"Good morning, Rain. It's nice to see you in that uniform," Novelle said.
"Good morning! Thank you. I was just about to leave, but then I noticed a lot of kids wearing uniforms. So, I searched my room and found it in my wardrobe."
"I saw you looking at the school board. Are you trying to look at which class you got?"
"Yeah"
"Have you found it already?"
"No, I haven't," I replied, "oh, I'm in class 1-J."
"Great, we're in the same class," she said.
"Did you… Did you already know this?"
"Yeah," she teased. She turned around to show me the way to the classroom.
"So, how was your last night?" She asked.
"Great, I guess. I fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed."
"Are you carrying your egg with you right now?" I asked.
"No, I am not. Are you?"
"Yeah, I put it in my bag. Aren't we supposed to?"
"Some people, I guess. It's too heavy for me, and my bag isn't big enough to carry that egg."
We talked a lot on the way to our class. This school has 15 floors, and our classroom is located on the 4th floor. The interior feels vast, with ceilings exceeding 4 meters in height, creating an even more expansive feel through the use of white walls and floor tiles. It resembles a modern building, similar to one I remember from my previous world.
Inside our classroom, there's a layout diagram on the whiteboard showing where we sit, with our names indicated on it. My seat was in the back, close to the window behind Novelle's seat. As soon as I put my bag down, a man came as the bell rang.
"It looks like everyone else here. My name is Levi Riverra. You can call me Mr Levi. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next seven years," he said, staring the whole classroom with his emotionless expression.
He is around 175 cm tall. He has long black hair. And he was wearing an all-black outfit, including a long coat that swept the floor.
"At 10 o'clock, you are to go to the hall for the enrolment ceremony. Until then, I will explain how this academy works," he said. He continued, "The class is divided into two groups: theory and practical. Theory classes will be held in this classroom, where I will serve as your instructor. Practical classes will take place outside the classroom, and you will be grouped with a junior teacher."
Someone raised her hand, cutting his speech. "Excuse me, about the practical classes, what's going to happen if one of our eggs doesn't hatch yet?" she asked.
"Practical classes are started until all of your eggs are hatched. Worry not, your eggs are supposed to hatch sooner. After all your eggs hatched, you were expected to evolve your monster by this year; whoever failed to do so had to repeat another year."
Everyone is whispering to each other about what to do; they will whisper for a while, until Mr Levi continues his speech.
"For first-year students, you are not allowed to have another monster. The goal is to focus on bonding with your first monster, as the current Grand Summoner said, the Summoner's strength came from the friendship with their monster, and she also said that the bonding with your monster is much more important than training. Her speech became fundamental in the teachings of this academy."
Everybody gasped as soon as Mr. Levi mentioned the Grand Summoner.
"How does a mere speech from the Grand Summoner become fundamental to the teaching at this academy?" I whispered.
"Are you kidding me?" Novelle replied, immediately turning around upon hearing me. She seemed confused by what I had said.
"What?"
"Do you not know her? She's not just a mere Grand Summoner; as soon as she graduates from this academy, she's joining the grand league, challenging the Grand Summoner at that time, and winning as the youngest Grand Summoner in history," she explained. "After that, she's the only summoner who prevents the city from being destroyed by the legendary monster, and successfully catches the same legendary monster. After that, everyone admired her, and her words became everyone's belief."
"Wow, I didn't know that."
"Where have you been living?" she sighed.
"Enough chatting, there's still plenty of time before the ceremony starts. Let's decide now who among you wants to be class president for this year?" he asked.
She raised her hand as he finished speaking. She was sitting far away from me, close to the board, wearing glasses and with her black hair tied up in a ponytail. I recognised her immediately; she was the same girl who was sitting next to me on the carriage.
"What's your name?" the teacher asked.
"Aqua Sterling," she replied.
"Did everyone agree for Mrs Aqua to be the class president this year?"
"It seems that no one opposes that. From now on, Mrs Aqua will serve as the class president for this year. I'm looking forward to working with you, Mrs Aqua."
"Before you leave, I want to remind you that after the ceremony ends, you can take a break until 3 PM. After that time, please go to this classroom. I will give you a brief lesson, and then you may leave."
After his speech finished, he gave us a sign to leave. Everybody took their leave and went to the hall, except the class president, who seemed to want to talk with Mr. Levi.
"Is she that pretty that makes you look at her all the time?" Novelle asked.
