Chapter 4
Returning Home
I raised my head, and saw the morning sunshine cascading through the window and marking a funny pattern on the middle of the floor… with a slight yawn I arched my back and stretched. I slowly got out of bed, stumbling a little as I adjusted to the floor in the room which must have been a half meter lower than mine at home. Leaving Alice to keep on sleeping, I headed downstairs to find Ann and Ronald watching the news on TV, suddenly, I was wide awake as I heard my name "… we believe John was suffering from a bizarre genetic condition, we tried to act as normally as we could about it, and the pupils made a great effort not to scream at the sight of him… but over five people fainted after being told…" I rushed into the room, and stared intently at the TV… Ann sniggered "your famous…" on the screen, I could see CCTV footage from the school's cameras… it was of me in the lab, just after I had transformed fully… I hadn't noticed it before, but as I did, many of the pupils look horrified… but the teacher begins to talk to them, and most of them seemed slightly more calm. The voice of the correspondent carried on "… it's impossible to say when, or even if this Lucario-boy will ever be accepted into society. Previously recorded cases of Triggered Genetic Mutation Disorder resulted in the victim being unlawfully executed or exiled, but we've come a long way since then… Angus McCreed, reporting."
I looked down at the floor, deep in thought… so, when everyone was being really nice to me. they didn't want to, they had just been told to do so by the staff? I was the result of a rare genetic abnormality, and if people here were anything like the people in medieval China where it last occurred… I would be shunned for it? I shook my head in disbelief, and said to myself "no, that is not the way, I'm just a Lucario now, people are okay with it, they have to be!" Ann looked around at me "John, calm down, it's just the news trying to kick up a fuss, it's how they make their living" I sighed, sitting down next to her "you think?" she nodded, and patted my head in-between my tall ears "I know so, they made more of a fuss out of me and Sasuke's trip to Malaysia than they did with this, sure people might have been a little more freaked out by you than they were told to let on, but nobody hates you for it, we aren't a bunch of barbarians here" I smiled, both at her reassuring wisdom, and the fact her now stroking my head felt really nice "thanks, Ann… I don't know how to repay you" she interrupted me again by simply stating "I told you, clean my kitchen!" I nodded gingerly "yeah, but… I'll go get a drink, I can barely talk here" and with that, I got up and walked into the kitchen.
To my surprise, I managed to lift and pour the carton of orange juice without any mistakes, perhaps I wasn't as incapable as I first imagined. I picked up the glass in both paws, but nearly dropped it as I turned around to see Alice directly in front of me. "Ohh… hey again, had a good sleep?" I said, regaining my grip, she nodded slowly, I then headed back into the living room with her in tow, and we both took a seat. Ron looked over to me and asked "so if you're a Pokémon now or whatever… does that mean your going to go about fighting others or something?" I thought to myself for a moment, then said "well Lucy, a good friend of mine, said she'd be my 'trainer' if I ever needed one, but to be honest I'd rather try to live a human life" he nodded "yeah, I imagined that was so, who'd want to get squashed into a ball huh?" Alice interjected "actually, they don't just squash into them, they" Sasuke interrupted her "yeah yeah, thanks for explaining, but I know how they work… huh, silly Japanese technology, why can't they just catch them and train them like normal animals… like we do" I smiled "well I have no idea which is the most productive, but I do appreciate the sentiment; a pet is for life, not just for fighting others"
After we had gotten something to eat, I decided it was best to head home, before Ann did actually make me clean the kitchen floor. "Say, Alice, where do you live?" she quietly mumbled "West street, last house on the left of the second cul-de-sac" my eyes widened "whoa, no jokes, I live back-to-back with you!" she half smiled "that's nice… but how are we going to get back, after the bridge got damaged?" I smiled to her "don't worry, there is a ford in the river, only about a mile from here" she sighed "but I don't want to walk that far" I rolled my eyes "if you get tired, I'll carry you, okay?" she nodded, so she got changed and we set off. I couldn't help but regret making that promise to her, as despite the fact I am classified as the awfully gruff sounding 'Fighting/Steel' type, though luckily I am pretty durable, as was proven by the little door accident the previous night. After about an hour of carrying the little girl, I came across the ford in question… it was about knee deep, and quite swift, crossing wouldn't be easy. "Ehh… right then… how are we gonna go about this?" I murmured, putting my paw to my mouth in thought, she smiled "it's easy!… all you have to do is carry me and walk across, you're a Lucario, your all tough and macho and that!"
