A Home Like No Other

Chapter 1


It was a cold and wet afternoon in Colorado as an older Chevy Suburban that had certainly seen better days made its way down a winding road that carved about the natural twists and turns of the mountainous landscape. Inside, a young woman, no older than twenty-five years, sat at the wheel with the vehicle's heater warming the spacious cabin to a more comfortable temperature. She occasionally glanced away from the road to check a gauge or fine tune the heater, all while she quietly hummed alongside the radio as it played music from one of the local stations.

A loud chime nearly gave her a heart attack as something within her purse vibrated. She cursed herself for leaving the volume on her phone turned up so high and reached for the purse. She dug around for all of five seconds before thinking better of the action. One of her friends had slammed into the tailgate of a truck while texting once, and the thought of having something similar happen to her was more than enough to return her full attention back to the road.

But by then, it was far too late.

By the time she realized what was happening, the SUV was mere feet away from a sharp curb that had been laying in ambush. In a panic, the woman spun the steering wheel left and slammed on the brakes with enough force to make a loud thud. There was the sound of wet screeching as the vehicle went into a slide, but the road was simply too slick with rain for there to have ever been a chance of stopping in time. Too overcome with horror, she could only watch and feel as the Suburban hit the guardrail and flipped over it, careening over the edge of the mountainside road.

Time all but stopped as the vehicle became airborne, leaving the young woman suspended in weightlessness – trapped in a tumbling world where falling raindrops sat motionless and the earth and sky danced around one another. She tried to scream, but the sound was cut off by the jarring sensation of the heavy SUV smashing into the steep embankment. It rolled over itself again and again as the cab caved in on itself with the sickening crunch of metal. At the same time, every window was exploding in a storm of glass that cut into the woman's skin and left her bleeding from several cuts. Another hard hit on the rough face of the mountain, and the frame of the vehicle folded in on itself, sending something sharp slicing into the woman's face as a portion of the driver's side was ripped away – tearing the seatbelt latch off of the seat and effectively leaving nothing between her and the murderous intent of the van. She was sent hurdling towards the smashed windshield, where another hard impact caused it to close around one of her arms like the mouth of a monster, mangling it with gnashing teeth made from sharp glass and twisted metal. It all quite literally came crashing down with one final smash against the cold and wet ground that lay far below. And with the last impact, she could feel bones crack and shatter like twigs as she was sandwiched between the ceiling and the rest of the crushed vehicle that now lay upside down in a muddy ditch. In the brief moment that she had been falling, all was chaos, but after that...

Pain. In the final moments of her life, pain was everything. It was everything she knew, had ever known, and ever would know. It was in the sight of the gruesome remains of her arm that lay in the peripheral of her failing vision, it was in the smell and taste of her blood mixed with gasoline, and it was in the sound of her voice as she sobbed and choked out pleas above the gentle pattering of rain for someone – anyone – to help her as both she and the totaled vehicle lay at the bottom of a ravine. Yes, in those final fleeting moments, pain was everything, it was all-encompassing – an omniscient force that cradled her broken form as she hoped beyond hope that it would all turn out okay.

But she knew it wasn't so. It would never be okay. She was dying, that was fact, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She tried to move herself in any way, but again, the numbing pain was the only thing waiting for her. Where was her phone? Was it still in her purse? Where even was her purse? It didn't really matter, nothing mattered now. The only thing that was left to do was bathe in the pain and reflect. Reflect on her own life and how it had been wasted in a moment of human error. Contemplate on how she had foolishly cut her own life short... and ending another before it had even started. She was unable to crane her neck to see it, but she could feel its weight, its presence amongst the pain. As she slowly slipped away, she hazily picture looking down to see her swollen belly that bore life yet fulfilled.

The hot tears blurred her vision further as they left her eyes and streamed in some direction that wasn't quite right. She wanted to feel sorrow for her actions, to feel regret for ruining everything, but the tears that flowed were only that of pain. It was too much for her to feel anything else.

