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Serra's School for Special-Needs Pokémon; 'Fic Comp 2 entry - reposted from Dakota
Tweet Topic Started: Aug 6 2007, 01:53 AM (162 Views)
Deleted User Aug 6 2007, 01:53 AM Post #1
Deleted User

Serenity

It had rained overnight. The ground beneath my paws as I walked towards the shelter was cold and mushy from the mud. I hate when there’s mud on the ground. Not only do my paws get icky as the brown substance sticks to my fur and dries, but my wheels gunk up as well and it’s much harder to move. If it’s really bad, they won’t turn at all, and become a nuisance. I have to use extra strength to drag them along behind me until they are cleaned.

That’s what happened yesterday. The path to the schoolhouse was especially dirty with muck, and it would have been even worse had I gone off the road. My wheels came to a halt mid-mud puddle, and my body was pulled back by the sudden dead weight before I could adjust the amount of force I was exerting. Whining, I carried on along the path. I knew what was going to happen next, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

SCREEEE!

I winced as the familiar noise hit my ears. It was the sound of my temporarily stuck-in-place wheels being dragged up the metal ramp to the schoolhouse. As much as I loved Serra for installing the ramp just for me, she could have used a different material that wasn’t so loud. At least my wheels were made of wood – nice, lacquered wood – rather than metal themselves, otherwise the screeching would be even worse! But it was certainly better, for me at least, to use the ramp rather than struggle up the steps it covered.

Serra heard me coming, of course. It would have been quite a feat to miss such a racket. She already had the water-tube ready to go, and led me into the conveniently-named mud room. There, she turned a little knob on the wall to make the water-tube work, and used it to spray off my wheels. The caked-on mud washed away with ease and colored the floor brown. Once my wheels would turn again, I padded out of the way so Serra could spray the floor and guide the mess towards the drain in the corner of the room. I’d done this so many times before, I didn’t even need to think about it.

From there, I made my way into the classroom. Everyone was already in their places, waiting patiently for the day’s lesson to begin. Well, everyone except for Crash. He was new, having just joined our ranks two days before, and he hadn’t gotten used to the procedure yet. While all the others remained patient, knowing that the lesson would begin whenever Serra was ready to start (which sometimes took quite a while), Crash was restless, whining and fidgeting in his assigned spot.

I felt sorry for him. He was born completely blind, and his kin did not tolerate any imperfections. His family is directly descended from Malakai the Magnificent, the Machamp who holds up the world. They were proud and valued their strength and fighting abilities more than anything else. Having a blind son was unthinkable, so they kicked him out as soon as they found out of his handicap. Somehow, he managed to find his way here without getting himself killed. Serra took him in without any questions, welcoming him to the group with his very own name. I’m sure you can figure out why she chose ‘Crash.’

I don’t know what I would do if I’d been born without sight. Seeing his difficulties made me realize how lucky I was. Yeah, before Serra found me, I’d had a lot of trouble getting around, but I had it easy compared to Crash! My mother had been very supportive of me as I grew up, even though I did not have either of my hind legs when I was born. She sent my father out on extra hunting trips to bring back food for me since I couldn’t do it myself, and she always made sure that one of the pack members kept watch over me at all times. My pack was close-knit, and I am grateful to every single one of the Houndour and Houndoom that helped me through my early days.

Then Serra came, and everything changed. Mother was watching me that day, and the rest were all out gathering food. At first, mother growled and snarled at the girl as she approached us, trying to protect me from the human. But Serra was as nice and soft-spoken back then as she is now, and soon convinced my mother that she meant no harm. In fact, she wanted to help. Sitting on the ground next to my mother and me, Serra began to explain all about her school for special-needs Pokémon.

There was a shelter, she explained, where Pokémon like myself with varying disabilities could stay. She took care of them all, and did whatever she could to help her charges become more self-reliant. In addition, she taught them how to battle, using each Pokémon’s unique problems in ways that would be advantageous rather than a hindrance.

It sounded like a dream come true to me. I hated being a burden on my family, and I wanted to learn how to take care of myself. Serra told us that she would be glad to take me in, and I was quick to accept. Mom wasn’t, though, so I had to work hard to convince her. But eventually - and reluctantly - she agreed. Serra picked me up and held me gently against her body for the journey back to her school – my new home. I was warm, comfortable, and happy, and it is that moment from which my history of devotion and loyalty to this human stems. It’s also the moment from which Serra drew inspiration when naming me – a tradition for all new students. She called me Serenity, Reni for short.

