"This is absolutely incredible!" Grace lifted Tyrunt in her arms, eyes wide and a massive smile on her face. "You're shaped just like a theropod dinosaur, but you're covered in a carapace of actual stone!"
"Tyrunt!" he preened under the attention happily.
"Oh my god, this is like a biologist's dream!" she said, eyes alight with joy, curiosity, and something that came real close to greed. Not for money, but for science. "And you say there is a whole species of him!?"
"Only recently," I said, sitting at my table with a cup of coffee, placing another one next to her. "We started breeding them in groups after managing to clone their fossils and bring them back to life. We do that whenever a viable fossil can be found, though there's always a lot of work being done to make sure there isn't a quagga mussels scenario," I said, referencing a pretty infamous invasive species. Probably a better comparison out there, but they were the ones that popped into my head. Cane toads? European rabbits in Australia?
It was like her brain temporarily shut down. Tyrunt helpfully licked her cheek as she imagined dinosaurs being brought back to life.
After our little beach moment, Alakazam had come over to us and teleported us into the cave. I'd removed my mask, but I wanted to wait a bit before letting her realize she was currently only a few hundred feet from that spot on the beach, rather than miles away. And then of course, the scientist started asking questions about Pokemon, and that was what we had been dealing with for the last thirty minutes.
I looked over at Kalini, who was biting into a chicken leg without a care in the world. "You okay?"
"I'm honestly getting used to this weird stuff popping up all the time," Kalini said with a shrug. He grinned. "Maybe I'll start seeing this shit as normal soon!"
"Don't," I said gravely. "Be ready for things to get weirder and weirder."
"...You're a real ray of sunshine."
I winced. "Sorry. I am actually happy you're getting used to this stuff. Grace, we should talk about our current problem."
"...Okay," Grace gently placed Tyrunt down and looked around at us. Kalini was staring at her. I nudged him, the larger man jumping in surprise. Grace noticed his awkwardness. She wiggled in her seat, a nervous look on her pointed face. "I… I know you said I could stay here, but if it makes you uncomfortable, me looking like this-"
I scoffed. "What, like an Orca deity come to life?"
She stared down at herself. In the light of the lamp we'd hooked up to the generator, we could get a good look at her. Her head was shaped just like a miniaturized Killer Whales, pointed outwards, the same teeth, same large white spots just above her eyes. Actually, her eyes were different. More expressive, with a bright green coloration. Her head was bald. In her robes, she had her fin poking out of a hole in the back of her robes that Mimikyu had sewed in. Her muscles were large and sculpted, powerful in appearance under her smooth whale skin.
She also had big boobs. I ignored that as best as I could, because it was a weird thought to have bouncing… Goddamn my teen brain.
That stupidity aside, she was also very clearly not human. Her teeth were as big as a thumb, made to tear apart prey. Her hands were the size of dinner plates, and she towered over us. I felt like I had when I'd seen my first Machoke and Machamp. All coiled muscle and power enough to tear me in half. Those teeth being a big part of that.
But then, the first Machoke I ever met was a scared kid who ran behind his trainer when he saw Alakazam. So I wasn't about to freak out because Grace looked like a Hawaiian ocean goddess or something. They had ocean gods that looked like animals, right? Or was that Egyptians only?
I'd do some research later.
"Grace, the way you look isn't going to be a problem," I said, leaning back in my seat and stretching my legs out. "Alakazam?"
"I'm here," Alakazam walked into the room. Grace stared at him, shocked. I guess she hadn't gotten a good look at him when he teleported us in. That or she hadn't registered it. "Mrs. Balin."
"W-Wow," Grace stared at Alakazam as he came up to the table and sat on the air. Her eyes widened more. "Wow."
He hid it, but I knew Alakazam was feeling a bit smug.
"You look so different from the others," Grace whispered. "Even Gurdurr looks a bit like a human bodybuilder, but you are much more alien."
