literature

From Companion to Carer (Haxorus TF)

Deviation Actions

WeebWriteMan's avatar
By
Published:
16.6K Views

Literature Text

One month. It had been one whole month since everything had happened, but to the young, tanned trainer, it had felt so much longer than that.
Iris walked with her bag over her shoulder, the white soles of her shoes crunching against the hard packed dirt path within the Unovan wilderness. The stretching greenery and mountainous terrain unraveled before her eyes, constantly dazzling the young dragon tamer as the two, small Axews leaned on her shoulders, peering out with her from the comfort of her dark purple hair.

It had been a month, but a part of her couldn’t properly rest knowing the person leaning on her shoulder used to be human. The guilt from back in Opelucid still weighed down on her shoulders… but Ash, in her new form, seemed to be quite comfortable. Seemed to be enjoying every moment of travelling and her Axew loved the company too. In the end, that was all that really mattered. That they were enjoying themselves. Truth be told, watching them play around whenever she stopped to take a break was… a guilty pleasure of hers. It made her smile, made the regret disappear…

She shook her head, trying to get the weird, bad feelings out of her chest as she quickened her pace, having slowed down a bit to look at the trees stretch up the rocky hills. After the whole ordeal she had to do some cleanup. Of course, Pikachu and Ash’s Pokemon were trainerless, so she had to contact Professor Oak, the Kantonese researcher to send over each and every Pokemon safely. Ash had kept many friends with Oak over the years, she had heard, so it only seemed fitting that they would go with Oak.

She got a nudge on her right cheek, a tusk gently scraping across the skin as she glanced to her right, looking at the pleading face of her Axew. Her maroon eyes quickly studied the expression on her Pokemon’s face, reading his heart…
She smirked a little. “Are you hungry?”
The Axew let out a quiet grunt, nodding from her hair as she laughed a little, looking forward as she glanced at the side of the road. What good timing—they had come upon a small roadside clearing, the soft grass creating a gentle natural cushion for them. She turned back to her Axew, pointing at the clearing with her finger. “Shall we stop then? So we can get lunch.”

Ash, who had otherwise been relatively quiet within her large bundle of hair jumped at the opportunity at food, poking out and letting out an enthusiastic, excited cry. Iris could only giggle as she turned into the small clearing, looking for somewhere to sit as her Axews jumped down from her hair, beginning to frolic and play in the long soft grass. She slung her large bag off her shoulder, letting it drop before putting it lightly on the ground, sticking her hands in to feel around for the Pokemon kibble.

Ah, there it was. Her hand grasped the lid and pulled it out, placing it next to her before retrieving the bowls she used to feed her little dragons. One old and worn, the other brand new. She had to buy one for Ash, of course. Upon seeing the bowls being brought out the Axews ran on over, keen for some food as they sat themselves right in front of her, looking up at her eagerly with their red eyes.
She could only laugh, a smile creeping onto her face. “Jeez, calm down! I haven’t even poured it yet.” Moving her bag to the side she knelt down in front of them properly, grasping the lid of the container once more and unscrewed it. The scent of the dried savoury bites wafted up through the open lid as she tipped it over each one of the bowls, a cascade of Pokemon food pouring out from the opening. She was sure to put in enough but not too much, moving onto the next as the Axews immediately began to tuck in. With her job down she could rest easy for the moment, putting the food away as she leaned back to enjoy the breeze.

She placed her hands behind her, feeling the soft grass over her hands and legs, the ground comfortable and cushioned. She looked up at the clear sky, taking a deep breath to calm herself. They left the last city behind a couple days ago. The travel time on foot to the next place was at least a few days away. There was a pleasure in getting from one place to the next, surrounded by the natural world—

She winced, sucking in air as she raised a few fingers to her forehead, rubbing her temple as a headache came into existence. She had been getting them for a little while now. She didn’t think too much of it initially, but with its frequency and how it just comes and goes as it pleases, she was starting to get a little bit worried. Iris rubbed the affected area in small rhythmic circles as she took controlled breaths, listening to the sound of her Pokemon eating. They were getting more painful, too…

