An overcast sky blanketed the grassy hillside where Tanner, Landon, and now Tessa were spending most of their time. The dark clouds threatened rain, though none came. Both Tessa and Landon seemed unfazed, claiming that if it rained they would use a move to keep themselves dry. Tanner wished he had that luxury. He still had no luck in learning any moves yet.

Tanner had been working his best at memorizing pokemon, moves, and other random things that Landon and Tessa brought up, including dungeon items. Dungeon items were objects that appeared in dungeons due to the magical powers there. Landon had given Tanner a little brown scarf called a 'Power band' that was supposed to boost his power. The hope was that it would get him to feel his energy more closely and use his moves easier.

It didn't work. Tanner was great at snarling, but he hadn't been able to use the move.

"Maybe I just can't use moves." He lamented.

"Don't entertain negative thoughts like that. You're a pokemon, you can use moves. The first one is always the hardest... though I am starting to wonder if Snarl wasn't a good idea to focus on." Tessa patted Tanner's back while thinking out loud.

"I didn't know any ghost moves. Snarl seemed like a good place to start." Landon shrugged.

"Scratch? Something normal?" Tessa asked.

"Don't know it."

Tessa tilted her head curiously at Landon. "You don't know Scratch?"

"Mightyena can't learn scratch." Landon flexed his claws dramatically.

"What's scratch?" Tanner interjected.

Tessa stood and walked over to a patch of tall grass. She took a deep breath and stood on one leg, before stepping into a wide stance. Her arms swung in a circular motion. A shimmer appeared at the end of her claws and she swiped across the grass, cutting several blades down. She then turned and opened her mouth to speak-

"That was metal claw." Landon interrupted before Tessa could say anything.

"Yes, but it's the same principle. You use your energy and channel it into your claws, and scratch something. It's all part of the same motion." She explained.

Tanner looked down at his paws. They were very soft and fluffy. He touched them, seeing if he could find that secret source of energy that he had been searching for.

"Woah... there are claws in there," Tanner exclaimed. They weren't very large claws, that was for sure.

Landon laughed, and Tessa couldn't help but smile as well.

"Yes, and the idea is that you can use them to attack. It's a good starting move to learn from." Tessa came over and sat next to Landon, crossing her legs as she did. "Try it."

Tanner walked over to the tall grass and sat. He looked down at his fluffy paw. Then he looked back up at the grass and swiped at it.

It bent awkwardly but wasn't scratched. Tanner's ears drooped, disappointed.

"The issue here, is that you haven't yet been able to use your energy…" Tessa pondered. Her eyes were closed and her hands resting on her knees with her palms facing upwards. "Maybe it's because you don't understand exactly what your energy is."

"Here we go," Landon mumbled.

"All pokemon can use moves, but not all pokemon do. Everyone has the capability, including you. Moves are just a manifestation of an energy that everyone has. The energy is more than just a tool though. It shapes your personality; it makes you who you are. Once you accept that, then you can reach your full potential."

Tanner pondered the words for a moment. It was very... Tessa. The energy shaped his personality?

"What does being normal mean then?" He didn't feel normal at all. He didn't even feel normal when he was back home.

"That's something only you can know," Tessa mused.

Tanner turned back to the grass and thought about what Tessa said. Maybe normal wasn't about being like everyone else, but being himself.

With that thought in mind, Tanner closed his eyes, focused, and slashed across the tall grass.

Nothing happened. He tried again, a few more times. It didn't work. After a few more tries, Tanner was becoming even more discouraged.

How was he supposed to help anyone if he couldn't do a move? How was he supposed to do anything here if he didn't even know what his energy felt like? It was probably because he wasn't really a pokemon. He was a Human, and he didn't belong here. He didn't belong anywhere.

Landon stood and looked at the ground thoughtfully. "I want to try something. Tessa, can you give Tanner a Helping Hand?"

The Lucario stood and placed a paw on Tanner's back. As soon as she did, he felt... something. He was slightly more energized.

"I think that did something..."

"Good." The Mightyena walked until he was a short distance away, then lifted up his head and Howled. It was short, but he felt the same thing. Empowered.

"Yeah, that was something," Tanner said again. Even if it was something though, he didn't know how to make that into a move.

"Very good. Tanner, do you remember what type of moves you are weak to?" Landon crouched down low and stared at Tanner. Unlike his normal demeanor, his ears were lowered, and his hackles raised threateningly.

"Umm... dark?" Inky black shadows began to leak out of Landon's fangs, evaporating in the light.

"Yep. Dark-type moves will hurt more than any other. Tanner, I'm going to bite you. Defend yourself." The Mightyena growled, and his red and yellow eyes glared at Tanner./p

Tessa eyed the others nervously, but didn't say anything.

"Wait, I can't-" Tanner stumbled back fearfully at the monster bearing down on him.

Landon bolted towards Tanner, shadowy blackness trailing out of his jowls as he ran forward. He moved like a dart, closing the distance on Tanner in only a few seconds.

Tanner cried out an animalistic yelp and jumped away as Landon's teeth swiped across where he once stood.

Landon wasn't kidding! He was going to hurt Tanner! He was going to use a move on him, and it was going to hurt more than if a regular rabid dog bit into him! So much for being friends…

"Stop! I can't do moves!" He cried out in despair, hoping for some kind of mercy.

"You can defend yourself. Just like you did with Ricky Dean, right?" Dark fog flowed out of Landon's mouth as he spoke. The Mightyena continued to stalk Tanner, preparing for his next attack. Landon's words stung. The truth was that he didn't defend himself against Ricky Dean. He was too scared. He wished he had though…

He wished he had done something.

Landon leapt forwards again, pouncing through the air with jaws outstretched.

