Twenty story favorites! This is a great milestone, and I'm pretty proud of it. We're getting up there in terms of popularity, and every view, review, follow, and favorite is like a birthday present several weeks early.

This is the chapter where things really start to heat up. I have a general idea of where this story is going, and I hope that you guys are going to like it.

Answer: I listen to a lot of different types of music when I write. Billy Talent, Little Mix, '80s one-hit wonders, video game soundtracks, mediocre pop songs...I listen to everything. Well, not everything, but you get the idea.

Question: How old are you, if that is not considered too personal? If you only want to give a range, that's cool too. I don't need to know your exact date of birth.

Finally, one last thing. I have left DeviantArt. With President Trump's ISP law, I decided that, since DA doesn't have "https" in front of it, it was best if I left. Besides, I was using it less and less frequently over the months.

LUCAS'S POV

We walked into the house, which looked pretty much exactly as it had the last time we were there. Apparently, no earthquake had struck the area, so there was no destruction done. It still looked as cozy and home-ish as it normally did, with the green carpet on the floor and the normal rocking chairs.

"Please explain what is going on, however" Carla said. "Kieran".

"Me?" the young man asked. "What about me?"

"I want you to explain why you are here" the blue-haired Zoroark said, reiterating her point. She no longer sounded very motherly, now sounding fairly stern. "I'm happy to have you stay the night with us, I'd just like to know what your purpose is".

We headed into the living room, where there was a Zoroark and a Zorua. I knew who these were, because I'd met them before. Jason and Malcolm Greenlake.

Jason was sitting in a rocking chair, relaxing and stretching his large body out. Malcolm was on the floor, playing with what seemed to be a series of Lucario action figures. I thought about asking him what these were, but I knew that we had more important matters to attend to.

"We're on a quest" Kieran said. "Do you remember the flower that Lucas felt tethered to the other day, when he was here?"

"And he got put to sleep by the Bellossoms?" Malcolm asked, raising his paws in the air in a mixture of amusement and intrigue. "That was so funny! And cute".

"Malcolm, you're not helping" I said, trying not to blush. Not that it would have been visible underneath my heavy black fur.

"He's right" Jason said, putting his arm on his son. "That was no laughing matter. That is no laughing matter. If this is about that flower, you'll need to head into that grove again, and this time come out without getting put to sleep. It's not going to be easy!"

"There might be a way, though" his wife said, smiling.

"What is that, Carla?" Michelle asked. I could tell that she didn't buy it without being told precisely how it could be done. And I agreed with my sister. I wanted to know a way that we could enter that grove without instantly risking being attacked. I wanted to know a way that we could find the secret of the flower.

"I know of someone within the village", Carla said, "who can put a blessing on you. The blessing of Insomnia".

"Blessing of Insomnia?" Kieran asked. "That doesn't sound good".

Carla chuckled. "Dear, it won't prevent you from being able to sleep when you need to. This is just so that Sleep moves have no effect on you. You'll be impervious to those moves".

Personally, the idea sounded pretty good to me, but that raised a few questions. How had more people not heard of this?

"Do we really know that this works?" Jason asked. "Really sounds like a con man to me".

"What choice do we have?" I asked. "We can stay here and allow Team Rocket to take over the world using this flower, or whatever might happen, or we can go out and find the real answers to what's going on here. I still want to know why I transformed into a Zoroark. And why Samuel turned into a Lucario".

"Lucas is right" Kieran said. "We'll need to see this person, check to see if he looks fishy. I'm sure that Samuel could check his aura, to see if he was likely to be intentionally deceiving us. That's what we should do".

"All right" Jason said. "I concede that this is our best course of action. Let's eat some dinner, and we can work out some more logistics of this quest. We're going to make it all work out, somehow. But let's eat first".

With that, Jason and Malcolm led us into the dining room, where a brilliant meal had been set up. Miltank steak, as well as fried potatoes and Bonsley leaves, were laid out on the red-and-white tablecloth, the type you would find in a stereotypical Italian restaurant.

We sat down and dug in. It tasted just about as awesome as it looked, and I was glad that Zoroarks could still eat the same food as humans. I noticed, however, that Kieran did not seem to be eating as much as everybody else. Perhaps he wasn't hungry, but it was plain to see, now that he was inside and under the light, just how thin he was.

