The Power of Z

The battle field of the arena you step onto is a mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar. The familiar elements are its regulation size, the default layout of an AstroTurf field which you know in other regions is modular to accommodate different environmental elements for Pokemon that need them, and the giant halo of stadium seating that surrounds it. The unfamiliar elements are the Alolan artwork and advertising that cover the walls separating the field from the seats, the rows of tiki torches that make a pathway for you from the entrance on your side, and the large elevated wooden stage in the center of the field that those rows of torches leads to.

As you climb the stairs to the stage itself, you see Hau doing the same from the opposite side. Like you, he is dressed in a bathrobe, though his is white colored, and he has a bejeweled metal wrist bracelet much like yours on his right arm. Unlike you, he has an extra wrist bracelet on his left arm with a single, yellow diamond jewel in the center. He gives you a friendly wave with his free hand, holding a single Pokeball in his other one that he lightly tosses up and catches playfully.

You wave back, trying to smile too while gripping your own single Pokeball so tightly that your knuckles are turning white. It is almost a blessing that there is no roaring crowd right now, as that level of noise would whip the Butterfries in your belly into a frenzy. The scattered, polite clapping from the other representatives still causes your throat to feel like it is drying up.

In the center of the wooden stage is a large bear of a man with a bushy grey mustache and long but thinning grey hair. He is dressed in a blue shirt, white pants, and an open yellow robe with a large knot of rope tied around his waist. He pulls out the red paper fan he has tucked in the rope belt as you and Hau approach him and snaps it open.

"At this point," the large man says in an even larger voice that naturally echoes around the arena, "We will have a performance of the Alola national anthem before the presiding Kahuna, in this case myself, introduces the contestants and the battle can officially begin."

Clearing his throat, the large man points the open fan towards you and shouts, "INTRODUCING FIRST! FROM PALLET TOWN, KANTO! THE CHALLENGER! GREEN!"

The pure volume the man is able to get with his introduction makes you jump a little before another round of polite applause comes from the small audience.

Sweeping his arm to point the other way, "AND HIS OPPONENT! FROM MELEMELE ISLAND! THE DEFENDER! HAU!"

Hau takes the polite applause with grace, giving lazy salutes to the different representatives before turning back to face you. He easily notices your nervousness and gives you a reassuring grin. "Hey, relax. Just be glad they're letting us wear these robes instead of the ceremonial gear they'd want us in for an actual challenge. They feel like we're wearin' nothin' at all, don't they?"

"They... are comfortable," you find yourself agreeing as the large Kahuna indicates for the two of you to move to your respective sides of the platform.

"So you be comfortable too and let's just have fun out here, okay?"

With that, the Island Kahuna steps down from the stage and shouts, "BEGIN!"

You and Hau both toss your Pokeballs forward, which both pop open and allow your chosen monsters for the battle appear.

"Go, Ivysaur!" you yell.

"Let's get this party started, Raichu!"

Your Ivysaur stands in front of you, looking determined. He is your second strongest Pokemon but, considering you have only ever had four, that probably is not saying much. The budding but not quite bloomed flower on his back is a bright pink color and the leaves are a deep green, showing he is in good health for this battle.

He may have to be, as you spot the Pokemon in front of Hau. He said it was a Raichu but it does not look like any Raichu you have ever seen in person before. It has a lighter coloration, with blue eyes, rounder ears, and a larger, flatter tail that it rides like a surfboard as it floats a few inches off the ground.

"Whoa... an Alola form!" you exclaim excitedly, forgetting where you are for a moment as you openly look the Pokemon over.

You really wish they had let you bring your camera out here, but they said they would be recording the events to have a record to double check after the fact if something happened to go wrong during the dry runs. Maybe they would let you have a copy of the tape so you could show Professor Oak and you could study how their different movements might be clues to the environmental factors that influenced--

"Raichu! Quick Attack!" Hau orders.

Catching both you and Ivysaur flat-footed, the Raichu flies forward, the Pokemon pulling back its tail for a moment so it can slam both its feet into your partner's face. Ivysaur stumbles back a few steps, clearly having felt that blow but shaking it off quickly enough that it can obey your order to counter attack before the Raichu can get far enough back to avoid it.

