Possible Omake submission?
The first week of school was always a flurry of activity at any institution, never mind one as prestigious as Mesagoza Academy, and certainly for a group of people as...eclectic as the newly-established Class VII. Between the oddity of their teacher and her demands and the overwhelming variety of clashing backgrounds and viewpoints, most of the week went by in a flash. However, that doesn't mean that there was no time at all for icebreakers or the inevitable adolescent lingering after classes on the days between the hectic entrance ceremony and positively fraught class round robin.
One of those days saw all nine of Class VII's members with nothing instantly pressing after class, and some cross-chatter happening between the three groups of three that had loosely formed on the first day out of mutual solidarity and protection. The topic of the day, after an idle comment by Mariana about how she met Ostia by coincidence on the train ride into the city, turned to the subject of first meetings, and how several of the members of Class VII had run into each other before the actual entrance ceremony.
"Ran into literally, in my case," Elise said, with her usual level of deflecting good humor. "I stopped in the middle of the square to look around, and Theodora smacked right into me. Sorry again about that..."
"Ahaha, entirely my fault for not paying attention," Theodora replied. "I sometimes get a bit lost in thought, and it was both of our first times in Mesagoza, was it not? The sights of this city could stun anyone on first view."
"Well, yeah, but it's still not my ideal for introducing myself. Kind of funny that out of all the people leaving the station at the same time, the two who ran into each other were both in Class VII."
"I thought the same thing when I got off the train and saw these two about to fight a Pokémon battle right there in the square," Nemona chimed in, gesturing at Jacinto and Manuel. Everyone else in the class naturally turned to look askance at that.
"Right there? While you were going to class?" Erika asked.
"Apparently I said something to offend this man's delicate sensibilities," Manuel drawled, his upper class accent flowing like a river in contrast to the choppy, if good-natured, formality of Theodora's. "Or existed in such a manner."
Jacinto, predictably, immediately tensed and raised his voice. "You know damn well what you said!"
"Indeed. I'm just surprised someone so progressive in his sensibilities would immediately challenge a nobleman to a duel for his honor."
"I'm just disappointed you guys didn't actually fight," Nemona interrupted, almost pouting - but also, perhaps intentionally, derailing the argument between Manuel and Jacinto before it can gather steam. "Buuuuuut I guess we were all in a hurry."
"We'll all get a chance to see what we can do Friday," Erika added on, then immediately regretted - a little - after a glance at Mariana's face.
"I must admit, I am not quite as enthusiastic about the art of combat as Miss Mendoza," Atticus said. As far as modes of speech go, while the class's nobles have varying levels of affectation (or none, in Elise's case), the commoner weaver's apprentice has the tenor of a novel from last century. Or possibly the one before that.
"I don't think anyone is as enthusiastic about the art of combat as Nemona, but it is how Pokémon express themselves," Erika replied.
Mariana nodded, coming to grips with whatever was going on in her head at that point. "Roland introduced himself to me with a flying tackle. Honestly, I think he might be a little more enthusiastic about fighting than average, though."
As a few of the more educated members of their class worked their way around the idea of the sweet quiet girl taking an attack from a wild Pokémon so unconcernedly, Theodora brightened with an idea.
"May that strategy work better for him than me, then."
Elise looked at her, confused. "Are you talking about something else? I thought you said you walked into me by accident?"
"Perhaps I was lying. Perhaps I was engaging in the traditional ritual of a fair maiden on her first day of school attempting to make a new friend?"
"Right, you're joking."
"Ahaha..."
