I gasped, something echoed by the other students, as we exited the tunnel and took in the bright outdoors. Or rather, it just looks, smells, and feels like that, so much so that I would have trouble recognizing we weren’t actually on a tropical beach if I didn’t know it for a fact. The breeze was salty, like that of the sea, the temperature comfortably warm, and the land bright around us.

  We exited onto a small island, sand all around with a tree just a little too perfectly in the center, with sparkling blue water stretching out around us. In the distance I could see beaches and small cliffs, with lush green grass, shrubbery, and small trees atop them. Past that, there was a small mountain, more like a vast pillar of stone, reminding me slightly of where I met Bahamut, though this one was made of igneous rock. Behind and around us in the distance was the mostly clear blue sky, projected from the curved screens placed over the dome that supported this massive structure. All in all, the perfect tropical paradise.

  One thing that did stick out, though, was the bridge between the starting island and the next. It was made of luminous, mostly white cubes stuck together to make a very blocky (if quite serviceable) pathway to the next island and then to the mainland. “What are those?” I asked the Director.

  “Those are Ditto Blocks! They provide the UV radiation and some of the general illumination needed for the Terarium.”

  “How do they work?” I inquired, and Cyrano paused, his eyes screwed up as he thought about it before responding:

  “Now what was it? I’ve plumb forgotten, haha.” He chuckled, and I shrugged.

  Guess it’s not fair to expect the Director to know every mechanical detail of the school. I can ask one of the scientists later. Maybe Colress? Part of my inclination to go towards him for questions was because I knew his name from the games, but he was also shown to be quite intelligent in those games too.

  Cyrano clapped his hands together. “Welcome to the Coastal Biome within the Terarium! It’s one of four we have here. You’ll have plenty of time to explore all of them in the future, but for today we’re just going to go on a quick tour across this biome to the Central Plaza. Then you can all take the rest of the day off!”

  The students gave a tired cheer in response. Considering it’s already the mid-afternoon, I’m not sure most of the kids find that reassuring. I was excited however - there was going to be tons to explore here, and I could barely wait to get started. The Terarium in particular. My eyes roved over the place, picking up all the details.

  “Galarian Slowpoke…” I commented to Sally as we walked on the beach and around the slow pink Pokemon with gold-crowned heads. “And up atop the hill, I think I spotted Alolan Grimers!” We went up the hill, and my sightings were confirmed, with the green sludge Pokemon sliding across the plains, alongside the many other Pokemon wandering there. Including large, thin, tree-like Pokemon, Alolan Exeggutors.

  “I was right! They have both Alolan and Galarian Pokemon here!” My excited cry earned a few heads turning my way, looking strangely at me, including Sally.

  “Uhh… and?” The petite girl asked.

  “It’s remarkable because Galar doesn’t have an environment that’s conducive to supporting Grimers, and Alola’s climate leads to what’s commonly referred to as ‘Kantoan’ Slowpokes. The environment here must be very carefully balanced to ensure that they can have both species existing here at once.” And in more ways than just that.

  Grimers were great at eating trash left behind, but there was still an amount of toxic residue left from where they travelled, especially among the youngest of their kind. Such a thing would usually anger the Grass Types living on such a lush paradise, but aside from a Whimsicott occasionally drifting up to direct a wandering Grimer back onto the dirt path and away from some new vegetation, there was hardly any tension between them.

  Some Pokemon I’d expect that from, like Slakoths lounging about, hanging off trees without a care in the world. But a Seviper and a Zangoose living peacefully, side by side? Heck, that’s so rare that I should take a picture of that. Of course, as I directed Miles to snap a shot of that, it was right at that moment that Zangoose had decided that the Seviper had apparently come too close to it, or existed too hard, and so they took a swipe at the snake-like Pokemon.

  Seviper hissed back in response, spitting a bit of acid and slinking off. The spat happened a few dozen meters away from us, but I still noticed a couple of kids flinching. Ha, that’s nothing. I’ve dug up some videos online on what a Zangoose and Seviper did to each other (and others nearby) when accidentally kept in close proximity to each other. It was… not pretty. This is practically siblings play fighting in comparison.

