Chapter 5: Hiding The Truth
A long-lasting day had reached its conclusion, as signaled by the evaporation of the sun into the horizon, its sister opposite rising to take his place, for the time being. As the moon slowly edged upward, consuming the light of day, the Eon Pokemon made his descent, back in his landing zone of a backyard. Valon struggled a tad getting here, having to make a hundred percent sure this was the home that he knew. Still using his new-found gift, he shifted into a waist-side hovering height, and moved over to the glass door blocking entry.
The initial attempts to pry open the door itself were massive failures, considering his lack of thumbs to correctly handle the knob. Even with both claws, the lack of grip had made simply entering his house into a robbery at Fort Knox. With a defeated sigh, Valon knocked his paws on the glass, hoping for someone to hear. After what seemed to be countless ages in waiting for the dragon, his mother came to answer. She had a neutral expression, as with earlier during that quiet breakfast, but she had found the time to clean up her form, and hide the wreck she once was.
"Thanks Mom..." He sheepishly spoke in Pokemon tongue. The awkward feelings and guilt still lingered within him.
"Valon, you're... Flying?" She said in a simple astoundment. "So your sister was right..."
Valon scratched the back of his neck in an embarrassed motion. 'At least Fran told her, I guess...' The mother regained her composure, unlike in previous times.
"...Well regardless, please don't take off like that! I already have enough worries now." The Latios hung his long neck and head down in shame, in a sign of understanding. "At least you understand. I just care about you, honey."
Suddenly, a tall, redhead of a young woman peeked around the corner of the hallway. Getting her conformation of Valon being present, Fran scurried over to interject herself into the conversation. She had a slightly anxious look about her, of which both mother and son picked up. "Um, sorry to interrupt and all, but we kinda have a problem," she talked with a somewhat nervous tone.
"What kind of problem?" Her parent inquisitioned.
"Well, it's short, wears glasses, visits Valon pretty often..."
"Oh dear," A sigh formed from her jaw. "What does Jason want?"
"Yeah... He wants Valon, and considering what he's wearing out there, he's probably drawing more of a crowd then Valon would." Fran snickered on her add-on at the end.
The group of three rotated to the front door, where they shared a peek of vision through the sighthole on the top. Outside their front porch stood a crudely constructed costume, in the form of a lopsided, barely recognizable Lucario. Multiple stitches all over the body, most of them poorly sewn and even partly ripped open. The ears on the head were very obviously uneven, the pawed hands and feet were discolored, and could be assumed were taken off from other furry outfits, and attached with little caution. Jason's glasses-covered face sat exposed, smiling at the peephole as he pulled down the hood of his costume.
The trio gave a grimaced expression after examining Jason's abomination, and the many stares of passing pedestrians at him. "And I thought your father looked bad when he wore that vampire costume last Halloween," The mother recalled out loud.
"Hello?" Jason shouted at the door, believing he had heard someone. "Ms. Hendric, are you there? I'm here to pick up Valon! You know, for the costume party?"
Both women swiftly turned their view to the dragon, giving looks that demanded answers from the dragon. Valon stared back confused, before his memory of his 'promise' reengaged in his mind. He stretched his head over to his stubby claws to facepalm at his forgetfulness.
'Oh... Right.' In all the havoc that had been his life for the past 24 hours, he had utterly failed to mention to anyone about this supposed party he was dragged into. Could you blame him though, Valon thought to himself, trying to justify his lack of notifying his family.
"Well he obviously can't leave," his mother spoke up, "we can't let people see what monster Valon became!" She then realized what she had just spoken, and gave an apologetic expression to a miserable-feeling Valon, reacting to that hurtful comment. "...No offense honey, I'm sorry." He nodded in acknowledgement, although remaining in a saddened mood.
"You know how Jason is, Mom," Fran retorted, "He's gonna just stand there until he gets an answer, and even then will probably want to come inside."
"What should we do then? I can't just tell him Valon's sick or something, that kid is as stubborn as an ox."
"Maybe we can tell him... The truth?" Fran hesitated a bit with this response before telling her mother.
"Absolutely not. Even if there's a decent chance of Jason believing everything, being the weird kid he is, that boy cannot keep a secret. The whole block now knows how to make my special marshmallow fudge, because he can't hold his mouth from blabbing it to the other parents." She angrily monologued, holding her grudge firmly.
"Mother, that was just food, and it was years ago. Let it go."
"My point still stands!"
Valon, unable to verbally contribute to the heated conversation, and partly not wanting to, just floated off to the side, his eyes bouncing to each speaker as they argued back and forth. The topic became less about Jason, who was still awkwardly standing in place and knocking on the house front every minute or so, and more about how family food recipes were important traditions that should be kept private. This went on for quite a while, until a Latios, bored out of his mind, finally yelled at the two bickering hens.
