I decided to write a nice little slice of life story, just want to write some light fun stuff that made me feel happy.

Oh, and thanks to Wulfy for the beta-read. It's always appreciated.

My rusted truck creaked as I drove on the lonely gravel road heading to my farm house, the sun setting behind me. My truck bed was stacked with supplies I managed to scavenge from a local clinic, all tied down with ropes and a tarp. I looked down at my right hand that held the steering wheel, the scars and missing pinky serving as a constant reminder of my struggles. In my less damaged left hand I firmly held my pistol, just in case someone tries to surprise me.

Fall was quickly approaching and the cold wind flying into my car made my hands and face numb, but closing my windows wasn't an option as I had none; all because they got shot out in a gunfight that I barely escaped from. I pulled my scarf over my face and the hood of my sweater over my head. My hands were still freezing cold as hell still.

Driving in silence down the gravel road was nice and all, but not much in the cold, so I put an old cassette tape into my car's player and turned up the volume. Not know what to expect as the tape was unnamed, I was nicely surprised by an old-time jazz tune complete with the vinyl crackle and melancholic singer.

I could work with this.

Just as the last bit of sunlight disappeared from the corner of my eyes, I saw a dark figure near the edge of the forest that lined the road. I slowly stopped the car, headlight pointing in its direction. My heart sank when I saw a Zoroark down on the ground struggling to free its left leg from the bramble bushes.

I opened the rusted car door, making a bunch of noise, and cautiously walked towards the struggling Pokémon. It was weeping and shaking, looking at me with a pleading gaze, tears staining its face.

I've seen many people and Pokémon get caught in those bushes, they're everywhere in this area and I've lost count of the number of things I've seen die in them. The scars on my right hand came from getting caught in one of those. Getting caught in a bramble bush normally brings a slow and painful death, no idiot would try to free what was caught in one. But I was just that kind of soft-hearted idiot.

I ran to my truck and pulled out a survival knife and a pair of scissors. Running back to the struggling Zoroark, I began carefully cutting the bush around its leg. Once I had cut away most of the bush I gently held down the Pokémon. "Stay still, I don't want to hurt you while I'm cutting this stuff," I calmly told it.

Fresh blood was still flowing out of the wounds; a good sign as this happened recently, minimizing the chance of infection, though it still looked very bad. Carefully, I snippet the bush and pulled the thorns from its leg. The bramble had wrapped its leg from foot to knee, getting caught in the fur and tearing into the flesh. The Zoroark flinched as I cut and unwrap its leg from the thorns, pulling some fur in the process. With some patience I completely freed its leg, though blood still flowed from the gashes left by the struggling.

Looking at the leg I knew that without further treatment the Zoroark would succumb to an infection. So, I decided to bring the Pokémon home and treat its wounds there.

"I'll bringing you to my house, I can't leave you like this." No protest came from the Pokémon as I lifted it up, its legs shaking as I supported its weight with an arm around my neck. We limped our way back to my car and opened the passenger door. Once I buckled the Zoroark in I got into the truck and drove to my house under the darkness of a moonless night.

I parked my car near the old wooden front door of my house and pulled out my pistol, taking it off safety. "Stay in the car, I'll be back soon." I left the weakened Zoroark in my car as I slowly walked into my house, gun at the ready.

Even though my house was fairly remote and I tried to stay dark to avoid attracting unwanted company, you could never be too sure in these times. I guess I became cautious from all my previous bad experiences.

My house itself was a simple two-story farm house with two grain silos connected to the back of the house and a spiral stair leading to the second floor. The house was ancient, the wooden floors and walls were stained and worn down with more holes in the roof than I could count, but after a few years of working on it I was able to get it into a livable state. It was far from perfect though. The roof leaked, house reeked of mold, everything was at least 150 years old, and I'm constantly fixing something, but it was the best I got - better than most had.

I modified the silos to be a supply storage, made filtration system that cleaned the water from a nearby pound, got the shower working again, built a greenhouse, and even had a lounge room with books of all sorts, instruments, a bunch of chemistry equipment, some electronics, and any other interesting thing I could scavenge. Not a bad place at all, really.

