Chapter 6 – School Years Part 3

"Surprise!" The restaurant in front of me went from empty to packed with smiling faces in a blink of the eye as I nearly shat myself from fright. Fun fact, I hate surprises and I hate scary things. Lara, however, loves them and loves to abuse my dislike for them and make me watch horror movies with her. She gets a kick out of a 6'4" hulk of a man cowering and holding onto her like a frightened child. It is in good fun, and I don't resent her for it...but she is still a damn sadist.

I saw my dad patting the head of his tired-looking Chimecho and smiling up at me with all the rest. The little guy teleported nearly 30 people at once, no wonder he is tired. Pyra was also frightened by this sudden change. How did I know? Her minimize broke and she was now a nearly 8 foot tall, pink monster barring her fangs. She had even readied a Flamethrower attack but stopped when she recognized everyone and, instead, tilted her head in confusion cutely.

"Happy 15th Birthday, Finn!" My mother comes over and hugs me close. "Only one more year until you are a full adult and start your Jr. League journey...so I only have one more year to hug and kiss and cuddle my baby..." She starts happy, but by the end is tearing up. My father steps up next and hugs me close without saying anything...before starting to bawl like a baby himself. 

"My little boy is growing up and is going to leave soon. I have so much to teach you about being a man!" He sobs. My mother follows suit and for the next 5 minutes or so I am forced to console my crying parents as they cling to me. Everyone else stands back smiling awkwardly.

'Jeez...whose the child here...And, sorry dad, I don't think you are the one to teach me how to be a man. You wear a pink flowery apron every morning when you cook breakfast...'

Not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you. I love my dad and he is a damn fine cook. All the men in our family seem to be attracted to strong women and I don't find that emasculating at all...Yes...I mean all of the men. Lara and I share decisions and treat each other equally, but while I am the strong silent type, there is no denying that she wears the pants in the relationship. I don't mind, though, since I am a bit socially awkward at times. That is one thing I share with my past life. It is nice to be with a strong, confident woman who knows what she wants and is willing to fight for that and for you. And it is incredibly sexy. Suffice to say, I am perfectly secure in my own masculinity and I see nothing wrong with a girl taking the lead in a relationship. This is not the 1950's anymore, after all. 

My parents haven't changed much from how they looked in the anime, just aged to 37. The major differences are that mom now wears her hair in a braid most of the time and has put on a few pounds, and looks fucking killer all the same, and dad has grown his hair out a bit, still in the same style, and now has a goatee. He is buff as ever as he works around heavy machinery all day for the league. They are both dressed in work attire having come from the school and the machine shop respectively.

Back to my surprise party, I see Rose rolling her eyes at our parent's antics, but she is smiling all the same. She is 13 now and is here with her boyfriend. This one is the 3rd this year...so I feel no need in describing him. She doesn't like clingy guys, enough said there. Lara convinced Rose to start modeling and she has become more and more confident in herself and her looks. As her brother, I am extremely proud. She has her iconic Cambridge hair cut into a stylish bob coming down to her neck and has matching sapphire eyes. She is small in stature, and that matches her usually quiet personality. She likes to wear sweaters or hoodies with holes cut out at the end for her thumbs along with jeans and sneakers. Today, she is in a rather nice looking long sweater dress with stockings and black pumps. Very stylish sis!

We have mended our relationship over the last year and are now really close. She treats Lara like her big sister and we often hang out together when Lara and I are not wanting private time. She has also grown into a very competent trainer. Rose doesn't talk much, but she listens to all the advice Lara and I give her and is the best trainer in her grade with her Growlithe, Sophia, at her side. The 3 years, soon to be 4, of Dratni School Tourament Cups in her room are proof of her hard work. She is also a member of our club and both her and Conor, Lara's brother, are prime candidates to take over when Lara and our grade graduate. Despite her being quiet most of the time, I have seen her give advice and help the younger kids in our club. She is rather blunt and to the point, but her advice is spot on and maybe even better than what I can give.

Due to her beauty, celebrity status, and competence in being a Pokemon trainer, she is often the subject of adoration by the males of our club and school.  There is even a saying about her that says, "If you want to reach the flower on the mountain, you must appease the demon." In case it is not clear, I am the demon in that situation. I guess I can understand. I am 6'4 and weigh over 200 pounds of solid muscle... I am sure that can be more than a bit intimidating. Apparently, people think I need to give them my approval before they can date my sister, a prospect she and Lara love to tease me about and one I don't actually hate. If I can keep honry teenagers off my sister, then I think I have succeeded as a big brother. 

