Pokémon: A New Evolution (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4: A Little Help From My Friends

“So Aaron, what do you think is going on?” Zoey asked as she and the other Pokémon sat around the base’s campfire. After the incident in the chasm, they had all walked back to camp together. Zoey had bandaged up her forearm and eaten a few Oran berries, so she was well on the way towards recovery. Despite all of the action that had taken place, it was only 9 o'clock p.m. Aaron shook his head sighing.

“I just… don’t know,” he said quietly, staring down at his new body with more than a little contempt. “The initial transformation was freaky enough as it was.”

“On the bright side, you do look pretty cute when you look like me,” Sparks chimed in happily.

“This mystery keeps getting bigger and bigger. Could this have anything to do with the Keystone?” Rin contemplated. Zoey nodded.

“That has to be it. It has been involved in all of the previous transformations.” Zoey looked at Aaron. “Right?”

Aaron closed his eyes and felt the warm energy flowing through his body. “Something happened when I touched it the first time. That big shockwave that got all of us changed something.”

“Obviously,” Blaze snarked. “Before that blast I didn’t see you turning into other Pokémon.”

“Which begs the question,” said Rin. “Does this new power mean that you could transform into hybrids of all of us?” Aaron thought for a moment before nodding slightly.

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” He looked at his yellow hands, clenching them into fists. “But that encounter tonight made me realize something.” He looked at each of his Pokémon one by one. “Zoey, Rin, Blaze, Sparks. I don’t like this situation we’ve been forced into. This transformation stole my humanity and my masculinity and forced me into this mess.” He stood up looking towards the sky.

“But I sure as hell won’t let it keep me down. I’m gonna need your help girls. This body is alien to me. Considering my outburst earlier, it could even be very dangerous. I don’t know what it’s capable of, nor do I want to find out without your assistance.” He smiled. “But I’m confident that we can figure it out. We’ve come out of a lot of tough spots together, and this isn’t gonna be the one that breaks us.”

Zoey and Blaze smiled proudly while Rin nodded with her usual warm satisfaction. Sparks could barely contain her tears of joy as Aaron looked back to them.

“That means something else too.” He grabbed his breasts in his hands and squeezed them. “I’m gonna have to get used to being a girl for a while.”

Rin frowned. “We’ve been referring to you as male even after you changed.”

“Does this mean you need a new name?” Sparks said, tilting her head. “That’ll be weird.” Blaze laughed.

“And all the rest of this isn’t weird? Come on. A name isn’t anything Sparks.” Aaron rolled his eyes and sighed.

“That may be true, but Sparks is kinda right. It would be really weird. I really wish I didn’t have to change it.”

“Maybe you don’t have to,” Zoey said. “Erin. E-R-I-N. It's still pronounced the same way, but it's also a girl's name. How is that?” Aaron frowned, raising a brow.

“Hmm… It’s good, but let’s hold off on using it right now,” Aaron said, looking a little downcast again. “Hopefully I won’t be stuck like this for that long.”

“Hopefully not,” Zoey said, standing up and gesturing to the tents. “We should all get some rest. Today was pretty crazy after all.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Rin said as she stood up, Blaze and Sparks standing as well.

Aaron watched them retreat into their own tent, before standing and walking to his own. As he entered, he collapsed onto the blowup mattress that was already set up and stared at the top of the tent. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

“Girls,” Aaron said quietly. After getting several questioning sounds in reply, he continued. “I want to make the most of tomorrow. I gotta start learning how to use my body’s powers. I figure I should learn from each of you individually to get a hang of your moves and powers. What do you say?”

“Ooh, ooh, ooh! Can I go first?” Aaron heard Sparks whisper excitedly.

“No way. He should learn all of the cool stuff first,” Blaze snapped.

“It doesn’t matter who goes first. Wake me up when you decide it’s my turn,” Rin huffed, follow by sounds of the other tent shifting loudly.

“But it does matter, Rin! Aaron already looks like me, so I should get to go first!” Sparks cried.

“How did I know this was gonna happen,” Aaron heard Zoey’s voice in his head. “Good night, Aaron. Good luck getting sleep.”

Aaron chuckled, snuggling into the sheets on the mattress.

“They’ll sort it out themselves. Eventually,” he said softly before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

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His mind went still once again, the familiar white dreamspace appearing to him. This time, he was prepared. He had to talk to Cresselia again. He focused, closing his eyes and calling the scene back from his mind.

Just like last time, the infinite white void started to fill itself in. The forest, the clearing, the vast ocean surrounding the landmass. He was back on Fullmoon Island.

