It happened one morning - a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra.
-Pokedex, Pokemon Fire Red

ooo

Daniel Cayce looked out of the window of his small apartment. From the 12th floor, he could see most of northern Saffron. The city's bright lights stood out against the darkness of the night.

He glanced at his wristwatch. It was almost half past twelve. Daniel sighed. As much as he wanted to hit the bars, the gym opened at seven o'clock. And what would they do without him, the gym leader? It was time to go to bed.

He put his watch on the bedside table. Then he lay down, pulled the blanket over his head and tried to get some sleep.

The first thing Daniel noticed when he woke up was that it was already light. He yawned and sat up in bed. Looked like he had overslept again. Wanting to know the time, he glanced at his alarm clock. "00:03"

"Great, the damn thing's broken," Daniel muttered. He picked up his wristwatch. He looked at it and gasped. His hand was missing two fingers. It was also covered in short, yellow fur. That his watch displayed the same time and was ticking backwards seemed mundane in comparison.

He leaped to his feet and ran to the bathroom. The mirror seemed a lot higher up than it used to be. That was annoying but not really a problem. He grabbed the sides of the washbasin and heaved himself up. Now that he could see himself properly, there was no doubt about it.

Daniel had turned into a Kadabra.

"What a dumb dream…" He went back to bed.

ooo

Sabrina sat on the tiled floor of the upper left chamber of the gym. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was far better than standing for hours on end. She was absentmindedly scratching behind her Abra's ears.

She considered herself lucky that the only trainer who had arrived that day had got lost in the warp system and given up. But even if one came, it wouldn't matter. She had already decided that she would simply wave them past. Few trainers insisted on fighting a gym lackey.

Nobody in the gym would care either, particularly as the gym leader hadn't come. She suspected that several would do the same. Most members were simply there to kill time. That was probably the reason they were the unofficial gym, despite their huge advantage.

"If this were the official one there would be a lot more challengers," her Kadabra thought aloud.

"If you say so." Sabrina yawned.

She hadn't joined the gym to gain experience. She hoped that one of the psychics could have helped her with her disobedient and overweight Abra. Obviously, they didn't have a clue either, but they invited her to stay, saying that she had done a much better job raising her Kadabra and, to a lesser extent, her Venonat.

Their real reason was that they needed a replacement for Channeler Emilia, who had left in a huff, claiming that she would found her own gym in Lavender. Nobody had heard of her since. Then again, nobody had bothered to inquire either.

Of course, she had to admit that being in a gym was a lot better than going on a "trainer's journey". Sabrina still felt slightly embarrassed when she thought about the one she attempted. She had regretted her decision to go on one the moment she set a foot out of Saffron City. When a light shower gave her an excuse to turn back when she was halfway down Route 5, she gladly took it. The rest of the day was wasted playing board-games with her starter.

Sabrina noticed that her Venonat was gnawing at the paintwork. It wasn't a particularly unusual or alarming behaviour, but she didn't want to foot the bill. She slowly unfastened a Pokeball from her belt and pointed it at Venonat. "Return," she said, in the most disinterested tone she could manage. A bright light surrounded the Pokemon and it vanished. Sabrina placed the Pokeball on the floor.

"Only a couple more hours to go…"

ooo

Daniel woke up again and realised that he still was a Kadabra. It was odd. If he had ever considered the possibility of spontaneously turning into a Pokemon, he would have thought that his first reaction would be freaking out. But everything seemed eerily normal.

He didn't actually like Kadabra very much. Despite his gym thinking that they were basically the best Pokemon around if you didn't count Alakazam, the main thing he saw was how its psychic powers messed up electrical equipment. His preference was non-psychic Pokemon with psychic attacks, but for the sake of the gym membership he kept a Drowzee.

He switched on his computer to see if he could find anything about it on the web. As you can find everything on the internet there was. Apparently, something similar had happened to a guy who was researching psychic phenomena. But the same site claimed that Team Rocket had created a hybrid between a human and a Grimer and a UFO really did land in Ecruteak City.

He walked over to his wardrobe. Looking inside, he realised that nothing could fit him. Due to his bushy tail, trousers were out of the question and no shirt could be pulled over his wide head.

Nothing could be done about that. Daniel decided that he might as well go to his gym. He couldn't think of anything better to do. Maybe one of the trainers could help him. Knowing them, it was a pretty futile hope. But he didn't have much to lose.

Daniel walked into the hall. The keychain hung on a hook beside the front door. He reached for it, but it was too high. Closing his eyes, he imagined it sliding off the hook. When he opened them again, the keychain was lying on the parquet floor. He picked it up and hung it around his neck.

