Pasio University: Sophomore and Junior Years

Chapter 82- Reclaimers

Elio POV

The first round of this year's International Collegiate Championship Tournament is going to be held in Kanto! Which is pretty cool. Can't say I've been there in a while. We're up against Ever Grande University today, and Brendan tells me that's around where the Pokemon League is located in Hoenn. But that doesn't matter, we're playing in Kanto. What does matter is that the game plan is as simple as lining them up and knocking them down.

I got to the team boat, and I gotta say, it is psyching me out a little bit. I haven't been on this thing in a while, and I don't have fond memories of it. Especially not for trips like this that'll be pretty long. But there aren't any other options and Lillie feels safe about it so I'll go. Lillie also saved up enough money from working at the pokemart while I was trying not to die that she can come with us to all the games. I'm delighted honestly. But I'll be more delighted if we can get past this round, because all the trips after the first two rounds will be by plane. So this is the first step to abandoning this boat.

Eventually the whole team gathered on the boat and we were off for Kanto. Specifically it'll be held in Vermillion City, and their college team will be playing today too. I was filing through all the details in my head when Lillie interrupted my train of thought. "Back to Kanto for me Hm..." I smiled, "Please don't stay there this time though." She giggled, "I might. It's quite nice there... I'm just joking. Though it is kind of pleasant there." I thought for a moment, "You were in Vermillion weren't you?" She nodded and I continued, "You should know all the good spots then. Do show me!" She laughed, "That's all you think about..." Lillie yawned and her eyes fluttered, "I'm really tired... I think I'm gonna take a nap." I agreed, "Sounds good to me. That'll pass the time." I fell asleep about 15 minutes later after calming my anxiety about the boat.

"WELL, WELL, WELL. YOU MADE IT." Came the familiar voice of the legendary Pokemon of nightmares that I knew all too well. I stood and shook my head, "Darkrai!? Do you mean to tell me there's more!? Do I need to wake up!? Send me back I gotta protect Lil-" He approached me and stared at me inches from my face, "RELAX, HUMAN." I stopped talking and shrugged, "Ok. What's up?" He looked off in to the black void of his realm, "MAINLY, I JUST WANTED TO COMMEND YOU. YOU WERE TOTALLY UNPREPARED FOR THE EVENTS OF ONE YEAR AGO, YET YOU PULLED THROUGH. THAT IS NO SMALL FEAT." I sat down, "Nah. I got lucky. Which isn't new for me." Darkrai... Chuckled!? He turned to face me, "YOUR ATTITUDE IS FASCINATING TO ME HUMAN. MAYBE ONE DAY I WILL COME TO UNDERSTAND YOU BETTER." I stood up, "Can't say it's been a pleasure interacting with you. But I guess you get that a lot. You're not bad for a nightmare." Darkrai floated away, "HMPH. GOOD LUCK... ELIO."

I shook awake moments later. Lillie looked down at me, "Oh! Good timing! We just got to the dock. You sleep well? You were mumbling quite a bit." I nodded and sat up slowly, "Yeah. Yeah I'm good."

Brendan POV

I laid my bag down on the bench outside the stadium. We're the very last match today, so it'll be a while before we start today. May and I decided to relax on the bench for a bit. She looked at me, "So what's the roster looking like for today?" I replied, "Er... To be honest with you I don't even know. There's a lot on my mind." May tilted her head, "Really? This should be a relatively comfortable win for us." I put my hands under my chin and leaned forward. "I know. But there is a lot I need to figure out. Is Elio really back to form? Are there some team members I've been neglecting? I wonder if I'm really starting the best... Should Elio be a starter again? Can I trust him that much?" May patted my back, "You weren't kidding. That's a lot. She grabbed our bags and then my hand. "Come on, let's go see the sights. I'm sure you'll figure it out." I smiled and held her hand as we walked down the really busy streets.