Eight Steps to Bravery

Chapter Six

    "For your first task, you will all begin with an immediate battle in order for us to identify what skills you already have attained!" Ivory called, her soft voice somehow able to carry across the entire open clearing.
    Sunlight beat down upon the emerald grass, which danced slightly as a small breeze blew by. The sky was an azure blue, nearly cloudless, and thus creating an immensely serene scene.
    This scene was contrasted by the battle cries of Pokémon and yells of their trainers below.
    Our class, along with a few others, stood at one corner of the immense clearing. Ivory was watching over us with an intrigued gaze, and was quickly joined by the familiar figure of Arien, much to my surprise.
    "Pair up and get to it!" Arien yelled, her voice much more firm and intimidating, causing people to immediately run around to each other frantically.
    I felt a prod on my shoulder. "Ready?" Fate asked, who had been standing beside me.
Uh, no. "Ready enough."
    Fate smirked, walking ahead until he stood about twenty feet in front of me, his hand slipping into his pocket as he pulled out a pokéball.
    His narrowed, amber gaze became fixed with my own, yet quickly drifted to the side as he stiffened.
    "Well, aren't they close," he remarked, looking behind me with an awkward tone in his voice.
    I looked over my shoulder, my face heating up with embarrassment at the sight of Arien and Ivory. Their hands were intertwined by their hips, their faces no more than an inch apart. They were whispering to each other softly, and gazing at each other with a look similar to one that I often saw my parents give one another. I bit my lip, frantically twisting away as I knew I probably shouldn't be watching.
    "Er, why don't we start now!" I exclaimed awkwardly.
    "Good idea!"
    I paused, my hand barely slipped into my pocket. Memories flooded back from my previous battle, and Kouen's words echoed through my mind.
Accepting defeat is far better than facing the consequences of arrogance.
    I sighed, grasping my partner's pokéball. "Ready, Lugia?" I whispered.
    "Alright!" Fate began, his eyes lit with exhilaration. "Doublade, let's go!"
    A Pokémon emerged from his pokéball in a flash, resembling two broad swords criss-crossed together, with long ribbons drifting out from the handle in the shape of hands. I had recalled seeing the Pokémon before, both in my home town and from earlier that day.
    "Ghost and steel type," I remarked, frowning as I knew ghost type was one of Lugia's weaknesses. Doublade also evolves from Honedge after a huge amount of experience, which meant that Fate wasn't lying when he said he had been a trainer for a while.
    "Alright then, come on, Lugia!" I tossed his pokéball into the air, watching as he emerged with a bright red flash. I was pleased to see he immediately entered the battle with narrow, crimson eyes.
    Fate froze, his eyes wide. "No way," he gasped. "Don't tell me you're the kid who has the legendary Pokémon and took on Viené!"
    "Er, yeah," I mumbled. "But she basically slaughtered me." Literally.
    "Is that an actual Lugia?"
    The amount of attention that was not focused on my partner and I, both from Fate and people nearby, suddenly became overwhelming. "Yes, he is, but we both still have a lot to learn and little experience. We aren't any better than any other trainer."
    Fate's eyes flashed, with what I thought was understanding, as he gave a brisk nod. "I wasn't planning on giving you any special treatment anyway."
    From that moment on, I think he grew to respect me more.
    "Alright, Doublade, use Night Slash!"
    "Lugia, counter it with Dragon Rush!"
    I felt confident starting with a strong move right away. Lugia's new move proved to do a lot of damage from our past battle experience, and I figured the only way to win this battle was to end it quickly before Doublade inflicted significant damage.
    Lugia began to glow with energy, and charged forward to meet Doublade's attack, who's blades were now lit with a dark aura.
    The two Pokémon collided with such force and energy that it sent both Fate and I backwards and into the ground, an eruption of light and an earsplitting bang coming from the blow.
    Gasps and hollers sounded nearby, and dust and smoke clouded the air like a cloak. It took a few awkward, quiet moments before the smoke cleared.
    Revealing Doublade quivering in the air, struggling with effort, while Lugia lay sprawled on the ground, clearly fainted.
Defeated so quickly?!
    "Great work, Doublade, good job!" Fate called, jumping into the air with delight before smearing the dirt off his face.
    I rushed forward, crouching down by Lugia's side.
    "Lugia! Lugia, are you alright?" Memories of our near-death experience flooded back from our last battle, and my blood turned cold at the sight of his still body.
    However, my question was answered with relief when Lugia responded with a faint whimper.
    "You did an amazing job, I'm so proud of you," I whispered, pressing my lips to his forehead. "That attack must have been stronger than your last one, you're improving so fast!"
    Lugia stirred slightly, clearly satisfied with the outcome of the quick battle regardless of his loss. I gave him a small smile.
    "Rest now, bud," I murmured before returning him to my pokéball.
    "Hey, that was awesome!" Fate ran over, amber eyes bright, and extended a hand, offering to help me up off the ground.
    A stared at his hand. His skin looked soft and clean, like that of a small child, and his fingernails were neat but short. His fingers looked delicate, and I suddenly felt afraid to take his hand.
Was entering the military program really a good idea?
    My own hand, smaller than his, quivered over his fingertips, hesitant.
    "Hey, nice work you two!"
    I jumped, turning around to face the newcomer approaching us. It was a man, with spiky white hair wrapped around a bandana. His large, muscled frame was covered by a black tee-shirt and pants, and his fiery eyes seemed all too familiar.
    "Hey, Jay," Fate greeted the newcomer.
    I looked back at my friend. "You know him?"
    "Of course," he said, finally grabbing my hand gently and pulling me to my feet. "He's Viené's brother. Total badass, too."
    I froze, looking up to meet Jay's powerful gaze.
Yup, I see it now.
    Jay seemed a little more friendly than his headstrong sister, however. "An impressive battle indeed. Both Pokémon and trainers did very well." He glanced at me up and down, giving Lugia's pokéball, which I held in my hand, a hard stare. "And yes, I'm Jay. I'm one of the lead teachers of the Pokémon Training Program along with Ivory and Yukino. I had heard the rumors that a legendary Pokémon had joined our ranks, though I didn't believe it." He smirked. "Though I must say, this may be the first time I'm pleased to be wrong."
    I frowned. "Erm, I'm not very good at battling though. And Lugia's just a baby."
    "Eh, you show potential," Jay acknowledged with a shrug. "Besides, you're here to learn, are you not?"
    I didn't reply.
    "She's probably just upset that I beat her ass, huh Vee." Fate cast me a triumphant look, resting an arm on my shoulder, but there was warmth in those amber eyes.
    I cast him a smile. "I dunno, maybe you just got lucky."
    "Uh huh, sure, shorty."
    Before I could retort, Jay interrupted. "Come on, you guys are done, so I'll be taking you to the dorms. Those who are enrolled in the Pokémon Training Program stay at the Stellar Tower."
    "Awesome!" Fate exclaimed.
    I stiffened when I felt his own hand grab my wrist, his warm hold not letting go as he hauled my forward. We followed Jay, who has turned around and was moving towards the Stellar Tower. His long strides caused Fate to put a little jog in his steps, yanking me behind him.
    "I can walk on my own, you know," I retorted bitterly, but Fate only laughed.
    "I didn't think you'd be able to keep up with those short legs."
    "Ha ha ha."
    Regardless of his teasing, I was grateful for him. After loosing so much lately, finding a friend like him felt like a gift.
    Smiling, I shifted my hand, grabbing his rather than having it gripped around my wrist. I was glad to finally feel comfortable.

