Alex and the black haired male who identified himself as Eli walked side by side in the direction of Alex's parents' house. After their unexpected encounter, Alex had told Eli about his staying at his parents' place for the night and asked if Eli wanted to accompany him to the edge of the park, which Eli accepted after a moment's hesitation. Since then, the two had been walking mostly wordlessly, save for some idle remarks from Alex, trying to strike up a conversation. Mostly unsuccessfully. After a decent amount of awkward time had passed, the two found their way out of the forest area and at the edge of the park itself. Alex sighed and the two came to a stop.

"Alright man, I'm gonna split off here. Still have another solid hour of walking I need to do to get to my mom and dad's. Again, sorry about scaring you earlier."

Eli just nodded without meeting Alex's eyes. "Be safe," he said simply.

Alex just gave another sigh and a nod before turning around again to leave. 'Not a very well spoken person, apparently,' he thought to himself as he started his walk again.

"And um, thanks."

Alex stopped again and turned around. Eli had his hands in his short pockets and he was shuffling in place a little bit. Alex raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Eli bit his lip. "For, well, keeping me company for a bit. Not freaking out at what you saw me as too much."

Alex frowned and took a single step back in Eli's direction. 'There has to be more to that statement he made just now.' "Well of course. I mean why would I? Yea, the situation itself is freaky as hell, but it's nothing you could control," Alex had to stop himself from saying any more to keep himself from rambling.

Alex saw a slight ghost of a smile on Eli's face for the briefest of moments. "I know, but I still appreciate it. And uh, sorry for startling you too."

Alex chuckled. "Nah, don't be sorry. That wasn't at all your fault. I was the one who snuck up on you out of nowhere." Eli said nothing and kept his gaze away from Alex. Alex pursed his lips in brief thought, before continuing with a question. "Did someone else also catch you by surprise before me?"

Eli glanced at Alex before sighing and looking down again. "Not exactly. I kinda got a couple bad reactions from some people when they saw what I was. Nothing too big."

Alex narrowed his eyes at the explanation. He thought that sounded way too vague for there to have nothing more to it. "How so? Do you know who the people that flipped on you were?"

Eli gave a small shrug. "Well yea, but like I said, it's not a big deal. I think they were just scared cuz they didn't recognize me. That's all."

Alex stared at Eli for a moment before continuing. "Look man, if there's something bothering you, I don't mind lending an ear for a bit."

"Dude, I'll be fine. It's nothing I can't handle on my own."

Alex had the faintest of smirks. "So you admit something about it is still bothering you."

Eli started stammering a bit, then caught himself and shot a small glare at Alex. "Okay, fine. Something's bothering me, but what if I don't want to bother you with it?"

Alex's gaze softened all the way. He felt a little bit of guilt for having pushed a bit hard, but it seemed like something was eating at Eli, so Alex already decided he wanted to help as much as he could. Alex walked over to a nearby tree and sat under it, getting himself comfortable. "I really don't mind. Like I said, I'm perfectly willing to at the very least lend an ear for a bit."

"Look, I appreciate it, man. But eh..." Eli paused and looked away again, "I think just dumping this onto someone I literally just met would be kind of a dick move."

Alex gave a wry smile and raised an eyebrow. "Is it really if I'm the one asking for it? Besides, I bumped into your zorua form and I'm completely okay with it. More than those other people you've met by the sound of things."

Eli looked pensive and glanced in the direction Alex was originally heading. "Your parents though? Aren't they gonna be worried if you don't show up soon?"

Alex gave a dismissive shrug. "Ah they know I'm fine. I never told them when exactly I left, so I could show up anytime from half an hour to two hours later and they'll still know I'm alright."

Eli appeared to be pondering Alex's words for a moment before giving a defeated sigh. "I suppose if you want to, then what have I got to lose?" He slowly walked over to the tree Alex was sitting under and sat down beside him, not looking at Alex directly, but out towards the empty park. No one spoke for several seconds. Eli was trying to figure out the best point to start at. "I think part of the issue is I've never been the greatest at making friends in the first place. Not like I do myself any favors, either. Not many people feel like talking to that quiet kid in the corner who only likes nerdy stuff, you know?"

