AN: before we begin, for anyone new to my work, this set in the world of Pokemon, with one small difference, under certain conditions, Pokemon can evolve into part-human. the main story is called The Children of Jirachi, which features an entirely different set of characters. so, i invite you to check it out if you like this story.

and as always:

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon. This story, like several others of its kind was inspired by various human Pokémon/pokemorph/gijinka/moemon/whatever you call it pictures floating around in various areas of the internet.

enjoy!

"So, are we almost at Mt. Chimney? Or is the world just happy to see us?" Mason smirked to himself at the joke, but when he turned to Artemis, she had an eyebrow raised.

"What?" Mason asked, "I liked it."

"That was bad…" Artemis shook her head.

"Let's see you do better, then," Mason challenged, smirking at her.

"Hmm…" Artemis considered the volcano before them, "I just hope it doesn't erupt too early. I hate it when that happens…"

"See, that only works because of what I said," Mason defended his joke. He had to admit it wasn't very original. Still, he wasn't about to let Artemis know that. This was an old game for them and the argument was a classic element. Sometimes, even if you had a bad joke, if you defended it well enough you won anyway. This particular round had been going on for a few days, ever since they had begun to see the mountain, in fact.

"Oh, come on," Artemis scoffed, "a 'happy to see me' joke? What middle-schooler taught you that one?"

"Fine," Mason shrugged, "anyways, it just spews smoke very now and then. It hasn't really erupted in hundreds of years."

"That's okay," Artemis returned, "it's been a while for me too…"

"Dammit…" Mason was forced to concede, "Alright, you win this round."

"Thank you," she smiled devilishly at him. The crescent-shaped horn extending from the side of her head made the gesture even more effective.

Artemis had once been a Pokémon and in many ways she still was. Even though she had the body of a twenty-year-old woman, her horn and her short tail clearly belonged to an Absol. Dressed all in white, even the clothing she wore mirrored the Pokémon she used to be.

She had evolved into a human girl just over a year ago. That made the nineteen year old boy her trainer. At least, that's what he would've called himself if he ever fought a battle with her. She still had all of her abilities as an Absol, but Mason had chosen to keep her away from any fighting. Sending a girl to fight a normal Pokémon would raise more than a few questions.

Mason had never heard of a human Pokémon before or since she had evolved. He had already learned firsthand how dangerous revealing your own secrets could be. He preferred to not have Artemis suffer through the same. Over the years, the two had become as close as a brother and sister. Sometimes Mason wondered if they could be even closer.

If he were straight, that was.

"You guys are sick," Slate spoke up from behind them.

"You're just jealous," Artemis scoffed, grinning back at him.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what it is," Slate rolled his strange, bug-eyes.

Artemis had been Mason's first human Pokémon, but she was not the last. Slate had once been an Armaldo and his appearance likewise reflected that fact. His eyes were spaced far apart, giving them an eerie, even unsettling look. Most of his clothing was a light grey flecked with spots of red and black around the edges. His wings were concealed beneath his long jacket easily enough, but his thick tail trailed along the ground, making it near impossible to hide.

"You just have no sense of humor," Artemis shrugged, still grinning.

"Don't pick on him, Artemis," Mason edged up next to Slate, "you should let him play with us…" Mason began to rapidly walk his fingers up and down Slate's arm while gazing doe-eyed up at him. The result was a classic Slate conniption.

First, he shuddered violently and shot directly backwards. He didn't appear to pick up his feet when he did this, so he began to kick up a dust cloud as he moved. It also made him trip, though he recovered quickly enough. Sadly, for him, the direction he moved was downwind, making the dust cloud chase after him. When he moved on to the next stage of cursing, he inhaled too much dust and he began coughing instead of swearing.

Mason and Artemis watched with delight, though tinged with regret. It was a little too easy to pick on Slate. It still baffled Mason why a homophobe would transform into a human for a homosexual trainer. Yet, there he was. It made Mason wonder if Slate was hiding something…

Fortunately, Slate was not the angry kind of homophobe. He was just over-defensive. Even the slightest hint of flirtation could send him into one of his fits. The fits were always hilarious to watch.

