Chapter 1

A Long Struggle Begins

It all started long ago when things were far more different than you can imagine. It was the day that my life would change forever, it was the day a hard struggle began. The day I left my old life behind and was turned into a Pokemon.

It all started with me hearing a voice. A voice telling me that something terrible was coming and I was chosen to stop it. It said it would change me in order to fit in so I could complete my mission. The next thing I knew, I was in complete darkness, I woke up to the sound of thunder shaking the Earth. I sat up and looked around me. I was in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Everything was so lush and green. However, something made me start to think. I realized I couldn't remember anything except my name. I was overly thirsty so I walked over to a small river beside me. I started to drink from it and never before had water tasted as cool and as fresh before.

However, something was looking at me in the water, when a made to wave my hand it waved at the exact same time. This was my reflection and according to it I was no longer human. I had become a pokemon. I was a Pikachu to be exact. I had every similarity from the bolt-shaped tail to the red cheeks on either side of my face. I was shocked, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would turn into a Pokemon. I needed to fix this, I had a family. At least, I thought I did have one.

That wasn't the problem I needed to leave, now. I started trying to run. However, running on two legs wasn't effective in this shape. So, in a bid for freedom I ran towards the outskirts of the forest. As soon as I entered, something didn't feel right. The wind stopped blowing and there was no sunlight shining through the trees. It was weird. Suddenly, I heard a faint noise close by.

"Why are we even in here?" said a boyish voice, he sounded really annoyed.

"I heard there is a treasure around here, do you really want to miss that chance, besides it might help you get a girlfriend finally," said another boy, with a laugh following it.

I peered through the trees and there they were. One was a Treecko, you could tell, by the way he looked and the signature tail. The other, a Charmander judging by both the bright orange skin and flame tipped tail. They seemed to both be boys judging by their voices alone. This meant that I could understand Pokemon, which should've been obvious.

"Did you hear that?" said the Charmander, turning in my direction with curiosity painted across his face.

"Yeah, but you think it was from over there?" asked the Treecko. They started inching towards me and panic started to take hold. What would happen if they caught me? Was I safe or would it be trouble.

"Boys! Time's up, the trip is over!" yelled a woman. A Delphox came walking through the woods stick tip lit up. The boys then said okay, in disappointed voices and started walking down the path. When they were far away, she turned towards me and I knew she could see me through the bushes.

"What are you doing in there child? Don't you know it's dangerous to be playing in bushes?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"I know ma'am but I'm lost and I don't know where I am," I responded.

"You're lost? Well, I can't just leave you out here, tell you what you can come live with me at the inn I own," she said with a smile.

I smiled back and that was all it took, I came out from the bushes and started to walk back with her. I had someplace to stay now, at least for the time being. I could find out more about my memories and probably make some friends along the way.

"Oh, before I forget what's your name dear? My name is Serena," she asked and answered the question I was going to ask.

"My name is Deliah," I responded back, "It's nice to meet you."

We continued down the path and out of the forest. We walked for quite some time before finally arriving at the inn. It was a huge wood building with a brick roof and a sign that said, "The Cozy Inn." I thought it was a nice looking place and followed Serena inside.

"You can stay in the room on the second floor on the very end," said Serena as she walked behind the counter. "I'm going to enroll you in the school of the town for now seeing as how you'll probably be here awhile."

"Okay, that sounds good, thanks and goodnight Serena," I said, as I walked up the stairs.

"Your welcome, goodnight Deliah," said Serena with a warm smile.

The room was nice with a dresser and chair on one side of the room with a bed of hay in the middle of the room. I was so exhausted,as I layed down upon the bed, I pondered my position. How was I going to get home? Is my family okay? Why did I become a Pokemon? However, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep and realized what the biggest concern was for me.

I HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL!?

The next day when I woke up, there was a note on the door. It was from Serena, telling me to meet her in the dining area. When I walked in I saw two other people standing there. One was an Espeon, with the bright red gem in their forehead. The other, a Umbreon with the rings that looked so much like rays of light.

"There she is," said Serena. "Deliah, don't be shy. These are the two heads of the local school. They'll be taking you today after you eat."

"Hello Deliah, I'm Faith, nice to meet you!" said the Espeon with a huge smile.

"And I'm Shane, pleasure to make your acquaintance," said the Umbreon in a polite tone.

"It's nice to meet you both," I said back with a smile on my face. "Now if you would please excuse me, I'm really hungry!"

After I was finished eating (cereal, funny how no matter what I am I always seem to be eating it), I followed Faith and Shane out the door, while waving goodbye to Serena. After walking down a long, dirt path that branched off from the plaza, we reached a huge gate. A sign next to it said, "The School Of Evolution". Whatever that could be referencing. Anyways, as we proceeded through the gate I could make out the talking of a group.

