Chapter 10: Homecoming
After some minutes, the helicopter reaches 5 miles away from the city limit. Dark, Louis and Mike were enjoying the view when suddenly, a message comes from within the city. "Pilot! Identify your purpose or we will shoot you down!", it says. Dave replies quickly, "This is the pilot of SkyLift-17, we have civilians on board and their resources! Don't shoot!". "Let our interceptors decide that.", the messenger says before breaking the connection. Dave makes the helicopter to hover at its place. Soon after, Dark spots 3 birds flying towards the helicopter at great speeds. They quickly surround them. Dave doesn't acts to this. After a minute, the birds flew away. "We use the same birds for interception.", Dave says before going ahead. "Wait what?", Mike asks. " The NSC took people who transformed into birds and trained them for interception and other purposes. I know how this goes. They fly over, take a look inside and then they go away after looking inside.", Dave replies. "So that means the NSC is controlling Salt Lake?", Dark asks. "No they aren't. Salt Lake was one of the first which got liberated from the NSC. Denver wasn't that lucky. Its still in control of the NSC.", Dave replies. "Wait Denver? My sister is there! I need to go over there now!", Louis says in a commanding voice. "I'll take you there Louis. Calm down. I have to land this first.", Dave says before approaching a clearing. "So, your house is over here Dark?", he asks. "Its not this clearing. Check the next. The clearing which I am looking for has a bunch of boulders at the side of the tree line.", Dark replies to Dave as he looks for that clearing.
After another minute, Dave sees the clearing and lands. A woman from the house in front of the clearing comes out of her house. Dark, Mike and Louis steps out from the helicopter. Dave drops the container and turns off the helicopter. The woman takes out her phone and watches at it. Dark loos at her and says, "Mom?", before running towards her. Dark's mom stands there and bends to the level of Dark as he runs towards her. He then hugs her and says, " I thought I lost you.", and begins to cry. His mom understands Dark based on his reaction and says, " I am glad that you are back with me,", after which tears starts to roll down from her face. Mike gets emotional. Dave exits the sky lift and heads over to them. "Thank you for everything.", Dark's mom says to Dave. "Your son has been through a lot to come to you. You may want to change his real name to Dark cause that's what he said and that's what he is now. A dark type Pokémon.", Dave says before heading back to the Sky Lift. Mike opens the doors of the container and heads in.
Dark stops crying. "Mike. Get the notepad here with a pen.", he says to Mike who is searching in the opened container. Soon after, Mike runs to Dark with a notepad and pen. Dark takes and writes on it, ' This is for translation use mom.' before showing it to her mom. Mike goes back to the container to bring the bags. Louis takes his duffel bag and climbs into the Sky Lift. Dave enters it and starts it, after Mike takes their bags from the container. The helicopter and rises and goes away. "Now, come in.", Dark's mom says to Dark. Dark follows his mom while Mike follows Dark.
A few hours pass by. Dark spends some time with his mother before helping Mike unloading the container. The container becomes empty and Dark and Mike closes its doors. Dark then removes his phone and texts his friends that he's back in Salt Lake. After sending the message, Dark gets a call from his mother. "Uhh.. I don't know what you guys eat so I have cooked some leftovers. Come inside. I'll cook something special for both of you later.", she says before hanging up. Dark and Mike heads inside.
"So... uhh.. Enjoy the meal!", Dark's mom says before leaving some plates on the table which had salad and sausage. Dark and Mike didn't bothered about the fact why and started to eat it. Just before finishing the meal a knock comes on the door. Dark's mom opens the door. A creature comes in and runs towards Dark and jumps on him. "Dark! You are back!", the creature says. "L?", Dark says. "Call me Autumn now. You changed your name ad so did rest of us. But that's not the point. Glacey is in trouble.", Autumn says as she backs off slowly from Dark. "Lemme guess. Glacey is G?", Dark asks. "Yeah. She's pretty much in a bad state and the rest of the guys are not around.", Autumn replies. Dark's mom was confused and she was just staring at them. "Mike, let's do this. I know you are tired but it has to be done.", Dark says as he follows Autumn who rushes out of the house. "Wait for me Dark.", Mike yells as he follows Dark.
