- Suicune -
Route 37 was entirely wooded. The ground was reasonably damp to allow for Fire type training, but the main focus for the moment was still Acid Armor. Suicune had more in common with the Vaporeon that had tried to teach her that advanced move than with her sister, although at the moment it felt like both were equally difficult.
"How am I even supposed to recognize a team of shapeshifters?" the lithe canine grumbled as she made her way towards Goldenrod City and attempted new moves. Entei had passed along that the new Legendary had left recently, and father had been clear that he wanted to meet with them when they visited Ecruteak.
"Next bend in the road," a Noctowl actually answered her rhetorical question. "You honestly can't miss them. Might want to do it from a safe distance." The owl pokemon actually seemed to be in a hurry to get away.
"Are you sure it was the same one?" Suicune heard an almost growling human voice ask just ahead where the Noctowl said to go.
"Yeah, Charizard, that was the same Noctowl," a female human-like voice replied as she approached. It appeared to belong to a Spectslurry, which was somewhat concerning as Suicune did not want to end up on a shelf again. Although there seemed to actually be a somewhat Charizard looking pokemon present as well, and a collection of other pokemon that included some unusual ones she didn't recognize.
"Witch Lily," Suicune decided to greet one of the two humans present first, specifically the one she did recognize. "I don't suppose you are traveling with the new Legendary, Alexa Larch?" They seemed to be far enough from other humans to be reasonably safe discussing such things.
"Um, that's me. Although Celebi said my entire team is Legendary?" the Spectslurry pointed out a bit nervously.
"Alexa, is the first pure Water type we found Suicune?" the other human present asked before Suicune could work out how that new information changed the message she had to deliver.
"Hello, Suicune. We technically were looking for you, but not expecting you to be an easy option," Lily said with a sigh. "Although given you are looking for us I guess there is a message involved?"
"A request actually. Father and uncle both want to meet the new Legendary," Suicune answered with a nod. "I would think that more Legendary pokemon would not change that."
"Ho-Oh and Lugia want to meet me?" the Spectslurry questioned with surprise. The maybe-Charizard and other unknown pokemon seemed similarly concerned.
"Do not be so worried, father speaking with another pokemon is not a big deal. I believe he meets with more than I typically do in an average year," she reassured all of them.
"I was originally human," Alexa specified. "I'm going on the Johto Pokemon League."
Suicune paused to consider that. It was a bit of a bigger deal for a human to meet with her father, and a trainer on a League was even rarer. "In that case we might need a bit more work to get you to the tower," she admitted. "Perhaps it would be best to deal with the issue you have that needs my aid first?" It would give more time to work out how to hide a Legendary meeting properly. Legendary pokemon on Leagues had a much worse time if they were discovered, or more likely they simply stopped their run.
"I have a Clearwater Geode that ended up hit by a rather emotionally charged Poison Powder," the maybe-Charizard said in the human voice she had first heard. Which was a surprise as it did not fit in his mouth at all.
"Then you are lucky that my brother didn't get the job again," Suicune happily admitted, and was glad to also have an opening for her own goal with getting this job. "Although I would ask a favor in exchange." Cleaning one of those artifacts wasn't as easy as most would assume. It took some degree of focus, and also required active use of an innate ability instead of the more natural passive use. It took until a couple decades after her resurrection to truly work out that things like that even existed.
"Didn't expect you to just do it for free," Charizard commented, now more recognizable with the context that he was using a Clearwater Geode to somehow get that form. "What do you need?"
"Your group offered my brother a chance to be another type?" she questioned. "And gave my sister the means to work with the Normal type Gym?"
"Whitney is doing what with her Gym?" Alexa questioned darkly. "I thought she would be using Mundane Clay on something less dangerous than a Legendary." Suicune had actually heard that her sister wasn't even the most dangerous out of that group, and didn't know if she should bring that up. "So you want to try one?"
"I think that might need to wait until after you fix the Geode, just in case," Lily pointed out. "But I'm sure this group could do whatever you are after."
"The Ground type specifically," Suicune happily specified. It looked like the new Legendary was willing to hear her request. "My brother has been taking advantage of his type advantage for a bit too long, but I don't want my sister to think she has a leg up on me."
"Okay, so do you want 'grows plants well' Ground type, 'made out of clay' Ground type, or something else?" Alexa asked. "We have a couple of options other than those, but some might need me to contact my dad to get them."
"There are options?" Suicune had to ask in an amazed response. "It isn't just one change for each type?"
Alexa had no idea how to handle any of this. She was honestly not used to getting requests for changes, and that was the more comfortable topic at hand here. Giving out options with a slight expectation that she would be turned down sure, but not being asked for something specific. Worse, one of the specific things that was still general enough to be a surprise to the one asking.
