Look what I found lurking on some USB. Written way back when Pokemon Go came out but I never published it nor written a new chapter. Should I continue this? You be the judge.
Chapter 1: Arrival
Tomorrow would finally be the day. On July 22nd 2016, Pokemon GO will be released to the entire world after finally finishing beta-testing in various countries. It promised so much and looked incredible as well. People were already making plans to go catch Pokemon together, conquer gyms and generally hang out. The game would make you go around your city, a map displayed on your phone and tracking your location via GPS. You could also turn on your phone's camera and see the Pokemon in AR, basically meaning they would appear over the image your camera was displaying.
To the people who love Pokemon and Pokemon games, this is a dream come true. The closest they could come to becoming true Pokemon masters! And our proagonist was no different. He'd been playing the games since 2005 at the age of 12 once he finally got a GBA, beginning with Emerald then making his way back all the way to the first-gen originals. He knew the anime, sure, but he really wanted to play the games and experience it in his own way. Now, while the games seem simple at first glance, he soon discovered there's so much depth and complexity in them you could write books about it. IV's, EV's, type effectiveness, dual-types, learning moves through breeding and that's just to name a few. But honestly, he didn't bother much with the mechanics behind it and just enjoyed the games for what they were. But as he played and re-played the games, he found himself doing one thing over and over. Try as he might, he could never put together a different team for a new playthrough. His team throughout the games and playthroughs were always the same and his habbit of naming his Pokemon left him always giving certain Pokemon the same names. For example, his favorite Pokemon is Arcanine and would always be named Fenris and be the team leader. In Gen3 he would pick a Mudkip and name him Zemo. Infernape would be Wukong, the first female Luxray he could catch was Akari, a female Gardevoir would be Athena and that's just to name a few. It gave him a sort of personal connection with his Pokemon and once he decided to do a Nuzlocke and actually succeded, it made him feel even more so.
But who is our protagonist? What makes him so special to be at the center of this story? Well, not much actually. Mark Bennett just really likes Pokemon and that's pretty much it. Even now, at the age of 26, he's still regurarly playing and still doing the same thing with the teams and names. His love for Pokemon actually got him interested in game design and he currently works for a small game studio in his home town, making simple casual games. Since he spends so much time sitting down, Mark has made a regular habbit of going to the gym to keep in shape. He was 6'3'' and about 200 pounds, combined with his muscular physique it made for a pretty impressive figure. His hair was blonde and long, just reaching below his neck and always tied back into a low ponytail. He was thinking about shortening it since it was summer and freaking hot, but somehow he pushed it back further and further. It appeared to be a Bennett family tradition to grow facial hair so he had one as well, a short cut full-beard that he trimmed every two weeks. His other facial features were pleasing to the eye and it made him look very attractive to the opposite gender. Mark's blue eyes also added to his good looks.
And so it was that today on July 21st, Mark was already making plans with his friends and colleagues.
"Okay, here's the game plan. " a guy in his mid-thirties named Luke told the few people sitting at a table in the conference room "Tomorrow is D-day and that means the following. " Luke turned to the smart-board behind him and began counting down the objectives "I want full batteries, two power-banks at least, snacks and energy drinks. Lady and gentlemen this could go well into the night so make sure you are ready. " all present nodded in understanding "Sam! What's the status on Facebook? " he said to a young looking man holding his tablet.
"Most will be meeting at Joseph Jefferson Square. We want to get there early to grab good sitting positions and because the mayor promised to have lures active for two hours, courtesy of the city. " after taking a breath he cotinued "In case of reported rare Pokemon sightings the bus and tram lines are a minute walk away so we can cover more ground. "
"Excellent work Sam! " Luke said in approval "Next, Amy! " the only girl in the group with short black hair looked up from her own tablet "Projected game time? "
"According to my calculations, with full batteries and two power-banks per person we should be good until midnight. That means we can have enough rest to come back to work the day after and then continue. "
"That's good to hear. " finally Luke turned to Mark "Mark! Catch possibilities? "
"From what I've gathered from the leaked beta-testing, mostly low-tier Pidgey, Caterpies, Rattatas and so forth. " not that he minded. There was a Pidgey out there just waiting to be named Horus though it's a shame there won't be shiny Pokemon in the game anytime soon "But, reports said a Dratini pops-up every now and then and Eevees are reported to be pretty frequent as well. "
"Hmmm... Grinding for XP. Boring but neccessary. " Luke said in thought "Good work Mark. " Mark nodded in response "Okay! The work day is over and the forcast for tomorrow is sunshine and rainbows so I believe everything is set! I'll see you in the morning people! Dismissed! " everyone stood up and left to gather their things before going home.
