Adrien paced around the room, quiet but for the intermittent ticking of a Dialga-themed clock, the more infrequent flip of a page, and the sound of his own sneakers on pristine white tiles. Every few laps, he would glance up at the elderly gentleman looking over the sketches and concepts that he’d drawn up a few nights earlier.
“Well, this, er—” Adrien’s head shot up as he halted with one foot in midair “—you’re sure about this? What you saw?”
“No doubt, Professor,” he replied, setting his foot down. “It was barely a metre away from me, and it was the middle of the day. What you see there is what I saw.”
“Intriguing. Positively fascinating.” Oak said, scratching his chin. “Shapewise, it appears to resemble a Ponyta or a Blitzle, but the finer details… hmmm. These jagged edges around its extremities, translucent wings, and these odd holes—” he looked up at Adrien “—I assume you didn’t add those by accident? I’d say it looks more like some kind of carapace, an outer shell, than a regular bone structure. We could be looking at a new species of Bug-type Pokémon, considering you saw them in Viridian Forest.”
Adrien nodded and swept over next to the Pokémon Prof. “Uh-huh. That’s what I thought. At least at first, I mean. But then I even thought it could be an entirely unknown type, like how the Fairy-type was only just discovered, or Dark and Steel-types were a few years ago.”
“I don’t feel we can reasonably come to that conclusion… yet,” Oak added, “but it is far from beyond the realms of possibility.” He peered through a window toward the north, the morning sun filtering through it. “I must say, I never expected something like this so close to home. Now if only we could examine one up close… oh, goodness me, I can feel these old researcher’s instincts kicking up again!”
Adrien laughed. “You know, Professor, I plan on going back to that forest today anyway. I really hope I can see one again. I’ll be sure to let you know if I do, or better yet—if I can catch one!” He pulled his Pokédex from his pocket and handed it to Oak with a nod.
Oak grinned as he took the electronic encyclopedia. Humming, he walked to a nearby computer and placed it in a slot. While the computer registered the ’dex, he tore the pages from Adrien’s sketch pad and passed them beneath a scanner. After a few keystrokes, the Pokédex beeped, and the computer automatically ejected it.
“There we are,” Oak said, handing back the device. “I’ve updated your Pokédex with what we know and suspect as well as with these images and its own snapshots. For now, it has been programmed to assume that this Pokémon is ‘undiscovered species number seven-hundred-and-twenty-one’, and it should record any new data you discover. Still, we don’t know what they’re capable of, so please take every precaution.”
“Of course, Professor Oak,” Adrien said. He flicked it open, and fought to keep his heart from bursting through his chest. There, in the Pokédex, were his sketches, his fleeting observations about a brand-new Pokémon.
“And also… hmmm, I wonder…” Oak tapped his chin. “Yes, I suppose now’s as good a time as any. No time like the present, so they say.” He walked over to his desk and, opening a drawer, extracted an oblong-shaped box from it before returning to the boy. “Perhaps you could take this too? It may prove useful, should you encounter them again.”
“Yeah? What is it?” Adrien took the box and opened it, revealing an earpiece connected to a microphone. It looked quite similar to a hands-free device for an X-Transceiver, save for the small metal antenna protruding from the top of the earpiece.
“An experimental piece of technology from JeJaMe Technologies,” Oak said, a wide grin stretching across his face. “As long as you wear it, you should be able to understand Pokémon speech.”
“A… translator?” Adrien couldn’t believe his ears. Was this thing for real? He looked at the professor, his eyes wide. “A-are you sure?”
“It will be a good field test,” Oak replied, already setting up a file to take notes. “Even if you are unsuccessful in your endeavour to find the new species, this will bring some worth to your trip.”
“All right, so—” Adrien placed the device over his ear and moved it until it fit snugly in place “—like this?”
“Perfect.” Oak clapped his hands together. “Now. When a Pokemon speaks, theoretically, the microphone on that device picks it up, and the translation algorithm provides an accurate translation. The Pokédex is already capable of doing this, but of course you need to have your Pokédex out and pointing at a specific Pokémon. Not only that, but very few trainers actually have a Pokédex to begin with. If this prototype is successful, people all over the world will be able to converse with Pokémon, and they won’t even need a Pokédex to do so!”
“Really? That’s amazing!”
Oak continued to grin while Adrien examined the prototype further. It really was a marvelous breakthrough. He looked out the window again. JeJaMe Tech was a fledgling company, but their recent advancements in robotics and Poké-related technologies had rocketed them up the corporate ladder, putting them on par with Devon and Silph.
