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--Chapter 2 - Sophie--

(Milotic)

Sophie could barely contain her excitement as she studied her own face in the large mirror.

Slowly, her eyes skimmed over the usual features. The thin, rounded face that she'd seen a thousand times before. The pale hazel eyes and burnt auburn hair. The light dusting of freckles on her cheeks. Not to mention the pimples, which seemed to pop up regularly despite a generous application of skin creams and lotions. Boy, did she hate pimples.

Sophie froze when she heard the sound of liquid sloshing somewhere behind her. It was getting annoying now, but she just ignored it. She wasn't done thinking yet.

Anyway, it came as no surprise that she wasn't particularly popular in high school. Plain as she was, Sophie was barely noticeable outside her usual circle of friends. And that wasn't enough. She wanted to be popular...to be loved and envied. To be beautiful. Longer hair...perhaps blond, and a fuller, blemish-free face. And a more attractive body. Oh, especially a better body...

...and all it would take is a single wish. Just the very thought of the possibilities made her shiver with anticipation! Or...was that a cold breeze?

Sophie pushed her chair away from the desk and glanced around her small bedroom. It was a quiet, tidy room, not as nearly exciting as she'd like. The walls were painted a pale violet, and plastered with cute Pokemon stickers and large laminated photos of famous trainers. Her bed was soft and warm, adorned with several thick pillows and a plain comforter. It was set on the other side of the room across from her desk, between a large wooden dresser covered with photographs and plastic figurines, and a low table that had a lamp for late night reading. On the far corner of her room was the closet, overflowing with unused clothing, most of which were too preppy for her tastes anyway.

It didn't take the teen long to find the obvious source of the breeze. Her bedroom window was still open, its purple curtains swaying from a gentle wind blowing in. It was getting cold, but she didn't bother to shut it. That window was open for a reason.

Sophie roused at the sound of liquid sloshing again, and she turned to the small Pokemon sitting on her bed, next to a neat little pile of her belongings. The pale creature was shaking her snow globe, happily watching the tiny rolling flakes with all the curiosity and naiveté of a small child. He broke from his gleeful fixation when she cleared her throat loudly. "So, um, Jirachi....I get one wish, right?"

"Yep!" Jirachi answered, glancing up at her, "and all wishes are final!" He studied her face for a moment, and then a wide grin crossed his face. "...so choose carefully!"

"Um...okay..." she replied hesitantly, "...why do you keep saying that?"

"Well, I have to say it before granting any wish. Arceus commanded it." Jirachi laid back, holding the snow globe over his head to stare into at the fluttering bits of white as he shook it. "But really, it's just a formality. You don't have to listen if you don't want to."

"Oh, r-right..." Sophie turned and set her eyes on her reflection in the mirror, tracing the contours of her ordinary face. Probably for the last time. It was now or never...and it had to be now. She swallowed hard before speaking. "...I wish that I was stunningly beautiful, so that everyone at my school would notice me!"

For a moment, Jirachi just stared blankly at the snow globe in his tiny hands. Then a mischievous grin spread across his pale face. He quickly wiped it off when Sophie glanced back at him. "Oh, the beauty wish! Now that brings back memories."

"That's what I want..." Sophie said dreamily, touching her face with a hand, "...I want to be so beautiful that people will love and adore me wherever I go!"

"Sounds fun!" Jirachi replied, grinning as he set the snow globe down. Then he stood up, straightening his golden headdress casually, the three blank notes fluttering around him. "I'll make you into the most stunningly beautiful creature around!"

Sophie's eyes lit up at that, and she glanced back at her reflection. "Yes! C-can you do that?"

Jirachi's grin widened. "Of course! They'll absolutely love you when I'm done! Wish granted!"

Sophie shivered a bit as one of the notes hanging from his headdress suddenly lit up, filling the entire room with a soft ember glow. Then her name appeared on the note in bright, fiery letters. "Hey, that's my--!"

Her words trailed off when the light faded quickly, taking her name with it, and leaving the note as blank as before. Wait...was that it? She looked questioningly at the Pokemon's pale face, hoping for an answer, but he simply stood there, smiling expectantly at her. "Jirachi?"

