Author's Note (If you don't feel like reading all of it, just Ctrl+F the title): I really wish the art of fan fiction didn't seem almost dead right now (that being said, I only feel that way because I'm pretty picky about what I read, and the updates of the few people whose works I regularly enjoy reading are few and far between). If this site were more alive, I'd feel more compelled to work on this. At least now that Pokémon X and Y are out, I feel a fresh wave of motivation to take the ideas I have and bring them to life. My hope is to get into the habit of writing again, hopefully generate something of a fanbase, and create a cycle that ends in me updating more things, more often.

Trainers' Academy

By St. Noof

Prologue: How the World Works

For most regions in the world, the age of ten marked the beginning of a fantastic era in a child's life. Most regional laws would allow a child at the age of ten to officially receive their first Pokémon and be registered in the Global Trainers' System. Children under ten weren't supposed to have Pokémon as anything more than pets, but unregistered Trainers could still have practice battles without great risk of trouble. After all, what punishment could law enforcement really give to little kids? Still, for most kids, the tenth birthday was something to be looked forward to, possibly for as long as the child could retain long-term memory.

For others, becoming an official Pokémon Trainer and obtaining one of many possible careers in the world of those mysterious creatures was not something that was all that exciting. Some lacked the confidence for such an adventure, some were just not interested at all. Some had legitimate fears about Pokémon that prevented them from enjoying the experience. For those individuals, a safe haven for learning about the ins, outs, and arounds of being a Trainer was built. Its founder was the son of the Kanto Region Pokémon Fan Club's chairman, who organized the Global Association of Trainer Schools for Beginning Youth, which established small schools in regions all over the world.

The center of that organization lies on a large island, equidistant from most of the larger regions (Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and the like). On it was built a massive residential academy, where young Trainers could receive a similar experience to those who chose to set out on their own, but in a controlled and supervised environment. Any child who would agree to be registered in the global system is permitted to enroll at the academy for free and could stay for as long as they liked, until the age of twenty-one. After many years of progress, turning out many skilled and virtuous Trainers, the academy developed its own Badge system, complete with its very own Pokémon League that would one day serve as a test for graduating students.

Chapter 1: A Reluctant Beginning

Kyle Grant Jernus, more familiarly known as Kage, trudged off the plane minutes after it had landed on the tarmac of the airport on Grand Isle, the home of the renowned Trainers' Academy. Kage was short for his age, with dark brown hair that was kept short, lest it hang in his eyes and stick out everywhere else. He would have been happy to spend his tenth birthday wasting money from his grandparents at an arcade, but that was apparently not how society worked anymore. Everything those days was about Pokémon, and Kage's parents didn't have very good feelings about their son's hesitant disposition toward the popular hobby of the entire world. At their urging, Kage agreed to be registered in the GTS and attend the Trainers' Academy, at least for a year, so that he could at least try the lifestyle of a Trainer and decide for himself if he really didn't like it. Enrollment was free, after all. As Kage shouldered his big backpack and went to retrieve his luggage, he wished that his parents had at least come with him to settle in. They had seen him off at the airport, and he now had a cell phone with which to keep in touch with them until his first vacation, which would be in December, or so he had heard.

Also on the plane were about ten to fifteen other kids, each around Kage's age. Several minutes after the plane had landed, the new students stood gathered in front of an enormous gate, to either side of which a massive stone wall extended.

"This place looks more like a prison than a school…" Kage muttered, turning to a thin boy with shorter hair than his.

"More things than prisons have big walls around them," the boy replied evenly. "Sometimes castles have 'em, you know. Maybe the academy has enemies that they want to block out."

"I guess that's fair," said Kage, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Why would a global school have enemies, though? It's not like there are any regions that aren't allowed to go here, is it?"

"Heck if I know," the other boy offered in response. "I just wonder why the gate's closed. It's the day before classes start. Shouldn't we be able to go in?" His question was answered by an approaching figure from the other side of the big wrought-iron structure. The gate opened enough to admit passage by the figure, a tall white-haired man wearing a suit. The plane's passengers, who had been talking restlessly amongst themselves, quieted down when the man raised his hand to get their attention.

