[Pokémon] It's Electric

Laughter, conversation, footsteps, the clacking of silverware, the scooting of chairs across the hardwood floor; all manner of sounds flooded the mess hall that afternoon, coming together in a single cacophony of noise that signaled a place of livelihood and social interaction. Most students on the college campus found the mess hall, despite the noise, a great spot to relax and enjoy each others company. However, on this particular day, Matthew was not most students.

"You can't do this to us, man!"

"I'm sorry! Do you think I wanted to let you guys down?"

"No, but I thought you'd at least stick it out for our first gig!

Matthew eyed his friend angrily, blue eyes staring daggers at him from across the wooden table. He and his three friends had started their own local band and had been practicing for weeks. Two more weeks from now, they were scheduled for their very first gig, and even though it was just a small time performance, it was an important show for them. They had a solid grasp of their parts and were fully prepared for a live show.

Except now their lead guitarist, Derrick, was quitting on them.

"I'm sorry man, but with school and work I just don't have time to keep up with the band. We've got mid-terms coming up and I haven't studied nearly as much as I should have." Derrick replied. He really didn't want to let his friend down, but he just couldn't keep the balance between his studies and the band's practice sessions.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to form a band with us!" Matthew snapped back at Derrick, slamming his fist down on the table; Matthew was visibly upset, and even though Derrick was a good friend, he couldn't help but feel anger towards him.

"Guys, come on. I know tensions are high right now, but you two need to chill, alright?" Paul spoke up, trying to put out the flames of anger that has sparked between his two band mates. Paul, the band's bassist, was normally silent, but he couldn't stand to see two of his close friends treat each other with such animosity. He laid his hand on Matthew's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"I know..." Matthew sighed. His clenched fists gradually loosened, his hands dropping to his sides. "Look man, I'm sorry for raising my voice; it's just that we have our first gig in only two weeks and you pick now to quit on us."

"I understand that you're angry man; I would be too." Derrick replied, looking genuinely sorry, "Life is just so busy right now, you know? I'm sure you can find a replacement; the material isn't that difficult."

"Yeah man, just let Derrick do his own thing. We can find someone to replace him and have fun rockin' without him!" Samuel, the band's drummer who went by his childhood nickname 'Sammy,' piped in. Lightening up the tension a bit, Sammy leaned over towards Derrick, jabbing his upper arm in jest. He meant it as a joke, and Derrick couldn't help but chuckle at Sammy's attitude. Derrick looked at his phone, checking the time, then looked back up to Matthew.

"My next class starts soon. Again, I'm really sorry, Matthew. I hope you can find a replacement." With that, Derrick left the mess hall and headed off to his next class.

Matthew let out a long sigh. The material wasn't terribly difficult, but how was he going to find a new guitarist and teach them the songs in only two weeks? Sure, he could play lead, but then there would be nobody to play rhythm, and the music just wouldn't sound right.

"C'mon man, don't worry about it. I'll help scout out the campus for a good guitarist. I'm sure we'll find somebody!" Sammy chimed in, breaking Matthew's train of thought. Sammy was always so upbeat about things, despite how bad they were.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Matthew replied, trying to share his friend's enthusiasm. He got up from his table and looked towards Paul and Sammy. "I've got classes soon as well, but tomorrow we need to start searching for a replacement ASAP."

Matthew gathered his things and threw on his backpack, with Paul and Sammy following suit. "I'll see you guys first thing in the morning, in front of the dorms." Paul and Sammy both nodded, and they each left for their respective classes.


Matthew threw his backpack on his bed and fell face first onto the covers, an audible sigh escaping him. He had been thinking of people to replace Derrick all throughout his classes, but nobody he knew had the talent that Derrick possessed. He had entertained the idea of playing lead guitar himself, but then there'd be no rhythm guitar, and he had trouble playing lead and doing vocals at the same time. Rhythm was just simpler for him.

He briefly mused with the thought of just canceling the gig altogether. Of course, he desperately hoped he wouldn't have to resort to that, but if he didn't find someone soon...

"Scrafty?"

