Okay, I'm not gonna lie to you all on this: I spent more time thinking of a title for this chapter than I did with the actual chapter itself. You remember me having the Frontier Brains (and the future Frontier Brains) meet in chapter 7, right? *Doesn't wait for response* Well, if you noticed, they're pretty close; well, the Kanto group is and the other group will get closer later on in the story. I mean, the ones that are related (Noland and Thorton, Argenta, Palmer, Darach, Esther, as well as Azami and Lucy and Anabel and her parents) are close, but you know what I mean. Anyway, Greta, Spenser and Tucker seemed to know each other through a mutual connection. If you didn't really feel that, then you will when I rewrite that chapter. Also, in chapter 13, I brought up Lilycove Technical Institute. One thing I wanted to add last chapter is that Trent used to attend a trainer's school in Viridian City when he turned 11. He began to attend the trainer's school in the hopes of becoming a better trainer. It didn't work out for him because he just couldn't deal with the school setting for an extended period of time. However, at a future point in this story, Trent will be revealed to have done some special training under a special someone. Can't say much more than that, though! There's a note at the bottom that's pretty important, so yeah, take a look. One more thing before the A/N: remember how in chapter 7 I said that Tucker got his first Master's at 15 and his second at 17? Yeah, that's going to be changed when I rewrite the chapter. Tucker's accomplishments are correct in this one. Also, this chapter does (well after Tucker reveals his full team to Anabel) take place before chapter 7. Nearer to the end takes place a little while before Tucker assigns roles. So maybe twenty minutes, give or take.
Author's Note: I own the storyline, my OCs, the Viridian Sandshrews, the Viridian Marowak, the Fuchsia Golbats and the Celadon Victreebels. Vermilion College and Lilycove Technical Institute also belong to me. This will mostly be told through third person P.O.V.
Chapter 21: Tucker's Theatrics!
Alternate chapter titles: "Behind the Tactician," and "Of Plays and Tactics."
(Littleroot Town. Third person P.O.V.)
A purple-haired young man walked down the road on a crisp, autumn day. He was wearing a white T-shirt, black pants, tennis shoes and a dark blue jacket. He appeared to be 14.
"Wow. It's not called Littleroot Town for nothing. I haven't seen him since he moved his lab from Petalburg City to here. Not much to do, just gotta get them and go," he said. This is Tucker Heath. Tucker has just graduated high school and is moving to Kanto. Tucker's father, Ian was one of Professor Birch's assistants. His mother Erin worked in the Hoenn branch of the G-Men as a Pokémon doctor. Tucker is going to see Professor Birch to pick up two of his Pokémon. What he doesn't know is that he'll gain a third.
Tucker looked around. Taillow were chirping. Flocks of Beautifly and Dustox were migrating. He smiled and looked at them. In a few hours, he wouldn't see Taillow. He would be seeing Pidgey and Spearow. Instead of Beautifly and Dustox, he would be seeing Butterfree and Venomoth. A Dustox had flown close enough for Tucker to extend his arm.
"Hey, Dusty. Guess you knew I was coming, didn't ya?" he casually asked.
"Dust. Dust-ox!" the Dustox, having been dubbed 'Dusty' by Tucker, was one of his father's Pokémon.
"Beauu-tiflyy," a Beautifly cried. Tucker saw this and smiled.
"So you followed me, didn't you girl?" Tucker said, acknowledging the Beautifly. Beautifly belonged to Tucker's mother. Tucker, like both of his parents, was a coordinator. His father's Dusty and his mother's Beautifly were mates.
"Tuck? You here already?" a distance voice called. The two Pokémon flew up near their owners' child went to follow the voice.
"Hey, Professor Birch," Tucker said, having found the professor.
"So how was school?" the professor asked. Tucker had dropped by his alma mater to pick up his transcripts and waited for an hour because the printer jammed. No one in the office knew how to fix it. Not a single one of the rising seniors who helped over the summer knew what to do. Tucker had offered to fix it because he had seen his parents take care of it enough times to write a book called 'Printer Jams for Dummies' on said topic. Nope, they just couldn't get it.
"I haven't had that much fun since I had to get braces," Tucker drawled sarcastically. Tucker had gotten braces when he was 11 and got them off a year ago. Professor Birch chuckled at the teen's remark.
"Hey Daniel? Have you seen Mudkip or Torchic anywhere?" a voice called.
"Torchic, Tor!" a Torchic chirped, coming out of the bushes.
"Hey there," Tucker said, petting the Torchic.
"We found Torchic, Ian!" Professor Birch answered. Unbeknownst to the adults, a Mudkip was in the bushes near Tucker. Tucker turned.
"Mudkip, Mud," the little Mudkip said. Tucker smiled.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, little guy," Tucker said.