"Thank you," the man said once mostly everyone had become quiet. "It is my pleasure to welcome you to Trainers' Academy for the beginning of this fall semester." Kage took a split second to glimpse at the towering trees on the other side of the stone wall, noticing that yes, on this island, it was indeed reaching for the beginning edges of autumn. It had been a long plane ride, spanning much of the globe, and seasons had almost ceased making sense for Kage. As the man spoke again, Kage snapped his attention back to the center of the gate where the speaker stood. "My name is Jim Durst, and I'm the League Champion here on Grand Isle," he said with a proud grin.

"Like the Pokémon League on the Indigo Plateau between Kanto and Johto, atop the mountain in the Unova region, and so on, Trainers' Academy has its very own Elite Four and a Champion. Someday, should each of you decide that you'd like to make Grand Isle your home for the duration necessary to obtain the eight Badges of the academy, you'll have the opportunity to ascend Elite Tower, at the center of the academy, at the top of which you'll face the current Champion as a final test for your graduation." As he spoke of the tower, Durst gestured behind himself, beyond the gate to the main school building, in the middle of which was a magnanimous pillar of stone that Kage guessed must have been at least a hundred feet wide and four or five times that high.

"Each one of you has come here for a different reason," Durst continued. "Some are eager to begin the journey of life with Pokémon partners, but are unsure about going out alone for that journey to begin. Some of you want to sample what being a Trainer is like before you decide whether or not you want to pursue that life, and still others simply want a top-notch education to go along with the life lessons that you'd learn on any pilgrimage to a regional Pokémon League. Whatever the reason, I am confident that you'll find what you're looking for here. Without further ado, I open the gate to Trainers' Academy, and to your future as successful citizens and Trainers." A round of polite applause was heard as Durst gave a signal, and the huge metal gate was opened. The kids began to move forward, but Kage stayed near the back.

"Aren't you gonna go in?" the boy he had talked to asked, approaching from somewhere near the front of the group. Kage looked down, not saying a word. "I mean, they told us we could go back, but why would you come all this way and not see what it's like?"

"I don't know anyone here," answered Kage finally. "Not that I had too many friends back home, but…"

"Why do you think I'm here?" the boy asked with a smirk. "Going on a journey all alone is boring. If I'm gonna train Pokémon, I want to be around other people. More interesting stuff happens when there are people around."

"So, could I stick with you?" asked Kage. The boy seemed to think this over for a minute or two.

"Sure, why not?" he said with a shrug. "We're both new here anyway, right? I'd rather someone have my back if the older kids end up being elitist jerks or something." At the word 'elitist', Kage raised an eyebrow in confusion. The kid moved on. "I'm Koden."

"Kage," responded Kage with a nod. Koden nodded in return, and they followed the group through the gate. To their surprise, on the other side of the gate was a huge bridge that spanned about fifty feet over calm ocean that lay shaded by the bulk of the stone wall. The actual island was on the other side of the bridge, edged by sheer cliffs on that side. This caused the bridge to go up at a slight but noticeable angle as solid ground approached. Not far from the cliffs stood the school building, a towering castle-like structure.

In the center was Elite Tower, and to either side, hulking buildings joined it via connecting sections whose walls were entirely constructed of glass. At the top of each connector section was a catwalk with a rounded glass ceiling. Behind those buildings were what looked like tall groups of buildings that appeared to be arranged in tight squares. Between the bridge and the massive front doors was a wide paved walkway, to either side of which grew neatly-trimmed spans of grass that extended several yards before being divided by high, gleaming chainlink fences. As far as the eye could see, from the front entrance all the way around, the fance made set the paved area and trimmed lawn from expansive meadows, forests, and even a lake on one side. Here and there, the fence was broken by gates with letters set in the chainlink surface. At the side of each gate was what looked like a scanner.

Durst led the group through the front doors of the school onto a landing with stairs going down to a sort of semi-basement level. Flanking the wide downward staircase were staircases that led up to a higher level. The group descended the stairs to the lower floor, and Durst stopped in front of a set of elevators whose shaft was in the center of the wide hallway.