Matthew pulled his face off of his bed and looked down towards the direction of the sound. He saw his Pokemon, Scrafty, poking her head over the bottom of the bed and looking quizzically at her trainer.

"Oh. Hey, Jackie." Matthew sat up on his bed, patting the covers beside himself, motioning for his Pokemon to sit beside him. The Scrafty jumped over the bottom of the bed and climbed over to where Matthew sat, sitting beside him. Matthew brought his hand to her head, lightly brushing her head crest, which he knew she liked. Although the university he attended was a bit antsy about having Pokemon out of their pokeballs on campus, they had no qualms about them in the student's dorms, something Matthew greatly appreciated. He had caught Scrafty, which he had nicknamed Jackie, back during high school, and he often participated in battles with her against other trainers. Though he enjoyed the occasional battle, he never wanted to take the Elite Four challenge. He preferred a more laid-back lifestyle, and so he enrolled in a university to get a degree in art and focus on his music, which he enjoyed the most.

The Scrafty closed her eyes and purred her name to herself while Matthew kept rubbing her head, which greatly pleased her. Matthew kept petting her like that for a few minutes before sighing to himself again.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do." Matthew said out loud, partly talking to his Pokemon but mainly vocalizing his own thoughts to himself. "How am I going to find a replacement on such short notice?"

Matthew stood up off the bed and grabbed his guitar, a simple acoustic guitar that he had owned for quite some time. He always played his guitar to cheer himself up, and this time he could really use some happy feelings. Gripping the smooth wooden neck with one hand, his other hand hovering just over the metal strings at the body, he plucked a few strings, making sure the guitar was still in tune. Matthew began strum a few tunes to himself, just focusing on the music and letting his mind wander off. Meanwhile, his Scrafty just sat on the bed with her legs crossed, just listening to the sounds her trainer made with his instrument. Scrafty always loved listening to him play; it relaxed her and made her feel calm.

He played some simple chords, humming a harmony to himself as he continued to strum away. Matthew's mood began to shift with the tone of the music; soft, quiet, calming notes that elevated, yet placated him at the same time. He relished these moments, where he could just play to himself and be freed from the stresses of everyday life. He kept playing for what seemed like hours to him, but in actuality was only a few minutes time.

"I supposed the parts aren't too difficult to learn..." he thought to himself. "Still, I got to find someone who can actually play them."

After a few more strums, he felt exceedingly calmer than before. Matthew stretched his arms upward, yawning loudly, before returning his guitar to it's stand. Grabbing some clothes from his dresser, he headed out the door to his room and towards the bathroom.

"I'm going to shower real quick, Jackie. Don't get into any mischief while I'm gone." He always told her that, though he knew she was generally well-behaved. He closed the door to his dorm room, leaving his Pokemon to her own devices as he made his way towards the bathroom.

Matthew turned the handle to the shower and let the water warm up before stripping down and heading in. A nice hot shower was just what he needed after the stressful day he had. The water ran down over his dark-brown hair, down his bare body, completely washing away any remaining tension he had. His wet hair fell just over his eyes as he cleaned himself, lathering his light toned skin with soap before rinsing himself off and shutting off the flow of water. He stepped out, grabbing a towel and rubbing it vigorously over his hair to dry it off.

Once suitably dry, he threw on his fresh clothes, sweeping his now-dry hair to the side, giving him a look of youthful rebellion. He began walking to the door of his room, which he had to admit was the best thing about having a quad-room dorm; having an entire room to yourself. As he got closer though, he heard sounds coming from behind the door. It sounded... musical?

"Great, my roommate must be 'borrowing' my guitar again," Matthew said to himself, becoming slightly irritated at the thought. Matthew turned the handle to his door and swung it open.

"Look man, you can't just come in here whenever you want and--" he stopped mid sentence as he saw just where the sound had been coming from. It wasn't his roommate, to his surprise, but Jackie, his Pokemon, playing the guitar!

"What are you doing, Jackie?" Matthew said, rather bewildered at the sight before him. Jackie immediately stopped what she was doing and put the guitar down, throwing her hands up and putting on her best look of innocence. Matthew didn't like people messing with his stuff, and she knew that; she didn't want her trainer to be upset with her.

