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Hey everyone as you can see this is my story for the Small Writing Competition. This made 7th place btw. As a side note I want your guys opinions on whether I should turn this short tale into a full scale story (either with the original story line or a different plot with same settings) or not. I know this wasn't that well written, but I think if I have the chance to expand it and gain experience as I write this, I think it can turn into something great, plus have fun writing it and entertain you guys. I am training for rhetoric writing, so creative writing is somewhat of a new territory for me. Anyway here is the short story, please tell me your thoughts, thanks!
The Power of Teamwork
"Today's the day!"
Keith Halloway laid in bed for a few seconds, soaking in the glorious statement, and then jumped out. It was Keith's tenth birthday. His father said he had a surprise for Keith. Mr. Halloway did not do things in secret, so Keith knew this must be a big event that was planned. He got dressed in a hurry, then ran downstairs to the smells of toast, eggs, and hash browns. After breakfast, Mrs. Halloway sent Keith outside to the barn, where his father was waiting for him.
The day was sunny with no clouds. "Perfect day for riding", Keith thought as saw his father saddling up Lucy and King the Tauruses. Mr. Halloway turned and said, "Good morning Keith, how do you feel today?"
"Great! Why are you saddling the Tauruses? Isn't it too early to plow?" said Keith.
"No we are not plowing today."
"Well then what are we doing?"
Mr. Halloway took a big breath. "Keith, we both know today is your tenth birthday. We also know that at the age of ten a lot of Pokémon trainers are beginning there journey's today. Now I know how much you have wanted a partner these past few years."
"Really dad?!"
"However," Keith's father raised his finger, "you cannot become a trainer due to the farm, but I do not see why you cannot have a Pokémon of your own."
"That's ok dad, you know what I want to become when I grow up!"
"Yes… I unfortunately do…" Keith's dad said to himself quietly. "Anyway I have taken two whole weeks off so that we can travel all over the region, looking for a partner for you. I have already packed, so we can leave now."
"Even my sketch book?"
"Yes, yes. Even your sketch book."
The trip was magnificent! The two traveled all over the Sinnoh region, from Eterna Forest to Snowpoint City. All the time, Keith drew almost every new Pokémon that he encountered. He found his partner that he wanted, an Aipom, on Route 208. When father and son finally got home, Keith's mother asked "Why Aipom over all the other Pokémon available? "
"Because he is the most like me", Keith replied.
Keith was the black sheep of the village. Solaceon Town is a farming community and he was no farmer. Everyone was burly and strong. He was skinny, speedy, and had incredibly nimble hands. Keith definitely did not fit in. Sure, he was hard working and could perform his chores without problem, but his real skill was in drawing. Keith was a drawing prodigy, the town said. An hour sketch would reveal a window looking onto an image that seemed to be actually happening. There was only one major flaw about Keith's drawing. He could not go anywhere to advance it. His family was not poor, but they had to save every penny they could. Also, every time someone asked about Keith's future, his father would reply, "There is work that has to be done on the farm", and then abruptly changed the subject. Keith knew his father was disappointed that his only son was not agriculturally minded. He had worked hard to raise the farm from nothing but dirt. Still, Keith hoped. It was all he could do.
Inspiration! Keith was walking back home from the store when he saw it. A poster for the yearly Solaceon Redneck Pokémon Tournament. Now, the tournament was a big deal in Solaceon Town. People around the region came to watch these specialized fights. They were specialized due to the rule that, not only trainers would chose two Pokémon that would fight 1-on-1, but also the trainers were to wrestle. No items, either held or used in battle, were allowed. Also, kids the age of 12 and below had to be the trainers. The plethora of rough guidelines is why people out of town rarely joined, but the tournament is right up the Solaceon kids' alley. Plus, the prize money was enormous compared to other twelve year old tournaments. "The prize money would give me almost 2/3 of the price for the art institute in Jubilife!" Keith was astatic in his mind, bouncing from fantasy to fantasy as he ran home and burst into the house.
"Mom, dad!"
His folks were sitting at the table, deciding when and what crop to pick the earliest.
"What is it dear?" Keith's mom looked at him curiously.
"Mom, dad…" He was having a hard time getting the words out, realizing what his parents' answer would be. "Um, well... I was back from the store and… um…"
"Come on son, spit it out."
