MORE STORY
MORE CHARACTERIZATION
MORE ROMANCE
MORE LEMONS
HEY GUYS! I'm so happy to say that I am re-writing this whole story! I've re-read the original stuff and it is just God awful up until the last few chapters. (It had been such a long time since I had updated by then that my writing skills had increased significantly.) So I've made my decision! Here are the bios for any new readers that want a more clear image of my OCs.
Logan McAllister (Main Protagonist)
Species: Human
Sex: Male
Age: 20
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 220 Pounds (Mostly muscle, but he's got a bit of a belly.)
Nova (Second Main Protagonist)
Species: Typhlosion
Sex: Female
Age: 14 (In this story, pokemon live as long as humans do, but they mature much faster.)
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 160 Pounds (She is much more streamlined than a typical Typhlosion. Think of a feminine Typhlosion.)
Alan Hutch (Side Protagonist)
Species: Human
Sex: Male
Age: 17
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 230 Pounds
Jade (Second Side Protagonist)
Species: Gardevoir
Sex: Female
Age: 12
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 113 Pounds (Think of a slightly more busty Gardevoir.)
Now I bring to you...Once again and better than ever,
THE GATHERING
Chapter 1
In hindsight, I should have never taken the offer. I mean, sure, it seemed to be something that could set me and my cousin Alan up for life. But the hell it put us through...The heartbreak...But out of it came something that I will be grateful for the day I die. A relationship, no, a true love, that will remain forever.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Logan McAllister, and this is the story of how my life went from normal, to crazy, to fucking crazy amaze-balls insane. I was living in my own apartment, having moved out when I was nineteen and I was doing pretty well for myself. I attended college regularly and had a job as a waiter at the university Cafe, where I didn't do too badly in tips, thanks to my sterling personality.
Alan attended High School where he was a Senior. He didn't do as well as I pressured him to grade-wise, but I was the exact same way. He had taken a part-time job at some fast food joint to help with rent, food and other stuff. He wanted to get out of the house, seeing as how his father was a flake and an asshole, having left him and his mom years ago, and his mom was an alcoholic. We're as close as brothers, but he didn't seem too happy with me at that moment, seeing as how he was currently losing our weekly Pokemon battle. Badly.
"Nova! Use Flamethrower!" I called out, prompting my Typhlosion to let out a red-hot stream of fire in the direction of my cousin's Rampardos. It collided with the Dinosaur pokemon, sending it stumbling back. It flashed a glare at Nova, who flashed that glare right back.
Nova was my Typhlosion, and frankly, my best friend. I had received her as a Cyndaquil when I was six years old as a present, but also a lesson in responsibility. We didn't get along too well at first, but eventually, she warmed up to me and I to her. We became inseparable by the end of the first month.
"Use Rock Smash, Rampardos!" Alan cried. Rampardos ripped a chunk of earth from the ground and hurled it at Nova, who dodged it easily enough thanks to her lithe, streamlined body. I used this as my opportunity to counter-attack. With a look at Nova, I nodded.
"Flame wheel!" I said with a smirk. Nova charged forward and, using the plumes of her back-flames, rolled into a massive wheel of flame that collided with Rampardos, sending it flying back. "Finish it with fire punch!" Nova charged forward and delivered a body-rocking punch with a fist wreathed in flame. This sent Rampardos onto his back, ending this particular bout.
"Hell of a job, Nova." I said with a smile as she walked back toward me.
"Thanks, you too." She replied. I know what you're thinking. Yeah, I know only in extreme cases, Pokemon can speak. But Nova...she was kind of an extreme case. It all started when I tried to teach her a word back when she was a Quilava. I could see her trying to sound out the word, so I pressed and pressed the teachings. To my complete surprise, after about an hour, she was able to say the word perfectly. My father, who studies Pokemon for a living, was astounded. She was apparently learning to speak at twice the rate it took most gifted Pokemon to learn. He immediately went to his friend, a high school English teacher who helped teach exchange students to speak English, and asked him to help give Nova lessons. They worked out a sweet ass deal that as long as I forked over half of my paycheck from the local Pokemart, he would teach her everything he knew.
