Hey, I worked hard to get the second chapter out tonight since the first update didn't really count, but I'll settle for a midnight release.

Chapter 2: First Friend

Once Leif's Poké Ball got handed over and AJ turned down a Trainer's license saying that he had one from Johto, Professor Birch said, "You know, my daughter should be out recording information on the Pokémon of Route 103. It's just north of Oldale Town. She could probably give you a few tips on battling."

"Oh, I'm quite familiar with Pokémon battling," AJ replied. Then he tilted his head with a quirk of his eyebrows, "Well, battle theory, anyway. Thanks, but first I need to check with my mom."

Birch nodded, "Of course."

AJ took his leave and walked around the lab to see the door to his mom's house closing with a brief glimpse of purple.

"[Was that your mom?]" Leif asked.

"Yup."

The new Trainer walked through the door and saw his mom laying down groceries on the kitchen counter. She had long purple hair that went down to the small of her back tied with a red ribbon at her shoulder blades. She wore a skirt of the same color with a lavender sleeveless blouse.

AJ slipped his shoes off and scooted them beside his mom's sandals with his foot, "Hey, mom."

"AJ, good to see you back," she said as she turned around from behind the counter. "Did you make sure to- Oh. You have a Pokémon now?"

Leif couldn't quite explain it, but his Trainer's mom made him nervous somehow with her gaze on him. Something about her eyes, steady and charcoal grey, made him feel like she was analyzing and weighing whether or not he was a theat.

"Mom," AJ said. "You're scaring him."

The pressure let up once she turned to look at her son again with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, I just didn't expect you to get a Pokémon so soon. And you're already so close!" She stepped out from behind the counter, revealing her bare feet as she moved closer, "Does he have a name?"

AJ shrugged the shoulder Leif rode on, "Go on. She can understand Pokémon too."

"[Uh… Leaf,]" he supplied, still instinctually unnerved. The fact that she reached forward and tickled him under the chin with a long, well-manicured fingernail didn't help.

"Oh, that's a nice name," she cooed. Then she grew somewhat serious as she looked at AJ, "Are you going to be going on a journey, then?"

He shrugged, "I can, but I can also stick around for a while. Professor Birch next door gave me Leif since he wouldn't work with anyone else, and he recommended I find his daughter on Route 103 for 'battling tips.' I get the feeling he wants my help for data, the same as Professor Elm told me he wound up asking Ethan after the errand with Tony. Well, the egg that Tony hatched from, that is."

"And Ethan went on to be the Champion of Johto," his mom chuckled. "It's your dream, AJ. If you think you have a shot, then you have my approval to go for it. But…" She looked him square in the eye, "Being a Trainer can be dangerous. I can't lose you. Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll come home safe."

AJ crossed his heart, "I promise." Then he pulled her into a hug that Leif felt awkward being on the edge of.

They broke apart and AJ scratched the back of his head, "Guess I'd better pack my bag. But I can afford some time to help you with the groceries."

Right as he turned to leave, his mom grabbed the side of his face, "Hang on…" She got a good look at his eyes with a clearer head and said, "You're wearing your contacts again?"

"Eh," AJ dismissed with a shrug. "I figured I'd let it be a surprise later, during my Pokémon journey, whenever it happened. Besides, provided that I didn't go… there's the slight chance that he could visit. Plus, I'll be passing through Petalburg anyway…"

A look of impassive understanding crossed her face, "Ah. I see."

The teen shrugged, "Them's the breaks. Now, let's handle those groceries."

After helping his mom put away the food in their fridge and the utensils and dishes in their drawers and cupboards, he went up to his room. He didn't have much up there besides his bed, a desk along with a PC, and a bookshelf. But he walked over to his closet, pulling out a large backpack and opening one of the front pouches to put some changes of clothes in.

Leif watched from the bed, eyeing the bag curiously, "[You've been prepared for this for a while now, haven't you?]"

"Whatever gave you that idea?" AJ snarked as he folded a white shirt and put it in the top before zipping the flap closed. "Becoming a Champion has been my goal since I was twelve."

"[Say, what was your mom talking about downstairs?]" the Treecko asked. "[What about your contacts?]"

"Ah, my dad always wanted me to wear them," he answered pointing at his brown eyes, "but my mom was never comfortable with them. Do you know what contact lenses are, Leif?"

"[Yeah, you hear a lot when moving from Trainer to Trainer.]"

AJ waved a hand, "It's mostly just a vanity thing in my mom's opinion. People always getting contacts 'cause they don't like glasses or want a different color for their eyes. I don't favor them either, because it's plastic literally right on your eyeball, but it makes my dad happy to see me wear them."

"[Your mom doesn't seem to like your dad,]" Leif noted.

"Gee, really? I never noticed."

"[Is this sarcasm going to be regular?]"

"Only if you keep pointing out the obvious," AJ answered as he walked over to his desk and pulled out a hidden drawer. Leif jumped on one of the bedposts to look and saw a compartment molded to hold a device about as big as a book, but much thinner. It was green with white edges and had a white emblem with green lines reminiscent of a plant bulb with a gray silhouette of a Poké Ball inside it.

The new Trainer took it out and opened it, revealing nearly the entirety to be occupied by a screen except for a button at the bottom near the edge. He folded the cover behind and left it on top of the desk before opening the blinds.

"[Wha-?]"

