Episode 3: Infia

“I’m impressed, Lute. You managed to do somethin’ crazier than me!” Raiju cried as he threw himself over the Eevee to nuzzle him. Lute squirmed and threw him off, but not before a light crackle of static made his fur stand on end. “O-oops. Sorry.”

Lute and Sylveon had gotten home much later into the night than they expected, somewhere near midnight. Marina, Lute’s mother, had been waiting for him outside the house with bated breath. Raiju had told her what happened to him, and since then, the Vaporeon had been restless. A few anxious shouts and motherly rambles later, and the lot of them had calmed down.

“And this is her,” Marina said, turning to Sylveon. Sylveon struggled to stare back. She looked so weak that it was a wonder she was still standing. “Goodness, Lute! You’re not what I call a troublemaker, but when you make trouble, you really put me in it, you know?”

“A-ah, I just… sorry. But I really don’t know what else we can do. Please Mum, we have to help her,” he begged.

“That’s not what I meant,” Marina turned back to Lute. “Couldn’t you have at least found fruit or something on the way home? I’m going to have to prepare a meal, and at this hour.”

“Oh. uh—” he leaned away.

“Yes, that means she can stay. Now go in and get something for her before she passes out!”

…

Lute lay back in a dog bed unable to stop thinking about it. It was hard to believe everything that had happened, but it did, and he was being made to treat it as though it were a normal occurrence. Sylveon slept in her own bed on the opposite side of his bedroom, which he was now being made to share. Two days had passed since she’d been allowed to live there, and her messy nature was already showing.

He couldn’t sleep, so he got up to tiptoe to her side of the room. She was sprawled out in a position he was sure would give her aches in the morning, surrounded by many of his old toys and anything else she’d taken apart in his room.

The night after she arrived, Marina named her ‘Sophitia’, which the Sylveon happily accepted as a name. The two days afterwards, Marina had the two of them doing chores while she rearranged the house so that the new addition could live with them. Only Marina left the house, and no one new came to visit. He yawned in silence, stretched, and then slumped back into bed. Sophitia might’ve been happy with this casual reaction, but he wasn’t.

“Something bothering you?” Sophitia asked, making him tremble. He didn’t realise she was awake. “Don’t try anything funny. I’m letting you look after me, but that doesn’t mean touching me in my sleep.”

“Ew, why would I even want to?” Lute hissed.

“Excuse me?” she replied.

“No, I mean- that’s just creepy. Forget it,” he said. She made a stifled giggle. “I just thought we’d be trying to find out who you really are or something. I was hoping that’d feel more like an adventure, but it’s just… us at home. It’s boring.”

“Ah, so you’re bored. But who is this whole thing about?” she asked.

“… You, of course,” Lute mumbled.

“Exactly. Sorry this isn’t super exciting for you. If anything, once I get back on my feet, I’m outta here,” she stated.

“You want to leave?” he said, getting up.

“If I remember who I am, I will. So don’t get used to me. Right now, I’m just in your way,” she added.

“But you’re—”

“That’s all for now. Get some sleep,” she said. He groaned as he laid back down.

The next morning…

“School?” Lute and Sophitia cried.

“Yes. Back to school for both of you,” Marina ordered. “Hurry up and get washed, breakfast will be waiting for you on the table.”

“I mean I understand him, but me?” Sophitia pointed to herself. Marina giggled.

“Maybe you don’t believe it, but you and Lute are the same age. It just makes sense to put you both in,” Marina reasoned.

“What’re you gonna ship us or something? I’ve got more important things to do!” Sophitia raised her voice.

“Wait, Sophitia? You’re the same age as me?” Lute gasped.

“And going to school ought to refresh your memory of the way this place works. Even if it doesn’t, it’s a legal requirement of me as your guardian to ensure you’re in education,” Marina informed, ignoring Lute.

“You’re my parent now?” Sophitia gasped.

“Guardian. Carer. Whichever one you like best,” Marina said with a smile. “Now hurry up! Or I’ll burn your pancakes.”

