Ash's training and studies were slowly coming along. He held his training sessions in the evenings since waking him up in the mornings was near-impossible, and Ethan discussed Pokémon types and type matchups with him during the day.

Ash got into physically training himself just fine once Ethan drilled him on the importance of gaining and keeping the respect of his Pokémon. The practical knowledge, however….

"Okay, Ash, Pikachu has a type advantage over what other types of Pokémon?" Ethan asked.

Ash took a moment to think. "Pikachu's Thunderbolt worked really well at the Cerulean Gym, and on my first day as a trainer, he beat a flock of spearow. So, water types and flying types?"

He was getting better.

Ethan nodded. "That's right. Now, what does he have a disadvantage against in terms of type matchups?"

"Uhh…," Ash said as he scratched the top of his head, hat still absent.

But he still had a ways to go.

"Electric types take more damage from ground-type attacks, and that's their only true weakness. Electric-type attacks deal less damage to grass, dragon, and other electric types, and have no effect on ground types," Ethan explained.

"How do you remember all of this?" Ash asked, exasperated.

Ethan thought about it as he bent down to accept another twig from Eevee, adding it to the small pile of firewood in his arms. He rubbed her head, and she sighed before leaving to find some more wood. Ethan watched her go with some concern before answering.

"It takes time to study and remember it all. It's…," Ethan thought for a moment. "It's more something that you learn, then recall in the moments you need it. The more experience you get, the more it will be cemented into your brain. If you asked me to write down every possible type matchup and who would have the advantage, I wouldn't be able to. Remember, despite how awesome I am, I'm a beginning trainer, too."

Ash snorted at that.

"And don't even get me started on matchups where the Pokémon have more than one typing," Ethan chuckled, then continued. "Okay, one example. Butterfree is a bug type and a flying type. Jade got hit by a rock-type move during my gym battle against Flint that almost knocked her out in a single blow. Both bug types and flying types are weak against rock-type moves and take more damage from one than a normal-type Pokémon. Since Jade is both a bug type and a flying type, she has a… I guess you could call it a double weakness against rock types."

"I think I get it," Ash said.

Pikachu and Eevee came into view from the fog surrounding them and handed a larger piece of wood to Ash. Ash thanked them before they ran off in search of more wood.

"Keep in mind that while it's important to consider type matchups, it's not always a requirement to win a battle. Jade still won her battle at the Pewter City Gym despite her double-type disadvantage. Even Eevee had a few moves that worked well against rock types, like her Double Kick attack."

Ash groaned. "This is a lot more complicated than I thought."

"Well, don't stress over it," Ethan shrugged as he shifted the bundle in his arms to pat Ash on the back. "It'll just take time and experience to learn it all."

"But I have to learn this stuff! I can't be a Pokémon Master if I can't figure this out!" Ash stressed.

"What did I just say?"

They walked for another few minutes, gathering more wood with Eevee and Pikachu while the fog around them grew thicker. "I think we should head back," Ethan said. "This should be enough for Brock to make those crêpes."

Ash looked at Pikachu and then at the surrounding area. "I want to try something Pikachu and I have been working on before I head back. Will you take my pile back to Brock?"

"Sure, if you don't mind me taking credit for finding all of it," Ethan grinned under Ash's glare. "Kidding, kidding. Hand it over."

As Ethan and Eevee walked back to the picnic spot Brock set up, Ethan noticed Eevee's downcast expression as she padded alongside him. Her usual cheery disposition was absent, and he sensed something was bothering her. "Eevee, are you feeling okay? What's wrong?"

It took Eevee a moment to realize she was asked something. She looked up at her trainer and opened her mouth to say something before looking back down and sighing instead.

Ethan pondered what she was feeling, then had an idea.

----------------------------------------

Ethan ran through the dense forest, dodging low-hanging tree branches and other plant life while trying to make as little noise as possible. He had a pretty good headstart on his pursuers but could feel them getting closer. His heart pumped as he ran a little faster.

He scanned the area around him, looking for a place he could hide. There! He jumped, grabbed a low-hanging branch, and pulled himself up with some effort. He climbed a few more branches before hugging himself against the tree, holding stock still.

After about a minute, three figures stopped below his tree and looked around.

Don't look up, don't look up, don't look up.

The smallest figure, clearly the one in charge, said something to the others. They all nodded before splitting up, probably to comb the area.

