Whether you just started reading this, or have stuck around since the beginning, thank you so much for reading and leaving kudos!

Heads up that the adult portion of the story is in this chapter! Also there are super brief mentions of some m/m ships, but hopefully they aren't enough to bother anyone too much.

Happy Femslash February once again! Time moves so fast, doesn't it?

Courtney, unending wellspring of social graces as she was, stood silently just outside the entrance to Magma HQ, violet eyes staring up at the visiting Aqua Admin.

Courtney had no need to question how Shelly had reached the secret base- the set up was nearly identical to that of Team Aqua's. The leaders of both teams were really far more like minded than they thought.

It was Shelly, of course, who finally spoke. "Look…I know it's really short notice and everything, but Tabs told me it was your day off, so I thought maybe we could do something together… Even if you can't forgive me for whatever I did, I at least wanted to drop off this present."

Shelly presented the other girl with a fancy red gift bag. Inside was brand-new Wii U. If Team Aqua paid anything near what Team Magma was able to pay its employees, it must have taken Shelly months to save up.

"If you have it already, I can go back and exchange it," Shelly said quickly. It was rare for her to sound uncertain.

Courtney shook her head fervently.

"It is…a welcome component for my collection. Thank you." Courtney thought that she felt her lips forming into a brief smile in spite of herself.

How could she burden Shelly by spending the day with her while she was in the middle of going haywire like this? Her entire system had been failing to follow proper programming all day long. It wouldn't fair to Shelly.

Still, Courtney recalled Tabitha's words from earlier. He wanted her to go with Shelly, and his advice was generally sound for a person as cranky as himself. Shelly wanted her to go, and Shelly cared for her, even if she didn't seem to understand what Courtney's being a robot entailed. Perhaps she could explain it Shelly again during their outing, and this could finally be the last time for them. It would be for the best.

Shelly continued to look at the smaller girl expectantly. She always knew to wait patiently for Courtney's answers when she took time to process information.

"I…You and me… I agree to engage in this experiment with you."

And so, the two flew to Mauville by way of Shelly's Pelliper. Shelly, of course, would have much rather ridden her Sharpedo, though she didn't suggest it out of respect for Courtney, as difficult as her hatred of water was for Shelly to wrap her mind around.

"How about we grab a bite?" Shelly asked once they arrived.

After a lovely meal at the food court (Shelly insisted on doing all of the battling while Courtney held the seats), Shelly dragged Courtney into one of the clothing boutiques. Even though their teams were just beginning to get off the ground, their uniforms would be famous enough as soon as their leaders were to get their grand plans off the ground. Besides, Shelly just wanted to see Courtney in a dress again.

"What do you think of this one?" she asked, holding a lavender sundress up to the smaller girl. It was meant to be knee-length, but on Courtney, the hem might over-shoot its mark.

"Non-recyclable," Courtney murmured. Though her choice in wording was cryptic, Shelly could tell by the glimmer in her eyes that she liked it.

"Would you like to try it on?" Shelly asked.

There was another long pause from Courtney as she considered for a moment, lips forming a thoughtful little pout, before nodding.

As Shelly watched Courtney's back disappear behind the dressing room curtain, she longed to follow her inside, to pull her turtle neck up over her head, ruffling up that fluffy hair, to pull the zipper of that sundress carefully up over the curve of her back…

All too soon, yet not soon enough, Courtney emerged.

Shelly was momentarily at a loss for words. If she could have, she would have liked to mail photos of Courtney in this dress to every Pokémon lovers association in the region, with an attached letter informing them that this was clearly the cutest living thing on the planet, their Skitties and Jigglypuffs be damned.

Before she could stop herself, Shelly gathered the smaller girl into her arms. How could someone so soft and warm ever think that they were made of steel and bolts?

"I'm sorry," Shelly apologised as she let go of Courtney.

Courtney, however, shook her head- the hug had been fine with her.

With the shopping over, the day was now drawing to a close as Courtney and Shelly sat together on a bench on the Mauville rooftop.

Shelly watched as a flock of Wingull flew overhead. She found it hard to believe her luck that someone like Courtney had agreed to spend the day with her. However, a question had nagged at the back of her mind the entire time, the same one that had been on her mind ever since the time Courtney had turned her down after their last date. Though she worried that her question might upset the other girl, Shelly felt fairly certain that if she could understand Courtney's reasoning, she could better help her through whatever had caused this.

It was now or never; if she asked over the phone later, Courtney might hang up on her. She couldn't rely on Tabitha relying messages between them forever.