“So, my boy, do let me know if you—”
Footsteps.
“Adrien?”
Oak looked up and saw that he was alone in the lab. The only sign that Adrien had ever been there was the laboratory’s swinging front doors.
“Kids these days. Always in a rush.” The old professor chuckled. “Good luck, boy.”
This was getting ridiculous. What in the everloving holes was going on around here?
Queen Chrysalis stared at Sync, a Noble Drone that possessed the blood of the Queen herself. Her daughter. Her most likely heir.
Saying “Changeling” over and over again while she ranted about things even the Queen wished not to repeat.
Chrysalis groaned. After the first case of this mysterious speech impediment outbreak, more and more of her Changelings had succumbed to it. Soon, only Chrysalis and her own firstborns—Sync and Scribe—had remained. And now, not even that. The two siblings argued like always, only this time Chrysalis couldn’t understand the context.
Between that, the developing powers her Changelings had started to acquire, and the severe lack of knowledge they still possessed about this world, she had been reluctant so far to send her children out to scout—especially after Sync had reported on the strange creature she had encountered last time.
Aside from their seemingly endless problems, Chrysalis’ thoughts were trained upon it. From Sync’s description, it had possessed strange technology, and seemed to command some other strange animals that inhabited the forest around them. Perhaps they could—
“Chaaaange! Change-ling!”
“Ling ling! Changeling!”
Chrysalis growled and gnashed her teeth. Enough was enough!
“Would you two shut up?”
The telepathic roar brought shouts of surprise from both Nobles, who grabbed their aching heads.
“Sync!” she barked, glaring at her daughter who immediately snapped to attention. “I have another mission for you. Something more important than relentless bickering with your brother.”
“Do I have a choice?” Sync replied. This telepathic method of communication was weird as all get out, but right now it was the only way.
“No, not really.” Chrysalis shrugged and teased the air with the tip of her tongue. “I’m still weak. I cannot transform or even use magic beyond basic levitation, otherwise I’d do it myself.”
“But what if I run into that hairless minotaur again?” Sync asked aloud.
Chrysalis paused and looked at her with a curious look. “Could you… repeat that?” She had heard that right… right?
“I said, what if I—” Sync paused, a hoof upon her lips. “Wait, you… understand me now?” She continued to stare at Chrysalis, who eventually nodded.
“Yes… but what does this mean?” She slowly rose and limped into the central hall, where a lot of her Changelings were either experimenting with their new—and quickly developing—powers, or just talking about this whole mess.
“Oh, Holey Mother, finally! No more of that infernal name-repeating!” Chrysalis looked back to her children, her own head pulsing as she cradled it in her hooves. “I swear, these changes and this new world are doing my head in.”
“So… still want me to go on this mission then?”
Chrysalis considered Sync and, after a moment, nodded. “Yes. Now, this hairless minotaur. Besides what you already told me, did you notice anything significant about it?”
“Yeah. It was wearing clothes. You know, I’ve never seen a minotaur wear clothes before. Or one so scrawny either. Now I think about it, it really didn’t look all that dangerous.”
“Hmmm. If it has clothing and the ability to speak, that would hint at some level of intelligence,” Chrysalis mused aloud. “Yes, I think that will do nicely.” She turned and leered at Sync, headache forgotten. “I want you to find me one of these creatures and bring it here. Discreetly if possible.”
Sync nodded and saluted. This mission was going to be risky, dangerous and possibly deadly…
Oh, sweet hives, this was gonna be great!
“Try not to get yourself killed,” Scribe said to her. “You’re one of the only ones here with any semblance of intelligence.” He pushed up his glasses and frowned. “I’d be quite bored otherwise.”
Sync chuckled and nodded. “Really feeling the love, bookworm.” She gave her wings a test and grinned. Time to hunt!
Adrien sighed as he walked through Viridian Forest’s thick undergrowth. While it had a well-worn path travelled by many a trainer, he knew that he’d probably never see the new Pokémon if he stuck to that.
So off-road it was, and it didn’t take long for Adrien to wonder if his quest was really such a great idea. Beyond the regular path, the canopy blotted out most of noon’s sunlight, giving the forest an odd feel of perpetual twilight. Aside from the occasional Pokémon cry, or the wind rustling the tree branches, it was also quiet. Whether that silence was serene or just plain creepy, he had yet to decide.
