Husbandry
By Saliaven Chronotis
Chapter 1: Oak's assignments
"I've got the energy ready."
"Trying to bind it."
"The power is attempting to get free."
"Almost there... almost there..."
"I'm losing it. It'll explode any second now!"
"Got it!" And with that, Ash and Misty worked their first tandem spell,
binding nature's energy into a ring. What they were supposed to do with
it was more of a mystery.
"How am I supposed to know what it does?" Misty shouted for the fourth
time.
"You got the energy!"
"You're the one who shaped it into that ring!"
"I was working improv, the spell said that in order to bind most spells
into an item, to work with it until it was that shape. There's nothing
in here about what to do if the spell happens to be free energy."
"In other words, you attempted to use arcane magic on a druidic force.
You're lucky it didn't turn your chair into a tree."
"Now have some faith."
"You can't even tell me what it does!"
"You're the one who made the spell, I just pushed it in."
"The only thing I did was summon nature's force. It's supposed to fuel
more powerful natural spells."
"Then maybe that's what the ring does. Why'd you try that one anyway?"
"It was the first thing I could think of that would come in handy."
"Put it on then, and try a high mana spell."
"Right then." Misty jammed the ring onto a nearby finger, held it up
and shouted in nature's language. The library table their books were
resting on warped and leaves shot out of it. Twisting the ring and
muttering another syllable, the table returned to being a normal piece
of furniture. "Happy now? You've created a druidic spell maximizer. I
didn't even know that arcane and druidic magic could be put together
like that. You got lucky this time."
"Balderdash, I knew what I was doing all the time."
Misty had only enough time to snort at that before a kid with an
official League pin on walked up and said "Master Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"You've been requested and required to come to Pallette Town
immediately."
"On whose authority?"
"Professor Oak's"
"Since when did the professor outrank me?" Ash murmured.
"Ash" Misty said "being first of four puts you into the highest ranks
of the League, but you're by far not the highest up. You can write
League laws, but those above have to accept them."
"Yes, yes, I knew that, but I wasn't aware Oak was one of them."
"Well, you'd best get over there, he doesn't sound like he's kidding.
Summoning you like that must mean he's got something important to tell
you."
The messenger spoke again "I'm also to tell you that you are to come
alone. This assignment is totally classified."
Misty shrugged "some extra time for me to practice, and you can visit
your mom while your over there. And remember" she said to the messenger
"that I am the second of four, I have access to all classified info, so
don't give me any of that lip."
"Right, then." Ash pulled a pin off his protective robe and threw it up
into the air, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Showoff."
Ash arrived in front of Pallette Town pokelab's door, and walked in
unannounced, calling "Professor?"
"Hi, Ash. I've been waiting for you, sit down."
"Thanks." Ash sat, and waited for Oak to get to whatever it was he
wanted to tell him. He didn't have to wait long.
"This is rather a delicate topic, but it is one that I think you will
ultimately benefit from. You see, the Pokemon mating season has begun,
and some of our charges need a little help to get going."
"I see, and what does this have to do with me?"
"Well, you've always been helpful to this lab, and we know that the pay
for being an Elite Four member and a gym leader doesn't amount to much.
It's why so many of our other members have businesses on the side.
We're willing to offer you a rather handsome salary for this job. You
see-"
"You want me to help the Pokemon mate?" Ash interrupted.
"Well, in a word, yes."
"That's crazy, what could I do that you can't do ten times better?"
"I'm getting on in years, and I can't do everything I used to."
Ash suppressed a laugh "Sir, you're close to your ten-thousand, one
hundredth birthday, I can't imagine age has much to do with this."
"I'm not using my powers to help me do this, and believe it or not, I
happen to have bad joints. I am an old man after all, no matter how
long I've been preserved like this."
"Fine, how do you expect me to do anything? I'm not even sure what
you're talking about."
"To answer that, I'll call in the person I've brought here to help
you." Pressing an intercom button in the wall, he said, "You may come
in now."
The doors to the inner lab rooms opened, and Duplica walked in. "Hey
Ashy-Boy, it's been too long since we worked together in my element."
"Not long enough, and I think I'm starting to get the picture here, but
I still have a doubt. Why not cut me out and have Duplica do this
herself?"
"Duplica is too much a Pokemon, she would be detected, and she doesn't
want to have a reputation like that. You, on the other hand, in your
human form, are almost impossible to detect as an identity other than
that conferred by Duplica's copious skill."
Duplica inclined her head "you flatter me."
Ash looked up, sighed and said, "Fine, have it your way. It's true that
we could use the money, and besides" he grinned "it's not like I
haven't done this sort of thing before."
Oak smiled "splendid, Duplica and I will just hammer out the details,
and we'll have you at your job in no time."
"Wait one moment." Ash said, "I have one more request. In addition to
the money, you are to allow me to keep any implement I use."
"If you promise to work for me next year as well, it's a deal."
"OK, then. I accept as well."
Oak and Duplica walked out of the room, leaving Ash to his own devices.
Once they were far enough away, Duplica turned around, with mischief in
her eyes. "I note that you didn't tell him the ultimate reason for all
this."
"Since when did you care about Ash's mental comfort?"
"Never. I'm just curious to know why you lied to him."
"I didn't lie." Oak said smoothly "I merely left out a key detail that
may never come up."
Duplica grinned wolfishly "the hell it won't. On the other hand, I've
got to see where this is going. Ash has always been a great subject,
and I must admit to being excited at the prospects."
"Mind you be discrete, my dear."
"Always, my lord."
Chapter 2: Ready for Anything
Ash had decided after Oak left to go visit his mom and on the way, he'd
been informed that his work would begin the next day. This was good,
since he hadn't had a chance in awhile to visit, and he thought that it
was about time he stayed awhile to catch up. Mimey greeted him
cheerfully as he walked up the path, reminding him of a less enjoyable
time as a Pokemon. Well, he was sure that wouldn't be the case this
time. Oak had obviously informed Delila that Ash was coming, since she
had already set and extra place at the table for him.
Over dinner, Delila quizzed Ash about the status of his studies and his
gym, and Ash learned what was happening in Pallette of late.
Eventually, the topic moved to pokelabs business, and why Ash had been
called back to his home town.
"So now you work for yet another Pokemon agency."
"Well, Oak had a point. Things have been slow at the League of late,
and I'm paid on commission."
"Now, Ash. All you had to do was ask me, I'd be perfectly willing to
help you out."
"Aw mom, I'm out in the world now, I can't be mooching off you all the
time. I'm supposed to be an example."
"You're still a kid."
"I'm a master of the League."
"You're still my son." As the conversation wandered off, Ash thought
about his upcoming job. His ruminating continued right up to the point
where he fell asleep, where he dreamed he was being chased by a love-
crazed Brock pokemorph.
