The bright blue sky shone downwards on the bright, colourful expanse of Opelucid City, fine modern architecture intermingling with tall trees that lined the roads of the metropolis. Two young persons came over the hill, treading the hard packed rocky road together as they came in view of the stretching city.



Ash Ketchum put his hand in front of his face, shielding his eyes from the sun as he stared down at the city. His long-time companion, Pikachu was perched carefully on his shoulder, letting out a small gasp of awe as Ash smiled, one hand on his hips. “There it is, Opelucid City. Are you excited to be back Iris?”



His companion caught up to him, stepping alongside him holding a small Axew in her arms, grinning from ear to ear as she stared back down to the city. “You betcha, Ash. It’s been such a long time…”

Her Axew chimed in, wiggling around happily and getting Iris to cry out, laughing a little as she gently stroked the top of Axew’s head much to its enjoyment.

Ash laughed a little himself, reaching up to fix his favourite red and white hat, tucking his hair back into it before tapping the path with the tip of his shoe. Readying his stance, he pushed off and began to ran down the hill, clearly eager to get there as fast as he could. “Race you to the entrance!” He yelled out, leaving Iris behind in the dust as she seemed surprised, shaking her head and beginning to run after him, crying out after him.



But Ash was too far gone and eventually she slowed to a walk, watching the young, energetic trainer leave a small dusty cloud where he ran, giving a smirk as she watched him. “What a goof, huh… Isn’t that right, Axew?”

The Axew in her arms didn’t respond, instead snuggling closer to her chest. Iris narrowed her eyes, expecting the small tusked Pokemon to have responded and instead reached her hands under its arms, holding the creature in front of her. “Axew, what’s wrong?”



The little dragon’s expression seemed to have fallen, its large red eyes looking down at the floor, before looking up at Iris like a sad puppy. A sudden look of longing could be found deep in its eyes. She studied her Pokemon’s face, a concerned expression on her own. The breeze blew through her thick, long black hair as Axew let out quiet cries, speaking in a language that only Iris could attempt to interpret. She cocked her head, her brow creasing. “...You’re… lonely? Is that right?”

Her Axew nodded, raising its arms as it wanted to be close to her chest again, to try to alleviate how it was currently feeling. Bringing it back to her chest, beginning to walk again as she thought silently to herself, spying Ash at the bottom of the hill. Lonely, huh… Maybe he wanted a new friend, a new companion, something of the sort.



She picked up the pace, her eyes on the road as she walked back into Opelucid City, the dilemma of her Pokemon plaguing her mind.



-----



Ash ran on ahead, occasionally stopping to look around the streets, the citizens passing him by while giving him a forgetting glance, continuing on with their day. Iris trailed behind, occasionally glancing up to Ash to keep an eye on him as her eyes lay on the concrete, her Axew nestled in her hair as it clung to her shoulder, idly nuzzling her. “Another dragon Pokemon…?” She muttered to herself, her hand on her chin while she was deep in thought. “...No, that wouldn’t work. Dragons are territorial. Where would I even get another one…?”

In a bout of frustration she lightly rapped on her forehead with her knuckles, idly beating on herself as she threw a tiny fit of annoyance. “Ugh, come on Iris! Think! You just can’t ignore-”

“Hey Iris!” Ash called out, waving at her from across the street. She stopped, looking up, wondering what he wanted. “We’re going to go get food! Meet you back at the Pokemon Center!” His Pikachu chimed in, letting out a cry as he turned around and began to run off, waving at them as she acknowledged him, yelling out a temporary goodbye.



Her enthusiasm inspired by her traveling partner quickly died down and the frustration of her Pokemon’s problem came back to plague her mind. Guess she needed another Axew… But where? The only place she knew where Axews lived was Mistralton Cave and that was seriously far away by now… and difficult too. She glanced over as her Axew rubbed the nose of its head against her cheek, reaching up to scratch her partner Pokemon’s chin. She smiled weakly, breathing out through her nose, turning her gaze up the street. Guess Axew had to go lonely for now…



“Axew! Axew!” Her Pokemon interrupted her thoughts, getting her attention as she turned back to look at the Pokemon now burrowing through her hair in mild surprise.

“Axew? He-Hey! Stop moving around in there!” She cried out, reaching back to smooth out the dark strands of her hair as her Pokemon emerged out on the other side, climbing onto her shoulder and pointing at the shop window next to her. Finishing fixing up her hair, Iris turned towards it with a flustered feeling in her chest, rolling her eyes. “Axew, come on, what is-”



The shop shown before her was a small, quaint one, a glass window with small glass and crystal vials on display, as well as a variety of herbs, powders and medicines. She looked inquisitively at the display, stepping forward to put her hand on the glass as she looked at each item before her Axew spoke up, pointing to a specific vial, a small one filled with a particular, pale pink liquid. She knelt down, pointing at it and looking at her Pokemon to confirm that was the one he meant, getting a nod in return and beginning to check the description and price tag.



