"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake -"

Timothy grabbed his Rotom Phone and turned off its alarm with his pillow on top of his head. He stayed lying in bed momentarily before removing his pillow and sitting up to stretch. Electchu, who was sleeping beside Timothy on the bed, stood on all fours, letting out a cute yawn while stretching its back. Timothy petted his partner and then got off the bed.

"Alright, pal, it's our first day at Motostoke High," Timothy said. "Ready to make it a memorable one?"

"Pikachu," Electchu chirped.

Timothy chuckled as he grabbed clean clothes and headed to the bathroom to shower. After getting dressed, he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, smirking at his purple polo shirt, black jeans, and white tennis shoes—a perfect outfit to look nice and mature in his eyes. Timothy got out of the bathroom and tossed his pajamas into his laundry basket before grabbing his backpack lying next to his bed.

Timothy and Electchu exited the bedroom and went to the kitchen. Timothy poured a bowl of Pokemon food for Electchu before grabbing cereal and milk for himself. He ate breakfast at the counter, playing on his Rotom Phone while Electchu ate its Pokemon food beside Timothy's stool.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around Timothy from behind and pulled him back. The air was squeezed out of him as he felt someone rubbing their cheek against his. Timothy struggled until the person behind him let go, took both sides of his face, and turned his head to face them. A woman with well-kept features for someone in her 40s stood beside Timothy. She wore black jeans and a blue blouse, and her blonde hair was tied to a side braid that reached her chest. Tears ran down Helga Durbin's cheeks, and her mouth quivered as she looked at Timothy with her dark green eyes.

"Oh, my Timbo-Wimbo off to high school," Helga whined. "You can't be a high schooler already. It's not right. I forbid it."

"Mom, cut it out," Timothy said, swatting Helga's hands from his face. "What's gotten into you? You knew I was going to start high school all break."

"I know, but it just hit me when I walked in and saw you in your new clothes and your backpack lying next to Electchu," Helga said. "My only child is only four years away from leaving me to find his place in the world. Honestly, my only comfort is that Coovers and Sonia will be with you. If you were going to school in such a big city by your lonesome, I might die."

Timothy scoffed and rolled his eyes before going back to his cereal. Though he wasn't looking at Helga, he could feel her still gazing at him with new tears. Suddenly, Helga's sobs stopped, and Timothy turned to see her looking past him with a befuddled expression. He turned in the direction Helga was looking, and he covered his mouth to hide a snicker.

Entering the kitchen was a man Helga's age, wearing an inflatable outfit of a Qwilfish dressed as a sea captain. His face appeared from the Qwilfish's mouth, which covered his thinning black hair. The man flushed as his son and his Pikachu laughed and his wife looked away, holding her hand up to cover her eyes from the man's direction.

"Entalmorfious, what on Earth are you wearing?" Helga asked.

"It's Captain Qwerty the Qwilfish," Entalmorfious explained. "Larry needs me to help pitch for the new seafood restaurant at Hulbury."

Timothy and Pikachu laughed harder with the mouse Pokemon rolling on the floor. Helga squirmed at the name, Captain Qwerty the Qwilfish, as though she had been punched in the gut.

"Babe, come on. You can't honestly tell me Larry needs you to wear that," Helga said.

"It's an important meeting, Honey Wooloo," Entalmorfious said. "A dozen junior ad executives would love to be Captain Qwerty the Qwilfish. And besides, Larry assured me that if this pitch goes well, I might get promoted to senior ad."

"Right, Dad. Just like Larry said he'd promote you after that pitch where you were Kevin the Flamigo," Timothy said. "And let's not forget that outfit where you were a Skovet with those big, derpy eyes."

"I thought we agreed never to bring up Stogie the Skovet in this house again," Helga said with a shutter.

"This time, it's different. The last several pitches have turned out great while I'm wearing the costume, so Larry has to acknowledge my potential," Entalmorfious protested.

Timothy and Helga looked at each other and sighed with the latter shaking her head. Entalmorfious hung his head, discouraged that his family didn't share his confidence. Timothy and Electchu returned to their breakfast until Timothy looked at the time on his Rotom Phone, and his eyes widened.

"Oh, snap. We gotta go. Electchu and I are meeting our friends at the train station in 15 minutes," he said.

Electchu's eyes widened, and its ears perked up, and Timothy wolfed down the rest of their breakfast. Timothy ate so fast that some milk went down the wrong tube, and he coughed violently before he finished and took his bowl and spoon to the sink.

"Oh, I can drive you there on the way to work," Entalmorfious said.

"No thanks, Dad. I, uh, need the exercise," Timothy said. "Besides, how can you fit in your car wearing that?"

Entalmorfious turned his head to look at his round suit and sighed in defeat, realizing he would need to deflate it. Helga patted her husband's hand sympathetically before putting on a brave face as she begrudgingly watched Timothy grab his backpack and head out the door with his Pokemon partner.