"It's kinda' refreshing when your boss is hyping you up for a game. " Sam said to Mark as they gathered their things. Sam, like the rest, was in his mid-twenties and a head shorter than Mark. Speaking of his head, he had his brown hair cut to a mohawk but no facial hair.
"I just hope he doesn't get mad when we do better than him. " Mark said with a chuckle.
"Well, until trading comes in, he can't really do much about it. " Amy joined in, a backpack already over her shoulder.
"Relax, he won't be that mad. " Mark added, flipping his backpack over his shoulder "And besides, we can always battle him on the classic games to settle our differences. "
"You got that right. " Sam said in confirmation and picked up his backpack "See you tomorrow! " and with that Sam left to catch the bus lest he walk home.
"You too. " Mark and Amy replied and the trio left the office.
"So... " Amy began as they walked towards their cars "Still single? "
"Seriously? Every single day! " Mark said in exhaustion.
"Well you're my friend and I worry. " Amy answered and unlocked her car.
"Thanks, but I'm fine, really. " Mark did the same.
"I could try to hook you up with some of my friends. " she rubbed her chin in thought "Sarah seems to have a thing for you. "
"No thanks. That's a crazy train I do not wish to ride. " Mark sat down in his car.
"You know what they say, crazy sex is good. " Amy said with a smirk.
"No amount of sex will get me down that road again. " some of the flings he had were... Of questionable sanity.
"Well, the offer still stands in case you change your mind. " before Mark could close his door Amy held it with her hand "You've been single for years now. You're my friend and I worry. Being single is not so great as you make it up to be. I don't know what I'd do without Thomas. "
"I appreciate the concern but, again, I'm fine. I enjoy my freedom. " Mark turned on the engine of his old Civic and some strange sounds came out of it.
"And when do you plan to get a new car? This thing's a rolling death trap. " Amy said trying to wave off the smoke coming from the exhaust.
"When it explodes. See you tomorrow. "
"If you survive the trip. " Amy smirked and closed the door for him. Mark waved goodbye and made his way home in the suburbs. He really couldn't be bothered with a relationship right now. There was so much on his plate right now he felt any relationship that got into would be pretty one-sided. Looking ahead, Mark saw dark clouds forming on the horizon.
"Rain? Well the forecast did say tomorrow would be a sunny day. " he shrugged his shoulders and continued through the city until he finally entered the suburbs and reached his home. It was an average family home with a spacious backyard, something he really enjoyed as a kid. Parking his car into the garage he went inside and was greeted by... Noone. He lived alone in his childhood home and was absolutely fine with that. His parents actually won the lottery and were traveling the world like they always wanted. Seeing no point in getting his own place then, he simply stayed here and began redecorating to make the house his own, paying for everything from his pocket. One day he's going to buy the house from his parents, even though they already let him have it. They even wanted to buy him a new car and that was a battle he almost lost. His dad always said "Everything worth having is worth working for."
Heading upstairs to the master bedroom, which was his room now actually, he pressed play on the stereo in the hallway and Iron Maiden began playing thorugh the speakers. Clmibing the stairs and reaching said room, he put down his backpack by a table and then headed downstairs to the kitchen to get some early dinner. A simple sandwich would do for now. Suddenly loud thunder was heard outside and it made him jump in place.
"FUCK! " he felt like his heart stopped for a second. Mark got to the window and it was signifficantly darker outside than mere minutes ago "I better lower the blinds. " with that he pulled down the outside blinds on all windows to secure the glass just in case. The storm began raging pretty quickly and just as he was in the middle of another episode of The Big Bang Theory lightning struck and the power went out "Seriously? " he whipped his head back and let out a long sigh. He took out his phone and also saw there was no signal.
