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Pokemon: Further Evolutions

CH 2

Coming Home

"Kyo?" a voice sounded behind the door, followed by a few gentle knocks, "Kyo? Come on Kyo, time to wake up. Kyo-oh." A few more knocks sounded.

Kyo shifted in his bed, groaning quietly. Several more knocks. "...mrph...I-I GOT it, I'm up." He pulled the bed sheets down from his body, exposing him to the morning sunlight. He sat up, letting out a yawn. He opened his eyes, and he felt a wave of nausea come over him, still having to get used to his new widened range of vision. Resisting the urge to vomit on the spot, Kyo slowly got to his feet. He looked over to see his friend Totodile up and about.

"Morning Kyo," he greeted him as he took the time to stretch.

"Mmmorning Totes," Kyo replied, finishing with a yawn.

"Have a good night's sleep?" Totodile asked curiously.

"Good enough I guess," Kyo said as he stretched his tail a bit, "I didn't have a nightmare or anything." Totodile smirked.

"May I come in?" Nurse Joy asked, her silhouette moving from behind the door.

"Oh, uh, sure," Kyo said, rubbing his eyes. With a click, the door squeaked open as the pink-haired nurse made her way into the room.

"Good morning Kyo," she greeted him, "did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Kyo replied, taking a seat on the bed, "and you?"

"I slept fine, thank you," Nurse Joy answered, taking a seat next to him. "So...your mom just called, and said that she'll be here soon..." She gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you...prepared?" Kyo looked down to the floor.

"I'm...not sure really," he said, letting out a nervous sigh. "What do I even say to her? Hi mom. I accidentally came across this weird gem and now I'm a pokemorph."

Nurse Joy raised a brow. "Isn't that what happened?"

"W-well... Y-you get what I mean!" Kyo buried his face in his hands, groaning. "What do I doooo? I didn't think this through enough!" He fell back on the bed, face still buried in his scaled hands. "Ughhh, this was a bad idea. Maybe I should just tell her to go back home..."

"Now hold on," Nurse Joy protested, "are you really just gonna give up like that?" Kyo removed his hands from his face, staring up at the ceiling.

"...No..." he began, "I don't want her to worry anymore than I've made her now." He sighed. "It's just...what do I tell her?"

"You tell her the truth," she replied simply. Kyo looked to her as she continued. "You tell her about what happened and about why you're like this. But most importantly," she leaned closer to him, gently taking his hand in hers, "tell her that you're still her son. Tell her that you're still the same person she gave birth to all those years ago." She let go of his hand. "That should be good enough. You just need to trust her to decide what to do after that." She gave him an encouraging smile, hoping that she didn't give him the wrong message with her last piece of advice.

A moment passed, and Kyo gave her a warm smile in return. "I guess...I can give it a shot." He sat up again, meeting the nurse's gaze once more. "By the way...I know I've...probably already said this before, but...thank you." The sincerity of his words could practically be heard from his voice as he spoke. "You've helped me out far beyond just letting me stay here for the night. You gave me hope when I didn't even know I was looking for it in the first place. You gave me far more support to me than most other people would with the way I am now. _And,"_he smirked, making the pink haired nurse blush, "you've given me some pretty good pep talks." She turned away, trying to hide her blush.

"Y-you're very welcome," she replied, "b-but I guess I should thank you too."

Kyo tilted his head in confusion. "Wwwwhat for?" The nurse chuckled slightly.

"Well," she began, "it's pretty clear that I haven't met another pokemorph before." The pair chuckled. "So...in a way...you've sort of helped ease me into dealing with them if one happens to visit my center." She smiled. "Still though, I hope they're as well mannered as you were when we first met."

Kyo raised an eye ridge. "Am I not well mannered now?" The group let out another chuckle. Nurse Joy put her hands to her hips mockingly.

"For one thing, you're not sitting up straight," she said, pointing at him. "You're slouching, and you aren't even facing me directly when I'm talking to you." Kyo sat up straight, turning his body so that he was facing the pink haired nurse.

"Yes ma'am," he said, neatly folding his hands on his lap, "what else shall I do madám?" She giggled a bit, amused by his pronunciation of "madam."

"Well," she replied, taking on an English accent, "we should start by working more on your posture. Stand up." The group had become a giggling mess as they stood up, with Totodile watching from the bed. Nurse Joy cleared her throat, trying to act like royalty. "Now, stand at attention, but loosen your shoulders."

Trying to keep a straight face but failing, Kyo followed her directions. He tried hard to stop chuckling as he began to speak. "So uh, heh, wh-what do I do now m'lady?"