"Who do you think it is?" asked a girl's voice.

"I just hoped it's not another guy, you outnumber us by so much," said another.

"While, I do hope it is a girl, we don't outnumber you," said a familiar voice.

"You just want another chance to ask someone out now that everyone's rejected you," said another familiar voice with a laugh.

When we finally came to the class area I saw a total of seven other kids. In that seven, I recognized the Charmander and Treecko from yesterday. When they saw me, three of them gave a sigh of relief. I guess these were the girls.

"Hello everyone," said Faith and everyone responded with a "Good morning Ms. Faith."

"As you all know we are getting a new student here at the school. Well here she is. This is Deliah, she just recently came here and will be spending quite a lot of time with us. I hope you all treat her with kindness and respect. Now, your teacher should be here shortly. Why don't you all talk to one another."

She and Shane proceeded to walk up the stairs to a decent sized hut on the hill. After they were gone, everyone turned their attention back to me. They all were looking me up and down. It made me feel a bit weird, to be honest.

"Well, I guess that gives you the "even" you wanted," said the Charmander, with a smirk.

"Shut up Zuko, it was just a fricken joke," said the Emolga, who was standing behind him.

"Then why was there actual want behind that comment," said Zuko, with an eyebrow raised towards the Emolga. "Sounds like you were really desperate for that, Raka. She's also an electric-type so I guess you got two things you wanted." The Charmander started laughing, which caused the Emolga to both roll her eyes and turn her gaze to me.

"Well Deliah, I hope you parden Zuko, he's really big-headed if you couldn't tell. I'm Raka, but I suppose you already heard my name," she said while raising a paw. "It's nice to meet you, but I gotta ask. Where are you from? I've never seen you before around here. Not to mention Pikachu aren't exactly commonplace around here. So, can you please answer my question?"

She was saying this with a smile, but in my head I was contemplating my choices. I don't think they would believe me if I told them what I really was. I don't know if these Pokemon would treat me if I said that I was a 15-and-a-five-sixths-year-old human girl who was in highschool. I started to try and think of a response, the Treecko spoke up.

"Why do you need to know that Raka. I'm more interested in the fact that I'm pretty sure that she's the Pokemon that me and Zuko were about to see in the dungeon before Miss Serena stopped us. So, can I ask what you were doing in there," he says with an accusatory stare.

Great, now what do I do? I thought as they continued to look at me. I guess I'll just lie, it's my best option at this point.

"O-oh," I said in a bit of a worried voice. "I was just u-uh looking for Sitrus Berries. I know they're really good, but that they also can be sold for lots of money. That's why I was in the dungeon."

"Okay, that answers his question, but what about mine?" Raka asks, this time with more of a tell me now kind've tone.

"Um, well I really don't have a family to go back to," Deliah said with a look of extreme sorrow. "I'm currently staying at the Inn because of this. It's also the reason I'm going to this school."

Raka looked horrified when I had said that I didn't have a family. Everyone had gone extremely quiet and were staring at me. I felt my face going red as they stared at me and I pulled my ears down to kind've hide my face and I looked away. I felt ashamed for some reason.

"Well well well, class it's time to start," said a voice and everyone jumped. There was a shadow over me and when I turned I saw a Pangoro, a massive Pokemon. He looked down at me and smiled. "You must be Deliah. It's nice to see a new student every now and again. You can call me Mr Balton. Now, I will expect you to be on your best behavior, understand?"

"Yes, sir," I said. The class started to walk into a building that was right next to us. When I walked in, I looked around and saw a typical classroom. Everyone had already taken their seats, so there was only a seat left next to Zuko. I sat down next to him and noticed he was kind've looking at me in a certain way. Blushing slightly, I turned to look away from him, towards the front of the class where a sort of chalkboard was behind a huge desk. Mr Balton walked in and took a seat behind the front desk.

"Okay class, before we get started today we're going to introduce ourselves. Now you all know how this works, you'll say your name, your age, and one thing about yourself. We'll start with Raka," he said, looking towards the Emolga. She nodded and stood up.

"Hello, my name is Raka, I'm 15 years old, I'll turn 16 in one month. I love to compete and play games," She said before sitting down. Then, next to her a Cubone stood up.

"Hi, my name is Charlie, I'm 16 years old. I love archaeology because it allows me to find out more about history and the world around us," he said.

How fitting that a ground type wants to be an archaeologist, I thought to myself. However, I had a slight problem. What did I want to do? I wasn't in a familiar place. I thought that maybe exploration teams and jobs related to exploring were the only real jobs Pokemon could choose. I mean I could say what I loved to do as a human. Art and sports. My dad drove it into me and all my siblings. I played basketball and ran track and cross country. I also loved clothes because they allowed me to express myself. Wait, do Pokemon have clothes other than those scarves.