"Great... " well, phone Netflix was out of the question. He turned on the phone's flashlight and seeing there was not much to do, no power and armageddon outside, Mark figured he'd just set his alarm and go to bed. Luckily his laptop still had batterylife left so Mark decided to turn it on and play DOOM 2016. Going upstairs, once again, he fired up his Alienware and made the best out of the 100% battery he had "Time to rip and tear. " with his headphones on and at full volume he could still hear the storm outside "Really hope this settles down in the morning. " when his battery gave out he closed the laptop and stared into the dark. It was still early for him to go to sleep so he fumbled around the drawers and found his old, still working, MP3 player and the 3DS with Pokemon X. Lying down on his bed he put on some music and roamed around Kalos just to pass time.
Next morning...
Waking up to his alarm at 6:30, Mark quckly turned it off and let out a loud yawn. Out of habbit Mark put the phone in his pocket since he fell asleep in his jeans once again. He heard no storm outside, only birds chirping. Getting up from his bed, in total darkness, he went to his windows to raise the blinds. As he did so, the sunlight nearly blinded him making him squint to shield his eyes.
"Mental note, never do that again. " grumbling to himself, Mark walked towards the bathroom, connected to the bedroom, and freshen up. He completely ignored the big, beige colored tail he had to avoid stepping on. Going into his bathroom, he washed his face and decided it was a good a time as any to take a leak. Lifting up the toilet seat he did his business. Yawning loudly once again he looked to the right...
Have you watched The Hangover? You remember the scene when Alan wakes up and finds a tiger in the bathroom? Well, this was something similar, only this time Mark saw something way bigger than a tiger sleeping at the foot of his bed. It looked dog-like in appearance, orange colored fur with jagged black stripes. Two big canines were protruding from it's maw. Its head, muzzle, and chest were covered in shaggy fur, except for two oval sections around the eyes and ears. Long tufts of fur grew behind its knees and around its ankles. The underside is black, and also confirmed it was a male from the sheath, and as mentioned, a billowing, beige tail followed at the back of it's body. Mark stood there, still peeing and wondering if he was seeing correctly. Blinking a few times to clear his vision he found out he was not dreaming. It would appear the beast was asleep as it's paws were twitching and it's tongue hung out lazily. Pulling up his pants, Mark quietly moved towards the door and stared at the mighty beast in shock.
"What the hell... " he said very quietly to himself so to not wake the beast. Taking very slow and quiet steps, Mark tried sneaking out of his room. He just reached the door and slowly pushed it open to the outside when his phone decided to go into alarm mode. Mark's eyes widened in horror I put it on snooze?! SHIT! quickly trying to shut it off it still managed to beep annoyingly a few second. After finally managing to turn it off, Mark felt a warm breath of air on his neck. Fearing what he might see, he turned around anyway. The beast was awake, more accurately, it was wide awake and mere inches from Mark's face. Now standing on all fours, it's head was leveled with Mark's though he noticed it was leaned down slightly. If this thing stood upright it would be even taller than Mark! Not only was it tall, it was at least 12 feet in length, not counting the tail. It stared at him with a neutral expression, as if waiting for Mark to make the first move. Mark's first move was to bolt out of the room, slamming the door shut but he heard a yelp Did I just slam a door in his nose? FUUUUCK! He braced himself against the door and felt something pushing against it. Mark quickly pulled out his phone and called the police. The beast began growling, putting a little more force behind it attempts of breaking out. To Mark's bad luck, the line would immediately be cut and the beast was getting more impatient, banging loudly on the door. Mark tried calling Sam but only reached his voicemail DAMMMIT! He had to get out of the house as he was barely holding the door from being broken down. With a jolt Mark ran towards the stairs and the beast shattered the door that was holding him.
"WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUCK! " after looking back to see the angry beast that was presumably trying to eat him, Mark didn't see the stairs and descended them in a very ungraceful and painful manner "Ow, ow, ow... " trying to shake the pain away he saw the beast up the stairs looking at him with a quizzical look, head slightly turned to the right. Not trying to overthink it Mark continued his escape and went towards the kitchen, the monster not far behind judging by the heavy footsteps on the stairs. Then he realized something, the kitchen was a dead end "What the hell was I thinking!" maybe he could still make a run for it past the beast. Alas it was too late, the path was blocked and the beast slowly approached. Looking for something to defend himself with Mark grabbed a conveniently placed baseball bat "GET BACK! BACK! " the beast didn't stop. Taking a swing at it, the bat was easily caught in it's maw and crushed in a single bite. Mark fell to the ground and scurried backwards until he hit a counter This is it! Getting eaten alive in my own house by a tiger! the beast was getting dangerously close, it's maw opening as it did so. Mark shut his eyes tightly, not really wanting to look at the teeth that are about to rip him to shreds.