"Wha… what are you talking about? It's not like that, she is just… we're on the same carriage all the way from Tsulskia to Motia, and never get a chance to talk since then."
"Ohh! So you want to talk to her, huh?" Novelle teased.
"I told you, it's not like that!" I said. After that, she teased me a lot on the way to the hall.
The hall looked different today; it was filled with chairs, some of which were occupied, and the podium seemed beautifully overdecorated. Novelle and I were looking for seats when she suddenly dragged me over to one she had spotted.
Shortly afterwards, the chairs were filled, and the teachers arrived. The ceremony started afterwards. Everything was fine until that man began his speech. They called him the principal, but the way everyone gasped when he appeared from the back made me think that he was more than just the principal.
"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Summoner Academy! Some of you may already know me, but I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Lucian Erebus, the principal of this academy. All of you might know that everyone around you is the Card Summoner, which makes this academy is——" He continued his speech.
"Just like I thought you were clueless, aren't you?" Novelle whispered.
"Kinda, does everybody know him?"
"Seriously, where do you live?" she sighed. "Yes, everyone knows him because he's one of the Elite Four. Everyone calls him Professor Monster, because all of his research studies were about monsters."
"Elite four?"
"You don't know about that either, huh?" she sighed.
"Unlike the Guild Master, they were chosen by the previous Guild Master. On the other hand, the Elite Four were chosen by the King himself to assist the Grand Summoner in protecting the people," she explained.
"And he also…never mind," she hesitated.
"---For the last time, I would like to remind you that this academy is free and is funded by the King himself. Make the most of your time here, make lots of friends and create lots of memories, and become the best card summoner you can be. Thank you, everyone. Have a good day."
"Oh, one last thing: from today, my granddaughter Novelle will be attending this academy, and I hope everyone treats her well." Just when we thought the speech was over, the principal started talking again, "I still can't believe it. I remember her when she was three years old. She used to cry every time I tried to leave her alone. And just yesterday, she came to my room, begging me to put her in the same class as a boy she had just met. Oh, look at me! I've lost track of time talking about my granddaughter. Well, that's all from me. Thank you, everyone!"
Her bright red face was visible through her small hands, which she was trying to hide with. Even covering her face with both hands and looking down couldn't hide her embarrassment. She decided to punch me after she realised I was staring at her.
"So… There's still time before Mr Levi's class starts. Is there anything you want to do?" I asked.
"I'm hungry," she continued. "You should forget about earlier."
"Yes!" I shouted
We walked to the cafeteria in silence. It is located within the school building, with entrances on both the first and second floors.
As we entered the cafeteria, I asked, "What would you like to eat?"
"Whatever they served."
"We can't choose?"
"No, menus are designed to change daily and rotate on a cyclical basis to ensure variety and meet nutritional standards. That's what my grandfather said."
"Oh!"
We grabbed our meal and sat down at an empty table near the window. Today's menu includes roasted meat with a texture similar to chicken, fried potatoes, a fruit tart, and juice served in a disposable glass.
"It tasted great, didn't it?" I asked.
"Yeah, I guess."
"So, do you want to talk about your grandfather?"
"Didn't I tell you to forget about it?" she hissed.
"No!.... That's not what I meant. I mean, you both have different surnames. I was just wondering about that, and about the fact that he's one of the Elite Four."
"Well, he is my grandfather from my mother's side. And he said he became one of the Elite Four since the previous Grand Summoner." She was swallowing her food before she continued her stories, "He mentioned that the Elite Four was appointed by the King after one of their members retired, passed away, or went missing."
"Whoa! Did he also tell you how the King chose the Elite Four?"
"I think by their achievement or how strong they are," she explained.
"It must have been nice to have a grandfather like him."
"Yeah, he's great. Not just him — my mother and my aunt are awesome, too!"
"Your mother and your aunt?"
"My mother is the Guild Master of the Fiend Guild, and my aunt is the Guild Master of the Fairy Guild. Even though they're just a minor guild, they proved themselves by protecting Sanya City from the monster stampede single-handedly, and everyone looks up to them after that," she explained.
While she expresses pride in her family, her blank stare implies that she feels differently.
Soon after, we realised it was almost time for Mr. Levi's class. We finished our food rush to class. As we entered the classroom, the bell rang, and Mr Levi arrived as well.
"It looks like everyone here is already… I'll be quick, this time, I'll explain how the Monster Dex and Monster Card work," Mr. Levi said. He pulled the Monster Dex from his pocket.