When he was sure they weren't in the immediate vicinity, Ethan let out the breath he was holding. He wasn't out of the woods yet, and he needed to figure out what to do next. He probably couldn't stay in this tree for very long before being found out. His pursuers had the capability of searching from the air, so he had to avoid being seen from the sky and the ground.

It was when he was planning his next move that something truly unexpected happened.

'Hiya Ethan! Whatcha doing?'

"Woah!" Ethan shouted before he covered his mouth with a hand. He looked around before looking directly above him to find a pair of large blue eyes staring mere inches from his face, their owner floating upside down.

"Mew!? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Ethan whispered.

Mew giggled. 'You were the most exciting thing to happen in centuries. Plus, I'm bored. So, whatcha doing?'

Ethan shrugged. "Eevee was feeling down, so I'm playing hide and seek with her and my other Pokémon while my friends are visiting Pokémon Tech. It's been a while since I've had a chance to play with them like this."

Mew looked in the direction Eevee presumably was as she draped herself over one of Ethan's shoulders. 'That sounds like fun, and Eevee's having a great time! You know, I can help you hide better if you want.'

Ethan raised a brow. "First, wouldn't that be cheating? Second, how?"

'That depends on your definition of cheating,' Mew giggled. 'And I can help you hide like this!'

Mew vanished and reappeared in front of Ethan's face, planting her paws on his temples before he could flinch. Ethan suddenly felt nauseous. His body felt like putty, and he began to shrink, brown fur growing over his body. He felt something sprout from his rear, his fingers shrunk into his hands, and his ears moved to the top of his head and elongated while his face stretched into a snout.

When he solidified, he dizzily turned around and hurled the contents of his stomach to the forest floor below. He finally caught his breath and then turned back to face Mew, who had a few digits of her paws outstretched, like she was admiring a work of art with a critical eye.

"Wh-what the hell did you do? And why?!" Ethan shouted. Then he looked down at himself, noticing his fur and… paws? His auratic gloves had changed shape and size to fit his new front limbs. He looked behind him and found a brown tail with a white spike pattern almost as big as the rest of his body. "And what happened to my clothes? WAIT, AM I NAKED?!"

Mew clutched her stomach and fell on her back, unable to maintain her levitation with how hard she was laughing. Her mirth only redoubled as Ethan tripped over his tail, trying in vain to cover up his privates.

'You-' Mew coughed and wiped tears from her eyes. 'You're a Pokémon, Ethan! You don't need to worry about something silly like clothing. You've got fur for that.' She looked him over again. 'You make a cute eevee.'

"Well, excuse me if I'm not used to feeling a breeze in some places," Ethan scowled at her before taking some deep breaths – not as deep as he was used to in this smaller body – to collect himself. "Wait, this isn't permanent, is it?"

'Nah, it'll only last for maybe a few hours. Your clothes should come back at the same time,' she replied.

Ethan sighed in relief before catching himself. "Maybe? Should!?"

Mew giggled again before disappearing.

"Mew?! I swear to Arceus if I don't turn back and with my clothes on–"

Ethan's ears swiveled, and he jumped and tumbled to the side, avoiding the talons of a large fearow. Or did it look big because he was small? Either way, the fearow banked around and eyed him as if he were a piece of meat.

"Oh, scheiss," Ethan paled as he realized that that was precisely what it was doing. He needed to get down, and fast.

He stumbled as quickly as he could to the wide edge of the tree branch and looked down the way he had come up. The next branch down seemed so far away but would have been minuscule if he were still human.

A screech signaled the fearow coming in for another dive. Ethan checked its current position, then looked back down before leaping, narrowly avoiding the predator's outstretched talons. As if on instinct, Ethan stretched his front paws forward and landed on the lower branch, bringing his hind legs down at the same time to absorb the shock of the impact.

That wasn't so bad, Ethan thought. With increasing confidence, he leaped from branch to branch until he was on the ground. He stepped around the splatter of vomit and ran further into the forest, gaining speed the less he stumbled, and the more his new body automatically fell into the rhythm of running on all fours. The fearow spotted him and flew after its prey.

Ethan yelped as he ducked under a Peck attack. He found a break in the trees, only to find a cliff face and a dead end. "Eevee! Jade! Sandshrew! I need you!" he cried.