“Burn my- I call dibs on first bath!” Sophitia squeaked and leapt away.
“Wa-wait, I gotta use the bathro- Sophitia!” Lute cried, getting barged out of the way. He lunged after her and the two began to squabble and push each other aside. Sophitia got the upper hand thanks to her feelers, and locked him out of the room. “Sophitia, I mean it! I gotta go!”

“You’re a guy. Just hold it!” she called from behind the door.

“Easy for you to say,” he grumbled. Marina turned and snickered to herself.

The morning would proceed to be as eventful as that from there on. Sophitia had apparently never seen a bathroom for Eeveelutions before and so took longer than necessary, stole some of Lute’s breakfast, and all the while Lute took too long to reorganize his belongings and wash. Before long, the two of them were sprinting through Everend to get to school on time, all the time squealing and barking arguments at each other. Sophitia still had a half-eaten pancake sticking out of her mouth by the time they arrived, and swallowed before entering the school grounds.

The school was one of the tallest buildings in Everend, even though it was only two floors high by the looks of things. It was widely fenced in by a playground and park, and located somewhere in the middle of the town. She followed Lute, but even with that, it would take a while to remember exactly how to get there from Marina’s house.

The thing that was more confusing to her was the blatant mismatch of theme. The playground and field school was mainly made up of wood; cleverly constructed apparatus built into soil and the like, exactly as she expected a children’s park to look. The school building looked like something out of a sci-fi dream however, a perfectly square block made of metal and glass that was so shiny her reflection could be seen on it. It didn’t even look good to her.

“Well, we’re here. It’s all you, Lute!” Sophitia said.

“Wait what?” he replied, as she walked around to follow from behind.

“You’re the returning student, I’m the new one. I’m counting on you to show me around, buddy,” she pointed out.

“Oh. Right. Yeah, I can do that,” he said with shifty eyes. “Well you’ve obviously seen the playground and stuff. The gates get locked, so you’ve gotta jump pretty high to get out when lessons are in progress. Don’t try to.”

“Well duh. Why’d I wanna leave?” she raised an eyebrow.

“There’s a field on the other side we use to practice Pokémon moves, too,” he smiled.

“You guys practice attacks? But wait, didn’t you say you don’t know how to battle?” she asked.

“I don’t. I wish I did,” he hung his head. “But not all Pokémon moves have to be used for battle. If you knew Quick Attack, we wouldn’t have just made it on time.”

“Oh ha ha.”

“Er, I’ll show you inside, too,” he continued, leading the way in. The main doors slid open automatically, making Sophitia flinch. She seemed reluctant to follow until he noticed her fall behind, where she skipped after him.

The interior was nearly as outlandish as she felt the exterior looked. Smooth floors, hard, decorated walls, and electronic lights and devices lined the atrium and hallways. Rooms had glass for the walls and doorways, lightly decorated with thin strips of silver. Only one door looked like an actual door, and even then, it was without a handle.

“How do you get in here?” she asked, jaw dropped at it.

“That’s just a storage room, I think. It’s for grownups, they get in with a card key,” he said.

“A card key?”

He hopped up to tap on the card reader beside the door. “Haven’t you ever seen a card reader before?”

“Uh, hello? Memory loss?” she slapped her head. He seemed confused.

“But this is normal stuff. Unless where you come from, they don’t have card readers,” he commented.

“They don’t have half the stuff you’ve shown me. Or it all feels new and weird to me, anyway,” she turned away. “Okay, never mind that, then. Just show me your—”

A loud jingle sounded through the hallway, drowning out her voice completely. She cringed at the volume and glanced up at the speakers the song came from. “Okay, that’s just annoying. Is that your fancy technology, too?”

“It’s just the bell to tell us class is starting. It’s loud at first, but you’ll get used to it,” he said cheerfully.

“I think that means I’ll go deaf, first,” she grumbled, half-lidded.

“We’re on the second floor. This way,” Lute jogged away.

They needed to reach the end of the hallway to climb stairs, which only led to a hallway nearly identical to the ground floor one. The silver strips were metallic red here, while the walls were now windows that looked outside at Everend. Most of the students were already in their classrooms, evident only by the muffled sound of adult voices starting their lectures. There was another storage room here too, again lacking a handle and opening via card key.

“Lute!” Raiju’s voice screamed the moment he slid the door to their class open. Before either could move, Lute was tackled down and nuzzled.

