Note: Wow. So few reviews. Ah well. Can't blame a guy for hoping. This just means I got no votes for a name for the Vampira. No big. I kinda figured this story would be my least viewed owing mainly to the niche nature of it and lack of visible crossover.
For reference: Pokegirls is a Crossover between a LOT of things. Like, seriously. Any anime girl could, potentially, be ported in. If I wanted to port in Albedo from Overlord? I could. Easily. Same with Asuka, Rei (Both have been done to death,) Zoe (Monster Prom), Lina Inverse (Referenced heavily already in-goetia)... And then have them all in the same Harem? Doable. Anyway… Off I go.
This and chapter 7 will be uploaded at the same time, and I promise literally nothing in terms of quality. You have been warned before, but I figured I'd make sure to warn again for posterity.
Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing save my own skin, some clothing, and legally I own my cat, but we all know she actually owns me. Everyone can blame Pokemon Sword and Shield for reminding me to actually write this and some other stuff I've got in the works.
/End Notes
/Run
Xiao was fine with her life, as it was. She'd started out in the Edo League, on a ranch built to house Fighting type Pokegirls, of which Slicers were a small part. Her mother was, officially, a 'Ronin' breed. She loathed that, though. She was Chinese, damn it! She used a Jian, not a fucking Katana or wakizashi or whatever the hell else the japanophiles of the world thought she should have used. She was born and raised in what was formerly Xi'an, not the small freaking island chain off to the east with a historically abnormal love of tentacles going places they have no earthly business going.
She refused to call herself a 'Ronin' when she evolved. She would refer to herself as a Youxia and damned be the people who try to tell her otherwise. The idea of her getting a Dawn Stone and having to worry about what she'd call herself instead of 'Samurai' was far off. Maybe Jūnfá? It meant 'Warlord' which sounded badass enough… but for now? She had been sold off by her 'father' to the Indigo League and passed around for a while before winding up as a Prize Corner Pokegirl. English was the name of the game.
Her Tamer? Markus was an interesting enough guy. He seemed bound and determined to mimic people who came from other realities with the odd sense of morality that would likely get him killed. Her Harem Alpha? Salohiel was stingy but upright and a great fighter in her own right. She seemed to fall prey to the usual trope of a Celestial trying to control things, though at least with her it was more militaristic than if she'd been, say, a Megami or an Ophanim.
She counted it as 'her' Harem, too. Yes. Because she got to enjoy the wonderful feeling of being 'in charge' more often than she had at the Prize Corner, where Taming was done solely to keep Pokegirls sane enough to be sold off. This had resulted in the Tamers or Tradesmen on staff just fucking them and being done. In her current Harem? Markus let her run the show with other girls in the bed, as long as they weren't named 'Salohiel.' If there were a 'Beta' position? Xiao was fairly certain that'd be her. Now if only she could get Salohiel to take her in a rough and tumble fashion. The things she wanted to do to that woman…
When she looked down to her spread legs, her pants and underwear around one ankle having been pulled down but left hanging so they wouldn't get lost in the woods in which her Master had set up camp, she saw the dark hair and pale skin of the Vampira that Grace had brought into the Harem, licking and kissing at her pussy. She liked to keep herself groomed down there. Helpful at the moment because the arrow she's made of her pubic hair directed anyone with interest exactly where she wanted them.
The girl was obviously not overly used to being with another girl, her tongue was not quite 'up to spec' for Xiao's taste, but she was at least enthusiastic!
"Don't worry, Sweetness." Xiao said, running a hand through the bat-girl's hair gently, trying to guide her while letting her explore. "We'll get you trained up… Oh! Right there!" her hand tensed when the bat-girl's tongue found a particularly good spot and held her there.
Xiao's other hand was busy playing with her tits. Markus loved to play with them, but he was a bit clumsy about it. She liked gentle, she liked rough. She liked both in moderation. Kissing around the sensitive flesh before light biting? Wonderful. But he couldn't feel it, and couldn't tell when he'd overdone his attention on a certain area.
