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"Timothy and Tammy, I told you two to keep it down," A female Raichu hissed to her children.

"Yes mom," The Pichu twins whispered in unison as they resumed their game of checkers.

The mother Raichu sighed and casually glanced over to a bed where a Lucario was sound asleep.

'Good they didn't wake him.'

She continued her work of dusting the hollow that they lived in under the old oak tree. She wanted it clean to a shine before they left.

"I'm back," A young Gligar said quietly as he tried to brush past everyone to get to his room.

"Skye, where have you been young man?" The Raichu demanded as she blocked the Gligar's path with her tail.

'Damn,' Skye thought before he spoke, "I was just out, okay?"

The Raichu glared at him, "Since dawn?"

"So?"

"And what about this?" The Raichu said, turning Skye toward her to reveal a nasty looking bruise on his left cheek.

Skye yanked himself away, "It's nothing, I just tripped."

"You were at that fight club again weren't you."

The Pichu twins that had been listening into the conversation both went, "Ooooh, You're in trouble."

The Gligar gave both a death glare and they both shrank back into their checkers game.

"So what, does it really matter?" The Gligar crossed his arms and turned away.

"How many times do Rick and I have to tell you not to get mixed up with that crowd?"

Skye pushed the Raichu's tail away and stormed off back toward to the opening outside, "At least there, nobody tells me what I can and can't do."

"And what of your parents Skye? What would they say?

The Gligar paused for a moment before leaving, off to the fight club again.

"Oh Arceus, grant me the patience to handle this child," The mother Raichu breathed softly.

"Momma," One of the Pichus, Timothy, called, "The Lucario is waking up, see?"
---
'Ah my head,' Matt thought as he stirred.

He was still really dazed as he sat up in his bed. Every part of him was in some state of pain, but the worst of it was in his right arm and head.

"Decided to finally get up did we," Someone said in a joking tone to Matt.

Matt jumped as he did not expect someone to greet him. He opened his eyes and panicked when his vision only allowed for faint blurs of color to enter.

"Is everything okay?" The sweet motherly voice asked as Matt squinted to focus.

"I…I can't really see anything, but wait…" Matt replied as he blinked a couple times, "It's coming back a little."

"Oh thank goodness, at least you're not blind. Are you in any pain?"

"I feel like I was crushed by a stampede of Tauros."

"Well at least you're alive," The motherly voice said with a hearty laugh.

Matt chuckled to join in the lightened mood as his vision regained a little more focus.

"I'll go get you some water dear, you seem parched."

"Thank you," Matt said happily as he watched a short blurry orange figure walk off somewhere.

It suddenly crossed Matt's mind that he had somehow ended up in a stranger's house and he got a little worried as to who had brought him here. The slight fear in some way lifted the haze from his vision and allowed him to see the room that he was in. Well, it was more of a section of a hut than a room. The simple set of blankets that he slept on were faded and worn, but retained a comforting feel. The walls were actually compacted dirt with roots bulging out at some points, which indicated that the place he was at was a dug out hollow. There were open "doorways" that led into other rooms of the hollow. Matt leaned forward to see another part of the hollow as a kitchen/ living room area.

'Hmmm, what a strange home,' Matt thought.

Just as he did think this a Raichu came into the room he was staying in carrying a clay cup full of water.

'Huh, a Raichu, I wonder if her master was the one I talking to.'

"Here you are dear," The Raichu said in the sweet motherly tone Matt had heard before, as she set the cup down beside him, "I'll also check if we have any Oran berries, they should help you regain your strength."

Matt was speechless as the Raichu merrily walked back to the kitchen like area.

'Did that Raichu just talk?!' Matt thought wildly, 'No, no, I'm probably hallucinating or something.'

The Raichu returned as quickly as she left, bringing a small dish of Oran berries with her.

"Here we are, they're home grown and as fresh as can be," The Raichu said happily as she held out the dish.

Matt stiffed and held his breath, 'She did talk! I must be going crazy!' He continued to think rapidly, shaking his head before lifting his hands to rub his eyes.

