Chapter 5 - Humanity

'The world would be so much nicer if we were allowed to help each other.'

1:36 pm, August 23rd, 2019

'Why did I think combining tomato sauce, mayonnaise and Vegemite was going to be a good idea?'

The sandwich was an atrocity to food as a concept that I could only choke down half of. The remainder was given to a murder of crows I came across on the way back to town. I watched as they happily gobbled up the crumbs I tossed towards them. Sadly, they weren't confident enough to approach me, always keeping a few metres away. Oh well, it's not like they're used to seeing Pokémon either. Despite their bad reputation, I've grown to appreciate crows and the Corvidae family in general. They're smart enough to adapt to human environments as well as maintain a strong unity between them. More welcoming than some people, that's for sure.

I'd found my way into the overgrown access driveway behind all of the stores on the North side of the square. Though hidden in relative safety, I was unable to see into the boulevard from any position. However, about halfway through the driveway, where a chainlink gate blocked access to the other side, there was an alleyway that cut between two of the stores. Presumably, it connected the boulevard to the driveway. However, a large collection of bins, chairs, a dumpster and other random items sat behind the gate, wedging it in its position.

I quickly became restless from not being able to see or do anything. The alleyway beckoned to me - If I could get past the gate, I could at least have some visual on the square. Taking in my options, an idea began to formulate.

'Problem: I want to get past this gate. Unless I feel like standing on an unstable pile of junk out in the open, directly climbing over it won't work. So the next best option is… to jump the gap from above. It looks like it's two metres wide, probably less. Yeah, I can make that. How do I get on the roof though? The gate only goes so high. Hmm… there are some people – rock climbers, specifically – who make some pretty impressive leaps upward to a handhold normally out of reach. This looks like a simplified version of it. I reckon I can pull it off, but these stupid three-digit "hands" have pathetic dexterity. In other words, I can't judge my grip strength. It's risky, but there's no other way. No pipes, no gutter, no ladder to hold onto. Just a concrete edge and a brick wall. As for the descent, I can see there's a dumpster on the other side. I'll just drop down onto it. Easy.'

With a plan set in stone. I began climbing up the gate until I was as high up as I could get. 'Alright… You got this.' Eyes fixed on the target, the roof's edge, I took the leap of faith upwards and grabbed onto it. Arms locked in place, I could rest my feet on the top of the gate. The ground seemed much higher from up here, and I was already feeling a bit of fatigue from the climb and jump. 'Bloody hell, that was only a few metres up. Ugh, can't back out now.'

Straining, I pulled myself up, leaving scratches on the brick wall to my dismay. As soon as I got onto the roof, I hit the floor to eliminate the risk of being spotted. I'm pretty sure I wasn't visible anyway, but I wasn't going to take any chances. Taking short glances, I fruitlessly scanned for Alex, looking out for his usual swagger. 'They might be inside somewhere. Or they could be on this side, where I can't possibly hope to see them. Dunno why he hasn't messaged me, then. Whatever, let's get down.'

Crouching at the edge of the roof overlooking the alley, observing the square and holding my satchel tight, I waited for an opportunity. The moment I saw the thin strip of the boulevard was empty, I stepped up and made a flying leap over the alley, landing squarely on the other side. Looking over to the driveway, I moved directly above the dumpster and carefully climbed over the edge until I was hanging by my claws, before letting go and dropping down. 'There ya go. What did I say? Easy.' I pulled out my phone to deliver Alex a message, telling him I was there. However, he once again didn't reply, so I gave up and finally decided to have some patience.

Ten minutes later, I finally heard my phone ping. 'Sorry I couldn't reply. Jake and Robin did something stupid.'

Ah. That explained a lot. Jake and Robin, on their own, are already a handful. Paired together, the amount of shenanigans they get up to quadruples at best, and only exponentially increases with time. Keeping them monitored like they're toddlers is a necessity to ensure nothing in a ten-metre radius ends up doused in Clorox or something. 'The hell happened this time?'

'I looked away for one minute and they started throwing rocks over the train line. Somehow managed to blow something up and cause a huge delay. We ran like hell before someone found us and now we're completely puffed out.' I rubbed my head, both dumbfounded and exasperated, and hardly able to fathom what he just told me. Yet it was too ridiculous to not be true. Somehow, they'd managed to top what they did in May.

'What is wrong with those two?'

'Dunno, you ask me. See you soon, we'll be there in a bit.'

'See ya.'

