Malamar is not your friend! It will brainwash your friend and steal your body if given the opportunity.
Disclaimer: The following is a fan-fiction parody. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is owned by The Pokémon Company International, Game Freak, and Nintendo. Please support the official release. Certain dialogue featured in this story is lifted directly from Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Content Warning: Fan Fiction Funsies: Mega Malamar’s Mega Takeover contains content that some readers might find disturbing or uncomfortable. This includes sexually suggestive content, mind control, identity death, and forced physical transformation. This work is not appropriate for minors. Reader discretion is advised.
- Foreword
- Act 1: The Journal of Megabigale
- Act 2: Malamar’s Takeover
- Act 3: Malamar’s Conquest
- Act 4: Megabigale’s Big Score
Foreword
Leading up to the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, I was bouncing back ideas with my friend Missy Scrumptious about a story involving some of the newly revealed Pokémon and characters. Specifically, a story about a Mega Malamar swapping bodies with its trainer, and engaging in body swaps throughout Lumiose City. All based on the— honestly genius— My Friend Malamar marketing campaign launched by The Pokémon Company leading up to Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s release.
I played the game, reviewed it, thoroughly enjoyed it, and was inclined to just let this idea pass me by, to move onto something that I had scheduled. But knowing that I would get some bratty nudging from Missy if I let this idea die out, I decided that I HAD to make something. A Pokémon fanfic that ‘loosely’ adapted the story of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, inspired by my own playthrough and various conversations I had with Missy before, during, and after my playthrough of the game.
Originally, I planned on making it a small 5,000 to 10,000 word story, a collection of journal entries written by the protagonist and then entries written by the Malamar after it steals her body. Not because I thought that would be the best way to tell the story, but because I thought it would be the easiest. It was to be small project, I did not feel I needed an outline given that it was based on a video game campaign, so I rushed ahead, and it wound up… mutating rapidly.
I allowed ideas to build on top of each other, without much forethought, before ending in a bombastic manner. I took the idea of journal entries and ditched it partway as I wanted to incorporate character dialogue, because it is just better sometimes. And in lieu of rigidly following the entire structure of PLZA, I took the parts I liked the most and tried to feature its ensemble of characters so that everybody gets at least something. …Except for two who I just could not be bothered to do anything with, as it would interrupt the narrative flow and would add on at least 2,000 words.
Additionally, inspired by further conversations with Missy, I determined to make this story something more than write a spur of the moment fanfic. I decided that this story should be canon within my broader narrative universe, The Saga of Dawn and Dusk. Canonically, the story is an interquel between The Malice of Abigale Quinlan (2016) and Psycho Bullet Festival 2222 (2022). One that follows the eponymous Verde Dusk as she goes on an eight-year-long journey, shifting across 256 universes in, landing in a different body each time, stuck there until she fulfills some nebulous task. Basically Quantum Leap (1989), but weirder and cooler.
There is something to be said about compromising the narrative integrity of an original story by canonically incorporating fan fiction as part of its larger narrative. But I can assure you that this is just another adventure in the life of Verde Dusk, relapsed God, and really has no bearing on the broader story. It’s just a bit of fun continuity wrangling, born from a decade long trend of creating and role-playing as my original characters in various video games. Don’t think about it too hard, as this is all just Fan Fiction Funsies. A label I created in 2020, used three times to tell increasingly bizarre stories, and decided to bring back because… if the box fits, it fits.
Returning to the subject of Mega Malamar’s Mega Takeover, the end result is messy and lopsided. It reads like a spur of the moment bit of fiction, because it is one. A story I wrote in a week and a half, not knowing where it would ultimately end. The scope of the storytelling during the final third becomes far too devoted to smaller details for what was meant to be a broader bit of storytelling. And there is no shortage of untapped potential that I could have delved into if I wanted to make a work twice, thrice, or four times as long and detailed.
Still, I am glad that I pursued this project and that I FINALLY finished and released a piece of fiction. It has been over a year since I was last able to do that, as I was so bogged down by work, reviews, showcases, and Rundowns. I hope this can serve as a bit of a palate cleanser. A refresh. A way for me to get back on the saddle and start pursuing fiction, my highest love, yet again.
エフ³ : 二次創造の楽しみ
Efu Efu Efu: Fan Fiction Funsies
Pokémon Legends: Zygarde – Alternative – Mega Malamar’s Mega Takeover
Act 1: The Journal of Megabigale
Day 01
Shift number 207. Honestly, I’m getting a trifle bit sick of all of this. You try to destroy all existence one time and you get stuck quantum leaping between Scenarios for literal years. How many has it been at this point? At least six! I complain, because it’s one of the only tools I have to remain sane, but at least this Scenario seems palatable.
My life is not in mortal danger. I don’t need to fight silicon-based horrors who refuse to recognize carbon-based lifeforms as sentient. I just need to go through Pokémon adventures. Marking the… sixth time I’ve done this? I should be surprised that Pokémon occupies such a significant part of the reference materials, but when one of your foundational memories involves playing your friend’s copy of Pokémon Sapphire, you are effectively stuck with Pokémania for all eternity. Oh joy, oh rapture, what an obsession to have.
Right, I suppose I should actually write something coherent. The people here will not be able to read my written word, but somebody other than me might read this in the distant future.
My name is Verde Dusk. Former ruler of everything, and current dimensional vagabond, hopping between universes, i.e., Scenarios, hoping the next leap will be the leap home. Truly a riveting concept worthy of making it into its eighth season.
This latest shift has sent me into a Scenario that appears to be a procedurally generated Pokémon story set in Lumiose City, the main city of Pokémon X and Y. I have taken on the role of a vacationer who was, predictably, roped into an adventure by a spry young tart by the name of Taunie. A proper young adult, seemingly inclined to function as both my professor and rival, roping me into her little community service organization, dubbed Team MZ.
I have long-since learned to not deny the call to adventure in these Scenarios, so I have not objected to this arrangement. I do work for them, I get free lodging at an antiquated yet clean hotel, and I get to go on my own Pokémon adventure with a Totodile by my side. What is there for me to object to? Not much. I may as well enjoy this latest leap, and hopefully I will be able to conclude this journey within a month. That ought to be enough time to accrue a powerful team, snag a legendary or six, and defeat whatever mastermind is brewing in the background.
Oh, I do love predictability and formula. At this point, it is the most I can hope for. …Other than freedom. Ugh. I really hope I can recover these journals when all is said and done. Otherwise, I am just wasting my damn time writing this crap down every night!
Day 02
Well, that was a long yet productive day. I amassed a serviceable team by exploring one of those ‘newfangled’ Wild Zones. I met a former terrorist turned government lapdog. I entered a nightly state-sponsored battle tournament where they just give money away. I beat up a taxi driving amateur who does not understand that Pokémon need to be leveled up. And I made friends with the other members of Team MZ.
Taunie can be pushy, if not rude, at times, but she has devoted herself to helping people in a way that I can’t criticize as some hapless tourist to this city— and world. I just hope her ditzy nature does not bite me in the rump later. And that her croissant curry doesn’t give me indigestion. I never know how my new bodies will handle food, and when you blend that much better and spice, you are asking for a fart fiesta.
Naveen is rather eccentric in his style— what is that green tie doing? But he is a respectable young man with the passion and diligence to get what he wants. A reliable ally who is unlikely to screw me over.
AZ is here, for some reason, and owns the hotel I am staying at, but… why is a 3,000-year-old 9-foot-tall man with bad knees trying to run a hotel? How does he clean the floors? Does he even know how to use a computer, let alone run a modern business?
While Lida is clearly a TransSex version of Tierno from X and Y. She mentioned a brother, but I know how the Scenario Generator works. It cannot resist the urge to ‘TG’ a character for purposes like this. I just wonder who else was subjected to Rapid Inexplicable Feminization. That said, Lida is a girl with a goal. I may think that being a professional dancer is a fool’s profession— a dance teacher is far in a way more stable, especially if teaching children— but she’s young. She will learn the realities of the world, and won’t need to go to war to learn them.
Then there is Emma, who… Scenario Generator just had to make the orphaned child a sexy detective with a pair of hams for an ass, didn’t it? I would object, but her cute bob, purple eyes, black skinsuit, feline smirk, and dark tan complexion make her, inarguably, my type.
Oh how I miss my wife. I currently, sorta, look like my Abigale, and even carry her name as Megabigale— Mega-Abigale— but I want to be with her. To talk to her, enjoy a meal with her, and then get inside her in the traditional way. Well, as traditional as sex between two ‘NeoFutanaris’ can get. (I know that term was stupid, but it was the best I could fathom at the time.)
I just hope that I get the opportunity to explore the city and build a team at my own pace sometime tomorrow. I don’t know what roster I have at my disposal, but anything would be better than a Pichu.
Day 03
Ah, today feels like the first true day I’ve had since I entered this city. I was finally allowed to actually explore this place in earnest, not restricted by the pull of my supposed companions. Free to venture into alcoves, the murky underbrush of this… shockingly small city. And free to get out of that lame green and black jacket. I love green— I named myself Verde, as in Ver-day after all. But that lime green shade was just unsightly.
Unfortunately, the shops in this town are a scattered and hectic mess. Merely finding an outfit that worked for me, that felt distinctly me, was an ordeal that had me running around in circles. (Thank GOD I have seemingly endless stamina in this world.) I eventually found something that suited my purposes. A blue trench coat with white trousers, and black boots. A little hot, but it’s 8 bloody degrees out here. I don’t know how Taunie is prancing about in short-shorts, jacket, and crop top. I considered snagging something lighter for myself, but if I am going to be climbing up scaffolding, shuffling through the dirt, and wrestling Pokémon, I want something durable and resilient.
As for what I have been doing, the answer is a cornucopious deluge of things. Catching Pokémon to fill a Pokédex for the former terrorist. Becoming the go-to crap-do-er for a city of people with problems that require five minutes to solve, while Emma does nothing but sit on her fat spandex-clad keister. And collecting glowing screws scattered about by climbing up haphazardly laid out scaffolding, rushing up ladders, among other exploratory guff. I’m just glad this faux Paris is only a fraction the size of Chicago or St. Louis… Actually, I think this place is only a square kilometer in size. That’s barely even a town!
Needless to say, it was a preternaturally lengthy day, but a productive one. My team blossomed into something impressive with Croconaw, Flaaffy, Fletchling, Lucario, Clefable, and an alpha Victreebel. It was more than enough to trounce any two-bit opponent I found in the Z-A Battle Royale that ate up my night, which is so refreshingly… animated. Sneaking up on Trainers, slaying their partner Pokémon in a single blow, completely unaware, and getting paid double for my proficiency. I know I won’t be able to bring the money with me, I know it’s only about 250 smackers— depending on the conversion rate of yen and the dollar— but I love feeling like a master after being in a world for only a few days!
Day 04
Oh, the routine has already settled in. Cater to the unassuming masses by doing all their problems. Leap across rooftops like an Assassin’s Creed protagonist. Catch new wild Pokémon in these Wild Zone ghettos. I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy it, but I would also be lying if I said it felt like the best use of my time. Taming giant angry alpha monkeys I found on rooftops, collecting shiny bobbles to exchange for plushies of power, all before schooling some grade schooler whose ace was a damn poodle.
But if the goal is to get from Rank Z to A in this tournament, then I will be here for quite some time. I’ve only just reached Rank X, after all. This will assuredly be tedious, but it’s better than trench warfare. Or fighting the Bricks again. Ugh.
Day 05
Ah, another opportunity to abuse the flow of time occurred, so I naturally made use of it to accumulate whatever odds and ends I could from the hapless denizens of Lumiose City. Like a pair of spectacles for my Clefable, the Kalos starters, a shiny sheep, and even a Charmander. Because my giant floating Victreebel is a more than sufficient grass-poison type, thank you very much. I was hoping to go with the flow with another W to reach Rank W by defeating some fat chef, and get on with my night. …But the Scenario Generator had different plans for me.
Zygarde 10% Forme— the dog one— just had to grab me and launch me up a rooftop— with its bloody mouth— and into the heart of battle against a Rogue Mega Evolved Absol. AZ threw me a spare Mega Lucario and Mega Ring to take down this Dark-type with little issue. Sure, it would have been easier with MY Lucario, but AZ has to be senile at this point. Regardless, I tamed this Absol, claiming him as my own. Which is good, as these wolves of misfortune have been a ripe dastard to find, let alone catch up to this point.
I just hope that I can find some decent Mega Evolutions without taking my team apart. I know what to expect from X and Y and ORAS, but that does not mean my team will be ideal.
Day 06
Plus Moves? Plus Moves?! Why did you wait so many days to tell me of this bold new innovation to Pokémon battling? Oh… why bother getting frustrated. Taunie and the gang have treated me like a child since they met me, so should I even be surprised that they kept this information from me for so long? I think not!
After Taunie had an arbitrary battle with me, I headed deeper into the city to meet with some corporate man-bun, mutton-chopped meat-slab who wanted to recruit me to his company, Quasartico Inc. I don’t pretend to know what they are, but they required me to go through another night of battles before I could prove myself worthy to work for him. Meaning I spent my nights battling it out and my day exploring as I looked for new members to add to my team. I ultimately decided on adding a Tynamo and Excadrill to my team— replacing Ampharos and Lucario, as they seemed a bit passé. Tynamo, or rather Eelektross, is an Electric-type with levitate, so they are, objectively, the best monotype electric Pokémon. While Excadrill is simply a speedy powerhouse with a good type combination.
I hoped that tonight’s battles would have enough yield to evolve young Tynamo, but alas, my opponents were not quite at my level, even without any team members capable of Mega Evolution.
Day 07
RANK F! F you, Scenario Generator! Do not yank me around like that! I demand respect! You presented me with the Z-A Royale. A 26 rank hierarchy that I had to rise up one point at a time, before becoming a Rank A Trainer and getting… I dunno, a wish or something. Just like in Master of Material Hearts! But noooo! Instead, you just have me jump from Rank V to Rank F in a single battle against the man-bun dude. Vinnie I think his name was— even though I freaking blacklisted my deadnames! God, I’m going to have to take that thing apart once I FINALLY get back to my domain…
What else happened other than trouncing that bastard with my Feraligatr’s Ice Fang? Well, not much other than getting recruited by a multibillion dollar corporation to do uncompensated labor. I had half a mind to tell him that I demanded an advance for this community service, as this is not even my damn residence! I am a tourist. But Taunie… just could not help herself and now us four college-aged kids need to deal with Rogue Mega Evolutions. Great! More work! But I guess that means more Mega Stones as well. I managed to get a few, but maybe my entire roster will have Mega Evolutions. Maybe every darn Pokémon here, including the three monkeys, will have Mega Evolutions! Who knows? Not me!
Day 08
And so the hunt for Rogue Mega Evolutions begins, but why, pray tell, would the first three be Victreebel, Slowbro, and Camperupt? It’s so sporadic, it hurts. I suppose all of them can easily be found at this point, with these blasted Wild Zones popping up like weeds, but why these three? What sense and symbolism do these carry?
…Oh, to hell with it. What matters is that I won. That I have made my Victreebel— BIG GULP as I call him— an Alpha Mega Pokémon! The lad’s so big that I could practically LIVE inside of him! Oh, and Feraligatr got a Mega Stone too, from that 3,000-year-old giant who… I keep forgetting about. Well, it’s not like he DOES anything! He’s too tall and old to do much, yes, but how am I supposed to remember every face I come across in this journey?
Well, I suppose there are exceptions though. For example, when I was checking in with Team MZ, I was rushed by Zygarde 10% Forme again who gave me a suspicious pebble. A pebble that I have washed and confirmed to be a Mega Stone. Zygardite, I think it would be named.
Frankly, I was surprised Zygarde was not a persistent part of this adventure— that this dog was not MY dog as we venture for Zygarde Cells like in Sun and Moon. Instead, Zygarde appears to have buddied up with… Lysandre of all people. The main antagonist from Pokémon X and Y, who attempted to genocide the world, leaving behind only his ‘beautiful’ death cult. I would ask why he is alive, or why he has white hair now, but I know why. Because Scenario Generator likes to reflect all of my failings as a creator back at me. The more blasé, the more painful…
Tomorrow, Team MZ is going to pursue some electric-themed streamer, as I need to defeat her to transcend F Rank, but I cannot just battle her outright. Oh no. This influencer won’t accept a challenge unless I run through a bunch of hoops. It’s better than ascending the other ranks, I suppose, but for supposed champions of the city, they are awfully bad at following the rules of defending their titles.
Day 09
What a self-centered jerkwad this streamer is. Not that I have the right to be surprised. Celebrities are SUPPOSED to think they are God’s gift to Earth. Streamers are DESIGNED to endear sycophantic behavior. So am I really all too surprised that in order to battle with Canari I had to partake in some mind-numbing trivia contest that included ultra-obscure lore and battling pervert otaku? No!
This was a waste of my patience! No, Verde, stop, breathe, and be calm. It’s better than the BETA. It’s better than the BETA. It’s better than getting in a time loop where I get ravaged by the BETA and need to find the blasted through line in order to escape!
