Partners

by Darth-Vulturnus

"We don't always get to choose our partners. But we have to trust them, all the same." In a world where polygamy and slavery are integral parts of society, good and evil as we know them have no meaning. Two's company, three's a crowd, and a harem is nothing but a load of trouble- so how do we stay true to ourselves when the immoral so quickly becomes the norm? AU, SI, Slow Paced

36. Dev III: Communication (Circular)

Arc IV - Development III: Communication (Circular)

US- something fanfic this way comes…

DV- In our quest to get back to a reasonable upload schedule, we've fought black knights, killer rabbits, met a wizard by the name of Tim and decided not to go to Camelot, for it is a silly place.

Disclaimer: There is a point of no return. This is not that point. This is the point of no obtain. Because we don't own Pokemon, and never well.

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Ben POV

"You know more of this East Berlin." Katsumi accuses me from across the table at the restaurant my harem and I are eating at.

"I do."

"And you did not see fit to talk about it with Mikhail."

"I feel I'm missing some context here." Interjects Lorraine.

Klara pipes up from next to me. "Uh, yeah, I'm confused too."

I sigh. "Must we do this now? I suppose I've been remiss in keeping the two of you up to date. My apologies. Basically what's important is that Mikhail inadvertently solved a major puzzle piece for me without really knowing he was or intending to. He tells me his grandfather is from East Berlin."

"Yeah, I figured that out Ben. Never heard of it though." Lorraine replies.

"Wouldn't expect you to have. Yes, well, the important part is while Mikhail doesn't know anything about East Berlin besides its name due to his grandfather's reluctance to discuss it, I know more."

"How much more and how?" Klara asks.

I look over at Katsumi and can practically see the gears turning in her head. "Ben, when we first met, you told me you grew up in one of the human-only settlements." Wait… is she going where I think she's going with this? Am I really so lucky? "Given how you're aware of this East Berlin while we are not, I feel like it's probably safe to assume it's another human-only settlement. Correct?"

I am that lucky today! Thank the lord!

"That would be correct." I say. It's very literally true, after all. It's also very wrong from any sort of practical real world standpoint, being metaphorically true in the same way as Obi-Wan's 'from a certain point of view' statement about Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.

"I see." Katsumi simply says before returning to her food.

That's...unnerving. Fuck. I really should expand on this shouldn't I? I have enough to deal with without further incurring Katsumi's ire. "It's…" I begin, before sitting back slightly, picking my words. "It's a settlement quite a ways from the one I grew up in. Nevertheless, I have been there a few times, though it's not called East Berlin anymore, it's just Berlin again, though I wouldn't expect Mikhail's grandfather to know that if he hasn't ever gone back."

Klara, surprisingly, is quickest on the uptake. "'Berlin again?' So, like, it was Berlin, if there was an east there was presumably a west and then a reunification, yeah?"

I swallow my bite of food and nod. "There was a war about fifty years before I was born. They bit off more than they could chew and ended up sandwiched. Of course, the two places they were fighting didn't like each other either, but they hated their common enemy more and so declined fighting each other too. When the war ended, they split it in two to make sure they wouldn't have to fight again. Of course, later the side that controlled East Berlin collapsed, in large part due to a failed economy, and West Berlin absorbed its eastern counterpart, returning to just Berlin, though they are much more amiable as a people now than they were then, so it was contested little."

Lorraine raises an eyebrow. "Any reason you've chosen to omit names aside from the ones we're already aware of or can infer?"

FUCK. Damn it, that was stupid of me wasn't it? Of course they'd be curious. What do I do now? If I keep evading, eventually at least one of them will hit the library and find out that Berlin isn't on the maps or comprehensive lists of human-only settlements. On the other hand… if I give them names, that could spark curiosity as well and then I'll have to keep the ball rolling. Fucking hell. Joseph was right, wasn't he? Just come clean… but it might be too late for me to do that and get away with it. I just don't know anymore.

