Hey everybody. I know I am awful for starting another story while working on so many others, but this one will not leave my head. It is an OC story that will be using the real world to make it unique. This story is a side project and will not be focused on as much and will only be updated when I get the muse for it. For information on the OC acceptance, read the bottom of the chapter, CAREFULLY for the rules. Now without further delay, let's hop to it.

Key:

Bold- PA system/Message Bulletins

Bold Italic- Radio/TV/Pokedex descriptions

Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks

The twenty-one year old man stood in the center of the field as he glanced around the empty stadium. Many memories flooded his head from the time of being a kid and coming to see the football games with his father and then actually playing for the team. Camp Randall Stadium, home of the Wisconsin Badgers, was truly a sight to behold for all football fans, regardless of their team affiliation. Whether it was from the actual games or even the student section that always entertained the crowd throughout the game, Camp Randall was a home for all football fans.

The young man had a small smile on his face as he glanced around the stadium again. Never again would he be able to step on the field as a Wisconsin Badger after the last game he played. During the first game of the season when they played against Arizona State, he caught a thirty-yard pass and was running to the end zone before falling to the ground in pain. He left the game early and found out that he tore his ACL which took him out for the rest of the season and effectively ended his football career as a Wisconsin Badger. The boy was devastated as he would never be able to continue playing his favorite sport and he would never be able to have the chance to go to the pros.

Even though he could not play football again, he was still as devoted as ever to the sport. He would still show up to practice and support his teammates and conduct his rehab for his knee. It was because of his constant support and motivation that his coach pulled him aside to talk to him about another opportunity. He and Coach Henderson spent a good morning talking about pokémon and the chance to be a trainer for their school conference. When he was younger, the boy considered being a trainer, but thought he wasn't cut out to lead a team to victory and thus decided to be a follower and part of a team instead. Coach Henderson then informed him of his past experience as a trainer before becoming a football coach and told him that he got his skill by leading his own pokémon through his conference league.

Needless to say the boy was intrigued was an understatement. He was now eager to try being a trainer, despite the fact of not having much knowledge and experience about being one. He may not be able to play football anymore, but he could still be part of a team, and one that he led to be the best of all. His newfound interest would start in spring where he would take the semester off to compete in the Big Ten League gym run before participating in the Pokémon League, which would give him more than enough time to learn the ropes of being a pokémon trainer.

The boy yawned and gave a stretch as he looked around the field once again. The sun was beginning to rise and the stars started to vanish as the dark sky gave way to blue and orange. The boy could see his breath in the cold October air and shivered a little bit. His ears perked up after hearing some footsteps coming from behind him. Turning his head, the boy could see Coach Henderson walking up behind him.

For a man in his mid-forties, he truly did not look it. Coach Henderson still dressed as though he was a young man. He was wearing his trademark khaki pants, white polo and red Wisconsin Badger hat. His grey hair was hidden beneath his hat and his calm, brown eyes looked directly into the boy's.

"Campo, what are you doing out here so early, son?" Henderson asked.

"Nothing, sir," Campo replied as he turned to face him. "I just thought I would take another walk on the field."

Henderson nodded as he stopped beside Campo and tucked his hands in his pockets. He, too, glanced around the stadium with his former wide receiver and shared a moment of silence. He then clapped Campo on the shoulder and garnered his attention.

"So, are you nervous about those interviews with ESPN and the Pokémon Battle Network today?" Henderson asked.

"A little bit," Campo replied with a shrug. "Mainly because I think a lot of people will be surprised with my sudden change in sporting events."

"True. But you have an excuse for doing that."

Campo grimaced at the mention of his ACL injury and shook his head.

"I miss playing, sir," Campo said as he looked at him.

"I know you do, Campo, and believe me when I say that the team and I wanted you playing with us when we made the trip to the Rose Bowl this year," Henderson answered as he gave him a gentle pat.

"Don't you think it's a little early to make that call, sir?"

"Hey, the Badgers made it to the Rose Bowl the past three years. We will definitely make our fourth appearance and actually win it this time."

"I'll hold you to that, coach."

Henderson laughed and gave Campo another pat on the shoulder before nodding towards the locker room. The pair of them started walking off the field with nothing but the sound of their feet crunching on the ground.

"So what will you miss about the game?" Henderson asked.

"Just playing and being a part of the team, sir," Campo replied.

"Really? That's it?"

"Well, I guess I will really miss the "Jump Around" bit between the third and fourth quarter."

"Aha, that's the answer I was looking for."

Both coach and receiver shared a laugh as they entered the tunnel and went down to the locker room where the rest of the team was getting ready for morning practice.

Campo was standing in front of the mirror in his bathroom as he was tidying himself up for the upcoming interviews. He did a quick observation of himself before resuming his grooming. He stood at five foot eight, which was very small for a football player, but he was quick and nimble with his movements. His mixed complexion leaned more toward the darker side. His short, dark brown hair was currently in a fade style, and his dark brown eyes looked friendly, but held strength and confidence. While his body was not insanely muscular as others on the team, it was lean with it.

