A whole hecka thanks goes out to Magpie for making this beautiful crest for Johto University.
Also, you'll have to bare with me here. There are twelve major characters, so, to keep things straight, a list.
Dr. Colin Travis - The Dean of Johto University
Dr. Randy Lawson - The Battle Expert at Johto University
Dr. Maxwell Julliard - The Coordinating Expert at Johto University, and all of Johto
Pr. Riley O'Leary - Head of Battle Practice
Pr. Laura Burry - Head of Battle Theory
Pr. Gillian Richardson - Head of Coordinating Practice, and Theory
Coach Hansbourough - Coach
Dr. O'Hara - Head of the History Department
Pr. Rick Wistner - Maths
Pr. Cheryl Beynum - Sciences
Pr. Mark Green - Literature and Language
Pr. Floramundi Lydia - Arts, Visual and Preforming.
And now, Chapter one.
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The room was large, rotund, and filled with late morning sunshine. Beginning about a foot off the ground, the wall, and ceiling, was nothing more than glass. From this particular conference room, one could look out, and see all of Johto University, and beyond. Sprout Tower was clearly visible to the South of the campus. The tower cast a magnificent shadow to the West, as the sun was just beginning to peek out from behind the Silver Mountain Range.
The campus of Johto University itself could only be described as beautiful. The buildings were well-designed, and had a fresh look to them, as not to stand out against the campus beauty. Near the dormitories, there was a large park, including a pristine lake. Later in the evening, when the Sun was directly over top of it, the lake seemingly transformed from water, to a cooling liquefied silver.
The campus was nearly empty, except for the few early arrivals, and those very few who stayed the summer. It was the start of a new year, late summer. The exact reason for the staff meeting being held.
The lone man in the glass room was Dr. Colin Travis, the Dean of Johto University. He was a powerful, influential man in the world of Pokemon, as he essentially controlled one fourth of the next generation's leaders. However, he remained humble, or, as humble as possible in such a position. His personal motto for JU was a simple "You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire. Once the flames begin to catch, the wind will blow it higher." For as long as he served as Dean, it would be the credo of JU students. Unlike many other Deans before him, it was not an original creation, rather, a quote from a song.
His attire was rather simple, a pair of black dress pants, a brown shirt, covered in a black trench coat sort of thing. His eyes were a pale blue, and getting a bit upset, as none of the other staff members had arrived yet. He took a seat at his favorite, his back to the rising sun, facing out towards the lake. Of course, by the time everyone arrived, the round table would be filled, and looking out the window would be a rather difficult task.
When the "trap door" of the Staff Room floor opened up, Dr. Travis found himself a bit caught off guard. He sat bolt upright rather quickly, and tried to make himself look awake. When he saw who had entered, a small smile crossed his face. Floramundi Lydia had that effect on people. Her bright pink hair, shining amber eyes, and always perky personality, her smiles were truly contagious. She was the innocence, and joy, of the Johto University Staff Team.
"Oh!" She giggled as she walked up the stairs from the "trap door"
"Hi Doctor!" Her smile grew. Something, just about talking to people, made the Arts Professor absolutely giddy.
"Well good-morning Floramundi!" He grinned back at her, "no reason to be so formal, this is just a staff meeting!" He chuckled a bit.
"Oh, right, of course!" The one bad thing, Pr. Lydia had the habit of talking fast. She pulled up a seat, at one of her favorite spots on the round table. Back to Sprout Tower, facing the forest. It was a scene she particularly enjoyed, as she could watch the flocks of Pidgey fly in and out of the forest.
"I'm so sorry I'm a bit late!" She giggled, even though nobody has said anything funny. She was that kind of person. The kind of person every group needs. "I was talking to one of the students who had just arrived. I didn't get his name, or even his year, but I think he's going to be in one of my classes. He had this adorable little Spinda with him…"
She was cut off, as the hatch door opened up again. A man had opened the door, and he was facing backwards, talking to someone. His hair was simple brown, and he wore a red shirt, though it was mostly covered by a white vest. On his dark olive skin, he had a tattoo plastered on his right arm; a paw print. His eyes, an excited green, spoke volumes. He continued talking to the man behind him as he took a seat, directly across the round table from Dr. Travis.
The man he was talking to entered just slightly behind him and the two looked like they could have been brothers. His hair was brown as well, but a bit messier, and his skin was not as dark. Just as well, his eyes were a darker green. And, there was a furret draped around his shoulder. That was a bit of a tell that they were, in fact, not the same person. His clothes were sporty looking, and simply a white, with some black thrown in on the polo and exercise pants he was wearing. He carried
two books under his arm.
Floramundi Lydia barely noticed, and continued happily staring out the window across the room, humming. It was a sweet, melodic hum; however, it was barely audible to the small crowd now gathering in the room. Something she had practiced.
"Coach! Mark!" Colin Travis spoke up as the two men entered. They were, the University's coach, and the head of the Language and Literature Department, respectively.
The Furret on Pr. Mark Green's shoulder gave a slight frown.
"and of course, you too, Aiden." Dr. Travis gave a small laugh as the eyes on the Pokemon lit up a bit.
"And how are you, today, Colin?" Mark Green had asked as he sat down to the right of Coach Hansbourough. For most people, this kind of question was a formality. For Mark Green, it was a question he truly meant.
"Can't complain…." He sighed a bit, the Coach had just sat down in his view of the lake "can't complain…. And yourself?"
"Glad to hear it!" Mark Green snapped. "Myself, I'm doing great. Got about two miles in this morning before breakfast!
Dr. Colin Travis truly did admire all of the Staff Team, though some of their personalities were a bit hard for him to deal with. Mark Green was one of those personalities.
