Ch. 1 - A New Student

It is said that in ancient legends around the world, Sinnoh for example, there was a time where there was no distinction between Human and Pokemon. Most people think that it means that there were relationships between a human and a pokemon that went more than just friendship. Some think it went even further.

You see, ever since recorded time, there were stories, myths, legends, rumors, and hoaxes of shapeshifters. One of the tales speaks of a Ditto changing one being into another. In the search of truth, scientists in the Kalos Region discovered a set of genes in the transforming pokemon that stays constant, the recently named Stability Genes, for it keeps the Ditto from dying either through cellular instability or cellular decay. Of course, the tale speaks of the Ditto using its transformative power on another being, not itself. Any truth found therein has been lost to the mists of time. – Anthropology Professor Archibald Winston, Relationships Between Man and Pokemon Special Lecture.

“Man that was tough.” Arnold MacIntyre said to his friend as they left their last class of the day. Students of the well known Thomas Fenton University, Arnold is taking a Fighting-Type Specialist Major, his friend, on the other hand, is taking an Accounting Major.

Wearing a yellow t-shirt, green shorts and his blue-white rubber shoes on his lanky frame, Arnold doesn’t appear to be the strong type of person for his particular major. Don’t let the appearance fool you; he has won a number of martial arts competitions over the years, at least five different kinds as well, all of which being unarmed martial arts. He’s simply believes that wearing his training uniform on a deserted island, on a snowy mountain, or even in a deep underground cavern is something only Fighting fanatics tend to do.

“What, did all those fighting sessions finally beat up your brain to mush?” His friend joked as they pass by Miss Moreau’s office.

“Mr. MacIntyre.” She called, “May I have a word with you?”

“Ooo, busted.” His friend said as he walks ahead while Arnold heads to Miss Moreau’s office.

“What is it ma’am?” Arnold asked as she simply point at a chair and close the door. Sitting at the chair, Miss Moreau returns to her seat.

“Now, Mr. MacIntyre, you have been chosen for a special scholarship.” She said.

“What? I didn’t hear of a scholarship for my major.”

“That’s because it’s a special scholarship. We choose only exceptional students for the program. The top percent, if you will.”

“Ok, so why me?”

“Just look at you, appearance wise not much, but its hiding some surprising strength. By grades alone, you reached the second highest grade of your major since the school founded. Not only that but you have exceptional skill in Karate, Judo, Boxing, Muay Thai, and Taekwondo. You might become one of the best Fighting – type specialists, possibly Elite Four material.” She said.

“I’m just trying to be the best at what I do ma’am.”

“And modest as well.” She continued, “Now, I have a card here for the time and place for a meeting with the headmaster. If you choose to decline, well, this is your only chance at the big leagues.” Arnold then crossed his arms.

“And why should I trust you ma’am? You teach basic pokemon knowledge, and I doubt you would be given the task of giving special scholarships I didn’t hear of.”

“I understand if you don’t believe me. But the offer still stands.” She said as she holds the card on her hand. Looking at the card, Arnold simply shrugs and takes it before leaving. When she’s certain that she’s all alone, she pulls out a phone and call a direct number, “I found another one for the exodus sir.”

“What did she say?” His friend asked as they meet up and continued walking.

“Something about a special scholarship.” Arnold shrugged as they reach the lecture room for a special lecture by the school’s Anthropology professor.

‘Can something be both interesting and boring at the same time?’ Arnold thought as the professor’s winding lecture on Human-pokemon relationships wound up having the usual tangent anecdotes and recollections that have little to no bearing to the actual topic. While some, like shapeshifters and transforming people were interesting, the lecture was ultimately boring. When the professor finally finished talking and showing his presentation, they all leave the room well rested.

After dinner, he brushes his teeth as his brown eyes and hair on his light brown skin reflects on the mirror. He sometimes think of combing it, or using gel at times, and he was reminded of the time he cosplayed as a TV character using those colored contacts he borrowed from a friend of his. Lying on his bed with nothing to do, he glimpses the card he place on the end table. Curious as to what the special scholarship is, he grab the card and read it.

