Foreword: this story approaches similar themes, and a similar main character to several of mine before, however, this story's protagonist, Greg (named after me) is meant to be even more of a resemblance of myself, and the story is focusing on a more realistic view of the events that occur, so this story may be quite different to my others.
Things had been pretty normal, up till then… I was (and still am) sixteen years old, I was relatively healthy, and most of all, my social life was very normal (though admittedly, not particularly big). I had no particularly big thing for pokemon at the time… I just saw them as another kind of animal that inhabited our world. I woke up one morning, and let out a long moan… "Monday… school again… and maths… why do you tease me like this, fate?" I jumped as my door swung open, and my mother came in with a basket of freshly ironed shirts "c'mon, get up you slob" I smirked "I don't think people would call me a slob if they knew I had to get up every day at seven AM just to catch a bus…"
She rolled her eyes, moving the conversation along "anyway… that maths work you were set…" at those words, I felt the anger in me return… the previous night, I had been set an incorrect maths exercise, a mistake on the teacher's part… my mother insisted that I was to do the task anyway, but I knew that'd be pointless extra work. I looked her in the eye… I am most irritable in the mornings, and easily angered… "look, I don't give a damn if I should do it or not, she made a mistake, end of!" my mother glared back "don't blame me when your in a detention…" I grumbled to myself… how could she be so ignorant?… then… that's when it happened…
For a brief second… no more than two, my vision blurred quite a lot, then it returned to normal… I blinked a bit, then looked at my mother… only to see her staring back with a look of absolute shock and disbelief. I worried immediately that something had went disastrously wrong in the region of my face "what… what is it?" she spluttered "Greg!… you're eyes… just turned red!" I tilted my head and looked at her… was she fooling me around? The power of reason overcame me and I looked in the mirror… I gasped… she was completely right, all the colour in my irises had turned pure red… but… why?
"Greg… does this mean you have some… disease?" she said, worriedly, I shook my head "no, the only diseases that change your eyes are really obvious in other ways… I'm… I'm fine… I think…" she half smiled "then your still going to school matey" and walked out the room… I sighed, and finished getting dressed. The rest of the morning went by as per normal, no-one noticed my altered eyes until I got off the bus outside school… the head teacher gave me an odd look "Greg… have you been experimenting with narcotics?… you know drugs aren't allowed in this school, or in it's pupils for that matter…" I shook my head vigorously "oh, no, no sir… this is… well, I'm not sure, it happened this morning… must just be my genes or something… I don't know…" he didn't seem impressed with my answer "well… just remember, no drugs"
As I got into the classroom where we waited each morning to be registered and recorded, I attracted a myriad of different looks from my class, ranging from confusion, to curiosity, and even to anger. I took my normal seat… but immediately, the seat next to me was taken by my long-term enemy, Francis. I appreciate that 'enemy' might be a strong word to describe a classmate, but he had been spending every second of his free time annoying me for the past five years… everything about him enraged me, his crooked smile, his always perfectly clean black hair (I myself had a hard time keeping my hair clean, as it was quite long) and even his name was annoying to me now. "Hi…" he slurred sarcastically, as he punched my shoulder… I glared at him "go find a grave and throw your self into it…" he tutted slowly at me, then slapped my cheek… I felt even more angry than I had this morning this time… I began to feel an itching sensation in my wrists, I put it down to being the urge to punch him in the face and nothing more… but I couldn't resort to violence, I'm not that kind of person.
He continued to berate me, claiming that my eyes showed I had caught a 'brand new strain of AIDS', and that I should 'kill myself, for humanity's sake'… I felt I couldn't put up with it any more… and I slowly raised my fist in anger… but then… almost as if it were divine intervention trying to keep me pure, I was subdued by a horrendous pain in my wrist. I yelled out, and clutched it… only I then had to move my hand out the way, as from both my wrists, a pair of sharp spikes slowly slid fourth… I watched in horror as they extended to the length of ice-cream cones, but were even broader at their base… just what the hell was happening to me!?!
