Small Steps

by ChaosHammer

Martin wakes up as a Riolu in a house he has never seen before. Last thing he remember he was human, how did he end up like this. He must now find his place in this new world, get use to this new body and being in diapers again. This story contents ABDL themes and later probably some lemons/adult themes.

7. Small Steps Chp7 Meeting a new Friend?

Rebecca Point of View

It is 5:30pm, I am sitting on the couch pretending to watch TV. I am more interested in watching Martin, I don't think he has noticed me, he is on the carpet in front of me building away. When I turned the TV on he paid attention to it for a few minutes then lost interest. A small forest of Lego has sprang up in front of him, far from complete, a river running through the centre and he is slowly filling it with Pokemon made of Lego. The scale on some are off and others don't look like any Pokemon that I would know, but they look like they could be real. One of them looks like a squashed Frokie, another an all black Krokorok on all four, and one I think he just made up. He has made it look like it is jumping out of the water, it vaguely looks like a Dewgong, although it has a long snout and a weird lump on its head where the horn should be (Amazon River Dolphin).

I was completely wrong, Anastasia was right, this is a good toy for him. He hasn't put any of the pieces in his mouth, like I feared, the pieces aren't being scattered and he is enjoying it. Hasn't even touched the colouring set. I have little problem with the gym set, if he was to stay here for any real length of time it would be necessary. How is a kid his age able to build something like this, even amongst psychics of a similar development level this would be a stretch to believe. Maybe it has something to do with his lack of knowledge of being a Pokemon, instead of learning moves and improving his controlling Aura, he learnt other things?

Well we will see what Mr Fuji thinks of him Sunday. Gladly Anastasia had the foresight to not mention the playdate to Martin, I want it to be a surprise. Slightly dangerous if something happens while he is playing with Khione, but that is why a controlled environment was chosen first. We need to see how he interacts with other Pokemon closer to his age. Rebecca only has two more weeks off after that and Martin will have to go to Daycare or at worst go to work with Anastasia. That will have to be talked over with her boss, if it comes to that.

Anastasia said that he didn't even know how to block out other living creatures' feelings, until they had an impromptu lesson at the shops. He is so strange, his intelligence is so high even though he can't do basic things he should be able to. He is even actively trying to toilet train himself, and we have not been actively encouraging him. Was that something his mum focused on from a young age and maybe that is why he is. Speaking of which.

"Martin, how many times has your Mum tried to toilet train you before?"

"Properly once maybe, there were another few small attempts."

He signs back, looking up at me.

"Really, was it just with number 2s or both?"

He hesitates for a second.

"Just 2s, don't really notice when I pee. Even when I do, I can't stop myself most of the time."

"While your mum was trying did you ever wear pull ups?"

"Not sure what those are, but would have to say no, only diapers. Mum did say we would try training pants when I got better at holding my pee though."

"Ok that makes sense."

I look back up at the TV thinking the conversation had ended but Martin surprises me. First making a yelping sound to get my attention.

"How old am I compared to a human? Mum said I grow at a different rate to them, but not by how much."

"You don't know? Ok, I think you would be around the age of 2 if you were a human."

"O, ok. Do all Pokemon lay eggs?"

"No, where did you hear that?"

"From a human kid, about twice my height."

"I see well they were wrong. Many give birth to live young, like Delphoxes and Lucarioes. It is mainly birds and reptiles that lay eggs but not all. Do you understand that?"

"Yeah."

He goes back to playing.

After a bit long we sit down to have dinner, it is leftovers. Martin asks if next time we cook he could help and says he wants to help out more around the house, he doesn't want to be a burden. I can feel that tapping in the back of my head, Anastasia wants to create a psychic link, I let her.

"I really think we should let him, that phrase has shown up a little, he tried to help me with a few things today. Sadly I couldn't let him."

I try to stall for time as me and Anastasia talk telepathically. Saying to Martin.

"Do you help your mum around the house, if so what?"

"Are you sure, what if he hurts himself?"

