Plushtopia -- Lugia Part 2

When we finally got back, it was 9:05. That gave me less than a minute to get back inside and disguise Silver without tipping Mom and Dad off that he was alive. They were probably up by now, but we had gotten back in time for them to assume I was still in my room.
I patted Silver on the forehead and hugged him around the neck -- one that he generously returned -- before we separated and he went into his "plushie state". And not a moment too soon. I heard the doorknob rattle and flew back under the covers to pretend I was still in bed just as the door swung open.
"Good morning, Alex," said Mom, her bed head a little obvious. "Have you been up all this time?"
I wanted to say "no", but for some reason, I couldn't.
"Yes. I've been spending time with Silver."
I couldn't believe what I had just said! Not only had I told the truth, but I had almost given away what I had been doing with Silver!
Mom looked at the dormant plushie with a concerned look, but then she shrugged it off. "I see. I know how excited you were to get him last night. Well, don't forget to feed him."
"I already did. He practically feeds himself." I could have kicked myself! Why couldn't I lie?! I was going to spill the beans if these questions kept up!
"Oh... that's good. I guess he doesn't eat fish sticks." I nearly passed out from shock. I had forgotten that I had left the fish sticks in the bowl on the breakfast bar!
"I figured that out the hard way." Okay, now I was starting to feel uncomfortable. It was only a matter of time before she asked if Silver was alive.
But to my great relief, Mom smiled and made to close the door. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Maybe you can bring Silver out in the living room so he can get a little air."
I was unsure what Dad would think about this, but I nodded and said, "I'll do that."
When Mom closed the door, I turned to face Silver with a look on my face that I knew he could still detect in his current state. To prevent myself from being heard, I thought out my question. All right, Lugia... give! Why couldn't I lie?! I know you have something to do with this!
Silver didn't budge, but the casual feeling he was sending me made me even more annoyed. "It part of Human-Lugia bond. Lugia cannot lie, so when they bond, their human cannot lie, either."
I nearly yelled when I voiced my opinion. WHAT?! I can't tell the truth all the time! They'll know about you before the week is up! Thanks a lot!
But Silver didn't seem to be bothered by this. You not lie anymore, but Silver teach you how to trick them.
I blinked at the large plushie and thought about this. How do you figure that?
Lugia have ways to tell certain truths, but still truth. I teach you while you asleep. You trust Silver, yes?
I couldn't believe what he was telling me, but if he couldn't lie, I had no choice but to believe him. Okay...
Silver gleamed and then broke the connection.
Now that I had gotten that out of my system, I took Silver in my arms and carried him out to my living room where he could "get some air".

My dad wasn't at all pleased when he saw me carrying around the huge plush, but he took it like a man and said nothing. I had set Silver on his favorite chair and went to go have some breakfast.
"So, what do you have planned for today?" said Mom, pouring some syrup on my pancakes.
"I dunno. I guess I can go to the park today. I could use the fresh air." I glanced at Silver, who -- now that Mom and Dad weren't looking at him -- looked very relaxed in Dad's comfy chair and was eyeing the blanket I had put over him hungrily.
Don't even think about it, I thought at him. Dad would have a fit.
I didn't have to look at him to tell me that he was pouting from the loss of a potential meal. "If you eat anything that belongs to my parents, you're going in the closet and you're not coming out for a week!"
Silver seemed to get the point and resumed his dormant state.
Now that I was done eating, I got dressed fully and made to head for the park. But just then, Dad asked me a question I had hoped to avoid answering. "Where did you get that shirt? I don't remember buying that."
I was close enough to the door to answer quickly and leave for the park, so I figured one more truth wouldn't hurt.
"Silver gave it to me."
And before he could respond, I was gone. Silver sighed and went to sleep with his eyes open. He was exhausted from his first flight and he needed some "shut-eye".

The atmosphere at the park was always quiet in the early summer hours. I liked it this way. The bullies, Mark Ramos and Skyle Kelvin, were probably at home still and usually didn't start their rampage until noon. It was the perfect time for me to lie under a tree and enjoy the cool weather.
It also gave me time to reflect on what Silver had brought into my life. He was just an innocent Lugia that had somehow ended up in our world and in the body of a plushie. He was all alone here and yet, he took care of me like I was his own son. Our balance of responsibility was shared at the moment, but I figured that as the days went on, he would become more responsible than me.