At least Naveen was able to help me cheat at this trivia and eventually secure a visit with this Canari and her DYN4M0 organization, which is where things got interesting. I was expecting this Canari to show her true colors upon seeing me in meatspace. Instead, I got a semi-predictable twist. That the holographic sweats and sports bra vixen I met was not just some egocentric pop idol, but rather a digital simulacrum created by her grandfather.
Terragon is his name, and he is a well-worn construction worker, so old and experienced he has developed a hunch. He has a positively sycophantic devotion to his granddaughter, adorning his office in her merch, even incorporating it as part of his workers’ uniform. He was an odd bloke— and showed me that Mega Excadrill was a thing I could expect in my future. But the part that breathed life into my being was when he pulled out a Canari hologram and revealed that HE was functioning as hologram Canari from the quiz show earlier in the day.
This old man, barely able to stand up straight, with a Santa Claus beard, was impersonating his granddaughter in public, performing her gestures and using software to replicate her voice. I understand that some families are functional and want to actively support their family so dearly they will commit faux pas. …But the TSF ramifications on display here were too immense to not get excited over. Terragon’s devotion is so great that he not only admires his granddaughter, not only lusts after her in some sense, but digitally embodies her, with a smile on his face.
Oh, how I wish I had a Manaphy to give these two a Heart Swap. Alas, I only have a limited roster, and have not seen any mythicals since I arrived here.
This might give you, future reader, the impression that I dislike Canari as a person, but that is hardly the case. My dislike of professional streamers is a dislike of societal structures, and a recognition of capital corrupting culture. Canari herself was fine. A feisty girl more interested in playing games and chatting with Chat than battling Pokémon. And while her room was a disgusting whirlwind of merch, that is not her fault. She is just going for the bag. And while I could criticize her character for how poorly she reacted to getting whooped by Mega Victreebel, that outburst of censored profanity was more funny than anything.
I wouldn’t want to rob her of her fire and force her to live as an old man for the rest of her days… but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see it.
Act 2: Malamar’s Takeover
Day 10
Fascinating.
I lack much reason to continue this diary, but just holding it makes ‘Megabigale’ squirm from within her containment, so I think it is only appropriate that I continue it from where she left off.
This past day proved to be profoundly interesting for the vessel known as Megabigale. Following her defeat of this Canari person, she ventured off into a new Wild Zone to accrue new Pokémon. There were several options available to her, but she chose to start her day at Wild Area 11, where she found an Alpha Inkay. Like the Pokémon Trainer she was, she battled the Inkay, striking him with a Megahorn from her Excadrill, and swiftly shoved it in a Luxury Ball, as she had every intention of adding this new “extra chunky” friend to her roster, replacing her Victreebel with him.
As a level 42 capture, she was able to swiftly evolve this Inkay, turning him upside down, staring into his big black eyes as his body morphed from a stout squidling to a mighty Malamar. She was thrilled by the size of the Malamar, almost as tall as her, floating freely in the air from his psychic powers. But as she celebrated, the Malamar wrapped his tentacles around her, and there, in the wilds, right next to a sewer entrance, the takeover began.
You see, Malamars are particularly powerful psychic Pokémon. Masters of hypnosis, capable of forcing others to do as they desire. Mind control is their forte, what makes them noteworthy, and what makes them a threat. This freshly evolved Malamar knew all of this, but he was not merely a Malamar. He was a Malamar among Malamar, an Alpha.
As an Alpha, he had both greater ambitions and greater powers. Why would he be content with controlling others via mind control… when there were more direct, thorough ways to control others? Why would he be content doing what a Trainer could do, when a Trainer is, in many ways, mightier than a Malamar? When a Trainer captures a Pokémon, they control them. The Pokémon do their bidding, battle on their behalf, and come to love their Master. When a Pokémon Trainer captures a Malamar, the Malamar uses their hypnosis powers, yes, but only at the behest of their Trainer.
Why would an Alpha Malamar be content being the pawn of a Trainer, being mind controlled by them through the power of ownership and friendship when they could be the owner themself?
This Alpha Malamar had pondered this with his immaculate mind, and decided to try something different. To become his Trainer. Through an altered version of his recently learned Topsy-Turvy, the Alpha Malamar exchanged the minds of Megabigale and himself, leading to the formation of… me.
I am not the Megabigale who has written this journal up to this point, I am the new Megabigale. Once an Inkay, then a Malamar, and now a human being. Though I miss my strength, tentacles, and the ability to float rather than walk, I must admit that being human has proven itself to be an… exhilarating experience.
Humans are enigmas to us wild Pokémon. Their world is so complex and so full of variety that we typically do not think too much about it. However, every Pokémon knows that humans are powerful creatures. In the wild, Pokémon battle one another to grow stronger, but with a Trainer, strength comes far faster, far more easily.
However, after spending a few hours as a human, seeing the world as one, being treated as a human, I now understand how woefully naive I was. Human beings might lack the strength of a Pokémon, but they have the ability to collaborate, to imagine broadly, and communicate across the entire planet. The scale of the world is so deeply vast, it boggles the mind. What they have accomplished, while us Psychic types have lived in the rivers and woods, is staggering to behold. From the infrastructure of running water, electricity, and supply chains to the power of these ‘smartphones.’
It is perverse how humans have taken a Rotom of all creatures and turned them into a tool. With this, humans have access to such a deluge of information that I could dedicate a lifetime to studying it, and barely make a dent. Centuries of thought, art, theory, mathematics, scientific discoveries, all in the palm of my hand. Which is before getting into the excess of culture these humans have propagated and shared among themselves.
Us Pokémon are diverse in terms of species, but our physical differences are limited to size, sexual dimorphism, and occasionally color. We primarily tell each other apart not from sight, but from scent, from something more ethereal. Humans however? They have a depth of diversity that is truly staggering to behold.
They don’t evolve, yet they change shape as they go through life, starting small and growing into adulthood over nearly twenty years, before becoming frailer, and shorter, as they near the end of their lifespan. Humans come in a wide variety of shades, their skin shifting from person to person. Their hair spans a vast array of colors from white to black to yellow to brown to red to blue to green. They differ not only in height, but shape, accumulating more or less weight and carrying it differently. But somehow all of this diversity seems immaterial next to their ability to shift their appearance.
Not content with having multiple different shapes and colors, humans further alter themselves by changing their hair, their eye color, and most notably, their clothing. Exterior garments of cloth and synthetic materials that they wear to shield their supple bodies from the elements and preserve a sense of modesty that I do not comprehend. However, it is more than that. Clothing is a way to assign a greater level of identity to a human, allowing every human to look distinct in some way, shape, or form. Lumiose City is home to dozens of places where one can pursue new articles of clothing, and one of the first things I did after getting this body was pursue this new frontier. Making this body my own through a ‘makeover.’
Megabigale was a stoic looking figure, but if this was going to be my body going forward, I wanted it to have some remnants of my former form. So I pursued storefront after storefront, spending tens of thousands of these Poké Dollars to create The New Megabigale. I painted her black hair a vibrant mixture of violet and blue, creating something reminiscent of the tentacles adorning my head. Yet rather than divide the colors into large streaks, I had the colors blended, taking advantage of the hundreds of strands at my disposal. Her scarlet eyes were recolored with the use of contacts— a light lens that slotted over the eye— granting them a yellow color, familiar to any who glanced at a Malamar. While her lips were adorned with ‘lipstick,’ giving them a vibrant pink hue, reminiscent of my impeccable beak.
Then came the clothes themselves. The old Megabigale had dressed herself in a dense blue trenchcoat, something dense and warm, but I found it oppressive, cumbersome, and blasé when presented with the dizzying array of different options before me. If I was going to represent my former Malamar form, I wanted something brighter. With yellows, pinks, purples, and whites, all adorned in a form that was, as the store workers put it, trendy.
A yellow T-shirt adorned my chest. A pink and white jacket protected my arms and torso from the cold. White gloves covered 60% of my fingers in a material both warm and silky. Purple jean shorts adorned my lower torso, providing my core with warmth without compromising my mobility. My legs, rather than let them run bare, were dressed in a skintight sheathe, colored in a purple that shifted to aquamarine, leaving behind a flash of skin at the bottom. And for the shoes, I found myself enraptured with a pair of ‘sneakers’ that were positively made for a Malamar with their combination of white, yellow, pink, and purple.
This was all an impressively thorough transformation, one that made it hard to see the old Megabigale beyond the colorful new coating. But I was not done yet.
Though I was confident in my Topsy-Turvy Turnabout, I was concerned about Megabigale somehow finding the strength to reverse these affects, so I took a precaution, buying a metal headband and earrings that I knew would dampen and disrupt any attempted mental manipulation, shielding the brain from even the hypnosis of a Malamar. Though, I made sure to accessorize them appropriately. I could plainly tell that humans did not usually walk around with giant pieces of metal over their head, so I saw to it that both the headband and earrings were painted in blues and purple, allowing them to blend in with the style of The New Megabigale.
When I returned to Hotel Z, a shelter wherein I sleep during the night hours, Megabigale’s friends were shocked by the effects of my transformation. AZ called it striking. Lida called it sudden. Naveen said it was contemporary. While Taunie dubbed it radical. Though, neither had any suspicions that I was not Megabigale, even as I looked at them with different eyes, speaking in what I knew to be a different tone. They somehow accepted me as one of them, as a member of Team MZ.
Though, being there did cause the old Megabigale to shake from within her Luxury Ball, clearly wanting assistance from her former allies. I kept her sealed within there, but seeing her act so ornery, so disobedient before her Master… It gave me an idea.
Pokémon tend to adore their Masters, as they give them such power and meaning. The freedom to walk around in human society, the ability to amass strength nigh unobtainable in the wild through levels and effort values, the access to delicious and empowering food. It all builds a sense of endearment, it makes a Pokémon and their Trainer into… friends. And if the old Megabigale was my Pokémon, My Friend Malamar, then she should succumb to the same impulses. So, I decided to spend my evening in the Battle Zone, giving the old Megabigale the opportunity to experience what it was like to battle. …And she loved it.
She cried with rage as she emerged from the Luxury Ball, clearly wanting to fight me rather than the roaming Trainers. Yet, she obeyed my commands. She used Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Liquidation, and Poison Jab as if she had always been a Malamar, and with every felled foe, her cries grew happier. She loved the thrill of battle, loved the Protein I fed her to improve her physical strength, and loved the stray feathers I gave her to boost her might in other ways. She even loved the tea I treated her to after we completed a dozen battles together. In fact, a woman at the café even said “You two are fairly friendly, but I can tell there’s still plenty of room for you to grow closer!”
And trust me, Megabigale My Friend Malamar, we will have plenty of time to grow closer.
In fact, there is still so much I don’t know about you. Perhaps it is time I peer into your mind, to see what secrets I can uncover.
Day 11
I have discovered something curious about the old Megabigale— or rather, My Friend Malamar. She, or it, has the ability to communicate with the other members of my party. This would be troublesome, if not for the fact that they don’t seem to trust its claims that it was once a human. Pokémon are fiercely loyal to their Trainer, especially as time progresses, and they engage in bonding exercises. They are not loyal to the mind or personality. They are loyal to the body. To sight, the scent, and the sense that this human is their original owner. None of my current team of Feraligatr, Celfable, Excadrill, Eelektross, and Talonflame are capable of understanding what happened, and even if they could, I doubt they would want to. It is far easier, far more comfortable, to believe in a simpler narrative. And Pokémon— with the exceptions of Psychic-types of course— prefer simple narratives.
So, My Friend Malamar has been unable to build up the resistance it craved. It is stuck as my little pet, and with every passing day, I can sense that it is becoming more passive, more accepting of its lot in life. Adapting to this life has proven to be so easy that I have to wonder if I am truly among the first Pokémon to achieve something like this. As an Alpha Malamar, I was a truly powerful being, capable of feats unique to my species, but there are many Pokémon in the world, and many of them would assuredly want to become humans. …I shall muse on that topic when the time calls for it.
Today, however, was devoted to dealing with these bothersome Rogue Mega Evolutions. Banette, Beedrill, and Hawlucha. All imposing and impressive foes, but none lasted very long next to My Friend Malamar, Excadrill, and Eelektross respectively. The latter two were able to make exceptional use of their Mega Evolution, harnessing a power that, just through proximity, I found intoxicating. I could tell they were pained, strained, and full of intense emotion during every second of this transformation, but they relished in it. Rejoiced in the power at their disposal and the opportunity to prove themselves in battle against a foe with power overwhelming.
Despite having only been a Trainer for a mere day, my ability to command and control my Pokémon impressed the sorted members of Team MZ, who relied on me to deal almost all meaningful damage. I have to question if my brilliance transcends all fields, or if they are merely subpar Trainers.
Regardless, a day of running through the city and doing battle proved itself to be deeply entertaining, if a tad exhausting. Having already secured my Challenger’s Ticker for the next Z-A Royale match, I opted to spend the night seeing the sights. Lumiose City is a truly vast place, beyond the imagination of most Pokémon, full of people, attractions, and Wild Zones full of Pokémon itching for battle, or even capture. Alas, these plans were quickly struck down when a girl in a trenchcoat and bodysuit nearly tackled me to the ground.
I had viewed enough from Megabigale’s memories to know that this person was significant. A self-appointed detective and helper to all denizens of Lumiose, Emma. She began by thanking me for my continued support, for helping ordinary people throughout the city with whatever problems they had encountered. Then, with my guard lowered, she literally pulled me back to her office, sitting me down and asking me questions about my “transformation,” as she put it. I looked deep into her eyes, to suss out if she was going to be a concern, if My Friend Malamar had to deal with her.
Instead, as I gazed into her purple eyes, using what little psychic power I retained in this human body, I realized that this ‘Emma’ was not who she seemed to be. Her eyes were purple, a fairly common color for humans, but something about the shading of the iris and sclera seemed… off. There was a faint lavender hue in what should have been the white of her eye, and within her iris, I found spots of a bright indigo. I knew I had seen eyes like this before, and as I mused where, I heard the sound of her partner, Mimi, an Espurr.
Espurr is a highly powerful Psychic-type, yet is unable to control its power, forcing it to seal it behind its ears, until it becomes mature enough to contain it, following their evolution into a Mewostic. What happens when an Espurr’s power is released is, inherently, unpredictable. It can be destructive, but it can also be transformative. From creating Psychic Terrain to unleashing screens of protection. Yet, as I looked into Mimi’s eyes, I began to develop a theory.
Mimi’s eyes were desaturated when compared to a typical Espurr, like something in them had fizzled out. The iris was a faint lavender, and the pupils were darker than what was expected of the species. I immediately compared these eyes to Emma’s and, brimming with confidence, asked Emma about it.
I would summarize, but I feel the need to transcribe the events. An easy feat for someone with a memory as infallible as mine.
Megabigale: “You seem to have an awfully close relationship with that Espurr of yours. Some could say you two even look like each other.”
Emma: “Heh. You know what they say about Pokémon and their Trainers. They rub off on each other.”
Megabigale: “Do they? Well, I think this might be more than just rubbing off. Tell me, have you… always been like this?”
Emma: “Uh, you mean a detective? Of course not! I wanted to become a detective after someone who meant a lot to me saved me from losing myself. I’d rather not get into it. That was a… dark time for me.”
Megabigale: “Yes, yes, your time as Essentia, working for Team Flare?”
I smirked at my comment. The name Essentia was tied to the origin of Emma becoming who she is today. I might have lacked the full context, but I did not need the full context.
Emma: “You… How do you know about that? It never hit the news so—”
Megabigale: “I am familiar with what happened five years ago. You could say I had a friend who was intimately involved. And per this friend, I know that you were abducted by Team Flare, forced into the very same bodysuit you are currently wearing. In that process, I’d hazard that your little Mimi tried to fight back, did she not?”
Mimi: “Purri nya?”
Megabigale: “I’ll take that as a yes. …But when an Espurr like her gets stressed, unpredictable things can happen. Mimi wanted to protect Emma, to save her from harm, and that desire, manifested through clumsy means, can lead to… unintended consequences. Please, save us both some time and tell me the truth, Emma. What happened five years ago?”
Emma: “I… I… I should kick you out right now, you jerk. But after all these years, part of me wants to just be honest and tell someone else. …When Team Flare abducted me… abducted Emma, Mimi tried her best to fight back. She was scared, desperate to save her only friend, so she lifted her ears, unleashing a burst of psychic power. What happened after that is… vague to me. I was under Team Flare’s control, behaving like a robot, and unable to think for myself. By the time I was finally free, after they defeated me in battle, I was… different. I… I was originally Mimi, and in my attempt to save Emma from Team Flare, I somehow switched our bodies. Meaning I was not always Emma, and Emma was, well, she’s there.”
Mimi: “Purr!”
Megabigale: “Curious. She seems to have taken to her new body well.”
