Chapter 3 – Opening Ceremony Surprise
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Chapter 3 - Opening Ceremony Surprise

Taking a shuddering breath, I reflexively reach down and pet Pyra and Grace again. I am not nervous about the tournament at all, what I am nervous about is the Opening Ceremony and the surprise I have been working on with my parents, Lara's parents, Pyra & Grace, and the school for the past 4 months. Tomorrow is Lara's 10th birthday and I somehow came up with, what I think is, a pretty awesome surprise gift. 

"Okay...You ready girls?" I ask for the third time.

Pyra rolls her eyes and lightly hits my leg. 'Man up!' I think is the intention.

"Ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the 23 annual Dratini School Cup Tournament!" An announcer says through the microphone. The drone of the audience cheering in the school stadium is enough to shake the floor of the backstage area. On the main stage in front of me, Lara has already done two of her most popular songs and it is time for the closer. 

"Hasn't Lara Ketchum been amazing?" Again the audience roars their approval and I smile. She had been amazing, even though I could only see her through the small backstage monitor.

"Well, do I have exciting news for you! Today she will be revealing an original song for her last number. She wrote this together with her childhood friend Finn Cambridge." This time I hear more than a couple of woof whistles...

"Ah, look you are making her blush!" The bastard announcer goads. I am blushing as well because this just made my entrance a bit more awkward. Pyra hits me again and gives me a soft, "Char." - 'Relax.'

"But before we can get to that, we have a substitution from the band. It seems the guitarist Jason has come down with a sudden case of the 'I can't play''s. So please join me in a warm round of applause for Finn Cambridge his replacement and the co-writer of this next song!"

Jayson, the guitarist, comes down the backstage ramp and quickly takes off his guitar strap and hands me the electric guitar. "Good luck, kid!" He says with a shit-eating grin.

Still blushing, I mumble thanks and take the guitar. I freeze for a moment out of nervousness and fear, but then feel two paws on the back of my legs, pushing me forward. I walk up the ramp and am greeted by the bright lights of the stage and a view of the enormous crowd that surrounds me. 

'I-I can't do this...no way...'

"Finn?" A confused Lara looks at me in worry. Both Pokemon take their places on the stage after patting my legs again. Everything in the world seems to stand still for a moment. All I see is Lara and her worried face. A slow smile creeps its way on my own face and all my muscles relax. I nod to her and take my place on the stage's rightmost side, pulling a pick from my pocket.

'Not for me, but for her. My best friend.'

The basest, drummer, and keyboardist all look at me with big smiles. I nod to the announcer who looks towards the second Microphone, "Uh Oh, folks, it seems the backup singer also had some complications. Looks like we will have to do this without her, sorry Lara."

The crowd shifts uneasily at the complication and Lara looks backstage then back at me almost freaking out. 

"You got this. Breathe." I mouth to her and she takes a slow shuddering breath, then shakes her head before smiling out to the crowd.

"No worries, this song is amazing even without the backup singer! But boy am I going to scold Jessica later!" She says with mock anger - at least I hope it is mock anger - and a finger waggle.

The audience laughs and Lara looks back at me and then the rest of the band. We all nod and smile at her. "This song's lyrics and arrangement were written by Finn and is dedicated to my dad and the dream he has instilled in me since I was a kid. It's called 'Gotta catch 'em all!'"

Yes. That's right. My best friend is a singer and I taught her the Pokemon theme song. Sue me...not actually though...

In my past life, I had learned guitar originally just to learn this song. I had gotten pretty good at playing by the end and that, luckily, seemed to carry over to this life. Or at least, I had a much easier time teaching myself with my past memories. Even muscle memory seemed to kick in! Long story short, I told my family and Lara I learned the guitar to accompany her and for fun. We have had a blast with me playing and her singing over the years and we even played at some local coffee shops. That was one of the big reasons she continued to be a singer even with her other work. 

6 months ago, I had told her I wrote the song for her and her dad because he was always talking about his dream to catch all the Pokemon. A white lie, really, as the song WAS written for Ash and the anime. She was so happy and actually cried when I played it for her the first time. She has since decided to record it and she told me 4 months ago that she would be preparing it at this opening ceremony. Hence, my big surprise birthday gift. Not only was I going to be playing the guitar for her, but I would be singing with her on the song, something I had never done before. I was worried about singing as the past me was not a great singer, but it seems the current me isn't half bad. With some secret training from Serena, Lara's mom, who used to be a professional singer a few years back, I was told that I could even make this a career if I wanted. 

I don't. But I can do it for Lara. 

The drummer hits his drumsticks four times to set the tempo and then I start with the iconic bended note.

Spoiler

Here is the song if you need a refresher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg6CiPI6h2g

[collapse]

Lara takes the mic in her hand and points out to the crowd, specifically to her dad, who was also in the dark about this. 

"I want to be the very best,
Like no one ever was."

We play through the first verse and the chorus, with the band joining in singing for the big group parts, but the song is a bit lacking without the main harmony line. I planned to fix that, however.

