Misery is a Butterfly

Ulixes crossed the street for the fifth time. He didn’t live too far from PH Genetics, but when it came to walking past alleys, he’d rather not. He carried a briefcase, but not his normal one. This one contained a dozen shots, all filled and ready, all extra saturated with the formula to turn a human to part pokemon.

This was the day he would betray his friend.

But she wasn’t his friend. They’d never been friends. Business partners. Companions for convenience only. Ulixes had never had a friend and he sure wasn’t going to start now, when it was finally inconvenient for him.

He’d gotten the case from a researcher he’d seen eyeing him one day on his way out of the company. He hadn’t pretended to flirt with her; he was too impatient for such things, but he’d easily coaxed the girl into giving him a box of shots and teaching him how to administer them. He’d told her it was a present for a neighbor. He was too impatient to tell the truth.

He waited for an empty elevator as always. No one gave him a sideways look when he lingered in the lobby when the elevator was still half-empty. They were used to his anti-social behavior by now. A few of the kinder ones would clear out of the elevator so he could go first, which always made him feel awkward and embarrassed.

When he reached the top floor, he took his seat. He didn’t start typing. He didn’t tap his foot or play with the drawer’s handle. He sat still, something unusual for him, staring at the dark computer screen that reminded him of the blank-faced cameras on the day Platinum had made the speech to the crowd and unveiled the project only a month ago. It had been the first time Ulixes had felt a part of something. It hadn’t made him feel smaller, but stronger, unstoppable. He had to remember that feeling now if he was going to get through this.

“Platinum,” he said, trying and failing to make his voice sound normal, or at least not tremble. He clicked the briefcase open on his desk and pulled out the first shot, “you remember when you said how much you liked leafeons?”

Platinum, typing on her computer as usual, focused on the latest progress report. It did have to be released monthly, and they had hired 20 more people. Many people wanted to become a gijinka, and there had been so many they needed extra help. Although her job was rather tiring on the brain, it was exciting to Platinum to run a company, and a small grin appeared on her face.

Hearing footsteps, Platinum looked up over the desk dividers and saw Ulixes coming in. She nodded and went back to work. Suddenly, he asked her if she remembered telling him how much she liked Leafeons. "No, and why do you ask that?" she replied, in a confused tone. It was odd for him to ask that question. Ulixes wasn't the type to be all personal and talk about opinions. Although, she wasn't sure she even knew him all that well.

The needle slipped from his hand. Not yet.

"No reason," he said and closed the suitcase.

"We should hang out sometime. How about today? Not like a... a date. I've heard a new restaurant has opened." It sounded stiff. The words felt foreign in Ulixes mouth. He wasn't even sure if he was using 'hanging out' in the right context. His fingers drummed the suitcase as he turned towards Platinum. Her rejection to his fake attempt at friendship would not only be humiliating. It would mean he'd have to change her here and now. He didn't know if he could do that without raising suspicion from neighboring cubicles.

The office door opened as a man came in. "There's a buffet in the break room for lunch if anyone wants to come" he said, and the three or so other people in the room besides Platinum and Ulixes got up and went with the man. After that, it was just the two of them. Platinum opened her mouth to reply to Ulixes and say that she'd go, but hesitated. It would be bad for publicity for the company if they went out like that, and it'd feel really awkward too. Besides, she was kinda busy. "Sorry, but I'm too busy right now. How about next week or so? I'm swamped for a few days" Platinum said in a normal tone.

Feeling a little bad, she went back to her screen. How come she didn't say yes to him? They probably could've played it as a business meeting, and it would've been fine. The guilt came, and made Platinum feel bad, so she went over to Ulixes' desk and started to speak. "About what I said about not going, sorry about that. I really am swamped at the moment, and would really like a break, but I feel like I cannot take one and the way I said that -" She was about to finish her sentence when she noticed to suitcase on his desk. Fear filled Platinum. Those were the suitcases used to transport the serum for the procedures, so why did Ulixes need one? "W-why do you have one of those suitcases?" she said shakily.

