Okoto High

[Wiriamu]

That Ekimu-I knew Skull had another y in it.

 

Yet another great chapter.

[Master Inika]

Okoto High Episode 15: The Battle of Okoto High

 

Shikou’s eyes slowly opened, seeing the sunlight coming in through his best friend Temman’s window.

 

Wait… sunlight… Shikou thought hazily, before his eyes snapped open as he bolted upright. “We slept in! Guys, wake up!”

 

The five other Okotans strewn about Temman’s living room among the video game controllers, BIONICLE comic books, and empty cans of Kanoka-Kola, groggily came to.

 

“Guys, it’s 7:30am! School starts in half an hour!” Shikou cried. “Half an hour until the DUMB!”

 

Everyone jumped up as he mentioned the dreaded standardized test. The house was in a panic as the students gathered their belongings and bolted out the door—or, at least, they would have if not for Temman’s mom’s intervention.

 

“It’s so wonderful seeing you kids excited for school, but you should stay for breakfast if you have a test today! It’s the most important meal of the day,” she said.

 

Shikou was hesitant. As leader of the Test Takerz, he knew the welfare of the entire school was resting on him and his elite team.

 

“I don’t know, Mrs. Temman,” he said, eyeing her warily. Anyone could be a secret agent of the testing company. “What did you make for breakfast?”

 

“Oh, the usual: eggs, pancakes, and bacon, and just for you kids, strawberry syrup for the pancakes!”

 

“Yay!” the other Test Takerz cried, rushing to the breakfast table with Temman’s parents. Resigned, Shikou sat down with them. After breakfast, though, Ekimu and Makuta would need to be on their guard, because the Test Takerz were coming for them!

 

After a healthy, filling breakfast with Temman’s family, the Test Takerz went back to school. Shikou had spent all night developing the perfect plan, involving all of the students, a far-reaching social media campaign, and the National Guard, but that plan required them to wake up hours earlier. Instead, they’d have to go with Plan B: make sure the tests don’t make it to the classrooms.

 

It was ten minutes to testing time. School Grinder and his cronies were nearing Okoto High. Before they could progress, though, they felt their convoy run into something in the street. School Grinder ordered a stop as School Slicer investigated. He found a black-armored Okotan lying in the way, cradling her leg.

 

“Ow!” Anunde cried. “You ran my leg over! I’ll sue you for this!”

 

At that, Principal Ekimu showed up in a panic.

 

“Who’s suing who? No need for that! We’ll work out a deal!” the principal cried.

 

“Here’s my deal for you: NOW!”

 

Anunde’s five brothers and sisters revealed themselves from their hiding places and rained down a barrage of spitballs, paper airplanes, and crumbled-up pieces of paper at the hapless convoy.

 

“What do you kids think you’re doing?!” Ekimu cried.

 

“Making sure we and everyone else at this school isn’t subjected to your so-called test!” Shikou cried.

 

“But we’re not making you take the test!” Ekimu shouted. At that, the entire scene froze. “Weren’t you kids listening to my speech? Only final-year students are required to take the test, not you freshman! Gosh, you kids really think I’d expect you to handle the material on that test?”

 

“Material like LEGO’s best constraction line?” Eisha asked. “We all know the real answer isn’t on the test!”

 

“What are you kids talking about?” Ekimu asked back. “That’s one of the easiest questions! It’s E. BIONICLE G1!”

 

Eisha’s blue mask went red as she turned to her boyfriend. “Kurei!”

 

Kurei, likewise, turned to who he learned the information from and shouted, “Shikou!”

 

Shikou would have turned to who he learned about the test from, only he found it on the Internet one night. “U-Um… yes?” he said meekly.

 

“That does it! Detention for all of you until the end of the semester!” Principal Ekimu declared.

 

“Wait!” Shikou cried. “Don’t send those five to detention for my foolishness! It was me, all of it! I deserve detention and me alone, not them!”

 

Principal Ekimu stood silently, reflecting on the red-armored Okotan’s words for a long time. Ekimu realized, if this one student had the courage to take the punishment meant for all six, well, what kind of principal would he be if he sentenced such a noble student who had clearly learned his lesson to detention?

 

“All right, detention for just Shikou,” Ekimu declared.

 

Huh, look at that. I guess I’m not an omniscient narrator.

 

As Shikou was dragged away by the School Warriors, Sanoma went up to Anunde and helped her up.

 

“Wow, I guess we all should have listened to Principal Ekimu’s speech in the first place instead of always assuming the adults were our enemies,” Sanoma said.

 

“Yeah,” Anunde agreed. “It’s almost like… I don’t know, like there’s a deeper meaning to this story, or something like that. Like it’s not just mindless entertainment, and people can actually walk away having learned something applicable to their lives.”

 

“Okay, girl, you’re starting to sound kind of weird now.”

 

“Got you! I’m kidding. I didn’t learn anything from this!” Anunde said with a laugh.

 

“Me neither!” Sanoma agreed. “Want to go play computer games in the library?”

 

“You bet!”

 

As the girls ran off, Kurei said to Eisha: “Sorry about getting you roped into this.”

 

“Oh, it was kind of fun,” Eisha admitted.

 

“So, shall I walk you to your class?” Kurei asked.

 

“Hmm… We could, but Principal Ekimu doesn’t seem to be paying attention, and I noticed those other girls running off to play games at the library. Shall we join them?” Eisha asked.

 

Kurei was surprised, but he liked the new direction his girlfriend was going in.

 

“After you,” he said. Yes! I got it right! This omniscience thing is a piece of cake.

 

The only student left, watching his best friend be dragged off to detention, was Temman. Within a few minutes, though, he was the only one left standing in the school’s parking lot. It seemed not much had changed. Like he did many days before and would continue to do until he graduated, he went off to class.

 

End Arc III: Graduation; or, Finally Gettin' Outta Here! (Only, I guess they didn’t, since it turns out they’ve been freshman this whole time. I probably could have planned that better.)

 

And end Okoto High, for real this time. Seriously, I couldn’t write another episode of this if my life depended on it. You’ve been a lovely audience, though, and I’m glad I kept it going this long. Thank you for reading and, as always, I hope this story made you smile.

[Wiriamu]

What, no graduation ceremony where Makuta makes a final attempt to take over? No students dealing with truant officer Umarak?

 

In all seriousness, you've done a great job with this story-great blend of Bionicle based humor with high school drama.