Chapter 18

To his surprise, Eleanor had plenty of clothes that didn't bother him. Instead of a wardrobe filled with ancient relics, she had all kinds of amazing things, in styles and sizes to fit a wide variety of different people. The guys' clothes didn't fit quite right anymore, though. It stretched in some places where it shouldn't, and rubbed against his chest with a persistent discomfort whenever he moved. 

He wore it anyway, even if the reflection staring back at him in Eleanor's mirror looked almost pathetic. Bright pink hair trailed all the way to his waist, in a disheveled mess that would probably require considerable effort to keep groomed.

But Hayden still looked and smelled like someone who had walked through a rainstorm. His body was splotched with dirt, and plenty of little leaves and sticks clung to that incredibly long hair.

He didn't look into the mirror long, for fear of what he might see.

Eleanor had given him his privacy while he changed, and emerged from the attached bathroom already dressed herself. She took one look at him, then winced. 

"That bad?"

She nodded reluctantly. "There is no way my mother will let you go around like that. You look like you survived a shipwreck. When we get back, we should get you into a bath. That hair—where did it all come from?"

"Same place as everywhere else, I guess. I'm sure I'll get used to it. You can do a lot with long hair."

Eleanor wasn't a mew anymore. Her hair was back to purple and perpetually damp. It also meant her clothes fit better. Mew were smaller than ditto. "That's right, find the bright side. Maybe the doctor can help you find more."

Hayden nodded reluctantly. "I'm hoping they know how to change me back."

Eleanor said nothing to that. But to Hayden's surprise, she did come with him across the mansion, to the isolated wing that was the Shaymin's little private hospital. Having her there helped with the stares. There were a lot of those—every servant they passed, every member of the staff seemed fascinated by what they saw. Even through their bowing and scraping they never seemed to take their eyes off him.

Hayden had rarely seen the inside, given how healthy he was. Only after his first day and accidentally wandering out into the woods had he been there.

This time passing through its paper doors was a relief, since it meant an end to the stares. They walked past a large group-patient room, with a few beds occupied by injured guards. Even they stared at him as they passed, until they finally reached a private examination room.

"Your help won't be required, Amelia," the doctor said. "Miss Eleanor, you should wait outside as well. I believe the patient would appreciate her privacy for this examination. We won't be long."

"Alright, Dr. Gaudere." She nodded, then backed out the door. "I'll be out here, Hayden."

Dr. Gaudere's audino pushed the door closed behind her, then locked it. She held the doctor's clipboard, rather than the doctor himself. She also looked quite a bit more sympathetic than he did. He was an older man, slightly wrinkled with graying hair over his temples. Only the color beneath was pink, not any natural shade. Even here, Unity changed things.

"Please undress, Your Grace. You can leave your, uh… those things, on the seat. Then hop up onto my examination table."

Hayden hesitated, face turning bright red. He'd never thought twice about changing in the men's lockers before, or in front of the servants that sometimes came for him in the mornings. But now he hesitated. "With you in here?"

Gaudere folded his arms, nodding impatiently. "Miss, I'm the only doctor qualified to examine disciples of Unity in all of Sinnoh. I'll be examining you so long as you continue to live at Shaymin Manor. I will treat you with the same care and courtesy as Lady Gracidea herself."

There would be no hiding in here—not with one wall completely covered with mirrors. Not with the bright lights overhead, or two sets of eyes watching him expectantly. 

He whimpered again, then finally removed the shirt, settling it up against the counter. The trousers came next. Underneath, Hayden looked as pathetic as he felt. Or as pathetic as she felt. She'd seen girls before—the kids in Sunyshore usually swam this way. It was only after their daemons settled that they started acting weird about it.

But that wasn't her body before. She'd never seen it in her own reflection before.

"Up here, miss," Gaudere instructed, a little more sensitively. "I know it's cold in here. Don't hold your daemon—have her land on the other table. My assistant will look at her."

She obeyed. Hayden wrapped her arms around her chest, her eyes still fixed on her reflection. It didn't look like her, but in some ways what she saw wasn't so bad. This dirty and wild-looking, she could still be a local of Sunyshore. She'd fit right in with her old friends looking like this. She could still go on adventures with Lin, climbing over rooftops and getting in fights with the sailor kids.

But then the doctor started prodding her, and that happy illusion dissolved. She wouldn't be going back to her old life just because Shaymin House had changed her the way they wanted. They wanted her this way for a reason, after all. Nothing about that reason had changed.

True to the doctor's promise, the examination didn't take very long after that. That didn't mean the experience was particularly pleasant, of course. If she had any doubt about exactly what had happened to her before, getting a doctor to poke and prod at her with a flashlight and a little wooden depressor robbed her of that option. Audino was much kinder to Liz, and finished with her more quickly.

"That will be enough, miss," Gaudere finally said. "You can get dressed again now, if you like. I hope you understand that Lady Gracidea has reasons to perform an examination like this.