"He is smart and it is not like either of us will let him do anything dangerous. Even if it is just simple things it will make him feel better."

I can't really pay full attention to Martin so I only catch parts of what he is signing, but I pick up on the key signs. Yes, cooking, something about washing, garden, vacuuming?. A little weird the last one but ok. I pretend to think for a bit.

"Well I suppose he could help you with the cleaning a bit tomorrow."

"Already did it, Thursday and today."

"Fine, just get him to help with the dishes tomorrow and something very simple with the cooking. Don't let him near anything hot, I don't need him burning himself."

"We can talk about it more later, we have run out of time."

"Sure Martin, you can help with one of two things tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Simply by saying that he has become a lot happier. Nothing else exciting happens that night, Martin continues building until it is bedtime. Me and Anastasia talk a bit about the planned playdate, given she will be the one taking him. She is the one Martin is most comfortable with.

Delphox Anastasia's Point of View

I woke up Saturday morning around 7pm. I don't agree with Rebecca choose of having a playdate between Martin and Khione, she is over the top at times, has no boundaries with personal space and will likely overwhelm him. He is quite sensitive. Although getting to see what Mr Fuji thinks about him is probably a good idea, he is used to working with young Pokemon. He has fostered many and seeing Minato again would be great, I have so many things I want to ask. If I wasn't the one to look after Martin it would have been her.

Martin is still sleeping next to me, thankfully we had no unexpected incidents this night. He appears to have slept through the entire night. I was scared he would be having regular night terrors after last night. I wonder what it is he hesitated to tell me yesterday, he hasn't mentioned it again and I have no clues to what it could be. As I get up and break contact with him, his hands start reaching out my way. Is he trying to find me in his sleep, god at is too cute.

I put one of my pillows in his grip, as he tightly cuddles it. Looking at his diaper it is pretty wet, should I change it? I don't want to risk waking him up, well I guess if I do it is about time to get up. I place the changing mat under him as I gently roll him onto his back. Undoing the tapes he shivers, is the air really that cold and I start wiping around his genitals and bum. I pull the old one out from under him and as I put the new one on he opens his eyes.

"Morning."

Martin says in a sleepy voice.

"Morning, if you want you can sleep some more I am only changing your diaper."

"Ok, that's nice. I will get up soon."

Once I finish he rolls over. I say morning to Rebecca, have breakfast and get on my laptop. I want to see what moves Riolus first learn and the best way to teach them. Apparently it goes Lightning Speed or Feint, then Endure and next Metal Claw or Force Discharge. Depending on if they have an easier time manipulating steel or fighting type Chi. Although there is some variation based on their martial arts training when they are young. They could learn Counter, Rock Smash or Cheer Up and a few others at any point really. I do research on teaching Riolus how to regulate their emotions if you are not a Lucario and it is pretty hard. That goes for Aura more so, there are a few options but they are not ideal. I am going to have to rely on Youtube videos and reading up on other Aura Users' personal experience.

Martin wakes up half an hour later and after breakfast does some morning exercise, then plays with his Legos. What he is building is quite impressive, it has taken up 1/3 of the mat at this point and will probably get bigger. I am glad I got him that huge box. Throughout the day Martin does more exercise, draws and even starts building what looks like a car with that Lego Technic. His intelligence surprises me again when I hear the sounds of wheels spinning. Did he hook up a small motor to that car? Looking over, the back wheels are spinning but he still has a way to go to finish it.

The only real problem we had today was when Martin pooped himself without realising when he was playing with his Lego. He managed to get to the toilet once today and another time he couldn't quite hold it long enough. It wasn't the fact that he had an accident that upset him, it was the fact that he didn't even notice it happening. It was me who noticed the smell and told him when I checked his diaper. I have to regularly check as he often can't tell when he is wet. He balled over that for much longer than the first time. Speaking of which he just sounded sad when he didn't quite make it, he didn't cry, is he being a little more mature about it? Apparently pooping himself without realising is still too much though.