The human-turned-eevee turned around and locked eyes on the fearow. He would have to fight, and with only a few minutes of being one, he had no idea how to use any Pokémon moves. "Well, there's nothing like mid-battle experience, right?" he nervously chuckled.

As the fearow circled above, Ethan used those moments to develop a strategy. He could probably lower its stats to give himself an edge and buy time. Growl and Sand Attack?

Ethan set his stance like he always saw Eevee did and bared his teeth, letting loose an adorably high-pitched growl.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"I'd be so embarrassed if my life weren't at stake," Ethan muttered before he resumed growling. It seemed to be working, as his opponent faltered slightly before diving down.

Ethan experimentally pawed at the ground. He wouldn't exactly call this sand, but it should do. He turned around and, using his hind legs, shot loose dirt and gravel much higher than he thought he would. He still managed to hit the fearow in the face, to no effect, as it charged right through.

"Wha-" Ethan's words were interrupted as the fearow struck him with a Peck attack, sending him rolling closer to the cliff face.

"Ow ow ow! Son of a-" Another caw cut him off. Ethan got his legs under him and saw the fearow coming in for another go.

Ethan watched carefully and timed his opportunity. "Leave me alone, you overgrown rat with feathers!" He charged forward in an intercept course and jumped. As he focused on bringing his front paws down on his opponent's back, the crystals on his gloves lit up, and his paws flickered with the blue fire of aura. Before he could process what was going on, his front paws made contact.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a burst of blue light exploded, and the fearow shot straight down like a meteor, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt when it cratered the ground.

Ethan landed on all fours, looked dumbly at the downed fearow, then lifted a gloved paw to stare at it. "Was that a Force Palm?! Eevee aren't supposed to learn Force Palm!"

Ethan's ears twitched as he heard something approaching. Eevee and Sandshrew emerged from the forest, with Jade flying above them.

The fearow stood and spat out some dirt, then turned to face Ethan, a look of rage on its face that promised pain. Ethan nervously backed up as it flared its wings and stepped closer.

"E-Eevee! Quick Attack!" Ethan cried.

"Eeveev?!" Eevee exclaimed.

"Yes, it's me! Please, get this bird away from me!" Ethan cried again.

Eevee burst into action and got between Ethan and his hungry predator. "Get away from my best friend!" She screamed before tackling it away.

The fearow stumbled and, seeing it was outnumbered and injured, huffed and flew away. Eevee shot a Swift attack at it for good measure, then went to check on Ethan.

"T-thanks, Eevee," Ethan said as he collapsed, the adrenaline wearing off. "I-I was so scared. That dumb bird wanted to eat me!"

Eevee placed a paw on Ethan's back as he shook. "M-Mew showed up and thought it would be funny to turn me into a Pokémon so I could hide better, then she disappeared, and I… I got attacked."

Eevee sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry. That sounds exactly like a prank Lady Mew would pull. Maybe not the getting attacked part, but everything else."

"Fwee, fwee fweeee!" Jade said.

"Yeah, that's right. You put up a good fight before we got here. You had nothing to worry about!" Eevee said to try and comfort him.

"But I've never been a Pokémon before! I…," Ethan paused. "Jade, say something again."

Jade tilted her head. "Fwee, fwee?"

"Huh. Sandshrew, you say something now."

"Shrew, sandshrew?"

"Wait a minute. Eevee, how come I can only understand what you're saying?" Ethan asked.

Eevee's eyes widened. "You can understand what I'm saying? For reals?"

Ethan smiled. "Yeah, for reals!"

Eevee squeed happily and squeezed her trainer in a tight hug, rubbing her cheek against his. "This is so awesome! Now we can stay up late sharing spooky ghost stories, and talk about our most favorite things, and–" Eevee gasped, "–and we can share our most secret secrets, and…."

As Eevee embraced him and listed all the things they could talk about, the tension that built up in Ethan's body bled out. Some chatter drew his attention to Sandshrew and Jade, who looked to be having some kind of conversation. Outside of the waves of joy and happiness, he sensed some curiosity and uncertainty.

He tapped Eevee, prompting her to give him some space and allow him to speak. "Jade, Sandshrew, it's really me," Ethan assured them. "Eevee and I have a, uh, history with Mew."

"I know it's you," Eevee said. "You still have the prettiest blue eyes you always do. And you can talk like Meowth."