I stifled a laugh, "Yeah, alright… stand still, and please don't squirm" I said, lifting her up once again. I tentatively dipped my paw in the water, and as I suspected, it was freezing to the touch, and jumped and withdrew, causing Alice to giggle. I said to myself under my breath "c'mon man, get it together… get it together…" I had to do this, I was the knight in shining armour, saving the damsel in distress!… well, okay, I was a human that had mutated into a Lucario, and I was carrying a small child across a slightly cold river, but the thought was still there! With reckless abandon I charged into the ford, but what was at first a surging, valiant charge quickly turned into me hopping and skipping across the ford, trying to make as little contact with the water as I could "this-is-so-very-very-cold!" I said, speaking in-between jumps… eventually, we reached the other side, and I set her down with a great sigh of relief. She turned to me and grinned "you should be my big Lucario buddy who sorts out all my problems like that, you'd be great!" I felt a little uneasy, "ehhm… well, I did kind of promise Lucy that I would be her-" I was cut off as she yanked my tail "I SAID you'd be great, got it?" I forced a smile, my eyes closed "uhhh, yeah, sure, no harm in mixed leadership…" she thankfully let go "good, now, John, let's head back home" I nodded "you got that right, I can't wait to see mum again…" I looked down at my Lucario body "… even if I do have a lot of explaining to do"
After another few minutes of walking, we reached my home street; it was pretty average looking, save for the fact that my mother had planted a load of those cherry trees in our garden, "Well, I guess this is where we part" I sad, putting my paw on her shoulder, she nodded "I'll see you later, Doggy, maybe we can do something fun tomorrow too!" I went to give her a thumbs up, but then didn't when I remembered I have no thumbs "yeah, great idea… bye!" and with that, we walked in opposite directions… I felt mighty satisfied with myself and all I had achieved in the last twenty-four hours… and my parents had already been informed of my transformation, so hopefully all would go according to plan. I came within about a hundred odd meters of the house before the door burst open and my mum came charging out "oh my dear!" with her arms spread wide, intending to hug me. I stuck my arms out "no, wait!.. you'll impale yourself!" and she stopped, noticing my spiky chest "John, I'm so sorry about the other day" I sighed, she smiled meekly, coming back into the house with me. We both sat down on the sofa in silence, both wondering what to say to the other. Eventually, my mother broke the silence "so what are you going to do now?" I sighed, knowing that difficult question was coming, but it was one that needed an answer "I'm gonna finish with school… but I can't just live my life out like a completely normal human, it's just not possible"
She nodded in agreement "so then… what do you think is the best path to take?" I sighed "you know, I'm getting a lot of offers from people like Alice and Lucy to be their "pets", I think I may actually have to live the life of a Lucario, rather than a human" my mother put her hand on my thick-furred thigh and stroked it gently in a mothering way "well as long as you are happy, John… if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come back and ask me, we only live a street away from those two anyway…" I smiled, putting my paw on top of her hand "thanks, mum… things aren't so bad after all, eh?" she sighed "I guess not". I hugged her at a slight angle, so that I wouldn't bring my spike to bear on her, and she hugged me too "John, you may be a… a…" I interrupted her "a Lucario" she nodded "… you may be a Lucario now, but your still my boy, and I still love you" I grinned "I wouldn't have it any other way, mum" we hugged for what seemed forever… before then, I had been hugged by friends, teachers, and even by Lucy… but I had never, ever felt quite as at home as I did then.
The moment was interrupted as my dad came rushing into the room, he had obviously rushed home early from work "good lord, what happened to you, John!?" he said, running up to me and kneeling down so we were at the same level. "Dad, don't worry, I'm alright" I said, a little worried that he was about to break down or something "dear lord… my son is a Pokémon… this is… I… I need a lie down" me and my mum both sniggered as he rolled his eyes… somehow, things weren't gonna be all that different after all.