"You haven't met Slugma or Mimikyu yet," I said, Slugma currently asleep in the magma below the cave and Mimikyu hiding behind a bookshelf where Grace couldn't see her. I could see her Pikachu ears poking out as she shyly stared. "Alakazam. Bring us up to speed."
"Up to speed? On what, exactly?" he scoffed. "All that has appeared is news that the Aquarium was vandalized and the police are investigating. Grace Balin hasn't disappeared long enough for anyone to create a report either."
I sighed. "Yeah, I guess it's way too recent for us to have any real news."
"Does that mean… I mean, I don't have much, but my stuff is at my apartment," Grace said, looking around. Tyrunt hopped into my lap and curled up. I petted his head while Grace floundered a bit. "Can we get my stuff? I mean my clothes won't fit anymore. And I guess my laptop keyboard isn't big enough to really match my fingers," she stared down at her large hands. "But it has all my stuff."
"...Fuck me," I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I rang one of the only numbers listed on it. After barely a moment of ringing, he picked up.
"Mahmoud," Giovanni said smoothly on the other end. "I suppose you've heard that business about an aquarium getting vandalized. Terrible isn't it?"
I held back an annoyed grumble. "How'd you know?"
"The heavy amounts of chaos, the presence of Silicon Dragons the police are attempting to keep the populace from knowing about? I may not be omniscient, but we are keeping a very close eye on unusual goings on in Hawaii. Tell me, what was the issue? Did you have some sort of problem with the exhibits? Not a fan of sharks?"
I looked over at Grace. "No. Actually, I only sent Mudkip to check things out. He ended up finding one of the Dragons' attempts to upgrade themselves. For now, we need to move fast. I have a woman named Grace Balin with me. I need you to send some guys to her apartment and pick up her stuff."
"Oh? Is this woman an asset of some sort?" he asked.
"Yes, she is. But I'll explain it after you send the guys over. She'll give you her address, here," I held the phone out to Grace. "Careful," I said as she reached out. "Enhanced strength. Don't want to crush the phone."
She hesitated, then took the phone gently, lifting it to her ear. After some hesitation when she couldn't actually figure out where her ear was, something that seemed to make her even more frazzled and freaked out, she finally told Giovanni where she lived. After listening, she handed the phone back. "He wants to speak to you."
I took the phone back.
"Tell me," Giovanni asked, sounding amused. "Why am I doing this?"
"Out of the goodness of your heart."
"No, really."
"Because the Silicon Dragons wanted Grace's research. Research she was using to try and cure paralysis. Research that at the least did that, with some side effects," I smirked. "It made her superhuman. So if you help her, then maybe you can start talking to her about funding that research. Research that will put you ahead of most of the world in helping paralyzed people walk again. And yeah, I know. You don't want to do things if they don't benefit you. So imagine how much money you'll make, if you manage to create a reasonably priced cure to one of the worst things any person can imagine happening to them?"
"Boatloads," Giovanni said without a moment to think it over. "Okay. I'll help. But put the phone on video call. I want to see who I'm dealing with."
"...Grace. You okay with being seen?" I asked her.
"I'm not sure I'm okay with any of what you just said," Grace said, anger in her eyes. "I want to help people, not make monsters like me!"
"You aren't a monster, first off. Second, I'm asking Giovanni to get some people to get your stuff for you in trade for the chance to make a deal. Nothing more. If you decide it isn't worth working with a massive pharmaceutical company to get a finished version of your cure out to as many people as you can, then you can say no."
"...Just do it!" Grace snapped.
"..." I turned on the camera and placed the phone so it was standing and facing us. He was sitting on a throne. Not a chair. An honest to god throne. Seriously, dude. Giovanni was such a…
He leaned forward in his seat when he caught sight of Orca. His lips lifted just a bit.
"...My. You are a beauty," Giovanni said, sounding fascinated. "Your cure for paralysis. You used it on yourself and it caused this?"
"I… yeah," Grace stared down at herself. "Honestly, this is far from what should have happened. The serum was experimental. At most, I thought it would kill me. At least, I thought it would just make me slightly sick. Not actually make me an Orca!"
