The Plushtopia Chronicles Lugia

by shadowlugia249

A Lugia Plush TF. When a young boy wins a lifesized Lugia plush at a carnival, his dreams all seem to come true. But he may be in over his head when he wakes up to find it sleeping... and breathing...

The Plushtopia Chronicles: Lugia

By shadowlugia249

Author's Note: After the success of my first story, I couldn't stop there. I decided to do a story on almost every character that I have used thus far. And who better than to use for the second story in the series than my favorite Pokémon, Lugia! This will be my finest Lugia story yet, but that's all speculation at this point. Enjoy!

After the success of his first sale, Karmen Aridos had been filled with a brand new enthusiasm for selling his beloved enchanted plushies. But since people were still skeptical of his methods, he had to find another way to get the word out of his new passion.

And believe it or not, it was his boss that told him of the perfect opportunity to give out one of his special plushies as a promotion. He was told of an event halfway across the nation that was giving out plushies in a carnival ball toss game. And from the information his boss had given him, there was a particular person out there that would be perfect for his enchanted plushies.

He had gone through a lot of work to get this particular plush primed and ready for its trip across the country. And since his boss was never wrong, he knew the name and personality of the person that would be receiving his plush. So he was not worried that he would pick the wrong person. He simply had to use his special computer to download the person's data onto a special Jumpdrive, from which, he inserted into a port in the back of the plushie's neck. Once the data was uploaded, he simply removed the port and sealed up the hole with his magical mending abilities.

Aridos felt especially confident in this case. He had not only enabled the plushie in question to think and feel for itself, but he had delved deep into a special magical void and give it the ideal personality that would make the recipient of this plushie even happier. And that's all he cared about -- making people happy. It was what he lived for.

Parting with one of his prized plushies was always difficult, but just like last time, he was hoping to see it again in the future. After all, the one called "Seryn" had come back to him to talk about her life, so why shouldn't this one? Once he had gotten over his distress, he stamped the destination of the plushie on the box and shipped it out for the carnival.

Oh, yes... someone was going to be very happy with this one...

My name is Alex Schaefer and I love Pokémon! Even though I'm only 14, I can never get enough of them. It's what I live for all my life ever since I was first introduced to them while I was six. I've played all of the games and have even dabbled a little into the trading card game.

But even though I like Pokémon a lot, there is one particular Pokémon that I can't get enough of -- Lugia. I have a not-so-hidden affection for the second season Legendary Bird, Lugia. He is my idol; my pride and joy; and I'll even go so far to say that he is my guardian.

The first time I saw him in the game, I didn't think that I would develop quite the relationship I have with him. He was just a Legendary Pokémon capable of unbelievable things. But then I started to take a closer look at him. I was curious at how smart and powerful he was, considering how big he was. An adult Lugia is no less than 17 feet in length and tipping the scales at a whopping 476 pounds. But then I compared Lugia to his rival, the Legendary Bird of Fire, Ho-oh. Compared to him, Lugia was the most intelligent of all the Legendaries I had ever seen. His IQ was not as high as an Alakazam, but his wisdom and abilities were much higher than I had originally expected. It has often been debated what Lugia's real type is. Officially, he is a Psychic-and-Flying Type, but if he was granted a third trait, it would easily be Water.

You have no idea what Lugia is capable of when he is in the water! He can manipulate it like nobody's business and dive to incredible depths without drowning. In fact, he's one of the few Water Pokémon that I know of that can actually breathe above water and under it. And his trademark ability -- The Aeroblast -- a Flying-Type move -- is a beam of super-concentrated wind that can rip through anything like a hot knife through warm butter.

But Lugia is not just all about power. His intelligence can beat most geniuses on the planet. He can understand things that most people would spend their entire lives trying to figure out. His wisdom of the planet's inner workings could wipe the floor with the best scholars. It's amazing how smart he has grown to be.

And then, there is his age. Even though he has only been an official Pokémon for about seven years, his age is close to immortal. He could well have been around since the start of time, somehow keeping himself alive through immortal means. And although in the anime series, Lugia has a son, I am a true believer that there is, was and always will be just one Lugia.

Alas... if it were only true.

Lugia is only alive in the world of Pokémon and in my imagination. It's not fair that people can create such a powerful and intelligent creature and torment me with the fact that it was not real. I will be forever faithful in Lugia's existence and dream the day that I may pass onto the heavens where all of my dreams become realities. I would even give my own life so that Lugia may live "again". But all I can do at the moment is cherish him through my collectibles.

Didn't I tell you about my Lugia collection? Sadly, I can only call it a collection because of my faith. All I had was a single, tiny, plastic Lugia that I carry with me everywhere in my pocket. It just shows the unfairness that such a magnificent creature exists and the most loyal person to it has such a tiny memory of it. It's just not fair!

My mom and dad think that I care too much for Lugia and believe that I will never have any friends with the way I was going on with my life. But I let them think that anyway. The only friend in my life was Lugia and nothing would change that...

...until the day my parents and I took a trip to the annual town carnival. It was something that we did for family fun every year. I looked forward to going, but not for the rides or the food. I just kept that act up so my parents thought that I had a life. The real reason I went every year was too go for the games. I was a pretty good player at most of the games.

Let me explain. The game with the narrow ladder was easy because I was light enough to hold onto the ladder. And if I tipped over, I had enough of a grip to avoid letting go. I won almost every time.

The balloon-popping game was nothing but luck. I always seemed to pick the right balloons to stick with a dart to win the most coveted of prizes. I never play with them, though -- most of the time, they weren't Pokémon or anything video game related. In fact, my entire closet is stockpiled with prizes that I've won.

I was a natural at the arcade games. I could Whak-a-Mole like nobody's business and my ticket payouts were nothing short of legendary. And the way I could Flik-a-Coin made people line up to challenge me. I had such accuracy and sniping ability that I could hit the tags hanging on wires multiple times over. Those games were nothing compared to my might.

Finally, there was the "dreaded" Ring Toss game that most people avoided. I don't know how I do it, but I could win a prize every 20 rings or so. And that was about how many they gave you every time you played. Was there anything this 14-year-old couldn't do?!

...actually... there was. There was one game that I absolutely loathed to play!

They call it the "Ball Toss" stand. People took these deceptively-light whiffle balls and tossed them into an array of cups that were just big enough for the ball to rest on top of them. And the cups were so close together that just when you thought you had it, it would catch the lip of another cup and bounce way off your target. And to make matters worse, there were only certain cups that awarded prizes. There were roughly ten red cups, six blue cups, four green cups and the legendary yellow cup in a mix of over 200-300 cups. And they didn't give you a retry if your ball fell off the table, further adding to the difficulty. And to make matters worse, they only gave you two balls for every dollar you forked over for the game. Yep... it was indeed heck in a hamster bowl for me to even look at the best prizes out of the whole carnival and be unable to win them. It was not fair!

But my past with this game was about to catch up with me. The one day we chose to go to the carnival this year, and it had to be that game!

So why am I having such a hissy fit? I guess it was Fate. The one time I choose to glance at the Ball Toss game and I became obsessed!!! It wasn't fair! Of all the games in the carnival and it had to be the Ball Toss!

I'll get to the point. This year at the Ball Toss game... in the top row... under the "Choice" prizes... the one that that single yellow cup awarded... was one full-size... six-foot... super-real... super accurate... (wait for it... wait for it...) L.U.G.I.A. P.L.U.S.H.!!!!!!

Of all the wonderful (no-good), glorious (insubordinate), spectacular (SO-not-fair) circumstances! The ultimate Lugia toy/idol/item in the world was up for grabs at the worst booth of them all. CAN YOU BELIEVE THE IRONY?!?! (Okay, I'm done now.)

The point is that the one Lugia item that would bring me as close as reality would allow me to mimic the real Lugia was at the one booth that I had had so many problems over. It's not fair! It's just not fair!

While I was storming around in a small hissy fit, my parents could see that something was bothering me.

"Is there something wrong, Alex?" asked Mom, watching me rant and fuss.

"Yeah, you're making a scene," said Dad, giving me a look.

I stopped my tirade and turned to the booth, giving it a good hard point.

"They have that perfect giant Lugia plush at the one booth I can't stand!"

Mom and Dad looked at each other. They knew all too well my obsession with Lugia. They thought that it was because of Lugia that I was being picked on in school. (But to be honest, I never brought my little plastic Lugia in public.) They thought that it was because of Lugia that they spent so much at the carnival every year. (When in fact, there hasn't been one Lugia item up for grabs thus far in my life. They've practically give me money to spend here.) They also thought that my obsession with Lugia was what made me sleep poorly at night. (That wasn't true. I wish I could dream about Lugia. You don't want to know what I really dream.) So you could imagine why they were worried about me going for that life-sized plush.

