chapter 1

I remember the day exactly, the day my life changed. I still don't really know why, and neither does my partner, but I don't really care. Although it is hard to write stories with paws. This is the story of two friends, friends who overcame everything that came their way.

I was with my best friend John when it happened, three months ago. Both of our parents had forbidden us from going on a journey, and as usual we went to the forest to discuss our problem.

"Why wont they let us?" John asked as I threw berries for the wild Pokémon nearby to eat. "We are the right age, and everyone else who wants to is doing one, so why can't we?"

"I don't know." I replied, watching the Fletchlings fight over the berries. "Maybe we can convince them."

"You know that wont work." He responded, sitting down on the log we used as a bench. "Unless…"

"Unless we catch a Pokémon to prove ourselves." I finished, sitting down next to him. "But how do we even do that?" And as if the forest was listening, our answer walked up and sat on my lap.

"Zorua!" The trickster Pokémon said, looking up at me. I stared at it, speechless.

"Hey there little guy." John said, "I didn't know Zoruas lived in this forest." It ignored him, keeping his gaze locked with mine. Suddenly I felt jealous. I bet this little guy doesn't have to obey his parents or follow rules. He could just play the day away without a care. And the Pokémon who are caught, they get to travel the world, make new friendships, and nothing could ever break the bond between a trainer and their partner.

"I wish I was a Pokémon." I finally said, petting the zorua's ball of fluff found on its head. It made a sound similar to a purr, settling down on my lap. Then I got an idea. "Do you have a trainer?" I asked it. It shook its head no. "Do you want one?" No again, followed by something that came seemingly out of nowhere.

He bit me.

Suddenly, everything hurt. It was like my entire body was on fire, burning. Actually, it felt exactly like that. Like flames were touching every part of me. I collapsed off of the log onto the ground, almost passing out from the pain. I could hear John screaming my name, but it sounded so far away. The fire burned at my insides, overwhelming my nerves. But then something odd happened, it started to feel good. The fire was warm, like it was holding me. I felt that I would never be cold again. And finally, I opened my eyes.

The first thing I noticed was that I was under some sort of blanket of fabric. Struggling a bit, I was able to throw it off, and looked around. Everything was HUGE! Even John.

"Dude," He said slowly, "You okay?"

"Yeah." I replied, "Why wouldn't I b-" But that was when I noticed my hands. Sorry, my paws. "WHAT THE HELL!?!?" I had paws and was on all fours. Looking back, my entire body was covered in bright yellow fur, including most of the red tipped tail next to my rear. I was a Feniken.

"Well, at least you're speaking English." John said in what I assumed was an attempt to calm me down a bit.

"But why am I a Feniken?!"

"That…" He started, but then shrugged, "That I do not know. But let's try to keep calm."

I took a few breaths, closed my eyes and examined how I felt. I actually did feel pretty good. I felt warm, but I was a fire type, so that was probably normal. Beyond that, everything felt relatively the same. Opening my eyes again, I observed our surroundings. I had been to this small clearing many times before, but from this view it looked completely new. My eyesight had definitely improved from before, allowing me to see objects and movements more sharply. I walked over to a small nearby stream and looked at my reflection. Sure enough, I saw the face of the fire type looking back at me. John followed me and sat down next to the stream.

"Feeling better?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice that I didn't notice before.

"Much better." I replied, looking back at him with a smile.

"Good. Now how do we tell your parents?"

Well, they took it better than I expected. Of course, they thought he was joking at first, but after I started talking and saying things only I would know they realized we were serious. Dad and John then left the room to call John's parents while I stayed in the family room with Mom. She sat on the couch, a worried look plastered across her face. I expected this however. I mean, her only son just turned into a Pokémon, who wouldn't freak out?

"I'm okay mom." I said, hopping up onto her lap.

"Are you sure?" She replied, looking me dead in the eyes. "Me and your father don't know anything about Pokémon, how do we take care of you?"

"That answer is simple." My father said as he walked back into the room with John. "He decides for himself." Mom tried to protest but dad put up a finger. "Let me finish. Almost every kid his age is at the point where they go out into the world and discover who they are. Earlier we said he couldn't join them, and I assume John's did as well. But now, after this, I realize we were wrong. If the two of them can handle this," he smiled and gently pet me on the head, "they can handle anything."

"I suppose you're right." Mom said with a sigh. She then returned her gaze to me. "So, what do you choose to do?"

I thought about my options. What even where they? I could live in the forest, but I didn't know how. I could live at home with my parents, but where would that put my future? The final choice then dawned on me. Why else would dad have wanted to call John's parents over.

"Well John," I said, looking over at him with a grin, "it may not be exactly how we imagined it, but do you still want to go on that journey?"

John returned my smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."