AN: I HAD to do a rewrite. My first attempt at this fic was an absolute epic fail, words can't describe the dissapointment I felt. So enough of the sad stuff. This is my second attempt at 'Changes At Hand' and I hope you enjoy it...
Ash looked out the window of his current sleeping quarters in a hotel. It was late at night but he wasn't even focused on the time. He couldn't get it out of his mind, he made it, he arrived in the Unova Region and would be proving himself to a lot of people soon, in the Unova League of course. The stadium's lights shown brightly and the building itself covered anything else in a blanket of shade, standing proud and tall among other buildings, that's where it will all happen in a few days.
He had trained so hard and gone so far that he was kind of surprised that he got here without trouble, Team Rocket can always be a nuisance.
He had met so many people on his journey, beaten so many people for their badges, which he carries with him now, and experienced adventures that nothing compared to. Meeting and befriending so many people, Misty, May, Serena, Brock, the list just went on and on, and he knew he would just waste his time counting further.
He thought of Pikachu, he didn't even know where that thought came from himself, but it had become present. His little buddy, it was so hard not to think of Pikachu as his one and only true companion. They have been through everything together. Where friends came and left, Pikachu always stayed, none of his other pokemon could boast about that, even though he knew that didn't matter to them, it didn't even matter to him but it was just a fact to point out.
He looked down to see Pikachu sleeping on the carpeted floor and smiled fondly. Pikachu never gave up when it came to being the best, he pushed himself as much as Ash did, and that is a quality Ash can relate to. They both had the same goal, being the best, it gave them an understanding that wouldn't make any sense to anyone else. Yes, they couldn't exactly communicate in the same language, verbally anyway, put the primal instinct between a pokemon and a trainer was still very prominent, and it is that instinct that had helped them come so far.
"Soon buddy," Ash whispered at the sleeping pokemon.
Iris opted not to share a room with the boys, they readily agreed to that, so it was just Cilan and him right now, the former sleeping soundly, excluding the pokemon. He was kind off lucky that someone had recognised him as a hero and that he was given rooms to use on his stay here, but only for the duration of the Unova League. After all this was over, he would continue on his goal to becoming the greatest pokemon master that had ever existed.
Ash decided to get some much needed sleep. He would continue training his pokemon tomorrow before the tournament started.
The next day.
"What took you guys so long? I was waiting in the lobby for thirty minutes," Iris said annoyedly. She had gotten up and waited for Ash and Cilan to join her in the breakfast room of the hotel, which they agreed on, but the two boys never showed up at the scheduled time, prompting her to remain in the lobby and wait for them to arrive.
"Ash ordered room service in the morning and wouldn't stop eating anything until I dragged him out of there," Cilan said while rolling his eyes. It was such a bother to get Ash to come to the 'scheduled breakfast' because once Ash was hungry the guy didn't know reason.
"So now he has to skip breakfast?" She was struggling not to snap at this kid, how could he forget that they all agreed to eat together?
"Don't worry Iris, I still got plenty of hunger left in me," Ash said as he patted his belly gently.
Iris sighed, he was a strange boy indeed. She looked at him and had to resist rolling her eyes at his grin," Come on, I'm hungry."
"Ready for food buddy?" Ash asked his companion, who was on his shoulder at the moment.
"Pika!" Pikachu said cheerfully.
"Come on Axew! What are you looking for?" Iris asked her pokemon. When she woke up and went to the lobby she had to chase Axew, who immediately rand outside the hotel. It was strange, Axew had been on edge since the morning began and Iris didn't like it when her pokemon were uncomfortable.
They ate breakfast peacefully, although Pikachu and Axew seemed to be in a heated conversation, only momentarily. Ash had to wonder if something was wrong, but the moment he saw them calm down he just shrugged it off to pokemon being pokemon.
They decided to take a walk outside and see what Vertress City had to offer, from the different types of pokemon, to the souvenirs they could get to keep the memory of the Unova region with them.
They were walking through the city streets, looking around, noticing a lot of people, most probably here for the tournament itself.
"So many people," Cilan mused out loud.
"Yeah," Ash breathed in awe, the city was truly buzzing with excitement.
" I don't get why so many people are here now since the tournement only really starts in a few days,". Iris inquired.
