Chapter 2 - Proceedings

'Feeling a bit rebellious, I pushed open the gate.'

8:48 am, August 22nd, 2019

As I entered my room with my laptop, I grabbed my jacket from the doorknob and mulled over what I should bring with me on my walk. 'Not my phone, because it's not like I can even use it. I reckon I'll be out for a while, so I'd better bring some money for food.' Laying the laptop on my desk, I then put the jacket on and slipped a few notes into the inside pocket. 'Earphones, not even gonna ask how. Knife…'

Unsure about any hostilities there were against Pokémon, I eyed the Swiss Army Knife on my desk, which I got from a trip to Europe a few years back, debating whether or not to take it with me. After some hesitation, I chose to leave it behind as well, since I didn't know if I could hold it steady, let alone open it. Besides, I was almost certain my claws would make for a good enough substitute, should it come to that. However, this only led to doubts. 'Am I really ready to draw blood, though? What happens if I do?' Questions began creeping into my head as I imagined vivid scenes of blood and open wounds. I could feel a stitch developing just under my stomach, so I pressed my hand against it as I tried to push away those stressful thoughts, but they persisted in the back of my mind. 'Stop it, there's no way people are that prejudiced already.'

Everything was ready and I could have left then, but I didn't. Normally, whenever I go for walks like this, I don't bother to tell my parents where I'm going. However, this time, I wanted to play it safe. Always tell someone when and where you're going, even for the most mundane things. It's a rule of thumb and something I learned the hard way. I quickly opened my laptop to write another message to show someone.

As I finished typing it out, I saw a reflection of the closet's mirrors on the screen. A chill ran across my neck. I hadn't had a good look at myself in a mirror yet, not including when I woke up, as I wasn't thinking straight. I'd seen artwork and images of Zoroark this morning, but I haven't truly accepted that as the new me. "No way, no thanks. Not yet," I said to myself, closing my eyes as I grabbed the laptop, turned around and exited the room. Only once I stepped into the hallway I felt safe opening them again, though they felt heavy from guilt. 'Why… How long am I gonna live like this?'

I made my way to my parents' bedroom and knocked on the door. A set of footsteps approached, and my mum opened it. "Oh, hello Jason. We're calling your extended family. Your Uncle Brad's out though, so it's just Uncle Linus. Want to join us? You can just listen in. Or do you need something?"

'Sure, why not? The walk can wait.' I decided. Shutting my laptop, I stepped into the room, careful to not look in the mirror while I tossed the laptop on the bed. Katelyn and my mum were sitting on the side of the bed in a video call. On the phone screen, I saw Uncle Linus sitting on a couch talking with the pair. He must've been on a laptop, since I could see much of his room. My mum shifted the phone so that I was in view. Uncle Linus waved to me, and I waved back.

As I sat down next to Katelyn, I heard my mum tell me, "Y'know, your cousins Nick and Angela got transformed as well. They seem to be able to understand each other, so maybe you can too. We can get them on the line for you if you want." Before I could stop myself, I felt my ears perk up at this, which only helped me hear everyone's laughter. "I'll take that as a yes," Someone said. I couldn't tell who, nor did I care; I was too elated. 'Can I finally have a good, long conversation with someone who can understand me? With Nick and Angie, no less.' Nick is 19 and is Uncle Brad's son, while Angela is Uncle Linus's eldest daughter at 13. They're both full of life and I absolutely adore them.

"Nick! Over here!" Uncle Linus yelled.

"Yeah, coming," A voice yelled back from offscreen. Moments later, what could only be another Pokémon entered and sat down next to Uncle Linus. It resembled a rabbit, with its long, upright white ears. It had a white-furred face, arms, torso and tail. A large tuft of red-orange coloured fur emerged from the top of its head. More red-orange fur grew from its lower body, almost resembling a pair of shorts. Its lower legs and feet were navy blue. I couldn't recognise this Pokémon, though I could barely name many at all. It spoke with an upbeat, cheery tone. "What's up?"

"Nick?"

"Oh, s'you, Jason! How's it going, my guy?" He replied. Relief washed over me, pushing away the weights and stresses of my mind. I relaxed myself, laughing aloud at the newfound freedom.

