Children of the Revolution Ch. 1 -Old-

“Atlas, get up.”

“No.”

“Get up, it’s time for classes.”

“I told you, one more year Storym.”

“That’s what you told me a year ago. It’s time you started classes. You’re ten years old now.”

Atlas the Bagon rolled over in his bed to glare at his sister.

“I’m not going to class.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“Storym! I am not going to classes! I don’t need them.”

“Atlas, you only need three years of them. It’s required of every Pokéuman at the base. You are going to classes today.”

“No.”

“I will drag you to breakfast, and then your first class.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Instead of replying, Storym bent down her head, and picked up her little brother by his crest. The Bagon was stunned for a moment, but quickly fixed that.

“Alright, alright! Put me down! I’ll go to class,” Atlas gave in with a pout.

“Good. You know, the sooner you get them over with, the sooner you never have to deal with them again,” Storym commented after putting Atlas down.

Atlas was miffed. He took one last longing look at his bed, and walked out of his room to breakfast. Emily was lucky. She was only nine, and wouldn’t have to start classes for another year. He marched out of his room while Storym followed, and he headed downstairs for breakfast. The base had changed so much from what he could first remember of it. The staircase used to be pretty small and cramped for the amount of Pokéumans in the base, but now it had been widened immensely, and there was now a giant shaft for flying types. The last one was likely all Storym’s doing, because Atlas knew she hated stairs as much as small spaces.

Atlas had tried taking the shaft one time, but had landed on a Pidgey and sent him to the infirmary. Needless to say, Storym was not happy with that one. From then on, he had been banned from the shaft.

And had to take the stairs.

Sure, the stairs had been made easier, but it was still five floors of stairs from his room to the cafeteria. Atlas sighed as he reached the cafeteria. It was too early for this, even if it was 8 o’clock. He entered the cafeteria, and of course Storym was there before him. She looked up when he walked in, and nodded. She’d been waiting for him to get down. Storym was sitting there talking to Alana, and at Alana’s side was…

Emily?

“What’re you doing up this early?” Atlas asked the Eevee as he ran up.

“Mom decided I should start classes now so you wouldn’t be alone,” Emily replied, looking up at him.

“And you agreed?” Atlas asked skeptically.

“Yeah, I think it’ll be fun,” Emily replied. “Besides, then I’m done with classes sooner too.”

“You’ve been around Storym too much,” Atlas huffed.

“Atlas,” Storym glared, but Atlas just returned the glare until she turned back to Alana.

“So… have you had breakfast yet? Classes start in ten minutes,” Emily asked.

“Ah!” Atlas exclaimed, running for the food counter. He grabbed… He didn’t even know what he grabbed. He just took some food and shoved it down before the bell rang. And once the bell rang, Atlas was really hesitant to go to class. He still didn’t want to go, but Storym was watching.

“Have a good day at school!” Alana called to them.

“Thanks Mom,” Emily called back, waving.

“Get to class,” Storym muttered.

“Gee, thanks,” Atlas muttered as he and Emily headed downstairs for their first class.

Atlas noticed Emily nearly bouncing with excitement, and shook his head.

“How can you be excited for class? This is going to be the start of the most boring days of our lives,” Atlas asked.

“I just am. I have a good feeling about it. Besides, it won’t be the most boring, the most boring was the time you were left behind on the Seattle trip because you were being a rock-head,” Emily retorted nonchalantly.

“True, that was not fun at all. But, we’ve listened to the survival instructor ever since then and that hasn’t happened, which is a good thing. But this isn’t the survival class, this is regular class. Math, and English, and History, and boring,” Atlas affirmed.

“Well, maybe it won’t be as boring as you think. Mom told me that certain classes were more interesting than others.”

“And what classes would those be?” Atlas asked flatly.

“Um… She didn’t say exactly,” Emily mumbled, as they reached their first class.

“My point,” Atlas retorted, opening the door. Emily was half his size, and could barely reach the doorknobs half the time, so he usually had to open them.

They walked into their first class, and there was a Lilligant standing up front.