"Well, it looks like Mudkip found its trainer," Ian said. Ian had black hair, meaning Tucker took after his mother.
"What do you mean, Dad? I just wanted to pick up Metang and Shelgon," Tucker said.
"I know, but I think Mudkip really likes you, sport," Ian answered.
"I think so, too, but what if a trainer wanted Mudkip this year?" Tucker asked.
"The breeder gave me 2. So Mudkip, do you wanna go with Tucker?" Professor Birch asked. The Mudkip turned to face the Hoenn professor to answer his question with a Water Gun.
Tucker smiled at this and grabbed a Poké Ball from his pocket. He pressed the button and Mudkip was a little hesitant, but went inside. The ball pinged, signifying a successful capture.
About ten minutes had passed.
"Goodbye, Professor Birch! Goodbye Dad!" Tucker shouted, waving.
"Kip. Mudkip!" Mudkip said in his own tongue.
"Goodbye, Tucker. Don't forget to keep in touch!" Professor Birch said, waving.
"See you, Tuck! Give me a call when you get settled in!" Ian shouted, having cupped his hands over his mouth. Dusty and Beautifly were also saying goodbye in their own tongues as well.
Tucker laughed and did the same. "Will do, Dad!" he shouted. Once the boat turned, Tucker Heath, his Mudkip, Metang and Shelgon were on the road to Kanto. He had them get acquainted before getting on the boat. Tucker and Mudkip went to Tucker's cabin.
"Well, Mudkip, this is it. Let's see what moves you know," Tucker said, pulling a laptop out of his bag.
"This Mudkip is male and has the ability, Torrent. Hidden Ability is unknown and Mudkip is currently at level 8 and knows the following moves: Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun. Mudkip also has the egg move of Ancient Power from a Kabuto," Tucker's laptop said.
"That's a pretty good start, Mudkip," Tucker said, closing the laptop. The ferry docked in Vermilion City two hours later. Tucker decided to recall Mudkip as he walked the streets of Vermilion. He needed to get to Vermilion College. Tucker intended on going to Lilycove Technical Institute back in Hoenn, but found out that they didn't have a tactics program. Tucker succeeded at Vermilion College, getting his degree two years later.
(Two years later. A grassy plain in Kanto.)
"Salamence, Hyper Beam. Metagross, Reflect!" a young male commanded. What he didn't know was that he was being watched. His Marshtomp was a different story.
"Marsh?" his Hoenn starter said, turning to the bushes. The young male turned to see his Marshtomp investigating. The young male wasn't wearing a shirt. He instead had on a pair of blue jeans and a white muscle tank that seemed to accentuate his features.
"It's a Growlithe. It's been beaten up. We should take it to the Pokémon Center and see if it has a trainer," the young male said, recalling his Marshtomp, Salamence and Metagross. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. The young male arrived at the local center.
"Oh, my goodness. Tucker, did you find this Growlithe?" the Nurse Joy at the desk said. Tucker was surprised.
"Yeah, I did. Have you seen this Growlithe before?" Tucker said, handing the Puppy Pokémon to the nurse.
"Yes. Growlithe has been getting into fights ever since his trainer left him," Nurse Joy sadly said, placing Growlithe on a stretcher. Tucker sighed. He then remembered that he left his laptop behind. Tucker went back outside to retrieve it. Tucker had walked to where he was earlier. There was a small lake nearby. In it were a Gyarados and a Milotic.
"Another Flamethrower attack?" a female voice said. Tucker looked around and didn't see the source of the voice. Gyarados made a sweeping motion with her tail.
"It looks like I get to use Hydro Pump," another voice said. It sounded like the first, but softer. Gyarados and Milotic charged up their respective attacks. Their attacks collided.
"Your fighting isn't getting you anywhere!" a third voice said. This one sounded masculine and belonged to a Blastoise.
"I must be dreaming," Tucker said, picking up his laptop.
"So, instead of fighting, you're saying our Pokémon are trying to get us to work together?" a young voice said. Tucker looked up and saw a brunette and a girl with dirty blonde hair. Also present were another boy with dirty blond hair and an older couple that reminded Tucker of his parents.
"Yes. You see, Natalie, your Gyarados doesn't want to fight," the older woman said, addressing the brunette.
"Your Milotic feels the same, Nazuna," the older man said, addressing the girl with the dirty blonde hair.
"I bet my Blastoise was sick of seeing his friends fight," the boy with dirty blond hair said.
"I'd say you're right, Taran," the older man said.
"So the Pokémon weren't talking?" Tucker said, gaining the attention of the five.
"No. I was translating what Gyarados and Milotic were saying. Why don't we talk more at the Pokémon Center?" the woman said. Tucker had thought that the girls looked familiar and he was right.
