PMD: Stargazer Chronicles

Pharaoh- A Little Brighter

"Can anyone tell me what the square root of forty-nine is?"

Audino Agatha considered walking out of the classroom for a warm, refreshing morning walk. Torkoal Mr. West was being worse than usual today. It probably wasn't just her that felt like he was talking in slow motion asking the same questions to give them "practice".

Something, though, was different about this class. It was bothering her and eating up all her attention. It was a simple, elementary thing that bothered most people.

Everyone copied her style.

More than half of the class was wearing a black leather jacket sized for their species. Pokemon that had been sharp with her earlier like Elektrike Janette and Lillipup Shenise had turned into all smiles all of a sudden, and it didn't look like a fake mask of a smile, either.

The only one who wasn't wearing black leather was Pikachu Simone, but he still was being a copycat. He had on a brown, leather jacket instead of black.

The other difference was the seating arrangements.

When Agatha came in, Lucario Elijah had stolen her seat. She came in just before the teacher, so she didn't have many options for seats that weren't already taken. The only seat in the back was on the side of the wall, surrounded by Lucario Elijah behind her, Pikachu Simone in front of her, and an Umbreon to her left.

Elijah didn't bother Agatha as much as he usually did. All he did was ask for a pencil earlier.

It was the Umbreon.

He had on a black, leather jacket just like everyone else in class. He stared at her like a snake stared at a mouse.

Irritated beyond words, Agatha pulled out her phone and texted to ask Simone what his deal was.

"What's with the Umbreon staring like a creep?"

Simone didn't react to his phone. Agatha stepped on his tail drooping on the ground. He jumped, but didn't turn around. He might 've just woken up. She was satisfied when he pulled out his phone, though.

"His name's Walter. Varsity, but only saves himself for important matches. Feel free to slap him in the face. Anytime." – Simone

"And what's with all the black jackets?" - Agatha

"Support."

"For what?" – Agatha

"The rumor spread about your thing the other day. It was Zel's idea to be supportive." – Simone

Slurpuff Zel had been all smiles the entire class, and it wasn't anything school related. The moment Agatha looked up at her, she met her eyes and giggled.

With any luck, they probably didn't know about how Agatha got the scar, or how it stretched all the way across her back and encroached near her front, or how her feet were made of metal underneath her pink and black striped socks. Then again, how could they? At least Agatha's bone-headed mistake didn't cost her that much.

After math was science class. They watched science videos that Agatha struggled to pay attention to. If anything, it sounded like videos people used to fall asleep. The lights were turned off, and it felt like a strain to have to look at the small screen from the back of the class.

After a good nap, it was time for lunch. Despite the warmth outside, the cafeteria managed to be a cold, stone desert. At the very least, the rest of the school didn't seem to be wearing leather. The non-first years seemed to notice, though.

As Audino Agatha sat by herself, Umbreon Walter sauntered up next to her holding a metallic tray in his paws. She didn't look up from her phone on the table.