//------------------------------// // A Horrific Body Swap // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. High above the clouds. Nightfall. There, Lucien was sitting on a cloud, pondering what he should do next for entertainment. Specifically entertainment for the Rift among anything else. It was a tough decision, coming up with a problem. "Hmmm..." "Still deciding?" And appearing next to him via teleportation was Sienna. Both of them were still quarrelling. "Guess you're a bit too late to ideas." "Pssh. And you aren't?" Lucien scoffed. "It ain't easy coming up with something new when so much is the same. "Oh, no, no, no. There's one trick we haven't tried yet. And I'm gonna do." Sienna chuckled as her eye twinkled. Lucien was curious about her idea. "Yeah? What is it?" He asked. In response, Sienna raised her hand, ready to snap her fingers and make the problem come to reality. "I'm gonna swap Ash and Ghetsis' bodies." "You're gonna WHAT?!" Lucien stood up for that as all nearby Flying-Type Pokemon flew away from his shout. "It's simple but effective enough to shape up everything in this world. Neat, huh?" "Sienna, hold on!" Lucien halted her. "You realize what you're about to do is groundbreaking, right?" "Yeah so? We're here to entertain the Rift. And this is just entertainment waiting to happen. Besides every story has the body swap scenario." "I know but...What happens next could shake everything up. Are you sure wanna go through with this?" Lucien asked, trying to make Sienna think through with this. She was playing with fire. More accurately she was playing with the sun. But her mind had been made. "Yep. But that's gonna make it more fun!" And with her decision passing through, Sienna snapped her fingers. The body-swap had begun. Two sides of different worlds. Ash had just returned home to Pallet Town while Ghetsis was still out there to improve himself. Specifically, Ghetsis was roaming around the human world that was parallel to this. And as Ash was ready to head to bed and Ghetsis walking about, the change happened. In a flash of light, their bodies had been swapped as they froze on the spot. Their bodies pulsated as if something had hit them in the heart. The link between the two worlds and their amazing distance meant nothing when it came to the power of the Rift. And just like that, Ash now had Ghetsis' body and Ghetsis had Ash's body. "W-What the?" They both said, standing there for a moment. Their voices were the same, only their eyes were altered. Very soon, they would come to realize the drastic change that had happened to them. Kanto Region. Pallet Town. Ketchum Household. Nightfall. "What just happened...?" Ghetsis said as he could tell he felt different. As soon as he blinked, he saw someone on the nearby bed. Someone close to Ash. Pikachu. "Pika-Pi?" "What?!" Ghetsis gasped after seeing Pikachu on the bed. He backed away as Pikachu jumped off, unsure as to why Ash was startled. "Pika-Pi? Pika-Pikachu?" Pikachu asked if Ash, or rather in this case, Ghetsis was alright. Ghetsis was processing his surroundings, observing the room. Having his body swapped would naturally make him feel perplexed. He even felt lighter in this body. Ghetsis turned around before turning at the windows in Ash's room. He looked at the mirrors, seeing what was true in front of him. He saw Ash. Or rather, Ash within him. Ghetsis froze, looking at his hands as he indeed had Ash's gloves and hands at his disposal. His control. He then looked at the room, noticing a few trophies, a ton of badges and other items Pokemon-based. And especially Pikachu. That familiar Pikachu. Ghetsis had put the pieces together. He had body swapped with Ash. "Hm." Ghetsis smirked before he started chuckling and speaking to himself. "So that's what that is? What an opportunity." "Pika-Pi?" Pikachu was seriously worried for Ash, hoping that his best friend was alright. Ghetsis knew that being in the same room as Pikachu would be a bad outcome if something went wrong. He couldn't allow this. "Ah, don't mind me," said Ghetsis, deciding the play the role of Ash Ketchum in this instance. But even though he sounded like Ash, the stoic and menacing voice of Ghetsis was still present there. "How about we get some rest?" Indeed, Ghetsis was also tired considering before the body swap, he was walking out in the night. He needed sleep as well." The Human World. Out in a forest. Nightfall. "No way!" Ash cried out as he was currently looking at a nearby lake, seeing who was currently. Ghetsis. "I'm Ghetsis! How'd this happen!?" He checked out the long coat-robe combination clothing he had on along with how he had an accessory on his eye. Ghetsis only had one healthy eye along with one healthy arm. Ash could feel that Ghetsis' other arm was nearly-non existent. Everything about this was weird to him. "Wait...!" Ash then realized something. "If I'm here as Ghetsis...then that means...!" The Alola Champion then realized that this was a case of body swapping. