Note: Unlike most other stories from the "So I'm A Pokemon" threads, this story is set in the Pokemon world of the main series video games, rather than in the real world.
Mareanie Story: Second Scammy Chances:
Dreams—they’re a wondrous thing, aren’t they? Some are small, simple; some are grand and impossible in scope. Some want money to be rich, some want fame, others just want a fresh start.
You, however, got something different. You never had the best start and did a lot just to get by—a lot of it not being much to be proud of.
And eventually... well, you got some vacancy in your brain there; not to say you had much up there at the time.
Such is the fate of those who trifle with danger.
But what if we did something different?
What if we gave you a second chance, but under different circumstances?
Life can bloom in strange directions.
Let's see if by letting you have this, you might make up for your past mistakes.
Life's all-encumbering doors open and let you choose.
But let's remember where you are and where you might want to be.
You were an unfortunate soul in the past. Let's forget that; who do you want to be now?
You give a vague thought; a name calls to you. "Thaumiel." >Ah, "Thaumiel"—a strange name for a strange creature. Tell me, Mr. Thaumiel... what was your favorite thing about life you can remember?
You recall many things, but one thing sticks out to you: the sea. A vast endlessness, the forever-stretching sea, and the mysteries it held.
Ah, the sea. Such a vast thing, isn't it? To live in it is something some have always desired. And tell me, what is your favorite fruit?
Strange, the idea of lemons and oranges enters your mind, but from where? You feel so formless, but something is coming from somewhere...
Ah, the bitter citrus, filled with such conflicting flavors. Now tell me, are you a survivor, or do you already know your home?
You never recalled ever having a home; you always got by just getting what you needed. It was never too hard, so long as you knew what you were doing.
Very good. Now, only one more question: do you like being mischievous, or do you like keeping your nose clean?
Your thoughts feel more solid. The question lingers in your mind... life's never been fun when you never take risks, and messing with others is always fun.
Good to know that little bit of "you" is still in there. Alright, that’s enough for me to work with. You will be a Mareanie—the little troublemaker that you are. Escaping death, and now you've escaped with just a bit of lunch you stole. You’re hiding among a little alcove in the deep bay of Hoenn. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself, my child; you might find fate's deadly grip on you once more.
The transition from formless thought to physical reality is a cold, damp shock. The air in the alcove smells of salt and rotting kelp. It's such a change in feeling and thoughts from before. My body feels so strange; a sea of voices before suddenly stopping as you feel a body hit your head. "Bloop."
What is going on, and why does your head hurt so damn much? Man, what a trippy experience. But then your thoughts turn towards your hands—or rather your tentacles—and you see food... bits and pieces of meat with some coral mixed in. An old part of you looks at it in disgust, but you’re hungry, and food is food.
You take a bit of the meat first; it's chewy but good. It lacks a decent flavor, but the salt carries it. And next, the coral—you've never had such a strange thing and thought of it as food before, but you shrug and bite. The crunch as you bite feels good in your mouth; you bite hard, crunching it with your new teeth.
Your new body has its advantages, it seems. Eating things that were once inedible is now like a five-course meal; it's nice. You look around; you're at sea—or rather, under the sea. What a strange experience, but exciting all the same. Swimming up, you see you're in a reef of some kind. How exciting: new body, new problems, new solutions. First off, food—you're going to need food. Well, like that voice said, you're a Mareanie now; let's make good use of that. Maybe you can pull off being cute for food. Well, first off, let's see if anything is even nearby.
You swim up to the surface and pop up. It's raining. It feels nice, but looking around is hard as the waves are, well, wavy. It doesn't look like there's much around you... So, new plan: find people or a reliable source of food.
You roll an internal six-faced die in your head. It lands on four. Finding people sounds easier than searching for a source of food; after all, who could say no to a small Pokémon in need? Food and maybe a place to bed—you’ve just got to be mindful of any trainers. No sense in working for something when you can scam it for free.
You swim west, sneaking by underwater. Keeping an eye out, Your plans, while small, could be something big one day; you’ve just got to scam your way to the top.
