Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ A Life In Two Worlds - The Beginning (A Prequel) ❯ A Life In Two Worlds - The Beginning ( Chapter 1 )

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A Life In Two Worlds
The Beginning
(A Prequel)
By Squirtel the Squirtle

I sat and overlooked the small lake that was near my home with Tentomon. It was shimmering in the sun and it made my heart ache for some unknown reason. I closed my eyes and let memories of my past flow to me. Then I heard a sound; a soft, low, flapping sound. It was Tentomon, hovering over to see how I was.
"How are you feeling, my darling?" he asked me sweetly. I smiled, dreaming, at him.
"Fine, Tentomon," I said softly.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked me, in his always-interested manner.
"Just thinking about my past," I said quietly. "The best I can. I lost a lot of memories when I evolved."
"You've spoken of that, but I can't remember you ever told me about it," he stated. I frowned. Normally I told Tentomon everything, as any normal wife would. But I tended to avoid my past. It was a roller coaster of emotions, that I was glad was over. There were happy times and there were very sad ones. They were always alternating.
I've found ways to avoid this discussion. Changing the subject, or steering the conversation to his past. But never before had I been asked dead-on like this. Now what was I to do? Nothing. There was nothing I could do to avoid it this time.
I sighed, deeply, and closed my eyes.
"I have avoided telling you about me before I came to the digital world, haven't I?" I restated his question. He nodded. "I suppose it's time I told you. I must warn you though. This may make you think differently of me." He took my paw in his talon.
Looking deeply in my eyes after I reopened them he said, slowly, "I will never think differently of you. No matter what happened in your past. I only want to know." I nodded and swallowed the growing lump in my throat.
"So I guess I'll start at the beginning..."

I was born into a family of Charmander. Yes, that's right, Charmander. My natural born heritage was not Squirtle, but Charmander. I worked and worked and finally was free of the imprisonment of my egg. Opening my eyes to the world before me, I saw an older, mature, female Charmander. She picked me up and held me, making shushing noises in my ears. I felt quite content with the welcoming that had been given to me. It was pleasant to be held and comforted. It didn't last though.
Just when I felt like I could do this forever, the adult put me down and walked over to another newly hatched. Apparently, I was born into a large group of Charmander. There were the hatchlings, the young ones, the new adults, the adults, and finally the elders. The elders ruled over the pack of Charmander. They made strict rules so that they could survive the harshest conditions. One of these rules being, the weak and different must leave. If a Charmander was born with abnormalities, he or she was left in the woods.
I was born with a few abnormalities, so the night I hatched, the Elders held a meeting.
"What shall we do with the new young female?" one of them addressed the others.
"She was born different," another one shouted. "She must be banned!" There were five elders. Two sided to keep me; two sided to leave me. It was up to the head elder to decide my fate. He stood there, silently, and in deep thought.
"This is true she was born different," he said slowly. "But when you consider what is different, it's not anything that could effect the order in the pack. The only things different known, are the fact that she posses lighter tones in her skin. But skin darkens in age. And her eyes are a bit like sky blue, but these too may darken in time. The only other thing different is her fascination with water. This could be hazardous, but only to her own health. With proper guidance and teachings, she may grow weary of water and learn how dangerous it truly is."
"She hasn't said a word since she hatched!" one of the opposers shouted. The head elder smiled lightly.
"As the humans say, 'Silence is golden'," the elder chuckled. "And she'll talk when she's ready. Perhaps her silence is a sign of wisdom." The supporters smiled in amusement to the possibilities forming in their heads. They liked the ideas that were proposed from the thoughts.
"Well it seems the decision has been made," a supporter said, satisfied. "She may stay."