I must have fallen asleep or zoned out or something because I was suddenly brought back to my senses by a familiar voice in my head.
Does Alex enjoy sunshine?
At first, I didn't want to believe it, but when I looked to my left, it was confirmed. Silver the six-foot Lugia Plushie had appeared out of nowhere and was standing by my side with his wings at his side and his tail flexing on its own.
"Silver?!" I said, trying to keep my voice down. "What are you doing here?! How'd you get out of the house?! Did anybody see you?!"
But Silver simply preened his wing with his nose and sat down next to me. To answer all of my questions, he looked me square in the eyes and projected his thoughts directly into my brain. My vision faltered as I found myself looking out through Silver's eyes back at home.
Silver was still sitting on Dad's favorite chair and he had turned to watch both him and Mom arguing about him.
"He's too old to be playing with dolls!" Dad was yelling, trying not to look at the plush in his chair. "The kid needs to grow up and get a grip on the real world! I never played with dolls when I was growing up. That's why I was never picked on in school -- people respected me!"
Mom was trying not to stoop to his level by yelling. But her voice was one of forced calm. "Honey, that may have been true for you, but our son has different issues. These kinds of things make him happy and I think that you should respect his decisions. If he wants to play with a large plush, then it's fine with me."
I smiled at Mom's determination. She had always stood up for me and seemed to know just what made me happy.
But Dad was now looking directly at Silver with a look that scared me slightly. "But it's a stuffed animal! He can't possibly think that it's alive!"
"No one ever said that. I think that he's just happy that he has someone to confide all his secrets to. He's not telling us why he comes home feeling all miserable all the time, but when I saw him talking to his plush, It was like I didn't recognize him anymore. He was so happy to have a friend and I think that we should respect that."
"Friend?! The kid is talking to a stuffed bear that's almost twice his size! He thinks that it belongs in the family and that it has feelings. Well, this is what I think of its "feelings"!"
I watched in horror as Dad came up to Silver, grabbed him by the throat and chucked him halfway across the room. Silver's vision went tumbling for a while, but he finally came to rest in front of the kitchen with a clear view of Mom and Dad's argument.
"David! That's Alex's plush! He's going to be extremely upset when he finds out what you did to it!"
But Dad reared on Mom and vented his spleen in her direction. "I don't give a flying (expletive)! He shouldn't be playing with dolls and he should learn to deal with bullies like a boy his age should be! I'm going out for a while. You can tell him yourself to grow up and get rid of it! I don't care! I just don't want to see that... that thing in my chair again!" And with a slam, Dad was out the door on off to wherever he went these days.
I was next to speechless. He had had absolutely no respect for his own son's well-being and had treated his only "friend" like that. It made me feel scared that I lived in the same house as him during one of his moods.
But the vision wasn't over yet. Mom was fighting back tears as she stood there in the wake of Dad's outrage. But then she sighed and walked over to Silver and picked him upright. She then started speaking to him as if he was alive to her.
"I'm sorry about that, Silver. You shouldn't feel bad about being Alex's friend. I know he thinks you're real and if you knew how much he's been wanting someone like you, you'd probably go to him to take care of him." She sighed again and carried him to my room. "Well, let's get you back to your home. I'll leave the window open so you can get a little air."
She slid open the window to its fullest, giving Silver more than enough room to escape later on. She then closed the door and then Silver's vision went out.
I was in shock. I had never known Dad to get that angry over my personal life before. He had always dealt with it before, but I never knew how he had really felt about it. I also thought it as an outrage that he had laid a hand on Silver and chucked him across the room like and oversized newspaper.
I suddenly felt a new sense of pride towards my mother. She had kept her cool through the whole ordeal and had even showed remorse and concern towards Silver like he was one of the family. It was like she somehow knew that he was alive. Huh.
However, Silver didn't seem to be showing any emotional scars from his ordeal. He rolled himself onto his back and chirped in a way that told me he wanted his belly rubbed. I did it and looked off in another direction. How could he be so mellow after that ordeal? My father had practically assaulted him and blamed my beliefs on him. How could he stay so cool?
Silver just that way. Silver know how life work. Small problem like Alex Dad not bother Silver.
"That's probably fine with you, but I’m the one who has to deal with my dad on a regular basis. You don't have a father that talks about you like that."