"Hi, my name's Myra, I'm 15 and a half years old. I love to design clothes and outfits for all types of Pokemon," said a Mincinno.

Guess that answers my question, I thought to myself. I sighed, a flash of relief going across my mind. Zuko turned and looked at me again. My face kept getting redder. WHY DOES HE KEEP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?

"Hi, my name's Neko, I'm 16 years old. I love to write stories about places and I also love the beach," said a Purrloin.

The beach? That's a bit average, I thought to myself.

"Hi, my name's Tallon, I'm 15 years old. I love to fly through the skys and battling," said a Tailow.

Of course the flying type likes flying. I swear stereotypes exist everywhere, I thought myself. Wait, so are there official battles. Are they like trainer battles or more uncontrolled? Wait,... what the absolute heck is a trainer battle?

"Hi, my name is Verge, I'm 15 and a half years old. I love battling, as well, and I also like sports and games as well," said the Treecko from earlier.

Judging by this, actual battles must be regulated. However, wild Pokemon ones really can't be, I thought to myself. I glanced over to Zuko. Finally, I can see what makes this guy tick. Maybe I can get him to stop staring at me funnily.
"Hey everyone, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Zuko, I'm 15 and 5 sixths years old," Zuko said, all while mostly looking at me. " I want to be an explorer and meet legendary and mythical Pokemon. I want to be on the best rescue team of all time. I also want to find a partner to help me out with this."

Wow, he's filling my expectations for most Pokemon I've seen in these scenarios, I thought. Everyone had turned to look at me. I felt my face turn even redder. Crap! I haven't even decided on what to say. Uh, maybe I'll just say what I thought about earlier. Yeah, that'll work.

"Uh, hi everyone, my name's Deliah and I'm 15 and 5 sixths years old," I said, my face still red with embarrassment. "I love art and exploring because I like new experiences and it helps me find topics for my art."

"Well, okay then class, now that that's been taken care of, let's talk about the placement exams. These exams will take place in three days. They will determine your next line of work. Depending on what test you pass you can choose what next course you will take. There are of course the Explorers/Rescue course, the Informative course, and the Battle course. Alongside these you are allowed to choose a specific class you want to put some focus into. Think of them as the elective classes there used to be," said Mr Balton. "In addition there are several rules you will need to follow. Students will be required to wear uniforms while on school premises. The uniforms will vary depending on what course you are in. It will help the teachers distinguish you all. Anything else will be said when you find out what course you will be in. Also, those of you entering into the Rescue/Explorer course will need to find a partner. Now, I will give you all a little time to decide amongst yourselves."

Well, I guess the Rescue Course does sound fitting. However, why do we need uniforms. Not that I'm complaining about getting clothes. It's just that Pokemon don't normally wear clothes. This is surprising, I think to myself. Maybe I can find a clothes store. That would be nice.

"Hey Deliah," said a voice next to me. I turned and to my side was Zuko looking at me intently. My face turned red again because of how awkward the situation was.

"Uh, h-hey Z-zuko!" I said trying to change the tone of the situation. "W-what do you need?

"I was going to ask you about something regarding the pairs in the test. Would you be willing to be my partner? He asked. "I feel like me and you together would make a great team. I mean you're quiet, but I can tell you think about things. I'm loud but I don't use much thought to go along with my actions."

This is all so sudden. Why would he choose me? I'm the new girl in school. I have no idea about any of this. However, I guess it would be nice to have a friend. But, what if people think we're dating. This could go so wrong, but I guess the better option would be to accept, I think looking down. Then I turn back to him and with red clear across some of my face and nod.

"Yeah, I'll be your partner, Zuko," I tell him. He looks extremely happy about this. "However, we will need to think of a team name won't we?"

"Yeah we'll need to come up with something good for it," he says with a huge smile. The flame on the tip of his tail looks brighter. Mr Balton then shushed everyone and got out a piece of paper.

"Okay, I'm going to have to get a list of the courses that everyone selected. I'll go in alphabetical order by names also for those who have pairs, I can just have them say who they are paired with. We'll start with you Charlie," he says with something that looks like a pen in his hand.

"Sir, I want to be in information, it will allow me to study history and report findings that will help us answer fundamental questions," Charlie said. I can only tell by his eyes, but he looks happy.

"Fair enough, you'll have to focus on the written exams then so you can show off your knowledge on subjects. I wish you well because the tests are brutal," Balton says with a smile. The cubone nods and sits back down. "Okay, thanks for that. Deliah what are you going to do. I know you probably don't have much knowledge on these fields, but I hope you've made a decision."

