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shatteredvioletnuzlocke · 7 months ago

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Chapter 6: Day in Life of a Uva Student (Patch)

After class had dismissed, lunch in the Uva cafeteria had commenced. Students lined up with plastic trays, with Patch having the most eager appetite. I wish I hadn’t skipped breakfast, they groaned in their head. Thinking back to the time at the Torrez’s, Patch wouldn’t mind a protein-powdered pancake.

On the white tiled wall, a menu was posted:

Today’s Lunch

Patatas Bravas with Basil and Smoliv oil

Tomato Berry Bread with Serrano Ham and Pesto (Gluten-free Options available)

Beet salad with Skiddo Cheese

Tempted by the many choices, Patch settled for a Patatas Bravas with some beet salad on the side. Then came the challenging part; where to sit. The young student was no stranger to the seating arrangement system. Back at their old high school, you needed to be in a clique just to reserve your table. Otherwise, you’d have to cry in the bathroom like everyone else.

Scanning the room for anyone they recognized, Patch spotted a familiar stocky man with blond hair. Oh, it’s that Arven guy! Avren sat at a table in the far back all by himself. Oh… does he not have any friends? they thought concerned. They reminded themselves of the day they were given Kapheria. I hope he's not still mad about that. Wanting to barry the hatchet, they approached the near-empty table.

“Hey, Arven!” Patch greeted with a smile, “Mind if I sit?”

The blond-haired student seemed startled by Patch as if it were the first time someone said hello to him.

“Oh it’s you,” he groaned.

Patch’s smile began to slip, “Uh yeah… me. I’m, Patch.”

Arven gestured them to sit but his scowl remained. Patch noticed an assortment of loose-leaf papers scribbled with words. The young man had his nose caught in a book, indicating they were interrupting his study session.

It doesn’t look like he’s still mad at me. If he were he wouldn’t let me sit. Maybe we can be friends? Maybe I can give him Kapheria?

“Soooo…” Patch began with a question “Whatcha reading about? Is it for a big assignment?

“Nothing like that…” he replied without looking up, “Just some light reading.”

This only made Patch curious to what his book was about. They didn’t want to pry into his mind, but the way he was so invested in every page reminded them of how they read Swords of Justice.

“So classes are you taking?” They requested, shoving a potato slice in their mouth. The saltyness of the potato pleased them.

He turned to jot some notes, “I’m in the humanities track this year.”

“Oh cool,” Patch swallowed their food, “That means you guys learn about hospitality, right? My dad knows all about that.”

“It’s not about hospitality…” he sighed, “It’s more than that. It’s teaching us to free the world from brutality and prevent others from getting hurt. Unlike most of the students who engage their Pokemon in senseless fighting. And for what? A sport?”

“Oh I get what you mean,” Patch shoved the rest of their potatoes in their gaping mouth, “I don’t think I wanna battle either!”

Arven didn’t respond at all, perhaps the potatoes clouded their words. Washing everything down with a glass of cool, fresh water, Patch realized that the conversation wasn’t going anywhere. They might as well get straight to the point.

“Anyway…” Patch shrugged, “When we met, your dad kinda gave me custody of his dragon.”

“I remember,” he buried his head deeper into his book.

“So I was wondering if I could give her back to you?”

It was then their eyes met, although his expression didn’t change. Alright, we’re getting somewhere!

Patch went on, “I was very flattered, but I feel like I don’t know a lot about Kapheria to take care of her. And you kind of-”

“You didn’t damage her more did you?” he immediately interrogated them.

“No, I didn’t!” they pleaded, “You just seemed like you wanted to look after her.”

Patch went into their bag and pulled Kapheria’s newly painted Pokeball which Arven immediately swiped out of their hands.

“Is this Kapheria’s Pokeball?” he raised his voice upon examining the painted lightning bolts, “WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT?!”

Oh gosh, what did I do? Patch worried, “It’s okay I only painted it! The Pokeball still works!”

“What are you a child?” Arven began to yell, “You don’t just deface something that doesn’t belong to you!”

