I keep waking up in different places! It's getting sort of annoying. Hmm?
I'm laying on something soft, and my lower body is so warm…was it all a
dream!?
My eyes snap open…oh, no. I'm in a little glen in the forest. So that means, unfortunately, that it wasn't a dream. Might as well face the reality now, rather than later.
I take a good, long look at my new lower body. It's covered in long, dusky, red-orange fur with deep brown stripes, probably black when the sun isn't hitting them. There is a beige ruff on each paw, a large, fluffy tan tail, and…are there claws? I concentrate on these new appendages and watch in amazement as two sets of black claws emerge from each…
I don't believe it. I've been halved with an Arcanine! I wonder if the chemical changed anything else. I look down at my hands. My fingers are a bit longer, and my nails a bit sharper, but that's basically it.
Huh? What's that? It's a beige-tan wisp of fur. But it can't be from my tail, so…my hands move up to feel my hair…but it's not my hair anymore! It's been turned into an Arcanine's mane! My hands move down the sides of my face…and brush against something soft and fuzzy. Are those my ears? There's no way for me to know except by my own intuition. Is there anything else about my face? My new, longer fingers search around my face, but it's fully normal. Well, except for a little triangle nose.
Carefully I maneuver this new body so that I'm laying on my stomach. Then, carefully, I stand up. Jeez, it's easier to stand on four legs than two! Bracing three legs, I move the last one, my front left paw, forward. Then I move the back right paw forward. Hey, this is easy! But I better not get too sure of myself.
Hey, I'm starting to get the hand of this! I wonder what happened to everybody else? Should I try to find them? Or am I the only one who survived? Matt seemed really weak…
What? I thought I heard thunder. Now that I think about it, it is really dark. And something in my consciousness is telling me to STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER!!! I should probably go to find some shelter…
"He-LLOOO!!!"
Amy!?
Before I even know what I'm doing I'm racing through the trees, jumping over fallen logs, avoiding obstacles like I've had four legs my whole life!
"Amy!!" I shout, my hands curved around my mouth to amplify the sound.
"Cayla!?" I hear her call back. I change my course slightly and slow my pace. Where is she?
"I can her you! I'm coming!" she shouts. Are we that close? Or am I just making a lot of noise?
I slow to a walk. That's funny…I can't hear her, so how can she hear me?
My pace quickens to an easy trot, my large paws covering the mossy ground in long, easy strides. Mow I can hear something bounding through the woods.
"Cayla!?"
"Amy!?"
I can barely recognize her! Of course, I never got a good look at her in the first place, but still. She has the ears and tail of a Raichu, not to mention the little electric sacs on her cheeks. Her eyes are a Raichu's as well, large and pure black. Her feet have changed to the Raichu's as well, and her hands and feet are both covered in a sparse, dark brown fur. I can tell that she's taking me in for the first time as well.
Well, this was a shock! But, now off to more pressing matters.
"Do you know where we are!?" we ask in unison. Well, from that answer, I'd say no…
"You are in the Ilex Forest, just outside of Goldenrod City."
Both of our heads snap towards the voice. A few little sparks fly from Amy's cheeks and tail, while I just feel a kind of burning inside me.
"Do not be afraid," the voice laughs. A shape moves out of the trees…
"I am not going to hurt you."
Is…is she…another one like us? Her face is human, and she has short hair, but…everything else about her is Ampharos. She even has the little jewel on her forehead. Her large eyes are watching us both, sparkling in happiness.
"I wondered when I would meet others," she says. Her voice is quiet and motherly, even though she doesn't know us.
"Who are you?" I ask. Amy nods, apparently wondering about the same thing. The Ampharos girl smiles and bobs her head up and down.
"I knew I was forgetting something," she laughs. "My name is Polly.
"Now come with me," she says, turning and gesturing into the trees with her yellow and black striped tail, the red orb on the end glowing with a soft light. "We had best get to shelter before the storm hits. There is a nice cave nearby, and I can explain to you about what has happened."
She turns and walks into the forest, Amy following close behind. The two seem to have connected instantly. As for me…I'm still myself.
