Strength and Escape (TF Request)

    “Come on! Is that all you’ve got?”

    Groaning, the young dark-skinned teen struggled to get up, trying to recover from getting knocked down so easily. Standing before him was none other than Marshal of the Unova Elite Four, and he was shaking his head in disapproval. “How many times must I tell you, Mason?” he said, his voice harsh and angry. “If you wish to be strong enough to control Pokemon, you must maintain that strength within yourself first!”

    “Ugh…” Mason desperately tried to stand, but fatigue was quickly catching up to him, and he could do nothing more than collapse to the ground, defeated.

    Shaking his head, Marshal walked over to the boy lying on the ground. “Mason… listen to me. You can’t keep giving up like this.” He walked over to him, bending down next to him. “If you want to become a Pokemon trainer, you have to find the strength to continue in times like these. Strength of both body and mind is what it takes to become a great trainer.”

    “I… I’m sorry…” Coughing, Mason struggled to get up again, this time managing to get back onto his feet. “I… I’ll try to do better…”

    But Marshal was already shaking his head. “Mason… I don’t know what else I can do with you…” he said sadly. “I’ve tried training you, but… if you won’t let me help you…”

    “What? But… but I want you to help me!” Shaking his head quickly, Mason immediately positioned himself into a fighting stance. “Come on! I can do this!”

    “I’m sorry… but you’ve already proven the opposite to me.” Marshal turned around, sighing. “When you truly think that you are strong enough to challenge me, you may come talk to me again. Until then… don’t waste my time.” He lowered his head, and began walking towards the entrance of the cave.

    Mason watched him go, before lowering his head in shame. It was no good. It was never any good. No matter what he did, he just couldn’t seem to impress his mentor. When he had learned about the opportunity to train under Marshal himself, he had become super excited. Not only was Marshal a member of the Elite Four, but he was a master of fighting types, one of Mason’s favorite Pokemon types. Not to mention the fact that he had trained under Alder, the most powerful trainer in all of Unova! If anyone could help him get stronger, it was Marshal.

    But now… Mason was beginning to question if that was really the case. So far, the only thing he’d learned about was how tough Marshal was on his students. He would constantly go on about how important strength and power in a trainer were, and he was always telling Mason that he needed to “prove” himself… and apparently, that meant physical confrontation. Even though Mason didn’t particularly like fighting, he was willing to do it if it meant gaining respect from Marshal. But so far, it didn’t seem like Mason had gained any kind of respect… in fact, it seemed like he had lost more than he had gained. All he wanted was to be someone… someone that those around him could respect and admire. Was that possible in his current situation, though? He wasn’t entirely sure.

    He lowered his head, thinking about his current situation. About his life back home… and about his relationship with the rest of his family. It wasn’t great. He had always wanted to be a Pokemon trainer, but his parents didn’t exactly share his plans for himself. “It’s too dangerous!” they would always say. “Try doing something else instead. Perhaps a job where you can stay in town, close to us. You’ll be happier, trust us!” But Mason simply scoffed at those words. He didn’t want to stay in town… he wanted to travel, to see the world! And his biggest hope was that by studying with Marshal, the man he had looked up to since hearing about him, he would be able to prove to his parents that he was strong enough to go on this journey. But now, even that seemed like a lost cause…

    He shook his head. No! He could still prove himself to Marshal. He had to! He raised his head, turning towards the entrance of the cave. He could still do this! His stride lengthened by his determination, he confidently stepped outside, ready to train his heart out!

    The sun was shining brightly as he stepped outside, looking for a good place to train. Of course, he knew that it would need to be someplace secluded, away from the public eye… but where was a good place to practice like that? As he pondered, he suddenly remembered something that Marshal had told him once… apparently, Alder used to train at this mountain as well, and there was a place where he had often gone when he wanted to be alone… if he could just get there, he would be in the clear! He would be able to keep training, with no interruptions! Now, he just had to figure out how to get there…

    He began looking around the mountain, seeing if there was anything he had missed… any paths that he could take, ones that may not be obvious to casual onlookers. Looking around, he noticed a cliff that seemed to… jut out a bit. It definitely looked climbable… and there was a little area at the top, filled with trees and boulders… and there were no people or Pokemon in sight, either. A perfect little secluded area… and all he had to do was get up there! Eagerly, he grabbed onto one of the areas on the cliff, and began hoisting himself up.