“Atlas, Emily, glad you can join us today!” She exclaimed cheerily. “I’m your science teacher Mrs. Wise, and you’ll have a good time in this class if you like strange ideas, and things exploding. Take a seat, and we’ll get started when the bell rings.”

Atlas and Emily followed the teacher’s instructions, and took seats next to each other by the edge of the room. At least ten more Pokéumans filed in and took seats before the bell rang, and class started.

***
***

Finally, the class ended.

Atlas let out a small cheer, putting him on the receiving end of multiple glares, including one from the teacher, before he glared back and left. When they were far enough down the hall, Atlas turned to Emily.

“Well, that one was boring. And they were all glaring at me. I thought all High Schoolers hated their classes? Anyway, what’s next one the schedule?” Atlas asked.

“Battle Class for the both of us,” Emily replied.

“Alright! I get to see Karan!” Atlas exclaimed.

“So, you are interested in a class?” Emily asked snidely.

“Hey, this is battle. We’ve been practicing our whole lives already,” Atlas retorted.

“It’s still a class,” Emily replied condescendingly. “Well, I’ll be seeing you after class Atlas.”

With that, Emily trotted off, leaving Atlas alone, and he headed to the Dragon’s Den for his Battle Class. Looking around, he noticed the remodeling done to the battle floor again. Now, all the rooms were in a circular hub, and there was no more navigating hallways for the class. It was just find the type’s door and go. He looked for the blue and red door that signified the Dragon’s Den, and made his way towards it. Upon entering the brightly lit room, Atlas saw the Dragonair coiled up in the middle of the floor talking to a few other Dragon Type Pokéumans around her. There was a Druddigon, a Flygon, and a Deino.

“Hi Karan,” Atlas waved as he walked in.

“Glad you could make it Atlas! How has your first class been for you today?” She asked, her polished Everstone gleaming in the light.

“It was so boring, there wasn’t much interesting in science at all,” Atlas replied.

“That may be true for you, but for me, science is everything,” a voice interjected flatly.

Atlas looked over at the Flygon, and realized it was Kyle. He had just criticized science in front of Kyle.

Oops. Oh well.

“What are you doing here?” Atlas asked instead.

“Just sitting in,” Kyle replied casually.

“Yup,” Karan affirmed. “Kyle told me he wanted to do a little studying on our subject of the day, and so he’s going to be in here for the duration of the class.”

“This is true, and I may pop back in every now and again,” Kyle finished.

Atlas shrugged, and the bell rang signifying the start of class. Then, Atlas turned back to Karan as she uncoiled to start class.

“Today, I have more of a lesson for you all than battling,” Karan began. “I want to teach you all about the Draconic Energy that resides inside all of us. Some of us are more attuned to it than others, but we all have access to it. This energy is what allows me to do this-”

Karan paused as her orbs began to glow. The temperature inside the room warmed immensely, and the warmer temperature felt good to Atlas.

“Because of how attuned I am to my Draconic Energy, I can influence the weather. Even if it’s indoors. Part of being a Dragon is learning how to harness this energy and use its power to the fullest extent. As the Dragon Teacher here, it’s my job to teach you how to use that power. So, how many of you know a Dragon Type move?”

Several hands, and claws, went up into the air, including Atlas’. He figured it’d be good if he paid attention to Karan because she’d be the most likely to tell Storym if he didn’t show up.

“Those moves use a basic form of Draconic Energy. Now, I want you all to practice your Dragon Type moves, and concentrate when you use them. Try and find the center of the Draconic Energy within you, and the attacks will be easier for you,” Karan directed.

***

As he left the class heading for the entrance of the hub to meet Emily, he grumbled about how hard it actually was to pinpoint where his Energy came from. He felt that since he was a born Pokéuman, he should’ve been better at it than them, but instead, he was on the same level as the other dragons. It was infuriating!

He waited by the entrance for a little while, before he saw Emily walk up. She looked tired, like she’d been doing a lot of work in her Battle Class.

“So, what’s next?” Atlas asked, as they walked towards the stairs. Walking the base was so much nicer now that there was room to walk, and a Pokéuman didn’t have to get jostled by others.

