Ira was in one of his odd moods, and was telling a joke. I wasn't paying attention to him, but suddenly I heard Joey shout, "Ira, you've got a perverted mind!"
I then thought back to before Michelle, Joey, and I came to Pok�mon Island. I had been on vacation in California, and it was my first day after all the driving.
(Flashback)
I was first the person awake that morning. I had changed time zones, so I wasn't used to that one yet. Michelle woke up a bit after me, announcing her presence by jumping on me and stuffing a pillow over my face. I had been half-awake, but I was wide awake now. Michelle tackled me like a football player, and we got into a bit of a wrestling match. I beat her easily. I got out of bed and walked off to the bathroom with a change of clothes. Michelle tried to say something to me, but I wasn't paying attention.
When I walked into the bathroom, Joey announced her presence by throwing a bottle of body wash at me and yelling, "Pervert!" I'd have to wait my turn. I tossed the bottle back to her, then apologized. "Don't apologize, get out you pervert!" Joey yelled. I picked up my clothes, and Joey threw a bottle of shampoo at me, hitting me in the head. I set my clothes back down, feeling the bump that appeared where the bottle hit me. That really hurt.
"Uh, can I have that back please?" Joey asked.
"Only if you don't throw anything else at me," I said, handing the bottle to her with my back turned.
Suddenly Joey grabbed my arm and pulled me part of the way into the shower, getting me soaking wet. I was taken completely by surprise, and had opened my eyes as a reflex. I gasped loudly and jumped forward, completely shocked by what had happened. I stumbled out of the shower, and could hear Joey laughing; probably because my face was so red. Michelle was also laughing, because she had been standing outside of the bathroom door.
"Isn't that getting a bit personal, Luke?" Michelle asked.
"Shut up Michelle. Just, shut up." I replied.
I walked into the kitchen, water dripping off me. Her dad was about to ask me something, but I cut him short.
"Don't ask. Really," I said.
He shrugged his shoulders and I went to my laptop in efforts to avoid further questions. That was definitely not the way to make a good first impression . . .
(End Flashback)
That had not been a good thing. It was completely accidental, but still embarrassing. I laughed as I thought about it. It wasn't funny to me at the time, but it was now. Joey happened to glance over at me right then.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"You're psychic. You tell me," I responded.
Suddenly Joey turned redder than I'd ever seen, but not from anger; she was blushing. She had read my mind, literally, and I could tell from her reaction that she had experienced a vision of our "encounter" right then.
"That's what I was laughing about, Joey," I commented. "Sure, it's embarrassing, but it's funny now that I look back at it."
Joey turned even redder than before and responded, "I guess you're right."
We went back to searching for Pok�mon a few minutes later. For some reason, Joey kept drifting off and forgetting what she was supposed to be doing. I concentrated my psychic powers on her, and once again the vision came to me. That's why Joey kept falling off track; she was thinking about the vision. I didn't know why this was, but I decided that it was none of my business.
I poked Joey and whispered, "Joey, get that out of your head before you get any crazy ideas."
She was instantly horrified. She hadn't even realized that might know what she was thinking about. She realized that now. She then gave me a strange smile, and went back to searching for Pok�mon. What Joey had been experiencing was similar to Pok�mon afterglow. All Pok�mon had this ability, but psychic Pok�mon had it stronger. I tried to put the thought in the back of my mind, but it kept reappearing.
When we went back to the cabin, Michelle was waiting for us. She had been the first one back, as always. She always got back to the cabin a few minutes before the rest of us. She gave me a weird look similar to Joey's, and I knew right then what she was thinking about.
"Drop it Michelle," I whispered. She giggled, then walked into the cabin. Apparently she wasn't going to listen to me. When I followed into the cabin, I saw that there were decorations EVERYWHERE.
"No way," I started. "There's no way it can be here already."
"Happy Birthday," Michelle said cheerfully. She the kissed me and walked into the kitchen.
I was frozen in shock and amazement. Michelle had just kissed me, and that meant something special. I then glanced at the calendar, and sure enough it was November 13; my 21st Birthday. I followed Michelle into the kitchen, where she and Joey were making a cake.
"You need some help?" I asked.
"Nope. It's bad luck to help make your own cake, so get out."
I shrugged my shoulders, then went into the living room. I plopped myself on the couch, a bit tired. Joey came in and jumped right on top of me, hitting me in the stomach.
"Thanks Joey," I said, holding my stomach for a minute. "I needed that."
"Sorry. I didn't realize you were there," she said, hovering over me in the air. She then changed all the way into her Mew form, and set herself down gently on my stomach.
"So, are you enjoying your Birthday so far?" she asked.
"I was until you jumped on me."
She just gave me an innocent look, as if she hadn't done anything at all.
"Uh, could you move please," I asked Joey. I was uncomfortable with her sitting on my stomach like that.
Joey giggled, then floated off toward the kitchen. I glanced into the corner, where a pile of presents sat. There were quite a few presents there. A few of the other members of TR47 always sent presents on our birthdays, as well as a few of our other friends. A few minutes later, the smell of chocolate cake began to fill the cabin. I decided to stay out of everybody's way, so I went down to the gym where all the Pok�mon were kept, along with the training areas, battle grounds, and other things.
Despite the fact that I was an electric-type Pok�mon, I liked practicing Karate. It helped me clear my mind, as well as improve my concentration.
I had been going at it for about twenty minutes when Joey came in, looking for me. She approached me, but I hadn't noticed her. She tapped me on the shoulder, and I was completely taken by surprise. In response, I did what any electric Pok�mon would do; I attacked with a Thunderbolt. Joey hadn't expected me to do this, and was thrown back. I whirled around, realizing my mistake.
"Are you okay, Joey?" I asked her.
"Yeah, just a bit shocked."
I laughed dryly at the pun, then walked over to the bench where my towel was lying. I dried off my face with the towel while Joey watched.
"You're cute when you work out. You know that?" Joey commented.
The comment caused me to blush deeply. Coming from most other people, I would've just shrugged off that comment, but when Joey and Michelle said it, it made me blush.
"Thanks," I said, my tail moving back and forth as I talked. "I didn't even realize you were down here watching me. Just how long were you watching me before you tapped me on the shoulder?"
"A few minutes."
