A/N:

Alright, so this chapter isn't as long as the others, but it's necessary for the transition into what's coming. The next chapter should be a great deal longer.

I don't own Pokémon or any of the products associated with this story. All I own is my characters and the plot.

As a side note, I'm still open to receiving OCs. That doesn't mean I'll be able to use every one that is submitted; they do need to be usable within the framework of this story.

If you enjoy reading, please consider leaving a review. Feedback is always greatly appreciated!

"…" - Spoken dialogue

Italics - Michael's thoughts

'Italics' - Telepathic dialogue


"Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us."

-Maya Angelou


Ch. 9 - Taking Time Off

"I…I'll never talk," the leader of the gang, who went by "Razor," said. He was strapped down to the metal chair, and a set of wires were tied to his wrists and ankles. Their origin could be traced to the panel at the interrogator's side, the dial on top currently set to medium voltage. The squad watched through the one-way glass as the interrogator went about his work, pausing to write something down.

"Well it seems to me like you're outta options, then," he said. "I mean, we could just keep doing this." With that, he increased the voltage, bordering the danger level. Before Razor could utter any sort of protest, he was hit with the increased voltage. He grunted, convulsing in response to the current trailing throughout his body. The crackling of the electricity sounded painful, even from outside the room. "Got anything to say now?"

"Fuck… o-off," he said. "You'll never get a word outta me."

"And why is that?" Razor looked up, with moisture trailing from every possible orifice on his face. But the resilience was still visible within his eyes.

"Because… no matter what you all do to me… it won't be near as bad as what the boss'll do if I speak." The interrogator stood up, walking behind him.

"Then get really comfortable with this style of life." He made his way towards the door, but paused to collect the control. Giving it one last switch - this time, in the red - he walked out the room. Seeing Wesley and the Reapers, he simply shook his head. "Gotta say, haven't seen many this persistent."

"Why don't you just ask any of the others?" Alex asked. "Surely they won't be able to hold out like that."

"Tried. They don't even know who their employer is. He's the only one that's ever even spoken to him."

"So then he's all we have to go off of?" Wesley asked.

"Unfortunately. Of course, it's better than no lead at all. He is a direct source to finding the second in command of this whole damn organization."

"But if he won't break…"

"Trust me," the interrogator replied, "he will. Every man has his breaking point - something that will drive him over the edge. It's only a matter of finding it."

"Alright. I'm counting on you to find that breaking point. As far as the government's concerned, this man doesn't exist, so use whatever means necessary to find out what he's hiding."

They exited the basement, leaving the interrogation chamber. "Well that sucks," John said.

"No," Wesley shook his head, "we'll get it outta him. In all the years we've had Nikolai working for us, he's never failed to get a man to talk. We'll learn who we're dealing with - only a matter of time."

After a following conversation, Michael left for his quarters. Only a few days left, and their first deployment would be complete. Funny how the time flies when you're trying to avoid getting killed. He hadn't made plans for the time he would be spending away from base. You could choose to stay there during your time off, but he couldn't think of any reason why he and the girls would possibly want to do that. Not when they could be spending their time elsewhere. Maybe a trip back to Johto, he mused to himself. I'm sure they would like that. And plus, it'd be nice to show Alaina around a bit.

He opened the door, and made his way to the couch, grabbing his laptop from the table. Checking his bank account wasn't exactly a huge necessity, but he habitually did it anyways. Especially now that he was considering a trip. He took a seat, propping his legs up on the table, and logged on to his account. Clicking on the checking account tab, he pulled up his current balance - Ᵽ78,330. Battling had become quite the moneymaker for them. And after transitioning into the military, there really weren't any bills to pay. In fact, the only thing they wouldn't cover was house payments, but he didn't have to worry about that. And that wasn't even close to what he had in stock. He had chosen to invest the majority of their earnings - after all, it was far better to have the money earning more rather than just sitting idly in an account. Definitely enough to cover anything we could possibly do in four months.

