This is a big chunk of a story I had an idea for and scrapped later. It's about a Zorua who wants to be a human and tries to deal with friendship, love, and her own identity. Sorry if the pieces don't make any sense; they are just scraps.

The purrloin blinked lazily, bored. Her friend was avidly watching a group of human children playing, pretending to be Pokemon Trainers or something. One was screeching with delight while putting a hand on her hip, pulling out an imaginary Poke ball and throwing it into the 'ring'.

"Go, Clefairy!" she shouted gleefully. The boy across from her scoffed.

"Clefairy's so girly and dumb," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "Everyone knows that Fighting types are best! Go, Mankey!" With that, he pretended to release his own Pokemon, resulting in a battle where the girls all sided with Clefairy and the boys cheered on the Mankey. The cat's friend was a statue, watching it all with intense cerulean eyes. The zorua was drinking in every movement, every spoken word, the emotions and facial expressions of each child as they interacted and played. It was almost pitiful how needy the expression on the dark fox's face was.

"Give it a rest, Keya. I'm tired of coming up here with you," the purrloin remarked sourly. She arched her neck to lick her shoulder. The zorua didn't answer, but she turned an ear slightly to acknowledge that she'd heard.

"Low kick would so knock your stupid Clefairy out!" the boy was shouting, approaching the girl. Her lip trembled as her eyes filled with tears.

"No! You can't knock out my Pokemon!" she pleaded. The others behind her had frowns on their faces to match hers. The boy snarled and shoved the girl, pushing her to the ground where she began to cry. The crowd of girls went to her side and shouted at the boys to go away. They eventually did, knowing they'd won the argument. Vivi watched this last interaction with disdain.

"Humans are disgusting. One moment they play with you and act as friends, the next, they betray you," she told Keya. Her tail flickered and her jade eyes narrowed. "You should know. You saw what happened to me." Keya turned to give Vivi a quiet look; her eyes were full of shame, but underneath that, Vivi saw a small spark of hope. The purrloin rolled her eyes and swatted at the dark fox's ear.

"C'mon, kiddo. I'm starved." The two of them quietly slipped through the shadows and into the alleys of Castelia City.
The pair of them had lived within the city for a few years now, two dark thieves in the night that teamed up to survive. The cat had been a house pet for a while in the city, but then her owners had moved away and abandoned her in the city to fend for herself. The purrloin had been soft, vulnerable to attack--and most definitely been victim to a few of them. The rattata gangs guarded their turf with vicious power. It was said that the rats sharpened their fangs and fought in blood wars for their resources and territory. Vivi had unwittingly intruded into one gang's turf and was greeted by a hulking raticate, who then ordered his flunkies to bloody her up and send her on her way. Broken, bleeding, she finally happened across shelter in an old cardboard box... where a friendly, lonely zorua found her and brought her food.

The older purrloin would be forever grateful to her friend. Keya had taught her all there was to know about surviving in a dirty, human-infested city that was unkind to the naive. The student soon surpassed the teacher, using her knowledge of manipulating her owners with her adorable features to get free food.

What troubled Vivi was that Keya seemed infinitely curious about the world around her, especially when it came to humans. The fox was quiet, but highly intelligent. She understood all of the human language and even sometimes practiced it when she thought that Vivi wasn't listening. Keya also had the unique ability to use illusions, meaning she could create a false image of anything she so wished. The quiet little fox sometimes used it to scare or trick Vivi when she was feeling a little adventurous some days.

"Where do you wanna go tonight?" Keya asked in her soft voice, head cocked. Vivi looked up in thought for a moment, tail curling, then smiled.

"I know just the place," she purred. The fox frowned, knowing exactly what the cat was thinking.

"But..."

"I know it's dangerous," Vivi snapped. "But they deserve it after what they've done to so many... and me." With that, she got to all fours, haunch held haughtily high.

Keya held a paw up hesitantly, wanting to stop her friend, but she thought better about it and followed her friend reluctantly.

----

"Ahhh, delicious," the feline purred, licking her muzzle delightedly. Bloodstains were evident on the light bits of her chest and shoulder fur, as well as across her whiskers and chin. The neat Pokemon immediately got to work on preening, cleaning the leftovers from herself.

Keya bent to help herself to another bite of the dead rattata they'd hunted; a hapless new member of one of the gangs in their city. Only the sounds of her chewing the flesh and Vivi bathing were audible in their little alleyway, where they lived on pidoves and rattatas as well as free Pokemon food from kindly humans. Another foreign noise from the end of the alleyway sounded, making both Dark Pokemon look up in alarm, freezing where they stood. A human boy had his back against the wall, panting in fear. Keya could see the panic in his eyes... but she was unsure what had the human so spooked.