It wasn't too much longer before everything began to fade. First to go was her strained and hoarse voice as it fell to silence, the futility of her actions dawning on her. She was truly alone, no one would chance upon her, at least not for a few hours. How much time had passed already? It was so hard to tell. REgardless, more time passed and she began to feel cold. It wasn't the bitter chill of a mountain wind, nor was it the uncomfortable cold of being trapped in an air conditioned space. Rather, it was a sort of numbing cool that dulled the pain and left ice in her veins. If she were more aware, she probably would've attributed it to the blood that had left her body and sat pooling beneath her... Or was it above her? It was becoming too hard to discern anything as she slipped further and further. An eternity passed, and she could no longer feel much, but she knew that the pain of shattered bone and ground flesh lay just beneath the gilds of the nothingness. Another eternity, and she could begin to feel herself finally let go. The world began to grow darker as her last thoughts rested once more on the lives that could've been, but shall never be. She could no longer hear the gentle rapping of raindrops on the underside of the SUV's twisted body as she felt her entire body grow more limp by the second. It was dark, so dark. But she was not afraid, only the pain masked by numbness remained. Finally, the dark closed in, taking everything away as her shallow breathing all but ceased, and her faint heartbeat slowed further and further until it too stopped. Everything was gone now, even the numbness, even the pain.

That was the day Amy Miller died.

–-

Amy let out a sleepy groan as the nothing that had devoured the world began to retreat. It felt strange to suddenly have sensation return once more as she shifted uncomfortably where she lay. Her first thoughts were those of confusion; hadn't she just... died? The question alone was enough to rouse her further as everything she had thought lost to death began returning to her once again. The first thing she became aware of was the clean smell of salty sea air mixed with the vaguest hints of freshly cut grass. Soon she realized that she could feel a gentle wind skirting across her form, catching on something atop her head. The sensation was strangely tickling – to the point that she eventually shifted herself once more in the hope that it would stop pestering her. It was in the midst of doing this that Amy realized that something was very, very wrong. Her arms and legs felt disproportionate, and refused to move in the ways she commanded them to. This coupled with the fact that she could feel something strange attached to her twitch every so often was enough to jolt her fully back to the land of the living. Snapping her eyes wide open, she immediately flinched away from the nearly blinding light that surrounded her. Clenching her eyes shut, she waited for them to adjust to the light, but every second that she hid behind her eyelids was met with another question, another concern, and an ever increasing feeling that something was amiss. Where was she? Why wasn't she in any pain? Why did she feel like a foreigner to her own body? Was her baby-

Her baby!

Amy's heart caught in her throat as the realization dawned on her still groggy mind. Refusing to wait any longer, she fought to open her eyes, heedless of how they watered in protest, and squinted through the light of the world around her. She could make out that she was in a small room of sorts that was hidden away from the rest of the world by a single fluttering curtain framed in the doorway. The room itself looked especially plain, it was furnished only with a large potted plant and a wooden bookshelf that seemed to tower above where she lay on her side. Craning her head back, she was met with a mostly bare wall, built from planks of unstained wood, with the only interesting feature on it being the open window that let in some sunlight and the breeze she had been feeling the entire time.

Wait, was she naked?

Without wasting any more time, the young woman snapped her focus away from the room and back to herself. Her body still felt terribly wrong despite the lack of pain, and she had an unborn child to check up on. She shifted yet again and turned her gaze downward to chance a look at herself...

And screamed.

It wasn't her body! There was no way it could've been, it wasn't even human! Before her lay a bare form coated with a fine lilac fur that covered every observable inch of its surface. She tried desperately to raise a hand, but was met only with a slender foreleg that transitioned seamlessly into a paw. Oh, how she wanted to look away, to dismiss it as some kind of hallucination, but her eyes were glued to the creature's limb as it moved whenever she tried to command her own arm. She could feel every movement as it trembled like a leaf in a storm, feel every strand of fur be disturbed as the warm breeze continued to pervade the small room. And though it refused to move in the way a human's arm should have been able to, deep down she knew that the thing before her – beyond a shadow of a doubt – was supposed to be her body.