As the pain subsided completely, I noticed a crowd had gathered around me… I half grinned "what're you looking at?" for once in my life, I was thankful for the gang culture in my class, as they all shuffled off, believing it would ruin their credibility if they took interest in anything other than themselves, their girlfriends and their R&B music. I sat back and sighed… my emotions were confusing, a mix of relief at the pain subsiding, and bewilderment at my new… features… as far as I knew, a human had never had their eyes turn red from anger, let alone grow spikes… I sighed "well… at least it's just my wrists"
The first lesson was English, however, I went to the school doctor shortly before to see his opinion on what had happened to me… he looked me over in a way that hinted at 'I don't like my job but I do it anyway', then said "well… I'm not entirely sure… your skin around the spikes has healed completely, so whatever this is, it must be genetic… I expect it's some kind of spontaneous mutation, only minor of course, but it might not be over yet… tell me, what brought it on?" I sighed "this is going to sound lame, but when I got angry, it happened…" he smiled "I know what you mean, but it makes sense… the adrenal rush probably triggers the alterations in your body… I expect the worst of it is over, but if you don't want to change any more, then I advise some serious chillaxing" I laughed… 'Chillaxing'? he was definitely not a highly qualified medical professional… but I had to go with his word.
I reached the English lesson, and we set about dissecting a random piece of text from a book, it was a book on pokemon evolution, both of the instantaneous kind, and the slow process that occurred over millions of years. The English teacher's bellowing voice rang out all of a sudden "alright, you need to form up into pairs for the next exorcise!" I clutched my ears… her voice was normally at a deafening volume, but this time… it was so much louder… as if my hearing was more sensitive. Before I could think to choose a partner, she went on to say "I'll be choosing who you work with… okay… you, with you, you with you…" I watched as she proceeded to pair up my friends one by one…until, in the end, there were just four of us left… me, Francis, the short guy called Nick, and Nancy, the girl I… to be honest, had some feelings for… if we were paired up, that'd be ideal. "Okay then!... Greg, you're with Francis!" she bellowed… I cringed, just the result I wasn't hoping for at all. I immediately stood up and approached the teacher, and implored "miss… please… you can't pair me up with him… he's… he's…" I suddenly remembered what the doctor had told me "it's bad for my health!" she shook her head "oh come on Greg!... he's not some kind of psychopath!" I shook my head "look… seriously… you see this?" I showed her my wrists "that's his fault… c'mon, help me out here…" she sighed "I can't flip flop on this one, you two just get along and work" Francis walked up to me, and, standing on my foot, smiled "let's have some fun, AIDS boy" I growled "back off" he just smiled "oh, you aren't intimidating at all… in fact… you're nothing, so just crawl into a corner and die before you stain me with your uselessness" I would have tried some comeback… but yet again I had been angered, and yet again, there was a mounting pain… this time in the dead centre of my chest… I screwed my eyes shut and said "you're… a pain, you know that?" he grinned "I'm glad scum like you appreciate my efforts" suddenly, with the sound of ripping fabric, another spike thrust itself from my chest, I fell back, panting… I could only hope and pray that was the last one, the last thing I wanted to be was a human porcupine… "I knew it… your some in-bred mutant aren't you?" he said in a mocking voice, I glared at him "this is all you're fault… if only I knew just what in the world is happening to me…" he shrugged "whatever, you're a waste of space, really"
The teacher realised the mistake of putting me and Francis together, and separated us for the rest of the lesson… I was paired up with Nick instead… he's an okay guy, but I felt sorry for Nancy, having to sit with that jerk the whole lesson. At the gap between English and Science, I headed back up to the doctor, I was seriously worried by then, and after all, it's not every day you start to warp in really odd ways just because you're ticked off. When I walked in, I noticed he was busy browsing the internet, he looked around and said "Greg… just in time, please… take a seat, this is deadly important…" I sat down nervously… I had the feeling that these changes were a lot more than just a temporary deviation. He looked around "have you ever heard of Triggered Genetic Re-Affirmation Disorder?" I shook my head, but from the words that constituted its long name, I could guess what he was hinting at "so… you've found out what's happening to me then?" he nodded "indeed… I took a small DNA sample from you after you left... just a loose hair, and I tested it… I have some bad news for you, but I don't know how to break it to you…" I rolled my eyes "oh god, I'm going to die aren't I?" he shook his head "oh heavens no… well… I'll break it to you gently… you know your eyes changed… red eyes, what do they remind you of?" I thought for a moment "uhhhm… photos?" he shook his head "no, no… okay… think red eyes… and the spikes you have, in the places they are in… come on, what does that remind you of?" I thought again… "uhhhm… it reminds me of Lucarios… but… how's that relevant?..." then, I worked it out by myself… but he confirmed my suspicions.
