Chapter 13: The Weird Student Teacher! Class is in Session!
âWhatâre you staring at your waffle with that intense expression for?â Fae asked. Â Naomi was staring down at the freshly-made, fluffy waffle at breakfast, a glint in her eye.
âItâs so good-looking, I almost donât want to eat it,â she admitted.
âJust eat it before it gets cold,â Fae sighed.
âFae, can I see the Cure Dex?â Asuka asked; she had taken the early ferry so she could have breakfast in the dining hall with her friends.
âHuh? Sure.â Fae held out the heart-shaped device, which Asuka opened and began going through. Â Rotomiâs face emerged from the side screen.
âWhat are you looking at, Asuka?â
âI just wanted to go over the nega-evolutions weâve fought so far,â Asuka replied, âWe should properly study them, right?â
âThatâs very true,â Kailani agreed, âIt looks like most nega-evolutions keep their typing, and weaknesses.â
âAnd our own abilities seem to have typing,â Fae added, âSomewhat, anyway.â
âOh, speaking of Precure stuff,â Kailani took out her phone, âApparently three more Precure were spotted in Sinnoh.  More and more are popping up as the Nega-Evolutions appear in the different regions of the worldâŠâ
âHey, wait a minute!â Rotomi suddenly blurted out. Â She zapped out of the Cure Dex, staring hard at Kailani. Â âKailani!â
âE-EhâŠ?â Kailani leaned back a bit.  âWhatâs up, RotomiâŠ?â
âSinceâŠsince whenâŠâ Rotomi got in her face. âSince when did you have a phone!?  I could have zapped into that and not been forced to try and be roommates with your rotom when I first got here!â
âThatâs what youâre upset about..!?â
âGuess you donât think about that stuff in the spur of the moment, huh?â Naomi chuckled, âBesides, âTomi, now you have the Cure Dex, made just for you.â
Rotomi zapped back into the Cure Dex. âYeah, I guess thatâs true, but stillâŠâ
âAnyway,â Asuka interjected, âThis is completely unrelated, but I believe our homeroom is getting a student teacher today.â
âA student teacher? We rarely get changes in staff partway through the year,â Fae mused.
âI wonder what theyâre like?â Naomi muttered, âI mean, they wonât be our actual teacher, but how will they work with our regular teacher?â
âThatâs true,â Asuka agreed, âOur teacher does things a particular wayâŠâ
âWell, the job of the student teacher is to learn, just like the rest of us!â Kailani grinned, looking up as the bell rang. Â âThereâs the warning bell! Â Letâs get going and meet the student teacher!â
âClass, we have a student teacher beginning today,â Mr. Barton announced, âHe will be assisting in the lectures and various classes, so please be on your best behavior.â
âYes, sir,â the class echoed, as the classroom door opened. Â A tall man stepped in, with a chiseled jawline and thick brows. Â He had a thick head of brown hair and thin-rimmed glasses. He adjusted his tie, before clearing his throat.
âGood morning, class,â he announced, âMy name is Mr. Goodlooks. Â Itâs a pleasure to be working with you all.â
An echo murmured over the class.
âMr. Goodlooks?â Naomi whispered to Kailani. âIs he joking?â
âMaybe itâs a translated nameâŠ?â Fae muttered.
Mr. Goodlooks scanned over the class, his gaze falling on Kailani.
âGhâ!â Kailani flinched, as he walked toward her, seeming to stare her down. Â The air was tense. Â Her heart was pounding.
Then, he reached out and shut the window beside her.
âWe have the air conditioning on; please keep the window shut.â
âHe seems pretty normal to me,â Asuka said as she bit into her sandwich at lunch.
âA little intense, though,â Naomi added, âFae, you had Bartonâs next class; did he do anything weird?â
âWell, he seemed very interested in getting to know the class,â Fae admitted, âWe were all put into groups for an assignment, and he stopped by each group to talk to everyone and learn about us.  He kept looking at my bagâŠâ
âIâm sorry,â Rotomi spoke from the Cure Dex, âI exited the Cure Dex for a little bit, so I may have nudged the bag.â
âItâs okay; he didnât seem too concerned,â Fae shook her head with a smile, âJust curious. I poked it with my foot a few times to try and make it look like an accident.â
âSmart thinking, Fae!â
âClef!â Clefairy huffed as she bit into a poffin.
âOh, stop it; heâs not creepy,â Fae frowned, then looked to the group, âClefairy came out for a training exercise, and Mr. Goodlooks commented on her focus on physical attacks.  She kind of got offendedâŠâ
âHe doesnât seem like someone whoâs all that experienced in battling, so I can kinda see where sheâs coming from,â Kailani nodded, when her phone went off. âOh!â She retrieved it from her bag, reading the message inside.
