Plasma's Folly

"Fueled by vengeance, a smitten biologist inadvertently unleashes a terror upon the Unova region. Team Plasma's goals are thrown aside upon the emergence of this new threat, with the exception of one project: the development of GMP156, an experimental Pokémon intended to be the strongest in the world. A young man's ambitions outweigh the problem at hand, and he may just find himself using it to his advantage."


Art © Ken Sugimori

. . .

Yikes, I haven't been on here in ages. It will take a while for me to adjust to this atmosphere; I've been spending my time on a very juvenile and poorly run message board. Anyway, I would like to share a fanfiction I've been grappling with for a little over a year. I suppose you could say it's a spin on the plot of Pokémon White Version with a few elements from its sequel thrown in as well—it's probably not a very original story, but I enjoy writing it. The basic concept, several bits of the storyline, and a few of the characters were inspired by a role play I had with my friends when I was thirteen. As of now, there are thirty-two chapters. My updates are generally slow, especially now that school has started up again. I've also been working on rewriting some of the earlier chapters (I'm up to Analysis), as I've found that they're terribly clunky and they don't flow very well. The premise is cliché and the first few chapters are... ah, very generic and perhaps a bit dull, but the story picks up later. This fanfiction involves both original and canon characters, the latter only being there for the purpose of the plot (no shipping or stuff like that). As a warning, there will be several deaths with varying degrees of violence.

The first post will act as an index, and it will also include trivia and frequently asked questions. Chapter one, and all following chapters, will be posted separately.

Character profiles can be found here.

I would greatly appreciate it if reviews were posted here.

. . .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE - HYBRID

Chapter One - Metamorphosis
Chapter Two - Assembly
Chapter Three - Another Journey Begins
Chapter Four - Tribulations
Chapter Five - An Enigmatic Creature
Chapter Six - Analysis
Chapter Seven - Beyond the Legend
Chapter Eight - Alpha and Omega
Chapter Nine - Hypotheses
Chapter Ten - Paralysis
Chapter Eleven - Human
Chapter Twelve - Reversal
Chapter Thirteen - Altered Destination
Chapter Fourteen - Merciless Fate
Chapter Fifteen - Secrets and Sorrows
Chapter Sixteen - Encounter

PART TWO - MODIFIED

Chapter Seventeen - Controversy
Chapter Eighteen - Imprisonment
Chapter Nineteen - Broken
Chapter Twenty - Moving Forward
Chapter Twenty-one - Salvation
Chapter Twenty-two - Shapeshifter
Chapter Twenty-three - Confessions
Chapter Twenty-four - Chrysalis
Chapter Twenty-five - Betrayal
Chapter Twenty-six - Lost and Found
Chapter Twenty-seven - Verdict
Chapter Twenty-eight - Night Terror
Chapter Twenty-nine - Sanctuary
Chapter Thirty - Retribution
Chapter Thirty-one - Reflections
Chapter Thirty-two - Gluttony

PART THREE - THE FORMULA

Chapter Thirty-three - Ambivalence
Chapter Thirty-four - Fight or Flight
Chapter Thirty-five - Sentinel
Chapter Thirty-six - Genesis

Chapter Thirty-seven - Into the Daylight

Chapter Thirty-eight - Hospice

Chapter Thirty-nine - Resurrection

ONE-SHOTS

Concern

. . .

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How long will this story be?
A: There will be approximately eighty chapters, with each part being made up of about sixteen chapters.

Q: Why are the chapters so short?
A: The chapters only serve to differentiate change in perspective. So when I'm tired of following Destiny or feel that her role in a part has been fulfilled, I'll start a new chapter and have it follow another character.

Q: When will the next chapter be out?
A: It depends; my updates are rather irregular. It could be a few days, a week, or even a month... it all depends on if I'm feeling motivated or not.

Q: Are you "into" transformation, if you know what I mean?
A: Haha, no, I'm not. I had no idea that some people are legitimately turned on by the idea of transformation until after I started writing. I think transformation is a very interesting topic to write about and I've always found it fascinating, but not in the way some people do. Now that I'm aware of the existence of this fetish, I feel a bit weird writing PF, but oh well.

Q: Why is the story called "Plasma's Folly"?
A: I've come to realize that since the role play and fanfiction are so vastly different, the title doesn't really make sense in context with the story anymore. You see, in the original role play, Team Plasma found the hybrids alongside the traitor scientist, but averted their attention from the hybrids and focused on apprehending the scientist. Meanwhile the hybrids were left unattended, which gave them a window of opportunity to escape. The hybrids had already vanished by the time Team Plasma returned to capture them, which led up to all the events that followed in the role play. So that was "Plasma's folly", so to speak. But as you can see, I'm doing things a bit different here. However, I have something in mind that will make the title fit again... but you might not find out about it for a while.

. . .

TRIVIA

While I designed their personalities and some parts of their histories, Aurelia and Ben were not created by me. Destiny and Dragon were both characters of mine from the role play, and Colby, Lynn, and Kelvin were created exclusively for this fanfiction.

The role play this story is based off of didn't originally have a plot. The storyline was finally introduced after I created the character Dragon.

The first installment of the role play no longer exists on the forums it was posted on, but I have every single post recorded on my website. It took a very long time to copy and paste each individual post, but I think it was worth it. Now the role play will be preserved forever!

Destiny's name was chosen when I closed my eyes and picked a random name off of 2011's top 100 baby girl names list. Amusingly, it sounds vaguely similar to Dennis, a popular fan nickname for Genesect.

Considering its position in the Unova Pokédex, GMP156's name should actually be GMP155. In the original role play, it was called GMP649.

The male protagonist of Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs shares his name, hair color, and eye color with Ben. My friend, who created these aspects of the character, stated that he was based on a boy she liked in eighth grade.

Chapter one used to be two separate chapters. The last line of the original first chapter, named The First Morning, was "At the same time, Destiny’s insides tingled as if her entire internal composition was changing." Everything that followed made up chapter three, which was called Metamorphosis.

I originally intended for the hybrids to be able to take on a half-human, half-Pokémon form, like in the role play. However, it was scrapped because it was largely unnecessary and unimportant to the story.

Colby is named after a boy who stood up for me when I was being bullied in eighth grade. Note that I later caught this boy saying bad things about me behind my back...

Colby's Sandile was originally a boy, and was named "Russell". I also considered giving him a Venipede instead.

Chapter nineteen was originally going to be called "The Price of Life".

I handed in Beyond the Legend for a creative writing assignment in my ninth grade honors English class. I received a 98; my teacher took off points because she did not understand how things work in Pokémon (she questioned where the boulders came from when Archeops used Rock Slide, and she also didn't understand part of the Unova mythology).

As stated in the introduction, PF takes place in Pokémon White's version of Unova.

I've posted PF on nine different websites.

On average (as of Chrysalis), it takes me fourteen days to release a new chapter. The average chapter is 1,938 words long.

Chapter One - Metamorphosis


Nothing made any sense.

There was no explanation for why Destiny had woken up in a huge, otherwise empty room with a bunch of other teenagers, all asleep or unconscious or something. Or why her arm stung and her head buzzed. What in the name of Arceus was going on? It was all completely beyond her.

Destiny drowsily sat up, trying to sort things out in her mind. The last thing she remembered was walking somewhere. She couldn't put her finger on where, but she knew the sun had been going down, and that she had been by herself. But that didn't explain how she had ended up here.

She studied her surroundings, still not fully awake. It was dead silent. The walls were plain white, and there were no windows. The room was lit by several large incandescent light bulbs on the ceiling. There was a sturdy steel door in one corner of the room, and to her surprise it was wide open. She swept her gaze across the rows of sleeping kids, who were all perfectly lined up as if they had purposely organized themselves that way. There had to be at least forty of them. It seemed apparent that Destiny was the only one awake.

As Destiny slowly began to process the information she was picking up, she grew more and more uncomfortable. Something inside of her was nagging her to leave the place at once, and she couldn't help but agree with it. There was something unsettling, perhaps even disturbing about everything she had seen today.

She took a deep breath as she rose to her feet, feeling somewhat dizzy. She awkwardly stepped over the bodies of sleeping teenagers as she made her way to the door. Destiny cautiously poked her head through the doorway. A long, narrow hallway stretched out in both directions. The walls were dull tan, and the floor was made up of white and light blue tiles. More metal doors lined both walls, set about a yard apart from each other. It reminded Destiny of a hospital, which made her feel uneasy. Again, her instinct yelled at her to leave as quickly as possible, and she didn't argue with it. Seeing that the coast was clear, she slid out of the room.

Which way should she go? She hesitantly decided to go left, silently praying that she had chosen the right direction. She scanned the walls as she walked, hoping to find a friendly sign with bold, red letters spelling out EXIT. Destiny trudged to the end of the hall, and to her despair was met with another long hallway of metal doors. Sighing, she turned the corner and resumed her hunt.

Her trip down the second hallway was fruitless, much like the first. However, this time she didn't find herself in front of another hallway. I knew I should've gone right, she thought in frustration.

Destiny walked back the way she had come, and she soon arrived in front of the room she had found herself in earlier. She peered in and noticed that all of the kids were still knocked out. She also noticed that a number of spots in which she had previously seen people were now empty. Trying not to put too much thought into it, she headed down the hallway to the right.

Again, she turned a corner and found herself in front of another hallway. This one was different, though; Destiny could see a set of doors different from the rest at the far end. A smile flashed across her face; this was the most relieving thing she had seen all day. That has to be the way out! Feeling motivated, she quickened her pace and marched up to the doors. Grinning, she shoved them open and stepped into the daylight.

I don't know how long I've been in there, but it sure feels nice to be outside again. The sky was bright cerulean and cloudless. A slight breeze swept Destiny's hair into the air and sent ripples through the dark green grass. A forest wrapped around the building, the trees fresh with new leaves. It was a gorgeous spring day, but Destiny had too much to worry about to fully admire its beauty.

Destiny walked away from the building, still suspicious of it. Now that she had escaped, she figured her top priority would be finding out where she was. Her surroundings didn't look familiar at all, but then again, Destiny wasn't an avid traveler. She had only left her hometown of Mistralton City a few times in the fourteen years of her life.

She strolled into the forest, hoping that she might be able to find civilization on the other side. It was only then that she really began to take notice of how much her arm stung; when she was faced with the struggle of trying to find a way out of the building, she had pushed the pain to the back of her mind. Expecting the worst, she raised her arm and examined it.

A small square of bandage was plastered against the crook of her elbow. She curiously peeled it off, wincing as the adhesive tugged at her skin. She found a tiny puncture that must have come from a needle. The skin directly around the mark was tinted purple, as if it had been bruised. That's a bit freaky, Destiny thought as she smoothed the bandage back over her wound, but nothing I've been through today has been normal. I still have no idea where I am, or what I was doing in that weird room with all those other kids.

Destiny pondered the questions that were unrelentingly floating around in her mind as she walked. Had she been kidnapped? Was she suffering from some kind of amnesia? I'm sure I'll find out what happened eventually, and then everything will click. I just need to get out of this Arceus damned forest first.

She brushed aside haphazardly placed plants and she ventured deeper into the forest, clearing a path for herself. I hope none of these are poison ivy or anything nasty like that. Destiny knew absolutely nothing about plants. She was also very inexperienced when it came to Pokémon. Unlike most people her age, becoming a Pokémon trainer never appealed to her. Instead, she planned on pursuing an education. She wasn't sure what she'd study, but she knew she'd find her niche eventually.

Minutes passed, and Destiny was still hopelessly wandering through the forest. It wouldn't have surprised her if she was walking around in circles. Growing frustrated, she decided to take a break. She sat down in front of an oak tree and leaned back against its thick trunk. She let out a deep breath. Don't panic, Destiny. You just need a little time to rest, and then you'll find the way out. Her forced optimism didn't do much to comfort her; it only made her more upset.

Trying to relax was futile. Anxiety, worry, desperation, and confusion swirled around in her head, making it impossible for Destiny to unwind and think clearly. She came to the conclusion that she'd need to find her way out of the forest before she could get any rest. Clenching her teeth, Destiny rose to her feet again. She cupped a hand over her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. Crossly, Destiny realized that she couldn't even remember which way she had come from. With a sigh, she chose to walk in a random direction and hoped for the best.

After walking for a few yards, an odd feeling stirred in Destiny's belly—it felt like something was tugging at her insides. Before she even had a chance to wonder what was happening, her legs collapsed beneath her and she squealed as she crashed to the ground. The sensation was spreading through her body at a rapid pace. What's happening? Destiny cried mentally, digging her fingers into the earth as the feeling sharpened.

It was at that moment that Destiny made an alarming observation. Earlier, when she had removed the bandage from her arm, she noticed that a small patch of skin was tainted with purple. Now, her entire arm was the same color—but it wasn't just tinted with purple. It was an unnatural, vibrant shade of violet. To Destiny's horror, the vivid purple color was quickly dispersing throughout the rest of her body.

A vehement spasm wracked Destiny's body. She wanted to scream, but her voice wouldn't work. In fact, it seemed as if she had no control over her body. Absolutely powerless, Destiny could only anticipate the worst. Another fierce spasm rippled through her, and her figure jerked as if she had been electrocuted. By now, her entire body was the eye-popping violet color—a color seldom seen in the natural world, aside from in the petals of exotic wildflowers.

Destiny's waist began to contract, and she could feel her innards slowly shifting downward. Her lower body, which was where her organs had gathered, was beginning to protrude and was suspiciously reminiscent of an insect's abdomen. Her thighs shifted outward, sliding up and attaching themselves to the sides of her newly formed abdomen. They settled in a position slightly above where her hips had once been. At the same time, Destiny's insides tingled as if her entire internal composition was changing.

Unable to do anything to protest the grotesque transmogrification her body was being forced through, Destiny was clueless as to what was happening to her—and that made her even more terrified. She was incapable of turning her head around to watch as she morphed; the only thing she could see was the earth her face was pressed up against. The experience didn't hurt at all, but it felt extremely unnatural—it was as if she was made out of modeling clay, and someone was shaping her into something strange.

Destiny's skin turned stiff and solidified into what appeared to be a metallic substance. An odd feeling struck her, as if her bones were being dissolved. Destiny feared that her body would collapse in on itself, but her new exoskeleton of sorts held everything in place.

Her thighs became triangular in shape and thinned out until they were little more than metal plates connecting her legs to her body, and her shins took on the same shape. Her toes squeezed together into a point, and the substance that covered her feet faded into a light lavender color.