After another ten minutes, using my phone's camera to peek around the corner, I finally spotted my friends walking across the square. They were all drenched in sweat, like they'd just run a marathon. Or to be more accurate, they ran for their lives. Alex looked around for a bit, before pulling out his phone and typing something into Discord, made apparent by the momentary response on my end.

'We're at the square. Are you?'

'Already here, across from Trixie's Cafe.'
'Look more to your right.'
'Too far, a bit left.'

'Dude, can you just tell me?'

'My brother in Christ, can you not see the alleyway.'

'Ohh'

Alex jogged toward the alley, followed by everyone else. I retreated a little further back into the driveway. 'Surely this can't go badly. They all already know. I told them day one, hour zero.'

Their voices grew louder as they entered the alleyway. I heard Elijah talking to Jake and Robin, who were seemingly flippant about whatever happened at the station. "So who won, anyway?" Eli asked.

"Me,"
"I did,"

"Okaaay, I'm getting mixed signals from you two. Jake, you first."

"Alright. I had twelve hits. Robin had nine. Now, twelve is the larger number, so that means I won. Plus, I didn't delay a train, ahem, Robin."

"Nuh-uh, not true," He rebuked. "That cable looked dodgy long before the train was there, you blind idiot."

"Guys, quit it," Alex said.

"Fine. But I'm not going to take credit for the train. The hell even happened?"

"There was an electrical arc, I think," Marty chimed in, almost inaudibly. "Bright lights, loud humming… Yeah, that's gotta be it."

They rounded the corner, and I could've sworn everything stopped in the moment. I couldn't hear the wind, the birds, or even the chatter from the square. It was just me, and them. All frozen and waiting for someone to break the ice. Of all the reactions I was expecting, a lack of one was not up there. Finally, I gave them only a slightly awkward wave.

"That you, Jason?" Eli asked.

"Of course it is. What, can you not tell?" I said sarcastically.

"Even though I can't understand you, I know there's only one person in this world who has that tone of voice."

He began approaching. I accidentally faced him, looking directly into his eyes and stopping him dead in his tracks. I winced, fully expecting them to book it. But my friends have at least some dedication. "Oh wow, okay. Jase, you're just a lot scarier in real life, you know."

"Get used to it. Jason is Jason, and that'll never change," Robin said. With that, I felt the ice melt away as everyone finally relaxed.

"So!" Alex called, clapping his hands together. "Where do you all feel like going for lunch?"

"I thought you had a plan? Like you usually do."

"Uh… no. How about… You know what? I'm inconspicuously going to pass this honour on to Jason, since it's his last day here," He said with a wink, to which I winked back. We both knew I wasn't going to stick around and let myself get taken away.

'Trixie's is nice, I'm happy to lunch there.'

"Alrighty. Trixie's Cafe, sound good?" There was a murmur of agreement. "Well then, to Trixie's it is!"

The other four disappeared back around the corner. However, I hesitated. Before I knew it, Alex was by my side, hand on my shoulder. "C'mon. I won't let anything happen to you," He said. 'It's not that I'm scared of anyone in particular. It's more that I'm kinda concerned by people not seeing me as a sentient being. But I know you, and the rest of everyone as well, can help with that.' With a deep breath, I stepped into the alleyway and walked into view. The effect was immediate. Without even needing to look up, I could tell everyone's eyes turn towards me. Of course, my friends were the only exceptions as they waited at the crossing.

"You're in luck. Take a look at that," Alex whispered, pointing to a sandwich board outside as we waited for the walk signal to turn green. It read, 'All Pokémon welcome!' with a cute chalk drawing of a Pikachu and their partner. However, I couldn't see any Pokémon inside. Hardly any left, I guess. When we got to the door, the waiter led us to a table without comment.

'Well isn't that reassuring- I wasn't sure if these places would straight up deny me entry. That could change though, because of the lunatics I decided would be perfect to accompany me. God, what are they gonna do this time.'

To my surprise, they didn't do anything, sitting down and ordering like normal, civilised people. Generally, we end up being the loudest group in any building, so much so we've almost been kicked out of venues at least once. I honestly think they enjoy making a scene. Well, there was no need to do so when the perfect drawcard was right here. Five human teenagers and a Zoroark. Everyone in the cafe was looking at us more than eating, and even some people outside stopped for a double take. 'Nothing to see here, fellas. Abso-lutely nothing. It's funny, even with that sign, I still feel out of place. What does it mean to be human, anyway? Not having a stigma placed against you? Not getting stared at everywhere you go? Is simply fitting in enough? Huh… That's a tough question, actually. I'm gonna need to have a long, hard think about this.'