A confused growl caught her attention, getting her to open her eyes to see Ash staring at her. Her eyes were partially narrowed, her head tilted in an expression of confused worry that made her blink. “...What?” She asked, lowering her hand slowly from her forehead, glancing left and right before raising her hand again. “Is there something on my f—”
Then she saw it—the nails on her hand. The slightly longer, sharper nails, in dull points that had shifted to a redder hue. Her expression turned dumbfounded, leaning forward as she reached up to touch them with her other hand. She felt them with incredulous curiosity, tugging and picking at the unnatural-looking extremities. What in the… when did this happen? Did her nails turn red without her noticing? It didn’t take her very long with all her sudden fussing and fretting to realise that the nails on her other hand weren’t perfect either, no longer short and cute. No, they too had grown, although not to the level of her other hand yet.

Iris didn’t really know what to think. The headache still throbbed lightly behind her eyes, her improving mood already soured. This… This really wasn’t good. Questions about what was happening to her began to run through her mind on repeat and she backpedalled on her appreciation of the natural world. She needed a Pokemon Center, really bad. She rose to her feet quickly, her heart beating with heavy pulses, yet with a slow, steady speed. Her Pokemon had already finished their food and were now staring at their trainer in bewilderment.
“...Break time’s over, guys!” She exclaimed after moments of agonising silence, bending down to stack the plastic bowls together and shoved them in her bag, her movements forced and hurried before slinging the bag over her shoulder, proceeding to pick up her Pokemon and stuff them into her hair. “Let’s get the show on the road!”

Her faux enthusiasm wasn’t even authentic enough to convince her Pokemon. They could feel something was off with their trainer, even as she walked at a brisk pace out of the soft grass and back onto the path, her head facing away from her Pokemon to hide her grimace. Her stomach was in turmoil from her thoughts, her mind jumping to the worst case scenario. She had heard… tales. Plus what she did to Ash… It wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Man, the next town was days away. What was she going to do if it got worse…?

-----

Needless to say, her condition didn’t get better. It got worse. Much worse.

The headache she got those many hours ago persisted, throbbing greater and greater in strength even into the evening, up until when she had to stop for the night for somewhere to rest. A part of her wanted to stop early but she forced herself to keep going, despite her protesting mind. She fought against her rebelling body until she had to call it quits and sat down that night to inspect herself in the light of a small fire, her Axews pestering her as they tried to crawl all over her.

Her nails had grown. Longer and thicker on both hands, like budding vicious red claws that still had room to grow. The same happened with her feet, her toenails transformed into sharper points, having torn small holes in her socks as she inspected her body with an annoyed and worried grimace. Her tongue swept over her growing canines, fidgeting in front of the flame as she raked her claws idly across itchy patches of skin, her tanned skin developing a rash in a few spots on her body. The claws left obvious marks on her body, always having to stop to push Ash or Axew out of her lap and away from her before getting fed up with them and deploying their evening meal to leave her be. She decided to take measures into her own hands—digging into her travel bag for her toiletries, extracting a nail file and clippers and sat herself down by the door of her tent, getting to work in the light of the fire. She slowly but surely worked at her nails, biting the metal clipper aggressively against the thicker red claws, starting with her toes before moving up to her fingers. Her efforts left all of them crudely cut and awkward looking, but she made sure to clean them up meticulously with a nail file. It took her quite a long time, having to stop briefly to put the two Axews into bed while she finished the job but eventually she did it. She curbed the sudden, strange growth of her nails… for now.
In the light of the dying flame Iris took herself to bed, taking a long swig of water in hopes that whatever was happening to her would stop by morning, tucking herself between the two sleeping Axews as exhaustion took her away from the waking world.

Needless to say, her efforts were in vain. Her sleep was restless, feeling worse for wear when she woke up the next day with a persisting headache. The pain had dulled for now, sure, but what made her chest tense up was the sight of her hands. The claws had grown back in its entirety and then some, emerging directly from the tips of her fingers. The crimson claws were large and sharp, too thick now to be damaged by mere nail clippers. Her breath seizing up in panic she jumped out of her sleeping bag, gripping her feet firmly only to see the same thing happening to her feet. The sharp red claws emerging from the tips of her toes, the skin peeling back in a ring around it. There was nothing she could do, could she? It was clear anything she tried to do would just be erased the next day… She had to get to the next town. Get some professional help. Even if she looked like a monster…

