Chapter Text
April 20th, First day of class 78
Hope’s Peak Academy.
The most famed school of Japan, founded with the explicit goal of collecting and furthering exceptional youths by honing their talents and bestowing upon them the prestigious title of an Ultimate, essentially guaranteeing a life of fame and success as the shining hopes of the world. And as the self proclaimed ultimate institution of education it was of course also expected, that each and every one of its students would be graduating as some of the most skilled Pokemon trainers of the world. Be it research, breeding, contests, battling or whatever field you could imagine, graduating from Hope’s Peak meant being recognised as a trainer with skills that put you above even the most capable trainers of your age group. Someone who knew how to handle a Pokemon and raise it to its fullest potential.
To ensure such a degree of prowess the curriculum was deceptively simple:
Upon enrolling aspiring students were, outside of a few exceptions, required to register a single partner Pokemon. Over the course of their three year stay at the school they would not only get the chance to grow their talents on their own, but also attend general trainer classes taught by some of the best educators in the world, many of which were Hope’s Peak alumni themselves.
And as of today Makoto Naegi would start his own stay at this famed and prestigious school.
And not even via the reserve course! (A program initiated to help with the school's funding where even non Ultimate students were allowed to enroll for a hefty fee, many of them hoping for a chance to prove they did indeed have what it takes to become an Ultimate.)
No, as of today Makoto would officially be able to call himself the Ultimate Lucky Student of class 78. A title he still wasn’t sure actually meant anything, considering he had merely won the random lottery drawing Hope’s Peak held in years where not enough actual talent could be found to fill a whole class. Make no mistake, even with all of the excitement only a Hope’s Peak admirer like him could produce, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that he was only here by accident, that he had no business among those illustrious students he would soon be calling his peers.
Ultimately though, his optimism for this new development in his life won out against his anxiety, and so he and his partner finally took their first tentative step through the big, iron school gates.
He half expected someone to pop up to greet him the moment he had made it onto the school grounds, but instead he was only greeted by silence, as he found the entire courtyard empty. Aside from the handful of Murkrow perched in the trees, the occasional bug and even a handful of grass types, the greenery and the path leading up to the school's main entrance were practically deserted.
“Huh, that’s weird.” He said, talking mostly to himself, but also to his just as confused partner by his feet. “It’s not just me right? You’re not seeing anyone too?”
“Arf.” In response the small doglike Pokemon, a Rockruff he and his parents had adopted years ago on a holiday trip to the Alola region, barked at him in agreement, valiantly raising its nose in an attempt to smell someone. Within seconds it barked again, this time in excitement, notifying its trainer to follow, as it began trotting in a random direction, tail wagging happily.
“H-hey, wait up!” And just like that Makoto rushed to catch up with his Pokemon, thankfully not tripping over himself in the process for once.
At least it didn’t take long until Rockruff's target came into view: A slightly taller girl with short black hair wearing the female version of the main course uniform Makoto wore himself, stepping out of a girls bathroom.
“Hey there! Sorry could you-! UWAH!” Before he could even finish his request something had jumped at him. A large black shadow that not only knocked him down on his back and the wind right out of him, but also very much was deeply growling at him right now, threateningly snarling in a way that showed off its sharp and intimidating teeth.
“Down girl.” The unknown girl commanded in a neutral tone, and immediately the pressure on his body lifted as the Pokemon stepped off of him and went back to standing its owner's side, not settling down but remaining tense at its trainer's heel, still ready to attack should the order come. In response Rockruff, even though it was clearly intimidated by the sheer difference in size and combat experience between the two Pokemon, bravely positioned itself between the pair and the boy on the ground, ready to defend Makoto even as it trembled in fear.
“Sorry, she’s trained to attack and she probably got a bit over defensive from being around so many new people today. Can I help you?” The girl bluntly asked, staring down at him with an unreadable expression. At least he managed to calm his racing heart down a bit as it became clear that neither the girl nor her Pokemon, a Mightyena if he wasn’t mistaken, actually meant him harm.
