[Fiona Ivers]

It was a pretty day out- a crisp and clean, sunshine-y morning that held infinite potential for both good and bad. Rather than being outside to enjoy such a pleasant day, Fiona instead sat at her desk inside of the classroom. Even though she'd been at it for a little while now, she still couldn't believe that she had a desk job teaching kids. If someone had asked her a decade ago if she thought she'd be a teacher? It would have been a rare outburst of hysterical laughing, she'd imagine.

The woman sat at her desk, dressed a bit heavily, but comfortably. A black bomber jacket safely kept her arms and torso warm. It was mostly zipped, but there was still some slack at the top, revealing a white, buttoned-up dress shirt. She had contemplated another layer inbetween, tie included, but opted against it. Her hands were kept warm by thin brown leather gloves. Black khaki pants finished the basics of her outfit. Her feet were safely hidden underneath that rather large wooden desk that was hers. Though she was wearing both of her braces, neither were visible. Her clothing did a good job at hiding the already-slim equipment.

Of course, the woman wasn't alone. Furthest from the desk, her Lucario, Marcus, was peering out through the window and watching whatever it was that had caught his interest. He seemed to be very comfortable, leaning on the open frame. Much closer were Samuel and Eleanor. The Slowking organized the handouts that were to be distributed once class began. He was mostly keeping himself busy. The Gardevoir, on the other hand, stood behind Fiona, and a little to the side, almost like a butler would. Her eyes focused on the woman and Slowking with a faint smile that'd no doubt fade once other people invaded that space.

”Greetings, introductions, questionnaires, explanations, closing.” She mused aloud, drawing the three Pokemon's attention to herself for a moment. ”That should be enough for a first class. It'll give them food for thought.” She drew her arms up and rested her elbows on the desk, her right arm much more slow than her left. They'd be coming any moment now. It was an early class, but people usually stormed on in not long before class began. A singular chilled breeze blew through the window, stinging along her cheek as she winced.

”Marcus, close it for now, please.” The Lucario gave a slight shrug, sending a silent confirmation to the woman by means of telepathy before shifting off of the frame and closing the window. He still leaned against the frame afterward, though. With the window closed, the chill would die and the room would grow a little warmer, much to her relief.

Now she just needed to wait for this new flock to come on in.

Notes: The first class in general. Wahoo. Due to the timing, which is the week of Christmas, I will make a one-time change on posting policies. I will universally wait forty-eight hours between my posts to advance class. I'll only post sooner if, as stated, everyone posts in a given round. That said, this is an introductory class and should go by fairly quickly, either way. Additionally, as this is her first class, students will not be treated as late until my third post. Do with that information as you will. I hope you all enjoy. And maybe learn something.

Happy holidays, and don't feel rushed.

[Serena Miller]

Serena walked as fast as her feet could carry her without it actually being running.  Running in the halls was a bad thing, but in this case she was seriously considering it.  It was time for the first day of classes, and she overslept by five minutes somehow.  She was used to getting up early, but she was slow to get out of bed today because she had a bit of trouble sleeping last night due to the anticipation of finally getting to go to classes.  Doesn't that figure?  Her excitement for going to class was what was going to make her late for class in the end.  Part of her considered not going at all because showing up late was so rude, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.  In the end, she still really wanted to go to all her classes.

Quickly, she arrived at the classroom the class was supposed to be held.  She quietly turned the doorknob, as to not disturb the class, but as she leaned in she didn't hear any noise.  No teaching, no people clicking their heels on the floor, no chatter, nothing.  Confused, she pushed the door open to find that the only person there was the teacher.  Did she have the wrong time?  A quick look at her schedule and the clock in the room showed that she had the right time, but somehow managed to get there fairly early.  She was surprised for a moment, but in the end she felt relieved.  For once, she might actually manage to make a decent first impression.

Of course, being early meant that she was the only person here.  Normally that would be great, but she was dealing with a new person and a teacher at that.  The room was really quiet too, which was just awkward.  What was she supposed to do?  Just let the silence fill the air as she took a seat, or should she say something?  Serena made her way to a desk in the second row (not too close, but still pretty close), and set her things down while she thought.

"U-Um...good morning Miss Ivers," a quick reference to her schedule reminded her of the teacher's name.  "I'm happy to see classes are finally starting.  Um...I'm looking forward to seeing what we learn!"