Eli paused, which Alex took as a cue to respond. "I know what you mean. I'm not sure if I was ever 'quiet' per se, but it can be a bit tough to make friends if you're the outlier."

Eli glanced over to Alex. "You move a bunch too?"

Alex shook his head. "Nah, skipped a grade. And it was kinda at a time where a bunch of kids already grew their little circles. Got a few friends later, but man, those first couple years after that," Alex paused with a slight head shake and a stiff exhale, "it was rough."

Alex saw a faint smile on Eli's face before he gazed off towards the park again. "Sorry to hear. But yea, that was me too. Sad to say, but I wasn't able to make good friends until high school. And even then, I'm pretty sure they weren't what you'd call quality friends. They were those super cliquey types that were worried more about their image."

Alex gave an exhale of exasperation and leaned his head back before Eli could even finish his sentence. "Oh god, I know exactly what you mean. I'm so sorry you had to put up with that."

Eli gave a dry chuckle. "Nah, don't worry about it. They weren't bad, really. They just... I dunno how to explain it. They just didn't care about actually doing stuff as friends. It's like, if you were around, cool. Come join the ride since we're already here. But making time to hang out? Not a thing. They also didn't really care about hobbies n shit."

Alex shook his head. "Even after attending high school for four years, I still don't understand high schools students," he muttered aloud.

Eli just gave a light scoff. "Preach, man. But they were what I had, so I couldn't complain too much. And I mean, we kept in touch a bit after graduation, so it wasn't all bad."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You're speaking in the past tense. Did something about that change?"

Any remaining part of Eli's smile faded in an instant. "Yea, well... yea. It did."

Eli paused again, this time for an uncomfortable length of time. He was keeping his gaze away from Alex and off in the distance. Alex's gaze softened and he gave a gentle prod to Eli's shoulder. "Hey, you okay, man?"

Eli glanced over to Alex, took a breath, then continued as if Alex said nothing. "So a couple weeks ago, I get this message from one of them inviting me to hang out at the mall and just grab lunch. I was pretty psyched, cuz that'd be the first time I'd actually get to hang with them since graduation. Kinda sad, right? But it was something. So the day comes and I'm there, not saying much, but just happy to be there... and then the pokemon thing happened."

Alex's eyes widened the smallest amount. "You transformed right in front of them?"

Eli gave a curt not. "Mhm. Right in the middle of the food court. Freaked them the hell out. I mean, zoruas are cute in their own right, so I don't think it would've been a huge problem. If it weren't for the fact that some other rando in the food court happened to change into a seviper of all things. Literally had to change into one of the most unnerving pokemon possible. So yea, me turning into a zorua alongside that meant I wasn't going to be seen in such a great light. I actually figured out how to change back really quickly, but as soon as they realized that the zorua actually was me... they-" Eli cut himself off with a sad sigh before continuing, "...every single one of em flipped their shit on me, pretty much calling me every name similar to 'freak' in the book, and just ditched me. Haven't heard from any of em since. And believe me, I tried reaching out. Nothing."

Alex's mouth was slightly agape for the latter part of Eli's story. "Jesus christ, dude! No wonder you're cautious with your pokemon form. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Eli gave a shrug and looked away. "It's whatever." It clearly wasn't. Eli looked visibly tense. "It just kinda sucks cuz I didn't really have anyone to talk to about this mess at the time, you know? Guess that's sorta the downside of not having a roommate. Heh, not that anyone expected something like this to happen, anyway."

Alex looked down, briefly considering Eli's words. He was right. Alex's roommate, Isaac, didn't know that he had turned into a mew, but simply being able to talk about these things with him in the past week helped his state of mind a lot. Eli, on the other hand? Alex glanced back over to him and his gaze softened greatly. Eli was gazing into the sky with a very melancholy appearance. Alex spoke before his mind could second guess himself. "I mean it. I really am sorry. Truthfully. It sounds like you really went through some shit, losing a bunch of longtime friends like that and I just..," Alex paused and shook his head, "I hate that for anyone," he said simply.

Eli met Alex's gaze as he explained himself. He looked away again soon after Alex finished speaking, but not before Alex could take notice of Eli's eyes growing misty. "...thanks, man. I appreciate it," he muttered in a tone Alex could barely hear, voice cracking slightly as he spoke.

