Mienshanon's Oneshots

Main Story: Whipping Back Into Action

Retrograde

3rd March 202x
The world has gone off the deep end. Pokémon are a reality now! Many animals and pets are turning into those Japanese fantasy critters, and even humans aren't spared from this wrathful spirit that causes those transformations. Nobody knows how many were affected, nor what the ramifications of turning truly are.
I haven't engaged with Pokémon ever since my son and wife passed away last autumn. Pokémon was Jovi's favourite franchise. Looking at them only ever fills me with agony. However, I'm afraid that I no longer am able to avoid this painful memory. I find solace in the thought that Jovi would've loved every minute of what is happening right now. He'd probably talk my ear off with the game's trivia.
Anyway, my name is Reto Brunner, 39, widower to my late wive Franziska and my dearest son Jovin, and I write this journal to hopefully keep my sanity in these life-changing events. May God help me through this hardship.

20th March 202x
The past few weeks have been filled with uncertainty and fear. The WHO estimates that around five per cent of people and animals globally have already turned, or will turn in the next couple of months. They advise everyone to keep their distance from Pokémon, as they still didn't know whether it is infectious.
Life here on the hillside of Thun has been rather quiet at least. I haven't seen any Pokémon yet, even when I went down into town for groceries earlier this the week.
Also, Sunday sermons are finally allowed to take place again; as long as you wear a face mask at least. I lit a candle for my family and left a few flowers at their resting place to celebrate. I have found myself praying more and more in the past few weeks.

2nd April 202x
I went through Fränzi's and Jovi's belongings in the attic today. I needed to find our family album that my mother requested. I also found Jovi's Flaaffy plushie that I gave him for his sixth birthday. He took it everywhere with him and it still smells like him... I took it down with the album and put it below the family picture in the living room. As painful as it is to look at it, I need to be prepared for my inevitable encounters with the real things. May this serve me as a reminder to ground myself.

4th April 202x
Yesterday I went through my family album with my parents. It was an honestly great time with many laughs and tears. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
That same night was weird, though. I had a vivid dream of Jovi's sixth birthday, but he was a Mareep and Fränzi was a Flaaffy. That in itself wasn't as weird, considering what I was up to the past few days, but I still remember everything about that dream as if it really happened. I usually forget dreams after waking up, but this one had stuck with me in the strangest ways.
I once again find solace at their resting place by the lake as I write this entry. The breeze feels nice and the view of the Niesen is impeccable as always. He is still crowned with snow, so it's still too early to think about jumping into the lake itself.

30th April 202x
That dream still hasn't left me. It even got worse? It's hard to write down, but I started to have more and more dreams about family gatherings and events where everyone was either a Mareep, Flaaffy or Ampharos. It's rather disturbing and the dreams are as vivid and consistent as the real memories they mimic. Even worse, some of those dreams I seem to remember more clearly than their originals. I think I need a therapy session with Michelle again...
Since I've visited my family more often in the past few weeks, I made friends with the pastor Mr Schmid there. He is very kind and made it his mission to make my stays at their resting place as comfortable as possible. And he is a great singer too! I'm very grateful for meeting him. I need to think of something as a thank you gift for him.

10th May 202x
The WHO and the FOPH finally gave the all-clear today. Pokémon weren't contagious and all restrictions were lifted. I have encountered a few Pokémon myself in the meantime as well. I don't know what they are called, but one was a pink bipedal thing with swirls below its ears and another was a blue and black octopus with yellow markings. They were both humans a few days ago, but seemingly adjusted well.
I also have a session with Michelle in a few days. Maybe she can help me with those weird dreams or at least make some sense of them.
I also gave Mr Schmid a good bottle of Valais red wine as a gift today. Lucky me bought his favourite wine, too! We enjoyed a glass of it by my family's side that late afternoon as well. His calm and upbeat demeanour is a real mood-lifter. Their graves are no longer a place of exclusive sadness, but a place of peace for my heavy soul.

13th May 202x
Michelle wasn't really able to make things any clearer, unfortunately. But she said that it's oddly similar to a thing called "Pokémon Induced Psychosis Syndrome". Even odder, this "PIPS" usually only ever affects turnees. I'd be lying if I said I'm not afraid of the implications of that. She said that it's coincidental and that I should not worry, but what am I supposed to do with that info? She told me to contact her immediately if anything changes; for better or for worse.
After the session I visited my family at the graveyard again, just to sit there, pray, and looking over the lake. The serenity helped me calm down immensely.

4th June 202x
I'm horrified... the dreams have started to become my regular memories it seems. While going through some pictures on my phone today, I started to remember the events as though I was a Flaaffy. I didn't even question it until I really thought about it... I contacted Michelle immediately and I have an appointment with her tomorrow.
I'm currently sitting with my family and try to calm down. Unfortunately Mr Schmid isn't here today. I could really use his soothing singing voice right about now...

5th June 202x
Michelle seemed to be just as confused and worried as I am. She told me that she will contact some experts abroad and that I should write everything down until she can make an appointment with them.
I sat with my dear Fränzi and Jovi for the rest of the day... anything to keep me from going completely insane.

