Sparring 1 [Class 1] [EVERYONE JOIN]

The classroom was quite large for the sparring activities, looking more like a small gym than a place of learning. A battlefield spanned the front of the room, and 5 horizontal rows of desks spanned along the back part of the classroom, each row 2 feet higher than the one before it to resemble a small college class. Above the battlefield, an impressively large screen was put into a wall, looking like a giant television. It was on, but the only thing that was displayed was the Pokémon Battle Academy logo, along with the name of the class, Sparring 1.

The teacher sat at a desk in front of the student ones, except off to the side a bit more, against the wall that had the door. Her hair was a shade of pink, as was popular around regions like Sinnoh, and she was quite young; around her late twenties by the look of it. On her desk was a little namecard, with Mrs. Eckert printed on it in bold white letters, a contrast to the black background. Her desk had a few pictures: one picturing her husband out of assumption, one picturing a little girl, and one picturing a teenage girl alongside what looked like Professor Oak!

Marina glanced at these pictures as she walked in with the other students, and was thoroughly impressed. That girl looked a lot like the teacher. How good was she at battling? The girl assumed you had to be good to administrate a class like this, and ultimately became curious of her team. She took a seat in the front row, far from the steps in the middle of the desks. She knew the lazy, unlikeable kids usually sat in the back, and did not want to associate herself with them. Even though she was forced into the school, she would still make the best of her learning experience.

A red head followed in soon after her room mate. Being sure to take in everything about the classroom. This was going to be her class for the year. Her eyes traveled over the few pictures, then over the walls of the class room, unconsciously taking a seat next to Marina. She was slightly nervous. The new student didn't want to do anything wrong, it was a fresh start, a clean slate. Becca nervously glanced over to her teacher. Was she going to be nice? Or was she going to be one of those teachers that everyone hates? Or was she the teacher that rambled on and on?

Becca turned her gaze over to the door as the other students filed in. She knew her brother was going to be in her class. Which was slightly weird. However, he knew to sit on the other side of the room from her. It was a pact they had made. If they were in the same class, they would sit away from each other. Unless the teacher put them together. Then they'd be in trouble.

Knowing her brother well, he would sit in the back, and stay quiet. Well. That's what she envisioned her older brother doing. She never paid attention to Orion's social and school life.

The door didn't stay closed for long. Almost as soon as it had closed, it bursted open as Blaire bounced into class, a smile on her face as she skipped into the room and glanced around. Not many seats had been taken up, but she recognized Becca from before. At least there was one nice redhead at this school. Looking at the teacher, she noticed how young Mrs... She narrowed her eyes to peer at the nameplate... Eckert, that was it. She noticed how young Mrs. Eckert looked. If she was a teacher at such a prestigious school, she must be very good at what she does. She was further excited now to take this class: sparring meant some form of fighting, and competition easily followed. She enjoyed those two things very much, after all.

Walking towards the first row of desks, she took a seat one desk away from the redheaded girl, just in case one of her more-known friends wanted to sit there. Leaning over, she whispered excitedly, "Hey there! This is exciting, isn't it?" It wasn't much to say, but then again it was all she needed to say, at least in her mind. Having classes finally start had her excited and raring to go. Hopefully it could erase the bad memories of some other days. It was about time things really got started around here.

Sunny followed behind, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her loose black jacket. Normally, she'd have Ninetales trailing her, but this time she left the fire-type in her ball. She took a seat somewhere in between the front and the back, a little off to the side, after getting a good look around the classroom... or class stadium. Whatever they preferred to call it. She looked down at the girls at the front, wondering what it was that compelled them to sit so close the the battling that would no doubt take place soon. Didn't they know that thy could get their faces blasted off with a misplaced Hyper Beam?

Lonesome Ivory followed, her hood up as usual. Her pokeballs were secured in the bag she carried with her, and she took her spot in the back. She looked at the teacher, and watched as people gathered, with knowledge that they'd probably sit with their roommates. The only person ivory would tolerate sitting with would probably be Anceril, as she couldn't really, or want to, socialize with anyone else, let alone be next to them. The sound-filled room drove Ivory partially insane, as a bunch of noise would surely be a problem to her.

