Pokemon: The Gathering 
Evil Style and Performing Nightmare

“Here we are, Chloe. The Kalos region,” Brock stated, stepping onto the boarding from the plane.

Chloe glanced around at the different people and Pokemon. “If I wasn’t here on official business, I’d be more excited.” The worrying shadow of the disappearances lingered in her mind.

Brock nodded in agreement, humming thoughtfully as the duo walked down the ramp and towards the airport terminal. A woman in a smart suit with lilac hair leaned against a pillar, eyeing the duo while their passports were checked. She waited until they began to look around for someone.

“Excuse me, are you Brock and Chloe?” the woman asked, folding her arms.

Brock stroked his chin. “Who's asking?” 

The woman pulled out her ID badge. “Detective Anabel. International Police. I’ll be your liaison here in Kalos whilst you investigate these disappearances. If you need any help or assistance, please contact me.” She handed Brock a card with her number written on it. 

“Do you have any suggestions on where to start?” Chloe asked.

“My advice would be to watch the Kalos Performance Exhibition tomorrow. It could be a target with the Kalos Queen and two high-tier performers on stage tomorrow. If nothing happens tomorrow, then I can guide you to the other sites for the other disappearances.”

“Either way, we’ll be doing both,” Brock stated. “Where’s the Exhibition taking place?”

“Right here in Lumiose City,” Anabel replied. “Please stay safe. I’ll reconvene with you after the Exhibition.” Without another word, Anabel turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd. 

“Things must be bad if the International Police are involved, right?” Chloe asked.

Brock stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Things are always bad when those guys are investigating, but we don’t need to worry about them for now. Let’s get to the hotel and get some rest for tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, in a secluded section of the forest a few metres from Lumiose City, grunts in black and silver uniforms worked away at various piles of machinery and control panels under the watchful eye of a blue-haired male.

“Hurry up, guys. We need to move faster if we’re going to achieve a successful test tomorrow. I want this gear moving within the next ten minutes!” he ordered. 

“Yes, Commander Saturn.”

“If all goes well, then the plan can advance for the Gathering, but little do they know Galactic’s true motives. Once we acquire the necessary materials, we can create and control Gods, and together, we can bring Cyrus back and pay Sinnoh back for their defiance,” Saturn muttered. “And I will slay Arceus by my hand for refusing to bring him back to us.”

Saturn turned towards a screen as a faint series of beeps echoed from the panel.

“Saturn, how's it going?” a red-haired woman asked as her face crackled onto the screen.

“Things would be going great if these grunts worked faster. I have dispatched a team to deal with the next phase and acquire two of our new targets. How are things in Alola?” Saturn stated, “I hope things aren’t falling apart for you, Commander Mars.”

“The heat is annoying, but things are going well. My team is working to understand the Ultra Beast phenomenon and whether it would affect our future plans. However, our captive hasn’t been helpful, and we may have to resort to other means.”

“Do what must be done to aid our goal. Saturn out,” Saturn stated, cutting off the transmission. 

The morning sun crested the horizon, enveloping Kalos in its warm, bright glow. Out in the forest, a young brown-haired girl danced around with her Delphox and Sylveon, using Flamethrower and Swift, respectively, to create a beautiful aurora at the centrepiece for their performance.

“Now, Pancham, it's time to shine!” the Trainer commanded.

Pancham cried out, somersaulting towards the Flamethrower, exploding through it with a modified Dark Pulse, creating a bright showering of smouldering fiery sparks that fizzled out whilst the quarter struck a joyful pose.

“That was amazing, Serena. Looks like I’ve got my work cut out this time.”

“Shauna, are you spying on me?” Serena asked, turning towards the pigtailed girl.

Shauna chuckled. “Got to keep an eye on the competition even if this isn’t an official show.”

“Well, either way, I’m going to wipe you out this time!” Serena huffed.

The two girls glared at each other intensely before laughing like schoolgirls as they shared a hug. 

“It’s great to see you again!” They cheered together.

“Are you looking forward to the Exhibition?” Shauna asked.

Serena nodded. “So excited it was hard to stay asleep; I mean, getting to perform alongside Aria is just amazing. I still can't believe she picked us to perform with her.”

“Neither can I. I hope we’ll be amazing.”

“Amazing, yes, a true example of this, but not on the performance side.” 

Serena and Shauna turned towards a quartet of grunts standing atop a small mound, looking down at them.

“What do you want?” Shauna called out. 

“Why, you two, of course? I am Sergeant Venus, soon to be Commander of Team Galactic once I successfully deal with you two,” A green-haired woman stated. “You two have been selected to take part in the greatest….”

Serena leapt forward. “Delphox uses Flamethrower!” 

“Why did you do that?” Shauna muttered as the flames charged towards the grunts.

“My gut!” Serena replied.