She cleared her throat again, trying to put on a serious expression. She pulled out a pen from the pocket of her apron. She then used it as a guide as she gave the Feraligatr-morph more instructions. "Now, chin up, eyes forward, feet together, hands at your sides." Kyo obeyed her directions as she guided him through.

"Is this right?" Kyo asked, standing at attention. Nurse Joy chuckled. From the way he was standing, Kyo looked like a young cadet, silently awaiting orders.

"You can do better than that soldier!" said Nurse Joy, raising her voice. Kyo almost broke down in laughter, and slouched a bit as a result. Nurse Joy giggled. "Are, haha, are you l-laughing cadet?" A tear rolled down Kyo's cheek as he tried to contain his laughter.

"N-no ma'am," he replied, straightening up, "I-I'm just p-practicing my-my breathing technique." Nurse Joy rested her hands on her knees, catching her breath from all of the laughing.

"Don't," she wheezed, "don't lie to me soldier!" At this point, Kyo was kneeling on the floor, also catching his breath. "H-hey, on your feet cadet! You're..." she leaned on the bed, "no sitting on the job."

Kyo fell to the floor, closing his eyes as he broke down in laughter. "I-I can't get up." Nurse Joy sat on the bed as she broke down in laughter as well.

"If..." she took a moment to breathe, "i-if you're going to be that way, then I'll have...have to punish you." She stood from the bed again, or at least tried to. "Th-thirty push-ups for you!"

"Oh gosh," Kyo let out, "face hurts...can't...breathe." He clutched his sides, face red from all of the laughter.

"Wh-what are you waiting for?" Nurse Joy said, trying to gather herself, "g-go on, get into position!" Still trying to catch his breath, Kyo flattened himself on the floor, arms at his sides as he tried to push himself up, but to no avail. For a moment, everyone just laid down, the sounds of their laughs and breaths filling the room and nothing else.

Kyo had a quick coughing fit as he tried to quiet down, with everyone else doing the same. Finally catching their breath, they all let out a long sigh at the same time. The three of them remained silent, a few giggles escaping every now and then.

"...Hey...Kyo?" said Nurse Joy, staring up at the ceiling.

"What's up?" he asked, turning his head in her direction. She waited a bit before continuing.

"If...if your mom...doesn't see you for who you are...a-and I'm not saying she won't...but...if she doesn't..." She turned her head to face the Feraligatr-morph. "J...just know that I'm here for you, alright?" She smiled at him. "There's always room in the PokemonCenter. And if that doesn't suit you, I think I can find room for you two in my house." Kyo smiled.

"You're not in love with me, are you Nurse Joy?" he asked coyly, raising an eye ridge. Nurse Joy's face turned bright red, making him chuckle. "Ha, don't worry; I'm just jokin with ya." She let out a breath, relaxing. Kyo rolled over to his front, gently taking her hand in his own. "Thank you for the offer. I'll definitely put it to consideration...if it ever comes to that..." He smiled warmly at her, making a blush rise up to the nurse's cheeks once more. Kyo sighed quietly. "I'm...gonna go take a shower..." letting go of her hand, he rose to his feet, looking to Totodile. "Come on Totes, you need to get cleaned up too."

"To-to?!" Totodile exclaimed.

"No! Not at the same time!" Kyo replied with a flick of his tail. "J-just come on." At that, Totodile hopped off the bed and followed his trainer out the door, leaving Nurse Joy alone in the room. She slowly sat up, watching them go. She let out a long sigh.

"...Shit..."

Shaking her head, the pink haired nurse began fixing the bed, sorting out her thoughts as she did so.

***

"Tell me again why I can't bathe myself?" Totodile asked grumpily as his trainer scrubbed his arms with a bar of soap.

"Because the last time I let you bathe yourself, you took over half an hour," Kyo answered, moving on to the back of his neck.

"It's not my fault I can't properly hold the soap," he snapped back, "I don't exactly have the hands for holding it." He held his hands up, jiggling his tiny thumbs. Kyo smirked.

"So then that's more of a reason for me to be the one bathing you," Kyo chuckled, "I mean if you can't hold the soap in the first place, then how are you gonna wash yourself?"

"I could if I had some sort of special handle or...something..." Kyo shook his head, smiling.

