Like No One Ever Was (Pokemon SI)

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Patreons:

Thank you to my 65 Beginner Tier Patreons, and an extra special thanks to RageLord, Nodal_Gravity, ExaltedRequiem, HanShotFirst, and Garreon LeFay, my Ace Tier Patreons! Your support means a ton to me.

Cyrano POV

I took in a deep breath, letting the salty air wash over me. Opening my eyes, I looked out at the water, sparkling in the sunlight and stretching out to the horizon. Wingulls lazily glided in the distance, and I spotted a few Goldeens jumping out of the water only to land back with a splash. Behind me, I heard students chatting, talking about Pokemon, their tests, and general gossip as they walked to and from the walkway, happily going about their lives. Ahh, what a wonderful day this is.

It was an easy thing to not pay attention to, to almost forget, caught up in the minutia of day to day life, but I truly believed that life was incredible. A new adventure around every turn, if you were open to it. That was why I always took a bit of my day walking about and appreciating the wonderful school I'd spent so long building.

A familiar beeping sound had me reaching for my phone and holding it up to my ear. "Yello?" I asked before instantly recoiling as the voice on the other end started shouting.

"Don't 'Yello' me! You're late and we can't start the faculty meeting without you!" Abigail London shouted, and I winced.

"Whoopsie. I'll be over there in a jiffy," I replied. She muttered something I couldn't hear properly (but likely was just grumbling then - Abigail was a direct woman and when she wanted you to know something, she would make it clear) and I hung up before briskly walking back to the entrance of the school.

I made my way to the central chamber, then took the staff elevator up, not down, to the top of the dome which was above the water level. There, I walked down the hallways, past my office and into the staff room where the rest of the faculty was waiting.

Around the large, blue, circular table sat Dr. Velian Crowler, tapping his spindly fingers impatiently on the desk's surface; Abigail London, who had her hands clasped in tight yet controlled frustration; Colress, the head of our research department, and many others. Teachers, engineers, etc.

We had far too many staff members to have all of them in a meeting like this (and indeed, I wouldn't be needed for every such meeting), but this was the monthly checkup with all the heads of each department. "Sorry about the lateness," I said brightly before moving on. It's important to be upfront about your mistakes, my ma always said, but I don't see that as a need to let us get mired down in negative thoughts.

"Let's get started. What's first on the agenda?" I asked, briefly glancing at the papers in front of me.

"Budget concerns," Colress replied crisply. "The research department is looking to expand our work. We have several promising new inventions and techniques we could share with the world to help the cash flow."

"Promising, but nothing solid yet," Abigail pointed out.

"I'm certain they'll live up to their expectations. I haven't let this school down before," Colress responded, the edge in his voice subtle, barely noticeable unless you knew what you were looking for. He doesn't appreciate anyone 'getting in the way' of his progress, and while he is right, I can't back him here.

"No one's saying you have, but the budget for the department for the year has been set." Give someone a Caterpie and they'll take an Onix. At the same time though, you can throw a Marrowack a bone. "Hmm, that being said, we can work on making those projects earn us a bit more. I'm sure that Trainers all over will be Garchomping at the bit to practice in a place they can use Terastalization. We can lend them Tera Orbs to use temporarily while here to test it out for themselves." And battle against it as well. It's the latest Enhancement effect and with the achievement of the Tera Sphere, Paldea will be able to utilize that effect more in the international tournaments. Other Trainers are going to start taking them a bit more seriously on the competitive scene, if up and commers like Nemona weren't already catching their eyes.

"That might overload our facility. We can't just let everyone in, and picking and choosing could lead to accusations of favoritism or prejudice." Crowler raised a reasonable point, and we thought on it for a moment.

"Why don't we let the kids choose?" I suggested, earning several odd stares. Righto, might need to explain my thought process here. "We can give the students the chance to invite guests in, for a bit of BP. That will stop us from getting too many, but still give us the chance to get the word out."

There was another benefit to be considered there, in how by giving us BP, the students were effectively paying us a bit too. BP was earned by them working for the school in different ways, which helped (sometimes literally) keep Blueberry Academy afloat, so if they were spending some for the coaches, that meant they'd be working more for it too. I'll try not to make it too onerous on the kids part; the majority of the costs for hosting them will be paid by the person invited, and they get their BP back if the guest can't make it.