"Quickly, this way!", Autumn says to Dark as she runs down the road. "Wait for us.", Mike yells as he tries to come closer to Dark. After a minute, Autumn says, "Here we are. Now come in quick.", before heading inside. "Hope this be worth the travel.", Dark says as he follows Autumn inside. Mike follows Dark. As soon as Mike enters, the door closes and the lights turn on revealing Dark's friends with a big, ' Welcome Home', banner. "Welcome back Dark!", they all shouted. "Wow. Even though I could see the banner and you guys, this quiet a surprise.", Dark says. "Who is this and why he looks like Flareyhearts?", a Jolteon asks. "Everyone! Meet my homie Mike. Mike! Meet the crew.", Dark replies. "Wait he's a guy?", a Flareon asks. "Hilariously yes.", Dark replies. Soon after the whole crew starts laughing intensely. "I'm sorry Mike. I didn't knew about this.", Dark says to Mike. "Well. This is intense.", Mike says to Dark.
"Well. So we all transformed.", Dark says after the crew stops laughing. "Uhh.. yes. Not gonna lie but I like this form more. Also I changed my name to Sparks.", Sparks says. "Yeah. I changed mine to Pyro.", Pyro says as he goes near to Sparks. "You know what Dark? We prepared a feast for this occasion. Its in the kitchen.", Sparks says as he walks towards the kitchen. "You know me way too well. Come on Mike, let's go.", Dark says as he follows Sparks. "But what about your mother Dark? She's also-.", Mike says before getting interrupted by an Espeon saying, "Don't worry Mike. Dark's mom was also involved in this.".
After some hours of partying, Dark and Mike leaves the house with Autumn and Sparks. "So have you learned any moves?", Spark asks. "Only a couple of attack moves, not many though.", Dark replies. "You might wanna wake up early tomorrow. I'll come at your house with the rest. It will be worth it.", Sparks says before entering the house again. "Mike? You wanna come?", Dark asks. "Nah. I'll come later. Now I understand why you wanted to come here. These guys are just awesome.", Mike says as he enters the house again. "Well later then. So Autumn. You want to stay too?", Dark asks Autumn who is looking tired. "I'll come with you.", she replies.
As they both start walking Dark says, " So. How did this all happen? I wasn't paying attention to my phone as I was in a rusty garden shed for a week or so.". "It all started on that morning. I woke up with intense pain in the back and mouth. I thought this is how I will die but I didn't. I fell on my bed unconscious. The next thing I saw when I woke up is that my hand turned into a paw. I thought I was dreaming but then something wasn't right. There was this weird feeling everywhere on my body. I jumped out of my bed and tried to stand up but it failed. At that moment I realized that I turned into some weird looking creature. I grabbed my phone and searched what is this and why. After that usual stuff happened, like panic, realization and some weird facts. Well my parents freaked out and stuff happened. You know what I am saying right?", Autumn tells Dark as they both walk down the road. "Yeah. So your parents remained human?", Dark asks. "Most of our parents remained human. So we are like their pets now. At least they don't treat us like pets.", Autumn replies. "Well then. See you in the morning.", Dark says as he enters his house. "Bye.", Autumn says before continuing to walk towards her house.
Dark heads over to the living room and sees a note. He walks over it and reads," I'm sleeping upstairs.". "Well I guess I won't wake her up. I'll just wait for Mike.", Dark says as he sits on the couch and reaches for the TV's remote. He switches the TV on and reduces its volume. Mike enters the house after some minutes. He sees that Dark is fast asleep on the couch with the TV on. Mike heads over to the TV and turns it off. He then heads over to a recliner besides the couch and sleeps on it.