But to his amazement, and disgust, all he felt was a big, wet tongue lick his entire face, covering it in drool. Not really sure what was going on he opened his eyes and some drool went over them.
"Ewwwww! " he quickly began wiping the drool off himself when he saw the beast sitting before him, looking pretty smug. He was not really sure how it could even portray that kind of emotion but it did "Hilarious... Wait, you're not trying to eat me? " to his surprise, the beast shook his head "Y-you can understand me? " a nod "Then what do you want? " and to answer his question, the mighty beast leaned forward and pushed his big head under Mark's right arm. Not really sure what to do Mark stood still until this giant dog, or whatever it was, began shaking it's head under his palm. Mark thought he figured out what it wanted and scratched it's head, making the animal give a low, happy rumble "Seriously? " Mark used his other hand and began scratching under it's chin, making it even happier as it's tail began wagging side-to-side "What the hell are you anyway? " Mark didn't really expect an answer but the beast suddenly rose to it's feet and gave him a confused look, as if wondering how Mark's doesn't know what he is.
It was even stranger to Mark that he somehow felt what it, or rather he, was thining "Yeah I got nothing. " Mark replied and looked around for a towel or something. The beast then stood tall, proud and let out a terrifying roar. Mark did his best not to have a heart attack, but at least he found a towel "Uhhh, no? " he said sheepishly and the beast gave him a deadpan look. It was ready for the final card to deal, if this dosen't make Mark understand then nothing will. He let a small stream of continuous fire out of his maw and then the pieces fell into place. Mark's eyes would be the size of plates if it were possible "No... No... No way! HOW? " everything he saw about it earlier was coming back to him but now he had a cleared head to process the information with. The orange fur, jagged black stripes, beige tail and mane "Y-y-you're a-a-a- " the beast barked loudly "An Arcanine! " it grinned widely, the sharp teeth not really making him look friendly "This can't be real! " the Arcanine blew a stream of hot air Mark's way and the drool was gone "Thanks... Wait! No! How the hell are you here? " the Arcanine rolled his eyes "Right, not really the talking type. " this was unbelivable! A real Arcanine in his house! A real Arcanine in his house. What the hell is he going to do with it? Then another thought occured to him, one so bizzare and impossible, then again an Arcanine was in his kitchen so what the hell, and yet he had to ask.
"I got a question... " the mighty Arcanine looked him straight in the eyes "Are you Fenris? " the Arcanine pounced on Mark, the human once again steering away another heart attack, and he was covered in drool once again "Ew! Ew! Ew! Enough! " Fenris stepped back and sat down, looking pretty happy at the moment. Ears up, tail wagging, tongue hanging out of his maw. Just like an overgrown dog. Mark located a towel and began wiping himself off "This is unbelivable... " it was a long shot but for this Arcanine to be named Fenris was incredible. He always named his in-game Arcanine Fenris and even made up stories of his travels as he played the games. To him, Fenris was his starter Pokemon as a Growlithe and they took the world by storm. This train of thought raised a million more questions so he decided to abandon it to keep his sanity.
The two were looking at each other, neither really sure what to do now that the introductions were over. Well, when in doubt...
"You hungry? " Fenris perked up once again and barked loudly "Shhhh! You'll wake the neighbours! " Fenris immediately shut his maw and lowered his ears in shame "Well work on that. " Mark scratched his head and Fenris perked up again "I think we have some dog food left over. Wait here. " Mark's family had a dog that died a few weks back, a German Shepard named Vanda, and the food still remained. Making a quick run to the garage he took the 22pound bag of food and brought it into the kitchen. Taking a big plastic bowl from the cupboards he poured in the contents and filled it completely. Fenris immediately dug in and it was all gone in a second. He looked at Mark with an expression that said he was still hungry. Mark poured another bowl. And another. And another. And another and Fenris decided to simply stick his head into the large bag until it was all gone. Then he sat back and waited "Seriously? You just ate 22 pounds of food? How can you still be hungry? " Fenris shrug his shoulders and Mark sighed.