Daniel gripped the latch. For a moment he wondered whether he should go back and fetch his Pokemon. He decided against it. They probably wouldn't respect him anyway.

He stepped out into the stairwell. Despite the situation, he was faced with the same choice as every other day. Walk down twelve flights of stairs or take the lift. Like every other day, he took the lift. He pressed the button and leant against the wall, waiting for it to arrive.

A minute later, he left the building. Daniel strolled down the street. Seeing everything from a slightly lower angle was a new and strangely enjoyable perspective.

Despite Saffron City's size, there weren't many people on the street. Daniel figured that most would be at work or at school. The ones that were out didn't pay much attention to him. It was far from unusual to see Pokemon running errands.

He wished that he was wearing shoes. For a start, he wouldn't have to worry about treading on broken glass. Also, stepping on chewing gum was even worse barefoot.

He arrived at the gym after a couple of minutes, but he didn't quite dare go inside. New uncertainties formed in his head. Would the trainers laugh at him? Would they believe him?

Daniel leaned on the sign outside. His gaze wandered over the familiar letters. "Saffron City Psychic Gym," was written on a piece of laminated paper. It had been fixed to the sign with a pin. Daniel wished that it was written on a metal plaque like the one next door. But although the Pokemon League was one of the richest organisations in the Kanto-Johto Region it spent as little as possible on unofficial gyms. It was visible too. The yellow paintwork was peeling off the bricks.

Daniel pushed himself off and walked over to the electronic door. The panels slid open as he approached. He stepped inside.

Suddenly jolt of pain coursed up his back. He glanced over his shoulder. The door had closed on his tail. He grabbed his tail with both hands and pulled, but it wouldn't budge.

Then he heard someone snort. Daniel turned round again. The man wearing a white shirt and glasses, whose sole purpose in life was to give advice on how to beat the gym, was sniggering behind his upheld hand. Daniel's face twisted in anger. He gave another sharp tug. Without warning, the door gave way and he tumbled over backwards. The man howled with laughter.

Daniel got to his feet in the most dignified manner possible. He walked over to the man and trod heavily on his foot. Then he stepped on the warp tile.

He went through the gym along his usual route. The other members didn't seem to notice him. They were too busy reading comics, sleeping or playing Game Boy. He was just about to enter the leader's chamber when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," Sabrina said, "But what would you be doing here?"

"Trust the rookie to play the supreme commander," Daniel thought. He started explaining what happened.

After a couple of words, Sabrina interrupted him. "Are you making fun of me? If you think you can speak gibberish because I don't understand you, you're wrong. I can't speak Pokemon, but I can understand it."

Daniel stared at her. He had thought that his speech was completely normal. But after the morning, it failed to surprise him that he might be speaking Pokemon too.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You just said, 'Green Pikachu fish jump floor.' Abra can…" Sabrina glanced over her shoulder. "Well it could vouch for me if it weren't asleep. Why did I send Kadabra to buy stuff?"

Daniel tilted his head to one side. Either he wasn't even speaking proper Pokemon or Sabrina's Pokemon were playing an elaborate prank on her. He vaguely suspected the latter.

He gestured Sabrina to follow him, before stepping onto the final warp tile. She walked over to her Abra and picked it up by the scruff of its neck. With a shrug, she followed him.

The gym leader's chamber was the largest room in the gym. An office desk stood on the slightly raised platform in the upper part of the room. Dark blue paint marked out the battle arena on the black and white tiled floor.

Sabrina stepped off the warp tile in the bottom-right corner of the room. "If you're looking for the gym leader, he's not here," she said with a smug smile.

Daniel ignored her and went straight to the desk. It was covered in undone paperwork. He picked up a ballpoint pen and started writing on the back of a bill for floor repairs. As he only had three fingers it was an awkward task.

Sabrina hurried over to him. "You can't do that! The paper is important." There was a hint of panic in her voice.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. The papers weren't important at all. He waved what he had written in front of her.

She took the piece of paper and read it out aloud, in a slow and disbelieving manner, "I'm Daniel Cayce. I've been transformed into a Kadabra." Sabrina looked him up and down. Then she grinned and patted him on the head. "Nice joke, mate."

Daniel snarled. He took back the sheet of paper. "Get someone senior, you moron!"

Sabrina shook her head. "I think they'd rather not be bothered by a Kadabra having a laugh."

Daniel chewed the back of his pen. Then he wrote, "Consider the odds, no matter how small they seem that I'm telling the truth. How do you consider your chances of staying in the gym, let alone being promoted?"

Sabrina walked off the platform. "I can't promise anything," she said before teleporting out of the room.

