Chapter 1: pride leads to consequences

A/N: Hi all. I'm a new writer who's hoping to increase his writing skills and one day become a professional author. I'm writing this fanfic to increase those skills and would very much like any feedback in the review section. This fanfic isn't solely for the plot and is really what comes to my mind at the moment, but obviously, I'll make sure that the plot is enticing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon only my original characters. Pokemon is owned by Nintendo and that includes its characters.

And with that out the way, enjoy.

Chapter 1 START

"And in conclusion, its hooked claws are sharp enough to slightly pierce through the ice, so it doesn't slip through the icy terrain when running for its prey... and done" he finally finished the ending of his report. He swiftly put the pen down in the mug containing the rest of his utensils along with the clipboard, letting out a banging noise and letting out a sigh of relief that had been waiting for hours to come out. He sat down, lift his aching legs onto the desk, and took a sip of his cold tea. He didn't expect himself to take this long, but the polar bear that the staff had started to call Jimmy, felt like being lazy today and made it harder to record any data.

No use complaining now. After another sip and another minute of relaxing, he took another sip and then waited for another minute. Yeah, I'm bored already. Despite being upset about the uncommon long session of waiting for the subject to yield any results, Theodore Nieoldiek wanted something else to do. His ever-thinking brain couldn't stand not being occupied with something, doesn't matter what it is as long as it was something. Other than his work in this well-known vivarium, he didn't have anything else to do. He's been looking around for a while now for a hobby, but whenever he tried something it felt dull. For some reason, studying animals and their adaptations in nature always came back to his mind.

He looked towards Jimmy, who was lying on his side in the small makeshift cave. He walked and knelt next to the glass of the artificial habitat. It wasn't so big that it fully encapsulated the same feeling of being in the Arctic, but it was good enough for their studies. When the polar bear noticed him, he quickly got up and immediately went into a hunting position.

Such a strong creature. Can rip up seals into shreds. The bear was slowly treading along the makeshift snow.

Have so many adaptions coming from generations of evolution for you to survive and grow. Jimmy's eyes were completely focused onto Theodores' and his claws were out, not only to move through the icy layer underneath the snow but to tear his head off.

Even the smaller things like your semi-webbed paws are essential to your survival. If a few things were missing from your DNA you would die. All of these things work together to make you at the top of your particular food chain. However... The polar bear struck, powerfully lunging with a widened maw that could crush a watermelon with ease. His teeth met nothing but glass. Theodore didn't flinch even slightly as he saw small scrapes being left on the glass before Jimmy kept staring at him in the eyes.

You will never be at the top. You will never reach greater heights. You will never be anything more than what you are now; a polar bear stuck in captivity for the rest of its life until you fade away into dust. Then thrown out just for the process to repeat itself. Do you even know that this home of yours is fake? Is there any thought in that brain of yours other than food and taking a shit? Of course, there was no response as the polar bear turned to walk back into its cave ready to sleep till the next day, only to eat and excrete again.

Theodore let off a proud smirk. We, humans, can see beyond the horizon and innovate something new from something so basic. Even from the bare minimum, we can be a force to be reckoned with. Take a stick and a sharp rock, BOOM a spear which, when handed to a single human, can kill most things in nature. Give a spear to multiple humans and even the largest of animals isn't safe. We don't just stop there- it's not enough to satisfy us- we go further to invent things you aren't capable of thinking of. You should always remember- if you could- to learn your place in the world, beneath ou-

"Hey, you gonna check out or stand there looking at Jimmy all night?" A familiar voice shouted from the door, startling Theodore.

"God damn Nathan! You scared the crap out of me", he held his beating heart that steadily slowed down. He walked up to Nathan, who stopped leaning on the door frame and saw the old Nintendo DS in his hands. "Still playing on that thing. I didn't know we were in 2012. I don't even remember any other game I used to play on mine other than Mario Kart" he leaned over to see what game he was playing.

"Not right now. I need to earn this final gym badge that I've been dying on for the last 2 days" Theodore didn't push on after seeing the few beads of sweat running down his colleagues' forehead, but his curiosity pushed him to ask what game he was playing.