"Just wondering. Sorry about attacking you."
"It's all right," Joey replied. "I should've known better than you sneak up behind you like that. Anyways, dinner's ready."
"Okay," I said. "I'll be right up after I take a shower."
I always got sweaty while working out, and this time was no exception. I took a quick shower, then went back up to the cabin. We ate dinner, which was steak and mashed potatoes, then sat around for a while, only talking. Little while later, I opened my presents.
Most of what I got were things like Pok�mon stuff, potions, etc. A few of them, however, meant a lot to me. For starters, Michelle gave me a small medallion with a Raichu imprinted on it. Under the Raichu was my name. The present that really got me was from Joey. It was small, but I knew that size didn't mean anything. I knew that it was a picture of some sort, because I could feel a frame through the wrapping paper.
I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the thin box it was in. Inside the box was a framed sketch. The sketch was in pencil, showing me, Michelle, and Joey. I was in the middle with my arms were around Michelle and Joey's waists, and their's around mine.
"Wow. Joey I, uh, I . . . " I stuttered. "Just thank you."
This picture meant a lot to me. It must have takes Joey hours to sketch. She had done a good sketch of me on about an hour, but this one was MUCH more detailed than most of her others.
"Joey, this sketch must've taken you hours to do," I said.
"Well," Joey responded, "it took me about 10 hours total. I've been working on it about 30 minutes at a time."
"Thank you, Joey," I said, hugging her. She was caught off guard by this, but she didn't care.
After all the presents were unwrapped, we had cake and ice cream, then played gamed for a few hours. It was 1:00 A.M. when we all finally went to bed.
Next morning we all got up later than usual and cleaned up the party mess. After it was all cleaned up, I went into my room and hung up Joey's sketch. It meant a lot to me. Joey had even signed it in the lower right-hand corner.
I was lying in bed looking at the sketch, when my thought process was interrupted by a knock at the cabin door. I was the first to the door, and was greeted by a PDS (Pok�mon Delivery Service) man.
"I have a package here for a Mr. Luke Judd," he said.
"That's me," I replied.
"All right then. Just sign here," he said, handing me a slip of paper and a writing pad.
I signed for the package, then he handed it to me and wished me a happy birthday. I was taken by surprise, because I didn't think that he knew when my birthday was. He then smiled and left. I looked at the label, and was amazed. The package was from my parents. They didn't even know where our TR47 Cabin was.
I took the package to my room and sat on the bed, setting it down next to me. I sliced the packaging tape apart and pulled the top of the box open. Inside was one of my most cherished items; a blanket that had been hand-quilted by my grandmother when I was five years old. I was sick with the flu when I actually received the blanket in a package from her, so it meant a lot to me.
I pulled the other blanket off my bed and spread out the quilt in its place. It looked really nice considering how old it was. I was amazed that it still was in one piece.
Michelle came into my room, and immediately noticed the quilt. She instantly commented on how nice it looked. She really liked it.
That night it was a bit warmer than usual, so I only slept in my shorts. I didn't usually do that, but it also wasn't usually that warm during the night. I was sort of used to the heat after going through ten years worth of Utah Summers, but this was still annoying.
The next morning we all decided to take the day off. I wanted to sleep in, but Michelle decided it was time for me to wake up. She walked quietly into my room and snuck right up next to my bed, then yelled, "Wake up, Luke!"
I shot straight up in alarm. I had learned how to control my electricity when I was startled, thanks to my accidental attack on Joey. I glared at Michelle, who was giggling. She sat down on top of the blanket next to me, smiling brightly. That's one of the qualities about Michelle that I liked so much; her smile. I moved to the opposite side of the bed and sat on the edge, pulling up my feet quickly when they touched the cold floor. I had scooted in such a way that the blanket was wrapped around my legs.
"Holy crap!" Michelle exclaimed, turning away from me and blushing deeply. "I didn't realize you weren't decent!"
"Don't worry Michelle," I said while throwing the blanket off myself, "I've got clothes on."
Michelle slowly turned around, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that I was telling the truth.
"Honestly Michelle," I said, "did you think that I'd actually do that?" I laughed, then continued, "I didn't know that it was possible for a person to blush that much."
"Oh, shut up." Michelle said. She was obviously a bit irritated, but more embarrassed than anything. She was still blushing. It was partly my fault though. I shouldn't have gotten out of bed so quickly.
I threw on a shirt and went into the living room, where the others were playing Scrabble. Joey was arguing that the word "fwap" was real, but everybody else disagreed.
"Hey Luke, is 'fwap' a word?" Joey asked, giving me a look.
"Sure," responded. "It means the same as 'slap.'"
The others called me "The Walking Dictionary," so they accepted my response and gave it to Joey. What they didn't realize, was that I was lying lie a rug. I only said that because it would make everybody happy. Joey would get the points, and the others would believe that it was a real word. Joey grinned, because she knew that I was lying. I decided not to join in, because it wouldn't be very fair. I watched Joey count up the points, then it was Jadsy's turn.
I came in ten minutes later to see that they were done. Joey had beaten them by fifty points. After they put away the game, we all decided to go out and play frisbee. The teams were Jads, Ira, and Magick (refer to Joey's fanfics for info on Magick), versus Joey, Michelle, and me.
We had been playing for a while, and the score was tied 6-6. Michi threw the frisbee to Joey, who leapt up into the air to catch it. Joey looked around and saw me standing wide open. She threw the frisbee perfectly, but it was high. I leapt up into the air to catch it, and succeeded. I came back down and landed on one foot, slightly off balance.
My leg collapsed under me, and I both could hear and feel a sickening rip in my leg as I fell. I clutched my leg in agony as I fell on the ground. I had torn a muscle or something in my leg, and the pain was excruciating.
Michelle and Joey helped me up after ten minutes, and helped me back into the cabin. I only hopped on one leg, the other covered in a temporary bandage. Any sort of pressure in that area sent a flash of pain surging through my leg.
I was placed in the caboose of Joey's motorcycle, the they drove me to a nearby hospital. Joey and Michelle have me support again as I hopped into the Emergency Room.
