NOTE: Soleon is a fakemon, found on XGBlue's (my) DeviantART page. Some attacks used in the battle are attributed to Soleon's Light type (also not official), and thus are not official Pokemon attacks.
To Poke Rider Rio: Thanks for the review. Just because I haven't submitted much recently doesn't mean I don't see my messages! ^^
"Paul's beaten three of the Elite Four," my loyal Typhlosion Partner informed me one afternoon. I sighed. That damned Gengar had been a nuisance ever since I caught him; I probably would have released him if he hadn't been so strong.
"He's challenging number four isn't he?" I asked. Partner nodded. I sighed again.
My name is Austin Keith. I live in a nice two-story house at the edge of Pallet Town, along with all the Pokémon I've caught. Other than Partner and Paul, I also have hundreds other Pokémon. A few notable ones are Blue, my shiny Umbreon, Mark, my Metagross, and my strangely friendly shiny Electivire named Edge. These three happen to be three of the four members of the Elite Four, all of which Paul had defeated.
I walked outside onto the porch, and found Paul standing out front, waiting. A Chansey and a Blissey were tending to Blue, Mark and Edge, who were bruised and beaten.
"Hello Austin," the ghost-type hissed when he saw me.
"Hello Paul," I said dryly.
"What are you waiting for? Send out Partner so I can become the strongest Pokémon you own!" Paul said arrogantly. I laughed.
"Partner's not the fourth Elite Four member Paul," I said.
"Too afraid to let him battle?" Paul taunted.
"On the contrary, I'm too afraid to let others battle him. His last opponent was in the ICU for nearly a week," I replied. Paul frowned.
"Who is it then? Silver?" Paul asked, referring to Lugia's son, who joined my team occasionally.
"No, he doesn't count as mine," I retorted.
"That rules out Suicune and Raikou as well…" Paul said quietly.
"I'll spare you the trouble of guessing Paul," I cut in. Paul raised an eyebrow. I grinned. A ring of light appeared around my midsection, and separated into two rings, one going up over my torso, the other down over my legs. As the rings moved over me, I began to change.
Short fur grew all over my body, glistening white in the sunlight. A short, round tail grew from my rear, and began to wag. Two feathery wings sprouted from my back, giving me an angelic appearance. My head changed into that of a dog's, and long round ears sprouted on top of it. Glowing blue rings appeared on my legs, ears, tail and face, completing the transformation. I was now a Soleon.
"So it's YOU then, is it?" Paul questioned. I nodded. I walked slowly down the stairs, and onto the battlefield in the front yard. Paul walked to the other side, while Partner took the position of referee.
"This will be a one on one battle. Use of an illegal move merits immediate disqualification. BEGIN!" he said.
I sprang into action immediately, running at Paul with Quick Attack. Paul fired a Shadow Ball at me, despite the type disadvantage. I somersaulted, dodging the ball with ease. "Diamond Storm!" I exclaimed, firing a barrage of crystals at Paul. Paul shielded himself with an arm, wincing in pain as the Light-type attack ripped through him.
Before I could land from my somersault, Paul grabbed me. He performed an Attitude Adjustment on me, sending a sharp burst of pain through my body. Wincing, I stood up, and glared at him. He didn't notice, as he was gloating to my other ghost-type Pokémon. I took advantage of this, and blasted him with a Light Arrow attack. He fell to the ground from the impact. I then rushed over, and grabbed him.
I tried to deliver my Atomic Bomb finisher, but Paul countered me and delivered a Tombstone Piledriver. Aching in pain, I once again got up. Unfortunately, I was immediately broadsided by a Shadow Ball and knocked back to the ground. Again I began to stand up.
"Why won't you die?" Paul growled. I ran up and punched him in the face, but my hand went straight through him.
'Shit, I forgot about that!' I thought. Paul used Crunch on my arm, and I stumbled back in pain.
"I've had enough of you!" Paul said angrily. He fired another Shadow Ball, which brought me to the ground in a bruised and beaten mess. He walked over, picked me up, and delivered a Last Ride move. I was through; there was nothing more I could do. Paul continued to beat me, until my consciousness began to fade. The last thing I saw was the most massive beam of fire I'd ever seen plow into Paul. I passed out moments later.
I awoke somewhere in a thick forest. No one was around, and everything seemed huge. I looked down at myself, and was shocked to find that I was a Soleon. I was clad in a diaper, and it appeared I was a baby. Looking around, I thought I could see something man-made through the trees, so I headed that way. I ended up crawling through some bushes, and eventually poked my head out the other side. I was greeted by the sight of my house. Excited, I crawled out of the bush.