The next day, Ash went to the lab in high spirits, even with all the
feelings that this was going to go bad. The professor would never let
something like that happen to him, would he? Shaking his head to clear
his thoughts, Ash went around back to the Pokemon enclosures, where the
Professor said he would be waiting. Oak motioned Ash to come with him
inside to one of the lab rooms, where Duplica was waiting with a look
of barely contained mirth on her face, not a good sign. Oak turned and
said, "OK, Ash, we're going to start with something easy to get you
used to this method. We've got a male ninetails who's been down for a
while now."
Duplica stepped forward with a white bundle in her hands. "This is
where it gets interesting."
Ash took it and looked over at the professor "I'm not sure how this is
supposed to work."
Duplica answered first "my work in this case is to be used by anyone,
including you. Well, especially you. I've made it as easy as possible,
just take off your clothes and put it on."
Oak cleared his throat, "if you would like us to leave the room until
you're ready..."
"I think that would be nice."
Duplica followed as Oak left the room. "Do you think he'll go through
with this?"
"It's a challenge, and Ash is a sucker for challenges. And by the way,
try to look a little more solemn, he's having a lot of trouble with
this as is."
"Aye, sir. One thing, can we watch?"
Oak let himself half smile "if it would make you happy, I'm sure I can
get a remote link to the surveillance cameras on the monitor."
"Oh, goody."
Meanwhile, Ash had taken hold of one end, and let the costume fall to
the floor until it was totally extended, bending over for a moment as
he found it heavier than expected. He had to hand it to Duplica again,
the House of Imite always did good work. From the expressive eyes, to
the slight creaming at the tailtips, this was a perfect replica of a
ninetails, and it would only get better when worn, he could tell. What
he was having trouble with, was an opening. How did they expect him to
get it on, if the zipper was so well hidden he couldn't even find it?
Wait, what had Duplica said? Especially him? On a hunch, he engaged his
psychic amplifier and gave the command for a zipper to appear in the
back, and he was only half surprised to find that one had. Well, he
wasn't sure how he liked to put these things on, so he'd try a rear
opening this time, and maybe test somewhere else later. It opened with
nary a whisper, revealing an interior that was warm slippery and soft
to the touch. Like he'd thought before, the house of Imite always did
good work. He found a chair, and sat down, with the costume open in
front of him. Trying not to feel weird doing it, he put one foot into
the corresponding leg, which expanded as he slipped it in, following
with the second. He stood up to continue, almost losing his balance on
the different foot structure of the Pokemon. Bending down to pick up
the top half, Ash pulled the legs so there were no wrinkles, and
continued. There was a special slip between the legs so his genitals
would not show on the outside, which confused him at first, and then
made his face redden a little as he realized what that part was for. He
put one arm into the appropriate hole, and used the other to pull it as
best he could into the glove that ended a few inches short of the paw,
giving him control of the claws and pads with a few hand twitches. The
other arm proved to be even more difficult, since the paw his hand was
in was not nearly as dexterous as opposable thumbs, and so he settled
for getting it on as far as he could, and then flexing his shoulders to
tighten the chest. This left the mask hanging down, and the zipper
open, which he realized he couldn't possibly manipulate with no hands.
So he shifted the mass of tails behind him and sat down on the chair,
to wait for the others to come back in, figuring they'd come when they
thought he'd had enough time.
Duplica and the professor, during that time, had been watching, though
it would be more accurate to say Duplica was watching, while Oak was
fiddling with one of his pokeball upgrades. Her muffled giggling was
starting to get a little out of hand when she stood up and bent over
his shoulder.
"Yes?"
"He's about as finished as he can be, I think we'd better go in now and
help him finish up. By the way, I owe you a dollar."
"He got both arms in?"
"Indeed he did."
"Splendid, I told you he never passed up a challenge." They took their
time walking over, since Oak didn't want it known Duplica had been
observing him, even though she protested that he'd willingly let her
see it before. On arriving, they found that Ash had managed to
manipulate the remote well enough to find something on TV he'd like to
watch (and passing another dollar from Duplica to Oak), and he stood
up, saying "finally, it was getting a little difficult sitting like
this."
Duplica walked up behind him and pulled the zipper to his neck, saying
"you should have called."
"I wasn't sure how, and something is bothering me. How am I supposed to
pass for a ninetails when my human proportions are sticking out, my
arms and legs are way to thick."
"Your perspicacity is well received, but unnecessary. Although I may be
lithe enough to slip into one of these at its proper size, I do not
expect you to be capable of such a thing. It will adjust automatically
once the system is activated, do not worry."
"Another thing, how functional is this costume?"
Duplica blinked, as if surprised "fully functional" then she lowered
her voice an octave, in a mock whisper, winking "and anatomically
correct. Oh, and the mask will have to be adjusted by you, so that all
the openings go in the right places."
Ash grabbed the bottom edge as best he could and pulled it up over his
head, pulling and fiddling until the eye, nose, mouth and ear holes
were all positioned in front of the corresponding features on his face.
Duplica grabbed the zipper, hesitated and said, "if we weren't here to
help you, how would you have pulled the zipper up?"
"I don't know." Ash replied, severely muffled inside. A dollar
disappeared from Oak's pocket.
"For further reference, you leave one arm out, reach back and pull it
closed from the inside."
"Right." Duplica twisted the zipper, locking the mask to the back of
the costume. Ash took a moment to let his mind wander to how it felt
inside the fursuit, and found that it was very cozy inside. He stifled
the urge to hug himself with great difficulty.
"Do you want the change to be slow, or quick?"
"Quick today."
"Then mentally instruct it to activate."
Ash did so, and a tingling sensation began to build up in his feet,
which ached as the back paws of the costume became the size of that of
an actual ninetails. It went up his legs, which became slimmer with a
lot less pain, and then to his hips, which changed shape almost
totally, forcing him to fall on all fours, and he also felt a weird
sort of weight behind him, and was conscious of the tails. He gave them
an experimental wave, and was delighted to see and feel them obey his
command. By then, the change had reached his wrists and shoulders,
causing slightly more pain as they were compacted. His head was like
the tails, as he was connected to the ears and muzzle. He tried to say
how amazing all this was, but all that came out was a string of Pokemon
language.
Duplica allowed herself a half smile "like I said, fully functional.
You now speak and understand Pokemon, among other changes. Observe."
She pulled a brush out of her pocket and ran it along Ash's back, which
he arched instinctively. With a great effort, he managed to stop that
from happening on the second run, causing yet another dollar to go from
Duplica to Oak. "You have many of the reflexes of the Pokemon, although
since you are still a human in a very good fursuit, you can block them
when you need to."
Oak walked over "now I think it's time, Ash, for you to earn your pay."