“Golduck, use Water Gun and stop those flames!” a grunt called, tossing out a Pokeball.

Golduck snarled, shooting out a column of water from its mouth, dousing the flames as it pushed towards Delphox and striking the fox Pokemon hard.

“Lunatone, Solrock. Come on out and use Explosion on them if you would!” Venus stated, hurling two Pokeballs in the air.

The two Pokemon erupted from their Pokeballs, charging towards Serena and Shauna, crying out as their bodies glowed brightly. A bright flash and loud eruption of fire echoed around, burning the grass and forming a crater in the ground.

Shauna moaned, her eyes focusing on Serena as a shrill ringing echoed through her ears. She stumbled forwards as the Galactic grunts captured Serena’s stunned Pokemon whilst Venus restrained Serena with hardlight ropes. 

“And her!” Venus said, gesturing towards Shauna as Serena disappeared with a flicker of blue particles and a white flash.

Shauna tried to get to her feet, dirt crumbling around her shoes as she scrambled towards the crater's edge to escape. A faint grunt escaped her mouth as something solid struck the back of her head, sending her crashing to the ground with darkness consuming her as her eyes closed.

“Let’s clear out now!” Venus ordered, pressing a cylindrical device on her belt that whined as she disappeared, closely followed by her grunts. 

Hours ticked past until noon struck. Crowds of people and press started to file into the streets and down towards the Lumiose Hall of Fame, clotting the roads as they all tried to buy tickets to witness the performance. Brock and Chloe sighed heavily as they tried to approach the hall.

“This would go a lot easier if we had official police badges,” Chloe muttered, receiving some disapproving looks from nearby spectators.

“Yeah, true. Maybe Jenny hasn’t gotten around to that yet.” Brock stated, “We can only hope to get through. If not, I’ll call Anabel.”

Within the backstage, Aria paced back and forth nervously, rubbing her gloved hands together.

“Where are they?” she muttered.

“Queen Aria!” an attendant called, running up to her a little out of breath. “I’ve looked all around for them, and there’s no sign of them.”

“Have you tried calling them?”

“Yes, my lady, but there’s been no response from them.”

Aria sighed. “I had hoped to use this Exhibition to promote Serena and Shauna before the next Showcase Series begins.”

“Maybe we should postpone the Exhibition until we find them?”

“No. The show must go on no matter what. Inform the announcer to introduce me; I’ll deal with Serena and Shauna later, providing they show their faces.” Aria said, kneeling down next to Sylveon.

The attendant hurried away to make the arrangements with the announcer whilst Aria adjusted her Sylveon’s cape.

“Luckily, we had some backup routines,” she gently said. “No matter what, we’ll all put on a spectacular performance for the people.”

“Sylvee!”

High up in the control tower, a pair of Galactic Grunts quietly sealed three gagged and bound workers into the cupboard as others worked away at the panels, securing and connecting various devices to them.

“I really hope this new transformative agent works. I don’t want to feel the wrath of Saturn anymore,” a female grunt stated.

“Don’t mind Saturn. Ever since Cyrus disappeared and Arceus denied bringing him back, the Commanders have been focused on bringing Cyrus back through any means, and I believe they’ll succeed. We’ll gain the power we were denied by Dawn and Lucas,” another Grunt stated, “I hope that one day I can make Dawn my very own Pokemon.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. Humans and Pokemon, please take your seats and prepare for the most amazing show you’ve ever seen in Kalos!” the announcer called out, his voice booming through the speakers.

“Are you ready, Sylveon?” Aria asked. She glanced down at her partner jumping about, its silky pink cape flowing gracefully with its movements.

“Sylvee!” her partner replied, twitching its ribbons and tail.

“Our first performance together. Don’t worry about being too nervous; remember, I’m right by your side.”

“You’re on in five Aria!” an attendant called.

“Right. Time to get in position,” Aria said, walking towards the stage as Sylveon followed her.

The cute Pokemon leapt into the cannon, curling itself into a ball while Aria took her position behind it. She took a few deep breaths as she heard the crowd calling out her name in sheer excitement. Meanwhile, Team Galactic sat at the controls in the control room, grinning with anticipation.

“Jammers are active,” one reported.

“All doors sealed.”

“And those chumps sent from Sinnoh are trapped outside amongst the fans that got refused entry.”

“And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for the star performance of the Lumiose Exhibition, please welcome the star attraction and her new partner. Introducing the Amazing Aria and Sylveon!” the announcer stated, his voice booming over the microphone.

“Showtime!” A female grunt muttered.

The curtain lifted as the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. The cannon fired up into the air, showering the stage with confetti. A misty terrain formed across the stage as Sylveon twirled in the air, its ribbons twirling around it, unleashing Swift that swirled around it, exploding in bright flashes. Syvleon cried out excitedly as it landed amongst the mist, forming a heart with its ribbons as Aria appeared behind it. The crowd continued to cheer as Syvleon and Aria danced on the stage as coloured smoke gently plumed down from the rafters.

