This story takes place after Scare in the Air, replacing the events of arriving at Valencia Island and thus preempting the entire Orange Islands arc.

Pain and fatigue radiated from every point of Ash Ketchum's body. He was aware that he was laying on some sort of blanket, yet he did not want to stir. His dreams enraptured him and being the victor of a Pokemon League was far better than thinking about how sore he felt.

"So much for that trip to Valencia Island," someone spoke.

"Yeah. I betcha that blimp was practically rigged to crash! Classic insurance fraud scheme!" another someone said.

Ash's dreams shifted, vaguely aware of the people outside his little dream world. Suddenly instead of standing in the winner's circle and becoming a Pokémon Master with a trophy bigger than he was, he was instead kicked out of the league for having lost. He recalled how he and his friends had won a trip to Valencia Island in the Orange Islands, to visit Professor Ivy and retrieve the GS Ball. The blimp they had taken, the one those airport workers said was haunted, he remembered that it suddenly started tilting back and forth uncontrollably as it wandered close to a thunderstorm. It was struck by lightning and… it fell.

"He's stirring!"

"Get Pikachu!"

Pikachu… Ash's thoughts shifted again. He recalled that Pikachu had been knocked out in the fall, the blimp sinking beneath the waves. Pikachu was drowning and Ash…

…Bolted upright, panic seeping into his mind. He wiped the sleep from his eyes.

He was in a tiny cave, just big enough for a small group to huddle inside. Just outside was a sandy beach, the sun beating down overhead. He laid on top of his clothes, themselves having been placed upon the stony floor of the cave.

He saw Pikachu bounding towards him. "Ash!" Pikachu shouted. He then took an abrupt stop directly right before him and gave the boy a questioning look. "... You are Ash, right?"

Ash blinked. Something was off about this situation, but he couldn't make out what it was. Why was Pikachu doubting he was… him? "Uh, last time I checked I was."

Pikachu frowned, still not convinced. "If you are Ash, whose fault was it we destroyed Misty's bike?"

Ash scowled. "Well, obviously you did it!" Now this was getting weird, but Ash knew that Pikachu had to have a good reason for being so strange. Come to think of it, Pikachu asking him questions at all was strange.

Pikachu grunted. "No, you're the one who threw that rock! And the Spearow attacked me because of that!"

"Hey, my first choice was a Pidgey, but you didn't help at all with that!" Ash retorted. "If you had just helped me out, we could have avoided that mess in the first place!"

Pikachu narrowed his eyes into a glare.

Ash did the same.

And then out of nowhere, Pikachu lunged towards him, wrapping his limbs around him. "It's you! It's really you! You're safe!"

Ash returned the hug… even if it felt like his ribs were going to complain. "I'm glad you're alright too, Pikachu!" he managed to reply before he realized that for some reason Pikachu could grab onto most of him. "But when did you get so big? …Come to think of it, when did you learn to speak human?"

Pikachu backed away, there was a nervous look on his mouth. "Ash, you haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Ash said back.

Pikachu blinked. "Sometimes, I wonder about you…"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

Bulbasaur and Squirtle walked into view.

Squirtle had an amused grin, as though he found something funny. "Uh, Boss, you might want to look down."

Ash looked down. He found that he wasn't wearing anything, his body covered in blue and black fur. His hands suddenly were paws with what appeared to be wrist guards. He even had a tail that was almost as long as his whole body. Pikachu did not get taller, no, Ash had shrunk! His own clothes were big enough to use as an oversized sleeping bag! "...I'm a Pokémon! When did this happen?"

Bulbasaur walked over and brought a vine over to Ash's shoulder. "Take it easy. You've been through a blimp crash and you're not in your own body right now. I know it's very disorientling and confusing, but don't panic. Take a deep breath."

Ash looked at Bulbasaur and put his trust in his friend. He took several breaths to get a grip of himself. The initial shock had worn off.

Bulbasaur continued. "Try to understand what's happened to you. If you don't know what happened, you might imagine things worse than they actually are. Let's start with language. You can understand us now, right?"

Ash nodded.

"Pay close attention to what I am saying," Bulbasaur directed.

Ash focused on the words Bulbasaur said to him, mulling them over as he broke them down. "That's weird. I didn't notice at first, but you're still saying parts of your name like 'bulba bulba'. I just… understand you now." As he said that, Ash realized what that meant for him. "Wait, does that mean I'm doing that now, too?"

"Yup!" Pikachu interjected, much to Bulbasaur's visible annoyance. "You're a Pokémon now, so you're repeating the name of your species! Give it a try. Introduce yourself."

Ash brought a paw to his throat as he took that in and experimented. "Okay. My name is Ash Ketchum and I am from Pallet Town," he spoke to himself. Now that he was paying attention and focusing on it, he could make out that he was also repeating the name of whatever species he turned into. It was very surreal to listen to what his introduction was translated as. "What's a Riolu? I think that's what I said I was."

Pikachu shrugged. "No idea. You're blue, but you don't look like a water type."

"I know they're fighting types, but I didn't see any of them in the Hidden Village," Bulbasaur commented. "Only heard rumors mostly."

Squirtle snapped his… fingers? "Wait, I don't know much about them, Boss, but I know someone who might! Search your pockets!"

Ash blinked a few times before realizing what he meant. He reached down to his jacket and pulled out his Pokédex, Dexter. "Right, all I gotta do is scan myself, don't I?" He turned the small handheld device towards him, now so large in his paws that it was awkward to lift with a single hand.

The device buzzed and came to life. Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. Specific information about this Pokémon is still unavailable.

"Just like Togepi. That's less than I was hoping for. Maybe Misty or Brock might have a bet-" Ash stopped himself, when he realized what he had just said. "Wait, where did Misty and Brock go?"

He rose to his feet and went to sprint off and… fell over into the stony floor. "Ow!"

Pikachu leaned over the now-Riolu. "Ash, your feet aren't shaped the same way you're used to."

Bulbasaur brought his vines over to Ash and helped him up. "You're still bipedal, but your feet are clearly digitigrade, like many canine Pokémon are. You have to walk on the balls of your feet."

Ash did not understand much of the technical explanation of what Bulbasaur said, but he got the gist of it. "Thanks, Bulbasaur." The boy-turned-Pokémon then brought his new legs forward, placing his weight on the tips of his toes. Then he took his first steps, one at a time, with Bulbasaur's assistance.

First, he was nervous, but within a few steps, the new Pokémon quickly gained confidence. It wasn't that much different from how he used to walk, after all. Eventually, Bulbasaur stopped supporting him.

"Okay, so uh, can we find Brock and Misty?" Ash asked once he felt like he was confident in moving his new body.

Bulbasaur shook his head. "Pikachu and Squirtle searched the beach for them already. We found some of their belongings, but not them or their Pokémon. We don't know what happened to them, but I don't think they drowned. Misty had her water-types out."

Ash felt a sickening feeling going through his stomach, he really hoped that wasn't the case. Hopefully Misty's Pokémon saved his friends.

Pikachu nodded. "We wanted to make sure you were alright before venturing too far. Saw some other Pokémon, but I didn't get a chance to speak to them."

Ash took this information in. His Pokémon did what they felt they should do to keep him safe. He couldn't blame them.

Squirtle then snapped his fingers, drawing attention to himself. "Hey, uh, Boss. Ain't you forgetting something? Like, a lot of things?"

"Like what?" Ash did not know why Squirtle kept calling him "Boss", but then again, Squirtle had always had weird mannerisms, especially with his tendency to pull out his spiked sunglasses when he was annoyed. This was just the first time he could actually hear what the Tiny Turtle Pokémon was actually saying, so maybe this is what he had been calling him all this time.

Squirtle pointed to the green backpack near the bed of clothing the Riolu had woken up on. He also threw Ash's belt at him.

Ash grabbed onto his belt mid-air; thankfully, his hands, despite how weird they felt, functioned mostly like his normal ones. "Right, normally, I never take it off." On his belt were four Pokeballs: Pikachu's never used one, Squirtle's, Bulbasaur's, and the Pokéball containing the one member of the party who was not already out. "Uh, does Charizard know about this?"

Pikachu shook his head. "Deal with him later. I told him what happened and he just went to take a nap." He almost seemed to radiate some sort of frustration as he spoke.

