FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_ PROLOGUE _

The sun slowly crept over the horizon as a new day began. The grass glistened with morning dew, the birds were chirping back and forth to each other nonstop, and the rushing air of Spring's wind made the trees wave their branches around, like they were stretching to wake up for another day. The same rush of morning air carried a peculiar feather; not easily identifiable to any bird. It was white and looked slick as it shimmered from the reflection of the morning sun. The wind continued carrying the feather until it reached to the second-story window of a suburban household and the feather landed and rested on the head of the main protagonist as he slumbered peacefully. When the rush of air hit him in the face, it was enough to wake him up. He struggled to open his eyes as they still felt heavy, but he had to get up; it was a school day after all.

The person's name was Tom, a high school student with a big dream; to fly. He is aware that human beings are not able to fly on their own, but he wanted to know what it would be like to soar like the most majestic eagle. The reason for this behavior is because he was always fascinated by the avian species since he was a baby. Humans did invent airplanes, but Tom wanted to feel the wind and not sitting on an uncomfortable chair in coach. When he was not trying to think about being a bird, he also liked to draw them. He was working on the design for a bird that he came up with; a bird that also had the majesty of a dragon.

When Tom dreamt about being such a creation, it was short-lived when he had to wake up for school. When his eyes fully opened, he was blinded by the morning sun, which forced him to get up and rub his eyes; that is when the feather on his head fell and landed in his lap. Tom picked it up and inspected it; admiring the sleek design. When he brushed it over his face, it felt so wonderful that it almost made him feel like all of the worries he ever had just swept away. He could do it all day, but he had to get ready for school. He got up and got dressed; putting the special feather in his pocket. He went downstairs to make his breakfast and ate at the kitchen with nothing but the sounds of nature from the outside filling the house. His parents already went to work, as they do every weekday. They work for long shifts too; it seems they do not have much time for him. And when they do come home, their son is already in bed for the day. He believed they would at least say hi if they had the opportunity to do so, but it is like he never sees them at all during the school week. And this was not just a recent thing either; it has been happening since he was young child.

Tom had a plate of toast coated in butter and munched on a slice as he thought more about the circumstances of his parents. "I would stay up a little later to at least greet them as they came home, but I don't want to feel too groggy for school. After all, they want me to be the best that I can be, I'm sure. But I just wish they had more time on their hands or quit their jobs because I've never been able to tell them how I've been doing...it's almost like they're complete strangers to me or like I've been adopted by neglecting parents." He continued contemplating about this as he finished his breakfast and head out the front door with his book bag on; filled with utensils for drawing and other forms of art. He waited patiently for the school bus as he could hear the echoing sounds of the diesel engine roaring through his neighborhood. The bus stopped and picked Tom up before moving onward to school. He found his best friend, Stefan, sitting at the back and sat next to him.

Seeing his friend always seemed to put a smile on his face; they have been friends since they were little and their friendship grew stronger since then. "Thank goodness tomorrow is the weekend", exclaimed Stefan as he slapped his own book bag. "I don't know if I can deal with another big test; I had one every day this week." Tom looked at him with a bemused expression as he too had to deal with an equal amount of test-taking. "For me, I prefer my tests to be big; lesser points lost for each missed question." Tom unzipped his bag and took out the drawing of his original creation to show his friend. "Wow, love how you focus on details", he complimented. "Does it have a name?" Tom looked at his drawing again; feeling like his creativity froze. "I couldn't think of a name yet; that's always the hardest part with any creation you make." "Are you going to the ball game tonight," Stefan asked. "I would, but because my parents work all the time, I don't have someone to drive me over there. And my sister is out at an internship in New York. Besides, she would say no because she just hates my guts." "Not a problem, dude; I'm sure my parents can pick you up on the way there". Tom nodded and accepted the offer.

The school day was like any other day of the week. Tom and Stefan had the same classes except for the last class of the day. His friend took that big test as mentioned before and fainted from exhaustion after an entire class time of that test. He pumped his fist in the air as he celebrated victoriously. Before the last class period for the day, the two had lunch together. They had other friends too, but they felt like they were the only ones they needed to be happy; Tom even considered him like a brother. Afterwards, Tom went to his art class and presented his work to his peers; they awed at the careful use of colors and shading. The design of the bird was white and also had the characteristics of a dragon. He got a deserving 'A' on it and the others applauded for a job well done.

After school was over and the two friends left each other until the game that night, Tom was back in his house of solitude; being alone almost all the time. During the weekend, even though they did not work, they had to do other errands that they could have done during the week if they had time. It got to the point where he could put up being alone in his own home, but it could get pretty lonely. When he walked to and away from his bus stop, he could see the families of his neighbors enjoying themselves; acting like a real family. Tom wished he could have that feeling. The only person that really felt like family is his best friend. But he was hoping for some enjoyment at the ballgame; he can at last go out and enjoy himself. He hanged his grade 'A' artwork on the wall of his bedroom and freshened up for tonight. Later, he sat on the porch at the front of his house as he waited for Stefan.

His family's car arrived and he got inside. Stefan's parents greeted him as he greeted them back. He sat next to his friend as always and his little sister Karen. "So how did you do with your art project", Stefan asked. "I got a solid 'A' for a great job, but I got points deducted because I had no name for my art. You can't always please everyone. How did your test go?" "I got a solid 'C'. I would have gotten an 'F' if it wasn't for the extra credit work that gave me bonus points." Tom and Stefan continued talking until they arrived at the high school baseball field. They paid their tickets and got some snacks before getting a good seat. During the game, Stefan was cheering their team on, but when he looked over at Tom, he was giving off a lifeless expression as he was completely unresponsive.