But I wasn't about to let this one chance slip away from me. "If I can win that Lugia plush, I'll..." I had no choice. "I'll never bother you about him again!" Yes, desperate, but I was hell-bent on winning it.

For a while, they said nothing. I crossed every finger I could in hopes that they would give in. But finally, "We'll give you ten dollars to try. But that's it."

I ran over to Mom and gave her the biggest hug I could. "Thank you so much!" I then went on a tirade about how happy I was that she was my mom, but she cut it short when she told dad to give me a ten-spot and he told me to go nuts.

Before I cashed in the bill, I looked long and hard into the finely-stitched eyes of the Lugia plush hanging in the middle of the prize rack. I couldn't understand it, but I felt as if the spirit of Lugia was looking at me through those stuffed eyes and granting me luck. I cashed in the bill for 20 whiffle balls and went at it.

I can't even describe my horrible luck. Every time I would aim for the yellow cup in the middle, the ball would bounce over it or away from it. I would either hit a white cup or overshoot it completely and hit the floor. It seemed that the curse of the ball toss was getting me once again.

As I readied my last ball, I could almost feel the disappointment radiating from Lugia's spirit. I would be letting down my one purpose in life and it was all Fate's fault! Oh, well, might as well get it over with.

But just before I tossed my last ball, I felt a twinge of hope coming from out of nowhere. It was a confident, reassuring feeling that told me that everything would be all right. I couldn't explain it, but I felt that I could win that Lugia plushie if I really put my faith in this last ball.

So I went for it. I tossed the ball.

At first, it went way off target. It wasn't even close to the yellow cup. I started to panic, but then I was witness to a strange sight. The ball started bouncing from cup to cup in what appeared to be a spiral pattern. It went around the parameter of the table, always bouncing and traveling the same length and height with each bounce. The owner of the booth was in shock as the ball seemed to take on a life of its own.

As it centered around the yellow cup, it started bouncing faster and shorter in intervals. By now, everyone was watching the bizarre ball on its quest. Soon, it lost all of its bounce completely and began to roll along the rims of the cups. It was amazing at how I had thrown it and how it was traveling in its trajectory.

Finally, the ball spun around the outer rim of the yellow cup a few times before it settled in the bottom of the cup, where it stopped for good.

There was complete silence at the ball toss booth. A rather large crowd had gathered to see the wonderful whiffle make its journey. When the ball had finally come to rest the carnie was in shock. He had never seen a ball take on a life of its own like that and take so long to reach its goal, ultimately ending up in the "Choice" cup. And to test his theory, he took the ball out of the cup and tossed it on his own. The ball went bouncing away like there was nothing wrong with it.

After a few more tosses, one of them involving another toss by me, it was concluded that it was a throw of destiny and I was to claim my prize. Sure enough, I chose the life-size Lugia plush (what else?) and carried it away with my parents, who were also in shock.

They said nothing to me for the rest of the night except for when I asked them a direct question. They were whispering to each other about the results of my fateful toss. They just couldn't believe that after all my fuss about the ball toss, I had made it look so easy with my last toss.

Filled with a new energy, I was suddenly more interested in the carnival and even went on some of the rides. I stayed away from the games. I had gotten what I wanted and nothing was ever going to be better than this.

While I was on the rides, Mom was in charge of holding Lugia (I called him that because a god like him deserves an unchanged name that suits him perfectly). She was alarmed at how light it was and the look those finely-stitched eyes were giving her. True, she was happy that I would keep my promise and never bother them about him again, but she was still concerned about what I would do with this new plush. The thing was much, much bigger than me (I stood at a measly four-foot-seven) and she was concerned about how I would treat it now that I had the perfect replica of Lugia in my possession.

Dad, meanwhile, was indecisive. He had just watched a miracle of the carnival world and I owned the biggest and most realistic plush he had ever seen. He wasn't sure whether he should intervene and keep me away from it or let me have complete control of it and do with as I please. He had always watched his sister play with dolls when he was younger and now his own son owned the biggest stuffed "doll" he had ever seen. He didn't know what to do, so he decided to keep a tab on me and see how I coped without his intervention.

Later that night, the four of us piled into the car and headed for home. I had insisted that Lugia sit in the back seat. His super-soft velvety skin was just too fine for him to sit in the cramped trunk. I had never felt a real Lugia before, but there was a slight tautness to this one that made me dream of touching a real one. Its "fur" wasn't as "furry" as a normal plushie's would be and instead had a cross between peach fuzz and balloon-like skin. It was just enough to call it a plushie and yet still be real enough for me to pretend it was a real Lugia. And when I rubbed up against it, it made me feel safe and secure and certainly comfortable. Lugia's "furry skin" was somewhat cool as if it had been dunked in cool water and was completely dry from its encounter. But no matter how much I held it, it would not warm up. I wasn't complaining, though. That was how I had always believed a Lugia would feel. I was certainly a happy boy.

When I got home, I set my new Lugia on my bed and covered it up with my blankets. Its wings were at a strange enough angle that I couldn't wrap it around me, but I didn't care. Its cool surface made me extremely comfortable on this hot night. I felt like I was sleeping with an angel and I hoped it would always be there for me.

The next thing I knew, I was fast asleep and yet another visitor in the Dream World. However, my dream was a little different than normal. Normally, they were filled with a chaotic nonsense that I did not prefer to dream at night, but tonight, I was standing in a white, misty nothingness that made me feel... safe. I have never felt safer in the Dream World before.

As I stood there, I felt another presence approach me. I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there. It came up from behind me and whispered in my ear.

Are you content, Alex?

I froze. That voice had not only been in my ear, but it was also in my head! Something was talking to me mentally! I was trying to figure out who would be doing that when I came to an unbelievable conclusion.

"...Lugia?"

I felt a soft, cool air touch me on the back of the neck and I knew that he was breathing gently on me.

One could say it is me. Are you happy that I am here?

I nodded and tried to look around, but Lugia moved just out of my range of sight. "I am, but why can't I see you?"

I suddenly felt a soft, smooth touch on my back, indicating that Lugia had his wing on me. I can only exist in this world if you cannot see me.

"But... that's not fair!" I cried in outrage. "I've been wanting to dream about you for so long and now this happens!"

Lugia ran his wing up my side ever so gently. It felt like I was being stroked with a feather. I'm sorry that we cannot be together, but my son will be more than happy to be with you.

"Your son? You don't have a son... do you?"

Longer than you know. Alas, he and I were separated in our world and he is not old enough to take care of himself. But you can.

"Huh?"

My son will awaken soon. I know we may never meet in person, but I ask that you care for him. He is only a teenager in your species, but he should know enough that I've taught him to get by with you. Will you take care of him for me?

I had never considered that before. I had always wanted to meet a live Lugia, but I never thought that I'd be taking care of one. Since this was the Dream World, I figured I was up to the challenge.

"I'll do it. I'll take care of him like he was my own."

Lugia's expression beamed with satisfaction. Thank you, Alex. You're all he's got now and his new form is a little untested, so I hope you will care for him like you would for me.

With this promise, Lugia put his wing on my shoulder and appeared to be knighting me from behind. I hereby place the responsibility and care of my son, Silver, in your care, Alexander Schaefer. I expect him to be well-taken care of in his new form like he was your own. Go now and may Fate grant you all the help you need. Good-bye, Alex. I wish you all the luck in the world.

Finally, I could turn around, but by the time I did, Lugia was long gone. Damn. I thought that I would get to see him before he left. Well, now all I had to do was wait for "Silver" to get here...

...but he never came. Shortly after Lugia left, I was back in the Real World, fully awake. It wasn't fair! I had been about to take care of my very own teenage Lugia, but I had woken up before I could even meet him. And since dreams rarely repeated themselves from day to day, my hoped were dashed even further.

But just as I was about to curl back up to my Lugia plush, everything went weird. I could hear someone breathing softly in my room. Oh no! Someone had broken into my house! I immediately sat up and climbed out of bed to go turn on the lights.

When the lights flicked on, I realized that there was no one here. My door was firmly shut, my window was closed and blocked and there was nothing disturbed in my room. That was weird.

I turned off the lights and crawled back into bed. It was only 7:00, so I wasn't supposed to be up yet. I curled up next to my Lugia plush again, but suddenly backed off. Did it just...? How could it...? It... nah. I was still sleepy and I was imagining things.

Pressing myself back up against the plush, I heard something that shouldn't have been there -- deep, slow breathing! I immediately flung myself out of bed and looked at the plush. I couldn't tell in this light, but now that I listened to it, I could hear faint breathing coming from the plush. That confirmed it -- it was alive?! Careful as not to wake it up, I tiptoed over to the lights and turned them on again.