[Kotone Kato]

Kotone trudged grumpily through the halls of the school. The worst thing about being a student was having to wake up early to go to class, and she was dead tired. Honestly, even though she had been up for less than an hour, Kotone knew today was going to be a bad day, and she just hoped that her new teacher would be nice and more engaging than those she had before. But, for today, her aim was to not fall asleep before first period ended. No matter how dedicated she was to her studies, Kotone just could not beat her sleepiness.

Walking into the room, Kotone noticed that she was the second to arrive. Serena, the girl she had met in the forest, was the only other student there. Waiting respectfully for the other girl to finish speaking, Kotone also greeted her teacher, "Good morning Miss Ivers," she mumbled, fighting back a yawn. "How are you?"

[Zoey May]

A early morning would be tiring for some, but not for Zoey. First Class? She had mixed feelings about a first class right now. With some light breakfast in her belly she could go on until noon, she hoped. That was actually not entirely true but as long as the class was entertaining enough it shouldn't really matter.

"Good Morning!" She came loudly in the class not aiming for anyone in particular. For the rest she was rather quiet and didn't made that much of a fuss. She looked as she was standing in front of the open door. There were some students here already, and the teacher was already sitting at her desk. She tried to remember what her name was? Miss Evers? No that wasn't it. She looked at the clock and saw that she still had a few minutes before the start of the class.

She decided to go sit on a chair. She decided to go sit next to the girl on the second row. She was wearing an uniform of the Lava dorm. She didn't get what it was with all the dorms. Couldn't they all sleep together, with the same gender of course. First she took a look at the schedule and to learn the teachers name which she shamelessly had forgotten. She just nodded and than fixed her attention on the girl next to her.

"Hey there, how are you?" She asked the girl in an active but friendly voice. Her sister apparently didn't came to class yet, maybe she didn't even came to this class? Zoey had no idea whether everyone had the same schedule or not.

[Lithra Trease]

Quiet and unassuming, the second Nature student of the day walked into the classroom. Lithra clutched her Cottonee close to her chest, looking at the classroom with nervousness and excitement. Most students her age had done some studying at academies before, if not here at Gray Haven, but this was the first for Lithra. She’d never been to a place like this compared to the small schooling of her childhood. Even Bell, her first pokemon, was gifted to her just under a year ago. Lithra’s skills were close to nothing, but she was nothing if not dedicated.

Nevertheless, a class on battle tactics would no doubt be a hard class for the girl. She hoped that today’s introduction and syllabus would shine a light on what was to be expected with the course. Lithra wasn’t even sure if pokemon were allowed in the class, but it looked like the teacher had her own pokemon out and about. Lots of pokemon, actually, most that Lithra didn’t know the names of. Maybe that meant Bell could stay with her.

“Good morning,” the student said as she walked in. She tried to make eye contact with Ms. Ivers, looking at the side of the woman’s head as she smiled. Lithra didn’t even realize she wasn’t making eye contact. It was just a habit. A bad one, her mother had warned. “Are pokemon allowed out?” she asked, unsure if Ms. Ivers was okay with students talking to her before class. She seemed a little intimating, but first looks were often misleading. For instance, Lithra wasn’t nearly as young as she looked with her long hair, curve-less body, and flower in her hair.

Waiting for Ms. Ivers’ reply, Lithra slid into the front desk, nodding at the fellow Nature student and the Lava girls. Bell curled into Lithra’s touch, blinking back at the teacher.

[Sylvia Lane]

Sylvia stopped in front of the classroom and peeked her head inside before walking inside. She was bundled in a coat that was, perhaps, a little too heavy for the slight chill that was encompassing the area as well as a pair of black gloves that reached up almost to her elbow. But after poking her nose outside for a second when she'd woken up that morning, she decided she was taking no chances with her mortal nemesis. She had hefted it over her uniform and trudged out the door, albeit with some annoyance staining her excitement at starting her first class here at Gray Haven. He mood did, however, regain some of its cheer once she'd walked into the Battle Tactics wing and away from the cold. At least until she had to leave again. Did she have to leave?

