The party was going on without any problems as Lillith walked around eating a sticks of yakitori and takoyaki. She couldn't help enjoy herself at this point in time, it was like a vacation. An odd one as it seemed like the threat she was here to monitor and handle was gone. She remembered waking up and being told it had been handled and that they would reach out to her when they needed her once more. The only real thing that confused was how the children were acting. The thoughts lasted as long as her soreness, which wasn't very long. Her focus was on now the break coming up and the next year and.....
Lillith eyed the man that was her focus at the very moment as she finished her snacks. Now sipping on her drink, she made sure eyes were on her as she made her towards him. His back was towards her which would make the move much better. He had been by the children which meant that she had to make this quick and not seen by the students. She was swift as she tugged at his sleeve. That definitely got his attention.
"Tag....you're it," she whispered before she disappeared into the crowd. She was in a red dress so she was visible at least for him. She turned around and gave a wink and motioned for him to follow her. She made sure he was on the move before she started to walk away. It was a party after all, why not have some fun~
Lillith hummed to herself as she looked over her shoulders and then grinned.
❖▃ ▃▃ ▃▃▃▃ ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ Wнere: Campsite Party ❖ Wιтн: Everyone-ish ❖ Eмoтιoɴ: Bliss ❖ OoC: Sorry if this is messy ^^"
Koru rushed to the campsite as quickly as she could, but Cyndaquil continued his odd behavior from the days before that morning, like something had happened, but she couldn't figure out what. He now rested on her shoulder relaxed after a calming talk she had given him back at the dorm. She was surprised by the party going on once she got there. The once generic campsite was covered in outdoor decorations, a DJ and stage were even present and the smell of food filled the air. Koru sniffed the air grinning with Cyndaquil mimicking,"Mm that smells great!"
She rubbed the underside of Cyndaquil's chin and giggled,"You wanna grab a bite before we find everybody?"Cyndaquil cooed at the affection confirming her question. She walked over to the food and quickly went for the kebabs,"Careful they're hot..."she warned Cyndaquil before he took a bite off the kebab, but she turned hearing the people on the stage. She continued to eat as they continued the announcements, but also choked on her food when she saw Claire show up on stage,"CLAIRE?!"she coughed patting her chest seeing the dragon gym leader. She had heard of Claire from Blacthorne City and seen her a few times on TV for Pokemon tournaments. It was astonishing seeing such a accomplished and powerful trainer in person, and her first thought burst aloud,"Ahhhhhh I need her autograph!"she squealed and tried to temper it with a whisper, but Cyndaquil was already unnerved about it. He started to poke her in the cheek with his nose but she was still too distracted and in awe at the Johto gym leader.
Marco was normally very clueless about people and understanding why some people acted the way they did. His former classmates from his school in Celestic Town always picked on him, played terrible pranks on him, and in some occasions he was even attacked. His eyes could change colors so people said that he was possessed by a demon, that he was a bad child which the kids in town translated to him being a 'villain'. To those kids this meant that he was a bad person and bad people needed to be punished by the good guys so they picked on him. Initially there were some kids that stood up for him, but they would end up getting bullied too and soon enough friends turned to bullying him to avoided being bullied themselves. Marco never stood why that happened to him, he didn't understand why his classmates thought he was bad, he didn't understand why his former friends turned on him, and he didn't understand why the teacher never noticed he was struggling. His grades were passable, but he would never get them to a 'good' status because his classmates would steal his homework or just rip it up. So he was scolded by his teacher and no explanation was ever enough. Maybe this was some kind of punishment, karma is what people called it, maybe he deserved all that because of the way he had acted with his family in the past... The way he used to be.
He was clueless so instead he decided to be quiet and just keep to himself (that didn't stop his bullies). So he would people watch and wonder what made them take certain actions, but he continue to remain clueless. However, since he arrived at the academy everything had changed and he gained the one thing he felt he lost a long time ago, a friend. His classmates were nice, friendly people and his teachers were encouraging which gave him hope. He wanted to protect his friend and he wanted to continue attending this academy to hopefully understand people better. He still felt clueless, but he felt hopeful at the same time yet at this moment he felt the most confused. Tera was smiling and laughing like before and he should be happy, but he didn't understand. She couldn't look at him and he felt an ache in his heart because of the familiar sight. Marco was always lying to his parents about his situation at school, he didn't want to worry them so instead he smiled and pretended that everything was okay. He could never look at them in the eye when he was lying, the guilt was too great and his emotions too conflicting. Tera was very important to him, he wanted to understand his friend, but he was still clueless and maybe that wouldn't change for a long time.
