The following morning, Seth awoke to find himself in both an inconvenient yet still greatly appealing situation. On his right, May was tucked beneath the crook of his arm, one of her arms resting atop his chest. He could feel her breasts pressing against his side. On his left, Roxanne clung to his other arm.
His pokémon were also on the bed: Kyra was tucked in a tiny gap between May and Seth, and Princess was curled up at the end of the bed. The reason all of this was possible was due to the large size of the bed. Seth winced; attempting to move revealed that the sheets were sticking to him uncomfortably. As much fun as last night was, performing such acts in a bed could only result in such discomfort.
When Seth made to rise, he heard a small coo from Kyra, her small eyes blinking open. She looked up at him and yawned widely, causing him to smile at the cute display.
"Good morning, Kyra," Seth said softly, stroking her hair affectionately.
"Good morning to you as well, Seth." It seemed his movement had also woken Roxanne, who somehow still managed to sound as though she were giving a lecture despite just waking up. Roxanne then gave a pained grunt, a hand moving to massage her throat. "Ah, it seems I have come down with a bit of a sore throat."
"Not surprising. You were taking it pretty hard." May appeared to be awake now as well, a soft chuckle leaving her throat. "You get used to that. It's just irritation. It should go away after a day or so."
"You sound as though you have extensive experience," Roxanne observed with an inquisitive expression.
"I uh...wouldn't say 'extensive.'" May blushed at the insinuation. "I've had a man here and there, but I've also done my research."
"As have I. Though it's become clear that some things can only be learned through experience." Roxanne admitted. "Now, it's probably best we start preparing to head out for the day."
"Good idea! I still have to challenge you at the gym, if you're up for it." May swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Seth didn't miss the chance to turn his gaze to her shapely butt as she walked over to the bathroom. He shuddered a bit, unable to deny his body's reaction to such a sight. "Seth, you going to come?"
"Sorry, what!?" Taken off guard, Seth couldn't come up with a suitable answer in time. May glanced back, looking amused by his reaction. He then realized what she had meant. "Oh! You mean to your gym challenge?"
"Yes, silly."
"I shouldn't. I have to start heading down to Dewford. There are a few errands I need to run that I shouldn't procrastinate on," Seth decided. Thankfully, May didn't seem all that disappointed. "I'll probably head out today after breakfast."
"Alright! I'll call you when I win, then," May remarked impudently regardless of the fact that Roxanne was right behind her, the gym leader having risen from the bed herself.
"You seem confident in yourself. I'd advise you not to take me lightly, lest your confidence prove to be your downfall," Roxanne warned her with a smile, not seeming offended in the least.
"Please, I've yet to lose a battle since I caught Crux," May blew off her remark as she opened the bathroom door. "I'm going to shower. Coming, Rox?"
"Good idea." Roxanne joined May, and the two of them went into the bathroom together, still playfully exchanging smack talk about their upcoming battle.
Seth couldn't help himself; having two naked women standing before him with everything on full display had turned him on, his erection still pressing against the sheets. Kyra noticed the lump in the sheets, and she used her telekinesis to peel back the layers to reveal him, his shaft springing up.
"Kyra…?" Seth saw his pokémon gazing at him closely, as if gauging him for a reaction. He flushed; he supposed it wasn't that odd that Kyra would be feeling naughty. She had to go all of last night without getting to participate. If he had been in her place, he wouldn't have been able to resist. "A-Alright, if you want to. I have to wait on the others to get out of the shower anyway."
Kyra cooed happily and she leapt atop of him, running up to kiss him eagerly. Seth chuckled and kissed her back, her smaller lips easily fitting inside of his. He held her cheek tenderly as the kiss lasted, one of his hands slipping into the crease between her legs and brushing against her slit. Kyra squeaked into his mouth, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.
Princess woke from her slumber at that, the serpent releasing a soft hum. She lifted her head to gaze at Seth. Noticing what the two were doing, she slithered forward and moved behind Seth's back, helping to prop him up. She easily recognized what they were doing, and it seemed she wanted to participate as well.
"Here, lay down. I'll take care of you," Seth whispered to Kyra once they broke away from one another. Kyra obediently did so, and spread her legs at his prompting. Seth dove in, opening his mouth and placing the flat of his tongue against the length of her slit. He felt a thrill run through him at Kyra's pleasured moan. He then followed suit and Princess brought her head around and gave his shaft a long lick, the serpent watching him closely. Seth couldn't but feel happy as he continued to pleasure and be pleasured by his pokémon; he hadn't paid them attention of this kind in quite some time. Typically after a full day of travel he was too tired to do so.
Eventually, after Princess had given him a thorough sucking, she and Kyra traded places. Kyra opened her mouth as wide as possible in order to take as much of him in as possible, but she could as usual barely handle more ethan the tip. She compensated by gripping him with her telekinesis and using that to stroke whatever she couldn't reach.
As for Princess, she slithered across Seth's body slowly. She was very large and extremely heavy, but she was careful never to put her full weight on him at once. He was confused as to what she was doing until he noticed the sizable slit about as long as his hand running lengthwise on her body. Princess paused and crooned at him in a questioning manner.
"You want me to…?" Seth understood what she was trying to say. He realized that he'd never pleasured Princess before; it was only the other way around. He decided it was the least he could do. "Okay, I can do that."
Seth brought his mouth to Princess's slit. Although it was larger than Roxanne or May's, he managed to elicit a pleasured croon from Princess as he applied his tongue to her entrance. Princess tasted different than Kyra or May; she tasted like cool and sweet spring water, with only a hint of a saltier flavor present. He found he really liked her taste, so he doubled his efforts, pressing his mouth closer and inserting his tongue inside of her.
He could feel himself getting closer thanks to Kyra's ministrations, and he couldn't help moaning into Princess. The serpent twitched on top of his, the end of her tail thrashing as he delved deeper inside of her. Finding an odd spot inside of her, he applied pressure to it with the tip of his tongue, and received a loud cry from Princess followed by a rush of sweet tasting liquid filling his mouth and coating his face.
"Mfff….Kyra...I'm getting close," Seth broke away from the blushing Princess just long enough to warn Kyra of his impending orgasm. Kyra responded by removing Seth from her mouth and speeding up her telekinetic stroking, all while angling his member towards his chest. "Wait, Kyra, what are you...aahh...I can't...aaah!"
Seth couldn't stop himself from cumming, his seed splattering over his chest and onto Princess. And of course, May and Roxanne picked that exactly moment to walk out of the bathroom, both of them fully dressed. May's reaction was to burst out laughing.
"Come on, we were only gone for a few minutes!" May teased. She noted how much of a mess Seth was now and grinned. "Seems like they really worked you over, huh?'
"S-Stop looking at me like that. Kyra and Princess wanted a turn, and I couldn't turn them down…" Seth attempted to justify his current state, his face feeling as though it were on fire. It didn't help though, as May only laughed harder. Roxanne merely watched the two of them with some amusement. "I'm...just gonna go get a shower now."
"You do that, lover boy!"
Once the three of them were cleaned up and ready to go, they left the hotel and went to a restaurant to get something in their stomachs. Seth decided to experiment with his choice of meal, as this would likely be his last meal in Rustboro for a while. HIs choice resulted in a very enjoyable meal, leaving him with plenty of energy for the trip to come. Eventually, Roxanne had to split off to go to the gym. As for May...
"You take care, alright? I don't know when I'm going to see you next." May bid farewell to Seth with a hug, genuine concern evident in her words. Seth became overly cognizant of the briefcase stuffed in his travel pack after hearing that. Normally he wouldn't be worried, but as long as he had that, he was a target for Team Aqua. He still had a hard time wrapping his mind around that.
"I'll be fine as long as I have Kyra and Princess," Seth reassured her as he patted Kyra, who was in her favorite spot on his shoulder. For the time being, Princess was in her pokéball, as the restaurant had been too cramped for her to comfortably lay. "Will you be heading to Dewford too?"
"Eventually, yeah, but probably not for a while. Rustboro's a big place, and I only just got here," May answered. Seth nodded; he likely wouldn't see May for quite some time. "So I guess I'll see you when I see you. Shoot me a message every so often, won't you?"
"I can do that," Seth promised her. With that, the two of them parted, and Seth headed due south. As he walked, he decided to voice aloud what he needed to do before heading back to Petalburg. "Now, there's a few things I need to handle in the city before I go. I need to restock on travel supplies, and get other things for the trip."
First, Seth stopped by an electronics store, where he used his new stockpile of money to purchase several external battery packs to keep his PokéNav charged on the journey, as well as a camera of decent quality. Next, he stopped by a PokéMart to fill his bag with rations for himself, and food for his pokémon. Once those two chores were taken care of, Seth headed south out of Rustboro.
Seth was fairly certain that Jim wouldn't be back at his cottage by the time he managed to get there; the last time he saw Jim, he was back in the Rusturf Tunnel area. Yet that didn't pose an issue; in the worst case, he could just go to Petalburg's beach and spend a few days relaxing there.
The trip back to Petalburg proved to be a relaxing one. He took his time walking back through the woods, finding the experience to a pleasant one. Just like the first time, the Petalburg woods were filled with life...as well as trainers.
As he and Kyra easily dismantled the team of a trainer with four pokémon, Seth briefly considered the idea expanding his team as well on the off chance that one of the gym leaders he battled possessed a larger team. Yet as he glanced at the various Nincada, Wurmples, and other such pokémon in the woods, he couldn't see himself raising any of them like he was with Princess and Kyra. It didn't take him long to dismiss that idea. Kyra and Princess were all he needed.
Because he took his time, it took him a little over a day to arrive in Petalburg. The first thing he did was visit the boardwalk by the beach and ask around until he found Jim's cottage. As it turned out, Jim owned the wharf and the boathouse not far from where Seth originally caught Princess. According to his staff, however, he wouldn't be back for a few days, giving Seth a good deal of free time.
He knew just how he was going to spend it.
Slaking was an immensely strong pokémon, known for both its laziness and its sheer physical strength. It was also Norman's trademark pokémon, the one that every trainer had to face should they be skilled enough to down his other pokémon.
Seth winced as Slaking's ham fist crashed into the pokémon of the opposing trainer with enough force to knock it out immediately on impact, while at the same time hurling it clear across the arena into the wall, cracking it. With that, the bell sounded, and the referee signalled the end of the match. Slaking snorted, and it proceeded to lay down again, promptly falling asleep.
This came as no surprise to Seth, who had been sitting in the bleachers of the Petalburg gym, watching his father take on the latest challenger. There was a reason Norman was invited to be a gym leader despite his previous home in Johto, so no typical trainer would be able to defeat him so easily. It was precisely due to his skill and experience that Seth was here now.
"Foresight, huh? What a frustrating ability," Norman commented upon listening to Seth's story, the two of them strolling together through the streets after the challenger had left. "I hate to say it, but that's not all that uncommon among the pokémon with stronger psychic abilities. In fact, Kyra could potentially learn to use it, if she were to grow more skilled with her own abilities."
"You think so?" Seth glanced at Kyra, who appeared interested as well. The idea of using foresight himself to combat Crux seemed an appealing one, though Kyra had never shown any such tendencies before. "Is it a difficult thing to learn? It seems simple to May's Duskull."
"Hm. Like your Milotic, Duskull is a very rare pokémon. As far as I know, I've only ever seen a gym leader in Sinnoh use one." Norman admitted. "It could be that foresight is inherent to the pokémon. I wish I had more experience to share with you, but my specialty lies in identifying and countering the strengths of others."
"That's more than enough for me. Each time I fight May, she outmaneuvers me with her techniques, and then uses foresight to prevent me from turning the tables," Seth relates, the frustration evident in his voice. He noticed his father smirking at that. "What?"
"It's nothing. You remind me of myself when faced with a challenge. I was never one to lie down and take a loss," Norman responded. The two of them finally reached their destination; a grassy field just outside of town. He sat down and released one of his pokémon; a white ape with long arms, known as a Vigoroth. "Alright, let's see what we can do. Assuming you can't use foresight yourself, let's identify what that ability can and can't do. What have you learned?"
"Whenever Duskull uses it, he seems able to know exactly where and when I'm going to act, and is able to avoid it. One time, he used it to hit Kyra immediately post teleport, knowing precisely where she was going to appear. Another time, he used it to avoid Princess's counterattacks." Seth released Princess from her pokéball as well, such that both of his pokémon were in the field. He reasoned that both of them needed to hear this. "May wouldn't tell me any more than that, though."
"A significant advantage indeed. Is there some way of knowing when he's using foresight?"
"Not that I….wait. I remember seeing his eye flash right before he avoided Princess's attacks." Seth answered, Princess agreeing with a soft hum.
"There it is; your first weakness." Norman slapped his fist into his hand, a triumphant smile on his face.
"What? How is that a weakness?" Seth asked, confused.
"Think about it. If that flash means he's using foresight, and it occurs right before his preventative actions, it's likely that he can only see a few seconds or so into the future. In other words, if you think and plan ahead further than his foresight, you'll be able to counter it," Norman explained, making the solution sound as though it were simple.
"Easier said than done," Seth muttered.
"Of course, you'll need to know very well the capabilities of both your pokémon and the Duskull," Norman clarified. "A second method would be to ignore his foresight entirely, and attack in a way that makes it irrelevant if he can see what's coming or not. An area attack, or a swift move that he won't be able to dodge."
"I don't think I have anything like that."
"Nonsense. I've seen what a Milotic can do at the World Championships. There's no reason you couldn't blast him away with a wall of water," Norman pointed out. Seth glanced at Princess, who tilted her head, seeming perplexed. "Granted, yours may not be at that level yet. Which brings me to my next point. If you don't want to be outmaneuvered again by May's techniques, come up with your own. Pokémon don't necessarily always know their own capabilities, and need our help to guide them to their full potential."
"How would I go about doing that? I've done a little bit, but I wouldn't even begin to know where to start helping Kyra learn how to use foresight," Seth asked, looking for anything he could use to take that next step. He was determined that when he fought May again, he wouldn't lose.
"The good thing about being a trainer is that it's a well beaten road. There are countless resources out there available for you to use: internet tutorials, textbooks, and even trainer schools. You're a smart kid; I've no doubt you'll find the way forward," Norman reassured him. Seth felt silly that he didn't even think about that. He resolved to spend some of his time at Petalburg's town library doing just that. "As for how to use the techniques you've learned in battle...that I can help you with. What do you say we go a few rounds, and you show me what you've learned?"