I didn't like thinking about things in such a transactional manner, but it was something I'd learned to live with as I'd made the school. My dream had started small, but grown beyond my wildest imaginings. I couldn't be upset about that, but as it formed it's own economy and the like, I'd gotten the hang of leveraging these factors to continue our growth, and give back to the people who made it so fantastic.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Dr. Crowler declared, clapping his hands together. "We can use the League Club as a trial ground for that, and they can invite special coaches from abroad to further their skills." I quirked an eyebrow at the phrasing but nodded. It wasn't a bad idea to have a test version first, and 'special coaches' was a decent way of advertising it.

That serves another goal of mine here. I can instruct any coaches that come here to help subtly guide the League Club in a better direction. I already made sure to tell my teachers to instill certain values, of care and compassion, into their lectures, but the League Club had clearly developed it's own subculture that was either twisting or ignoring those lessons. Doubling down on that message from the staff is unlikely to help, the teenagers stubborn enough to ignore it, but if they hear it from people outside the school might help. And if they ignore that, then they'll miss out on an edge that could improve their battling skills.

"Those are hardly the only matters to discuss, however." Devron Jolt spoke up, a file of papers in his hands. "While I disagree with the thrust of some of their points, the papers of some of our students have performed exceptionally well. I was wondering about bumping them up a year or two."

I laughed happily. "We've got a truly exceptional crop this year!" Maybe even some good enough to face off against 'Saffron.' "Who are the students you're thinking of?"

He passed me over the folder containing the mid-year grades as he said "Carmine Masque and Nemona Glitterati."

"Oh, I remember reading over their entrance exams!" Dr. Crowler pipped in. "They were both quite excellently written considering their age. Nemona's was good for any age, frankly. And I heard she even bested our Abigail despite her going above and beyond what would be regularly necessary for the practical."

The Ace Trainer glared at Velian. "She's a Champion Trainer already! Was I supposed to hold back against someone like that? I'd like to see you do better."

"Hmph!" Velian declared, while gesticulating grandly. "I would hardly need to resort to such means to beat a child - let alone lose to one."

I clicked my tongue noisily, bringing their attention back to me. "Sorry, but I don't think these two can be moved up. These two are already early admission students, don't think the change up in grades would do them much good. 'Specially not with recent activities."

"Oh, what do you mean?" He asked and I was a little surprised. Some teachers don't see much of the school outside of the classes they teach. A shame.

Before I could speak up though, Colress answered. "She's been of great assistance to me in the Tera Sphere project, and is currently running her own experiment around reintroducing Hisuian Sliggoos and Goodras to the world. I understand that she's quite bright, but adding more to her workload feels ill-advised."

"And that's to say nothing of all the Blueberry Quests she's been doing, or her scuffle with Miss Death," Dana Hardy added. I suppressed a wince as I saw Abigail latch onto that like a Granbull.

"Yes, I'd been meaning to bring that up with you, sir," she said, turning to face me. "Those two engaged in a reckless battle that broke a significant bridge in the Terarium, ruined the field beneath, and nearly caused serious harm to each other. And you've given them practically no punishment whatsoever."

"Elsa, as the instigator of the incident, recieved a BP penalty to pay off the reconstruction costs. Don't underestimate just how skilled those folks are at repairing things down in the dome, they'll have things fixed right quick!" My bit of levity fell flat, so I just added, "They were warned on the danger of battling recklessly, and as Champion of the League Club, Miss Death has also been instructed to host a number of speeches at the end of classes to help inform the student body on why that kind of behavior is unacceptable. Plus, I've limited the ability of her and the rest of her Elites to run special events with League Club funding and permision till the end of the year. I don't think any further punishment is necessary."

Hmm, come to think of it, did I tell Elsa about the penalty? I didn't bring up the limiting of League Club powers during my speech with her and Nemona since that was a personal punishment and not the one the Club one. A quick check of her account on my tablet showed that her account hadn't been penalized yet. Whoopsy daisy. Better fix that quick. I sent out a message to that effect and deducted the BP from her account as the rest of the staff stared at me.

