--- Pokeball Training ---
Alexa looked down at the new pokeball on her belt as they left the store for a training field, currently around her human waist. Her sixth slot was now properly filled with a white and gold ball that was somewhat hidden by the oversized straps that had been needed to account for the greater movement her changes allowed. William had decided to hold off on getting another for Mareep until another day so they could have time to see how Rhydon changed back, and Maizie was tagging along to see.
Although they didn't make it far before Alexa had to stop at another unbelievable sight, somehow more insane that her obviously Legendary pokeball. Slow-Slim had bandages around the base of where his tail used to be, and now there were two severed tails sat on his little stand. "Two for one sale! One customer only!" the pokemon drawled, completely understandable to her. "Low calories, very sweet!"
"Who taught him human speech?" Alexa questioned a bit hysterically at the sight of how dedicated the pokemon apparently was to this near-scam.
"Ah, right. Nobody is sure, but the bad part is that sometimes someone actually buys from him," Maizie complained angrily. "He's probably the most well off pokemon in the entire town other than the two of you." Charizard clicked and held a claw apart to indicate three. "Also I'm being a bit hopeful with that, he's the only one in the entire region that sells them so he sets his price pretty high. I hate to admit it but this is the first time I've seen a 'two for one sale'. He made more in a month a couple years ago than I did in three last year, at least until someone stopped him."
Alexa considered Maizie's prices. "Then he's probably more well off than me at the moment," she admitted with a sigh as they continued on. "Maybe not Charizard, so you might have been right about 'two' there."
Charizard clicked out a replay that Slowking translated into "My parents have been sending me a lot more money than I want or need". Alexa looked over, and with a bit of a grumble got out a vial of Toxin Contagion to be able to understand pokemon again, and maybe also to not be able to tell if pokemon were speaking human again.
"Are you going to stick with that one, Alexa?" William questioned. "Because I'd like to be prepared if you are swapping around a bit."
"I am going with the two I can control for the rest of today at least before I have to deal with more Vespikiln for the Gym," Alexa croaked, doing her best to keep from getting the crafter involved in her other issues. Only to remember a moment later that Maizie had Slowking to translate.
The pokemon looked a bit annoyed to do so, but didn't seam to realize Alexa had done it on purpose. "What about the Gym?" Maizie asked carefully. "Is there a problem there?"
"I've agreed to use my Vespikiln form during the match," she quickly replied. "Can we leave it at that? I'd like to focus on other stuff today." Maizie nodded, but looked thoughtful the rest of the way to the training area.
---
Chesnaught was happy to hear that both of the pokemon-trainers who didn't have one before had gotten their own pokeballs. Up until the moment she had actually seen Alexa's, then she decided that Alexa probably would want a second less impressive one, and the best way to get the shapeshifter one was easy. "So are you two ready for ball breakout training now?" Chesnaught questioned as the rest of the two teams were let out, and then frowned at the Slowking that repeated her words for the human present with them.
"After I'm out of this, we cut things a bit close," Charizard clicked, and Chesnaught suddenly realized that one of Alexa's pokemon did not actually like the reversal of this particular change. "Rhydon, how close are you?"
The topiary with a wasp nest in it looked thoughtful. "I think I'm about back, but this was nice enough that I might outlast you," Rhydon replied, and then glanced at the still translating Slowking. "Are we turning another human into a pokemon too tonight?"
"Maybe, I know the Toxin Contagion doesn't work on me, but I would like to see about these other ones before I buy some," Maizie declared when the question was passed along, and Chesnaught sighed at that. "So I do want to try those two you've come up with."
"Okay, hold the thought," Charizard quickly cut off the discussion, then he curled in on himself in a way that Chesnaught recognized from the rare times she had seen a Bug type molt.
"Oh, alright, yeah," Chesnaught said faintly as Charizard's shell dulled and a cracking sound rang out. "I understand your issues now, Rhydon." A finned instead of winged Charizard then pulled himself out of the back of the insect shell that had been his body moments before. "I hope you guys know how that is a bit risky, right?"
"From the inside it isn't as bad," Charizard replied as the human rushed over to look at the discarded shell. "I'm pretty sure I could shred that on the way out, it just doesn't feel like the right way to do it, so I don't need to worry about getting stuck."
"Same," Rhydon grumbled facing the other direction. "But that doesn't mean I like looking at them."
"I'm making him a pokeball with these," the human declared, and the Slowking sighed. "I can immediately tell that it will be a good one."
