Chapter 2: Do elephants visit hospitals?

Brockton Bay, NH, USA

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Type: Ground

It was unfortunate, but Squealer was making a whole lot of noise. She kept firing off her guns, never mind that they couldn't aim low enough to hit a dugtrio in the first place. That coupled Mush moving in and my own internal clock ticking down put me in a bit of a time crunch. I wasn't sure I wanted to take Mush or whoever else was drawn to the noise.

I looked around with my steel hair, my seismic sense giving me a good idea of the layout. With only two minutes to spare, I located the safe, a beat up, rusted old thing that was probably more for ease of mind than any actual security.

In seconds, I was beneath the ground and digging through. The metal presented a brief challenge, but copious uses of Night Slash solved that problem.

One minute.

Plenty. My Tangling Hair grabbed as much of the cash I could carry in my diminutive state before bailing out of there, leaving the Merchants to deal with any newcomers, be they reinforcements or police.

I managed to dig a block away before transforming back into my out of shape self. I gathered up the scattered bills and reviewed the night. "Look back on every battle," Steven had told me. I wasn't the brainy sort, but even I could see the merit in that.

A quick count revealed four grand, mostly in smaller bills. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a whole lot either considering I seemed to have struck Squealer's main lab. I had to assume they had a different safe elsewhere.

There was a lot I could do with this money. Perhaps I could get a burner phone? Or make a costume of my own? I did hear about a new clothier cape, though meeting another cape while so clearly new would obviously come with risks. Or maybe, I could just do something nice for the little ones at the orphanage. We were always in need of something. If not socks or toilet paper or whatever necessities we were running low on, a pizza party would go a long way to soothing any ruffled feathers.

Thoughts for later. Now, the battle.

I stowed my helmet, blending seamlessly as one more teenage vagrant up too late.

The battle was… pathetic. Just remembering the way I tried to bluff a Merchant mook and failed miserably made me cringe. Hell, he'd managed to bluff me back and jumped on me!

I groaned. Where was the aura master who took down half a dozen Teams? What the hell happened to my martial arts? My tactical skill? My experience?

I knew the truth: I'd grown soft. The fighting style honed alongside Luca did me no good when this body lacked the most basic of foundations. For all the crime in this city, it'd always been someone else's problem. When I was younger, I was too young to be directly exposed to it. When I entered high school, it was something that happened somewhere else.

I'd grown soft and it stung to admit it. I was no Regis, but even I had my pride. "Guess I'm going to have to start getting back into shape," I muttered.

Just as important, I'd have to start playing around my timer. The Alolan dugtrio was about the only good choice I'd made tonight. Had I chosen something bigger, something with more of a wow-factor, I might not have been able to escape at will. I'd certainly have been easier to catch on camera without Sand Veil.

"At least my pokemon battling's still up to snuff," I tried to console myself.

This brief, three hour excursion taught me a lot, mostly about my own shortcomings. I was too weak in my human form. I was out of practice. My timer was something to keep in mind. I'd need a costume and a name. I'd need better plans going forward, even against the Merchants.

It would have been nice to have some backup.

That thought brought me up short. Did I want that? Another team? The faces of my old team, my family, flashed through my mind. They were irreplaceable, but that didn't mean I couldn't move on… right?

With my mind filled with such complex thoughts, I snuck into bed to catch as much shut-eye as I could.

X

School was… surprisingly okay.

Perhaps that was the secret I'd been missing all along. I couldn't be bored to death if I was already half dead from lack of sleep… right?

I felt someone poke me through the haze of not-sleep. Turning my head, I came face to face with the golden boy of Arcadia himself, Dean Stansfield. He was handsome in that pretty-boy way that reminded me of Steven Stone. He looked like a boy who didn't spend much time on his appearance, yet ended up looking nice by virtue of owning nice things and using top of the line shampoo.