"...Right." Ash frowned as he slung his belt over his shoulder like it was a bandoleer. Even at the best of times, Charizard was difficult and always did whatever he wanted. Even when Ash wanted to let him join the big feast after the Indigo League, no one else trusted the big lizard to behave himself and he didn't even try to save Pikachu until Team Rocket blew up the pile of food he was about to eat.

Squirtle hung Ash's backpack on himself after packing away Ash's clothes. "No offense, Boss, but I think it's probably for the best that I carry this for now."

"You're probably right," Ash responded back. Despite Squirtle being slightly smaller, the trainer knew he was still getting used to his new body and that the water turtle was deceptively strong.

Come to think of it, did that mean that Ash was now the weakest Pokémon of his team? It was never a concern before since he was the trainer and he was human, but … did any of that apply anymore?

"We'll find them, okay?" Ash was snapped out of his thoughts by Pikachu's words. "We'll be fine. It's nothing we haven't done before."

Ash looked at his first Pokémon and nodded, reassured his words. Despite waking up as a Pokémon and not seeing his other friends, he put his trust in the Pokémon beside him; they've already been through a shipwreck before after all. He smiled back. "I don't know, Pikachu. Being turned into a Pokémon is a new one for me!"

Pikachu crossed his arms. "Ash, you've become a Bulbasaur before."

"I just thought I was pretending to be a Bulbasaur, because of that hypnosis. That's completely different!" Ash insisted before scratching the back of his head. The tufts of fur that dangled at the sides of his head felt weird to touch since he hadn't had hair that long before. "...Unless, I am hypnotized to think I turned into a Pokémon… and I am hallucinating being able to talk to you."

"Well, if this is a hallucination, it's very convincing and shared." Bulbasaur shook his head. "Either way, we're better off searching for clues to the other's whereabouts."

"Actually, I might have an idea, old chum," Squirtle took out an item belonging to Misty, the yellow shirt she had been wearing during the crash. It was torn up in places, but still recognizable. "Boss, you're kinda the only canine around here. At least, I think you're canine…"

Ash balked, as he came to realize exactly what Squirtle was proposing. "No way, Squirtle! Misty will kill me if she finds out I… sniffed her clothes!"

Pikachu rolled onto the floor, laughing.

"And here I thought you'd have my back!" Ash complained. "Why can't I use something else, especially something like Brock's jacket? Come to think of it, why do I have to do it? Don't you all have better senses of smell?"

Bulbasaur, who had managed to keep a serious face throughout this, very simply said, "Because you're literally the one with the best senses for this. Most Pokémon have a better sense of smell than humans, but that doesn't mean we have tracking abilities, especially since this was soaked in the sea. Canines have bigger olfactory organs in general compared to other species."

"We also don't have Brock's jacket," Pikachu added.

Ash shook his head and waved both of his arms. "No way. I'm not risking Misty being mad at me and besides…" He then thought about it further, desperate to find an excuse. "Wait. If I'm a Pokémon, what about Misty or Brock?"

Pikachu got the idea, picking himself off the floor. "...Your scent is markedly different now. You definitely don't smell like a human anymore."

Bulbasaur put a vine onto his chin. "Oh, that might be a problem. If they changed, too, they'd smell like Pokémon. Their clothes would contain their human odors, and not what they'd be now."

Ash let out a sigh of relief.

Squirtle chuckled. "Alright, I guess that saves your skin for now, but we can still track them by scent." Squirtle then pointed in the distance, to a spot that was just out of sight. "That's where I found their things, Boss. If we're lucky, they left enough of a trail that you can sniff them out."

"Then, that's where we'll go first." Ash nodded, eager to reconnect with his friends. With a direction in mind, the Riolu put one foot step after the other, his feet sinking slightly into the sandy beach.

Pikachu dashed right in front of him and then reached over and put a hat on top of Ash.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that!" Ash said as he adjusted the red and white cap. It was a size too large for his head now, but the familiarity relieved him.

The electric mouse laughed. "I'm kind of glad you're short enough I can just do that to you now! I can just reach over and touch your head!"

The trainer smirked back. "'Course it means I can't exactly carry you on my back anymore!"

Pikachu shook his head. "I suppose that's true. You're too small now."

"What a relief," Ash laughed, "It's a vacation from having to carry you."

The mouse smirked. "That's just more incentive to turn you back to a human! I liked my vantage spots on your shoulders and around your head!"

Ash chuckled and that infected the rest of the group, sending everyone into fits of laughter. That was a conversation that up until just now was completely impossible. When he started his Pokémon journey, he could remember his dismay that Pikachu could only say his name or parts of it. While Ash had gotten able to understand a good deal of what Pikachu wanted, especially if he pantomimed and pointed to objects, that was nothing compared to being able to just share the language.

Did becoming a Pokémon Master require being able to understand Pokémon? Because if not, it really should.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Misty's eyes strained as she awoke. The voice shouting at her stirred her from her dreamless sleep.

Eyes opening, the first thing the Cerulean Gym Leader saw was her precious Togepi looming right over her. "You're awake, Mommy!" she burst in a cheer.

Misty's eyes flashed repeatedly as she attempted to process what was happening. For some reason, she could understand Togepi now.

Looking down, the girl noticed her hands were… not hands and that she was covered in fur. Despite her fatigue, she picked herself off of the bed of hay that she found herself in and rose to her feet.

Her hands and feet were webbed and from her back sprouted two rudder tails. From her arms sprang fins. Cream fur coated her belly while orange fur in the same shade as her normal hair covered most of her body. Coupled with the yellow floatation sack that she could barely see around her neck and there was no doubt about what she had become.

Somehow, some way, she had become a Pokémon. At the very least, she wasn't going to complain about being a Buizel, especially since there might have been a chance she'd have turned into something else, such as a Magikarp, Psyduck, or a Wimpo- No! She was not going to entertain the idea.

Especially not when she had to figure out what was going on.

But first, she had one very important issue to take care of.

"Is Mommy, okay?" Togepi asked with a pensive look on her face.

"Mommy just had to think about things. And she's glad you're safe and sound!" Misty looked towards Togepi, her precious Pokémon now up to her waist. She smiled, glad to have confirmation Togepi really did think of her as a mother and that she was safe.

"Yay!" Togepi cheered, wobbling slightly to meet her 'mommy' with a hug.

Misty brought her new hands around her young Pokémon, truly feeling her warmth.

Yet, as she did so, her mind wandered. She remembered the blimp ride having turned a lucky draw from a lottery turning into a nightmare between poor repair and flying into a storm. She also remembered trying to find Togepi but then the blimp crashed and…she drowned.

Content with the hug, Togepi then wobbled off. "I can't wait to tell everyone else!"

Misty scanned the room. It looked like she was in a traditional house from the Home Islands, the sort of building that was in style when her ancestors couldn't agree who the Shogun was. The building came complete with wood paneled flooring, sliding walls, and the scent of burnt incense. It almost felt like she had been sent back in time, minus the part about being a Pokémon.

Additionally, Misty found there were other hay beds around her, some of them occupied. The beds nearest to her were empty. She recognized Vulpix and Geodude slumbering nearby a brownish dog Pokémon; best guess, that was Brock. There was no sign of Ash or his Pokémon, nor could she see any of her's save Togepi at first glance.

Togepi wandered towards a large basin. "Miss Goldeen!" Togepi shouted. "Mommy's awake!"

A familiar fish head poked out of the water. "Mistress Misty, is that you?"

Misty, relieved to see one of her Pokémon, stepped over, despite how odd it felt to walk. "It's me, Goldeen. This is… weird." Putting one foot in front of the other was easy enough, but her balance felt off because of how short her legs were compared to the rest of her body.

The fish nodded. "It is good to see you, Mistress. I hope you aren't too disoriented, it is quite a surprise to see you in that form, but I suppose there are advantages."

Misty smirked. Definitely. Sure, being a Pokémon was odd, but being greeted by Togepi and Goldeen went a long way to ensure the experience would be a positive one. Still, she had a responsibility to ask the right questions. "Goldeen, wait… do you have a name?" Misty then thought. "Obviously, I couldn't ask before, but I can now. And I did not give you one. I just want to know if you had one."

