...or to be more specific, after I saw the date on my phone.
I stammered as I argued with myself inside my head of what to do. The weighing scale appeared and started measuring both sides, and for me to see who would win.
For one, I really, really wanna be with Claire. She's cute and she just asked me out! That has to be one of the rarest of chances I'll ever have in my life.
B-but...today's my bro's...birthday... I...love my brother so much, and so are the rest of my family, that I actually put them first before my own needs...
...I sighed. "I...can't...tonight..." I looked up and saw her disappointed frown. I flashed a small and hopeful smile. "M-maybe tomorrow evening?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when my phone made a sound. I received a text message.
"Hey bro," the text began. "Don't worry about me."
I almost let go my phone. It's impossible for my bro to text me, let alone for him to own a cellphone at his current state! He's in a hospital! He's in a coma!
I received another text message. No, I didn't. But the one I recently received...from my brother...was updated. "Hey Jay," it now began, "don't worry about your brother tonight. I'll take care of it."
It was now from my mom. But she's not even in this city! Nor is she anywhere near this city!
My phone rang again as the message probably got updated again, but I wouldn't know...since I already dropped it in...horror.
"Jay?" Claire called.
I looked up to her, but before I could see her face, a bright flash of white blinded me for a split of a second, and I immediately felt a very powerful pain that coursed around my body. It disappeared as soon as I felt it, but that didn't stop me from flinching and gasping for breath.
"What's wrong?" ...her voice dropped when she said that last word.
I looked back and gasped when I saw her...'glitched' up, like some sort of video that got corrupted. Not only her, but the restaurant itself started...changing, and going back to normal, and back and forth.
I looked around in panic, and decided to run towards the door, but as I grabbed it, my hand went through it...or rather...my...brown paw went through it...
"W-what...?" I gasped in shock as I nervously and slowly pulled my...paw...back...through the door.
The door itself turned white, black, white...until it was gone.
"Ack!" I shut my eyes and held my head with both my...paws...as a powerful wave of pain coursed through my body once again. I gritted my teeth and took sharp breaths as it felt like the pain I felt was being turned on and off like a switch. "Gah!"
Through blurry eyes, I noticed my surroundings were now dark, dimly lit by purple and white light. Through the loud painful ringing noises in my ear, I could faintly hear...this weird and otherworldly noise...like a panic...otherworldly chant noise...
"J-J-J-Ja-Jay..." Claire's voice echoed behind me. "W-w-w-w-what's wrong?"
Despite the pain I felt, I took a breath, and shouted my pain. The otherworldly noise buzzed louder and louder as I felt gravity had grabbed me and pulled me down to a solid and dusty floor.
I painfully coughed several times, and I suddenly felt how seriously weak I was. I noticed the noise were above me, and I weakly looked up, and saw a small group of Unowns, formed in a circle, and were shivering as they floated in their spots, their eyes visibly closed in pain. In the middle of their circle was an energy sphere of some sort that is white and purple...and white and purple...
...was I...?
I weak ears twitched when I heard other noises to a direction. I turned towards it, and was too weak to gasp. Shock, Fay, Saur, and Vixie were each inside that same sphere, and were also being held by other groups of Unowns, chanting and circling at each of my friends...
...and they were smiling... My friends were smiling...b-but their bodies...!
No... I... I...
I gritted my teeth as I pushed myself up on all four paws. As I did so, I was staring down, staring angrily at my bone-thin paws.
...I...I want to lie down...and rest...
...N-no... I...I can't...do that...
"Jay," her voice echoed as my group of Unowns began circling around me, encasing me with the sphere.
My vision was changing again, but I gritted my teeth and glared at each faintly-passing Unown. Claire was visibly naked in front of me, but I glared through her lovely eyes, and directly into the eye of each passing and panic-looking Unown.
I was slowly feeling the pain once more, yet I ignored it as I clenched my fists, and punched her in the face, my vision returning to normal as the Unown shivered in panic.
I suddenly felt my sharp nails and tried to swipe a vulnerable Unown that was in front of me. But I stumbled, my paws too weak for that sudden forward motion I just did, and I collapsed on the dusty floor yet again, coughing...
I gritted my teeth as I tried to stand back up again, ignoring the dusty skull that was lying in front of my eyes.
Ungh... D-darn it...!
I was back on all four and was breathing deeply for air, and glared at the shivering Unown in front of me.
