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The Extra-Special Pokepuffs! (Fennekin TF)
There was one thing that Jacques had always wanted, a Pokemon. Unfortunately, his parents simply couldn't afford to get one for him. While they weren't broke, virtually all their money went to the necessities of living in Kalos. Food, water, shelter, smelly cheese. That didn't leave any room in the budget to adopt a Pokemon, let alone pay for all of its necessities. But that didn't stop Jacques from dreaming about having his own Pokemon, and on his 10th birthday he got his wish. That morning, he woke up and seemed to sprint out of bed and out the door. That is, until his mother stopped him. “I know it’s your birthday, but you never get up this early. What’s the rush?” “I’m finally 10, and Professor Sycamore said I could get my first Pokemon!” While his mother could see the excitement in his eyes, she knew that having another mouth to feed would make life even more challenging. “Honey, Pokemon are expensive. They have to be fed and watered. It would need a place to sleep and…” “Then they can have my food,” Jacque interrupted. “And they can have my water! And my bed! And my cheese! I’ll do anything for them! Please just let me get one!” Jacques' father overheard the commotion and stepped in. “Now dear, he’s 10 years old and every kid at that age gets a pokemon,” he said to his wife. “Besides, he needs to learn responsibility at this age anyway.” After thinking it over, Jacques mom relented, which made the young boy ecstatic. He began to run out the door once more before being stopped by his father. “If you are going to get a Pokemon, you will have to pay for it and it’s care. As such, I’m going to talk to Mr. Turbot about letting you help out at his cafe for some money.” “But dad, what about the child labor laws?” The whole family stood quietly at Jacques' question, before all bursting into laughter as he left home to go get his first pokemon.
As he approached the Lumiose City labs, he saw Prof. Sycamore standing right outside. “Am I late for getting to pick my pokemon,” Jacques asked the Professor. “You’re just in time. Come on in and we can get your trainer ID and your first Pokemon.” “My what?” “Your trainer ID. It’s just a card that shows your face and biometrics to prove you are a Pokemon trainer. Standard stuff.” The two walked in and headed up to Prof. Sycamore’s lab. There, Jacques got his picture taken and within a few minutes, a card with it and all his information was printed out. The Professor then brought the new trainer to 3 Pokeballs. He grabbed one and opened it. Out came a fiery fox, and Professor Sycamore said “This is Fennekin. She is a Fire-type fox Pokemon who…” In the midst of the professor's speech, the Fennekin jumped right into Jacques arms and made a very cheerful noise. “Well, I guess we know which one you’re picking,” he said. “Yes! Yes I’ll take Fennekin,” Jacque said, happier than he had ever been before.
Over the next few weeks, he and his Fennekin did virtually everything together. They ran across the large fields outside their house, they'd train against the wild Pokemon in the tall grass. Even at night, Fennekin would hop into Jacques' bed and curl up next to him. The two were inseparable. That is until it was time for Jacques to work at the cafe. There he didn't have a specific job, but rather helped out with whatever needed extra attention at the time. Whether it was mopping up the floors or working the front counter, he would do it and give 110%. Come the end of the week, he would get paid by Mr. Turbot and head to the Pokemart to get food and a toy for Fennekin to play with. One payday however, things went a little different.
Jacques had just finished cleaning the front counter when Mr. Turbot approached. "Ah, fine job Jacques," he said to the young worker. "Thank you sir," Jacques responded. "You know, most kids I hire don't last but 2 weeks, so I'm proud of you for sticking around here for as long as you have." "Thank you sir." Mr. Turbot began to give Jacques his pay of ₱700, but also gave him a bonus of ₱100, much to Jacques gratitude. After work, he continued on his weekly tradition of heading to the Pokemart to get the usuals, but now with the extra money, he could get Fennekin, a more expensive toy. That is until he saw the Pokemart closed. On the front was a sign that said "Closed for remodeling." The words devastated Jacques. Even though his Fennekin was well taken care of and had plenty of food and toys, he still wanted Fennekin to know he cared about her.
As he began to sulk back to his house through the streets of Lumiose, he ran into an elderly lady. He apologized, yet the lady seemed unconcerned with the trainer's mistake. She noticed the boy's face and asked him what was the matter. Jacques explained his situation and the lady seemed to have a cunning smile. "Well I know exactly what you need," said the elderly lady as she pulled a box out of her paper shopping bag. "Right here I have special Pokepuffs that will make the bond between you and your Pokemon much stronger," she explained to him. Jacques was intrigued by her product and reached to grab it. "I'm more than happy to give this to you, but I'm afraid it will cost you ₱800." The trainer looked at his money and thought about the purchase. This would be all his money for the week, but it would make their bond stronger. How exactly, he didn't know, but he also didn't care. What mattered was Fennekin knowing that he loved her. With his mind made up, he handed over his paycheck and took the Pokepuffs. The woman smiled. "Thank you. I hope you and your Fennekin enjoy yourselves! Be sure to tell me how it goes," she shouted at the boy as he dashed home.