The fish somehow gave off the impression of a smile. "Rest assured, Mistress. Most Pokémon do not have the concept of a personal name. Though, it isn't unheard of even in the wilds, just exceedingly rare, outside of certain species," Goldeen reassured her. "None of your Pokémon had one, nor did any of your traveling companions… Though the Squirtles each have their own names they use amongst each other."

Misty nodded, taking this in. "Okay, so what happened? I remember the crash, but everything is a blur after that."

Goldeen nodded solemnly. "Staryu and myself rescued you and Brock without issue, Mistress. Brock is the Rockruff slumbering nearby. Squirtle took Ash, however we have not seen him since the crash as the storm separated us."

"And me being a Buizel?"

"We only realized it when we made landfall. The cause is unknown, Mistress."

Misty nodded. She was not going to complain.

Goldeen then continued. "Shortly after the storm, some Pokémon found us and took us here. They are mostly benevolent, however, there is a caveat."

Misty's eyes narrowed. She approached the fish.

Goldeen spoke in a low voice. "Conceal your origins, Mistress. There are no humans in this land and they do not think fondly of your kind. You are a Pokémon now, but I do not think they will react positively if they discover the truth."

Misty's guts twisted. So not only was she a Pokémon, she was now in a land where the Pokémon hated humans? This had to be a bad dream..

"Mommy is Mommy!" Togepi proudly declared.

Misty cracked a smile, adoring her cute child. "Yes, I am, Togepi."

"Today is great. I can talk to Mommy now!" Togepi cheered loudly. "I can't wait to talk to Daddy, too!"

Misty frowned. She had to correct this mistake before Togepi got the wrong idea. "Togepi, Ash isn't your Daddy. He has his moments, but he and I aren't…Daddy and Mommy."

Togepi tilted her head before giggling. "Of course not! Uncle Ash is very silly!"

Misty blinked. Wait, Ash wasn't who Togepi believed was her father?

"Daddy makes all the food!" Togepi declared eagerly.

Misty stared at her adopted daughter Pokémon. Somehow, this conclusion was even worse than if Togepi thought Ash was her father. The only way to make it worse would have been if Togepi thought Psyduck was her father!

"...What?" Brock's head lifted. "Did… I imagine that…?"

Misty stared at the brownish dog rose from the bed of hay. "Brock?" She shook her head. She did not know if Brock even recognized her as she was now. "It's me, Misty."

The small dog blinked several times, which caused Misty's head to spin. Groaning, Brock pushed himself off the ground and tried to lift himself on two legs before he looked down at himself and then at Misty. "Okay… I see something happened. I've been turned into a Rockruff… could be worse I guess?" he muttered aloud. "It makes just as much sense as you turning into a Buizel."

Misty stared at Brock, looking him in the eyes.

"Misty, I'm just a canine Pokemon, and a rock-type, it's not unusual. At least, not in Alola, but that's beside the point." Brock snapped back.

Misty shook her head, breaking eye contact. "Sorry, it's just… this is all new to me."

Brock's Pokémon shifted.

Geodude rolled off his hay bed and flexed his biceps in what must have been an approximation of a wake up stretch. "Yo, Brock. Fancy, like the new look."

"Geodude…?" Brock stammered. "Oh, right, we're Pokémon now."

"You're taking this all very well." Geodude stated.

"Daddy!" Togepi shouted to high heavens as she ran up to the small rock dog, causing him to tense.

Vulpix, yawning, interjected herself between the egg pokémon and Brock. "No, Togepi. We keep telling you Brock isn't your Daddy."

"Vulpix?"

The reddish brown fox abruptly turned and gave the Rockruff a nervous grin. "Uh, hey, Brock! Uh… nice eyes…"

"I always had eyes…"

Misty, upon seeing this and realizing things were going to get even more awkward, took a hold of her wayward adoptive daughter and brought her into a hug. She wasn't anywhere near big enough to carry Togepi anymore, but she could hold her child still. "No, Togepi, Brock is more like an Uncle than a Daddy. He's more like my…older brother than anything else."

Togepi frowned a bit before immediately cheering up again. "Oh, okay!"

Misty let out a sigh. They had just woken up and things were already off to a rough start, but at least she corrected Togepi.

Vulpix exchanged a nervous glance with her trainer as he tested the limits of his new body, from examining how his own tail functioned to taking the first few steps on all fours.

"At least walking isn't too complicated," he answered. "As long as I don't think about it too hard, I'm not tripping over myself."

Then, just as the two humans-turned-Pokémon were settling in, a sliding door leading to the outside opened up. There, two Pokémon stood.

The first was a tall avian-humanoid Pokémon with bow shaped wings and metallic looking talons on its feet. White feathers coated its body, while its back and shoulders bore the coloration of autumn leaves. Its crown was made of an array of feathers shaped like a conical hat, though the specific name for it eluded Misty. It, no, he took a respectful bow as he entered. "Ah, it appears that everyone is awake!"

The other pokémon, a small foxish one, everyone else a nervous look as she trembled. She reminded Misty of a Zorua, those black furred Pokémon from Unova, except this one was white instead of black or dark gray and her fur seemed almost… wispy, ethereal. Even the red or reddish parts of her fur seemed almost dilute.

Geodude rushed to speak something to his trainer's ear, just loud enough Misty could make it out. "Yo, Brock, we had the same trainer. Got that?"

Brock nodded his head.

Then, just as the two new Pokémon stepped in, Misty's missing Pokémon, her Staryu and her Psyduck, stepped in from behind the pair.

Misty moved closer to the new Pokémon and did her best to appear grateful. "Thank you for helping us." she said with a grin. "We don't know who you are, or where we are, but thank you for helping us."

The tall bird Pokémon gave a cool smile and took a step forward, gently nudging his shy fox companion to come along with.

"We welcome you to Citrine Isles. I am Scholar Aspen and this is my apprentice, Zorua. I delve into many topics, but my speciality is alchemy."

Misty's face faltered. Alchemy? Did that mean potion making or something else?

Scholar Aspen's expression brightened. "I am told that you are Misty and Brock, correct?"

"That's right. I'm Misty."

"And I'm Brock," the rock-type replied woozily.

"Fitting names." Scholar Aspen gave them a nod of his head. "The Citrine Isles were created by the gods in ages past. It is a refuge and sanctuary from which no human may enter nor lay eyes upon."

Except by becoming Pokémon, apparently.

"In the ancient past, we Maiju were enslaved against our will; the humans built suits of armor that robbed the wills of those who wore them, rendering the Maiju nothing more than thralls. Another is that a terrible queen wove a spell that bewitched any Maiju within her homeland into servitude. And even more blasphemous was the tale of a mad king who sought to enslave Ho-Oh!" Scholar Aspen shook his head. "My ancestors fled their homeland some time ago when the humans there created spheres that ensnared Maiju."

"Maiju?" Misty figured it out that these… people did not refer to themselves as Pokémon. "We're more familiar with the term 'Pokémon', ourselves. We have never heard of the term 'Maiju' before. And do you mean Pokéballs? They are what humans use to capture uh…. Pokémon."

Scholar Aspen gave Misty a scowl, he did not like what he heard. "I almost feel as though it steals away the dignity of our kind. Especially if our kind are named after the devices that ensnare us." He shook his head. "Regardless, many Maiju have come into these lands since they were first created, you are not even the first group I met, though I was much younger when I met my last one. I will tell you what I have told all the others, now that you are here, you may not leave."

Misty blinked. "Wait, we can't leave?"

The owl nodded. "A consequence of the bargain that created these lands. Mortals can enter, but only the gods may leave."

Brock trembled. "But… we have family out there!"

Even Misty who had very little positive to say about her sisters felt her heart stop. She might have been annoyed at them, especially when they kept calling her a runt or teasing her about anything, but that didn't mean she didn't want to see them ever again; she just wanted them to take their responsibilities seriously.

"I am sorry then. Perhaps if you pray, the gods might see fit to help guide your family to find you. For now, all I can take solace in the fact that tamers will no longer command you."

Brock and Misty exchanged pained glances. Neither were content with how the Pokémon of this place might have seen their professions, but they knew they had to put up with it for now.

"We're missing some friends," Brock spoke up first. "My friend Onix as well as some other Poké…Maiju, including a Pikachu and a Zubat. Have you seen them?"

"Onix is nearby," Vulpix answered. "He's just… too big, Brock. He's elsewhere because he'd destroy the floor. Zubat's injured and healing elsewhere."

