Some of my best childhood memories are of playing Pokémon with my friends. Even when I was struggling to defeat the elite four in crystal, or making a tcg deck with every type in it, Pokémon was still the best thing ever. While my friends followed Ash's journy on the tv series, I had something different in mind: I wanted to be the Pokémon. Now, I get that chance.

The suit is beginning to animate, reacting to my presence within. The heft of the thick rubber is disappearing as it begins to support itself. Its eyes are open now, though only weakly. It gives me a grin, as happy to to worn as I am to wear it. I hug the mask of the suit tight, as within I am squeezed by the inflating latex taking it's full shape. Eventually, not even a wrinkle remains and I am left cradled in the suit. The seam I had used to enter had long since closed up. The only thing left to do now was to don the mask.

When I opened my eyes again, my reflection was that of a Typhlosion, my first starter Pokémon, albeit a different kind of shiny one. I opened my mouth, and the Typhlosion opened his mouth. I stuck out my tongue, he stuck out his tongue. I bared my teeth in a snarl, and it too showed its teeth, though a stupid grin kept it from looking anything close to fearsome. A warm, bubbly feeling welled up within me, I made my way to my cellphone. I had to step carefully, as the legs of the suit didn't match up well with my human legs. The end result was a silly waddle with the suit squeaking against itself with every step.

Unlocking my phone, I read the most recent message from an old friend I had just recently got back in contact with. He was just as into Pokémon as I was back in the day, and with battles and even a league starting up around these costumes, he had contacted me looking for a starter Pokémon. His message was short, the first step of what would be our training regimen.

"Step 1-" It read. "Do not take your suit off. Ever. You are a Typhlosion now =)"

That warm feeling surged within me again as I reread the message. Fire, real fire, roared from my shoulders leaving my glad I was in a room designed with fire-types in mind. Cutting back the blaze, I flopped down on my bed. I could feel the fabric on my skin as if there was wasn't anything between me an it. It was just like they said, that after awhile you're no longer a person in a suit.

"Typhlosion~" The word was basically purred, yet I couldn't be sure if I had said it, or if the suit had. Either way, it summed everything up perfectly: I was a Typhlosion now.