Destiny's shoulders turned circular and disk-like. Her elbows extended past where they attached to her upper arms and tapered into sharp points, and her forearms grew longer as well. Destiny's metal fingers pulled together like magnets, and a splash of lavender swamped over them. They tangled together and spiraled into a single vicious claw.

Her face stretched out horizontally, and her nose shriveled and melted into her face. Her lips curled back and disappeared, revealing a perpetually wide grin which stretched across her face. Her eyes, which had enlarged and turned a radiant shade of scarlet, sank until they rested on top of it. Destiny's blond hair vanished into her skull. Her ears disappeared into the sides of her face and were replaced by a pair of black pits above her eyes.

An odd growth erupted from her back, which extended outward until it came to rest over her head. It had a thin, curved base with two downward-facing folds, and was topped with a protrusion that bore a striking resemblance to a cannon. A yellow, rectangular object poked out of a slot in the base.

Although it had probably taken a total of two minutes for Destiny to complete her transformation, to her it felt like an eternity. Her body lay perfectly still aside from the stressed rise and fall of her chest. Another spasm jolted her body, and her voice rang out in a scream.

But the voice wasn't hers.

It came out as a garbled noise that would best be described as a mix of the buzz of an insect's wings, a dying engine, a power drill, and a high pitched shriek. Destiny cut off her scream out of surprise. Shaking, she tried to utter the word hello.

"Wrrrllgghooo," she croaked. Horror pulsed through her body, stemming from both the transmogrification she had just experienced and the fact that she couldn't speak. Realizing that she had regained control of her body, she lifted her head from the ground and began to pull herself up. She couldn't help but notice the new shape and color of her arms.

She sucked in rapid breaths of air, nearly hyperventilating. Destiny was obviously aware that her body had gone through some kind of dramatic change, but it hadn't felt believable until she was able to witness its toll. Her forearms were a glossy purple and were shaped like long, skinny teardrops. Cone-shaped claws took the place of her hands.

Destiny desperately wanted to deny the terrible images her eyes were showing her. Everything that had happened today could easily pass for a freakish nightmare, but she knew everything she was seeing was perfectly true.

Destiny wouldn't have been surprised if she broke down into insanity. How did this happen? Where was she? What was she? Who was she? Was she even Destiny anymore? Her head ached unbearably, and she would've loved to smash it open if only to end this maddening confusion.

She began to hear what sounded like something being dragged through the undergrowth. She didn't care. She didn't want to fathom what would happen if someone, or something, found her like this, though she was certain that whatever would happen couldn't be worse that what she had just gone through.

"Arceus," a hushed voice gasped, barely able to contain its excitement. Destiny shuddered, not even bothering to turn around and look at who it belonged to. "I've never seen a Pokémon like this before!"

Very, very good start. The story was very descriptive and I didn't notice any grammatical errors whatsoever. You've got me intrigued. I hope to see more of this story.

@Us and Them - Thank you. :ksmile:

Chapter Two - Assembly

Drake (or Dragon, as he liked to be called) stood amidst a crowd containing more than a hundred people. They were all dressed in identical uniforms; Dragon couldn't help but think they looked ridiculous, even though he didn't normally care about that kind of thing. The uniforms sort of looked like something a knight from medieval times would wear. A knight with no sense of fashion, that is. But still, Dragon wore his uniform with pride, for it stood as proof of his undying allegiance to Team Plasma.

Team Plasma was an organization set on freeing Pokémon from the laborious duties forced upon them by humans, or at least that was what Dragon had been told. They strove to completely separate Pokémon and humans so Pokémon would no longer have to get injured in grueling battles for the sheer purpose of their trainer's entertainment. Dragon thought Team Plasma's purpose was reasonable, albeit very ambitious. He wasn't quite sure how they intended to reshape a region whose economy solely centered around Pokémon, but he figured he'd stick around to see how things played out. Dragon, like so many other Team Plasma grunts, simply joined the organization because he wanted to make a difference in the lives of people and Pokémon.

The grunts were assembled in a large gathering hall within the Team Plasma headquarters. An important informational meeting was about to begin—Dragon hoped it would involve good news for Team Plasma, but that wasn't quite how it turned out.

A man in oddly colored robes stepped up to a podium in the front of the hall. Dragon recognized him as Ghetsis, one of the highest ranking officials in Team Plasma. He often spoke for the leader when he wasn't present, which appeared to be the case now. If this meeting is important as everyone makes it seem, I wonder why he's not here, Dragon thought. I guess I shouldn't put too much thought into it. He probably has a lot of other business to tend to.


Ghetsis had a slightly distressed look on his face, which worried Dragon. He cleared his throat and gripped a microphone, and then proceeded to speak. "Thank you for attending this meeting. It is gravely important." Ghetsis's voice had a shaky, apprehensive sound to it. "I am here to announce that we are temporarily calling off our current goals and projects."

An outraged uproar rose among the crowd. "What is this nonsense?" someone cried. "Where's Lord N? He would never approve of anything like this!" Dragon couldn't help but feel shocked himself. He knew Ghetsis wasn't done speaking, but this decision seemed very uncharacteristic of Team Plasma. Dragon kept silent despite the rest of the crowd's tumult, eager to hear what Ghetsis had to say next.

Ghetsis raised his hand in an attempt to quiet the crowd, but frenetic conversations still rang through the hall. "Excuse me," he growled in annoyance, "do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?" The room eventually became silent again, aside from the occasional hushed comment. Satisfied, the official resumed speaking. "Lord N couldn't make it today; he's off on a research trip. I can assure you that he fully supports this decision, however.

"Anyway, the whole reason behind this is that we suddenly have a much more important concern in our hands. We recently discovered that we had a traitor hidden among our ranks. Now, this traitor wasn't a lowly grunt or anything of the sort; he was a highly skilled researcher. He was a genius, you could say, and he was particularly gifted in the field of biological engineering. He created some kind of crazy formula behind our backs… he intended to fell our organization with that formula!" Ghetsis paused as if he expected more uproar to commence, but the hall remained quiet.

What does he mean by a formula? Dragon wondered. The first thing that comes to mind is a method for solving some kind of equation… but that doesn't really make sense in context. Is he talking about something along the lines of a potion? That's crazy… that can't be the answer! Dragon's mind drifted off into ridiculous speculation as he waited for Ghetsis to continue speaking.

"Don't ask me about the science behind it, because I know nothing of the subject. But this formula was created to somehow alter the DNA of humans. People injected with this formula are capable of fully transforming into Pokémon… and not just any Pokémon, either. I don't know how he managed it, but he combined his victims with Legendary Pokémon. That's right—I'm talking about the mythical Rayquaza and the elusive Suicune. He literally kidnapped nearly fifty teenagers off the streets and fused each of them with a different Legendary Pokémon. These people possess the powers and strength of the Pokémon they're fused with, so this is nothing to sneeze at. I know, it sounds like something from a bad science fiction movie. But it's completely true, even if it defies common logic. I don't know how this man managed to pull it off, and for the sole purpose of taking down our organization, moreover! I'm not even sure what he intended to do with his victims, which we'll refer to as "hybrids" for the sake of simplicity. Fortunately, we apprehended the crook and dealt with him before we had the chance to find out.

"But our problems don't end there. These hybrids are still on the loose. As I said earlier, the man informed us that he created around fifty hybrid creatures. He said that none of them are aware of what he wanted them to do. We couldn't get him to spit out where he was keeping them, though. Therefore, it is in our best interest that we locate these hybrids. I am tasking all of you with the duty of hunting down these creatures and capturing them. They are a threat to humanity and Pokémon, and we can't afford to have them wandering around the Unova region. They could be absolutely anywhere, and there's no guarantee that they're all together in one place. I'd prefer if they were brought back alive, but if all else fails you have permission to kill them."

As soon as Ghetsis finished speaking, the crowd burst into another frenzied uproar. Dragon couldn't believe his ears. What the heck is this? This has to be a joke! He knew Ghetsis wasn't one to fool around—he had to be telling the truth. It still wasn't easy for him to believe the official's farfetched tale, though.

Ghetsis raised his hand again, and the noise gradually died away. "As we all know, the goal of Team Plasma is to attain the complete separation of humans and Pokémon. I guess this man decided to be wise with us by doing the opposite—literally combining Pokémon and humans." He spoke as if he meant to add light to the situation, but it didn't catch on among the grunts. Unconcerned, Ghetsis continued. "Before I dismiss you, there's one more thing you should be aware of. I've received word that these hybrids are unstable. They change shape against their will. And what makes them even more dangerous is that the mind of the Pokémon they're fused with can randomly take over at times. They're highly unpredictable, so play it smart and don't make any rash decisions when facing them. You must also notice that these hybrids can still assume their human shapes, so pretty much any kid out there could be one of these creatures. If you see anything suspicious, please report it to me or one of the other Plasma officials as quickly as possible."

Ghetsis stepped back before saying, "Good luck, and happy hunting." He exited the hall through a door near the podium, signifying that the meeting was over. As soon as he was gone, the grunts rose and began heading their separate ways.

Dragon was overwhelmed by all this crazy information. Starting today, his main objective was no longer trying to make peace among people and Pokémon. He was now a ruthless hunter whose goal was to capture these strange hybrid creatures, or even kill them if they didn't obey. He felt he wasn't ready for this sudden change in pace, but he would follow his orders without hesitation. Yet at the same time, it still seemed odd that Lord N hadn't been present at this crucial meeting.

Chapter Three - Another Journey Begins

Every child in the Unova region anticipates the day he turns ten, for with this age comes a new responsibility. Once a child becomes ten years of age, he may become a Pokémon trainer and partake in the Official Gym Challenge. If he successfully defeats all eight Gym Leaders in battle, he may go on to fight the Elite Four in the Pokémon League. If the trainer prevails in beating them, he can battle the Champion of the Unova region. Once the Champion is defeated, he too gains the rank of a Champion and is entered in the Hall of Fame.

Becoming a successful Pokémon trainer is not an easy task, however. A trainer can't triumph by simply ordering his Pokémon around and expecting them to do his bidding—a bond must first be established between trainer and Pokémon. Trainers must look at their Pokémon as friends, not tools. Friendship, teamwork, loyalty, and trust—these were the fundamentals that made up being a trainer. Unfortunately, not everyone was capable of grasping these concepts.

Today was the start of yet another young trainer's journey. Colby had barely been able to sleep the previous night. Like so many other children, he craved the freedom that came along with being a Pokémon trainer. Above all else, he looked forward to participating in some intense battles. He could already imagine himself commanding his team and annihilating his foes' Pokémon. He couldn't wait!

Colby was already awake and anxious by the time dawn rolled in. His parents had apparently expected this, as they were waiting for him in the kitchen. "Happy birthday, Colby!" they shouted in unison, their voices stretched in exaggerated cheer.

"Our little man's growing up so fast," Colby's mother sighed dolefully to her husband. "Once he sets out on his journey, we probably won't see him again for a long time. It feels like just yesterday he was a baby and I was cradling him in my arms. It's amazing to see how much he's grown."

"I'm sure he'll visit every so often, just like his brother. Isn't that right, Colby?" His father was doing his best to reassure himself and his wife.

"Yeah, sure," Colby replied, itching to receive his Pokémon. He thought his parents were acting just like stereotypical parents in movies and books. Were all parents like that? Colby loved his parents, but would he really have time to visit them anymore? From how he saw it, he'd have a very busy life as a Pokémon trainer! "So, when am I going to get my Pokémon?" He impatiently bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Now is a nice time," his mother responded, smiling kindly. She turned and disappeared into the dining room.

"Dad, is my starter Pokémon from Professor Juniper?" Colby had always read about new trainers receiving their first Pokémon from a famous researcher who lived in Nuvema Town.

"Nope," his father answered, "instead, your brother bred this Pokémon just for you."

Colby's older brother, Brian, had become a Pokémon trainer five years ago. Rather than specializing in battling, Brian had chosen the path of a breeder. He caught and cared for numerous Pokémon, and bred them in attempt to obtain flawless offspring. Unlike most trainers, Brian didn't travel around very often as a breeder. He did go on expeditions every now and again to capture various Pokémon in different environments, but a permanent settlement was required to raise young Pokémon. Much to his parents' dismay, Brian chose to live in the small city of Striaton, which was far away from their Mistralton residence.

"Oh, that's cool." Colby couldn't help but feel disappointed. The prospect of a perfect Pokémon was nice, but he secretly wished that he could've gotten his Pokémon from the professor. If she was as talented as she was made out to be, her Pokémon must be even better than Brian's!

Colby's mother returned with a small box in her arms. It was wrapped in flashy green and blue paper and topped with a big yellow ribbon. A card in a lime green envelope was taped to one side. Colby sprinted up to his mother and giddily took it from her. He zealously ripped off the wrapping paper, flinging strips of it all over the floor. Underneath was a cardboard box, which he tore up in seconds. Sitting upon a bed of sky blue tissue paper was a round red and white object that anyone could recognize immediately—a Poké Ball.

With a huge grin on his face, Colby grabbed the Poké Ball and rolled it around in his hands. This Poké Ball was his! He couldn't believe this day had finally come, and now he wanted nothing more than to send out his Pokémon and find out what it was. Would his parents let him release it in the middle of the house? He didn't care. He couldn't wait any longer!

Colby held his arm out in front of him, the Poké Ball gripped firmly in his hand. He jabbed the white button at its center, and a ray of white light poured out of it. It materialized into a small shape by Colby's feet.

The creature was a quadruped with a stubby tail and legs. It was sandy tan with three thick black stripes wrapped around its body, and a fourth one on its snout. Its belly, which was low to the ground, was salmon colored. Around its eyes was a black marking that resembled sunglasses, or perhaps a bandit's mask. Its snout was long and its jaws were full of tiny but pointy teeth.

"Whoa," Colby gasped, dropping to his knees to get a better look at the little Pokémon, "it's a Sandile! That's awesome!" He reached for the Sandile, but it growled meekly and backed away.

Colby's mother giggled. "The Pokémon Brian picked out for you is so cute! It looks like it could evolve into something powerful, too."
His father handed him the envelope. "You almost forgot about this." Colby sighed and ripped it open. He didn't have time for this! Now that he had his Pokémon, he was ready to start his journey. He pulled out a slip of lined paper that had been neatly folded in half. Unfolding it, he quickly skimmed through the words.