"Indeed." Scholar Aspen brought a feathered wing arm. "As to the others, I do not know. My assistant, Zorua, met your friends and brought you to me."

Zorua slowly backed behind her master's legs. "I… I was not very diligent and for that I am sorry!" she pleaded. "I…saw you on the beach and I was working on gathering materials."

"Enough." Scholar Aspen then pushed his apprentice forwards. "Zorua, I still have plenty of work to do, especially in giving treatment to our guest, Zubat. Would you assist these wayward Maiju in my stead? They're welcome to stay here for the meanwhile."

Zorua knelt. "Of course, Master. Of course!"

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to take care of." Scholar Aspen then left the room.

Misty scowled. With the fox tagging along, she couldn't speak privately with Brock or any of their other Pokémon about "human matters". On the other hand, she barely understood how this place worked beyond: "they hate humans" and apparently had alchemy.

"Zorua, mind taking me to Onix before we go?" Brock asked. "I might as well check on how he is."

"Oh, of course!" Zorua sounded like she was startled by the request. "Just, er follow me!" She then walked out of the room, Brock right behind her.

"I… I should go too!" Vulpix declared before running off."

Togepi giggled.

Misty shook her head. What was happening? She turned to Geodude just as he was about to leave with his trainer. "Geodude, I can't carry Togepi anymore. You aren't mine, but do you mind watching her for me while we're out? You and Goldeen, but well…"

"I understand, Mistress. It is not your fault I am not amphibious, but I hear there are items to correct that," Goldeen replied almost melodically.

The rock-type shrugged. "Sure, I can do that, Misty. Hey Brock!"

"I heard! Go ahead!" Brock shouted down the hall.

Misty turned to Psyduck and Staryu, though that was mostly aimed at the latter. "It's good to see you are alright."

"...Hello…" Psyduck slurred his words, as though he was hardly paying attention. It had to be that headache again. "You are, Misty, right?"

"Psyduck, I introduced myself minutes ago." Misty shook her head. Though she could sometimes understand Psyduck, especially when he used his telepathy to communicate, such lucidity came rarely.

On a more cheerful note, Staryu answered back, using both flashes of light and his own strange voice to communicate. "Mistress Misty, it is a delight to see you! I regret I was not here to see you awaken, but you seem to handle your new condition quite well!"

"It's good to see you, too!" she smiled. It was certainly a surreal feeling to talk to a Pokémon she had known for years for the first time, but his starter was such a gentleman. "I take it you were preoccupied."

"Most indubitably." Staryu's manner of speaking was odd, but all the same, Misty could handle a little quirkiness from her Pokémon, especially her starter. Staryu was every bit as precious as Togepi. "I was simply representing your upstanding moral character."

"I don't know if you're making a joke or not." Misty laughed. "Do you mind helping us find Ash?"

"If it is your desire, it shall be done!"

"Hey, what about me?" Psyduck asked.

"Hm, that depends. Do you have your Pokéballs?" Misty asked.

Psyduck sat down. "Destroyed… Ow…"

"I am afraid that will be a problem." Staryu responded. "Scholar Aspen was quite insistent on destroying them. No, I am afraid we do not have Pokéballs anymore."

"You… can rest for now," Misty answered. She didn't hate Psyduck, but with how airheaded he was, he was mostly a liability, especially without a Pokéball to carry him around in.

Psyduck's expression did not change even as he tilted his head. "...Okay…"

Misty frowned, realizing that the one downside to being able to understand her Pokémon's exact words was that she could understand Psyduck.

Brock had always wanted a Rockruff ever since he heard of them. They were atypical for rock-types because not only did they lack hardened shells and stony plating, they were also known for being incredibly agile. Plus, they were both cute and well behaved Pokémon and could evolve into two different forms.

As fate would have it, Brock was now his own Rockruff. It was not lost on him that despite being the oldest member of the group, he was now one of the nicknamed "Puppy Pokémon".

Now he was in a land that apparently frowned upon trainers and humans in general. He did not know what they would have thought about breeders and groomers…

The Pewter City Gym Leader put those thoughts out of his head. He had an important moment ahead.

Scholar Aspen's abode reminded Brock of an old manor house, the kind you'd see rich families owning in a samurai movie. At a glance from what few open doors he could see, there seemed to be an excessive number of bookshelves and various beakers full of colored liquids.

Zorua nervously led Brock and Vulpix to a large room with a central area composed of rocky terrain. It looked eerily similar to the arena in Brock's home Gym, with a dedicated area for the trainers to stand separate from the battleground. Onix sat curled up in that stony field.

The rock snake's body contorted and twisted, turning to face Brock. "Brock!" Onix's voice boomed.

It felt magical for his starter to say his name. "It's me. I was worried about you."

"Same!" Onix said.

"You're loud!" Brock said earnestly. "Are things well?"

"Mostly," Onix answered. "Worried though."

Brock frowned. "How bad is it? You can tell me."

"Overheard problems," Onix said back. "Not easy to return home. If possible."

Brock nodded. "Got that right. I'm worried about missing my family." He shook his head. "And here I was wanting to start my journey because I wanted to have a vacation from them."

"Not your fault. Too many siblings…" Onix's booming voice assuaged. The gigantic rock snake then lifted his head and slowly knelt down to the Rockruff. "Come close. Want to feel."

Brock did so, placing a paw onto his Pokémon's lip.

"Same Brock. No matter changes," Onix's voice then became lower, a hint that the rock-specialist recognized as distress. Only now, did Brock understand. "Also worried. Without Ball. Cannot come."

Onix then pointed to a pile of broken red and white plastic and metal.

"Yeah, that'll be a problem," Brock muttered. He hadn't thought about it until just now, but without Onix's Pokéball, the group would be limited mostly by him and whether or not Onix could travel in a certain direction. Especially since the Citrine Isles were implied to be a multitude of islands and they might need to cross water, regardless of whatever they did. Hopefully Ash had spares.

"Uh, wait!" Zorua spoke up. She had been hiding behind a rock until just now. "...Why are you sad about losing a Pokéball, Onix? I thought you'd be happy… You wouldn't be a slave to whatever tamer you and Brock had."

Onix turned to the small fox and shook his head before laying on the ground, his eye shifted knowingly to Brock. "Trainer friend. Pokéball allow travel with friends."

Zorua tilted her head in confusion, as though the idea seemed alien to her. "But don't they enslave your mind?"

"I don't think I heard of a Pokéball that just… controls a Maiju as if under a spell." Brock shook his head. Knowing from having raised his siblings, he knew roughly that Zorua was just a kid who did not know better. The only question was how to approach explaining things to her. "There are plenty of bad people who enslave Pokémon, Zorua. But the trainers that Onix and I traveled with tried to be good people."

"Like Suzy!" Vulpix declared.

Zorua blinked.

"Uh, Suzy is my trainer… and sort of my mother in many ways, despite being human." Vulpix explained, fumbling as she spoke. "She apprenticed me to Brock… who is in many ways her apprentice. We were studying… beauty and nurturing."

Zorua's mouth opened in an understanding "oh" before blinking. "Maiju can take apprenticeships from humans?"

Brock gave Vulpix a nod, before answering Zorua. "That's a good explanation for how you ended up in my care."

The rust colored fox gave him a nervous glance. "Yeah… uh thanks." She then took a step back.

Onix boomed a throaty chuckle that felt like an earthquake. "Amusing. But no Ball."

"I don't want to leave you behind, Onix," Brock declared.

The rock snake coiled. "May be no choice. Accept possibility. Wish you best."

"I'll make sure you're taken care of if you can't travel with us," Brock replied back. "You're my friend."

"Never doubted," Onix's words hit his trainer like a sack of bricks.

Brock steadied himself. He knew his starter liked him, but to have confirmation in the form Onix saying out right to his face, that was something else. "Thank you." Then with a heavy feeling in his chest, the rock dog then turned his back. "I'll be back. We'll see each other soon, okay?"

Onix rumbled his acceptance and then curled tighter, a sign he was getting ready to rest for an extended period of time.

Brock then left.

Ash the Riolu was starting to get the hang of being a Riolu.

While his first steps in his new body literally ended up with him hitting a stone cave floor, he had grown confident enough to start sprinting, his feet bouncing as he moved across the sand. His balance still felt weird, but his new tail seemingly knew how to compensate for it, adjusting itself depending on what Ash needed.