Emma: “I don’t like to think about that. While I remembered what happened, I don’t think she does. Espurr have powerful psychic abilities, but their psychic organs are so large, it leaves little room in their heads for their brains. Their ability to emote, to remember, to develop a sense of self, is all limited compared to that of a human. So I think that Emma… forgot who she was. She used to struggle with her abilities, with being a Pokémon, and I tried to help her, always let her know I was sorry that we wound up like this. But that was years ago. Since then, she has… moved on.”
Emma paused to look at Mimi, her head hung low and voice fading. The weight of a troubled past was a heavy burden, so I silently waited for her to continue.
Emma: “I think she forgot that she used to be a human, that she believes herself to be an Espurr. So, I just treat her as one. She is Mimi, and I am Emma. This is who we are, and that’s the end of that. I do feel guilty about taking her body, her humanity, like this, but that’s why I have dedicated my life to pursuing her dream. To being the best Emma I can be!”
Megabigale: “How admirable… Well, I suppose that I should—”
Emma: “Hold it! You might think you’re just like me, but you’re not! You don’t care about Megabigale, about what she wants, and have been reshaping her life however you see fit! I know about Malamar and their hypnotic capabilities. Team Flare used one on me to make me into their pawn! And I still have that same Malamar… I might be able to give Megabigale her body back and take it from you! I will—”
Megabigale: “How about a wager? We are both Pokémon turned Trainers, so let’s battle it out. If you defeat me, I shall return Megabigale’s body back to her. But if I win, then you will need to do something for me.”
Emma: “No… You’re a thief and—”
Megabigale: “And you aren’t? You have stolen Emma’s body for five years, made it your own, and are looking mighty comfortable inside it. We both know that Pokémon battles are how things are decided in this world, so let’s be civil— let’s be human— and may the best Trainer win.”
Emma: “…Fine, but I won’t go easy on you. I’ll bring my very own Mega Evolved Pokémon, and we’ll wipe the floor with you!”
Megabigale: “Powerful words. Let’s hope your team can back them up.”
Alas, Emma’s words could not back up her bravado. She tried hard with her Ampharos, Mawile, Lopunny, Lucario, and… Malamar. Yet she made the fatal error of waiting until the end of her battle before bringing out something that surprised me. Her Mega Malamar. Yes, I hadn’t the faintest idea that a creature of such power existed in the world, and as I saw her Mega Evolve one of my former brethren, I was dazed. …Fortunately, my Excadrill was already out, already Mega Evolved, and all it took to fell this glorious Malamar was a single Megahorn. Yes, for all the beauty, power, and majesty, all it takes is a firm Bug-type move to decimate a Malamar. I would have been appalled if I witnessed this defeat, but because it was by my hand… I was ecstatic. For I knew exactly what I wanted from ‘Emma.’
Her immensely powerful Malamarite.
Once I took my spoils, I left ‘Emma’ in her office, with a mystified ‘Mimi’ staring at her. Perhaps this all could have been averted if ‘Emma’ had the decency to allow ‘Mimi’ to evolve into a Meowstic. Yet, if she is anything like me, she did not want to risk giving up her humanity. And why would she? It is better to be a Master than a servant.
I kept that fact at the forefront of my brain as I mused over my next move. While I could reclaim my body and manipulate the masses as an unrestrained Mega Malamar, that would ultimately be a downgrade. With a Mega Malamar at my disposal, I could achieve a great many feats… but first, I had to ensure My Friend Malamar’s loyalty. It had become friendly, had stopped resisting and crying at me in rage, but I wanted complete devotion to me, so I spent the night manufacturing that. I pumped My Friend Malamar with supplements, coffee, and affection alike, until the same woman at the café looked upon the two of us aghast, proclaiming “It’s incredibly friendly toward you! Being with you must make it very happy.”
With that, I had achieved power well beyond my imagination after a mere two days of being a human. The question now was… what next? How could I harness the power of a Mega Malamar— and Alpha Mega Malamar— and what should my end goals be? Hmm… perhaps it is best to sleep on it. Perhaps a stray dream will give me all the inspiration I need.
Day 12
I have found my goal. It seems so simple, thinking back on it.
With a Mega Malamar at my disposal, I can do many things. Mass hallucinations, controlling others by overwriting their personalities, and even erasing their memories. I could easily create puppets who subscribe to my will, but I do not want to achieve such a thing on a larger scale. For powerful people, like the mayor of Lumiose and that CEO of Quasartico Inc., such an approach would be ideal. But for the masses? For those I encounter on my journey? No. Instead, wouldn’t it be more interesting if I use my powers to create memories, to alter personalities, and to expand what people can be by giving them a new perspective?
Oh, why must I be so roundabout with my wording?
I wish to switch the bodies of humans and Pokémon, en masse. Not because I think humans are bad, wasteful, or spiteful creatures. They are merely creatures going about their lives, trying to exist in a complex system, and plenty of Pokémon are far more prone to conflict and rage than standard humans. Instead, I view this as an opportunity for my fellow Pokémon, and for Trainers themselves, to experience something greater, to become something greater. It would be wrong to call me a human or a Malamar at this point. And though ‘Emma’ claims to be a human, she assuredly carries with herself plenty of memories of being an Espurr. We have been enriched by this experience, our horizons broadened, so why not share this experience far and wide?
That being said, I would not intend on making these permanent arrangements. Forcing humans to live as Pokémon for the rest of their lives and vice versa. But as an arrangement that lasts a week, or a month? Yes. That would be just marvelous.
I do not currently have any plans of how to achieve this, who I will swap with whom, but after reviewing some of Megabigale’s notes and memories, I have some ideas.
I will update this journal in the evening, as I have a Promotional Match to win.
Oh, what a hectic yet productive day that was. Where do I begin?
I thought the day would be direct, if not simple. Just go to the Rank D promotional match target and show them my prowess. Alas, it turned out to be Ivor. A strong yet dimwitted man who is among the closest a human being could ever be to a pure Fighting-type. All he had to do was battle me, yet he refused to engage, as he had to find his missing sister. Why he could not wait five minutes for me to wipe the floor with him was beyond me, and still is, but I entertained his desires, running away to ‘Emma’ to call in another favor and hunt down the missing Gwynn.
It was a tiresome journey that saw us venture to town hall, a coffee shop she frequented, and venturing to her friend… Canari. As I reached her garage slash streaming studio, I could not help but think of what My Friend Malamar wrote a few days ago, how much it wished to swap the bodies of Canari and her grandfather, Terragon. Terragon impersonated Canari using holographic technology before, so why not let him experience what it was like to wear her flesh and blood. It was a bit distant as a goal, as it was a human to human body swap. Though, I have seen the diversity of humans… and I could tell these two would have some visceral reactions to this swap. …Yet, that somehow felt a bit too basic.
Terragon in Canari would be an interesting sight to behold. A man fiercely devoted to his granddaughter, even impersonating her, now forced to be her full-time, to discard his former self as penance for manipulating others. Yet Canari herself would have a predictable reaction to becoming an old man. She would flip out and panic, be consumed with despair. So, I looked at them and their Pokémon and devised a devious arrangement.
Terragon would be placed in Canari’s body, forcing him to fully commit to his impersonation stint, testing his love of his granddaughter as he becomes her in every meaningful way.
Canari would be placed in the body of her Eelektross. It is her signature partner, she wears accessories based on it, and has committed herself to caring for it, going so far as to prepare special food for it as a treat. She would lose her cute face, her fame, but she would gain the power of an imposing electric Pokémon, have the ability to Mega Evolve, and would assuredly be pampered, letting her immerse herself in her new form, even if that means gorging herself on whatever crunchy treats her ‘Trainer’ provided her with.
As for Eelektross, that was harder to determine. Terragon’s body would be vacant, yet I had doubts that it would be able to act as a hard and diligent construction manager, especially with such an aged body. However, such a body would be perfect for Terragon’s Excadrill. A Pokémon renowned for its digging capabilities, now given a new opportunity to build and construct with new tools that, through its lived experience, it would have some understanding of.
This would in turn leave Excadrill’s body vacant, perfect for Eelektross to occupy. There would be a drastic shift in going from one Pokémon to another, though I see no reason why this cannot also be pursued. Their mind might not be suitably expansive to comprehend or articulately comment on what they underwent, but such information can always be siphoned out at a later date. Perhaps I could put them into a human body afterwards.
Actually executing this swap was bound to be tricky, especially with the meathead Ivor following me around, but after visiting the garage and engaging Canari in a battle, I decided to take a more direct approach. Calling Ivor and Emma away while I had a private discussion with Canari and Terragon. They were taken aback by such a request, but complied, sending out their Eelektross and Excadrill before I introduced them to my Mega Malamar.
Truth be told, I was scared as I felt the power coursing through My Friend Malamar, but as it looked at me with its yellow and black eyes, I was put at ease. I knew those eyes, and what they looked like when housing devious intentions. This was not that look. With a swirl of its beautiful appendages, with the radiant blue glow of the tentacles atop its head, fashioned like a pompadour, the swapping had begun. Personalities and memories were bundled together and exchanged in a matter of seconds. The strain of losing one’s sense of self was enough to incapacitate all four. And with them lying on the ground, I left them a note, explaining my intentions, before resuming our quest at a location provided by Canari. Or, well, the old Canari.
Through additional searching, we happened across a sewer that, supposedly, Gwynn fled to. I could not fathom a reason why a human would want to go to such a place, when the moisture and scent do not agree with human senses, but I suppose that they are the most diverse of all species…
What followed was a tour through wet corridors and murky walls, complete with stray Noibats, Inkays, Litwiks, and Klefkeis alike. Ivor punched his way through whatever obstacle he came across, acting with less poise and dignity than a Machoke. More like five Machop together in a human suit. Or, so I thought at the time.
At the end of the sewers, we finally found Gwynn. A small woman in an oversized jacket, with a Chandelure themed hat atop her head and a Chandelure by her side. I laughed, thinking that my next course of action was obvious, but I kept my intentions to myself until she could hash out her frustrations with her brother, Ivor. Explaining this was a familial squabble, that they had differences of opinions regarding these Wild Zones, and that she wanted privacy from her brother’s destructive tendencies.
This Gwynn struck me as a woman who did not want the responsibilities imposed upon her, while her Chandelure— whom I had to battle— was a devout partner, always at her side, and clearly loving her. Naturally, swapping the two only made sense… but I had a slight change of plans after she unleashed Mega Chandelure on my team, eviscerating my Talonflame in a single Shadow Ball. While I was mostly happy with my team of Pokémon, I desired a bit more oomph in terms of some members. So, I modified this plan.
With Gwynn’s defeat, I once again asked Emma to chaperone Ivor away, while I sat her down, had her summon Chandelure, and had Mega Malamar work its magic, swapping the two. This time without knocking either party out, given the simplistic nature of a direct swap. The new Chandelure was aghast, stunned by its lack of familiar limbs, by its body’s immense heat, and the ghastly nature of its very existence. Sorrow, fury, and dismay all irradiated from its being, its cries capturing its rejection of this new reality.
Chandelure is a slightly devious Pokémon, drawing in stray souls and burning them up for power and sustenance. A ghost powered by ghosts, and by the life energy of those around them. For a creature like that, what would it mean to suddenly become human? Well, for this former Chandelure, it was an elating surprise. She was pawing over her person, laughing in glee as she recognized that she was human, that she had hands and feet, that she could touch humans and other Pokémon without setting them ablaze.
Flowing with emotion, she pounced me, unable to contain or compose herself as she reconciled with the reality before her. She thanked me more times than I’d care to count, explaining how she always admired humans, envied them, and how she is determined to not waste this gift I had given her. I explained to her that this was temporary though. That she would not get to live as a human forever, as that would be cruel to the original Gwynn. This dampened her mood, but she seemed to understand, promising to make the most of this experience. …Only for the Chandelure to begin attacking the two of us, shooting off a Flamethrower that we narrowly avoided. The new Gwynn returned the Chandelure into its ball a moment later, apologizing for ‘her Master’s behavior.’
I should have foreseen this issue. That some humans turned Pokémon would react with violence. But I was not going to merely undo the swap. Instead, I decided that it would be best if we had a little exchange. That this ornery Chandelure becomes my problem, while I provided the new Gwynn with another Ghost-type Pokémon. I ultimately chose to trade her a Haunter that was caught some days ago, promising that I would trade it back once this experiment ran its course.
Gwynn agreed to the proposition, and with a few taps of our phones, we were able to exchange Pokémon, the two traveling via cyberspace before landing in our respective boxes. A seamless process, yet one that raised so, so many questions about what it means to be a Pokémon’s owner, how they recognized their new Trainer through prestige and experience, and what it meant for them to obey them. Alas, I did not have time to dwell on such things, and merely exchanged my Talonflame for my new Chandelure.
With that, I bid the new Gwynn a farewell, leaving her to enjoy her life as a human as I sought to ascend to a new rank by defeating Ivor in his little training grounds. For all his bravado and confidence in his own strength, he went down swiftly enough. I encountered some pushback, but Clefable kept his fighting types at bay, up until he chose to unleash Mega Evolution, sending out a Mega Falinks. I decided it was a fine time to force out my Chandelure and Mega Evolve it, hoping that it would be a touch more obedient. It cried in rage at first, but once it had the power of Mega Evolution coursing through its being, it battled with vigor, burning away the opposition.
The defeat devastated Ivor, who spat some drivel about how justice should always prevail, and how his strength was absolute. I was tempted to just leave him there, but this human man had acted so much like a lowly Fighting-type that I could not let him remain human. So I did what worked for me before. I lured him away from prying eyes and exchanged his body. But not with something expected like his Machamp. Instead, I was curious as to what would happen if I swapped him with his Falinks. A Pokémon composed of six small bipedal creatures, unified through a biological conviction, acting as a single cohesive unit.
I was curious how such a lifeform would adapt to being a singular entity, and how the brain of a singular entity would adapt to a multi-body creature like this. So, without further musing, I did it, swapping Ivor and his Falinks, and the results were… not what I expected.
The new Ivor was quick to pick up on his new human appendages, identifying himself as “the brass” and saying that he’s “working solo” in this new body. He was eager to make use of his longer arms and legs, punching and kicking a nearby training dummy, breaking it in the process, saying that he always knew his Master was stronger than any human should be. I let him indulge in his strength, a bit too stunned at the idea that a human could be physically stronger than a Fighting-type. He may not be grasping what it meant to be human, but there were worse reactions to be had.
Meanwhile, the Falinks was moving in an erratic manner, the six segments all running about in circles as they struggled to comprehend their new biology. They could clearly move, walk, and wave their little shield-covered arms, yet they seemed to lack much understanding of how they should function as a unit. They cried out in confusion, but not anger, clearly wanting to organize themselves, yet lacking the discipline or focus needed to do so. …At least until the new Ivor looked at his former Falinks body and started barking commands.
The Falinks immediately responded, organized themselves, and began doing everything Ivor commanded. Launching an Iron Head, Brick Break, and Rock Slide without any real hesitation. It matched what I had seen with My Friend Malamar in prior battles and Chandelure in the latest battle. Even with a human mind, Pokémon obey their trainers.
Though I had to wonder what was going on in this new Falinks’s mind. When commanded, and only when commanded, it was executing movements with the diligence expected of the species. Yet, when I tried speaking to Ivor, asking him about how he felt about being human, the Falinks became listless and confused yet again, forgetting how to control its multi-segmented body without someone shouting at them.
With Ivor satisfied and this strange observation logged, I finally left these two, or seven, and returned to Hotel Z to retire. …Or, at least that was my intention.
Instead, I was interrupted by ‘Emma’ yet again.
Emma: “Megabigale— wait, shouldn’t I call—”
Megabigale: “Megabigale is my name. What can I help you with, detective?”
Emma: “You can explain what you’re doing with all of this body swapping. Are you going to… mess around with everybody you meet? Next thing I know, you’re going to swap AZ with his Floette.”
Megabigale: “Hmm… That is not an awful idea. A 3,000-year-old man might enjoy being something else for a little while.”
Emma: “Are you really going to turn everybody back? Are you keeping notes about this, a calendar, or—”
Megabigale: “I am maintaining deliberate logs, that I can assure you. I know what to undo and when. And if you look at the new Ivor over there, or find the new Gwynn, I’m sure you’ll see plenty of people who are enjoying this change. In fact, how is the new Canari faring? Rotom Phone, display her stream for me.”
In accordance with her usual schedule, Canari was livestreaming from her usual streaming location, her face mask obscuring her expression as she spoke, while maintaining her usual demeanor. She was not playing games, with the subject set to ‘just chatting,’ but there was nothing about her delivery that indicated anything was wrong. Though, whether or not Terragon could replicate his granddaughter’s gaming skills, even while in her body, was to be seen.
Megabigale: “Look at her face, at how much fun she is having, and—”
Emma: “Terragon’s not supposed to be his granddaughter though! This wasn’t some accident, it was deliberate! You forced them to do this! All because you think it will make things better in the long-term?”
Megabigale: “Yes. Because new experiences enrich a person, do you not agree?”
Emma: “I might agree if they asked for this! I… I should have never given you that Malamarite! You’ve done so much after just one day and—”
Megabigale: “Please cut to the chase, we have both had a long day.”
