Gavin came home from work one day, hoping to find something worth doing for the weekend. His house was all his after his parents moved out years ago, and it came with a private pool in the backyard, often where Gavin spent his time swimming or relaxing on pool floats.
 Even so, as lucky a life as this might be, at times Gaven felt lonely living all by himself. He never felt comfortable getting a roomate, and sometimes he'd imagine himself as a child, still cared for by his mother. 
 But Gavin still had his share of secret wishes as well. His greatest was an interest in Pokémon, and Gavin was no stranger to trading cards and anime, cheesy as it got at times.
 With nothing much to do for the evening, Gavin idly browsed his streaming app for another episode to watch, landing on the episode, “A Crasher Course in Power!”. Gavin snickered as Crasher Wake's Floatzel puffed his life vest and blocked a water blast from Buizel like it was nothing. 
 As Floatzel chased Buizel underwater, Gavin thought, “Man, look at him go. Wish I could ride on a Pokémon like that.”
 Then suddenly, Gavin hatched an idea as he looked out the back windows to the pool. Pulling out his phone, he instantly searched for Pokémon pool toys.
 Most of his results were generic matches that hardly resembled Pokémon at all. But about a dozen entries later, he found an obscure site selling custom Pokémon floats. Gavin nearly drooled at what they sold, from rideable Sceptiles to Pikachu swim rings, but he froze when he saw what came next.
 Someone had designed a yellow, full-body ride-on mattress shaped like a Floatzel, designed to float on its stomach so the rider could lay on its back. And all for the price of 40 dollars.
 Too excited to think about his balance or bills, Gavin hit the pay button instantly, surprised to find that the pool float would arrive within five days from now.
 Not questioning anything, Gavin returned to his anime, wondering if his wish really had come true.

-----

 Next week, as promised, a heavy package came to Gavin’s porch without even a signature. Brimming with excitement, Gavin changed into his swim trunks and hauled it out to the backyard, where he eagerly cut the packing tape with a kitchen knife.
 Gavin gasped when he saw its contents. Right before him, gleaming in the sunlight was a yellow mass of vinyl, waiting to be inflated. A heavy scent of PVC washed over Gavin as he pulled it free from the box, but he didn’t mind it at all, thinking back to Crasher Wake’s Floatzel and how puffy his life vest could get.
 The thought reminded Gavin of something he’d forgotten, and he searched the big rubber mass until he located a sealed valve in one corner. 
 “Just what I need,” he thought, bracing himself.
 Gavin then held the valve to his lips and blew, inflating the rubber Floatzel bit by bit. With every huff and puff, the pool mattress grew until it reached six feet long to accommodate even his adult size. The life vest surrounded the mattress like giant pontoons, fitting the Pokémon to a T. He nearly forgot to keep inflating when he saw the Floatzel’s head, with painted-on eyes that looked almost lifelike.
 When he finished, capping the valve with his left hand, Gavin smiled, witnessing a full-size inflatable Floatzel before him. And he couldn’t wait to be its passenger.

