Azar's Story

Emerald sighed, looking through the tiny village. So far, no one had believed her story. No one was willing to believe that she had once been a human. No wonder they all refused to help her find a way to return to her original form. She thought about giving up, but so many questions were swirling through her mind; how had this happened? Why did it have to happen to her? How could she possibly fix this? Would her Butterfree still be alright when she returned? Would anything have changed by the time she returned to her human form? Would she ever be able to return to her human form?

Defeated, she hung her head, ignoring most of the other Pokemon walking past her. How was she supposed to live among Pokemon when she didn't understand how they lived? She supposed she should be paying attention, learning to live like the other Pokemon, but she really was in no mood. Unfortunately, the middle of town wasn't a good place to just sit there sulking; she received a few too many suspicious looks. Heaving a sigh, she stood on all fours, walking slowly, aimlessly, talking to herself as she did. Who cared if they thought she was a little crazy?

"All I want is to go home. But no one here seems to believe me...so how will that happen? I could try to stay here, I suppose...but my poor Butterfree, all alone...and me stuck here. Everything just needs to go back to normal! But I can't figure that out on my own..." She kicked a black paw at the dirt as she walked. It felt weird; she had kicked the dirt before, but usually she was wearing shoes. That actually stung just a little bit. She sighed again.

"I just want to be human again...is that so much to ask? It's not like I wanted to be a Poochyena..."





Azar pounced happily through the little town, giving everyone she passed by a big smile. She loved friends! Granted, she didn't know too many of the Pokemon there, but it couldn't hurt to be nice to them. Maybe someone would be a friend eventually! She hadn't made too many friends just yet; she had only been in the village for a few weeks. Clearly that wasn't long enough. But she had been able to get a few smiles in return. She paused, tilting her head to the side briefly before glancing over herself. She just had to make sure her fur was still clean! Fortunately, it still looked alright, so she shrugged it off, slowing her pace to a walk, to get a better look.

"It's such a beautiful day! Nice and warm and sunny...I love days like this!"

Rowtag awoke and left his house. He looked over himself and was surprised with how dirty he was. "Geez-um." He snapped at himself, not sure what he had done. He shook, his big body oscillating slowly, shaking it off his thick fur. He shook his head and his mouth hang open, his tongue flopping around. Rowtag smiled and laughed. He walked around, staying on all fours. He was already big, he didn't need to make himself look any bigger.

Going through town, he heard people talking about.. a human? It worried him a bit. Was one of them coming? Were they waiting to ambush him? Rowtag, being his paranoid self, started to walk on two feet. The pokemon that looked small to him were even more so now. He was hoping if anyone would attack him, they might think about it first.

He calmed down as he saw a zippy Vuplix checking over herself. "Least I ain't da only one.." He smiled and got on four feet again. "Sure is a nice one idnit?"

Emerald hesitated, watching the Espeon warily. What had happened? What was he doing? She wasn't sure what to make of him circling her. At first, he had sounded like he hadn't believed her; like he thought she was lying. But the way he talked...and what he said afterwards...did he actually believe what she was saying? This could be a good thing! Maybe she'd be able to fit in, after all! Or, even better, be able to help her find a way to turn human again! She gave what she hoped was a smile; she wasn't sure with this face.

"My name is Emerald, and I would appreciate the help. So far everyone else...well, no one's believed me so far. But I'm glad there's even a possibility that someone believes me...and might be willing to help me..." She ignored the other Pokemon; she hadn't been there long enough to know what the other Pokemon knew about this...Zylen. She had no idea he didn't talk to others. But that wouldn't matter, anyway; as long as she got help.

"I just don't understand how this whole walking on all fours works; I'm so used to only having two legs...I stumbled just this morning! But I guess...the biggest thing...would be how could I possibly turn human again? I don't even know how I ended up being a Pokemon in the first place!"



Azar blinked, looking up at the Typhlosion. She gave a friendly grin.

"Oh, yes; it's a perfect day out! I didn't like yesterday, when it rained so much. Everything got all muddy. But today's perfect, since it dries everything up and it's all nice and warm out here today!" She shook her fur out before looking back to the bigger Pokemon.

"I'm guessing you enjoy it, too? I mean, cold, wet weather isn't exactly right for fire-types. But days like today...and it's so bright! I can see everything, without straining to look. And it makes everyone else happy, too! ...Well...usually...she noted, remembering the sulking Poochyena she had passed by before. She hadn't been talking to anyone in particular, so she had left it alone. She shrugged that thought off.