Ash and Pikachu had decided that the moment Squirtle pointed to their destination, the electric mouse and the fighting canine wanted to see who could get there first. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were also welcome to compete, but neither joined in the short dash.

Ash and Pikachu raced neck and neck, each tearing up the path behind them in an excited dash. They laughed at each other as they did. Sure, they had races before, but there was something more fair about this one.

At the very end, when the two of them were a stone's throw away from the location, Pikachu's speed took off, the electric mouse inches ahead.

Ash, eager to win, pushed himself faster and faster. The gap narrowed and narrowed. The Riolu was willing to give it his all.

But instead of a close finish, the two racers slipped mere inches away from their goal.

Both fell at the same, landing into a heap of sand.

Ash spat out the sand that had gotten into his mouth, laughing as he did so.

Pikachu, whose head was buried in the sand, pulled himself out and shook the majority of sand that had clung onto his fur. He burst out laughing. "Not bad, not bad. Maybe with a little practice, I could stop holding back!"

"What? You were taking it easy on me?"

"Well, duh, Ash! You're still kind of new at this. Besides, it would have been no fun to beat you that easily! I didn't even break out Quick Attack or Agility!" Pikachu bragged.

"Well, be ready to eat those words one day!" Ash declared, before his laughter grew all the more. "You're my Pokémon and now you're suddenly my rival!"

"So, does that mean I can pop out and challenge you to battles any time I want?" Pikachu stuck his tongue out.

"Maybe. I don't know," Ash wondered aloud. "I'd have to ask Gary. Maybe learn where he got the car and the cheerleaders from, while I am at it."

The Riolu then dug himself out of the sand and reflexively shook himself, the dust and sand coming off his fur. It was weird how many habits he gained that were just part of being a Riolu.

"Ash!"

"Boss!"

Squirtle and Bulbasaur came into view, both walking towards them as they approached.

"Hey guys!" Ash waved at them. "I think we both lost."

"I would have won though!" Pikachu replied smugly.

"Keep telling yourself that."

Bulbasaur shook his head, a vine pointing at the sand. "Either way, it seems we might be in the right spot. I also see some debris."

Squirtle nodded, pointing at a few random rocks nearby. "Yeah, this is the place. I remembered these rock formations, just in case."

Accepting his friend's judgment he nodded and scanned the area.

There were some indents in the sand that indicated that someone had been here recently, but the wind and other footprints had destroyed any identifiable imprints there. The area also featured an odd mix of leftover items such as cans of PokéChow he bought before the whole blimp incident or the bottle of rock polish that Brock sometimes used on his Pokémon.

"Okay, you want me to track them using scent?"

"Pretty much, Boss!" Squirtle loudly declared.

"Alright, uh, I hope this works."

Ash found what might have been the center of the disturbance and he bent down. Almost immediately, the air changed. There was a surprisingly strong mix of smells that the new Riolu could barely decipher, patchwork of various odors. As Ash hadn't really spent that much time examining the odors of any Pokémon save his own Pikachu, he did not know what he should have been looking for.

After a minute of sifting through the cloud, Ash decided that it really did not matter if he could specifically make out what scents lead to what; he just needed to pick what was the strongest and most recent scents. "I got a scent. I think it's them."

Everyone around him perked up.

"That's great!"

"We'll find them, Boss!"

"Good work, Ash!"

Ash smirked as he stood up and pointed away from the beach. "Follow me!"

The former human led his team off the beach and into a rocky grassland. Large stones covered the field, though the scent trail left them through relatively flat terrain. The only Pokémon that could be seen were various birds that were hard to make out against the daylight sun.

"Really hope we don't get lost, again," Bulbasaur commented someway through.

"The good news is Ash isn't following a map," Pikachu muttered aloud.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Ash complained. "Besides, if I'm following someone else's scent, I'm only lost because the guy I'm following got lost first."

"Sure, keep telling yours-" Pikachu began but Squirtle closed his mouth.

"Hear that?" Squirtle murmured, his voice low.

The Riolu's ears twitched slightly. It was the sound of rustling grass, a faint sound in the distance that his human ears wouldn't have picked up. And it was right where his senses were telling him his friends were!

Ash leapt forward, bounding over small rocks and turning into a corner, running through grasses taller than he was, and… bumping into something.

"Ow…" the voice cried out. "Why does that hurt? You should have gone through me…"

"Sorry," The trainer apologized automatically. Ash blinked and saw a white and pink… Vulpix like Pokémon? It didn't have six tails or anything, just one really thick one. Wondering what it was, Ash reflexively took out his Pokédex, which was attached on the end of his belt, and scanned the new creature.

Dexter buzzed to life and with a click processed the new creature. Zorua - Sinnoh Regional Variant, Extinct Pokémon. This Pokémon is undocumented due to having gone extinct before the Pokédex Project was created. If a living specimen is located, it is highly recommended you capture it for both conversation efforts and scientific discovery.

Ash's curiosity was piqued. That was a completely new reaction. An extinct Pokémon was looking right at him. Professor Oak would love to meet it! Maybe he could ask Zorua about it.

"Capture?" Said extinct Pokémon however had different ideas, rubbing her head with a paw. Her yellow eyes widened as she examined Ash. "Those balls. You're… you're…." The Zorua then darted off deeper into the grass.

"Hey, wait!" Ash, not knowing what was going on, knew that he had to apologize for whatever it was he did wrong. Something about his Pokéballs? Regardless, Zorua might get herself hurt.

He pushed through the grass, going deeper and finding instead a wormlike Pokémon that resembled a caterpie except it was hairy and had red tendrils sticking out.

"Hey, did you see a Zorua?"

"No, Zorua here! Just me, a lowly and not worth capturing Larvesta!" the bug Pokémon declared, its voice… off for some reason.

"Well, I guess I better try to see if I can find her before I lose her." Ash nodded, trusting the new Pokémon, though for some reason Ash could practically feel the creature's fear. "But, I don't know what a Larvesta is and I am sure Dexter doesn't either… but I'm sure that Larvesta are Pokémon worth capturing! Why, I even caught a Caterpie before!"

"Don't capture me!" Larvesta visibly shuddered before screaming and heading out of the brush and hiding behind a rock. It was surprisingly fast for a worm Pokémon with tiny legs.

Ash felt bad. Now not only did he have to apologize to Zorua, he now needed to calm down Larvesta before they got themselves hurt.

The Riolu followed the bug-type out of the brush and behind the rock it slipped past. When he got there, he saw a Rattata, but it had black fur instead of purple, along with a… mustache. "Uh, you haven't happened to have seen a Zorua and Larvesta, haven't you?"

"Seen neither of them! I'm just a lowly Rattata and I am not worth capturing!" he declared firmly, though he was very nervous. He also sounded off, despite Ash not having understood Pokémon for all that long.

Ash blinked. What was it with all these Pokémon with self esteem issues? "Aw, shucks! Well, maybe I can find out where they are by tracking their scent."

Rattata gave an awkward smile. "Well, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll run into such valuable and capturable Maiju soon!"

"Maiju?" Ash shook his head. "Well, I don't know anything about that, but don't sell yourself short. I know Rattata are very common."

"Very, very common!" Rattata happily added.

"But that doesn't mean you don't have value on your own! I'm sure that there's a good trainer who would love to have you! Besides, you have a color I have never seen before on a Rattata, that's gotta add some novelty value!"

That caused Rattata to scream and climb over a large rock. He disappeared past the top.

Ash facepalmed. Now he had to chase after Rattata, in addition to Zorua and Larvesta.

Calming himself, Ash scaled the rock, straining his new legs as he did so. When he reached the top of the rock, he saw no sign of Zorua, Larvesta, Rattata. What he did see was a small Pidgey that was lying on its back.

Concerned, Ash leapt down nearby. "Are you alright?"

The Pidgey squawked. "I'm hurt…"

The Riolu leaned down close. There was an abrasion on the bird's wings and side. "What happened?"

"A Rattata hurt me as he ran past!" Pidgey groaned as she lifted a feathery limb to point. "He went that way!"

Ash couldn't help but feel a little bit responsible since it was his chasing that for some reason caused the Rattata to run into that poor Pidgey. Finding the Pokémon that ran away from him was a lower concern than helping someone who was actually hurt. Especially since he could sense the bird's fear, probably because she was now vulnerable. "Don't worry, I'll help you." He went to reach for his backpack but realized Squirtle was the one who had it still.