He dunked his napkin into his water glass and began scrubbing away at the paint. Arven was right, how could Patch do something so careless? They stood ashamed, only imagining the anger Arven was boiling for them. They glanced around the room to find that some students began gawking at the scene of it all: One student was pissed off out of his mind and another was about to cry under the pressure.

Arven shoved the Pokeball back into Patch’s clammy hands. Most of the paint chipped off but there were still large traces of violet.

“I expect you to remove the rest of it before you return it to my father,” he muttered under his breath.

With that Arven gathered his notes and pressed them down into the pages of his large book. He stormed off, without even taking Kapheria with him. Patch didn’t understand, Arven seemed eager to look after the metallic beast. Was he respecting his father’s request? Did he lose interest? Was he just too busy with his studies?

Before Patch could answer any of their question a similar voice rang from outside of their head, “Hey Newbie, this seat taken?”

“Nemona!” Patch wiped their eyes to see their former hostess, “go right ahead.”

Nemona adorned a violet tracksuit, the perfect attire for a battling coach.

“You doing okay?” Nemona asked concernely, “Why was that Arven kid yelling at you?”

Patch hid Kapheria’s Pokeball deep within their bag, “Oh I don’t know… I think he’s still mad at me about the whole Kapheria thing.”

“Yeesh really?” Nemona stirred her drink, “If you ask me that guy has daddy issues.”

“Nemona!” they couldn’t help but smile.

Perhaps it helped to have a teacher who was close to Patch’s age. It didn’t make them look like a total friendless loser.

“Anyway, I was hoping to run into you,” Nemona reached into her bag, “I have something for you!”

Nemona dropped a worn-down decoy doll onto the table, which shook the plates for a second. It was poorly stitched together with sloppy seams. The green fabric was faded and even stained in some places.

“Even if you're not going to battle other trainers, your Pokemon are going to need some enrichment,” Nemona explained, “So you can have my old decoy doll.”

“Oh…” Patch gulped, “thank you.”

They lifted the doll of the table with their meek body strength. What’s in these things? They placed it next to their bag.

“That’s not all,” the champion grinned. She slid a violet box onto the table with a silver Uva emblem.

The looked so ornate that Patch assumed that there could be jewelry inside. Instead, when they opened it there was a Pokeball that was black like obsidian. It was aligned with a silver ring and encrusted with a black jewel. They had seen this before this was a Tera Orb!

“This is for me?!” Patch’s eyes widened.

“Of course it is!” she nodded, “I told Clavell about what happened that day with Kapheria, and how you helped her. We give these out to outstanding students and he was so impressed with your act of kindness we’re giving you one now.”

“Oh come on,” Patch blushed, “Kapheria saved me more.”

Patch removed the Tera Orb from its velvety case, admiring the sleek texture. Touching it, it felt like the finest glass. They saw their reflection against the surface. Seeing their unruly brown hair and poorly knotted necktie, they wondered how someone so unremarkable could deserve something so powerful.

“Don’t worry,” Nemona reassured them, “It’ll come in handy for later.”

One thing was for certain, Patch wasn’t painting over this Pokeball.

…

Later that night Patch drew in their dorm while their team slumbered. Now that they had unpacked, their room felt more lived in. Their desk was chock-full of pencils, paint, and extra sketchbooks. Posters of elegant horse Pokemon were displayed on the wall. The shelves were stacked with the first volume of The Swords of Justice series. A navy and white carpet was set down on the floor. On top of it was an old Pokemon bed their mother gave them where the team was nestled together.

Tamarind lay on his belly snoring away, his breaths carrying a relaxed purr. Kombucha curled up to the corner snorting pleasant dreams. The decoy doll acted as a giant pillow for the tiny Arturo who cuddled it. As they all slept, Patch tried to capture the moment in their sketchbook. They etched against the paper, their loose sketchy lines forming simple shapes. Then making way for the details, with only the bedside lamp and Tamarind’s flickering tuft acting as a light source. Patch was fortunate that their team was so easy to draw with their roundish bodies, they made perfect modeling subjects.