"It's just so wonderful on days like this..."

Zylen listened to..Emerald as she spoke to him. He waited until she fell silent before speaking. "I have only ever walked this way. I am afraid that I do not know the difference but I imagine it would be similar. It will take time to get used to." He paused for a moment, thinking. He had never come across anything that suggested that Humans could become pokemon. It certainly was a unique case as far as he knew. "As far as why or how to initiate the change, I'm afraid I've no idea." He fell silent, his dark eyes watching Emerald closely. "Your..situation is certainly different. I suppose that I can reach out to a few of my contacts and see if they know anything. It will take only a short amount of time. I'm actually staying at the small inn that is near the edge of this village. You are welcome to stay with me there until I receive word back."

The Espeon then turned and began walking off in a different direction. As he walked, he really didn't think that Emerald would follow him. He had left rather abruptly and most would have taken offense. He could not say that he would blame her. It was part of the reason that he had no friends. No one got him. As he walked, he passed a pair of pokemon..the Vulpix seemed so full of energy and the Typhlosion was so much larger than most in the village. He quickly pulled his gaze from them and continued on his way.

It did not take long for Zylen to reach the inn. Before heading in, he turned his head to look behind him, fully expecting his new aquaintance to not have followed him. His tail twitched again as he focused on the spot behind him. What would he do if she, in fact, didn't follow him? He would see what information that he could gather and then hunt her down. All quite a bit of work for him. He actually didn't mind helping her, though. It was not often that he helped others and for once..he couldn't say that he minded at all.

Rowtag smiled as she spoke. She was full of energy, ready to go on and on. He didn't think someone could be so excited about the weather. He would of just dismissed it as 'Wicked good to-dee' but he was fine with her near tangent. "Uh... yea!" He smiled. Rowtag looked to the ground, then over to her. "So uh... ya go 'round heyah a lot?"

Sniffing the air, he realized one thing. He hadn't eaten breakfast before he left. Even if he did, he would been hungry anyway.. "Have ya eaten yet?" He wasn't looking at her, more over at all of the ground around her. He shook his head again, the rest of him moving too. He laughed.

Emerald hesitated when the Pokemon spoke, and then walked off. It was so sudden, and unexpected, she wasn't entirely sure what she should do at first. Then she remembered that he had said she could stay with him as he got a hold of his contacts. She started to run to try to catch up with him. It was clumsy; she had gotten used to walking, not running. But she had to move a little faster to keep up with the Pokemon, anyway. Her "species" had shorter legs than his, and she found it a little hard to keep up. But she managed. Barely.

She was a little bit behind the Pokemon, struggling to catch her breath and keep up. She hadn't had to run to keep up with him, but she had had to jog, and that alone was tiring, especially when she was just learning to do this. She was so focused on keeping up, she didn't pay much attention to any Pokemon they passed. She was afraid that, if she let herself be distracted, she would lose the Espeon. She was thankful he was helping her; she couldn't expect him to slow down just because she had a hard time keeping up. He'd probably be able to find her if she did lose him, but whether or not he would, she had no idea.

She hesitated when he stopped and looked back, fighting to catch her breath. She tried not to look so tired, but that was hard to do right then.



Azar was pleased that he agreed with her; maybe she'd made a new friend! wouldn't that just be wonderful? She laughed internally, looking around with a big smile. It really was nice out, after all. She glanced at him when he asked a question, then looked up at the clear sky.

"Oh, I only recently came here; just a few days ago. But I've been coming here every day since. Everyone here is really nice; at least, no one's been mean to me yet," she answered, with a tiny shrug. The smile never left her face; she was in too good a mood for that to go away. She paused at his next question, thinking for a few minutes.

"Eaten? ...Well, not yet; I skip eating in the mornings sometimes. I just wanted to go out into the sunshine as soon as I could. I suppose...I should have eaten, but really, I didn't think about it at the time. Now you've mentioned it, though...I am a little hungry...I really should have eaten..."

Rowtag smiled hearing her story. "I haven't been heyah dat long eithah..." When she spoke of people being mean to her, he sunk a bit. Someone was being mean? He worried a little. Were people here like that. "Well, dey won't be.." She was nice to him, and he would make sure people were nice to her.