I saw my sister, who was pretty skinny, and looked at myself, who was slightly stockier in physique. I wondered why Kieran was so thin, though. Why didn't he eat as much as the rest of us?

It wasn't like it mattered to me. At least, if I asked him, that was probably going to be what he would say. But I really did wonder why he didn't eat in order to keep his strength up.

"So", Carla said, "you guys are going to be leaving in the morning?"

"That's the plan" Samuel said, between bites of steak.

"Well", said Jason, "you're going to have to see that man, who at least says he can put the Insomnia blessing on you. Then, you'll find this flower. Hopefully, it will provide you with some answers. I know that you're really looking hard for them".

"You can say that again" Michelle replied.

"Can I go with them?" Malcolm piped up.

All of us looked over at the young Zorua. I wasn't sure exactly how old he was, but he might be a liability if he joined us. Really, it was silly of him to expect that he would even have a chance at it. I didn't think that I wanted him in our group.

"Malcolm, you're only ten years old!" Jason said, slamming his fist on his chest harder than Maxwell's silver hammer. "What makes you think that we would let you go on a quest that is so dangerous?"

"I really want to do something else. I want to see more than just this village!" he cried, sounding like an utter brat. "I want to evolve!"

Carla looked at her husband. "Really, Jason, he's not going to evolve unless he gets some adventuring in. He's still only Level...what level is he?"

"We can get it checked in the village, somewhere" Kieran said. "Maybe the man who will give us the Insomnia blessing can also tell us what level Malcolm is. If so, we'll know how long it is until he evolves. At least, we'll have a good idea".

"I never said you could go, Malcolm" Jason replied.

"I'm fine with it" I said. "The more the merrier. Safety in numbers".

"So am I" Michelle said.

Kieran and Samuel were also okay with it. "If it's okay with all four of you", said Carla, "I don't see why not. But I am going to have to be very clear about some things, guys".

We all tuned in to hear what the female Zoroark would say next. "Yes?" I asked, cutting into another piece of steak. (There were special knives that the Greenlake family, as well as probably the other Zoroarks and Zoruas in the village used, that were made especially for Pokemon. Michelle and Kieran, as humans, were having a little more trouble).

"For one, Kieran, you are going to be the one most responsible for keeping Malcolm safe. He is only ten years old, and this quest is going to be very dangerous. All of you should be willing to do whatever it takes, short of laying down your own lives, to defend him. You got that?"

We nodded. This was a heavy conversation to be having over dinner, for sure.

Kieran looked like he was willing to do anything at this point, though. This was a big change from the man who had commandeered an army of Poison types to help destroy my house. It was certainly a big change from the man who had attacked Samuel and myself on top of the hill near the village.

"I'm up for the challenge, Mrs. Greenlake" he said, putting one last bite of steak in his mouth. "I think we should get ready, though. Malcolm, are you sure you want to do this?"

The Zorua raised his paw in the air. "As sure as I am about anything. I want to help you guys solve the mystery! It's like a huge treasure hunt!"

I frowned. "Yes, I guess it is. But it's a dangerous one, and you don't have to do this. You can go on with your life, and not go on this treasure hunt. Or you can come with us and take some risks".

Jason frowned at me. "Lucas, are you trying to make it sound appealing to him on purpose? Do you want him to die?"

"For the last time, Papa, I'm not going to die!" Malcolm squealed. "And Meema, you too. I'm going to survive this trip".

"You'll make sure of that, right, Kieran?" asked Carla. "If Malcolm dies as a result of your negligence, I will personally use Night Slash on you until you join him".

"Ah, Meema, don't say things like that! For the last time, I'll be fine!"

Kieran, despite "Meema's" threat, didn't seem too fazed by it. He just nodded and said, "I will protect him to the best of my ability".

I decided not to warn the Greenlakes that he had attacked us on Saturday. We didn't need to cause them any unnecessary worry. Indeed, that was the meaning of the word "unnecessary". We just wanted to get this thing over with, find out what was going on with the necklace, and how we could get Samuel and myself back into human form.

"Very well, then" Jason said. "In the morning, you five will embark upon your quest. Good some rest. You're going to need it".

MICHELLE'S POV

I don't remember falling asleep, nor do I remember any dreams. There is, however, one thing that I remember very well.

