Ah, picture day—the most common reason people and Pokémon smile each year when taking photos to cherish their memories, like travels, school events, and more. It’s a chance to capture a moment in time that they might never experience again at their favorite place once they move on. Except for one... when Cinderace felt embarrassed about being on camera, he was too shy to show his face around books or photos, which made everyone curious about why he never shared his face with people or Pokémon on social media. One day, Inteleon, a photographer wearing black earrings, and dark purple collar, enjoyed taking pictures of Pokémon, friends, and others without missing a single shot with his camera. However, whenever he tried to take a picture of Cinderace, he would hide his face from the camera, making it hard to get a clear shot. The first incident happened in the park when Cinderace was eating honey ice cream, but as Inteleon tried to sneak above the trees, a small Beedrill landed on Cinderace’s ice cream because of its honey scent. This caused him to scream and drop his ice cream, startling Inteleon as he jumped back and forth on a branch, causing it to collapse. Luckily, Inteleon landed in a soft bush that cushioned his fall, but he still failed to get a picture of Cinderace’s face as he ran away from a single bee. The next day at the Galar Subway Station, Cinderace was waiting for his stop at the “Master Dojo” on the “Isle of Armor.” Although he couldn’t find Inteleon on the train, he wondered whether Inteleon had given up and was searching for another Pokémon to photograph, or if he was in disguise. Cinderace looked around, even behind him, to make sure Inteleon wasn’t there; he checked twice, and it was clear—no Inteleon in sight. But as Cinderace stepped onto the train, waiting to reach the Isle of Armor, he noticed a man in a coat with a detective hat bumping into him, holding Inteleon’s camera. This surprised and stressed him out because he suspected it was Inteleon in disguise. He then waited inside the train for the right moment to act, while Inteleon held out the camera, aiming it at Cinderace’s face. Cinderace decided to point out the famous detective with an excited expression, which drew a crowd around him, and he quickly escaped again. Inteleon’s camera was broken into pieces by the crowded space, leaving him upset over failing his mission to snap a picture of Cinderace’s face. This made him rage, so he had no choice but to buy a “special” camera with a big smile lens, so he wouldn’t have to run or hide his face anymore. The third time, outside the Master Dojo, Inteleon set a trap for Cinderace: a line of carrot tracks right in front of him as he ate the carrots one by one. Finally, after reaching the last huge carrot, Inteleon popped out in a carrot costume and took a picture of Cinderace with his camera’s flash. While Inteleon admired the picture of Cinderace, something strange happened. Cinderace suddenly became covered in rubber with a big smile on his face. He couldn’t stop smiling, as if someone was tickling his face, feeling like he had no emotions inside his head. Then his nose began to grow larger, with green and teal colors spreading around it. At the same time, a large green leaf appeared in his hand, and a puffy tail appeared right in front of him. His belly expanded and squeaked as the transformation was still in progress, with more green and teal colors still spreading around him. His ears and hair shrank until they disappeared. Suddenly, he felt lightheaded, as if he had to become “perfect” with an even bigger smile, looking down at how big and perfect he had become, while his bunny appearance began to fade and new smug memories surfaced, making him feel like he was turning into a perfect snake. Finally, as his Cinderace’s head and body changed shape, he transformed into a “Perfect” Snivy (Smugleaf) with hypnotic eyes—meaning that anyone who looked into his eyes would become a perfect Smugleaf like an infection. Anyway, as Smugleaf looks down at a nearby river, he feels larger, puffier, and perfect, and is on the hunt for Inteleon, who just ran away with his admired photo of Cinderace. Smugleaf seeks revenge or karma on Inteleon by turning him into a Smugleaf clone, but I wonder if anyone can truly be perfect by becoming a Smugleaf. Well, the world may never know what happened to Smugleaf after his transformation.

Art from  PriceHeart69 aka (Tony Price)