I open my eyes and am unable to recognize my surroundings. When I realize that my surroundings are unfamiliar, I awaken as though I have been shot with a jolt of electricity from my best friend Pikachu who is always eager to start his day with me. I look down at my body, and realize that it is not the light blue stomach I have with my shell shaped scalchop in the middle of it. I have a flat stomach with some type of light blue fabric or something on top of it, my legs are covered with a dark blue fabric, and I notice that my previously dark blue feet have become a pale color and it looks like something totally different. When I realize all these changes, I look at my arms which were white before, but are now longer and less white. I quickly look behind me and notice that my dark blue otter tail is gone and now I realize that I am no longer a pokemon, but what I have heard about from other pokemon in our world. I remember now that I was thinking about becoming a human and now I know that I have travelled to another world somehow and that have changed into a male human . I was an Oshawott, but now I am no longer that. I start to panic: What do I do? I wonder how I will get back to my best friend in the pokemon world. I look around me and see that I am in some type of building but it looks nothing like the house that I and Pikachu live in. I see white walls, a carpeted floor and windows. I look outside and see some types of vehicles moving past my building. There are trees and grass but it looks nothing like the 3D pokemon world that I miss now that I realize I may never go back to. I feel sadness and an incredible amount of pain overcoming me. I feel like a building has fallen on me and all my happiness is being crushed out of me. I now realize that I look different and so I wonder what I look like as a human. I get up and notice that I am much taller now as a human. I look around the house until I see my reflection in some type of glass thing. I notice that my blue eyes did not change at all, I have black hair on top of my head and my freckles are still on my face. The only difference is that I look more human and different, and my old body parts are gone. I do not look anything like the handsome pokemon I was before. I am not sure what to do now, or if my name is still Oshawott. I am not even sure if I can call myself Oshawott or not, because that is my name as a pokemon. I start to cry quietly because I miss Pikachu, my only friend, the most in the pokemon world, and my cries become louder sobs of misery. As I am crying, I realize that my voice has become different from when I was a pokemon. I notice that my voice is a little deeper and not as high pitched as when I was an Oshawott. As I am crying, my sobs are suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. I stop crying and think if I should answer the door or not. I look up at my reflection and I wonder what happened to me and who could possibly want to see me. I walk towards the door and open it.
"Who are you?" I ask the human standing in front of me. The human is a young male and he has blonde hair, blue eyes, and a spotted fabric garment on top and black bottoms.
"I am offering you a job," the stranger replies.
"What?"
"I am giving you an opportunity to do something with your life. How old are you?"
"I don't know. I don't belong in this place." I decide not to tell him that my real name is Oshawott and I belong in the pokemon world. The male gives me a weird look, and examines me from head to toe.
"You appear to be a teenager. I don't know your exact age but you look old enough to have a job. Tell me your name and then I would like you to come with me." I look at him, and hesitantly agree. What is the point of staying in my house all day without anyone to talk to or do anything with? I don't know what a job is, but I guess it would be fun and I am thinking about trying it out. I walk out of my house and into some kind of vehicle that shines red in the sun. I feel a little uncomfortable around this stranger, I feel like I am being attacked by another pokemon but I try to brush the uncomfortable feeling off and decide that I should just make the most out of this. Before I answer, I am hesitant. I remember a few times in the pokemon world when I heard other pokemon interacting with each other and they would call each other different names other than what they were. I quickly think of a name that he will consider a normal human name and I say it to him.
"My name is Kyle." He nods and then tells me his name.
"My name is Mike and I will offer you a job. What do you think of working at a pizzeria?"
"I don't know. I guess I'll do it."
"You seem like you have the potential to do a good job at the pizzeria." "What is the name of the pizzeria?" I ask.
"Well, it is fairly new so it doesn't have a name. We can name it "Mike and Kyle's pizzeria." I smile, and nod my head. During the ride to the pizza place, I listen to my new boss lecture me about my new job, so I won't repeat the exact words but I will sum it up. I have to make food for the humans that come here, prepare cooking stoves and grills, take the humans'orders, prepare drinks, prepare dough for the pizza, and I have to clean up after them when they leave. I have to do a lot of cleaning and preparing food so I know that I will be tired after the day is done. I am not sure what time of day it is in this world, and I am scared because I'm unsure if Pikachu realizes that I'm gone or not. I am uncomfortable knowing that he could possibly be worrying about me. All I really want now is to go back to my best friend in the pokemon world. I can't think about that now, I have to see if I like this or not, I think to myself. So the rest of the ride there is silent, but it isn't too long. I see the pizzeria when we get there and I notice that it is quite small. There are a few round things that I assume would be the eating area of the humans, some kind of window things with pictures on them, things that I assume humans could sit on, and carpets. I look behind me and see the grill and stove, and I know that is where I will have to work.