"I want to enter into the tournament so I can get the prize money." Keith spurted it out so fast it was a miracle his parents understood him. Keith's father took a long look at Keith and replied slowly, "You want the cash for that art institute don't you?"
Keith nodded his head slowly, preparing himself for his father's coming lecture.
"Son," Mr. Halloway started, "you are the only descendent I have that will inherent this farm. I have worked too hard to get us to this spot financially to let it go to the ground, just so you can go to some school to doodle."
"But dad people are always telling me my drawings are incredible. Plus I enjoy doing it. Shouldn't I do something I enjoy for my job?"
"Yes but you need to look at the family situation. We are barely living the way we are. Any loss of money and we could go under."
"But that's why I should do the tournament. The prize would almost be enough, and by the time I'm ready to leave I should have enough money without the risk of losing the farm."
"The tournament is too dangerous. If you get hurt who will help me with the farm? I need you."
"I cannot live here the rest of my life dad, I am not a farmer, and you know that."
"Dear, Keith has a point." Mrs. Halloway finally spoke her mind.
"Dad, you had a dream of being a farmer. You moved all the way from Jubilife City to here, leaving everything and everyone you knew and achieved your dream. Why can't I do the same?"
The silence was deafening. Each second dragged on. Everything seemed to focus on Mr. Halloway. Slowly, He answered, "Fine. I'll make a deal with you. If you win the tournament AND prove you are smart enough, me and your mother will do everything we can to help you go the art school. If you lose, then that's it. You stay here and live at the farm. Also, since you need two Pokémon to enter, I will let you use my Gurdurr, so you will not loss due to crumby Pokémon. Plus you two have been friends since you were born, so you will work well together. Deal?"
"Deal." The two shook hands.
Now Keith had the problem of how to fight. All the boys and Pokémon in the tournament were bulky and hardy, like Gurdurr, Taurus, Machoke, etc. Keith and Aipom on the other hand, were quite fragile and could not hit quite as hard. They did have one thing toward their advantage. Speed and evasiveness. They both could dodge any slow punch, which was mostly the speed the boys played at. With this in mind, Keith came up with Aipom's moveset. Return, Foul Play, Low Kick, and Fake Out. Aipom should be fast enough to attack first, and if he did miss or not KO he could dodge the majority of attacks. Also the moves set should do major damage to all the bulky offensive Pokémon. Gurdurr's moveset was already decided by his father. Bulk Up, Ice Punch, Brick Break, and Chip Away. Keith would have liked Drain Punch, but the move set will have to do.
The trio practiced and practiced. They had 6 months to train and he was starting a late as everyone else started a week after last year's competition. He trained against friends in other cities so no one saw his plans. Also Gurdurr and Aipom trained Keith how to dodge, grab, and other wrestling tactics. Keith's hands allowed him to grab and hold steadfastly. All three worked out every day, but in different ways. Keith and Aipom bulked up defensively with the help of Gurdurr so they could take a few hits more. In turn, Keith and Aipom worked with Gurdurr on his agility. By the last two weeks before the tournament, the three were an interlaced team, each person knew what the other's strengths, weakness, and thoughts were.
Five days before the competition, the judges came to Keith, Aipom, and Gurdurr to test for their seeding and name. In the end, the judges placed them in the third seed out of sixth in their division. The judges confessed their interest in the team's framework. No one had ever used tactics like these three new challengers had brought. But they still had doubts, saying Keith and Aipom were just too fragile to survive an above average, hard hitting match. As for the name, they thought Team Boom or Bust was appropriate.
The first day of the Solaceon Redneck Pokémon Tournament finally arrived! Swarms upon swarms of people crowded the small town arena. The tournament was comprised of four divisions and was single elimination. In a match, single battles would be held. Whichever team had the most KO's would win the match. Team Boom or Bust was up against a team comprising of a small, stocky boy called Ben, a Taurus, and, surprisingly, a Sunflora. Aipom defeated the Taurus barely, only because Taurus missed a Take Down. Gurdurr beat the Sunflora with ease, Ice Punch took care of her. Keith and Ben had a lopsided match, were Keith would just knock Ben over and hold when Ben tried to tackle. The first battle was basically how the rest of the battles went for Team Boom or Bust, with each member losing equal times throughout the tournament. The trio made their way to victory through, one, two, three battles. When the day ended, the team found themselves in the semifinals, two more wins till they win it all. Day two would decide whether Keith would achieve his dream or not.