“Ra-Raiju? Quit it, you’ll—”

It was too late. Raiju’s nuzzling turned into an actual Nuzzle attack, and the two become a sizzling heap of electricity. Sophitia had to stifle a laugh after as she stumbled away from their messy heap. “Oh. Oops.”

“Honestly Raiju, you’re such a dolt. The kid almost drowned a few days ago and you greet him by shocking him to death?” Cinder joined them after a moment. The Flareon seemed unbothered by Raiju’s cheeky smile as he helped Lute stand up. “Are you really okay to be back at school so soon?”

“Nothing that bad actually happened. I slept a lot and had to wash well, but that’s all. Sophitia here, too,” he replied, turning to introduce her.

“Sophitia?” Raiju replied. “Oh my wow, it’s you! It’s really you! The blue Sylveon!”

“Ah, I just realised,” Cinder gawked at her. He started strafing her, making her shift away.

“Um, hello? Kinda rude to check someone out like that?” she commented with a little blush.

“Sorry. I’ve never seen a blue Sylveon before, let alone a shiny Pokémon! I’m not normally like this, please forgive me!” Cinder gasped. He shook himself off, stood tall and bowed his head. He stood tall and bowed his head. “My name is Cinder. Cinder Landaway. I’m a classmate of Lute’s and a close friend. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Wait, a shiny Pokémon?” one of the surrounding students gasped.

“Shiny Pokémon? Like, the ones with the fancy fur?”

“It’s the new student! It has blue fur and everything!”

“What’s a shiny Pokémon doing here?”

Sophitia looked over him at the gathering crowd of curious faces, all from Pokémon of various species. There wasn’t a theme amongst them. Some were even older, some younger, and all of different types.

“I, er… am I supposed to do something?” she asked, sweating heavily. All those eyes on her made her feel like she was going to melt, all until she noticed one student who hadn’t come out to greet her. A tiny Minun a little shorter than Lute and clothed all over. Geez, she’s got the whole package. Head fur, shirt, skirt, even underwear… is she supposed to be Miss Perfect?

“Five,” a deep tone got her attention. An Umbreon behind the pack of crowding students was gradually counting down with a furious, sinister glare on his face. “Four.”

“Uh-um, guys?” Lute tried to warn. The class only got rowdier, squashing Lute and friends in the doorway. As Umbreon got closer, black energy surrounded him like flames, causing his red eyes to glow. “G-guys, seriously, we—”

“Zero,” the Umbreon’s voice echoed, finally getting everyone’s attention. His energy channelled into his right paw, which was raised high up to resemble a scythe. “What the hell is this?”

Whatever move was used, it created a blast that sent every Pokémon flying. Despite it being a dark attack, even Sophitia found herself shivering on the floor in a heap with everyone else, her eyes swirling from dizzy disbelief.

“Th-that’s Anbi, our teacher… his Foul Play packs a punch,” Lute said weakly.

“I can tell,” she gurgled.

…

“Right, now that that’s all sorted, I hope I never see you all act like that again,” Anbi began. They each had their own cushions to sit on. “Let’s start easy. We’ll have the new student introduce herself properly.”

“Yeah. This is guaranteed to go well,” Sophitia mumbled.

“Just do your best. You just need to say your name,” Lute said, smiling.

“Easy for you, kiddo,” she added as she walked over to stand beside the Umbreon. She could get a good look at everyone from here, and gained some confidence at their jolly appearances. They looked as hearty and inexperienced as Lute did, and to her, that meant she could deal with them and whatever they tried. Pancham, Dedenne, Vivillon and then Lute and his friends were all that made up this class, meaning her job was easier than she realised.

And then her eyes locked to the Minun from earlier, who realised they were staring and looked away. The moment that happened, some newfound feelings awoke within her. Her heart sped up, her mind unsettled, and pressure filled the air around her. Despite all of that, Sophitia didn’t feel uncomfortable or scared, more so concerned. It was a tingly feeling that came from her ribbon-like feelers, as if they were antennae warning her of some recognisable threat.

“As you can see, this new student is a daydreamer. She’s got a nice body, though that doesn’t mean you can daydream about it,” Anbi said. It took Sophitia a few seconds to realise what had just been said.

