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Chapter V: From the Ashes


Many visions crossed my mind during my impromptu sleep, mostly nightmares of what was to come. Included among them, most prominently, were fears pertaining to my team. What if I were to wake, all alone, abandoned in the middle of nowhere? What if the transformation didn't go as planned, leading to an incredible and horrible mutilation? What if…

What if my team didn't care for me at all? They celebrated my death, finally free of a vain and naïve trainer who thought he had everything figured out in the world. Had they been faking their affection for me?

I'd made so many mistakes… So many… I had to relive each and every one in my own mind.

These less-than pleasant dreams also revealed to me, as well, and in great detail, each and every one of my fears about the people pursuing me. They found us again… They killed everyone.

Mew was trying to destroy me from the very beginning. That's why she abandoned me when I needed her.

These thoughts only ceased when I felt myself starting to wake up. I was incredibly relieved at the prospect, to say the least. What was I worried about, again?

Yet, when I fully woke, I sure as hell wished I hadn't.

Cold pelted at my form endlessly from all directions in the same instant; a harsh wind could be heard in the distance. The temperature was miserable, perhaps below freezing by my approximation. I kept my eyes shut and attempted to figure out how I'd gotten there.

Something was… Off… I was acutely aware of my legs in an extremely odd position; facing straight outward, rather than below my torso. It was as if I'd fallen asleep while doing stretches, but for whatever reason, I wasn't straining myself.

I was too tired to speak, too tired to move. My previous conversation with Mew still hadn't caught up with me.

I tried moving an arm, only receiving a twitch in return. Maybe the cold had drained my strength and locked my joints? My muscles sure felt like putty; there was no other way to explain it.

"Guys?" I called out instinctively, hoping for some sort of help. My voice was the largest change I'd noticed so far. It wasn't exactly hoarse in tone, but it felt as if it drew all my strength to utter the single word. Even then, it came out as nothing more than a tiny squeak.

I just stayed there, struggling to remember anything. I'd hiked Mt. Chimney with the team, Jet and I met Mew. We were attacked! And then… Were we still on the mountain?

A shiver ran through my bones. I could figure out what happened later. First, I had to find my team, then I had to get warm. Was I… Naked? I couldn't sense any clothes adorning my body, but for whatever reason, a layer of… something was covering it; I couldn't feel the harsh cold as much as I would with bare skin.

Reluctant, and praying the cold wouldn't bite at my eyes harshly, I opened them, and took in the landscape around me. My vision was blurry, extremely so; I found myself blinking a few times to try and clear them. Eventually, I got a view, albeit hazy one, of what was directly in front of me.

A mountain of blue… I found myself gazing at it oddly, trying to figure out what the surface was, until it shifted, ever so slightly.

Is that… Axle?

My vision was swimming, so I couldn't exactly make an accurate guess. Oddly, though, I found I couldn't find the strength to move my head to peer up at the creature's face.

If it is, why does he look so gigantic?

I decided to get up; I would do so by shifting to my stomach, before getting on my hands and knees. It would require the least amount of effort.

My movements felt foreign. My body was numb, of course, but something about my limb placement made me question myself. What if everything was not as it seemed? My concerns were verified upon turning over. My own two arms were blocking me, after finding I couldn't move my shoulders to place them at my sides.

Are they broken or something? I don't feel any pain… Maybe it's the cold?

I tried giving them a look, but wasn't able to focus my eyes long enough. Everything still showed, at least to me, as extremely blurry and muddled.

And so, I tried harder. Tried to focus, tried to clear my vision. I found myself blinking rapidly, enough to get even the vaguest depictions of what was wrong. Yes! My eyesight was gradually getting sharper and sharper! Just a few more seconds…

Yet, when I finally got even the obscurest of sights at what laid before me, I blanched.

My hand… My human hand. It was human no longer. My fingers had disappeared, leaving the appendage behind as a… a stump. No, it only appeared that way. A small bit more focus revealed it to be a paw. My paw.

Black fur, messy and tangled from sources unknown, replaced the skin on my arm. In the place of my hand was nothing more than yet another section of fluff, this one bright red in color.

I emptily blinked once… Twice… Somin had played a prank like this on me before, who's to say he wouldn't do it again?

Yet, I found my heart pounding, trying to grasp any information I'd forgotten over the last 24 hours.

Then it hit me… Mew, she had to… Had to…

I fearfully yelped with the realization, finding newfound strength in the form of adrenaline. I tried getting on my fee— paws, and scooting away as if the problem were directly in front of me. All I succeeded in doing was stumbling over the extremely foreign amount of legs, driving myself into yet another sleeping Pokémon.

I imagined myself spewing multiple obscenities, but was unable to physically formulate them. My jaw was slack, I was only capable of letting out high-pitched squeaks and whines. It felt so… unnatural, to not be able to create words.

It only went to contribute to my rising anxiety. Nothing moved in the direction I wanted it to. I was no longer governor of my own body.

And so, I kept flailing and attempting to curse, the product only the incoherent sounds from before, therefore restarting my endless cycle of fear. I landed down on the ground painfully multiple times; horror was always enough incentive to get my legs under me and keep thrashing.

It was only stopped when I heard shuffling beside me, promptly before something wrapped around my midsection and lifted me off the ground.

Tears were freely streaming down my new face by then, dampening the short fur residing there and creating a sensation not unlike a wet towel being pressed under my eyes. I knew what lay in front of me now, but clenched my eyes shut in intimidation. The feeling of weightlessness and vulnerability while in Vita's grip, suspended above the ground, only contributed to my trepidation.