So I stayed. And I remained silent. Of course, that didn't stop my getting acquainted. I found it easy to bond with my brothers and sisters. All I had to do was play a little with them. A yank on a tail here, a playful shove there. It was all in fun. I was warned not to roughhouse with my older siblings though. Of course I was still young and arrogant. I saw this one older brother, standing there, as a perfect target. So I ran up to him, grabbed his tail the best I could considering the size difference, and yanked.
He looked down, slightly annoyed, and I jumped back. I was afraid of the punishment I'd receive only to find none was administered. Opening my eyes back up, I saw him laughing softly. He bent down and picked me up.
"Hello there little one," he said gently. "Are you one of my new siblings or did you just wander in here?" I giggled happily. His smile broadened. "Ah, so you are my little sister." I nodded and giggled again. "Silent one I see." He set me back down. "That's okay. Silence is a good thing around here. I don't see a little tyke often that isn't jabbering away. It's refreshing." I walked up and hugged him tightly, making a pleased sound in my throat. He bent down and hugged me back. "Now you see here, young one. I'll always be here for you, and you can come to me if any of the older ones give you much trouble. Do you understand me?" I nodded, still not saying a word. He gave me a gentle shove forward. "Good. Now you run along and play." I laughed and joined the young Charmander my age.
He became my closest family member. I loved my older brother dearly and, even though the older Charmander were kept away from the younger ones when sleeping, I made sure I was by his side by bedtime; every single night.
There was another rule of the pack. After one month, you had to leave to go lead a life of your own. It wasn't avoidable. If you didn't leave willingly, you were fought away. Most everyone left willingly.
I never really thought about the time I'd leave. When it came, it would come, and by then I'd be ready. But one thing that struck me hard was when my beloved older brother left. It was so heartbreaking for me.
"But little one, I have to," He pleaded, trying to ease my sobs. He always called me little one. It was my pet name for him. The pleads didn't soothe my upset feelings. He held me in his arms and rocked me the best he could. He thought hard about what to say. His departing time was soon, and he was spending his last few minutes with me. After wracking his brain for his last words they came to him.
"We cry through out life, as babies and young children. So please save your tears for a time more worthy. I shall miss you as you miss me, but at least we know we love each other," he stated softly. He gave me a tight, close hug. "I'll always be there for you. In your heart." He whispered to me. I wiped away a tear, and stared into his eyes.
"I'll miss you, but I love you," I said softly, my first words. My first sentence. Of course it was in Pokemon language, and it revealed my true difference. One that would get me banned. While all the other Charmander said "Charmander" I said "Charminder". Unknown to me, that was my true name, not a flaw. I could tell my brother was shocked to hear my speech difference. If he were any other member of the "family" he would have reported me on the spot to an Elder. But he didn't. He was truly my brother, in heart and blood, and he proved his love to me by saving my life. He smiled, set me down, and walked away. Never to be seen by me again...

For the longest time, I said nothing again. The pain in my heart from his departure was still great and it made me so lonely. But I was taught good manners, so one day, when and Elder that favored me, handed me a small treat, I was prompted to say, "Thank you" giving away my secret. He stood there, shock written on his face. As soon as he snapped himself out of it, he called an immediate Elder meeting and told of my secret. The Elders felt they had no choice. I was to be abandoned in the woods that night.
So while I was asleep, one of the adults came and gently carried me to the middle of the forest and laid me down. Then they snuck away, and I was left all alone.

I was meant to die. A young, untaught, Charmander isn't meant to survive in the woods, and perhaps I would have died if it weren't for chance that there was a young Bulbasaur playing in that area when I woke up the next morning.
Naturally I was scared. I had never met any other Pokemon outside my family. But this Bulbasaur seemed friendly enough. He hesitantly walked over to me. I dove for the ground, curled up, and covered my eyes. The Bulbasaur looked at me strangely.
"What are you doing?" he asked. I didn't reply; just shook with fear. He laughed a little and nudged me with his head. "Come on! Let's play!" I pulled my fingers apart and took a peek. He was smiling and appeared harmless. I battered the situation around in my head. Deciding I was going to die anyway, I stood up. Taking hesitant steps, I approached the Bulbasaur.
"Hello," I said quietly. He smiled happily. "You're a strange looking Charmander."
"I'm not a Charmander!" he proclaimed. "I'm a Bulbasaur. Who are you?"
"I'm a Charmander," I said. He looked at me funny.
"No you're not," he said. "You're a Charminder. That's what you say when you talk." I shrugged.
"Then I'm a Charminder," I decided. He nodded, satisfied.
"Well let's play tag!" he shouted, bumping me. So we did.

We played tag until it was time for him to go home. When he asked of my home, and I told him I had none, he took me to his. His parents didn't seem to approve, but after hearing my story, they softened up. I was permitted to stay with them, as one of their own.