Amy's terror-ridden mind was beginning to space out as she stared past her new paw and through the plain wood that surrounded her. What kind of nightmarish scene was this? Was she still supposed to be dead? If so, was this punishment for not praying to God or some other deity before she died? Did this happen to every person who passed? She was so caught up in the whirlwind of questions and confusion that it took several moments for her to realize that there was still something else moving back and forth out of the corner of her eye. With hesitation, Amy cast her gaze to one side. She was met with a thin, two-pronged limb that was swishing in agitation, covered in the same lilac fur as the rest of her body. Following the appendage to its source led to it thickening ever so slightly towards the base as it attached to her inhuman form. It was clearly supposed to be a tail that, too, was a part of this alien body of hers. A fresh wave of panic and terror crashed over her as she tried to climb to her feet, but only ended up writhing around as she let out a panicked cry alongside a string of curses. Without so much as a warning, Amy went spilling off of whatever she had been resting upon and crashed to the floorboards below. The sensations of moving in such a form, the new stimulation coming from her fur and tail, her mindset given the situation – it was all to much for her to handle at once. She felt moments away from vomiting up whatever still remained in her stomach.

And then she heard the footsteps.

In reality, the noise didn't sound like footsteps at all, it was more like a very dull and rapid thumping noise that drew nearer with every passing second. If not for the turmoil she was going through, Amy likely would've wondered how she had heard the noise to begin with. But that wasn't important. Right now, she was fearing for her life! Closer still the thumping grew, until Amy heard it stop just outside of her room. She hadn't noticed it before, but the curtain separating her room from the rest of wherever she was had the slightest hint of transparency to it. As the approaching noise stopped, Amy looked on in horror as a sizable, distinctly non-human silhouette appeared from out of nowhere. It only hesitated a moment before it moved and pushed the curtain out of the way, revealing one of the strangest things she had ever seen.

It was a quadruped creature, that's as far as she could describe it before things became strange. The features were just... unusual. It had a red-orange coat of fur, with a tail, collar, and tuft atop its head that was both voluminous and a shade of yellow. It also had a short muzzle, but its large eyes and rabbit-like ears made it impossible to tell what she was looking at. Was it a dog of some kind? A bunny? Both...?

"I... I heard screaming." The creature panted as it tried to catch their breath. "Is everything okay? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

Amy could only stare with wide eyes at this intruder. Had it really just spoken to her? If her mind were in a more stable state, she probably would've laughed it off – or perhaps she did and just didn't realize it, because the expression on the creature's face looked quite disturbed by something. Regardless, the brief interaction was enough to push her past the limit of how much she could handle at once. She felt herself go weak as the world began to spin about her in a sickening way. Without so much as a word, she went limp, her head smacking the floor with a thud as she succumbed to unconsciousness once more.

–-

Amy wasn't sure how long she had blacked out, nor did she care. The only thing that mattered in that moment was that she had a headache and wanted it to stop. Her ears caught the faint sound of voices conversing amongst themselves. She attempted to move and get a better idea of what they were saying, only to go rigid as she felt the sensation of fur being touched by everything it came into contact with. She lay there with her eyes still closed, afraid to open them for what she might see. Yet she didn't have to see, she could still feel it – the fur, the inhuman shape of her arms and legs, the tail. Already the panic was setting in again as her breathing began to pick up. What had happened to her? Where was she? What was she?

There were so many questions that needed to be answered, yet she had no idea of where the search for those answers should even begin. It was as she sat motionless and close to hyperventilating that she heard something once again making its way towards her room. Eyes still wrenched shut, her mind began to work even harder. What should she do? Most of the solutions that came to mind were rather simple: things like run, fight, or even feign sleep. But a small voice in her head was beginning to whisper to her, somehow being heard in spite of the chaotic storm in her mind. It was a calming, curious presence that was both hers and not. It was saying something ludicrous, imploring she do little more than relax, to observe and listen. Amy fought as hard as she could to shut the suggestion out, arguing that it was an irrational thing to do. But the voice was prepared, arguing that it itself, in fact, was rationality trying to come through despite her current state of mind. It tempted her with the prospect of shutting out the distracting thoughts and emotions, consoling her with the idea of just taking in the world around her. It was so enticing, the concept of stopping the cascade of thoughts and clearing her head. But how? What could be done to escape herself? The answer came unexpectedly, in the form of whoever had been approaching as they pushed the curtain aside once again, entering the room.