Tanner, perhaps out of desperation, instinct, or a will to actually stand up to his attacker, swatted up at Landon's chin. At that moment, he felt the empowerment that he felt earlier. A longing to defend himself or maybe just to be proud of who he was. He felt energy at the end of his claws.

The rest was a blur. He and Landon collided and rolled across the hill. He felt a black chill run down his neck.

"You alright?" Tessa's voice called out soothingly.

Tanner didn't listen. He sat up and looked around for Landon, unsure if he was still being attacked.

The dog was sitting up not far away and touched his chin with a paw. He smiled and wagged his tail. "Yep. Got me good."

"I did it?"

"He did it?" Tessa turned her attention to Landon. There was a small scratch across Landon's chin where the fur was parted. The Lucario came over and took a closer look. "There it is, sure as the sun rises."

He did it! He used Scratch! He was a pokemon, who could do moves. He wasn't flawed or broken or dumb. He could use pokemon magic, learn powers, defend himself, travel the world and... maybe more.

A smile crept across his face. Despite the fact that he distinctly wasn't from this world, he couldn't help but feel impressed with himself. Here, among his new friends... Tanner felt like he belonged here. He had a purpose, and he had the power to accomplish it.

"Are you alright? Do you want to go visit Ramona?" Tessa asked Landon.

"No." Landon shook his head. "I have Orans back home that I need to eat before they go bad."

"Why didn't you make a substitute?" Tessa asked.

"It had to be the real thing. He needed to feel like he was in danger." The Mightyena laid back down, turned to Tanner, and smiled. "I'm proud of you."

Tanner felt a lot of emotions upon hearing that. He had never heard those words before. He looked away shyly, though his tail betrayed his happiness.

"We wouldn't want to waste good momentum. Let's try it again."

They spent another hour or two practicing the move, making sure that Tanner could repeat it. He could, though it was more draining than he expected. Tanner could consistently make shiny white energy appear at the end of his claws, scratch things, and cut grass. He knew the move.

He was also exhausted, and it was starting to rain. So, much to Tanner's excitement, the three of them returned to a modest plaster hut where Landon lived.

Tanner walked in the front door and looked around at the home. It was smaller than most houses that Tanner had seen- the roof was lower as well, though it was still large enough for any pokemon inside. He paused to look at shelves holding scarves and goggles, and various decorations and memorabilia scattered throughout the home. Tanner thought it was funny how many balls he saw around the house.

Tessa walked over and sat on a beanbag, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. Aura swirled around her sensors as she began to Meditate. Tanner followed and hopped onto a couch.

"Hey Tanner, how do you feel about jerky? I have some jerky here." Landon called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, jerky is great," Tanner responded. "Hey Tessa, what move is that?"

"This?" She opened her eyes, which glowed blue with the same energy. "This isn't a move. It's Aura. It's the life essence of all pokemon, and Lucario can see it."

"The life essence of all pokemon? It's just... blue?"

Landon laughed as he brought out a platter of food. "Yes, the life essence of everything is blue."

"Its color changes depending on the emotions of the individual. Your aura is bright and warm right now. It's nice." Tessa continued, unphased by Landon's teasing.

"Huh." Tanner was quite tired, but he did feel content.

"I could teach you to use it if you would like." Tessa closed her eyes again, continuing to meditate.

"How?" Though it did seem like a cool ability, going from just learning scratch to seeing the life essence of all pokemon was a big step.

"Though the Aura can only be seen by Lucario, all pokemon can use it. It's like a spiritual guide on our mortal journey." Tessa mused.

Tanner knew Tessa well enough to know that she was probably being philosophical. Landon rolled his eyes, and grabbed a bit of jerky to eat, though he said nothing.

"What do you mean?" He asked anyways.

"The aura can help you to embrace your true potential. It can show you who you truly are, if you listen to it. In that way, it can show you your strength." She continued.

Tanner pondered the words, and the odd irony in them. A pokemon wasn't who he was. He wasn't a ghost type or a Zorua. He was a human. He was weird and different. There were things he missed about being human. There were things he missed about home. Oddly though, he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere until now.

Here, in this magical world, he felt strong. He felt needed. He could see his potential, and he couldn't help but wonder if part of what Tessa was saying was true. If the life essence of all pokemon helped him to see the strength in who he was.

He couldn't help but wonder if trying to understand the Aura and himself would help him to find himself.

Tanner thought for a moment, then hopped off the couch. "I'll be back."

"See, now you've scared him off." Landon joked.

A few moments passed, and Tessa and Landon could hear more slashing noises coming from the other room. Tessa opened her eyes and looked over curiously, wondering what Tanner was slashing.

"You alright? Please don't cut up my furniture," Landon called out.

"No, I'm not cutting your furniture," Tanner responded. He was thinking about what Tessa said, and decided that after everything today, he wanted to be more like himself.

Tanner emerged from around the corner with some of his fur cut, leaving a long, thin line of fur running right down the middle of his head. Weirdly, the way his fur stood up and floated in the air, made for the perfect mohawk.

Tessa and Landon didn't say anything at first. They looked at him, a little confused at why he would cut his fur in such a way. Eventually, Landon spoke.

"Right. You said that Humans did things with their hair. Is this what you looked like before?"

Tanner nodded and sat back on the couch. He felt a bit nervous. Maybe cutting off his fur was a stupid idea…

"I like it. It looks unique, but you are unique." Tessa complimented.

"Thanks." That did make Tanner feel a bit better. He wasn't like other Zorua. He wasn't like other pokemon. It was alright if he looked a bit different too.

"You would have made a good Toxtricity." Landon said while munching on a berry.

Tanner wasn't sure what a Toxtricity looked like, but he took it as a compliment.