By the time she had evolved into a Typhlosion, she was more than capable of learning English on her own through experience and before long, she was having complete and intricate conversations with me, my mom, my dad, Alan and many other people. For a few months, Nova and I were local celebrities of our town. Everyone wanted to meet her and take a picture with her. After a while, it mostly died down. Nova and I still visit old Mr. Pitrard on occasion to catch up.
"Alright, Logan. You were lucky enough to win that one." Alan said, reaching for another pokeball.
"Lucky?" I said. "Dude, Ramp didn't even get one hit in on Nova! That was a landslide!" I laughed, and Alan grumbled.
"Yeah, yeah what the fuck ever. Let's see how you like this." He grinned widely as he withdrew his pokeball. "Go Leviathan!" From within the pokeball emerged a massive Gyarados, who roared to the sky before locking eyes on Nova.
"Would you wanna fight him too?" I asked Nova.
"I'm up for whatever." Nova said. "What do you think?"
"Well, he is a water type...Maybe you should sit this one out." I said.
"Ramp is a rock type. What's your point?" Nova asked.
"I mean, I could send in Rose, if you'd like." I replied. "You could have a little break."
"I'm not tired." Nova replied, raising an eyebrow at me. "You don't think I can take Leviathan?"
"No, no it's not that. Trust me, if anyone could take him down on my team it'd be you. I've just seen him when he gets going. He has a hard time stopping once he starts." I said. I had seen a rather nasty Blastoise hit Nova with a hydro pump a few years previously. She ended up pulling out a win, but I didn't want to see that kind of thing again. Nova sighed and nodded.
"Okay." She said. "But only because you want me to."
"Alrighty." I replied as she left the field. She stopped and gave me a warm hug on her way to sit down.
"Thanks for worrying about me." She said adorably. I hugged her back.
"Go get a rest. You've earned it." I said as Nova moved to sit on a stump. She had never used a pokeball. I pulled out Rose's pokeball and let out my Serperior. At thirteen feet tall, she was larger than the average Serperior, but she was still dwarfed by Leviathan.
"Remember, Rose, he's strong but clumsy. Use your speed." I said to her as I petted her head.
"Hello?" Alan called. "I thought we were having a battle here!"
"Shut the hell up and get ready!" I retorted. Alan smirked at this.
"Leviathan, use Ice Fang!" The Gyarados chomped down at Rose, but missed and ended up burying his fangs into the ground, causing Ice to spread along the dirt and grass. Rose, who had by far the superior speed and maneuverability, was easily able to recover and ready her attack.
"Leaf blade!" I called. The leaves on the back of Rose's tail assembled into one large blade as she launched herself at Leviathan.
"Hydro Pump!" Alan said almost immediately after I had given my command. Leviathan turned his head and unleashed a torrent of water into Rose while she was in midair, knocking her to the ground. The serpent continued his assault. Rose came up from the ground steadily and stood tall against the onslaught of water. Once Leviathan had finished, Rose moved back and readied another attack.
"What do you get when you give a plant water and sunlight?!" I called to Alan. He realized what a mistake he had made, not switching Leviathan out for another Pokemon. Rose, empowered by the sunlight of the glorious afternoon, launched herself at Leviathan. "Use leaf blade!" I called once again.
Rose delivered cut after cut to Leviathan, ravaging him with blows. The Gyarados roared in pain and fury as it attempted to counter attack, given commands by a flustered Alan. By the time Rose was finished, Leviathan, swayed, attempting to stand tall.
"Leaf storm!" I said triumphantly. Rose, with a battle cry, swung her tail in front of her, letting loose a massive blast of razor leaves into Leviathan, knocking it over and unconscious. Alan groaned and put a palm on his forehead as he withdrew Leviathan back into his pokeball.