"Good afternoon, Miss Espeon." A voice spoke to her. To say it was one of the most pleasant things she had ever heard would've been an understatement – it was as if the most pure and sacred forms of magic had been woven into that one simple greeting as it left the speaker's mouth. The sound gently worked its way into her, calming her heartbeat and unraveling her tense body. The clamor in her head all but stopped, leaving only a serene mindscape and the curious voice that was hers, yet somehow wasn't. It asked her to open her eyes, to reward herself with the gaze of whomever was speaking and take in the world with unbridled wonder. And so, with a deep breath and reinforced nerves, she did just that.

Much of the small room Amy found herself in had remained unchanged from when she had woken up previously. It was still built of plain wood, still contained the same potted plant and bookshelf, but the way the room was lit seemed a bit different from what it had been seemingly moments ago. Perhaps it was from the sunlight filtering into the room from another point in the sky, but more likely than not, it was from both the metaphorical and literal glow of the divine creature who quietly made herself at home in the room alongside her.

It appeared human, at least in its overall build, but it was very obvious that this wasn't the case, not even close. Its skin was as white as the fresh snows of winter, with a band of vibrant green running across its chest, running all the way down to its arms, which were tipped with only three digits. It also had hair, or some other equivalent, that sat curled and bobbed atop its head, also colored the same luscious green. A fin-like object was also protruding out of its chest, and while the object certainly held a strange and mystifying air about it, it wasn't what drew Amy's attention. Rather, she found herself fixated on the beautiful gown that flowed around her slender form as it was caught in the ceaseless breeze that entered the room. It emerged from her waistline with no trace of a seam, and once the realization dawned on her that it was actually an extension of her body rather than a garment in and of itself, she couldn't help but wonder whether or net this creature's entire body was crafted from silk the likes of which she had neither seen nor felt before.

"Are you..." Amy began, only to trail off as she became lost in the glittering ruby eyes that locked with her own. Hardly able to pull herself together, she stumbled over the words a few more times before her question came out as intended. "Are you an angel? Am I actually dead?"

The being seemed to hesitate, gently raising an arm to prop under its chin in a thoughtful manner as it contemplated the question with the grace and poise of some kind of fairy-tale princess.

"I think whether or not I'm this 'angel' is a decision best left to you." SHe finally answered with a soft smile, her voice as pleasant as anything Amy had ever heard. "As for being dead, I doubt that we would be having this conversation if you weren't among the living." She then crossed her arms, shifting her features to a look that made Amy more than a little uncomfortable. "Although I am a bit concerned that you'd ask about whether or not you're alive, when any other mother-to-be would've asked about the child they're carrying."

Amy felt her heart stop as her eyes widened to what must have been the size of saucers. How could she have forgotten so easily?! Hot shame and guilt overtook her, only to be quickly washed away by the strange sea of calm that had mysteriously took control of her mind. Not even questioning if that was normal, she looked down at her alien body, vaguely afraid of what she might see, or rather, what she wouldn't. But the vague fear quickly melted into relief as she realized that she was, miraculously, still with child. Her furry abdomen was swollen much in the way that a dog's would be right before giving birth to a litter of pups. In thinking so, she couldn't help but wonder whether or not the only child she had been carrying had now become a full litter rivaling that of any house pet. On that note, if she had been transformed, didn't the same hold true for her unborn child? She was brought away from her morbid musings as the angelic creature moved closer to where she still lay. Carefully, she sat down before her, making sure to adjust and smooth out the flowing gown as she did so. Once more Amy's eyes were lost in an ever-expansive sea of ruby as the creature continued to speak.

"I didn't mean to make you think something was wrong with your child." she reassured with an apologetic look. "My sense of humor can be a bit... uncouth, for lack of a better word."

She paused for a moment before suddenly clapping her hands together, "Anyways, seeing as how you're awake, why don't we introduce ourselves? My name is Gallia, I'm one of the only Gardevoir you'll find this close to Ridan, as well as the only Pokémon capable of healing others here in Merri Village."