She continued directing the Bat-girl, who had yet to get an actual name, for a while before using her inborn strength to maneuver them both. She'd been sitting on the bedding of the tent and wanted something to do with her own tongue, so she flipped the Vampira over her into a classic 69 position, giving her a front-row seat to the somewhat untamed bush between the pale girl's legs.
She had an alphabet to get through, damn it! Not only that, but she wanted to try other patterns. The 'Sewing Machine' was one of her favorites, accompanied by light touches around the vaginal canal…
It always felt wrong to say or think 'pussy-hole.' Sue her. She knew it made no sense.
So she got to work. While the Vampira was getting used to the change in position, Xiao pushed her hips up at her and spread her legs a little wider for her, hoping she got the message. When she felt that the bat-girl was having difficulty? She pushed a finger, which had been touching at the soaked lips in front of her and pulling them apart for her tongue, inside the girl, curling it in the slick hole and trying to touch all over.
Her gasp felt fantastic, and the renewed vigor with which she dove into Xiao's muff, fingers and tongue, was reward enough for the Slicer. It was almost a pity. Her next thought was to go for the pale girl's ass.
Oh well. That's what she had the double-ended dildo for. Well, that and so she could bang Pythia into the boxsprings while Markus had his dick up her ass. She liked anal. Especially anal while she had a girl in front. Now that the Harem had enough members? Maybe she could get the bat-girl to sit on her face while Pythia ate her out and Markus fucked her ass… The logistics didn't matter, so long as she was at the center of a massive fuck-sandwich with no hole unused. Maybe have the new Vampire licking her tits?
'Hmmmm.' Xiao's mind was fuzzy through the haze of physical pleasure and the thoughts of being the center of a small orgy. 'Life goals.'
Outside…
With Xiao and the new 'Night-guard' occupied? Markus was left with Grace and the new Vampire out of their Pokeballs. Salohiel had slept off the night's battle and returned to her Pokeball, Pythia following into the digital matter-storage wonderland of 'not having to walk' shortly thereafter. Sunrise was coming soon, and Grace had been Tamed thoroughly after the Vampire (With help from Xiao… Girl was a nympho.)
As the Vampire regained conscious thought and higher brain function, Markus waited with Grace on his lap. His pants were, thankfully, pulled back up while Grace remained tastefully nude as the day she was born, and only slightly coated in sweat from the earlier Taming.
"Ugh… My head." the Vampire's voice sounded from where she lay, face-down in the dirt and covered in detritus of the forest floor. Dead grass, leaves and sticks.
"I am NOT eating that silk, Master." Grace said, looking at what had become of her silk. "I'll need a lot of protein… Like, say, big steak." She didn't know if she liked steak, she had yet to have one since waking up with no memories of her previous self, but she thought she'd enjoy a big piece of meat in her mouth.
Yes. She knew how that thought sounded. She also didn't care.
"That's kind of what happens. To both statements. The forest floor isn't clean, and your head is unlikely to be feeling good when you got beaten into submission and then fucked into sanity." Markus said.
The Vampire rolled so that she was facing upwards again, her hands having remained bound even after Markus had removed much of the webbing from around her face after she'd been Tamed docile.
"Might I ask who you are?" she asked, her voice level and tone polite as she could manage with her current situation. The slight british accent was sexy as hell, though.
"You may." Markus said, grinning for a moment before continuing. "My name is Markus. Spelled with a K because my parents were weird like that. This is Grace, my Arachnae who helped capture you and bind you up."
"You have my thanks then, 'Markus with a K.' Being Feral is not my favorite thing in the world. It is in point of fact one of my least favorite things…. I don't suppose this means that my Tamer is anywhere nearby." she said, sighing. "Ah well. That is depressing. He had such sweet blood. Really had a good diet. Lots of fish with fatty acids."
"One of your former servants is also here. If you listen, you can probably hear her moaning from inside the tent. She and my Slicer are… getting 'acquainted.'" Markus said, nodding.
"I can hear, and smell, a lot of Taming going on." the Vampire said, looking from Grace to the tent and then back to Markus.
"Well, after a fight? Girls wanna have some rewards. Especially after we took all of the Vampira who were serving you and then yourself when you attacked us earlier."