"To the east of Berlin." I say, hesitantly. "Is the settlement of Moscow. The other one, to the west, is… my home. It's called…" I stop, biting my bottom lip as I thought about what I could say. "I… don't want to talk about it right now, honestly. It's not a talk I want to ruin our pseudo-vacation with, as it's one I'll need a lot of alcohol for."

"Oh, will you now?" Lorraine says, half teasing and half accusatory. "Well, I surely hope it lives up to the… mmm…" She gives a quick flash of a vicious smirk and I feel cold run down my back as I remember that conversation I had with her so long ago, where I was far less hesitant to give out information. "...hype."

"Hmmm. Intriguing." Katsumi says as I notice her low humming under her breath, a new tell of hers for deep thinking that she's picked up as of late. "Two questions then. I must admit I'm curious as to how the people became so much more amiable in a mere fifty years when usually the losers in wars become bitter and hateful, but that's more my own curiosity. The more pertinent question is why you won't share any of this with Mikhail."

Lorraine takes a moment to rib Katsumi. "You've been on Mikhail's side surprisingly often in this discussion. Should Ben be concerned?~"

Slowly turning towards Lorraine while giving new meaning to the phrase 'if looks could kill,' Katsumi faces Lorraine head-on, her every word textbook perfect even with the undercut of rage and indignation. "You dare make such insinuations about your Alpha? No, your Hand? How dare you. If you have nothing productive to add to this conversation, then I command you to be silent. Do not test my patience right now, or you won't be able to regret it. I will ensure your suffering is long and painful…"

By the end, Katsumi's perfect speech has devolved into an almost unintelligible hiss, her chest rising and falling violently as she stops to catch her breath. Where the hell did all that come from? It's not like her to blow up like that. Before she can continue her rant, I reach out and take her hands in mine. "Katsumi."

Her chest rises up and her mouth opens, but I reach over and cup her face with one hand. "Katsumi, please. Take a deep breath. Breathe."

She exhales before I talk her through a few more. Once she's mostly calm again, I start rubbing small circles on the back of her hands. "Katsumi, love, are you alright?"

She straightens up immediately, a fake smile plastering her face, looking all to the world like she wasn't insinuating bloody murder a moment ago. "Oh yes, I'm quite alright."

No you aren't, but a public area like this isn't the place to get into it.

Klara is shrinking in her chair trying to make sure she's not the next target and even Lorraine is looking pretty off-center at Katsumi's outburst. I lean forward on the table, resting my head in my hands. For fucks sake. Great, just fucking peachy. This is absolutely what I need now, totally. I had thought these two were past these kinds of antics, but apparently not!

"Lorraine." I start after a few deep breaths to keep my voice steady. At least she has the decency to look contrite. "I'm not happy at you winding her up."

Understatement of the year, really. She grimaces for a brief moment, inadvertently letting me know that she knows her mistake. One of the most important rules for any decent family is to keep things within the family. You don't air any dirty laundry in public and no matter the actual situation, you don't do anything that would show any cracks in the family where others outside the family might see. I twitched instinctively at a memory, one that had scar tissue to accompany it. Giovanni had been quite clear regarding family matters and I had taken his… lessons to heart… had to, whether I wanted to or not is irrelevant, both then and now.

With deliberate slowness, I drop my head and and rub at my temples, hoping maybe if they know their bickering is giving me a headache or perhaps more importantly, hurting their Tamer, even if I am hamming it up to be a bit worse than it is, then they'll agree to stop until I have a better time to take control of the situation again. At some point when I wasn't looking, things clearly devolved again.

When they stop to look at me, I give Klara a soft smile and a head pat, glad she had chosen to sit things out and not get involved. While she pouts somewhat at the head pat, she makes no attempt to actually stop me even though I had earlier told her to not be shy if she didn't like something.

