I sigh and lean back into Lulu’s body. My hand holding the phone drops to the floor listlessly. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I open them again, Lulu is looking at me with worry on her face. She rumbles softly.
I reach up to scratch her chin.
“I’ll be fine, Lulu.”
Another sigh almost escapes my lips but I managed to catch it and sit up.
“Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”
My big friend purrs and nuzzles my face. I give her a quick hug before standing up and recalling her. Lili comes into my room and chirps. She’s holding a familiar box. A simple rectangular thing made from mostly opaque yellow plastic. It has a scratched up Growlithe sticker on top. The corners are chipped slightly and I can make out the shades of contents within. My eyes are watering. That’s my old lunchbox. I had completely forgotten about it. With shaking fingers I put it into my satchel.
Lili chirps and gives me a hug before recalling herself as well. Gligar is already in his Poké Ball. I put all three of them into the special pocket on the lid of my satchel for easy access. With one last sigh, I leave my room and make for the door. It’s time to go back to school.
Mum gives me a hug and a kiss on my forehead before shuffling back into the kitchen where Rob is blearily shuffling cereal into his face. My little brother is in his final year of Grade School and has his first lesson a little later than I have mine. Horsepower High is also a little further away. I’m wearing my school uniform, a simple white blouse with a brown collar and a knee length brown shirt with white overknees. The shoes are the only thing where we have some freedom to choose, as long as they don’t have any logos or something like that. Mine are the old black trainers I had from before Hisui. They still fit perfectly even after two decades of not wearing them.
I find myself on the road walking down a familiar path before I know it. The nostalgia is almost overwhelming when the school building finally comes into view. It’s a bright complex with white walls and coloured window frames going all the way through the rainbow. There are two wings, each three storeys tall, with a connecting gangway in the middle on the second and third floor. In between the buildings is space for the students to move between classes or catch some fresh air between lessons and to the left is a large open pasture for practical Pokémon lessons surrounded by a fence. I spot some of the schools Pokémon out and about playing with the students.
And oh, there are a lot of students. I kind of tuned them out as parts of the landscape but now that I notice them, I find everyone staring at me. No, wait. Just the people close enough to make out my face are staring. I shake my head before stumbling forward from a weight jumping onto my back.
“Morning, Zoe!” Min laughs as I grab onto her arm and squeeze.
“Morning,” I smile.
“Let’s go, Mel is late but Sara is probably waiting inside.”
“Right.”
My smile brightens and I ignore the murmuring around me. It’s pretty much just curiosity rather than the animosity I faced when Kamado banished me from Jubilife Village. I suppress a shudder at the memory and refocus on Min’s happy chatter.
“… so we’re going for some ice cream later and then doing some more training. Wanna come with?”
I smirk.
“Well, if you’re training Lili has to be there to supervise your progress. Obviously I have to come along.”
Min’s eyes widen just slightly. I laugh and pat her on the back.
“Come on, she’s not that bad.”
“… eh, yeah. I’m still a little sore, to be honest. Maybe we can get back to it tomorrow?”
“I’m sure Ember and Veil are looking forward to their own training. Don’t disappoint them, okay?”
“Zoe!” a voice interrupts us as we reach our class room “You’re really back!”
I turn to spot frizzy hair just about half a head taller than me. The boy turns to me with a smile that… yeah, no thanks. Was he always like that?
“Morning, Sven,” I greet neutrally “As you can see, I have returned.”
“What happened? Is everything alright, now? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
I giggle at the reminder of sparring with Mesprit and Giratina. I wouldn’t call those injuries… Mes always used Heal Pulse to fix me back up.
“No, I’m good. It’s a long story, I don’t really want to talk about it.”
He takes half a step closer and tries to put a hand on my shoulder. I slip around him and move straight into Sara, giving her a hug.
“Morning, Sara. How was your weekend?”
“Very productive. Thanks for the help on Saturday, though I’m still a little sore.”
“That just means you need to train more. If you can feel pain, you can make gains!”