In the middle of the night, I woke up, feeling terrified. There was no explanation for what was going on. I didn't have much reason to be worried, unless you counted the quest that we were about to be embarking on. Granted, I was worried about that, but there was something far more pressing than that.

No, what I was worried about was the fact that I could not move a muscle.

I'm not talking about being so tired that you feel like you can't get out of bed. That was nothing by comparison.

I was literally paralyzed. I could not do anything except look around, trying to see what was going on with everyone else. Malcolm was sleeping next to Lucas, a Zoroark and Zorua right next to each other. They were in separate beds, though, so it wasn't like they were cuddling with each other. Samuel and Kieran each had their own beds as well, and they were also sleeping peacefully. As far as I could tell, I was the only one awake in the house.

I tried to move my mouth. It would only move to the point that I was able to breathe; otherwise, it stayed right where it was. I couldn't make any noise, not even by moving one finger. There was just no way that I was able to alert anyone else as to what was going on.

According to the clock, it was about one in the morning. Still quite a few more hours until the others would wake up, most likely. I didn't know how much I tossed and turned during the night, so maybe the silence would wake them up.

And, almost just as soon as it had started, it stopped. I was able to move my toes once again, followed by my fingers, arms, and legs. I was no longer paralyzed!

Trying to calm my racing heart, wondering what had just happened, I tried to think about something I had learned in health class at school. Sleep paralysis...that was what it was. Apparently it could be caused by stress, or lack of sleep. One of those I was not short of in the least, and that was stress. Not only that, but grief as well.

My mother had always cared for me more than she had cared for Lucas, for reasons I did not quite understand. However, she still didn't deserve to die that way. If only I had been able to get home sooner. Maybe if I hadn't been hanging out with Olivia…

No, I chided myself, don't think that way. There is no control you had over it. Absolutely none.

That was true. I had to remember that there was nothing I could have done, no way I could have stopped my mother from being consumed by those flames.

With that, I tried to get back to sleep, but I eventually accepted that it just wasn't going to happen. I was too hyped up on a adrenaline, too rattled from my experience of sleep paralysis, and too nervous about tomorrow in order to find my way into dream land.

All there was left to do was to watch the sky get slowly, but surely, lighter and lighter. Eventually, the sun would be up, we would eat breakfast, and then we'd be leaving the village behind. Where we were going to go, I didn't know, but there was one thing I did know, and that was that we were going places we had never been before. This was, to paraphrase Malcolm Greenlake, "going to be a big treasure hunt".

LUCAS'S POV

The next morning, as we were eating breakfast, I noticed that Michelle looked more tired than usual, as though she hadn't slept the whole night. I didn't see why she wouldn't have. After all, the beds were pretty awesome, pretty comfortable, and it should not have been a problem in order to get a night of quality sleep on those things.

Then again, I had taken a while to get to sleep myself. I knew that the next day was going to hold some challenges, and it was tough to rest easy with that knowledge.

"So we're going to this man who's going to give us the Insomnia blessing?" I asked Kieran as I cut into a large Oran berry.

"Yes, we are" said Kieran. "His name is Mr. Enfield, and he's going to be more than willing to help us. I think we should go right after breakfast".

These were really awesome berries. You could cut slices out of them the size of slices of watermelon, that was how big they were. Not only that, but they tasted absolutely delectable. Carla Greenlake really was an excellent cook.

"And I'm coming with you guys, right?" Malcolm asked, raising a paw in excitement.

"Yes, you are" I said. "Be sure to behave yourself, because we don't want to make any mistakes".

"Yeah, yeah, I will" the young Zorua replied.

After the meal was over, Carla and Jason took Malcolm into a nearby room in order to have a discussion with him about how he was going to behave on this quest. I figured that it was none of my business to be aware of this.

"He's really quite exuberant, isn't he?" Kieran asked. "I remember the days when I was just like Malcolm...and then I grew up, learned to face the world for what it really is, learned that you need to act in accordance with reality. Especially for me…".

He trailed off, and I had no idea what he was going to say next. Was he showing a little...vulnerability, was that the right word? Given what I knew about Kieran, what I knew of Kieran, there was just no way he was being genuine. He couldn't possibly be as benevolent as he had been letting on lately.

And yet...I did believe him. I was forced to, because I had to trust him. That was the only way this quest was going to work out. I didn't know how much was at stake, but it was always best to be as careful as possible.