Still, Mason and Artemis had suffered through their own fair share of bullying. There was no malice behind their cruelty against Slate and they were sure to let Slate know. So, once he stopped coughing, Mason apologized and promised to make it up to him later.

"You're not really my type, anyway," Mason told him. That much was true, at least. For all of his false flirtation with the human Armaldo, Mason never really thought of him that way. It began and ended with the joke. Anything to make life a little bit happier, Mason supposed.

"Alright, I'll forgive you," Slate sighed. Another hint that made Mason wonder about Slate was how quickly he recovered from their taunting, "How close are we to Lavaridge, anyway?"

"Good question," Mason complimented him as he reached around to his pack. It took a while to sort through everything to find a map. He spread it out on the ground, smoothing it as much as he could.

"Let's see…" Mason traced along Route 112, "I think we're about here." He pointed to a spot just a short distance away from the base of Mt. Chimney, "If we want to get to Lavaridge, there's two ways to do it. Either through the Fiery Path, or we could take the lift. What do you guys think?"

"Which way has fewer people?" Slate asked. Artemis could hide her horn and her tail if they were going to be around people, but Slate's huge tail necessitated that he travel inside his Pokéball near towns and cities.

"Both ways will probably be packed," Mason admitted, "but the lift will be quicker."

"Can we afford it?" Artemis asked. Their only source of income came from what Mason wagered in Pokémon battles. Feeding the three of them was not always easy, especially when Mason could only battle with four of his own Pokémon. A luxury trip up the side of Mt. Chimney might be a bit steep for them.

Mason looked forlornly at his wallet, flipping through the bills and halfway hoping they had multiplied for no good reason.

Was money gay or straight? For that matter, did money even have a gender? Mason had heard about male and female plugs and sockets before. Not to mention that cars and boats were all supposed to be girls. But he never heard of money having a gender. He'd have to think about that later.

"I think we'll be okay," Mason nodded at the bills, "besides, if we can only afford one ticket, then you just have to go inside your Pokéball."

"Damn…" Artemis sighed, "I really wanted to see that mountain get bigger too…"

"What can I say?" Mason seized the opportunity to take the lead again, "I want him all to myself."

He rolled up the map and stuffed it back into their belongings, which wasn't much. They had no tent and only Mason used a sleeping bag. Usually, they even carried little food. It wasn't always easy, but they had learned to live off very little. Such was life as a Pokémon trainer, moving from place to place through the wild, never knowing what battles were going to be fought the next day.

Mason loved it. No one could harass him out here.

Sure, he played his own pranks on Slate, but they all knew it was harmless. They were friends and they trusted and depended on each other. Once they got to Lavaridge Town though…

"Alright, Slate," reluctantly, Mason pulled out his Pokéball, "better get back inside. The lift should be close by and we're probably going to start seeing more people soon."

"Dammit," Slate sighed, "well, at least I won't have to deal with you flirting with me…"

"If you want to do more than flirt, all you have to do is ask," Mason teased.

"I resent that," Slate somehow managed to keep his cool that time. With a flash of red light, he vanished inside the Pokéball.

"Artemis?" Mason prompted, tucking away Slate's Pokéball.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Artemis rolled her eyes and began to uncomfortably stuff her tail into her pants. Once that was done, she put up the hood on the back of her jacket. To be able to conceal her horn, the hood was nearly triple normal size. It shrouded her in shadow, making it near impossible to even see her face.

Artemis despised having to cover herself up like this. To compensate for it, the rest of her clothing was skin-tight. She explained to Mason before that if her face was going to be hidden, at least her body could look good. Mason didn't see much value in the idea and Slate never said anything about it either. But it made her feel better, so, that's what mattered.

It was only another hour's walk before they began to see other trainers. Most were coming the opposite way, leaving Lavaridge Town and Mt. Chimney behind them. Though they were all ages, most trainers that Mason had ever seen were young, usually in their early teens. Sometimes he felt like an old man watching young, bright-eyed kids on their first day of school. Mason probably was a little old to only be seeking his fourth badge, but he hadn't exactly gotten off to the best start either.

But he pushed that aside. He didn't want to think about those days. They were done, over with and behind him now.