"We still need to restock instead of experiment," Slowking complained. "Now, for payment. This is definitely more than one custom ball worth of research materials."
"Wait, my turn," Rhydon cut that off next with a bit of a grunt. The swarm of tiny wasps then quite notably flew back into Rhydon's paper nests quickly, although a few didn't make it before that structure began to break down into just tiny masses of dirt again. Those few then fell to the ground as small bits of vaguely insect shaped dirt. "Huh. Wasn't really expecting that. Much better than the alternative."
"So that one is going to work for the match?" Alexa asked and got out the jar of Bug type making powder. The topiary nodded in reply.
"I think we should go for pokeball training first," Charizard pointed out to his frog shaped trainer. "Unless we want to wait until after Maizie tries the stuff?" That got Alexa to stop opening the jar for the moment.
"Is 'Maizie' the human or you?" Chesnaught questioned Slowking. "Because I would prefer to get any changes to humans done before we got to work, and it sounded like you two had other things to do today."
"I like the Grass type, she knows about priorities," Slowking said before he translated what she said to his human. "Maizie is in fact currently human, and so far she has avoided any of that kind of thing changing her. I on the other hand have not been as lucky. The Normal type is probably more annoying than you expect," he added to her.
"Alexa's team said that change lasts a week," Chesnaught said a bit faintly. "And I already know I don't want to be a Normal type."
"We don't know what Mercury Contagion does to humans," Alexa admitted loudly. "It doesn't work on my parents or anyone I've sold it to so far, at least as far as I am aware. The one place I specifically sold it to has contacted me about how it didn't affect them, and the other place promised to let me know if they found someone."
"Then that one first," Maizie declared. "That way it is out of the way." Slowking was glaring at the human. "I might be less careful with this sort of stuff than I should be, so it is kind of important."
Alexa got out a jar of the silvery metallic liquid. "Charizard, do you want to handle the Pokedex or should I?" the Mephagic questioned.
Chesnaught tuned that out and considered Maizie's comment. Alexa had so far been quite upset about the idea of anyone not on the shapeshifting team getting hit by accident with the actual transformation items. That did not remove the risk, even if Alexa seemed to wish it could, so Chesnaught likely needed to consider what this new human was trying. Steel was the type she liked the temporary version the best, but apparently that wasn't a perfect judge of if someone would like the longer version.
Maizie seemed almost excited as Alexa used a dropper to let some of the silvery substance fall onto the human, and Charizard stood ready with the pocket computer. Chesnaught could remember how much trouble it had been for William to get one of those marvelous devices, and how it singlehandedly replaced over a dozen small devices their team had fumbled with to keep everyone healthy and support their efforts.
The human was quickly coated in, or rather converted into, more of the substance with her limbs washed off with the motion. The separated fluid of the limbs crashed onto the ground and formed into long coils as the former human's face morphed forward into a reptilian muzzle, and Maizie's body finished a change into a liquid metal serpent. "Oh! This is much better than Slowpoke," the new snake pokemon declared. "Slowking, what sounds am I making? I want to know what I am."
Chesnaught could see that Slowking did not look surprised, just dismayed. "Vip-er-cu-ry if you go with that old idea of what pokemon sound like," Slowking dully replied.
"No listing on the database, this is a new one," Charizard declared, and the new Vipercury jumped at the sound.
"I understood that! I didn't get a chance before because I could barely think as a Slowpoke," the snake said and flowed closer to the currently Fire/Water typed Charizard. "What does it say about me? What can I do now?"
"Liquid Metal for ability again," Alexa's Starter said as much to his trainer as to the new pokemon. "So you should be able to pull off some shapeshifting as well." That seemed to be the thing to horrify Slowking, even if the serpent perked up at the news. "But you should be aware that you are Poison typed too, a fairly strong toxin from what I can make out on this thing."
That made the snake pokemon back up and pause thoughtfully. "Oh, that's less useful, but this is nice and liquid metal is useful. Actually poisonous metal is fairly useful too," the Vipercury noted.
"We usually get some from a Ninetails variant," Slowking added, which for some reason made Alexa's team all look at him in shock. "They can't make much, and I usually end up handling it just to be safe. It is supposed to be cursed in a way, and I don't know if humans have even touched it in at least a thousand years."
"We might have evolved a Vulpix with Mercury Contagion before," Alexa noted, because of course they already knew about this stuff. "You're sure that there wasn't an entry for this one, Charizard?"