Rowtag listened to her as she talked of skipping breakfast. "Not eat?!?" He didn't mean to be spontaneous or loud, it was just unbelievable for him. "Well.." He listened to her as she kept rambling on. He waited for her to finish, not wanting to interrupt her. 'She sure does go on..' he thought to himself. "Well.. wanna go get some berries?" He smiled, raising his head more to smell them out. He stood up on his hind legs and sniffed again. While he was standing, he stretched his arms out and let out a loud yawn. He came back down, his front paws hitting the ground with a thump. "I think deyah's some ovah deyah... you've been 'round heyah befowah?" He was guessing she's been in the forest before, but wasn't too sure. He wasn't going to assume things.

Emerald blinked; no one bothered to try to keep up? Or to ignore his poor manners? That was a surprise; she would have thought one might be frightened into following him. She, for one, followed because she was afraid she might get lost, or be separated, and that he might not return to help her. She didn't want to be stuck like this! This was highly uncomfortable for her. Not just being a Pokemon, but not understanding what was going on around her. Usually she could figure out her surroundings, but that was when she was human. Now, she felt very lost.

She had always hated that feeling. She hated being confused; she hated not understanding.

She followed him into the inn, glancing around curiously as she did. She blinked in surprise when he moved away suddenly, towards another Pokemon. She followed cautiously. She had yet to see a Swellow; not as a Pokemon, anyway. It seemed bigger to her now that she was a Pokemon. Was she really that much smaller? Of course she was; she had a hard time keeping up with an Espeon! She was normally able to keep up with a Pokemon walking, including an Espeon. Now she felt slow, and weak, and everything else. How was she going to survive? She almost wished her Butterfree was there, until she realized that it might not listen to her in this form.

She watched, somewhat concerned, when he pretty much forced the Swellow to search for the information Zylen wanted. She winced, but sat down to watch as he imprisoned the bird Pokemon in his psychic power. She had seen this before, of course; her Butterfree could do the same. But it was different; everything seemed to be different in this form. She was actually a little scared. But the bird, Awra, was released, and quickly left to find what Zylen had been looking for. She blinked as Zylen turned to her, asking what she would like to do. She hesitated.

"You know...I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, learning to walk might be the best thing for now. I mean, I can walk...but running...I could barely keep up with you...these stupid short legs..." She huffed in frustration. How could things be so hard?



Azar couldn't understand why not eating breakfast was so...bad to the Typhlosion. Perhaps he had a bigger stomach than she did? It was understandable; he was so much bigger than she was, anyway. She perked up even more, if possible, as he mentioned berries. Her grin widened as she nodded.

"Ooh, berries sounds pretty good right now. No, I haven't explored the area much; I saw the buildings and headed straight for them. I didn't spend too much time exploring. Mostly, I've just been eating what I can find, or what some other Pokemon was kind enough to offer. It would be nice to be able to forage for my own food for once. I mean, I don't mind working with someone else; I only meant to be able to eat berries fresh would be nice!" She paused, tilting her head to one side.

"You smelt them out, maybe you should lead the way? I suppose I could smell them out, too, but really, it must be easier to smell from up there. I can't get up that high on my own; I'm so short!"

Rowtag smiled wide as she quickly became excited as berries were brought up. She said she hadn't been around the area much. He had been, and wouldn't mind going with someone. He felt a bit safer going with someone. At least a bit of backup if someone were to come... He laughed, she still went on about everything. Rowtag liked it. He didn't have to confront any shyness and could just stay quiet.

Rowtag shrugged slightly as she said he should lead the way because he was higher off the ground. That might of been why he thought to himself.. 'Or cause I'm stahvin...' he told himself. He started to walk slowly, looking behind, waiting for her to come along.

Hearing her talk about how short she was, he laughed, ideas going through his head. He smiled going back to her. He picked her up in his paws and stood so he could walk. "Bettah?" Rowtag wondered what she would do. He walked toward the smell, smiling and laughing more.

Emerald frowned; yes, she was that short. Compared to her normal form, this was very short. But she wasn't entirely sure she could keep up. But Zylen was slower this time, so she could keep up. So now she had a chance to look around, and she noticed the strange looks this time. She didn't respond to the Espeon's comment; she wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond, anyway. Not that it mattered; she wasn't so sure she was walking so well, despite what he might have said. It just felt so strange. How could she be doing anything right when it all felt so different?