Stefan waved his hand in front of his inattentive eyes and even snapped his fingers a few times, but Tom did not do anything. "Are you okay? Maybe some more snacks will help you snap out of it." Stefan left the lifeless Tom as he went to the concession stand to purchase more goodies when one of the players batting whacked a foul ball. The ball was flying towards Tom, who was still oblivious to his surroundings. Stefan rushed over and called out to him. "Tom! Lookout; that ball's about to cream ya! Tom, wake up!" After those words, Tom finally snapped back into reality and saw the ball that was flying towards him at breakneck speed; screaming as it was about to collide with his face. Suddenly, a hand covered in a baseball mitt caught the ball in front of his face as he shook in fear of what could have happened if the one who caught it did not come to the rescue; he gulped a little. The person who caught the ball looked at Tom. "Don't daydream too much, kid", he said before heading back to his seat. Stefan rushed over with a worried look. "What's wrong with you, man? Why weren't you paying attention?" Tom looked at his friend with a questioning look. "Huh? Oh, you mean what just happened? I don't know...I just suddenly had a bunch of images flashing before my eyes." He groaned a little as he scratched his head trying to ponder about it. "They flashed so fast that I couldn't make out what I was seeing. Wait, I think I do remember seeing a shadowy figure. It...kinda looked like my drawing." Stefan sat back down and gave Tom some candy. "I know artists are supposed to love their work, but it's nothing to fantasize about, especially during a game where you can get hurt if you're not careful." "You're probably right", Tom agreed.

And with that, the two friends resumed enjoying the rest of the game; their team won and celebrated the victory. Later, Tom was dropped off to his house and waved to his friend goodbye as they drove off. It was time to go to bed as usual, so he got ready and collapsed in the bed. Hours later, late at night, he heard the front door closing and people giggling and chuckling; it sounded like his parents. He never heard them this happy before, so he slowly opened his door and listened to his parents' conversation. "Gosh, I never felt happier in my life", exclaimed the father. "Yeah, now we can forget about that jerk and focus more on us", his mother added. Tom could hear the clinging of their wine glasses. The father took a sip of his drink and continued, "Yep, soon that child will be out of our lives for good. We'll tell Tom about it tomorrow. It's about time things changed around here. Afterwards, he'll have to go so far away so that we don't have to see that silly face of his anymore."

Tom could have sworn that they were referring to him; it became clear that his own parents felt that it would be pointless to raise a son anymore due to their work shifts and the next best thing would be to give him away to the state. He tried to hold back his tears of the fact that his own parents did not want him anymore. He slowly crawled back into his bed with even more worry on his mind. He looked up at the drawing that he hung. "If they don't want me around, then so be it. I don't need parents that can't even say hi to you for one lousy second and actually want you gone. They may even send me away somewhere far so I won't be able to hang out with Stefan anymore. Drawing, you're the only one I have left. I wish you were real, then we could fly all over the world and enjoy all the things that we couldn't do before...look at me, I'm talking to a stupid blotch of colors. Who am I kidding?" He shifted himself to where he was looking at the blank wall of his room instead of the drawing and let out a sobbing sigh before falling to sleep.

Tom woke up the next morning, feeling really bad from most likely what he had heard last night. He had trouble sleeping and thinking that it would never happen, but it was going to and today was the day. He turned on the news on his television as he drank some coffee; he did not have an appetite for a real breakfast. Afterwards, he left his home and got on the bus. He looked at his home like it was going to be the last time he ever saw it as the bus drove past it. "Maybe I should call my sister and tell her about this." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the numbers. He soon heard a voice that said, "We're sorry; the line could not be received, most likely due to inclement weather. Please call again later." He kept trying to dial the numbers over and over again, but ended up with the same result. He grunted angrily and resisted the urge to throw his phone at something. He looked up in the sky and saw that it was filled with dark ominous clouds. "The weatherman said it was supposed to be sunny today...I guess that doesn't surprise me. I mean they said it was going to snow in May, of all months." He got off the bus and walked into the school building. He has not seen Stefan at all this morning. But speak of the devil; he was rushing through the halls to the spot where they always hung out before classes started. "Sorry I'm late; I slept in. Thankfully I was able to get a ride with my mom who was off work today." Tom leaned against the wall showing no emotions at all even when Stefan arrived. "Gee, I wish my mom would do that for me", he scorned. Stefan looked at him curiously. "Wow, you looked really ticked; did something happen at home?" Tom was about to respond when the warning bell rang, urging people to get to their classes before they were tardy. "Look, I'll tell you after class", he waved off as they went to class together.

During class, it was the usual lecturing and taking notes. Tom was good at writing notes since he had a knack at drawing, but was unable to concentrate as he kept pondering about what was going to happen to him after school. That was when it happened again; he began to see more flashing images. He could hear something roaring in his mind, like it was howling to a certain tune. It glued to his mind as he could not stop hearing it; the tune was growing louder and louder each time. He put his head face down on the desk and covered his ears with his hands. He could see lightning along with these images...and fire...and ice. He could feel the heat and cold emitting from them too. He did not know what was happening to him, but he wanted it all to stop. It soon got the point where Tom stood up from his desk and screamed at the top of his lungs, "STOOOOOP"! And everything did stop; he stopped seeing the flashes and could see his classroom again; everyone was staring at him awkwardly including the teacher. Tom was panting from the rush of what he just experienced; he could not take all of this anymore. He dashed out of the classroom as Stefan soon pursued him. The class was still wondering what caused Tom to act like that.