Using their phone Patch took a picture of their team, so they could reference it for later. Admiring the way their Pokemon were serenely dozing, they forwarded the picture to their mother. They read their phone’s clock 8:46pm, It’s probably tomorrow in Unova right now. Mom will probably respond at midnight. I haven’t shown her my team yet. I hope she likes them as much as I do. Patch’s mom was a trainer as well, but she only caught Pokemon that were clean and well-mannered. They could only imagine the disapproval-coded comments they would receive after their mother saw they caught a smelly Lechonk.

Their phone began to ring before they could prepare themselves for the motherly nagging. Their screen showed a profile picture of a familiar round face with carmine hair and glasses. Sage? What could she want at this hour? Sage Winchell was Patch’s best friend in Unova, he lived far from Nacrene but their shared interests kept them close.

“Woink…” Kombucha moaned, awakened by the ringtone.

He must be bored off another caffeine rush, Patch thought. Curious to find the real answer, Patch accepted the call keeping the volume low. The screen went blurry for a minute before it displayed their best friend in a darkened room. But it didn’t look like Sage’s bedroom, was he kidnapped?

“Sage? You okay?” Patch asked.

“Patch!” Sage’s animated voice tunneled through the speaker, "GUESS WHAT?!"

He must be on some pretty intense coffee.

"I'M IN PALDEA TOO!" she revealed with a squee.

“Shut up?!” Patch’s eyes widened, “You’re playing me?! You can’t be? When? How?”

“I remember how I said I wanted to go to trainer school?” Sage mentioned, “Well I took a shot in the dark and sent in a few applications, and I got enrolled to Naranja Academy!”

Sage in Paldea? Patch paced around the room with concentrated excitement. They scanned the room to see if it looked any different. Testing themselves to see if they had fallen asleep in a lucid dream. Yet, everything in their dorm room remained normal.

"How come you didn't tell me before?" Patch asked.

Sage twirled his hands around, "Well I didn't think I was actually going to get in, I was waitlisted until a few weeks ago," he admitted.

“Oh wow," Patch's eyes glimmered with delight. The young trainer had to leave a lot behind when they departed for Paldea. But now that Sage was around it was like they had a little piece of Unova.

"So how's Uva?" Sage wondered, "Make any friends with any rich kids?"

Patch shrugged, "Well sort of... but not everyone here is rich..."

“Nonsense! You must be learning how to speak Kalish while they feed you caviar,” Sage teased.

“Quiet, peasant,” Patch leaned to his sense of humor, “So what are you learning at your school?”

“Battling, what else?” Sage answered.

Battling, the word echoed in Patch’s mind, Sage… is battling? The two were similar in many ways, but Sage always stood out as the risk-taker.

“Yeah…” he signed, “It's all they teach here. But I’m learning all the ins and outs of becoming a good trainer. Oh, and that’s not the only thing!”

Sage reached out of frame an pulled a fluffy Sprigatito with deep red eyes that flashed in the light.

“This is Dahlia,” Sage cooed in a cutesy tone, “The school gave her to me, isn’t she perfect?”

“Aw so cute,” Patch closed their eyes to appear pleasant while they placed their hand over their healing scratch. “Wanna see mine?”

“Of course I do,” he said as Patch flipped the camera to face their Pokemon.

“Yooooo!” Sage beamed, his voice growing out of the speaker, “I like your Fuecoco!”

“Woink… woink,” Kombucha awoke in a huff.

“Aw, I woke the sleepy man!” the young man on the phone joked.

The Lechonk rather peeved at the commotion tugged at his trainers' socks. He wiggled it around as to say to “knock it off”.

“Sorry Kombucha,” Patch apologized, “I’ll be done in a second.”

“So since we’re both in Paldea, do you want to meet up soon?” Sage proposed, “We’re both pretty close to Cortondo. Why don’t we meet there sometime?”

In their mind they brushed upon the Paldean map, That’s… west of here. Not too far. “Let’s do it!”

“Okay!” Sage winked, “I have a class tomorrow, so I better get some shut-eye! See ya!”