After I got over the glare, I could now take a closer look at the plush. Sure enough, its chest was moving in and out on its own. Not only that, but its narrow, stitched, navy-blue eyes were gently shut, signaling that it was asleep. Also, I noticed for the first time that it had curled up next to me like a kitten and had its head lying on its tail, a sleep bubble coming out of its beak.

I was not old enough to let sleeping dragons lie, so against my Common Sense, I climbed back on the bed and poked the plushie's neck. It gave a slight grunt and I backed off a little, but still, it slept on. Now that I knew it was alive, I gently put my hand on its fuzzy neck and started to stroke it. It was indeed a heavy sleeper, but I knew just how to wake someone in this state. My knowledge in Japanese animes told me that to wake someone with a bubble coming out of their nose, the best way was to pop it. Taking a deep breath, I waited a few moments to get my timing right. And when the bubble reached its biggest size, I gave it a sharp poke.

The bubble popped and the plushie's eyes flew wide open. At first, it looked like it had seen a ghost, but then it uncurled its neck and stretched out its wings on my bed. It gave an odd cry as it yawned and then it noticed me for the first time.

Now that it was awake, I could finally get a good look at it. It had been too dark last night to see it clearly, but now I could examine it closely for the first time.

Everything that made up a Lugia was on it. Its round belly was stitched with a sky-blue round/V-shaped mark. I could make out the individual stitches around the mark. It stood on two short, digitigrade, dog-like feet with three toes on each one.

Its wings were massive despite its size and appeared to be a cross between human hands and large flippers. Each of its five "feathers" on its wings had been stitched separately so that there was space in-between them, including the fifth "thumb" under its palms.

Also, it had a complete set of ten long, rectangular, navy-blue plates on both sides of its spine. It also had a long, thick tail that was tipped with two "sharp" navy-blue spikes.

And at the end of a long, slender, almost serpentine neck was the head and face that I had cherished for years. It had a skull that came to a point up behind it. Its beak was curved and appeared to be indistinguishable from its face. It had two sharp fangs on the sides of its maw and two more pointed fangs on both sides of its lower jaw. It even had a flat, rounded tongue that had a slight shine to it from what I could see. And around each of its narrow, navy-blue pupils was a sharp, navy-blue pointed "mask" that gave it its trademark look. But at the moment, those eyes were looking at me with anticipation.

The plush seemed to know where it was, but it was looking at me like I was about to attack it. It had its head low and its wings at the ready to fly away if it needed to.

Finally, I realized that this was "Silver" -- Lugia's son. He was the one I had been waiting for all night to appear and I finally figured it out that I was about to take care of a "real-life" Lugia in the Real World.

Unsure whether it could or could not speak, I looked at it directly in the eyes and spoke to it. "Hello, Silver. My name is Alex." I waited for a response. It had blinked and had loosened up its wings a little. I assumed that it had understood me, so I went on. "Your dad told me to take care of you while you're here, so I guess you and I are friends now."

Silver raised its head a little and gave a slight chirping noise in its throat. This was a good sign. It could communicate, but whether or not it could actually "speak" was still undecided.

I kept up my persistence. "Would you like to meet my...?" I broke off. How would I explain that my stuffed Lugia was actually alive? I had promised not to bother them about it anymore, so I think I was on my own on this. "...never mind. How about you get down off my bed for starters?"

Silver looked at me for a moment and then did so. Now that he and I were on the same level, I could finally touch him for the first time. I put my hand in his neck and stroked him as slowly as I dared. To my surprise, he could actually feel it, and his reaction was a positive one. He closed his eyes and let out a little chitter-like noise.

This was so cool! I had made friends with a Lugia!

But now, I had to figure out what he ate. I had always known Lugia to eat any stray Magikarp that it came across, but little else. But since we were a little short on Magikarp in this world, I figured that some leftover fish sticks might do.

"Okay, Silver," I told the plushie. "Stay here." I pointed to the floor. "I'll go get you something to eat."

Silver looked at the place where I was pointing and then looked at me. He cooed a little and nodded his head, telling me that he would obey. I smiled at him and gave him a little skritch behind the mask before leaving my room to go get the food.

My parents slept late on Sundays in the loft, so I had to be extra quiet while I was getting Silver something to eat. Luckily, the kitchen was within spitting distance of my room, so I was there in a few steps. I then opened the fridge and looked for those fish sticks. Spotting them in a plastic bowl, I sneaked them out and made for my room.

But just then, I realized that I had to go to the bathroom. And that was also within range of our kitchen, so I left the fish sticks on the bar and went to answer the call of nature.

While I was in there, I could hear some rattling sounds and various noises coming from my room. Silver was up to something, but I couldn't leave just yet. While I did my business, I heard Silver cry for joy and continue his racket. I cursed myself for leaving the door open and finished up as quickly as I could.

I was on my way back to the kitchen to get the fish sticks when I passed in front of my open door and saw Silver with his head in my closet. There were a couple of clothes hangers on the floor and my curiosity got the better of me.

"What 'cha up to, Sil... ver...?" When I had returned to my room, Silver had withdrawn his head and was looking at me. But there was something sticking out of his mouth. Something that looked like...

"Silver!!!" I hissed at him, trying to keep my voice down. "What are you doing?! Get that out of your mouth!"

I grabbed the item in Silver's mouth, trying to pull it out of his grip. But Silver was a fighter and thought that we were playing, so he playfully tugged back at the object before he finally gave it up and I was sitting on the floor from sudden yank.

The item that Silver had been chewing on was one of my favorite grey shirt with the words, "Annoying the world one person at a time" stamped on it. It was just a rag now. Silver had swallowed a good portion of it, leaving me with just a piece of what it used to be. The only words left on it were, "Annoy... one person", and that's exactly what Silver had done.

Before I turned to vent my spleen on the plushie, I saw that a good number of my shirts had been devoured, hence the empty clothes hangers on the rack and floor. While I was staring at the damage, Silver crept up behind me and snapped the remains of my shirt out of my hand and then tossed it up in the air before swallowing it whole.

I was in utter shock at what he had just done. He had just eaten about six shirts while I was getting him his own food. I was surprised that he didn't choke, much less eat all of them without getting sick. Realizing that I wasn't going to get anywhere by yelling, I took one of the clothes hangers and disciplined Silver by batting him on the beak.

"Bad, Silver! You weren't supposed to do that! Now, you don't get any fish!"

Silver looked hurt, but he didn't seem to care about the fish. He patted his belly with his wing and went over to a corner, where he curled up but did not go to sleep. He just gave me a look that made me feel uneasy.

As I lied back on my bed, I tried to think of a story to tell my parents when they finally figured out that my plushie had eaten them. I couldn't figure out one that would seem feasible without giving away that Silver was alive. This was a real problem.

So as a side thought, I tried to figure out why Silver, a creature of the sea and a god in power and ability, would suddenly decide to tear up six perfectly good shirts and swallow them as if they were the perfect meal. It just didn't make any sense.

Silver, meanwhile, was thinking about how he must have offended me and tried to think of a way to fix it. He was just hungry and reached for the nearest source of energy. So as an apology, he decided to make it up to me. He closed his eyes and started making some coughing and hacking noises in his throat. Without tipping me off, he gagged and choked as a large lump made its way up his throat. Soon, there was a large lump in his beak and he raised his head to spit out the object in front of him.

This finally got my attention and I looked over at Silver with a glare. But that didn't last long. I saw that Silver had coughed up what appeared to be a ball of laundry. Wondering if the plushie had had indigestion, I slid off the bed and went over to him to check on him. I wasn't sure if this was normal, but I didn't want him to get sick.

"You okay, Silver? You don't look so hot."

But this was quite the opposite of what was true. He seemed perfectly fine and the look he gave me was more remorse than illness. He lowered his head and nudged the cloth ball towards me.

"I'm not gonna touch that," I said, offended slightly. "You coughed that up."

But Silver frowned at me and wailed loudly. Worried that he would wake my parents, I managed to shut his beak and say, "Okay! Okay! I'll do it! Just be quiet!"

I braced myself to touch the wet vomit, but when I finally did, I had to think for a second. It was completely dry as if it had just been hanging in my closet this whole time. Not only that, but when I held up the cloth ball by two fingers, I saw that it was an entire shirt that he had coughed up.

But I don't remember ever owning this shirt. The cloth was made of a kind of soft silk that reminded me of Silver's own cushiony stuffing. It was also woven with a type of silver thread that seemed to shine and gleam whenever I moved it. It didn't make any sense and it made even less sense when I turned it to look at the front.

A mark that looked like a star with its points broken off of it was dyed into the silver cloth with navy-blue ink like a tattoo. I had never seen this mark before, but something about it seemed familiar.

