A/N: Well, this should be interesting. A first-person POV written by a Pokemon. But this is no ordinary Pokemon....
Chapter 1: Memories
Saturday, July 9
3:07 PM
Near Viridian City
Well, there I was, trying to take a nice nap out of the heat, not bothering anyone, when suddenly I get bounced out of my Pokeball by rough hands.
Annoyed, I tried to stay inside, but I was finally shaken out.
"Ninetales, we need your help!" shouted my trainer.
I swear I would have slapped my forehead with my hand if I had been human. Since I'm not, I could only ask, "What is it this time?" in a very exasperated tone.
"Alakazam is sending psy shock waves everywhere! And it keeps shouting something, but we don't know what!" Benny yelled, with some difficulty, because of the shock waves spreading from the psychic Pokemon.
"Urgh! I'll see what I can do."
I walked slowly toward the rampaging Pokemon. Its psychic attacks were not affecting me as much as my trainer or the other Pokemon nearby. So far, no one has figured out exactly how to tune attacks toward me. Still, I could tell that Alakazam wasn't focusing its waves of mind energy. They were directed at the world in general.
I finally reached my target, who stopped as soon as I got there. I asked it why it was doing this, because Benny surely minded (no pun intended). It replied, and, although all the large crowd of humans gathered around heard was, "Ala Ala Kazam Alakazam," I understood perfectly.
"Well, what was it?" demanded Benny, who seemed to have recovered.
"If you were a better trainer, you would have known that Alakazam is thirsty." I was intent on embarrassing him as much as possible. It was payback for waking me up.
"But why was it sending out such powerful shock waves?" asked Benny, puzzled.
"Because it wanted you to pay attention to it. What else?" I said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Oh," went Benny.
"Now would you mind letting me have a rest in my Pokeball? At least you could be a good enough trainer to give me my rest."
"Of... of course," he stammered, flabbergasted.
"And I suggest next time you let your Pokemon get a drink," I called as I went back inside.
I heard the crowd chuckle before the catch closed.
I tried to get back to sleep, but I couldn't.
So instead I found myself recalling my history.
When I was a young Vulpix, I lived in the wild. In fact, about the wildest wild there is. There were no humans around, so I had no idea of my gift. I just knew that I seemed to learn more quickly than other Pokemon. Other than that, I thought I was a normal Pokemon, and that was both my salvation and my undoing.
When I was still young, Benny found me. He wasn't exactly a Master, by anyone's standards. He couldn't even Master his Bellsprout. It was then that I discovered my ability.
I found myself being pulled, unwillingly, into a flashback...
The first time I found evidence of my gift was when the wounded Spearow flew in.
For some reason, the other Pokemon brought it to me. I have no idea why. Probably they had seen some kind of leadership spark in me. Or perhaps I was the last person left to ask.
No one could understand it. It was badly wounded, I could tell. Probably came off the worst in some fight with a powerful trainer. At any rate, it could barely fly, and it certainly wasn't strong enough to escape the grasp of the two fellow Vulpixes who held it.
It was squawking incoherently, which was not surprising. I would be doing the same if I was in its situation. Still, no one could speak Spearow, and we had to know what was wrong to help it.
I turned my cool stare upon it. It began making harsh noises again, and, to my amazement, I could understand it!
I reeled back in shock. Surely I was going insane. There was no way a common, ordinary Vulpix could converse with a Spearow. Was there?
The escorts of the wounded bird were looking at me strangely. They wondered what had happened to me to make me act so unusually, for I was calm and composed no matter what happened.
I looked at the panicked Spearow, flapping wildly with useless wings. There was only one way to find out if I was capable of two-way conversation.
I began to talk to it.
Impossible! I was talking Spearow!
This was crazy! It must be a dream, or a figment of my imagination!
No, it couldn't be! The Spearow heard! It understood! I could have never imagined this, not in my wildest dreams!
I closed my eyes, calmly, rationally, telling myself that, if this was a dream, I would wake up... NOW!
I opened my eyes. The Spearow was still there, its escorts even more puzzled and taken aback.