"Just...give it a moment..." he replied innocently.

"Hey, wha--!?" Sophie started to stand, but she didn't get far. Her legs buckled from a cold, numbing sensation that cut deep between her shoulder blades, her protests changing into startled cries as she tumbled face-first into the carpet. "--aah!"

The feeling spread through her spine, making her shiver again from a chill she couldn't possibly explain. It was like having a bucket of ice water shoved down her shirt, cold and unforgiving. The chill paused at her neck and pelvis, slowly building in intensity even as she struggled to stand again, fingers trembling as she hugged herself fruitlessly. "J-Jirachi! What's h-happening...t-to me-ahh!"

"Your wish," she heard the Pokemon reply, "Isn't it obvious?"

It was at the sound of fabric ripping that Sophie knew that something had gone horribly wrong. She managed a shaky glance behind her, just as the cold sensations poured into her lower body, her pajama pants beginning to bulge under the strain of burgeoning flesh. Her shirt, on the other hand, felt looser for some reason.

This...wasn't what she'd wished for! What was Jirachi doing to her!? She had to sto--

Her thoughts exploded in a thousand pieces as several sudden muscle spasms shot through her body, forcing her legs together like they'd been caught in a vise. The chill began to mingle with a strange stretching sensation, and Sophie let out a groan as the pressure on her legs increased, bones crackling and muscles shifting as her lower body became thinner, more flexible. And less...human.

Stunned, Sophie glanced back at what was once her legs, a single rounded limb that coiled wildly about itself, almost like a--

A horrified moan escaped her lips when she finally realized what was happening.

Her legs had fused together, becoming a lithe, flexible tail. She didn't even believe it was possible until she'd reached back and touched the writhing new appendage with a hand, feeling it shiver in response. It felt real. It shouldn't be, but it was. And worse, it was still growing, taking up more space behind her. Then it gave a sudden jerk, smacking her chair on its side. "Ah!"

Her skin tingled as it started to split and harden into colored scales, quickly spreading over her transforming body. The scales exploded into a pattern of bright colors; blue, pink, and black over her lower body. The pattern ceased at her waist, changing to a cream color instead, which started to spread upward in small splotches, almost as if she'd become the unwilling canvas for some intangible brush.

Sophie forced herself up on trembling arms, her voice quivering as she cried out, "Ahh! JIRACHI!! HELP!" But instead of a response, she heard his playful laughing echoing in her ears, which came moments before she was floored by another numbing chill that shot up her spine. "Ugh!"

She hit the ground hard, ears ringing as a horrible crackling and squelching started in her chest cavity. Was...was that her lungs? Gasping, she tried to raise her hands to her shrinking breasts, but they didn't respond. As in, she couldn't move her arms. At all.

By the time she'd looked at them, her fingers had already shrunk away, along with both of her hands. Sophie stared with widened eyes at the two long stumps that used to be her arms, sprawled limply at her sides, dwindling to nothing. Each limb gave a final involuntary twitch just before they vanished completely, leaving behind nothing but smooth, cream-colored scales. "Augh...ugh..."

What was happening to her!? Was this a nightmare!?

The stretching feeling intensified, mixing with the tingling in her skin, and the freezing cold that pierced through her very core, making every muscle shiver uncontrollably. It didn't hurt, but of course, that didn't matter. The sensations were already far more than she could handle. Her voice came in a strange mix of strained warbling and groans and that didn't sound right to her. It didn't even sound human. "Helpp meee!"

With the loss of her arms, Sophie's body seemed to be much more flexible now. And as the changes progressed, it dawned on her that her body was still getting longer. Her chest and mid-section were practically non-existent now, merging into her new tail seamlessly, which tapered to a point much like a serpent. Unlike a serpent, however, were the four long feather-like scales that adorned the tip of her tail like a fan.

Dazed and frustrated, Sophie started to sob as the changes finally reached her head. Her shifting teeth started to chatter from a cold that shot up her spine and into her brain, dulling her thoughts under a thin sheet of ice. Then her eyes changed as well, blurring her perception of the ever-shrinking world around her. Clumps of fuzzy auburn fell to the floor around her, tickling her still-forming snout and almost making her sneeze.