    However, the climb soon proved to be much more difficult than expected. He was barely even halfway through, and he was already feeling completely exhausted. Now he was beginning to understand why no one else ever came up here. But he was so close! He grabbed one of the rocks, hoisting himself up once again. He just needed a little more… just a little…

    But as soon as he tried hoisting himself up again, his hand slipped, causing him to fall off the rock wall! He cried out as his body fell, crashing down onto the ground below. He landed with a heavy thud, knocking the air out of him completely. For a few moments, he simply laid there, trying to catch his breath. But it was more than long enough for thoughts of doubt to enter his mind… thoughts that he would never be able to impress Marshal or his parents, that he would never be able to start his journey that he would never be able to achieve his dream. After all, how could Marshal ever accept him if he couldn’t even get past a stupid cliff?

    “Dammit!” he yelled, slamming his fist into the ground. This was ridiculous! Why did he even need to do all of this, anyway! Why did he need to convince his parents that he was capable of being a trainer! Why did he need to convince Marshal that he was capable of fending for himself! It was all so stupid. “I wish…” he cried, tears running down his cheeks. ‘I just wish I was strong enough to escape from all of this!”

    “Oh… is that what you want? Escape?”

    “Huh? Who said that?” Mason quickly got up, turning around to find the source of the voice. Looking down, he noticed a young boy in a white robe, staring up at him. In addition to the robe, he appeared to be wearing a golden headdress with three blue tags on it, as well as two golden streamers on the robe’s back. “Who… who are you?”

    The boy simply bowed. “I want to help you,” he said, his voice soft and high-pitched. You said that you wanted strength, and that you wanted to escape from your problems. I can help you with both of those things.”

    “Really?” Mason’s brow furrowed. “And how can you do that?”

    The boy smiled, reaching into his robe and pulling out what appeared to be some kind of karate uniform. “Here. Put this on. It’ll give you exactly what you want: strength and escape.” Noticing Mason’s hesitation, he frowned. “That is what you want, right? Strength and escape?”

    “Um… yeah, but…” Mason wasn’t really sure what to think. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be accepting things from random kids, but… there was something about the way this kid was looking at him that just made him seem… trustworthy. Mason wasn’t really sure how to explain it, but… there it was. “Alright then,” he said, taking the uniform from the boy. “Oh, and… thank you.”

    The boy bowed once again. “Don’t mention it,” he said. He looked up at the rock cliff before turning back to Mason. You know… I really have to praise you for having the guts to even attempt to make that climb. Most people probably wouldn’t even bother to climb it themselves. They’d probably just get a Pokemon to do it for them.” He giggled. “Of course, you should have no trouble climbing something like that in a few minutes.”

    “Um… thanks?” Mason replied, before frowning. “Wait, what?” He turned around. “What do you mean I’d have no trouble with…”

    But by the time Mason had turned around completely, the boy had vanished. “Okay… that’s weird…” he muttered. He looked down at the uniform the boy had given him. “Well… might as well put this on and see what happens.”

    Looking around to make sure nobody else was nearby, Mason quickly took off his pants and shirt, changing into the new uniform. He slipped on the pants before quickly putting on the top, grabbing the black belt around it and tying it up. But the moment he pulled it tight, he… felt something. A surge of power, spreading throughout his entire body. He pulled it tighter, feeling the power spread even more. It felt so good, he almost laughed out loud. This was great! He actually felt like he could do what he needed to now… and that was to get to the top of that cliff!

    He quickly grabbed onto one of the rocks, and began pulling himself up. The more he climbed, the easier it became. It felt so effortless! He was already over halfway up, and he hadn’t even broken a sweat! This, of course, was thanks to the muscles that were growing underneath the sleeves of his new uniform, giving him the strength that he needed to keep going. With every inch that he climbed, his muscles grew larger and larger, making the climb easier and easier. His hands also began changing, the skin turning blue and the fingers becoming much larger and thicker. But he didn’t even notice… instead, he kept on climbing, amazed at how little effort it seemed to take.

    In no time at all, Mason had made it to the top of the cliff. But he knew that his training was far from over, since he still had to actually begin his training regiment. But where to begin… aha! That rock over there! There was a large rock in the distance, and it looked like it was just waiting for someone to test their strength on! Eager to give it a try, he quickly began running over to it.

    As he ran, his legs began changing as well, muscles swelling up with the same power that his arms now contained. It helped him feel more powerful, the energy created from this new strength allowing him to run even faster than before. His feet also began altering, turning blue and seeming to become thinner. His toes merged into three before shrinking together, forming his feet into points.