"Yes, I made a decision for which field. I would like to be an explorer/rescuer," I say with a smile.

"Okay then, you will need to pass an exam for fighting and an exam for rescuing. However, you need a partner for the course. Have you selected one yet?" he asks with a smile towards me.

"Yes, I chose Zuko as my partner for this. I feel like we will do well together," I say immediately regretting it.

"Awe, Zuko did you finally find a girl who could put up with your big mouth?" Raka says with a smirk. Everyone began laughing doing the stereotypical "sitting in a tree" sing-song. My face is burning red and I turn my head towards the floor so no one could see.

"I-is t-that all you needed from me?" I asked towards Mr Balton.

"Yes, that's all I needed. Thank you, Deliah," He says. He turned towards Raka. "Miss Raka, that was highly rude of you to say. This is a school not a gossip barn. Now after class I expect you to, at the very least, apologize to Deliah."

"Yes, sir, she didn't deserve that. I will after class," Raka says with a look towards me.

"Okay good, now who was next…"

The school day went that very way with him jotting down the names of groups and asking if they had anything else to add. When the bell rang, I was really relieved that I could finally go home, back to the Inn. However, before she could walk out the gate, she was stopped by Raka, who had Myla and Neko in tow.

"Look Deliah, I'm actually really sorry about what I said earlier. You didn't deserve it and I should've waited until I could've said something only to Zuko. I have something in mind to make it up to you. See, the three of us were going to have sort of a girl's night on the town. However, now that you're here, I figured, why not invite you. So, what do you say?" she asks with a big smile.

A girl's night out, that sounds great. It's just what I need to take my mind off of my problems. I would be crazy not to accept. I did get some money after all from helping out at the Inn's cafe. I'll say yes to this one, I thought to myself before turning fully to Raka and giving her a nod.

"That sounds like lot's of fun, I accept," I say with a huge smile. All of the other girls smile at me and we all walk out the gate together.

I hadn't been paying much attention to the town earlier, but it was beautiful. The lights were really sparkly and bright. The shops all looked so interesting and exciting. We walked past all of the little shops and cafes before finally stopping in front of a decently sized shop. Judging by the displays, this was a clothes shop. I was so happy to see this. Perhaps, living as a Pokemon wouldn't be so bad.

"Come on girls! Let's each get an outfit for this night out," Raka exclaimed as she walked inside. I followed looking around with an expression of happiness at this sight.

"Okay, to make this the best day possible, let's split the bills all around. I'll take care of this considering my family and why don't you all work together for dinner," said Myla with a squeal of excitement. We all nodded and started to walk around looking at the clothing. I started at the skirt section, looking for something that was nice looking. I was mainly looking for black because that would probably go best with my fur. I saw a lot of cute looking ones, but nothing really caught my eye. However, not even five seconds later I hear a "Deliah, I found a great one for you!" I see all three of them walking up to me. They already had each picked an outfit out for themselves. They had found the most BEAUTIFUL AND CUTE dress I had seen. A massive smile crept up my face as I looked at it. It was black with yellow accents, just the right amount of variety.

"I-I love it's so gorgeous, it's amazing!" I exclaim with a happy squeak.

"We're glad, we saw this and knew it would look good on you," said Myla with a giggle. "Now why don't I pay and we put these on. It's time to look amazing, girls!" We all went to the fitting room area to put the dresses on. Mine fit me perfectly and I looked in the mirror and I looked ADORABLE. I felt so good, better than I've felt in awhile. When I got out, I saw Myla at the counter paying. Standing next to her, Neko was smirking at me with a knowing sort of smile. I was blushing heavily, at this point, my smile was super wide. Neko's smirk grew even wider, and I realized Raka must've gotten out. I turned, I saw that the Emolga's face was almost as red as mine. I grinned at her as she looked at me.

"What are you looking at Ms Apple? You're redder than a Tomato Berry!" she said and smiled as my face grew even redder. "That's not the point, though. How about we go to eat somewhere now, I'm really hungry right now. So, what do you girls think?

"I agree, I'm starving right now! Besides might as well,right?" I asked, glancing at the other two.

"Yeah, that sounds the best for what to do next," both of them responded and we walked out of the clothes store. We started to look for the best place to eat. There were so many choices, we couldn't really decide. Finally, Myla spotted a cafe and we started to head over. However, that's when I noticed all the guys from our class were in there, eating things that looked like the top of cupcakes. I spotted Zuko, sitting next to Verge, eating pastries that were strangely bright red. We all stopped as we noticed them. They didn't seem to care about making a mess, based off of how they were just inhaling them. I then finally realized that these were poffins, they're kind've like the pastries of Pokemon.