Katsumi grimaces, knowing her it was probably because I was giving the other girls attention and not her, and in return I give her the closest facial rendition I can manage of 'we are not amused'. Not one to let the main culprit go free either, I look over at Lorraine, holding a perfectly neutral expression until I'm sure her entire attention is on me, at which point I just hang my head with a sigh.

"I'm sorry you had to witness this." I say to Klara after turning back to her. "It's not normally like this."

"Mmm." Klara says. "It's not the worst. Like yeah, Katsumi is bitchy and pregnant, which is a bad combination. Lorraine tells me she's totes bitchy even before that, but like, Lorraine isn't a saint herself. There's some history I'm not aware of. Mostly, though, it's you."

"Me?"

She nods. "Yeah. Like, the chances of being in a harem where every girl is an angel is pretty low, ya know? I mean, it's rarer in this case since I'm only the third girl, but those two bring out the worst in each other. Ever since my blood sister and I went through Threshold, I've had time to come to terms with the fact that I probably wouldn't get along with all my harem sisters. But as far as Tamers go?" She gave a casual shrug. "You're no prince charming, no storybook character in looks or mannerisms, but you've been dependable for at least this short time I've known you and you have enough money that unlike most Tamers we won't be living in squalor working part-time jobs. It's totes obvious that you and Katsumi are together together in a way most Tamers in our generation just aren't, so I super doubt that you'd make me do anything I wasn't also cool with, 'cept maybe battlin'. And, like, I don't think you're the type to use his extra girls for some of the, uh, side hustles some super nasty Tamers do. Like, so gross!"

I grimace at that. It shouldn't really surprise me, all things considered, but I suppose I've just gotten too used to living in high-ish society, where that's not really a thing that happens with any sort of regularity. That party… still makes me angry, but by now it's more a dull ache on my consciousness than the blazing sword it was at the time. What's done is done, after all, and I had later found out that the slave girls had been Ferals caught in a hunt the week earlier and then saved for the party. That didn't make it right, not at all, but I suppose it became a little harder to care. I've not had many experiences with Ferals, but all of them were bad and they've killed people that I cared about, if not personally, then professionally because they did their jobs well. Knowing they were former monsters and weren't, metaphorically, from a bad end hentai, certainly downgraded how much I cared to do about it.

It shouldn't, but the mind can't stop how the heart feels.

"I see." I tell Klara with a small smile. "Well, I'm glad I have your approval then."

The rest of the meal was spent in silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joseph POV

"I heard you had an interesting time yesterday." remarked Mia casually as she sipped her cocktail. Apparently she had finished her business elsewhere, so it was back to enjoying her unexpected beach vacation.

"I was kidnapped. Wasn't as boring as I expected." I admitted. Admittedly I failed to catch any fish in the end, but I got a few maybes (while Chuck had some of the funniest stories to tell. After his fifth can I was finally able to pry a corker out from him about the Gym Leaders council several years back, and Whitney's rather embarrassing showing when everyone went out for shots).

"You certainly seem a lot more chill."

"Chuck kinda forced me to reconsider a few things." I admitted. At the very least, I felt a lot less stir crazy at the idea of not throwing my Pokegirls into hard training. Instead, I had found the most non-smutty book I could find in the library here on Cianwood (a mystery novel), and was slowly going through it, pacing myself to prevent myself finishing it too quickly.

"Well… I'm glad." Mia said with a sincere smile on her face. I'm sure she was glad I wasn't ruining the mood and so such… but I also knew she was happy I was less gloomy.

"So, how are you planning to spend this fine day, absent of work?"

"Not sure." her reply came with a pointed smile. "But I've heard tales of Amora's volleyball prowess. I may challenge her."

"Hah! She's as poor at it as I am."

"Then I suppose I'll have to challenge both of you won't I?" and the challenge is raised.

"... Mia, if our teams go against each other in the highly competitive sport of Beach Volleyball you will kick my ass."

Again, she smiled, and my rebellious heart skipped a beat. "That's rather the point of me challenging you, isn't it?"