After a few moments of waiting, the doctor checked over my leg, feeling it all over. He didn't have to search very long to find a wad of muscle where it wasn't supposed to be. The wad of muscle was a result of a torn Achilles Tendon, which hooked that muscle to the back of my heel. Without the Achilles Tendon intact, the muscle just sort of wadded up below the knee. It would require surgery. After the surgery would be rehabilitation, and lots of it.
I was given painkillers, then admitted to the hospital. I would be in surgery the next day, having the tendon repaired. That meant I couldn't eat anything. I could only drink fluids for the time being.
I woke up the next morning to a rather unpleasant burning sensation in my leg. I took my morning dose of painkillers, then noticed that I had an IV in my arm now. I wasn't too fond of IVs, but as long as I wasn't awake when they started one, I was fine.
They surgeons cleaned up my leg and prepared it by swabbing iodine all over it. They hooked up a new bag of fluids to my IV, then I was wheeled into the surgery room.
When I got there, the people were already waiting. The Anaesthesiologist (say that three times fast) then stood over me and started to speak.
"Now, I'm going to put you under. When I say 'go,' I want you to count to ten, Okay?"
"Sure thing," I said. "Just don't give me too much. I don't wanna wake up dead."
He was about to inject the needle int my IV line, and stopped completely when I said that. He gave me a warning glance that said, "that wasn't funny," then leaned back towards the needle.
"Go," he said, while pressing on the needle to inject the anaesthetic.
I started counting out loud, "One, two, three, four, five..." *thud* When I got to five, it was almost like somebody had turned a switch that made me go to sleep, because I was out in an instant.
I drowsily woke up a while later, but my vision wasn't working properly yet. I could see lights and hear voices, but that was it. Slowly, as if through a camera lens, everything came into focus. Joey and Michelle were sitting on either sides of my bed. I was still really groggy from the anaesthetic. When they realized I was awake, they moved closer to the bed.
"Hoe do you feel?" Joey asked.
"I don't," I responded. This generated some confused looks from Michelle and Joey. "Let me explain. I'm all drugged up on painkillers. I can't feel anything."
They understood now. I tried to sit up, but didn't have the strength to do it on my own, so Joey and Michelle helped me up. I placed a pillow behind my back and sat against the back of the bed. I pulled up the covers to examine my leg, but the only thing there was bandages. I'd have to wait to see what it actually looked like. I didn't know it, but everybody else had been watching the surgery. They knew what had been going on.
The doctor came in after a little bit to check up on me, asked me how I was feeling, then recorded my vital signs and that kind of stuff. He then left as fast as he came.
"Hey Luke," Michelle said, "mind of I take a look?"
"Go for it," I said, while pulling the sheet back up again. My leg was bandaged from the knee down. I tried not to blush too much, but I couldn't help it because the hospital gown I was in was a bit short. I then pushed the sheet back down and laid back against the pillow. I went back into surgery a week later, but this one was just to check for infection and remove any dead tissue.
I was still really drowsy from the drugs when Michelle and Joey visited me, but it wasn't enough to make me want to sleep. Michelle, Joey, and I talked for a while, then they left. They returned a little while later with my bag of stuff, and my laptop case. I plugged my laptop into the hospital network with their permission, then checked my E-Mail. I had one message from my parents, and they wanted to know how I was doing. So I told them. I typed an E-mail starting from when we left to Pok�mon Island, up to now. It ended up being five pages long.
By the time I had finished the E-Mail, lunch was brought to me. It was typical hospital food, but they actually knew how to cook here. I ate my lunch a bit quickly, then read for a while. At around 7:00 P.M. Michelle came to visit me again. We talked for a while, then she left and I went to sleep.
I had lots of spare time during my stay at the hospital, so I spent it writing a story, just like I am right now. After about two hours of typing, proofreading, deleting, and more typing, I had ten pages written. It was a fanfic, but more of an autobiography.
Joey and Michelle came to visit me on and off when I was at the hospital. I continued to type my story while talking to Michelle and Joey, but I kept accidentally typing what we were saying in my fanfic, so I saved my fanfic and closed the typing program.
After I closed my laptop and put it aside, I pulled out my sketch pad, and started sketching. Joey was also sketching on her own pad. Joey stepped over to my bed to admire what I was working on. It was a group picture of TR47, including Ira, Jads, Joey, Michelle, myself, and a few others. Joey complimented me on the sketch, then sat down and went back to working on her sketch.
I glanced over, and laughed when I saw that she was doing a sketch of me, sitting in bed propped up against a pillow, sketching. She was sketching a picture of me sketching (is that confusing or what?).
After an hour, we compared sketches, and we were both impressed, to say the least. Both of the sketches were turning out really nice. Joey left, so only Michelle was with me.
At that point we decided that we would write a story together. I got my laptop back out and switched it on, then loaded up my typing program.
We wrote the story from ideas that came right off the top of our heads. As the ideas came to us, the story got longer. After two hours of debating what to type next, then actually typing, we had twenty pages written. Knowing us, it would end up being a LOT longer than that.
We talked for a while longer, then Michelle left to go back to the cabin and eat dinner. I hooked my laptop back up to the network and checked my E-Mail. Most of it was junk, but one was from a former classmate from my High School years. I hadn't seen him since after my Junior year at High School, since he was a Senior then.
I surfed the net for a little while longer, then logged off. There wasn't anything of importance that I needed to do on the Internet. I decided to go to sleep, so I put my laptop away again, then fell fast asleep a few minutes later.
Two weeks later I was working with a PT (Physical Therapist) to get my leg working again. The tendon needed to be worked a bit to get it working normally again. The therapy was a bit uncomfortable at the start of each session, but the pain subsided quickly.
After a few more weeks I was working my leg a bit harder, getting it back to normal. I had to walk around with crutches for a while, because too much strain on my leg might tear the tendon again. Eventually my leg was back to normal again, and I could walk freely without crutches.
After that I went back to my normal routine in the gym. The gym was intended mainly for Pok�mon training and battling, but I was half Raichu. Amazingly enough, I could use the same attacks as a Raichu, plus the ones that I had learned from Joey.
Eventually August rolled around, and so did Michelle's 16th Birthday. It was the big one...her Sweet 16. She had just gotten her driver's license, so I bought her a car. Joey was jealous, but she had her motorcycle.
