A/N:

Hey guys, sorry that I haven't been active as of recently. Hope that everyone had a great Christmas and New Year!

Again, we've got some more crucial plot details in this chapter. Just like last chapter, keep your eyes peeled for certain aspects of the chapter. Now, knowing and being a part of the community here, I know a particular part of this chapter will be a bit more difficult to read. I can't say anything without spoiling it, but you'll definitely know the scene when you see it.

Special thanks to Archangel2462 for being a great beta, and to Umi x3 for advice on the chapter. And on another note, thanks to all of you as well! Before 2016 ended, you all helped this story receive 10,000 views. Thanks a ton, guys!

Anyways, onto the story. Hope you all enjoy!

"…" - Spoken dialogue

Italics - Michael's thoughts

'Italics' - Telepathic dialogue

/\/\/\ - Lemon Scene


"No one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them."

-Maeve Greyson


Ch. 13 - Discouragement

Michael gently stroked her cheek, waiting for the braixen to waken. She had slept like a rock, not even moving from her position the night before. But then again, she probably was exhausted after their extensive romp the night before. Her nose twitched, and her eyes lazily opened. "Mmm," she groaned, "good morning."

"Morning," he said, pecking her cheek. "You look like you had a good night's rest."

"I did," she said, before stretching out and yawning. "Arceus, I had such a great time last night."

"Me too. I wasn't expecting it to be so… intense…" She placed her arms on his shoulders.

"Oh, the others will be so jealous - I got to go a whole three rounds with you."

"Now Char, I don't think we need to flaunt anything…"

"Relax," she said, "I was only kidding." She nuzzled his cheek, softly pressing her lips against it. He ran his hands over her back, down to her tail. "Careful now," she teased, "don't start something you aren't gonna finish."

"Oh, err… sorry…"

"Nothing to be sorry about," she replied, leaning in closely to his ear. "I mean, I wouldn't mind going for another round." Michael couldn't help but blush from her forwardness, unable to say anything. "Again, dear - I was kidding. After all, I'd want you to have at least saved up some energy for Layla."

"Layla? She's—."

"Going tonight, yes. Honestly, do you think she's gonna pass up this chance to get in your pants? She's lusted after you for so long, and now that you're finally following through with all this… well, I don't think she's gonna let you off tonight…"

"You're… probably right…"

"I know I am," she stated matter-of-factly. "Now, let's get ready and go get some breakfast. After last night, I'm starving!" After giving her fur a desperately-needed brushing, the two set out to join the others.

…..

As they ate, Michael frequently checked his phone. He had felt that it would be courteous to check up on his comrade and find out how he had been coping with his dilemma. But unfortunately, he had not received any word back from Thomas.

Clearing his thoughts of concern, he focused on the task at hand - feeding the adorable glaceon beside him. She pawed at her cup, wordlessly asking for Michael to help her drink from it. Michael carefully grabbed the mug, gently tilting it to her mouth. Despite her ice typing, Elise had opted to try hot cocoa, and the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally burn her. She took a small sip of the brown liquid, and her eyes went wide.

"This stuff… is amazing!" she squealed. "Why haven't you told me about this drink sooner?"

"I don't know," Michael shrugged, "I guess I wouldn't have expected an ice type to really care for it…" He tilted the mug once more to allow her to take a much longer sip, unable to understand her newfound love for the drink. As he set the cup down, he couldn't help but laugh at her current predicament. The glaceon tilted her head in confusion.

"What's so funny?" she asked. Apparently, the others had also noticed, and were similarly humored. Michael pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture, showing it to her. Aside from her baffled expression, her fur was browned around her lips. "Pl-please delete that," she said with a blush, pawing at his phone.

"Not a chance," he laughed. As they finished off their meals, Michael noticed that Layla rarely removed her gaze from him. Upon seeing him looking back, she gave him a not-so-subtle grin. The look in her eyes alone made her intentions apparent.

After breakfast, they all agreed to head out to the city to find something to do. Since the arena was now occupied throughout the day, battling was off the table. Zeke headed off in a cab, while Michael simply decided to ride Veronica there, much to her delight. Since their method of getting to the meeting point was much speedier and more maneuverable, Veronica decided to take a slight detour over the ocean. "Look," she said, apparently focused on something below her. Michael carefully peeked down, catching sight of what had enthralled her.