“Where did you get that from?” Sven asks. I’m silently impressed, he recovered quite quickly.
“A friend of mine lived by that motto. She taught me a lot.”
“Lived?”
Mrs Reed enters the class room right at that moment, leaving poor Sven to his confusion as everyone finds their seats. She is one of the stronger Trainers of the school’s teachers. Strong enough to look like she’s still in her mid twenties even though she’s just past thirty. Her long wavy locks of hair have a slight green tone to them, one of the rarer colours you can find like my own platinum blonde. The teacher gives me a soft smile before turning to address the class.
“Good morning, everyone. As you can see, Zoe has decided to deign us with her appearance once more. Wherever she disappeared to, I hope we won’t have to miss her again.”
I smile as most of the other students laugh.
“Now, I’ll leave you all to self study. Please read pages 318 to 321 and do the exercises outlined on them. I have to take Zoe to the Principal’s office. Don’t make too much of a mess!”
The others somewhat lazily voice their agreement as I get up again to follow Mrs Reed into the hallway. We don’t talk on our walk to the Principal’s office but she occasionally glances back at me. Once we enter the reception room, the school’s Secretary gives me a nod and a smile.
“Principal Stark is waiting for you,” she says “Go right in.”
We enter the office and I meet the stern face of the Principal. Mr Stark is an older man with greying hair and a cleanly trimmed beard. His face shows signs of weather and age and most of the students are somewhere between scared and respectful when dealing with him. That said, he has a reputation as being fair and HP High is well-regarded in Oreburgh.
The man stands up and walks around his desk.
“Good Morning,” he offers his hand “You are Zoe Crones, I assume?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
I shake. He has a strong grip, but not oppressive. I spot the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.
“I’m Samuel Stark. Colour me surprised to get a call from the Professor Rowan this morning. Congratulations on becoming an official Lab Trainer.”
“Huh?” Mrs Reed blinks rapidly “What?”
“Let’s sit down. We have a lot to talk about, I believe. Can I offer you something to drink?”
There’s a small sitting table with some comfortable arm chairs in one corner of the office. I accept a glass of water with the principal and my teacher both having a cup of coffee. I endure the smell.
“Zoe,” the principal begins “before we get into it, you have no obligation to tell us anything. The Professor vouched for you and you will not have to repeat this school year no matter what. Your absence has been excused. You will have a few exams to catch up with this week but since you’re going on another trip for the Circuit next season, failing any won’t set you back. You can repeat them at any time before coming back to school, if you so wish to.”
I nod calmly. Mrs Reed is looking less confused now and observes me with intrigue.
“That said, I’m very curious where you have been and how you got to become a Lab Trainer.”
I lean back and tap my chin, thinking for a moment. I don’t really want to get into details but it’s not like I’m keeping things a secret. It’s more of a hassle to provide proof, to be honest. Maybe the Professor’s word will be enough?
“I’ll keep it short,” I say “Since it’s a long story. Much longer than you expect it to be. About one month ago, I was thrown back in time into the Sinnoh of two-hundred years ago, called Hisui back then.”
His eyebrow goes up a tiny bit.
“There was a situation that needed doing and a powerful Pokémon decided I was the best choice. I still don’t fully understand why it had to be me but…” I shrug “I solved the problem and when it was time to go back, things got a bit more complicated. As it turns out, time-travel is a little bit of a strain on your soul. I needed to train a ton in order to survive the return. In the end it took about two decades which I mostly spent doing field research under Professor Laventon. I got back last Wednesday.”
“That is quite unbelievable,” the Principal says dryly “So you’re now 35 years old? That would make you a very powerful Trainer with how young you still look.”
Mrs Reed clears her throat.
“You haven’t changed at all. Physically. But I somehow believe you.”
“Oh, I changed a ton. Mostly, I got stronger. The not-growing-older was more of a side effect. I’ve been told I will start ageing again, even though much slower than before my little excursion.”
