Chapter 4: Lessons
Deciding that it was best to eat in Bryce's room in the event someone decided to return home, both he and Lucario were sitting in the same places they had been not more than an hour or two ago. Alongside the open document on Bryce's computer with all of the questions he had about Lucario, there was also a list they'd just finished creating with all the subjects she wanted to go over in the following year.
"History, cultures, art, music, science, math, religion, recreational activities, technology…" Bryce kept reading the list, quickly realizing exactly how much they'd be going through. "Looks like everything will be more of a crash course, but we'll manage." Turning back to Lucario, he crossed his legs and arms, leaning back a bit. "I'm hardly qualified to be a teacher, but I at least have a while before I'll be going back to my own classes. It'll be plenty of time to teach you how to search for stuff online." He paused. "Just know that you can't believe everything you read." The last thing Bryce needed to do now, though, was give a lecture about which sites to use and not use for information, then he really would sound like a teacher.
His plate rested on the desk, with only a fork left and a trace amount of meatloaf. Lucario's was much the same, sitting on the nightstand next to the bed that was tucked away in the corner of the room. "So, what now?" She asked.
Bryce shrugged.
Lucario stuck her tongue out at him. "You're helpful." Well, at least sarcasm wouldn't be lost on her. "Fine then, we might as well get all of your questions out of the way." She paused. "Unless you plan on asking me every last thing about my universe, too."
"Not really." Bryce offered back. "If it comes up in the next year, it comes up. If not, oh well."
Bryce turned back to his computer, eyes looking over the document of things he'd planned on researching as best he could. Still, if she could answer any of these, it'd obviously save time. May as well just go from top to bottom. His chair swung around once again to look her over.
"Alright. If you can't answer something for any reason, like an agreement on disclosure from whoever sent you, just let me know." After Lucario nodded, he continued. "You mentioned you were here to see if Earth here was capable of fostering an environment with Pokemon. Have any more details about that idea, or exactly how they managed to locate this world and sent you here?"
Lucario blinked, thinking it over. "Well, I actually don't know all that much. The idea came up from a few of the Pokemon professors, and there were a few Pokemon that learned how to speak human language. They were our translators and teachers so that we could understand what they had in mind."
With a nod, Bryce continued listening. Good thing they at least had a Pokemon that could sense any insincere intent. If it was the professors in that universe, the intentions were usually good. The scientists, on the other hand…
"From there, the professors managed to convince legendary Pokemon connected with space and time to help their fellow Pokemon. The two of them would be able to send us to other universes for a limited time, and scientists figured out how to create a set of requirements to search for livable planets. They sent small machines as scouts to make sure Pokemon would have the basic necessities, at the very least, and would be able to have a high chance of survival."
So Dialga and Palkia were involved in this plan, huh? If legendary Pokemon could be convinced to help, maybe it was getting bad over there.
"Pokemon volunteered and were trained for all the types of survival that scientists predicted or expected us to need, and then we were all sent off. The legendary Pokemon don't typically transport anything through space and time other than themselves, so we weren't exactly sure how we'd enter the world. But I guess it worked, even if it was exhausting, physically."
Feeling as if she was done with the story, Bryce figured he'd ask, "and you feel fine otherwise? Not that I know much about taking care of Pokemon, but you probably know better than I do."
"Nope." She gave a small smile. "Nothing feels wrong."
Although he was convinced she wasn't lying, it didn't stop Bryce thinking about the potential of her getting sick from something in this universe that wasn't in her own world. Not much they could really do about it, though. Unless her plan changed, the only person she'd spend any time with was himself, but if he got sick, he'd have to keep his distance. Maybe he should clean up that guest room, just in case.
"Alright then." He paused, thinking over how to ask the next thing without sounding rude, potentially. "So, at least through our media, Lucario don't typically look quite like you. You're sure that your height is just a change between worlds?"
She nodded. "I'm pretty sure. Humans in my universe aren't as tall as you, either. Unless you're abnormally tall or something."
"A bit on the tall side, but not like the extreme end of height for humans." He mused. "Think it's the same for your eye color? Lucario are depicted with red eyes here."
