is a rather formal ceremony, the school has to hold up its reputation", Nolan nods, "please do be on your best behaviour, you five".
"Can't make any promises", Teo says leaning back in his chair.
"Well, in case anything does go wrong, you have a homeroom class with yours truly first thing monday morning, 8 AM sharp", the professor responds, "I'll see you boys then".
"That means we're free to go now?", Ves inquiers.
"You're free to go now", Nolan gestures towards the doors.
"Well, thank you very much", Teo basically jumps up from his chair, grinning from ear to ear. Ves doesn't lag behind either, as they both reach for the doors at the same time. Ace was, however, the first one to reach the doors, Rockruff patiently standing right next to him. The three make quick way outside, with Teo and Ves basically crowding over Ace in order to exit the office. They really didn't like being in there, Sam concludes. Joe follows them out with Riolu by his side, without taking a look back, seemingly not in a hurry to escape, but he still doesn't take a look back upon leaving. Sam turns around giving a small nod and uttering a quiet thank you to the professor before exiting as well.
The hallway is grand and emtpty. Sam's teammates are fast walkers. By the time he closes the doors, which was not easy to while Yamper energetically turned in his hands, the four boys have already gained a significant distance. Sam can hear the bickering mixing with a bat of footsteps. Few feet from the doors to professor's office, a group of five girls was standing, two leaning on the wall, other two girls standing and facing their way, while the fifth one sat crosse-legged on the marble floor. These five are one of the other groups professor Nolan is mentoring, he realises.
"Hey, is that professor Nolan's office?", one of the girls says upon noticing Sam, "can we go in?".
"Right, it is", Sam says while lowering Yamper to the ground, "I don't know if he's ready for you yet, but you can definitely try knocking".
"Thanks", the girl nods slowly. She's tall, probably as tall as Teo, Sam notices. Her brown hair is curly, and she's leisurely dressed in black jeans and pink t-shirt with a graphic print. Sam doesn't have time to take in more than that. His eyes follow his roomates, who are gradually advancing further away. The girl must've realised what he's thinking cause she notes: "your roommates just dashed out of there, they ignored us completely". Right, Sam remembers, these guys are his roomates as well.
"Sorry, they are...", Sam scratches his head, "an interesting bunch".
"Yeah, seems so", the girl gives him a small smile, "go ahead, go after them".
"Right, thanks", Sam takes a run-up to leave. He stops in his track turning around. The girls are already getting ready to knock on professor Noalan's doors. "I'm Sam, by the way", he yells after them.
"Natasha", the tall girl replies, "but we'll have plenty for introductions".
"Right", Sam says, taking a few steps backwards, "I'm going then, bye".
"Bye", Natasha replies, as Sam turns away.
As his roomates took a sharp turn to the left, Sam picked up his pace. He did his best not to start running. Yamper struggled to follow after him, and Sam felt a sting of pity for his short-legged partner. Still, he couldn't pick up and carry Yamper. It would make him look like a kid. As he was making rapid progress down the hallway, Sam tried picking up on his surroundings. Really, there wasn't much to pick up on, the all-consuming emptiness gave the space a sense of importance, and made Sam feel out of place. The walls were white, spaced out by tastefully carved ceiling-high beams made out of light grey marble. Hallway had no windows, the only lights came from the chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. Yellowish lights bathed the walls, giving them a centurial look, even though Sam was certain they were freshly painted, as the smell of the paint still faintly lingered throughout the stale air. As he all but ran across the hallway, Sam felt as if the space was caving into him, constantly reminding him he's a stranger. The hallway was too wast, to long, he decided.
Making a left turn, Sam saw the other four boys have came to a standstill few feet away from him. Slowing down a bit, allowing for Yamper to catch up, he heard the mixture of yelling and laughter.
"We're literally in the main faculty building", Ace's voice echoed, strong but still cracking in places. The boy seemed tense, Rockruff stood close by, hiding behind his trainer's legs. "Do you assholes want to have us all expelled".
"Calm down, blondie", Teo was laughing, "no one is here anyways, so stop being so uptight". He playfully fiddled the pokeball between his fingers, and Sam could immediately tell what all this fuss was about.
"Right, and you all got to meet your partners", Ves took Teo's side, "it's only fair we get to do the same thing as well".