Of course, that was over a year ago. Since then, Serra has fulfilled her promise to help me in more ways than one. The first thing she did for me was to craft my wheels. Well, she didn’t make them herself, but she did come up with the design. A friend of hers in the human town was the one who actually put it together for me. I’ll try to explain the contraption to you, but it might be a bit hard to comprehend.

First of all, as I mentioned before, it is made of lacquered wood. Mostly. The seat and the wheels are made of wood, but the parts that connect them together are not. Those are metal. The seat looks much like the shape of a cannon (Serra took us on a field trip to the circus once, that is how I know), but much shorter. My body fits inside the hole nice and snug, leaving my front legs out in the open to walk on. She even lined the wood with a soft material - I don’t know what exactly it is, though – so I am comfortable. On each side, the metal stuff connects the wheel to the seat. I don’t really understand how it works myself, but Serra and the man mentioned the words ‘axel’ and ‘shock absorbers.’ Maybe you know what those mean. All I know is, they make the wheels run smoothly (unless gunked up by mud, but that really can’t be helped). The last feature Serra had the man create was a spring placed right where my tail would be if it wasn’t covered by the seat. They put it there so that if I somehow got pushed backward, I would just pop right back into place. I thought it looked silly at first, but it’s proven to be useful a couple of times already. Serra thinks of everything!

As pleasant as was to think back on my past, I was brought back into the present by Serra’s sweet voice as she began the day’s lesson.

“As most of you know,” she began, “it has been a long time since we have had a graduate. Some of you were there last time, when Bandit and Spook passed the course, but most of you arrived after they were gone. So, let me explain what graduation is for those of you who don’t already know. When I feel that one or more of my students have trained very hard, and have gained enough skills in both life and battling, I announce to the class that they will be graduating. What this means is that they will go through one final test, if you will – a real battle with another trainer’s Pokémon – and then they will be ready to go back to their families in the wild, or to live on their own however they please. It is both a joyous day and a sad day for me, and I assume for my students as well, but it must be done. Today, I’m proud to announce that two of you have reached the point of graduation: Serenity and Chaos!”

Smiling brilliantly, she caught my eye and winked. All around me, my classmates erupted with squawks, barks, and other noises of congratulations. I felt a strong wave of emotion pass through my body, a mixture of happiness, surprise, excitement, and so many other feelings I couldn’t put a name to. I had no idea Serra was going to make that announcement, and I really didn’t know how to react at all!

“You two have worked extremely hard to get to this point,” Serra continued, her eyes appearing to shimmer just a bit because they had developed tears. Her voice was wavering ever so slightly as well. She was holding back from crying, I could tell, even though I didn’t understand human emotions enough to know why. Crying was normally a bad thing, but sometimes it meant Serra was happy. I think this was one of those times.

“I’ve watched both of you train separately and together, developing all the skills you will need to be independent for the rest of your lives,” she went on. “You won’t have to rely on others for protection, for food, for transportation, for guidance…you can do it all yourselves now! And you can do it well. You’re ready to show off your abilities in a true battle. Tomorrow morning, we will head out, just the three of us, and celebrate your graduation with your very own gym battle!”

----------------------------

Chaos

Okay, so it all started when –
Ooh! Ooh! It’s a shiny!
Oh, we’re in the middle of a story here.
I thought I was gonna tell the story, Aych!
But…shiny…
Come on, guys! Let me finish!
Aww, but I wanted to…
Aych and Ci, stop arguing, I’m getting a headache!
But Es, it’s not fair…
Hey! Remember what we’ve learned, guys! We have to focus and work together. Right now, we’re recounting a story, so let’s all try to help Aych remember the details rather than fight.
Ay is right. Now, everyone, let’s keep our thoughts specifically on the story, ok?
Finally!

Well, as…interesting…as that was, I’ll bet that wasn’t a good enough introduction to our part of the story, now was it? You’re probably wondering what the hell just happened. Let me try to fill you in just a bit before you get any more confused than you already are.

The first thing you should know is that we are a Dodrio. However, we’re not like any other Dodrio you might find in the wild, or under human control. Nope, we’ve got five heads rather than the normal three. It’s hard enough for a Doduo’s two heads to get along at first, but they learn to work together quickly. When it evolves, it only has one new brain added into the mix to deal with – which is difficult, but manageable. But imagine sprouting three extra heads at once, each with its own different wants, needs, and style of thinking? It was chaos!

Ooh! Ooh! That’s our name. Chaos! Hehehe. It’s pretty!

Yes, Oh. I was just about to explain that, okay? So stop giggling, please, so I can hear myself think.

ANYWAY, back to what I was saying. Our name. Collectively, we are known as Chaos. Serra wisely chose the name for us when she first met us a year and a half ago.