Getting up, I held the shirt close to my chest to size it up. Sure enough, it was just my size. Looking down at the stuffed Lugia, I stared at him in amazement.

"Did you make this for me?"

Silver chirped and nodded in response.

Finally, all of Silver's actions made sense to me. He didn't seem bothered by the thought of no food because he didn't need regular food. He was a plushy, after all. His kind of food consisted of clothes, cotton and any type of cloth material, be it natural or artificial. I guess it made sense. A stuffed Lugia needs stuffing to live.

But this was just the start of what he could do. He could use the cloth he had eaten to recreate previously-eaten materials or make completely new articles. He was a living, breathing department store!

That last sentence hit me in reality. Plushies were not supposed to be living and/or breathing in any way. How was I going to hide him from my mom and dad when they came into my room every now and then? I couldn't exactly put him back the way he was now that he was alive.

Silver seemed to be reading my mind because he put a wing under my chin and raised my head so that we were looking at each other. He gave a small trill and then went limp. He resumed the state he had been in before he had come to life. I blinked and poked him on the neck.

He didn't respond.

Uh-oh. He didn't seem to be breathing and I was starting to panic.

But just before I reached that state, Silver sprang back to life. He was back on his feet and raised his wings nobly just like his father did and then walked in a small circle before bowing low and plopping himself back down on his tail, looking innocent.

At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of this little dance, but after some thought, it made sense.

"I get it! You can pretend to be a plushie whenever my parents are around and then come back to life when I want you to!"

"Braaa!" trilled Silver, doing a little hop in place. He didn't weigh enough to shake the floor, so there was no chance of my parents hearing him.

"Okay, big guy. Settle down." I managed to calm him down so his incessant squealing wouldn't wake them, either. "So... we've got about two hours before my parents wake up. What do you want to do?"

Silver didn't have an answer for this. He had never known life outside my room, so he was unsure on what there was to do. He simply sat there and looked at me with those navy-blue irises of his.

I wonder if he can tell what I'm thinking, I thought to myself. Silver didn't respond to this, but I wasn't quite sure he had heard me. I wonder if his intelligence is anything like his father's. He seems to know what he's doing. Maybe his powers aren't fully developed yet. I looked square in Silver's eyes and thought loud and hard. Silver... can you hear my thoughts?!

Silver blinked for a moment before giving his response.

Yes.

This was the first proof I had that Silver was like his father. He had heard my direct question and answered it directly back. I was beaming with delight.

Okay, Silver, I said without saying a word. What do you want to do today?

Silver got to his feet and folded his wings against his sides. Silver want to fly with Alex.

Okay, he was a little bit premature in his speech, but that would develop with time.

Can a plushie even fly? Can you get me off the ground?"

To both of these questions came just one reply: Yes.

I was a little nervous. Silver weighed considerably less than he did in his flesh-and-blood form. How could he get himself and me off the ground? I weighed more than him!

Silver, however, wasn't worried. He simply came up to me and nuzzled my chest, cooing happily. Silver not worry. Silver much strong for plush. Silver take Alex for fly and be back before momdad wake up.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. After all, it was a Lugia -- one of the most powerful Pokémon "alive".

Okay, but we need to get outside without using the door. My parents have ears like hawks when they hear me heading out the door.

Silver nodded and went for the most obvious solution -- the window. I was a little startled at the plushie's intelligence but carefully slid open the window anyway. Thankfully, the screen on it was removable and I put it aside quietly and with ease. I then climbed out of the window like I had so many other times and waited for Silver to follow.

It was coming along nicely, but then Silver's wing caught on a nail that normally kept the screen in place, causing a huge gash to rip away from Silver's flesh, exposing the cotton stuffing underneath.

Silver! Are you okay?! You poor thing!

Silver, however, merely looked at his wound without as much as a grimace on his face. If a human had that kind of gash in him, it would be considered life-threatening.

Silver not watch where he going. Silver tear fabric-skin.

I was considering backing out of this crazy idea and tend to silver when he held me back with one wing. It not problem. Silver clean and fix. Watch… Hestuck out his flat, rubbery tongue and ran it along the length of the gash a few times.

At first, nothing happened, but soon, the fabric began to seal itself back up at the point of destruction. The ultra-fine fibers wove themselves together under Silver's special saliva. Or was it magic? I never found that out. The point is that soon after he started cleaning it, Silver's wing was sealed back up again without as much as a thread out of place. It looked like it had never been damaged in the first place.

Wow, Silver. That's amazing! How did you do that?

Silver smirked and preened his wing with his nose for a moment. Silver delicate now. But Silver eat much cloth and Silver be much stronger. Nothing tear Silver when that happens.

This translated to Silver's belief that if he continued to devour clothing at the rate he was going, his normally delicate fabric skin will strengthen over time. Soon, he will be unable to be damaged in any way.

That's cool. I never knew plushies worked that way.

Silver paused with his wing over his beak and gave me a slight smug expression. Alex have no idea. When he finally finished cleaning himself, he turned to me and nodded. We go for fly now?

I nodded in return and walked over to his side. I guess so. Now... how does this work?

Silver was much taller than me on his feet, but I had never ridden a Lugia bareback before. Silver simply remedied the situation by turning to look at me, his stitched navy-blue eyes glowing a bright blue. I suddenly felt weightless as a thin blue aura surrounded me and I was lifted off my feet. I stumbled a little in mid-air and then settled myself at the base of Silver's neck just above his plates. The aura then dissipated around me and I could feel myself again.

That was amazing! Silver was only about an hour old and he was already speaking, eating and using psychic powers that every Lugia should know. And if he was already that smart, who knows how well he would do when he got in the air.

Sitting on Silver's back was a very comfortable place to be. I wasn't wearing any shorts, so my bare thighs were resting on either side of Silver's neck. It felt like I was stroking a soft, silky pillow with my legs and the hollow in his back enabled me to sit comfortably in place. And it wasn't cold at all like I had expected. Silver was now radiating warmth from somewhere in his internal stuffing, and it felt good to me.

Silver looked back at me and smiled. Alex comfy?

I leaned up against Silver's neck and stroked him gently. Alex is very comfy. I'm ready to go.

Okey-day. Alex hold on.

Silver spread his wings and flapped them once experimentally. I felt the stuffing within him shift slightly, but he remained focused. With a flick of his tail and a few good pumps of his wings, Silver was already hovering a few feet off the ground. And with a few more flaps, he and I were in the air high above my house.

I looked down at my house and suddenly panicked. I had never been fond of heights and gripped Silver's neck hard. However, I didn't appear to be hurting him. Silver simply looked out of the corner of his eye and grinned.

Alex not worry. Silver not drop you. Silver know what he's doing.

I loosened my grip on his neck and suddenly realized that we were already high above the town and still climbing. The sun was already in the air and its warmth was mixing in with the cool morning air, allowing me to relax.

Just then, Silver told me something odd. Alex close eyes. Silver have surprise.

I blinked at this rhyme but did so anyway. I felt like I was weightless in the air with my eyes closed, but I trusted Silver and hung on tight. We continued to fly higher and I heard the wind whipping in my ears and over my face. As we reached higher altitudes, I started to feel a little light-headed. The oxygen was starting to thin out.

Still keeping my eyes closed, I tapped Silver on the neck and said, Silver... I can't breathe really well up here.

Silver nodded and before I knew it, fresh, clean, thick oxygen filled my nostrils as we continued to climb higher. If I had had my eyes open, I would have noticed that Silver had surrounded us with a clear, psychic bubble that pressurized m his passenger and regulated the air I was getting. It was like I was in a tiny airplane at 20,000 feet.

Finally, Silver told me to open my eyes. I did... and nearly fell off his back from shock.

At 30,000 feet, the world was so beautiful... I didn't have the hindrance of an airplane window. Up here, the view was a complete 360 in every direction. The clouds below me looked like endless fields of snow and cotton, just like Silver's inner workings. Not only that, but there were also clouds above us that looked like fields of white mist that went on forever. I could see parts of the earth below that suggested that we were nowhere near my house, but I didn't care. The view here was amazing and I didn't want to miss a minute of it! It was so great that I wanted to scream for joy. But I wasn't sure what Silver would think.

Go ahead. Silver not mind.

I nodded and let go of Silver for the first time and threw my hands in the air, screaming, "WHOOOOOOOOO!!!" Normally, Silver would be deaf from such a scream, but his eardrums were much more resistant than a human's.

Silver happy that Alex happy. We do this again, yes?

I could barely take in the wonders that I was feeling and almost didn't hear Silver's proposition.