  “How do you know that they weren’t just brought in here?” Chumley asked, and I snorted lightly.

  “See that palm tree?” I said, pointing down the cliff. He nodded, and I added, “Look carefully at the base of it.” The young teen boy squinted, staring intently, and I had to remind myself that not everyone had eyes as sharp as mine, so what I saw might not be glaringly obvious to them. “They have a clutch of eggs buried at the base of the tree.”

  “Oh! Oh yeah, I see it now, some of the patterns from the shells. Wow, those really blend in well. How did you spot that?”

  “It pays to have a good eye as a Trainer,” I deflected before seeing his shoulders slump a bit. Ugh, I just wanted him not to question my supernatural vision, not to question his own skills. “Plus, I had a hunch that since there were no Kantoan Slowpokes around, many of these Slowpokes had likely been bred here.”

  I’d investigated Blueberry Academy thoroughly before I made the decision to come here, and they’d covered some of how the faculty kept a self-sustaining population of many different kinds of Pokemon within the Terarium.

  “Do… you think we could catch one of them?” Sally asked with a hint of trepidation but also a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

  “Probably. The school boasts students using Pokemon caught within the Terarium, so it should be allowed.” They pushed Kleavor to the forefront of an advertisement campaign a few years back, and while they only let students catch Pokemon, I’m pretty sure they sold Black Augurite to some Ace Trainers for a fair bit. Still, there are probably some limits on how many Pokemon we can catch here. “Did one of the Slowpokes catch your eye?”

  “Mmm, not in particular yet, more just the chance to catch a Galarian Slowpoke or Alolan Grimer. I’ve never been to those places before, living in Unova my whole life, but I’ve heard of different regional Pokemon.”

  Deciding to bite the bullet, I walked a bit faster to catch up with Cyrano at the head of the group and ask him directly. “Are there any limits on the amount or kinds of Pokemon that we can add to our team from here?” I asked him.

  “Great question!” He answered, raising his voice slightly so everyone could hear him. “I don’t want anyone getting lost today, so please don’t catch any Pokemon right now, but you can catch up to six Pokemon from the Terarium each year.” A flurry of excited whispers was raised in response to his announcement; some students were already pointing at the Pokemon around us or in the water. And this is only part of one of four biomes. I wonder just how many kinds of Pokemon live here? There’s probably a document somewhere that lists them all, but I’ll try exploring the place first before double-checking.

  Cyrano continued. “I know that seems like a lot; it’s a full team’s worth! Just remember that it’s not the minimum; that’s the maximum. Make sure you only catch the Pokemon you can care for, and ask the staff if you need any help or clarification.”

  Elsa added from the back of the group, “Check the Blueberry App each time before entering the Terarium. It will give you updates on any construction, dangerous areas, or specific limitations inside, like if we’re settling a new type of Pokemon in and need to give them time to adapt.” The students nodded, their excitement tempered for the moment. I’m sure it’ll flare up again as soon as we see something else cool.

  After a bit of walking down the path, we came across more of those strange Ditto Blocks, this time arranged in platforms, benches, and pavilions. One of the larger ones had a Pokemon healing station like you’d see at a Pokemon Center, but with no Nurse looking over it. In the center was a wooden pavilion with a cone-shaped roof, and it looked large enough to have dozens of people standing underneath it.

  “This is one of our ‘outdoor’ classrooms. Not that any of the classes are outdoors because they’re all inside, but…” Cyrano trailed off as his attempted joke fell flatter the longer he explained it. “Ahem, we have a few courses that work best hands-on with the Pokemon, so there are classes like this one all around the Terarium. You can find them easily on your map in the Blueberry App.”

  Looking at the hill past the ‘classroom,’ I saw something that made me stop and gape. “Did- did you arrange for this?” I asked the Director, raising a hand at the scene unfolding before us. In the center were five Bellossoms dancing around, complimenting the red-feathered Oricorios dancing around them, and finally a dozen Comfeys swayed around happily in a ring outside that.