Truthfully? I didn't mind the lad. He was kind to everyone and had practically the entire freshman class eating out the palm of his hand within two weeks as student council president. He exuded "wholesome, all-American" vibes with everything he did. I just wished he'd not make a show of himself so often with the school rumor mill. Though to be fair, that wasn't entirely his fault.

I raised a single, lazy eyebrow, a move long since mastered under the tutelage of Marsh. Nothing said "I just woke up and am now pondering what you taste like," quite like a ten feet tall bear who created earthquakes by sneezing too hard.

"You look like you need a partner," he replied with an easy smile.

I glanced around. Advanced English literature was honestly not a bad class. The teacher was knowledgeable, we read interesting works, and no one bothered me much when I fell asleep. Except when there was group work. Groaning, I replayed whatever she'd been talking about before assigning group work and came up blank.

"Sorry, what are we doing?"

"Long night?"

"Yeah… Let's just get this over with so I can go back to sleep."

"Haha, at least you're honest. You read Cat's Cradle?"

"Yeah. Something something ice. Something something apocalypse. Something something religion is what you make of it."

He slid a worksheet over to me. "Come on, at least pretend to try."

I sighed but obliged him. It wasn't his fault I was sleep deprived.

X

School let out and I made sure to leave without drawing attention to myself. I headed back to the Egg House long enough to pick up my helmet, replacing everything in my backpack with it so I could be a little discrete. I'd really need to work on a costume at some point, but it'd do for now.

One of the things I'd been thinking about was my lack of knowledge. When I realized this world had superhumans, I got really into the hype for a little while. A "cape-nerd," I think I was called. That ended when I began to see the cracks.

Cape culture was… very different from the culture that surrounded elite trainers. Let's leave it at that.

What I did remember was just how much the Protectorate and the PRT seemed to be hiding from the public. I wasn't privy to any secrets, I wasn't Sabrina, but I was a Champion-class trainer with no regional loyalty who wandered the world making friends with legendary pokemon alongside a team of sentient WMDs. I could recognize political bullshit when it was spouted to me.

All that to say… I knew very little about cape culture from the perspective of a cape.

Which meant I needed information.

Fortunately, I also knew that a certain overly peppy blonde and her cranky sister would be headed to the hospital.

It only felt marginally strange to head to the hospital while not being ill. The pokemon centers were basically that after all. They also took care of a lot of other affairs for trainers like League registration, communication between regions, trades, and even sometimes acted as hostels and short-term employment agencies for travelers.

To me, a "hospital" was a "place of hospitality" in a lot of different ways. In comparison, this world's idea of a hospital seemed a little too narrowly focused.

A short bus ride later and I was at Brockton General, the largest hospital in the city and also the one that Panacea volunteered at most frequently. The complex was a set of three buildings, though the exact organization of different wards escaped me.

I made my way to the emergency room, figuring that if the two capes I knew about would be anywhere, it was there.

I thought about how I'd get an audience with either girl. They were classmates, but I couldn't just barge into the ER and expect them to make time for me, if Glory Girl was here at all. She might have just left after dropping her sister off.

I decided that letting them know that there was a new indie hero in town would be the best way to get a straight answer from them. I might not like Vicky's aura much, but she was a mostly honest girl from what I could recall.

So, face covered by an orange motorcycle helmet, I walked to the sliding doors. I made it four steps before a burly, pot-bellied man in a navy jacket stopped me.

"Sir, is there something wrong?"

I glanced at the security badge on his shoulder and decided that honesty was the best course of action. "Sir, I'm a new cape and I was hoping either Panacea or Glory Girl could give me some time to answer some questions."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Uh huh… right."

I looked at him. He was middle-aged, with a bit of a gut, but I could see what had once been muscle. If I had to guess, he looked like he could handle himself in a fight. Certainly, he could handle my scrawny ass. Not to mention, I didn't fancy my chances if Vicky was around and saw me causing a ruckus here.

So, persuasion it was.

"I know what it looks like, but I swear I am an independent hero."

"Right, with that outfit? Pull the other one, kid. You know how many kids like you think you can get an autograph if you come here?"