“Yup, this feels like a perfectly good place to get eaten by something,” he mused to himself as he pushed his way through the thickening greenery. While he had Linoone and his other Pokémon to protect him, they wouldn’t be much help if he was attacked by surprise.
Speaking of, why wasn’t Linoone out now, helping him Cut away this dense foliage?
As he reached for the ball at his belt, something green and sticky slapped him in the face.
Blinded, voice muffled, Adrien flailed about for a moment before he felt a powerful blow strike his head. Consciousness slipping away, he could only think a simple, single thought.
Yup. just like that.
Sync stood over the unconscious minotaur triumphantly. She hadn’t expected her sneak attack to go so smoothly; nor had she expected to see the exact same creature again. Perhaps it was local to the area. Would it be missed if she abducted it? Then again, he’d only be detained long enough for the Queen to get some answers anyway.
But now the problem was moving it back to the hive. Going alone was proving to be a pretty stupid decision. She then remembered how far away the hive was. This was going to be a long day.
Sync sighed. Well, time to start dragging…
“This is it: the final battle of the Pokémon League Championships. Will the Champion keep his title? Or will our challenger score an overwhelming victory?"
“Okay. Use Dark Pulse!” Adrien called out to his new friend. An insect-like Pokémon nodded and opened its maw, firing a concussive blast of dark energy. His opponent’s Pokémon took it head-on, and the battlefield was rocked by an explosion.
The crowd held their breath, as if the slightest sound would affect the outcome of the heated battle.
Slowly, the smoke and dust settled…
Adrien and his Pokémon stood victorious!
“Oh yeah!” he cheered, running onto the field to congratulate his partner… before the ground gave way and he fell screaming into the endless abyss that awaited him—
Adrien sat bolt upright with a yell, which subsided into a hiss as he winced from the sudden movement. He clasped his forehead with one hand. When he pulled it away, he noticed some green slime stuck to his fringe.
“Oh, gross, what is this?” He frowned, giving it a tentative sniff. It kinda smelled like… lime?
“Ling!”
“Ahhh!”
Adrien jumped at the new voice and quickly turned in the direction that it came from. His eyes widened; it was that new Pokémon, standing right there in front of him… well, beside him anyway. He was apparently lying on a large bed of moss. He just stared at the Pokémon and tried to hold still, not making any sudden moves lest he frighten it.
“Ling, ling… Change?” It tilted its head and spoke at him. The tone of its voice suggested confusion… maybe a little irritation. At that, a second one came in. It was a little taller, and its muzzle was more square-shaped.
It also wore glasses?
“Changeling, ling change?” the second one spoke as it pointed at Adrien, and then scowled at the first one.
The first just rolled its eyes and sighed. It, too, pointed at Adrien and scowled. “Ling!”
So, were they called ‘Changeling’? And there appeared to be two different types. Adrien wondered if it was a male-and-female difference, like Nidoran or Meowstic. While the two kept each other busy, possibly bickering, he slowly pulled out his Pokédex and scanned them. It pinged once before replying, “New species detected. No data present.”
“No data,” he repeated to himself. “Well, hopefully that’s about to—hey!”
Some unseen force yanked the Pokédex from his hands, and he saw it float over to the glasses-wearing Pokémon. The horn on its head seemed to be glowing. Was it using a Psychic-type move? Possibly Psychic itself? He trembled at the thought. Few Bug-type Pokémon naturally learned Psychic-type moves, let alone a move so powerful.
Now they were looking at the device and talking amongst themselves. Adrien took a deep breath and felt at his belt—or where it should have been. He gulped. These things must be intelligent. I’m in way over my head right now…
“That’s the thing I saw before,” Sync said. “I have no idea what it is though.”
“Hmmm.” Scribe turned the device over and then poked at it with a hoof. It resembled a red book, only small and made of some kind of metal. It also had buttons on it. “Let’s try this,” he said, pressing the largest one in the centre.
At his touch, the screen lit up and appeared to flick rapidly through some illusory pages. Seconds later, it came to rest on the image of a ball of fuzz with arms, legs, and a face contorted into a frown.
“Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokémon. An agile Pokémon that lives in trees. It angers easily and will not hesitate to attack anything.”
“W-what?” Scribe almost dropped it out of surprise. The book not only showed the picture of some tan-furred monkey thing—apparently called a Mankey—it also spoke in a staccato, high-pitched voice.