"Do I need to show you how to do this?" Mike asks. I nod, and then he shows me how to make the pizza. He takes out something that appears white and sticky and puts it on the stove.
"You have to let the dough harden, and then put toppings on it." He puts his arms inside the large white box that was inside the room and opens it. I walk over and feel an icy wind in the air around me as the white box is open. I look up and notice that he is taking out different kinds of food. He takes out some red sauce, some round meat products, and some vegetables. He shows me that I will sprinkle the toppings on top of the food and then put it inside the grill. I wait a few minutes and then Mike takes out a fabric mitt and then puts it on his hand before taking the food out. I watch and see him coming over to me.
"Do you want to try it and tell me what you think?" he asked. I nod, and touch the pizza. I quickly feel a painful sensation in my new hands and I quickly pull back my hand. My hand feels like it has been burned by a pokemon's Flamethrower move. "Careful, it's still hot. Wait a few more minutes." I wait until I see less steam coming from the pizza and then I take a bite. I am amazed at the taste that fills my mouth. It is like a burst of new flavor that I have never tasted before, and now I look at my boss. He smiles at me and asks me if it is good. I nod my head and say no more. I eat the rest of the delicious pizza and then after that I see a few vehicles pull in. I am prepared to do this, I say to myself, and I am surprised to see that I actually enjoy this job. The humans come up to me and tell me what their orders are. They were ordering drinks and foods like pizzas and salads. It was easy to tell what drinks they were asking for because there were square shaped boxes that had buttons and the drinks' names were on the buttons. I filled up drinks, made pizzas, and cleaned up their tables after they left. I did this for a few hours before Mike tells me that I can go home. I think my face gave away that I didn't know how to get home because he asked me if I needed a ride and I said yes. On the way home, Mike begins to praise me a lot on my efforts and then when my ride is done, I walk into my house. I am exhausted and then I get into a bed I find and fall asleep.
I see a mist surrounding me. I look down to see if I am still a human or not, and sure enough I see my new body again. I don't know how to react to the mist so I just stand there, and then all of a sudden I hear a deep voice speaking. I literally jump and then my mouth drops open. The voice is coming out of nowhere and I don't see anyone around me so I don't understand how this is even possible. The voice was saying, "Oshawott, you have wanted to be a human for a while am I right?"I was scared, but I knew that I should answer.
"Yes, I have wanted to be a human before. I wanted to experience it but I never thought about how Pikachu would feel if I left the pokemon world and disappeared forever." I felt my eyes watering at the thought of Pikachu, and as my tears fell there was silence for a few minutes. Then the voice said,
"Do you wish you could return to the pokemon world, or do you wish you could be a human forever?" I was amazed; I could only stay in one world and not alternate between both? I was upset to hear this, but I decided to say my thoughts about this situation.
"No, I don't want to stay in either world forever. I wish I could alternate between both worlds. I do enjoy being a human but I also miss Pikachu. So I wish I could spend equal time in both worlds."
"That may be possible, but you wouldn't be able to spend too much time in either world. So you would have to spend some time with Pikachu, and then you may have to be away from Pikachu for some time. Are you okay with that?" I nodded my head, and felt extremely sad because I was thinking about Pikachu and how upset he could be right now.
"Before you go, what turned me into a human? Was it my strong wish to experience the human world?" There was silence before I got an answer.
"Yes, you wanted to be a human, but you kept it a secret from Pikachu."
"That is because I did not want to hurt his feelings!" I exclaimed through sobs. I couldn't control it anymore, I did want to be a human but I also wanted to see Pikachu again.
"Could Pikachu travel to the human world with me?" I ask.
"Only if he wants to." I was worrying now, what if Pikachu didn't want to be a human? How would I see him then?
"If Pikachu doesn't want to be a human then I can only see him in the pokemon world right?"
"Yes. You would constantly have to say goodbye to Pikachu, and you would have times when you are not working with your boss. Is that really what you want, Oshawott?" I nod my head, and then the mist disappears.
I feel a jolt of electricity hit me before I awaken. I open my eyes quickly and then I see Pikachu looking down at me with a worried expression.