"Each method has different results, even when they are for the same type," Alexa answered Suicune's questions. "Rhydon here has tried a few Grass type options, but Crystal Syrup is the one with the result he likes best. I have two easy methods that last a good while, and a magic spell I have not tried yet available right now for the Ground type," she clarified, remembering after a moment that she did have everything for a Ground Heart spell. "I can also check for others."
"Wasn't Groudon Ashes technically a Ground type option?" Charizard jokingly suggested.
"We haven't worked out how to quickly undo timed changes on other pokemon," Alexa dryly countered. "and I don't think she wants to risk being Fire or Rock for a month."
"I get Fire for the record," Suicune sighed. "I ended up in a pile that was made in a local school as part of a chemistry project. A lot of the base material was made in the Hoenn disaster. It was a nonstandard change apparently, as I ended up an Entei like my sister for the duration." The Water typed Legendary blinked. "Wait, does this mean I might not do that with something else for Fire? Because I am up for Fire too if it doesn't make me an Entei again."
"Magma Contagion probably won't make a typical Entei," Bellossom suggested. "But it might make one made of lava."
"Okay, I've been planning on asking for the Ground type," Suicune said, and Alexa frowned at the admission that the pokemon had planned on asking for something instead of it being just a spur of the moment thing. "Maybe we should stick to that at first." The other Legendary was clearly trying to rein herself in to a simpler option instead of going off on every tangent.
"Well, we can start with the two options I started with," Alexa said. "It seems like you have heard of some of these. Loam Berries are the plant growing one, and something we're calling Earthen Contagion for the clay. It is the stuff a Spectslurry leaks when they sleep that has been allowed to sit for a day."
"I have 'met' a Spectslurry before, but I don't recall any special clay coming from them," Suicune said thoughtfully. "Loam Berries are something I've heard of vaguely, but mostly as complaints from a young Landorus that moved here for a couple years. He didn't even eat them in this region, just wanted to complain about the fruit to someone. I was under the impression it was a Grass type change."
"It is if you are already Ground type, but not a great one," Rhydon said and moved closer. "I like being a plant more than just being plant-covered, so it wasn't a great fit."
"Honestly it is how we got the first bit of Earthen Contagion," Alexa added. "I used one of those berries in my Lobasalt form, that's the one the Unown scanned, and the result leaked that instead of Magma Contagion."
Suicune seemed to consider that carefully. "What else would there be? I don't mind the idea of either of them, but if there are other options I'd like to hear them," the Water typed Legendary asked.
"Well, there were a couple I've seen after the fact," Alexa allowed. "There are Ground Apples, those grow from the roots of certain kinds of fruit trees that are planted near Ground type mineral deposits. I'm not sure what kind of time limits they have or the results, dad only got some after we left for the League, but I could ask about them at Ecruteak." She considered the others for a long moment. "There is technically Origin Sand, but that is basically the exact opposite of the Water type. It is a sand that actively repels water, and can change anyone who eats it to be Ground typed for a few hours. That one was on my list to try, but Johto starts the League a bit earlier and it was far enough down I probably wouldn't have gotten to it anyway."
"I can barely stand being around that sand," Suicune said strongly. "However, I haven't heard of those 'apples', are they a good option?"
"No idea, I only have the listing," Alexa admitted. "I guess we also have the Ground Heart spell, but I think you would be able to get that from others just as easily."
"That one fizzled on me actually," Suicune noted, then frowned at Lily.
Alexa looked over to the Witch, who had an uncomfortable look. "It is possible that it won't if Alexa casts it on you," Lily said very specifically. "Maybe one of her team as well if they could pull off the spell while Ground typed."
"I think we can hold off on spellwork that Alexa can do specifically until after she meets with my father," Suicune quickly countered.
"I would hope so," William grumbled, and Alexa agreed. Anything that was specific to her was a thing she didn't want to just test without a plan to start.
"If the issue you have with Earthen is being changed into clay that can't move I can say that it can help to become some that can move," Chesnaught chimed in.
"I ended up fired into a rather nice looking pot actually," Suicune uncomfortably clarified. "It took a few months for father to find me, and Witch Lily can probably explain what her mentor had to do to change me back better than I could."
"Um, wait I know three spells that theoretically could fixed being fired clay instead of raw, but the easiest and safest of them creates a duplicate pot," Lily said with considerable confusion.
"Which is why my room in the Burned Tower has a rather nice looking pot that I like to pretend was made in my image instead of the reality of the situation," Suicune sighed. "I kind of hoped you would guess one of the other options instead. Alexa probably isn't going to meet dad in the Burned Tower." There was a long pause as Alexa considered awkwardly how her entire team was planning on making a set of pots based on themselves, and everyone else probably considered the uneasy reality of that news. "Actually dad might want to show you the house where we are living again, so you might see the pot."
"You still live in the burned down tower?" Charizard asked with a bit of disbelief.
