The thing about Hypnosis was the move just wasn’t that accurate. Carnelian arrayed her tails in a fan behind her, her chiffon-colored fur puffing with invisible force as tiny puffs of flame glowed at each tip, dancing like St. Elmo’s Fire. The Ninetales gathered in her energy to bring her enemy under her sway…

But the Croagunk wasn’t having any of it. With a guttural croak, the amphibian pokemon shook off her magic power and vaulted sideways, scooping up mud to fling her way. She warded off the attack with a puff of fire, baking the mud into clay, and swept backwards, avoiding her enemy’s kick. Wrapping him in her tails, she smashed him into the ground before unleashing a plume of point-blank fire.

And despite Hypnosis’s poor performance, she won anyway.

Carnelian felt proud of her skill, but her trainer Vector was less impressed. “That’s the third time Hypnosis has failed us in battle,” the young man said, threading his fingers absently through his hair. He was a lean, athletic youth who usually wore a red tracksuit jacket with athletic shorts. “Right, Carnelian, that’s that.” He pulled out a Pokedex and started swiping through it. “Forget Hypnosis. We can have you learn another move that’s better.”

That news made Carnelian swish her tails angrily, and she barked in protest. She liked Hypnosis. It was a move she had known since she was a wild Vulpix and had served her well. What right did he have, making a call like that? Shouldn’t she have a say in what she knew?

Though Vector was clearly apprised of her distress, the young man brushed away her concerns. “Oh please, Carnelian, don’t get all huffy with me,” he said. “I’m the trainer and I know what’s best, and that’s that. Once we make it to a city we can pick up a TM to overwrite it with a real move, so you’d better just get used to the idea.” Pocketing both his Pokedex and the prize money—that his Ninetales had won for him, nevertheless!—he strolled down the pathway into the quiet woodland, his pokemon having no real choice but to tread sulkily after him.

That night, as Vector snored away in a makeshift lean-to in the middle of the forest, Carnelian still simmered angrily, resting her head on her crossed paws. She had joined a trainer seeking a life of daring and adventure, but all she’d gotten were low-stakes battles and this stupid young man bitching at her even when she won! She would love to just cut him loose and go back to the wild, but with her poke ball tethering her to him, that wasn’t really an option, was it? It wasn’t as if she could make him do what she wanted.

And then the thought struck her. Well… couldn’t she?

She had never been indecisive. The moment the thought alit on her, she rose and padded into his lean-to. He was a heavy sleeper, so she chuffed and nosed rudely into him before he awoke.

“Whuh—? C-Carnelian?” The young man rubbed sleep from his eyes, looking angrily at her. “I thought I’d treat you by letting you stay outside of your poke ball, but if you’re going to act like a brat—”

He didn’t get any farther than that. Carnelian swept her tails out behind her and summoned her mystic fire.

It was time to show this human exactly how useful Hypnosis was.

The small fiery orbs danced free of her tails and swirled, fey-like, through the darkened forest. Vector’s eyes widened and his mouth opened as he could do nothing but follow their glow.

Carnelian smiled to herself. Humans, despite their fancy gadgets, were ultimately so much weaker than pokemon. Even a baby Bidoof wouldn’t do much more than fall asleep to a Hypnosis attack, but a human? Just one targeted use and this young man was well and truly her thrall. Indeed, she could feel his cognition nibbling at her own, begging her to give him commands. His pupils widened, nearly swallowing the colored ring of his iris, and embered light glowed faintly within them as he succumbed to her will.

Though she intended to order him to smash her poke ball and let her escape into the wild, Carnelian figured—why not have a bit of fun with him first? She mentally ordered him to stand up straight and he obeyed immediately, rocketing up so quickly that his head tore the lean-to’s tarp out of its supports. She snickered at that. Still feeling his ego firmly tethered to hers, she ordered him to strut about the cold and muddy ground barefoot. Then, she made him do a handstand.

While her trainer was balancing on his hands, gravity tugged his sleep shirt down and Carnelian had a good view of his chest. He kept it shaved and hairless, the better to show off his athletic build; his muscles rippled in the moonlight. She licked her lips. Truth be told, she had never been one of those pokemon to find humans unattractive. Now that Vector was no longer as nasty as before and quite biddable, he was more appealing than ever. And didn’t humans have whole breeding centers for pokemon? No one could complain about a bit of turnabout. Fair was only fair.