Mia Karol (kokomo)
25 more slots to go! Please submit a character if you read this story and enjoy it; it really means a lot to me.
(Btw, Singofffan, I hope you don't mind the additional character traits I gave Kipper. I wanted to make him a bit more unique and interesting.)
Now, on with the show!
Gavin's POV
It was a chilly Saturday morning. Simon and I stood next to each other, bundled up in our jackets and waiting to take the bus to our two-week camping trip.
We were standing in the school parking lot, two large duffel bags and an excited black dog beside us. Nearby, around forty students awaited the bus as well. Many of them were on their various devices, playing games while they waited.
I would've been doing the same, except I was trying to conserve my phone's battery and my Nintendo Switch was buried somewhere in my duffel bag.
Simon had to tug on his dog's leash as they tried to go after a nearby squirrel. "Calm down, Kipper, we need to be patient.", he muttered.
I looked around curiously. "Where do you think our bus is? The math, chess, communist, and cooking campers are already gone. We're the only ones left."
Simon shrugged. "Probably delayed for some reason. It should arrive soon. I just hope I can keep Kipper calm during the wait. He's very excited to be somewhere new."
"I can bet.", I replied, smiling, "Just wait until we arrive at the campsite. He's going to be in heaven with all that nature around."
Simon nodded. "Oh, yes, he will. The squirrels are going to be permanently traumatized after we leave."
"Oh no, not the squirrels!", I cried in mock horror.
Nearby, Brianna snickered. I sent a glare in her direction.
Just then, we heard a honk, and the bus finally drove into the parking lot. Except...it no longer looked much like a school bus.
The whole thing had been repainted red and white, with a black line running underneath the windows to separate the two colors. Stickers featuring many different Pokemon were plastered all over it, and there was a banner on the top that read "Let's Go Pokemon Fans!".
When the bus parked, the doors flew open, revealing a grinning Miss Melody.
"Come aboard, kids!", she declared, "A whole world of dreams and adventure awaits you!"
She leaned over to the bus driver and whispered, "Do you think I quoted Professor Oak right?"
The bus driver shrugged.
"Well, anyways!", she declared, "Climb on in! Sorry for the delay, we were picking up supplies for our trip. It's going to be a couple of hours until we get to the campsite, so get ready for a long drive!"
I picked up my duffel bag and made my way to the bus, Simon close behind. Kipper looked somewhat confused by the bus's strange appearance, and paused to sniff curiously at a Growlithe sticker next to the doors.
"No, it's not real.", Simon insisted, "Let's go."
Simon, Kipper, and I climbed into the bus. Now that I could see the bus driver better, I was surprised to see that he was none other than Coach Vernon. His well-trimmed red hair, enthusiastic blue eyes, and red sports outfit with a flaming "V" was unmistakable.
"Coach Vernon?! What are you doing here?", I asked.
Vernon replied, "Eh, I like Pokemon, and figured that this would be a nice change of pace. Now, head on back and take a seat. There are people waiting in line behind you."
"Oh, yes, of course.", I replied, and made my way to an empty row of seats. Simon claimed a spot next to the window, and I sat down next to him. Kipper sat down in front of Simon, and received a treat. Kipper wagged his tail happily.
I rested my duffel bag on my lap, and watched as my siblings filed onto the bus. Many of them found spots next to their friends, too, and did not sit near me. Even though there was an open seat next to me, Brianna sat down on the opposite side of the aisle from me and grinned mischievously.
Then a girl stopped next to our row, and smiled at me.
"Is this seat taken?", she asked.
I recognized her instantly. Earlier in the school year, she and I had worked together on a story project that we had both really enjoyed. Her name was Lulu Okana, and she was a Native American girl who lived just outside of town. She had long black hair with a couple feathers braided into it, as well as an unassuming blue blouse and jeans. She had a backpack stuffed with notebooks slung over her shoulder, and she stood there casually and gorgeously.
"Well, uh...", I replied stupidly.
Simon said, "Yeah, long as you don't mind sharing with Kipper."
Kipper barked in agreement.
Lulu replied, "I love dogs, of course I don't mind!" She sat down in the empty seat, and was promptly jumped on by Kipper, who started licking her face. "Wow, you are friendly!", she exclaimed.
"That's kind of Kipper's thing.", I stated, my prior flustered surprise wearing off, "He's everything you could possibly want in a dog with only one flaw."
"What is that?", asked Lulu curiously.
"He is really, really obsessed with other animals.", replied Simon, "He chases them relentlessly, and if they don't run then he tries to be friends with them. I suppose it's better than him attempting to eat them, but it can get annoying at times."
Kipper gave him the puppy-dog eyes.
Simon reached over and scratched his ears. "But who can resist such cuteness?", he asked.
"I swear, sometimes it's like he can actually understand you.", I stated.
Lulu said, "Who knows? Maybe he can."
Simon shook his head. "Nah, he just recognizes the tone in my voice. But it can get a tad bit uncanny."
From up front, Vernon shouted, "Alright, we're about to go! Hope you're all in your seats!"
He stomped on the gas, and everyone was thrown back against their seat. The bus hurtled out of the parking lot and started speeding down the road. Kipper barked excitedly, and hurried over the window, promptly shoving his face right up against it and leaving slobber all across the surface.