Between my gasps for air and trembles, I caught bits and pieces of the conversation around me.

"W-what? Where are we?" I heard an unfamiliar voice say. It sounded roughly young, the voice of a man in his late twenties. It wasn't very deep, but definitely deeper than my own, or the one I used to possess.

"GOD DAMNIT!" I then heard, lighting up with the recognition of Somin's voice. "THAT BITCH TOOK RAY WITH HER! I KNEW SHE WOULD DO SOMETHING!"

"Ugh, wha— what's with the Zorua?"

This was another unfamiliar voice, with a pitch in a higher key than my own. The raspy, quick inflections led me to believe…

Oh no, that's the team, isn't it? I-I can really hear them. That means… Yveltal's wing, she wasn't kidding. I'm… I'm…

"Who cares! Probably Mew's idea as a fuckin' joke." Somin seethed. I stayed as I was, involuntarily letting out little whimpers every so often, seeing only the inside my eyelids. Whether it be instinct or not, I tried making myself as small in size as possible. Maybe I could just disappear altogether. Then, this nightmare would be over, and I could wake up, back in Lavaridge.

"We… We need to go after her," the unfamiliar man then spoke, sorrow leaking into his voice. "I… I shoulda trusted you, Somin. Damn it…"

"Glad to see you changed your mind," the Zoroark replied, quite sarcastically at that. "She probably planted the kit here so we wouldn't have time to go after her."

It seemed Vita's attention had been on the conversation prior to that last spoken sentence, but with the mention of the 'kit', she turned her attention back to me. Even though I didn't see it myself, I imagined Vita's loving and tender stare as she next spoke.

"It's alright, little one," she said, her voice angelic in a sense. Hearing the Serperior speak for the first time had a novelty to it I would never forget. "There's no need to be scared, no one here will hurt you."

I cringed, shying away further as more tears left my clenched eyelids. Her words were comforting, very much so, but the prior knowledge only I held, but couldn't hope to relay in my flustered state, saddened me further. How would they find out I was me? What I wanted was some sort of familiarity, but all I received was the treatment administered to that of which I seemed.

Vita noticed my reaction, and ignoring the argument escalating behind me, stroked my head with a vine.

"I'm going to put you down, alright?"

Giving no deviation of my current behavior in the least, she did as she said, the cold, hard rock floor chilling my figure as my newly-discovered paw pads connected.

However, as soon as Vita retracted her vines, the lack of support caused me to topple over, my front legs sliding out from under me.

"Hey guys," another unfamiliar voice, this one male with a higher, coarser pitch spoke. "These… These are Ray's clothes… Holes in them and everything. His bag's here, too. Mew must've grabbed it. Whaddaya think that means?"

"I still believe Mew has good intentions," Vita responded before Somin could negatively. "She may be healing him somewhere else as we speak. We have no idea."

"What are the odds of that being true, Vita? Huh?" the first unknown voice, Somin's cohort, responded.

"What do you want to do then, Axle? Go out there, into the freezing cold, when we have no idea where we are, when we have a newborn Zorua, not even old enough to stand, under our care? Have fun, get me a souvenir or something."

Newborn? Why newborn? Why did… Oh no, this is what she meant by reducing my power, didn't she?

"Well, don't you sound concerned," Somin retorted sarcastically. "Our human is out there… Ray is out there, and you want to stay in here, doing nothing? Open your eyes, Vita! He's gone!"

I was kicking myself in the shin (metaphorically, of course) over not stopping the argument, but at the pace my mind was moving, I would be lucky if I were able to form a single syllable, let alone a word.

"I trust Mew. I saw the honesty in her eyes when she made me that promise. I know good intentions when I see them."

I was forcefully shoved out of my thought when a vine wiped away the drenched fur around my right eye. The odd sensation, one I was not quite acclimated to, prompted me to open my eyes for the first time since the argument started and stare at Vita.

"I think you're wrong this time, Vita… Remember the Dewott? Good intentions, my ass."

Somin's counter was lost on the both of us; my full attention was on the Serperior, while hers was on me… for whatever reason.

I had to look upwards to get a proper look at her face, now multiple times higher. She stared back down at me with wide, happy eyes, tinted at the edges with her own tears.

After staring at me straight in the eyes, though, she froze.

Her vine retracted slowly, stopping mid-way as her face contorted with thought. First came confusion, a few seconds passed as her thoughts developed before her expression changed dramatically.

After confusion came surprise. She gave a secondary, intense stare straight at my face, invading my personal space and causing me to shy away ever so slightly from her advance. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times in indecisiveness.

Then came horror. I observed her eyes light up in recognition; she'd finally figured out what she was contemplating. But; what was it?

Lastly, though, came overwhelming joy, in the form of tears.

"Vita, did you even hear what I said?"

"Oh, Arceus…" Vita started, her voice seemingly having gone through a strainer. She proceeded to wrap two vines around my midsection; I knew what was coming before it happened.

She let out a happy noise, somewhere between a sob and a squeal, before bringing me into an extremely tight embrace against her. I yelped in surprise, my vision instantly blocked and the air forced from my lungs.

The Serperior was frantic; I was aware of a wet sensation, amplified by my fur, in the wake of her repeated nuzzling.

"You're okay, you're alright," I heard her mumbling to herself, a personal mantra for my safety. How did she know, though?

Yet, she did. There was no other explanation for her reaction. So, finally, with the Serperior crying profusely, and with the realization we were all alright, sans myself, I ended up doing the same, pressing my face further into the Pokémon.

