A/N: Golly. This is one late chapter, isn't it? Don't worry, we'll get to the apologies soon enough. But I should bring you up to date on my life (if you care about that, anyway), 'cause I'm pretty sure you need a solid good reason why I dropped off the face of the earth.
First,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I won't bother saying belated, 'cause the year is technically still new, and why the heck shouldn't it still be happy?!
My New Year consisted of consuming massive amounts of edible material and engaging in the activity known as dancing like an idiot.
Next,
I happen to have spent the week(s) following the New Year at my grandparents' place. They live in a stereotypical mountain cabin that is very large for a stereotypical mountain cabin. (So, not very stereotypical, I guess.) It's freezing there- you've got to wear a jacket 24/7 and can barely wash your hands without getting hypothermia. That might just be me, though. I live somewhere where there's only two seasons: Hot and Really Hot. I made tons of bonfires, which are A LOT harder to shape into triangle tripod stuffs like how they do it in movies.
Another next,
The SYOC is finally closed. I'd like to thank everyone for their submissions; you guys rock! Note that even though you've all decided on roles for them, I'll prolly use them for other things as well, for plot purposes and stuff.
OKAY OKAY I'M SO TERRIBLY SORRY THIS WAS SO LATE. WE HAD NO INTERNET IN THE MOUNTAINS. AND WHEN WE DID, I HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS CHAPTER. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT; I HAD LIKE FIVE DIFFERENT ENDINGS, TWISTING THE PLOT, ADJUSTING IT TO SEE HOW MANY OC'S I COULD WRIGGLE IN.
I REWROTE THE AIRPLANE SCENE TWICE. THE TOUR AND THE ENDING, THRICE. I had a grumpy Luke, a regular Luke, and a sleepy Luke. I had him lost and not lost. I swapped adverbs with stronger verbs, and vice versa when needed. I changed conversations.
Please bear with me. I wrote most of this late into the night with inspiration running low.
But don't worry, there's some good news too! I've got my brand new laptop now! It's Windows 8 (See a handy-dandy guide on how to use it below/on my profile), and touch screen, and actually can work for five hours straight without turning into an overheating laggy mess!
How To Figure Out Windows 8:
Don't.
I've also bought myself the ridiculously expensive Percy Jackson's Greek Gods! I'm broke now, but whatever!
So... enjoy!
When someone points a gun at you, and you know at any moment he could shoot you, a lot of thoughts go through your mind.
And a lot of liquid threatens to go down your bladder.
Which makes one of your main thoughts Please don't make me wet myself.
Leaving a corpse would be bad enough, but leaving a corpse with a big, damp spot on the pants is just plain embarrassing.
"Don't move," the man said, his gun pointed directly at Nathaniel's face. Nathaniel slowly lifted his arms behind his head.
Okay, back to panicking.
Think, think! I told myself. I put my hands up, and scanned the area. What could we use?
It was dark, but that could work for him too. He was closer to the end of the bridge, so maybe we could throw him off?
Piplup tugged on my jeans. "Lup," he whispered quietly.
I smiled. I had Piplup. As far as I could see, he didn't have any pokemon.
I tore my gaze away from Piplup to check on Nathaniel- and found a gun facing my way.
The man wasn't even looking at me. He kept his gaze on Nathaniel, who still kept a calm and even... bored look on his face.
A few hours ago, I would've admired him for it, but now, I just hated him. How could he look bored when we could die tonight?
At least I was being truthful with everyone. Sure, my knees were shaking like crazy, and my hair was damp with sweat, and my palms were more slippery than a Dewgong's hide, but at least I didn't keep a calm facade on my face and act bored.
"What are you waiting for, boy? Why aren't you kidnapping us yet?" Nathaniel asked, and-get this- yawned. He actually yawned.
If I wasn't so focused trying to keep the pee in my bladder and not running down my leg, I would've rolled my eyes. Showoff.