Sylvia debated voicing this question to the teacher as she peered into the classroom, a polite smile ready on her lips. But her smile wavered ever so slightly when she felt the slight chill in the room. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was outside, but it was enough for her nose to sting a little. She discreetly scrapped her previous idea and finally made her way into the classroom. There were five people already there. One of them was, no doubt, the teacher. She was sitting at what could only be the teacher's desk for one thing. But, honestly, even if she wasn't sitting at a desk, Sylvia was sure she would've identified her right away. She just looked like she was in charge of something.

Miss Ivers. Sylvia reminded herself of her name. She rolled it around in her head as she made her way to the desk at the far end of the room in the front. On her way there, each of her classmates received a soft smile and a little wave in greeting. Sylvia settled into the desk and set her bag on the floor, refraining from shedding her coat and gloves for the time being. She then turned her green orbs on the teacher and gave her the same kind smile with a nod. Honestly, Sylvia was excited about this class. If there was anything she needed improvement on, it was her battle tactics. She certainly had a massive amount of note taking to to look forward to.

[Sophia Schuster]

That was it. The time had come. The time was then and the time was now! What time was it? Class time, of course. To say that Sophia was looking forward to class was an understatement. They were the whole point of school, after all! Not only that, but it was a class on tactical analysis, so it was right up her alley. She made sure to get a promise of attendance from Seraphina before leaving her roommate to her own devices. She had faith in the girl to pop up eventually. And if she didn't?

Well, Sophia'd manage to guilt trip her, or something.

Once she arrived, she silently offered a slight bow towards the teacher as a formality before silently taking a seat, front and center. Well, front, but mostly center. As close to center as possible. It was the best place to tune out distractions. Her Pokemon were in their balls, but said balls were fixed on point at her waist. The silver-colored uniform was simple enough, but, over the top, she wore a crimson shawl that was loosely wrapped around herself. She had the perfect excuse due to the cold outside. Judging by the feeling in her fingers, though, gloves might have been a good idea next time.

A notebook, mechanical pencil, recorder, and a few other small doo-hickeys found themselves on Sophia's desk. She was primed and ready to go. Though, what would a first class be like? She didn't know, but she still had faith something solid would be presented or taught.

+1 to hatch count on Mareep, Dunsparce, Growlithe, Beldum, Bellsprout, and Torkoal eggs

[Crispin Yates]

    With a barely stifled yawn, Crispin shuffled his way through the halls towards his first class for the day. Despite being the class he looked most forward to, waking up early was definitely not something he was looking forward to. Being on the road usually meant waking up whenever you darn well felt like it, aside from the occasional appointments for his mom to battle. Still, he had mostly managed to get on a half-assed sleep schedule since arriving at school, so at the very least he hadn’t overslept. He was just dang tired.

    Jove was as well, of course, but the lucky little bug Pokémon was able to remedy that by sleeping in his usual nest that was Crispin’s hair. The Joltik was smaller than most, which considering it was a breed already small to begin with was saying something. It didn’t change the fact that his trainer had to grow used to the weight of the bug Pokémon sleeping on his head. He just didn’t have the heart to disturb him when he did, though. Still, right now he was a bit envious of him and Crispin shook his head with a sigh, “Yer don't nu 'oy luckeh yer 'av it, do ye,” he mumbled, Jove seemingly snuggling into his hair more in response.

    As he reached the door to the classroom, Crispin pulled out his class roster to glance down at his teacher’s name again. He didn’t want to chance getting it wrong, even though he had a feeling his accent would bucher it anyway. Still, he wanted to at least make an attempt at not being a little shit. Tucking the paper back into his laptop bag, he walked into the room and glanced around. The first thing he noticed were the Pokémon and he looked at them in admiration. They were exactly what he’d expect from a ‘battle tactics’ teacher, powerful and intelligent, and he looked forward all the more to the class.

    He then nodded to the teacher, smiling politely. “G’mornin' ter ya, Ms. Ivers,” he said, carefully trying to enunciate her name and hoping he pronounced it correctly. That out of the way, he turned to glance around the rest of the class. There were a good few so far, two from what seemed to be the Lava dorm, two from his own, one from wave, one bolt. All girls, not that that really had anything to do with anything; it was just an observation. Nodding politely to them all the same, he made his way to a seat near the middle of the third row, putting his laptop bag on the ground by his side.