Bite... Bite...
B-bite is a dark-type move...
Psychic-types are weak against dark...
Bite... Bite...
I moved forward. Only inches away now. Just two or more limp steps...
One... ... ... ...two...
...this thing is bigger than I thought...
The white part of the Unown's big eye...reflects an image of a deep-breathing, thin-looking and glaring Eevee.
It suddenly stared at me, and I immediately jabbed a paw at its eye, feeling a weird...slime...
It yelped, and quickly hovered away as I cringed and wiped my slimey paw on the dusty ground. The others sounded like they cried in shock and disbelief, and began to circle around me again, this time with angry and glaring eyes.
"Go..." I gasped for breath... "...away..."
My vision was changing again...
...I can't let it...
...b-but what can I do...?
...if...if only I know a stupid range-attack move...
The Unown were slowly, slowly, fading away as they trapped me in this false reality...
...I...I don't want to be trapped here... B-but I'm too weak... I...I can't...escape this... I-I'm sorry, guys...
I hung my head as a false light of a room shone above me, and my eyes started to water as I quietly stared at my own shadow.
...
...
...!
"Well, duh!" I suddenly remembered what Fay said to me that one time... "Anyone can do a shadow ball!"
...shadow ball...
...t-that's it!
I shot my head back and glared at the faint frames of the Unown that circled me once more. They're psychic-types. Shadow ball is a ghost-type move... And psychic-types are weak against ghost-type moves!
I spread my legs apart and opened my mouth...as I seriously try to ignore a certain illusion that started to unzip my jeans.
...shadow ball...shadow ball...shadow ball...!
Come on! Shadow ball! Just one freaking shadow ball!
Fire already!
H-how the freaking hell do I do a goddamn shadow ba—oh, there we go...
It exploded, and my vision suddenly returned to normal. As I collapsed on the ground, I saw an Unown fell down on the ground a few feet in front of me as well, and it was smoking...and faintly shivering.
I heard the other Unowns gasped in their own otherworldly way as I slowly rose back up, and I slowly turned, and glared at them as I prepared another one.
I don't know how I'm doing this, but right now, I don't freaking care. These little lying pieces of sh*t need to die!
I hit another one, and the others finally got the message and created a small portal for them to run into.
I ignored how painful my body was becoming. I need to save the others! This was my fault from the start, and I don't want them to...!
I turned and fixed my aiming glare at the closest group of Unowns. I hung my head to at least try to calm myself for only a bit, so I could concentrate, ignoring my long and black front paws as I took a few breaths.
Okay. I snapped back and quickly prepared a shadow ball with ease. I've no idea how easily I prepared this third one, but it suddenly felt natural to do it. I fired it, quietly in awe at how big it was and how powerful the explosion was.
Shock dropped down with a weak and sleepy groan as his Unown captors turned to look at their fallen comrade. I fired another one, hitting another one. Each gasping survivor escaped through opening a portal again.
I took aim at another group, saving Saur. Another group. Fay fell down. Another group. Vixie fell down.
All of those floating f*cking letters disappeared, and the chamber became pitch black without their glowy bodies and psychic spheres and...whatever.
...despite the total darkness, I could see clearly, and my anger was quickly washed with guilt and worry as I approached one of my friends who was closest to me.
Shock looked so...frail and thin...b-but still breathing. I swallowed a lump as I slowly felt my ribbon-like feelers began to move and slowly and gently wrapped around him.
...I...don't care what I am and how I did it at the moment. My vision wasn't as clear as earlier before I felt these new appendages of mine, but I don't care.
I placed him gently on my back as I moved to pick Saur up. He's...so yellow and dried up...b-but still breathing... I whispered an apology, then I put him on my back beside Shock as I stared at my two other friends. Their thin frames were still moving, and it made me feel a little bit relieved to know they're still breathing...
I slowly moved, and picked Fay up, who looked so thin as well...and her mouth hung open, and her tongue was stuck out, complete with drool... I frowned... Fay...even in near-death, you're still looking quite stupid.
My back felt like it's only good for two passengers, so I carried Fay on one of my ribbon-thingies and carried Vixie with the other.
Vixie looked so thin... So...weak...and so...fragile...
I pushed back a sob as I started to move. Fairies are drawn to the light, it seems, and I'm following that instinct as I slowly moved so I won't trip on the bones that were lying around...