Hey, Colby! What's up? I'm sorry I couldn't make it for your birthday! I've just been so busy… Anyway, I hope you like the Sandile I bred for you. In case you wanted to know, she's a female. She knows a few egg moves as well. In other words, I bred her to have special attacks Sandile can't normally learn. Along with her standard Rage and Leer attacks, she also knows Fire Fang and Thunder Fang. I'm sure you'll make good use of them! Best of luck to you! I know you'll be a great trainer! I can already easily see you becoming a Champion!

Judging by the hasty scrawl it was written in, it couldn't have taken Brian more than a few minutes to compose the letter. It didn't matter, since Colby had barely spent any time reading it. He set the paper on the table and held out Sandile's Poké Ball.

The crocodilian Pokémon was standing perfectly still, watching its trainer with inquisitive eyes. It continued to back away when it saw Colby withdraw its Poké Ball. "It's time to return!" Colby exclaimed, pressing the object's white button again. Another beam of light shot out and enveloped the creature, instantly dragging it into its Poké Ball. Tossing it up and down, Colby asked his parents, "Can I go now?"

"I suppose." His mother's voice was tinged with sadness. Colby nodded and headed for the door. He grabbed his dark red bag, which he had stocked with anything he thought would be necessary for his journey the previous night. Slinging it over his shoulder, he grabbed a hold of the doorknob and twisted it open.

His mother waved and said, "Bye, honey. We love you, and don't you ever forget that."

"Love you too," Colby called, stepping outside. "Seeya." He was finally on his own! He strode down the driveway confidently, Sandile's Poké Ball still tightly clutched in his hand. What should he do now? The first and easiest Gym was located in Striaton City, which was where his brother lived. It would be a long trip from Mistralton to Striaton, but he would willingly take it. He'd surely gain tons of experience along the way.

Before he even considered facing a Gym Leader, he'd need to catch some more Pokémon and sort them into a versatile and balanced team. He wouldn't be able to capture any Pokémon if he didn't have any Poké Balls, so he'd need to stop by the local Poké Mart and purchase some. It'd also be important to pick up some Potions and other medicines in case his Pokémon got injured in battle. Oh, heck! All of that could wait. Colby had a Pokémon now, and he just wanted to finally taste the thrill of his first battle.

He headed north of Mistralton, set on hunting for wild Pokémon in the outskirts of the city. Pokémon were most commonly found hiding in tall grass according to what he had read. Of course, Colby decided that would be the ideal place to search.

Looking left and right, he trudged into a large patch of overgrown weeds. Colby shuffled through it noisily without stopping to consider that he was probably scaring away any Pokémon he hoped to encounter. "Man, how come I'm not finding anything?" he muttered to himself obliviously. He then turned his attention to the wide forest that bordered the field. Perhaps he would have more luck if he ventured into it—Colby figured the forest would make a great habitat for all sorts of Pokémon.

He could hear the calls of Pidove in the distance, taunting him and his futile hunt. Other than that, there were no signs of any Pokémon. Even if he did find one of those Pidove, it'd probably fly off before he had a chance to initiate a battle. Colby shook his head hopelessly, and for a second he almost thought about giving up.

That was when he heard the noise.

It sounded almost robotic, like nothing Colby had ever heard before. He could tell that it had been made by a Pokémon, however. What kind of creature could possibly produce that sound? Maybe it was something really rare! Curious and excited, he hurriedly jogged in the direction of the noise. He couldn't let whatever had made it escape.

The sound rang out again, this time louder. He was getting close! He picked up his pace, nearly tripping over thick tree roots and bushy shrubs. Colby could faintly make out an unmoving purple lump in the distance; from where he was, it was hard to tell whether it was rubbish or a Pokémon. As he got closer, its details emerged.

It had a humanoid shape, and it was kneeling with its hands pressed against the ground. Its head was wide and flat, and it had a pair of bulbous red eyes. Peculiarly, the creature's mouth was stretched in a grin even though it seemed to be in distress. The Pokémon's most distinctive feature, however, was a huge, bulky cannon right below its shoulders.

Colby knew an awful lot about Pokémon that lived in the Unova region, especially the ones that resided around Mistralton. This creature didn't resemble anything at all, though. Perhaps it was a Pokémon native to a far off region that someone had callously released into the wild.

Or perhaps, Colby thought, it was a Pokémon that no one had ever seen before.

All he knew was that if he caught it, he'd certainly turn a lot of heads. And Colby loved that kind of attention.

Sorry about the lack of a chapter yesterday! Dx I wanted to revise this one before posting it. The next chapter might not be up tomorrow, either—one of the edits I made in this chapter was having Aurelia and Colby introduce themselves when they first met, whereas they originally didn't tell each other their names until the end of chapter five, so I'll need to rewrite that one as well.

Chapter Four - Tribulations


To Aurelia, it was just another day.

It all started when her father left when she was five years old. After that fateful day, she never saw him again. Aurelia was too young to understand why and what had happened, and she still didn’t know the exact reason today. Her mother made it a point to emphasize that she was glad she “didn’t have to look at that bastard’s filthy face” anymore, though.

With no one else to turn to, it was her mother’s complete responsibility to raise Aurelia and her younger brother as well as tend to a job so she could support them. It was not an easy thing to do, and Aurelia was impressed that she cared about them that much. Surely her mother could’ve enjoyed a much easier life if she abandoned her children like her ex-husband did, right?

Things only got worse from there. Four years later, her younger brother contracted a deadly disease at the age of six. Despite all efforts to treat him, he couldn’t be saved and inexorably passed away. It was only then that Aurelia realized just how special he was to her. Though the two of them constantly fought and butted heads, in the end they were still family.

Then again, the word family had little significance in Aurelia’s life. Her father had been family, too. She had always heard that families were supposed to always be there for each other; that they were supposed to show each other unyielding love and support no matter the circumstances. What lies! Where had her father been?

The following year was the year Aurelia turned ten and embarked on her Pokémon journey. She thought of it as an opportunity to throw everything in the past behind her and start a new life. By the time she was thirteen, she had beaten seven of the eight Gym Leaders in the Unova region—she had quickly evolved into a formidable trainer who used her cunning to take down opponents with ease. The final gym was located in Opelucid City; her hometown. Before she went on to defeat the Gym Leader, she decided to pay her mother a visit.

“Mom, I’m home…” she called, opening the door. There was no response. Maybe her mother was out shopping? Oh well, Aurelia thought as she hesitantly walked in. Even if she’s not here, it’s still great to be home after all this time. The house looked exactly as she had remembered, and a feeling of nostalgia rose in her heart. Memories of her father and brother still lingered in the house, but she didn’t let herself be bothered by them. She had convinced herself to focus on the future instead of wallowing in the past.

Aurelia was almost immediately met with a putrid odor that seemed to be radiating from the kitchen. She was almost scared to find its source, but her curiosity and concern beckoned her forward. Pinching her nose firmly, she crept into the kitchen.

A wooden bowl was sitting on the counter, its contents nothing more than indistinguishable brown lumps—Aurelia presumed it had once been fruit. But why would her mother leave a bowl of decayed fruit out? Something wasn’t right.

Dishes were stacked in the sink, all of them filthy and coated in crumbly white mold. The refrigerator was filled with food that had expired a long time ago. The calendar hadn’t been flipped in months. Aurelia grew more and more worried by the second.

“Mom?” she cried, her heart pounding. “Mom!” She flew down the hallway, throwing open doors and frantically scanning the rooms. There were no signs of her mother anywhere—it was as if she had vanished off the face of the planet.

Feeling sick, Aurelia collapsed against a wall. Her mother was the last family member she had left, and now she too was gone. She didn’t even want to think about her fate. Just what had Aurelia done to deserve all of this? She was sure that if there were some sort of greater power controlling destiny, it was a very twisted and unforgiving one. If Aurelia were a god, she wouldn’t let things like that happen to anyone.

Although Aurelia had learned to stop ruminating in the past, it was hard to ignore what was happening now. Was there even anything to live for anymore? As time progressed, things continually got worse to the point that it became methodical, like a pattern. Why should she expect things to get better?

And they didn’t. This morning, Aurelia woke up in a huge room with a bunch of unconscious kids. She had no recollection of why she was there, but she had grown to expect crappy things like that to happen. Undaunted, she simply slipped out of the building and strolled into the surrounding forest. She had no idea where she was, but why did it matter? She’d find out eventually, and then she’d run into an even crappier situation.

“Go, Sandile!”

Aurelia groaned as yet another spirited exclamation rang through the air. She had been trying her best to ignore the sounds and voices—it sounded as if someone was challenging a wild Pokémon, and she didn’t want to get in the way. Then again, the trainer probably at least had a general idea of where this forest was located. Surely he could spare a minute or two to tell Aurelia where she was? She decided to give it a shot.

It didn’t take her very long to find the trainer and the strange Pokémon he was trying to battle. The trainer looked to be around the age of ten, which meant he couldn’t have been one for long. The Pokémon, which she never recalled seeing before, seemed to be scared witless. It was rather amusing to see, as it boasted a tough appearance complete with metal armor and a giant cannon on its back. Aurelia wouldn’t have thought the Pokémon would be a good choice for a little ten-year-old to fight, but its behavior said otherwise.

Aurelia nonchalantly strode up behind the trainer. “Hey.”

The trainer flinched and whipped around. “Whoa! Who are you?” He glanced at the Pokémon, and then back at her. “Is this Pokémon yours? I’m so sorry!”

The girl wrinkled her nose. “My name is Aurelia, and no, that thing isn’t mine. I just wanted to ask you—”

“Phew, what a relief! I really want to catch it. But why isn’t it trying to fight? Is it scared of me? Oh, and I’m Colby.” The trainer paused. “Hey, do you know what kind of Pokémon this is, by any chance? ‘Cause I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“No, I don’t. Now, can I please just—”

“Awesome! I bet it’s a Pokémon that’s never been documented before. I’d be the first person to train one in the entire world!”

Aurelia was beginning to grow annoyed. Why would this little freak let her finish a sentence? “All right, dude, I’m happy for you. I’ll leave you to catch it, or do whatever the heck you want with it, if you’d just help me out here. Can you please tell me where I am?”

“Oh, oh, sorry!” shouted Colby. “We’re in a forest north of Mistralton.”

“Okay, thank you. Seeya.” Aurelia stalked off, mulling over the trainer’s response. Mistralton City, huh? How in the world did I end up here? That’s a heck of a distance away from Opelucid. If she planned on going back, she’d have to traverse through the dreadful Chargestone Cave and pass through the swampy moors that bordered the city of Icirrus again. She hadn’t particularly enjoyed those parts of her journey.

“Hey, lady, wait up!”

Aurelia slowly turned around, rolling her eyes. It was that dumb little kid again. “What now?” she growled irritably.

“Uh…” Colby looked down at the ground, “… do you, by any chance, have some Poké Balls you could spare? I forgot to buy some before coming here, and I’m scared the Pokémon will run away if I go to the Poké Mart.”

“If it makes you leave me alone, then sure.” Aurelia reached for her bag, only to find that it wasn’t there. “What the hell,” she muttered under her breath. She had grown so used to having the bag on her shoulder that she didn’t realize its absence until now. The bag contained her Pokémon as well as all of her supplies, including her Poké Balls. It held her Gym Badges, her Trainer ID—without her bag, she was worthless as a trainer. She noticed that her C-Gear was missing from her arm as well. Of course, something else just has to go wrong. What am I supposed to do now? Die? That’s just great.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Colby tipped his head to the side, unsure of what was going on.

“What’s wrong?” Aurelia mimicked, stifling a laugh. “Where should I begin?”

The boy blinked absently. “Uh… does this mean you don’t have any Poké Balls?”

“You know what, kid? Why don’t you piss off and get your own Poké Balls? It’s your own fault you weren’t prepared.” The young trainer was aggravating her more and more by the second. “I don’t know what you did to it, but it doesn’t look like the stupid thing’s gonna move an inch, anyway."

Colby stepped back submissively. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” he cried. “Can you at least stay here and make sure it doesn’t?”

What’s up with this kid? He doesn’t even know who I am, and yet he acts like I’m his personal servant or something. I’ve got better things to do that babysitting that thing… whatever it is. And if it does run away, what does he expect me to do about it? “No,” Aurelia grumbled emotionlessly.

“Aww, seriously?” the trainer whined. “I helped you, so why can’t you help me?”

The kid did have a point. Aurelia had randomly approached him and asked where she was, so it’d only be fair for her to return the favor. But Aurelia didn’t feel that watching a wild Pokémon for however long it took Colby to travel to the Poké Mart and back equated to uttering seven words.

“Oh, fine,” she murmured reluctantly. He’d better be thankful for this, that stupid kid.

“Yay, thanks!” the trainer shouted joyfully. “Okay, Sandile: return for now!”

Aurelia watched through narrowed eyes as he called back his Pokémon. She hadn’t even noticed that the shy little creature was there.

“Thanks so much! I’ll be right back!” Colby shouted as he darted away.

“Don’t get lost,” Aurelia called, waving flaccidly. Letting out a sigh, she crept closer to the weird Pokémon the boy had his eyes on. “Hello,” she greeted in a deadpan voice. “What are you, anyway? And why does that kid want you so badly? You’re ugly.” With no one else to vent to, she took out her anger on the Pokémon. “Why are you grinning like that? Is your face stuck that way?”

The creature stared at her passively. Aurelia doubted it had any idea what she was saying, which was probably a good thing. “Aren’t you gonna do something?” She bent down, getting at eyelevel with the Pokémon. She began poking its face repeatedly. “Hello, anyone in there? You’re so stupid, I bet you don’t even know how to attack. C’mon, try to hit me. I dare you. Prove to me that you’re not a big, metal Magikarp.”

Insulting the Pokémon helped bring up Aurelia’s mood. The thing couldn’t understand her, so there was no harm done, right? It was just a Pokémon, and it wasn’t a very intelligent one at that.

Or was it?

Wahoo, I managed to finish the rewrite in time! Please notice that all chapters after this haven't been revised since I first wrote them, and some of them are pretty old. So, if you notice a decline in quality, you'll know why~ I usually rewrite one chapter per month, though this month it was necessary for me to rewrite both four and five for obvious reasons.

Chapter Five - An Enigmatic Creature


If she had the nerve, Destiny would’ve really loved to slap Aurelia across the face. If anything at all, she wasn’t doing much to help the situation.

Apparently, Destiny had become some kind of Pokémon. Judging by the two trainers’ dialogue, she was a really rare one. And now they were going to try to catch her. In her clueless daze, it was difficult for Destiny to absorb what was going on. But she knew for certain that everything had taken a turn for the worst.