“Cresselia!” he called out, expecting her to be surprised at his arrival. A response never came, making Aaron confused.

“Where is she? I thought she was always here,” he said, looking up at the moon, which was a little less bright than it was last time. “Maybe I should come back later. It would be pointless to try and find her. So many dreams to look through.”

“Aaron, wait!” Aaron stopped as the moon’s light boosted in brightness, making him look up to see the familiar figure drifting down to the island.

“Cressy! I was think I wasn’t going to get to talk to you tonight,” Aaron said happily as she neared him.

“You’re getting impatient,” she laughed as she came face to face with him. “You’re also looking a bit different then when we last met.” Aaron nodded, gesturing to the rest of his body.

“Yeah, I’m looking quite like an Ampharos right now.” Cresselia giggled, blushing.

“Oh, that? That much was obvious. I just meant that your breasts are looking significantly bigger than they were before.” Aaron paused, as if he didn’t believe what she just said. After a moment, he facepalmed, groaning in disbelief.

“Don’t remind me,” he growled. He decided to stifle his anger with a question. “So, why were you away? Checking someone else’s dreams?” Cresselia smiled.

“No, actually. I was busy gathering up some familiar faces to come see you.” Aaron raised an eyebrow, looking curious.

“Really? Who might they be?” he asked.

“I told them to wait outside the dreamscape until I gave the signal.” She turned to the moon, focusing on it with great psychic power. “Come forth!” The moon’s light shone brighter as three small figures flew out of it. Aaron squinted into the light to get a look, and a smile slowly began to form on his face as they neared the island.

The three figures were small, resembling fairies on a physical level. They each had two gem encrusted tails that trailed behind them, but that’s where the similarities ended. They each had a different color on their differently shaped heads. The yellow one had a head similar to a helmet adorned with several grooves, reminiscent of a brain. The magenta one had four long appendages that drooped off equally on both sides of its head. Finally, the blue one had a pointed head with two elf ear-like protrusions on either side of it. They swooped and slowed to a stop next to Cresselia, making Aaron laugh with joy.

“Hey, you guys!” He ran up to them to greet them. The blue fairy regarded him oddly before throwing up a shield in front of Aaron suddenly, making him smack into it hard.

“Gah!” Aaron screamed as he fell to the ground, dazed from the hit. The blue fairy turned at looked at Cresselia irritatedly.

“What is this thing, Cresselia?” It said in a high-pitched male voice. “I thought you were taking us to Aaron.” Aaron stared open-mouthed as Cresselia hung her head in annoyance. The magenta fairy flew over to Aaron, looking him over closely with its yellow eyes.

“You certainly don’t look like Aaron,” the magenta fairy said as Aaron scratched the back of his head nervously. “In fact, everything about you is different,” it said in a soft female voice.

The yellow fairy shook its head, and even though its eyes were closed, still managed to show annoyance. “Not everything.” The fairy floated over to the Ampharos hybrid and poked his breasts, making Aaron eep and cover them hastily. “Even with these drastic changes in anatomy, you must look on a deeper level to see the true form.” The yellow fairy smiled slowly, nodding and extending its hand. “Hello, Aaron. It is a pleasure to see you again.”

Aaron smiled back, thankful that his friend recognized him. “Nice to see you too, Uxie.” He took Uxie’s hand and shook it lightly. Uxie turned to see his two companions gawking at him, making him frown in response.

“You mean you two didn't examine his aura?” he scoffed, turning his back to them. “You would think that after the countless millennia we've been alive that you would learn to see past the physical world.” Aaron laughed as Azelf and Mesprit glared at him.

“Uxie, you jerk!” Mesprit yelled, looking very cross. “You don’t have to be so smart all the time,” she whined, crossing her arms indignantly.

“I hate to say it, Mesprit,” Azelf said after closing his eyes for a moment. “But he’s right.” Suddenly Azelf flew at Aaron, who opened his arms and allowed the blue fairy to glomp him.

“Hiya, Aaron,” Azelf said happily. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you.” Aaron smiled.

“Well, to be fair, I really do look nothing like I used to.” Aaron saw Mesprit close her eyes, her two tails glowing with psychic energy. Aaron knew what she was doing: she was looking at his aura. When she opened her eyes, they were welled up with tears. She too threw herself at Aaron, Azelf dodging out of the way as she landed right in Aaron’s arms.

“Oh my gosh, I’m soooooo sorry Aaron,” she wailed, wrapping her tiny arms around his torso. Aaron rolled his eyes, but continued to smile as the pink fairy cried into his fur. “You don’t hate me, do you?” She enquires.