"What's up with you? You're a lot more… zealous than I know of ya?" He asked.

"Man, you have no idea how much I missed this. Just… being able to talk to someone. I mean, I literally woke up an hour ago and… it hurt so much to learn that Mum, Dad, and even Kate couldn't understand anything I was saying. Or would say," I sighed. "You're lucky though, you have Angie to talk to."

Nick averted his gaze. "Yeah, I overheard Auntie Ellen talking about it just now. Can't imagine how it must've been, to feel so alone. At least you have me now, right?" He said, turning back to face me.

"Mhm. Hey, always support each other?"

"Always. How many more calls d'you think we're gonna make?"

"Oh, goodbye phone bill," I laughed. "Anyways, you know what Pokémon you are?"

"Yeah. Hold on, lemme get Angie on the call, she's a whiz on all this Pokémon stuff. One moment, please."

Nick stood up and presumably looked toward where Angela was. "Hey Angie, could you come over here for a sec?"

"No way, Nicky!" I heard the voice of a young girl reply.

"I'm calling Jason right now, ya sure don't wanna see him?"

I could swear there was an audible gasp before a set of light footsteps broke into a run. "C'mere, Angie!" He said, crouching down and extending his arms. A small bipedal Pokémon entered the room. It was covered in grey fur and had a bright red fan-shaped crown, collar and ears, and two feather-like tails. Its hands and feet ended with three claws each, like mine. There was a yellow crystal emerging from the centre of its forehead, reminding me of Vision from Marvel. But unlike the analytical, soft-spoken character, the slight smile and singular protruding fang from its mouth told me it was the type that was always getting in trouble. This Pokémon could only be Angela, with its cunning, swift and mischievous demeanour: A perfect match for my young cousin. She scurried into Nick's arms and embraced him, who inexplicably cried out in pain.

"Ack! Careful, your claws are really really sharp, y'know!" Nick winced.

"Sorry, Nick…" Angela said, looking down as she let go of him.

"Oh, it's alright Angie, don't worry 'bout it," Nick said gently while petting Angela on the head. He pointed towards us. "But look, it's Jason!"

"Jazzy! You're a Zoroark!" She said excitedly. Jazzy was a nickname she gave to me when she was 8 and has never dropped it over five years, not that I mind it anymore. "Yeah, I know! How about you?" I replied.

"I'm a Weavile, and Nicky's a Cinderace!"

'Yeah… Still at a loss there, Angie.' Both Pokémon were completely new to me, but the latter piqued my interest, so I asked her about it. "Cinderace? Never heard of that one, could you tell me more, Angie?"

Angela sat down on the couch next to Nick and carefully ran her claws through his fur. Nick only watched her and grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. They looked so happy together, like brother and sister, even though they were also cousins to each other. Though I too felt happy for my cousins, a part of my heart felt… empty, to put it simply.

Angela began her spiel. "Cinderace is the final evolution for Scorbunny, which was meant to be the fire-type starter for Gen 8," She explained. "Nintendo said it's based on a soccer player, which really suits Nicky, don't you think?"

The few times I've seen Nick in person, he's always invited me to the soccer pitch, no matter how many times I tell him I've never been good at it. When I decline, he always eggs me on, and when I have a go, I lose miserably. At least Nick's a good sport. 'As far as I know, the Pokémon each person turned into… somehow represents them in a way. So… what does that mean for me? How does a Zoroark represent me, Jason Samry?'

Angela was in her own little world, explaining everything she knew about Cinderace. "And Gen 8 isn't even released yet, how cool is that! How come you don't know?"

"I-I only woke up an hour ago, it's all new to me, sorry," I replied

"Oh Jazzy, you need to wake up earlier, so then you don't miss anything."

"It would have been six in the morning!"

"Yeah, but Nicky wakes up at, like, five" She giggled.

"Angie, n- It was one time!" Nick complained. Angela and I laughed at his displeasure, though he was definitely suppressing a smile. "Oh, thank god Dad or Linus can't understand you," He breathed to himself. Uncle Linus was still sitting on the other side of the couch, though he wasn't talking. Slowly becoming aware of the silence coming from the humans, I looked around my room and saw my mum standing up near the door. I looked at her inquisitively, as if to ask her why she was going. "No need to apologise, Jason, I reckon it's better if I leave you three alone, Jason. You should go too, Kate."