He opened the door to the outer enclosures, and walked out, Duplica and
Ash following to a cage containing a male ninetails. Ash found that he
could tell just by being near him and the smell. Oak turned around "one
thing before you go in. Male ninetails are rare, which is why this is
important, and for good reason. They are incredibly foul-mouthed
creatures, and have a tendency to cause other Pokemon to either stay
away or obliterate them on sight. We were lucky to have rescued this
one, he'd said something very insulting to that large mutant tentecruel
that lives under the floating resort ruins. You may want to block out
what he says to you, since although most are smart enough to keep their
traps shut during mating season, this one has proven himself to be very
stupid." Even past the mask of the costume, Oak could tell there was a
look of trepidation on Ash's face "don't worry, you'll do fine. Like I
said, this is an easy one. The other ninetails won't go near him as
long as he's talking, and that's depressed him, but once he's been
reminded what he must do and when it is, I'm sure things will go well."
Pressing a button on the outside of the cage, the door opened, and Oak
shooed Ash inside. He and Duplica hurried over to the nearest
monitoring station to keep an eye on things. Duplica leaned over
"remember, up to two minutes, it's your win, up to six, it's mine, and
past that all bets are off.
Inside the cage, Ash was starting to feel very vulnerable as the other
Pokemon opened one eye and examined him. It closed the eye and quietly
said "******* off, *****" Ash decided to give the thing the best squint
he could muster, and was almost as surprised as the male that he had
accidentally accessed his malevolent look attack, and the male had been
temporarily frozen. Ash wondered how female ninetails usually go about
getting mates interested, and remembered a nature show on Pokemon
mating he remembered. Okay, all mammal Pokemon were proud of their
tails, especially the ones that had good reason, there was the scene
that he changed the channel because it was about to get yucky, lets
hope that doesn't happen to me, contact is usually a sign of arousal.
Ash did his best to look aroused by waving his tails and wiggling his
rear as he walked over to the male, and noticed that the other Pokemon
was starting to noticeably breathe. He brushed his side and a couple
tails on the other ninetails as he walked by, and the male stood up,
and silently followed. OK, mission accomplished, now where was Oak?
In the monitor room, Oak took another dollar from Duplica, who had
begun to grumble that Ash was going to bankrupt her by the end of this,
and started out the door. Duplica gave him a petulant look "aw, can't
we wait another thirty seconds, I want to see how Ash deals with being
mounted."
"I'll allow nothing of the kind, and I'm amazed to think that you would
either."
"Now, now, there only needs to be one responsible one here, if I were
to be alone in this, I'd probably get him out now too." She hit the
release button on the door, let Ash agility out, and shut the door
again. She gave Oak a quarter. "We didn't have a bet on that one, but I
think you deserve it for the faith you have in his ability." By the
time they reached Ash, he was in the other room, had deactivated the
resizing systems, and had even gotten the zipper unlocked. Pulling the
mask down off his head, he shook it and grinned. "Well, I think that
went very well."
"I think it did, especially considering this was your first shot." Oak
replied as Ash reversed the process Duplica had told him about, and
getting the zipper down. "I think that we'll knock off for the day."
"Oh?"
"Yes, we'll start doing more than one daily when you've gotten a little
more used to it."
"Right, then. I'll be off." Picking up the merchandise part of his
payment, Ash took his leave.
Right before he did, however, Duplica took her parting shot "I'd like
us to try the vulpix tomorrow."
Oak leaned over to her and quietly said "you really needed to give him
something to think about?"
"Can't let him get complacent just because he got lucky. I mean really,
did you expect him to figure out that he had to get tough with the male
first, before he gave it the sexy sexy so fast?"
"Not that quick, I admit, although remember that you had to have all
the costumes specially spelled so that the others wouldn't detect his
Chosen One power emanations, although I suspect that you, not realizing
that it would give Ash an advantage, left it so that he could still
broadcast on that level. His bond with all Pokemon gave him the
intuitive accident that he's so well known for in the battling arena."
Ash decided halfway back to his mom's house not to worry about what was
in store for him the next day. Instead, he worried about something more
important, what was for dinner. Somehow, this escapade had lasted out
past lunch and it was closing on the dinner hour. Ash hoped that his
mom had come through and cooked her usual fare of more than necessary
of everything. She was the only person he knew who could never be
caught cooking with leftovers, but logically had to. Dinner was as
great as he had hoped and expected, and his mom tempered her questions
about his day with discretion, knowing Duplica's reputation. Ash was
very tired by the time he got to bed, but a slightly wicked thought had
crept into his mind, and it couldn't be made to leave. He still
couldn't identify the material inside the costume, but he did know that
it was very warm and comfortable. Instead of his pajamas that night,
Ash tried sleeping in the costume, and found it to be an excellent
alternate. In her bed that night, Duplica slept all the better for
knowing that Oak owed her a dollar the next day. She was actually
surprised she'd won that one, Ash had much better taste than she'd
pegged him for.
Chapter 3: Polymorph Your Mother, Fireball Your Friend
Ash was the sort of person who woke up very quickly, jumped out of bed,
and immediately attacked the day's work from the get go. The first
thing to do is always clear, go to the bathroom and brush your teeth.
He was halfway down the hall when he realized something was wrong, and
stopped completely. There was too much weight going backwards, he felt
oddly claustrophobic, and his head seemed to be inside something. His
body woke quickly, his mind took a moment to take stock and figure out
why his mouth wasn't opening with shock at this new development. It
couldn't because the mask was stopping it. He finally realized what was
happening, and just managed to dive back into his bedroom before his
mom opened her door to go into the bathroom herself.
Breathing heavily, he scrabbled around and managed to unlock the zipper
somehow. Pulling down the zipper, he ripped the costume off and shoved
it deep into the closet, hoping that no one would find it until he
could find a better place. The rest of the morning went well enough,
and as his mom kissed him on the forehead, he hoped that today would be
even more exciting. Another challenge to be met, and another battle to
be won, that was what a Pokemon master knew to be the real meaning of
hardship.
Oak was waiting in the usual place in the lab, Duplica fiddling with
something small and red. "Ah, Ash. We'll be beginning today with
something that will be hard only if you let it get to you."
"I'm ready anytime, Professor."
"Good, we'll be helping to re-energize a male Vulpix."
"A Vulpix?" Ash said, stunned "but Professor, I'm way too big to be
compacted into a vulpix!"
Duplica turned her head "you'd think so, wouldn't you?"
"Well, yes."
Duplica tutted, "have some faith in me, Ashy-boy. Two things, one is
that this particular costume has a little magic in it to change the
size of the user painlessly to that of a vulpix. Second, you forget
that your pikachu form is just the right size to not require that, so
choose. Magic transformation using my item, or magic transformation
using your own talents?"
