Battle Tactics Class #2 - Instructor: Catherine Eisenberg

[Catherine Eisenberg]

A few days had passed since the events at Mavro City, and the subsequent reveal via hacked TV station. In the time that had passed, Team Asshole (as Catherine had “affectionately” dubbed them) had been mostly quiet. A blessing, of sorts, probably, but it was always quiet before the storm. For that reason, she could not let her guard down. Furthermore, as an instructor of combat and strategy, she needed to give the students new means with which to defend themselves. Her squad had done relatively well during the “operation”, but she had heard that the other groups had had some difficulty. For that reason, that class' topic was already determined.

The young woman sighed, sitting back in her wheelchair. It still left a bad taste in her mouth that she'd be teaching the students tactics for non-friendly battles, but her job description had not changed, and she wasn't just going to abandon the students that had faith in the institution and remained- or those that chose to come, even after knowing the dangers. That would be in much worse taste. She had standards, after all. Even so, it was a highly undesirable state of affairs. She shook her head, dismissing her thoughts, and regained a neutral expression. Even if she wasn't smiling, so long as her annoyance and concerns did not show, she'd be able to put any of the students' fears to rest.

To address the potential threat of an attack, the woman had a few more Pokemon out in the classroom than she had during earlier engagements. Culaine, the Arcanine, still laid on the floor near her desk, but the canine was alert- even if her eyes were closed. Her Bisharp, Arthur, stared out one of the room's windows, keeping a vigil on the area outside. In the back, Gilgamesh the Golurk towered in a corner. The oversized golem was stationed there to keep a watch over the students themselves. While, in a perfect world, the student body would be just that- students- the world was far from perfect, and spies could have infiltrated the facility even before the attack. Phased into the ceiling, again, was her Dusclops, Dracula. Phased into the floor, though, was Semiramis, her Banette. One could call her paranoid, but being crippled by one's own flesh and blood family could do that.

It may have been intimidating at first, but some would likely find the presence of power reassuring. Knowing that there was security was one thing. Seeing that there was security was another. If the academy security failed, then there would be a last line of defense. That'd be her. Though, with time, her lessons would hopefully push her students to a greater degree of self-awareness and defense.

Well, that would come with time. And, with just a little more time, the time for class would arrive.

Notes: New students should click here. For existing students, be advised that an edit to the guidelines has been made. In light of the Team Origin Invasion event, it came to my attention that a post-per-day rate was possible. Because of this, I have edited the guidelines accordingly to encourage a slightly faster class period. However, I may be lax on this during the first rounds of all subsequent classes, just to give everyone a fair amount of time. Thank you.

[Crispin Yates]

After being late for the first class, Crispin was not about to let it happen again.  He had made sure to keep his explorations close to the school that day, and as soon as he knew it was getting close to the time class would start he headed on over.  Even still, Crispin was surprised to see he was the first to get to class.  Even though Jove disliked his Pokeball, Crispin kept him away to avoid causing a distraction with his Galvantula hat.  He knew from what had happened in the city that he needed to learn everything he could take in.

Walking into the room he smiled politely to Catherine, waving as he took a random seat near the middle of the room.  He took note of the drastically increased number of Pokemon in the room, and knew that if that damnable group decided to try anything funny he was in the right part of school.  It was comforting, but still made his skin crawl knowing those people were bound to try anything at any time.  If they were fine with causing the amount of damage they did the other day, it wasn't a far stretch that they would do something at the school too, was it?  Then there was that one thing that still itched at the back of his mind.  "Looks like our information hit the mark".  He figured it could have simply been that they had a lookout that warned them they were coming.  But what if it was worse than that?  Could there have been spies right here in the school?  The mere thought made his skin crawl, and he quickly tried to push the thought from his head.  He didn't want to worry about something like that right this instant.

[Benji Aldaine]

Benji was a bit nervous as he entered the classroom. He noticed there was only one other student, who seemed to be from the Nature Dorm, other than that he was one of the first to arrive. This would be his first class at the academy, and being the 'new' kid with no friends and still a lot to learn he felt a bit overwhelmed. The room was filled with Pokemon, who seemed on guard, and the teacher Catherine Eisenberg. She didn't seem like the friendliest person on earth, he wasn't sure if she was strict or not so he didn't want to make any stupid mistakes. With a quiet sigh he took a seat at the back of the room, placing an elbow on the desk and resting his chin on his hand. He glanced at the Pokemon in the room, noticing there were more than was needed.

