Chapter 3: Support

"If you start feeling sick from eating that, let me know." Bryce was definitely starting to sound like a dad. Ugh.

Lucario nodded, still nibbling away at the chocolate bar, barely paying attention as the house's resident. She watched him finish putting the meatloaf in the oven, everything but the wrapper now disappeared into her mouth as she gave a small hum of approval at the sweetness of the sugar and cocoa.

"Right, that's that." Bryce mused, their soon-to-be-meal now in the slow process of turning into a food fit for consumption.

The door to the over creaked shut as Bryce slowly pulled it closed to stop it from letting out a loud bang. He probably should have printed out that list on his computer before they came out here, but he'd be able to remember most of it. There was a possibility that Lucario may be stuck in his room for long periods of time, if someone else was around the house, so letting her see the rest of the house was the first priority. Unless he'd forgotten something. Bryce did remember having 'house tour' as the first thing on that list, but he also had that uneasy feeling of forgetting something, the internal argument in the brain that says 'you're forgetting something, but I'm not telling you what it is'.

"You never told me your name." Lucario said, though it was more of a...response?

"Right...hold on. I know about the aura thing, but...you can figure out what I'm trying to think of, even if I can't remember it?"

She shrugged. "If you're specifically trying to remember something and not focused on anything else."

Bryce blinked. "You have no idea how many people would love to have that kind of capability whenever they need." What good was having something that could let you know that you forgot something, but not what specifically it was, anyway?

The Lucario gave a soft chuckle. Apparently he had missed the joke. It may have been commonplace for her, but the novelty of having a Pokemon sitting in front of him hadn't exactly worn off after less than half a day.

"So…?"

"Oh, yeah. Bryce." He nearly pointed at himself, but thankfully he wasn't that socially awkward. Honestly, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd introduced himself. Any new teachers would read the roll and just know his name from that, and since he hadn't changed schools, almost everyone at least knew of him. "Do Pokemon have specific names they go by in a group of all the same Pokemon?"

"Not really. A lot of Pokemon communication is through eyesight." She replied. "There's still a lot of talking, but every Pokemon has at least a little bit of capability to get their meaning across with eyesight, as long as they have noticeable eyes." Her expression changed a bit, as if she'd realized something. "But changing the subject aside, it's nice to officially meet you, Bryce." That smile could be infectious if she wasn't careful. "I guess you could still call me Lucario, if you need to."

Bryce nodded. "Alright. The food will still take a bit of time, so I guess I'll show you around here first."

Lucario stood, tossing the candy bar wrapper into a nearby trash can.

"You seem a lot more...prepared for this kind of experience than I'd expect of a Pokemon." He mused.

"I had to go through a lot of training. The company that sent me here only had a vague idea of what to expect, so I was prepped for as much as they could think of."

"Human speech included?"

She nodded. "Speech included. Telepathy helps, especially since I can always read someone's aura. Since the human brain stores memory for words and phrases in all parts, it makes that easy to look into. Sort of like having all the clues to solve a puzzle instead of just one or two."

"Can't say I'm not jealous of that ability. Tragically, there's no sort of magic or psychic capability in this world, unless you count sleight of hand tricks."

"I suppose you might have some kind of magic or psychic capability." Lucario mused, looking him over. "It actually varies by individual, but it can only be...unlocked, I guess is the right word...by living in a magic inclined world, or by the right person or place in a world that includes magic."

So, no dice. Not a surprise. "Oh well. I'll show you around while I'm still thinking about it, otherwise we could be talking all day." Bryce blinked. Talking all day, huh? When was the last time he'd said more than a few sentences to someone...must have been years…

Putting the thought aside, the two began to walk out of the kitchen. The house was just about what anyone would come to expect from a decently well-off family. Maybe Lucario found it interesting, though. The kitchen was divided into the side with a dinner table that largely went unused for anything that wasn't leaving unimportant mail on it and the side with the microwave, stove, refrigerator, and drawers for ingredients and canned food. In the back was a door that led to the utility room. Washer, dryer, ow's litter box, and a small pantry. It was enough room for maybe two people to stand in without touching. Another door in the utility room led to the garage, with little to see that wasn't cement and a place where a car would normally sit if its owner was home.