    When he finally reached the rock, he raised one of his legs and delivered a massive kick to it. Had his legs and feet still been human when he did this, he likely would have broken them, but thanks to the changes that had occurred, it was the rock that broke instead. A large crack formed down the middle, right where his foot had landed. When Mason saw the crack, it was all he could do to keep from grinning. This was amazing! He had never felt such power before! He quickly punched the rock, leaving a rather large indent in it. He smiled, and continued to rapidly punch it, leaving even more indents.

    As he did, his abdominal muscles began growing larger and larger, filling with strength and power. He smiled as he felt it, but he didn’t stop to admire; after all, he was still training. But as he punched, continuing to fill the rock with holes, the final changes were beginning to set in. The blue coloring of his skin was starting to spread across his chest, before making its way up to his neck and face. Once his face began turning blue, the major changes began to take place. His neck started to disappear, shrinking away into nothing as his head was lowered onto his shoulders. His head became thinner and more oval-shaped, the blue coloring completely covering it. His dark hair began falling away, and even his nose and ears seemed to disappear into his head. In their place, a large black mark began forming on Mason’s face, even spreading across his left eye.

    But all of this went unnoticed by Mason, as he continued to punch the rock, creating more and more holes. Finally, he pulled his fist back for one last time and held it for a second before letting it fly, crashing into the rock and shattering it completely. He lowered his head, satisfied with his work… before a loud cheer behind him suddenly startled him out of his calm state.

    Looking behind him, he was surprised to see two smaller Pokemon, a Timburr and a Mienfoo, applauding him. “That was awesome, Mr. Sawk!” cried the Timburr, running up to him. “Man, you sure showed that boulder who’s boss!”

    “Huh?” For a moment, Mason was confused… but as he looked at the two Pokemon, something seemed to… awaken in the back of his mind. It felt like he was remembering something… another life, in another body… what was going on? He looked down at himself… at his blue skin, his large muscles, his changed hands and feet… hadn’t he always looked like that? Of course he had! He was born as a Sawk, he had been raised as one… he had been one his whole life! So why… why did he seem to have vague recollections of being a human? Humans didn’t even exist in real life!

    “Um… Mr. Sawk?” The Mienfoo was looking up at him quizzically. “You look a little lost… are you okay?”

    “Hmm? Oh.. yes, I’m fine,” said the Sawk, smiling. Of course, he knew exactly who these two were. Timburr was the son of Conkeldurr, Sawk’s mentor, and Mienfoo was Timburr’s best friend. And Sawk had just been showing off what he had learned from Conkeldurr for them, to entertain them. “Thank you for asking.”

    “That was so cool, though!” cried Timburr. “You’re totally going to show Mr. Throh who’s boss during the tournament next week!

    Sawk smiled. “That I will,” he said, thinking of his rival, Throh. Every time they went up against each other, Throh seemed to win… but Sawk wasn’t going to let that happen this time. “Now, come on, we need to get back to your house. I want to show your dad what I’ve been learning, and see if he can give me a few tips. After all, I have a better chance of beating Throh if I have help from him, right?”

    Timburr nodded. “That’s right! Now come on, let’s go!” With that, he ran off into the distance, laughing. Sawk smiled, following close behind, ready to show off his new moves to Mr. Conkeldurr. “Just you wait, Throh,” he said to himself. “I’m going to beat you this time. You just wait!”

    Elsewhere, in a separate reality, a figure was flying high above Twist Mountain, smiling to himself. The plan had worked perfectly, just as he had intended… he’d giving the boy the uniform, and now the boy had exactly what he wanted: strength and escape. The transformation into a Sawk had given him all the strength he could ever want, and the memory and reality change had given him a chance to escape completely, to the point where he no longer even remembered who he was. Of course, both Marshal and his parents had forgotten about him as well. Everything had gone perfectly, just as the wish maker had planned.

    As the figure continued to fly, he reflected on what he had done… and why he loved doing it so much. Though he granted all sorts of wishes, the transformation wishes were always the ones that he seemed to enjoy the most… because of how much potential they seemed to give. To him, they were a chance to escape, a chance to start over… a chance to be someone or something else entirely. After being transformed, there was limitless potential for a person’s new life, though what they did with it was completely up to them. And that was what he loved about transforming others: the sheer limitless potential their new lives had.

    Smiling, the Jirachi quickly flew away from Twist Mountain, in search of new wishes to grant… in search of new lifes to improve, new things to give, and, of course, new people to transform.