"I'd appreciate the help! Just...don't use Slaking, please." Seth's response earned a laugh from his father.
"I had no intentions of doing such. Just Vigoroth will be fine." Norman then turned to the pokémon beside him. "You hear that? Take it easy on them, and focus on dodging."
The Vigoroth let out a grunt of assent, and with that, it and Kyra began to fight.
In the morning, Seth traveled to the library and spent several hours there, poring through textbooks and reference guides on psychic and water type pokémon. In the process, he learned that pokémon weren't necessarily limited by their type in what they could do. Despite being a water type, it seemed theoretically possible that Princess could learn to use ice as well as even minor psychic abilities.
Once the day started to warm up, Seth went to the beach to relax. He stopped by the store first to purchase himself a pair of swimming trunks and a pair of goggles. Once he had them, he went down to the shoreline (making sure to pick the one where clothing was necessary) and sunned himself on a towel. When he got too hot, he ran to the water and frolicked with Princess in the waves to cool down. This would be the first time he'd spent time with Princess at the ocean.
Seth stood several meters away from shore, up to his shoulders in sea water. The waves were substantial today, so every few seconds, his feet would leave the bottom and he'd bob upwards. Beside him was Princess, the sea serpent mostly submerged, with Kyra on her back. She was clearly happier than ever to be back in her element, but it seemed as though she wasn't satisfied with just swimming by the shore. She kept trying to swim out further, and would wait for Seth to follow.
"You want to go further out?" Seth asked curiously, somewhat trepidatious at the thought of having to swim. He wasn't even sure he could do it properly, or for very long without getting tired. Princess nodded her head, indicating the open sea. When Seth hesitated, she lifted more of her body to the surface, and Kyra tapped her body impatiently. He quickly understood what that meant. She was giving him permission to ride her, and she could swim a lot better than he could. "In that case, why not? That seems like fun!"
Seth swung a leg over Princess's body and climbed atop of her, finding that she had plenty of room for him to sit, reminding him of just how large she actually was. He wrapped his arms around her neck, with Kyra cradled firmly against his chest.
"Alright! Take us away, Princess!" With that, Princess surged ahead at a pace faster than Seth could swim, her body undulating gracefully beneath him. Seth's nostrils filled with the scent of ocean spray as the wind whipped around his body.
Seth glanced around as they cruised, seeing the shore far in the distance and the multitudes of people enjoying the springtime sun. He wasn't the only one riding their pokémon out here either; a swimmer passed by on a Seaking, while another drifted by slowly on a pokémon he didn't recognize. He sighed with contentment; he'd never thought he'd be lucky enough to experience something like this for himself.
Princess took him far out into what Hoenn called the Aged Sea, nothing but the rolling waves stretching out before them. At the rate Princess was going, Seth considered the idea that they could travel all the way to Dewford just like this without the need for a boat. He quickly discarded that idea; he wouldn't want to weigh Princess down with all of his travel equipment, and waterproofing said equipment would be an issue as well.
Princess slowly drifted to a halt out there in the middle of the sea, her head swinging around to look at Seth. Once she was sure she had his attention, she dipped her head below the water, and then brought it back up.
"You want to go under?" Seth glanced down at the water, wondering what it would be like beneath the waves. Yet, that left him with one concern; he couldn't hold his breath for very long, and he was sure that Kyra couldn't either due to her smaller size. The obvious solution would be to put Kyra in her pokéball that he still had belted around his waist, but he knew how much she disliked being cooped up in it.
Kyra turned about and smiled, no doubt able to sense that he was thinking about her. She placed an arm on his leg, and then she tapped the button on her pokéball himself, disappearing inside of it in a flash. Seth gazed at the spot where she used to be, his lips curving into a smile. He could only conclude that this meant Kyra had fully accepted Princess, and didn't mind if he spent some time alone with her.
"Alright, let's do it. But if I tap on your neck, bring me back up for air, okay?" Seth pulled down his goggles and secured them firmly around his eyes. He took in a deep breath through his mouth, and then Princess slipped beneath the surface.
The water rushed up to meet him, and then he was engulfed by the waves. He could see nothing but an endless expanse of blue for as far as the eye could see. A dark abyss stretched out below him, the bottom completely out of sight. Yet, the waters were filled with life; schools of Feebas and other fish that he didn't recognize wheeled through the depths, and the silhouettes of larger marine creatures loomed in the dark.
Through all of this, Princess wound her way through the water elegantly, her fins streaming along behind her. With nothing but the feeling of the water coursing over his skin and the sound of his pulse pounding in his ears, Seth felt as though he had entered an entirely different world where nothing existed except for him, Princess, and the ocean life. It was exhilarating.
Seth gulped in lungfuls of precious air when they returned to the surface, feeling an overwhelming sense of disappointment now that he was back on the surface. He was jealous of Princess and how she was able to experience such beauty at will. There wasn't much to see this far out without going much deeper, but being able to experience it with Princess was a magical experience.
"That was wonderful! Can we go back down?" Seth expressed to Princess, who was more than happy to oblige.
For the next few days, Seth more or less stuck to the same schedule. In the mornings, he'd go to the library to study up on how to train his pokémon properly. Then he'd relax at the beach and head out to sea with Princess during the warmest part of the day, and finally, in the evenings, he'd visit his father and spend some time training and testing new battle techniques that he'd come up with during his efforts at the library.
Before he knew it, a week had passed, and word reached him that Jim had returned to his boathouse by the beach. Recognizing that it was time to leave, Seth gathered up his travel gear, bid his father farewell, and headed to the beach.
"Why, if it isn't Seth! Good to see you again, son," Jim greeted him with an enthusiastic handshake upon answering the door. Peeko was sitting on the man's shoulder, much like Kyra would do to Seth. "What can this old man do for you?"
"I was actually hoping to take you up on that offer you gave me before." Seth pointed back towards the sea with a thumb. "I have a few deliveries to make; one in Dewford and one in Slateport."
"Ah! Well, it's been some time since I've gone sailing, so I'd be more than happy to take you. Dewford and Slateport, hm? That's very doable." Jim seemed pleased by Seth's request. He beckoned for Seth to come in. "Come on in. I just have to grab a few things before I'm ready to set sail."
Despite Jim referring to their departure as "setting sail," it turned out that his boat didn't possess any sails at all. Seth found himself boarding a small yacht with multihull consisting of two levels: one with an interior where a kitchen, lounge, and sleeping area could be found; and an upper level where the driver's seat was situated.
"We're a good eighty miles away from Dewford, so we're looking at a two hour trip. Make yourself at home," Jim informed Seth as the latter gave the interior of the yacht a cursory look. "There's snacks and drinks in the kitchen, and the bed's all the way in the back if you want a nap. Life jackets are here, beneath this bench. Go ahead and put one on; safety first and all that."
"Will do. Thanks again for all of this." Seth reached under the bench and felt around until he located the life jackets. He doubted he'd need one as long as he had Princess, but it was better to be safe, as Jim had said. Speaking of Princess; once he'd donned a suitable life jacket, he released Princess from her pokéball so she could keep him and Kyra company. She was significantly larger than Kyra, so Seth often had to keep her in her ball when there simply wasn't enough space for her to move around. "Hey, Princess. I'm sorry I keep putting you back in your ball."
Princess didn't seem to mind, as she seemed happy just to see him. She had to lower her head to keep from hitting the ceiling, as at her usual height she rose three heads taller than him. As Jim climbed up the ladder to the upper level, she lowered her head to nuzzle Kyra on his shoulder, and kiss Seth, who blushed. It didn't matter how often he received affection from his pokémon like this; it would never get any less magical to him.
The boat rumbled to life beneath his feet. Seth grew excited; he'd never been on a boat like this before, so he wanted to get the best view possible. "Come on, Princess! I'm headed up front!" After stashing his travel gear in the living quarters, Seth headed around the edge of the boat directly to the prow, where two cushions were set up for the express purpose of what he wished to do. However, there was no room for Princess to go along the side, so she had to cut through the living quarters to the bedroom, where there was a hatch in the roof through which she could stick her head.
"You all set up front?" Jim called down from the driver's seat. When Seth acknowledged him, he revved the engine, and his Wingull took to the skies, soaring out and around to fly alongside them. "Hold on tight! Let's go sailing, Peeko, my darling!"
With that, the boat steadily edged forward, Jim carefully navigating through the docking area and avoiding other traffic. Once he made it to the open sea, he gunned the engine and the boat took off. Seth held tightly onto Princess as he felt himself pressed against the boat as his body accelerated to match its pace. Soon, the sound of the boat's engine and the crashing of the wake filled the air as the boat's prow dipped slightly up and down.
Once the boat had reached a steady pace and his body had adjusted to the speed, Seth relaxed and retrieved his PokéNav. During his time at the beach, he'd taken several pictures of himself with Princess, and he recalled that there were several people that wanted to see them. Already smiling at the thought of their reactions, he pulled up the pictures and sent them to the group chat.
Douglas: …
Gin: Nothing to say, Douglas?
Douglas: ...well, I guess I stand corrected. So Connie, when can I catch my own Feebas?
Tom: lol talk about a quick turnaround. Seriously though, great pokémon! Though I could give a few tips on your camera angles… :P
Connie: She looks beautiful. I'm a little jealous.
Douglas: Fishing trip when? :T
Connie: You know I'm always up for that.
Seth made sure to show Princess the chat so she could see the compliments she was being given. At the same time, as he chatted with them a bit longer, he found himself wanting to join them again...but they were probably far from Hoenn by now. Like it was with Jasmine, he'd be lucky to see them again.
Speaking of Jasmine, Seth debated telling her about his two pokémon. He hadn't been much in touch with her since he started his journey apart from the odd message here and there. No doubt she'd be happy to hear about his newfound interest in pokémon. He eventually decided that now wasn't the right time. He wanted to really impress her, so he determined to tell her once he was a little further in the Hoenn League.
For the remainder of the trip, Seth relaxed on the prow with Kyra and Princess. After the first few minutes he started to feel somewhat nauseous, so he grasped onto Princess and tried to get some sleep. He found that napping always used to help him with car sickness when he was younger, so he figured it was worth a shot.
He woke just in time to see Dewford Island came into sight. The boat slowed as they came into contact with other sea traffic, consisting of various fishing boats and yachts, and the occasional ferry carrying passengers to and from the mainland.
As for the town itself, Seth could make out a roadway that stretched the length of the coastline before it curved sharply inland. The coastline was dotted with boathouses and docks, and public beaches could be seen wherever the former weren't present. Beyond the road were various residential areas and fishing houses, with a common architectural theme of white walls and blue shingle roofing. It didn't take long for Seth to determine that fishing was the island's primary industry.
Behind the town, the land rose up into a series of heavily forested peaks, with trails visibly carved out leading to their summits. Seeing that causes Seth to get a little excited. It seemed as though there were plenty to do on this island. Sadly, he knew he couldn't take his time here, as long as Jim was waiting for him.
"Ah, Dewford Town! It's been a while since I last visited!" Jim declared happily as he pulled his boat into the dock. He shut off the engine and began the process of mooring the yacht. As for Seth, he removed his life jacket, gathered his pokémon, and strode onto the dock, breathing in the warm sea air. "How long do you plan on staying, Seth?"
"No more than a few days. I need to deliver this letter, and then I hope to challenge the gym that's here," Seth related to him. Kyra noticeably grew excited at those words, the Ralts bouncing on his shoulder. Seth chuckled and pet her briefly.
"I see. Well, don't you worry about me. I've plenty to keep me busy while you do your thing," Jim assured him with a jolly smile. "Here, let me give you my contact information. Just give me a ring when you're ready to head out again."
"Alright. I really appreciate your help." Seth accepted the small slip of paper from JIm, the old man's number scrawled upon it. With that, the two of them parted ways, leaving Seth alone to explore the town.
Compared to a place like Rustboro City, Dewford Town possessed a markedly different atmosphere. It was difficult for Seth to place, but everything seemed to move slowly there. Unlike the city, nobody was rushing here and there to get to wherever they were going as quickly as possible. The people moved at a slow, steady pace, and there weren't nearly as many of them.
Seth also noticed a difference in the people themselves; the majority of those he saw were elderly in age, ranging from the upper forties to the late eighties. As time went on, he noticed only a few individuals around his age, and most of them were trainers and likely not residents of the island. He quickly concluded that this town must be a popular retirement location, likely due to its proximity and dependency on the sea.
The most natural course for Seth to take was to follow the scarce few trainers he did find, hoping he'd find his way to the only place such people would congregate; the town's Pokémon Gym. As he followed them, he found himself climbing a steady incline as he neared the southern edge of town.
Before long, Seth spotted what could only be the gym, the building resting at the top of a high cliff that overlooked the ocean below. Despite the number of trainers gathered being larger there than anywhere else on the island, what Seth saw was still only a pittance compared to a city like Rustboro.
The gym itself seemed simply designed, as it was constructed with the same materials and architecture as the rest of the town. The only difference in its style was its shell shaped roof and circular doorway...and the fact that there weren't any windows.
Seth made his way through the small group of trainers, some of whom were battling with their pokémon, and headed towards the front door. He made doubly sure to avoid making eye contact with any of the idle trainers, knowing from experience just how eager they could be to battle.
The door split in half upon his approach, allowing him entrance into a small reception room that was rather dimly lit. The only sources of light came from the lamp on the receptionists' desk, and the two pokéball statues that towered above him on either side of the entrance. After Seth's eyes adjusted to the dim light, he strode forward to the front desk, where a middle-aged man sat behind the counter.
"Good afternoon, trainer. I assume you're here to register your gym challenge?" the man greeted him as he approached, his voice sounding somewhat bored.
"That's right. Do you have any time slots open?" With that, Seth was given a clipboard upon which a registration sheet was stationed, along with a pen. As he knelt down to sign up, Kyra hopped off of his shoulder onto the desk.
He glanced over the sheet, noting several points of interest. First, he discovered that the name of the town's gym leader was Brawly, and he was a user of fighting type pokémon. Remembering his studies, Seth smiled a bit, recognizing that Kyra had an advantage right out of the gate. Perhaps she'd be able to make her way through it without him having to resort to Princess.