“Wh-what? Wait what?” she gasped.

“Good, you’re paying attention. You were staring,” he stated. Sophitia blinked, and then turned back to the class.

“Eheh, sorry about that. I’m Sophitia, Lute’s temporary roommate. I’ve come from far away, so I’m not very familiar with a lot of stuff around here. I hope you’ll have me,” she said, laughing awkwardly. “Don’t underestimate me, though.”

“The feeling’s mutual. Thank you, Sophitia,” Anbi smiled at her. She gawked back.

Is this guy really the teacher? she thought to herself as she returned to her spot with the other kids.

“Since we have a new student and Lute is back with us, we’ll have a bit of a refresher period. You remember our project, right Lute?”

“Yes. Aserian history and the discovery of the V-Wave,” he answered, beginning to smile.

“Good, you haven’t been slacking off. We moved on to how to utilise the V-Wave, as well as how it was used in the past. General summary: back then, Pokémon merely used it to power up their attacks, whereas now, it powers virtually every single piece of technology we use in our day-to-day lives,” Anbi explained.

What the heck is a V-Wave, and how does it power stuff? Sophitia thought.

“That’s the best question you could’ve asked, Sophitia. I’m so glad you’re interested,” Anbi said. She flinched and gawked at him.

“D-d-don’t read my mind, if you can! If you can, I’m outta here!” she gasped.

“Don’t worry, I’m just good at reading faces. The V-Wave is an elemental energy that flows through the atmosphere of our planet. It matches any of the eighteen known types a Pokémon can be, powering up their moves and abilities,” Anbi proudly explained. He began to pace. “As time went by, scientists began to experiment with this strange, atmospheric phenomenon. They came to learn all sorts of fascinating things about it, but the main benefit was the ability to draw energy from V-Waves. With that energy, we could create technology that could enhance the lives of Pokémon. All kinds of technology, from sailboats to ovens, to even the lights on this very ceiling – they all use V-Waves to function.”

Sophitia looked up at said lights. The energy we use to power attacks and abilities is also being used to power machinery… why does that thought fill me with dread?

“We’ve also managed to prove that the V-Wave is infinite! It’s a wonderful part of our planet’s nature. It flows everywhere. The sky, the sea, you name it,” Anbi continued. “What type the waves favour is like the weather, changing with the seasons, cycling through each of our Pokémon types. If the wave favours your type, you might just wake up feeling like you can take on the world!”

“But Anbi sir, the V-Waves are affecting the climate. The seasons have been declining, haven’t they?” Raiju asked, bouncing up.

“’Declining’ isn’t quite the way to put it. The transition from Winter to Spring has been taking noticeably longer the past few years, but that’s a totally unrelated case. The scientists have already confirmed that that has nothing to do with the V-Wave,” Anbi answered.

Does it? Abusing an energy that naturally flows through the air seems like it’d have just that kind of side-effect. But does he literally mean seasons as in… hot weather? Cold weather? Does the V-Wave really not have an effect on that? Sophitia started to get a bit tense.

She wouldn’t get an answer to her question, however. The lecture and activities would go on to talk more about the world’s history from there on. It was slow and difficult due to being dumped right in the middle of their current subject, but she still managed to take part and get work done with the help of the other students.

Then, when lunch rolled around…

“Phew, I thought I’d never get to eat! How do you guys get through this?” Sophitia groaned. She threw herself back-first onto the cushions. They were still in the classroom, where Lute gathered up everyone’s cushion seats so that they could eat together.

“You can move your hands, can’t you? This’d be so much quicker if you used all four of them at once,” Lute complained.

“Na-uh. I’m the new kid, I get to take it easy today,” she gurgled, waving a feeler lazily. “Also, they’re feelers. Not hands.”

“Same thing,” Lute rolled his eyes.

“As for going without food, you get used to it. Especially when a certain dolt keeps forgetting to bring his lunch,” Cinder glanced at a crying Raiju.

“Hey if they didn’t lock the gates, I could run home and back and still have time to eat! It’d take me ten seconds,” the Jolteon cried.