“Elixir of Companionship - ₽3900

This concoction is made for people or couples who wish to become more like one another and become closer to each other. You can either drink it together or have only one person drink it. Terms and Conditions apply. Please come inside for more details.”



...What a peculiar little thing. Axew seemed to be drawn to it in a sense… would this help? How would it help, though? She stood up, beginning to think again. She wanted her Axew to have a companion, another Axew… would this turn someone into one? It… would be convenient. But would it be the right thing to do? Who would she even give it to-



The smiling face of her companion suddenly passed her mind and she paused herself, looking down at the vial with slightly glassy eyes, swallowing. Give it to Ash… If it did what she thought it would, that would be… It would be surreal. Incredible. The idea of Ash as an Axew suddenly seemed appealing to her. She loved caring for Axew and to have two…



She felt her fingers press firmly against her palms, reaching up to rub the tanned skin on her face. Her chest felt tight at the sudden thought and the more she considered it, the more she felt flustered and confused. Her cheeks burnt before she snapped herself out of it, shaking herself out of it. Her Axew stared at her face too, a tad worried about her trainer as she began to move again. Without saying another word, Iris stepped up to the door and opened it, heading inside the medicine shop.



-----



“Alright.” She said quietly, standing off to the side of the Pokemon Center, opening a can of soft drink and popping the small glass stopper off the vial, glancing down to her Axew on the floor. She leaned against the wall, holding things between her fingers and carefully, quite carefully poured the contents of the vial into the hole.



The person inside the store explained how it worked. Either one or both the people drink the elixir and they become more like one another. Either through their feelings, minor shifts in their personality, likes and dislikes… or something more physical. Either slowly or quickly, temporary or permanent rested in how strong the mixture was.

Iris purchased the strongest dose.



She was a little on edge, like what she was doing was wrong. Scratch that, she practically was. But the thought was still fresh in her mind, the problem was still at hand. Her hands were trembling a little as she bent down and handed the can to her Axew. “Alright, you know the plan, right?”

Her Axew took the can carefully, holding it out awkwardly in front of him and nodded, having understood what was explained to it prior.

Iris took a deep breath, trying to calm her beating heart as she gave her Pokemon a thumbs up, rounding the corner to turn into the Pokemon Center, the sliding doors opening for her as she went inside.



Ash was seated on one of the comfortable sofas the large interior of the center had to offer, very clean and sterile as he idly played with Pikachu, his eyes flicking up to spy Iris. He grinned, jumping off his seat and strided over towards her.

“Hey Iris! You sure took your time, huh.” Pikachu chimed in, with a tone that made it sound like it was agreeing.

She laughed a little awkwardly, trying her best to put on a facade of a hurried expression. “Hey, sorry, I got distracted…” She idly tapped one of her feet on the tiled floor of the center as Ash noticed something was amiss.

“Where’s Axew?”

Iris’s face turned to worry as she shrugged, shaking her head. “I don’t know, I have no idea where he went. But I really need to go to the bathroom…!” She turned around and began to hurriedly walk away, before turning back around to face Ash. “Can you look for him outside? I’ll join you in a minute!”



Ash went to speak up, opening his mouth but it was too late. Iris had hurried away down a nearby corridor, out of sight, leaving Ash to raise an eyebrow and scratch his face. “...Well, guess we better go look for Axew, hey Pikachu?”

Pikachu nodded and replied with a happy sound as Ash turned around and left the center, standing out the front with his hands on his hips. The streets were relatively sparse, only the occasional care and person passing by. He looked left and right up the street before cupping his hands around his mouth.

“Axew! Where are you?” He called out, hoping the small dragon Pokemon was close enough to hear his voice. Hopefully it hadn’t gone too far…

“Axew, axew!” Iris’s Pokemon rounded the corner, approaching him slowly on the concrete footpath, a can of drink in its hands as it trundled towards him.

Ash glanced to his side, looking down at the Axew and stepped on over, smiling as a feeling of relief was felt in his chest. He bent down, squatting to get on the same level as Axew. “Hey there Axew. Iris has been looking for you.”



The Axew nodded, before stepping towards Ash, holding up the can in its hands towards him. Ash’s eyes fell down onto the aluminium can, before looking at the Pokemon. “What have you got there?”