2:35 pm

I've never led a very outgoing life. On the contrary, I often preferred to tag along and just exist in places. Some things never change, even if you end up transforming into an entirely new creature, because that once again happened. After we finished lunch at the cafe, I ended up following whoever happened to want to go somewhere. Eli wanted to buy some snacks? Sure, why not. Robin wanted to check up on a friend's shift? Lead the way.

Of course, there was a lot of unwanted, especially negative attention, but it's not like I was breaking any laws or anything. Is it right to stop someone from acting normal just because they don't look like a human? But they still think, feel and respond as one? It's the type of thing that messes with people's sense of justice. Instinct and ideals, clashing against one other. At least these people tried to find a solution. There were those who wholeheartedly agreed with locking us up and throwing away the key. For the sake of 'safety,' they might say, but not for the sake of us. These people… did they ever have a sense of justice to begin with? How quickly did they throw away their colleagues, friends, or even family, without a second chance? One look and they go, "I know who you are, but I don't care anymore. Get out of my sight." Betrayal on that level must be soul crushing.

Though I felt a lot more confident surrounded by friends, I was still weary of other people who'd condemn it. And rightfully so, as we were relaxing and chatting at a picnic table under a large rotunda, we crossed another group of kids - Probably a few years younger than us, but more reckless. I counted about six or seven of them as they filed into the rotunda and sat down at the table behind me. We fell silent as they started talking among each other. It continued for at least a minute as Marty, Elijah and Jake, who were sitting on the other side, sized up the other group. Meanwhile, Alex, Robin and I had no clue what was going on, relying on the other three's guesses. It didn't seem good.

"Uh… guys, I think we should go," Marty whispered. In a risky move, I took a quick glance over my shoulder to see they were all smirking and dead-eyeing me. My heartbeat quickened and a chill ran down my spine. I nodded. It was an unspoken, urgent agreement. We stood up at once to leave the rotunda. Just before Alex took the first step out, I felt something change in the air.

Either that, or I just heard one of them stand up.

I ducked my head in time for an apple core to fly past, striking Elijah in the back of the head. "Hey, what was that for!?" He yelled, whirling around.

The first one I saw enter the rotunda, the leader if I were to guess, was standing up. The rest of his lackeys were still sitting, but invested in this. "Hmph. You should know better than to try and act all friendly with one of those things," He sneered.

"Listen, Jason's our friend. Can you not paint him something he isn't?"

"Oh, but would you look at that, it's growling like a dog. Do you still want it around? Not scared it'll try to rip your throat out?"

Realising I was indeed snarling at them with every muscle in my body clenched tight, I quickly stopped myself and took a step back, slightly humiliated at my lack of self-control. Not a good idea.

"Tsk, that's what I thought, you obedient little mongrel."

It became painfully obvious they wanted a reaction. Had I been able to tell my friends at the moment, I would've done so in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, they weren't the best at showing restraint on their own.

"For god's sake- SHUT. THE HELL. UP." Robin shouted.

"Oh ho ho, you wanna have a go at Wesley now?" One of the others said, getting up and striding up to him. Considering Robin's tall stature and short temper, it was the worst thing the kid could've done.

"Hey, back off!" Robin shoved the kid, sending him backwards into the central support pillar. Bang! He clutched his head in pain. The rest of them got up from the table. We all stopped, glaring at each other, like rival groups meeting on contested turf. I could've cut the tension with a knife. Someone was going to throw hands, and it would most definitely escalate.

'Do I stay or run? Doesn't matter. It'll only be worse off for me if someone, anyone gets hurt. If the police get involved, I'll get picked up on the spot, driven off and never seen again. No questions asked and certainly none taken. There absolutely cannot be any violence. Not with me around, at least.'

I locked eyes with Alex, discreetly shaking my head, hoping he would get the message. He gave me a quick nod, before confronting them himself.

"Look. I get you're all under pressure right now. Some of you have probably had friends, maybe even family become Pokémon. Our mate Jason here is one of them. Please, be reasonable about this. Just let us enjoy today, because there's no tomorrow."

"C'mon man, they won't listen," Robin said.

Alex turned around, scolding him. "Dude. Stop. It's not bloody worth it. You and Jake already got the cops called on us once. That's your daily limit, you understand?"

As he talked, Wesley and his friends' eyes widened in concern, some in fear. I don't think Alex was intending to be intimidating, but it did get them to reconsider their choices. It wasn't just me who was a wild nuisance, but the people I was surrounded by too. If they didn't know who they were standing before, they had an impression now. Wesley's brow was furrowed, as if he was deciding whether or not to continue provoking us. Apparently, we weren't worth the challenge.

