This is the longest chapter yet, but not by very much. I'm hoping that you enjoy it anyway. I'm proud of how well this story is being received already. I don't know how much longer these quick updates can continue this way, so enjoy it while you can. By the way, this is not a YAOI. This isn't a romantic pairing, it's just a platonic pairing.
Responses to reviewers:
Cosmicsafe74: You'll have to wait and see. Maybe you could analyze the title and see.
Dabsallover (guest): Yeah, I like to break the fourth wall. Those are the stories that inspired me to start, and I have read and re-read them dozens of times. I'll discuss them with you if you get a profile here.
FanficCrossoverMaster15: You'll find out. Thank you so much for complimenting my story!
Foxyjosh: That made me crack up. It might happen in this chapter. Maybe.
Rocker on (guest): That forum is now a thing. It's the "Get Rocker On To Get An Account" Forum. I'm being dead serious. I love that you keep reviewing, and, as for your question, look for my other online accounts.
What Lies Beyond: I give all credit to Talkingbirdguy for writing two amazing stories, Curse Of The Lucario and The Return Of The Cursed Gift. Read them if you have not already.
Answer: I'd be a Lucario, of course! I might be (read: probably am) a bit of a furry, but there would be no sexual things involved. I just like talking animals or Pokémon. Plus, he's just so badass!
Question: What is your favorite scene thus far in the story, up to and including something that takes place in this chapter?
With that, let's get going!
SAMUEL'S POV
My aura could sense something about this boy that was, in a way, not human. I couldn't tell what Pokémon he was partly, but there was a certain aura about him that was wrong, that shouldn't be in any normal human being.
Had he been touched by the necklace? It was entirely possible. That pendant wasn't benevolent, let's put it that way.
"What's up?" Lucas asked me. He was barely taking his eyes off of the TV screen in order to talk to me, which was when I realized that he was engrossed in the middle of a video game.
"What game is this?" I said. "I'm Samuel, so you must be Lucas".
"That is correct" the human teen said. "I'm just gaming, so that's why I don't seem too attentive. Trust me, I would very much like to meet you, I'm in the middle of an online race".
"You know, I've played Mario Kart 8 before" I said. It was true. I'd played it before as a human...wait, no. Bad brain. I couldn't be thinking that way. If I dwelled too much on my past life, more flashbacks would come. That was what I had learned.
"Cool" Lucas said. "Do you want to join an online group with me?"
I nodded. I'd never played the game online, and I wasn't quite sure how that worked. Playing video games with people around the world, that was what it sounded like, and that sounded pretty amazing. I didn't really see how that could be done.
Once Lucas had finished the race, a determined look in his eyes, he had come in fourth place out of eleven. "You gain points if you do well, and you lose points if you do poorly" he explained. "It gets harder and harder to gain points the farther up you go, in order to even things out. Right now, I'm at 6418. It starts at 1000".
"That's interesting" I said. "I guess I'll take a Wiimote and join up with you".
Lucas nodded before taking a sip from a glass of water. "This is going to be good" he said.
My host selected a yellow Yoshi, while I selected Link. After that, we went into an online lobby with eight other Miis, including Lucas's, a yellow one, and the guest Mii I was using.
"You pick a course from that list of three, and then the system chooses randomly among what each of us picked" he explained.
Soon enough, everyone had voted, and the race was determined to be taking place on Cloudtop Cruise. We went to the starting line, and we were ready to rock and roll.
At first, things seemed to be going all right. Then, I remembered that I had not played this game since transforming. The only times I had ever played Mario Kart 8 were when I was a human. With three fingers, it was a lot more difficult than with five fingers. Even though there were ten people playing, I was consistently in 7th place for the first lap, not too impressive.
Lucas, on the other hand, was having good luck. After falling into 9th place by the time he reached the first set of Item Boxes, he got a Starman and went all the way up to 2nd, where he stayed for a while. As I was struggling to defend 6th place, he was making his way into 1st. And everything seemed to be going right for him all the way up until the final lap.
As he was on the final straightaway, Lucas was hit by a blue shell. This sent him down from 1st place to 5th, which was where he finished the race. Punching the pillow in frustration as he watched me come in 8th, I saw that his anger was not only fueled by his loss. There was a special type of aura in him that I had seen before, but I now knew positively what it was.