A year and a QUARTER, Aych. If you’re going to tell the story, get the facts straight!

Okay, fine. A year and a quarter ago, Serra chose our name. It probably wasn’t very difficult. At that time, we fought constantly, pecking at each other’s heads when we argued and making a huge scene in general. So Chaos was certainly an appropriate moniker. But we decided to take it a bit further. We used the letters from “Chaos” to create our own names for each one of us. Care to introduce yourselves, boys? Let’s go in order, just for kicks and giggles, ‘kay?

Fine with me! Means I get to go first. I’m Ci, which stands for Complainer. I still don’t get why, though. I don’t complain any more than you guys do! It’s so unfair! Why do I get a mean nickname and you all don’t? …Why are you snickering?

No reason, Ci. No reason at all.

Well stop it, it’s rude.

Sure. It’s my turn anyway. I’m Aych, for Historian. I like to tell stories, so it fits me well. Go ahead, Ay.

As stated, I’m Ay, the Authority around here. I was one of the first of us, and I take charge of everyone else and pull us together when we need to unite.

Right. And honestly, Ay does a great job. He’s the main brain for us!

Thank you.

No problem. Alright, Oh, it’s your turn. Oh? OH?! Oh, for goodness sake, stop staring at that shiny!

Huh..whaa?

We’re introducing ourselves. It’s your turn.

Okay. Hiya, I’m Oh, because I’m Obilvus. Obleevis. Uh…I don’t pay atte-The shiny, it moved!

Yes, Oh. Meowths are living things, so they do tend to move. Yeesh. Well, you’re done, so go ahead and watch the gold charm if you want.

Yay!

Hey there, as you’ve probably guessed by now, I’m Es. I’m the Simple one of us. That’s all.

Alright, good. Now that the name deal is taken care of, let’s talk about how we got here, a student in Serra’s class.

That’s BORING! Nobody’s gonna care!

Well, I’m telling it anyway. If you don’t like it, then you can just go-

Aych, no threats.

Yeah…sorry. But anyway, here’s how we came to be where we are now: It’s a short story, really. When we evolved into Dodrio, our trainer just couldn’t handle us. As I said, we were basically fighting each other all the time, and our trainer needed his Pokémon to be good at fighting OTHER Pokémon. So he didn’t want us anymore, but he still cared about us at least. So he did a little research and found out about Serra’s school for special needs Pokémon. It was perfect! He arranged a day for Serra to come to his house and meet us. Serra liked us immediately, even though we nearly poked her eye out.

I still feel bad about that…

I know, I do as well. But she never faulted us for it, thankfully! She just welcomed us into her school with open arms, gave us our name, and we were immediately part of the group. Once more, we felt loved. It was a great day.

Over the past year and a quarter, we’ve been through so much here! But this story’s not about that time in our life, and anyway, it would take way too long to go through all that time. For now, we’re talking about our trip to the gym.

It all started when Serra made the announcement in class yesterday. Of course, we’d already known about the graduation stuff – we’d been around when the first two students passed the course. However, we weren’t aware that it was our turn now! There was still so much more we could learn, but I guess Serra thought we were ready. After a round of congratulations from all our classmates, Serra excused Serenity and I from class for the day. We needed to rest up, she said, so we would be refreshed and ready to take on the gym leader the next day.

I didn’t complain about THAT, now, did I?

No, Ci. You did well that day. Trust me, we were all happy for your achievement.

It’s about time I got some respect! Well, carry on.

I’d love to, thanks. So, free from the confines of the classroom, able to do anything we wanted to…we argued over what to do. Typical, eh? Eventually, we decided to do a bit of practicing on our own, mainly working on our speed. We did some laps around the dirt track out back that Serra built especially for us, then took a run over the rolling hills leading up to Rocktomb Mountain. Once there, we managed to get further up the mountain than we’d ever gone before. Maybe we really WERE ready to fight at the gym!

Or maybe it was because we had the whole day to train, without having to rush back for afternoon class…

Aww, Es! Don’t ruin the story. I was just building up the action for our listeners, that’s all!

Right, sorry.

So as I was saying, we got really high up on the mountain before coming back down. It was close to nighttime by then, so we went straight to our sleeping quarters. Serra converted an old stable into somewhat of a dormitory for us to sleep in. Apparently, whoever had owned this land before Serra had a lot of Ponyta and Rapidash! There were enough separate stalls in there for all of Serra’s students to have their own room, and she’d even knocked down a couple of the walls to create a double-sized space for some of the larger students. We’re allowed to decorate our rooms however we like, so our room has our rock collection in it. Once we got there, we settled down on the mattress Serra gave us and fell asleep almost immediately.