Wait...was she losing her hair, too!? Sophie sobbed even louder at the thought of going bald.

Her body was out of her control now, squirming of its own volition, muscles contracting and relaxing involuntarily. Though it barely registered, some distant part of her thrashed around sharply, knocking over the objects on her dresser and sending them clattering against her wall. Finally, two long strips of pink hair--no, not hair...fins--fluttered to the floor around her head, brushing against two thinner ones that spouted from her eyebrows, stretching far behind her. Then her head elongated to a long point in the back, leaving behind nothing of her previous human features.

And then, like waking from a dream, the transformation had ended.

The newly-made Pokemon slowly pushed herself upright on her tail, letting out a shaky groan as the haziness in her mind finally cleared. She glanced down hesitantly, feeling strange new muscles in her neck flex. Then her eyes widened in disbelief.

What happened to her arms!? What happened to her legs!? She swung her head around, eyes urgently following the long shimmering tail that trailed far behind her, all the way to the colorful fin at the tip. What happened to her body?!

Sophie jerked backward in shock, ruffling the tattered remains of her pajama pants against the carpet as her body bumped roughly against the desk. The shirt was still intact, hanging loosely from the base of her long neck...or, at least what she thought was supposed to be her neck. She couldn't tell where it ended or began anymore. In fact, she couldn't tell where any part of her body was anymore!

"Jirachi! T-this isn't fair!" Sophie cried out, "You tricked me!" But aside from the faint whisper of wind blowing through her bedroom window, it was eerily silent. Apparently, he had already moved on.

That stupid Jirachi!

Sophie slumped ruefully, coiling up in her new, slender body as she tried to make sense out of what had just happened to her. It was impossible...all wrong. The body that she'd known all her life was gone, vanished into the ether, replaced by something alien...something horrible...something that moved with strange, powerful muscles bound around a single flexible tail, like a serpent. Something that took in the world with senses that somehow made her room seem...just a little brighter and sharper.

What exactly had Jirachi turned her into?

Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, Sophie forced herself upward using her tail, the tiny scales feeling almost rubbery against the soft fabric of her carpet. She slowly rose until she could see her whole room, sniffling bitterly when she noticed that the snow globe on her bed was missing. That Jirachi!

Then her teary eyes shifted over to her desk mirror, and she gasped.

There was a Milotic staring sadly back at her in the reflection. Sophie recognized it immediately; she'd read about them once, the very epitome of beauty and grace. The kind of Pokemon she dreamed of owning. And yet, there it was, right in front of her! Its eyes were like ruby gems, sparkling in the light reflecting off the mirror, shimmering from the fresh tears that streamed down its face. Long pink fins, iridescent and elegant, swayed in the wind around its head. Then its mouth opened in a little gasp of surprise, and Sophie's heart melted, her tail-tip flicking in genuine empathy for the Pokemon.

Taken as she was, it took Sophie another moment to remember that she was looking at a mirror. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared into the reflection, and she saw the growing confusion in the Milotic's face. Then realization hit, and she recoiled again, almost tumbling over her fallen chair. "Aah!"

Sophie wiped her eyes with the end of her tail, and looked at the mirror again. But her eyes weren't mistaken. As impossible as it seemed, that was her! She'd been transformed into a Milotic!

"W-wow..." She kept staring at the reflection, torn between alarm and adulation by her own altered appearance. It was strange; she wanted to be horrified, or sad, or bitter, or even furious for what the Jirachi had done to her. But...after looking at that face, she felt all her tension drain away. In fact, she could even say that she was...content?

Was this the Milotic's calming ability taking effect? Or was she was just relieved that she hadn't been changed into some hideous, forlorn beast?

Or maybe it was because Jirachi had kept his word?

...well, almost.

Sophie had indeed become one of the most stunningly beautiful creatures around, even if it wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for. And if her own reaction was any indication, she wouldn't have the slightest trouble getting all the attention and adoration she'd ever need...as per her request.

That stupid, clever Jirachi.

Sophie let out a resigned sigh as she stared wistfully into the face of her new, beautiful form in the reflection. Then a thought hit her, and she couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Well, at least everyone at school will notice me now..."