I let everything out. My fear of change, the sudden transformation, and the frustration of Mew's abandonment. The legendary was right, though, my team would be there for me, even if I didn't acknowledge her words at the time.

"V-v-vi," I tried choking out, my jaw giving up before I could finish. She seemed to have gotten the message, seeing as she lessened up in her intensity, instead holding me as close to her as possible.

"What the hell was that, Vita? You coulda killed the thing!"

I turned my head, ever so slightly, out of Vita's body to gaze at Somin. I still quivered pitifully, being reminded every few seconds of what had happened.

"I-it's Ray…" she replied simply yet incredulously, laughing in a mix of joy and confusion.

"Great, now she's delusional," Somin replied, prompting a full stare in his direction. This was the first I'd seen of him, and he looked like a mess. I couldn't find a single spot in which his fur wasn't tangled or matted, including his mane. He also sported multiple cuts running along the length of his body, having stopped bleeding a while ago. Had he gotten in a fight?

"Look at him, Somin! There's no way this can be a coincidence! Legendary shows up, notorious for transforming people into Pokémon, who promised to bring back our dead trainer. And now, you think this is just a random Zorua!? He has Ray's eyes! You saw it yourself, even his clothes are here! Look at him, Somin! Take a good, long look."

Somin, not convinced, growled, stalking forward with a glare. After situating his claws under my forelegs, he ripped me from Vita's grip and raised me to stare him dead in the eyes.

"S-s-som-" I struggled; the stutters would be present even without my speech impediment.

Yet, he just kept staring… And staring… His glare softened as his eyes glazed over in thought. He seemed to be putting the pieces together.

"Somin?" the coarse voice asked. There was only one left I hadn't associated with a member of the team, so I assumed this to be Victor. "Whaddaya think?"

He didn't respond, and I thought I saw the faintest trace of tears form in his eyes…

… Promptly before he dropped me from a distance more than four times my height. I'm fairly sure I let out a yelp upon falling, but couldn't quite remember. Unable to correct myself, I landed directly on my side, the resulting whiplash causing me to knock my head into the ground.

I was instantly unconscious.


"Unnh…"

I groaned as I woke, my head pounding. Without opening my eyes, I knew I was back at the condo, stuffed completely under the sheets. My comfort and warmth at the moment betrayed that fact.

Darkrai, that was a really weird dream. My head hurts from thinking about it all…

"He's waking up."

Who's that? The voice sounds familiar… But…

"Just… Try and keep him calm. We need to be positive. We gotta try not to scare him."

What are they talking about?

I slowly opened my eyelids, suddenly made of lead, to get a grasp of the world around me. I blinked a few times, clearing the clouds in my vision. A few shapes danced fluidly through the blur.

"Ray?"

I was finally able to focus enough to see none other than Vita, staring straight back at me. She wore a worried gaze, red eyes staring deep beneath my skin. A half-smile was the expression she wore, as if she were trying to raise my spirits.

Oh no… Oh no… It wasn't a dream, was it?

Instantly fully conscious, I let my eyes go wide. Fearful, I look down at myself, and choked once more at what I saw.

My body… It was still missing. Replacing it was the ball of grey fluff I'd hardly had any time to get acquainted with before.

My breathing and heart rate were instantly through the roof. The only object stopping me from struggling once more in terror was Vita, who seemed to have already coiled herself around me protectively.

"Are you feeling alright?"

How the hell do you think I feel, Vita?

I stared up at the Serperior, petrified. Each, solitary breath came out shaky and fractured.

"Ray, please, just calm down…" she said in a soothing tone. "We're here. It's okay."

Okay?! What about this is okay?!

I wanted to struggle, wanted to run. I supposed that was why Vita had ensnared me initially, however. It didn't prevent me from squirming uncomfortably, though.

The way the fur… My fur rubbed up against the Serperior, the direction my limbs could and could not bent, it all felt so unnatural. My senses, and what I perceived, were not my own, but those of another being.

To be perfectly honest, we may have sat there in silence for the better part of a half hour. By then, the initial shock had finally subsided once more; I was reduced to nothing but a quivering mess.

"Feeling better?"

I shook my head solemnly, eyes lowered.

"Everyone's glad you're okay," she spoke tentatively, stroking my head softly with a vine. The contact was comforting, sure, but I didn't much care to notice it at the time.

"Can you speak? At all?"

I raised my head to stare defeatedly at Vita. "Lit...le," I tried, content I could at least produce some tier of coherence in my speech.

"Jet explained most of what happened. Can you tell us why Mew did this? We might be able to help."

This was another voice, one I instantly recognized as Somin's. Turns out his natural speech sounded exactly as I'd heard in my head. His speech prompted me to, for the first time, take a glance at the rest of the group.

I hadn't forgotten how he'd knocked me out, either directly or indirectly. I put on an irritated expression as I turned to glare at him, but ceased when I received sight of his condition.

Everyone stood at attention in a small semi-circle around Vita, huddled to conserve warmth. The Zoroark, responsible for the suggestion, was looking even more rugged than I last saw him. If it weren't for prior relations, I could've easily mistaken him for a wild Pokémon.

His eyes were bloodshot, fur matted. It seemed as if, despite our prior period of unconsciousness, he hadn't slept for a month.

I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to speak long enough to give an adequate answer. Simply too much information was present to tell before I'd tire. Not that they'd understand half of what I said, anyways.

"Lonnng… Storrrrrrry."

The Zoroark then stared at the ground defeated. I swore I found the faintest of scowls adorning his face.

