This is a transition chapter, I would say, even though it is the first "real" chapter, for lack of a better word. It's more than twice as long as the first one, so...yay for that, I guess?
I must give credit to fer1323, for he is giving me many ideas for this story. In fact, I'd like to thank everybody who has taken the time to read this story. I really appreciate all of you.
Let's get this thing going.
As the counselors dreaded the arrival of their campers, the mood on the camp bus was very different.
From a location near Pastoria City, Sinnoh, there was a bus that departed from a gas station. It must be said that this was a very luxurious bus, with leather seats, TVs, and a restroom in the back. This was the camp bus, and it took campers three hours northwards into the foothills of Mt. Coronet, where the camp was.
The movie they played was the same one every time, a title called Lucas's Adventure. It was about a young boy with autism who went on a Pokemon journey. Those who had been here multiple summers were getting rather sick of it.
"I just wish they would play something else" Vincent said, reclining in his seat as though attempting to fall asleep. The Vaporeon looked extremely bored, because he was extremely bored.
"Wait", Sammy the Sylveon said, "they play this movie every single year on the bus? Lame".
The two of them started cracking up. If they couldn't have a good time watching the movie, at least they could have a good time complaining about the movie. It wasn't like it was a bad movie, but Vincent was sick of it, since it was his sixth year going to Camp Eevee.
In the seat behind Sammy and Vincent, Ulysses the Umbreon was just trying to survive. This was, like Sammy, his first year attending the camp. He was only able to do so thanks to the fact that his parents had been able to get him a scholarship to attend said camp. He was very grateful for this, but quite nervous. It was Ulysses's first time going to an overnight summer camp, despite the fact that he was 15 years old.
Ulysses plugged his earbuds into his iPad. He was perfectly content to listen to "Pins and Needles" by Billy Talonflame for the duration of the ride.
He hadn't bothered to read the camp's website. Had he done so, he would have been aware that no electronics were allowed at the camp, and that, if they were brought in there, they would be confiscated and returned to him at the end of the session.
Meanwhile, Jason, a Jolteon, and Freddie, a Flareon, were sitting together and getting to know each other a little more. They had shared a cabin last summer, but they didn't know each other too well, considering that. They were rectifying that right now, and they were both looking forward to spending another summer at Camp Eevee.
"They played this same damn movie last year" Jason complained. He really didn't want to watch Lucas's Adventure again, no matter how good of a movie it might have been.
"I know, right?" Vincent replied from across the aisle. "This is my sixth summer going here. I'm sick of it at this point".
The bus continued travelling through the forests of Sinnoh, over large hills. Due to its size, it couldn't weave in and out of traffic very well, meaning that it got stuck in it.
The afternoon wore on, and eventually the movie ended. Many of the would-be campers soon went into a light sleep, since there was little else to do unless you were a fan of watching the scenery pass you by...which most of them were not.
One camper was still awake, however. Grant, a Glaceon, was thinking about it...and the idea suddenly sounded amazing.
Grant focused. He could use his Ice type moves when he really concentrated. And he was mischievous by nature, so he decided that he was going to play a prank.
Can I make this entire bus go cold, just for shits and giggles? , he wondered. It would be absolutely hilarious, for sure. At the same time, he didn't know how good of an idea it would be. They might figure out who did it, since, as far as he could tell, he was the only Glaceon on the bus.
Fuck it, I'm gonna try this, he thought to himself. Concentrating, he managed to create a burst of cold air that flooded the place, even though, due to being on the highway, all the bus's windows were closed.
The temperature inside the bus dropped to forty-five degrees. The wave of cold air truly was a wave, as if some ice giant were blowing into the bus through a window.
The effect was immediate. Some of the sleeping campers closest to Grant woke up, unable to keep sleeping in this cold environment. Others slept on, not realizing until later just what was going on.
The bus driver, a Blaziken wearing a police outfit, said, "Xavier! Knock it off!"
Oh shit, Grant thought, for his last name was Xavier. I just got outed as the perpetrator.
The other campers started looking suspiciously at the Glaceon, noting that he was the cause. Now, most of the passengers were awake, all pointing the finger at Grant. Only the very back of the van, closest to the restroom, remained sleeping.
"Not cool, Grant" Liam the Leafeon said sternly. "Don't distract the driver".
Grant sighed. "Sorry" he replied.
"I mean, it was pretty funny" Ethan said. The Espeon was sitting on the edge of the seat. "It's just that the pranks don't start until we get to the camp. Right now, it's time for relaxing, not pranking".
The Glaceon sat back down in his seat, thoroughly embarrassed. That had been a dumb move, and it remained to be seen whether or not he would pay for it socially.