"Today, I think I'd like to test your magic. I didn't know you did
enchanting, and I'd like to see how well your handiwork does."
"How sweet, but remember, I learn anything I have to in order to
further my art."
"Me too."
Oak walked over to Duplica "Since you seem to be raring to go, we'll
just leave you to get ready."
Ash looked confusedly at the small red pile on Oak's desk. "How do I
get into it, anyway?"
Duplica smirked "it stretches, of course."
"Oh, right."
Duplica gave him a big wink before she and Oak left the room, once
again, she immediately was glued to the monitor screen, while the
Professor worked on other Lab business. Ash, meanwhile, was looking
over the empty vulpix costume, remembering the interface on the last
one. He decided that today, he'd like to try out a front opening
zipper. It whispered open, to reveal a lining identical to that of
yesterday's costume. Not sure what to do, he sat down and put his foot
into the leg of the costume, and then the other foot. With no other
ideas, he pulled, finding that the legs easily stretched over his own,
shoving his arm into one of the holes before it could snap back. He
stood up to adjust what he'd gotten on so far, once again getting all
the stray appendages into their proper places. Getting the other arm
into the costume wasn't too difficult, and he managed to get both on
either side of the zipper to pull it up to his neck. Finally, he got
his fingers to stick out by virtue of the stretchy material, so he
could grab the edges of the vulpix mask attached to the back and pull
it over his head. When he had managed to adjust the features properly,
he felt a tingling all over, and everything became much taller.
In the other room, Duplica reached into her pocket "here, four dollars
for various bets, but I'm withholding two, since he got himself in too
far to operate the intercom to call us in."
Oak looked up from is work and took the money, "don't be so sure" and
as he said it, a blue aura surrounded the newly formed vulpix, and they
both heard a voice in their heads "ready here."
Duplica wordlessly handed Oak the other two dollars, and they got up to
give Ash his final briefing, and get things rolling out among the
enclosures.
As soon as Duplica walked in, she gathered Ash up in her arms and
proclaimed "how cute!" Ash decided to test another ability, and when
she let him down, he discreetly spit an ember into one of her shoes. As
Oak opened the doors, leading out to the enclosures, Duplica frowned
and started to visibly limp. Ash smiled in a vulpine manner, and Oak
began to brief him on the situation.
"This is a completely different problem, actually. Vulpixes are
actually very polite in both genders, and this one is such a gentleman,
he refuses to "take advantage" of the females. You have to make him
believe that it's for the best."
"Vul!" Ash confirmed.
"I'll leave you to it, then." Oak opened the enclosure that had held
the male ninetails the day before, revealing a male vulpix, who was a
lot more animated, as he played with a rubber ball. Ash walked in
slowly, trying to figure out what to do, but circumstance took away any
chance for him to plan, as the other vulpix tossed the ball at him, and
he bounced it back, starting a game. While chasing the other vulpix,
who had run away with the ball, Ash realized he was doing exactly what
he should be. If the other one became familiar with him, he might get
his chance at that. Ash leaped at his new playmate, knocking the ball
from his mouth, and landing on top of him, both of them laughing. At
that proximity, Ash could smell that the vulpix was starting to get
aroused, and he jumped off, running for the ball. He was just starting
to get close when a weight pressed down, and he found himself under his
playmate, whom he could tell wasn't very interested in the game
anymore. There was a moment of stillness, and he felt himself get
lifted out from under the male vulpix, and carried away by Professor
Oak. "I think you've done enough, Ash."
When they reached the inside of the lab, Ash jumped down from Oak's
arms, concentrated, and found himself humanoid again. He brushed the
mask back off his head, gave his hair a brush and said, "whoo, that was
exercise."
"Well, don't get too tired" Oak replied "we have another job for you
yet today."
Ash looked up "oh?"
"Yes, it's rather important, and you'll need someone else for this,
since we'll be working with a herd of rapidash."
Duplica made as if to suggest something, but Oak discreetly stepped on
her foot. Ash, not noticing any of this said, "the only person I would
feel right sharing with would be Misty."
"She has been asking after you, wondering when you'll be back. I've
told her you're on special mission that I'm not at liberty to talk
about, since I wasn't sure how you'd take it if she found out. If you
like, I'll send for her."
"I'll never hear the end from her, but that's the price I have to pay
for us being together."
Oak whistled, and an abra appeared. Oak produced a letter, and gave it
to the abra "give this to mistress Misty."
"Abra." It disappeared, almost instantly reappearing with Misty beside
it.
"That was fast." Ash remarked.
"Was it? I got the message five minutes ago, it wasn't that long."
Oak cut in "Standing instructions for delivering messages. I got tired
of the lag time, so I send my Pokemon back a couple minutes."
"That's a handy trick, I'll have to remember it. Ash takes so long to
get ready, maybe I'll try that next time we go somewhere."
"I take a long time? You start a week before."
"That's because I'm smart."
"It's because you can't decide between the blue and the pink
toothbrush."
Oak interrupted before Misty could retort, "I think it's time we got
down to business."
Misty grinned maliciously "ah yes, Ash's new job. Just like old times,
aye, Ashley?"
Ash looked petulant "can't you just make something that changes my
size, like the others?" He said to Duplica.
Duplica laughed, "Ash, this is a rush job, and you don't have the time
to try and learn how to walk right."
"I morph into a quadruped."
"Not such a tall one. The joints are all different, you'd trip."
Misty muttered, "he trips enough already." And more loudly "I'll be in
front, I think."
Ash said, "Rats, I never get to be in front."
"That's because the only time we let you, you led us both into a gravel
quarry."
"I couldn't see straight."
"Exactly, and I can, so that's that."
Grumbling, Ash agreed, and Duplica produced the costume. "The front
half has two ways of entry depending. I'm assuming you want to use your
legs instead of your arms?"
"I think that would be wise."
Duplica pulled the head off, "right, just get in, and reattach this
when everything else is secured." She and Oak walked out of the room.
"Still keeping your bets on this?"
"Of course."
