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25 Years ago… “Who would have thought Hearthome City, a name which stood for warmth and kindness, would be at the epicenter for such a bizarre event ?” A female news reporter said. “What was supposed to be a child friendly city, full of happy families, now has parents leery of letting their children out unsupervised.” The news camera zoomed out to show the Hearthome City Gym standing tall before showing slides of the various other amenities, such as the Poffin House, Amity Square, before finally stopping at the front of the Super Contest Hall. “I’ve spoken to several witnesses who were at the scene, but none of which were willing to be interviewed on camera. One witness, who wishes to remain anonymous said, ‘It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was just a normal day, I was out jogging with my Machamp before a match, you know, to pump us up and get the blood flowing, but then he just stopped right in the middle of the track. Next thing I knew, my buddy, he grabbed his head and started thrashing about. I knew right away something wasn’t right. I put him back in his ball and rushed to the Pokemon center, and it was there injured trainers started pouring in. It was pure chaos. I saw this guy with crushed legs from his Rhyhorn trampling him. Another girl was just covered in lacerations. Her clothes were all ripped and bloody. She said her Ivysaur had suddenly turned on her and started attacking her with its vines. ’” “Another trainer I talked to said the farmers market stall where he buys honey was in pieces due to a swarm of Beedrills zooming through the aisles. People and pokemon alike were left running for cover as the creatures attacked indiscriminately. This was one of many stands left destroyed from the aftermath. As you can see behind me, police have taped off the area until clean up crews can come and move some of the larger debris.” “Authorities are still unsure as to what upset some of the local pokemon, and local researchers are left scratching their heads. Many Hearthome residents have been pointing fingers to a local criminal fringe group that goes by the name Team Plasma, while others have blamed the nearby lab. Either way, police have asked all residents to stay inside and keep all pokemon safely in their balls until the cause of the disruption has been investigated. I’m reporter Kinsley from Pkmn News, back to you in the studio.” Present day I flicked the Television off and let out a sigh. Contests. Battles. Tournaments. Gyms. Those were the good old days, before what the people of Sinnoh called The Incitement. The world of Pokemon was flipped on its head. It was the day a staggering 99 percent of pokemon stopped obeying their trainers. It didn’t matter if you were a novice or an ace; had one gym badge or all of them. It was like something in their brain was scrambled and Pokemon no longer wished to be our partners. Some say it was only a matter of time before they revolted. “We were using them as slaves” seems to be the going argument now-a-days, but it changes month to month. Some people even went as far to blame the 5g towers, but I think it's a load of Taurus shit. Pokemon were still around, but it was nothing like it used to be. Now there was so much red tape to being a Pokemon trainer, it was nearly impossible. Licenses, fees, tests, age restrictions and a hundred other hoops to jump through. Not to mention the astronomical cost to everything. With only one percent of the population having pokemon, free Pokemon centers were a thing of the past. There was only one in Sinnah now, and it cost nearly $500 to use, so unless you wanted to travel for days, you were left paying outrageous prices for healing items. Not only that, but you had to prove you were a licensed trainer, and I was not. “Honey, I’m going to work. Make sure you lock up behind me” My mother called. “The smoke is getting thick, please make sure to get your evacuation bag packed and ready to go just in case.” “I will.” I said. “Have a good day.” Despite the age of 30 drawing closer every day, I still lived with my mom, and about six other roommates. This was once a world that catered to Pokemon, and without them, the economy took a turn worse than The Great Depression. Jobs were harder to find than trainers. The cost of everything was something out of a dystopian novel. With no free labor from Pokemon, businesses had to hire help, found out they couldn’t afford to pay their employees, and started rapidly going out of business one after another. The first to shut down was the Pokemon Hotel. With trainers no longer flooding the streets to challenge gym leaders, the tourist industry sank. Then went the contest hall, followed by the Pokemon centers and the marts. I counted to