In her crazy mess of frantic thoughts, Destiny still found herself wondering how she had ended up in this disaster. It was one thing after another, and none of it made any sense! She concluded that she wasn’t going to solve anything by sitting there and doing nothing. First, she had to deal with these people, whoever they were. And maybe once they were out of the way, she’d be able to hunt for some answers.

What was she supposed to do? Should she just get up and run away? Would Aurelia, who was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, chase her down? Destiny doubted it. The girl’s attitude made it pretty obvious that she wasn’t happy with the task she had been assigned. If Destiny got away, Aurelia probably wouldn’t bother going after her. But if she did remain faithful to Colby’s instructions and chased her, Destiny would end up with more trouble than she was already in.

She decided to take the risk. Destiny jerked backwards, startling Aurelia. She unsteadily rose to full height, her legs buckling underneath her—she hadn’t expected her upper body to be so heavy. She straightened her legs, trying her best to hold up the weight.

“You finally caught on,” the girl taunted, an unimpressed look on her face. “You’re really slow.”

Destiny let out a quiet growl of annoyance, taking wobbly steps backwards. Even though whatever she had turned into seemed to walk on two legs like a person, its body was set up differently than a human’s. Destiny was going to have a hard time getting used to it.

“Ha, I guess you’re slow both mentally and physically,” Aurelia remarked. “If you’re going to try to run away, you should at least make an effort.”

Oh, if only she knew! Destiny would’ve rolled her eyes, but to her surprise they appeared to be fixed in place. She continued taking awkward, lumbering gaits backward, scared to turn her back to the girl. This isn’t going to get me anywhere, she told herself glumly. Let’s face it: I’m doomed. She stopped moving, and her legs began to collapse again. Destiny let herself fall to her knees, and she threw her arms out in front of her to prevent her face from colliding with the earth. She lifted her head timidly, her terrified red eyes locked on the girl.

“Is walking too much work for you?” Aurelia questioned, snickering.

Destiny snarled. If fleeing wasn’t an option, her only choice was to attack the girl. Even though Aurelia was acting like a bitch, Destiny couldn’t bring herself to hurt her. Maybe she could scare her off? Though honestly, Destiny didn’t think she looked liked the kind of person who would scare easily. She figured it was worth a try—there wasn’t anything else she could do.

She extended an arm and used it to prop herself up. Once she was on her feet, she began taking shaky steps forward. Destiny held out her arms threateningly, her lavender-colored claws pointed at the girl’s face. Destiny created a low gargling noise from the back of her throat. As disgusted as she was by what had happened to her, there was something she was almost beginning to admire about her new shape. Despite how she hadn’t quite gotten the hang of her new body, taking advantage of her Pokémon appearance made her feel powerful and intimidating in an animalistic way.

“Oh boy,” Aurelia sighed. “What are you trying to do now? Am I supposed to be scared?”

Destiny let out a deep breath. Just as she had thought, it wasn’t working. She wasn’t ready to give up yet, though. Destiny inched nearer to the girl, and once she felt she was close enough, she lunged at her fearsomely.

Aurelia effortlessly dodged her attack. “Getting feisty, are we?”

Destiny reeled back in frustration. She lashed out one of her arms and swiped at the air in front of the girl’s face. Aurelia blinked, otherwise unfazed. Determined, Destiny repeated her action, this time slashing more quickly. The girl still didn’t care. Destiny pulled back her arm and prepared to make another move when suddenly a voice rang out.

“Hey, I’m back!” The boy trainer stumbled onto the scene, breathing heavily. “Sorry it took me so long.” Colby did a quick scan of his surroundings, and then exclaimed, “Whoa! What’s going on? Did it try to hurt you? Are you okay?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Aurelia snorted. “This is the single most pathetic Pokémon I’ve seen in my life. The reason no one’s ever seen one of these things is because it’s too dumb to live and it’s driven itself to extinction. Feast your eyes, kid; this is probably the only one you’ll ever see. But if I were you, I’d let the thing go.”

Colby was taken aback by her comment. “What? Seriously?” He looked Destiny up and down, furrowing his brows. She was still frozen in place in front of the girl with one of her arms poised to strike.

“Yeah, seriously,” the girl retorted. “You should’ve seen when it tried to attack me—it was the funniest thing.”

“Oh. Oh well,” the boy mumbled, withdrawing a Poké Ball. He smiled smugly. “If it’s as weak as you say, it’ll be easier to catch. I don’t care how strong it is—if it’s that rare, I definitely want to capture it!”

“Whatever floats your boat,” Aurelia muttered. “Can I leave now?”

Colby didn’t respond. He tossed the Poké Ball over his head, and it smacked into Destiny’s shoulder before clattering to the ground. For a heartbeat, Destiny didn’t know what to expect. She had absolutely no idea how Poké Balls worked, but she figured she was about to find out.

Nothing happened.

“… The hell…” A subdued look of shock filled Aurelia’s eyes.

“Huh.” The boy wasn’t nearly as surprised. “Maybe it was a dud. No worries—I have more!” He fished around in his bag and pulled out another Poké Ball. “Okay, let’s try this again.” He hurled it at Destiny, and it bounced off her arm.

Nothing.

“Okay, something isn’t right here,” the girl said. “There’s always the possibility that it’s already been captured, but who would leave their Pokémon in the middle of a forest like this? … And who in the world would actually want to own one of these besides you?”

Destiny was confused. Obviously, she didn’t already belong to a trainer. Did that mean she wasn’t a Pokémon after all? From her understanding, Poké Balls only worked on Pokémon. And if she wasn’t a Pokémon, what else could she possibly be?

“That’s weird,” Colby commented, scratching his chin. “Well, that stinks! I really wanted to catch it.”

“That’s not important.” Aurelia shook her head. “It’s probably just a freaky coincidence, but I find it odd that no one’s ever seen this Pokémon before, and Poké Balls don’t work on it.”

The boy shrugged. “It’s another trainer’s Pokémon, that’s all. Whoever caught it sure is lucky!” He began to stroll away as if nothing had happened, but then spun on his heel and faced Destiny and Aurelia again. “Oh, yeah! Thanks again for watching the Pokémon for me!”

“It was a huge waste of time,” Aurelia jeered.

“Eh, it doesn’t matter. It was nice to meet you, Aurelia! Bye! Maybe if I try hard enough, I’ll find a wild Pokémon like that one!” Colby waited for the girl to respond, but she didn’t say anything. Destiny glanced at her, surprised that she didn’t have a rude remark to deliver. To her alarm, Aurelia was clutching her stomach in pain.

“Huh? Aurelia?” Colby’s voice was full of worry. “What’s the matter?”

The girl was starting to grow pale. “I… don’t know,” she grumbled, her face contorted in a grimace. By then, her skin was an unnatural chalky white.
Cold realization crept over Destiny. This seemed all too familiar. The odd feeling in her stomach, her skin changing color—she could only think of one explanation.

Aurelia was beginning to transform.

Might as well post another chapter today, so I can be perfectly caught up with my schedule.

Chapter Six - Analysis

Ben would soon discover that turning into Zekrom wasn't nearly as cool as it first seemed.

It was a pretty long story. Basically, Ben woke up in a room among rows of other sleeping kids. Shortly after he escaped from the building, he was stricken with a weird feeling in his stomach. Seconds later, his body slowly began to metamorphose into the shape of one of the mythical dragons of the Unova region, Zekrom. He had no idea how it happened, but he thought of it as some kind of blessing.

Ben loved Pokémon. His parents were both Pokémon doctors, so their feelings towards Pokémon probably rubbed off on him. In fact, when he grew up, he wanted to become a Pokémon doctor as well. His parents' work fascinated him. He was amazed by their knowledge of all the different types of ailments that could befall Pokémon, and that in most cases they knew exactly how to remedy them. It made him happy to watch sick Pokémon recover to full health, too. He couldn't wait to work miracles just like his mother and father did.

Occasionally, Ben would fantasize about what it would be like to be a Pokémon. He wondered how it would feel to breathe fire or shoot beams of ice. It was hard to imagine something that extraordinary coming as natural to the interesting creatures. Ben also often found himself thinking about what went through a Pokémon's head in the heat of a battle. Did they enjoy the thrill of the fight? Was that why they obeyed their trainer's every command? Or were they forced into it? Was it some kind of instinctual or territorial thing? Maybe now he'd be able to find out.

On the contrary, he felt exactly the same as he did when he was a human. His physical structure was different, but he possessed the same mentality he had prior to the transformation. Ben was intrigued. Did that mean Pokémon thought like people? Maybe it was because he had assumed the form of a Legendary Pokémon? Or, perhaps it just had something to do with the fact that he had somehow changed into one. He concluded it was probably one of the latter. While Pokémon were definitely intelligent creatures, he couldn't see them being quite as smart as humans.

Ben's head was buzzing. He was simply overwhelmed! There were so many things he wanted to analyze and discover about being this Pokémon. He didn't even give himself time to ponder what had caused his change in shape.

He decided he would take it easy for now. First, he wanted to try taking a few steps as Zekrom. During the course of his morphing sequence he had fallen onto his stomach, and he was still in the same position. Pressing his palms against the ground, he raised his haunches. To his surprise, his huge, conical tail wasn't nearly as heavy as he had expected it to be. He continued to lift himself up, and when he was on his feet he protractedly erected his back. Once he had reached full height, he flexed his claws in front of his face. He watched in wonder, amazed that these powerful weapons were his.

Ben dipped his head and gazed down at his legs. His bipedal stance wasn't vastly different from that of a human, although his legs were noticeably shorter for his size and they were positioned farther apart. He experimentally lifted one of his feet, first bringing up the heel and then his pointed toes. He raised his knee to his mid-belly and for a moment he just stood there with one leg in the air, but he had to put it back down almost instantly to avoid losing his balance.

He then placed one of his feet in front of him, and dragged the rest of his body along with it. Ben repeated the process, his steps growing increasingly quicker as he went on. He bared his teeth in mimicry of a grin, satisfied with how easy it was to walk in the shape of Zekrom. Now that he had that down, it was time to try something more interesting.

Previously, Ben had never seen Zekrom in his life. However, the dragon was a very popular figure in Unova mythology, so he still had a wealth of knowledge about it. He knew that it was of the Dragon and Electric types, and it possessed incredibly strong lightning based powers. Its tail served as a generator in which it produced electrical energy. Ben wanted to see if he could access this energy and use it to perform one of Zekrom's Electric type attacks.

He had no idea how to do this, but he guessed it wouldn't be too complicated if it was natural to Zekrom. Ben tried tensing the muscles on his back, clutching his claws together and digging his toes into the dirt. He could feel heat starting to gather in his tail, and he curiously glanced over his shoulder at it. It was faintly glowing blue, but after he lost his focus it dimmed. Determined, he tried again, this time holding his position for a longer amount of time.

Ben felt as if his entire being was filled to the brim with incredible power. His tail was shining brightly like a light bulb, and patches of skin elsewhere on his body were lit up with blue as well. He wanted to keep charging up more energy, but he had reached his limit. Electricity began to crackle from the tips of his claws. He could feel the heat emanating from the sparks and a slight buzzing sensation, but other than that he was unaffected.

Ben threw his arms up in the air and unleashed the stored energy, and an enormous flash radiated from his body with an earsplitting crack. Sparks showered down around him, drawn to the ground. The flare of electricity disappeared quicker than the time it took Ben to release his attack. Miraculously, none of the sparks ignited the surrounding trees. Ben had been too excited to consider the risk of using a move like that in such a densely forested area, but he was relieved nonetheless that everything went his way.

If only I knew how to control it, Ben thought, oh well, I'll work on that later. There was something even more interesting that he wanted to test out first. Zekrom was equipped with a pair of powerful wings, and Ben wanted to find out what flying was like.

Looking over his shoulder, he gave his wings a flap. It was no different than moving his arms. He beat them again, this time harder. He could feel a gust of cool air buffet off his arms and back. Ben continued flapping his wings more rapidly and fiercely, hoping that he would lift off. When nothing happened, he attempted to give himself a boost by jumping off the ground. Instead of falling back to the earth he remained in the air, hovering a few feet above the ground.

Pleased with his success, Ben beat his wings even harder and kicked off with his legs. He was progressively gaining elevation, and eventually he was floating high above the trees. Now that he was free from any obstacles, he wanted to fly forward. He flipped onto his belly and spread his wings, his limbs dangling at his sides. He gave his wings one hard flap, and then let himself glide along the thermals.

It was breathtaking to see the world from that perspective. Everything looked so small from that height, which in turn made Ben feel big. Looking down upon the world, Ben felt as if he was free from all its boundaries and constraints. He was the legendary dragon Zekrom, and he could do as he pleased. Overjoyed, he pried open his jaws and let out a roar of triumph.

He twisted his body to one side and started to loop before thrusting his upper body downwards and letting himself shoot towards the ground. He caught himself at the last possible moment, angling himself so he swooped up into the sky again. Thrilled, Ben released another loud roar.

As he was now in the shape of a Legendary Pokémon that only existed in myth to many, it probably wasn't a very wise decision for Ben to make his actions so showy. Additionally, little did he know that a certain organization was hunting down legendary Pokémon that made odd or unusual appearances.

Unfortunately for Ben, a particular member of this organization had found his first piece of prey.

Completely unrelated, but this is my 100th post. x3

Chapter Seven - Beyond the Legend

There was no mistaking it. Every historical account described Zekrom as a large dragon with a lithe but muscular build, a huge conical tail, and rugged, obsidian scales. No other Pokémon matched that description, which meant Dragon couldn't be seeing anything but the mythological beast. But according to Unovan mythology, Zekrom couldn't possibly be alive in modern times.

The land that would one day make up the Unova region was once tormented by anarchy and constant warfare. It remained in everlasting chaos until a pair of brothers from a faraway kingdom arrived on the back of a Great Dragon. This mighty beast was a complete being with a perfect balance of qualities and power that exceeded human comprehension. Using its inconceivable abilities, the brothers managed to unite the peoples of the land, which led to the foundation of the Unova region.

For many years, the region flourished under the siblings' prestigious rule. Numerous closely-knit cities and towns were established, and the citizens basked in what they thought would be eternal peace. Unfortunately, there came a day when the two brothers began to argue about what they desired in life—the older brother sought truth, and the younger brother sought ideals. Their fights caused the Great Dragon to split apart into two equal but opposite beings, Reshiram and Zekrom.

Reshiram, a dragon as white and pure as truth, sided with the older brother. In turn, Zekrom, an idealistic black dragon, joined the younger brother. The brothers and their draconic companions clashed, but since both dragons were born from the same being, neither could defeat the other. It was declared that neither truth nor ideals were wholly correct.