"What game is that? Woah!" he had to duck his head to dodge the backhand aimed at his face. It was a narrow dodge. Nathan removed all his attention from the DS screen to look at him in complete shock as if he had just committed a crime.

"Seriously! You don't know what Pokemon is? Dude, what kind of childhood did you have or have you spent your entire life looking at animal anuses all day?"

"Oh. Is that what it was? Yeah, I know what it is, but I've only ever watched the cartoon. Never was interested in the games. I didn't think the ads for the game were very interesting, but I'm glad I stuck to the cartoon. I heard each season was pretty much the same, so I only watched the current one at the time which was black and white. Dang that was pretty good, wasn't it." he looked at the screen again and saw the almost downed Garchomp Nathan was using. He was currently playing Pokemon Platinum. "I've always been fascinated with their designs. They're really cool. Especially the dragons like the one on your screen. What's it called again?"

"Garchomp" Nathan replied dismissively before jumping in utmost joy with arms in the air as he finally beat one of the hardest bosses in the game. "Yeeeesssss! After 3 days of sleepless nights after shifts, I've finally beaten him! His Pokemon are at such a high level. I've been grinding for so long and it's finally paid off."

"Garchomp... Garchomp. I'll remember that." They went past their boss's assistants' desk while Theodore placed his long-written report down next to the papers of his other colleagues and walked to the end of the hallway to the car park.

"Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then" Nathan said with a smile.

"Sure, whatever" Theodore left, turning his back on Nathan's waving hand. He wouldn't consider him and probably never would. At most, Nathan would only be an acquaintance and he made sure to treat him so. That was probably why some of the staff disliked him since they all liked Nathan's cool, cheerful nature.

Theodore was really good at his job, like really good. It's what happens when you've been studying high-level biology- mostly anatomy- even before becoming a professional biologist. This was most likely why those staff members wouldn't call him out for his cold behavior, as it would upset their boss for potentially having a great biologist leave his lab and costing him valuable data to use and sell. Money talks people. Money talks.

It didn't upset him that this very reason was also why he never had any friends. He hadn't had any since his childhood. It wasn't just because all the kids thought he was weird due to his constant animal projects, but he genuinely didn't want to befriend them because he thought they weren't worth his time or his greatness.

He went away in his car, went to his apartment, to his bed, and immediately covered himself in the duvet before sleeping.

Dumb animals. Who needs them anyway? He closed his eyes, shoving away those hateful thoughts he had of almost all those around him. He quickly fell into unconsciousness and let the darkness cover him.

- (In the dream world)

In the realm of dreams, the line between reality and imagination blurs as Theodore caught himself moving through a swirling vortex of memories and emotions. The vibrant colours and shapes of blurred memories decreased the deeper he went until he found himself transported to a surreal realm that seemed to exist beyond the boundaries of space and time. He was standing on hard, glass-like ground. Bathed in pale, icy light, the landscape appeared as a crystalline wonderland with towering ice formations that varied in size, with ones nearby as big as a house, and some as big as mountains in the far distance.

The air was filled with a delicate chill that caressed his skin, leaving behind a tingling sensation. When he looked up he could see shimmering auroras that painted the sky with ethereal hues. Hold on a second.

He shouldn't be having this amount of control and sensation in a dream. For him to be able to touch, see, feel, and be able to control his decisions as much as he could if awake shouldn't be possible... except. He pinched his arm. Nothing. Slapped his face hard. Again, nothing. This has to do something. He put his left elbow on his right knee and pushed down his left forearm using his right hand in an attempt to break it.

SNAP

It broke, but Theodore didn't scream. It didn't hurt, so he placed it back to how it was as he realised that he was currently in a lucid dream. A hint of excitement rose from his conscious figure's chest. This was his first time ever having a lucid dream. He's read descriptions of how it felt like from university studies when he was studying the human brain and, after the wish of having one himself that night, he's got one.

However, before he could start thinking of what to do with his almost infinite possibilities, he felt a cold chill gush through him.