"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop on you. I forgot my laptop and then I heard a voice," Tucker said, apologizing.
"It's alright, Tucker," Natalie said.
"Wait, how do you know my name?" Tucker asked.
"You're in our class at Vermilion College," Nazuna answered.
"We should also introduce ourselves. I'm Greg Thomas and this is my wife, Ann," Greg said.
"My name's Tucker. Tucker Heath," Tucker said, introducing himself.
"You're not from around here, are you?" Ann asked.
"No, ma'am. You see," but Tucker couldn't finish due to the center doors flying open. A girl with light purple hair had a hand on the wrist of a boy with flaming red hair.
(Tucker's P.O.V.)
I looked at the girl and noticed she looked like Ann.
"Anabel Lila Thomas, what's going on?" Greg said, firmly.
"I found Kiyoshi. Where's Growlithe?" the girl said. Apparently, her name was Anabel. The light went off and Kiyoshi looked up.
"Growlithe is going to make a full recovery," Nurse Joy said, not noticing Kiyoshi.
"What do you mean he's gonna make a full recovery?" Kiyoshi said. This caught Nurse Joy's attention.
"Growlithe was found in pretty bad shape," Nurse Joy said, changing her tone.
"I found Growlithe and it looked like he was in a fight," I said. Kiyoshi turned to me. He looked my age, maybe older.
"So you're the punk that found my Growlithe," Kiyoshi said. Just then, Growlithe came out, Chansey following. Growlithe looked better than when I found him and he wobbled towards us. Kiyoshi smirked. "Why don't we battle one-on-one? Winner gets to keep Growlithe," he said. This set Anabel off.
"You only want Growlithe so you can put him back into the ring," Anabel said tersely. Just then, an Officer Jenny came in and arrested Kiyoshi for arranging fights with Growlithe and Arcanine.
"You were really calm against Kiyoshi," Anabel said, blushing.
"Thanks," I said. Growlithe was able to walk a little more.
"Anabel, what were you doing?" Greg asked.
"I was walking with Abra and Beldum and I saw Kiyoshi trying to fight with another trainer and the trainer's Arbok. I didn't mean to worry you, Dad," Anabel began. I thought back to that battle.
"Tucker, you never said what you were doing earlier," Nazuna said.
"Working on my play for the final and I think I know what I'm going to call it," I said, pulling out my laptop.
"Tucker, it looks like Growlithe wants to go with you. By the way, would you like me to check your Metagross, Salamence and the egg?" Nurse Joy said.
"That would be great. Marshtomp, too," I said, getting their Poké Balls out of my bag. I also got the egg I got from Professor Oak.
"You must be from Hoenn," Ann said.
"I am. I'm from Petalburg City," I began. "You don't sound like you're from here, either," I continued. Growlithe yipped a few times.
"What's Growlithe saying?" Taran asked.
"That's easy. Even a ten-year-old could tell you," Anabel said, petting Growlithe. I looked at her and noticed she was wearing light purple pants and a white shirt with a light purple jacket.
"You mean Growlithe wants to go with me?" I said. Growlithe yipped the affirmative.
"Anabel is different than other twelve-year-olds," Taran said.
I nodded and Greg said, "We're originally from Mossdeep City."
I began to type and Natalie looked over my shoulder. "The Fusion of Fire and Water by Tucker Yoshio Heath. As a side note, I would like to thank fellow classmates Natalie Knight and Nazuna Riker for their inspiration," she read.
"If it wasn't for your battle, I wouldn't have been able to come up with anything. I'm still trying to figure out combinations with Metagross and Salamence. It was easier when they were smaller," I said.
"So you have two pseudo-legendary Pokémon. That's something to be proud of," Greg said.
I looked up and said, "I am. I really plan to teach Theater to young children." Nurse Joy came out with my healed team. Marshtomp popped out of his ball. Instead of fighting Growlithe, Marshtomp began to play with him.
"That reminds me Tucker. Your mom called and asked if you had found an apartment yet," Nurse Joy said.
"I did," I said, saving my work. Later that night, I called home.
"Heath residence, this is Erin," my mom answered.
"Hi, Mom," I said.
"Oh, where are you calling me from?" she asked.
"My new apartment," I said, stepping away slightly. I heard the door open.
"Honey, I'm home!" Dad said in the background.
"I'm in the kitchen, darling. Tucker's on the phone," Mom said.
Dad came into the house. I couldn't see him because he had been replaced by a couple of Pokémon.
"Dustox, Beautifly. I guess you miss me, too?" I said. They nodded.
"Beautifly just had three eggs a couple of weeks ago. Do you want to see the baby Wurmple?" Dad asked, trying to get them to move.