    Ugh, I spoke too soon.
    I stood in the middle of a larger dorm room, eight bunk beds lined up against the walls. Other than the beds, with trunks that stood against the back of them, and a few windows, the room was pretty empty.
    "Take off your shoes, kid, we don't want no mud in here!" A strange, accented voice yelled at me from across the room.
    Wincing, I yanked my boots off, placing them near the door. Jay had dropped me off in one of the female dorm, leaving me with a friendly wave and a warning glance directed at the other girls in the room. Fate was taken to the other wing, where the boys' dorms were held.
    I flexed my toes against the plushy, white rug, which felt surprisingly soft under my feet. I glanced around the room warily. It was filled with older teenagers and young women, all of them nearly oblivious to my presence. They all spoke amongst themselves, and the room was filled with the hum of a variety of voices.
    It made me feel incredibly out of place.
    The sun had already set, the day drifting by much faster than I had expected. And with the drowsiness that was coming over me, I tentatively searched for an empty bunk. My search brought me to one bed on the far corner that appeared empty, the pillow clean and blankets piled up on the mattress neatly.
    I tiptoed over, placing a hand on the mattress. It was cold and stiff, revealing no one had been on it before.
    "You the new kid?"
    I jumped, looking up to see a young woman glancing down at me from the top bunk. Her gaze was blank, and tone of voice dismissive.
    "Er yes, is this bunk taken?"
    She waved a hand at me. "Nope, go ahead."
    "Thank you," I murmured, but she was already gone.
    I clambered on top of the mattress, carefully rolling the blankets over the mattress until the bed was completely made. Snuggling underneath them, I clutched Lugia's pokéball tightly, feeling nervous and alone. I felt tired, but not enough so that I could sleep.
    I squeezed my eyes shut, relieved when eventually the lights were turned off the the voices quieted to a whisper. I pressed my face into my pillow, wishing I knew where Fate's dorm room was located.
You'll be fine, I reassured myself. You need to get used to this anyway, this is your new life now.
    Yet, I was oddly reluctant.