Second, Brawly's schedule seemed booked for the remainder of the day and most of tomorrow morning, so Seth chose a time in the afternoon the following day. When he was finished, he allowed Kyra to hop back up on his shoulder, and then he left the gym, as he had other things to handle in town. As he went, he wondered what sort of person Brawly would be.
Seth's next order of business was to find Jonathan's son, Steven, who was supposedly there on the island somewhere. Seth sighed as he regarded the map of the town on his PokéNav, which essentially rendered his paper map obsolete. Dewford Town may be small compared to a place like Petalburg, but it was sizable enough to make tracking down one person a significant hurdle.
He then had a sudden idea. Jonathan had mentioned that his son was "heavily involved" in the Pokémon League, so perhaps the trainers would know something about him. He acted on this idea and walked back to the gym, intending to ask one of the nearby trainers. Unfortunately, this would no doubt result in a…
"Steven? As in Steven Stone?! I might know something, but if you want it, you'll have to beat me first! I won't make it easy for you; I beat Roxanne in Rustboro!"
...a trainer battle. Seth allowed Kyra to take the field against the cocky younger male that now opposed him. Yet, surprisingly, the battle was over in an instant. Kyra teleported circles around the trainer's grass-type pokémon (a Nuzleaf, according to his PokéDex) and brought it down before it could muster any of its moves.
"That was...disappointing," Seth admitted as he walked away from the gym once more, pocketing the cash he'd just earned. He noticed Kyra looking at him curiously, and he chuckled, knowing how unlike him that sounded. "I don't know, after working so hard to come up with new strategies and techniques, I kinda wanted to try them out. Are we really that much better than the average trainer?"
Kyra seemed to think so, if her smug smile was anything to go on. Seth shook his head and chuckled, still surprised at himself that he felt disappointed about a battle being over so soon, despite his distaste for battling in general. He put those thoughts aside; no doubt Brawly would prove to be a challenge, just like Roxanne was.
According to that trainer, Steven had arrived a week or so ago, and spent most of his time in the mountains. More specifically, there was a particular cave that was closed off to regular tourists where Steven had let slip that he was visiting. Apparently Steven was also popular, as some of the bolder trainers were heading that way.
The cave was called Granite Cave, and it was a few hours walk out of town, through a mountain trail that wound its way up the cliffs bordering the sea. The idea of exploring a cave excited Seth beyond measure, as it was something he'd never done before. This meant he'd have some errands to run before leaving town.
Seth first stopped by a store and spent some of the money he'd just earned on a pair of hiking boots, rope, a flashlight, and climbing equipment. HIs journey up until now had been mostly through forested areas, so he thought it best to be prepared for a change in terrain.
Finally, he checked out a room in a reasonably priced inn, stored all the equipment he wouldn't need (though he made a point to keep the briefcase from Devon Corporation with him), and then he set out for the mountain trail clad in his new gear.
Seth left town and made his way to the mountain trail. It was hard to miss; it seems the town had set up a way station for tourists to provide information about the trail ahead. It was simple in design, consisting of little more than a map of the mountain trails, a place to stock up on supplies and souvenirs, and portable bathrooms.
He also noticed he wasn't the only one preparing to head up the trail.
"Oh hey, another trainer I'm guessing. Evening," a rugged man in his late twenties greeted him as he approached. Judging from his attire and equipment, the man before him wasn't only a trainer, but also one well used to the rigors of the mountains. Although Seth wanted to progress onto the trail, he returned the greeting, deciding to be polite. "I'm Roger. Are you also heading up the trail?"
"Seth, here. Yeah. I'm on my way to Granite Cave-" Seth began.
"To see Steven, right?" Roger interrupted with a knowing grin. Seth blinked, but then realized that he shouldn't be surprised. "That's what my girl and I are here to do too."
"Is he really all that popular?" Seth asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He wondered if he shouldn't have asked when Roger gave him an incredulous look.
"You don't know?" Roger questioned him.
"I know he's the son of the CEO of Devon Corporation," Seth admitted. "But I've only recently moved to Hoenn, so if there's more to him than that, I don't know about it."
"That's just the half of it. Steven Stone used to be champion of the Hoenn League!" Roger revealed excitedly. Seth exhaled sharply with surprise and awe. Jonathan had mentioned that Steven was experienced in the league, but never to that extent.
Champions were the greatest trainers in the world, the strongest of the strong. Twice a year, there would be a tournament in each participating region for those tough trainers that possessed the respective eight badges. The lone trainer who made it through the tournament would be given the right to battle the Elite Four, who were widely regarded as the four strongest trainers in the region. If they managed to beat all four, they would be entered into the Pokémon Hall of Fame and would have the option of challenging the current League Champion for that region.
Seth recalled the different champions he'd heard of. Everyone knew of Champion Red, the taciturn man that had single handedly taken down Team Rocket by himself, took down Champion Blue without breaking a sweat, and then went on to win the World Tournament before seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth. Currently in Johto, Lance the Dragon Tamer was still the present champion as he had been for years, as far as Seth knew. He wasn't familiar with the champions of the other regions, as he'd never watched the World Tournament before.
Yet, Seth knew that even being a former champion meant that Steven was a trainer far beyond anyone he'd ever met, even his own father.
"Because of that, we're gonna go see if we can take him on, just for the fun of it!" Roger finished. Behind him, from one of the bathrooms, a girl with silvery hair and form-fitting crimson exercise clothing approached, pausing beside Roger as he spoke. "Oh hey, Bridget's back. This is Seth; he's also going to see Steven...though I'm not sure why, since you didn't know he was a champion."
"I'm just delivering a message. I don't think I have the skills to battle a former champion," Seth confessed ruefully. The idea of battling even a gym leader was still daunting to him; he couldn't even imagine how tough a champion would be to overcome. "Also, it's a pleasure to meet you, Bridget."
"Likewise," Bridget returned with a nod. She didn't seem to eager to stick around, however. She grasped Roger's arm with both hands and tugged on him. "Come on, let's hit that trail! If possible, I'd like to make time to see the falls too. It's been a while since I've sketched a good landscape."
"I agree, the sooner we get going, the sooner we can battle Steven. You coming, Seth?" Roger offered as the two of them walked towards the trail.
"I am, but don't wait up for me. I like to take my time when hiking," Seth responded, motioning for them to go ahead. With that, the two of them nodded and headed along their way. Bridget took the lead...only for Roger to lightly slap her butt as she walked by him. She yelped and glared playfully at him, but he only chuckled in response. Seth flushed and looked away, not sure if it was alright for him to see that. Yet they didn't seem to care that Seth could see.
Seth waited a few minutes to give the two of them a head start, and then he followed them up the trail.
The trail steadily wound its way up the mountain. The more he traveled, the more grateful Seth was for the boots he'd invested in. The trail grew increasingly more overgrown with thick tree roots and studded with sizable rocks. Sometimes the path would take him across a slab of sheer granite jutting out from the cliffs. Had he not invested in boots, he knew that his feet would be aching by now due to the bumpy path.
The further he went from civilization, the more wildlife Seth could see. He noticed Taillow flying from tree to tree in search of food, Seedot hanging from the branches, and countless Wurmple and Nincada crawling in the brush. He also noticed Silcoon and Cascoon hidden beneath rocks or around the trunks of trees, awaiting the time when they would eventually hatch.
After about an hour's walk, Seth reached a small surging river that crossed the path before winding its way down hill through a series of rapids. The river was relatively calm at this particular spot, so there wasn't a bridge in the formal sense of word; instead there were several raised stones loosely connected together to allow passage. Additionally, there was a sign to the right of the "bridge," warning the passerby to watch their step.
Excited, Seth began to cross the river, his ears filled with the sound of the rushing rapids and likely the falls themselves in the distance. Yet, as he skipped from stone to stone, he became aware of what sounded like a voice. And as he made it to the other side of the river, his heart stopped when he became able to hear it more clearly. The voice was clearly female, and it sounded like she was in pain.
"Let's go, Kyra. They might need help!" Seth quickened his pace to as fast as he could go, until he came upon a naturally made alcove in the high rock cliff face that bordered the right side of this path. As he looked inside to get a handle on the situation, he quickly realized that he had misjudged what he'd been hearing. He gulped, and his face slowly turned a deep shade of red. He had very gravely misjudged.
Bridget was sitting down with her back against the cliffside, naked from the waist down, with her legs spread out to either side. Roger was on top of her, his pants resting down around his ankles, giving Seth a full view of his butt. The cries of pain that he'd thought he'd heard were in fact cries of pleasure as Roger repeatedly thrust himself inside her.
"Oh...it's...it's Seth!" Bridget managed to get out, her body shaking beneath her boyfriend. Roger didn't even pause, instead only briefly glancing back at Seth. "R-Roger…!"
"Don't mind us. We're just taking a bit...hff...of a break," Roger called back to Seth, not seeming embarrassed in the slightest that he had been caught having sex with his girlfriend. "Go on ahead of us if you want...we might...nngh...be a while…"
"R-Right. You uh...have fun then," Seth stammered, and then he quickly rushed ahead, leaving the two trainers to their lovemaking. He held a hand to his pounding heart; he'd never been this embarrassed before. "Right...I'm in Hoenn. Stuff like that is normal...yeah."
Kyra squeaked and suddenly fall forward off of his shoulder, such that Seth had to catch her. She held one of her arms to her middle and spasmed strangely, more squeaks emitting from her mouth. Seth at first thought something was wrong, but then he realized that she was laughing. At him.
"Stop that, Kyra! It's not that funny!"
Putting that awkward scene behind him, Seth continued his trip up the mountains, until eventually he exited the forest onto the top of one of the larger foothills. From here, he could see the peak of one of the tallest mountains on the island, Mt. Fair, towering above the surrounding landscape. Down below, he could see a carpet of green trees rolling down across the foothills, and even Dewford Town itself was visible as various blue roofed buildings spread out along the shoreline like a toy set.
Seth couldn't help but snap a picture of the view, awe overcoming him and making him feel very small indeed. He'd never seen a view like this in his life, and it took his breath away.
Behind him, however, was his true destination. A jagged hole large enough to admit three people side by size gaped in the cliffside; this was no doubt the entrance to Granite Cave. Confirming this was a sign that stood beside the cave entrance labeling it as such. It also displayed a warning that the cave was not fully explored, and that the town would not accept responsibility for those who chose to veer off the cordoned path.
Seth retrieved his flashlight and stepped inside, hardly able to contain how excited he was to explore a cave. He was slightly worried about getting lost inside, but there was thankfully a path that had been established inside by railings set into the walls and rising form the floor. There were also electric lamps on the walls as well, but it was clear to him that they hadn't been maintained in quite some time, as the filaments were rusted and nonfunctional.
Flicking on his flashlight, Seth quietly made his way through the darkness, guided only by the circle of light he cast on the floor. As he went, he kept a hand firmly on the railing to keep from slipping as he descended into the depths of the cave.
He once made the mistake of shining the light towards the ceiling. While the stalactite formations were beautiful, the Zubat hanging from above didn't take kindly to the light. They scattered and attacked, forcing him to duck and cover while Kyra easily fended them off with her telekinesis.
Eventually, after a half hour of following the path, the path abruptly ended. No further railing existed, and the ground ahead was no longer smooth. As Seth cast his light around, he noticed that the cave continued onward in multiple directions. He also discovered a sign nailed into the stone wall, giving travelers yet another warning that the trail had ended, and that they should be fully equipped with spelunking and pathfinding gear if they wished to travel onward.
"Hm...Steven must be in here somewhere. Unless he somehow passed me by in the dark," Seth mused aloud, his voice sounding odd as it echoed off the walls. Kyra then alerted him with a squeak towards one of the particular offshoot tunnels. Upon taking a closer look, Seth noticed a faint red glow coming from within. "What could that be coming from? Let's go take a look."
Seth didn't have to go very far off the path to find out what was causing the glow. Resting on the floor was a small red stick that burned with a similarly colored light bright enough to illuminate the path for several feet. He didn't know much about caving, but he at least knew what a flare looked like.
"This is it. He must have come this way," Seth said, snapping his fingers. He set out down the tunnel with renewed purpose, having a hunch that whoever had left this flare may have left others. Sure enough, it didn't take him long to find another flare. He began to follow the flares through the darkness of Granite Cave, recognizing that they would lead him right to whoever had left them.
The flares led him on a long precarious journey. The whole way, Seth kept his flashlight fixed on the ground and picked his steps carefully. A fall in this cave could very easily spell serious injury or death for him, if he was unlucky enough to crack his head on one of the stalagmites.
Seth gulped when he reached a outcropping of rock that overlooked a deep precipice. He could see a flare burning at the bottom, revealing the pit to be at least ten meters. He made to reach for his rope, but then he noticed a rope already fastened to a thick stalagmite with a bowline knot. The length of the rope was knotted as well at regular intervals, designed to make climbing and descending easy.
"I guess we're going down. Hold on tight, Kyra." After giving the rope several test pulls to check for its stability, Seth gingerly grabbed hold and carefully lowered himself over the edge of the precipice. As he'd had to stash his flashlight in his bag, he was plunged into complete darkness, forced to use his hands and feet to find the knots in the rope. Thankfully, this became easier once he neared the bottom of the pit and the flare made it easier to see his surroundings.
Seth sighed in relief when he felt his boots land on solid ground. From this flare, he turned until he found the next one...and found himself gazing at the distant silhouette of what was more than likely his quarry, kneeling down before the wall. Seth retrieved his flashlight once more and made his way towards the distant figure.
He couldn't mask his approach, so the figure easily heard the crunching of his boots on the rough ground. As the figure lifted its head, the flare resting nearby lit up its face clearly enough for Seth to see.
The figure was a man in his early twenties, and a very good looking man to boot. A swath of neatly trimmed silver hair covered his head, and his face was handsomely sculpted with a pointed chin and well structured cheekbones. Upon meeting Seth's eyes, the man smiled in a friendly manner.
"Come here a moment," the man called out to him, beckoning him with one hand as he turned his gaze back to the rock. Seth blinked, perplexed, but did as he was told. Despite approaching him, the man beckoned further, so Seth knelt down on the rock beside him. The first thing Seth noticed was a rift in the wall, through which he could see the light reflecting off of something within. The man indicated the rift. "Go on, shine your light inside and tell me what you see."
