My mother hasn't told me yet about the EKG results, so I take that as good news. I'm fine, guys. I can start the new medication for my new OCD, that will hopefully allow me to get my life back. Let's check the story stats:
Reviews: 39. Views: 2,119. C2s: 3. Favs: 10. Alerts: 23.
Hm. I'd say I'm doing all right. What do you guys think?
Here we have what is easily the longest chapter yet. It's a little over six thousand words. The fact of the matter is that I haven't been writing chapter lengths to my best ability, and I think I really should try to hold to the four-day schedule, which is hypocritical of me because I'm posting this, or at least intend to, on Thursday night. With that in mind, let's get to the question.
Answer: I'm not the most athletic, and I'd say my favorite subject is English. I don't particularly like math this year. I'm a sophomore in high school.
Question: What's your favorite Pokémon story on this site?
I have created my own Discord, which is called SnowLucario's Fanfiction Club. If you have a mic and a Discord account, just PM me and I'll send you an invite link. Make sure your earphones are earbuds with microphones, because I ran into this problem in the That Universe Discord chat.
Also, the President Of The United States is mentioned here. It's not Donald Trump. Despite my left-wing political views, this chapter is not intended to take a stab at Trump. Just know that.
With that out of the way, let's get into the chapter!
SAMUEL'S POV
An hour later, we were driving straight through the White Mountains, appreciating the scenery. As Lucas did not have his license yet, and I did, I sat behind the wheel as my Zoroark friend sat in the passenger seat. For the most part, neither of us said much for the first two hours of the trip.
It was only when we were getting fairly close to crossing into Quebec, into Canada, that Lucas spoke up. By this point it was mid-afternoon, and my bladder was starting to act up. I should not have drunk so much water prior to leaving, but that was just what I had done. Besides, I hadn't wanted to be too dehydrated for the road. I had to remind myself that the important cargo was sitting right next to me. Lucas Leonard London.
"So...did news cover your transformation?" he eventually asked, reclining back in his seat. He put his hands behind his head like he was about to do some sit-ups, and was completely pumped up for it.
"Not really" I replied. "I suppose that the government must have figured that there was nothing they couldn't cover up. Really, President Jenkins covers up a lot".
I thought about what I was saying. Estonia Jenkins, the President Of The United States, was known to be hiding a lot of things. Who would put it past her to cover up something as potentially threatening to national security as teenagers changing into Pokémon? It was completely possible.
And, as I thought about it more, I had to actively focus. I knew that I didn't want to crash the car. Not when I had such an important mission, to get Lucas to the Zoroark habitat in Quebec. There, he'd be able to learn more about his powers of illusion, and how to better manipulate them. No doubt this would be an important skill for him to have in this world.
"Maybe I can wear clothes again, once we get to the point that I can use illusions to look like a human" Lucas said.
"Speaking of clothes" I said, trying to address the problem at hand, "I'm about to piss myself. Let's stop at the next rest stop, so we can see where we're going. I feel that we're going the right way, but my aura is just not at that level yet".
Lucas nodded. "That sounds good. Do you enjoy being a Lucario, by the way?"
I weighed the question before deciding to throw it right back at him. "Do you enjoy being a Zoroark?"
His face drooped. "I guess not, when you put it that way. I'm not liking not being able to wear any clothes. It's just weird, you know?"
"I know what you mean. Are you going to look out for the rest stop?" I asked.
"I will" Lucas replied. I saw him start looking on the other side of the highway for rest stops. Any place that allowed me to empty my bladder, and maybe confirm where the hell we were going, would be more than welcome.
You might be asking: Samuel, couldn't your aura help you find the habitat, no matter how far away it was?
That would be a comforting idea, but it's wrong. The fact of the matter is, there must have been some sort of protective powers around it, so that it could not be sensed from this far away. I could see why they would do that, even if it was wildly inconvenient for us.