"Could you do it outside", Ace retorted.
"No, you all have your partners walking around with you", Ves grinned, "it's only fair".
"You two have dark types", Joe said calmly, "it's probably for the best to wait until you get accustomed to them before you put them in front of any other pokemon, or humans". Still sporting his calm demenor, the boy was the only one who seemed unbothered by this whole ordeal. If he was unnerved, he was too good at hiding the fact. Sam made his way towards the group, opting to stay few steps behind Joe. Seemed like the best option in the moment.
"What, are you scared", Ves laughed.
"I'm just pointing out, if you let your pokemon out, they could attack any of us", Joe keeps his voice flat, "including the two of you".
"You think we can't control our pokemon?", Teo says, taking a few long steps away from yhe group, "let me prove you wrong". Ves is quick to do the same thing, as both boys create the distance and prepare their pokeballs.
"You're assholes", Ace states, taking a few steps backwards. Joe doesn't budge, him and his Riolu both sporting an unimpressed look. Sam couldn't decide who he fears more at that moment, the two boys who seem to find enjoyment in the idea of causing mayhem, or the one who seems as if he isn't even slightly bothered by any of this. Perhaps Ace was the only one of his teammates with any sanity.
"For the love of God, everything will be fine", Teo says chucking his pokeball into the air, "Absol, come out, time to play".
"Right, you as well, Houndour", Ves follows suit.
Two pokemon appear side by side. The smaller one looks fierce, with greyish black fur, sharp looking eyes and even sharper fangs showing. The other pokemon is significantly larger, white fur covering it from head to toe makes it look almost majestic. The only thing that differentiates Absol from a fairytale creation is a sharp looking black blade-like horn and the piercing look in his eyes. Taking in their surroundings, both pokemon quickly lower their stances, bending their knees and gritting their teeth, leaning their bodies away from each other as well. Yamper nervously tugs at Sam's leg, and Sam notices Rockruff's doing the same thing to Ace. The two boys both instinctively take another step back. The only ones still standing firmly in their place are Joe and Riolu, and Sam decides both of them must be either stupid, psychotic, or overconfident.
"Well, I think it's safe to say I've hit the jackpot here, boys", Teo boastingly claims. Hearing his trainer's voice, Absol turns around, taking a few steps back and lowering his body even further. "Hey, stay calm down there, buddy", Teo's still smiling.
The next few things happen swiftly, Sam barely has enough time to register everything. Absol jumps. Teo steps back in surprise. Sam hears Joe's dry voice: "Vacuum Wave". He has no time to look away from Absol though, as the pokemon gets knocked out mid-air and sent flying back further down the hallway. Teo's up against the wall, yelling something, at Joe presumably. Ves has taken a few steps back as well, as his Houndour rushes in on the three boys in front of him. Sam hears Joe again and Houndour is sent flying as well.
Ace yells: "recall them, you dumbasses".
"Tell this motherfucker to stop attacking", Teo retorts, his voice filled with rage.
Joe makes a few steps forward, Riolu stood firmly in front of him, looking as calm as ever. Absol and Houndour are both quick to recover back to their feet, both focusing on Riolu only this time. "You should stand down, both of you", the boy says, somehow managing to sound as if he hasn't just gotten himslef into a two on one fight.
"What the fuck is wrong with you", Ves says.
Joe ignores him, focusing solely on the two pokemon getting ready to attack. "Riolu, aim a Vacuum Wave at Absol", the boy commands simply.
"Stop it dude", Teo yells, as Riolu fires another attack at his partner.
"Houndour, attack", Ves commands. Sam's not sure where he's supposed to look now. He sees Absol jump back, managing to avoid an attack. Houndour is quick to spring into action, throwing himself at Riolu at full speed.
"Detect into Vacuum Wave, Riolu", Joe sounds as if he's ordering a coffee. Sam could swear Riolu's eyes flash, as the pokemon twists his body to avoid the flying Houndour comimg his way. As the attacker passes by him, Riolu turns again, rapidly extending his fist, sending an attack straight at Houndour. The pokemon goes flying back, behind both Sam and Ace. Flinching, the two boys turn around. Sam notices Yamper is now protectively standing in fron of him. Close to his feet and looking distressed, but the small dog's body is pressed against the floor as it's ready to attack.