“Bye,” Patch ended the video chat.

As they lead the cranky pig back into bed, Patch begins to wonder. Sage is willing to battle, but Arven says it’s just a sport. He is older than me she must know what he’s doing.

The very next morning classes were cancelled without a moment’s notice. The entire school was summoned for an assembly on the field. The field was on the school deck, big enough to hold various sports events. The Paldean sun rose slowly, causing the cool shadows to linger over the crowd of students.

Patch followed the crowd, just as curious as everyone else to see what this assembly would entail. What’s all this about? Is someone in trouble? Maybe this is one of those, “Welcome to a new school year” type of assembly? Because of the inclusion of their beanie, they stood out among the other students who wore the same uniform. The students where all of different ages, ranging from kindergarteners to middle aged adults. Since Uva was a trainer school anyone could apply, it was an only a matter of getting accepted. Patch assumed the older students had to wait years for their acceptance letter. Unlike the kindergarteners who made it in without realizing their luck. Patch was also lucky to get accepted while they were still a young adult.

Foldable chairs where set out on the synthetic grass, though it was clear there weren’t enough for everyone. That was fine, Patch didn’t mind standing or sitting on the plastic ground. On the track a platform was set with a podium branished with the Uva sigil. No doubt it was meant for Director Clavell or someone just as important.

Among the sea of people, Patch worried apon seeing the blond hair of Arven. Oh Arceus, they rolled their eyes as they thought. They quickly noted how the young man didn’t converse or even associate with the other students. Much how like he sat alone at lunch the other day. Was Arven that introverted or was everyone put off by his egregious temper? Patch would never find the answer.

They sat as far away from Arven as they could to avoid another confrontation and opened a clean page in their sketchbook. Patch tried to draw Tamarind from memory. Using their pencil they made a roundish egg shape for the body then added smaller circles for his arms legs and jaw. No that’s not right! Patch thought unsatisfied upon seeing their lack luster jaw, It isn’t that round is it? They rubbed their eraser against the paper until the circle was no more. Patch redrew the jaw with a flatter shape which made it much more suitable for their meticulous mind.

From their artistic concentration, Patch heard the students whisper.

“There’s Professor Thuban!”

“Is it true he's part of the elite four?”

“Crap, I haven’t done his homework yet!”

The aforementioned Professor Thuban fashioned an argyle sweater under a sap green blazer with a cape draping from his shoulders. Patch found that it was suitable for a supposed elite four-member. He strolled up to the stage, behind a man with a fashionable suit and shaven hair. Behind that man was a brawn man with muscular arms like that of a Gurdur. He had jet black hair an wore an apron around his waist. I wonder what he teaches ? Then came an elderly woman with a dark complexion with gray blocky hair. Her homely attire of a dress and sweater gave Patch the impression that she was kind grandmotherly type of person.

The student body settled their voices as they saw Director Clavell and champion Nemona enter the stage. The man with snowy white hair adjusted his glasses and reached for the microphone.

“Excellent,” his voice reached through the crowd, “It seems like everyone is in attendance.”

What could be so important you needed the whole school to show up?

“Well then it’s time I explained your independent assignment,” Clavell announced.

Independent study assignment?! Patch feared, Would that interfere with my art classes?

“For those of you who are new to Uva, we are allowing you to pursue a hands-on learning experience to explore Paldea!” the Director explained, “As you study to be trainers, you find that you’ll need to navigate and adapt to nature. This assignment will help you prepare for just that. So long as you return to the academy every once in a while to attend your classes, you may travel to wherever you please!”

Patch reveled at such an opportunity, I can go out and explore Paldea. All on my own?!

“This year’s theme will be… A treasure hunt,” Clavell revealed, “I ask each of you to set out and travel the world in search of your own treasure!”

My treasure, Patch wondered, what would that be? They thought of the things most valuable to them: art, books, pokemon.

“Of course, your Pokémon partners will be there to help you. You will journey together...learn new things together...share each other's thoughts and feelings...and find something you might always treasure!” Clavell rejoiced in his speech.

