Liara is a kind soul who dedicates much of her life to helping Pokémon in the town of Mudmaw. It's one day when she catches two boys throwing rocks at a defenseless Piplup that she demonstrates her selflessness by coming to the rescue. Touched by her charity and self-sacrifice, a friend of hers concocts a means to make helping Pokémon even easier.

Commission for  Tazzmo70

***

We fall upon Liara. In Mudmaw, a dock town among the hundreds lining the southeastern shore, she made her living at the inn. Warm climate and fish-happy seas provided a healthy community, complete with comforts and gripes. A sandstone lighthouse, octagonal and coated a glowing white, stood sentinel at the town’s heart, that horizon-piercing beam sweeping the oceanscape every night for wayward travelers. The keeper and his Magmar lit the pyre every night within its oscillated Fresnel lens. Man and Pokémon worked in tandem like across Doumiete and the world yonder. Their mutually beneficial coexistence ensured a peaceful establishment, if in want of luxury.

Liara, our protagonist, could not have been bothered by the sore living standards if she tried. She’d lived the entirety of her full life in Mudmaw, venturing its tight alleyways and quagmire streets every day through even the most forbidding rains. The sun kept her skin especially dark. Even in the salt-suffused air of the coast her hair was wildly curly. She could be seen roaming the streets in her white tunic and brown belt, long blue skirt billowing around her legs while her gray boots carried her along.

She was not homeless, if only for the charity of a dear friend. Her home and family had been lost to a fire when she was young. A friend of her mother’s, Maurisa, took pity on her and took her into her home, one of the town’s inns. As Liara grew up, she learned to help every way she could, all while still making her daily journeys throughout the town. Had she been asked, Liara would’ve said Mudmaw was home and its few hundred citizens her family. That included the great many Pokémon that lived alongside them. Oh, how she loved the Pokémon, fascinating creatures deserving of humanity’s love and respect which she offered infinitely and unwaveringly.

But Mudmaw did not always share her charitable views. Pokémon had their uses, including providing sustenance like the fish of the ocean did. Pokémon either fit for eating or considered pests earned the apathy and wrath of the townsfolk, always to Liara’s heartbreak. She tried her best to abstain from meat, a difficulty given Mudmaw’s steadfast reliance on seafood. Coming to the rescue of every Pokémon may have been impossible, but she could at least do the right thing for the ones she could. If only the rest of humanity was so empathetic.

It was when she came around the corner of an alleyway that she fell face first into a demonstration of man’s cruelty. Two boys, maybe in their early teens. They were a few yards away, facing the back wall of a building, yelling and flailing their arms excitedly. Liara couldn’t see what they were looking at. A wastebin was between her and whatever they were hollering about. She came closer and saw they were chucking small rocks at the wall. They would toss a couple before squatting to pick up some more and then repeat. “Get out of here!” they would bark while laughing. “Go away, dirty bird!”

Liara felt her heart clench. She charged towards them, hair and skirt whipping in the breeze behind her. The two boys heard her charge and backed away, eyes gone wide, rocks still clutched in their dirty mitts. Liara opened her mouth to shout, but had the breath robbed of her by what she saw behind the wastebin.

A Piplup, tiny and frightened, squatted against the wall, holding its big round head in its flippers. Soft blue feathers were dented and bruised. It whimpered softly, shaking like a leaf. “Pip- Pip- Piplup… Pip-“

Cold fury solidified through Liara’s body. Her fists and jaw clenched as she directed her wrath-twisted mien at the two boys. They physically recoiled from the sight of it and again when she stabbed a finger at them. “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” she roared, louder than anyone thought she was capable of, including herself. The street on the other side of the building went quiet as the folks heard her. Perhaps the whole town did.

One boy was leaning away from her like she was some slowly approaching predator. His jaw stuttered to apologize. His comrade was not so scared, his position holding firm. “Back off, woman!” he shouted in a squeaky voice. “This is none of your business!” He then cocked his arm back and chucked the rock he had in his hand at Liara.