I frowned again and said, "I can't remember anything that happened while I stayed with the Bulbasaur."
"That's too bad," Tentomon sighed. "It was getting interesting."
"It's just another memory lost after I evolved," I sighed.
"Yes, when are you getting to that part?" he asked, sounding impatient.
"In time, Tentomon," I said gently. "That happened a long time after where I'm at. Be patient." He settled back down and nodded.
"Continue please..."

The next memory I have is a scene of me alone in the wild. By now I was old enough to take care of myself, so at the moment I was eating on some food I foraged. While eating my finds, I overheard a discussion between a few wild Pokemon. They were discussing the witnessing of a battle from some "great trainer". He was easily spotted because he had a Pikachu following him. He was also accompanied by a red headed girl and a stately young man.
I made it my goal to find this trainer. I had to see these skills myself, and if they were as good as I heard, I would try to join his team.
It wasn't easy. It wasn't until I came upon a village for abandoned Pokemon that I saw him. I was hiding in they bushes when I saw him and his friends save the village from some evil people. I was impressed. I was also interested to see he had been given a Bulbasaur.

The next time I saw him was when they came across an injured Charmander on a rock. Seeing a Charmander again, after so long, I was desperate to run out and make a greeting, but with Ash, as his name was, around I couldn't. So I stayed in the bushes and watched and waited. Ash tried to capture the Charmander and failed. I found this curious, but nonetheless, stayed put. After a while, they left. I seized the moment and scrambled to the top of the rock.
The Charmander, male, was weak and probably tired. I felt sad for him as I bent down to look in his eyes.
"Are you okay?" I asked softly. He didn't seem taken back by my speech difference. Instead he calmly looked up and shook his head. "Why are you waiting here? Should you try to heal yourself?"
"I'm waiting for my trainer to pick me up," he said flatly. I nodded, appearing I understood when I did not.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked, my concern showing. He smiled faintly.
"No, thank you though," he said. "You're sweet to offer." Then he closed his eyes. I knew then was my time to leave. So I jumped off the rock and went back to my temporary home in the bushes.
All my senses indicated of an incoming storm and I didn't want to be caught in the middle of it because of my search and speculation of Ash and his friends.
So as I rearranged the leaves and branches of my current home and felt the chill of the incoming storm, my thoughts were on my fellow Charmander friend. Surely he would have enough sense to take refuge and hide!
Despite what common sense would dictate, I had a lingering doubt shoved into the back of my mind. Try as I might, I couldn't get my mind off the possibility that he might not go for cover. That he might actually stay atop the large rock in the duration of the storm. I couldn't let that happen.
The moment I took those few steps outside the brush I felt it. A cold dot on my pale orange skin. I paused and felt another- the first few drops of rain. Then I knew it was too late. I shrunk back into the shelter of the bushes and waited.
It was during the worst of the storm I heard something. Voices? Yes, and distant ones. It was Ash and his friends.
"What are they doing running around in the nasty weather?" I wondered. "Are they crazy?!"
"My curiosity got the best of me as I poked my head out. There they were, running in the direction of that my Charmander friend was located.
It then hit me that my previous assumptions were most likely true. Charmander was out in this weather. To a Charmander, a storm this rainy is life threatening if you don't find some means of protection.
Holding my tail close to my chest, and hunching over in a shielding manner, I ran. I had to see what I could do to help.
Ash and his friends had beaten me to it. They scared off the small flock of Spearow and wrapped the Charmander in their raincoats. The poor thing was close to death in his condition. I was greatly relieved to watch Brock and Ash run back to the Pokemon Center with they dying Charmander.
Unable to do anymore, I returned to my home and waited the storm out before falling asleep.

It wasn't until the next day did I see my new friend. I was greatly relieved to find he was in restored health. Once again, I was tempted to rush out and greet him, but my instincts suggested otherwise and by now in my life I've learned to ALWAYS go on my instincts. So I remained hidden away and silent.
Once again, my instincts proved right as the two evil people I'd seen before made another attempt to steal Ash's Pikachu. Just when it appeared they finally succeeded in their capture, Charmander addressed them. It was most pleasing to see their downfall caused by the bright hot flames from my fellow species.
After that, Charmander's original trainer stepped forward from behind a tree or something. Charmander had to choose now. His original trainer, who had abandoned him on the rock believing he was weak; or Ash. The whole time I was watching I was chanting softly.
"Ash," I whispered under my breath. "Choose Ash." To my great delight, he chose Ash. I slept well that night knowing Charmander was safe.