"Alright, you guys can enjoy yourselves here. Laters," Katelyn said as she handed me the phone and stood up. I waved to them as they left the room. "Just the three of us now. So how's life been to you?"

"S'been fine, actually. Just… getting used to being a giant, fire-rabbit-monster-thing. You handling being a… fox good?"

"Mhm, getting by. How are you holding up, Angie?"

"N… Not well. I keep thinking of my best friend," She said quietly.

"What's up? Did he get transformed too?"

"No, he texted me. He said both of his parents and most of his extended family got transformed, and now he and his little brother have to live with their great aunt."

"Ah, I see. She's nice to them, at least?"

"No… " She sobbed. "She's been really mean to them, like she doesn't want them, blaming their parents for something they couldn't control… He's just trying to…" Tears had begun to well up in Angela's eyes as she buried her face into Nick's body. "Jesus, poor kid. Nick, did you…?" I asked. He only shook his head in response. 'Nick didn't know… Angela's been keeping this to herself.' He tried his best to comfort Angela, softly hugging and consoling her. Even if she's chaotic at times, she still has a heart bigger than most. Eventually, she calmed down, wiping away her tears on her arm. "I think he's sad that nearly everyone he knows got transformed."

"Wait, did you tell him you did as well?"

"I didn't, he thinks I'm normal. I don't… I don't know what to say to him."

'Normal?'

"Jazzy?"

I stuttered for a bit, at a loss for anything to say that could help Angela. "I-I… When… When I told my own friends about what happened to me… No no no, it wasn't like that, I didn't want to tell them. At all. They were pushing me though, so I had to. It- I felt trapped… Like, I wanted any escape, but…"

"They wanted answers that badly?"

"Yes. That badly. And then…" I let out a small chuckle. "They weren't really jerks about it. Actually, they just kinda joked around. Honestly… It helped. I'm thankful for that. Does your friend ever… Y'know, assume stuff about you? I mean, do you think he cares more about how you look rather than if you're you?"

"No… I don't think so."

"Then you're surrounded by good people, Angela, people who care about you. Me and Nick, Uncle Brad, your parents, your friend there. And if you ever find someone who's not, just know that at the very least, you can always come to us."

Nick chimed in. "And, Angela. Don't worry about crying. Jason and I won't judge you for letting it all out. Just don't lie to yourself, okay? We can all get better when we help each other, got it?"

Angela nodded. Silence hung in the air for several long moments.

"Heeey… Speaking of, wanna hear 'bout how I nearly burnt down the neighbourhood?" Nick abruptly stated, clearly trying to change the tone of the conversation. I decided to try and help him.

"Oh, no. Tell me more, please."

"M'kay, so, you know how me and Angie live really close? Yeah, when I turned into a Cinderace, besides being like 'What the hell,' I needed to make sure this little goober was alright. Yes, you." He pointed to Angela, who was now smiling and listening to Nick's story. "So as I was running over to the school, I decided to kick a lil' pebble along the path. No biggie, right? Yeah no, somehow, it ended up setting itself on fire."

"Wh- How!?"

"I dunno, man! And it landed in some bushes, as well! So, they went all up in flames really quickly. I was in a panic, that fire was huge. Like, not burn-bucket sized, bonfire sized. Biggest I've ever seen."

"Oh my god, Nick," I laughed. Of course, he exaggerated what actually happened, but I played along. "So how'd you put it out?"

"I didn't. This saint, another Pokémon, a… Vaporeon, I think it's called. Well, he saw what happened. I guess he was familiar with the games or whatnot since he put out the fire right there. Thank god for him though, there was no way the fire department was going to arrive in time. Especially since I wouldn't be able to call 'em myself."

Vaporeon was a Pokémon I knew off the top of my head, it was the water-based evolution of Eevee. "I see how he'd be able to put it out. What happened after?"

"We only had a short moment before we went our ways. He said he needed to check on his fam, like me. And we also didn't want to get arrested for property damage. I don't like assuming, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't go well for us."

"So someone just came along and put out the fire themselves, no hesitation, no questions asked? Pretty neat."