Alex gave Eli's back a couple of comforting pats, who in turn glanced back at Alex briefly again, but neither said nothing more. The two sat in silence, enjoying each other's company and listening to the wind rustling the leaves of the trees in the otherwise empty park. For several moments, Eli kept glancing over to Alex in the midst of the silence, though nothing was said. Then Eli took a shaky breath in, as if to calm himself, before finally deciding to speak. "So... how did you find out what was going on? And how many of em did you see?"

Alex gave a dry chuckle. "Hoo boy, that's a story to tell... so I was actually at work when it happened. Come back from a restroom break to find my coworker had turned into a freaking druddigon."

Eli's eyes widened and gave an impressed sounding whistle. "Man, bet that scared the crap out of you at first."

Alex smiled and shook his head, reminiscing at the very recent extraordinary event. "Oh yea, it did. Not as much as my other coworker though. I at least had the benefit of playing all of the existing pokemon games at least once, and as such, knew what pokemon had appeared right off the bat. My coworker, though? Never paid attention to a game that was gen 4 or later. So as far as he knew, it was just a big raging dragon." Alex paused and chuckled at Eli's amused grimace. "Yea, in hindsight, his reaction was kinda funny, even after I explained to him what it was. But yea, I... actually managed to somehow figure out that the druddigon was one of my coworkers before he even transformed back."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "How the hell did you manage that?"

Alex sighed and shrugged. "I dunno, to be honest. Something about the way he was carrying himself, I suppose? I can be veeery perceptive when I want to be. Particularly when it deals with emotions."

Eli looked away at that last comment and cleared his throat. "Mm, alright. Go on."

Alex gave the faintest of smirks, but said nothing more on the subject, and continued on. "Okay so yea, coworker managed to transform back, everyone flipped shit, blah blah blah, you can probably imagine the rest- oh, but my druddigon coworker is fine!" Alex interrupted himself, noticing a concerned look from Eli, "Yea the both of us were there to make sure he was okay. We actually stayed at his place that night cuz we couldn't get home right away," Alex finished, earning a satisfied nod from Eli.

"As for the pokemon I've seen," Alex continued, trying to recall the events leading up to that day, "I'm not sure, to be honest. I was downtown when it happened, so I ran into several pokemon before I made it home. There was a scyther, a buizel, a minun, a fletchling... a klink," another grimace from Eli, "yea, I felt sorry for them too. Oh, and I also met a woman who said she turned into a ralts- not by name, mind you. She described it to me- and my roommate said the first pokemon he saw was a venonat."

Eli looked down to the ground and brought his index finger and his thumb to his chin, going deep into thought. Alex raised an eyebrow. "What's on your mind?" But Eli didn't answer. He seemed to be getting deeper into thought, in fact. And after a few moments, he stood up, crossed his arms, and started slowly pacing in front of Alex.

Alex frowned and narrowed his eyes slightly at Eli's unusual behavior. "Eli? You alright, man? You look like your mind is on a road trip."

Eli continued pacing, seeming to completely ignore Alex's question, until Eli stopped directly in front of him, uncrossing his arms and placing his hands in his pockets. "This is going to sound like a weird question, but have you seen any pokemon that had evolved?"

Alex blinked, trying to process the seemingly random question. "Um... no, I don't think so," Alex responded on reflex, while at the same time trying to access his memory banks to figure out if the statement he just made in response was a true one. "Why do you ask?"

Eli looked down as if he was unsure of the statement he was about to make. "I haven't either. I haven't personally seen very many. Aside from me, I can count the number of pokemon I've seen on two hands. But... the ones that I have seen, along with the few stories I've read about, plus your experiences... I've noticed every single person in all those situations turned into a pokemon that is in their first stage of their evolution family, or they just straight up don't evolve at all."

Alex stared blankly as his mind tried to process what Eli was saying, as well as what it could possibly mean. "Wait wait, hold up a sec... you think it might be by design?"

Eli shifted slightly, appearing the slightest bit more uncomfortable. "I mean, I really don't know. I don't think anyone does. But uh... I do find it a bit strange that there have been stories reporting about the big legendary pokemon appearing in multiple places, but not a single one shows up about a charizard or a wailord. Or... any of the big or scary evolved pokemon, really. Not just on the news, but anywhere online."

