A/n: So far, this little thingamabob has been added shortly after the addition of Chapter 07 to AMoT. Any 'changes' to this will be appended to the top of any other new chapters, so you needn't worry about missing anything important.
First off, I find it absolutely necessary to yet AGAIN thank Alex for his help in writing this. I couldn't have possibly picked a more fun co-writer (I feel bad saying CO-writer, I think I'll just refer to him as my Second Author). Without him, I can EASILY say this whole endeavor would have never been. Many many thanks to him for this.
Second, many thanks to my Deviantart fans as well. Rooting me on as often as they do is what pushes me (and possibly Alex) to keep this up, and HOLY COW do I love it.
So, that'll be all for now. Thanks for reading, and kindly leave reviews as you see fit. Constructive criticism futuwuh!
Flames erupted, burning bright and casting hellish orange lights onto every surface nearby. The sound of metal twisting and melting in the extreme heat as well as the sounds of the erupting flames dominated the immediate area. No other sound escaped this small piece of Hell. Reggie smiled to himself before the spectacle. Just another day at the smelter.
He glanced back at his holodisplay and noticed that pressure in one of the pipes was increasing steadily. Some swift taps on his display (or rather, the air the display was in) quickly regulated the pressure to acceptable standards. Another pile of metal flopped onto the conveyor belt at an awkward angle, but this set seemed a little large for one drop into the furnace. He leaped onto the conveyor and strolled to the pile, separating as much as he could. Several large sheets needed to be thrown behind the original pile as well as a few smaller (but equally heavy) bars.
"Must you constantly climb onto the belt," came a voice from behind him, obviously on the floor. Reggie turned around and looked down at his Supervisor, a Mewtwo, as the 'Two walked the floor alongside him.
"Only when crap like this happens, my man." Reggie shoved another bar to the new pile and glanced over the pile. One more thing needed moving, and he dug in immediately.
"Every time you do this I have to worry about your life, Reggie. What if you get snagged by a piece of junk? Personally, I find you to be better off as human rather than molten slag."
Reggie laughed as he threw the final chunk to the side and leaped off of the conveyor. "It hasn't happened yet, Aturiel, and I doubt it will. I gotta make do with manpower, my friend. I don't have your distinct advantage."
The first pile of metal fell into the smelter with a loud clash and an uprising of fire that wasn't quick to fall.
"I can still transfer you somewhere safer. Besides, I'd rather not have a death on my hands."
"Hey, I can do things just as well as anyone else. I just have different methods, that's all."
The second pile fell in, reviving the fires with a loud bang.
"But you don't need to use more dangerous methods," yelled Aturiel over the explosion, "you can still be transferred somewhere safer."
Reggie patted his Supervisor on the shoulder before turning to the holodisplay again, quickly tapping away to regulate pressure once more.
"You're right, I don't need to. But that's no reason for me not to." The 'Two laughed and stood beside Reggie.
"You're a valued worker, forgive me for caring about your life."
"Forgiven," Reggie replied with a laugh as well. "Go on, I'll be fine Aturiel. You need to pester other people, not me. I have to watch the display."
"Alright, alright. See you before your shift is up then."
"See ya." The 'Two turned and went back to his office as Reggie was left to his work. Shortly after, his replacement, another 'Two, came in and Reggie went to the office to get his stuff before leaving.
"That was fast, Reggie," said the 'Two as he looked at him. "Your relief arrived already?"
"Yea, he looked eager to continue my job."
"At least he won't be putting his life in danger," chuckled the Supervisor.
"You won't find anyone as dedicated as me, my man," said Reggie with a laugh. "But I must be going."
He threw his jacket on, flipped the hood up over his Montalbo Cap that he rarely took off, and walked out the door. Rain again, as if that was a surprise. He made his way to the underground train station, his method of transportation home and hopped on the train just before it left.
As soon as he left the train and entered the streets above, the rain began to harass him once again. He fixed his hood and pushed on across the streets and sights and sounds of busy town life, dodging cars, humans, Pokemon, and 'Twos alike. It wasn't long, however, before he finally reached the building that contained his condo. He pressed his ID card up against the front door sensor and walked in, giving the single security guard a quick polite nod as he passed. The elevator ride up to the seventh floor where he lived was fast as usual, the grav-lift system hummed soothingly as it quickly pulled him up to the proper height. The doors hissed open and he hummed tunelessly as he walked down the hallway toward his room. He pressed his thumb against the fingerprint scanner, and after beeping for a few seconds the computer unlocked his door. Reggie grunted at how slow the system seemed to be getting and turned the knob, pushing his door open.