"Scrafty!" she said, trying her best to communicate her "innocence." She continued to hold her hands up, clearly displaying the distinct lack of musical instruments in them.

"No, wait a minute Jackie..." Matthew said to her. "I'm not mad... just a little confused. How long have you been using my guitar when I wasn't here?" He asked, though he knew she wouldn't be able to answer, at least not in a way he'd understand.

"Scraf... Scrafty" she said as she shrugged to herself. Truthfully, she had done it whenever he was in class or otherwise pre-occupied, though she never let him know for fear that he might take it away from her.

"I didn't even know a Pokemon could play guitar... wait a minute..." Matthew thought to himself, when an idea popped into his head. It was a crazy idea, one that probably wouldn't work, but he had to see for himself. He picked up the guitar and pulled up a chair in front of the bed, motioning for Jackie to sit across from him.

"Now, uhh, let's see..." Matthew said, trying to figure out how to approach the situation. "Here, do what I do," he said to her, as he strummed possibly the most well-known chord progression, "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple. As he finished playing, he handed the guitar back to the Scrafty.

"Now you try." Matthew said to her. He watched intently as she picked up the instrument looking at it quizzically before orienting her hands correctly. Jackie began to mimic his sounds; she played slowly, but managed to repeat the whole chord progression back to Matthew. Matthew was astounded; he never knew she could actually play.

"Let me see that." Jackie returned the guitar back to Matthew, as he began strumming the opening riff to "Shout at the Devil" by Mötley Crüe. Once he finished the intro, he handed the guitar back to Jackie, motioning for her to mimic him again. She thought for a bit before placing her fingers on the strings and copying Matthew chord-for-chord, albeit missing a few notes.

"That's okay, no big deal to miss a few." Matthew said reassuringly. Despite the fact that she was a Pokemon, he had to admit she knew what she was doing. Matthew grabbed the guitar again, this time going for something a little more fast-paced. He strummed the intro for "Yer So Bad" by Tom Petty, trying to gauge her skill. He handed it back to her, and after a slight pause, she managed to repeat the phrase back to Matthew.

Matthew was flabbergasted. Not only did she know how to play, but she could learn quickly too. He thought to himself a bit, before he stood up off of his chair.

"I'm probably crazy for even thinking about this, but it's worth a shot," he said to himself.

"Scrafty?" Jackie said to him, puzzled, though she was greatly relieved with the fact that Matthew was perfectly okay with her playing his guitar.

"Say Jackie, how would you like to practice guitar with me some more? Maybe I can even teach you a whole song!" Matthew said to his Pokemon, smiling the biggest smile he ever had in weeks.

"Scrafty!" she nearly jumped for joy at the thought of learning from her trainer. Matthew picked up the guitar and sat next to her on the bed, practicing many different songs well into the night.


Holy cow, writing dialogue for actual Pokemon is awkward. xD

So yeah, this is a silly little idea that I had and I decided to put on paper. It's super weird, I know, but I hope it's enjoyable, at least.

Anyways, there are more chapters to come. Let me know how I did! If it's awesome, tell me! If it's the worst thing you've ever read in your entire life, tell me! Don't sugar-coat things either. Seriously, if you thought it was horrible, go ahead and say so. I'm not the kind of person who gets mad at stuff like that. Just make sure you tell me why you thought it was horrible if you did, so I can go back and fix it. Likewise, if you thought it was really cool, tell me why you thought it was cool, so I can know what I did right. Thanks!

Well, I thought it was cool. :)

While a school setting for a Pokémon fic isn't uncommon, I don't think there's as many out there which aren't just about Pokémon training, but rather just a general uni where a guy has a passion for music. The references to specific tunes when he was testing how well his Pokémon could play guitar was nice as well. And while it might have been a bit predictable that Jackie would have picked up the guitar and so forth, it's a neat idea imo in having a Pokémon play guitar (or just a musical instrument to begin with), so I'm interested in seeing more.

