<What followed were hours, into days, into weeks, into months, into years, as the two put forth their best efforts to progress. Stanley gradually began to show progress in all of his subjects, to the degree he was permitted to bring Chad with him for the whole day. This led to the breaking of the dam, so to speak. Every child earned permission to bring one pokemon with them, on the conditions that they upheld high marks and demonstrated good judgment.>


    <With time, and learning from Chad’s actions, Stanley began to overcome his deficit. If his pokemon could communicate without speaking his language, why couldn’t he also talk without speaking? Stanley began to carry around a mini white board and marker, writing out what he wanted to say to others. This was great, and Stanley began to- >


    The world slowed to a halt before resuming, with Chad finding himself in the hallway alone, seemingly right before entering Miss Pott’s classroom. He glanced around to notice Stanley was missing. “Uh, did something happen?” He asked in confusion, likely due to the sudden drop from the narrative fast-forward.


    <It appears Stanley has somehow gotten himself stuck in the Janitor’s closet, and I cannot get him out.>


    “Is the door locked?” Chad asked, rotating around in a searching pattern.


    <N– No, it is neither locked, nor closed.>


    Chad paused, opened his mouth, then closed it again before shaking his head. He began to walk towards an ajar door in the hallway which happened to have ‘FACILITIES’ in big friendly letters on it. Peeking inside, Chad found Stanley staring blankly at the bucket-packed utility shelving covering the wall, utterly still and unmoving. After a few seconds of this game of statues, Chad gently stepped inside and grasped Stanley by the hand, guiding him out and back into the hall, towards Miss Pott’s class.


    <Right, thank you. As I was saying, Stanley began to rise up the class rankings, both for having a strong pokemon for a partner, and for getting steadily better grades on his assignments. Seeing the success of their joint efforts, Serena began to join Stanley and Calem for their study sessions. The trio quickly rose up and carved a niche for themselves as the power elite of their class, with Calem and Serena frequently tying for first place in a variety of subjects while Stanley holds the title of the school’s top battler. Leveraging Stanley’s success, Calem starts bringing his intended starter to school: one of the Fennekin from his mom’s pack. Not to be outdone, Serena begins bringing her Chespin, which somehow manages to hold its own against the fire types in their duels.>


    <When they aren’t challenging the world, the trio spend downtime with their other friends Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno. The six get along well, though early on they learned not to leave Shauna and Stanley unattended, as the two polar opposites got along like ghosts and normal types. Each had their own goals and ideas for what they wanted when their journey started, with half the group wanting to be the best they could, and the other half just wanting to travel and see as much of Kalos as they could.>


    <For Stanley’s 14th birthday, his favorite gift was having his four best friends- and Shauna- come to celebrate with him. Eric surprised him with a prototype of a new device he had been working on: a tablet that would allow Stanley to type or write out sentences, and have it speak for him. Stanley was ecstatic about his freedom from the board and marker, and promised to keep it safe. The family got a good laugh when Diane’s Sylveon tried to use it, as the gibberish was equivalent to a newborn babe. The next morning during their training session, she made Chad regret laughing so hard.>


    <As he had promised, Stanley managed to keep his grades above passing for his final year, managing to place in the upper half of his class. In the final months leading up to graduation, Chad evolved to his Charmeleon stage, quickly adapting to the increased mobility and capabilities that came with it. To honor the event, he was given a bright white scarf which he wore daily from then on. Eric suggested that Chad invest in a nice pair of goggles once he evolved again, citing his experience flying to and from work, and on the recently-learned fact that Chad’s final evolution gained the ability to fly. Another benefit from Chad’s evolution was his ability to help around the house, often assisting with the cleaning and cooking much to Diane’s delight.>


    <On Stanley’s 15th birthday, having graduated from trainer school (and thanks to Chad’s insistence on filing the paperwork in advance) led to the boy opening an envelope from the League and joyfully displaying his new trainer ID card. As the sixth and final member of the troupe to receive their card, this renewed their discussions of plans and what they were to do when their journey started next month with the start of the season. Stanley did wish he could do more, as it was announced at graduation that the top handful of students would be given a digital Pokedex for their journey, and he was not among them. Thankfully, both Calem and Serena qualified, and agreed to travel together with him (especially after Chad let them try his pan-seared stuffed tofu).>


    <It was then the night before the troupe were planning to depart. Bags were packed, everything was ready to go, and Stanley couldn’t sleep. Finally, after all these years, he was getting to start his very own journey! Who would he meet? What kind of pokemon would join him? It was just impossible to sleep!>


    At the family computer, Chad was still working, writing down notes from the computer, and drawing lines on a paper map he had out. The computer had a list of the regional gyms up, along with their types, and suggested routes previous trainers had taken. On the map, there’s a differently-colored line that heads across routes 22 and 21 towards Snowbelle, with a large question mark on top. The notebook currently is open to a page naming each gym, its city, and leader alongside the pokemon type, some of which have notes beneath them (such as Valerie and her Fairy gym, which simply has “see next page” right next to a crossed-out “wtf is a Fairy type”).


