Beast Speaker, Monster Tamer

33: Spot the References (Cause Author likes Their References Too Much)

Half of the trip passed by uneventfully and Elise almost let herself drift off into her daydreams.

Almost.

She sensed a shift in the air before she saw anything, moving her bag from its spot on the edge seat and squeezing it between her and the train wall. Staring at the unwelcome visitor as they meandered into view Elise tensed. The stern-faced woman facing her made her bristle.

"Hello," the woman said. "You must be Elise Wing."

"Good morning ma'am," Elise greeted cordially despite her reservations, eyes flickered to her and all around. While her parents didn't partake in raising her for most of her childhood, Lucas and Mentor didn't teach her to be a disrespectful person. "That would be me."

The woman didn't hesitate before launching into a tirade. "Oh good! I'm here to state that I don't see the reason why you're affiliated with all those...creatures."

Elise deflated.

If I could get a dime for every time someone said that to me, I'd be as rich as a ranking pro hero.

Boy, that'd save us some work, wouldn't it?

God, we'd be so rich.

"All this information and proof of them wrecking and hurting people is all over the internet and yet you still don't notice. And to think that you're training to be a pro hero of all people!" The woman shuddered. "What more damage could you cause if let loose within city walls?"

"Ma'am," Elise began, steeling her resolve. "Most Pokémons do not seek to actively attack people. Like humans, they only move to defend themselves against things that might hurt them or their homes."

"What about the ones who dwell around here?" The lady asked. "The city gets dirtied with them living around here. They've got plenty of space out in the wild!"

Elise could tell that they were attracting the attention of most if not all the passengers on the train and the telltale pounding of her heart picked up. No one would help her, but that was old news. How many times had others turned their back to her once they knew what was happening? Too many. She was alone.

"They face problems all other animals have. Their habitats are being encroached upon. Plus they're not the only wild animals in the city!"

She's quite a wild animal herself.

The woman didn't seem to listen and leaned closer to her. Elise did the opposite and pressed herself away from her. "Why am I surprised that you're defending them? Stop with your hero work, you're a danger to those around you and those heroes-in-training. I've seen what you can do on television, and that was under scrutiny. Imagine what would happen if you lost control."

Something painful twisted in her chest and Elise flinched. She knew all too well of what would happen if she lost control, the Charmander incident forever ingrained into her memory. What also hurt was never knowing what happened to the Charmander afterward, despite her actions to protect it.

A confident voice interjected into their conversation. Iida was there, a hand stuck out in a chopping motion. "Ma'am, as a fellow student of Wing's, and the president of Class 1-A, I can confidently say that she has all the right to pursue hero work like the rest of us. She is as capable of handling herself as the best of us, and her quirk is not a danger to us. There have been far more volatile quirks in the hero courses in past years and in our classroom now."