"For what reason do you think that further punishment is not necessary?" Abigail asked in a low, dangerous tone. "Miss Death already has a number of questionable rumors floating around her behavior, and Miss Glitterati comes from a very rich family and has a high position within her home region. They might think they can get away with bad behavior unless we punish them hard."

I scratched my chin for a moment, thinking. "Well, I got a good feeling about them." Crowler slipped out of his seat and fell to the ground as I finished my sentence. Hmm, best look into fixing that. He's jumping back up but I'd hate to see someone seriously hurt by these chairs.

"Sir, I must object to this!" He shouted before scrambling back up. "I can see giving some leeway to Elsa as the Champion of the League Club, but Nemona actually hurt her during that fight and has no such extra curricular alignmen-"

"Actually, I just heard through the ol' Carnivine that Nemona has joined the League Club herself. Looks like those two are fixing to resolve any lingering disputes through those channels."

"Ah, well that's fine then," Crowler said in a far more subdued tone as he righted his chair and sat down calmly.

"Are you kidding me?!" It was no Abigail's turn to burst out, her eyes glancing between Dr. Crowler and myself before settling on me as a target to vent her rage unto. "Just because you're sponsor for the League Club doesn't mean you can let them get away with this reckless behavior-"

"-You overstep your bounds as the head of the disciplinary committee!"

"It's literally my job!"

"They're just kids being kids!"

"Then why does that never come out of your mouth when it's kids not from the League Club screwing up?!"

"Well those are clearly different circumstances! Different circumstances!"

I let the two of them bicker for a few minutes, lost in my own thoughts as I scrolled through the alerts on my tablet. To be honest, part of me really considered expelling Elsa. She might not have too much by way of substantive complaints against her, but I listen to the rumors that go around the student body. Just because someone can skirt around the rules or avoid direct accusations doesn't mean they're behaving properly.

Two things held me back from expelling her. First, was the fact that until now, I hadn't heard of anything too egregious from the icy girl. For all her sharp edges, it was clear she cared about the school, wanting to live up to its reputation. Possibly too much so at times, holding others to a standard they might not be able to meet and certainly isn't necessary all the time.

The second was my own feelings regarding rivalries and how they could help someone grow. Elsa Death and Nemona Glitterati looked to be well on that path, with the younger girl hopefully pushing the older to become more considerate and respectful. She was the only one to really challenge Elsa during the introductory tour. And likewise, I think Elsa has already pushed Nemona out of her comfort zone and will force her to grow stronger as a Trainer. The Glitterati girl was good and had a lot of potential, but she'd need a bit more polish if she was to make it to the very top.

I let out a wistful sigh, thinking of how my experiences with Alder had let us grow as youths and how I should call him soon, see how he was doing. Someone cleared their throat and I blinked, realizing that Velian and Abigail had stopped arguing. "Very good, glad to see that's settled," I said awkwardly. "Now what's next on the schedule?"

"Macro Cosmos has slightly lowered their energy prices, affecting the market," Brian O'Hansen, the head of the engineering department informed us. They had some new initiatives and staff brought on in the wake of the Darkest Day and all that noise, didn't they? Looks like it's paying off now. "Should we adjust our prices in return?"

It was a difficult question. On the one hand, lowering our prices would keep us competitive, but on the other, doing so would cut into funds used to run the school. Running a sprawling underwater school complete with its own Wild Zone-esque environment is a bit expensive, even for me. The massive geothermal energy we tap into is the only thing keeping us afloat.

I laughed at my internal pun, ignoring the odd looks I got before addressing the question. "Leave it as is for now. If Macro Cosmos continues to lower it, we'll re-evaluate, but for the time being, we'll keep the same price." Our main buyer is Unova, and I don't think they'll be looking to put the screws to us right now, at least not with our advancements in Terastalization technologies and a decent number of kids connected to their Gym Leaders currently attending.

"Next up was…" I scrolled through the itinerary on my Rotom Phone, idly noting a message saying that Snacksworth was back in town. "Rotating some of the specialty meals offered in the lunchroom?"

The discussion continued like that for quite some time, covering the little minutia needed to keep the Academy running properly.