"Wow…" Dozens of mantines swam near the surface, swiftly leaping out of the sea and catching slight air, before gliding back down into the crystalline water. That's right, he thought, they're pretty active on nice days like this. The two of them were so focused on the majestic display beneath them that they almost didn't see the boat that they were drawing closer to. "Look out Ver!"

She pulled up with a sharp motion, almost scraping against the rails as they flew over the heads of those on the deck, making several shriek in horror as the green flash zipped directly over them. Michael's heart felt raced, like he had run a marathon.

"I… think I'm gonna focus on flying," she said embarrassedly.

"That might be a good idea…"

…..

Once they had landed, Michael released the rest of his team, patting Ver on the back for not slamming them both into the side of a boat. "Sorry that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," she murmured.

"It's okay. I gotta say, Ver, I'm impressed with how well you maneuvered back there. The second you saw that boat, you reacted. I can see that you've been paying very great attention in those classes." The flygon hugged her trainer, leaning in closer to his face.

"Always going and making me feel better, aren't you?"

"I try."

Before long, Zeke's cab pulled up. The zoroark paid, then steeped out to join them. "How was your driver this time?" Michael asked.

"Well if it's any indicator, I didn't feel sick after stepping out of the car…"

The seven of them took in the scenery of the surrounding city. The streets were swarming with activity; cars zipped along on the bustling roads, while countless people lined the sidewalks. Behind them were the mountains, and thus, the resort, while the open markets were before them, near the coast. That's all they needed to see in order to make the decision of where they were to spend the day.

Michael and Zeke, both wearing their aviators, followed the girls to the various open stands and tables. The afternoon was spent in a flash as Michael tried his best to keep up with the girls, but ultimately failed to do so, as they spread out. Oh well, he thought, they're having a great time, and that's all that matters.

A great time, that is, until they saw people hurriedly leaving the beach. They walked over to see what the commotion was about, and found a sizable crowd gathered there.

A large and portable elevated stage had been driven out to the sandy shore, of which eight men stood on top. All garbed in crimson, they had red hoods, effectively concealing their identities. At each of their sides were 9mm pistols, holstered loosely and ready to go if necessary. Those on the stage weren't the only red ones there, though. In fact, dozens of others stood in front of the stand; those that were on the edge held bright red banners, displaying a golden "A" on each side. What the hell… Wait a second… are they…?

The lead man stood at a thin podium. Michael could catch a glimpse of a revolver on his waist. Unlike the others, his robe was garnished in golden decor, signifying his prominence over the group. He experimentally tapped the microphone on top of the podium, finding it to be working as it should. "Before we begin, I want to thank you all on behalf of the Assembly for being here today." Oh no… The following applause proved to be one of the worst sounds he had heard before. "Thank you," the leader said, trying to calm the crowd down.

"Girls," Michael whispered, "I think we should head out." But his words fell on deaf ears; their attention was focused on what the red beasts had to say.

"I'm sure you can all guess why we're here - to inspire the hearts and minds of the people of our great nation. To inspire you to rise up against the parasites that, as we speak, are trying to infest this region. The parasites that try to inject our beautiful law with immorality and sickness. My friends, do not be fooled - though they say they are tolerant, these lowlifes want nothing more than communism, wealth redistribution, and their multitude of sexual sicknesses - that is what you can expect from the left."

The onlookers clapped, several cheering aloud for the fiery words. As the noise finally died down, the leader continued. "As a conservative nation, it is our duty to stop this threat before it grows - before these people breed like the vermin they are. Do not underestimate the left; they will never cease their attacks on our rules. They are brilliant - some of the most brilliant minds on the planet - and they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Bribes, assassinations, and crookedness pave the road they walk on. The road, of course, to complete domination over our people, our businesses, and our way of life as we know it. They come to change it all, merely to suit their interests."

The girls continued to ignore his plead to leave. Zeke, too, was curious as to what they were saying. But Michael knew where this was likely to head, and he hoped he could get them away without having to resort to the balls.