"Keya, what are you doing? Let's go!" Vivi hissed. Pokemon never stuck around when danger was immenent--especially wild Pokemon. They did what was best for survival and remained skittish, skeptical. But Keya was no ordinary Pokemon.

"Hey, boy!" a rough voice shouted. Vivi's fur stood on end and she leapt away lightning-fast, climbing up a crumbling escape ladder with dextrous paws and curling her tail around herself defensively. Keya, however, remained hidden behind some rubbish close by, watching what transpired.

A huge man and two of his cronies rounded the corner and bore down upon the blond boy, who immediately tried to run. The huge man caught him by the back of his collar and slammed him back into the brick, eliciting a huff of air out of the blond's lungs.

"Give me what I want, boy," the man ordered menacingly. He had an intimidating look about him--bald head, huge eyebrows, a fierce snarl. The boy didn't stand a chance. With shaking hands, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded bit of leather. Keya tilted her head in confusion. Why did the men want that little thing so badly? What was so important about it?

The bald man opened the folded leather to pull out thin sheets of paper, each neat and crisp as they'd been stored in the leather so nicely.

"Ahh, that's what I like ta see," the man grinned, showing missing, gnarled teeth. The boy relaxed in the man's grasp, only to tense up a moment later when the bald man sunk a fist into his gut.

"Next time you'll give me what I want right away, won't ya?" The man growled. He gave his silent partner a look and they nodded. Together they bore down upon the boy again, this time with more harmful intent. The silent one punched the boy right in the face, making him crumple like twigs. The bald one kicked the boy in the ribs viciously, making the blond cry out in pain--

A flash made them stop, and suddenly a huge monster was standing over the boy, snarling--

The two men flinched back, howling in terror at the savage beast that was roaring with anger. Back up on the escape ladder, the purrloin's green eyes widened with fear for both the situation and for her friend, who was currently putting herself at great risk, standing in front of a human boy and protecting him with only a false illusion. But it seemed to work--the men ran like zubats out of Hell. The fox let the illusion fade, panting. She turned to see that the boy lie still and quiet. She panicked for a moment, then relaxed when she saw his chest rise and fall. He was alive, at least.

"Keya!" Vivi hissed, a hint of panic in her voice. "What in Arceus's name were you thinking?! You could have been killed by those... those humans!" The zorua did nothing but glance her way once, her eyes riveted to the still form of the boy she'd just saved. "Are you listening?! Let's get out of here, we shouldn't be here, they'll come back!"
The purrloin had to literally bite her friend to get her to snap to, and with a growl the two of them ran off into the trees of Central Plaza.

---------------

It was difficult to find a place to sleep in the Plaza; the two Pokemon were used to sleeping on hard surfaces like buildings, railings, and streets. They often used plastic bags and rubbish as well as old cardboard and discarded mattress stuffing to make it more comfortable. Sleeping in a tree left them vulnerable to being spotted.

"You damned fool! If you had been seen for what you really are, you'd be dead!" the purrloin was growling, her claws sticking into the bark of the tree easily with each punctuated word. Keya was cringing with each of the cat's remarks, her ears folded to her head. Vivi sighed sharply through her nose.

"Look. I don't want anything to happen to you, kid. What you did... that was stupid. Don't put your tail on the line for one of those horrible humans again, you hear?" The cat's ears were now folded back like the fox's, her eyes full of concern hidden behind a harsh glint.

"I... Okay," the zorua agreed reluctantly. She shuffled her paws a bit, put down by the cat's scolding. Vivi rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Let's just get some sleep. Hope you find a comfy branch tonight," Vivi finished, clambering further into the crook of a branch and curling up in it. She used her tail as a cover, curling it around her body much like she had back in the alley. The tip barely covered her nose. Keya followed suit, navigating the branches with a little more difficulty than her feline partner. With a troubled sigh, the dark fox closed her eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

-----

“Hey, kid, I brought us some—“ the zorua gasped

-----

This was it… she was going to tell him. Keya took a deep breath and closed her eyes—her illusion automatically put a hand to its chest. The gestures were coming more easily to her, having felt human emotions and grasped their meaning and depth. She remembered Vivi’s warning about getting too sunk in, too involved—but it was too late now. She and Jay had a real connection, a real human connection as equals. He accepted her personality for what it was, awkward behavior and all. Her heart hiccuped when she heard the familiar cadence of Jay’s footsteps approaching behind her. Her legs were dangling over the edge of the cuttoff hill and under the fence’s horizontal line. It was a silly thing she’d seen children doing and thought it was a natural behavior.

The blonde smiled as he approached, waving a hand vaguely as he climbed up the asphalt and onto the softer grass’s edge. He took a moment to sit next to her and adjust his legs under the fence. He looked… happy. Keya’s heart swelled when she realized that it was because of her.