"Damnit!" He hissed through gritted teeth, walking out of the rotunda and shoulder checking me and Alex on the way down.

"Okay, cool. At the very least, can we kindly go our separate ways?" Alex remarked as Wesley's group left without as much of a word.

After they were out of sight, we exited the rotunda, navigating far away from the park and in the opposite direction. Though we got off without a hitch, the silence hung in the air. The hurtful words people whispered about me, and the jeers thrown in our general direction, were beginning to weigh down on the group. Despite barely giving a crap about people if they had nothing good to say, the relentless torment was enough to slowly whittle down my motivation, too. It wasn't until we decided to visit our 'secret spot' at the nearby station, that we could finally breathe.

The so-called secret spot, originally 'discovered' by Jake and Robin, was an otherwise unassuming fenced-off area behind the station. I say discovered as a loose term, since I'm pretty sure one of them saw a 'No Trespassing' sign and then spat on it. One thing led to another, and we accidentally found out Jake has a real knack for lockpicking. Anyway, the secret spot houses a bunch of electrical equipment to power the station and provide backup electricity for the train lines by transforming the voltage straight from the power grid. Or at least, that was Marty's description of the place. The large power boxes block line of sight from the street and station, allowing us to stay there for hours without any risk of getting spotted. As for the trains themselves, they run underground, courtesy of the level crossing removal project some years back. In fact, the secret spot is right before the trains go under the station itself, offering an overhead view of passing trains and an unobstructed one of the sunset on the other side, something I've seen many times.

'So can you kindly tell me what on Earth happened here earlier?'

I showed Jake the message. "Uh, you don't need to know. Oh no, Alex… please tell me you didn't tell Jason."

"I'm afraid I did. You've taken the piss out of him long enough. Jason needs to hear this and laugh at you now."

"Argh, fine," He said, head in hands. "See that pylon over there? Robin over here made it a competition. 'Hey, let's see who can hit it the most!' Then he started chucking rocks at it. I joined in when he hit the pylon the first time."

'You thought it was a good idea to throw stones over an active railway line?'

"Hey, it was a competitive effort that I had to win. Almost did, I was leading by about four hits. You were getting desperate," He said, eyeing Robin. "So it was his turn next. He threw it as a train was passing by. He hit the pylon as well, when suddenly there was this explosion of light on the… cable thingies. We ran once we saw police on the platform."

"Okay, but all I have to add is that that was you," Robin said.

"Excuse me, I very clearly remember saying, 'You're up,' and then it happened."

'You need to not let your intrusive thoughts win, guys.'

"Robin needs to, I never ever threw anything at the train!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN-"

"Okay, okay," Alex interrupted, very much stopping another argument. "Robin started throwing rocks, and then Jake joined in. Someone hit something and something else blew up. Either way, it's still another one for the 'Jake and Robin facing consequences' jar. That makes nineteen this year."

"Ugh, fine." They groaned simultaneously.

"What, scared you'll hit twenty?"

Their voices began to trail off as I took a deep breath. The air felt fresh, relaxed, calm, despite being so close to the station. The sun, making its trip downward, painting the sky a fiery orange. Besides the quiet talking happening around me, all I could hear was the soft humming from the electrical boxes surrounding us. Occasionally, there was the rumble of a passing train, muting all other noise. It would hiss and strain as it slowed down, and blow the horn as it left. A rhythmic, somewhat loud ten-minute cycle. I let myself relax, unwind and take in the air. 'I could live like this forever.'

6:18 pm

'Being away from what most consider a comfortable and safe place, and in fact, quite the opposite since what we're doing is trespassing… Personally, I think there's a lot of comfort to be had here. I'm surrounded by people who trust me and who I can trust back. Even though talking to them is a pain and it's easier to just listen into whatever's happening, it feels normal in a sense. I mean, I hardly ever talk when I don't have to, which only adds to that. What's so different about this? What's so different about me, other than the obvious? It doesn't take away from who I am. If you can look past the Zoroark on the outside, you can still see a person on the inside.'

"Any of you know when the curfews start?" I heard Elijah ask.

"Eight. We've got a couple of hours. I reckon Jason goes home first, since he needs us as escorts. Come on, before it gets dark," Alex replied.