"Courtney?"

"Hmm?" The other girl stopped licking the icecream she had been working on. Strawberry, the color suited her new dress so perfectly, as she sat on the bench under the evening sun, other hand in her lap, as if she were modeling for some sort of painting.

Shelly's blue eyes locked with lavender. "What makes you say that you're a robot?"

The lavender set of eyes widened, as their owner took a cautious slurp of icecream.

"…Crying." Courtney replied simply.

For one terrible moment, Shelly's heart sank- she really had upset the other girl, she thought. That is, until Courtney spoke again, her grip tightening on the cone she held, icecream dripping over hand.

"My brother… deleted… I failed to cry. I…have no heart, you see. Cold. Empty." Courtney placed her free hand over the strap of her sundress, where a heart surely did beat.

"Courtney…" Shelly placed her hand on the girl's thigh, leaning in earnestly, eyebrows turned up in disbelief. "People grieve in different ways! You were only just a little kid when it happened. You were crying on the inside, I know you were! You still are. Courtney, you are not a robot."

With that, Shelly continued to lean in farther, taking Courtney's strawberry-flavored lips in her. It was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted and it took everything she had to not eat her up.

The moment was brief, and Shelly pulled away with reluctance.

"What did you feel?" she breathed.

"…System overload." Courtney whispered back, looking side to side as if wondering just who they were attempting to keep this hushed conversation from.

It would seem that the two men on another bench across the way had stolen their idea, as the blue-haired man was tenderly removing the second man's white beret, before running his fingers through his seafoam hair.

Shelly laughed. "Maybe we should go somewhere more private."

"If Maxie finds me in here, he'll blow his top," Shelly was clearly impressed at Courtney's audacity at inviting her into Magma HQ.

Courtney simply shrugged as the two traversed the halls. Shelly, clad in civilian clothes, a crop top and ripped jeans, she wasn't likely to raise any alarm bells as long as Courtney didn't let her stray off on her own. Besides, it wasn't as if Matt wasn't over all the time, making overtures toward the chronically cranky Tabitha. Not to mention whatever 'private meetings' Archie and Maxie were always up to.

Finally, they reached the place where the door to Courtney's room once stood.

Shelly grinned impishly. "Flareon's handy-work?"

Courtney nodded as they entered the room. Her room was similar to the others belonging to the higher-ups: a living room with kitchenette, plus a bedroom and bathroom.

Courtney eyed the deactivated Pokémon robot she had left sitting in the corner of the living area, before asking, "Why?"

Shelly took the liberty of seating herself on the couch. "I wanted to show you what robots are really like. They only follow programming; they can't think for themselves, or feel. Courtney, you act of your own free will- joining Magma, going out with me just now- those were your decisions. It was a stupid stunt on my part, I know, but I wasn't sure how to get my point across. I love you, Courtney, and I just want you to see yourself the way I see you, as someone who's vibrant and alive and caring. I know you loved your brother, and he knew it too."

Shelly then smirked, waggling her brows. "Besides, if you keep insisting that you're a robot, I might have to start saying that I'm one too, since, ya know, I can't breathe when ever I'm around you."

Courtney rolled her eyes. Even though she wasn't the most savvy Team Magma member when it came to social interaction (not that Tabitha or Maxie were, either. The honor actually fell to Grunt #74, who was very proud of his title), even she knew a terrible pickup line when she heard one.

With a soft smile, she sat beside Shelly. Maybe tomorrow morning, she would wake up and remember that she was still nothing but a robot, and this moment was just another malfunction, but for now, maybe she could at least pretend to be a real girl. She couldn't deny that the kiss on the bench had certainly felt real, after all. Warm sparks, the likes of which electricity could never supply, had surged up from somewhere deep inside. Despite herself, despite everything she had thought ever since she had been a terrified child on that boat so long ago, Courtney wanted this.

Shelly placed her hands on either of Courtney's sides, gently guiding her into her lap. Her lips burned on Courtney's neck, as if she had fallen into the lava, only to be reborn a phoenix. Shelly began to meander over skin exposed by the thin sundress, kisses sprinkling like the water she loved so, all up and down Courtney's milky neck, stopping to linger at the shell of her ear, causing her to shutter like she had stepped in the cold ocean, despite the heat of Shelly's open mouth.

"Do you want to move to your room?" Shelly whispered into her ear. Though Courtney was tiny enough to lay flat on the couch, Shelly still wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

Courtney nodded, slipping off of Shelly's lap and heading for her room, though a bit stiffly, her panties now sticking in obscure places as they were.