She clutched her Luxrays' pokeball, after gently taking it from her bag, as she knew that her Ditto would want to escape, same with her Altaria. Looking at her pokeball that contained her oversized kitty, as she called it, she thought; If we do fight, you are surely going first. I trust you.

Dakota paused in the doorway as she looked around. She couldn't help but be impressed; it seemed more like an arena than a classroom. The girl took a couple of careful steps out into the open, clinging tightly onto the hem of her jacket. There were a lot of people in the class, but the back seemed rather free...

The trainer narrowed her eyes as her indigo gaze landed on Ivory, in a hoodie, standing around in the middle of the classroom. Didn't the girl know that she wasn't supposed to cover her head in class? Dakota reached out and wordlessly gave the hood a sharp tug as she walked past, pulling the head covering right off and revealing that stupid bright blue hair.

Hmph. Maybe her dormmate had a good reason for having a hood on; that color was atrocious.

Dakota made her way on past and up the steps towards the very back, away from the other students. It would be a better view of the field from there anyways, with none of the cretins around to bother her.

Lev followed the crowd into the sparring class, taking a moment to look around at the arena-like surroundings. It'd been about three years since she'd been in a formal classroom, so for a moment she wondered if things had changed this much. No, she decided, this room was designed specifically for the sparring class. Making her way to where the students sat, Lev chose a seat right next to Blaire,the only person she really knew, in the front. "Uh, you weren't saving this spot for anyone, were you?" the girl asked as an afterthought, thinking Blaire must have a few other friends and they didn't actually know each other all that well.

~~~~~~

Kel came in a bit after this, quickly finding a seat before looking around. He ended up in the fourth row, right on the edge of one side. It was only now that he looked at his surroundings. He mostly foccused on the battle area, which was in clear view from where he sat. It was plain, a normal dusty dirt field. Kel smiled at that. Perfect, fair terrain for everyone.

Marina wasn't very up for battling, afraid of embarrassing herself in front of the other students. She leaned over to Becca, as to express her hope that she could battle her friend. It would put more ease and less pressure into the battle, before the teacher cut her off by speaking to the class. She had stood in front of the students without the girl realizing

"Hello everyone, and welcome to your first Sparring 1 class!" she said with warm enthusiasm, her youthful smile showing that years have not worn down her will to teach. "My name is Mrs. Rebecca Eckert, and I've been married to my husband for 3 months now."
She showed off the ring as if proof was necessary.
"Now, about how I got to lead this class. You may or may not know me as the 2006 Johto League Runner Up. I had made it close, and surely was sad that I lost, but I was pleased to be acknowledged by Mr. Nolin! Because of this, I'll be here to oversee your daily battles and give tips as to your rights and wrongs. So, without further ado, I shall randomly select two of you for our first battle!"

The teacher made her way over to the laptop sitting on her desk and opened up an application, tapping the space bar. The silence of the room in anticipation made the click of the key so very noticeable, and the screen that once showed the school's logo now showed the blinking faces of the students being randomized, similar to a slot machine. Finally, the blinking stopped, and two students were chosen.

"Marina Copeland and Dakota Walker, to the staaage!"

Marina's heart sank as she was picked. What were the odds? What was worse was that she was versing that mean girl, who always went toe to toe with the brunette aquaphobic.

Sullenly, the girl arose from her desk, and being next to the staircase and in the first row, arrived at her side of the battlefield first. She waited for her opponent to take the stage.

Blaire glanced up as she noticed someone was trying to get her attention. Smiling when she noticed it was her roommate Lev, she shook her head and gestured towards the seat. "Oh no, it's free. Glad to see you're in this class too." It was good that people she knew were in this class. Just as she was giving Lev the go-ahead, the teacher began class. Glancing up front, she listened as Mrs. Eckert started the class rather... interestingly. She didn't know exactly about what a three month marriage had to do with sparring, but who was she to question it? Eventually, the time for sparring was upon them, and the contestants were... that one blue-haired girl, and... oh no. Blaire groaned inwardly when that redheaded witch showed up onscreen. It was like there was no place sacred on this island from her bitchy wrath. So her name was Dakota, then? For such a pompous bitch, she certainly had quite a hick name. I guess she really is compensating for something. What she wouldn't have given to be the one up there sparring with Dakota. There would be no mercy on that battlefield.