“You’re supposed to bring your food with you to school; even I know that. Why’d you leave it at home?” Sophitia asked as she sorted through her own sack of goodies. Marina had given her and Lute some fruit medleys wrapped in pancakes, alongside small bowls of rice in curry sauce. And of course, tissues to go with that. “Oh my gods, she doesn’t play about. This is only lunch, but it looks like restaurant dinner!”

“It’s not my fault, actually. I… d-don’t have that luxury,” Raiju looked away.

“Huh?”

“We don’t have snacks or long-lasting food at home. But it’s fine, I can still run a hundred laps around town without a bite!” he bragged, standing on his hind legs. Sophitia looked impressed until his stomach growled, making her giggle.

“Okay mister. If you say so,” she waved at him.

“Honestly, just tell them you’re poor. Pokémon like honesty more than boasting,” Cinder sighed to himself. He laid out a plate for Raiju, who took a minute to realise.

“Wait, is this for me?” Raiju gasped.

“Take it or leave it.”

“Yee haw!”

“Wait, are you saying you’re too poor to buy lunch? How can a Pokémon be too poor to get lunch at school?” Sophitia gasped.

“By… not having enough to buy it?” Lute replied. “Where else is it meant to come from?”

“It’s food– can’t you just…” she trailed off, going into thought. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe that. I’m so sorry, Raiju.”

“Hey it’s cool! It’s all that training for the Olympics. One day I’ll get so strong I won’t even need food, you’ll see!” Raiju cheered.

“… That’s not how it works, but that’s the spirit,” she said nervously. She went to take another bite, only for that discomforting tingle from earlier to suddenly strike. She only hesitated for a moment, but that was enough to tell that the feeling was getting stronger. She took a bite and turned to the door, then drowned out the others’ conversation.

The Minun from earlier emerged from outside, though she looked in for a moment, hid, and then slowly slid into the room. Both paws clutched her skirt tightly. “Uh-um, excuse me…”

“Infia!” Lute smiled at her. “Have you had lunch already?”

“Oh er… y-yes, I have,” she replied. She was quieter than a Whismur.

Oh no. She’s the shy one, Sophitia thought to herself.

“Feel free to join us anyway. I haven’t seen you yet today,” Lute said.

Infia tensed up, and her straight face turned into a frown. “That’s because you didn’t even tell me if you were okay.”

“I did tell you how worried she was,” Cinder said. “Did you at least send wonder mail?”

“N-no. I was too busy sorting out the house with Sophitia,” Lute leaned back. “Sorry… things got real busy and stuff.”

“Wonder mail, though? Lute it takes 5 seconds! You couldn’t even do that for your girlfriend?” Raiju snickered.

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

And then silence fell. Cinder palmed his face while Sophitia wanted to jump out the nearest window, trying her best to melt out of the scene as much as possible. Well, at least THIS is interesting.

“Raiju, please stop saying things like that,” Infia whimpered, going back to holding her skirt.

“Yeah, geez! Girlfriend, that’s so gross,” Lute spat, to which his electric friend laughed.

“Aren’t you like, sixteen? Yeah, you’re my age. You really think that’s still gross?” Sophitia said with a groan.

“Heck yeah! All the kissing and naughty adult stuff. It’s all ew,” he spat again.

“… C-can we… p-please not talk about…?” Infia whimpered.

“Oh alright. There’s a time and a place. I wonder if all the boys here are as underdeveloped as you are,” Sophitia huffed.

“Oh trust me, they aren’t,” Cinder said, half-lidded.

“I… I was really going to ask… or say… um,” Infia said, twiddling her feet.

Just then, the tingling sensation got worse. It got bad enough for Sophitia to tense up. She struggled to hide her thoughts with her face. Some bad aura was emanating, like a foreboding of something terrible.

“Go ahead, Infia. You know you can ask me anything,” Lute assured with a smile.

“You’re really back at school now? You’re okay and everything?” Infia asked.

“Right as Raiju! Why do you ask?” he cocked his head.

“… It’s not like you were silent for two days after nearly drowning in the river or anything,” Cinder commented, looking away. Lute giggled.

“Okay, I recovered from that. I told you, I had to sleep, but I’m okay now,” he said with a cheeky smile.