But that left other questions unanswered. What should they do? Where should they go? Maybe a resort? I'm sure they'd love that. He had seen commercials for Cinnabar's main attraction - the Coastline Resort. Hmm, that might be something they'd enjoy. Michael looked into the resort's features. Prices were a bit above average, but it was far from something that would really hurt his bank account. And besides, when it came to the girls, he didn't really think about the money involved. Rooms are good… we'd have to get two deluxes, though. Let's see… what all is there to do around there? Looking at the location, he found that they likely wouldn't be suffering from boredom - Cianwood City was within walking distance (or flying distance).

"What'cha doing?" Elise asked, hopping up beside him. He had already opened another tab, so thankfully she didn't see. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

"Nothing, hun, just checking my account."

"Oh. Everything okay?"

"Of course." He ran his hand down her sleek side, resting it on her back. She positioned her head on his shoulder, giving him a lick on the cheek.

"Come on, you've been sitting there for like an hour. Let's go play!" She ran to the door, impatiently pawing at it. He stood up and went to her, opening it for the unable glaceon. As the two of them walked outside and rounded the corner, they passed Thomas, who, by the looks of the ball in his hand, had just returned from battling. Titan was to his right side, and Ivy was on his left. But she was no longer a chikorita.

…..

"Fold." Michael just couldn't take the risk. He had a pair of sevens, but the way John had thrown in almost half his pile… no, it wasn't worth following him up. John took the pile, before revealing his cards. Nothing.

"You son of a bitch!"

"Don't hate the player, hate the game," John joked. Thomas shuffled the deck, and dealt everyone out a new hand. He didn't make eye contact with Samuel when he handed him his; tensions were still high between the two.

"Ugh, this vacation will really do us all some good," John said. "Looks like we need a break from each other."

"You can say that again," Kevin added. "Anyone got any plans?"

"None here," Thomas said. "Probably gonna just go my parents' for awhile."

"What about you, Samuel?"

"I'm visiting my brother and sister. Probably spend the holidays over there."

"You two can be all boring if ya want, but I'm gonna have some fun with my time off," Zeke said.

"Oh? What are you thinking about?" Michael asked.

"I'm hittin' the beach. The resort at Cianwood looks pretty good." Hah, what are the odds?

"That's funny," Michael said. "I was thinking about doing the same."

"Well it's definitely a well-known place. Maybe we should get neighboring rooms," he joked.

"Maybe. I'm sure the girls will love the place." Zeke looked at him upon saying this.

"That reminds me - has your little 'situation' been resolved?" He spoke in code because nobody besides him and Samuel knew about Michael's predicament with the girls.

"Yeah, it's all good now." Zeke leaned in closely, speaking quietly to him.

"So what did you do? Who'd ya pick?"

"Umm… it's kind of hard to explain. Long story short, all of them."

"You… can't be serious," he said aloud. "All of them?" Michael made awkward eye contact with the others, hoping they weren't catching on.

"Zeke, shut the hell up…"

"Damn, dude - you're in business practically every day of the week!" Annnnnd now they know.

"Oh, so you've finally opened your eyes?" Kevin asked. "And now you're boning all of them. Ha!" Michael glared daggers at him, making him shut up.

"First, don't ever speak like that in reference to the girls again. Second, no, I am not 'boning' any of them. And third… yes, I have come to the realization."

"Well congrats dude," Zeke said. "They are pretty hot." Thomas was keeping quite - at least this time, he knew that speaking of pokémon-human relationships as 'perverted' wasn't exactly a good idea amongst his comrades. "But I will say this though - I better not be kept awake during my vacation time by any 'late night activities.'"

…..

"Come on Ver, wake up," he gently said. The flygon rolled aside slightly, mumbling something unintelligible. "What was that?"

"Ten more minutes…" she said.

"Come on," he repeated, "everyone's eaten lunch already. Way too late to be sleeping." She barely gave any acknowledgement to his words, and re-centered her head in the middle of the pillow, trying to doze once more. Ugh, you difficult dragon… But suddenly, he got a devious idea, and a devilish grin spread across his face. "Alright then," he said, placing both hands on each side of her neck, "you feel free to take your time." With that, he kneaded the lower parts of her neck, and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Ahh!" she shrieked, quickly sitting up. Michael was already on his way out the door, but he managed to see, through his peripheral, the flygon's hands shooting to her lower region. Maybe I took that a step too far… That was the first time he had intentionally done something like that to her, after all.