"Of course the boys would have to be here. I know this might get ugly, but we can't back down now. Those poffins look first class," Raka says with a frown on her face. "Come on girls! Let's get some delicious poffins!" She started to walk forward, determined, I couldn't help but admire it. We all followed her into the cafe, which was really nice. The menu was written on a chalkboard, behind the counter. Standing behind the counter, wearing an apron, was a female Charizard and next to her, shifting through some cupboards, was a female Sceptile. We walked up to the counter and the Charizard smiled at us.

"Hello girls, and welcome to Cafe Tranquility, how may I help you today?" she asked us.

"Uh, I'd like one order of spicy poffins, one order of sour poffins, one order of blended poffins, and uh… Deliah. What do you want?" Myla says, turning to me.

"Ummm, I would like one order of sweet poffins, please?" I ask, addressing the Charizard.

"Okay, sounds good girls, we'll get you your order in about 20 minutes. Please take a seat and enjoy your time here," the Charizard responds. We nod and take a seat, at a table two tables away from the boys. I notice that they've stopped eating and are looking at us. My face started to get red again and I turned back to talk to the rest of the girls.

"Ugh, why do the boys have to ruin everything?! This was going to be fun because we now have a full four girls here." Raka says, annoyed. "I guess we can still do the one thing I really did want to do. Let's play truth or dare, everyone!" Myla and Neko nod. Seeing this I do as well.

"Well, since you had the idea first, why don't you ask first Raka? This does sound like a good time to answer your questions," Myla responds.

"Okay then, I'll start. Hmmm, Deliah, Truth or Dare?" she asks looking at me.

Crap, what should I choose? Dares could go bad for me. However, truths can be even worse. I guess I'll just choose the truth because it's safer, I thought to myself.

"Truth," I said, confidence rising in myself.

"Okay then! Is it true, that you have a crush on one of the boys over there?" she says with a grin leaning closer. My face instantly started to turn red.

I should've known she would ask that first! But, she didn't ask me who. So, I guess I should be honest. I don't want to have to take the penalty and do a dare!

"Y-yes, I-I do," I said quietly, with nervousness coursing through it.

"I KNEW IT, you like HIM don't you!" they all said excitedly. My face got even redder at this remark. I turned away to look out the window to my right.

"I wondered if there was a girl who could put up with his personality. Guess we finally found her. Honestly though, I guess anyone can find love. Anyways, Deliah, it's your turn," Raka said with a huge grin.

Two can play at this game. I've had my suspicions, but let's put them to the test. I looked back up and put the same grin Raka had onto my own face.

"Okay, Raka! Truth or Dare?" I asked, trying to not show my plan.

"Uhh, I think I'll go with truth, as well," said Raka.
"Is it true that you like Verge?" I say with a smile.

Instantly, Raka's face turned super bright red. Her face showed shock plain across it. The other two looked like they were trying hard not to laugh. I could barely hold back my laughter.

"May-maybe I do," Raka said looking away from me. I couldn't hold it anymore, I laughed. The boys are now looking at me, trying to find out why I was laughing. Then, Verge got them to look back and they started eating and talking again. I looked straight at her.

"Well based on what you've been trying to say, we could go on a double date. Isn't that a great idea," I said before I started laughing again. Raka looked at me, but it was more with amusement than with hate. Just then Charizard brought our poffins over and set them on the table before walking away. The game kept going on, with Myla getting dared to eat two spicy poffins and Neko answering that she is afraid of water. We got back to Raka's turn. I was nibbling on a poffin and felt more confident after getting that reaction out of Raka.

"Okay then, Deliah, Truth or Dare?" Raka asked with a smile.

"You know what? Give me a dare this time," I said confidence swelling up within me.
"Okay then, I dare you to throw a poffin at Zuko," she says.

Blushing slightly, I turned around in my seat and looked at Zuko. His back was to me and he was eating right now. Perfect. I aimed straight for the back of his head and threw it at the back of his head when none of the boys were looking. It makes a SPLAT noise as it hits him on the back of his head. Neko and Myla have their mouths opened, awestruck at what just happened. Raka started to laugh, loudly. I turned back around quickly so no one could tell it was me. I turned back around, as if pretending to see what happened. Zuko was glaring straight at Raka, eyes full of spite. Just then, a poffin flew, landing in Raka's mouth. When she closed her mouth after being done laughing, her eyes narrowed and then shrieked. It was terrifyingly loud. Turns out Zuko threw an extra spicy poffin at her. Raka calmed down and Zuko turned back to the guys, Raka looked at me. She had tears in her eyes from the spice.

"Guess I owe you a penalty dare, huh?" I asked with a smile.

"I guess you do," she said. Then, she started laughing again. "Still worth it for the satisfaction. But yeah, this dare will be something else, so best mentally prepare for it."