In front of him was a mysterious figure. Their silhouette was swathed in an enigmatic mist that seemed to dance and weave like wisps of frozen breath. Glowing eyes, as ancient as the universe itself, gazed upon him with an intensity that bore into the very core of his being. The haunting voice resonated in the air, carrying a weight of wisdom from immemorial, as if the echoes of countless generations spoke through it, wrapped in an otherworldly wind.

"Theodore Nieoldiek, I have been watching you for a while now." the voice declared, its words resonating in this icy terrain. "Your entire life has been lived around your pride in humanity. Ever since you were a child you've always been fascinated by science and wanted to know the secrets of the universe. However, you have only been looking forward through a very narrow keyhole and will never see beyond that."

Theodore didn't expect this in his lucid dream; not a voice talking to him. However this thing had appeared can piss off from whatever figment of his imagination it had come from. Didn't it know how long he's been waiting for this opportunity? He was about to ignore the entity's words, but when he heard the words 'pride in humanity', he couldn't help but humor the entity's words for just a bit then get on to what he was doing.

"Well what do you expect? Humanity has come a long way from just sticks and stones. We have traveled to the moon, made ways to communicate with each other over very long distances, can see planets from millions of light years away. We have achieved these things because we adapt to our surroundings and grow using our unrelenting perseverance and will continue to do so forever. A spider can't do this. A whale can't build a particle accelerator. Heck, the gorilla, the second smartest species on the planet, can't even build a basic log house. So, after hearing all this, what do you mean that I'm only seeing through a narrow keyhole when we are the ones who are rightfully at the top?"

"It's true that humanity has accomplished many things using its blessing of being the epitome of intelligence and capabilities, and it's something I admire to a great degree. However, you have also caused much destruction and bloodshed on to yourselves and your environment." the voice spat. "Have you seen an ant cause pollution to the sea- killing millions of sealife for its own pleasure? Have you seen a dolphin cause racial genocide over others' faith? Have you ever seen a tiger captivate its own species to be sold as slaves?" Theodore took a moment to respond.

"I guess it's what makes us winners." It was a truly horrible thing to say. How could one be okay with this if it meant being at the top. All those screams and all that blood spilt just for you to sit on the peak. Theodore would regret those words later down the line. He just had to wait for that moment to come.

"Intelligence only brings ruin if it isn't paired with wisdom. The ones who understood this were the ones who were the true apex of your species. They realised that even though they had to adapt to their surrounding, if they remained righteous and moved forward with true strength coming from their mind and hearts, they will be able to reach what is beyond that narrow keyhole. I know it sounds like optimistic nonsense, but think about it for a moment, if society as a whole got rid of its arrogance and decided to take responsibility, how far would humanity have progressed in such a short amount of time? I'm not saying be a pacifist; violence/war is a part of humanity, but you should be a warrior who knows when to keep the sword sheathed."

Theodore didn't want to put up with this crap any longer. He couldn't comprehend the words the entity was saying due to his sheer arrogance. Although, the entity wouldn't let have a choice in the matter.

"Your pride blinds you from the beauty and true accomplishments you can bring to the world, but you have been given a rare opportunity to transcend the confines of your human body to explore life from a different vantage point." he didn't want to hear this gibberish any more, despite the truth of the entity's words. He tried to will the being out of existence and bring forth a lion, so he can begin his observations. It didn't work.

Huh, is this not how you're supposed to do it? Why isn't this thing going away? He wondered, perplexed. From what he had read, lucid dreams can be whatever the user wills within the dream using his conscious.

Suddenly he felt a strange sensation like the very fabric of the dream's reality seemed to unravel around him. In a second, he was even open in a torrential maelstrom of sensations.

"You have to let go, Theodore. It's the only way to save yourself from self-destruction." Waves of searing pain surged through his entire body, causing him to convulse with agony as his body was undergoing an agonising transformation. "You have to let go!"

His limbs twisted and contorted, shortening and reshaping in ways that defied the laws of nature. Bones cracked and realigned, fusing together to form the formation of his new structure. He looked in horror at his hands and toes, once so familiar to him, melded into sinewy paws, each digit elongating into razor-sharp claws.