The bus continued taking them further and further into the hills of Sinnoh, as the sun moved across the sky. The forests became more and more plentiful, and the bus started climbing up the hills. By the time it reached its destination, they would be at an elevation of slightly over six thousand feet (6,029 feet to be specific).
Soon, most of the campers went back to sleep, besides Grant. His failed stunt was going to cause him some shame for a few hours to come.
Eventually, the bus pulled into the parking lot of Camp Eevee, right in front of the Eevee statue.
"All right! Everybody out!" the driver exclaimed.
The campers started waking up and walking out of the bus. When they got outside, they saw the back of the camp's post office; they were right near the basketball court.
Ulysses took a deep breath of the thin mountain air. This was what he'd been looking forward to all year, going to summer camp. His family was too poor to do that much travelling, whether around Sinnoh or to the other regions like Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. This was the first time he'd ever gotten to go to the mountains.
"Isn't this great...uh, what's your name again?" the Espeon asked Ulysses.
"Ulysses" the Umbreon said shyly.
"Nice. I'm Ethan. And we have one goal here at Camp Eevee...create as much chaos as possible".
Uh...okay, Ethan thought.
"There you are!" said a voice coming from behind the Eevee statue, underneath an oak tree.
The campers looked for a voice there, but there was nobody to be found. Eventually, from behind a statue, a Jolteon popped up.
"Welcome to Camp Eevee! I'll be escorting all of you guys to the infirmary, where you're all going to have your health checks done. After that, you'll be introduced to your counselors and taken up to your cabins".
Ulysses looked around for someone else who looked just as shy as he did. He found that in a Sylveon standing alone at the edge of the basketball court.
"Is this your first time here?" the Umbreon asked the Sylveon.
"It is. The name's Sammy, by the way" the Sylveon replied. "I heard that your name was...Ulysses?"
Ulysses nodded. "That's my name indeed. Let's head up to the infirmary, so that we can get our health checks over with".
The Umbreon and Sylveon followed the other campers to the gazebo next to the infirmary, which looked absolutely beautiful. From what Ulysses could tell, there were battling courts, a basketball court, a soccer field, a baseball field, a jumping pillow, and a ropes course in the distance.
"It's pretty awesome" Sammy said. "Isn't it?"
"Yeah" the Umbreon replied. He didn't yet know just how awesome, or otherwise, it was going to be, but he had hopes that it was going to be a good time.
Ulysses and Sammy lined up together behind the other campers. Since they were far from the front of the line, they were able to observe the process with the other campers.
Each camper had their height, weight, and temperature checked by the Chansey nurses there. After being certified to be in good health, each of them was led towards the dining hall on the other side of the gravel path.
When it was Ulysses's turn to be checked, there really wasn't much fuss about it. Sammy didn't have very many problems, either.
"All right. Ulysses Jackson, Sammy Poser, you're going to be in Cabin Five. Go to the table on the porch that says CABIN FIVE on it".
After both arrived on said porch, they found the table easily. There were four campers and one counselor already there.
A Glaceon, Flareon, Leafeon, and Vaporeon were sitting on the longer sides of the table. On the end of the table, there was a Dragonite.
"So you're two of our new campers" the Dragonite said. "My name is Daniel Young, and I'm going to be your counselor this session. There are two other campers who are completing their health screenings at this moment...but I must ask, do you have any electronics with you?"
Ulysses took his iPad out of his backpack. "Yes, this".
"I must take it from you. I don't know if you read it on our website or not, but there are no electronics allowed here. It's a tech-free summer camp".
"What are we supposed to do instead, though?" the shy Umbreon asked.
"Conversation" Daniel replied. "Now, give it to me".
Ulysses reluctantly surrendered his iPad. "With that out of the way, could the four of you introduce yourselves to these campers?"
"Hello" the Vaporeon said. "My name is Vincent".
"I'm Liam" the Leafeon said.
"I'm Freddie" the Flareon said.
"And I'm Grant" the Glaceon said. "I think that all of us are looking forward to this summer".
"Indeed" Daniel said. "Now, can the two of you introduce yourselves".
"I'm Sammy" Sammy told the group. "This is my first summer here". He sounded quite nervous as he said this, and it was very clear indeed to Ulysses that this was the case.
"And I'm Ulysses" the Umbreon said.
"Great" Daniel replied. "Well...we have two more campers who are going to be coming here. I have on my notes that their names are Ethan, an Espeon, and Jason, a Jolteon".
"NIce" Vincent said. "I know them, and they're pretty cool".
The Espeon and Jolteon arrived not long afterwards. After that, Daniel said, "Okay, guys, you ready to see the cabin?"
All eight boys nodded. There was only one thing left to do now.
You know, it's kind of weird. I'm still finding a lot of time to write, even though I'm studying for my learner's permit test. I did nearly 3,000 words today for both of my current projects.
All right. I'd like to know what you guys thought.