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened to him. Realizing this, he knew that Ghetsis was in the same room as his mother, Mr Mime and Pikachu. "Mom...Mimey...Pikachu! I gotta get back there now!" Ash wouldn't allow anything to happen to his mother and friends. But he wasn't sure of how he could get there at all. Until he recalled one thing that Ghetsis could do. Access gateways. "Ghetsis opens up gateways all the time, doesn't he?" Ash said before looking at his arm. "All I gotta do is just get home. Here goes!" He then put his arm out, aiming to open the gateway. But to his shock, he couldn't. Nothing happened when Ash stuck his hand out. All that happened was a slight gust of wind and ruffling of the clothing and nothing more. Ash tried again to open the gateway, but it was another failure. "Come on! Why won't it show up?!" He tried and tried, doing his best to summon a gateway inside of his home. And in the meanwhile, high up on the clouds, Lucien and Sienna were watching this go down. They saw how Ash's attempts failed. Then again, he's never opened a gateway before. "Wow. You even forced him not to use Ghetsis' abilities in this body? That's cold." Lucien said. "Even for you." "Hm? Oh no, I didn't do anything about that." Sienna shook her head. "I think he just doesn't know how to use gateways. But then again...just to make sure it doesn't last too long." She then snapped her finger once more. This time, she had placed a slight seal within Ash. Or technically Ghetsis' capabilities. Fearing that Ash could end this experiment soon, Sienna limited what he could do with Ghetsis' Dark Aura and Dark Magic active. "So, how long is gonna take for him to unlock it?" Lucien asked. "Just wait. It's all gonna pay off. Plus, this is the best plan ever. Better than what you have to offer." Sienna smirked, instantly irritating Lucien. "Whatever!" Lucien stood up. "This is impressive, I'll give you that. But I swear, I'll find a way to outdo you! Actually...I've already got one right now." He then grinned, snapping his fingers. "W-What did you do?!" Sienna gasped. "1UPed you, that's what I did." Lucien then crossed his arms. "I gave Ghetsis back his Dark Magic. Ghetsis in Ash's body I mean." "Hey! This was my plan! Why'd you have to go ahead and butt in like that?!" Sienna growled and roared Lucien. Lucien just stood there with a smile and closed eyes. "Oh please. Without Dark Magic for Ghetsis, it was gonna be a slow burn. I just made things interesting, duh. Just watch. By the end of all of this, my decision is what makes this all entertaining." "We'll see about that!" Sienna declared before vanishing out of thin air. Lucien chuckled before also vanishing as well. "Man...What am I gonna do now?" Ash shuddered before lowering his arm. He then thought for a second before realizing something. "Wait! I'm in the human world. So Twilight's here. Sunset and everyone else." But as his smile returned, it faded away with a frown replacing it. "No, wait. I can't show up like this. And even if I use the portal to Equestria, that's gonna make things worse." Indeed, Ash was in a rough spot right now. Looking like Ghetsis was an instant walking hazard. Even greater than Muk and Grimer who are actual bio-hazards. Ghetsis was an enemy to many. Mostly Equestria. If Ash was to get his body back and warn his friends, he would have to go all out. And that's when Ash's usual quick thinking came into play. "Alright!" He snapped his finger before gaining a rush of ideas. "I can go ahead and grab a Shift Stone that Twilight has back in her castle. But I gotta be sneaky about it. I can't let anyone know I'm there no matter what. And if I can maybe reach Manaphy and her Heart Swap, that might be a good way to fix things