Keith was sitting in a bath tub filled with ice and water. The freezing ice plus his fatigue made it nearly possible to even lift a finger. Gurdurr had to carry him into his house and then to the bathroom. His body now felt it was floating and was a mixture of pure numbness and pain. Mr. Halloway walked in, head down, in deep thought. Keith almost cried when he entered. "I have failed." Keith thought. Now he had to listen to his father's words of condemnation about farming. However, Keith's father stayed silent, and continued to be silent for many more minutes. Finally, He looked up and muttered, "You did good son."
"What?" Keith thought his pain had effected his hearing.
"You did well. That last fight, the whole tournament was impressive."
"… Doesn't matter, we still didn't win. A deal is a deal. I'll stay on the farm."
"Well, that's what I came in to talk to you about. To be honest Keith I thought you would lose in the first round, maybe second. Your team exceeded my expectations, especially in the semifinals. You… You and your Pokémon showed fighting spirit I have never seen. You would have completed our bargain if it was not for that... boy. He and his Pokémon were freaks of nature for their age. Anyway, you made me realize that if put your mind to it, you can accomplish almost anything. I guess what I am trying to say is, congratulations, you are going to the Jubilife Art Institute."
"What about the farm? You are not going to be able to get all the chores done without me."
"I have thought about that, and have decided that the best course of action would be to aqu more Pokémon. We only have King and Lucy the Tauruses and Gurdurr. Most farms have a lot more Pokémon than we do."
"It'll just be you and mom alone though. Won't you be lonely?"
"Do not worry Keith, we do have friends you know. Plus having the house to ourselves would be nice. Especially without you, you speedy daredevil!"
"Dad!" Mr. Halloway rushed to Keith, picked him up, and gave him one of the best hugs of Keith's life. Both were laughing out of joy. A huge weight was lifted off of Keith's body. It seemed he was really floating now, in spirit and body. His jubilation soared like an eagle "Oh dad thank you thank you thank you! How can I ever repay you for this?"
"Well for starters, you can give me back Gurdurr."
"Oh yeah, right." Keith smiled. For the first time in his life, the world seemed like a new beach, waiting to be marveled and explored.
The Power of Teamwork
"Today's the day!"
Keith Halloway laid in bed for a few seconds, soaking in the glorious statement, and then jumped out. It was Keith's tenth birthday. His father said he had a surprise for Keith. Mr. Halloway did not do things in secret, so Keith knew this must be a big event that was planned. He got dressed in a hurry, then ran downstairs to the smells of toast, eggs, and hash browns. After breakfast, Mrs. Halloway sent Keith outside to the barn, where his father was waiting for him.
The day was sunny with no clouds. "Perfect day for riding", Keith thought as saw his father saddling up Lucy and King the Tauruses. Mr. Halloway turned and said, "Good morning Keith, how do you feel today?"
"Great! Why are you saddling the Tauruses? Isn't it too early to plow?" said Keith.
"No we are not plowing today."
"Well then what are we doing?"
Mr. Halloway took a big breath. "Keith, we both know today is your tenth birthday. We also know that at the age of ten a lot of Pokémon trainers are beginning there journey's today. Now I know how much you have wanted a partner these past few years."
"Really dad?!"
"However," Keith's father raised his finger, "you cannot become a trainer due to the farm, but I do not see why you cannot have a Pokémon of your own."
"That's ok dad, you know what I want to become when I grow up!"
"Yes… I unfortunately do…" Keith's dad said to himself quietly. "Anyway I have taken two whole weeks off so that we can travel all over the region, looking for a partner for you. I have already packed, so we can leave now."
"Even my sketch book?"
"Yes, yes. Even your sketch book."
The trip was magnificent! The two traveled all over the Sinnoh region, from Eterna Forest to Snowpoint City. All the time, Keith drew almost every new Pokémon that he encountered. He found his partner that he wanted, an Aipom, on Route 208. When father and son finally got home, Keith's mother asked "Why Aipom over all the other Pokémon available? "
"Because he is the most like me", Keith replied.