Anyway...

Once I turned on the lights and checked all the rooms, I brought the hurt Pokémon inside. I helped it into my kitchen and pulled up a chair. "Sit down," I let the Pokémon take a seat on an old wooden chair, quite worn down by time yet still sturdy enough to support the weight. "I'll be back in a minute." As fast as I could, I unloaded all my supplies into the house, looking over my shoulder every once in a while for any unwanted spectators. Yes, I was paranoid like that.

Coming back into the living room, the poor thing was limp in the chair, so tired it could barely stay awake - but I don't blame it, probably lost a lot of blood.

I took off my heavy work boots and placed a bunch of medical supplies on the dining room table, then gently tapped the Zoroark's shoulder. "Look, I need to clean and fix up this leg and that's gonna hurt... A lot. But if you want I can make some chloroform to knock you out, if not, we'll do it the old way - a towel and some alcohol."

The Pokemon looked away for second and thought. I'm guessing it didn't trust me enough to use the chloroform since it held two claws up, asking for the second option. I just hope this Pokémon knows what type of pain it's in for, 'cause I do.

"Fine," I said, then heated up some water on the gas stove. While that was heating up I went out to get a plastic tarp and a towel. "First, I'm going to clean the dried blood off and inspect your wounds, then I'll get to work." The Zoroark just weakly nodded and closed its eyes. I placed the tarp under its legs and the pot of hot water on the table along with a bottle of whiskey I pulled out of a cabinet next to me. I handed the Pokémon a thick towel and a shot glass topped with whiskey. "Drink that and put the towel in your mouth. I don't want you to bite your tongue or make that much noise." It reluctantly complied, and soon I could see the effects of the strong alcohol take place. Its body went completely limp and breathing slowed down as it blankly stared up into space.

So, I went to work.

The Zoroark clenched its jaw and screamed into the towel, its body tensing up from the searing pain of the hot water as it ran down the leg, washing off the dried blood. That pain was very familiar to me since I did this procedure many times before. After all the blood was cleaned away I careful removed the tarp that held the bloodied water and, with a clean towel, dried the leg, getting a few more whimpers of pain in the process.

I gave the Pokémon a momentary rest from the pain, its body relaxing with an audible sigh. While I inspect the leg with a flashlight I accidentally caught a glimpse between her legs. I looked away, trying not to think about it. Not that I cared what the Zoroark's sex was, I just wanted to help... But now knowing it's a female made things a little more awkward to me. Nevertheless, I continued. I pulled out a few thorns I missed, killed two ticks, and cut some of the hair around the wounds with surgical scissors.

Finally, I was ready to disinfectant and bandage the leg; possibly the most painful part.

I pulled out two spray bottles, one was iodine and the other was 75% isopropyl alcohol. "Okay, this'll hurt, just stay still..." I began by spraying the iodine on the leg, letting it soak in and stain the fur a dark red. Then I sprayed the entire leg with the rubbing alcohol, gaining a loud, but muffled scream. I could see tears running down her face as her claws scratched up the chair; she looked about ready to jump out of the chair.

The Zoroark relaxed as I waited a few minutes for the pain to subside once again, sniffling and wiping the tears off her face. I then opened a tub of petroleum jelly I'd mixed with wintergreen, grabbing a handful, and lathered the leg and wounds. This was mainly to help the bandages stick, numb the pain, and keep anything from getting in the wounds. A precaution I would say. The rest was an easy job of wrapping the entire leg in bandages, making me get uncomfortably close to her upper thigh, but she didn't seem to mind it, or even recognize it. Probably cause she's too drunk and tried to care. I'd feel the same way, too.

By the end, we both looked like garbage. She was half asleep, drunk, and had a towel loosely hanging out of her mouth, and I was covered in blood, mud, and all sorts of chemicals. Normally, I'd feel hungry after all this work, but blood and other stuff like that made me kinda queasy. That only applied to cute things though, not those lousy assholes that try to kill me or the occasional stalker I need to put down. I should've asked her if she was hungry, but she looked just as dead as me, almost falling off the chair from how tired she was. So, I helped her up and we limped our way up to my room. I gently laid her on my bed, placing a pillow under her head. She instantly passed out - that made me smile. As I looked down on the sleeping Pokémon, I reflected on what happened today, shrugging it off as one of life's strange happenings.