Everyone's attention shifted to the stage once the music died down and Mocha was back to announcing. The Headmaster had arrived and everyone was excited to meet him. Marco was really curious about the person in charge of the academy and he wanted to know the person responsible for this wonderful place; a place where he met Tera, his first, and where he would continue to make more friends. The curtains from the stage opened and elderly man stepped out. He was an interesting looking person, very tall, long white hair, a long mustache and beard, and some really big glasses. He looked like a really nice person so Marco got ready to clap, but the old man was dragged back into the curtains by Mocha. Everyone stared in confusion as some moment later the man was pushed out, but with his hair and facial features just kind of falling from his face. The man the props from his face and revealed a youthful person. "Mister Reyes?" Marco gasp, completely shocked by the revelation. Their battle substitute teacher was actually the headmaster? That was incredible! He was always around them and no one ever knew. In his old school you never got to see principal unless you were in trouble or there were school events. However, mister Reyes was with them throughout the whole academy year, always encouraging them and teaching them new things. Marco started clapping along with the others, but the surprises were not over yet. Two more people were revealed and Marco recognized the green-haired lady that help Skylar and him during Drampa's rampage in the Ice Rink. He wanted to properly thank her again for her help and it looked like he would get that chance today. The surprises weren't over as mister Reyes and the two ladies walked up to Ichiro, Silvano, and Tera gave them dragon-type Pokemon. Tera was ecstatic with her new friend, "congratu-!" Marco begun, but stopped when he saw Marcus hugging her.
The black-haired boy was kind of frozen mid-sentence unable to properly finish. This feeling wasn't the same as the ache in his heart, but it certainly felt bad. Tera was too happy about her Gible to notice how close Marcus was to her, was the boy taking advantage of that? Marcus wasn't a bad person, but he was pretty bold and it was bold moves like that made him realize the difference in their personalities. He wasn't bold at all so he couldn't just walk up to Tera and hug her or hold her hand. Even holding hands with Iris was only possible because she was bold and initiated that action (and had a strong grip). Marco started to revert into himself feeling like a distance had been placed between Tera and him. He wanted to be close with Tera and hug her too, but if he tried any of that then she might hate him. There was a small crash as Charmander and Gible landed right in front of him. Marco nearly fell back from the sudden appearance of his Pokemon, "guys are you okay?" The boy went over to check on them. Murkrow flew down looking pretty tired before landing on top of Marco's head as per usual. Based on the evidence, it looked like Murkrow had been carrying both Charmander and Gible while flying, but eventually got tired so his Pokemon fell. Gible landed on top of Charmander so he was completely fine, but his fire-type friend seemed to be a little dizzy since his eyes were replaced with swirls. "You guys gotta be more careful when you're playing around," Marco scolded his Pokemon as he helped Charmander regain his footing. Gible was still a baby so he just laughed and waved his arms in happiness. It wasn't long before his Gible took notice of Tera's new dragon Pokemon. The tiny shark-head walked over to her and started jumping in joy to see another Gible. Marco took this opportunity to walk over to them, "looks like we're Gible buddies...ha...ha." There he was again trying to joke around, but failing miserably. Perhaps if his delivery had been smoother instead of providing a statement followed by an awkward kind of forced laugh then it might have been more successful. The boy rubbed his arm now feeling kind of embarrassed about what he said. Maybe he wasn't caught out to be funny or to be a person that people had fun being around. So many insecurities were piling up inside of him that he almost felt like running away. At least the music was back on, but it did little to distract him from these feelings.
His ears perked up when he heard a familiar voice. It was like a loud whisper, but it was easy to find the source. When his eyes met the sight of Koru, his feet instantly moved and without a word he left the group to walk up to the brown-haired girl. "Koru! Dance with me!" the boy immediately shouted out once he was near her. Marco could remember only one other very fond memory of his year in the academy where he had felt the most free. That experience was something he shared with only one person and even though they didn't talk a lot, he felt a strange connection after that moment. That moment being the dancing he did with Koru, "I, I mean," he was flustered since all he did was escape from his group which had caused him to make such a bold statement. He sometimes had these moments of random bravery, but they were few and didn't last very long. Marco looked around and noticed he had grabbed some people's attention with his sudden shout for a dance. The boy looked back at Koru and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Once his heart beat regulated, he offered his hand to Koru with his palm facing up. "W-Will you dance with me?" the action was very formal and probably outdated, but this was how he was taught to ask for a dance. So he waited for Koru's respond with his cheeks changing into a soft shade of red. Murkrow stared at Koru and Cyndaquil, it seemed his human friend had forgotten that he was still sitting on top of his head.
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(A/N: If I got anything wrong please let me know!)