“Hey, Keya,” he greeted softly, the familiar smile playing at his lips. He carefully avoided touching her but came as close as possible without doing so… the zorua could feel his warmth emanating next to her true body. Keya smiled slightly and analyzed the human boy with sidelong glances, wondering what it was about him that had captivated her. As a Pokemon, she didn’t really find him attractive in the traditional sense… his hairless skin and odd shape repelled any physical attraction to him. But his kindly smile and accepting behavior kept her intrigued. Her heart was arguing with itself about whether or not it was in a romantic or platonic sense. In any case, she aimed to tell him at least part of her confused feelings… and perhaps reveal her true identity. She owed that much to him.

She bit her lip and allowed some of her multicolored hair to fall forward to hide her face. Sudden, unbidden emotions were making her stomach writhe uncomfortably. It was all so new, so foreign. She vaguely wondered if all humans felt this much pain and pleasure at the exact same moment, from the exact same source.

“Jayden, I need tell you…a thing,” she began. Jay didn’t notice her nervousness, but smiled understandingly at her broken English.

“You mean, you need to tell me ‘something’,” he corrected gently. His kind eyes caught Keya off-guard. Her heart felt like a fist of ice was enclosing it…

“I…I…” She kept trying to begin, but her voice died along with her ability to breathe normally. Jay’s expression was puzzled. Keya swallowed.

Tell him.

“Jay, I show you,” Keya said, more determined this time. The blonde boy cocked his head slightly, but his smile didn’t falter. More than likely, he wasn’t thinking anything close to what she was to show him… Taking a deep breath, the little zorua let go of her concentration and allowed the illusion to shimmer and fade, revealing her true form. She kept her eyes closed, holding her breath and waiting for his reaction. Not hearing any movement or any words from him, she dared peek one eye open after several excruciating moments. The shine in Jay’s eyes startled her.

His breath was coming a little faster and the expression on his face… Keya wouldn’t soon forget it. That kind smile, the gentle look he always had just for her… it was gone. His eyes were wide, glimmering, jaw dropped. His shoulders were tensed, body arched as if he was protecting his rib cage, curling into himself. It was an expression of extreme pain.

“K…Keya?” he asked, voice higher pitched. It broke on the last syllable of her name. The zorua’s own eyes began to fill with tears as she opened her muzzle to explain, reaching a paw forward hesitantly.

“J-Jay, I… I am not human,” she began, ears totally flat to her head. Jay’s hunched figure suddenly became mobile with angry energy and he jerked to his feet. He put his back to her, a hand at his face and his other elbow supporting it. He was still hunched, back rounded. He stood still again, however, waiting for whatever else Keya had to say.

“I…I thought… I want human things, I try being one…” Keya continued, voice trembling. Soon she’d poured her heart out to him, all her dreams, her wishes, everything she yearned to be. She told him about Vivi, about her life as a little dark fox on the streets, hunting for her own food. She told him how hard it was to be a Pokemon, how no human treated her as they treated one another. Jay interrupted her at this point, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“Yeah, that’s just it. Humans can treat each other horribly. We betray and hurt each other. We’re worse than Pokemon. One minute, we give each other hope, love…” he turned around, his cheeks stained with fresh tears. “…the next, they tear it away from you. They rip your heart out when you find out that they’d been lying to you the entire time.” He finished his speech, walking closer to the little fox who trembled upon the ground—both in fear of the larger human’s size and in terror of his words. Jay shook his head and put his hands on his hips, facing the ground. He looked up again, staring her right in the eyes.

“Congratulations, Keya, you’ve learned to be human. Just like the rest of us.”

Keya held up a paw as if to deflect the words he so venomously threw at her. Her heart was fluttering like a butterfree trying to escape from her ribcage. She worked her jaw a few times, trying to get words out but failing.
“P-please, Jay, you no understand—“ Keya stammered, cerulean eyes pleading as they looked up into Jay’s now cold gaze. He held his hands up and scoffed loudly, expression incredulous.

“I don’t understand?!” he shouted, jabbing himself in the chest with a finger. “No, YOU don’t understand! I thought you were the girl of my dreams! I thought we had a connection, only to find out you lied to me! I never would have talked to you if I had known you were a… a…” he waved his hand vaguel. “A whatever the hell you are. A Pokemon. Inhuman. A common beast!”

The words stabbed the zorua somewhere deep, and she flinched with each insult he flung like so many daggers. But something rose up in her, anger bubbled to the surface. It was unfair, what he was saying!
“You no listen if I Pokemon! I no lie to hurt, I want be with you, to be human!” she cried, coming to all fours. Tears were now streaming down her face, wetting her fur in streaks. “Jay, I… I