"This is F Building, the center of the school building here at Trainers' Academy," Durst said. "If you continue to the left, you'll enter E Building, and G Building is to the right. Each are three floors tall, and the elevators behind me lead up into Elite Tower. If you would please follow me, I'll take you to your dorm." With that, Durst started walking to the left, and the group of students followed him. They passed through one of the glass hallways, and all of the kids marveled at the eye-level view just past the fences outside. Smaller varieties of Pokémon scampered through the scarce bushes and across the wild grasses of a meadow, and before the students crossed all the way into E Building, a Pidgeotto could be seen swooping down from a tree, coming back up with a Wurmple squirming in its beak. E Building was much like F Building, sans the elevators and the grand staircases. At the end of the building was another glass hallway, but it was straight, whereas the other one had curved. At the end of the hallway was a quad whose high windows looked out onto a courtyard that was set up like the official battlefields seen in Pokémon Gyms. In the middle of each side of the quad was a door leading out to the courtyard. Durst led the group down one side of the quad and stopped in front of the door that was marked with a giant A.

"This is the dorm where all young Trainers' journeys at this academy begin," Durst said, smiling fondly as he looked past the group at the doors that led into the dorm. "Each dorm has at least one Dorm Leader, all of whom you must challenge if you want to receive all eight Badges and proceed to the Elite Tower for your final exam." Just as the Champion finished his sentence, the sound of a turning doorknob could be heard from behind the group. All of the new students turned around to see the door open. "And speaking of Dorm Leaders…" Durst said, gesturing to the pudgy balding man who opened the door. He had a bit of a serious look about him, and a pair of glasses was perched on his nose.

"These must be this year's new students," the man said, offering the group a smile that was kind enough. "I'm Mark Broyles, one of the two Dorm Leaders for A Dorm. It's nice to meet all of you."

"I trust you can take care of things from here," Durst said to the Dorm Leader. Broyles nodded, and the students turned back to look at Durst. "You may not see too much of me in the school years ahead," he said. "so I'll take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you young Trainers the best of luck in your studies, and also in your growth with each other and with Pokémon." With that, the Champion left, and the group turned back to face Broyles.

"All right, guys and girls, let's get that luggage of yours upstairs," he said, opening the other of the double doors that led to the wide staircase at the end of a small hallway. It took some of the students a little longer to get their luggage up the stairs (some kids packed light, some packed quite heavily), but after a few minutes, all of the new kids were standing in the middle of a lounge area. To one side was more of an open area, with a set of double doors at one wall, another door on one of the perpendicular walls, and a comfortable-looking armchair in each corner. The other side had a large TV with two loveseats and a couch surrounding it. A coffee table sat in the middle of the loose rectangle, and the back corners were taken up by end tables with lamps on them. Just to the side of the furniture was a door similar to the one on the other side of the lounge. Straight ahead of the group was a door that led out onto a glass-covered veranda that looked out over the courtyard. On either side of the set of staircases leading from the bottom level to the lounge was an elevator, the doors of which were emblazoned with the circle-based gender signs.

"When you've all picked rooms, just come downstairs and let me know which one you've moved into," Broyles said. "Now, I don't think I should have to say this, but boys go on one side of the dorm, and girls go on the other." As he said this, he gestured to each of the elevators; the girls' elevator on the left of the staircases, and the boys' on the right. The groups split off according to gender, entering the appropriate elevators. When the elevator opened on the third floor, Kage and Koden stepped off and observed the hallway they had entered. Directly across from the elevator door was a sizable bathroom, and the rest of the hallway was populated by identical doors, three on each side. All of the doors were open, and some kids could be seen lounging on beds, playing handheld games, or poring over varied spray bottles, spheres, and other such things that could only be Pokémon paraphernalia.

"Do you want your own room?" Kage asked Koden, who shrugged.

"I don't think it'll work quite like that," he said. "Chances are, if we room alone, we're fair game for any kid who wants a roommate." Since all the rooms on the first floor of dorm rooms were filled, the two boys took the elevator up to the next floor, where still more students milled about, moving things into rooms and chatting amongst themselves. Luckily, there was one empty room at the end of the hallway, which Kage and Koden promptly occupied.