"Fine. Let's see what we have in the fridge. " Fenris followed him to the fridge and Mark opened it "Alright, there's- HEY! " Fenris gently pushed Mark aside and began devouring anything in his path. Soon the fridge was empty, Fenris burped in satisfaction and Mark stood there wide-eyed "Unbelivable... " the kitchen clock caught his eye "Shit! I'll be late for work! " good thing he was dressed and he bolted towards the garage, Fenris following closely behind "Wait a sec. " Mark turned towards Fenris "You can't go out! " a giagntic dog would certainly attract attention "Just, stay here and I'll be back soon. Don't break anything. " Mark continued towards the garage and Fenris followed "I'm serious! " still following "Fenris! " the Arcanine didn't budge, he was coming with whether Mark liked it or not "Alright fine! " seeing there was no winning here he gave up and entered the garage. Opening his car door he put down the backseats and stood to the side "Alright, get in. " Fenris looked at him quizically "You can't just walk down the street. " and there was also no way Fenris would fit inside his Civic. Mark thought this would convince the Arcanine to stay home but with a mighty bite of his maw, Fenris tore out the front seat and squeezed into the small car, making it lower under his weigth and shot Mark a smug, toothy grin. Mark stood there, not even knowing what to say. He simply closed the passenger door and went to the driver's side "Damn Pokemon... "
Getting into the car and turning it on, the engine sounds gave Fenris a feeling they wouldn't get very far. The screeching also didn't help. Pressing a button on his dashboard, the door began lifting and Mark pulled out of the garage. Going out in the street he had to stop and look around in disbelief. There were Pokemon everywhere. At leaset they thought they were as they looked pretty different from the games. It was like someone took those realistic depictions of them and went with it. Trying to retain some sense of normality Mark simply continued his drive to work. The streets were pretty empty "Wonder why... " but he could still see Pokemon running around and some humans even daring to go near them. Meanwhile, Fenris had his head out the window, his mane flowing in the wind and tongue sticking out "You're just and overgrown dog, aren't you? " Fenris gave a happy bark in response.
About half-way a loud bang was heard and smoke was coming out of the engine.
"Oh no! No! No! NO! " Mark banged on the steering whel as the car slowly pulled to a stop. Both got out and Mark lifted the hood, a cloud of black smoke engulfing them both. Coughing and trying to clear the smoke, Mark waved his arms around but he knew there was no saving this old Civic "Great... Now what? " he said to noone in particular when he felt Fenris nudge him "What? " to his surprise, Fenris lowered himself and wiggled his shoulders. Mark got the hint "You can't be serious. " Fenris puffed out some smoke from his nostrills "You are serious. " Mark was not sure about this but Fenris was admant to try it. Seeing no other alternative at the moment, Mark gingerly got on Fenris's back "So how's this gonna'-WHOA NELLY! " Fenris rose to his legs and Mark took a firm grip of his mane. Fenris looked back at him and Mark simply nodded.
Fenris shot off like a rocket, Mark hanging on for dear life. It was the most exhilariting thing he ever experienced. Wind rushing around them, people looking in awe and pointing fingers, some even trying to take pictures "DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING? " Mark yelled over the lound wind and Fenris looked back at him with a sheepish expression "TAKE A RIGHT! " Fenris did as told and took a sharp turn and continued forwards. A crossroads was coming up, their light red "THAT'S A RED LIGHT! YOU HAVE TO STOP! " Fenris picked up the pace "FENRIS! " there were cars in front "FENRIS! RED LIGHT! " cars from the left and right were alredy crossing "RED LIGHT! RED LIGHT! RED LIGHT! " just as Mark thought he was about to die Fenris leaped over the entire crossroads and cars in one go. The entire length of the jump was 100 feet and Fenris made it look like nothing. They landed safely and Fenris continued his run "THAT WAS AMAZING! " Fenris howled in response and Mark yelled at the top of his lungs. This was the most amzing thing ever indeed.
After a few more turns and jumping over crossroads, they finally arrived at the studio. Mark was so high on adrenaline his entire body was shaking, a big stupid smile on his face.