Finally, we found a place to stop. After we relieved ourselves and bought some water, Lucas checked the map that was on the side of the rest stop.
"It says to keep going on this highway until we cross into Canada" he said. "Then, we'll hit passport control. Once we're through there, it's probably another couple of hours to the village. This really is a long drive".
"I hear you, Luke" I said to him.
Lucas stiffened up. "Please don't call me Luke. Like, ever. I just prefer the name Lucas".
My aura could sense that he wasn't kidding. He probably thought that his legal name sounded more professional than the nickname people often gave it, which is understandable. I mean, I don't go by Sam, for instance.
"We're going the right way, though" I said. "Another four hours and we'll be there. Another half hour and we'll be at border patrol. Make sure to have your passport ready".
Lucas opened his book, which had a photo of him that was probably taken when he was a couple of years younger. LUCAS LEONARD LONDON. DOB: JUNE 29, 200R.
"This is going to be fun, I know that much" he said sarcastically. "I hope you enjoy international travel".
"Never been to another country" I told him. "My family couldn't afford it".
"That kind of sucks" Lucas replied. "Then again, traveling sucks as well, sometimes. I mean, look at my legs".
"Well, right now those legs aren't that crazily long. Although we should probably avoid the news vans from here on out".
Lucas laughed dryly.
KIERAN'S POV
Ah...pizza. One of my favorite foods to order and eat for lunch, this place was my favorite by far. They had the best doughy crust, and the pepperoni was practically an inch thick. It didn't really melt in your mouth, but I'd always preferred foods with some substance, you know what I mean?
And, watching reruns of the Pokémon TV show (I know I'm 24, but don't judge), I was somewhat happy with my lot in life. It had been four years since my diagnosis, and, if the doctor's prognosis had been correct, I only had a few more months left to wreck havoc. A few more months to feel truly alive.
If only my pet Weezing hadn't come in to butt in on my bliss.
I was just sitting there, munching on my third slice of pizza, when the purple Poison type floated in through a window. I didn't know what to think, but the news couldn't be good. I had a sign right outside my room that my pet Pokémon were not allowed to come in when the door was closed under any circumstances. You would think that, if they were actually disobeying me, that there was some kind of problem going on.
"What is it, Weezing?" I asked it. "I'm busy watching Ash catch Pikachu, damn it!"
"Master, Sir Mortimer-".
"Just call me Kieran".
"Sir Kieran-".
"What did I just say?"
"Okay, Kieran. According to reliable sources, Lucas London, the boy who transformed into a Zoroark, is traveling towards the Zoroark habitat in Quebec. He's going to learn powers of illusion there, powers that may be enough to challenge you".
"Why should I care? I got nothing to lose" I said, waving my arm around this room. "A few more months, and I'm checking out of here".
"But Kieran...you know that he's going to be dangerous if he gets these powers. You must meet him at the Zoroark habitat".
I looked at my clock. It was 1:30 in the afternoon, and I knew that the habitat would be a quick flight, if you managed to find it. For the most part, it wasn't on maps, so it could take hours to find it even if you were within ten miles of its borders. It was in the middle of the northern woods, so I understood why.
"All right. I'm going" I said. "Will you call a Crobat in here?"
"Yes, of course, Kieran. Just wait for it to come, and then you'll be ready to fly in there. You don't want to drive?"
"No. Too tough to find" I said. "Better to look for it by air, you know?"
"Of course. Just wait five minutes".
I stood up and turned off the TV. There was no point in continuing to watch the show when I wouldn't be able to finish the episode. There really wasn't, and if I had ever believed that there was, I had been deluding myself.
LUCAS'S POV
Getting through the border control wasn't too difficult. All we had to do was show our passports, and there were some stares at our new Pokémon forms, but they ultimately let us in. If someone was going to cause trouble, it was unlikely that there would be a serious threat from a pair of teenagers that had turned into a Lucario and a Zoroark.