“W-why do you have one of those suitcases?” she asked.

“Oh, that,” Ulixes said, his heart beating fast. He swore it was from fear of being found out and not from how close she was, “I was thinking about developing a more… portable version. For at-home use. Stupid idea.” He looked up at Platinum to see if she believed him. He could concentrate on nothing but the way her hair fell over her shoulder in a dark sweep. Ulixes pulled away from her, hoping that would help him think better.

“Next Wednesday. What’re you doing next Wednesday?”

He tried to clear his head. He hated most people. And even if he didn’t, she wouldn’t be his type. This was Platinum, who he’d sat next to for months and who still couldn’t tell he was about to turn on her. This was Platinum, who smiled incessantly, bright and heartfelt. This was Platinum, who felt so bad about turning down a creep like him she’d changed her mind out of guilt. This was not helping. These were characteristics he would have scoffed at in anyone else, that he would have found unacceptable in himself. But in Platinum, it made sense. He didn’t understand it, but he thought he could- more, he wanted to understand it.

What was wrong with him?

A more portable version? She had designed the current one, and with all the serum used she had made it as small as possible. So why would Ulixes decide to try to make a at-home, more portable one? You couldn't even do the shots at home, you'd wreck stuff in the agony that comes with the shots. Platinum realized that Ulixes was hiding something. She knew that he knew perfectly well that an at-home version was out of the question. When he said stupid idea, he was trying to change the subject. Something was fishy here.

Right before Platinum could say anything, however, Ulixes tried to change the subject by asking if she was busy next Wednesday. "Let me check my schedule" she said, pulling out her phone and checking her schedule. Sure enough, she was busy. "I've got to go to Irisia to visit the patent office and see about extending the patent. Sorry again" Platinum said, putting on a sorry face. "Also, I can tell you're lying about the suitcase. You know perfectly well that the serum can't be used in-home. It's too dangerous" she added, matter-of-factly.

Ulixes went rigid. She was suspicious now, so he’d never get her alone again. Except now. Except here. Twelve shots. It felt like a hundred.

His fingers drummed on the table, moving closer to the case like a spider.

“What about Thursday? Or Friday. Really any day. I usually just go home and work-“ Ulixes lunged, aiming just above her collar bone as the doctor had shown him. She’d been slow and careful. Ulixes was anything but. Somehow, his aim was good enough. One down, eleven left. Ulixes watched Platinum’s eyes widen: with shock, fear, anger, he couldn’t tell.

He began babbling.

“You have to understand,” he reached for the next shot, “I’m sorry. This would be easier if you annoyed me. I’m sorry.” He hadn't apologized for anything in years. A feeling was creeping into Ulixes’ stomach, making him feel sick. He might have been able to identify it as guilt if his heart wasn’t beating so fast and his veins weren’t so flooded with adrenaline. He raised the next shot, flipping her wrist upward so he could see the veins in her arm.

Two. Only ten more.

Ulixes started to babble instead of answering her questions. Something really was happening. But, instead of running, Platinum froze out of fear as he pulled out the first shot. Aiming at the spot by her collarbone where the first shot went, the quick jab he made hit the spot perfectly. The serum in the shot started to course through her veins, altering her dna. "Uh-uh" Platinum tried to speak but she couldn't. The words wouldn't come out of her mouth.

He flipped her wrist for the second shot, and hit the vein. More serum shot through her, and her dna and body started to change. A sharp pain went through her ears and Platinum feel them moving up her head and changing shape until they were like bunny ears made out of a leaf. She wanted to move and steal the suitcase from Ulixes before he could give her more shots, but she wouldn't move.

He grabbed the third, then pulled up short. He'd seen the effects of the shots before, but he'd never seen the process. It was more than freaky, to see Platinum changing right before his eyes. Without thinking, he reached up and felt Platinum's ear: soft and furry. He wished he had a picture of her looking normal and cursed himself for the thought.