"That. Was. AWESOME! " he shouted in excitement, making Fenris puff out his chest proudly. Still shaking, Mark and Fenris entered the building and walked to the studio "I really hope someone else is here. " Mark tried to enter but the door was locked "Shit, I forgot my keys. " with a smiple push of his mighty paws, Fenris took down the door "Uhhh, thanks. " Fenris nodded in satisfaction and the duo went inside "Just, try not to break anything, okay? " Fenris was a big Arcanine and the studio was rather cramped so he had to move carefully. Not even two seconds passed and a crash was heard. Mark turned around and saw Fenris trying to very badly hide the pieces of a Best Indie Game Award with his tail "Seriously? " Fenris lowered his head in shame "C'mon. " making a quick tour of the studio that ended in the conference room, Mark found noone was here since yesterday and he was even an hour late, now being 10am "Noone's here. " Mark turned to Fenris "Guess we go- "
"Anyone here? " Fenris immediatelly turned towards the voice, body low, ears flat and teeth on display.
"Sam? " Mark noticed Fenris's stance "Easy, Sam's a friend. "
"Oh thank God! I thought something happ- " Sam entered the conference room and froze in place.
"Relax, he won't hurt- " a Manetric appeared behind Sam, albeit a lot smaller than Fenris and got into attacking position "Jolt? " Mark knew for a fact that Manetric was Sam't favourite Pokemon and he always named tem Jolt.
"Fenris? " Sam said looking at the huge Arcanine "I thought I was crazy. "
"You're not the only one. " the two Pokemon were growling at each other "Relax Fenris. "
"Jolt, calm down. " the two Pokemon reluctantly backed down, still eyeing eachother with caution "What the hell happened? "
"I don't know. " Mark rubbed his temples "I woke up this morning and found him in my room. "
"Same here. " Sam looked at Jolt who was glaring daggers at Fenris, the Arcanine doing the same "Some Pokemon GO launch, huh? " the two had to chuckle at this statement. Pokemon GO promised to bring Pokemon into our world and boy did it deliver.
"You don't actually think this was part of their plan? " Mark asked reffering to the studio behind the game.
"I don't know what to think! " Sam said in frustration "And look at them! They're not exactly Pegi 7! " it was true. From what Mark knew, Fenris was way bigger than an Arcanine should be and looked terrifying and Jolt was twice the size of a gray wolf. Even looked like one but with blue and yellow fur.
"Tell me about it. " Mark scracthed behind Fenris's ear "But this ones just a big puppy. " Fenris huffed as if offended, but still leaned into the scratching.
"What do we do now? I tried calling Luke and Amy but they didn't answer. I hope they're alright. "
"Do you know where they live? " Mark asked, getting worried about his friends.
"No. Amy moved in with Thomas but I don't know where. " Sam looked at the ground "The police lines are probably drowned in sighting reports. "
"I tried calling them, no answer." they were running out of options "Dammit... " Mark rubbed his chin in thought "Going around town like this could get us in trouble. Maybe we should go back home until things settle down. "
"That's your big plan? " Sam asked in shock.
"You got a better one? I'm all ears. " as expected, Sam had no answer "How'd you get here anyway? "
"Took my car this time. You? "
"On my mighty steed. " Mark smirked and patted Fenris on the back.
"Say what now? " Sam thought he heard wrong.
"Car broke down mid-way here and Fenris suggested we... Walked. "
"You actually rode Fenris here? Just, casually strolled down the streets? " Mark looked a bit sheepish.
"Maybe we ran like the wind... " Sam facepalmed and Mark chuckled "It was the most awesome thing ever. "
"Not doing that anytime soon. " it actually sounded terrifying to Sam "Why are we even here? "
"Don't know. I thought it would help to have a little of normality in this situation. " Mark shrugged his shoulders and Sam agreed.
"Guess you're right. "
"C'mon, let's lay low until this thing blows over a little. " Mark began walking towards the exit.