"Yes, but I'm checking the stuff on Mercurial Ninetails we have. Maybe that has some more information," he replied quickly. "'Ancient legends of the region say they are associated with serpentine Legendary pokemon called-'. Yeah, it has Vipercury listed here. Ah, only in legends and they were thought to be an evolution of another pokemon. No confirmed sightings so no records to match the scan to."
"I told you that actually works for pokemon names," Maizie declared to Slowking.
"So, are we doing the other ones, or is this the rest of the day?" Chesnaught had to ask, even if it was somewhat educational to learn what it was like for Alexa's team to find a new Legendary species. "Because I know Rhydon was interested in staying out of the Ground/Grass form."
The mentioned pokemon dipped a claw in the jar, and melted his soil into metal as well. "She's going to need to learn Contagion Cure first if she wants to keep using this form," Rhydon pointed out. "I can help her with that while you two Starters help with the ball stuff for the trainers."
"So, what is the focus here?" William asked her after they split up into three groups, one of Alexa with Charizard and Slowking, another of Maizie and the rest of Alexa's team, and the rest of the pokemon present with Chesnaught.
"First get out your new ball. When I learned we started after everyone got their first balls," Chesnaught began to explain. "We learned how to open the latch from the inside first. Both so we could get out to help our trainers in an emergency, and so we could quickly open new balls without needing to crack the crystal."
"You mean the drill you ran all of us through as soon as you could?" Goodra good naturedly joked. "Because it is tricky. I don't know how you are supposed to do it in a ball that isn't yours."
"I still haven't got it," Scyther pointed out. "So this might take a while."
It had taken Chesnaught a solid week of practice, but she had also been the last of the class to work out that part. Far enough back that she could confidently say, "I can teach him the rest while he's still working on that part." William held out his new black and red ball with a smirk.
"Huh, looks as black as a Dark Stone," Scyther commented a bit nervously, and then with a sigh continued. "I've halfway wanted to ask if we might be able to get one somewhere, but I know importing things is tough. My trip to the Safari Zone was rough enough."
"You were an import?" William asked with some disappointment. Chesnaught could understand, her trainer made no effort to hide how he liked to get natives of the regions he visited.
"Kinda? My dad was originally hatched in the Safari Zone, and my mom is from a region where we are properly wild," Scyther answered. "Both of them are Shankers, so I was really glad to get a Dark type that could understand me for a trainer."
"Shanker?" Chesnaught asked. It was a dangerous name, either indicating the use of makeshift weaponry or the creation of meat cuts.
"Our Dark Stone evolution. They are more lizard than insect actually," Scyther admitted. "How hard would it be to get one?"
"We have four that need using," Slowking shouted across the field. "To the point I think we can actually afford to pay you to use one for us. Extra if you can use more than one."
"I don't think we can use more than one," Chesnaught said seriously. "We might want to double check, but only a few of us aren't fully evolved, and I've never heard of a fourth permanent evolution."
"Are you sure you don't want to be Bug typed for the Gym?" William asked carefully, and quietly as well.
"After what that Leader is trying to pull with Alexa? No I do not," Scyther declared with a huff. "Bug types are fragile, and a Bug typed trainer shouldn't have to fight in a Gym battle themselves."
Chesnaught could see that point easily with the number of Bug types behind him on their team and allied teams. "Right that can wait until a bit later, maybe we will do it tomorrow with Mareep's custom ball stuff," she suggested. "Now, back on topic, the key to opening the ball from the inside is the latch. Unless you have a really old ball, or are being caught by something like a police ball, you will find the thing is made to be opened from the inside, at least once you are caught. Worst case scenario you get out afterwards and yell at whoever tried to catch you. Forcefully."
---
Alexa felt around the inside of her pokeball carefully. It felt mostly just like a net, but after a bit she was able to find the seam and from there the hinge and latch. She could also feel all of the symbols from the inside, which was very intimidating given those had started as just paint, and she did not want to mess with those until she had a better idea what exactly had happened to her pokeball due to her Legendary status. They also felt like they fit too well with the bit of magic her Mephagic form could potentially perform.
The latch was more complex from the inside, but the way to open it appeared very simple, and Alexa found herself back outside of her ball with just a moment of focus. "That would have been a lot harder if I didn't already know how to use moves as much as I do," she noted to Charizard.
"Simple pokeballs open with a bit of effort anywhere along the seam, at least after they've linked to you, but finding the latch itself quickly is a better idea," her Starter explained. "Especially for the better balls that aren't as loosely made. Baseline ones tend to outright break if you use the seam before you are caught."