Especially when it's Scrafty. I like it, and it seems like a pretty good choice as a Pokémon to play in a band as well. And Jackie was cute, with how she tried to act innocent. XD

There are a few improvements here and there that could be made in the writing, but it was solid enough. The characters were decently established, and the description of the setting was solid. The section with the shower seemed to go on a bit too much about his hair, if I was to have a qualm about that though. Although maybe that's just as well. ;p It does seem like you have a love for music yourself in the sections you focused on him playing music too, which I appreciated.

He and his three friends had started their own local band and had been
practicing for weeks; Two more weeks from now they were scheduled for their very
first gig

Click to expand...

Sometimes I wasn't sure about your use of semi-colons. Here I think it would have been better to make a new sentence. If you were to keep it in though you would need to make that Two into two, as it isn't the start of a sentence with it.

slamming his fist down on the table; Matthew was visibly upset

Click to expand...

Here arises one of those improvements I mentioned - at times you tell things that are already known to the reader. Here you tell us he is visibly upset, but that's already clear from him slamming his fist.

"Guys, come on. I know tensions are high right now, but you two need to chill, alright?" Paul spoke up, trying to put out the flames of anger that has sparked
between his two band mates.

Click to expand...

And here's another case - what Paul says already indicates what he is trying to do. It comes off as too explanatory as to what everyone is doing and slows down the pace of the story. Of course, telling what happens or why people do so-and-so is fine at times, but I don't think that is the case here. There's other cases too (e.g. 'becoming slightly irritated at the thought' when he thinks his roommate was playing with his guitar).

"Hey Jackie."

Click to expand...

I think there should be a comma before her name there.

He always played his guitar to cheer himself up, and this time he could really use some happy feelings. He gripped the smooth wooden neck with one hand, his other hand hovering just over the metal strings at the body. He plucked a few strings, making sure the guitar was still in tune, then began strum a few tunes to himself, just focusing on the music.

Click to expand...

And here is the second main thing I noticed - at times you start consecutive sentences with the same word (He ___). Here there's three in a row, which can get repetitive.

He played some simple chords, humming a harmony to himself as he continued to strum away. His mood began to shift with the tone of the music; soft, quiet, calming notes that elevated, yet placated him at the same time. He relished these moments, where he could just play to himself and be freed from the stresses of everyday life. He kept playing for what seemed like hours to him, but in actuality was only a few minutes time.

Click to expand...

Here is another case, where three out of four sentences also started with 'He', and the exception being 'His'. Just look to vary it up more often.

"Great, my roommate must be 'borrowing' my guitar again" Matthew said to himself, becoming slightly irritated at the thought.

Click to expand...

"I'm probably crazy for even thinking about this, but it's worth a shot" he said to himself.

Click to expand...

Here the comma was missing at the end of the dialogue (both of the instances being when he was talking to himself, interestingly).

Overall, nice beginning. Do post more, and good luck with the rest of the fic!

"Watch me hit the cray button!"

The unmistakable sound of techno music and heavy bass filled the room. Matthew groggily woke from his sleep, grabbing his cell phone, which was still blasting music. He squinted his eyes, still adjusting to the light, and checked his phone; Sammy was calling him. Matthew hit the answer button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Matthew asked, still not fully awake, even though he already knew who was calling him.

"Yo, it's Sammy! Wake up! You told us to meet you downstairs first thing in the morning, remember?" Sammy replied enthusiastically.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Matthew said as he got out of bed and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "I'll be down in a minute."

Matthew ended the call before Sammy could answer, putting his phone down and stretching his arms, letting out a loud yawn as he did so. He glanced over at the clock on the wall, reading 7:00 AM on the dot; far too early for Matthew's tastes.

"Should have rethought my choice of words..." Matthew said to himself with a second yawn. He got up out of bed, shaking his head a bit and stretching his neck as he stood. He turned his gaze over to Jackie, who was still sleeping in her bean bag chair, which was designed to resemble a Snorlax.