Neither Bryce nor his family were ones for doing too much decoration or coloring. It was probably one of the few things he shared in common with his folks. The walls bore little more than the occasional art piece, either a photo or picture of places they'd never been, sometimes with people they'd never met, doing things they'd never do. Every wall was painted the same color, that typical shade of off-white that hid any sign of dust or dirt as the years went by. Bryce's room was the only one with a different coat of paint, a navy blue in a futile attempt to help him sleep by making the room darker.

Another exit from the kitchen brought them to a small, wood floor hallway with a small closet and the master bedroom for his folks. There wouldn't ever be a reason for either of them to go in there, but if a noise ever came from there that wasn't a cat, at least Lucario would know they were home. Thankfully, it also had the master bathroom attached to it, so that'd be one less reason they'd leave that room if his folks were home.

The final exit, the one they initially walked through to get to the kitchen, brought them back to the living room. A few couches and a big TV, with plenty of space to walk through, along with a hall closet right next to the front door. Despite the array of paintings on the wall, Bryce always felt it was a bit empty. Oh well, bound to happen when it was usually empty of life. Why would he stop to watch anything from the couch when he could do the same on his computer? All hail the technology age. Besides, all of the rooms in this hallway were still carpeted. Nobody liked getting cold feet.

With the other side of the living room leading to a hallway, it was only expected that Bryce's bedroom was the room at the hall's end. Aside from that, the bathroom was only a few feet away, and after taking a right turn to the remaining few feet of the hallway, the door to the backyard as well. One more hall closet that was stuffed full of currently unused holiday decorations was just next to it. That left only one more door, next to Bryce's room.

"Haven't been in here for years. Watch your step." Bryce internally prayed for a distinct lack of spiders and other creepy crawlies as he turned the brass knob, same as every other door in the house, cracking the entrance to the final room open.

And then quickly closed it, but not before a wave of dirt poofed free and onto the wood flooring.

"Nope."

Lucario looked at him curiously.

"That's definitely not a room fit for anyone or their lungs." He replied, giving a small cough from the dust that had worked its way into his nose. "It's just a guest room full of boxes and junk. Not nothing important."

This time, Bryce could tell she was examining his aura. He didn't mind though, because he wasn't lying. It was a good reminder to be careful around her either way.

"I see." She smiled.

A personal lie detector, huh?

"Well, that's the house...and I suppose I could show you the backyard later. Our fences are pretty high and nobody around here even has a two story house, so unless one of my neighbors next door is on the roof, they won't see you."

"Oh, I'd be able to sense them before I step outside." Infrared detector, too? Thankfully not, as Lucario continued. "I just need to focus before scanning an area. It can cover up to about fifty feet or so."

"That'll work." He replied. "Food should still take a bit longer, so I guess we talk about where to go from here over...whatever you prefer to drink, I suppose?"

"Hmm, something that's not from my world, maybe?"

Bryce quickly went through all the drinks in the Pokemon universe in his head. "Yeah, I think we have something. Not giving you any alcohol, though."

"What's alcohol?"

Bryce paused, thinking about what might have happened if she'd run into someone that got Lucario drunk, and what that would have led to. "...you really are lucky that you were found by me and not someone else awake at that hour." Like a drunk college kid, for example.

She was still giving him a confused look. Come to think of it, alcohol didn't really show up in Pokemon much. If it did, it was almost always censored.

"Alcohol is a drink adults have to help themselves relax and destress. It lowers inhibitions though the stuff in it." Bryce paused. "It also makes people do really, really dumb things because their brain and body doesn't work on full capacity and can be addictive."

"Doesn't seem worth the risk to me." Lucario mused as the two returned to the kitchen.

"Good, keep that mindset. I'd bet that every single person out there is related to or knows someone that drinks too much."

He pulled the refrigerator door open, taking out a can of ginger ale and a bottle of water. Figuring that it'd be hard to pop the tab on the can with paws, Bryce did it instead, grabbing a clear up from the cabinet and pouring the brownish-yellow liquid into the container as he handed it to her. "It's a bit like a soda, plus it's supposed to help with nausea, not that you seem to have any."