Amy blinked, letting all of what she had just heard sink in. She found herself staring through the creature before her as she mulled everything over. Ridan? Merri Village? She'd never heard of either of these places, yet this being – or Gallia, rather – spoke as though they were the center of their world, but then again, people often did that with the places they were most familiar with. What really caught Amy's ear, however, was what Gallia had said between those things. Had she really just said that she was a Pokémon? Like the kind in the games that the kids played? She wanted to laugh at the "Gardevoir", to tell her that she was crazy, just as insane as she surely was right now, but the calming presence told her otherwise. As ridiculous as it all sounded, there were still truth to the words. So instead, she just thought hard, going over what had been said again and again. It was simply too difficult to make heads or tails of everything at the moment. The only thing she was certain of was that her waking up like this was wrong, and that someone had to be made aware of it. Her mind made up, Amy decided to do just that, starting by returning Gallia's introduction.

"My name's, uh, Amy... Amy Miller. It's a pleasure...?" Amy spoke, cringing at how she once again fumbled her own words. But Gallia seemed pleased enough, if her unchanged demeanor was any indication.

"Oh, that's quite an unusual name for someone like yourself, and is that a surname I heard? Does that make you related to nobility?" Gallia's eyes were alight with curiosity as she searched for a better sense of whom she was dealing with.

"N-No, I'm not nobility," Amy replied quickly, trying to become more acclimated to the conversation, "that's just the name I was born with. It's a normal hu-"

She cut herself off. Was it actually safe to tell this strange creature – no, Pokémon – that she was human? Would Gallia freak out? Would she even believe it if she did tell her? Even with the unnatural calmness in her head, it was suddenly impossible to decide what she should and shouldn't say to her. It was frustrating, yet she could hardly feel any frustration at all, which only frustrated her even more, feeding into a vicious circle of negative emotion that was trying desperately to both exist and not at the same time. Was this Pokémon the source of what was going on with her psyche?

"Are you... messing with my mind?" Amy asked, abruptly changing the subject to immediate effect. The Gardevoir tensed and suddenly looked a lot less certain of herself. Amy could tell that she was trying to come up with some sort of response, but what it would be still eluded her. Gallia opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, bit her lip, and then opened it again, seeming to speak very carefully.

"I may be using my powers to affect your emotions and keep your thoughts clear," She answered slowly, much to Amy's initial surprise – which again, was being suppressed. "But it wasn't without good reason, I swear on it! Your emotional state is very unstable, and with my being an empath, I wouldn't be able to do my job properly unless I have your feelings under control... Well, the negative ones, at least."

Gallia took a deep breath and waited, only to be met with an uneasy silence. Amy wasn't sure what kind of response the Gardevoir was expecting, perhaps a chastising patient that would have berated her for doing such a thing, or maybe a fit of anger that would just be subdued by whatever power was being exerted on her. But judging by the confused look that overtook her features, the Pokémon certainly wasn't expecting the awestruck look that Amy could feel herself giving.

"Wow... that's – just wow," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper, "you can actually do that sort of thing; change how people are feeling, like some sort of mind master?"

Gallia's confused expression remained unchanged as what had been said finally began to register. Her mouth became a thin line, looking Amy up and down as if appraising her for something that she could've glanced over.

"Yes," she said with a graceful nod, having seemed to recover quickly from the sudden change in conversation, "if you want to put it that plainly, I can make other Pokémon feel certain emotions if I concentrate on what they're feeling."

"Wow." Amy repeated simply.

Gallia gave another nod, "I take it that you haven't spent much time with Psychic types, have you? That's odd, considering that you're an Espeon – and so young too. Could you tell me more about yourself? You're definitely an interesting one. Oh, and if you wish for me to dispel my influence over your emotions, you need not more than ask; I believe that I can manage without it."

Amy fell silent once more, still not quite sure how to respond. This was her chance to tell Gallia what was going on, that she wasn't an "Espeon" as the Gardevoir claimed her to be, much less a creature born of this world. But she was once again faced with the same questions of whether or not what she said would be harmful or even be taken seriously. There was so much she didn't know, variables she couldn't account for, and questions that she was unsure of how to ask.

