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"And that's the last of 'em."  You hefted the last trash bag on the pile. "You think it's enough for P.T.H.B.T?" Cassie asks.
"Don't worry, Fern can make a three course banquet from nothing but some wet cardboard and candy wrappers." You replied. "Poison Types are gonna be flocking from all over Peleywa just to get a taste of Fern's cooking."

It was a warm spring day in Peleywa. You were on Route 8, near the Gateway Garden, volunteering to help collect the various amounts of trash and refuse that always pile up there. The trash that's collected will be donated to the Poison Type Home and Breakfast Team, or P.T.H.B.T for short. The head of this board was a Garbodor named Fern, who owns a diner catering to Poison type Pokemon.
In a world rapidly converting to cleaner and greener energy sources, many Poison Pokemon are drastically shrinking in population, some so extreme that Pokemon like Muk and Grimer are in danger of going extinct.

That's where Peleywa's P.T.H.B.T Initiative comes in. The Peleywa Region reserved Siental Town Ruins as a protected haven for many Poison Pokemon to live and raise families there.

That leaves the food situation to be handled.
Many Poison types can feed on all sorts of things, be it rotten foods, toxic waste, and other non-recyclable substances that get tossed here and there in this part of Peleywa.

A group of people and Pokemon routinely come here to help clean up Route 8 and provide food for the Siental Reserve. This year, however, you hope to do your part.

You and the others were divided into teams of three, with two people and one Pokemon on each. You were partnered up with a girl named Cassie and her Galarian Ponyta, who helped carry large amounts of garbage with its psychic abilities.
It took a few hours, but eventually there was only a pile of trash bags on the side of an otherwise pristine portion of road. You rest for a moment while Cassie feeds Ponyta a sort of cake.

"You said you worked on a farm, right?" You recalled. Cassie nods, "Cloudcover Ranch by Route 12." She confirmed. "We don't just raise Pokemon, but our produce are among the best in the region. And I don't even need to mention our famous Cloudcover Cakes." Cassie took another of the round pastry in her hands and breaks it in two, offering you one half. You accept the soft pillowy pastry.

You heard of Cloudcover Cakes. They were a modified recipe of a similar treat from Galar that rapidly grew in popularity in Peleywa, but you never had one until now. The aroma was promising, a mix of light nuttiness and caramel. Upon taking a bite, it practically melted in your mouth with nutty flavor and a sweet finish. It was hardly a wonder why people and Pokemon alike adore this treat.

The three of you enjoyed the snack on this sunny day. But as you finished your portion, you noticed the large upside down cardboard box you forgot to pick up earlier. "Whoops, we missed one." You walk across the road towards the box to pick it up.

Under the container, was a tall plant decorated with brilliant pink and magenta flowers. "Woah, is that-" Cassie and Ponyta were suddenly at your side, staring at the flower. "It is a Gracidea! In Sinnoh it's widely considered a symbol of gratitude. But what is it doing out here?"  "Maybe a seed didn't make it to Gateway Garden?" You mused. "Or it's the planet's way of showing gratitude for our service!"

"Whatever the case," Cassie stated, "do you think we should report this to the rest?"  "I dunno. It's not hurting anybody." You replied. "And it's a nice surprise for anyone traveling down the route. C'mon, we have a big haul ahead of us-"

Suddenly, the Galarian Ponyta whinnies in alarm. You and Cassie spots the cause of the sudden alert: A large group of Salandits are struggling to carry off the heavy bags of trash.

"Hey, stop!" Cassie calls out. Ponyta used Psychic to lift the bags out their reach. Angrily, a Salandit hissed and spewed a rancid substance at the Ponyta, who just barely dodged the attack. A swift kick from Ponyta's back hooves knocks the toxic lizard Pokemon aside.
Other Salandits come to its aid and start belching out poisonous gas. "Don't breathe it in!" Cassie warns. You instinctively cover your nose, but the poor Ponyta didn't have that capability. Its vibrant cotton candy pink and blue mane dulls and droops.

Ponyta was poisoned.

Just when things couldn't get worse, you caught a glimpse of a larger creature stepping in from the fog. When the smog clears, a reptilian figure stood across the street from you. It had mostly black scales, with orange scales that decorated its back with stripes. It had the rest of these orange scales on its underbelly.