She followed him into the forest, glancing around curiously. There were no other Pokemon, so it would be fairly quiet, as well. She did listen as he told her the best way was practice, and she understood that. It was what she had figured, anyway, but she had been hesitant to practice running with all the other Pokemon around. It seemed odd, though, that he was a thief at some point. Not that it mattered; she didn't exactly have anything worth stealing. And he was willing to help her still, so that was irrelevant.

When he took off, though, Emerald hesitated before following after him. She stumbled a couple of times, only barely keeping up. She needed to work on this; she needed to keep up! She refused to be left behind. But she still lost the Espeon when he ran up a tree. She hesitated when she entered the clearing, glancing around curiously until he spoke. She looked up, following his voice to find him. She sat, thinking on his question for a moment.

"...Honestly...it's not the fact that I'm a Pokemon now. It's just that it's a little hard to get used to. I used to think it might be interesting to be a Pokemon...but I also thought...well, I didn't realize just how different it would feel...that's all..."



Azar had started to follow him, but paused when he turned back and picked her up. She blinked, confused, and sniffed, then smiled.

"Ooh, I can see so much more from up here! I can smell everything else, too! It must be so much easier for you to find your way; you must not get lost often! I get lost all the time; there are taller Pokemon, so half the time all I see is a wall of Pokemon, but you can see over their heads! No wonder you smelled the berries so easily...I could really only smell the dirt and the Pokemon around me. It's nice to have a different view!" She let out a little giggle.

It probably seemed strange, a Vulpix being carried around by a Typhlosion, but who cared? This was fun! And it was nice of Rowtag to pick her up so she could see more, too.

Now I'll feel really short when I get back on the ground; but this is still kinda fun! The Pokemon even look a little smaller from up here!"

Rowtag smiled as she rambled on as usual. "It must be so much easier for you to find your way; you must not get lost often!" He laughed. "Well..." He had gotten himself lost plenty of times, roaming around. Sometimes he got scared, not knowing if we would get out of there alive, other times more confident that he knew where was going. Even though that confidence probably got him lost in the first place.

He smiled and moved her. Instead of holding her above his head with his arms straight up, Rowtag moved his arm down so it was across his chest. He held her on his forearm, looking down he laughed. It felt.. confusing to him. It was different to feel someone's warmth. He never really had it happen much before. It was a bit odd to him, but he liked it.

"Now ya know how you all look.." Rowtag laughed and kept walking. He brought his head up and sniffed occasionally, following the smell. They got a few odd looks but Rowtag didn't really care. They were all looking up, something he was used to. He laughed, and started to walk a bit harder, letting his feet lightly stomp so he bobbed and moved her around a bit. It soon came to him that he was carrying someone around in his arms and he didn't even tell them his name. "Uh... I'm Rowtag.."

Coming to the tree, he smiled wide. Setting her down gently, he grabbed a branch and shook the tree. Fresh ones fell to the ground. He soon came down to the ground and started to eat them, looking over to her.

Emerald shrugged; be patient? Accept what had happened? There's a reason for it? She supposed there must be a reason; why would something happen for no reason? But really, it was hard to be patient and accept the facts when she just wanted to be human again. What reason was there for her to be turned into a Poochyena? She supposed she'd have to try; he was nice enough to help, she had to be able to accept that help. Otherwise, she had no chance. Besides, he was being more than nice enough.

She sighed and stood up when he mentioned another round. She supposed that was the easiest way to get better; more and more practice. She would be tired after all this, though. Suddenly she wished she had spent more time running rather than with her nose stuck in books. She chased after Zylen when he took off, giving a quiet, frustrated sigh every time he would jump over her head and land behind her. Only to take off again for her to chase. Finally, though, he stopped, lying down on the grass. She sat instead of lying, panting. She hadn't been so tired before. She paused to catch her breath before answering his question.

"Well...obviously, I didn't have to run around so much. I guess...I was just the younger sibling. Mom and Dad always compared me to my older brother...I was never good enough. Except when it came to...well, I was only smarter than he was; that's it. I got tired of it and left with my Butterfree. Originally he meat it to tease me; he seems to think bug Pokemon are weak, and so it fit pretty well in his mind. But still...it was my Butterfree. But I don't know where Butterfree is...so I'm pretty much all alone. Well, except for the fact that you're helping me, of course." She hesitated when he mentioned her abilities. Would she have those? Granted, she had been human, but she was a Pokemon now. Maybe she would be able to?