Oh... okay... but... can we do this at night? The sun is nice and all, but I'm getting a little hot. This was saying something because the only things I was wearing was my boxers and Silver's silver shirt.

Silver nodded and broke his level flight to head back towards the ground again. Silver think that momdad not like Alex be out in morning.

I balked at this. He had a point. My parents wouldn't like it if I were to disappear every morning when they checked on me before they headed to work.

How about this? We can do this on the weekends. How about Friday nights and Sunday mornings? My parents are in bed at those times.

Silver squealed with delight and broke into a sudden dip to project his happiness. I grabbed his neck suddenly and yelled, "AAH!!! Don't do that!"

Sorry... But somehow, I doubted he really was.

When we finally got back, it was 9:05. That gave me less than a minute to get back inside and disguise Silver without tipping Mom and Dad off that he was alive. They were probably up by now, but we had gotten back in time for them to assume I was still in my room.

I patted Silver on the forehead and hugged him around the neck -- one that he generously returned -- before we separated and he went into his "plushie state". And not a moment too soon. I heard the doorknob rattle and flew back under the covers to pretend I was still in bed just as the door swung open.

"Good morning, Alex," said Mom, her bed head a little obvious. "Have you been up all this time?"

I wanted to say "no", but for some reason, I couldn't.

"Yes. I've been spending time with Silver."

I couldn't believe what I had just said! Not only had I told the truth, but I had almost given away what I had been doing with Silver!

Mom looked at the dormant plushie with a concerned look, but then she shrugged it off. "I see. I know how excited you were to get him last night. Well, don't forget to feed him."

"I already did. He practically feeds himself." I could have kicked myself! Why couldn't I lie?! I was going to spill the beans if these questions kept up!

"Oh... that's good. I guess he doesn't eat fish sticks." I nearly passed out from shock. I had forgotten that I had left the fish sticks in the bowl on the breakfast bar!

"I figured that out the hard way." Okay, now I was starting to feel uncomfortable. It was only a matter of time before she asked if Silver was alive.

But to my great relief, Mom smiled and made to close the door. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Maybe you can bring Silver out in the living room so he can get a little air."

I was unsure what Dad would think about this, but I nodded and said, "I'll do that."

When Mom closed the door, I turned to face Silver with a look on my face that I knew he could still detect in his current state. To prevent myself from being heard, I thought out my question. All right, Lugia... give! Why couldn't I lie?! I know you have something to do with this!

Silver didn't budge, but the casual feeling he was sending me made me even more annoyed. "It part of Human-Lugia bond. Lugia cannot lie, so when they bond, their human cannot lie, either."

I nearly yelled when I voiced my opinion. WHAT?! I can't tell the truth all the time! They'll know about you before the week is up! Thanks a lot!

But Silver didn't seem to be bothered by this. You not lie anymore, but Silver teach you how to trick them.

I blinked at the large plushie and thought about this. How do you figure that?

Lugia have ways to tell certain truths, but still truth. I teach you while you asleep. You trust Silver, yes?

I couldn't believe what he was telling me, but if he couldn't lie, I had no choice but to believe him. Okay...

Silver gleamed and then broke the connection.

Now that I had gotten that out of my system, I took Silver in my arms and carried him out to my living room where he could "get some air".

My dad wasn't at all pleased when he saw me carrying around the huge plush, but he took it like a man and said nothing. I had set Silver on his favorite chair and went to go have some breakfast.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" said Mom, pouring some syrup on my pancakes.

"I dunno. I guess I can go to the park today. I could use the fresh air." I glanced at Silver, who -- now that Mom and Dad weren't looking at him -- looked very relaxed in Dad's comfy chair and was eyeing the blanket I had put over him hungrily.

Don't even think about it, I thought at him. Dad would have a fit.

I didn't have to look at him to tell me that he was pouting from the loss of a potential meal. "If you eat anything that belongs to my parents, you're going in the closet and you're not coming out for a week!"

Silver seemed to get the point and resumed his dormant state.

Now that I was done eating, I got dressed fully and made to head for the park. But just then, Dad asked me a question I had hoped to avoid answering. "Where did you get that shirt? I don't remember buying that."

I was close enough to the door to answer quickly and leave for the park, so I figured one more truth wouldn't hurt.

"Silver gave it to me."

And before he could respond, I was gone. Silver sighed and went to sleep with his eyes open. He was exhausted from his first flight and he needed some "shut-eye".

The atmosphere at the park was always quiet in the early summer hours. I liked it this way. The bullies, Mark Ramos and Skyle Kelvin, were probably at home still and usually didn't start their rampage until noon. It was the perfect time for me to lie under a tree and enjoy the cool weather.

It also gave me time to reflect on what Silver had brought into my life. He was just an innocent Lugia that had somehow ended up in our world and in the body of a plushie. He was all alone here and yet, he took care of me like I was his own son. Our balance of responsibility was shared at the moment, but I figured that as the days went on, he would become more responsible than me.

I must have fallen asleep or zoned out or something because I was suddenly brought back to my senses by a familiar voice in my head.

Does Alex enjoy sunshine?

At first, I didn't want to believe it, but when I looked to my left, it was confirmed. Silver the six-foot Lugia Plushie had appeared out of nowhere and was standing by my side with his wings at his side and his tail flexing on its own.

"Silver?!" I said, trying to keep my voice down. "What are you doing here?! How'd you get out of the house?! Did anybody see you?!"

But Silver simply preened his wing with his nose and sat down next to me. To answer all of my questions, he looked me square in the eyes and projected his thoughts directly into my brain. My vision faltered as I found myself looking out through Silver's eyes back at home.

Silver was still sitting on Dad's favorite chair and he had turned to watch both him and Mom arguing about him.

"He's too old to be playing with dolls!" Dad was yelling, trying not to look at the plush in his chair. "The kid needs to grow up and get a grip on the real world! I never played with dolls when I was growing up. That's why I was never picked on in school -- people respected me!"

Mom was trying not to stoop to his level by yelling. But her voice was one of forced calm. "Honey, that may have been true for you, but our son has different issues. These kinds of things make him happy and I think that you should respect his decisions. If he wants to play with a large plush, then it's fine with me."

I smiled at Mom's determination. She had always stood up for me and seemed to know just what made me happy.

But Dad was now looking directly at Silver with a look that scared me slightly. "But it's a stuffed animal! He can't possibly think that it's alive!"

"No one ever said that. I think that he's just happy that he has someone to confide all his secrets to. He's not telling us why he comes home feeling all miserable all the time, but when I saw him talking to his plush, It was like I didn't recognize him anymore. He was so happy to have a friend and I think that we should respect that."

"Friend?! The kid is talking to a stuffed bear that's almost twice his size! He thinks that it belongs in the family and that it has feelings. Well, this is what I think of its "feelings"!"

I watched in horror as Dad came up to Silver, grabbed him by the throat and chucked him halfway across the room. Silver's vision went tumbling for a while, but he finally came to rest in front of the kitchen with a clear view of Mom and Dad's argument.

"David! That's Alex's plush! He's going to be extremely upset when he finds out what you did to it!"

But Dad reared on Mom and vented his spleen in her direction. "I don't give a flying (expletive)! He shouldn't be playing with dolls and he should learn to deal with bullies like a boy his age should be! I'm going out for a while. You can tell him yourself to grow up and get rid of it! I don't care! I just don't want to see that... that thing in my chair again!" And with a slam, Dad was out the door on off to wherever he went these days.

I was next to speechless. He had had absolutely no respect for his own son's well-being and had treated his only "friend" like that. It made me feel scared that I lived in the same house as him during one of his moods.

But the vision wasn't over yet. Mom was fighting back tears as she stood there in the wake of Dad's outrage. But then she sighed and walked over to Silver and picked him upright. She then started speaking to him as if he was alive to her.

"I'm sorry about that, Silver. You shouldn't feel bad about being Alex's friend. I know he thinks you're real and if you knew how much he's been wanting someone like you, you'd probably go to him to take care of him." She sighed again and carried him to my room. "Well, let's get you back to your home. I'll leave the window open so you can get a little air."

She slid open the window to its fullest, giving Silver more than enough room to escape later on. She then closed the door and then Silver's vision went out.

I was in shock. I had never known Dad to get that angry over my personal life before. He had always dealt with it before, but I never knew how he had really felt about it. I also thought it as an outrage that he had laid a hand on Silver and chucked him across the room like and oversized newspaper.

I suddenly felt a new sense of pride towards my mother. She had kept her cool through the whole ordeal and had even showed remorse and concern towards Silver like he was one of the family. It was like she somehow knew that he was alive. Huh.

