Yoshikichi could hardly believe his eyes.
Claws, paw pads.
Fluffy, soft, like cotton-stuffed goodness—prime for a Meowth to sink into…
And the scanner data backed it up.
A bear paw—straight off a teddy bear.
But—
"How does a human hand turn into a bear paw? I'm not seeing things, right?" Mai rubbed her eyes hard.
Her words echoed Yoshikichi's thoughts. "What did you do?"
"It worked?" Akira wasn't exactly chill either, wiping sweat with one hand, rubbing his eyes with the other. "Hold off on questions—test it out first."
Yoshikichi let out a couple awkward "uhs," his face a mix of weirded-out and what-the-hell. He lifted the bear-paw right arm, flexing and relaxing the pads and claws. It settled naturally on the tub's edge.
"Seems usable? Just… soaks up too much."
Even resting there, it'd slurped up a chunk of nutrient fluid.
"Can't help that—it's a plushie," Akira said.
"Plushie? How does a human hand become a plushie?" Mai's brain was short-circuiting.
"You're baffled, I'm baffled, but here we are. Like World of Warcraft's Polymorph—why a sheep and not something else? Hunting science in a mystic world's missing the point."
Blame Sabrina's one-of-a-kind transformation psychic power—turning people into dolls. Even she didn't get the mechanics.
Akira sure didn't either. He'd just brainstormed his way to Sabrina's ability.
Lately, he'd been grinding her template, brushing the edges of transformation vibes. Dead horse, live horse—worth a shot.
No arm? I'll conjure one. Human or not, we'll figure that later.
Didn't expect it to actually work—better than hoped, too. Localized change, just the right arm, no spillover.
The bear paw shape? Probably Pignite's fault. Plushie vibes screamed Pignite first.
Mai mulled it over. "Guess since me and Mechamaru's techniques lean scientific, seeing this nonsense ability feels off. Though Pokémon and Cursed Spirits are the biggest middle finger to science already."
Mechamaru nodded. "Mood's weird."
Construction Technique bends reality by creating from scratch, but the rest stays physical.
Yoshikichi's gig is high-intensity, high-precision puppet control—puppets he designed and built bit by bit.
"Black cat, white cat—catches mice, it's a win. Call it a one-time sunbathing voucher. Thoughts?"
Sabrina's power spooks challengers, but that's her misuse. Wield it right, and it's a blessing.
Akira figured folks with congenital disabilities would take a plushie limb over nothing—full set, free movement.
If Gojo Satoru were here, he'd drop a Punk Hazard Trafalgar Law reference: kill or save, flip of a coin.
"Let me… think," Yoshikichi said.
He glanced at his normal left hand, then the plushie bear paw on the right, stuck in a mental loop.
Living in sunlight like a regular guy? Hell yeah, he wanted it. But does a puppet count as "regular"?
With his tech, leaving this room isn't hard. He built a cursed Iron Man—prosthetics or a ride? Child's play.
What really boxed him in was his head—fear of deformity, of being a freak.
Especially after meeting her.
I want you to see me whole…
A kid who'd never bathed in sunlight closed his eyes, chasing the glow inside.
"If… the precision could get tighter, even as a plushie, I'd want it closer to human."
"Give me a bit more time."
Not a big ask—plushies come human-shaped. Sabrina's doll was one.
Yoshikichi hummed, eyes still shut. "Don't keep me waiting too long."
I don't wanna still be screen-bound when she graduates.
"Deal."
Under Sabrina's template, Akira felt Yoshikichi's vibe and locked in hard.
"Now you can tell me what you need—what kind of mech?" Yoshikichi hadn't forgotten Akira's initial pitch: build him a puppet.
"That? Gotta hash it out with Gojo-sensei first."
For Pokémon Trainer Akira, puppets weren't clutch. The trade was more a foot in the door—barging in with "I'll heal you for free" screams sus.
But if Yoshikichi's offering labor, Akira's not saying no. What boy doesn't dream of a "mecha"? Mechamaru's skills trash any big toy corp.
Gundam's too much work—Kamen Rider's fine. No fancy powers, just an auto-swap belt. Strut it at Comiket—peak flex.
Rejoice! He's the one wielding all Rider powers… uh, forgot the rest, fill in the blanks.
Akira's in no rush, so Yoshikichi's even less pressed. "Cool. Comm device is with you—hit me up when you decide. That's it, then. Not big on long face-to-face."
"We'll chat online—hope to see a new side of you there."
With that, Akira and Mai turned to leave.
For an ultimate shut-in like this, online's the vibe—IRL he's shy and shut down, online he's hype as hell.
Yoshikichi stayed slumped in the tub, head tilted back, listening to their footsteps fade—then stop.
"Something else?"
"There's a little guy who's super into you—couldn't wait to pop out."
Akira spun back, an egg in hand.
Half-pink, half-white, wobbling side to side.
A faint glow rippled, then crack-crack—the shell split.
A curled tuft poked out first, followed by a round, pink, chubby body.
Same size as the egg, same shape-ish—just with big round eyes, stubby arms, and stubby legs.
The legs—and what might be its belly—sported a red, shorts-like ring, making it look like a newborn babe.
The little critter blinked, then with a push of its stubs, whoosh—it leapt from Akira's hands. Splash! Into Yoshikichi's tub.
Tiny limbs paddled instinctively, swimming till its head bumped Yoshikichi's stomach. Those glossy eyes sized up the human, letting out a soft, cute chirp:
"Puku~ Puku~"