"But what about the Squirtle Squad?" Tentomon interrupted.
"What?" I asked, now shaken out of my daze. Tentomon was hanging on to every word I had said with an anticipated look. I had to grin at his eagerness.
"I've heard you talk about the Squirtle Squad before," Tentomon replied. "When did you meet them? Or is that later in the story?" I laughed lightly.
"You're in luck," I said, smiling. "That was the next event that occurred. Now if you'll please stop interrupting, I'll continue."
"Sorry," Tentomon said apologetically. "Go on."
"Very well then..."

I made sure I was keeping track of Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu; but you still have to eat to live, and in my vast curiosity I had taken less and less effort into my food foraging. Now I was feeling the consequences most painfully.
I trudged along, my stomach tensing, growling, and aching; pleading for a small morsel. Finally I knew I had to consent to my hunger pains and eat. Only now I had gotten myself into a predicament. I was much too hungry to get the food under my own means. Under the more dire of circumstances, I could resort to more demeaning acts. Though, of course, I would prefer to avoid such measures by all means. But as I felt my strength fleeting, I knew there was no other way.
There were two ways of food finding, other than self-preparation. Begging the humans, mostly this included an act of cuteness or a small show on my part. Or stealing from them when they weren't looking.
These two methods had three possible outcomes. I could either be rewarded with the food I wanted so badly, or I could get nothing but being laughed at or shooed away. The final outcome, and most feared of, would to be captured. If you keep your watch up and look for the right things, you'll know whom to avoid to sidestep this possibility.
The only other real alternative to all of the above was hoping another Pokemon would take pity on you. This was rare, though, so I normally didn't bother trying.
So I wandered around, looking for some humans on a picnic when I heard a noise. I located the sound to be behind some bushes. So I snuck into the shrubbery to watch and see what it was that had captured my attention.
It was a pack of Squirtle. They were gorging themselves on a picnic. I looked around for the owners of the food to find they had been tied to a tree. I would normally have taken pity, but they were the two evil people known as Team Rocket.
There were five Squirtles and all of them wore sunglasses. Only one of them had different sunglasses. I took it in my mind that this was their leader. I listened into their chat a bit to find out a little more.
I found they were called by numbers. This was of course to eliminate confusion. The leader was called One, then the next Squirtle was called Two and so forth.
It was at that moment, my stomach let out a low, deep, growl. Loud enough to catch the attention of the Squirtles. One of them looked up quickly.
Standing up, he shouted into the bushes at me, "Hey you! Show yourself of I'll shoot a water gun into those bushes."
Without any other choice, I timidly crawled out of the brush. When the gang saw who I was, they relaxed.
"It's only a pathetic fire type," the one called Four sneered. I had heard that some water types were prejudice against fire types. Obviously Four was one of them.
"What do you want?" Three asked me. I was tongue tied a moment when glancing around at each Squirtle. The leader was silent and staring at me.
Finally I loosened my tongue enough to reply, "I'm so hungry. I don't have the strength to find my own and I was hoping that you could spare a small morsel."
Four was greatly taken back.
"How dare you, a fire weakling, ask a superior squad of Squirtles for our food?!" Four shouted at me harshly. I sunk as low to the ground I could, shaking with fear. "I should put your flame ou-"
He was cut off from the leader, who gave him a sharp look. One reached down on his own plate and picked up a piece of food and tossed it at me. I watched with wide hungered eyes at the food that landed in front of me.
Rushing forward, I grabbed up the food and turned my gaze to the leader. Swallowing the lump of fear in my throat, I said softly, "Thank you."
"Ya whatever," he mumbled. I pauses a moment. "Well what are you still here for?! You've got your food so go!" I took this as my cue to leave and I ran out of there.
It wasn't until after I had regained some strength and filled my stomach with some yummy berries I stumbled upon did I hear yet another noise that caught my attention. It was coming from a cave.
I didn't want to walk in through the front entrance, so I snuck around and found a back way. Crawling through the tight area, I got close enough to see the commotion.
It was the Squirtle Squad. Also there were Misty, Brock, and a battered Pikachu. Looking around further, I saw Meowth. Not any Meowth either. It was the one from Team Rocket and it seem he had the Squirtle Squad under his control. So it wasn't surprising to see Misty and Brock were tied up.
I took a step forward to get a little closer but knocked over a small stone in the process. Three looked up and narrowed his eyes.
"Is it just me or do I see some light coming from the crevice?" he asked. All the others looked up briefly.
"I smell a fire type," Two said, nearly laughing. Four didn't find it amusing.
"Ya and I bet I know who!" he muttered, shooting a water gun into the hole I was in and missing my tail flame by inches. It didn't take much to get me moving. "It's the Charmander again! I say we teach this fire brat a lesson!"
They all shot their water guns at me. I don't think they purposely were aiming to hit me, but they came close. So I ran. I ran far and I ran fast, anything to get out of there.
I thought I saw Ash running too, but it was probably my imagination. So I ran to a safe clearing in the woods and collapse, trying to catch my breath. That was it; I wasn't going to put this off anymore. Then next time I saw Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu, I would introduce myself and try to become a member of the team.

