Back Into The Fold

Summary: Director Clavell wants to impress upon Team Star the importance of returning to the academy. To that end, after Scarlet defeats Atticus in a Pokémon  fight, the Director has a 'talk' with his wayward student
Warning(s): Spanking with a slipper; spoilers for Pokémon  Scarlet/Pokémon  Violet; AU; references to violence; references to bullying

###

Director Clavell watched as Scarlet walked away, leaving victorious after their battle with Atticus, the leader of Team Star's poison crew. Once Scarlet was out of sight, he then turned to look at Atticus.

The young student's face was masked; hidden from view. But Clavell recognised Atticus. He was familiar with all of the students who were involved in running the crews that formed Team Star. The only one he didn't know was the true leader of Team Star...but by working with Scarlet, he hoped to find out their identity and bring them back to the academy, if they too had left it.

"Why are you still here?"

Atticus' question brought Clavell's attention to the younger man and he studied the student for a few moments before he finally asked, "Are you planning to come back to the academy?"

"No." Atticus' visible eye narrowed and the note of confusion was obvious in his voice as he said, "Our leader is missing. Until they return, I won't be returning to the academy." He looked around his base and his shoulders slumped slightly as he let out a quiet sigh. "I didn't expect it to end like this...." His voice was soft and he probably hadn't intended his words to carry to Clavell's ears.

In his guise of Clive, one of Scarlet's fellow students, Clavell found he could get into more areas than was possible when he exerted his full authority. And that also seemed to apply to the members of Team Star. If Atticus thought Clive was really Director Clavell, he wouldn't be showing even the faintest hint of vulnerability in what he'd just admitted.

"Why did you join Team Star?" Clavell already had a fairly good idea of the answer, but he wanted to hear the response from Atticus' own lips.

"Bullying." Atticus shrugged and looked away. "It's a big problem at the academy. Everyone here has been a victim to it. You only need to ask everyone here to know how bad it is."

"I see." Clavell tried to hide it, but he was sure his disappointment had to come through. He'd never realised things had been so bad at the academy...and since starting down this road alongside Scarlet, all he could see was the negative impact that had been left on the students.

Of course, being bullied wasn't an excuse for leaving the academy. And it wasn't a good enough reason for them to avoid being expelled. He might want to protect them, but they were going to have to agree to work with him if they didn't want to lose their places at the academy.

"Can we talk somewhere in private?" Clavell asked.

Atticus paused at the question, hesitating, clearly thinking about it. Finally, he said, "I don't know what you have to say to me that you can't say here, but I suppose so." He turned to walk into the building he'd emerged from to battle Scarlet.

After glancing around to see if he could identify more of the students, Clavell followed Atticus into the student's 'base of operations'. The first thing he noticed was how colourful it all was. Atticus' appearance made it clear he was a very creative person...and the appearance of his main room made that obvious as well.

"Do you like it?" Atticus must have noticed the way Clavell was looking at the room. An odd note crept into his voice as he added, "I was never able to decorate my dorm room the way I wanted to at the academy."

The younger man had dropped the formal way of speaking he'd adopted when battling Scarlet. Was it because he'd been defeated in battle? Or because he'd decided not to hide behind that mask he'd used? Clavell decided not to ask about it, not wanting Atticus to put that mask back on again. Instead, he asked, "What would make you decide to come back to the academy?"

"Why do you care?" Atticus returned. "You're just another student, right? What difference does it make to you if we get expelled or not?"

Clavell had two paths open to him. He could see them as clear as day. He could keep his identity as Clive...or he could tell the younger man that he was the director of the academy. Either path could backfire on him, especially as it was possible Atticus would tell the other members of Team Star who he was if he chose to take that path.

But if Atticus knew that the director was seeking to bring Team Star back, perhaps he would be likely to listen; even to give returning a chance. So he decided to be honest. "I'm not just another student."

"You're not? Who are you, then?"

"Director Clavell."

Atticus jerked back immediately. "You...you're Director Clavell? Why would you come here?" he demanded.

"There's obviously a problem involving Team Star and the rest of the students," Clavell answered. "Coming here has been the only way I've been given any answers. I want you to come back to the academy," he said bluntly.

"I don't want that. I'm part of Team Star. I'm one of the bosses here. This is...what I want." His voice started out strong and certain, but by the end of his sentence, he was beginning to falter. He sounded uncertain...like he was looking for someone to reassure him. Maybe even someone to tell him what the right thing to do was.

Clavell took a few moments before he responded. He looked around the room slowly, taking in the bright colours that surrounded them. "You have a creative spirit, but if you continue down this path, your creativity will be stifled. You won't be able to use it outside of Team Star if you get expelled from the academy." He turned to face Atticus. "Do you want that?"

Instead of protesting, Atticus spoke in a more uncertain tone. "I don't think I can go back...can I?"

"I won't say it'll be easy," Clavell answered. "You've missed a lot of lessons at the academy. You'll need to do a lot of work to catch up to where you should be. But it isn't impossible," he promised.

"What do I need to do?" Atticus asked, after a brief hesitation.

"I believe I've learned what I need to," Clavell answered. "You and the rest of Team Star have stayed away from the academy because you were victims of bullying. I am sorry you all went through that...but that doesn't mean you should have stayed away for so long. Not when the bullies left the academy after they were confronted."

Atticus took a slight step back, fiddling with his Poke balls. "What do you want to do? Challenge me to a Pokémon fight? I already lost to your best student..."

Clavell held a hand up to stop whatever else the student might have said. "Scarlet isn't my best student. Yes, they are good. But I see the potential in all of the students at the academy. That includes you and the rest of Team Star."

Atticus stared at him for several more moments and then slowly pulled his headscarf off...like he was removing the mask he was wearing to protect himself. "What do I need to do?" he asked again.