"O-Okay." This was a rather odd way to meet someone, but Seth went along with it. He lifted his flashlight and shone the light into the rift...and then he gasped at what he saw. Inside the rift was a large collection of milky white crystals that jutted out from the rock at irregular angles, often intersecting with one another. It looked like the deposit extended even further, but Seth couldn't quite see that far. "Whoa, look at all of those crystals. I've never seen anything like it. It's breathtaking."
"Isn't it?" The man's face lit up with childish glee at Seth's reaction. He presented a similar crystal to Seth for him to look at. "These are selenite crystals. They're one of the many evaporite minerals that can be found in caves like this. They're not all that uncommon, but they are beautiful, and sometimes they can appear in great numbers to form what we call crystal caves."
"I would love to see that. This is my first time exploring a cave, to be honest." Seth forgot his awkwardness in the wake of seeing something so beautiful. He couldn't keep himself from gazing into the rift further. "I had no idea something like this could exist."
"This is but many of the wonders that can appear in a cave like this. Have you seen the flowstone formations further down? You would be amazed at some of the natural structures that can form from the calcite sediment left behind by running water." The man rose to his feet, and offered Seth a hand to help him up as well, which he gladly accepted. He noted the presence of Kyra on Seth's shoulder, and a knowing smile crossed his face. "Oh, I do hope you forgive my manners. My name is Steven. I imagine you've been looking for me. You're quite tenacious, to track me all the way down here."
"I have been, but not for the reasons you think," Seth revealed to him hastily, hoping to avoid a battle with someone who could likely wipe the floor with him. Steven appeared perplexed by that, though Seth thought he also looked relieved. Seth reached into his bag and fished around until he found the letter he was tasked to deliver. "I am a trainer, but I'm only just starting out, and I know my limits. No, your father sent me to give you this letter."
"A letter for me?" Steven accepted the envelope from Seth, flicking it open with a finger and retrieving the contents. Using a flashlight of his own, he quickly scanned the contents before placing the letter back in the envelope and stashing it in his own bag. He seemed very pleased by what he'd read. "Really now...very interesting. Thank you for going so far out of your way to give this to me, Seth."
"It wasn't that far out of my way. I had to come to this town anyway, and I've never explored a cave before." Seth shrugged; he didn't mind having a goal when exploring, as it gave him a general direction in which to travel.
"Are you interested in caving?" Steven leaned back against the wall, using his flashlight to keep the area around the two of them well lit.
"I'm interested in exploring in general; caves are just one aspect of that to me. So far, it's been beautiful in an almost eerie way." Seth rested beside him. He noticed that Steven wasn't touching the wall with his bare skin, so he mimicked him, wondering if there was some significance behind that. "Should we not be touching the walls?"
"Ah yes, one of the number one rules of caving is that you should never touch the rock formations, if you can help it. Your skin is covered with a natural oil that can damage them and prevent them from growing further," Steven held up his hands in the light to reveal that they were both gloved. Seth realized that he was quite unprepared for a cave journey, as plenty of his bare skin was exposed. "But yes, I for one, thoroughly enjoy caving. My passion is rock hunting, for lack of a better word. Such a hobby comes hand in hand with exploring, which is why I retired from being champion."
"Right, you couldn't exactly explore if you had obligations to the Pokémon League." Seth nodded, agreeing with his choice. It spoke well of Steven's character if he gave up a position so prestigious just to follow his dreams. "Do you plan to stay in the cave much longer?"
"For a little while, yes. Unfortunately, before long I will need to return, before the flares I left fizzle out. I had intended to scout out a path first before returning with more conventional tools to mark a trail," Steven explained. "There's still some time left, however. If you want, would you like to see what else I've discovered?"
"If you're willing to show me, absolutely. I've loved everything I've seen so far," Seth replied excitedly. Steven grinned, and then he grabbed his flashlight and motioned for him to follow. "What else can I expect?"
"We've just enough time to visit the chamber I discovered up ahead. Inside, there's a stunning display of flowstone formations, and something else I didn't expect to find." Steven led the way, following the flares he'd set up beforehand to the chamber in question. It didn't take the two of them very long before the narrow path opened up into a wide chamber. "Are you a religious man, Seth?"
"That's...an odd question. I can't say that I am. I don't pay much attention to religion, due to how convoluted it can get," Seth found himself taken aback by the random question...but the reason Steven asked soon became apparent as their flashlights lit up the wall on the far end of the chamber, revealing an ancient, detailed mural depicting two creatures of colossal proportions. "Wha...are those…?"
The first creature appeared to be a gigantic whale with two bulky pectoral fins and a four pronged tail, and the second appeared to a similarly large bipedal creature with plates of armor-like skin covering its body. Both of them seemed to radiate power from their very appearance.
"Have you heard the legends of Kyogre and Groudon?" Steven asked, his flashlight alighting on each of the two creatures in turn. "According to the myth, these two god-like pokémon fought against one another here in Hoenn at the beginning of time, each controlling their respective element of earth and sea. The result was the structure of the world as we know it."
"That...seems a little far-fetched. I can't imagine a single pokémon having that much power," Seth replied. Now that he'd heard the legend again, he remembered having heard it once before as a child. Back then it had sounded cool, but now, having seen pokémon battle for himself, the idea was significantly harder to grasp.
"Now you see why our ancestors preferred to think of them as more akin to gods, rather than pokémon. Take a look. You see how the floor around the mural is much smoother than everywhere else?" Steven shined his flashlight along the area in question. "There's a good chance this was once a shrine dedicated to the worship of these two. Fascinating stuff, really."
"Do you really believe the tales?" Seth had to ask.
"Believing is a strong word, but I like to keep an open mind. There's so much about our world and the pokémon that live within it that is still shrouded in mystery and doubt," Steven expressed with a nonchalant shrug. "I do believe that our ancestors believed enough to create these shrines. That's enough to rouse my interest."
"That's fair, I suppose," Seth gazed up at the mural for several more seconds, and then he turned back to Steven. "You said there were some flowstone formations you wanted to show me?"
"Ah yes, absolutely! This way, I'll take you right to them."
Steven and Seth explored the cave for a little while longer, marveling at the beauty of the natural rock formations found within. Eventually, however, they had to make their way back to the entrance before the flares fizzled out.
Along the way, Steven inquired as to Seth's progress as a trainer, as he had noticed Kyra on his shoulder and was curious. By the time they reached the entrance of the cave, Seth had related his struggles with Roxanne and May. Before they could talk any further, however, they ran right into Roger and Bridget, who had finally made their way up the mountain.
"Ah, there he is! Steven, I challenge you to a pokémon battle!" Roger wasted no time in challenging Steven, pointing at him over dramatically with a finger.
"I call second!" Bridget added, and the both of them retrieved pokéballs from their belts.
Steven blinked, and then he sighed, an unsurprised expression on his face. He reluctantly reached for a ball of his own; Seth suddenly realized that he was about to witness a former champion in action.
"I suppose I shall accept, but I imagine I don't have to tell you I'm not a pushover?" Steven's eyes glinted, and then he and Roger both released their respective pokémon onto the clifftop. "I hope you won't regret it."
"Not a chance!" Roger proclaimed, his pokémon appearing in a flash of light. Seth promptly scanned it, as he'd never seen one like it before. It was a Tropius, a quadruped grass-type pokémon with a large brown body and a long neck, as well as four leaves on its back. It was as tall as Seth at its full height.
As for Steven, the pokémon he sent out was a huge bipedal pokémon that towered a head over him. With plates of steel-like armor covering its head and joints and its body made of tough gray hide, the creature cut an intimidating figure, its sky blue eyes glaring out from beneath its armored brow.. Seth's PokéDex labeled it as an Aggron, a pokémon notorious for its monstrous strength and impenetrable defense. Seth couldn't help but feel excited by what he was seeing. Even Kyra was bouncing a little on his shoulder. Both of these pokémon were very rare, and getting to see a battle like this was a chance Seth couldn't turn down.
"Get clear, Seth. This could get dicey," Steven warned Seth before the battle got underway. Seth nodded and ducked into the cave behind where Steven was standing, and Bridget soon joined him there. "Now then, shall we begin?"
The battle lasted for only a few minutes. The Tropius took to the sky in an attempt to avoid Aggron, raining sharp leaves down upon it. The Aggron stood still for a moment, the leaves bouncing off of its armor ineffectually. Then, it leapt into action. It charged forward briefly and leapt an impressive height to the mountainside above the cave entrance, where it swiftly climbed the rock with its razor sharp claws and then propelled itself towards Tropius.
Roger watched in shock and dismay as the Aggron grabbed Tropius by the neck and swung around midair in order to hurl the latter into the mountainside, and then finished the fight with a surge of white energy that erupted from its maw. The whole time, Steven remained completely still with his arms crossed, the wind from the resulting explosion ruffling his hair, but not his composure.
Roger had two more pokémon; a Girafarig and a rose-like pokémon called Roselia, but neither of them could land a decisive hit on Aggron. Their blows seemed to just bounce off of Aggron's armor, and it never let them have a second chance to attack. The Aggron was brutal and relentless, knocking Girafarig out with a shoulder charge and the Roselia with a flurry of claw strikes so fast that Seth could hardly follow them with his eyes.
The moment it became clear that Roger had lost, Steven turned to Bridget calmly. "I believe you said you wanted a turn as well?"
"I...think I need more practice," Bridget lamely replied, cowed by the swift defeat of her boyfriend. She clasped her hands together and bowed politely to Steven. "Thank you so much for your time!"
"It was no trouble," Steven sounded just the slightest bit smug, though none of that showed on his composed face. As for Seth, he couldn't help but stand there, his jaw hanging slightly open. It only made sense that a former champion wouldn't be challenged by a typical trainer, but to see it with his own eyes made him realize just how outclassed he was. Steven had systematically taken down Roger's team one by one with a single pokémon, and he hadn't even issued any commands at all. "Shall we go back down the mountain, Seth?"
"I thought you would have a hard time reaching that Tropius, but your Aggron literally climbed the mountain and took it down in the blink of an eye! I've never seen a battle like that! And what you did to Roselia...I couldn't even see his claws!" Seth gushed to Steven as the two of them walked down the mountain. Steven looked somewhat sheepish at Seth's excitement, but he humored him with a modest chuckle. "I've never seen a battle end quite like that before! How did you raise your pokémon to be so strong?"
"Hard work and perseverance. At one time I considered pokémon battling to be my passion, until I discovered my love for rare stones," Steven answered amicably. "It was a long, hard road, and I stumbled multiple times along the way. What about yourself, Seth? Do you aim to be the champion?"
"The champion? Well, I dare not set my sights that high," Seth shuddered at the thought of how much adversity he'd have to face to make it that far. From the eight gyms to the League Tournament, then to the Elite Four, then the Champion...the thought of reaching that high seemed like nothing more than a distant dream to him. He was the lowest of the low at the moment, unable to defeat even May, the girl that lived next door to him. "To be honest, I'm only in this because Kyra enjoys battling to test her limits."
"Kyra? Your Ralts, I assume?" Steven nodded understandingly. "Pardon me, but I find it odd that you'd get so excited after seeing my battle if you were only in it for your pokémon."
"Well, that's…" Put on the spot, Seth fumbled a bit with his words before realizing he was right. "I still don't like the idea of pokémon getting hurt. That much is true. But there was something exciting about seeing a pokémon so strong. It would be nice to be that strong myself, but I don't see that happening."
"Why not? I believe you have the ability to succeed, if you try hard enough. Develop both your mind and your pokémon, and then challenge me one day. I have faith you'll give me a fight worth getting excited over as well."
"That's…kind of you to say. Thank you." Seth was taken aback by Steven's kind words. Whether they were sincere or not, he felt more motivated to continue his league challenge than ever before. Hearing something like that from Steven of all people, a former champion, held significantly more weight than the average person. "What do you plan on doing now?"
"After restocking, I plan to continue my exploration of Granite Cave. I wasn't quite finished yet; that cave could go down for miles, and I want to see it all," Steven expressed. "And yourself? Have you challenged the resident gym leader yet?"
"I'm set to do so tomorrow. After that, I'm on my way to Slateport," Seth returned. He glanced up at the sky, noting that the day was coming to an end. He didn't have much time before his challenge tomorrow. He resolved to get some rest as soon as he returned to town.
"Tomorrow then? Maybe I'll spare some time to watch. After getting to know you, I'm curious to see how well you do," Steven decided. Seth blanched, suddenly feeling the pressure much more than he was a moment ago. "I look forward to it!"
"R-Right...I'll do my best." Seth gulped. Suddenly the prospect of facing Brawly tomorrow seemed much more daunting than before.
"You're just in time. I trust you're adequately prepared?" The gym receptionist met Seth at the door the following afternoon, five minutes before his challenge was set to officially begin. When Seth nodded, the receptionist smiled and pressed a button on the underside of his desk. The door leading to the innermost reaches of the gym slid open to reveal nothing but darkness in the hall beyond. "Good. As you know, your objective is to reach and defeat the gym leader waiting inside. However, the challenge here is that the interior is completely dark. You must navigate your way to the gym leader through the darkness within the time limit. Should time run out before you finish navigating the maze, your challenge will be considered a failure and you will have to try again another time. Any questions?"
"No, sir." Seth glanced at the dark hallway. Navigating a dark maze hadn't been what he expected for this gym challenge, as Roxanne's gym had been more or less straightforward. He wasn't worried, however. No matter how dark it was, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as trying to get through Granite Cave.
"Then you may begin. Best of luck to you, challenger!" The receptionist declared.
With that, Seth walked through the door into the dark hallway. He made sure to memorize what little he could see ahead of him just before the door closed behind him, plunging him into darkness.
"Save your strength, Kyra," Seth whispered to his Ralts as he felt her shifting on his shoulder. The previous day, Kyra had figured out a way to create light with her psychic powers, due to the possibility of them ending up in another cave. Yet he didn't want her to waste her energy doing such now with such a hard battle waiting for them in the near future. "This isn't like a cave. These mazes follow rules that can be exploited, even without light."
Seth placed one hand on the right wall, using it to track his progress as he started to make his way forward. The maze couldn't be all that large; the building wasn't very big. No doubt the darkness was meant to be the real obstacle. With this trick, however, Seth had no doubt he'd find his way out before long.