"You know...it never did occur to me to use them. I wouldn't even know where to start...or what they are, or anything...but you're right; I do need to be able to take care of myself..."




Azar blinked and looked up at him as he introduced himself, then set her down. Still, she gave a smile.

"I'm Azar! ...Ooh...that must be another thing you don't have much of an issue with. Usually I'd have to climb the tree and hope I don't fall while I'm getting food! It must be fairly easy." She paused for just a moment as she moved forward to experimentally nudge one with her nose.

"You probably eat plenty of them, too; you're certainly big enough! ...Oh, no, wait...I don't mean to say you look fat, or anything, but you're fully evolved, and pretty big, compared to me, so of course you'd eat more! I myself don't eat too much..." She paused, seeing he was already eating. She decided it might be time to stop talking and start eating herself. Partially because she wanted to be able to eat, and worried just a tiny bit about him eating all the food, but mostly because she figured some Pokemon don't like to listen to a chatterbox while they eat.

Rowtag smiled as she talked about having to climb trees to get food, laughing as she nudged one. He blushed and looked away when she started talking about how big he was. He laughed and tried to hide his smile. He shook his head and dropped the dirty thought. Rowtag moved his head slightly as one spot ran out of berries. He was combing the ground when he heard her stop talking. He looked up and saw her eating. Rowtag shrugged it off. 'Azar..'

Was he really that much bigger. He looked over to her and raised a paw. He looked at his then over to hers. He held it above a berry for size comparison. He looked to her again, his eyes widened. He shrugged again and kept eating. He wasn't looking where he was moving to eat and felt his nose nudge against Azar. "I'm sorry!" apologizing immediately. He looked away, a bit embarrassed he'd just bumped into her. He turned and backed up a bit, getting up to shake the branch again. Rowtag held it with two hands, leaning back a bit, knowing he'd have to shake it a bit more this time. He growled, getting a bit frustrated, wanting to move it more. He kept shaking it, back and forth, trying to get more. With a crack, it split and snapped off. "Ah!" He fell back and started laughing almost immediately. "Well.. I got some more... oops."

Emerald thought about what he said. Instinct? She hadn't bothered too much with that before; there was a way to logically reason everything out. But, she supposed, if she really wanted to learn, she would have to at least give it a try. But he was right again; she was worn out, and certainly wouldn't be doing much of anything that day. Well, she'd have to walk again; she wasn't going to spend the night out here, in the middle of some forest. She let herself lie down finally.

"Tomorrow might be a better idea. I don't think I'd be up to it today...I don't think I'll be up to much of anything the rest of the day..." She paused, letting herself pant. She had seen other Pokemon do that before; to do it herself felt weird, and she was suddenly self-conscious about it. She glanced at Zylen, then shook her head.

"If you're going to feel it tomorrow, just imagine how I'm going to feel! I've never done anything that required this much energy..." Her exercise before had included walking to the library, walking between bookshelves, and reaching up or crouching down to reach a particular book. This was insane. How could anyone keep up with this sort of exercise? No, she wasn't meant for this sort of physical exercise. And yet, she was a Poochyena; what a joke! She had known Poochyena to have a good deal of endurance...but here she was, weak as ever! This was beyond pathetic.




Azar had been eating peacefully, and then his nose had bumped her. She picked her head up, staring blankly into space for a moment before shaking her head. She glanced at him as he apologized, then gave a little shrug.

"It's alright; accidents happen. I would know; I tend to cause accidents. Last night, I slipped in the mud and slid right into some strange Pokemon! I don't know who it was, though; looked like a Noctowl, but who knows? I doubt they really cared much. I ignored it myself, actually. It's kinda common for me..." He seemed embarrassed, though. Was it really that bad? Or maybe he was just unused to having accidents like that? But then he accidentally broke the branch he was trying to shake. She let out a giggle. He was laughing, too, so she figured it was alright.

"Okay, maybe there's a reason you're so big! I never did see anyone break a branch on accident before. But that's alright; there's food to eat. Perhaps the size has something to do with the strength? Oh well; it's better than being the weakling I am!" She sat down, deciding she had had enough. If he was hungry, she'd just sit and watch him eat. That was all.