As we approached the second verse, I see Lara panicking again. She was supposed to sing background on the second verse and I'm sure she is frantically trying to remember the lyrics. At this, I step forward up to the second microphone. Lara looks at me quizzically wondering what I am doing. A bit shaky at first, but with growing confidence, I sing,

"Every challenge along the way,
With courage I will face!"

Lara's eyes go wide and one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on her radiates out. The crowd responds explosively as well. We sing perfectly and our harmonies are fantastic.

We get to the chorus that I am singing lead on. Now time for the second surprise. After the start of the chorus, just past the

"Pokemon!
Gotta catch em' all!"

Pyra and Grace come center stage and start a choreographed battle, adding pyrotechnics to the whole song and making it even more awesome. Lara's smile is so wide, it must be hurting her, but mine is no less huge.

Lara finishes out the song after the second chorus and I let rip a particularly tasty guitar solo as we bring it home together in perfect harmony.

As the last notes ring out, there is a pause with no noise, then a cacophony of applause greets us. Lara smiles out to them, specifically to her dad who is frozen with his mouth hanging open. Tears stream down both father and daughter's faces as they share a very special moment. The moment is broken by confused shouts and a loud roar as Ash lets out his Charizard onto the field and jump over the 2nd-floor banisters of the stadium. He lands dramatically on Charizard and they swoop towards the stage. Charizard lands lightly and gracefully on the stage and Ash jumps off rushing to hug his daughter. If the audience was loud before, they are deafening now as the father and daughter pair hug center stage. 

I step back and hand off the guitar to the stage tech. The band members pat my back and give me congratulations as the announcer takes over.

"Wasn't that just magnificent! And a touching end to an amazing, dare I say, chart-topping new single from Lara! And what a voice young Finn has as well! Maybe a new star was born today..."

I tune him out as I crouch down to pet Pyra and Grace who are both panting.

"Great work, girls." I smile at them and they let out cries of excitement. 

I look up as the stage shakes slightly to see Ash's Charizard towering over me. She nods to me once before turning to Pyra who dives into her leg. I am a bit astonished for a second, then it hits me. My Charmander is Ash's Charizard's daughter!?! Small world I guess...but no wonder she is the best. It is in her genes!

While the mother and daughter duo are sharing a moment of their own, the father and daughter pair break apart as Lara looks around wildly. She turns to me and all but runs to glomp onto me. 

"Finn~~! Oh, Arceus, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squeezes me so tightly it starts hurting, but I just smile and pry her off me before engulfing her in a giant hug of my own. 

"Happy Birthday, Lara," I say softly as she cries happy tears into my chest. 

We stay locked in a warm embrace for a few minutes. Ash looks at us fondly while patting his Charizard's neck. Coughing, he walks up when he thinks the hug has gone on for too long and claps saying,

"Okay, okay, let the boy breath, Lara. Finn...did you really write the lyrics about me?" He asks with something shining in his eyes.

"Yeah!" I lie, "There was no one else it could be about." I tell the truth. 

Ash smiles and thanks me before sighing and saying softly, "Well, I guess I can't stop her now...not after this..."

I tilt my head in confusion, but Lara pulls my attention back by grabbing my face and forcing me to look at her.

"Finn. Oh. My. God. Your voice is SO good! You have to record the song with me. No one else will do."

I smile and shake my head, "No way! This was a one-time thing."

"I won't take no for an answer! I am not afraid to use blackmail!" She says with a pout before it breaks into a giant smile again. "Thank you, Finn. This is the best gift I could have ever asked for."

She then hides her head in my hoody and says something too softly for me to hear.

Spoiler

A/N: Ha! I won't leave you hanging. It is exactly what you expect. =P

"...I love you..." 

[collapse]

At this moment, Serena and my parents come up and join us in a huge family hug. I can even see Ash's mom and Professor Oak at the back smiling at us all. Pyra and Grace soon join the dogpile, hugging their partners close.

Now I know for a fact that this surprise was worth all the work, nervousness, and worry. 

* | * | *

An hour later, we are all together eating outside one of the food stalls that have been set up for this tournament. We are seated at a picnic table and our two families intermingle while Lara is leaning into my side with our Pokemon on our laps. 

"You ruined my makeup, you bastard," Lara grumbles past a few french fries.

I laugh and squeeze her side before pulling a sheet from my pocket. "Let's check out the tournament brackets."

She and our Pokemon perk up and look over the sheet I hold out in front of us. "Looks like we have the preliminaries first. I am slotted in an hour and you are in 30 mins." She comments while looking at the watch on her wrist that shows 12 pm. (Time works the same here, just FYI. Made growing up here a lot easier.)

"Think we have to do more than 1 battle?" I ask.

"I doubt it. The judges will rank us based on battle speed and trainer and Pokemon skill. With all of our training, we will likely only need to do one." 

"Who do you think will make it to the top 32? Anyone we should be worried about?"

"Jeremey is a contender for sure." She says and scrunches her nose in disgust. It is more cute than anything else, however. "He has been feeding his Charmander nothing but rare candies. It has already evolved into a Charmeleon..."

Pyra lets out a low growl at the name and I pat her head reassuringly. "We have skill, all he has is a fat lizard with cavities," I say and Lara, Pyra, and Grace all snort in response.