"I'm glad we found this room," Kage said as he opened one of his suitcases and pulled out a bedsheet. "I'd hate to have to take the elevator all the way from the top floor every morning."

"Oh, there are worse reasons than that to want to stay away from the top floor…" said a mellow voice from the doorway. The two boys looked in that direction to catch the sight of a slightly older boy with shaggy white hair and glasses.

"What, is it haunted or something?" Koden asked skeptically. To his surprise, the white-haired boy smirked and shook his head.

"Close, but no cigar, noob," he said with a chuckle. "Word on the grapevine is there's a kid up there that never leaves his room. They say he's psycho, but what do I know? Maybe it's just a rumor."

"I wouldn't be too surprised if it was," replied Koden evenly. "This seems like the kind of place where rumors are a dime a dozen."

"Well, I tried," said the white-haired boy with a shrug and an acknowledging nod. "Welcome to Trainers' Academy, I guess. Name's Zane."

"I'm Kage," Kage said, speaking for the first time since Zane had stepped into his and Koden's doorway. "And this is Koden."

"Look at that, he's got a voice, after all," Zane replied with another chuckle. "I think I'm in for a fun year this time around." With a casual wave, he turned on his heel and headed toward another dorm room door, presumably his own.

"I don't know whether he's nice or mean…" wondered Kage, scratching his head before turning his attention back to making his bed.

"Hard to tell," Koden said half-heartedly. "Some people are hard to read."

"I guess," Kage agreed. Talk became sparse as the two boys continued to settle in, putting clothes away, setting up alarm clocks, and stowing personal effects in closets. Afterwards, they headed back down to the second floor to inform the Dorm Leader that they had selected a room. Upon reaching the office, Broyles wrote their names down on a list of rooms and invited them to enter the rec room for supper. There, most of the new students were sitting around the two large tables on the right side of the room, eating what appeared to be personal pizzas.

"I suppose this place can't be all bad," noted Koden. "Food seems all right, at least." Kage gave a small laugh at that and seated himself between Koden and a boy who looked similar to Koden, but with a mullet instead of short hair. Kage grabbed one of the small pizzas and a can of soda, a supply of which was sitting near the middle of the table.

"Isn't this the stuff you can give to Pokémon to help them recover in battle?" he wondered, looking curiously at the can.

"Most consumables are made safe for both humans and Pokémon," remarked the boy with the mullet. "It not only makes everything safe to enjoy, but it encourages the bond between people and their Pokémon partners."

"There's no way anyone who talks like that is ten years old," Kage remarked. The boy gave a secretive smile before pushing his chair back and getting up.

"How perceptive, my friend," he said politely before walking out of the room toward the elevator.

"I wonder what that guy's deal is…" mused Kage.

"Dunno," Koden said, apparently more interested in his meal. "Probably a him problem." After supper, the new students were invited to join some of the older students in a video game tournament. Kage found himself at the bottom of the rankings, but he enjoyed his new friend rival the skills of the more experienced players. After that, it was bedtime, which was to the chagrin of most students, but it was assured by Broyles that a lot of rest was needed for the next day's events.

The first night was particularly difficult for Kage, who hadn't spent much time away from home, and he found himself tossing and turning quite a bit.

"Koden?" he asked into the darkness, but all he heard from the other side of the room was the deep breathing of his sleeping roommate. Finally, he managed to drift off, but it seemed like he had gotten only a few minutes' worth of sleep before there was a knocking on the door.

"It's six-thirty!" came a woman's voice from the hallway. "Time for everyone to get up!" Groggy and mildly disgruntled by the wake-up call, Kage rolled out of bed, almost falling onto the floor, and hastily changed into day clothes before heading to the elevator. In the lounge, all of the students of A Dorm were gathered by the staircases leading down into the quad, led by a tall woman with dark skin.