Eventually, I was saved from my reverie from Malcolm entering the dining room, clearly with a spring in his step. "Meema and Papa say that I can go! Have you guys packed your bags yet?"

"That won't be a problem" Kieran replied, waving his arm.. "I only ever wear this stuff, and Pokemon don't need to wear clothes at all".

"Are you sure that I won't randomly change back into normal?" I asked. "We don't need to be arrested for...that".

"We can buy some clothes just in case. Except…" Kieran said.

"What is it?" Malcolm asked Kieran. "I just wanna leave!"

"We only have American dollars. No Canadian money. Fu-".

"No swearing in this house!" Carla called from the other room.

"There's a store near us" said Malcolm. "They sell clothes, and they accept American money. I think we should go there, maybe get a backpack. Who will carry it?"

All eyes fell on Samuel. He was probably the strongest out of all of us. Tying my own school backpack to my ponytail, while it had worked, had not been very efficient in terms of weaving in and out of groups of people. Kieran, now that he was close to us, looked quite weak by comparison. He didn't look very healthy for a man of 24, and I could only guess as to what.

"I'll do it" Samuel said. "Let's just go to the store".

We walked out of the house, after saying an emotional good-bye to to Carla and Jason Greenlake. The sun was climbing in the sky, illuminating the various fields of flowers, including the one we intended to head to later. I could tell that the flower was beckoning to me.

Could I still feel the tug? I decided to test that out, focusing on that flower. I still remembered the exact hexadecimal color code.

Trying not to look weird as we walked along the avenue, I "reached out" to the flower, trying to see if I still felt as though I were harnessed to that flower. It was working, and I was able to imagine the rough blue straps enveloping my lower body, much like when I would go on the ropes course at summer camp.

Okay. I could still feel the flower nearby. Once again, it was a little embarrassing, or shameful rather, to be obsessing over a flower.

I knew that there was a difference between embarrassment and shame. Embarrassment, in order to be experienced, requires you to be around other people when such a thing happens. Shame, on the other hand, can be felt even when there is nobody to witness the shameful act except for yourself. In this case, I was feeling both.

For the most part, I was blindly following Malcolm. Indeed, we all were. The youngest member of our group knew this place far better than any of us, ironically enough.

"We're here!" I heard the young Zorua say after a few minutes.

Looking up, I saw that the store seemed to be a log cabin, much like the rest of the dwellings in the village. What set this one apart from the ordinary homes, however, was that there was a Cerulean sign (#0073B9) that read, POKEMART.

"This is it" Malcolm said, unnecessarily. "Everything you need is in here. Meema even gave me some money".

We entered the Pokemart and saw that it looked like an ordinary grocery store or pharmacy you would find in pretty much any normal small town. There were a few aisles selling backpacks, a few selling Pokeballs, and a few selling potions.

"Let's stock up on some Antidotes" Michelle said. "I get the feeling that we'll need some of those".

"Not for me, though" Samuel replied. "Remember, I'm a Steel type".

"That's true" Kieran replied. "Still, though, for the rest of us, we'll want a safety net in case we get poisoned. Remember, to quote Donald Trump, it's a safety net, not a hammock, that we need".

"I'll find a backpack" Samuel said. "You guys work out what potions we will need. And Malcolm's in charge of the money".

With that, we went out in order to buy our things.

As it turns out, entrusting all of your money for a shopping trip to a ten-year-old, potentially ADHD Zorua is not the best idea. I wish that I could have put all of the blame on Samuel, but all of us are at least slightly culpable.

Because, when we got to the counter in order to pay for what we had bought, it turned out that we were just a little short on cash. As in, about the amount of two Max Revives.

Could there be something we didn't need? That was the only way this was going to work; we had to downsize.

"Don't need this" Kieran said, tossing a fancy backpack to the side. "We don't need anything too fancy in order to carry what we need; just something that'll do the job. You know, Samuel, you didn't have to choose anything golden".

"Even though it looks awesome?" Malcolm asked, almost bordering on whining.

"For Arceus's sake, Malcolm, yes" Kieran said. "I'm not a father and likely never will be, but I know that you can't just spoil your children all the time. Now, come on. Find a cheaper backpack, and then we can get out of here and to this man who will give us the blessing. It's that simple".