“We’ve got Math next,” Emily sighed.

“Oh, are you getting tired now?” Atlas teased.

“Maybe just a little. Mr. Chess is tough,” Emily replied, catching her breath as they descended the stairs. “So, how about you? How was Karan?”

“She talked about Draconic Energy a lot, and we just did some practicing with that. There wasn’t a lot going,” Atlas shrugged.

“Alright then. So, here we are. Math Class,” Emily commented.

“Woo-hoo,” Atlas replied sarcastically.

“Just live with it,” Emily snapped.

Atlas snorted, and opened the door, following Emily inside. They took seats next to each other, and the teacher came forward.

It was a Vespiquen, and she buzzed up to them.

“Good morning Atlas, Emily, I am your teacher Ms. Entygma. This is a beginning Math class, so you are the only students here. Since you are both early, I will start class now. So, since we are starting with the basics today, it will not be hard. We will start with the simple addition and subtraction of numbers…”

This teacher droned on and on, and Atlas quickly just passed out on his desk. There was nothing he would need in this lesson since he already had a grasp of basic math.

He slept for what was probably most of the class, when he was woken up by the bell ringing.

“Huh?” Atlas grunted, blinking his eyes. “Class is over? Let’s go Emily.”

Atlas grabbed his friends’ paw, and ran out of the room.

“You were really rude there, you know that?” Emily sighed.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t find learning about what we already knew boring?” Atlas asked.

“Okay, maybe just a little, but the teacher didn’t know where we stood, and wanted to make sure we knew the basics,” the Eevee replied.

“But did you hear her voice? It just droned on and on, and it was so tedious!” Atlas exclaimed.

“Yes, it was, but I know better than that,” Emily paused. “You know what, arguing with your thick head is pointless. Let’s just go to lunch.”

Atlas snorted, before they walked together up two floors, heading to the cafeteria. They walked in, and went for food. Atlas saw Storym, Alana, and Randy talking to Mr. Salisbury. They were probably waiting for him and Emily, so the two Pokéumans went over to the adults.

“Atlas, Emily! How has your day been?” Alana beamed.

“It was great! Classes are a new experience, and they’re definitely different from how I saw them on T.V.,” Emily replied.

“It was boring,” Atlas answered flatly.

“That’s great honey, which class is your favorite?” Randy asked, ignoring Atlas’ comment.

“Hmm… So far, I like Science, but I can’t wait for History. How about you? What was your favorite class Dad?” Emily wondered, eyes shining.

“My favorite class was Math, because that’s the only class I had with your mother,” the Absol replied.

“Well, it was my favorite too,” the Espeon added, touching noses with Randy.

“Bleh,” Atlas gagged, and walked over to Storym.

“Hey Atlas, have you eaten yet?” the Salamence asked, as she received her food from Mr. Sailsbury, and Atlas could’ve sworn he saw fins.

“Nah, I figured I should come over here first. Are you doing okay?” Atlas replied. Then asked, “And is that another stuffed fish?”

“Maybe,” Storym replied vaguely, but as she quickly ate, Atlas saw a fish tail. Storym then continued, “The attacks are getting a little bit more difficult to repel, but it’s nothing to be worried about,” Storym replied.

“You sure?” Atlas pressed.

“Yes Atlas, I’m fine. Now get some lunch, you still have two more classes today.”

A little unsure despite his sister’s insistence, Atlas grabbed some food and sat down to eat. He was joined by Emily a short while later.

“What’s it like? Having a family?” Atlas asked, feeling a little bit subdued.

“Atlas, you’ve asked me this before, and I’ve told you. It’s not that different. Storym is old enough to take care of you, even though she’s on her own. Besides, Mom and Dad have taken care of you often enough, why do you still ask?” Emily replied.

“Because I don’t feel as connected to Storym as you do to your parents, we don’t have that kind of bond. It just affects me sometimes, I’ll get over it,” Atlas replied quickly.

“Atlas…” Emily sighed, shaking her head.