"Good morning!" she said in a voice that was kind, but with an air of sternness. "For our new students, let me introduce myself. I am Yolanda, the other Dorm Leader here in A Dorm. As the older students can tell you, I want this to feel like home for every one of you. However, if you make it a habit to cause trouble, I have no problem with causing trouble for you. Is that clear?" The tired youngsters gave their general affirmatives, of which Yolanda seemed pleased. "Now, in the morning, I expect you to be down here and ready to go to breakfast by six forty-five. In life, it's important to be on time when you have things to do, and each Dorm Leader will hold you to that. If you're continually late, you'll be restricted for that evening, meaning that you'll be spending the evening in your room, unable to go train or go to the Student Center or the library. Any questions?" When no one answered, Yolanda nodded and led the students down the stairs and into the quad.

They headed past a door marked with a giant D and into a glass hallway that led to an intersection, where a multitude of other students and Dorm Leaders waited. The students all ranged in shape, size, age, and appearance, but all seemed to be heading down a perpendicular path that connected to three separate buildings. One had the Poké Ball symbol that had come to mark the entrance to a Pokémon Center above the door, one had the stylized P that represented the worldwide currency over its door, and the third was marked by the paired fork and knife that meant an eatery of some sort. Students and Dorm Leaders alike were herding through this door, which opened into a vast cafeteria. On both sides were a number of round tables, each seating perhaps six. The center of the room acted as an aisle, and at the back were two doorways and a window. Students were forming a line, starting at the left doorway and snaking around that side of the cafeteria, at the back of which stood Kage, Koden, and the other A Dorm residents.

It seemed like an eternity before the A Dormers were able to get to the back of the cafeteria, but the wait looked worth it. Inside the back portion of the eatery was a long counter, where several kinds of food were set up behind a pane of glass, topped by a metal shelf of sorts. Behind the counter were men and women who were dishing out portions of food onto plates and putting them on the shelf for students to take. Students were going through this line with trays, loading up on eggs, bacon, fruit, and a few other things. Once Kage and Koden had gone through the line, they took their seats at an empty table near the window on the back wall of the cafeteria where students were bringing their trays and handing them to staff members on the other side.

"How is it?" asked Koden as Kage tried a bite of the scrambled eggs. Kage looked at his new friend, spoon still in his mouth, and made a face.

"I think they give us so many choices because none of them are very good," Kage replied, taking the spoon out of his mouth and setting it decisively on his tray. "Is the bacon any better?" Koden took one of the strips from his plate, chewed it thoughtfully, and shook his head.

"Bacon sucks," said he emphatically. The two of them began to laugh, and a third voice chimed in after a moment or two. Looking over, Kage noticed the boy from the night before had sat down across from him, a sparsely-loaded tray in front of him and a small red fruit in his hand.

"How was your first night?" the boy asked, popping the fruit into his mouth and picking another up from his tray.

"All right, I guess," said Kage, looking down at his plate. "How come you weren't in the dorm this morning?"

"I'm a day student," the boy replied through a mouthful of fruit. "Come here before breakfast, leave after dinner."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," acknowledged Kage.

"No it doesn't!" Koden objected. "This school's on an island! How do you get home every day?"

"Ongaku," said the boy simply.

"What?" asked Kage and Koden in unison.

"Oh, pardon me," the boy apologized. "I meant maho."

"Just who are you, anyway?" wondered Kage skeptically.

"Ore wa Koukin desu."

"What?!" Again, this was in unison, at which the boy laughed heartily.

"Just messin' with you guys," he said after regaining his composure. "The name's Tom. A fair warning: believe me at your own risk. Speaking of which, either of you guys have time for a game?"

"I don't get it…" muttered Koden, scratching his head.

"Don't sweat it," Tom assured him. "You will someday, if you stick with me."

"Not so sure that's a good idea," Kage pointed out, to which Tom barked out a laugh and ate another fruit.

"So, are you two ready for today?" asked Tom after a period of silence.

"What's today?" inquired Koden.

"Today's when you go catch your first Pokémon," Tom answered. "I hear it's a pretty exciting thing. Well, about as exciting as it usually is to get your first Pokémon. Around here, they make a special day of it. No classes for first years and all that jazz."

"No classes, huh?" repeated Koden. "Sounds good to me. Too bad it's only for today."

"I know, right?" Tom agreed. Just then, a chime played over a set of speakers around the cafeteria, and the voice of Champion Durst began to reverberate throughout the room.