His limbs were thick with muscle, four fingered hands and feet tipped with obsidian claws. The new Pokemon hunched over, a low gurgling growl emitting from his jagged, toothy snout. The Pokemon's purple eyes narrowed at the three of you in contempt, muscular tail cracking against the ground.

"SALATEER!" The beast, Salateer, snarls. This powerful pokemon was the result of a male Salandit that did the impossible and broke away from the control of a Salazzle. With no female to share their food,  male Salandit can gain the nourishment they needs to achieve Evolution.
Unlike his female counterpart, Salazzle, Salateer are physical powerhouses with a deadly ability to hit even harder if their opponent is poisoned.

And considering the state of Cassie's Ponyta, this wasn't the best of situations...

"Got any ideas?" Cassie whispers. "Hey, you're the one with the Pokemon!" You tell her. Salateer had grabbed a trash bag and was starting to fill it up with toxic power. It snarls, throwing the venomous bomb at you. You and Cassie ran in opposite directions as Gunk Shot made impact. The force of the blast knocked you both off your feet.  Getting up, you see Cassie holding her weakened Ponyta. "Cassie! Are you okay?" You call to her.  "I'm fine. But I can't say the same for my Ponyta." She answered.

"There has to be other volunteers nearby." You tell her. "Go and get help."  "What? But you-"  "Don't worry about me," You assured her, "I'm tougher than I look."

Cassie, with Ponyta in her arms, runs as fast as she could. Salateer hisses, preparing to go after the girl, but a large rock was flung at his head. The toxic lizard Pokemon screeches in pain and rage, then shot a death glare at you.

You picked up another rock, but the Salandit group blasted another round of poisonous gas around it's leader, obscuring your view.

Then from the smog came another Gunk Shot.
You dodged again, but the blastzone was a lot bigger this time. Flecks of venom burned your unprotected skin. You knew this Pokemon meant serious business. (Cassie, please hurry!) you think.

A glimpse of dull pink caught your eye.

Oh, no.

The Gracidea...

Some of the gunk splattered onto the plant and soil around it. It was wilting from the toxin. A pink petal detached from the Gracidea.

You move towards the dying flower, carefully trying to dig it out of the infected soil, but it's too late to save it as more petals start their cascade.

Salateer's attention finally turns away from you, and barks an order to the Salandits. They skittered off, lugging the remaining trash in tow. They were going after Cassie! You had to stop the Salateer pack from attacking Cassie and stealing P.T.H.B.T property, but how? You didn't have a Pokemon with you.

You weren't able to do anything...

Despair grips your heart as you slumped to the dirt. It's over. You failed. A Gracidea petal is blown in the wind. It lands in your hand, the texture dry yet flexible.

There's a tingling sensation in your hand, like when it falls asleep then waking up. The petal was gone, but you noticed how your fingers seemed quite a bit...shorter.

"What the-" before you knew it, the wind picked up, collecting the rest of the Gracidea petals as they swirled around you.

A sense of vertigo grips you, as some of the petals attached and phased into your body. Everything seemed to either be growing taller, or you were shrinking down at a rapid pace.

More petals merge with you, and you have an overwhelming urge to drop down on all fours. You did, but then you see your arms and legs shortening along with the rest of you.

A small flock of pink petals land on your back, and a ticklish, prickling sensation race across it. You turn your neck to see what was going on. Turns out, you were growing quills.
Your quills grew all along your back all the way to your scalp. Every strand of your hair hardens and become a light spring green with golden specks, matching up with the quills on your back.

More petals swirl about where your ears were. They formed two new flowers resembling the Gracidea's, complete with two vibrant green leaves on each side. A crown of these pink flowers start to bloom across the rest of your head and back, sparkling as they take in the sunlight.

The ground were mere inches away from you now. Looking down, you watch as your fingers finish shrinking away, leaving you with nubby paws. No doubt the same happened to your feet. More of the tickling spread across your body, and when you look at your front paws, you watch as white fur appears on the rest of you. Across your legs, your belly, chest, neck, and finally your face.

Your nose was being tugged gently forward, becoming a snout complete with a wet black sniffer.
The transformation was almost complete, and for the final changes you keep your eyes closed. Your body relaxes. You start to feel so light, so calm, so…

Cassie's frightened shriek caused you to open your now emerald colored eyes wide.