"... you're lucky my ego is the most resilient part of my body. You're on." Curse you, oh ridiculous crush. Before we were fine. But this time you went too far… this time involves sport.

XXXXXXXXXX

Fun and games are fine, trying to be more laid back isn't necessarily a bad thing… but that doesn't mean I still don't have responsibilities to handle. Things that need to get done. And it was time to handle one of them I'd been postponing for longer than I'd like.

Amora.

As much as I hate to admit it… so far she's been a bit of a fifth wheel on the metaphorical car. It was just sod's law that the shittty situation in Olivine kicked off almost as soon as she was first brought into my group.

I haven't been neglectful. I've made sure to satisfy her needs, ensure that she has the free time and ability to pursue anything she wants, and ultimately have a far better life than what she used to have.

Compared to some partners she could have assigned, I'm better than most… but I could do more. I really need to do more. Time mends almost all wounds… but it takes a hella lot longer if you fail to apply proper first aid as well.

And god damned do I need to stop it with the metaphors. They never get any better.

"Hey Amora… is it cool if we talk for a bit?"

Amora stops sharply - a forkful of takeout noodles halfway between her plate and her mouth. I would say that I could see the gears turning inside her brain as she considered my words before nodding steadily, but it would be a lie. I still found it hard to understand her sometimes.

"I know this isn't how you'd prefer to spend your Night… but thanks." I began, trying to clear the air a little. "Are you happy right now?"

"Yes." she answered quickly, with no visible delay. I scrutinised her further.

"I'm not going to punish you if you say something I don't like." I told her. "Back when Keiko first joined the group, some people tried to tell me stuff I really didn't want to know, and I blocked my ears. A lot of it was accidental… but if I listened more, maybe the worst mistakes I've made never would have happened."

Even now, the events on the road to Ecruteak haunt me. With good reason. It was a clusterfuck all round, and if I can make sure I never fuck up to that degree again, I could die a satisfied man.

"What did you do?" It shouldn't have surprised me that Amora asked - but it did. I half expected her to listen to my words, but not really react.

And what to tell her… the truth, as closely as I can. "I was terrified of sex." I admitted. "Before I became Sophie's Tamer I was basically on the streets. I was pretty fucked. So when I was given the chance to be a Tamer, I jumped for it without really knowing what I was in for. I didn't really know about the sexual parts of the equation. Namely, the fact that Pokegirls need it."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh. So I didn't listen to those that tried to warn me, and then everyone got fucked over."

"And that's why you don't like being a Tamer?"

I laughed. It was dry, and more self directed than anything. "Well, it's one of the reasons, anyway. I suppose I tell this story to tell you that I value communication. I'd rather be told a painful truth now, than the alternative. So if there's something you're thinking but are scared to tell me… I guarantee that I won't punish you."

"You can't guarantee that."

"Have you ever seen me punish the others?"

"Yes." Blink, blink. Wait, when? "You denied Keiko extra desserts last Tuesday and made Sophie do the dishes for cutting open a training dummy and requiring you to pay to replace it."

Oh yeah. Those happened. "But they weren't undeserved. They weren't physical, and ultimately, the punishments aren't really that bad. And I guarantee that verbal means won't ever be punished. Can you believe that?"

"I believe you'll try not to." Well, that's perhaps the best I can hope for.

"So… are you happy right now?" I returned to the original question I asked. "I haven't even checked up with you yet about what you're feeling like due to the Lockdown mess in Olivine yet. Are you happy with the present… dynamic… I guess, that we've got right now? Is there anything I can do to help?"

She's silent. Deep in thought. I noticed that she was biting her lip, ever so much. She caught me watching, but didn't stop. "This is better than being with the Jennies. Nobody hurts me outside of training, and I can eat what I like. Sophie doesn't bother me and Keiko is… nice."

"Nice? Is she treating you right when I'm not around?"