  Cyrano blinked and shook his head. “Nope! They must have decided to give you a warm welcome all by themselves,” he stated with a proud smile. I’d be proud too if I’d made something even a hundredth as impressive as this place.

  Everyone was entranced, and we spent the next fifteen minutes watching their show, the Pokemon dancing to some unheard tune (that I swore I could almost hear on the wind) before cheering the Pokemon for the display and continuing on. Maybe they matched the beat to a song I’d heard before, and that’s why I thought I could hear it? But then why can’t I place it in my mind?

  From there we went down to another beach, this one with plenty of Ditto Blocks. The vast majority of them served as a wall, a barrier holding in the ocean water and dividing the Coastal Biome from the Savanna side, stretching all the way across the Terarium. Others were scattered across the pale sand, some granting cover and having seating arrangements placed underneath. I caught one girl that might have been Sally muttering something about it ‘looking like a good dating spot.’

  I know she’s probably like fourteen or something, but isn’t that still a little young to be worried about that? Also, who has time for dating when we have all of this to explore!? I wasn’t the only one with those thoughts, though Elsa phrased them out loud differently than I would have.

  “Don’t daydream about ‘going out on dates’ when you haven’t even begun to tackle the challenges at Blueberry Academy. And don’t waste our time lollygagging here, either. We already wasted enough time with that silly dance - everyone else must be waiting for us already. Do you want to tell them you’re the reason why we’re late?” She asked Sally rhetorically, shooing her and the other kids ahead.

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  I get what she’s trying to do, but this isn’t the right way to go about it! Some of those kids she rushed nearly stepped on the Slakoths lounging on the beach, and that would have pissed off the Slaking up on the hill... maybe. If the Slakoths actually noticed or reacted to getting stepped on. They can be a bit ‘too chill’ at times, and Pokemon are pretty tough.

  As we marched ahead, around the curve of the tall mountain of rock and towards the central plaza, I asked Elsa, “Why do you keep on sniping at us? Or getting upset that we’re finding enjoyment discovering things about the school?”

  “This place isn’t about having fun; it’s about doing well. Academically, in battles, everything. If you aren’t going to give it your all, then why bother coming here? Join a less prestigious school and stop wasting our time.”

  I frowned. “You can give it your all and have fun too. Not everyone needs to be miserable to do well.” A flash of hurt crossed her face for a split second, and I realized I may have crossed a line. The vulnerability was gone an instant later, and she snapped back with a cold glare.

  “We’ll see how far that attitude gets you within Blueberry.”

  “Uh-huh, sure. Because proving myself as Champion of a whole region wasn’t enough.” I stomped off, back to the rest of the group. Ugh, I definitely could have handled that better, but something about her really grinds my gears.

  The Central Plaza, a large collection of Ditto Blocks almost in the shape of a fortress, was in view for a while as we walked down the long stretch of grass to it. It stood at the center of the Terarium, another small wall dividing the enclosure ran perpendicular to the one we were following along, and the two met at that plaza.

  True to her words, I could hear that several of the students had gathered within by the time we arrived. Stepping through the ‘doorway’ made of blocks, we saw the hordes of students gathered all around. There were several platforms and elevated levels, different sections occasionally noted by different shades of color like orange, red, and purple to the Ditto Blocks. On one platform I even saw a battle arena.

  That was where I saw my friends (and Drayton), and I rushed over to meet them. “Hey guys, how’s it been?”

  “Super fun!”

  “A drag, I’m exhausted.”

  “Just w-wowzers.”

  “!”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, same. The Director has definitely given us a unique view of the school. I’m excited to learn here though, and to get the chance to battle. And the Terarium itself is just… amazing.”

  “There are so many cute Pokemon here!” Lacey exclaimed, and I even caught Carmine nodding along. The tall girl frowned at me.