I'd seen Zoroark: Master Of Illusions. I remembered that scene vividly in which Grings Kodai has the Zoroark trapped inside of a metal box, with strands of electricity binding her. She keeps writhing in pain whenever she tries to move too much, which only adds to her anger.
This was what I saw in Lucas. And I remembered that, as I'd passed out after being stabbed, the attacker had given me something...was it...
No. I couldn't think about it. I didn't want any more flashbacks. I swore to myself that I was done with those, and I didn't intend to go back on that promise to myself.
After four more races, I heard Lucas's mother calling us up to lunch. I could tell that Denise London's son couldn't hear her, as he was still playing. We were having such a good time that I didn't want to disturb him, but I knew it was necessary. I could sense, using my aura, that Lucas was very hungry. More than usual, even for someone his age. One of the telltale signs?
LUCAS'S POV
Samuel and I had had a very good afternoon together. After a large lunch, which consisted of sandwiches and potato chips, we went back up to my bedroom and started playing chess. For once, my parents might have been trying to reward me for saving the Lucario's life by having me adopt him. It was sure changing my life in a good way.
The only problem I had with the Lucario was that he seemed to act around me as if I was a bomb that was about to go off. Or, like he was picking the type of flowers I would like best next to my tombstone. No matter what, he seemed to be sorry for me, somehow. Really, I was the one who was sorry for him. A wild Lucario, forced to be domesticated and live with me. Sad.
We had some good times, playing video games and board games. I even showed him my collection of Pokémon action figures. You could call me a little old to be into those things, and you would be right. Even so, this was something I liked doing, and how dare you insult it.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by a loud noise. It sounded like a balloon popping, except far more intense.
"Sorry" Samuel said.
What had he done? I couldn't see too well in the darkness; I was no Hoothoot. Neither were my ears the best at times. However, I could probably guess that he'd done something wrong, which was...
"I rolled over in the night...rest in peace, air mattress" he said.
I realized what he was talking about. Thanks to his chest spike, Samuel had to be very careful with turning over in the middle of the night. Clearly, he should have been more careful than he was that night, because he had pulverized the air mattress my mother had given him to sleep on. Sometimes, my mother could be so careless that I wanted to cuss her out. If she didn't get any more sleep for the rest of the night, it was on her. She should've realized the anatomy of a Lucario, and how it would clearly have precluded this arrangement from working.
As far as I could tell, however, nobody had woken up. This was a very fortunate situation, considering.
"Sshhh. You can sleep in my bed tonight. We're going to make it work. Just...try not to explode my bed, too".
Samuel chuckled, embarrassed. "Don't worry about that, Lucas London. This bed's aura tells me that it is much more durable than that air mattress".
"You can sense aura in nonliving things?" I asked. "I thought it was only for living things. This bed does not naturally occur, so...".
"Oh, I can sense the aura of this bed as well" the Lucario said. "You see, Lucas, I'm not an ordinary Lucario".
"In what way?" I asked. "Really...".
"No!" Samuel burst out, clearly trying not to wake my family. "I'm not going to tell you. That would be saying too much. Just go back to sleep...if only I had Aromatherapy or something like that...all I've got is Aura Sphere, Laser Focus, Foresight, Quick Attack, Detect, and Metal Claw. I'm only Level 3".
"But you're seventeen years old! At least, according to that Social Security card. How could you possibly be only Level 3?"
"That", the Lucario said, "is the first step towards realizing the answer to that question. Asking it".
"Wait...what?" I asked.
"Nothing" he said. "Go back to sleep".
I tried to do what he said, but it wasn't easy when you had a giant, hairy body right next to you in a bed that was only made for one person. I was six feet, two inches tall, and Samuel was probably only an inch or so less. This was not very comfortable, not in the least.
Eventually, I did manage to doze off, pondering how this living arrangement was ever going to work out. Because, right now, it sure seemed questionable in terms of its livability.
SAMUEL'S POV
I knew that I had an awkward conversation to deal with in the morning. I got out of bed early, at 6:30 AM. I could see Lucas still sleeping, although my aura sensed that his sleep was not deep; he would wake up within the next few minutes. Deciding to use that time well, I wanted to get this conversation over with before he was up.
I walked over to the room that my aura told me contained Lucas's parents, parents that seemed not to care about their son as much as their daughter. I wasn't quite sure why this was, but what I did know was that I wanted to apologize to Denise London, no matter how much I didn't really care for that woman.
