1 Cynthia's Garchomp
A changing of worlds is not always bad.
A powerful roar reverberated around the rocky plains as two mighty beasts appeared in a flash of light, one a dark blue, bipedal dragon-like creature and the other a giant, white metallic being with four legs. The two clashed in an epic display of power before everything went black.
Rogan jerked awake, golden-brown hair matted and frayed. He spent some time in bed, regaining his breath and thinking back on the realistic dream. He could remember it, and all the ones that came before it, vividly. He was the great dragon, Garchomp, a part of his mind whispered, the one that radiated strength and power, dark blue scales gleaming majestically in the sun. He felt it as he clashed with the foolish challenger, the roar of the stadium making adrenaline rush through his veins as the thrill of the hunt sang in his blood.
Rogan was the mighty beast, it was him, they were connected. He struggled to remember the identity of the trainer of the shiny Metagross in his latest dream; however the trainer's face was blurred and the truth eluded him.
With a frustrated sigh, he decided not to dwell on those thoughts any longer. It was just a dream after all, and dreams never came true in this cruel world of his, he of all people should know that.
~~~~~
"How about a battle?"
The Sinnoh champion glanced at her Hoenn counterpart out of the corner of her eye. "What brought that up?" she asked, putting the spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. They were sitting across from each other at an ice cream stand, two bowls of ice cream in front of them both. Steven had finished already, though to be fair, he had significantly less, and was now staring expectantly at Cynthia.
"Just bored," he said with a shrug and a pointed look at the half-finished bowl of ice cream in front of her, "I thought we were going to Kalos for the scenery, not the desserts." It would've been fine with him if the Sinnoh champion had only had one bowl but they had already stopped by a cake cafe and a pudding place on their way to the beach. They had champion business in Kalos, but they decided to take a little trip after all the boring meetings, though if he knew they were going to be strolling through Sugar Street, he might've reconsidered.
Cynthia rolled her eyes and quickly finished her frozen treat, standing up afterwards. "Happy now?" she asked dryly, not waiting for a response before turning and heading swiftly towards their destination.
Steven sighed, but followed dutifully after the blonde.
He caught up with Cynthia and walked beside her, wind ruffling his teal hair as he took in the calm waves pushing at the damp sand. They reached a secluded area when the Sinnoh champion turned towards him and raised a brow, "About that battle..."
Steven grinned and pulled out a spherical object, the soft glow of the fading sun revealing the glossy red and white exterior. "Now you're talking, Metagross!" With a loud roar, the iron leg pokemon exploded out of its capsule.
Cynthia smirked, "Garchomp, battle dance!" The mach pokemon landed across from Metagross, its own boastful roar echoing in the empty field. "You may have the first move," the Sinnoh champion spoke.
"Very generous of you, Metagross flash cannon!" he called out. Metagross roared, a beam of light coalescing and quickly shooting towards Garchomp.
"Garchomp dodge, then dragon rush!" The dragon obeyed, leaping into the air to dodge the flash cannon before turning its gaze to Metagross. With an etheral blue glow coating its body, it raced to the metallic pokemon, smashing it into the ground. A cloud of dust exploded outwards, coating the entire battlefield in a sandy air. Cynthia squinted her eyes, bringing her arm up to shield them from the bits of dirt. A burst of light and raw power filled the area, forcefully pushing away the sand. An invigorated roar filled the air and Cynthia's eyes widened at the Mega Metagross standing in front of her.
~~~~~
Rogan had just gotten home from school, flinging his backpack aside and collapsing on his bed. He closed his eyes, raising his arm to cover them as he groaned in exhaustion. Today was a tiring day, then again, avoiding his abusive and drunk father always made it a tiring day. There was a soft pull on his chest, and he frowned, not opening his eyes as he swiped carelessly at whatever was there. The insistent tug continued as his hand fumbled through empty air.
Rogan scowled, grudgingly opening and laying his eyes upon the irritating thing. His eyes widened and he rubbed at them in disbelief, it was a spectral Garchomp, a mini spectral Garchomp. It stared at him, meeting his gaze with its own burning one. After a moment, the Garchomp moved suddenly, surging into him. Rogan gasped, in shock or pain he didn't know, maybe a combination of the two. He pried his eyes open and looked around. No, it couldn't be... In front of him, a shiny Mega Metagross charged straight at him in a meteor mash.