"Good morning, staff and students," he said in his even demeanor. "Would all first year students please report to the front door, located in F Building? I repeat, would all first year students please report to the front door, located in F Building? Thank you."

"Sounds like your cue, bros," Tom said. "Go ahead. I'll take care of your trays."

"Thanks!" said Kage as he got up and pushed in his chair. Tom merely gave a shrug as the two younger boys exited the cafeteria with the rest of the new students.

"How do you think we'll be able to catch our first Pokémon?" Koden asked as they made their way through the quad and into E Building. "Do you think they'll have rental ones for us to use, like they do at Battle Frontiers and the Pokémon World Tournament?"

"Who knows?" Kage replied with an open-palmed gesture. "I guess they'll tell us when we get to the front door." As he said this, the group was entering F Building, and the Champion could be seen by the stairs that led up to the front door. He was standing with two other adults. One was a tall woman with short dark hair, dressed in dark clothes. Over her black shirt, she wore a deep red coat that buttoned at the waist, and the tail of which flared out around her. The other was a tall man with spiky brown hair, dressed in black. The man's forearms were each adorned with a gold band, and he wore a serious expression.

"Good morning, young Trainers," greeted the Champion with a bow. "It is time for each of you to go out into the areas on Grand Isle to catch your first Pokémon."

"How's that gonna work, anyway?" asked a girl with chin-length green hair.

"A good question," Durst acknowledged, clearly pleased with the inquisitive nature of the new student. "I will divide the group into three. One group will go with Ms. Vex here, one with Mr. Matter, and the last with me. There are nine areas where wild Pokémon can be caught here on Grand Isle. Normally, these areas would be restricted to students without the Badges necessary to enter each area, but today, we will allow you to go into any area you wish to catch your first Pokémon."

"So each of us picks three areas to explore, and the person going to those areas will be the one we go to?" asked a boy wearing a bandana with a Poké Ball insignia on it.

"Exactly," Durst confirmed with a smile. "If you wish to explore the Meadow, the Forest, or the Tundra, you can join my group. For those would like to look for Pokémon at the Heights, the Lake, or in the Factory, please join Ms. Vex's group. If you're interested in travelling in the Desert, on the Mountainvvgt, or the Volcano, go ahead and join Mr. Matter's group."

"Let me get this straight," Koden spoke up. "You're telling me there's a tundra and a volcano on this island? On the same island?"

"That's right," Mr. Matter said with a nod. "This island is so massive that the tundra to the east and the volcano to the west don't have a harsh effect on the ecosystem here."

"As a matter of fact, the polar opposites of the island help to keep the middle of it at a good temperature," chimed in Ms. Vex. "Any Pokémon that thrives in a specific climate is able to find the place that best suits it, making it possible for a huge variety of Pokémon to live here."

"Yes, this is certainly an amazing place," agreed Durst. "Now, please choose the guide you'd like to join, and we'll head out." The students milled about for a couple minutes, but they were assembled into three groups before too long. Kage and Koden had both elected to go with Ms. Vex, and before long, she was leading her group out the front door and into a vehicle that looked like a bus with the roof and windows replaced by a glass dome. On the sides of the vehicle were blocky protrustions that seemed to serve no purpose. Once all of the students were seated and buckled in, Ms. Vex started the vehicle.

"Everyone ready for the start of your Pokémon journey?" she asked with a grin as the engine roared to life. The vehicle rolled forward, slow at first, and then faster along a path that ran on the east side of the school.

"Is it just me, or are we getting higher off the ground?" asked a purple-haired girl wearing a yellow sweatshirt.

"Why, yes, we are," Ms. Vex confirmed. Kage looked out the window to discover that the blocky protrustions had become rocket-shaped engines that were carrying the vehicle up above the school, almost above the Elite Tower itself. Ahead of them was an amazing panorama of different environments—the dazzling white snow of the Tundra, the sheer cliffs of the Heights, the sparkling blue-green body of water that must have been the Lake, and a squat gray building that could only be the Factory. On the paths below, two other vehicles were making their way to the opposite sides of Grand Isle. One was a white automobile with separated cars, like a miniature bullet train. The other was an open-topped vehicle that ran on treads, like a tank. Within ten minutes or so, the rocket bus landed at the edge of the lake, and the students piled out excitedly.

