February 14, 2018 — Cloudspire
In a well-furnished apartment near Imperial City First High School, an alarm clock rang without pause, as if determined to drag its owner out of bed.
The ringing went on for a few more seconds before a hand slipped out from under the blankets. Without even opening his eyes, the hand found the alarm clock, shut it off, and tossed it to the side of the bed.
David sat up slowly, still half-asleep. The moment he was fully awake, he felt a familiar, heavy pressure on his chest. He looked down and found his Zorua curled up on top of him, sleeping without a care in the world. David stared at it for a moment, then grabbed it gently by the scruff of its neck and set it down on the mattress beside him.
He climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. After washing his face and tidying himself up, he stood in front of the mirror and looked at his own reflection. He took a slow breath, then smiled to himself.
"A new semester. Another day full of possibilities."
Today was the first day back at Imperial City First High School. Ever since his father had brought him home to Imperial City, David had spent a quiet evening having dinner with his parents before heading back to his own small apartment, which was just a short walk from the school.
His older sister, Aria, had already returned to school before he had even left for Belon City, since her school's High School Cup competition had started early. When he called her on the phone during his trip, she had listened with wide eyes as he told her about his adventures in Belon City — the rare resources he had come across, the unexpected battles, the things he had seen. Aria had laughed and said his luck was something else entirely, calling it completely unbelievable.
But then, just like their father had done, she quickly shifted to a more serious tone and reminded David to be careful when traveling alone. She pointed out, with a slightly exasperated note in her voice, that he seemed to have a strange habit of stumbling into trouble. Most Trainers could go their whole lives without ever crossing paths with a criminal organization or a terrorist group. David had managed to run into both — twice — in just half a month.
Before she hung up, she asked David if she could borrow his three Sacred Feathers the next time she visited. He agreed without hesitation.
Aria's ace Pokémon was a Dragonite, and it was close — very close — to breaking through to the Gym-level. These feathers might be exactly what it needed.
Each of the three feathers held a faint trace of divine power. One carried the aura of the God of Thunder, one of the God of Fire, and one of the God of Ice. Long ago, these three lesser deities had served under Lugia, helping to maintain the balance of the world's weather. Because of that, each feather contained a fragment of the divine understanding tied to its respective domain.
Dragonite's pre-evolution, Dragonair, was known for its natural ability to influence weather. Aria's Dragonite had always been especially gifted in that regard, which made these three Sacred Feathers a perfect fit for its growth.
With that thought in mind, David finished getting ready. He reached down and scooped up the drowsy Zorua, tucking it under his arm as he walked out of the bedroom.
In the living room, Kirlia had just woken up and was sitting quietly near the window. Lucario, on the other hand, had already finished its morning training and was standing near the door, calm and composed as always. As for Shelgon, David could see it through the sliding door — it was outside on the rooftop garden, basking in the morning sunlight.
David was glad his apartment was on the top floor. It was also one of the sturdier buildings in the area, which made it a lot easier to keep a Pokémon of Shelgon's size and weight without worrying about the floors or the neighbors below.
He checked the time. It was just past 7:30 in the morning. David sat down with his Pokémon for a relaxed breakfast, and when they were done, he gathered his bag and headed out toward the school on foot.
Because his apartment was right next to the campus, the walk was short. Even so, by the time he arrived, the school grounds were already full of life.
Most of the students from the Trainer track had arrived early. The new semester meant they were one step closer to the high school Trainer exam, and even if there was still a full semester left, that fact was enough to keep everyone on edge. A quiet urgency had settled over the campus — but the students still looked energetic and in good spirits.
Everyone's fired up, David thought to himself as he made his way toward his classroom.
He stepped inside Class 1 to find small groups of students scattered around the room, chatting with each other. Most of them were talking about what they had done over the break. David slowed his pace and listened for a moment as he walked to his seat.
It turned out he wasn't the only one who had spent the holiday traveling. Quite a few of his classmates had taken short trips to different towns or routes, though not many had gone specifically to challenge Gyms the way he had.
Near the middle of the room, Emma and Willow were deep in conversation about something. A short distance away, Luke was leaning back in his chair with a magazine open in his lap, looking bored, though he occasionally tossed a word or two into their discussion.
David pulled out the chair right next to Luke and sat down.
"Did everyone miss me?" he asked with a grin.
Luke looked over at him and clicked his tongue.
"Miss you? Give me a break. You were out there living your best life while the rest of us had zero days off."
"Oh, come on, Luke," David said, draping an arm over his friend's shoulder. "Sounds like you've got a lot of built-up frustration. Want to head to the training field later and blow off some steam? I'll even go easy on you."
"No thanks," Luke said flatly, pulling away. "I'm not going to get dragged into a battle just so you can call it 'helping me.' I know exactly how that ends. Save the energy for the students coming from Sakura."
Emma glanced over from her seat and shook her head with a small laugh.
"Alright, David, quit poking at him. Luke got pulled into working for his uncle again right after New Year's. He's been in a mood ever since."
Even as she said it, Emma couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. Willow pressed her lips together and managed to keep a straight face, though only barely.
Luke, meanwhile, sat there with the expression of a Gengar that had been told it couldn't scare anyone — dark, sulky, and very much not amused.
"By the way, where's Miles?" David asked, looking around the room. He hadn't spotted Miles anywhere. He also remembered what Luke had mentioned just a moment ago. "And what was that about Sakura? Did we get exchange students?"
Luke opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say a word, the classroom door opened. Whoever had just walked in brought the steady hum of conversation to a complete stop.