Malcolm went back and delivered the flashy golden backpack back to where he had found it. Then, he selected one that looked far less fancy. It was blue, leathery, and had the logo of a Pokeball on it. Luckily, it seemed fairly sturdy, so it would hopefully hold up.

Hopefully. A word that can mean probably, or maybe, or probably not, depending on the context in which it is used. Not a very reassuring word, at least not to me.

"Let's get this done" I said.

We paid for our purchases and then headed out into the streets of the village. We had only spent about twenty minutes in the store, but it was getting more crowded in the streets already. Many Zorua were running through the streets, playing games of tag or hopscotch. For the most part, we tried not to get too tangled up in what was going on. We just wanted to get to this holy man, of sorts.

"I've always been a skeptic by nature" Samuel said. "I don't really know if we can trust this holy man. Is what he says about being able to give those blessings true? If it's not, I'm going to be pretty pissed off".

"The store is nearby" Malcolm said. "And I know that it works. You'll just have to trust me on this one!"

With that, the young Zorua began bounding off through the village, and we had to follow him as well as possible. It was tough to train my eyes upon Malcolm specifically, but I managed to do it. And Kieran, Samuel, and Michelle were following behind me. Together, we formed a caravan through the dirt roads, only the guy at the front being aware of our destination.

After about five minutes, Malcolm said "We're here!" in a voice that was full of childish excitement, an exuberance that very few ten-year-olds, even, had. Even though he might have been like the annoying little brother I had never had, he was helpful for navigation as long as we were within the Zoroark village.

The place looked like a New Age store, especially one of those you might find in Sedona. All sorts of trinkets, some with Pokemon heads on them, adorned the shelves as well as the windows. I noticed that one item there looked suspiciously like the pendant with the Zoroark head on it.

The pendant that had transformed Samuel and myself.

Malcolm led us into the store and asked the cashier where Mr. Enfield was.

The clerk, whose nametag read ROCKWELL, was a Glaceon. The village was not entirely composed of Lucario, Zoroark, and Zorua, after all. Rockwell appeared to be reading the latest edition of Battling magazine, while humming something that sounded like "I Ran (So Far Away)". He didn't seem to be paying attention to what was going on at all.

"Oh, yeah, Mr. Enfield?" he said, after Malcolm tapped him on the wrist. "What's the password?"

"Insomniac!" Malcolm squealed.

The Glaceon nodded. "You may see Mr. Enfield. What are you here for today?"

"Can I talk, Malcolm?" Kieran asked the young Zorua.

"Sure" Malcolm said.

"We're here to receive the Insomnia blessing" said Kieran.

"Very well, then" Rockwell said, not looking suspicious at all. It was as if people requested to be blessed with Insomnia all the time. Which, granted, was not impossible at all.

Rockwell got up from the desk, continuing to hum '80s music as he led us into a back room.

Sitting on the floor was what the oldest man I had ever seen in my life. One of my grandfathers is 91, but this guy must have been even older than that. He was bald on top, and so wrinkled that it looked like a road map. However, he did have a beard that stretched for about six inches below his chin.

"Are you Mr. Enfield?" I asked. I didn't mean to speak too loudly, just loud and clear enough that this old man would be able to hear me. From what I could see, he wasn't wearing hearing aids or anything of the sort.

"Yes, I am" the man croaked. "And you spoke far too loudly. You see, unlike most men, I have been given a gift by Arceus himself. I have gained a more acute sense of hearing the older I have gotten".

"How old are you?" Malcolm asked.

Samuel looked at him. "You never ask adults how old they are. That's just the number one rule".

Mr. Enfield chuckled. "It's no problem. I'm a hundred and three. But I heard you wanted to be given the Insomnia blessing".

"That is true" Kieran said. "This is what we came for".

"All five of you?" Mr. Enfield asked. "That'll be five hundred dollars, Canadian".

I shared a grimace with Samuel. We had blown all of our money at the store earlier. There was no way we could afford $500 for this.

Kieran put his hand over his heart and dropped to his knees, like a man repenting to God for a grave sin he had just committed. "Mr. Enfield, we have no money. But this is very, very important. If you do not bless us, we will not be able to continue on our quest. We need to get the flower from the grove".

We'd tried it before, and now we needed to try again. Mr. Enfield nodded, before chuckling. "The Zoroark's Flower. Hexadecimal color code #854185. I remember when I looked for it as a young man".