***

"After ten-thousand years, I'm finally free!" I declared, pushing the doors to the conference room open and shoving my hands up in the air as I strode out to the hallway.

"It was only half an hour over what we had planned, and fifteen of those minutes you weren't even there for!" Abigail gave an exasperated sigh as she walked quickly past me. She was far younger and sprier than I was, so she quickly exited my line of sight as she continued on. Likely heading for one of the cafeterias, if I know my niece. She likes snacks after lengthy meetings- oh right, Snacksworth!

The guest tag I gave him had a tracker (which he knew of; given his track record, we both agreed it would be better to have an easy way to find him the next time a Legendary showed up) and that he was down in the Terarium, over by the Coastal Biome.

I made my way over there, taking note of the various students and staff going about their days. For the most part, it was the standard fare. Kids gossiping in the corners, maintenance staff hurrying about with various tools strapped to their belts, carrying odd bits of metal for whatever repairs or replacements were necessary, and teacher's voices carrying just out of their classrooms as they taught the next generation.

"I gotta try out this new strategy I worked out with Charizard, c'mon, let's go to the arena up top!" One boy said excitedly to his classmate. She was undecided, however.

"I dunno, I've still got a survey project to do."

"Let's battle in the Terarium then! You can get some uh… practical experience with Pokemon surveys and stuff. Plus, I think Terastalization works better in there anyways." The girl didn't seem too convinced by the first half of his argument, but her eyes lit up at the prospect of Terastalization, and the two were soon running down the hallway to test it out. I narrowly avoided them running into me with quick reflexes, catching a shout of apology as I caught my snazzy hat and kept it from falling off.

"Kids," I said to myself with a chuckle. Some things never really change, despite how much everything always changes. Case in point with Terastalization. It had been over a month, but the students and much of the staff were still excited over it. Can't deny that I'm hyped too. Been cooking up something spicy for the next time someone thinks they've got one over on little ol' me.

Continuing down, I made my way to the pavilion in the Coastal Biome, where my old friend was standing by. He greeted me cheerfully, waving as he saw me approach. "Cyrano! It's been too long."

"That it has," I agreed, shaking my friend's hand before pulling him in for a brief hug. "I didn't even get to see you last time you swung by here!"

"You need a vacation; I know a perfect spot over on Poni Island where I swear I saw a school of Phione swimming through a stream-!"

"I reckon that'd be the opposite of a relaxing vacation," I said, unable to hide my grin. "I thought that was why you liked to hang out here. No random Legendaries to run into in the Terarium." Snacksworth has the craziest luck of anyone I know, even including the wildest adventures Alder and I have been on.

He chuckled. "That's true, not quite as spry as I was back in my youth," my friend admitted, patting his slightly rotund belly.

"Might lose by more than a whisker if you had to race Raikou today," I teased and he shook his head.

"Oh, I might be out of practice, but I'm sure I could give that dog a run for their money." We looked at each for a moment before we burst out laughing.

After we calmed down, I noticed him tilting his head around. "Something the matter?"

"Hmm it's nothing but… well, with so many incredible Pokemon I've met, I felt like I had a good sense of when I might encounter another one. And you're right about me coming here to relax and that no Legendaries could just wind up here, yet I feel something there. Someone I haven't had the pleasure of meeting before…" his words hung in the air for a moment before Snacksworth snapped his fingers together.

"Oh, I know! This sneaky fella must be a Marshadow that slipped inside your Terarium!" Despite his proud declaration, I felt a discordant note in the air. No, that doesn't sound right.

"Speaking of Legendaries, wanted to pick your mind about two uh, interesting young students here."

"Elsa Death and Nemona Glitterati?" I blinked in surprise.

"You're familiar with them?"

"With the younger one, Nemona, at least. Though I knew about both of them by reputation at least; I'm not the one living under an oceanic rock at least," he ribbed me and I rolled my eyes.

"But what a nicely colored rock it is!" I said, stretching an arm out to wave at the rest of the Terarium. It's joking, but also very true. I am quite proud of this place, and even more proud of the students and who they could become.

Sensing this would be a slightly more sensitive talk, Snacksworth offered, "Why don't we have a race up to that there peak?" He said, pointing at the top of the large cliff that the firestone cave complex resided underneath.