"That is the single coolest vehicle in the history of ever," Koden said, admiring the rocket engines. "It's like magic or something."

"Something like that," Ms. Vex replied with a laugh. "Now, for those of you who want to explore the Heights, I'm going to need to go with you, to keep you safe. The Lake should be fine, as long as you take a canoe if you're going onto the water. The Factory is always staffed, so there will be plenty of adults to supervise you there."

"Where are you going?" asked Kage.

"I think I see a cave on the other side of the lake," Koden answered confidently. "I wanna see if I can find anything cool in there. What about you?"

"I guess I'll look at the Factory," said Kage. "At least, to start. I'm not really sure what kind of Pokémon I want."

"Suit yourself," Koden said with a shrug. "Guess we'll meet back here later, huh?"

"Guess so," agreed Kage. "How are we supposed to catch the Pokémon we find, anyway?"

"Excellent question," Ms. Vex intervened. From her coat, she withdrew a mass of gray-and-white spheres, each bearing the rotating arrow symbol of recycling. "These are Recycle Balls. If a Pokémon breaks out of this Ball, the Ball itself won't break, and will return to your hand. You can reuse it as many times as you need to."

"But isn't it better to weaken a Pokémon before trying to capture it?" Koden followed up.

"How forward-thinking of you," admired Ms. Vex, reaching into her coat again, her hands full of small cubes. "Each of these cubes contains a small robot that can use the move Tackle to weaken a wild Pokémon. They're made to be very durable; so much so that they can resist most types of attacks, so you can wear down your catch as much as you need to." She then proceeded to pass the cubes to each of the students in the group. "And if you're wondering how to tell if the Pokémon is weak enough to catch…"

"Let me guess," said a boy with black hair that stood straight up on his head. "There's another gadget in your coat that tells us the stamina and status of both our Pokémon and the opposing one."

"You kids are sure quick for being first-years," Ms. Vex replied, grinning and pulling out several handheld devices, each basically being a large screen and a power switch. "These are your Poké Displays, devices that—well, I think your friend here explained it pretty accurately."

"I am no one's friend," spat the boy, crossing his arms over his chest grumpily. "Now, do we have everything we need to get this show on the road?"

"Quite an insistent kid, aren't you?" joked Ms. Vex. "Anyway, yes, you're all set to go. Everyone wanting to go to the Heights, come along. Everyone else, let's meet right here by the rocket bus, okay?" After a general muttering of consent, the small group scattered. Kage went off toward the Factory, as did the girl with the purple hair. Koden and the black-haired boy each took a canoe and headed out onto the Lake, and the two remaining students, both girls; one tall with reddish brown hair and the other short with a very long blonde braid, went with Ms. Vex to the Heights.

"What kind of Pokémon are you hoping to find at the Factory?" Kage asked the girl in the yellow sweatshirt as they neared the big double doors that marked the entrance to the building.

"I'm hoping for maybe a Fighting-type like a Machop, or a Steel-type," the girl said enthusiastically. "Both are really tough."

"Why would a Fighting-type Pokémon be found near a Factory?" Kage asked, scratching his head.

"A lot of Fighting Pokémon enjoy lifting heavy things and stuff like that," explained the girl. "They'll help out at factories like this without even being captured, just because it gives them a chance to flex their muscles."

"Wow," was all Kage could think to say, but it was not in response to the girl's knowledge. Stuck to one of the metal doors was a silver, spherical Pokémon with a screw protruding from the top of its head, a big circular eye, two screws jutting out from beneath the eye, and a pair of horseshoe magnets sticking out from its sides.

"It looks like it's trapped there," the girl observed. "Its magnets must've accidentally caught on the metal door, and it can't get loose."

"That poor Pokémon…" Kage muttered. He stood there in thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "I know how to set it free!" Kage took the small cube from his pocket and threw it down to the ground. In a flash, it unfolded into a spindly robot on treads, with two blocky arms and a round, nondescript head. Kage flipped on the switch to his Poké Display to check the Pokémon's stamina and pointed at the struggling creature. "Use Tackle on that Pokémon!" he commanded his robot. The machine rushed forward on its treads and slammed into the silver ball, knocking it free of the door and chipping away at its health meter.

