Me: All right. We're into double digits now, in terms of number of chapters. I feel accomplished now.

Leland: Yeah. And we've gotten a few reviews, although we'd love a few more. If someone would come along and review this story, that means a lot to us, because it keeps old Snowy here going.

Me: Since when am I old Snowy?

Leland: Since now. Anyway...it took you four days to put this chapter up. Why?

Me: You know how busy I am, Leland. My brother came up here to visit from college, and I had to visit with him some. Besides, I was hanging out on Discord.

Leland: Oh, by the way, the link to the Discord is on Snow's profile page. It's kind of lonely there at the moment, so...yeah, I'd love to see some of you guys there.

Me: One last announcement, and I promise this is it. My profile page has hit 6,000 views. Thank you to everyone who has made that possible. But now, we have to get this chapter going.

LELAND'S POV

I hadn't been expecting my mother to be happy with Sarah and myself for disappearing without any notice whatsoever and being gone for several hours. I expected her to be very angry to find us all right, having been terrified for my well-being.

And she delivered on my expectations.

"Where have you two been?" she asked angrily. "I've been worried sick about you, and so has your father, as well as your sister".

I didn't know what to say. "Sorry. We were just gone a little longer than expected".

"A little longer than expected? For goodness's sake, Leland, it's three in the afternoon! If you were going to be back this late, you could have at least left us a note!"

Of course, I had no intentions of telling her anything that had been going on. If I did, I would sound absolutely ridiculous. After all, there were quite a few crazy claims that I would make, and they were all true.

I could tell her any number of things. I could tell her that we had latched onto a Kirlia and been teleported to Zora Valley, a reclusive village of Lucarios and Zoroarks located within Yellowstone National Park. I could tell her that we'd met a man who could telepathically speak to Zoroarks, who had saved me from being buried alive.

Any of those things would have been correct, having really happened, and yet they were so unbelievable that my mother would believe them to be false. Such was life sometimes.

And so I tried to say as little as possible, so that I would say as few unbelievable things as possible. What could go wrong?

"Well, some things happened that led to us being gone longer than we had planned. Is that not enough for you to hear?"

"No, Leland Alexander Parsons, it is not. I need to know why things did not go as planned, because this all seems rather suspicious to me. Do you have anything you would like to tell me, perhaps?"

I didn't. The way things were going, I was worried that at any moment my mother would snap, that she would go and do something crazy. Because, looking at her face, she appeared to be very livid indeed. However, she might only be angrier if I told her something that I knew she would suspect to be a lie.

"I do not" I replied. "Really, it's as simple as that. Something happened, and I can't tell you what it was, or else you would think we were crazy".

That was a big mistake. My mother appeared both suspicious and angry at that, and she was wearing an expression on her face that told me she wasn't buying it. Even so, I saw that I would no longer be able to back away from the story. Every time she asked me the question and I didn't answer, the trusting relationship shared between the two of us would erode a little further. How much longer could this last?

"Well, what was that?" she asked me. "It comes back to the same thing in the end, Leland; why did this happen?"

Here it was. I was either going to tell the truth, or my mother was not going to trust me for a long time.

"Basically, we were in the park, practicing some moves" I said. "And then a Kirlia appeared, and it teleported us into the park".

"You just said you were in the park" my mother said. "What do you mean?"

"We ended up in Yellowstone National Park, Mrs. Parsons" Sarah said. "That's what happened. That's how things happened. Beyond that, it is quite a story, like Leland said".

"I have time".

"Look, both of you" I said, my voice rising. I noticed that lately, perhaps because of the early summer heat, I had gained a shorter temper than usual. If you lit up the fuse any more than necessary, the whole place could end up coming down, not something that I wanted to cause. I reminded myself that I had to be careful.

"What?" Sarah asked me.

"We shouldn't keep arguing about this" I continued. "It's just...that accomplishes nothing. I'll tell the story. We can trust her".

"We can?"

"I have a name, you know" my mother replied. "It's Susan C. Parsons. So, you know...it's that simple. Tell me".

I told my mother what we had been through. I told her about the Zoroark village we had discovered, about meeting Todd Copper, about getting kidnapped by a Mankey and being buried alive and almost dying. I even included the part about the village guard, Silver the Zoroark.

She was a good listener, I'll give her that much. Even if she wasn't completely buying the story, she seemed that she was willing to give it the time of day, which was more than could be said about my father. When he was home, my father would tend to think that anything I suggested that sounded even the least bit outlandish was absolutely ridiculous, and that was that.