"Oh, well, I do love a good challenge. Same rules as last time?"

"Of course!" I smiled thinking for a moment as to which Pokemon to choose. Serperior is the fastest, but she's badly suited to climbing a cliff. Mandibuzz is a sharp gal, but might make it too easy. Yeah, it's gotta be…

"Emboar!" I called out as I released the Fire Type. She gave out a sleepy yawn, blinking as she took in the scene. My fiery Pokemon adapted quickly, seeing Snacksworth stretching out to the side.

"Boar, emb," She complained, bemoaning our foolish challenges. She still easily let me piggyback on her, getting in position while Snacksworth leaned over in a runners stance by the edge of the road, serving as our 'starting line.' Despite her complaints, I think she's just upset over losing last time. But we'll show him this time. She's got a new Move that's going to work great here.

"On your marks, get set,... go!" I cried out and the two of them set off. My Emboar tore up the field, but despite his powerful strides, Snacksworth was off like a shot, his round frame belying the tremendous speed he retained in great part from his youth. He hardly stopped as he reached the cliff face, scrambling up it with alacrity and grace. He had practiced long and could instantly calculate the best route up such a rocky surface.

My Pokemon had to rely on other means. When she reached the wall, she drove up it with sheer strength, her Rock Climb tearing hand and footholds into the side of the cliff. With mighty muscles, she surged ahead, outpacing Snacksworth on the side. But as we neared the top, I realized that we had erred. Our path faced an overhang that would be difficult to climb around even with the strength of the Move Emboar had learned.

Course correcting to either side wouldn't work - to the left is open air, and the right would put us in Snacksworth's way, and send rocks tumbling down upon his head… head, that's it! "Head Smash, cleave right through it!" I shouted as we approached, pulling my body in tight against Emboar. She Recklessly charged ahead, slamming her head straight through the rocky edge and breaking it off. As we ascended, it tipped through the air and fell straight down to the ground.

"Woo! Looks like we win this round," I said, turning to face Snacksworth as he pulled himself over the edge. Emboar let out a self-satisfied snort of flames, and I rubbed the top of her head before dismounting.

"Ahh, so you do," he said, huffing and puffing slightly. He really has slowed down with age… which just makes it all the more apparent how terrifying his strength is. Snacksworth had never found a Pokemon partner of his own, and Alder had been the one to first half-jokingly point out that 'he never needed one.'

"Now, what did you wish to talk about? It's unlike you to be uncertain. Confused, maybe, but never uncertain."

"Bah, I've just got too much in my head, that's all," I said, waving him off as I sat beside him. My protest was weak as we both knew I had earned my reputation as a bit of a Driftloonhead. When it came time to lock in though, I could be laser focused, and I needed to be here.

"I wonder about Elsa Death's continuation at the school. If you know of her, then I take it you know of the circumstances regarding her family." He nodded. The Death name was not well-known outside of Galar, and even only in certain circles there, but Snacksworth was a well-traveled man. "She's a prodigal lass, and with that and difficulties getting a sponsorship, I suppose it's not a surprise that she would latch on to the school and the League Club." Moreso than she had to be; I've offered her a sponsorship to the Galarian Circuit once she graduates, and all she has to do is be a good student. "Lately however, she's been causing a right ruckus amongst the student body, pushing them around. The latest issue was a rather public clash with Nemona."

Snacksworth nodded. "That's the setting, but what's the problem? Surely you can handle her."

"Of course," I answered instantly. "When scouting her out, we had a little pow wow, and I still won, even with her Legendary horsie. She's improved a lot since coming here, but she's not that good. Not yet," I admitted with a grin, remembering that fight. A little girl with the soul of a frigid storm, and the power to reign in a wild beast like Glastrier… it was a good fight, but my team had faced Legends before and come out on top.

I liked to think that battle was good for her too; the Death family had been on the rise, bolstered by Elsa claiming Glastrier and refurbishing that ancient castle on the mountaintop. But it left them distanced from the common people. That, and the actions of her distant cousins, Swordweirdo and Shieldbob or whatever, left the people of Galar with disdain for the Royal Family. No one wanted to give her a chance at the Gym Circuit.