We were all getting bored with our daily routine, so we decided to take a vacation. We'd go back home. As far as we knew, Ira and Jads hadn't been off of Pok�mon Island, so this would be new for them. We packed all the stuff from the cabin into the gym, so it looked like an abandoned cabin now. We packed all the stuff we needed in our packs, then got ready.
Ira and Jads couldn't fly, but we had a way around that. As long as they were holding one of our hands, they would be able to fly with us. Joey held Ira's hand, and I took Jadsy's.
"Ready?" I asked.
They nodded, so we were ready to leave. Joey, Michelle, and I kicked off the ground, flying high into the air. Ira was yelling loudly, but Jadsy was screaming at the top of her lungs. After a few moments they got used to it, and stopped screaming.
We were all flying at an enormous speed, and arrived in Michelle's front yard a little while later. Nothing at all had changed. In fact, my Mustang was still parked in the driveway with the cover over it.
I fished my keys out of my pack, then put them into the ignition after taking the car cover off. I turned the key, and the car started like it was brand new. I revved the engine, smiling as the engine roared loudly. I looked at the Odometer, and saw that Michelle's dad actually hadn't driven it that much. I had given him permission to drive it. Michelle's dad, alarmed by the engine revving, came outside, and was thrilled to see us.
We introduced Ira and Jadsy to Michelle and Joey's dad, then we all talked for a while. We all threw out our sleeping bags on the floor, and went to bed late after we stopped talking.
We slept in until 9:30 A.M., then ate breakfast and packed all our stuff into the trunk of the Mustang. All five of us fit perfectly in the car. We drove towards Utah, because my house was our final destination that day. On the way we stopped at Buffalo Bill's and rode the Desperado a few times, then continued.
Just for fun, I had yelled "TR47 rules!" at the top of my lungs, right before the train reached the peak of the hill and plunged down the other side. We all ended up yelling ourselves hoarse from the roller coaster, so we didn't say much after that for a while. There was a $500,000 jackpot at the dollar slots, so Joey and I decided to play since we were old enough. The supervisor there gave Joey an odd look and asked for ID, then let us continue when he saw that Joey was old enough.
We had been playing for about five minutes when Joey got the Triple-7's, but she had only bet $1.00, so she got $10,000. A prize claim receipt popped out, and Joey took it to the main desk. They gave her a check, and she came back, satisfied.
I was more daring, so I bet $5.00 every time. I had won $1,500, and we decided that it was time to leave. I wanted one more shot at the jackpot. I pressed the $5.00 bet button, then pulled the spin lever, hoping for the best.
Everybody in our group crowded around the machine, hoping I'd get it. The first reel stopped on 7, followed shortly by the second. I waited, and the third slowed and stopped at seven as well. An alarm rang out, saying that we were guaranteed $10,000, and had a shot at the jackpot. The fourth reel continued spinning, and we waited with our fingers crossed.
The fourth reel slowed down, and we all closed our eye and literally held or breath. A sudden alarm rang out, announcing what had happened. It was a seven. We had won the jackpot.
A man appeared a few seconds later to congratulate us, then wrote me out a check for $500,000. I still had the other money from the earlier winnings, so I hit the pay slot and received the receipt. It was for $1,500, which meant nothing now. I walked up to a woman and gave it to her, and she freaked out and thanked me.
I already had tons of money in my account from my game, so I sent the check with a letter to Michelle's dad. I was already a millionaire, so I didn't need to worry about money.
"I wonder," I thought out loud.
I then pulled out my cell phone and dialed up my bank by phone service. I entered the information, the performed a balance inquiry.
A computer generated voice then said, "Current account balance is, $36,472,700."
I almost dropped my cell phone in shock. I knew I had a lot of money, but I didn't know I had that much. All of that money had come from the sales of my game. The game hadn't even been released outside of the USA yet!
After a lot of hours of driving, we arrived in the town of Mapleton. It had been a fairly small town when my family moved in, but it began to grow over the years. Eventually the town allowed businesses to open up there, so it was larger now.
I pulled into the driveway at my house and shut off the engine, then the headlights. Fortunately enough, my parents always left the porch light on.
All of us literally jumped out of my car, and we walked up to the porch. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently for somebody to answer. I could hear somebody mumbling "Who the hell would knock on the door at this time of night?" through an open window.
After about twenty seconds, my mother answered the door. I thought she would explode from happiness when she saw me. We all went inside and talked for a VERY long time, but not before I introduced my parents to Michelle, Joey, Ira, and Jadsy. My parents were glad to have me back. The first thing that they asked us was why Michelle, Joey, and I all head ears and a tail. I swore under my breath, because we could've changed into a form of ourselves without the Anthro characteristics.
We responded by telling my parents the entire story about how Joey came to exist, which was in a Laboratory, then how Michelle and I ended up as Anthros.
Michelle, Joey, and I then changed into all-Pok�mon form right before my parents' eyes. They were impressed. After that, we changed back to our Anthro forms.
My brother got home a few minutes later, and the first thing he asked me was where I had been all those years. I told him the same story that I told my parents. He was amused when I mentioned the name "Pok�mon Island."
"Pok�mon Island?" he blurted. "There's not a place called Pok�mon Island!"
"You may not think so Mark, but there is. You just have to know the secret to getting there. Humans don't know the secret."
He then started pestering me about my ears and tail, and I was getting mad. So were Michelle and Joey. I responded by giving him a small jolt of warning.
"Remember this, Mark, next time I won't be so gentle."
It was late when we all decided to go to bed. It was the hottest part of the Utah summer, so we threw out our sleeping bags outside and slept under the stars. At around 3:00 A.M., we all got cold and took our bags inside, then laid them out in the basement. There was more than enough floor space for all of us.
We woke up at 9:00 next morning, and had pancakes and bacon for breakfast, which was made by Joey and me. After breakfast, we all went back into the basement and played on the N64.
Joey and I were playing grudge matches in World Driver Championship, because we wanted to prove that one was better than the other. I won the first race, then Joey won the next to tie it. The final race was amazing. We were both dead even the entire race. The highest lead either of us got was only a few seconds. Finally we got to the final stretch, and we were dead even. We didn't want to hit each other, because it could backfire and make us spin ourselves out instead of each other.
