It had been a relatively normal enough day for Jacob. The Kanto trainer had been out in the Viridian Forest, examining the native wildlife with Star, his Charmeleon, keeping him company. He had dropped off his other Pokemon earlier in the day at the Pokemon Center for a well-deserved rest after taking on the local gym.

Dressed in his normal attire of a pair of brown hiking boots, faded jeans, a t-shirt, which was hidden away underneath his favorite green jacket, and a baseball cap, Jacob had begun to walk home. It had been getting close to dinnertime, and the last thing he had wanted was a scolding from his mother.

Jacob loved the feel of the forest around him. He had imagined losing himself in these woods many times, but until today, they had only been imaginations. Now, the sun was barely visible over the tree line, and the pair were hopelessly lost in the rapidly darkening woods.

“We've gotta get outta here, Star," he muttered to her, shivering as he stuffed his hands further down into his jacket. The crisp Fall temperature was growing colder with the setting sun, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been, since Star's tail flame continued to burn brightly.

“Char..." Star sighed, closing her eyes and bowing her head as she trudged onwards. They had been walking for what seemed like hours, which didn't seem right to Jacob at all. He had been in these woods several times, but nothing looked familiar here. Something was wrong.

“Maybe we unknowingly angered a Ghost-type Pokemon and it's playing tricks on us in revenge," the trainer pondered, numbly sticking one foot in front of another. With that thought in mind, Jacob straightened up, stopping in his tracks.

Noticing this, Star also came to a stop, looking expectantly at her trainer. “Meleon?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to one side.

“Star, I know this may sound weird, but I want you to use a Flamethrower attack on me."

“Char?!" the Charmeleon reeled back, shocked by its owner's request.

“Just listen to me," Jacob explained through chattering teeth. The cold was beginning to permeate his clothes, regardless of Star's tail flame. “I think we're being messed with by a Ghost-type. Maybe if you attack me, it'll break the illusion and we can get home."

Star considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. Understanding the pain that might be happening soon, Jacob steadied his legs and spread out his arms to each side, bracing himself.

“Alright, Star, use Flamethrower!" Jacob yelled, squeezing his eyes shut.

Almost immediately, a burning sensation like he had never experienced rushed over Jacob. The fiery attack tore through his clothes, quickly reaching his skin. He painfully realized that his assumption had been dead wrong. Jumping off to the side, Jacob yelled out in agony as he rolled around in the grass, trying desperately to put himself out. He heard Star's worried cries as she rushed over to him, but he pushed them out of his mind. He kept rolling, not stopping until the fire was out.

For a while, Jacob just laid on the ground, looking up at the now starry sky as he tried to catch his breath. “Why did I even think that?" he breathed, “I'm so stupid..."

“Char! Charmel! Meleon?" Star cried, towering over her trainer as she looked into his eyes.

“Don't worry Star, I'm fine," Jacob coughed, sitting up as Star backed up to give him room. “It's just that now, not only are we lost, but I have some smoky clothes." Star visibly relaxed at this, but only for a moment.

“Char..." she murmured, staring at Jacob with wide eyes.

“What's wrong?" the trainer asked only moments before noticing himself.

Staring down, he couldn't help but notice the red-orange scales quickly racing up the back of his hands. Quickly ripping off his jacket, he watched in wonder as the scales continued up his arms, replacing his skin and removing his brown arm hair in the process. The scales disappeared beneath the sleeves of his shirt, but he could feel the changes continue onto his chest. His concentration quickly moved back to his hands, where his fingers had begun to grow whiter and harder, fusing together into three separate, distinct claws.

A sudden pain shot through his spine as it began to change shape, extending until it ripped through the seat of his jeans, exposing a small tail covered with red-orange and cream colored scales. The pain continued as the tail continued to grow, eventually igniting with a small flame on the end.

Jacob's world began to shrink around him as his legs shrunk drastically, causing his jeans to bunch up at the tops of his hiking boots, which were becoming looser and looser on his changing feet. The same feeling in his hands went to his feet, resulting in three similar white claws protruding through the toes of his boots.

The last change began as the scales shot up his neck, soon covering the top of his head and pushing his brown hair out of its roots, causing it to fall off onto the ground in front of him. The top of his head pushed upwards into a horn, knocking off his hat, as his face pushed outwards, his nose and mouth dissolving to form a snout.

As soon as it had started, it ended. Jacob stood dumbfounded as he looked over his new body. “What in the world..."

“J-Jacob?" Star asked, putting a claw on his shoulder in concern.

Startled, Jacob let out a short cry before stumbling backwards, tripping over the remains of his clothes.

“What's wrong?"

“I... can understand you!" he spoke in amazement and terror, staring up at what used to be his Charmeleon.

“Wait, really?" she asked. “Wow... It really is you, isn't it?" He stayed silent, unsure of what to say. “Huh... So, you're a Charmeleon now. What should we do?"

“I... I don't know," Jacob answered, getting up and doing his best to get out of his clothes. He eventually gave up, breathing a sigh of frustration, which turned into an Ember attack that burned the remains of his clothes off of him.

“Well..." Star smiled, walking up her former trainer and wrapping him up in a hug, “Welcome to the world of Pokemon, I guess!"

Jacob moved backwards, slightly taken aback for a moment. However, the longer the hug went on, the more comfortable Jacob felt. Smiling, he hugged her back, letting his tail flame get slightly bigger. “I could get used to this..."