Tom ran out of the school building as Stefan managed to stop him by calling out to him. The outside was raging with thunder and lightning, but no rain. The wind was blowing hard too as they occasionally struggled to keep themselves from getting blown away. "Tom, what are you doing?!" "I'm sick of all this! Why can't I stop seeing these stupid images? I'm taking my drawing and running away; me being here is probably why this is happening to me." "Tom, let's talk about your sudden outburst preferably indoors; it's not safe out here!" "No! I'm staying; maybe this storm is just what I need." Tom stretched his arms outward as he looked up at the clouds. Stefan ran over and tried to pull him back inside with Tom fighting back. "Tom, you're out of your mind!" "Let me go! Let...me...go...NOW!" Just then, lightning shot down from the clouds and struck Stefan right in the head and caused Tom to fly a few feet from the impact and fell onto the grass. He looked to see that burnt mark where the lightning hit; Stefan vanished without a trace. He looked up into the sky as it was charging for another lightning bolt. As if in slow motion, the lightning bolt finished charging and shot towards Tom. As soon as the lightning collided with him; everything went black. The last thing he could hear was the thunderous boom and the familiar howling tune from before until everything went silent.

_ ACT I_

After a few moments, Tom slowly opened his eyes; everything looked blurry to him. His vision soon recovered and could see where he was. He was in a calm and vibrant meadow filled with flowers and with some mountains over the horizon. The air felt crisp and cool as a light breeze filled the air. "Where am I...?" He looked over his arm to see that it was actually a large white wing with the end that resembled a hand. He yelped in surprise and looked at his other arm, which was also a wing. He looked down to see that his entire physical being was changed; he had a blue underside on his belly and his legs and feet changed to look more thick and bird-like. Tom began panicking and found a nearby pond; he crawled over to it and looked into the reflection of the water; his face and head completely changed as well. His eyes were masked with two dark blue fins and his head tapered to a point. He had a serrated beak which bared similarities to a dragon's maw. Looking further down, he had a long slender neck. When he noticed this, he was able to turn his head around to look behind him. He had ten dark blue fins running down his back and a thick tail with two fins of the same color at the end.

His jaw dropped at such a sight he was. When his maw was open, he could see two sharp teeth protruding his lower jaw. The only things that he still had as a human were his hazel eyes. He looked at himself with a face like he seen a ghost. "This...this can't be real...this has to be a dream." He covered his eyes with his wings and shut them tightly. As he did this, he noticed that his body was covered in shiny feathers. It felt very soothing and relaxing; almost like his worries ran away. That was when he remembered the feather from the other day; it had the same properties as the feathers on his new body. "So this isn't a dream." He sat back down on the grass and started breathing heavily. He was trying to comprehend what happened. "How can this be possible; how could I turn into this bird, dragon thing", he asked himself. The thought of being something that is so impossible of existing was inconceivable, but he tried to calm himself down before he had some kind of panic attack. He looked at himself again. He was a hybrid of a bird and a wyvern and they can both fly, which was something that he always wanted to do. But something did creep up in his mind. "Stefan...he was struck too, if I remember correctly. I wonder if this happened to him as well." This urged Tom to stop sitting around and go look for him. He stood back up and started walking. He wobbled a little trying to accommodate his new legs, but he got the hang of it after a few minutes.

Tom enjoyed the beauty and peacefulness of the meadow. The grass was lush and soft; very comfortable to lie down on. The air smelled clean and refreshing, unlike the relatively polluted air of where he was before. He stopped and looked around; finding himself seeing not a single person or thing in sight; just an ocean of grass. He looked at his wings again; they were so large that they could probably lift him up. Tom decided to at least try. He stretched his wings outward as he admired their size; it made him look majestic. He then gave a few flaps and just like that, he got his feet off the ground. He flapped faster and harder as he rose higher and higher. Tom was growing excited with each thrust of his mighty wings as he could see more of the unknown meadow below. He decided to stop at a certain height before he began to glide. He had a few sudden drops as he tried to fly smoothly and balanced himself so that he did not end up going in a different direction. Flying was harder than it looked, but he wanted to master it. The air rushed through his slick body as he soared across the sky. "I'm flying! I'm actually flying", he exclaimed ecstatically. He could finally fulfill his dream; to fly to the ends of the Earth without worries. He never felt so happy in his life; he did not have to think about his past life. His parents, who did not really care for him in the end, were no longer his problem.

As he was too busy being in wonder, he accidently clashed against another flying creature and they both fell onto the ground. Tom groaned as he recovered from the fall. "Hey, watch where you're going", he yelled. "You're the one who wasn't paying attention", retorted the creature. Tom was about to yell at him back, but he notice the sound of his voice was very familiar. The creature was also a bird about as big as him. He resembled both a phoenix with the red and gold feathers, and a peacock with the fan-like tail. He also had a white underside, a green ring around his neck; the tips of his wings were also green, and had black rings around his eyes. When he did look at his eyes, they were brown, which coincidently was Stefan's eye color.