Silver looked sad all of a sudden. He rolled over onto his front again and looked away from me. Silver miss Lugia Dad. Silver know he never see him again. Silver hopes that Alex will be good father.
I couldn't stay steamed at him. I put my arm around his back and held him close to me. "It's okay, Silver. I will do my best to take care of you. Dad may not think so, but you are definitely part of my family."
Silver smiled and chirped, giving my face a little lick. Silver happy to be with Alex. What we do now, yes?
I was thinking about this when I suddenly heard a voice that made me flinch. "Hey, Shaver! You're out early today!"
It was Mark Ramos and Skyle Kelvin, the bullies of my grade. I had once thought that they would never bother me outside school, but then I had learned that they lived only a few blocks from my house. I haven't had one peaceful summer since the first grade. They made fun of me because I was different. They bothered me about my Pokémon obsession and even made my life hell when they found out my fondness for Lugia.
Up until now, they had never seen me with a Lugia item, but now that a life-sized Lugia plush was sitting right next to me, I was in a vulnerable position.
"What the heck is that, Shaver?!" said Mark, coming up the hill to get a "look" at Silver. "That's the biggest stuffed doll I've ever seen you with!"
Silver, meanwhile, had resumed his dormant state but had sent me a feeling of reassurance that told me that everything was going to be all right.
"Man, just when you can't get any weirder, Shaver..." said Skyle, kicking a clump of dirt at Silver. I had to restrain myself from launching myself at him.
"You show up with this thing!" finished Mark. "The biggest Barbie doll in the world! You must be so desperate for friends that you have to make one up! That's so low, I think I'll take him off your hands!"
I reacted a moment too slow. Mark and Skyle had grabbed Silver by the wings and were attempting to pull his wings off. All the while, they were "arguing" about who was going to "take him home".
"I want him!" said Mark in a mock-whiny voice. "I'm so weak and defenseless that I need to have a big Barbie doll to protect me!" He was mocking me and it was all I could do to join the tug-o-war.
"No, me!" "complained" Skyle. "My parents think that I'm a good-for-nothing wimp that can't fit in in school! Waaah!!! Waaah!!!"
I didn't want Silver to get hurt, but I didn't want to get hurt trying to protect him. But I couldn't stay still much longer.
"Give him back, Mark! You're hurting him!"
I immediately regretted this. It had all come out the wrong way. Mark and Skyle continued to pull at him, but Silver was putting up a good struggle.
"Ooh! Did you hear that, Mark? He thinks we're hurting it! He wants to take him home and bottle-feed it!"
"I heard him! He thinks that its "daddy" is a giant stuffed Ken doll! He doesn't want to hurt his poor, defenseless baby. The thing is too weak to protect itself and it has to rely on Shaver to think it's safe!"
I couldn't believe the insults that they were saying about Silver! True, they may not think that he's alive, but they didn't need to insult and degrade him and me like that! That's it! I was going to step in at last and take him back. But before I could...
R-R-R-RIP!!!
My heart all but stopped when the wing that Mark had been tugging on ripped completely off its seem and laid on the ground with the stuffing trailing out of it. When it had, there was a super-powerful, agonizing, painful scream in my mind that hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that it had come from Silver, but that was nothing compared to what happened next.
My own arm felt as if it had been ripped from its socket and sheer, unadulterated pain shot through my own body. I didn't have to be psychic to know what had happened. Silver and I had built up a strong enough link that I was feeling his pain and vice-versa. My arm, though, remained in its socket, but the pain in my joints was excruciating.
Silver was whimpering in my mind as the two bullies dropped him. They sneered and started advancing on me.
"Aww..." taunted Mark. "Did we hurt the baby? Did we break his favorite toy? That's too bad."
Mark smiled mischievously and continued to advance. "Maybe we should "apologize", Mark. Maybe we should make him "feel better" about losing his only friend."
Mark looked at him and nodded. "You took the words right out of my mouth. Let's make amends."
I was in too much pain to stop the inevitable.

When they were through with me, I was limping back home with Silver holding me under his remaining wing and his destroyed limb in my arm. I had been given a black eye, a busted jaw, a couple bruised ribs and enough black and blue marks to paint a picture. Silver had gotten over the pain and was doing his best to keep me conscious.
It not problem. Silver fix wing easy now. But Silver want Alex to know... he not feel sorry.
"Why? I just stood there and watched you get manhandled by those two bullies! I couldn't do a thing to stop them! It's all my fault!"