“A speaking book? Unbelievable!” He snorted. “How lazy are these creatures if they need their books to read themselves?”
“I wonder what the Queen’s gonna think of this?” Sync asked.
“Think about what?”
When the new voice filled the room, and Adrien saw its owner walk in, something inside him told him to panic. This looked like a Pokémon you did not mess with! Although it appeared injured, it still exuded an air of authority and supremacy. Could it be the evolved form of the two before him? It looked similar…
“Lis? Chrysa,” it rasped in a deeper voice than the other two as it looked down at him and narrowed its menacing green eyes. “Lis? Lis?” It shook its head and looked at the other two, speaking to them instead.
“Can this thing even understand me?” Chrysalis asked Sync and Scribe. “It seems… awfully dim.”
“Doesn’t look like it,” Scribe said, not taking his eyes off of the strange book, enamoured by it like a foal with a new toy. “Maybe it’s having the same problem we did? It seemed to take a while to adjust from not hearing our species’ name repeated over and over again. Perhaps that’s all it’s hearing?”
“How fantastically inconvenient,” Chrysalis muttered as she turned and looked at the creature again. “I wonder if…” She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, looking him in the eyes.
“How about now? Can you understand me, creature?”
“Can you understand me, creature?”
“Whoa!” Adrien put a hand to his head and looked at the intimidating figure, his mouth hanging open. “You can use… telepathy?”
“How odd. I can understand you, but I must resort to this for your benefit?” Chrysalis sighed inwardly and then looked at him. “Well, no matter. I have questions. You will answer them.”
That wasn’t asked; that was told, plain and simple, Adrien knew for sure. While he might have normally been offended by such abruptness, he had a mountain of questions of his own. That, and there were three very large, possibly-angry-and-super-powerful Pokémon of unknown behavioural patterns. Best to do what it says.
“Sure, I’ll help out anyway I can.”
“Good.” The Pokémon smiled, showing off its sharp fangs. “Then let’s begin right away—” Its thoughts were cut off by a loud growl, one that made it look… embarrassed?
“Are, uh, you guys hungry?” Adrien asked.
That was apparently the wrong thing to say; the smaller one snarled and snapped its fangs at him. The tall one—a… Chrysalis, perhaps? Going by its prior sounds—gave it a sharp glare and it backed off.
“Forgive my daughter. And to answer that, yes. But that can wait for the time—”
“I have some Pokéfood in my bag if you want some,” Adrien interrupted. The short-tempered Changeling, now identified as a female, snapped at him again. “Ah, what? Did I say something wrong?”
“We do not consume physical food, little minotaur. Not for nutrition anyway,” the Chrysalis answered again. “Now, I grow weary of interruptions. Should anyone do so again—”
Its stomach gave a loud rumble. “Oh, for hives sake!”
Adrien suppressed a chuckle and reached slowly for his backpack, lest he incur the wrath of the female again. The three Pokémon watched him dig around in it until he produced a container.
“These are PokéPuffs,” he explained as he pried the lid off and a wonderful aroma spread throughout the area. “I make them for my own Pokémon. They seem to enjoy them, so I can’t be that bad a chef.” He gave a small laugh at the last part, but his joke seemed to fall flat with his audience. “Gee, tough crowd.”
“Like I said, physical food does not… oooh, That smells wonderful!” the Chrysalis practically purred over the proficiently produced PokéPuffs.
“Ling! Change-change!” the daughter cried out, looking to its partner for help; unfortunately for her, it was busy burying its muzzle into Adrien’s Pokédex.
The Chrysalis paused, appearing to admonish herself for a momentary lack of judgement. “Lisss… Chrysalis.” She turned to face Adrien once more. “Creature! Are they poisoned? I shall know if you lie!”
“No, of course not!” Adrien replied, a little upset that they could insinuate such a thing. But he could hardly blame the Changeling for being protective of its mother… its Queen. He picked one up and put it into his mouth, chewing the delicacy slowly. “Shhe! Noff poifonouff!” he declared between smacking his lips together repeatedly.
Chrysalis snorted as she read the creature’s emotions. It certainly didn’t seem to be lying… and those treats looked really good. She took a step forward and lifted one up with her magic, giving it a few sniffs before taking a dainty nibble.
Oh, by the Creator! She had never eaten anything like it before. It reminded her somewhat of those bland apple cakes that had been served at the wedding, only this was utterly divine! She had never tasted something with so much love put into it before—
Wait a minute!