"I'm sorry… I… Not just for dropping you but… If I'd been there a little earlier, I could've saved you. None of this would've happened… Jet would've been able to fail without the consequences screwing everything up.

"You think this is my fault?"

I turned towards the yell, Jet's, as he glared towards the Zoroark.

"Well, while we're apologizing," he said sarcastically. "I'm sorry Ray has to deal with such an emotionally unstable prick who thought it was a good idea to knock him unconscious for no reason! You're a mess, Somin, a joke! My fault. What can you say you would've done different in my position?! At least I was—"

Instantly upon stopping, he dropped, commencing in writhing on the floor in apparent pain. He let out multiple, involuntary squawks, screaming to alleviate his apparent agony. I could guess the source of his suffering fairly easily.

Somin's eyes were glowing a deep purple, focused menacingly on the convulsing Braviary.

No one dared advance, even if they yelled at the raging Zoroark. Spontaneous shouts of, "Cut it out, Somin!" and other exclamations of the same nature filled the room.

"Next time you try to speak up," the Zoroark replied, his fear-invoking voice sounding above the rest, "remember who you're—"

SMACK

The Zoroark's eyes lost their tint almost immediately, a paw going up to touch his jaw; the spot in which Vita had slapped him with a vine.

He glared at the Serperior, gaze softening when he remembered I was still present. Letting a scowl retake his face, however, he stormed straight out of the cave entrance and into the harsh fall wind.

No one spoke for a solid thirty seconds, I almost thought I heard his agitated yells above the tornado-force winds outside.

"Jet's out cold."

Victor stood over the unconscious Braviary, surveying the damage done and breaking the stunned silence.

"Of course he's gotta throw a fit when something like this is going on," Axle piped in.

I remained silent, staring upon the scene with awe. In those few moments of savagery, I'd completely forgotten about what had gone down. If anything, though, at least the surprise was enough to stop me from quivering.

"Just give him some time… Let's just fill Ray in while we wait for Jet to wake up," Victor said, turning to Vita, and subsequently, me.

"We're not even gonna talk about this?" Axle questioned incredulously as he lumbered back towards us. He turned towards the cave entrance every so often, as if he expected the Zoroark to barge back in at any second.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Vita said out of nowhere, turning towards the Swampert. "They'll work it out, there's really nothing we can do."

I still had my gaze directed towards the harsh world outside. Somin looked in no condition to be alone at the moment, I could only hope he wouldn't blow off steam in a violent fashion.

"Twist Mountain."

"Huh?" I asked, finally wrenching my line of sight from Somin's trail.

"We're on Twist… That's where Mew teleported us. Almost halfway around the world."

How's that possible? There's no way any psychic can jump that far!

"We went out and checked while you were out. We're right by the summit. Means our cave is only a day or two's walk from here…"

Our cave… If we were on Twist, that meant the cave we occupied during our one-year stint in the surrounding mountain range was nearby.

"We came up with a plan," she continued. "If it snows up here, we're dead, plain and simple. There's no food this high up, so the goal is to get downhill as fast as possible. We can only hope the berry grove hasn't frosted over…"

"Yeah, but now that's out the window," Axle interjected. "Somin and his tantrum just delayed us until whenever he decides to come back and when Jet wakes up… Beautiful."

"It doesn't really matter," Victor replied. "It's not like we were gonna leave instantly anyways. It's the middle of the night… We'd fall off the mountain before making it anywhere."

Vita sighed, malcontent. After directing a cursory examination, to make sure I was alright (or the closest possible), she lifted me up with a pair of vines and set me down on the cold stone below.

"I'm going to go find Somin," she said simply. Then, in an authoritative time, she continued. "Watch Ray, I might be a while."

Without another word, she slithered, disappearing from sight instantly upon exit.

I watched, shivering, as she left. The sharp contrast of temperature between her body warmth and the cruel cave weather was not expected.

I wasn't without company long, however, considering a certain Swampert took post beside me, laying down against my flank.

I gazed up at him incredulously. Even when lying down, he still towered at somewhere around four or five times my height. His head alone was most likely larger than my new body altogether.

"You know why… Well, you know… you know why Mew made you a… a kit?"

He seemed incredibly awkward asking the question; I only gave him a sign in return. At least I'd previously figured out how Mew "reduced my power naturally." Yet, was this necessary? To make me a Pokémon on its own was a punishment, now I had to be entirely dependent on the team?

"Yeah, your body mustn't even be a week old yet. It's a bit strange."

I glared at the Durant, rolling my eyes at his obvious statement.

"I'm… I'm glad you're okay though," Axle continued; I could feel the vibrations of his voice run through his skin. "It's…" he sighed, "I just don't know what to think about any of this."

"Hey!" Victor said, voice raised enthusiastically. "Just think about all the opportunity this brings, though! I know it's unfortunate, but think… What human is ever gonna get to experience this? You can understand us! That's enough reason to look forward to what's to come, until we get you all fixed up."

Not quite knowing how to react to the statement, I let out another sigh, resting my head on my hands… paws.

His impromptu speech did spark curiosity, though, if apprehensive. Yet, I solemnly realized I couldn't hide from myself forever.

Jaw quivering, I resigned myself to take a look around my soul's new home.

The most prominent feature of this new anatomy was the addition of a fifth limb, having not even given it any mind beforehand. The prospect of me having a tail alone would be enough to interest me for hours. Quite frankly, I didn't know how to feel about it whatsoever. A portion of me laughed at my own dilemma, while another exhibited discomfort with the change. The tail itself didn't even feel foreign, a grayish tone, like the rest of my new fur. After moving it a few times in each direction, though, I felt as if I'd been in possession of the appendage for quite a while. I sat for a few moments, ignoring the presence of Axle, Victor, and now Jet, practicing certain movements and sequences and feeling gratification when I felt adept in its usage. At this point, the swishing movement of my newest limb had allowed me to calm down, if only a little. It didn't stop me from whimpering pitifully in fear.