"Okay, that does sound a little strange, but how would you even find many pokemon related storied online anyhow? All the pokemon websites are almost always down."

Eli gave a noncommital shrug. "Well I didn't really read any accounts from pokemon sites. They were usually other unrelated forums that had an offtopic section... though most of them were completely outside of those sections."

Alex made an 'ah' face and leaned his head back against the tree trunk. "That's right, I forgot stuff like that was a thing too... okay, so every pokemon is in the earliest stage of their evolutionary chain. Do you think that means something?" Alex asked in a curious tone.

Eli shifted again, looking away. "I don't know. I could totally be making a bigger deal out of it than it is. I just... think it's weird how random everything else about this looks like it is. Like who turned into a pokemon, where some specific pokemon are, what situation were the people were in when they transformed, all random. From what I can tell, anyway. But for some reason, it looks like there's a very specific rule that every pokemon starts off in their earliest form. That seems to be the only thing about this that follows some line of logic and nothing else. But again, I could totally be making stuff up."

Alex crossed one arm across his body and brought the palm of his other hand to his chin as he started to consider Eli's words. "Now that you mention it, that is a bit strange... you think maybe the first forms can evolve? Hell, maybe you yourself could become a zoroark at some point."

Eli sat back down in front of Alex, relaxing a bit. "I won't lie, that thought did come to my mind too. It would be pretty cool. And I don't see why not. It'd be pretty damn strange to have only first forms with no way to change that. Not that this whole situation isn't fucking insane to begin with, I mean."

Alex let out a laugh at how bluntly Eli worded his last sentence. "Oh yea, dude, this thing is just nuts."

Eli gave a small grin, glanced at the sky and shook his head. "It's like a mix of every pokemon fan's best dreams and worst nightmares. Though... I guess if you did happen to turn into a pokemon, honing your skills and making a pokemon's power your very own would be really cool. Can you imagine a first form putting in enough practice to where they evolved? Imagine how amazing that might feel."

Alex's smile grew wider, seeing Eli more and more comfortable. "Dude, that could very easily happen to you too. You were working hard, I could tell. Bet evolving into a zoroark is gonna be absolutely badass."

"Dude, I know right?" Eli practically gushed. "I mean I'll admit, the first couple days were kinda rough cuz I was trying to get used to it all. But damn, a zorua was probably one of the best things I could've turned into. And it feels fucking amazing to be able to use the few moves I know now! I'm really excited that I could get the chance to evolve into a freaking zoroark! Forget about how cool they look for a sec, how about their abilities? Being able to do something like- ah..," Eli stopped mid rant and his face started turning pink.

"Something liiike...?" Alex trailed off, trying to encourage Eli to continue.

Eli pursed his lips and turned his head to the side to face away from Alex, face growing increasingly red. "I'm so sorry. I totally started going on a wild rant there for no reason."

Alex couldn't hold back a light chuckle. "Dude, it's fine. If anything, I think it's cool that it excites you so much." Alex noticed a faint smile reappearing on Eli's face again as he spoke.

"Thanks, man. I guess I just got caught up in the excitement of evolving. Hell it's not just me either. I can only imagine how other pokemon people must feel when everything calms down again." Eli paused again and his content smile faded and his expression turned to one of thoughtfulness. "I'm just not sure how that'd work for pokemon like eevee who almost exclusively evolve with stones when we're not even sure if those exist yet."

Alex's eyes flicked back to Eli instantly at his last sentence. "Ah, about that last part, Eli."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "Eh? what about it?"

"I'm pretty sure they do exist. I'm like eighty percent certain my roommate found a thunderstone, and only slightly less certain I found a dusk stone."

Eli seemed a bit taken aback. "Wait, what? When did you guys find those?"

"I found mine today and my roommate mentioned finding his relatively close to here the day of the incident."

Eli's mouth hung slightly agape for several seconds while his eyes were narrowed as if trying to regain his lost train of thought. "Wow, um, alright. Not really sure how to take that. Also... not really sure why I didn't expect that after everything else. Um... do you have it on you now?"

Alex searched the pockets of his shorts on reflex. "I... don't. I think I left it back at my apartment."

Eli gave a small disappointed frown. "Damn, that sucks. Kinda wanted to see one for myself."