"Your actions, and those of Team Star, have not been the best way to handle this situation." Clavell's voice was serious...nearly stern. He opened his bag and took out something he'd never really planned to use: a heavy, well-worn slipper. It was far too big to go on his feet...but then again, the slipper wasn't for wearing.

He'd considered bringing some old-fashioned ideas into the academy since becoming its Director...but this was the first time he'd seriously considered putting his idea into action.

"Why do you have a slipper?" There was a note of confusion in Atticus' voice.

"From everything I've learned, the academy has had a poison growing in its roots. The poison has been removed, but if I want to protect the students, if I want to protect you, I need to implement sterner measures to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again," Clavell stated.

Atticus took a step back. "You're punishing me for being bullied?!" His voice rose slightly.

"Of course not." Clavell allowed a gentler, more reassuring note to creep into his voice as he said, "Being bullied wasn't your fault. And you handled it in the best possible way, considering you and the rest of Team Star were let down by the teachers at the academy. But I am going to punish you for the actions you've taken in refusing to return to the academy and risking your future."

"I could refuse."

"You could," Clavell agreed. "I can't force you to agree. But you must know that this path you're on can't end well. I'm sure you must have realised your future will be much more difficult if you get expelled from the academy."

"I don't want a spanking," Atticus whispered.

"I know. I think you'll find that very few people actually want a spanking." Clavell gentled his tone as he continued, "I won't tell you that it won't hurt. We both know that it will. However, once it's over, you'll have a clean slate. You can come back to the academy and start over, without the actions you've taken in the past hanging over your head."

Atticus was still staring at the slipper Clavell held in his hands. He swallowed visibly before whispering, "Do I need to make the decision now?"

"If you refuse now, you do have time to change your mind," Clavell said. "But only for as long as it will take for the rest of Team Star to be taken out. After that, I won't be able to offer you a second chance."

"Do you think Scarlet will be able to take down the rest of Team Star?" Atticus asked. "All of our bases?"

"They've taken down two bases already. They're also taking on the gyms," Clavell said. "I have no doubt they will succeed in taking down the rest of Team Star."

Atticus looked into Clavell's eyes, maintaining contact for a few moments, before he finally looked away, seemingly lost in thought. Eventually, he seemed to come to a decision and nodded, looking back at Clavelle. "I want to start over. I want a second chance...a clean slate," he said.

Clavell nodded in understanding. "That's a very brave decision to make." It wouldn't make the spanking any easier for the younger man to take, but it would at least allow Clavell to go a fraction easier on him.

"What should I do?" Atticus asked quietly.

"All you need to do is submit," Clavell answered. "It won't be easy, and it is going to hurt. But you'll get through it and then have a place in the academy once it's done."

Atticus nodded and stepped slowly over to Clavell.

Giving what he hoped was a reassuring smile, Clavell reached out and closed his hand around the younger man's wrist. He then walked over to the desk, leading Atticus along behind him, and cleared some of the material from the surface, leaving enough space for him to take a seat. He then guided Atticus up and over his raised knee, settling the younger man in what he hoped was a comfortable position. He then proceeded to tug Atticus' trousers down.

A tiny whimper escaped Atticus' lips and he shifted slightly, but didn't protest.

Raising the slipper, Clavell brought it down in a firm strike on the very centre of Atticus' backside.

The younger man drew his breath in sharply and exclaimed, "It hurts."

Clavell didn't respond. Instead, he took a tighter hold on Atticus and delivered a second strike with the slipper.

Two more blows and Atticus was bucking over his knee, before finally throwing his hand back to cover his backside. "Please stop." It sounded like he was close to tears.

"Not yet." Clavell wasn't entirely unsympathetic...but he knew that if he stopped the punishment before the right time, it wouldn't do any good at all. So he took hold of Atticus' hand and pulled it out of the way, holding it against his back, and brought the slipper down a further two times.

Atticus' sobs became audible and he began to squirm with abandon, writhing across Clavell's knee. He tugged lightly at his hand, still held by Clavell's firm grip, but when he couldn't break Clavell's hold, his sobs increased in force.

Through Atticus' white briefs, Clavell could see the pink glow left behind by the blows from the slipper. He gently squeezed Atticus' hand and murmured, "One more. Then it'll be over. You can have a clean slate. You can come back to the academy and won't have to worry about anything else."

Atticus' sobs increased slightly in force. He didn't say anything, but he gripped Clavell's hand tighter and visibly tensed up.

There was no point in dragging it out any longer. Clavell raised the slipper a bit higher and then brought it down in a harder smack, covering both buttocks at once.

Atticus cried out and his body slumped over Clavell's lap as the force of his sobs increased a little.

Clavell slowly lowered the slipper, placing it on the desk, and pulled Atticus' clothing back into place. He gently rubbed the younger man's back for a few moments and then helped him to stand up.

Atticus reached back and rubbed his bottom, then suddenly threw his arms around Clavell in a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered into Clavell's shirt.

"It's all right. You're forgiven." Clavell rubbed his hand gently over Atticus' back, letting the young student hold on for as long as he needed to.

It took several minutes, but Atticus finally loosened his hold on Clavell and wiped at his damp eyes. "I want to come back to the academy," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"I'm very glad to hear it." Clavell reached out and wrapped his arm around Atticus' shoulders, hugging the younger man close for a moment before releasing him. "I'll go and wait outside for you. As soon as you're ready, we'll leave." He waited for a second or two, in case Atticus wanted to say or ask anything. When nothing was forthcoming, he walked outside into the main area of the base.

He'd managed to get one of Team Star's bosses to agree to return to the academy. Now, he just had to hope that he could do the same with the remaining bosses.

The End