Fennekin was on the front porch as usual while she waited for Jacques to get home. Sure enough, her owner began to call out to her. "Fennekin! Fennekin," he yelled, alerting the Pokemon and causing her to run towards the trainer. Much like their first encounter, as soon as she was able to, the Phox jumped into her trainer's loving arms. Jacques gave her a big hug and then set her down with her tail wagging. "I got you a very special treat! Come-on, let's head inside and eat it," he told his Pokemon. But for whatever reason, Fennekin refused to follow Jacques inside. She seemed to want to stay outside. He looked around at the field they were in after trying to meet each other halfway, and realized that it was a nice day outside. He shrugged his shoulders and figured "why not have a picnic outside." He sat down and grabbed the treats out of the box. He opened it up and saw the 6 positivity pink Pokepuffs. Fennekin sat down right next to him as he took one out. "The lady who sold me these said they would make our bond stronger," he explained as he grabbed one out. "I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I just hope you like it," he added as he sat the Pokepuff In Front of the happy Phox. She gobbled us the confectionery and then stood up. She seemed happier than she had ever seemed before. She excitedly barked [or made whatever noise a fox makes idk] at Jacques, seemingly demanding another treat. "Boy, you sure did like that didn't you," he asked as he grabbed another Pokepuff for his beloved pet. This one she also ate right up. Jacques smiled, and wondered what exactly made them so great. He then took a look at his hand. It had some small traces of icing on the sides, probably gotten from grabbing the treats. He then figured he would find out what was so good about the dish by doing a simple taste test. He licked the frosting from off his hand.
Instantly, Jacques realized he had had the best food in his entire life. He then continued to frantically lick his hand, hoping to get another taste of the deliciousness. Suddenly, Fennekin barked, causing Jacques to practically spit out his hand in embarrassment. He looked over and noticed she had already finished her second treat. "Oh, you want another? Uh.. okay then," said the trainer as he took another one out and gave it to the Phox, who was bouncing up and down with excitement. As he set it down he then asked if it would be alright if he could take one. The pokemon, too engrossed with her dessert, ignored the question, leading the trainer to take one regardless. He then thought about what he was doing. Was he really going to eat what was virtually a pet treat? A very delicious looking pet treat. A pet treat that had the most magnificent frosting. A pet treat that, even with his puny human nose, he could smell every inch of its delectable warm soft goodness. It was at this moment, he had a new question: Why hadn't he eaten it yet?
With one bite in, Jacques had had the best desert known to man, and possibly ignored by man for its origins. The fluffiness of the frosting was echoed by the cake part of the cupcake like confectionery. Unbeknownst to the trainer, who was just as enraptured with the dessert as the Fennekin he had originally bought it for, he had begun a transformation. On the sides of his cheeks, white fur, as fluffy as the Pokepuff, began to sprout outward past his long brown hair. As he took another bite, his ears began to grow. They became pointy. Very pointy. More or less triangular. They also got similarly fluffy fur. This time however, it was a sunny yellow. As he munched away on the treat, Jacques failed to notice the slight tugging on his ears that was causing them to grow larger and larger, and the rapid growth of white facial fur that spread from his cheeks to his mouth. Another bite was taken from the delicacy, which now was somehow even more delicious. But his sense of taste was not the only one to be enhanced with his metamorphosis. His nose, formerly puny and weak, had begun to black, wet, more powerful, and, like the rest of his features, pointy. His new nose was so strong, he now had the luxury of being able to identify what ingredients were in his desert with a simple wiff. As with his nose, his large ears, which had by now migrated north to the top of his head, were not just for show. With these powerful ears, he could hear Fennekin ruffling around in the box, grabbing another Pokepuff. Evidently, she had finished her's. "Yeah these things are really good huh Fennekin," Jacques commented. "Yeah," Fennekin seemed to say. This sudden reply caused the trainer to do a double take, but when he looked back, his Pokemon was face first into the Pokepuff she got out. "I guess it was just my imagination," he thought as he took one last bite of his very own desert. The inside of the boy's ears almost instantaneously erupted with orange fur coming out both ends. This didn't stop him from being able to hear extraordinarily well however. The final bite also caused his hands to shift. The front of his hands became yellow and furry, which quickly spread to the other side of his hand and up his arm. His fingers were spared, as they were never given the chance to become engulfed in fur. They shrunk down into the trainer's hand, becoming mere digits, and thus completing the transformation of his hands to paws. Rather short paws too. His jacket, which used to fit rather snuggly on his arm could now be mistaken for the latest fashion trend of wearing clothes that are way too big for you because that somehow means you're cool. Because only cool people don't know how to dress themselves… Anyway, Jacques' clothes were now too large for him, and worse yet, he had finished his Pokepuff.