The stranger bird observed Tom a similar way, especially when he got to his hazel eyes. They looked at each other's eyes, swearing that they have seen them before. "...Stefan?" "...Tom?" Tom smiled happily as he finally found his best friend. "I'm so happy to see you again!" He walked up to him as he was glad his friend was alright, but he suddenly got slapped in the face by Stefan's wing as it left his cheek stinging red. Tom grunted and groaned as he rubbed the side of his face. "...Well I guess I did deserve that." "You got that right", Stefan retorted. "What were you thinking? You could've gotten yourself killed back there! I could've gotten killed trying to save you from a falling tree or get electrocuted by a broken power cable!" "I know, Stefan, and I'm sorry for what I did. So, you became a giant bird too, huh?" Tom walked around Stefan and observed the rest of his new features. "Yeah", he responded. "I woke up looking like this and tried to practice flying so that I could see where I ended up at. I must say, Tom, you look very familiar from somewhere...of course; you look almost like the creature in your drawing!" "I do? Hmm...the design is recognizable...the fins are new though, but it looks very nice on me, if I do say so myself."

They suddenly saw clouds rolling through the sky as it were about to storm. "Oh no; not again", groaned Stefan. "Don't worry", assured Tom. "I don't think this is the strange storm from before." As the clouds covered the sky, a rain drop landed on Tom's head. "Yep, it's just an ordinary rainstorm." "Ouch", yelled Stefan. "I don't know why, but that rain drop felt like I was being pinched." The rate of the rain falling from the sky grew frequent as Stefan grunted with each drop landing on him. "Tom, I need to find some shelter and quickly; I can't put up feeling like this in the rain." Tom looked around his surroundings as he had to listen to his friend get hurt by the rain, as silly as it may sound. "I don't see any caves or burrows that you can hide in." Stefan tried to cover his head with his wings as they stung a little each time the rain hit them. He saw several boulders grouped together and then looked at Tom; forming an idea.

Later, Tom was lying over the boulders as Stefan sat under him, sighing happily as he used his friend as a shield from the rain and nestled on the dry grass. Tom grumbled a little as his back was pelted with rain. "You know, I don't appreciate you using me like this because you can't handle a little bit of water." "If you so much as dare move from that spot; I will peck you to kingdom come." Tom grumbled more as the position was very uncomfortable for him. He suddenly noticed a bunch of black birds sitting at a tree glaring at them. The design of their feathers looked like they were wearing witch hats, they also had crooked beaks, and red iris eyes as they looked towards the two. Tom looked at them curiously and greeted them. "Um...hello there, little guys. How are you?" The crow-like birds just stared at him; some more sternly than others as if they were about to attack. Tom felt more uneasy each second as this happened. "Stefan; they look like they're about to pick a fight with us; we should probably just find another place." "No, I am not flying in the rain; end of story. Besides, we're bigger than them; they can't scare us." The birds looked like they were getting angry.

They flew up into the sky and then began to dive bomb towards Tom. They collided with his back as Tom winced in pain from the attack. The birds proceeded to peck all over his body; his back and his head. "Stefan...fend them off...please." Stefan was hesitant to do so, but he had to help his friend one way or another. He slowly stretched his wing out and tried to swat the birds with it. "Shoo! Shoo! Leave my umbrella alone!" Some of the birds suddenly went after Stefan from under Tom and began to peck him too. He tried to swat them away as he ended up walking into the rain. As a result, he was forced on his knees as the rain beat down his body. As he did this, Tom was now free to move and take care of the pesky dark birds. He remembered about the time they went to the baseball game yesterday and decided to use one of his wings as a bat. The birds began to charge at him; Tom set his footing and prepared himself. "Batter up...!" he swung his wing as it smacked against the birds. They skyrocketed towards the sky as they were in a daze.

Tom pumped his wing into the air as he felt victorious, but turned around to see Stefan lying unconscious in the rain. "Stefan? Stefan?!" Tom rushed over to him and shook him a few times before placing his cheek next to his feathered underside. "He's still breathing. Don't worry, my friend, I'll go find help. But I better do it quickly though; who knows what this rain might do to you." He was about to fly when suddenly the dark birds came back...and in bigger numbers. They were charging right at him with full force and Tom feared that there was too many for him to fend them off again. He screamed in terror and ducked as he covered his head with his wings; bracing for the inevitable pummeling.

Meanwhile, there was a lonely little house at the edge of a forest. Inside the house was a girl, who was on her computer searching for anything unusual. "Nothing exciting ever happens here", she said to herself. The computer kept emitting that monotonous beep as it scanned the meadow area. Soon, it suddenly beeped erratically as it got a signal. A mini screen of the dark birds pop up as it displayed the specific spot. "I've already seen those; give me something new for once", she demanded. And just like that, two more popped up; one showing the half bird, half wyvern creature, and the giant red bird. The girl gasped as she thought that her computer was busted, but she just had it repaired yesterday. Fake or not, she did not want the opportunity to slip her fingers. She took an umbrella and called out to a little mouse creature that was yellow and sported two red dots on its cheeks. "Pikachu", she called out. The mouse named Pikachu woke up from its nap and rushed over to the girl before they left the house.

They made it to the spot where the two giant birds were; that's when she witnessed what was going on. Tom was being pecked to death by the dark birds and Stefan was still unconscious. The girl was surprised seeing the two injured by the dark birds. "Pikachu, give these pests a thunderbolt." The dots on Pikachu's cheeks began to charge with electricity as it prepared to attack. With a battle cry from the mouse, lightning bolts shot from its cheeks as it zapped all the birds at once, thanks to the rain. They squawked from the pain and flew away; leaving an injured Tom as he could not move. He struggled to look up at the girl that saved him, but he then collapsed and passed out. The girl took a closer look at the two birds and was surprised by them both being here in a random meadow. "If only I had more help, I could carry them no problem. I guess I'll have to do it myself." She starts with the red bird and picks him up by the underside of his wings; dragging him back to the house. After placing him next to the fireplace to dry, she went back for the white bird and dragged him back the same way.