"You sure sound like you're telling the truth" my mother told us once I was done with the story.

I nodded. Of course, when one is claiming to be telling the truth, it's not as though it makes any difference, nor should it. But I'd been quite worried that she wouldn't accept what had happened, and now she was accepting it. That was a big relief, let me tell you.

"He is, Susan" the Glaceon standing next to me said. "I was with him the whole time. But let's go talk about something else, shall we?"

"Sounds good to me" my mother replied.

"So where is Dad at?" I asked. "I haven't seen him all day".

"Went to a hockey tournament" she said. "He'll be back by seven. I suspect that he'll want to hear the story as well; you know how he loves your stories".

I wasn't entirely sure that he would love our stories, but I didn't want to disagree with my mother now that she was convinced my tall tale had been vindicated. "I think Sarah and I should head back down to the park. It's a very nice day".

"It is" my mother replied. "But are you sure that the Kirlia won't just come back and take you somewhere else? Or back to that village?"

I hadn't thought about that, but hopefully I wouldn't need to. It had been such a coincidence, the Kirlia turning up in the park and happening to teleport us at that point, that I had little doubt that it wouldn't happen again. I was pretty confident that we were safe.

"We'll be fine" Sarah said, freeing me from that awkward exchange. That was something I was very much grateful for, because I didn't think that I would be able to talk about it for much longer. It was just too weird talking with my mother about what had happened that day.

"How about we go to the park?" I asked Sarah. "There's still plenty of daylight left. Besides, I never really learned how to get down illusions. I could definitely use some help with that".

"Sounds like a great idea" my mother told us. "Just make sure to be back before your father is. That's the one thing I ask of you. Are you down with that?"

I nodded. Then, I motioned for Sarah to follow me back out the door.

Once we were back at the park where I'd found her unconscious only the previous day (man, had it really only been that long? It felt like eons since I'd known her), we headed to a different area than where the Kirlia had been. I wasn't eager to repeat the experience that we'd had earlier, when I'd passed out after trying too hard at creating the illusion.

I tried to think as to what I would attempt to become this time. Should I do an Eevee, or a Vulpix, or a Jigglypuff...no, I've got it!

It might have been quite an ambitious idea, but I was ready to go for it. "I'm going to try and turn into a Lucario" I told Sarah with as much confidence as I could muster.

"Very well" she replied. "So try and focus on number 448. That's the way you're going to do it. Can you?"

I tried to envision it. A tall blue creature, six feet and two-and-a-quarter inches in height, with two blobs on the back of its head similar to very long ears, but that sensed aura rather than sound in the traditional sense.

That was the easy part. The hard part was envisioning yourself becoming said creature. It was quite a stretch from my current form, even though both species had something in common in that they were frequent choices for Halloween costumes.

Okay. I'm a Lucario now. I'm a tall jackal, with aura sensing organs and blue, furry hips. That's what I am, and that's what I am going to turn into. Let's do this, okay, Leland?

Using illusions to turn into another Pokémon does not feel as though you are actually turning into said Pokémon. Rather, it feels like you are remaining a Zoroark, but only your appearance is being altered. That's always the key thing to remember, just in case you ever end up in a situation similar to my own. If you have transformed into a Zoroark, don't be afraid to turn into another Pokémon, because it isn't painful at all.

When I opened my eyes, I still felt the same. However, when I looked down at myself, I saw very clearly that I had succeeded in my goal. I had become a Lucario.

"Nice job, Leland!" the Glaceon in front of me exclaimed. "You did a great job at that; you really did. Can I practice a move or two now?"

I nodded. "Which one? Tail Whip? Icy Wind?" And then I noticed something else.

Talking as a Zoroark in a transformed state broke the illusion. Therefore, looking down at myself this time, I saw that I was once again a Zoroark. The transformation had been short-lived indeed.

"We worked at Icy Wind back in Zora Valley" she told me. "Todd and myself, I mean. I'll try out Tail Whip, though. And yeah, talking causes the illusion to disintegrate. That's what your sister's book says".

Stephanie. It seemed as though it had been forever since I had seen her, or thought about her, even though it had been less than 24 hours ago. Certainly, part of that had to do with the insane turn of events that had taken place, which made it feel like it had been so much longer than it really had been.

As Sarah practiced Tail Whip, I tried some other Pokémon. I didn't know why I was able to get down the Lucario form better than any other form, but that was just the way things seemed to be working. There was only one thing left to do, which was to see if I could transform someone else.