In the other room, Ash managed to pull the rest of the vulpix suit off,
and stuck it in the bottom of his bookbag. Misty had, by then, gotten
her clothes off and pulled the front half on, and was holding the front
up in modesty. Ash picked up the bottom half, sat down, and pulled his
legs into it, wondering how the costume would change his knees to
invert like the costume's obviously looked like they were trying to. It
was huge around him, and he found no way of holding it up, though he
did notice half a zipper track on the outside of the hole he'd climbed
into, mirrored by the half-track on the back of Misty's. It was kind of
silly for her to try and hold on to a semblance of modesty, since they
were so close, and since the back of her costume showed so much
already. Noticing him staring, she gave him a dirty look, walked over,
and pushed him on the back of the head. "C'mon, we have to get these
things connected before anything else." Ash found a zipper on the back
of her half, and slipped the track of his into the zipper on hers. She
twisted around, and ran it around all the way, then smoothed the hair
of the costume over the zipper track, obscuring it. She bent down and
picked up the rapidash head, looking it over. It was, as usual, a
perfect representation of the Pokemon being dealt with, but she
wondered how the fires of it's mane and tail would work, or how she
would even be able to see without any visible holes. Well, this was
Duplica she was talking about, and she'd never failed before. Ash,
meanwhile, was wondering what was taking so long and had decided to get
Misty's attention in a rather personal way, earning the almost formed
'horse' a whack on the rump with a nearby flat board. Taking a
fortifying breath, Misty raised the head over her own and put her arms
down, letting the piece fall onto her upper half. She wiggled, getting
it flush against the rest of the costume, and found a couple of straps
to put her arms into so the head wouldn't shift, and she used them.
With everything attached, she asked "what now?"
Since they were both inside, Ash could hear her very well, and he
answered "it's psychically activated. Ready?"
"As ready as I can be." Ash gave the command, and they felt everything
shift. The fires roared to life, Misty found herself looking out from a
strange perspective; Ash could feel the tail and had rear-facing knees.
Obviously, this was anther fast acting costume.
In the other room, Oak noticed that they were finished getting ready,
but Duplica was still watching. "What are we waiting for?"
"A chance to see them together like that is something that comes up far
too rarely, I think I'd like to find out how things go without our help
first."
Oak gave a nod "in this case, I agree with you. We need to let them get
used to the idea before we send them to work."
Ash and Misty, however, weren't agreeing so much. 'Why do you keep
tripping?'
'Why do you keep taking steps without telling me you're going?'
'I'm in front, you should be ready for me to get going, since we might
have to make a speedy retreat!'
'I haven't yet had to give up, and I'm not going to have you making me
start now.'
'Fine! But we have to find a way to move properly.'
'If you open your mind totally to me-'
'No! I'm not going to give you that sort of access for so long!'
'Can you think of anything else?'
'No, but I'm sure I will soon.'
'Until then, we'll have to open up, become of one mind.'
'OK, but I'm keeping at least half differentiation.'
'You only need to let me in to your senses and first level conscious
thoughts'
They both concentrated, and Ash found himself looking at both the
rather arousing inside of the costume, and the lab through double
peripheral vision. He could feel Misty's displeasure at his reactions.
'You're such a boy, will you concentrate on the job at hand.'
'Don't spoil it, there's no part of you that isn't cute.'
'Normally, I'd agree, but right now, we have to concentrate. Let's see
how well be walk like this.' They took a hesitant step, and found that
with their senses combined, it was a breeze to keep balance and stride.
In the other room, Duplica was currently at 3:5 losing, and not liking
it. At least they'd tripped at first, which was a consolation, but
perhaps it was time to have faith in Ash and just enjoy watching Ash do
all of this. Besides, she was running out of money. Turning to Oak, she
said, "I think they're ready now. Oh, and I'm retracting all my bets
from here forward."
Oak gave her a bright look "So you've learned to trust Ash's
instincts?"
"Maybe not that far, but I do have more faith in him than I used to. I
always knew he was good with the Pokemon world, I guess that skill and
empathy ride over into everything Pokemon related. If I wasn't so good
at my job, I'd be almost afraid of him as a rival change master. He's a
lot more calm about this than I had expected." She got up and followed
Oak out the door to the lab room Ash had taken as a changing room.
As they led Ash and Misty out into the fields where the other large
quadrupeds grazed, Oak gave them their briefing, "the male rapidash in
this case have been too busy at play to notice that the season has
arrived, and the females have all settled down to wait for a suitable
male to make the first move. Your job is to remind them when it is and
what they should be doing."
When they arrived in the fields, Duplica said, "giddyup" and slapped
Ash on the rump, causing his part of the joined mind to wonder how many
more times he'd have to deal with this.
When Ash and Misty had gotten far enough away, Duplica turned to Oak
and said, "how do we watch them now?"
Oak pointed to a tower on one edge of the field, "there's a decent view
from up there." Duplica ran over to it as fast as possible, but saw
that the box on top was only large enough for one person. When Oak
arrived, he said, "I have little interest in seeing this. You go up,
I'll attend to some paperwork I have to do.
Duplica looked over to Oak and winked. "I have a way, I think. You just
go up there, and I'll find my own way."
Oak shrugged and started walking up the stairs to his observation box.
Arriving there, he sat down on the chair he'd left up there and watched
the proceedings down below. Presently, he realized that two oblong
objects in front of the window were obscuring part of the view. He
leaned out the window, and saw Duplica dangling her legs off the edge
of the roof, with a set of white wings sticking out of the top of her
T-shirt. She waved to him and he went back to his seat, shaking his
head. Young people today.
Ash and Misty, meanwhile saw the two groups of rapidash, and trotted up
to the ones who were racing each other.
'What should we do?'
'I have no idea.'
'You're the one who's job this is!'
'I've never had a case like this.'
'Okay, first thing, we remind them it's mating season.'
'Right!'
They started walking towards the largest group of males, mimicking the
movements they saw on the Pokemon channel. The males looked up for a
moment, but seemed uninterested, going back to seeing which one was
fastest. They then tried rubbing up against one of the others, but it
just walked away. Misty's temper began to take over, and she kicked the
largest male in the side as hard as she could. Ash realized what could
be done with this, and wiggled his part of the costume as hard as
possible, while sending his plan to Misty. They reversed course and
started to gallop towards the female section. The large male followed,
with some of his friends in tow. Ash and Misty reached the females, and
tried to blend in with them as the males arrived. As the two rapidash
groups met, other pockets of males saw what was happening, and cantered
over. Taking this to mean their job was done, the two humans tried to
get out as quietly as possible, but noticed that the large rapidash
they'd kicked was still following them. This called for drastic
measures, so they engaged their agility and galloped as fast as
possible for the exit. Ash quickly disengaged the costume, managed to
get the zipper partway open, and keyed the combination to open the
door. They leaped out and activated the closing mechanism as fast as
possible. They made their way back to the lab room to get out of the
costume and get dressed.
By the end of it, Duplica had almost fallen off the observation tower
laughing, and the Professor was having a little trouble keeping a smile
off his face. Those two really did think and act fast together when
they needed to, he observed. If only they were so harmonious normally,
he might get some quiet time when they were around. Without realizing,
he slid down the firepole he'd had installed in the tower in case he
needed to get out quickly, and slowly walked back into the lab, Duplica
landing beside him and retracting her wings into her body.