    Seemingly completed, Chad changed the computer’s search, pulling up a bunch of anecdotes and travel tips. Each page, he would finish reading before writing a number next to each route on the map, before navigating the computer to the next page, with each number seeming to be in either hours or days. Once those were done, he pulled up the local grocer’s website and began writing down prices and items.


    <Aren’t you taking this a little too seriously? It’s just a novice pokemon journey.>


    “Unless you can magically materialize food and money for us, I need to come up with a plan for logistics.” Chad answered, not looking up from his work. He paused for a moment, “And I don’t mean using your mind magic to force people to just give us stuff, because that wouldn’t work for your story either.” He clarified, having completed his estimates of vegetables.


    <Ah, well, no. Conjuration is not within my limits, something needs to previously exist for me to interact with it.>


    “And that is exactly why I’m doing all this, especially since I’ll be cooking for us all on the trip. I want to trust Calem and Serena…” He started to explain, closing the foodstuffs and moving on to the miscellaneous gear such as tents and backpacks. “But there’s a good chance we may end up separating at some point on this journey, either by their choice or yours,” he concludes, before making a sour face at the price of space-folding backpacks.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    <Are you implying that I can’t just make the two of them stick with Stanley until the end?>


    “Do you always want Stanley to be in their shadow?” Chad retorted, quickly trying to find used spatial bags for sale online. The prices had barely decreased, leading to Chad biting his bottom lip before writing the price of a new bag on a list titled ‘Things to save for’. “I can hold my own no problem, but I doubt the rest of our team will take well to a mute trainer. His device will be fine for a basic conversation, but it won’t be enough during the heat of a battle.”


    <Again, I can just narrate what happens, and it shall be! Why are you so hung up on every little detail?>


    Chad, gave a resigned sigh, before closing the notebook and moving away from the workstation. “Stanley isn’t a human. Honestly, I question if he’s even alive. Why did you make him?”


    <What?! Stanley’s a perfectly healthy young lad->


    “Who never uses a toilet, doesn’t breathe unless you specify it during your narration, doesn’t move so much as a finger without your say-so, and hasn’t blinked a single time in the supposed two-plus years I’ve been here. I would know, you just crammed the bulk of it into my head barely a few minutes ago.” He ranted, somewhat quietly, but potentially audible to the next room. There was a long silence, barely disturbed by the outside sounds of life in the night, before Chad leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling, “I’m right, aren’t I Author?”


    Yes, Stanley is regrettably neither a real person, nor a living being.


    <Oh sure; take his side, as usual. You just couldn’t handle the majestic arc of my story, your jealousy seeks to derail my greatest tale and ruin everything I’ve worked for!>


    My aim is to remain neutral, but to foster cooperation between you two where possible. You are free to also make your own inquiries if you like.


    <Fine! Damned charlatan, explain to me this: What could possibly be wrong with my main character?!>


    Narratively: nothing. Readers these days seem to enjoy worthwhile underdog stories.


    <HAH!>


    Fundamentally though, his body is breaking down from the rotting food inside his cavity, among other things. I foresee him facing visible issues as early as Lumiose City. No heart or cardiovascular system means his body has no heartbeat and is also missing an immune system. No lungs equates to no breathing, no stomach means no acids or enzymes to break down food instead of just letting it all rot together. And no digestive system means the food never leaves his body, compounding the primary issue.


    “Right, it was subtle but some of those things were pretty obvious after a month together. So, with Author’s guidance, I made some backup plans, just in case.” Chad explained, seemingly bracing himself in the chair.


    <How bold of you to assume you would make a better storyteller than I, the sheer cheek of it is driving me to ask why I shouldn’t scrap the whole plan, and you, right here and now. What possible reason would make you think I’d so easily abandon my plans in favor of something you’ve barely concocted in a few chapters?>


    “Simple; because you still get your story, but we change the driving motivation,” Chad explained, tense with sweat starting to form on his brow. “You were planning a simple coming of age story, but you know what else people love? Drive. A character with no drive is boring, and rarely of interest to the audience. And what’s one of the most famous drives to push a character to go above and beyond?” Chad led on, leaving the answer unsaid.


    <Death… You want to kill poor little Stanley.>


    “Yea,” Chad admitted with a twinge of guilt. “Though we have three options for that route, each with a different type of impact on the story. First being a sudden passing, like an aneurysm or heart attack. This symbolizes how quickly your life can turn upside-down and would resonate with readers who have lost someone in a similar manner. Second is to have it onset slowly, and have Stanley try to do everything he wanted before he can’t go on anymore. Most people would happily root for the cancer kid to really enjoy life while they still could.” He explained, raising a claw on his left hand for each option, lingering before raising the third and final talon. “Third is harder to do, but the Heroic Sacrifice route is tried and true. Though I question how well the readers may take it, Stanley hasn’t exactly done enough for them to be emotionally invested yet.”