“N-no it’s alright. I probably should have been more careful as well.” He sheepishly began, as he stood up from the ground, dusting himself off. “I’m a new student this year, and I was wondering if you knew where the entrance ceremony starts? I went to the courtyard as written in the letter, but no one was there? Oh, my name’s Naegi by the way, nice to meet you.”
In response to his greeting, the girl simply continued blankly looking at him, her steel grey eyes searching him for something, even if he wasn’t sure what it was. Apparently what she found didn’t deter her however, as moments later she responded in the same emotionless tone once again. “Likewise. You can call me Ikusaba. As for the introductory tour, that started about an hour ago.”
That was the last thing needed to break the awkwardness Makoto felt from the less than stellar first introduction, as he instead pulled out his phone in confusion. “Huh? But I’m sure the letter said… Wait, did I oversleep?!” When he realised his blunder, Makoto couldn’t help but let out a groan, cursing his usual rotten luck. Seriously, sometimes he wondered if he should have been declared the Ultimate Unlucky Student instead. “Of course my stupid alarm clock decides to malfunction today of all days. Sorry to bother you with this, but do you have any idea where they should be around now?”
The girl simply nodded. “I do. Just follow me, I’m a new student this year as well. At heel Fenrir!” Before Makoto was even able to say anything to that the girl turned and she and her Mightyena, apparently named Fenrir, began walking at a brisk pace, forcing him to rush to catch up.
It was only after about a minute of continued awkward silence that he tried speaking up again, trying to make conversation with this rather intimidating girl.
“So, uhh, why were you two not with the rest of the new students if you don’t mind me asking?”
In response the girl just looked at him in confusion. “Didn’t you see me leave the bathroom?”
Oh, right. Not his brightest moment. Still, he was determined to not make a fool of himself on his first day! Or at least not any more than he already had. “Riiiight. Oh! Since you’re new as well we’ll probably be classmates, right?”
“I guess so?” The girl once again answered blankly, though this time Makoto managed to spy a hint of apprehension on her face afterwards, as if she wasn't fully happy with the way this conversation was going either.
It was then that Makoto finally understood what was going on. The girl had said her Mightyena had been overwhelmed by the amount of new faces, but maybe that had only been half the truth? Maybe the same had been true for her as well. After all, Pokemon and Trainers had a tendency to become alike over time. And in that case she likely wasn’t being this curt because she wanted nothing to do with him. She was probably just apprehensive about meeting new people!
Makoto couldn’t help the relief and the smile that settled on his face at the realisation. “You know, I haven’t thanked you for helping me out yet! So, since we’re most likely going to be classmates,” kindly smiling at her, he held out his hand. “Let’s do this properly: My name is Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student this year, and this little one over here is my partner Rockruff. Nice to meet you and I hope we can get along in the next three years!”
It took a few seconds for her to respond, as she cluelesly stared at him, until Fenrir casually bumped her head into her leg as if to remind her to respond. And while Makoto would later only think it a mere trick of the light, a slight red hue came over the girl's face, her freckles popping in contrast. “Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, and this is my partner Fenrir, she’s been my partner throughout my deployment.” Seemingly noticing the shock on his face at her title, she quieted down, but then found the heart to continue. “She might seem a bit intimidating at first, but I promise she’s trained well enough not to randomly attack. Just make sure not to surprise or antagonise her. She’s actually rather sweet if you get to know her a bit!”
Somehow Makoto didn’t find it in him to doubt that for even a second. And neither did Rockruff apparently, as the small rock type Pokemon cautiously approached the tensed up larger dark type, carefully sniffing to familiarise itself, and allowing the same in return. Seemingly calmed down, Fenrir sent one hesitant look at her trainer, before finally dropping her guard fully, accepting the opportunity to get to know her new friend? Playmate? Whatever they were now.
“You know,” Makoto began with a chuckle. “I think they’ll get along just fine.”
“You might be right about that.” The girl agreed, for the first time smiling slightly as well.
And as the two continued on their way in comfortable silence, watching their two Pokemon bond, Makoto couldn’t help but feel like these next three years wouldn’t be as tough as he had imagined at first.