“But still, you don’t have to go home early or anything?” Infia asked.

“Nope. No meds, nothing. I’m totally fine, Infia,” Lute nodded.

There it was again. This time it was a powerful pulse of aura, aura that filled Sophitia with so much fear she felt ill. But surely enough, so did Infia. The Minun had gone the slightest bit pale, looked away, and then stepped back a bit.

“Is everything okay?” Cinder asked.

“Ye-yeah. S-sorry, I-I-I need the restroom,” she said in a panicked tone before sprinting away without turning around. She yelped as she bumped right into Anbi. She made an attempt to push him away without any comment. He glanced at her and then at Lute’s group, gesturing a shrug.

“She can be so dang weird sometimes,” Lute said. That earnt a glare and the slap of a feeler. “Ow, what was that for?”

“I’m surprised you guys all stayed here. Class is about to start, you sat here all lunch!” Anbi announced.

“Eheh, it’s cold outside. And that’s coming from me,” Cinder said.

A conversation continued, but Sophitia had drowned it out again. She was staring behind Anbi at the doorway, unable to get over what had just happened.

The aura had vanished.

As soon as Infia left the vicinity, the aura, the foreboding, the intensity; everything disappeared. That very fact left her more afraid of what was going to happen, if anything at all. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice the jingle ring out again, calling everyone back. Some few minutes later, the class was back in gear and the next lesson was starting. The others didn’t even seem to notice, going back to their casual chatter.

I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but love or not, that Minun is hiding something. But the real question is, do I try and find out? she asked herself, finally turning back to the lesson. Anbi had been talking, but she hadn’t been listening. She looked around for a hint, only to realise that Infia hadn’t returned yet. That’s a long while for a bathroom break.

As if right on cue, a heavy bang went off, muffled yet close by. It was loud enough to silence everyone, a bang followed by a rising screech like a firework had gone off. It all went quiet again after a few seconds, but eyebrows were raised and some stood up.

“Must be someone outside doing—” Anbi was about to say, but another blast shook him up.

This time the floor began to rumble heavily enough to make everyone focus on keeping steady. No one said anything, all waiting for the callout on what was going on. However, the shaking only began to get worse.

“It’s an earthquake? Everyone on your feet!” Anbi shouted, stomping his. “Guard Swap!”

“You didn’t tell me anything about earthquakes!” Sophitia cried as she stumbled for the exit. Anbi’s attack surrounded the students in a pink aura for a brief moment, leaving them all glowing with a mysterious energy. Without the time to question it, Sophitia let the faster students bolt out before her, and then leapt after them with a slow, light gait.

“This isn’t normal! And yo-you gotta go faster than that!” Lute cried as stumbled after her. He could barely run straight, and crashed into the other panicked Pokémon that filled the hallway outside. It was clear that he was trying to slow down for her and kept falling over as a result, so she growled a response and scooped him onto her back.

“Go straight for the exit. No messing around!” Anbi shouted from the back. He glanced side to side, using the doorway to keep his balance.

“Wait, Sophitia! What about Infia?” Lute cried once they made it to the stairs.

“She was in the restroom, right? She’s probably already outside,” she replied, sliding to a stop.

With all the other Pokémon rushing to get out, it was no surprise some of them were falling down the stairs. She decided to take a short run up and leapt up as high as she could, floating down to level ground before continuing.

“… Actually, your floating is really helpful, here,” Lute commented, and tightened his grip on her.

“So Anbi’s Guard Swap. They’re all hitting each other but no one’s getting hurt at all,” she added. “That guy’s not all weird.”

“Less talking, more running!” Raiju sung as he passed them. Cinder gave them a tap, so she focused and got back to escaping.

The exit wasn’t far, so it felt as though it was almost too easy to get out. Once they were on level ground and out of the building, the quakes stopped, though there was still a loud rumbling and the school building was still shaking. Other teachers directed the students to just outside of the school grounds by the main gate, where they all turned to the results of the building.

“Our class is… here. But Infia’s not here,” Lute said, searching the crowd. Sophitia made a sound, focusing her gaze on the building. The quaking was strong enough that a large dust cloud was flowing around it.

… I have this horrible feeling, she frowned.