Hello there! I've been wanting to do something a little new, and I've had this short story half-completed for a few months now as I struggled with life and how I wanted this story to go. But I got around to finishing it and working on a few other stories I had started working on, including Illusion Ch 6! I've always thought about the 'now what' scenarios with TF, and I think I managed to scratch this itch a little bit. Hopefully, you enjoy it and help me reach 400 watchers cause I'm super close! I'll probably do like a story giveaway or something once I reach it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

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Many people saw Fridays as the last hurdle before the weekend, where if you were lucky, you could start the wonderful short break before heading back into the metaphorical meat grinder. Once that clock reached 5 or 6 pm, you were free from the shackles that pay you. But for Ampharos, he hated Fridays. It would be another stressful day at work after another night of restless sleep. Another day of dealing with his strict boss and horrible clients. Another day dealing with the stares.

Ampharous grumbled as he swung his shorter yellow legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself up. Looking into the small vertical mirror attached to his closet, he still wasn’t used to staring back at a Pokemon’s body instead of a human's. His arms and legs had shrunk significantly, and his body was more stout, with a long neck holding up his head. The small red bulb on the top of his head fizzled and lit up with electricity, causing him to sigh. Six months ago, he ran into an encounter with a shady merchant, and after buying an item, the former human turned into an Ampharous. At first, he was delighted. He could have all the fun of being a Pokemon with the intelligence of a human, it would be great! Except he needed to pay for rent…and food…and more. Soon, reality came crashing down, and he was forced to return to work.

Looking at his old closet, his mood for the day was already beginning to drop. As a Pokemon, he didn’t need to wear clothes now, but he felt weird without them. However, all of the clothes he had didn’t fit his new body. So, they sat there, collecting dust as they hung. “I need to find a day when I can donate these, I guess….” It was an obvious thing, but it just felt wrong to him. That was his stuff, he still wanted to wear it, but…

The Ampharous groaned as he tore his gaze from the closet, his ears twitching as he could feel some sparks arch from his tail. He did not need to start the day off in an already lousy mood or short out the apartment again. Frowning, he reached out and grabbed his satchel filled with drawings, his red scarf, and his flat cap, the accessories that were now his new work outfit. At least his boss didn’t force him to wear a tie anymore.

He quickly made breakfast as he slowly woke up, making sure to stretch as it cooked. His small apartment had collected an odd assortment of items and tools to help him complete daily tasks like stools and handles. Soon his breakfast was ready, and he quickly scarfed it down before he made his way to the door. Looking up at the door, the Ampharous sighed as he turned around and pushed down on the handle with his tail.

The metro was luckily not too far away from his house, but every day he went out, there would be someone who looked at him. Sure, some of his coworkers and people who lived close by got used to seeing him, but there would always be someone new, someone whispering, or someone trying to keep their distance like he was a wild animal. He hated that his big ears could pick up their whispers and mutters when they thought he couldn’t hear them. He hated that his tail would flicker and light up with a faint buzz, seemingly proving themselves right in their minds.

The train was packed like any other day, and he found a spot to hold onto and wait as the train went on its way. The ride was only 15 minutes long or so, but Micheal hated that he couldn’t wear his old headphones to at least be distracted and have a happy mood before work. For some reason, people never thought about Pokemon having headphones, so there weren't any designed for them. So there he sat, bored. The sounds of the train and people milling around were his only company as the train eventually reached his stop. He moved his way through the small crowd of people, making sure his tail didn’t smack anyone or get caught as he left the door of the train and made his way over to the office.

The office wasn’t anything impressive, blending in nicely with the rest of the buildings. Micheal gave a small wave to the front desk receptionist. Making his way behind the desk, he climbed on top of a stool and punched his card into the reader, clocking him into work. Putting the card back into his designated slot, the Ampharous made his way to the elevator and up a few stories until he reached his work, Knightly Design and Advertising Company. Stepping in, there were already people working and focused on different projects, only giving a few short greetings or waves. With a bit of hesitancy, the Ampharous made his way over to his desk and put his bag onto the desk, quickly getting to work.