After lunch he helps me with the dishes and later dinner itself. I just have him help cut up the vegetables with my hand on the knife the entire time, just to be safe. He was not very pleased about that, although didn't say anything. That afternoon I also tried to help him get Lightning Speed working, but no real progress, nothing to worry about he will get it. We had a bit more success with learning how to control his emotions better. He now can just emit some of the emotions he is feeling and not all of them. These types of exercise are meant to increase his overall control.

I am not looking forward to that playdate tomorrow, hopefully nothing goes wrong.

Riolu Martin's Point of View

I wake up to Anastasia changing my diaper, apparently this is my life. It is the fourth day, I am still not sure if it is actually real. This is a dream come true, I am a Pokemon, in diapers and have two people who are more than willing to take care of me. The diapers part, depends on your point of view, I am not exactly sure how to feel about it at times. At least most of the issues I have will go away with time, including my gripes with my inability to control my emotions. This world is not like a Mystery Dungeon game, but is the next best thing. At least I am not being forced to fight for others' pleasure.

"Morning sleepy head." Anastasia says with a smile on her face.

I yawn.

"Morning, anything planned for today?"

"Funny you say that, Rebecca organised a playdate with you. They are a little on the old side, but it should be fun. Anyway I did want to see Minato, a friend of mine."

"How old are they? What type of Pokemon are they?"

"I'm sorry, but me and Rebecca agreed to keep that a surprise. The only reason I am telling you now, is so you know why I will be trying to help you with your moves this morning instead of the usual time. We will be there most of the day."

"Ok." A bit of nervousness creeped into my voice.

"It will be fine, I will be with you the entire time. What are you so worried about?"

"I just hope we get along."

We then have breakfast, groom ourselves. I had a bath last night for the second time. The feeling of wet fur is going to take some getting used to. Then we go outside, I limber up ready for some more move practice. Anastasia stops me as she brings out her computer to have me watch some videos. They are about how to feel your body's Chi and manipulate it to use moves.

I know the first half of their explanation, but the second bit is confusing. Some say you treat your Chi like water and pretend gravity is pushing it the way you want it to go. Another says to rely on your instincts feeling out the moves. Surprisingly they don't mention anything about trying to get angry, that is the only times I have been able to use moves even if it was by accident. I tried all three ways, but had no luck. Anastasia seems to have had enough.

"I think that should be it for today, don't want you tiring yourself out too much we will be leaving in 20 minutes.

I have a lightbulb moment, it probably will not work, may as well try.

"Anastasia, can I try one more method? It is a long shot, but it might work."

"I guess, only for 10 minutes there are things I have to do. Don't want you to practice too much by yourself, you might get hurt."

I nod, walking to the middle of the yard. Ok Pokemon fanfiction you have already saved me once, time to impress again. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, I imagine a gruff old voice saying this.

"In a fight you need absolute control over your body, you can't half ass it. When you need your flame to rise to your aid, don't rely purely on anger. It is a useful stepping stone, but doesn't give you fine control. What if your partner is standing next to the enemy, you can't go at full force. You might end up hurting them more than your enemy. What if your emotions betray you and you become scared, your flame will sink to a useless state. I will now tell you the way my father taught me, it does suit everyone. Given how much you can overthink things it should suit you well.

Imagine a human is standing behind you; they are your trainer. Now you are the trainer and your Pokemon is in front of you. Command the Pokemon to bring its flame to a third of its full height and then use Flamethrower. The enemy has your friend pinned, push them back. Show that you understand."

The voice fades, do it. I am the human, the Riolu in front of me is my Pokemon. Ok Riolu Quick Attack to close the distance to your enemy in front then use Force Palm. Don't let them run circles around you and whittle you down at range. Energy builds up in my legs, as I run forward, appearing 20 metres away from my starting location in a split second. I failed to notice the buildup of energy in my left arm. A small blue explosion does off as I lose my balance face planting. Anastasia freaks running over.

"Martin, are you alright, is anything hurting?"