OOC: *is completely late for this* ;A;

IC: Anceril and Kanna had both rushed in once again. They always seemed to be late for everything - whether it was because Anceril was feeding their Pokemon or designing new clothing or trying new recipes or Kanna going through more strategies and tactics. This was a pretty bad first impression, huh?

The two girls came in, both taking their seats by Orion or Becca. They were followed by their usual Pokemon - Kurone, Cheryl, Ceylon, and Velia. Ceylon just bluntly take a seat right next to Kanna, Velia resting on her trainer's lap, Kurone doing the same with Anceril, Cheryl floating around.

Hearing the names, they let out a sigh of relief. It'd be bad to just get here, rushing, and then being called for a battle.

OOC: Really short post. I just don't have the motivation right now to right a whole bunch of paragraphs.

Aria pushed open the doors to the room with a small sigh, dragging her backpack behind her. Great, late to the first class. She glanced around the room, before quickly heading over to where Sunny was sitting and took a seat next to her best friend. She leaned her backpack on her chair as she leaned backwards with a small moan. Six Pokeballs adored her waist; with each of her Pokemon inside. She figured it wouldn't be the best idea to have her team out; mostly if it could cause an distraction.

She glanced at her backpack which was covered with bite marks in one corner of it. She hadn't even gotten to use the backpack before Bahamut had tried to eat it. Hopefully it would last now...She finally sat forward and glanced at the large screen. Oh thank goodness, she hadn't been picked for battling just yet. However, she did start to wonder who she would face against if she did get picked. Hopefully anybody but Brendan...No way did she want to go up against him again already. Mostly seeing how she won last time...


Daniel looked up from his desk as he heard Mrs. Eckert speak - having been one of the first people in the room - his eyes sparkling with interest as he watched the two girls be picked to fight. However, he soon swallowed and slid down in his chair a bit at the thought of having to battle anybody in the room. It would be a nightmare; mostly because he knew his team was far less powerful then pretty much anybody; which meant he was sure to lose a fight if he was ever picked. No way would he want to watch his team get hurt; nor did he want every other student at the school to see his team be beaten. Hopefully he wouldn't be called on for a while...

Occ: *sigh* Of course the only day I don't get on the computer since the opening of PBA is the day that the first class starts! *mumblemumble*

Dakota froze in her tracks as she heard her name. The trainer turned on her heel to see her face blinking on the screen. They had picked her for the first battle of the first class? And against another blue-haired bint, too, the one with the Gorebyss. Marina. Was she some kind of Water specialist? The girl gave a confident smirk and held her head high as she walked back down and took her place on the field, opposite to her opponent. Her hand was poised over the Pokéballs hanging half-hidden under her blazer, just waiting for the signal for the match to start. She'd be giving her new classmates a battle they wouldn't forget in a hurry.

Mrs. Eckert clapped her hands together, seemingly ignoring the tardy students. "We do three verses three in this classroom, alright, so that we can fit plenty of battles a day. These battles, like all, count on your permanent record."
Tapping a few keys on her laptop, the screen changed to show three Pokéballs next to the two competitor's faces, as well as a health bar below. The Pokéballs were glowing, symbolizing the three usable Pokémon.
"Go, L-Gorebyss!" Marina stopped in the middle of saying her Pokémon's name, suddenly feeling a little self conscious about it. She named the Gorebyss as a little girl, when it was a small Clamperl. Would someone make fun of it? She couldn't take a chance here.
Gorebyss appeared, and as it did so, Mrs. Eckert tapped another key on her laptop. The sides of the battlefield gave way to two small pools, leaving a strip of land through the middle of the two pools. Lucy landed calmly in the right one, ready to battle.

Dakota yanked her own Pokéball off her belt and tossed it into the air. "Go, Honchkrow." she called. Light filled the classroom as the raven erupted from the ball with a loud squawk and began to circle above the Gorebyss, near the rafters. The trainer caught the ball as it came back down and locked Marina with a cold glare. "Drill Peck."

The Honchkrow wheeled around one last time before swooping down upon the Gorebyss with a piercing cry. It fanned its wings as skimmed above the water and gripped the Pokémon's long snout and dorsal fins with its talons. The raven began to take to the air with the Water-type in its clutch, landing sharp pecks around its eyes.