‘Some abandoned warehouse nearby at night. Yeah, like that doesn’t scream suspicious.’ Lying back on the bed and watch the card, he wondered, ‘Why would teach give me something like this? A prank? No, I don’t think she’s the kind to do that. Revenge? I don’t know of anything I did for her to do something like this. A test? Maybe the sociology or the psychology students are experimenting something out, like “how curious a regular student is” or something.’ Looking at the card for a few moments, he stands up from his bed, walks out of the dorm, and smiles, ‘Where’s my sense of adventure?’ He asked himself, ‘So if it’s a trick or something, it doesn’t hurt me in the slightest.’ He then heads off to the given location.

The location itself is what he thought, a warehouse of some sort. He was about to turn back when a voice call him.

“Mr. MacIntyre, good for you to come.” Miss Moreau said as she heads to Arnold’s location, “So you’re interested in the offer?” Arnold can only cross his arms.

“Why am I going to get some special scholarship in some warehouse at night?” Miss Moreau only sighed and pulls out something from her purse.

“I didn’t want to do this, but you give me no other choice.” She said as Arnold entered an attack stance. She pulls out a police badge.

“I am Agent Moreau of the International Police. I’ve been tracking the mysterious kidnapping and murders of a number of students over the years. The only thing that connects the victims is that they’re exceptional in their chosen field.” She said as Arnold look at the badge and sighed.

“Looks official. So what, I’m the next victim?” Arnold asked.

“Yes, the pattern in the crimes show that you’re the next likely target. You can either enter the warehouse and be sent to our protection program with the others, or leave and pray that we’re wrong.” Arnold can only rub his temples.

“Please tell me you’re joking, right?”

“Do I ever joke?” She asked as Arnold simply accepts.

“No, not at all.” Arnold said as he enters the warehouse by the side door. Behind him, Ms. Moreau smiled.

Inside is a bunch of crates with a clearing at the center. There, a table, a chair, and a machine with strange looking pokeballs in its glass container stand. Arnold walk closer to the machine and watch the pokeballs, each one is based on a regular pokeball except the differing upper color and a symbol of a pokemon type. Some balls are for dual types as well, with some redundancies, like a Bug/Grass and Grass/Bug. He did not notice Ms. Moreau locking the entrance.

“So when will I meet this ‘Headmaster’ then.” Arnold asked as he looks at the machine’s control panel with curiosity before walking to the table.

“Soon, you just need to look acceptable for him.” She said as she call out her pokemon. Five Dittos then surround Arnold, blocking any escape.

“What the hell? What is this?” Arnold asked as he looks at the teacher. She doesn’t act like herself, from what he can gather. There’s emptiness in her eyes, like something was taken from her, leaving behind only cold hatred.

“Legend speaks of a tribe that shapeshift between human and pokemon. They say that they bonded with their pokemon to give them such ability.” She said as she pet one of the Ditto, “In truth, they have a special breed of Ditto that use Transform on them.” Arnold then enters a different attack stance.

“So what? I don’t need a history lesson from a kidnapper.” Arnold said as the teacher simply ignores what he said while he waits for her to strike.

“Hmm,” She said as she rubs her chin, “Strong, athletic, mastery of a number of unarmed martial arts, yes; I know what you should have been.” She said with a kind smile, but her eyes reflect only emptiness.

“I should have brought my pokemon with me.” Arnold muttered as he watch the Dittos smiling faces, looking like it’s filled with innocence.

“Oh, you’ll be one of the best.” She said as she raises her arm and point at Arnold, “Transform him into a Machop!” And the Dittos comply by jumping at him which knocks him to the floor.

While he raise himself up, one Ditto enter his left shoe, another cover his right shin, the other three hit the right side of his body, with one on his right arm, another on his right chest, and the last on the right side of his head. Arnold then feel strange tingling in the areas the Ditto hit. He watches in horror as the Dittos turn into a grey color and alter the parts of his body that they touch, spreading more and more of his body.

“N-no way.” He muttered in shock as he sees his left foot pop out his shoe; completely changed into the toeless foot of a Machop.

