Chapter Text
Streams of dark-type energy flicked beneath his claws, the bitter burn of night-daze thick in the back of his mouth as he imbued something that was never meant to be into corporeality. Threads of illusion reached out in careful binding, and a form aside from form slowly- precisely- manifested. Fur to skin, claws to nails, an incarnation in humanity- shedding his natural shape for something less, and still necessary.
He disliked doing this. It was hard, and as he glanced at the mirror to catch a sight of a horrifying visage, wax-melted disgust pulling across features so very inhuman- never seemed to match what he’d been going for. He could almost hear the voice before it came, gruff and papery, scratchy beneath a lack of care- “another failure. Try again.”
He bowed his head, letting the illusion snap- disappear, a faint unraveling to match the kernel of heavy disappointment in his own chest. “Yes, father.” Red-lined eyes narrowed- his own in focus, his father’s in judgment . “I can’t get the face right.”
“You will.” His father’s voice wasn’t reassuring- never had been. The flinty tone of demand was just another aspect he’d long accustomed to, care in his own peculiar way. “I do not tolerate failure- try again, and make sure to hold the image in your head tighter. I did not raise you such that a mere night daze would destabilize your illusion.”
“Yes, father.” A mantra, almost… he liked those words. They made father smile, sometimes- because he was useful, and useful things were loved. Night daze burned the back of his throat like tears unshed, dark-type energy quivering in the air as the move threatened to burst out and overflow the room in cloying darkness. He restrained it, tore it to shreds and wove it, to tangibility- and set an illusion around himself.
He turned to the mirror, frown tugging down the edges of waxen lips and a sunken face, two aquamarine, inhuman eyes staring back at him. “Better.” Father’s praise was curt, but even here it made a smile tug at the edge of his pallid illusion. “Still terrible, but I’ll make allowances for progress. Not the fastest I’ve heard of… your sister had long since mastered the human form by the time she was your age.”
The shift of his curiosity demanded he ask more, but he kept carefully quiet. There was no topic more likely to spark his father’s rage than her . Whatever she’d been like… sometimes, he wondered what life could have been like to have more family. Idle thoughts, of course, never to interfere with his eager practice- or worse- set back father’s plans.
“She wouldn’t have found something so elementary as night daze as hard as you do. What a worthless failure… she should have understood-” he was curious, with how father described her. Had she been lazy, or perhaps cruel? Father always had an explanation…. there was always a reason - “I have no use for the worthless.”
Another illusion snapped into place, features a little bit better than they had been before, throat burning and exertion gentle, omnipresent beneath his fur and mane. Father was wise, and as he gave him another cursory congratulation, he could be content that despite not being half the prodigy his sister must have been, he was still useful. He was still loved.
Blue eyes stared out from behind a mop of messy hair, utterly mundane… perhaps he’d change the color. Make it something unusual, like red and black to match his natural form, or bright green to blend in with the summer’s vibrant grass. When a rake of his father’s claws shattered the illusion, he was almost too exhausted to put up another one. “Did I- was it good?” An eager glance at his father revealed nothing but a perfectly blank stare, cold eyes assessing-
“Yes. Your progress is acceptable for now. We’ll be able to move forward soon.” He smiled, restraining himself from more lest his father find his actions unbecoming… but, he’d done well. Father- a master of illusions- approved.
They had great things planned- and he couldn’t wait.
………
Over the past few years Delia had become intimately acquainted with that feeling of half-dread, three parts exasperation a parent got when something went very sideways with the kits. She’d already been feeling that when what should have been a fairly simple trail ran straight off the route and jumped into a river, and each further stumbling point had only added to that until the sight of Viridian’s pokecenter with its roof half blasted off only managed to solidify that deep-set worry
She strode forward through the street, illusioned as nothing more than a nondescript passerby- just another of the small crowd that’d formed around the pokecenter’s edge before a careful twist sundered her from visibility altogether.