When they arrived in the lab room, Misty realized she would have some
difficulty getting out. She squirmed and thrashed, but she couldn't
seem to get her arms free of their straps, and so the headpiece
continued to stay secured to the rest of the costume. What was worse,
soon after they had finished in the paddock, she'd broken the mental
link with Ash, and disengaged the costume so she could get out, so she
was totally blind to what was happening around her. What she felt,
however, was a breeze on her backside as Ash opened the zipper the rest
of the way and got out. She tried to call to him to help her out, but
her voice was muffled totally by the costume, or so she thought since
he wasn't helping her. What Ash was doing was thinking. Here was Misty,
stuck totally, and he needed to think of a way to get her back for
sticking him in the back half, even if it was successful. Getting an
idea, he called to Misty "I'm going to try and get you out." He then
very carefully slipped one leg, and then the other into the rear of
Misty's half of the costume, bent over, and got himself right in behind
her, saying "well this is nice and cozy, isn't it?" He felt Misty
stiffen, and when she heard him trying not to laugh yell "Ash Ketchum!
Do you ever even try acting mature?"
He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her on the shoulder "now
where would be the fun in that?" He made a petulant sound and then
said, "Well, if you insist on business first..." He held the strap
steady, and Misty managed to extricate one arm and then the other. She
was very aware of the closeness over her husband's body, and decided to
give him a treat. She quickly grabbed him, using him for support as she
quickly switched herself around in the costume, held him close, and
kissed him passionately. When they finally broke, she looked at him
coquettishly and said "was that what you were looking for?"
Ash gulped and whispered "something of the sort."
Misty giggled and pushed the headpiece off them. Realizing they were
both naked, she scooped up her clothes, and retreated to another room
to dress. Ash rolled his eyes, trying to understand why they could do
all that, but she still needed to get dressed privately, and pulled on
his own clothes. They were married, after all. All right, it would be a
couple years yet before the whole thing kicked in as legal, and they
were both aware that until then, they could both be brought up for
statutory rape if things got too serious beforehand, but it was still
silly. She could barely hold a eighteen-year-old body long enough, and
since they were still physically ten and twelve, it made no sense.
Oak walked into the room after a few minutes, and said, "Well, Ash. I
think that's a good days work, don't you? Misty has gone back to your
gym, and told me to tell you that she hopes this will last you until
your done here." Ash thanked him and walked out of the lab, but then
something in his gut made him turn back and look through the lab
window. Something was bothering him, something about how all the
projects he had done, had cast him as a female. Surely some females
were having difficulty. He saw an arcanine sitting in the room, with
Oak talking to it. The arcanine listened carefully, and then it's head
popped off, revealing Gary. Ash wasn't an expert on the subject, but
Brock had taught him a few signs, and he noted that the arcanine that
Gary had been impersonating was a male. This answered one question, but
brought up a few more. Why Gary? Ash shook his head and decided that he
would think more on the subject at home, there was nothing more to see
here, he was certain, and if he hung around, one of the Oaks might
notice.
Ash took the short walk home a little more slowly than usual this time,
taking it to think more about what was going on. He may have been a few
synapses short of a normal speed intellect, but once he got there, he
was usually as good as anyone else, and there was a lot of weird things
going on once he thought about it. He slowed down as the next train of
thought stopped at his station, Gary was taking male Pokemon, and he
was taking females. He was married, and Gary was single. The next thing
he thought of stopped him dead in his tracks. Oh no, not again, the
Professor would never go as far as that for his grandson, would he.
That was a hiccup in time; Saliaven himself said that the odds of it
happening now that he was forewarned were miniscule. And yet... the
reason it became small was that the knowledge would make him able to
avoid it, and Ash was beginning to realize why temporal magic was
forbidden. He could do nothing, thus hoping that the knowledge would
allow him to avoid it when it came, or he could work on hunches, not
knowing when or where the change would occur, but trying to avoid it.
This was pretty obvious but... no, trying to untangle a causality knot
was pointless, he'd just have to do as he always did and take things as
they came. That was what being a master was all about, turning the
unexpected into an advantage.
His first sight when opening the door was an empty house; perfectly
normal considering now was when Delila usually went upstairs to have a
nap. What wasn't normal made itself known when he'd closed the door and
settled on the couch to watch some TV, maybe tuning in to the Pokemon
channel to see if he could pick up any more tips for his job. A white
shape flashed down the hall and leaped up, pinning him to his seat. He
saw the face of a ninetails very close to his own, but felt no breath,
and there was a giggling, as if from far away. Shifting himself
slightly in his seat, Ash said, "Mom?"
The ninetails scrambled into a humanoid sitting position next to him
and pushed the back of it's head off, revealing the face of Delila
Ketchum, "So this is the work you try to keep a secret from me."
"You never asked, and since when did you enjoy that sort of thing?"
"Since when did you keep this sort of thing from me?" She countered.
"Anything else I should know about?"
Ash muttered something and tried to get upstairs with his bookbag, but
Delila had noticed the extra weight and said, "Interesting that your
bookbag was empty when you left."
"This is none of your concern."
Delila made a serious face "Ash Ketchum, you come right down here and
show me what you got today. To think that after all this time you'd be
ashamed of anything around me."
Ash said, "fine" and let his mom open his bag and see what was inside.
She pulled the top half of the ninetails costume off, revealing that
she'd put it on over her clothes and pulled out the rapidash halves,
setting them aside with an appraising glace at her son, and then found
the vulpix costume made as small as possible on the bottom. Lifting it
out, she slid a hand into an arm and one into a leg and pulled, finding
that the costume was stretchy enough to probably cover a full size
person. "What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked, both to
herself and to Ash.
Ash was having a rather tiring day and had a lot on his mind, so he
just gave his mom a tired look and said, "try it on, why don't you."
Delila gave him a skeptical look, shrugged, and kicked off the rest of
the ninetails costume, and set about stretching the vulpix on. She had
little difficulty getting the zipper up to her neck and locking it in,
but that was as far as her luck held, as she disappeared, replaced by a
proper vulpix. Ash remembered that Duplica had made it so that it only
had to be psychically turned off, and while his mom was trying to sort
out what happened, Ash first tried deactivating it with no response and
then stood up and said, "Duplica" getting no response. He sighed and
said, "there is a very good chance you are watching this, in which case
you've heard, but that is immaterial since I've added a magic
imperative that that. You have to appear soon, the call of a superior
is very difficult to resist."
There was a whoosh of displaced air and Duplica appeared, saying,
"Since when were you my superior?"
Ash grinned, "Since I became first of four."
Duplica huffed "I'll have you know that the only reason I stay fourth
is that I don't like power struggles."
"I remember the last witch that gave me that excuse."
Duplica closed her eyes, and then opened them again to reveal that
they'd been switched with that of an arbok and she fixed him with a
glare attack. "Repeat that remark again."
Ash had already activated a protective ring, expecting this and said,
"Witch."