"That's gotta sting, man." I said tauntingly, making Alan's eyebrows seem to go as low on his forehead as they possibly could.
"I'm done playing now." He said.
"Ooohh." I replied, throwing my hands up in a falsely submissive gesture and furrowing my eyebrows.
"Go on, Jade." Alan said, gesturing with his hand. From one of the trees above, Jade, his first and main pokemon jumped and landed gracefully upon the ground. The Gardevoir smiled at me. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Alan rarely brought Jade out in a battle unless it was a serious matter.
'Hello, Logan.' She said to me telepathically.
'Hey there, Jade.' I replied. 'I haven't seen you at all today. Where've you been?'
'Today is my one day of the month I spend in solitude to meditate. Unless Alan needs me, I prefer to stay solitary.' She said in her smooth, feminine voice. I would even say her voice is...sexy. 'I hope you know that I will not be holding back.'
'Wouldn't expect you to.' I said. 'It's safe to assume you're not going to read my mind in the middle of battle, right?'
'Please don't worry. My intentions are strictly honorable.'
'Good.' I said with a smile.
"Let me get in there! It's been a while since Jade and I went at it!" Nova said excitedly, jumping up from her stump.
"Nova, you need to give some of the others some time to get some battling in." I said to her. She sighed heavily and nodded. "Rose, use leaf blade!" I said, sending my Serperior forward at near blinding speeds, leaf blade constructed at the end of her tail and ready.
"Dodge it, Jade!" Alan quipped. Jade easily jumped out of the way, causing Rose to miss her strike, leaving her completely open to attack. "Psybeam!" A multicolored stream of light shot from Jade's hands and collided with Rose, dazing her heavily for a moment.
"Use Telekinesis while she's stunned!" Alan said quickly. Jade shot a hand in Rose's direction, lifting her into the air and throwing her against a tree, knocking her unconscious. My eyes grew wide as I withdrew Rose.
"Goddamn..." I said, my eyebrows raising up. Alan's eyebrows had gone the exact opposite direction. He was so sure of himself now...so cocky. And I could see why. Jade had grown to be even more powerful than I had previously thought.
'Please tell her I said that I am sorry.' Jade said, looking regretful about her beating up Rose.
'Jade, how many times do I have to tell you that once we get done at the pokemon center, it'll be like nothing ever happened. She'll be absolutely fine.' I replied. Jade smiled and nodded. She was too damn nice for pokemon battles.
"Come on, Logan! Send me in! I can take her." Nova said once again, standing up from the stump.
"No." I said. "You can't have all the fun, okay? Give the others a chance." Nova grumbled, sighed and sat back down on the stump, placing her chin in her hand. I couldn't help but smile widely at her adorable little display of dissatisfaction.
"What?" She said, noticing me looking at her.
"You'll be okay."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll be okay, Nova."
"Very funny." She grumbled. I reached into my bag and pulled out another pokeball and threw it out, my Lucario Lucy emerging from it and immediately getting into a fighting stance.
"Close combat!" I said quickly, sending her forward at high speed. Jade, however, was ready. She dodged each punch and jumped a few feet away, giving herself some room for her next attack.
"Psychobreak." Alan said complacently. Jade's eyes lit up a light blue color and Lucy made the mistake of making eye contact with the psychic pokemon, immediately causing her to faint. I groaned and pinched the bridge between my eyebrows.
"You don't play when you bring Jade out." I said.
"Well yeah. I'm awesome like that." He replied with a large smirk.
"But you know I don't play with Nova...Or rather, I'm sure Rampardos knows right now." Alan's smirk twisted into a frown. Nova, hearing what I had said, had stood up from her stump and began approaching the battlefield.