"Prettiest?" Ethan chuckled, then addressed his Pokémon. "Mew said I'd turn back to normal in a few hours. So, in the meantime, why don't you three show me how Pokémon have fun?"

Eevee, Jade, and Sandshrew looked at each other as if coming to a consensus, then began to move. "That's a great idea! Come on!" Eevee excitedly grabbed Ethan's mane with her teeth and lifted him to his paws.

"Okay, okay! You don't have to drag me," Ethan laughed. This was a unique opportunity to spend time in his Pokémon's figurative shoes, and he wasn't going to waste it. "Lead the way!"

----------------------------------------

Meanwhile, at Pokémon Technical Institute

Ash was liking this top 'beginner' student less and less. He couldn't believe he and Brock thought Giselle was pretty when she was just a bully. Joe said she was his friend, but a friend wouldn't bully and turn their back on him.

Ash and Brock were standing by the school's outdoor pool, with Misty holding her injured starmie after her battle with Giselle's graveler ended poorly. Standing opposite them were Joe, Giselle, and Giselle's posse from the beginner class.

"Now we're by the pool, your Pokémon's specialty," the brunette snarked. "You can use a different water Pokémon if you want."

Misty looked contemplative before meeting Giselle's eyes and glaring. "And I'm sure you'll use another Pokémon that's weak against water."

"Pokémon are only as strong as the trainer who raises them. A Pokémon that's weaker but better trained can still win. It depends on the trainer," She shrugged before looking behind her. "I hope you're learning something from this, Joe."

Joe started at suddenly being addressed. "Uh…."

"A Pokémon's level of training is just as important a factor as a Pokémon's type in deciding a match," She explained.

Ash had had enough. "Stop bullying him! There's so much more to Pokémon training than calculating levels or having a type advantage. A type advantage isn't a requirement to win a battle, and levels are just… Ethan called them arbitrary numbers."

The brunette scoffed. "You all keep mentioning this person. I don't even think he exists."

"He's my friend! We've been traveling together, and we both have two badges."

"So you're both beginners, and you probably started Pokémon training, what, at the start of the season two months ago? And you still let your Pikachu walk free? Who's training who?"

"My Pokémon training is coming along just fine. They're my friends, and… Ethan changed how I saw Pokémon training." Ash went silent for a moment. "I used to not want to train my Pokémon because I thought they would hate me. But since I started training my Pokémon and myself, we've only gotten closer and stronger."

Giselle laughed. "Friendship has nothing to do with how strong a Pokémon is. Why don't you try winning with the 'power' of friendship," She mocked as she pulled out a Pokéball.

"Gladly! Let's show 'em, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped forward and faced his opponent, standing on all fours like Ash had trained him to do.

Pikachu will be faster and tons more maneuverable if he moves around using both his arms and legs. He's technically a quadruped, after all, Ash recalled what Ethan told him.

As soon as the cubone finished forming from Giselle's Pokéball and both trainers were ready to go, Ash called out his first command. "Pikachu, use Agility!"

"Cubone, use Leer attack!"

By the time Cubone activated its Leer, Pikachu was out of its area of effect. Cubone blinked, trying to keep track of the yellow mouse.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu materialized behind Cubone and struck with the electric attack. Cubone twitched but was otherwise unharmed.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

Electric-type attacks… have no effect on ground types.

"Cubone's a ground type?!"

"You didn't know? You mustn't be awake yet, judging from your bedhead!" Giselle laughed. "Cubone, use Bone Club!" Cubone swiped its club at Pikachu's head, only to miss as Pikachu dodged backward.

We don't need to tell our Pokémon to dodge attacks they can already see coming, right?

"Pikachu, Tail Whip, then Slam!"

"Bonemerang!"

Cubone reared its arm back and swung it around, releasing his bone at his target. Pikachu jumped over it, and, with Cubone defenseless for the moment, Pikachu freely slapped his tail across Cubone's skull before slamming it across its chest, causing it to clench in pain.

"Pikachu, jump!"

Although, we should tell them how to dodge attacks that they don't see coming.

Pikachu immediately crouched, then leaped as high as he could. The returning Bonemerang came at Cubone faster than it could react and slammed into its head, knocking it back and out cold.

Ash grinned as Pikachu ran up to him and jumped into his arms. "Yeah! We did it, Pikachu!"

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as Ash spun him around in his arms.