The issue was set aside, although the two beasts that had spawned from the Great Dragon were unable to recombine. As they were derived from its opposite halves, they fought unendingly and could not unite in an alliance. The Great Dragon had become two separate forces; fire and thunder, white and black, truth and ideals.

The brothers tried their best to maintain their hold on the region, though Unova slowly began to slip into another era of disorder. By the time their sons succeeded them, a civil war ravaged the land. During this period of strife, the entire region was nearly burned to the ground. Many people and Pokémon were lost, and Reshiram and Zekrom's bodies were destroyed prior to the war's resolution.

Upon the conclusion of the war, the monarchy was overthrown and Unova became a republic, which it still is today. Efforts were made to restore the region to its former glory, which were highly successful. Buildings and homes were reconstructed, trees and vegetation were replanted, and people and Pokémon rapidly repopulated.

The dragons were never seen again, and it is commonly debated whether this was for better or for worse. However, there is a legend that the souls of Reshiram and Zekrom live on in the form of stones, and will reemerge in all their former glory upon the rise of a great hero. Due to the popular belief that the reappearance of the dragons would throw Unova into another age of disarray, the stones were supposedly held in protected locations.

In order for what Dragon perceived to be logically correct, a hero would've had to have transpired and revived Zekrom's petrified soul. But if that were true, he was sure we would've heard about it by now. N, the leader of Team Plasma, had taken an interest in the stones for purposes Dragon was unaware of—supposedly, the research trip he was away on concerned them. There was only one possible explanation: what Dragon saw in front of him was a fully transformed Pokémon hybrid.

If this was indeed the case, then Dragon had made an incredible discovery for Team Plasma. Up until then, the grunts had been partaking in a wild goose chase to uncover the location of the hybrids. They had divided themselves up across the entire Unova region, searching every nook and cranny for any sign of them. Dragon had been assigned the land north of Mistralton City, which was pretty insignificant in his book.
Perhaps that had been the traitor scientist's intention. Why would he want to plant himself in a predictable location and have his creations apprehended alongside him? It was a clever plan, although unfortunately for him, it hadn't spared him from his own capture. And now, if Dragon had his way, the hybrids wouldn't be able to escape, either.

The Zekrom was sailing across the sky effortlessly, its wings spread out like a glider. It didn't look like it had a destination in mind; in fact, it appeared to be flying for the sake of amusement. It was soaring in loops, diving towards the ground only to shoot back up into the air as if it was trying to make a show of itself. Dragon found the behavior to be strange.

Ghetsis had said that most of the people used to make hybrids were teenagers, like Dragon. But if I were in that situation, the last thing I'd want to do is draw attention to myself. That settles it; we're dealing with an unobservant simpleton. In that case, it should be easy to catch.

"It's go time, Archeops," Dragon murmured, withdrawing a Poké Ball. He held it out in front of him, releasing a birdlike creature into the air. Brightly covered feathers covered most of its body, ranging from golden yellow to ocean blue. Its bald head, feet, and tail were a soft red. "Krrwweeee," it screeched happily.

Smiling, Dragon reached to pat its head. Archeops closed its eyes and whistled affectionately. Many people thought it was hypocritical for members of Team Plasma to own Pokémon themselves, though in order to enforce their beliefs upon the Unova region, it was completely necessary. But once they had accomplished their goals, they too would release their Pokémon into the wild. In the meantime, Dragon made sure to treat his Archeops as an equal.

That's what trainers insisted they did—they boasted that the foundation of their relationship with Pokémon was friendship. What lies! What kind of person would drag his friend into battle and force him to hurt others, and get hurt himself? A popular claim stated that Pokémon actually enjoyed fighting and battled for the same reason boxers and wrestlers did—but Dragon knew that wasn't true. Pokémon were naturally nonaggressive creatures that fought only if provoked; for example, it wasn't uncommon for wild Pokémon to partake in skirmishes over territory.

"Okay, Archeops. Do you see that black dragon in the sky?" Dragon asked his Pokémon, still stroking its head. The prehistoric bird nodded and let out a quick caw. "All right, that's good. We need to go after it. Can you help me?"

Archeops purred and swooped onto the ground, spreading its wings. "Thank you," Dragon praised as he climbed onto its back. Once he was on, Archeops cried loudly and took off into the air. Dragon hugged his arms around its neck as it gained elevation and shot towards the Zekrom. With its back turned to Archeops and the grunt, the hulking black Pokémon wasn't aware of their presence. Perfect. Dragon grinned in satisfaction.

Archeops slowed as they began to near the dragon. The feathered creature turned its head to look at its trainer expectantly. "Here's the plan," Dragon whispered to it. "I'm not exactly sure how we're gonna go about capturing it, but first we should probably have it grounded. So, I was thinking you could use DragonBreath and aim for its wings. Can you do that?"

Archeops dipped its head and flew a little closer to the Zekrom. Once it was directly behind it, it gaped and exhaled a ray of pink fire. It swung its head from side to side, the flames dancing along with its movements.

The Zekrom roared in pain and surprise as Archeops's fiery breath scorched its wings. It looked over its shoulder and flinched at the sight of the Pokémon and the boy on its back. The dragon hauled itself around and pulled its body upright, its wings apparently still fit for flight.
"Keep going, Archeops!" Dragon encouraged boldly. Archeops shrieked and let loose another fierce DragonBreath. The Zekrom attempted to dive down and avoid it, but in its new position it wasn't able to move in time. The bright magenta buffeted its wings, and it threw back its head and screamed in agony.

It hurt Dragon a bit to see that the Zekrom was in pain, but he tried to convince himself that the creature before him wasn't a Pokémon at all. It was a genetically altered being; something that wasn't supposed to exist outside of science fiction stories. He told himself that if it wasn't dealt with, in the end more people and Pokémon would get hurt. Ghetsis said that the hybrids were violent and unstable beasts that were prone to attacking anything at anytime, but this hybrid wasn't doing anything to defend itself even though it was attacked first.

The Zekrom helplessly struggled to flap its wings, which were badly charred. It was slowly beginning to lose elevation, just like Dragon had wanted. "How about a Rock Slide to finish the job, Archeops?" he suggested.

"Krrreeeee," Archeops replied. It let out a shriek, and suddenly large boulders rained down upon the Zekrom. The hybrid made a pitiful little noise that resembled a squeak before it was hammered by the heavy rocks.

Dragon watched as the rocks, along with the beast, plummeted towards the earth. "Bull's-eye," he chimed, scratching under Archeops's chin. The birdlike creature purred happily. "Now, let's land and see what we can do."

Archeops descended and landed on the ground close to where the Zekrom had fallen. Dragon hopped off its back and stepped over to the hybrid. Archeops rose into the air again and curiously followed the grunt.

The Zekrom was on its back, and boulders were strewn around its body. A large rock had landed on one of its wings, which had already been injured by Archeops's DragonBreath. Its eyes were closed and its teeth were exposed in a grimace. It seemed to be unconscious.

Dragon turned to Archeops. "Well," he began, "any ideas on how we should haul this seven hundred-something pound dragon back to headquarters?"

Chapter Eight - Alpha and Omega

"Aurelia, what's going on?" Colby cried, starting to panic. He didn't have the slightest idea what was happening to the girl; he'd never seen anything like this before. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No, you… idiot," Aurelia growled, her voice gripped by pain. Holding her stomach in one arm, she stumbled over to a tree and threw her other arm around it. Her legs were wobbling, and she probably would've fallen over if it wasn't for the tree's support.

"You need help… I need to do something…" Colby tossed his bag down and dug through it fiercely, even though he knew there was nothing in there that would help her. After he had spilled all its contents on the ground, he fell to the ground hopelessly. He could run back to Mistralton and get some help, but he feared that by then it'd already be too late. There was nothing he could do.

Was Aurelia going to die? If she did, Colby wouldn't be able to live knowing that a girl had died in front of him and he hadn't done anything to save her. He had only just begun his Pokémon journey, and his path was already riddled with tribulations. Why was this happening to him? He had pictured himself starting his journey by battling a few wild Pokémon, and perhaps catching one or two. That's how things should've been—not like this mess he had stumbled into.

Suddenly, Aurelia lost her grip on the tree and collapsed to the ground. She lay on her side, her body twitching. To Colby's alarm, her face was darkening into a slate gray color. And then something even stranger happened—Aurelia's facial features were pulled into her skin, leaving nothing but her eyes and a pair of striations that had formed in the process. Colby couldn't help but squeal and squirm away at the sight. This definitely wasn't natural! It was a frightening thing to watch, and he would've bet Aurelia would be screaming if she only had a mouth. He couldn't imagine how it must have felt to be in Aurelia's position, and he was too scared to put a lot of consideration into the thought. As much as he wanted to run away and pretend he had only been hallucinating, he couldn't bear to leave Aurelia by herself like this.

Aurelia's forehead, which was still snow white like the rest of her skin, jutted out and a strip of gold emerged from its center. Her ears shifted up the sides of her face, stretching into long points that came to resemble horns. These horn-like structures also dipped down to her chin, which now ended in a sharp point. Her hair solidified into a long, mane-like appendage on the back of her head, with the top half white and the lower portion striated gray like her face. Her eyes dilated, her sclerae turning emerald green and her irises red. Circular patches of skin the same color as her sclerae bubbled where her cheeks should've been.

Her neck broadened, latching onto the mane-like appendage. It also lengthened significantly, and two pairs of bony, triangular plates formed from its sides. Aurelia's chest took on the color and pattern of her face and the bottom half of her mane.

Her arms thickened and shifted position until they came to resemble the front limbs of an equine creature. Her fingers molded together and pointed outward, ending in sharp tips that were covered with strips of gold. The same became of her legs.

An odd, yellow growth appeared on Aurelia's back, and it burst into an intricate arc-like structure that wrapped around her belly. An emerald gem glimmered in each corner of the growth. A tail that bore a striking resemblance to her mane sprouted above her rear.

Colby stared, both paralyzed and mesmerized by Aurelia's weird transmogrification. His mind was blank, his sole attention focused on absorbing the strange images that played before his eyes. Once Aurelia was fully transformed, he finally registered what was going on.

"A-Arceus," he choked waveringly, his whole body trembling, "I've been b-blessed by Arceus!"

According to legend originating in the distant Sinnoh region, before the inception of the universe there was nothing but a churning void of turmoil and madness. At the heart of this vortex, where all the chaos radiated, a single egg was formed from the fibers of nothingness. The egg eventually birthed a divine being that came to be known as Arceus, which was also commonly referred to as "the Original One".

With its one thousand arms and its holy powers, Arceus shaped the universe. To help it on its mission, Arceus created two beings from its own body. When one of these beings, a dragon known as Dialga was born, time began to flow. The existence of the second being, a dragon called Palkia, caused space to expand. These two beings prayed, and matter came to be. To balance the young universe, Arceus created a third dragon named Giratina, and its existence brought about antimatter.

At this point, Arceus's power was beginning to ebb. Using its last might, it birthed three living things; Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie. These three creatures prayed, and spirit began to persist. This became the foundation of emotion, will, and knowledge.

Arceus, satisfied with its contributions to the rapidly expanding universe, accepted its fate. It was now completely drained of power, and it knew it was time for it to die. Thus, it departed from the realm of the living, eternally survived by its creations; the universe, the world, the beings that sprang from its body, and the principles they gave rise to. However, it is rumored that Arceus lives on; either in a severely weakened state, or in the form of a direct descendant.

It is commonly accepted that Arceus looked, or looks, like an equine creature with mostly white skin and a dark gray chest, a long neck, pointy ears, a flowing mane, and a strange, golden arc structure wrapped around its body. And the creature that had once been Aurelia matched that description perfectly, down to the very last detail.

The creature craned its neck, raising its head from the ground. It glanced fearfully at Colby, and then at the purple insect, which was in turn staring at it in shock. Colby rose to his feet, his heart beating a mile a minute. This was incredible! Had the girl who claimed to be named Aurelia really just been the holy Arceus in disguise? Why was he being visited by such a deity?

"What… just happened." Colby heard a voice, although strangely, it seemed to be his mind itself rather than his ears that perceived the sound. He knew what was happening right away; Arceus was trying to communicate with him via telepathy. While Arceus lacked a mouth, which rendered it unable to speak, it could transport its thoughts into the minds of others, thereby allowing it to convey its feelings. A number of other exceptionally intelligent Pokémon were capable of doing this, such as the clever Zorua and many mythological Pokémon. A lot of people were actually incapable of telling the difference between telepathy and vocal communication, but Colby somehow had a firm grasp of which was which. Although telepathy instilled the user's words into the receiver's thoughts, the unique voice of the user was retained. Surprisingly, Arceus's speech was in the voice of the girl it had disguised itself as, but Colby didn't put too much though into it.

Colby was lost for words. What should he say to Arceus, the creator of the universe? He figured he'd probably end up saying something that came out as disrespectful, so he decided to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he dropped to his knees and bowed down to the Original One.

Arceus cocked its head to one side. "Uh… kid? I'm liking this respect and all, but… what the hell are you doing?"

Colby froze. That certainly didn't sound like something a god would say; or at least the kind of god he believed in. In fact, it sounded like something straight out of Aurelia's mouth. That, paired with the fact that Arceus's words actually came out in Aurelia's voice, began to confuse Colby. "Wait… Aurelia?" he blurted.

"Yes, what do you want?" Arceus demanded, its scornful gaze locked on Colby.

"So, let's get this straight," Colby breathed. "You're Aurelia."

Arceus laughed. "Of course; who else would I be?"

Arceus was undoubtedly telling the truth, and Colby couldn't believe it. "But you… you just…"

Aurelia rolled her eyes and pulled herself off the ground, stretching her back leisurely. "Yeah, so apparently I just turned into a Pokémon or something. What difference does it make?"

Colby's jaw dropped in ridicule. Aurelia had just morphed into a creature resembling the Pokémon that created the universe, and she looked like she could care less. "What… are you?"

"I'm actually not that sure," she replied nonchalantly. "I'm supposed to be a thirteen-year-old girl, but apparently that's no longer the case."

Colby shook his head, not even trying to sort out the situation in his mind. First he encountered a Pokémon that had never been seen before, and then the girl he randomly met up with transformed into Arceus right before his eyes. Was he in the middle of some kind of bizarre dream? Perhaps if he woke up, he'd be able to start his Pokémon journey for real, without running into any crazy events like these.