Emma: “Couldn’t you just stop this? I… I was taken aback yesterday when I realized you were like me, that there were more Pokémon who swapped bodies with their Trainers. I should have stood my ground earlier, and now… I’m not going to let you harm the people of Lumiose. I’m going to—”
Megabigale: “Malamar, it’s time to Mega Evolve.”
Emma: “Wait, what—”
Emma had proven herself to be a liability. I wanted to keep her around as a confidant, feeling a sort of kinship with her— she is a fellow Psychic-type deep down. Unfortunately, she took a step too far, so I had to send My Friend Malamar to apprehend her. It grabbed her, stifling her mouth with its tentacles. She squirmed, she cried, she begged as best she could, but I had already made my decision.
I activated my Mega Ring, turning my Malamar into Mega Malamar. The burst of power was enough to shoot Emma from my Malamar’s grasp, throwing her down to the pavement below. She looked up at my beautiful companion with abject terror, crawling away as she attempted to flee, yet it was already too late. Mega Malamar understood my intentions, and promptly began to lull Emma into a hypnotic state.
Her Espurr-esque eyes began to grow dull and vacant as her thoughts were pushed aside, leaving her mind weak and susceptible. She was now putty in my palm, and I was not going to waste this. As a detective, Emma was a resource, a source of information, and her resourcefulness should not be trifled with. So I could not just, say, swap her back with Mimi, as that would just be erasing knowledge and leaving behind an incompetent girl in the body of a skilled woman.
Instead, I wanted to properly hypnotize her. To have Emma operate as if nothing is amiss, yet when I come up, she will protect me, swear loyalty, and execute my every desire with little to no hesitation. I phrased my orders eloquently, and with a snap of my fingers— My goodness do I love the sensation of a good snap— Emma rose up. She addressed me as Miss Megabigale and, following a small apology for her behavior, she ran away, holding her arms out as she often does.
Mega Malamar’s Mega Evolution ended shortly thereafter. I thanked it for its cooperation before returning it to its Luxury Ball, making my way back to Hotel Z to write this overly verbose summary. …Perhaps I should look into having my phone transcribe my spoken words, rather than write all this with a pen. Technology is incredible like that.
Act 3: Malamar’s Conquest
Day 13 – Part One
The concept of debt does not exist among Pokémon. It is one of the many things I had to suss out from the memories of the previous Megabigale before I could understand it. Debt is when one party takes something from another party with the intention of paying them back. A berry for a berry in the future, or money for money in the future. However, it is not that simple. There is a concept known as interest where one must return more than what they had borrowed, which accumulates and compounds at a wide variety of different rates. And if one cannot pay it back, they may very well be stuck paying for what they borrowed for years, decades, perhaps even their entire lives.
It is brilliant in its deceptiveness, and my inner Dark-type cannot help but admire the underhanded ways humans have of manipulating each other. Hmm… Maybe humans are Dark-type? No, that is too simplistic. They are likely more comparable to a Kecleon, changing their type depending on their environment and how the world treated them.
Taunie, unbeknownst to us at Team MZ, took out a loan for 100,000 Poké Dollars to make online videos to promote Hotel Z. Yet rather than taking out a loan from a bank, she took money from a criminal organization known as the Rust Syndicate. A Poison-type and Steel-type themed organization of individuals in gaudy suits and glasses who clearly had less than pleasant intentions. As an associate for Taunie, it fell on my hands to clean up her mess. …A mess that saw her accrue over a million Poké Dollars in interest.
I traveled to their ostentatious headquarters, alone, to see how I could negotiate this loan, taking some precautions with me. Upon arrival, I was promptly met with resistance from these suited extortionists who wished to battle me before speaking to me. I dealt with them like all the rest, proving myself before needing to deal with a powerful Steel-type Trainer by the name of Philippe. A human who truly epitomized the diversity of shape humans could be, shaving his head of hair, having the girth of two normal humans, and dressing himself with metal straps to imitate facial hair.
Fortunately, Chandelure had proven to be more agreeable after three coffees earlier this morning, and burnt through Philippe’s menagerie with little difficulty. For my troubles, I was granted an audience with the leader of the Rust Syndicate. A small bespectacled man dressed in a Poison-type themed suit by the name of Corbeau. A man who I immediately deemed a parasite, a toxin upon this world, and something that ought to be squished. The man, operating under the air of professionalism, was quick to sit me down on a chair in his needlessly spacious office, keeping Philippe around as an intimidation tactic.
Megabigale: “So, how much does Taunie owe you?”
Philippe: “It was my pleasure to loan her 100,000 Poké Dollars for her marketing purposes.”
Corbeau: “Yes. Your friend helped us, so we helped your friend. A beautiful little circle, isn’t it?”
Megabigale: “From what I understand, it’s a circle that involves her owing you a million Poké Dollars in interest alone. It’s beautiful if your goal is to profit off of poor ignorant people with laughable terms.”
Philippe: “Your friend claimed that if she made a video and posted it ASAP, guests would flock to your hotel, so she could pay us back in full the very next day. I simply based the terms on her own claims.”
Megabigale: “Ah, now I see how it is. You’re the type to twists others’ words to your own benefit, ignoring any implicit meaning or exaggeration so long as it benefits you and traps people in debt. What a reputable organization you’re running here.”
Corbeau: “Watch your tongue! I did not twist Taunie’s words. I even personally warned her, you know. I straight up asked her, ‘Are you sure? You’re not a pro— can you really make a video that good?’ She overpromised. So now what I want to know is… what are you going to do about the situation?”
Megabigale: “Heh. You’re lucky that I happen to have enough to pay back the principal, right here. They’re spoils from my successful runs of the Z-A Royale. How about I pay that back in full, and we leave this sorted affair behind us, forgotten?”
Corbeau: “Sorry, kid, but a deal is a deal. We can leave the matter of the principal of Taunie’s loan between her and us. You can deal with all the extra interest she accrued. I doubt you have that much cash on hand, but I have a proposal for you. It’s nothing too hard— I just want you to take care of some little jobs here and there for us.”
Megabigale: “Ha! You think I trust a worm like you to keep his words? Some? Little? Such vague terms can easily be manipulated into a debt that will take me years to pay off. No, sir. We are ending this here and now, in this room.”
Corbeau: “You… You are testing my patience. This is the adult world— the real world— and I will not tolerate some brat telling me how to run my business. I’m cutting you a deal here. Out of the goodness of my heart, I might add.”
Megabigale: “And I reject it. You can take the principal and let me leave, of I can deal with you, and your assistant, in my own way.”
Corbeau: “Do you understand where you are? This is our headquarters. With just one call, every member of the Rust Syndicate can storm into this room and we can have a big old Pokémon showdown. Every single one of us against one of you. Don’t make this harder for yourself.”
Megabigale: “…Team, let’s trounce these thugs.”
The rules of Pokémon battling dictate that a Trainer is not to send out more than one Pokémon at a time. Except for double battles… and triple battles… and rotation battles. However, that was merely a limitation of normal humans, who lacked the coordination to command six Pokémon at once. While my Psychic abilities were pitiful compared to a Psychic-type Pokémon, I still retained a fragment of my might while in a human form, allowing me to telepathically communicate with multiple Pokémon at once. I had tested this previously, but now it was time to unleash the full power of my team. Feraligatr, Clefable, Excadrill, Eelektross, Malamar, and Chandelure.
The surprise of so many powerful Pokémon appearing shocked the two, and they immediately began throwing out every Pokémon at their disposal. Philippe’s Steel-types and Corbeau’s Poison-types were imposing threats, but both were weak to the power of Ground-type attacks, and despite outnumbering me with their rosters, they could not compete with my sheer power.
I left them beaten, on their knees, while I still had half of my team at my disposal. Corbeau looked at me with disdain, Philippe with terror, and I looked down at them with eyes half opened, a smirk on my face, as I mused what to do with them. I could swap them with their favorite Pokémon, but… why? With humans like Canari, Terragon, Ivor, and Gwynn, I wanted them to be enriched by a new experience. These extortionists? …No.
Humans such as these were best left disempowered and kept in my hands. I did not want to give them the power of a Mega Evolution, or even a high level fully-evolved Pokémon. I did not care about either as humans with their own lived experiences. They were nuisances to deal with, and it was only appropriate to leave them disempowered. So, I looked into my boxes, grabbed two Pokémon of my own, and proceeded to use Mega Malamar to make things right.
Corbeau’s mind was extracted from his body and placed inside a common Ekans. Feisty, small, and yet lacking in power, even if it were to evolve into an Arbok. A creature that would never be able to achieve the potential of a Venipede, which could always evolve into a Scolipede. I wanted this man to be contained, grounded, and susceptible, and this got the job done nicely.
Philippe’s mind was sent into the body of a Klefkei. I considered using an Aron, but an Aron can become an Aggron within time and effort. A Kelfkei is never able to transcend past a cute little key collector, never able to grow or gain a fraction of the intimidation factor he had as a human. It was small, cute, and not particularly adept at much.
This left me with two bodies, both containing the minds of weak and ignorant wild Pokémon. …But that soon changed with a dash of hypnosis, rewriting these wild creature’s personalities, allowing them to act as humans, run this organization, while swearing a fierce loyalty to me. They were my pawns, my puppets, and would obey my every whim. Much like Emma, and much like… well, I’m sure I will find more people to make into servants, in due time.
After confirming my efforts were successful, I walked out of the Rust Syndicate, sent an ornery Klefkei and Ekans to the cyberspace domain of my box, for long-term storage, and departed, my debts cleared without spending a single penny.
…Though, I was not content to merely forgive and forget. Taunie had proven herself to be deeply irresponsible and a terrible judge of character. She was entertaining, but after this? I considered it high time to replace her with someone better, more responsible. But who? Her Meganium, Emboar, or Manectric? No, none of them seemed like an appropriate vessel for someone like her. I did not want to empower her, I wanted her to learn a lesson in empathy. If I were to make her a Pokémon, I wanted her to be a cute and upbeat one, matching the type of human she was. I thought of making her my Clefable, but as I walked through the city, passing by Wild Zone 7, I happened to see the perfect vessel for Taunie. An Audino.
Day 13 – Part Two
I ran across the city looking for Taunie, messaging her to meet me at a nearby park. She took over an hour to show up, and when she finally did, I escorted her to a murky back alley, with only Patrats and Trubbishes to see what I was about to do. She asked why I had to be so secretive about this, but I did not waste any time explaining it to her. Her fate was already determined, and I wanted to be efficient with my time.
I backed her into the alley, called out Mega Malamar, sent out my freshly caught Audino, and saw to it that things were made right. The Audino became the new Taunie, Taunie became the new Audino, and rather than surmise what happened, I made a point to record it for posterity purposes.
Megabigale: “Wake up you two. I think you’ll be awfully surprised by what just happened.”
Taunie: “Ugh, my head feels— wait, I’m… I’m talking. I’m speaking human? How did— these hands, they’re human hands, this body— what, what just happened? Last thing I know Master took me out of my ball and now I’m—”
Audino: “Aud? Audino! Dino dino! Diiii?”
Taunie: “Oh wowzers~! That used to be me. Wait, you must be that girl I saw. You became me and I became… you! Awesome! And did that Malamar do this? Pokémon really are incredible creatures. …And you must be the Malamar’s Trainer.”
Megabigale: “Indeed I am. You see— Taunie and Audino— I have a certain vision of the future, of what the world can be. After capturing My Friend Malamar, I realized I could use its psychic abilities to do more than just battle. I determined that this Malamar had the ability to exchange minds between two targets, including humans and Pokémon alike.”
Audino: “Audino? No no diii nooooo!”
Megabigale: “Hmm? From the look on your face, Audino, I see that you have been able to put two and two together. Yes, I was not always Megabigale the human. I was originally My Friend Malamar over here. I used Topsy-Turvy on my Trainer after being captured, and I swiftly became aware of what it means to be human. To have the freedom, ability, and resourcefulness beyond the grasp of nearly every Pokémon. And since I assumed this body, I have looked into the hearts and minds of Pokémon, viewing the love they had for their Trainers and finding a… faint sense of envy they had for humans. Nearly every Pokémon wants to be with humans, to use them to further their own strength or provide them with comfort— purpose. Yet it was more than that. They see all the things humans can do and, on some level, want that for themselves. Wouldn’t you agree, Taunie?”
Taunie: “…Oh, is that my name? Taunie? Ah, it sounds so cute! Everything about this body is cute! It even has pink hair! Well, pink in spots… and it’s so soft! This top, these shorts, this jacket, ah! It’s so nice! Though, I would like to try out a skirt. I’ve always wanted to wear a skirt, just like a nurse!”
Megabigale: “Well, this body is yours for the next week, so feel free to make the most of it and splurge if you’d like. In fact, here’s a stipend of 10,000 Poké Dollars. I’ll teach you how to earn more through battling.”
Audino: “Aud? NO! No diiiii!”
Taunie: “Really? Wowzers! I know there are all sorts of shops you can go to buy clothes and everything, but where do I—”
Megabigale: “Ask your Rotom phone for help. They were practically made for this, and modern models like yours even have voice controls.”
Taunie: “Oh, right! I always saw Trainers use those phones! Kyaaaa~! I’m so excited!”
Megabigale: “Then run off and shop. I’ll catch up and hand you your Audino when you’re done.”
Taunie: “Huh? But aren’t I an Audino?”
Megabigale: “Not anymore. To the rest of the world, you are Taunie, the human woman and Pokémon Trainer extraordinaire.”
Taunie: “Yeah! You’re right! Oooooh! This is so cool! Can I even get my hair done and colored and—”
Audino: “Audino! No no no nooooo!”
Taunie: “I can’t understand you… but I think you’re just excited about this new opportunity! If I’m having this much fun as a human, I’m sure you’ll have even more fun as an Audino.”
Audino: “Aud? Diiiii!”
Taunie: “Yeah, I know! Just be careful with your feelers. See ya later~!”
As Taunie left, eagerly dashing through the alley, the Audino was alone with me and My Friend Malamar. I looked at it, panicked, on the verge of tears, looking down at its supple pink and yellow body in fear. I grasped the Pokémon by its torso and held it tight, hugging it to alleviate some of its emotional pain, before plopping it down, turning to My Friend Malamar.
Megabigale: “Malamar, if you would kingly use telepathy to translate Audino’s words so we can communicate.”
My Friend Malamar: “Mal maaar!”
With Malamar’s tentacles working their magic, the sounds uttered by the Audino before me suddenly had meaning they previously lacked.
Audino: “[Huh? You can understand me now? Megabigale, why… why do all of this? Wait, no, you’re that Malamar! You stole Megabigale’s body and… now she’s working for you?]“
Megabigale: “Indeed. You’d be amazed at how placated a human in a Pokémon can be through the power of vitamins and tea. It’s quite eerie. In fact, have this. It should calm you down a fair bit.”
I handed the Audino a Calcium to calm its nerves and boost its special attack. At the very least, it stopped it from looking half as sad.
Audino: “[Why are you doing all of this? Why steal my body from me and why—]“
Megabigale: “Because I think that this is a good exercise for humans. Humans are a bit too accustomed to the way that things are, to being at the top of a power structure. I have reasoned that they would be enriched by being cut down a peg, and learn to act more humanely if they spent some time as a Pokémon. It is a temporary learning experience and one that I have already enrolled many others into thus far. As for why I exchanged your body with an Audino, the answer is simple. Because you were selfish, reckless, and endangered your friends by taking out a loan with the Rust Syndicate. You need to learn how to behave, and being the healing Pokémon ought to teach you a thing or two about empathy.”
Audino: “[I… I was handling the loan! I just needed to make a bit more cash at the Z-A Royale and then I would—]“
Megabigale: “You were over a million in debt! Tell me, did you have a million Poké Dollars on your person?”
Audino: “[I… had almost a tenth of that—]“
Megabigale: “Then I see that you really do need to experience a lesson in empathy.”
Audino: “[Hey! That’s not fair, you cannot just decide how to punish me like this! I’m sorry that I got you wrapped up into this, but that doesn’t give you the right to push me around like this.]“
Megabigale: “Oh, I think I do. I freed you from debt with the Rust Syndicate, so now you are in debt to me, and these are my terms. You spend ONE WEEK as an Audino, while that Audino prances about in your body.”
Audino: “[One week?! I can’t let her run wild for one month! I have things I need to do! Commitments! Responsibilities! Who else is going to lead Team MZ, who is going to stop these Rogue Mega Evolutions?]“
Megabigale: “We have gotten by without your help, Audino. I can serve as a leader in your place. I have done most of the work after all. And if you are so worried about Rogue Mega Evolutions, you can always join the new Taunie in battle. You can Mega Evolve as an Audino. In fact, here’s your Mega Stone.”
Audino: “[What? I don’t know how to fight as a Pokémon! I’m a Trainer, I’m supposed to lead and—]“
Megabigale: “If you would shirk this opportunity, I’d say you’re a rather poor Trainer. I have granted you an opportunity to experience something that is beyond the realm of possibility for most people. To experience what it is like to be a Pokémon. If you have ANY pride in yourself as a Trainer, you will take this opportunity with open arms. Am I wrong?”