Please stop by after school with your friends. Have a Cure Dex update. -Alice
âDoctor Pierce wants us to come by once classes let out,â Kailani explained, âShe wants to update the Cure Dex.â
âThe new update allows you to add your own personal notes regarding the nega-evolutions,â Dr. Pierce explained as she hooked up the Cure Dex to her computer, âThereâs also an entry on the shadowlings, and Iâve created three blank entries for the members of Team Dysphoria.â
âYouâve been hard at work on this, havenât you, Dr. Pierce?â Fae said with a smile.
âI want to solve this mystery as badly as you girls do,â Dr. Pierce replied, when a sudden, loud THUD! was heard. Â Naomi was facedown on the floor, having tripped over a stack of books.
âOwwâŠDoc, your place is a messâŠâ
âYou think so?â Dr. Pierce looked around.  Clothes and shoes were scattered on the floor, books were placed on any flat surface she could find, and the garbage was close to overflowing.  âOhâŠI suppose youâre right.â
âWhy donât we help you clean up?â Asuka asked, âItâs the least we can do to thank you for all your help.â
âAre you certainâŠ?â
âLeave it to us!â Kailani saluted, âWeâll divvy up the tasks between each other and have it done in no time while you work on the update!â
âWellâŠif youâre so certainâŠâ
The girls set to work; Naomi gathered up the laundry, Fae took the garbage out, and Kailani and Asuka began picking up the books to place them back on the shelves.
âI think we should separate the notebooks and binders from the actual bound books,â Asuka said, âWeâll put the notebooks and binders on the upper shelves so theyâre easy to grab and open.â
âThatâs an idea!â Kailani agreed, beginning to stack the binders carefully. As she stood up to place them on the top shelf, she stopped, noticing a framed photo had fallen over. âOh!â She reached out and set it back up, when she noticed the picture inside.  A teenaged Alice stood in the photo, smiling brightly, beside a taller, pale-haired man in a pokemon ranger uniform.  Penumbra was in Aliceâs arms, while an infernape stood proudly beside the man.  âOhâŠwhoâs this?â
âHm?â Dr. Pierce looked over, and her eyes softened.  âOhâŠthatâs me with my brother.â
âYou have an older brother?â Asuka asked, as Fae re-entered the house and Naomi leaned out of the small laundry room.
âYesâŠhis nameâs Logan.  Heâs a pokemon ranger.  He travels between regions whenever thereâs severe disasters going on, rescuing people and pokemon.  He lives in Kanto, thoughâwith his wife and son.â
âIt looks like you two are very close,â Kailani observed as she examined the photo. Â Dr. Pierce fell quiet for a moment.
ââŠdid something happen?â Naomi asked as she walked over to take a look.
â..a year ago, he disappeared. Â There was a hurricane in Hoenn, and he went up there to deal with it. Â He never reported back to his team.â
âHey, yeah, I remember that hurricane,â Naomi replied, âI think the news mentioned a ranger was MIA.â
âItâs not like him at allâŠhe was stubborn, but he would always keep in touch.  Search parties looked for him, butâŠâ she trailed off.  The girls looked to each other, before Fae approached and carefully gave Dr. Pierce a hug.
âItâs okay. Â Iâm sure heâll turn up.â
ââŠthank you, girls,â Dr. Pierce breathed, when she heard a knock at the door.  âOh, heâs here!â she hurriedly slid the Cure Dex behind her computer.
âWho is âhe?ââ Naomi asked.
âA detective who wanted to speak to me regarding the nega-evolution incidents hereâŠâ she went to the door and opened it. âDetective Looker.  Welcome.â
Stepping into the entryway was an older man with a chiseled jaw, dark hair and, most notably, a long trench coat. Â âDr. Pierce,â he responded, then looked to the girls cleaning up. âIs this a bad time?â
âOh, not at all; theyâreâŠvolunteers from the academy, thatâs all.â
Looker stared long and hard at the girls. ââŠI see.  Well, Iâd like to have a word with you in private, if thatâs alrightâŠâ
âOh, of course!  Iâm sorry, girlsâŠâ
âItâs alright! Weâll see you later!â Kailani replied instantly, pulling Fae and Asuka by the hands while Naomi followed them out the side door.
âBut Kailani,â Fae whispered, âRotomiâs still in there with the Cure Dex!â
âI know,â she whispered back, âBut we canât easily grab it without him noticing! Â We gotta keep a low profile since weâre Precure! Â Weâll come back later and get her!â
âAn experiment?â Ataxia crossed her legs and tilted her head toward Bedlam.