"Well, considering we don't have one of those," he replied, "you'll have to just put up with it for now." Totodile blew a raspberry, rolling his eyes. Ignoring his complaints, Kyo proceeded to finish scrubbing his tail. "There ya go," he said, "I'm all done helping you wash." He placed the bar of soap on the bathtub floor, still slick with a bit of water. "I'll leave you to the rest. Think you can handle it?" Totodile rolled his eyes again.

"Come on, don't treat me like such a hatchling," he snapped, "I can do this just fine." Kyo smiled, stepping out of the tub.

"Fine, fine, just do your thing." Nodding in satisfaction, Totodile positioned himself so that the soap was underneath him as Kyo turned around to give him some privacy. He hummed a tune to himself to fill in the silence.

"So," said Totodile, "have you figured out what to say to mom when she get here?" Kyo put a hand to his scaled chin thoughtfully.

"I dunno really," he replied, "I...guess I can start with how we explored the cave."

"Are you sure that's such a great idea?" Totodile asked. "After all, we did kinda go in there unprepared."

"Yeeeeaaaah," Kyo sighed, "then...how 'bout I just tell her about the weird gem we came across? That way, I don't look as bad."

"She's gonna want to know where it came from," Totodile said.

"Ah, you're right." Kyo flicked his tail. "Okay...well...tch, then I might as well just tell her about the cave." Totodile chuckled.

"Mom's not gonna be happy 'bout that," he chimed. Kyo groaned.

"Well, at least she'll just be focused on that." The two of them chuckled.

"Yeah, that's true," Totodile sighed, "okay, I'm all done here. Can you turn on the faucet please?" Kyo nodded, turning around. Kneeling down, he turned the knob on the tub's faucet, letting a small stream of water flow out of the spout. "Thanks." With the water now flowing freely, Totodile waddled his way over to the stream, tuning around and bending over. "H-hey don't look!"

"Gyah! Uh-s-sorry!" Kyo stammered, quickly turning around.

"Sheesh," Totodile said as he went about his business. Kyo heard droplets of water patter the floor of the tub. This went on until he heard the steady stream of water resume. "There, now you can look." Kyo turned around hesitantly with an apologetic look on his face. "Nah, just, whatever. It's your turn in here now."

Helping the small croc out of the tub, Kyo quickly dried him up with a towel before letting him out of the bathroom. He sighed, closing the door.

Well,_he thought to himself, _I guess I should get to it then. Mom's gonna be here soon. A bit awkwardly, mostly due to his tail, the Feraligatr-morph slid his shorts off and made his way over to the tub. He turned the knob, letting the water flow again, and pulled on a smaller knob on top of the spout, causing the water to be redirected to the shower head. He stepped in, shivering as the cold water sprayed across his back. Acting quickly, he turned the dial and changed the water to a nice, warm temperature. He let out a satisfied sigh as the water slowly warmed, making him murr in delight. He caught himself doing this and stopped, putting his hand over his muzzle.

That's...new..._He shook his head, grabbing the bar of soap from the bathtub floor. _Hope that's not something I do often_..._ Clearing his throat, he got to scrubbing, starting with his arm. Sheesh, what else is there that I haven't found out about myself-OW! He stopped scrubbing, dropping the soap on the floor. He clutched his arm. Sheesh! What the heck?! He inspected his arm. No blood. He checked his hand. His claws were still safely sheathed. Confused, he looked back to his arm.

Wait a second... He put his hand on his arm again, pressing down and running his hand up towards his shoulder. "Ack!" He quickly withdrew, the stinging pain shooting up his arm once more. He drew in a sharp breath, clenching his fist as he waited for the pain to fade. That's right, I forgot; I have scales now. He stroked his arm again, this time stroking down towards his wrist. It's supposed_to hurt when I rub in the wrong direction, just like with Totes..._ He sighed, picking up the soap off the floor for the second time.

I guess that should've been more obvious, he thought to himself, especially considering the fact that I'm a friggin pokemorph. He paused. I'm...a pokemorph... He leaned against the bathroom wall. He curled his tail around himself, letting the water continue to spray upon his back and trail down his form. Wow, even now, I still can't believe any of this is real... He looked at his hand, flexing his claws. He smirked. I guess that's a good thing. Least I won't have a panic attack or anything. Shaking his head, Kyo straightened and scrubbed his other arm, this time using a downward motion.

I can't say this isn't cool though, he bent over, working on his leg now, I've always wonde-OW! He drew back, pain stinging his lower leg. He had scrubbed upwards. Note to self; do NOT go up. Least I think... Hmmm. He straightened again, placing the bar of soap on a nearby tray. Gently, he ran his hand from his chest down to his leg. Yep, always downwards. He picked the soap off of the tray, resuming his scrubbing but remembering to scrub downwards.