"GO! SERPERIOR!"

The call to battle quickly diverted Mason's attention. The shout beckoned to him from over the top of the next hill. A Pokémon battle was starting. With a quick glance at Artemis's red eyes gleaming beneath her cowl, the two began racing ahead to catch a glimpse of the battle.

A small crowd had already gathered to watch as two trainers faced each other. One looked to be about thirteen or fourteen. His skin was bronzed from the sun and a greasy mop of black hair curled on top of his head. In front of him, a slow and bulbous Walrein awaited his commands.

But it was his opponent that caught the attention of both Mason and Artemis. The tall boy was at least eighteen, maybe even older. His blond hair was straight and unusually well-groomed for a Pokémon trainer. He dressed nicely too, in a grey button-down shirt and brown slacks, not jeans. All of these were fantastic signs to Mason. He didn't often think of himself as one to stereotype, but…he could dream, couldn't he?

The boy commanded a Pokémon that Mason had never seen before; some sort of giant, green snake. Its body was decorated here and there with leaves and a yellow collar at its neck. It held itself up straight and tall, just like its trainer.

"Serperior, Leaf Blade!" Mason's instant favorite shouted. The snake, that Mason now knew to be a Serperior, darted through the grass, weaving through it as little more than a slightly darker green blur. Even before the other trainer had issued a command, it swiped its tail across the Walrein. The blow made the walrus slide backward, the fat of its body jiggling as it moved.

"Ice Beam," the younger boy commanded. His Walrein quickly recovered from the Serperior's attack. It spat a stream of super-cooled water back at it, instantly freezing the grass wherever it touched. However, the Serperior itself was too quick and it slid out of the way of the dangerous attack, just barely fast enough.

"Hit it again, Serperior! Leaf Blade!" The grass snake circled back around, but this time it did not swipe at the walrus's thick body, but instead it slashed across the frozen mask of ice on its face. The severe hit was too much for it and the Walrein slumped over, defeated.

As the Walrein retreated back into its Pokéball, the crowd eagerly waited to see what the defeated trainer would do next. Often, this would be a round for trainers to increase the stakes on their battle. Battles were almost always fought with some amount of money on the line and it was left up to the defeated trainer to decide what to do next. After the initial round, he could gauge how well his team could perform against the opponent and raise the bet if he thought he could win. Trainers most often did not fight with their best in the first round and usually a stronger Pokémon waited to be used. However, both sides played this game, making it difficult to judge. All of it was designed to increase the bet and try to get more money from the other trainer.

However, this time the younger trainer decided to give up. He conceded the fight and declared the well-dressed blond boy the winner. Grudgingly, though sure to show good sportsmanship, the boy handed over his money to the victor. Though, by that time, the crowd had already begun to disperse.

"Hey, don't feel so bad," the tall, well-groomed boy told the younger, messier one, "I've been doing this for a while. You'll catch up to me, I'm sure." The younger boy, however, did not seem to take it very well. He stalked off, still in obvious disbelief that his Walrein lost. The older boy sighed as he watched him go. The Serperior curled around his ankles; both trainer and Pokémon were tall, proud and beautiful.

Mason didn't realize he was staring until Artemis nudged him in the side. By that time, the crowd was almost entirely gone, somehow leaving Mason and Artemis alone with the blond boy and his Serperior.

"Can I help you?" he asked them.

Artemis nudged Mason again. He needed it because his tongue felt like it had more loops in it than the Serperior did.

"Well, uhh…" Mason couldn't look the boy in the eyes, so his gaze dropped to the grass-snake, "what…what kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen it before."

"This guy?" the boy reached a hand down and began stroking the snake's head, "he's a Serperior. I guess you don't have them here, huh?"

Now that he was speaking normally, Mason could pick up an accent that he didn't know, "where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm from Unova," the boy explained, "it's…a bit far away." The boy didn't elaborate, but since Mason had never heard of the Unova region, he had no idea where to place it on the map inside his head. It could be on the other side of the globe or right next door and he would never have known the difference.

"You after badges?" Mason asked, gradually growing more comfortable.