He recalled the events of last night; how he had found his Scrafty, Jackie, playing his guitar. The strange part was that she was actually quite good at it; not as good as Derrick, but he was just surprised she could even play at all, and she would learn with time. He had spent a good amount of time last night just teaching her basic chords and progressions, and even parts from some of his favorite songs.

Matthew threw on some fresh clothes, ran his hand through his hair to get rid of his bed-head, and left his room, closing the door behind him. He went down the stairs of his dorm building, into the lobby on the first floor, and pushed open the door to the outside, finding Sammy and Paul waiting for him.

Paul was sitting on the bench outside the door, obviously not fully awake yet. He wore his traditional green beanie cap which brought his dark hair over his eyes along with his dark colored hoodie, giving him that "I'm too cool" vibe. He didn't act that way; he was one of Matthew's closest friends, but he definitely had the loner look nailed.

Sammy, on the other hand, was just as energetic as ever, even in the morning. Sammy was sporting an unbuttoned yellow over shirt with a simple white T-shirt underneath, his shorter blonde hair bouncing as he bobbed his head. He stood near the bench, drumming a beat on the sides of his legs as he whistled a tune. Once he saw the door open, Sammy turned toward Matthew.

"Well look who's finally awake!" Sammy said, as chipper as ever. "I asked around yesterday, and I found some possible replacements for Derrick. Although one of them was high as a kite, and the other--"

"I don't think any of that will be necessary" Matthew interrupted. "Come upstairs and I'll explain."

"But I thought you wanted to search for a lead guitarist?" Sammy replied, a bit bewildered as to what Matthew was referring to.

"I told you, I'll explain everything. Now come on!" Matthew said, holding the front door to the dorms open and motioning for the two to enter. Sammy walked in first, still confused, as Paul followed close behind. Matthew closed the door behind the three, as they made their way towards the stairs. They went up three stories, reaching the Matthew's floor.

They exited the stairwell, walking into the third-floor dorm hall. They entered the dorm room where Matthew resided. For a university dorm room, it was surprisingly well furnished. The main living room had two simple-looking couches along with a desk and a main window overlooking the outside parking lot. A small kitchen with a fridge, oven and dishwasher stood at the back of the room. From the living room the dorm split into two sections, each with two separate bedrooms and one bathroom for each side.

The three of them walked past the kitchen into Matthew's room. Jackie had woken up, but remained in her beanbag chair, looking at a pokemon picture book. Matthew liked to imagine she was actually reading, but she just liked looking at the illustrations.

"Good morning, Jackie!" Sammy said, smiling and waving at the Scrafty. Sammy and Matthew would often hang out and play video-games, so Sammy had made friends with the Pokemon early on. Jackie perked up, slightly confused as to why her trainer had brought his two friends over simultaneously and so early in the morning.

"Scraf?" the Pokemon tilted her head to the side, as if asking a question.

"Hey Jackie, would you mind showing Paul and Sammy what you learned last night?" The Pokemon perked up slightly, setting the picture book down on the floor and rising from her seat. Jackie walked over to the guitar stand, carefully lifting the instrument and securing the strap over her shoulder as she held the neck of the instrument with her left hand, her right hand hovering over the base.

"Dude, no way." Paul said, concentrating on the Scrafty now holding a guitar, as ready to play as any human he'd ever seen.

"Jackie, can you play that scale I showed you?" Matthew said. Scrafty hesitated for a moment, thinking back on the night before. She got her fingers in position and began the pick at the guitar strings, playing a simple one-octave scale, up and down.

"Virtuoso," Sammy remarked, quite impressed by the spectacle in front of him.

"Alright, can you do the opening for 'Free Fallin' like we practiced last night?" Matthew asked. Jackie nodded with a smile, repositioning her fingers and playing the opening chords for the song. She played a bit slowly, as she was still relatively new to playing actual songs, but she managed to make it through the chords with a little effort.

"Impressive…" Paul said, hands in his pockets. He had no idea that a Pokemon could actually pull off such a feat.

"Guys, this may sound crazy, but what do you think?" Matthew began, gesturing towards Jackie. "Would Jackie be a good candidate for lead guitar?"

