• Welcome to Thousand Roads! You're welcome to view discussions or read our stories without registering, but you'll need an account to join in our events, interact with other members, or post one of your own fics. Why not become a member of our community? We'd love to have you!

    Join now!

Pokémon Social Experiment

Umbramatic

The Ghost Lord
Location
The Yangverse
Pronouns
Any
Partners
  1. reshiram
Some notes about this fic:

A. This was a gift for The Teller for the Serebii Holiday Fanfic Gift Exchange 2018 and is thus very silly, including the title being a meme

1. This is NOT part of the Yangverse and in fact actively contradicts it because [SPOILERS]

Anyway, have fic:

Social Experiment

social_experiment_cover.png


Spark had a dilemma.


Yes, he was one of the much respected Professor Willow's much respected assistants. But he was getting the feeling he was less respected than Blanche and Candela. He saw it in various Trainers' eyes. They looked at Blanche and Candela with awe and amazement and him with... with... pity? Amusement? He could never tell. He just knew he needed help. And in his travels he had met just the person who could do the job.


------------


Spark stood outside the door of a laboratory in Unova. The sun was shining, Pidove were chirping, soft clouds rolled overhead... Yet Spark was still nervous. He slowly raised his hand and knocked on the door.


The door opened to reveal a tall, wiry man in a long, heavy labcoat. His eyes were yellow, and his hair was mostly blonde, but with a large swirl of blue that curled around his head. The man grinned. "Ah, you're that Spark fellow, correct? What can I help you with?"


"Professor Colress?" said Spark awkwardly. "Your main point of research is bringing out the innate power of Pokemon, correct?"


"Yes!" said Colress. "I presume you need me to do that with your team?"


"Er, yeah," said Spark. "But I also want you to do it with... Myself."


Colress put a hand to his chin. "You mean bring out a human's potential? I haven't done that, at least not yet..."


Hre grinned. "But I could always start now!"


Spark's eyes lit up, and he grinned. "Great! Where do we start?"


Colress thought to himself. "That's the question, isn't it..."



---------------


Later, deeper in Colress's lab, Spark was strapped in to a table. Colress himself was nowhere to be seen.


"Er, Colress?" said Spark. "Where did you go?"


Suddenly, Colress leaped out of the shadows, a whirring drill in hand and a gleam in his classes.


"Hold still! This will only hurt a lot! Ahahaha I love this job!"


Spark screamed.


Colress laughed and put down the drill. "Just kidding! I'm not using those sorts of procedures this time!"


"...Reassuring," said Spark,


Colress then pulled out a needle filled with a strange, glowing liquid. "We'll be using this instead!"


"...What is that?"


"My research has concluded Pokemon and humans reach their maximum potential when working with each other," said Colress. "So this is a serum made from Pokemon DNA!"


"...Are you sure it will work?" said Spark.


"Positive!" said Colress. "Just possibly with a few side effects."


"...LIke what?"


"I don't know yet! I need to test it. On you."


"...Go ahead then."


Colress stuck the needle into Spark's neck. He winced as the serum was injected, but the pain passed quickly. Colress removed the straps on the table and Spark sat up.


"I don't feel different yet."


"It takes time!" said Colress. "Get out in the wild and do your thing! I'll be there for assistance and also to take notes."


"Er sure."


The two left the laboratory.


---------------


Spark started feeling the effects of the serum pretty quickly.


He was less clumsy. His instincts in Pokemon battles were heightened. He was more... Charismatic somehow? He was getting attention for it at least. Positive attention. Lots of it. Even from Blanche and Candela.


"You've been doing exceptionally well recently," said Blanche as they were evaluating Trainer's Pokemon.


"Yeah, you've been killing it!" said Candela. "What's your secret?"


Spark looked up from the Burmy he was evaluating, paused, and then grinned.


"Self improvement routine is all, really."


--------------------


It was night. Spark was restless. His head hurt. He was itchy all over. He got up out of bed to get some water.


He looked in the mirror.


His face was sprouting yellow fur.


He yelped at the sight. He tried to cover it up with his pajamas. More fur kept sprouting. He grew and stretched, his fingers twisted, tails sprouted, until Spark was finally a full-grown Electivire.


His first reaction was that he was utterly horrified.


His second reaction was that he was going to have words with Colress.


--------------


"...It turned you into an Electivire?" said Colress. "Fascinating..."