The pain had gotten excruciatingly worse when each of his thousands of muscle fibers was torn and reattached into specific shapes; compact and strong to fit his new form. The pain he felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Each nerve screamed in dire protest.

He clutched his chest, trying to anchor himself amidst the chaos of sensations. His heart thundered in his chest and he gasped for breath as the agony intensified. A cold sweat beaded down his newly shaped forehead as his skin erupted; the once-familiar strands of his human hair fell off like an insect's skin when molding, and out came a flurry of thick and sleek fur of red, grey and white. It was a lustrous coat of midnight-black fur.

And finally, the process was over. The metamorphosis was complete. Theodore fell forward in exhaustion onto his new arms. His body started to pulse with a gentle light- a celestial radiance that spread throughout his entire being, the soft luminescence swirled around and danced around his foreign organs, muscles and bones. It felt like being wrapped in a tender embrace that gradually rode all of the pain.

However, Theodore was too mentally drained despite the healing he had received. He wanted to sleep to forget what happened here, but he was already asleep. He's felt pain in dreams before during the rare nightmare that popped up like that one time when he got continuously stabbed by roadmen on the street, but this was beyond compare to that or anything before. It was too extreme that if he was able to think at the moment he would think that this wasn't actually a dream, but something else. He's not sure what, but something else.

Fatigue caught up to him. His conscious figure's eyes rolled back as his arms tiredly gave in and he fell forward face flat. His eyelids closed and the sound of his small, fresh body dropping onto the icy floor echoed throughout the landscape. He saw darkness again.

- (in the other world)

Urgh what happened? Why do I feel so weird? Theodore tried opening his eyes only for them to quickly snap shut. It was too bright, he assumed, as he couldn't really make out an image in a split second with his half-awakened mind. He was about to try again until he heard the loud howling of a very furious ice storm a short distance from where he was laying down. He could recognise one easily from his many trips to the Atlantic Laboratory of Mammal Biology to study mainly sea creatures there. But why am I hearing that sound at home? Is my phone playing up?

This time he slowly opened his eyelids, cautious of the bright objects on top of him. When they were fully opened, he rubbed his eyes to clear them from the blurriness. The first things he saw were the small stalactites of ice hanging from the ceiling, varying in size. They emanated a dim glow that lit up the whole area enough for him to see. He moved his eyes and saw the smooth stone of the caves walls that didn't show a crack nor any sign of wear.

Where am I? There's no way I'm in a cave in the north. I've not been kidnapped by vegan cultists, have I? I hope not, those guys would torture me by feeding me nothing but broccoli all day. His mind was in a haze of confusion. He struggled to come up with any answer to the situation in front of him. As he took a moment to think, he heard the rhythmic drip of water echoing from the cave, the sound resonating like a distant heartbeat, and the cool air that surrounded him bringing a sensation of grounding. Well, there's no other way than to get up and see exactly where he is if he wanted answers.

A wave of dizziness washed over him as he attempted to stand on his legs, but this body felt unfamiliar and unsteady, as if it was something he'd never moved before yet knew how to move like an instinct. He placed a hand on the cold, damp, rocky ground for support until he felt a wrong sensation on his hand. He couldn't feel five fingers anymore, but only 3 big ones. He looked at his what the fuck!

His human arm was no longer there. It was replaced by a sleek, lean, short arm covered in grey fur. His hand now turned paw had 3 huge, white claws that looked like the ivory tusk of an elephant, sharpened to be knives. He looked down at his legs and it was the same thing there. Shortened, muscular legs with toes replaced by claws. His feet were slightly wide, probably to spread his weight throughout the bottom of his feet and decrease pressure whenever he walked.

Panic began to surge within him as he struggled to comprehend what happened to him. The dream, it wasn't fake! Everything in there was real; the voice, the icy place, and the transformation. He was sent to some dimension and talked to an otherworldly being and then- he paused when trying to recover the memory of the transformation itself. He knew it had happened, but due to the extreme and unrelenting pain he felt during it, his mind was forcefully keeping him from recalling the trauma his body went through.