Finding the habitat was only slightly harder. It wasn't shown on maps, but Samuel seemed to have a general sense of where he was going. The weird thing was, so did I. I got a feeling that there would be a place nearby that could really help me realize my potential. I didn't think this sense was aura, but there might have been something else guiding me.
The scenery began to get less mountainous, with pine woods being a greater feature. We also saw billboards in kilometers rather than miles, and French words were listed next to the English. Really, those are the typical things you'd expect after crossing into another country.
Eventually, the sun began to sink, turning the sky orange. It was one of the prettiest sunsets I had ever seen, and I reclined further in my seat. I didn't fall asleep, but I did have a great time watching the trees flash by us.
Perhaps I did fall into a little bit of a doze, because the next thing I remember is Samuel saying, "Okay...we're here".
I opened my eyes to find that the sun was completely down, and it was getting dark. Already a few stars had begun to appear in the evening sky.
The scenery hadn't changed too much. There were trees all over the place, some clumped together as though they were mating. We were at the top of a circular valley perhaps five miles in diameter, with a river cutting through it. I could tell that, making up one piece of what looked like it could be a pizza, there was a small town made up of houses.
"That's where we're going" Samuel said. "Cars aren't allowed in the village, so I'm afraid it's on foot from here".
I groaned. Standing up, I found that my legs were pretty stiff from riding in the car for so long.
"Lean on me if you need" he told me. "It's about a two-mile walk into the village, so keep up your strength".
We began on our way down, passing pine trees upon pine trees upon pine trees. It was as if Arceus had decreed that this valley was meant for pine trees and nothing else. Which, really, made little sense, because it wasn't just trees. You get my point, though. There were a lot of trees.
There were a few flowers in some clearings, though. From the high point that we were standing on, we could see quite a lot, and even in the night these were visible. I couldn't wait to see what the clearings looked like in the daytime, because it would no doubt be breathtaking. Large swaths of what looked like prairie grass dotted the landscape.
"Is your aura vision working?" I asked Samuel. "Do you know where we're going to be staying tonight?"
"Not yet" the Lucario said. "But I can figure it out the closer we get to the village. Follow me".
And with that, we continued into the valley. For the most part, I only had to hold Samuel's hand rather than completely lean on him for support. Even though my legs were still fairly stiff, I enjoyed the walk very much. It was pretty awesome, watching the stars slowly turn above us.
It was no wonder that this was the place where the Zoroarks lived. This mysterious forest really looked like a great place to practice illusions. I could only hope that my skills I would learn here might be applicable to my new life.
After what must have been at least seventy-five minutes or so, we finally arrived at the edge of the village. From what I could see, most of the houses were log cabins, but they did have electric lighting. Streets made of dirt, rather than cobblestone or concrete, cut through the area. The houses were not arranged in any particular manner, but most of them all looked pretty much the same.
"I've heard that the village is socialist in nature" Samuel told me. "Pretty much everyone here has the same opportunities, and they share their resources. That's why so many of the houses are so similar".
I nodded. "Let's just find this place. I'm pretty bushed".
"I know. We're almost there, Lucas".
I felt dead on my feet by this point. Had I not been holding the hand of Samuel Cranmore, I might have been eating dirt for dinner. I just wanted to find where we were going to be staying at.
After what felt like an eternity, but was probably not more than five minutes, we arrived at a house that looked pretty much the same as the rest of them. Samuel took out his paw and knocked for a few seconds. There was no doorbell.
I was about to suggest that we just find a place to bed down in the woods when a Zoroark, slightly shorter than myself, came to the door. Instead of being dark red, its ponytail was blue.
"Are you Lucas London?" a female voice asked. It was coming from its mouth, so the Zoroark greeting us was a woman.
I nodded. "That is me".
"And Samuel Cranmore?"
The Lucario standing next to me, supporting me, nodded. "We've come to see you".
"Yes. Come in, and I'll cook something up for dinner that I'm sure you'll like. You are going to be staying with us. My name, by the way, is Carla".