Principal Stark takes a slow sip of coffee, his eyes closed. When he opens them again, he looks straight at me. The me from twenty years ago would have probably squirmed under his stare but it’s nothing compared to Commander Kamado, or the doctors from the Medical Corps. The corner of his mouth twitches upwards when I simply smile back at him.
“I see. And this experience with Professor Laventon has provided you with skills the Lab values, giving you the chance to become a Lab Trainer.”
“Mostly, yes. I have a complete Pokédex, with every Pokémon species that lived in Sinnoh about 200 years ago. That includes those that are no longer found here, either because they hid in the depths of the wilderness or went extinct. That knowledge is a large part of why Professor Rowan offered me the position, I’m sure.”
“Then he believes you.”
“He does.”
“Very well. If that’s all there is to it, I can accept it. You might have issues going back to school, at your age. If you still want to study the normal way, we will help you out.”
I laugh softly.
“Thanks, Principal Stark. My papers still say I’m 15 years old so that part won’t be a problem. I’ll see where I’m going after this Circuit season.”
He nods.
“Then let me welcome you back. I hope these two weeks will be enjoyable for you. And all the best for your Circuit attempt.”
We get up and say goodbye, Mrs Reed leading me back to my classroom. She’s silent for most of the way, thinking about what I said, most likely. Around halfway back, she turns to me.
“Are you really older than me?”
I snort.
“Technically, sort of? Don’t worry about it too much.”
“Right… Like I can just do that. It’s amazing how you just smiled at Principal Stark staring you down like that. The man is a wonderful Principal but he can be really scary sometimes.”
“Most humans can’t compare to an angry Gyarados,” I shrug “I’ve seen enough of those.”
“You really shouldn’t have. That’s not something I wish on my students.”
I give her a quick side hug.
“Thank you, Mrs Reed. But it happened and I dealt with it. No use worrying about it now.”
She smiles softly, her cheeks turning a bit red.
We walk the rest of the way in silence. My classmates look up when we come in but I just sit down quietly as Mrs Reed picks the lesson back up. She’s talking about the different ways to care for Pokémon with solid exteriors, be they rocks, carapace, scales, or something else.
I enjoy listening to her talking and answering questions some of the others have but find the subject itself to be very obvious. There’s nothing new for me to learn about Pokémon Care and Nutrition, the current subject, unless it’s specific details of a Pokémon I’m unfamiliar with and we don’t go that far in the lessons. There’s just no enough time to talk about all of them. At least everything she’s saying is correct.
When the bell rings for our twenty minute break, everyone starts to talk to their seat neighbours. Some people stand up to ask others about something or get some fresh air. Sara looks at me with a hint of confusion, or more at my desk.
“You didn’t take any notes?” she asks.
“Nah. Not for this. This is easy.”
“Huh. Makes sense, kinda.”
“Does it?” Sven asks. He sits in front of me and turned his chair around.
“Yup. Absolutely does,” I grin.
“Why?” he looks puzzled.
“I learned a lot about Pokémon while I was gone. Definitely more than I could’ve managed in school.”
“Huh. Then… How would you take care of a Luxio?”
My eyebrow goes up. I share a look with Sara who’s trying really hard not to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Sven asks.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s see… Luxio is a feline Electric Type. They need a lot of space to move around and exercise, even outside of Training. You should regularly brush their fur, though battling other Pokémon is a decent substitute and will reduce your workload on that front. Just make sure not to overdo it. Isolating clothes are recommended but not necessary unless the Luxio doesn’t trust you. They can control their electricity pretty well. If they get excited, get some distance or you’ll get shocked. As for food, Luxio like a meat-heavy diet, though berries work great, too. Especially if you can find their favourite one. Anything else you want to know?”
Sven’s mouth stands half open and he rapidly snaps it shut.
“What about washing? Their claws? Those are important, too.”