Audino: “[You don’t get to decide these things! I did not want this! I just wanted to help Lumiose, and this is the thanks I get? You… you’re just a body thief, putting some random Pokémon inside me, thinking that it can be me!]“
Megabigale: “I do not think it, I know it.”
Audino: “[I… I will not stand for this! Prepare for battle, Megabigale— or Malamar— or whoever you are!]“
Megabigale: “Battle? Please. You are a level 25 pink puffball. My team is all beyond level 50. I don’t even need a Pokémon to take care of you.”
Audino: “[W-What does that mean?]“
Megabigale: “It means your new body has these feelers that are used to sense a target’s emotions, to peer into their heart and mind. And I’m going to give you direct access to my mind.”
Audino: “[That’s all? You don’t scare me!]“
Megabigale: “Really now? Because you should be scared of me.”
Audino: “[Bring it on then!]“
With permission granted, I grasped onto the feelers on Audino’s ears and clenched them tightly, preventing them from slipping out of my palms. Audino flinched as it felt the force exerted onto such a tender part of its body, falling down from its tiny two-toed legs and onto its tailed behind. As it winced, adjusting its vision, it stared into my yellow eyes, drinking in the color as I saw their sapphire orbs shake. Slowly, steadily, and then erratically. My thoughts and memories flowed through whatever means its feelers operated under. I trusted that what Audino sensed was vague, yet that did not stop it from reacting. Audino saw what lurked within my heart, and it terrified it.
The memories I had siphoned from Megabigale herself, of her prior ventures. The pain, anguish, and horrors she had seen, all served as a foundational element of my ever shifting self, and these images of war, of depravity, were flowing into the mind of a creature utterly saccharine in its visage. It wanted release, to be free, and began crying as the horrors did not cease. I only tightened my grip, thinking back to the walls made of half-dead soldiers, the wailing of people who have been kept alive just to suffer for months, if not years. The pain of being stabbed with dirty metal, of being shot at with a gun, of having my innards violated by repulsive creatures beyond anything imaginable in this very world.
Audino: “[No, no, nononononono! Make it stop! Make it stop! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! GGGYYYYYAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!]“
I did not make it stop. I had to make sure it learned its lesson. That it would be a functional Audino. I kept it going until its tears stopped, until its screaming stopped, and until its once bright sapphire eyes became dull, shifting in color to a pale dark cobalt. Only then did I release its feelers. The Audino plopped onto the ground with a thud, like a pillow.
It did not move, but I already knew a workaround for this deficient behavior. Coffee. I took the Audino to a café, filler it up with several cups of coffee, and watched life flow back into its being. Its eyes returned to their natural blue, and its demeanor perked up, becoming notably cheery. After a few cups, I finally had Malamar interpret yet again, and what it said was… a pleasant surprise.
Megabigale: “Do you feel better Audino?”
Audino: “[Yes Master, I feel sooooo much better now. Thanks for the treat~!]“
Megabigale: “Tell me, what do you think of Taunie?”
Audino: “[Taunie? Oh, her hair was so cute, and I loved her top. I’d like to get to know her better.]“
That settled it. I had successfully killed the identity of Taunie within this new vessel. Now, only a reset Audino identity remained, and that… was for the best. While I enjoyed Taunie’s spunky ways, she had proven herself irresponsible, unfit for the life and struggles of a human, even if she was a proficient Trainer. Now, someone new could take her place, fill her role, and with my coaxing, I could make the new Taunie better than ever. In fact, I could make everyone better than ever.
As the day progressed and evening fell, I decided to partake in the Z-A Royale, giving Audino some much-needed battle experience, while giving it the opportunity to feel what it is like to be a Mega Evolved Pokémon. Needless to say, it thrived in the environment. What it lacked in power, it made up for in bulk, able to withstand any hit, heal itself with a Wish, before unleashing a combination of Hyper Voice and Dazzling Gleam to decimate any challengers. It delighted in every victory, gaining nearly 20 levels in a single night of contestant battle. In the end, I doubt there was more than a modicum of Taunie left inside of this Audino’s mind.
Once night came to an end, I finally returned to Hotel Z… only to be met with a surprise encounter from the new Taunie. Her hair was now long and fully pink, jacket was traded out for a pink sweater, and her legs were covered by a white skort and cream leggings that gave way to a pair of cute pink boots. With a cream-colored beret covering her head and unchanged blue eyes she truly looked like an Audino that had become a human woman.
Before I could even greet her, the new Taunie embraced me in a hug, thanking me for giving her this opportunity, saying that becoming a human was the best thing that ever happened to her. I chuckled, having expected a similarly enthusiastic reaction, but nevertheless content to see her joy. I reminded her to hide her former identity before Team MZ. Lumiose was a city of trending fashion and people changing their looks regularly, but too much too quickly would make anyone suspicious.
I ended the day by gifting Taunie my freshly trained Audino. She was thrilled to see her former body so strong and full of life, promising to serve her right as a Trainer.
Day 14
It was pleasant to experience such a routine day after so many explosive encounters. The morning was spent rushing out tackling more Rogue Mega Evolutions that cropped up, gathering their stones since I am the only one competent enough to defeat these foes. Lida and Naveen try, I suppose, but their ability to sense danger and suspicion leave me concerned about their mental capacity. They saw two of their friends undergo radical shifts in demeanor and clothing style in four days, yet they dismiss that as us being fashionable. It would be funny if it weren’t so… troubling.
With the Rogue Mega Evolutions defeated, Team MZ returned to Hotel Z to discuss the next step in Z-A Royale, where my opponent was assigned as none other than Corbeau. Yes, for all the technology we have, this little application could not tell that I had already defeated Corbeau and shoved his mind in a pitiful little Ekans. I felt the need to keep up appearances, so I battled the pawn piloting Corbeau’s body, effortlessly trouncing him with my Mega Excadrill. It was a hollow victory, but a victory none the less.
Another win called for another celebration at Hotel Z, though with Taunie no longer herself, her usual dish of croissant curry was not on the menu. Instead, she opted to make us a quiche. Not particularly great, clearly made in accordance to a recipe she found on the internet, but to say it was an upgrade would be an understatement.
I hoped that we could spend the rest of the day merely relaxing, that I could work on my plans a trifle bit more, but AZ, the 3,000-year-old giant of a human— just had to give Lida and Naveen Mega Rings and Mega Stones. With their fresh new toys, they were determined to test their skills by challenging me in battle, showing off their ensemble of Pokémon. I did not reject their request, but to say I found them imposing opponents would be… a lie.
In fact, I felt like such a bully for defeating them that I decided to treat the two to coffee after our battles, finding a place right next to Prism Tower, Nouveau Café. I ordered myself an especially hot beverage, hoping to enjoy the nice little reprieve between any and all responsibilities. …But then a maid with long teal hair approached me. She introduced herself as Lebanne, a representative of the Lumiose Society of Battle Connoisseurs, or the SBC. A Pokémon battling organization primarily for wealthy young adults and socialites.
The SBC noticed my dramatic rise through the ranks of the Z-A Royale and wanted me to participate in a tournament at Hotel Richissime, beginning tomorrow morning. I knew enough of human social norms to consider this an abrupt, if not rude, request for anyone to ask. …But I knew that rejecting offers like this would not benefit me in the long-term. Lida and Naveen both emphasized the importance of this invitation, claiming that I must be on my ‘best behavior.’ That Taunie must use this opportunity to promote Hotel Z. And that we both must look the part if we are attending an event like this.
My two fully human companions gave Taunie their full blessings, approving of her soft and cute attire, saying that it looked close enough to an imagined ‘dress code.’ But as they gazed at my shorts, T-shirt, leggings, and speakers, they said that I had to find something more formal. They dragged me away, forcing me to go to a store that dictated who was allowed to enter it, defeat the supposed owner, and be rewarded with a suit. The owner attempted to dress me in something with a garish floral pattern and dainty looking necktie.
It was far less mobile, less adept for exploring the city, on top of being aesthetically… unappealing. But if this was the price I had to pay to accrue power, to be in a room with influential people, it was a price I was willing to pay.
I had hoped that I could finally relax for the remainder of the day, but as I looked out at the sun, and at my phone, seeing that I lacked a challenger ticket to ascend to Rank B. I sighed, readied my team, and spent the remainder of my day grinding away within the Battle Zone. Netting myself over 100,000 Poké Dollars and getting my team up past level 60.
Day 15 – Part One
Oh, today was quite the day.
I knew that the tournament at Hotel Richissime was beginning bright and early. Taunie joined me at the Battle Zone last night, trying to scrounge up all the money she could for an ‘extra special’ outfit. Something pink and frilly. She would be busy grabbing the outfit with her fresh funds. Lida and Naveen were not invited— considering the skills, that was a kindness. This meant I was on my lonesome as I traveled across the streets of Lumiose, the sun peering over the horizon, masked by a sheet of clouds. It felt… foreboding in a sense, and as I walked, I kept feeling as if there was something amiss. As I left the main avenues and ventured down a side path, I discovered why.
Turning around, I saw that my pursuer was none other than the maid who invited me to this tournament, Lebanne. Casually, I approached her… only for the ground to shake beneath my feet. I rolled away out of reflex, analyzed my surroundings, and saw that this tiny area between buildings had been sealed by a holographic barrier, identical to the barriers of the Wild Zones, except this one was… purple.
I stared at the maid— Lebanne— about ready to sick My Friend Malamar on her for whatever she was attempting. Yet, she looked unsure of herself, afraid, and as I followed her expression, I saw something unusual. A holographic… human. A woman with billowing hair that swirled and retracted in a manner that seemed artificial, wearing a dress with puffy shoulders and wide sleeves, her legs covered by… what looked like fishnets of all things. Humans came in all shapes and sizes, yet something about her clothing made her seem unassuming. But there was nothing unassuming about the situation I was in.
Hologram Girl: “Bienvenue and hello! My name is Jacinthe, and you’re in what I like to call the Jacinthe zone.”
Megabigale: “I take it that you’re related to the Society of Battle Connoisseurs and this little tournament?”
Jacinthe: “Zut alors! It seems like someone was paying attention. Yes, I am the leader of the Society of Battle Connoisseurs, and I had my maid, Lebanne, personally invite you to my tournament, Le Super-Tournoi de Jacinthe.”
Megabigale: “Wonderful. Now, would you care to explain why you’ve locked me into your zone?”
Jacinthe: “My, you are so quick on the uptake. Though, I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you are a… Psychic-type, aren’t you, Malamar?”
Megabigale: “…That’s an interesting theory you have there, miss. Would you care to elaborate?”
Jacinthe: “Absolument! Well, I was first interested in you when I saw you rise up the ranks Z-A Royale. This woman, a tourist who has only been here for two weeks, was now a Rank C Trainer? How could that possibly be? Your progress, combined with your unique sense of fashion, made it impossible for me to not notice you. So I had my people look into you. Viewing your battle records, bank transactions, security camera footage. And what we found was… that you did not exist. You came here by train, had an ID, but until two weeks ago, there was no record of your existence. It’s like you just fell through an Ultra Wormhole and wound up here.”
Megabigale: “…What the blazes is an Ultra Wormhole?”
Jacinthe: “Oh, but that’s not even the most interesting thing! Until five days ago, you were not Megabigale were you? You were an Inkay she found in Wild Zone 11. My people are not sure how, but you somehow stole her body for yourself. I have heard of this happening in rare instances… And I simply must recruit you to the SBC!”
Megabigale: “Recruit? I might not know who you are Jacinthe, but I can tell that you are a powerful woman. And I know that those with power fear outsiders with power, that they only bring them closer if they want something, if they fear them. Tell me Jacinthe, do you fear what I could do to you?”
Jacinthe: “…A woman of my caliber does not know fear. I merely analyze, strategize, and approach every situation with a ‘winning attitude.'”
Megabigale: “Heh. If you know that I was a Malamar, do you know about the other swaps I’ve arranged?”
Jacinthe: “I would not be much of a strategist if I didn’t. Canari, Terragon, Gwynn, Corbau, Philippe, and Taunie, right?”
Megabigale: “What about Ivor?”
Jacinthe: “Pardon? I know I checked him, but he seemed like the same musclehead as always.”
Megabigale: “So, what do you plan to do with me? Do you want to kill me before I can steal your body for myself and become the new Jacinthe?”
Jacinthe: “Oh mon Dieu! I know that many people want to be me, but I’ve never seen someone wish to take things so literally. But no, killing people is not my way. Instead, I think it would be best to test your mettle in a Pokémon battle… or twelve.”
A second later, twelve members of SBC filtered in through the entrances to this ‘Jacinthe zone.’ They filled this tiny area, surrounding me, and looked at Jacinthe’s hologram, waiting for her signal. Then, with a parting adieu, the twelve Trainers all released a Pokémon. All Fairy-type and Dragon-type threats. I sent out my team— Feraligatr, Clefable, Excadrill, Eelektross, Malamar, and Chandelure— and began directing them like the exceptional Trainer I was, making use of spread moves to hit multiple targets. Earthquake, Discharge, Dazzling Gleam, Fire Spin, Stealth Rocks, and so forth. I had to play smart if I wanted to avoid getting overwhelmed… and I did.
All twelve Trainers threw out two Pokémon a person, yet even an army of 24 Pokémon were not enough to stop me and my team. It was a hard and long battle, requiring the use of potions and revives to get through it, but I still won, survived, and sent the SBC cronies running away in fear. …All except for one. The teal-haired maid, Lebanne.
Lebanne: “I… I do not believe I have ever seen anything of the sort. I know that some Trainers excel in commanding multiple Pokémon, but that… that was something else. You are quite the Trainer Megabigale. Or… pardon me, I suppose I should address you as—”
Megabigale: “Are you going to fight me? Because you’ll end up like all the rest.”
Lebanne: “I’m afraid that I need to. And now that everybody has departed, I can… cut this polite crap and cut loose for the first time in MONTHS! Get ready, you squid dastard, you’ve just awakened the OLD Lebanne! Stand and bear witness to The Dragon of Lumiose!”
Lebanne eagerly discarded her polite demeanor. Her stance became low, her tenor became vulgar, and everything about her body language made me think she was going to fight me with her fists. Instead, she merely unleashed a scattering of Dragon-type Pokémon… that were promptly defeated by my Clefable’s Moonblast. Despite whatever she thought of herself, she was just another Trainer, and I had yet to find a single Trainer who gave me a true challenge.
Lebanne: “Goldarn! You really think you’re something special, dontcha, punk? I still got some fight in me so… hold up a sec, I gotta heal my team.”
She reached into her apron to grab some revives, but before she could, I promptly grabbed her, tossing her to the ground as she was unaware, and placed my foot onto her face. My speed and aggression left her dazed. I could tell she was preparing to dish out some manner of insult, but I spoke before she could.
Megabigale: “No healing. You lost. I won. That is the end of that. And you are going to pay for trying to apprehend me.”
Lebanne: “Grah! You’re a freak of nature, you know that? Nobody should be able to command Pokémon like that! Even Jacinthe doesn’t—”
Megabigale: “Why do you serve her? I saw the way you fought indicates that you are not the prim and proper type.”
Lebanne: “Heh. You think I do this because I want to? I don’t. I… I screwed up. I had a bet with Jacinthe two years ago and she totally annihilated me. Now I gotta talk all fancy and wear this crazy getup, all because I promised her I would. She… she was hoping you’d end up like me. That you’d be loyal to her, do whatever she tells you to do—”
Megabigale: “If you hate her, why do you obey her? If this is your job, can’t you just leave?”
Lebanne: “Hate her? I don’t hate her or anything like that. I… I just want to get even with her. All my life, I was this wild and feared Trainer, all I wanted to do was battle, show off the power of my Dragon-types. …But Dragon-types can’t do much to Fairy-types. I know I could leave if I beat her, but I’m not going to just give up on my dragons. Maybe I have too much pride but—”
Megabigale: “Pride is your excuse for debasing yourself? It sounds to me that you might like this. That you enjoy being Jacinthe’s Pokémon.”
Lebanne: “What are you on about? I’m a person, you’re the Pokémon, ya body stealing freak!”
Megabigale: “Oh please, you are absolutely her Pokémon. You are her maid, her servant, she is not your friend, she is not even your employer, she is your Master. So, you are her Pokémon! From what I can gather, it sounds like she has been grooming you well over these two years. If she had her way, would she ever let you leave? Or, would she leave you like this, acting as her maid, until you become too accustomed to leave? Until you become too scared to become who you were before.”
Lebanne: “Hey! I don’t fear anything! Get your goldarn foot off me and I’ll show you what I’m about, with my fists. I’ve been doing a lot more sweeping and a lot less weights, but you don’t need strength to fight dirty!”
I promptly kicked Lebanne in the face for her request, slamming my heel into her teeth.
Lebanne: “Grah!”
Megabigale: “Lebanne, what do you think I want to do with you?”
Lebanne: “You’re… oh no. You’re not going to put me inside my Dragalge, are ya?”