"Will you guys shut up already about the damn fudge?! I'm the one who gave out the recipe in the first place!" Of course what realistically came out of Valon's muzzle was an untranslatable mixture of the word Latios several times over. Fran and his mother dropped their attention to hear Valon's cries, and Jason gave a funny look at the door, curious at what was going on inside the residence.
"Hey, are you guys watching a Pokemon movie in there? I'd love to see it with you guys!" Jason called from outside, blissfully ignorant to the muffled arguing.
"Whatever Valon said, he's probably right," Fran attempted to get back on track with the current task, brushing her bangs of hair out of her eyes. "We don't have time for this, we need to think of something. Like, now."
Jason was so excited for tonight's events. He was ready to have a blast at the costume party, and show off his masterpiece to the world. After pouring his heart and soul into its creation, Jason was certain that he would impress his friend Valon, and put other costumes to shame. Although having to stand in front of the Hendric's porch, waiting for an answer, while waiting in his admittedly sweaty disguise, was a bit problematic. Stifled mumbling from the two women of the household, alongside an occasional strange animal cry, came from the inside.
"I just want to pick up Valon, Ms. Hendric!"
At last, the chatter stopped, and Jason stood at the door in silence. A minute passed, perhaps two, before he heard something once more. The sound of a lock turning, and a knob being pulled. Valon's mother met with him at the door, with his older sister watching from behind.
"Oh hello Jason," the parent greeted him with an awkward, yet welcoming tone. "That costume is quite... Cute." She ended hesitantly, after inspecting his glorious outfit.
"Why thanks Ms. Hendric!" Jason responded happily, shrugging off any suspicions. "If you don't mind, I'll just go and get Valon for the party. My mom will drop us off back here in a couple hours, no worries."
"About that Jason," the mother intervened, "Valon can't make it tonight."
"What? Why not?"
"You see..." She averted eye contact for a bit, seeming to think of the right answer for him. "Valon never told me about the whole party idea, and he really upset me about it, so I grounded him for a week. I can't let him go, I'm very sorry."
Jason was saddened by this bad news, and his glasses drooped downward in a telltale sign. He was looking so forward to hanging out and presenting his amazing costume to Valon. He even hoped that the costume and lending his game earlier would convince him on enjoying his beloved Pokemon. Unfortunately his mother had different plans, it would seem. Still, Jason perked up with a new idea he just had.
"Well, can I at least come inside and show him my costume? I'll be quick, I promise."
"Um, I don't think..."
Valon's mother appeared to be at a loss for words, but Jason was sure she would be fine with it, after many times before she had been more than happy to let him in. As Jason walked inside the Hendric residence, he met eyes with Fran, off to the side, and exchanged a hello. She was unusually quiet, Jason wondered, because normally Fran would be in her old teasing and mischievous ways, poking fun at him and especially her brother Valon. Putting that aside, as he made his way into the hallway towards Valon's room, as he knew well, something of interest caught Jason's attention.
It layed on the corner of the living room, taking up a bit of space with its large figure. It sat unblinking, motionless, as it stared across to him with its ruby colored eyes. Jason was amazed after realizing what the object was shaped after. It was a massive Latios doll, possibly plush considering the fur over it, instead of the usual plastic. Every detail of it seemed perfect, lifelike even, from the wings' shape to the short arms and stubs of fluff on the bottom torso. Jason never recalled the Hendrics owning such an awesome figure, but he was too excited to care.
"Oh wow, what a neat doll! Latios is such a cool Pokemon!" He exclaimed, moving over to study each inch of the figure. He grabbed one of the arms, swinging it around a bit, then advanced to the wing tips and felt them with his palms. "It's so realistic! When did you guys get this?"
Fran and her mother gazed at him and the doll with nervousness, and when Jason began playing with the wings, Fran interrupted his miniature examination by swiping his hands away in a somewhat forceful manner. "Yeah we, um, got that doll a couple months ago for Isabelle's birthday. It's in her room most of the time, so I'm not surprised you haven't seen it before."
"Dang, I gotta get one myself." Still admiring the sheer quality of the Latios doll, he left it be as he stood back up and walked over to Valon's room. He knocked once or twice on the door, and was met with no response, similar to just a few moments ago outside. Jason tried the doorknob, but it would not budge, signifying it being locked. He even shouted Valon's name, but all his attempts were in vain.
"He's probably sleeping, or playing one of his video games with headphones on," Ms. Hendric advised a sighing, disappointed Jason. It would appear he would not be able to even see his friend, let alone bring him to his planned destination.
"Oh well... Could you tell Valon I'll try to come over sometime later? I'll tell him all about how the party went," He pulled up his glasses back onto their rightful position, and placed the hood of his costume over his head as well.