But Silver wouldn't hear it. Alex not feel sorry. They make Silver sick when they prey on weak. But you not weak, Alex. When Alex try to save Silver, Silver know that you could beat them.
"But I couldn't! Now, we're just ghosts of our former selves! What can I do about it?"
Silver sighed and continued to carry me. You not know now, but us growing stronger. Soon, we be one with another. We then show bad bullies how strong we become.
I blinked at this. "You mean revenge? I never knew that Lugia knew the term."
Silver shook his head. We not. It not this "revenge" you say. It is "putting them in place". We not return their actions to punish, but them learn true meaning of pain they cause. They realize what they do wrong and learn never to do it again.
That was a good point. We wouldn't be exacting revenge on Mark and Skyle; we would just be returning the favor in a non-vengeful way to show them the error of their ways.
"I'm so glad you're here with me, Silver. I don't know how I survived without you."
Silver and I stopped outside my bedroom window. I tossed his torn wing into my room and Silver then levitated himself in the room after it. He then looked out of the window one last time and smiled.
Silver live and breathe to make Alex happy. That all Silver care about. You go tell Alex Mom about fight. Silver use powers to keep her in dark about Silver's escape.
I nodded and left the back yard to confront my mom about what had happened today. I just hoped that Dad wasn't here. He tended to get offended that I couldn't defend myself against bullies and would blame me for not standing up against them, much to Mom's dismay.
The look on Mom's face when she saw my beaten state was routine. She couldn't believe that Mark and Skyle had beaten me up again. And when I told her about why they had done it -- because of Silver (I couldn't lie about that) -- I could tell that Silver was working his magic and making her assume that I had told them about it because she didn't question the plushie's whereabouts.
But a pressing question had emerged from the remains of my shattered ego. "Mom... you won't tell Dad about this, will you? I feel horrible and I really don't want him to chew me out again."
Mom looked at me for a moment and then smiled. "Not a word. This wasn't your fault and you don't deserve to be yelled at for this. Now, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
There was only one thing that would make me feel better at a time like this. "No... I just want to be with Silver."
Mom appeared not to have taken my promise to not bother them about Lugia to heart because she smiled and let me go back to my room to heal.
"Thanks, Mom. You're the best."
She nearly broke down in tears when she watched me disappear into my room and close my door. I had given her a compliment in my weakened state and she appreciated it as much as any mother would.
When I got into my room and closed the door, I could see that Silver was in much better shape than I was. He had somehow sewn his wing back into place and was flexing it experimentally, wincing at the small bursts of pain he and I were still feeling.
"How're you doing, Silver?" I said, sitting down on my bed.
Silver fine. Silver just need rest. Alex rest, too. Silver make him nice present.
And with that, he began to formulate something within his silken stomach. Judging from the amount of time he was taking, it was something big. And when said object started making its way up his throat, I could tell that he had put a lot of work into it. Finally, he opened his beak and part of a rolled-up silver object appeared in it. He coughed and heaved for a moment before a beauty unto plush nature flopped onto the floor. Silver took a moment to catch his breath and then picked up the object with his beak and brought it to me.
Silver make silver blanket for Alex. Silver trade it for Alex's torn shirt. It not look good anymore, so Silver have it for lunch, yes?
I nodded and slipped the silver shirt he had made just this morning off, balled it up and tossed it to the plushie. After Mark and Skyle had gotten through with me, it had lost its luster and shine from being smudged with dirt and it had been torn in several places. I figured that instead of throwing it away that Silver be allowed to eat it. It probably wouldn't taste that good, but he was hungry and I couldn't risk some more of my shirts disappearing.
In turn, Silver had made me a full-sized silver blanket made of the same material as my shirt. It had been filled with cotton lining and didn't have a single stitch on it. It was almost like the legendary Shroud of Turin, except this one was a blanket. I would certainly be comfortable sleeping under this tonight.
(Author's Note: For those of you in the dark, the "Shroud of Turin" was the seamless piece of clothing that Jesus had been wearing when he died. The value for a piece of fabric like that has to really be in the High range. Just a piece of religious fact for you.)
Even though it was barely noon, I was extremely worn out from the fight and dozed off under the silver blanket almost instantly. After Silver had choked down the tainted tunic, he hopped onto the bed and lied next to me with his wing over me to keep me comfortable and was soon fast asleep as well. If I had been conscious, I would have thanked him for his company.