He had joined the academy after the terrorist attack and the information he learned was a bit fuzzy. He knew although the danger had passed for now, it wasn't gone completely. He was glad they were going to learn how to defend themselves, and he craved the knowledge to properly fight with his Pokemon. If there was ever another attack he would gladly help out the Academy any way he could. Focusing back on the front of the class he waited for the lesson to begin.

[Seria Floria]

Seria quietly entered the classroom and saw that there were only two students present, a Nature Dormer and someone from the Mana Dorm. She recognized the person from the Nature Dorm - a guy who had been with her during the invasion on Mavro, and was promptly assisted by Miss Karin towards the end. Seria noticed that this time Miss Eisenberg had almost all, if not all of them, out and on guard. She was a bit intimidated, but knew that she the teacher had good intentions. Meanwhile, she wasn't familiar with the other student - he may have been new to the class. But regardless, Seria wanted to be earlier. After how she felt at the conclusion of that skirmish, she felt herself partly responsible for her struggle. She wanted to figure out how to get better.

Seria looked pensive and serious, looking down at her table with her hands under her chin. Seria certainly didn't appreciate what happened after that as well. The academy became implicated and caused a divide between the island, with a majority of the civilians believing the intruders and casting doubts over the legitimacy of the academy. Originally, Seria found herself with a lofty goal in mind, but she felt that perhaps she might have a bigger role to play here. She recalled the stories about legendary Pokemon she heard before. Perhaps some of them would come true at this rate.

"Hm..."

[Oleg Kirrlov]

Oleg looked at his wrist watch as he walked at a moderate pace across the hallways. Good, he would be on time. Probably not the first in class like usual, but at the very least not late. Miss Eisenberg had proven herself to be a rather professional teacher by the looks of it, and he wished to gain her respect, or at the very least, not be considered a failure by her. And being on time was part of just that, being accepted and not considered a failure.

As Oleg entered the class, he was greeted with the sight of one nature dormer, a newbie, and Seria. He nodded his head as a greeting to them and miss Eisenberg before moving to his old spot, next to the exit. He scratched his chin. He had not taken that much thought into the terrorist attack, it was just some crazies celebrating a bit too hard. He was not too sure after the television incident, but they could still be some crazies who just got access to the station and decided to fuck around. Who knows.

[Tanya Christianson]

It seemed that the attack had a larger influence than she once thought. Having recently sent a letter back to her distressed parents, who heard about the attack and were worried about the girl, she was starting to have a feeling that there was something very wrong, especially after watching the TV broadcast. When she entered the classroom, it didn't escape her how Miss. Eisenberg seemed to have even more pokemon out than usual. If Miss Eisenberg had a reason to worry, Tanya didn't even want to think about how bad the situation was.

Tanya headed towards her usual seat, giving a friendly wave over towards Seria, Crispen and Oleg. Looking around at the others, it seemed like she wasn't the only one that had the thought of the terrorist attack. She wasn't used to Seria looking so serious and even Crispen looked like he was thinking about the implications of the attack. Letting out a sigh, Tanya went towards her seat and sat down, her mind buzzing.

She knew she could've handled that battle better. She ended up relying on a combo that costed her three of her pokemon. She didn't want to have to do that again, especially if she was in a similar scenario to the Marvo City attack. It made coming to Battle Tactics evem more of a necessity than it was before, not that Tanya wouldn't go to Battle Tactics. Still, she looked deep in thought as she got out her notebook and pen, ready to take down notes.

[Amanda Dupomme]

Amanda entered the class quietly, keeping her head low. Any normal cheerfulness or pleasant aura the girl may have had, was entirely gone after the events of Mavro. Even her normally elegant uniform had been changed for a more simple make, showcasing overall just how unmotivated the girl was. Rubbing her bandaged hands together, Amanda briefly looked around as she moved towards a chair, recognizing only two people as she sat next to one of them: Seria. Smiling sadly at her friend, Amanda let herself sit quietly, not particularly wanting to talk to anyone at that point.