"No, I'm just a tourist," the boy shook his head. The sunlight gleamed off of his hair as he did so. God, it was shiny…

"What about you?" he asked.

"Me?" even though she wasn't looking at him, Mason could feel Artemis's eyes rolling as he stammered out his response, "well, we're, I mean, I'm after my fourth badge in, uh, Lavaridge Town."

"Lavaridge, huh?" the boy politely ignored Mason's unease, "hey, me too. I wanted to take the lift to get a better look at the volcano. You want to come with me?"

Mason blinked rapidly a few times until Artemis tossed her head and nudged him a third time.

"Absolutely," he answered, still baffled by the boy's invitation. Nobody invited him to do anything, ever. And now this beautiful, beautiful man had asked him to come along.

"Awesome, to be honest I'm kind of sick of traveling alone," he extended a hand, "my name's Jason, by the way. What's yours?"

"Uh…Mason," Dear, sweet, holy God, even their names were similar! Calm down, Mason, for the love of God, calm down!

"Hey, one letter away, awesome," he had to pick up Mason's hand to shake it, but he didn't seem to mind, "and who's this?" He peered at Artemis, silent and mysterious beneath her over-sized white cowl and tight-fitting shirt.

"Oh, this is my sister," Mason had plenty of opportunities to practice that lie before. But he wasn't prepared for what came next.

"Why do you need the hood?" Jason asked, trying to look underneath it. A moment of panic seized Mason as he watched Jason lean forward. Too close and there would be no hiding her horn.

"I'm an albino," Artemis lied flawlessly, "if the sun touches my skin, I start to roast like a chicken."

"Oh…" Jason drew back. One look at her strange, red eyes was more than enough to convince him, "well, at least you're brave enough to come outside with your brother," he nodded, trying to overcome his misstep, "good for you. Not letting your condition stop you from living your life."

"Riiiight…" Artemis sighed, "Should we get going?"

"Oh, sure," Jason agreed, willing to move on and forget the incident, "return, Serperior."

As the three walked, Mason pulled Artemis back a few paces. Nervous as he was about Jason, he needed advice and he needed it before he disappeared forever.

"What do you think?" Mason whispered, jerking his head towards the other boy.

"A bit feminine for my taste, honestly," Artemis shrugged, "but he's not bad."

"That's not what I mean," Mason groaned.

"Hey," Artemis countered, "I may look like a nun, but I have needs too, you know?"

"Artemis, pleeeease?"

"Fine, fine," she held a hand up to her forehead, "he seems very nice."

"And?"

"And I'm sure you'll have many adopted children together."

"Seriously?"

"How should I know? I'm an Absol. I'm sorry, but Gay Radar isn't on the list of Pokémon abilities."

"You're not helping," it was Mason's turn to lift a hand to his forehead in frustration.

"Look, if you want to know, just ask him," she shrugged, "or tell him you're gay first, it's the only way."

Mason considered her advice. She was right, but she made it sound a lot easier than what it was. Too many things could go wrong. Even if Jason was a homosexual, that didn't mean he would like Mason. He had a lot of signs to work with, sure, but couldn't two gay men just be friends?

And that was putting aside the disturbing can of worms that would burst if Jason wasn't gay. This hadn't been the first time Mason confessed to another guy, but his track record was abysmal. Most flipped out worse than Slate and started spewing hate words at him. One guy had gone so far as to punch him. He literally, physically assaulted him just because Mason thought he looked nice.

It was a small wonder that Mason was still debating the decision as they came up to the ticket counter. The line wasn't long, but Mason needed time to recount his money. He glanced back and forth between the ticket price and the wallet, once more hoping that the price would drop and his bills would start getting busy. He had no such luck, though.

"Do you need any help?" Jason asked, after spying the frantic expression on his face.

"No, no, we're fine," Mason assured him. Sort of, anyway. He had enough for one ticket, but he was short on the second one. If Jason wasn't with them, he could dart inside a bathroom and have Artemis go back inside her Pokéball. However, Jason would get suspicious if Mason's sister suddenly vanished from the group and Mason didn't seem to care.

"It's no trouble, if you need money," Jason offered.

