Chapter 1
[Cliff]
I awoke from a sleep that had lasted for what seemed like days. I felt as though I had been hit by a truck; my body ached all over. I tried to get up, but to no avail: my hands and feet were bound together tightly with rope. I quickly looked around the dimly lighted room to find myself surrounded by iron bars, trapped in a cage. Confused, and beginning to panic, I struggled to free myself of the ropes, but they were too tight. I tried to kick the cage door open, but that also failed. It felt so strange to move my body...I had never felt my legs kick like that. I examined my legs to see if anything was wrong. It was hard to make out, but they looked as though they were...orange? With thick fur growing on them? "What the hell is going on?" I thought out loud.
"Quiet, they'll hear you!" whispered a voice.
"What...who said that?"
"That doesn't matter now! We have to get out of here."
"...But how? My hands and legs are..."
"I know that! So, just burn the ropes."
"Burn the ropes? With what?"
"...You mean...you don't know?"
"Know what? You're really starting to freak me out! Tell me what's going on!"
"Well...you aren't yourself. And neither am I. We've been...experimented on...we've been mutated. We're not human anymore."
"Wha-what?!" I stammered. Hastily, I looked over myself once again: thick fur grew everywhere, I could see that my nose was farther from my face, and square and black. I noticed my feet were now...paws? "This is getting freaky. If I'm not human...than...what am I?"
"You're a Pokémorph. A human with Pokémon DNA incorporated into you. And I am the same thing. You have obviously been crossed with a Growlithe...and I with a Sandslash. So...Growlithe can use fire, can't they? Burn the ropes!"
I lie there, stunned. Not human? What happened to me? Who did this to me? Why me? So many questions ran through my head, that it began to ache.
"What are you waiting for?" said my cell-mate.
I shook my head of the thoughts, and wondered instead how I would be able to breathe fire. It didn't quite come naturally, you know. I concentrated, and thought about fire, hot things...I felt a burning sensation in my mouth. Was this it? I opened my mouth and exhaled, and a huge stream of fire poured out. It burned the ropes, but also my hands.
"You didn't have to make it so powerful!" scorned the stranger. "Now see if you can weld through the bars!"
I let out an uneasy "Okay" and thought once again of fire, and burning. I felt the sensation again, and breathed fire upon the iron bars before me. It seemed to have no effect, but I continued, and I blew harder. The bars began to glow red. I persisted for as long as my energy would let me, and slowly, the bars began to melt. They melted away just enough so that I could slip through. I, of course, waited for the bars to cool before I attempted this. I fit through quite nicely, but standing up felt quite awkward.
"Great! Okay, now burn my ropes, and I think I can pick the lock with my claws," said my confined friend. I took a moment to catch my breath and recover a bit of energy. I blew flames into his cage, much smaller and weaker than before. "Owch, careful!" he snapped. After briefly sucking on his burnt hand, he reached outside of the cage and fumbled around for the lock. Once found, he fit a claw in quite nicely and picked the lock. He opened the door and stepped out.
"So, now we're out. Now what?" I inquired.
"Well...there are others like us confined in this place. We need to free them, too."
"Roger."
I cautiously opened the heavy steel door and stepped out into a hallway. "Be careful! There are guards here everywhere. Step lightly and avoid being seen at all costs!" warned the man. Well, I wouldn't say man. Hybrid. "By the way. I'm Kyle."
"Cliff. Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, charmed. Now let's go!"
We walked cautiously down the hallway. I stumbled a few times, not quite used to my own new body yet, but I could keep up. We entered several doorways, and found more "specimens" (meh, more like victims) to free. A Misdreavus and Vulpix were the only two we could free, for then...
"What? Hey, some of the specimens have escaped! Sound the alarm!" A scientist had seen us.
"Everyone run!!" Kyle yelled. And so, well, we did. I, for some reason, and the Vulpix girl, had gotten on all fours to run our fastest. Iron bars blocked our path. No time to burn through them. We turned down another hallway, only to be blocked again. We turned everywhere; there was no escape. One hallway was not blocked, but the bars were coming down fast. We all made it through, except the Misdreavus boy.
"Oh, don't worry `bout me!" he said, as he turned transparent and walked right through the bars. He grinned and laughed lightly.
"Ugh. There's no time for this foolishness. We gotta get outta here!" snapped Kyle. We burst through the exit doors, right past the guards. We ran away, free...well, as free as a fugitive mutant could be, anyway.
Later that day...