She wasted no time in getting out of her sleepwear into proper clothes, putting on her cream and pink dress before carefully sliding on her leggings and tying up her hair. The cloth pinched around her shoulders, her tights just that little bit tighter, her dress covering less than her legs than usual. She could barely conceal the hints of dread in her eyes as she became paranoid with every little thing about her body. Had she really changed that much over night…? She ran her finger under the cloth around her shoulders, trying to make herself feel more comfortable before moving onto her shoes. She put her socks on, the holes made from yesterday allowing her clawed toes passage as she gingerly put on her sneakers. They were tight, barely fitting properly… but they would do for now. Hopefully they would last.

She worked quickly in packing up, Ash and Axew rousing when she started taking apart the tent and packing everything up. The couple watched her work, their eyes taking in her claws and taking in her scent. There was something… different about their trainer. The look on her face was serious, a point of concern for the two Axews… but the scent couldn’t help but excite the two of them.
Eventually she had finished packing up, picking up the two Axews gently before allowing them to jump into her hair and get comfortable as she got back onto the road, walking briskly to reach the next town as fast as she could.

Her hopes that whatever was happening to her body would stop fell into shambles when she found the front of her shoes were punctured by the red claws, her footwear making it increasingly awkward to walk in before she ripped them off her feet and through them into the wilderness in her frustration. Her toes were… distorted, to say the least. A few of them looked longer and thicker, while some seemed smaller. Shrunken. Even as the winding path scuffed her feet until she could no longer feel them she kept moving forward, the skin toughening and darkening on her soles.

It was all she could focus on, pressing herself forward. Her face was set in a focused grimace as she kept pushing herself forward, her irritation growing into something greater as her body became increasingly more draconic. Her fangs were starting to poke out of her mouth, the teeth darkening as her muscles burned and tensed, her body becoming more powerful with every passing moment. She could feel her dress tightening around her as the sun sank in the sky, her Axews watching her from her shoulders. They watched her with excited curiosity, ignoring her discomfort as they saw her something becoming greater, Ash and Axew bouncing on her shoulder before she stopped herself for the night. She found herself becoming irrationally distraught as she inspected her body in the orange light of the sunset, feeling the rough gray scales on her feet as the claws on her hands consumed more of her fingers, the tips of tusks now emerging from the sides of her mouth. Ash and Axew were being a lot more cuddly now much to her displeasure, turning them away as her eyes were shifting to a redder colour turning more fierce as she dealt with her Pokemon before turning in for the night, her sleep as restless as the night before. Another day of walking was ahead of her, trekking through the world on her lonesome as she awoke to herself being even taller, even more muscular, her feet three-toed claws with the stub of a tail having grown in overnight.
She got back on the road almost immediately, the clouds above overcast and casting a gloomy grey as she forced her body back onto the road, letting her Axews walk alongside her as she hunched her back forward in exhaustion. She was so tired. She didn’t feel like she was present within her own body, her mind sunken into her eye sockets, the thoughts coming to her mind seemingly not her own. It was so strange, feeling less human than she already was…

The wind suddenly blustered through the trees around her, snapping her out of her focus as she shielded her eyes with her arm, forcing herself into a tenser stance to stand her ground. Her Axews who were walking in front of her stumbled from the sudden gust as Iris raised her eyes to the sky above. She had been so caught up in her thoughts, her goal consuming them so much that she had hardly realised how dark the sky had become. The trees shook with the force of the oncoming storm, a distant rumble of thunder signalling the storm’s arrival. Her eyes widened in shock, her eyes looking up to the heavens as her mouth dropped open. Oh no… No no no… what was she going to do?