Let me wake up, Colby desperately begged in his mind. I need to restart this!

Chapter Nine - Hypotheses

Aurelia was trying her best to hide the incredulity and horror resonating within her. This was just too crazy, even by her standards. Of all the hardships she had encountered throughout her life, this was the only one that impacted her directly. It was also certainly the most unrealistic thing to have ever happened to her; as far as she knew, people didn't turn into Pokémon every day. In fact, the concept was unheard of, not to mention impossible. The prospect of changing into a Pokémon was merely a distant fantasy in the dreams of naïve youngsters.

If that was the case, then what had happened to her? How had she managed to defy common logic and assume the form of a Pokémon? Aurelia wracked her brain for potential answers, and it didn't take her too long to formulate a few theories.

Although shape-shifting was unattainable among humans, there were several species of Pokémon that were capable of accomplishing this feat. The most well known example was a creature called Ditto, which was native to the Kanto region. In its normal shape, it resembled a gelatinous, pale purple blob. However, a Ditto could actually reconstitute its entire cellular structure, in turn copying the physical attributes of another creature down to the very last detail. But in order to do this successfully, a Ditto needed a model of whatever it intended to turn into; otherwise, it tended to confuse certain features. Aurelia hadn't yet taken the time to decipher what exactly she had turned into, but she knew nothing like it had been nearby at the time. Besides, she was pretty sure she'd know if she had been born a Ditto.

With that far-fetched conjecture aside, Aurelia had another, much more reasonable hypothesis. In all the hustle and bustle she had been through today, she had almost forgotten about the strange building in which she had awakened that morning. Finding herself there hadn't bothered her previously, but as time rolled by and details emerged, she began to find it more and more disturbing. Just why had she, and so many other teens, been asleep and lined up for no apparent purpose in a large room within a mysterious building?

She wasn't really sure how this would've had anything to do with her transformation, but she figured it must be related somehow. Aurelia mentally added up everything she knew, trying to form a conclusion; she had woken up in the room with no memory of why she was there, and then a little while later she shifted into a Pokémon. Was it within the realm of esteemed possibility that she had been altered genetically sometime before she had woken up? That couldn't be the answer, could it?

As far as Aurelia knew, genetic modifications such as this did not yet exist in the world. While many advances had been made in field of genetic engineering, such as the revival of ancient Pokémon fossils and the creation of Mewtwo, the transformation from human to Pokémon was simply otherworldly. Or, what if it was in fact possible, but no one had focused on following through with the project due to its impracticality? What exactly would a human hope to accomplish in the form of a Pokémon that they couldn't achieve by training a Pokémon?

In that case, why would someone waste time, money, and resources modifying a random girl like her? If anything at all, wouldn't it have been more logical to experiment on a volunteer? Maybe no one had offered to become a guinea pig, and whoever was behind this madness had resorted to kidnapping a teenager off the street. But why did it have to be her? Was this part of the relentless misfortune that followed wherever she roamed?

Regardless of why she was chosen, she was brought back to the enigma of why someone would want to pull something like this off. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't come up with a logical explanation. If this project, perhaps, was devoted to discovering a way to create better Pokémon, then why would scientists experiment on a human over a different Pokémon? The lives of humans were more valuable than the lives of Pokémon, weren't they? And Aurelia's life might as well have been over. As a Pokémon, no matter what it may be, her goal of becoming a Unova League Champion had been ruined. That was one of the only things that kept her going in life. What would she have to live for if she was stuck as a creature whose only destiny was to be shoved in a ball and ordered around?

The theory of her transformation being the result of scientific experiments could easily be incorrect, however. In fact, the only reason the thought came to her was because her brother was once obsessed with lousy science fiction movies; movies where cities were terrorized by an enormous Tyranitar, movies where humans were given the powers of Pokémon… Aurelia thought they were the stupidest things and never understood how her brother could be into stuff like that. If he were alive today, he would probably be thrilled about his sister going through something similar to the protagonists in his dumb movies.

A third theory surfaced in Aurelia's mind, this one also relating to her brother's movies. What if the purple insect, which both she and Colby agreed was a creature not normally found in this region, was an alien that harbored a disease that mutated those who made physical contact with it? Aurelia remembered her brother watching a movie where Deoxys invaded the planet and grotesquely morphed those who touched it, and in turn the mutated people would change those who made contact with them. She clearly remembered poking the creature's face several times while trying to egg it on. Colby, however, hadn't laid a finger on it; therefore, he was perfectly fine. Maybe this was the creature's "redeeming" quality. Had her transmogrification been the consequence of her own folly? Aurelia didn't want to picture her downfall as a result of her own stupidity; the thought that this could have been easily avoided made her feel sick.

If this was the case, then was there an antidote? While the details were blurry, she thought she remembered the characters in the Deoxys movie finding something that turned the transformed people back to normal. Did something like this really exist in the world, or was it simply created for the sake of the movie's plot? And if this theory was true, then that would mean that the insect creature was still contagious, and so was Aurelia. Maybe it would be best if they were both destroyed; then, the strain of this disease would never reach the general populous. But it wouldn't be wise to jump to any conclusions; as odd and unfamiliar as it was, the purple Pokémon could be completely innocent and harmless.

Aurelia sighed, shifting her focus to Colby. The boy looked utterly terrified, which made her scoff. He didn't have the right to be afraid. After all, he hadn't been the one who withstood a bizarre transmogrification into some kind of Pokémon. He had merely witnessed it. "Calm down, kid. You're not making the situation any better," she hissed, fed up with both her fate and his panicking.

Aurelia noticed that speaking with telepathy came naturally to her in this form; it was no different than speaking vocally, although it didn't require lip movement and wasn't affected by the condition of her throat. She was glad that she could at least communicate with others; most Pokémon were restricted to making animalistic growls and cries.

Colby stared up at her fearfully, as if he had been intimidated by her last comment. "How… are you not bothered by this?" he asked shakily.

"You really think this doesn't bother me?" Aurelia snorted in amusement. "I've tried to stop letting myself be bothered by things. It hasn't worked. You'd think that someone who was abandoned by her whole family would just realize that her life sucks and get on with it, but alas, things don't work that way. If you really think I'm not bothered by this, then I must be pulling off a pretty decent façade." Aurelia let herself ramble, drawing out the thoughts circulating within her mind. She didn't care if it was a relevant answer to Colby's question; it just felt good to release her emotions relating to the subject.

"What? … Okay," Colby didn't seem to be following along, which didn't concern Aurelia.

She shook her head, quickly changing the subject. "Why don't you make yourself useful and tell me what kind of Pokémon I've turned into? You're a trainer, so I expect you know a lot about Pokémon."

"You're not going to believe this," Colby began, "well, maybe you are. I don't really know you, so—"

"Just get on with it," Aurelia snarled impatiently.

"You're Arceus," Colby said, free of any emotion.

"What?" Aurelia retorted in disbelief. Arceus, the Original One? As in the divine creature that birthed the universe? He had to have been mistaken! Maybe he just meant Archeops; their names were uncannily similar. He was just a rookie trainer, and a badly shaken one at that. A misconception such as that wouldn't be too big of a surprise.

"Arceus," Colby repeated, "you're Arceus."

Aurelia gave him a funny look, and then decided to take matters into her own hands. She had completely ignored the fact that she could easily examine her arms to determine what she was; this was probably out of dread or distraction, or perhaps a combination of both. She shut her eyes, lowering her head. When she opened her eyes, she expected to see the brightly colored feathers of an Archeops sprawled out in place of her human arms. But what she saw was anything but that.

Her arms had been replaced by muscular white forelegs with golden hooves where her hands had once been. This matched the recognized depiction of Arceus perfectly. There was no denying it; Colby wasn't mistaken.

She was Arceus.

Chapter Ten - Paralysis

Ben's ebony wings were raw and charred. His entire body ached, and he could feel heavy weights pressing down on him. He phased in and out of consciousness, his breathing shallow. Black patches swam around his vision. The hapless Zekrom felt too weak to try getting up; he knew he wouldn't be able to lift the weight of his own body.

A voice droned in the background, but Ben couldn't make out what it was saying. He could tell it belonged to the teenager with the Archeops; the one responsible for all of this. The Zekrom resisted the urge to rip the trainer apart. If he hadn't shown up, Ben would still be flying free. He never stopped to consider that his misfortune may have been caused by his own ignorance.

What was he supposed to do now? What did this trainer intend on doing with him? Surely if he wanted to catch him, he would've done so by now. But if that was the case, then why was he still waiting around? Was he expecting someone else to show up? Perhaps the trainer with the Archeops didn't have any Poké Balls, and was waiting for a friend to bring him some.

Regardless of what the trainer was going to do, Ben knew that he needed to get away as quickly as possible; he couldn't afford to be captured. As inquisitive as he was, the young man had never pondered how Poké Balls worked, and he wasn't willing to find out anytime soon. He was sure, however, that being caught would greatly limit the liberty granted by his new form.

There was also something he especially did not like about this particular trainer; Ben wasn't fond of how he had been treating him thus far, and he seemed to radiate a foul aura. These feelings surely could have been derived from the resentment the Zekrom felt towards the trainer after he had beaten him, though.

Ben growled, creating a crackling noise in the back of his throat. He limply lifted one of his arms before dropping it to the ground again. He then tried to curl his back and sit up, but the rocks covering his chest and belly were too heavy. The Zekrom smashed the back of his head against the ground in frustration. If only my parents were here… he snarled in his mind, they'd be able to fix me up good as new.


Ben gave up hope. He relaxed his tensed body, which became more sensitive to the rhythmic throbbing that pulsed through him. He gazed up at the blue sky in melancholy. This is where I should be. The Zekrom gritted his teeth, bile rising in his throat. How did I end up like this? Why am I even a Zekrom in the first place?


He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a ragged breath, trying to tune in what the trainer was saying. He was still hopelessly pacing around, and Ben wasn't sure whether or not the trainer was fully aware that he had regained consciousness. The Zekrom noticed he was carrying some kind of device. It took him a second to decipher what it was; a C-Gear set on the Xtransceiver function. So the trainer was trying to contact somebody. Ben swallowed hard, expecting the worst.

"Look, I've been trying to contact Lord N for fifteen minutes now. This is urgent," the trainer spat. Ben crinkled his brow in confusion. Who was this "Lord N"? It seemed like an awfully peculiar name; perhaps it was someone's codename? Not putting much thought into it, Ben continued listening.
"No, I can't speak to just any grunt. This information needs to get to Lord N." Ben assumed that the person on the other end of the Xtransceiver had said something in response; from where he was positioned, he couldn't hear. He attempted to shift his body closer, but the Zekrom was too weak to move even an inch.

"Fine, if that's the case, then I guess I have no choice but to speak with Ghetsis." The trainer's voice had a reluctant tone to it. Whoever this "Ghetsis" was had a rather interesting name as well. Ben repeated the two names in his mind, carefully observing and memorizing what was playing out around him.After a short pause, the trainer resumed speaking; "Greetings, Ghetsis. I've managed to find and capture a Pokémon hybrid." He spoke straightforwardly with confidence, as if he wanted to get right to the point.

Ben instantly recognized that he was referring to him—but what was a "Pokémon hybrid"? To Ben's understanding, a hybrid was a crossbreed of two different species; Ben had clearly become a full Zekrom. But since he assumed the trainer was talking in codes, he figured that "hybrid" could easily be a substitute for another term. Maybe it had something to do with him being a Legendary Pokémon?

"There's a bit of a problem, though," the trainer admitted, his tone weakening, "the hybrid is unconscious, but it's currently assuming its full Pokémon form. I don't know how to transport it back to headquarters."

The more the trainer spoke, the more confused and intrigued Ben became. What did "full Pokémon form" mean? Was there such thing as a "half Pokémon form"? How did that work out? Ben had never heard of anything like that; but then again, he never guessed that he would've ended up in the shape of Zekrom. He ignored that particular detail for the time being, even though it puzzled him the most.

Another part of the trainer's last reply came across as significant to Ben; apparently, he intended to take him to "headquarters". His wording reminded Ben of something he'd expect to see on TV or in a movie, and distracted him from the bitterness boiling inside of him. In a way, the trainer's conversation excited Ben; it was almost as if he was a secret agent reporting to his boss about a mission. And from what Ben understood, he was the target of this mission. This realization filled the Zekrom with adrenaline; he knew that he was stuck in a terrible situation, but he had to admit the circumstances were pretty darn cool. Ben wished he could get up and kick the stupid secret agent's butt like a movie hero, but obviously he couldn't.

"Oh, right. That makes sense. Well, hopefully it doesn't take too long." Ben noticed that the trainer sounded relieved, which probably meant bad news for him. He bit his lip, unable to deal with not knowing what would become of him. I guess I have no choice but to wait, Ben sighed in his mind, I have to admit I agree with that trainer. I hope this doesn't take too long as well.

Chapter Eleven - Human

Everything had played out exactly as Destiny had expected. Aurelia had gone through the same stomach churning transmogrification that she had experienced, and had ended up in the form of a Pokémon. However, instead of becoming a never before seen creature, Aurelia had turned into something equally bizarre; Arceus, the deity who had purportedly created the universe.

Destiny honestly wasn't surprised by the elusiveness of the Pokémon Aurelia had taken the shape of; after watching herself morph into whatever this creature was, she decided anything was possible. It all had to tie in with that weird building she had found herself in. Aurelia was undoubtedly one of the other kids she had seen in the room.

She still didn't know what the cause of these transformations was. Destiny remembered seeing the puncture wound in her arm; the point in which the purple coloring had radiated from when she began to change. This probably had something to do with it; had she been injected with some sort of substance that caused her to change? As far as she knew, stuff like that wasn't even possible.

"Arceus," Aurelia choked uncomfortably. How was she able to talk? Unlike Destiny, Aurelia didn't have a mouth, and yet she could speak and Destiny could not. The only noises that could come out of Destiny's mouth were unintelligible garbling noises. She was very frustrated with herself; if she was able to talk, she could explain everything to Colby and Aurelia. Everything would be so much more convenient, and the two would no longer think she's a powerless, unintelligent creature. She and Aurelia were suffering from the same problem; if she could communicate with her, maybe they could work together to discover the cause and return themselves to normal.

"Yes," said Colby hesitantly. Aurelia's disturbance appeared to be rubbing off on him; he was terrified to begin with, but seeing the bold and feisty girl reduced to a state of shock tampered with his emotions even more.

"That's… I don't even know what to think about this," Aurelia shook her head, her multicolored eyes enlarged with fright.