Case in point, as my parents finally get off me, the poor boy she is with steps forward and holds out a shaking hand. "Happy birthday, Finn. My name is Marcus. It is an honor to meet you." I do my part and glare at him for a second before looking over to Rose who sighs and nods mouthing, "I like him. Be nice."

I shake his hand, a bit harder than I need to, saying, "Nice to meet you as well, Marcus. You pass the first stage. I appreciate you dressing up for the occasion." Then I lean in and growl lowly so only he can hear, "Don't make me regret accepting you here. Treat my sister like the proper lady she is and we will have no issues, understand?"

The kid's face pales and his voice cracks as he squeaks, "Y-yes, sir!"

Rose smirks and I hear Conor next to her mumble, "Bro is so cool!"

The first few months after Lara and I got back together, Conor was less than friendly to me. This changed, however, when he was being bullied at school and I stepped in and stopped it. A bit cliche, sure, but no one messes with my family, and Lara's family is my family. After that, the scrawny 13-year-old thanked me profusely and started idolizing me. I offered to help him train his body so he wouldn't be picked on anymore and he jumped on the chance. He now joins me, Prya, and Mr. Rook in working out 3 days a week.

Side note - Mrs. Rook is pregnant and Mr. Rook has never been happier. He talks to me all the time about how much he is looking forward to it, son or daughter, and asks me for advice on what kids like and how he can be a good father. He is an awesome guy and I am super happy for both him and Melody. 

Back to Conor, he is here with his first-ever girlfriend who is - drumroll please - Courtney! Yes, the same geeky, glasses-wearing Courtney who is in Lara and I's friend group at school. How the hell did Conor land himself a 2-year older, busty bombshell? Well, it has to do more with their interests than their looks. See, much to his father's chagrin, Conor doesn't want to become a Pokemon trainer. He is a great one currently, Lara and I saw to that, but his dream is actually to become a Pokemon researcher and to tutor under Professor Oak. He somehow ended up with a Porygon as his starter and they loved to search the web together and learn new things about how Pokemon have interacted with humans throughout history, Professor Oak's field of research. Turns out this is also Courtney's dream, though she wants to study why baby Pokemon evolve due to friendship between them and their trainers, so the two hit it off a couple of months ago and started dating in secret. 

Courtney was worried Lara would be pissed at her if she found out she was dating her younger brother, but as it turned out, Lara was only pissed that Courtney hadn't told her right away. Lara and I are great supporters of their relationship as we agree that the two somewhat awkward teens seem to complete each other. - Lame as it sounds - They fill in what the other lacks and, together, are much more confident and passionate than they ever were apart. It is also just freaking adorable to see them flirt and blush all the time. Teasing them has become one of our favorite pastimes. Again, all in good fun.

I walk up to Rose and Conor and give them both a big hug together. They squirm under my power, but neither of them is strong enough to escape me. I kiss Rose's forehead as she pouts up at me from being helpless. Conor just grins and lets it happen. When I break apart from them I also pull Courtney into a hug, who then "Eeps" cutely. 

"Thank you for coming. I'm guessing you are the ones that planned this?" I say smiling at them.

"Actually," Rose responds with a smirk, "That was the girl behind you."

I spin around in confusion to see a sight I have been missing for over a month now. Lara is standing there smiling and posing in a beautiful pink dress. Like every time I see her, the world seems to slow down for a moment as I rush over, pick her up in a hug, and swing her around me as she giggles. 

Puberty had been quite kind to Lara. She was now a 5'11" bombshell of a woman with shining golden hair, deep ocean blue eyes, a sinfully curvy figure, and a million-watt smile. To say she was beautiful was to call the grass green. She was stunning and I honestly couldn't believe she was my girlfriend. I thanked Arceus every day that I had gotten her back last year. I would have been a wreck without her.