"Alright…" reluctantly, Mason had to accept his help. He couldn't let the pretty, well-dressed, generous boy out of his sight, "but once we get to Lavaridge, I'm going to fight somebody and pay you back."

"Sounds like a plan," Jason smiled and went to pay for their tickets.

The cable cars were designed to fit four people, but their group of three had one to themselves. Artemis made sure to sit directly in the center of one of the benches, spreading out as much as she could. That way, Mason had no choice but to sit next to Jason.

Mason had the north-facing window. As the lift climbed higher and higher, he began to see the outskirts of Fallarbor Town on the horizon. But thoughts of his hometown were not pleasant memories and he shoved them aside. Instead, he turned around to look through the back panel and look at the rocky surface of Mt. Chimney beneath them. Beside him, Jason was doing the same.

As close as he was, he could even smell him. The scent was wonderful, some sort of rich, expensive cologne. Who was this guy sitting next to him? Mason wanted to know everything about him, but…how could he ask?

"So, how long have you been a Pokémon trainer?" Mason asked. Small talk first, that could bring the tension down.

"Since I was fourteen," Jason explained, "I couldn't wait to get away from home. My parents…aren't exactly understanding."

"Oh, okay," Mason nodded. He knew that feeling. Still, he couldn't really tell Jason the reason for it. At least, not yet. Maybe after some more small talk.

"What about you?" Jason asked.

"Just a year," Mason answered, "I got off to a late start." Once again, he didn't want to go into detail. Man, could he even talk to somebody without bringing that up?

"That's it?" Jason turned to look at him, "how old are you, anyway?"

"Nineteen."

"Wow, you really did get off to a late start," Jason marveled, "that's okay, though. I'm sure you'll catch up in no time."

"Thanks," Mason nodded. They were getting off topic, though. He needed to bring the conversation back onto Jason. "So, you've been a trainer for…four years?"

"Yep. I've tried fighting in a few tournaments, but I never do very well." Mason found that difficult to believe. His Serperior had slithered circles around that kid's Walrein. If he wasn't tournament ready, how difficult were they?

But he brushed that thought aside and tried to ask the next question as casually as possible.

"So…did you…ever have a girlfriend?"

"A girlfriend?" he hesitated, please say that that was a good sign! "No…no girlfriend. I never really…had time, I guess…"

"Oh, okay…" Mason stumbled, "sorry, it…sounds like a…sensitive topic."

"Nah, it's okay," Jason shook his head, "I'm over it."

Mason paused. Did that really tell him anything? Jason didn't give a name and he had hesitated so much while he was answering. Could he be just like him and hiding his true feelings? Or maybe there really had been somebody, once upon a time, and Mason just wanted him to be gay so much that he was searching for an excuse.

Dammit. He couldn't think and they were already halfway up the mountainside. If he didn't confess soon, then Jason would leave and be gone forever and then Mason would never, ever know if this beautiful, kind boy really was…

Breathe, Mason, breathe, he told himself, you can do this. It took a few minutes to pick out the words, but even then it sounded stupid. Still, it was either gamble on this or continue on not knowing.

"I've…never had a girlfriend," Mason started, hating every word, "never really…wanted one," Jason turned to look at him, what was that expression on his face? But it was too late to turn back now, "I'm a…uhh…oh, God…"

"Homosexual?" Jason suggested.

"Yeah," Mason shrugged. It was over. He could be glad for that.

"I see…" Jason was expressionless as he considered the new information.

"You hate me now," it wasn't a question.

"Why would I do that?"

"Well…uhh…" in a way, this step was easier now that the initial embarrassment had started, "because I like you."

"Oh."

"That way, too," Mason added, though he didn't think it was necessary.

"Right," Jason nodded, "I kinda figured."

"You hate me, don't you?"

"Not especially, no," Jason shrugged, "to be honest, this isn't the first time another guy's confessed to me."

"Really?" Mason asked, though somehow he wasn't really surprised. The boy was beautiful and friendly, who wouldn't want some of that?

"Yeah," Jason nodded, "it's happened a couple of times," he chuckled, "guess I look the part."

"Oh," Mason wasn't sure how to take that, "I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay," Jason shook his head, still smiling, "a compliment's a compliment as I see it," he paused before making his tone more sincere, "but I'm glad you were up front about it."

