Chapter 3
A Nutty Friend
We left the hall, with the ranger away and the presentation finished, It was finally home time... I had a rough day to put it mildly, All I had wanted to do is ho home and rest my feet or paws. I got on the school bus and headed to the back to sit in my usual place and a young girl budged closer to me, she couldn't have been more than ten years old, she looked into my eyes and said "hello mister Lucario…" I smiled to her "hey… my name is John" her eyes opened wide "your John?… woaaahh… you're a Lucario now?" I nodded "yeah, I am… it's going to take some getting used to… what's your name?" she grinned "Alice… I'm nine and a half!", but I didn't want to talk down to her. "That's great… I'm sixteen…" she reached out and put her arm on my thigh "what's it like being a Pokémon?" I thought for a moment, then said "well, it's pretty fun, but I need people to help me with fiddly stuff… I only have paws now, no fingers…" she giggled "your all fluffy and warm" I blushed, embarrassed but yet happy with her comment "thank you… you're a nice person, Alice, maybe we should keep in touch…" she nodded "sure!… here's the number for my phone" she said, holding out a scrap of paper with numbers on it "thanks" I said, taking the number and putting it into my bag. She looked at me with a little more seriousness "are you always going to be a Lucario?" her question struck a nerve… even if I did like being a Lucario more than being a human, it was still hard to swallow. "Y… yes… I need some time to get used to it, but I'll be fine…" she looked me in the eye "what's it like, being in those poke-balls!?" I shook my head "sorry, I have no idea, I don't like the thought of being 'caught', that's why Lucy is standing in as my trainer, but without the poke-ball" she laughed "Lucy?… the girl with the big bottom?" I cringed… Lucy was only sitting on the seat behind me, but she did have quite a large ass, and I didn't want to argue with Alice… so I bit the bullet "uhhh… yeah, that's the one" there was a brief silence, then I heard a voice behind me "What did you just say?" I hesitated to answer as I didn't want to anger her. Abruptly, the bus came to a halt… the driver simply sighed "ahh shit" then turned around to us… "okay then kiddies, there's been an accident… the Ford Marsh Crossing bridge collapsed after a angry Charizard demolished it's main support and brought the whole thing down… I have just been informed, and so I'm going to have to drop you all off here and then turn back" a moan of irritation swept through the bus… Alice stood up and said "is he okay?" the bus driver laughed "what, that damn lizard?… I don't know, probably" the people on board began to file off the bus… it was pouring with rain, but luckily, we were near my mother's best friend's house. However, as I began to walk down the road, I heard a voice from behind me "Lucy… I… I…" I turned around to see Alice near to tears "I have nowhere to go…" my conscience kicked in, and I ran back to her, shielding her from the rain with my arm "look… uhhh… I… well, I have a friend here, we can stay at her house… c'mon…" I set off, beckoning her to follow me. We dashed through the streets, several times she nearly fell over, but I managed to catch her and keep her going. Finally, we came under the shelter of the front porch… my mother's friend is called Ann, she is a well travelled explorer and tourist… I could only hope that she wasn't on another world trip. So I reached up and attempted to press the doorbell, however, it was a button that a paw just couldn't reach in and press, so I had to push my nail into the small hole and almost breaking the bell.
" one second " the voice responded, in her cheerful yet sarcastic manner… then the door opened, and I saw her in front of me. She was a portly woman, quite short… her face slowly changed from a smile to a look of confusion as she saw me "who are you?" I sighed "I'm sorry… this is going to be really hard to explain to you, but it's seriously no joke I'm playing here…" her gaze went up and down once more, she then mumbled "I recognise that voice… wait… it can't be…" I nodded "yes… I… I'm afraid so… but… it's not that ba-" she interrupted me "oh whoa! That's a REALLY realistic costume John!… where did you get it?!" I gave a sigh so large that, if this were an anime, a visible cloud would have escaped my mouth. "No, Ann… seriously… I… I had a genetic condition, only found out about it this morning… when it did this to me" she paused… seemingly in shocked about the fact that her best friend's son had suddenly transformed into a Lucario. "I… uhhh…" she said "really… well, you'd best come in anyway, it's pouring down with rain and is this your little friend too" I nodded, ushering Alice in ahead of me… she was scared, unsure of what to make of my mother's nutty friend… I patted her shoulder reassuringly and followed her in. The house was kitted out with the same old décor, Ann and her husband, Ronald did a lot of travelling, particularly to the U.S.A, so they both had a slight American accent… their house too was affected by their travels; the walls were hung with all kinds of souvenirs ranging from Zulu shields and spears all the way to shop souvenirs from the Japanese Islands. Ann beckoned us to sit down on her large, semi-circular leather sofa… although it wasn't really important, the fine leather in combination with my now furred rump made it the most comfortable seat I've ever been in.