Not that Shelly was in any better shape as she sat on the edge of Courtney's bed.

Courtney, needing little coaching at this point, flopped backward onto the bed, view of the popcorn ceiling quickly obscured by Shelly's face.

Shelly was beautiful, not to mention kind and strong, Courtney thought, as the other girl tucked a streak of blue hair behind her ear, all the while gazing down at Courtney sprawled beneath her. Even if Courtney had been a robot until now, even robots were able to process facts.

Shelly began to slide the dress's straps down Courtney's shoulders, lower, and lower, as if peeling a succulent fruit, until her entire chest was exposed.

"Tell me if you're not okay with something, and I'll stop, okay?" Shelly asked, taking a pause in her actions.

Courtney nodded quickly, anything to keep Shelly doing whatever she was about to do.

Shelly grinned, kissing Courtney on the mouth again, before placing an open-mouthed kiss on the lower part of Courtney's breast. Petite and rounded, Shelly could feel its pleasing shape with her tongue as she explored. The girl smelled and tasted like powdery fresh soap, the plain kind; she had never been one for fruity scents.

Courtney let out a squeak something like a surprised Pachirisu might make when Shelly reached her nipple, working in neat little sucks, before switching over to the other one.

Still straddling Courtney, Shelly sat up to work off her own shirt; sweaty as she was she starting to become, it wouldn't do to ruin it. Courtney, however, shook her head, leaning up to guide Shelly's wrist away from the blue fabric.

"Take over," Courtney rasped, her throat gone dry.

Shelly raised her arms in compliance as Courtney guided the top off of her chocolate skin to reveal a lacy bra. She was much more fit than Courtney, muscle where the smaller girl was only softness.

Shelly quickly picked up where she left off, swiping her tongue over Courtney's bellybutton, leaving her hands free to play on her chest, as Courtney wriggled and whined.

Finally, after what seemed like ages of Courtney feeling as if she would turn into a volcano and burst, Shelly's mouth found the area where Courtney wanted it most, drawing out a cry, strangled and gasping.

"That good, huh?" Shelly stopped, looking up into Courtney's face.

Courtney wanted to push her into a pit of lava for stopping. The grimace of hazed-over hunger in those lavender eyes said it all for her.

Shelly returned to suckling and teasing and tasting, tongue darting in and around as if there would soon be nothing left.

Courtney writhed, fingers clenching in the sheets before finding purchase in Shelly's disheveled her. Mewling sounds caught in her throat as if Shelly were greedily snatching them away from her.

With a final moan, every muscle in Courtney's body felt as if it were curling in on itself, like someone had packed her all up into a tight little box, before the wave of release freed her.

She went limp on the bed, fingers uncoiling from raven hair, as panting fell from her flushed face.

Shelly wasn't doing much better, shifting her legs off of the other girl, but she could handle things herself after Courtney was settled, if need be.

"Are you alright?" Shelly asked, caressing Courtney's cheek.

"…Paper jam," she replied absently, before clapping a hand over her mouth. She shouldn't speak that way anyone, if she truly planned to become a real girl, or so she thought.

Shelly, however, gently lifted the hand away. "I love the way you talk, Courtney, it's adorable. You can be the same person you always were, because you're just that- a person."

Shelly softly pecked Courtney's forehead, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to, er, use the bathroom, so…"

However, before she could slide off the bed, Courtney sat up, face set in a frown of determination as she pushed Shelly's shoulders down onto the mattress…

The next morning…

"Ugh," Shelly sighed, pulling on her pants, "As easy-going as Archie is, even he'll get on my case if I'm much later. I'll drop by again next weekend. Okay, Hun?"

Courtney, still wrapped in sheets, nodded, smile still soft and hazy despite her night's rest.

Shelly finished dressing and made to leave. However, as she stood before the missing doorway, leading out into the HQ halls, she noticed that the group of female grunts walking past sped up very quickly, their faces pink as they whispered and giggled, casting side-glances at Shelly.

Then it hit her- the door. Not only had the door to the living room been missing, but the door into Courtney's bedroom had been left open as well.

Oh shit.

Anyone passing by last night would have heard everything.

Two hours later…

"So, er, Admin Courtney," Maxie coughed into his hand, before looking down into his coffee, before glancing at the inspirational poster of a Meowth hanging from a tree branch, anywhere that wasn't the admin's expectant face, "The first order of business today is getting your door repaired…"

The end