The first to greet him was Tiger, his Growlithe. This Pokemon had a small whitish mane around his neck and tiger-like markings all down his body, hence the name. Reggie leaned down and stroked the overly-excited Pokemon. "Hey Tiger, missed ya too. Where's everyone else?"
Tiger barked and followed him upstairs to the highest room—his favorite room to think and sleep in. He opened the door and saw the rest of his team gathered in there. He quickly surveyed the room, seeing it in excellent condition.
On his bed lie Blaze, his Blaziken, a sort of bipedal, kickboxing rooster. Red fur covered the majority of his body, the exception being the white chest fur. The Pokemon turned over to look towards Reggie, a small smile forming on the side of his face at the corner of his beak. "Welcome home, Reggie."
Blaze had a sort of whistle to his speech, a side-effect of having a beak. Reggie looked upon his long-time friend since he was only a year old and nodded his greeting. At the foot of the bed lie a sleeping Luxray. Reggie made his way over to the creature and sat next to her. She only stirred slightly before going back to sleep. He chuckled and hugged the beast.
"Luxtra, time to get up, girl." His Luxray immediately stretched her powerful limbs with a loud yawn, almost more of a roar, then proceeded to turn on her back revealing her blueish stomach for a belly rub that Reggie immediately indulged in. She began to purr as Reggie rubbed her stomach and yellow-striped forelegs rapidly.
There was a tugging at his pants then, and he looked down at his Glaceon, Nadien. Apparently, he wanted a spot on Reggie's lap, so Reggie opened the spot for him and he promptly leaped on. His Glaceon was cold to the touch, but not numbingly so, so Reggie was more than able to satisfy the two creatures easily. His Mudkip, named Kip, was busy getting tangled in the wires for whatever reason. Reggie laughed as soon as he found her and stood up (to Nadien's dismay) to rescue the creature.
Blaze jumped off of the bed so that Reggie could finally sprawl and get a nap after the day's work, and Reggie quickly did so.
"If you're getting sick again, you know Amanda will not be happy," said Blaze, a whistle here and there.
"That never ceases to amuse me," said Reggie, his face buried in his pillow as he raised a hand and pointed at Blaze. Blaze chuckled slightly.
"It's not my fault I've got a speech impediment. That qualifies as a low-blow."
"I'm not getting sick."
"So you say every time that you do."
"I'll be fine, Blaze."
"I would hope so."
Reggie rolled onto his back as Blaze sat next to him. Luxtra made herself comfortable on Reggie's feet, somehow enjoying the limbs pressing into her stomach. Glaceon and Kip left the room to get food from their respective bowls, and Reggie guessed that Tiger was already there.
"You get sick almost every week, Reggie. It worries me."
"I appreciate the concern, Blaze, really I do. But I always get better, don't I?"
"That you do. But that's no excuse to keep it up."
Reggie grunted and turned his head towards the window and the view outside. The window was perfectly placed. High enough to see over the concrete walls around the city, and oriented just right to see the farm domes outside the city and the grassland beyond. It calmed him every time he looked, though he didn't know why. He didn't much care for why either.
"Having you throw up all over the place isn't a fun sight, Reg."
"It's a small price to pay."
"Reggie, don't be so stubborn. You can be healthy AND be great." Blaze was almost angry suddenly, and Reggie felt bad about making his good friend even slightly angry.
"Sorry, Pal. You're right, I know you are. But it's habit. I'll always end up pushing myself as hard as possible, and I'll end up sick again." His friend sighed quietly.
"You can curb your tendency, Reg. It'll take work, but you can do it." Reggie leaned back and closed his eyes, unable to roll over due to Luxtra.
"I can do anything I put my mind to. I know. You've given me this speech so many times."
"And?"
"And I'm glad you look out for me, Blaze."
"That's not the answer I'm looking for, Reggie." Reggie did not reply. Blaze looked over at his trainer and friend and realized he had fallen asleep. Blaze got up with a chuckle and made his way out of the room and downstairs to ready food for later, leaving Luxtra and Reggie asleep.