"It's cool and all, but I wouldn't have lit up those bushes if I didn't get transformed, y'know?"

"Huh- Fair."

"Anyway, when I got to the school, it was absolute chaos. It wasn't hard for me to slip by and break into Angie's classroom. Turns out she was absent with a freakin' cold. I just headed up to Linus's house, and here we are now."

"What about your dad? Uncle Brad? Was he at work?"

"Yep, I stayed here with Angie and Linus all day. He called Dad, so everything's fine on this en-" Nick suddenly let out a grunt of indignation. "Damnit, the laptop's nearly dead. We'll have to head off now. Call again soon?"

"Aww, going so quick? Well, I can get Mum or Dad to give you my number anyway, so I don't have to keep using their phone. See you later, Nick. See you later, Angie."

"Bye!" They exclaimed as they ended the call.

I laid back and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, recalling our entire conversation. Every breath was like fresh air, the sunrays still beaming onto my face, it felt truly refreshing. I was no longer weighed down by the stress, giving me confidence that life would be okay. Never the same as before, but okay.

After a while, my mum returned to the room, snapping me out of my daydream. "Hey Jason, I'm gonna need the phone back soon- Oh, you're already done." My laptop was lying on the bed next to me, so I reached out to it and logged in, the message I had written earlier still open. She read it when I showed her. "You're going out for a walk now? Okay… stay safe, Jason." There was some hesitation in her voice, but I chose to ignore it. 'Yeah. Stay safe, and everything'll be okay.'

9:34 am

I stepped out into the street. The area I live in is supposed to be suburban, but it feels more like a cosy town, with several parks, open spaces and dozens of local businesses, especially as you near the centre of the suburb. So that's what we call it here, just the town. Despite the apparent countryside setting, it's only a few hours' walk to get to the city. The fastest route is to follow the main highway, which mostly cuts through an industrial park en route and, thankfully, misses running straight through the town by a few hundred metres.

Over the next few hours, I aimlessly wandered around town, though I did have a few destinations in mind. In particular, I wanted to see a few of the public spaces, as I believed at least some Pokémon should be hanging out around those areas. Additionally, I wanted to visit the de facto town centre.

Despite my insecurities, I didn't feel out of place or awkward in any way as I loitered around. After all, 30 per cent of the world just turned into Pokémon. 'So what? I'm just another one. Who cares about what other people think?' The apathy inside me was building up. I believed it was something that could help me be myself with no consequence. Even though I knew it was unhealthy in the long run. 'No matter how many looks I get, everyone else has had the same treatment. These people probably won't ever see me again, anyways.' I thought, trying to justify myself. Strolling through one of the parks, many people and Pokémon alike were relaxing. Enjoying the day off I suppose, even with the looming uncertainties plaguing everyone. From the humans, I primarily sensed fear and aggression; As a result, I avoided most of them. I only made short conversation with the Pokémon, as I began to feel drawn away to another location. I had a place to be, but no destination in mind.

The final major landmark I had in mind was the town centre, which is simply a section of road with local businesses on both sides. What makes it unique is that occasionally, this part of the road is closed to vehicles, and tables and chairs are set right on the street, making it feel like a holiday market. As I walked along the path, pondering what I was going to do for the rest of the day, the clock on the local church spire told me it was nearly 1 p.m. There weren't any other Pokémon around, which I found odd but didn't question. By this point, I realised my transformation had affected my hearing. Specifically, it felt more sensitive to quiet, subtle noises. I could just make out what people were saying even if they were whispering a few metres away, allowing me to eavesdrop on their remarks. It was especially amusing to see their reactions when I purposefully gestured to them as I walked past.

"Look at him, just walking around like that."
"It's a Zoroark!"
"Mommy, what is that thing?"
"Just ignore it, Timmy, it won't hurt you."
"Isn't he supposed to, like, not be doing that right now?"
"Oh god, did it look this way?"
"What do you think they're doing?"
"Shush, it might hear you."

'Yeah, I just did.' I thought, doing my best to flash finger guns and a wink to whoever said that. They flinched and let out a short, surprised cry as I ducked into one of the side streets before breaking into a short fit of laughter. Regaining my composure, I followed the street until I reached the main highway, walking across the footbridge that connected both sides. I stopped in the middle and looked out over the highway, gazing at the skyline of Melbourne. Its silhouette beckoned me to it, like a utopia awaiting my arrival.