"Sarah?" I asked the Glaceon, once she had finished up a Tail Whip.

"What is it?" she asked me. By this point, the sun was starting to sink slightly, creating long shadows in the grass. It was starting to get a little cooler as well, meaning that practicing illusions was no longer as exhausting as it had been before.

"I think I should try transforming someone else" I said. I saw no purpose in beating around the bush, trying to delay saying what had to be said. That was really what I thought I should make a serious attempt at, because who knew when illusions might come in handy in the future?

"Do you mean me?" Sarah asked, sounding shocked and angry. "No way. Not today, Leland. Let's wait until we get into a situation that's actually dangerous".

I could have pointed out that we could be in danger right now. There could be a Kirlia right near us, waiting to turn up and teleport us directly into the clutches of Team Rocket. I didn't think that was likely, but to say that it was absolutely impossible would be extraordinarily naive, especially after everything that had occurred during the last few days.

But I wasn't going to break out the tinfoil hat. "Okay, Sarah" I replied. "I won't do that today".

Then, I remembered the promise we had made to my mother. The promise to be home by seven, before my father got back from his hockey tournament. I realized that it had to be at least six in the afternoon by now.

"Let's head back" I said. "It's getting late".

Sarah nodded, and we started walking back towards our house. Along the way, I couldn't help but think optimistically about the future.

Perhaps soon we'd find out how to turn back. Perhaps soon I'd get to see what Sarah really looked like. Perhaps soon I'd get to spend more time with her, get to know her a little better. Even if I didn't know whether or not I was attracted to her appearance, I was attracted to her personality for sure.

Only time would tell.

TODD'S POV

That night, I lay awake in bed for a long time. It had been quite a day for me, that was for sure.

As I watched the moon make its way across the night sky, I couldn't stop thinking about the situations I'd ended up in. Who would have known that I would have met Leland Parsons and Sarah Mana, when I had woken up that morning? It sounded absolutely ridiculous, and it was.

I'd been going for a morning walk in the village when I'd seen a Zoroark and a Glaceon walking around, clearly trying to find their way. I couldn't just stand there and let them continue to be confused; I felt the need to help them.

When the Glaceon asked what the nearby building was, I said, "It's the village hospital". I wanted to be as helpful as possible, because I felt as though that was my moral obligation.

Soon enough, I had shown them my house. And, almost immediately, once they had seen it, I was shocked that I had done it. After all, how could I trust the people I had just met so much?

I had, of course, taken Sarah to the training area to learn Icy Wind, but that hadn't lasted too long until I'd noticed that the link I had with Leland had gone quiet. Normally, when a link went quiet, that meant that the person had fallen asleep or unconscious. As it was midday, I assumed immediately that it had to be the latter, because Leland had seemed fairly energetic to me.

We'd gone to the psychic Lucario, and then managed to dig Leland up. I knew that both him and Sarah were very grateful to me for saving his life, but that was a selfish action in my own opinion. Had I just let the Zoroark boy die like that, it would be very difficult for me to live my own life. Saving Leland's life had just been one thing, in a way, that I had needed to do in order to survive.

And I thought about how I had first ended up in Zora Valley. It was a long journey to get to where I had been now, but I was very glad that things had turned out this way. It was definitely much better here than it had been in Jackson.

One thing was for sure: Having gotten here and been accepted as one of the village's own was definitely one of the greatest honors I had ever received in my life, and not something that I would have traded the entire world for. Having this one community was one thing that I had never, and would never, take for granted.

So that's the way it's going to go, I told myself. You're going to live the rest of your life here, occasionally meeting and helping the random travellers. Yes, that's how it's going to be.

I wasn't sure that this was what I really wanted, though. Did I want to do the same thing over and over again, or did I want to actually create some change in the world? Did I want to alter my routine at all?

Really, I just wanted something, anything to happen. And I had a feeling that the two teenagers that had been touched by Team Rocket might just hold the key to that.

LELAND'S POV

Ah...that feeling of waking up in the morning, when the sun has just come up. Knowing that there's nothing you have to do that day, that you can just relax and try not to get too bored. Some would say that this is an unpleasant feeling, but I would very much disagree with that. It's one of my favorite feelings in the world.

Why is that, you might ask? Well, I'm kind of a lazy guy.

When I woke up, it was about a quarter to six in the morning. I wondered if Sarah was up by now, but I highly doubted it. Normally, I was the first to rise in my household, and I didn't think it would be any different today.

I thought about just how lucky I was to even be able to wake up today. Breathing in deeply, I realized that I was only breathing now because Todd Copper had breathed life back into me. The thought that I could have died, would have died, chilled me right to the core.