Deftly she moved through the gathering, a subtle illusion of shuffling onlookers clearing and closing a path around her without anyone the wiser. From there it was beyond easy to leap up to the lip of the collapsed roof, peering through to where Ash should have been… if…
She sighed in relief as she caught sight of him standing sheepishly to the side of the rubble as Chansey berated his pikachu for igniting a koffing’s smoke in an enclosed space. A soft chuckle escaped her, caught and bound to silence before it could travel far- that was exactly the sort of thing she should have expected from the little ball of chaos that was her kit.
A brief glance over the surroundings revealed nothing of note other than a particularly shocked looking girl and some more property destruction, and she allowed herself to relax. Her kit was fine - and moreover, didn’t need her right now. Her original plan had been to catch him in the forest outside Pallet, and a scyther appearing in the middle of Viridian city would be the sort of consequences-ignored suspicious activity she would have gotten up to in her zorua years.
No… as she caught whispers of Team Rocket on the wind of a dispersing crowd and exhausted pokemon… she had something much better she could be doing.
………
A campfire crackled in the looming darkness of Viridian forest, flame’s sharp tongues flickering warmly against long shadows and those few who huddled beside its cozy light. They were but three- two young humans and a meowth huddled close- talking in animated, hushed whispers as they ignored their overall lack of food and battered bodies. She’d seen less enthusiastic pokemon assured of victory- for a group of people who’d just been so thoroughly trounced, they were in remarkably high spirits.
The forest hid approach perfectly, illusions almost unnecessary as she crept up beside them to catch the tail end of their conversation, something about Ash’s pikachu and how strong it’d been. If she was being honest, they seemed like idiots… it was hard, though, to sit there and listen as they plotted to go after her kit .
She’d never been one to let a threat to her child slip by. A natural break in the conversation dragged on long, perfectly normal until it wasn’t. Delia could almost taste the meowth’s mounting concern, and those twinges of terror at the edge of his movements as he glanced at his partners’ still forms. “Guys? Hey, I’m not ‘dat boring! Gimme a response-”
“They won’t talk to you.” The illusion she’d spread across the clearing bloomed, inky shadows blossoming from the deep spaces- between forest detritus, where long branches hung against moonlight and fire’s incandescence, wrapping around Meowth until all that remained was a void of that and nothing else. There was something deeply unsettling about that featureless plain, a vast emptiness you could walk forever in, and ever, until the stars were laid to rest and the sun burned out-
To her, it was a shortcut. Most of her attention had gone into keeping the two humans distracted, and blank nothingness worked just as well as illusions of empty forests. She held back a snicker that threatened to utterly ruin the mood- it was kind of funny seeing the feline pokemon panic. “Who’s ‘dere! I’m gonna make you-”
“Do nothing.” An answer to the statement it cut off, phrased as inviolate command. “I could do a lot of things to you in this world of mine, cat.” The look of terror on the meowth’s face ruined whatever fun she’d been having. Her father would have gone straight to those very horrors she implied, and she hated acting like him. “Keep that in mind… we’re going to have a little talk.” She stepped from the shadow, illusioned as an alakazam to complete the deception. “I won’t stop you. You’ll probably never see me again- as long as you follow just one simple request.”
“...what’s ‘dat?” Meowth gulped as he looked up at her, but for a long moment she remained silent. “Tell me! We didn’t do anything! Probably… uh, ‘dere was ‘dat one thing with the museum… and the pokecenter… we didn’t do ‘dat much!”
“Restrain yourself and your teammates when you next see Ash Ketchum. If he’s unduly harmed… you will find me very displeased .” The darkness pressed in-
Disappeared.
By the end she hadn’t even been standing next to him, the last of her message a simple illusion that shattered with the rest of them. The two humans leapt into the conversation as though it’d never stopped- because for them it hadn’t , not even noticing how terrified Meowth was.
Delia stalked away into the forest, furious- master of illusions, and she used her skills for petty intimidation. It would have to be enough for now… the criminal justice system in Kanto was worse than useless, but a threat was the same everywhere. If her father ever found out about this, he’d lord it over her endlessly. Or just laugh. She never knew with him .