You're overthinking everything, a thought chastised, she asked if you could tell her more about you, so just tell her everything – you can trust her, leave no stone unturned!

It was impossible to tell whether or not that line of thought had come from her own mind, or if it was just a product of Gallia's influence. But it was hard to argue against either way. Gallia seemed to have been truthful when asked about what she was doing. She could've easily lied to her ot worse, but she didn't. That meant something, right? And besides, what if Amy didn't tell anything? She knew nothing about this place, knew practically nothing about Pokémon, and wasn't even sure if she could make it two steps out of the room. One way of another, someone would find out that something about her was wrong, and then what? In reality, telling her what was happening was the best course of action.

"Umm, you can keep doing whatever you're doing to my emotions," Amy finally answered, resigned to what she was going to say, "I think I'm going to need it for what I'm about to tell you."

"Oh?" Gallia replied, her brilliant eyes focusing intently on her, "And what would that be?"

Amy took a deep breath. She wasn't afraid, only hesitant. But she had initiated this track of the conversation and there was no going back now.

"I'm not where I'm supposed to be." Amy began, looking the Gardevoir straight in the face. "As in, I don't think this is my world – no, I know that this isn't my world. I'm not supposed to be this... 'Espeon' thing, I'm supposed to be a human, a dead one! I don't know what's going on, and your powers are the only thing keeping me from having a mental breakdown! I'm... I..."

She wasn't able to finish, once again choking on her words and sobbing like she had been doing at the bottom of the ravine. Why were her emotions suddenly out of control? It was only after rubbing the welling tears from her eyes that she realized Gallia's entire demeanor had completely changed.

The otherworldly example of beauty and poise that had been sitting before her moments ago was now gone, replaced with something that was similar, yet not. Gallia sat, eyes wide as she absorbed what had been said. She seemed uncertain – afraid even – about what she had just heard.

"That's impossible..."

Hearing those words hurt Amy more than she could've ever imagined. This was it: she had somehow screwed up and made another careless mistake. Through bleary eyes, she watched as Gallia rose to her feet and smoothed out the gown that flowed from her body. What she had said to the Pokémon had been more than enough to drive her away, and now she once more without anything other than pain.

The pain of loss.

Slowly, the Gardevoir began to back away, moving towards the curtain that separated them from the rest of an uncertain world. Gallia looked hesitantly at the fluttering sheet that danced with the breeze, before turning back to face Amy with a perturbed look.

"I'll be back in due time," she said curtly, "I need a few moments to gather myself. In the meantime, please stay in this room if at all possible. If not for your sake, then for that of your child's."

And with that, Gallia moved the curtain aside and walked out of the room at a brisk pace.

That was the day Amy Miller lived.


Author's Note:

And so it begins...

Hello guys and gals! It is I, the one and only Joshy! And what you've just read was my first attempt to write anything in quite a while. So it goes without saying that the first steps here are shaky and bound to stumble, but I'm determined to leave my mark on this site and write a fan fiction worth reading. I don't have any upload schedules in mind for this thing. Hell, I'm pretty much writing this story on a whim. But I have a good idea on where I want to go with this story. Let's just hope that I can deliver.

Anyways, be sure to leave a review if you have any constructive criticism that could help me tweak the story and/or writing style. Anything would be appreciated so long as it isn't a straight up attack on me. Also, don't hesitate to point out typos to me. I'm constantly working to make this story as clean as possible, and since I have no proofreaders (and have no intention of getting any), a lot of mistakes slip past me and have to be fixed after the fact.

Chapter Trivia:

At first glance, the premise of this story may seem to be unoriginal, and perhaps it is. But despite it appearing to draw inspiration from other works on this site such as ScytheRider's Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Silver Resistance or Anshee-Rose's I Became a Vulpix, the idea of the main protagonist becoming a Pokémon and being pulled into a world full of these monsters is the only common ground intended to be shared. Much of what you'll be seeing within these chapters may be loosely inspired by a few fantasy web serials that I enjoy reading.

And I believe that I've gone on long enough. Have a great day, and see ya next chapter!