Five minutes later she returned with Tyron in tow. Daniel smiled slightly. Surely his best friend would recognise him. Tyron took a long look at him before turning to Sabrina, "Are you pulling my leg?"

Sabrina nervously tugged at her sleeve. "Perhaps, but only because it's pulling mine."

Something inside Daniel snapped. He slowly and deliberately scrunched up the ball of paper. He hurled it at Tyron with all his might. It harmlessly bounced off his head.

"So you want trouble?" He pulled a Pokeball out of his pocket. "Go-" Tyron was interrupted by the sound of someone arriving on the warp tile. He froze in mid throw, one leg in the air, before losing his balance and toppling over.

Sabrina's Kadabra stepped off the tile. It was holding a small bag of sweets in its left hand. It looked around the room. Then it said something and held out the bag.

"It asked if anybody wants one," Sabrina translated. Her Abra teleported onto her Kadabra's shoulder. It used its psychic powers to grab a sweet, unwrap it and stuff it into its mouth.

Suddenly, the wall behind them collapsed into a pile of rubble. Everyone turned to look. Once the dust settled, they could see the Karate King standing there, grinning broadly.

"Can't you use the warp tile system like everybody else," Tyron said before meekly adding, "We're broke enough as it is…"

"A waste of time," the Karate King said, "I've heard your boss is missing. So I thought I'd remind you pansies that you're just as hopeless without him. Which one of you wants to be defeated?" He laughed.

Sabrina, Tyron and Daniel looked at each other, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. After a while Tyron broke the silence. "You're the rookie."

Sabrina buried her face in her hands. "I don't like fighting," she mumbled, but nobody paid attention. Her Kadabra put down the bag of sweets and vanished, leaving her Abra floating in midair. It reappeared on her side of the battle arena.

Daniel settled down on the swivel chair next to the desk. His gym would be defeated again. At least it wouldn't be his fault.

"Go, Hitmonlee!" the Karate King hurled his Pokeball into the arena. His Pokemon appeared in a flash of bright light. It kicked the air a few times in a flashy, show-off manner. Sabrina's Kadabra edged backwards.

"Hi-Jump Kick!" Hitmonlee leaped upwards, nearly touching the ceiling. It came shooting downwards at a terrifying speed. When it tried to land its kick, Kadabra was no longer there. Hitmonlee attempted to regain its balance in midair and failed miserably. It came crashing to the ground. Kadabra reappeared in the other side of the arena.

"Confusion." Sabrina bit her lip. Her Kadabra didn't seem to do anything. But Hitmonlee's eyes clouded over, a sure sign that the attack had worked. The fighting type Pokemon got up, only to collapse again in a tangle of limbs. With a smirk, Kadabra scooped up Hitmonlee's Pokeball. It handed it to the Karate King, who pressed the "Return" button. Kadabra walked back to Sabrina's side of the ring.

The Karate King threw a second Pokeball. A humanoid Pokemon wearing a grey tunic appeared from it. The psychics looked at the Pokemon. They had never seen one like it before. The Pokemon ducked behind its red boxing gloves.

Suddenly, Kadabra was knocked off its feet. Sabrina gasped in surprise. Its opponent was still standing where it was. It hadn't moved.

"Hitmonchan's punches are faster than light," the Karate King said, "I'd like to see you get out of this one with your mind tricks."

Kadabra was sent flying by another hit. It managed to catch itself before it got knocked out of the arena.

"Focus on defence!" Sabrina made a wild gesture that could have meant anything. Her Kadabra crouched down in the middle of the arena. It clutched its spoon with both hands and held it defensively above its head. With its eyes closed, it tried to anticipate its opponent's next move.

The Karate King urged his Hitmonchan to attack. It didn't pull a fast punch. Instead it walked up to the psychic Pokemon, grabbed it by its right ear and hit it squarely in the face. When it let go, Kadabra crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Sabrina pulled a Pokeball off her belt. "Good job. Return." Kadabra disappeared into its ball. She turned to her Abra. "Your turn."

But the small psychic Pokemon shook its head vigorously.

Sabrina shrugged. She tossed another Pokeball into the arena. It opened, releasing her small, furry Venonat. Hitmonchan's reflection could be seen a thousand times over in its bug-like eyes. Venonat's antenna quivered. It whimpered quietly.

The Karate King gave Sabrina a pitying look. "Looks like your ace is down…" He turned to Hitmonchan. "Fire Punch that bug into oblivion!" His Pokemon took an unsteady step forward and fell over.

"Get up, weakling!" the Karate King yelled. Hitmonchan looked at him apologetically, but didn't move. With a grunt, he called it back into its Pokeball. He made no effort to release a third.

