Chapter Text
Luigi looked outside into the clouds as he and Mario flew their way to Beacon Academy. He had always had a fear of flying, and knowing what was at the end of their destination wasn't helping with his rising anxiety. His brother, on the other hand, looked to be completely at ease. Luigi had always envied his brother's confidence. It seemed that Mario never faltered no matter what task he had to take. He had been dreaming of this moment for as long as he could remember, and why wouldn't he? He was the top prospect back in the Mushroom Kingdom for as long as Luigi could remember, while he was just a quiet after thought. Nevertheless, Luigi stuck by his older brother's side no matter where he went, and Beacon Academy was no different.
There were quite a few other students on the plane with them, and it was clear the they were from all sorts of different places. Luigi felt another pang of insecurity as he looked around at the varying species surrounding him. There were other humans like himself, but accompanying them were all sorts of animals and Pokemon, and he knew he would never measure up to the likes of the people riding the plane.
The ride up to Beacon was relatively short, and soon enough they found themselves descending back onto the ground. Once the plane had come to a complete stop, Luigi snatched his backpack and threw it over his shoulder. He had packed nearly everything he could fit inside, while Mario had just packed the bare necessities. He followed his brother out and into the fresh air and was met with a complete view of the school. It was beautiful with lush green grass and tall healthy trees, nothing back at home could compare. It was much bigger than he had expected it to be, and the school its self looked as if it were a castle.
Luigi turned to see his brother and could practically feel the excitement radiating off of him. Mario had been dreaming to go to Beacon for as long as Luigi could remember, and the fact that he had actually made it was amazing, so he gave his brother the time to take it all in.
“Okay, Bro,” he said after awhile. “What should we do now? I don't think any actual training starts until tomorrow.”
The thought of training with all of the skilled students here was quite unnerving. Of course he had trained with Mario his whole life, but his brother always went easy on him. Luigi knew that wouldn't be the case here.
“You wanna take a look around the campus?” His brother suggested.
His shoulder was already starting to hurt from the weight of his backpack, and flying in itself was taxing enough, but he knew how much this all meant for his brother, so he nodded his head.
Mario sent him a knowing smirk as he took the backpack off his younger brother's shoulders and swapped it with his own. Luigi felt a wave of relief as his brother's pack weighed practically nothing. He muttered a quick “Thanks,” and the two set off.
The academy was truly beautiful, the sight of it made some of Luigi's worries go away. Some. He felt his anxiety rising back up any time he saw another student, even though he was sure they weren't acknowledging him at all. Every time someone passed by their eyes were locked on Mario. Luigi knew that his older brother was very popular back at the Mushroom Kingdom, but he had no idea that people knew of him all over. Either his brother was oblivious to the gawking or he simply didn't care, he would send someone the occasional smile, but other than that he payed them no mind.
It was surreal to think that this would be their home for the next 4 years. As far as places to live went, Beacon wasn't so bad. It was the people here that had Luigi worried. Everyone he saw looked so strong, it was hard to find another friendly face. He found himself subconsciously walking closer to Mario.
The pair made their way back toward the center of the campus and found that a crowd of people were heading into the school. The brothers sent each other a quick glance then followed the others inside.
The room was packed full of students, and there was a large stage in the front. It seemed as if everyone was waiting for something to happen.
“Wow,” Luigi said as he looked around. “There's a whole lot of people in here huh, Bro?”
No response.
“Bro?” He turned to his brother to see the other staring off into the distance. “Hey, are you listening?”
Mario let out a “Mmhmm,” as he started wading off into the crowd.
“Wait!” Luigi exclaimed and he started following his brother through the people.
Mario seemed to be entranced as he made his way across the room, and Luigi could see why. There was a gorgeous girl standing off in the corner. She was wearing a pink dress that complimented her pale skin while showing off her small frame. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back with a parasol balancing across her left shoulder that matched her dress perfectly.
“Oh, hello.” She spoke politely as she turned to face Mario. Her bright blue eyes seemed to be locked on his brother, as they never made their way over to him. “You're Mario, aren't you?”
A blush made it's way onto Mario's face as he nodded.
The girl finally turned toward Luigi, and he found himself standing up straighter.
“That means you're Luigi then.” She smiled sweetly.
“Uh,” he stuttered. “Yeah that's me.”