Duplica returned to normal and said, "Why did you call me, anyway?"
"To explain to me why you trapped that costume." He replied, pointing
to his shape-changed parent.
"Oh, that. It's not trapped; it's only that I hadn't expected anyone
who couldn't deactivate from the inside to try it. And by the way, that
case has not yet come to pass."
"What do you mean by that?"
In response, the vulpix on the floor changed shape and size, reverting
to his mother in a stretched vulpix costume. "Soon after you last saved
the world, I found that I could use low impact psychic abilities, I've
been helping mimie keep the caterpie out of my herb garden."
Duplica smirked, "see, Ashy-boy, it's all under control. Pallette's
proximity to the mage city allows it's better bred inhabitants to
access lesser versions of their neighbor's powers. And now, if you'll
excuse me, I must attend to my ship, good day." She vanished in a
sprinkling of sparks.
"Showoff" Ash muttered.
Delila, meanwhile, had changed back into a vulpix, and was running
around Ash, nipping his heels. Ash shook his head and said, "I could
probably use a break. OK, we'll do this properly." He opened the door,
and went into the back yard, followed by Delila. He then called all his
smaller Pokemon out of their balls, disappeared and reappeared quickly
with Pikachu on his shoulder. He morphed into his pikachu form and set
about to a play session with the assembled rabble. Duplica and Misty
teleported in, took one look at the chaos, looked at each other and
said, "not enough room." There was a whirlwind around them, and the
whole group was on the hill/field overlooking Pallette. Duplica morphed
into an eevee, quickly followed by Misty's transformation into a
vaporeon. They looked at each other again, and both leaped on top of
Ash, pinning him to the ground, while Delila calmly walked up and
licked his ears. A bright flash heralded Gary in his divineon form,
followed by a warpage in space as Mew walked straight out the side of
the hill. Duplica and Misty let up, but not before Gary snickered at
his position and got a shock for it. By dinnertime, they were all quite
exhausted, and Ash was by far and away ready for the largest meal of
his life. Delila was tired too, so they made a quick stop at the house
to change, and went out to eat at the local tavern, which was the only
place in the area that could make a decent large meal.
Author's note: In reality, I wonder how big Pallette town is. I credit
it by this time at being about five by seven square. The next
installment may or may not have to get bumped up past R rating, so
we'll see where it goes. I'll give you a warning, mind, before I try
anything dirtier than my constant PG-13.
Chapter 4: Ashley? No, I'm Jenny
On his way to the lab the next day, Ash remembered what it was that
concerned him so much the afternoon before. Resigning himself to
whatever would happen today, he opened the lab door and proceeded to
the room that he customarily met the Professor to get his assignments.
As always, Oak was already there, although today he seemed to have a
rather uneasy look, contrasting the anticipation evident in Duplica.
The Professor looked even worse when he noticed Ash, but managed to
speak normally anyway, "Hi, Ash. What I want you to do now is something
you must feel perfectly free to decline." Duplica deflated slightly,
and Oak continued, "it's an even more delicate topic than before, you
see-"
"You want me to do with Gary what I've been doing with the Pokemon?"
Ash interrupted.
"Yes, actually."
"May I ask why me? There must be plenty of actual girls I'm sure would
be willing to do this for money."
"Yes, it's true. The thing is that you two have known each other a long
time, and though neither will admit it, you're each other's best
friend. I need someone who knows Gary that well."
"Why does this matter? Gary seems fine to me, he just needs some time."
"Time that may soon run out, at least for me. I'm an old man, preserved
like this for eternity. Gary has gotten stuck as a boy, possibly for a
very long time. I don't know how this will affect him in the long run,
but I do know that he is really seventeen; he should be at least
getting into the dating scene a little. He had more lust when he was
actually ten than he has now, and I know that if someone were to show
him how he can feel in his limited time as a teenager, he'll understand
why he should at least try before it's too late."
Ash was confused, but rallied "I'll do it, but only on the condition
that this is kept secret, a bonus of an extra thousand credits and
access to anything I need to do this."
"Agreed. Duplica will do what is necessary." He turned to her and said,
"Contrary to popular opinion, Gary actually isn't interested in overly
attractive bimbos, so please try to do something a little more
sensible."
Duplica was grinning so widely that Ash wondered if her eyes would soon
roll out. "I do not have the necessary facilities here, but the airship
is now directly above us." She pulled out a remote control and keyed in
a combination, triggering a teleporter that brought all three into one
of her own workrooms. "Take off all your clothes." She commanded.
Ash made as if to protest and then decided it wasn't worth it, so he
concentrated on getting his clothes off, and not on the array of
unfamiliar objects that were scattered about the room. Duplica was
moving around, talking to herself and pulling various objects and
pieces of clothing off their racks and hangers. Ash, meanwhile was
trying to save his modesty by standing behind a screen and talking past
it to the Professor about the newest pokedex entries. Duplica finished
her rounds and walked up behind Ash. "Arms up." She said, and when he
complied she pulled a red corset down onto Ash's middle and then said,
"When I give the word, try to hold in your gut." She gave the word
several times, each time pulling the strings of the corset as far as
possible. The first time, Ash found he could hardly breathe, but
Duplica showed him how to take slow deep breathes so that he could stay
conscious, and by the third and fourth pulls, he began to get used to
it. Duplica told him to hold his arms up again and she stretched on a
sports bra and shoved a pair of silicon sacs inside. She gave the getup
so far an appraising look and said, "Jump up and down a little." When
he complied, she nodded at the apparent success of her work on his
breasts and continued. She stretched a couple of shoulder-length gloves
onto him, making his arms slightly slimmer and he found slight
extensions at the ends to make his fingers longer, and did the same
with his legs. Finally, she pulled a pair of tight rubber shorts onto
him, allowing him to move his privates between his legs himself to
preserve what was left of his dignity. She slipped another pair of
silicon sacs into the back of the shorts and then examined him. She
took a picture of his face, and then compared the color to several
folded objects on shelves behind her until she found one close to his.
She unfolded it to reveal a lycra kigurumi bodysuit, which she gave to
Ash, telling him to be careful not to let it rip or wrinkle. He sat
down to pull the legs on, and then stood up, stretching it so it was
tight, and then put his arms in the proper holes, stretching those to
their limits and then pulling the zipper up. Before he could pull on
the hood, Duplica intervened and pushed it inside itself, saying, "not
today." Before going off to find something else. She returned with a
purple outfit and some black pieces of hair, which she clipped into
Ash's, brushing it out so the extensions mixed in with his real hair.
Ash was really wishing for a mirror, but the room seemed devoid.
