Les feux noirs: Interlude 3: The Emperor

Reginald Basset was not a happy Weavile morph.

Not only had he been turned into this form by his bitter enemies Shane Reeves and Cole Green, but they'd kidnapped the Zorua he'd intended to have serve as an infiltration unit after he'd wasted an entire transformation on the former human. And then five days after that, his corporation had been bought out by some group called the Grey Steam without warning, and he'd been demoted by the arrogant twit of a president into being his tea bearer. As if that wasn't enough, the President was constantly on his guard due to multiple people trying to transform him: apparently it was Grey Steam policy or some rubbish like that to gain a promotion via transforming others, and the most common target was the President. For most people, that would have been the end of any resistance.

Reginald Basset prided himself on not being most people.

He'd planned his revenge upon the President very carefully, making sure he'd left no room for error. First, he'd convinced the man that he was completely trustworthy. This involved taking several transformation attempts for the President, earning his trust. Of course, he'd also been busy mixing up the proper amount of potions needed to turn the President into an ironic and humiliating form. Then he'd made sure the potions wouldn't accidentally affect him when he did the taste test. Finally, he went and pulled off his plan, bringing a tape recorder along so that he could take notes on how it went. The plan had worked beautifully, and Reginald still remembered the President go from threatening to begging to whimpering as he shrunk into a small Poochyena. After the transformation he captured the Poochyena, clipped it to his belt, and promptly informed everyone he was the President. No one had bothered to question him about it

That had been five days prior, and it was now the middle of the night. Reginald was sleeping in the President's suite when he heard a noise. He opened his eyes and turned to see one of the janitors in his room. 

"Pardon me, sir, but the Emperor wishes to see you." the janitor said in a slow, creaky voice. Reginald scoffed, showing his claws in an attempt to intimidate the old man.

"Who is this Emperor? I only know of a President, and I'm him. Go away and let me sleep." The old man was strangely unintimidated, and merely grabbed Reginald's hand, pulling him along with surprising strength. Reginald struggled to break free, cursing and swearing at the man, but his grip held.

"The Emperor is your superior, and he does not like to be disappointed. And the Emperor does exist: he just wishes his existence be kept a secret known only to a few. He has been waiting for the day of balance for centuries." the man said, as he pulled Reginald through a portal. Suddenly, Reginald found himself in a dark room. The only light in the room rested on a throne, and in the throne sat the Emperor. The Emperor, as Reginald found himself thinking in disgust, was a mere teenager, and dressed in what seemed (to him) to be a medieval knight outfit as worn by knights in Kalos. The young man was also a hybrid of an Absol, but Reginald did not think much of anything other than the fact that he was seemingly young.

"This is the Emperor?" he asked incredulously, ignoring the old man's look of shock at his words. The young man arose, and walked towards the President slowly but firmly, his armor clinking with each step as a cape fluttered into existence behind him. Reginald stared into the man's eyes, and they seemed tired: as if he'd been living for a long time. The Emperor stopped a few feet away from Reginald and surveyed him like one would survey a piece of meat, saying nothing. At last Reginald snapped, and pulled his saw from the place he'd stored it.

"I wonder what shade your blood would look like on my saw, 'Emperor'?" Reginald snarled, as he charged at the seemingly young morph. The Emperor promptly sidestepped, having charged a Shadow Ball in his clawed hands, and fired it at Reginald to disorient him. While Reginald was disoriented, the Emperor drew his sword and cut his Pokeballs loose from his belt before hitting Reginald in the face with the hilt, knocking him flat on the ground. Reginald tried to get back up, but the Emperor's sword was waiting at his chest.

"Pathétique. Je l'ai vu des femmes qui combattent mieux que vous." The Emperor said in Kalosian, before continuing in flawless Unovan. "Ever since I began my crusade for true balance centuries ago, I have seen many things and fought many opponents in my attempts to bring balance to the world. You, however, are the first opponent I've faced who uses a common saw in battle. If I were not generous, my sword would be through your ribs and piercing your heart. But since I am generous, I shall let you live if you swear to maintain your office loyally as long as you remain in it."

Reginald did not take long to make a decision. "I swear it." he said, swallowing his pride briefly. The Emperor smiled, as he lifted the Weavile morph to his feet.

"Welcome aboard, Mister President. I expect nothing less than your best performance! For the sake of appearances. Work hard for the coming of true balance."