"Help me?" the bird squawked.

"That doesn't mean you don't need help," Ash said back. He did a quick scan of the area, finding the only thing available to him was the grass and a large stone. "I don't have any idea how to properly heal a Pokémon without Potions, but I think I can take you somewhere that isn't the dirt. Do you think I can move you?"

Pidgey flinched. "Er, maybe? But why help me? I am just a weak Pidgey. And I am hurt."

"So?" Ash carefully lifted Pidgey off where he found her. The bird was thankfully small enough that it wasn't too difficult. He took the Tiny Bird Pokémon and put her on a large flat rock. It wasn't a proper bed, but it would have to do until something better was available.

Pidgey seemed to calm down, her fear receding. "Who are you? Why do you have those… slave balls?"

Ash looked up. "I'm Ash Ketchum. I am… or was a trainer. That's why I have these."

"Don't you mean… tamer?" Pidgey asked. "And you didn't work for a tamer?"

Ash blinked. "I don't know, but I capture and train Pokémon. So, maybe?"

"Why does a Riolu ensla… er capture Maiju?"

Ash shook his head. "I wasn't always a Riolu. I'm actually human, I turned ten not too long ago and went on an adventure. Just right now, I ended up like this when I woke up." He got up and went towards the tall grass, tearing off the plant fibers until he filled his arms.

Pidgey said nothing for a good while before finally speaking. "You're human? But you're a Riolu. That's just… why would a human, a tamer… a trainer become a Riolu?"

"Try laying down on this." Ash returned with a bundle of grass in his arms. He set a small pile near Pidgey. "I don't know. They don't live where I'm from. And I've never turned into a Pokémon before, so I have no idea how any of this works."

Pidgey shook her head as she moved her body over to the pile of grass. "What are you doing here?"

"My friends and I were planning to travel to Valencia Island to meet with a Professor for an errand, but our blimp ran into a storm. Next thing I knew, I woke up here with Pikachu and-" Ash hung his head up in shame. He turned around and saw that Pikachu and the others were nowhere to be found. "I got separated from my friends and I'm looking for them and now I got separated from my other friends…"

"Friends?" Pidgey seemed concerned. "Do you mean Maiju or humans?"

"Both. I had two human friends, but the first Maiju with me was a Pikachu. I also have a Squirtle and Bulbasaur with me. There's Charizard, but he's… got issues," Ash muttered. He then thought to himself that maybe he could try something to cheer up the stranded Pidgey. She did not seem to like the idea of Pokémon being held against their will, so he had an idea. "I had a Pidgeotto, well, Pidgeot now. I released her a few days ago. I also had a Butterfree, who I also released."

"You released them?" Pidgey seemed confused.

Ash nodded. "Butterfree met this pink Butterfree; he wanted to go with her. I didn't want to hold him back, so I let him go, even if I did not want him to leave. Pidgeot left to protect a flock of Pidgey from a Fearow in her home forest. I promised I'd meet them again."

Pidgey was silent as she continued to eat through berries. She seemed to be lost in thought.

Ash continued. "As to my human friends, there's Misty and Brock, but if I turned into a Pokémon, they probably got turned into ones too."

"Ash!" A voice shouted.

Pidgey choked.

Ash turned and found himself face to face with an orange Pokémon that scowled at him and a brownish canine that gave him a bewildered look.

"Ash!" the orange one scowled. "You aren't supposed to say that!"

"Ash! You are very hard to find when you run off like that!" Pikachu shouted as he took a position right behind the orange Pokémon. Bulbasaur and Squirtle fell in behind Pikachu. At the same time, a familiar Staryu and Vulpix fell in right behind what must have been Brock.

Ash blinked, realizing who it was he was talking to. "Misty? What did I do wrong?"

"Aside from chasing our guide away, you told a random Pokémon that we're-" Misty shouted.

The small dog placed a paw on Misty's back. "Careful, Misty, you don't want others to overhear."

Misty scowled. "Ash, Pokémon here don't like humans or anything involving trainers. Hide your Pokéballs if you're going to keep them. I know they're occupied, but Pokémon here will freak out like you've got the plague." She then pointed to Pidgey. "And you… better not say a word. Especially not to any Zorua you see."

Pidgey gave a nervous expression as she got up. "Uh, that might be a little late." Then Pidgey vanished in a subtle flash, revealing a white and red fox.

Ash balked. "Wait, you were Zorua the whole time?"

Zorua whimpered. "And Larvesta and Rattata."

Brock frowned. "Oh, right, Zorua can disguise themselves with illusions."

"I'm sorry! I… I didn't mean to… I didn't…" Zorua begged. "But you… barged into me and that was scary! Then that thing… said to capture me!"

Ash drew Dexter again. "I wasn't expecting that. It normally just says information about Pokémon it looks at. Like, Pikachu has this." He brought Dexter over to Pikachu.

Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon. It keeps its tail raised to monitor its surroundings. If you yank its tail, it will try to bite you. The Pokédex whirred.

"That's mostly true, but I'd rather shock you first!" Pikachu proudly declared.

"So, it's a book that talks?" Zorua stared at the device.

Ash nodded. "I had never encountered an extinct Pokémon before, so I didn't know it would recommend capturing you. And if you don't want to be captured, I won't take you."

Zorua breathed out a sigh of relief. "Okay. I er… believe you."

"Please don't mention any of this to your Master," Misty urged. "I don't know how he'd react."

"Erm… okay. But I want something…" Zorua gave a nervous look. "I want to know about the world outside!" she burst out saying.

"Uh… if you don't mind, that is?" she immediately deflated.

The former humans all blinked at both the request and the sudden change in tone.

"Wait, I think I know what's going on," Brock stepped forward. "You're scared about the outside world, but at the same time, you're curious about it?"

Zorua nodded. "It's scary what the stories say about it, but at the same time…I heard of a number of wonders from rumors from travelers who washed up on our shores. Weird devices that allow you to speak to anyone a world away or how you can deliver items in a similar way. Citrine has its own works, but I want to know about what isn't here."

"Yeah, there's a teleporter system that works for most things. You can actually send people and Pokémon through that way, too." Ash said.

"Really?" Zorua's bushy tail thumped. "How do you do that? Do you use some sort of spell? Or psychic moves?"

"...I don't really know," Ash said.

"Disappointing," Zorua muttered before shaking her head. "What about blimps? You said you rode one to get here, but uh…I have no idea what that even is!"

"We can talk more about it later," Brock suggested. "We should probably head back to town."

"Oh, good idea," Ash replied back.

Zorua led the way forward, pushing through the grass. "By the way, how did you run into me? You hurt to walk into."

"That's odd?" Ask asked.

"I am a ghost-type," she sounded embarrassed. "I mean, I can phase and hold things if I want, but … er… accidents generally don't hurt."

"You're a ghost-type?" Ash blinked. He had only ever run into Ghastly and its evolutions, aside from the occasional actual ghost. Come to think of it, it was odd that he only really knew one family of ghost types at all.

"You should have phased through me."

"I don't know, I was just following the scent of… whoever was at the beach. I don't know if that affected anything."

"Odor Sleuth?" Bulbasaur volunteered. "Most tracking Pokémon learn it."

"I'm pretty sure Riolu doesn't learn Odor Sleuth," Brock answered. "Riolu are very adept Pokémon, but I don't think I've heard of any of them using Odor Sleuth."

"Why not? I tracked you because I found your scent or Brock's… I don't know who I was following. Also, Squirtle said I was a canine."

"But that doesn't…" Misty muttered and then sighed. "Actually, you're probably right. We might have to tell someone that Riolu can learn Odor Sleuth. Most probably don't bother learning it because of their other powers."

"Other powers?"

Misty shook her head. "Ash, you're a Riolu. Are you the least bit familiar with what that means?"

"No?" Ash replied.

"You're a fighting type, Ash. It should be self explanatory. You don't need to worry about things that'll only matter if you evolve," Misty said.

"If you evolve," Pikachu emphasized.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey, all three of us here kind of prefer not evolving, Boss," Squirtle suggested. "It's a really big change. And well, you might end up changing more than you'd like."

"Like a certain someone," Pikachu added.