"Alright, heh...Now it's a party." Alan said, attempting to bring back his bravado, but there was an undeniable hint of nervousness in his voice. Nova and Jade were best friends everywhere except the battlefield. Here, they were rivals...and they were passionate about their combat. Jade was rarely truly able to catch Nova with her psychic attacks, and Nova was such a vicious hand-to-hand fighter that Jade often had a hard time keeping up. Now don't get me wrong. Jade had her fair share of victories over Nova, but Nova had more. I couldn't help but feel like Jade looked up to Nova like a big sister. And it was in a little sibling's nature to want to be better than their older sibling.
"Remember, Nova. Don't-"
"Make eye-contact." Nova finished. "You tell me every time."
"My, you're salty today." I said mostly jovially. Nova quickly turned toward me, her eyebrows raised in concern. She ran to me and wrapped me in another tight hug.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you mad or hurt you feelings or anything." She said quickly. I laughed. She was so incredibly sweet.
"Nova, it's fine. Just go out there and beat her so we can go back to the apartment." I said. Nova smiled confidently and nodded before turning back to the field. She leaped high up and landed gracefully before Jade.
"Here we are again." Nova said, her eyebrows furrowing. She seemed to be focusing on Jade's forehead instead of her eyes; a worthy tactic. I am sure that Jade, though no sound came from her that I could hear, telepathically or audibly, replied in some way. Nova's back flames began to flare, shooting out as if it was the exhaust pipe of Satan's motorcycle. The flames were so hot, I had to back up some distance...and I was fifteen feet away from her. Jade's eyes lit up bright blue, her dress flowed up around her, being blown up by the pure psychic energy I could see radiating from around her. The air seemed to distort as small pieces of earth floated up from the ground. The air around Nova was similarly distorted from the heat she was radiating, similar to the visual effect you see above a barbeque grill...except around her whole body. I took the opportunity to give the first command.
"Nova! Use-"
"Wait!" Alan interrupted me, causing Nova and I to immediately turn his way.
"What?!" We both yelled nearly in unison.
"We just passed the ten minute mark." Alan quipped. I sighed and crossed my arms.
"I guess you're right." I said. "We did agree to ten minutes only. Oh well, I guess. Another time, then. I'm bushed anyways. Let's head to the pokemon center. " I put my hands in my jacket pockets and began to walk back toward my car.
"That's it?" Nova said, her eyes still wide, her arms raised in an indignant position.
"Come on, Nova." I said, not once turning around. "You'll have to be competitive some other time."
"But...I...We were about to...Just..."
"Come on." I said. "Let's go eat dinner." Nova grumbled her usual "dissatisfied grumble" and followed me toward the car.
"Right behind you. I'm starving." Alan said, coming to walk beside me, Jade to his left. Nova came to my right. "Wanna walk around the lake? Let Nova blow off some steam?"
"Hey, I'm over it, alright?" Nova said, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Yeah, you're over it like Abe Lincoln was over slavery." Alan retorted.
"Alright, you two." I said, struggling not to laugh at Alan's analogy. "Yeah, a walk around the lake sounds awesome, man." We walked down the path leading away from the field and diverted to a separate path that lead around the lake that was next to our apartment complex.
"So how was work?" Nova asked me.
"Horrible." I growled, remembering what a shitty shift I had indeed had at the university Cafe. "The whole campus is so damn simple-minded they can't think of anywhere else to go but the damn Cafe."
"That's a little unfair to say." Alan replied.
"There's an Applebee's, a Longhorn and a Chick-Fil-A literally five miles down the street." I said to him. "The place was packed and people kept coming in and signing up, even when it turned into a forty five minute wait."
"That is kinda crappy." Nova said.
"Then this bitch gets all pissed at me because her burger is well done instead of medium well."
'That's definitely not fair.' Jade added.
"First of all, don't fucking get pissed at me, get pissed at the cook. It's not my fault your burger isn't exactly up to your specifications." I began to rant. "Secondly, she gets pissed that I didn't know her burger was well done. How the hell am I supposed to know what your burger looks like on the inside?" I took mental note of my ranting and made sure to stop myself mid-rant.