Sabrina wiped the sweat off her brow. "By closing its eyes, Kadabra effectively doubled the number of Alpha Particles on its body. Merely touching it delivered a fairly powerful attack."

But the Karate King was in no mood to listen to battle strategies. He marched out of the gym, holding his head high.

Tyron clapped her on the shoulder. "That was pretty awesome! As deputy, I appoint you to the position of the gym leader until someone says otherwise. When Daniel returns you two will have to battle for the position of the official gym leader of Saffron City. And I think you'll win."

Daniel coughed. He held up a note that read, "Sorry to disturb, but I'm right here."

Tyron raised an eyebrow. He grinned lopsidedly. "That's nice. Maybe you could make yourself useful and collect the Marsh Badges from next door?"

"If you don't mind, I'll head off to the Pokemon Center," Sabrina said quietly. Tyron shrugged and gestured towards the door. She slunk out of the gym. Her Venonat hopped after her.

"You should leave too," Tyron said to Sabrina's Abra. The Pokemon glared at him, which was quite a feat as its eyes remained tightly shut. It vanished. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Daniel. "Prove that you're him."

Daniel wrote, "How?"

Tyron touched his nose. "Tell me something… personal. Something, only he'd know. Like…" he paused, "Like his credit card number."

Daniel sighed. If he handed it over, he just knew that he would find himself paying for role-playing magazines he wouldn't even receive. But what choice did he have? He scribbled it down.

"Ha! Liar!" Tyron said triumphantly, "Daniel would never give away his credit card number!"

Daniel smacked his forehead and stood up. With a swipe of his hand, he knocked everything off the desk, sending paper flying and pens clattering to the floor. He stormed out of the building.

ooo

The sun was beginning to set over Vermillion City. A slight breeze was blowing through the long grass. A few Pidgey were still flying about, but they would soon return to their nests, leaving the night sky free for Zubat.

Daniel sat down on the roadside and watched the sunset. This was the place where he had caught his Drowzee, almost two years ago.

He sighed. Perhaps he should have picked up the badges. They were a symbol of triumph for his gym. But he should have been the one who won them. He spat onto the ground. If Sabrina was the new, "oh-so-amazing" gym leader, she could jolly well fetch them herself. He didn't care. Knowing her and the Karate King, she wouldn't get hold of them until Tyron got the Pokemon League involved.

Having nothing better to do, Daniel started doodling on the sandy ground with the handle of his spoon. Slowly but surely, he became engrossed in the little figures he drew.

When he looked up again, it was almost dark. A couple of stars could be seen in the sky. He shivered; it was getting cold as well. Suddenly, he heard something move in the tall grass behind him.

He turned around, his eyes wide in fear. Carefully, he parted the blades of grass. It was only a Sandshrew. The small creature stared at him for a couple of moments. Then it bent over and started digging a hole. It vanished into the ground at an amazing speed.

Daniel decided that it would be wise to spend the night in Vermillion City. He could probably stay in the Pokemon Center. If they started looking for his "trainer" he could always slip into the Poke Mart and curl up behind the magazine rack. The lights would probably be on all night as well. With that in mind, he headed westwards.

A few minutes later, he was walking past Diglett's Cave. Suddenly a young boy stepped out of the tunnel, giving him a fright. Although it was already dark, Daniel could make out that his blue T-Shirt and yellow shorts were covered in dirt. He wore a matching yellow baseball cap, which was no doubt part of the Pokemon League's official merchandise. In short, he was what Daniel referred to as a "Poke-Master-Wannabe". Daniel shrugged and walked on.

The boy looked at him, grinning from ear to ear. "Cool! I really need a strong Pokemon to beat Lt. Surge!"

Daniel froze. He stammered something and shook his head in horror.

"I'll catch you, little Kadabra!" The boy laughed. After quickly adjusting his cap, he pulled a Pokeball off his belt. He hurled it with all his might. "Go, Elekid!"

A small yellow Pokemon with black markings appeared. It started whirling its arms around. Blue sparks arched between its horns.

"No way!" Daniel turned to run. If he made it to the Pokemon Center, he'd be safe…

The Elekid darted after him. Within a fraction of a second, it had caught up. It grabbed hold of his spoon. The moment it touched the metal, all the electricity it had built up discharged itself.

Daniel felt the shock travel through his body. He cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground. He felt numb, except for a tingling sensation. His vision was blurred and his muscles wouldn't respond. He was shivering uncontrollably. The trainer said something, but he couldn't make out what.

Daniel barely felt the Pokeball hit him.

THE END