Here, she smiles, perhaps a small bit. "With my original… Tamer..." some progress, she doesn't refer to him as Master any more. "His Alpha was mean. She used to beat me when I failed, and kick me down if I ever got up. She… I…" her fists were trembling and there was a harshness in her tone that I had very much never heard before. "I hate her. That Houndoom. So it's… nice to have an Alpha that doesn't hurt me. Keiko is forceful and she isn't doing it purely out of kindness…"

"But you like it all the same." I concluded.

"Yes. I don't like having to make my own choices… but at least the choices she's making don't hurt me."

"Damn me, but she's unfortunately a good Alpha." I couldn't help but grumble. I found it a little bit funny that Amora liked Keiko more than Sophie, but I was a biased party. Sophie is quite introverted and is often awkward around Amora, while my Alpha was always the one to interact a lot more with her.

"Did you hurt her?" The question caught me off guard. "Before. When you didn't listen."

I didn't answer immediately. I didn't want to talk about it. But… I wouldn't deny the Electric type for asking such a simple (if painful) thing.

"I did." I admitted. "And she hurt me badly too. I don't know if I'll ever forgive her for that. She's just so… unrepentant! She's- she's- a two faced… a two faced..."

"Bitch?" that tone of her voice… was that a hint of a sense of humour?

I stared down into my now cold food. "Yeah. That's a word, alright. So I'm sorry that I don't like your favourite person in the whole wide world."

"That's fine." Amora shrugged. "And-" she started, but stopped immediately, looking away.

"Go on." I prompted. "I told you. I'll never punish you for words."

"It's… embarrassing."

"I won't push then. You don't have to answer. But I do want to know."

"... she isn't my favourite person in the whole world." she admitted. "She cares and pities me… but only because she's my Alpha and it's her job to look after me." once again, she looked away. "She cares because you told her to."

"Oh."

"Yeah." she prodded at her own cold food.

"And why do you think I care?"

"I don't know that yet. But you're honest. And I like that."

XXXXXXXXXX

I was tired, but it was a happy kind of tired. A satisfying sort that feels like a day has been well spent, even if said day was spent doing nothing much at all.

So… did I really want to ruin my good mood once more?

I was sitting near the beachfront, away from my girls back at the room, just in case (can't have them overhearing me). And on my lap was my Pokegear, with one person's profile open.

Did I really want to ruin my good mood by calling someone I just knew wasn't going to answer… yet again? Who hadn't so much as contacted me over the last four days since the Night of Long Knives, who I still hadn't been able to talk to?

I sighed. "Dumb question. The answer is obviously yes." Because I am a stubborn soul, and I take promises seriously. And if I don't worry for Ben… then who the hell will? And while I did know he was alive due to Chuck… that just makes me worry more.

I pressed the call button and brought the Pokegear to my ear. Tone dial. Tone dial. Tone di-

Click.

Blink. Blink. "Holy shit, I actually got through."

"Indeed you have. Hello Joe."

… Yup, that was Ben's dry drawl all right. "Oh. 'Hello Joe'. Is that really it? I mean, for fucks sake Ben! If I didn't hear rumours from a Gym Leader as to your continued existence, then you very well could have been dead for all I'd have known, especially considering what went down in Olivine… so… hello Ben."

Okay. Maybe I was being a little blunt. Maybe I was being a little harsh. But in my defence, would it have hurt him to drop me a quick text of 'sup, still alive, no worries'?

"My apologies. I… wasn't necessarily trying to keep you in the dark, but with all that was going on, things were moving extremely quickly. I had in fact planned to contact you, but well, making sure I slipped out of Johto alive took precedence at the time. It… uh… let's just say things could be worse, but the both of us are mostly okay, so, really…" He paused, stopping to collect his thoughts. "Ok, I'm rambling a little, but my point is that I'm sorry I didn't talk to you earlier, but what's done is done and we can't take back the past."

