Yo everyone! It's been quite sometime since I've been active on this site now, roughly two years to be exact, but man is it good to be back. In case you may not know me or are confused by the name change, I formerly went by the name nE0nbLaCk13 back when I first started on this site back in 2013 and I had two fairly popular stories, the first being Pokemon Academy and the second being Legacy: Rise of a Resistance. Pokemon Academy got so much positive feedback despite it being my first story and the amount of support and helpful criticism I received really made me happy to be able to create something that my audience would enjoy. However, in 2014, I got seriously busy with school and it made updating consistently hard and i had little time to think about a good plot or how to progress things from there. But now here I am in 2016, getting that creative urge once again a day before the original Pokemon Academy's publish date. I plan on redoing both of my stories now that I feel that I have better understanding of storytelling and I want to deliver something amazing to you guys. Well, that's enough from me, if you're a longtime fan or a new reader, I welcome you to Pokemon Academy!

Chapter 1: Hopes and Aspirations

The roar of the crowd, the blinding lights, the anxious feeling that wracked one's body from having thousands of eyes watching, and the sheer thrill of the battle itself, all of these elements were part of professional Pokemon battles. Trainers and their Pokemon that competed on the professional circuit had complete faith in one another, their minds working as one and their actions in perfect sync, it was a spectacular sight to behold and it was no wonder that Pokemon battles were the most popular form of entertainment throughout all regions.

Today was the grand finals of the International Pokemon League Tournament and it was being broadcasted all over the world. From the businessman with little free time to the elderly who live a quiet life in the countryside, all manners of people were bearing witness to this tournament. The tournament was filled with some of the greatest trainers on the planet from every region and all walks of life. Members of the Elite four from various regions were in attendance. Other professional trainers who made names for themselves in other high level events were entrants as well. However, all eyes were on the two regional champions of Sinnoh and Hoenn as they were the finalists in this huge event and have overcome every challenge thrown their way.

Steven Stone, the champion of Hoenn, heir of the Devon corporation, and a fearsome master of steel-type Pokemon took the field to the sound of momentous cheering from the crowd. The camera zoomed in closer to the Hoenn champion as he walked confidently towards his side of the battlefield, a cool and calm expression upon his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, and the thousands of people watching from home, I welcome you to the final match of the International Pokemon League Tournament!" exclaimed the announcer and his words were followed with a wave of applause. "It's been an exciting month of competition where we've seen tons of talent from all over the globe clash for the title of the undisputed best trainer in the world, but today it all comes down to these two incredible trainers!"

The announcer took a pause to allow the crowd ample time to cheer once again. The atmosphere within the stadium was absolutely electric and it seemed as if the crowd was getting too excited at this point. Most likely after noticing the hectic atmosphere, he cleared his throat and continued his commentary to control the crowd.

"First, already on the field, we have the sage of steel, the master of minerals, the one and only champion of Hoenn himself, STEVEN STONE!"

The crowd erupted with a burst of cheers in the wake of the announcer's exuberant introduction. Steven waved to the crowd, keeping his calm demeanor about him, but his eyes were facing forward towards his opponent's side of the field. There was a fire in his eyes and his focus was on the battle to come.

"And his opponent is taking the field as we speak. A trainer that has showed absolute dominance on her way to the final stage."

The crowd quieted down quickly as they turned their attention to the opposite side of the field. A slender figure made its way out of the entry gate. As the figure stepped into the light, a woman clad in all black with fair skin, long and lustrous blonde hair, and the same calm and collected demeanor that Steven had appeared.

"Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the lady of lore, the queen of the battlefield, the champion of the Sinnoh region, CYNTHIA!"

Just as they did for Steven, the crowed roared with cheers as Cynthia took her place on the field. Both of the champions locked eyes and the determination could be felt emanating from the both of them, neither of them were planning on holding anything back.

"The stage is set folks, the final battle is almost ready to get underway!" The announcer pointed down towards the field with gusto before he continued, "Which of these two world-class trainers will take the day? Its Hoenn vs. Sinnoh, champion vs. champion, the final battle of the tournament starts NOW!"