'As if I can't control myself, unlike some people here. On the other hand, I don't fancy taking on another six people at once.' After a quick check to make sure no one was nearby, we exited the secret spot. Jake left last, locking the gate shut again. I only made it a few steps out before noticing the lack of weight on my shoulder. Reaching for my hip, I expected to feel the worn leather of the satchel. Of course, there was none. Sighing, I tapped Jake's shoulder. 'Wait… how is this gonna work.' Without my phone, I had to resort to using hand signals. It became a game of charades as I did my best to motion the missing satchel, and I've never played charades.

"You… wanna… tango?" Giving up, I pulled Jake back to the gate, pointing to the padlock. "Uh… sure,"

He knelt down and began to pick the lock. "Hey, Jase, I… damnit." Click. Swinging open the gate, Jake followed me in.

"Jason, um… Me and Robin kind of need you and Alex to keep us in check, y'know? So… Ugh, no, it's more than that. I've really enjoyed having you around. I'm gonna miss you. A lot. Sorry for teasing you at… just about every corner. I didn't mean it," He said as I retrieved my satchel. "You got everything now?"

I nodded, taking lead of the group and walking them back to my house. One round of bro hugs and farewells later, I knocked on the front door. Katelyn came to answer, and she seemed to recognise Alex as they waited on the sidewalk.

"Hey, Jason. Are they your friends? It's about time you got some- Wait, I know you! You're Vince's brother, aren't you? We were in the same year level. Is he alright?"

"Yeah, Vince is fine. He moved to the UK two years ago."

"Ah, shame. He was always nice. Wish I kept contact and got to know him a bit better."

Katelyn walked up to the fence as I waved goodbye to my friends and made my way into the living room. Though I usually ignore the TV, with nothing better to do until dinner, I flipped through the channels. Most were unavailable, save for a few of the national news channels.

"...concerns over Pokémon causing catastrophic flooding has lead to the closure of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, leaving the Bridge heavily congested…"
"...in total, reported robberies in the Northern Territory have seen an increase of over 30 per cent, while a response to these incidents has severely decreased…"
"...a man was found dead at the banks of the Werribee River. Police are treating this as suspicious, as he was stabbed once in the stomach…"

Finally, one of the broadcasts grabbed my attention. It was about a delay to the Melbourne train network. 'Jake and Robin…'

"At approximately 1:30 this afternoon, the Metro network experienced severe delays following repeated attacks on an electrical pylon. The station in question…"

I chuckled to myself. 'Ha, you can always count on the media to sensationalise everything. Well, it's not that far from the truth. Jake, Robin, you two are still completely nuts '

"...The next train to pass through caused an electrical arc between the contact cable and the pantograph. Passengers onboard reported hearing loud buzzing and a dramatic shower of sparks. All other trains on this line were delayed until the damage was assessed."

"Jason, you coming? Dinner's ready." I heard Kate call out.

"Yeah, hold on."

"Okaaay, I'll take that as a yes." Somehow, I was immersed in the broadcast. It had cut to a statement from… one of the state representatives? Hell if I know, I hardly follow politics. It's a messy subject that's better left to… the more passionate folk. Either way, it was honestly impressive that Jake and Robin made state news like that. And he had much to say about their work, much to my amusement. "What happened to the Metro network today was a disgrace. Our services are already running tight, and we don't need some rowdies running around and causing problems for us,"

'Y'know, rowdy is an understatement, mister.'

"Not while we already have enough on our plate with those creatures doing the exact same thing."

'Hoooh, boy.'

"They're out of control, I tell you. In the past two days, there have been six murders by those creatures in Australia, with dozens more globally. They've caused millions of dollars in property damage. No, we cannot let them roam free under any circumstances! It's why the Premier's created the exclusion zones, and it's why we're enforcing them. These wild animals are-"

I turned off the TV. Whatever rant he was going on, I didn't need it. I made my way back to the dining room for dinner, only to find Alex and Kate sitting next to each other at the dining table.

"Okay, what's going on here?" I asked, bewildered.

"Sorry? Your friend decided to stay and have dinner with us after everyone else left."

'Meh, why not?'

Dinner was delicious homemade burgers and chips. Making it better was Alex and Kate immediately hitting it off, cracking jokes and telling stories. They played off each other so well it seemed like they'd known each other for years. Though I was initially nervous about Alex's first meeting with my family, thanks to Kate, Mum and Dad seemed to approve of him. After dinner, Alex and I headed up to my room. I threw the pillows and blankets off my bunk and piled them together on the floor for us to relax on, and that's where we stayed for an hour watching videos and chatting.

"Remember when we first met? You got put in me and Eli's class in Year… 8, wasn't it? Man, you were just as shy as Marty."