Atlas sort of ignored her, and downed his lunch. Emily sat quietly next to him, and the silence became sticky after a while. Neither of them wanted to break it, but something needed to be talked about.

Fortunately, the bell rang, and the silence evaporated as Alana came up to them.

“Hey, I forgot to give these to you earlier, but Storym and I stayed up with Aria programming it. You’ll find them very useful pieces of technology,” Alana explained as she handed them both silver necklaces in the shape of the Pokéumans seal.

There was a screen on the bar crossing it, and when activated displayed a 3D image of a Porygon.

“Good afternoon Atlas, Emily,” it greeted.

“Hey Aria,” Emily replied.

“With these necklaces you can access the base’s computer with my assistance. I am now able to display this avatar here, and so my programming resides in them. As I calculate you would say, yes, this is ‘cool’,” the Porygon continued.

“Stole the words right out of my mouth,” Emily shook her head. “Anyways, we’ve gotta get to class Aria, talk to you later.”

And with that, the image of the Porygon disappeared, leaving a grinning Atlas and Emily.

“These are so cool,” Emily repeated.

“How much do you wanna bet Storym handcrafted them?” Atlas replied.

“Bet? Dude, she did make them,” Emily laughed, and then looked at the screen again. “Alright Aria, what’s our next class?”

Instead of replying, words flickered across the screen.

Fourth period class for Atlas the Bagon and Emily the Eevee: Pokéumans History.
Teacher: Mr. Webb the Sigilyph. Room 1019.

“Woah,” Emily breathed, as they started to head down the stairs to their history class. “Alright, I already know most of this, but Atlas doesn’t.”

“Hey!” Atlas exclaimed, but the Eevee ignored him.

“Aria, what does our full schedule look like?” Emily asked the Porygon.

Class schedule for Atlas the Bagon and Emily the Eevee on Wednesday.
1st period: Science with Mrs. Wise the Lilligant. Floor 10, Room 24.
2nd period: Battle Class with Ms. Grant the Dragonair, and Mr. Chess. Floor 9 Dragon’s Den, and Simple Habitat.
3rd period: Elementary Math with Ms. Entygma the Vespiquen. Floor 10, Room 47.
Lunch. Floor 8.
4th period: Pokeumans History with Mr. Webb the Sigilyph. Floor 10, Room 19.
5th period: Gym with Mr. Neyman the Herdier. Floor 9 Gym.
End of classes for Emily the Eevee and Atlas the Bagon.

“This is so cool!” Emily exclaimed, hopping from foot to foot next to Atlas as they watched the words scroll across the screen. They were almost down the stairs now. “Alright, one more question. Is there a new episode of Doctor Who on tonight?”

Negative. Doctor Who airs on Saturdays. There is not a new episode today.

“Darn. Oh well. Sorry Aria, time for class,” Emily finished, powering down the necklace as Atlas opened the door and they entered their history class.

It was only a few seconds later that the bell rang.

“Oh no, we were almost late,” Emily whispered, visibly wilting from her previous joy in front of Atlas.

“Alright class. Take your seats and we can begin,” a Sigilyph commanded the class.

There was a shuffling as Emily and Atlas raced to get seats. This was a normally sized class, and there were Pokéumans much older and bigger than them here. The history class was a lot more relaxed than the other classroom based classes, as there were beanbags for sitting everywhere. Emily threw herself onto a beanbag sliding a few feet across the floor and Atlas grabbed another one, dragging it by her. Then, the teacher started class.

“Today we continue our discussion of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World with the destruction of the Library at Alexandria. As many of you know, this Library was one of the greatest collections of human knowledge of its time. However, it was destroyed, but the reasons behind this are unknown to most….”

Atlas yawned and spaced out a little as the teacher continued talking about the Library. He wasn’t interested in something that didn’t exist anymore. Though, he did tune in a little bit when he talked about how Mew discovered a couple pieces of evidence of Pokemon, and when destroying it, accidently burnt the library down. Then when Atlas spaced out again, he imagined the Library burning. All the books going up in flames…

If only he could do something like that instead of school.