Matt froze again, when he lifted his arms, a pair of black and blue furred paws rose instead. He could feel the color physically drain from his face as he turned his shaky "arms" over to see the rest of the blue and black fur with a spike on the back of each of his hands. Ringing his hands together to feel the short fur on his arms were real, Matt gulped hard as he looked down at his chest. Another spike jutted out from the center of a fleece of yellow hair that replaced his bare chest.

'I'm dreaming, please let this be some kind of bad dream and I'll wake up soon!'

"Gee mister," A new voice said from the foot of Matt's bed, a Pichu, "For a Lucario, you don't seem half as tough as my dad."

"Timothy, that is not how I raised you to talk to guests," The Raichu said authoritively.

Matt snapped, "Waaahhhh, get away!"

He flailed franticly, kicking the Pichu in the process and sending him into a wall.

"Tim!" Another voice cried out in terror.

The Raichu acted on instinct and lashed her tail forward and knocked Matt upside the Head. Matt fell over in the bed with surges of electricity pulsating through him every time he tried to move.

'This can't be real, this can't be real! I'm human!' Matt feverishly thought as he struggled against the electrified bonds holding him down.

The Raichu glared directly at Matt, "I'll warn you only once. Never harm one of my babies again or I'll do more than just paralyze you."

"Let me go!" Matt cried, continuing his struggle.

The Raichu flicked her tail from side to side in front of Matt, "Now see here dear. I'll give you this Cheri berry if you promise to calm down."

Matt considered his options before slowing his breathing down and stopped thrashing against the paralysis.

"Good, now open wide," The Raichu said before dropping the berry into Matt's open mouth.

The surges of electricity wore off from Matt's body as he slowly got up again.

"Okay, so you are a bit tough, but still not as tough as my dad," The Pichu named Tim said, rubbing the back of his head as another Pichu helped him up from the ground.

The other Pichu glared at Matt in almost the exact deadly way the Raichu did, "That wasn't very nice mister Lucario."

Matt suddenly felt bad for his outburst and looked away in shame.

"Timothy and Tammy, what have told you two about speaking to guests?" The Raichu said in a stern tone.

"Sorry momma," The Pichus said in unison.

The Raichu returned her gaze back to Matt, "Why don't we start a little slower. My name is Hope and welcome to our home. These are my children, Timothy and Tammy."

"Hi, just call me Tim." "You can call me Tam." The Pichu gave quick greetings.

"Uh, hi," Matt hesitated before giving a simple wave, 'Man this is one weird dream.'

"Oh dear," Hope said as she held up Matt's blood soaked bandaged right arm, "You opened up your wound. Tammy, go get the medical supplies."

Tammy ran off causing her brother Timothy to follow as they retrieved the medical supplies.

'Wait, how did I get injured,' Matt thought, inspecting his arm for himself.

The Pichu twins returned with a roll of gauze and what looked like a bottle of ointment.

"Thank you Timothy, Tammy. Now dear, may I ask what your name is?" Hope asked as she carefully unwrapped Matt's arm.

"I'm…" 'Oh man, what would happen if I tried to explain to them I'm human? Come on, think Matt, think of another name.'

"I'm Ray," Matt said as plainly as possible.

Strange, it was as if Matt knew the name he had chosen from somewhere else, but he could remember where.

"We are pleased to welcome you into our home Ray. Hold still a moment," Hope replied before rubbing some ointment on Matt's wound.

Matt flinched; the ointment stung like an angry Beedrill until it cooled to feel like evaporating water. Hope unraveled a length of the gauze and tore off the piece. As carefully as she unwrapped the first bandage, she rewrapped this one over Matt's arm to a semi tight fit.

"So Ray where do you come from, do you have a family?" Hope asked.

"I…"

Matt thought for a moment, though now that he did take a moment to think there was almost nothing he could remember. Everything was a big ol' empty blank except his remembrance of his name and that he is, or was human.

"I don't know…I can't remember anything," Matt said with a bit of worry of his own forgetfulness.

"Mom, does he have that thing, oh what's it called, amnesia?" Tammy asked innocently.

"It seems like it dear. Poor dear," Hope tapped Matt's hand, "You're welcome to stay with us if you'd like until you get your memory back."

Matt smiled at her hospitality, "Thank you, I'll try to remember what I can."