I did see them again, the next day. I was just poking around, minding my own business, when I heard them all coming down the road. Now was my chance! I ran, hidden from view, up to where they were. Then I walked out in front of them, trying to seem as friendly as I could possibly be.
Ash saw me a replied, "Hey it's a Charmander! It looks kinda different. I think I'll have Dexter check it out." He flipped open a device that was called Dexter. I listened to it rattle off a description of me.
"Charminder," Dexter droned out in his computer voice. "No none information available." Ash was slightly stunned. As was I.
"What do you mean, "No information available"? It's a Charmander!" he said quietly.
"No, Ash," Misty interrupted. "It's a Charminder. It must be a new species." She took Dexter and pushed a few buttons on it.
"Charminder is a Fire and Psyhic type," Dexter reported. I blinked. Psychic? I had never experienced anything that might suggest my capabilities at being a psychic type. Ash's smile widened.
"Well this means I had better catch it!" he shouted, reaching for a Pokeball. I took a step back. I was planning to go willingly, without a battle. But it was too late. By the time I had finished my thought Ash had sent out his Pokemon. "Squirtle! Go!" Squirtle?
The Pokeball opened and I saw a Squirtle in front of me. He looked familiar. Then it hit me that this was the leader I had met yesterday. He was in a battle pose, but paused when he saw me.
"It's you," he said quietly. "The Charmander."
"It's Charminder," I corrected him. "And I don't want to battle!" So I ran around and hid behind Misty's legs.
"Aw," she squealed, picking me up. "What's the matter?"
"Hey, why won't it battle?" Ash asked, stunned further. I wanted to say it. I wanted to say why I wouldn't battle and my true intentions but it would be no use. I couldn't speak human.
I felt a sensation in my mind. It was kind of tingly. So I closed my eyes and concentrated very hard on what I wanted to say to Ash. My mind surged with an awing sensation. This was like I was finally doing something that I could do since birth but forgot about.
I opened my mouth and said, in human speech, "Wait! I don't want to battle you! I only wanted to be your Pokemon. Just don't battle me. I don't want to go into a Pokeball. I promise I won't run away. Just let me come along. Oh, and I'm a girl." Then I was forced to stop. I felt like I had lost most of my energy. I sagged in Misty's arms.
Ash seemed to stunned for words, and that was the same reaction Brock had had since my arrival. He only nodded, slowly, and recalled Squirtle.
"Well," he choked. "Come on then, Charminder. Let's go." And that was that. I was Ash's Pokemon from then on.

"Wait a minute!" Tentomon said suddenly. "I thought you said you had another trainer. Also, what about when you evolved?! Tell me!" I sighed and patted his talon.
"Calm down, Tentomon," I laughed. "I was just getting to that but there was one more thing, or a few more, before that. Let me finish this part at least."
Tentomon leaned back again and nodded. "I'm sorry. Go on."
"Well the next thing..."