"To you maybe," said the Electivire Spark. "I just want to know how to get back to normal!"


"Oh, that's easy. I can just make an antidote."


"You can? Great!"


"However, it'll take a week or so."

"What? I can't hide from Blanche and Candela that long! They'll figure out soon enough!"


Colress shrugged. "Be honest? I screwed up, you screwed up... We should probably explain."


"I can't! They'll kill me!"


"Statistically and psychologically unlikely."


"...Fine. I'll do it. But only if you help."


"Excellent! Let's come along now shall we?"


-----------


Blanche and Candela stared. Spark rubbed the back of his Electivire head awkwardly. Colress just smiled awkwardly.


"You turned yourself into an Electivire," said Blanche.


"A talking Electivire," said Candela.


"I...helped," said Colress. "Spark came to me asking me for ways to enhance his potential and I tried to help but there were... Side effects."


"That's... accurate," said Spark. "I just wanted to be as good as you two..."


Blanche and Candela paused. Then burst out laughing.


"What? What's so funny?" said Spark.


"I mean," said Blanche. "This is so you. Kind of."


"What do you mean?" said Spark.


"Only you would go to a mad scientist to try and be better than us."


"Slightly unhinged scientist thank you," said Colress.


"What, because I'm stupid?" said Spark.


"No." said Blanche. "Because ironically you're normally so unafraid to be yourself."


"That's what we love and respect about you!" said Candela. "No weird science needed."

"...Wait, really?" said Spark. "That's what you guys like about me? I guess this was a waste of time then..."


"Good thing I'm working on a cure!" said Colress.


"Yeah, don't beat yourself up about it," said Blanche.


"We'll just chalk it up as Spark being Spark," said Candela.


Spark smiled. "Thanks guys."


Meanwhile, Candela was eyeing Colress, thinking.


Blanche has been kind of one-upping me recently... If that guy can do crazy things like turn Spark into a talking Electivire, maybe...


***
 
Last edited:

WildBoots

Don’t underestimate seeds.
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. moka-mark
  2. solrock
Hey Umbra! I saw you’ve got a few one-shots no one has commented on yet, so I thought I’d drop you a line.

This was more heart-warming than I expected! When I saw Colress was involved, the last thing I expected was to get a “be yourself” ending. This is a pretty dialogue-driven story. In some places, I felt like it worked, but in others I wanted more exposition and a little more insight into what characters were feeling. I also caught a couple grammar errors. Some specifics below.

Spark stood outside the door of a laboratory in Unova. The sun was shining, Pidove were chirping, soft clouds rolled overhead... Yet Spark was still nervous. He slowly raised his hand and knocked on the door.
I thought this worked well as an opening passage! Introduces the conflict right away.

His eyes were yellow, and his hair was mostly blonde, but with a large swirl of blue that curled around his head.
You actually don’t need the comma after blonde, because what follows isn’t an independent clause. (Or keep the comma and cut “but.”)

"Yes!" said Colress. "I presume you need me to do that with your team?"

"Er, yeah," said Spark. "But I also want you to do it with... Myself."
In both places, with should be “for.”

Hre grinned.
Typo!

Colress then pulled out a needle filled with a strange, glowing liquid. "We'll be using this instead!"
Ha!

My research has concluded Pokemon and humans reach their maximum potential when working with each other," said Colress. "So this is a serum made from Pokemon DNA!"
Lol good, good, obvious logical step.

He was less clumsy. His instincts in Pokemon battles were heightened. He was more... Charismatic somehow? He was getting attention for it at least. Positive attention. Lots of it. Even from Blanche and Candela.
This was an area where I wanted this to be expanded into a scene instead of just a summary. I didn’t know anything about what he was like before to know what “less clumsy” looks like.

It was night. Spark was restless. His head hurt. He was itchy all over. He got up out of bed to get some water.
Lots of short sentences here! Could use some variety. That first sentence especially could be drawn out more.

His first reaction was that he was utterly horrified.

His second reaction was that he was going to have words with Colress.
I think the understatement works well in the second sentence but not the first.

That's... accurate," said Spark. "I just wanted to be as good as you two..."
This was another place where I wanted more on this relationship earlier. It doesn’t mean as much to me here because I haven’t seen their relationship in action.

The part that stood out the most to me was the bit about the drill, no, JK, just a big needle. Very funny.

But this was a fun, quick read! 👏
 
Top Bottom