"Oshawott, where were you yesterday? I was so worried about you. You're like my brother!" I look down at myself to make sure that I am an Oshawott again and sure enough I see my recognizable body again. There is the light blue stomach with the scalchop in the middle, the dark blue feet, the dark blue otter tail, and the short white arms without those things that the humans call fingers or whatever. I smile; it feels like a nice, wet, happy, rainy day for a water type like me. I am so happy to see Pikachu that I get up and hug him like an Arbok trying to squeeze its opponent until it faints. I feel tears running down my face, and I explain to Pikachu what had happened to me yesterday. Pikachu's worried expression shatters like a broken glass window when he hears my story. When I am done, he hugs me tightly and I hear him sobbing. "Oshawott, I don't know how or why that happened but that was probably the scariest experience of your life, wasn't it?" I nod, but then I remember how I had a job and experienced something new. I tell him about that, and then I say:
"I guess it wasn't all that bad. The only bad part was being away from you."
"Oshawott, you are the sweetest friend I have the pleasure of being friends with. I hope we never get separated again." After that, the rest of the day starts out like a normal day. I spend it with my best friend and we go off to explore new areas around where we live. As we are exploring, I realize that I didn't tell Pikachu why I turned into a human. I felt bad keeping it a secret from my best friend and so I decide to tell him while we are exploring a faraway land. He looks at me with wide brown eyes and then says,
"You wanted to be a human?" I look at him and nod feeling extremely sad again. I feel more pain than I feel when I am electrocuted by a powerful electric type move.
"I am sorry that I didn't tell you before," I said. There are a few moments of silence, and I look at my best friend to see his expression. I realize that he is still processing what I have told him. Finally he says,
"Oshawott, you are my best friend. I don't care if you want to be something different, if you want to travel between the worlds and if you are worried about not seeing me, then I will go wherever you go." My eyes lighted up like a bright sunset on ocean waves, I am so happy to hear that he was willing to change to be with me. I hugged him, and this time I didn't feel tears falling. I felt like the happiest pokemon right now because I was with my best friend and he was willing to be with me forever. He was the only friend I had, so I didn't care if other pokemon noticed that I left this world for a bit or not. However, I also felt bad because I was thinking that he only wanted to go because of me, not because he really wanted it.
"You only want to go because of me right? You don't want to go for yourself?" I asked. He nodded and he looked a little sad too and now I looked down at my dark blue feet and didn't say any more. We were silent for a while, and before we went to bed I said, "I don't know how often we will be travelling between the worlds, but in my dream I did hear that I could go between worlds. I enjoy being a pokemon but I also enjoy being a human. Since you said that you wanted to go I believe that you will go with me whenever I go." He looked away and then says,
"I don't care if I want to go or not. It's only a minor feeling, and I am always happy around you. I can do something I don't want if it makes you happy, Oshawott. I realize that tomorrow we may awaken as different beings, but I don't mind that. Just sleep now so you can do your job tomorrow. Good night," he said. He lay on the nest of hay that we had gotten as beds in our house. Our house was made of wood, and hay mostly with some windows. It wasn't as nice as the human house I had, but I still liked it. I feel the exhaustion welling up in my body like a vehicle engine and so I close my eyes and fall asleep.
I awaken in a way similar to the way I woke up the first time I became a human. I look down at my body and notice that it is the human body that I had before. The same fabrics and everything were there. I look around to see if Pikachu is here or not and at first I don't see anyone else here. I start to panic and wonder if he is still in the pokemon world. "Pikachu?" I call out loudly. I remembered that last time I was the only one in this house so I wasn't afraid of anyone else hearing me and thinking I was being silly or something. For a few seconds, there is silence and then I hear an unfamiliar voice.
"Oshawott?" I turn around and see my best friend, but he looks totally different. His eyes were the same brown color, he had blonde hair, and he was wearing yellow everywhere the bottoms and top were the same color. He didn't have freckles like I did but I knew this was my best friend. I got up and hugged him tightly.
"I am so thankful that you are here with me!" I exclaim. Now I felt as happy as a pokemon who has found a best friend for the first time. The happiness was welling up inside of me, and all of a sudden I felt a smile coming. I smile, and then I look outside. I see Mike's red vehicle coming in the path that led to my house, and then I quickly explained to Pikachu what was happening. He looks at me in a questioning manner and then he says,
"Ok, I will come with you. Oshawott, I promise I will follow you wherever you go." So I walk towards the door and open it. Mike is standing there and he looks at Pikachu with a weird expression.
"Who is this?" he asks.