The man with the gun smirked. "Why, you got a death wish or som'thing?"
"No, just curious. Waiting for reinforcements, perhaps? Is that why you're so uptight? New recruit can't handle an old man by himself?"
His eyes widened. "Wha- no! I'm- not new! Just- just shut up!"
"Well, I just-"
The gun arm swung straight back at Nathaniel. "No talking!"
Nathaniel lifted his arms. "Okay, okay!"
But when Nathaniel removed his arms from the back of his head, a small object fell. And I could barely follow it as it reached the ground.
But I already knew what it was when it burst open and a Dusclops shot out.
"What the- gyah!" the man, disoriented and shocked, fired off random shots at them.
"Protect!"
A barrier of energy formed around us, and the bullets bouncing off harmlessly.
"Now Hypnosis!"
A wave of dark violet energy surged from the ghost-type and toward the man.
"Uh..." he grumbled, then dozed off.
I was about to leap up in the air and whoop- we had just survived a kidnapper attack!
But, well, I couldn't.
Because I wasn't conscious anymore.
I blinked. It was bright. Too bright.
My vision started to clear, and I jumped up. We were in a plane! A big, fancy, plane, not a seaplane.
"Oh. You're awake," Nathaniel said from the chair beside me.
I tried to speak, but my mouth felt like it was filled with cotton balls.
He passed me a cool glass of water. "Here. You must have been exhausted- the only thing keeping you up was adrenaline."
I drank it all down and cleared my throat. "Where- where are we?"
"On an Altaria Airlines plane, around thirty-thousand feet in the air. On the way to the university."
University? Oh, yeah. That really happened. Images of menacing seaplanes and icy motorcycles danced at the edges of my mind. Were those dreams too?
"And... how exactly did we end up here? Sorry. Memory a little fuzzy."
Nathaniel grimaced. "Look. What you experienced last night was something no one your age should have experienced, and for that I am very sorry. But, I bought us first-class. So why don't we discuss this over breakfast?"
Food was something very hard to argue with. Plus, this was my first time riding first-class. Figured I should enjoy it.
"Okay," I mumbled. "Bring it in."
I leaned back in the lavish seat as Nathaniel called for a flight attendant.
"...And then you collapsed, and I had Dusclops teleport us to the airport."
I swallowed down my bite of crisp bacon and said, "And... we didn't teleport straight to the airport... why?"
"Well, teleportation uses and releases large amounts of energy, and I only wanted to use it as a last resort."
I chugged down some more of my unlimited apple juice. "And you... the principal... knows these things... how?"
"I served in the military before I met your dad- and before that, I worked as a scientist, and in between did a stint as a politician..."
Stuffing my face with chocolate chip muffin, I nodded like I was deeply interested. This was the third time he went off track and started talking about his career. He probably had thirty badges, fifteen PhD's, fifty medals, and a million certificates, by the sound of it.
"Anyway," Nathaniel said, "do you have any other questions about DU? Our conversation last night was interrupted, as you know, so you might as well learn as much zas you can."
Well, there was still one thing that irked me.
"How did I get accepted into this university, anyway? I know Dad sent a scholarship app, but what was different on it that got me accepted into this supposedly super-special university?"
Nathaniel gave a nervous smile. "Technically, you weren't accepted. But we had a... sudden opening in our list, and you were the next best choice."
That did make a lot more sense. I didn't think Dad would find anything significant to put on my application. Still, I felt a pang of disappointment knowing I'm here over an accident. Over a mistake. Over someone else dropping out.
-We have arrived at our destination, the Decolore Islands. We've arrived at eight-fifteen in the morning, five minutes ahead of our scheduled time. Thank you for flying Altaria Airlines and we hope you enjoy your stay here.-
The pilot's voice over the speakers jarred me out of my thoughts.
We left the airport, my bags and pokeball in tow, and waited while Nathaniel called up a ride from DU.