"This definitely isn't 'baseline'," Alexa pointed out as she picked up her pokeball. The Poison and Water symbols were glowing, and possibly making the same markings on her Mephagic body glow a bit too. "I don't dare open it to see what the inside looks like now."
"The Mew's ball was entirely different with a much better set of just about everything," Slowking agreed uneasily. "Do you have unregistered balls for this? I don't know if you want to check every one to see who it is going to say caught you if it works."
"Going to check anyway," Charizard replied as he went to their bag. "But we do have three bulk boxes of basic quality balls, and a Pokedex to check that to make sure I don't end up listed as her trainer. A big concern because I did buy the last set, and I'm not sure the packages look any different." The three large boxes he removed were in fact exactly the same. "The one issue with storage pockets is you never can work out what order you put stuff in."
"That is theoretically why we have a pile instead of a drawer for the low quality balls," Slowking complained. "You might want to just catch yourself in one of those. It would give you a basic latch to try, and something a bit less obvious to use sometimes. That is what the Mew ended up doing at least."
Alexa nodded at that idea while Charizard opened one of the boxes to reveal the first layer of two that held a dozen pokeballs. Then her Starter checked one of the spheres with the Pokedex. "Unregistered," he declared and passed it over to her. "Although the Pokedex apparently has the stuff to update that too. Want me to set it to you?"
"Yeah, and we should still check all of them," Alexa agreed, waited for him to finish, and then braced as he tossed it at her lightly. She was ready for the falling sensation, but not for how much more fragile the net was this time. With how she was was used to a much stronger ball she found herself snapping some of the net with just a quick movement to try and find the latch, and then breaking the rest of it when she flailed a bit to deal with how that changed the way she was being held.
Then Alexa spilled out onto the ground again, blinked her large eyes, and ribbited at the result. "So, that is breaking out?" she then asked with a glance at the ball.
"Cracked the attunement layer," Slowking confirmed and picked up the now broken standard ball. "These mass produced ones double up and have that also be all the reinforcement it has. Looks like you chipped it here." He pointed to a spot on the inside where there was a tiny crack separate from the larger ones across the entire other half. Some pieces of crystal had even fallen out. "That threw off the containment a bit and you flailed against the other half as it tried to compensate. Pretty common with these low end balls and a fresh pokemon."
"I forgot that we waited until after a good training session to actually start with the getting out practice," Charizard admitted with a cringe. "I guess that was to make sure we started with the harder situation."
"Then that can wait until I'm back as a Vespikiln, and I want at least a full day of not-Bug this week," Alexa firmly decided. "And I should keep training time to that shape for now." She glanced over to where Maizie was being instructed, and found herself in time to see the Vipercury return to human form with a wash of metal falling off a suddenly human body.
"That's a lot different than I expected," the older girl noted. "Can I try the other one next? I think some comparison might help."
"I think we're as far as we're getting today," Charizard agreed, and Alexa laughed as Slowking translated again to Charizard's surprise. "Right, getting too used to everyone understanding me now. I blame the illusionist who doesn't even look like a pokemon when he listens to me."
"Worst case with this one is some light burns," Alexa warned the crafter as her Starter put away the rest of the pokeballs. "Best case it will be a bit cold until you're changed."
"Either one of those is fine," Maizie replied and held out her arm. "I'm fairly sure I've just about got this liquid attack thing."
"She's been doing well so far," Kingler informed Alexa. "I don't know if we're getting better at teaching it or she's a fast learner for moves."
Alexa tipped one of the vials of Magma Contagion onto Maizie, and then had to step back quickly as the crafter expanded outward with a slight burst of heat. It was strange to watch a human turn to lava that quickly seemed to fluff out into the large form of a Lobasalt. "Congratulations, you're now the second Lobasalt on record," Alexa noted as she tried to work out what visual differences there were.
"Alexa, I have a question," Maizie said with a bit of annoyance.
"Yes?" Alexa replied uneasily.
Maizie spat out a quick burst of boiling water. "Were you aware that Lobasalt can use Water typed moves?" the crafter then questioned.
"Do that again," Alexa and Charizard both demanded, because they were not in fact aware.
---
[Author's Note]
Sorry about the delay for this one, the next chapter was a bit of a tough one to get written despite being short, and I unfortunately don't expect the one after to be much better. They are going to be the low point to Azalea Town.
