Eevee Therapy for Little Magi Chapter 61: Too Cool for This School (Patreon)

After so long travelling by foot or Cyclizar, it felt a little strange for the group to be sitting still while the world moved around them. Sakura looked out the window as the train rolled north, carrying the three kids and their Pokemon northwest towards their next stop.

Behind her, she heard Rin speak up. “So, N. I never got the chance to ask, but are you going to do any more gym challenges? You did really well on your first one.”

Sakura turned back to the rest of their car to see N shaking his head. “Zorua and Noibat had fun, but I’m still not enthusiastic about the competitive side of battling. Pokemon like to fight, I can now agree, but to make it a competition for the trainers… I think I will just battle casualty.”

“Casually.”

“Yes, sorry,” N accepted the correction with a small blush.

“Battling competitively isn’t for everyone,” Sakura added her own two cents to the conversation, offering N a smile. “Nor is it for every Pokemon. Not everyone has the drive or even desire to push themselves that far, after all.”

N nodded. “...I think there was a plan to have me become Champion at some point? At least, father used to talk about rising to the highest place of power as a stepping stone a few times.”

Rin snorted. “Even with the right team, that’s a challenge. You have to beat all the gyms, place in the yearly League Tournament, then beat all four members of the Elite Four to challenge the Champion for their spot. And Alder, for all he’s a bit absent, is a champion-level trainer for a reason. Most people attempting the gym challenge are just aiming for the conference, if that.”

Sakura moved to open her mouth, stopped, reconsidered, then spoke with more thought. “I originally only set out on this journey because I wanted to spend time with Rin, and she was more enthusiastic about exploring Unova. However, I’m interested in helping my team grow stronger, and the best way to both inspire and measure our growth is battling against other pokemon.”

Other growled softly from her seat next to Sakura. “It’s part of our need. I know I’m ready to evolve, but play-fighting and sparring isn’t cutting it.”

“And I wasn’t particularly invested in the League at first, but now that I’ve experienced battling I’m definitely invested,” Rin added with a competitive smirk. “Can’t let my sister be beating me, after all.”

N nodded. “Thank you for explaining.” He looked up as the train began to slow down, all three humans and one ghost fox peering out the window. “This is Rosham City, then? It seems a tad generic.”

Sakura bit back a small titter. “There are a lot of small cities and towns where there’s little difference between one and the next. So far, most of the places we’ve stopped have been major towns with their own landmarks. Rosham… aside from the academy, there’s only the Rosham Needle, and the Transit Museum. It’s just a place to live and work for most people.”

Rin frowned as she thought that through. “...so it’s like Fuyuki City. Any bets on a dark secret?”

“No bet,” Sakura responded. “The universe would make one for us if we provoked it like that.”

--(o)--

After disembarking the train and taking a bus line through the city center, the group arrived at a sprawling campus of brick buildings and towering trees, Sakura checking the sign which confirmed where they’d arrived. “Ankoku Ron Academy. It seems…” She looked around the shade-dappled campus, noting the empty benches. “...more quiet than I thought a University was supposed to be.”

Rin shrugged. “I’d hope everyone would be studying, but it does seem quiet. I wonder where–”

“Girls!” The group turned to see Professor Juniper walking towards them, coming up the sidewalk, Fennel at her heels. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again.” She looked them both over, then swept all three kids into a hug. “And none of you are hurt this time!”

“I’d certainly hope our luck isn’t that bad,” Sakura deadpanned.

“It certainly seems that way sometimes,” Fennel observed. “Ah, Junebug, let them go.”

Juniper finally released her kids and their friend, giving them a bright smile. “So, you’ve gotten up to a lot more trouble, if the league reports and your own talks have been correct, but I’ve not heard the whole story. Why don’t you fill us in while we walk?” she asked, leading them through the gates of the school.

“We can do that. Where should I start?” Rin asked as they headed inside.

“Well, we need to talk about the gang war…” Juniper began.

The conversation meandered through the two’s journey, both women gasping at the right time as their daughters filled them in on infiltrations, gym battles, exploration and training. “I’d have expected the two of you to challenge the battle Subway. I thought Sakura was planning on a battle while you were still in Nimbasa.”

Sakura shook her head. “While we’re doing well for new trainers, the Battle Subway is intended for more experienced fighters. If we’d swept Elesa aside, we might have done Ingo and Emmet’s lowest level challenge, but…”

“We’re not ready. Our teams don’t have enough move coverage, and mine is still lagging behind on conditioning. If we’re going to attempt the Subway Challenge, it'll be at the Subway Brothers’ best, not with them wearing kiddy gloves,” Rin said firmly. “That, and after my retraining, we didn’t want to linger in the city any longer. There'll be more opportunities to make a challenge there.”

