Chapter Text
Chapter 13: Transformative Experience
It was a sunny day at Time Flower Abbey. Aaron and Riolu were walking through the grounds.
"So what do you want to do today, Riolu?" said Aaron.
~Hmmm.... I'm not sure.~
"What if... we, uh... sparred with Metagross?"
~And got our butts kicked? No way.~
"Hmmmmm... What about... sparring with Andalas?"
Riolu grimaced. ~Still crazy. Why are you suggesting fights we can't win?~
"Come on! I know it's scary but we have to get stronger somehow! We gotta—"
There was a noise. Aaron jumped and screamed. Riolu's eyes widened.
~Oh no. That's—~
"Who?"
~We have to go. Now.~
Riolu ran off. Aaron ran after.
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There was a scene in the courtyard.
Valiant was firing Psycho Cuts left and right. Grog was throwing Poison Jabs. Shifty was slugging Drain Punches. And Koba lunged with Close Combats. In the middle, Nicolas, cowering.
Opposing them were the various Pokémon and Aura Guardians of the Abbey. Each of their attacks seemed stronger than the last. The Fighting Thieves were barely holding on.
It was then Aaron and Riolu entered the scene.
"Who—"
~I know these mons! They're.... They helped me out! We have to stop the fight!~
"Wait, they're your friends? Yeah, we gotta help them!"
~I wouldn't say frien—~
"Hey! Guys! Stop! These are Riolu's friends!"
Everyone kept fighting. Aaron groaned.
"Come on! They're not listening. They can't hear me!"
~We need to act fast,~ said Riolu.
"But what do we do? They're all fighting so crazy... How do we butt in?"
Riolu thought to himself. ~We... we just have to try.~
"What do you mean?"
~Get ourselves in there. Challenge them ourselves.~
"What? That's crazy! They'll hit us!"
~You're the one who wanted to challenge strong opponents!~
"You're the one who didn't want to do that! Make up your mind!"
~Make up YOUR mind!~
"Wait! We're arguing in circles! Maybe... maybe you're right. Maybe we should give it a go."
Riolu blinked. ~Wait. Now you agree?~
"You said to make up my mind. So I did."
~...Right. Anyway... Let's do this.~
Riolu turned toward the fight. Aaron did likewise.
"Ready?"
~Ready.~
They charged and screamed. They headed straight into the fray.
As soon as they did, everything came to a screeching halt.
"Aaron! Riolu!" said Polly. "What are you doing? You'll get killed!"
"Riolu!" said Koba. "Get out of here! What are you doing with that human? It's not safe!"
"Guys! We can explain!" said Aaron. "Or... Riolu can tell you!"
~I know these mons! I can vouch for them!~
~Ridiculous!~ said LazyBones. ~They were caught stealing our property! And if I recall, weren't you there? You're complicit in this as well! We should lock you up!~
~I... I know that. But... they're really not bad mons. They've been on the edges trying to survive for longer than I've known them. Stealing was a necessity to survive. Couldn't you... show some empathy? Some kindness?~
There was a pause. People and mons shuffled awkwardly. Finally, Ryan spoke.
"Well.... I suppose he has a point. We Aura Guardians aren't ones to turn away the needy.”
Vince balked. "Really? You want us to adopt these guys? That's nuts! They're just a bunch of thieves!"
~I mean, we've taken in many downtrodden types before,~ said Metagross. ~It's not that much of a stretch.~
Carol shrugged. ~Honestly, I agree. It wouldn't be out of character.~
There were various murmurs of agreement from both human and mon, mostly begrudging, but still of agreement. Vince sighed.
"Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on them. Just you watch."
The Fighting Thieves stared in disbelief. Nicolas blinked a few times.
"Is this actually happening?" said Shifty. "Are they actually trying to... help us?"
"We could use the help," said Vallant. "Beats scraping by."
"Whee! Friends!" said Grog.
"...I will accept this truce. For now," said Koba. "But you better keep your word."
Riolu's heart swelled. He did it. He actually did it. Now he could join the Fighting Thieves and—
"Woohoo! We did it, Riolu!"
Riolu's heart sank. He turned to look at the voice. It was Aaron, looking at him expectantly. It was then Riolu realized it.
He had taken a great gamble. And now he had to live with the consequences.
Meanwhile, Nicolas gazed at Aaron and Riolu in awe.
"They're so cool..."
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After the incident, Eve was tending to Iuroidea – specifically, attending to her carapace.
"Wait, you've got something stuck here..."
"Ow! Be careful! You could have hurt me there!"
"Easy. I was just trying to help. You feel better now?"
Iuroidea scratched herself, then shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Good." Eve sighed. "Man. I can't believe what Aaron and his Riolu pulled earlier. What were they thinking?"