I was too busy brooding over how I wouldn't fit in at DU that I didn't stop to ask why we were attacked.
But when a Jeep rolled in and Nathaniel waved me over, I couldn't have cared less.
We arrived at the university minutes later. It was big, with large stone walls, wide windows, and heavy iron gates. It was nothing less of a castle, except more modern. A breeze blew in, and the bushes decorating the entrance rustled. It smelled like wildflowers and some sort of clean smell. Like, minty fresh air with a tinge of Windex. Butterfree and Dustox fluttered around, while the calls of Pidgey echoed through the trees.
I pulled out a pokeball from my hoodie's pocket and tossed it out. "Piplup, check this place out!"
"Lup-pip," Piplup crossed his fins over his chest and gave the buildings a cynical once-over.
I took another look- a good, long one. This is the place I'd be spending the next four years. Where I'd win and lose battles. Where I gain friends, and probably enemies.
I'm starting to monologue. Really, Luke? How cliche.
Nathaniel walked in. He seemed to have an extra spring in his step. "Come on, Lucas. There's a tour that starts at around nine. We've got thirty minutes."
I followed him into an auditorium, Piplup on my shoulder. It was large and spacious, and the whole place buzzed with energy. There were several rows of seats, where students cluttered around in groups, and a massive stage in the front. The auditorium seemed packed- clutters of students talking together, teachers and staff discussing, and a pokemon or two chasing each other around and causing havoc, but looked like it could still hold lots more.
I froze, and just stared. Everyone had their place here, and everyone had earned their place here. Would I fit in? Me, the poor little teen who's never been out of his city? Me, who was here merely by a stroke of luck?
Piplup sensed my worry and tensed up.
Nathaniel noticed my hesitance and patted me reassuringly on the back. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Now, I've got to go- er, principal stuff. So I'll leave you here with..." he spun, searching for someone. "Ah, there! Russel! Come over here. Why don't you show Lucas around?"
A teen who looked a little older than me walked over to us. He had wild, unruly black hair and brown eyes. He wore a tattered T-shirt with a faded Salamence (with a dried peanut butter smudge covering an eye) on it and grubby sneakers that looked like they were red, but I wasn't so sure.
I extended an arm. "Hi. I'm Luke, and this is Piplup."
Grinning, he ignored my outstretched arm and raised a hand for a high-five instead. "No need for any handshakes around here. Save 'em for or something," he explained.
We took our seats somewhere in one of the middle rows. The minute we sat down, Russel began talking.
"So, how'd you get in?"
I opened my mouth to reply, but he continued, "That's usually the first thing we ask around here. I dunno why. That's like how we size each other up, I guess," he jabbered. "I'm not sure what you're going to like about this place, though. You don't exactly seem like the studying type. Well, that'll be alright. We've got tons of other cool classes- Pokemon Biology has a ton of outdoor sessions, if you're into that thing, and we've got a soccer team, as well as a bunch of school clubs."
He seemed like the kind of guy who didn't care what other people thought of him, which was good, because with all the spot-less clean students, he was gonna need it. Russel also talked a lot, and I was having a hard time getting a word in. In the ten minutes we had before the tour started, I had learned:
1. Russel was supposed to be a second-year, but he was held back for shooting off a battling examiner's toupee. It was just a glanced-off Energy Ball, so the examiner was fine, but his beloved hairpiece was ruined beyond repair.
2. He was really smart, and knew everything from math to biology to pokemon history. Mythology wasn't his forte (another reason for being held back), though, so he's being tutored in hopes of him actually graduating this year. (Not that he cared.)
3. It wasn't usual for someone to be accepted merely by someone else dropping out. I was lucky since Nathaniel knew Dad and he was able to pull some strings.
4. Mostly, the students in the auditorium were all new, and even Russel didn't know what he was doing here. Old students don't need to re-take the tour, but he had nothing else better to do.