When I didn't report for dinner, Mom had come in to check on me. From the cracked door, she could see me snoozing with Silver's wing over me. She was confused as to why the plushie would be in this position and was even more startled to see the silver blanket that covered the two of us. For the life of her, she couldn't ever remember buying that blanket, but for some reason, she smiled and pulled the blanket up over us a little to cover us a little more. And when she saw that Silver's finely-stitched eyes were closed, she had to wonder: was there more to this special plush than she was believing, or was she flipping her lid?
In the end, she gave both me and Silver a kiss on the cheek and said softly, "Good night, my little angel. Silver, you make sure he sleeps well."
And with that, she made her exit and went to put my lunch in the fridge. It was almost like... she knew... somehow...

Dad didn't arrive home until well past 6:00. And by then, I had gotten over my ordeal with the bullies and was casually watching TV in the living room with Silver sitting dormant in his favorite chair once again.
But when Dad first walked in the door, Silver sent me an urgent feeling of what I knew to be cold fear. And one look at Dad told me that he had been drinking. A lot! He was a little wobbly on his feet and one look at Silver sitting in his favorite chair immediately sent him into an unprovoked rage.
"What the (expletive) is that thing still doing here?!" he said, storming across the living room towards Silver. "I thought I told you, Helen! That thing stays in the kid's room!"
Mom suddenly became scared for mine and Silver's well-being. She had never seen him like this and she was concerned about what he would do.
"David! Where have you been all day?! You almost take Alex's favorite plush's head off and then disappear from here without telling me! Explain yourself!"
I had never been present when Mom and Dad had been arguing, so I was unsure what to do. However, Silver sent me a reassuring feeling that told me that everything was going to work out.
"I don't need to (expletive) explain myself! I thought I told you to get rid of that blasted thing when before I got home! I'm sick of looking at it and it's still sitting in my chair!"
Mom tried her best to protect Silver and me at the same time. "David, you weren't here all day, so Alex has every right to let his plush sit on your chair. Besides, I don't see your name on it!"
But this only seemed to make him even more unstable. "I'm sick of that baby face looking at me like it owns the place! I wish Alex had never won that thing! It's a car crash waiting to happen."
I felt as if I had been hit in the heart. Why was he blaming me for winning Silver in the first place? From what I remember, it was him that had agreed to me trying to win the Ball Toss and it was Dad that had given me the money to begin with.
Mom was suddenly offended by this statement. "Don't you dare blame Alex for any of this! If I remember, you agreed to let him try and win the thing in the first place! You knew that if he won him, you would have to put up with him just like I do! This is not Alex's fault!"
I initially misinterpreted Mom as saying she hated Silver as much as Dad, but a statement from Lugia changed all that.
Nice Mom does not mean to offend. She simply trying to reason with Angry Dad. She respect Silver, but Angry Dad wants to shoot Silver's head off.
I was nearly sick at the thought of Dad trying to tear Silver apart, but I couldn't say anything without giving away that he had told me this.
"That's another thing! You're talking about it like it's alive! You're talking like it knows what we're yelling about! Well, it's just a piece of stuffed garbage as far as I can see!"
"I treat him like part of the family because he is part of the family! If Alex thinks that he's alive, then you have to respect his wishes as well! We're not making a good impression by doing all this yelling."
A nerve was twitching in Dad's temple and finally, his anger boiled over. In less than two steps, he was right in front of Mom. And what happened next nearly tore my heart in half.
Without even a moment of hesitation, Dad had backhanded Mom across the cheek, sending her crashing to the ground in a stunned heap. It was just by Silver's mental influence that restrained me from rushing to her side.
"How can you be so calm at a time like this?!" I thought at him. "He just hit my mom! Aren't you going to do something?!"
Silver's voice was filled with dislike, but he kept his cool. Silver want to show Angry Dad what he messing with. Just stay put while Silver deals with this.
The next thing I knew, Dad had disappeared from the room, but he came back in a few seconds with a pump-action shotgun that made my courage hit rock bottom.
"I am going to get rid of this thing if it's the last thing I do!" He pumped the shotgun once and took aim. I was so scared that I didn't realize that I was sitting directly behind Silver from the angle Dad was pointing. It was Silver's influence that enabled me to move.