I had found love. It was with Charmander. Ash's Charmander, and the same one I had met that day by the rock. It was strange, really. I had never pictured myself paired up before, but I was an adult now, or close enough. And Charmander had taken a real liking to me. He was sweet, and I held him in the highest respect.
One night, a thought occurred to me. What if he were to evolve? I thought about that a little more and felt a sinking feeling. As if, there was something very wrong about that. So that night, I took him away from the others. I looked deep into his eyes and pleaded with him not to evolve.
"I don't know, Charminder," he said, rather uncomfortable with the situation. "I always wanted to evolve and get really strong!"
"Please, Charmander!" I begged. "Please. I just have a bad feeling about it. Will you do this for me? Will you not evolve?" Charmander just sighed and nodded his head. With the way I felt about him, I had no reason to doubt him.
I should have. It was the day that Charmander evolved I felt the most horrible pain in my heart. I stormed up to, the now, Charmeleon.
"How could you?" I whispered harshly, tears daring to streak my face. "You promised you wouldn't." He seemed disgusted with me.
"Well when power came my way, I couldn't help but take it," he growled. "So are you with me? Come on, evolve with me." I took a step back.
"No," I hissed. He shrugged.
"Well it's my way or the highway babe," he said redundantly. I glared at him. He started to walk away, so I ran up and grabbed his arm.
"I hope you're happy," I said deadpan. "You are officially a total jerk." He glared at me.
"Well it seems you're a problem now," he growled at me. He spun around; forcing me to let go and then smacked me with his tail at such a force I went flying back and hit a tree.
I sat there sobbing, both from the pain of the collision and from being abandoned by the one I loved.

"I would never do that to you," Tentomon said suddenly. I looked up from my half talking, half daydreaming.
"What was that?" I asked quickly.
"I would never do that," Tentomon repeated. "Never, I care too much to ever do that." I had to smile.
"I know, Tentomon," I said quietly. He squeezed my hand. "I think I'll go on now..."

That night I climbed a tree that overlooked a small lake. It wasn't far off from the campsite we were at, but it was far enough that Ash had to stand nearby and watch me.
The air was cold and I could feel the hints of a strong wind starting up. I didn't care. I crawled out to the very end of a branch so I could stare down into the water below. I couldn't take it anymore. The pain swelling in me was too much. This was the second time I'd been hurt so badly.
The wind blew stronger, but I didn't tighten my grip on the branch. Instead I watched my tears drip into the black from night waters below. Misty had called Ash and he had to turn away for a moment.
It was then that a large gust picked up and I was blown off the branch, falling right for the water. I couldn't scream, my voice had been shut off from fear. And I was paralyzed with the horrific thoughts in my mind so I couldn't use my now stronger psychic powers to help myself.
Ash turned around and saw me falling. He made a leap to catch me, and did, but not before my tail hit the water with a deafening hiss. Everything after that went black.

"What I tell you next is everything Pikachu told me that happened..."

Ash had thought I was dead and was about to weep for my lost when Misty noticed something.
"Hey look!" she exclaimed. "There are still three small embers burning!"
"The what are we waiting for?" Ash shouted, holding me in his arms. "Let's get to the Pokemon Center!"
The Pokemon Center wasn't very far from there, but everyone knew that every second was critical to my health, so they ran as fast as they could.
Ash burst into the Center and ran up to Nurse Joy.
"Nurse Joy," Ash panted. "Charminder... She's dying... Help." Nurse Joy took one look at me and didn't have to think twice. She grabbed me up in her arms and rushed into the Emergency Room.

Apparently the only way for me to live would be to have an operation. So that's what she did. The operation was too complicated to explain, but she had to do something to my internal fire sack.
There was a long wait until she came out. She seemed sad.
"Well?" Ash asked eagerly. "Did she live?"
"Yes," Nurse Joy said softly. "But I'm afraid there is some bad news."
"What?" All three asked in unison.
"Charminder will never be able to use fire attacks again," she reported. "I'm sorry."

