"Klara! Why must you play that horrendous cacophony of singing Skwovet at six in the morning?!" I groaned, pulling my pillow over my head.
"Nightcore music is not singing Skwovet," she replied, yanking off my blanket and forcing me to rise. "So excuse me if your old-guy tastes in music don't agree with the 21st century!"
"Having an elegant taste in music does not make me old," I grumbled, trudging into the boy's bathroom.
Klara's music was so loud and obnoxious, everyone was awake in no time. After I'd tamed my rat's nest of blonde hair, I donned my neatly pressed Psychic uniform, capping it off with my signature top hat and white boots. Then, willing my Pokeballs to rise and assume their regular positions, I checked my reflection in the body-length mirror leaning against the wall.
Purple uniform smoothed to perfection, not one hair of my golden waterfall out of place, Pokeballs floating around my hat like some odd, bobbing halo. Once I deemed myself presentable for my fellow Dojo residents, I strode out of the boy's dormitory and into the main room of the Master Dojo.
Trekking across the tiny battlefield in the center of the Dojo, I made my way into the kitchen, where I was surprised with the sight of Klara, fully dressed and ready for the day. Though I supposed I should have expected something fishy when she woke me up. Usually, she doesn't rise until 10:00 AM, and I was usually the lucky fool who was chosen to wake her.
"You're up early," I noted as I saw her casually chatting with another student. "Is there a special occasion happening today?"
"You betcha!" she giggled, slipping a slice of bread into the toaster. "We've got guests coming over for a whole week!" I stiffened slightly.
"My Future Sight did not predict tourists coming to our Dojo."
"Not tourists, silly," she grinned, poking me playfully in the chest (since I was too tall for her to bop my nose). "These are gym leaders! Master wanted to invite an old friend here to see the island and his Dojo, and he extended the invitation to the whole league! I think even Leon's gonna show up!"
"Oh, wouldn't that be just wonderful?" Honey, Master Mustard's wife, asked, walking into the kitchen. "Klara, won't you stay for breakfast? I'm making Pokepuffs, Scolipede's favorite!" Said Pokemon burst from her Pokeball at the mention of the treats, mandibles dripping with saliva and eyes shining in excitement. "And pancakes for the humans, of course," she added, which spurred Klara's stomach to gurgle in anticipation. I, politely, held mine down.
"Sorry, Miss Honey," she said, grabbing her now finished toast and smearing a bunch of strawberry jelly on it. "I've gotta run! The gym leaders should be here any second, and I'll be the one showin' 'em the way here!"
Gripping her hasty meal in her teeth, she scurried out the door, Scolipede following her dejectedly. "I'll save you some Pokepuffs for later," Honey whispered to the glum Poison-type. Perking up a bit more, she followed her trainer out the door of the Dojo, the sound of dozens of little feet pattering against the wood fading into the distance.
Copying Klara, I immediately claimed the toaster for myself. As much as pancakes sounded wonderful, there would be guests over today, and I predicted a sticky mess would not be a good way to start the morning. "You too, Avery?" Honey asked, surprised. "You never pass up pancakes! Are you feeling alright?"
"Perfectly fine, Miss Honey. I simply wish that my first impression does not consist of syrup stains," I explained while grabbing the butter from the refrigerator with my psychic abilities. "After all, these are the Gym Leaders of Galar. If I wish to be one of them, I must show that I can be elegant if I am to impress my superiors."
"Well, look who's being all fancy," Honey teased, pouring Moomoo Milk into her bowl of pancake mix. "Avery, just because your gym is in the minor division doesn't mean you're below anybody. It just means people haven't seen you truly shine yet." I smiled at her genuine compliment, then turned back to my toast.
Honey was one of those people that you just couldn't help but smile around. She was like a mother to all of us here at the Dojo, and Hyde literally was her child. But, she still treated every student like an individual member of the family, a title I sometimes felt I was undeserving of.
After being ridiculed and cast out by my own family for lack of more impressive psychic abilities, it was hard for me to believe people truly liked me for, well, me. I knew, and not just from Klara's incessant nagging, that I wasn't the easiest person to get along with.
"Hey Avery, aren't you supposed to be outside with Master Mustard to welcome the guests?" Snapping out of my thoughts at the sound of another student's voice, I quickly grabbed my breakfast and shot out of the kitchen. Thankfully, being tall has its advantages, which include long strides that made for very quick travel. Skidding to a halt just before running into Mustard, I stopped and bowed my head before my teacher.
"Good morning, Master Mustard," I greeted him, looking down as he gazed wistfully at the ocean, the silhouette of Wailord standing out against the rosy dawn. "Oh! Hello, Avery," he laughed, turning to face me. "Didn't notice you there. Isn't this sunrise just gorgeous?"
"Yes, I suppose so," I said stiffly, anxious for our guests to arrive. "Master, when exactly will our guests be arriving?"