Liara juked just in time to miss the projectile. “Hey! You rascals!” Her assailant picked up another rock, elbowed his friend to join, and threw again, this time landing a hit on the broadside of Liara’s thigh. Not wanting to look uncool, his friend joined in. She jerked and twisted where she stood, dodging some and feeling others bite into her shins. “Ow! Stop it, you little demons!”

The boys’ laughter was cut by the sound of hooves thundering from behind Liara. They stopped mid-wind up, dropped their ammo and bolted in the other direction. Liara turned around to see a Rapidash storming up the alley towards her. On its back is one of the city guardsmen. Behind him are other townsfolk who’d come to investigate. Liara scurried out of the way just before the Rapidash thudded to a stop and whinnied on its hindlegs. A great ember whooshed from its nostrils, bright tongues of fire spitting black smoke into the sky. The guard shouted after the boys. “Don’t let me see you boys do that again!”

The Rapidash came back down on its four legs. The guard turned his attention to Liara. “Everything alright here? Those boys didn’t hurt you, did they?”

Spots on Liara’s legs rang where she’d been hit. She was going to find bruises on them later. “No, they didn’t.” Looking behind the wastebin she saw that the Piplup had escaped. They’ll think I’m a fool for risking my life for a Pokémon. “I’m fine, thank you.” She looked at the Rapidash and its majestic mane flame. She came up to it and petted its cheek to which it snorted its thanks. “If only all Pokémon could be treated nicely,” she said to no one in particular.

“Well, I’m glad you’re alright. If you ever need help, just call,” the guard told her.

She lowered her hand from the Rapidash’s cheek. “Yes, I will. Thank you.”

Liara spent a pensive night working at the inn. Her mind was on the Piplup and the two boys’ cruelty. She barely spoke to Maurisa or the customers, too bothered to be engaging. A concerned Maurisa met her in her room before they went to bed. Liara was sitting on her bed, about to lie down when Maurisa knocked on the door. “Come in,” said Liara.

Maurisa opened the door. Following her was her Growlithe looking equally worried. “Hey there. Everything alright? You were awfully quiet today.” The Growlithe walked past Maurisa and hopped onto the bed. It laid its paws and floofy head in Liara’s lap. She petted it gently.

“Something happened today, when I was walking through the alleys.”

“Oh no. What?” Liara told her the whole story, from encountering the boys to being saved by the guard and his Rapidash. “Oh, Liara. That’s awful. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“I’m fine. It’s that poor Piplup I’m worried about.” She looked down at the Growlithe. It was lucky enough to have an owner that cared for it. The Piplup, not so much. “I just wish people were kinder, is all. People need to stop being mean to Pokémon and each other.”

“I know, but…” Maurisa sighed. “That’s just the way things are. People and the world, they like to be mean. There’s good in the world too, but it’s mixed with the bad. Not a lot we can do to stop that.”

Liara sighed too. “I know. It just sucks.”

“I know it does. Goodnight, Liara. Try not to think about it too much.” Maurisa headed for the door. Her Growlithe hopped off Liara to follow, leaving her alone.

She told Maurisa “goodnight” back, but with the door closing she didn’t know if she heard her.

* * *

The following morning Maurisa let Liara know that she had the day off after how rough the day before was. Liara protested, but Maurisa wasn’t hearing it. “Get around town. Get your mind off things. You’ve been working hard the whole month and today will be slow. Now get.”

Liara made good on the time given to her by making her usual trek through the streets. Today she was spared the sight of Pokémon mistreatment, though she could not stop thinking about the poor Piplup from yesterday, wondering where it had gone and how it was doing. She was walking down one street when she encountered two Pokémon, a Diglett and a Snorunt, both gnawing at a discarded sack in the alleyway. Any other folk would’ve considered them pests, especially the Diglett. Liara saw two desperate souls trying to survive.

She approached them cautiously, announcing her presence with a soft coo. “Hey there.” They both spun around and noticed her. They looked ready to bolt. “No, no, no! It’s OK. I want to help.” She pointed at the sack. “You want what’s in the bag?” They both nodded. “Well, doesn’t look like anybody needs it ‘cause they tossed it out here. Let me get it open for you.”

“’Runt! ‘Runt! ‘Runt!” chanted the Snorunt.