As the Honchkrow started pecking at Gorebyss, Marina looked on with disbelief. She had to get Gorebyss out of the Honchkrow's clutches, or there would be a problem!
"S-surf, go!"
Suddenly, the water below the two Pokémon began to become uneasy, producing small waves and a dreadful looking current, looking as if a storm had been surging over it. After a bit of this, a huge wave jumped out of the water from both sides, washing over even the land. It engulfed Honchkrow, letting Gorebyss jump into the wave unharmed.

Shane, who was totally there the whole time, leaned in as the Gorebyss used surf. He had seen this move used many times against him in his travels in Kalos, and was eager to see if this could be the move that turned the tides of the battle.

The raven let out a loud squawk of surprise as the water rushed over it, but with a flap of its wings it broke free of the wave and took back into the air. "Dark Pulse." Dakota called out, with hands balled into fists. A black aura began to radiate from the Honchkrow and then surged around the whole classroom, covering it in darkness and filling each person it touched with dark thoughts. The trainer tried to ignore the pain that coursed through her head and suppressed a small groan, just pitying the unprepared people on the sidelines.

Now that Gorebyss was back in the water, it was easier for the fish Pokémon to use the move again. "Ride a wave into that Honchkrow! Surf!" Marina commanded.
A similar wave was conjured up to the one from the fish's first move, making direct contact with Lucy riding it proudly. Marina smiled, noticing that her strategy was working. Hopefully Lucy could hold on until she could defeat her opponent.

Becca had seen this coming. She could feel the Dark pulse slamming into her, springing a huge headache. The trainer on the sidelines flinched and rubbed her temples in hopes of easing the pain that throbbed. However, it continued to be like her brain was being attacked by a mob with sticks and rocks. Pitch black thoughts entered her mind, she quickly shook them off, not wanting to miss anything in the spar.

Orion watched as the pulse headed towards them. The attack was slowly dieing out as it got towards the back. He still got the effects, but not as much as the front row had. As he was in the back, he could clearly see the rings, so Orion squinted his eyes shut, attempting to block out the dark thoughts. After they faded, he opened his right eye to look over at Anceril to see if she was alright.

As the pain of the Dark Pulse subsided, Dakota glanced up just in time to see her Honchkrow take another wave to the face, crashing hard down upon the strip of land in the center of the arena. She held her breath and then let out a quiet sigh of relief as the bird stood and shook the water from its sodden feathers with loud squawks of indignation. I'll make this bitch and her Gorebyss pay for that hit tenfold. Dakota thought bitterly as she clenched her fists. "Dark Pulse!" she called out, anger entering her voice, bracing for the second wave of blackness.

The Honchkrow fanned its wings and let loose another surge, and the pain of it nearly knocked Dakota off her feet. Despite all her willpower, she couldn't help but let out a quiet and strained 'agh' as more pain coursed through her. It was worse in her head, but she was acutely aware of the stings of pain throughout her whole body; her fingertips, her legs, her abdomen. Her back was aching like she'd been standing up in the same position for hours. Why'd you have to get your feathers wet, old bird? She didn't trust the raven to pull off a Drill Peck soaking like that, but she could now see that it was beginning to take flight again, beating its wings and sending spray all over the crowd and teacher. I bet everyone just loves me right now. Like Dakota cared. Anybody with a brain watching the battle could see why the trainer was doing what she was doing, but she didn't expect that any of them did.

Just after the terrible shock of the first wave, another wave of Dark Pulse was sent into the crowd of watching students. It was obviously the worst for the trainers on the field, and a little less for the front row, but even being in the middle brought pain to Sunny that left her head in her hands and her elbows on the desk. You moron, I don't care if it's some damn strategy- you're going to drive us all off the edge!

Marina began to rub her temples, realizing everyone was getting rather peevish due to the Dark Pulses. They were having an effect on her, giving her a sudden angry resentment deep in her chest. She drove it out, thinking back at the battle. At least the audience was on her side. Lucy seemed to be confident that she could beat the bird with her signature move, glaring back at Marina affirmatively. Marina breathed. Lucy wouldn't last much long after Honchkrow if so. She had to plan ahead, in case her Gorebyss bit the dust.

"Shell Smash."