When she got back, she had Tom lie down next to Stefan and cover them both with a hot blanket. They were soundly asleep; exhausted after the whole ordeal. The girl sat in a chair and looked at them for a bit. "I can't believe it; how would these two end up in a random place like this? No matter; they belong to me now." The girl took out a small ball from her pocket; it was lavender and had a white "M" on it. She pressed the little button on one of them as it clicked and enlarged to fill her whole hand. She walked closer to the white bird quietly and got down on her knees. She flipped a bit of the blanket up and pressed the ball against the side of his body; nothing happened. She kept pressing the ball against him wondering why it was not working. "Maybe it's too weak for the ball to register. I'll just wait until they've fully recovered. In the meantime, I better give Pikachu back to the professor. It was a good thing I still had it though." She quietly left the house for about an hour until returning. She continued going about her day as the two giant birds slept heavily. She looked at them both, especially the white one, one last time before heading upstairs for bed. As she got in her bed; Pikachu climbed up and snuggled close before falling asleep.

Tom slowly woke up as he could tell that it was morning by the light shining through the window. He sat up and looked around; seeing Stefan snoozing next to him as it seems that he's feeling better after all that rain. Without disturbing his friend, he got up and walked out of the house; trying to fit through the doorframe with his new size and height of being the creature. He inhaled deeply and sighed as he enjoyed the fresh air. The girl woke up as she was too excited about having those two birds as her own, but when she looked out the window, she saw the white one already out and about. He began to walk over to the lake nearby and she took the lavender ball before getting out of the house. When she ran, she did not remember the red bird sleeping nearby and the running made him wake up. Stefan saw the girl running out the house as he was trying to figure what was going on and how did he get where he was. Tom dipped his head into the water of the lake and took a drink; enjoying the cool refreshing taste. He splashed some of it on his face and rubbed his feathers with it as they shimmered from the sunlight. "You're mine now", exclaimed the girl as she threw the lavender ball at the white bird. Tom overheard the shout and turned around to see what it was. The ball smacked him square in the face and the force of the impact made him fall into the lake; creating a big splash. The girl rushed over to see if it worked.

Bubbles from Tom's breath were surfacing before he emerged from the water; covering the front of his face with his wings. "Alright, who's the wise guy that thought it was funny to throw stuff at people?! First I get pecked by those weird black birds and now I get hit with a weird ball!" As Tom continued ranting, the girl was speechless. "You...you can talk", she exclaimed. "Of course he can talk; were you expecting him to roar or something?" The girl turned around and jumped when she saw the red bird looking at her. "That didn't come from you, did it", she asked. Stefan looked at her curiously. "I think we should explain ourselves before you throw yourself for a loop." Tom picked up the ball from the lake and inspected its characteristics. "Very strange ball", he muttered. He looked up at the girl and went wide-eyed; dropping the ball from his wing as he had his undivided attention towards her. He looked at her long light blue hair that glowed in the sun as well as her deep blue eyes that looked like the ocean. "Your nose looks red", she stated. "Come with me and I'll help sooth it for you." Tom nodded and grabbed the ball again before getting out of the lake.

Tom and Stefan nestled in the shade under a tree on a large picnic sheet. He could not take his eyes off of the girl who was preparing the medicine. He looked at her with gleam in his eyes; feeling warm inside. "You've been looking at her for three minutes now" Stefan said, "Don't tell me you've suddenly fallen in love with her." Tom did not here a word he said, which caused Stefan to roll his eyes in pity. The girl walked up to them with a container full of gel. She scooped up some with her fingers and rubbed it on Tom's nose; feeling it cold and ticklish to the touch. Tom was in his thoughts as she did this. "Wow, she's so kind and resourceful", he thought. His eyes sparkled again and blushed as he felt so warm that he could not help but giggle. "I know it can be ticklish", she assumed, "But it should stop the reddening". She finished applying the medicine and Tom continued to stare at her adoringly. "Thank you", he could only utter.

Stefan was getting sick of his friend's puppy love antics and wanted to cut to the chase. "Excuse me, ma'am; I'm going to say this since my friend here is unable to do so. This may sound strange to you, but we were not originally like this; we were humans like you. We got struck by lightning because a certain someone was being too careless, and we ended up in the meadow over there looking like this. I'm Stefan and this is Tom. Now I have two questions for you: one, who are you, and two, what the heck are we?" The girl listened to their explanation. "My name is Lya, and you two are called Pokémon." "Poke...a...man", Tom asked. "No, silly; Pokémon are the creatures that live here; they come in all shapes and sizes." "Huh, sounds just like the animals in our world", he thought. Lya continued. "I am a Pokémon trainer; I capture Pokémon and train them to battle other trainers. We catch them using these pokeballs, no matter how big the Pokémon is." Lya presented her lavender ball. "This one in particular is called a Master Ball. Usually with any other pokeball, you have to weaken it first. But with this, you can capture any Pokémon no matter how strong. I got this from my grandma as an heirloom. She told me to capture the best Pokémon I can find. You said you were human, right? That's probably why it wouldn't work."