"Why don't I hate you?" he whispered, then stabbed the next shot in the back of Platinum's neck.

Three.

Four. He glanced to the door. Stupid of him not to have locked it yet. He raced for the door before anyone came back from the break room. Would he be able to get her out of the building without anyone asking questions, questions he couldn't answer about how a full grown pokemon ended up in the building with nobody noticing?

The lock clicked. He should have felt calmer, but instead it made him more jumpy, like someone had shocked him.

He couldn't help but gawk at Platinum when he got back to their cubicle. She'd shrunk, her proportions had changed, and her facial features were in some quasi-leafeon state: not yet pokemon, no longer human.

"Oh, Platinum. What am I doing to you?"

Five. Too late to turn back.

Pain. Betrayal. This ran through Platinum's head as she stood, motionless, waiting for the pain to stop transforming her into something different. A sharp pain at the bottom of her spine told her she was growing a tail to match her ears. She felt like she was getting goosebumps all over her body, and started growing soft, yellow-tan fur. Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she move and stop something more from happening to her? Was she just afraid, afraid he'd hurt her? Or was it guilt of making something he'd planned fail, even if it did affect her?

Nevertheless, Platinum was still transforming. She could feel her bones shrinking to get closer to the size of a Leafeon, and her nose becoming more snout-like, and the tip turning into the kind a cat had. Feeling a sharp jolt in her chest, her eyes looked down and saw that her small bust had gone, her clothes so baggy now they were on the verge of falling off. Platinum she at least needed to try to ask Ulixes why he would even do this when he asked her what he was doing to her. This somehow gave her the will to speak. "W-w-why w-would y-y-you d-do this?" she sputtered, staring straight at Ulixes. These were the extra-strong shots. 3 of these would've done the trick normally, and otherwise they used 6 normal shots. But, with a glance at the case, she saw it had 7 more extra-saturated shots in it. What was he planning to do, giving her 4 times the normal amount?

“W-w-why w-would y-y-you d-do this?” Platinum somehow sputtered, her voice sounding warped, but still recognizably hers. Ulixes couldn’t help but find her eyes. They weren’t filled with fear, the one emotion he was expecting. She wasn’t all smiles and giggles, sure. She was in pain and hurt by his duplicity. He was touched that she felt betrayed. You couldn’t be betrayed by people you hated, by strangers you didn’t care about. Which only made the guilt all the worse.

“You have to understand,” Ulixes said, breaking into a babble again, “I have plans for this company. I want to do some good for this world, and most people wouldn’t agree with my means. It was too much of a risk, to see what side you’d be on. I had to get rid of you somehow. My plans: they’re everything to me. Everything. It’s for the best.” Did he believe his own words? He’d never doubted himself before, not about this. He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince by the time he finished speaking; her or him. He didn’t want to think anymore. He couldn’t think around her.

Six.

Seven. He worked like a machine now. One shot after another. No turning back. No turning back. For the best. For the best.


Eight.

Nine.

Ten. He felt something wet dripping down his face. For a terrifying second, he though his eyes were bleeding. No. Not thick enough. Tears. He was crying. He hadn’t cried since his brother was taken. Were tears supposed to sting this much? What was happening to him? Was he dying? He almost laughed at the thought. Maybe he was going crazy, but he was not yet dying.

“I hate you, Platinum.” He growled the words with as much savageness as he could with his throat closing from the tears. He hated Platinum for making him feel weak and he could grow strength from his hatred.

Except as much as he tried, he couldn’t hate her.

Eleven. He was sobbing. One shot to go. Last was the mind-control shot, the shot that would finish it all. He turn towards Platinum for the last time, his hand trembling, or maybe he couldn’t see straight through the tears.

He knelt before her. She was completely changed now. But somehow, inexplainably, she was still obviously Platinum. He didn’t know how to explain it; but he knew, if he hadn’t seen the change, and if he’d seen this Leafeon in a room full of others, he’d know it was her. Maybe it was in the eyes, but it felt deeper than that. It was her mind showing through; her self, whatever that was. Would she lose that with this last shot? The thought broke him. He dropped it. The fragile glass cracked.