"Sure," I said. It would be nice to see a familiar Pokémon as opposed to the typical Weedle or Caterpie.
"So how's the egg from Professor Oak?" Mom asked as she finally moved Dustox and Beautifly.
"It'll be hatching in a week or two. It's gonna be a Charmander," I said. I then remembered Growlithe.
"That's great, sport. Here's one of the babies," Dad said in the background. He was holding a baby Wurmple.
"It's so little. Oh yeah, and I was able to get a Growlithe and meet some people from Hoenn," I said. Growlithe's ears picked up at the sound of his name and he rushed over. I picked him up.
"You've got a great team of Pokémon, son. Who did you meet?" Mom asked.
"I met Greg and Ann Thomas, plus their daughter, Anabel," I said, noticing that Dad had walked off.
"Ah, yes. Greg and I are college buddies. We both studied at Lilycove Tech," Dad said in the background.
"I knew Ann when she was still Ann Kimura. We've known each other since grade school," Mom said.
"Mr. Thomas said that they moved because of his work," I said.
"Maybe things could work out between you and Anabel," Dad said in the background.
"Dad, she's 12. I'm 17," I said.
"Your father's just teasing. Well, we better eat dinner. Bye, sweetheart," Mom said.
"Tell Greg and Ann we said 'hello'," Dad said.
"I will. Tell Dustox and Beautifly I'm happy for them," I said. I ended the call.
(Six weeks later. Third person P.O.V.)
"Marshtomp, Growlithe, come forth!" Tucker shouted. He sighed.
"What are you doing?" a female voice called. Tucker turned.
"Oh, hi Anabel. I'm trying to work on introductions for my Pokémon. Marshtomp and Growlithe are where I'm stuck," Tucker said.
"Well, what else do you have so far?" Anabel asked. The Theater major grinned.
"I'll show you. The raging dragon, Salamence and the iron heavyweight Metagross, come forth!" Tucker said.
"Meta!" Metagross chanted.
"Rawr!" Salamence growled.
"How's that Charmeleon of yours?" Anabel asked.
"The flaming beast, Charizard and a royal: Nidoqueen, come forth!" Tucker said.
"Zar!" Charizard roared.
"Nido!" Nidoqueen said, pounding her chest.
"Wow, so you've been to Mt. Moon. As for Marshtomp and Growlithe?" Anabel asked. Tucker returned Nidoqueen and Charizard.
"That's where I'm stuck. Now you know," Tucker said, sighing.
"Well, I have no use for this, but you might," Anabel said, pulling an item out of her pocket.
"A Fire Stone. Growlithe, are you ready to evolve?" Tucker asked.
"Lithe?" Growlithe said. Marshtomp followed.
"Growlithe, you don't have to evolve if you don't want to," Tucker said. Growlithe touched the stone and began to evolve, but he wasn't alone.
"Looks like Marshtomp wanted to evolve at the same time as Growlithe," Anabel said, smiling.
"I guess so," Tucker said.
(Years later. A school in Lavender Town. Third person P.O.V.)
"I hope our teacher comes soon," a redhead said.
"I hope it's a girl," a boy with jet black hair said.
"Hate to disappoint, but our teacher's a guy. I met him!" a girl with dark brown hair said. Other kids were talking amongst themselves as the door opened.
"Welcome to Theater. My name is Mr. Tucker Heath. Take a seat and let me do attendance," Tucker said. He wrote his name on the whiteboard using a blue marker. He was wearing black pants, a white polo shirt and black blazer. The kids sat down.
"Okay, this is in alphabetical order. If you go by a different name or have a nickname, let me know. Also, share something about yourself," he continued, pulling a folder out.
"Wow, he looks like a businessman," a boy with blond hair said.
"He looks really young," a girl with turquoise hair said.
"I will be going by last names first. Aikawa, Radley?"
"Here!" a boy from the back called. He had dark green hair and brown eyes. "I'm from Mistralton City in Unova," he added.
Tucker nodded. "Arai, Teresa?"
"I go by 'Terri'," a girl with auburn hair answered. She had purple eyes. "I really like Fighting types," she added.
"They're rebuilding the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City. Hamm, Kyle?" Tucker said.
"Right here," a boy said, waving. "My dad makes really good noodles. Oh and Terri and I are good friends," Kyle added. His friend grinned at him and he grinned back.
"Kishio, Salvador?" Mr. Heath asked.
"Here," a boy with blue hair said. "I'm good friends with Harrison. Oh, and I go by 'Sal'," he finished.
"It's good to have friends and I hope you all make friends. Matthews, Eileen?" Tucker said. He didn't have to ask, but he asked anyway.
"Right here. Front and center," Eileen said, standing up. "I go by 'Leni' or 'Ace' and I'm the youngest of 6 kids," she finished, sitting down.