We crossed the finish line, and the race was too close to call. We didn't even get a place when we crossed. It displayed our final times, and we knew why we hadn't been given a place. We had tied dead even. Both of us had crossed the finish line with a time of 1:15:47. We settled with a tie, and decided that we were equally good, even though I knew that both of us were thinking that one of us should've won.
We ended up playing games all day, and went to bed at 1:00 A.M. The next day we got up at 10:00 A.M. after sleeping in, and drove to Lagoon, Utah's only amusement park.
After the day was over, we all checked into a hotel room and went right to sleep. We were dead-tired from the day at Lagoon, because we had done a lot of walking. I had also won Michelle a giant stuffed doggy. She loved it, and had kissed me when I won the prize and handed it to her.
The next day we all decided to go back to California, but since we were so far North, we'd take the road towards Reno, instead of going South to Vegas.
We left at 5:00 A.M. the next morning, which was much too early for all of us, but we had no choice. Everyone else slept in the car while I was driving. I didn't to wreck my car, so I had taken a caffeine pill, and was totally wired.
After a few hours of driving, the sun began to rise, and we were pulled off at a rest stop on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Everybody else was wide awake now, since the sun was rising. We ran up to the viewpoint, and the only thing to see was miles and miles of salty sand, then mountains way off in the distance; one of which we'd be crossing over.
I had taken a driving course and qualified myself for a racing license earlier, so I pulled the car off at a turnoff and drove out onto the vast plain of sand and salt. I put the car in park, the popped the hood. Everybody got out to look at the engine, and what they saw was a supercharger kit. It was basically an additional valve for the engine. The engine was already a V-8, but with the supercharger it was a V-9. In order to use the supercharger, I had to start it up manually. I flipped a few stitches on the supercharger, the slammed the hood back down.
We all climbed back into the car, and everybody buckled their seatbelts. I revved up the engine, and listened in enjoyment to its roar. I let off the gas and let the engine return to normal speed, then flipped a switch near the speedometer that activated the supercharger. Nothing happened, but that was normal. I revved up the engine again, and when it got to about 6,000 RPM, there was a loud roar, which was from the supercharger kicking in. The supercharger didn't actually start up until the RPM reached a certain speed.
I let off the gas, and the supercharger shut down as the RPM returned to normal. I shifted the car into my special gear, which was labeled "SD" on the gearshift. My Mustang was an automatic, so it shifted itself when it needed to. In order to get the high speed, I had to shift into that special gear. It was similar to Overdrive, but this one had two extra gears for higher speeds, then overdrive at the top.
When I was under the hood readying the supercharger, I had also added special coolant to the engine. High speeds got the engine really hot, and it was even worse here in the desert. That's what the special coolant was for. It was my high speed coolant. The wind coming over the car would be really strong at the speed, and there was also sand to deal with, so I put the top up.
I pressed on the brake and revved up my engine, and gave everybody else a look that said, "Hold on tight and enjoy the ride!" A group of cars had parked at the view area and there were people standing at the viewpoint with binoculars and other things, because they knew what I was going to do.
I knew they were watching, so I reached my hand out the window and waved, then revved up the engine again. I let off the brake, and the car started to move forward on its own. It idled at about 30 MPH without me even pressing on the gas.
I was a long ways from the viewpoint, but the direction I was headed in would take me right past it. I then punched the accelerator all the way to the floor, sending the engine to a deafening roar. Massive clouds of dust and salt were kicked up under the tires. We were all pressed back into our seats from the burst of speed.
The car quickly shifted up to 4th, and continued to accelerate. It shifted up to 5th at about 100 MPH, which was normal. We were still a ways off from the viewpoint, but it was approaching quickly. The Mustang accelerated even more, but it was losing power, This is where I had to take over for the car. I let off the accelerator and immediately punched it back down, sending it back into its power acceleration stage.
The car shifted into 6th gear at 150 MPH. Everything was working perfectly. At about 200 MPH, the car shifted up into 7th gear, reaching its final stage of high speed. However, that was the final stage on a standard V-8. My Mustang wasn't a V-8. Suddenly the supercharger roared to life, and the car shot forward with a fresh burst of speed. It shifted into Overdrive and finally the speedometer topped out at 250 MPH. That was as high as my speedometer went, but I knew that we were still speeding up.
I looked up and saw the viewpoint at the rest stop approaching amazingly fast. I could clearly see the people's astonished faces as we got closer and closer. We rocketed past the viewpoint, and I knew that we were going well over 250 MPH. Maybe even 300 MPH. I let off the gas finally, and the car immediately began to slow down.
I couldn't use the brakes yet, because even slightly tapping them would instantly burn them out from the high speeds. There was only one way to slow down enough to use the brakes. I pressed a button next to the speedometer, and a parachute shot out from a hidden spot at the back of the car. We began to slow immediately. After about thirty seconds, we were slowed enough, so I began to gently apply the brakes.
A few moments later, we had slowed to about 100 MPH, so I made a wide turn and began to head back towards the viewpoint. I didn't speed up, however. The others in the car didn't have a clue what I was doing. When I got close to the viewpoint, I turned around and said, "Hold on tight."
I then yanked the wheel to the right, sending the car into a wild spin through the sand and salt. Everybody in the car screamed for a few seconds, but then they started to enjoy it. I turned the wheel to the left to straighten us out, until we were skidding sideways across the sand. We finally came to a stop, right past the viewpoint. We all stepped out of the car, and the people at the viewpoint that were watching us began to clap and cheer. Quite a few people had gathered at the viewpoint by now, so there was quite a crowd. There were about 100 people there watching us.
We got back into the car and I drove back onto the road, and pulled into the rest area. The people flocked toward us when I shut off the engine. They were amazed that I had done all that. Especially when I started spinning in the sand.
A policemen approached me and handed me a few sheets of paper. On them was the radar readout of the entire sequence. From the point when the car started moving, to when I turned around and came back to the viewpoint. I scanned through the list of numbers in amazement. The paper showed not only the speeds, but the amount of time as the car was driving. For every second the car was moving, there was a speed, then another number which calculated the rate of acceleration from second to second. I scanned over the speeds, and saw that the Mustang had reached a top speed of 310 MPH; much faster than I had ever done before out here on the Salt Flats.