[Kane]
It had been many days since I had been held captive by those foolish scientists. Just who did they think they were, splicing genes and experimenting and defying the laws of nature? They were ruining people's lives. They ruined my life. But they would pay. They would all pay.
It was a late afternoon in August, and I was sitting in my confinement area. Blocked by iron bars. The one thing that stood between me and freedom. The fools. I could've escaped long ago...but I knew that I couldn't train my power without staying here for a little while...
I heard the heavy metal door creak open, and a scientist, holding a clipboard, walked in, ridiculous spectacles mounted on his small nose. He brushed his long, brown bangs from his eyes. I hated him.
"Mr. Kane, it is time for your daily battle," he informed me.
"Oh, of course, sir. Of course. Bring me to the arena where I shall crush some weakling Pokémon and be returned to this hellhole prison you have fixed up so nicely for me." Oh, that's what he thought. He tied my hands together and led me by a rope to an open clay arena where I was to battle a Pokemon.
"Go, Skarmory!" I heard a voice call, and a red and white ball was tossed onto the arena. In a flash of red light, a steel bird with a notorious-looking spike on its head and three red flaps below each wing materialized. Fools. "Skarmory! Drill Peck, now!" the voice called. The bird replied with a "Caw" and took flight, preparing to dive at me with beak spinning. It did so, and not two inches away from the center of my forehead, it stopped cold, gripped by my Disable. I stared at it coldly, raised a hand slowly up, and gradually closed it into a fist. One could hear the bird's bones crack as it was slowly crushed by my superior Psychic power. Once finished, I let go of my Psychic hold and Skarmory dropped to the ground, unable to move. The scientists stared at me in awe. Fools. I brought two fingers up near my face and closed my eyes, meditating and charging energy. After about ten seconds, I opened my eyes and threw my fingers outward, twirling 360 degrees. In the wake of
my fingers was a ripple of Psychic energy, and the entire area collapsed. I walked towards the door out of the arena. A few guards tried to grab hold of me; I just casually waved one finger and they were sent crashing to the wall. As I walked towards the exit of the building, iron bars crashed down to prevent my escape. The fools. With telekinesis I bent the iron bars and walked right through. As I neared the exit I spotted a room labeled "DANGER: EXPLOSIVES!" I grinned evilly and walked in.
The fools.
[Cliff]
I awoke from a sleep that had lasted for what seemed like days. I felt as though I had been hit by a truck; my body ached all over. I tried to get up, but to no avail: my hands and feet were bound together tightly with rope. I quickly looked around the dimly lighted room to find myself surrounded by iron bars, trapped in a cage. Confused, and beginning to panic, I struggled to free myself of the ropes, but they were too tight. I tried to kick the cage door open, but that also failed. It felt so strange to move my body...I had never felt my legs kick like that. I examined my legs to see if anything was wrong. It was hard to make out, but they looked as though they were...orange? With thick fur growing on them? "What the hell is going on?" I thought out loud.
"Quiet, they'll hear you!" whispered a voice.
"What...who said that?"
"That doesn't matter now! We have to get out of here."
"...But how? My hands and legs are..."
"I know that! So, just burn the ropes."
"Burn the ropes? With what?"
"...You mean...you don't know?"
"Know what? You're really starting to freak me out! Tell me what's going on!"
"Well...you aren't yourself. And neither am I. We've been...experimented on...we've been mutated. We're not human anymore."
"Wha-what?!" I stammered. Hastily, I looked over myself once again: thick fur grew everywhere, I could see that my nose was farther from my face, and square and black. I noticed my feet were now...paws? "This is getting freaky. If I'm not human...than...what am I?"
"You're a Pokémorph. A human with Pokémon DNA incorporated into you. And I am the same thing. You have obviously been crossed with a Growlithe...and I with a Sandslash. So...Growlithe can use fire, can't they? Burn the ropes!"
I lie there, stunned. Not human? What happened to me? Who did this to me? Why me? So many questions ran through my head, that it began to ache.
"What are you waiting for?" said my cell-mate.
I shook my head of the thoughts, and wondered instead how I would be able to breathe fire. It didn't quite come naturally, you know. I concentrated, and thought about fire, hot things...I felt a burning sensation in my mouth. Was this it? I opened my mouth and exhaled, and a huge stream of fire poured out. It burned the ropes, but also my hands.
"You didn't have to make it so powerful!" scorned the stranger. "Now see if you can weld through the bars!"