The Vampire sighed and sat up. Her hands being bound behind her back was annoying, but she was a Vampire, not some clumsy Bimbo or Ingenue. Sitting up from an awkward position wasn't impressive.
Markus thought it was, to be fair. Mostly because he could see the muscles of her stomach tense as she pulled herself into a sitting position. When he scanned her with his Pokedex, she didn't come up as being owned by anyone, with only the generic data for a Vampire coming up and no name or ID number. If she HAD been owned by someone? The ball was long gone and she'd never had an ID chip implanted.
"Am I to presume, then, that with you having Tamed me you will be my Tamer?" she asked. "Or would you prefer I be sold at the next available opportunity?" she asked, looking Markus up and down.
"I…. honestly have no idea." Markus said, pausing as he tried to put words to the vague feelings he had on the matter. "I wont lie? You're hot as fuck-all and I love Vampires as a mythos, and if you're anything like the Literary Vampires I've read about, then I'd love to have you around. Given that you're speaking rather eloquently, I'm going to assume you're a Domesticate who got bitten by a Vampire and turned, but I've got a sassy Vampira in that tent who speaks rather well for a Feralborn, so I'm open to being wrong. There's the fact that Salohiel doesn't like the idea of me chasing hot ass for my Harem to consider as well…" he trailed off as the situation's complexities came to the fore since everything was done and over save the wrap-up.
"Well." the Vampire began. "You are not wrong. I was an Amazon. My previous Tamer apparently died fighting a Vampire who'd bitten me and I turned afterwards. I'd take being sold off rather than going Feral, again. If you have an abundance of high maintenance Pokegirls it would probably be for the best that you sell me off." she said.
Markus pondered it. Salohiel had been rather pushy about the idea that he didn't 'need' a Vampire in his Harem. They were High-Libido POkegirls, and could only eat Blood. As it stood he had two Pokegirls who needed blood or some supplement of it to eat a healthy diet. Adding a third would just be asking for Red Cross violations on the duration between 'donations.'
Then again with the sheer number of morons in the world? Who was to say that he'd ever run into a problem with getting people for them to feed off of? Of course, the thought of looking for criminals just to feed literally bloodthirsty Pokegirls was without a doubt beyond the pale for a stretch of morality.
Markus looked the brunette Vampire over. She was being quite polite, eloquent in her speech, and calm for someone who had just been Tamed back to sanity. He'd give it a shot, at the very least.
With that thought in mind he reached for the empty Pokeball that he'd gotten earlier from his pack and tossed it at her. The Vampire, seeing the ball coming at her, just smiled and let it hit her, vanishing in a red beam of matter transforming into digital data.
"You know, Master…" Grace began, "I could never figure out how Pokeballs worked. I mean, the science is there, but there are so many conflicting stories about it that it's just ridiculous. I don't doubt that JahanaCorp spread false rumors about them to protect industry secrets… Do you know?" she asked.
"Nope." Markus said, shrugging as he leaned forward onto the Arachnae's shoulder, resting his chin. "There were so many conflicting theories about it among the community that we just decided to say 'fuck it, it works. Just go with it.' Mainly because the source material, Pokemon, never explained how it worked either. We just figured that Pokegirls were transformed into digital information, which is how a Pokegirl can stay the same age no matter how long they stay in a Pokeball, or how the Pokeballs wouldn't heat up via matter-compression to thousands of degrees. Or how they could maintain a light weight while still holding heavy Pokegirls. For instance? If the matter-compression theory were accurate? Not only would your Pokeball weigh the same as you do, plus the Pokeball itself, but it'd be somewhere around one-thousand degrees Fahrenheit due to the matter being super-compressed… the physics always went way over my head, but it makes some sense if you turn your head seven degrees and squint at it." he said, laughing a little.
"Idiot God, indeed." Grace noted.
"Just call me Azathoth." Markus said, grinning at the reference.
"You are not the Howling Demon Sultan at the center of the Galaxy, Master." Grace said blandly.
Markus hugged the girl tighter around her waist. "You, my dear, just earned yourself a treat. Lovecraft references make for well-fucked Spider girls."
"Well, Xiao has been waxing poetic about anal…" Grace said, wiggling her hips in his lap.