“Diglett! Diglett!” agreed his partner.

Liara squatted to undo the knot holding the sack closed. Out spilled a bunch of berries, old and shriveled, perhaps from a shop that failed to sell them. A waste for whoever had bought them, but not for the Pokémon! They both went wild and dove straight into the trove of berries, stuffing their little faces and filling their tummies.

“Woah! That’s lucky! Here, let me…” Liara picked the sack up by its bottom and up ended it so that the rest of the berries came spilling out. The two critters were caught in a storm of deliciousness and chirped their thanks. “No problem! You guys, uh…” She saw something in the pile of berries that distracted her. With the Pokémon focused on the food, she bent over to look at it. It was a small glass vial with what looked like two unmixed chemicals of red and orange swirling inside. Liara picked it up and inspected it closely. “Woah. I wonder what Avior will think of this…” she wondered out loud. She bid her two new friends goodbye and wandered off to find the town wizard.

She came to his shop in one of the nicer parts of town. It stood out among the strip of other shops, his looking worn and about to collapse. She knocked on the front door. A few seconds later a slot slammed open with an eye peering through from behind a thick lens. A whiny voice boomed. “WHO DARES OPEN MY-“ His gaze fell upon Liara who gave a tiny wave. “Oh! Liara. How good to see you.” The door swung open, revealing a scrawny old man with a speckled, bald head, a snowy white mustache that sagged down to his chin, and a sunken chest covered only by the oversized overalls he wore. Glasses thick enough to stop an arrowhead were perched on a fat, pitted nose. “What can I do you for?”

“Hi, Avior.” She showed him the vial. “I found this today. Can you tell me what it is?”

Even with his uber thick glasses he had to squint. “Ah, I’ll have to take a closer look. Come in, please. Get comfortable.”

Liara accepted the invitation but found it hard to get comfortable. Avior’s shop was an absolute disaster with stacks upon stacks of parchments and scrolls tossed everywhere. There was hardly any open floor to step on. His desk was similarly swamped. It was lucky that he was so scrawny. Any bigger and he would not have been able to squeeze through the clutter and sit in his chair. Equally blind to the chaos was a Tailow behind him, sleeping on its perch. His screaming hadn’t even fazed the bird.

“Have a seat,” he reiterated, pointing at the chair in front of his desk. “Show me that doodad.” Liara shuffled over and put the vial on his desk before taking a seat. He picked it up with his crusty, long-nailed fingers and looked at it closely. “Hmmm, alright. I think I know what this is.” He looked at her. “Where did you find this?” She told him about the sack and the two Pokémon. “Ahh, as charitable as ever to our Pokémon brethren, I see.”

“As always,” Liara said somewhat sadly.

Avior frowned. “What’s wrong? You seem crestfallen.”

“Well, something happened yesterday.” She recounted the tale of the poor Piplup and those two boys, how it had gnawed at her since and wouldn’t stop.

“Oh dear, that’s terrible. Damn kids.”

Liara shook her head. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay in a town like this. People here can be so cruel, but I know the people elsewhere are too. I just want to help people and Pokémon. I want people to be less mean, but I’m only one person. Sometimes… Sometimes I just wanna give up.”

“Oh, Liara darling. I know it’s difficult, but you can’t give up. You’re the most noble woman I’ve ever known in my many trips around the sun. Don’t take it the wrong way, but you’re the kind of woman I’d desperately try to accomplice if I were still in my prime.”

Liara rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but you’re not that old. You’re not even halfway to dying, I bet.”

He cackled. “And I appreciate the flattery, bald as it may be.” He patted his scalp. “And I know bald.”

Liara giggled, though she could not keep the thoughts of Pokémon mistreatment at bay. “I just love helping Pokémon. I don’t know why, I just do. Especially the water types that live in the sea around here. I wish I could protect them all.”

“Water types, eh?” Avior twisted his lips, tilting that massive stache of his. His eyes fell on the vial again. “I think there’s something I can do for you.”

Liara’s eyes lit up. “There is?”