"Its better to come early, that way they don't have to worry about the accommodations," Cilan said.
Pikachu was walking beside Ash when his ears picked up something. It was feint but pretty clear. Pikachu didn't know what it was but the sound was very alarming to him, it sounded like a cry, a desperate cry for help, and Pikachu was always the helping type.
"Let's go shopping," Iris said suddenly with excitement.
"Uhh, how about we vote on that?" Cilan said with a sweat drop.
"Well I vote-huh-Hey Pikachu, where are you going!?" Ash hollered when he saw Pikachu dashing away from them.
"What do you vote for Ash?" Cilan asked nervously, he hoped he heard a no.
"I gotta go guys! I'll see you guys later...Pikachu wait up!" Ash said as he dashed to catch up with his friend.
"B-But Ash..." Cilan trailed off and looked at a grinning Iris.
"Come on!" Iris said excitedly and led a very reluctant Cilan to clothing shops.
Ash was really struggling to catch up with Pikachu, the little guy can be fast when he wanted to.
"Pikachu, come on, wait for me!" Ash implored but it seemed to not have the desired affect.
They were running in a forest now, Pikachu with a steady lead but Ash was not deterred. Ash wondered what on earth was Pikachu so focused on that he had to run into a forest of all places. They soon came to a clearing. Ash didn't see anything suspicious that warranted Pikachu's behaviour but that was about to change.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu called as he came to a dead stop.
Ash hurried to his buddy and was met with an unexpected sight. There was a girl, no older the two or three years old, he didn't really know, he was just guessing. She had long platinum blonde hair that looked like it could cover her whole body, she was pale, he couldn't see her eyes since she was unconscious on the ground, however, something was definitely wrong with this scene, a small part of ground that was around the little girl looked burned, as if there was a recent fire, and he couldn't figure out why.
He looked at Pikachu, who had a serous expression, and realised that this was what they were looking for. Why a girl though? Where were her parents? Why did she look like she burned the ground beneath her?
"Okay...I don't know what the heck is going on here." He was truly at a loss for thought. The scene infront of him seemed so unusual to comprehend and he just looked on numbly until he realised that he needed to check and make sure the girl was okay.
As soon as he took a step forward three things happened. The first was Pikachu's ears perking up and the warning that came from the pokemon's posture. The second was an orb of pure white light rising from the girl, as if it was using the little girl as a hiding spot. The third would be the orb itself, charging at Pikachu with a speed he could not register and blinding everyone when it attacked Pikachu.
The light was so bright that Ash had to shield his eyes from the intensity. He tried walking forward to Pikachu but a force was keeping him at bay.
"PIKACHU!" Ash screamed, but he got no reply at all.
The light increased so much that Ash was sure it enveloped him as well. He felt a bit light headed but tried to remain strong, which didn't help at all however. He eventually let darkness claim him when he could not take the assualt anymore.
Crying, that's all he could hear. It sounded like a baby crying to be fed or something. It was annoying if he had to be honest and it did not help his ears in the least. He couldn't help but groan, he had a headache that was getting worse by the second.
He slowly started to open his eyes and squinted when the harsh lght of the sun hit him. He felt tired, so tired that he just wanted to rest on the grass. Grass...?
His eyes shot open. He remembered now, Pikachu, the girl, the orb, the light. His thoughts lingered on the light, was that a sign to indicate death? Was he dead? He was still breathing, he could still feel his limbs.
"What happen?" He groaned out as he got up into a sitting position. He looked around and realised nothing much had changed in the scenery except for a glaringly visible difference. There was a bigger girl, holding the baby with platinum hair, he could see where the crying was coming from.
At first he thought that it could be the little girl's sister because she had long bright blonde hair, a shade of blush on each cheek that matched the little girls, pale skin, and the same brown eyes that he could finally see from the little baby girl. They looked similar but something was off. The older girl looked confused, like she didn't know what to do, like she didn't know what was going on. She tried her best to rock the little girl back and forth, but Ash could see she looked like she was inexperienced in what she was doing, her arms where shaking for crying out loud.
He finally realised something important that stopped his thoughts cold, both girls were naked! Ash was in hysterics as he looked around franticly, trying to figure out what to do. After a moment he decided to help out as best as he could. He quickly took off his pants and jacket, leaving him in only his boxers and a black T-shirt. He decided to make himself known, albeit cautiously.