I continued slowly over to the back door, but I was too short to reach the handle. Not giving up hope, I crawled around to the front of the house. However, I stopped on the side when I saw a large stone I didn't remember. Crawling over to it, I was shocked to see that it bore my name. It was my tombstone. I couldn't believe it; Paul had killed me in that battle. My ears drooped, and I began to cry.
"Hey, get away from there!" an angry voice shouted. I turned around, and was shocked to see a Typhlosion towering over me. I looked up at him, into his piercing green eyes. I knew instantly that it was Partner. I ran up to him, and hugged his leg tightly. I tried to tell him it was me, but all that came out was baby-speak. Partner picked me up, holding me like the infant I was, and examined me curiously.
"I don't remember Austin having a Soleon…" he said to himself, "especially not a baby…" Partner stared into my eyes, as if there was something wrong with them. A lone tear slid down his face, and then he looked up at the sky. He glanced back down at me, and sighed. "Come on little guy, let's get you inside," he said. He walked to the front door, and brought me inside the house. "Bryan!" he shouted once he got inside. Bryan was my best friend, who lived in the house with me.
Bryan appeared moments later, coming down the stairs. A small device was clipped to his ear; a translator that he used to communicate with the Pokémon. I hadn't needed one because I was part Pokémon.
"What's up Part- Oh, who do we have here?" Bryan asked, seeing me.
"I found this little guy outside, but I wasn't aware Austin had a baby Soleon," Partner explained, "he seemed pretty sad to see Austin's tombstone though." Bryan raised an eyebrow.
"Let me see him," he said. Partner handed me over, and Bryan held me gingerly. He looked down at me, especially at my eyes. Bryan was silent for a moment before he looked back up and over at Partner. "I don't know how he got here, but I'm sure Austin would take him in," he said. Partner nodded.
The first thing Bryan did with me was take me to the grooming room. My fur was trimmed, my teeth were cleaned, my nails were cut and filed, and Nurse Joy came to give me a checkup. Once everything was finished, Bryan brought me into the kitchen and fed me some baby Pokémon food which wasn't as nasty as I'd expected. I was burped afterwards, which felt really good.
After the burping, I felt a little tired. Being just past 2:00, it was rather odd for me. Bryan walked me back to the nursery, where baby Pokémon were kept. On the way, I felt a sudden need to use the bathroom, and was unable to control it. My diaper was filled almost immediately, and I began to blush in embarrassment. Bryan wasn't fazed though.
"Looks like you need a change before your nap." he said. I just blushed brighter.
Bryan walked into the nursery, and over to the changing table. I was laid down gently, and then changed. I was surprised at how nice a fresh diaper felt. Bryan picked me back up, and looked down at me.
"You need a name." he said.
'Great…' I thought, 'He's going to name me something stupid…'
"Hmm, what to name a Soleon…?" Bryan said to himself. "Perhaps Jet?" he suggested. I shook my head. "What about Hawk?" he tried again. Another no. "Sky?" he tried once more.
The name was perfect. Despite the fact that I had hoped to get him to name me Austin, something about Sky just called out to me. I nodded, accepting the new moniker.
"Alright, Sky it is," Bryan said. He then turned away from the changing table.
In one corner of the nursery is a giant pile of stuffed Pokémon dolls for the babies. Bryan sat me down in front of the pile, and told me I could pick one doll to sleep with. Naturally I dug through the whole pile for five minutes before I finally came upon a large Typhlosion doll.
Bryan picked me up as I clung to the doll, and placed me in one of the cribs. He made sure I was covered up, and then he gently ruffled the fur on my head.
"Sweet dreams Sky," he said. I cooed softly. I knew I was acting like a baby, but hey, I was one. I figured I'd just go along with it until I learned how to talk again. For now, I closed my eyes and drifted off to a peaceful sleep, the Typhlosion doll held close in my paws.
I awoke about an hour later, still feeling a little drowsy. The nursery was quiet; the only movement being the slow rotation of the Pokémon baby mobile hanging above me. My diaper was dry- I'd never been a bed wetter- and the soft blanket covering me was cozy and warm. No one was in the room other than a few sleeping babies.
I wanted to get up and try to tell Bryan or Partner that I was alive, but I couldn't bring myself to move. I felt so at home in my crib that I simply snuggled up to my doll and fell asleep again. Unfortunately, the second half of my nap didn't last long. I soon awoke again, this time due to the gentle shaking of my master and former partner. I yawned and sat up, then stared up into Bryan's chocolate brown eyes.