The bus zoomed through the town, completely ignoring all cars, signs, or lights. Miss Melody shouted, "Wooo! We're going fast!"
I looked across the bus, and called to Sara, "Does the coach normally drive like this!?"
She replied, "Yes! You get used to it!"
Simon and I exchanged a glance of mutual befuddlement.
The bus left the town, and started speeding down the highway. The speed dial was steadily ticking up, and we were now going at around 90 mph.
Lulu said, "Well, I was going to retrieve my Switch, but at these speeds it's not worth the risk."
I nodded in agreement.
Just then, there was a loud shout from Eddie at the back of the bus. "Holy shoot, the Janitor's sleeping under the backseat!"
"What!?", everybody cried at the same time.
There was a loud clang, and the backseat was launched across the aisle, startling everyone. Standing up in the back of the bus, with a confused sleepy "Murrrrrp?", was, indeed, the Janitor himself.
Everybody who hadn't already relocated from the last few rows of seats did so now.
"What's he doing on the bus?!", exclaimed Peter, the second-oldest boy in my family and reigning video game champion.
"I think that's where he normally sleeps.", said Zoe, "Look, he's just as confused as we are."
The Janitor did seem to be quite confused, although it was hard to tell with the hair covering his face.
"Should we go back and return him to the school?", asked Anthony.
Miss Melody answered, "Well, maybe he'd prefer to go on a vacation with us. Do you like Pokemon, Mr. Janitor?"
The Janitor, much to everyone's surprise, nodded.
"Well, find a seat, then. We're going on a two-week Pokemon camping trip!", replied Miss Melody.
The Janitor sat down in the now-empty backseat. He started dozing off again, much to people's relief.
"Well, that certainly was a surprise.", commented Brianna, "You boys excited to share a cabin with him?"
Simon and I had matching expressions of terror. Kipper started licking Simon's face, which seemed to be his usual response to funny faces.
Lulu said, "I doubt they'll have to share the cabin with him. Looks like the Janitor would be just as happy sleeping in the bus, so they're probably safe."
"Whew.", I stated.
Brianna replied, "Hmph. Well, we don't know that for certain."
I shrugged.
The next thirty minutes was spent in silence. I made the mistake of glancing at the speed dial during that time, and as soon as I saw the number 126 I decided it might be better not to know how fast we were going for the rest of the trip.
Eventually, there came a shout from behind me. I noticed Steven standing up, declaring, "Everybody, what Pokemon would you be if you got Mystery Dungeon'ed?!"
Sara replied, "My family and I would all obviously be Eevees!"
I tried to protest as a resounding cheer arose from the others. Clearly they agreed.
Other people started in with their own declarations of what they would be. As they did so, I happened to glance at Miss Melody.
Wait a second, was she taking NOTES?
Well, that was weird. But I was distracted when Steven replied to a question.
"What about me, you ask?", he said, "I would be none other than Sandshrew! Can you imagine being both a player and the ball? It would be amazing!"
I looked back at Miss Melody scribbled the word Sandshrew into her glittery pink notebook. Yup, she was taking notes.
I wondered if that was going to affect some of the activities in the next few days.
Suddenly, everybody fell quiet. The Janitor had stood up, and was holding a white board. He spun it around, revealing a Snorlax picture, one he'd clearly drawn himself.
The resulting cheers were deafening.
After the cheers died down, the bus remained quiet for another few minutes. Kipper was still slobbering all over the window, trying to get his eyes as close to it as possible. Miss Melody put away her notebook and began to start knitting a tiny pink sweater. It looked way too small to fit even a baby, and I wondered why she was making it.
Of course, it wasn't my business.
I then looked out the window. Although Kipper's face took up half of it, I could still make out the fact that we were driving past a mountain, through a large green forest. It looked completely untouched by mankind, and it was a beautiful sight.
Vernon shouted, "Alright, kids, we're almost there! I hope you're all excited!"
We turned around a bend, and I gasped.
Beyond Kipper's head was a vast deep blue lake, overlooked by three beautiful snowy mountains. The forest extended seemingly endlessly over the whole scene, bright and wild.
The best part? We seemed to be the only ones here. There was not even a single sign of humanity, other than the road.
We drove back into the woods, obscuring the view of the lake, but I was excited anyways.
Then Vernon stomped onto the brake, and with a loud screech we were all thrown into the seats in front of us.
As I blinked the stars out of my eyes, I heard Vernon slap his thigh and shout, "Woo! We stuck the landing! Everybody off!"
Lulu, Simon, and I stumbled in a daze as we picked up our bags. Kipper barked happily, nuzzling Simon's leg and seemingly completely unaware of the sudden stop.
As we climbed off the bus, I looked around and saw nothing but trees and the dirt road beneath my feet. When Vernon stepped off the bus, I asked, "Hey, uh, where's the camp?"
He snapped his fingers, saying, "You kidding? It's right there."
I turned, and rubbed my eyes. Although I could've sworn there'd been nothing there before, now I could very clearly see a clearing ahead of us. It had two large cabins, a long row of picnic tables, and a large stone fireplace surrounded by benches.
"Oh.", I said.
"Now, go on!", he declared, "Drop your stuff off at the cabin to the right, then feel free to explore! Camp Pokemon starts today!" (-o-)