Leaderboard

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╮ Naranja Academy, Mesagoza – 9:30 AM STEM Homeroom The front of the classroom was empty as the students trickled in, leaving them to get settled in alone. A few students gossiped among themselves, while others just continued getting their sleep by taking little naps, until Tyme walked into the room a few minutes later, "I'm sorry, everyone. Director Clavell was speaking to me about the announcement today." A few students perked up at the mention, "That's why we were given a late start right?" Tyme nodded her head, before holding a hand up towards the class, "I'll mention it briefly, but then we're going to get to the lesson. The director wanted us teachers to meet to discuss the announcement today, so we weren't able to start at our usual time. Lucky for you, that meant you got a bit of extra sleep for the day!" She smiled as she took her place at the front of the class, nodding to the students as she did, "That's all I'm going to say though. If you want to know what the announcement is, you'll just have to wait until noon." With a knowing smile, Tyme gave the class a nod, before directing everyone back to their studies for the rest of the class session... DING DONG DONG DING General Studies Homeroom "I know today is a very late day and we don't have much time to cover anything substantial..." Jacq ran his fingers through his hair for a moment as he considered the options for the day, "With the end of our classroom time coming up, I really thought we would be able to cover a bit more than we did..." One student near the front of the class raised her hand, waiting for Jacq to notice her, and when he did, "Well... Can you tell us anything about the school event? You taught us about picnics and how to spot if our Pokemon are showing signs of illness, a lot of stuff we don't use in class, are those going to be useful for it?" Jacq smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You could say that. The Director is going to go over it in more detail, but as usual... We'll be allowing you all to go on your own studies. Some of you may stay here, but I know many of you will choose to head out into Paldea to explore and forge your own path... I just hope some of what I've taught you will help. Let's review instead of covering anything new." Time passed from there, leaving the students at the mercy of Jacq's review. There was more than enough information for him to keep the class occupied for thirty minutes... Then an hour, then finally, hitting the 11:30 mark. DING DONG DONG DING Humanities Homeroom "Bonjour, my students! The past few months have gone by in a flash, I know. I wish we had more time to chat." The professor at the front of the classroom held a hand behind his head, a small laugh escaping him as he shook his head gently, "But nein, I'm afraid that isn't the case. You all have a wonderful experience ahead of you today... You'll be joining the school's très important annual event!" "The Treasure Hunt!" A small murmuring started as he held out his hands, "Now, now, I'm not at liberty to say too much. Some of our higher grade students knows. The Director loves to give the opening speech and all. I just cannot contain my own podniecenie!" Salvatore blinked at some of the blank faces staring at him from the front row, before laughing again, "Oh, yes. That would be excitement! With that, we can begin our lesson today... Excitement!" Salvatore led the students into a brief discussion, one that was entirely based on his need to get his excitement out, until... DING DONG DONG DING Each class was left to their own devices until that bell ring snapped everyone to attention. There was a moment of silence, quiet contemplation, until a voice spoke through the speakers. "Attention students and teachers, this is Director Clavell. At this time, I would like you to lead your students, one class at a time, to the courtyard for our special announcement. We'll begin with the General Studies..." Jacq motioned for his students to stand up, herding them out of the classroom towards the courtyard. Tyme's classroom wasn't far behind, and then last was Salvatore's homeroom entering the grounds. In the center of the track was a small stage constructed for the event, where Director Clavell stood above the rest of the school. He kept his arms folded behind his back as the crowd filtered into the courtyard, teachers moving up to the stage as he spoke up. “Everyone, if I may…" When no one stopped speaking to listen to him, Clavell pulled the microphone a bit closer to him, "Please, listen!" A little sigh escaped the director as he pushed his glasses up his face, the students were a bit rowdier than usual, the crowd chattering among themselves as he tried to get their attention. On one side of the stage, Jacq and Tyme both gave Director Clavell a little smirk, while Hassel and Saguaro tried to keep the other two from heckling the Director. On the other end, a black haired woman stepped forward, raising a gloved hand into the air as she cried out, “Hey! You all quiet down, the Director is trying to speak!” Her voice echoed through the courtyard as the students finally began to quiet down, the Director giving her a thankful nod, “Wonderful. Now, this will come to no surprise to most of you, as it has become a long running tradition in our school, but the theme of this year’s group studies is once again: ‘A Treasure Hunt’.” Clavell raised his hand in the air as a few students began to murmur among themselves, “I know, many students wonder if having the same theme could grow tiresome, but I believe the answer to that is no. It is important for each of you to find your own way through our world, and here at Naranja Academy, that means figuring out what brings you joy in this life.” Next to the stage, Dendra nodded her head, her arms crossing in front of her as she smiled. There was a brief whisper on the other side, Jacq had leaned in to speak to Tyme, earning him a little glare from Hassel. Still though, Clavell’s speech wasn’t finished, but a large part of the crowd was starting to get antsy as it continued, especially the younger children. “The Paldea region is a wonderful place for you to discover yourselves, and to soak in the expansive history we have… From the rich landscape, to our own Gym Challenge and Champion Assessment. And this year, we have one extra attraction for you, our eager students. In conjunction with the Pokemon Activities Committee, Pokemon Contests will be hosted across the region. Anyone who collects five contest ribbons will have the honor of participating on Paldea’s first