Bulbasaur shook his head, giving an eye to the other two. "Let's not make our trainer's choice for him, when he gave us the option to choose for ourselves."

Both other Pokémon frowned.

Yet, despite Bulbasaur's words, a part of Ash wondered what that might mean for him if he did evolve. After all, Charizard… changed after he evolved. Would the same happen to him and he'd attack Pikachu?

Ash shook his head. There was enough to think about already and he needed to know what was going on. "So, what about this place? Where are we?"

"It'd take some time, but… I can explain if you'd like." Zorua said from the front.

By the time they had left the rocky fields and came to the gentle grasslands, Ash and his Pokémon got a rough summary of the Citrine Isles and its history from Zorua; how it was created and why. He also learned about the circumstances of Brock and Misty's stay at Professor Aspen's, but that didn't dominate the whole conversation.

The former trainer, more or less understood the reasoning behind the decision. After all, he spent most of his time as a trainer being hounded by Team Rocket constantly trying to steal Pikachu and other Pokemon. If going to a far off island would stop that, a part of him would at least consider it. Where were Team Rocket anyways? He didn't seem at all since the mess in Pallet Town and usually they'd have shown up by now.

Ash did however have more questions. "So, are we the first humans here? Because it'd be weird if we were."

Zorua blinked. "I… only just now realized that was a possibility."

"A surprisingly good point. If this place has been around since ancient times, however long that is, there'd have been loads of Pokémon coming in. At least a couple of them would have had to have been human," Misty pointed out. "Though it would have been harder without ocean capable boats."

Staryu commented. "Mistress, if I may suggest. The barriers to entry could be heavily reduced if those travelers possessed powerful Pokémon of the right varieties. Powerful Flying-types and very large Water-types would be ideal."

"But that just adds further questions, like where this place is on the map. It's a bit chilly here and we were aiming to go somewhere tropical." Brock said. "I take it you don't have maps of the outside world."

Zorua shook her head. "I don't think we do, but I'm still hung up on the idea that there might be humans among us. Why… why don't we know about that?"

"Maybe it's incredibly rare?" Ash suggested.

"Or, they're encouraged to shut up about it." Pikachu said back. "At least now I can claim my position on Pokéballs being awful to be in is being moderate."

"Hey, why is it you don't like your Pokéball anyways?" Ash asked. "I mean I know you hate them, but I never learned why because I could never ask you before."

"Why don't you go try one and find out for yourself?" Pikachu spat back, arms crossed.

"Maybe I will!" Ash stuck out his tongue. He did have a few spares, one of which Brock had asked for to keep Onix in. He wondered if it might be worth it trying to sleep in one.

Misty gave the two of them odd looks. She looked like she was going to say something, but Brock whispered something to her.

Ash still had a hard time getting used to Brock's… changes. He decided to take his mind off with another question. "Okay, so who are the gods?"

"You know, the creators of our world and below them, the ones who protect and nurture it. Like, say Lord Ho-Oh or Lady Lugia. Others include the Dragons of Creation, but I don't think anyone's seen them. Mew is said to show up frequently, but is often disguised," Zorua began to ramble. "They show up on occasion, watching the affairs of us mortals and receiving our offerings."

Ash got the gist when she spoke about Mew. "You mean Legendary Pokémon?"

"I suppose that is an apt description. Do you worship them as well?" Zorua asked.

"Wild Pokémon generally don't," Pikachu answered. "Unless they're really desperate."

"Some humans do," Brock responded. "I know Johto still reveres Ho-Oh and the Three Beasts of Ecruteak. And two of the dragons are worshiped in SInnoh, along with their mythical creator."

"Fascinating," Zorua murmured before considering. "Three Beasts of Ecruteak?"

"Entei, Suicine, and Raikou," Misty answered.

Zorua shrugged. "Never heard of them."

"They are just over a hundred years old," Brock answered. "There's clearly a gulf of knowledge because of how long our people groups have been mostly isolated from each other."

"We're getting close to the town, up ahead." Vulpix spoke up, bouncing up on her feet, changing the focus of the conversation.

Some time while Zorua was narrating the origins of the Citrine Isles, they found a dirt road to travel on. Now that road had taken them to their destination. Ash could make out what looked like a village in the distance, along with what looked like an old style manor house.

"Remember Ash, you're a trainer's Pokémon, not a trainer yourself," Misty instructed.

"Hey, I didn't know it'd be so bad. And besides, it worked out, didn't it?"

"You can't rely on luck forever, Ash," Misty sighed. "Then again, considering your luck landed us here, because you won a lottery, you really shouldn't rely on it even now."

"As a reminder, Boss, no one is going to think it's odd if you say your name is Riolu," Squirtle suggested. "In fact, even for Pokémon with personal names, they often don't let strangers know."

"Same for you, Mistress. A Buizel named Buizel is not at all unusual," Staryu added.

Ash adjusted his hat and made last minute preparations. He had stuffed his belt and his Pokéballs into his backpack, where hopefully no one else could see it. It did mean that he had to lock Charizard's Pokéball to prevent him from opening it while inside the bag, but hopefully, he could have a talk with him once they figured out what they were going to do. His hat thankfully was vague enough that he could keep wearing it, even if it made him stick out like a sore thumb; but being a Riolu, that was apparently too much.

"Welcome to Opalton," Zorua said to Ash. "It's quite humble here, minus my Master's manor and the orchard."

Ash felt like he was being made to look at a history book. Decorated wooden buildings with fancy colored shingles lined the central road. The further one went away from the main road, the more humble things became. A stream cut through the town. The other end featured a manor house surrounded by a small apple orchard.

"I heard there were places in Johto like this, all old-timey." Ash commented. ""Is this normal for your homeland, Zorua? Do all of the towns look like this?"

"Not exactly. But the building style is common in places with a high Hisui ancestry. There's a different style used by the Ornovans, for instance, but you'd have to go to Topaz Cliff to see a good example of it." Zorua spoke. But she then suddenly deflated. "Oh, uh right, we uh… that manor house is where my Master lives. You'll be staying there for the meanwhile. We'll pass by the market road."

Ash nodded, accepting the guide's suggestion.

While far away the town of Opalton looked remarkably like a human village from the distant past, these similarities broke down the moment one could see eye to eye with the denizens.

For one thing, Pokémon were not the same size as humans and often not the same size as each other. The buildings seemed to be designed with the intent that a Charizard or a Kangaskhan could easily step inside, with both doors and ceilings being massively upscaled for the task. Yet despite this, most tables were at least a foot shorter to account for the fact most Pokémon were closer to the ground than humans standing upright. And if the tables weren't shorter, there were plenty of stools, ladders, and other ways to get smaller Pokémon to see over counters.

However the most astonishing thing of all to see was that it was the Pokémon doing business. Nothing quite leaves an impression than a quartet of electrical rodents singing around a barbershop, what looked like a Weezing with a tall hat operating a tea shop, and most mystifying of all, a Seaking acting like a used car salesman over wagons - noteworthy because for some reason the Seaking was floating above the ground as it did so. Were Pokémon this mercantile back home?

"What did you do for a living?" Zorua asked abruptly. "I understand that Maiju from human lands do not often take craft skills, but I understand that may not be a problem for you."

Ash gave Zorua a nervous glance. "I'm eleven, I don't have a job. Though I did get involved in making a movie and at one point I raced on a Ponyta, but I don't think that'll work here. Just don't ask me to do anything involving magicians and hypnosis."

"What Ash is saying is that while we were traveling, he ended up helping out wherever he can or joined in whatever contest or competition that was in the way." Misty spoke up before shaking his head. "He's oddly proficient in anything he sets his mind to."

Ash did not try very hard to suppress his grin.

"Don't get a big head, Ash," Misty lightly scolded.

Ash suppressed his grin. "My Pokémon tend to do most of the work. I just lead them, most of the time."

Squirtle and Pikachu both lifted their heads with obvious pride.

"That's good to know." Zorua nodded.

"In my case," Brock answered. "My family ran the local Gym and raised Pokémon not only to fight, but also for general use. I also started to learn about caring for and grooming Pokémon in more detail."

"The same is mostly the same for me, too. My sisters also liked to perform in water shows. I can do that, too, but I prefer the battling part of being a Gym Leader," Misty supplied. "For reference, Pokémon battling in the human context involves trainers coordinating one or more Pokémon in duels."