She goes to pick me up, but pauses as I look at her, I must have the dumbest look on my face.

"Look, I did, I finally did it. I move Chi on purpose."

Her face relaxes.

"That great, did you mean to use Force Discharge there? Using moves in quick succession is very difficult."

"I got a little carried away and forgot about that. I was thinking of trying that move too."

"That's good, do you want to try a few more times? What method did you use?"

"I just imagined I was a trainer telling their Riolu to use Quick Attack into Force Discharge, my body listened. Also yes."

I yell the last bit. Anastasia looks at me with a confused look.

"Really I have never heard of that method where did you hear it from?"

"I was much younger when I heard it, I think it was Prince teaching another Pokemon. Can't remember, not very clear." I lied.

"Well it doesn't matter very much as long as it works for you. You can practice for another 5 minutes after that and choose some snack you want to take. Once I am finishing getting ready we will leave"

Once I get a bit more of a feel for it, using Quick Attack is easy. Unfortunately I don't get time to practice Force Palm more. I pick out some snacks, play for a bit, then Anastasia takes off the bandage on my left arm. It is not fully healed, but enough to no longer require it.

We get into the car to go to this playdate. The booster seat gives me a good view, it is great for my motion sickness, as I can see where we are going. Wait, that was something I had as a human, does that apply to this body? I stop looking forward and more to my side, that headache is not building up. I don't feel nauseous, am I really that lucky to not have it as a Riolu? I see that big black tower in the distance again.

"Anastasia, what is that big black tower?"

"O, that is Pokemon Tower, it is a cemetery for Pokemon and a habitat for ghost Pokemon. They are attracted to them because of the strong emotions, and some ghost Pokemon feed off them."

So it is not the Radio Tower yet. I wonder if Team Rocket has existed yet?

"What do other ghost types feed off?"

"Well, some absorb light or heat, most can eat food but prefer not to and some absorb life force directly from other living creatures. Although unless it has a very bad grudge against you, it will not kill you. Most are just tricksters and enjoy a good laugh."

Pressure builds in my bowels again, I got swept up in early morning moves practice. This body has made a habit of wanting to poop shortly after I get up.

"How much longer until we get there?"

"Another 20 minutes maybe depending on traffic, what wrong."

"Just a bit nervous." I lied.

Well looks like I will not be able to hold it, may as well get over with it, probably going to end up in a poopy diaper anyway. May as well get over with it now, I go to push, but stop. Should I just stop holding and let my body go into autopilot, it might help me get over pooping myself and not realising it. Can't believe I balled yesterday, all over a poopy diaper. I just didn't know how to respond to it, I got so overwhelmed with emotion, it just came out. I just have to relax. I am a baby, it is fine to poop my diaper.

I distract myself by looking out the window more at many passing cars. Not many are driven by Pokemon, many of them are either in the back seats or in the back of trays. We pull up to a car with an Eevee in a car seat like me, although it is very different. The Eevee is in a box with a harness on, attaching it to the car seat.

"What are some of the other Pokemon that are treated like us?"

Anastasia looked back at me, then where I was looking.

"Well I don't know all of them, but I will try to list off a few that are at least native to Kanto and Johto as they are the ones you are most likely to encounter here. I will just say the first evolution of each line. So there are Squirtle, Charmander, Jillypuff, Vulpix, the Nidorons, Growlithe, Machomp, Chansey, Kangaskhan, Abra, Mr Mine, the Hitmons, Slowking, Eevee, Dratini, Chokorta, Cyndaquil, Togepi, Natu, Teddiursa, Houndoor, Porygon, and some Miltank."

"Wait why some Miltank and no Bulbasaur or Totodile?"

"Why those two neither of them are particularly smart, they are a bit above but not by much. As for Miltank they are a bit of a weird case as humans rely on them heavily for food. There are two different types, one breed for milk and the other meat. I don't want to make you upset, but humans breed a group of Miltanks to make them dumber to skirt around the laws. Do you understand?"