  “Yeah, I like cute things too! What of it?” She challenged me, and I just laughed.

  “No worries, just don’t get to see that side of you often.” Carmine blushed, and I added, “I lean more to ‘cool’ than ‘cute,’ but cute stuff is good too.”

  “Do you think Ogerpon looks cute under their mask?” Kieran wondered aloud, causing Drayton to question him.

  “Ogerpon?”

  “Oh, she’s super awesome! Back in our village…” The boy eagerly launched into a long tale about the Ogre of Kitikami. Before he could get halfway through it, though, Director Cyrano spoke up in a loud voice.

  “Listen up, everyone! With this we’ve finished our tour of the school. Feel free to rest and get acquainted with Blueberry Academy over the next day before classes start. And for anyone feeling a bit weary, we’ve got Flying Taxis within the Terarium to take you back to the entrance.”

  At the exits, Skarmory-driven Flying Taxis, slightly smaller than the one I was used to in Paldea, were descending, and kids were already lining up, eager to take an easy ride back. Cyrano finished by encouraging us. “There’s a lot going on in Blueberry Academy, and it might feel like we tossed you in the deep end, and we kinda did. Literally, haha… where was I? Oh right: Learn lots, fight hard, and make sure to enjoy the time you spend here. That’s what I designed Blueberry Academy for.”

  With that finished, he turned heel and walked out, Elsa following briskly behind him, leaving us to our own devices. Director Cyrano… He’s certainly an ‘interesting’ man. A bit too absentminded at times, but he feels sharp too. He was a puzzle I’d work on solving later; for the time being, dinner and bed called to me (and everyone else here).

  Drayton was already in one of the lines, and he waved us over. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. I can’t wait to hit the hay.”

  Part of me was tempted to wave him and the others off and take the long way around. Despite his laziness, though, it hadn’t escaped my attention how he’d tried to insert himself in our group, likely due to knowing Lacey and having few others his age to hang out with here. Ah well, it’s probably better to leave now anyways. I can get some good rest and tackle the Terarium early tomorrow.

  Joining them, we chatted a bit, sharing our tours and what had been different. In no time at all, we were soaring through the air, back to the entrance and then the dorms. My new home for the better part of the next three years. Let’s see how it goes from here.

  ***

  The lights were dim in the morning as I got up. They must be programmed to act like natural light upon the surface would. Do they fit the seasons too, or is this just a year-round setting?

  I held myself back from tearing open the walls by the promise of the Terarium. There was a small stumbling block in the fact that the cafeteria didn’t open until 7 AM, but with some snacks leftover from my flight and the promise of berries I’d spied within the artificial habitat, I was packed up and heading down the elevator ready to start my journey by 6:15, even sooner than I’d anticipated.

  As the doors opened, I raced down the entrance ramp, bursting out to a sea of golden stalks of grass and large rolling hills. The Savanna Biome.

  There was a rest station right by the main entrance, but with my team fully good to go, I ignored it in favor of the Pokemon. “Wow, Rhydons, Venomoths, Chanseys, and Dodrio right off the bat. Lot of Kanto Pokemon here,” I said to Anya at my side. Not that they’re the only ones here. There’s a pride of Litleos off to one side and a Mandibuzz flying off in the distance.

  [‘Perhaps it’s the shared environment of that region that lets them fit in well here?’] She offered, and I thought about it.

  “Could be. I think I remember most of those Pokemon being in the Safari Zone? Maybe, it’s been a looooong time since I played those games.”

  [‘What was your world like?’] She inquired, and I chuckled as we walked across the field. A few of the Pokemon eyed us with mild curiosity, but most walked about, content to mind their own business (especially after seeing a Rhydon that stomped up get told we had no berries to hand out).

  “Boring, in many ways. Nowhere near as vibrant as this one. Felt depressing at times listening to the news, hearing about scandals, scheming politicians, greedy corporations, and the like. Not that there isn’t any of that here, it’s just… less so.”