"Again, our enemies are crafty and cunning. They do not wish to raise alarm. Instead, they want to repeal our nation's foundations one by one - one law at a time - until the end result is the polar opposite of what we have now. And if you think that's good, just look at Kalos right now. Sure, a few seemingly good attributes here and there, but they just screwed themselves over. Their national debt has been rising drastically over the years as a result of the stupidity known as socialism, government handouts, and the crookedness of their politicians. So what do they do to counteract this? They simply raise the taxes on the wealthier members of society, rather than take responsible measures towards solving their problems. And now, the very people they have become dependent upon for the vast majority of their region's funding are leaving in record numbers. Kalos will suffer an economic collapse before long - some say within the next decade or so. Of course, that isn't what their economists would say. Those despicable creatures would rather lie to the masses in order to retain their positions and avoid the mockery of the liberal fools in power. Soon, the country will be an impoverished mess, and the whole population of people that do not know how to provide for themselves… they will wither away and perish. Is that what you want for our beautiful, thriving country?"

"NO!" hundreds in the crowd said.

"Then help us put an end to those that would threaten our security and stability. There are several ways you can help do this; of course, you can join us in the most honorable ideological war in our nation's history. We welcome all that support our causes, and would be honored to have any of you inside of our ranks. But aside from that, you can fight off this ignorant stupidity by simply voting. After all, the polls are the ultimate message from the people to those in charge. So, on behalf of the Assembly, I implore you all to keep our principles in mind as you cast your ballots.

"As I have said before, our enemies are trying to slowly infest us so that the average person will remain unaware as their plot is carried out - a plot that, if completed, will destroy all that we hold dear to us. One of those steps in the process is the recent concept of legalizing human-pokémon marriages." S…shit. The murmuring of the crowd portrayed the tension of the topic.

"The media, I'm sure, has labeled us as villains for our fight against the issue. Media networks across Kanto, Kalos, and Unova are portraying the Assembly to be the living embodiment of intolerance - everything wrong with the world. This news comes from the same liars that would have you believe that Kalos's economy is fine, that Kanto's military is even somewhat operable, and that socialism is an even remotely functioning system. Do not buy into the lies; we have not committed any such atrocity that they have claimed. The Assembly never has, and never will, hunt people down - even if they choose to engage in their perversities. The perversity, of course, of their sexual preferences towards pokémon."

The girls' demeanors dropped, and from what he could easily see, their feelings were crushed. Michael thought that Veronica would lash out and attack, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, she joined suit with the others as the tears streamed down her face. "Girls… please…" Wordlessly, they followed him away from the scene of the event. Though their sobs were louder than the receding words of the speaker, the Assembly admin's speech could still be heard as they walked away.

"Those sick people should be content enough that they aren't castrated and imprisoned for their crime against decency. But their freedom to act in favor of their perverse natures is not enough - no, they want 'marriage equality' as they claim. Please, do not fall for this pathetic attempt to change the concrete nature of our law." Elise fell into a heap on the ground, bawling her eyes out. Michael's heart broke at the sight of his beautiful glaceon in such a state. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and hugged her against him tightly. What I wouldn't give to beat the ever living shit outta that guy… But Wesley had made it clear that they were to stay out of trouble. And as much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn't get very far by acting on his own - they were all armed. Maybe one day… one day they won't be in such large numbers…

…..

For his and Veronica's safety, Michael decided to return them all to their balls and take a cab back to the resort. He trusted the flygon with his life, but she was in no condition to be taking to the sky. As soon as he walked into their room, he released them all, seeing that they were in no better state than when he had recalled them earlier. "Girls… I'm so sorry about all of that…"

"N-no," Alaina stammered, "you t-tried to get us to leave…"

"That's… what they think of us?" Elise whimpered. "That we're… sick?" Michael didn't want to answer her, but the time for hiding this had passed.

"Girls… I know that you all are aware that some people don't take too well to our relationship…" They nodded in response. "Well… these guys are the worst of those people. Regardless of what that guy said, they have viciously attacked those they don't like…"

"Those… like us?" Charlotte quietly asked.

"…Yeah," Michael said after a moment. "They've already killed several…" He looked up at them and continued. "But they don't know who all they're dealing with here. If they ever try to even get close to hurting one of you girls, I will kill them without hesitation. Nobody will ever lay a finger on my girls."

It took the better part of an hour to reassure them that they would always be safe, but he finally managed to come across. After he had done so, he went next door with Layla.

"So," she said, unbuttoning his shorts, "are you actually gonna take off the briefs in the shower?"

"Y-yes… Just wait until after before we do anything, okay?"

"Oh, alright." The two of them showered together; this time, Michael did as she wished. "You know," she said while finishing up, scrubbing her tail, "I've gotta say, I'm a bit disappointed with my sisters."

