A myriad of thoughts ran through Kai's head as he watched the vulpix in front of him struggle to come to terms with his sudden transformation. This had been the first time he had revealed his ability to anyone, and he didn't quite know what to make of her reaction. Sighing, Kai sat his haunches down on the grass and waited.
"You're a Shifter" the Vulpix finally managed to say. "I've heard stories about them; I thought they were all gone".
Kai laughed with more than a little relief, she didn't seem at all hostile to the idea, simply curious. "Not quite" he said, "There are a few of us left, though I don't actually know any others personally. Most tend to go into hiding, living ordinary lives alongside humans".
"And what about you?" she asked, her head cocked to one side as she considered his last statement "will you lead an ordinary life without telling anyone about being a Shifter?"
Kai looked down at his front paws at that point. "I'm not really sure" he said eventually "Lately I've felt like I need to tell people about my Shifting, but I'm just not sure how to go about it", he looked up at her as he said; "you are the first person I've ever told".
"So what about me?" the Vulpix asked. "Where do I come into this?" Kai smiled, "Just because I'm a Shifter that doesn't mean I don't share the same dream as any other teenager" he said with a canine grin "I dream of becoming the first ever Shifter to beat the Elite Four and attain the title of Pokémon Master!" His ears drooped a bit at the end though "although that would mean telling everyone that I can turn into a pokémon."
"So you want to take on the Gyms" the Vulpix asked. "Absolutely, with your help" Kai replied "which reminds me, I can't just keep thinking about you as Vulpix. You need a proper name if we're going to travel together."
"My mother named me" the Vulpix replied "before I was captured by humans because of my colour. My name is Hope."
"And my name is Kai" Kai replied "Pleased to meet you Hope." Hope gave a little smile, the introductions finished before adding "before we leave, there is one condition to my travelling with you."
"And what would that be?" Kai asked, regarding Hope as she looked almost pleadingly at him. "When we reach Veilstone City I would like to see my mother" she said "it would mean a lot to me".
"Of course" Kai said softly, "we'll stop by and you can see your mother for as long as you want, and if you feel like staying then I won't force you to come with me."
Hope looked up at Kai, leaning against his foreleg "thank you for that" she said "but I'm approaching the age that I should make my own way in the world without my mother anyway, I just want to see her, to let her know I'm alright." Hope gave her little smile again as she added "I'll see this adventure of yours to the end."
Kai and Hope sat there for a while more before Kai got to his feet. "My parents will be home soon" he said. "They're biologists working at the Verity Research Centre just north of here and their workdays end about now" he stood and changed back to human form. "Are you hungry Hope? There should be enough time for us to eat before they get home. We have all sorts of berries so you can have whatever you want."
Hope looked up at him with wide eyes "do you have any Mago berries" she asked "I haven't had one for months and they're my favourite." Kai's grin gave it away and she let out a little squeal of delight, dashing into the house. Kai smiled and followed her at a slower pace, as he walked into the kitchen, he laughed to see the little vulpix buried in a pink and white berry almost the size of her own head. His laughs startled her and her head popped out, her nose liberally coloured in berry juice, making him laugh all the harder.
As Hope finished her berry in dignified silence, Kai heard his parent's voices coming from the forest to the north. They were almost a kilometre away as yet, and he thanked his enhanced hearing as he cleaned up the kitchen before turning to Hope. "My parents will be here in a couple of minutes" he said "Is it alright if I put you in your ball for a while until i tell them about you?"
"That's fine" Hope said "but when we're on the road I really would prefer to travel outside my ball". Kai smiled "Ok" he said "I was kinda hoping you'd say that so I'd have someone to talk to" with that he recalled her, clipped the pokéball to his new trainer belt and sat down on the couch waiting for his parents to get home.