“Yes, they are, but Luxio will do most of that themselves if you give them enough freedom to move around. Somewhere near a body of water, preferably. They love swimming to hunt, and they will scratch trees and rocks to mark their territory. Even those in captivity do that, if you let them.”
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“Oh. I didn’t know that. I just bathe mine in the tub and we clip his claws right after.”
I shrug.
“That works too, of course. The temperament of the Pokémon plays a big role in what they enjoy.”
“So, you going to try for Lab Trainer, or what?”
“No reason to try. I already am.”
“No fucking way. How did that happen?”
I rub my temples. He’s starting to irritate me a little.
“Doesn’t matter,” I say.
“Wait, so you’re going to attempt the Circuit again, too? Wanna go together?”
I snort but Sara manages to speak up before I can.
“Not a chance, lover boy. We’ve got a girls group already. Find your own company.”
“Thanks, Sara, but that was a bit harsh,” I smile at her.
“I’m travelling with Henry and Jane, just thought Zoe might want to join!” he protests.
I sigh and stop listening as Sara gets into an argument with him. Let them go at it, I guess… Not like we’ve got anything better to do between lessons.
Eventually, the bell rings again and the next teacher comes in. Mr Summers holds his typical dry maths lessons and I’m right back to where I was two decades ago. It feels like nothing changed at all for a full ninety minutes. Granted, I have a little more experience with the subject and don’t have to pay as much attention but that almost makes it worse. Maths was interesting but never my strongest subject. I blame Summers.
The last block before lunch break is English. Our dear mother tongue. That one, I can sleep through without feeling bad about it at all. I know everything there is to know about writing research reports and won’t need anything else. Probably.
I still don’t sleep through it. Commander Kamado’s bi-yearly meetings about the future of Jubilife were much worse to sit through, especially since they lasted a full two days.
After lunch, our class is one of the set that has outdoor lessons. Pokémon Training, Care, Observation, and Everything-Else-You-Could-Think-Of. Students get to work with the school’s Pokémon or with their own and learn what it takes to take care of them. Because of that, my friends and I find a place out in the sun to have our food and let out our Pokémon. I try to find a more secluded place but the pasture is a little crowded so I call over some of the school Pokémon.
A small and diverse group closes in with some hesitation. There’s a Machoke leading two Machop, a Chansey, a Graveller, and an Aron. The last of those is of a species I haven’t had any real contact with for 20 years. One immigrant had brought a Lairon with him but I didn’t much talk to them. When the group gets closer, the Chansey calls out happily. She recognizes me.
“Thanks. Yes, I’m back. I’m doing fine. Can you guys help me out? I need you to warn everyone. I’m letting out my Pokémon and Lulu is a little… intimidating. I don’t want to freak out the kids. She’s nice but really big. A Luxray.”
“Chan, Chansey!” she nods happily. The others share a look before moving out as well. I’ll give them some time to spread the word.
“Are you really letting her out here?” Min asks quietly. I blink at her.
“Of course. Lulu needs to eat. I’ll keep her close. She can run later when we’re back outside the city.”
“Is it even legal for you to do that? Letting out such a strong Pokémon in the city?”
I shrug.
“This is the school pasture. Why wouldn’t I be allowed to let out my Pokémon to have them eat?”
“Point.”
Sara sighs.
“I’ll go tell a teacher.”
“Tell them what?” Sven asks. Looks like he snuck up on us. Well, not really. We were a little distracted and he probably just walked over. His friends Henry and Jane are with him, too.
“Zoe has a big Pokémon,” Sara brushes him off and makes her way over to where Mrs Reed is having her own lunch together with her Bibarel and Staraptor. Two Pokémon you should not underestimate. They’ve got a lot of power, enough to let her get six badges just after she finished High School.
“You do?” Sven makes himself known again “Wanna battle?”
“No, thanks.”
“Scared of Lupin? Size isn’t everything, you know?”
Mel pulls a face but I just snicker at his language.
“I’m well aware.”
“Then let’s go!”
Henry hits him on the back of his head.