  Anya led us on a wide berth around a pair of Scythers duking it out as we neared a small marsh. [‘Why was your world like that? Those sound like bad things. Gothitas are mostly given free rein to roam, but that is because our Gothitelle mother has seen to the removal of any- most all threats we could run into.’]

  “Ooh boy. There’s a lot I could go into about that. Part of it is it was a world without Pokemon, which I’m sure had its own negative impact on how society rose up. You should chat with Notch about it sometime; I’m sure they have plenty of opinions on the subject.” Anya gave me a flat look at that, and I struggled to keep a straight face. Notch isn’t bad or wrong, but they can be… a lot, and Anya knows that well by now.

  I considered trying to wade through the marsh before realizing that was probably dumb and that just heading around it would be much less uncomfortable. Once around and over the nearest hill, I saw more rolling hills of green and gold, a large raised Ditto Block platform, and even more Pokemon. Most within the Savannah were still waking up, but some were already active, including a Flygon and several Vibravas.

  The trees dotting the landscape had a good variety of berries, and I scooped up a few Sitrus Berries from the ground beneath one of them as I continued my aimless wanderings, taking in the sights. I was hardly the only one, as I noticed a Smeargle painting the digital (but very realistic-looking) sunrise on a blank canvas.

  I noticed the Pokemon were generally fairly friendly (likely due to how acclimated they were to the students), but I still made sure to be cautious not to spook or aggravate them. Upon spotting a nest that had been placed on a small outcropping of rocks, I made sure to take a route to avoid getting too close to the eggs within.

  Said route took me near the Ditto Block platform, and while it was mostly empty, I was surprised to see that there was one person pressing buttons behind the desk. Even more surprising was that the teenage boy there looked familiar to me.

  [‘I sense… tension. Not exactly danger but- I don’t know.’] Anya admitted. Her telepathic voice was calm and steady, but from the way she crossed her arms I could tell that she was upset with her limitations in reading the future.

  “If there isn’t danger, then it’s fine. In any case, we will take whatever the future throws at us, come what may.” My words, while soft, had the boy a dozen meters away snapping his head up.

  “Nemona? I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. This is fortuitous.” He said, standing up and walking over to greet me. Brown skin, blue hair with a few locks of yellow… Where have I seen this guy before?

  “It’s good to see you again too, though I’m sorry, but I’m blanking on your name.”

  “Atticus Rhodes. That’s fine; it was only once at the Junior tournament where we fought.” He explained, offering a hand out for me to shake. Right, this guy. Has the same name as that Team Star Boss but is definitely not the fashionable expert of those Uva kids.

  Belatedly, I shook his hand. “Right, right. What are you doing here so early? I thought I’d be the only one exploring already. And why is our meeting fortuitous?” I questioned him.

  “I’m just putting some details in order in the system to accommodate some of my new teams. It’s early on, but I didn’t get to be one of the Elite Four in the League Club by wasting any time.” There was a distinct hint of pride to his voice before he faltered for just a split second. “It’s fortuitous because I was hoping to challenge you again. It’s been many years, and we’ve both clearly grown since our last match.”

  I didn’t need Anya’s help to tell that he wasn’t exactly lying to me, but that it was hardly the only reason for why he wanted to fight me either. Rather than immediately take the bait, I said, “I think I heard something about that from that rude girl who gave us the tour of the League Club Room yesterday. Don’t I have to bet BP for the ‘right’ to challenge you?”

  “Ez might be a bit cold and prideful, but I’d say she’s earned it as the champion,” he offered, and I hid a smirk. So she put you up to this, huh? It was hardly ‘proof,’ but the fact that he knew who I was talking about and answered so quickly implied that she had mentioned our interactions, at least in part, to her friends in the club.

  Atticus explained in greater length. “There's a good reason for why it costs that. League Club has the most perks out of any club in the Blueberry Academy, and its top five battlers are given a stipend of BP just for holding the position. That means that anyone wanting to challenge them has to pay a small BP fee to the club for the right to do so, after joining the club, of course. But that’s only for an official title challenge; for something like this we can just have a friendly little match for no true stakes.”