Grand Festival to become the Top Coordinator of the region." "Of course... I will have to wrap this up shortly, so you can all begin your planning... We have organized the groups for your travels. If you are unsure of who your group contains, find a teacher or refer to the board we have put up in the main hall. Please, stick together for safety if you choose to travel across the region. For now, I will end on these important words. Never stop striving for anything but the best for yourself, students. If you lack direction, look to those around you for help. Your teachers will do whatever we can for you, as well as your friends, and of course... Your Pokemon. Never forget that." The crowd was about ready to disperse, but Clavell held a single hand up into the air, "Before you leave, we have two guest speakers. One, you all will likely know well. The other is associated with the Pokemon Activities Committee. Please, welcome Top Champion Geeta and Mr. Raoul Contesta to the stage." As Clavell finished, a figure approached the stage from either side. On the left, a tall woman with dark hair approached the stage, her arms folded behind her back as she looked out to the crowd of students. Most of them seemed to recognize her, varying degrees of excitement bubbling as the crowd spoke to each other... On the other side, an older man with greying hair, clad in a bright red suit climbed atop the stage as Clavell stepped down. He took the mic first, a wide grin on his face, "Hello, Naranja Academy! As your director introduced me, I am Raoul Contesta, and I'll be one of the three judges of each contest here in the Paldea region. My schedule is sure to be busy with how much I'll have to do!" That grin on his face broke out into a laugh as he clapped his hands together, "This is a momentous occasion, not just for you all, but for me. It isn't every day the Activities Committee is able to expand contests to a new region, so I look forward to seeing what any of you who chooses to participate can show me... I'll turn it over to your champion now, but I'm ready to be dazzled by you upcoming stars!" Mr. Contesta stepped back, allowing Geeta to take the mic from him. She folded a hand over her chest, "I believe you all have been waiting patiently, so I will keep this short. I see in front of me limitless potential in you students. As Top Champion, it has been my priority to see the light of Paldea shine brightly into the future. This is why, in conjunction with the Pokemon Activities Committee, I worked to bring Contests to Paldea. That said..." She paused, her hand dropping back to her side, "I greatly looking forward to seeing who wishes to challenge the Champion Assessment. The Gym Leaders across the region have been working overtime to be sure to make this the most interesting Gym Challenge yet, and I cannot wait to see the shining results. For now, however... Go, students. Your journeys begin here." ╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯

At this point, Vi questioned how she even got herself in this situation when her other two teammates were in a completely different part of the building and out of sight. She groaned through gritted teeth as she held her open umbrella in front of her like a shield, keeping her aura dense enough to withstand the constant shocks protruding from the floating drones in front of her. She was too distracted to notice Adler was no longer on the street before she made another glance in that direction. “Tsh…” she scoffed, rolling her eyes, “...show off.” Almost on cue, she noticed a sudden shift in the movements of the drones around her. At first they were only passive and reactive, but with what seemed like a synchronized movement, they all turned and began to position themselves around Vi. Her first instinct was to go into another defensive stance, but knowing where they were going, guarding only one side didn’t seem to be a viable tactic in this situation. “Alright, guess I’ll just… wait a minute-” just as she was about to use her brain for once, her vision focused on one drone in particular. Like a spider dangling on a web inches in front of her, she didn’t seem to notice that one of the drones was wearing her hat which had fallen off when she charged in. Perplexed, she blinked a couple times before looking again. She wasn’t going crazy. That drone is really wearing her hat. “Wha- how the f-” and then it hit her. She didn’t know for sure, but it had to have been, “...you motherfucker…” She didn’t know whether to laugh or growl, but the emotions surged from her once more as she closed her umbrella, holding it to her side as she twisted her hips and pivoted her legs preparing to spin. Once wound up, she executed the motion with a strong release of her aura energy as the air around her violently swirled like a vortex which brought a bunch of the debris from the destroyed warehouse with it. The combined force of the whirlwind as well as the impact of the rubble seemed to have caught the drones surrounding her, causing them to stagger. The attack didn’t last long. Vi only seemed to want to test it out in the heat of the moment, which appeared to have been effective enough to show results. The drones looked to be less of a threat as the electricity from their shock weapons had less of an impact against her armor. She gave a smug grin as she wound up for the same whirlwind attack, satisfied by the fact that the same debris she would use was almost in the exact same area when it settled from the first. As expected, the same scope of damage managed to finish them off. …except for one. The one drone wearing Vi’s hat sat floating just outside of the area of effect, and an awkward pause lingered as Vi would’ve locked eyes with it if it had any. With one last scoff, she simply lunged forward for a stab, releasing a burst from the tip of her umbrella on impact that knocked it back against the wall where it lay out of commission under more rubble. The burst caused her hat to fly upwards in an arc that almost touched the ceiling. Not even looking up at it, she turned around to start heading down the hallway where everyone else seemed to have gone, catching it with one hand and putting it back on without even a break in her stride. At that moment, the adrenaline began to wear off when she noticed the hole she had made before the hallway was starting to… repair itself? Taken aback, she looked around, also noticing the hole to the outside was doing the same. “Uh, guys?!” she shouted down the hall, making her way down to catch up with the group, “...what are we doing now? The building’s fuckin’ healing itself, who's doing that??”