Looking over the rest of my body, I found, once more, my human arms and legs had been replaced with much smaller limbs, all nearly identical in shape and size, the hind ones slightly larger. All four were the same base color as the other fur adorning my body, but tipped with a deep red on each end, similar to the look of wearing socks. The sight of them sent a shiver up my spine. Unlike the tail, which was solely an addition, replacing one body part with another felt unbelievably odd.

Lastly, though, trying not to pay any mind to my paws, I craned his head to stare at a darker patch of fur surrounding my neck, black, instead of the normal gray, and longer than the other fur around my body. As weird as it was to, I could say confidently that it was, in fact, comfortable, bringing a moderate, but pleasant feeling of warmth to my neck and upper back. It was definitely a welcome contrast as compared to the freezing temperatures surrounding us.

Finally having gotten a grasp on what had occurred, I came out of my trance noticing my breath rate had lowered. Even if I was still shivering, I could at least, by then, attribute it to the cold.

Of course I was still frightened. My breaths, even if slowed, were shaky, as if I were to mentally collapse at any time.

Speaking of which…

Somin and Vita still hadn't returned. While I wasn't expecting them to rapidly come back, I held a small bit of resentment at the fact.

For whatever reason, I possessed something close to a desperation to see them again. I wanted to make sure they were okay, of course, but this… This felt like something different… Something new.

"They're probably just having a discussion. They've been doing it a lot lately, no one really knows what they talk about."

Axle's explanation brought me back to reality as the thoughts of my sudden attachment to the two disappeared. Now absentminded, my attention shifted every few seconds to something new. One moment I would ponder over the future, and in the next, I would aimlessly and mindlessly watch the silent swish of my new tail.

"What do we do then? Just walk?" Victor and Axle had been in a discussion, most of which I'd blocked out. For no specific reason, I started giving them mind when the question was proposed.

"Problem is that Ray can't." replied Axle, closing his eyes in mild frustration. "Mew just had to turn him into a newborn. We'll freeze if we stay up here unprepared, though. Sure, we have what's in his bag, but is it enough?"

"What if we called someone?" Victor's voice sounded in return. Our questioning stares in his direction prompted him to stand and walk a few feet away, where my old clothes and bag lay. He, upon arriving, dug through the fabric with his mandibles.

Finally finding what he was looking for in burrowing through one of my backpack pockets, he retracted himself and raised his prize for all to see.

"Good thing you kept your Pokénav on you, huh Ray?"

Right… I never parted with the device. After the incident we ran into during Chargestone, one of my first near-death experiences in which we were completely lost, I was scared to be without it. In there, I had contact information with all Gym Leaders of the region, Drayden's included, considering his contact info had been left with the discharge papers he'd given me personally. Surely, at least one of them would be of assistance?

"I don't think it's exactly a good thing," replied Axle, staring grimly at the device.

"Who could we call in this situation? It's not exactly like asking for help in a normal case…"

"Yeah, but maybe someone would know how to fix this," Victor replied, bringing the device back over towards us.

"What would happen if any human got a hold of Ray?" Axle interrogated, "That's probably why Mew stranded us in the middle of nowhere! We can't get help, or else someone'll figure it out and those people will come for us again."

"There's people we can trust, though! Like Skyla, right? What about them?"

"There's no telling if we'll see 'em in the first place. Humans turning into Pokémon, imagine how they'd react… They would take him away, and we'd never see him again."

The cave fell into silence once more, before Victor gave a quiet reply. "We should still keep it, though, in case we need it. Fair?"

"Eh," the Swampert said nonchalantly after a few seconds of thought.

No longer having need to say anything, the group sat in an incredibly awkward silence. At the very least, the lack of speech gave me some time to ponder potential plans for what to do. Would I see Mew at all over the next few days? If so, what possible roles could she play in my future? How long would it take to fix me?

Minutes passed. I shifted uncomfortably, Axle's breathing pattern rocking me back and forth. I even tried standing at one point, making little progress.

A very audible 'humph' from across the cave sounded, redirecting our attention. Jet had awoken, grunting with the effort of getting off the ground. He scanned the cave with a glare, softening a little when he realized Somin wasn't around.

While not specifically glaring at us, he bore an irritated expression as he crossed the cave to join us. He nodded his head in my direction as greeting.

"Where's Somin?"

"He stormed off… Vita went after him."

I thought I heard the faintest utterance of "Asshole," from Jet.

I remained observant throughout the exchange. Were they always this combative? Never before had I experienced this sort of infighting among us.

I was wrenched from my thoughts once more, however, when a calm, female voice spoke from the entrance of the cave.

"It's time to leave. Let's get going."

"Where's Somin?"

"He's waiting outside."

Axle stood, turning downwards to give me a glance.

"It's not exactly like Ray can walk…"

"Already got it figured out."

The team's collective stare shot behind Vita, in the direction of Somin's voice. He'd seemed to have calmed down considerably, but hadn't taken the time to clean himself up. Even if his attitude had cleared up, his appearance contradicted his state of mind.

Ignoring a glare from Jet, he stalked straight towards me, plastering on a look of indifference. I could tell he was trying his best to retain normalcy in his behavior.

He stood over me, a good fifteen times my height. I felt so… puny. The fact he'd, not ten minutes before, attacked a teammate didn't assist to ease my worry.