Jacques looked into the box, and saw the last one. It was tempting, practically calling out for him to eat it. To make matters worse, his new nose had increased the scent of the delicious delectable delicacy. It was as if it was already in his mouth. He couldn't help it. Using his small, grimey paws, he took the last one and took a big bite out of it. As he chewed, the transformation continued. His lower half began to shrink to such a degree that his clothes fell, mirroring his top half. Similarly, his body grew a large amount of yellow fur rather quickly. Within only a few minutes, he was only a hair larger than his own Pokemon. Speaking of hair, his face had become completely engulfed in fur. Although, unlike the white fur that encased all below his nose, the furry face that rested above his new snout was all yellow, like the rest of him. This coloration began to spread to the hair he already had, however much slower than the rest of his transformation. For now, only the roots of his hair had changed, and all the roots were hidden beneath his red hat that contained his lucky red feather in it. The transformation was almost complete, but Jacques was missing one last feature important to any Fennekin. A pressure began to build up right above his rear. In his tailbone if you will. Within an instant, a fox tail with orange fur at the tip exploded right from where the pressure was. While every other change went completely unnoticed, the sheer power of the new limbs' growth caused the former human to yip out in surprise. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the tail, but rather than freakout like most normal people would, he smiled and wagged it. It was, to him at least, as if he had always had a tail. He then turned back to the treat he had only taken one bite of. Jacques smiled and said "Wow! These Poképuffs are pretty fine-ekin!” “I didn’t know you could speak Pokémon, Jacques,” his Fennekin said, somewhat confused at the sudden clarity. Jacques took another bite and licked the frosting from around his mouth. While he didn't grow any new fur or appendages, his changes continued with him shrinking further and his hair, while remaining in the same style, being given a new yellow paint job. "Of course I can speak Pokemon," said the former human as he crawled out of the now larger jacket. Fennekin thought about it and realized that he had always spoken pokemon. The Pokepuffs affected more than just Jacques, who was finishing his last bites. It was as if his entire world had been rewritten, with the exciting young trainer having always been a Pokemon. The only remnant of his past life, a past life nobody remembered, fell out of his now massively oversized jacket: his trainer ID. Although now, it was completely inaccurate, as Jacques had finished his transformation into a Pokemon.
Fennekin shrugged her shoulders and then challenged her former owner to a race back to the house. "Yeah, that sounds like fun," he responded, before taking a look at the ground and noticing the trainer ID. It compelled him. Something about it seemed… familiar. He picked it up with his mouth, as his paws now served no other purpose than walking, and stuffed it in his fur coat. He then noticed that Fennekin was already ahead of him. "Hey, Wait up," he cried out as he began to run towards the house.
The two ran through the doggy door and into the living room. However it was much different than the house Jacques had left earlier that day. It was more dated, with wooden panels taking up most of the living room, and other oddities like potions on the shelfs. It was very clearly not his parents home, even if he didn't remember them. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from the kitchen. "Oh Phen, Jacques!" The two Fennekins had their ears pointed up and ran to the kitchen. In there was the old lady who gave Jacques the Pokepuffs in the first place, not that he could remember her as anything other than Phen and his trainer. The elder grabbed two leashes and hooked them on the collars of Phoxes, who were ecstatic about being able to go on a walk. "You two are always so happy together," the elderly lady said. "I'm sure you would do anything for each other with such a strong bond." The three headed out to town. Jacques and his newly named Fennekin Phen made their way downtown with a strut in both their steps as the witchy woman was behind the excitable pokemon. The group then ran into an interesting couple. Unbeknownst to everyone, it was Jacques parents, but they were now younger. About 10 years younger actually. They stopped and saw the Fennekins, who were just as intrigued with the couple. "Aww, they're adorable honey," said the mom to her caring husband. "You can pet them if you'd like," the old lady informed the couple. She jumped at the opportunity to then pet the lovely pokemon. "They're so cute! I hope we can have our own someday," the wife said. "Now now, we already have a kid on the way," reminded the soon to be father. "We can't afford to have another mouth to feed." The elderly woman smirked. "Never say never young man! You might very well have a Pokemon someday." The group then walked away, leaving the man confused.
After returning home, it was time for bed. Jacques and Phen had small pet beds right next to each other at the foot of their owners bed. As Jacques laid down, he felt the card from earlier and pulled it out. He then examined it closely. While he couldn't put his paw on it, the card seemed awfully familiar. Phen looked over at her former owner and his concentration. "Is something wrong," she asked. "I don't know… something about this card I found feels important," he replied. Phen got up and looked at the card herself. She too understood there was some importance of the ID card, but was also at a blank for its specific significance. "Hmm… I see. I have an idea! Why don't we go outside tomorrow and try and find out who this card is for!" Jacques smiled. "Aww thanks for helping Phen! I'm so glad I got a friend like you!" The female pokemon also got a smile. "I'm glad I have a friend like you too," she said as she crawled back into bed. "Okay then, we'll look around tomorrow," Jacques yawned as he drifted off to sleep along with his Fennekin friend.
The two now had a bond stronger than ever before.