She left the bedroom short after, joining him at the table. Michael had made her her favorite sub sandwich: ham, salami, pepperoni, and turkey. No vegetables, or even cheese - just meat. She silently sat down and started eating, albeit with reddened cheeks. "What's wrong, Ver? You seem a bit flustered," he teased.

"You make me flustered!" she said after swallowing a large mouthful.

"Oh, lighten up - I was only having a bit of fun."

"Mhm. It's gonna be real fun when I pin you down and have my way with you." Michael knew, generally, when the girls were kidding. But with the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice, this wasn't one of those times. "Mark my words - I will get you back for that little stunt. It won't be today; it won't be tomorrow, but I will get you."

After she had finished, he decided that it would be a good time to tell them all of his proposition. "So I was thinking the other day," he began, "that since we've got some time off, we should go out and enjoy ourselves."

"You mean like leave the base?!" Charlotte asked. "That would be great!"

"We've been behind these concrete walls far too long," he said. "I think it's time we took some time off."

"Mhm, I think so too," Alaina said. "Where were you thinking about going?"

"Well, I was browsing the other day, and I thought maybe we could go to Cianwood."

"We're going to the beach?!" Elise just about shrieked.

"If that's what you all want, then—."

"Yes!" the glaceon replied. "Who doesn't want to go to the beach?"

"Ugh, the ocean is so overrated," Charlotte said. "But the sand, the food carts, the ice cream… I could definitely get on board with that."

"And not to mention we could escape the winter weather," Alaina said. Only the northern parts of Johto and Kanto ever saw any snow, but the many other parts of the region could get chilly - even uncomfortably so. But of course, Cianwood, being one of the southernmost parts of the Johto region, never saw temperatures below the mid-seventies.

"I could definitely stand to do without that," Veronica pitched in. Being a dragon and ground type, she really disliked the cold.

"Have you checked if there are any tournaments going on?" Layla asked.

"No… I haven't," Michael replied, "but I can check right now." He simply typed 'current Cianwood battle tournaments,' and quickly glanced over the results. "Looks like there's one starting in a week and a half - the Coastline Tournament. It's sponsored by the hotel."

"That's what I like to hear," his lucario said. "Count me in."

"So then it looks like it's all settled. When are we planning on leaving, Michael?"

"As soon as we can. So that would be in… three days."

…..

There was an unnerving truth that lay within the nature of this whole "break." Michael was heading to Wesley's office in order to address that issue, after all. The issue that they never truly were guaranteed time off. Yes, they may be told that they would be left alone for these four months, but the reality of it was that everything was situational. The other Reapers could only do so much - if there was a problem, then they could very well be called back into service.

Michael knocked on Wesley's office door. "Come in," the Commander said. He walked in, seeing him reading a newspaper behind his desk. 'Finally, Peace in Kanto' the headline read.

"I've come to submit my report." Michael had to create a detailed explanation of where he would be and when. That, and the fact that his every call, text, or email was monitored - very little privacy.

"Alright." His eyes skimmed over its contents. "Let's see… Cianwood and Johto mainland…"

"Yessir. Planning on hittin' the beach for a few months and visiting my parents."

"You're good to go. Just make sure that you're at HQ by twelve on March first."

"Gotcha." Wesley stood up, heading towards the door.

"Thanks for submitting your report some time other than the last minute. Still waiting on Kevin's." Somehow I'm not surprised. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to go to. Nat and I gotta fill in for y'all over the months." Michael left his office, joining Elise outside. Wesley locked up behind him, tablet in hand. Elise nudged his leg, giving him a happy grin. He picked her up, much to her pleasure, and walked off. She really was clingy, but he didn't mind. Never did. He liked every moment with her - as he did with all of the girls - and enjoyed coddling her.

"Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it, pup," he joked, before kissing her cheek.

"Get it in?" the familiar zoroark asked behind him. Michael stopped, waiting for Zeke to catch up.

"Yep, just did."

"Nice. Got your rooms checked out?"

"Not yet - I just told the girls about the whole thing. Which room did you get?"

"Room forty ninety-six. One of the deluxe rooms - they got a balcony and shit."

"Alright, I'll get two of the ones beside you," Michael said. "What's the availability looking like?"

"Gettin' kinda packed," Zeke said. "If I were you, I'd make my reservation tonight."

"Noted. How long are you planning on staying?" Michael asked.

"Eh, probably two months, maybe two and a half. What about you?"

"Same, but we might bump it to three. All depends on how the girls feel about it. Although, I do want to visit my parents for a few weeks. I mean, they do live twenty minutes from the airport, and I'll be heading up there anyways."

"We're… going to see your parents?" Elise asked.

"I was hoping to… I mean, I haven't called them in months. It's not like I'm trying to keep them in the dark or anything, but I don't have much of a choice. They must be worried sick."

"Oh…" Her ears slightly drooped.

"What's wrong, pretty girl?"

"Nothing, I just… your dad didn't seem to care too much for us…"

"Oh." Michael knew what she was talking about - and besides, the glaceon seemed to be a great judge of character. "Dad just… isn't much of a pokémon type of guy. Or mom. Never grew up around them, or even gave a thought to having any. But I'll make sure that you all are treated well - if y'all aren't happy, then we can leave. I just thought it might be nice to stop by for a little bit."

"Okay." Elise seemed to be content with hearing this.

He left the zoroark to himself for the time being, going back to his quarters. After appropriating his funds out and figuring what he would be spending (a lot), he went ahead and booked the reservations.

…..

Michael extended his hand, helping Layla up from the ground. They had reached a statistical stalemate, often alternating between wins and losses.

"Pretty good," Thomas said. He had been intently watching their combat, commenting from time to time. Ivy was knelt beside him, while the golurk was of to the side, still doing reps that very few humans could do.

"You got lucky with that one," she huffed. "I lost my footing there at the end."

"Sure, whatever you say," he teased. She took his hand, and before she had fully recovered her footing, harshly jerked him forward. He struggled to keep his balance, eventually running into the ropes. He quickly dodged to the side as she barely missed her charge. "That was a dirty trick, Layla."

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "I just hope you're ready to lose this one."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." He raised his fists, ready to block whatever the lucario may send his way. "Actually, I've been pulling ahead of you lately. I don't think you've got what it takes anymore."

"Oh, that's it!" She ran towards him and leaped, bringing her foot around in a roundhouse kick level with his head. He watched carefully as the swing approached, and ducked just as her foot almost connected with him. She sailed over him, unable to make contact. Instead, she stumbled into the ropes, much like he had done moments earlier.

"Not quite," he teased. "You're gonna have to be a little quicker than that." This time, she went for his side, opting for a punch. He dodged it and countered with one of his own, but was stopped - she caught his fist. Before he could yank it back, she sent her knee into his stomach. Shit, he thought, that hurt. Not letting her momentary advantage go to waste, she gave him a sharp uppercut under the ribs. He was forced to take a knee due to having the wind knocked out of him.

"That's what you get for underestimating me," she stated matter-of-factly. Alright, you cocky little… She caressed his cheek, and leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss. He was caught completely off guard by the action, and he wasn't the only one - out of his peripheral, he could see Thomas look away, likely in disgust. To some extent, he could agree with his disturbance at such a public display of affection - he wouldn't like it if any other couple started making out in front of him. And this was far from just a simple, quick kiss. Layla leaned what seemed to be her entire weight into it.

She finally pulled away, giving him a very lustful look, and he couldn't help but blush from it. "And that's what you get for putting up such a good fight," she said. This time, she helped him to his feet. Michael instinctively held his diaphragm, sore from her previous strike. But he very well knew that within minutes, there wouldn't be any sort of bruise at all. All thanks to Alaina… The two of them left the ring; Layla went towards the water fountain, while Michael went to Thomas.