"Kimmy, Jessica, and Courtney will make it. They have trained with us a bit in the past." She continues, "Speaking of Jessica..." She scowls a second before looking up at me and it breaks into a giant smile instead. "I am gonna have to reward her..."

I laugh and mentally prepare myself for what's to come.

"Oh and Blue and Sabrina's kid. He will probably be pretty strong, though we have no way of knowing how strong. A real dark horse." Lara continues pondering.

"Whatever happens, we will see each other in finals, I am sure." I say and smile down at her toothily, "I will be a shame to hurt Grace, but there is no way she can stand up to my girl Pyra."

Lara breaks away from me and Grace growls a bit as Pyra raises her head in confidence...before casting a sidelong look at her friend in worry. Timid is as timid does...

"Oh really?" Lara says loudly garnering the attention of those around us. "Do you want to make a bet then?"

I just smile at her sweetly, and respond, "I would, but I don't like picking on kids."

She gasps and hits my arm several times. "You. Did. It. Now! Fine, then. Let's make a bet. Loser does whatever the winner wants for a whole day!" She accents the start with hits to my arm before staring at me with a fire burning in her eyes. 

I wave nonchalantly, "Whatever you want, princess. Just don't cry when I beat you." I smirk at her and wink. 

She and Grace jump up in a huff and start stomping away. "Dad! I need to have a strategy meeting with you!" Lara calls out and Ash smiles at her and me. 

"You got it, honey! Let's teach Finn some manors and how he can't go stealing my..."

Ash was interrupted by a hand covering his mouth from Serena. She stares daggers at him and he wilts a bit. 

I take the moment to stand up dramatically myself, putting the giant Pyra on the bench seat beside me. Jeez...she is not as light as she used to be. She glares at me as if sensing my thoughts. I quickly look away and yell after Lara. "Wait!"

She stops and looks back, the fire still burning in her eyes. I walk up and wave for her to meet me halfway. She stomps just as dramatically back to me and stares me down. She is 2 inches taller than me, after all. Our families look on in amusement, except for Ash who is getting scolded by Serena. 

I put my hands on her shoulder and smile genuinely at her. "Good luck, Lara." Then I pull her into a tight hug.

She yelps with a cute "Eep!" before slowly wrapping her arms around me as well. She seems to lose the tension in her body for a split second before it comes back like a coiled spring. She jumps back and points at me, blushing.

"T-That won't work on me this time! I will win, just you wait and see!" She stays like that for a second and I just cross my arms and raise an eyebrow.

"B-but...yeah...good luck to you as well, Finn..." She says lowering her arm and looking down before taking a breath and spinning around. "Dad!" She calls, and he quickly uses that as an excuse to escape his wife and rushes over. 

"See you in the finals." Lara says turning her head over her shoulder to look at me with the fire burning even brighter. 

"See you then." I wave and smile confidently. 

Lara and Ash walk off and start talking about strategies to take down Pyra. I watch after them and lose my confident smile, sighing in relief.

"You did that so she will give it her all against you, didn't you?" An older woman's voice calls out behind me. I turn to see a smirking Delia Ketchum and a widely smiling Professor Oak. 

"Ah...um...I..." I stutter before slumping my shoulders. "That obvious, huh?"

Lara's grandmother smiles at me and takes me into her arms. "Thank you for treating my granddaughter so well and always thinking of her. I feel confident in leaving her in your care."

I blush at the implication. I am only 10! Stop trying to force me into marriage you old farts! 

Seeing my unease, she smirks again, "For when you head out as trainers, I mean...what were you thinking of I wonder?"

Professor Oak lets out a belly laugh and so does all the rest around us as my blush goes into overdrive. 

Delia lets me go and moves to sit down with Serena and my parents to join their conversation.

"I hear the kids at the school call you Professor?" Professor Oak says with mirth shining in his eyes. "Gunning for my job, are you?"

"No!..um..no sir." I stammer awkwardly. Oak is a hero of mine! He helped usher me into this world when it was only a game. I can't believe I am talking with him now and that he is accusing me of trying to oust him! 

"I am just kidding, Finn. But I am really interested in your training methods for Pyra there. She is a magnificent Charmander and I could see how proud her mother was." Pyra perks up and begins preening at the compliment.

"Y-yes! I would love to talk to you about it! If it is alright with you, I would love to pick your brain about other training methods. I only want the best for my girl!" I say excitedly, nearly jumping at the opportunity to talk to Professor Oak about Pokemon. This is my dream come true!

Oak laughs again and says, "Very good. Your first match is in 20 minutes, so let's walk and talk. If you have more questions, you can always swing by the lab and talk to me or one of my assistants." He offers as I nod emphatically and wave goodbye to my family as we start walking to the preliminary rings. 

What a complete turn around from how I felt earlier! All the nervousness and jitters were gone. Pokemon, training, and battling. Now I am in my element! I am sure Lara and I will be earning a lot of attention after today.

Okay, okay. I know this might be a bit cringe, but I couldn't help it! I had a ton of fun writing this chapter, I hope you enjoyed reading it. =D

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