I guess it makes sense. A Feraligatr's scales would have to go along with the flow of water. He moved on to the other leg, scrubbing with a bit more force now. He noted that the same rules didn't apply to his hands, more specifically his palms, which, again, made sense to the Feraligatr-morph. He moved on to his chest, once again minding how he scrubbed. What else is there to a Feraligatr I should know about? Hmmm. Oh! Right! They're cold blooded, so their body temperature's gonna be about the same as the environment around them. He paused in his work to try and feel any difference in how he felt.

...Mmmmaybe I just need a different environment... Shrugging, he got to scrubbing his back. Huh, well what do you know, looks like that fin thing on most Feraligatr backs is more of a stub on me. He was thankful for this; he always imagined it to be difficult to lie down with a fin on his back. Then again...I guess I should've noticed that last night... Whatever. He moved on to his tail, uncurling it from his body.

Wow, maybe this isn't so bad after all. Okay...sure, maybe it's just been small things, but hey, still a plus to me. 'N besides, he looked himself over, if anything, this is an improvement. I mean, just look at me! He flexed his arm. Heh, I think I gained a bit of muscle. He looked down at his chest, beating it gently with his fist. Heheh, rock solid. He smiled to himself, continuing his self-evaluation. And, I think I'm a head taller now. Though...I guess that's just cuz of my neck... He gently stroked his neck, confirming that it definitely was longer.

Speaking of longer... Lowering his gaze, Kyo found that his cock had begun to harden. Looking closer, it seemed that it still retained its original shape, though much more pink than before. It jutted out from the fleshy sheath it now resided in. The sheath itself, along with the rest of his scrotum, was covered in a very smooth, leathery set of scales, feeling much more like a rubber encasing compared to the rest of his scales. Like most of his body, the scales were set in light blue shading, though noticeably darker in some places.

Is it...did I...gain an inch? To much of his own surprise, it seemed that his cock_had_ gained an inch, resulting in his malehood measuring a full seven inches. It pulsed gently, bobbing up slightly with every heartbeat. He clenched his eyes closed, shifting his feet as his arousal began to kick up. M...maybe just a quickie, he thought to himself, j-just to get it out of my system... Setting the bar of soap down on the tray, Kyo slowly reached for his pulsating member, his breath shallowing as he breathed through his nostrils.

He tenderly wrapped his left hand around his cock, shivering as the sensations shot through his body. He gave one firm squeeze, causing him to yelp loudly as a wave of pleasure shot through the morph. He slapped his hand over his muzzle, hoping that no one had heard him. His knees buckled a bit as he tried to recover. ...Arceus...it's...so much more sensitive now... Recollecting himself, Kyo slowly drove his hand up his erect shaft, making his other hand squeeze his muzzle harder as he tried to contain the moans and yelps he so desperately wanted to let out. His jaws tensed, breathing heavily as he stopped his hand at the tip.

"Fuck..." he gasped out, "I'm....already so close..." With his knees threatening to give out, Kyo was forced to sit on the floor of the tub, taking an awkward position as he spread his legs out a bit to provide himself a bit more room to "work" with. "Ahhhh...ah-AHhhh.....hAhhhh..." He pressed himself against the wall of the tub as he ever so slowly drove his hand down his pulsating member, more waves of pleasure washing over him.

The sprinkle of the shower soon became no more than a distant memory as he brought his hand up again, repeating the process in an agonizingly slow loop. Every drawn out stroke brought the morph to the edge of climaxing, forcing himself to stop and wait for himself to cool down before continuing once more. His tail constricted his leg, his toes curled, his neck tensed, his hand squeezed tighter.

"Ohhhh....ooohhhhh," he tucked his head between his legs, panting hard in his awkward position, "almost.....almost....ooohhhh....aaah-"

"Kyo?"

"ACK!" his head shot up, only to thump his head against the wall. His free hand went to the back of his head, cushioning his throbbing skull.

"You okay in there honey?" Nurse Joy asked in concern, speaking to him through the door. Her silhouette could be seen through the clouded glass window of the door.

"Y....yeah," Kyo pants, "I just.....tripped."

".....O......kay then..." she shakes her head, continuing, "anyways, your mom's here. She's waiting for you in the plaza, so just come out when you're ready alright?"

"Alright..." the water type replies, "just.....need a few minutes."

"That's fine; I'll be waiting there too then."