Timothy and Pikachu walked down the driveway before Timothy turned his Rotom Phone into a bicycle. Electchu hopped onto his shoulder and rode from his house to Wedgehurst. Coovers, Sonia, Oshawott, and Yamper were waiting at the front entrance when they got to the train station. Timothy, Coovers, and Sonia scanned their student passes and got on the train with their partners to Motostoke shortly before it departed. It was a thrilling experience to ride the train, for they had never left the borders of Postwick and Wedgehurst, much less rode on the train.

They got off at the Motostoke train station and turned their Rotom Phones into bicycles to ride to the school. Pikachu and Oshawott rode on Timothy and Coovers' shoulders while Yamper ran beside Sonia on her Rotom Bicycle. They looked around the area in awe as they headed to the school. TV and comic books didn't do the concept of cities justice. Every block the group went down was lively, with stores, restaurants, and construction, and people passing by with Pokemon they'd never seen before. To think Motostoke was the second largest city in the Galar region.

When they reached the grounds of Motostoke High School, they stopped with their mouths agape. The school was three stories high and styled like a medieval castle. It had a hexagon shape with a medieval tower on each corner. Countless students came in, either walking to school, riding on their Rotom Bicycles, riding on school buses, or their parents drove them. Many students in their second, third, or fourth year happily greeted their friends with their Pokemon, while freshmen either took photos at the school before coming in or were ill at ease.

Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, Electchu, Oshawott, and Yamper already saw scores of Pokémon they had never seen before, from a Chimchar standing on top of a light blue-haired girl's head to a Maschiff walking beside a boy with glasses and black hair tied to a ponytail. A Spoink bounced with glee as it went inside with a tall, magnetic-haired girl and a pair of Ekans slithered beside their twin partners.

Just as Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, and their Pokemon were staring, there was a sudden flash in front of their eyes, and they looked to see two girls in their junior year standing before them. One was brown-haired with a red and black jacket and holding a camera while her Helioptile stood beside her. The other had pink hair and held her Rotom Phone while her Fletchling stood on her shoulder. Both girls smirked at Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, Electchu, Oshawott, and Yamper as the pink-haired girl began recording audio on her Rotom Phone.

"Day one of school. First headlines of the year: 'Naive Hopes and Crushed Dreams,'" the pink-haired girl said. "Once again, innocent freshmen come to their first day of school like Wooloo to the slaughter."

"Excuse me, who are you?" Sonia asked.

"And can I have your numbers?" Coovers added with a dopey smile, and his cheeks red.

The two girls and their Pokemon stared at Coovers befuddled while Timothy and Sonia rolled their eyes. It was hardly the first time their best friend had gone gaga over a pretty girl or two. The girls shook their heads and put Coovers' approach in the back of their heads as they smirked again at his friends.

"The name's Alexa, Motostoke High's number-one photographer and my partner is Helioptile," the brown-haired girl said.

"Helioptile," Helioptile said.

"And I am Malva, Motostoke High's number-one journalist," the pink-haired girl boasted. I'm always eager to find the latest scoop for the school newspaper with my partner, Fletchling."

"Fletchling," Fletchling chirped.

"Ooooooookay, nice to meet you," Timothy said hesitantly. "Care to explain what you mean by crushed dreams and Wooloo to the slaughter?"

Just as Timothy asked, there was a loud scream behind him. Everyone but Coovers, who was still staring at Alexa and Malva, turned to see a woman trying to pull a scrawny boy out of her van. Next to the woman was an Ivysaur holding an Emolga with two dark green vines from its bulb. The Emolga was waving its limbs, trying to escape Ivysaur's grasp.

"For goodness sake, Ted, you're seventeen years old. Man up and go to school," the woman said, irritated.

"No, I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go! Please don't make me go!" Ted squealed. "I can't bear one more year with Guzma de la Calavera!"

Ted's mother huffed and pulled harder until Ted lost his grip on the van. Ted screamed louder as his mother and her Ivysaur took him and his Emolga toward the school as though he were in a horror film being dragged away to his doom. Timothy, Sonia, Electchu, Oshawott, and Yamper watched dumbfounded and then turned to Alexa and Malva.

"Guzma de la Calavera? Who the heck is that?" Timothy asked.

Alexa and Helioptile looked at each other, chuckling before the former turned to Malva.

"Should we tell them, Malva?" Alexa asked.

Malva hummed and scratched her chin looking up, pretending to think about it.

"I don't see why not. Maybe we can get good reactions for my article," she said.

"I wholeheartedly agree," Alexa said before returning to Timothy and Sonia. "Guzma is the most menacing bully that Motostoke High has ever seen. They call him Guzma de la Calavera, which means Guzma from the Skull because they say he comes from an island in the Alola region completely made of skulls."

"An island made of skulls? I find that hard to believe," Timothy said.

"Yeah, it sounds like some fantasy," Sonia said.

"That may be true, but the things Guzma does in Motostoke High are no fantasies," Malva said. Every Day for the last two years, he puts the name of his victim on his shirt and shows it to everyone. What makes it exciting is that there is no telling what he and his Ariados will do. The creative ways he gives people wedgies and swirls or how he and his Ariados otherwise pulverize their victims and their Pokemon are uncanny."