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"Same thing as what I can guess happened to you" the old man said. "I got hit by a full barrage of Sleep moves, took me hours to come to. I want you to stand in a pentagonal formation, all around me".

We did so. Even though Mr. Enfield had not specifically told us to hold hands, all of us formed a chain anyways. I linked myself with Samuel and Malcolm, although myself and Michelle had to kneel in order to meet with Malcolm. Luckily, I'm tall enough that holding Samuel's hand wasn't a problem, although the poor Lucario was forced to bend over significantly. Kieran was pretty much unaffected.

Mr. Enfield was kneeling in the middle, like a Buddhist monk. He said, "I hereby bless all of you with Insomnia. You will still be able to sleep at night, just not be affected by Sleep moves. This will make it easier to complete your quest".

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Maybe this guy really was a crock after all.

But then, I felt something warm in my body. It was the kind of buzz that I could associate with caffeine. I'd only ever had a couple of sips, and I pride myself on being the kind of person who doesn't need coffee to get through the day.

Forget being injected with caffeine. This was like an IV drip of pure caffeine, no way I could stop it. And yet...I didn't feel like I was about to run wild, as well. I became convinced that this was more than just crockery. This could be something real, a blessing that would allow us to enter the Bellossom's grove.

The feeling kept running through my veins, and I was linked to the others through our hands. Looking around the pentagon, I could see that all of the others were also looking like they were receiving a blessing. Kieran, who normally looked pale, gaunt, and weak, looked like he had a lot of energy now. Michelle no longer looked exhausted either.

And then, the feeling stopped, almost as soon as it had started. I knew that we were now invulnerable to Sleep moves; I somehow knew that Mr. Enfield's blessing was going to work.

"Did this work?" asked Michelle.

"Yes. You have been blessed with the power of Insomnia. You will now no longer fall prey to the Bellossom's Sleep moves. You should now go and continue with your quest! The world is waiting for you".

We thanked the old man, and then we bade goodbye to Rockwell. Now, I could have sworn he was humming "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. I didn't even want to think about why he was into '80s music so much.

"Okay" Kieran said, once we were back in the sunlight. "Where do we go now?"

At this point, some of the Zoruas, as well as the younger Zoroarks who had evolved more recently, were in school already, so the village was less crowded. We were already near the edge of town, but we were on what, if I remembered correctly, was the complete opposite side from where we needed to be in order to reach the grove. It was going to be a long walk, for sure.

The thing was, however, I felt ready for anything. I could have run the distance if I wanted to, and I'm not the athletic type.

"I know where the grove is" Samuel said. "Follow me. Are you guys up for a three-mile jog?"

Energy seemed to be a renewable resource for Malcolm, but I was not quite the same way. However, the blessing of Insomnia really seemed to change things. I found myself running along, keeping up with Samuel and Malcolm. Even Kieran was able to jog, although I could tell that he was having a hard time catching his breath on some occasions.

All I could think about was that we were about to get to the flower. We were about to find out the secret that it possessed. The invisible tether connecting me to it had pulled taut, and I was getting pulled closer and closer in towards the flower.

"Let's do this" I said, pumping my fist in the air.

Eventually, we reached the grove, still full of energy. I was glad that we had the blessing, because, without it, we would experience more embarrassment than we already had. This was going to be great.

"All right. The color of the flower is #854185, but I'll feel a tug right towards it, so we don't need to keep that in mind too closely" I said.

"How would we tell the exact hexadecimal code of a flower when we don't have a computer nearby?" Kieran all but shouted.

"Good point" I said. "I guess it doesn't matter too much. Let's just get this thing going".

Since I was the one who felt the tether, I was the one who would enter the grove. At first, I was pushing the irritating needles away from myself. It wasn't very comfortable, walking through, but I still had my goal in sight.

"Oh, you again" I heard a voice say.

I looked at a Bellossom, which was the one who had spoken. "I don't know you".

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to sing you to sleep again" the Bellossom said.

I held up my arms. "No, you're not. I have the blessing of Insomnia now. I'm not going to get put to sleep by you".

"Okay, fine. My name is Flora. The other day, I helped the Lucario carry you out of the grove and back to the Greenlakes' residence. What do you seek here this time?"