Hayden dressed quickly. The clothes didn't fit great, but she still felt instantly happier once they were back on. At least that way she didn't feel exposed next to a stranger. "She needs to know how much I'm worth," she muttered.

The doctor sighed. "That's such an unfortunate way to think about this. You've taken tremendous steps towards becoming like your daemon. Every time you do, your power grows. There are numerous benefits, but you can learn about those in the shrine. Consider this one: how long do you think mew live, Miss Hayden? If you've ever wondered how the great families could sit in dominion for so long, now you know. You will outlive me and all my children. If you continue down this path, time itself may become meaningless to you, like the Awakened Masters."

Once she was fully dressed, her confidence grew. She faced Gaudere, glaring at him. "What if I don't want that? What if I want to go back? If you're so knowledgeable, can you tell me how to do that?"

He shook his head once. “I'm afraid that's not possible, Lady Hayden. But you shouldn't think of it like that. Instead, consider this: Unity couldn't make you a creature you weren't. It has always been the way of your kind to be a female species led by a single male. Now that your transformation is complete, you've revealed what was always there underneath. Meeting Camael didn't change your nature, he only revealed it to you."

Hayden glowered at him. Liz zipped around her body, flying in a tight circle. She felt herself lifting off the ground slightly, facing him down. "Yeah? How do you know that? He could've just changed me! No one would know the difference!"

He took one nervous step back, holding the clipboard between them. "No, miss. If you weren't capable of finding Unity with your daemon, you both would've died. I don't see a girl struggling for life before me now. I see a healthy young mew, having her first taste of what that means. I can't imagine such a transition—I know it will be difficult. But Lady Gracidea will provide all the help you need to grow into your new position. I have no doubt of that."

Hayden landed with a thump, then turned her back on him. She stormed out the door. To her credit, Eleanor was still waiting. She joined Hayden, jogging a few steps to catch up with her. She didn't stop until they were back out into the hall. At least Gaudere didn't try to chase her.

"Everything good?" Eleanor asked. 

Hayden folded her arms, glaring at the ground. "I’m a healthy mew girl with her first taste of what that means," she repeated, brimming with sarcasm. "Fantastic. Just what we wanted."

Eleanor was silent for a long time, thoughtful. Then she put a hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything that would make you feel better? Want to see what they did with your new quarters? Contractors have been in there for months renovating it, I'm sure they must've done something cool."

Hayden shook her head vigorously, sending bright pink cascading all around her. Then she winced. "It kinda… hurts a little." She touched up against her head, then her chest. "I don't know why. Is it a girl thing?"

Eleanor lifted her shirt out of the way for a second, then rolled her eyes. "Gee, I wonder why. How could you possibly be uncomfortable?" She took Hayden by the hand, then started dragging her. "Come with me. I'm not going to let my little sister mope around like a common pokémon. Only I'm allowed to do that."

Hayden didn't really have the strength to fight, so she let Eleanor drag her. Besides, the words of her pronouncement made her start tearing up again. "Your… sister?"

She nodded sternly. "Tried to spook you out while I had the chance. Now you're stuck. Besides—if you make a fool of yourself, people will look at me. You've got standards to meet now. I'll help where I can, for… my own personal reasons and nothing else."

They went to the girls' bedrooms, then the expansive shared bathroom that connected them. "First thing's first," Eleanor said. "You're going to clean up. That hair is a disaster—use as much conditioner as it takes. If you don't, it'll hurt like a houndoom's bite when I brush it out."

She gripped Hayden's shoulder, suddenly firm. "If you can't handle it on your own, my mother will assign a maidservant to clean you. I'm guessing you don't want that to happen."

She could only nod weakly. The doctor had been bad enough, but having someone bathe her might make her just curl up and die of embarrassment. 

"Perfect. Get it right the first time, because I'm gonna fix your hair one way or another. I know I can't do any permanent harm—you heal like a pokémon now. I could brush so hard that it comes out at the roots, and it'll still grow back. I'm not making empty threats."

She made to go, but Hayden caught her arm with one hand. "Could you, uh—" She hesitated, her face turning red all over again. "Don't go too far. I'd feel better with someone close."

Back home with her real family, her real sister would've taken care of her. Hayden didn't quite trust Eleanor that way—even when she was being helpful, the girl couldn't help but turn half of what she said into an insult or a threat. Maybe she'd get better about that.

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "You don't need my help, Hayden. You were a clueless commoner a few months ago, but even you knew how to bathe."

She nodded weakly. "I don't need help, I just—don't want to be alone right now." She sniffed, fighting back her tears all over again. She managed this time. But she was getting a lot of practice.

The ditto sighed. Then she changed—her hair turned gray, as Loch copied the pokémon the servant had been that morning. The change always hit them both with equal force, like a weight settling on her. Eleanor became suddenly timid, her eyes darting to Hayden's messy hair and never looking away. "Alright, Hayden. You asked for this. I'll stay."