She was also insanely popular with the guys at our school and my body size alone wasn't always enough to ward them off, so I had to have a few "Words" with those who tried hitting on her on more than one occasion. Lara has learned from her past, however, and never flirts back with them. If anything, she is pretty harsh in her rejections. I had to break Jeremy's nose and got suspended from school for a week when he tried to force her on a date with him. She refused him calling him "Less than a bug," and he had tried to slap her calling her a "Stuck up bitch who needed to know what happens when she disrespects her betters." To be honest, I am not sure what happened next. All I saw was red and came to with Lara pulling me off him. His face was a bloody mess and he was curled up in the fetal position crying.

"Shh. Shhhhh. It's ok, Finn. I'm ok. He didn't hurt me. I am fine, calm down." Lara had to keep reassuring me she was fine to calm me down. 

We were escorted to the principal's office and Lara told the story of what happened while I just stared down at my bloody fist quietly. Jeremy's mom, who had indeed divorced Mayor Drex and taken a large portion of his money in the process, tried to get me expelled and thrown in prison. Jeremy, Lara told me, came to school the next day with his nose bandaged and wearing both a neck and an arm brace. He tried to garner sympathy, but he was not well-liked at the school like Lara and I were and everyone knew what really happened.

My saving grace was that the whole incident happened in front of a school camera, so the school and the board of directors all got to see and hear Lara turn him down, his response and attempt to slap her, and my intervention. Someone *Cough* Conor *Cough* even shared the video on PokeTube to prove my innocence. With how mad I was, I expected to have beat his face multiple times, but apparently, I hit him once and he crumpled to the ground and Lara stopped me before I could hit him again. No one on the board or the principal wanted to give me a punishment, as I was clearly just defending my girlfriend, but Jeremy's mom was making an awful stink about the incident, despite the video footage, so I agreed to take a week off and they promised not to put it on my record. 

After that, people knew not to mess with Lara so, all in all, it was a good thing to happen. I didn't get in trouble at home either, in fact, my mom had stars in her eyes listening to Lara's retelling of it and my dad simply said, "That's my boy."

Another unexpected outcome of this was that it made Ash finally forgive me for breaking up with Lara a year ago.

"Thank you for defending my daughter, Finn. You are a good kid and I think you and Lara are good together." He had pulled me aside and told me that simply before patting my shoulder and walking off. I was stunned. That was basically the equivalent of a hug and a kiss from the overprotective parent, and I counted it as a win in my book...The intense makeout session Lara and I had as my "Reward" was nice too...

Back to the party, "What are you doing here!?!" I ask as I put her down, astonished to see my amazing girlfriend. She had been cast as the leading role in huge production of a teen drama. This was going to be her first big movie role, as she didn't count the children's movies she had been in, and she was working with some of the industry's biggest stars including Serena who was playing her mother in the movie. Lara had to go onsite to a tropical island where the film was being shot and was on leave from school for over a month. She still had a couple of weeks of shooting to do, so I hadn't expected to see her for a while.

"Mom used her Talonflame and Dad lent me his Pigeot so we could be here for your surprise party! I didn't spend so long planning it to not to be here for it!" She says with a smirk and hands on her hips. 

"I love you, babe. I missed you." I say as I pull her in and rest my forehead on hers. We share a light kiss and stare into each other's eyes for a long moment...before Ash coughs loudly behind us ruining the moment. I look beyond her and see a genuinely smiling Serena and an obviously strained smiling Ash. I kissed Lara's nose, then made my way over.

"Mom! Dad! Thank you for coming!"

"Listen here you little sh..." Ash started before getting elbowed in the side by his wife. She came forward and hugged me tightly wishing me a happy birthday. I held out my hand for Ash as he begrudgingly shook it under the glare of Serena. "Yeah...Happy Birthday. Now if you will excuse us..." Ash said before guiding his wife by the waist making his way over to my parents. Serena looked over her shoulder and gave me a wink and a thumbs up. 

They, like my parents, looked nearly the same as the anime, just a 32 and 33-year-old version. Serena had grown her hair out again and ash had something approaching a mullet. Not my style, but he made it work.

Pissing off Ash by calling him "Dad" was another one of my favorite pastimes. Lara and Serena loved it, especially Serena who all but demanded I call her mom. The first time I did it ash dropped and broke a dish he was washing, this was right after I joined them for dinner, and glared at me so hard and with such a red face of anger, I thought he was going to pass out. Good times.