"Really?" Mason didn't feel like he had been up-front at all. He was also mystified by Jason's passive reaction to his confession. It was a burden Mason carried with him everywhere, but Jason's attitude suggested that it was something he need not worry about. Who was this guy? And why couldn't he be gay?

"Yeah," Jason nodded, "before I left home with my Pokémon, I knew a guy who hid his feelings for me for almost two years. It made him half sick," Jason lowered his voice, "now that was a confession I wish I handled better…the poor guy…"

"Is…" Mason didn't like where this was going, "is he…okay?"

"Huh?" Jason blinked, waking from a daze, "oh, yeah, he's fine. At least, I think he is. I haven't heard from him in a while, but he did find a pretty good boyfriend that liked him back. So, I'm sure he's happy."

"That's good," Mason nodded. He gazed down at Mt. Chimney as he thought about Jason's friend. He hoped that he could do the same.

"Most guys…hate me," Mason admitted, "and every time seems to be worse…"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jason patted his shoulder.

"You know…" Mason paused, looking for the right words again, "you're really…nice about this."

"Well, like I said, I've had practice," Jason shrugged, "and don't worry about that other stuff. You just have to…be yourself, you know? It's the only way to go through life."

Mason nodded. He had heard those words before. Perhaps a million times, over and over again. Yet, when Jason said them, he felt like he could believe them. From him, they meant more.

Mason had never met someone who was so easy-going about his homosexuality. He didn't treat him like a freak or as if it were some kind of disease. Jason accepted it with no question. He couldn't return Mason's feelings, but somehow Mason wondered if he had taught him something more important.

He didn't have to hide.

But then an important thought occurred to him. If Mason wasn't going to hide himself, then…

He looked back at Artemis.

"Jason," Mason began, "you said that you liked how I was up-front about my confession."

"Yeah…" Jason turned to face him, curious.

"Then we have something else to confess," he nodded at Artemis.

Beneath her cowl, Artemis was plainly suspicious. Mason's homosexuality was one thing, but this? "You sure?" she asked.

Mason nodded again, "I think we can trust him."

"Alright," Artemis sighed before standing up. Slowly, she lifted up her hood, revealing her face, her red eyes, and, most importantly, the crescent-shaped horn.

Jason's casual attitude faded as his eyes grew wide and his mouth gaped open. The shock was plain as he tried to understand what he was looking at.

"Yeah," Mason began, "we kinda have a story to tell you."

It was raining the day that Mason and Artemis met each other eight years ago. The rain mixed with the volcanic ash from Mt. Chimney creating a thick, heavy haze over all of Fallarbor Town. It was a terrible day to work in the fields and tend to the trees that were the pride and joy of the small farming community. They were trees strong enough to grow in volcanic ash; healthy and strong in the face of overwhelming hardship. Mason didn't think much of it until he was older, but he never had much hometown pride anyway.

At eleven years old, he hadn't yet told his parents how he felt about boys and girls. He suspected he was different, but didn't quite understand how. Mostly because he was eleven.

But these thoughts were far from his mind as he wandered near the edge of town. For his safety, he had a small dust mask on to protect against the volcanic ash. It was illegal for anyone to be outside without one on days where the ash was especially thick.

As he wandered, he overheard a few muffled voices coming through the thick haze of rain and ash.

"What the hell is one of them doing here?"

"I don't know, but do you know what it's called! If we don't do anything, Mt. Chimney will erupt. And it'll be worse than just a few dinky little ash clouds!"

"That thing can't make Mt. Chimney erupt! It's Entei that makes volcanoes go off!"

"Dude, Absol's seen almost as little as Entei. And it's always bad whenever one shows up. They come before disasters."

"That's just a myth! There's wild Absol all over Route 120!"

"Exactly! How does one get from there to here? It's not freaking natural! We need to get rid of the thing now!"

"Then let's just set it loose…"

"Yeah, right! Then it'll destroy the town just to get some revenge!"

"What do you want to do, then?"

"The only thing we can do."

"Dan, you can't be serious!"