A few rumbles in her bag reassured her that her Pokemon were present, if hidden away. Although they had all wanted to physically accompany their trainer to class, she had turned all of them down. If anything, that just added to her unhappiness: an unpleasant loneliness washing over the girl as she had realized just how much she had gotten used to omnipresent company.

But it wasn't company she had deserved, the invasion had shown as much when she as a trainer was incapable of maintaining her cool during battle. She panicked and froze, leaving her Pokemon to fend for themselves: something that had only served to create friction between them all. In reality, Amanda wasn't even sure why she kept coming to this class. Her skills as a trainer were evidently hopeless, and it wasn't like she would ever get better at it.

It was battle class though, so with a sad sigh: Amanda tapped her purse, allowing Fisto the Hariyama and Alfred the Duskull to escape. Looking upon her Pokemon with disinterest: she could see how the event had changed them as well. The Hariyama barely noticed his trainer, instead scanning the room and the inhabitants within for threats, seemingly focused at some invisible threat that seemed to hide in the floor and ceiling, threateningly placing a hand on the Duskull next to him.

The Ghost incidentally was not someone Amanda imagined would have come out at a time like this, yet as the Hariyama held Alfred close: she began to feel like the Duskull wasn't all that willing. Indeed: judging by the expression on his now heavily damaged mask, he seemed almost nervous.

[Alice Geissler]

She remembered that there was another class going on and it was the same Battle Tactics class. Maybe the teacher would teach differently now that the invasion had been gone over their heads. And she had seen the teacher help out that girl with the Charmander and it was good timing that she had arrived otherwise that terrorist grunt would've destroyed the girl's team. And that event had also helped her to think strategically about most battles since half of her team was defeated except for three of her remaining Pokemon. All others would need some training in order to get stronger. Arriving to where the classrooms are, she released Missy the Misdreavus out of her Pokeball where she shrieked in delight and floated next to her trainer. She entered the Battle Tactics classroom and saw some familiar faces including the teacher and her Arcanine except a few new ones. It looked like the atmosphere was tense in the classroom, but for some reason, she didn't mind it. Sitting down at a desk, she waited for the teacher to begin like always. And the ghost next to her remained quiet in order not to disturb the teacher.

Larvesta Egg +1

[James Wharton]

With a glance at his watch James decided that now would be a good time to make his way to Battle Tactics if he didn't want to be late.  Being late was the last thing he wanted, so he began to speed walk his way to the class room designated for his current class.  As he entered the class room he noticed there was a handful of students already here, and a handful of Pokemon already out.  He presumed the fully evolved Pokemon were the teacher's, however he didn't know why they  were out.  Maybe the class was going to study weak points on Pokemon or something, who knows.  Taking a seat in the second row he was the closest to the exit, or second closest in this case.  There was another boy right in the row in the front of him and one chair to the left.  He was much taller than himself, so James simply sat in the next chair closest to the door where he could see the board.

[Meili Jie]

Meili walked on into the classroom. With the incident with the invading Team, there has been a feeling of nervousness. However, Meili didn't care enough to call her parents to see if news hit Jhoto. It was also to be expected for the battle tactics teacher to have more Pokemon out than usual. It was then Meili remembered this particular woman. She was the one who came to her aid.

"This is discomforting..." Meili said to herself as she removed her hat and sat down in her own little corner of the room, not particularly fond of anyone here. She dug through her school bag and took out a notebook and pencil. At least she's going to be in a class she's comfortable in.

[Adolfina von Brauer]

Adolfina was pretty pleased with how everything had turned out during the invasion by Team Origin. Sure, there were various issues looming overhead, but, for the girl? She had obtained victory against her opponent, and even assisted a teacher in claiming a win. All in all, she was pleased. Her team, even the weaker members, was powerful enough that it served well. It would only grow stronger, and, with more lessons, she could certainly improve her management of the lot.

Whatever the case, as she entered the room, she was in as good a mood as she possibly could have been. With her arms around her Whimsicott, Diablo, the girl scanned the room. More powerful Pokemon were around. Likely the teacher's, she figured. Students were all about. For the most part, they weren't noteworthy. Some seemed bothered or conflicted- perhaps due to the invasion? Well, whatever. It wasn't her business, and she had no reason to care about the majority of them.