That’s true. Patch realized, traveling makes for a better bonding experience. Plus, I wouldn’t mind catching another Pokemon, so long as they aren’t smelly.

The student body began to celebrate their new-found assignment.

“We can go anywhere?”

“I wanna go to Levinca!”

“If I go on this assignment, I may never wanna come back.”

“Maybe this will get me out of homework?”

“I look forward to welcoming you all back after your independent study,” The Director exulted, “when you return to us as fine young Trainers! Let the Treasure Hunt begin! Onward!"

The whole school roared with applause, they’re voices cheering for Clavell and his grand idea. The screeching volume of it all almost irritated Patch, but they too were thrilled with excitement.

…

Patch lugged through the shopping street of Mezagoza, the weight of their bag being heavier than ever. It was chalked to the brim with clothes, sketchbooks, potions, and empty Pokeballs. All they needed left was food for their trip. The scent of freshly baked bread led them to the storefront of Deli Cioso. Sandwiches would make for a great meal for the road. They’re cheap, effortless, and tasty.

“Alola,” the store clerk greeted from behind the desk, “What can I get for ya?”

They quickly planned their order, I’m going to need meat for Tamarind. Vegetables for Kombucha. But do Shroodles eat? Would Arturo eat meat? I bet Kapheria would eat anything. The other option would be to buy a bag of Pokemon kibble, but it was also the more costly one.

“Could I have three smoked fillets, five eggs, five red bell peppers, a bottle of vinegar, and some bread rolls?” Patch asked.

The woman took a moment to ring them up, “Alright, that’ll be 2,890 P.”

Arceus dammit! Patch pulled out their wallet and gave the lady half of what was inside. They wondered if it was too late to change their mind. But the woman had a full plastic bag already for them.

“Have a good day!” the store clerk smiled.

They took their bag shamefully and heaved their way to the west gate. Do I need all this food for Cortondo? I’ll only be there for a day or two. Then again I might as well eat this to save money. Under the beaming glare of the Paldean sun, Patch began to melt with sweat. They were already so exhausted by the weight of their baggage that they were tempted to get their Pokemon out to lighten their load. But they were all too small and they knew better than to have Kapheria carry things for them.

They plopped their backpack down on the ground, placed their sandwich bag on the nearest bench, and sat down. Catching their breath, they took a moment to glance and the passing cumulus clouds. They wished for rain to pour down on them.

Suddenly their backpack began to shake, as if something alive was inside. Strange… Then the flap unzipped to release the blue beam of a Pokeball. In a flash Kapheria stood right in front of them, much to their surprise.

“Agrias!” Kapheria roared while stretching.

People who were passing by couldn’t help but stare at the metallic dragon, wondering what kind of Pokemon she was.

Patch’s eyes widened, “Did you come out of your Pokeball all on your own?”

Kapheria nudged at the sandwich bag, trying to gnaw through the plastic.

“Kapheria, no!” Patch swiped the bag away, “We need to save these for later!”

“Arg?” the dragon tilted her head.

“We’re traveling to Cortondo to meet up with my friend, Sage,” Patch explained knowing that the Pokemon wouldn’t fully understand, “You’ll have plenty of time to eat when we're on the road!”

Even though they focused their treasure hunt on catching Pokemon, they didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to see their best friend. Cortondo wasn’t very far from Mezagoza, but the amount of walking would do a number on Patch’s feet. Of course, they could call a flying taxi but it would be a waste of money for such a short ride.

“You can have a sandwich as soon as we get to the West Province,” Patch promised.

Kapheria’s tail wagged eagerly but she began to curl it underneath her hind legs. Her silvery throat unfolded and began to glow like it did at the beach.

“Kapheria?” Patch witnessed the strange occurrence, Is she transforming again? Does this mean she’s better?

Static crackled from her head. Her throat and tail had that same yellow, purple radiance, although this time they formed into rings resembling wheels. The strange wheels kept her tethered to the ground instead of her hovering in midair. The change of appearance wasn’t too drastic but it made Patch wonder what else Kapheria could do.