thirty. Then sixty. I listened intently for the sound of my moms garden wagon to roll out the driveway and down the street. Then I waited to make sure she wasn’t coming back. The coast was clear. I moved a loose floorboard under my bed and lowered my hand, reaching for the orb shaped object the size of a marble. “Good morning,” I whispered to the object. I rubbed my thumb over it affectionately. “I’ll get you out of there someday. I promise. ” I stuck the orb in my pocket, threw on my hoodie, grabbed my backpack and tiptoed out the house towards my bike. I pumped my legs as fast as they would go, my knees nearly bumping my chin on the pink, glittery bike I’ve had since I was seven. Affording a new bike was out of the question, but it was too far of a walk to get to the old Contest hall building where the black market was held. I passed Greg, the security guard patrolling this end of town for wild pokemon. As long as you stayed inside the city’s perimeter you were moderately kept safe by the near constant patrols, but if you left the gates, you were taking your life in your hands. Death by pokemon was unheard of back before The Incitement, now you just did everything you could not to become a statistic. It seemed there was a new crisis everyday. Fires, mudslides, flooding, earthquakes. “Almost there.” I wheezed out between gasps for air. The smoke was thick. I should have worn a mask, the bandanna I had wrapped around my face wasn’t cutting it. A Monferno had set fire to the brush in the nearby forest a few days ago, but with rescue personnel still busy searching for survivors from the landslide caused by an Onix, we would be lucky if we didn’t have to go down to the public bunkers. We had just been released last Tuesday from a three day stay because an unlicensed trainer lost control of a Skuntank and residents were falling ill from the smell. Smuggling pokemon into the city was a serious crime if you didn’t have the right licenses, and even if you did, they had to stay in their balls outside of the designated areas. There was only one official place in the city where you could let Pokemon out, and that was the gym. I stared up at the large four story gym with longing as I peddled forward before stopping to admire it. One day I’d get to go inside. Unfortunately for me, the door only unlocked for registered trainers. I rubbed the marble in my pocket. I found the pokeball on a scavenging run outside the gates about two years ago. I have no idea if there was anything inside, most likely not, but I liked to pretend there was. It made me feel less lonely talking to whatever, if anything, was inside. I had grown rather attached to it, In fact I never left home without it. If only I could just get inside the gym grounds and let whatever was frozen inside out. But I think I knew deep down it would never happen. Even if I broke in, finding out there was nothing in the ball after all the hours I had spent talking to it would be painful. It had become cathartic, having something to talk to and confide in, like writing in a journal.To lose that by knowing no one was in there… or worse, something was. And it wanted to hurt me. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine. I looked left, then right. I felt like I was being watched. “...Hello?” I asked the empty air feeling uncertain. This place was kind of creepy with the low light and ash filled air. I quickly decided there would be other days to daydream in front of the gym, like when the sun was out. I had trading to do. “Spinarak spun silk! Guaranteed never to split!” A man called out into the crowded hallways. I flinched as another shouted, “WOOLOO WOOL!” I ducked and swerved around a pair of women who were admiring the Stoutland fur handmade hair brushes at Mrs. Bakers stand. No one really knew if they were made with real Stoutland fur. Probably not. You had to be careful down here. For every legitimate product, there were two knockoffs. Scammers were everywhere, I had once even seen a man trying to sell a bunch of rocks as Onyx eggs. People were desperate. Only the trainers had it good, but no one knew if only the rich could be trainers, or if being a trainer made you rich? I pondered this when something made me stop in my tracks. Something was glowing in a jar I hadn’t seen before. I walked up to the lady’s stand and stared at the contents. It was almost like an orange colored cotton ball was lit on fire. “Chimchar tail fur.” the lady me. She was wrapped completely in a deep purple robe and hood. Some of the vendors really get into character. “Makes for perfect lanterns during power outages. Light that will never go out.” I continued to gaze in wonder at the orange and blue ball of fire. This was genuine. I hated sitting in the dark cellar during disasters with seven