5. The best dessert is served on Tuesday's and Wednesday's (Brownie a la Mode and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, respectively), but the best food in general is served on Friday's.
Then the tour began. A teacher wearing a vintage sweater and cuffed, dark wash jeans stepped over. She had dark hair kept in a messy braid, and she had one dark brown eye, while the other one was faded grey and had a scar running over it.
"Ms. Skotos- or Jett, outside the classroom. She's my tutor. Pretty cool, for a teacher, if you ask me. Blind in one eye, but that doesn't stop her from being one of the best battlers in the school- especially in Doubles and Triples," Russel whispered. I figured he'd be adding commentary for every person I'd meet today.
"Good morning, everyone, I am Ms. Skotos, and I'll be leading the tour today," she said, leading us outside the large room.
"Now, Decolore University's campus is pretty big. We've got around eight buildings, plus the pools, sports fields, pokemon-catching areas, and of course, the Battle Castle," she started. "This building, the one we're in now, is our administration building- we've got most of our offices here, the auditorium-where you students will meet with the principal during meetings- as well as the club meeting rooms."
We left the building, and headed for the center of the campus. Pavement gave way to freshly cut grass and we found ourselves in a large park area. It was big, and dotted with a few trees here and there, but the main attraction was the pokemon. A huge variety of pokemon scampered around the area- Skitty, Poochyena, and Furret. Butterfrees and Murkrow and Dustox fluttered about. (Except the Murkrow. Those clumsy birds just flapped.)
Russel pointed to an eighteen year-old wearing a black leather jacket with fuchsia trim over a white dress shirt. She tilted her head, black, purple-streaked ponyta-tail bobbing, gray eyes staring off into space.
"That girl over there? Desdemonda Maslowe. Bolt House mentor, fourth-year, and a bit of a daydreamer. One of the most respected students on campus, though."
"This is the Park, where most of you will catch new pokemon. It's also the center of our campus; if you look over here, you can see how these buildings form a blocky 'U' over the whole area." Ms. Skotos continued.
Russel gestured to the right. "Buildings there are for studying, mainly training, coordinating, and breeding. Plus, the dorms that two of the four Houses- Storm and Quake- share."
He then gestured to the left. "Uh, buildings for Researchers and Doctors, the library-slash-gym building, and dorms for the Bolt and Power Houses, blah blah."
Russel stroked an imaginary beard. "Hm... where to next? Finish the tour... or get him signed in...? Indoor stuff? I can show him around for that. Okay, c'mon, we've got to get you a House!"
He sprinted off like a Gogoat. I ran after him-but was stopped by a ridiculously large amount of electric-types being herded away to a building by a student: Plusle, Minun, Dedenne, and Pachirisiu.
Just. my. luck.
"Come on, come on!" I muttered, fists clenched, legs bouncing, ready to take off anytime. Russel was long gone. Who knows how long it would take to find him.
Then a Minun at the back of the group decided to trip over a tree root. The student leading them stopped the whole group just to help it up.
"Seriously?" I muttered.
"Piplup?!" Piplup shouted.
"Don't worry, guys. It won't be long now," the student herding the pack (what do you call a group of electric-types? Pack? Herd? Flock?) said, violet eyes gleaming from under his square-rimmed glasses. Said student helped the Minun up and was rewarded by a Nuzzle.
"Gah!" he yelled, electricity crackling across the green beanie pulled over the back of his head and toward his jet black hair.
I winced. "You okay?"
"Ugh. I'll live," he replied with a crooked grin.
The Minun, finished with his antics, raced off ahead to Arceus-knows-where. The student, right on cue, began chasing after him.
Well, at least I could pass now. I bolted toward the direction I last saw Russel. The sports field and a pond loomed into view, and I stopped. Where did Russel say he was going? Do you have to sign in with the administration, or go to the House directly?
I wandered around, not sure where to go. I would've asked for directions, but the tour had disappeared and I was surrounded by a knot of trees.