Alex, go! Get out of way! Go to Nice Mom and wake her up! Silver deal with this! Not once did Silver come out of his dormant state.
I bolted from the firing range and tried to wake Mom up. All the while, Silver was left to fend for himself. But just as Dad was about to squeeze the trigger, Silver came to life right in front of his eyes. You going to regret that if you fire. I protect Alex and Helen Mom from Angry David's rage.
This had the desired effect he had been looking for. Silver had jumped onto the top of Dad's chair and spread his wings out defiantly, hissing at him. Dad looked like he had seen a ghost and backed off a little, slightly lowering the shotgun.
"No... You're not real! You're just a doll! You can't talk! Get out of my head!"
But Silver was defiant to the end. If you touch a single hair on Alex's head, I will not stop until you have been persecuted and justice is brought upon you! If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that Silver was speaking in perfect English now.
To illustrate his point, Silver's narrow eyes began to glow and he was surrounded by a glowing-blue aura. He then projected this aura directly at Dad, causing him to drop the gun and drop to his knees.
Feeling he had incapacitated him, Silver turned to me and Mom and walked over to us. Alex, if you value yours and your mother's lives, you two must flee! I will join you shortly, but you must get as far away from here as possible!
He channeled his strength and defiance directly into my body, giving my superhuman strength. I was able to lift Mom onto my shoulders and make for the door just as she was starting to wake up.
But just before I could get us outside, Dad was able to come to his senses and grab his shotgun. He took aim at -- of all things -- me and Mom and pulled the trigger.
"NO!!!"
Silver saw this coming just in time and jumped in front of the two of us, taking all 18 balls of shot from the two cartridges and falling in a heap.
"SILVER!!!"
I couldn't believe that he had taken a bullet for me. I could only watch as he fell to the ground in a plush heap.
Go... Alex... escape... I will... be fine...
It was just then that my vision whited out and I knew no more.

Once again, I was unable to dream. All there was was an empty black void that I could not escape. I did not know where I was or what had happened for the rest of the night.
But when I finally woke up, I kept my eyes closed, not daring to fully awaken in case my dad was waiting near me. However, I was able to make out a conversation going on in the other room.
"...all this time... and I thought he was just making it up. You're really alive..."
I am. I have always been alive ever since I was created, but I have hidden my true identity from you out of fear of Alex's well-being. I'm sorry that our meeting didn't happen under better circumstances.
There was a pause and then the first voice spoke again. "It's okay, Silver. I don't blame you. You did what you could for Alex and I'm just glad that he's all right."
But Silver didn't seem to think so. It's not enough. You have nowhere to go and your husband is out for your blood. I cannot sit here and wait for him to track you down and kill you. I must protect you with everything I have and get you to safety. He paused for a moment. I must give you both my existence.
Mom sounded confused. "I don't understand."
Deep inside me, I have the power and ability to give you both a new life. I can offer you protection from all who are hunting you, but I must give my life to do that.
Mom sounded upset. "You can't do that! Alex would be devastated! You're too close to just give each other up!"
Silver sighed. You misunderstand me. I will not leave him. In fact, I will simply be giving him my body so that he may live. If it suits you, I can give you a new, more powerful and capable body so that no one may harm you.
"You can do that?" Mom sounded amazed.
I can, said Silver. We would be a family together with each other and you could go on living as you normally have been.
Mom paused, apparently thinking. "I guess if it will protect us, I'll do it, but I'm not sure what Alex will think."
He will understand. In fact, he is listening to us talking at this very moment.
I balked and opened my eyes. I was lying in bed in a motel somewhere. Silver must have teleported us here when the two of us lost consciousness. I could not remember much before that other than the fact that Silver had saved us from my berserk dad.
Silver came over to me with Mom standing behind him. I was glad to see that he was all right after getting shot by that shotgun. In fact, I couldn't even tell where he had been hit. His super-malleable skin had sealed itself shut, leaving no marks whatsoever.
I take it you heard everything, Alex? he said, putting a wing on my lap.
I nodded. "I did... and I'm willing to go through with it."
Mom put a hand to her mouth when I said this, but Silver simply looked at her, signaling her to remain silent.
"I've always wanted to have a Lugia for a pet, but becoming one would be even better. I'm willing to do this to protect myself and both of you from Dad."
Silver nodded and gave my cheek a little lick. If that's what you want to do, I will not stop you. Your mother has already volunteered to do this and you are as determined as ever to follow through with it.