"My personal favorite is how Gruzma's Ariados used Tabitha Crane's Grimer to drench her in sludge," Alexa said.

"But, why on Earth would he want to bully so many people?" Timothy asked.

"Who knows? As far as anyone is concerned, it's simply in his nature like a Gyarados attacking any ship invading its territory or a Pangaroo protecting its food," Malva said with an uncaring shrug. "Either way, Guzma gives us plenty of material for the school newspaper."

"Helioptile," Helioptile said, nodding.

"Fletchling," Fletchling chirped.

"But how can this Guzma get away with it? Surely, there's teachers who try to discipline him and his partner," Sonia said.

Alexa, Malva, Helioptile, and Fletchling laughed, with Helioptile rolling on the ground. Malva put her hand on Alexa's shoulder for support while holding her gut with her other hand. Timothy, Sonia, Eletchu, Oshawott, and Yamper grew uneasy that Sonia's reasonable question was amusing while Coovers stared at the girls blissfully.

"Oh, what a simple thing to say. Tell the teachers about Guzma and Ariados so they could be put in detention or get suspended if not expelled," Malva chortled. "Hate to break it to you, sister, but if any teacher tells Guzma not to bully someone again while waving their finger at him, it'll be the best they can think of and more than I expect."

"But don't they care about what happens to students on the school premises?" Sonia asked.

"You're talking about a bunch of adults who barely get paid to do what they do," Malva said. They only care about what happens inside their classrooms. Anywhere else is fair game."

"Exactly. So, if I were you three, I wouldn't draw attention to myself in this school, lest you get under Guzma's radar," Alexa said. "Anyway, must dash. Plenty of other freshmen to see for our first article of the year before class starts. Good luck."

Alexa, Malva, and Helioptile walked away with Fletchling still on Malva's shoulder. The girls chuckled and made fun of Sonia's question about telling the teachers about Guzma as they walked. Timothy, Sonia, Electchu, Oshawott, and Yamper looked at each other unease while Coovers watched Alexa leave with a happy sigh.

"Alexa was looking right at me while wishing us luck, guys. I think she likes me," Coovers said.

"Yeah, she thinks you are a real keeper, Coovers," Sonia said sarcastically before turning to Timothy. "Wasn't there a Guzma who lived a few houses away from you when we were little, Timothy?"

"You mean the one who was terrified of that old restaurant, McGoogles the Frogadier's Pizza Parlor?" Timothy asked.

"Yeah, that's the one," Sonia said. "You don't think this could be the same guy, do you? He was a couple of years older than us, and I think I recall him moving to the Alola region."

"Ha! Yeah, right. That scaredy cat growing up to be this big, terrifying bully with an Ariados that everybody in school fears? Give me a break, Sonia," Timothy said.

"Just because he was a coward then doesn't mean he can't change over the last decade or so. And we have no idea what Pokemon became his partner when he turned 10," Sonia pointed out. "In any case, I'm worried that what they said was true and that we might become victims of this Guzma de la Calavera."

"I wouldn't be so quick to worry about it, Sonia," Timothy said.

"Why? Alexis and Malva are upperclassmen. They clearly know that this bully is a force to be reckoned with," Sonia said.

"They also didn't say anything about being bullied by Guzma de la Calavera themselves. That must mean there are people and Pokemon he won't bully, in which case we can prove we are people and Pokemon he won't bully either," Timothy said. "If we keep a positive attitude, there should be nothing to worry about. Right, Electchu?"

"Pikachu," Electchu said, nodding.

"Yeah, Sonia. We should keep a positive attitude," Coovers said while watching Alexa and Malva interview a pair of freshmen girls. "Remember what Timbo said regarding how you and I have strong reasons to be popular here. You deserve respect as Professor Magnolia's granddaughter, and I bet Oshawott, and I can beat this bully in a Pokemon battle even with his Pokemon fully evolved. With that kind of recognition and people knowing Timothy's our best friend, even a bully wouldn't touch us."

"Oshawott!" Oshawott exclaimed.

Sonia grew more concerned with Coovers, Electchu, and Oshawott backing up Timothy. Yamper then got up on its hind legs, put its front paws on Sonia's leg to get her attention, and barked. Even though Sonia couldn't understand what her Pokemon partner was saying, she could tell it was as optimistic as their friends. Sonia hesitated and then sighed before giving her friends a small smile.

"I guess you're right. It is too soon to make assumptions when our first day hasn't started. We still have an opportunity to enjoy high school like Gran wants," she said.

"That's the spirit, Sonia," Timothy said.

The school bell rang, announcing that first period was starting in five minutes. Students and their Pokemon hanging out outside of the building began rushing inside. Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, Electchu, Oshawott, and Yamper looked at each other and smiled encouragingly before they followed suit. As they went inside, Timothy felt goosebumps, growing more excited for what was in store in the world of high school.