"Hello Miss, I'm really sorry for interrupting but I saw that you needed clothes and this is all I can offer." He was blushing up a storm. The embarrassment in not wearing pants was indeed a laughing matter for anyone, but Ash had morals and principles, one of them was helping anyone in need. He made sure not to look directly at the two girls as he presented his clothing to the older one.
He waited a while and when no attempt was even made to take his clothing he looked at the pair curiously, making sure not to go lower then their faces. The older girl looked at him in confusion while the younger one continued to cry, and what came out of the older one's mouth through Ash for a loop.
"...Pika?"
"...Wha..." That was not what he was expecting at all. She said 'Pika' right? He wasn't hearing things? It sounded like something Pikachu would say and he quickly looked around, swerving the area, he could not find any sign of his companion.
"Pikachu?" Ash called out into the woods.
"Pika pi!" Ash's head whipped in the direction of the older girl. She was looking at him expectantly and Ash couldn't help but stare at her in an incredulous manner. The girl seemed to be waiting...for him?
"Sorry, I was calling for my Pikachu," Ash said while looking around.
"Pikachu!" Ash looked at her weirdly. Why did she keep saying things like that? Ash looked carefully at her and when their eyes met that's when something clicked.
"...No way, Pikachu?" Ash asked hestitantly.
"Pi pi pi!" The girl said in relief as she continued to try and calm the sobbing little girl.
He just asked out of curiousity and never expected that reply. At first he thought this girl was playing with him but he soon realised that she wasn't kidding.
"I-I." He sat down next to her in complete shock. This didn't even feel real, it was like something you'd hear in stories and he didn't know what to make of anything right now.
"Pi?" Pikachu called to him in worry. She didn't even know how she became human herself. She remembered hearing a girl crying and then followed the voice into the forest, she remembered seeing the orb thing that attcked her, after that she woke up with a sobbing girl clinging on to her stomach. Everything felt so new to her and she struggled to adjust to her new appendages, she hadn't tried walking yet and she doubted she could, well like a human anyway. Everything about her felt different, her body felt strange...so many different sensations then before, she was even thinking differently.
She knew she was just like Ash now, a human, with two legs and hands, she had two mounds on her chest that were soft, she tested them...she guessed she was more like Iris then Ash. Pikachu was always a female but Ash never knew that, which was okay with her since she didn't really care what gender she was. She could also understand him when she was a pokemon but moistly the commands he made, everything else was difficult to interpret.
Back to the subject at hand. She woke up and she was suddenly a female human with a girl crying on her stomach. At first she was hysterical with the new form but then all those thoughts went a away when she focused on the little girl. She loved human babies, even when she was a pokemon, so she temporarily put her worries aside and focused on trying to calm the girl down, two hours ago.
The girl wasn't listening to her though. The little thing could really cry and Pikachu had tried her best to use human tactics to sooth the baby, by rocking her back and forth as gently as she could, which proved very difficult due to her not being fully adjusted to her arms.
"H-How d-did this happen?" Pikachu looked at Ash and realised that he must have been in a state of shock, she was too when she woke up.
"Pikachu," Pikachu tried to give her best I-dont-know look.
Ash realised that Pikachu was still naked and quickly looked away.
"C-Could you please put these clothes on?" Ash asked. The little girl was too small for anything he had, just great.
Pikachu looked at the clothes confusedly an then back at Ash, "Cha...?"
Ash facepalmed, if Pikachu was really human now then he, or in this case she, wouldn't be able to know how to put clothes on.
"...J-Just give me a minute," Ash had to calm himself and handle this situation as delicate as possible. He looked back at Pikachu.
"Put the girl down and let me put this on you." He didn't even know if Pikachu understood what he said, he really hoped she did.
Pikachu looked down at the girl and then back at Ash. She shook her head.
Ash realised that the little girl wasn't going to let go of Pikachu, so he came up with an idea.
"Put your hands in the air," Ash said as he stood up and went behind her.
Pikachu was a bit confused why he would say that but she complied and felt the fabric of Ash's jacket, sliding onto her body until it was on completely. The little girl had momentarily let go so she didn't get covered and now she was looking at Pikachu curiously.
