Hi! So I'm new and not very good at this, so I decided to start with something easy-ish.

Chapter One: The Unusual (and Not Very Popular) Assignment

"Can you believe the masters?!" Allie shouted. The trio was walking back from a meeting with the masters.

"Yeah. I mean I just got my dad back!" Ray complained. "A summer is a lot of time that I won't get back."

Gabe sighed. "I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to my parents."

"Well...I guess it's not so bad..." Ray said, also sighing.

"An entire summer." Allie snarled at him. "In the Kaiju realm. On CLEANUP DUTY!"

Gabe shrugged. "Yeah, but we get to choose the civilization we go to."

"What difference does that make?!" Allie exclaimed.

"I'm going to fire." Ray concluded. Gabe and Allie were both obviously taken aback.

"Why?" Allie asked.

"To help rebuild Blast Forge City." Ray responded. "Last time I saw it, it was in ruins. I want to help bring it back up."

"When it's done, you'll go to nature?" Gabe asked, already knowing the answer. Ray nodded.

"Probably. It'll be easy to work with Bob in fire and nature." Ray said shrugging.

Allie had a conflict. Go with Ray, have a sense of security. Go to darkness with Squeaky, have a different sense of security and independence. Which to choose?

"I'm going to darkness." Allie said.

"I think I'll go to water." Gabe said.

Ray snorted. "Why? You won't be with your girlfriend."

Gabe blushed at that. "Well, yes, but light suffered less substantial damage. Water suffered a lot more. And besides, I'd like to help Gargle out. I'll visit Sasha too, though."

Allie stopped suddenly, and looked around the temple walls. "So this is a break from our team?" Allie asked, almost sad.

Ray rubbed the back of his neck. "I...guess so. I never thought about that. We always spend the summer together."

"Yeah." Gabe said, solemnly. "And starting tenth grade, it'll be harder to see each other when not at the temple."

"Promise. We have to promise to visit each other at least every week." Allie said, firmly. Ray smiled at her.

"Promise." he said. Gabe nodded.

"Although, we'll need to decide where we go, when..." Gabe added.

Allie rolled her eyes and Ray laughed. "Sure, Gabe. But don't overthink it too much." Ray told him.

Gabe rolled his eyes, smiling. "Yeah, yeah."

"Oh boy. Now to tell my dad I want to spend my summer at Karate Sleepaway!" Allie sighed, sarcastically.

"Good luck with that." Ray said, wincing. "I just have to explain it to my parents, I guess."

"Easy for you to say." Gabe whined. "Your parents will actually understand."

*Allie's House, about an hour later*

"WHAT?!" a very surprised, a little upset Arthur Underhill exclaimed. Allie grimaced.

"Um...yeah." Allie said, slowly.

"Look, sweetie..." Arthur began, softly. "A summer...is a lot of time. Away from me and your friends. Time you can't get back."

Believe me, I know. Allie thought. "Yeah, but I really want to go."

Arthur sighed, sad. "Alright, if you REALLY want to go. But you can't complain once, understood?"

"Yes, dad. Thanks!" Allie said, a little less excitedly than she had intended.

*Gabe's House, about the same time*

"Gabey-baby..." Gabe's mother began. "...I'm not so sure about this."

"I know, mom." Gabe said, just a little frustrated. "But I'd really like this, I want to be much better at karate."

"Are Allie and Ray going?"

"Yeah...but we were told that we are being split up." Gabe said. Not too far from the truth anyway.

"I'm not sure..."

"Please mom. You won't even have to pay."

She hugged him. "There was never a price, Gabey-baby. You can't buy happiness."

Gabe, squeezed by the hug, mumbled, "Oh, well thanks."

"Alright. I'll let you go. But you need to promise that you will really enjoy it, I don't want to send you to a place you don't like."

"Thanks, mom." Gabe said with a smile.

*Ray's New House, about the same time*

"You need to do what?" Ray's mom asked, upset.

"The Duel Masters told me that I have to spend the summer on cleanup." Ray repeated.

"Oh, but Ray...you just got your father back. And you and the others will be separated anyway." she sighed.

"I know, but I don't have a choice." Ray said, sad.

His dad nodded. "It is, well, understandable." He turned to Ray's mom. "And Janet, we will be able to visit him."

She sighed again. "Oh, alright! We'll visit you in fire and nature."

Ray nodded. "You could summon Bob to find me. I think I'll be working with him the most."

His dad nodded and smiled. "Okay. Then it's settled."

Ray ran up to his room and video-chatted Gabe and Allie.

"My dad allowed me, somehow." Allie said. "But I can't complain about it. I think I'll need help with that."

"My mom said okay." Gabe said.

Ray grinned. "My parents both said yes. And they'll visit me too." Allie and Gabe sighed.

"Lucky." Allie muttered.

"So I came up with a schedule." Gabe said. "Every week. Fire/nature, then darkness, then water/light. When we see each other, we can tell when we change civilizations."

"And we'll see each other how?" Allie asked.

"By summoning the creature that the person works with." Gabe said. "For Ray, we'll probably summon Bob. For you, Allie, we'll summon Squeaky. For me, you can summon Gargle. I'll tell you when I switch to light so you can summon someone else."

"Right, because Sasha can't be summoned." Ray remembered.

Allie nodded. "Okay. I guess we're good to go then."

Good to go. Ray repeated in his mind. Good to go.

"I'll talk to you guys later, okay?" Allie said. "I need to pack. And you know, study for the last test before summer."

"Yeah." Gabe said. "Talk to you later."

"Bye, see you at school." Ray said. They all cut off the connection.

"I can't believe this assignment." Ray muttered under his breath. "Nobody likes it and it's so weird!"