Since the bed was too small to fit both of us I decided to sleep on the reclining chair I had in the corner of the room. "I'll shower and eat tomorrow..." I said to myself with a warm, yet exhausted smile, then threw a blanket over myself and dozed off.

...

When I woke up it was still quite dark, the sun barely visible from behind the trees, its orange light reflecting off the morning clouds making this beautiful fallout effect on the glowing clouds. These were the morning I lived for. I stretched out my body and cracked my neck to relieve the insufferable neck pain sleeping on that damn chair caused me. Looking over to my bed the Zoroark had spread herself out, lightly snoring. I couldn't help but to chuckle as I walk into the bathroom for a quick shower.

I looked at myself in the mirror feeling disgusted with my reflection. Not because I was really dirty or anything, it's just been a long time since I had friendly company in my house - especially female company, and I looked like trash. My hair was long, beard scruffy and untamed, and my clothes were basically rags. If I remember correctly I'm about 30-ish years old, around six feet something, and had more scars on my body than years to my name. Though, I'm not a bad looking guy, just worn down by the constant grind of surviving out here.

I sigh then went back into my room to find a better set of clothes, something more presentable, making sure not to wake up the Zoroark. After a quick, cold shower and some trimming of my body hair I looked a lot more presentable, even felt younger. Just wish I had the time to maintain myself. I mean jeez, no lie when they say, 'your body is a temple' 'cause it takes a lot of effort to keep a temple clean and organized.

Almost an hour later I walked back into my bedroom to find the Pokémon starting to wake up, the orange sunlight lighting up the room and shining into our eyes. I took a seat on the edge of the bed and scratched behind her ears. "How you feelin'?" She gave me this half-awake pleased smile as she laid her head on my lap. "I'm guessing you're feeling a lot better, huh?" She nodded her head and purred.

"Let's get some food, I'm sure you're starving. Can you walk now?" The Zoroark lazily got up and tried to stand up. With some difficulty she stood up, struggling to stand, and walk with a limp that looked extremely painful. Even though I tried getting her to sit back down she decided to be stubborn and walk all the way down to the kitchen. I followed closely just in case she fell.

Somehow, she made it from my room to the kitchen across the house. Walking into the kitchen, she collapsed onto that old scratched up chair from last night. Seems like pride is something we all suffer from. I shook my head and rolled my eyes, "I'll get some pain killers, that should let you walk without the pain for a day."

I left the kitchen to search through the pile of medical supplies left at the entrance until I found some pain killers, reminding myself to organize this mess right after breakfast. I came back and handed her a pill. "Swallow this and wait a few minutes before you try walking. It should hurt less." She quickly swallowed the pill, seeming desperate to stop the pain.

Afterward, I cooked ourselves a nice meal with some eggs, vegetables, and military rations I had sitting around. Really, just whatever I scrounged up from inside my cabinets. She scarfed down the food, eating it in a minute flat; the speed at which she ate was probably unhealthy, but I know that feeling, too. With a sigh of satisfied happiness, she laid back in the chair. The first meal after days without food is better than, dare I say, sleeping after a long day of hard work or any pleasure another person could give.

As I ate I thought to myself whether or not bringing her here was the right thing to do. Sure, it was the right thing, but what if she wanted to stay? Then I started asking myself if I wanted her to stay. She'll be another mouth to feed and possibly a liability, but any company would be great... It is quite lonely out here...

I thought about it for a minute, then asked: "Hey... Um... If you feel like sticking around? I wouldn't mind it. I-I mean like... would you like to stay here with me?" She looked at me and tilted her head to the side, seeming confused. "Sorry, I'm acting like a moron... I'll just take care of you until that leg is fixed, I'm sure you have friends or a family waiting for you..."