"Well, crap," I whispered.
I was lost.
What choice did I have? I continued my trek around the campus, cursing Russel's name every five steps or so. This place was bigger than I thought.
"I don't suppose you can try to flap yourself above all these trees," I murmured to Piplup.
He didn't bother to reply. You're on your own, his face said.
Sighing, I continued my "tour" of the apparently un-toured part of the Park (if this area still was the park), until a cry echoed through the trees.
"Uirsa! Teddiursa!"
"A good a lead as any, I guess," is my only excuse as I rush toward the pokemon. Hopefully it's owned and it's trainer is nearby. I couldn't wait to strangle Russel's lazy little face.
Piplup isn't too happy as the force propels him into the hood of my shirt and he yells with each step.
Note to self: Let Piplup get a few extra kicks into the beating-up of Russel.
The trees thin out, and I could see the glimmer of the pool just over a stretch of bushes. I also see a Teddiursa, sniffling at my feet.
I bent down and patted the little guy. "Hey, you okay little buddy?"
Piplup huffs, almost like he's saying And you're not asking me if I'm okay?
"RING! SARING!" the roar echoes through the trees, and I see nearby Pidgeys fly off.
A giant Ursaring barrels toward us on all fours.
I yelled the most un-manly yell I've ever yelled and ran. It gets closer, it's paws shaking the ground beneath me.
"Absol, Razor Wind!"
"Sol!"
The attack kicks up dust everywhere, and I take a sharp left to avoid the wrath of a seven hundred-pound pokemon.
"I'm guessing you're a newbie," a voice says from behind me.
I turned. The voice belonged to a fourteen year-old who had caramel-blonde hair and striking gray eyes.
For a second my mouth turns dry."Er.. uh, yeah. Um. Thanks," I murmur. "I'm Luke!" I said, my voice louder than usual.
She has an amused expression on her face. "Erica. And try not to get yourself in trouble again too soon. Luck for you, Absol was here to save you," Erica reaches down to pet the dark-type.
"Um, yeah. Thanks, Absol."
Erica looks up at me. "You're lost," she murmurs, and it isn't a question.
I nod slowly. "Yeah... about that. I was wondering if you could, er, help me?"
Still inside my hood, Piplup lets out an exasperated sigh.
"Well, we do know what will happen if we leave you here by yourself. You dying on your first day wouldn't make a good impression. You help me get Brenda and her Teddiursa cub back together, and I'll reunite you with Russel, if he's still around."
"Deal. But how did you know...?"
"You've already got my name, Luke. I think that's enough secrets for the day, hm? Now, hurry. Brenda's already plenty upset."
Nodding, I start walking back to the clearing where I spotted the Teddiursa.
"You might wanna tie your shoes," Erica says, walking past me.
"Wha- gyah!" I yell as I trip over a tree root and faceplant into the ground.
A/N: Whew. Finally, I'M FINISHED! WOO! I'M TYPING THIS AT EXACTLY 12:51 AM, SO EXCUSE ME IF THE WRITING GETS SLOPPY NEAR THE END. (wAs there a tense shift? :O) BUT WHO XARES?! IM DOOONNNEEE!111
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Gosh I'm tired.
And I hate this chapter so, so much.
I was super lazy, and had like negative zero inspiration. But sometimes you can't wait for inspiration to come. You gotta chase after it with a baseball bat and some handcuffs.
I literally wrote one version of the chapter in between bouts of playing The Wolf Among Us. It's like a mixture of a game and a movie, where your choices and actions influence the story. (Like, be mean to this guy and he won't help your investigation, etc.) It's got the perfect gaming mix of gritty plot and speedy clicking fight scenes, and I love it so much. It's based on the DC comics Fables, where fairy tale people moved out of the Homelands and transferred to New York, so you have things like Bigby Wolf (the playable character) as the Sheriff, Snow White as Deputy Mayor, Cinderella as a spy, Tweedle Dee and Dum as thugs, and even newer things like Bloody Mary and the Jersey Devil.