"Damn right, I am! Grovyle!"

Mason couldn't tell how many were in the group, but there were at least three and whoever Dan was, he was in charge of the others. But, an Absol? Here? That did sound odd, but…what were they doing with it?

Shortly after, Mason began to hear the most horrible screeches of pain he had ever heard before or ever again. Artemis still had a few scars from that day.

Mason ran through the thick soup of rain and soot to find a group of four boys, each with a Pokémon out taking turns attacking a wounded Absol. Mason had never seen a Pokémon bleed before. He knew immediately what the boys planned on doing.

After that, he didn't think, but simply acted. He threw himself forward to cover the Absol and shield it from the Pokémon's attacks. A Poochyena bit his arm, making him cry out in pain. However, the other Pokémon kept their distance, afraid to attack a human.

"Move, you little brat!" Mason recognized the voice of Dan. He was older than Mason by at least two years and most likely weighed thirty pounds more, "that thing will kill us all if we don't do something!" He screamed, but Mason remained where he was.

"I said move!" Dan stomped forward and lifted Mason off of the ground, both hands holding him by the collar.

Mason didn't know what happened, but the next moment, there was dull throb in the knuckles of his right hand and Dan's nose was broken and bloody. He dropped the smaller boy back to the ground and clutched his broken nose. His outward shell shattered as he began to cry and mourn his minor wound. He folded easily and fled the scene. A moment later, his bewildered companions followed after him, eyeing Mason warily as they left.

How long Mason sat there in the gloomy haze, he had no idea. What brought him back to reality was the rough and wet sensation of a small tongue licking his hand and the sound of painful whimpering.

He took the injured Absol back to his own farm, hiding her in the barn. Whether he was ashamed of what he'd done to Dan or frightened for the Absol, he couldn't say.

Her left back leg was broken, along with a number of nasty bites and scratch marks down her back. None of his parents used Pokémon, so there were no potions or other medicines in the house. Instead, he disinfected and wrapped her wounds with bandages meant for humans.

At first, she tried to run away, or rather limp away. But after Mason explained to her that her leg was broken and it needed to heal, she stopped trying. Days passed and he visited her as often as he could, gradually watching her get better. He decided to name her Artemis, a name he knew from Greek mythology.

Nearly two weeks had gone by when Artemis began to run a fever. Her leg was healing incorrectly and though Mason redressed her bandages often, he knew next to nothing about treating her. In the end, he was forced to reveal the Absol to his parents and confess how he had found her.

Surprisingly, his normally strict parents forgave him for rescuing the Absol and hiding it in their barn. They took Artemis to the Pokémon Center and though they couldn't completely heal some of the cuts on her back, they properly fixed her leg and her temperature returned to normal. When she was fully recovered, Mason's parents bought him a Pokéball and Artemis became his first Pokémon.

And he needed her as the years passed.

It was only a year later when Mason began to notice that his friends were starting to feel differently about each other and, most notably, how they felt about girls. Mason himself didn't notice any change in his feelings about girls, but…something was different, he knew that much.

He began to spend more and more time training Artemis, trying to work through what the new feelings might mean. But no matter how much he thought it through, he came up with the same conclusion each time.

In the end, he went to his parents. He wasn't sure why he did, or even if he thought it was a good idea. His confession to his parents was the first of Mason's failed confessions. When he told them that he liked boys in the same way that his friends were starting to like girls they had no idea what to do, either.

Life quickly became Hell for Mason.

His parents asked everyone for advice. He was the only homosexual in the entire town and soon he was treated like a leper. It seemed ludicrous to think that homosexuality could spread from person to person like the flu, but that's how the town seemed to view it.

He was brought before councilors and psychiatrists without end. All of them seemed bent on curing Mason, at the insistence of his parents. But they succeeded in doing nothing but making Mason miserable.

The only one left to him was Artemis. She grew stronger every day and Mason battled any traveler he could find. There were few, but they were all he had since no trainers in town would challenge the Pink Master to a battle.

One day, six years after they first met, Mason and Artemis defeated a traveling fisherman. It seemed like an ordinary fight at the time. In fact, Mason could not remember the fight itself. But he remembered what happened when they returned home easily enough.