I put the top back down on the car, because we weren't going to be doing any more high speed driving that day. I popped the hood and started the car up. The people watched in amusement as I revved up the engine, then they were amazed as the supercharger kicked in. After ten minutes of explaining the details of the engine and the supercharger to the people, we left. That little stunt had burned quite a bit of gas, but we'd have enough.
The rest of the way to Vallejo, I only drove 10 MPH over the speed limit, which was uncommon for me. I usually went 20 MPH over or more.
We arrived at Vallejo and checked into a hotel at 1:00 A.M. We got to our rooms and fell asleep immediately. We were dead-tired from the long trip. We went to Six Flags: Marine World the next day, then drove from there to Los Angeles. We checked into yet another hotel near Six Flags: Magic Mountain, which was just outside of L.A. The next day we spent at Six Flags: Magic Mountain. After that, we drove an hour from there to Michelle's house.
We got all our stuff out of my car, then I gave the keys to Michelle's dad again, and we headed back to Pok�mon Island. When we arrived at the cabin, a note was pinned to the door. It was from Kat, Joey's friend. She as wondering where we had gone, because we hadn't informed her of our vacation plans.
We flew to Kat's house and knocked on the door. He heard a loud explosion come from inside, and a few moments later Kat opened the door, looking a bit blackened. She was normally a pink Mewtwo with a darker pink tail, but she had accidentally dropped something explosive when we knocked on the door.
We helped her clean up the mess, then talked about the vacation for a while. After that she showed us some of the stuff she was working on, most of which were bombs of different types. She demonstrated one of the bombs for us in her yard, which left a crater ten feet deep and thirty feet across.
We talked for another hour, then all of us, including Kat, headed back to the cabin. After a few hours of moving things, the cabin looked like it did before we went on vacation. The other TR47 members had fed our Pok�mon that were in the gym, so the Pok�mon were all happy.
The next day we were out taking a walk through the woods, and Michelle, Joey, Kat, and I were getting an odd feeling, like something was going to happen. We all sensed that something with strong psychic powers was nearby.
I scanned the area, and noticed a pair of eyes watching us from some nearby bushes. I floated off the ground and moved towards the thing, making sure to not move too quickly. Joey and Michelle stayed where they were to keep from alarming it.
I moved closer, and suddenly the thing shot out of the bushes and flew straight up. It was a Mew! I kicked off the ground as hard as possible and began to follow it. I soon caught up to the Mew, and I could tell that it was challenging me to a game similar to follow the leader; Mew style.
We flew through the air doing every aerobatic move possible. I matched the Mew's every move exactly. I had also changed from my Anthro Raichu form to my all Raichu form while flying, which impressed the Mew. A transformation in midair can break concentration and cause you to crash. Finally the Mew decided this was a stalemate. Neither of us were going to win. It flew to the ground and landed gracefully on the ground, touching down gently.
I wasn't quite as coordinated on my landings. Joey and Michelle glanced up at me, to see me diving headfirst toward the ground. Moments later I slammed into the ground, leaving a hole a few feet deep. The Mew giggled as Joey and Michelle helped me up.
When I stood back up, the Mew walked up to me and touched me gently on the cheek. As it did so, a vision of its birth flashed through my mind.
It was then that I realized the significance of this Mew. This was the original Mew; the parent of Mewtwo, Joey, and Kat. Mew wasn't their actual parent, because they had all been cloned from Mew's DNA.
Joey already knew this Mew from Team Rocket 12, but Michelle and I had never met her. This was Dreana. In the TR12's final days, Dreana had been captured in a Master Ball by the cops, but Joey had managed to spring her. She then joined TR47 with Joey. After a little while she had left to get away from the cops, then was never heard from again. They all assumed that she had been either captured or killed. All of them except for Joey, that is.
Joey had left TR47 to search for Dreana. She had been searching for over a month, and decided to come to the USA to search for new recruits. Joey knew tons about human DNA and how to alter it, so all she needed was people with the right personality. She knew just where to look; California.
(Another Flashback)
She let her psychic powers guide her to her destination. She didn't even have to open her eyes to see where she was going. Her psychic powers were so strong that she had the ability to do that. When she touched down on the ground, she opened her eyes and found herself in a city near L.A.
She had landed on the sidewalk in front of a house. Apparently, this was the house she was searching for. And yet, there was still something missing. She walked up to the door and knocked on it, hoping that somebody was home.
A man opened the door a few moments later, and was amazed to see Joey standing there. Pok�mon were nothing more than a cartoon to humans outside of Pok�mon Island. They had never actually seen a live Pok�mon before. Joey instantly transformed into an all Human form. One that she had chosen for herself.
The man almost fell over, completely stunned by Joey's transformation. Joey immediately concentrated her psychic powers on him, and he eventually came to believe that Joey was his daughter, and that she was just like every other girl that lived in the area. She met the rest of the family, and did the same to them. From that point on, they believed that she was just another member of the family. Eventually, Joey met me in chat, and it was then that she realized what she had felt was missing. It was me. We became really close friends, and so two years later I, well, you know the rest.
We all got acquainted with Dreana, then resumed searching for Pok�mon. For some strange reason, Dreana kept watching me with great interest. Then a thought popped into my head. I had matched Dreana's every move in our aerial competition. Nobody had ever done that before.
I was getting a bit uncomfortable having her watch me like that, but I got used to it. I did my nest to ignore it at first, but it was difficult.
We all headed back to the cabin the next day, because we were too far away to make it back at a reasonable time. We spent the next few years training all of the Pok�mon we had. We did this by organizing a competition. Every single Pok�mon would battle all the other Pok�mon, kinda like a sports season, only with Pok�mon. We decided to include ourselves in it as well. The Pok�mon with the best records would then advance to a Sudden-Death tournament.
The entire first phase took quite a while to complete, but we eventually finished it. The next phase was to determine which of the Pok�mon would actually advance. Quite a few we tied, and had to battle for a spot in the tournament. After a week of these battles, the tournament tree was created. Joey, Michelle, Kat, Dreana, Mewtwo, and I had been strategically placed, so we wouldn't battle each other for a long time. If we advanced that far in the tournament, that is.