But there were good things as well. For instance, I only had a week left of school, which would start tomorrow. I wasn't looking forward to going back, but at least it wouldn't be for too long. After that, I'd be free for two and a half months, able to live my life as well as possible as a Zoroark. I wasn't happy about still being a Pokémon, but it would become a lot more tolerable once I no longer had to go out in public every single day.

The way things were going, I wasn't completely sure that I wanted to do anything today. I just wanted to stay at home, perhaps having some quality time with Sarah Mana. Perhaps we could watch a movie or something, even though I was the first to admit I wasn't exactly a movie buff. I just wanted to spend some more time with her, because I really was starting to like her.

Do you LIKE like her, Leland? Or just like her? Do you want to...be with her?

No, brain. Bad brain. Please don't tell me that.

We're just friends. That is all.

That was what I kept telling myself. I desperately wanted to convince myself that I had no feelings for Sarah, but it was fast becoming a hopeless exercise. At least, completely getting those thoughts out of my head was. Perhaps I'd be able to simply ignore them eventually, but it was going to be hard.

I had thought that Sarah wouldn't be up when I got downstairs. As it turned out, however, I was dead wrong. She was already in the kitchen, eating a jelly sandwich that she had evidently made herself.

"Good morning, Leland" she said, not taking her eyes off of the sandwich. Of course, I didn't blame her, since jelly sandwiches were something I really loved.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked.

"You're the biggest one in the house now that you are a Zoroark" she replied. "I could hear you lumbering down here in a way only Leland Parsons could. What's going on?"

"Not much" I replied.

"Bullshit. You know that there was so much that happened yesterday, it's just insane. How could you not be thinking about that at a time like this? How?"

I didn't really know what to say to that. I supposed that I was just caught up in how beautiful the early summer morning was.

"Want to watch a movie?" I asked her. It was just a thought that had occurred to me, nothing more. Even so, she immediately looked somewhat suspicious of me.

"Are you suggesting that just to avoid answering my question?" she replied, rounding on me. "What makes you think that I want to watch a movie with you?"

"I don't know" I replied. "It just sounded like a good idea. It's Sunday, I don't have school again until tomorrow...what do you think?"

I was expecting her to completely shoot down my proposal. Perhaps she'd call me a selfish asshole, which I was the first to admit that I could be sometimes. Perhaps she'd say that I hadn't been thinking about what she had just said, which was also true.

What I did not expect her to do was to say, "Sounds like a great idea. Which movie?"

"I don't know" I replied. "Whatever you want, I guess". I figured that this was fair, since I had been the one whose idea it was to watch the movie.

After sitting down on my couch, Sarah opened the cupboard and began sifting through the various discs we kept of both classics and newer titles. I didn't know what she would come up with. The suspense was almost killing me, but not quite.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the Glaceon held up a plain disc, on which the words The Vulpix and the Houndour had been written. "I like this one. It's a classic".

I'd never seen that movie before, which raised the question of what it was doing lying around my house. Ah, no matter, I thought. It's fine.

Sarah put the disc in the DVD player, and we both sat down to watch the movie.

The Vulpix and the Houndour was about a young Vulpix whose mother, a beautiful Ninetales, was killed by a poacher. The Vulpix is taken in by an elderly widow, and he becomes great friends with a Houndour, who is eventually forced by his owner to hunt the Vulpix. Eventually, the widow realizes that the Vulpix isn't safe where she is, so she takes him to a game preserve to live in safety.

At least, that's what I gathered from it. Like I said, it was my first time viewing the film. And, believe it or not, I didn't get to see the whole thing.

This was because the stupid thing started skipping at the climax of the movie, to the point that it was absolutely impossible to watch. I thought I could see the Vulpix getting chased by an Ursaring, but I wasn't entirely sure.

The screen ended up having those bars that a color TV normally has when it's broken, with lines of red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white. Why this movie happened to glitch out just minutes before the end made no sense to me, but I didn't really care.

Actually, I did care, because I wanted to know how the movie ended.

"How does the movie end, Sarah?" I asked her.

She explained to me what happened to the Vulpix and the Houndoom in the end of the movie, but I wasn't paying that much attention. There was something from the movie, something that worried me slightly...

What if someone tries to turn us against each other? I thought to myself. It would make absolute sense. Then, we'd be completely at the mercy of Team Rocket.

It was a chilling thought indeed, but the scariest thing about it was that it just might be true.