What's she going to make me do? Probably another thing involving Zuko. Honestly, why can't she just leave it alone now? I think there's been enough of this for now.

"Well, I dare you to tackle hug him at the table, then take him outside, and tell him you like him."

"Wh-what! Isn't that a bit much Raka? I-I think there's a better dare for me!" I stammer out, my face burning red.

"Deliah, come on pleeeeaaassse? I promise I do something for you," Raka asks, a pleading look across her face.

"H-how about you guys get him somewhere where I won't ruin my dress? T-then I might consider," I said, nervously.

"How about this? We get him and the rest of them out in the field. You can do it over there," Raka responded.

"W-why d-do they have to be there?" I asked.

"How is Zuko ever going to actually say whether he likes you or not without knowing if you do. That's how he works. You have to make the first move!" she said, poking the other two to get out of the booth. "Let's go get them over there now!"

Crap, this is so sudden. She expects me to do this?! How can anyone do this. Dang it, they're already walking over there. Why does this happen to me?! First, I was turned into a Pokemon, AND NOW I'M BEING PUT INTO A RELATIONSHIP! I follow them looking away from the boys when we reach their table. They stopped what they were doing and turned to look at us.

"Uh, hey girls. What are you doing over here?" Verge asked. Zuko was still eating, not really paying attention until he was fully done. Then he turned around to us, specifically looking at me. I tried to not look at him, but he saw my bright red face. He looked at me and my face kept getting redder.

"Yeah, we were wondering, do you guys want to head with us to the field? There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. It's said to be good luck to see it," Raka says with a smile.

"Uh, okay, what do you guys think?" Verge asked, turning back towards the guys. All of them nodded, he turned back to us. "Yeah sounds good. We should start going, right?

"Yeah let's start heading out," Raka said with a smile. We all held out the building while the Charizard told us to have a nice day. We walked off of a road that was next to the cafe. After about 7 minutes of walking, we reached a meadow. The flowers were beautiful, some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. When we reached it everyone took a seat, looking up at the sky. I sat next to Zuko, while Raka sat next to Verge. My face was still red, so I wasn't looking at him. Raka then looked at me and made the motion for a hug. I sighed, took a deep breath, turned to face Zuko, … tackle hugged him. Next thing I knew, I was on top of him, my face redder than it had ever been before. I looked up at him and his face, it was bright red. I got off of him and held out my paw. He looked at it for a second, then took it and I helped him into a sitting position.

"You know if you wanted a hug, you could've asked. I would've been happy to oblige," he said with a warm smile. I smiled back and nodded.

"Noted. But, how was I supposed to know before now?" I asked. I noticed everyone was looking at us. They were smiling though.

"Looks like you did get a girlfriend, huh Zuko?" Verge asked with a smile. I noticed Raka leaning against him. She looked happy.

"Shut up Verge, looks like yours won't stop clinging to you," Zuko said with a smirk. Verge rolled his eyes at the comment, but Raka looked up at Zuko.

"You know how much pushing it took to get her to do that? I'd be more happy about this. At least now you have not only a partner, but a girlfriend as well," Raka said with a smile and a wink towards me.

"You know, we never did say we were going to start dating. Besides, we've only known each other for a day," I said, the blush fading from my face. However, Zuko did stretch out his hand to me and I took it. I felt so happy and delighted by this. I looked up at him and smiled. He returned the smile. His eyes were filled with warmth, like a cozy fire in a fireplace. I liked that warmth so much.

"Why does that matter? Based on the way you two are looking at each other, I would think it's official now. Just kiss or something," Raka said with a smile.

"Okay that's pushing it a little, maybe after being together for a bit longer," Zuko said, still smiling at me. "It's up to you Deliah. Do you want to start dating, and also would you think it would mess up our team dynamic?"

"Second question, no it wouldn't in fact it would probably help us out more. First question, yes! I would love that Zuko!" I said with an even bigger smile, a small bit of blush on my face.

"Then it's official. Not only are we teammates, we are also in a relationship. Oh, and Raka?" he says turning towards her for a second.

"Yes, Zuko?" she asks with a huge smile across her face. Verge was smiling as well, and I instantly lost all feelings of doubt. Being a Pokemon will be fine as long as I have friends and a great partner by my side.

"Thank you for this," he said before turning back. Raka didn't answer with words, she just smiled bigger.

After the meteor shower finally fell, we all left and returned to where we lived. I walked back towards the Inn, a smile still across my face. Today had gone as good as I could've asked. I made friends, found a partner/boyfriend, and got a beautiful dress. Perhaps I had nothing to worry about. Maybe, being a Pokemon wouldn't be too hard.

When I got inside, Serena was behind the bar, where several customers still were. She looked at me, noted my new dress, the blush on my face, and the happy smile across my face.