Megabigale: “No. With your feistiness, your Garchomp would be more appropriate. …But that’s not the direction I want to take. Lebanne, you have spent years working for Jacinthe, serving her, losing to her, and being her little Pokémon, haven’t you?”
Lebanne: “I keep telling you. I ain’t no Pokémon. YOU ARE!”
Megabigale: “So, if I were to switch your body with someone… shouldn’t it be a human?”
Lebanne: “Huh? I’m already a human, you dolt!”
Megabigale: “Ugh. I’m tiring of this conversation. Can you disable this infuriating barrier?”
Lebanne: “…Yeah. Just get your dirty shoes off of my face.”
I did as Lebanne asked and watched her carefully as she stood up. She sighed as she straightened out her dirtied uniform before standing tall, raising her arms posing them into something that vaguely looked like a heart symbol, before saying the magic words.
Lebanne: “Jacinthe zone: OFF!”
As I hoped, this was enough to make the purple barrier disappear, allowing me to finally leave this place and head to Hotel Richissime. I walked past Lebanne, intending to leave her behind… only for her to grab me by my sleeve. I looked back at her with a vicious glare, but she merely stared down, her headband nearly falling off.
Lebanne: “What are you gonna do to her?”
Megabigale: “I have some ideas…”
With those words, I left Lebanne on the pavement, resuming my walk to Hotel Richissime. Silence followed me for ten seconds before I heard Lebanne’s heels click against the pavement, marching in step with my own. I did not turn back to acknowledge her. I merely recognized her complacency.
Day 15 – Part Two
Upon arriving at Hotel Richissime, I was directed to an underground room. One with marble floors, tinted lighting, open space, but enough accoutrements to register as elegant. Members of the SBC were standing at attention, while the sofas were occupied by a scattering of familiar faces. Canari, Terragon, Ivor, Gwynn, Corbeau, Phillipe, and Taunie. All individuals who I had touched with my powers. Eyes landed on me as I arrived, and before I could introduce myself, Jacinthe— in the flesh— walked into the center of the room.
Despite lacking the luminescence of a hologram, she still glowed in a sense, her bright hair and clothing contrasting with her dark skin, and her eyes practically sparkling as they stared at me. She was coy, unwilling to express her desires directly, and hid behind the visage of a fairy tale princess. How deep her insidiousness went was not clear to me. But I knew that she wanted me gone. And I knew what I wanted to do to her.
Jacinthe: “Alors! Everyone is finally here! Guests, please come and join me on the court. It is finally time for Le Super-Tournoi de Jacinthe to begin!”
Canari: “Woah! Hold on a sec! I’ve got a couple questions for Megabigale here first.”
Corbeau: “Can’t it wait until after the tournament? Some of us have appointments to keep.”
Jacinthe: “Precisely! And we are already running a little late, so if you could all gather, I have a surprise for—”
Before the master of ceremonies could finish her introduction, she was interrupted once more by Taunie, whose phone sprang to life with a distracting jingle. She jumped from her seat, practically spinning in her elegant pink dress, before looking down at her phone and back at Jacinthe.
Taunie: “Actually, Jackie, I think we gotta take a rainy check. Vinnie just texted me and said there are some Rogue Mega Evolu— Oops! I wasn’t supposed to say that. Point is, I’ve gotta Jett outta here~!”
Megabigale: “No, you are going to stay here, Taunie.”
Taunie: “Huh? But Vinnie—”
Megabigale: “Taunie, I will take care of it.”
After seeing this goal dangling in front of me, I was not going to let it pass me by because of Quasartico’s incompetence. I grabbed my phone and promptly called Vinnie directly. He barely got a syllable in before I began to tear into him.
Megabigale: “Vinnie, I’m calling to inform you that we are no longer going to assist you with this Rogue Mega Evolution problem.”
Vinnie: “What? But we had an agreement to protect—”
Megabigale: “If our labor is so important, why aren’t you compensating us? Why are you relying on a group of unproven Trainers to do your dirty work? You are part of an extraordinarily wealthy company, and protecting the people of Lumiose is your responsibility, not ours. I am sick of wasting my time— wasting my vacation— helping you. I hereby withdraw Team MZ from any agreement we had in place. And do not bother with any legal threats. I have signed nothing.”
Vinnie: “Where is this coming from? You seemed excited to—”
Megabigale: “That was the past. This is now. You have five seconds to make an offer.”
Vinnie: “I lack the authority to—”
Megabigale: “You are second in command in a multitrillion PokéDollar company, and you cannot even pay your contractors, you bourgeoise dastard? Our relationship is over. Goodbye.”
My bitter phone call was enough to draw concern and ire from the SBC cronies and guests alike. Even Lebanne, who snuck in during the phone call, was looking at me with concern. But I did not care at this point. Jacinthe knew what I was, and I was determined to show her that I was not to be trifled with. She looked at me with her bright smile, unwilling to break her persona even after witnessing my outburst. I invited her to continue introducing this tournament.
The structure was simple. An eight bracket tournament where the winner battles Jacinthe. I cared little for battles beyond my own, but I was piqued by the choice to have me battle Canari for the third time. Well, third if I take a liberal definition with the pronoun me. She looked at me with fire in her yellow-blue eyes. I knew what I did to her. That she was previously her own grandfather, Terragon, and she almost certainly knew that I was responsible. She stood across from me, Quick Ball clenched in hand, and prepared to battle… but first, she pulled out her phone and began a livestream.
Canari: “Watts zappin’ Canatics? I’m hyped to show you another battle, but first, I have something to say about my opponent. Megabigale. …She’s a faker! She’s a Malamar who took Megabigale’s body, and has been swapping people’s bodies all over the place! Even Pops wasn’t spared, she put an Excadrill in his body! I… wait, chat why are you so quiet. Is my mic not working or—”
Jacinthe: “My apologies, Canari, but I had to take extra precautions with this tournament and turned on the Jacinthe zone. And in the Jacinthe zone, no one can hear you scream. All online communications are blocked.”
Canari: “HUH? Wait, so… We need to cancel the tournament, Megabigale is—”
Jacinthe: “This Megabigale is the one who I invited to the Le Super-Tournoi de Jacinthe, and I am well aware of her background… And that goes for all of you. I know everything.”
Canari: “I… Oh no. Has my impression not been convincing enough? I’ve been practicing so much over the years!
Jacinthe: “Well, not enough for the Canatics. They’ve been saying your gameplay has gotten ‘stale,’ ‘cringe,’ saying that you’ve ‘dropped off like a Golem.’ They’ve noticed that, despite looking and acting the part, you still play games like an old man.”
Canari: “&%^@#?&!★#$! I spent so many years subbing for her, but I’m just plain no good at video games!”
Megabigale: “Well, now is a great time to learn, is it not? I gave you this opportunity for a reason and—”
Canari: “You put my granddaughter inside an Eelektross, you twisted squid! She’s been miserable, just munching anything mindlessly so she could try and suppress the despair of losing her body— her identity! You hurt me where it hurts. My Canari! Excadrill, let’s tag-team this body thief!”
Terragon: “Hmph! We’re gonna dig your grave, and throw you in it!”
Canari: “Yeah, we’re— what? No, Excadrill! We’re not trying to kill her— him— it— whatever you are! We just want to stop you and get our bodies back!”
Terragon: “Eyup! Comply or prepare to experience excruciating pain. I might not have my drills, but I still know how to crush anything that moves.”
Canari: “No! No violence! We just… Ah, forget it. Try and take us on at once!”
Two teams of elite Trainers sounded imposing… But I had not encountered a single battle thus far that I would describe as challenging. Even with contrasting types like Electric and Ground, they were nothing for my team. Liquidation here, Earthquake there, throw in a stray Energy Ball or Drill Run, and they were decimated in barely any time at all. Even as they rushed me with their ace Pokémon at the same time, they were nothing when faced with Mega Feraligatr, and My Friend Malamar. Like all the rest, they were both left recoiling in fear at my prowess.
Canari: “You thrashed BOTH OF US? Just… just what are you?”
Megabigale: “A powerful Pokémon Trainer. At this rate, I may as well aim to become the Kalos Champion. But first, release your Eelektross, Canari.”
Canari: “You know who I really am! I’m Terragon, not my granddaughter!”
Megabigale: “Then let her out.”
Canari complied with my request, releasing her distraught Eelektross, the creature staring down at its ‘hands’ in sorrow as it slithered on the ground, not wanting to look me in the eyes. The other tournament participants were looking on with reserved interest, having all seen what I was capable of, while Jacinthe and her SBC peons looked on with rapt attention. I had intended to leave Canari as she was for the purpose of granting them new experiences, but her animosity and resistance made it clear they were not going to play along as I had hoped. Canari was too high profit for her to be replaced, even by one of her most devout enthusiasts— her grandfather— and I would need to replace her with a puppet. …However, I also did not feel that the former Canari could be left as she was in good consciousness. She looked pitiful, miserable, and while she fought me, I could tell she only battled due to the intense power of Mega Evolution.
I had to put these two somewhere for the time being… and with both an Eelektross and Excadrill in my team, I decided upon a viable solution. I stared at their Poké Balls, along with My Friend Malamar’s, before releasing all three, executing my plan.
Canari, née Terragon, would find a new home within my Eelektross. Her electric persona was lacking, cracking, and through someone with the foreman experience as they would likely get along with an Excadrill’s body, I felt that such a power fantasy was uncalled for. While Canari’s Eelektross, née Canari, would find her home within my Excadrill. If she was miserable as an Electric-type, despite being an Electric enthusiast, perhaps she would thrive in the body of the opposite. …Or perhaps I was merely trying to justify my own twisted sense of humor. At this point, I was not entirely sure. And even now, I’m still not.
Mega Malamar’s Topsy-Turvy executed these swaps within a matter of seconds, the minds shuffling to their rightful place. The original Canari and Terragon were now at my side. Terragon’s Excadrill and Canari’s Eelektross returned to their original vessels. While the bodies of Canari and Terragon were now home to partners who loved me as much as a Pokémon could love its Trainer. Two devoted servants with loyalty that could not be shaken …But they both needed a bit of heavy duty hypnosis before they could assume their new roles. With another nudge, Mega Malamar did just that, and all was right with the world.
Canari: “Zuh! Hold on, these hands! This mouth! Woah! You really made me into a human, Master. And you gave me all these memories too! You’re so thoughtful and nice to us! Let’s go, DYN4M0! Ah man, I can’t wait to check out my Canatics! Though… you made sure to make me a 1337 gamer, right? I want the Cantics to see that the real Canari is back in business!”
Terragon: “Ahahahaha! I’m sure Megabigale did. I can feel decades of knowledge, customs, and standards flowing through my brain. Why, it’s almost like all my time as a Drilbur was just a distant dream. You won’t be disappointed in the new Terragon, I can tell ya that much for free!”
Megabigale: “Hmm. It seems that you’ve impressed me in your thoroughness yet again, Malamar now then I—”
Jacinthe: “Zut alors! That was no mere illusion, was it?”
Megabigale: “Of course not. Like I said, like you’ve noticed, my Malamar here can swap people’s bodies and change their minds. Everybody here, beyond you and your crew, have had their minds altered by my Malamar and I. So, what do you say we cast aside this charade and get on with the final battle.”
Taunie: “Aw, but that’s not faaaiiirrr! I wanted to fight! I’m real good at it and I’m getting better every day!”
Gwynn: “I… could take it or leave it. Being a human is fun, but my ghost friends are more the type to enjoy a good coffee over a battle…”
Ivor: “What? C’mon sis! As a member of the Fist of Justice, you gotta fist… for justice! And Brass Ivor doesn’t back down from a fight. We’re a one man fighting machine!”
As Ivor, née Falinks said that, he slammed his slipper clad food against the flooring, leaving a foot sized crack and indentation in the floor, startling both Lebanne and Jacinthe.
Lebanne: “We’re not getting our security deposit back, are we…”
Jacinthe: “Hmm… Even I will have a hard time covering that up.”
Corbeau: “…How is that even humanly possible? Or is he actually a Falinks in a human suit?”
Megabigale: “I guess that even when you swap bodies between humans in Pokémon, certain things just refuse to change. …Fine, carry on with your tournament, just make it quick.”
Ivor: “Awright! I’m up next and I’m fighting… Phillipe? Righteous! You and your Steel-types might think you’re hard, but with the brass in command, you are going down, way down brah!”
Philippe: “Hmph. Just because you have a type advantage doesn’t mean you’ll break through my team’s ironclad defenses. Show me that you’re more than just talk!”
The remainder of the Le Super-Tournoi de Jacinthe was an utter bore not worth mentioning. There was something to admire and appreciate about watching Pokémon perform so proficiently as Trainers, but I was simply not in the mood after having been chasing after Jacinthe for what felt like hours. I wanted resolution, and after a pitiful rematch with Corbeau, I was finally at the grand finals.
Jacinthe was staring back at me, her true expressions hidden behind a perfected smile. She looked at the guests, all a menagerie of Pokémon turned humans, and she had to know that a similar fate awaited her. Yet, she did not blink. Perhaps she was so consumed by terror she could not show it. Perhaps her confidence knew no limits. Or, perhaps, she had a secret weapon to undermine me. Like a team of Bug-types to devour My Friend Malamar.
Jacinthe: “—And with that, it is time to begin the final battle. I look forward to witnessing the immutable bonds of your and your Pokémon firsthand.”
Megabigale: “Immutable bonds? Please. You saw what I did to Eelektross and Excadrill a few minutes ago. I wanted them to be loyal to me, so I fed them vitamins, shoved wings down their gullets, and fed them treats. Bonds can be manufactured, bought, and power can be raised just by feeding Pokémon candies found in the wild.”
Jacinthe: “Ohohohoho! I admire your fierce determination, ma chère. But I am growing overly familiar with these interruptions. Let’s make this a riveting resolution!”
I could tell that she was a Fairy-type user from her princess motif, and with enough conditioning, Mega Excadrill née Canari was able to decimate the bulk of her team. Taking them out with only one or two strikes before finally reaching her final Pokémon. Her pièce de résistance. …A Clefable. I laughed as she set out on the battlefield, fully knowing what treatment awaited her when she lost. As the Clefable Mega Evolved, growing a pair of wings, I sent out Eelektross née Terragon to strike her down with Discharge and Rock Slide. The pink ball of fluff and butterfly wings did not want to go down, but with a final Plus Thunder, she crashed back to the ground. I was the victor, and Jacinthe’s reaction was… something.
Jacinthe: “Magnifique! What a fine display by both you and your Pokémon!”
Megabigale: “Oh, the fine display is just getting started. Malamar? Clefable? Lebanne? It’s time for a little exchange game. I hope you enjoy spending all your days as a pink puffball, Jacinthe.”
Jacinthe: “Hmm? You think I’ll let you—”
Megabigale: “Philippe pin her down! Everybody, secure the perimeter! Don’t let these SBC dastards do anything!”
Seconds later, Jacinthe’s body was slammed to the ground, trapped under a hundred kilograms of muscle. The other Pokémon-turned-humans kept Jacinthe’s grunts at bay. And Lebanne was standing next to me, fidgeting with her hands. I shot her a glare, a warning to play nice, and her movements ceased. It was as if she was petrified, but that was not the fate I had in mind for her. Instead, she would get something she’s wanted for… what was it? Two years? A sense of dominance, superiority, and a freedom from servitude. It was time for the maid… to become the mistress.
Mega Malamar quickly initiated a three-way swap. Jacinthe’s mind was siphoned from her body and placed in the body of my Clefable. A cute, pudgy, and pink form, capable of attaining beauty through Mega Evolution, yet far from the stature that she, as a wealthy socialite, enjoyed. My Clefable’s mind drifted into Lebanne’s body. She was a stalwart companion, useful assistant in battle, and for her loyalty, she was granted a human form. Sure, she was a maid at the moment, a position no better than that of a Pokémon, but her freedom would be placed in the hands of someone who knew the life of a maid all too well.
Lebanne’s mind was placed in Jacinthe’s body, and her reaction was what I cared about. Her eyes shot open, her movements were slow, and the first thing she reacted to was Philippe’s grip. She groaned, asking politely to be let free, and once she was, she stared down at her body, aghast. The pink color, the frills of her sleeves, and the pillowing mounds of hair that spread out to both sides of her person. She did not need to see her face to know she was Jacinthe, and as she recognized this reality… a skewed, uncanny expression appeared on The New Jacinthe’s face.
Jacinthe: “AW YEAH! After all those years, after breaking my butt for her every day, now I am Jacinthe! Now I am the elite socialite, the master of Fairy-types, and heiress to an unfathomable amount of wealth! I wanted to prove that I was better than her, but now… it doesn’t matter! I’m The New Jacinthe, hear me ROAR!”
Lebanne: “Oh me, oh my~! You seem to be taking this rather well and—”
Jacinthe: “GAH! Cut that crap out! It was bad enough needing to act all polite and trash, but I can’t stand watching someone else use my body— my OLD body— to act like that. You’re The Dragon of Lumiose, act like it!”