Markus didn't move from his seated position for a good long while. His pants did, but he didn't.
The next night, because Markus decided to take the day off and just keep a low profile for a while, Markus sent an e-mail to the VerMuffEatin' City PD about the captured Vampire and Vampira, copying it to the publicly listed address for the city's governmental office along with Lavenderriere Town and Sapphron City. A confirmation notice was sent, along with the bounty for capturing the potential problem. All told he made out like a bandit for 50,000slc.
When he called Salohiel out along with the still-naked Vampire, he sat them both down around the fire he was still building.
"Do you have any clothing back at your former lair?" he asked the Vampire.
"No, I do not. I believe it all became too damaged, and I gave no care to it at the time." she said, trying to cover herself now that she was not being actively Tamed or recovering from such.
"Salohiel? Do we have any spares that would fit her?" he asked. When the Archangel silently nodded, he sighed. This would be annoying. "So. You don't want us to keep her." he said. It wasn't really a question, more just an assertion of his observation.
"No. I don't." Salohiel said simply. "She's a Vampire. High maintenance, low use unless we become a completely nocturnal group, and she also has a very specialized diet. One which cannot be supplemented by vitamins or Potions." she said, listing off but a few of the facts that made having a Vampire in one's Harem a problem. She'd been making progress, but her Tamer was still chasing ass! GAH!
Still, she was a Celestial. She kept her composure.
"In order. So are you, and while it's a problem if there are too many in a Harem it's not insurmountable. Nocturnal is good. I like the night. It's cooler at night than in the daytime, but you're right, being completely Nocturnal, or severely weakened during the day, is a pain in the ass. And finally, we all have diets, and while she can't be fed with Potions, Pythia can make Blood-Replenishing Potions for me easily enough." he countered.
"If I may?" the Vampire spoke up. "I would also like to note that I do not need to eat every night. I CAN walk about in the daytime, but I would admittedly be severely weakened. It would not be optimal for me, but if you plan on keeping a Vampira? It might behoove you to note that I am still more capable during the day than that species."
"That's another point of contention…" Salohiel groused. "I don't like that Markus is seemingly doing the 'young idiot Tamer' thing of adding so many Pokegirls to his Harem with little consideration for how they'll fit into an overarching stratagem. It feels as though he is simply adding Pokegirls higgledy-piggledy based on what he wants or thinks is 'cool.' Harems like that don't last long."
Markus nodded. He would fully admit the main reason he wanted the Vampire was because he loved the idea of Vampires. But that was only one consideration. 60% at best. The other 40% was taken up by how powerful Vampires could be, how useful to the Harem she could be as a Ghost type, and the prestige of owning a Vampire. Vampires, as a whole, were viewed as 'more trouble than they're worth' save for the fact that they were a relatively powerful breed of Pokegirl with strong enhancements and good utility abilities, but they couldn't use most of them anytime the sun was out.
"Then he would not be a Tamer. No matter how old or experienced a Tamer might be? Their job is to expand their Harem, Tame and train Pokegirls for use in society to the benefit of mankind." The Vampire countered. "It is our place, as Pokegirls, to support society for our own benefit as well as that of the Humans. Without Humans, we all go Feral. Without Tamed Pokegirls? Humans go extinct as Ferals go through parthenogenesis and overrun their settlements."
Salohiel was taken aback by the argument. While it was factually accurate? It was lacking in any all-too-human feelings involved. It really highlighted the difference in outlooks two Breeds of the same overarching Species could have.
"She makes a good point, Salohiel." Markus chimed in. "You both make good points, and ultimately it is up to me whether I keep her, but I want you to be OK with her, since you're the one I've had the longest, and the one I lean on the most. But logically? Me catching and keeping her fits in with my goals. There's prestige to be gained from keeping a Vampire happy and fed, not to mention the utility of her powers which while not as impressive in direct conflict as yours, as they are vastly different, are impressive in their own right."
Salohiel had to nod. Despite the fact that she felt like she was potentially being shoved aside for newcomers, the fact of the matter was that they were correct. A Tamer's job was to capture, Tame, and train Ferals. But she'd been the only member of the 'Harem' for years… And suddenly sharing felt like she was getting less attention.