I did not hesitate. "The flower. The color is #854185, and I have felt a tug towards it whenever I am within the village. We are on a quest, searching for the truth behind the necklace that transformed me into a Zoroark, as well as my friend, Samuel Cranmore, into a Lucario. I do not wish to fight you".

Flora smiled mischievously. "You can take the flower, but I'm not going to help you find it. You can go and look yourself".

As I began to follow the invisible tether, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, the rest of my party enter the grove. They were all wearing in-awe expressions on their faces, showing just how much they thought this grove was gorgeous.

I searched among a patch of #ED7527 flowers, among grass that was the color #81C41C (Tahiti Gold and Lima, respectively). I was still looking for one goal: The specific Vivid Violet flower that had eluded me for three whole days.

"Guys! I think I've found it!" I said, holding up the purple flower.

Kieran, Malcolm, Michelle, and Samuel ran over to me. "That's awesome, Lucas! Let's see what it does!"

I held up the flower, which began to glow a brilliant indigo color. Other Bellossoms came out of hiding, as if they were going to attack us, but it was too late; we had already acquired whatever it had for us, which was…

Nothing?

No, it couldn't be. We'd come all this way, and for there to be nothing out of the ordinary about this flower just didn't sit well with me. There had to be a reason for us to be here. Something, anything.

And then, I felt it. I somehow knew what was going on, although I couldn't articulate it completely. I grasped the flower in my hands, trying not to pass out from the overflow of knowledge into my brain.

None of this can possibly make sense to anyone who has not experienced this before, but I felt like I knew everything. I knew where the location of the necklaces was. I knew where it had been made, I knew everything.

Eventually, my vision turned black, my soul being so overwhelmed by information that my brain could not handle the effort of keeping me conscious.

NEUTRAL POV

Prepare for trouble!

Make it double!

To protect the world with devastation!

To unite all peoples within our nation!

To denounce the evil of truth and love!

To extend our reach to the stars above!

Jessie!

James!

Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!

Surrender now or prepare to fight!

Meowth. That's right!

Team Rocket had said those words many times before, but they felt a certain satisfaction now, a certain feeling that things were actually going to be going right this time.

A pink-haired young woman stood next to a blue-haired young man, about to enter the grove. Team Rocket had one mission, and one mission only: To capture the Flower Of Enlightenment.

This flower, according to their intelligence, came from one place, and one place only: A grove nearby to a Zoroark village in Quebec. Team Rocket had made their way there, careful not to be caught by the authorities.

Now, they stood in front of a grove, ready to get in and get it done. There was no telling what the flower was, or what it did, but one thing was clear: If Team Rocket wanted to get to the bottom of this, they were going to need to capture the boy who had turned into a Zoroark. Take him to the lab, figure out exactly what was going on with him, and then, when he had exhausted his purpose, kill him.

Mr. Enfield, that foolish old man back in the New Age store, had given them the blessing of Insomnia. They would be able to enter this clearing, with all of its Bellossom, and still come out awake. The needle was ready; Jessie was carrying it. The plan was to inject the Zoroark with the tranquilizer, and then they would drag him into their van, where they would drive to headquarters. There, they would perform the examinations.

This was going to be epic...

Yes, I gave you guys a cliffhanger! Normally I wouldn't put an author's note at the end like this after a cliffhanger, but now I just want to say two things. One is that I'm hoping Thomas Westbrook of Holy Koolaid will read this. He inspired the scene with Michelle getting sleep paralysis, and I'll make sure to send him a link. I feel unique in being one of the few (from my perspective) openly atheist fanfiction authors. He does a lot of great work on that channel, and I made sure to let him know that he inspired it.

The other thing is, when Kieran says that Donald Trump said that they needed a safety net, and not a hammock, this is a reference to a book I happen to own entitled "Time To Get Tough" written by Donald J. Trump. In case you're interested, I bought it during the Republican primaries. One of his chapters, the one about welfare, is titled as such. I figured this was a good parallel to draw.

Finally (I promise), this was the longest chapter in the story by a decent amount. As such, with everything listed above, I really want you guys to review and tell me what you think. Even if it's critical, I want to know honestly. Also, I just barely managed to push the average chapter length of this story over 4,500 words, so that's another milestone I have passed.

With that, I'm out of here. Remember to rate, review, and eagerly wait for the next chapter!