other people. You were always getting stepped on. “H-how much?” I found the words had slipped out involuntarily. Ha! As if I had the money for something like this. She told me and my heart sank a little. I nodded my head as if I thought that was reasonable. “I see.” I said trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. “I accept cash or favors.” I lifted my head suspiciously, trying to keep my hopes from rising. “I don’t do sexual favors.” You could pay in the black market two ways. Bartering and Buying. Favors fell in the bartering category. You could offer to clean someone's house, mow their lawn, babysit the kids, whatever they needed. Or sometimes people ask for a different kind of favor… Anything went down here. The woman placed a container on her table. “I need ectoplasm.” “Done!” I said. She raised an eyebrow. “And you have that on you?” “Uhh, n-no, but I can get some. Let’s see, ectoplasm comes from ghost pokemon and ghost pokemon are… My head slowly went in the direction of the gym. I gulped. “Will that be a problem?” The woman asked. “N-no, I can get it.” I really need to think these things through, I thought to myself as I stood in front of the gym holding a tupperware container. “Hi, Miss Fantina, you don’t know me, but can I ask if one of your pokemon would shit in this bowl for me?” Or whatever ectoplasm was. I let out a nervous laugh. This was all because I was scared of the dark. What could I possibly offer a woman, no, a gym leader, something she didn’t already have? I walked around the perimeter. It was built like a fortress! How could I barter with her if I couldn’t even get in? I had no trainer license to scan. I stopped and stared at the front door. Was there a button I could press to talk to someone inside? What if I just knocked? I cautiously rapped my knuckles on the door, not really expecting anything to happen. To my astonishment the door slid open to the side. Curiosity compelled me forward. “Hello?” I asked. I stepped into the lobby. I looked around, but the small registration room was empty. It actually didn’t look like anyone had been here for quite a while. A noise coming from further inside grabbed my attention. I peeked my head around the corner, there, standing in the hallway, was a woman wearing a purple dress and the strangest headwear I had ever seen. I let out a small yelp. “Miss Fantina! I-I’m so sorry to intrude! I just wanted to make a -uh.” My words cut off as the woman standing in the hallway beckoned me forward with a wave of her hand before turning to leave. Did she want me to follow her? “So- I was wondering if you needed a favor of s-some kind? I can clean or-” The lights flickered off leaving us in total blackness. I let out a yell and froze in terror. I really hated the dark. I groaned. I think I peed a little. The lights came back on. Miss Fantina was on the other end of the long hallway. She silently beckoned me forward again before turning left. I gulped. Something seemed off. “M-miss Fantina, do you think we could just talk out here?” My heart was still racing from the power surge. A single white, long, slender finger re-appeared with a long purple colored nail. It beckoned me onward. I took a shaky step forward and followed after her. When I turned the corner she was nowhere to be found. Several closed doors greeted me, but the one on the end was open. The lights went off again. I gritted my teeth. There was a dim glow emanating at the end of the hallway. I headed for it in a bit of a gallop from the adrenaline surge and came to a flight of stairs going down into the basement. I stopped at the foot of the stairs. Do I go into the creepy basement? I turned and looked back at my other option. I could retreat and go back the way I came. Back into the darkness. I found myself hurrying down the stairs. As I reached the bottom and had a better look around, my jar dropped. What. The. Fuck. It was as if I had just entered Wonderland and I was Alice. The furniture…it was huge. The door slammed shut behind me. I panicked and turned to run but stopped dead in my tracks. How had Miss Fantina gotten behind me? Her head was cocked to the side as she took me in. I backed farther into the room. There was a smile on her face that sent shivers up my spine. Her eyes seemed hollow, empty and black. She had something in her hands as she stepped towards me. “M-ma’m?” I was growing more and more uneasy. I backed into something huge. I turned to look at it. It was a crib. I was in some kind of nursery. “D-id you want me to babysit?” I asked. I noticed what was in her hands. It was a diaper. “M-ma’m?” In the blink of an eye she was in front of me, no towering over me! This wasn’t real. No human could grow this size! I let out a scream. “There there baby girl.” The massive 9 foot