Dynamaxing both terrified and intrigued Quan.
How could it not? They were from Unova, after all. Pokémon in Unova didn’t get like… fifty times bigger than their usual size just because of something in the ground they were standing on, and because a trainer told them to! It sounded ridiculous, like something out of a fairy tale one might tell their kids to give them cool dreams- or maybe just to make them shut up long enough to go to sleep. If they hadn’t seen the photos of it themselves, courtesy of their friends in Galar, they still might not believe it. It wasn’t like mega evolving where all you needed was a specific stone to make your pokémon look different for a bit. 
This had to do with power spots- spaces that were filled with strange, otherworldly energy. It was the term ‘strange’ really dragged them in. Strange was such a vague term. It meant people didn’t understand it, and were content with not understanding it.
Quan, on the other hand, wasn’t content. They needed to know more about these spots, and they needed to see dynamaxing happen in person.
Since dynamaxing was a strictly Galarian phenomenon, they unfortunately had to put aside enough time to make the trip. Luckily for them, their Volcarona knew Fly, and Quan had traveled to enough places on its back that the fear of heights had long since abated through exposure alone. 
So, one trip on the back of a fluffy fire bug later, and Quan touched down in Galar! Research, here they came! They hopped off in Wedgehurst and made their way to the station, immediately getting on the next train bound for the Wild Area. 
Sure, realistically Quan could have gone to any of the Galar gyms and seen dynamaxing there- it was a huge draw, after all- but it just wasn’t the same. They wanted the experience to be completely and utterly organic. It wouldn’t feel nearly as rewarding otherwise! They were a researcher, damn it, not a sports fan or entertainment spectator! If they wanted to see dynamaxing in a stadium, they’d have just watched it on their TV! It would be much cheaper that way, and about as effective!
It wasn’t their first time studying strange pokémon-related phenomena. Not by a long shot, in fact. Galar was just the latest on a long, long list. Previously, they had visited Hoenn and investigated the shipwreck of the S.S. Cactus, and traveled to the Eterna Forest in Sinnoh to check out the Old Chateau. Most recently they took a trip to Johto to look at Ruins of Alph- and while it was interesting, certainly, it wasn’t as interesting as dynamaxing.
The slow stop of the Wild Area-bound train pulled Quan out of their reflection, and they rose to their feet to step past the opening doors. They walked quietly into the station, finding it mostly empty save for the few dawdling employees. A nearby television caught their eye beside a scrolling, wall-mounted time table, and they stopped to take a look at whatever was being displayed. 
A news program of some sort was being broadcast, talking about how the chairman of the Galar Pokémon League was discussing potentially endorsing a new Gym Challenge hopeful. Quan shrugged it off, walking to the exit of the station. They never understood why people in Galar needed to be endorsed in order to compete in the League. Back in Unova, if you wanted to try your luck at taking on gyms in the hopes of making your way up the the Elite Four and the Champion, you simply walked up to the door with your pokémon in tow and tried your best!
What a weird region, they thought. 
The doors leading into the Wild Area swung open, and within a few steps Quan could already feel themselves getting intimidated. The Wild Area was a gigantic, sprawling expanse of greenery, truly as untamed as the name suggested. They could only barely make out the exit to Motostoke on the horizon. In between that and the station lay only green hills, bountiful trees, wide lakes, and pokémon, pokémon, pokémon. 
Swallowing their pride, they pressed onward. It wasn’t the first time they’d ventured into unfamiliar territory, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. They couldn’t let it go to their head after all the trouble it took to get here! It was a long, lonely flight back to Unova, and Quan wasn’t about to make that trip empty handed! The embarrassment at the thought was more than enough to put a pep in their step.
Quan dawdled along the Wild Area’s expanse, eyes peeled looking for pokémon dens. Those little pockets always led to places were dynamaxing was possible. They never moved too quickly, of course, lest they frighten- or worse, accidentally prompt aggression from- any nearby wild pokémon. To the same effect, they also opted not to take out their Volcarona as they scouted. They didn’t know a whole lot about the temperament of the local wildlife, but they knew most pokémon didn’t appreciate having their territory encroached on, regardless of region. Size never mattered when it came to that either. Even the smallest pokémon in a region could pack a punch if they felt threatened enough. Stufful in particular were nasty little beasts- and their evolution moreso. Thankfully, it was easy to take notice of anything pink against the backdrop of green and blue, and no Stuffuls seemed to rear their adorable but deadly little heads.
Something pink did catch their eye, however. They stopped short, entire body locking up at the sight of something short, conical, and pastel pink poking out from the side of a nearby bush. Crouching slightly, they kept their gaze trained on the shaking foliage. Before long, the source of the trembling emerged in its tiny entirety- a small, spherical pink pokémon with blue hair and what appeared to be a similarly colored party hat atop its head.