Duplica had done this so that Ash wouldn't see himself halfway through;
she wanted it to be a surprise. She finally added some makeup to Ash's
face and let him put on the purple silk bellbottoms and midriff. With
all this done, she finally manipulated a strip on the wall, which spun
around, a mirror attached to the other side. What he saw in it left him
speechless. Ash Ketchum of Pallette was gone, replaced by a young woman
with long black hair and a cute figure. Not sexy in the drooling boy
sense, but petite and attractive in a more comfortable way. It wasn't
for another few seconds that Ash finally realized why this girl also
seemed familiar. She was exactly how Misty described him when he'd
overshot his age. Turning to Duplica, he said, "Gary was in the room
too when I became this, won't he know?"
Duplica replied, "Yeah, truthfully, I only did this because I'd been
informed that time paradoxes were a bad idea, so I dolled you up like
this to stop it. I wouldn't expect you to be able to handle a fractal
version change very well, although you're welcome to keep the clothes."
She looked him over "I do good work, though, don't I Ashy-boy?"
"So all this was just to get me to look like this?"
"No, you still have to seduce Gary, but I'm giving you something more
helpful than that. Get it all off and meet me in the synthesizer room,
turn left and it's seven doors down." She and Oak walked out, leaving
Ash and his cute reflection to change back. Ash tried out some poses
and walking, examining how graceful Duplica had managed to make him,
and then carefully detached everything she'd put onto him and put his
usual clothes back on.
In the other room, Oak drummed his fingers on his chin and said, "He
told you to do this, didn't He?"
"He said I was the only person likely to have tried such a thing."
"Certainly Ash wouldn't have been able to do it himself."
"I would have done it anyway, I couldn't have resisted trying that on
him."
"He wears it well, but remember to be careful, you've already corrupted
one, we don't need Ash getting dressed up and disappearing."
"I know where Brock is."
"Perhaps the only one who does."
"Not so, there are at least four people on this planet other than me
and him that know."
"Let me guess, Him and the Sensationals?"
"Of course."
"And neither are talking."
"Would you expect them to?"
"I suspect I know now where he's gone."
"Well, don't go blabbing, it's bad for their business."
"Lucky Cheng's over in Celadon would disagree."
"Who do you think gave them the idea? No, it's not the same. Not that
he doesn't drop so many hints that if Misty were looking-"
"Here comes Ash."
Ash had managed to get most of the effects of Duplica's work off of
him, although his midsections were still compacted slightly inward. He
looked around, noting that this room was very different, much more
technological. There was only one thing other than the people inside, a
machine with a pad on the floor and another directly above it on the
ceiling. Wires and piping led into it, and there was a large control
bank about five feet away. Duplica looked Ash over again and said, "It
would have been easier if you'd left your clothes off, but we can
compensate. She led him onto the pad and manipulated the controls. The
first thing was that the pads it up and a ring detached from both and
moved up and down, meeting in the middle and going back several times.
Ash felt a strange prickling like being static charged before the rings
slowed and stopped back inside the pads. Ash watched as a full size
hologram of his naked body appeared beside the console. Duplica and Oak
went into a conference, pressing buttons to change various parts of the
hologram's appearance. They had it walk and move around and changed a
few minor details. Ash saw that his body had been transformed into that
of a teenage girl of approximately sixteen with long brown hair and
wide chocolate eyes. Like the previous attempt, this girl was cute but
not overly sexy, with small to medium breasts and a body that hinted at
curves without going too far. Duplica waved to get Ash's attention and
said, "say 'Ah'" Ash opened his mouth and as soon as his voice began
coming out, Duplica turned a knob which changed it into more and more
feminine tones until Oak gave the OK signal and she let go. Duplica
asked Oak a question and he nodded, producing a smile on Duplica as she
hit a few more buttons and then slammed a large red one with the end of
her fist. There was an error message and she slapped her forehead
"silly me. Ash, you can get off now." He stepped off the platform and
she hit the button again, producing a much brighter light to come from
the platforms, and the rings to float up and interlock, spinning around
one another. First, a hanger materialized inside the sphere they were
tracing, and a skin colored substance began spinning itself out from
that point, covering the hanger. Hair grew out of a portion that had
folded over on the front, and other human features became apparent as
the process became finer, even putting a couple of small freckles in
various locations. The rings slowed and once again retreated into the
platforms, as Duplica walked out and grabbed the top of the hanger
before it could fall. "Viola!" She exclaimed "one multicommand
telepathic biomechanical turbocharged skinsuit. You're a very lucky
kid, Ashy-Boy, I charge a fortune for these. They're my top-of-the-line
option, all charged to Pallette pokelabs, of course."
Ash took the hanger and it's cargo from her, examining it and saying,
"telepathic?"
"That's right, this thing will take your commands and change itself
while you wear it, or off. To a point, of course, albeit a very far
point, it will change its own appearance; place the zipper anywhere you
like, make the zipper disappear totally. It can remember several
settings, with this one as the default, the default can't be changed,
just in case you slip up, and it can even mirror the appearance of the
user, so it can be worn without detection and reactivated as another
person's in seconds. It can't make you much shorter, or give you
powers, since this model was not imbued with magic. A precaution in
case Gary gets paranoid. There are other options, which can be accessed
by asking the suit to display its help screen, but I'll leave you to
find those on your own. The wardrobe room is right across the hall, go
in there and try on the suit, pick out an outfit you think will work
and come back here to show us."
Ash was wondering by now whether or not this was a good idea, things
were starting to get strange again, as it always did when he took too
much help from Duplica. One consolation, though, it wasn't getting
eldritch like when He started to poke his nose into things. The
wardrobe room was more impressive now than it was when he first met
Duplica, seeming to stretch on forever into the horizon. Clothes of all
types were arranged by various features along shelves, hangers, racks
and even a few stasis pods, which Ash decided weren't worth risking.
This time, there was a mirror on hand right on the door as he closed
it, so that he wouldn't have to hunt around for an activator strip. He
pulled the skinsuit off its hanger and examined it as well as he could,
skipping over parts that embarrassed him to take a close look at. What
he did see, and feel, was as perfectly replicant of a human body as
he'd ever seen. He decided that the back opening that it already had
was good enough to use for now, although he might try experimenting
with other places later. The inside was, as always, a slippery, soft,
warm fabric that he couldn't place. He found a chair nearby, and set to
pulling his right leg and then his left into the appropriate holes,
having major problems with the ankles, but finally standing and pulling
it up taut like he'd done on the others. The place for his private
parts seemed a lot more elaborate this time, and he decided to make
sure he asked the suit what that was all for later. He had some trouble
getting his arms in, when the wrist of the suit didn't expand at first
to accommodate his own, but eventually configured his fingers into a
shape that slipped through. Once again he was surprised by an extra
feature, a couple of holes to put his nipples in. With all that in, he
reached behind and pulled the zipper up to his neck, and grabbed the
edges of t