I didn’t! Crash was snoring again! He kept me up for another half hour…

Correction: SOME of us fell right asleep. Either way, I’m pretty sure we all woke up the next morning relaxed and ready to go! Serra woke us up earlier than the rest of the students, besides Serenity. She was already awake. The day before, Serra had told the class that she wouldn’t be here when they woke up, so we were able to leave right away.

The walk wasn’t very long at all. In fact, it was really enjoyable. When we left the schoolyard, the sun had just begun to make its way into the sky, peeking up from beyond the horizon. It created the pretty colors in the sky just like it did on the other side of the earth right before nighttime. It had been so long since we’d been awake at sunrise that we’d forgotten all about it! Along with that, there was a cool breeze in the air. Occasionally, we ran ahead of Serra and Serenity so we could feel the wind in our feathers, then came to a stop so they could catch up.

As fun as is was getting to the gym, we were also happy when we got there. The quick sprints along the way had helped us wake up and clear our minds. Upon spotting the strange yellow-and-orange dome that Serra told us was the gym, we knew we were going to be taking on the toughest Pokémon we’d ever faced. But we were ready for it.

--------------------------
Serra

Hmm, is this thing on? Ok, good, the little green light is showing. Well then. Hello out there! My name is Serra, and I run a school for special needs Pokémon. But you probably know that already if you’re listening to this tape recording, haha.

If you’re a potential student of mine, then you just heard the stories of two graduates from my school. I have no idea what they said, to tell you the truth, but you should be able to understand them! I thought it would be nice to include somewhat of a biography of a couple of my most successful students, just so you get the feel for what other Pokémon you might meet at my school, and their unique talents.

If you are human, then hopefully you read my note first and just skipped to this second tape! Anyway, as I said, any Pokémon listening to these tapes has already heard some stories, but I don’t want you to miss out! So, let me tell you the tale of how the two students recorded on the first tape – Serenity the Houndour, with a specially-made wheelchair in place of her hind legs, and Chaos, a five-headed Dodrio – graduated from my course. I’ll try to keep it quick, since I’ve got a lot to do today, as always, and you’re probably busy as well! So, here we go:

We got to the Kadaraa Gym at seven in the morning, after a half hour walk. I’d called the day before to let the Gym Leader know I was coming back with two new students, so we were able to get in right away for the battle. I’d already brought students to her gym the year before, so she knew all about my special situation. We have a deal worked out: If my Pokémon win, Sorsha will trade an extra badge for the TM she’s supposed to give out, so each of my students gets his or her own, and the prize money is used to aid my school in the future.

Haha, that was a bit of a tangent. Whoops! I’ll get back on track.

So we walk inside and take our place on the battlefield. Even though I’m not a registered Pokémon trainer, Sorsha had agreed to let me advise my students during the battle. So I step into the rectangle drawn onto the ground that’s reserved for trainers, and Serenity and Chaos stand before me, inside the lines of the playing field. I can tell they’re both nervous, but I knew they would do just fine once they got into it.

Sorsha and her two Pokémon, a Plusle and Minun, looked cool, calm and collected. They knew the drill, and they had the home team advantage. I knew from last year’s battle that Serenity and Chaos would have a lot of hard work ahead of them! After a short bit of time spent sizing up the opponents, all four of the combatants stepped closer towards the center of the field, signaling the start of the battle.

I’d already told my students that I was only going to advise them if I truly felt they needed it, and that they were basically on their own this time. Last year, I put in my two cents, and I think it limited my students - so this year I changed the rules. Therefore, they didn’t wait for me to say anything before attacking.

Apparently, Plus and Minus weren’t used to their opponents acting for themselves very much. Chaos chose to start off strong with a Quick Attack, and they just weren’t ready for it. Plus got out of the way, but Minus was hit straight on.

Meanwhile, Serenity decided to start off with an Ember. Once Chaos was out of the way, she unleashed the fire from her mouth. But this time, the rodents were prepared. I hadn’t noticed before, but the Minun had used Helping Hand on his partner before Chaos’s attack. So when Plus shot out towards Serenity with her own Quick Attack, Serenity was jolted to the side, meaning she lost her aim as well. The flames shot diagonally into the air, completely away from their original target. Serenity, on the other hand, was thrown into a sideways spin, tumbling over a few times before landing right-side-up about ten feet to the right of her starting position.

Good thing I installed those shock absorbers on her wheelchair!

Back on the other side of the field, Minus had begun to charge up power. His face was furrowed with concentration as small jolts of electricity jumped all around his body. Just when it looked as though her was about to release, Chaos interrupted with a headbutt.