“Ingo did promise to get me a lavender conductor’s uniform,” Sakura giggled. “I might spend a few months there after the conference, if we make it that far.”

“I think you’d do well in the Subway, but I’m happy to hear you’re keeping the length of your journey in mind,” Fennel remarked as they approached a small cafe built into one of the buildings, a few students and a scattering of faculty sitting at tables, sipping tea and coffee. “Junebug, do you see him?”

“I don’t. Hold on…” Juniper smiled and pointed, the group peering over to see a sharp-dressed man in a white hat sitting at an otherwise empty booth. “There he is! Come on girls, time to meet an old friend.” She led them over to the table. “Hello Cy!”

“Juniper! Just as lovely as always. And Doctor Fennel, good to see you.” The man stood up, hugging Juniper warmly, before he turned his smile on the kids. “And these would be… hang on, there’s an extra.”

“That’d be N. He’s a sassy lost child we found in the wild, and we decided to keep him,” Sakura stated innocently.

“Excuse me, I’m traumatized, not sassy,” N deadpanned with a tiny smile.

“Hah! So that’d make you two… Sakura and Rin, right?” The man extended a hand, accepting handshakes in turn from each of them. “Cyrano Christian, currently dean of the schools of Battling and Conscientiousness here at Ron Academy.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.” Rin said. “We did have a question, though…”

“About the emptiness?” At the girls’ nods, he sighed. “I forget most people don’t know it’s like this most of the time. Truth be told, we’re a bit of a dying school.” He sighed. “Ankoku Ron does have some practical education tracks, but we were founded as a school for teaching spiritualism and natural studies.”

Fennel explained as everyone got seated. “In the past, Pokemon were more distant from us, as you know. To mediate and connect with Pokemon often required already established bonds with partner Pokemon, which required connecting to very much different people on a deep level. Learning to reach out with aura, psionics, one’s spirit, dreams, or via direct expression of the heart used to not just be a matter of religion or magic, but practical need.”

“It’s a wonderful art, but one that’s much less necessary now,” Juniper nodded. “Instead of young people becoming Pokemon specialists with years of foundational training, most youngsters just go on their journey. It’s wonderful that it’s so easy to connect with Pokemon now, but the old ways are being lost.”

“Ron still gets Rangers coming here for supplemental studies, and our teachings are still sought by those seeking stoles, robes, or other priestly mantles,” Cyrano finished. “But ours is a school in decline, I’m afraid.”

“That seems… sad,” N commented, though he didn’t say anything further.

“It’s part of life, young man,” Cyrano said simply. “Battling is much more exciting, and a bit more prudent today. You need to teach some practical skills, after all!” He rubbed his hands together. “So… remind me, why did you come here?”

Juniper smiled. “Well, I know one person who has a depth of knowledge about spiritualism. In exchange for all three of you getting a week to study here and attend some classes, we thought Rin might guest lecture in the Applied Spiritual Effects class.” 

“Seems reasonable,” the aforementioned girl nodded, humming to herself. “I don’t know nearly as much about the mechanics of things here, but Libra does.”

“Libra?” Cyrano asked.

“Yes?” The Lampent emerged from her ball in a small flash of light. “You know, I have several decades worth of potential lecture notes we could use… I got a little bored over time,” she admitted sheepishly.

Sakura coughed. “Well, I’m glad your first thought was asking our local expert. But will she get any flak because of her age?”

Fennel chuckled, then paused. “Wait, did we tell them Rin’s considered one of Junebug’s senior assistants?”

“I don’t believe we did,” Juniper acknowledged. “Dears, the number of research papers Rin has submitted are nearly enough to earn her an Associate’s degree. I’ve been publishing them with her listed as one of my Lab Aides.”

“...does that mean we need to call her Doctor Tohsaka?” N asked after a moment of thought.

“Not yet, but maybe in a few years,” Juniper replied.

“That makes…” Rin trailed off, making the connections. “...no, it’s like… Pokemon Professors are very important people, aren’t they? Like, internationally famous. So being a Senior Aide to a Professor is like being an associate researcher to a Clock Tower Lord or Lady.”

“Probably.” Sakura hummed, disinterest clear despite her deadpan tone. She was not interested in Clock Tower politics, and she wasn’t the same kind of genius as her sister.

