Nighttime is a time of mystery and wonder. The sky, adorned with countless stars, offers a glimpse into the vastness of the universe. The cool, tranquil air carries a sense of calm, allowing one to reflect and find solace. Night is an enchanting period where the world slows down, and dreams take flight.
But Thomas Andre is far from using the night for rest.
It would be more accurate to say THREE Thomas Andrés, each in a different form.
And all three of these forms were poised to begin their tasks.
The first Thomas, with the assistance of the second and utilizing his phone, was prepared to hack into the government's digital infrastructure. Though he was still unfamiliar with the specifics of this world's technology, he was confident in his skills.
His mission was to insert himself into the region's database. Having meticulously prepared his backstory in advance, he knew precisely which city he would claim as his own. By examining the map, he could pinpoint his new identity's place of residence. Once he successfully infiltrated the registry, he would fabricate a history that showed he had always lived there, that he was born there, seamlessly blending into the city's fabric.
While these two worked on crafting this elaborate digital deception, the third Thomas was focused on protecting Beatrice.
The first Andre was a grey-skinned, frog-like, bipedal alien, standing just over a foot tall, perhaps a bit taller than Beatrice. His large green eyes, with rectangular pupils and horizontal eyelids, gave him an otherworldly appearance. He wore a sleek black, purple, and green suit, complemented by extended black and white fingerless gloves.
A green box was affixed to his back, and he donned a pristine white lab coat. The HighTrix symbol adorned his chest, marking his affiliation. An array of technological devices crowned his oddly shaped head, enhancing his already formidable abilities.
It's an alien race, called Galvan.
The second Thomas, in stark contrast to the first, was significantly larger. This towering figure was a techno-organic entity, a walking mass of fluid composed of countless cell-like creatures known as nanites.
His body, predominantly green, featured a striking circuitry pattern that covered his entire form. In the center of his face was a single cyclopean eye, capable of shifting its shape to express various emotions—pointing downwards in anger or upwards in sadness or surprise.
Standing at an imposing 10'5", he was a giant compared to most beings... But not to someone who near him.
And then there was the third Thomas in his most colossal form.
This Thomas was a massive crystalline creature, towering at an impressive 13 feet tall. His body was reminiscent of a towering pillar, with enormous arms and shoulders from which large crystals protruded forward. Two long, wide crystals extended from his neck, reaching backward in a majestic arc.
His head was completely concealed behind a formidable arrangement of crystals, resembling a knight's helmet, with a studded end extending backwards. Additional crystals jutted from his knees, creating the illusion of gigantic, crystalline "shoes"
His sheer size and the dazzling, intricate formations of his crystalline body made him an awe-inspiring sight, exuding an air of both power and mystique.
Second is Galvanic Mechaform and third is Petrosapien.
"You are fuckin' huge."
"I'm fuckin' huge."
"You're fuckin' small."
The exchange of voices, ranging from high and oddly technical to very low, echoed through the space. It was each of the Thomases looking at one another. It wasn't hard to guess who was addressing whom. Their shared surprise and synchronized reactions proved they thought alike. Furthermore, they were strikingly different from the original, the cartoon character they once were.
"I will never cease to be amazed by these transformations," Galvan muttered, clenching his small hands and blinking to focus his vision. The other two were similarly engaged in self-assessment. The mechamorph clenched both hands into fists, pressing them together, while the third Thomas tried to examine his massive crystalline form with his eyes.
"Given the scale of our transformations, I'm going to assume I'm also larger than the standard Galvan. Each of us seems to have evolved, and Petrosapien is markedly different from what we know," the first Thomas reasoned aloud. "To avoid confusion, let's address each other by race."
"I agree."
"Seconded."
The Diamond Giant raised his hand under the watchful eyes of the others, slowly reshaping it into a sharper, more formless structure with a pointed tip. "Perhaps because of our age, we don't look the way the show depicted us," Petrosapien said in his deep, resonant voice.
"Damn, you have such a deep voice!" Mechamorph remarked, raising his head slightly. "And your voice is so high," he added, pointing at Galvan with his long arm.
"Really? Good. Really good," replied the lively Crystal, striking a pose reminiscent of a bodybuilder, his shapeless arm and hand flat.