"Hold it!" After a few minutes of walking, a male voice caught Seth unaware in the darkness. Seth froze, recognizing that the voice came from ahead of him. "Trying the whole 'hand on the right wall' trick, eh? Not a bad idea...if it wouldn't take you in the path of every single gym trainer in the maze! Good luck fighting Brawly when your pokémon are exhausted!"
"I'm guessing you're one of these gym trainers, then?" Seth asked, straightening up and facing the direction of the voice. Something clicked in the darkness, and a very dim light faded into being from the ceiling. The light gave him just enough vision to make out the faint image of a man standing a few feet away from him in front of a dead end.
"That's right! And if you want this light to stay on, you've got to battle me and win!" the man proclaimed. He released his pokémon out before him, the resulting flash of light allowing Seth to make out a familiar species of pokémon; a Machop, the most common fighting type pokémon. "Don't think your Ralts can fight me easily, just because you have a type advantage!"
"I understand. She can only lift or halt up to a certain level of force before it becomes too much for her. You're implying that your machop can hit her hard and fast enough to bypass her ability to stop him," Seth reasoned. During his time training in Petalburg, he'd spent a good amount of time studying the limitations of Kyra's telekinesis. He noticed the man before him slump a bit, as though he were put out. "Am I wrong?"
"That's...pretty much it, exactly," the man admitted, his cocky attitude giving way to surprise. He quickly recomposed himself. "Whatever. So are we doing this, or what? Your time isn't unlimited, you know!"
"I know that. Kyra, shall we?" Seth knelt down, allowing Kyra to hop off his shoulder. He glanced over the machop, wondering just how strong it could be. "Remember what we practiced?"
"Take it down, Machop!" The trainer commanded.
Kyra nodded to Seth, and she remained still, waiting for the Machop to act. It didn't take very long to do so, the pokémon breaking into a sprint. It closed the distance between them swiftly, cranking its arm back for a punch. The Machop let out a battle cry, and it swung its hand forward in a dangerous chop...only for it to collide with Kyra's protective barrier that barely budged beneath the impact.
"Wait, what? Did a bloody Ralts just block Machop's karate chop?" The trainer sounded shocked, as if such a thing were inconceivable to him.
Machop didn't wait around gawking. It sidestepped and rotated its body, and then it ducked down and executed a low sweep with its leg...but Kyra wasn't there anymore. She appeared behind the Machop and without even looking, she waved her arm, hurling her opponent into the nearby wall with telekinesis.
The Machop looked pained, but it managed to recover, and it attacked again, propelling itself off of the wall to attack with a shoulder charge. It reached Kyra and slammed right into her...or it would have, if the Kyra it attacked hadn't been a false image. The real Kyra once again forced Machop into the wall on the opposite side of the hall, and then followed up by opening her mouth and releasing a loud cry laden with energy. The Machop cried out and shuddered in place as the sound waves wracked its body, and then it fainted, unable to withstand the psychic assault.
"Damn...I guess I'm done," the trainer couldn't help but admit as he recalled his fallen pokémon to its ball. "Can I just say that your Ralts is overpowered?"
"What do you mean?" Seth asked curiously as Ralts returned to him. "What makes Kyra so different than the other Ralts?"
"The fact that it made a mockery of my pokémon even though I've beaten Ralts with him before," the trainer returned simply. "Ralts shouldn't be this strong. Usually it's evolved before they show this kind of strength."
"What? Ralts can evolve?" Seth blinked in surprise, and he felt a hint of excitement well up from deep within him.
"You didn't know that? Ralts becomes a Kirlia, and their psychic power gets even stronger. I'm saying your Ralts is overpowered because she's already got the power of a Kirlia, but isn't a Kirlia yet. That's ridiculous. I can't even imagine what she'll be like when she evolves." The trainer explained.
Seth glanced at Kyra, meeting her gaze. He couldn't help but wonder what she would look like if she did evolve. The only evolution he'd ever witnessed was when Princess evolved from a Feebas into a Milotic.
"Anyway, I won't keep clock's a ticking. You beat me, so I'll leave this light on. Defeat the other gym trainers, and you can brighten the place even more. Or you can try to head straight for Brawly. Up to you. Good luck!" The trainer walked past him, heading back towards the entrance of the gym, no doubt to get his Machop to be treated.
"Alright. Let's go, Kyra." Seth allowed Kyra to return to her favorite spot on his shoulder, and then he continued through the maze, returning his right hand to the wall. He thought about what the trainer had told him about avoiding the other trainers...but mostly about Kyra's potential evolution. He couldn't stop thinking about what a Kirlia would look like.
It didn't take him long to reach another gym trainer. Once again, Kyra defeated his pokémon with ease, dumbfounding him. Yet, something strange occurred as the battle continued. Seth began to feel a faint happiness and a sense of satisfaction and superiority. Yet he was confused, as he wasn't one to feel like that during a pokémon battle...and even stranger was that these emotions seemed to be coming from...elsewhere.
He tried to focus on what he was feeling, and found that those feelings from before weren't his at all. It was only a guess, but it was almost as though he could feel the emotions coming from in front of him, where Kyra was standing. Was he feeling Kyra's emotions? He knew she could do the same to him, but there was nothing in her PokéDex entry to suggest that it worked both ways.
His hypothesis was confirmed when Kyra dispatched her opponent, and she turned to face Seth with her satisfaction easy for him to detect. He also detected a hint of expectancy, as though she wanted him to say something.
"Great job, Kyra. These trainers are no match for you," Seth complimented her. His words were honest, but he also wanted to see what would happen when he said it. Sure enough, he felt that hint of happiness swell after he finished speaking. He decided to tell her about it as they continued through the maze. "Kyra...I think I can feel what you're feeling."
Kyra tilted her head to one side, confusion emanating from the little pokémon. So she didn't know why this was happening to him either.
"It's weird...I felt happy and self-assured when you defeated his pokémon, but that was on top of my own emotions. Do you feel like that when you win?" Seth's words earned a confirmatory nod from Kyra. "Then I guess I really am feeling your emotions. I didn't think that was possible. But then why is it only happening now?"
Kyra didn't have any answers. He didn't get a chance to reason any further, however, as then he ran into another trainer. This one was female, and due to the brighter lights, he could make out her appearance.
She wore all orange in the form of a crop top and shorts, and she was very limber, possessing slender muscles that he could see despite the relatively dim lighting. She looked very tomboyish, with bluish hair tied back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. Though any beauty she had was marred by the scowl on her face.
"Great...here we go again," the woman complained, sounding less than enthused about the prospect of battling. "Yes, yes, I'm Jocelyn, I'm a gym trainer, and I'm going to battle you so you can't get at the light switch behind me. Okay, are we good? Good. Let's battle."
"I don't think you could have sounded any less enthusiastic if you tried," Seth couldn't help but observe as he let Kyra down onto the floor. "Do you not enjoy this?"
"Pfah. I wish I could. Do you know how long I've been here without anyone getting past me?" Jocelyn retorted as she released a pokémon Seth didn't recognize out on the field. "No one's gotten to Brawly in weeks because the losers that come in here exhaust themselves before getting to me and lose like a moron. I'm just so bored. I want a real challenge!"
"How do you know I'm not a real challenge?" Seth asked, feeling somewhat hurt. He could also feel Kyra taking offense from in front of him.
"What makes you think you're different than all the others that've come before you?" Jocelyn demanded. "Seriously. There's no good trainers on this island. Did you know I started offering to flash my tits to them if they could beat me? It still didn't help them win. Can you believe it?"
"That's...well, alright then," Seth stammered, taken aback by that statement. He couldn't help but glance at her chest, noting the sizable breasts she possessed that were hugged nicely by her crop top. He gulped, feeling her irritated gaze on him. "Does...that offer extend to me too?"
"Sure, why not. I'll even let you touch them. Make my day, why don't you? Meditite, wipe out his damn Ralts so I can take a nap or something." Jocelyn commanded. Seth glanced at the pokémon before him, taking in its appearance in an attempt to gauge its capabilities.
The Meditite was a bipedal pokémon that resembled a person, and its knees were bent with its feet together, as though it were meditating. Seth recognized that it must have some kind of psychic power, as the pokémon was levitating a few inches off of the floor. In other words, Kyra's type advantage was now canceled out.
"Kyra, come back for now. It's time I gave Princess a turn," Seth decided. He didn't doubt that Kyra could overpower the Meditite, but it would also require a great deal of her psychic energy, and he wanted to conserve her energy for Brawly. He tried not to wince when he felt Kyra's disappointment. Thankfully, it also seem like she understood, as she walked back to his side.
"Pfff, you named a pokémon 'Princess?' How desperate are you?" Jocelyn derided him as he reached for his pokéball. Her scorn turned to shock when Princess appeared before her, the serpent nearly rising as high as the ceiling. "What the hell is that!? Meditite, attack!"
Meditite opened its eyes and lifted its hands, psychic energy emanating from its palms. Princess blinked, her significant weight preventing her opponent from moving her in the slightest. It then stood up and ran forward, attempting to physically harm Princess instead. Once again, Princess blinked as any bruises the Meditite could leave behind simply faded away as though they'd never been. Jocelyn began to sweat.
"Brace yourself, Meditite!" Jocelyn ordered hastily. Meditite crossed its legs and hummed, surrounding itself with psychic power just as Princess retaliated with a whip of its tail. Meditite took the hit head on and was hurled back towards Jocelyn, but it wasn't knocked out immediately, likely due to whatever technique it had just used. "Uh...now counterattack!"
Meditite let out a loud cry, and then it held its hands to its head. There was a flash, and an invisible force crashed into Princess's head, causing her to reel back and cry out. Seth gaped, having never seen a technique like that before.
Despite the heavy hit, Princess was unhindered. Once again, she brought her tail forward, but this time it was sheathed in a veil of water. Meditite predicted the attack and hovered backwards to avoid being hit by the tail...but that was precisely what Seth had hoped it would do. The water around Princess's tail was flung outwards by the momentum of the attack, hitting the Meditite with enough force and pressure to knock it to the floor. The Meditite struggled to rise, but then it fell, out cold.
"Did that just…" Jocelyn didn't seem to have any further pokémon. She gazed at her fallen Meditite, and then at Princess. She sighed in defeat. "Yeah, okay. So you were better than I gave you credit for. Well, I guess a promise is a promise."
"You really don't have to…" Seth tried to tell her, but before he could, Jocelyn lifted up her crop top and bra, allowing her soft white globes tipped with pink to shake free, jiggling noticeably from the disturbance. Seth couldn't help but stare; he had to admit that they were very nice. Jocelyn colored slightly beneath his gaze.
"Well? Aren't you going to touch them?" Jocelyn demanded. Seth glanced to Kyra, but he could only sense satisfaction from her, so he guessed it would be alright. He hesitantly stepped forward and placed his hands on her chest, finding it perversely satisfying the way the soft flesh conformed to his grip. He didn't get to touch for very long before Jocelyn jerked away. "Alright, that's enough. Hope you liked it. If you want more, beat Brawly first, and then we'll talk. Though I doubt even your fancy water snake could beat him."
"Thanks for that..I'll uh...catch up with you later. Maybe," Seth said awkwardly, not entire sure how to respond to her after touching her like that. He turned away from her and pet Princess lovingly along the nose before returning her to her ball. Once Kyra was back on his shoulder, he continued forward.
"Whatever," was Jocelyn's response after he left.
With the feeling of her breasts on his fingers still in his mind, Seth pressed onwards. He glanced at Kyra a few times, wondering exactly how her sense of jealousy worked. She often showed jealousy towards girls he was with on some occasions, but not others. He wondered what the criteria she had that had to be satisfied before she was okay with him doing sexual things with others.
Just as he noticed that there hadn't been any trainers for a while, he came across a glass door that opened out into what appeared to be a gym. To clarify, he found himself in a literal gym meant to work out the body, with racks filled with dumbbells along the walls, lifting machines, benches, treadmills, and other such equipment necessary for a full body workout. The floor was paneled with soft wood and littered with various workout mats. On one of these mats was a man who was no doubt Brawly himself.
Brawly was a young man who looked to be a little older than Seth, with a mop of messy bluish hair atop his head and a pair of orange tinted goggles holding back his bangs. He was slender, but well built, his arms and legs ripping with corded muscles. For clothing, he wore a pair of grayish slacks and an orange and black t-shirt. Additionally, his hands and fists were wrapped in bandages to protect his knuckles against the pokémon with which he was currently sparring.
Seth couldn't believe his eyes. Brawly was physically training with his pokémon, a Machoke that stood at 4 foot 5 with muscles as thick as saplings in its arms and legs and a torso bulging with abdominal muscles.
"Hyaah! Don't be getting lazy now!" Brawly leapt to one side and unleashed a fury of punches towards his Machoke, his knuckles raining down on the pokémon's guard. He then ducked down and attempted to sweep Machoke's legs out from under him, but the pokémon predicted the move and leapt backwards, retaliating with a double fisted hammer punch that could knock a man clean out if it hit. "Whoa boy!"
Yet Brawly leaned backwards to avoid it, sweat flying from his face. He then placed one hand on a fist and levered his elbow into Machoke's abdomen, causing the pokémon to flinch and recoil backwards, but not before knocking Brawly to the floor by pounding both hands on his back.
Seth could only watch in awe as Brawly leapt to his feet and continued to spar with his pokémon at a breakneck pace. Both of them seemed far too into their battle to notice Seth...until Machoke managed to grab Brawly around the middle. Just as Machoke aimed to slam Brawly into the ground, the gym leader finally noticed Seth's presence.
"Hold up, buddy! Time out!" Brawly's words caused the Machoke to stop immediately, setting down his trainer gently on the mat. Brawly wiped his forehead clean of sweat with a towel, and then he strode towards Seth. "Looks like you made it through. Hey there! Sorry if I seemed distracted. I'm Brawly, Dewford's gym leader."
"I'm Seth. It's nice to meet you," Seth returned the greeting politely, accepting the hand that Brawly offered him. "That was quite a spectacle. I never thought I'd see a human take on a pokémon like that."
"Oh that? Arty and I spar all the time, ever since he was a Machop," Brawly shrugged Seth's praise off as though it were no big deal. He grinned, and punched the air a few times to show off his technique. "It helps me keep my fighting instincts in shape, and encourages me to surpass my limits. Humans are typically not as strong as a pokémon, after all."
Seth nodded, noticing the Machoke, whose name seemed to be Arty, nodding his head, stretching out its arms to limber up after the fight.
