Shiloh groaned, shifting uneasily in his sleep. He felt as though he'd just had the worst workout of his life, every muscle and sinew aching and sore.
He stirred slowly, but even as his mind returned, he remained disoriented. His legs felt so strange, his head didn't make sense. He could feel an entire pillow around him, from directions that confused him.
"I think I've been... poisoned," he whispered. Even his voice sounded strange to his ears. It was high and feminine. Or maybe it was a child's voice? "Briar, are you... Call the Kanto Defense. I need... medical evac."
He opened his eyes, but only got a face full of something soft and flexible, like he'd been placed on a pillow as large as his whole body. There was nothing to constrict him, not even the suggestion of clothing around his own body.
That only made him curl up tighter. Maybe if he just went back to sleep, things would make sense when he woke up. Psychic Pokémon could sometimes inflict terrible dreams on humans. Hadn't he been attacked by one?
He remembered it now, or at least parts of it. A set of brilliantly glowing blue eyes, getting lifted into the air by his jacket. The Pokémon was just too smart—smart enough to get around powerful type-advantaged members of his own team, and strike directly at the one commanding them.
He didn't get to sleep, though. Another voice spoke from nearby, one with familiar tone and diction. It was higher too, sharper somehow. Briar. "Wasn't sure you were going to wake up. They said it might be a few more days. Something about that huge head of yours. Err... brain."
Days? That might explain some of the stiffness he felt, permeating every inch of his body. Shiloh fought, then managed to get his arms under him. His hands felt strange, like most of his fingers were missing. But there was no pain, not like they'd been cut off.
Good enough. He pushed, then swung upward into a sitting position, grinning with pride at the accomplishment.
His head was so heavy that he nearly fell backward again, and had to scramble against the soft ground beneath him to keep upright. Something moved on his head, twitching and flattening in his agitation. His... ears?
"Yeah, it felt about like that for me too," Briar said. Then something that wasn't Briar hopped down into that soft space around him, that gigantic pillow with soft walls.
It was so large that Shiloh retreated instinctively, sliding backward along the ground until his back smacked up against the wall. He could go no further, not without finding a way to clamber up again. He wasn't willing to try, not yet.
He recognized the foxlike Pokémon instinctively, the same way he would've instantly known most Pokémon by sight. They didn't call him a master because he was photogenic. Well, he was that too.
But zorua wasn't supposed to be taller than he was, with sharp teeth right at eye-level, and a pair of focused, intense eyes. It wasn't supposed to look so incredibly dangerous. It didn't do anything hostile. It didn't advance on him, once it saw his fear.
It did something infinitely worse, and spoke with Briar's voice. "Take it easy, Shiloh. I remember how freaky that feels. But it won't go away just because you want it to. You have to face this thing head-on."
Shiloh screamed. Nothing in particular—just a high pitched, terrified squeal. It only lasted for a few seconds, just the right length for a dramatic angle for the camera. A camera he... hoped very much wasn't here.
Shiloh stopped abruptly. "Zoroark is doing this? Making you look like its... kid?"
Briar chuckled. "That would make things easier. But I don't think she's pulling pranks again. The one who did this doesn't need to pretend. Can't you feel it? I'm not the only one who changed."
He lifted one paw, pointing down at Shiloh's own body.
During the last several minutes, Shiloh had felt plenty of times just how wrong everything was. There were dozens of disconnected, broken details, any of which might lead him towards insanity.
Now he looked down, and saw. Pale fur, only a shade from white, with bright hands. But not hands, because there were three bird fingers, hardened skin exposed. The same was true of his feet sticking out in front of him.
He moved one hand, curling and uncurling it into a fist, then poked at his oversized leg. The surface was incredibly soft, finer than any silk fabric in the hotels he often stayed at. That did nothing to comfort him.
Just as he had felt, he was entirely naked. He was no expert Pokémon breeder, but what he saw didn't strike him as terribly masculine, either.
But neither is my voice, so that tracks. "Oh." He looked up again, meeting the zorua's eager expression. "You mind if I scream a little more? The documentary could use a few more hysterical breakdowns."
Briar shrugged a pair of oversized fox shoulders. "Fine with me, boss. The mew who brought us here isn't around right now, no telling when she'll be back. You probably have a little time for breakdowns. There's a mirror against the wall there if you want a better view."
He shivered, and something against his back twitched along with his feelings. For a second, that motion made him feel lighter, somehow, though there could be no possible mechanism for it.