"Okay...thank you..." A few seconds later, he heard footsteps, gradually lowering in volume as the nurse left him to his business. He sighed, leaning against the wall of the tub. He let go of his phallus, which was quickly softening at the thought of his mother.

Well,_he thought to himself, _I wasn't...in the mood anyways... Brushing his boner-killer aside, he stood back up to finish washing the rest of his body.

***

"Your son will be with you shortly," Nurse Joy said as she entered the waiting room. A woman seated in one of the chairs nodded to her in response.

She seemed to be somewhere in her mid to late forties. Her hair was a nice dark brown, cascading down from her head to her shoulders. Totodile was sitting in her lap, murring happily as he was petted by the older woman. She seemed a little distraught, with her foot tapping on the floor, looking around the room constantly.

"Don't worry Mrs. Sakamoto," said Nurse Joy, "he's fine. He's just...changed."

"You keep saying that," Mia replied, "and yet you refuse to tell me _how_he's changed." Nurse Joy sighed, taking a seat next to her.

"It's not that I refuse to tell you," she said, gently patting Totodile's head, "it's that if I do tell you, you'll have a hard time believing me."

"What do you mean?" she asked, getting relatively agitated by the pink haired nurse, "what kind of change could be so extreme? What happened to my son?" Nurse Joy let out another sigh, sitting back in her chair.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure I can explain it myself." She looked up at the ceiling as she talked. "Can I...ask you something?" Mia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Fine, what is it." The nurse paused a moment before talking.

"Have you ever wondered what it's like to become a pokemon?" Mia gave her a confused look.

"Sometimes, yes..." she replies, unsure of what the nurse was going on about, "...why?" Nurse Joy chuckled slightly.

"Just wondering." Mia let out an irritated sigh, slumping back in her chair. She was beginning to lose patience with the young nurse.

"To-toto?" Mia glanced down, seeing that Totodile was looking at her, concern written all over the small croc's face. Mia smiled warmly.

"I'm fine Totodile," she reassured him, "I'm just...nervous I guess." Totodile nuzzled against her, trying to comfort her. She chuckled, silently thanking him for his efforts. Suddenly, there was a knock coming from the entrance of the room. Both of the women's heads perked up upon hearing it.

"M...mom?" a voice matching Kyo's called out, making Mia stand from her seat, carrying Totodile with her.

"Kyo?" Mia called back, remaining where she stood, "Kyo is that you honey?"

"Y...yeah...i-it's me," Kyo replied nervously, feet shuffling on the floor.

"Are you alright sweetie?" Mia asked in concern, "come over here so I can see you." Kyo hesitated.

"I...I-I don't think I should..." He curled his tail around his leg, pressing himself against the wall.

"Honey..." Mia began in a very caring tone, "you don't need to be afraid anymore. I'm here now. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"I know..." Kyo trailed off, "it's just..." Mia frowned.

"It's just what sweetie?" she asked in concern.

"I...well," he let out a sigh of distress, not knowing what to say to his mother.

"Oh Kyo," said Mia, a warm smile spread across her face, "this is so like you. When you were still a kid, you would always hide right at my door frame when you had something to hide." She chuckled. "I remember when you were five; you played outside in the rain when I told you not to, and sure enough, when I asked you where you'd been, you were behind the door, trying to hide how soaked you were." She began to laugh softly. "I could already see the trail of puddles you left in the hallway." The two women began to giggle. Even Totodile couldn't help but snicker.

"Actually I was...six," Kyo added, tail slowly loosening, "I-I remember cuz I also crashed my...bike that year..."

"Oh yeah I remember that!" Mia nearly broke down in laughter, adjusting her grip on Totodile. "You were even more scared that time." Kyo smiled.

"What can I say; you were a pretty scary mom at the time." He heard laughter come form inside the waiting room.

"I guess I was, wasn't I?" She sighed. "I'm glad that you still remember those times. Now, keep thinking back to those times. Do you remember how I was when you did those things?" Kyo thought back for a moment, recalling his memories.

"You...were pretty mad with me."

"Mmhm," Mia nodded, even though she knew that he couldn't see, "and did I scold you?"

"Ohoho big time," Kyo replied, chuckling a bit. Mia giggled.

"Yes I did," she continued, "and I gave you the punishments to match, but that was it, wasn't it?" Kyo's head perked up. "I never did anything worse than that. I never hit you, I never punished you more than I needed too, but I always made sure that you learned your lesson."