When he stomped forward to give me a piece of his mind, Pikachu, who Lara was holding in her lap while Pyra and Grace cuddled in the corner of the kitchen, jumped up and gave Ash a warning growl with electricity pulsing at his cheeks. I had earned the legendary creature in his own right's approval by how I treated Lara all these years (minus a certain period that he seemed to forgive me for), whom he loved very dearly, and by testing out some massage methods I was learning for Pokemon to help them relax after training. Pyra & Grace loved them and Pikachu was curious, so I offered to try it on him as well. He all but melted from the massage, and it was really cute. According to Serena and Lara, I was the only other person Pikachu let hold him without shocking them besides the family. Knowing the anime and mangas, that meant a lot more to me than I think they understood.

The next hour was spent mingling with everyone at the party. Abby, my cousin, was here and, let me just say, she looked amazing. Not in a weird way, but in an "I'm proud of my cousin and her accomplishments" kind of way. She had stopped acting and devoted nearly all her time to modeling and singing. She had just landed an apprenticeship with Jasmine, the match announcer for the elite 4. She was following her dreams and going places. She and Lara were with her group of friends chatting and gossiping over pizza and a mixture of fruity looking drinks (Nonalcoholic, of course).

Zeek was looking a bit out of place in the group of giggling girls talking a mile a minute, but he was sticking close to Kimmy. They were a...thing? I guess? As far as I am aware, they were not actually dating, but that sure didn't stop them from sneaking away during club training to makeout. Lara and I had caught them as we were wandering around the school looking for them. They had been missing for over an hour, so we got a bit worried. After witnessing them behind the school building with their tongues down each other's throats,  we agreed to leave quietly and keep it to ourselves. Kimmy, the fiery redhead model with green eyes, was very private about her personal life and didn't like people prying. She came from a rich family and was not on the best of terms with her parents. We decided to respect her wishes and not mention it. Zeek, his blonde hair and blue eyes looking at odds with the mostly black clothes he wore, was a bit of a bad boy type. At least when you first met him. He was actually incredibly sweet and nice, and Lara and I were secretly rooting for the two of them.

 

The last of the group was Jessica, the green-haired blue-eyed singer and athlete. She was...a free spirit. She didn't so much date as she had flings with all sorts of people. Younger, older, boy, or girl it didn't matter to Jessica. If she was attracted to you, she let you know immediately and showered you with affection. But her affection was like the rain: Here one minute, gone the next. Lara was very close to her, and they had put several singles out featuring one another over the years. She even confided that they had made out a few times during the year we were apart. No, Jessica had not taken advantage of her, it was mutual. There was always some chemistry with them, but she swears they have not kissed again since that time. Not that I really mind - which I have told her whenever she brings it up and to which she always hits me and calls me a pig. Call me whatever you want, but the thought of my hot girlfriend making out with another equally hot girl was not unappealing to me. Just not with other guys. I am a hypocrite, I know, but I can't help how I feel. Sue me. 

Anyway, Jessica was currently putting the moves on Abby and I felt the need to warn her, so I shoot her a quick text. Not to tell her to stop enjoying the attention, mind you, but that Jessica was not the "Relationship" type. I had known for a long time that Abby was a lesbian, Lara and I were the first people she came out to, even before her parents. To us, it didn't matter at all. She was still, and would always be my beautiful cousin and we both loved her very much.

Another note about this world, sexuality was not a big deal here. Like, it was staggering to me when I first learned the differences from here to my past life's world. There was no religion telling people sex was bad, only marry 1 person, or that man and woman is the only acceptable relationship, so people just did whatever they wanted and whatever felt good to them and society didn't care one lick! Hell, we started learning sex ed at 12, and not just the official terms and process! It started basic sure, but each year we would have another class, a joint boy and girl class mind you, where we would learn more and more about sex and sexual acts. This last year we even went over what erogenous zones are and how to help your partner feel better during sexual acts! They taught us in an almost bored and clinical way so kids in this world grew up not only knowing what sex was, how to practice safe sex, and what to do to make your partner feel good, but they didn't even really think it was that big of a deal! Just another part of normal relationships. Which it is...but that is a hell of a change from my previous life. Let me tell you, I learned more than a few things and my mind was completely blown at the casual display of something I had always thought was so intimate. 