Rowtag felt better about bumping into her as she rambled on about sliding in the mud and right into some Noctowls. He heard her giggle, and wasn't so embarrassed about snapping the branch and falling down. She went on about how big he was, smiling again before shaking his head and leaving those thoughts behind.

Turning his head to look to her, he saw she was sitting down, watching him. "Oh.." He stayed on his back, holding the branch up and eating the berries off. Occasionally, he would get a leaf or a twig, and he'd have to turn his head and spit it out. Rowtag moved the branch as part of it was picked clean, his tongue grabbing them quickly.

Once finish, Rowtag stood up, holding the branch still. He lifted it up and threw it aside into some pushes. He got back down on all four feet after, looking to Azar, smiling.

Emerald was fairly pleased; at least she wasn't the only one who was going to be tired! If she were, she'd be so upset about it. It would only make her feel worse! But he was tired, too; maybe not as much, but he was still tired. He was encouraging, too; she would be able to keep up, eventually. Granted, her legs were still shorter, so she'd still have to jog to keep up with his faster walk, but she'd at least be able to keep up, anyway. He changed the subject, though, talking about how she wasn't bothered by him being a thief. She hesitated, thinking, then shrugged.

"What does it matter? You said you used to be; as in, not anymore. Why should I be worried? Besides, even if you were still a thief, I don't exactly have anything on me worth stealing. It doesn't matter either way." She shrugged again, but as she had been talking, he seemed a little distracted. He was looking around for...something. What, she had no idea. But something was out there. Or maybe not; he seemed to return to the conversation without much worry. Had she maybe imagined it? Maybe he was just looking around, was all? He spoke instead of the leader of the thieves he had talked about before.

"Well, that's her own problem; it'll come back around to her. It usually does. ...At least...it does for humans. I'm not sure how much of anything works for Pokemon..." She noted, glancing around. What had he been looking for? Oh well; perhaps it was nothing, after all. At least, she hadn't heard or seen anything that seemed strange. Granted, she didn't know what was considered strange anymore. She looked back to the Espeon curiously.

"So...how long does it usually take for Awra to find information for you?" she asked.





Azar watched him eat, quiet for once. She had been told off once for talking while others were eating; told she was annoying because of it. So she'd just keep her mouth shut until he was done eating. That sounded like the best idea. Anyway, if he had anything to add, or say, he wouldn't be forced to stop and finish what was in his mouth so he could be understood. As soon as she noted that he was finished, she offered a smile.

"I figured you's eat more. Are you done? There's no rush if you wanted to eat more. It's not like there's anything going on, or anything. I mean, there are rumors, but that's about all that's going on lately. Have you heard them lately? A human turned into a Pokemon. That's not even possible! I mean, it's a little strange, sure...especially if it turns out to be true. I mean...how would a Pokemon think something like that up? And it's not like there's any real reason to...what would a story like that do to the rest of us, if we actually believed it?" She shook her head.

"I think some kids started it; just to stir up trouble. ...Granted, it's not working very well, if that is the case, but really. That's such a wild story!"

Rowtag watched Azar as she started talking. He smiled and nodded, listening to her. His eyes opened wide as he heard her talk about a human. "A human's here?" He stood up almost immediately, looking around, almost like a giant prairie dog. He calmed down a bit seeing they were alone. "Yea.. only rumors.." He's seen people before. A few tried to catch him. They were always just attempts, but they still freaked him out.

Rowtag came back down and smiled, not worried anymore. "Dahn kids.." He laughed. "But na.. haven't hehd anyting 'bout dat.. den again, don't really pay much attention anyway." A bit bored he stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at Azar, smiling soon after. He wondered what she would do.

Emerald sighed quietly, watching the grass. She wanted to be human again, not learn these new abilities. But, she supposed, it couldn't hurt too much. She would never be able to use them once she was human again...if she could become human again, anyway. But, for now, she supposed, she would just have to wait. She blinked when Zylen stood, hesitating before standing herself. Was it something else? Was there something going on out here? He suggested heading back for rest.

She followed him, glancing around anxiously as she did. Something didn't feel right. What was going on? She hadn't felt this before; this strange sense of worry. They made their way back to the inn, without any problems. Well, aside from the fact that they were both tired, anyway. But that was expected, after their workout in the forest. The feeling, she noted, was also gone. Maybe that was a good thing. She hope it was; she didn't like that feeling.