Her eyes darted back to Mario, and Luigi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.
“I'm Peach.”
It looked as if a grin was stuck onto his brother's face, but then it faltered.
“Wait, Peach? As in Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom Peach?” He questioned, and Luigi took another hard glance at the girl as the realization dawned on him.
Peach looked back and forward, as if checking to see if anyone heard him. “Yes,” she replied quietly. “But I'd really prefer it if that stays between us.”
“Why?” Luigi blurted before his brain could catch up. Mario shot him a glare.
The princess looked at him with a fiery gaze. “I made it here because of the work I put into my training. I didn't get any special treatment before, and I don't want it now.” She responded firmly.
“No,” Luigi said quickly. “I meant why would you even want to be a huntress?”
The blonde looked at the two brothers, before letting out a sigh. “I've always thought that I should be able to defend both myself and the kingdom. Once I started training I discovered how much I enjoyed it. Obviously it wasn't my parents first choice for me, and if something were to happen to them I would be forced to head back.” She settled her eyes on Mario, and a soft smile spread across her face. “But this has always been my dream. I've never been able to train with people my age, I'm really excited for what the next four years has to bring.”
Luigi looked between the two of them, and it seemed like they had forgotten they were in a room full of other people. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable, so when a man and a woman started walking up onto the stage he was relived.
The man, who Luigi recognized to be Professor Ozpin the dean of the school, tapped on the microphone while the woman stood behind him. A hush fell over the room as everyone's attention went to the pair on the stage.
“I'll keep this brief.” Ozpin proclaimed. “You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But, I look among you and all I see is wasted energy in need of direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step.” He turned swiftly, and exited the stage.
The woman stepped forward. “You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation will begin. Be ready.” She looked around the room for a moment. “You are dismissed.” She finished and walked off of the stage and headed after the man.
The three students look at each other questionably, and Luigi felt even more nervous than he had before.
“Well,” Peach broke the silence. “He seemed...” She paused. “Nice?”
Mario smirked at her, then turned and started walking out of the auditorium with the other students with Peach following close behind him. Luigi had to jog a bit to catch up to them. The last thing he wanted was to get separated from his brother.
~*~
That night all of the students found themselves in the ballroom. There were sleeping bags scattered all around the floor with some of them already fast asleep, one of those being Peach, while those who were still awake were surrounded by the buzz of anticipation and excitement. Luigi noticed that he seemed to be much more nervous than everyone else. Then again, they were all secure in their abilities, and one of the most confident of them all was sitting beside him.
The brothers had placed themselves in a far corner of the room. They sat with their backs leaning against the wall as they watched the others mill about. Luigi studied his brother, and seeing how genuinely happy he was made him sure he made the right choice by joining him, even though he was scared for the days to come.
Mario nudged his brother with his elbow, who then turned to face him. “You know you're gonna be great tomorrow, right?” He asked as if he could sense his brother's fear. Luigi scoffed in response causing the older to frown. “I'm serious.” He assured.
The younger started playing with his fingers, giving him an excuse to not look at Mario in the eyes. “You're gonna do great, you always do.” He muttered. “But I'm just hoping I'll be able to scrape by.”
“Don't doubt yourself,” Mario said softly. “I'm gonna be right beside you the whole time like I always have been, you have nothing to worry about.”
Luigi felt a smile creeping up onto his face. “Thanks, bro.”
His brother smiled back at him in response, and Luigi felt somewhat calmer about the days to come. The pair fell into a comfortable silence as they returned to watch all the students throughout the ballroom. The amount of variety in the people around them was amazing. He saw a group gathered in the middle of the room with a fox, bird, and wolf. He had heard about people like that, but had never actually seen them himself. There were some pokemon on their left. Luigi had seen a few of them before, but to see so many of them together was incredible.
“We should probably get some sleep.” Mario voiced.
Luigi could have kept watching all of the interesting people flowing throughout the room all night, but his brother, as usual, was right. The first day of training was looming ahead of them, and Luigi knew that once he woke up the rest of his life would begin. It was a pretty terrifying thought, so he wanted to stay up as late as he could just to delay the inevitable, but not having any rest would make tomorrow worse than it was already going to be, so he nodded his head in response and climbed into his sleeping bag.
“Night, bro.”
“Night.”