It got me thinking...this world seemed to be a mash-up of all the Pokemon knowledge from my past life: Games, anime, and manga....is it possible...no way...could they have also...mashed the massive amount of Pokemon porn from my old life into this world as well? I mean, people didn't fuck Pokemon here, it was actually illegal to do, but...this world seemed to take the general concepts of my old world and make them into something workable and realistic...so I guess it is possible that porn could have had a factor in how sex is portrayed here...

You know what? I am not going to worry about that mystery. Let it stay hidden for all I care. This world just lacks mainstream religions that restrict sex, so let's go with that and move on. Nothing to see here...

Abby gets up from the table and goes to the bathroom. When she comes back, she finds me mingling with some club members and comes up and kisses my cheek saying, "Thanks for looking out for me, Finn."

I just smile and nod at her, and get back to the conversation I was having about flying moves to a 10th-grader with a Pidgey. I finish saying hello and thanking everyone for coming, making sure to spend a bit longer with Mr & Mrs. Rook to congratulate them again on the pregnancy and talking about helping them to paint the new nursery. We have cake and they all sing for me, which is awesome, then we open the gifts people brought for me. It is only from family and close friends, Lara knows I don't really like getting gifts as it makes me feel awkward - Social anxiety for the win!

I get a lot of money from most people, this is the best gift to give someone who is close to starting their Pokemon Journey, after all. I also got an expensive new jacket that looks really cool on me from Lara and her family. Lara's grandmother, Delia Ketchum, and Professor Oak got me a set of evolutionary stones, which was fucking rad! - I think they are an item, but no one talks about it, so I ignore it like everyone else - Mr. & Mrs. Rook gave me a top-up on my Vitamins as I was running low on the ones Grandpa had given to me, another amazing gift.

Speaking of my grandparents, they got me another really awesome gift. I have been trying to find myself a breeder who breeds evolutions of Eevee for my team in a year, but I have had no luck. Most people want to start with an Eevee and then pick the evolution themselves later. I am not a fan of forcing evolutions onto a Pokemon, however, so I asked them to see if they could find anyone who breeds their already evolved forms, and they did! Not only that but my grandparents and everyone from my dad's side of the family helped pitch in to pay for one. Next year, before my graduation, I will have my very own baby Jolteon to add to the team! I nearly tackled Abby to the ground when she told me and thanked her profusely.

Apparently, she had gone to ask for it personally, since the breeders in Johto normally only provide these Pokemon to their own family. As it turns out, the lady she met had a daughter our own age who loved Abby and Lara's old songs and movies, and this then lead to them, begrudgingly, allowing for the transaction. She refused to tell me how much it cost, but since everyone pitched in from her side of the family, it must have been a lot. I promised to call my grandparents and all my father's siblings to thank them profusely later. 

The last gift I get is from my parents who hand me a small box. Most have moved back to mingling, so it is only my family and Lara's family around us. Gift-giving isn't a huge deal for people in this world and I am pretty sure Lara told everyone I don't like to be watched while I open gifts. Family is fine though, so this should be no big deal. I open it up and immediately close it again blushing furiously. It was a big deal. What was it? It was a watch. Normal, right? No. Not at all.

This type of watch is unique for men. They function exactly the same as normal watches, only on the backside, where it has contact with the skin, is a small compartment where you can slot in a pad that every store in the world sells. Why? Because the pad releases chemicals into a male's body that stops them from being fertile as long as it is applied. Yup. My parents bought me birth control. 

The science behind it is actually fascinating and it is something that all men everywhere own and use. We learned about them extensively in our sex-ed class and they have next to no major side effects and do not hurt the production of sperm if you want to stop using them. It is the safest and surest way to allow for safe sex. I stare at my parents in horror. 

"Oh come on," My mom says with a wave of her hand, "You will be having sex eventually. It is better to have it and not use it, than not have it and need it. When we were your age..."

"MOM!" I yell, covering my face that is burning brighter than Pyra's flames. A quick glance to the left shows me that Lara is doing the same. Most others still here are chuckling and Selena hits the nail in the coffin by clapping and saying, "That is a great gift! How wonderful."

Lara and I both look up to her, mortified, and she just covers her smiling mouth and gives us one of her signature, "Ara Ara~~"s.

Don't look. Don't do it. I can feel the hate on me, don't look dammit. 

I make the mistake of looking at Ash. Whoa boy. Well, it has been a nice new life while it lasted.