"Real talk." Alan agreed.
"Yeah, there were like fifteen people like that that I had to deal with. Came this close to saying 'Fuck off.' to each one of them." I growled.
"Well, thank Arceus that you held back." Nova said happily. "Without the money you bring in, we wouldn't be able to eat, bathe or anything really."
"That reminds me, what's for dinner?" I asked Nova. When she realized what was for dinner, she smiled sheepishly, blushed and lowered her ears.
"Hamburgers..." She said with a nervous giggle.
...
We all sat in our living room, watching The Dark Knight Rises. Given what had happened earlier that day, I was surprised at just how much I was enjoying my burger. But then again, Nova was a brilliant cook. I couldn't help but smile as Tom Hardy's Bane engaged Christian Bale's Batman in hand to hand combat in the sewer. I'd seen the movie plenty of times before, but this scene never failed to entertain me, but at the same time make me feel harsh sympathy for Bruce as he is beaten to a pulp by the muscle-bound villain. Jade couldn't help but look away as Bane smashed Batman's back on his knee, breaking it.
'I hate this scene...' Jade said, putting her hand out.
"How?" Alan asked her. "This is one of the best scenes in the movie!"
'I'm just not very keen on violence, is all.' She replied.
"A worthy viewpoint." I added. "I can understand perfectly why you wouldn't like this scene. It's brutal as hell."
"I like it, but I prefer their final fight. You know, the one where Batman beats his ass." Nova said, snuggling up to me. I stroked her head and smiled widely, knowing just how badass the scene she was referring to was.
"Well yeah, he's the fucking Batman." Alan stated happily. "I'll never forget how Logan cried when we first saw it in the theater."
"Batman's been a part of my life since I was a child, man." I retorted saucily. "Of course I fucking cried. It wasn't like I was sobbing anyway. Those were strictly manly tears."
"I think it's sweet." Nova said. "Shows you've got strong emotions." I hugged her closer as we watched. Nova has always been the best snuggle buddy. It's like constantly having a warm, electric blanket that hugged back onto me. The movie went on, and the scenes escalated and the conflicts were resolved, with Bruce finally getting the life he wanted. I looked over at Alan and saw that he was asleep, Jade laying her head on his shoulder. I stood, electing to let them sleep and move to their bed later that night. Nova stood with me and followed me to my bedroom. I yawned and stretched as I changed into my pajama pants. By now, Nova and I had been parts of each other's lives so long, I knew she didn't care if she saw me naked on occasion. She donned her flame-proof shirt and got into bed. It was made of a nifty material that breathed like cotton but could suppress her back flames in case she had any intense dreams.
"I love that movie so much." I said.
"Me too." Nova said, pulling the covers over her. "But the real question is, which is better, that or the Avengers?"
"Oh, now that's just cruel." I replied, earning a laugh from Nova. I hugged her and kissed her on the head. "Good night."
"'Night." She replied before rolling over. I turned the lamp off and settled in. As I attempted to get to sleep, Nova tossed and turned, apparently having trouble getting to sleep herself. I turned around and lightly touched her shoulder.
"You okay?" I asked her.
"I'm fine." She said simply. "Just having some trouble getting to sleep is all." I nodded and sighed.
"Alright then." I said, turning back around. "Love you." There was a long pause, and as I wondered if I was going to get any kind of reply, I felt Nova hug onto me from behind and snuggle in.
"I love you too."
...
Hey kid, do I have your attention? I know the way you been living. Live so reckless tragedy endless, welcome to the family.
My Avenged Sevenfold alarm jarred me from my sleep. I groaned and looked around. Nova was gone, probably in the kitchen making breakfast if the smell of bacon and eggs was any indication. But that was when I remembered that Welcome to the Family was my second alarm. The first one being Inside the Fire by Disturbed, this told me that I only had half an hour to get to class.