"This is my best friend, umm his name is…" I trail off and throw a look at my best friend. I wasn't sure what name to give him, but then he says,
"My name is Noah." He looks at Pikachu and says,
"You appear to be around the same age as Kyle. Do you want to work with him?" Pikachu nods his head vigorously and then looks at me. I look back and smile, and then Mike nods his head and says, "Okay, then you two can work together." On the ride to the pizzeria, I explain to Pikachu what we will be doing in our jobs, and then he eventually says he understands so I stop and smile. I did enjoy being a pokemon I realize now since I really had no reason to go back. Pikachu was my only friend and now he promised to be with me wherever I went. So I began to think if I should go back to the pokemon world or not. I thought about this, and then I decided that I would talk to Pikachu later, or maybe say in my dream what I had decided. So I worked again and Pikachu was by my side this time so I felt much happier, and now I was really getting into my work like a pokemon who is interested in exploring new lands. So I worked for a few hours with Pikachu, and I helped him get everything ready for the humans. I wasn't sure what age I was in the pokemon world since pokemon did not keep track of numbers and things like that, but guessing from what Mike told me I knew I was young because I had my good looks as a human and now it made me nervous. Would I stay young forever, or what would happen to me if I decided to permanently stay in this world? I did have a nice relationship with Mike and I didn't want to make him worry about me when I leave the human world but I also didn't want to tell him that I was a pokemon. I wasn't sure what to do, so I decided to talk to Pikachu when we got out of work. As usual, Mike praised both me and Pikachu on the ride home, and then he said he would see us again tomorrow. When we got inside the house, I told Pikachu about all of my worries about if I decided to stay a human forever. He looked worried too as soon as I told him all this, and then I knew he had to think for a bit so I left him to think for a little bit. Then he says,
"I don't know. It's really up to you Oshawott, since I want to make you happy. If you want to be a pokemon again, then tell that to the mist in your dream, and if you have questions about being a human forever then ask the mist your questions."
"I want to make you happy too," I said. He looked at me and I saw sadness in his eyes. I felt like I had just fainted from a super effective grass or electric type move in battle with another pokemon. I was scared, I really didn't know if I wanted to be a pokemon again or not, but I did enjoy being Oshawott. However, I enjoyed being a human a little more since I was experiencing something new. So, when I fell asleep I saw the mist and I asked, "Will I age in this world? I am not sure if I want to stay as a human or go back to the pokemon world."
"Yes, you will age in this world but you will appear to be young since as a pokemon you do not change appearance except for evolution. If you wish to be a human forever, then you will have to prove that you can live in this world. You will have to keep your job and your friendship with Pikachu or he will have to leave you forever. You have to consider his feelings as well as yours, and then decide from there what the best plan is." I decided to ask another question.
"How old am I? Mike asked me my age, and I couldn't tell him because pokemon don't keep track of ages in their world and he told me I looked young."
"You are sixteen years old as a human and as a pokemon. You can tell Mike your age and Pikachu is the same age as well. However, if you decide to be a human, you will never see anyone from the pokemon world ever again. They will be wondering what happened to you, and they care about you whether you are their friends or not. I know that Pikachu is your only friend but you said you wanted to be a human. I need to know if you want to stay as a human or if you would like to travel between the worlds." I thought for a few minutes. I had a feeling that Pikachu liked being a human and I also enjoyed being a human as well, but I also had another feeling that he would want to be a pokemon at least some of the time. I also felt that way too, I was proud of who I was as a pokemon and I didn't want to give up my life as a pokemon. I also enjoyed being able to explore with Pikachu, but I enjoyed exploring the pokemon world more than the human world since that was what I was more used to. I know I am a smart human/pokemon because I adjusted to my new job well and I was actually enjoying this a lot. I decided that I could also explore the human world more, but then I would probably be annoyed if I stayed in one world too long and got tired of it. So, I said my opinions to the mist,
"No, I do enjoy being a human but I will explore both worlds more and more because I do not want to stay in one world too long. I want to be able to make Pikachu happy and I also feel that I would be happy if I could travel between the worlds whether he is with me or not. So I am sticking with that wish."
"Fine, then you will have to tell Mike the truth about yourself. You cannot have him worry about you when you skip a few days of work a week. If he doesn't believe you, then you will need to find someone who will believe your story in this world. If you want to stay in this world, then you will have to trust other humans other than Pikachu." I awoke after the mist said that and disappeared. I look outside and see that I am still in the human world. I see Pikachu sleeping next to me and then I put my hand on top of him and shake him to awaken him. He awakens with a shock and stares at me.
"Oshawott, what is it?" he asks. I tell him about the dream and what the mist said, and then he tells me, "Ok, we will have to tell Mike the truth then." I felt extremely nervous about telling my boss the truth. I did trust him, but I was afraid of how he would react when I would tell him this. I am afraid that he wouldn't believe me and he would fire me and Pikachu. I really enjoy the job that I have, and I didn't have that back in the pokemon world. I did like the pokemon world because that's my home, that was where I was born and that was where I grew up. So I didn't want to leave that world behind, and I gathered up the courage to tell Mike when he comes to pick up me and Pikachu.