Galvan, however, didn't appreciate the comment about his voice. Thomas had always been sensitive about its high pitch, a remnant from his childhood insecurities. "Thanks for reminding me," he said, crossing his arms with a hint of irritation.
"And speaking of voices, yours sounds like it's run through a 'robot' filter on those apps," Galvan pointed out.
The Mechamorph raised his head questioningly. "Oh yeah? Well, not bad... What-something..."
Galvan shook his head, then glanced down at himself, examining his attire. "Also, I'm dressed differently than the OG Galvans. The Omnitrix had some odd clothing choices, and in our case, the HighTrix—how does that affect our attire? Can we choose what we wear on our own?" he pondered aloud, but not too loudly. Someone was sleeping, after all.
"That would be good. Damn," Mechamorph frowned, his eye narrowing. "You'd at least have a cape, which we love. And he's got..." he pointed at the posing Petrosapien, "a cool voice, just like that. Low and deep, like we've wanted since we were kids." The giant stopped posing but gave a thumbs-up, his smile hidden behind his crystalline armor. "And I'm completely naked!" Mechamorph spread his long arms wide, his voice straining with unhappiness.
"Quiet the hell down, she's sleeping!" Petrosapien also lowered his voice, turning to point with a shapeless hand at Beatrice, wrapped in their trench coat and sniffling sweetly.
"Shit! My bad," Mechamorph soothed.
Galvan intervened, looking up to maintain eye contact. "First off, I'll say that I fucking hate being this small. It's god damn uncomfortable—"
" Hold on" Petrosapien interrupted, tapping his foot lightly.
With that simple action, something extraordinary happened. Beneath Galvan, a crystal pillar began to rise from the ground. It grew silently and smoothly, its appearance identical to the crystals comprising Petrosapien's body. The pillar was evenly and meticulously formed, growing slowly but steadily to avoid waking Beatrice.
Galvan was initially surprised, but as soon as he felt the solid crystal beneath his feet, he understood Petrosapien's intention. The pillar lifted him up, bringing him to a more comfortable height for conversation. If they thought alike, Galvan figured, he could make something similar to a chair.
As he lifted up the table, he examined it briefly. Yes, they definitely thought alike.
"That's it. That'll make it easier for everyone," the living crystal nodded, satisfied with his work. He had calculated the shape correctly and even managed to make the surface comfortable enough for Galvan to sit on while performing his tasks.
"Thank you," Galvan said, nodding in appreciation.
"Figured out your abilities yet?" asked Mechamorph.
"And you haven't?" countered the big guy.
"I'm a walking computer. It's already been downloaded into me, so... you know."
"If that's the case, then let's get started," suggested Galvan.
Both nodded in agreement. The Mechamorph extended his hand toward their phone to hand it to Galvan. Petrosapien pressed his foot on the ground slightly, commanding the crystals to grow. Instantly, a cluster of crystals began to form near him.
"You better take Beatrice into your lap," Galvan offered, knowing what the crystals were for—to sit down.
"Right," Petrosapien agreed. He took a small step, reaching for the little Pikachu. His hand returned to its standard form, and he carefully picked up Beatrice, cradling her trench coat-covered form as softly as possible. He slowly settled onto his diamond 'chair' and placed the girl gently on his knee.
Beatrice only scratched her head with her paw. The Mechamorph moved the phone to the diamond pillar beside Galvan. Without taking his hand off the phone, he suddenly began to shrink—or more accurately, to merge. His body was instantly drawn into the phone, integrating with it. Under the watchful eyes of the other two, the phone was enveloped in dark green nanites, the dial on the back of the phone lifting it slightly.
"Wow, that looked pretty cool," Petrosapien marveled quietly.
"I'll second that. Who knew we'd ever get to see something like that?" Galvan raised an eyebrow.
"No one," came the short reply from the phone.
None of them answered.
Galvan picked up the phone, which was large enough to be considered a tablet—convenient for him. As he lifted it, the phone began to transform. "Hold me steady," Mechamorph instructed, and Galvan complied.
The phone was bigger than Galvan himself, but his enhanced strength made it manageable. He held it steady and upright. The first enhancement was an extended strut, followed by the growth of a keyboard. "You can let go now," Mechamorph said, and when Galvan released his grip, the monitor expanded. Buttons appeared on its sides, and a small dish emerged, swirling to catch signals.