Giselle stared at Cubone, a look of disbelief on her face, before sighing and holding up a Pokéball. "I'm sorry, Cubone. Return."

As the others marveled and talked about the battle, Misty glanced at Ash, then stared at Starmie's Pokéball in her hand, deep in thought.

----------------------------------------

"You have to!"

"Eevee, I am not going to lick myself."

"It's not licking. It's grooming, and it's very important."

The experiences Ethan had over the past hours are something he would say have been fun and enlightening. The first thing they did was play a game Eevee liked to call 'Predator and Prey', which was pretty much a combination of freeze tag and hide and seek. According to Eevee, "It's much more fun when it's called Predator and Prey!"

Then, Eevee took on the role of translator so that Ethan could speak with Jade and Sandshrew. He learned that Jade was only about a week old when he caught her, so she viewed him as a sort of father figure. She was struggling in the wild due to her unique coloration, which made it difficult for her to blend in, and she only survived thanks to her creativity with her String Shot attack. She was glad that Ethan found her when he did.

Sandshrew had lived a simple, quiet life up until Team Rocket's intrusion at Mount Moon. It never crossed her mind to leave, though she did want to get stronger – all Pokémon do to some degree – and Ethan rescuing her gave her a good reason to leave.

Eevee's story was an interesting mystery. She woke up in the Tree of Beginning several months before meeting Ethan with no recollection of how she got there and with no memories. She wasn't a newborn, as her first examination by the Rota Pokémon Center's Nurse Joy estimated her to be at least three and a half years old.

When asked if she tried to recover her memories, she said, "Mew tried helping once, and it didn't work. I had a headache for days after that, and I couldn't do anything. It was the worst few days ever!"

And that somehow led to an impromptu lesson on how to be an eevee. During Eevee's "lesson", Ethan couldn't help but feel around the inside of his mouth with his tongue. It felt similar yet foreign compared to his human mouth. His tongue felt kind of like sandpaper, his teeth were sharp, and his mouth had a little more depth comparatively than his human mouth.

Having a tail wasn't as interesting as he thought it would be. If he wasn't paying attention to it, he didn't really feel it, and it seemed to have a mind of its own with how it moved.

He curiously reached a gloved paw up under his mane. Yep, there's his neck! So eevee do have necks under all that fluff. He already knew that from all the times he pet Eevee, of course, but it was still fun to reconfirm.

Ethan paused and set his paw back down. I think being an eevee is affecting what I consider 'fun', he thought.

"Eeveev? Are you even listening?" Eevee asked.

Ethan snapped back to attention. "Uhh, yes?"

Eevee grinned. "I guess this is boring stuff anyway. Let's do something else. Poképile!!!"

"Wha-" Was all Ethan got out before Eevee playfully tackled him over and piled on top of him, followed by Sandshrew and finally Jade. "Ack- get off!"

"If you properly groomed yourself, you'd have no problem wriggling your way out of this," Eevee giggled, the others joining in.

"Oh?" Ethan huffed. "When I get out of this, there'll be no treats for a week!"

The girls froze. "Y-you wouldn't!" Eevee cried, her protests joined by Jade and Sandshrew.

"You sur-" Ethan's breath hitched as everything went numb. The crystals on the back of his gloves began to glow brightly, and he started to morph and change.

When the light died down, he hugged his girls tight and laughed. "I'm back to normal!" Ethan looked down at himself. "And with my clothes on… backward?" He sighed in annoyance. "Damn it, Mew!"

"Eeeeeeeev," Eevee whined. "Eev veevee vee ev vee vee eevee."

Ethan sat up and released his Pokémon from his grip. "...I can't understand you anymore," he said sadly. "Dang, I'm sorry. We had fun while it lasted, right?"

Eevee seemed to deflate at that before smiling. Her stomach growled, which was joined shortly after by Jade and Sandshrew.

"Guess we had so much fun that we forgot to eat," Ethan laughed before looking back down at himself.

"Uh, Eevee and Sandshrew, go and wait over there for me. Jade, I need you to act as a curtain while I fix my clothes. We'll head back in a minute, and then I'll get you all something to eat," Ethan said.

Somehow, his socks were inside out, which he suspected was also Mew's doing. After Ethan fixed his clothes, Eevee took her usual spot on his shoulder and leaned into his neck, purring contentedly.