Mood thoroughly soured and night growing long, she left onto the shadows of verdancy and a night’s long reach.
………
Between an uncomfortable night tucked asleep beetween the roots of a gnarled tree, a blanket of morning fog, and just the general distance she’d had to go to track down the trio of fools, she missed her kit’s departure from Viridian by a fair margin.
She tried to follow his trail out into the woods- tried, because he managed to get lost again . With how much the trail veered off in random directions every now and again she was seriously starting to understand how Ash would be able to get in enough trouble that a mythical would call him interesting . The sheer misfortune of her attempts to catch up with Ash would have been funny if it wasn’t hers .
It was a few days until she managed to find him, past what was apparently his second encounter with a swarm of hostile pokemon, plus a butterfree which had apparently evolved all the way from caterpie in like no time whatsoever and a pidgeotto who seemed remarkably eager to get out of Viridian forest. Delia couldn’t say she didn’t blame her. It might be her frustrations talking, but the place sucked so much.
The plan was simple in its perfection. An illusion wrapped carefully around her form, tightening until it was all but real- flesh to chitin, arms to scythes, tattered, flightless wings protruding delicately from her back. Scars marred her form, telling a story of long years spent battling- a perfect ruse, a work of art crafted over careful months with Dragonite’s help. Watching over Ash from a distance was one thing, but helping him started to get tricky… they’d gone over long plans, careful contingencies-
In the end though, the one they’d settled on was simplest. All she had to do was join Ash’s team.
Exhausted as they hid to be, Ash’s team still reacted promptly as she stepped out of the forest- Pikachu leapt from his shoulder and Pidgeotto swooped down to hover above the ground as menacingly as such a clearly inexperienced battler could. Ash blinked as the “Uh… are you going to move? We need to get to Pewter…”
Pidgeotto landed, tilting her head in confusion. “ I think she wants a fight, boss. Looks like the sorta ‘mon that’s looking for a trainer. ”
“ He can’t understand you. ” The pikachu sounded exasperated . “ Humans don’t understand pokemon, alright? It just doesn't work. ”
“ Yeah, but it’s still polite to tell him . Maybe he’ll pick it up from context? He’s a smart kid. ” Delia tried her best not to preen. That’s her kit! “ Be patient. I’m sure he’ll figure it out eventually. ” Pidgeotto hopped from foot to foot on the path, her clear eagerness undermining her earlier entreatment.
“Make it move make it move make it go away !” Ash wasn’t the first to talk- rather, that honor fell to the fire-haired girl she’d seen in the pokecenter, though her pasty pale face and the shriek of panic made her think it wasn’t entirely voluntary . “I. Hate. Bugs .” That made some sense, for all that it was supremely stupid to insult a clearly strong pokemon in front of them. She was lucky she wasn’t actually a bug type.
A few seconds passed in silence as her kit parsed the information. She waited patiently until the right moment- when his impulsiveness would start to override his sense, then bowed slightly to him. “ I saw the young trainer’s team, and wished to join. ” An invitation and an irresistible lure, all in one-
Ash scratched at the back of head sheepishly, giving her that derpy, apologetic smile of his he liked to use when the dratini begged him for sweets. “Uh, sorry! I’d love to have you, but Misty’s afraid of bug-types, and I already made a few new friends I need to train with. I’m sure they’ll be another trainer soon!” Then they left. Delia was torn between being proud of her kit for taking such a mature stance, and frustrated at another setback .
She stepped back into the forest, cloaking herself in pristine illusions and bounding silently after them- the introductions were done… and she could play the fixated ‘mon role very well indeed. She snickered, already thinking through new plans, old contingencies- the thought that such a simple setback would keep her from her kit was laughable. She hadn’t become a master of illusions from giving up… and her kit mattered infinitely more than a title.
That girl wished she’d be able to keep her away.