Rin nodded firmly. “I won’t let you down, Prof–”

“Juniper. Or mom.”

“...Juniper,” Rin nodded, blushing slightly.

--(o)--

Rin sat down at one of the library desks, Sakura and N sitting nearby. She lifted her pen, thinking about what to write, then looked up at Libra. “...suggestions?”

“Let’s check the syllabus for our class first, then we can figure out our topic. And then… we should probably check in with our less studious companions to see if they can handle it,” Libra advised.

Rin nodded, tapping the balls at her belt, releasing Agate, Gordon, and Carrol. The three larger Pokemon crowded around her.

Agate started off, with an exaggerated sniff. “I’m a little insulted at you for not considering my input. What kind of research partner are you?”

“The kind that knows that Libra knows the material in question better than you,” Rin replied in a complete deadpan. “That said, now that you’ve offered to help, I can conscript you without a singular ounce of guilt. Thanks Agate.”

“Happy to serve, Rin. As for the presentation, I think I’ll be more help with the research. Gordon, finished reading the syllabus?”

“Aye, lass. I can see why they’d think our lady’d be helpful, the class is all about the historical uses of type energy, and how their use by humans has changed over time. Bit of a crossover between the practical and the theory, which you’re right good at,” he said to Rin.

Sakura spoke up from where she was browsing a book on psychic connections. “She is, though I’m not entirely certain why you’re doing this.” She looked up with one raised eyebrow.

“...well, for one, I’m treating this as a chance to practice for the day I have to design lectures for future students,” Rin said, before a sneer crept onto her face. “That fake priest is a terrible teacher, and father… well, looking back, he was good, but not exceptional. And you’ve refused to learn anything but the very basics; I know why, but… it makes it hard to test how well I can teach.” She sighed. “For another, Juniper and Fennel have done a lot for us; more for you than me, but I always repay my debts.”

Raising a finger, Sakura went to respond, only to fall silent. Rin was, for once, objectively and completely correct.

Carrol yawned. “The old spider has experience, Libra has her reading, and you and Agate are on the same page so much it’s intimidating. Me, I’ll offer what little guidance I can, but really, I’ll just make sure whatever you make isn’t too boring.”

Rin nodded. “That’s valuable too. Knowing when a complete novice would flounder is good as well… Even if, as a Pokemon, you have an instinctive grasp of the subject material.

I wonder how many Pokemon would find such lectures useful?”

“More than you’d know. Lass, you’ve mostly run into Pokemon who’ve bothered making something of themselves, at least a little. Do you know how many dumb ‘mon there are out there who don’t do anything except spam the moves that come easiest? It’s a lot, let me tell you,” Gordon grumbled.

As the girls looked a little startled, N nodded along. “Many of the Pokemon I met over the last few years were poached Pokemon who were forced to fight; most did not have the temperament for battling and did not seek to sharpen themselves in that way. Pokemon that seek out trainers, I think, are the ones who want to fight and grow; there are many more who are content with their little homes and gardens.” He turned back to his own book.

“That makes sense. Carrol, you’re not…” Rin ventured.

“Naw, I like showing off and having a bout in the ring, and getting to sharpen my claws on those who deserve it is just fine. I’m just not a musclehead who spend every moment training,” Carrol reassured his trainer.

Rin nodded. “Right, well… How does a breakdown on natural type energy, how it functions from person to person, and what their typing means for personalized foci sound as a lecture?" She asked.

“I think that sounds interesting. Will you go into each person’s type?” N asked.

“That’s a misnomer. For one, humans, like Pokemon, can have multiple types, and even the subtypes some Pokemon seem to have. Like Ninetails and their affinity for Ghost and Psychic energies,” Rin waved one hand. “Humans can be accented towards one or more types naturally, but it’s a matter of training to develop an alignment more than any natural affinity. Sakura has strong affinities for Psychic, Ghost, and Dark energies, but none of those lock her out of developing other reserves of type energy. Well, if she wasn’t an Earth Magus, anyway; I don’t think we can actually develop proper reserves like natives. We convert Od into type energy,” she finished.

“I see… and my natural affinities–”

“Normal and Dark. Specifically, Dark-as-Judgement,” Rin said simply, turning back to her notes. “Still, adding a section on personal affinities might bring more interest to the work as a whole… I’ll think about it.”

“Just remember, three hours is the maximum, and you’ll need time to answer questions,” Gordon advised. “So maybe shoot for two hours of talking at a maximum?”

“That seems like a good idea.” Rin acknowledged. “Now, we have a topic, and we have a starting point. Let’s get to work.”