"The Monster Dex is a high-tech, electronic encyclopaedia in the form of a handheld device, providing information on all the different species of monsters found around the world. It will be useful to you in your role as both Summoner and student."
"The Monster Dex begins as an empty database. You can fill it by encountering or capturing monsters. The purpose is to demonstrate your prowess as the Summoner and to enable us, the teachers, to evaluate your progress over the past seven years."
"To use the Monster Dex, point it at a monster you encounter, and it will show you everything you need to know about it. I want you to try this with your first monster as soon as it hatches."
"About the Monster Card, I'll give you a little history. The Monster Card is made by the first Grand Summoner, who is also well known as the last ancient summoner. He and his alchemist friend realised that people's mana had decreased over the generations. After that, they created a Summoner Card, which allows you to capture monsters using a small amount of mana. Over the years, we have perfected the Monster Card, which can contain monsters without using any mana."
"You can use this by pointing or throwing it at weakened or docile monsters, such as those that hatch from monster eggs you got. It can't catch a dead monster."
Each of the students throws a question to Mr Levi, especially the class president. Mr Levi answered all the questions; it took a while.
"Before I finish this class, I would like to remind you that once your egg has hatched, you should report to me via the PC in your room provided by the Academy. Once everyone's egg has hatched, we can start the practical lesson."
After Mr Levi gave us a deck with empty Monster Cards, Mr Levi signalled us to leave the classroom, and everyone exited immediately. We stepped out of the building just as the sun was setting. Novelle and I said our goodbyes and returned to our respective dorms.
My tired body carried an egg monster in my bag, causing my shoulder to ache, and I immediately went to take a shower once I entered my room. The shower splashes of water hit the porcelain tub like tiny, liquid bullets, but it couldn't drown out the noise outside the bathroom. When I stepped out, I saw my bag already on the floor, shaking violently.
I opened my bag and revealed that the egg was cracking. As I picked it up, more cracks appeared, and it emitted a light that illuminated my entire room. As the light dimmed, the egg in my hands transformed into a monster.
It's a humanoid monster with a head that combines human and mammalian fish features, such as those of a dolphin or whale. Has a human-like face below the fish head. There is an ear hole below the fish's fins on both sides of its head, and it has two tails; one is attached to the back of its head, and the other to its bottom. Its skin is like an eel's, and it is blue in colour.
I put it on top of the bed. I opened my Monster Dex and pointed it at the creature, which responded with a cold, mechanical voice: "Mermaphin. As it lives in the darkness of the ocean depths, it uses its skin to detect tiny voltage changes in the weak electric fields around it, helping it to distinguish between friends and foes." The database appeared as it spoke.
Monster Data
Name: Mermaphin
Gender: Female
Type: Fiend
Attribute: Water
Species: Mermaid Monster
Height: 0.4 m
Weight: 6.6 kg
Abilities: Absorb Electricity
Prior Form: -
Next Form: Sirca (High Friendship)
Monster Stats
Level: 1
HP: 28
Attack: 25
Defense: 25
Sp. Attack: 45
Sp. Def: 35
Speed: 45
She sat on my bed for a while, waiting for me to finish reading the Monster Dex. When our eyes met, she looked at me happily, her fins and tail on her head waggling up and down. I grabbed my bag and looked for the fruit tart that I had carefully wrapped and put in there this afternoon.
"Mermaphin, are you hungry?" I asked, showing her the fruit tart. Her fins and the tail on her head waggled with joy when she saw it. It's so cute to see her eating!
"Merma!" she cried. She showed her empty hand as she asked for more. I gently patted her head. "I'm sorry, that's all I have. Can you wait till tomorrow?" Her fins and tail droop as she expresses her sadness. Perhaps the fins and tail on her head are just there to show her emotions. That's what I thought, at least.
I pulled out an empty Monster Card and showed it to her. "I'm sorry, but do you mind if I put you in this card?" She stares at the card, her confusion plain to see. So I put a card on her head, and her body glowed as it merged with the card. As the card's glow fades, I can see her on it.
After that, I remember Mr Levi told us to make a report about it via PC. While she was in the middle of writing, the card suddenly started to glow, and she appeared on her own.
"How can you come out?" I asked. She just tilted her head and lay down on the bed.
I didn't know what had happened. I decided to finish my report and tell Mr Levi everything that had just happened.
"So, mermaphin, you want to sleep together?" I asked. "Merma!" she cried. We both fell asleep as soon as we lay down on the bed.