"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" said Iuroidea.
"Well, yeah. But... they could have gotten killed. Both of them. I'm surprised they didn't get told off."
"Well... I guess they weren't their main concern. Things kind of moved on after."
"Hmph. If only we could get off so easy."
"True. We've been in some bad scrapes before."
"We sure have. We're kinda lucky."
She sighed. "Things were bad before coming here."
"What are you talking about?" said a voice.
The two looked over. It was Louis and Rook. They approached curiously.
"Huh?" said Eve. "You don't know this story? I thought I told you."
"He probably forgot," said Rook. "Louis can be... in one ear and out the other sometimes."
"I don't know what you said but I don't like the sound of it," said Louis.
Eve snickered. Louis raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, right. You can understand them because telepathy or something. Anyway, your story?"
"Yes. That." Eve sighed. "Before I came here, I... or rather we, me and Iuroidea... We came from a rough spot. Our old home was rough. We were barely scraping by, on the streets."
She sighed. "My parents.... They... they were killed."
Louis winced. "Oh. It's like that, huh. Um. If you don't mind me asking. How'd that happen?"
"My parents... they were.... influential. They lived down south, in Kanto. A local shogun favored them. But the shogun had many enemies. Too many to keep track of. And one of them... A samurai. He... he..."
She stopped. Louis frowned.
"I see... Of course. Nobles are always like this. Every time."
Eve raised an eyebrow. "You're familiar?"
"Am I? AM I? My family, the Cains, are always swimming in this stuff. Here, let me show you something."
He pulled down his collar to show his tattoo. Eve and Iuroidea peered at it.
"Two... Corviknight?"
"Yes. A symbol of how the family will always turn against each other. Such is the way of our curse."
"Wow... Looks like we've both had it bad."
"A lot of us have had it bad. Except that asshole Gabe, probably. Guy's a spoiled piece of work."
Eve laughed. "Ain't that the truth. He's spoiled rotten and picks on us for fun."
"We should prank him," said Iuroidea. "Just for fun."
"I would recommend against that," said Rook. "If only because we'd get in trouble."
"Oh, fine," said Iuroidea. "But I'm still keeping it in mind. Just in case."
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Terrence was busy sharpening a Corviknight quill. It didn't take long for Hannah to see and approach him.
"Whatcha doin’?"
Terrence gave her an annoyed look. "Tempering this feather. They can be useful as weapons. You never know when you might need one."
"Oooh, the cautious type. You must have a lot of experience with dealing with ne’er-do-wells."
Terrence nodded. "A fair bit. I've done this for a while. You need your wits about you. And good Pokémon partners... that also have their wits about them."
"Oh! Oh! Mine have wits!" said Hannah. "Come on over, guys!"
A Houndoom and Mawile approached. The Houndoom looked at Terrence with baleful eyes while the Mawile simply snickered. Terrence raised an eyebrow.
"These are...?"
"Glad you asked! They're my Pokémon! Meet Madame Mincemeal and Borkingson!"
Terrence blinked. "Those... sure are names."
"Well, I doubt you can really judge! What are yours?"
"Um... Hold on. Guys, over here!"
An Archaludon, Corviknight, and Perrserker approached. Terrence gestured to them. "These are my Pokémon. Rohe, Zawisza, and Saz."
"Oooh, all Steel-types, huh?"
"Yes. I'm a specialist."
Hannah reached out to pet Zawisza. Zawisza squawked indignantly. Hannah moved over to Rohe who gave a buzz of warning. Saz, however, let her pet him, giving a purr.
"He's a nice one!"
"An agent of chaos is what he is," said Terrence. "Can't trust him as far as you can throw him."
"But he's so cute!"
Saz purred contentedly.
"He's lulling you into a false sense of security."
"I don't care."
She finally stopped petting.
"But that's a nice team! Where'd you get them?"
"From my travels around the world. I've gone to many places. Seen many kinds of people and Pokémon."
"I've been around, too. Got Borkingson from Johto and Madame Mincemeal from Hoenn. Settled here with the Genesis Mountain Aura Guardians a while back."
"I see... These Aura Guardians, they seem... passionate."
"Oh, are they! I keep telling them to loosen up a little. No dice. It's annoying."
"Actually, I find it admirable. They have good ethics. A commendable attitude. I like working with them. I don't see a need to "loosen up.""
"Well, that's just you, I guess."
Terrence chuckled and resumed sharpening.
----------------------
Ryan, Nightjar, and Carol were surveying a small town near the Abbey. They were scanning everything with both their eyes and aura senses, looking for any resources they could gather or purchase.
