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This is my first fanfiction published online. I typically write them down, but I'm running out of notebooks. The first few chapters have already been typed and I hope to upload them soon, but after that there might be some delays on further chapters.

The prologue's kinda long, so I broke it up into two parts.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

Prologue, part 1

The wind rustled through the branches of the tree I perched in, the branch I stood on swaying gently. I felt the breeze ruffle my silver fur, and the sun was warm on my back. I could see far in any direction I looked in, and though my friends weren't visible, I knew they were out there searching, too.

Can you hear me? I called, reaching out with my mind. Have you found any signs of them yet?

No. The first reply, always Emma, echoed in my head. I could imagine her in the forest, using her flame to illuminate anything that might be a clue. Further away, Jake and David responded as they searched the river, again with negative results. Tilting my head back and closing my eyes, I reached out to touch a mind high above me.

I can't see anything up here either. That was Michael, and I began to feel like we may need to look elsewhere. Our quarry's trail had passed this way, but now we were faced with dead ends. But there was still one hope, and I reached out again.

Cameron… have you had any luck? Cameron should have been able to pick up on any traces of aura left behind, but…..

Nothing. The trail here is cold. I'm sorry, Kitt…..I've failed.

Nonsense. You're being hard on yourself again. Our enemy has gotten smarter. We'll find another way to track them down.

I sighed. So another false lead, and Cameron was beating himself up again because of it. I felt bad for him, but really, this wasn't his fault. If there was anyone who deserved the blame….

A whimper distracted me from my thoughts. Down below, nestled in a blanket in the shade, was curled a tiny Shinx. He whimpered again, and his voice echoed softly in my head.

Hungry….Mama…..Where are you…

Poor thing. His mother had been taken, stolen from her trainer before he had hatched. My friends and I were doing our best to care for him, but it wasn't easy. Not only had the little Pokémon had his mother stolen, but she had been caring for his egg when the intruders had burst into the room at Oak's lab where she had slipped away to spend time with him as his egg was incubated. She had defended him from the Pokémon Hunter who had tried to steal him, and had been captured along with almost all of her trainer's Pokémon while her trainer was helpless. The little Shinx, who already been having a tough time , had been so traumatized that it was a miracle he had hatched at all. Still, his health was frail at best, so we had to keep an eye on him. He was so timid, though, that it was easy, because he would freak out if left alone.

Hungry…..

The call repeated, so I sent out one last telepathic message: We need to have a meeting. Come back.

Then, after making sure that there weren't any humans around, I leapt from the branch, focused-

And Shifted.

A soft glow surrounded me, and I felt my body painlessly change form. I landed in a crouch, then rose and made my way over to a pile of backpacks, shoes, and supplies. I pulled out a bottle and a packet of the formula David had mixed the night before, and added some water from the nearby stream. As I shook the bottle to mix the concoction, I walked over to the bundle on the ground and sat down, placing it on my lap. Anakin poked his head out from under a fold of the blanket, and after a moment's hesitation, latched onto the bottle. He was pretty cute like that, wrapping his tiny paws around it to keep it still. He was so small for his age and species, though…. And he wasn't growing as fast as a Shinx should at three weeks of age. I felt a surge of anger that someone would take the mother of such a tiny Pokémon, and guilty, too, because I had been unable to prevent it.

Behind me, I heard a Pokémon pull itself from the stream, and I turned to see a hybrid creature, his features a cross between Jolteon and Vaporeon, shaking himself dry. Then, his outline brightened and grew, and a boy my own age was standing where the hybrid had been.

There's one thing I forgot to mention about my friends and I: We aren't your average Trainers. We're Shifters.