tall woman said. Her voice was monotone with a bit of an echo. It didn’t sound right. It didn’t sound human. I tried to run, but she grabbed me from under the armpits and lifted me up. “Baby is okay.” I punched, kicked, and tried to thrash my way to freedom but she only held me tighter. “Baby is going to get a time out if she doesn’t quit moving.” The only thing I was accomplishing was making myself tired. No matter how much I kicked it didn’t affect her. “No! No! Put me down!” I quickly got my wish, but it wasn’t back down on my feet. It was on my back. “What are you doing? Let me go!” I struggled to sit up, but a massive arm across my chest kept me restrained. I could feel her prying my shoes off. What was happening? Now my socks were being taken off. “Stop it!” I begged. “I’m sorry I came in without a license, I won’t do it again! Please let me go!” She was fiddling with the waistband of my pants. No! No! No! I did the only thing I could think of as I felt my pants begin to slide down my legs. I lifted my head as high as it would go and sank my teeth into her arm. “NO! BAD GIRL!” I regretted my choice. In the flash of an eye I went from laying on my back to being on my stomach. “YOU DON’T BITE MOMMY!” I let out a surprised yelp as a hard hit smacked my bare butt cheek. “STOP THAT!” I yelled. “Don’t hit me!” But the blows wouldn’t stop coming. It went from surprise, to embarrassment, but now it was starting to sting. “Stop it; that hurts!” I wailed. “Apologize for biting mommy and I’ll stop.” “I’m sorry! I’m sorry for biting you! Please stop!” And just like that I was lying back on my back. Tears of pain and humiliation stung my eyes. “Are you going to be a good girl for mommy?” “Yes.” I whimpered, terrified of the situation I was in. “Mommy doesn’t like to hurt the baby.” Fantina let out a smile, but something about it was off. And her voice, and the size. I had entered the Twilight Zone. My heart was pounding as my pants and underwear were pulled down the rest of the way. “Why are you doing this?” I whimpered as I was lifted and placed on the outstretched padding. “Baby can’t be trusted to tell mommy when she has to go potty so baby needs to stay in diapers.” The robotic voice said. “But I’m not a baby!” I protested. “I’m nearly thirty!” “Baby is cranky! Does the baby need another spanking?” I quickly fell silent. This lady was nuts. Yes, she must be! She must have gone crazy from all the years spent locked up alone in the gym! But the size change… Maybe I was the one going crazy? Did I hit my head? Breathe in a poisonous gas? Was I in hell? I cringed as the diaper came up. Was this actually happening to me? The arm holding me down released me and Fantina turned her back and began rummaging through a cabinet. I tried to make a break for it, but I could hardly move. This diaper was like having thirty pound weights strapped to my waist. I struggled to sit up, but between the crotch boulder and the involuntary trembling, I was trapped and I knew it. I started to sob. I knew I was fucked. No one knew I was down here. “Please. Please let me go home. I have a family.” “But, sweetheart,” Miss Fatina said, now holding a bottle of milk. “You are home.” I let out a scream. Her eyes! They were missing! The basement door sprung open and a pair of footsteps came clunking down the stairs. I held my breath. My heart began to hammer. Was there someone else in on this? Was I about to become a victim of human trafficking? Is that why they put me in a diaper? To ship me off? “Slip, why do you look like me?” a female voice asked, before rounding the stairs “And why are you down in the playroom?” I began to babble from fright and tried desperately to back away. It was the woman from the black market! The one who sent me here! They were working together and I fell right into their trap! The woman ripped her hood off and stared at me, her face began to redden and her eyes were as wide as the moon in… shock? We both let out a scream. How was this possible? How were there two Fantina’s? “SLIP!” She screamed. “ALL OF YOU! GET IN HERE! FAMILY MEETING!” The first Fantina began to shrink. I let out a frightened whimper and covered my face with my arms as the thing I thought was human dissolved into a gelatinous puddle on the floor. Ghosts began to float in from the wall and they were…they were…. laughing? I took in the mess on the floor that had now grown eyes, the ghosts, and finally Fantina as realization dawned. It had been a pokemon all along. “I SENT HER OVER TO TEST THE ALARMS! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO KIDNAP HER!” Fantina screamed. Things were starting to go black. It was too much for my system to take. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was thinking, “Even a gym leader loses control of them.”