Avior was already getting up. He dashed for the nearby shelf with a speed most admirable for his age. He came back with two vials that were the same shape as the one Liara brought, though their contents were different. One vial held blue and turquoise colors while the other had yellow and green. Avior clacked them down hard on the desk before leaving and coming back with a large, empty beaker. He popped the corks from the vials and started carefully pouring them into the beaker. Liara watched as those fantastical colors swam and swept around each other, some colors mixing, others not. A steam vivid with colors rose from the concoction, wafting into Avior’s face and fogging his glasses.

Once enough was poured he picked the beaker up by its rim and twirled it around to mix the potions. They ended on an indecipherable collage of different shades Liara had never seen before. Avior got up one more time and came back with an empty vial that he poured the new solution into. He capped it with a cork and proudly handed it to Liara.

She didn’t take it. “But… I don’t have any money to give you.”

Avior shook his head. “Your kindness has been enough. Please. Take it. You’ll insult me if you don’t.”

Liara took the vial and gazed at the wonderful colors as they shimmered in her palm. “Thank you, Avior, but what does this do?”

He smiled at her. “Why don’t we find out? Do you mind if we take a walk to the inn where you work? I’d like to invite Maurisa with us.”

“Oh! Um, alright.”

“Good. Keep that in your pocket. Don’t lose it.”

“Right.” Liara had no pocket to put the vial in, so she tucked it between her breasts.

“Good,” said Avior as he stood up and grabbed his blackwood cane. “Lead the way.”

Liara prepared for a long walk to the inn due to Avior’s lack of mobility. She was pleased to see how mobile he really was, a veritable tornado with three legs. If anything, she had to keep up with him. They found the inn empty of customers, Maurisa at the counter looking bored as hell. “Sure, I’ll come with you,” she said once invited. “Ain’t much going on here at all. Come on, Growlithe.”

After she closed the inn the four of them headed for the docks, Avior in the lead. Maurisa pestered Liara along the way, demanding to know what was going on. Liara just shrugged. “He made this potion for me and wants us to see what it does.”

“You mean you don’t already know? Great. That sounds safe. I hope you trust him.”

“With my life,” Liara declared.

They made to the docks where the boats had already left to go fishing, leaving them alone. “Well, you brought us here, Avior,” said Maurisa. “Mind telling us what it’s going to do?”

“Yes,” said the wizard, turning to face his two friends. “Liara, you’ve confessed your love for Pokémon, a degree of dedication and care I’ve never come across. You mentioned a special love for water types. You want to do more to protect them? Well, I think I have the answer. That potion will transform you into a half-human, half-fish. You’ll carry all your faculties as a human but with all the powers of a water type Pokémon. I insist you take it.”

Both women gawked at him. “Are you serious?” asked Maurisa.

He nodded. “Deathly.”

Liara pulled the vial from her bosom and stared at it in her hand. A water type that can help Pokémon. It sounded surreal, too good to be true. How was it even possible? What will my life be like after that? Breaking the thought was a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Maurisa smiling at her.

“I think you should do it,” she said genuinely. “You’ve always dreamed of making a life of your own, helping Pokémon and people. I think this is your best chance. It’s what your parents would want.”

Liara felt her heart clench. She thought about her parents and the future she’d lost with them. What would they say if they were here? They’d tell me I was a woman, that it was my choice, and that I should do what was right. Liara stood silently as she thought about it. She looked at Maurisa, Avior, then at the vial in her hand. Do what’s right. Liara plucked the cork from the vial and downed the liquid in one giant swig.

It was horribly bitter. She cringed and wiped her lips dry. “Ach… That was awful.” She looked down at herself, expecting something to happen. Maurisa watched closely, bracing for a change, while Avior stood with his cane, smiling confidently. Liara was just about to ask the wizard if anything would happen when a great white glow blossomed from her heart and shrouded her entire body. It was a miniature nova, illuminating the entire dock and forcing the other three to shield their eyes. After a few seconds of whirring and buzzing, the light retracted.

Liara hadn’t felt much. She saw the light grow from her core but wasn’t blinded nor warmed by it. When it was gone, she felt no different, though she noticed a slight breeze across her legs where her skirt had covered her. In fact, just about her entire body felt exposed. “What happened?” she asked. Maurisa had a look of pure shock while Avior smiled broadly. “What?” Liara asked, to which her two friends pointed at her legs.