Ash and Axew picked themselves up off the ground, their little faces filled with concern before another boom of thunder echoed over the land, now much closer. The loud sound made them jump and scream, running on all fours to cling to Iris’s legs, visibly shaking and in fear of the oncoming storm. She felt the beginnings of rain hitting her cheeks, her eyes wide with shock as she hardly reacted to the flicks of cold against her skin, her chest so tight with animosity against the world that she began feeling the draconic rage that had been boiling inside her start welling up. The whimpering little ones by her feet didn’t deserve this. She needed… She needed to…

She gritted her teeth, balling her hands into fists as the tusks poking out of her mouth began to rapidly grow, the surge of fury running through her blood beginning to bulk up her body as the scales on her monstrous feet began to run up her legs, the stubby tail that she had tried to ignore for so long beginning to grow out in full force. Her torso began to widen, her neck thickening as her skin rapidly hardened as she began to grow. Grow more powerful against the strong gales and the winds as the two Axews looked up in awe at their transforming trainer, as her thighs thickened with muscle and armour, her white tights shredding with ease while her stance widened to allow room for her powerful, plated tail. The rains hit her nose, leading the growth to a beak-like snout as it was pointed skyward to face the rains head on, her tusks growing into a wicked scythe-like shape while her neck kept lengthening, her spine popping as the greenish armour continued to build up around it in bulky plates. Her long hair was useless to her now, the rains coming down upon her as it fell out in large clumps onto the muddy road, her yellow bow blowing away in the winds. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky as a growl rumbled deep in her throat, her wet dress clinging tightly to her draconic form before she finally snapped. Her mind, in an instant, had changed. She let out all the frustration and anger into a roar, her cry screaming out into the rain as she fought back against the downpour on the heavens, gripping the remnants of her dress and tearing them away to let herself free.

Iris’s voice was heard over the mountains until she could roar no more, lowering her head as her chest heaved in heavy breaths as stared in front of her, the water running down her beaked snout until feeling something against her legs. She glanced downwards, seeing the two Axews huddling against her, staring up at her with starry eyes. It was… weird. She could remember who she was. Who she was before. Yet her thoughts were weird. There was no room for human problems out here. Her real self felt like it was a spectator, watching as she scooped up the two little ones in her thin arms, beginning to move as quickly as she could off the path towards the mountains with one goal in mind.
Get the little ones safe.

The rest was a blur to her. She managed to find a place indoors, a small cave opening in the side of the mountains that she carried both Ash and Axew, but it happened in such a way that she acted almost instinctively. It was hard to tell when she was in control… or it was merely her instincts. After that, nothing. She slept a dreamless sleep for a long time, her self tucked into the corners of her mind. She awoke to the light of sunrise, twinkling against the opening of the cave as drops of water hailed from above.

Her eyes gently opened, waking to the sight of the stone floor on her side before she gently pushed herself up, blinking her red eyes slowly as she looked around. The cave was small and short, a mere hole in the mountain that seemed to suffice as shelter from the horrific storm that had passed the day before. She seemed to have slept for a long time.
The sound of something snuffling caught her attention, directing her attention down to the two Axews curled up right by her stomach, nestled right against her side for warmth. Her reaction was instantly, leaning her head down to her Axew and gently licking his head tenderly before moving over to Ash, tending to her as well. There was something about them that she had never seen before. It was strange. They weren’t her children… yet, in her chest, she couldn’t help but feel like a mother to them. Her rational mind was tucked into the back of her brain, allowing her body to instinctually act to tend to her little ones. She let them be as she slowly rose to her clawed feet, walking past them to the entrance to the cave, past the curtain of water droplets to soak in the first rays of the sun.

The next few days after were spent directly fending for the little ones. She had an intrinsic urge to make sure they were well taken care of, foraging for hours on end to ensure they were all well fed. She would come back by the end of every day with her hands full of many kinds of berries, ensuring that they got their fill first before she allowed herself to eat. Her tusks allowed herself to work at trees to topple them to harvest their fresh supply of food and her efforts were rewarded with the love and satisfaction of her children, to which she tenderly nuzzled and held. During the nights Iris made sure to keep guard, making sure no threat would come to harm her little darlings. Everything was for her Axews. Their bond was so strong that nothing could shatter it.

Yet she felt the draconic energy pulsing through her blood slowly beginning to ebb, day by day. Her instincts in control hardly noticed this, but her rational mind certainly did. She was sure that, eventually, she would turn back. Maybe soon, maybe in weeks or even months from now. She would wake up to see the sunrise once more, with a newfound bond with her Pokemon stronger than any other trainer that has ever existed.
an anonymous commission
it's been awhile but i've finally done it, so I hope you enjoy
this is a sequel to the story found here: www.deviantart.com/weebwritema…
© 2018 - 2024 WeebWriteMan
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In