"Wait, so you were trying to capture me", Tom asked. "Yeah; I'm sorry I ended up hurting you." "So, if she has only one of those balls, then that would mean she chose me over Stefan. So she does like me", he thought as hearts formed in his eyes. Stefan cleared his throat as it made Tom snap out of his daydream; chuckling a little. Lya then took out a red rectangular device from her pocket. "This is a Pokedex; all you have to do is point the lens at a Pokémon and it will tell you everything you need to know." She flipped the device open; revealing several buttons and a little screen. She pointed the lens at Tom as it then beeped and revealed an image of the Pokémon he was. It began to speak. "Lugia, the diving Pokémon. Its wings pack devastating power; a light fluttering of its wings can blow apart regular houses." Lya then pointed the Pokedex at Stefan. "Ho-oh, the rainbow Pokémon. Its feathers glow in seven colors depending on the angle at which they are struck by light." As Stefan heard this, he raised his wing in an angle to where the sunlight shined against it; he could see the tip of his wings shine in multiple colors. "Wow, no fooling."

"You two are also legendary Pokémon; those that are rarely seen by people and have incredible power. There's only one of each in the world." "Wait a minute", interrupted Tom. "If that's the case, and I was just brought here as one, where is this other Lugia?" "The original Lugia resides deep in the bottom of the sea under a group of islands called the Orange Archipelagos. According to legend, it only appears when the three titans of fire, ice, and lightning are at war with each other, which he then calms them down by singing a certain song." "Do you know what the song sounds like", asked Tom. Lya left again for a bit and came back with an ocarina. "I haven't played this in a while, but I think I still have it down." Lya began to play Lugia's song on the ocarina. Tom and Stefan closed their eyes as they enjoyed the soothing notes. As this happened, Tom began to see something in his mind. The song was echoing in his thoughts and he could see a large creature swimming deep in the seas howling to the same song. When the song Lya was playing ended, the image faded to black and he opened his eyes.

Tom was about to ask Lya about it, but Stefan began to ask her something first. "Hey Lya, do you think we can see more of what this world of Pokémon looks like?" "Absolutely", Lya agreed. "Would it be okay if I could ride you, Tom?" Tom blushed heavily and grinned to himself. He then lowered himself so that Lya could get on. "I would be honored." Lya saddled just at the base of his neck. "Hold on tight, okay?" "I will; you're such a gentleman...err...Lugia." Tom blushed bashfully. "Well, I'm usually kind to those I care about." Stefan looked at him sternly. "If you're done flattering your feathers, can we go now?" "Ugh, fine", he said in an irritated voice. Tom and Stefan started running forward before flapping their wings as they took off from the ground. "Is there a certain altitude limit that you prefer me to stay at", Tom asked. "Not really; go as high as you want", she insisted. "Yep; she's definitely my kind of girl", he thought. Tom raised himself higher and higher, but wanted to be low enough to see the many variety of Pokémon below them. The two friends saw horses with flames for manes, rhinos with rocky exteriors, bulls with three tails and a pebble on their heads, they saw many different creatures that some looked more similar to the animals in their world, while others looked completely new to them.

Tom and Stefan awed at the sight of seeing the wonder that was the different species of Pokémon. "Hey, there's a city dead ahead", stated Tom. "That's Argentum City", explained Lya. "They have a stadium for exhibition matches somewhere here so that you can see how they battle." Tom looked down and saw the citizens passing by others as they minded their own business. "Why don't we land down there and say hello?" "No, no, no, no, you do not want to do that. Remember when I said that there's only one of each legendary Pokémon in the world? If people see you two, they will either run in terror or try to capture you." Stefan reinstated, "But they can't capture us. Remember? You used your Master Ball and it didn't work." "Trust me, when it comes to those like you, they'll use more than the conventional method. There are certain trainers that will stop at nothing to get their Pokémon, especially when it's a Lugia and a Ho-oh; a combination like that is a collection that none even get the opportunity to have or see." "And last time I checked, we got pecked silly by those black birds, so I don't think we even stand a chance on what the trainers might have", added Tom as he shook his head from remembering the bad experience. "If that's the case, then we need to be extremely careful and not blow our cover", said Stefan.

So they decided to quickly head to the exhibition stadium while making sure they were not seen by the people below. They landed on top of the stadium and got a great view of the battlefield while not being seen. The announcer's voice boomed in the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, trainers of all ages, it's another glorious day for a fun-filled exciting Pokémon battle! Andrew and Lucas are the top trainers of Argentum city and are sure to give the audience the thrill." The referee began to speak to the trainers. "This will be a 3-on-3 Pokémon battle; both trainers are not allowed to switch their Pokémon at any time. If a trainer has one Pokémon remaining, that Pokémon is prohibited of using Self-Destruct or Explosion. No time-limit will be implemented. Let the battle begin!" The bell rang to start the battle as the crowd cheered. "Go, Ludicolo", Andrew yells as he throws his pokeball. The ball opened and a stream of light shot out of it, revealing some kind of platypus that looked like a pineapple. Lucas threw his pokeball and it reveals a large canine with the fur pattern of a tiger. "Show him what you got, Arcanine", yelled Lucas.