"You are going for that instead of the pot thing?" Suicune asked back with unease. "I was pretty sure everyone knew we lived there. It even made it into those video games." Then the Legendary quietly grumbled, "Stupid run away thing. Still can't manage to get myself."
"We've dealt with some uncomfortable Bug type shell shedding situations," Charizard joked, but Rhydon shuddered. "It doesn't sound that odd to leave behind a pot." Alexa was fairly sure it actually was, but she could understand her Starter's meaning. This probably wouldn't be the strangest thing they found.
"I have another thing to ask father when we get there," Suicune said but didn't explain what exactly it was that needed to be asked. "Alright, I'll try the 'Contagion' after I get that Geode cleansed."
Charizard looked at Suicune getting ready to fix his Geode, and decided he wanted to test it sooner rather than later. "I'm going to turn back to standard now," he informed everyone and stepped well back from the Geode just in case.
"That should be fine," the Legendary pokemon, the other Legendary pokemon, distractedly said as she inspected the Clearwater Geode. The rest of the group was gathered around, and Alexa had been told it would be fine to scan the process with the Pokedex.
It was just a simple, if still fairly new, action to force the Mercury Contagion change to expire early. The burst of Steel left him strangely off feeling, but his energies didn't seem to have any issues. It was just another forced ending to his enhanced Water type to be back to his born types, and to the worst feeling he had ever encountered. With a loud groan he collapsed to the ground. "What, what is happening?"
"Oh no," Suicune said in the last tone Charizard wanted to hear from a Legendary. "This is Your Geode." He could hear the emphasis on it being his. "Right I need to fix this now and you all need to make sure this is taken much better care of."
"Charizard?" Alexa asked with concern, and he managed to look himself over. His tailflame had a nasty looking green tinge, and his color looked a bit pale.
"I don't feel poisoned or sick," he admitted as he considered things. "Just, wrong somehow."
"You probably aren't sick, but you are disrupted," Suicune specified. "It can be worse. A side effect of being Legendary with mystical items you love." There was a glow beneath her paw that made him feel somewhat better. "It is worse when you don't know you've linked to something that much. If you don't know you need to keep it safe your energy doesn't protect it quite as well."
"But that can be fixed right?" Alexa very quickly asked, and Charizard risked a look around the clearing. The rest of his team looked concerned and uneasy, while William's team was just generally horrified, and Lily's face was carefully blank.
"Now that I know this thing has your Charizard's energy instead of Kyogre's? Yes, I can help you guys make sure it would take real effort to do this again," Suicune confirmed as Charizard suddenly felt much better and the glow under her paw dimmed.
"Wait, it is changing pokemon with my energy?" Charizard had to ask. "How does that work when I'm not that Water typed without it?"
"That might actually make it stronger than a normal Clearwater Geode," Lily started to explain. "It isn't just an example of your capabilities, it is a source of them. Those can be a lot stronger." The Witch paused and looked over at Suicune.
"It probably will be even stronger now that you know what it is to you," the other Legendary pointed out as she carried it over to him with one of her thin ribbon like tails. "Such things aren't common for known Legendary species, but those Legendary pokemon that are just special regular pokemon have such things more often, and there are some unique ones with important examples. For example I know of a pokemon that can do some impressive things with the Fire type who only properly has it with a certain item that holds massive power of that kind. You have of course heard of Groudon?"
Charizard took the Geode, which didn't feel any different. That didn't really reassure him, and he simply got a water bottle out and changed to Fire/Water again. The appearance looked the same as before, so he simply shrugged. "Alright, we can work out what's happened here later," he said to stop this uncomfortable topic. "How about you try the Ground type?"
"I will go along with this topic change because I'm getting a bit uncomfortable with the idea of a Clearwater Geode of a Legendary specifically associated with changing types," Suicune unfortunately said to give them another thing to worry about. Charizard quickly put away the Geode and got out another vial of Earthen Contagion. "I am willing to be scanned for this too," Suicune said to Alexa as he did so. "In fact I would like your results on what it does. Even father loves to hear how Legendary pokemon stuff actually works from humans that can figure it out."
"Great, I was hoping to have dad's help with any of this," Alexa said as his trainer got the next recording ready.
Charizard considered things for a moment, splashed himself with Soak, and then used the first Earthen vial on himself to go Ground/Water. The result was blue, wet, and actually rather nice but didn't look different from his typical pure Water type variant in any way other than lasting longer. "Right, from my experience the result of this combination isn't that bad," he joked. It wasn't much experience as he had not actually tried this one yet.
"I will bow to your expertise," the other Water typed Legendary sarcastically replied. He chuckled at that and got out a second vial, with a quick thought to how they needed to keep a good supply of those little glass tubes, or possibly find a better brand that didn't break so easily. Case in point he changed himself first so that if this one broke it wouldn't be as obvious of a problem by changing him too.
