Socially Awkward Jumper Adventures

As Victoria approached Striaton city, she couldn't help but look at the skyline. Previously, Nacrene was the only real city she'd been to, and most of that city's downtown was made of old restored warehouses. As she approached Striaton, she noticed the multi-story apartment buildings- She'd seen Castelia in the distance from the hills in the forest, so she knew that these buildings were small potatoes, but this was the closest she'd seen buildings this tall, so she was still fairly impressed.

Victoria spent a good amount of time wandering around the city, doing some window-shopping. Her exploration was cut short as she stumbled upon the Trainer's School. Victoria hadn't even known anything like this existed in Striaton! Wow, was she glad to have come here first. As she stood outside the school, she looked at all the students going in- A class must be starting at the moment. Though, all the students were around 10 - reminding Victoria again of how late she'd started her journey.

"Hey there, can I help you?" As Victoria was staring at the school, an older man had walked up to her - If Victoria had to guess, she'd say that this guy was a teacher here- What with his briefcase full of notes and the way he was glancing at the school.

"Oh, uh... Sorry, I'm just... a new trainer," Victoria trailed off, her voice getting quiet towards the end. "And I'm, uh-"

"Oh, a new trainer, are you?" The old man apparently had better hearing than Victoria would have liked, and said the thing she'd have rather kept quiet loud and clear. Victoria cringed, as if in physical pain from her embarassment. "If that's the case, I'm about to teach a class. Why don't you sit in?

Victoria would have rather asked Arceus to strike her dead that very moment. "I, no thanks, I just, I'd like some directions. To the pokemon center." Her face flushed. No way she'd go in there, what kind of weirdo starts her pokemon journey at age 18? She could feel everyone staring at the weirdo sitting in on a class full of 10-year-olds already.

"Oh, if that's the case, just go down this road until you hit the big one. Then turn left and..." Victoria tuned out his directions. Of course she already knew how to get to the Pokemon Center- That was the first place she visited. She wasn't going to let Vin languish in his ball all fainted and pathetic. She'd just needed an excuse.

Not even waiting for the old man to finish his explanation, Victoria hopped on her bike and sped away with an "Okaythanksbye!" Oh god, she felt like she was going to explode out of humiliation.

"Victoria..." Magnolia sighed. "Why didn't you sit in on a class? You could have learned something!"

"I, uh," Victoria stammered. "Not right now. I'm looking at the road."

Magnolia raised her eyebrow and mumbled. "Really? That's a new one."