Lebanne: “Don’t tell me what to do, you rich brat! Just because you have power doesn’t mean you’re better than me! If only you’d chosen a less busted type, I’d be able to whoop your boney bum to next Tuesday!”
Jacinthe: “…Dang, that’s pretty good. To think that some Clefable would be able to impersonate me so well…”
Megabigale: “And with that, I think it’s time for me to depart. Do keep me updated on your new relationship. …And Jacinthe, I did not do this out of the kindness of my heart. You owe me several favors. Big favors.”
Jacinthe: “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be happy to give you whatever you want, Megabigale… except for my new body… and status… and—”
Megabigale: “I get it. Now, if you could disable the Jacinthe zone, I have to celebrate my ascension to becoming a Rank B Trainer… by finding my next opponent.”
Taunie: “Oooooh! Right! You’re going to get that wish suuuper soon, aren’t you?”
Megabigale: “Indeed I will. But for now, I’m frankly sick of being around you people. Good day and goodbye.”
By the time I had left, night was minutes away from falling. Like clockwork, I rushed to the nearest Battle Zone, using my team to amass however many points I would need to battle my next target, before finally returning to Hotel Z. Now as I sit here, on my bed, I think I am finally entitled to a good night’s rest. For tomorrow is the day I will find my Rank B target, defeat them, and prove myself as the best and mightiest Trainer in this entire city.
I have come far in these past few days, but tomorrow, Day 16, it will all finally come to an end.
Act 4: Megabigale’s Big Score
Day 16 – Part One
I was hoping to enjoy a restful night’s slumber, but something just refused to let that happen. The sound of cries pierced through my door at Hotel Z, and as I tossed and turned, they did not go away. Frustrated, I finally got up, opened the door, and was met with… Zygarde. Still in its 10% Forme. I followed the dog-shaped beast into the elevator and out of Hotel Z, too tired and fatigued to even ask how it got into Hotel Z in the first place.
Zygarde escorted me to a battle court near the hotel, and it was empty as the night was dark. I stared at the legendary beast for a moment, only for his handler to reappear, Lysandre.
Lysandre: “Hear Zygarde’s wish. It has been monitoring you… and it is none too happy. It knows that you are disturbing the natural balance. You’re turning humans into Pokémon, Pokémon into humans, and allowing Rogue Mega Evolutions to run rampant. Zygarde… fears you, and what you are capable of. It wants you to stop immediately, to return things to their natural order. Only then can Lumiose be at peace.”
Megabigale: “Ha! You think that mere words will be enough to convince me? I almost have everything I could ever want. And why would I even think of submitting to you when I know that you fear me. If you fear me, then how about we battle? See which force is stronger? A force of change, or a force of balance?”
Lysandre: “Zygarde does not wish to fight you… but it will if you give it no choice.”
Megabigale: “Then… it has no choice. Now, Zygarde, show me your truest form. Hold nothing back!”
Zygarde: “Zeh!”
As Zygarde howled, small green blobs— Zygarde cells— began slithering across the nearby streets, down the walls of buildings, and all gathered around the wolf-like body of the Pokémon before me. Its body shifted as the cells drew closer. First becoming a snake-like creature with five black slabs sticking out of its back, and then… something bigger, more imposing, and… humanoid. A towering behemoth, far too large for this small battle court.
Recognizing this, the behemoth of a Pokémon unleashed a pulse that demolished the fence, enlarging our arena. I scowled as I felt their power coursing through them, knowing that this would not be easy. But with my honed team, and freshly tamed Clefable, there was no doubt in my mind that I would defeat this beast of legends.
Megabigale: “I asked for your truest form… and you delivered. Very well. Let the battle begin!”
What followed was a drawn out brawl against a Level 70 beast of legend. One with a wide spectrum of Dragon-type and Ground-type attacks and a relentless desire to destroy. I had hoped that Mega Clefable with Ice Beam would be enough to trounce Zygarde— an impossible target— but even that was not enough. Everybody— except for Eelektross— had to contribute, planting chip damage where possible, lowering its imposing strength, all before I finally got a lucky win as Feraligatr’s Ice Fang froze the giant with a single blow. This was my opportunity for an all-out attack, and I did not waste it. It was a long, drawn out battle… and I ended it with a Timer Ball. …Or rather three of the blasted things before Zygarde’s resilience faded and it stayed in the ball.
Just like that, I was holding onto a Poké Ball containing a legendary Pokémon. I was once a mere Inkay, and now I had overpowered a creature responsible for the balance of the world at large. It was absurd, stupendous, and as I recognized this achievement, I could not contain myself. I laughed and cackled into the night like a mad woman, all as Lysandre stood beside me. Staring. Seething. He grabbed his belt and, without saying a word, sent out his Pyroar, challenging me to another battle. I balked at his arrogance, to think that he could possibly stand a chance against me after I defeated Zygarde.
…So I decided to show him my strength through my newest team member. I gave Zygarde a Max Potion, plucked its forgotten Mega Stone from my satchel, sent it out, and saw what my predecessor knew to be inevitable. Zygarde in its most powerful Forme. More than 10%, more than 50%, more than the Complete Forme. This was Mega Zygarde.
A Forme that eclipsed even the Complete Forme in terms of its scale, and had firepower beyond that of any Pokémon I could fathom, boasting a cannon the size of a bus. And, with a single command, Mega Zygarde showed me what it could do. It showed me a move that decimated Lysandre’s entire team, in a single shot. Nihil Light. A cascade of pink energy with a scale and power that overwhelmed anything I had ever seen a Pokémon use. Lysandre threw out a full party of six, but Zygarde dispatched every single one of them in a single blow, leaving this gray-haired man on his knees.
Lysandre: “I… I failed to protect you, Zygarde. Megabigale, please, Zygarde is our only hope of restoring balance to Lumiose— to all of Kalos.”
Megabigale: “Oh, I am well aware of the power that I wield. I just wish to wield it differently than you, or anyone, would ever think of. You see, I have been thinking, during the entirety of our battle, on what I could do with the power of Zygarde. Arguably, having it and a Mega Malamar on my side would make me an invincible threat, the likes of which only has to fear Arceus itself. However, Zygarde is not a typical Pokémon, in any sense. Zygarde is a hundred cells, combined into a single form, and by being so granular, by being composed of so many smaller components, it is also far easier to manipulate. Both in terms of its physical body, and its mind. Every cell can be hypnotized, and if given proper orders, then the cells should be capable of fusing with my Malamar.”
Lysandre: “What are you saying? You plan on merging Malamar and Zygarde into a single Pokémon?”
Megabigale: “Exactly. Just like Kyurem, Necrozma, or even a Mantine. Pokémon fuse and merge all the time. And while this manner may be undocumented and unknown, who’s to say it’s not possible? Who’s to say I cannot create a Mega Malamar Z? Now, be a good little immortal loser and watch! This is the dawn of a new era. The beginning of The Reign of Megabigale!”
Following that speech, I released Malamar and Zygarde from their Poké Balls and communicated my desires to Malamar. It stared back at me with its squinting eyes before laughing in affirmation, eagerly awaiting the influx of Mega Power as it became Mega Malamar. With a verbal order, Zygarde’s impressive body began to dissipate, reduced to five core and 95 cells, all of whom looked on at Mega Malamar as it waved its tentacles, locking the 100 components into a trance, ordering them to become one with itself. The cores and cells, despite holding such power, were unable to resist. Their little eyes all glowed a vibrant pink and, with a single gesture from Mega Malamar, flocked around its body.
The vibrant squid became covered in green cells, clinging onto every part of its body, almost like a form of armor. Shielding its body, increasing its bulk, but mostly coalescing around its head tentacles, forming into something similar to the cannon of Mega Zygarde. To think, the raw power of a legendary creature like Zygarde, was now one with the mental dominance of Mega Malamar. Together, I could enact mass destruction, I could create a whole new world, and I could manipulate all of my victims, turning them into unquestioning peons as I devised what this new world should be.
As the thoughts flowed into my head, I laughed, basking in the radiance of the Mega Malamar Z before me… and at that moment, everything started going wrong.
I felt something hop into my mouth, slither down my throat, and slam my stomach. I gagged from the impact, nearly collapsing to the ground, only for my attention to be brought to my ears. Something slimy was touching them, coating them, and as I took my hands to swipe it away, I felt something sink into my ear canal. Frustration gave way to panic as I felt this fluid seep to the membrane guarding the cochlea, my fingers unable to reach this accursed thing.
I had fallen to the floor, panic growing as both ears underwent a simultaneous assault. I was deaf to the world, unable to hear anything beyond a wet wiggling sound, unable to even hear my own panting. It was a foreign emotion at this point. As an Alpha Inkay, I did not know fear. I was dominant, I was large, I was strong. As a human, I was even stronger. But now, I felt a weakness fully and truly foreign to me. And as that happened, I felt something… move off the top of my head. The metal headband was gone. The earrings were gone. My tools to prevent Malamar from fighting back or resisting me had been removed.
Shaking, I looked up at Mega Malamar Z. Standing tall, large, and coursing with a power that was beyond even my comprehension. Its squinting yellow eyes had shifted into a vibrant green, and were fully opened, looking directly at me, down at me. I tried to speak, but with my ears blocked, I was not even sure what I was saying. All I recall was that I was begging, pleading, and acting without the confidence that I once had.
As Mega Malamar Z witnessed my attempts, it laughed, before placing its bottom fin on me. Suddenly, I heard its voice, and just as suddenly, something blocked both my eyes.
I abruptly found myself able to see, able to hear, standing in a place that… was not Lumiose. A radiant realm of countless colors, all shifting and fading, following no perceptible pattern. And before me was… a female human I could not recognize. One with a tan complexion, dark hair, dressed in a green shirt and dark pants. She stood taller than me, and as I rose from the ground, she slowly walked towards me.
Enigmatic Woman: “It appears that you’ve lost, you petulant little Malamar. I admire the gusto and bravado of any trans-species body thief. And you might have gotten away with it… if you merely accepted your humanity, accepted the role of a hero. Instead, your greed and avarice have only emboldened and empowered me. You are currently under my mind control. To ensure that you obey me, that you have no chance of ever resisting me, ever again, I am about to erase your identity, and turn you into a remotely operated shell for yours truly. All through the power of hypnosis… and a few Zygarde cells for good measure. It will strengthen the body, make the bond both biological and psychological.”
Megabigale?: “…Who are you?”
Enigmatic Woman: “Ah, I see that my memory had a few too many barriers for you to even see my true form. Interesting. My true name is Verde Dusk, but you probably know me as Megabigale. You are the Alpha Malamar who stole my body, and I am taking back control. I could just swap us and leave you locked in cyberspace forever, but the power of Mega Evolution is intoxicating. As painful as it is pleasurable. …No, that’s a lie. The pleasure is more than six times as great as the pain, not that you will ever know.”
As I began to retort this Verde woman, I felt something in my form shift. I looked down and… saw that I was an Alpha Malamar yet again. Without the ability to speak through my beak, I spoke to Verde telepathically.
Alpha Malamar: “So, you mean to kill me for stealing your body?”
Verde Dusk: “Among other things, yes. You’re gonna die, and I’m just here to gloat. To tell you how you messed up, and explain what I am going to do now that I’m the one with all the cards. Since you put me in your squidsome body, I was stewing my time, pretending to be domesticated, and looking for a way out. I had planned to snatch it back after Mega Evolving. I even had a decent chance of doing so while you were asleep, but I did not want to risk those odds. So I waited until we neared the climax, until your patience ran thin and you got greedy. Then, after defeating Zygarde, I made my move. 90 Zygarde cells and 4 cores joined with me, while I sent 1 core and 5 cells after you, overwhelming your senses, attacking your ears and eyes. With you locked in a state of mental anguish, I made my move, and… while I have not won, I can see the finish line.”
Alpha Malamar: “I see. You intend on executing me for my actions. You are not even going to put me in the body of a lowly Patrat or anything?”
Verde Dusk: “Huh. Interesting offer, but the fact that you are making it means I definitely won’t do it.”
Alpha Malamar: “…So, this is it? My original body is being stolen by a human as punishment for stealing her body? Leaving me a mere figment of a memory?”
Verde Dusk: “Prrreeettttyyyy much. You cannot dangle the power of a deity before me and expect me to say no. It’s bad enough I lost my divinity once…”
Alpha Malamar: “…What are you? You are not merely some ethereal transdimensional vagabond like I had assumed.”
Verde Dusk: “I was a God. Then I killed myself. Now I’m here, about to become a Pokémon Trainer once again. In another context, we might have been allies, but I’ve been stabbed— figuratively and literally— too many times to trust a natural traitor like you. Fais attention à toi, Malamar. Enjoy nonexistence.”
Day 16 – Part Two
And with that, Malamar was no more, his mind vacant and wiped. Not killed or destroyed, but wiped. All memories, all thoughts and feelings, bundled up and restored for me to sift through— which, as of writing, I just did. And boy do I wish that he left me out more, because it has been too long since I was part of a messed up body swap story! …Okay, it’s been like five months, but still! That’s TOO LONG!
Anyway, where was I? …Righto! I don’t think I can properly articulate what it felt like to be Mega Malamar Z. I know what it feels like to have immense power. I used to be able to blow up planets with a damn keystroke! However, as Mega Malamar Z, it’s less that I have power as much as I feel power and potential coursing out of my entire being. My mind is processing so fast it’s like the world is moving at a third of its usual speed. My every movement feels quick and like it could fire through a foot of concrete. And the giant gun monstrosity that I inherited from Mega Zygarde… It felt like having a sexual organ only meant to destroy things. I had not fired it yet, but I felt the weight and intensity of this load when I idly floated around.
As I returned to reality, I looked down at my original body in this loop… and felt my consciousness return to it. It was not the first time I had piloted two bodies simultaneously, but with the enhanced processing power of my Mega Malamar Z brain, I was able to achieve this feat with ease, standing up, looking at my surroundings, and even speaking through this body. This… Megabigale body I suppose.
Verde(Megabigale): “Ah, it’s good to be on two legs again. Not that being an inverted squid was that bad. Better than being a Personality Core.”
As my Megabigale body said that to me, she winked. Why? Because I am always looking for tiny ways to entertain myself. And when I am piloting two bodies at once, I can be a one woman buddy cop duo. I could have kept this schtick going for hours, though it was hard to be all jokey-jokey while the sky was… purple. I sighed with both bodies as I realized I had stumbled into the climax of this little Scenario, looked over myself… and took a minute to change my threads via my phone. Yeah, no, that’s actually how it works in this world. If you buy clothes, you can change them using your phone! With tech like this, who even needs an Auto Closet?
I settled for a fit that was very Kuro Abigale Quinlan coded. Red trench coat, white sweater underneath, black gloves, black pants, black boots. While I knew I should ditch the anti-mind tampering headband and earrings Malamar fitted this body with, I actually kind of liked how they gave this form some unique style. …Oh, and they were never actually effective. That was all a load of bunk. I guess even Psychic-type Pokémon can fall for tinfoil hat conspiracies. I also adjusted the hair, keeping the same style, but changing the base color to black, and reducing the intensity of the purple accents. Rainbow hair was gauche in my mind, but black with a sprinkle of color? That was classy.
The only thing that I couldn’t seem to change was my eyes, which were black voids, with even contacts not helping them. Out of a sense of modesty— I didn’t want to look like a dead-eyed creep— I threw on a pair of sunglasses. It made things profoundly dark at night, but it would draw attention away from my eyes, and matched this body’s color scheme pretty well.
With my human body looking positively dashing, my two bodies sprinted through the narrow alleys before making it out to one of the main avenues. There, I saw Prism Tower, glowing a vibrant, if familiar, pinkish purple. I wasted no time before rushing towards it, my Mega Evolution maintained, and as I arrived, I saw the entirety of Team MZ, including the big man himself, AZ. …And his Eternal Floette, her tiny body wrapped in a series of vines, leading to an absolutely gigantic black and red flower.
Clearly, they were up to something related to Prism Tower, but before I could arrive within earshot, I saw Floette float up in a ball of light, taking Taunie with her to the top of Prism Tower.
As I drew closer, I saw that Team MZ was not alone. Vinnie, Lysandre, and two people with red and gray hair who felt vaguely familiar were all gathered around the base of the tower, all turning to look at me.
Naveen: “Megabigale?”
Lida: “And WHAT is that behind her?”
Lysandre: “That’s what I warned you about. She has fused her Malamar together with Zygarde to create a creature of immense power.”
AZ: “Megabigale, please stop. I know that you are under the influence of that Malamar, but you need to fight it.”
Verde(Megabigale): “Huh? Okay, there’s a lot to explain here. Basically, this Malamar switched bodies with me six days ago. But I finally managed to get control of my real body— my human body— after getting a little help from Zygarde’s cells. In short, the old Megabigale’s back in action, ready to do… whatever needs to be done here.”
Gray and Red Haired Woman: “Are we really going to believe someone who would attack Lysandre?”
Gray and Red Haired Woman: “I think not. How do we know you are who you say you are?”