"Thanks, Carla" I said. Really, this Zoroark woman was hospitable, more so than I could say about my mother. People always talk about Southern hospitality, and the stereotype of Northerners to not be hospitable is very much true. I couldn't wait to see what she had for us to eat.
Later, while we were sitting around the table, Samuel tried to get some conversation going. However, Carla seemed to already know what we were going to say. I was pretty sure that the power of Zoroarks did not involve reading minds, but I could have been wrong. I was still fairly new to this whole turning-into-a-Pokémon gig, so that might have been part of the reason why.
It was a delicious dinner, even better since I hadn't eaten for nine or ten hours. "My husband and son are already in bed, but you'll see them in the morning. We've got a man coming who is going to help you work on your illusions, Lucas. I think you're going to like him very much".
I walked into the back room, which looked kind of like a summer camp cabin. There was a bathroom adjoining it, and everything was made of pine wood. It was a place that so many people would want to live if they could, but no one could.
"The Wi-Fi password is 1652791-571" said Carla. "Here is your bed".
I looked at it. It wasn't particularly impressive, but it looked reasonably comfortable. I got in, pulled the blankets over me, and took a surprisingly long time to fall asleep.
For the most part, I was thinking about how much I liked this place. Maybe part of being a Zoroark was liking these natural settings a lot, but I didn't know for sure. And I wasn't sure that I would ever figure it out completely. All I knew was that I was very tired and very, very grateful to be here.
Finally, I managed to get to sleep.
KIERAN'S POV
It took a very long time to find our target. Even though we knew that the village was somewhere in southern Quebec, Quebec was a large province, and Canada was a large country. The second largest in the world, if you go by land area. Although we had a little bit of a clue where to go, it wasn't all that helpful.
You could have asked me, "Kieran, what about all of the lights?"
My answer to that question would have been, which lights? The city of Montreal was easy to see, and we knew that the habitat would be a decent bit away from that. There would be a few lights, but not more than would be expected of a small town.
I knew it was in the middle of a valley, though, so I ordered Crobat to make sure that we found the right area. If we touched down in the wrong town, we would have looked pretty stupid. In addition, there was no guarantee that we would have been able to find a hotel to stay at, even if we weren't immediately booed out of the place. It wasn't every day that you saw a young man just fly into town on the back of a Crobat.
Then, I remembered.
I hadn't used my aura abilities in a while. To be honest, I was somewhat scared of them. I had no idea why Arceus wanted me to have these powers, but he had given them to me anyways. That was the only possible explanation for what was going on.
As the sky was getting darker, I was getting more and more tired. Crobat didn't have any harnesses, so I had to keep on holding on. If I fell asleep, I would slide right off and fall thousands of feet to the ground. Somehow, I wasn't that cold either, this high up.
I reached out with my aura senses. Somehow, I had to figure out a way to find this village. I had to have faith.
Sure enough, I picked up on a village of Zoroarks just a few miles to the east of me. This was where I was going to go.
LUCAS'S POV
I woke up, and was instantly in a good mood. I'd gotten such a good night's sleep that it was almost unreal. I got out of bed and went into the doorway next to the kitchen, where I saw that Samuel was having a discussion with the Zoroark parents.
"Of course, he can stay as long as he likes" Carla said. I realized they were talking about me. There's nothing I hate more in this world than not being privy to conversations that relate to Lucas Leonard London.
"I don't know about that" a male Zoroark replied. "He's probably being hunted. They'll stop at nothing to catch him, unless he uses his illusions".
"Good thing Eric's coming today, then, right, Dad?" said a smaller, also male voice. I took this to mean that Carla's son was present. I'd been the last one to wake up.
"Yes, it is good, Malcolm" said the male Zoroark. "Lucas needs to learn how to protect himself".
I decided that now would be a good time to show myself. "I'm up" I said, stepping out from behind the door to the kitchen.