Instantly, Bryce realized he'd made a mistake. He wasn't one to make eye contact with anyone-it just felt awkward, really-but he could at least focus on another part of their face while talking. So when her gaze drifted to the ground and one of her paws crossed to hold her still straight arm at the elbow, Bryce admittedly felt a little bit bad for bringing it up.
"No, that's not." She replied, barely above a whisper. If he hadn't been looking right at her, Bryce wouldn't have been sure she'd even said anything. "I...it's just a rare genetic thing, okay?" Her voice still stayed low, more sad than angry.
"...this is one of those things that Pokemon would resent you for." Bryce said.
Humans weren't much better about letting their displeasure be known about others, particularly when it was something completely out of their control. He knew that all too well. What he didn't know, however, was how to make her feel better. Crying people was usually just a good reason to exit a room for him.
As Lucario continued looking at the ground, he took the opportunity to look at her eyes, really look at her eyes. A deep purple, almost midnight purple. Bryce remembered reading somewhere that it was rare, but possible for it to happen to humans. It also could have just been false information. Hers were definitely real, though, he was looking right at them. Honestly?
"Your eyes look fine to me."
Her gaze darted back up to him. "...really?"
Just by the way she said it, he got the feeling that nobody had ever told her that. Or at the very least, nobody in a long, long time.
"Does having different colored eyes impair your vision or capability of doing anything?" He asked, rhetorically. "Because if not, why should anyone else care? It wasn't your choice to have something different about you. Most people wouldn't actively choose something that makes others view them as an outcast. If humans were all the same, we'd never get anything done. Not all differences make us strange to others. Some of them make us better." Bryce crossed his arms, rolling his eyes as he looked off to the side, ever so slightly. "There's nothing wrong with your eyes, and like hell am I going to treat you any different because of them."
He could feel Lucario staring at him. Now he felt foolish.
Even as he looked away, he could still see her move her hand forward out of the corner of his eye. She took his hand in her paw. Despite not being one for any sort of physical contact, he let her. Maybe it was because he still felt bad for bringing it up. It could also due to not wanting to make her gesture null. She gave his hand a small squeeze. Now he really couldn't look at her, but thankfully he heard the bed creak as she stood up, letting go.
"So, when should we start lessons?"
Bryce stood as well, grabbing the empty plate from his desk, then the one on the nightstand. He figured it was best to just pretend nothing happened.
"Probably in the next day or two. We'll figure out some sort of schedule for summer, but right now it's probably best if we just relax for today and get more used to each other, I guess." Bryce paused. "I guess I still haven't shown you the backyard yet. We could do that before anyone else gets back."
The two left the room in silence, heading through the kitchen. Bryce sat the dishes in the sink to clean once they came back inside. Going back to the hallway, they stopped just short of the corner. Light poured through the window panes on the door, leaving squares of a bright glow on the floor.
"So, is it all clear?" Bryce asked.
Even with the high fences, he wasn't about to take any additional chances. Lucario stood perfectly still, not making a sound. Bryce figured that Lucario didn't exactly have to display their prowess like the games would have them believe. Sure enough, he was right as she looked at him with a small nod.
"All clear."
And with that, they turned the corner and walked outside. A slight breeze greeted them as Bryce opened the door, squinting his eyes as they walked out onto the concrete patio. Eh, he could live without his sunglasses for a little bit, even if it probably wasn't good for his vision.
It didn't take much imagination to figure out the backyard had mostly fallen into disarray. The rectangle of outside property was a decent size, and the grass had been mowed a few days ago, but that was about where the positives ended when it came to upkeep. As tall as the wooden fences were, the material itself was starting to go white with age and the wear and tear that came with being left to the elements. A few trees were scattered about, the wide trunks and branches rustling in the wind being a sign of their old age. A tool shed rested in the back corner, a decrepit shack that was almost certainly not used for anything other than storing the lawnmower. The skeletal remains of a garden lay along one of the sides of the fence, abandoned years ago, even if the rows of dirt remained. The most obvious feature, however, was a swimming pool, mostly free of leaves and other flotsam thanks to the summer season.