Silver turned to Mom and bowed his head. Are you ready for this, Miss Schaefer?
Mom looked apprehensive, but she nodded and said just two words: "I'm ready."
Silver sighed and spread his wings. He was suddenly surrounded by a glowing-blue aura. He then channeled this energy into my mom, causing her mind to white out for a moment. This was it; there was no turning back now.
It happened faster than I could blink. One second, I was looking at Mom's levitating form; the next, she had been fully transformed into a full female Lugia plush. It was amazing how fast it had happened that I could hardly believe it.
But mom was not quite the same Lugia that Silver was. For one thing, she still had a human-based form. She stood on two digitigrade Lugia feet and her legs were as long as they were before. Her belly was now bare and was covered with the traditional sky-blue mark. I could even see her navel and (I blushed) her breasts. The only difference about her now was that she had no nipples and they looked like they had been stitched to her body. Her arms looked just like they did before. They were long and soft with silver-white coloring and slightly flatter fingers. This was the only way to tell that they were Lugian in nature.
Finally, her head looked just like Silver's, albeit that her neck was not as long as his and her eye masks were a little smoother than Silver's own. Her eyes were stitched and navy-blue in color. Finally, her mouth was not as pronounced as Silver's beak. It was just the right shape to not be a beak but still have a distinct shape. And last but not least, she had a long, prehensile tail growing out of her now-extinct backside and wove around down to the floor. You could see the fine stitching on the side of the much-slimmer appendage all the way to the pointed navy-blue spikes on the tip.
Despite the fact that she was now naked, the only way to tell that she was female was her bare breasts. Her womanhood and backside had pretty much disappeared from sight. Obviously, there were other ways to tell that she was a female other than the obvious.
Silver gently ferried Mom over to the bed next to me and laid her gently on the surface. The blue aura disappeared and I could see that she was sleeping peacefully. Silver sighed and turned to me.
It is done. She will awaken when her mind gets used to her new form. What do you think, Alex?
I had to admit that looked rather painless when it was all over. This only encouraged me to want the transformation even more.
"I'm ready for it! Soon, we can be a family again!"
Silver nodded. I'm glad you are happy, but sadly, I do not have the energy to accompany you in the next life.
"Say what? You mean... you can't join us?"
Silver shook his head. I'm afraid not. I have used all of my powers to transform your mother. All I have left is the ability to merge yourself with me.
I sighed and looked away. "I'm going to miss you, Silver. You have been really kind to me through this whole ordeal."
Silver put a wing on my lap. And you have been kind to me. But I will never truly leave this world. When we merge, our existence will be much stronger than it ever has been. We will live on in each other and nothing will ever tear us apart again.
I smiled and wrapped my arms around Silver's soft neck. "Thank you, Silver. I will never forget you!"
Silver gave a rare smile and wrapped his right wing around my shoulder. I will never forget you, either, but now we must merge. I am running out of power and I will soon be too weak to continue.
The two of us separated and Silver turned around. For the first time, I could see that there was a shining, silver zipper running all the way down his spine to the base of his tail.
"When did you get that? I never noticed it before."
I have chosen to reveal it now because it is necessary. Open it up and climb inside of me. Our bodies will merge and we will be one with each other.
I grabbed the zipper and pulled it all the way down Silver's spine. I had expected him to be full of cotton and stuffing, but I was surprised to see an empty black void, even in the light of the lamp next to me. Gathering up my courage, I climbed off the bed and then stepped inside of Silver's back. I found my foot traveling into a comfy nook where it came to rest somewhere in Silver's body. I couldn't see the effect on his outer body, but I knew it was there.
I then put my other foot into the gap and felt it nestle into a tight yet comfortable place. I then followed up with my arms, nestling them somewhere inside Silver's wings. I then ducked my head into the gap and buried my entire body into the giant plushie. I was welcomed by the refreshing scent of freshly-laundered sheets and relaxed myself for the upcoming merging.
Once I was fully inside Silver, I could feel the zipper being closed by Silver's remaining psychic powers. Before it was all the way up, Silver gave me his last few words before we became one.
Good luck, Altair. I hope that one day, you and I will see each other again. It has been a great pleasure to spend my life with you and I hope that we will do it again sometime.
I smiled and felt the zipper reach its highest point. The instant it reached the top, I felt my mind go out as our bodies and minds merged and became one.