"Garchomp meet it head on, dragon rush!" Only years of ingrained instinct in the body he was currently inhabiting allowed him to leap off the ground, coating himself in immense power and clashing ferociously with the opponent. His eyes gleamed wildly as the thrill of battle from his dreams came rushing back towards him tenfold. Rogan gave a mighty roar, following the champion's orders as he fired a powerful hyper beam at Metagross.
It was only at the end, when the thrill of battle began to die away slightly, when the sweet taste of victory started filling his mouth and he was racing towards a downed Metagross in a deadly giga impact, that reason finally broke through. He swerved up sharply, the white light of the attack shattering as the power he channeled into it disappeared. He stared at his claws, wide-eyed, as thoughts, denials, fears, raced through his mind.
"Garchomp?" a hazy voice broke through his thoughts and he turned his head to gaze at his concerned trainer. No, no! NO! He was himself, he belonged, to NOBODY! A vicious howl exploded from him as he let a hyper beam fly a little to the left of the champion. It impacted the ground next to her, blowing up a storm of sand, but she didn't even notice. She only stared in disbelief as her starter roared, firing hyper beams around in a fit of rage.
"Cynthia?" an uncertain voice came in the form of the Hoenn champion, "What's going on?"
"I- I have no idea," Cynthia sounded just as bewildered, if not more, than him. "It's never happened before..."
"Let's call off the battle," Steven said sternly, examining the rampaging dragon with calculating eyes, "we need to find out what happened to Garchomp. Metagross, psychic!"
The pokemon's eyes glowed blue as an invisible force wrapped around Garchomp and slammed him into the ground. Rogan struggled to his knees, fighting viciously against his hidden bonds. Cynthia walked calmly towards her starter, who growled warningly when she stepped too close. She ignored him as she kneeled beside him.
"Garchomp," she murmured softly, barely hidden anguish in her steel-gray eyes, "What happened to you?" Rogan howled, a feral glint in his eyes, he wouldn't be controlled, not again, not while he possesses this power. He couldn't so anything as a human child, but as a powerful pseudo-legendary, he was more than capable, nobody would control him!
He broke free of the psychic for a split second and lunged forward, snapping his powerful jaws around the champion's arm. She winced but stayed still, watching his expression as he felt warm blood seep into his mouth. "Don't you remember Garchomp? All the adventures we had, everything we've been through? We've been through hell and back, but we did it together. And you know what? I would do it again, if you were by my side," she whispered, laying her other hand on his head.
Rogan's jaws loosened, memories breaking through his haze of rage. He did remember, even if this body wasn't his, he remembered. The young cheerful trainer Cynthia had been as a child. Their fights consisting of tackles and growls when they just started. The contentment and safety he felt as a Gible, snuggled into Cynthia's arms. The pure ecstasy and rush of power he felt when he evolved, he remembered it all. Cynthia truly was a kind, gentle, compassionate trainer. He closed his eyes, he could safely say that his time with her was 100 times better than the time he spent in his actual life
He opened his mouth, releasing his trainer's arm, his trainer, and now, he was proud of that fact. He nuzzled into Cynthia's outstretched hand, not noticing the releaved smile break onto her face. A thought was brought to the front of his mind, something his other self had wanted to do. He reached a claw and gently tore off a little box hanging around his neck. Rogan cut through the soft fabric of the box and carefully grabbed the objects inside with his teeth. He leaned forward and gently nudged Cynthia's palm.
She gave a questioning look, but didn't say anything as she turned it face up. He leaned over and opened his maw, letting two shiny objects fall into her open palm. Cynthia stared in surprise and awe at the keystone and garchompite. A bright smile came across her face as she laid a hand on his head, "Thank you Garchomp," she murmured. He closed his eyes and reveled in the familial love he felt from his trainer.
It was ironic, he thought, that in a world where pokemon obeyed their trainer's every order, he felt more free and loved than when he was with his family. Though, he supposed as he basked in her warmth, his trainer was his family, now and forever.