"That could take a while. " the four passed the broken door "What about this? "
"When Luke finds out an actual Arcanine broke down his office door he'll want a replay. " Mark was not far from the truth there. Getting to the parking lot, Sam unlocked his car, a Ford Focus and Jolt jumped inside "Hold on to your phone, try to get in touch with Luke and Amy. Keep a lookout on the news. "
"Right. " Sam nodded "Stay safe. "
"You too. " Sam closed the door and drove off back home, leaving Mark and Fenris alone "Well, since you emptied my fridge, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, we need to go shopping. " Fenris looked a little ashamed at that but lowered down notheless. Mark got on and Fenris rose to his full height "Hi Ho, Silver! " Fenris didn't get the reference and simply began backtracking home. Another adrenaline rush later, they were in the neighborhood and Mark steered Fenris towards the local supermarket. He dismounted a distance away and the two walked to the store, getting strange and frightened looks from passerbys "No worries people, he's house trained. " this earned Mark a smack on the head by a bushy tail. Finally reaching the store, a loud Chihuahua barking it's head off, Mark was about to enter and Fenris was right with him "Whoa! You wait here! " Mark told him sternly "I don't need you to make a mess inside. " Fenris didn't like the idead "Fenris! I'm serious! " the Arcanine stopped and looked at Mark "Sit! " he obeyed "Stay! " Fenris didn't move, the Chihuahua still barking like crazy and getting Mark's attention "Don't eat the Chihuahua. " Fenris gave a low growl that Mark swore meant No promises.
After making sure Fenris would actually wait outside Mark took a shopping cart and tried to make this as quick as possible. He just threw in anything he could get his hands on, slowly filling up the cart. Once he got to the meat section he stopped. How much could Fenris even eat? Taking out his phone he did a quick search of the Liger, the largest cat known to mankind and also pretty close in size.
"90 POUNDS IN ONE SITTING? " all head turned towards Mark who clamped his mouth shut "Sorry... " he said quietly and turned to the butcher at the counter "Ummm, sir? Give me 90 pounds of your finest pork. " the butcher's eyes nearly fell out.
"I-I-I don't have that much! "
"Then just give me a mixed bag. My friends really hungry. " he pointed back with his thumb and there was a clear line of sight to Fenris who was drooling at the sight of the meat.
"R-right away sir! Just keep that t-thing under control! " the butcher called in a few colleagues and they began cutting the meat into 10 pound portions. Once that was done, Mark headed towards the register. Now here's the thing, Mark generally tried to avoid registers where pretty girls worked, reason being, somewhere in his head he didn't want people to think he only picked registers where pretty girls worked. He was weird like that. Currently the line with the least people in it lead to a register where a cute redhead with glassess was operating it. She was beautiful and just his type too. Red hair was already a big plus but coupled with her green eyes it was a match made in heaven. Even her curves were amazing, an hourglass figure worthy of a model. If only not for the giant outside he had to feed meybe he would try and ask her out. Shaking the thoughts from his head Mark began unloading his cart.
"Hello! " the girls greeted politely and began scanning the items.
"Hi. " his voice squeaked and he coughed to cover it up, making the girl smile "I mean, hey. " he tried to bounce back but the damage was already done as the girls was giggling. She continued scanning the items and Mark was putting themback in the cart.
"So... " he looked at her with a raised brow "Is he yours? " she asked looking at Fenris outside who was licking his maw, eagerly awaitng his meal.
"Uhhh, yeah... " Mark replied awkwardly.
"What is he? "
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. " Mark said with a chuckle.
"Try me. " she said with a smirk, her eyes twinkling with a challenge.
"He's an Arcanine and his name is Fenris. " the girl smiled widely.
"I knew it! " she said excitedly "I mean, I wasn't sure so I had to ask! " Mark smiled back at her "Where'd you find him? "
"He was sleeping by my bed. Appeared this morning. " she raised an eyebrow, not really buying it "Really! " the girl chuckled lightly.
"I believe you. " she said with a smile and continued scanning the items "Okay, your total is 758 dollars and 85 cents! " Mark's jaw nearly hit the floor and he stood frozen "Ummm, you okay? " Mark shook his head to recover from the shock.
"Yeah just, damn... " Mark knew he couldn't pay for this with his card so he did something he loathed. He pulled out his wallet and from it a shared account he had with his parents and gave the card to the girl.
"Mark Bennett, huh? " she smiled at him and Mark blushed slightly. She did have a beauiful smile "I'm Christina, but, people call me Nina. " Nina extended her arm in greeting and Mark did as well.