“I’m sorry, Platinum.” Had he ever meant those words before? Certainly not this much, “I’m sorry!” He couldn’t stop weeping. His head hung low, the tears splashed onto Platinum’s paws. He cried and cried and hated each tear and thought he hated Platinum for each tear she made him cry. But deep down, where a person hides the part of themselves they’re afraid of, the part that a person keeps hidden even from himself, he knew the truth. There, he knew he was overwhelmed by the grief of guilt and he knew he didn’t hate Platinum, but felt an emotion just as deep, just as strong.

Ulixes had changed Platinum, but she had changed him much more. Because she’d changed him to the core.

Sixth shot. Platinum's spine cracked and reformed so she would be in a position like a cat. Seventh shot. Her hands and feet turned into paws. Eight. Claws grew. Nine. Her arms and legs changed shape. Ten, and her skull changed shape. Eleven. Bits of fur grew that were green and longer than others in places, some animal instincts invading her head. Platinum was completely changed but there was one shot left. And while Ulixes was giving her the shots, he had been explaining he had plans.

Plans. After he dropped the final shot, and it broke, she realized what it was for, what his plans were since he apologized and started crying. He had some sort of enslavement plans or whatever, and that last shot had been to control her. The only other way for him to control her without whatever special shot he had was to capture her, and Platinum was trapped in the office that felt like a cage that only Ulixes, who had betrayed her could let her out of.

Her eyes flared with a look of anger as she turned to look at him, and tried to talk, but all that came out was a high pitched "eeee". A sudden instinct came over Platinum to go escape to the wild and be with her new kind, start over and lose herself to the instincts that she'd recently acquired. The still-human part of her said to wait, see if she could get out of this predicament. Deep down, Platinum knew she'd probably be stuck like this forever, and to just live with it. She could probably use attacks, so attacking him and escaping by breaking down the door was an option.

But why attack him? It was like sinking to a different level, and it'd cause a commotion. Not to mention get him in big trouble, something the Leafeon couldn't bring herself to do. Another voice inside her head said that if she escaped, a trainer might catch her, not knowing what he'd caught. But Ulixes didn't have any pokemon, so if wanted Platinum decided she'd give him a chance to try to capture her and become his. If not, the pokemon side of her said that she would go escape and join the rest of her kind.

Nudging her head in the direction of one of the pokeballs lying on a neighboring desk with a pokeball with another pokemon in it, and to a spare one lying on another desk, Platinum was sure Ulixes would understand what she meant. After all, he had put her in this state, so if he wasn't going to do anything to her except leave her, why not actually have a purpose? If not, this would get awfully boring. Although if Platinum did actually get captured, she'd be subject to whatever he wanted. And no matter what, he'd be able to continue his plans.

Platinum’s movement drew Ulixes back to reality. She was reaching for something on a nearby desk. A pokeball.
“You sure, Platinum?,” Ulixes said, wiping away the tears, “that’s what you want?” She didn’t seem sure, but it was good enough for Ulixes. Shaking his head, he picked up the spare pokeball.
He didn’t know what came over him, but he ducked down and kissed the top of Platinum’s furry head. He probably wouldn’t have been able to do that if she were still human. As it was, he blushed a horrid shade of red, surprised and embarrassed at his own action. He wasn’t used to doing things on a whim. This was a day of firsts. He was fairly sure he’d come to rue his spur-of-the-moment deeds, but for once in his life, he didn’t care. Now he was sure he had gone mad.
“Sorry,” he said, “let’s make a deal: you forget that ever happened, and I will too.” He looked down at the pokeball. Another first: he’d never captured a pokemon. He wasn’t anti-pokemon, but he’d considered acquiring one a frivolous act considering he had no need for one and he needed every second of every hour to devote to the company.
“Ready, Platinum?” he asked, holding the ball forward awkwardly.