Chapter 1 - Part One

It was a cold day in Mahogany town. Rumbling storm clouds; so deep a grey they nearly mimicked the night sky, hung over the town, stretching from the Lake of Rage to the north. The people of the town had been noticing strange events like this for the past couple of months - all since somebody moved into that old ninja house. Mahogany was a small town; an old town. Superstition came easily to its people. Did the new residents disturb the spirits of dead shinobi? The souls of their victims? Or perhaps there was something wrong with the lake - but that wouldn't explain the harsh droning sound; or why the radios and PokeGear of natives and travelers alike went on the fritz whenever they came near. Perhaps there was an evil lurking in that house. An urban legend that was enough to incite the long-buried curiosity of the locals; and inflame that of the next generation of trainers.


Lyra knew better than to expect spirits; but she knew full well that there was an evil from the past lurking in the dozy Johto town. An evil she'd sought to defeat - an evil she hoped to catch by surprise, in disguise... And an evil that was dragging her by the arms deeper into the hidden facility beneath the wholly-unsuspicious gift shop. Two Rocket grunts tossed her unceremoniously into a metal chair, padded by leather. Be it the slumped posture she assumed or the size of the seat itself - it seemed much too big for her. A series of clicks echo from the hall she'd been dragged through - heralding the arrival of the red-haired executive of the Rocket revivalist movement. Ariana; a woman whose thick brows furrow as she sees the defeated trainer before her.


"Team Rocket is no stranger to those unfit to represent them," she begins, tilting her head upward if only to secure the slightest bit greater of a vantage to look down upon Lyra from. "but this is especially pathetic."


Lyra's hands wrap around the arms of the chair, and she begins to steady herself. Ariana snaps her fingers - and the grunts move to flank the seat. Each one places their arms upon Lyra's shoulders and hands, holding her down as they affix metal - but, mercifully, padded restraints to her wrists and ankles. She opens her mouth to protest; but the executive cuts her off. "What ignorance. Arrogance! It's all the same with you brats. You think just because you have a Pokemon, it makes you special. What a childish notion." She snaps again, and the grunts file out of the room and back into the hall. Ariana walks around Lyra's seat; the young trainer's gaze following her - catching sight of the odd texture of the walls around her. They were padded with something thick and rubbery; but she can see lights pulsating between seams in the material. She can hear a soft clattering - and then, clicking.


"I've already faced enough indignance from the likes of you. Team Rocket exists in a world you can't fathom; the world of adulthood, where your little delusions of grandeur won't fly." There's a soft sparking noise; followed by a low, electronic hum. With a few gentle clicks, Ariana steps back around to the front of Lyra's seat. "But I don't believe you're useless. Children grow up; they learn. Delusions are dispelled... And the quicker you learn, the quicker you can be useful."


She turns up her nose and walks out of the room, her delicately-manicured hands running along the rubbery wall until they arrive at something resembling a light switch. "A wise scientist once posited that humans and Pokemon have a common ancestor." she begins. If a Pokemon's evolution can be manipulated with radio waves..." She trails off, chuckling darkly. She flicks the switch - and the hum resounding around the room begins to grow louder. "Well. We'll see the results in a few moments. Until then - think of this as a learning experience, for the both of us."


The door that closes behind Ariana isn't a run-of-the-mill construction of wood or metal; it's a sealed bulkhead, with a little circular window - just wide and just tall enough for Lyra to see Ariana's smug grin on the other side. This wasn't some innocuous or useless room in the Rocket HQ; this was a test chamber!


The lights pulsating along the walls grew dimmer, then brighter; rhythmically. A bead of sweat rolled down the young trainer's forehead as the hum continued to escalate - but seemed to be lowering for brief intervals, in time with the lights. The time it took for the lights to go from dim to radiant grew slower over the following minutes - and Lyra began to feel... Wrong.


It began as a faint discomfort; her chest grating against the fabric of her outfit. Then; her thighs - then her stomach. She couldn't explain it; not until she could see the fabric pushing out -  the dark material stretched so thin that she could just faintly make out the color of her skin beneath it. 


She observed the defined shape of her stomach bulge out against the midsection of her outfit - dimpling over the belt; while her thighs developed a similar excess of flesh over the tops of the uniform's boots. 


More concerningly - the expanding shape of her stomach was made harder to track as her breasts swelled out - deforming the bright red R emblazoned on the uniform. 


Her mouth fell agape in silent shock - only to snap shut; when she notices something more. Was the floor growing further away, or...?


Lyra gulped. She could see the territory between her skirt and boots growing longer - exposing more of the thicker flesh. There was a deep discomfort; deep in her bones; her legs, her back - to a lesser degree, her arms as well. By now, the hum had reached a paradoxical borderline between deafening and white noise - booming against her ears and muting all other sound. Muting the shifting of fabric over her deforming body; the hastened breathing of the dumbfounded trainer, and the creaking of leather as her body grew up and out into a more upright position.


She could feel the seams of her clothes approach their limit. She was reticent to move; fearing the slightest motion would rend them apart - and the only thing she feared more than being defeated by these Rocket goons was to be seen... Lyra feels heat flush into her face; pink into her cheeks. She didn't anticipate that kind of reaction - what had gotten into her? She...


She noticed the humming beginning to grow softer - slower. She looked to the door, and saw the two pink-haired grunts fighting over a chance to peek through the window. Only when the humming finally grow silent did the bulkhead hiss; forcing the two grunts to step away. As soon as it had opened, they file in; set upon Lyra before she could even react. Before she could even demand to be set free - the grunts were... Already doing it. The restraints clatter off of her ankles, then wrists - and then, she tries to get up... Only to tip forward, falling onto the floor. She can hear the grunts snicker at her; causing her blush to deepen.


"Well, well." Ariana's husky voice croons from the hall, stepping in with her arms crossed beneath her arms. "It seems you've certainly... Matured."


Lyra rises on shaky legs, her knees nearly buckling as they strain to support the unfamiliar growth; even their own. She furrows her brow - which, just like most of her body, feels unfamiliar. She raises a hand toward Ariana, but... Lowers it down to her breasts. Seeing her body change was one thing; but seeing it in motion... Was surreal. It felt like she was having an out of body experience; watching some unfamiliar... Woman move about. An unfamiliar, slightly chubby woman in a Rocket uniform. Another bead of sweat rolled down her forehead - looking like this, would anyone even recognize her? She reaches up to one of her pigtails; still feeling the familiar shape. Maybe-


Ariana reaches up to the other, running her fingers through it. "My my. That color is certainly familiar." Lyra's heart sank. What had she done...? The executive walked around Lyra until she was face to face - and disturbingly, eye-to-eye. "Perhaps this is a little much to take in." she begins, chuckling softly. "But don't you worry. You can rest in the dormitories." Lyra opens her mouth, only for Ariana to plant a finger upon her lips. "Ah-ah. Consider your response wisely. You're a woman in uniform. What might be mere fabric to a child is something much more to adults like us. It comes with responsibility; and most importantly... A responsibility to obey your superior."


She leans in, chuckling. "And your superior says, rest. Consider this your first lesson in adulthood. The first, I hope, of many I'll have a chance to teach."


Lyra takes a step back, her hands trembling - her legs trembling... Her entire body trembling. The hall behind her was clear - but she wasn't sure how far she could get in this new body; especially with her Pokemon having been confiscated. It was a chance at freedom... But a risky one. On the other hand, submitting to Ariana gave her a chance to bide her time and wait for a better opportunity... But she wasn't sure what the madwoman had in store, with as much as she'd done. She bit her lip, looking down at herself. What could she do...?