"Greg, your human genes are unstable… and whenever they are exposed to large concentrations of adrenaline, they'll begin to change… and judging by what I could gather from your scans and the internet… you're changing into a Lucario" I sat there, dumbstruck… it was like some strange story, or a cartoon… or a film… I could hardly believe it, but it was happening. "Well… th… thanks for telling me… I take it… its irreversible?" he nodded solemnly "if you avoid stress completely, the transformation could take about a month, but it's highly possible it could be finished in mere hours if you become completely enraged" I gingerly asked him "will I… still be able to talk?" he nodded "I'd imagine so, but you'll have no thumbs, so I'd seriously consider getting a scribe for your work at school in future" I nodded, he smiled "c'mon… it's not all that bad… in fact, I know people who'd kill for this to happen to them" I sighed "well… that's not the problem… it's just, well… it's all so sudden, I mean… I'd like to do a few things as a human still…" he laughed "then you'd better not get stressed… I wish you all the best, Greg…"
With that, I left the room… my fate was sealed, but at least I had some time to prepare myself… one thing was for sure, I had to stay the hell away from Francis at all costs. However, luck turned back to hit me in the face yet again, and he was literally waiting outside… he had listened in to the entire conversation. "I knew you were meant to be a smelly little animal all along, it was only a matter of time until reality corrected itself" I tried my hardest not to take offence to what he was saying, but it was hard "aren't you… like, amazed or something?... how come you're still trying to annoy me?" he laughed "if I do annoy you, you'll transform faster, and hopefully it'll be an improvement on that hideous face you have" I could barely suppress my feelings… but I had to hang on…just a little longer "please man, stop… this is really important" he simply shrugged "yeah, I know, and I want to play a part in it… I can't wait to tell you to 'go fetch'…"
That was it, my teeth began to ache, all of them shrinking back, apart from my canines, which instead extended to twice the width and length… it finished, and I stood there, gasping for air "s… see… what you're doing?... j… just stop!" he walked off, saying "I'll leave you for now… but by hell I will finish your little transformation by the end of the day!" I leaned against the wall, putting my face in my palm… I couldn't control my emotions, and as a result, I was going to become a Lucario, for seemingly no reason. The bell rang and signalled that Science was about to begin, so I reluctantly got up and headed over to the labs. Inside, I attracted even more stares than last time… I could only imagine what it'd be like when the transformation was complete. I decided it was best to focus on the teacher, and try not to attract Francis' attention… he began to say in his dreary voice "today we're testing the effects of intelligent enzymes… they break down and dissolve certain compounds only… I must stress, our school uniforms are made of a material that they can dissolve very quickly, as are most clothes, so please don't get any of the solution on your uniforms" I smiled, remembering the time that the class above us performed the same experiment, and one of the girls accidentally dissolved her skirt…
Snapping back to the work at hand, I set about mixing the chemicals… however, I heard a voice nearby… Francis was talking with the teacher… "Sir… can I ask you a biology question?" I heard the teacher make a sound as if to say yes, he went on to ask "if someone, say, got really embarrassed… would they have a big adrenaline rush?" I froze dead… I knew that he had hatched a most heinous plan, I knew full well my time being mostly human was about to end… but there had to be something I could do, something. I turned around to see Francis with a broad grin on his face, holding a flask of the test enzyme in his hand… I began to panic "sir!... please, I mean it, get him away from me!" the teacher put his hand on my shoulder and said "I know your having a hard time, Greg, but you don't need to worry, Francis is completely fine" I shook my head "no, you don't understand, he plans to!..." but it was too late.