When I finally woke up, I could see my mother standing over me, gently dabbing my forehead with a dry rag. I could see through my new eyes with greatly-enhanced detail. For the first time, I marveled at how beautiful she was. She didn't need clothes or makeup to make herself gorgeous; her new form made her as beautiful as beauty could be.
"Are you okay, Altair? You were out for a while."
Altair... I had a feeling that that was my new name. From now on, I was no longer Alex Schaefer the human. I was now Altair the Lugia Plush.
"Yeah... I'm okay. A little woozy, but I'm fine." I noticed that I was speaking verbally now.
When I sat up, I climbed off the bed and went straight for the bathroom mirror. I had to see what I looked like.
"Say... not bad."
Between the two of us, I would have to say that I looked more like a Lugia than my mother did. True, I now stood on two digitigrade Lugia feet and my body was mostly human-shaped, but I could see a fine six-pack of abs stitched into my sky-blue torso mark and my tail was about as long as Silver's had been. And while my arms were long and had five slender, nail-less fingers on them, I had something else that Mom did not have -- wings. A pair of finely-stitched, super-accurate Lugia wings were attached to my shoulders like an angel. If I was to myself by a name, I would use the term "Anthro Lugia Plush". There was no other term for it.
Once I had gotten over my new form, I turned to my mother and smiled as best as a Lugia could.
"So... what do you want to do now?"
Mom thought about this for a moment before answering. "You wouldn't mind going shopping with me, would you? I'm feeling a little hungry."
Normally, I would have been against shopping for clothes, but now, that sounded like an invitation to dinner. I smiled and left the motel with her to go on a shopping trip. I had a feeling that life as a plush was going to be a very enjoyable one.

The first few days as Anthro Lugia Plushies were a little different. We had to get used to dining on clothes, which, in my opinion, were some of the most delicious items in existence. I could now understand why Silver had taken such pride in his meals -- there was nothing like them on earth.
While we were out on the town, we got a lot of funny looks from the citizens of the city. We just went about our normal routines and ignored their prying eyes. We were so unique that we were even approached by a newsman and were interviewed to be on the news. As an added bonus, we were labeled as "endangered species" and were granted immunity from being hunted for sport.
As for the rest of our lives, Mom and I were so popular that we were given all kinds of donations and charities from very generous donors. We were even given a new home deep in the countryside and all of the clothes that we could eat. We were living the high life and nothing would ever take that away from us.
And what of the bullies that had tormented me and my father that had driven us out of our old home? Let's just say that what goes around comes around. I tracked down each of my former tormentors and delivered a little payback. I used my powers to string them up by their underpants from atop nearby trees or flagpoles. They needed to call the fire department to get them down and I finally evened the playing field against the ones that had made my life hell.
As for Mom and Dad, I was not witness to the event, but the next time I saw her, Mom was sporting a rather large belly and had a nice smirk on her face. Over the next few days, the bulge slowly disappeared and I never heard from again. It was great to be at the top of the food chain and life was grand.

Sometime down the road, I was sitting on the roof of our new house, looking out at the lake in the distance. I had finally been given a new lease on life and I was loving every minute of it. Silver had done Good by giving us these new lives and not a day went by that I didn't think of him.
"Altair!"
Mom was calling to me from the ground. I looked down and saw her motioning for me to come down. Spreading my wings, I gently drifted down to the ground and went over to her.
"What's up?"
"I've got great news. I'll tell you if you can guess it."
I had to think about this. It was hard to read the mind of another Lugia because they had the natural ability to block out their thoughts whenever they needed to.
"We're moving?"
Mom shook her head and patted her belly. "Guess again."
I racked my mind for a while before I came up with another idea. "We're going to be famous?"
Mom shook her head again and bounced on her toes. "Not this time."
I looked her up and down, trying to figure it out. I noticed that she was rubbing her belly again, which had lost some of its trim shape. Suddenly, it all made sense to me.
"You're going to have a baby?!"
Mom smiled and nodded. "It seems that my last little "accident" had lasting effects. Now, you're going to have a brother or sister sometime soon."
I smiled and grabbed her in a hug. "I'm so happy! Maybe this is what Silver said about me seeing him again!"
Mom and I kissed and flew back up to the roof where we lied back and watched the sunset. This was a day for celebration and nothing would ever take this new life away from us.
END