"Fuck!" I cried as I leapt from bed. I ran into my bathroom and turned on the shower. I prayed to God that the water would warm up in two minutes instead of it's usual ten. (It was a pretty shitty apartment.) Resigning myself to the fact that I was going to be taking a cold shower, I groaned audibly and stepped into the shower, letting out many expletives as I washed myself in the freezing-cold water. It didn't help that it was the middle of Winter anyway. After washing myself, brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth with mouthwash, I looked at my clock. It was 7:45. My class started at 8:00. I dashed into my room, threw on a relatively simple ensemble of a button up shirt and jeans and dashed out of the room, coming into the kitchen.
"Good morning!" Nova said happily, her adorable apron on. "I made breakfast. Bacon and eggs, your favorite!" My heart melted.
"Aww, thanks. I actually gotta run off. My class starts in fifteen minutes." I said.
"Oh! Well, you'd better get going then." Nova said. "Here." She quickly grabbed a tortilla and rolled the bacon and eggs into a handy breakfast burrito. I smiled and took it before giving her a kiss on the head.
"Where's Alan?" I asked.
"He figured you were skipping class so he got a ride to school from his friend." Nova said. "Jade went out to meditate. I think she'll be back in a few minutes."
"Fuck..." I said as I walked toward the door. "Well, if he gets back before I do, tell him I said that I'm sorry. Please spiff the place up a little before I get back!"
"Will do!" She said. "Have a good time!" I smiled at her and shut the door before dashing to my car, turning it on and driving as fast as I could, provided no cops were on the road, to the college. Thankfully, it was a morning clear of the boys in blue so I was able to get to the college only a couple minutes after the class had started. I ran at top speed to the classroom before I came to the door. I gulped and sighed, trying to catch my breath, before slowly opening the door. Thankfully, the professor was turned toward the door so I figured I could sneak to my chair without him noticing.
"Ahh, Mr. McAllister." He said, his voice a pleasant one, but coated in stern reprimand. He had a heavy British accent. "I was wondering if you were going to attend my class."
"I'm sorry, sir." I said. "I got stuck behind a guy going ten miles below the speed limit."
"Oh, did you hear that class?" He said loudly, continuing to write his long name on the whiteboard. "Mr. McAllister here got caught behind old farmer John." The class laughed as I sheepishly moved to my chair.
"My apologies, sir." I said. Not saying anything, (A fact that made me nervous.) he turned around. He had brown hair with small stripes of gray along the side of his head. Five o'clock shadow graced his face, but it was eight fifteen in the morning. He wore glasses that seemed to compliment his face.
"Hello, class." He said surprisingly loudly, given his gangly body type. "My name is James Deveraux. You can call me Professor Deveraux if you like."
"What about James?" A smart ass said from the back of the class.
"As long as you are in my class, young man, you will address me with respect." He said. "Is that clear?"
"Crystal." He replied, an idiotic grin on his face. I couldn't help but groan quietly and roll my eyes, something the Professor seemed to notice.
"Welcome to my class, students. The name of this class is: Pokeology." He said the final word as he wrote it on the board in big letters. "Pokeology is debatably one of the most important facets of human understanding of the world around us. We work with Pokemon daily. And no matter if you have a job where you're assisted by them, you train them or just keep them as pets, Pokemon are a part of our lives. We have learned to co exist in this world because as a species, we would not be even close to where we are now if it wasn't for our friends, the Pokemon. In this class, I expect you to attend, unless you are ill or have an emergency. Family plans that I am notified of beforehand are also acceptable excuses for not attending class."
"Uh, professor, what if we can't attend class due to extreme sexual exhaustion?" The smart ass said from the back of the room. I was tempted to stand up and tell him to shut the fuck up myself, but the Professor beat me to it.
"Well then, Mr. Deringer, you'll just have to use your other hand." The Professor replied without missing a beat. The class laughed and applauded as Deringer sunk in his seat. "Now, we begin." I had a feeling I was going to like this guy.