'W-What am I thinking? It's probably chaos over there. Anyway, today was pretty boring, and there's still lots of time left. Actually, screw it. I'm at the highway already, let's see how far out to the city I can walk today.'

1:56 pm

I walked for around an hour along the bike track next to the main highway until I came across the abandoned junkyard. I'd driven past it a few times whenever I went to the city, but never got a good look at it prior. The junkyard took up several hectares of land and was enclosed by two-metre-tall fences, all topped with razor wire. From where I was standing, there were a few large warehouses near the centre of the property, around two hundred metres away from me. The front of the junkyard was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of cars, utes and SUVs, all arranged in lines that stretched from one side of the junkyard to the other, like a huge parking lot. The back was more disorganised, with vehicles haphazardly stacked on huge racks embedded in concrete, forming structures similar to walls. They were all a lot older and rustier, and were probably unsalvageable. Far beyond the back fence, past the grassy hills, there was a wooded area. A large mural on the front warehouse read 'Farley & Brannick Junkyard, scrap your old cars here!'

'Looks like you're the ones who got scrapped,' I joked as I walked along the perimeter. Many signs were tied to the fence, all with the same trespassing warning on them. When I got to what looked like the main entrance, I noticed the gate was free to open, and a broken padlock and chain now laid in the dirt. Looking into the junkyard, the winding path leading to the warehouses was clear of any shoe prints. Someone had either broken it in an act of vandalism or entered the property a long while ago, long enough for their shoe prints to disappear at least.

'That could be a cool place to explore… as long as it's truly abandoned. Definitely don't want to cross some gang. I'll come back later, and decide if I want to risk getting arrested, though.' The position of the sun overhead told me it was nearly mid-afternoon, so I headed back to town to get some food.

2:13 pm

I entered a fairly large convenience store I'd seen earlier. It was relatively empty, other than a male and female employee, the cashier at the back and a few patrons. Walking into the store, I got weird looks from everyone except the cashier, who was distracted with a customer, and the male employee, who was out of sight. By this point, I'd become desensitised to it, thanks to wandering around town for several hours.

I walked over to the freezers, taking two chicken salad sandwiches out of them. "Sorry, sorry," The male employee said as he brushed past me. I looked at him intently since he seemed oblivious to me, but he was busy with restocking soft drinks, so I left to make my purchase. As I walked through one of the aisles, I noticed there were rubber-tip styluses for sale. I took one off the shelf, reading its packaging. 'Quick and accurate touchscreen applications!'

'Hey, that could be useful for my phone.' I held onto the stylus and headed to the back to make my purchase. However, as I approached the registers, the cashier's expression turned into one of disgust. "You, get out of here! Shoo!"

"Jerry, don't be like that." I heard the annoyed voice of the male employee.

"C'mon Mark, it's just a stupid Pokémon."

"Yeah, and they were a human a few hours ago, you forgetting that?"

"Still just a freak, man." He was beginning to raise his voice, now directing it at me. Other customers were beginning to notice what was unfolding. The female employee watched but remained silent. "Get lost!"

"Jerry, quit while you're ahead," Mark warned.

"Dude, you're really gonna side with this… animal!? Don't you know it's just-"

"HEY, CUT IT OUT! Christ, they're still human on the inside. That's what I think, at least. And if you're not gonna do your goddamn job, then I will."

Mark approached us and ushered a complaining Jerry from the counter. "To the back. We'll talk later," He sternly said to Jerry. He exited through the staff door with a seething look on his face, slamming the door on the way out. Mark sighed. "Back to work, Carly. And don't think about harassing this guy, unless you want a reprimand as well." He turned his attention to me. "Sorry about Jerry, he's kind of a jerk. Don't tell him I- Well, it's not like you can tell him I said that." Mark muttered to me. "So it's just the sandwiches and stylus?"