I'm not sure how Ash took the news. I don't know much of what happened for the next two days. By the second day, I finally woke up. I was in some pain, and quite tired, but most of all I was lonely.
"Can Squirtle, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur go see Charminder?" Ash asked Nurse Joy after receiving the news I was up.
"Well okay," Nurse Joy allowed, hesitating. "But make it quick. She needs her rest." So Ash let all three walk into my recovery room.
Pikachu stood on the floor and looked up at me, "Hi Charminder."
Bulbasaur climbed into a chair, "Hey there."
Squirtle hopped onto my bed, "Hi Charminder."
"Squirtle get off that bed," Pikachu scolded. I sat up, with some effort in doing so.
"It's okay, Pikachu," I whispered. "There's plenty of room." Pikachu seemed to relax at that.
"How are you feeling?" Bulbasaur asked softly. I had to close my eyes at that remark.
"How do you think I feel?" I said, a little louder. Bulbasaur recoiled a bit. "I'm sorry Bulbasaur." He smiled and nodded.
Squirtle took a deep breath in and reached for my hand and said, "Charminder I just want you to know that I'm here for you all the way. And if you ever need something you just come to me. I heard about your fighting being disabled so think of me as a personal bodyguard until you get back on your feet. Okay?"
"Squirtle that's the sweetest thing," I said, looking in his eyes. "Of course I accept you offer." And I felt a squeeze on my hand as he smiled.
"Okay everyone," Pikachu said loudly, standing up. "I think she's had enough excitement for now. Let's let her rest." He walked out of the door with Bulbasaur and Squirtle following. Squirtle hesitated at the doorframe a moment, then left.
"So this is how it's going to be?" I asked myself. "No ability to fight? No more wins? No more Pokemon League? Oh no..." This was awful. I couldn't see a way out of it either.

Time passed, and I found I could learn a few non-fire attacks. Although, they were pathetically weak. I still wasn't strong, and it was obvious that Ash had no real intention on training me further. Now I was more of a pet, which is what I hated.
A lot of things had been changing. Charmeleon eventually evolved into Charizard, not that I cared anymore.
And Squirtle kept his promise to me. In the process of protecting me, we got to spend a lot more time with each other. I took a real liking to him, and eventually, got to really know him. And he learned a lot about me too.
He was very sweet at heart, despite his past. I knew he had the potential to be a great fighter, but he was also a great leader. I watched in awe whenever he battled. He was great. And the more I was with him, the closer I felt to him.
Soon I knew it. No matter how hard I had tried, I had fallen for Squirtle.

"Now wait a minute!" Tentomon said suddenly, and loudly. "What about me?!" I had to laugh.
"Tentomon you are my main man now," I said happily. "Don't worry. Remember that this was in my past!" He settled back a little.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Let's go on."
"Just try not to get too jealous," I giggled. "Anyway..."

After a while, it was obvious that Squirtle felt the same about me. And soon we were showing it. I loved Squirtle and he loved me. It seemed like we were the only ones who understood it too, because everyone else laughed or seemed disgusted. They didn't like the idea of two different species of Pokemon in love.

"I think we can relate," Tentomon interjected. "Remember when we first announced our love?" I nodded.
"No one understood us," I replied. "It was the same thing. Now if I may continue..."

So I stayed with Squirtle, despite other people's opinions. There were many times, I wish I could evolve though. That way I'd be stronger and I could fight instead of being a pet. But I didn't see how that would be.

The Pokemon League came and went. I didn't get to battle, to my dismay and disappointment. I felt so useless, and then I heard about going to the Orange Islands. It was there that my life would change forever, for the best.

It was on the Orange Islands that I met... Him... My destined trainer, Tracey Sketchit. He wasn't like any other trainer I had ever seen. He was kind, and caring, and I liked him immediately. I knew he liked me too.
The first thing he said to me was, "Well hello there, little cutey. You sure are a sweet little Pokemon." I liked him even more. I even took it upon myself to stand on his shoulders, like Pikachu does with Ash. He didn't even flinch; in fact he positioned me to hang on better. This was great!
When I found out that Tracey was planning to come along on our journey with us, I was ecstatic. I had to let him know how much I wanted him for my trainer. So I told him, using my psychic powers. The look on his face when I started to talk was priceless. He seemed totally shocked.
"Y-You can talk?!" He gasped. I nodded and continued on. "How?!" I sighed and explained to him briefly of my psychic powers and other events that have happened to me. I ended the whole conversation up by asking him to be my trainer.
"But Charminder," he sighed. "You're Ash's Pokemon." I nodded but wouldn't give up. So I asked Ash if I could be Tracey's Pokemon. He hesitated.
"I don't know, Charminder," he drawled. "I like having you for my Pokemon."
"But Ash," I protested. "I'm worthless to you because I can't battle. My psychic powers aren't strong enough to win in battle yet and I have no fire left." He took that into consideration.
"Well," he paused. "All right." I leaped for joy. While hugging Tracey, I knew this would be just the start of something great.