In the kitchen were two Zoroarks, one with blue hair and one with red hair. In addition, there was a Zorua with red hair, which was evidently a male. They seemed to be eating some kind of berry dish.
"You're Malcolm" I said to the Zorua.
"That's right" the young Pokémon said. "And I see that you are also a Zoroark. Lucas?"
"That's me" I said. "Although I'm not a Zoroark originally".
"Meema told me" Malcolm replied. "Meema told me that you were a human, and you turned into a Zoroark. How did you do that?"
"No idea" I replied. "I'm happy to say that I don't know. Well, I'm not happy about it, but you get what I mean".
The male Zoroark looked at me. "Greetings. My name is Jason. I would serve you some Oran berry custard, but you're going to be working on illusions today, and it's best to do illusions on an empty stomach. You know what I mean?"
Carla explained it to me. "Turning yourself into something else...can be quite sickening at first. Luckily, there's someone here to help with that".
"And who might that be?" I asked.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it" Malcolm said.
The Zorua went to the door, and on the other side was a medium-sized man wearing glasses and a red tank top. He looked like he was ready to do something important, which I supposed he was.
"Hello. I'm Eric. Where is Lucas?"
I walked to the door, shaking the man's hand. "I'm Lucas London. I believe I'm the one you were looking for".
"Yes, I'm looking for Lucas London" Eric said. "My name is Eric Owsley, and I'm going to be teaching you illusions. I'll also have your Lucario friend come with me. Where is Samuel?"
Just then, I heard the sound of a toilet flushing, then the sound of water running, and then the bathroom door opened. "Sorry" said Samuel. "I was just taking a piss".
"Okay, then" Eric said. "You guys, come with me. We're going to the top of the hill. I hope you're up for meeting my team".
"What is your team?" Samuel asked.
"I have a team of five Pokémon that I carry in these Pokéballs" he said.
Eric took out five Pokéballs. They were five different colors, which were red, blue, yellow, green, and black.
"Where did you get all of those different colors?" Samuel asked.
"I'll explain later" Eric said. "Let's go. There's no time to waste".
After twenty minutes of walking, we had exited the village, where it was about eight in the morning. The sun had come up, and the morning sunlight illuminated the flowery fields. Many young Zoruas were running around, having a good time. Some of them were staring at me; evidently, it was well-known that the village was hosting a former human. How long until this put them in danger?
No. I couldn't bear that thought. I couldn't let myself think I was bringing down harm upon these people. I needed to be able to live with myself, and this was just not going to happen if I kept feeling guilty for something that might happen.
"Want to meet my team?" Eric asked, sounding a lot friendlier now that we were away from the Zoroark family.
"Sure" Samuel said.
Eric took out his first Pokéball, revealing a Haunter. It looked at us like it wanted to scream at us, but wasn't going to in order to not piss us off. Which, admittedly, made me a little pissed off.
"Haunter doesn't talk too much" Eric said. "He's really not going to hurt you; he's kind of shy, but he always does look at you like that. Don't ask me why, I've never figured it out. I've had him since I was ten".
"How old are you now?" I asked. I knew that this was often a fairly rude question to ask, but I got the feeling that this man wouldn't mind.
"I'm 34" he said. "Twice your age. In fact, I've had all of these since I was old enough to be a trainer. I don't have a Zorua or Zoroark, but I'm trained in order to train people about illusions".
"That's good to know" the Lucario next to us said.
Haunter re-entered his Pokéball, and Eric took out the blue one. Now, standing in front of us was a Golem.
"Be careful with this guy" the trainer said. "He can be very aggressive at times, but he doesn't see you guys as threats. That's good".
"Would he help to defend us?" I asked Eric.
"No way to tell" the man said. "He's unreliable in emergency situations. Let us hope that we don't wind up in one of those".
"Hear, hear" Samuel said.