...
As Professor Deveraux dismissed us from class, I made it a point to stand quickly and beeline toward the door as fast as my legs could take me without breaking into a run. As I approached the door and melted into the crowd of students, my heart began to ease in it's apprehension. I was gonna make it out without a problem.
"Oh, Mr. McAllister? Please wait a moment." The Professor said just as I was about to reach the door.
"Fuck." I silently cursed under my breath. I turned around to see that the Professor was still facing the board, erasing his writings. He hadn't even fucking looked. I approached him and sighed.
"I'm sorry, sir for being late." I said. "It just...didn't work out for me."
"I didn't keep you here for that. Although, yes, you'd do better to be on time to my classes." He said. "I kept you here for a different reason."
"Oh. Well, alright. What did you need, sir?" I asked him. He slowly turned around and smiled widely at me.
"I noticed in class that you have an incredible aptitude for Pokeology." He said to me. I raised my eyebrows. "Would you say that's correct?"
"Well, I don't know about incredible..." I said, rubbing the back of my head.
"No need to be modest, Logan. You almost matched my level of knowledge." He said to me. "Would you happen to be a Pokemon trainer?" I raised my eyebrows and nodded.
"Yes, I am." I said to him.
"And have you taken the gym challenge?"
"No, I've honestly never thought about it." I replied. "But me and Nova pretty much destroy anyone we come across who wants to battle." I withdrew my water bottle from the side of my bookbag and began taking swigs.
"Well, seeing as how you've demonstrated such incredible aptitude to me, I am going to let you in on a little-known secret about this college. Or, rather, about me." He said with a smirk. "There is a tournament...one that trainers from around the nation gather at to test their skills for a chance at a prize that is truly spectacular. Ten million dollars." I almost choked on the water I was drinking.
"Wow. That's a hefty sum." I said to him, my eyebrows still raised.
"No doubt about it." He stated. "I was wondering, if by any chance, you'd like to battle a trainer of my choosing tomorrow."
"Uh...why?" I asked him, making him sigh.
"Because I'm interested in getting you a spot in the tournament." He said to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Any trainer with such a vast knowledge of Pokemon and how they think and work must have magnificent skills."
"Oh, my God! A chance to compete in that tournament! Hell ye-I mean definitely!" I said.
"Well then, Logan, my good man, we have an arrangement." He put out his hand for me to shake. As I was about to shake it, I stopped. "Is something wrong?"
"What's the catch?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"I like your fire." He said with a chuckle. "I am one of the judges of the tournament, and if I so choose, I can bring two trainers of my choice to compete for free. Only three hundred trainers may compete, and the administrators are awfully insistent about letting people from all walks of life compete." I looked at his open hand, then at his smirk and nodded.
"Alright. We have an arrangement." I said. "Wait, you said two trainers right?"
"Why yes." He replied. "I can bring however many I please, but two is the maximum number."
"Would you consider letting my cousin come too?" I asked him.
"What do you mean?"
"We've been living with each other for a long time now and if he could come with me to the tournament to compete, that would be ideal."
"Well, what are his qualifications?" He asked me. "How well do you know the skill with which he battles?"
"When we battle it's almost always come out to a standstill." I said.
"I'm not sure that'd be prudent..." Deveraux said, stroking his chin.
"Look, he's just as good as I am." I said eagerly. "I could bring him with me tomorrow and he could show you himself. What do you have to lose?" The Professor seemed to be thinking to himself for about five minutes before he sighed.
"Why not?" He said. "I will consider him." I nodded happily and smiled.
"When tomorrow would you want me to come battle this other trainer?" I asked him.
"Well seeing as how its a Saturday tomorrow, I'd say around...hmm...twelve PM?" He suggested.
"Sounds good to me." I said.
"Perfect." He replied. "The battle will take place on the field behind the college."
"Awesome!" I said. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Professor."
"Logan." He said before I walked out.
"Yes sir?"