Lucario nodded, taking a sip as Bryce unscrewed the lid on his water. As he finished taking a few sips, he heard her ask:

"Does soda always sting your mouth like that?"

"Oh, that tingly feeling? Kinda. It's mostly because it's carbonated. That's how it gets the fizz. If you leave it out for a bit, it'll escape enough to leave the drink flat. And then it's a bit gross, honestly."

Lucario chuckled at that. "How fast does it go flat?"

"Depends on the conditions it's kept in. It's not going to go flat in minutes, though." He paused. "At some point you're going to ask me something I don't have an answer to, you know." He nearly smiled at her reaction, the Lucario sticking her tongue out at him.

"Well, surely your computer can help us do all the research we need. Our universe has the internet as well, so I should be able to navigate it with a bit of help."

Bryce thought a moment. "A year isn't a lot of time to learn everything. With how our school system is, kids are supposed to take twelve years to learn the core mechanics of a few subjects. No way is any high school graduate an expert in any field though, not unless they're a child prodigy." It took a bit for the gears to turn. "After we eat, we'll have you make a broad list of categories you want to know about, and then figure out how many days or weeks you should spend learning about each one."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Lucario agreed. "You still probably have a ton of questions to ask me, though. I hope I haven't been too…"

"Nah, not at all." He cut her off before she could get too down about it. "Honestly, it'll probably be refreshing to hear someone ask a question for a reason other than wanting to hear an opinion to argue with."

"Isn't that the purpose of asking questions, to learn?"

"Depends on who you ask." He shrugged.

Shadow suddenly hopped up on the bar, seemingly brave enough to now be in the same room as a Pokemon. That, or he just wasn't scared enough to resist being pet by Bryce, idly sauntering over as her owner started scratching her lower back.

"This is Shadow, by the way. A family cat that only likes me." Probably because she only saw Bryce regularly. "You're welcome to pet her if you want. From experience watching, she'll either love you or try and bite you."

Lucario walked over slowly as Bryce watched. Animals that weren't Pokemon weren't exactly common in their universe, if the games were anything to go by. Wondering if this was a weird feeling for a sort of sentient creature that was a bit animal-like in appearance, Bryce moved to the side to give her room. Weird, shouldn't he be worried that she'd attack Shadow, or try and eat Shadow? There wasn't much of a reason to believe that Lucario would lie about something like the story she'd given thus far. Plus, she honestly acted more like a human than a Pokemon. Probably because she was a bipedal, talking creature that could do most things a human could do.

Her paw extended out, letting Shadow sniff her curiously. Well, the feline didn't swipe at her, that was already better than just about anyone else that tried interacting with Shadow. After a few moments, she rested her paw on Shadow's lower back, petting the feline gently. Shadow purred.

"Wow…"

"Mm?"

Bryce couldn't help but be a tiny bit impressed. "That's the first time I've seen Shadow nice to anyone but me." And pets were usually a good judge of character, right? "Maybe she likes weirdos."

Oddly enough, Lucario seemed to understand the self-deprecation. "You think I'm a weirdo, huh?"

"No more than me." He shrugged.

Then he paused. Did he just tell a joke?

The oven's timer gave a soft 'ding', distracting him from the realization as he went to go and grab an oven mitt, opening the door as the steam and heat emanated into the kitchen...as did the smell of freshly cooked meat with a hint of herbs and spices. Who didn't like proper meatloaf, anyway?

Author's Notes: Yeah, this was the first chapter that's almost completely different from the original. Having the original text be a dream, things progressed way too quickly, and I often pushed Lucario's goal of learning about this universe out of the way in favor of the other elements of the story and her experiences. What a silly decision fifteen year old me made. I probably wanted to make the story short and sweet, though. But hey, that was a short story, and now it will be the first arc of many. What I focused on the first time was what I believe was (and still is) the most important facet of the story, but it sure as heck isn't the only part.

Comments are always appreciated, and remember that life has a way of taking unexpected turns, even amidst the strangest of times. -Delta