'I still am. Just not with you guys. Plus, it's probably better that I speak up when Jake or Robin start doing something dumb.'

"Haha, true. I still remember when we got grouped up with them for that one presentation in Year 9. You led the charge to victory on that one, and look at us now."

'Not like I had a choice there. Good times.'

"Yeah. Good times. We're still making those good times, y'know."

'You think?'

"Mhm. I bet you, in a few years you'll be looking back at this moment with stars in those eyes of yours." Alex looked at his watch. "Well, it's forty past seven now. I reckon I should start heading home if I want to make it back before the curfews."

'Fair enough.' I led him to the front yard, opening the gate for him. Just before he stepped out onto the street, he turned around. "Hey, Jase?" Alex said, holding out his hand to me. As we shook hands, he suddenly pulled me into a hug. A genuine, warm, affectionate hug. It caught me off guard, but I returned it. "See you later, man."

8:43 pm

I focused on the exercise book on my desk, envisioning it blue in my head. It became a fierce staring competition, as the colour slowly shifted from a light red to glowy magenta, ending as a vibrant blue. Various other objects on my desk went through a similar story. One thing at a time, over and over. That pencil turned into a pen, changed up a few sentences on that paper. Practising my own illusion ability until I could nail it on the head without the ever-present dizziness. Monotonous, but necessary work. Eventually, I tried moving on to casting multiple illusions simultaneously, but by that point, I'd lost all focus on my practice, instead accepting my wandering thoughts.

'It's not just me who's changed. Everyone else has, as well. Jake has been legitimately concerned for me. Mum and Dad have been tired for days on end when they're usually pretty lively. Katelyn… maybe not. But a bunch of people are beginning to show their true colours. This is taking its toll on everyone.' Then I remembered Nick and Angela, living abroad and away from the slowly degrading state of Victoria with each other for support. From what I could tell, they were sailing along just fine. 'Well, some people are taking it better than others. Wait- OH, call them again, of course!'

Driven by a new purpose, I sprung forward and opened my laptop only to be greeted with headline after headline about the exclusion zones polluting the browser. Mostly praising the relatively successful start of the program, immediately putting a damper on my mood. 'ALRIGHT, I GET IT. Y'all are real adamant about locking up the million or so of us, yet you barely acknowledge that a few days ago there were a million more people.'

Having got Nick's phone number from Mum earlier, I scrolled through my contacts. 'Anyway… Natalie Faraday, no. NeonPrism8… who even is that? Ah, there it is, Nicholas Samry.'

I initiated the video call. After a long moment, he picked up. He was in his room, sitting at his desk. "Howdy! You kept me waitin'!"

"Hey, Nick! How've you been?"

"Great, great, enjoyed the day off. How 'bout you, you going alright?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Jason, I can tell if you're lyin' through the bloody screen. Look, I'll get Angie up here if that'll help to, like, de-stress you a bit."

Perhaps I should've waited and calmed down before calling Nick, what with that exclusion zone nonsense fresh in my mind. "Wait, no no don't, not yet. I- I need to let go of something, and I don't want her to know about it, please. I don't want to break her."

"Huh? Jason, what's going on? Is it bad?"

"Well, how do I put this… I'll start with the zones. The Premier's written up these five laws. In short, there's a bunch of exclusion zones that cover a lot of Victoria's inner suburbs. And… all Pokémon in these zones will… They're… Nick, they're taking us away and putting us in literal concentration camps."

"Oh, my god…"

"There's more, Nick. It's still bad for the Pokémon who live outside the zones. Look it up. They're forcing people to treat us like animals."

"Jesus, that's horrible. And people are okay with this?"

"Yeah, for some reason. Families are getting torn apart, and everyone's just sitting around doing nothing, while we take the brunt of it all. As for us, there's not many options. Get out of the state while the borders are open, but I think that's only until midnight tonight. Stay with relatives or friends who live outside the exclusion zones, probably a better option. Some of us are going into hiding, that's what I'm doing. There's no room for compromises, only action."

"Wait wait wait, there's allot to take in at once here. You're tellin' me some of you are going rogue."

"In a sense," I nodded.

Nick sighed. "Is this why you called and didn't want Angela to know? You… think you're never gonna see any of us again?"

'Never see again… God, I haven't thought about it. If I'm gonna be living a life in hiding, depending on how committed the authorities are, I might have to move around the area constantly. There'd be too much time and risk in visiting home. I have illusions, but they're not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Currently, maintaining them makes me tired and dizzy, and I can't cast illusions while I rest. So in the worst case scenario, I won't ever see any of my family for a long while… That's really frightening because it could happen. Unlikely, but could.'