Some of the more challenging and pertinent things needed in order for him to do his job had already been addressed. Rubber bands to help hold his pen, a small grounding rod in case of any static build-up, and other minor changes had been put in a while back, yet there were things that still couldn’t be changed. He couldn’t stop the occasional stare from the curious coworker, the hushed explanations to newer staff that didn’t know the whole story, and the awkward conversations during breaks. It sucked. At least none of the workers bullied him because of his form, maybe they were smart enough not to piss off the person who could shoot lightning bolts at them.

Sighing, the Ampahrous picked up a pair of headphones and placed them onto his head, messing around with them until they actually fit his rather nonhuman ears. Hours passed by without too much trouble, but eventually, as the day was starting to wrap up, his progress was starting to hit a road bump…coworkers.

Plans of after-work drinks or meals slowly permeated around the office, causing the Ampahrous to slowly sink into his chair. He would have joined in on some of those plans when he was human, but now, his joining in would just cause a rather big inconvenience for everyone involved. Restaurants did not want to serve him until he somehow proved he was actually a human, trying to get to seats that didn’t require another person to help him up. The emotions and stress had built up so much that he really didn’t even bother to try anymore. How many more times would he sit through being handed a bowl of Pokemon food instead of an actual meal? To many, he was exactly what he wanted to be, a Pokemon.

Once the clock struck 5 pm, most of the people began to file out for the weekend as their voices drifted off into the wind, leaving only the stragglers and those wanting to finish their projects. The former human didn’t mind all too much as he continued to design and sketch away. Eventually, by the time the Ampahrous pulled himself away from his desk, the sun was already beginning to set. After bending his head down to remove his headphones and removing the stylus rubber banded to his hand, Ampharous slowly stretched his arms as he made his way out of his chair and over to the break room. The break room was nothing special, but it did have something the Pokemon was looking for, the vending machine.

He used to hate that his favorite drink was the lowest button on the vending machine, but now he was just happy he could still reach it without having to pull up a chair. The Ampharous still had to get onto his tippy toes to place his card against the reader, but eventually, he was able to reward himself with a delicious cola. While the breakroom was already empty and would have probably stayed that way, he slowly made his way to his favorite spot to take his break. After some flights of stairs, he eventually reached his destination, the roof.

Opening the door, a refreshingly cool breeze greeted him as he held onto his flat cap and walked onto the gravel roof. The only people who would occasionally come to the roof beside him were his coworkers sneaking out for a smoke break. The silent agreement of keeping quiet if you saw anyone on the roof in order not to ruin it for everyone was formed long before the Amhparous had ever joined the company. Still, he never came up to smoke, instead opting for the pretty views and seclusion the remote spot offered. Looking around, the slight smile he had on his face disappeared as he realized he wasn’t alone.

“Of course,” The Ampahrous quietly muttered as he looked towards the door. He could either go back downstairs or stay up here and hope that the other person decided to leave before him. Biting his lip, the electric Pokemon huffed before making his way to the opposite side of the roof, away from the other person. Taking a moment to scan them over, the person looked like one of the newer interns that swapped out every few months. His darker tan skin stood out against his light blue button-up shirt and dress pants. His moppy blond hair fluttered against the occasional breeze as he looked out over the city. He seemingly hadn’t noticed him yet as he stared out and into the city.

The Ampharous turned away from the intern and took up his own little spot, sitting up on a metal box, and opened up his soda. The sweet hiss of the cola helped calm him down slightly as he closed his eyes. There were so many things he still had to do, both in just daily life and with updating things. There was always some work to do or items to get to prove himself or just to do simple things.

The crunching of gravel coming closer to him caused him to groan internally. That sense of dread slowly rose as he heard a voice call out. “Hey, you’re one of the designers that’s been here for a while, yea?” The Ampharous turned to see that the intern had walked over towards him, probably hoping to strike up a conversation, much to his displeasure. He nodded to his question, which the intern took as a sign to continue. “My name is Lucas, and I got hired back a few weeks ago. I was wondering if I could get some advice on some stuff?”

