True Blue Ketchum (Patreon)

"Thanks for the ride!" thanked Ash Ketchum as he got off the bus, a rarity for a boy who did some much waking in his life, but he had to return to Cerulean City as soon as he can after a letter from an old friend came in his procession.

"Dear Ash,

I need you to return to the Cerulean Gym as soon as possible. I have something of great urgency I have to tell you in person. Please could you come alone, as this is a private matter between you and me.

Misty"  

Ash tried to get answers from Misty over the phone but her response was always the same, it had to be in person. He could not understand what was so important that he had to be dragged all the way back from Unova to Kanto to hear in person rather then on the phone, especially when video phone were very common in the world. He assumed that telling someone something in person was a girl thing in that it was important to a girl that she explain whatever this matter was face to face. He knew if it were one of his male friends, they would just say it out over the phone, but instead, Misty had to cut short his adventures in Unova, leaving Iris and Cilan to wait for his return, while Pikachu waited at Professor Oak's, another first for Ash not traveling with his best buddy. In-fact, no Pokemon joined him on this journey, a feat considered dangerous if traveling on foot. If it had to be a one to one talk, then nothing or no one else had to be in the way the trainer figured.

Our hero arrived at the doors of the Cerulean Gym, and upon walking through, he was greeted by Misty, waiting in the reception.

"Hey Ash!" Misty greeted. "Long time no see!"

"Okay, what's this about?" Ash jumped to the matter.

"No hello? How long has it been since we've been in the same room as each other?"

"Misty, you dragged me all the way from Unova just to talk to you about something I don't even know what its about. I'm tired from the twelve hour boat ride and the three hour walk to Pallet Town, then another two hour bus ride to get here! Do you realize how long I've spend sitting down just wondering what this is all about?"

"...I'll get you some coffee, come to the kitchen."

The two walked into the kitchen where an exhausted Ash plonked his butt on a chair, whilst Misty made a coffee from an already hot kettle.

"Say Ash, how long have we known each other?"

"Since the Kanto days, you know that."

"I mean how many years?"

"I'd say a good eight years. This isnt about the bike is it?"

"No, that debt was repaid, even though you never paid it. We traveled a good three years together out of those eight havent we?"

"Yeah, but you had to look after the Gym after Johto right?"

Misty poured what looked like sugar into the cup of hot water mixed with coffee. She slowly stirred it with a spoon.

"That's correct." Misty turned around and gave Ash his coffee, sitting opposite side of the table to him. "Tell me, when you think about those days, how do you look back on them?"

"Well, I was a real beginner back then, knew nothing about the world and Pokemon. We had some great adventures with you, me and Brock, and I look back with a smile, just like any of my adventures with my friends."

Ash took a sip of coffee after blowing on it to cool it off. There was a weird bitter taste to it he could not put his finger on.

"But what does that have to......ARGGGGH!"

Ash dropped his cup to the floor, smashing to a dozen pieces, as he felt sharp pains in his chest, spreading throughout his body, making him fall to his knees.

"You know what I think of those days Ash Ketchum? They were really magical from the day you came into my life to when the day it was all taken away from me by my sisters. I had ever intention of returning with you afterwards, but you had already replaced me! How could you do that that to me, after everything we've been through?"

"You....I thought you...the bike...." Ash gasped for air in pain.

"You think I cared that much about some stupid bike? Could you not figure it out in that brain of yours there was more to me traveling with you then that damn bike? I LOVED you, but you never returned my love. You would too deep in your Pokemon and becoming a Master to even notice! You shattered my heart!"

Lifting his hand to his vision, the boy trainer's glove slipped off, revealing a light blue paw to Ash's horror all furred up and dark blue pads forming beneath his former fingers that fused from five to just three.

"What is this...... ARGH!"

"Well no more! I'm done with men and boys like you. And if you cannot love me as a boy and girl should, then perhaps you will love me as something I love more then you..."

As Ash's other hand underwent the same change, the blue fur crept upward the rest of his arms. His tanned skin soon became buried in the blue fur, while the same began to happen to his legs. The four blue limbs changed in shape, now becoming more Pokemon/animal like, Ash felt like his bones were cracking and bending inside of him, as aches and pains continued to shoot inside of him. All Misty would do is pull off his jeans, jacket and shirt off with ease, now that his legs and arms were much shorter in length. The blue fur now spread like an infection over his chest and torso, while his head of hair dropped down to the grown. Rubbing his front paws on his terrified changing face, Ash felt his ears grown in length, now resembling large yellow webbed fins. A third fin grew on his forehead as a white collar crown all around his head.

"What.....have you......don-VA....to, POR.....m-m-m-m....POREON!" Ash stuttered, shaking in fear from what was happening to him. "VAPOREON, VAPOREON!"

A tingling sensation made the boy's spine chill at the next change, dark blue ridges popped from out of the skin, running all the way down from the spine, to even further to the thing grown from his behind, a tail like a mermaid, complete with blue fins about the length of his changed body. Eyes were shut, but when they reopened, the brown eyes of the boy trainer were down just dark black eyes. No longer in pain, he looked at his new body, glittering by the sunlight from the ceiling window. Nothing remained of Ash Ketchum, not even his boxers which were discarded by a certain redhead during transformation. Just an ordinary scared and confused Vaporeon.