Well, that’s what I call it, anyway. It’s a special attack I taught him where he twirls his heads around fast, making him look much like a helicopter on top. Chaos uses this much like a Hitmontop uses its feet, so needless to say, Minus was beaten on the head many times over. After a couple rotations, the poor thing just couldn’t hold his ground anymore and went flying across the field, landing close to Plus.

Speaking of which, Plus and Serenity had been duking it out the whole time. Once Serenity had regained her upright position from the previous blow, Plus tried to continue the assault with yet another Quick Attack. This time, she made the mistake of aiming for Serenity head-on. She hit with amazing accuracy, but didn’t expect the rebound. How could she, really? She’d never gone up against a Pokémon in one of MY wheelchairs before! I had attached a large spring on the chair right about where Serenity’s tail would be. So when the Quick Attack knocked Serenity backward, she landed on top of the spring. Of course, she bounced right back with just as much force, crushing the electric rodent underneath her body. After a moment of shock at the unexpected “attack,” Plus pushed Serenity off of her and got back up, though a bit dazed.

That’s when Minus nearly flew into her from the headbutt, though he stopped just a foot short.

So, let’s recap: Plus and Minus are gathered together on the field, both having taken considerable damage from Serenity and Chaos’s unique attacks. Serenity had also been dealt her fair share of damage, but she was handling it well. All by himself now, across the arena, Chaos was getting over a bit of a dizzy spell that always came after he used his headbutt. It was the only drawback of that attack, and couldn’t be avoided.

At this point in time, Plus and Minus held hands and started charging energy, as Minus had done before. This time, Chaos couldn’t interrupt, as he was currently stammering about, trying to regain his bearings. Serenity was nearby, but she, too, was trying to make her world go back to normal again. After all, she’d just been whipped backward and forward at an incredible speed. It took the wind out of her.

So with nothing to stop them, Plus and Minus powered up their electricity for one huge Spark attack. The bolt of electricity darted out towards Serenity, since she was closer and therefore an easier target. And it would have been devastating, had it worked. Once again, Serenity’s tail-spring had saved her. Acting like a lighting rod, the rodents’ attack was drawn toward the coil of metal rather than the puppy’s body.

I had to smile. That wasn’t even something I’d thought of when I had the spring attached, so I was glad to see it had more than one use.

By then, Chaos had snapped out of his stupor, and had run back towards the rest of the gang. Serenity caught his eyes – well, one head’s eyes, anyway – and gave a very slight nod. After a moment, most likely needed to confirm what had been seen with the rest of the heads, Chaos nodded back in unison.

I knew what was coming, and I couldn’t wait to see it in action for the first time. I’d only described the team attack I’d come up with recently, and we hadn’t had a chance to rehearse it. It was a bit risky from the lack of practice, but if it worked the way I had imagined, it could just be the finishing blow of this battle.

Quick as they could, Chaos lowered his heads in unison, and Serenity situated herself on top. Had Chaos had the normal amount of heads, he wouldn’t have had enough strength to lift Serenity and her wheelchair. But thankfully, he was able to get her off the ground. Then, he began to twirl his heads as if using another headbutt, but this time, all five remained clustered together. Serenity was gripping tightly, but when the time came, she let herself be thrown off.

Through the air sailed the fire dog, spinning about on her own axis, heading straight towards the two opponents. About midway, she started spewing flames once more, which fell upon the rodents whenever her body was oriented in the correct direction. Eventually, the weight of the wheelchair caused Serenity to cease her spinning, instead plummeting heavy-side first right at Plus and Minus.

There was nothing they could do to respond. Frankly, I think the oddness of Serenity and Chaos’s attack had frozen them in place. Serenity came down against Plus, carrying her along for the bounce which then hit Minus. Both rodents had taken too much, and were knocked out.

Serenity and Chaos had won!

Sorsha grunted with frustration and recalled her battlers. She glared at my students, then back at me, as if accusing us of cheating. But she knew in her heart that she’d been beaten. She probably needed a moment to calm down, so I took the opportunity to rush onto the arena and give my students a huge hug and congratulate them. They were so proud of themselves! I had tears in my eyes from joy, and it felt absolutely wonderful to see how elated they were.

It’s times like those that make me forget about my cancer.

----------------

[Edit:] Ky strongly suggested, at some point, that we should edit in a Pokémon we'd like in case we happen to get an A. So...erm...a Riolu would be nice. ^__^ It's the only fighting Pokémon I've really liked. :P
 
Ky Ordrelin Aug 21 2007, 07:53 PM Post #2
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