"I don't think they'd be too hard to find. Just walk around random places for a few days. My roommate and I pretty much found em just by walking around." Alex pulled out his phone from his pocket as he spoke to check the clock. "Cripes, the time," he muttered, standing himself back up. "Hey man, I hate to leave ya like this, but I gotta get going. It's getting late and my parents may start wondering where I am if I take too long."

Eli looked even more downcast at this announcement, but the look left his face so quickly that Alex almost thought his eyes were simply playing tricks on him. Almost. Eli nodded and stood himself up as well. "Right, sorry. Yea, don't wanna keep you too long. Take it easy and stay safe, alright?" Eli held out his hand for a handshake, which Alex accepted.

Alex briefly pursed his lips, feeling a bit guilty to just leave him like this. "Yea, man. You too. It was nice meeting ya," Alex said, almost halfheartedly.

"And you," Eli said simply before turning away and walking in what Alex imagined was the direction of his home.

Alex stood there as Eli walked away. He then glanced down at his phone and gave a frustrated grunt. 'Screw it, he's a cool guy and he clearly needs a friend.' Alex clutched his phone firmly and started jogging in Eli's direction. "Eli wait! Hold up a sec!"

Eli turned around to face Alex with a somewhat startled expression. "What's up, man? Everything alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Just... do you wanna swap numbers? Maybe hang out again sometime?" Alex asked with a sheepish smile.

Eli blinked a few times processing what was asked, then gave a smile in return.

Alex unlocked the front door to his parents house and stepped inside, slipping off his shoes by the entrance, and letting the door swing shut behind him. "Hey, I'm home!" Alex called out. He made his way through the dining room, which happened to be the closest room to the main entrance, and towards the living room, where he spotted a very young brunette girl wearing her shoulder-length hair in a ponytail sitting down on a couch and looking in his general direction.

The girl gave a smirk and hopped up from the couch to greet Alex. "Heeyy, Alex is home. what's up, you heckin nerd?"

Alex rolled his eyes and gave a playful shove to the girl. "You know, calling me a nerd doesn't really mean much right now since what I know is extremely useful-"

"Yea yea, whatever. Still a big nerd," the girl interrupted dismissively, also childishly sticking her tongue out at Alex for good measure.

Alex just narrowed his eyes and gave an unamused frown in response. 'Sisters...'

He then heard his mother's voice call out from the kitchen. "Cassie, stop teasing your brother. We went over this. We invited him over for this very reason."

Alex decided to follow his mother's voice to the kitchen to greet her, but he was unable to resist needling his sister in retaliation in a way he knew would irritate her. "Yea, sooo maybe quit acting like a child for a bit... oh wait, sorry, you are one."

Alex could've sworn Cassie was already part pokemon to begin with, because it seemed to him like she already had the move Glare down to a science. "Excuse you, I'm very nearly sixteen. I'd hardly call that being a child anymore."

Alex glanced back at Cassie, and with a shit-eating grin, hit her with another phrase he knew she hated. "Sooo you're saying you're a smol child." Alex darted off to the kitchen, cackling like a madman, to avoid being the recipient of a hard punch on his arm.

He reached the kitchen to find his mother with a very unamused look pointed straight at him. "Alex, me scolding your sister for teasing you does not mean you should do the same thing. You two need to leave each other alone."

"Fiiine," Alex droned out in a very dismissive manner. He went in for a hug to his mom. "It's good to see you, though."

His mom gave an exasperated and defeated sigh, but happily returned the hug. "Good to see you too, honey. I'm glad you made it home safe. Nothing bad happened on the way, I hope?"

Alex broke away from the hug, wearing a warm smile. "Nope, completely safe trip. I did bump into a pokemon person on the way, though. Seemed like a cool guy. If a bit on the socially awkward side."

Alex's mom's face shifted from warmth to worry the instant Alex mentioned meeting Eli. "You met one of them? Are you okay? Did he try to attack you?"

Alex was taken aback by the question. "What? No! why would he have?"

"Well your father and I did ask your sister about pokemon before you, and she told us they can be... rather dangerous. I just think it might be a good idea to keep your distance is all," she explained slowly with pursed lips.