"Much better!" Misty smiled at the Pokemon. "You'll be so much better as one of my Pokemon then a lost cause!"

As Misty walked closer to him with a Pokeball, Ash was really scared at what Misty had in store for him. If she put him in a Pokeball, he would have to obey her not matter what. Being a Gym Leader, she would not need eight badges to get him to obey, she had all the ability she required to control Pokemon.

"VAPOREON!" Ash screamed, running away from Misty. Or at least trying to get used to running not just on all fours, but new legs and paws entirely, which first results were wonky and uncontrollable. Ash had no idea where to go, just anywhere away from that mad friend of his, making it as far as the Gym swimming pool when his tripped and fell into the pool. Unfortunately, if he thought running was hard as a Pokemon, swimming felt impossible to achieve. He knew how to swim as a human, but now he felt his ability and life skill had vanished and started to sink like a rock. To his surprise, as his face sunk into the water, breathing was not an issue. No feeling of drowning or suffocating, the now Water Pokemon could breath the water like it was  air. Even so, Ash was still panicking, moving his limbs like crazy. Sure, he could breath underwater, but this was a deep pool and Ash certainly did not want to test how long he could survive underwater. Coming to his rescue, a pair of arms grabbed and pulled Ash up to the surface. As the two made their way to the steps leading out of the pool, Ash knew exactly who saved him, feeling almost a sense of safety being held in her arms.

"Oh Ash." smiled a soaked Misty, lifting Ash out the pool before getting out herself. "You can't swim straight away like that you know. You won't be much good in the wild if you can't even swim, even Magikarp can swim pretty well."

"Vaporeon, Vaporeon!" Ash cried.

"I suppose you're wondering about how you transformed. Well, it dates back to our time in Johto you see. Remember Lily? The Witch that turned you into a Pokemon? She gave me a special powder that turns people into a choice Pokemon depending what you mix with it. She visited the Gym during a bad time, when I was feeling like ending it all, no thanks to you, and hence why I wasn't there to support you at the Battle Pyramid. She gave the powder to me as a way to start a new life, as a Pokemon, if I could not bear being in this human life anymore. And that's when I got the idea of using it on you. You robbed me of my dream of being together, and now I have robbed you of your dream."

"Vaaaaaaa..." Ash growled.

"Oh there's no turning back. Lily said it was made as a one time only potion. Once you've transformed, you're stuck like that, it's nothing like the Pikachu spell so you better get used to it."

Ash stopped growling and accepted what she said. Even though she did turn him into a Pokemon, Ash trusted her when she said there was no cure. For all the time they spent traveling, even if there was little doubt right now,  Misty was still one of those people he could trust with his life, nothing could change that, not changing into a Pokemon, not bicycles, not Team Rocket, not even Pokemon threatening to destroy the world.

"Come with me, we've gotta teach ya how to swim."

Ash followed Misty into a small room, which to his shock, Misty began to undress in front of him.

"VAPOREON!" Ash screamed.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about seeing me this way. It's not like you're a boy anymore. Who know, you might even start having baths with me!"

Ash just covered his eyes with his paws, too shy to see her naked. Misty just smiled at her shy Pokemon as she took off layers of clothing till there was nothing but skin on her. She then dressed into a blue one piece swimsuit, now ready for Ash's swimming lessons.

"Okay, you can look now."

Ash slowly slide his paws away from his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief seeing Misty clothed. The two exited the small room and returned to the swimming pool. Misty dove back into the pool with a big splash. She swam to the edge and called Ash over.

"Here Ash, just jump into my arms and I'll hold you while you get used to swimming as a Pokemon."

Ash was nervous at first, having feared he would of drowned previously, but then thought he had to do it. A Water Pokemon that could not swim was as useless as a Flying Type that could not learn fly, or even an Alakazam without it's spoons. It was a life skill he needed as much as breathing or walking, now he was a Water Type, so Ash braved the water, leaping into Misty's safe open arms as she held him.

"Good boy, now really learn to use both your front and back legs."

Struggling at first, Ash managed to find the right rhythm to kick his legs though the water, soon swimming out of Misty's arms and moving at the right pace without swimming. Ash felt a certain joy swimming as a Water Pokemon, just like the feeling of excitement he got whenever he used to battle or catch a Pokemon, swimming felt very natural to him, more so then it did as a human. The water made his fur and skin tingle, like it was a comforting warm bath, only cold.

"You enjoying this?" asked Misty, swimming next to her new Pokemon.

"Va!" cheered the happily swimming Pokemon.

"If you stay with me, you can swim for as much and as long as you like, everyday. You won't even have to battle if you don't want to, you can be my pet and be happy here at he Gym. Would you like that Ash?"

"Vaporeon Vaporeon!"

And just like that, Ash no longer cared about losing his human qualities, worries now dissolving in the pool. Even though friends and family worried about where he had gone,Ash could not have been happier. He had everything he ever wanted at the Gym, never having any concerns again.

Misty meanwhile, loved her new Pokemon every day from then on, almost like a human, but not far off...

The End?