She took another bite, this time testing it with her other sense. No doubt about it, there was definitely trace amounts of love put into this food. And yet there seemed to be more coming from somewhere? And her head felt really good for some reason, like a long-irritating itch finally being scratched.
That was when she noticed the creature scratching her head, like a pony would do with a cat or a puppy. She recoiled back as her horn flared with magical power, her eyes ablaze with righteous indignation.
“Y-you dare? You dare touch me? The great Queen Chrysalis!”
“Ah, sorry?” it offered, even as it recoiled from her display of power. “I didn’t mean to upset you—you just looked so cute when you were eating that PokéPuff…”
Cute? This… This thing! Called her… c-cute?
She stamped a hoof, remembering a split-second too late that it was on the end of her injured leg. She winced when she struck solid ground, only to then look down and blink.
It didn’t hurt?
Her leg was healed. But how?
She looked up at the creature. Could it hold the answer? Come to think, it had shown a small amount of affection for her while scratching her head before she’d startled it away. For not merely an undisguised Changeling, but the Queen of the Changelings: Chrysalis, “The Scourge of Equestria.”
Speaking of…
“Creature, before I decide whether to vaporise you or not, you will continue to answer my questions. Now tell me, where in Equestria is this place? Or is it located somewhere else on Equus?”
Equestria? Equus? Adrien blinked and tilted his head slightly. Those names sounded completely foreign. Could that be where they hailed from? His head swam with the possibility. Could he, little old Adrien, amateur Pokémon trainer, be on the verge of not only discovering a whole family of new Pokémon, but another completely unknown region?
Fighting to control his heart rate again, Adrien shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I don’t know about any places like that. But right now you’re in a place named ‘Viridian Forest,’ in the southwest section of the Kanto region.”
“…of the Kanto region.”
“‘Kanto’?” Chrysalis scowled at the creature. “Never have I heard of such a place. Now keep quiet while I consult with my kin.” She turned to Scribe, who had at last pulled his nose from the talking book. “Scribe? Care to shine some light on this, if you can?”
“Never heard of it,” Scribe finally spoke up. “I’d like to think I have a pretty good memory, and I know most of the regions and countries on Equus. That ‘Kanto’ name feels like it could be familiar, like an area of Neighpon I might have once read about… but, I highly doubt that this is that place.”
Unknown areas, food that contained love energy, and a creature that actually liked Changelings? The headache returning with a vengeance, Chrysalis growled and turned on her heels. “I need time to think,” she replied quietly. “Creature,” she added over her shoulder as she walked away, “consider yourself declared non-threatening to my hive for the present. You will not be harmed, and neither will you harm any of my children. When I have cleared my thoughts, you will answer more of my questions.” Pausing for a moment, she lit up her horn; the box of PokéPuffs floated out of the creature’s hands and into the air next to her. “You would do well to produce these in greater quantities,” came her parting words.
“…produce these in greater quantities.”
Adrien stared as his entire box of PokéPuffs floated over to the Chrysalis. A moment later, the smallest Changeling gave a snort, and with a “Changeling, ling ling!” she followed her mother. That left Adrien alone with the other, quieter Changeling, the one who still had his Pokédex—and more importantly, his belt with his Pokéballs. I guess I was too busy with the Queen to notice, he thought. Now, how to get them back?
…
Idea!
“You know,” Adrien finally said, giving a small, awkward cough, “if you like my Pokédex so much, I can show you how to use it properly?”
The Changeling blinked as it looked at the Pokédex and, after mulling it over for a moment, nodded and walked closer. It took a seat next to Adrien and passed it back using his telekinesis.
“Okay. So first of all, this is the search feature…”
Chrysalis sat in her private chamber, an empty container at her hooves and a confused look on her face. Was this what that voice was talking about? That ‘second chance’?
Surely it couldn't be this easy. Early hiccups aside, everything seemed almost too good to be true. Even though she’d nearly gone back and murdered the creature when one of the treats turned out to be hotter than the Badlands’ volcanic basin, most of them had set her taste buds dancing like never before. Not to mention the nutritious, euphoric love baked into each and every one of them.
So what now? Questions seemed only to beget more questions, and that creature had its own to ask, many of which she couldn’t even answer!
Of all the things it had said, though, there was one word that it kept repeating.
Just what in Tartarus was a Pokémon—and why did it seem to think that she was one?