"Yeah it sounds like something humans would do."

Anastasia sounds a bit shocked for a second as we fall into silence, fuck I can't undo that. I let my real feelings about humans seep in there. I am meant to be an innocent child, I shouldn't get why humans do the horrible things they do.

About half way there my body takes things into its own hands as a log starts to push it way out of my butt. It breaks in half, part way out and starts to mush as I move around a bit, settling at the bottom of my diaper. It is warm, comforting and feels almost natural. Feeling it in my fur is still disgusting, but at least I know I don't have to clean it myself. I didn't even have to push, so that is what it feels like to be a true baby. The smell is not as bad as the first time, am I getting used to it? After a minute or two Anastasia says.

"Did someone have a little accident?"

"Yeah, I knew I would not be able to hold it so I just went. I didn't want to hurt myself holding it for too long."

"Really? Ok, I will change you when we get there. I know how much you hate poopy diapers, they are pretty yucky."

I try to take my mind off the feeling, it is starting to get to me a little.

"So Anastasia, what Pokemon are common as pets in Kanto?"

"What made you say that?"

"Just trying to distract myself."

Anastasia appears to get what I am talking about.

"Ok well some of the more popular ones are those that are classed as starter Pokemon do you know what you are?"

"Yeah they are Pokemon like Bulbsuar, Charmander and Squirtle. They are given to newer trainers as they are easier to train."

"Well you are not completely wrong. Such Pokemon are popular to take care of either as pets or treating them like your own child. Pidgey, Eevee, Nidoran, Mewoth and Growlith are pretty popular too. Although due to rules changes Eevee and Nidoran are treated like children these days. They are more exotic types of Pokemon that are popular all around the world like Riolus, Barboach, Sandile, Minccino, Sinistea and Zorua"

We continue talking for a bit longer until we get there. I am so glad she changed my diaper in the car, I didn't want that to be the first thing my new possible friend would see. My diaper is thrown into the bin that is next to the side gate, it looks like there is a big backyard.

"Martin I know we are not at home, but I want you to still try to go to the toilet ok. It will be a bit of a different one, although that shouldn't be a problem."

I don't know what she is talking about, I just nod.

"Good boy, now follow me inside. I want you to meet Minato and Mr Fuji before you play with your new little friend."

Wait, this is Mr Fuji's house, this is going to be weird. Anastasia knocks on the door and Mr Fuji answers the door.

"Hello, it is nice to see you again. Is this little one Martin?"

He bends down to my eye level, as I suddenly get very self conscious and hide behind Anastasia's fur. Anastasia signs.

"Sorry Mr Fuji, he is quite shy around new people, it takes some time for him to warm up to others."

"That is fine, why don't we stop standing on ceremony, come in, come in."

I hesitate as they go to walk in, I can feel two others in the house their Auras are new. One feels a bit like Anastasia; they are closer, the other is much harder to feel. Anastasia just picks me up as we go inside. I feel much safer in her arms, the heat coming off her calms me down. We walk through a short entry way as we enter the living room, a Kangaskhan is sitting on a large cushion in front of a small table.

I don't sense a baby in their pouch, maybe they are the one in the other room further into the house. That one's Aura is a chaotic swirl, I have no idea what it means. I know it is affected by their emotion, but not by how much. Also I don't so much see Aura as much as feel it, it takes a lot of concentration to even do that. I don't know the colours, just the shape and textures. I wonder if I will ever be able to. I just switch to feeling just emotions, it takes too much energy to do that for long periods. Anastasia puts me down on the floor as she hugs the Kangaskhan.

"Minato, it has been too long, how have you been?"

"It has been great, you know we only talked on the phone 5 days ago right?"

"Yes, yes, it is not the same as seeing you in person"

Minato looks towards my direction.

"Hello there Martin, I am Minato, do you want to play a game?"

I just wave and nod. Anastasia encourages me to sit down on a smaller cushion next to the table.

"Come Martin, it will be fine, I will not be leaving the room."