"Neya, Tiffany?" Tucker said.
"Here," a girl with light brown hair and bluish purple eyes answered. She was trying to think of something to say. The redhead just looked at her.
(Misty's P.O.V.)
Everyone is saying something different. I knew that about Eileen, though. Watch, this girl's probably gonna be related to an Elite 4 member.
"Anything unique about you?" Mr. Heath asked.
"Well, I live near a lake where there's a Dragonair," she said, nonchalantly.
"A Dragonair? Hah, you're bluffing," the blond next to me said.
"No, I'm not!" Tiffany defended.
"She's telling the truth," Eileen said, taking the role as a defender. I knew why she knew this.
"Oh, and what are you? Some kind of psychic?" the blond taunted.
'Yes, yes she is and she'll keep her mouth shut if she doesn't want to be picked on!' I mentally yelled.
"Yeah, actually," Eileen said, as if she was used to being asked. Was she?
"Prove it!" a boy with jet black hair taunted. Eileen would've smacked him. I know her well enough. However, the brunette sitting next to him took care of that.
'Come on, Mr. Heath, move forward. Save her until lunch,' I thought.
"Can you bend a spoon?" Kyle asked. Eileen nodded. He fished through his bag. "Oh. I've only got a fork," he said.
"So you're asking me to bend this?" Eileen said. Her eyes glowed blue and she lifted the fork up, bending all of its tines, then bending it in half.
"Cool!" some boy with turquoise hair said.
"You think that's cool? I can bend it back," Eileen said. Just like that, she reversed the effect she had on the utensil. Eileen sat down.
'Relax. I get asked like crazy. Plus I finally shut Lee up,' she scribbled on a notepad. Since this was an art school, Mr. Heath must've assumed she was drawing.
Before I could write and ask who Lee was, Mr. Heath snapped me out of my thoughts. "Pebbleman, Peter?" he asked.
"What's up? I go by 'Pete'. I know someone who's probably gonna be in the Elite 4. Brandon Blair," a brunet said. His hair was like Eileen's. It was really dark brown. I looked over at her. She was trying to resist a bored expression.
"That's great. So you're from Pewter City. Ah, looks like twins. Sakaguchi, Keenan and Melissa?" he said.
"I'm Keenan," the boy with turquoise hair said. "I have a chemistry set and I haven't exploded anything," he added.
"Yet. I'm Melissa and I go by 'Mel'," Melissa shot back.
"Interesting. Salerno, Clark?" he asked.
"Right here, sir," a boy with deep blue hair said. "I can play the piano," he added.
"Ah, it seems we might have a 'Piano Man' on our hands," Mr. Heath said. Was that supposed to be a joke? He sighed and said, "Must've been before your time. Hm. I can't make out the last name. Looks like there was a problem with the ink cartridge. I'm going to go by what looks like a middle name instead. Reese, Kendall?" he said.
"Yo," Kendall said, smirking. "My mom almost changed my name to 'Lightning' because I reminded her of a Jolteon," he added, sitting down.
"Swill, Kristina?" Mr. Heath said.
"Here," a girl sang. I turned and looked at her. She was the brunette who smacked that jet black-haired kid earlier. "My uncle specializes in Fire-types," she added.
'So does Eileen's dad. Come on, I've gotta be last,' I thought.
"Just a few more. Velasquez, Harrison?" he said.
"I'm here!" Harrison shouted. I turned. He didn't look tired. "Oh. Sorry about that. I'm usually really quiet and my favorite Pokémon is Houndoom!"
"That's quite alright. Waterflower, Misty?" he said.
"Here," I said, standing up. Crud, what was I gonna say?
"For someone who has a big mouth, you sure ran out of words," Kendall taunted, promptly earning a smack from whoever was behind him.
"Is there anything you'd like to say, Misty?" Mr. Heath said, looking up. I could've smacked him.
"She's too scared!" the black-haired kid taunted.
"Am not!" I argued.
"Then say something," he sneered. Speechless.
"Misty's mom is a water ballet director and her dad happens to be the one and only Anthony Waterflower," Eileen answered.
Some of the kids whispered. Did that count? I looked at Mr. Heath.
"That and I can command my sister's Lapras in battle," I added. Though I'm not allowed to battle yet, I can still command Lapras. Mr. Heath smiled.
"Lastly, Wright, Leroy?" Mr. Heath said.
"Here and I go by 'Lee'," he said. A smirk appeared. Oh how I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. "I also know the Celadon gym leader on a first name basis," he added, plopping back down.
"Alright. That is everyone. Now, some of you are probably wondering if I'm a little young. I will tell you now that I am 22. I graduated," Mr. Heath began, but was cut off by the lunch bell.