She took a single step forward, but went no further than that. "Do you know why I did those things Kyo? It's because I love you. I want to see you succeed in life, to grow into the fine young man that I know you'll become one of these days. Each little mistake you make is just one step closer to becoming that man. The same rule applies now. Whatever you've done now is just another one of those steps."

"Mom..." Kyo trialed off again, finding himself at a loss of words.

"And let's not forget," Mia continued, "I am your mother; it's my job to love you no matter what, and I'd say that I've done a pretty good job with that so far." Nurse Joy smiled warmly, quietly sighing to herself as she listened to the two of them converse. "I don't know what it is you did, but you should know that whatever it is, it won't make me love you any less. So...please...come out Kyo. I want to see you... Please..."

Kyo stood there, heart racing as he contemplated what to do. A long moment of silence passed, before Kyo finally gathered up his courage took one slow step forward. Hesitantly, he peeked his head into the room, not really advancing more from there. He saw his mother standing there with Totodile cradled in her arms, squinting her eyes in a sort of puzzled expression. Breathing in deeply, he slowly stepped into the room, revealing himself to the two ladies.

Mia caught her breath, a single hand going up to cover her mouth as her jaw hung slack. Her eyes were wide, staring at Kyo in a state of shock and confusion. "K...Kyo...? Is...is that...really you...?" Kyo's tail tightened around his leg again. He gulped.

"H...hi mom..." He awkwardly raised his hand, giving her a shy wave. "How've...you been?" Mia staggered slightly.

"...I..." The color drained from Mia's face. Suddenly, her face became void of emotion, staring forward into blank space.

"M...mom?" Kyo asked, looking at her in concern. She didn't say anything for a moment. Then, without warning, she collapsed to the floor, dropping Totodile as she fell. Kyo exclaimed as he rushed over to her side, Nurse Joy following suit. She placed her index finger and middle finger on Mia's neck. After waiting a few seconds, she leaned over and listened for breaths. She sat back down, turning to Kyo.

"It's alright," she began, "she's just unconscious. Probably just fainted is all." Kyo let out a sigh of relief, looking to Totodile who was recollecting himself.

"You okay buddy?" he asked, seating himself on the floor as well.

"To-_to-_toto," Totodile chuffed, and took a seat next to Kyo. He patted his pokemon's head.

"Hey, it's not her fault," Kyo replied, "and besides, it wasn't that high of a fall. You still landed on your feet." Totodile blew a raspberry, folding his arms.

"At any rate," said Nurse Joy, "we should probably move your mom into one of the beds. It won't be long before she wakes up again."

"R...right," Kyo replied, looking down at his mom.

"She'll be alright," the nurse said reassuringly, "you don't need to worry." Kyo looked up at her, seeing a tender smile across her face. He simply nodded in response. "Okay, on the count of three, we lift. Ready? One, two, three."

***

"Mom........? Mom............ Mom..............?" Mia woke to the sounds of her son's voice, feeling a hand rest upon her shoulder. Her eyes opened, seeing that her vision rather blurred. As it began to clear, she could make out the outlines of someone, though only a shadow of them, being that the person was in front of the window.

"Looks like she's coming to," Mia heard Nurse Joy announce. Soon after, the hand on her shoulder left her, and the figure knelt down next to her bed.

"Mom?" she heard Kyo's voice say, "Mom are you alright?" Hearing him a second time, she realized that the figure was Kyo.

"K...Kyo?" said Mia, squinting her eyes, "is that you?"

"Yeah mom, it's me" he replies, moving a bit closer. She blinked a few times, and her vision finally cleared.

Now able to see clearly, she could see that she was lying in one of the rooms of the PokemonCenter. She saw Nurse Joy standing next to one of the windows, holding Totodile in her arms. And at her bedside...well...she couldn't tell who...let alone what it was.

"I'm so glad you're alright," the thing said in Kyo's voice. Mia caught her breath. The thing looked at her in concern. "What is it? Is there something wrong? ...Mom?"

"Dear Arceus..." Mia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth, "Kyo? ...Is that...really you?"

"Yeah mom," he answers, "it's me... You kind of...asked me that before...only a few minutes ago...like...in the exact same wording too... We're not...repeating this scenario again are we?" Mia couldn't help but smile.

"No thank you," she answers, "I'd very much prefer to not do that again." She chuckles, cupping Kyo's muzzle in her hand. "My goodness Kyo...what happened to you?" Kyo's gaze falls to the side.

"It's...a long story..." he answers, shuffling a bit on his knees. Mia gave him a look.

"Well then," she began, "let's hear it. It's not like we're in a hurry to go anywhere."