"Plenty, I'd imagine, but I'm not them. Look, sir. How about I just show you what my power is? I'm a changer, you see. I'll transform and you can call ahead and tell them I'm here."

He looked at me with far more caution now. If anyone else pulled this ruse, I doubted they stuck with it so insistently.

"You really a cape?"

"Yes sir. Should I transform and prove it?"

An array of conflicting emotions played across his face before curiosity won out. He was still human after all. "Yeah, take a step back and show me."

I obliged. It needed to be a form that was suitably impressive, but also not likely to terrify the man. I also didn't want to become a pokemon whose abilities were readily obvious, just in case.

I smirked. I knew just the one. "Shift, claydol!"

I felt myself shrink in height even as my middle ballooned out. A mix of psychic and ground type aura filled me and I suddenly found levitation child's play. The form also conveniently came with a full, three-sixty range of vision.

The aura inside me stabilized. It felt a bit more… solid? There was no easy way to describe it, but I felt that this transformation would last longer than my last one.

"Holy shit," I the guard swore.

"Here it is, sir. As you can see, I'm a changer. I figured it'd be a good idea to introduce myself to the other independent heroes." My voice came out somewhat garbled, with the clinking of glass or ceramic in the background. It was strange; I had no idea what was doing that since I lacked vocal chords.

"Uh.. yeah… right. Why not the PRT?"

I bobbed in the air in an approximation of a shrug. "I do not wish to hear their poorly disguised recruitment pitch. I value my independence far too much to join them."

"Ah, right… Let me call this up."

Three minutes later, I saw a white-cloaked girl rushing through the lobby. She was easily recognizable as Amy Dallon, Arcadia's dateless wonder. I had no idea how many double dates she'd been on with her sister and Dean, but I couldn't help but wonder if her poor luck at romance was a fault with her. If you smell shit everywhere you go, you ought to check your shoes and all that.

Still, my lackluster interest in the rumor mill aside, she was currently Panacea. She was a woman who had my utmost respect for her altruism.

"Hello? Yeah, what is it you nee-" Her words died in her throat as she saw me. "Oh…"

"Oh indeed, Panacea," I warbled in greeting before doing a little floating bow to the security guard. "Thank you for your help, sir."

"Umm… who are you?"

"My name… I'm afraid I haven't quite decided, but I was hoping you could answer some questions about being a cape. I'd be very grateful if you'd spare some time for me, Panacea."

I could see the moment she switched to PR-mode. The smile she wore was a little plastic, but overall still seemed mostly sincere. The wonders of a lawyer mom, I'd wager.

She walked out of the lobby and away from prying eyes before taking me to a corner of the hospital set aside for a small garden. There, she found a corner table and took a seat.

"Of course I can help, but I really must suggest the PRT. That's what they're there for."

"As I told the good guard over there, I want to remain independent and would like to avoid a recruitment pitch."

"Oh, well.. What did you want to know?"

"Truthfully? I was hoping Glory Girl was around as well. I wanted to ask her what qualified as acceptable use of force against a villain. I wouldn't want to go overboard."

"You should aim for restraint whenever possible," she said, fully in lecture-mode. She opened her phone and typed something. "You're right that she'd be a better person to ask though. I've given her a text if you'd like to stick around."

"That sounds nice; I have time."

"Great, can you tell me a bit more about your power?"

I transformed back into my human form before heading to a nearby vending machine. I fished out a few bills and grabbed myself a coke. There was nothing I could do about my timer at the moment, but I didn't want her to know that. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, but who knew who she'd tell.

"Panacea, is there something you'd like to drink? On me as a thank you."

"Nah, I'm good."

I popped the can and thought about what I wanted to tell her.

"I'm the changer," I said, putting my coke can down.

"Yeah, I know. I'm asking what you can do in your… jar?… form."

"No, I mean I'm the changer. I don't have a single form. I have over a thousand, each with their own unique powers." I allowed myself a smug smirk as Amy processed that.