"Hun, I'm home," A great booming voice came from the other side of the Hollow.

"Daddy!" The Pichus squealed as they ran off.

Both Hope and Matt got up and walked over with Timothy and Tammy, Matt needing a bit of support to keep his balance.

"Welcome home Rick," Hope said as she waltzed up to the new Lucario, they gave each other a kiss, "Your home early."

"I was able to get the travel arrangements done pretty easily," Rick the Lucario said as he hefted a couple travel packs off his shoulders.

Matt stood a few feet to observe the interaction, 'They seem like a regular human family, this dream keeps getting weirder and weirder.'

"Hey Daddy, guess what," both of the Pichu twins said anxiously.

Rick kneeled down to the Pichus' level, "Yes Tim and Tam?"

That Lucario you brought home," Tim started off.

"He's awake, see?" Tam finished the sentence.

Rick looked up to see Matt standing by the tree stump table.

"Well, so he is," Rick said and confronted Matt.

Matt felt a little intimidated by the fact that he was a good inch or so shorter than Rick, as he stood over him.

"Good to see you're not dead," Rick said, holding out a paw, "Do you have a name?"

Matt shook Rick's paw hesitantly, "Ray."

"Ray, good name. Tell me, do you live around here?"

"Um, well…"

"We think he has amnesia Hun," Hope said.

Matt's ears folded down as he turned away, embarrassed.

Rick tapped Matt on the shoulder, "It's okay, I'm sure it'll come back to ya."

"Thanks, I really appreciate-" Matt said before his eyes went wide with some kind of mixture of pain and fear.

*Ba-bump*

It felt like someone had just stuck a needle into Matt's heart.

Everyone gave a worried look to Matt as he gripped the side of a wall for support.

"Ray, dear, are you alright?" Hope asked as she and Rick got a little closer to Matt.

*Ba-bump* *Ba-bump* *Ba-bump*

Matt's heart began to race so fast that it felt like he was having a heart attack. He broke out in a cold sweat; his vision faded to a misty black and his head felt like it would explode from a crushing pressure. Matt tried to take a step forward, but a new force welled up in his chest like a wildfire was just lit and there was no way to out it out. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest as the wildfire flared, he screamed uncontrollably in excruciating pain.

"Dear Arceus, Ray!" Hope cried as she rushed over to Rick's side to examine Matt.

Matt was unable to hear or see anything in the outside world as sudden flashes of images barraged his mind. A young boy was cradling an egg; that young boy almost appeared to be Matt as a human, only younger. A new image of the young Matt shot forward, this one of him and a Riolu holding hands with bright smiles. A fresh image replaced this one with a scene of the Riolu from before playing with the young Matt on a playground, as happy as they could be.

'What is this?!' Matt frantically thought as more images pushed into his mind.

"Daddy, what's wrong with him?" Tammy asked, both her and her brother looking as if they were about to cry.

Matt continued to scream out in pain, wildly thrashing about on the ground, still clutching his chest.

"Everyone, I need you to hold him down," Rick said.

Tim and Tam wrestled with one of Matt's arms while Hope held down the other. Rick kneeled down in front of Matt who screamed at the top of his lungs. Rick concentrated for a moment, his aura sensors began to float with a veil of aura. Rick placed his hands down on Matt's chest, another veil of aura emitting from his hands flared.

"…!" Rick gasped as he probed at Matt's aura, "What's this?"

"Rick!" Hope cried, as she and the twins fought back to hold Matt down.

"Right, I'm going to try something. Make sure to hold him down tight," Rick said as he pressed down on Matt's chest.

Matt watched as image after image forced its way into his mind, many of them were of the Riolu and his younger self.

'Who is that Riolu? Why am I a pokemon, someone, please answer me!'

Rick put all his concentration into one point from his paws and sent a jolt of aura straight into Matt.

Matt felt a great pressure hit his chest like a ton of bricks. The images he was seeing seemed to stutter and fade.

Rick saw Matt visibly flinch when he used his aura. He did it again and Matt gave a quick yelp as his screams of pain got quieter.

Matt felt another great pressure hit him square in the chest; the images of him and the Riolu disappeared completely, leaving only another blank void.