"I presume you're here after the bridge incident, right John?" I nodded "yeah, me and Alice here needed somewhere to take shelter… and I wanted to see you again anyway" she sniggered "that's alright love, as long as your still house-trained!" her and Alice both broke into a laugh, she added the words " Do we need a dog bowl as well? I just sighed again. Ann calmed down and then looked at me seriously "but… I mean, even if you have still got the same brain and all, being a Lucario is much different to being a human… what are you gonna do?… and what about school?" I looked down at the floor, thinking with closed eyes "I… I managed well enough today at school… I guess I just need a scribe to write for me, that's all" Ann grinned, pleased with my answer "good, nice to know you haven't given up hope" I looked up at her "given up hope?… b… but, I like this… this form, it suits me more than being a human ever did" she looked a little confused by my statement, but being a traveller who was used to a few Lucarios around, she was very understanding "well, that's good then… h… HEY!, watch where you put that damn spike!" I looked to my left to see that my wrist was dangerously close to the arm-rest… so I immediately lifted my arm back to my lap "sorry"
That moment, Sasuke walked in… unlike his wife, he was quite tall, and not quite as wide… he had a vacant smile and a permanently red nose that boasted a wealth of experience in drinking. "Hey… who are these two?" he asked, pointing vaguely at me and Alice… I was surprised he hadn't overheard our conversation. "You'll never believe this dear, the little girl is Alice, and the dog… uhhh… Lucario… that's John, believe it or not!" Sasuke's eyes widened… he quickly waved his hand in front of his face to make sure he was sober, then said "h… how did he… manage to turn into a Dog, exactly?" I interrupted as politely as I could "it's a genetic condition… it's so rare that only I and two or three other folks ever had it, and I'm the first to actually become a Lucario from it" Sasuke half smiled "well… I guess… that's interesting, but don't tell me I have to get you chew-toys for Christmas now?" I joined in the group laughter this time "oh no, don't worry Sasuke… I might not be human any more, but I'm still all for boxes of chocolates!" (I am not sure of why, but after I became a Lucario, I have experienced great cravings for chocolate…), Ann prepared the guest room for us, and after several jokes about leashes and dog-beds, she finally finished "there you go, two beds… and they are identical, so don't worry about who gets the best kip or whatever" I nodded to her as she left the room "thanks, Ann… I owe you even more now" she smiled "good, you can clean the kitchen floor again tomorrow" I grumbled "fine…" as her light-hearted cackle faded into the distance, Alice stood by the bed, looking at me awkwardly "John… I… think you should leave now" I raised an eyebrow "why? I'm sleeping here too…" she blushed "p… please leave" I put my hands on my hips "why should I leave?" she lowered her head "I need to get changed" at that precise moment, I felt like a complete idiot… what's more, it made me out to look like a really perverted, I had to clear my name now, or earn the title 'Pervy Lucario' forever more. "Oh! sorry, I forgot! I'll go right away, just say when your finished! Sorry!" and with that, I darted out the room.
In my eagerness to close the door, I accidentally slammed it on my tail…, so I slowly slid my tail out of the doorframe, and closed the door. I held it in front of me and inspected it for injury… to my surprise, it was still immaculate, it just stung a little… obviously being a 'Fighting/Steel' meant it took more than a casual mistake to do me any real harm. "Okay, you can come back in now" I re-entered the room to see her in her night gown… it was bright pink in colour with a white border on the bottom of the sleeves. "Well… it's finally time to get some shut-eye… I'll see you in the morning, Alice" she nodded "you too, doggy" I smiled pleasantly at the name… it certainly beat my old nicknames back in school. As I laid down, the adrenaline rush I had from all the unusual happenings today faded, and the exhaustion of my earlier transformation set in… I could hardly move and my body ached… I had to sleep, I rolled up ontop of the bed and fell asleep.