11th June 202x
It just keeps getting worse and worse. My parents started being Ampharos' in my memories. Michelle told me that it will take another two weeks for an appointment, as the experts need to be flown in. "Hang in there!" she told me.
I've talked to my parents about it on the phone as well. They're deeply worried about my wellbeing... What is happening to me? And why does it happen just as I finally started to accept my widower fate...?

20th June 202x
...
...
...
I no longer remember the faces of my own son and wife. The pictures are the only thing left of them in their once familiar form...
...
...
Is this my punishment for surviving that cursed rockfall? Wasn't taking away my flock enough?
God, please make it stop... I cannot endure much longer.
...
I can't...

(no date given)
I can't bear it any longer! Every face in my home is a stranger!
Please make it stop! P̸l̷e̶a̸s̵e̴ ̶j̵u̶s̵t̵ ̶m̶a̴k̸e̴ ̷i̷t̷ ̸s̸t̸o̶p̴!̷ P̸l̷e̶a̸s̵e̴ ̶j̵u̶s̵t̵ ̶m̶a̴k̸e̴ ̷i̷t̷ ̸s̸t̸o̶p̴!̷ P̸l̷e̶a̸s̵e̴ ̶j̵u̶s̵t̵ ̶m̶a̴k̸e̴ ̷i̷t̷ ̸s̸t̸o̶p̴!̷ P̸l̷e̶a̸s̵e̴ ̶j̵u̶s̵t̵ ̶m̶a̴k̸e̴ ̷i̷t̷ ̸s̸t̸o̶p̴!̷ P̸l̷e̶a̸s̵e̴ ̶j̵u̶s̵t̵ ̶m̶a̴k̸e̴ ̷i̷t̷ ̸s̸t̸o̶p̴!̷
P̴̨̍͝L̶̠̂̏Ę̶̯̈́͐À̵̧̓Ṣ̶̑E̶̪̭̓,̵̖̃ ̶̢̀Ď̷̦E̴̖͗͘A̵̮̻̎̍Ṟ̴̻̏ ̵̗̹͑G̵̗̭̀O̵̺̼͐D̶̤̏,̷̠̦̋̀ ̶͙͑́M̷̢̱͑́A̶͔͙̿́K̴̝̭͑̆Ḛ̸̯͑ ̴̰̰͂I̷͉̓̕T̴̪̰͊ ̶̛͜S̸̩͋T̸̏͒͜O̸͍͠P̵̜͔̎!̶̧͖̂̑

A chill ran down Michelle's spine as she read the last entry in Reto's journal.
It was 22nd June 202x.
She put down the journal of her patient and looked at the family picture above the shelf in his living room.
It was a lovely picture of Reto with Ms. Brunner and Jovin somewhere in the Alps in hiking gear. Jovin was holding a Flaaffy plush in his arms and everyone was smiling.
Two almost burnt-out candles illuminated the picture from the shelf below. A small bouquet of forget-me-nots and a piece of paper lay beside them.
Michelle went over to the shelf and looked at the half torn notepad.
"R̵e̸m̵e̶m̸b̴e̵r̶ ̶t̵h̸e̵i̴r̸ ̷f̵a̸c̴e̷s̴," it read in Reto's delirious handwriting.
Michelle felt a lump forming in her throat.
The experts had arrived this morning, and after he didn't pick up his phone she made the decision for a spontaneous home visit to set the date for the appointment.
A tear ran down her face. If only she had stopped by yesterday...
Michelle blew out the candles and took the blanket and journal from the sofa before going to Reto's bedroom.
A highly distressed and wildly shaking Flaaffy was lying on the bed, still curled up into a ball like she had found him. Tear-filled eyes stared into the void.
He clung to the Flaaffy plush of his late son...
When she found him like this, the journal had been lying next to him, open at that last harrowing page.
Reto didn't say anything, but she was sure it was him because he responded to her questions in the same way the human Reto would have done, just using nods and gestures instead of words while he kept staring into the nothingness.
He still seemed lucid, so at least he didn't turn feral. But he was well past his breaking point and needed all the help he could get right now.
She wrapped the completely distraught Flaaffy in the blanket and picked him up gently.
"You'll get through this, Reto. I will make sure of it!" Michelle assured him.
Only a weak and quivering "baaa" escaped him in response, tears still rolling down his pink cheeks.
She carried him to her car, informed the neighbours to take care of the house in his absence, and then drove towards the city centre.
On their way to the psychological facility, Michelle stopped at the chapel where Reto's wife and son were laid to rest.
She asked the pastor Mr Schmid to show her the grave of Ms. Brunner and Jovin, and sat Reto and the plush down by it.
He curled up right beside the beautifully chiselled tombstone while still shaking and staring into oblivion.
The pastor simply sat down silently beside him and placed a hand on Reto's back, which eased his erratic shaking somewhat.
Michelle thanked the pastor for his help and went inside the small chapel to make a phone call to the facility to prepare everything for a new arrival.
After finishing the call, Michelle just looked around the little house of God in silence.
She could hear Mr Schmid starting to sing while she lit two candles.
One for the family that had been violently torn apart, and another... for its sole survivor.