"Rise and shine sleepyhead," Bryan said, "you sleep well?" I nodded; I felt very well rested. Bryan picked me up, and checked my diaper. It was damp now, so Bryan took me over to a changing table and put me in a fresh one. Bryan then carried me into the kitchen, and fed me a bottle of warm milk. When I finished, Bryan put the bottle in the dishwasher to be washed, and then began burping me. I was babied for the rest of the day.
Over the next few weeks I grew steadily until I matured to a 6 year-old in human standards. I'd also gotten out of diapers, but was still stuck in Pull-Ups. I learned how to speak too, but kept my secret to myself for the time being. As I had grown, I'd also been given a bit more freedom, and now I could roam the house alone. One Friday morning as I walked around, it crossed my mind that I had no idea what had happened to Paul. Wanting to know, I snuck upstairs to my office.
When I arrived at the tall, wooden door, the knob was as high up as my head. It felt strange since I was used to it being at waist height, but I honestly didn't mind. I tried to open the door, but found it locked. Not deterred, I phased through the door instead, and turned on the office light. Inside, my office was virtually unchanged. My fancy metal and glass desk sat where it always had; the leather office chair sitting empty behind it. Another chair, a simple, padded one, sat in front of my desk for consultants.
Making my way around my desk, I sat down in the office chair for the first time in over a month. I turned on my computer, which brought up the login screen for the house's database server. From what I'd learned, no one had been able to crack my password since my passing. It was a complex password, but really rather simple when you thought about it. My thoughts again shifted to Paul as I logged in with ease.
I clicked the search box at the top right corner of the home screen, and typed in "Paul". The system brought up a list of results, the first of which was Paul's bio page. His status was listed as deceased, which had me somewhat confused. I remembered seeing the pillar of fire plow into him before I died, but I hadn't thought it'd be fatal. I clicked on the word "deceased" for more specific info. A box popped up with a message, which I read silently.
Paul, Gengar. Challenged master, Austin Keith, to Elite Four match on 2/13/12. Match ended with Keith being fatally injured. Paul was then incinerated by an Eruption attack from the referee, Partner (Typhlosion). Austin Keith was buried on the west side of the facility, while Paul's remains- a pile of ashes- were destroyed.
I was shocked to say the least; it hadn't been a Fire Bast like I'd previously thought. I knew Partner's Eruption attack was lethal, so it didn't surprise me that- along with the little damage I'd been able to deal- it had led to a fatality. I sighed; at least Paul wasn't around to harass me or kill me again. I didn't want to dwell on my memories for much longer; at my new age they'd likely cause nightmares. Pushing them back to the recesses of my mind, I began checking up on a few other things on the system.
- (POV Change – Bryan's) -
As I went about my daily duties, I realized I'd left my translator in my office. I made my way upstairs to get it, but stopped as the door entered my sight. The light inside Austin's old office was on. Passing my office, I walked to the door and grabbed the knob. It was still locked, so I pulled out my keys. Slipping one into the lock, I unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
- (POV Change – Austin's) -
As I was working on my computer, the door knob of the office door suddenly jiggled. I froze. I looked up at the door, and heard someone slide a key into the lock. There was nothing I could do but await whoever discovered me. I gulped as the door opened, and Bryan stepped into the office. His eyes went wide when he saw me; he was obviously shocked.
"Sky? Get away from there!" he cried.
"I-I'm sowwy!" I said, speaking with an ever persistent lisp. Bryan quickly made his way around my desk, and looked at the computer monitor.
"Austin's login? No one's been able to crack his password…" he said to himself. He looked at me, then back at the monitor, and then back at me. "Austin?" he asked.
My first thought was to act innocent; maybe I could get away with sheer dumb luck and keep my secret. Then I realized how much he and Partner must have been hurting, thinking that I'd been dead all this time. I sighed. I wanted to keep my secret a little longer, but at the same time I knew that it was the wrong thing to do.
"I was hopin to keep my secwet a widdle wonger, but yeah… it's me…" I said, admitting defeat. I blushed because of the lisp.
At first Bryan was silent, probably in shock. Then a smile formed on his face, and tears began to flow from his eyes. He picked me up, sat down in my chair, and hugged me tightly. I knew what he must be experiencing, and was sorry for what he'd had to go through. I wrapped my short, furry arms around him, and hugged him back.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you…" Bryan said suddenly. I frowned.
"Actuawwy, I do. I haven't seen Pawtnew since da day he found me by my tombstone…" I responded. Bryan released me.
"Partner's been holed up in his room for weeks now. I know how you both must be feeling, so go." he said quietly. I nodded.