"Neither do I," Colby responded, his sight averted from the divine creature.

"Shut up!" Aurelia snapped, "Just shut up! You're still a stupid little trainer! You have absolutely nothing to worry about! You might as well just walk away right now and get on with your pathetic little life! Heck, you can go ahead and catch me for all I care! It's not like I have anything better to do!"

Colby cringed at Aurelia's fiery retort. Destiny thought it was rather uncalled for; the poor kid didn't do anything wrong. She already wasn't very fond of the girl from when she attacked her with a series of insults, and she liked her less and less as time rolled on. If the two of them did start working together somehow, Destiny wasn't sure if she'd be able to put up with her.

Colby furrowed his brows, as if he had absorbed Aurelia's anger as well. He reached into his bag and pulled out a round object—a Poké Ball. Is he… really going to try to catch her? Destiny knew she wasn't being serious, and she was afraid to see what her response to this would be.

"Bring it on!" Aurelia yelled brashly, "Get on with it!"

"Fine!" Colby shouted, yanking his arm back. He stepped forward, flinging the Poké Ball at the Arceus. It collided with her forehead and dropped to the ground. She blinked impassively, staring down at the spherical object. After several heartbeats, nothing had happened. Destiny noted that the same thing had occurred when Colby had tried to capture her; it must've been linked to their transformations.

"What the heck?" Colby exclaimed, his voice high in pitch.

"I am God! I can never be captured!" Aurelia threw her head back, her nearly maniacal laughter echoing in the air.

"What if that's not the reason?" Colby began timidly. "I don't think that's supposed to happen; not even with Pokémon like Arceus. It only happens when you try to catch a trainer's Pokémon, and I know you haven't been captured. I really don't think that new Pokémon has a trainer, either, and the same thing happened when I tried to catch it." Destiny's heart picked up when the trainer mentioned her.

"You don't know anything about Pokémon, idiot. How would you know?" Aurelia growled, seemingly back to her normal self. "What are you trying to get at, anyway?"

"I don't know," Colby answered. "You'll probably think this is really stupid, but…"

"What? What is it?" Aurelia demanded impatiently, as if she suspected what he was about to say.

"… Well, what I mean is that what happened to both of you is really similar. Do you think there's a chance that the Pokémon could be like you?" Destiny smiled mentally; someone had finally gotten the hint!

"Like me?" Aurelia repeated. "As in, a former human?" Aurelia froze for a moment, and then began laughing loudly again. "Not a chance! How could you even compare that stupid thing to me?" Destiny let out a quiet growl.

Colby sighed. "I told you it was a dumb idea. Well, I thought it sorta made sense."

"Psh, as if," snorted the Arceus.

Destiny closed her eyes. She didn't want to put up with this anymore. There had to be some way she could show the two that she had once been a human. Maybe she could try speaking again? Perhaps there had been something caught in her throat earlier. She took a deep breath, and then spoke a single word: "Wrrrlgh." Both Aurelia and Colby turned their attention to her, and she felt her face turn hot with failure.

"What was that for?" Aurelia questioned in partial amusement.

"Maybe it's trying to tell us something?" Colby suggested.

"Don't be stupid," Aurelia retorted, rolling her eyes.

Destiny wracked her brain for another idea. Maybe she could try writing a message in the dirt? The forest floor was soft and bare of vegetation, making it an optimal place to scrape in words or a picture. She would've normally used a twig or stick to write in the earth, but since she was no longer capable of holding anything, she'd have to resort to using her own hands. Luckily, the creature she had become was equipped with pointy claws; surely they'd work just as well as any old stick.

Destiny began to kneel, her legs wobbling unstably. She pressed her left arm against the ground for support, and extended the other. She started to scratch a word into the dirt with shaky handwriting, and when she was finished she squirmed out of the way so the others could see her work.

"Wait, what did it just do?" Aurelia craned her neck, trying to see what Destiny had done.

"I think it wrote something!" Colby exclaimed excitedly. He walked over to the spot on the ground and crouched in front of it. "Human," he remarked, "that's what it says."

"You're joking," Aurelia coughed.

"I'm not!" Colby cried. "I guess I really was onto something…"

"I don't get it," the Arceus muttered, still wary of Colby's claims, "that thing hasn't been acting like a normal person should."

"Well, I don't know," said Colby, "but it's true. Isn't that right?" He turned and looked at Destiny, awaiting a response.

Yes! Joy surged through Destiny's veins as she rapidly bobbed her head in approval.

"So that thing's been sitting there watching us with a human brain the entire time," Aurelia realized, "that's pretty awkward."

That's all she has to say? Destiny grumbled in her mind. No apologies or anything?

"It is," Colby agreed, turning to face Destiny. "Uh… sorry for trying to catch you earlier. I didn't know what was going on."

Destiny nodded in acceptance. He's not a bad kid, she thought, glaring at Aurelia, unlike her.

"There's still another thing that's bugging me," Colby admitted. "I don't have a clue what you are. Do you know?"

She froze for a second, and then slowly shook her head. She didn't have the slightest clue; but then again, she didn't know too much about Pokémon. She also hadn't gotten a chance to really look at her new shape, but what she had seen didn't match any Pokémon she recognized. It seemed awfully strange to her that neither of the two knew what she was; was it really possible that she was a Pokémon no one had ever seen before?

Chapter Twelve - Reversal

Colby's first day as a Pokémon trainer was becoming crazier by the second, although most of his shock and horror had been converted to intrigue and possibly a touch of wonder. As if witnessing Aurelia transform into Arceus wasn't ridiculous enough, he had now gained the knowledge that the Pokémon he previously had his eyes on used to be a human as well. Why in the world was this happening? Would he turn into a Pokémon, too? Everything was so confusing!

"Now what do we do?" Aurelia questioned all of the sudden. "We aren't going to get anything accomplished by sitting here. Well, it's not like there's anything we can do, anyway. How exactly am I supposed to fit in with the rest of the world? It just won't work."

"I dunno," Colby replied with a shrug, "you've got a point there." What could the two humans turned Pokémon possibly do? If they reentered civilization, they'd undoubtedly stir up a storm of trouble. A never before seen Pokémon and a creature with an uncanny likeness to the being that created the universe were sure to attract unwanted attention. The two of them would evidently be captured, and what went on from there was anyone's guess. Would they be put on display? Experimented on? Misused? There was no way for them to take one step out of the forest and remain safe and unbound.

"Gee, thanks for the help," Aurelia muttered. "I sorta wish you could've caught me. At least then I'd be able to get out of this forest one way or another. I mean, how do you expect me to sleep out here? What are we going to do about food?"

Colby didn't respond, as he was too perplexed by Aurelia's comment about food when she didn't have a mouth. How did Arceus live without eating, anyway? Maybe it didn't need to; it was a godly being, after all.

"Eh…" Aurelia murmured, dissatisfied. She was beginning to stand, and she didn't seem very comfortable with her new posture. "Geez, standing on four legs is really weird." Colby watched impassively as she strolled around in a circle.

The other creature was watching as well, its red eyes following the Arceus as she moved. It was impossible for Colby to read its emotions; its mouth was upturned in a wide grin as if its face was frozen like that. Its eyes conveyed little sentiment, too—its scarlet gaze was like that of a predator, and it seemed to stare past the faces of those it was focusing on.

The Pokémon's intimidating appearance slightly unnerved Colby, but at the same time he felt sorry for it. It was still a human on the inside; a human he'd never know anything about. He wished he could know its story—who it was before it met this fate. He didn't know its name, or even if it was a boy or a girl. At least Aurelia was still able to fluently communicate after being transformed; this creature was restricted to writing short messages in the dirt and nodding or shaking its head.

"So, what's your name?" Colby decided to ask, turning to the bug-like creature. It looked at him for a moment, and then faced the earth. The Pokémon reached out to begin writing, but before its claw made contact with the ground it let out a low growl and fell forward.

"Huh? Are you okay?" Colby realized right away that this situation seemed oddly familiar; he remembered going through the same thing when Aurelia had started her transformation.

"What?" Aurelia came to a sudden halt. She cringed at the sight of the purple creature, which was sprawled out on its stomach with its face pressed against the dirt. "It's not dead, is it? Because if it's dead, then that probably means I'm going to die, too… that's just perfect."

"No, it's definitely not dead. I don't know what's going on," Colby responded fearfully, examining the Pokémon. It was still breathing; in fact, its breaths were faster and more stressful. It began to scrabble at the ground wildly before falling still seconds later.

"Do you have a Potion or something?" Aurelia asked, barely concerned. "I don't know if that would do anything to help, since Poké Balls didn't work."

"Uh… no, I don't…" Colby became upset with himself for neglecting to purchase a batch of Potions while he was at the Poké Mart. Along with Poké Balls, Potions were very crucial items to trainers. It was difficult to triumph through grueling battles without the usage of a Potion or two. And in the event of a dire situation like this, the medicine might be the answer between life and death.

"Well, it's too late to go and buy some. I guess we're gonna have to wait and see what happens." Aurelia seated herself a few yards away from the other Pokémon.

Afraid, Colby kept his eyes locked on the creature. Its breathing was becoming progressively slower, and he wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. Colby was sure his mind was playing tricks on him, but the Pokémon's violet exoskeleton looked like it was becoming thinner. Colby rubbed his eyes, trying to expel the image from his vision. When he regained his focus, the creature was in the same state as he had last seen it.

The color was fading from the Pokémon's body, and it was quickly replaced by shades of blue and light peach. The sheen its exoskeleton once gave off lessened, indicating that its body was no longer metallic. The blue areas of its body, which covered its upper body and legs, separated themselves from its skin and gained a fabric-like texture, giving them the appearance of clothing.

Its legs lengthened and became rounder, and its joints became less pronounced. Its feet were covered by what could only be described as shoes. Its elbows ceased to protrude past its upper arms. Its claws unfurled into ten digits, with five on each hand. Its cannon melted into its back, blending with its pale blue shirt.

The creature's abdomen moved up its body, causing its skinny waist to expand. Its shoulders grew flatter, and its neck became broader. Its head contracted and became rounder, and a mane of blond hair erupted from the top. The figure, who was clearly no longer a Pokémon, lay motionless."That totally didn't just happen," Aurelia sputtered in denial.

"But… how…" Colby found himself lost for words. The creature had regained its human form, as if Colby's wishes had been answered. Did that mean Aurelia was going to turn back to normal as well?

The girl who had once been the purple Pokémon raised her head nervously and gazed at Aurelia and Colby in fright and embarrassment. Colby thought she looked like she was about to cry. He wanted to say something to the girl, but he couldn't think of anything reasonable to say. She looked too utterly terrified to answer any questions, and Colby wished he could coax her out of her state of shock.

"I'm not sure which is weirder; the fact that she turned back into a human, or how she's wearing clothes…" the Arceus cawed.

Be quiet, Colby hissed in his mind, that's not going to help any. He didn't understand why Aurelia always had to blurt out comments at every waking opportunity. It was as if she wanted the spotlight to be on her at all times—she ignored how there were usually more pressing matters that should be attended to first. She may have taken on the appearance of a deity, but she was essentially still Aurelia; she was no more important than anyone else.

"Are you… okay?" Colby finally said with little confidence. He had let that phrase slip from his mouth so many times that he was beginning to feel like a broken record.

The girl only stared at him, choking back sobs. Annoyed, Aurelia trotted over to her, bending down so she was at the girl's level. "Okay, why aren't you talking? You should take advantage of the fact that you can speak again. Be thankful that you got to turn back to normal."

The girl raised her hand to her face, as if she was unaware that she had returned to her human shape. She spun it around if front of her, studying each detail in subdued amazement. She then dropped her arms to the ground, letting out a sharp gasp of relief.

Colby wondered why it took her so long to react to things. Even as a Pokémon, she displayed a highly passive and inert nature. The only time she showed enthusiasm was when she was trying to confirm that she was in fact a human.

"Geez, did it really take you that long to notice? I mean, couldn't you feel yourself morph? I certainly could!" Aurelia sneered.

"… Yes," the girl answered uncertainly, her voice flat. Colby was relieved to finally hear her speak. Now that she had gotten ahead of that obstacle, perhaps he could find out more about her. He could already tell she was most definitely a nicer person than Aurelia; she seemed to have a calm temperament, and didn't look like one to throw insults around.

"Good. Now that we've got you talking, why don't you start by telling us your name?" Aurelia inquired.

"Destiny," the girl mumbled shyly.

"Interesting," Aurelia scoffed. "If you didn't already know, I'm Aurelia."

"My name's Colby," Colby announced brightly, trying to impose a friendly image.

Destiny nodded, twirling her hair around her finger. "I'm sorry, this is just… I don't know."

"Pretty weird, huh? Well, now that you're you again, you have nothing to worry about. Just put this all behind you and move on. If you go off on your way right now, you can get on with your life and forget this ever happened. I wish I could do the same…" Aurelia sighed, lowering her head."I'm… not so sure about that," Destiny admitted diffidently.

"What do you mean?" the Arceus questioned.

"What if… what if it happens again? I don't know why, but I have a feeling this isn't supposed to be a onetime thing."

Aurelia paused. "… Don't be silly. I don't see how or why you would turn into that thing again. You're just letting yourself succumb to fear." Colby noticed an unsettling lack of confidence in Aurelia's tone. He practically knew nothing about their transformations and what caused them, but Destiny's hypothesis did reasonable. Judging by Aurelia's reaction, she felt the same about it.

Colby didn't think changing back and forth from human to Pokémon would be that bad of a thing. In fact, it sounded sort of cool to him. Colby would often dream about being a Pokémon, but at the same time he wanted to fulfill his destiny as a trainer. If he could be like Aurelia and Destiny, he could have the best of both worlds.

He didn't understand what the two girls had against being able to turn into Pokémon; there were so many things they could do in their new forms! With the powers they now possessed, they could probably become something on the level of superheroes. Surely if they used their abilities for the good of Unova, they wouldn't attract as much negative attention.

Colby knew that Aurelia and Destiny would never agree to something like that; they were obviously more intent on returning to normal. But if he was in their shoes, he'd take full advantage of his new gift.

"I know," Destiny replied quietly, "I guess you could consider me paranoid. I just really don't want to go through that again… especially when I'm around others. I was lucky enough to have it happen to me in a secluded area, and I don't want to risk having it happen in a more public area. I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to wait here until I can verify that I won't change into that thing again."

"But that could take ages!" Aurelia protested.

"I'd rather be safe than sorry." Destiny shrugged.