Liara looked down and saw what had become of her legs: they were gone, replaced by a majestically built fish tail complete with bright, colorful scales and a broad, burgundy colored fin. The scales covering the tail were a deep pink color with big, red chevrons pointing downward. The clothes she had on were gone, replaced by two starfish that clung to her breasts. She couldn’t see it, but a band of pure gold wrapped her crown and red eyeliner highlighted her face.

“Oh my God!” she shouted. “Is this… Is this my new body?”

Avior nodded. “It is. I think you’ll do a lot of good with it.”

Liara was lost in the shape and color of her tail fin. So big and colorful. She tried giving it a flip, and it did so. She chirped loudly, “This is incredible! I love it!” Growlithe seemed to think the same as they came wandering up to her curiously and gave Liara’s fin an inquisitive sniff. It tickled Liara, making her giggle. “I’m glad you like it too, Growlithe.”

A tiny squeak from the other end of the dock caught their attention. “Pip?”

The four of them looked up to see a lone Piplup watching them. Small and blue, it was dirty from the town streets. Bruises and scrapes covered it. “The Piplup!” Liara shouted excitedly. “That’s the one I saved from the boys!” She waved the little penguin over frantically. “C’mere little guy!”

“Piplup!” The creature came scampering down the dock full speed, delighted by the sight of its savior. Once it had reached Liara it sprung into the air, straight into her arms. She caught it in her chest, almost toppling over. It received the tightest hug in its life.

“I’m so happy to see you’re safe.” She relaxed her grip so they could look at each other. “Look! I’m part water type now! I can help you and all the other Pokémon that live around town.” The Piplup looked down at her mermaid tail and gave her an uncertain expression. “Well, I might have to make some adjustments first.”

“Piplup,” it agreed.

Their merriment was killed by a rude shout, again from the other end of the dock. “HEY!” They looked and saw a tall, skinny man with a broad mustache, a Slugma, and two boys Liara recognized. Her heart gut filled with lead. “Oh no…” she groaned. “Those are the two boys that hurt the Piplup. That has to be their father.” She felt the poor thing tremble in her arms.

“Oh no,” said Maurisa. “Growlithe, up front. This might mean trouble.” Her Growlithe barked and leapt to the middle of the dock, between them and the new arrivals.

The father came stomping down the dock, his sons and Slugma following closely. Black smoke came off the fire Pokémon’s flame ears while a trail of slimy heat coated the dock behind him. The father stabbed his finger directly at Liara. “You! Woman! You don’t speak to my sons ever again! You have no right!”

“Woah!” shouted Maurisa. “Hold on! You don’t have the right to come here making big talk like you’re about to hurt someone! Especially after what your two brats did!”

“We were just playing!” said one boy.

“Yeah! Playing!” echoed his brother.

“That wasn’t playing, you devils!” shouted Liara, rage boiling over. “You were throwing rocks at this poor little Piplup! It didn’t do anything to you! I hadn’t done anything and you started throwing at me!”

“I don’t care if they were butchering it!” screamed the father. “You don’t call the guards on them and almost get them beaten!”

“The guards wouldn’t have to if you taught them not to bully poor Pokémon!”

“I won’t have you tell me how to raise my kids!” He turned to the Slugma. “Slugma! Attack! Use ember!”

“Slugma!” The Slugma slithered forth and gaped its mouth to release a maelstrom of fire that barreled down the dock at our heroes.

Maurisa countered. “Ember back at it, Growlithe!” Growlithe responded in kind, blasting the oncoming flames with a tornado of its own. Everyone on the dock felt the heat swell against their bodies. A mountain of flames like waves crashing on the rocks spewed into the sky, black smoke billowing. Both Pokémon maintained their fiery torrent, but stalemated at the center of the dock, neither one gaining an edge over the other.

Avior and Maurisa were wincing away from the heat. “If they keep that up the whole dock will catch fire beneath us!” Avior shouted over the constant roar. “We have to do something.”