“No way.” He looks at his right arm and sees it shrunk down to the size of a young child’s arm. A sting hit his right eye as it turns red. The Dittos are turning into some slimy liquid, spreading out and changing him into a Machop. He can feel the ridges growing out of his head.

“NO!” He screamed as he come out of the shock and frightfully tear the Dittos away from him. One Ditto has covered the right half of his chest, turning it grey and stocky. He then feels a slimy Ditto spread to the end of his spine and lengthen it into a tail. It then move forward, changing his body as his moved, and come out from his waist. His left leg as fully shrunk as he sees his knee touching his shorts. Seeing one on his chest, Arnold pulls it out with his still human left hand.

“Ditto?” It said with the innocent smile. Then it coats his left hand, changes it, and spreads up his arm.

“No!” He yelled as he sees his right leg follow the changes.

“Stop it!” A Ditto then covers the left side of his head. He closes his eyes when his left eye begin to sting and his face stretches forward into a snout.

“Turn me back!” With his eyes close, the tingling feeling soon diminishes, leaving behind a calming feeling, and something in his mind telling him that it’s alright. When he opens his eyes, the shock returns.

He shrunk down the size of a Machop with his now baggy clothes over him. No, he has become a Machop with baggy clothes over him. He looks at Miss Moreau as she kindly pet the Dittos for a job well done. When she looks at him with that kind smile, the emptiness he noticed earlier vanished, leaving behind sincere kindness. Arnold begins to get angry and enters an attack stance.

“Change me back you sick twisted mad woman!” He yelled as the emptiness suddenly appeared in her eyes as she walks to the machine.

“You miss one.” She said.

“Wha-” A Ditto then leaped into Arnold’s open mouth and move to his throat, choking him. He grip his neck and fell on the floor as his hands and knees support him until the Ditto got choke out of his throat.

“Ma ma chop?” What the hell? He then went wide eyed when he heard what he said.

“Ma chop.” My voice. He then grips his throat in fear. That fear turns into anger the teacher, who’s now leaning on the table with a special pokeball on her hand, a pokeball with a maroon upper half and a Fighting type fist on the spot above the button.

“Chop ma chop!” Change me back! Of course she doesn’t know what he’s saying.

“It turns out that when a transformed person is captured in a pokeball, they’re stuck in that form until they are release.” She then grips the odd pokeball, “This here is a Type Ball, it gives a ninety percent capture rate on pokemon of its given type, except legendaries, for some reason.”

Adding two and two together, Arnold tries to run to the door but trip on his clothes. He then feel something hit his head and the familiar red beam make him enter the pokeball.

It wiggles once.

It wiggles again.

It wiggles a third time.

Then the familiar ding is heard.

Miss Moreau picks up her new Machop and calls him out.

Arnold just sits there, looking at his grey hands as tears begin to form.

“Ma chop ma Machop, chop.” I’m now a Machop, permanently.

“Don’t worry Arnold. You’ll be safe like everyone else.” Miss Moreau said as she gestures at a Ditto, it goes to Arnold’s clothes and transform into a twin of Arnold, “Quite remarkable, this breed of Ditto.” She commented as she walks toward the doppelganger, letting Arnold watch in horror, “You know what to do.”

“Yes.” The Ditto said, perfectly copying Arnold’s voice, “In a week, I’ll act depress and kill myself. Then I turn back and get some candy. Right mistress?” He said with glee, not knowing, or not understanding, what he’s doing.

“Yes,” She then looks at Arnold and holds his pokeball, “Time for you to meet the Headmaster.” The red beam then returns Arnold back into the pokeball.

Many miles away, in a deep thick forest, where only a few and daring travelers go, the tribal witch brews on her pot. When she adds the final ingredient, the murky bubbling purple liquid turns clear and calm.

“Hello,” She said to the liquid, “Is this Nexus? I’m here to report a kidnapping.” There is no change to the liquid.

“Five of my tribe’s Ditto eggs were recently taken from us.” Still no change, she sighed and tells it the graver problem.

“The Scale of Arceus was also stolen from us.” The liquid then gives off a bright light.

They have accepted her case.