We went back into the Lab. Nick and I stood in the middle of the room while the Prof. got something out of his filing cabinet. He took out a really, really, thick book, then two thin books, and a box full of about twelve interesting looking silver buttons, which had a light in the middle that was currently not lit. He carried the load to his desk and plopped it down.

"Alright. I'll start by explaining the rules." said Professor Hawthorne.

"Now, you must understand the importance of following these rules. Don't just brush them off."

Nick rolled his eyes.

"I'm talking to you Nick! Now, tell me you will do everything in your power to obey these rules!" said the Professor urgently. He almost looked worried...

I was slightly taken aback. I had assumed that he was going to warn us about the NBR so that we wouldn't get a fine, but he seemed to be acting like it was a matter of life and death...

Nick seemed to be shocked by the urgency in Professor Hawthorne's voice too, as he said "Well... yes Professor, I'll listen to the rules..."

"I'll do my best to follow them as well." I added.

Professor Hawthorne seemed relieved. "Good..." he said, sighing. "Anyways, let me go over the basic rules with you. You're going to need these books." He passed us both one of the two thin books. I noticed that the title was The New Battle Rules (NBR) Guide for Dummies.

"I want you two to read through these books at home, and make sure you know all the details. It is very important that you memorize these. It is essential for all trainers to do so in order for them to compete in tournaments and have competitive battles." Professor Hawthorne said. He picked up the thick book (which was called New Battle Rules (NBR) The Official Complete Rulebook). "This is the official rulebook, and it has all the minor technicalities that the books I gave you left out. If any of you have questions, you can look them up in here, or you can ask me and I'll look them up for you." he said, putting it back down again.

"The first thing I need to do is explain what these buttons are. They're actually called Digitalization Conversion Applicators, or Digitizers, as you've probably heard them called before. You kids know about the last Pokémon League Tournament fifteen years ago?"

We both nodded. The last Pokémon League Tournament was known for its extremely high death toll. The trainers had gotten so vicious, obsessed with getting the grand prize of 200,000,000 Poké and extreme fame, that they had stopped caring for their pokémon. They forced their pokémon to battle to the death, not just a K.O. Almost every trainer there lost two or more of their friends. The loyal pokémon had followed their trainer's orders blindly, not caring if they were wrong. It was the saddest and bloodiest pokémon event in recorded history. Children are forced to study the atrocities that were committed, hopes that it will never happen again.

"Well, as you know, after the Last Pokémon League Tournament, the government decided to make some changes. They had already grown apprehensive during the last few Pokémon League Tournaments, as one or two pokémon had died each time. They were working on a new technology, an easy to apply 'suit' of sorts for pokémon to wear. This 'suit' would calculate the strength of the pokémon and its moves, along with assigning a health bar. Each pokémon wears one, and it converts special attacks into a signal that will deplete the pokémons health bar without actually injuring the pokémon. It also has a force field to protect the pokémon from physical attacks, while still allowing the pokémon to go all out. Status effects will either deplete the health bar, or make it harder for the pokémon to move. The attackes are projected, so the pokémon can still dodge them. The 'suits' still require a visit to the pokémon center when depleted, and they sell 'digital' potions and revives for them. They ended up creating these Digitalizers, which fit every pokémon there is. Although, they do have a little trouble fitting Wailords." Professor Hawthorne chuckled.

Nick looked bored. I could tell this was just a review for him, but I was learning some new things and wanted to pay attention.

"As you can see, in my lab there is a Recharge Station for the Digitalizers, and an old-fashioned Healing Station for emergencies."

A question popped into my head. "But... what about wild pokémon?"

"Good question!" said Professor Hawthorne, "They created a whole different set of rules for them." He picked up the big book and flipped through it. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "Here it is. For wild pokémon, you are allowed to remove the Digitalizers and attack normally. However, you are only allowed to use attacks to cause damage if the wild pokémon is posing a significant threat to you and your pokémons safety." he looked up from the book. "In other words, you are only allowed to attack if they attack you first." The Professor returned his attention to the book. "You are, however, allowed to use attacks that cause damage to scare away a wild pokémon that is not attacking. But, if you damage the pokémon by doing this, you will be charged a minimum of a 100,000 Poké."

"Wha-One hundred thousand!?" gasped Nick.

"Well, you need an incentive to follow the rules right?" retorted the Professor. "Although, I have to agree, it is a lot of money..." Professor Hawthorne said, turning the page. "Anyways, continuing on...

"If you are trying to catch a pokémon, you must try to catch it with a Quick Ball or other pokéball first. If this is not successful, then you may damage the pokémon as much as needed to obtain it. However, if the wild pokémon faints, then you must pay a fine of 150,000 Poké." read Professor Hawthorne.

"One hundred and fifty thousand..." muttered Nick.

"If under any circumstances, a wild pokémon faints from an attack that you have ordered, or that the trainer's pokémon has done without the owners urging, you will pay a minimum of 150,000 Poké." continued Professor Hawthorne. "In addition, if a wild or domestic pokémon is killed by another trainer, then the trainer will be charged a minimum 300,000 Poké, along with a jail sentence and they will no longer be able to own pokémon. If it has been proved in court that the trainer's pokémon did it with no encouragement from the trainer, then the pokémon will the taken from the trainer and assigned a..." Professor Hawthorne hesitated, "suitable punishment."

Suitable punishment? What does that mean? I thought, curiously. Professor Hawthorne seemed to be uncomfortable with the implications of the sentence.

The Professor flipped the page again. "All battles without Digitalizers are illegal. If caught, both trainers will be charged a large fine and be unable to participate in official battles for as long as the Court sees fit. If a trainer has ordered their pokémon to directly attack another trainer, then the punishment will be the same as if the human had attacked the trainer themselves." Professor Hawthorne closed the book and set it down on the table. "It goes on like that for a while, listing all the different possibilities. That's basically all you need to know, but the books I gave you go a little more into depth about the battles themselves, among other things, so please read them." He picked up the box of Digitalizers. "Now," he said, cheerily, "Would you like to know how to apply the Digitalizers?"

"Yes!" We both said, excited.

"Let's go outside again and you can have your first battle." he said, walking towards the door.

We eagerly followed.