No, instead, she took a seat up at the front row again, smiling pleasantly to the instructor. Really and truly, she was greatly looking forward to the class. If the first class was an introduction to the course, then this one had to be actual course material! Yes, she was excited.

[Adriel Sorano]

Though she wasn't here for the first class, she had gotten someone to give her a brief summary so that she wouldn't feel too far behind. As for what Type she would have chosen if she had been here...well, she didn't really know a lot about all of the Types. She didn't even know that the Dragon-type was a thing until about a day ago...naturally, she really wants one now. Either way, as she entered the classroom the first thing she took note of were all of the Pokemon that were out of their Pokemon. Needless to say, Adriel was rather excited about seeing so many of them.

However, she couldn't help but notice the rather heavy mood in the room. Adriel didn't arrive on the island until it was too late to sign up for the Mission, and even then, she didn't even find out about it until after it was already underway. However, she had heard about it after the fact, and, apparently, it could have gone better. As such, she wasn't quite sure who to speak to, or even if she should. She did recognize a few faces, though; namely, Tanya and Amanda. And a couple Nature Dorm students she vaguely recalled seeing around. Not quite sure what to think, she simply chose a seat and sat down, looking around curiously.

[Astrid Sherinian]

The invasion was over and most of the aftershocks had died down, but they were already having to dive right back into classes. For Astrid, such a hectic schedule was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, this was still pretty mild compared to what she'd had in the past. But it was no less tiring. She sighed, walking into the classroom with slow steps, Xanadu trailing behind her. As she entered, her obviously tired expression melted away for a second, and she looked starry-eyed at the giant robot Pokemon on the far end of the room. Out of respect for their teacher, though, she didn't geek out over it. She still looked it over with awe for a few seconds before making her way into the room and searching for a seat.

All in all, the mood was pretty heavy, and Astrid didn't want it fueling her tired state. So she sought out the one person she knew who definitely hadn't been there for the attack, Adriel, and took a seat next to her. She gave the girl a smile and a friendly wave, then gestured for Xanadu to join her. The Beheeyem continued to give wary glances towards the ceiling, where Astrid was sure Catherine's Dusclops lurked again, but also to the floor as well. Were there more of them around this time?

[Annie Prince]

Annie was nowhere near the first or second to arrive this time, but there was nothing wrong with that.

With her nearly ever-present Snorunt by her side and the egg she was still working on hatching in her arms, Annie crossed to the same seat she had taken before. Tanya had already planted herself in the next seat, and Annie nodded in greeting to her distracted-looking roommate.

There were an awful lot of students looking very troubled today, and she thought she knew why. The battles for Mavro City--which Annie had not been sufficiently prepared for--had taken a lot out of the people who had had to fight, and apparently a goodly number of students had been ready for it and participated.

[Sonia Strugatskaya]

Sonia walked into the Battle Tactics classroom with a confident and carefree smile on her face. She looked around the room noticing even more of the teacher's Pokemon out and about. Maybe they wanted some attention too? Well, probably not. However, Sonia's favorite part of this class was still up at the front of the class next to the teacher doing her thing. Noticing this right away, the girl made a direct path for the "resting" Arcanine. Culaine, Culaine! She gently called out the Pokemon's name before petting its warm mane for a little bit. This would probably turn into a habit for her, having become rather well acquainted with it. After all, she's already gotten to ride her! That's like. . . something only really good friends allow, right? But, they had only recently just met! Perhaps their relationship was moving too fast? Sonia covered her cheeks and swayed a bit as these troubling thoughts began to plague her.

Turning around, the girl completely forgot what she was thinking about three seconds ago and went to grab an open seat. She had planned on sitting in the front row already, but she happened to notice her partner right there as well. Taking a seat next to the small doll-like girl, Sonia greeted her. Morning, Fi! She was as energetic as usual. Sonia was, I mean. Fi looked. . . the usual. Glancing around the room while she waited for class to start, Sonia also noticed one of the boys who was in her group with Miss Catherine as well as that girl that she single-handedly saved from being attacked from that bad guy. She didn't recognize anyone else though. Oh well. Looking back up front at the Arcanine and the teacher, the girl waited for class to begin.