"I...well..." Kyo looked to Nurse Joy for support. She simply shrugged, smiling. Kyo groaned, turning back to his mom.

"Well?" she said, smirking, "I'm waiting." Kyo let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright," he said, "I guess I have no choice... Just...please don't get mad." Again, she smirked.

"Oh, I'll get mad if I want to," she replied, prompting Nurse Joy and Totodile to snicker quietly in the back. Kyo shot them an irritated look before letting out another sigh. "But," she continued, "I'll...do my best not to."

"Thank you," Kyo replied, "Well...here it goes..." Breathing in slowly, he looks to the side, thinking of where to start. "It all started...when we ran into this trainer..."

***

"Thanks again for the help Nurse Joy," said Kyo, "we couldn't have done this without you."

"Aw stop thanking me," she replied, waving her hand, "I've already said you're welcome several times. I think it's already been established that you are welcome." The Feraligatr-morph smirked.

"Kyo honey!" Mia called from her car, "are you all ready to go?!"

"Almost!" he called back, "just one more minute!" He turned back to the nurse and sighed. "Well, I guess this is it..."

"Yeah..." she replied, "but don't worry, we'll stay in touch. We exchanged numbers right?" Kyo smirked, nodding. "Alright, well...be safe out there..."

"You too," said Kyo, bowing a bit before walking away from the nurse.

"Call me if you ever need anything!" she called to him, waving him goodbye.

"I will!" he called back, stepping into the car and taking a seat. As he closed the door, Totodile jumped into his lap, settling in comfortably. Kyo chuckled, and looked out of the window. Nurse Joy was still outside, standing at the front of the Pokemon center. He waved to her, and saw her wave back. He smiled, setting down his hand and resting it on Totodile's head.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Mia asked, looking at him from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," he replied, "everything I brought with me was in my bag."

"Okay then, we're off." Turning her attention back to the wheel, she slid in her key and started the car.

Kyo slumped back into his seat, clicking his seatbelt into place. He looked out the window again, seeing Nurse Joy still standing there. She had her hands clasped behind her back, seeming to want to see them off.

"Kyo, can you guide us back home?" Mia asked, "It was difficult enough for me to get directions to this place, and I'm pretty sure I'll just get lost on the way back."

"Um...sure," Kyo replied, turning his attention away from the window, "I'll just...pull up a map from my poke-gear." He reached over to the back, moving his bag closer and fishing out the device. Clicking a few buttons, he pulled up a map of the region. "Now just gotta...zoom in... There." He looked up from the screen, turning to his mom. "Just take the first route, and then I can give you directions from there."

Mia nodded, and began to back the car out of the parking area. Kyo looked back out of the window, leaning back in his seat once more. He smirked, seeing Nurse Joy still standing there. He gave her another small wave. He saw her chuckle and wiggle her fingers at him.

"So just on this road right?" he heard his mom say, causing him to turn in her direction.

"Oh, uh...yeah, this one." Mia nodded, and positioned the car to face the road. Looking out the window again, he could see Nurse Joy lean against the building wall. It was clear that she wasn't going back inside until he left.

Hmph, so insistent on watching me leave, huh? he thought to himself, chuckling lightly. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the screen. I'll miss you too...

_ _

Once Mia was satisfied with the car's position, she drove off into the road, passing by the Center and the few houses of the area. Soon enough, they made their way through the route until there were only trees and the road ahead of them.

"So...Kyo..." Mia began, not taking her eyes off of the road, "this...gem you told me about... It...really controlled your mind?" Kyo frowned.

"Well...not exactly..." he shuddered as the memories of the incident in the cave came flooding back to him, "I can't really explain it...but...what I can say is...I definitely wasn't myself when I saw it for the first time..."

"...Oh," Mia replied, "...and...when you...changed...did it hurt?" Kyo didn't say anything for a moment.

"Well...I remember...feeling really hot, like my body was...on fire or something...but I didn't feel anything else after that. I...think my...change happened while I was knocked out."

"I...see," Mia nodded, "and was it...overwhelming? The change I mean." Again, Kyo took a moment to think.

"It...was strange. I had to take a moment to get used to it, but...it wasn't too much for me... If anything, it felt natural after a while."

"...Interesting," Mia replied uneasily, "and...do you think...this change is...permanent?" Kyo turned to her.

"I'm..." He hesitated. "I'm not sure." Mia flinched.