"You're getting better and better all the time," Mason sat on his bed, stroking the Absol as she paced back and forth next to him, "aren't you Artemis?" Artemis didn't make any noise, but she rubbed bodily up against him, brushing him with her soft fur.

Mason sighed, suddenly feeling depressed, "you know, you're the only friend I've got," Artemis stopped pacing to look at her trainer, "we need to get out of here, you and me. But God only knows when that's going to happen…" he began to scratch behind her horn, "I guess when I'm cured, probably…hopefully…"

Artemis blinked at him and started turning her head to arc into his scratching fingers.

"I know you don't talk much," Mason smiled, "but at least you're a good listener," he shrugged before continuing, "at least you'll never think I have a disease. Can't really catch the gay from me, can you?"

When he stopped scratching, she looked at him expectantly, wanting more attention.

"You remember when I first found you?" Mason asked. Artemis blinked as if in confirmation. And did she nod, or did he imagine that?

"Yeah," Mason nodded back, "guess we're both used to being ridiculed and treated like a disease and a disaster…" he didn't know why, but he hugged her, he didn't expect it to do anything, "at least we've got each other, right? That's what they always say…" It was, but Mason had learned that it wasn't as easy as everyone else made it sound.

But when he pulled back from his Absol, she began to glow white.

"After she evolved, we decided to keep her hidden," Mason told Jason the end of the story, "I turned eighteen, got my own Pokémon and left home. Honestly, I don't know if I'll go back…"

Jason nodded. Their ride up the side of Mt. Chimney was nearly over. He had listened to Mason's entire story with patience and quiet understanding.

"You were the only homosexual in the whole town?" he asked.

"I think so," Mason shrugged.

"Weird…" Jason shrugged back, but he dropped the point, "so, part human and part Pokémon?"

"Yeah," Mason nodded. Jason had been level-headed and understanding when talking about Mason's homosexuality, but when it came to human Pokémon, he was still wrapping his mind around the idea, "she has all of her abilities. Really, she just walks on two legs, talks and looks a bit different." It was a short summary, but that was the essence of it.

"Weird…" Jason stared at Artemis, who returned his gaze with a piercing stare of her own. He seemed not to notice, though.

"Have you ever heard of anything like this?" Mason asked.

"No, not really," Jason shook his head, "nothing that I believed, anyway. Maybe next time I'll pay more attention." He walked forward and began to peer at Artemis's horn, his face just a few inches away from the bone.

"I bet I can get you even harder than that," Artemis whispered.

"What?" Jason drew back, not believing his ears.

"Huh?" Artemis returned, feigning confusion. Mason covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

Suddenly, the cable car jolted to a stop. The three had arrived at their destination. As they disembarked, Artemis pulled her hood back up.

"Well," Jason started, looking back down the side of the volcano and over the distance they'd covered, "I guess this is where we part ways."

"But, hey," Mason interrupted him, "I still owe you for the tickets."

"Don't worry about," Jason waved him off, "I got to see a human Pokémon. I'd call that payment enough."

"Well, alright," Mason shrugged, "thanks. I hate to see you go so soon."

"Come on," Jason lightly tapped his shoulder, "don't be like that. Go on, take a good long look while I walk away. I promise I won't mind."

Mason could only laugh in reply, but as Jason began to walk away, he took up his invitation and watched closely.

When he was gone, Mason could only sigh heavily to himself.

"I'm sorry," Artemis said softly.

"It's okay," Mason lifted his head, "I'll get over it."

"Mmm..." Artemis nodded before turning to look in the direction Jason had gone, "...you think I can still catch him? I wasn't lying earlier, you know. It has been a long time. I wouldn't mind a guy that looks like a girl."

"Shut up," Mason smiled, shaking his head. With Artemis close behind, he left to find the Lavaridge Town Gym.

Closing Comments: many, many thanks go to KroganThrashballer83, who helped with the planning and overall plot for this story, as well as for allowing me to use his characters Mason, Artemis and Slate.

The story has already been personally approved by KroganThrashballer83 who was gracious enough to allow me to re-post it here.

So, once again, many, many thanks. And thank you for reading!