"Cerrula Town.... Why did it have to be Cerrula Town?" said Nightjar. "That's a long hike. We don't all have Flying Pokémon, you know."
~I do!~ said Carol.
"Well, aren't you special with your little Salamence," said Nightjar.
"Easy, you two," said Ryan. "We have a mission here."
The group eventually came across a small shop. It seemed to be a general store selling goods of all sorts. A young man was tending to it.
"You there," said Ryan. "You seem to have the wares we need. How much?"
The young man perked up. "Oh! Yes! I have plenty! Come, come and see!"
The Aura Guardians started perusing the shop. There were plenty of things there of use—especially food like fruits and Berries–and they combed through it all with a fine eye.
"You know," said the shopkeeper, "I don't usually get Aura Guardians here. Or... anyone, really. Not since..." He paused. "You know what. Never mind. Just buy something. Anything."
Carol raised an eyebrow. ~Well, come on, now. Now you've got us curious.~
"You curious," said Nightjar.
~Shush, you. Anyway... You can tell us. We don't bite.~
"That just sounds more threatening," said Nightjar.
~Shush.~
The young man blinked. "Well. Uh. I guess... I guess I can explain."
He sighed.
"There was an incident a while back... a bad one. A family member went missing. One of my cousins. Just up and vanished one day. We don't know why."
Ryan frowned. "Do you have any theories? Any ideas or clues as to why they disappeared?"
The man fidgeted. "Well. There is one thing. Some mysterious figures. They kept showing up here and there prior to him disappearing. It was disconcerting. No one knew who they were."
"This again?" said Ryan. "We've heard reports like this before, from others. It seems to be a recurring problem... Tell us more, if you can."
The man blinked. "Oh. Uh. Okay. Let's see, they were... wearing hoods, and had lots of strange gadgets..."
"Those are the same people we heard about before!" said Nightjar. "Or at the least... definitely part of the same organization."
~Tell us more about these figures,~ said Carol.
The man yelped. "Well... Their outfits were dark blue. And... they were talking about... collecting... something... no one could make out anything else."
Ryan scratched his chin. "This is more than concerning... It's uncomfortable. Whoever these people are, we need to find them and uncover their intentions."
"Easier said than done... " said Nightjar. "They could be anywhere. Even if they're conspicuous, they could be hard to trace. Doubtless they wouldn't want us finding them."
~We need... a plan,~ said Carol. ~And also the supplies we came here for in the first place."
"Yes... you still have those?" said Ryan.
"Oh, right!" said the man. "Coming right up."
-----------------------------
It was nighttime at Time Flower Abbey. Aaron and Riolu were walking toward their dormitories. Thunder flitted alongside them.
"Wow! Today sure was eventful," said Aaron.
~Let's try to keep eventful days to a minimum,~ said Riolu.
"But come on! We were so cool! We stopped them and saved your friends! That's worth celebrating, isn't it?"
"If only I was there," said Thunder. "I'd have wiped them all out in one swoop! Ka-bam! Ka-BOOM!"
"What's she saying, Riolu?" said Aaron.
~You don't want to know,~ said Riolu.
"Well, well, well, looks like you all had fun!"
The three turned. Mithos was there, floating in a sitting-down position and observing them idly.
"If only I could get away with causing such a ruckus. Unfortunately Dad gets mad if I'm not... subtle."
"Wait! You're that guy! The guy who can transform!" said Aaron.
"You are an impressive shade of pink!" said Thunder.
~What do you want?~ said Riolu.
"What? I was just saying hi. Though I couldn't help but overhear... Human kid can't understand most Pokémon, huh? Such is the fate of most of humankind. But..."
He grinned.
"I can fix that."
"You can?" said Aaron. "I mean, I could try getting better at tele... tele... telepathy, that's it!"
"Pssh! That'll take forever!! At least by human standards. I can give you the ability in an instant. What do you say?"
Aaron's eyes widened with wonder.
"Do it!!" said Thunder. "So you shall be powerful among humans!"
~...Are you sure we can trust you?~ said Riolu.
"Pshaw," said Mithos. "It'll be fine. What is there to worry about?"
"I'll do it!" said Aaron. "I wanna learn how to understand Pokémon!"
Mithos grinned. "Perfect! Now just give me a second..."
He swirled his hand in the air before pointing it at Aaron. "Bada bing, bada boom."
There was a small pop. Aaron blinked. Then he realized he was standing on all fours. He looked down, saw that he had paws, and yelped.
"Wh—what happened to me?"
"Oooh, you're a Zorua!" said Mithos. "Full disclosure, I don't pick your Pokemon form, it's based on what's in your nature. I just make the magic happen."
"I'm a Pokémon?" said Aaron. "This isn't good! The other kids will make fun of me MORE now! Change me back!"