Then you remembered what's going on.

Tiny paws dash across the dirt road towards the sounds of conflict. You hope you won't be too late...

---

A circle of Salandits cornered Cassie on all sides. She held her Ponyta close as Salateer himself approached. The Male Salandit evolution as well as his pack inhaled, preparing a toxic gas to blast her with. Cassie braces herself as a massive wave of poison blew towards her. But it never came. Instead, she heard a faint noise similar to a vacuum, and a bit of weight on her head.

You caught up to Cassie just in time! You landed on her head as the Salandit blew their Poison Gas at her. Instinctively, your new body began to absorb the toxins. The flowers on either side of your head faded from vibrant pink color to a pitch black. The Salandits and Salateer shrunk back in alarm. Salateer hissed a warning, but it came too late.          

A massive shockwave erupts from your tiny body, blowing away what's left of the poison, and sending the Salateer pack flying clear across the trees.  

Hopping from Cassie, you looked up at her, and chirped in concern. The girl looks down and sees you. Her eyes widen in recognition. "A Shaymin?" Cassie choked out.

Shaymin? That's what you were transformed into? You looked over yourself. Sure enough, you were exactly that. You try to speak, but only more chirps came out.

"Wait, what about-" Cassie whirls around to the road. "Oh, no, please..." she gets up and starts running back to where she last saw you. You realized what she's trying to do. "Shay! Miiin! (Wait! I'm right here!)" you called out to her, but of course, you can't speak human anymore. And she was running too fast for you to catch up.

You turn to the Ponyta, still weak from poison. A sweet, relaxing aroma wafts from your blooms. Maybe...

---

The first thing Cassie sees is the dead Gracidea, it's petals gone. Her partner was nowhere to be found. No clothing, nothing. She calls your name, but there's no answer.

Suddenly hearing a clopping noise behind her, Cassie sees her Galarian Ponyta racing towards her. With you clinging on the Ponyta's mane for dear life. The healed Unique Horn Pokemon skids to a halt, and it sends you flying off and into Cassie's arms.

"Ponyta? Shaymin? What are you two doing here?" Cassie wondered. Ponyta whinnies and points it's head to you. You then gesture towards the Gracidea plant. Cassie puts you down as you try to pantomime what happened.

You got up on your hind legs to symbolize you as a human (Wasn't easy, but you managed to keep your balance a bit).

You point at the stain in the road from Salateer's Gunk Shot, then the Gracidea. You touched the flower, then went back on all fours, expressing your transformation into a Shaymin.

You finally point to yourself. Emphasizing who you really are.

To your relief, it finally clicked with Cassie, who's staring in shaken disbelief. "Is that really you...?" She whispered.

You nodded,

and Cassie fainted.

Ponyta snorts in alarm, but you calmed her. "Shay. (Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine. This is all a lot to take in.)" you assure the Psychic Type.

"Shaymin? (Hey, are you strong enough to use Psychic again?)"

---

Cassie woke up at the nearby Pokemon Center. She turns to see her Ponyta resting beside her. "Oh, It was just a nightmare..." she laughed. "To think a human can suddenly turn into a Pokemon, and a Shaymin, no less! My partner is just sitting in the waiting room worried about me..."

Then she looked down on her chest.

"Shay, min, min. (Hey, you. You're finally awake.)" You greeted.

"W-WHAAAAA!" Cassie bolted upright, causing you to tumble down and startling Ponyta. "I-it's not a dream?!"  She panted.

"Shaymin. (Please, calm down.)" Your flowers emit a soothing scent in an effort to quell your partner's fear.

"Shay, shaymin. (I'm alright, and so are you.) You chirped. "If you transformed into that, how are you going to change back?" Cassie wondered. Huh, you never thought about it until now. Was it permanent? Or reversible? Either way, it didn't matter at the moment. You chirp comfortingly as your nestled into Cassie's arms.

"So. I guess you're like this now, and you don't seem to mind it much." Cassie assumed. "So I guess I don't mind it either. After all, you're really cute like this." She held you close. "I also wanted to say thank you. Not just for saving me from those Salandit, but for being my partner."

All across your back, flowers of various shades of pink bloomed at this display of gratitude.

"Shaymin. (You're welcome.)"