Naturally, Bryce found himself walking straight for the shade, namely so he didn't have to squint the entire time the two were looking around. He'd come out here every now and again, usually at night when the sounds of the rural area were much more diminished. If he was lucky, the college kids wouldn't even be throwing a party. A little music while laying out on the concrete, looking at the stars might be nice...if it wasn't some modern dubstep tune for hours on end.
With one of them seeing it for the first time and the other for many more, they both came to the same conclusion: a 'fixer upper'. Hardly Bryce's problem though. He took care of the pool, and was the only one to actually use it. He watched her step out onto the grass, the green blades pressing soundlessly into the ground with each of her paces forward. The sight made him realize exactly how quiet Lucario was capable of being; it was a stark contrast to just about everyone else that spent any amount of time around him. Maybe the value of silence wasn't lost on everyone after all.
Unable to replicate it, his shoes gave a soft 'thunk' as he followed. If there was anything she was to ask about, best not to have to talk above a normal volume. She would be keeping an eye out, if her training hadn't just escaped her mind, he was sure of that. Safety wasn't too important of a concern for him these days, but for her, it would be. Even then, talking above a normal voice wasn't worth the effort. Only a few moments later, they found themselves standing just in front of the destroyed fence that separated the civilized greens from the wild.
"Not much of a garden." She mused.
"Not unless you want to grow weeds." Bryce agreed. "Parents used to use it to grow vegetables." He smirked. "It only took them about five years to realize the time and effort for only a few things they only ate about half of wasn't worth the cheaper price when they could just go and buy them."
"Why not grow flowers, then?"
The human thought for a moment. "Because nobody comes out here other than me, I guess. It'd be a shame to do all that work just for them to die when winter comes around." Although, he could probably dig them up and put them in a pot to keep inside.
"Want to try?" She offered.
It wasn't hard to tell she was the one who wanted to try. Maybe it was just a Pokemon thing, to want to take care of and spruce up nature. Or it was an attempt to try and get him to do something for the sake of bonding. The temptation to call her bluff was definitely there.
"Stick around and maybe I will."
A moment went by before he realized that he'd agreed. Not exactly as planned. That just made it sound like something else entirely. Pushing that to the side, he thought over what little he knew about flowers, and which ones bloomed in the summer. Maybe some lavender. Come to think of it...well, he was pretty sure they were fit for spring, so it may be a bit late now. Either way, she might like violets. Who knew, they might just help her realize that anyone who saw her as inferior for having a different eye color was a fool.
The wind blew softly through the backyard, making his stare into the abyss disappear. Bryce glanced over to Lucario. She was also staring off into space, looking yet not looking at the fence. As one who was a connoisseur of the art of internal thoughts, he simply let her do so for a while, until she blinked, back into reality once again.
"Sorry. I kinda just do that sometimes."
He nodded. Call it a hunch, but he got the feeling the two of them would get along fine. Honestly, probably better than...well, anyone that wasn't Shadow, really. Guess it was true, weirdos do manage to find each other and stick together.
For once, he was okay with it...and for once, he stayed outside during the day longer than normal.
Author's Notes: Now that I actually understand how to write a story (crazy, I know), I realize that the initial story had the idea of Lucario coming to earth to learn about it, and then I pretty much brushed it right under the rug and focused on whatever topics I wanted. Dreams work like that, but in a proper story, not so much. Oh well.
The garden was something I'd decide to add very late in the cycle of thinking about rewriting this story, probably as late as the middle of 2019. Although I still don't do it as much as I should in real life, I love the use of nature and how it connects people to itself in literature. Even beyond its symbolism, the idea of doing manual labor, simple or complex, to create something for beauty or for profit has always intrigued me.
So it took until now to talk about the defining feature of Lucario, physically. The actual reason for the purple eyes is something much simpler than creating a means for a character to be prejudiced, but I also know there were a few people that messaged me that had expressed gratitude in showing a trait not accepted by the majority of others being portrayed in a positive light. That kind of thing is so big in the media now, and I'm definitely not about to get into that whole debacle, so I will only say this:
Comments are always appreciated, and remember to accept the differences in people and love them for who they are. -Delta