"Uh, sorry about that," he said. "She took my by surprise there…"

"…It's okay," he muttered.

"Yeah, all is well," the bayleef piped in. "It was definitely quite the show." She looked up at Thomas, who still seemed to be coping with the situation. "Although, I have to say I'm kinda jealous. Why don't you ever do things like that with me, Thomas?" Thomas stiffened up upon hearing this. The clatter of the bar dropping was heard to their left; Titan had been forced to rack the weights to avoid dropping them on his chest out of shock. After that, they all probably could've heard a pin drop in the room.

"Ivy…" the golurk said. Thomas looked at her, visibly uneasy with her question. The way he almost trembled from it led Michael to believe that not only was he nervous, but he was also scared to some extent. Thomas turned around and hurriedly walked out of the gym.

"Was it something I said?" she asked.

"You think?" Titan replied. "Come on, let's go." After the two had left, likely to go sort things out with their trainer, Layla returned, seeing her trainer all alone.

"What'd I miss?" Michael shook his head in disbelief.

"Probably the most difficult situation Thomas has ever been in."

…..

Though Thomas's new dilemma was admittedly humorous for Michael (being that he had, just weeks ago, made his detestation of poképhilia very well known), he knew that he had no right to give his comrade trouble over the issue, and felt that he should keep his comrades oblivious to what had transpired in the gym. It wasn't his place to get involved in Thomas's personal life, and definitely not his place to get others involved. This situation was Thomas's, and Thomas's only - he had to deal with it on his own.

And Michael had other things to do than to be concerned with the affairs of other people. As he thought to himself about the hilarious irony of Ivy's question, he packed his bags for departure. They left tomorrow morning, and the group had decided to set flight for Violet City, as it was in the relative center of the region. From there, everyone would go their separate ways, and would reunite at the Blackthorn airport, and then fly back to the main HQ. At that point, they would be on stand by for any upcoming missions, but the fact of the matter was that they could very well expect a great deal of doing nothing once more. But we've gotta be there just in case…

He zipped up his backpack, finishing up all of their packing. Whew, finally. He took the large pack and set it by the front door, ready to leave the next morning. "All done?" Alaina asked from behind him.

"Yep. We'll be ready to go first thing in the morning."

"Great," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'm ready to leave this place."

"Well then you're in luck - next place we'll all be stationed is at the main HQ back in Johto. There's much more to do up there, and the scenery is amazing. Built right in the middle of a mountain range. Not only that, but we can expect more time off. The others and I were thrown into one of the worst rising conflicts to date. Now that everything's pretty much settled, being operable is probably gonna be our most common task. "

"That sounds great." She embraced him from behind, setting her head on top of his. "That means we'll have plenty of time for other activities," the latias said, trailing a claw down his side. He didn't exactly know how to respond, so he decided not to say anything. "What?" she asked. "Too far?"

"A little…"

"Oh, alright, I'll lighten up a bit on you," she said, before ruffling his hair.

…..

Veronica flew overhead, holding one of his two packs in her hands, and landed in front of the Chinook. She set it down and stretched her arms out. "Having your girl do all the heavy lifting for you? Shame," Zeke sarcastically said. Veronica simply ignored him, standing up beside her trainer.

Soon, the rest had arrived. Lillian paced ahead of Alex, her star-tipped tail swaying side to side. The luxray seemed happy, but then again, everyone was at the time. The black greninja followed closer to Alex, and avoided Layla's line of sight. Bet he's still butthurt about getting his ass handed to him, Michael mused. I mean, really - if he was going to take it so hard, then maybe he shouldn't have challenged a fighting type…

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's be on our way," Wesley said. They stepped onto the Chinook; without any medics or gun racks, they were all able to fit on board. Good, I won't need to put them in their balls. The hatch closed, the blades whirred to life, and the large helicopter lifted off of the ground. Elise pressed against his side nervously - she wasn't fond of aircraft. He placed his arm around the glaceon to comfort her. I know everyone's looking forward to this, he thought as he looked around. We need this… It'll be good to have some time away from all this conflict. He looked at Kevin, who had his head tilted back, eyes closed. I know he sure as hell is gonna enjoy this break… His unruly comrade would finally get to escape the confines of the military's regulations.