"You aren't wrong." I replied. You can't take back the past, but you can damn well learn from it. Still, there are more important things, and it really isn't worth starting a fight. "I get that you're a hotshot mafia heir and what not, but I do worry. How are the girls? Katsumi okay?" Namely, is the baby okay? "Did any of you get stuck in the Night of Long Knives, or did you slip away beforehand?"

"After, though we weren't directly involved and basically sat out the whole thing. Well, we got caught up in the very opening act and got a little roughed up, but overall, everyone is alright. None of my girls took any damage that wasn't easily repairable, so things are much the same there. I'd tell you what port I'm currently in, but you never know who might be listening in, so I hope you'll forgive me if I leave my exact whereabouts somewhat muddled aside from that I'm in Sinnoh and safe… well, relatively speaking." The comparison between here and Earth implied. "I'm thinking I've had enough excitement for a little bit, so I think we're just going to lay low and chill out for a bit. Spend some time suntanning and all that jazz. Anything new with you?"

"Nothing quite so exciting. Huh, though I did get arrested. That was fun."

"Oh? Did you now? That sounds like quite the experience. Well, maybe next time we meet you can tell me more about it in more depth. I didn't think you were the type, but I suppose you never know, really."

"Eh. Breaking the lockdown was a crime. Technically." Couldn't really be blamed for trying to leave, but the law does what the law does best. "On a completely unrelated yet also tangentially quite related note… Chuck is a fucking mad man. I'm not sure sure if I mean that in a good way or not yet. Also, he apparently really doesn't like you. The fuck did Titan do to get him so annoyed?"

"Oh… Chuck. That bone-headed clown." Imagining Ben's sneer wasn't hard. "If his hate for me is personal then I apparently gave him too much credit. It's just business. He didn't like the idea of Titan trying to do what he considered to be encroachment on his personal fiefdom. We simply wanted to buy up a few local businesses, expand operations, the usual and he got all up in our faces about it. It was… quite annoying, though not entirely unexpected, truth be told."

Aaah. Typical Capitalism Ho shenanigans. "I wouldn't quite say 'bone-headed'. He might be a dumbass, but he's a three dimensional dumbass. Or something like that." I sighed. "Well at least you're laying low and not accidentally making a tonne of new enemies. Fingers crossed, maybe we can both have some peace and quiet. I know we both need it."

"Most Gym Leaders are pretty territorial, Chuck was just really in my face about it, so he gets a little more personal ire. But moving on to happier topics, yes, I have managed to avoid getting too involved in things, which is good. Some R&R is exactly what the doctor prescribed. Oh… hey Joe, is there anything important you need to bring up now? I forgot to charge my Gear the other night, so I'm running low on battery right now."

Anything important? Nothing worth bringing up anyway. "I'm done. I'll let you run off now. But next time…" I laughed. "Well, you already know. No point me nagging about it. Just… take care. I've got your back if you need it."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Same to you. I'll make sure to keep you in the loop a bit more. Was good to hear from you. Later."

"Later." I replied, and hung up.

That… could have gone worse. He's alive and kicking, and apparently managed to sidestep the Night of Long Knives. I still don't get why he couldn't just message me… but that's fine. The important thing is that he's okay, his girls are okay, and they're presently sitting out the problems plaguing Rocket on the mainland.

"Still…" I mused to myself as I got to my feet and brushed myself off. "For as much as that man likes to talk, he sure didn't tell me a lot... "

XXXXXXXXXX

Ben POV

"Later." Joseph says as the last thing before hanging up.

With a light sigh, I lean back a little in my wheelchair. He's upset and I can't really say I blame him. I basically scooted without saying a word to him, leaving it up in the air whether I was alive or dead. Of course, if I had really wanted to fake my death, it would have been easy, with all the chaos.

Sometimes I think that maybe I should have. It would hurt Joseph, yes absolutely, but I'd still have my girls and… have I squandered perhaps the best chance I've so far had to escape from under Giovanni's thumb?