[Seraphina King]

Seraphina was taking her time walking to the teaching building. Hands in her pockets, she was walking at a much more leisurely pace than usual. Suffice to say, she was moving very slowly. She did make it to the class on time though, as her roommate had urged. She got a good look over the class as she got through the door. Damn. What's with all the girls? She was not one for being subtle, naturally. As she walked in, hands in her pockets, the girl didn't even have her uniform buttoned up. Underneath was a black shirt, so it wasn't like she was revealing anything inappropriate. Before she sat down, she glanced over at the teacher's desk. Perhaps it was staring, but her gaze was fixed on her for a good few seconds before she took a seat down in the first row next to her roommate.

She propped her foot against her desk to lean her chair back. You know, that thing kids do that leads to their chair falling back onto the floor. Always smart. From there, she gave another look over to the teacher. Something seemed off with her. Like she wasn't a teacher? Whatever it was, it made her feel really familiar to Seraphina. After enough staring that it would seem like she was checking the teacher out, she noticed that there was one boy here. She snorted, wondering if that guy was super lucky or super unlucky. On one hand, he was surrounded by beautiful women like herself! On the other, he was isolated from his bros. In all seriousness, it probably wasn't that big of a deal. Seraphina was just really surprised by this overwhelmingly large difference in numbers.

Looking over some of the other students, she recognized one of the Lava dormers. Oh, it was that girl who dumped a bunch of crap on her jacket. Wonderful. What was her name again? She had half the mind to say something stupid to her. What would constitute as stupid? Yo, pancake girl! Long time no see. She wasn't trying to make fun of her or anything. She just didn't remember her name. Plus, she recalled there were pancakes that got dumped all over her. Man, that was a pain. But she spoke in a friendly tone, complete with a big dumb smile. That was just how she was.

Turning back over to her roommate, she did have some questions since this was her first class. Hey, Sophia. This is Breeding Class, right? What are we supposed to do? She decided to follow along with everyone else and just wait there for something to happen. The teacher would probably get up and start talking probably. And then a test, maybe? That might be a bit difficult since she didn't actually know how to write very well. At least she could write her name.

[Karin Cantrell]

While waking up early was nothing new to Karin, she still felt groggy in the mornings as if she didn't sleep at all. She made her way towards class in a haze. Did she have everything in her bag? She should check before she walked into the classroom. Notebooks, pens, pencils, and erasers were all present in her bag. Everything seemed to be in place, but Karin couldn't help but feel as if she was missing something. She wrote off the feeling as first class jitters. Karin peeked into the class, wanting to a look at the room before entering. There was already a moderate amount of students inside. And the teacher seemed... cool. 

"Good morning," Karin said as she entered the room properly. She quickly found an empty seat and settled in. Karin took a notebook and some pencils out of her bag, laying them out on her desk. Then she set down her messenger bag next to her chair. Ready and eager to take notes and learn new things, Karin had to keep her excitement under control. She didn't want to seem disrespectful or anything. Still, she wondered, what were battle tactics exactly? She'd find out soon, she supposed.

[Christina Douglas]

Christina had been up for awhile now. She should have gotten some sleep, but the current topic at hand had distracted her all night. She felt a little tired, but not as much as she should have been. Poli on the other hand, was sound asleep on her shoulder. The little Poliwag's thirst for knowledge wasn't as large as Christina's and had fallen asleep hours ago. Though this was pretty common. Christina had often spent long nights researching when she was on to something. Unfortunately, her current hypothesis hadn't given her any results. A shame, but she didn't feel like she had wasted the night.

She turned her head towards the window and noticed the sun was now in the sky, shinning brightly. Poli had begun to stir, waking up from a presumably good night's rest. Christina gave out a little yawn and then suddenly remembered. There was a class today wasn't there? She had almost forgotten she was part of an academy now. That presumably meant attending at least a few of those classes. She wasn't sure how to feel about them. After all, her parents taught her up until now. She hadn't been to a classroom before. The thought of attending actually made her a little nervous.

She shook her head, attempting to get rid of those thoughts. She should at least see what it was like right? With a slight yawn, she grabbed her laptop, along with something else to take notes with just in case. She fixed herself up real quickly, at least trying to look a bit presentable. Then she exited her room and made her way to the class.