The three watched the battle commencing. The Ludicolo and Arcanine began charging each other as they battled it out. Ludicolo shot razor-like leaves while Arcanine shot fire out of its maw; burning the leaves to a crisp. Arcanine then charged and bashed at Ludicolo with its head, but Ludicolo quickly recovered and shot water out of its beak; dowsing Arcanine. It tried to shake off all the water, but then was knocked out by Ludicolo with a strong punch. Arcanine fell on the ground unconscious. The referee raised the flag on Andrew's side of the field. "Arcanine is unable to battle; victory goes to Ludicolo!" Tom and Stefan watched in awe at what they saw. "Wow, those two look pretty powerful", stated Tom. "If they're this strong, imagine what we would be like if we actually trained?" "Yeah, but not for long", said Stefan. "We still have to figure out how to get back home and become our true selves again."

Tom nodded to his friend, but really frowned of the fact that being a human again would mean going back to his normal life. And the part where his parents send him away somewhere would happen and he would have to start a life as a homeless child being raised by the state. But when he is a Lugia in this world of Pokémon, he can do all the things that he could not do before and not have to worry about all those problems. Plus, he found Lya, who he had strong feelings for, but the problem was she was a human, so it could not work if he stayed as a Lugia. "I wish there was a way I could be a human and a Lugia at will", he thought. While he was in his mind, Andrew and Lucas' Pokémon have both fainted. The referee crossed the flags together. "Both Pokémon are unable to battle; no victor can be determined!" "Looks like both trainers are down to their last Pokémon", stated the announcer. Andrew summoned a giraffe Pokémon and Lucas summoned something that looked like three steel balls stuck together with magnets on their sides.

"Girafarig, use Psybeam", commanded Andrew as the horns of the Pokémon began to charge for an attack. "Magneton, quickly; use Supersonic", commanded Lucas as the magnet Pokémon emitted yellow sonic waves at Girafarig while it was charging. Its eyes looked spiral-like as it shot its Psybeam attack at the sky. "Uh oh, it looks like Girafarig has been confused", said the announcer. Andrew gritted his teeth as he had to put up with his Pokemon's condition. "Girafarig, keep firing until you hit him!" The Pokémon continued shooting the Psybeam attack at random places. The last blast was aimed at Stefan and he did not have time to react to it as it was coming in too fast. Stefan got hit, yelped from the pain, and slipped off the roof; falling into the stadium. "No! Stefan", screamed Tom. Stefan fell right in the middle of the field and hit the ground with a loud thud. The audience gasped and then grew silent while the trainers and their Pokémon looked at what fell. Stefan got up as he groaned a little from the fall. The announcer had his jaw dropped as he saw what was going on. "Unless if my eyes deceive me; the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh is in the stadium." The audience was mixed with shock and some murmuring to themselves. Stefan looked at them all as they stared at him. "Oh man, this is bad", said Lya nervously.

Stefan looked at the trainers and their Pokémon beside him and he tried to figure out what to do. "Maybe if I act friendly, then that'll ease the situation", he thought. He stretched his wings outward and bowed to the audience. They awed in response. "Looks like it worked, now it's time to show off". He shot up into the air and soar high up in the sky. He then began to dive towards the ground while doing a series of spins and twirls. Rainbow streaks were encircling around him from the angle of the sunlight hitting the tips of his wings. Tom and Lya watched in amazement as well. As soon as Stefan was about to hit the ground, he then used the wind resistance of his wings to slow the rate of his fall and he landed gently with one talon on the ground. The crowd cheered and applauded for the little performance. Stefan gave off a pose as he was enjoying the praise. "You saw it here, folks; Ho-oh was nice enough to show us how beautiful a creature like that can be. Let's have another round of applause for Ho-oh!" The crowd cheered and chanted his name and Stefan just smiled and waved to them.

Lya was relieved that things went better than expected. "For a human, he's can sure fly like a pro." "I can fly like a pro too, you know", mumbled Tom as he felt a little jealous of Stefan indirectly impressing his girl. As Stefan was enjoying the spotlight, his body suddenly glowed blue. "Hey, I can't move", he exclaimed. Andrew and Lucas grinned wildly at him as the Girafarig was using Psychic to keep him in place. "It's so nice that you came; I've always wanted a Ho-oh", snickered Andrew. "Ha! Jokes on you; I can't be captured", Stefan stated. "We'll see about that, my friend." Andrew snapped his fingers and his Pokémon threw Stefan against a hard wall. Tom and Lya watched in horror as their friend was getting thrown around like a rag doll; getting hit from wall to wall until Girafarig finished it off by slamming him hard against the ground. Stefan attempted to get back up, but the Psychic made him stand upright anyway.

"I think one more blow should just about do it. Wouldn't you agree, Lucas?" "Most definitely, Andrew; Magneton, use Thunder." The Magneton rose up in the air as clouds began to form above it. The Pokemon was charging with tremendous amounts of electricity before lightning shot from its body and struck Stefan; his screams of pain and agony echoed the stadium. The audience looked petrified as they all witnessed it; Tom was growing angry of just sitting there doing nothing and not helping him. He was about to, but Lya intervened. "Tom, don't; I can resolve this on my own without having you get hurt. Just set me back on the ground, head back up here, and not move from this spot." Tom hesitantly nodded and gently landed on the ground for Lya to get off before flying back up to the roof. Stefan collapsed onto the ground as electricity surged through his body. The announcer wiped his head with a piece of cloth. "It looks like...Ho-oh has been paralyzed; it is completely unable to move until it is thoroughly treated."