And I was right. Tracey trained me! I finally was getting strong enough to battle. I felt my experience level rise and rise. I wondered what would happen if I evolved. I talked it over with Squirtle.
"You'd probably become a Charmeleon," he guessed. I sighed. That was the last thing I wanted.
"I want to evolve into a Squirtle!" I declared. He smiled and kissed me.
"So do I," he laughed softly. "But unless you can do something about it with your psychic powers, I doubt that's an option." He had a point; but the thought of forcing myself to evolve into a Squirtle didn't seem so far fetched. I kept it in my mind.

Then the day came. I was ready to evolve. It was late at night and Tracey had just let me have a practice battle, when I felt a surge of power.

"Like when we digivolve?" Tentomon asked.
"Yes," I replied. "Like that."

Tracey knew I was going to evolve at any moment so he called over Ash and Misty, who watched in awe.
Squirtle popped out of his Pokeball, despite the fact he knows better than to do that, and watched me also as my glowing intensified. I felt myself being rearranged.
"Now's the time," I thought. I forced my thoughts and mental powers the best I could into thinking I was going to evolve into a Squirtle. I had to! It would mean everything to me!
The moment soon passed as I took a new shape. Then my glowing stopped. I opened my eyes and looked into the face of three shocked humans and one two shocked Pokemon.
"W-what is it?" I asked. I could tell my voice was lower and deeper but I was too numbed from the experience to know what I was saying.
"She's..." Tracey trailed. "She's..."
"I'm what?" I asked. "Let me see!" I looked around then noticed something. I stared at my hand. It was blue... Then I looked at my body. I had a shell. Finally I whipped around and saw I had a curly blue tail. "I did it..." Tracey grabbed a mirror and let me look at myself. I looked like a perfectly normal Squirtle, only my eyes were still light blue, and my skin was still a lighter shade than normal.
I turned to Squirtle, who seemed so happy it was funny to watch.
"You're a Squirtle," he said slowly, holding my hands. I nodded. "You're a Squirtle. YES!!!!!!!" He danced around with me a moment, overwhelmed with joy. I was laughing like crazy, I was so happy.
"Well there you have it," Ash said. "Charminder evolved into Squirtel."
"Squirtel?" I asked. Then I heard it. I was saying Squirtel instead of Squirtle. I wasn't a completely normal Squirtle, but that was okay. I did wonder if I could now attack and if I still had my psychic powers.
I looked around and spotted a leaf. This would be good practice. Taking in a deep breath, I fired a water gun at the leaf. Yes! I could attack with an element again! Then I tried out my psychic powers. This wasn't hard. All I did was make another leaf disintegrate.
It must have been one of the greatest things to happen to me. I evolved and was now happy; something I hadn't been ever since Charmander had evolved. Now I had a new trainer, a new love, and a new form. It was like I had a fresh start in my life, and I was loving it!

"When do you get to the part about meeting me?" Tentomon asked anxiously.
"My my, Tentomon," I giggled. "You certainly are impatient."
"Well..." Tentomon blushed. "Maybe a bit."
"Sorry Tentomon, but I'm not there yet," I smiled. He nodded and sat back again; and waved his talon in the air to motion I go on.

As time went on, and I grew stronger and happier, I knew something bad was going to come up. I could feel it in my heart. I was right.
Tracey was leaving Ash and Misty to stay with Professor Oak. I was heartbroken. I ran into a room and sobbed until I couldn't cry anymore. Tracey came in and tried to comfort me. I must admit he did a good job. But I could still feel a burning sadness in my heart that was unshakable.

So I left Tracey to follow along with Squirtle... That's about when I came back to the digital world permanently to live here. I traveled between the worlds and when I had heard that Squirtle joined to Squirtle Squad, I was heartbroken again. He chose me over the squad, so I came here, and married you, Tentomon.

Tentomon wiped a tear from his eye.
"What a sad past," he whispered. I nodded solemnly. "I'm glad you told me though." I smiled. That was Tentomon for you, always making me feel good. I watched him stand up and start to fly away. He had to resume his chores for the day, as did I. So I stretched and continued to work.
"Oh Tentomon," I whispered to myself. "There are still some things you don't know... And you never will..."