"Dismissed to lunch," he said.
"Thanks for saving me back there," I said to Eileen. Lee and a few others were still in the room.
"No sweat. Sorry about Kendall and Lee," she said.
"Wait, how do you know Kendall?" Lee asked.
"We each have a parent who's a gym leader," she answered.
"So how do you know our little Ace?" Kristina said, grabbing Eileen. I noticed that Kristina is taller than most girls.
"Eileen and I met when I was walking in the forest. I'd rather not talk about it," I said.
"Alright, alright! Mercy!" Eileen said. Kristina smiled at this. "Seriously, that hurt," Eileen said.
"Kristina, if you don't mind my asking, how old are you?" I asked.
"11," Lee interjected. "Like me and the current champion," he said, grinning.
I sighed. When Eileen convinced them she'd talk with them later, we walked outside.
"How do you know them?" I asked.
"How else do I know most people?" she retorted. It was either soccer or her hometown.
"Seriously? Just Viridian City?" I asked. She smirked.
"No. We played for the Viridian Sandshrews. I plan to play for the Marowak, Kristina plays for the Fuchsia Golbats and Lee plays for the Celadon Victreebels," she added. "I know you worry about my 'gift', Misty, but it's okay," she said.
"I wasn't so much worried about your psychic gift," I said. She looked at me and then pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Misty, do you think I would reveal something of that magnitude to the class?" she said.
I shrugged.
"Mr. Heath knows because I used it shortly after I met him," she added, in a whisper. I looked at her.
"We've got each other's backs," I said. She nodded.
(A month later. Third person P.O.V.)
"Now students, I'd like you to meet my co-directors and partner in writing this," Tucker said to his class as he stepped away from the podium.
A brunette woman and a dirty blond-haired young man walked into the auditorium, as did a dirty-blonde-haired young woman. The brunette was wearing a blue blazer over a cream top with a black skirt and heels. The blond male was wearing a navy blue polo shirt and khaki pants with sandals. The blonde female was wearing a black dress with heels as well.
"Hello. I'm Natalie Knight," the brunette said.
"My name is Nazuna Riker and this is my brother, Taran," the dirty blonde said. Taran made it his priority to take the mic. "We met Tucker probably before most of you were born. Anyway, the play you're doing is called 'The Fusion of Fire and Water'," he said, walking on the stage.
"I really hope Tucker taught you about projection," Natalie said. She was wearing a headset so that she didn't have to grab the microphone. "Tucker and I wrote this together. Natalie and Taran contributed parts," she added.
The kids listened intently to the three adults. Well, two adults and the almost adult in his own right. Taran would be turning 18 in a few days. Tucker smiled as they all spoke. Who would've thought that an ongoing battle would inspire a play and later, Tucker's battle strategy?
Scene! Okay, wow. This is the first chapter (that I know of that doesn't include a fellow author) that text is underlined. By the way, Mudkip can legally learn Ice Ball through breeding. If things didn't make much sense for Tucker's ages when he did what he did, here it is: graduated high school at 15. Got his first degree at 17. Started school for his second degree at 17. Obtained his second degree at 19. Began teaching about 3 years later. I say "about" because his birthday falls a few months after he got his second degree. I had quite a few OCs in there, didn't I? Well, if I put Greg, Ann and Eileen in there, I would've spoiled the surprise! By the way, brownie points to QuartzClaw for guessing the OC who catches Squirtle and Paul's first Kanto starter! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, even though it's long overdue. I intended to have this up on the 4th of July, but as you can clearly see, that didn't happen. Let me say this: of the kids in the class, Lee, Kristina, Kendall and Eileen are the only ones that belong to me. Kendall's name might ring a bell. Do you remember my one-shot, "Student vs. Teacher" and a Kendall appearing in that? Yeah, this is the same Kendall from that one-shot. Remember Eileen and Dr. Schroeder talking about Lee in chapter 19? Yeah, that's the same Lee. Radley was from Best Wishes; I decided to make him from Mistralton City because that was the first place to pop in my mind. Pete and Melissa were from the Indigo League. Harrison is the one from Hoenn who had a Blaziken and what I said his favorite Pokémon was a Houndoom. Salvador also competed in Johto and I just thought he and Harrison would get along fine. Clark is the same one from the Hoenn League. Everyone else is from the Battle Frontier saga. Keenan was the guy with the Sudowoodo he painted gold. There was such a resemblance between him and Melissa that I just settled on making them siblings. Go to their Bulbapedia pages. I know graphics changed and all, but you should be able to see the resemblance. Terri and Kyle are from the episode "Pasta La Vista", which is the exact same episode where Maddie Blaustein last voiced Meowth of Team Rocket. Blaustein also served as the voice actor/actress for Bill, Lt. Surge and Bruno. Interestingly enough, she provided the voice for Pete Pebbleman. She's missed by many; check her Bulbapedia page. Lastly, Tiffany is from the episode "On Olden Pond", which happens to be an episode where Pikachu tried to master Volt Tackle, but failed, having only learned the attack two episodes prior. I have a request for you all: there's a story on this site I'm reading called "Pokemon Journey Sinnoh Arc" by a writer known as powerstaark. It follows Harry Rowan and I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil his story, so check him out. He has other stories up. I do have some spoilers for mine, though. If you do not want any spoilers, continue to the bottom A/N because I still have ground to cover.