He finished dragging the razor across his face, shaving off the rest of his facial hair. After washing his face and drying it off, he grabbed the suit jacket that was hanging on the door. His khaki pants went well with the white shirt and black jacket. After struggling a little bit with his red tie, he was ready to go.

"Showtime," Campo said as he turned off the light and hurried out of the apartment.

The ESPN interview went fairly quick to Campo's surprise and he was grateful for it. Although he didn't mind interviews, he was nervous about being on live TV in front of millions of sports fans and his friends. He managed to keep his cool and answered each question that he was asked one at a time. Then the question he was waiting to be asked came to him and he already knew that everyone that was tuned in to the interview was ready for his update on his football future. Campo requested that all sports media kept his condition unknown so he could tell everybody himself.

"So, Colin, we're all waiting to hear about your condition after that nasty injury you got at the start of the season," Mike Carlson said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well, Mike, as you know I wanted to tell everyone this personally because they can also find out what I have planned for the future," Colin replied.

"Right. Tell us the news."

"When I tore my ACL during the Arizona State game, it was not the first time I did it. Back in high school I blew out my knee during my sophomore year. As of now, I am out for the season and I will never be able to play again because I have taken too much damage to it. Even though I got the surgery, my knee is still going to be too unstable to play properly."

"Oh, man. Colin, I'm sorry to hear that."

"This leads me to my next point I wanted to bring up though."

"What was that?"

Colin was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Although my football career is over, I decided to take up being a pokémon trainer for our conference," Colin said as he looked at Mike.

"Interesting," Mike replied. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to become a pokémon trainer?"

"I was talking to Coach Henderson about it after I tore my ACL. He saw that I still wanted to be part of the team, regardless of the fact that I can't play."

"That's right! He was a trainer before he became a coach."

"Right. So, when spring comes, I will take the semester off to compete in the Big Ten League and do the best I can to bring Wisconsin the title. Coach Henderson is an awesome guy and he has faith in me that I can lead a team to the top, so that's what I am going to do!"

Mike grinned and clapped his hands at Colin's words.

"That's good to hear, Colin!" Mike said. "I'm sure your teammates and the rest of the students will back you up on your decision."

"I hope so," Colin replied with a laugh.

"Well, you heard it all here! Colin Campo's football career may be over, but he will still carry on by being a pokémon trainer and representing the Badgers in the Big Ten League! We'll have to wait until spring to see what this former wide receiver can do as a pokémon trainer. Thank you for tuning in for this exclusive ESPN interview and stick around for SportsCenter coming up next."

The headlines on newspapers and sports media were about Colin's departure from the football team to join the pokémon trainer group for UW Madison. The bombshell dropped by the former wide receiver was met with mainly positive feedback and encouragement from the student body and the fans. A lot of people were upset to lose him as they thought that without him on the team, their chances of winning key games were not that great. Colin did his best to reassure the fans that the team would make it to the Rose Bowl again because he had faith in all of his teammates' capabilities and their track record was impressive.

"Just because I'm gone doesn't mean we won't make it," Colin said. "I'm just a small part of something much bigger. There are other players more than capable of filling in my spot now that I can't play and if my hunch is right, it'll be my boy Franklin Campbell."

Colin took his eyes off the TV that was airing the tail end of the press conference he had with the Pokémon Battle Network and returned his focus to the stack of books that he bought from the University Bookstore. He spent the better part of the day trying to find the most informational books about pokémon so he could study and become familiar with the concepts of battling and raising them. Grabbing the top book, he sat down in his chair and propped his feet on top of the desk and began read.

"It all starts here," Colin thought as he picked up a highlighter.

There you have it. The protagonist (Colin Campo) makes his debut and the plot of the story is unveiled. I hope this has garnered your interest and if not, I'll probably take the story down. Have a look below for the OC submission rules. I will update the status of the OCs on my profile page, so take a look at it every now and then to see who gets what for the slots available. The OC form is on my profile page.

OC Submission rules:

1.) DO NOT send an OC via review, by PM only. All submissions from anonymous viewers and authors alike in the review section will be deleted/ignored.

2.) Only one OC submission per person.

3.) Do not beg for me to give your OC screen time or give them more than one cameo. Doing so will only make me less likely to bring yours in. I will bring characters in when I feel it's appropriate to do so.

4.) There are only 12 slots for OCs. If you want to get it, you need to sell your OC to me by making them as fitting for the desired role as possible. I will only choose the OCs that I think are the best.

5.) FOLLOW THE FORM THE WAY IT IS ON MY PROFILE. Failure to do so is automatic disqualification. It's not hard to follow the form and I was way too lenient on this the last time.

6.) If you have any questions, PM me.