"Tanks Bwyan." I replied, giving him a squeeze. I then exited the office, making my way down the hall to my old room. I could hear Partner breathing heavily inside, as if he'd been crying. I sighed; I should have realized the effects my secret had on others. Ready to right my wrongs, I stepped into the room. Partner heard me immediately, and his head shot up.
"Go away." he said. I started to say something. "Go away!" Partner cut in.
"Listen to me Pawtnew!" I shot back, annoyed at my lisp. Partner was surprised, but not fazed.
"Do you know what I'm going through right now Sky? I don't want to talk, so just go away!" he said angrily.
"I do know what you'we going thwough Pawtnew… You wewe my best fwiend, and now you won't even tawk to me," I responded. Partner's eyes widened again, and then he stared into mine for a moment.
"Austin?" he asked. I nodded.
"I missed you buddy." I said, hugging him.
At first Partner looked angry, which was an expected response. I backed away, but then he looked at me again and snickered. I had been wearing a blue t-shirt and a boys' Pull-Up, plus I looked more babyish now. Partner was probably going to laugh his guts out at me.
"Aww, you are just friggin adorable!" he said, laughing. I blushed profusely.
"Yeah, I'm a big baby awen't I?" I replied.
"That you are. Come here!" Partner responded. He embraced me in a hug, which I gladly returned. We were inseparable for the rest of the morning; playing happily together. As this went on, I realized that I really enjoyed being a little kid. Not only was I having fun, but Partner loved babying me. I then realized that as a Soleon I had the ability to control my age, so I decided to stay a child for the rest of my life. It was then that I noticed the white hair.
It was right there in plain sight, on top of Partner's head. My heart sank; he was getting old.
"Pawtnew, how owd awe you?" I asked. He sighed.
"I was born the same year as you Austin, remember? Pokémon have shorter life spans though, so I'm getting up in years…" he answered sadly. I hugged him tightly; this wasn't what I wanted to hear.
"I dun wanna wose you Pawtnew…" I said sadly.
"I know, and I don't want to leave you," he replied, hugging me back. I wished with all my heart that he could be younger; tears streaming down my face. Then it happened: the white hair disappeared.
I was in shock; how could a hair just disappear like that? Then Partner suddenly began to shrink, which really got me confused. As if that wasn't enough, he also glowed like he was evolving. I couldn't believe my eyes when the process finished. Long gone was the Partner I had known for years; returned was one I hadn't seen in a decade. Standing there, just as bewildered as me, was Partner the Quilava.
Partner was now much shorter, standing 3'6" as compared to 5'7". We were roughly the same height, and if I had to guess I'd say the same age. He went to speak, and I noticed that he also had a persistent lisp.
"What da heck jus happened?" he said, sounding as childish as could be.
"I dunno. I wanna check da Pokedex fiwe on Soweon, I tink it may howd da key to dis." I replied. Partner nodded, and we walked back towards my office. Bryan had gone back to his own office by now, so mine was devoid of inhabitants. Partner and I walked around my desk, and climbed up into my office chair. I typed "Soleon" into the search box, and clicked on the Pokedex entry.
Soleon, the Legendary Pokemon of Friendship. Soleon is known as one of the most childish Pokémon to date. It has ghostly abilities like any other Ghost type, but the similarities end there. Soleon is known to be able to cast away any darkness, and has the ability to control its age. Soleon's have been known to affect others' age as well, but only when they share a very close bond with them.
"Well, dat expwains tings…" I remarked.
"It cewtainwy does," Partner responded. We sat there for a minute after that, wondering what to do.
"Wanna go pway?" I finally asked, now rather bored.
"Suwe," Partner answered. With that, we both ran off to have some fun.
- (POV Change – Bryan's) -
As I walked through the house later that afternoon, I wondered what had happened between Austin and Partner. It was then that I noticed a lot of Austin's Pokémon were headed outside with chairs from the storeroom. As I looked closely, I noticed most of them were parents, which intrigued me. Curious as to what was going on, I followed a Lago couple outside.
When I stepped into the cool, refreshing spring air, I spotted something in the front field I hadn't seen there before: a football field. Then I saw the group of kids standing at midfield by the referee.
'Who organized a football game?' I thought. Then I took a closer look at the group of kids. Lo and behold, Austin was standing by the referee with a familiar looking Quilava.
"Well I'll be…" I said to myself. I smiled; it was nice to see Austin enjoying himself with his Pokémon again. Grabbing a chair from Edge, who had kindly brought one out for me, I sat down and watched as the game began.