Update yet again. I think I'm becoming known in this fic as the guy who updates a lot. Nice XP

Bella Reed, you controversial girl, you! Okay, not really controversial (lol) but she did get mixed reactions, which is cool. Addressing the one about how it was cliché to have a villain with "flawless" Pokemon, I didn't mean for them to be actually flawless. Bella just thinks they are, but trust me, they were never meant to be flawless, she just believes them to be. It's like the dude from the games, Mr. My-Rattata-Is-The-Top-Percent-Of-Rattata XP Does that poor excuse that I just made up make it less cliché?…wait, you weren't supposed to know that…oops.

So, Ben is a Pidgey. Anyone saw that coming? Just wondering.

But you know what? Enough of my insufferable blabbering. This is no time for talk, it is time for war! -unsheathes sword- Let us fight to the death! Er, I mean read on, guys.

"So, there's this question that's been on my mind since the whole sink scenario," I said to Jack.

I sat against a pillow, sighing contently as I had just finished a wonderful nap. Jack sat there, looking at his hands. I was glad his parents were out taking his little sister to a soccer game, otherwise they'd notice him talking to a Pidgey. A new thought popped up: Could other people hear me? More on that later though.

"I have about a million questions on my mind now," Jack said in shock.

I groaned. "Enough with the dramatics! Your questions are going to be answered…someday…I think…next time I see Ho-Oh, or if I see him, I'll ask him about all this stuff, kay? Anyways, back to more important stuff, like my questions. Why does someone who wants to grow up to be a Pokemon professor want to go on a journey as a Trainer?"

Jack kept his eyes on his hands, and I thought I knew why. I think he couldn't bear to look at me, to look into my eyes and see the boy who died for his Pokemon. It'd be too much, I would imagine.

Jack began to explain. "Think about it. The world's most renowned Pokemon professor is Professor Samuel Oak. And he was a Trainer. He traveled across Kanto, met and caught Pokemon. Trainers learn more about Pokemon than someone cooped up in a laboratory ever could. They befriend Pokemon, they see them in their natural habitats, they see new kinds in new places. If I were to stay in Twinleaf, I'd never be able to see any of that. I'd never be able to amount to a decent Pokemon Professor. If I can travel through Sinnoh, I can get more accurate descriptions of Pokemon firsthand in their natural habitats. It's perfect."

I shrugged the best as a bird with no shoulders could. "Eh, makes sense I guess. So…I'm your starter?"

Jack nodded. "Guess so."

"Are you going to nickname me something retarded like Wing or something? Or am I sticking by Ben?"

Jack stood up from his bed, and paced around his room. "I…I don't know. I don't even know if I could call you Ben."

I looked at him strangely, not knowing what the hell he meant. "And why not?"

Jack stopped, his back turned to me, staring at wall. "It just…reminds me."

"Of what?"

"Of you!" Jack cried. "Do you even know how I feel when I think about you? I don't want to think of you. Whenever I do now, everything gets so cluttered. I don't know whether to hate you or be grateful of you. Hate you for the torture you put me through. Maybe that's a little dramatic, but I'm in a dramatic mood."

I can tell. I kept that thought inside my head, though.

"For years, you pushed me, you shoved me, you beat me, you associated most of my family members with false accusations of sexual relations with Bidoof!"

Good times.

"And then, after years of thinking I know who you are, you finally show some good in you. You saved my egg, you risked your life all for an egg. You could've stood there and watched it be smashed beneath someone's tires, but you jumped in front of a speeding car. I don't even know what to think of you."

I chuckled. "I'm pretty mysteriously awesome like that." Obviously, I failed at lightening the mood.

Jack ignored me. "Then, whenever I thought of you after the accident, all I could see was your body. Your cold, lifeless body, sitting there in the road, crushed my tons of metal. That image…I can't stop thinking about it. I close my eyes…" This is when I knew he was crying. I could tell because he was breathing heavily and stopping between words to take breaths. "…and every time I close them, I just see your corpse on the road. Lying there, dead. I watched you die. And now you came back as my Pokemon and all I can think of when I look at you is every memory of you I've ever had. Every memory that makes me want to hate you. The way you laughed at me, the way you hit me, the way you never left me alone. Too many hateful memories when I look at you, when I think of you, or hear your name."

I sighed. As I've said before, I'm not good with this teary eyed bullshit, and I never will be. But, here was my pitiful attempt at trying.

"Well…um…you could name me something else…" I mumbled. "I know it wouldn't help much, but maybe it'll…I dunno, help with your memories."

Jack wiped his eyes and turned to me. "What name would you want?"

"Erm…I don't know…" I looked out of Jack's bedroom window, pondering an idea. Then, like a first grader, I said the first thing I saw. "Cloud."

"Cloud?"

"Cloud."

"Why Cloud?"

"Meh, I dunno, muttered the first thing I saw." I motioned my wing over to the window.

Jack shrugged. "Okay, Cloud it is then."

Silence fell over the small room. The awkward silence, the worst kind of silence. If awkward silence was a person, I'd have them executed. The moment where there's nothing to say and yet something desperately needs to be said. Awkward silence is a real bitch, if you ask me.

"So…my name's Cloud now." Truly a genius statement.

"Yeah…"

More silence.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.

"How am I going to fly? Or walk?" It was another question on my mind. How was I to fly, or walk on talons? This was all so new to me, I didn't know what do. And of course Ho-Oh never gave me tips on how to react to a new body. Legendary douche.

Jack stared at me. "Well, it'll take time to learn. Hopefully by the end of the week you'll be able to learn both. Walking shouldn't be too hard, but flying is a whole other story. Your body's changed drastically since you were human, thus granting you a whole new physiology that might be difficult to get used to. If I recall my brief notes on Pidgey, it isn't as easy as flapping your wings as hard as you can."

I frowned. "Aww, but that was my game plan!"

"I'll do a little more detailed research online to find out if there are any tips or training methods for a Trainer to help a Flying type learn to fly," Jack said, motioning to his computer.

Before I could respond, there was the sound of the front door opening, and stuff being dropped to the floor.

"We're home sweetie!"

Time to meet the family. Oh joy.

And that's all folks!

Hooray for Jack character devolpment!

I know I promised an explanation to his talking to humans, but sorry. It won't fully be explained until Ho-Oh's next appearance, although we will learn more about his speech problem next chapter. Promise!

Teehee, flying lessons…hilarity will definitely ensue when we get to that!

Be kind, review, give suggestions, state opinions, tell me who your favorite character is so far. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!