“Agent released. Time for the fun to begin,” a Galactic grunt commented.

Sylveon danced around leaping off of Light Screens whilst pirouetting and waving its ribbons about, letting off the occasional Swift to accompany its dance, all while Aria gracefully danced and twirled with a baton. Still, as the duo performed, the smoke lingered, stinging at Aria’s eyes and burning her throat and nostrils.

“It’s a bit too much,” she thought, carrying on her routine. 

Much to her relief, the fans kicked in as planned, churning and drawing the smoke away from her as Syvleon performed Dazzling Gleam before landing with an excited cry before its Trainer. Aria stumbled back, a pain developing around her neck; the remainder of Dazzling Gleam assailed her eyes. The spotlights were getting brighter as the heat built under her skin.

“What’s… something wrong,” she moaned. 

A thick layer of skin rose from her neck, stretching and knotting into a bow, turning a pale cream with a pink centre, whilst two more layers of skin elongated out from behind the bow, steadily turning a pale cream colour as the awkward lengthening through the sleeve holes of her blouse. Aria squirmed, the ribbon-like feelers twitching wildly, jerking at the blouse, the tips dividing into two, gaining a light blue colour to them with an ocean blue and pink colouring above them, forming like bands.

“Is this part of the show?” a spectator asked aloud.

“Not sure.”

“What is wrong with her?”

“Why doesn’t she continue performing?”

“Don’t tell me that’s stage fright.”

“She’s really going out with this performance. I've never seen the move transform used by a Sylveon. Perhaps it's a Ditto, but do Pokemon moves work on humans?”

Aria looked from her partner to the crowd, fear creeping into her mind as tears well within her eyes. Her Syvleon backup trembled in her fear as Trainer’s scarlet eyes widened into ovals, with the scarlet colouring taking over the entirety of her eyes with a white glimmering pupil.

“Sylveon. Anybody, what's happening to me? I feel strange,” Aria whimpered, her ears tingling. 

A mixture of dismay and horror swept across the crowd at Aria’s face, sprouting soft, pale, creamy hairs whilst her ears elongated, widening, pushing through her neat strawberry locks. The interior of her transforming ears turned blue as strawberry hair grew out of the outer portions and the backs; her ears twitched, sliding up to the tops of her head and brushing her hair aside. A pale cream section of left ear grew out, close to her head, forming into a bow with two strips of waving flesh lengthening out from behind it; colours created near the segmented tip mirror those on the ribbon feelers on her neck. Aria’s strawberry locks shortened, receding into her scalp with a few portions falling out. Her Syvleon watched as the remains of its Trainer's hair thickened into fur between the tall ears with a small tuft sticking out close to her right ear.

Aria leaned forward, whimpering as her ears picked up the apparent confusion and terror in the audience's voices. “Can’t someone help me!” she pleaded as a new extension grew from her spine.

“Sylvee?” The Syvleon cried in confusion, looking at a mirror replica of its own head but perched upon the body of its Trainer.

“It’s working. It’s actually working,” one of the Galactic grunts stated, pressing their face against the glass of the control booth. 

“Of course, it's working. Months of work by all the scientists, but now it's time to see who is really smart,” another grunt stated. “Release smoke into the audience.”

“But won’t that waste the agent?” 

“Nope. Only the smoke that assailed young Aria was tainted, but we want to cause mass panic to cover our escape,” a grunt stated.

“What about conditioning her?”

“That’s not our concern right now. Besides, no one can prove what happened. No one can do anything about it. So release the smoke, and let's move out.”

The grunts nodded, activating a series of switches, watching as rainbow smoke began to pour down on the audience. Two grunts crackled with laughter, pulling out silver batons and striking at the various control panels, sending sparks flying from them as a screen cracked, freezing on the image of the security system locking down.

Down below, Aria glanced around at the crowd, their reactions and eyes turning towards the smoke. However, Aria’s head turned towards her back, eyeing her rising blouse as the sensation of an intensifying itch of stretching skin and sprouting hair.

She recognised the sight of the curved strawberry fur of a curving appendage as Syvleon’s cute tail with a shrill cry of “TAIL!” The crowd began to mutter and murmur, some slowly piecing together the connection of smoke that surrounded Aria and the horror that was befalling the Kalos Queen. All it took was one member to make the connection and give in to their fear to knock the dominoes over and send the crowd into a mass panic of trampling feet and shrill screams of people scrambling to the exits, but the doors failed to budge against the surge of people.