“Shut up, Sven. You’re making a fool of yourself. Let’s eat, I’m starving.”
The frizzy-haired idiot actually looks embarrassed and quiets down. Poké Balls hiss and pop as everyone releases their partners. Henry has a Roselia while Jane is happily cuddling her Teddiursa. The little bear looks almost ready to evolve from the deepening colour of his fur and the shape of his muscles. Sven’s Luxio looks around with interest. The feline is in good condition and curious as any of his species. At least his Trainer is only an idiot when it comes to me.
As my friends get settled as well and everyone starts to eat, I sit down cross-legged and beckon the Luxio. He walks over obediently after a glance at his Trainer and sniffs my hand. After a moment, he purrs and pushes his muzzle into me. I laugh and start petting his budding mane. He still has a way to go to become a Luxray but he’s made some good progress already. Sven shuffles over and hands me a small batch of Poké Chow.
“That’s Lupin’s lunch,” he says “He likes you.”
I take it with a smile and start feeding the eager Pokémon. After a bit, Sara finally comes back.
“Mrs Reed says it’s fine,” she says as she sits down.
I nod and get up. Lupin whines a little.
“Don’t worry, boy. I think you’ll like my buddies.”
My hand fishes out the two Poké Balls and Lulu’s Ultra Ball. With a slightly more organic pop and swish sound, my Pokémon appear next to us. Lulu rears up on her haunches and I slap her nose before she can roar her challenge to the world. The big cat immediately lays down and whines, paws covering her nose. Lili chirps a giggle and Gligar is outright laughing.
“Come on, girl, I didn’t hit you that hard!” I grin.
“Mrawr!” she complains.
“Anyway, we’re at school. No need to scare everyone. I told you about that.”
This time she dodges my glare. I start petting the side of her head and she leans into my touch. When I turn back around, I finally notice all the people staring. The Pokémon recover much more quickly and start demanding to be fed by their Trainers and lunch break quickly returns to normal, but I can still see Mrs Reed and her Pokémon carefully watching us. Lili walks over to them and I leave her to it.
The only ones still staring are Henry, Jane, Sven, and their Pokémon. Lupin is the first to come back to his senses and he practically jumps at Lulu, sliding to a stop just in front of her face and excitedly starting to speak at her.
“What the fuck?” Henry finally says “That’s a huge Luxray.”
“It’s absolutely massive,” Jane says in awe “I want one!”
Gligar already climbed up my legs to cling to me so I sit down again to cuddle. I take out my own food and a few berries for my Pokémon and start eating, ignoring the peanut gallery. My friends are giggling to themselves and Min gives me a mischievous smirk.
It takes a minute before Sven speaks up again.
“Okay, yeah. I’d probably lose that battle. Where did you find a Luxray like that?”
I glance up from feeding Gligar. He’s cuddled into my lap like a baby and demanding pets.
“Lulu is from up in the mountains. Coronet Highlands, about… two weeks hike that way.”
I point to the side of the valley a little south from Mount Coronet.
“I caught her and she decided to stick around.”
Sven stares with an open mouth. His hand stopped halfway in bringing food to it. When Lili twirls her way back to our group and sits down next to us, grabbing an Oran Berry, he reboots.
“You were on Mount Coronet?” he asks “Like, all the way?”
“Is that so?” Mrs Reed asks from the side. Her Pokémon are flanking her, carefully eyeing Lulu.
“I didn’t catch Lulu there. I found her a day or two south of Coronet.”
“Alright, then. You probably know better than I do how dangerous the wilderness can be. Still, be careful! Especially all of you listening in. Zoe’s Pokémon are exceptionally powerful. Do not try to emulate her, you will not survive.”
I look around and see a bunch of students mumble and turn away. Mrs Reed turns back to me.
“And Zoe, while it’s okay to bring more than one of your Pokémon to school with you, make sure they behave. Especially when they are this powerful.”
She flinches when Lili appears right in front of her. My Pokémon chirps and pats Mrs Reed’s shoulder encouragingly, making me grin.