âI wanna see the limits of nega-evolution. Â Lend me your nega-ring.â
âWhat!?â Ataxia huffed and clutched the ring around her wrist. Â âThis was given to me personally by Lord Tumult! Â Iâm certain youâll get your own in due time!â
âYouâll get it back. Â I just want to try something.â
âHmmâŠâ Ataxia looked down at the nega-ring.  âWellâŠâ
âJust let âim do it,â Entropy groaned as she sat up from her nap, âHeâll keep botherinâ ya âtil he gets what he wants.â
Ataxia looked between the two quietly, then sighed, removing the ring and holding it out. âIf you so much as scuff it, I will end you.â
âYeah, yeah.â Bedlam slid the ring onto his wrist.
âItâs okay, guys,â Rotomi said as the girls had gathered in the dorm later that day, âThe detective was just asking Dr. Pierce what she knew. Â She didnât tell him about us being Precure. Â He just wanted her opinion on the trends to try and predict where another nega-evolution incident would occur.â
âWhat a reliefâŠâ Kailani sighed, âBut stillâŠnow that thereâs a detective walking around the islandâŠâ
âI know, itâs unnerving,â Asuka agreed, âBut we canât stop now.  MaybeâŠwe can get him on our side?â
âAnd let another person in on our secret?â Naomi shook her head, âNuh-uh. Â Too risky. Â Besides, we donât need him telling us what to do.â
âGuys, letâs focus,â Fae spoke up, âWe should look at it like this: if we have more professionals looking into this, then that means less of a burden on us.â
âLess of a burden? Heâs a detective, not a Precure,â Naomi replied, âThis is more of a burden. Â This is a big island, and as far as we know there are only four Precure here to defend it. Â The more people who get involved, the worse it is.â
âI get what you mean, butâŠâ
Asuka shook her head, when she looked at the time. âOh, I better get going to catch the ferry.â
âGet home safe, Asuka!â Kailani said as Asuka picked up her schoolbag and headed out the door.
Asuka navigated the halls and stairs to exit the dorm building, heading down the street. âMaybe Iâll stop by the market on my wayâŠâ she mused aloud, when she heard shouting.  âHuh..?â She turned down an alley and followed the noise.  Stopping at a corner, she peered around. ââŠ!â
âYouâre a real pain, you know that? Iâve seen you following me around for the past hour,â Bedlam sat atop a fire escape, leering down at Looker.
âThe moment I saw you seemingly phase in out of nowhere, I knew something wasnât right,â Looker replied, âYouâre one of the people nega-evolving pokemon, arenât you?â
âThen youâre under arrest!â
âIs it really that easy to you?â a smirk tugged at Bedlamâs lips, as he stood up on the rails.
âGet down here and face me like a man!â
âHmâŠthatâs tempting, but Iâm gonna try something first.â Bedlam looked to the nega-ring, then thrust out his hand, as an arcane circle formed beneath Looker.  âNega-ring! Bring out all his nega-energy!â
âWhatâ!?â Looker glanced down, then let out a cry, as a beam of darkness shot up around him.  His body vanished, as the energy began to take shapeâŠ.
âNEGAAAA!â It was a tall, gangly creature nearly eight feet tall, with a magnifying glass for a head, a large eye in the center of the lens; the body was clothed in a black trench coat.
Asuka gasped, a hand over her mouth. âHe nega-evolved a humanâ!?â She scrambled for her phone, when a shadow loomed over her. Â She looked up to see the nega-evolution leering down at her, charging a beam in its eye. Â Asuka took off at a sprint, turning corners wherever she could as she heard the explosions behind her.
âPrecure! I! Choose! You!â Â As Asuka transformed into Cure Willow, she summoned a pokeball. âScizor!â
The steel-type pokemon emerged, standing back-to-back with Willow as they both jumped up, slamming their feet into the lens, causing the nega-evolution to stagger backward a few steps.
âI donât get it!â Willow cried, âWhy nega-evolve people too!? Â Why nega-evolve anybody at all!?â
âEh?â Bedlam landed in a crouch on the nearby rooftop, âOh, look. A Precure.â
âWhat do you have to gain from doing this!?â Willow demanded, âAll this senseless transformation and chaos!?â
Bedlam fell quiet. Â Then, he clenched his fist. âI donât have to tell you anything!â
âThatâs fine,â a voice said, as Bedlam dodged a diving kick from Cure Starlight, âIâll just pummel the answer out of you!â
âYou so sure about that!?â Bedlam put up his fists.