The Zoroark smiled and walked towards me; the pain killers apparently working fast, then hugged me, my head between her breasts - the ones hidden inside the fluffy mane. "You're so kind. I would love to stay..." Her soft, soothing voice spoke.

The hug itself was unexpected, but a talking Pokémon completely caught me off guard. I awkwardly hugged her back and she added, "And... thank you for saving me."

She shyly stepped back, looking away with her hands behind her back. There was a moment of silence between us before I opened my dumb, socially awkward mouth, not know how to react. "Um... Well I've never seen a Pokémon talk, but I'm happy to have you around." She took a seat and drank out of an aluminium bottle I kept water in, not saying much after that. I might've just royally messed up, but I never know since working with people (or Pokémon) was never my thing.

We kinda just sat around for a while, making small talk and appreciating the beautiful sunrise illuminating the forest out front. Apparently, she was just translating Poke speak with her illusion powers, though she didn't know English very well - it showed with how she talked. She had no family, no friends, and no name, she just went around exploring and surviving. In a way she was just like me; a friendless orphan just surviving. I also don't know my real name, people just started calling me Josh and it stuck... So, I guess my name has been Josh ever since.

Our similar hardships helped us make a connection, and generally, it was great having a friend that understood me on a more personal level. We went on like this for an hour or so, just talking, eating and drinking, before it was time for me start working on the house.

As I got up to clean the dishes, I noticed her breathing become heavy, her body tensing up as she laid her head on the table. "Your leg again?" I asked, walking over to her. She shook her head and grasped her stomach.

"I-I'm fine... It's been like this... It just hurts sometimes." I raised an eye brow and immediately knew what was wrong. I walk back to my medical pile and search for anti-parasitic medicine I remember grabbing. I came back and handed her a large white pill along with a cup of water.

"You probably drank or ate something bad and got a bug in ya. Take this, it should kill the parasite after two days." She didn't hesitate as another wave of gut-wrenching pain visibly coursed through her body. "Also, if you want I can give you a nice shower with some stuff I got from a Pokécenter. It's supposed to clean Pokémon fur and gets rid of anything living in it. Thought you'd like that."

She seemed unsure of my offer, looking quite meek. "You wasted enough on me... It's fine."

I let out a light laugh and rubbed her head playfully. "I have gallons of that stuff and it's not like I use it, anyway." I lied. I do use it to make some useful chemicals, but I think she was more important.

She looked up at me with a cute smile and tucked her hands between her legs. "Okay, I guess."

I gave her a hand as she struggled getting up, but when I tried letting go she held tight onto my hand all the way to my bathroom. Not that I was complaining. Didn't think much of it, even if it felt weird at first - though, any personal contact feels weird to me.

She took a seat on a wooden stool inside the shower as I turned on the water. Luckily, I had a gas-powered generator, so I could afford the luxury of warm water and occasionally lights. I had one of those shower that used electricity to heat the water, quite nice, even had a detachable shower head. Wish I had a tub to take baths in, but a tile rectangle with plastic curtains was better than nothing.

She took off the large blue pearl that held her hair together, letting the full beauty of her hair flow out. I grabbed the gallon of shampoo from under my sink and poured a good amount of it onto her hair, using the detachable shower head to wet her thick hair as I ran my hand through it.

It took quite a while to clean just her hair. Had to use a metal comb to get rid of all the tangles and dirt stuck in there, but she loved it, groaning and purring, almost falling asleep as I worked on her hair. After I washed off all the bubbles I saw the full beauty of her hair. It was like a fine silk colored in red and black, soft and shiny.

When I turned off the water - thinking I was only going to wash her hair, she asked me, "Are you going to clean the rest of me?" She turned around, presenting me her body in a strangely shy, but cute manner.

I felt disgusted at myself for sexualizing something so innocent such as her, but there's nothing wrong with washing her body, right? She didn't think much of it, so I shouldn't make a big deal of this.

I shrugged and turned the water back on, soaking the rest of her body except the hurt leg. I rubbed the shampoo into her mane and started combing it with a smaller plastic brush. I ignored the fact that I was basically foundling her breasts, but she seemed to be quite happy... and pleased. So I did my best to just focus on something else, like the happy little trees outside the bathroom window.