Antonio was initially worried about his reveal, but rather than doing just any reveal he decided to have some fun with it and dress up. Unfortunately for him, Mocha wasn't having any of that and it was understandable since he did have a record of hiding things. She was probably afraid that he had chicken out on revealing his identity, those sisters were sure a handful sometimes. His old man disguise was quickly stripped from him, but everyone seemed to still enjoy it so ultimately the reveal was a success. He was more than happy to have handed his students their Pokemon with the help from Clair and Liza. How exactly did he know these characters? Well once long ago he was a trainer himself and he was quite sure that several of the teachers might have run into Clair especially if they tried to participate for the Indigo League. Liza was a little less known to the public, but she had a reputation among top tier trainers for being the best Charizard tamer in the world. She knew how to unlock a Charizard's full potential through her training in Charicific Valley. Antonio was happy to have them over and since they were his special guest he had spend quite a lot of time with them during their stay. He was the headmaster after all so he needed to make sure he did his job properly.
He worked really hard for the academy to be opened and recognized as a legitimate trainer school. The Evren region stood in the middle of all other regions which made it the perfect place for a kids from all different parts of the world to gather. Ever since the Missing Children cases, several of the borders were closed and restricted. Travel between regions was heavily monitored and there were several rules created that made it harder to become a Pokemon trainer. The world had changed after the loud wake up call that the Missing Children cases made. Even ten years down the line had made it difficult for the world to recover, but that was exactly why Ordell Academy was needed. Antonio wanted to see all these children graduate and take their own Pokemon journey and he wanted the same for any future child that enrolled on his academy. They had managed to survive the first year and even though there were some set backs, things were still successful overall.
Antonio left the children so they could continue to enjoy the party, but he was suddenly caught by Lilith who tugged on his sleeve. Before he could turn to greet her, she whispered softly into his ear and just like that their game had begun. The headmaster couldn't help and grinned, he liked it when they played tagged. Antonio cleared his throat before addressing everyone. "Enjoy the party everyone! Dance, drink, and eat all you want!" it was at that time when he heard Marco's sudden shout to dance. Antonio chuckled a little, the boy was an interesting one. "See? He gets it! Everyone follow his example," with those final words, Antonio left to find Lilith. Their game was on.
==========
His tracking skills had led him to an area outside the campsite, the forest area around the campsite to be precise. Lilith was normally an expert at hiding her tracks, but yet it had been very easy to find the path she had taken. Almost like she wanted him to find her. Antonio's grin would not leave his face as he continue to search for the woman that had taken residence in his heart. He was still surprised that he had the opportunity to charm such a woman. She was everything that he ever looked for in a partner and the more he learned about her the more his feelings grew for her. She had always been a secretive person, but he wasn't very honest either. Her memories had been erased along with the students by the organization, but he didn't want to hide anything from her anymore. So when he got the chance, he spoke the truth to her and revealed his identity along with the events that happened on that night. Antonio had never been so nervous before, but there also a huge feeling of relief after speaking with her. In return for being honest, she had opened up more about herself to him.
This whole year they spend fooling around just barely getting to know each other. Neither of them knew what their relationship actually was; Antonio knew what he wanted, but he never knew what Lilith was feeling so he remained patiently waiting for her. After he spoke honestly with her, their relationship had changed, it had evolved and they were taking the next steps. Every day with her was fun and fulfilling, his feeling only grew as he discovered more about her and he wanted that feeling to never disappear. Even now as adults they were still playing games like tag and he absolutely loved it. He looked around the forest, things were peaceful and in the distance he could hear the music playing from the party. There were some distance away from festivities, but he was sure he wouldn't be missed too greatly.
He barely had time to spend with Lilith since he was too busy tending to Clair and Liza. So it was as good as time as any to spend time with her and hopefully he would be able to spend the rest of summer with her as well. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," Antonio chanted with a grin as he continued to follow the trail. It wouldn't be long until he would find her. He could feel that she was close, but just how close?
With any luck, Antonio had caught on quickly and realized that this was a fairly easy game as long as he followed her into the forest. That scenario would scream horror or raise a red flag but this was something that the two of them would do. It was a game between them. She grinned as she thought back to when they first meet and how they were now. How he kept their encounters exciting but also calm when she needed. As much as Lillith attempted to keep it just a physical thing, the man just kept worming himself into her life and her heart. A whole year and she was having this 'adult' moment with herself as she knew something had to come to pass...
She needed to tell him the truth. About herself, what her job was being here and her true feelings...She couldn't move forward with him without doing so.
Lillith covered her mouth as she hid behind the trees, looking to see Antonio was as he looked for her. The music was still audible for them to hear so they weren't too far away from the festivities. She had to contain herself as he chanted for her to reveal herself. His voice was close but still, taking off her shoes and holding her dress, Lillith moved from one tree to tree with very little sounds as she gained ground towards him.