I take a seat. As Minato continues talking.

"I have heard from Anastasia you are quite smart, I wanted to see for myself, so I wanted to play a few games with you. Do you know how to play checkers?"

"I do, have played before."

She put the board on the table already set up, it was beside her.

"Well I will not have to explain the rules then."

As we play we continue talking. She is clearly going easy on me. I purposefully make some bad moves here and there, can't make myself look too good. Anastasia and Mr Fuji just sit on the couch behind me. I glance back at them every now and then. Are they talking telepathically, that is unfair.

"Do you like playing with Lego? I have seen photos of your creations, they are amazing."

"Yeah, I like making things, pulling them apart and putting them back together. Helps me understand how they work. Lego is a nice way for me to be creative."

"Really I like to paint, do you?"

"No, it is not really my thing. I more so, like having books read to me."

Also most said I like reading books that could have been dangerous.

"Do you have any favourites?"

I can't say what I like reading now, hopefully something like Animorphs exists in this world. I loved reading that as a kid.

"Not sure of the name. The character would transform into Pokemon and fight these weird slug things that would take over the minds of other people. They had to touch the Pokemon before they could transform into it and if they stayed in as one for too long they would be stuck."

"Is that Pokemorphs, it is popular in Unova?"

"Sounds like it, what do you do for work?"

"I am a teacher at one of the local human schools. Have you been enjoying your time with Anastasia?

"She has been kind and has been very patient with me. I know I have not made her job easy."

"At least from what I have heard, that is not true, you have been a delight to be with."

She goes to squeeze my cheek as I slap her hand away.

"Don't touch, not fully trust. Only Anastasia allowed."

My fur has puffed up as I feel anger pulse out from my body. What has come over me, I know she will not harm me. Minato looks hurt as I hear movement behind me, but no one touches me or moves into my line of sight. Whoever it was sits back down. She pulls her hand back as she moves her next piece.

"I will keep that in mind." Minato says flatly

We continue talking a bit more. Moving on questions more so focused on me to general chatter. Minato is a very nice, warm person, like Anastasia and is a pleasure to talk to. I ended up winning the game, despite my bad plays, she let me win.

"Are you up for a slightly hard game, as she pulls out a pawn from a chess set."

"I am, let's play chess, familiar with this game."

Minato is a bit surprised.

"You have played this before, it is much more complex than checkers, do you know all the rules?"

"I should know most, just tell me if I make a mistake."

"Sure."

She is going easy on me still as we continue talking. Not touching on anything too personally and not even mentioning my made up parent and their Pokemon. Samantha and Prince that makes things a lot easier. Part way through, Minato notices that I have been staring at her pouch a lot.

"Are you wondering what it is like in there?"

I shook my head furiously of course I was.

"No, I was wondering why no baby was in it. Are they in the other room?"

As I point towards the room, where I sense the emotions coming from.

"O. Khione is not my baby, I do treat her like my own, she doesn't like sleeping in there anymore. I just don't have a child of my own at the moment. Kangaskhan in the wild often have more than us that live with humans."

"Ok, I guess that makes sense."

"If you want, you can sleep in my pouch later, many kids your age enjoy it and so do I."

I can tell she misses such feelings and I so badly want to myself. Should I just give in to things babyish desire? Fuck it.

"That would be nice, I should be comfortable with you touching me now by the way. Just not the face or my Aura feelers please."

"Of course I don't want to upset you."

I am not paying too much attention to the game as I relax a little. I just subconsciously stop making bad moves on purpose and not thinking about my moves too hard. Mr Fuji gets up at one point heading towards the room with Khione in it, coming back a bit later. I end up winning this time too, Minato is just going too easy. Both of those games were over pretty quickly, we have only been playing for 35 minutes, the clock on the wall says 9:10 pm. Then an ugly habit of mine as a human reared its head, not the first time, just by far the worst time it has happened.

"Why are you going easy on me? I want a bit of a challenge, letting me win gains me nothing."