With a shout, he hurled the flask at me, I went to shield my face, but it struck my waist instead, and shattered, the liquid splattering over my belt. For a brief second, nothing seemed to happen, and I sighed with relief… it wasn't to last, however as, in front of the entire class, my trousers fell to the ground! When, in normal circumstances, I would be embarrassed… I instead became mad… angrier than I had been all day, in fact, all year. I tried to resist my own feelings, knowing I was expediting my own bizarre fate… but I could not, all I could see was my hatred for Francis, and all I could hear was the chorus of laughing classmates. Then, it happened… I stopped dead again… my ears began to fill with a ringing sound, I could taste a metallic flavour in my mouth… my entire body began to sting with pain… this was it.
One by one, the classmates cottoned on and stopped laughing… they simply watched me in a mix of terror and revulsion. With a loud crack, my hands began to re-form, slowly warping into a pair of paws, I could feel the same in my feet, the pain only subsiding when they completely broke my shoes. I bent over double as my entire head began to re-shape. My nose thrust forwards, my ears slowly climbed up onto the top of my head, and formed into large canid versions. My entire back began to burn as my spine extended out a whole meter, quickly forming a tail with a bend three-quarters the way down it's length. The severe discomfort ended as my body sprouted fur, and my general figure bent to it's new shape, I was hoping I'd be at least a little human by the end of it, but such was not the case… all I had in common with my class now was my intellect, speech, and the ability to stand on two legs… I was now, in almost every respect, a Lucario.
I looked up, tears in my eyes, and reached out to the teacher "s… see… what he has done?" he backed away slowly, staring at me in horror "I… I don't know what to say… what just happened to you?" I looked at the floor with downcast eyes "well… I think you all know what… but I don't really know why… I'm told it's irreversible…" still thoroughly freaked out, he uttered "I… I'm sorry… you… can still… learn, right… your still sentient" I half-smiled "yes… yeah I am…" without warning, Nancy stood forward from the semi-circle of shocked pupils and put her hand on my shoulder… I looked up at her eyes… for a brief second, I realised… there was some hope. "Greg, it's not all gone wrong… c'mon, what difference should this make?... you're still that funny guy in the corner, the one we all like, even if you're… you're…" I laughed "a monster, hmm?" she cringed a little "ohh… don't say that… I think you're kind of cute actually" I blushed "well… thanks, I…" I was interrupted by our teacher, as he turned to Francis, who was still grinning "you foolish boy!... your mucking about has severely jeopardised his education!... he'll need a scribe to write for him now!" Francis began to laugh "I know, it's so funny!... oh man, I crack me up…" without further delay, he was kicked out the classroom. "Greg… do you feel you can carry on with the school day, or do you want to go home?" I thought for a moment, then sighed "I can stay… if I went home, it'd only be letting him win…" he nodded, and turned to the class, clearing his throat "well… there's no denying it, Greg is not human any more… but I still want you all to treat him the same as before, he's still a person… and can someone please help him write down his results… I mean… with his paws and all that…" a quiet chuckle went around the room, and Nancy smiled "I'll help, Greg…" I smiled gingerly "okay then…"
I felt the teacher tap my shoulder again to get my attention "Greg… one last thing… should I phone home and tell your parents?" I nodded "they'll need to know… try to break it to them slowly though… and ehh… what's for lunch?... I'm really hungry…" he smiled and said "will do… and, it's bacon today, I'm not sure what the second option is…" I grinned, the thought of meat was a lot more appealing than normal… in fact, I could feel a lot of new sensations… my tail brushing up against the side of the desk… the sounds, now a lot clearer in my new ears, and most significantly of all, the fur… I had utterly no clothing on, after all, my uniform had been shredded by the enzymes, and my transformation… but I still felt warm and cosy…
Maybe it isn't all that bad after all…