Keith was the black sheep of the village. Solaceon Town is a farming community and he was no farmer. Everyone was burly and strong. He was skinny, speedy, and had incredibly nimble hands. Keith definitely did not fit in. Sure, he was hard working and could perform his chores without problem, but his real skill was in drawing. Keith was a drawing prodigy, the town said. An hour sketch would reveal a window looking onto an image that seemed to be actually happening. There was only one major flaw about Keith's drawing. He could not go anywhere to advance it. His family was not poor, but they had to save every penny they could. Also, every time someone asked about Keith's future, his father would reply, "There is work that has to be done on the farm", and then abruptly changed the subject. Keith knew his father was disappointed that his only son was not agriculturally minded. He had worked hard to raise the farm from nothing but dirt. Still, Keith hoped. It was all he could do.
Inspiration! Keith was walking back home from the store when he saw it. A poster for the yearly Solaceon Redneck Pokémon Tournament. Now, the tournament was a big deal in Solaceon Town. People around the region came to watch these specialized fights. They were specialized due to the rule that, not only trainers would chose two Pokémon that would fight 1-on-1, but also the trainers were to wrestle. No items, either held or used in battle, were allowed. Also, kids the age of 12 and below had to be the trainers. The plethora of rough guidelines is why people out of town rarely joined, but the tournament is right up the Solaceon kids' alley. Plus, the prize money was enormous compared to other twelve year old tournaments. "The prize money would give me almost 2/3 of the price for the art institute in Jubilife!" Keith was astatic in his mind, bouncing from fantasy to fantasy as he ran home and burst into the house.
"Mom, dad!"
His folks were sitting at the table, deciding when and what crop to pick the earliest.
"What is it dear?" Keith's mom looked at him curiously.
"Mom, dad…" He was having a hard time getting the words out, realizing what his parents' answer would be. "Um, well... I was back from the store and… um…"
"Come on son, spit it out."
"I want to enter into the tournament so I can get the prize money." Keith spurted it out so fast it was a miracle his parents understood him. Keith's father took a long look at Keith and replied slowly, "You want the cash for that art institute don't you?"
Keith nodded his head slowly, preparing himself for his father's coming lecture.
"Son," Mr. Halloway started, "you are the only descendent I have that will inherent this farm. I have worked too hard to get us to this spot financially to let it go to the ground, just so you can go to some school to doodle."
"But dad people are always telling me my drawings are incredible. Plus I enjoy doing it. Shouldn't I do something I enjoy for my job?"
"Yes but you need to look at the family situation. We are barely living the way we are. Any loss of money and we could go under."
"But that's why I should do the tournament. The prize would almost be enough, and by the time I'm ready to leave I should have enough money without the risk of losing the farm."
"The tournament is too dangerous. If you get hurt who will help me with the farm? I need you."
"I cannot live here the rest of my life dad, I am not a farmer, and you know that."
"Dear, Keith has a point." Mrs. Halloway finally spoke her mind.
"Dad, you had a dream of being a farmer. You moved all the way from Jubilife City to here, leaving everything and everyone you knew and achieved your dream. Why can't I do the same?"
The silence was deafening. Each second dragged on. Everything seemed to focus on Mr. Halloway. Slowly, He answered, "Fine. I'll make a deal with you. If you win the tournament AND prove you are smart enough, me and your mother will do everything we can to help you go the art school. If you lose, then that's it. You stay here and live at the farm. Also, since you need two Pokémon to enter, I will let you use my Gurdurr, so you will not loss due to crumby Pokémon. Plus you two have been friends since you were born, so you will work well together. Deal?"
"Deal." The two shook hands.
Now Keith had the problem of how to fight. All the boys and Pokémon in the tournament were bulky and hardy, like Gurdurr, Taurus, Machoke, etc. Keith and Aipom on the other hand, were quite fragile and could not hit quite as hard. They did have one thing toward their advantage. Speed and evasiveness. They both could dodge any slow punch, which was mostly the speed the boys played at. With this in mind, Keith came up with Aipom's moveset. Return, Foul Play, Low Kick, and Fake Out. Aipom should be fast enough to attack first, and if he did miss or not KO he could dodge the majority of attacks. Also the moves set should do major damage to all the bulky offensive Pokémon. Gurdurr's moveset was already decided by his father. Bulk Up, Ice Punch, Brick Break, and Chip Away. Keith would have liked Drain Punch, but the move set will have to do.