I don't know. Hard to say. Doesn't even matter now anyway. I didn't do it and that's that. I didn't even try very hard to hide the fact that I ran off to Sinnoh, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten wind so quickly. It certainly won't help my image with the Johto League, that's for sure. Makes me look suspicious for sure. But better a reputation hit than dead.

As for Joseph himself… it's almost too easy to lead his thoughts where I want. I feel a little guilty about it, honestly. But it's not for him. Canaclave does in fact have a few beaches, but Sunnyshore is the city known for them in Sinnoh. I can't risk that Venusaur, or anybody else who might be an enemy, tracking me down, not yet. Besides, a little white lie never hurt anyone. It's not like he's coming to meet with me, so what does it really matter if I imply I'm in Sunnyshore when I'm actually on the other side of the region?

I distinctly dislike that he seems to be acquainted with Chuck though. That… is a much larger issue. Especially when he's already annoyed and so more likely to believe Chuck's side of the story. Sure, the business dealings I helmed for Cianwood weren't nearly as straightforward as I told him, but details. It was only an attempt to secure a monopoly through a few hostile takeovers, but nothing too serious. It was all perfectly legal, technically speaking. Not like we brought in Rocket goons to start threatening people, like some of the other Titan executives have done in the past. Professionals have standards.

Really, that boy does enough worrying for the both of us. He needs his own rest time. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, in this case at least. Giving him too many of the actual details, or Lord forgive, me telling him I lost a whole leg, well it'd just be unnecessary and even counter-productive. No. He has his own matters to sort out and I have mine.

It's best to keep such things separate when possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

Joseph POV

It was the evening of the fifth day of our little 'vacation'. And I had to admit it: it's been nice so far. I still get stir crazy as fuck, but nice moments outweight the tense ones. Napping in the sun, heading to the bar to play pool with Mia and her Pokegirls, reading on the balcony and eating the local foods along with the more traditional holiday 'comfort foods'.

I wasn't going to let this continue much longer. Couldn't afford to. But all in all? We'd earned a breather after the recent shit show.

"Are you coming to bed?" asked Sophie. It wasn't her night tonight - only 3 girls, so only 3 nights are pre booked for one to one 'meetings'. So this was any other day, which meant shared beds and little covers due to the outrageous heat. I loved Sophie's tail (gosh, was it fluffy!), but the fucking thing is warm as fuck, sheds everywhere, and getting it in your mouth is the worst.

"Not yet." I admitted. "I'm getting close to the end. This shit is good."

"What was it again? 'Maggie Holt - Into the Abyss'?"

I smiled. "That's the one. And I'm liking it quite a lot. Fun fact, it's actually quite similar to a story from home."

The Furret plonked herself onto the space beside me on the sofa and rested her legs on my lap (I dutifully adjusted my arms to allow her access, while not losing my page). It was remarkably intimate for two friends, but a little less so for whatever-the-hell-we-are. "Is this related to your 'home town'?"

I shrugged and waved my hand in a 'so-so' manner. "Back home there's a story called 'Pact' that is very similar, except it's from the perspective of that Thorburn kid, while the Maggie over there kinda goes off and kinda does her own thing, whereas she's a protag here. Not even getting into how in RL the writer wrote a different story where this exact book I'm reading is apparently a thing. So a little bit of uncanny valley."

"That's odd." Sophie frowned. "Are there many other books like that?"

"Not just books. I've learned to shut up and stop thinking so hard about it." I admitted. "A lot of things here parallel my own home, even though sweet naff all should explain it in any reasonable manner. Starbucks and Staryubucks. Coke and Poke. Similar but different, you know? Maybe some of it is explained by what Ben said before about how we aren't the only 'immigrants' from there, but not all of it."

"I guess things here seem a little uncanny to you then." I didn't like that sad look on Sophie's face, that face she makes when she's feeling sorry for me.

"Don't worry too much," I poke her playfully. "You don't always get the answer to the Deeper Mysteries you sometimes ponder over… and that's okay. Even if it doesn't make too much sense, I'm happy to have some reminders of home, even if some of them are a little silly."