"Really?" Snacksworth said, looking surprised.

"She just might be. Elsa Death and Nemona Glitterati, they have the potential, and the drive for it. I'd hoped to foster that when I invited Elsa to my school, and I'd say I succeeded. I think at first it was just the offer of arranging a sponsorship for the Galarian Gym Circuit if she did well here, but Elsa's truly come to love this school, deeper than just about anyone I know. It pushed her to make herself stronger than ever before, and then after she joined the League Club, to raise the rest of her pals up too. But without any challenges, she's started to act out.

"Hmm, well, it looks like she has one now!" Snacksworth said, pointing at another clifftop off in the distance, where Nemona's unique, Volcano-looking Pokemon was darting above, clearly flying through some drills. "A good rival will help set her straight and curb some of her more reckless tendencies. Alder did you the world of good; I didn't have to keep on holding you back!"

"Bah!" I shot back. "Like you weren't right there with me and him, raring to get into trouble." He laughed alongside me, remembering the misadventures of our youth. Ah those days… They were good, but at the same time, I was happy where I was now (otherwise I would have been out there with him, when he went exploring around the world). That's why this latest disturbance upsets me so; I want the school to do well, and that means not letting Elsa run wild or smothering a young girl's ambitions. A fine line to walk.

"So," my old friend said as he took a more serious tone. "If I know you right, you gave Elsa a punishment, but you're not sure if it's enough and yet don't want to go too far."

"Correctemundo," I confirmed.

"Welp, I'd say all you can do now is keep a closer eye on things, maybe head things off before they get this heated again." I frowned at him, mostly for the pun he thought he could slip in without me noticing. That soon faded as I nodded, recognizing it was the best way forward. It's a good idea, and for more than just Elsa. Charlotte Linlin is a 'problem child' sent my way with her own, quite rare Pokemon, and while she's acted out less, I haven't been able to get through to her either.

"Thanks," I said, and Snacksworth waved me off.

"Please, I didn't do much. I'm just glad to see those dark thoughts bringing you down seem to have cleared up." Snacksworth declared, standing up. You might not think it, but being able to air my thoughts out to you helped a bunch.

Changing the topic, I asked him, "Now, where have you gone since we last met? Lay it on me; I don't want to miss a single detail, like the time you forgot to mention Kyogre when recounting a nice swim." He chuckled at that.

"Oh, such stories to tell! First, I went to Kanto, had a lovely brisk hike up one of their mountains, then down the other side to Johto where…"

My old friend rambled on, our conversation winding from those exploits to recounting tales from our youth, adventures we'd both gone on. I hope my students can share stories like these some day. Blueberry Academy should be a place of smiles, happiness, and growth, to let them become the people they were meant to be. Despite the troubles currently rocking it, I felt optimistic that any problems would sort themselves out.

Spoiler: A/N:

This chapter was one I realized had to happen and thought it worked best here, though it does mean we've had a lot of interludes in short succession. Still, I wanted to show how Cyrano is viewing things. He's a very interesting figure in the DLC, despite having minimal presence in the story. I forgot to mention the costs of the damages in the talk he had with Nemona and Elsa last chapter, but Cyrano's kinda airheaded so I think it works for him to remember and do it here.

Given how things worked with Kieran there, I figured he needed to be a more hands-off kind of teacher, but he always seems to have such care for the school (and such strength of his team) that I wanted to show the reasoning behind his actions here. It's always a hard line to draw with authority figures in Pokemon games - either they're useless, or they kinda stop you from doing anything interesting in the plot (Leon in gen 8). It's tough to deal with, so here I wanted to show some of Cyrano's internal conflict here, as well as the duties that distracted him from being as aware of what was going on with the club exactly.

Also, Snacksworth! He's kinda crazy, and I recognize that he's really just used by the DLC to give the players a bunch of Legendaries to access, but I do like having someone that outlandish in the story. If he isn't your cup of tea though, don't worry; since Nemona didn't believe him, he won't be having much more involvement in the story. Still, I found him kinda funny and I hope you liked him too.

Finally, please keep the comments civil. I really don't like having to ask this, but some comments last time were incredibly rude/demanding, and these kinds of comments greatly sap my motivation for the story.