Pokémon Scarlet: Shimmering Destinations

4. Breaking Down To Build Myself Up

I can't do this!

The tile would have caved under me from the intense pacing I made in the hallway. I was to be introduced to the class, give a short presentation, and take a seat.

But this wasn't just a fresh start, apparently thanks to Nemo, the whole school knows about me and my feats.

I never wanted this for me, I wanted to study theory, refresh tactics, and make notes; how would it sound to an aspiring trainer that the once renowned champion stepped down to stay as a trainer? Especially with Nemona as Champion, would I even dare to take her on, at her very best?

"Ayyy, this is nuts! I can't strut around the school with my previous title, that's insane, look at the trouble it's gotten me into already, not to mention the amount of people asking questions, they're not like Blueberry where we've seen tapes and actual demonstrations, and even then, no one treated me any different, they were real chill and strived to match it, some were insanely close. I just wanna be a boring student with a mundane routine of taking my theories into consideration over- Ay!"

I bumped into a rather tall individual in the midst of my rambling and pacing, looking up and watching her smile.

"My apologies, I didn't see you there!"
I excused myself.

"It's quite alright. First day here, yes?"
The woman asked, her hair very spongy with yellow highlights weaved in between.

"Yes, I should be called in by Professor Jacq at any moment."

I chuckled nervously. The woman placed a hand at my shoulder and gave me a bright smile,

"Just exhale, smile, and be yourself. First impressions matter, but being true to yourself matters the most."

She chuckled and walked off, leaving me in a small daze as I shook my thoughts in place.

Right! Just breathe, relax... I can do this!

"Miss Hoshi? We'd like to see you."

The professor's voice rang from behind the door.

I sighed and fixed my Raboot sweater and my Scorbunny headband that was starting to become lopsided. No wonder they said most headpieces wouldn't fit, but it was a favorite, and I certainly needed comfort at this moment.

Walking inside, the entire classroom had their eyes on me, this normally wasn't unnerving like a stadium full of spectators. But this was different.

Overcoming the fear, that's the best part of it all.

Recalling the former champions' words, I cleared my throat and stood tall,

"Good morning, I'm very excited to meet you all. My name is Hoshi, and I've come to Naranja Academy today to better study Pokémon history and theory aside from my battles at Blueberry Academy."

The entire classroom went ablaze with mutters and whispers here and there, making me slightly nervous at how plain my introduction seemed at this point.

"All right, settle down. Now, who wants to be the first to ask our new friend a question?"
Professor Jacq smiled, the entire room had their hands up in an instant.

Oh boy....

"Mr. Jacq, I'd like to go first, please?!"

A boy slightly younger than me was almost eagerly bounding in his seat as I turned to face him,

"Oh, right! What's your favorite thing about Pokémon? Like, why did you start doing what you have done?"

"An interesting question," I pushed back the obvious want to hear more about my strengths, "I actually like everything about them; from their fur to their paws, every Pokémon is unique and talented in their own way. Even... Some I'm not fond of."