I nodded to him. As he checked the items, Mark tried to make small talk with me, even though I could only respond with nods and smiles. "Y'know, it's hard for me to believe today is even real. I'm talking to a living, breathing Pokémon. Just casually at work. And… I can't believe Mr H called me into a shift today. Like, hello? We've got bigger problems than a potential lost day. Though, maybe it's not a bad thing. Otherwise, who would've backed you up just now? Not Carly, evidently." He put the items into a small paper bag. "By the way, have you heard about the new rules? Honestly, they're completely stupid, no matter the reason. I'm sure you'd agree with me here, considering… you know…"

'New rules? I'd better look into this when I get back home.'

"Alright, that'll be 18 dollars."

I handed him a 20-dollar note. He gave me the bag as well as a receipt and some change, both of which I put into my pocket. I waved him goodbye as the first and only person who came to my defence as I left the store and headed back to the junkyard.

2:39 pm

After another short trek, I arrived back at the junkyard and waited at the main entrance, setting the bag on the ground. It remained unchanged since the last time I was here. I could hear the rush of vehicles behind me, so I just looked at the warehouses for a few minutes. 'Cars, mural, warehouse, warehouse, more cars… Wait, what's that?' I barely caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of my eye. I shifted my gaze right to where I saw it, but it was concealed by one of the racks. 'What- Who was what?' I focused on the left side of the rack to convince myself I wasn't crazy. There was definitely something in the junkyard. 'Show yourself…'

A few moments later, a small yellow and white creature emerged from behind the racks and walked along the warehouse's front wall before disappearing to the left. 'Is- Is it a Pokémon?' I looked down at the path again, noting the absence of shoe prints. However, there were sets of cat-like paw prints and V-shaped prints in the dirt. Of course. I'd never considered Pokémon could've broken in, despite me literally being one. Recalling the last hour, I had noticed them the last time I was there, but never paid them any attention. 'Darn. Okay, at least one's still here though, I wonder what's up with that?'

Now that I knew it was fellow Pokémon and not some gang that had broken into the junkyard, I decided it would be a lot safer if I came across anyone. I carefully looked back toward the highway. There were no vehicles nearby, meaning there were no eyes to see what happened next. Even if there were some coming, I would be long finished by the time they arrived.

Feeling a bit rebellious, I pushed open the gate. It felt rusty and ungiving, painful to even listen to as it twisted on the years-old hinges. However, I knew it wasn't the first time it had been opened that day. I grabbed the bag and entered the junkyard, making sure to close the gate in the same way as before and started to make my way towards the warehouses, where there were people like me.

It was a short walk to the front warehouse. 'Bingo.' Fresh paw tracks were imprinted in the dusty concrete, leading to an open door to my left. I listened closely and heard a conversation between two people inside, though I couldn't decipher what they were saying. I walked up to the door and peeked inside. Two Pokémon that I could recognise were inside sitting on makeshift seats arranged in a circle, similar to a campfire. A Jolteon and Grovyle were quietly talking, neither having noticed me. I softly tapped on the metal door. "Hello?" Both of them turned around to face me. The Grovyle spoke first.

"Hey there. Welcome home."

Author's notes:

Some new Pokémon characters finally. Introducing Nick and Angela, and the junkyard pair (Yes I ended this on a name cliffhanger). Guess who will have the larger role in this?

Anyways, filler Chapter #1 is done! Writing this was a bit boring :/ But you know what's more boring? School assignments! Which I am gonna should be doing until exams are over… In other words, C3 and 4 will be a while away since I can only start dedicating time to it once the exam period is done, which is mid-late November.

Some world discussion: The area where Jason lives is not really based on a real Melbourne suburb or town, just suited to the needs of the story in terms of distance, land use, etc. Farley & Brannick is also not a real company, nor is the junkyard a real place. I probably don't need to specify this, but it seems necessary to me for whatever reason.

Fun fact, this was also supposed to be released with Heartbeat and Dawn, but a combination of procrastinating, overestimating my writing pace, spending most of September 28, 29 AND the 30th out and holiday homework made this unfinished by the 1st of October, so I cleaned up the prologue and C1, published those, took a break and then worked on this chapter later. This also allowed me to extend this, such as adding the call between Nick, Jason and Angela.

Cheers! (And wish me luck please)

Actual word count: 5035 (Holy crap I may have overdone this lol)

Published October 21, 2023

Index:
'Thoughts/Telepathy'
"Speech"
'Typed/written text'