In any case, he was stuck here until Storym took him on another trip, or he finished his three years. Or he ditched. That wasn’t a very appealing option in case he got caught, but it still seemed like a good idea. Atlas sighed, sinking into the beanbag. This was gonna be a long three years.

Atlas was startled out of his thoughts as the bell rang. Well, at least he hadn’t fallen asleep this time. He stretched as he stood up, and Emily did the same.

“So, how was this class?” Emily asked him as they exited the room.

“Not bad. Certainly better than Math or science,” Atlas replied with a yawn.

“Hmph,” Emily snorted, but she had a smile on her face. “Well, we’re off to Gym now, huh? That shouldn’t be too bad.”

“How come we have a Gym class? Don’t we get enough exercise in Battle Class?” Atlas asked.

“Why are you asking me?” Emily replied. “You can ask Aria now.”

Atlas nodded, and looked at the screen on his necklace.

“Aria, why do we have a Gym class?”

A healthy life-style includes a certain amount of physical exercise. You get exercise in Gym. You learn how to use your powers in Battle Class.

“I suppose that makes sense. Thanks Aria,” Atlas replied, as he dropped the necklace back to his chest.

“I have a feeling these will be really useful,” Emily commented.

“Yup,” Atlas agreed.

It wasn’t long until the two of them made it to the 9th floor where all the battle classes took place. The Gym had been moved up here during the remodeling, and it was just more convenient here.

“We should go to the pool again sometime,” Emily commented wistfully.

“Or the pits,” Atlas replied.

“I don’t know how you can stand those lava pits,” the Eevee shook her head. “It’s too hot in there.”

Before he got the chance to reply, Atlas bumped into another Pokéuman, a Lickitung.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” Atlas snapped.

“How about you make me?” he replied.

“How about we cool down and forget this happened?” Emily started, but was ignored.

“Apologize or I call my sister,” Atlas snarled.

“What’s she gonna do? Headbutt me?”

“Will!” Came a shout, and a Kabutops walked up. He turned to Atlas, “I apologize for my friend’s behavior. He is still new to this base. Now Will. Apologize to Storym’s little brother.”

Understanding dawned on the Lickitung’s face, and he followed his friend’s advice.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ll watch where I’m walking next time.”

As they walked off, Atlas snorted.

“You know, you’d have more friends if you were nicer to people,” Emily commented.

“I don’t want more friends. You know as well as I do that they usually leave us after the three years,” Atlas replied. “I don’t want friends that do that to you.”

“At the very least, stop using your sister as a weapon of mass destruction. Even if she is, it’s not right to turn her against the students.”

“Well it’s the only way I can get respect around here. Nobody respects someone half their size, but if I have Storym to help me, I get the respect I deserve.”

The Bagon opened the door for the Eevee again as they entered the Gym, and continued their conversation.

“Atlas, you’re manipulating your sister into bullying the students. That’s not right,” Emily insisted.

“Emily, I am the brother of Storym, the leader of this base. I deserve some respect, and I get what I want,” Atlas replied flatly.

Bristling, Emily sharply turned from Atlas as the bell rang. The teacher came up to the front of the class within sight of the assembled Pokéumans.

“Alright class, you’re going to get your daily exercise by running some laps, and then I want to test some new equipment, so we’ll be watching a professional Baccer game,” the Herdier announced to the class..

Atlas groaned, and followed the other Pokéumans in running around the Gym. He still felt this class was pointless, but at least he was allowed to move at his own pace.

He walked his laps in the allotted time, and Emily avoided him the whole time. He figured she was just mad, and he didn’t want to expend the effort to talk to her.

“Alright, that’s enough. Everybody come sit on the bleachers,” Mr. Neyman commanded.

Atlas smirked as he was able to move to the bleachers without trouble, while others were breathing heavily after the running they did. Atlas stood on a bench, looking for Emily, but she was still avoiding him. Then, as he sat, the lights in the gym dimmed, and the holographic projector turned on.

“So, get ready for a Pokéuman Baccer Double Match!” the Herdier yelled, as the lights dimmed.