  “Interesting. You know, you didn’t strike me as the kind of person to do something just for fun. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I feel like you’re the type of person who wouldn’t want to reveal his best strategies.”

  “No, but the only way you can learn is through trial and error, seeing what works and what doesn’t. I have a few Pokemon whom I still need to decide on, and a fight against Paldea’s strongest Champion would be a good way to figure things out. I’ll still have plenty of Pokemon and strategies reserved for when you want to challenge me to a proper match.” Not sure if I really want to challenge them and join their little club given what Elsa and Atticus are like, but whatever.

  “Fair enough,” I said with a shrug. “As you can see, I’ve got a newer member to train too, so it sounds like fun.” Striding up the ramp towards the raised arena, I asked, “Mind running over the basic rules for this?” He wasn’t the one who had screwed me over back in the Junior tournament, but I always wanted to double-check the rules before a match ever since, to make sure nothing untoward happened again.

  “As is usual at the academy, this will be a double battle with no Enhancement Effects allowed. Not many people have Z-Moves or Mega Stones here, so most people won’t allow them in a battle.” I nodded. A bit of a loss, but hardly the end of the world.

  He continued. “Battle Items are allowed, and switching can be done, but you must keep at least one Pokemon on the field at a time, and the match won’t pause for your switches. We keep things fast-paced here versus Paldea.” That’ll change some of my strategies, but it’s fine. Probably would have been smarter to wait till I faced some less skilled Trainers to get a handle on the new rules ahead of time, but I trust my team.

  “Finally, we just have to decide how many Pokemon you want to use. I think four would be good for a first-timer to the double battle scene.” I nodded at what he said, walking over to take my place on the other end of the arena.

  “Alright, sounds like it’ll be fun. I’ll be starting with Anya here and one other.”

  “I’m hoping more for ‘informative’ than ‘fun,’ but sure,” he replied, raising two Pokeballs of his own as the barrier locked into place around the arena. “Are you ready?”

  “Yup.”

  “Then let’s release our Pokemon.” With a flash of light, Bahamut joined the field alongside Anya, while opposite them appeared a large steel-covered ant Pokemon and a grey Weezing with two large tube-like extensions sticking out atop its heads, an odd smoke drifting out from them.

  “Then let the battle commence in three, two, one… begin!”

  mostly back on track now for what I originally planned for things to continue.

  Discord. Thank you, and I hope you're having a great start to this year!

  - Tera Type: Normal

  - Held Item: Expert Belt

  - Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace

  - Moves known:

  - 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type, Friend Ball)

  - Tera Type: Electric

  - Held Item: Life Orb

  - Ability: Levitate

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type, Lure Ball)

  - Tera Type: Water

  - Held Item: Toxic Orb

  - Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Notch' (Diancie, Mega-Evolvable, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type, Dream Ball)

  - Tera Type: Fighting

  - Held Item: Light Clay

  - Ability: Clear Body

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zoroark, Female, Normal/Ghost, Fast Ball)

  - Tera Type: Ghost

  - Held Item: Lax Incense

  - Ability: Illusion

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Athena' (Lucario, Mega-Evolveable, Female, Fighting/Steel, Moon Ball)

  - Tera Type: Fighting

  - Held Item: Clear Amulet

  - Ability: Steadfast

  - Moves Known:

  -'Bahamut' (Haxorus, Male, Shiny, Dragon, Level Ball)

  - Tera Type: Dragon

  - Held Item: Dragon Fang

  - Ability: Mold Breaker

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Radiance' (Iron Moth, Genderless, Fire/Poison, Beast Ball)

  - Tera Type: Poison

  - Held Item: Booster Energy

  - Ability: Quark Drive

  - Moves Known:

  -'Anya' (Gothorita, Female, Psychic, Love Ball)

  - Tera Type: Psychic

  - Held Item: None

  - Ability: Shadow Tag

  - Moves Known:

  *Custom Moves