“She’s got me trained pretty well, you don’t have to worry,” I say.
“Right… What even are you?”
Lili chirps and twirls a few times, showing of her Victory Dance in a much slower version.
“She’s a Liligant variant. Grass Fighting. This one is a bit of a muscle brain.”
My Pokémon gives me a condescending chirp.
“Love you too, Lili,” I say, making her wave.
“Um,” Henry speaks up “Is that the ‘special Liligant’ Volkner was talking about?”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Jane says “That’d mean Zoe almost beat Cynthia. Absolutely impossible.”
“Right. Of course.”
My friends just barely suppress their laughter as Lili chirps happily and sits down next to me. Mrs Reed is giving me a knowing look while her Pokémon suddenly look more wary of Lili than Lulu. The teacher soon leaves us alone and we finish our lunch without further interruptions.
Our afternoon lesson is once again overlooked by Mrs Reed. The more involved Care lessons are taught by one of the Care and Nutrition teachers in conjunction with the school Chansey. The pink blob is incredibly strict but also very kind. She looks over the Pokémon brought by the students and points out some things which Mrs Reed then explains again so the humans can understand it.
When they come to me, Chansey barely glances at Lili and Lulu before fixing her stare on Gligar.
“Chan, Chansey! Chan! Sey!” she starts and he nuzzles into me.
“He’ll be fine,” I say “I found him in the north. He was hungry and scared. It’ll take a bit to get him back on his legs but you don’t have to worry.”
“Chansey?”
“Yes. He lost his family and decided to stick with us. I’ll bring him along every day if you want to help out?”
“Chan!” she nods. With a gentle light, a Soft Boiled produces an egg from her belly pouch which she hands over. Gligar looks between it and the pink blob for a moment before timidly reaching out. He quietly thanks her and starts to nibble on it.
Chansey nods happily and moves on to the next Trainer.
Once everyone is looked over, Mrs Reed claps her hands.
“Alright. Looks like you’re all doing quite well. Zoe, I’ll be testing you on battling in a moment, though I don’t doubt you’ll pass. Everyone else, feel free to watch. We’ll get back to working with the school Pokémon right after.”
Excited murmurs run through the crowd.
“Come forward, Zoe. Chansey is ready to heal so I’ll be pushing you a little. Machoke, please be our referee.”
The Fighting Type smashes his fists together with a grunt and stands to the side of the field. I walk up on one end with Mrs Reed taking the other.
“The rules are simple. It’s a 1v1. I pick first. You use your own Pokémon. We battle until one side gets knocked out or surrenders. You’re not expected to win, I’m simply testing your decision making and your Pokémon’s strength. Everything clear?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Go, Golem!” she shouts and throws a Super Ball on a wide arc. I lands with a pop and hiss, releasing the big Rock and Ground Type on the field. The other students gasp.
“Principal Stark has given me permission to use Golem for this test. Please keep your distance everyone.”
The crowd takes a few steps back. Golem is Mrs Reed’s ace. The Pokémon is a sphere of rock with arms and legs protruding from it. A head sticks out from the front. It’s incredibly bulky and just as strong. The biggest weakness would be it’s speed. It’s also more susceptible to energy attacks than physical ones.
I look over at Mrs Reed. She’s grinning at me. A glance at my Pokémon shows Lili sitting down and petting Gligar. Lulu is almost vibrating on her haunches. I roll my eyes and wave her over.
“Go easy on him, okay?” I say quietly.
She complains with a mewl.
“Do you want it to be over that quickly?” I ask.
She scoffs and jumps into the field, standing tall. Then she roars.
Everything goes quiet at her challenge. Mrs Reed gulps and even Golem with his Type advantage seems hesitant. Machoke recovers quickly and slams his fists with a shout. The fight begins.
“Confuse,” I say at the same time that Mrs Reed shouts “Bulldoze!”