With that last statement, the two champions called out their first Pokemon and the battle was underway. Even from the very start, every move made by the two trainers and their team of Pokemon was perfectly calculated and every reaction to their adversary's movements were spot on and ideal for their current situation. The crowd's cheers never quieted throughout the course of the match and the tension never thinned. The two trainers had a plan for every scenario they were faced with and all of their Pokemon were evenly matched, it was impossible to predict the outcome of the battle.

Steven's Armaldo fell to Cynthia's ace Pokemon, Garchomp, who was the only Pokemon she had left, but now Steven only had one Pokemon as well. Even though the match has come down to one Pokemon on each side, Steven and Cynthia still remained as calm and focused as they were before the match had started.

"Let's go Metagross!" Steven's ace Pokemon had taken the field, slowly getting a feel for its surroundings as well as sizing up its opponent. It's red eyes locked with Garchomp's, both of the Pokemon aware of what was on the line. Both of these champions had their signature Pokemon out, but they weren't ready to resume their battle just yet. A pin on Steven's coat began to glow brightly and a brooch on Cynthia's long jacket began to do the same. Garchomp and Metagross were both glowing in a bright light and the crowd looked on in awe. The battlefield was enveloped in the light and after a few seconds the brightness began to fade revealing that the two Pokemon have changed exponentially.

"T-There it is! Mega Evolution! These two already strong Pokemon have powered up even further, hold on to the edge of your seats folks, this battle is far from over!" The crowd got even louder at the site of these two mega evolved Pokemon prepared to do battle and it seems even the announcer, who was trying to stay calm to deliver good commentary was getting riled up as well and with the incredible battle unfolding before him, who could blame him? Not only were two champions battling, their two aces have gone all out with the mysterious power of Mega Evolution.

Garchomp and Metagross looked even more fearsome than before and the two powerhouses sized each other up, looking for openings in their opponent's new form they could take advantage of. Metagross was both brain and brawn, packing huge amounts of physical strength in its durable body, but it also has a brain on par with a supercomputer meaning it could easily calculate any opponents moves and react accordingly. Garchomp on the other hand had superior speed and primal instinct to rely on in this matchup. It would not base its attacks on logic like Metagross, it would instead thrive in the midst of the conflict and try to pick Metagross apart like a predator.

The champions gave their Pokemon their orders and they rushed headlong into one another. Metagross's Zen Headbutt attack met Garchomp's Dragon Rush and the two attacks clashed. Both were equally intense and neither of the two Pokemon were fazed by the impact. Garchomp and Metagross continued their battle, the fearsome dragon-type used its scythe-like arms to attempt to cause some damage to Metagross, but every attack simply glanced off of the Pokemon's blue carapace.

"Meteor Mash now!" Steven called out the attack and Metagross's long leg began to glow, the claws shimmering like a comet. Despite its large size, Metagross moved quickly and its attack hit Garchomp straight in its midsection, launching it back several feet.

"And Mega Garchomp takes a huge hit from Mega Metagross's Meteor Mash attack! Does it have the strength to continue fighting?" The announcer continued his play by play commentary, but he was still noticeably excited from the match. Garchomp stands back up, shrugging off the hit and readied itself once again, its menacing fangs bared.

"Garchomp use Dragon Claw, onto Metagross's leg!" Cynthia gave the instructions to her partner and it rushed forward with its scythe-like arms poised to slash. Metagross could not react to surprising burst of speed by its opponent and neither could Steven. Garchomp's strike was aimed right at Metagross's leg joint, bringing it down.

"Metagross Hammer Arm, quickly!" Metagross raised its other leg and made a broad swipe in front of it, slamming Garchomp's side and sending it flying like a Poke doll. Though Metagross landed a huge hit, the spot Garchomp struck made it difficult for Metagross to use one of its legs. The two Pokemon were nearly even matched, so much so that type advantage did not have much an impact on the match, but it seemed that damage that both of them took was starting to wear them both down. Steven and Cynthia both surveyed the battlefield, plans forming in their minds for how to close out this match. They gave nods of assurance to both of their Pokemon and both Garchomp and Metagross readied themselves for their next attacks.