Zorua nodded, taking their words in. "So the skill you all have tends to gravitate towards leading Maiju into battle?"

Ash nodded eagerly.

"Maybe mercenary work?" Zorua mused. "Traveling and combat are what you did before, so maybe that'd work?"

"Hey, Ash!" Pikachu spoke up, catching everyone off guard. "I found something that might catch your interest."

Ash turned. His Pokémon were gathered around a large poster. It featured depictions of Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno watching a battle taking place in the middle between a Gengar and a Nidorino. The text was a slightly warped version of Kanji, understandable, but off.

GREAT TOURNAMENT OF THE HEAVENS!

Fight to win Favor from the Gods!

Honor your Ancestors!

Obtain a Complete Looplet to enter!

There was also a date, but Ash could tell the calendar was not one he had any familiarity with.

"It's a tournament, like the Pokémon League. At least I think so," Ash said as he examined it. The poster even looked like it'd fit right in a Pokémon League sign-in office, with some word changes.

"Ash, you can't seriously be thinking of entering!" Misty chided. "We have to find a way out of here!"

"I know that!" Ash said with a pained expression. "But, I see a challenge and I want to take part in it!" While Ash had mostly gotten over his crushing defeat against Ritchie, he still wanted to have a victory to his name. Now, he was presented with what was very much like the Pokémon League, but with no humans at all.

"Hey, how's this different from the League back home?" Pikachu asked Zorua.

"I wouldn't know the answer to that without further questioning, but this is the largest tournament around Citrine. It occurs every 12th New Moon." Zorua answered, examining the former humans. "I suppose the major one is that there's no humans commanding Maiju in ours. There's often a leader because one emerges to coordinate the group's activities, but otherwise, all Maiju are there because they want to fight and the combatants are those who wished to fight together."

"That's a big difference," Brock observed. "No trainer means that the Pokémon will tend to fight on their initiative instead of having a trainer to order them. This is both a good or bad thing; a Pokémon trained this way will probably have good reaction times, but this means the Pokémon will need to handle not only fighting, but also thinking about strategy and tactics."

Zorua nodded. "Most combatants enter to win fame, glory, and wealth, but just as many enter it to win the attention of the gods who would be present there."

"Hm. I know the Silver Conference is in Ho-Oh's honor, but I don't think he ever showed up in living memory. Some say he doesn't even exist." Misty answered. "You're saying that the Legendary Pokémon are expected to show up?"

"That's quite right. Last year, Rayquaza made an appearance to watch the final match, with a pair of Zapdos seeing the whole tournament from start to finish!" Zorua explained. "It's not always them though, several Mew were present the year before that one, but they were disguised until the end. Darkrai and Cresslia before that one. But the winners are generally allowed an audience to the gods present. And if you impress them enough, they may even humor a request."

"Hang on. Didn't you say that only the gods know how to get out of this place?" Ash asked, a mad idea born in his head, a mix of both his desires to compete and the realization that this might be the only way home.

"I did, yes," Zorua said sheepishly. "Why does that matter?"

"If we took part in the tournament and impressed the Legendaries attending, could we ask them to let us leave the island?" Ash asked.

Everyone stared.

"Theoretically…" Zorua eventually responded. "I recall there was an instance of a tournament winner asking for an entire island from Groudon and he received it a year and a day after. So, maybe asking to leave Citrine isn't implausible."

"That's a surprisingly good justification for competing in a new League, Ash," Misty deadpanned.

"The tournament is many moons away, so I suppose you have time to meet the certification qualifications."

"What's a Looplet?" Ash asked. "And how many Poké-Maiju will be competing? Do we all have to have to enter individually?"

"Well, it's mostly a team or guild thing. Generally, only the team leader needs to wear a Looplet. It's a magical band of metal worn around the wrist." Zorua answered. "To complete it, you have to defeat any of the large Dojo's within Citrine, filling it with at least 8 gemstones called Emeras. After which, you'll fight others who have done the same thing until only one remains undefeated."

All of the foreign Pokémon, both former human and not, stared at each other and blinked.

"Hey, Boss, that sounds awfully like the League certification you had to go through. Eight badges, too," Squirtle commented.

"Maybe some Pokémon who were tournament fighters back home set it up," Ash suggested. After all, they weren't the only ones here. What if sometime in the distant past some Pokémon League regulars landed here and decided to spend their time remaking the Pokémon League?

"That does sound peculiar," Zorua mused. "Teams don't have a real limit by the way, but because everyone is fighting for fame and glory, they tend to divide themselves. They generally hover around ten or so members, because of the need for recovery time between fights in the Tournament proper balanced against the desire to maintain the spotlight individually."

"So, the only option we know of to get out, might be to partake in this tournament," Brock thought out loud. "Ash, you only have four Pokémon and I'd like to get back home, too, but if they're expecting ten, it's not a good sign. I don't think we can just recruit Pokémon here, especially if our goal is to leave."

"I'd just like to point out that Ash has five Pokémon!" Pikachu proudly declared, slapping Ash's backside as he did so.

Ash immediately understood. "You mean, I would fight in the league, too?" A manic grin grew on the Riolu's face.

"You are a Maiju, too, Ash!" Pikachu matched Ash's expression with his own. "This might be the one chance we'll have to fight together like this!"

Ash's imagination ran wild. He and Pikachu, standing side by side and fighting together. That wasn't a dream he had originally, but that definitely should be something Pokémon Masters had to do!

Staryu spoke up as well. "Additionally, Mistress, you and Sir Brock are also Pokémon. And you have some of your own as well. You could easily support Ash by loaning not only yourselves but us in this endeavor."

Misty gave her starter a look of resignation. "I'll do it if I have to. But Togepi is off limits. I'm not risking her getting hurt."

Brock nodded. "Well, if I ever have a Rockruff of my own, I'll have practice for it."

"I… uh, I'm willing to fight, too." Vulpix said. For some reason, Ash could detect she was very hesitant.

Squirtle and Bulbasaur also gave their own nods of acceptance.

Zorua looked at the assembled party with a concerned look. "... It seems you all wish to compete."

"We do. We want to get home." Ash nodded. "This seems like the best way to do it from what we know. Plus, it sounds fun."

"We still need money though," Brock added. "This tournament is quite some time away, and we'll need to travel to make it to each Dojo. That's going to mean making money."

"Ash, I'm going to point this out right now, because it has to be said," the Buizel called out. "If you do what you did in the Indigo League, we're going to have a repeat of that. And then none of us will be going home."

"...I know, Misty," Ash deflated. After losing to Ritchie because Charizard disobeyed him, Ash realized that he had to change something about himself if he wanted to win a League. Training was so much like work, but then again, maybe it'd be more enjoyable now that he was technically a Pokémon he was supposed to train? Maybe Charizard might like him again now that they could talk to each other. Where did he go wrong?

"I want to ask…" Zorua opened her mouth and then closed it again. Ash could feel she was worried about something. Maybe she was embarrassed? "... I… we still need to talk to Master Aspen. My Master may be willing to help you get started."

Ash squinted, but could see the visible hesitation on Zorua. He didn't want to press it, especially not when she was being so helpful despite being nervous all of the time. He did what he thought was the right thing to do. "Don't worry, Zorua. You've been very nice despite everything that happened today. So, thanks for all the help you've given us."

Zorua looked like she didn't know what to say before finally managing, "…You're welcome."

Can anyone guess all of the references?

The timing of this story was chosen for a particular reason. Ash had just lost his first Pokémon League and is in the transition from Kanto to somewhere else. Additionally, he has yet to be given the title of Chosen One by Lugia, and while he has gone through odd adventures, he hasn't completely been used to strangeness.

As to why I turned everyone into what Pokemon:

It seemed fitting Ash into a Riolu. Between Aura being a point a few times in the series and the Lucario movie, I felt this would have been better than making him a Pikachu.

For Misty, I honestly felt like Buizel was a Pokémon made for her given its color and typing.

For Brock, I was debating between a Rockruff and a Hisui Growlithe. I decided that the Rockruff was better because it was spiked and that the Growlithe's eyes being covered by hair wasn't enough to justify it.

And yes, the Regional Professor is a Hisui Decidueye whose name is Aspen, for a double tree pun. But as Professors as a title is a modern invention, he is a Scholar.