“Axew, axew!” It responded, shaking the can a bit to get his attention. The young trainer looked at him with mild surprise, before pointing at himself. “Is that for me?”

The Pokemon nodded and with a wide smile Ash reached to take the can from its hands, standing up straight and feeling the heft of the can. “Aw, you even opened it for me. Thanks!”



He smelt the sweet soda from the small hole in the top first before tipping the can into his mouth, reaching his head back as he chugged the nice, sweet cold soda. The Axew looked on with expectant eyes, stepping closer to his legs as it watched him.

Finished almost as soon as he started, Ash let out a refreshed breath, relishing in the aftertaste of the drink. Sweet, sugary, bubbly… Although there was a taste he couldn’t really put his finger on. It tasted a bit… bitter? Smacking his lips a bit before trying to puzzle out what it was, he glanced at the can, reading the text on the can… while the Axew’s mouth gaped wide, watching the skin on Ash’s elbow slowly but surely tinted grayish-green… It had to do something, get him out of sight…!



It began to make a fuss, worriedly waving its small arms around and jumping around, making as much noise as possible before running off. It turned down the alleyway, waiting long enough for Ash to notice and look up at the Axew run off, staring in shock before dropping the can, beginning to chase after it. “Hey! Where ya going?! Axew, wait!” He shouted out, beginning to break into a run in pursuit of the small dragon.



Axew’s plan had worked, luring Ash down the side of the Pokemon Center, at least a little bit obscured from the main streets of Opelucid. It took him deeper into it, to the small maze of alleyways before stopping, deciding it was safe to stop.

Ash and Pikachu ran together, his shoes hitting the slightly dirty concrete as he followed Axew, his arms swinging as Pikachu clung on tightly. At least, until Pikachu saw a strange, greenish blotch in the middle of Ash’s arm.

Pikachu spoke up, crying out and pointing at it, getting Ash to stop a short distance away from Axew, turning to his partner on his shoulder. “Huh? What’s wrong, Pikac-”



Then he saw it, what Pikachu was pointing towards. The flaky, peeling skin in the corner of his arm. The slow spread of a darkening grayish green, what seemed like fine scales underneath his skin. It was beginning to surround his elbow, into the corner of his joint as he tried to comprehend what he was looking at.

“...What… What’s happening to me?!” The realisation finally set in, his stomach sinking as both he and Pikachu looked on in shock. His companion jumped off him as a dull pain began to permeate his entire body, suddenly feeling very sick. He leaned over, clutching his stomach as the scales continued to spread and the two Pokemon watched the trainer slowly begin to shrink.



Ash began to sweat and tremble as the elixir took effect, the Axew on his mind as he began to try to figure out why this was happening to him. The soda came to mind but his thoughts were interrupted, as from the top of his gums two small but growing tusks began to grow outwards, extending out sideways as the clothes on him slowly became baggier. He held a shaky hand up to his face while he grit his teeth, his lips being pulled up from the growing tusks. His fingers were getting thicker and stubbier, his pinky and middle finger losing feeling as they seemed to be consumed by his scaly palm. The tight fingerless gloves lost their grip and fell onto the concrete in front of him, small but sharp claws rising out of his fingers.



The pain subsiding from the sudden changes, he tried to continue thinking, quickly thinking if there was any way to reverse this, but his mind met a mental fog, a sudden wall that made his thoughts hazy. With all that was going on with him, as he stumbled around, losing a shoe while his sock obscured a disfigured, short foot, unable to feel most of his toes as they clumped together and forced themselves together to make only two.

“Pi-Pikaxew…” He slurred, holding a shorter, more stubby arm to his forehead as dark rings circled around his eyes. His voice was a touch higher, a bit more rough… He might not have been able to notice, but the Axew certainly saw the signs, its eyes widening wider than it already had. Could it be…?



His legs were shrunken and stubby, his body becoming more and more compressed by the second. A dark horn had began to curve out the back of his head, parting the hairs that were falling to the floor. His pants were beginning to slide down, a sudden hot flash going through him as dark circles appeared around his larger, red eyes. He couldn’t really tell what was happening to his body; there was so much going on at once, but the Axew knew. It could smell it. The feminine smell that was coming right from Ash…



Ash’s nose began to lengthen. His jaw stretched from his mouth, his nostrils flattening as the top of his mouth became a noticeable overbite, covered in the same, green scales that were conquering his entire body. He was so small now, getting closer to matching the size of the Axew before him as he whined, surrounding in the baggy cloth of his outfit, a small tail poking out the back. Nothing made sense, not to his cloudy mind or to his body, screwing his eyes shut as his skull pulled into a snout. His hat dangled off the back of the long dark horn on his head, a green collar around where his head met his small body. The sudden hot flash he experienced suddenly seized, sending a shiver up his body as he fell backwards onto his rear… feeling the absence of something, a dose of estrogen hitting his brain. Axew knew and Pikachu could guess it too. The Ash, surrounded in his clothing, exhausted and confused was now a female.