At this point, we were about halfway up the hill. The village was still visible, but barely. We were now hundreds of feet above it. As Golem stared back at us, looking as though he was about to strike, Eric recaptured the Pokémon.
"That's a relief" I said.
"I know" Eric replied. "I think we have time for one more before we get to the top. Come out, Beautifly".
Beautifly was very friendly. She wanted to have small talk with us, but I was trying to focus most of my air on walking up this steep hill. And it was steep, to the point that it would make a double-black diamond ski slope. This was not a casual hike, that was for sure.
Samuel, on the other hand, had far greater endurance than I did. I supposed that this was something that came with being a Fighting type. His aura organs were glimmering in the sun, which was getting warmer the higher up we went.
At this point, once Beautifly was back in her Pokéball, the prairie grass was all there was, with virtually no more trees. There were quite a few rocks, but the view was gorgeous. I could tell why this would be a great place to practice illusions.
"Mesprit is going to help you with this" Eric said, taking out his yellow Pokéball and releasing the being inside.
A Mesprit came out. It was a light blue Pokémon for the most part, except for its pink hair. It looked at us, somewhat angrily.
"How did you get Mesprit?" Samuel asked Eric. "You know it's a Legendary!"
Eric looked at both of us seriously. "You know that I have good connections, enough to get things like this for my team. Now, Mesprit, I want you to teach Lucas London some illusion skills. Can you do that?"
Mesprit nodded. "Lucas, I know that you need to be able to protect yourself. That's my goal here. I will teach you the powers of illusion, in order for you to be able to hide from your pursuers".
"I have pursuers?" I asked. I wasn't sure that I was in too much danger just yet. Then again, I didn't really know that much.
"Yes" Mesprit said. "I know this may come as a shock, but your being a Zoroark has put a target on your back. Already, the news is covering it to an insane degree, and it is important that you learn how to disguise yourself. What would you like to practice being first?"
I thought about it. "I want to be a Lucario".
I had always loved Lucario, simply because my first name was Lucas. Really, they shared such similarities that it was almost like a coincidence. Except that it wasn't.
"The name Lucas. It means 'light'. You must learn how to foster the light that is within your soul, or else it will fizzle out and you will be left as a Zoroark".
That sounded so New Age-y that I visibly cringed. Nobody I knew did that sort of thing, and I didn't even see why anyone would care. In a world with Pokémon, why need magic when you had such advanced science?
"Okay. How do I harness the power of light. I thought illusions were a Dark type thing".
"Oh, they are" Mesprit said. "But you can do it. Imagine a Lucario. Concentrate really hard. Focus all of your energy on picturing an Aura Pokémon, with blue fur, a peach-furred chest, and black aura organs. Picture yourself becoming one".
I remembered reading, in a Biology textbook, about Zoroarks and their powers. They couldn't take the actual form of a different Pokémon, or a human, but only the appearance of one. I'd still be just as much a Zoroark if I managed to become a Lucario; I'd just look like #448 instead of #571. I didn't see how much of an effect this was going to have, but I did know that it would at least be somewhat helpful.
"Focus, Lucas London".
I pictured a large, furry Lucario. Six feet, two inches tall, one hundred and seventy-five pounds of pure Steel and Fighting. I pictured the blue leg fur where one would wear pants, short black legs, and a chest spike. I imagined myself evaporating and then turning into one. How hard could it be?
I concentrated so hard that I began to feel hot and dizzy. The morning sun wasn't that intense this far north, but maybe it was my concentration that caused me to collapse to the ground.
The next thing I remember is coming to on the ground, with Samuel fanning me with his paw. "There. You're awake".
"What happened?" I groaned. It wasn't unlike when I'd passed out in the Lucario's hospital room. This time, the Lucario was the one worried about me. The roles were reversed here.
"You passed out from focusing too hard" said Mesprit. "You need to relax, Lucas. You're going to get it eventually. Maybe try a little less hard, this time".
