LuckyBlackCat

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

Posted. Emma's having a bit of a mishap...

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

Emma

Spells? Power words? Emma's mind was still reeling. Dragons existed. Magic existed. She'd thought she knew how the world worked, and yet it turned out she knew so, so little. She peered at the sheet of paper on the door, but couldn't see her name. "Dr Nidhogg?" she called, but there was no sign of him.

Emma started running again, searching the castle hallways, Maia bouncing along behind. No sign of Dr Nidhogg, but Emma gazed around at the intricate carvings on the walls and the decorations of precious metal. She'd never seen such a splendid place. This certainly wasn't anything like the hall of residence she'd spent her first year of university in, with the peeling paint, the yells of drunk people, and the fire alarm going off at ridiculous o'clock at night on a regular basis. Not that luxury was something she needed - she spent much of her time camping, after all - but it was a plus.

Maia craned her head towards the window, jumping up and down. Play. Play outside. Emma looked out, taking in the view. A field of tall grass and flowers surrounded the castle, rippling in the breeze. It wasn't just the beauty that held her attention - something seemed to be calling to her, almost like Maia had done while still inside her egg.

It suddenly felt as if the walls, however opulent, were trapping her. "Alright! Let's take a look around," Emma replied. The dorm rooms were now the furthest thing from her mind. There was so much else to do. She grinned as she looked at the dragon. "I'll race you!" Once more, she dashed down the corridor. Maia easily caught up. Although a newborn, her movements were already quick. Remembering the required word to open the doors, Emma burst through them and stopped, catching her breath from all that running.

"I think that was a draw," she panted, turning to the dragon at her side. Maia immediately slid like a snake into a patch of overgrown foliage, disappearing from view. "Maia?" Emma waded through the grass, pushing back leaves. "Where'd you go?"

In a blur, the dragon leapt out. With a yelp of surprise, Emma staggered back, nearly falling over. Bursting out laughing, she leaned down and rubbed Maia on the head. Her eyes widened at the sight of the hatchling in the late afternoon sun. The buds all over her back and tail had started to open into flowers of red, pink and purple. "Oh, Maia, that's beautiful!" She dug out her phone and took a snapshot of the dragon.

Brushing against some nearby wildflowers, Maia uttered a few strange words. The plants immediately shifted and bloomed, growing to several times their former height. Grow. Make grow, the young dragon said. She faced Emma and chirped. Emma make grow.

After staring in wonder for a few moments, Emma repeated Maia's words... or what she thought were the same words. She gasped as the grass and flowers shot up at an alarming speed all around her. She'd just done that. She'd cast a spell. An actual spell.

Her elation soured into panic as the grass kept growing out of control, rapidly starting to resemble a jungle's vegetation. She must have said the words wrong... How did she make it stop? "Oh crap... Somebody help!" she yelled as tangled foliage surrounded both her and Maia. "Dr Nidhogg? Dr Nidhogg!"

Pokemon Spiral

@Heckno12 Ooh, ok... It has the same colour scheme as the Team Noble bases...

@OtomostheCrazy Hmmm, Alexis could say something about the upcoming (or so she thinks) gym battle, and how she's sure she'll do better than anyone else. Or she could go into the lobby to hear Sophia complaining about what happened/see her paying for the damage, and laugh at her.

Pokemon Spiral

@Heckno12 This cat was awful for scratching when she was little. She had a scratching post and never used it, very much preferring the wallpaper. She grew out of it, thankfully.

Pokemon Spiral

@Heckno12 Cats. Just cats. I once came home to find the contents of a disembowelled cushion all over the living room, thanks to my kitten. It was pretty spectacular. The incident with Sophia's Purrloin is based on that.

Ok, that music definitely sounds ominous enough to fit.

Pokemon Spiral

Sophia Danvers

@Heckno12 @Iatos @AbysmalDemon

"You wouldn't either if one of your Pokemon had left a room looking like an earthquake hit a cotton wool factory," Sophia sighed. "It's been less than a day and this Purrloin's already getting on my last nerve."

Ok, so the nurse didn't seem too annoyed, thankfully. That was something. She nodded at the nurse's question, even though the stay had been far from enjoyable. What kind of place was this dump for someone like her? She glanced up at the lobby's ceiling lights. One was flickering, and a few others looked to be broken entirely. Shouldn't those have been replaced?

She stood there at the desk for a few moments, fists clenched at her sides, before rummaging through her bag for her wallet. The incident hadn't been her fault, but... This Pokecentre was clearly struggling, for some reason. It simply didn't feel right to leave it further burdened. "Ugh... Alright. Here," she grumbled, handing over several banknotes.

Great. Just great. So much for a free stay. Thanks to Purrloin, that was a significant chunk of the money her parents had saved up for her journey gone. She could imagine what they'd say if they found out. They'd act like it was her fault. Was it, in some way? How could she become a better trainer? She would. She had to.

Pokemon Spiral

Sophia Danvers

@AbysmalDemon @Iatos

"Trouble? That's putting it mildly," Sophia had told the man in the cafeteria with a bitter laugh, hoping it wouldn't make him think badly of her. She'd tried to convince herself the damage hadn't been that bad... however, as she'd walked past the room again on her return from the cafeteria, she knew there was no kidding herself. Especially given the way another of the travellers had just reacted.

"A little mischief-maker of a Purrloin happened. That's what," she grumbled in response to his question. Right on cue, Purrloin burst from her Pokeball, still covered in plaster dust. She started rubbing around Sophia's ankles, nearly tripping the trainer up. Stumbling and yelping, Sophia managed to regain her balance. "I'm not happy with you," she said, glaring down. "Come on. Back inside." She returned Purrloin to her Pokeball. She couldn't let the cat Pokemon run off again.

Handing over the key at the desk, she cringed as the nurse asked what had happened. Barely able to look her in the eye, Sophia had no choice but to reluctantly explain. Was this just going to be one of those days?

Pokemon Spiral

@AbysmalDemon Yeah, he spilled scalding hot coffee all over himself, I'm guessing he'd have taken the time to do something about that, right?

His father sounds even worse than Sophia's mother.

Pokemon Spiral

@AbysmalDemon Wow, Alex's backstory... O_O

Just so you know, Sophia is currently in the lobby, not the bedroom. Maybe (depending on where the cafeteria is, whether or not Alex finished what was left of his coffee/made an attempt to clean himself up, and how long it took to find the room), he could have seen her coming back from the cafeteria, walking past the trashed room and looking back into it in dismay? Does that work? That way, neither of us really needs to change anything.

Pokemon Spiral

@Heckno12 Ooh, intriguing... He makes my skin crawl already. "Signature interrogation technique"... *shudders*

Looking forward to the overarching plot.