Alex Warlorn, for the last time, DON'T WORRY I write better if I get breaks in between by reading other stories. Like yours. I want to plug his fics right now, and my own Jenki fics because I want someone to read them ^^ they're just as good, better in my opinion, as this fic. Oh, and Alex, it wasn't that he wouldn't *ahem* it was that he'd been ignoring her the past day or two. We girls go in to depression spells over things like that.
Also, shout out to Rika!!! Thank you again so much, girl, for helping me look for him, and just for being one of my best friends. Even if it does mean frying our phone bills.

Human? If Only…

9 - All I Hear

Lyra Kamiya

"Ok, so here's the deal. It'll be easier for me to get into the stadium as a human, so I'll stay this way until after Vulpix's match with Gary. Afterwards, I'll wish for everyone to go back to normal… everyone but Vulpix if she wins, everyone period if she looses."

"What do you mean if I win?!" Vixie demanded, glaring at the younger blue haired girl.

"And normal isn't a good word. There is no such thing as normal, I've seen it," Chikorita added, nuzzling her egg again. She was enjoying herself at the moment because Ash had been too tired to question her and it's existence further when she'd asked him not to. "If you say it wrong also, everyone might de-evolve back to their youngest stage…"

"Well then, what am I supposed to say?"

"Wait a second, what about Brock and Tracey?" Ash yawned.

"What do you mean, what about us?! I don't know about bandana boy, but I'd rather get out of this feathery get up," Brock whined, waddling into the room and startling the heck out of those already present.

"I, actually… would like to stay like this a bit longer, at least. I want to help Vixie win, now that I'm finally good at being a pokémon. And also, I'm still waiting for my wish to work correctly," he laughed lightly.

"So if Vixie stays human, you stay pokémon," Martha nodded. "You are still fine with remaining human longer if you win?"

"Eh, I might learn to enjoy this life if it's one of luxury…" Vixie giggled lightly, leaning her chair back against the counter. "If I win the games, I might stay like this forever. Loose, I'll go ahead and wish the other two of us back. If I feel like it," she smirked. "It's his choice what form he stays in. That's why we're waiting until after the match."

"Ash?! Ash, have you seen Togetic?!" came a yell suddenly from the house next door.

"uh-oh…" Ash gulped, sighing and floating to the back door.

"You haven't TOLD HER?!" the others demanded, glaring at and proceeding to snub the boy for a moment.

"Hey, does it look like I can in this body? You people er, whatevers can only understand me because you were once a pokémon."

"Don't remind me!!" Martha whined, flopping back down on the table. She, like all of them except Vixie, had not slept the night before, though she was in a tired and upset mood anyway. "Wait, wait, I know!" she hollered as Ash flew out the back door. "I'll wish everyone back into which ever they were born as!"

"Works…" Brock shrugged.

"I hope," Vixie added, gazing over at Celebi who was sleeping silently on the counter. With everything he'd been through in the past few weeks, would he be able to handle a wish that big? Without the possibly chaotic help of the Unown?

**********

The moment he re-entered the house, the real Ash made it his best effort to look asleep on a pillow in midair. He wasn't sure how Togetic-like it looked, but it certainly seemed convincing to Pikachu, though he later spent a good amount of time laughing about the situation. The moment Misty was back out of the room, Togetic looked up at Ash… "The others going to help us at any time soon?"

"They were all going to change back, etc., anyway as soon as they can."

"Thank goodness… Daddy, I was getting scared," Togetic said softly, starting to cry. Ash mumbled sympathetically, mumbling only out of a lack of ideas of what to saw, and flew down to sit beside Togetic. "I… all I really wanted, was to know what love was… what was so fantastic that now Mommy cared more about you than me, but, it all backfired. I… I don't know what's going on at all…"

"Neither did I until a month or so back… It's perfectly fine that you're confused, and that you wanted to sort it all out. Just do me one favor…"

"Yeah?"

"Next time, talk to Pikachu or something instead of making some huge wish."

Togetic laughed softly in response, glancing up and reading the numbers on the clock. Vixie's match was scheduled to begin in half an hour… they'd told Misty that is was the next day, so that she wouldn't be there to interfere with their plan. "Misty… I'm going for a walk! I'll be back soon…" he called, hearing nothing but the water running in the shower. He sighed and wrote a note stating the same, and that Pikachu and "Togetic" had chosen to go with him. The real Ash knew she needed some time to herself anyway… The three slowly headed out the front door, joining up with Martha's group, Vixie having already well more than arrived at the stadium, and headed off to the match.