"That was a good idea," complimented the purple-haired girl. "Are you gonna catch it?"

"Might as well," Kage answered. "Wouldn't seem right to free it and not take care of it, right?"

"I guess so. Let's just hope Magnemite feels the same way."

"What's a Magnemite?" At this, the girl broke into rampant giggling.

"That's the Pokémon you're trying to free," she explained in between giggles. "Look more closely at your Poké Display." Kage looked down and realized that Magnemite's name had been right there, above its stamina bar. He rammed the heel of his hand into his forehead in embarrassment, then turned to address the Pokémon.

"What do you say, Magnemite?" he asked. "I helped you off of that door, so how about you help me become a Pokémon Trainer?" Magnemite beheld the boy with its big round eye, twirling its magnets slowly and making a clicking sound, as if contemplating the human's offer. After what seemed like forever, it let out a loud beep and twirled its magnets rapidly. As it did so, a buildup of yellow sparks surrounded it, which it sent at the robot that had tackled it.

"Looks like it's challenged you to a battle," interpreted the girl.

"Is that good?"

"It means Magnemite'll stick around long enough for you to try and catch it."

"All right, then," Kage agreed. "Go, robot! Tackle it once more!" The battle drone rolled forward and rammed into Magnemite, taking another small chunk of its health.

"I don't get it," commented the girl. "Magnemite can float, so why didn't it dodge that attack?"

"Maybe it knows that Normal-type attacks like Tackle won't hurt it much," Kage guessed. "It looks like it's already got this battle in the bag." To this, Magnemite emitted another loud beep and generated another Thunder Shcok attack, hitting the robot dead-on. "Well, then. If that's how you feel, let's see how long you can keep that up! Tackle!" The robot rolled forward again and rammed into Magnemite, and Magnemite responded with another Thunder Shock.

"That robot might not last too much longer," advised the girl. "It can take a beating, but Electric-type attacks might be able to fry its circuits."

"Then I guess I'd better catch Magnemite before that happens!" Kage decided enthusiastically. "Go, Recycle Ball!" Kage lobbed the ball at Magnemite, and it floated there defiantly, as if daring the capture to happen. The Recycle Ball opened, enveloped Megnemite in red light, brought the light into itself, and closed, landing on the ground with a metallic ding. Kage and the purple-haired girl looked at the wiggling Ball nervously, watching the button on the front pulse with red light as Magnemite fought to break out of it. After what felt like hours, the Ball stopped moving, the button faded to its usual white, and the dull gray color on the top half of the Ball turned a bright red.

"Congratulations," the girl said, patting Kage on the back. "You caught yourself a Magnemite."

"Really?" asked Kage. "I thought it would be a lot harder than that."

"Usually, it is," said the girl with a shrug. "Either Magnemite was really thankful that you helped it, or it's really confident that being owned by a Trainer will halp it get stronger."

"Or it was a real wimp!" Kage suggested with a laugh.

"I doubt that," the girl replied seriously. "The way it was using Thunder Shock, I'd be willing to bet it could've broken out any time it wanted."

"Oh."

"Anyway, you'd probably better get back to the bus. I'll catch up later."

"Yeah. Maybe we can have a battle once you catch your Pokémon," offered Kage.

"Yeah, maybe," the girl agreed before pulling open one of the doors and stepping into the Factory. Kage shrugged, then turned to make his way back to the bus.

Well, that was a chapter. I've been trying to write that for, like, a year, and it's finally done! Having X and Y come out has really helped me get motivated to work on this story. For those of you who followed the first version of this story, I'm sure this seems kind of compressed from last time. I wanted to get right into the Pokémon part of the story, and I have a lot of plans for this new version. Also, you may notice that this story is no longer about blind Trainers. As much as I liked that aspect of the story, it was a bit too difficult to get a balance between Pokémon and the trials of being visually impaired. Since this is, well, fanfiction, I figured that the former is more suited for this site, and it'll be more fun for me to write, anyway. In any case, if you liked this, please let me know what you think!