"Why's that?" Michael asked before turning off the water. He grabbed the pair of towels draped over the curtain rod, and handed one of them to her.

"Well, it seems like they've only been concerned with getting themselves off."

"I'm not so sure that's the—."

"Charlotte just had you pleasure her for three rounds last night," Layla replied. "But none of them have even so much as let you release twice." They… talk about each other's sex with me?

"It's… really not a problem," he said. "I mean, I enjoyed myself too, you know…"

"Mmm, sounds to me like you don't know what you want," she said, gripping his towel. "But don't worry, I'll give you the best night of your life."

. . . . .

"Ver, really - there's no need. There's no penalty for switching out. Just let Layla take this one!"

"Good idea," the lucario said. "After all, I am pretty loose after last night."

"Michael, you better not recall me!" she hissed, ignoring her teammate's perversity. The flygon was noticeably tired, having already taken out two foes without taking a single hit. But her combination of staying in the air and dealing out attacks, all while avoiding her opponents' strikes, had exhausted her. Now, she was paying for her endeavor, trembling as she stood against an aggron - Jackson Mallis's final pokémon.

"You can barely stand, let alone battle. I'm not going to let you—."

"I've got this. Nothing that slow could ever get the best of me." The aggron began to make her way forward, causing Veronica to ready herself. Shit… she's not gonna let up… He began thinking over her moves, and what he could have her do to win the battle quickly. Alright, that aggron couldn't possibly stand an earth power from Ver. If she can manage to get a hit on her before the aggron attacks, then it'll be over… The aggron broke out into a bounding jog, closing the gap between her and the grounded dragon.

"Ver, use earth power!" The flygon's body started radiating, and she charged forth.

"Aggron, duck it and use iron tail!" the Jack shouted. As Veronica approached, she released her attack. The aggron lowered her body, evading the ground-type attack that surely would have knocked her out, and responded with a harsh sweep of her tail. Michael watched as the steel type connected her blow, slamming her large tail into Veronica's side with a resounding smack.

"Ver!" She clasped her side, stumbling backward as she tried to regain her balance. She attempted to take to the air, but the aggron rammed into her with an iron head attack. No…

"Use metal claw!" Ver snapped back, catching her opponent's arm before she could take a third attack. Good - if she can land a quick shot on her…

"Ver, use bulldoze!" Overpowering the aggron with a brutal shove, Veronica drove her into the dirt, covering the pokémon's shiny armor in thick layers of dust. She sent her off with a hard push, causing the aggron to slide towards her trainer. She slowly managed to get back on her feet, but did so with great difficulty. Alright, there's no chance in hell that she'll be able to take another hit like that.

"Use iron defense aggron!" …Unless she raises her defense…

"Ver, try another earth power!" Now with some distance between the two, the flygon was able to safely charge the attack. The ground around their opponent started to stir, and quickly shot upwards into her frame. That should have done it… The aggron tensed up in response to the attack, before falling forward with a pained groan.

Veronica made her way back to Michael, her head lowered. "I…I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I wanted to show you how much stronger I'd gotten… and now our score is going to drop because of it…" That was true - the only reason they had managed to achieve perfect scores was because they had finished the battles quickly and without taking a hit. But that wasn't the case anymore.

"It's fine, Ver - really. And don't think that you ever have to prove anything to me, alright?" She nodded, and they turned their attention to the screen. The numbers appeared, showing the scores of the two trainers' performances. The two of them were relieved to find out that their scores were still high, and hadn't taken too hard of a hit - a 8.5, 8.7, and a 7.9. Alright, that gives us… 85.1 out of 90. It would be impossible to say that they wouldn't continue. They would be getting the confirmation in a few days, though.

"Eh, it'll be fine," Zeke say reassuringly to Veronica. "Do you honestly think that there was anyone who scored higher than that? You all got nearly a perfect score."

"Yeah…"

"Ver, it's okay - I'd much rather have you perform this way in the elimination rounds, anyways. Think about it - scores aren't gonna matter at that point. All that matters is who outlasts the other." And that would be their hope - to outlast all of the competition. With their place in the elimination rounds likely secure, all that was left was to see who that competition would be.

…..