However, Silver didn't seem to be showing any emotional scars from his ordeal. He rolled himself onto his back and chirped in a way that told me he wanted his belly rubbed. I did it and looked off in another direction. How could he be so mellow after that ordeal? My father had practically assaulted him and blamed my beliefs on him. How could he stay so cool?

Silver just that way. Silver know how life work. Small problem like Alex Dad not bother Silver.

"That's probably fine with you, but I'm the one who has to deal with my dad on a regular basis. You don't have a father that talks about you like that."

Silver looked sad all of a sudden. He rolled over onto his front again and looked away from me. Silver miss Lugia Dad. Silver know he never see him again. Silver hopes that Alex will be good father.

I couldn't stay steamed at him. I put my arm around his back and held him close to me. "It's okay, Silver. I will do my best to take care of you. Dad may not think so, but you are definitely part of my family."

Silver smiled and chirped, giving my face a little lick. Silver happy to be with Alex. What we do now, yes?

I was thinking about this when I suddenly heard a voice that made me flinch. "Hey, Shaver! You're out early today!"

It was Mark Ramos and Skyle Kelvin, the bullies of my grade. I had once thought that they would never bother me outside school, but then I had learned that they lived only a few blocks from my house. I haven't had one peaceful summer since the first grade. They made fun of me because I was different. They bothered me about my Pokémon obsession and even made my life hell when they found out my fondness for Lugia.

Up until now, they had never seen me with a Lugia item, but now that a life-sized Lugia plush was sitting right next to me, I was in a vulnerable position.

"What the heck is that, Shaver?!" said Mark, coming up the hill to get a "look" at Silver. "That's the biggest stuffed doll I've ever seen you with!"

Silver, meanwhile, had resumed his dormant state but had sent me a feeling of reassurance that told me that everything was going to be all right.

"Man, just when you can't get any weirder, Shaver..." said Skyle, kicking a clump of dirt at Silver. I had to restrain myself from launching myself at him.

"You show up with this thing!" finished Mark. "The biggest Barbie doll in the world! You must be so desperate for friends that you have to make one up! That's so low, I think I'll take him off your hands!"

I reacted a moment too slow. Mark and Skyle had grabbed Silver by the wings and were attempting to pull his wings off. All the while, they were "arguing" about who was going to "take him home".

"I want him!" said Mark in a mock-whiny voice. "I'm so weak and defenseless that I need to have a big Barbie doll to protect me!" He was mocking me and it was all I could do to join the tug-o-war.

"No, me!" "complained" Skyle. "My parents think that I'm a good-for-nothing wimp that can't fit in in school! Waaah!!! Waaah!!!"

I didn't want Silver to get hurt, but I didn't want to get hurt trying to protect him. But I couldn't stay still much longer.

"Give him back, Mark! You're hurting him!"

I immediately regretted this. It had all come out the wrong way. Mark and Skyle continued to pull at him, but Silver was putting up a good struggle.

"Ooh! Did you hear that, Mark? He thinks we're hurting it! He wants to take him home and bottle-feed it!"

"I heard him! He thinks that its "daddy" is a giant stuffed Ken doll! He doesn't want to hurt his poor, defenseless baby. The thing is too weak to protect itself and it has to rely on Shaver to think it's safe!"

I couldn't believe the insults that they were saying about Silver! True, they may not think that he's alive, but they didn't need to insult and degrade him and me like that! That's it! I was going to step in at last and take him back. But before I could...

R-R-R-RIP!!!

My heart all but stopped when the wing that Mark had been tugging on ripped completely off its seem and laid on the ground with the stuffing trailing out of it. When it had, there was a super-powerful, agonizing, painful scream in my mind that hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that it had come from Silver, but that was nothing compared to what happened next.

My own arm felt as if it had been ripped from its socket and sheer, unadulterated pain shot through my own body. I didn't have to be psychic to know what had happened. Silver and I had built up a strong enough link that I was feeling his pain and vice-versa. My arm, though, remained in its socket, but the pain in my joints was excruciating.

Silver was whimpering in my mind as the two bullies dropped him. They sneered and started advancing on me.

"Aww..." taunted Mark. "Did we hurt the baby? Did we break his favorite toy? That's too bad."

Mark smiled mischievously and continued to advance. "Maybe we should "apologize", Mark. Maybe we should make him "feel better" about losing his only friend."

Mark looked at him and nodded. "You took the words right out of my mouth. Let's make amends."

I was in too much pain to stop the inevitable.

When they were through with me, I was limping back home with Silver holding me under his remaining wing and his destroyed limb in my arm. I had been given a black eye, a busted jaw, a couple bruised ribs and enough black and blue marks to paint a picture. Silver had gotten over the pain and was doing his best to keep me conscious.

It not problem. Silver fix wing easy now. But Silver want Alex to know... he not feel sorry.

"Why? I just stood there and watched you get manhandled by those two bullies! I couldn't do a thing to stop them! It's all my fault!"

But Silver wouldn't hear it. Alex not feel sorry. They make Silver sick when they prey on weak. But you not weak, Alex. When Alex try to save Silver, Silver know that you could beat them.

"But I couldn't! Now, we're just ghosts of our former selves! What can I do about it?"

Silver sighed and continued to carry me. You not know now, but us growing stronger. Soon, we be one with another. We then show bad bullies how strong we become.

I blinked at this. "You mean revenge? I never knew that Lugia knew the term."

Silver shook his head. We not. It not this "revenge" you say. It is "putting them in place". We not return their actions to punish, but them learn true meaning of pain they cause. They realize what they do wrong and learn never to do it again.

That was a good point. We wouldn't be exacting revenge on Mark and Skyle; we would just be returning the favor in a non-vengeful way to show them the error of their ways.

"I'm so glad you're here with me, Silver. I don't know how I survived without you."

Silver and I stopped outside my bedroom window. I tossed his torn wing into my room and Silver then levitated himself in the room after it. He then looked out of the window one last time and smiled.

Silver live and breathe to make Alex happy. That all Silver care about. You go tell Alex Mom about fight. Silver use powers to keep her in dark about Silver's escape.

I nodded and left the back yard to confront my mom about what had happened today. I just hoped that Dad wasn't here. He tended to get offended that I couldn't defend myself against bullies and would blame me for not standing up against them, much to Mom's dismay.

The look on Mom's face when she saw my beaten state was routine. She couldn't believe that Mark and Skyle had beaten me up again. And when I told her about why they had done it -- because of Silver (I couldn't lie about that) -- I could tell that Silver was working his magic and making her assume that I had told them about it because she didn't question the plushie's whereabouts.

But a pressing question had emerged from the remains of my shattered ego. "Mom... you won't tell Dad about this, will you? I feel horrible and I really don't want him to chew me out again."

Mom looked at me for a moment and then smiled. "Not a word. This wasn't your fault and you don't deserve to be yelled at for this. Now, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

There was only one thing that would make me feel better at a time like this. "No... I just want to be with Silver."

Mom appeared not to have taken my promise to not bother them about Lugia to heart because she smiled and let me go back to my room to heal.

"Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

She nearly broke down in tears when she watched me disappear into my room and close my door. I had given her a compliment in my weakened state and she appreciated it as much as any mother would.

When I got into my room and closed the door, I could see that Silver was in much better shape than I was. He had somehow sewn his wing back into place and was flexing it experimentally, wincing at the small bursts of pain he and I were still feeling.

"How're you doing, Silver?" I said, sitting down on my bed.

Silver fine. Silver just need rest. Alex rest, too. Silver make him nice present.

And with that, he began to formulate something within his silken stomach. Judging from the amount of time he was taking, it was something big. And when said object started making its way up his throat, I could tell that he had put a lot of work into it. Finally, he opened his beak and part of a rolled-up silver object appeared in it. He coughed and heaved for a moment before a beauty unto plush nature flopped onto the floor. Silver took a moment to catch his breath and then picked up the object with his beak and brought it to me.

Silver make silver blanket for Alex. Silver trade it for Alex's torn shirt. It not look good anymore, so Silver have it for lunch, yes?

I nodded and slipped the silver shirt he had made just this morning off, balled it up and tossed it to the plushie. After Mark and Skyle had gotten through with me, it had lost its luster and shine from being smudged with dirt and it had been torn in several places. I figured that instead of throwing it away that Silver be allowed to eat it. It probably wouldn't taste that good, but he was hungry and I couldn't risk some more of my shirts disappearing.

In turn, Silver had made me a full-sized silver blanket made of the same material as my shirt. It had been filled with cotton lining and didn't have a single stitch on it. It was almost like the legendary Shroud of Turin, except this one was a blanket. I would certainly be comfortable sleeping under this tonight.

(Author's Note: For those of you in the dark, the "Shroud of Turin" was the seamless piece of clothing that Jesus had been wearing when he died. The value for a piece of fabric like that has to really be in the High range. Just a piece of religious fact for you.)