too. I gotta move fast. Who knows what Ghetsis could do?" Ash immediately started running. While he was in the forest, he was close to civilization. Specifically a city. Not Canterlot, unfortunately, but he'll have to work with what he has. Ash was certainly slower in Ghetsis' body, however, ever since he gained Dark Magic, Ghetsis has started to look younger each day, so Ash wasn't too slow. He had to hurry before the worst could come. Equestria. Ponyville. Day. "Wasn't easy catching it, was it?" Pinkie Pie spoke to Goh. Currently, Goh had a Grookey beating on his head with a stick. "Not at all." Goh sighed with each head beat. "Energetic Pokemon are just harder to catch overall, aren't they?" "Good job, anyway!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Only a few 100+ more to go before you meet one of Mew's pals!" "Mew-Mew!" Everything was normal so far in Ponyville. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Life went on as usual. However, there was an oddity lurking around and soon to enter this location. That being Ghetsis now within Ash's body. Ghetsis had arrived, passing through the gateway to Ponyville. He realized that this was the one gateway that he was unable to affect out of all of them. Upon arriving, Ghetsis' eyes glowed red as Pikachu jumped through. Ghetsis already made the atmosphere tense with his presence while Pikachu stretched. "Pikachu...!" "Ash! Pikachu!" And spotting them were Pinkie Pie and Goh. Pinkie bounced her way towards Ash and Pikachu while Goh just walked with Grookey on his shoulder. "A Mew?" Ghetsis said to himself, gazing at the Mew floating beside Pinkie Pie. He was unaware that Pinkie had a Mew with her. This was a shock to Ghetsis. "Pikachu!" Pikachu waved at Grookey. "Grookey!" "So, Ash. What's up for today? When are you gonna head to the Sea Temple with Princess Celestia?" Goh asked. "Sea Temple?" Ghetsis replied as his interest had been caught by that. "And a place where Celestia will be heading as well. What has this brat been up to as of late?" He thought to himself. But, Ghetsis had to play along if we wanted to blend in without being suspicious. "Later. Right now, there are other things I need to do." "Is this about meeting with the other Twilight? Cause I wanna come along too." Pinkie Pie nudged Ghetsis. But as soon as she did so, Ghetsis moved away, avoiding any further contact with Pinkie Pie as he walked off. "Huh? Ash?" "Pika-Pi?" "Pikachu." Ghetsis then turned to Pikachu. "Stay here for a while. I want to roam around alone for a bit." "Pika?" The Mouse Pokemon tilted his head. But he accepted his trainer's request either way. Wouldn't be the first time Ash was walked on his lonesome without his Pokemon. Ghetsis then decided to roam and investigate Ponyville for himself. To see what it had to offer. "Ash seems pretty calm today, huh?" said Goh. "You think he's having an upcoming Championship Battle soon?" "Nah. Even I can't tell." Pinkie squinted. "He's waaaaayyy different than before. Looked super serious too. Did something happen yesterday?" "No." Goh shook his head as Pikachu was reasonably worried about his Trainer. Except, he wasn't aware that this was not his trainer at the moment. Passing through the gateway here was Delia as she had boxed food in her possession. She appeared within the view of Pikachu, Pinkie, Goh, Mew and Grookey. "Off he goes," Delia said. "Mrs Ketchum?" Pinkie Pie looked over, noticing the boxed food. "Oooh, free food for the day?!" "For Ash mainly. He just got up from his bed this morning and didn't even eat his food. The last time he did that he was in a hurry, so I thought I'd bring him some of his favourites. Can you give this to him for me? Ash wouldn't mind sharing with you either way." Delia gave the box to Pinkie Pie. "Don't mind if I do!" Pinkie Pie giggled, aiming to eventually consume from this wonderful box of tasty goodies. Hopefully, she doesn't eat through it all before Ash does. Ghetsis roamed the streets of wonderful and jolly Ponyville. He could see how many ponies were getting on with their day. He also saw how decorations were being brought in for Christmas/Hearth's Warming. Nothing that peered towards his attention at all. Ghetsis knew that since he was in Ash's body now, he should take advantage. He had a few goals in mind. Since Colress' spy cams had been dwindled and obliterated due to