It's 12:59 now.
K bye...zzzzzzzz
But wait, there's more!
OC Credit List
Jett Skotos from cometshadow
Desdemonda Maslowe from Not Official Staff
"It won't be long now," from Legacy918
Er, everyone else is from your trsuly. What do you think of Russel? Personality-wise, he's the best OC I've ever made. Erica's a personal fave, tho :3
Reviews Responses:
Slenderbrine: Valentine's Day? More like Halloween *shudder*
cometshadow: Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I've grown? Since PokePowers? *v* THANKS SO MUCH! You seriously have no idea how much I appreciate it. And AHHAHAAHA I'm so sorry for that last cliffhanger... well, NO. NOT REALLY XDD But really. Thanks :)
ZorialWater: Well, if there's anything I've learned from your review it's that you are a darn cool person and for that I'VE decided to accept you as a close friend *dons a hooded cloak* Welcome, Water, to emosewa's inner circle. AND COMPARING ONE'S WRITING STYLE TO PIZZA OR COOKIES IS LIKE THE BEST COMPLIMENT. EVER. Now, go clear away those withdrawal symptoms by re-reading Luke's meeting with Erica, because awkwardness cures everything.
Not Official Staff: Yeah, I was thinking Nathaniel was someone you'd like. Fun fact: he was actually a CIA agent in a novel I had planned, but the novel was never really worked on 'cause I couldn't decide on a proper storyline. I didn't want him to go to waste, though, so he's now living his life as an uber-cool principal. Luke's actually based on me, but way more cooler. And more good-looking.
Swag Giraffe: XDDDD AW, I'D LOVE TO RESPOND TO EACH AND EVERYONE POINT YOU'VE WROTE, BUT THE REVIEW RESPONSES HAVE ONLY SO MANY SPACE. Just know I agree to each and everyone of them! Revel in the awesomeness of Timmy and Luke and Piplup! (And guns and cookies X3) AND THANKS AGAIN FOR THE AWESOMELY HILARIOUS REVIEW! XD
PokeFreak45: I know, right? They're just so... kill-able, I guess? :3 No, don't worry, there's a real reason, but it's not coming up anytime soon. Unless Luke decides to be a bit too curious. And uhh, internet crash-y laptops are the worst...
AClosetedNerd: Thanks! And yeahh... I'm really bad at long beginnings, usually 'cause my lazy self wants to hurry up with the story already :P But also 'cause I love inserting readers directly into the action, so you're sucked right in to the story. I'm glad you liked Timmy! i've always wanted a little brother, so TImmy's just even more adorable XD
Nefertam: Yay, most of our questions were resolved! Except that bit of them being hunted. I'll leave you to ponder on that :D
Moonspots: And you did, and your OC was great. :)
ReD rIdInG rAvEn: Yeah, I was always a sucker over first sentences like that. :3 Timmy isn't going to appear for a very long while, and I wanted to show as much as I could about their bond in that one chapter. I'm glad you're able to appreciate that :D But no, the dad's a totally okay dude! He's just being his usual over-protective self, and he wants him at DU so he can see the world, 'cause he couldn't go on his journey when he was ten and his dad doesn't want him stuck in Eterna City for the rest of his life. They talked about it a little during their argument at the start of the chapter :)
K bye!
But wait, there's more!
I almost forgot this. It's 1:36 AM now (responding to reviews takes longer than you think), so it's reasonable, I suppose.
QOTD: What's your favorite House, and why? I noticed the majority of submitters went for the Storm House, while the rest went to the Bolt House. Only one or two chose the Power House, and zero people submitted someone into the Quake House.
Also: for those who've read PokePowers, I put up a poll about it. It would mean a lot if you could check it out :)
K bye!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE
Just kidding.