Chapter 52: A Rainbow Figure in the Sky! Arriving at Metropolis Academy!
In addition to the Magikarp for Melody, Kenji also gave Leo a Lotad.
He had acquired the Lotad egg from the Pokémon Center's egg lottery, a service where you could buy eggs from various, unverified sources. The potential was a complete gamble, but the main advantage was that the eggs were cheap. Kenji had gone one day, scanned the inventory, and found this B+ potential Lotad.
After Kenji gave him the egg, Melody generously pitched in, giving Leo the Water Stone she had won at the tournament. Lotad's final evolution, Ludicolo, required a Water Stone to evolve.
For the next few days, a new, goofy-looking Magikarp began trailing behind Gyarados during its training sessions. It was clear that not all Magikarp shared the same iron will as Kenji's. This one would slack off the second no one was watching, happily floating about as if it had no idea what "training" even meant. Fortunately, Gyarados was a strict teacher. One glare was all it took to send the lazy Magikarp into a panic, and it would immediately get back to work.
Time passed in this new routine, and soon, the day came for Kenji to leave for Metropolis.
...
Edgecliff Airport.
Kenji pulled his small suitcase from the trunk of the car.
"You guys should head back. Thank you for coming to see me off," he said, waving to Leo and his family in the car.
"Don't say that," Auntie May said, her voice a mix of fondness and sadness. "After all these years, your Uncle Ben and I have always thought of you as family. When you get a break from school, you make sure to come back to Edgecliff and visit, you hear?"
Kenji nodded, his throat tight. "I will, Auntie May. I promise."
"Uncle Ben will have the grill ready..."
The farewells continued, but Leo, usually so boisterous, was uncharacteristically quiet.
Finally, the car window rolled up, and they drove away from the terminal. Kenji watched them go, let out a long breath, and then turned, pulling his suitcase into the airport.
He went to the counter and checked in his luggage, as well as his Poké Balls. Transporting Pokémon on planes was heavily restricted. It was a necessary safety measure; if some psycho decided to have their Pokémon use Explosion mid-flight, it would be game over for everyone.
After passing through security, he made his way to the gate.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you aboard..."
He found his seat and listened to the pre-flight announcements. Half an hour later, the plane took off.
Kenji looked out the window, watching Edgecliff shrink as the plane climbed through the clouds. Outside, he could see flocks of Pidgey and Starly, and occasionally a Swellow, soaring past.
He watched the various Flying-type Pokémon flash by the window.
"Huh!?"
Suddenly, a shape bathed in seven-colored light streaked past his window. It was there for only an instant, a blur in his peripheral vision. When he turned his head to get a better look, it was gone, as if it had never been there at all.
Was that... Ho-Oh?
He whispered the name, trying to recall the image, but it was already fading. He blinked, wondering if he had imagined it. He glanced around. Several other passengers were also looking out the windows, but no one else seemed to have reacted.
Did I just see things? he wondered.
Ho-Oh. A Legendary Pokémon from the ancient myths. The stories said that any trainer who was lucky enough to see it would be blessed with eternal happiness...
Kenji shook his head, pushing the fleeting, rainbow-colored image from his mind, and slowly closed his eyes.
...
Far below, in a small town, a little girl tugged on her mother's hand. "Mommy, look! There's a rainbow in the sky!"
Her mother looked up in the direction she was pointing. "That's strange," she said. "It's not raining. I wonder why there's a rainbow..."
...
The flight was fast. Three hours later, Kenji was walking out of the Metropolis City airport. He collected his luggage and his secured Poké Balls, and after confirming everything was there, he hailed a cab.
"Where to, kid?" the taxi driver asked, leaning against his car.
"Metropolis Academy, North Campus," Kenji replied.
The driver's eyes lit up. "Ah, the North Campus! I know it well. 200 Pokédollars, and I'll get you there."
Kenji just stared at him, then turned and started to walk away.
"Hey, wait, wait!" the driver called out, his attitude changing instantly. "We can talk about the price!"
After a minute of haggling, Kenji got the fare down to 80 Pokédollars and got in the car.
The driver, looking a bit sullen from the lost fare, started making conversation. "You know, kid, Metropolis Academy has a North and a South Campus. North is just for the Trainer Program. All the other majors are on South. You sure you're at the right one?"
Kenji knew what the driver was implying. "Yes, I'm sure. North Campus."
The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror, clearly skeptical. Students in the Trainer Program were almost exclusively the children of Gym Leaders or powerful, wealthy families. Kenji, with his practiced haggling skills, clearly didn't fit that mold.
They soon arrived at the gates of Metropolis Academy's North Campus. The entrance was already busy with staff and senior students welcoming the new arrivals.
"Hi there! Are you here for check-in?" a friendly female senior in a red volunteer vest asked as soon as he walked through the gate.
Kenji nodded. "Yes."
"Okay, follow me!"
With his acceptance letter in hand, Kenji followed the senior through the registration process.
"Alright, all set. Let's get you to your dorm," she said, pulling a small electric cart over. She loaded his luggage into the back and drove him onto the main campus.
As they drove, Kenji noticed how empty it was.
"Excuse me," Kenji asked, "why is the campus so deserted?"
"Oh, you know the academy has two campuses, right?" she explained. "Well, the entire North Campus is only for students in the Trainer Program. And our program is super exclusive—they only accept 200 new students each year. Besides us freshmen, almost all the upperclassmen are out traveling right now, collecting badges to challenge the National League."