recent events, Ghetsis would have primary research on Equestria, observing every location he could come across. That much was obvious. But there was more in mind. "Canterlot. That's where I need to be." Ghetsis already had a set destination in mind. "No. That's too sudden. I'm not the same Ghetsis as before. I can't rush it or else everything I've planned will dissipate. I need a new approach." He closed his eyes before allowing his brain to think. And idea sparked up the instant he saw Twilight's Castle and the Pokemon House on two separate sides of the town. Ghetsis had many options to choose from now that he was Ash. And the first one he chose was Twilight's Castle. "I know what I can do. And in the meanwhile, I'll ruin his life in the process." Twilight's Castle. Ghetsis had entered Twilight's castle. And the moment he walked through those doors, high upstairs, Absol's horn was shaking. He could sense a potential disaster incoming. But he wasn't sure what it was at the moment. Upon arriving, Ghetsis was met with the sight of Twilight Sparkle herself. When Ghetsis saw the young alicorn, he stayed steady and stoic as always. However, to better match Ash's visage and look, Ghetsis had to force himself to look happy. Mimicking Ash's smile and eyes. Unfortunately, that was hard for Ghetsis since he has a steely face in general. "Ash. Looks like we won't be heading to the Holon Region just yet with all this Sea Temple stuff." Twilight went up to him. "But about the Sea Temple. Samiya. When you were telling that story to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, you mentioned how you became the King of the Sea, right?" "King of the Sea? What exactly has he been through these times?" Ghetsis thought to himself. "Since you're king, think you could whip up something special when you get there?" "I'll keep that in mind." Ghetsis replied before walking past Twilight. "Where's your library?" "Library? Just up ahead. Do you need something?" Twilight turned to face his back. "I need to learn some magic spells as soon as he could." Ghetsis was playing with fire with the words he chose. However, he was planning it out instead of making mistakes. "Magic spells? You? Haha!" Twilight chuckled. "Since when do you want to learn magic? And why?" Ghetsis did not face Twilight after her response. But he gave a narrowing and sharp look to his face. Ghetsis knew he had t control himself or else, things could get awry. But with a smirk, he knew exactly what to say next and the best excuse. "I need it for Ghetsis. He's coming here." "Ghetsis coming here!?" Twilight gasped as Ghetsis had her where he wanted her. "When?!" "Soon." Ghetsis turned to face her. "But it looks like his magic's already affected me. Look." Ghetsis then pointed at his face, choosing to show Twilight his red eyes. "I woke up today with these crimson eyes. But I could feel Ghetsis was behind it. Both our Auras tend to clash a lot, remember?" "They do." Twilight nodded. "What did he do to your eyes?" "Not sure why he'd target my eyes specifically." Ghetsis turned to the side. "But, I can't ignore it. I need to learn some magic. I already have an Aura that's opposite to his. Why not have magical capabilities of my own?" "Hmm...Good point but...can you learn it in time?" Twilight wondered. "I mean, you've got great Aura potential since you have the same Aura patterns as Sir Aaron, but magic?" "Won't know unless I try." Ghetsis mimicked words that Ash would say in response naturally. "I'll be in the library." He then walked off towards the library to learn some magic. But he already knew magic. However, Ghetsis wanted to know more. More of what Equestria had to offer and use it to his advantage. "Oh! Maybe I could be a teacher to Ash!" Twilight squeed and pranced on the spot. "Yes! Talk about a massive chance, Twilight!" Within the library, Ghetsis already started browsing the collection of books that Twilight had to offer. And he only chose the advanced books. Ghetsis already knew a plethora of magic spells thanks to his Dark Magic. It wouldn't hurt to gather more. He sat down with many books around him. Ghetsis only looked through what he had never heard about before. He wanted to play things slowly until the moment to strike was right. As soon as he started reading, moments and minutes later, books were being piled up around where Ghetsis sat. Twilight and