    <The second one would be difficult to do with no lead-up, and I trust you wouldn’t accept being attacked by a pack of rampaging Gyrados?>


    No. We need Chad, Calem, Serena, Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno to all survive. That’s too risky.


    <Oh, so he gets to kill someone off, but when I do it it’s a problem? That hardly seems fair.>


    “In his defense, I have a feeling the last three will be inconsequential to the story at some point. None of them have any drive to push far, and half the party is aiming for the very top,” Chad spoke, explaining his opinion on the Narrator’s stance. “That said, I think option 1 might be our best bet. It lets the Narrator focus on the actual story itself instead of needing to manage Stanley’s condition over a period of time, and accurately time it to fail at the most consequential moment.”


    <How are you so familiar with all of this?>


    “You didn’t erase any of my memories.” Chad answered, tapping his right index claw to his temple. “And I read a LOT of fan fiction online in my previous life. I could probably write out entire books and sell them here for cash if we wanted to follow that trope.”


    Yea let’s not; I’m deliberately trying to avoid the pitfalls and meta-knowledge tropes that so many other stories use. It’s the main reason you’re here in Kalos.


    <Ah, that would explain some things I’ve noticed. Though, you have yet to explain to me why She is also here. I would be disappointed if you gave Her charge of our rival.>


    No, not a rival, She’s taking care of his love interest, who just happens to be living a power fantasy arc instead.


    “Wait, love interest?!”


    Don’t worry about it, you’ll meet them just after obtaining your badge in Lumiose City. Though I am sorry to inform you this is not a romance story, so try not to get your hopes up.


    <Rather cruel aren’t you? The lad was going to meet them the day he died until you intervened– >


    “WHAT!?” Chad was up and out of the chair at this point, likely having woken the whole house with his outburst.


    <Thankfully the Narrator had used his awesome powers to prevent the contents of this conversation from waking anyone from their blissful sleep. Oh yea, your buddy didn’t tell you?>


    Narrator, don’t.


    <He had you die in a ____ _________ at a _____ ___________, the same day you’d have met your fated lover. It would start with a conversation after _______ __ ____ _________, then you’d realize you shared so many hobbies, lived near each other. It was quite sappy but in an endearing way. There was also a fifty-fifty chance you two banged it out in the bathrooms by the end of the day.>


    Smooth. But He isn’t wrong. I do regret that you were denied–


    “I was going to lose my virginity to my life partner, you had me killed instead, and weren’t even planning to tell me?!” Chad shouted, falling to his knees as tears began to well and fall. He fell forward, bracing both hands against the floor as the metaphysical gravity began to skyrocket around him.


    <Quite ironic, that you yourself were a victim of the ‘sudden loss’ route. But on the bright side, at least you gained magical powers.>


    Not helping, Narrator.


    <There was an extended moment, wherein Chad unleashed all his pent-up emotions upon the two entities, using unflattering language best never repeated, and metaphors too visceral for this story. Once he was too tired to continue, he relented and appeared to be calming down. He realized that he had just been handed the very thing he said was lacking in their story; Drive.>


    Gradually, Chad began to rise to his feet, deep breaths slowly clearing away the distraught that had wrecked him a few minutes previous. With two quick motions, he wiped away any lingering tears, staring defiantly at the ceiling. “Lumiose City, huh? Pretty sure that was going to be my third badge, so that sounds like a workable goal,” Chad responded, seeming to be pulling a one-eighty from despair to decisive.


    <Odd that you’d tie it to a city. What’s to stop him from just making a Combee-line there?>


    Because it’s not just a location. Based on my storyboarding and timeline, you won’t earn the Voltage Badge until you have at least four other members on your team. And don’t rush to fill those four with a bunch of Zigzagoons and Pidgeys; the right four will be easy to spot. Just trust the process.


    “Fine, I’ll ‘trust the process’. So we have an agreement? Stanley dies tonight, and in his memory I carry on the journey myself with his now-grieving friends. I’ll hold off on recruiting any other team members unless Author gives me a heads up. And I’ll conquer all eight gyms on my rise to the top, for Stanley.” Chad lists off, counting each one with a claw, resulting in his entire left hand being opened upwards. “Anything else?”


    <I’ll ensure your travel buddies are compliant, and that you never encounter anything beyond your capabilities. I can also ward off any unnecessary wild encounters with other pokemon who aren’t your teammates, just to save us the trouble.>


    And I’ll try and figure out a way to get you a bag; those things are way beyond what you’ll probably earn on this journey. Good night everyone.