"Anyway, there's no reason to rush this. You still have about half an hour left on the timer, so might as well relax a bit. Unless you're in a hurry." Brawly moved back towards a mat and sat down, reaching for a bottle of water and drinking deeply from it.
"I'm not, but you're sure it's alright?" Seth asked, moving to join him at his behest. "You don't want to get right to it?"
"We could, but your pokémon could likely use the rest. That, and you're the first trainer to make it to me in months," Brawly revealed. He laid flat on his back on the mat, showing absolutely no sense of formality in the slightest. "We were starting to get bored. Jocelyn out there even started offering to show her boobs to anyone who could beat her. Speaking of which, did she show you?"
"Uh…" Seth wasn't sure he'd ever get used to people talking about sexual topics so casually. During his childhood at Johto, the only reason he knew about sex in this first place was because his mother was concerned about how attached he'd been to Jasmine. "She did. They were...very nice."
"Aren't they? There's certain benefits to working with Jocelyn, if you catch my drift," Brawly remarked with a chuckle. Seth indeed caught it, guessing that he and Jocelyn had had sex before. "She only really respects strong trainers, though."
"What about yourself?"
"Me? Well, a bit of the same. I like tough personalities in my women. Though guys who look like you aren't too bad either." Brawly said that without a trace of nervousness, even as Seth flushed several shades of red at the implication. He had been asking about Brawly as a person, and instead he'd gotten his sexual preferences. "What about yourself?"
"M-Me? I-I…" Seth had trouble piecing together a coherent sentence, as this was the first time someone who was also male showed some manner of attraction towards him, and because of the fact that he was "fair of face" as Roxanne would put it. He wasn't sure how he felt about that at all. He'd only learned recently that such relations weren't socially taboo here.
"Hey, are you alright?" Brawly noticed his nervousness and propped himself up on an elbow. "Did I come on too strong? Or are you totally straight?"
"I'm sorry. I'm from Johto, so I still get a little nervous," Seth admitted.
"Oh. So I probably just threw a lot at you just now, huh?" Brawly laid back down, his words understanding. "So you've probably no idea what you like. Forget I said anything then. Don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"No, it's fine. Just...not something I'm used to hearing. Or something I've ever heard," Seth admitted, his cheeks still burning. "I'm not used to talking about sexual preferences after first meeting someone, either."
"If it helps, I see it like any other conversation topic. It's just something I like to do, just like fighting and surfing," Brawly offered. "Besides, I figure there's not a person alive that doesn't like being told they're attractive. Like you. But if you want to talk about something else, that's cool. You into surfing at all?"
"That makes sense, I guess. I'm just..still coming to terms with that," Seth had no idea how he felt at the moment after another man called him attractive. Deep down he still wanted to talk about it a bit more, as the idea was new and he wanted to reason aloud how he felt. "Surfing? Well, I've never tried it. I didn't do much of anything in Johto except wander around Olivine."
"Dude, it's the greatest. I'll take you if you want, after the battle. I've got a spare board." Brawly offered. Seth pondered the idea, and reasoned that he didn't have any reason to decline. One of the reasons he went on this journey across Hoenn in the first place was to experience new things.
"That sounds fun, but you'd do that with someone you just met?" Seth asked.
"What? Do I need some reason behind asking someone to chill?" Brawly seemed confused by the question. "The point of hanging out with someone is to learn more about them, right? If I refused to do anything with someone I didn't know because I didn't know them, how would I ever make any friends?"
"That's...actually a valid point," Seth admitted. "Then sure, I'll give it a shot. I don't mind learning new things."
"That's what I like to hear! I'm sure you'll be great! The waves are great on this island!" Brawly pumped his fist in the air excitedly. "I guarantee you'll be addicted the first time you ride a wave, with the wake surging over your head and scattering you with spray! It's as exciting as any pokémon battle!"
"I look forward to that. Though speaking of battle, should we get started?" Seth offered, as his nervousness towards the upcoming battle was getting to him the longer he had to wait.
"Right, we should probably do that," Brawly agreed. He rolled back and then leapt to his feet. He indicated the door on the other side of the gym, which was also made of glass. Through it, Seth could see a wide open room much like the one that had been present in both Petalburg and Rustboro's gyms. "Come on, Arty. Let's do this."
Just like before, the room housed an arena in which the pokémon battle would take place. Unlike Rustboro's gym, the arena consisted of nothing but a simple flat field, with no terrain or any other advantages or disadvantages that might affect the battle. Surrounding the arena were bleachers filled with a mild scattering of onlookers, most of them older folk with a few trainers sprinkled among them. Yet the cameras that would televise the battle were present, just like before.
"Welcome, citizens of Dewford, to the first battle against the gym leader to occur in nearly two months! I'm sure you're all as excited as I am to witness a real battle after such a long lull in activity!" An announcer sat at the bottom of the bleachers atop a raised platform before a counter, where the microphone was situated. However, as Seth made his way to his side of the arena, he noticed with a start who was sitting up there with the judge. "As a special bonus today, with us today is former champion Steven Stone, who has graciously offered to observe and provide commentary along with me today. Please give him a warm welcome, everyone!"
As the onlookers applauded, Seth met Steven's gaze, the latter sitting relaxed in his chair with an expectant expression on his face. When he met Seth's gaze, he smiled and gave a terse nod. Seth turned back to gaze at Brawly, feeling the pressure once more.
"Over here, we have Leader Brawly of Dewford, who has gone undefeated for several months. He's chosen to lead with his vaunted Machoke, Arthur!" The judge indicated that side of the room with a sweep of his hand. Brawly flashed a grin, and Arty the Machoke stepped into the arena, cracking his knuckles expectantly. "And on the other side, we have our challenger, trainer Seth, leading with a rare Milotic by the name of Princess!"
Princess slithered forward into the arena, her eyes gleaming and her body slick with water. Kyra stood beside Seth, waiting impatiently for her turn in the arena. Seth chose to lead with Princess to scout out Brawly's strategies, because he knew she could handle a few hits. He figured that once he had a good grasp, he would switch in Kyra to capitalize on her type advantage.
"Now, without further ado, let the pokémon battle begin!" The judge slammed his fist down on the counter, ringing a bell that sounded throughout the entire arena.
"You know what to do, Arty. Bring it to 'em!" Brawly directed enthusiastically. Arthur let out a roar of excitement and then broke into a sprint, his arms wide open.
"Keep him away!" Seth countered. Princess crooned and summoned up a wave of water and send it surging towards Arthur in an attempt to halt his advance. The wave slammed against Arthur, causing the Machoke to wince, but all it did was slow him. The wave broke against him like a rock in a stream, and then Arthur reached Princess.
Princess whirled around and slapped her tail into Arthur's chest with enough force to knock him back, and then she followed up with a stream of water that fell from above, conjured by her inner abilities. Arthur raised one arm to keep the water away from his eyes, and then he grabbed Princess around the neck and then, much to Seth's shock, hurled her clear to the other side of the arena. Princess weighed well over three hundred pounds in total, yet seeing Arthur throw her like that suggested an incredible strength behind those muscles.
"Yes, now follow up!" Brawly cheered. Arthur leapt several meters into the air, clenched both hands together, and attempted to bring them both down upon Princess in a vicious crushing blow. With Seth's shout, she was able to move herself just barely out of the way. The collision of the Machoke's fists upon the ground caused the floor to crack significantly, splinters flying through the air.
Seth could vaguely hear the judge and Steven talking over the microphones, but he wasn't paying any attention to them, focusing entirely on the battle. Arthur whirled and slammed his fist hard into Princess's neck as she approached, but then she swiftly coiled around him and constricted his arms, moving her head up around his shoulders to look him in the eyes. Then, she summoned water from within, suffusing Arthur with waves of cold water. This was the move she used to defeat Roxanne's Nosepass, back in Rustboro.
Arthur howled with pain, but then he butted Princess with a painful headbutt, causing her to recoil with her eyes rolling about. Arthur seized the moment to wrench her coils apart with sheer muscular force. He then unleashed a flurry of blows down upon Princess, capitalizing on her disorientation.
Princess whined as she was steadily pushed back, Arthur's punches leaving hefty bruises behind. Her head snapped back to the right, and then to the left, the Machoke giving her no room to retaliate. Then, the Machoke grabbed her around the middle and lifted her once more clear into the air and slammed her down into the ground in a vicious piledriver.
Yet the moment she landed, Princess whipped her tail up and around, slapping Arthur hard in the face. Arthur grabbed her tail, but Princess had already recovered enough to exploit the minor opening. She lifted her head, opened her mouth and released a loud cry charged with energy, a move that Kyra also knew well. Arthur didn't expect it, and thus he dropped her tail and clapped his hands to his ears in an attempt to drown it out….giving Princess the time she needed to press her advantage.
"Use that move we practiced, Princess!" Seth ordered her, but he hardly needed to do so. Princess began to slither around Arthur in a circle at a fast pace, increasing in speed over time until she was nothing but a cream, pink, and blue colored blur. The very air began to twist and roil around them as a result, forming a visible tornado in the middle of the gym that send powerful winds whipping through the air. Several members of the audience quickly moved to secure their belongings, lest they be blown away.
Arthur cried out as the winds whipped at his skin and caused his eyes to water. As much as he planted his feet, the winds proved to be too strong. The moment his feet left the floor, Princess used her full momentum to lever her tail into his middle with a crash. Arthur was sent hurtling across the room at a breakneck pace, crashing into the floor with enough force to shatter it, forcing Brawly to guard his face from the resulting splinters.
Seth whooped in triumph as their strategy succeeded, but then he saw that Arthur was managing to get to his feet. He was weakened and panting, his legs wobbling beneath him. Just a little more, and he'd likely be out for the count.
Arthur roared, and he broke into a run once more, giving everything he had to reach Princess, who watched him approach calmly. Arthur drew close, and he spun on one leg in an attempt to deliver a vicious kick to Princess's neck…only to receive a three jets of water in the shape of rings directly in the center, knocking him back several feet. Arthur wobbled a bit, and then he fell, unmoving.
"Leader Brawly's Machoke is down after a stunning performance from Trainer Seth's Milotic! Leader Brawly only has one pokémon remaining, his new protege that he's been training vigorously ever since he caught him in Granite Cave!" The judge declared, once again ringing the bell. "Can Brawly make a comeback with his second and last pokémon, Makuhita!?"
"Seriously, nice job, Seth. You're an excellent trainer," Brawly complimented him as he reached for his next pokémon. He bounced the pokéball in his hand a few times, and then he hurled it out into the arena. "Get out there, Maku!"
The pokémon that appeared in the arena was an unfamiliar one to Seth. He was bulky, yellow, and bipedal, and stood a little over three feet tall. His fists were black and curled, resembling boxing gloves, and at the top of his head was a protrusion resembling a tied knot. He almost looked like a punching bag from a typical gym had come alive to battle against him.
"You like him? I found this little guy in the cave like the announcer said, knocking some poor Geodudes around," Brawly addressed Seth before the battle resumed, looking proud of himself. "He gave Arty quite a fight, so I caught him. Don't let his silly appearance fool you; he really packs a punch!"
"Hoenn continues to surprise me with the amount of pokémon I've never seen," Seth said, his mind racing as he attempted to reason in his head what Makuhita's capabilities could be. As the judge rang the bell, Seth decided to warn her to be on the defensive. "Be careful, Princess. I have a bad feeling about-"
Before Seth could finish his warning, Maku propelled himself across the arena like a bullet. He spun around a few times in midair and then dealt a reeling punch to Princess's snout, knocking her back with the force. The moment Maku landed, he once again hurled himself into the air and this time thrust his arm directly into Princess's neck, causing her to choke.
Maku zipped around Princess like a hornet, the little pudgy pokémon being surprisingly fast. Princess managed to repulse him with a wave of water, knocking him to the floor. However, upon rising, Maku took a deep breath, and Seth could have sworn he saw the pokémon's muscles thicken and bulge. When Maku next lunged at Princess, his punch seemed to have even more power behind it.
Princess slithered away to put some distance between herself and the tough Makuhita, firing jets of water behind her to slow him. Maku took several of them, getting knocked to the floor with every hit. Yet he always rose, and the air seemed to distort more around his body with each hit he took, as though Maku were giving off intense heat.
Maku dodged one last water jet, and then he hurled himself towards Princess, who thought to deflect him with her tail, only to find that it had been a feint. Maku landed just shy of Princess, her tail zipping over his head. With a cry, Maku slammed his fist with such force into Princess that a dull boom erupted from the impact, and Princess was sent hurtling to the floor.
Seth sighed as the bell rang, the judge announcing Princess out of the fight. Seth recalled her to her pokéball, resolving to treat her as soon as the battle was over. He had underestimated Maku, having never expected the pokémon to get stronger over the course of the fight.
"Alright, Kyra. It's your turn," Seth declared. He could feel Kyra's excitement as she cooed and teleported into the area, the small pokémon almost bouncing in place. She almost seemed to glow with how happy she appeared to finally take part in the battle. "That pokémon seems to get stronger with every hit he takes. So be careful."
"That's pretty much it. He converts the force from each attack he takes into energy, which he can use to attack or defend. Pretty strong, right?" Brawly explained proudly, as Maku bounced from one leg to the other to hype himself up. "You might need that type advantage if you're going to win."
"No kidding." With that, the bell once again announced the resumption of the match. Like before, Maku hurled himself across the field, only to whiff through one of Kyra's illusory images. Kyra attempted to counterattack with her telekinesis...only to find that she couldn't move Maku much at all. Her attempts did little more than slow him down.
Maku forced his punch through the telekinesis and swung it towards Kyra. She swiftly brought up her barrier, but the punch shattered it like glass, and followed through to knock Kyra several meters away from the force.
Despite that, Seth could feel Kyra's excitement only growing. She leapt upright and bounced once, humming with happiness. As Maku rushed back towards her, she opened her mouth and let out a loud cry, forcing Maku to fall over and cover his ears from the sound. Kyra smirked and teleported behind Maku long enough to bombard him with psychic energy, forcing her efforts inwards now that she knew she couldn't move him.
Maku groaned, and swung his arm towards Kyra, forcing her to teleport to safety. He shook his head to clear it, and then he zipped towards Kyra like a bullet. She of course teleported, and then a chase soon erupted where Maku zipped across the field in pursuit of Kyra, getting closer and closer to hitting her each time she teleported away.