The closer she got to the classroom, the more nervous she felt. She hadn't exactly spent much time with people her own age. Would she end up making a fool of herself? Ridiculous notions, but she couldn't get rid of them. She soon found herself standing in front of the doorway to the class. It looked like quite a few people were already here. She took a deep breath and calmly strode in. The nervousness on her face was soon replaced by the calm serious expression she often wore when out in public.

Christina wordlessly took a seat near the back of the classroom. She was still not quite used to the idea of being a participant. Being in the back with a view of the whole room, helped make her feel like she still had the role of observer. That made her feel calmer than she had been. She put up her laptop and got it ready to take notes, as Poli started looking around the room from her shoulder. This class if she remembered correctly was supposed to be about battle tactics right? While not particularly interested herself, Christina saw merit in learning the material that could potentially be presented. After all she was supposed to be here to learn, right?

[Fiona Ivers]

Gradually, young people wandered into the room, one after another. She nodded at their greetings- the ones that did greet her, anyway- and caught a few interesting remarks in the airspace. Outside of individuals taking creative liberties with their uniforms and posture, the only noteworthy thing about the body of students before her was the singular male. How odd. Fiona would have assumed there'd be a few more “macho” individuals among the student body. Maybe the weather was to blame, after all?

”Hello, and good morning.” She finally broke her silence, her voice deep and clear. ”Welcome to Battle Tactics. I'll be your instructor, Fiona Ivers.” Despite the fact that she had begun speaking, she did not stand. No, she was going to continue allowing her rear to interface with the padding of her chair. Her hands did sink a bit, however, fingertips skittering over a couple sheets of paper. ”Though they will be unnecessary during today's class, you are free to allow one of your partners outside of their balls, provided they are not rowdy.” She shifted in her seat before motioning with her left hand. Samuel, the Slowking, raised his own, and sheets flew from the front, shooting to spots on each occupied desk, where room could be found. The sheets were very basic, having only a few fields- name, age, gender, and interests. It was clearly to help the instructor get a grasp on her students.

Though it looked like the gender field was almost unnecessary.

”It's a simple survey. The first three fields are required. Put whatever you're comfortable with for the fourth. Whether you work on it now or wait until the end of class, either way is fine, but keep them for now. You may turn them in to Samuel at the end of class to receive your reward for attendance.” For someone who was all business, surveys like that were a functional way to get her students' names and all without wasting time on introductions.

”We'll keep our first class simple enough. I want to ask you all one simple question: What is the best 'type' of Pokemon? Of the eighteen types of Pokemon known to us, which one is the best? Furthermore, please explain why. Simply stand and answer- no need to be called on, but please do so in an orderly fashion. If you want to take a moment, to think before answering, feel free.” Despite her calm and welcoming tone on the matter, it was clear she had a point to make about such an open-ended question. After all, that was the sort of nonsense that got fights started in lesser crowds.

Well, fortunately, the woman doubted any of them would be as bad as individuals she'd had the displeasure of observing online.

[Meili Jie]

Meili swiftly snuck into the class room. She was red in the face. How in the world can she be late for battle tactics! Meili took a deep breathe and quickly grabbed a seat. She was just in time to hear the woman introduce herself and her declaring that she was free to send out a Pokemon. Meili decided not to since...well...they're all rowdy in their own ways and Ci wasn't exactly comfortable outside a bucket of water.

”It's a simple survey. The first three fields are required. Put whatever you're comfortable with for the fourth. Whether you work on it now or wait until the end of class, either way is fine, but keep them for now. You may turn them in to Samuel at the end of class to receive your reward for attendance.” Meili looked at the sheet of paper that flew unto her desk as she made her seat.

Meili, 15, Female, Battling

”We'll keep our first class simple enough. I want to ask you all one simple question: What is the best 'type' of Pokemon? Of the eighteen types of Pokemon known to us, which one is the best? Furthermore, please explain why. Simply stand and answer- no need to be called on, but please do so in an orderly fashion. If you want to take a moment, to think before answering, feel free.” Meili thought about it. She wanted to say Dragon types because of the prestiege it held back in her home town but the battler in her says that even they have weaknesses even if they are given the moves to effectively counter against their oppositions. Meili decided to wait and let other students answer this one.