"Aw, come on! You aren't gonna test it out even a little? Where's the fun in that? I'll give you a bit to have your fun, then I'll change you back. See ya!"
And with a blip he was gone. Aaron groaned.
"Oh no... Oh no no no. No one can see me like this. How do I hide this? I can't hide this."
~Actually... you can,~ said Riolu.
"Wait, huh?"
"Oh, I know!" said Thunder. "Zorua can use illusions! You can look like your human self!"
"Oh, wow! I really can understand you now!" said Aaron. "Wait, right, yes! Hold on...."
He scrunched up his vulpine face as he channeled energy. There was a flicker. And another. Then an illusory Aaron stood where the Zorua was.
"...Did it work?" said Aaron.
"You look like your measly human self!" said Thunder.
~The problem is you won't SOUND like your human self,~ said Riolu.
"Oh," said Aaron. "Right. I guess I have to be, uh... really, really quiet.
~I can talk for you,~ said Riolu. ~I'll just tell them you lost your voice. It's... not wrong.~
Aaron paused. "Yeah. I. I guess that works."
With that he quietly started treading toward the direction he was headed previously. Thunder and Riolu followed.
-------------------------------
They came upon the courtyard with their peers milling about. The illusioned Aaron tried to avoid contact. Eventually they made their way to a secluded area where multiple Pokémon were hanging out.
~We should be safe here,~ said Riolu.
But they were being watched. Stabby was staring intently at Aaron. The Pawniard's gaze never left him.
"Uh. Can I help you?"
Suddenly Stabby struck. He lunged with one of his blades at Aaron.
~Aaron, look out!~ said Riolu.
"Ack!"
The illusion dissipated. Aaron stood exposed as a Zorua. He looked around at the other Pokémon in horror.
"I knew it!" said Stabby. "I can always spot a Zorua. You're trying to replace Aaron!"
"Wait! No, I am Aaron! Mithos did this to me!"
"Prove it!"
~He's telling the truth!~ said Riolu.
"It's true!" said Thunder. "I saw it with my own beautiful, perfect Pidgey eyes!"
The other mons stared. Then Rook spoke up.
"Again? That Mew must be bored," said the Scyther.
"Good thing Metagross isn't here," said Munchkin with a laugh. "He'd throw a fit!"
Aaron blinked. Then sighed.
"Phew... I'm glad you guys, uh. Understand?"
Iuroidea laughed. "That Mew's been causing trouble since before we were born. I think he just likes messing with everyone in this place. The Tree must be a snoozefest for him."
"He kinda scares me," said Patricia. "I dunno. He's a loose cannon. He could do anything at any time. Like transmogrifying Aaron here."
"I... I think he's nice," said Aaron. "He just seems like he doesn't know how to interact with people or Pokémon all that well."
"That could be it," said Patricia. "I'm kind of the same."
"You're a lot nicer than Gabe!" said Aron.
"Oh. Uh. Gabe. He's... he doesn't know how to deal with people. Sheltered rich kid and all. He can be nice. Sometimes. Occasionally. When he feels like it."
"Sounds like you aren't so sure yourself!" said Munchkin. "You better be glad the humans aren't around. Other than poor ol' Aaron here, of course."
"Munchkin, please," said Rook. "We all trust our human partners. Why, Louis and I, we've been through so much together... I couldn't let him down."
"Same with me and Eve," said Iuroidea. "I've gotten her out of a ton of scrapes and the same the other way around. We're a team!"
"I love Atta!" said Stabby. "She's so cool and fierce!"
"Callie's my girl," said Munchkin. "Us male Salandit, we don't get much respect. But she gets me."
"You and your Pokémon must be close too, Aaron," said Patricia.
"Yeah! Totally!" said Aaron.
"Aaron is an excellent ally even if he is not as perfect as me!" said Thunder.
~Er. Um. Yes. Totally,~ said Riolu.
"Glad we're all on the same page!" said Aaron.
"So..." said Rook. "You were using Zorua's illusion powers to cover this up, yes? We can help. Avoiding anything like what Stabby did."
"Hey!" said Stabby. "He coulda been... a Space Ampharos spy! You never know when one of those is going to strike! Never!"
Iroidea sighed and put a claw to her forehead. "Anyway, Rook is right. We can help! Keep any pesky humans, ours or otherwise, off your back."
"At least until you can get back to normal," said Patricia.
"Thanks, guys!" said Aaron.
~I''ll continue to help too... and so will Thunder, I presume.~
"Of course!" said Thunder.
"Great! Team Keep-My-Zorua-Secret is assembled!" said Aaron.
"...Is that what we're calling it?"
Riolu shrugged. ~Well, I can't think of anything better.~
***