As this chase went on, Seth began to notice something odd. At first, he'd thought he was imagining the glow coming from Kyra. Yet it was gradually growing brighter, such that now Seth couldn't rationalize it away. Brawly seemed to notice it as well, and he seemed to be getting nervous about it.
"Maku, now!" Brawly ordered. Maku finally managed to nail Kyra down. Yet Seth could tell by the way Maku moved his body that he was going to attempt a feint like he did to Princess, but he was moving so fast Seth wouldn't be able to warn Kyra in time.
Yet, as Kyra turned her head to look at him, Seth saw her eyes widen...and then flash briefly. Almost like… the realization suddenly hit him, and Seth's jaw dropped as he watched what happened next.
Maku landed on the ground just shy of hitting Kyra. Yet she wasn't fooled. She didn't even budge, as though she knew that this was going to happen. Seth pumped his fist, realizing that his efforts to awaken that ability in her hadn't been fruitless after all.
Maku blinked when Kyra didn't teleport like he'd expected, but instead used the window of opportunity to lift up the splinters on the floor of various sizes that had accumulated after the many times Maku had missed her. She smirked steadily, and then she sent them all converging on him at once.
As Maku yelped and covered his head as the splinters bombarded him and pierced his skin, the glow around Kyra intensified all of a sudden, until he could no longer see her in the wake of the iridescent white light. Seth suddenly realized what was happening, and he whooped with sudden exultation. He'd seen this once before...when Princess had become a Milotic.
"Damn it, we were too late!" Brawly cursed, the leader essentially admitting that he'd seen this coming.
"What's this? Trainer Seth's Ralts appears to be undergoing evolution in the middle of the battle!" The judge proclaimed as he rose out of his chair. Even Steven was sitting on the edge of his seat now. "Congratulations, Trainer Seth! Regardless of the battle's result, your Ralts is about to become a Kirlia!"
Kyra shrank down into a single mote of light, and then expanded outwards, rising in height to a few inches short of a full meter. The single red fin on her head split into two and moved to either side of her head. Her white skin seemed to flow upwards and outwards, forming what appeared to be a skirt and revealing two well defined, green legs. Her arms lengthened and formed two finger-like digits, and lastly, her hair grew out to cover most of her face and dangle down to her shoulders on either side like ponytails.
When the light faded away, Seth's breath was taken away by the sight of his partner. Kyra balanced now on her two legs, her fingers clasped together and resting atop her skirt. He scanned her with his PokéDex, and sure enough, it now identified her as a Kirlia. She was more beautiful than ever, causing Seth's heart to skip a beat.
Kyra didn't let Maku recover in the slightest. Without even moving, the air around her fins distorted with psychic power, and what looked to be leaves formed in mid air around her. She elegantly raised an arm, and the leaves zipped towards Maku relentlessly, leaving cuts in his skin and sticking where they landed, bursting with psychic power. Yet before this attack even finished, Kyra delicately twirled in place and waved her arm as if she were dancing a ballet. Yet this one simple motion caused Maku to hurtle backwards from an unseen force.
Just as Maku hit the ground, Kyra appeared in front of him and lifted him clear into the air, now possessing enough psychic ability to do so without issue. She began dancing in place, slamming Maku into the ground repeatedly, easily knocking him out. Then, she hurled him towards Brawly, the Makuhita limply rolling to a halt just before him. She smirked at Brawly as if to say "have your pokémon back." Seth could feel nothing but smugness and the joy of victory from her.
"Incredible! With the power gained from her evolution, Kirlia has made quick work of Brawly's last pokémon! Trainer Seth has triumphed, bringing Brawly's winning streak to an end! Congratulations!" The judge announced amid cheers and applause from the rest of the crowd. Yet despite his victory, Seth had eyes only for Kyra, who appeared directly before him.
"Kyra! Come here!" Seth knelt down and captured his evolved pokémon in a happy embrace. Kyra cooed, her voice sounding very different, almost like a teenage girl in timbre rather than a child. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the Kirlia dancing in place. "That was…this is...I don't have any words. You're just beautiful! And those techniques you used! I don't even recognize what you did with the leaves...and before that...was that future sight?! I thought we'd determined you couldn't do that!"
So taken was he with his partner's new form that Seth didn't even notice Brawly's approach until he was right in front of him. Seth reluctantly released Kyra and rose to face him, coughing nervously.
"Congrats, man. That was some swell battling you showed me," Brawly complimented him again. "Your Milotic is really tough, and your Ralts...well, I guess it's Kirlia now... I had a feeling it was about to evolve."
"What made you think that?" Seth asked curiously, as even he hadn't seen it coming.
"A few reasons. First, a run of the mill Ralts wouldn't have been able to beat Joss. She's skilled enough not to let a simple type advantage beat her," Brawly started. Around them, the onlookers began to disperse, climbing down from the bleachers and exiting through the back entrance. "Second, her power. I don't know if you've noticed, but when she was a Ralts, she had far more power than any Ralts should have. She should have evolved before having anywhere near that kind of strength. That means she's a real prime specimen, a one in a million. And thirdly, I heard from Tate and Liza that a trainer can start feeling their Kirlia's emotions, and I could see that coming from you."
"How? It's not like you can read my mind," Seth pressed.
"No, but you smiled when she did, and frowned when she did. Sometimes when you couldn't even see her. Course, you could argue that the two of you are just similar, but combined with everything else…" Brawly explained with a shrug. Seth had to concede that point; apparently everybody but him had seen it coming. He'd never even known that a Ralts could evolve. "I tried to topple her before it could happen, but I wasn't fast enough. So, you've swamped me, and this is yours."
Brawly produced a box much like the one that he'd seen back in Rustboro that had contained the Stone Badge. He opened it with a click, revealing a small pin shaped like a blue boxing glove with a single orange gem in its lower center. Seth gingerly picked it up and pinned it to his shirt, which happened to be the same one that he'd worn when he battled Roxanne. As such, both of the badges he owned were now on display.
"You're well on your way, it seems." Steven approached the two of them, having descended from the bleachers to speak with them. "Excellent job, Seth. I thoroughly enjoyed watching you."
"Oh dang, dude. Even Mr. Stone here is praising you," Brawly commented, even as Seth found himself flushing with embarrassment.
"I really think my pokémon should get the more credit more than me," Seth attempted to blow off the praise.
"Don't forget that your pokémon wouldn't be where they are now without you. Trainers and pokémon exist in symbiosis, each serving to bring out the best in the other. Your pokémon deserve credit; they fought well. But so do you, who trained them." Steven wouldn't have any of it, his words leaving no room for argument. "After seeing this, I am fully confident that in time you could reach my level."
"That's high praise, man! I'm jealous," Brawly exclaimed, looking shocked.
"I…" Seth was speechless in the wake of such praise. He knew he'd won, but he didn't think the efforts he'd made were deserving of those words in the slightest. Yet, he knew he shouldn't be rude and rebuff him any further. "Thank you. I'll try my hardest."
"Glad to hear it! I wish you luck on your challenge." Steven dipped his head, and then he turned and started to leave. "I'm going to retire for the night. I have a long day of caving ahead of me."
"Good luck to you as well! I hope you find something cool!" Seth called after him. Finally, as the room cleared, he was alone with Kyra and Brawly. "Alright, so what's the plan now?"
Brawly started to answer, but as he was speaking, Seth suddenly started to feel a hint of mischief coming from Kyra. Before he could question her, however, he felt her psychic touch pressing lightly against his butt. Just as he was about to admonish her, her grip moved to his crotch and gave him a loving caress, causing him to yelp, interrupting Brawly.
"Everything alright?" Brawly questioned, raising an eyebrow. Seth tried to answer again, but Kyra let out a soft titter, teasing him further.
"Kyra, please stop, we're in public!" Seth hissed at her. He tried to be vague, but much to his embarrassment, Brawly caught on to what was happening and he grinned. "I swear, this is…"
"...Exactly what it looks like? Seems like your Kirlia's getting a little frisky," Brawly remarked. "You know, if you want to join me in the workout room, you could try out her new body all you want."
"Wha…!?" Seth colored rapidly at the invitation, despite the fact that he felt Kyra's agreement with the idea. "W-Weren't we going to go surfing?"
"We could, but it's getting pretty late. Could always hit the beach tomorrow morning, when the sun is high and the wind is kicking up," Brawly suggested. Seth dithered a bit, but Brawly then rested a hand on his shoulder, attempting to usher him back there. "Come on, your Kirlia is giving you Poochyena eyes."
Seth finally gave in and meekly followed Brawly into the back room. He realized with a start that this was the first time he'd spoken of sex with a male. All of his previous "mentors," May and Roxanne, had been female.
"I've got some potions in the back. We can treat our less injured pokémon and then get to it. I think Maku's gonna need a run to the PokéCenter though," Brawly reasoned. "I'll grab Joss and have her make a run for me while we get started. How's your Milotic?"
"A potion should be fine. She can regenerate the worst of her wounds, given the time," Seth assured him as the two of them stepped into the back room, with Kyra walking close behind. He was still very nervous, as he didn't know what would be in store for him here.
"Got it. Alright, let me just deliver Maku to Joss and I'll be right back. Just sit around wherever, and I'll be back in a bit!" Brawly then ducked back into the maze, on his way to find Jocelyn. This left him alone with Kyra.
"Right, first things first." Seth released Princess out onto the mat before him. She appeared to be conscious, though it was clear she was still hurting. He quickly retrieved a potion from his bag and used it to treat the worst of her injuries, helping to kickstart the regeneration process. "You were amazing, by the way. That twister technique we came up with worked wonders!"
Princess crooned happily as he tended to her, her coloring looking better already. She inevitably noticed Kyra's new form, causing her to lean her head down curiously. Kyra smiled up at Princess and stroked the serpent's cheek with her new fingers.
"You see that? Kyra evolved just like you! I didn't think anything could make her better than she already was, but there it is," Seth explained to Princess, who seemed to have already pieced it together that Kyra was still the pokémon she was familiar with. He glanced over both of his pokémon, unable to keep from smiling. It hadn't been very long since he'd become a trainer, but already he couldn't imagine a life without the two of them. He was just so proud of how far they'd come.
Then, Kyra was gazing up at him, her eyes shining and a bright smile on her face. Seth could feel her emotions now, and they were similar to his own, plus a strong hint of affection that swelled up after she felt his own emotions. She was now almost half as tall as him, her head coming up to his waist. Seth couldn't resist how cute she looked, so he ducked down and lifted her up. Kyra hummed and wasted no time in kissing him once her head was level with his.
Seth staggered a bit under her fervor, and then he stumbled backwards. Thankfully, Princess noticed him falling, so she allowed him to fall on her body, which serving as a soft place for him to rest. He sunk down and sat there on the mat, returning Kyra's kiss. He found that her lips were both larger and more well defined, causing the kiss to feel more natural.
Kyra rested there on top of him as they continued to kiss, straddling him right above his crotch. Her butt was now better defined as well, such that even as Seth reached for it he found that he couldn't cover it all with one hand anymore. As Kyra parted her lips and pressed herself closer to him, Seth felt his jeans quickly becoming tighter as his arousal grew.
"Alright, I'm back! And...you're already getting started. Right on, dude," Brawly chose that moment to enter the room, minus Maku's pokéball. Seth flushed and briefly broke away from Kyra...but she wouldn't have it. Her fins started to glow, and he found his face turned back to her, where she pouted for a brief moment before going back to kissing him, her little tongue pressing against his lips. "Hah, seems like she really wants your attention. Don't mind me, you do your thing. I'll kill a little time while I wait for Joss to get back."
~~HOMOSEXUAL CONTENT FOLLOWS BELOW - SEARCH GAY-END TO SKIP~~
Brawly grabbed his remaining pokéball and released Arthur out onto the mat, the Machoke looking significantly beat. "Looking pretty messed up there, buddy," Brawly teased him, causing Arthur to grumble in annoyance and disappointment. Brawly produced a potion and began to treat him. "You'll be fine. I don't think anything's broken. By the way...you up for a little fun? Those two are getting rowdy back there, and it's kinda getting me in the mood too."
Arthur blushed, but nodded, the Machoke sitting down on one of the benches. Brawly reached for Arthur's only article of clothing; a tight fitting speedo that covered its sizable bulge. He slowly slid it down Arthur's legs, revealing a vaguely humanoid penis that only differed by its hue; it was the same blue shade as his skin, with a slightly reddened tip.
"Let me warm you up a bit." Brawly placed a hand on Arthur's thigh and wrapped the other around the Machoke's shaft, starting to stroke it gently. Arthur grunted and took a deep breath, his shaft steadily hardening into an impressive length.
As for Seth and Kyra, the latter was already pushing for more. She moaned softly, her rump grinding against Seth's erection through his jeans. With her telekinesis, she lifted up his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, and he could feel his jeans unzipping and forcing their way down his legs.
Seth ran his eyes across her body, finding her new form to be rather attractive. Before, he'd found her appearance as a Ralts to be cute, but not all that sexy, but it hadn't mattered because she was his precious partner. But now, she was starting to resemble a girl, despite her exotic appearance. He found himself perversely wondering how she would feel now.
On the other side of the room, Arthur was fully erect, and was surprisingly receptive to whatever Brawly wanted him to do. Brawly leaned back against the wall, his shirt already off to reveal his toned chest, which was as muscular as the rest of him. Arthur got up from the bench and got on his knees so he could pull down Brawly's pants. Now, Brawly's erect shaft extended outwards ot hand in front of Arthur's nose, free from its trappings. It was clear he took good care of himself, as his pubes were short and neatly trimmed.
"Oh dang." Brawly let out a low sigh as Arthur put his mouth around his trainer's shaft, able to take it all it up to the hilt without issue. Arthur bobbed his head and sucked gently for a few moments, but only for a short while. "That felt pretty good. But those two are about to get to it, and I don't want to get left behind. What about you, big guy?"
Arthur nodded, and the Machoke moved over to the nearby bench and bent over, his shaft dangling downwards. Between his cheeks was a small, yet clearly used hole that he was now presenting to his trainer for use. Brawly gave Arthur's butt a light slap, chuckling as he did so. He pulled down a small bottle from a shelf on the wall, and squeezed out some of its contents both onto his shaft and onto Arthur's butt. He took a moment to spread the clear liquid around his Machoke's entrance, even sticking his fingers inside to make sure he was fully lubricated.