Spoilers about the next chapter: it will be short. I hope. At the end, my question will regard Team Aqua. It is a foreshadowing chapter. A Frontier Brain will appear. There will be battles.
Future polls: Paul's Johto starter, Paul's Hoenn starter, starters for Hilbert and Hilda, Calem's starter and Paul's relationship. Now last chapter, I mentioned that this could become a yaoi fic. The guys for Paul are Sho (from "Pika and Goliath"), Hamilton (the kid with the Croagunk nicknamed "Craig"), Lucas (same Lucas from gen 4), Ritchie, Gary, Kenny, Winston (an OC), and Drew. Almost all of the ships on that poll (except Against, and the unnamed ships for him with April, Shelby and Winston) are nevermet. If you DON'T want this to be a yaoi fic but you don't see a girl on there that you really just don't like (or isn't Dawn), then go for one of my OCs. Any reviews asking for this to be an Ikari fic WILL BE DELETED. I decided a long time ago that this wouldn't be an Ikari fic. Also, there will be a poll up on if a villainous team appears for the story. Throughout the fic, the 6 villainous teams will appear or at least get mentioned. However, in the major arc of the story, I want to know if you want the group (Paul, Barry, Eileen, TJ and whoever Paul is paired with) to have encounters with a villainous team (other than Team Rocket) or just have a crazy journey. On that poll, I will include the teams from my 5 crossovers, my 2 M fics and my betrayal fic. Each team's goal/objective will be briefly touched based on in parentheses. You will have to PM me for the rest of the details. For any of the *checks story stats, jaw drops* 1,775 of you reading this story and happen to be reading the aforementioned stories, you will know what the goals/objectives of each villainous team is and therefore do not need it explained to you. Keep in mind that that will only happen if a villainous team is chosen at all. I also hope that I'll be done with the aforementioned stories, or at least have a good dent in them, if you catch my drift.
A/N: *Takes deep breath* Okay. Moving on. I haven't started it yet, but by my estimate (and if you know me, you know how terrible my math is), the first Kanto arc will be 15-25 chapters, give or take. I plan to have the arc out by the end of summer break at the latest. The Viridian Marowak, the Fuchsia Golbats and the Celadon Victreebels are also AAU teams, but for those ten and up. Tucker calling Clark a 'Piano Man' is an allusion to the Billy Joel song of the same name. Don't believe me? Look it up. Also, Kendall's last name (although it wasn't said) appearing after Clark's and before Kristina's was an allusion to the book '101 Ways to Bug Your Parents' by Lee Wardlaw. Small spoiler (but this is so you can understand the reference), but Ace (one of the book's characters) is sitting in summer school, along with Stephen, Hector and Goldie (can't remember her real name) and his name falls in between two surnames. One starts with an S, the other with a T. Goldie becomes hellbent on finding out Ace's last name and Stephen is the one who ends up finding out when he and Ace are sent to the principal's office. The principal (Goldie's mother) call's out Ace's real name. Stephen looks around and is about to say (or he begins to and stops himself; I can't remember) that no one by that name is there, but Ace has gotten up and is walking towards the principal. Stephen realizes Ace's real name and after Ace finishes his talk with the principal, Stephen promises Ace that he (Stephen) won't tell Goldie his (Ace's) real name. It's a good book and I haven't read it in a long time. I used to have a copy. Anyway, Kendall is identified by his middle name (which happens to be Reese, like I said) and therefore would come before Clark and Kristina's last names. However, if you paid close attention, Tucker said that he couldn't make out the last name due to a smudge on the paper. That was intended so you all can rack your brains trying to figure out what his last name is or at least figuring out which gym leader he's related to. Sorry for the rambling, but I needed to put those explanations there.
You all probably noticed Lee's snarky remark at Kristina's age. The champion he's referring to? Remember how in chapter 10 (which has been revised and was also supposed to be up on Independence Day) I said that Carter Williams would be facing Lance the next day? Yeah, that's who Lee is referring to. If you think that Lee and Kendall are annoying, arrogant, snarky, or just about any word that can be described for Drew or Gary (or what their romantic partners say about them; May and Leaf), then that is pretty much spot on. However, I promise you this: Lee and Kendall are nice guys. It just happened that they happen to be annoying for the most part.