All Iris could do was stand with her back pressed against the bathroom wall, her hand held tightly against her chest as she gripped her long sleeve, her eyes closed as she tried to control her breathing. Her heart hammered in her chest as she thought about what could be happening out there, what she had done and what she was going to do next.

She choked a little, almost a sob but controlled her breathing once more, hoping that everything would be alright, reaffirming that in her head.



It would be alright.



-----



Ash had been helped out of her pile of clothes by Axew and Pikachu, carefully pulling her out as she now sat before them, looking down in disbelief at her clawed hands. She was trembling, her eyes wide and babbling short, frantic questions that came to her clouded mind. What? How? Who? Why…?



Pikachu and Axew glanced at each other, both with concerned looks in their eyes as the electric mouse quietly and sadly spoke to the Axew, clearly affected by this too. Axew turned back to look at Ash, tears welling up in her large, red eyes. Everyone seemed distraught, especially Ash. her human mind was getting more foggier by the second, a heavy feeling in her heart as her small body felt more… natural. She didn’t want this. She shook her head furiously, trying to get her human clarity back. So full of emotions and strange feelings and-



She felt something touching her, the smooth, cool skin rubbing against her as Iris’s Axew had come up to her, nuzzling the side of its head against her cheek, being cautious as to not hurt her with the tusks. She closed one eye, feeling the cool scales against hers… but for some reason she felt warm. A strange, elated feeling rising inside her, a sudden ease at the Axew’s touch. She couldn’t understand these feelings. It felt wrong… but it felt right.



The sounds of growing footsteps got closer to them, the Pokemon glancing and looking over before stepping away from Ash, just as she turned her little body around to face whoever it was.

It was Iris. She stopped before Ash, looking down at the pile of clothes and the tiny dragon Pokemon with a trembling smile. It looked like she had been crying and was trying her hardest not to now. She looked at her Axew, shaking her head slowly and letting out a pained sigh, before giving her Pokemon a sympathetic smile and kneeling down to face what she had done.



She stared down at Ash and Ash stared back, forcing the best smile she could for the situation as her closed hands rested just above her knees, at the confused face of the new Axew. “Hey Ash.” She started to say. Her voice was still a bit shaky. “I’m sorry for the surprise. I didn’t believe it to be true, either.” She was trying to be as casual as possible, trying to be as calming as possible as Ash slowly pieced it together. A mixture of negative emotions came to the forefront in the Axew’s head. Anger, sadness, desperation… hate.



Iris continued. “I don’t know what came over me. But it’s too late now.” She choked up a bit but kept going. “I’m so sorry Ash. But I will do all I can to take care of you. All of you. We… We can be one big family. Don’t have to be so lonely anymore. I-Isn’t that right, Axew?”

Her voice certainly was torn. It sounded like she was just trying to convince herself. The sudden nature of Ash’s fate left her shocked, horrified and in the wave of overwhelming feelings she turned tail and began to ran away.



Iris’s eyes widened as she got off her knees, watching Ash run before chasing after her. “Ash! Wait, please!”

Ash tried her best to run away as fast as she could in this new body, tried to get as far away from here as possible but she was quickly swooped up into Iris’s arms. She fought back, struggling and wriggling around in her arms but she held tight. Ash wailed and cried as Iris held her close to her chest, holding her tight as tears began to stream from both of their eyes. She walked slowly, back down the alleyway towards the entrance of the Pokemon Center. Both Pikachu and Axew, spectators to this spectacle looked on in a dejected manner, the sad atmosphere weighing down heavily as they picked up the pieces and followed the dragon trainer inside.

By the time they had got to the door Ash had tired herself out, sniffling and weeping against Iris’s chest.



-----



Night had fallen over Opelucid. It was beginning to get late and the town was preparing to go to sleep. The afternoon and evening had been rough, for Iris and everyone involved. Ash was distraught and stricken all afternoon as they got a small bedroom to stay in, given to traveling trainers to stay in overnight.