Andrew grinned as he got where the Ho-oh wanted him and took out his pokeball. "You're such a disappointment; look how weak and pathetic you look for a legendary. I can always sell you for practically a fortune." He threw his pokeball at the Ho-oh, which did nothing as expected. Stefan's body was numb from the paralysis, so he could not feel it. "What the...stupid pokeball! Fine then; if I can't have you, I'll just put you out of your misery." "Stop it, Andrew", shouted Lya as she rushed over to the scene. "How inconsiderate of a Pokémon trainer are you?! Legendary Pokémon aren't meant to be captured; they're meant to give trainers like you and me the inspiration to be the best we can be! I'm taking Ho-oh to the Pokémon center and then set it free. If you know what's good for you, you'll do nothing to stop me."

"Not a chance", replied Andrew. "This thing is a poor excuse of a legendary; the real Ho-oh wouldn't be this easy to take down. This phony Pokemon doesn't deserve to see another light of day. However, if I can sell it as the real one, I'll make a fortune. Those suckers won't know what hit them." Stefan struggled to move, but the intense shock from the Thunder attack made his muscles stiff and painful. He slowly looked up at Andrew with an infuriated expression. "This is why I was through with your sorry behind", she retorted. "Because you're such a selfish jerk who thinks he can decide on a Pokémon's fate!" Tom looked at Lya and Andrew curiously from above. "Does she know this guy", he asked himself, but then gasped when Andrew shoved Lya to the side as she fell on the ground. Tom was growing furious of how this guy treated others, especially to Lya and Stefan; his urge to stop him was rising at a steady rate. "Dumb girl; you should know better than to get in my way", scorned Andrew as he looked at Ho-oh with a greedy expression. "Remember our deal", warned Lucas. "I helped you weaken it, so I get half of what you earn from selling the Ho-oh." Andrew turned around and gave him a fake smile. "But of course, my friend. However, there is a catch..."

Andrew snapped his fingers as it cued Girafarig to use Psychic on Lucas and his Magneton; making them unable to move. "Girafarig, you stay here and keep them company while I take my prize. Soon, I'll be rich." A little girl from the audience rushed to the edge of the field. "Leave Ho-oh alone, you big bully! He didn't do anything to you!" The audience grew angry as they booed and jeered at Andrew. "Ah, who needs you", scoffed Andrew. Just as he was about to grab Stefan, he heard a loud boom and quickly turned around. His Girafarig was knocked into a wall and it immediately fainted. "Girafarig?!" He then heard something landing on the ground and jumped; he saw an angry Lugia glaring at him as it slammed its tail against the ground. The announcer leaned forward as he gasped. "Audience members, now the legendary Lugia is in the stadium! And it seems that was the one who knocked Girafarig out of commission. How is this happening?!"

Tom was fed up watching Andrew act this way and decided to give him a piece of his mind. "You think you're such a tough guy, huh? I'm getting sick of watching you treat my friends like you own them or something. If you want Ho-oh, you're going to have to go through me first. And judging by the condition of your Pokémon, I'd say you're out of options. So I suggest you back off before I get really angry." Stefan looked up again and saw his best friend protecting him; he managed to utter his name weakly. "...Tom..." Andrew felt a little intimidated by Lugia's confidence; it made him assume that he was stronger than Ho-oh, but he did not want to admit his fear. "I-I'm not afraid of you! Lucas; use your Magneton on him!" Lucas and his Pokémon were free from the Psychic and looked at him crossly. "Forget it, man; you double-cross me, I'm not helping you anymore. If anything, you should be the one on the ground in pain; not Ho-oh. In fact, I think I can arrange that." The Magneton looked at Andrew as it surged with electricity.

Andrew looked around him as he was surrounded by the Lugia, Lucas, and Lya, who got back up and folded her arms at him. Andrew was mad that everyone was now against him and trying to fight back would be bad at this point. He took out his pokeball and called out to his Pokémon. "Girafarig, return", he commanded as a red beam shot from the ball and hit the defeated Pokémon; it glowed red and faded into nothing. The red beam then retracted back into the ball. Andrew looked back at the Lugia and then gave a smirk. "I don't have any interest for Ho-oh anymore...I think I just found my new favorite. I'm sure we'll see each other again real soon." Tom said nothing in response and Andrew quietly left. As he did, Tom focused back on Stefan, who was still paralyzed. Lucas, who returned his Magneton into the pokeball, rushed over and gave Lya a yellow spray bottle. "This will heal Ho-oh's condition. I'm sorry for helping Andrew; I thought he was going to share that money with me." "We appreciate you helping us now, but what you did before was still unforgivable", said Lya.

Lya began spraying Stefan with the healing residue. After letting it sit for a few moments, Stefan's numbness was gone and he could move again. He stood back up and shook his head. "Feeling better", asked Tom. "Yeah, I feel good as new; what is that stuff?" "This is a medicine that can cure any condition; paralysis, burns, and even heavily induced sleep", explained Lya. She tried to give the medicine back to Lucas, but he stopped her from doing so. "Keep it; it's the least I can do. And you never know when you may need it." Lucas walked away as he looked back at the two legendaries. "Stefan, what do you say we give the audience one more show so that they can leave satisfied" asked Tom. "Sure; I don't mind sharing the praise." The Lugia and Ho-oh flew up to the sky and 'battled' for the crowd as they began to cheer once more. The announcer was back in his chair and shouted ecstatically into the microphone. "Folks, it looks like Lugia and Ho-oh are giving us the legendary battle of all battles; two of the greatest bird Pokémon duking it out! The people of Argentum city should be lucky of witnessing such an ancient event."

TO BE CONTINUED...