Fake

DAMPFHAMMER Music Brought Humans Together in the Worst of Times. No Matter What – No Matter Where It's Time to Connect Once More! Experience STRUGGLE and Their Phenomenal Covers at the Arena. NO POKÉMON ALLOWED Metal On!

The poster was provocative, but it also struck a chord with many people around the world at this time of uncertainty. The Pokémon phenomena began merely a year ago, but people were still reserved, if not scared of their new neighbours, coworkers, politicians, or even family members.

The posters were hung across the city and were posted all over the internet. Tickets were sold out pretty much immediately. Too tempting was a human-only event. Free of potential danger of an accidental Flamethrower or rogue Discharge—just regular people enjoying a moshpit or two and listening to a band that had hit the scene just half a year ago.

Struggle appeared out of nowhere a few months after the phenomena started. They gained traction after covering many popular metal songs. Their style was impeccable and the two vocalists had a vocal range nobody expected. They sang, growled, howled, screeched — nothing seemed out of their reach. They amassed millions of devoted fans and quickly became the face of the metal scene.
Despite all of this, no one knew their identities. Everywhere they went, they always wore colour-coded fox masks. Hence their names:

Tan — The vocalist that did most of the harsh vocals. She was capable of doing it all!
Red — The clean vocalist and guitarist.
Blue — The drummer.
Stripe — The bassist.
The Ghost — The white-masked all-rounder, doing backup vocals, keyboard, percussion, guitars, and everything that was needed to faithfully play all the various covers.

Another reason for the quick ticket sell-out: Struggle has never performed live before.

It was the day of the concert. The Arena could hold 20'000 people. The Rush was so great that several entrances had to be opened. Yet, the crowd was excited but never rowdy – everyone got in line and waited to get in. As advertised, no Pokémon were present.

The atmosphere inside was electrifying. Everyone was already enjoying themselves even before the first notes echoed through the Arena. What they didn’t notice: the busy shadows darting about between the scaffolding above them.

And then the light show began as five masked figures entered the stage and greeted the crowd in their usual eccentric style. The crowd went wild when the first chords reverberated in the Arena. They debuted with their first original song.
An hour of original songs, mixed in with covers made the air vibrate with excitement. The crowd cheered and headbanged along to the power chords and heavy guitar riffs of Red and The Ghost, while Blue went wild on the drum kit and Tan enchanted the metalheads with her guttural bellows and piercing screams. Everything was accompanied with a plethora of lights, smoke, and fireworks. At times, the band looked like they were actual animals through all the special effects.

Then Tan addressed the crowd with her sing-song voice. "Three more songs, folks! The next one will be the climax in more than one way! Open your hearts!" Her vague announcement didn't bother anyone, because they started to play a very special song: Their very first cover of "Fake".

Red began to sing his part, never looking away from Tan, and so did she. The song wasn't meant for the crowd, but for themselves. The two exchanged lines, just like the original song did, while the special effects intensified all throughout.

When you pull the mask back and you’re all alone
Tell me, do you like what you SEE?
The lights flicker while Tan puts her hand up to her mask, but letting go shortly afterwards.

And when it all comes crashing down
There's no one left to save you now
You’re so fake, fake fake, fake
Every "fake" was followed by a surge of light.
Then all lights turn off, leaving everyone in darkness.
FAKE, her scream reverberates through the dark Arena.

Then the lights all turn back on.

***

Every goddamn day it's another low
The two masked singers move around each other.
Make one false move that's your cover blown
Tan puts her hand on Red's mask and makes a gesture to pull it off.
The repercussions are yours and yours alone
You can hide from the world but not for LONG

Then the chorus repeats the same way as before. Four surges in light intensity, followed by darkness after Tan's scream. However, this time the crowd is left in the darkness while the break-down is building up.

So inauthentic, uninspired, Tan begins. She escalates in intensity with every line, until...
OH, YOU'RE SO FUCKING FAKE!
Five spotlights reveal the band, all of their masks on the ground, but only two members remain human. Red, now a black fox with a flowing red mane, shreds his guitar solo, while Tan and her nine tails are hyping up the crowd. The Lucario meanwhile still goes wild on the drums. "We're all fake, so embrace it already!" Tan half-screams into the Arena. The crowd erupts at this point. In part because it was the break-down and in part because the human-only event has been a ruse all along.

Even more awe-inspiring: The darting shadows above everyone's heads were Zoroarks that held up the illusion that the crowd were only humans. An illusion that they broke up together with the break-down.
In reality, many turnees were among the crowd, enjoying themselves among everyone else and joining the moshpits.

The rest of the show continued with three turnees killing it on the stage for two more songs while the mixed crowd was in ecstasy.

The concert caused a huge stir on social media. While some denounced the event for deceiving so many people, others applauded the bold unveiling of their identities and the message they promoted. In interviews the band told everyone that they had planned this ever since they formed Struggle, but never thought that so many people would flock to them.

"Struggle's stunt inspired many turnees around the world to out themselves and form bands or doing other things," one quote in a music magazine read. "Tan especially continues to encourage everyone to do what they love, no matter whether they turned or still remain human."