He then picked me up off the ground, no effort required. The size I was at the time, he was easily able to fit a paw under my belly and support my weight thoroughly. The entire process was demeaning, at best.

I was about to let out a yelp or grunt of protest when Somin's paw retracted, leaving me in gravity's clutches for the second time that night. Clenching my eyes shut, I let out an abrupt yell, expecting Somin to have dropped me yet again.

I was muffled, however, when I became submerged in a world of fur. I didn't open my eyes, but was easily able to discern the fact it surrounded me on all sides. I struggled, not quite knowing which way was up.

I did resurface, albeit after some exhausting exertion on my new muscles. Gasping for breath, I poked my head back into the frigid air.

The first thing I did, after sputtering and spitting out some hairs (a few had found residence in my mouth), was send a glare at the Zoroark after rotating a half-turn. He was looking over his shoulder amusedly at me out of the corner of his eye, which placed me…

Somin's mane… I'd heard of the relationship between Zorua and Zoroark, where the latter would place the former in the gigantic swath of fur lining the back of their heads and running parallel with their spines. The area itself was large enough to fit multiple objects, perfectly suitable for habitation of smaller species. Yet, I felt odd. Zoroark did this mainly to protect their young, but being a physical part of the equation threw me off.

He then, after giving a cursory glance of where I was previously, grabbed my Pokénav without a word. He seemed to have placed the mental puzzle pieces of our discovery together rather well. It was dropped only a few inches away from me, disappearing under the ocean of fur.

He proceeded to pick up my bag and sling it around a shoulder. He readjusted his mane, myself inside, to sit above the pack before putting it on fully.

"See?" he said, smirking at my reluctant annoyance to my current placement. "Problem solved."

I stared at him oddly. Was he seriously going to act as if nothing had happened? It seemed, despite the seriousness of the situation, most everyone had already forgiven one another's transgressions. Or, were they only expressing their disdain internally?

Were they, perhaps, afraid to confront Somin about it? Vita didn't seem to have a problem with stopping his behavior, even going as far to speak with him afterwards.

Yet, I still found my mind didn't retain interest in the incident for long. I was still reeling from what had occurred; bits of information and ideas kept popping up into my head about our future. Instead of expressing my inner turmoil in surprise and fear, however, now it presented itself in the form of quiet contemplation.

"Come on, let's go," Somin said, cutting into my thoughts as he trekked towards the entrance of the cave, his mane bouncing up and down slightly with his gait.

"Wait! You still wanna go now?!" Axle asked, stepping forwards towards us.

"When else are we gonna go?" Somin responded. "The wind's starting to let up and the sun's rising. I don't know how long we've been out for, but I don't think any of us need anymore sleep. We need to get off of the mountain as soon as possible, so why not start now?"

"Hmm," Victor interjected, "Shouldn't we, I dunno, give Ray some time to adjust first?"

I opened my mouth, ready to attempt forming a response when Somin replied in my stead. "It's not like he can do anything else right now. I'm pretty sure he'll have a lot of time over the next day or two to think. Let's just get this done, and maybe we can help him adjust later tonight? Hell, what better place to train and teach than the grove?"

The cave fell into the grasp of silence for a few moments. What Somin had said reflected my opinion very poorly, but I wasn't exactly in a position to argue. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to escape his mane without an external source of assistance. I could barely maneuver inside without exhaustion as-is.

I'd since turned back around, finding it easier to twist my upper body before my lower body to move through the swath of fur. The rest of the team, with nothing else to argue, wordlessly formed up and prepared for the journey ahead.

I didn't have any say in the matter as we collectively stepped out into the harsh wind of the outside world.

Somin was correct, it was becoming daylight outside. Twist Mountain was the largest peak in the surrounding mountain range, the second tallest summit in the world, in fact. The sun glinted off of the jagged, eastern horizon, slowly bathing the surrounding area in an orange glow.

The cave, our cave, was situated somewhere around 8,000 feet in elevation. In fact, it wasn't technically even a part of the Twist Mountain incline, resting in a valley between it and the summit of an adjacent, much smaller peak. As part of training during the year we spent away from society, secluded among the mountain range on which we stood, we would hike Twist, a whopping 19,000 feet in total. It seemed now, though, we sat somewhere close to that elevation.

The surrounding mountaintops provided for little cover from the harsh climate, even in early fall, considering we stood above them all. The wind stung harshly, of course, but I found myself grateful at the lack of snow… For now.

I could just about fathom the discomfort my team was feeling having to trek in this weather. The altitude, even if we'd just been on Mt. Chimney, certainly didn't help. I found myself subconsciously shrinking into Somin's fur, leaving to the cruelty of the wind as little as possible. By the time I settled in, only my head was visible.

For hours they walked, dotted at random with conversations, mostly about what had happened and potential plans for the future. Multiple breaks had to be taken, considering the sudden altitude change. Sure, we were physically capable, but the sparseness of oxygen would've debilitated nearly anything.

I practiced speaking by trying to explain what happened from my perspective, mainly what information both Jet and Somin lacked.

We'd encountered little ferals along the way, most taken out by Jet from the air before they even came into sight.

Most noticeable about the journey, however, was how much I learned about my new self while gazing upon the mountainside. Even as something as insignificant as the chill nipping at my ears revealed to me a widely different location and a different shape.

I fathomed for the first time how heightened my senses seemed to be, as compared to how they were only a day before. Even if my eyesight was still fuzzy at times, my hearing and sense of smell in particular were the largest changes conducted. I heard, in great detail, the crunch of my team's paws against the cold rock below, coupled with our conversations seeming all the louder. I was even able to perceive, at times, the heavy breathing of each, individual Pokémon.