"Alright, I'm going in," Brawly warned Arthur, and then he stepped forward. He placed one hand on the Machoke's butt, and used the other to position his shaft at his tight hole. Brawly slowly pressed his hips forward, his length easily sliding inside. Arthur shuddered and let out a grunt as his trainer penetrated him, his body rocking against the bench.
Seth could vaguely see all of this happening out of the corner of his eyes, but he was far more focused on Kyra. Having finally rid Seth of his clothing, he could feel his shaft nestled nicely between Kyra's buttcheeks. With a lustful hum, Kyra hiked up her skirt in the back and used her telekinesis to position Seth's shaft at her entrance, and then she lowered herself down upon it.
"Oh gosh...Kyra…" Seth couldn't help but moan her name as he sank into her. He'd never penetrated her since the first time they'd done so when she was a Ralts, because he could barely fit inside of her and they both knew it. Yet now, Kyra was larger, and her size wasn't as much of an obstacle anymore. Before long, however, he felt his tip reach a point where he couldn't go in any farther. He still couldn't get all the way in, his length a little over halfway embedded in her. "Are you okay?"
Kyra nodded, her feelings of joy and lust coming over their mental link to him, serving to intensify his own. She started to bounce on top of him, pressing her fingers to Seth's chest both in order to serve as leverage and to keep her from going too far down and hurting herself. As she did so, Seth placed his hands around her waist, helping to ease the burden on her.
"Ahh...I'm so glad we could do this…" Seth whispered to her, finding the experience much more intimate than ever before, now that they were joined together like this. Kyra hummed happily, wiggling her butt on his cock and earning a gasp and moan from her trainer. "You're the best…"
"Alright, I'm here now. Thanks for sending me halfway across town to…oh." It was on this scene that Jocelyn walked in, having just returned from her trip to the PokéCenter. She was sweating somewhat, suggesting that she'd been running. She gazed at the scene before her, with Kyra gingerly riding atop of Seth while cooing with pleasure on one side of the room, and Brawly steadily thrusting into Arthur, the air filled with their pleasured grunts and the sound of the former's hips slapping against Arthur's butt. A small wet spot appeared in the crotch of Joceyln's shorts, suggesting that she wasn't wearing any panties. She slipped a hand into her shorts, rubbing her fingers against her sex. "Oh fuck, that's hot. You jerks went and got started without me, huh?"
"Trust me, there's...uuhhn...plenty of room for you to...ffff…get involved," Brawly reassured her in between grunts. He slapped Arthur's butt as he sped up his thrusting, the bench scraping across the ground forcefully under the strain of their lovemaking. "Oh man...you're still so tight, Arty…"
"There better be. I'm horny now, dammit," Jocelyn grumbled. She lifted up her shirt and tossed into the growing pile of clothes, and allowed her bra to hit the floor, revealing those lovely mounds that Seth had seen once before. Her shorts soon followed suit, leaving her naked in the middle of the gym, her slit steadily seeping with arousal. "Oh wow, even pretty boy over there is getting some. Here I was thinking that he'd never seen a decent pair of tits before."
"It's possible. He's...gggh...from Johto," Brawly revealed, causing Jocelyn to look at Seth with pity and understanding.
"Poor bastard." Jocelyn sat down atop one of the mats, her back propped up against the wall and her legs spread out before her. She wasted no time in slipping her hand between her legs and pleasuring herself with her fingers as she watched the sex occuring before her. "Don't tire Arty out too fast; I want him to plow me until I can't walk."
"That can be arranged," Brawly remarked, never once letting up his pace. "Oh man, I think I'm...uuhn...gonna cum soon…"
Seth could feel Kyra's desire for a change of position, so he helped her off of him and moved over to the wall with her. Kyra glanced up at him shyly, lifting her skirt to show Seth her dripping wet slit. Unlike when she was a Ralts, Kyra's lower lips were now as green as her legs, but inside, it was still as fleshy pink as ever.
"I'm going to lift you, okay?" Seth told her softly. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her clear off the gund. She was heavier than when she was a Ralts, but her weight was still very manageable. Kyra squeaked and braced herself against the wall with her fingers, but she more or less trusted Seth to hold her. Once she was in a good position, Seth pushed himself back inside of her, causing her to blush and moan softly. He started to thrust, building up to a steady pace in no time, and he was reminded of how close he was to his own climax. "K-Kyra, I'm...aaah...getting close…!"
"Do it, you two. Hhhn….I want to see you fill them up with your cum!" Jocelyn urged them, the words coming out of her mouth as foul as always. She continued to finger herself, her face flushed and her chest heaving while pleasured moans escaped her.
"Aaah...yeahh!" Brawly's face screwed up with pleasure, and he pressed himself up against Arthur one last time, no doubt filling up the Machoke's butt. Arthur's eyes went wide and the Machoke whined as he helplessly came on the floor, ropes of white seed shooting from his member and spattering on the floor.
~~GAY-END~~
"Kyra, I c-can't…! Uuuhn...hhhn!" Seth hugged Kyra closely to his chest as he thrusted up into her and climaxed, his cock throbbing inside of her and filling her up with his seed. As he did so, he felt Kyra's euphoria and joy rushing through him as she climaxed as well, making this the most intense orgasms of his life. His legs felt weak and he nearly collapsed. Princess slithered up behind him, helping to support him as he recovered from his orgasm. "Whew...that was...incredible. I could feel everything you did at the same time as me."
"I'm almost jealous. Fighting types are my thing, but I can't even imagine how it'd feel with the whole mental thing," Brawly commented. The leader had pulled out of Arthur, leaving the Machoke's hole seeping with the remains of his orgasm. The two of them rested on the bench, basking in the afterglow. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I need to get fucked right the hell now," Jocelyn interjected impatiently, the mat beneath her stained wet with her arousal. "I'm so horny I can't think straight. I don't care how you do it, just do it now!"
"Well, I was talking to Seth, but I did promise you could get in on this. Arty, keep her busy for a few minutes," Brawly responded. Arthur nodded, and then he got up from the bench and grabbed Jocelyn around the middle, lifting her clear off the ground, causing her to yelp. "What I meant was, how're you feeling about all this? You said you were from Johto, so this is probably the first time you've seen guy on guy action. You're not too weirded out, are you?"
"It's...a little weird, yeah," Seth had to admit. He rested against Princess as he recovered, Kyra nestled in his lap with a contented smile on her face. "I only recently found out that such things were possible, or even done at all. But I guess it just seems like more of the same. What's one more weird thing on top of all the weird I've already seen and done?"
"Hah, I hear that!" Brawly laughed heartily, clapping a hand to his knee. He started to clean himself off with water from a nearby bottle and a paper towel. Beside him, Arthur laid back on one of the larger benches, moving the bar used to hold weights to the side easily. He placed Jocelyn on her back on top of him, her legs cradling his softened member. Yet, as he started to brush his fingers against Jocelyn's entrance, he slowly started to harden once again. Jocelyn moaned, practically begging for Arthur to penetrate her. "If you decide you swing that way, could tell you how to train yourself if you wanted, sometime. If not, no big deal. Sexuality is a funny thing."
"I couldn't agree more." Seth ran his fingers through Kyra's silky hair, rather enjoying the way it felt now that she had much more of it. He found himself watching with a perverse fascination as Arthur lifted Jocelyn by her butt and pushed his hardened cock into the smaller hole just beneath her slit. Seth still found it odd that people could experience pleasure from being penetrated in that particular hole, but so far all those he'd seen do so appeared to have enjoyed it. He guessed it was just one other sexual thing that was considered normal here.
"Oh fuck! Arty, you're still so big!" Jocelyn gasped, her cheeks coloring. She took several deep breaths, trying to accustom to the large shaft inside of her. It was a good thing that Arty had bothered to lubricate her first, otherwise she would likely be in a great deal of pain. "Gosh, I need this. Brawly, are you getting in on this?"
"Yeah, I think I can go another round." Brawly got back to his feet and stretched briefly. He glanced at Seth. "You want to join us?"
"Wh-...I can?" Seth hadn't expected such an offer.
"There's three of you, and I have three holes! Get your pretty boy ass over here and pick one!" Jocelyn's irritated voice snapped over to him. Seth suddenly felt animosity towards her, coming from Kyra, who was glaring at her.
"Do you not want me to?" Seth asked Kyra softly. Kyra paused, and then she turned her gaze to him, smiling. Despite the glare she'd given Jocelyn, she didn't seem opposed to Seth having sex with her. This confused him, once again causing him to question how exactly Kyra felt about his sexual escapades. Sometimes she seemed upset, and other times she was all for it. "You're alright with it?"
Kyra nodded, and then she hopped off his lap, moving to stand over by Princess. Seth smiled, and then he went to join Brawly, Jocelyn, and Arthur. He felt some hesitation towards joining them, but watching Jocelyn bounce up and down on Arthur's cock was causing his own to harden quickly.
"Hm, I'll take her mouth, and you can take the front," Brawly decided, the leader moving around to the back of the bench. "That cool?"
"Hell yeah it is. Give me that fucking cock," Jocelyn reached over and grabbed Brawly's shaft, causing the leader to chuckle and she pulled it over to her face. She immediately put her mouth on it, easily taking in his length despite gagging a bit. Seth figured that it was a good thing Brawly had cleaned himself off beforehand.
This left just one hole for Seth; the enticing and sopping wet slit that was facing upward. Arthur noticed him coming and slowed down his thrusting just long enough for Seth to get in between their legs. He fit his cock between her folds, and then he pressed himself in, grunting a bit despite the fact that she wasn't as tight as Kyra. Once he was all the way in, he could feel Arthur's balls against his own.
As they all started to thrust at once, Jocelyn whimpered loudly around Brawly's length, her body trembling as her every hole was violated. Seth gripped her hips as leverage, his hands just above Arthur's. As he thrusted, he experienced the odd sensation where he could feel Arthur's shaft through the barrier of skin separating her vagina and colon. As weird as that was, it only served to heighten the pleasure he was feeling.
"Hff...Joss's a real dirty girl when she gets in the mood," Brawly explained, his hands gripping the metal props where the bar would typically be. "Other times, she's likely to kick your ass."
"I noticed that much…mmggh…" Seth replied. The air filled with the wet slapping of flesh on flash as his hips crashed into her legs repeatedly. "Do you all...do this...ggh...often?"
"Every week, really. There's not much to d-do here on the island in the evenings," Brawly answered, starting to stumble over his words as Jocelyn's tongue slurped around his shaft. "Dang, you work it real good, girl."
Seth panted heavily as the exertion started to get to his already tired body. Yet he couldn't stop moving; Jocelyn's inner walls felt wonderful as they constricted around him. The girl breathed hard through her nose, her increasingly loud moans muffled by Brawly. She quickly turned into a twitching, orgasming mess as she climaxed again and again, squirting her juices onto Seth's crotch.
It took longer for Seth to orgasm due to his previous orgasm with Kyra, but over the course of several minutes, he could feel it coming once more. He squeezed Jocelyn's thighs tightly and he sped up even further, his balls slapping against Arthur's. When he finally climaxed, he did so right as Brawly and Arthur did the same.
"Ngh, cumming!"
"Hnn...aah...yeah..!"
Jocelyn cried out loudly as cum filled her from three different ends simultaneously, turning her into a quivering mess that dripped with seed. Brawly knelt down, pulling out of Jocelyn's mouth, and Seth fell forward, resulting in a pile of sweaty, exhausted bodies resting atop the workout bench.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then?" Brawly asked as he and Jocelyn walked Seth out the back door of the gym. The night had long since come, the beauty of the stars shining down upon the darkened streets. When Seth nodded, Brawly grinned. "Awesome, dude. Thanks for the thrilling battle, by the way. And also for hanging with us afterwards."
"No kidding. I can barely walk," Jocelyn remarked, the girl leaning on the wall with her legs wobbling slightly. Seth chuckled; his body also felt somewhat weak after such vigorous sex. "You don't fuck too bad for a pretty boy."
"I wish you'd quit calling me that," Seth muttered, self consciously running a hand through his hair. "But you don't need to thank me. I'm still surprised you even bothered with me, considering how many other trainers out there that look up to you."
"You'd be surprised. Dewford's got a gym, sure, but I'm lucky if a trainer even reaches me. Not to mention there's really not a lot of young people on this island," Brawly admitted. "You think there's a lot of trainers now... it's because Steven's here."
"Ah, I guess that makes sense." Seth checked to make sure Kyra was with him, and that he had Princess's pokéball secured to his belt. "You might see a good trainer here eventually though."
"Oh yeah?" Brawly now showed signs of interest. "Who's that now?"
"Her name is May, and she comes from the same town as me. I've never beat her once," Seth revealed to him. Brawly's interest turned to visible excitement, the leader giving an impressed whistle at that confession. "Anyway, I'll come meet you back here tomorrow morning."
"Sounds good, buddy! Take it easy!" Brawly called after him as Seth began the long walk back to his hotel. The last thing he heard before he moved out of earshot was an off-hand comment to Jocelyn.
"Hey, you think she'd like Arty?"
Author's Note:
And suddenly, we're at 100k words! I still have no idea how this chapter turned out as long as it did. But I figure y'all won't mind because I gave you quite a lot of content after making you wait a month! Speaking of months, I totally didn't wait to post this chapter because I wanted to ruin your No-Nut-November challenges! Toss aside your silly scruples and make a mess of yourself! If you're going to fail, fail hard and make others think you are a legend!
...I am a terrible influence. And before you ask, I failed super hard, literally minutes after midnight on the first.
Anyway, let me touch on a few points here. First of all, a lot of you have asked if I'm going to be including guy on guy action. Here's the answer. Hell yes. I'm as degenerate as they come, so I love sex between any and all combinations of genders! So that includes mxm, fxf, mxf, mxfxf, mxmxf, or mxmxfxfxfxmxfxfxmxmxfxmfmxf! Also I would literally cry if I couldn't write anything sexy with my Wally boy.
But don't think that this means I've forgotten I have straight readers. You may have noticed that I added a warning so that said straight readers wouldn't get blindsided by the homosexual content, and could skip to the straight stuff. Don't say I never do anything for you all!
Anyway, please leave me a review, because you know how I love them! Tell me how badly you failed your Triple N challenges so that I may cackle in glee!