Quan recognized it immediately- a Hatenna! They didn’t even know they were *in* the Wild Area, now that they thought about it. What a rare find! Maybe that was a sign of good fortune or something! Hatenna apparently ran off when emotions got too heated, so if Quan was worried about their stealth, this was evidence to their success. 
The Hatenna waddled away, and Quan followed with quiet steps. After what must have been half an hour of inching along, the Hatenna broke into a sprint, closing the distance between itself and a nearby outcropping of stones with a hollow hole in the center. The Hatenna jumped into the hole, quickly vanishing from view.
A pokémon den! Quan’s heart skipped a beat. This was their chance to investigate dynamaxing! They hurried over to the circle of stones, peering into the hole in the center. A faint pink glow emanated from the center, engulfing Quan’s already beaming face. Shit- where did they begin? Did they just… climb inside? They weren’t sure how deep it went- a Hatenna could fit fine, sure, but they weren’t a Hatenna, and they doubted their Volcarona could squeeze in safely after them to pull them out if they got stuck.
Then what did they-
A flash of light pulled their attention away. Quan tore themselves from the side of the pokémon den’s entrance, eyes widening as they watched a bright streak of red illumination arc across the sky. It descended into a clearing nearby, making a small crater in the ground upon impact.
Quan immediately forgot about the pokemon den. Whatever this was was clearly far more important! They rushed away from the circle of stones, racing to investigate the strange item that had fallen from the sky. 
They reached the tiny crater within moments, nearly falling over it with the speed they’d raced over to see. The object that had fallen was an oddly shaped dark sphere with multiple protrusions coming out of its surface. Each of the strange protrusions was surrounded by an outline of deep pink light, and the entire object glowed with the same hue.
“Whoaaaa,” Quan whispered, eyes unblinking as they regarded the strange… thing. They bent down, getting a closer look at the item. Then, forgoing all logical research protocol, they reached out to grab it. They first held their hand above the object, making sure that it wasn’t going to be too hot to pick up- they were curious, sure, but not curious enough to be that stupid. Feeling no great difference in temperature, they closed their left hand around it, yanking the item from its half-buried spot in the ground. Rising to their feet, Quan blew off any clinging pieces of dirt from the item, turning it over in their hands a few times. It was a fascinating little thing. Why was it glowing? Why had it fallen right here? Was that a thing that happened often in the Wild Area, or over Galar? Why was it-
Ow!
A sharp pulse of energy like an electric shock jolted up Quan’s arm, radiating like static through their entire body. They dropped the item, recoiling with staggering steps. They shook their hand out, wincing and holding it away from their body as far as they could get it. Serves them right, they supposed, but damn, that hurt! Their fingers were still tingling from where they touched it, and that tingling was only beginning to intensify- not just on their left hand, but their right as well.
Something tugged. Some invisible force, like a psychic pokemon’s attack- tugged on their fingers and didn’t let go. Quan gritted their teeth, lip pulled back in a pained grimace as the tugging worsened, stopping only once, with a series of loud pops, their tingling fingers twitched longer. Not like the bones had slipped from their regular orientation, mind you, but like they’d always been that size, or grown to that point over time. 
Flabbergasted, Quan wiggled their longer digits, watching them react in kind. Their nails- usually dirty with grime from on-site exploration, were swiftly cleaned and trimmed, looking increasingly pampered. Their palms followed suit with the strange makeover, their skin softening and lightening somewhat, not to anything too pale, but to a complexion definitely different from their own. They stared gobsmacked at their shifted hands, their different fingers. What was going on? Was this real? No, it couldn’t be- but what else could it be? 
The tingling climbed spider-like up their arms, the familiar tugging sensation gripping the bones in their upper limbs. Their breath caught in their throat, hitching as the appendages pushed longer out of their sleeves (or lack thereof), the shift in their flesh’s hue quick to ascend the extra space. Quan huffed, breaths labored as they felt their shoulders click inward, narrowing their frame with a sudden compress of bone.
In their growing panic, Quan’s wide eyes landed on the dropped item. The… that object! That thing! It had to be doing this to them! But if it was, how did they make it stop!? Well, first they needed to grab it; they needed to show it to someone else to see if they could reverse its effects someh-
Another bolt of tingling discomfort rippled through them, slamming into their spine like the object had struck the ground again. Oh Arceus, what now, they managed to think, not much else in their brain under the haze of pain and severe confusion. The tugging discomfort came again, building up between the vertebrae like someone was slowly but surely attempting to winch them apart. Another pop like their fingers and the bones gave, pushed an inch or so longer. Even with the slight adjustment to their height Quan couldn’t shake the dizziness, and nearly plummeted to the ground before windmilling their arms to remain upright. They shut their eyes, trying to get over the swimming sensation in their mind, only opening them when the world wasn’t spinning quite as much.