If Liara had any new mermaid powers to stop the Slugma, she didn’t know how to use them. Trembling in her arms, however, was someone that could. “Piplup!” she shouted. “Look at me!” It lifted its little face from her bosom, those beady black eyes twisted with fear. “We have to stop that Slugma. You’re a water type. You should be able to! Can you do that for us?” The little Pokémon was still shaking, but mustered the strength to wipe its eyes and nod its head. “Good!” Liara put the Piplup down on its feet. “Get as close as you can. I’ll tell you what to do!”

The Piplup took a deep breath. It waddled its way closer to the battle, behind Growlithe’s left side. It stopped once the heat was too strong and ducked behind its flipper to shield its face. It looked back at Liar, hoping for a command, anything that would make the violence stop. Liara thought hard, trying to recall a move that was universal across all water types. Water… Water…. Gun. Water gun. Water gun! “Piplup! Use Water Gun!”

The Piplup puffed out its chest, threw its head back, and launched a massive geyser of water that pierced the flames like rice paper, reducing both jets and barreling straight for the unsuspecting Slugma. It was struck head on by the waterfall and sent tumbling down the dock like it had been dropped down a hill. Piplup killed the stream, and Slugma was left unconscious, steam rising from its body.

Nobody, not even Piplup, thought it would work that well. It looked back at Liara as if to ask if it had done a good job. Indeed, it had. Liara congratulated it. “That was amazing, Piplup!” Happy that it had done the right thing, the Piplup did a little celebratory dance.

The father and his two sons were helping their injured Slugma when the thunder of hooves came towards the docks. Guardsman on their mounts stormed at them, including the guard who had helped Liara the day before and his Rapidash. “We saw smoke. What happened?” he demanded. “It looks like an explosion went off here.”

Liara and the other two pointed at the father. “They attacked us!” Avior said. “That mad was upset his sons had almost been arrested and blamed us! He came with his Slugma and tried to incinerate us.”

The guard swore. “Is everyone alright? Any of you hurt?”

They shook their heads. “We’re fine. This Piplup saved us,” Liara said.

The guard noticed her mermaid form when she spoke. He ignored it, assuming that it was an outfit and not her real body. “That’s good, at least. We’ll interrogate the man. You all be safe.” Liara thanked him before he ran off to arrest the father who would be put on house arrest and learn to better raise his sons.

* * *

The sun was setting at the docks. The fishermen had come home with their catches and would spend the rest of the night with their families. They asked about the charred dock, only to find rumor and hearsay. None of them noticed the mermaid swimming beneath their boats with a little Piplup, trying to get used to her fins. Once they’d left Liara sat at the foot of the dock, watching her new friend swim and splash in the water where she gently kicked her fin in the water. She heard footsteps from behind and saw Maurisa and her Growlithe coming over to talk. She sat down next to her.

“Hey,” said Maurisa. “Gotten used to that body yet?”

“For the most part. I spent the last few hours swimming. I think the strangest thing is learning how to breathe in water.”

“I bet.” Growlithe came up to Liara and laid down in her lap.

Liara started petting him. “I guess this means I won’t be working at the inn anymore.”

“Yeah, it does, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit the docks sometime. I better see you around her in the future. Promise me.”

Liara smiled and nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “I promise.”

Maurisa felt her eyes watering too. “Good.”

The two of them hugged. Growlithe whimpered and licked at Liara’s chin, making her laugh. “I’ll miss you too, Growlithe.” She picked it up and put it in Maurisa’ lap. Maurisa had to hold on to stop it from leaping after Liara when she slid off the dock and splashed in the water. She resurfaced, the curls in her hair staying even when soaked. She looked up at Maurisa who had stood up and held tightly a struggling, whimpering Growlithe.

“Goodbye, Liara,” she said. “You’re gonna do great things.”

“Thank you, Maurisa. I owe you everything.” Then she dove into the water and swam down until she was too deep for Maurisa to see. Piplup followed her, leaving Maurisa and Growlithe alone.

Maurisa stood there for some time, weeping to herself and petting Growlithe. Once she noticed the sun on its last slivers on the horizon she turned around and walked down the dock. “Come on, Growlithe. Let’s go home.”


THE END