"Mike, I have to tell you something," I say. He looks at me, his eyes questioning. I tell him the truth as he is driving me to work with my best friend, and then he stays silent for a while. Then he says,
"I believe your story. It is a little hard to believe, but I like you two a lot and I was curious to why you skipped a day of work without telling me. I trust you and I don't think that you would lie to me." I smile, and look over at Pikachu who smiles back at me. "I understand you two a little more now, and now I understand why you wouldn't tell me your age, because you weren't sure about it. Now I know that you are both sixteen years old and I think that is old enough to have a job. I understand that you didn't tell me because it is hard to believe, but I am not the type of person who judges others based on what they tell me. There are a lot of things that I don't understand in this world as a person, and I am sure there are a lot of things you will not understand in both your pokemon world and in this world. I accept you two for who you are, and I will not tell anyone else about your story." I sighed, I felt like a big weight was lifted off my body and now I could just relax and work like a normal human. I worked for the day, and then when we were being driven back Mike says, "I don't know when I will next see you, but I hope you have fun in your world together and I look forward to seeing you when you come back." When I went inside the house, I went to sleep immediately. I see the mist in front of me and I know that I am dreaming. I say,
"So Mike believes me. He is such a great boss. I never want to upset him."
"Yes, he believes you, and that makes me think that you can live in this world as a human and live in the pokemon world as an Oshawott. So, you will go back to the pokemon world tomorrow and Mike will know where you are. So now you do not have to worry about Mike he will just manage the pizzeria by himself and then you can have a nice life together with your best friend." That was all the mist said before it faded away and I awoke. I was back in the pokemon world, and it felt good to be back. I know that I will be happy to be with Pikachu, and that I will be happy to be where I was born and raised. That is why I don't want to leave permanently, I thought. So in the pokemon world, I tell other pokemon about what is happening to me and Pikachu and I tell them that I did not want to leave because it is my home. The pokemon all hugged me, and I knew they weren't my friends but I still hugged them back. They looked sad, and then I reminded them that I would be seeing them whenever I came back. They nodded and then I told them what the human world was like. They all said that it seemed different and that they didn't want to go there because it seemed scary. I said it was scary at first but then I got used to it. They still weren't convinced and so I spent the rest of the day with Pikachu. We explored a bit and then we went to bed. So really the thing that happened was that I was alternating between the pokemon and the human world. It wasn't a bad thing, it made me and Pikachu happy and that's all that mattered to me. I was happy knowing that I would be seeing Mike some days and that I would be seeing pokemon other days. I was happy with my life just the way that it was, and I could manage it just fine. I felt like I had achieved a happily ever after and that things were finally going my way. I was happy that the mist agreed to send me to both worlds, but I won't lie if I had to choose a world I would probably choose the human world. I knew the pokemon weren't really my friends, and my only true friend was with me all the time. As long as he wanted to be a human, I had no problems. So one night I said to the mist,
"Do the pokemon care about me in their world?" I asked.
"Yes they do, but not as much as Mike and Pikachu care about you."
"Does Pikachu like the human world?"
"Yes because he is with you."
"Ok, so if Mike cares about me more, then I have made my decision to stay in one world. I will miss the world where I was born and raised, but I want Mike to have me to himself all days that he needs me. So although it will hurt me to leave the pokemon world forever, I think I will be a human."
"Are you sure Oshawott? Once you agree to be a human forever, you cannot go back to the pokemon world. Is that really what you want?" I nod my head.
"Yes, I want to be a human. I want to make Mike happy; I don't want to leave him to manage the pizzeria by himself. I don't have a job in the pokemon world, and I only had Pikachu in the pokemon world but now he is still with me. I know that there is more to see in the human world, so I decide now that I will explore the human world with Pikachu and we will never stop."
"Okay, so starting now you will be a human forever. I will no longer appear in your dreams." The mist disappears and I awaken to see myself a human. I realize this is what I will be forever, but that is ok with me because I only have one good friend and he is with me now. He will be with my forever and my boss will be happy when he hears my decision to be human forever. When Mike comes to pick me up I tell him and he smiles at me.
"Kyle, I am glad that you choose to be with me more than the pokemon that you know back in your world." I knew that was what I wanted in the beginning, and now I had nothing to worry about. I had everything I wanted in this world, and although I will miss that world, I like this world a little better. So every day, me and Pikachu explored areas around our house in the human world, and I realize that this is what I want. I smile every day when I work and explore and go to bed. I was truly happy now and so were my two best friends in my life. I only wanted to make them happy and I finally succeeded.