My big mouth strikes again, think before you say how many times did my mother preach this. I just dug myself a hole, I can't get out of. Stop showing how smart you actually are. A wide smile spreads across Minato's face.

"Really now, I have been going too easy. Let's see how you handle this."

She gestures at Mr Fuji as he gets up and brings back a small device with two screens on it and a big button on the top. I start sweating, I know what that is, it is a turn time for chess. He places it between us.

"This is a chess turn time, we will each have 5 minutes on the clock and each turn 10 seconds will be added to the clock. If your amount of time runs out or you get checkmated you lose the game. A draw will result in you winning, you will be playing white. These are two advantages on your end. Do you understand, this is the type of chess I like to play."

Should I just lose on purpose, that will show I am just all talk. My pride got me into this situation, sacrificing it can get me out. Minato continues.

"Just to give you an incentive to play at your best, if you win I will give you a tub of expensive ice-cream. Anastasia said you have a bit of a weakness for diary, she told me how much you were eyeing off that Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough flavoured ice-cream the shops."

I glare at Anastasia with murderous intent, she sinks into the couch a bit more, looking like I actually scared her. Then I start salivating just at the thought of that ice-cream. My brain stops working, as I follow my stomach.

"You're on."

If I play my hardest, I might have a chance based on how good Minato is. As white I can go for a bunch of openings and if she plays standard my chances go up. Chess is a game I don't mind playing, I more so enjoy watching it. I know all the text booking openings, closing my games are where I struggle.

I open with Pawn to E4.

Minato Moves her Pawn to C5.

W Knight to F3.

B Knight to C6.

W Pawn to D4.

B Pawn captures on D4.

W Knight captures on D4.

B Pawn to G6. The Sicilian defence accelerated dragon, an amazing opening for me. This gives me plenty of threats and is difficult for black to play.

W Knight to C3.

B Bishop to G7.

W Bishop to E3.

B Knight to F6.

W Bishop to C4. I am tense, what will be her next move.

B Castles. Wait, it worked? Time for an old trap. Bobby's trap.

W Bishop to B3.

B Knight to A5. I think I have won.

W Pawn to E5.

B Knight to E8.

W Bishop captures Pawn on F7. Minato pauses, she has no good moves.

B Rook capture on F7.

W Knight to E6 trapping the Queen.

"Well I resign, that was well played. That ice cream is yours, didn't expect that to be so quick."

"It was nothing actually, my skills at chess are okay, I just went for an old strategy I watched before. "

My tail is wagging, how often does it do that without me realising?

"There is no need to be so modest. Even so, that was amazing. Why don't you go play with Khione now, I will go get her."

Minato gets up. Mr Fuji talks to me for the first time since we got here.

"You are quite smart aren't you. Minato doesn't lose very often."

"Wait, she didn't let me win again? I thought she did." I sign back

"No, what gave you that impression?"

"She fell for what I thought was a well known trap? Can't remember the name of the chess player, but he was famous. That is how I knew it. Minato even walked into an opening that favoured me heavily."

"I see as far as I Minato was playing seriously. We did agree beforehand that she would go easy on you, but that last game didn't feel like it. At most she may have handicapped herself by giving you a good opening. She was going to give you the ice cream either way."

"Ok I guess, the only reason I know chess so well is because me and Samantha played it all the time. She taught me a lot of the theory, once you get away from that I fall apart."

I actually used to just play a bit online. Minato comes back with a Vulpix following behind her fur is light red fading out to a beautiful white at the tips. Her eyes heterochromia one is blue and the other red. She has aspects of both fire and ice type Vulpixs, her tails and feet are like a regular Vulpix while her hair on her head and chest are like an ice one. They only have four tails, three that are like the rest of her fur and one is pure white. She is very pretty.

I am only broken from my trance when they open their mouth.

"Mum, why are you getting me to play with a baby?"

Author's Note: The chess game was based off Bobby Fischer vs Samuel Reshevsky 1958.