Golem stomps the ground, sending a wave of Ground Type Energy towards Lulu who quickly jumps to avoid the rocky spikes trying to ram into her. Her Glare is filled with Ghost TE and Golem tumbles on his feet.
“Play keep away. Snarl,” I say and cross my arms.
“Smack Down into Rollout!” Mrs Reed shouts.
Lulu growls a challenge filled with Dark TE and a black wave blasts across the field. It splashes uselessly against my legs imbued with Dark TE themselves but I can’t say the same for Golem. The Rock Type can’t dodge the Move and simply braces for it while digging one hand into the ground behind him. When it passes, he heaves and throws a blast of Rocks into the air. They curve unnaturally and threaten to ram into Lulu from above but she just blasts off with a Volt Switch to the side, avoiding all of them. Golem is already in his Rollout when he realizes and can’t abort his Move but he still manages to change direction more quickly than I expected.
For the a little while, Golem chases after Lulu but she simply jumps away, sometimes not even bothering with Volt Switch or Quick Attack. The occasional Snarl keeps slowing the Rock Type Down and I can see Mrs Reed frowning. She meets my eyes and I give her a grin.
“Want to try tanking her Ice Fang?” I ask.
A rumbling crash draws our eyes back to the battle. Golem is splayed on the ground, having stopped on the spot and Lulu is watching him with a tilted head. He looks at me with a hint of fear in his eyes before turning to my Pokémon.
Lulu shows her teeth, slowly channelling Ice TE into them.
“Fine. If that’s how it is,” Mrs Reed says “Earthquake!”
Golem’s Ground TE channels much quicker and he stomps the ground again just as Lulu starts to move. This time, she doesn’t bother jumping. Her feet dance over the shaking earth and the Ground TE makes her stumble a few times but she pushes on. Then she’s on Golem. Lulu’s teeth gleam with the sky-blue of her Ice Fang as she opens her maw. She snaps down right as she rams into the Rock Type. Even with his physical bulk, I can see his rocky body cracking where the Move meets him. He cries out as he’s pushed back. Lulu stands tall, breathing a little heavier than normal. Tanking that Earthquake wasn’t really all that smart but she wanted to show off.
I look over at Golem. He’s knocked out, lying on his back. It’s good that Lulu pushed him away rather than holding him with the Move. He might have been hurt for real, otherwise.
“Machoke!” our referee shouts, holding up a hand towards me.
The students break out into excited shouting. I look at Mrs Reed who shakes her head. Chansey is already on the field, fussing over Golem. I walk over to shake her hand.
“That was even worse than I expected,” she says.
“Does that mean I didn’t pass?” I grin.
“No,” she laughs “You passed with flying colours. No way I could ever beat you.”
I smile.
“I only have two Pokémon like this. It’s going to be a lot of work to get through the later Gyms.”
“I’ll be looking forward to your Circuit,” she says “Give it your best.”
Chansey is already fussing over Golem and Mrs Reed joins them with some Potion bottles. Lulu proudly struts over to me and nuzzles my chest with her nose. I laugh and start petting her.
“You’re such a show-off, girl. Not that I can complain.”
She growls happily as I dig out a Potion myself and start applying it to her legs. Her wounds quickly heal and when I look up almost everyone of my classmates is standing as close as they dare, which is still at least three metres away from Lulu’s bulk.
“That was fucking insane!” Sven shouts “How?”
“I’ve never seen a Luxray just straight up tank an Earthquake like that,” Jane shakes her head “Where did you hide this monster of a Pokémon?”
Min jumps forward and pulls me into a hug.
“That’s Zoe for you! She’s got the bestest Pokémon!”
I lean into her with a grin.
“Thank you all. It’s been a lot of work to get here.”
That just makes the questions come even faster. I just wave them off an climb onto Lulu’s back who jumps over the crowding students with a small Volt Switch, landing me next to Gligar and Lili. I pick up my little flying scorpion and sit down to wait for the lesson to continue as my classmates begin chatting excitedly once again.