The change in complexion spilled down their legs, the all too familiar discomfort of stretching bone creeping up again. This time, however, Quan knew enough to be prepared. They curled their longer fingers into a fist, digging the well-maintained nails into their palms, pushing them against the skin until it hurt. The pain in their hands managed to distract them from the pain in their legs, even as the latter creaked another inch longer like their spine and arms. The tingling dove to their feet, pushing them longer in their multicolored sneakers.
This was not the end, however, much to Quan’s audible chagrin. The tingling filled their throat, the sensation not unlike the end result of chugging a carbonated beverage too quickly. They coughed, coughed, then coughed again, their voice lightening with each little sputter and gasp. 
“Muh- my voice!” Quan yelped. That wasn’t their voice at all! It was too young, too uppity, too Galarian! Why was that weird, fallen item doing this!? What could possibly be the purpose?!
Quan had little time to consider the odd object’s motives, however. The tingling at last engulfed their face, warping all that the sensation touched. Their freckles faded from their paling features, their eyes turning a cool purple bordered by thick lashes. Their cheeks rounded with youth, their lips pulling into an involuntary, almost feline smirk as their nose pushed to a short point. 
Their brows trimmed slimmer, brown hairs lightening in hue until they were a platinum blond. The paler color moved to their hair, the locks growing out slightly as the strands softened and fluffed, wild, curly strands sticking up in random places reminiscent of a Wooloo that had been tugged backward through a thornbush. They grabbed a fistful of the stuff, fingers digging into the fluffier strands in confusion.
Tingling sensation abated, the odd tugging returned- this time to Quan’s attire. They released their hair, glancing down to their ill-sized attire as it too began to shift. Their black, cropped open vest sprouted sleeves, the arms lengthening down to their upper limbs to their wrists. Either of the open sides tugged together, suddenly pulling closed as a zipper formed down the center. Quan’s neckerchief untwisted from their throat, unfolding to merge with the high collar of the forming coat. The bottom of their new outerwear grew down, down, downward, stopping once it reached their knees. The material thickened all over, the fabric turning a deep, vivid pink.
The pockets of their pants latched onto to and descended the sides of their coat, stopping just at the hem before ballooning into attachable pouches. The straps of their backpack came undone, vanishing into the aether as the pack itself slid down the back of their coat to rest at their waist, becoming even boxier in shape. The material of all three pouches darkened, shifting in hue until they were violet with yellow teeth for the sprouting zippers. Above the pack on their back, a white symbol stamped into the fabric- the symbol for the Macro Cosmos organization.
Their pants stopped shrinking once they got to their knees, becoming simple, comfortable shorts that actually looked like they belonged on their new frame- that is, if anyone could actually see them beneath the giant coat. Their red, white, and black sneakers adjusted their tones, becoming a sporty set of white, black, and pink shoes with a light gray half-circle on the back. White socks formed over their feet, tugging up their legs until they reached their knees. An ovular patch of gray mesh formed along the backs of each, though what they were for was anyone’s guess.
A black bracelet that Quan vaguely recognized as a Dynamax Band wrapped around their left wrist, a golden watch with a white face clicking into place about the other. A black and white glove climbed over their left hand, a gap in the fabric to leave their thumb free.
The metamorphosis over, Quan stood there, sputtering and aghast. 
This was all wrong! They weren’t supposed to look like this… this kid! They… they needed to get help! Somehow! Fumbling, Quan grabbed their Volcarona’s poké ball, throwing it to the ground to release their companion. Their Volcarona could fly off and find someone no problem- then they could get some answers! A flash of light erupted from the opening ball, and a pokémon emerged- it just wasn’t Volcarona.
It was a Solosis. The psychic bobbed in the air like a balloon, turning to face its owner with an expectant expression. 
“W-what is- when did-?” 
Ah, screw it! It didn’t matter! A Solosis could fly- it could still do the trick!
“You- I need you to… to um…” Quan paused, scratching their fluffy hair. What… what did they want their pokemon to do? 
Get help… right? But… he wasn’t in trouble, was he? He paused, knitting his pale brows together. He didn’t feel in trouble. No, he was fine! Shrugging, Quan, no, Bede returned his pokémon back to its ball. That was weird. Probably nothing, right?
Wait.
Bede’s eyes landed on the object Quan had picked up not minutes before, and his entire body lit up with excitement. A Wishing Star! He hurried over, snatching it up with a smirk. What a find! If he showed this to Chairman Rose, he’d be thrilled! His smug grin grew wider at the prospect, and he clutched it tight to his chest.
He’d make him proud. He just knew it.
Until then, he had a Gym Challenge to take on, and nothing, nothing, was going to stand in his way!