"But it succeeded in allowing you to walk," Giovanni said.
"...Yeah," Grace said, a bit of awe in her voice. "And… I feel fine. I mean, I feel weird. But this level of mutation, I should be in agony. I should be dead! I don't even know if I have all the same organs. But I can walk."
She leaned back in her seat, awe rising. "It worked. I mean, it made me look like this, but I can walk. My research can work."
"...I want to hire you," Giovanni said, leaning back in his seat. "Mrs. Balin, whatever the side-effects, as impressive as they are, the fact you managed to create something of such significance makes you an investment worth looking into. I own Rocket Medical, a pharmaceutical company specializing in high-end medicine for hospitals, though we are planning to move into the over-the-counter market soon."
"I've heard of you," Grace said, surprised. "You own Rocket Medical?"
"I own Rocket Unlimited, to be honest, of which Rocket Medical is one division."
"How do you know this guy?" Grace asked Kalini and I.
"We run in the same circles," I said honestly.
"...I don't know if I can work for you. Not while I look like this. And… I don't even have a degree!"
"Then you'll intern for me, I suppose," Giovanni shrugged. "I don't care what you look like, Mrs. Balin. I'm a pragmatist. You have skill. Skill we might need. In return, I'll support you in any way you need. Even if that is a cure for your appearance."
"...What about you?" Grace asked me. "What do you get out of this?"
"Someone who can help us when Silicon Dragons start popping up with animal-hybrid abilities."
"What? That's impossible," Grace said. "I used my entire supply of serum."
"And what about your files?" Alakazam asked pointedly. "The research you already made? In fact, you must have sent your financier some of your results when you were getting funding. Can you guarantee that an intelligent person can't make something similar to your serum?" Grace didn't speak. "And with your current appearance, the Dragons now know that what they thought was a remote possibility, is now fact. They will attempt to mix their DNA with that of marine life."
We sat in silence for a bit. Kalini coughed. Tyrunt snored.
"...I'll work for you," Grace said, leaning forward. "But I'm going to help you too," she looked at me with green eyes filled with grim emotion. "I wanted to help people. So if you're fighting the Dragons, and they make monsters with my research, I'll help you take them down. I'll fight them myself if I have to!"
"You won't have to," I said. "But I'll accept any help I can get. All right. Then we've got to get back to planning."
"On that note," Giovanni said. "We may have a way to draw out the Dragons."
"You aren't going to like it," Alakazam said, likely having figured out the plan, maybe even having discussed it with Giovanni directly earlier.
I looked between them. "...What did you do?"
"As you may know, Kahu Kiaʻi has rather taken the imagination of the populace of Hawaii," Giovanni said with a small chuckle. "Enough that news outlets have begun following your exploits and adventures. So, once you begin patrolling, we may be able to… leak, your whereabouts."
"You want to tell reporters where I am?" I asked, blinking.
"Only when we know you're doing something spectacular," Giovanni said. "I would never suggest something so crass as faking a crime, but making sure someone is there to report on your activities will drive the Dragons to meet you. We can guide them away from the populace as well. Keep collateral damage to a minimum."
Minimum. Not prevent it entirely. I sighed a bit at that grim reality. "Okay. I'm down for that. As long as we take every possible security precaution. That means no reporters at nuclear bombs."
"Very well," Giovanni leaned back in his seat. Persian hopped into his lap, the Pokemon Gangsta petting his cat lazily. "Then I'll get that done. Honestly young man, you really do demand a lot of aid from me."
"Anytime you want to stop, you're free too," I snarked. "But you're going to benefit, aren't you?"
"Yes… yes I am."
Well. That was fucking ominous.
"All right. I'm feeling rested. Why don't we do this? Grace, you can go to bed in the room next to mine, it's the one with a Wonder Woman poster on the door," yeah, I know, couldn't help but put my favorite hero up. "Gurdurr, Slugma. Let's go save Hawaii, huh?"
"...Gurdurr."