"What is it?" she asked, once I tapped her on the head to wake her up. "It's Sunday...and we're not religious...we're not going to church...we can sleep in".
Good. We're not going to church.
I had never believed in God, and so I had hated it when my family had constantly forced me to attend church with them. If the Londons did not attend Sunday services every weekend, that made me like my new predicament a little more, or at least dislike it a little less.
"I had something to tell you" I said via aura, so as to not have her confuse me for her son.
"What is it?" she asked sleepily. I decided to cut to the chase.
"I turned over and popped the air mattress" I said. "I didn't do it on purpose, but I'm still very sorry. Could we get a sleeping bag or something?"
"Sure" Denise said. "I'll order one later on Amazon. Do you want to go downstairs? Do you need our help with fixing breakfast?"
"Nah, I'm cool" I said. "Things are going all right, I should think".
I was glad that we were going to be receiving a sleeping bag soon. Really, I was happy to sleep in the same room as Lucas, because I really did care about the guy. Not in a romantic or sexual way, but it was purely in a friendly way. It had only been a day, and I was already beginning to see him as a brother figure to me. That wasn't to say that he was perfect, far from it, but I did like the guy.
Going back to Lucas's room, I saw that he was just waking up. I was waiting for him to get dressed, but then he came out of the room.
"I often stay in my pajamas until as late as ten" he said. "On weekends, I mean. It's not like every day at school is Pajama Day, that's just once a year!"
"They have Pajama Day at your school?" I asked. "Are you considering using my fur as nightwear?"
"Of course not" he said, looking seriously at me. "Why would you ever think that, Samuel?"
"Just a thought" I said.
Clearly, he didn't think much of that idea. Lucas, based on his aura, also cared about me.
"Let's go downstairs and get some breakfast" I said. "It's going to be a great day".
And it was a great day. After we made bowls of cereal, we decided to play another game of chess, followed by a Mario Party match. Really, we were having a good time getting to know each other. I still hadn't told Lucas about my secret, but I worried that he might find out anyway. He was a smart kid, Lucas London was.
What I also didn't tell him was that his aura told me that he might not be a human for too much longer. There was something ominous there, something that looked like he would transform soon. It was a tough decision, but I was going to, at least for now, leave him in the dark about his eventual fate.
This triggered another flashback, which I tried to stop. However, it was a losing battle.
That necklace...
I'd discovered it on the street when walking home from the bus stop. Then, looking around and seeing that nobody was there, I took it. I figured that it was going to be pretty valuable at some point down the road, and I wanted to take advantage of it. It wasn't like my family was poor, per se, but we could really use the money that would come from selling it.
From the day we brought it home, I was having chest pains. These weren't normal chest pains, mind you; this was what you might expect before you had a heart attack, except that I was a healthy teenager. Why would I be having a heart attack now? That just wouldn't make sense, would it?
I complained about it to my parents, so they took me to the ER. After the doctors ran an EKG of my heart, they found nothing abnormal. We went home, and I figured that I was just feeling guilty about taking the necklace. It wouldn't be the first time something similar had happened to me, so I brushed it off. For a while.
The next day, the pains intensified. It wasn't getting any better; in fact, it was getting much, much worse. So I went to the doctor again.
This time, they did a blood test. As they were scanning the specimen, one of my doctors' eyes widened, and I knew that the news could not be good. I wanted to believe that I would be okay, and I could keep on living my life like normal, but it just wasn't going to happen.
I'll never forget when the doctor looked at my mother and said, "It's inevitable. Just make sure he's comfortable when he transforms".
After that, the enormous appetite started. I was eating even more than a growing boy normally would, to the point that my family's grocery bills nearly doubled. I wasn't believing what was going on, until it happened one day while I was in bed.
I suddenly felt very hot, and my eyes were watering. My hair felt like it was receding back into my skull, and two black blobs came out in its place. I was shocked. I couldn't believe this was happening. I was turning into a Lucario!
LUCAS'S POV
After the weekend was over, it was time for me to head back to school once again. As good of a time I was having spending the days with Samuel, it wasn't going to work out forever. I knew that, so why was I so sad?
I supposed that I would just have to deal with it, and come what may, I would be able to make it through the day. Walking to school, I kept telling myself this. It was going to be okay, no matter what.