I began moving down her body, going from her mane to her arms, then to her stomach and right leg. Though, I didn't dare go between her legs - that's something she'll have to do, I only went as far as her inner thigh. I washed all the shampoo off and handed her two large towels to dry off with; knowing her hair would require a separate towel.

As she dried herself off I went to my room and organized my bed, opening the window to let in some fresh air. Being here was so serene, the light rustle of the grass and trees, the smell of the forest, and the chirping almost made me forget the horrors that lay within the walls of the city. I sighed, remembering tomorrow I'd have to venture into the city to trade a few items. I might have to bring the Zoroark along if need be.

"How do I look?" I heard the soft voice of the Zoroark behind me. I won't lie, when I saw her standing in the doorway I couldn't help but blush. Her fur was brilliant with deeper colors, her hair was well done, even the bandages on her leg somehow complimented her beautiful form.

"W-wow, you look great!" I had to divert my gaze, trying my hardest to get those thoughts out of my mind. Like what was wrong with me?! She's a Pokémon, probably 20 years younger than me. I must've done something horrible for fate to play such a cruel joke on my lonely ass. I couldn't have stumbled on an attractive woman stuck in the bushes - no, it had to be an attractive, coy, Zoroark... Why can't she be sexually 'straightforward'? At least I'd feel a little less guilty.

She walked up next to me and watched as I fix my bed. "Is something wrong?" she asked curiously, pressing her body against mine as I folded clothes.

"Oh, it's nothing, just thinking a lot. I'm like that." My heart started beating faster when she nuzzled my neck, giving me a light-hearted hug.

"Okay. If you need my help, just ask me." She gave me another vanilla scented hug and walked away.

"Wait!" I grabbed her hand before she could get too far. "I..." I stupidly stared into her eyes with a blank, lost stare. My bumbling ass not knowing how to respond after doing something so dumb. "I need a hand around the house." Somehow, I was able to dig my way out of that hole as a bright smile came across her face. One of those brilliant smiles of happiness that could make you feel warm inside, and for some reason seeing her happy kinda made me happy, too.

For the rest of the day we fixed up the house, patching up holes in the roof, painting the walls, fixing the wooden floors, checked the silos for cracks, and organized materials. We did this until sundown. Once it was too dark outside we went inside for dinner, tired from a day of hard work. Won't lie, she really helped me out. If it wasn't for her holding down ladder I would've absolutely fallen off the roof.

Looking in my freezer, I decided to cook some meat with a side of freshly picked vegetables from my greenhouse. We sat side by side at the dinner table, eating our food while chatting about our lives under the soft glow of the candles as the rain raged on outside. I can't imagine how frantically we'd be running around trying to stop leaks, but thankfully that was something we fix early in the morning.

"What's that?" She pointed to an old vinyl player sitting across from us in the living room. It came with the house, probably as old as the house, too.

"Oh, that's a machine that plays music. It plays these big plastic discs, like the ones over there." I mentioned the vinyl records stacked in a pile next to the record player.

"Music?" The Zoroark looked at me with a bewildered expression.

I knew she was wild, but not this wild... Guess I'll have to show her. Seeing that we're finished eating with not much to do an idea came to mind. One that I've been wanting to do for a very long time.

I got up and picked the first record from the stack, gave it a light blow to get rid of the dust, and placed it on the player. After winding up the player and gently touching the needle to the disc grooves, a slow valse crackled through the player's decorated metal cone. It wasn't very loud, but just enough to hear the music over the rain. the tangy yet gentle swing of the orchestra made it the perfect music to teach a beginner.

I came back and asked, while offering a hand, "Would you like to dance with me?"

"Um... Sure" She took my hand and I pulled her up. She squealed in surprise as I ran to the living room, dragging her along by the hand.