It was painful to see Ash struggling to cope and understandably so, even as her mind continued to be tuned to her new body. Human concepts and the understanding of the world seemed to escape her, something that she knew but had simply forgotten. All she needed was a reminder, all the knowledge she had learnt over the years falling through the holes of her mind. She was conscious of this but no amount of dwelling and concentrating would stop it. She would get distracted by her tusks, an urge to do something with them and her concentration would be lost.



As the sun began to set, now exhausted of her tears, Ash laid curled up on the bed, sulking to herself. The resentment for Iris bubbled inside her but it was tepid, no longer boiling. Iris watched her from the doorway with a regretful worry and left her alone, distracting herself with Axew and Pikachu, whom were trying to get over the events of today.



Finally, after everything, the day was coming to an end. Iris had come back in the room, as did the other Pokemon and was facing the wall, getting changed into a comfortable, pale yellow nighty, her dark fluffy hair undone and hanging behind her. Pikachu and Axew watched from the floor and the atmosphere in the room was tense as she turned around, looking to Ash on the bed. She was sitting up, her eyes half closed, part of it being a distasteful glare and the other being exhaustion. Iris paused, staring back as her heart tightened a bit before she sighed. It was still fresh, but she was getting over it. She reached down to pick up Axew and took him to the bed, putting him on the sterilised white sheets before she lifted up the corner of the bed and got under the covers, being careful not to shift Ash around too much. Pikachu hopped up and joined the trio, curling up at the foot of the bed.



Ash had no reason to move. She didn’t want to. What Iris did was unforgivable. Despite what she felt when she tenderly held her in her arms as she cried…

The gentle touch of her fingers was felt running along the length of her horn, a numbed but warm sensation trickling down through her body, a weird blend of affection and displeasure from knowing who was touching her. She rolled over, shuffling and facing away from Iris as she retracted her fingers instinctively, holding her hand midair before she sighed. She shuffled closer, her Axew watching. “Ash… Come on, please.” She outstretched her arm again, reaching to touch Ash’s back but only got an aggressive growl in return. Frustration flared up in her chest a bit as she sat up, her face pulling into an annoyed scowl. “Ash, please! I know this is my fault and I’m sorry, but the most I can do is care for you. We’re friends, Ash!”

Iris’s little outburst left her with a pause, Ash tuned out and trying to ignore her as she slumped back down into the sheets, facing the ceiling. She sighed. “I just wanted the best for Axew. I just wanted to protect you.”



Everything was still for the moment. Finally everyone could go to sleep and they would wake up from this nightmare and it’d be all a dream. As Ash finally began to drift off to sleep, she felt Iris’s fingers creep around her sides and pull her tight into her bosom, nestling her against her nighty. She held her firmly, like a comfort toy but enough respect to the person being held.

Ash was surprised to feel herself being pulled closer and the immediate thought was to fight back… but the warmth coming from Iris, the tender touch around her stomach felt… right. Her exhausted, hazy mind was acting on what felt natural, right and what Iris had said came back to her. She wants to care. Wants to protect.

Her caretaker… A mother of sorts.



She felt something else brushing against her and opened her sleepy eyes to see Pikachu and Axew curling up around her, feeling their warmth also as the human worries within her began to recede, make itself sparse. She felt safe. The image of her mother was buried and replaced with Iris. With that, she fell asleep, content on how life was for her.



-----



“Hey, everyone! Food time!”

The trio of Pokemon milling about the small grassy pitstop at the side of the road turned their heads to face Iris, holding a large bowl of kibble up in her hands as the Pikachu and two Axews came running in from playing. She put the bowl down in front of them, squatting down to get closer to them and smiling sweetly, getting double-teamed by both her Axews in a comfortable hug. She laughed while Pikachu ate and looked on with cheer.



It had been about a week since Ash had become an Axew, but it felt longer than that. Ash’s transition was surprisingly fast. Day by day Ash had seemed more and more in tune with her body, perhaps accepting her fate. A part of her was worried that the Ash she knew was no longer in there, but she couldn’t know for sure. She hid her worries behind her face to ensure everyone else was smiling. Everyone was happy and that was what mattered.



Her own Axew seemed remarkably happier too with a partner of the opposite gender to travel with. At first they merely tried to get to know each other through little exchanges that Iris watched from a distance but found that they immediately had chemistry. Perhaps Ash was happy about it too. They wouldn’t stop playing with each other and being affectionate now. They were almost inseparable.



She rubbed the tops of both Axew’s heads with a smile, a moment of joy overpowering the anxiety inside of her. In the end, she felt happy. She had two little dragon darlings to take care of and Pikachu was tagging along to boot. A sense of pride and responsibility came over her, feeling more mature with herself.

Maybe her little dragons could see it too.