âEveryone, focus on the nega-evolution!â Rotomi cried as she arrived with Sunrise and Wish, âBefore it gets into the street!â
âDetective!â Wish shouted as she formed two balls of light in her hands, âCome to your senses!â She jumped up, landing a foot on each ball of light. Â The light vanished with a âpop!â and seemed to act as a spring, causing her to jump up to face the nega-evolution at eye level.
âNega!â The nega-evolution declared, already charging a blast.
âHeâs already prepared!â Wish yelped, as the blast knocked her to the ground.
âWake upâ!â Sunrise prepared to send a Wake-up Shock attack, when the nega-evolution spun around, swatting her away. âGYAAAAH!â
âEveryone, focus on teaming up with pokemon!â Willow cried, âHe may not be able to anticipate us that way!â
âLetâs go for it!â Wish summoned Clefairy. âReady?â
âType: Fairy!â The two stood beside each other, before striking matching poses. âPrecure: Helix Moonblast!â
Two beams of pastel-colored light shot out, striking the nega-evolution with a loud THOOM! as it staggered.
âType: Steel!â Willow posed with Scizor. âPrecure: Piercing Drill!â The two leapt up at the same time, a silver light encompassing them and forming a drill shape as they flew into the nega-evolutionâs back.
âType: Electric!â Sunrise hugged Raichu, as the pair nuzzled cheeks, electricity beginning to form; they parted with their arms spread wide. âPrecure: Big Bang Bolt!â A large electricity field shot out, stunning the nega-evolution.
âNow!â Sunrise shouted. Starlight looked away from her stalemate of a fistfight with Bedlam, jumping away to join her team.
âPRECURE: QUARTET REFRESH!â
âNEGAAAAAA!â The nega-evolution was enveloped in light, disappearing as Looker lay where it once stood, unconscious.
âDamnâŠâ Bedlam cursed, then looked at the nega-ring around his wrist. It had faded and formed cracks in it. âOh, great.â With a snap of his fingers, he was gone.
âOn it!â Rotomi zoomed over to gather the lingering nega-energy, while Asuka knelt by Looker.
âHe seems to be alrightâŠbut letâs get him over to Dr. PierceâŠâ
âSo humans can be nega-evolved, tooâŠâ Kailani frowned, âThis is a bad signâŠâ
âLike any of them arenât bad signs?â Naomi scoffed, âAnyway, letâs go.â
âNnghâŠâ Looker stirred, then opened his eyes slowly. âWhereâŠam IâŠ?â  He grunted as he sat up, and the soft bedding beneath him supported him as he glanced around the room; he was back in Dr. Pierceâs home.
âDetective!â Dr. Pierce walked in, holding a cup of tea. Â âIâm glad youâve woken up; I was starting to worry.â
âDoctorâŠwhat happened?â
âDr. Pierce, is he awake?â Kailani leaned in the doorway, then beamed. âAh! Detective Looker!â She stepped in with the other girls. âGlad youâre okay! We found you lying on the ground in town!â
âPrecure!â He blurted out in surprise, causing the girls to jump.
âWh-what are you talking about?â Naomi laughed nervously, âOh, we did hear the Precure showed up in town!â
âYou girls are the Precure, arenât you?â He pressed her on it.
âDetective, you just woke up; this isnât the time toâŠâ Dr. Pierce began, but he continued.
âYour heights and facial structures all match what information and photos I have on file for the Unity Island Precures. Â You match the trend of Precure: groups of girls ranging from middle to high school age, typically in groups no larger than four or five.â
The girls stared back at him, slack-jawed and silent.
âDetectiveâŠâ Dr. Pierce sighed, âPlease donât admonish these girls.â
âIâm not.â He shook his head.  âWhat theyâre doingâŠit appears theyâre more capable than I thought.  This is a threat greater than my people can handle alone.  And it seems nega-evolution is more sinister than can be imaginedâŠâ
Looker glanced back up at the girls.  âI came to this island to learn more about nega-evolution, and Precure.  PerhapsâŠwe can compare notes?  Whatever information youâre comfortable giving me, and whatever information I have the authority to disclose.â
A heavy silence fell upon the room. Â Then, Dr. Pierce spoke.
âThink it over, girls. Â How about you come by after school tomorrow to give him your answer?â
âYes, maâam,â they chorused, as they bowed to Looker and made their way out. Â Fae closed the door behind them.
âSo what do we do?â Naomi asked. Â The girls shared glances. Â Fae chewed on her lip quietly; Asuka shifted her weight; Kailani stared at her feet; Naomi heaved a heavy sigh and put a fist on her hip.
ââŠyeah, yeah. I get it.  Weâll sleep on it.â