"...Would...you...want it to be?" Kyo opened his mouth to speak, but no words came from his lips. Not hearing a response after a while, Mia sighed, and pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Putting the vehicle in park, she turned to face her now reptilian son, who immediately averted his gaze upon eye contact. She smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Kyo, I didn't mean for it to sound like that." She gently began to rub his shoulder. Kyo drew in a sharp breath, and Mia drew her hand back. He looked to his mom.

"Sorry...just...the scales you know?" he said, eyes snapping from her to the side and to her again. She smiled, nodding in understanding.

"I get it," she said, "I'm sorry too, I wasn't thinking. I guess I should've remembered how Totodile preferred to be pet." She sighed, slumping back in her seat. She chuckled a bit. "Hmph, you know, it's funny; even now, I can tell that it's you, even though you've changed by so much." She looked to him again. Then, she squinted her eyes, as though she were noticing something for the first time. She then smiled once more. "But it looks like you still have those beautiful eyes of yours." Kyo gave her a confused look. "Didn't you notice? Your eyes are still sea green like your father's."

"They...they are?" he asked curiously. Mia nodded. Kyo looked to Totodile, and he also nodded in confirmation. Deciding to check for himself, Kyo pulled down the sun guard in the car and opened the plastic flap covering the mirror. "Huh, so they are," he said, looking at his reflection. Mia chuckled.

"You really didn't notice?" she asked. Kyo simply shook his head.

"I...never really got up the nerve to look at my reflection..." Mia smiled, gently stroking his shoulder, minding the direction this time.

"Listen Kyo, I already told you that I would love you no matter what. How you look or...whatever species you become won't change that fact." She squeezed his shoulder gently, looking into his eyes. "It won't matter to me if you can or can't change, or if you choose to not change. I'll treat you all the same. You know that by now, don't you?"

"Mom..." he looked to her, not really knowing what to say. Mia smiled sweetly, turning her attention back to the wheel.

"Alright," she began, "we need to get going. We've still got a long way ahead of us." Putting the car back into drive, she got back onto the road and drove off, eyes back on the road. Kyo sighed, slumping back in his seat.

"'Hey...Kyo?'" said Totodile, which only sounded like his normal poke-speak to Mia, "'I just...wanted you to know...it doesn't matter to me either." Kyo smiled.

"Thanks Totodile," he replied, "it's nice to know that both of you guys are giving me your support."

"'Of course,'" said Totodile, "'I already told you; we're partners to the end, remember?'"

Kyo chuckled. "Yeah, I know." He hugged his partner lightly, sighing happily.

Mia smiled. "So you can really understand him, huh Kyo?" He looked to her.

"Yeah," he answered her, "though I can't speak...Feraligatr..." The group chuckled.

"So does it...sound like English to you when he speaks?" Mia asked curiously.

"No," he answered, "he's still 'to-to-totin' like he always does, but my brain just sort of translates what he says for me." She nodded in understanding.

"That's cool..." She looked at him in the mirror. "So Totodile," the small croc raised his head, "what's your favorite color?" He put his small hand to his chin.

"Toto-to," he replied, shrugging. Mia's eyes flicked to Kyo.

"So what'd he say?" she asked with a big smile on her face. Kyo chuckled.

"He said indigo," he replied, shaking his head.

"Interesting," she replied, "and what's your favorite number?" Totodile looked up to Kyo, giving him a confused look. Kyo chuckled, and shrugged.

"To.....to-toto?" Totodile replied, shrugging again.

"What'd he say Kyo?" Mia asked excitedly. Kyo laughed.

"He said eight," he answered.

"Oh why's that?" she asked curiously. The two males snickered.

"To-toto-toto. To-to-todile," Totodile replied, looking up to Kyo afterwards.

"He said he doesn't know why," said Kyo, "he just likes the shape of it."

"To-toto-to. To-toto-toto-todile-dile," he continued, looking to Mia. Kyo laughed.

"He also says he doesn't like any of the other numbers," he said to her. He chuckled again. "And he's also wondering if I'm going to be your Poke-translator from now on." The group laughed.

"Sorry Kyo," Mia replied, "I guess I'm just a little envious that you can speak with your pokemon so freely." Kyo smiled.

"It's alright, you don't have to apologize," he reassured her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "And...mom?"

"What is it sweetie?" Kyo hesitated.

"I think...I'm gonna hold off on my journey for now..." Mia smiled, and put her own hand on Kyo's.

"Don't worry honey, I understand."

"Thank you," Kyo replied, squeezing her shoulder slightly.

"Now that we're all settled in," she continued, "how 'bout we sing along to some traveling music?"

"Moooooooooooom."

***