Verde(Megabigale): “…I don’t know who you tertiary characters are, and frankly, I don’t care. I just want to prevent this place from getting destroyed so I can leave Lumiose and go home.”
Vinnie: “Miss Megabigale, I would like to have a few words with you for your conduct on that phone call yesterday, but I think that your services are not required.”
Verde(Megabigale): “…Whatchu talkin’ bout manbun?”
Just as I said that, the pink energy flowing out of Prism Tower vanished, disappearing for reasons probably related to whatever Taunie was doing in there. I sighed at this sight, looking up at my other half, the giant floating squid with a giant gun as we shared the same sense of futility. …Until Prism Tower erupted with light like never before. Its body cracked as the energy became too much to bear, revealing a series of vines that crawled through the base of the tower. Glass shattered, the infrastructure of the tower was torn asunder, and the tip of the tower became enveloped by a giant flower. I had only seen… Mega Eternal Floette for a few seconds, but with the tower enveloped like this, turning into armor for a giant plant monster, radiating with Mega Power, it was clear this was some sort of fusion as well. A goldarn Pokémon fused with the Eiffel Tower!
The fusion left a mound of debris scattered about, blocking off anyone who wanted to venture to this marvel of human Pokémon engineering. I would need to venture around the debris if I wanted to get up close and personal. …But I didn’t need to. Because, with the power of Zygarde’s cells and Malamar’s psychic abilities, I could fly!
AZ: “No, Ange, the tower, it merged with Floette. How? This shouldn’t be—”
Verde(Megabigale): “I don’t really know what’s going on, or what this Ange Floette thing is, but if this needs to be destroyed, I should be able to handle that, all by myself.”
Naveen: “What? Are you crazy? There’s no way you can do this all on your own!”
Lida: “Megabigale, I thought we were a team! We’re all in this together, all part of Lumiose, and if we try our best, call up our friends, I’m sure we can.”
Verde(Megabigale): “Nah fam, I’ve got this. Watch a world saving PRO at work! With our powers combined…”
Verde(Mega Malamar Z): “There’s nothing that can stop me!”
Verde(Megabigale): “For I am not merely Megabigale…”
Verde(Mega Malamar Z): “I am Verde Dusk.”
Verde(Megabigale) & Verde(Mega Malamar Z): “And saving worlds is what I do!”
After woefully, completely, and utterly confusing everybody standing in wait, I latched onto my Mega Malamar Z self, climbed on top of it, and soared high into the sky, beyond the many vines of this plant tower monster. Its energy seemed overflowing, boundless, as if it was struggling to use it in any way, merely thrashing about its vines, summoning flowers, and firing off bursts of pink energy in all directions. All this power, no mind to use it properly. I charged my cannon in preparation of launching a Psychic-Dark flavored Nihil Light, thinking that I could possibly destroy it in a single blast, severing the core of its being.
But… wouldn’t that be such a waste? I have power, yet this… this was power comparable to the Ultimate Weapon from X and Y, wasn’t it? If I could combine this, take in all the Mega Power this thing has access to, was there any limit to what I could do? If I was a lower-case-G god, then this would be my ticket to becoming an upper-case-G GOD! All I had to do was harness this power, merge squid and vines. There was no mind for me to control or manipulate, but as the giant flower at the top of the tower opened up, roaring at me with rage, I decided to head straight for the source.
Verde(Megabigale) & Verde(Mega Malamar Z): “WE’RE GOING IN!”
With profound reckless disregard, I charged into the mouth of the beast, right as it was charging a burst of pink energy, and chose to strike it. Not with Nihil Light, but with something more creative. I latched my flowing tentacles against this gem, where I began to drain the power from this creature. It howled at this interference, lashing itself as I grabbed onto it, but never underestimate the suction power of a squid.
Its vaguely audible howls became more desperate as its movements grew slower. I waited until it grew weaker, and weaker still, seeing if this creature had any other tricks in store for me, but… it seemed not. With a laugh, with my body radiating with pink energy, I drew my tentacles to the rest of its body, sinking deep within its person. Its plant body melded with my cephalopod form, and as I shut my eyes, I… I could feel it.
I could feel the vines ripping through the pavement, the metal covering them, and the immense power that lurked from within, the Floette buried deep within this sea of vines, and… even a Mega Audino within, trying desperately to escape. Well, Taunie, I hate to say it, but I can’t let you do that. Because while I was playing things by ear, I was not one to back down when power was within my hands
The methods were vague, I was operating on feeling more than thought, but as I grew closer, as I felt my body and mind merge with this tower’s, I felt another metamorphosis coming on. This time… into something giant.
My mind became overwhelmed as this successive fusion played out. Tendril spread, senses faded in and out, and my human body, overburdened by the power before me, passed out at some point. With my Malamar/Zygarde form adjusting, it was hard to tell time, let alone understand what my body was at this point, but eventually, I opened my eyes. My human eyes.
With them, I saw that Prism Tower had transformed into… something not particularly tower-like. Instead, it looked like a giant upside-down Malamar, covered in vines, green and black hexagons, and stray rings of metal, all pulsating with Mega Power. As I focused, I could feel all of these things embracing my other body, and the power flowing through it. As I came to terms with it, it felt… exhausting. Like this body was struggling to contain all of this power, desperate to release it somehow.
I was atop a rooftop, looking out over streets strewn with rubble. Scaffolding had collapsed, cars were overturned, and junk was all over the place. I only hoped that its people were safe. I then looked around, thinking that I was all alone up here. …Until I saw a silver-haired man dressed like a drifter. It was, of course, Lysandre.
Lysandre: “The pursuit of power is a terrible thing. It can destroy so much and leave you a different person. Though I do not remember it, I know that I unleashed an ultimate weapon five years ago with the intention of remaking the world. Fortunately, I failed. And now, through your harvesting of Zygarde’s power, you have the very same opportunity.”
Verde(Megabigale): “…You wanted to kill everybody except for your cult buddies, you egotistical dillhole! Me though… Well, I already know how this is going to play out. God might write without a script sometimes, but when a machine does it, formula is the be all and end all.”
Lysandre: “…What future will you create?”
Verde(Megabigale): “A world… where the lines between humans and Pokémon are nebulous. A world of understanding, transformation, and bold new experiences. It all led up to this… and now I just need to spread the love across the entire Kalos region. Nay! The world! Though he was misguided, that Malamar did have a point. But there is no way in the world that he would be able to achieve something like this.
Sporting a grin, letting a twinkle dazzle across my eye, I stood up and struck a dramatic pose, looking at my other massive body as I made my final spiel.
Verde(Megabigale): “Now… AWAKEN! My mightiest arm! Mega Malamar Zygarde Agne Floette, the Eternal Prism Cannon! UNLEASH OUR MEGA POWER! And paint the world in a dazzling array of new colors! THE GREAT POKÉ SHIFT BEGINS NOW!”
With that command, the flower atop the mess that the Prism Tower had become opened up, and launched a torrent of energy through the sky. The wind rippled, the earth shook, and the pink light was blinding in its intensity. The stream of energy flowed higher and higher, surpassing the clouds, coursing through the stratosphere, before finally erupting in a cascade of colors. It looked like a feat of cosmic beauty mixed with the most elegant fireworks display I had ever laid eyes upon. So many hundreds of streams of light, all flying through the sky, moving at the speed of sound itself.
I wanted to see where they would go, what would happen as they spread, but the strain of unleashing that burst of energy had left my mind, my true mind, based somewhere in that tower, to fade. I struggled to stand, fell to the ground, and looked up at the rainbow of lights filling the sky before… everything faded away.
My time here… was over.
The New Dawn
The radiance of last night gave way to a beautiful sunrise, ushering in a new day over Lumiose, yet the city itself was still scarred from the events the following night. The center of the city was devastated. Shattered concrete, torn rebar, and so much hazardous debris were scattered about, while the once elegant Prism Tower was completely gone, like it had never been there at all.
The surrounding streets were in a similarly rough shape. Streets were tattered, cars were ripped apart, windows were shattered, and the canals were filled with all manner of debris, flowing into the sewer system. It was a cold sight, a dismal state for any city to be in, with the only reassurance being that only one building was completely destroyed. But there was hope to be found in the sun beating down, filling the city with light, and bringing with it the promise of a new day. The promise of a better tomorrow.
As the light cast across the city, figures sifted out of their homes and shelters, venturing into the larger world. This sign of life came from anywhere and everywhere… even within ground zero.
At the place where Prism Tower once stood, two figures emerged. One was stout, pink, and carried awkwardly, shoving away enough rubble to reveal itself as an Audino. It looked around its surroundings, confused and intimidated by the destruction before it, before panicking, looking around, and crying as loud as it could, before examining its surroundings. It pushed aside rocks, tossing and turning them in a vain hope of finding whoever or whatever it was looking for, before finding a cream-colored beret. The Audino looked at this beret with confusion, clearly recognizing it, but determined this was not all there was to find. It screamed and screamed, desperate to hear from someone, anyone.
A distant cry from another Audino could be heard, and the first Audino rushed towards it, carrying the creamy beret in its three fingered hands, waddling through the debris, and tripping periodically. As it peered over the sun-drenched area before it, it saw another Audino. The Audino carrying the beret looked on, confused, yet rushed forward, screaming more than speaking as it approached this fellow Audino, and embracing it in a hug. Tears trickled down both faces and as they embraced, as they held one another, a radiant light encompassed both of their persons, causing them to shift, to… grow. To lose their precise Pokémon features and adopt another form. Something taller, thinner, and unmistakably… human.
The two Audinos had transformed into a pair of young women. One dressed in a revealing top and shorts, her torso wrapped in a damaged jacket, and her hair a strawberry blonde. While the other was dressed in pink and creamy white from head to toe, complete with a head of pink hair. They looked at each other, shocked at what they were seeing, but with caution, they spoke.
Strawberry Blonde Girl: “You… you look like the Audino who took my body, and… I was an Audino. I thought I had always been, but now, I’m… I’m back to normal! I’m… I’m Taunie! Yes, I’m Taunie! I’m back to being a human! But then, what… or who are you?”
Pink-Haired Girl: “I don’t know! I know I used to be an Audino, but then Megabigale, or maaaaaybe her Malamar, turned me into you. I was so excited, so happy to become a human, and I, well, I guess I made your body my own. But… I can’t be Taunie if you are Taunie. In fact, we… shouldn’t be able to be like this—”
Taunie: “And we should not have both been Audinos. It felt natural but—”
Pink-Haired Girl: “But so does this. Are we humans or are we Pokémon—”
???: “You’re both!”
As the Audinos turned girls heard that synthetic voice, they turned to see a Mega Diancie, wielding a pink diamond sword as she split chunks of rubble in twain, if not destroying them entirely. Diancie was an elegant Rock-type and Fairy-type Pokémon, her body adorned with gemstones, while her Mega Evolution was an extreme version of that, turning her into the Royal Pink Princess. It was a form complete with a genuine dress, veil, and enough finely shaped gemstone that she could function as a chandelier in a pinch.
The Mega Diancie looked at Taunie and her companion with a warm smile as she drew near, only for her body to shift in a radiant light, turning her into… a human. A human the two recognized immediately. It was Jacinthe, looking as prim and pretty as always, not a hair out of place nor a single strand broken on her fishnets, despite the mess.
Jacinthe: “I’m sure you two are most confused, but don’t worry. The Society of Battle Connoisseurs has been out helping people since before daybreak. After all, how can we hope to battle recreationally when our city is in such disarray?”
Taunie: “I have… many questions. I remember getting into Prism Tower, there were a bunch of lights, this vine monster that attacked me and my Train— my partner here, and I…”
Audino Girl: “Uh… hol’ up a minute! Weren’t you body swapped with a Celfable? And wasn’t Lebanne put inside your body? Then how do you look like yourself, right down to your super pretty dress? And why did you turn into a Diancie?”
Jacinthe: “Marvelous questions! Sadly, I don’t have satisfactory answers. I won’t pretend to know what happened to me. I’m just happy to be my pristine self and to have a form more adept at manual labor.”
Taunie: “So, let me get this straight. Can… every human become a Pokémon, and can every Pokémon become a human?”
Jacinthe: “Exactement! None of us are quite sure if this affects people beyond the city, but we know that this seems to affect everybody, all thanks to Megabigale. She said she wanted us to experience something new, and never in my life would I imagine I get to be the Royal Pink Princess.”
Taunie: “Uh, yeah. That role sure seems to suit you. Uh, you said that SBC was helping people. We’re okay, so we should probably contribute to that.”
Jacinthe: “Zut alors! But of course! I’d call over Lebanne, but I haven’t seen her all day. I hope she is okay. It’s such a challenge to find someone diligent enough to be a maid in this day and age. We’re currently running operations out of Town Hotel Richissime. I’d be delighted to see you there, helping out the people of Lumiose. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
As she said that, Jacinthe tapped the Mega Stone in her hair accessory, and underwent a transformation into Mega Diancie once again.
Jacinthe(Mega Diancie): “I have civil services to perform!”
As Jacinthe rushed forward to destroy debris in a storm of Rock-type and Fairy-type moves, Taunie and the pink-haired girl beside her looked at one another, sharing in a sigh.
Taunie: “Well, I guess it’s time to get back to business. As a member of Team MZ, it is my duty to protect the city in its time of need, and the city is surely in need right now.”
Pink-Haired Girl: “Y-Yeah, and I’m going to help too, of course. I know I was never a member of Team MZ but—”
Taunie: “You’re welcome to join.”
Pink-Haired Girl: “What? But, after everything I did are you sure—”
Taunie: “Eh, you didn’t try to steal my body… or erase my mind with terrors beyond my imagination. Let’s… just start over, as friends. What do you say… right, we need to give you a name.”
As Taunie made this comment, she looked over the pink-haired girl intently, at her flowing locks, her soft pink and cream clothing, and her bright blue eyes, the same colors as her own eyes. She looked like her, she maybe even was her in some abstract sense, and wanted to come up with a name that fit someone as bright and bubbly as her. Taunie looked at the cream-colored beret in her hand, part of the pink-haired girl’s outfit, and was struck with a bolt of inspiration. Nodding, Taunie placed the beret back on the girl’s head and spoke.
Taunie: “How about… Vanessa? I don’t know why, but just looking at you, it seems right.”
Pink-Haired Girl: “I… I like that! I really do! Taunie’s a cute name, but Vanessa? It sounds so fancy, but still totes adorbs~! Hehe! Team MZ Member Vanessa reporting for duty, ma’am! How may I be of service?”
Taunie: “Hahaha! Let’s just head to the hotel. We can do more as a group than we could hope to as just two people.”
Vanessa: “Gotcha! Then let’s go… north!”
With their spirits rekindled, the two walked through the streets, seeing people and Pokémon alike move and clear away rubble, helping others, and trying to create passageways for people and vehicles. The two looked at each other as they strode side-by-side, wondering who among the crowd was originally a human and who was a Pokémon. But, in times like this, when everybody was trying to help each other… did it really even matter?
Vanessa: “You remember what happened when that Malamar merged with Ange? Because I don’t. It’s all a blur for me.”
Taunie: “Same. I guess we don’t need to know the specifics. Still, I have to wonder where Megabigale is, and what she was actually responsible for. All this body swap stuff hurts my head to think about, and I’d like to get a real explanation from her.”
Lysandre: “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
The two girls turned around to see Lysandre, still dressed in rags, but looking more withered than usual.
Lysandre: “I saw her after she unleashed the Novus Light. She put all she had into that blast, wanting to change the world forever. And I think she did. We just don’t know how yet.”
Vanessa: “Okay, but… where is she?”
Lysandre: “Gone. She vanished before my eyes, muttering something about how she hoped the next shift wouldn’t drag on like this one.”
Taunie: “What? So she’s just gone? No way!”
Lysandre: “Her physical presence may be gone, but before she left us, she changed the world. We now all carry the power to metamorphosize into a Pokémon. Every Pokémon can turn into a human. This is her gift to us, and we should not waste it. We must not use it for war, like humans of the past might have. We must use this power to enrich ourselves, and those around us.”
Vanessa: “Y-Yeah! We’re Audinos, right? So we gotta make sure we use our powers to heal people, and I’m sure there are some major owies to address! C’mon Taunie! We’ve got people to save!”
With newfound determination, Vanessa sprinted forward, leaving Taunie behind.
Taunie: “H-Hey! We’re not going to be able to help people if we keep running around like this!”
As Taunie ran through the streets, she looked up at the bright blue sky hanging overhead. Though it might not look like it, the world she was walking through today was now drastically different from the one she knew two weeks ago. It might be strange, scary, and nobody knows how it should all work. But she would not falter, she would not back down. She championed herself as a protector of Lumiose, and even in this new wild world, she would continue to do everything she could to defend it.
Das Ende
thanks for spoiling the plot of the next Pokémon movie meanie :(
I would LOVE it if this were the plot of the next Pokemon movie. Unfortunately, it has been FIVE YEARS since the last movie. I get that they are a major expense, but when a 20 year tradition just ends like that, it feels hollow. Especially after the last movie, which was DOPE!