-----

 With as much care as he could, Gavin lifted the puffy Pokémon into his swimming pool and climbed on board, leaning back against its inflated neck.
 Instinctively, he rubbed it and said, “You’re so adorable! If I was a Pokémon trainer, I’d take good care of you!”
 “Aww,” said a motherly voice, “How nice of you!”
 Suddenly, Gavin bolted upright and yelped, “Who said that?”
 And the huge pooltoy’s head turned to look at him, its eyes clearly blinking.
 “I did,” she said, “I’m Pearl, your Floatzel floatie! What’s your name?”
 “G-Gavin,” he stammered, “
 Before Gavin could answer, Pearl added, “Here, let me give you a better ride!”
 And instantly, the living pool float extended her arms, reached back and lifted Gavin in her puffy paws. Then she kicked off the side of the pool, flipped over, and placed Gavin on her shiny yellow belly, giving him a perfect view of her vest and head.
 “Holy…this is…” stammered Gavin, unable to reply.
 But Pearl held one paw to his lips and said, “Shhhh, Gavin. Don’t you worry about a thing! Just relax, and float with me!”
 Gavin could only comply as he nestled himself on her belly.
 While the pool’s current nudged them from side to side, Gavin blushed slightly as he reached out, gripped part of the life vest and squeezed it.
 Pearl felt it too and giggled, “Hehehe, that tickles!”
 “Sorry!" Gavin said, letting go, “I just…wanted to know what it felt like!”
 But Pearl’s smile increased into a grin, and she asked, “Well then, would you like to know...more?"
 “More?” Gavin asked, “What do you mean?” 
 “Just lay here, and I’ll show you,” she said, patting her belly.
 Confused but not questioning it, Gavin turned and lay on his back, staring face to face with the huge pooltoy.
 “Have an Inflat-a-Hug!” she said.
 Suddenly, the life vest inflated, hissing with air of its own. Gavin wanted to run, but he couldn’t help but feel…safe as the giant vest enveloped him.
 Pearl snickered as she watched this happen. As she hugged Gavin, she could sense his interest in Pokémon like her. But she had a better idea than just training or battles.
 Just as it sealed him in, she crooned “Don’t worry, little one! Mama Pearl will keep you safe!”
 “Mama?” Gavin thought.
 But the yellow vest hugged him now from all sides, though not tight enough to choke him. In fact, it felt like being tucked into a floating bed made of balloons. Gavin just smiled as he relaxed, unaware of what Pearl was up to next.
 She reached out and rubbed her inflated vest, squeezing and caressing the human inside. 
 “There now,” she said, “You’re gonna be so cute and squeaky!”
 Inside, the yellow vinyl rippled against Gavin like a waterbed, and with each sensation, his skin and clothes faded to orange and yellow rubber, while his insides faded from flesh to magic air, inflating him with every ripple. He wanted to look, but the changes were so relaxing that he couldn’t help but fall asleep.
 “Squeaky dreams, Gavin,” Pearl said, thrusting herself towards the pool’s edge.
 Gently, Pearl reached out and pulled herself out of the pool, shaking off loose water as she went. 
 She looked up at the house, examining its urban exterior, “Such a dismal place, so drab, so dry.” 
 Pearl looked between the house and the pool, trying to decide what to do. Then, knowing what type of Pokémon she was, she had it.
 “Of course,” thought Pearl, “This place needs a makeover!”
 Pearl crouched and sucked a gallon’s worth of pool water into her hollow body, purifying and imbuing it with her rubbery magic. Then, with a devious smirk, she performed a Hydro Pump, spraying the house like a power washer. Where the water touched, the house’s brick and wood gave way to shiny orange rubber, glass windows giving way for shiny see-through plastic. As an extra touch, she turned around and plastered the backyard as well, turning the grass and concrete to bouncy orange tiles, while the wooden fence bloated into the walls of a bounce house. Even the pool itself changed, with the diving board merging with a giant smiling floatzel head, the edges ringed by a new life vest. 
 Pearl smiled as she watched waves flow across her new wavepool, then she turned crawled through the back door, her bloated body warping its rubber surface on the way in. Once there, she surveyed the interior as well. Yes, the walls were just as shiny on the inside, but the inner pieces were still untouched.
 “No, no,” she thought. “This will not do!”
 And again she reared back and sprayed the area with water. This time,  Gavin’s furniture and fixtures not only turned shades of yellow, orange and cream, but each one inflated into balloony counterparts of the originals. Pearl smiled as she watched an expensive couch become a bouncy inflatable couch, with an audible “FWOOMP!” The kitchen and studio now looked like something out of a kids’ playset, with the electric burners and dials reduced to decals and puffy knobs. Yet Gavin’s computer still ran, the desktop visible through a shiny rubber window.
 To finish off her work, Pearl found the stairs and climbed to the second floor.
 Patting her vest, she crooned, “Don’t worry, little one. Your new home is coming.”
 Then, in the upstairs hallway, Pearl eyed the two bedrooms and bathroom, knowing what to finish with. With all her strength, she sprayed the last of her collected water into them, rubberizing each room in her image. 
 She started with the stairs themselves, shaping a stiff wooden climb into a fun green half-pipe water slide, with a small ladder nearby. Whenever they came down, she knew, it would always be a fun ride.
 Gavin’s room transformed into a bouncy bedroom, his bed inflatified into a Buizel-themed waterbed, with the oversized life vest as his pillow and stretchy orange balloon covers. The clothes in his inflatable dresser become rubber swim trunks and shirts, and the books on his shelf turned readable balloon books. 
 The bathroom came next, with every fixture turned orange and inflatable, yet still working. She took extra care with the bathtub, shaping it into a buizel-themed wavepool like outside, complete with a pokeball and squirtle toy.
 Last and best, Pearl sprayed the old master bedroom and turned the huge master bed into her own bouncy floatzel bed, adding squeaky rubber dresses to the empty closet.
 Then at last, returning to Gavin’s room, she softly said, “Wake up, Gavin. Time to see your new home!”
 And as the life vest deflated, out popped a shiny inflatable buizel, dizzy from being asleep so long.
 “Whoa,” he said, “This is...bouncy! I love it!”
 “I knew you’d like it!” she said, “Now Mama Pearl can raise you to be the squeakiest Buizel ever!”
 But suddenly she noticed that night had already fallen outside the window.
 “Oh dear,” she muttered, “I must have taken longer than I thought.”
 So, she hugged him close and kissed him on the cheek, then said, “Why don’t you enjoy your new bed? Tomorrow we can train each other!”
 “That sounds fun! I can hardly wait!” Gavin said
 So Pearl tucked her new child into bed and pulled up the covers with an audible “SQUEAK!”
 And Gavin laid back against the giant swim ring, loving the feeling of being surrounded by rubber. As he turned, squeaking against the sheets and mattress, Gavin didn’t even notice his own swim ring gradually inflating.