Metamorphosis (Pokémon Watties 2017)

11: Back to Zero

"Well, here we are."

Isa, Kaden, Sandslash, and Houndoom all stood in awe, facing Lumina's Battle Academy.

"I know I went to Luminia a lot, but I never really payed any attention to this. Now that we're here..." Kaden smiled a bit. "The only thing I've seen more majestic than this is the Central Tower. The interior there was absolutely breathtaking."

"Then that tower must be the best looking thing in all of Axiom. What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Isa ran ahead, not making a single pause for the others to catch up.

The first thing Isa noticed was the roof, made entirely of glass as to let only natural light in. The main room was circular and pure white with traces of gold on the edges of the floor and wall to match the armor of the Patrons. A few halls branched out from the room, all leading to different areas of the academy. "Whoa..."

"Pretty great, right?" A woman's voice echoed out, coming from one of the halls. Kaden immediately starting searching for the voice, letting out a small groan when Aurora, dressed in her armor, came from the direction of the voice.

"It's absolutely amazing! How did they even build this?" Isa's face lit up as he continued to look around.

"I don't know. It's been around since before I even became a Patron, and probably since before Valencia even began her leadership." Aurora walked next to Isa, Lucario following close behind.

"We didn't come here just to admire the scenery, we came here to apply for the academy. Would you happen to know where we could apply?" Kaden interrupted the two, watching over them with a bit of a glare.

"Applications are made at the Central Tower, as there is more proper space for a training test. If you'd like, I can lead you there." Aurora offered.

"You'd be okay with it?"

"Of course. We could always use more people ready to defend our region."

"Alright then, lead the way!" Isa and Aurora turned to leave, Kaden quickly following along.

The Central Tower was only a short walk away from the academy, but the crowds made the trip a bit longer. Finally inside, Isa immediately noticed that Kaden had been right about the tower's appearance being even better than that of the academy's. Like the academy, it had white and golden circular walls, with torches instead of a skylight. There were a few plants in front of columns in the tower, but for the most part the room was entirely empty except for the large staircase at the back of the room.

Both stared for a moment again, taking in the emptiness. "So, where do we sign up?" Kaden broke the silence as they continued to look around.

"I can start you both off right here, but first you'll need to hand over your swords and the Pokemon will have to be nullified." Aurora gestured to the sword hanging from Kaden's side. "Out of caution for Valencia's safety, of course. Once we've arrived at the testing room, I will give you your swords back and lift the nullification on your Pokemon so you can take the test."

"Understandable." Isa reached to his side to hand Aurora his sword, motioning to Sandslash to step up to her. Kaden shook his head, instead drawing the sword and pointing it at Aurora.

"I'm not giving you my sword. I've been to Luminia before, and they've never had academy members come here to register. You're onto something, and we deserve to know what it is." Kaden glanced over to see Isa stare at him, confused.

"Nothing's going on, they just have to keep their precautions up due to the invasions." Isa spoke slowly, looking back to Aurora. "Isn't that right?" She didn't respond. "Aurora?"