But Thomas on the other hand… Michael almost felt sorry for him. The large Reaper sat silently with his head in his hands, with Titan between him and Ivy. It'll be a cold day in hell before they speak to each other over this flight… Thomas had to face something that Michael had to, but much more difficult - not only was he sucker-punched with the discovery of Ivy's affection towards him, but he had been presented wth a choice: either hurt Ivy's feelings, or defy his own principles. Arceus, that would be hysterical. I bet Samuel would never let him forget about it.

"You got any plans over the break, Commander?" John simply shook his head.

"Not many. I'm just gonna take it easy while I can. I'll still have to check in on things from time to time, but I'll be relatively free over these next months. I ain't letting that go to waste," he laughed. "I'll probably be sleeping in for once. I expect that we'll all get the best sleep we've had in years." The other Reapers nodded in approval.

But looking to his side, and seeing Charlotte flash him a semi-suggestive grin, Michael knew - he knew that they would probably be making him put in a few "all-nighters."

…..

After a relatively uneventful eight hour flight, they landed in Violet City's airport. They stood up and stretched out, but all were prepared to board yet another plane. This time, the girls would have to go in their balls. Especially Alaina, who he had to return before the hatch even opened. He couldn't afford to be swarmed and possibly miss his flight. With his weapons in an enclosed box, he stepped outside; they would need to be separately transported as a measure of security.

"Boys," Wesley said after they had all gathered outside the main terminal, "I want you all to stay safe. Make smart choices - you are the most elite soldiers in the region; so I expect y'all to act like it. No bar fights, no accidents, no public intoxication - none of that shit." He paced to the side, and turned back to face them, continuing. "That being said…" The Commander stood fully erect, straightening his hand swiftly and bringing it over his brow. They all immediately returned the salute. "I hope you all have a great time. See you in four months."

They, saying their final goodbyes, began to scatter. "One moment, Higgs," Wesley called out as Michael turned to leave.

"Yes sir?"

"Your phone, please." Confused, Michael handed Wesley his cell phone, after unlocking the passcode. Wesley tapped away for a moment, before handing it back to him. On the screen, under the contacts section, Wesley had input his number. "Just in case I need to contact you, or if you have any questions…"

"Alright, I gotcha."

"I also wanted to say one other thing to you," he said. "I just wanted to inform you - since it does, y'know, involve you - that I have spoken to others about your 'condition.'" Oh no…

"Uhh… How was the news taken?" Wesley gave him a lopsided grin

"Great - so much better than I could've ever hoped," he said, pointing at Michael. "With your intelligence, your savage instinct, and ageless physique, I think you could very well be on track to becoming one hell of a general - maybe even become the General of the Army. After all, you have eternity to move up the ranks." Damn… he thinks that I could go that far? General of the Army?

"I… I don't know what to say," he replied.

"Then don't say anything. Just think it over for awhile." He placed a hand on Michael's shoulder. "Son, you've got the potential to go further. When you've completed all of your deployments… well, please just consider it. There are more higher-ups than you know rooting for you, and with the CIC practically worshipping the ground you walk on, I think you have what it takes to lead the military in an uncertain future." Michael was shocked to hear this - somewhat flattered, even.

"Thank you," he finally said. "I will not let the respect of great men go to waste. I'll be sure to look int this."

"If you do decide to get on board, though, make sure that it's what you want to do; don't just do it because it's what others want. This is a choice that you need to make completely in regards to your own interests."

"Alright, I understand…"

"Well then, I hope you have a great trip. You deserve it."


A/N:

And there we are! The next few chapters will be more eventful, and will include their stay at the Coastline Resort. That said, the lemons are very close, so stay tuned for the next two or three chapters.

I always enjoy reading your all's feedback, ideas, and suggestions, so please consider leaving a review.