follow me and keep me strong

Rain beat against the fabric of the tent in a steady patter, as much against the sides of it as its roof thanks to the wind; in truth, the wind was louder than the rain itself, coming in from the coast and tunneling through into the mountains. Ortega's was the Team Star base furthest from the Academy, and sometimes it just felt better to meet up here.

There were a lot of moving parts to this burgeoning plan of theirs -- and a lot of unmoving parts around the Ruchbah Squad's base. Ortega wasn't being very forthcoming about what he was working on, just that it was something they could "maybe use for the Big Boss's plan," whatever that ended up being.

Nothing had solidified just yet. Not even their comfort with one another, not fully.

Giacomo wound up being the last one in, soaking wet and complaining as he closed the tent back up behind him. Looking like a drowned Rattata, one of the Alolan ones. "It's basically coming down sideways out there," he grumbled, straightening back up and taking his hat off for a moment to try to fix his hair. The brim had done exactly nothing for him.

"Hey, you're the one who showed up late," Mela pointed out.

"I'm not late, you're all early."

"Yeah, and the storm showed up early too."

"That's fine, isn't it?" Eri slipped into the conversation in her usual peacemaking capacity... a surprise to anyone who didn't know her, especially since she'd either shown up before it had started raining or reapplied her usual face paint in the tent. But her eyes were earnest and caring, impossible to not notice. You only wouldn't notice if you weren't paying attention, assuming the worst. A jerk. "We're all here, and the water won't hurt anyone... Well, it might make your training a little tougher today, Mellie."

"Fine by me." Mela was blunt, unwilling to back down from a challenge. But then, that last part was all of them, wasn't it? Five people who didn't have much in common... except that they were all different, and that difference wasn't exactly met with open arms by the other Academy students. They all knew what it was like, being whispered about, laughed at, taunted, insulted, and frozen out.

They all knew, and none of them were willing to just roll over and accept it. If all the adults at the academy were going to let that sort of bullying slide? Fine. That just meant they'd have to take care of it themselves.

Atticus walked over and handed Giacomo a towel as he leaned against one of the taller boxes and sat his wet hat to one side, and Giacomo paused, taking it from them. "Thine aspect doth resemble some drown'd Morgrem," Atticus noted.

"Uh, thanks." Thanks for the towel? For the swipe at how bedraggled he looked? Joke was on them, Giacomo liked Morgrem... Or, no, that wasn't a swipe. They were all just too used to barbed words, but there were no barbs, ironically, from their master of poison. Just a legitimate kindness.

Ortega laughed, then, suddenly. "Hey, yeah. Your hair! You're the only one of us 'male students' with hair that's... that's gotta be three inches below the nape."

Giacomo went red, but he was more embarrassed by the memory of the ridiculous rules he'd made as student council president than by the teasing itself. "Yeah, yeah. It counts even if it's kept up. I'm a different guy now..."

"Verily," Atticus agreed, returning to their own seat. They didn't bother with a box, just crossed their legs calmly on a blanket on the ground. "A steadfast companion, rather than an oppressor."

"Some of us have changed a lot." Eri crossed her arms from her own seat, nodding. "But I like that we can all be ourselves out here."

"We can take that up to eleven soon," Giacomo assured her. "I'm working on some tunes for us, for when the Big Boss's plan goes down. I was actually just talking with them; that's why I'm late..."

The other four perked up. It was actually pretty rare when the Big Boss talked to them as a group; they were obviously a victim of bullying themself, and open about the fact that they didn't like to leave their room or be in crowds or talk to people much at all.

But they talked to the five of them... Was maybe the closest friend any of them had. Had brought them all together. Still, the times they joined in on these group meetings were rare, instead preferring to reach out to them one or two at a time.

"So are we going forward with this soon?" Mela asked, crossing her arms herself and cocking her head.

"Sort of. Not yet, though." Giacomo explained, "We're going to need more training, and they feel like maybe this would work better if we make it a big spectacle. Make it clear who we are and show everyone what's happening. But they wanted me to talk to you guys about it first."