Even though it was barely noon, I was extremely worn out from the fight and dozed off under the silver blanket almost instantly. After Silver had choked down the tainted tunic, he hopped onto the bed and lied next to me with his wing over me to keep me comfortable and was soon fast asleep as well. If I had been conscious, I would have thanked him for his company.

When I didn't report for dinner, Mom had come in to check on me. From the cracked door, she could see me snoozing with Silver's wing over me. She was confused as to why the plushie would be in this position and was even more startled to see the silver blanket that covered the two of us. For the life of her, she couldn't ever remember buying that blanket, but for some reason, she smiled and pulled the blanket up over us a little to cover us a little more. And when she saw that Silver's finely-stitched eyes were closed, she had to wonder: was there more to this special plush than she was believing, or was she flipping her lid?

In the end, she gave both me and Silver a kiss on the cheek and said softly, "Good night, my little angel. Silver, you make sure he sleeps well."

And with that, she made her exit and went to put my lunch in the fridge. It was almost like... she knew... somehow...

Dad didn't arrive home until well past 6:00. And by then, I had gotten over my ordeal with the bullies and was casually watching TV in the living room with Silver sitting dormant in his favorite chair once again.

But when Dad first walked in the door, Silver sent me an urgent feeling of what I knew to be cold fear. And one look at Dad told me that he had been drinking. A lot! He was a little wobbly on his feet and one look at Silver sitting in his favorite chair immediately sent him into an unprovoked rage.

"What the (expletive) is that thing still doing here?!" he said, storming across the living room towards Silver. "I thought I told you, Helen! That thing stays in the kid's room!"

Mom suddenly became scared for mine and Silver's well-being. She had never seen him like this and she was concerned about what he would do.

"David! Where have you been all day?! You almost take Alex's favorite plush's head off and then disappear from here without telling me! Explain yourself!"

I had never been present when Mom and Dad had been arguing, so I was unsure what to do. However, Silver sent me a reassuring feeling that told me that everything was going to work out.

"I don't need to (expletive) explain myself! I thought I told you to get rid of that blasted thing when before I got home! I'm sick of looking at it and it's still sitting in my chair!"

Mom tried her best to protect Silver and me at the same time. "David, you weren't here all day, so Alex has every right to let his plush sit on your chair. Besides, I don't see your name on it!"

But this only seemed to make him even more unstable. "I'm sick of that baby face looking at me like it owns the place! I wish Alex had never won that thing! It's a car crash waiting to happen."

I felt as if I had been hit in the heart. Why was he blaming me for winning Silver in the first place? From what I remember, it was him that had agreed to me trying to win the Ball Toss and it was Dad that had given me the money to begin with.

Mom was suddenly offended by this statement. "Don't you dare blame Alex for any of this! If I remember, you agreed to let him try and win the thing in the first place! You knew that if he won him, you would have to put up with him just like I do! This is not Alex's fault!"

I initially misinterpreted Mom as saying she hated Silver as much as Dad, but a statement from Lugia changed all that.

Nice Mom does not mean to offend. She simply trying to reason with Angry Dad. She respect Silver, but Angry Dad wants to shoot Silver's head off.

I was nearly sick at the thought of Dad trying to tear Silver apart, but I couldn't say anything without giving away that he had told me this.

"That's another thing! You're talking about it like it's alive! You're talking like it knows what we're yelling about! Well, it's just a piece of stuffed garbage as far as I can see!"

"I treat him like part of the family because he is part of the family! If Alex thinks that he's alive, then you have to respect his wishes as well! We're not making a good impression by doing all this yelling."

A nerve was twitching in Dad's temple and finally, his anger boiled over. In less than two steps, he was right in front of Mom. And what happened next nearly tore my heart in half.

Without even a moment of hesitation, Dad had backhanded Mom across the cheek, sending her crashing to the ground in a stunned heap. It was just by Silver's mental influence that restrained me from rushing to her side.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?!" I thought at him. "He just hit my mom! Aren't you going to do something?!"

Silver's voice was filled with dislike, but he kept his cool. Silver want to show Angry Dad what he messing with. Just stay put while Silver deals with this.

The next thing I knew, Dad had disappeared from the room, but he came back in a few seconds with a pump-action shotgun that made my courage hit rock bottom.

"I am going to get rid of this thing if it's the last thing I do!" He pumped the shotgun once and took aim. I was so scared that I didn't realize that I was sitting directly behind Silver from the angle Dad was pointing. It was Silver's influence that enabled me to move.

Alex, go! Get out of way! Go to Nice Mom and wake her up! Silver deal with this! Not once did Silver come out of his dormant state.

I bolted from the firing range and tried to wake Mom up. All the while, Silver was left to fend for himself. But just as Dad was about to squeeze the trigger, Silver came to life right in front of his eyes. You going to regret that if you fire. I protect Alex and Helen Mom from Angry David's rage.

This had the desired effect he had been looking for. Silver had jumped onto the top of Dad's chair and spread his wings out defiantly, hissing at him. Dad looked like he had seen a ghost and backed off a little, slightly lowering the shotgun.

"No... You're not real! You're just a doll! You can't talk! Get out of my head!"

But Silver was defiant to the end. If you touch a single hair on Alex's head, I will not stop until you have been persecuted and justice is brought upon you! If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that Silver was speaking in perfect English now.

To illustrate his point, Silver's narrow eyes began to glow and he was surrounded by a glowing-blue aura. He then projected this aura directly at Dad, causing him to drop the gun and drop to his knees.

Feeling he had incapacitated him, Silver turned to me and Mom and walked over to us. Alex, if you value yours and your mother's lives, you two must flee! I will join you shortly, but you must get as far away from here as possible!

He channeled his strength and defiance directly into my body, giving my superhuman strength. I was able to lift Mom onto my shoulders and make for the door just as she was starting to wake up.

But just before I could get us outside, Dad was able to come to his senses and grab his shotgun. He took aim at -- of all things -- me and Mom and pulled the trigger.

"NO!!!"

Silver saw this coming just in time and jumped in front of the two of us, taking all 18 balls of shot from the two cartridges and falling in a heap.

"SILVER!!!"

I couldn't believe that he had taken a bullet for me. I could only watch as he fell to the ground in a plush heap.

Go... Alex... escape... I will... be fine...

It was just then that my vision whited out and I knew no more.

Once again, I was unable to dream. All there was was an empty black void that I could not escape. I did not know where I was or what had happened for the rest of the night.

But when I finally woke up, I kept my eyes closed, not daring to fully awaken in case my dad was waiting near me. However, I was able to make out a conversation going on in the other room.

"...all this time... and I thought he was just making it up. You're really alive..."

I am. I have always been alive ever since I was created, but I have hidden my true identity from you out of fear of Alex's well-being. I'm sorry that our meeting didn't happen under better circumstances.

There was a pause and then the first voice spoke again. "It's okay, Silver. I don't blame you. You did what you could for Alex and I'm just glad that he's all right."

But Silver didn't seem to think so. It's not enough. You have nowhere to go and your husband is out for your blood. I cannot sit here and wait for him to track you down and kill you. I must protect you with everything I have and get you to safety. He paused for a moment. I must give you both my existence.

Mom sounded confused. "I don't understand."

Deep inside me, I have the power and ability to give you both a new life. I can offer you protection from all who are hunting you, but I must give my life to do that.

Mom sounded upset. "You can't do that! Alex would be devastated! You're too close to just give each other up!"

Silver sighed. You misunderstand me. I will not leave him. In fact, I will simply be giving him my body so that he may live. If it suits you, I can give you a new, more powerful and capable body so that no one may harm you.

"You can do that?" Mom sounded amazed.

I can, said Silver. We would be a family together with each other and you could go on living as you normally have been.

Mom paused, apparently thinking. "I guess if it will protect us, I'll do it, but I'm not sure what Alex will think."

He will understand. In fact, he is listening to us talking at this very moment.

I balked and opened my eyes. I was lying in bed in a motel somewhere. Silver must have teleported us here when the two of us lost consciousness. I could not remember much before that other than the fact that Silver had saved us from my berserk dad.

Silver came over to me with Mom standing behind him. I was glad to see that he was all right after getting shot by that shotgun. In fact, I couldn't even tell where he had been hit. His super-malleable skin had sealed itself shut, leaving no marks whatsoever.

I take it you heard everything, Alex? he said, putting a wing on my lap.

I nodded. "I did... and I'm willing to go through with it."

Mom put a hand to her mouth when I said this, but Silver simply looked at her, signaling her to remain silent.

"I've always wanted to have a Lugia for a pet, but becoming one would be even better. I'm willing to do this to protect myself and both of you from Dad."