"That… that's fine then." Sophie acknowledged, and that was that. I continued to read (only three chapters left!), while she rested at my side.

BANG. BANG. A knock at the door?

"Time's it?" I mutter.

"Past midnight."

"Then who the fuck's this?"

BANG. BANG. BANG. Another set of hurried knocks.

"Fucking fine!" I grumbled, pushing Sophie's leg off me and getting to my feet. It was just lucky I was still in my daytime clothes, while Sophie only needed to slip on a dressing gown to be decent. "What-"

And there, at the door to our hotel room, was a rather unexpected guest. It was Ayame the Gardevoir, Mia's Alpha. She was dressed like she'd been out to the town, in a shapely cocktail dress and high heels.

She didn't look happy.

"Come in." I said with a sigh, hurrying her in and shutting the door. "What's the emergency?"

"My Tamer is… well… she's drunk." With that answer, I breathed a sigh of relief. Normal disaster, not the trainwreck disaster I'm getting used to. "We went out clubbing and so she could catch up with a few friends that mentioned they were here. Everything seemed to be going well…"

"Until what?" I prompted. Mia can hold her booze very well (from what I remember of that time we all got wasted after the Olivine Gym Battle), so for her to actually get drunk would require real work.

"One person couldn't make it." Ayame admitted. "I never like Joel, but he was a decent man and a better Tamer."

"Dead?"

A nod. "Suffice to say… my Tamer is rather tired of people she likes dying while she isn't watching."

"Well fuck." Sounds like a shitty time all round. I've always been aware of Mia's losses, but I'd never been involved. That was a shame. You need all the friends you can get in these times. "So how can I help?"

"She won't leave the bar." The Gardevoir frowned. "I can't make her leave because if I tried, she'd return me. The others are already balled."

"So you need me to be the responsible friend and walk her home?"

Her teeth gnawed together, like just asking gave her a toothache. "Yes."

"No problem." I said, casually. "Just let me get my coat and some cash, and tell the others what's up."

"I expected more persuasion." Ayame said.

Here, Sophie stepped in. "Leave it alone. I can guess why you don't like my Tamer, but you don't need to be a bitch about it. He hasn't done anything to you, has he?"

"... no." admitted Ayame. "It's just… things are simpler without him."

"Still here, you know." I muttered while zipping up my jacket. I tuned them out at this point. I know when girl talk is going on, and Pokegirls are still girls. Man is not meant to ponder the catty doublespeak that side of the species employs.

I knocked once on the bedroom door, then popped my head in. Keiko, scantily dressed. Amora, adorable in her nightgown. "Bad news. Mia's drunk and needs a friendly escort away from the tap. So I'll be a little late to bed tonight."

Keiko frowned. "What a bad influence she can be. Do you need me to come with you and give her a piece of my mind for calling you out so late?"

I shook my head. Not worth the argument, I reminded myself. "I won't be long. It's just a small errand, so no point in you gearing up for battle or whatever."

"Fine." Keiko got up off the bed like a feline and stalked towards me. She gave me a kiss on the cheek as a 'goodnight' and that was that. No drama. I was grateful.

Back in the other room, there was an awkward silence. Whatever talk they had was over now.

"I'm ready to go now." I announced. "Sophie, can you stick here?" after all, she was just as underdressed for accompanying me.

"You'll go alone?"

"I have Ayame." I winced a little here. "She might not like me, but Mia would kill her if she let her precious Kohai die."

Sophie struggled not to snigger. "True. Okay, I'll see you soon then?"

"See you soon." I turned back to the Gardevoir. "Ready to go?"

She was already at the door and opening it. With a shrug, I followed after her.

This errand would be a pain… but at least I was going to get a chance to speak privately to Mia's Alpha, a woman that from the start had nothing but bad things to say about me. And hell if I wasn't eager to learn just what her deal was.