I met Zach at the front steps. "How's it going?" I asked him.
"Nice" he said. "Yourself?"
"Yeah. I've got gym first period. How about you?"
I looked at my schedule. "Yep, it's gym for me as well. More specifically, battling. Is that what you have?"
"Sure as hell is!" Zach replied enthusiastically. "Looking forward to it. What Pokémon did you bring?"
"Um..." I began. How could I tell him that I was living with a Lucario in my house? That was going to be an awkward conversation, especially considering everything else that was going on.
"Hey" said a voice behind us.
I turned around to see that it was Samuel. "What are you doing here?" I asked, slightly angrily.
"I wanted to battle another Pokémon" he said. "That's what Arceus made us to do. Your mom said it was okay, too".
"Really?" I asked.
Samuel nodded. "Let's do this".
The battling gym at Hanover High School was a large room that was perhaps fifty yards by fifty yards. The ground was covered in mattresses so that, if a Pokémon was knocked unconscious, they would not get hurt too badly. Battles were mostly just for fun.
The forty or so of us all lined up, waiting for our turn to do battle. The teacher, Mr. Genger, was somewhat strict, and he always wanted you to play by the rules, which were that each Pokémon could only move once before the other creature would get a turn. After that, the rounds would repeat, and things would continue on until one Pokémon had fainted or was otherwise unable to battle.
This was the purpose of battling, in order to make your Pokémon tougher. There was a separate gym class that wasn't for battling, but Samuel was the one who was going to be tested here.
"Are you sure you're okay to battle?" I whispered in his ear. "So soon after getting stabbed and all".
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be" Samuel said to me. "I just want to get going".
"The first battle", said Mr. Genger, "will be between Lucas London and his Lucario and Margaret Malachi with her Vulpix. One move per turn. Once one Pokémon is unable to battle, the other person wins. Both Pokémon are Level 3. Are both of you ready?"
"Yes!" both of us said in unison. I was looking over at Margaret, a very pretty girl who had black hair and green eyes. She looked very determined today, however. She looked ready to battle.
"Let's get this show on the road!" the gym teacher bellowed, blowing his whistle.
The Vulpix started out with Ember, the most basic move for a Pokémon of this species. However, Samuel was able to dodge it well.
Samuel created an aura sphere and blasted it towards Vulpix, but the fox was able to dodge it at the last moment, although it singed some of its hair. The Vulpix was angry, and she began to charge up another fire breath.
It was clear, at this point, that Samuel was in trouble. He didn't seem to realize it, though, and it dawned on me once again that he was new to battling. After all, he'd told me that he was only Level 3. Clearly, that meant he was inexperienced. Maybe he didn't know that when a Vulpix charged up, its next fire attack was going to be far more devastating. Particularly against a Steel type like Samuel, it was best to be careful.
The Lucario didn't pay this any mind, though, instead launching a Laser Focus. He was fighting fire with fire, in a sense. His next move was also going to be charged up, so the stakes were high. This was an all-out Cold War of sorts.
Margaret and I were watching intently on the sidelines, waiting to see what was going to happen.
Vulpix went out with an Ember, and it was a big one, engulfing Samuel in orange flames. I knew that, as a Steel type, this was going to severely hurt him. However, I had faith that he would be able to come back from this. He had to.
KIERAN'S POV
Ah, the nice mountain air. It was a great way to unwind, and it made sense to be living here. After all, this was where I was most comfortable. And that was important, because...well, I'll tell you later.
I was woken up by my alarm clock at 5:30 in the morning. I always got up early, because I didn't want to waste what time I had left sleeping. That was the way I saw it. As I went over to my dresser, the one with the Weezing on it, I thought about what I was going to do today.
Motivated by my past, I decided to pursue my goal: To find out what was going on with Lucas London.
Okay, guys. First off, who is this Kieran fellow? You're going to find out in the next chapter!
Second of all, I have a new update schedule planned. Every four days, like it is for Wing And A Scare, Attack Of The Anglars, and Rise Of The Enemy (that's my Star Fox trilogy). I am hoping that this makes me write longer chapters than this, like I used to. Should I have a chapter written four days from now, I will post it. This is the way I'm doing it, starting today, because now my updates for the two stories, ROTE and this, will be spaced two days apart.
SnowLucario out.