Silver nodded and gave my cheek a little lick. If that's what you want to do, I will not stop you. Your mother has already volunteered to do this and you are as determined as ever to follow through with it.

Silver turned to Mom and bowed his head. Are you ready for this, Miss Schaefer?

Mom looked apprehensive, but she nodded and said just two words: "I'm ready."

Silver sighed and spread his wings. He was suddenly surrounded by a glowing-blue aura. He then channeled this energy into my mom, causing her mind to white out for a moment. This was it; there was no turning back now.

It happened faster than I could blink. One second, I was looking at Mom's levitating form; the next, she had been fully transformed into a full female Lugia plush. It was amazing how fast it had happened that I could hardly believe it.

But mom was not quite the same Lugia that Silver was. For one thing, she still had a human-based form. She stood on two digitigrade Lugia feet and her legs were as long as they were before. Her belly was now bare and was covered with the traditional sky-blue mark. I could even see her navel and (I blushed) her breasts. The only difference about her now was that she had no nipples and they looked like they had been stitched to her body. Her arms looked just like they did before. They were long and soft with silver-white coloring and slightly flatter fingers. This was the only way to tell that they were Lugian in nature.

Finally, her head looked just like Silver's, albeit that her neck was not as long as his and her eye masks were a little smoother than Silver's own. Her eyes were stitched and navy-blue in color. Finally, her mouth was not as pronounced as Silver's beak. It was just the right shape to not be a beak but still have a distinct shape. And last but not least, she had a long, prehensile tail growing out of her now-extinct backside and wove around down to the floor. You could see the fine stitching on the side of the much-slimmer appendage all the way to the pointed navy-blue spikes on the tip.

Despite the fact that she was now naked, the only way to tell that she was female was her bare breasts. Her womanhood and backside had pretty much disappeared from sight. Obviously, there were other ways to tell that she was a female other than the obvious.

Silver gently ferried Mom over to the bed next to me and laid her gently on the surface. The blue aura disappeared and I could see that she was sleeping peacefully. Silver sighed and turned to me.

It is done. She will awaken when her mind gets used to her new form. What do you think, Alex?

I had to admit that looked rather painless when it was all over. This only encouraged me to want the transformation even more.

"I'm ready for it! Soon, we can be a family again!"

Silver nodded. I'm glad you are happy, but sadly, I do not have the energy to accompany you in the next life.

"Say what? You mean... you can't join us?"

Silver shook his head. I'm afraid not. I have used all of my powers to transform your mother. All I have left is the ability to merge yourself with me.

I sighed and looked away. "I'm going to miss you, Silver. You have been really kind to me through this whole ordeal."

Silver put a wing on my lap. And you have been kind to me. But I will never truly leave this world. When we merge, our existence will be much stronger than it ever has been. We will live on in each other and nothing will ever tear us apart again.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around Silver's soft neck. "Thank you, Silver. I will never forget you!"

Silver gave a rare smile and wrapped his right wing around my shoulder. I will never forget you, either, but now we must merge. I am running out of power and I will soon be too weak to continue.

The two of us separated and Silver turned around. For the first time, I could see that there was a shining, silver zipper running all the way down his spine to the base of his tail.

"When did you get that? I never noticed it before."

I have chosen to reveal it now because it is necessary. Open it up and climb inside of me. Our bodies will merge and we will be one with each other.

I grabbed the zipper and pulled it all the way down Silver's spine. I had expected him to be full of cotton and stuffing, but I was surprised to see an empty black void, even in the light of the lamp next to me. Gathering up my courage, I climbed off the bed and then stepped inside of Silver's back. I found my foot traveling into a comfy nook where it came to rest somewhere in Silver's body. I couldn't see the effect on his outer body, but I knew it was there.

I then put my other foot into the gap and felt it nestle into a tight yet comfortable place. I then followed up with my arms, nestling them somewhere inside Silver's wings. I then ducked my head into the gap and buried my entire body into the giant plushie. I was welcomed by the refreshing scent of freshly-laundered sheets and relaxed myself for the upcoming merging.

Once I was fully inside Silver, I could feel the zipper being closed by Silver's remaining psychic powers. Before it was all the way up, Silver gave me his last few words before we became one.

Good luck, Altair. I hope that one day, you and I will see each other again. It has been a great pleasure to spend my life with you and I hope that we will do it again sometime.

I smiled and felt the zipper reach its highest point. The instant it reached the top, I felt my mind go out as our bodies and minds merged and became one.

When I finally woke up, I could see my mother standing over me, gently dabbing my forehead with a dry rag. I could see through my new eyes with greatly-enhanced detail. For the first time, I marveled at how beautiful she was. She didn't need clothes or makeup to make herself gorgeous; her new form made her as beautiful as beauty could be.

"Are you okay, Altair? You were out for a while."

Altair... I had a feeling that that was my new name. From now on, I was no longer Alex Schaefer the human. I was now Altair the Lugia Plush.

"Yeah... I'm okay. A little woozy, but I'm fine." I noticed that I was speaking verbally now.

When I sat up, I climbed off the bed and went straight for the bathroom mirror. I had to see what I looked like.

"Say... not bad."

Between the two of us, I would have to say that I looked more like a Lugia than my mother did. True, I now stood on two digitigrade Lugia feet and my body was mostly human-shaped, but I could see a fine six-pack of abs stitched into my sky-blue torso mark and my tail was about as long as Silver's had been. And while my arms were long and had five slender, nail-less fingers on them, I had something else that Mom did not have -- wings. A pair of finely-stitched, super-accurate Lugia wings were attached to my shoulders like an angel. If I was to myself by a name, I would use the term "Anthro Lugia Plush". There was no other term for it.

Once I had gotten over my new form, I turned to my mother and smiled as best as a Lugia could.

"So... what do you want to do now?"

Mom thought about this for a moment before answering. "You wouldn't mind going shopping with me, would you? I'm feeling a little hungry."

Normally, I would have been against shopping for clothes, but now, that sounded like an invitation to dinner. I smiled and left the motel with her to go on a shopping trip. I had a feeling that life as a plush was going to be a very enjoyable one.

The first few days as Anthro Lugia Plushies were a little different. We had to get used to dining on clothes, which, in my opinion, were some of the most delicious items in existence. I could now understand why Silver had taken such pride in his meals -- there was nothing like them on earth.

While we were out on the town, we got a lot of funny looks from the citizens of the city. We just went about our normal routines and ignored their prying eyes. We were so unique that we were even approached by a newsman and were interviewed to be on the news. As an added bonus, we were labeled as "endangered species" and were granted immunity from being hunted for sport.

As for the rest of our lives, Mom and I were so popular that we were given all kinds of donations and charities from very generous donors. We were even given a new home deep in the countryside and all of the clothes that we could eat. We were living the high life and nothing would ever take that away from us.

And what of the bullies that had tormented me and my father that had driven us out of our old home? Let's just say that what goes around comes around. I tracked down each of my former tormentors and delivered a little payback. I used my powers to string them up by their underpants from atop nearby trees or flagpoles. They needed to call the fire department to get them down and I finally evened the playing field against the ones that had made my life hell.

As for Mom and Dad, I was not witness to the event, but the next time I saw her, Mom was sporting a rather large belly and had a nice smirk on her face. Over the next few days, the bulge slowly disappeared and I never heard from again. It was great to be at the top of the food chain and life was grand.

Sometime down the road, I was sitting on the roof of our new house, looking out at the lake in the distance. I had finally been given a new lease on life and I was loving every minute of it. Silver had done Good by giving us these new lives and not a day went by that I didn't think of him.

"Altair!"

Mom was calling to me from the ground. I looked down and saw her motioning for me to come down. Spreading my wings, I gently drifted down to the ground and went over to her.

"What's up?"

"I've got great news. I'll tell you if you can guess it."

I had to think about this. It was hard to read the mind of another Lugia because they had the natural ability to block out their thoughts whenever they needed to.

"We're moving?"

Mom shook her head and patted her belly. "Guess again."

I racked my mind for a while before I came up with another idea. "We're going to be famous?"

Mom shook her head again and bounced on her toes. "Not this time."

I looked her up and down, trying to figure it out. I noticed that she was rubbing her belly again, which had lost some of its trim shape. Suddenly, it all made sense to me.

"You're going to have a baby?!"

Mom smiled and nodded. "It seems that my last little "accident" had lasting effects. Now, you're going to have a brother or sister sometime soon."

I smiled and grabbed her in a hug. "I'm so happy! Maybe this is what Silver said about me seeing him again!"

Mom and I kissed and flew back up to the roof where we lied back and watched the sunset. This was a day for celebration and nothing would ever take this new life away from us.

END