Aria glanced down towards her hands as cramps spread through them, her fingers spasmed involuntarily whilst her thumbs and little retracted into her hands. The finger bones crunching drowned out the itch of fine strawberry hairs sprouting out of her remaining fingers, spreading up her hands and partially up her forearms. “My hands…what’s happening to them?!” Aria shrieked as her fingers shortened, swelling into stubby digits that drew together more, the fingers of her gloves becoming limp in the process.

Her hands narrowed seamlessly, indistinguishable from her forearms, except for the short toes tipping them. White hairs grew out of her arms as her nose shrunk. Unbeknownst to Aria, her wide scarlet eyes were turning as light blue as her partner's. However, one of Galactic’s grunts noticed this.

Aria tried to think, her mind becoming clouded by pain as her skull reshaped into that of a Sylveon, becoming sleeker, but she gritted her retracting teeth and whimpered as she felt each tooth dissolving inside her gums until she was left with two canines that formed into fangs in the top corners of her mouth. A thought struck through the pain, burrowing its way to the front of her mind: the emergency exit for performers to avoid the press after stage shows.

“Yes, that could work,” she thought.

Pain swelled within her feet and legs as she stumbled towards the back of the stage. Within her boots and stripy stockings, four toes, two for each foot, sunk into narrowing feet, making Aria stumble awkwardly as her shoes became looser with every step until she reached a long flight of stairs. Her heels jerked upwards, slanting her feet that slipped quickly from her boots, tripping her up and sending her crashing down the stairs.

“This is getting worse,” Aria moaned, shakily trying to push herself back onto two legs.

Her bruised body continued to ache, and the itch of pale cream hairs persisted, sprouting out of her body as it shrank. Her feet pulled themselves out of her stockings as most of her lower legs disappeared. Aria cried out, gunshot-like cracks echoing around her as her hips and shoulders snapped out of alignment, sharply cracking back into a new alignment with her spine that restricted her to her four little legs.

Shakily, she stepped from her clothing, wobbling and crashing into the wall, her brain pounding with aches and cloudiness of the unfamiliar nature of being on all fours. With a sharp cry, she bumped into a mirror, knocking it down, and the glass shattered, causing her to fall backwards in fear. 

She whimpered, eyeing the broken reflection showcasing her new form, the hints of strawberry pink fading into a usual pink better suited for a Sylveon, making her indistinguishable from her partner.

“Why have I become a Sylveon? Is this a magic trick? An illusion?” she thought, a faint confused  “Sylvee?” exiting her mouth, making her realise that no one could understand her.

“Aria?”

Aria’s ears twitched, her head turning towards her Sylveon standing at the top of the stairs. “Sylvee?” “How can I understand you?”

“To normal folks, our cries are name-based, but to other Pokemon, we can understand each other. It’s bizarre but not as bizarre as you being like me.” Her Sylveon approached her, curiously sniffing at Aria. “Your scent is still familiar.”

“You have to help me. You have to help me turn back.”

Her Sylveon lowered its head. “I wish I could, but like you, I was transformed not long before you captured me. In my old form, you would have called me Miette.”

“Sylvee!” Aria cried out, her eyes filling with shock.

Outside, Anabel hurried towards the chaos with several police officers. “Brock, Chloe!” 

“Anabel, what brings you here?” Brock asked.

“Why aren't you inside? Is the better question.”

Chloe gestured to the crowd. “Without badges, we couldn’t push our way through.”

“Typical bloody fans always getting in the way like a bunch of Snorlaxs,” Anabel muttered, turning to the officers. “Clear these people out now!”

“Can you answer my question!” Brock demanded. 

“We received a security alert. Serena and Shauna didn’t turn up.” 

Brock grunted heavily. “That’s concerning.”

“Anabel, there’s a problem!” an officer called as his colleagues pushed the crowd away from the hall.

The trio hurried to the front entrance, screaming and thudding echoing from within.

“What’s the situation?” Anabel demanded.

“The security systems looked down. Burglar and Fire systems have all engaged, and we can’t override it,” an attendant stated, frantically trying to get his console to work.

“Forretress! Geodude!” Brock called out, throwing his Pokeballs towards the door. “Smash that door down!”

Anabel threw out her Pokeball. “Mismagius, you too, help them out!”

“Wish I had my Pokmeon with me,” Chloe thought, her eyes wide, pulling out her Rotom phone. “Rotom, can you leave my phone and enter the console.”

Her phone shook as the Rotom crackled out of it, zipping over and possessing the console.

“Restoring the systems pleazzze standby.”

Geodude, Forretress and Mismagius attacked the steel doors, barely making a dent.

“That’s what we get for installing bunker class doors following the Kalos incident,” the attendant stated.
The doors swung open with a joyful cry from Rotom and a sigh of relief from the attendant. A flurry of people spilt out in a mad panic that sent the Pokemon flying off to the sides. 

“All officers. Secure all witnesses! Brock and Chloe, you’re with me!”

To Be Continued