Pokemon Ascendance: Origins of Holon

2

The night before the exam, Elsie made sure that she had everything ready for the next day. After that, she decided to do some last-minute studying. All students would be handed the test as they walk into the room which meant that there was no time to quickly review at school.

Prism yawned and curled up on the pillow right next to Elsie, getting ready to go to sleep. Sapphire sat on a perch that Elsie had made for her with the help of her grandpa.

After Elsie quizzed herself on the trickier topics, she sighed and placed her notes back into her backpack. As she laid down, she looked at her two pokemon.

"Hey, which region did you like hearing about the most?" she asked them. "Kanto or Alola?"

Both the Eevee and Swablu pointed to the area where Alola was on the world map.

"Yeah. I really like Alola too. But Demetria seems deadset on going to Kanto...and bringing us along with her. I guess it wouldn't be too bad since we'll be with someone that we know but still...what's the point of going somewhere else if you're not going to enjoy the place you're going to? Would you guys be okay with not seeing Demetria or her Eevee for a while if we do choose to go to Alola?"

They look at each other at first before turning back to Elsie and nodding their heads.

'Guess they must really like Alola if they're willing to do that.' she thought. 'Eevee is one of the only pokemon they'll play with aside from each other.'

Elsie soon noticed Sapphire staring her down, giving her a look that she only made when Elsie was on the verge of not getting enough sleep.

"No need to use Sing, I'm going to sleep now." she promised as she went under the blankets and closed her eyes.

...............

The next morning, Elsie got ready as usual while Prism and Sapphire had breakfast. But this time, Prism brought Elsie a cereal bar, making sure that her owner had something to eat before they left. Seemed like on a day like this, neither of her pokemon were going to let her skip breakfast.

After Elsie ate, they headed to the school. 'Alright, I did everything I could to prepare for this. All I gotta do now is stay calm and do the best I can. Not being able to go to another region isn't the end of the world.'

Taking a deep breath, she entered the classroom and the test began.

...........

Elsie sat anxiously in her seat, just like everyone else in the classroom. Today was the day that they find out their scores on the test, which meant today would be the day the class finds out who gets to go to another region.

The tense silence was almost unbearable, and it only got worse when the teacher walked in. She didn't say anything as she headed to her desk. The class watched her in anticipation as she held the graded tests in her arm. Elsie glanced over at Demetria who didn't seem nervous at all.

'I guess she's really confident that she made a high enough grade. I wouldn't be surprised if she did pass.'

Soon the teacher began talking. "Well, all of you had done well on this test. Even if you aren't chosen to travel to another region, don't be too hard on yourself. You'll see a note at the front of your test and that will indicate whether or not you're qualified to go. For those that are able to go, letters will be sent to your parents. Before class starts tomorrow, you'll tell me and one of our guests which region is the one you chose. Now, when I call your name, please come and get your test."

Elsie's heart hammered in her chest as she waited for her name to be called. But her heart just continued to beat faster when her name was called and she went up to grab her test. Once she was in her seat, Elsie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening it. The first thing she saw was a small note with one word.

Congratulations.

Seeing that word caught Elsie off guard a bit before she and her two pokemon were smiling uncontrollably. 'I actually did it! I got a high enough grade!'

Elsie looked over at Demetria's seat and the look on her friend's face was anything but happy or excited. In fact she seemed pretty angry.

'She must've not have gotten the score she needed to go. I hope she'll be alright.'

Soon class ended and those that made it were reminded that they would make their choice tomorrow.

Right before Elsie could leave the building, Demetria stopped her right as she neared the front door.

"Hey." Elsie said. "Are you alright?"

"So you somehow made a good enough score to go huh?" Demetria commented, ignoring the girl's question.

"Uh...yeah."

"And you're really thinking about going?"

"W-Well yeah. Why wouldn't I?" Elsie asked.

Demetria sighed. "I'm going to be honest with you here. You should just forget about going to another region."

"What!? Why!?"

"Well to put it blunt...have you met you?" Demetria questioned. "You're too scared about almost everything. What makes you think you'll be able to take care of yourself in another region? You hardly speak in class and you're always refusing to battle even though you have two pokemon. You leaving Holon would just be a waste since you'll be too hesitant to do anything. It'd be a waste of energy, time, and money for someone to take you somewhere else."

At that, both Prism and Sapphire glared at the white-haired girl while Elsie couldn't figure out what to say. Demetria's Eevee seemed to have been just as shocked at what her trainer had just said.

"It may sound a bit mean but that's the truth and the truth isn't always pretty." Demetria said with a shrug. "So forget about going to another region." she walked off without another word. Eevee gave Elsie an apologetic look as if she was trying to apologize on behalf of her trainer before following her.

Prism and Sapphire looked at Elsie who had said nothing. Just looked at the ground.

"W-Well...can't say I was expecting that kind of response." she said, her mind revolving around what Demetria had just told her, tears threatening to spill. "Let's just...go home."

She scooped up her two pokemon in her arms before leaving the building. But she wasn't able to make it halfway back home until someone called out to her. Elsie turned to see another friend of hers, Alice running towards her. Zale, Lyn, and Hera following her.

"H-Hey guys...is something wrong?" Elsie asked.

"There's something that we want to talk to you about." Alice said. "Got a few minutes to spare?"