Atlas knew what Baccer was, but he’d never been able to see it in 3D before, much less be near the field when it began! This would be a new experience for him, but he knew he could never participate in a Baccer match until a Shelgon came to base. Emily and her Mom had competed before, and Atlas was a little jealous. They’d had so much fun…

Atlas was snapped out of his thoughts as the match started. He took in the spiraled field, and the two goals floating in the air. Then, the teams appeared. One team was a Pansage and Simisage, while the other was a Misdreavus and Mismagius. That wasn’t a bad matchup, but the Grass Types still stood at a disadvantage.

Then, the referee, an Ampharos stood above the arena, and threw in the Zarysk. A Zarysk was a spinning top-like object that the teams used like a ball. It could be kicked, or hit with attacks to get it into a goal, and it was one of the coolest sports Pokéumans played. It had even been featured in one of the recent Pokemon movies that had been connected with a genetic outbreak of Zorua/Zoroark transformations.

None of that really mattered to Atlas though. To Atlas, if one of the team members of one got knocked out by the other, that made for a good game.

So, Atlas was lost in the hologram for the rest of the class as eventually, he predicted right, and the Misdreavus team pulled ahead to win.

When the bell rang, and he caught up with Emily, he realized she’d either gotten over it, or forgotten she was mad. All the better for him.

“Hey Emily, wasn’t that an awesome match!” Atlas exclaimed, as they headed up to their room.

“I saw,” Emily replied curtly.

Nope, still mad. But, she was talking to him again, that was a start.

“I know what will be awesome. Me kicking your tail in MarioKart,” Atlas taunted.

“You wish,” Emily replied, taking the taunt. “If there’s one game you will never beat me in, it’s MarioKart.”

“You’re on!” Atlas exclaimed. “But, first one to the room gets a five second head start on all races!”

Emily was stunned as Atlas rushed up the stairs, before recovering and running after him.

“No fair!” she called up to him, but he laughed and kept running.

Atlas wasn’t looking where he was going, and when he opened the door on their floor, he crashed full-throttle into Chris. Neither of them was knocked over, but Atlas had a moment of disorientation and Chris dropped his bone.

“Hey Atlas,” Chris started as he shook his head. “How was your first day of school? I’m going to guess not too bad from the amount of excitement you seem to radiate right now.”

“Meh, the first half was boring, but Gym was a little bit more interesting. We watched a Baccer match,” Atlas replied, trying to seem somewhat disinterested.

“Alright then,” Chris replied, rubbing Atlas’ crest fondly, as he picked up his bone and continued out into the stairs.

Suddenly, Emily barreled past him, and he remembered.

They were in a race.

“Hey, no fair!” Atlas shouted.

“Oh, so now it’s not?” Emily mocked, as she jumped up and pulled down the door handle to their room, beating Atlas.

The Bagon sighed, and walked the rest of the way to their room. He heard the dings of the Wii starting up before he even entered. So, when he did, he plopped down on their bunk bed, and grabbed his Wiimote.

“You’re going down,” the Bagon declaimed, as his remote clicked into first player.

“You wish,” the Eevee retorted as she lay down next to him, with her specially built remote in her paws.

Then, it was all out war as they competed in Team Races, Coin Matches, and Solo Races. They were constantly beating up on each other, so much so, that the computer players won sometimes.

“No!” they exclaimed in unison as Waluigi won for the fourth time that night.

“Alright, I vote we call a truce and annihilate him,” Emily suggested.

“Seconded,” Atlas replied, as he set up the next race after checking the time.

They started the race, but Atlas was a little distracted with the thought of going to school again tomorrow. Maybe ditching would be a good idea. He had had to know, and Emily was the only one who could tell him.

“Hey Emily?” Atlas started tentatively.

“Yeah?” she replied, eyes completely focused on the screen.

“Do you think it’d be a good idea to ditch tomorrow?”

Atlas felt relieved as the spark flashed across her eyes again before she replied.

“Yes.”

Then, not pushing his luck, Atlas turned back to the game, and they spent the rest of time until dinner destroying Waluigi.