"Wow, it only took my jacket," Ash said in surprise when he looked Pikachu over. The jacket covered her whole body and that's when Ash realised that he was taller then Pikachu's human form, he also really felt stupid for taking his pants off.
Pikachu looked down at herself. The outfit felt weird, like a second but loose skin. She noticed the girl was looking at her with big brown eyes, she looked so cute, especially when she wasn't bawling her eyes out. Pikachu hesitantly stretched her arms out to view her new outfit, but was surprised when the little girl clung to her again. Pikachu quickly rapped her arms around the little girl in surprise, creating a sort of protective hug.
"Okay, get yourself together Ash," Ash said to himself and then looked at Pikachu again.
"Pikachu?" Ash called.
Pikachu's head whipped to him and she stared at him seriously. Ash was surprised, Pikachu looked like she was ready for orders and he had to wonder if the years of trainning together had done that.
"Uhh okay, first things first. Can you understand what I'm saying?" Ash asked curiously.
Pikachu nodded her head.
"Right, second thing...Can you speak my language?" He didn't really care about that question but he needed to assess everything he could so he could at least have a grasp of the situation.
Pikachu's face changed to that of thought. She knew the human language from her years of interaction, even though she could not imitate their words. It was impossible to speak such a language when she was a pokemon, sometimes she wondered how Meowth ever could. She was human now however, so did that mean she could speak the human language?
"Pi...ka." She frowned, it seemed that it was harder then it looked.
Ash saw the look of discomfort and decided to reassure her, "Hey, its okay if you can't speak. It doesn't matter,"
"Cha...C-Chya." Pikachu wasn't giving up however, she was human now, so she had to be able to speak like them, she just knew she could.
"Pikachu, stop this," Ash implored to the blonde.
"C-C-Chya...N-N-N-Noooo," Pikachu trailed off with determination, then her eyes widened when she realised what she said.
Ash was surprised with that as well, that was the first time he ever heard Pikachu say aything that didn't have a Pi-ka-chu or cha in it.
"Wow," Ash said in astonishment. This day couldn't get any weirder.
"A-A-A-Ashhhhhh," Pikachu said with difficuilty.
"Yes?" He couldn't think of anything else to say. Pikachu was actually talking to him, wouldn't that be enough to bewilder you too?
Pikachu was actually hesitant before she spoke.
"A-Ashh...T-T-o-o-u-u-r-r...n-n-a-a...m-m-e-e...n-n-t-t," it was difficult to talk but she was getting there and she needed to remind Ash of important matters. Being a Pokemon Master was always his dream and Pikachu was willing to do anything to help him achieve it.
Ash looked at her blankly for a few seconds and screamed, "Oh no! The tournament!"
He quickly shut his mouth when he saw that he startled the little girl, who whimpered and burried herself into his jacket. Remain calm, he mentally kicked himself. The tournament wasn't in a few days and right now that was not where his worries were.
"It's okay, don't worry," he said, trying his best to reassure Pikachu, which seemed to have worked.
"O-Okay." She was adjusting to her new vocal chords pretty quickly and mentally gave herself a rub on the head for her achievement. She looked down at the little girl, who was clinging to her like a life line, and decided to try what Ash would do to calm her when she used to be agitated. She started to gently rub the little girls head until those big brown eyes were staring at her again.
"I-It's o-okay," Pikachu softly said while gently caressing the girl's head.
The little girl looked at her curiously and then suddenly yawned cutely. She started to struggle to keep her eyes open and Pikachu knew those signs quite well, she was sleepy. Pikachu shifted in her sitting position and held the girl gently to her, while still caressing her head, it didn't take long for the little girl to fall asleep.
Pikachu felt something funny when she stared at the girl. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was difficult to describe but it was a nice feeling, a warm feeling. The baby looked so cute and innocent that Pikachu had to wonder what had happened to her. Where were her...parents was the right word, right? She wasn't fully knowledgeable in the human language but she knew a lot of words.
"We need to figure out what's going on around here." He didn't want to interrupt the touching moment but this was serious business, if there was something out there that could turn pokemon into humans then they needed to act fast.
"Pik-Y-Yes," Pikachu said looking at him.