"How do you intend on staying alive in this forest, anyway? There's nothing to eat, no shelter… I'm having a hard enough time as it is!" argued Aurelia."Maybe I could help?" Colby offered.

"What could you possibly do?" the Arceus coughed.

"I could bring you food and stuff," he answered.

"Yeah, that would help a ton!" Destiny praised gratefully. "I mean, you don't have to, but that would be incredibly kind of you."

"No problem, it's fine!" Colby exclaimed. "Maybe I could also set up a tent so you wouldn't have to sleep outside."

"Thanks, Colby! You're awesome!" Colby enjoyed hearing Destiny's extolment; it gave him a warm feeling inside, as if he was a hero. He'd evidently gain more of this respect if he could turn into a Pokémon… but that was only a distant fantasy. It felt good to accomplish something on his own without the use of a Pokémon's powers, though.

"… I suppose I might as well wait it out with you," Aurelia muttered, giving in. "My whole life's been robbed from me. I have nowhere else to go, and nothing better to do. I really hope you're wrong about this, Destiny. And more importantly, I hope I at least turn back to normal like you did."

"So do I." Destiny responded, smiling. "Don't worry; I'm sure I was just letting my paranoia get the better of me. And I'm sure you'll become a human again; if I did, then you will, too. Everything's going to be fine; we'll get through this together."

Chapter Thirteen - Altered Destination

The Zekrom groaned sorely, its voice like a dull rumble of thunder. It extended a muscular arm lethargically and weakly clawed at the air. The hybrid peeled back its lips, exposing a set of pearly white teeth.

Dragon could feel a grin creeping up his face. Finally, he thought, overjoyed. Smiling, he turned to face Archeops, who was curiously gazing at the hybrid. "We've waited long enough. It looks like it's time."

The Zekrom's charcoal-colored skin gradually faded into a pale shade of peach. Its tendril-like mane was pulled toward the back of its skull, and it split into strands of thick, chestnut hair. Its face flattened and the spike that crested its snout formed into a human nose. The hybrid's intimidating serrated teeth became dull. Its sclerae whitened and its irises turned a deep chocolate color.

The creature's broad neck shrank considerably, and the pointy spike on the back of it dissolved into its skin. Its wings folded into its shoulders, which were beginning to narrow. Its arms became skinnier and the webbed protrusions that jutted out over its claws melted away. Its heavy claws grew nimble, and two more sprouted from each newly forming hand. The hybrid's pointed elbows became less pronounced.

What appeared to be a black sweatshirt and jeans covered its torso and limbs. The hybrid's body grew scrawnier and less toned. Its legs thinned out and its shins lengthened. White sneakers stretched over its huge feet, which shrank rapidly. Its enormous, turbine-like tail was absorbed into its back.

Dragon held back a snicker. Just moments ago, the hybrid had been in the shape of a menacing black dragon, and now he was reduced to the form of a pale, nerdy looking teenager who couldn't have been any older than him. It's incredible what science has done, thought Dragon, turning a pathetic little twig into a fearsome monster and back again. It's horrible and yet awe-inspiring at the same time.

"Now, Archeops!" Dragon shouted, throwing out his arm and pointing at the Pokémon. "Grab him by the hood of his sweatshirt!" Archeops screeched shrilly and dove at the hybrid, who seemed to be in a daze and wasn't concerned. The First Bird Pokémon shoved its head into the hybrid and flipped him onto his side before lunging at him and snagging the hood of his black sweatshirt in its jaws. Archeops pulled its head back and tugged the hybrid upright.

"Good job," Dragon praised cheerily. "You can hold him down for a few minutes, right? I've gotta report this to Ghetsis." The Pokémon nodded in response, still tightly gripping the hood in its mouth. I wonder what that sweatshirt's made out of, Dragon thought. It's a miracle it's so durable.

Dragon brought his left arm, which was where he kept his bright green C-Gear, to his face and opened the Xtransceiver function. He quickly punched in a number, and seconds later an image of Ghetsis flickered onto the screen.

"Has the hybrid returned to normal, Drake?" Ghetsis inquired anxiously, as if he had been waiting for the grunt to call him.

"Yep, that's why I contacted you," Dragon answered. "It's pretty out of it; must've scrambled its brains when I was trying to ground it. It's not struggling or trying to put up a fight or anything, so that's good news. Should I bring it to headquarters?"

"Actually," Ghetsis began, "I'm at a meeting in a building northwest of Nuvema. I'd prefer if you brought it directly to me—I don't want the lousy grunts back at headquarters doing anything stupid with it."

"Nuvema?" Dragon repeated tentatively. "That's pretty far away… you don't think the hybrid will turn into a Pokémon again on the way there, do you?"

"It won't," Ghetsis insisted bluntly.

"Oh, okay," the grunt replied, an uncertain tone to his voice. Why is he so sure of himself?

Ghetsis continued, "If you're worried about it, I'd get moving. The building is sort of isolated; it's surrounded by forest on one side, and water on the other. You'll know it when you see it—it has a rather loud green roof."

"Got it," said Dragon, "I'll be there shortly." He bowed his head to the official before switching off the Xtransceiver. The grunt then announced to his Pokémon, "We're going on a bit of a trip. I need you to fly the hybrid and me to a green-roofed building northwest of Nuvema Town. Our hybrid here doesn't look very heavy, so I doubt he'll make this difficult for you. And he's being so well-behaved and calm, too! Maybe Ghetsis will decide to spare him if he keeps being good." The grunt walked over to the Zekrom hybrid and lightly kicked him in the shin tauntingly. The hybrid glared at him hatefully, but remained still.

"You ready, Archeops?" Dragon asked. "Ghetsis said we should try to hurry." Archeops murmured something unintelligible and lowered its back obediently. The Plasma grunt mounted the Pokémon, who then began to ascend toward the clouds. Archeops seemed to struggle at first; it wasn't used to the extra weight pulling down on its head. The hardy creature quickly overcame the issue, though, and was soon soaring in the direction of Nuvema Town.

"Where are you taking me?" the hybrid grumbled all of the sudden.

"Excuse me?" Dragon said, peering over Archeops's shoulder. He only decides to start talking now?

"I said, where are you taking me?" he growled, his tone more intense. "And for that matter, what am I? You seem to know a lot about this. Who was that man you were talking to?"

Dragon furrowed his brows. "Shut your trap, hybrid. You're nothing but a piece of prey to me. You don't need any of that information; you just need to be quiet and stay still."

"Hybrid," the brown-haired boy repeated, "you keep using that word when you talk about me. Would it hurt to at least call me by my real name, Ben? And what do you mean when you say 'hybrid'?"

"Shut up," Dragon commanded, "I have no reason to call you by your name, filthy animal."

Ben sighed. "I don't understand why you're treating me like this. As far as I know, I didn't do anything wrong. If all of this has anything to do with how I turned into Zekrom, it's not my fault. I woke up like this."

Dragon didn't respond. He was almost beginning to feel bad for the hybrid; it was true that none of this was his fault. He was a normal teenager with his whole life ahead of him. He didn't choose to become a hybrid—he was turned into one against his will. It seemed unfair that this innocent youth would most likely have to be put to death for something completely beyond his control. Dragon had to remind himself that he was probably doing Ben a favor. There was no way a Pokémon hybrid could possibly fit in with society, so his chance of becoming a successful young man was already ruined. He shouldn't have to go through all the pain and agony of living with his altered body, either. And so many other people would be spared if his existence was eliminated—as a Zekrom, Ben didn't seem very destructive, but Ghetsis said that hybrids could be unpredictable.

"So you're giving me the silent treatment, eh?" Dragon felt as if Ben was trying to stir up a fight—like he wanted to see how long it would take for him to finally lose it. It was no wonder that the hybrid was so edgy—there were a lot of things that Dragon was hiding from him. The grunt didn't actually have a reason for not explaining anything to him, but he decided that he'd be better off without knowing.

The sky was painted with warm shades of orange when the lights of Nuvema Town finally came into view. The hybrid had given up on trying to get information out of Dragon and kept to himself for the rest of the flight. Archeops was starting to look a bit drowsy, and was beating its wings at a progressively slower pace. "Hang in there, Archeops; just a little more to go!" Dragon called. The creature made a soft gurgling noise in reply.

Now, where is that building…? Dragon surveyed the land below impatiently. It's kind of weird that they chose to have their meeting in such a remote location. It seems suspicious; it's like they're at some kind of top secret hideout. Just what is this meeting about, and why do they need to hide from everyone? If it's still going on, then dang, that's one heck of a meeting. I could never sit around and listen to people talk for that long. Honestly, none of this should surprise me. Ghetsis is quite the eccentric man… I wouldn't put it past him to pull off something like this.

Dragon finally caught sight of the green-roofed building a second too late; Archeops had already sailed over it. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" the Plasma grunt hollered, nearly hysterical.

His Pokémon quizzically glanced at him out of the corner of its eye. "Mrwwwm?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" Dragon cried. "You flew straight past it!" As soon as the young man had finished speaking, a realization popped into his head—Archeops were colorblind. Feeling bad immediately, he swiftly apologized to his Pokémon. "Sorry… I guess I let my anger get the better of me. How about you land right here instead?"

Archeops grunted and bobbed its head timidly. It dove forward, its wings spread out wide. It slowed to a halt several feet above the ground and let Dragon slide off its back.

"Great job," the grunt praised, removing Archeops's Poké Ball from his belt. "Return for now, my friend. You deserve your rest!" He held the Ball out on the creature's level, and it was instantly pulled into it. Ben, who no longer had Archeops's support, fell to the ground pathetically.

"On your feet," Dragon ordered, bending over and grabbing a hold of the hybrid's arm. He yanked the boy, who didn't bother to struggle, upright. "Don't even think about trying anything," Dragon warned him, a slight hint of hesitation in his voice. "I have permission to kill you if trouble arises."

"How lovely," Ben mused nonchalantly. "No worries, I'll be good. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have in store for me."

Dragon rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed by the hybrid's indifferent attitude. Well, I guess I'm glad he's not upset that I'm dragging him off to his doom. I don't know if I'd be able to deal with that. The grunt began to walk off in the direction of the lurid green-roofed building, pulling the hybrid along with him.

"So, what's your name?" Ben asked curiously. "Can you at least tell me that much?"

The grunt frowned. "My name is Drake, but you can call me Dragon."

"Dragon, eh?" The hybrid chuckled. "What a weird nickname. You'd think it would suit me better, no?"

"Shut up," Dragon scoffed, offended. The grunt had assigned the nickname to himself because he felt that dragons represented power, and he wanted others to see him as a strong person. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly get the reactions he had expected—like Ben, most people ridiculed his unusual nickname, often calling it "lame" or "cheesy". I wonder what they'll think of me and my name once they find out I captured the first hybrid?

Ben apparently decided it'd be wise to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the walk, much to Dragon's relief. It didn't take very long for the two of them to arrive at the building. Aside from its annoyingly green roof, the structure gave off an official aura. Its walls were concrete, and a glass door stood at its entrance. A small steel plaque near the door read P2 LABORATORY.

P2 Laboratory? What's that supposed to mean? Dragon stared at the plaque in puzzlement. I don't get it. Why would the Team Plasma officials choose to meet in a place like this? I wouldn't have thought that they'd want to associate themselves with some kind of laboratory… what could they be doing?

"What's the matter?" the hybrid questioned, trying to get a look at the sign.

"Nothing," Dragon answered, "let's go inside." He shoved open the door, half-surprised that it wasn't locked.

The foyer had an empty, desolate feel to it; it was hard for Dragon to believe that the Plasma officials were holding a meeting somewhere within the bowels of the building. The air was unusually chilly, as if someone had left the air conditioning on for no reason in particular.

"Interesting place you've got here," Ben commented snidely, studying the lobby's plain white walls.

"I've never been here before. I don't even know what this place is." Dragon trudged into a wide hallway at the end of the foyer. Several doors lined the walls, and the grunt wasn't sure which one led to the room the officials were conferencing in. The hall was silent; Dragon couldn't hear any voices from within the rooms. Surely I won't get in trouble if I make a simple mistake? It's not like they told me where to go or anything.

He hesitantly reached for the handle of the first door he came across. The grunt gingerly poked his head inside and found that the room was dim, with the only light source coming from a row of computers. That's odd. Well, this is a laboratory after all… they're probably conducting research on something that doesn't involve me. Though, I'm still not sure why Plasma would need to do anything like that… it's a Pokémon rights activist group, isn't it?

Dragon knew he should've turned away and tried another door, but something about this room intrigued him. He wasn't usually one who took interest in the affairs of others, but he felt as if this concerned him directly. He wandered into the room, pulling the hybrid along with him.

The computers are on, but no one's here… Dragon bent over in front of one, scanning the words on the screen. Most of what was written was an incomprehensible mess—strange terms that the grunt had never heard on, and what he assumed were codes such as D132A and GMP156. Dragon couldn't even make out the general idea of what these reports were on. He stood up, his mind buzzing.

Ben raised an eyebrow, suspiciously shifting his gaze around the room. "My guess would be that you don't know what you're doing."

"Of course I don't, you idiot," Dragon hissed. "Like I said, I've never been here before. I'm just as lost as you are. We'd have the same luck if you were leading the way."

"If only," the hybrid sniggered. "I think I'd just mosey on out of here and get back to what I was doing before you decided to kidnap me."

"Nice try, but it won't be that easy." I'm surprised he hasn't tried anything like that yet. He may be frail, but if he was really desperate there might be a chance that he could get away. Why is he so eager to comply with my orders? Is he afraid of what I'll do if he disobeys me? Archeops did mess him up pretty bad when he was in his Zekrom form… he probably doesn't want to find out what will happen to him when he's a weak little human.

Dragon suddenly took notice of a sturdy steel door in the back of the room. It was covered in a series of complicated locks, but for some reason they were all unhinged. Ooh… if there's anywhere Ghetsis doesn't want me snooping around, that would be it. But how come it isn't locked? Why would they go through all the trouble of setting up all those locks if they weren't going to use them? Maybe it's because someone's in there… that can't be where the officials are meeting, can it? He took a deep breath. It's worth a shot. What's the worst that can happen? If it's not the right room, I'll leave before anyone can notice. Well, unless someone other than the officials is in there… But we're all on the same side, right? I assume this is a Plasma facility… surely they'd be willing to help me find the right room. After all, I think I hold at least a smidge of authority around here… I captured the first hybrid!

With a smug grin on his face, the grunt confidently marched over to the door and threw it open.