Description
"Timothy and Tammy, I told you two to keep it down," A female Raichu hissed to her children.

"Yes mom," The Pichu twins whispered in unison as they resumed their game of checkers.

The mother Raichu sighed and casually glanced over to a bed where a Lucario was sound asleep.

'Good they didn't wake him.'

She continued her work of dusting the hollow that they lived in under the old oak tree. She wanted it clean to a shine before they left.

"I'm back," A young Gligar said quietly as he tried to brush past everyone to get to his room.

"Skye, where have you been young man?" The Raichu demanded as she blocked the Gligar's path with her tail.

'Damn,' Skye thought before he spoke, "I was just out, okay?"

The Raichu glared at him, "Since dawn?"

"So?"

"And what about this?" The Raichu said, turning Skye toward her to reveal a nasty looking bruise on his left cheek.

Skye yanked himself away, "It's nothing, I just tripped."

"You were at that fight club again weren't you."

The Pichu twins that had been listening into the conversation both went, "Ooooh, You're in trouble."

The Gligar gave both a death glare and they both shrank back into their checkers game.

"So what, does it really matter?" The Gligar crossed his arms and turned away.

"How many times do Rick and I have to tell you not to get mixed up with that crowd?"

Skye pushed the Raichu's tail away and stormed off back toward to the opening outside, "At least there, nobody tells me what I can and can't do."

"And what of your parents Skye? What would they say?

The Gligar paused for a moment before leaving, off to the fight club again.

"Oh Arceus, grant me the patience to handle this child," The mother Raichu breathed softly.

"Momma," One of the Pichus, Timothy, called, "The Lucario is waking up, see?"
---
'Ah my head,' Matt thought as he stirred.

He was still really dazed as he sat up in his bed. Every part of him was in some state of pain, but the worst of it was in his right arm and head.

"Decided to finally get up did we," Someone said in a joking tone to Matt.

Matt jumped as he did not expect someone to greet him. He opened his eyes and panicked when his vision only allowed for faint blurs of color to enter.

"Is everything okay?" The sweet motherly voice asked as Matt squinted to focus.

"I…I can't really see anything, but wait…" Matt replied as he blinked a couple times, "It's coming back a little."

"Oh thank goodness, at least you're not blind. Are you in any pain?"

"I feel like I was crushed by a stampede of Tauros."

"Well at least you're alive," The motherly voice said with a hearty laugh.

Matt chuckled to join in the lightened mood as his vision regained a little more focus.

"I'll go get you some water dear, you seem parched."

"Thank you," Matt said happily as he watched a short blurry orange figure walk off somewhere.

It suddenly crossed Matt's mind that he had somehow ended up in a stranger's house and he got a little worried as to who had brought him here. The slight fear in some way lifted the haze from his vision and allowed him to see the room that he was in. Well, it was more of a section of a hut than a room. The simple set of blankets that he slept on were faded and worn, but retained a comforting feel. The walls were actually compacted dirt with roots bulging out at some points, which indicated that the place he was at was a dug out hollow. There were open "doorways" that led into other rooms of the hollow. Matt leaned forward to see another part of the hollow as a kitchen/ living room area.

'Hmmm, what a strange home,' Matt thought.

Just as he did think this a Raichu came into the room he was staying in carrying a clay cup full of water.

'Huh, a Raichu, I wonder if her master was the one I talking to.'

"Here you are dear," The Raichu said in the sweet motherly tone Matt had heard before, as she set the cup down beside him, "I'll also check if we have any Oran berries, they should help you regain your strength."

Matt was speechless as the Raichu merrily walked back to the kitchen like area.

'Did that Raichu just talk?!' Matt thought wildly, 'No, no, I'm probably hallucinating or something.'

The Raichu returned as quickly as she left, bringing a small dish of Oran berries with her.

"Here we are, they're home grown and as fresh as can be," The Raichu said happily as she held out the dish.

Matt stiffed and held his breath, 'She did talk! I must be going crazy!' He continued to think rapidly, shaking his head before lifting his hands to rub his eyes.