………
Humans were woefully unprepared for master illusionists who could speak their language just up and walking into their cities. When she’d been a zorua it had always been amusing for her to see the abrupt turn in attitude some humans had when she dropped the illusion- and the general shock was a bit funny too- but she didn’t have time nor allowances for games here.
She waited carefully as Ash fought the gym leader and lost- carefully keeping track lest he get lost again - until she got a chance. Eventually he left the city to visit an old abandoned power plant, which was the perfect opportunity. Illusion’s careful binding ensnared her, corporeality shifted, and a scyther stepped into the plant after him.
“ What. ” Sparks were burning at the edge of Pikachu’s fur as her son ran in an oversized morpeko wheel to power a generator. “ Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Viridian Forest?”
“ As though I’m unable to walk? I can follow someone as well as the next ‘mon. ” Her kit’s starter glowered at him, but Pidgeotto merely cackled. “ Anyways. I’m joining your team now. ” Brock’s frankly embarrassingly disguised father sent Ash a concerned look, but he was still too busy running to pay any attention to the commotion in the power plant.
“You can’t just- join a human’s team. They have to catch you.” Pikachu crossed his arms smugly, like that was the most obvious truth in the world. “Every pokemon knows that.” Of course. Totally. The only two ways things could be.
It took all her willpower not to roll her eyes at that astute observation. “ Don’t worry. You’ll see- ” and she was a ‘mon of her word. Usually. Pikachu was fuming the entire walk back to Pewter as she stayed by her kit’s side, refusing to leave. It was obvious that Ash dearly wanted her on his team, with only the girl’s fear holding him back- which made her task clear.
Help a little girl with her fears. Shouldn’t be that hard.
………
Mt. Moon had been a disaster, and Delia was this close to tracking down and punching the lights out of Team Rocket. The good news was that she’d been more or less accepted as part of Ash’s team by sheer dint of refusing to leave despite Ash’s refusal to capture her. The bad news was that Misty’s fear of bug types was the sort of deep rooted phobia that her father would have had difficulty making.
They collapsed to the ground, panting as Team Rocket blasted off into the distance- even her. She might have trained against Dragonite, but that didn’t make her except from the exhaustion of running through confusing, idiotically planned tunnels for hours on end. “Ash.” Misty lay sprawled out next to her, gaze locked onto her chitin with an exasperation that had moved past terror and into complete doneness . “If you don’t get rid of that bug right now , I am going to do something .”
Ash groaned, flopping a bit sideways. “She keeps following me! I don’t know how!”
“Just catch it!” Ash perked up like he’d been given the sun and just made the deepest of revelations, mouth dropping open into a small expression of absolute surprise. Delia was too exhausted to restrain the laugh that bubbled out of her at the sight. Her kit was adorable .
He grabbed a pokeball from his bag, and held it out to her. A choice, one a pokemon shouldn’t make lightly, a binding -
Without hesitation, she tapped the tip of her blade to it and was pulled inside.
Pokeballs were the perfect trap for a pokemon, an apricorn’s natural binding honed with mechanical precision and centuries of human innovation. She could see how those who didn’t understand them would find them terrifying- even the most violent struggles only pushed back the cloying force just a bit, an enveloping, gently smothering force pushing ever further… but she knew.
It was a matter of precision, and to a master of illusions, the way of her pokeball was as wide as the world and as clear as a single step. A path she didn’t take… for now, goal complete, safely tucked away in the pokeball’s imperfect bastion, at last-
She could rest a bit, knowing that her kit was safe.
………
Somewhere over fields and seas, past forests and skies, beneath rocks and ravines and the monumental, hidden structure of an immense demesne, a man- a beast in illusions wrapped, cerulean eyes watched, exacting in their careful consideration. Dark type energy flickered at the edge of vision, adept control pulling tight the reins of dazzling power and bending it to the will of the young fox standing before him as he clad himself in the detail of illusion, voluminous hair some whimsical color, clothes neatly pressed, face just off from believable.
He saw- thought, and judged - “another failure. Again.”