Starlight took a peek, witnessing how Ash, of all people, was reading. Specifically, intensively. Something that many will never see him do. Until now. Piles of books were seen around him as he was certainly busy. "I've never seen Ash like this." Starlight said. "Now that's a sight. What kind of spell did Ghetsis use on him to get him to do this?" "I wouldn't say it was a spell, Starlight. Ash already knows how much Ghetsis has done since he has Dark Magic with him. I mean, not too long ago, Ash was attacked by Ghetsis over at the human world and even when trying to fix a gateway, he received Delayed Aura Ataxia by Ghetsis' magic. Ash just doesn't want that to happen again." "But can he learn magic?" "It's not out of the realm of possibility." Twilight made one of her feathers wag as if it was a finger. "Fairy-Type Trainers know magic. Plus, Discord did give Ash the ability to become a pony. So when you think about it, it's possible." "Fair enough." Starlight nodded. "But shouldn't we warn Princess Celestia about Ghetsis showing up soon?" "Right on that!" Twilight exclaimed as she and Starlight rushed off. Ghetsis heard everything they had said as he formed a cunning smile. But as he sat there, Absol came into the room. "Hm?" Ghetsis then looked over at the Disaster Pokemon. Absol and Ghetsis locked eyes for a moment. Both of them had intensive stares. Ghetsis arguably had the biggest one. But, not wanting to draw any attention, he looked away from Absol. "Sol." Absol also looked away, waiting for the disaster to come as he went to the other room to lay down. Ghetsis continued reading, unbothered. And as he kept reading, certain pages caught his interest. His eyes widened as he had already made some discoveries. These discoveries were certain locations and spots in Equestria that already exist and have been interacted with by either one of Ash's friends. Ghetsis had discovered them from his research. And the first one that caught his attention was the Mirror Pool. Part of the Everfree Forest and the same pool that Pinkie PIe had once used. Ghetsis was right on time as the Everfree Forest was being regenerated gradually with certain areas restored. "Interesting." He said before closing the book. "This is what I need. The Human World has magic but not enough of it. Equestria has all the magic there can be." Ghetsis then looked around, deciding to speak in his head. "Absorbing magic is my best speciality by now. Might as well take advantage of it in any way, shouldn't I?" The Human World. A city. Day. Ash had finally arrived at the city with civilization. It took a while considering the distance and how this body was tired for the night. But he made it. Now all he had to do was find the quickest way to reach Canterlot High. Thankfully, Ghetsis wasn't that known in this world, so Ash could walk around safely in this area. "Okay. I gotta find maybe a bus or a train. But man, I don't have any money with me." He sighed before looking around at the bustling city. This city somewhat reminded him of Manehattan. Perhaps this was its parallel. Ash went up to the first person he saw to ask her for directions. "Hey there. Can you tell me where I can go to reach Canterlot High?" "Canterlot High?" She turned around. "Oh, sure. You can take the subway train there. It's a long way though." "Train, huh? No money with me." Ash thought for a second, thinking of how he could take the train. "Well, if you want to make some money, there's always street performance." She recommended before pointing over at a group of people playing some music for money. "But I mean, you gotta have something talented." "Yeah...Yeah!" Ash snapped his finger. "That's it! Thanks a bunch!" Knowing this Ash went to try some street performances to get to his friends. And he knew of a few tricks. One thing was similar with him and Ghetsis. They both owned Pokemon. But as he was about to stand out in the street with a wide space for him, he noticed something at the corner of his eye. A familiar face could be seen just up ahead in one of the buildings. The person inside had come out with two people beside her. That person was Sunset Shimmer. "Oh!" Ash gasped before hiding behind the first building he came across. He couldn't let Sunset Shimmer see him like this. She knew who Ghetsis was after all. At least, the Sunset he knew. But soon, Ash would hear a