A bat of rushing footsteps comes behind him, as Teo yells: "Absol, stop".
"Vacuum Wave", Joe's voice is still calm. Seconds later, Sam hears something hit the ground. Absol, he guesses, but he doesn't turn around. His eyes are still fixed on Houndour, waiting for the moment the black dog will stand up again. After that doesn't happen for a few seconds, Sam concludes the pokemon has been knocked out. Gathering enough courage to turn around, he sees Absol has been taken down as well.
Teo still stood against the wall, staring empty at his partner. Ves looked shocked as well, his fists clenched beside his body. Everybody seemed unable to move a muscle for a second. Except for Joe. Moments after assesing the situation, the boy kept walking forward as if nothing had happened, Riolu allowing him to get in front of him before following in step.
Teo is the first of the other four to come to his senses, in the worst way possible. As Joe walks close enough, the boy reaches his hands out, grabbing him by a collar of his blouse. "What the fuck was that", Teo's almost yelling, his deep voice filling out the hallway.
"That was me preventing a shitshow you were about to cause", Joe's isn't even trying to get out of Teo's grip, "and probably saving you a trip to the hospital or the chapel".
"Absol didn't attack you", Teo retorts, "why would you meddle".
"It attacked you", Joe said simply.
"It jumped up at me", Teo says through grittet teeth, "you don't know if it wanted to attack me, and even if it did, I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself".
"And Absol is perfectly capable of tearing you limb for limb", Joe looks him straight in the eye.
Teo lets go of him, his eyes still filled with anger. "Whatever", he says, returning Absol back to his pokeball, "you should've stayed out of it, it was none of your business".
"I did warn you that this could happen", Joe reminds him, "did you think I would stand by and let your pokemon attack somebody?".
Ves makes his way over to the other two as well. "Hey, Houndour wouldn't attack anyone if Absol and Riolu didn't start a fight", he says firmly, "so don't mix me up".
"You literally ordered Houndour to attack Riolu", Joe stated.
"Yes, well, you ordered Riolu to attack Houndour first", Ves pushed him away, "I'm not going to just let you do that".
"It did attack Riolu first", Joe reminds him.
"Only cause you had your little murder machine come in swinging", Ves scoffs, "you were the first one who ordered an attack".
"I did what was necessary", Joe gave him an emtpy stare.
"Well, I didn't do anything", Teo steps away, "Absol didn't attack anyone first".
"Oh, you shut up, this is all your fault", Ves stares him down, "you couldn't control your pokemon".
"Huh, right, it's my fault", Teo scoffs.
"Well it is", Ves retorts.
"Look, I didn't attack anyone, Absol didn't attack any of you", Teo's voice turns cold, "Joe decided to meddle, and you didn't handle things much better either Ves".
"You could've gotten hurt", Joe's still unnaturally collected.
"Well, that's none of your worry", Teo glares at him, "next time, don't be a hero, I don't need one".
"It would've gone after somebody else after it was done with you, you know", Joe says, "so even if I let it attack you, I'd have to interfere later anyways, so there's no sense for you to be acting up".
"Oh, fuck off, you don't know what would've happened", Teo retorts, "either way, next time, let me deal with my own shit, if me or my pokemon aren't attacking you, don't attack us".
"Alright", Joe says simply.
"Good", Teo says sharply.
"And stay away from me as well", Ves adds finally remembering to recall Houndour, "both of you".
Sam notices Ace recalling Rockruff as well and decides to follow the gesture. It's probably safer that way. Joe doesn't seem to consider recalling Riolu.
"Yeah, don't think I want either of you in my close proximity either", Ace admits, finally unfreezing.
"That's alright with me", Joe says walking away from the two.
"You could've as well stayed quiet, Ace", Teo says turning to leave, "no one's interested in speaking to you".
"Honestly, you're kind of a pussy man", Ves smiles dryly, "and that stands for Sam too".