Matt froze again, when he lifted his arms, a pair of black and blue furred paws rose instead. He could feel the color physically drain from his face as he turned his shaky "arms" over to see the rest of the blue and black fur with a spike on the back of each of his hands. Ringing his hands together to feel the short fur on his arms were real, Matt gulped hard as he looked down at his chest. Another spike jutted out from the center of a fleece of yellow hair that replaced his bare chest.

'I'm dreaming, please let this be some kind of bad dream and I'll wake up soon!'

"Gee mister," A new voice said from the foot of Matt's bed, a Pichu, "For a Lucario, you don't seem half as tough as my dad."

"Timothy, that is not how I raised you to talk to guests," The Raichu said authoritively.

Matt snapped, "Waaahhhh, get away!"

He flailed franticly, kicking the Pichu in the process and sending him into a wall.

"Tim!" Another voice cried out in terror.

The Raichu acted on instinct and lashed her tail forward and knocked Matt upside the Head. Matt fell over in the bed with surges of electricity pulsating through him every time he tried to move.

'This can't be real, this can't be real! I'm human!' Matt feverishly thought as he struggled against the electrified bonds holding him down.

The Raichu glared directly at Matt, "I'll warn you only once. Never harm one of my babies again or I'll do more than just paralyze you."

"Let me go!" Matt cried, continuing his struggle.

The Raichu flicked her tail from side to side in front of Matt, "Now see here dear. I'll give you this Cheri berry if you promise to calm down."

Matt considered his options before slowing his breathing down and stopped thrashing against the paralysis.

"Good, now open wide," The Raichu said before dropping the berry into Matt's open mouth.

The surges of electricity wore off from Matt's body as he slowly got up again.

"Okay, so you are a bit tough, but still not as tough as my dad," The Pichu named Tim said, rubbing the back of his head as another Pichu helped him up from the ground.

The other Pichu glared at Matt in almost the exact deadly way the Raichu did, "That wasn't very nice mister Lucario."

Matt suddenly felt bad for his outburst and looked away in shame.

"Timothy and Tammy, what have told you two about speaking to guests?" The Raichu said in a stern tone.

"Sorry momma," The Pichus said in unison.

The Raichu returned her gaze back to Matt, "Why don't we start a little slower. My name is Hope and welcome to our home. These are my children, Timothy and Tammy."

"Hi, just call me Tim." "You can call me Tam." The Pichu gave quick greetings.

"Uh, hi," Matt hesitated before giving a simple wave, 'Man this is one weird dream.'

"Oh dear," Hope said as she held up Matt's blood soaked bandaged right arm, "You opened up your wound. Tammy, go get the medical supplies."

Tammy ran off causing her brother Timothy to follow as they retrieved the medical supplies.

'Wait, how did I get injured,' Matt thought, inspecting his arm for himself.

The Pichu twins returned with a roll of gauze and what looked like a bottle of ointment.

"Thank you Timothy, Tammy. Now dear, may I ask what your name is?" Hope asked as she carefully unwrapped Matt's arm.

"I'm…" 'Oh man, what would happen if I tried to explain to them I'm human? Come on, think Matt, think of another name.'

"I'm Ray," Matt said as plainly as possible.

Strange, it was as if Matt knew the name he had chosen from somewhere else, but he could remember where.

"We are pleased to welcome you into our home Ray. Hold still a moment," Hope replied before rubbing some ointment on Matt's wound.

Matt flinched; the ointment stung like an angry Beedrill until it cooled to feel like evaporating water. Hope unraveled a length of the gauze and tore off the piece. As carefully as she unwrapped the first bandage, she rewrapped this one over Matt's arm to a semi tight fit.

"So Ray where do you come from, do you have a family?" Hope asked.

"I…"

Matt thought for a moment, though now that he did take a moment to think there was almost nothing he could remember. Everything was a big ol' empty blank except his remembrance of his name and that he is, or was human.

"I don't know…I can't remember anything," Matt said with a bit of worry of his own forgetfulness.

"Mom, does he have that thing, oh what's it called, amnesia?" Tammy asked innocently.

"It seems like it dear. Poor dear," Hope tapped Matt's hand, "You're welcome to stay with us if you'd like until you get your memory back."

Matt smiled at her hospitality, "Thank you, I'll try to remember what I can."

