Muscular Rapidash Galar TF - Quick Drawing + Story

Derek bought a so-called magical book, skeptical of anything supernatural. Wanting to prove it was fake, he tested it on himself…

I was never much of a fan of Galarian Rapidash until he was added to Pokémon Unite as a playable character.
Ever since then, I’ve wanted to draw a muscular version of him. Luckily, I finally found the time to do it… and even wrote something to go with it :D

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At a neighborhood garage sale, Derek stumbled upon an old leather-bound book that immediately caught his eye. The title, written in ornate gold letters, read: “Magical Book: Find Your Inner Pokémon – Special Edition.” He let out a short laugh. “Magic? Really?” He was far from a believer in that sort of stuff. He assumed it was one of those novelty quiz books that "tells you which Pokémon you are”, something he could jokingly try out with friends. So, for a couple of bucks, he bought it.

Later that day, back in his living room, curiosity got the better of him. Derek opened the book, and to his surprise, it gave off a faint shimmer of light. He blinked. “Weird printing effect?” he thought, brushing it off. Inside were pages filled with Pokémon illustrations, each paired with what looked like elaborate spells or incantations. He flipped through idly, unimpressed, until suddenly, the pages turned on their own, landing on the very first one.
He paused. The window was shut, no breeze... A little creeped out, he scanned the page. It appeared to be a set of instructions:

With steady hands, hold the open book before your heart. Close your eyes and surrender your spirit. Let the energy within you guide the turning of its pages. When the cry of your destined Pokémon calls to you, open your eyes. Your true self will be revealed.

Derek scoffed. “What a load of nonsense!” But with a smirk, he stood up, holding the book in front of him. “Alright then. Let’s prove this thing is just as fake as I thought.” He closed his eyes…

For a few seconds, nothing happened, just silence…
Then… the sound of fluttering pages.
A strange warmth pulsed from the book into his hands, as if it were responding to something inside him, tugging at his very aura.

He almost opened his eyes, but remembered the instructions. He rolled his eyes internally. “Fine, fine… I’ll play along.” And then he heard it. A sharp, mystical whinny, almost like a horse’s cry, ringing directly in his ears. Startled, Derek’s eyes flew open.

There, on the open pages, was a glowing illustration of Galarian Rapidash.

His confusion quickly turned to frustration. “Seriously? This is supposed to be my inner Pokémon? Not Mightyena? Not Darkrai? But a freaking pastel-colored unicorn?”
He huffed, flipping the page in search of a cooler Pokémon. But as he kept turning, his brow furrowed. The rest of the book now showed only the same Galarian Rapidash pages, over and over again. No matter how far he flipped, the unicorn just kept staring back at him.

“This has to be some kind of joke.” With mock enthusiasm, he added, “Okay, ‘magical’ book. What now? Am I supposed to read this spell out loud or something? Summon this sparkly unicorn or whatever?

Still holding the book, Derek sarcastically read the so-called incantation printed in bold, oversized letters that filled the entire page. He read it aloud quickly, without much care, completely missing the fine print just beneath the spell’s title: “Transformation Ritual – Galarian Rapidash Form.”

"By horn and light, by star and mist,
Reveal the form that must exist.
Let spirit rise, unbound and bright,
A soul reborn in gleaming light.
Where mortal skin and truth divide,
Let pastel grace and strength collide.
From man to beast, let magic guide,
The inner self shall no more hide."

The moment he finished, the pages began to whirl uncontrollably, and a thick pink smoke erupted from the book, dancing in the air before wrapping around him until his entire body disappeared inside the glowing fog.

Blinded by the thick pink smoke, Derek could feel it clinging to his skin as something deep within him began to stir. A sudden pressure built in his arms, his biceps ballooned with muscle, stretching the fabric of his t-shirt until it tore with sharp snaps.

“What the hell, my arms… they’re growing?!” He thought, touching one of his biceps.

Panicked, he gasped, breathing rapidly. Each breath made his pecs swell further, puffing up like they were being pumped full of air.

“So tight…”

His t-shirt strained violently before he grabbed it and tore it open, freeing his still-growing chest. His stomach tensed and flattened, revealing tight, powerful abs. Below the waist, his legs trembled as his feet stretched longer, his calves shortening while his thighs and glutes swelled, rounding out with muscle and filling every inch of his once-loose pants until they too split apart at the seams. His toes fused and reshaped into smooth, dark hooves.

“I feel so heavy…” He tried to take a few steps but nearly tripped over his new hooves. “Ugh…”

Soft, snow-white fur spread over his body, with tufts of glowing pink forming around his ankles and wrists. A pressure at the base of his spine made him arch as a new limb grew outward: a long tail, thick with flowing fur streaked in pink and pale blue.

His new tail swayed gently behind him.. “What?.... What’s that thing behind me?”

His entire body surged upward, height increasing until he reached nearly nine feet tall. His thickening neck tingled as it elongated and broadened. His ears sharpened into pointed forms, sliding upward along his scalp, and his nose compressed and pushed outward, merging with his lips to form an equine muzzle.

“No, my face… my voice… what’s happening to me?” he moaned in exhaustion.

Finally, his hair burst into length and color, cascading down in glossy waves dyed with radiant hues of pink and blue, swaying in the magical air.

As the pink smoke began to fade, it revealed Derek standing in the middle of his living room, tall, powerful, and fully transformed into a muscular, anthro Galarian Rapidash.

Stunned, he stared at his new form. His bulky chest rose and fell with every breath. Flustered and still very much nude, he quickly brought a hand down to cover his crotch, using what little remained of his torn t-shirt, eyes wide with disbelief.

“This has to be a dream,” he muttered, cheeks burning, with the magical book glowing faintly on the floor.