I nodded and decided to take her advice. Once again I tried to tune the world out...all that mattered was my turning into a Lucario, or at least looking as though I had. This was the thing I had to do. I had to imagine myself as a Lucario, and I would look like one.
And then I remembered what had happened. I had to focus less hard...perhaps a lot less hard. If I didn't tune my focus down a little bit, I might lose consciousness again. That was one thing I didn't want.
I relaxed a little bit...which was enough to fall down on my ass, crushing my tail.
Let me tell you, that hurt.
"Are you okay, Lucas?" Mesprit asked me.
"Yeah, I'm fine" I said, my eyes watering from pain. "Just...fell down. Was I focusing too hard again?"
"It might have been the opposite problem" the Legendary Pokémon said. "You may not have been focusing hard enough. You need to make sure that you have your eye on the prize, but you also have to focus on not passing out. Let me tell you, this is a difficult balance to maintain".
I stood back up with assistance from Samuel. "One more try?" I queried. I was feeling pretty exhausted, if truth must be told.
"Yes" Mesprit said. "One more try. Keep your eye on the prize, Lucas. Keep your focus in the middle".
I stood up, feeling the warm sun heating up my fur. Then, I focused once more on my goal.
This time, it was like there was a gauge that was teetering on a fine line between too much focus and too little. It wasn't something I couldn't handle, but it was like trying to keep your balance on a tightrope, something I've never done before.
I imagined a Lucario standing right in front of me. Not hard, because there really was one. Samuel.
Like a library scanner, the type they use when you're checking out a book, I imagined that I was scanning Samuel, much like Doopliss from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. I had to look like a Lucario, or else I would fail. But I couldn't focus too hard, or else I'd embarrass, or even hurt, myself. That wouldn't be an ideal outcome.
I was changing shape. Not literally, none of my bones were changing or anything like that. But I was getting smaller, and I could sense that I looked different. I had my eyes closed, but I could "see" the meter in front of me, like a meter on a car that tells you how much longer until you're out of gas, as "220 miles till empty tank". I had to keep that needle in between the F and the E.
And then, I could sense that some change had happened. I opened my eyes and looked down at myself.
I was a Lucario. Or, at least, I looked like one.
"Nice job, Lucas!" Samuel congratulated me. "We can be buddies now!".
I laughed. "Weren't we already buddies?" I asked in my Zoroark voice.
And, immediately, I saw myself change shape. I was back in my normal form. Not as a human being, but as a Zoroark...which I suppose had become "normal" for me.
"Sorry about that" Eric said, coming back into focus. "I wasn't talking to you guys, because I didn't want to break your concentration. But, Lucas, if you talk, that automatically breaks the illusion. So hold illusions only as long as you are able to go without speaking".
I nodded. "Thanks for the tip, Eric. Can we head back down the hill now? I'm getting really hungry".
It was true. I felt like I had burned about ten thousand calories from trying the illusions just three times. I wasn't even sure that I could make it all the way back down the hill to the house that Carla, Jason, and Malcolm inhabited. It would take quite a bit of effort.
Before any of us could say anything more, though, a shape came walking up the hill. It was a man with graying, collar-length hair. I was wondering what was going on with him. I'd never seen the guy before.
Next to him was a Weezing, the large, purple Poison Pokémon. It was quite a sight, particularly considering just how ghastly and abnormal it looked amid all of the bright greens of the Canadian countryside.
"What is it?" asked Samuel. "You see, we were kind of just hanging out here, minding our own business, and then you have to butt in on our bliss".
"Don't worry" the man said. He stepped closer into our view, and it was now possible to see what he looked like. With a heavy overcoat on, as well as a wide-brimmed hat and a beak-shaped mask, it was clear to see that he liked baggy clothes.
He took off his mask, revealing a gaunt, frail face with long, collar-length and graying hair. He did not look healthy.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The man leaned in closer to us. "My name is Kieran Mortimer" he said. "Misery loves company, and I am quite lonely".