I shook my head. "I don't want that to be the case. I don't think it will be either, I- have something that might help me stay under the radar. But if worse comes to worst… Yeah. This is my farewell, Nick. Tell Angie I said goodbye, as well."

Nick didn't say anything, still processing all of it.

"You guys are luckier. You don't have to deal with this BS. I'm sorry I had to drop it all at once."

"Don't be, Jason. Don't apologise for something out of your control. It won't be all bad for you when you're gone, uh. It'll make you stronger and sharper in the end. More quick-witted. Maybe not in the way your parents would've hoped, but there's many a skill you'll learn out there."

I chuckled slightly. "Ha, maybe. I do wish I wasn't getting thrown in the deep end, though."

"You've got killer intuition, Jase. You'll be fine."

"Thank you for having faith in me, Nick."

"No problem– Uh, hello?" Something grabbed Nick's attention from outside the room. He swivelled around in the chair, staring at the door for a second. Suddenly, Angela burst into the room. "Hi, Jazzy!" She exclaimed.

"What the-! Angie, don't scare me like that! How'd you even…?"

"I heard Jazzy from outside when I was coming up. I couldn't help it," She giggled.

"Great… that's another thing to be wary of. Here, hop on. Y'all good now, Jase?"

I nodded as Angela climbed onto Nick's lap. "Hi again, Jazzy!"

"Hey, Angie. How's your day been?"

"Gooood… I helped Uncle Brad cook lunch today."

"How so?"

"With the cutting. We were making a lot of soup, so I helped by slicing all the veggies and meat. Cut it all faster than he could move them to the pot. Said they were 'Some of the finest cuts I've ever seen in fifty odd years.' You do know about his time as a chef back in the day?"

"Woah. I gotta admit that's pretty impressive, Angie."

"Y'know, I don't get why Pokémon have been getting treated so badly. There's things we can do better than what the best humans can. Why can't they just see that? The world would be so much nicer if we were allowed to help each other."

"I'm sure it would Angie, but many don't see us that way. They only see how much some of us have hurt them."

"Hey, I won't hurt anyone!"

"I know you wouldn't," I laughed. "But sometimes it's unintentional. Remember how Nick started that fire the other day? We're not quite in control of ourselves yet, and that's why they're all so scared of us."

"Then I'll be super careful, okay? You too, Nick. Especially you."

"It was an accident! Well, if you don't want any fires, maybe try not jumpscaring me next time, m'kay?"

To me, Angela's comment about Nick was some food for thought. 'I can't imagine some Pokémon in general have it worse than others. I mean, you hear "Fire Type" and can't exactly think of anything good. I'm a Dark Type. That… speaks for itself, actually. I don't know what's worse, something that you know can very well be dangerous, or something much more ominous.'

"Hey, have you done anything with your illusions yet, Jazzy?"

Nick had evidently neglected to do much, if any research on Pokémon. "Wait, what!? Illusions? Jason, how many more curveballs d'you have?"

"Did he not tell you?"

"I've heard nothin' of it, Angie."

"Oh, Jazzy, why are you so quiet? Do you at least know how to do it?"

"Uh, yeah. It's complicated, but not really at the same time. I can create illusions of the environment, or create disguises for myself, by… kind of imagining it existing. Then it suddenly does… I dunno, still a work in progress. That's mostly what I'll be doing over the, um, weekend."

I got very carried away talking with Nick and Angela. To be fair, it was one of the more enjoyable things for me to do. I didn't need to type into a laptop or phone every single time I wanted to say something. After an hour and a half, I was beginning to feel a bit drowsy. Ironically, the topic had shifted to school, to which Angela was fretting over. "They're thinking of starting our up classes again, but with Pokémon students and teachers," She said, shuffling around on Nick's lap.

"Really?" I replied. "Our school's letting us go off until further- Well, they're not sure what to do, I think. Probably don't want to risk anything. Restarting classes this early sounds like a bad idea, though."

"I think it's stupid. So does Dad, he said I don't have to go. I mean, I don't see how it's gonna work. What do you think, Nick?"

"I'm- glad I'm done with high school, and can just sit back with some snacks and watch the lectures online."

"Hehe, sounds boring. I bet I'd fall asleep to them."

I yawned. "Speaking of, I might go to sleep soon, too."

"Is it late, Jazzy? What's the timezone for you, I forgot."

"I'm early. It's quarter past 10. I gotta wake up early tomorrow, since I wanna leave before sunrise."