"As you Americans say, bring your A-game."
I got into the car and sped home, eager to share the news about the tournament with Nova, Alan and Jade. They would all be so excited to hear about the possibility of us going to this tournament and potentially winning this vast amount of money. I parked outside the building and ran up the stairs to the apartment. I opened the door quickly, smiling. Nova, Jade and Alan sat on the couch, watching television.
"Hey, thanks for taking me to school, man." Alan said, raising an unamused eyebrow.
"Guys, I have news."
"News?" Nova asked.
"We're going to a tournament!" I said happily.
"Are you kidding?" Alan said, standing up from the couch.
"No, man! Well, I mean, it's not for sure yet. But a Professor of mine is a judge of a nationwide competition and he wants to see if you and me have what it takes to compete. If we can show him we've got it, he'll take us as his contestants. We'll get in for free and be able to compete!"
"Compete for what?" Nova asked me, standing up and approaching us.
"Oh, just international notoriety, fame and ten fucking million dollars." I said, unable to keep the painful smile off my face any longer. Alan put his hands on his head and laughed.
"Oh, my God..." Nova said, utterly stunned.
'And he doesn't want anything from us in return?' Jade asked.
"Nope. As a Judge, he can bring two trainers of his choice to compete in the tournament for free. Something about 'trainers from all walks of life'." I said.
"Awesome!" Alan said with joy. "I'm mildly offended, but still awesome!"
"Dude, we could win ten million dollars!" I cried.
"This is gonna be insane!" He yelled. "We'll each have our own cars, our own houses, our own pools-"
"Now hold on, man." I said. "It's not for sure. Apparently we have to battle these trainers he's picking out for us tomorrow to show him we're good enough."
"Dude, neither of us have been beaten in years! It's a sure thing!" He said.
"You know, you're right." I said. "We haven't been beaten in a long, long time."
"Just thinking about the possibilities is making my fur stand on end!" Nova said happily.
'I must admit, the prospect of this has me excited as well.' Jade said, walking up to us. We continued talking about the details for what seemed like hours. Even through dinner, we talked. Before any of us knew it, it was midnight and we were all bushed. After Alan and Jade left for bed, Nova and I moved to our bed. I put Jurassic Park into the crappy little DVD player in my room and pressed play.
"It's nice to just unwind after today." I said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm crazy stoked, but sometimes I just wanna get some sleep, you know?" I said.
"Yeah." Nova said. She was blushing heavily and she looked nervous. Very nervous.
"Hey," I said, sitting up and putting my hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, looking away from me.
"You don't look fine." I murmured.
"I'm alright, okay?" She said suddenly, causing me to raise my eyebrows. "I'm sorry. I've just been stressed lately. It doesn't excuse me being mean."
"No, I completely understand." I said to her. "Shit happens and it sucks."
"Logan..." She said, looking at me in the eyes. Her bright red irises always mesmerized me in a way. "We've been together our whole lives."
"Yeah, of course we have." I said. "That's never gonna change, sweet girl." I stroked her head and her ears lowered, her blush intensifying. She looked completely and utterly adorable.
"I...I just wanted you to know that I...I..." She began. She seemed to have trouble finding the words.
"Yes?" I asked her.
"I'm really happy you made that decision today." She said quickly. "It'll be great to go somewhere new for a change."
"Yeah. Definitely." I said, a little confused. Nova almost immediately turned around to go to sleep.
"Good night." Nova said. "...Love you."
"Love you too." I replied quietly, before letting my attention drift back to Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler being stunned by the Brachiosaurus in Jurassic Park.
Little did I know that that decision I had made earlier that day would rock my life to its core. Change it in ways I never thought imaginable.
That that decision would give me the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Well, guys, that's chapter one! Same as with the original story, the lemon will come next chapter. As I am a review whore, I ask that you leave me a review to tell me what you think of this re-written version so far! And if you're a new reader, leave me a review just for the hell of it! PEACE.