"So, how was your day young lady?" she asked with a smile. "Looks like you had a great time around the town."

"It was great! I made loads of friends and found out what I'm focusing on at school. I got this AMAZING dress, had good poffins, and got a great partner," I said, the happiness clear in my voice.

"That dress does suit you, I must say. Based on what you just said, you're taking the Operative Course, right?"

"Operative, is that what it is?" I asked, a bit confused, but still happy.

"Yes, the teams are called Operative Teams. They do the work off both explorers and rescuers. Be careful though, it is a hard course," Serena said, though the warmth didn't leave her face. "But, who is your partner? That's a huge deal for that course."

"Oh, my partner is Zuko. Me and him got along really well," I said, the blush deepening on my face.

"Zuko? Never would've figured you and him would get along. You two are close to polar opposites. He tends to act before thinking, while you seem to think things through first. However, why do I have the feeling 'partner' has two meanings," Serena said. "Did he ask you out, young lady or was it the other way around?"

"It was more mutual than one sided. I can't say that I'm not happy."

"I can tell based on the fact that you're almost redder than a tomato berry. Now, you do have school tomorrow. So, I expect you to go to bed now because, remember, you do have to get up early."

"Okay, goodnight Serena," I said as I went upstairs.

"Goodnight Deliah," she responded, calling after me. I went to my room and shut the door. I took off my dress and put it inside the wardrobe next to the door. After that was settled, I layed down in my bed and closed my eyes. I drifted off, happily, into sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to light streaming in through the window. I got up and stretched, wishing coffee existed in this world. I couldn't tell what time it is, but it must be early morning, by the looks of outside. There were a few Pokemon walking around, a few of the shops were opened.

A new day of school, and a new day to figure out why I'm here. I get the feeling that's going to take awhile, though. I might as well enjoy life then. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, the familiar rapping noise Serena makes.

"Deliah, it's time for school. There's also someone here to see you," Serena said through the door. I heard her footsteps going away from my door. Who would be here to see me though? I opened my door and walked downstairs. When I reached the downstairs, I saw Zuko sitting at a table, holding a mug in his claws. My face started to turn red. I remembered yesterday, the agreement we had made. We were in a relationship now.

"Hey Zuko, whatcha doing here?" I asked, sitting straight across from him. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Well, since we are in a relationship now, I figured we could walk to school together. Actually, we would end up meeting the others on the way," he said, still smiling.

"Okay that sounds nice, I was wondering about that when I saw you," I said back, returning the smile. "Just let me eat real quick and then we can head out."

Serena brought over a bowl of cereal with some oran berries. I nibbled on the berries and ate the cereal. Zuko kept drinking whatever was in his mug. Maybe there is coffee? Whatever the case we both finished and stood up. While heading towards the door I waved goodbye to Serena and she waved back.

"Okay then, we should be able to get to school on time, while meeting Raka and Verge. That shouldn't be two hard, seeing as how they both live close to the school," he says holding out his claw. I took it, my face a little red at this. We walked out to the exit and spotted Raka and Verge. We waved to each other and walked up to them."

"Well, don't you two look like a proper couple now. I'm surprised you aren't carrying her on your back, Zuko," Raka says with a grin. At the mention of him carrying me, my face went even redder and I covered it with my other paw.

"Maybe some other time. However, that's only if she would be okay with that. Would you be okay with that Deliah?" Zuko asked, turning to look at me. He then saw my face, and how red it was. He laughed. "Guess I got my answer, didn't I."

"U-uh I-I actually w-wouldn't mind it Z-Zuko, if that's okay with y-you?" I asked, uncovering my face. I couldn't believe I had spoken my mind on stuff like this.

"Okay, then I guess we can try it this one time," he said and he bent down and stuck his arms behind him. "Just watch out for my tail. I don't want you to get hurt."

"O-okay, I will," I said, my face extremely red. I set myself up grabbing onto his shoulders, while he grabbed my legs. My face was absolutely burning at this point. Raka was smiling and Verge looked like he was trying no to laugh.

"There you go, now you two are getting closer. Maybe you two will kiss soon, that would be something," Raka said. " School's starting soon, we need to get going." We kept going down the path towards the school. My face was redder than it had ever been before. When we finally got to the school, everyone was already there talking with each other. Then, Neko saw us and nudged Myla and pointed towards us. Everyone turned to look at us and they saw Zuko carrying me on his back.

"Well, well, well, I should've known that you two would start doing stuff like this," Neko said with a smirk. "After all, you two do make a great pair."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about Neko," I said, flustered.