After months of vicious battling, the final 16 Pok�mon were (deep breath) Joey, Michelle, Kat, Dreana, Mewtwo, me, Jynx, Alakazam, Butterfree, Raichu, Charizard, Flareon, Primeape, Lapras, Zapdos, and Dragonite.
The battles for that day were (another deep breath) Joey vs. Alakazam, Michelle vs. Zapdos, Kat vs. Jynx, Dreana vs. Lapras, Mewtwo vs. Raichu, me vs. Dragonite, Butterfree vs. Charizard, and Flareon vs. Primeape.
The battles were incredible, and the advancing winners were Joey, Michelle, Kat, Dreana, Mewtwo, me, Charizard, and Flareon. We posted the Eight-Pok�mon Battle chart, which was a major one. The next battles were Joey vs. Charizard, Michelle vs. Flareon, me vs. Mewtwo, and finally Kat vs. Dreana.
We all were fully healed, then got a good night's rest. The Pok�mon were all ready for us when we entered the battle arena. Note: due to story size, I won't go into great detail yet. Joey easily beat Charizard with a single Psybeam, and it was the same way with Michelle and Flareon. The battle between Mewtwo and I lasted for twenty minutes before I shot a powerful Psybeam at him. He wobbled for a few moments after being hit, then crashed to the ground. Kat and Dreana also dragged out their battle. Kat came out victorious with a Metronome. It was a weaker Metronome than normal, so the arena wasn't too badly damaged. Nothing a few quick repairs couldn't fix.
The final four Pok�mon were Joey, Michelle, Kat, and I. We were healed yet again, and took an additional day off to ensure maximum strength.
Finally the day came. The battles were Joey vs. Michelle and me vs. Kat. We were all in top condition, as well as Level 100. We knew all the strongest attacks that Pok�mon of our type could learn, and then some.
Joey and Michelle were first. The bell rang out to begin the battle. Joey and Michelle both shot off powerful Psybeams at the same time, which produced a powerful blast when the Psybeams collided. Michelle and Joey were both thrown backwards from the force of the blast. Michelle did a flip in midair, and landed perfectly on her feet. She then shot a Thunder attack at Joey, who was just getting up from the Psybeam blast. She wasn't too badly damaged, but the effects showed.
Joey responded by using her pound attack. This was her first ever attack, and it was now extremely powerful with her Experience Level. She flew through the air and struck Michelle right in the head, sending her tumbling backwards into a wall. Michelle got up and shook her head to clear it, then looked up and dodged another Pound by Joey.
The battle went on like this for thirty minutes. Eventually, both Joey and Michelle were both showing obvious signs of extreme exhaustion and weakness.
Michelle was about to faint, so she made a last effort to win. She shot off a Thunder at Joey before she attacked and ended the battle right then. Joey was in the process of a Pound, so she couldn't avoid the attack. It was domino-effect from there. Joey lost control as a result of the attack, which caused her to miss Michelle and slam full-force into the wall. She was knocked out right then. Michelle, exhausted from using so much energy and taking hits, also fell over fainted. It was a toss-up. Which one would be victorious?
There were official Pok�mon League judges there which immediately began going over notes on the battle. After much debating and making decisions, they awarded the win to Michelle. Michelle's final attack was the reason that Joey slammed into the wall, and Joey had missed Michelle entirely when Michelle fainted. After they both woke up and were informed of the results, Joey regretfully congratulated Michelle.
Now it was time for me and Kat. This would be even better than Michelle and Joey's battle. We started the battle by using Thunder attacks. Kat's was a bit stronger than mine, so hers cut through mine and I was hit. It wasn't too bad though. I was barely injured, and I now had even more energy than before I attacked.
I shot another Thunder at her, which she attempted to block. She was hit, but took more damage than me. She then jumped off the ground and shot a Psybeam at me, but I responded with Confusion. The Psybeam turned and shot back at Kat, increasing in strength at it sped towards her. She hadn't expected this, and so it took her completely by surprise. It hit her, and she flew back into a wall. She got up and used Psywave on me, sending me rolling backwards until the wall stopped me. I almost fainted, but shook my head to clear it and stood up.
I charged up with as much electricity as I could gather, and shot a ball of energy at Kat. The Pok�mon League Judges were astounded by this. An attack of this nature had never been documented. Kat was just as amazed, but wasn't so thrilled by it. She was immediately engulfed in the ball of energy. She managed to shoot off a Psybeam at me before being surrounded by the energy. I was knocked flat on my back from the attack. I got up to see Kat getting weakly off the ground.
It was time to finish this, and I was going to do it with a bang. Literally. I began moving my arms back and forth in the air, charging up my most powerful attack; the Metronome.
Kat was helpless, hypnotized by the waving motion of my arms. I eventually stopped and placed my arms at my side, and the arena was instantly engulfed in a white glow. Moments later there was a massive explosion. When the smoke and dust cleared, I could see Kat lying unconscious at the base of the far wall, curled in fetal position. I had won by a knockout.
I floated over to where Kat was lying, and bent down next to her. I whispered, "I'm sorry," in her ear, then kissed her on the cheek. We all then carried her back to the cabin and laid her in a bed to recover.
She woke up a few days later, and I was sitting next to her bed waiting.
"Welcome back to the living," I said. "That was a great match."
Kat smiled and replied, "I know. You're a great battler. I underestimated your abilities. Next time I won't be so lenient."
I laughed and said, "You're not the first to underestimate me."
"By the way," Kat said, "Thanks."
"For what?" I asked, puzzled.
"While I was unconscious, you kissed me and whispered 'I'm sorry' in my ear. I may not have been awake, but I can still remember things like that."
"Oh. Well, you're welcome," I said sheepishly. I hadn't realized that she had actually heard me. I kinda was hoping she'd hear me when I said it, but I hadn't expected her to bring it up.
We talked for a little while, the Joey came to visit I talked for a little while longer, then said goodbye to Kat and left. Kat would probably be fully healed in a day or so.
A month passed, and the gym was ready for the final battle. It was me vs. Michelle in the ultimate Pok�mon battle. We were both Anthro Raichus, and knew all the exact same attacks. This battle wouldn't be won with attacks only; it would be won with a combination of attacks and skill. The battle would require skill, because both of us would have to avoid attacks, as well as be completely accurate.