I'm still alone.
My eyes snap open…oh, no. I'm in a little glen in the forest. So that means, unfortunately, that it wasn't a dream. Might as well face the reality now, rather than later.
I take a good, long look at my new lower body. It's covered in long, dusky, red-orange fur with deep brown stripes, probably black when the sun isn't hitting them. There is a beige ruff on each paw, a large, fluffy tan tail, and…are there claws? I concentrate on these new appendages and watch in amazement as two sets of black claws emerge from each…
I don't believe it. I've been halved with an Arcanine! I wonder if the chemical changed anything else. I look down at my hands. My fingers are a bit longer, and my nails a bit sharper, but that's basically it.
Huh? What's that? It's a beige-tan wisp of fur. But it can't be from my tail, so…my hands move up to feel my hair…but it's not my hair anymore! It's been turned into an Arcanine's mane! My hands move down the sides of my face…and brush against something soft and fuzzy. Are those my ears? There's no way for me to know except by my own intuition. Is there anything else about my face? My new, longer fingers search around my face, but it's fully normal. Well, except for a little triangle nose.
Carefully I maneuver this new body so that I'm laying on my stomach. Then, carefully, I stand up. Jeez, it's easier to stand on four legs than two! Bracing three legs, I move the last one, my front left paw, forward. Then I move the back right paw forward. Hey, this is easy! But I better not get too sure of myself.
Hey, I'm starting to get the hand of this! I wonder what happened to everybody else? Should I try to find them? Or am I the only one who survived? Matt seemed really weak…
What? I thought I heard thunder. Now that I think about it, it is really dark. And something in my consciousness is telling me to STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER!!! I should probably go to find some shelter…
"He-LLOOO!!!"
Amy!?
Before I even know what I'm doing I'm racing through the trees, jumping over fallen logs, avoiding obstacles like I've had four legs my whole life!
"Amy!!" I shout, my hands curved around my mouth to amplify the sound.
"Cayla!?" I hear her call back. I change my course slightly and slow my pace. Where is she?
"I can her you! I'm coming!" she shouts. Are we that close? Or am I just making a lot of noise?
I slow to a walk. That's funny…I can't hear her, so how can she hear me?
My pace quickens to an easy trot, my large paws covering the mossy ground in long, easy strides. Mow I can hear something bounding through the woods.
"Cayla!?"
"Amy!?"
I can barely recognize her! Of course, I never got a good look at her in the first place, but still. She has the ears and tail of a Raichu, not to mention the little electric sacs on her cheeks. Her eyes are a Raichu's as well, large and pure black. Her feet have changed to the Raichu's as well, and her hands and feet are both covered in a sparse, dark brown fur. I can tell that she's taking me in for the first time as well.
Well, this was a shock! But, now off to more pressing matters.
"Do you know where we are!?" we ask in unison. Well, from that answer, I'd say no…
"You are in the Ilex Forest, just outside of Goldenrod City."
Both of our heads snap towards the voice. A few little sparks fly from Amy's cheeks and tail, while I just feel a kind of burning inside me.
"Do not be afraid," the voice laughs. A shape moves out of the trees…
"I am not going to hurt you."
Is…is she…another one like us? Her face is human, and she has short hair, but…everything else about her is Ampharos. She even has the little jewel on her forehead. Her large eyes are watching us both, sparkling in happiness.
"I wondered when I would meet others," she says. Her voice is quiet and motherly, even though she doesn't know us.
"Who are you?" I ask. Amy nods, apparently wondering about the same thing. The Ampharos girl smiles and bobs her head up and down.
"I knew I was forgetting something," she laughs. "My name is Polly.
"Now come with me," she says, turning and gesturing into the trees with her yellow and black striped tail, the red orb on the end glowing with a soft light. "We had best get to shelter before the storm hits. There is a nice cave nearby, and I can explain to you about what has happened."
She turns and walks into the forest, Amy following close behind. The two seem to have connected instantly. As for me…I'm still myself.
I'm still alone.