"Oh, knowing Leon he'll already be here," Mustard chuckled. "And then he'll spend the next six hours wandering around the island, waiting for someone to find him and give him directions." Looking back up to me with a smile, he must have noticed how tense I was feeling, and he commented, "You know you can eat your breakfast, right?"
"O-oh," I murmured, the toast in my hand chilled and completely forgotten. As I nibbled on my now slightly soggy breakfast, I watched the sky fade from blush pink to bright blue, and the Slowpoke on the beach were just starting to stir from their slumber.
"Say, Avery, since our guests haven't arrived yet, why don't you take a little walk?" Mustard suggested after a while. "Get some tension off your shoulders. I know meeting your fellow gym leaders is a big deal for you."
"I suppose I should," I agreed hesitantly. "Rapidash, come. Let's go for a ride."
Releasing my Psychic-Fairy dual type, Rapidash nickered and nuzzled my hands, looking for spare sugarcubes from breakfast tea. "I'm sorry, I don't have anything today," I chuckled at his needy behavior. Rapidash pouted, dipping his head in sorrow. "If we're lucky, Miss Honey will have some extra lying around when we get back." Instantly, his ears perked up.
"That's the spirit," I praised him, gently fingering his pastel forelocks. Pulling myself up, I shifted around on the back of the horse Pokemon until I was in a comfortable enough position, then gently tapped my heels against his side. "Come now," I commanded, digging my fingers into his mane. "To the Forest of Focus. I need to go somewhere I can think clearly."
**********
A half hour later, we were trotting through the woods, the dappled light casting odd shadows all over the place. "I just don't understand it," I grumbled, rubbing my temples. "My mother and father have it, my sister has it, so why don't I?!"
After a few minutes of walking around the woods and not getting called back to the Dojo by Master Mustard, I assumed the guests hadn't shown up. So, I decided to spend some quality time with Rapidash, talking about what was on my mind. For a Pokemon that probably couldn't understand me, he was a surprisingly good listener.
"Seven generations of pure psychics. Seven generations of my ancestors. All of them could teleport and read minds, so why can't I just do it?!" Yelling in frustration, I smacked an overhead tree branch. It was surprisingly bendy, and it came whipping back and barely missed my head; I could feel the air rushing overhead.
Sighing and slumping into Rapidash's silky mane, I fingered the locks gently while I thought of how I could possibly make myself better. Stronger. More powerful. Not the non-elegant failure my family saw me as, but their son. I slid off of Rapidash's back when we reached the edge of the forest, bordering the Training Lowlands. "Okay, Rapidash," I patted him gently on the neck. "Time to train."
**********
"Gah! Watch it! That time you almost hit me," I snapped, heart pounding from my near-death experience with Rapidash's Psycho Cut. He gave me a look as if to say: That's the whole point, dummy! My other Pokemon were out and watching me struggle to keep all my limbs attached while being mercilessly assaulted by my partner's own moves.
A long time ago, when I first voiced my concerns about my psychic powers (or, rather, lack thereof), Hyde theorized that I just hadn't awakened the instinct of fight-or-flight, and therefore my ability to teleport. In short, I was never fearful enough for my life that I wanted to teleport away. So, every day, I came out to the most secluded part of the Isle of Armor and practiced dodging Rapidash's attacks. And, every day, I almost was sliced to pieces.
"Psycho Cut, again," I commanded, bracing myself for the attack. Rapidash's horn lit up with a pastel pink glow and spewed curved blades of psychic energy that grew as they traveled. Picture yourself in the place you want to go, I reminded myself, repeating how my father had tried to teach me how to teleport when I was a small boy.
Imagine everything there. Every minute detail. The grain of the wood on the walls and floor. The feeling of sitting in the stiff chair. The little matching Squirtle/Bulbasaur salt and pepper shakers, and the white tablecloth with lacy edges. Rapidash cried out in alarm, and I opened my eyes just in time to see a blade of psychic energy speed towards my face.
A sudden bullet of toxic sludge knocked the sharpened boomerang away, and Slowbro soon waddled over to me to check if I was alright. "I'm alright, thank you," I gratefully patted his head. Swoobat swooped over me and landed on my hat. "You are aware that isn't a perch, right?" I laughed as she settled down and started softly snoring.
Oh well. I guess that ends that training session, I thought with a smile as I returned my partners to their respective capsules. Mounting Rapidash once more, I was about to steer him into the woods when he froze, ears perked straight up, listening for something I couldn't hear.
"Rapidash, why have we stopped?" I asked, squeezing my heels against his sides. "Has something used Confusion on you?" Then, he stiffened again, clearly hearing something my human ears could not.
Suddenly, he took off at breakneck speed, galloping through the woods like there was no tomorrow. "R-r-rapidash," I yelled over the wind howling in my ears. "Slow down! Woah!" I nearly lost my grip and fell off him when he leapt over a fallen branch.
In mere seconds, we were out of the treeline and on the beach, still racing along and kicking up sand as we went. Then, just as I was starting to relax, I suddenly shouted, "Look out!"