"I'm Mark, but, people don't call me at all. " he mentally smacked himself for this bad joke. To his relief Nina actually laughed. Of course this nice moment had to be ruined.
"HEY! Hurry it up love-birds I ain't got all- " a thunderous roar from the outside made the guy freeze in terror. All eyes turned to an angry looking Fenris who, to his credit, was still sitting where Mark told him to. Mark looked at Nina, who was also frozen in place, and coughed lightly to get her attention.
"Ummm, maybe I should go... " this snapped her out of her stupor.
"Oh, sorry. " Nina handed him the card back and looked at Fenris outside "Are you sure you're safe being with him? " she asked in concern and Mark smiled in response.
"He's like an overgrown dog, just scratch him behind his ears and he's all yours. " Nina looked at Fenris who actually heard him and was giving Mark an unamused look. This did calm her down a little but she was still wary, who knew what would have happend if the guy in the back got up close and personal.
"If you say so. Then, have a good day! " Nina waved goodbye and had to laugh once Mark got outside and Fenris desperately tried to stick his head into the bag of pork. She then looked down on the counter and saw a wallet. Quickly grabbing it she found the ID and saw it was Mark's "HEY! You forgot- " she stopped once she realized Mark was already gone and the line was getting crowded. She put the wallet away in a drawer and decided to deliver it to him after work since they lived maybe a five minute walk from eachother.
Back home...
Mark was pushing the cart towards his house, people moving out of the way mostly because of the Arcanine jumping excitedly around the cart and trying to grab a piece of pork.
"Would you calm down already! " Mark did find the situation kinda funny. A probably 1000 pound Arcanine was doing circles around him like a little puppy. Said puppy managed to knock over some street lights in the process. Thankfully they were close to his house and soon he could relax "We'll be home any second now and- " Mark stopped in his tracks, making Fenris almost crash into him. The door to Mark's house was slightly opened "Fenris, I think we got trouble. " Fenris looked towards the house but didn't react in any way and simply got back to trying his paws at stealing some early lunch. Ignoring the Arcanine poking around in the cart, Mark walked towards his house and slowly entered. He heard sounds from the kitchen and approached with caution. He was not prepared for what awaited him "You have got to be kidding me... "
An Infernape was swinging from the kitchen chandolier and eating a banana. A Luxray was inspecting the dish-washer. An Absol and Espeon were mesmerized by the kitchen TV that was showing Spongebob Squarepants. A Liepard was trying to open can of tuna. And for his final surprise, a dismbodied female voice spoke in his mind.
"Master, you have returned. " somehow suspecting the source was behind him Mark turned and came face to face with a Gardevoir. Or at least, this new version of it. She looked almost human-like, her face really resembling a human female but with green hair going over her right eye and wha looked like two white feathers growing from her left eyebrow and going up in an arch. There was that familiar spike in-between her small breasts and that was about it. Her skin was completely white and it looked like she wore actual clothing "I see Fenris has eased you into your situation. "
"Athena? " Mark asked in wonder and the Gardevoir smiled.
"Yes, it is I, master. " then she extended her arms towards the other Pokemon "Do you perhaps remember any of them? " Mark looked at the Pokemon currently wreacking havoc in his home.
"I... " the Infernape let out a very chimpanzee-like screech as if offended that Mark does not remember him "Wukong... " the Infernape nodded in approval and returned to his banana. Looking at the Luxray "Akari. " next were the Absol and Umbreon "Tali and Sakura. " and that left the Liepard which Mark now helped to open the can of tuna "And Lyla. " the Liepard purred in delight as Mark gently patted her head.
"I am glad you remember us, master." Athena smiled warmly at her trainer "The others will be glad to hear it. " Mark jumped up in shock.
"Wait, others? " shopping bills were already piling up in his mind. Fenris ate for ten people, how the hell is he going to feed all of them? "And please stop calling me master, it's weird. " Athen nodded in understanding.
"Some of our larger and water-bound team-mates remained in the backyard. " Mark took a moment to process this.
"Hold on, I don't have a pool! " Athena's silence gave him all the answer he needed. Mark sat down and rubbed his temples "I need a drink... " a bottle of whiskey and a glass floated towards him, courtesy of Athena "This will be a long day, isn't it? "
"Indeed it will, master. "