The overwhelmingh sensation of being disconnected from his own body enveloped him, and he staggered as he tried to stand upright using his new arms to try to balance himself. He wanted to walk forward and his new legs felt like little, nimble appendages that seemed to defy gravity with every step. After a few clumsy steps, he fell forward. He needed to get used to his new body's proportions and center of mass. Another attempt to walk again, he stumbled and lost his balance, struggling to maintain control. He let out a small growl as he got up one more time to try again. This was like an experiment. Walk and see which muscles he needs to use at a time. It was like one of his observations at the lab except now he was in the shoes of the subject observing himself.

After ten slow and steady steps that grew quickly in speed, he realised that his new contradictory instincts that came with the body was helping him learn to move, so instead of going against it, he let it guide him around the cave. He felt a small tinge of joy as he immediately knew how to walk and was making some circles, it was like he had been walking like this his entire life.

Looking around the cave, he thought it was huge, much bigger than anything he'd seen. Although, he also thought of the possibility that, instead of the cave being big, he had gotten smaller. There was nothing he could use as a way to measure himself. The stalactites could have been big due to how wet the cave used to be. A small pebble on the floor would have been a good reference to use, but it felt like weak evidence. He needed something better.

This thought was immediately snatched when a part of the caves wall was slightly covered by a thin layer of ice and he could see a blurred image of himself. His heart started to lightly pound in his chest. What was he going to see? Was it going to be some sort of monster that you would see in the movies? From what he can make of the blurred image, it was going to be something daunting. With a deep breath, he mustered the courage to walk toward the icy mirror. As he got closer, the image got clearer and clearer until he stood a few feet away from it, his features being as clear as day.

His main body was feline; slender like a tiger's and covered with the same fur as his limbs. They flowed like a cascade of shadows, accentuating the streamlined contours of his form. He had a red-furred tail that he somehow didn't notice when walking. The same red fur was on his neck, but very long which made it look like a scarf. A head that was as big as his main body. Gracefully curved ears that were pointed and looked capable of hearing sounds from a very far distance. A yellow gem on his forehead. A small stubby nose. However, what was the prominent feature of his face were the two big, glacial-like eyes that were counterparts of his human eyes.

This was a familiar form he's seen as a child. No, it can't be can it? He was now a weavile, a Pokemon that lived in the cold, mountainous hues of the Sinnoh region and was seen many times in the Pokemon cartoon. Specifically, the diamond and pearl season. It was most famous for being a partner of Paul, the next stuck-up rival for Ash Ketchum. Why was it here? Theodore wondered. Why is it looking at him in the face? He wanted to deny it with all his heart, but his scientific mind wouldn't allow him to. It was himself he was looking at in the mirror. He was the weavile.

That being! He was the one who did this to me. Turned me into this thing. That bastard! When I get my hands on him I'll strangle him to death. Theodore took a moment to think why the being would do this to him until he remembered the conversation. Does he really think I'll value others if he turns me into a weavile. Fuck that. Humans are the best and nothing will change that fact. We dominate others and put them beneath us where they belong. Let go of my pride pfffft it's just accepting reality. Now forget about that. What do I do now?

He looked outside the entrance of the cave and saw that the storm had subsided. He also saw the adjacent mountains and found that they were much much taller than they should be. No mountain on Earth has ever been that big, so it's official, he had decreased in size. With some quick maths; using the average size of the mountains he was surrounded by, and their distance from his viewpoint, he estimated that he was around 3 ft 7. A small size should help hiding from the dodgy governments we now have, he wondered, not excited about what would happen if he were caught.

He needed to move forward. He couldn't stay in this cave if he wanted to get turned back into a human. He'll have his normal life back and prove that being wrong and give him a slap while he's at it. He may not know where to go exactly, but getting down this mountain would be a start.

He looked down from the snowy mountainside he was on and saw the long road down. He couldn't even see the end of the snow he would have to cross. He sighed. Yeah, this is gonna be a long day.