"Garchomp charge your Dragon Rush!" Cynthia gave the order and soon Garchomp's body was radiating with a fierce energy. It roared fiercely and the sound echoed throughout the stadium. Any other Pokemon might have cowered from the amount of ferocity within that roar, but Metagross stood its ground, not fazed in the slightest.

"Metagross let's end this with Meteor Mash!" Metagross's leg glowed even brighter than the last time it used this move. Both trainers and their Pokemon were planning on ending this battle with one final attack it seemed. The two Pokemon rushed towards one another, their attacks meeting one last time.

Metagross's Meteor Mash struck against Garchomp's Dragon Rush and the force of the two attacks caused and explosion that sent smoke across the battlefield. The crowd was quietly whispering to one another unsure of the result. Which one of them were left standing? The smoke began to clear and everyone was at the edge of the seats trying to get a closer look at the field. Both Pokemon became visible once again, but neither was down for the count. The two Pokemon stood, albeit shakily. They had reverted to their standard forms, the amount of energy expended in their last attack took them out of their Mega Evolved states.

Garchomp and Metagross stared each other down, fierce determination to remain conscious could be seen from both of them. Back and forth, the crowd looked between both of the Pokemon to see who would go down first. Garchomp fell to one knee and the crowd gasped. Was this it? Metagross took a step forward and began to sway side to side, seemingly off balance.

"Meta...gross…" It tiredly cried out and plopped down to the ground with a large thud, unable to hold itself up any longer. For the first time during the tournament, the entire stadium was dead silent. It was if the audience had no idea how to react to what had just happened in front of them.

"Its...IT'S OVER!" The announcer broke the silence and a wave of cheering followed soon after. "The final match of the tournament is over and the winner of it all is the champion of Sinnoh, CYNTHIA!"

After hearing the announcement of her victory, Cynthia let took a deep breath, finally letting herself relax. She moved next to Garchomp and placed her hand on her partner's side. It also took a deep breath and Cynthia recalled it back into its Pokeball. Steven approached her from the other side of the field after recalling his Metagross and shook her hand. They were humble in both victory and defeat.

A tournament official carrying a large trophy and the a sea of photographers rushed onto the field. Steven took that as his cue to exit and left the arena to the sounds of the crowd chanting his name and thanking him for the amazing performance. Dozens of camera flashes went off in front of Cynthia as she was presented the trophy, which was nearly as tall as she was. Despite all of the noise and action surrounding her, she remained calm. It seemed very little could cause her to lose her cool. The announcer squeezed through the crowd of people and ran up to Cynthia, microphone in hand.

"Cynthia!" He called out to her, clearly exasperated from having to fight through the photographers. "You've won one of the biggest tournaments in the world against another regional champion nonetheless! How do you feel right now?"

"I'm honored to have faced so many talented trainers during this tournament, each match was a different experience for me and my Pokemon to learn from and everyone has grown from their time here." Cynthia looked to the crowd as they began to cheer for her. "I also want to thank the fans here at the stadium and those at home watching from all over the world, this tournament wouldn't be possible without you supporting it." A wave of applause followed her statement. Cynthia really knew how to appeal to the crowd.

"Any statements about your opponent you would like to share?"

"Steven showed me just how much more I can grow as a trainer, he showed me that he could overcome type disadvantages and make them nearly non-existent thanks to the strong bond he and his Pokemon shared. He is an outstanding trainer and I hope I have the opportunity to face him again."

"Now that you have won this tournament, what are your plans for the future? Will you return to Sinnoh and continue to battle there as the champion?"

"Me and my Pokemon have been through quite the ordeal this past month, so I think we'll go take a well deserved rest and have a vacation." The crowd grew excited at this statement, all of them were wondering Cynthia would be going for her R&R, the paparazzi paid special attention to this.

"Any potential spots you have in mind?"

"Nothing comes to mind yet, I suppose I'll have to look into it." She said with a smile. The paparazzi looked noticeably disappointed. They were most likely trying to get some coverage into Cynthia's private life as not much was known about her personal interests.