"Are you sure she can play the songs?" Said Paul, still a little unsure as to whether this would actually work.

"Paul, you were listening just now, weren't you?" Matthew replied. "She's still new to this, but I'm sure with a little practice she'll do just fine."

"How come you never told us your Pokemon was a musical prodigy?" Sammy chimed in.

"I never knew it until yesterday when I walked in on her playing it herself." Matthew answered. "I wouldn't call her a prodigy just yet, but I'm just as amazed as you are right now."

"I may be crazy for saying this, but I think you may be right." Paul added.

"Well then, do you want to have her join us for band practice today?" Matthew asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer already.

"Dude, that would be sick!" Sammy said with enthusiasm, giving a thumbs-up to Matthew.

"What about you Jackie? You want to practice with us today?" Matthew turned his attention to the Scrafty.

"Scraf-Scrafty!" Jackie replied, obviously overjoyed at being able to play music with her trainer and friends.

"I'm eager to see how this turns out," said Paul, still somewhat skeptical but willing to give the Scrafty a chance.


"Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire!"

Matthew tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in tune to the song, Jackie in the passenger seat bobbing her head to the music as well. The windows to Matthew's car were rolled down and the music turned up loud, the fresh spring air blowing through the vehicle. It was an older car, a 1998 Mauville Rider import from Hoenn, with a faded red finish. It was pretty beat up, but it drove like a dream and Matthew was happy with it.

Matthew continued the drive across the Skyarrow bridge towards his destination; Castelia City. Castelia's towering Skyscrapers stood tall in the distance, seeming to grow larger as they drove closer. Jackie had her hand out the window, feeling the breeze flow over her like water. The weather was absolutely perfect this time of year, and Matthew relished the chance to go for a drive whenever it was this nice outside.

Unfortunately for Matthew, they were nearing their first destination, which meant a temporary stop in their mini road trip. They drove through the bustling city streets, noting the growing crowd around Burgh's gym. Matthew didn't give heed to it, however, and kept going on for two more blocks before finally turning on Mode street.

Matthew pulled over and parked on the side of the road, taking the key from the ignition and stepping out of the car, Jackie following suit. Matthew stretched his hands upward, craning his neck from side-to-side to loosen his joints a bit. Looking ahead, he could see a familiar pink tent in the distance; the region-famous Casteliacone, one of his favorite places to hang out. The small ice-cream stand had a grand total of seven employees including the owner, and only two people were ever working at a time. Despite the fact that Casteliacone was almost always busy, they somehow managed to serve every customer on time.

Today, however, was one of those rare times where the stand was mostly vacant. Matthew and his Pokemon walked up to the front counter. Inside the stand Matthew could see Victoria, one of the employees, drying some dishes with a towel. Matthew tapped on the counter to get her attention. Hearing someone at the stand, Victoria turned to greet the customer with a big smile before realizing whom it was.

"Oh, hey Matthew! Sorry, I didn't see you walk up!" Victoria put the dish she was drying up on a nearby shelf before walking up to the counter. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail that swayed slightly as she walked, her brown eyes beaming upon seeing Matthew. Matthew and Victoria had become good friends, often going to places together and hanging out. They weren't dating, but the both of them were content with staying good friends.

"It's no big deal Tori, just need to pick up some snacks for the guys before practice today" Matthew replied. Jackie, being too short to see above the counter, hopped up on the bar stool in front of her, giving a wave and a grin to Victoria when she saw her.

"Hey, Jackie! How are you today?" Victoria smiled when she saw the familiar Scrafty sitting on the bar stool. Jackie simply smiled before turning in her seat to face Matthew, slightly nudging him with her elbow.

"No, I didn't forget about you, Jackie." Matthew said in a jovial tone, before pulling out his wallet and turning to face Victoria again. "I just need three small Pecha-shakes and one Casteliacone."

"Sure thing!" Victoria said in her usual cheery voice, "That'll be 550." Matthew reached in his wallet and pulled out exact change, sliding the coins over the counter to Victoria. Picking up the coins, she counted them out and tendered them. "I'll be back in just a minute" she said with a smile, before turning to make the desserts for Matthew.