"Bullshit," she said finally. "There's no way you have over a thousand forms."

I shrugged. "You'll just have to take my word for it. Whenever your sister drops by, I can show you another."

"Show me what? This better not be someone trying to get you to sign his dick again," her sister said as she descended from the sky. Her hands rested on her hips in a heroic stance that would have been more impressive if it didn't give me an easy upskirt view. Spats, but still an odd choice, not that I was complaining.

Then her aura hit me. It was vaguely threatening, like a disapproving parent. I wondered if I could handle her at her worst as I was now.

No, that wasn't a fair question: Ground types had some major heavy hitters.

"Hey, Vicky," Amy said, leaning in for a hug. "New cape, my sister. My sister, new cape. He doesn't even have a name yet. Says he's a changer-yes who can turn into a thousand different forms."

Her sister vouching for me was all she needed for her to do a full one-eighty back to teen pep mode. "Oh, cool! Hi, new guy!"

"I told her I'd shift into a form your sister hasn't seen yet."

"Ooh, a show. Okay, wow us, new guy."

I took a step back and posed. Sue me, being a diva was just part and parcel of being an elite trainer. Fist thrust forward, I declared to the world: "Shift, phanpy!"

I felt myself shrink again. This time, I stood barely as tall as Victoria's knee. My jacket and helmet was replaced by sky-blue hide, with crimson plates I knew were deceptively strong. Phanpy, the "long nose" pokemon, was tiny. And cute.

Perfect to impress a pair of girls.

"Are… are you an… elephant?" Amy asked, bewildered.

"I am," I nodded. "What were you expecting? A Gundam?"

"I mean… you were a floating jar… thing… a little while ago, so… Yeah, kinda."

"Oh my god, you're adorable!" Glory Girl squealed. That was all I heard before I felt my ears get smushed into my face. My vision went dark as the resident brick glomped me. She picked me up and I could do nothing but flail my stumpy little legs.

Phanpy was not a light pokemon. It was a baby elephant after all. I knew from browsing the dex in my past life that they had incredibly dense muscles despite their size, capable of knocking down trees if pressed. Victoria Dallon picked me up like a stuffed animal.

"Mmpphhh!" I groaned, trying to speak from this marshmallow hell.

"Vicky, I think that form still needs to breathe," I heard her sister remark dryly.

"Oh, sorry."

I wagged my trunk. "Breathing wasn't the issue. Still, appreciate it."

"Right. So are all your forms this cute?"

"No, definitely not. Some are fierce, some are sturdy."

"Huh, like what?"

"Imagine a great white. Then give it legs. And wings. Then make it casually supersonic. And give it armor that can shrug off sniper rounds."

"Ooh, can we see that?"

"Later," I promised. "I'd like to ask you ladies about being a cape if you don't mind."

Amy cut in shyly. "Umm… do you mind if I touch you?"

I extended my trunk. "Sure, I don't see why not."

She grabbed hold. I could feel her rub along the trunk and give it a squeeze. Her eyes glazed over a bit as she took a look at my biology. "Woah, you're really heavy, huh?"

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No, I mean you have really dense muscles. And bones. And everything, really. It's like you were built for power. And… Are you made to roll? It feels like your spine is shaped to let you… curl."

I nodded happily. "Yup! I'm impressed you could tell that much." I curled into a ball by tucking in my limbs and trunk before using my ears to balance. I looked a bit like a sky-blue wheel.

"Huh, he didn't seem that heavy," Vicky mumbled.

"That's because you're you. I doubt a normal person could lift him. Hell, he could probably dent a car if he wanted."

I transformed back and gave them my best shit-eating grin. "You know, I can tell everyone Panacea stroked my shaft now, right?"

"You!"

The sight of Amy turning beet red was worth being chased around the garden. Eventually, she tired herself out and I got to sit back down.

"So anyway, Glory Girl, I was asking Amy about what acceptable force was like. Anything a new hero should know?"