Passing by the sites, you see A lot of rocks. Man, this place could go with some man-made islands—add some casinos, or hell, at least something along this route. It's just so dry, ironically.
"I'm in Hoenn, right? That's what the voice said. As much as I love the water, I could use some visual variety. Bleh. I'm going to take a break. There’s a rock on the side here; maybe just take a nap or something."
You take a rest on a perch on a rock. Various Pokémon swim and fly by, when one takes an interest in you, just chilling and minding your own business. It was a Wingull. "Wow, haven't seen a Pokémon like you around here before. Where ya from?"
Oh lord, not a chatty one. "Uhhh, yeah... I'm a Mareanie."
"that’s so cool! You must be from another region. Nice to meet new Pokémon. You know, my cousin—Arceus rest their soul—once found this new Pokémon. It was this crazy striped horse-like Pokémon who I swore was carrying around a water bottle of green tea. Wait, why was it carrying around a water bottle of green tea? Would it even be able to open it? Well, I guess it could find someone with hands to open it and—" blah blah blah blah blah.
He's still going. He's still fucking going. How does a random damn bird have so much to say? He's still talking, oh my lord. Please kill me, smite me with a god-damn bolt of thunder that fries me. PLEASE LORD, STOP TALKING! You pray to whatever merciful god is out there in the middle of your internal dialogue to please shut this bird up.
Hoping for some kind of mercy, the Wingull's endless yapping stops as he has a sudden thought.
"Hey, you were headed west, right? Were you heading toward the town? There's a lot of people there. I met this really nice girl—wonderful girl—she gave me a bunch of yummy berries. Have you ever had pancakes? Humans make the yummiest food. I had a sister—blah blah blah."
And there he goes again. But he said something useful: humans and a town not too far away. Your eyes light up; you know he likes food. "OH WOW, LOOK OVER THERE! WHAT IS THAT HUGE BERRY PATCH?!"
The Wingull quickly turns around, shouting, "Where!?" Not missing a beat, you hop down into the water and rush as fast as you can go. Sweet release—it's actually quiet. You can actually make it to the next town if you just keep a good pace, rushing past as quickly as you can, letting the current and your speed carry you.
Before you know it, you wash up on shore. Looking around at the many beachgoers, you see a sign: Slateport Beach. Pretty neat spot. A good place to pull a ruse on some suckers, getting food and seeing where you can take it from there.
Moving around, you see a woman who's sunbathing, so it's time to put that Pokémon charm to the test.
"Marea!" you chirp out, getting her attention. As she looks down, you present yourself, making a heart shape with your tentacles and smiling while your head sits in the middle, before making fake stomach-growling noises.
"Oh my, what an adorable Pokémon! I've never seen your kind around here before. Let me give you something," she says, handing over a berry. You greedily swipe it away, chomping on it with a glint of mischief in your eyes before returning to that fake, sweet little look.
"Mareanie!" you sweetly chirp. The sunbather smiles. "Aren't you just the sweetest thing?"
"Man, these people really are marks. Being a Pokémon is like easy street, hehehe," you snicker under your breath.
As you are enjoying your minor victory, the woman's Marill pops out of its Poké Ball, chirping happily alongside her. "Oh, hello Aqua! Did you enjoy your nap? Look, I made a new friend while you were sleeping! Just look at how adorable he is!"
Her Marill then looks at you, her face contorting as if she is looking at complete garbage. You look back at her, feeling beyond insulted.
"Okay, you two sit here while I get a camera—they're selling some at the shop. You two play nice now!" she says, walking away. You both turn toward each other, glaring with disdain.
"Hey buddy, I think you're in the wrong spot; the dumpster is three blocks that way," the Marill says with a smug look.
"Oh, my bad. I thought this beach was for the specially gifted, not the specially retarded," you say with a bright look.
"Did you just c-call me a retard??!" she says, her face twitching with anger.
"Well, I ain't calling you for supper, that's for damn sure. Maybe that's why your trainer caught you—because she felt bad. I mean, you are a Fairy-type; you're all a bit special in the head," you say with a wide, cruel smile.