"Guess who?" she said coyly, covering his eyes. "And it's not Ramona..." she added in as a joke.
❖▃ ▃▃ ▃▃▃▃ ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ Wнere: Campsite Party ❖ Wιтн: Everyone-ish ❖ Eмoтιoɴ: SO MANY ❖ OoC: Sorry if this is messy ^^"
Koru wasn't able to hear much because of the crowd, as well as her own fangirl squealing, but a sudden shout very close to her took her eyes away from the stage,"Hm? Marco..."
Marco was standing there like he had just seen a Ho Oh fly overhead. He had said something about wanting to dance,"Dance?"She tilted her head to him curious of the invitation, taking more bites of the kebab in her hand as she did so. She still remembers from earlier this year when they danced at the Lamia festival, the joy she felt from cutting loose and dancing like no one was watching swept back into her mind. At the time, she had kept herself watching for someone, but she didn't see sight of him now, only Marco. He had turned red in the face and bashful, did he regret asking? Cyndaquil was too busy watching the crow Pokemon atop the boys head, fearing he would swoop down and steal their food. Koru giggled then quickly formed into a bright laugh,"Haha you're funny don't be so nervous,"she took hold of Cyndaquil and sat him down on the ground and stepped towards Marco, her hand entwining into his and pulling him forward,"You have a lot more confidence when you dance! We'll dance the school year away!"
Koru remembers how he took the lead last time they were together, but it looked like this time she would have to. He appeared eager but being so sudden she couldn't help but think something had happened. Instead of saying anything else Koru pulled Marco along to the main area, the music already been playing for quite a while. She quickly stopped to get into position, taking a stance a space away from him and expecting the same from him. Moments after he would she let go of his hand and raised both of hers. One slightly lower than the other, she swished her hands back and forth in slow, elegant motions along with small steps. Her foot slide forward quickly sliding herself inward towards the ground, and to Marco. Their hands reach out for each other the closer they are to the ground, but as Koru's fingers are about to touch his she quickly jerks back up and spins. She reaches out again and begins to walk in a circle with Marco,"Hope you're followin' along," she smirked at the boy confidently before spinning towards him and catching his shoulders with her hands and her leg out. She finally took his hand again and started to lead them in a frantic waltz, the steps were quick and Koru directed their hip movement with each step, being sure to follow the music's growing tempo. This was probably something more recognizable to Marco now, but she couldn't resist doing a bit of traditional steps from back home.
Moving around without much direction was exciting. Following steps, but also following the flow of a beat is what made Koru love the idea of dance itself, and it was clear to her that Marco had the same sense, just from dancing with him once. Letting go of him with their arms getting raised in the air Koru calmed the steps a little, rocking her hips as she stood in place,"Ya know I forgot what it was like, dancing with you felt like forever ago, but I feel how fun it was even now,"she beamed her large smile and skipped in place, tapping her feet in rhythm,"You reminded me how fun this was! I'm gonna train a lot more when I get home so I can show you some new moves next year!"So many things with her friends and school had happened, the emotions she shared with them, the moments she got to be around for (whether good or bad) and the realization that things could be fun, that things could be okay.
From the crowd, Cyndaquil watched Koru dance with the boy in odd steps, the girl was a ball of energy that could rarely follow any real steps. He stopped his mimicking of what was a dance when his stomach started to growl. He groaned,"Qui..." He patted his tummy, but then his back flame struggled to spurt. This "hiccup" continued, "Cy-DAH!" he squeaked continuously. Cyndaquil scampered to Koru, avoiding other people on the dance floor.
Marco was backing up, but Cyndaquil caught under his foot and tripped the boy, "Cyndaquil!"Koru stopped shaking it and knelt down to check on Marco, "Marco are you okay? Cyndaquil what's gotten into you...?,"Koru noticed now the little fire Pokemon was clenching and shaking, flames spurting randomly,"Cyn..."she reached out to touch him, only his body began to glow, spurring Koru's actions. Koru and Marco watched, and she wouldn't have noticed but others around had stopped after seeing the bright light. It began to grow bigger and Koru's golden eyes widened along with it. Slowly, it dimmed, and Koru slowly approached the new form on the ground before her. The Pokemon was longer than Cyndaquil, the same autumn purple fur, and his snout was small. Her eyes began to water as the Pokemon opened it's eyes, beautiful red rubies stared back at her and her hands quickly cupped the Pokemon's face, "Cy-I-I mean Q-Quilava! I ca-can't believe it!"The Quilava cooed and rushed into Koru's lap and she wrapped him up in her arms as she laughed joyously,"MARCO HE EVOLVED! MY BABY BOY EVOLVED!"
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