“Agrias,” she purred to the bewildered trainer.

“Umm…” Patch stammered, “Okay…”

While they were at a loss for words more townsfolk and tourists took notice of Kapheria. Some even being so rude as to snap photos of the dragon without Patch’s permission. Kapheria just stood their seemly waiting for the human.

“Do you want me to give me a ride or something?” they shot out a question.

“Argg!” Kapheria nodded back.

Okay, she can understand me better than I thought. And now she wants me to… ride her?! The last time Patch rode a Pokemon they were nine and it ended horribly. But Kapheria was much different and more friendly than a Boffalaunt. So maybe it could be better?

Feeling a little pressured, Patch strapped their backpack and clenched their bag full of food tightly in their hands. On their tippy toes, they swung their leg over Kapheria’s violet back and sat on her. Her body felt warm like heated engine which didn’t keep Patch from sweating more. They grabbed the two horns on her shoulders like handlebars but before they could even think Kapheria thrusted without a moments notice!

“Kaph-er-aaahhh!” Patch wailed being thrown into high speed.

Kapheria dashed through the street like lightning striking against the ground. The buildings seemed to flash past them in a blur. The bolting dragon caught many trainers and Pokemon off guard.

“Hey!” a gruff voice complained, “Ya nearly ran me over!”

“Sorry Sorry Sorry!” Patch frantically apologized, “Kapheria, slow down!”

Suddenly Kapheria halted, her wheels making black skid marks in the lustrous mosaic pavement. No the ground! We ruined it!

“Kapheria!” they raised their voice sternly, “You can make a run for it all willy-nilly without giving me a warning! You could hurt yourself!”

“Arrrr…” The dragon purred remorsefully.

“It’s alright,” Patch reassured her, “Let's take it slow, okay? Do you think you can head over to the left?”

“Arg!” She responded beginning to turn her wheels.

She rolled at a brisk pace, treading smoothly against the ground. It was certainly much better than riding a Boufalant. Patch began to enjoy it but they were sure to stay aware of Kapheria’s crack. As far as they could tell she wasn’t in as much pain as she had been before.

Finally, the two came to Mezagoza’s western gate and the path to Cortondo awaited them. A man stood near the two wooden doors, thankfully he didn’t resemble a member of Team Star.

“Morning, amigo!” the guard tipped his hat, “You heading out to the province?”

Patch wasn’t ready to respond, they braced themselves. This is it. I’m on my own. Just me. No Nemona. This time I need to be an adult and look out for myself. They felt braver for the journey ahead. Maybe this time they could save themselves.

“Amigo?” the guard repeated.

“Yep,” Patch gave a delayed answer, “on my way to Cortondo!”

“As per Paldean law, you must respect the environment and catch one Pokemon,” the guard informed them, “Do you understand?”

“Of course!” Patch said thrilled with the possibilities, Let’s hope whatever I catch is cute.

The guard walked over to a metal panel on the cobblestone wall and pulled a switch. Slowly the wooden doors creaked open, revealing an entire grassy prairie that went on forever. Once the entrance was wide enough, Kapheria strode out toward the open plains.

The air was calm and had a pleasant, nectary aroma. The gentle wind caused waves of olive-green grass to dance serenely. The harmonious buzzing of Combees seemed to cancel out the rupturing sounds of the doors closing behind them. This seems like the perfect place to handle myself, they thought without seeing a Bouffalant in sight.

“Stop here, please,” they told the dragon.

Kapheria gently planted her feet on the dusty soil and couched down to help the human get off. From Patch’s height, the prairie became more vast and endless. They pulled out their phone and checked their map. Their phone displayed a dot representing them, on a green background. They shrunk the map back with their fingers until a dot labeled Cortondo came into view. From where they were standing they had a long way to go. But with Kapheria’s help, they might just be able to lessen the travel time to less than a day. They were also prepared to sleep under the stars if the metallic dragon got tired.

“Let’s find a spot to set up camp,” Patch told her, “I owe you a huge sandwich!”

<-Chapter 5- Chapter 7->

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