"It's solar powered," AJ answered. "Now, I have a question for you. How would you feel about being able to be out of your Poké Ball all the time? Now, it's not too common, but I have a way to do it without drawing too many stares."

"[Really?]" Leif asked absently while still looking at the device on the desk. "[That'd be nice, I guess. I mean, it's not necessarily cramped in a Poké Ball, but it's not anything great either.]"

"Good. Hold still, then."

"[Huh?]" The Treecko looked to his Trainer to see an aquamarine gadget held in his hand, mounted in a gray plastic casing with a laser sight trained on him. AJ pressed a trigger on the left and a flash erupted from a lens beside the red light.

The Pokémon's cry of surprise turned to shock as he felt himself changing. It also changed in tone from high to slightly lower, "Treeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhh!"

Then he realized the change in his voice and stuttered, "H-huh?!" As he blinked the spots out of his eyes, Leif held his hands in front of his face and squinted. Still half-blinded, he experimentally twitched some fingers and his eyes widened while his sight healed. He had flexed each one and found two more than he usually had on each hand.

"Th-these aren't my…" He slapped his hands to the front of his head, feeling for his snout only to find it missing, "This isn't my face!" Adding to that, he really heard himself for the first time, "I'm speaking Human?!"

"The technical term is 'English'," AJ supplied as he pocketed the gadget again. He reached and pulled a black case from the inside of his jacket. He opened it and revealed a mirror making up one side along with some make-up in sealed compartments on the other. Offering the kit, he said, "Here, take a look at yourself."

Leif snatched the mirror with his newly pinker hands and looked into it with his cleared vision. He saw the round face of a male human ten-year-old with light green hair parted down the middle and yellow eyes. He dropped the mirror in shock for AJ to catch it.

The former Treecko methodically palmed every side of his head, "Hair instead of scales…" He ran his hands down his body and under the tunic and pants matching his hair, "Pale, soft skin…" He flicked the rough red leather breast plate, comforted that he had something similar to his old appearance in color at least. But that comfort vanished the moment he felt his rear, "My tail is gone?!" Grabbing something he felt right above it, he pulled out a bow from its sheath, "And what is this?!"

"Yup," AJ answered while putting the make-up kit back in his jacket. "You're now half human with your other characteristics on the recessive side. Your attacks are in weapons, like that bow and the arrows there," he continued, pointing over Leif's left shoulder. He looked and found a leather quiver of green-plumed arrows. "Leer is still from your eyes; just concentrate to use it. And Pound is, well, a punch."

"How did you do this?!" Leif asked incredulously.

AJ shrugged, "Technology. You still have all of the durability of your Pokémon form. It's in the clothes that you have, so try not to get hit in the face. You also still possess the traits inherent in the Treecko family, such as climbing straight up walls and trees."

Leif started to calm down, "And if I evolve…?"

"The form grows with you, keeping to your mental age. So don't worry. You get to keep your abilities while posing as a human to avoid drawing attention. At least in the towns and cities. Now…" AJ clicked the button of the tablet sitting upon his desk and found it to be a little over a quarter full. "Good enough for a start. If you want to change back, just ask."

The hybrid Pokémon gave it some thought and weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, he wouldn't have to hang out in that irksome sphere all the time. On the other, he felt weird being outside his natural form.

'Then again,' Leif thought, 'it's nothing I can't get used to, and I am pretty intrigued to see what this Human's motive is. Normal people don't have transformation technology. If I play along, he might tell me.'

Verbally, the former Pokémon replied, "I'll stay like this. It could have its benefits."

"'Kay," AJ shrugged and put the tablet in the right side of his inner jacket. "Now, let's go find the professor's daughter. I'm pretty sure that he said she'd be north of Oldale. It'll give me the chance to field test my Arena."

"Come again?" Leif asked with a raised eyebrow as his Trainer shouldered his backpack.

"You'll see."

Extra #1: Not Surprised

As AJ and Leif headed back downstairs, the former Treecko's new eyes widened as something occurred to him.

"Wait a minute!" he whispered panickedly.

AJ raised an eyebrow, saying at normal volume, "Why are you whispering"

"Shh! You need to hide me!" Leif whispered urgently. "Your mom saw me as a Pokémon, and suddenly you have a Human child with you. If she finds ou-"

The woman he was talking about appeared out of nowhere, and he jumped back, surprised at her silent approach. The Grass-type stood there frozen as she handed a box to her son.

"Here," she said with a smile. "It's not much, but I managed to whip this up on short notice. It should get you through a couple of meals."

"Thanks, mom," AJ replied with a soft smile.

She stooped down and looked at Leif, "I don't know what a Treecko eats, but there's a double helping of dried fruits in case you're a vegetarian."

Leif could only nod in stunned silence.

Once the duo exited the house, AJ opened the main compartment of his backpack to fit the box inside, "Did I mention that my mom already knows about the transforming technology?"

Leif blinked and regained his bearings, grumbling, "You could've mentioned it earlier!"

"I could've," AJ simply replied.

Now, as a sidenote, fanfiction user jackallascarian has recommended that I start responding to reviews, and I'll begin doing so starting with this chapter. But, as this fic in particular is a Nuzlocke, I must ask that all "In-Universe" questions (questions about the characters, for the characters) be held until the Q&A sessions. The first opportunity to submit questions will be when AJ has a full team.

See you when I see you.

-AJ203