After lunch, they all made sure to take a detour back to the resort . The Assembly had been campaigning nonstop throughout the last few days, and none of them particularly liked the idea of hearing another speech. As they waited at a crosslight, Michael felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Withdrawing it, he found that he had received a text - from Thomas.

Sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday, I've just been going through a lot ever since Ivy said what she did. Now, I don't know what to do. I thought she was just my pokémon.

Michael typed out his response, thinking his words over carefully before sending the text.

I completely understand, since I went through this with the girls. It almost feels like you never really knew them at first - especially since they'd kept it all hidden all along. i know it's a difficult situation for ya - probably contrasts your feelings about the whole matter. I wasn't so sure about it myself when I started out. And I honestly don't know what to say to you in this case. After all, we've got pretty different opinions on the matter. What I can say, though, is that I encourage you to look past the anatomical differences. Look at her heart rather than her body. If you find that you love her, just say "fuck it" to the other differences. It's not immoral, though many think it's disgusting. I just encourage you to be open to the idea. And who knows? You might just surprise yourself.

"Come on, Michael - you're holding up the line," Zeke said, nudging him in the back. In retrospect, he probably should've picked a better spot to text rather than the edge of the sidewalk.

"Something the matter?" Alaina asked from over him as they crossed the street.

"Eh, not really. It's just Thomas. Y'know, that whole situation with him and Ivy."

"Oh. What's going on?"

"He's struggling with his thoughts for sure, but that's all I know. Truth be told, though, I think it's all gonna work out in the end."

…..

The stadium was fuller than he had previously seen. Now, there were thousands in the stands, many of whom were other participants, as well as the two announcers. Today, the participants in the upcoming rounds would be announced. The very next day, the battling would begin.

Michael and the girls sat amongst the participants and onlookers, eagerly waiting to see how they stood amongst their opponents.

"The performances have all been scored, and the results are in!" the female announcer said.

"This year's contestants sure have been skilled, haven't they Mary?" the other said.

"They sure have, Scott. The judges have witnessed unprecedented talent from both our newcomers and our veterans - this should definitely be an exciting year for the audience."

"Speaking of the judges - here they come!" The twelve judges entered the arena, walking onto the elevated platform in the center. One of them - a gray-haired man - stepped forth to the podium, a sheet in hand. After formally introducing himself, he explained how the listing would work. Names would be called out from lowest to highest scoring, starting with the sixty-fourth contestant. He adjusted his reading glasses, then began calling out the names.

"Contestant number sixty-four: Cameron Daniels, scoring at 70.8 points." The audience clapped, and the judge continued. "Contestant number sixty-three: Jackson Mallis, scoring at 71.9 points." Huh, looks like he made it after all. One by one, the names were announced, and the scores ascended. For the better part of half an hour, the listing went on; though they were eager to find their placing, After the tenth-placed contestant, they all started paying closer attention - the scores were approaching their own.

"We should be up soon," Charlotte said while other names were announced.

"Contestant number six: Ryan Trevor, scoring at 84.8 points… Contestant number five: Michael Higgs, scoring at 85.1 points."

"Yes!" Elise yipped. Fifth place? Huh, not bad at all. Wonder who got ahead of us.

"Contestant number four: Jason Corinth, scoring at 86.8 points… Contestant number three: Nora Kristie, scoring at 87.2 points." Michael and the girls held their breaths upon hearing the next candidate. "Oh? Well this is a surprise. Scoring at 88.9 points, we have Will from the Indigo Elite Four!" You have got to be kidding me… Memories of their loss to the first Elite Four member ran rampant through his mind. In only a short time, he had managed to improve enough to beat Michael on his second attempt at the championship, bringing his and the girls' campaign to a disappointing halt. If he could improve in only a few weeks time like that, then Michael didn't want to know how much better he had gotten over the three year period from their last battle.

"That's just great," Veronica growled, likely remembering being shot out of the air by the psychic of Will's xatu.

"It's alright," Michael said. "We'll find a way. And besides, we might not even battle him…"

"Let's hope not," Layla said.

"And finally," the judge said, "scoring a perfect ninety for the fourth year in a row, Cianwood's very own Leo Browning!" The crowd erupted.


A/N:

And that sums up the scoring rounds. I know the Assembly stuff was probably rough, but it was necessary for the upcoming events of the story. Be sure to watch out for them as the story progresses.

If you enjoy reading, please leave a review and tell me what I did right or wrong. All feedback is greatly appreciated!