She hummed. "Sure, I can help you out, for giving me eternal blackmail on my sister. So, I'm sure she told you, but restraint is always the best option. Unless you can prove you needed to use force, it's better to use as little as possible."

"Fair enough."

"Basically, anything more dangerous than the equivalent of a fist fight, you should be prepared to justify. It's a huge pain for brutes like me."

"What if you have a natural weapon like claws?"

"Cops will treat them like knives so be careful. The rule of thumb is always to never be the one to escalate first."

I nodded. "Got it."

Amy stood. "Well, Mr. Nameless, this was nice and all, but I'm going to go back to work. Thanks for dropping by."

"Wait."

"What?"

"I actually wanted to ask you if there were any protocols around healers."

That stopped her cold. "You can heal?"

"Some of my forms can, yes."

A complex medley of emotions flashed across the brunette's face. "That's… That's great. We can head inside and I can test your abilities. I'll stick around to make sure you're not hurting anyone."

I shook my head. "I have something to do on my own, but can I call you to test me whenever?"

"Fine. That works."

Victoria dug around in her skirt and pulled out a business card. "Here. That's got my number. Go ahead and give me a call if you ever want to patrol together."

I nodded and bid them goodbye before heading out. Today wasn't the most productive day ever, but I was satisfied. I made some money, beat up some Merchants, and made some connections. All good first steps.

Now to restart my workout regimen…

"Dude… what the hell are you doing?" I heard behind me.

I turned to find Mark, my roommate, staring at me like I'd grown a second head. We were in our shared room. I was trying to emulate the martial arts kata I'd once mastered. Once, I moved with a fluid grace only surpassed by the likes of lucario and mienshao. I could infuse my body with aura to perform supernatural feats of strength and dexterity. I used to spar with Luca every morning, refining our techniques with single-minded dedication.

Once.

Now, I looked like a particularly uncoordinated chicken. My mind said I knew what I was doing. My body decided to prove it wrong. The dissonance between a lifetime of experience and this fledgling body was hard to overcome. This wasn't something I'd get right away.

I sighed. "Martial arts. Can't you tell?"

"Are… Are you sick, dude? You feeling alright?"

"Yes, why would I be sick?"

"Since when do you care about martial arts?"

"Since five minutes ago," I huffed.

He swept into the room and tossed his backpack on his desk. "Hah, and you think you're gonna be Jackie Chan in five minutes? Man, for real. Is this about a girl?"

"It's not."

"Uh huh. Sure. And Glory Girl offered to suck me off yesterday."

I sighed. I wasn't going to get anywhere with him so I changed the subject. "How's your crew? Got any gigs lately?"

"Yeah, actually. We have a dance-off at this club. Ya wanna-" He looked me over. "Nah, nevermind."

"What?"

"Bro, it's not that I don't want you there, but… Club's in the Docks, yeah?"

I got what he was saying. ABB turf. I probably wouldn't get jumped just for attending, especially if Mark vouched for me, but he'd lose a bit of face with some of the more gung-ho bangers. Depending on who showed, it just wouldn't be worth it.

As much as I called Mark my best friend, we knew where we stood with each other. I was the "white friend" he could have that wasn't a skinhead. He was the "not-ABB" Asian kid I knew. We couldn't show each other off except in the right social circles, just easier for both of us if we compartmentalized our relationships.

"Yeah, I hear you," I told him. "No hard feelings, dude. Good luck."

"Thanks. And man, if you wanna pick up martial arts, you should start with some basic conditioning. All the fancy footwork and shit don't mean nothing if you can't throw a punch without hacking up a lung."

"I know. I was just testing something out. Trying to get the form imprinted in my body. Muscle memory, you know?"

He snorted. "Sure, Blake, whatever man, you pasty weirdo."

I flipped him off and went into the bathroom to grab a shower before bed. He was right, but I sure as hell wouldn't tell him that.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading. To reach a wider audience, and because I enjoy a more forum-like setup to facilitate discussion, I like to crosspost to a wide variety of websites. You can find them all on my Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/fabled.webs.