Scents were a relatively new concept, and tended to overload my mind at times. Somin's fur held a distinct, inexplicable smell, one I would never have noticed as a human. It overwhelmed the others; I was only able to get wafts of theirs every so often.

Hours passed, and we very nearly ran out of subjects to talk about. I was starting to feel slightly sluggish, for whatever strange reason, the steady bounce of my ride lulling me in a half-trance.

"So," Jet asked from above, adjusting his wing movements to fit the whipping gusts of air. Flying, especially at the altitude, was difficult. He mostly had to rely on gliding through updrafts in order to make any progress. "Whaddaya think about fighting, Ray?"

"Hmm?" I responded, perking my head up from my makeshift pillow of fur. The question was quick to spark my interest. I hadn't even thought about that aspect of becoming a Pokémon, would I be able to fight and use moves? What would that feel like?

"Yeah," Somin chuckled, "Hell no. His body's probably only a few days old, has about a quarter the size of a fully grown Zorua, and can't even walk. I'll teach him about using moves, but we need to wait a little first."

"Well, yeah, of course," Jet replied hurriedly, a hint of resentment lacing his tone. "I know we gotta wait, I just wanted to know how he felt about it."

"It… sound cool," I replied slowly, my thoughts racing. Now, I was getting excited, letting it shine on my face. "When start, Somin?"

Getting the intentions of my words, and ignoring my improper grammar, he sent me a glance out of the corner of his eye.

"I started learning how to fight once I was somewhere around four weeks old, if I remember right," he said, dampening my spirits. For whatever reason, I was incredibly excited about the concept, maybe it was the contrast from my uselessness as a human?

I'd never had the chance to do anything special as a human. Sure, it was fun playing the role of the trainer, but an innate part of me wanted to know how it felt to do what my team did on a daily basis. Having supernatural powers, I'd dreamed about it since childhood. I'd even read books before, fiction novels on teenagers, not unlike me who'd somehow gotten the powers of a Pokémon. Was I soon to become one of the protagonists I'd so desperately wanted to be when I was young?

"But…" he said, "You've been living sixteen years already, you're smart enough to start early, but I'd still give you some time to adjust first."

While his words brought a bit more pep to my demeanor, I was still slightly disappointed. How long would I end up waiting? Two weeks? Three?

"In the meantime, though, instead of moves, I can teach you the basics of illusions, deal?"

"Wait, realllly?" I was confused at his response, but elated nonetheless.

"You're sure that's a good idea, Somin?" Vita inquired. "Shouldn't we give him some time to get stronger, first?"

"Illusions are different than regular moves," Somin replied. "There's really no physical requirement to start, and I think it's best if he learns early. Means he gets better faster. That's a huge advantage, and honestly, we could use it right now."

"This train of thought is premature… Why does Ray need to learn about using his abilities? We should at least get our bearings first."

"We have no idea how long he's going to be like this. Better safe than sorry, I'd say. It's not like he hates the idea, either way."

"Until then," the Zoroark continued, addressing me, "do me a favor and practice talking. You can start learning to walk when we stop for the night, deal?"

I nodded once more, astonished excitement resting on my face, before being dragged back down to reality. I'd realized then the fact we were stuck in a perilous situation, racing Mother Nature, and for a moment, a single moment of bliss, I'd forgotten all of it.

What were we to do? What if Mew fell through, and we never saw hide nor hair of her again?

What if I was a Zorua for good?

I sighed, letting my jaw sink back to rest on Somin's mane. Maybe it would be best if I focused on one thing at a time. If I kept reminding myself of what could be in the future, I would never get through the present.

I would just have to take the punches as they came.

So, I did as asked, and started speaking to the team, conditioning my new facial muscles.


"Alright, I think it's time to stop for the night," announced Vita, looking towards the setting sun. We'd been bathed in darkness for the last hour or so, a nearby mountain blotting out the sun. It was a sign we'd considerably decreased our elevation. The temperature continued to decline steadily with every passing minute.

"See a cave?" Somin asked, turning his body to look around. The centripetal force of his mane tossed me about at random intervals. I was shaken awake as a result. I wouldn't let myself fall asleep while the team walked, but I was certainly feeling drowsy."

"Over there!" Jet called from up above, motioning with his beak towards a nearby ridge. "Looks like a pretty big one over the hill."

"Okay," replied Somin, turning in that direction. "Let's finish this up, then. It's only gonna get colder out here."

Leading the way, the Zoroark trekked towards the pointed direction.

A few minutes later, I was being lifted out of Somin's fur and acquainted with the outside world. At least my face had been acclimated to the cold, but my body shivered upon being placed on the ground. My fur helped little.

For the first time, I realized how exposed I felt without the cover of clothing or Somin's fur. I'd hardly even given it thought when I'd woken. The fact we'd left my clothes on top of Twist helped console me little. I found myself subconsciously slinking my tail between my legs, trying to cover up as best as possible.

"Okay, let's try this, then," spoke Axle. "Just… Try getting your legs under you."

The Swampert had been the most obvious choice as a walking instructor, seeing as he was the only member of the team, at present, who was both bipedal and quadrupedal simultaneously. Even if our anatomy slightly differed, he volunteered to help without direction.

I nodded, getting into position. I felt weak, of course, but not the kind of fatigue one would feel after strain. No, these muscles had never been used before. Most of the time, they would either not respond or move too little. Getting my limbs under me only proved a challenge to see if I could gain traction and stop sliding about.