"Well, we wish you and everyone here safe travels. There you have it, the winner of the International Pokemon League Tournament is the Sinnoh champion Cynthia! Stay tuned for the event recap if you missed anything from the past month, we'll be showing all the highlights and we'll also have interviews with some of the trainers about their time competing here. Thank you for joining us during this amazing month of competition!"

The program ended and the Pokemon League logo, A Pokeball in a checkmark like symbol, appeared on the TV screen. Justin and his family all relaxed now that the event was over. They had been staying up to date with the everything about the tournament since the beginning of month so they could finally rest easy now that it was over.

"Whew, that was some final match." Justin said as he reclined in his chair, running his hand through his short wavy black hair.

"Yeah it was something alright, my heart was racing the whole time, how exciting!" His mother returned to the kitchen to place the finishing touches on dinner. She had been cooking and watching the match at the same time, nearly burning her berry casserole a few times due to being wrapped up in the match.

"That could have went either way, but I'd have been happy regardless of who won." His father turned off the TV and went into the kitchen to help his mother prepare for dinner.

"That Cynthia lady was really pretty!" Justin's little sister Reese cared more about how cute each Pokemon looked rather than the actual battles. "She looked like a princess!" Justin chuckled. Any girl that looked pretty to his sister was apparently a princess in her eyes. He did agree with Reese as he thought that she was pretty as well, and he admired how skilled of a trainer she was.

"Frogadier!" Justin's partner Frogadier cried out and climbed onto his back, obviously riled up from watching the battle on the screen.

"Sorry to rain on your parade buddy, but we don't stand a chance against either of those two trainers as we are now." Frogadier gave him an annoyed look to which Justin responded with a pat on his Pokemon's smooth head. Frogadier had always had a competitive spirit, even when it was still a Froakie. "We'll do some training tomorrow alright? Now it's time for dinner." At the sound of the word dinner, Frogadier's eyes beamed, its nose sniffing the fragrant aroma coming from the oven. "Food and training are pretty much all that's going on up in your head huh?"

Justin and his family laughed, much to chagrin of Frogadier, who pushed its bowl towards Justin's mom in hope of getting some food. It really was amazing how much Pokemon could act like humans at times. Justin looked back at the now blank TV screen while his family continued to bustle about behind him. He was a big fan of Pokemon battles and watched recordings of the professional matches whenever he had downtime on the internet. He longed to be able to go on a journey, meeting new Pokemon and friends, camp out in the wilderness, and improve himself as a trainer, but his parents didn't let him. Somebody had to watch his sister while they were out working, and he was the only one who could.

While he understood that he had to stay home to take care of Reese, he just wanted to have one chance to get to go on an adventure of his own before he got too old and was weighed down with other responsibilities. Running around the Unova region battling other trainers wasn't going to pay the bills or put food on the table unfortunately.

"Justin come on and eat before your food gets cold." His mother called out to him, snapping him back to reality. He took a look at the food on the table.

"Aw Mom you used dehydrated berries for the casserole again?" Justin said with disappointment. His mom was always big on health foods, even if they tasted as good as a sheet of paper.

"Gotta eat healthy son, Frogadier isn't complaining about his meals at all." She gestured towards the blue frog Pokemon who was voraciously eating his meal. It looked up at them, pieces of the casserole strewn across its face.

"Frogadier isn't picky, he'll eat some tree bark if you put some salt on it." Frogadier turned back to its meal in annoyance of Justin's remark and his family laughed in unison. Tomorrow was a new day with exciting new opportunities, and Justin couldn't wait.

And that's the end of the first chapter of Pokemon Academy guys! Thank you for taking the time to read my story and please leave a review telling me your thoughts and opinions about the story. Share the story with your friends who may be interested as well. The next update for the story should be in a few days. I'm going to pace myself as I do have some work to do for college, but also so I can proofread and add more ideas to the chapters as they continue. Once again, thank you all so much and I hope to see you next time!

-Umbra Owl