"They said something to me about that, too," Ortega said, and grinned. "And it sounds pretty great to me."

"So B.B. knows what you're working on?" Eri asked him.

"Yeah. We were talking, and you know how some of the bullies like to pull up on Cyclizar and make a scene, especially if somebody already has one of their Pokémon out with them?" Ortega waved a hand airily. "Cyclizar don't really fit the Pokémon types any of us like, but a big, flashy car would outshine any of their Pokémon with no problem."

"What, seriously?" Mela shook her head. "I knew you were kind of a techie, but you're building a car?"

"I'm building five cars," Ortega corrected her, smug. Rightfully so, in this case, honestly. They could let him have this one. "Big Boss suggested we could use Revavroom like Rotom, and they think we could even change their types to match each of our teams if we build it right."

"Ingenious," Atticus noted. "Thou and our dearest leader hath skill unrivaled."

"Well, we haven't done it yet," Ortega cautioned, smugness banking abruptly. He did smirk over at Giacomo then, adding, "But when we do, we'll definitely need that soundtrack."

Giacomo nodded, warming toward the little rich kid for... well, not the first time, but for the first time he felt really relaxed in this group. Toward Mela, too, when she spoke up, volunteering, "If you need me to help get the cars rolling, I'll figure out a way to get it done."

"Charcadet are going to be really important for that. And Big Boss thought we should maybe call them 'Starmobiles'..."

"That sounds perfect!" Eri enthused. "And I can help everyone with training up... If you all want to, I mean. I know I can get a little enthusiastic..."

"Enthusiastic training is exactly what we need right now," Mela said firmly. "No, we need extreme training. Whatever you throw at us, we'll meet it, Eri."

"These uniforms aren't gonna cut it, though." Giacomo picked up his hat by the brim to see how it was drying out, turning it and looking it over critically. "Even the accessories we can buy in the stores are a little... basic -- you know?"

It was true. Whatever they did, most of their uniforms just didn't suit them -- not the Pokémon types they used, and just not them in general. Giacomo and Ortega wore the Winter uniform, Meli the Autumn, and Eri the Summer, which was about as close as they could get, but there was no individuality there, and they all valued individuality and self-expression a whole lot these days.

Atticus, though. Atticus wore pieces of the various uniforms, and had been gradually altering those pieces, and with the accessories somehow it suited them far more. The Summer shirt, the Autumn long shorts, Spring's suspenders crisscrossing in an 'X' across their front rather than worn normally, and they had long leggings, long gloves that they'd altered to be fingerless, and a scarf rather than bothering to wear the school's tie. They had also embroidered the Team Star symbol directly onto the pocket of their shirt. Giacomo had been considering asking them if they'd do the same for him...

But Atticus was watching them all now with an unusually discerning eye, and they all fell quiet as they noticed. They closed their eyes then, seeming to consider something.

Sure, Atticus was unusual, but it wasn't exactly surprising they were interested in old-fashioned things. Sometimes, like this, they really seemed older and more mature than any other student at the Academy. An "old soul," some of the adults might say.

"I would be honored to create these costumes," Atticus said. "To work with you all and make manifest that which shines from within you."

"You made our flags and sewed that symbol onto your shirt, but you can make clothes, too?" Ortega asked, eyes wide. "I mean, my family owns an apparel company, and yeah, that's useful, but making stuff always seemed more interesting to me..."

"I'd love to see what you make," Eri agreed. "I'm sure it will be incredible, Atticus."

"And the less like the Academy uniforms the better," Mela agreed. "I mean, these boots are great, but it's not like the Academy gave us these, and everything else?"

"I believe I have an idea, Mela," Atticus said with a smile. "Thank you all."

Giacomo nodded. "Then it's settled. We all know our next steps, yeah?"

It would be a while yet before they were truly ready for Operation Star, and they still had a few details to nail down. But it was coming together, and they knew what they had to do when it came down to it... And, as they chatted and waited for the rain to die down, discussing possible clothing themes and paint schemes and then just talking about the kinds of music and entertainment and hobbies they liked, they had started to really understand that they could do it.

Together.