Matthew turned with his back toward the counter, leaning back on it as he looked over Castelia city. The skyscrapers that lined the street were virtually endless, towering over the city and the people in it. In the distance Matthew could hear the unmistakable calls of the Wingull over by the pier. Looking up he saw several Wingull flying about with some Pidoves resting on window sills. Adding the calls of the Pokemon to the sounds of the people living within the city made Castelia one of the liveliest places to be in Unova. Regardless, even with all the noise and activity, Matthew couldn't help but feel a calming and relaxing atmosphere in the city streets. When he wasn't on campus or having band practice, Matthew would most likely be on the piers of Castelia with a Casteliacone, just enjoying the sounds and scenery around him.

Matthew's attention was drawn away from the city when Victoria came back with his order.
"Here you go! Three pecha-shakes and a Casteliacone!" Victoria had the shakes arranged neatly in a cup-carrier in her left hand, holding the small cone in her right.

"Thanks, Tori!" Matthew replied enthusiastically, taking the carrier and the cone from Victoria, then handing the cone to Jackie, who was still sitting on the bar stool. "Here you go, Jackie."
"Scrafty!" Jackie said happily, snatching the cone from Matthew's hand.

"So, Tori, how come it's not as busy as usual now? Most of the time this place is insanely crowded."

"Oh, Burgh is having his annual art exhibit at the gym," Tori pointed in the direction of the gym as she spoke. "In addition to attracting the artist crowd, Burgh accepts multiple challengers at the end of the exhibit. Everybody is so pre-occupied at the gym that we don't get many customers, but it's a nice break from the usual crowds." Victoria went back to washing and drying dishes as Matthew leaned one arm on the counter, sipping his shake. "You going for more band practice tonight?" Tori glanced over at Matthew, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah, we've got our first ever gig in just under two weeks!" Matthew replied, hardly able to contain his excitement. "You have to come and see us, Tori, it'll be great!"

"Most definitely," Tori said, "where will you be playing?"

"We'll be playing at the Striaton gym; they're inviting several local bands to come and play for them during their dinner service, after the gym battles of course." Matthew took out his phone and lit up the display, checking the time. "I have to go now, practice starts in a few minutes. I'll text you the date, okay?"

"I'll ask Jo to cover my shift for me." Victoria replied. "See you then!"

Matthew grabbed the remaining drinks from the counter and walked back towards his car, Jackie giving one last wave to Victoria before hopping off her chair and following him. Both Pokemon and trainer climbed into the vehicle, closing the doors. Matthew turned the key in the ignition, the engine revving up and humming to life. Matthew grabbed his sunglasses that he kept in the glove-box and slipped them over his eyes, turning the music up. He plugged in his media player and queued up "Stand Alone" by Spoken. He leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his shake. He felt like one bad dude. One bad dude with his Pokemon, heavy metal blasting out of his car...

... eating ice-cream.

Matthew chuckled to himself at that mental image. He shifted the car into gear and drove off towards Paul's house for practice. Though this wasn't their first practice session, it was going to be their first practice session with Jackie as their new lead guitarist. The thought brought feelings of both eager anticipation and worry. On the one hand, Jackie had the ability to play, and he was sure he could help her practice and get better. On the other hand, she was a Pokemon, and to be honest he wasn't one hundred percent sure if she could actually be a viable replacement for Derrick. Matthew decided to give Jackie the benefit of the doubt, pushing the worry out of his mind for now. They were getting closer to Paul's house; he'd find out soon if Jackie could perform to his expectations.

END OF CHAPTER TWO​

I know, I'm a terrible person for not updating this sooner. I'd make some excuse about school or work or something, but that would be lying. I'm just lazy sometimes... xD

Anyways, as always, comments and criticism are welcome. Let me know what you think!

Also, forgot to add this, but I appreciate the kind words, sir bobandbill, and the criticism as well. Thank you for taking the time to offer your opinion! I'll go back a look over the parts you mentioned and see what I can do to remedy them. :D