After quite a bit of struggle, I got it. My hind paws were situated under my legs, folding over one another in a position that made me perceive the full extent of my anatomical changes. I could do nothing like this as a human, and now it felt completely natural. I felt unease with the thought. My front paws, on the other hand sat by my head, in a gesture I could at least physically perform prior to yesterday.

"Okay, now push up."

I stared at the Swampert oddly. If I were to push up from this stance, I wouldn't be able to get far. The way I was situated would allow for my joints to hardly leave the ground before my own weight took me down.

"Lemme be more specific," he corrected. "Your hind legs are gonna be most of your muscle. Push up from there, and let your momentum carry you up on your front."

This would be nothing like I'd imagined. If I were on my stomach as a human, I could get up using my arms. But now, I wasn't able to use their replacement in order to do so? I'd thought this'd be a lot more simple.

Sighing and nodding, I pushed as hard as I could, almost cheering when I extended my front limbs to stand… promptly before stumbling and falling over forwards with the excess momentum. My jaw hit the ground first, slamming my tiny teeth into my tongue.

I whimpered, opening my mouth as a means of exhaling frustratedly. To be honest, the most damage had been dealt to my pride.

Eyes sullen, I looked up, expecting some sort of humorous reaction from the team, but found they had gone about our living space and prepared for the evening, paying no mind to our impromptu lesson.

"It's a good start," Axle said, trying to hold back his own laughter. "I think you know what you did wrong, though, let's try again."

"Yep," I replied, situating myself once more. I struggled furiously to get the red, rapidly forming, out of my face.

This time, though, I didn't give myself enough thrust, and almost fell backwards, stopped just in time by Axle's paw. He helped me up, after which I stood, shakily, on four paws.

I was scared to move. Surely, if I lifted a single paw, I would fall right back over.

Axle retracted himself, leaving me to stand alone. I heard him speaking to someone behind me, but was focused enough as not to care. I stared down at my front paws, praying to Arceus they weren't too close together, lest I lose my balance.

That was when I felt a tendril wrap around my midsection multiple times, supporting my weight.

"Vita's gonna help you if you fall," said Axle's voice behind me. "We're gonna try taking a few steps."

"O-ok," I replied, placing my right hind paw forwards. After I made sure my balance was accounted for, I advanced with my left, hind paw.

Noticing a mistake, one in which I would slide backwards should I proceed to set my weight on it, I shook my head, moving the paw back to its original location. Instead, after a small bit of thought, I moved my right, front paw.

Exhaling, I repeated the process on opposing sides, smiling slightly when I returned to my original position, only about a few inches forward. My steps had been clumsy, landing on the ground without any grace, but I'd made it. Despite the small size, it was still a large accomplishment.

"Good job," Vita said enthusiastically, loosening her vines ever so slightly. I took this as an invitation to continue, and did so.

Right back, right front, left back, left front. Right back, right front, left back, left front. Right back, left ba—

I felt myself falling backwards with the misstep, before Vita's grip tightened and caught me. She then lowered me softly to the ground.

"Hey, at least Mew didn't make you a new newborn, right? At least your eyes are open. You did alright, though, a good start," Axle stated, nodding his head ever so slightly. "We should probably get to sleep, though, it's late…"

"Right," I said dejectedly, sighing. I'd noticed Victor and Jet had already settled down, their eyes closed and breathing easy. Somin looked on the scene indifferently.

Deciding I wanted to give it one last go, I chose a spot in which I would sleep, positioned myself correctly, and stood. I stumbled for a moment before my hind legs slid out from under me. Yet, I'd kept myself rigid with the other pair.

I was successful in positioning the limbs back under me. Not giving a glance to anyone, I took a step forward, then another. I stumbled once or twice, thankfully not enough to fall over, and eventually made it to my goal.

Progress had been slow, of course, but I'd made it, and because of that, I was proud, if even a little. Sure, the thought of having to learn to walk again was demeaning beyond all else, but I was content, for now.

Not quite knowing the best way to lower myself to the ground, I let my front limbs slide outwards, enough to land me uncomfortably on my chest. From there, I grunted as I rolled myself over into the position I washed to sleep in, much the same as the one in which I'd originally woken.

"Night guys," I said out loud, closing my eyes. It would be tough getting to sleep in this cold, but I'd manage… Eventually.

Turns out I didn't have to. A set of claws gripped the skin on the back of my neck and lifted me into the air. Forcing my eyes open, I gazed irritatedly and sleepily at the culprit: Somin.

"What?" I asked in protest; being lifted by the scruff wasn't exactly a pleasurable experience.

"You're gonna freeze to death. Your fur isn't long enough yet to retain heat, and your body isn't old enough to withstand the cold.

"Whaddaya gonna do 'bout it den?" I slurred sluggishly. How'd I gotten so exhausted so fast? Sure, I was tired the entire day, and had to force myself to stay awake, but fatigue, it seemed, was fast to set in.

For the second time that day, I was lifted above Somin's head, and dropped into his mane. I struggled for a second or two to resurface before my head peeked out. I watched silently as the Zoroark walked across the cave to lay down inside Vita's coil.

"Night Ray," the Serperior spoke, her eyes already closed.

Somin laid down, curling himself into a ball to conserve warmth. From my perspective, I saw him let out a large yawn, prompting me to do the same.

I highly doubted my mouth was supposed to open that wide, at a considerably larger angle than possible as a human. Yet, I found myself too tired to ponder it, instead almost instantly dipping into a troubled sleep.