"Oh, okay. Bye-bye, Jazzy!"

"Well, that does make sense. Alrighty then, see ya, Jason."

"Laters!" I said, sighing as I reluctantly ended the call. 'Time to check out now, I guess.'

"Alexa, set an alarm at six for tomorrow," I said aloud, getting up to switch off the lights.

It did not respond. Perhaps it gained sentience and became pissed off at the lack of use over the years. "Alexa. Alarm at six."

It still didn't respond. "Oi, Alexa!" I yelled, getting slightly annoyed.

"Jason, do you need something? You know we can't understand, so just come out if you do," I heard someone shout back.

"Right…" I sighed. I set the alarm on my phone instead and climbed into my bunk. However, I laid there for at least half an hour, tossing and turning and unable to sleep. That was my last day before I started breaking the law… essentially 24/7. How had I spent it? I learnt how to create illusions and, more importantly, spent quality time with friends, family, and Nick and Angie… Had I done enough to make my amends? It was anxiety-inducing, but there was more than just the thought that I'd wasted my time. A question that plagued my mind for the entire afternoon still lingered in my head, waiting for an answer.

'What does it mean to be a human? Can I just summarise it as being "not transformed?" I mean, it's basic enough for most to understand… but they don't truly get it. They can't seem to grasp, or straight up ignore the fact that we've retained our memories, personalities, quirks, the entire lot. Some of us will go nuts, that's a given. We have new bodies that we have no control over. Collectively, we probably have the power to destroy the world as we know it. It's frightening, but that's not what really scares me. It's what will happen once this all calms down and everyone, transformed or not, regains their bearings. Once we learn how to control ourselves. Are we still gonna be seen as sentient beings, or creatures running on pure animalistic instinct? Well, it answers itself. Once a wildfire starts, it spreads and doesn't stop. An accident over here, some structural damage over there. All building up, and before we know it, most of everyone agrees that we do more harm than good.'

And there were plenty of examples that I knew directly. What if I had lashed out at those kids? How about Kaden, if he injured his own mother or father in his escape? Nick, had he set that house ablaze? We've dodged bullets - but not everyone has. At least six deaths were confirmed to be caused by Pokémon here in the land down under. A tragic number that was all but proof of our danger to society, even though I could almost guarantee they were all accidental.

There were a lot of niches in the world, niches we could fill. As Angela said, why couldn't we help each other? People are getting injured by us, so what? Death and injury happens every day from car crashes, work accidents, other people… threats, assaults, and murders. Murders reported everywhere. It seems more like humans were the violent, unreasonable ones. But I couldn't change the minds of 25 million people, not when most of them were human.

'It's not even about whether you think you're human anymore, but whether or not you're rejected or accepted by what you once trusted. And it's gonna be all in on rejected. So it comes down to who gets the short end of the stick. This time, it's luck of the draw, a roll of the dice. A one in three chance. That's all it takes to lose your humanity.'

Author's notes:

"Short chapter," I said to myself when I started writing this. "Just four scenes."

7000 words. I can't even. In addition, I had to rewrite two parts and cut a whole encounter because they were bad and awkward lol.

So I'm back from holiday. Between getting my scuba licence, one of us getting dengue fever (dw they're fine), and missing a flight, it's been one hell of a January. Right in the mood to buckle down and work, eh? Well maybe, if Year 12 isn't already painting itself as the most stressful year of my life. Writing has already been relegated to late, sleepless nights. You are reading my sleep-deprived brain ramblings and will read more.

The next chapter will probably (HOPEFULLY) be some short exposition that I can write by the end of March, before we can finally close up this first act and get into some good old action. From there, really hope its back to the monthly releases, but probably not depending on schoolwork, actual work, motivation, blah blah blah. Life's a bitch when you need free time.

On a side note, I think I have undiagnosed ADHD. Like, all the textbook symptoms. But the one thing that's relevant here is that I need constantly changing stimuli, to the point where I zone out of work or a conversation to go eavesdrop on someone else's after maybe a few minutes. And that almost always happens. I'm telling you this because it explains why Jason does the same thing. Of course, I'm not trying to model him after having ADHD, I'm trying to model him after (a slightly idealised) me. If it turns out I don't, and it's just a quirk of mine, cool. Jason just so happens to have it as well. You get what I mean? There's a little bit of self-reflection that should be involved with writing self-inserts.

And yeah, I copied Mike Boyd's line up there. It fits, okay?

'Till we meet again.

Actual word count: 7232
Published February 24th, 2024

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