So, you know how I made Giovanni Paul's father and have only mentioned Team Rocket a few times before? Well, I thought I'd let you know of my "fascination" with Giovanni. The reason just came to my attention a few days ago, actually. Remember in chapter 15 at the bottom A/N with Paul and Meowth? Where they said that the author (me) happens to be Italian? Here's a small (very small) Italian lesson for you: "Giovanni" happens to be Italian for "John". Yep. I BS you not. The reason I'm telling you this is because my maternal great-grandfather (my mom's grandfather if you couldn't figure that out) was named Giovanni. With that said, here are my questions for this chapter:
1. What did you think of Tucker's parents and Professor Birch?
2. What did you think of the backstory I made for Arcanine? On a side note, Tucker doesn't own a Nidoqueen in any fandom. Charizard, Metagross and Salamence are part of his in-game team. He also has a Salamence in the Pokémon Adventures manga. Tucker having two pseudo-legendaries is me replacing the Latias he uses in one of his in-game teams. Having two pseudo-legendaries and one Legendary makes Tucker a little too OP. I will have a poll up on if the other Frontier Brains (besides Brandon) that have been seen with a Legendary will have it appear on their team in this fic. As for me giving Tucker a Nidoqueen, Nidoqueen is my sixth favorite Pokémon from Kanto and in my opinion, underappreciated. Nidoqueen has 8 documented appearances in the anime. Nidoking has 20 or 21 documented appearances. So if you wanted Tucker with a Nidoking, I'm sorry to disappoint, but he will not get a Nidoking. Any requests for Tucker with a Nidoking will be denied.
3. What did you think of the interactions between Tucker and Anabel? Also, what did you think of Tucker's reaction to his father teasing him about being Anabel's boyfriend? There is NOTHING in between them; at least not here, anyway. Any reviews about romance between the Dome Ace and Salon Maiden will be deleted. General comments and a possible crush (on Anabel's side) are fine.
4. What did you think of my nicknames/introductions for Tucker's other Pokémon? I would've called Metagross the "iron giant", but that reminds me too much of the movie of the same name. I would've gone with the "iron titan", but that's pretty much the nickname of a Metagross belonging to an OC. Titan is the nickname of my OC's Metagross.
5. Who is your favorite Team Rocket character? Why? It doesn't have to be from the anime, but if it is from a different fandom, please tell me what fandom he/she is from.
Now, here's something I've noticed. I'm not too fluent in Japanese, if the disclaimer in chapter 14 didn't give you a clue or opinion. The title for episode 78 of the XY series is "Fierce Battle in the Monster Ball Factory! Pikachu VS Nyarth!" What I do know is that "Monster Ball" is "Poké Ball" and that "Nyarth" is "Meowth" in Japanese. While it looks like there is no planned summary (other than Pikachu and Meowth battling in the Poké Ball factory) for the episode, I really hope that the writers do two things: introduce Calem (AmourShipping vs. KalosShipping) and introduce Team Flare. The first thing is so Ash can have an established rival. Tierno has the Voltage Badge. In the BW series, Burgundy won the Trio Badge, but didn't go on to compete in the Vertress League and besides, she was Cilan's rival, not Ash's. The other thing is this: Team Rocket and Team Magma both debuted in the second episodes of their respective series; original for Rocket and Advanced Generation for Magma. Team Aqua appeared in the 17th AG episode. Team Galactic appeared in the 36th episode of the DP series. Team Plasma is the team that didn't appear for the most amount of episodes with 112 of the BW series. However, the original episodes 23 and 24 of the BW series were unaired and Team Plasma was supposed to appear in episode 23. If you don't believe me, go to Bulbapedia and type in a banned episode. Click the episode's page. Once you see "banned episode" in the context, it will show you a list of banned and unaired episodes. I will let you figure it out from there. Anyway, 74 episodes of XY have aired and I don't count the side stories as episodes because they don't follow the anime directly. Again, no BS from me. So in my opinion, 74 episodes have aired and Team Flare hasn't been in any of them. I'm sure a majority of you have played X or Y. Whether you're male or female, you're joined by your rival of the opposite gender in the Poké Ball Factory for a Tag Battle. Who's the battle against? Celosia and Bryony. Who are they? Two of Team Flare's scientists/admins. The writers would be able to not only give Ash a rival, but mark the mainstream anime debut of Team Flare.
…Okay, a lot to soak in, I know. I planned (originally) on having this go no longer than 5,000 words. That plan failed, as I am at a little over 7,000 words right now. So, as always, R and R, F and F, vote and ask.
Bye!