Petrosapien held back a surprised sigh. Seeing the phone's transformation, he issued a command to the crystals.
The surface on which the two were standing began to enlarge, growing wider to accommodate the computer that had once been a phone. It was now large enough to fit comfortably, with room to spare if further expansion was needed. Galvan nodded his thanks
What was once a phone had now become a supercomputer, adorned with various enhancements that showcased its new capabilities.
"Now we can begin," came the technological voice.
"Come on, then."
***
It had been an hour.
And it was a productive one. Incredibly productive.
And...
"It was too easy," Galvan said, continuing to type. His brain was working at lightning speed, with one idea after another popping into his head. He found it surprisingly simple to access the government log, alter the data, and insert himself into the registry. He created a backstory and a new identity effortlessly. The lack of firewall security made it feel like a walk in the park with free ice cream. He even managed to gather information about the local black market, including its participants and activities. He had too much time on his hands in that hour.
"Ugh, you've said that several times already," Mechamorph wheezed, creating a second monitor and surfing the internet through it. This world had its own analogs of popular sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit....there was even PornHub and a local equivalent of Rule 34.
Out of idleness, he got curious and stumbled across these sites. It was fascinating how similar this world was to his own in that respect. As he browsed, he realized one thing: people here were obsessed with Pokémon. Living in a world where Pokémon existed made it understandable, but the sheer extent of the obsession was astounding. The designs, the stories—almost everything revolved around Pokémon, to the point that they didn't see themselves.
And he wasn't the only one surfing the internet. Petrosapien was watching along with him, and together they pondered all the bizarre aspects of this world. The fact that some lunatics wanted to destroy the world by catching huge Pokémon and making them perform their bidding was astonishing.
Why a segment of this population was fascinated with the idea of 'remaking the world in their own image' was equally perplexing. And always, at the head of this madness, was some sloppily dressed clown with absurd hair that, in his world, would be ridiculed and never taken seriously
He would have to get used to it: the hair colors and form were were outrageous yet natural. Seriously, people actually had these hair colors, though how remained a mystery.
This world was bullshit. Yet somehow, now he lives here. He would have to get used to it.
Besides protecting Beatrice, the living crystal had another task: to create small diamonds to sell for money. Though Galvan's hacking would soon fill their wallet, Petrosapien saw an opportunity in the jewelry market. By selling his crystals, he could make a considerable profit. And with Galvan's help, they could amass a fortune. Additionally, he had ideas from home that could be worth billions here—starting companies in fields ranging from electronics to the gaming industry. The opportunities were endless, and all for him to seize.
Petrosapien raised his head, now free of its helmet. As Galvan had explained, the armor around a Petrosapien's head grows with age and can be retracted at will. He did so, revealing a face adorned with crystal growths resembling a beard.
"How do you think..." he began.
That got the others' attention.
"What's all this for?" Petrosapien pondered aloud. His question was lost in the darkness of the night, the stars his silent observers and the rustling leaves his silent listeners. This question had been gnawing at him for a long time, tormenting him with its ambiguity.
"We, out of eight billion people, have been honored with all of this. Do all those ridiculous 'chosen ones' from movies and cartoons apply to us? Or are we someone else's entertainment? Why does God put us through such trials? What have we done that's so..."
"Or offended someone?" Mechamorph interjected, joining the musings. He set aside the second monitor, focusing his thoughts. "Or perhaps..."
"Or perhaps it was a gift," Galvan suggested, looking away from the keyboard. Mechamorph and Petrosapien turned their attention to him. "We can fly, we can speak any language, we can grow additional organs, damn, I can speak with myself. Our power is limited only by our imagination. Could this all be a reward for the trials we've endured? Trials for our patience when we were laughed at, bullied, beaten, or talked about behind our backs? We always walked around with a smile, staying positive, even when we knew how people really felt about us. We kept quiet for the good of our environment, always putting others before ourselves, taking the pain upon ourselves. Maybe it was because of all this that we were rewarded."
"May be. "
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(A/N) Sorry for the weak chapter, will be going back to the old posting chapters pace. Been busy lately so couldn't get a chapter started. If you have any ideas, I'm open to hearing them.