"I'll make sure to tell him, but I'm not sure if I want to allow anyone over while I'm punishing him."
"Okay... I'll be going now, thanks for letting me look at that cool doll."
Jason waved a farewell, as he was led back out the front door. He may have had his plans for the night ruined a tad, but he convinced himself to stay upbeat. Looking forward to a fun night ahead, he left the residence, with Valon still in his mind. Making a mental note to come back with his hard-worked costume to show off, Jason started jogging over to make it to the party, being held several blocks away.
As soon as the door slammed shut, Valon jumped up from the floor, gasping for air after holding his breath for so long. His eyes were slightly tearing up from holding off on blinking. Most of all, his played-with arm and wings felt a bit sore, as Jason did not use a gentle touch whatsoever. Fran and his mother looked onto the stretching dragon, impressed on his performance.
"Wow Valon, a little more practice and you'd make the perfect stunt dummy for movies," Fran teased her Pokemon of a brother. He met that with an annoyed look in the eye, but it was to be expected from these two. Their mother smiled at her children's tomfoolery, and she was content to see not everything had changed with what happened.
"You did a good job honey, I don't think Jason suspected too much," She reassured her son, "I'm glad that worked out at least." She glanced over to the clock hanging on the nearby wall, and was shocked to see the time. The mishaps with Jason had taken more of the evening than she thought, and she was incredibly late on making supper for her kin. "Looks like I'm just going to have to skip the meal I planned. Is pizza okay with everyone?"
Now that was something both Fran and Valon agreed on heartily.
"Yes sir, it seemed to be an animal of some sort. The footage is being sent to you as we speak."
"No sir, I have not told anyone else. Just you, me, and the operator during the time know."
"To be honest sir, I have no idea what it is. The closest comparison I could make would be like one of the monsters in my kid's little video game. But that is just plain silly to-"
"I understand, sir, I will take this seriously. I still have my doubts though, and it may have even been technical issues we witnessed."
"...Of course sir. We'll keep a close eye for more spottings of it. I'll let you know if anything turns up."
There was a lot of things to reflect on for Valon, as he dropped from the air to his room's bed, preparing for sleep. He reached out to the blanket with his claws, and pulled them upward to cover most of his uniquely shaped body. The fin-wings and his extended neck sticking out made it difficult to lay comfortably, while not making a mess with the rest of the bed. Thankfully he slept on his back most of the time, so there wasn't too much of an issue, and he could rest without trouble.
Valon had so many new experiences in this day alone. He pretended to be a doll while his best friend mangled him in inspection. He learned how difficult it was to simply hold a slice of pizza without thumbs, let alone bending awkwardly just to have his muzzle bite into it. He actually learned how to fly, and how mesmerizing and wondrous it was.
The thing that stood out to him most, was none of these, if you could believe it. For the first time in as much as he could remember, he and Fran got along with each other. Of course they still argued a bit, that was just their nature, but for once, it wasn't out of hate or anger or whatnot. Fran helped him out so much with this predicament, even though he never asked or wanted it. Valon would never admit it openly, but he was actually grateful for her, as he would just be still dragging himself across the rug without her.
"Valon, honey?... You awake still?"
The train of flashbacks was interrupted, and Valon turned his sight to the doorway, where his mother was standing. 'Mom?' He thought to himself with a tired reaction.
"I just wanted to say... Well, I'm sorry."
'Sorry for what, Mom?' Valon wondered what brought this sudden confession on.
"I-I haven't reacted well to all this," She continued. "How you are, what you've... Become." Valon just watched his parent silently, confused, and with a worried feeling. It's not like he could talk to her anyway, his verbal communication lost. All he could do was listen.
"But I know, that I haven't treated you right. I... I didn't want to believe that you are my son, and this happened..." Tears started to roll down her face, as she stuttered mid-sentence. At this point, Valon's empathy made him fly off his bed sheets, and hovered over to his crying mother. He raised his short arms open, hoping he could embrace his mother. She merely held her hands to wipe off the water from her face, not returning the offer as of yet.
"I'm so sorry Valon, for a mother to even think such things is horrible. Your father would be ashamed of me."
"Please... don't cry Mom." Valon didn't care if he couldn't be understood, he had to say something, anything, to cheer her up. He knew that she probably was blaming herself for what that so-called 'God' had done to him, and it tore him up inside. Valon went on with the hug himself, and tightly so.
"Please, Mom. I love you."
She sniffled a bit, finished cleaning off her cheeks, and held Valon back, her arms wrapping around his fuzzy wings and neck.
"...I love you too, Valon."
A/N: Better safe and slowly than not at all, right? I also feel like the chapters are long when writing, but look short to me when I finish.