Then he stood. He could still do it, lifting onto two legs. The balance was harder, wanting to topple him backward with the slightest agitation of his oversized head. One of many things to figure out.
But Briar helped him clamber from the little bed, out onto a softly carpeted floor.
The room should've been gigantic, based on what he knew of zorua's size. But it was only just tall enough for his friend to fit, making him feel almost normal in height as he walked through it. There was a little control panel against one wall, obviously meant to be used by something his size. He left that touchscreen for now, focusing on another wall.
This one was a single mirrored sheet, and reflected the room back at him. There was a narrow doorway against the far wall, with a vast space visible through it. But he ignored that for now, focusing instead on his own reflection.
Her own reflection, anyway.
Every strange feeling compounded to that single reality, reflected back at her. Of course she recognized the Pokémon species, she had worn a styled jacket in their yellow and orange colors.
But the mew hadn't even given her the decency of matching the jacket—her fur was white instead of creamy yellow, in what she could only assume was the shiny variation.
"Victini," Briar said from just behind her. In total disregard of her personal space or modesty, but the fox wasn't wearing anything either. "Guess that little nickname came true, didn't it? Couldn't lose no matter what kind of team you brought to the fight. Guess you'll never lose now."
She laughed despite herself, her voice filled with nervous energy. She turned to one side, and found she could move her tail. The little wings flapped when she wanted them too, and the huge ears twisted backward, folding with her discomfort.
"Mew cheated," she said. "In that fight, she... didn't beat my Pokémon first. She knew she didn't stand a chance against Tyranitar. We won, and she cheated."
She turned her back on the mirror, slumping into an awkward sitting position. She didn't have to look at her awful reflection anymore. That didn't stop her from seeing those stupid legs, or the exit to the little room leading to a space that wasn't built for creatures their size.
She couldn't see much through the opening, or didn't want to. There was a significant drop, leading to a space lit by a dim red glow.
"I should've used a master ball. I only lost because I tried to be a good sport and beat her first. Now look at what it got me." She held up her bird claws, clenching them into fists. "I'm going to file a complaint with the Pokémon League. She'll lose her training license for sure."
A low growl rose from nearby, quiet enough that she almost missed it. But then she turned, and found the sound coming from Briar. He had his teeth bared, big and sharp. He wasn't close enough to bite, but the gesture still made Shiloh shiver once with fear.
"I can't believe..." Briar began, raising his voice. "You, Shiloh Lehman. You are the biggest, most outrageous, incredible idiot in any region of the planet. Do you even remember what just happened?"
Briar advanced on her, and she was powerless to escape. She was already backed up against the wall. "You attacked her while she was trying to save everyone. When you pissed her off, she even told you that she would've battled you fairly if you waited!
"You didn't just get yourself into trouble! You didn't just piss off an angry little god, but you made her angry at me, too! Your recklessness even got Mirage hurt, and Arceus only knows what happened to your tyranitar after it went rogue!"
Shiloh wasn't thinking rationally anymore. But how could she, when nothing in her world made sense? She curled up into a tight ball, pressing her ears flat. It wasn't just the volume, or Briar's greater size.
Her friend had been with her on this Pokémon journey for a decade now. No matter what happened, he was always the one to stick to Shiloh's side. It was why she had shared so many of the rewards of her victorious position. Loyalty was something worth rewarding.
But now she'd screwed up so badly that even Briar was screaming at her.
"No one knows if we can be changed back. The others here at the nursery look at me like I'm crazy when I ask them. There's a little more optimism for fixing me than you, so there's some justice. I'm just a Pokémon, and changes like mine have been fixed. You, though..."
Briar touched her shoulder, none-too-comforting. "You're legendary now. Exactly what you wanted. Congratulations. The locals all told me that you're stuck this way, Shiloh. That tiny little human got all swollen up in that huge psychic brain, and there's no way to stuff it back into the bottle. What do you think the goddamn Pokémon League will say about a victini challenging for gym badges? Don't worry, Mirage and I will film the whole thing!"
Then he turned, and stormed out of the room. Shiloh heard a few moments of struggling, as Briar forced himself through the narrow entrance. Then a soft thump of paws on a hard surface, and he was gone.
After a minute or so, motion-activated lights switched off, leaving her with only the diffuse glow coming from outside.
That was probably for the best—it meant there was no one in her new prison to see her do something no Pokémon Champion ever should.
Cry like a baby.