Alex felt a small pang of irritation, somewhat offended at what he felt like she was implying. "Mom, they're just normal people. It's not their fault they turned into what they did. Some of em don't even like their new form. Like my coworker." 'Also, you're kinda giving a good example as to one reason right now as to why I haven't told anyone else about me... even you,' Alex added bitterly in his mind.

His mother looked away from him for but a moment. She clearly forgot him telling her about Preston. "I know, honey. Just be careful. There are some not great people out there that will do anything they feel like they can get away with."

Alex gave a slightly impatient sigh, but calmed down a little. 'Meh, alright, I guess it's just her being her paranoid parent self. Again.' "Mom, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

Nothing more was said in response by any party. The only noise that could be heard were cartoons playing in the living room, no doubt courtesy of his sister. Alex stepped past his mom so he could grab a glass of water. "Where's Dad, by the way? I thought he was here?" he asked, trying to defuse the tension.

Thankfully, it worked. "Oh your dad's out back filling in a hole under the fence. we think a fox has been going through ours and our neighbor's back yards the past couple months and he's only now getting around to it."

Alex glanced back and gave his mom a perplexed look. "There are foxes in North Austin? Huh, that's... kinda disturbing."

"More or less disturbing than millions of people turning into pokemon?" his mother responded with humor in her voice this time.

Alex had to chuckle. "Okay, you got me there."

Suddenly, the back door could be heard opening in the background, followed shortly by his sister's voice. "Hey! Daddyyy, I was watching that!"

"Cassie, I told you I was going to be taking over the TV when I got back inside," an older male voice Alex recognized as his dad responded, "You've been watching all day, and we're about to have dinner. Now go wash up, okay?"

Alex heard the grumblings of his sister as he walked over to the living room to greet a six foot tall man with a slightly muscular build, a slight beer gut, and a well groomed set of brown and gray hair, even through him sweating outside working. "Hey, Dad!" He walked over to give him a hug.

Alex's dad's face lit up as he saw his son and happily returned the hug. "Hey there, kiddo! Glad you could make it. You get here alright?"

Alex smiled at his dad after breaking the hug. "Yup. Just a bit tired from the walk is all." Alex decided to omit his encounter with Eli for now after how his mom reacted. He just wanted to enjoy family time for the moment. "Mom said something about a fox hole?"

His dad gave an exasperated groan. "Yeeaa, I've tried patching that thing up a couple times before this whole thing started. Those troublemakers always seemed to want to re dig the same hole for some reason. I gave up once cuz it didn't seem like they were actually harming anything.

"But with recent events..." His dad paused to look at the TV screen, in which Alex followed suit. It was on a local news station detailing yet another story about the pokemon phenomenon. "...it just seems like a little extra precaution couldn't hurt," he finished in a mutter.

Alex was about to respond, but his mom called out from the kitchen. "Nathan! Could you help me grab something?"

His dad glanced back to the kitchen. "Just a moment, honey!" he called out, then looked back to Alex. "Why don't you get freshened up for dinner too? Then we can talk more while we eat."

Alex nodded. "Sure, Dad."

His dad then walked off to the kitchen. Before he did anything else though, Alex decided to keep watching the news for a bit longer. The anchor was finishing up describing how local medics had hundreds of critically injured people and pokemon while having very limited resources on how to treat the people, and virtually no knowledge on how to treat the pokemon that were stuck in that form for one reason or another. Alex shook his head in sorrow. Even several days after the fact, it still seemed like a nightmare.

Alex was about to turn to the restroom when the story shifted. This time to one about traffic. Alex's attention was once again caught when the anchor mapped out which areas of downtown Austin were starting to clear again. His eyes widened as he noticed one such area happened to be where his car was previously trapped. He'd have to end up going around the outskirts of town instead of through it like he normally would to get home, but it was more than feasible, according to the news anchor's map.

'Well, then,' Alex internalized, steeling himself for the actions he would soon take, 'I think I may have just figured out what I'm going to do tomorrow.'

((Damn, and I thought last month was busy. This month, I had to do ALL the moving things to get out of my old apartment. I had to stay up later at night than I normally would just to finish writing this chapter to be able to post it on time. Nonetheless, I'm still proud of what I've got going on, and I should have more time to write this month [fingers crossed]. As always, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Things are gonna pick up quite a bit next chapter. Until then and since I won't be posting another chapter til the new year, I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas!))