We both took our positions on either side of the field. The first bell rang, and we both took battle stance. After what seemed like an eternity, the second bell rang out, and the battle had begun.
We both started by attacking with Thunderbolt. They collided directly between us, and smaller bolts of energy shot off in every direction harmlessly.
Michelle used Pound next, but I managed to dodge just in time. Im response, I shot as Psybeam at her as she flew bast, but she managed to deflect it, then land perfectly on her feet. We shot Psybeams at each other at the same time, and they collided between us. An explosion with such force was generated that Michelle and I were both thrown back into the walls violently.
Michelle used her Pound again, but this time I wasn't ready for it. Right as I stood up, she slammed me in the head, causing me to fall over backwards. I got up slowly and used the most powerful Confusion attack I could create. Michelle was thrown across the battlefield and landed at the base of the wall. She got up and shook her head to clear the dizziness, then shot yet another Psybeam at me. It was a bit off target, but still close enough to hit me.
I shook my head in attempts to clear my vision, but it didn't help. Everything was hazy and out of focus. I looked up in attempt to focus everything, but the effects of the psychic-type attacks were strong. I shook my head again, then was struck by another Pound. I got up slowly, and by the time I was standing, I was almost too weak to stay conscious.
I shook my head again, but my vision was even worse than before. I looked up, and the last thing I saw was a fast-moving blur.
I woke up two weeks later to find myself in the cabin, lying in bed. At first, the thing that my senses picked up was voices. I opened my eyes very slowly, and was almost blinded by the bright light. I did a sort of moan, and then heard somebody scrambling around the room. A few moments later the lights got dimmer, and it didn't hurt my eyes as much. Eventually my eyes began to work like normal, and everything slowly came into focus.
I tried to move, but a sudden pain that seemed to come from all over my body stopped me. I gasped and laid back down, trying to ease the pain. I was bruised all over. Since I was only part Raichu, there was only so much that the potions could do. The rest would have to heal naturally.
I looked around the room, and Kat was the only was that was there. She walked back over to the bed pulled a chair closer, then sat down next to me.
"Hi," I said weakly.
She shushed me, then said, "Save your strength. You got beat pretty badly. So did Michelle, but she has already recovered." She then proceeded to tell me what had happened.
After Michelle had shot the Psybeam at me, I had become completely disoriented, which was obvious to everybody. Michelle had then Pounded me, which only made it worse. She then flew at me for another Pound, but I had shot off a last second Psybeam. Michelle had hit me, but was also struck by the Psybeam in the process. At the point I was so weak that I could no longer battle. Michelle had landed on her feet, then watched me. I had no energy left, so my body just gave up, and I fell to the floor. Michelle had won, but just barely. Everybody promptly took me back to the cabin and laid me down in a bed. I had been unconscious for a little more than two weeks.
I listened intently as Kat told me about everything that had happened. For some reason, I found it all fascinating. Kat finished, and we talked about what had happened I was unconscious.
Kat blushed deeply and told me that Joey had told her the story about my accidental walk-in on Joey. I smiled, then told Kat that I was over it, and had no problem talking about it.
I was visited by everyone that day. Eventually I was completely healed, and everything returned back to normal. The Tournament had ben a huge success. All of our Pok�mon had gone up considerably in experience.
We held another Tournament a while later, and the Pok�mon gained even higher levels of experience. Kat won that tournament, but I hadn't put myself in it. I wasn't about to go and fight another battle that might kill me.
One day I decided to go out and buy something, but nobody else could find out about it. I said that I'd be out buying potions and stuff to avoid suspicion. I spent quite a few hours going from shop to shop, looking for just the right thing. I finally returned in the evening, carrying several bags of Pok�mon Supplies, and then a small box in my pocket.
That night Michelle and I went out to eat by ourselves. We had done this a few times already, so it seemed like every other time that we had gone out to eat. A town wasn't too far, but we still borrowed Joey motorcycle to get there.
Michelle went into the bathroom, and it was then that I made my move. I gave our waiter a note and the box that was in my pocket, and he promptly took it and walked away. Michelle came back to the table a few minutes later, and noticed that I was hiding something. Not actually hiding something physically, but a secret.
"What are you smirking about?" Michelle asked.
"Nothing," I replied. "Just thinking about what happened when I first came to your house."
She laughed, because she knew what I was talking about. Her brother had answered the door, and the second I came inside, Michelle tackled me like a football player. We both laughed about it for a little bit, then ordered the meal.
After the meal, the waiter brought us Fortune Cookies, and set them before us. I took mine first, because I had to make sure Michelle didn't grab the wrong one. If so, I could make an easy recovery.
Michelle took hers and read it aloud. "Something special will happen in the near future."
I broke mine opened, and scanned over the lettering, then put it back. We had grabbed the wrong ones, but this would make it even better.
"I think this one belongs to you," I said, handing the Fortune Cookie to her with the tiny slip of paper. She cracked it more, and something else fell out, but she didn't notice it. I grabbed it secretly before she saw what it was. She read the slip of paper, and her hands trembled as she looked up at me, but I was down on my knee next to her now, a beautiful diamond ring in my hand, placing it on her finger.
Michelle threw her arms around me and only whispered one word in my ear, "Yes." She then began to cry with happiness.
The small slip of paper fell off the table and began to flutter to the floor. It landed face up, the letters showing. They read, "Michelle, Will You Marry Me?"...
Now THAT was the way to end a story with a bang! It leaves me plenty of room for a sequel, but I have to think up a new idea before I can actually write it. I should've probably added a bit more romance between Michelle and I, but I don't really care. I'm finished. I'll try to start a new sequel as soon as I buy a fresh notebook. But then again, I might just leave you to your imagination and not write a sequel at all. Oh well. Even if I don't write a sequel to this, I can almost guarantee that you'll see me again some time! Once again, thanks to Joey for allowing me to use her ideas, blah blah blah. If you've read the first fanfic, you already know about me borrowing her ideas. Still, thanks Joey. Without her, I'd wouldn't have written this fanfic and started my other story (coming soon!). E-Mail any story comments/feedback to [email protected] because I'd greatly appreciate it Until then, this is Luke Judd saying Goodbye, and Happy Reading! *waves his arm across his face, and disappears in a flash of light*
�November 2000