**********

The announcer's voice blared over the intercom The match was dwindling down to it's last moments… Gary had but his Umbreon left… Vixie was having Tracey battle, with one more pokémon remaining. Since the two were matched on speed, it was quite obvious who the victor was going to be here. But Gary wasn't giving up without a fight.

"Shady! Use your Shadow Ball!"

"Um-bre!" the wounded dark type agreed, closing its eyes and focusing a ball of deep purple energy. Tracey's eyes grew wide and he glanced back to Vixie for help.

"Go for it," Vixie mouthed, watching the Umbreon continue to power up. Suddenly the energy was shooting across the field. "Tracer!" she yelled, as he was called to keep suspision down, "Use Sketch!"

The attack hit him hard, but the next moment, Tracey was still standing with an uncharacteristic, to both him and the pokémon he now was, smirk on his face. He bowed his head then glanced back at Vixie for what would be the final command.

"Do it. SHADOW BALL!" she yelled more dramatically then necessary, and Tracey shot the attack back at the original user, a grin forming on his face as he landed once more.

"Um… eon…"

"Shady, NO!!"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A WINNER!" the announcer roared above the crowd. Martha came running out onto the field and started hugging Vixie and Tracey randomly, as Gary sulked off the field on the opposite side. It had been quite a match, that much could be said. Now that the rules had been expanded to using 6 pokémon on all matches, except for the final round one on one, matches were becoming more challenging.

But it wasn't enough for Gary. With a small harrumphed, he picked up his Umbreon and carried the fainted pokémon off the field. She tried to whimper an apology to her Trainer, but he shushed her immediately. "You did your best, Shady. We'll do better next year, you'll see.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, Martha was running over the plan repeatedly. She sighed and leaned against the wall of the tunnel they were standing in. "So, this is it? This is when the rest of us go back?"

"I guess so," Togetic shrugged, glancing around. Celebi floated in midair between them, invisible to all but that small group which he wanted to be aware of him.

"But… I don't want to go back…" Martha said plainly, as if it were common knowledge. Everyone looked back over in sudden shock. "Vixie, I can't just desert you and leave you human, fighting by yourself. Even if I become your pokémon. Besides, I'm starting to like this more than being a Marril… I'm not quite as fast of a swimmer as I used to be, but I can learn to live with it. And I think that I'd like to become an actual pokémon trainer…"

Everyone nodded back at her. "Eh, we'll be fine if you don't switch us back," Ash laughed. "We'll explain it to Misty…"

Pikachu glanced up at his Trainer. "I'll make the wish if you want!"

"No, that's ok. I can't ask you to do that."

"Ash? I still want to make the wish for you and Togetic. And for Brock, too…" Martha laughed. Ash sort of stared, confused for a moment, at the Gijinka, then shook his head suddenly.

"I can't ask you to do that."

"I want to, though. I'm going to wish both all of you, all back to where you belong. Celebi?" the little fairy nodded at her. "I wish that everyone, except Vixie, Tracey, and myself, would go back to being pokémon or human, whichever they were born as!"

"Nice, that one would be hard for even the Unown to mess up. Let it be done!" he grinned, disappearing. Ash and Togetic glanced nervously at each other, then both collapsed.

Moments later Ash shook his head, holding it with one hand. "Lugia that was one hell of a fa-" he stopped as he realized he was actually able to reach his head with his hand, and that he was talking… in his voice, again!

"Ash?" Vixie asked, leaning down over him and offering him a hand.

"Yes, it is me. Finally!"

**********

Elsewhere outside the stadium, was an extremely lost feeling, confused Pikachu. He remembered seeing something sparkle in the sky and then… then he was there, buried under a pile of cloths and about to be squished by a backpack that he somehow remembered being a lot smaller. A black nose poked at him, and he snarled, pushing away the pack and looking around demandingly. "W-Wait," he stuttered, staring at the owner of the black nose that had been prodding him. Pure black, with gold rings, she stood to be almost a foot taller than him. "Shady?! Is that you, girl?"

Lee-chan… I'm not officially including your prize in the story, just a slight variation of my original idea. I'll be posting your prize ASAP. Everyone else… I'm sorta internet-challenged until my next report card (DO your homework!), so posts will be very uncommon. Non-existent if this doesn't start to live up to it's predecessor in the reviews.
And is it just me, or did my cliffhanger manage to be REALLY obvious this time?