“Of course not.” Aaron glanced over to Cresselia, who was watching the going ons with an amused grin. He raised an eyebrow, smirking at her.

“So, Cressy. You didn’t bother to mention to them that this had happened to me?” Cresselia’s face dropped, looking guilty all the sudden. She grinned at him awkwardly.

“Heh heh… Yeah, maybe I forgot to mention that.”

“That doesn’t matter anymore,” Mesprit interrupted. “We’re gonna do everything we can to help Aaron out!”

“Indeed,” Uxie agreed. “This transformation must be very taxing both physically and more importantly, mentally. We will supply aid any way we can.” Azelf rolled his eyes.

“Uh… Uxie? We all have lakes we have to guard. We can’t be on call all the time,” he protested, making Aaron fold his arms. “No offense.”

“If I may make a suggestion,” Cresselia spoke up, approaching the Lake Guardians. “I could allow you access to this realm to communicate with Aaron in his dreams. As long as you’re OK with that idea, Aaron.” Aaron scratched his chin in contemplation, the Lake Guardians gathering around him in anticipation. Finally, he nodded.

“As long as you guys don't give nightmares or something, I don't see a problem with it.” The Lake Guardians all grinned widely and circled around him happily, with around beaming back at them. “I’ll be looking forward to see you guys around more often.”

“I’m glad you’ve got that settled,” Cresselia said, floating over to them. “But the morning is coming. It’s time to wake up.”

“We will take our leave then,” Uxie said, beckoning the others to join him. “Cresselia, if you would?”

“Of course.” Cresselia’s eyes glowed with psychic energy as a portal appeared on Fullmoon Island’s dreamscape. The Lake Guardians voiced their goodbyes as they flew quickly into the portal and out of the dream realm. Cresselia faced Aaron again. “So, what is your plan for the morning?” Aaron’s face darkened as he looked down at his hands.

“A lot of things have changed recently, Cresselia,” he said quietly. He suddenly balled up his hands into fists, and looked at Cresselia with fiery determination. “And I need to be ready to face these new challenges.” Cresselia nodded.

“Very good. I believe that is the best way to think about this.” She turned, getting ready to fly away. “Remember to seek out myself or the Guardians if you ever need our help.” She lifted off and drifted back into the night sky above. Aaron looked at the portal and began to walk towards it.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

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“I told you, I get to teach him first cuz he’s already me!”

Aaron’s ears twitched as he slowly opened his eyes. Something was going on outside the tent.

“Who made you the boss? He’s been an Ampharos for a whole night! He needs to try something cooler, better, faster, and most importantly, stronger.”

“Hey, that’s mean!”

Aaron groaned. Oh, great. I can’t believe they are still at it, he thought as he rose and stretched. He let out a short yawn as he unzipped the tent and exited into the cool spring morning. She saw Blaze and Sparks glaring at each other.

“Come on, you two. Can’t a guy get some sleep around here?” Blaze and Sparks both eeped at the sudden arrival of their trainer, glancing at him nervously. Blaze then straightened up and laughed awkwardly.

“No, a guy can’t get any sleep around here,” she said quietly, making Aaron tilt his head. “Because you’re not a guy anymore. Get it?”

Aaron stared at Blaze for at least thirty brutal seconds as she sweated under his gaze. Blaze shot a pleading look at Sparks, who was now several feet farther away than her original position.

“Sparks, hey. Do... you wanna be the one to teach him first?”

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After a bit of work, Blaze, Sparks, and Aaron were able to build a small circular arena out of fallen trees, although Aaron made Blaze do all of the hard stuff as punishment. Sparks and Aaron had moved to the center of the arena while Blaze sat indignantly on the sidelines.

“That was some cruel and unusual punishment, Aaron!” she called out, as she massaged her back with her claws.

“I don’t think so, considering that your joke reminded me of a cruel and unusual transformation that was heavily traumatic for me,” Aaron remarked with overemphasized smugness. Blaze shook her head, but couldn’t help but smirk back at him.

“Screw you, Aaron.”

“Alright then!” Aaron looked at Sparks incredulously as she struck a dramatic pose. “I’m gonna teach you how to be as electrifying awesome--and cute--as me!” She stared fiercely into his eyes. “Are you ready to be… shocked by the power that you have?!” While her speech was incredibly corny, Aaron felt a surge of excitement go his through body as she said this.

“Oh yes, Sensei Sparks. Teach me your ways.”