From afar, it seemed, I watched myself ask the Spearow what was wrong. From afar, I heard and understood its reply.
I trembled as I told the other Vulpixes, "Its wing is broken."
The witnesses all told the same story to the elders. The young Orange-eye (my first name), they said, had talked to the Spearow!
The chief elder was not leader for nothing. He reasoned that, unless they had all gone crazy at the same moment, the truth was being told. Therefore, he sent for me.
"This is your test," I heard him say. I was still in shock. "You must find two more Pokemon, of two different kinds, and convince them to return here. Then we will know."
I didn't have the heart to ask what we would know. I just left.
I don't know how I brought back those two. It was a miracle, as far as I am concerned. I was in severe shock the entire time and I remember little of the days spent on my quest.
It was not long afterward that I appeared before the elders once more, this time with a Weedle and a Rattata.
That night, I convinced the tribal leaders that I really could talk to all kinds of Pokemon, though why I did it, I'm not sure. I can only conclude that my life was falling apart and I needed something to hang on to, so I wanted someone to believe me. Even if I barely believed myself.
At that moment, I looked into the eyes of the tribal leader and saw the comprehension there.
"The prophecy has been fulfilled," he murmured, seeing and hearing nothing.
He paused for so long I thought that he was finished, but at long last he spoke one word, the word that would change my life forever.
"Translator."
The tribal leaders were instantly alarmed.
"What?" I asked, blankly.
"The prophecy," said one shakily. I shot her a confused look, but she went on, oblivious.
"The prophecy. 'One day there will come a Translator to the clan, with the power to speak to anything in this world. And the true name of the Translator will be Firetongue.'"
And that's how I came to my true name.
A few days later, I was walking, trying to somehow imagine what I would do now, when I literally ran into Benny.
He cried out in surprise, then, gaining his head, he mumbled something about not having a Vulpix yet and grabbed a Pokeball hanging at his belt.
I'm sorry to say that his Wartortle bested me, probably because I was still in shock and could not think clearly enough. But as soon as that Pokeball enclosed me, I felt indescribable peace steal over me. I wondered, incredulously, why anyone would ever fight this feeling, the feeling of belonging to someone, forever bonded, working tirelessly and selflessly for one's master. I knew I would never see my home again, and that didn't really disturb me. My home from now on was with my trainer. This was what I was born to do.
From then on, I cannot truthfully say that I worried about my future. It was all planned out.
Another event that sticks clearly in my mind was the day I evolved.
Benny, was, shall we say, very surprised that the Vulpix he captured by accident was the fabled Translator, the most valuable of all. There was a lot of fighting about the matter; the elder and more experienced trainers simply would not stand for a young start-up possessing one of the rarest breeds of Pokemon, the Translator. At that time, no other Translators existed. Later, Team Rocket's Meowth would be added to the very short list. But I, like many, have always considered Meowth to be an insult to the name Translator. He can't even speak proper English!
Though other trainers might argue over who should own me, I flatly refused to belong to anyone. The only trainer I would ever work for was Benny, as they should know. If they wanted to use me at all, it would be through my master, for I was deeply devoted to him at that time. In fact, I would always be. At least until that fateful event. But that comes much later.
Anyway, Benny had just acquired a Fire Stone. I didn't realize he was going to use it on me until it was already happening.
How can I ever describe the feeling? It was like being lifted high, high above the plane of mere mortals, spinning and suddenly wishing this moment could last forever. I will never, ever, ever forget that feeling. The elation of it... indescribable. Pure joy.
When the feeling subsided, I felt a deep sorrow. How could it go, leaving me once again in despair? How could it go? I mourned at its passing, though I had known the entire time that it must desert me.
But that was only for a few seconds, before I noticed the way I had changed.
What can describe it, that sudden awareness of newfound power? The growth in stature, the coiled muscles, hard and ready for action? No longer was I a small and insignificant Vulpix. Now I was a great and powerful Ninetales, the world at my feet.
On that day, my last link with my former home passed into nothing.
Finally, having relived my life up to that point, I was able to fall asleep.