I crouched in the bushes watching the other kids playing, they all looked like they were having so much fun. I sat there wagging my bushy brown tail back and forth and back and forth. It hurt to do so. Occasionally, I would wrap my tail to the front of my body to take a look at it. I pawed at it gently, it made the pain worse. I felt a bump as a ran my paws down it, something was broken I guessed. I whimpered as I settled to the ground. There were bruises all along my body that ached as I put too much pressure on them.

I put my nose down to my paws. I could still see the play ground and the other Pokemon playing through the cover of leaves. I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Why me, why do I have to be the weird one?" I asked to myself out loud.

I heard leaves rustling to my right. I sprang up ready for action. Sharp pain ran through my body when I did from my injuries. I growled lowly and lowered myself to show the new comer I was not afraid to fight. Mr. Gardevoir walked through the leaves. I returned to my normal upright position when I realized who it was. He walked over to me gracefully and sat down. I plopped back down and looked at him trying to figure out what to say. I really did not want to talk to my teacher, it was already bad enough that the other kids in my grade beat me up every day. He always tried to help but he couldn't ever do much.

I watched him as he looked ahead. We sat there in silence until he finally broke it, "You know, I had the same problems that you did. I was different. They would all say 'Kirlias can't be guys, it's not natural!'" he said. He looked down at me as if waiting for a response.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued, "I tried to change it since people thought me a freak. I looked high and low for a dawn stone, my parents and best friends did too. I didn't want to end up a Gardevoir back then, I wanted to be a strong and fierce Gallade." he swung his fist in front of him as emphasis. "There are some things that fate won't let us have though. I became a Gardevoir, and I hated it at first."

"What does this have to do with me though?" I asked, my problem was different than evolution, mine was genetic. "I can't dye my fur so it's normally colored, I was born Shiny and I can't help it. The dye fades easily, I know, I've tried!"

"I know that, but you know what you can do? You can be proud of it, you're different than everyone else. You're part of an elite club of differently colored Pokemon, there are so few of you. My story didn't end with hating being a Gardevoir, I learned to love and embrace it. Gardevoirs used to fight along side human wizards when they still existed, something a Gallade would not live to survive with its typing. I realized I could help kids who had my problem, that's why I became a teacher. I can help so that kids aren't bullied like I was, to be proud of what they are." He stood up and held his and down to me, "Recess is almost over, let's head back towards the school."

I looked up at him for a few seconds, then agreed to follow him. I limped along, but held my head high. 'I know I've heard that whole little talk before, but it still makes me feel a little better. So what if I'm not a normal Zorua, I'm weird and special.' I was feeling better about myself until I reached the playground. The kids started looking at me weird again and giggling when I walked by them. I could hear every word they said.

"Don't go too close, you could catch Shiny."

"She should just use her illusion ability to change her ugly appearance."

"She is such a freak!"

Mr. Gardevoir looked down at me, "Don't let them get to you."

I looked ahead at the school, it was pretty much a hole in the side of a hollowed out hill. The door was just a hole to get in, but was protected by the local Diglett and Dugtrio.

Mr. Gardevoir called for everyone to head inside so that lessons could start again.

Before I returned to class, Mr. Gardevoir had me go to Blissy, the school nurse. She wrapped my leg and tail and put some other bandages on me. She told my my tail wasn't broken, just badly bruised. She told me to put some ice on it tonight if the swelling didn't go down.

As I walked down the hallway to class, I realized that I was starting to feel better, I didn't have to limp anymore. I got to my class room and nudged the door open with my nose. It was never closed so that Pokemon without hands could get in. The class went silent and looked at me, immediately whispers went around. To me, their whispering was louder than a Loudred's cry.

Mr. Gardevoir said, "Everyone be quiet, have you never seen a Pokemon walk into a class room?" He then continued writing on the chalkboard; I could tell we were learning about evolution history based on his drawings.

I walked over to my desk only to see it was painted with crude blue and brown paint. I knew what it was immediately and started to cry. The class erupted with laughter.

"Look, the Shiny has a desk to match now!"

"She's no longer the only freak."

That was the breaking point. I had been bullied so long and I couldn't take it anymore. I ran out of the classroom and to the bathroom. I leaped up on the counter and started at myself in the mirror. My brown and blue flop of fur on top of my head seemed to droop with my mood. I curled up on the counter and cried. I laid there for a few minutes until I came up with an idea. 'I could just run away.' I realized.

I looked around the bathroom for the window that provided light. I found it and ran opposite to it. I used quick attack to gain the necessary speed in such a small area then leaped up to the window sill. It was about eight feet off the ground, but I made it using my attack. I smashed the window using tackle and leaped down to the other side. I landed in a puddle of water. It was a hard landing, but the mud at the bottom helped it a little. I looked down at my reflection in the puddle My fur still drooped, but I moved it back in place. Some odd furs covered the two blue dots above my eyes, so I pushed them back.

I held my chin up and started strutting away. 'Maybe I should go see my mom before I leave. She would want to know where I went.' I contemplated that option for a second or two, but decided against it. My mom would get so worried and wouldn't ever let me leave. She would probably do all it takes to keep me from leaving, including using illusion and other trick tactics our evolution line had.

I heard a door open to my left and snapped my head to see what it was. It was Mr. Gardevoir and the principal, Mrs. Nidoqueen. They had probably heard me break the window. I used illusion to turn my appearance into a Caterpie. I was weak with my illusions, so I could only turn into Pokemon that are smaller than me.

I crawled along like that until I got to the boundary of our town's territory. It wasn't far from the school since we sometimes go to the edge to see some human tourists who visit the area, they seemed to love us little Pokemon the most. Some of the humans called rangers will give us food and toys kind of as a reward for being a tourist attraction.

I stopped at the boundary and looked out at the open grass land ahead. I turned back into my original form and took a deep breath. I placed one foot outside the border, then gradually pulled the rest of my body over it. I took one more look at the home I was leaving behind, I could see the very top of the hill in the town. It's the one dotted with almost everyone's homes, mine included. I already felt heart sick, so I looked away.

'No one there liked me, my own mom and dad even asked if my colors could be changed.' I kept walking forwards remembering my life in the village. 'The first time I got beat up was my first day of school. The kids thought me a freak. Even at the local shrines, the ones there would call me a demon.' I was about a quarter of the way across the field. 'Nobody there liked me.' I stopped walking for a little bit and stood there. Tears were beginning to form, but I wouldn't let them spill.

'No, that life is behind me, I'm free from other's opinions about Shines. I'll live up to their rumors about in my new life, a freak of a different color. An awful beast sent from the depths of the Distortion World. I'll show whoever dares make fun of me what I can really do.' I began to run the rest of the way across the field until I was in the forest beyond, a place where I could start my new life.