When the door opened again, there was silence from it. Dr. O'Hara, the head of the History Department had entered. He was a quiet man, and hardly spoke to anyone but his classes. His hair was white, his eyes, gray, his skin, turning rather pale. His jacket was brown, and worn down. He had had it for years, and underneath it was a simple gray shirt. His pants were a dark gray, and his shoes, were, surprisingly, a gray pair of tennis shoes. He gave the room a quick nod, and then took his seat.
A few minutes passed, and the door opened again. The man who entered had balding white hair, a blue dress suit, tie, and black pants to top it all off.
"Ricky!" Dr. Travis said with a small grin. A few of the others turned to face him.
"Hey everybody." Pr. Wistner said, climbing slowly out of the hatch. His glasses gleamed a bit in the sunlight. "How're you all?" There was a murmer of "okay" "good" and the like, except from Floramundi. She responded with a grin, and a "I'm just fantastic!" she then continued her soft humming, as if nothing had happened. There was a small exchange of nervous glances and laughs, and then the small chatter resumed in the slowly crowding room.
When the hatch opened, about three minutes later, a low hum entered the entire glass chamber.
"Cheryl…." Was a soft whisper from more than a few. But, from Floramundi Lydia, it was an excited squeal. The pink haired Professor leaped up from her seat, and ran over to hug her friend. Cheryl Beynum was a dark skinned young lady, and a total eccentric. The soft hum was from that of her eyepiece that she nearly always had on. It was a light blue, translucent, and matched well with her black hair that seemed nearly purple. As nearly always, she was dressed in a lab coat. When the two friends finished hugging, they sat next to each other. One was a fountain of joy and energy. The other was a nuclear bomb of science, eccentricity, and energy. Not a very safe combination, but they were both masters in their respective fields.
At this point, all but five had entered the room, two of them being some of the most important Heads in the University. The first to enter was Dr. Maxwell Julliard. His hair was a bright orange, his eyes, a shocking blue. His mouth was permanently curved into a smile, or so it seemed. He was donned in a suit, a lavender scarf, and carried a single red rose.
"Well hellooooooooo everyone!" He said happily. "Gillian really should be here any minute now, that old cook!" He laughed at his own joke, and his slightly British accent. Sure, he was a rather flamboyant man, but if you were looking for a Coordinator, there was none better in all of Johto. That's why he quickly earned the title of Coordinating Expertise at Johto University.
And, sure enough, as he had predicted, the door opened once more, revealing a slightly elderly woman. Her hair was a full gray, and she literally wore a small, finely crafted, tiara with crystals in it. Her eyes were a teal color, but cold, and ruthless. She was not smiling; in fact, her mouth was curved into a slight frown. One many of the elderly, sadly, carried. She wore a blue, white, and green scarf, despite the warm weather. Gillian Richardson wore a kimono to work, and to teach. A full kimono. Orange and white, with a pattern like a tree extending from the bottom. She wore no shoes, and carried a massive bag. Unlike with Dr. O'Hara, there were no nods, and not even one weak, polite smile. She took a seat next to Maxwell, and set her bag under the table.
"Oh, Gillian!" Maxwell cried, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Maxwell. Please." She said simply and coldly. Years of teaching unruly students had gotten to her, and she figured the only way to get around it was to act harshly in the classroom. It had, sadly, extended to her life on the Staff Board. The "Queen" of Coordinating, she had been called, before reaching an age too old to be widely accepted. That's the sole reason she became the Pr. Of Coordinating Theory and Practice at JU.
"Of course it'd be those three that are last to arrive!" Maxwell cried out. IT was, of course, mostly a joke. But, deep in nearly every staff member, they had the same kind of thought. The three Professors of Battling seemed to think themselves better than the rest, or so was the perception.
The firs t of the three to arrive was Laura Burry. Her hair was a striking dark blonde, with red tips, slowly fading as they got closer to the scalp. Her eyes were a calming, almost seductive, green, and her mouth formed a small smile. She was wearing a sleeveless, nearly skintight purple under-armor shirt, and a shirt purple skirt. Her shoes were Gladiator sandals, they had heels. Under her arm was a small book, and a laptop.
"Hello, everyone." She smiled politely, but with nowhere near the amount of warmth and friendliness that was normally contained in a smile from Mark Green, or Floramundi.
"Lauraaaa!!!!" Maxwell cried out, happily.
"Hey Max." She laughed softly, sitting down and placing her laptop on the table.
Within minutes, the door opened one last time, revealing the last two.
One had jet black hair, and dark, olive skin. He too, wore an under-armor shirt, this one blue. Both his arms were covered in sleeve tattoos, one a yellow-gold, the other, a silvery-gray. He too, was without shoes, and wore gym shorts. His dark eyes were smiling, along with the huge, flawless grin on his face. Dr. Randy Lawson, the head of the battling department, and the title keeper of Battle Expertise at Johto University.
"Hey all!" He called happily, taking his seat. They all replied with a pleasant hello, save for Dr. O'Hara and Julliard. Maxwell responded with a flamboyant
"helloooo!!!!" as usual.
The final one to enter, just behind Dr. Lawson, was Pr. Riley O'Leary, the head of Battle Practice at Johto University. He was the outspoken type, but an excellent battler, and strategist. Like the other two "battle" teachers, he wore an under-armor shirt, his grey. On his right arm, he had a dragon pattern tattoo, that was a slight red hue. His hair was a fiery orange, his eyes, a large contrast; a teal color. He, too, wore no shoes, but long, purple, cargo pants. He took the final seat, and then, the chatter finally came to a close. It had been only about half an hour since Dr. Travis arrived, and he was clearly thankful they could finally begin.
"Well, you all know it's the start of a brand new school year, and new students will be flooding in……."
(And that's chapter one. A brief introduction to all the main staff members. Also, if you spot your cameo, you win a prize ^^ )
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