"Hun, I'm home," A great booming voice came from the other side of the Hollow.

"Daddy!" The Pichus squealed as they ran off.

Both Hope and Matt got up and walked over with Timothy and Tammy, Matt needing a bit of support to keep his balance.

"Welcome home Rick," Hope said as she waltzed up to the new Lucario, they gave each other a kiss, "Your home early."

"I was able to get the travel arrangements done pretty easily," Rick the Lucario said as he hefted a couple travel packs off his shoulders.

Matt stood a few feet to observe the interaction, 'They seem like a regular human family, this dream keeps getting weirder and weirder.'

"Hey Daddy, guess what," both of the Pichu twins said anxiously.

Rick kneeled down to the Pichus' level, "Yes Tim and Tam?"

That Lucario you brought home," Tim started off.

"He's awake, see?" Tam finished the sentence.

Rick looked up to see Matt standing by the tree stump table.

"Well, so he is," Rick said and confronted Matt.

Matt felt a little intimidated by the fact that he was a good inch or so shorter than Rick, as he stood over him.

"Good to see you're not dead," Rick said, holding out a paw, "Do you have a name?"

Matt shook Rick's paw hesitantly, "Ray."

"Ray, good name. Tell me, do you live around here?"

"Um, well…"

"We think he has amnesia Hun," Hope said.

Matt's ears folded down as he turned away, embarrassed.

Rick tapped Matt on the shoulder, "It's okay, I'm sure it'll come back to ya."

"Thanks, I really appreciate-" Matt said before his eyes went wide with some kind of mixture of pain and fear.

*Ba-bump*

It felt like someone had just stuck a needle into Matt's heart.

Everyone gave a worried look to Matt as he gripped the side of a wall for support.

"Ray, dear, are you alright?" Hope asked as she and Rick got a little closer to Matt.

*Ba-bump* *Ba-bump* *Ba-bump*

Matt's heart began to race so fast that it felt like he was having a heart attack. He broke out in a cold sweat; his vision faded to a misty black and his head felt like it would explode from a crushing pressure. Matt tried to take a step forward, but a new force welled up in his chest like a wildfire was just lit and there was no way to out it out. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest as the wildfire flared, he screamed uncontrollably in excruciating pain.

"Dear Arceus, Ray!" Hope cried as she rushed over to Rick's side to examine Matt.

Matt was unable to hear or see anything in the outside world as sudden flashes of images barraged his mind. A young boy was cradling an egg; that young boy almost appeared to be Matt as a human, only younger. A new image of the young Matt shot forward, this one of him and a Riolu holding hands with bright smiles. A fresh image replaced this one with a scene of the Riolu from before playing with the young Matt on a playground, as happy as they could be.

'What is this?!' Matt frantically thought as more images pushed into his mind.

"Daddy, what's wrong with him?" Tammy asked, both her and her brother looking as if they were about to cry.

Matt continued to scream out in pain, wildly thrashing about on the ground, still clutching his chest.

"Everyone, I need you to hold him down," Rick said.

Tim and Tam wrestled with one of Matt's arms while Hope held down the other. Rick kneeled down in front of Matt who screamed at the top of his lungs. Rick concentrated for a moment, his aura sensors began to float with a veil of aura. Rick placed his hands down on Matt's chest, another veil of aura emitting from his hands flared.

"…!" Rick gasped as he probed at Matt's aura, "What's this?"

"Rick!" Hope cried, as she and the twins fought back to hold Matt down.

"Right, I'm going to try something. Make sure to hold him down tight," Rick said as he pressed down on Matt's chest.

Matt watched as image after image forced its way into his mind, many of them were of the Riolu and his younger self.

'Who is that Riolu? Why am I a pokemon, someone, please answer me!'

Rick put all his concentration into one point from his paws and sent a jolt of aura straight into Matt.

Matt felt a great pressure hit his chest like a ton of bricks. The images he was seeing seemed to stutter and fade.

Rick saw Matt visibly flinch when he used his aura. He did it again and Matt gave a quick yelp as his screams of pain got quieter.

Matt felt another great pressure hit him square in the chest; the images of him and the Riolu disappeared completely, leaving only another blank void.