Ace scoffs and Sam pretends to be interested in the nearby wall. Five boys rush through the rest of the building, making sure they keep their distance from each other. Ace stays behind Sam, aimlessly looking around in an attempt to seem disinterested in everyone else. Sam's stuck between him and Ves, still trying to make the best of the situation. He thought of letting Ace catch up to him, but the boy didn't seem too eager to have a walking buddy. Catching up to Ves was out of question, as he had just called him a pussy. The boy didn't look back, so Sam had no way of even guessing his mood right now. In front of Ves, Teo and Joe were walking step in step, and their mood was easy to tell. The two stepped ahead firmly, keeping the distance, but occasionally throwing glances in each other's direction. Teo seemed about ready to attack Joe at any given second. The latter looked prepared to make any potential attack the last thing Teo would do before he meets God. Burrying his hands in his pocket, Sam opts to look at the marble floor. Under the dim lighting, his reflection in the tiles seems small and darkened. He wishes he could recognise his own eyes. Just to understand whatever was pulsing through him right now. He doesn't. Staring into the tiles, he surrenders to this feeling growing in him. It's a quiet voice, the one in Sam's head, but consistent and frighteningly convincing. This was not what he had hoped for. Running on repeat, this was not what he had hoped for. What did he hope for?
Walls start to grow more distant, and the boy notices they have walked into a entrance hall, wast and richly decorated. The only thing Sam cares about is the sunlight coming through the giant glass doors. Breathing in, he supresses everything else. It's just a beginning, after all. Things will get better with time. The voice in his head doesn't ask any more questions. Walking out of the building behind his new teammates, he doesn't think about them, the whole ordeal in their mentor's office, or the hallway fiasco. All of those things disperse from his head, faded by the sun and carried away by the soft breeze. August has made its promise, the things will fall into place. Sam recaptures the feeling of excitment, the one he had carried with himself this past summer. He's made it to this place, one of the most prestigious academies for pokemon trainers the world has to offer, he reminds himself. Kids across the world dream about becoming trainers, and he has found himself making that dream a reality. Nothing mattered as much as that fact. It was a rough day one, but it's nothing he couldn't bounce back from.
"You two should go to the pokemon center", Sam hears Joe's voice. The boys are still walking separately, but the things seemed to have calmed down a bit. Must be the sun, Sam theorizes.
"Don't tell me what to do", Teo's voice comes from the distance as well. But the boy doesn't sound willing to start a fight. Instead, Sam sees him checking the island map on his pokedex. After another minute of walking, he makes a turn for the left, informing them he'll be going off on his own and he'll find his way to the dormitories later. Ves follows him without a word, and Sam is sure they have both decided to go to a pokemon center.
The other three boys keep walking the cobblestone path for a few more minutes. Sam has to remind himself that he's on an island. He feels a smell of the ocean, but it's a rather faint one. He focuses on trying to hear the waves, but it doesn't really work. Instead, he hears Ace walking behind him. The boy's still ignoring them, even though Teo and Ves had left. Perhaps he disliked Joe and Sam as well, after all. He couldn't hear Joe's footsteps at all, the boy realises, even though he's not that far away. Joe creeps him out a bit. He thinks about it. It's not that he dislikes him, but the boy's way too calm for it to be normal. Teo and Ves were not guys Sam sees himself hanging out with either, but again, he wouldn't say he dislikes them. They are just a bit too rough. He really wasn't sure what he thought of Ace.
It doesn't take them too long to reach the boy's dormitories. It's a simplistic building, rectangle shaped with beaming white walls and miriad of windows. In front, there was a designated space for hanging out, lined with benches and decorative flowers. Sam liked the space. "Hey, I'll come up later", he says suddey, sidelining for one of the benches, "gotta do some things first".
"Alright", Joe says simply, continuing his walk towards the building, with Ace few feet behind him. Sam's not sure why he had felt the need to inform them.
Taking a seat at one of the benches, he watches as the pair dissapears into the building. He finds it all too strange, that he'll spend the next four years living here, with these people. Unless they fail. The feeling of unease returns, as Sam whips out his phone. Staring at the screen, he slides away a few messages. He's not sure what he'll say to people when they ask him how his day went. Taking a deep breath, he presses a call button. The phone rings next to his ear a few times before the other person picks up. "Hey, mom", Sam says softly. He listens patiently to the barrage of questions and mundane reminders. "Yeah, everything's alright", he says in a low voice, "don't worry about me".