"Oh come on just accept it Deliah, you two need to just accept your feelings," Raka said walking up to my side. I let go of Zuko's shoulders, and he let go of my legs. I walked up to his side and grabbed his hand. He squeezed my hand tightly. Mr Balton walked in through the gate and walked us into the classroom. I sat down next to Zuko and we let go of each other's hands.

"Alright class! Today we are going on a field trip into a dungeon. This is a practice test for those of you who are working to become operatives. There are scouts from operative teams, rescue teams, and exploration teams. People from the Expedition Society have also come to watch. Teams are willing to let you intern, so do your best. I will split you into two teams of four, based off of grouping with your course choice. The first team will be Raka, Verge, Deliah, and Zuko. The second team will be Neko, Charlie, Tallon, and Myla. Work hard everyone, and show them what you got!"

"This is our moment Deliah! Zuko said, turning towards me. "If we get scouted! We don't need to take the entrance exam! We get straight into the course and get to explore with the team that selects us. But, uh Mr Balton, who are the teams that are scouting?"

"Good question. The answer three well known teams from their lines of work and then one lone operative. That operative also happens to be the founding member of this school and the operative job, though. The teams are Team Rebirth of the Expedition Society, Team Aura the well known exploration team, and Team Storm the rescue team that was able to save Team ACT and defeat legendary Pokemon."

"Aura, Storm, and Rebirth?! Not to mention the founder of operatives!" Zuko exclaimed looking back at me. "Deliah, these are all first rate options! If we intern for any of the teams, we'll be recognized straight away. That way, Pokemon will come to us for help."

"Looks like we also have a great practice team," Verge said, walking over to us with Raka at his side. "The four of us should have no trouble in the dungeon. But, what's the objective of the dungeon?"

"The objective, class, is to reach the end and defeat the boss of the dungeon and take the treasure. The first team to do so will win and pass with flying colors! The other team will be graded on merit. Time to head to the testing grounds."

We followed Mr Balton out the door and to the left, through another gate. We walked for about 7 minutes until we finally reached a clearing. There was an entrance to a forest, straight ahead, and next to it was a box with a sign over it. The sign said "Deposit Any Items You Don't Need Into This Box". However, the more interesting thing was the group of Pokemon standing in the clearing. To the left, there was a Pikachu, a Quilava, and an Eevee. The Pikachu had five spikes of hair sticking out of his forehead, the Quilava was wearing a pink scarf, and the Eevee had some sort of headband on. To the left was another group of three, a Riolu, another Eevee, and… A SHAYMIN. Since when do mythical pokemon just casually walk around out in the open. The Riolu wore some sort of goggles on his forehead and was also wearing a scarf. The Eevee was wearing a blue bandanna with some sort of pattern on it. Finally, the Shaymin just looked like a regular Shaymin, minus the necklace with the floral design on it.

Standing in the middle was the last group. This time, it had another Pikachu, a Fennekin, and an Espurr. The Pikachu and Fennekin were wearing these green striped bandannas and all three of them were wearing… bracelets? No, I recognized these as looplets, I remember them being a part of a video game I played. They granted the wearer certain powers, also you could put gems (known as emeras) into the sockets and gain even more powers. Last, was a single Charmander, standing in front of the trio with the looplets. He was strange, not just because of his appearance, but because of the aura he exuded. Within him, I could sense a raging inferno as well as a golden heart. But wait, how could I sense that? He was colored like a typical Charmander, but his left eye… it had a huge scar across it. The eye was also grey, while the other was a bright purple. He was wearing a black bandanna, patterned with blue flames, and pinned to it was a badge. It was shaped like a star, with rings around it, it seemed to be made out of multiple materials.

Finally, the worst part of all was the scars across the rest of his body. He had one straight across his chest, where your heart is. He also had two of his sides and one on his right wrist. He radiated seriousness, his presence should've been warm, but it was freezing cold. His tail flame was a dark blue instead of normal fiery red and orange. When he turned and looked at me, I felt several emotions come from him. Urgency, relief, wariness, and so many more. It was like an ocean of thoughts and feelings.

Finally, after a few seconds of silence, he stepped forward and spoke.

"Welcome students, to the Harrowing Forest," he said in a much more kid-like voice, and I realized all of these Pokemon were around our age!

"This will be an exam that challenges your mind, spirit, and body. It will be a hard test for all, but for some," he pauses looking at me and Zuko, his right eyes glowing a violent purple. "It will only be the first of many to come."

I do not own the ideas for Team Aura, Team Rebirth, or Team Storm. They belong to Soniclink137, check him out he does great Pokemon stories using these characters. I used them because I felt like they would make a great edition to the story and drive it better. So thanks to Soniclink137 for creating such good characters. Lastly, I know there wasn't much action, but I kind've wanted to do a long chapter to help with world building to introduce key characters and concepts. Thanks to everyone for reading this. The next chapter should be soon.