conversation that sounded off and unexpected. And it came from the two people who were police officers by the looks of it. "Well, Sunset Shimmer. You did your time in juvie well. 30 days with no issue. You're free to go." The first officer said. "Juvie?" Ash said to himself before peeking from the side. "But seriously. We don't want to see you here again. You're young and you've got your whole life ahead of you and-" The other spoke before being cut off by Sunset Shimmer walking off. "Whatever." She replied. "I just wanna go home right now." "Sunset's in juvie?" Ash thought for a moment. "Wait, what's juvie?" But as Sunset Shimmer walked away and Ash had no idea what juvie was at all, Sunset ended up spotting Ash from the side and how he was talking to himself. She then moved to the side with her head tilting as he saw her peeking. "What's up with that guy?" She said, noticing Ash's movements from the side. She didn't think too much about it as she would go on with her day. "Oh!" Ash gasped before hearing Sunset speak about him. He had been found and revealed. He and Sunset locked eyes as his cover had been blown. Now was a good time to either bolt away or try and explain the situation to Sunset Shimmer. "What's up with you?" "Su-Sunset! I can explain!" "How do you know my name...?" Sunset Shimmer pulled back, having a confused look on her face. "Do I know you?" "Uh, I-" Ash passed for a moment before realizing something. He scratched his hair as his mind was processing things for a while. He then realized that this was not the Sunset Shimmer he knew. Rather, this was this world's Sunset Shimmer. The human variant. If this was the one he knew, she would instantly either call for help or battle Ghetsis here. Either one would've occurred. But it didn't. "S-Sorry." Ash laughed nervously. While laughing, he had an evil-sounding laugh. Ghetsis naturally has a menacing laugh so any form of it, whether happy or sad sounds devious. "Was kinda zoning out there, ya know." "Whatever." Sunset shrugged before walking off. "Oh, wait!" But Ash quickly stopped her. "You wanna see something cool?" "Something cool?" Sunset turned around. "I've got better things to do back home right now. What is it?" "Check it out." Ash was then ready to use Ghetsis' Pokemon for the first time. He wasn't sure how it was going to go, but he would do his best. And the first batch of Pokemon he chose were Bisharp and Hydreigon. But he wasn't unaware of which Pokemon was which. "No idea who these two are...but here goes! I choose you!" He then threw the Poke Balls with his signature catchphrase. "Hydreigon!" "Bisharp!" "W-What the?!" Sunset gasped as everyone's attention had been turned to Ash. They had witnessed what looked to be a hydra and some sort of bladed creature. This world was aware of Pokemon, but unlike the parallel world, they have yet to properly bond and interact with some. So this would be a first. "Okay. You two." Ash spoke to the two Pokemon as Bisharp turned around. "How about a Mock Battle? Just to show everyone here how Pokemon Battles go. We'll st-" "Hydrei...!" But while Bisharp was listening to who he deemed to be his trainer, Hydreigon wasn't. Instead, Hydreigon was growling at the people here. They were immediately intimidated by the Brutal Pokemon as flames started fuming out of Hydreigon's mouth. Being in a populated area like this was already getting the Brutal Pokemon started. It wanted to attack everyone here. And Ash saw this. "Hydreigon. Now's now a great time to do what you're about to do." Ash went in front of the Brutal Pokemon. "How about we-" "Drei!" Hydreigon suddenly knocked Ash to the side with one of his heads, causing him to fall over. "Ough!" Ash cried out before dropping the Poke Balls. Everyone stayed their distance as they had no idea what was about to happen. But Ash did as Hydreigon was thirsty for some violence. "Guess that's one mood to have for a battle..." Ash held his head before getting up. He had a handful to deal with. A Hydreigon wanting to attack everyone in the city and getting himself back to Equestria to change himself back. Truly, this was an unfavourable situation for Ash. Having his body suddenly swapped like this. It wouldn't be the first time, but it was certainly the worst as Ghetsis had plans in the meanwhile. But Ash wouldn't give up either way as the journey continues. Chapter 581 End.