Then, when the time came for dinner, they turned off the Wii, and headed up to Storym’s office. Atlas loved his sister’s office. She had taken her metalworking skills to new levels, and everything in her office was ornate, and handcrafted. He remembered days upon days he’d play in her office with Emily. They’d use her desk as a fortress, and it was just a paradise for them. Plus, they got to eat meals in her office instead of in the cafeteria. That way, they’d gotten to know the chain of command of the base, and all of Storym’s friends that were still around. When they got there, the adults were just about to start eating, but waited until the two of them got to the table. Atlas sat next to Storym, while Emily pulled herself up in between her parents.

Atlas looked at all the faces around the table, recognizing most, but there were some newcomers that he couldn’t always remember. He recognized Alana, Randy, Chris and Kyle, but sitting next to Kyle was a Larvitar. He was… what was his name again?

Rusty, that was it. Atlas really only knew him as Kyle’s assistant though. Then, there was a Gothitelle that took care of him and Emily sometimes, Caitlyn, he believed her name was.

And of course, there was Storym. His sister. The leader of the base, who refused the title of headmistress in favor of sounding more on the same level as the students. It was probably the reason she was well-liked and respected by the students, despite Atlas’ antics.

However, Storym had pressing matters to discuss today, and Atlas’ first day going to classes was shoved to the side. Atlas didn’t always mind, since the safety of the base meant his safety too, but he like being the center of attention. It was hard when Storym ignored him.

He ate in silence, as the discussion went on around him. When he finished, he sat back and let out a deep sigh. He was bored. The meeting, as dinner had morphed into, was stuffy, and he had to plan his ditching tomorrow.

“Storym, I’m gonna go to bed,” Atlas announced, getting down from the table.

“Can I go too, Mom?” Emily asked.

“Sure sweetie, goodnight to you both!” Alana called as they left.

Atlas trudged silently back to their room, while Emily gave him a little bit of space. When they got back to their room, Atlas just threw himself on the bottom bunk, his bed, and decided to ignore the rest of the world for the evening. Emily left for a bit, probably just going to the pool. She had inherited Alana’s love for water, while Atlas really had no taste for it. He just knew how to swim because it was a part of the survival class.

Eventually, Emily came back and got into her bed as the lights began to dim. At that point, Atlas looked up at the top bunk where a couple lights flickered. They were a scale map of the night sky, and Atlas looked at them, dreaming of the day he’d be able to fly among them on his own.

So, instead of dreaming of ditching like he’d expected to, he fell asleep dreaming of the stars.

***

“Hey Atlas,” came a whisper.

“Atlas.”

“I don’t wanna go to classes!” Atlas exclaimed as he was dragged from sleep.

“Shh,” came the sharp reply. “It’s too early for that.”

Then, as Atlas woke up a bit more, he recognized the voice. It was Storym.

“What are you doing here?” Atlas asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I just wanted to know if…” Storym paused. “I could spend the night in here with you.”

“Did you have another nightmare?” Atlas asked in a whisper, concern lacing his voice.

“Yeah. It was the train again,” Storym replied, climbing into the bunk. Atlas shifted so that he was leaning against her side as she curled around him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Atlas asked. “I was there you know.”

“I’d rather not,” Storym shuddered. “It’s just too painful for me. I thought that Pokéxtinction would’ve succeeded in their attempt to kidnap you, to take you away from me.”

“But, they didn’t get away. You stopped them, and I’m still here,” Atlas replied, patting his sister’s side.

“The only reason I was able to stop them was because I fell into my Combat Mode. You know how much I hate doing that… I could’ve killed you instead of saved you,” Storym replied, starting to sob.

“But you didn’t. Even that disconnected part of you made for battle knows I mean too much to you. I’m not afraid of you, but I don’t want to be separated from you.”

“You know, you’re so much nicer when you’re half asleep,” Storym teased gently. “But, I guess you’re right. And you know I’d never let Paula take you. She can try all she wants, but you are my brother, and I will protect you till the end.”

“Thanks sis,” Atlas yawned, as he started to fall back to sleep. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Atlas,” Storym finished. She extended a wing over Atlas to shield him, and they both fell asleep.