I let out an uneasy "Okay" and thought once again of fire, and burning. I felt the sensation again, and breathed fire upon the iron bars before me. It seemed to have no effect, but I continued, and I blew harder. The bars began to glow red. I persisted for as long as my energy would let me, and slowly, the bars began to melt. They melted away just enough so that I could slip through. I, of course, waited for the bars to cool before I attempted this. I fit through quite nicely, but standing up felt quite awkward.
"Great! Okay, now burn my ropes, and I think I can pick the lock with my claws," said my confined friend. I took a moment to catch my breath and recover a bit of energy. I blew flames into his cage, much smaller and weaker than before. "Owch, careful!" he snapped. After briefly sucking on his burnt hand, he reached outside of the cage and fumbled around for the lock. Once found, he fit a claw in quite nicely and picked the lock. He opened the door and stepped out.
"So, now we're out. Now what?" I inquired.
"Well...there are others like us confined in this place. We need to free them, too."
"Roger."
I cautiously opened the heavy steel door and stepped out into a hallway. "Be careful! There are guards here everywhere. Step lightly and avoid being seen at all costs!" warned the man. Well, I wouldn't say man. Hybrid. "By the way. I'm Kyle."
"Cliff. Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, charmed. Now let's go!"
We walked cautiously down the hallway. I stumbled a few times, not quite used to my own new body yet, but I could keep up. We entered several doorways, and found more "specimens" (meh, more like victims) to free. A Misdreavus and Vulpix were the only two we could free, for then...
"What? Hey, some of the specimens have escaped! Sound the alarm!" A scientist had seen us.
"Everyone run!!" Kyle yelled. And so, well, we did. I, for some reason, and the Vulpix girl, had gotten on all fours to run our fastest. Iron bars blocked our path. No time to burn through them. We turned down another hallway, only to be blocked again. We turned everywhere; there was no escape. One hallway was not blocked, but the bars were coming down fast. We all made it through, except the Misdreavus boy.
"Oh, don't worry `bout me!" he said, as he turned transparent and walked right through the bars. He grinned and laughed lightly.
"Ugh. There's no time for this foolishness. We gotta get outta here!" snapped Kyle. We burst through the exit doors, right past the guards. We ran away, free...well, as free as a fugitive mutant could be, anyway.
Later that day...
[Kane]
It had been many days since I had been held captive by those foolish scientists. Just who did they think they were, splicing genes and experimenting and defying the laws of nature? They were ruining people's lives. They ruined my life. But they would pay. They would all pay.
It was a late afternoon in August, and I was sitting in my confinement area. Blocked by iron bars. The one thing that stood between me and freedom. The fools. I could've escaped long ago...but I knew that I couldn't train my power without staying here for a little while...
I heard the heavy metal door creak open, and a scientist, holding a clipboard, walked in, ridiculous spectacles mounted on his small nose. He brushed his long, brown bangs from his eyes. I hated him.
"Mr. Kane, it is time for your daily battle," he informed me.
"Oh, of course, sir. Of course. Bring me to the arena where I shall crush some weakling Pokémon and be returned to this hellhole prison you have fixed up so nicely for me." Oh, that's what he thought. He tied my hands together and led me by a rope to an open clay arena where I was to battle a Pokemon.
"Go, Skarmory!" I heard a voice call, and a red and white ball was tossed onto the arena. In a flash of red light, a steel bird with a notorious-looking spike on its head and three red flaps below each wing materialized. Fools. "Skarmory! Drill Peck, now!" the voice called. The bird replied with a "Caw" and took flight, preparing to dive at me with beak spinning. It did so, and not two inches away from the center of my forehead, it stopped cold, gripped by my Disable. I stared at it coldly, raised a hand slowly up, and gradually closed it into a fist. One could hear the bird's bones crack as it was slowly crushed by my superior Psychic power. Once finished, I let go of my Psychic hold and Skarmory dropped to the ground, unable to move. The scientists stared at me in awe. Fools. I brought two fingers up near my face and closed my eyes, meditating and charging energy. After about ten seconds, I opened my eyes and threw my fingers outward, twirling 360 degrees. In the wake of
my fingers was a ripple of Psychic energy, and the entire area collapsed. I walked towards the door out of the arena. A few guards tried to grab hold of me; I just casually waved one finger and they were sent crashing to the wall. As I walked towards the exit of the building, iron bars crashed down to prevent my escape. The fools. With telekinesis I bent the iron bars and walked right through. As I neared the exit I spotted a room labeled "DANGER: EXPLOSIVES!" I grinned evilly and walked in.
The fools.