"Oh right, forgot she was taking a nap," I walked over to Slugma's lava pit. "Hey girl! Wanna go for some fights!?"
"..." she poked her head out of the magma. Grace sucked in a shocked breath. "Slugma?"
"Yeah. We might get into some fights. That or it'll be the first time in this universe that a hero went out on patrol and didn't end up in a battle of some sort."
"Slug!"
Slugma pulled herself up and out of the lava as Grace stared. "S-Some sort of magma-based life form? How does something evolve like that?"
"She hasn't evolved yet, actually," Alakazam said. "She may become a Magcargo soon, if she works hard."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Grace asked.
"Evolution. The process Pokemon go through when they change to more powerful and older forms." Alakazam pointed at Gurdurr and himself. "We are examples of that. Gurdurr is a middle evolution. Whereas I am the final stage of my own species."
"That's not evolution, that's metamorphosis," Grace said firmly.
"Different worlds, Grace. Different terms for things," I pointed out as Slugma strolled alongside me to stand next to Alakazam. Gurdurr came over as well. "We'll trade notes later. For now, I have to make a name for myself."
"Good luck in your endeavors," Giovanni said politely. When he hung up, I grabbed my phone and put it away.
"Later kid," Kalini said.
"...Bye," Grace said.
With a nod, I placed a hand on Alakazam's shoulder. In a flash of light, we all disappeared, heading to Honolulu.
-
When we flashed back into existence, Gurdurr, Slugma, Alakazam, and I looked around. The small section of land we'd found was still untouched. Perfect.
"I will return to the cave to speak to Grace," Alakazam said. "Call my phone if you need me."
Of all the items I'd ever given a Pokemon, a smartphone was kinda normal. "I will. Don't be worried if she has a thousand questions for you."
"I do not mind. It will be nice to talk to a human with scientific intelligence. Your own knowledge is of a… different, sort."
Before I could ask what he meant by that, he disappeared in a flash. I grumbled, turning to look at my Pokemon.
"Well… Let's go find some trouble."
Gurdurr grinned. Slugma wiggled in place happily.
We walked into the city, ready for battle.
-
Hawaii, when the Silicon Dragons aren't around, is a super peaceful place.
This was probably one of the first times it was to someone's detriment, rather than advantage.
"Gurduuuuuuuur!" the bodybuilder grumbled, staring down at the city from the vantage point on the roof we'd made. He was bored. Slugma was pacing back and forth behind us, sighing slightly.
I was writing in my notepad. I had some thoughts, plans, ideas I wanted to think on. This fight against the Silicon Dragons was my priority right now, but it wasn't the end of the road. I'd made a list of all the things we might face. Orca hadn't been on there, but she was a surprise.
Grace was, as I'd thought from the start, sympathetic. She got turned into a monster because she wanted to do the right thing. But the fact was, she had been a villain in that universe.
Which was to be expected. I'd known from the start my knowledge was a guideline, not a complete match. Even if I ignored that my one presence would lead to massive changes, I'd read too many multiversal stories to expect things to be the same.
Still, it was interesting to have more proof of that.
Okay. Grace was, right now, on our side. So we had another ally in the fight. Just needed to keep our momentum going.
Just as I was saying that, someone screamed in the distance. Gurdurr and Slugma looked at me.
"Let's do it," I told them. "Maybe it'll be nothing, but get ready for the fight. Non-lethal," I said, even though it was likely unneeded to say that.
"Gur!" Gurdurr rushed for the edge of the roof, jumping off with a laugh. Slugma and I went down on the fire escape, and the three of us ran into the night.
-
Author's Note: This chapter was more of an initial build up. Some more meet and greet stuff, some building to the basic interactions. Kalini and Grace's interactions with each other and the Pokemon being the ones that I'm most interested in. That said, not gonna be any new characters for a while. I want to focus on Slugma, Gurdurr, and Kahu for a bit.
I'm at work right now, so I can't post this story on the other sites, but I'll put them on FF and SV later tonight. Hope you guys like it, and please consider supporting me on .