"Let me teach you..." I pulled her closer to me, our eyes on the same level- yes, I am kinda short, sadly. I placed her hand on my shoulder as my hand glided to her lower back, firmly holding her close. Holding her right hand, I pulled it up and looked her in the eyes, our faces only an inch apart. I had to keeping telling myself 'there's nothing wrong with this, we're only dancing'. At least that's what I told myself to keep my chill when up against her. "Follow my feet as I move to the music."

It was kinda cute watching her struggle at first, apologizing every time she stepped on my feet. Halfway through she'd actually learned how to stay with the beat, keeping the right motion and rhythm with my step, and by the end she was giggling as we freely danced around the room. Right as the record ended I pulled her in and threw her into a dip, then pulled her back up into a tight embrace.

We laughed together and just for a moment - right after we stopped laughing, I swear I saw I glint in her eyes that said she wanted more. We moved closer to each other, our mouths slightly opened and eyes half-shut. My heart was racing and I swear I could feel her heart racing, too.

Arceus must really hate me though, because right as her eyes closed and her breath could be felt on my lips, lightning struck a tree out front, rattling the entire house. The Zoroark recoiled and jumped across the room, tripping and falling on the hard, wooden floor. She looked up at me with a scared, yet embarrassed look of a young pup.

I smiled and let out a light sigh of frustration as I walked over to help her up. She gave me this a nervous giggle as I helped her up. "Heh, that was loud." She looked down at the ground, avoiding my gaze while brushing the dust off herself. "I-I'm feeling tired... Can we go to bed?"

The 'we' part made me anxious, not in the good way, but also not in the bad way - more like the nervously uncomfortable way. I would've given her an excuse or something, but honestly, I was just as tired, so going to bed wasn't that bad of an idea. Sadly, I'd have to settle with a goodnight hug instead of a goodnight kiss.

I lit a small metal lantern I kept near me and blew out all the candles scattered around the kitchen, living room, and dining room. On the way up to my bedroom the Zoroark and I didn't talk much, she just held my hand as I guided her through the dark. I didn't even know what to say after that. Maybe saying nothing was better.

Walking into my cozy room, I set my lantern down on a night stand next to the bed, the Zoroark throwing herself onto it. I smiled and playfully threw a blanket over her, gaining giggles as she wrapped herself in it.

"I'm happy I found you..." I said, giving her a head rub, then went to the bathroom to freshen myself up.

Once I brushed my teeth with some weird toothpaste I made, I came back to find the Zoroark looking out as the storm beat down on my window. "Try to rest, tomorrow will be a long day." I asked of her then turned off the lantern and walked over to the reclining chair, adjusting myself in a way that won't cause me as much neck pain.

Her two blue eyes looked back as I shifted in the leather chair. "You look uncomfortable in that chair. Why don't you sleep with me?"

If she'd asked me this yesterday I would've flat out said no, but damn does my neck hurt and it's not like we almost kissed or something. So, why not? I shrugged and walked over to the bed. It was small; twin sized, the tag on the mattress said, but it had enough space to fit us both.

She moved up against the wall as I made my way under the covers, and I gotta say, her fur made everything so soft and warm. It was still a strange feeling having pleasant company in bed, but I really liked the idea of falling asleep in a warm embrace. She had her arms and legs around me, cuddling as she nuzzled my neck. That made me so warm I had to take off the blankets as she was, practically, the blanket by that point. Naturally, I hugged her back, feeling... comfort for the first time in my life. That warm, happy feeling of safety you feel deep inside you. It was nice. Really nice.

Just before I closed my eyes, I asked, "Do you want a name?"

"Like what?" she lazily responded, just about ready to call it a day.

Staring at her adorable face I thought about a fitting name. "Hmm... How about Emily?" I thought that's a good name for such a shy and cute girl.

"Emily... Yeah, I like it. My name is… Emily." She hugged me tighter and gave me a small nibble on the ear, "Thanks... For everything. Goodnight."

"Goodnight..." We both drifted asleep in each other's embrace with the white noise of the rain in the background. The rain fading to nothing with the light breaths of my new companion in my ear as we fell asleep.

Writing this was quite nice, like writing myself a better life kinda thing. I don't know, it just made feel good. I will be writing a second part to this. Actually, I'm already working on it.