“If it’s equipment stuff, it’s better just to figure it out based on your own personal preferences.” The Ampharous said as they turned away and took another drink of their soda.

“No, it’s not really equipment stuff,” Lucas said as they laughed nervously, “I was, uh, having some issues with making friends and connections. I kinda, uh, don’t have a whole lot of experience with that and all, so I was wondering if you had any tips or things to avoid.”

The Ampharous huffed as his tail swung behind him absentmindedly, “Well, for starters, you should avoid becoming a Pokemon like me.”

“I, uh, wasn’t planning on it, but why’s that?” Lucas said with confusion as he looked toward the light Pokemon. The Ampharous didn’t respond immediately as he looked out towards the city, taking a deep breath.

“They…Don’t see you as human, y’know? Every day there is someone new staring, someone new treating you differently. People used to throw Poke balls at me sometimes out on the edge of town, thinking I was a wild Pokemon. They stopped once I made sure my outfit was actually very visible. It’s a hassle trying to go anywhere unprepared and many people don’t usually like the extra attention a walking talking Ampharous brings.”

The wind blew lightly around the two as he continued, “I have the body of a Pokemon but the…the burden of still being human. I still have to make money to pay for my food and rent. I have no clue how to battle Pokemon trainers, let alone if I would be eligible to be one! I have to wear clothes, constantly explain my situation, and repeat it over and over again. A lot of people don’t have the energy to deal with it, let alone hang out with someone who has to deal with it.”

Lucas frowned slightly as he looked at the Ampharos, silently thinking for a few moments, “It’s been weighing on you a lot, hasn’t it?”

The Ampharous groaned as he looked up to the sky, making the noise sound a bit more guttural. “I’ve been dealing with this for six months, Lucas. Nonstop, every day and no matter where I go. I’ve been stuck here, and I’m tired. I’m just so tired.”

The light Pokemon stiffened as a hand touched him, looking over to see Lucas touching his shoulder. The feeling of being touched jolted through his system as his mind froze. When was the last time he had actually had physical contact with someone? He had always been worried about the electric shocks or the awkwardness. Hell, when was the last time he was actually able to vent these emotions?

“Hey, it’ll be ok! It’s been good before, and things will get better again. Sometimes, you might just need someone to vent and bounce off against, y’know?” Lucas said as he rubbed the Pokemon’s shoulder. Ampharous looked down at his hands, gripping against his soda can. His distorted face looked rough, having bags under his eyes and a tired expression. When had he looked this depressed, this sad? “Come on, let’s call it a night and get some food. We’ve been working a lot today and deserve a good treat! I know an excellent revolving sushi joint that’s pretty good. Come on, it’ll be my treat!:

Ampharous looked up to Lucas, who had a warm smile on his face and couldn’t help but let out a small grin himself. Looking back to the sun that was now barely peeking above the horizon, the Ampharous let loose a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, and when he breathed back in, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “That sounds nice…I haven’t gone out to eat in a while.”

The Ampharous scooted off the edge of his seat and landed on the roof, his tail emitting a soft glowing red light. Lucas saw that the Pokemon held themselves up a little higher as they made their way to the exit. “Trust me, and it’s one of my favorite places- ah, apologies, I don’t think I ever got your name, what was it?”

The Ampahrous turned to his new friend and smiled, “It’s Michael.”

“Well then, Michael,” Lucas said, “I hope you’re ready for the best futomaki and beef bowls you’ve ever had in your life!

Michael straightened his hat and laughed as he and Lucas made their way downstairs and out of the office today. They ended up getting a nice full meal over the course of the night and talked for hours about previous jobs and experiences with clients. By the time the Ampharous got home, he could help but happily sigh as he collapsed into bed.

It was the first time in six months that Michael had a good night's sleep.