The trio practiced and practiced. They had 6 months to train and he was starting a late as everyone else started a week after last year's competition. He trained against friends in other cities so no one saw his plans. Also Gurdurr and Aipom trained Keith how to dodge, grab, and other wrestling tactics. Keith's hands allowed him to grab and hold steadfastly. All three worked out every day, but in different ways. Keith and Aipom bulked up defensively with the help of Gurdurr so they could take a few hits more. In turn, Keith and Aipom worked with Gurdurr on his agility. By the last two weeks before the tournament, the three were an interlaced team, each person knew what the other's strengths, weakness, and thoughts were.
Five days before the competition, the judges came to Keith, Aipom, and Gurdurr to test for their seeding and name. In the end, the judges placed them in the third seed out of sixth in their division. The judges confessed their interest in the team's framework. No one had ever used tactics like these three new challengers had brought. But they still had doubts, saying Keith and Aipom were just too fragile to survive an above average, hard hitting match. As for the name, they thought Team Boom or Bust was appropriate.
The first day of the Solaceon Redneck Pokémon Tournament finally arrived! Swarms upon swarms of people crowded the small town arena. The tournament was comprised of four divisions and was single elimination. In a match, single battles would be held. Whichever team had the most KO's would win the match. Team Boom or Bust was up against a team comprising of a small, stocky boy called Ben, a Taurus, and, surprisingly, a Sunflora. Aipom defeated the Taurus barely, only because Taurus missed a Take Down. Gurdurr beat the Sunflora with ease, Ice Punch took care of her. Keith and Ben had a lopsided match, were Keith would just knock Ben over and hold when Ben tried to tackle. The first battle was basically how the rest of the battles went for Team Boom or Bust, with each member losing equal times throughout the tournament. The trio made their way to victory through, one, two, three battles. When the day ended, the team found themselves in the semifinals, two more wins till they win it all. Day two would decide whether Keith would achieve his dream or not.
Keith was sitting in a bath tub filled with ice and water. The freezing ice plus his fatigue made it nearly possible to even lift a finger. Gurdurr had to carry him into his house and then to the bathroom. His body now felt it was floating and was a mixture of pure numbness and pain. Mr. Halloway walked in, head down, in deep thought. Keith almost cried when he entered. "I have failed." Keith thought. Now he had to listen to his father's words of condemnation about farming. However, Keith's father stayed silent, and continued to be silent for many more minutes. Finally, He looked up and muttered, "You did good son."
"What?" Keith thought his pain had effected his hearing.
"You did well. That last fight, the whole tournament was impressive."
"… Doesn't matter, we still didn't win. A deal is a deal. I'll stay on the farm."
"Well, that's what I came in to talk to you about. To be honest Keith I thought you would lose in the first round, maybe second. Your team exceeded my expectations, especially in the semifinals. You… You and your Pokémon showed fighting spirit I have never seen. You would have completed our bargain if it was not for that... boy. He and his Pokémon were freaks of nature for their age. Anyway, you made me realize that if put your mind to it, you can accomplish almost anything. I guess what I am trying to say is, congratulations, you are going to the Jubilife Art Institute."
"What about the farm? You are not going to be able to get all the chores done without me."
"I have thought about that, and have decided that the best course of action would be to aqu more Pokémon. We only have King and Lucy the Tauruses and Gurdurr. Most farms have a lot more Pokémon than we do."
"It'll just be you and mom alone though. Won't you be lonely?"
"Do not worry Keith, we do have friends you know. Plus having the house to ourselves would be nice. Especially without you, you speedy daredevil!"
"Dad!" Mr. Halloway rushed to Keith, picked him up, and gave him one of the best hugs of Keith's life. Both were laughing out of joy. A huge weight was lifted off of Keith's body. It seemed he was really floating now, in spirit and body. His jubilation soared like an eagle "Oh dad thank you thank you thank you! How can I ever repay you for this?"
"Well for starters, you can give me back Gurdurr."
"Oh yeah, right." Keith smiled. For the first time in his life, the world seemed like a new beach, waiting to be marveled and explored.
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