"YOU'RE DEAD!" she screams. She jumps at you—perfect timing for her trainer to return. "AQUA! What are you doing?!"
Seeing an opportunity, you decide to play up your injuries.
"Ohhhh, the painnnnnn! BLEAAAHH!" you cry out, making overexaggerated sounds, moaning and whimpering. Aqua looks at you, her eyes full of rage, as her trainer picks you up.
"Aqua, you know better! This creature did nothing wrong; he was merely keeping me company, and you attacked him for no reason!" The young Marill tries to plead her case, but her trainer returns Aqua to her Poké Ball. Not before you stick your tongue out and blow a mischievous raspberry, however.
You are lavished with healing potions and love. She takes the camera she just bought and starts taking pictures of the two of you. Then, she pulls out some clothes for herself to wear, like a sundress to go over her bikini. As she does, a pair of glasses falls out of her bag.
They seem to be some kind of fashion glasses, one lens pink and the other yellow. You put them on; they are just small enough to hug your head and stay there.
"Oh, look at you! You look so perfect in those—a little fashion Pokémon! Oh, I have a little hat, too; it’s a little beret." She then grabs a makeup mirror and shows you how you look.
It feels weird, but... you feel like... the clothes make you bigger somehow. Not in terms of your physical size, but you feel... more important. They do say the clothes make the man—or, in this case, the Pokémon. You give a smug look, teeth gleaming with intent.
"Hehehe," you chuckle to yourself. A ghost of your past hits you for a moment: you see yourself surrounded by cash, sitting in a big chair with your tentacles around a woman, taking a big, important picture.
You are a... BIG SHOT.
That's what you see, and that's what you want to be. Working hard is for losers. Real winners take risks, throw it all down on a crapshoot, and scam those who just don't know better. You weren't going to let this chance slip by; you were a high roller. And the first rule of success: you have to look important. That's how you get noticed.
"Oh, you look like a little gentleman!" the woman swoons. "You look absolutely perfect for a Contest Pokémon!"
C-Contest? Oh lord, this chick is a Contest chick... Well, you should have guessed that when she started dressing you up. You hate Contests; the only good contest is one rigged in your favor. Hmm, maybe... the Contest Hall has a lot of stuff, right? A lot of stuff you can nab. "Hehehe." Perfect. And you can get some free food in the process. Brain, you did it again.
"Oh, just listen to me! I sound like a schoolgirl, getting all excited over this. It’s just been so long since I had someone appreciate me other than Aqua." She then picks you up, keeping your stingers in mind as she does so.
It seems a bit odd to mention, but still, a nice place to stay is far from the worst thing, and she seems harmless. You wonder why she doesn't have anyone.
Finally, you are in Slateport City. The place is bustling and hustling, with lots of buildings and street venues. One big gathering seems to be a park where people are selling fruits, flowers, and various other goods—there is even a booth offering haircuts for Pokémon. Interesting.
"Oh, I see you’re interested in the park! We could visit sometime, and maybe get you a haircut," she says with a smile.
A haircut? How would that work? You don't have hair... well, do tentacles count? You'd rather not have a pair of scissors touching those, but maybe they do something different. In the middle of your thoughts, another woman notices your carrier and walks over.
"Oh, Mabel! Hey, how are you? I see you caught a new friend. Using that womanly charm to swoop up all the men and Pokémon, are we? Hahaha!"
"O-Oh, hi Susie! I, uh... I sure did, hehe. He just walked right up to me and gave me the cutest look, and stole my heart... haha."
She sure doesn't seem confident in that response. Ah, the intrigue of a modern housewife—although you can't help but notice the distinct lack of a wedding ring.
"Well, I must be going, Susie. I want to prepare my little star and give him a nice meal and a bed," she says, acting as if she just wants to get away from the situation.
"Oh, of course! Hahah! Just don't 'break him in' right away; Lord knows a 'hot coffee' wouldn't be the best drink. We'll meet up later—we'll do brunch!"
Did she just make a sex joke about Mabel plowing you? You see Mabel's face turn bright red as she walks away at a rushed pace.