The Earthen Contagion touched Suicune, and it was immediately clear this wasn't going to be a typical change from the substance. Charizard had picked the large mask-like piece of Suicune's head to drop it, and that seemed to melt down into a smaller rounded oval shaped fired-clay plate that fit better when her face bulked up a bit as it changed. The rest of Suicune's body also bulked up to be larger than Raikou but not quite what he had seen in pictures of Entei. Her body still turned to clay, a darker brown with swirls of orange that resembled how rock and dirt changed color in layers. Her mane became a pale off white and very liquid clay that pooled on her back. Her bulky legs didn't have paws at their end as much as they had blobs that merged with the ground, and her tails had retreated and expanded into a short vaguely pot shaped blob at the end of her body.
"Well, I'll give you this much, I'm not stuck as an Entei again," the Legendary commented with a laugh, and then melted down briefly. Charizard was glad to see that the fired clay mask-thing melted too, so that wasn't a limitation of this form, but a bit unsure if he was still looking at a Suicune as opposed to some theoretical Ground typed Legendary Beast.
"Pure Ground typed," Alexa confirmed his worries. "Given I can't change without picking up a secondary I'm not sure how this ended up without you keeping Water."
"Unfortunately if you are asking for a name for this form I don't have one either," Suicune commented as she reformed a short distance away. "Although, despite this being close enough to what I wanted, I think I would like proof this can be reversed sooner rather than later."
Charizard glanced at Alexa, who seemed ready with the Pokedex, and then spat some Contagion Cure onto Suicune. The liquid caused what looked like mud to flow off Suicune's original body, which was a bit funny to see as there were some parts to her typical form that would not have fit under the alternate form. "Sure, the normal method seems to work," he said to her slightly upset looking face.
"Why did you need my help to clean the Geode if you could just do that?" Suicune asked very specifically as she inspected her restored body.
"We were worried it could damage the thing," Kingler complained. "That would have been my first suggestion otherwise."
"She had the Contagion Cure ready and everything," Bellossom added. "But that stuff mostly strips so we weren't sure it would be safe."
"Ah, right. I forgot for a moment that you didn't know it was Charizard's," Suicune admitted. "If he had done so himself it would have worked, and possibly for this specific Geode with the rest of you, but a more typical Clearwater Geode might be broken by that. Still with enough residual energies to fix, and maybe even a bit easier than just for a Tainted Geode, but still broken."
"So, good form or bad one?" Charizard questioned as he filed away that he could apparently fix it himself next time. That was at least one upside to apparently having a Legendary artifact of his own.
"I think it does what I want out of that one," Suicune answered. "If it wears off after some time I might even go home in that one. Although now I'm interested in if the other one does make me into an Entei again."
"Magma Contagion next then," Bellossom cheerfully noted. "I'll go back to that one too. I've had a good time being back to entirely plant, but lizard is good too."
Charizard handed over another pair of vials, and checked to see that he did in fact buy two boxes on top of what they had before of the empty ones. Which was good because they were already into the first of the two he had bought, and they probably needed to sort out the containers at the next city. It looked like Alexa had opened both of the two he bought at some point so far by mistake after they used up the other ones.
He missed the final preparations and Bellossom's demonstration by checking that, but did manage to see Suicune's second change of the day.
This time Suicune's body didn't change in shape. Technically what happened was that her blue colors changed to red and her white colors changed to blue, but more accurately her body flashed into an interesting mix of being made of lava and water. Her blue parts had turned to molten rock, her white parts became liquid water, and some thin stone bits between the two were barely visible on the water part of that situation. Her tails were now pure water, and her mane was a small cloud of purple smoke, but overall she looked basically the same.
"You are all my new favorite Legendary pokemon," Suicune declared at the results, and Charizard smiled at how this was a good day.
Suicune padded back into the still intact tower at the front of a path of dirty paw prints. She had a great day in the end, she considered smugly with a small puff flames out of her mouth. Personal projects well under way, she was able to deliver father's message, she had set up a way to get Alexa to the tower as well, and she had an excuse to not clean up messes for a bit.
There were many confused glances from the younger caretakers, but the oldest simply glared at her. "I take it you found an interesting new friend?" the old man sighed. "Your uncle just left for a bit, but your father is in one of the upper floors."
"Thank you," Suicune declared and started to hop up the stairs with a few splashes. It did not take long to locate her father at all. "Father, I have contacted Alexa Larch and received confirmation she will visit the tower as soon as she is able."
Ho-Oh looked at her for a long moment, and then sighed dramatically. "Let me guess, you want to travel this year?" he questioned at her appearance.
[Author's Note]
Mr. Cloak on SV is the source of Ground Apples, and Bugs on SV for Origin Sand.