Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni Kitsune here. This idea has been tumbling around in my head for the past couple of days, but I'm not sure if I should run with it or not. So, I'll put it up here and ask you guys! Let me know if I should just leave it as is, or make it a full story.
Henry Johnson was a Pokémon Master, or at least he thought he was. His Pokémon respected him almost to the point of fear, and any opponent he faced was wiped out completely in no time at all. He felt he was on top of the world, but always desired a harder challenge. He'd already beaten his region's Elite Four and Champion, but declined the title as it would prevent him from travelling. He wanted something more; an opponent he felt would truly test his skills. He even thought of seeking out one of the legendary Pokémon, confident he would beat them.
One day, he overhead of a very powerful Pokémon living in a forest nearby, and thinking it might be a legendary, he set out with his single strongest Pokémon to find and catch it. After wandering the woods for a few days, he finally found a cave deep within the trees, sheltered from the elements, and there he saw it. An elderly Ninetales lay at the entrance to the cave, her fur turned almost pure white with age. He knew that Ninetales only grew more powerful with age, and as they reached one thousand years old, their power was said to rival a legendary's. This was the opponent he had been looking for.
He stepped forward and shouted, "I challenge you, Ninetales! Face me with all your power!" The fox's ears twitched and the creature slowly rose to her feet. However, when her red eyes opened, there was a deep fire burning within their depths that belied her old age, and almost made Henry pause. Regaining his confidence, he called out his Salamence and ordered it to use Earthquake. Just as the ground began to shake, the Ninetales leapt into the air so quickly it seemed to have shed a couple centuries in an instant.
The Ninetales he now faced as the attack ended was bristled with anger and annoyance, one who he had disturbed unfairly and would fight full force. Henry smiled; that's exactly what he wanted. "Use Dragon Rage!" he yelled, watching with glee as his Salamence charged. His grin was then knocked from his face as the Ninetales dodged the attack nimbly and whacked his Pokémon with its tails. At first he thought it was a simple Tail Whip, but then he noticed the spark of electricity dancing along his Pokémon's scales and bewildered look in its eyes, and knew it was suddenly paralyzed and confused.
There's no move like that, he thought as the Ninetales confidently walked up to his Pokémon and smirked at him before swinging its tails again, this time shimmering with iron. It then charged up a ball of flame within its mouth before unleashing a massive Fire Blast that rendered the Salamence unconscious in seconds. His strongest Pokémon, defeated without dealing a single blow. He recalled his fainted Pokémon and turned to leave, inwardly seething, but sensed something behind him and turned to see the Ninetales approach him.
She regarded him with an odd look on her muzzle, but then smirked again and turned away, a haughty air hovering around her. This was more than Henry could take. He was the most powerful Pokémon Trainer in the world, and this no-good Pokémon treated him like he was a simple rookie. Enraged and not thinking, he reached out for the retreating Ninetales, intent on grabbing it by the neck and forcing it to acknowledge him. However, he misjudged his reach and instead his hand encircled one of the flowing tails behind her.
As soon as his hand touched the fur of the tail, he felt the air grow cold and the Ninetales paused midstep. However, as she turned around, the fire in her eyes had turned dark with hatred. "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY TAILS!" she screamed telepathically in his head. He stumbled backwards in complete terror, and then found himself unable to move or cry out; she had completely paralyzed him with her glare. Slowly she stepped forward, and with each step she seemed to get larger and larger, towering over him. Then, he noticed that his clothes were also getting looser and baggier; he was quite literally shrinking, getting younger by the second!
"You may think you're this great and all-powerful trainer, but you're really nothing more than an arrogant little kit," she spat. "In fact, that's exactly what you will be, when I'm done with you!" A ball of bluish-purple flame formed in her mouth and she unleashed it all over Henry, who had aged back into a toddler, bathing him in unnatural flames and incinerating his clothing. The flames themselves didn't hurt, but then huge waves of pain wracked his body as it slowly began to change. He could feel his bones grinding as they contorted and changed, turning him from biped to quadruped. His nose and mouth bulged out into a muzzle, and his ears painfully moved up to the top of his head and grew pointed. His spine shifted and stretched, as a hairless tail sprouted behind him. Snow-white fur rippled down his skin, covering him from nose to tail. All the while, he kept shrinking, getting smaller and smaller.
As the pain overwhelmed Henry and he began to slip into unconsciousness, he heard the Ninetales say, in her normal voice, "When you wake, you will no longer remember your life as a human; you will be a newborn Vulpix kit in mind and body. However, if you do happen to remember, come and find me; I'd love to see how much you have 'grown'." And with that, his vision went black, and he knew no more.
There you have it. The rest is up to you guys! Let me know if i should leave it as is, or make a full story of it. Read, review, and May your Ember never fade.