"Poison Powder!"

A puff of purple spores shoot out of the Grass-Type's bulb and the Raichu gasps in a mouthful of them. You know from experience that the full effects are not going to be immediate, but you can see the concerned look on Hau's face as his Electric/Psychic-Type does look a little woozy already.

In response, Hau shouts out, "Shake it off, buddy! Tag 'em with Electo Ball!"

"Dodge and counter with Razor Leaf!"

Raichu's body sparkles with electricity that gathers into its small paws, forming balls of energy that it hurls towards Ivysaur. Your Pokemon, in turn, begins running to weave around the shots and occasionally fires back with some of the sharp leaves on its back that the Raichu jukes in the air to avoid. This back-and-forth continues for several seconds until Hau calls out, "Use your air advantage! Get above him!"

You try not to smirk as the Raichu goes where Hau tells him and leaves him in perfect position for your most reliable tactic. "Now! Fire a Leach Seed straight up!"

Ivysaur braces himself, grunting as one of the Electro Balls hits him, and fires off a series of seeds from its bulb that sprout in mid-air into vines that wrap around the shocked Raichu and send it crashing to the ground. Hau looks incredibly concerned as both the Poison Powder and Leach Seed start to do their work, draining the Alola Form of its energy and even restoring some of your Ivysaur's in the process.

As your Pokemon shakes off the pain from the Electro Ball that hit him, you prepare to finish this fight. All it is going to take is one more move to completely incapacitate the Raichu as it starts drifting down towards the ground and you start to order, "Ivysaur! Put him out with Sleep--"

Suddenly, the jewel on the bracelet that Hau wears on his left arm begins to glow and surrounds his body with a halo of light. A similar halo engulfs the Raichu as well and you have to squint your eyes to see what is going on. Hau begins moving his arms around in circular motions, ending in a pose where he positions them in such a way that he almost looks like he is making a letter Z in front of himself. The light surrounding the Raichu grows even brighter and both you and Ivysaur have to look away.

"Stoooooked Sparksurfer!"

The Raichu flies up high into the air, the light being joined by the incredible amount of electricity the Pokemon begins to radiate. The heat and **** of the energy is such that the vines of the Leach Seeds burn away in a flash and, with a loud battle cry, the Raichu flies down at full speed to slam into your Ivysaur. An explosion of lightning engulfs the two Pokemon when they collide and, a second or two later, the Raichu flies out of the explosion and circles around to hover in front of Hau shakily.

When the explosion dies down, you see your Ivysaur has fallen over onto its side, groaning softly as black smoke curls off of its body.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle!" you hear the Island Kahuna proclaim with what sounds like barely disguised pride, "The winner is... DEFENDER HAU!"

Hau lets out a whoop of victory as you both recall your Pokemon. Standing there, you are stunned by how suddenly it had all ended. You had never stood a chance with a trump card like that in play. Z-Moves were terrifyingly strong indeed.

And then it hits you. You lost.

The bracelet on your right arm begins to glow, pulsing different colors as your body starts to get hot. REALLY hot! You cry out, not in pain but just from how STRANGE the sensation is as you drop to your knees. Your robe falls open in the process, letting the small audience get a look at your body as it starts to change.

"Once, long ago," the Island Kahuna says, "the people of Alola faced a population crisis. In their wisdom, the Tapu gifted us a way to solve that crisis while also honoring the traditions of the Pokemon Battle forfeit that all our nations enjoy! THIS is why we wished to have this demonstration so quickly! So that, before you take part, you can see and TRULY understand from the very start that ALL who fight in our league must face the same consequences for defeat!"

Before everyone's eyes, your hair grows out to be longer and change to a shade of blue. Your eyes take on a greener color. Your pale skin somehow becomes paler and your facial features become somehow even softer. Your chest gains a pair of medium-sized breasts. Your hips gain a more pronounced curve. And your dick and balls shrink and retract into your body to be replaced a second later by a wet, hairless pussy.

You have been turned into a woman!