The Gorebyss seemed to give the best nod that it could, and a glowing red aura began to surround it, the walls of the aura maintaining a distance of about a foot from the Pokémon's pink skin. Suddenly, the aura seemed to rip apart, and it disappeared. The Gorebyss put on a menacing look, as if a burden had been lifted from its shoulders and it was ready to battle.


"Another Surf, and make it count." Marina instructed anxiously, suddenly more solemn in tone. This was her first Pokémon, and she was acting as if it was the decider of the battle. And hey, maybe it was. The Gorebyss whipped up a larger wave than before, that seemed to carry quicker and hit the Honchkrow directly.

The Honchkrow was knocked roughly through the air by the wave. Everything seemed to be moving in slow-motion as she watched her Pokémon begin a free-fall back to earth, forgetting about her wet clothes and aching body. Dakota would win this battle if it was the last thing she did, but first she'd knock out that God-forsaken Gorebyss, and maybe Marina too when it was all over with. "Drill Peck!"

Suddenly, the raven seemed to start back to life. Its eyes flashed open and it spread its wings, turning the plummet into a glide. Spotting the serpent below in the water as the wave crashed back down. It corkscrewed and descended on the Gorebyss like a bombshell, hitting the Pokémon and the water hard.

Dakota held her breath as the raven rose from the foaming and rippling pool, this time with the Gorebyss in its talons. Honchkrow can't last much longer... That thing was slippery, and fast too after Marina's stunt. There was only one thing to do, otherwise she'd be at a disadvantage. Some would call her next move cheap and dishonorable, but she wasn't here to play fair and nice. She was here to win, and make sure her own Pokémon lasted throughout this match.

"Sucker Punch."

Without wasting any time, the Honchkrow lurched forward and tossed the Gorebyss into the TV screen on the wall with a surprising strength. It wheeled around the arena one last time before perching on the strip of land in the center and preening its soaking and bloodied feathers, as if nothing had happened.

Dakota didn't dare look around. Not at the TV screen and whatever damage that might have come out of hurling a fifty pound sea serpent at it, at the crowd or teachers after her "ignoble" victory, or at Marina, though she could feel their stares on her. She was sweaty, sore, wet from all the pool water, and panting from the intensity of the fight. The trainer just settled her gaze on the Honchkrow. "Good bird." she breathed.

Marina blinked as she watched her Gorebyss fall to the Honchkrow's surprise SuckerPunch, the fish landing motionless in the water. It surely was unexpected, and Marina thought she had it in the bag. That KO came close, and now Marina had to choose a second Pokémon. Someone fast and strong...

"Go, Asher. Leaf Blade." Marina said with slightly lower spirits. This had become serious. The Gallade appeared, sharpening its arms on each other. It put one forward, before dashing towards the bird with ruthless determination.

The first Dark Pulse was the worst she would have to weather, at least at this point. The umbra aura spread out across the room, doing its damage mainly to the two combatants and those in the first couple of rows, where unfortunately Blaire was currently located. Everything suddenly went black, and the sounds of crashing waves - perhaps it was the water area located on the battlefield - cascaded within her ears, causing her body to tremble in response. It was like they had been transported out to sea, the one place Blaire was terrified to be. However, the part of her conscious mind that knew what was going on fought back, determined to not show any weakness in front of Dakota no matter what. So despite the emotional turmoil that this Dark move tried to force upon her, she just gripped the desk tightly with one hand and desperately fought it off until the move subsided and let her once more watch the battle.

Another one. How swell. That dirty Honchkrow unleashed another Dark Pulse, coating the room in shadow once more. The second time was not as bad, however, and this one was much easier to deal with. Despite the faint sounds of waves rushing towards her, it wasn't able to destroy her psyche. It subsided once more, and the battle continued. Watching it intently, Blaire silently rooted for Marina and Gorebyss to triumph in this fight.

Well, that didn't end as planned. Blaire watched with wide eyes as the Gorebyss was hauled up into the air and hurled into the giant TV screen, shattering it and falling to the ground in the unmistakable state of fainting. A scene of heightened violence and aggression, notable even within a fight: that was something that Blaire could imagine coming from such a person as Dakota. It was as if that girl wanted to be hated. Maybe she did. Either way, now there was a Gallade out and the second part of the battle was to begin. If the two were evenly-enough match, this could become a war of attrition.