Then Zylen glanced around for the Swellow, but it wasn't back yet. Perhaps this trip would take a while? She figured it might; what would a world of Pokemon know about a human turning into a Pokemon? She only nodded; she guessed getting used to this form was the next best thing. She glanced at the "bed." How did Pokemon sleep on a simple pile of hay? She supposed it might be comfortable for them, but really, it was so different! She held in her sigh, though, and walked over, briefly investigating the bed before climbing onto it and curling up. Well, maybe it wasn't so bad, after all. She yawned after the Espeon did.

"Well...rest well..." What did Pokemon say? Was good night a human thing? Oh well; she'd leave it as it was, for now. She was too tired to really focus.




Azar watched her new friend look around. Were humans really that bad? She couldn't be sure, really. She hesitated when he stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry. She laughed, repeating his action playfully. She shook her head, still laughing. She paused, thinking.

"...Are humans that bad? I've never met one, but I don't know. They can't all be bad...can they? There has to be some good ones...or maybe they're just really different, or something...or we just don't understand each other, you know? I just don't understand why Pokemon are so worried about it..."

"Oh, no, they're bad enough. And it has happened before; who's to say another human can't be human again?" Azar blinked, one ear suddenly sticking up, listening intently.

"Who was that? Don't hide; come out! It's not polite to hide like that..." She complained, somewhat whiney. She glanced to Rowtag.

"Right?"

Rowtag smiled when she stuck her tongue out at him. He listened to her as she went on. He was slightly confused. She said she didn't understand but then said it had happened before. "What? It happened befowah?" Rowtag was a bit worried again.

Seeing her blink and raise an ear got him on edge again. He stood up, getting closer to Azar, instinctively, to protect her if anything jumped at them. He looked down and saw her looking back. Rowtag looked around, searching for what she heard.

Growling slightly, he moved his hands, one almost in front of Azar as he stomped his foot to scare anything off. To be sure, he roared loudly.

Emerald didn't have too many problems falling asleep; she was asleep fairly quickly, in fact, without much thought. That was usually what she did, though; wonder whether or not someone could be trusted, if the place was safe...usually she'd have Butterfree search around the room with her. But Zylen hadn't seemed like a bad Pokemon. Perhaps her reactions in the past were exaggerated? Unnecessary? But she couldn't be sure who to trust. The same was true here; however, she didn't bother to check. How was she to know what to look for in a Pokemon? She could read a human's face, but everything here was just so...different. The faces, the town, the Pokemon...everything.

She started awake suddenly, glancing around. A part of her had hoped it was a dream, and nothing to worry about. Just something her mind had, somehow, come up with to keep her entertained in her sleep. Well, maybe more to upset her, to confuse her. She stretched, feeling strange as she did. She was sure she looked clumsy, too; she managed to fall to her side. She hadn't tried to stretch before; not enough to keep her balance. She stood up, shaking her head. She really needed work. She looked up, though, hearing Zylen speak. She looked over to the Espeon.

"Yes, I slept well. I am...a little sore, but nothing too bad...not like I had thought it would be, anyway. Practicing abilities like that...is probably for the best. After breakfast, though." She needed to be able to defend herself if something happened. She wasn't going to be weak, hiding behind another Pokemon, just because she had been a human. She needed to work on things like this, in case she was left behind, or stuck on her own, or something. Well, so much for everything being just a dream, or something...





Azar blinked as Rowtag suddenly moved closer; it was a nice gesture, she was sure, but it wasn't like she was defenseless, after all. Well, physical strength was never her thing, but she could use fire well enough. Still, she inched closer to Rowtag, glancing around. She winced slightly at his roar. She was probably a little too close, so that was a little louder than she had expected. A Noctowl flew down from a branch, looking over the Typhlosion.

"Did I say I meant any harm? I certainly don't think I've done anything to warrant...that." The Noctowl didn't seem to think there was any danger in the fire-type. At least, not to him.

"I only thought it was worth mentioning that it had happened before, was all." Azar twitched her ear towards him, curious. It was rude to hide, like he had done, but otherwise, he had done nothing wrong. She lightly nudged Rowtag's leg with her head before inching forward, looking over the newcomer cautiously.

"And what happened before? When a human turned into a Pokemon?"

"Problems; things were stolen, legendary Pokemon enraged, things like that." Azar blinked, then looked up to Rowtag.

"You don't think the rumors might be true, then...do you?" she asked him, hesitant. If that were true, maybe there would be more problems.