[Crispin Yates]

    A few more began to trickle in and… it seemed to be more women. For a brief moment he worried that maybe he had accidentally enrolled in a female-only class, but considering no one was scowling at him for being here he figured that wasn’t right either. If he was the only guy here, while it may be a little awkward for him, it didn’t mean it would change anything either. Ignoring that oddity for the moment, he turned his attention back to the teacher as she began to speak.

    He looked a bit sheepish when she announced that they had permission to allow one of their Pokémon out off the balls. It hadn’t even occurred to him to ask if it was okay to keep Jove out of his Pokéball. It had just become second nature since he got the Joltik to let him rest happily in his hair. At the very least he knew now that it was okay, and he made a mental note to remember to ask for permission about things like that in the future.

    Looking to the Slowking as his teacher gestured, Crispin blinked as the papers flew across the desks and landed in place. Reaching down and pulling a pen out of his laptop bag, he scribbled his responses out into their respective fields. “Crispin Yates. Fifteen. Male. Training, traveling, and learning to keep improving. Occasionally reading.” He wrote as he listened, glancing up to the Slowking he assumed to be the mentioned Samuel. It was almost intimidating. Not in a bad way, but in a ‘holy-crap it’s like there’s multiple teachers all at once’ kind of way. It made him want to try to step up his game even more.

    At the question, Crispin began to run his fingers through his hair. He caught himself before rustling the sleeping Joltik too much, thankfully, but still squinted his eyes in thought for a moment. The battles his Mom fought against trainers with only one type of Pokémon had a tendency to be the easiest. Not always, of course, but it was easier to work around someone’s weakness if they didn’t cover them all effectively, right? Shrugging more to himself than anything, he glanced around to make sure no one else was standing up before standing himself. “Well... oi'd say dare really isn't wan, roi? Oi mean sure thar's sum dat 'av 'power', but den thar's usually wan dat can bring'it back raun on dem. If we're talkin' favorites, well... oi canny say oi 'av wan jist yet.” Clearing his throat, he sat back down again. Maybe it was just because he hadn’t settled on a type he particularly loved yet, but anyway he thought about it where one was strong it also usually fragile elsewhere.

    Now if they were talking combination types he had a feeling it would be a completely different story, but he didn’t have a whole lot of know-how about all of the ones that existed. Sitting, he drummed his fingers on his desk quietly. He contemplated taking his laptop out for note taking, but decided he would wait until more actual information was presented.

[Serena Miller]

Serena watched as all the other students filtered in to the classroom.  She recognized a few of them, but not most of them.  This embarrassed her a little, but in the end, it wasn't that unexpected.  She hadn't been here that long after all.  In the end, she hoped that they could all become friends.  It actually looked like one of them was particularly eager to become friends.  Serena could only blink at her entrance and leaned back a little when she sat down next to her and started talking to her.  She wasn't upset by this, she was actually quite happy, she was just...surprised.

"U-Um...hi?"

She sounded unsure of herself because of that surprise.  On some level, she knew greetings were the correct response to being greeted, it was just a very odd greeting that caught her a bit off-guard.  It was nice to meet new people though.  Normally it'd be nice to see familiar faces too, but then she heard one that she was looking forward to less.  Not because of the person, but because of what she said.  It was the girl from the cafeteria, and she still remembered what happened and gave Serena an embarrassing nickname on top of it.  Great.  Serena looked down, her face burning with shame.

"Um...hi, it's nice to see you again."

Despite how she looked, she was mostly sincere.  The only part that wasn't was only because she wished they met again under other circumstances.  Fortunately, class was about to start, so she probably wouldn't be able to say anything else.  Granted, based on that girl's personality, class starting probably wouldn't stop her from saying anything she wanted and would just cause everyone to stare at then.  Serena could only pray that she would have some common sense.

Then class officially started.  The teacher introduced herself and handed out a sheet of paper, presumably so the students could introduce themselves.  Serena answered the questions honestly, and put hunting, cooking and biology down as her interests.  Then, the teacher posed a question.  Serena was pretty sure it was a trick question, but part of her felt bad for thinking that.  Would this teacher really do that to her students?  She was just being mean by thinking that about her right?  But she couldn't think of any other way to answer that question than with 'there isn't one.'  She must be missing something obvious.  Embarrassed once again, she sank down in her chair and remained quiet for the time being.  She was sure that someone smarter would answer the question for the teacher, so she wouldn't be too disappointed.