Finally, she relented. Partially at least.
"I'll give it until Sadie Poken's Day." She said. "Then we'll see how things go. If she leaves? Then she leaves. But I won't try to drive her off."
Markus smiled and patted Salohiel on the top of her head. "You know no one would or could ever replace you. You'll always be the one person I trust to always have my back come Hell or high water."
The Vampire, meanwhile, smiled and yawned. "Well, I feel the need to exercise, my new Master. If you do not feel like Taming me? Then perhaps we should either break camp or I could go hunting?"
Markus nodded. "We're not breaking camp at night, but I've got some books to read for the night and a very good Archangel to reward. Before all that, though…. you have a name?" He asked, looking at the Vampire and away from the slightly preening Archangel.
"Elizabeth. 'Beth' for short." She said. "Call me 'Liz' and I will bite you."
"Alright, Beth. You go hunt… but get some clothing out of the pack, first. Small pack has all the supplies." Markus said, happily standing and picking up Salohiel, swinging her over his shoulder and copping a quick feel on the lovely butt inches from his face.
It was only thanks to Amazon delivery not needing a permanent shipping address that Markus figured he could give it a go, even until Sadie Poken's Day. JahannaCorp made wonderful lotions. Lotions which prevented chafing. Having three Pokegirls all with a High Libido, and one without a high need for sex but a high desire for it? That right there was a recipe for chafing. The good news was that no matter what else he did, Markus would be getting a lot of '(s)exercise.'
It was midnight by the time Beth the Vampire had returned from her hunt and Salohiel had finally had enough and Markus had applied that lotion.
"You know…" he started as he walked out of his tent, fully dressed and hopefully staying that way for at least a few hours, "There was a period of my life where I would crank one out a couple times a day. Highest I ever got was, like, 5 times, and I was chafed and sore afterwards for days." He said to the Vampire, the only Pokegirl currently out of her Pokeball and within sight. Grace was… Somewhere around up in the trees.
"That sounds depressing. Did you not have any Pokegirls? No Pets or even friendly Pokegirl Neighbors?" Beth asked, raising an eyebrow at her new (Temporary?) Tamer.
"Nope. None. I know this might come as a shock? But I wasn't exactly 'popular' with the girls. In recent years before I met Salohiel? It only got worse." He said, thinking on what he'd heard of 'his' life from this world. He was the fuck-up of the family. The lazy layabout who'd be better off becoming a Hermit somewhere or working some low-end, low-paying unskilled job…. So, not all too different from his original life, truth be told. Just slightly more bleak. "I started out with an Ingenue I got at 23, rather than 18, because for the 5 year period between those times I was scared out of my goddamned mind of the idea of travelling. Said Ingenue would only be Tamed because she didn't want to go Feral. No Alpha Bond at all, no emotional investment in the relationship. Got myself a Kunoichi who was alright. She was the 'powerhouse' of the Harem, along with some others, but the next Sadie Poken's Day I lost the Ingenue to a guy with muscles on top of his muscles and a face chiseled out of marble by the Gods."
He paused to take a soda out of his pack and crack it open for a sip. "I lost the majority of my harem that day, and couldn't find any wanting to come with me. Then, I lost the Kunoichi in a salvage match because while I had absolute faith in her. Her opponent had a lot more skill and experience than her. Boom. Kunoichi gone. Following her was the Shieldmaiden I'd caught, who latched onto the Kunoichi. She just fucking vanished the moment Sadie Poken's Day rolled around again. All of these things happened anywhere from years to days apart, mind you. Anyway, after the Shieldmaiden left? I sat there on Sadie Poken's Day, contemplating whether to retire in disgrace or possibly hang myself and Salohiel comes up to me. The next four years were spent on training Salohiel while she was an Angel and making enough money to afford the evolution stone to turn her into an Archangel. Then I got Pythia and Xiao from the Prize Corner, Grace from some shmuck who tried to steal Salohiel, and now you and the Vampira. So, yeah. Before all of this? Not a lot of luck. 'Palmina and her Five Friends' were my only choice for 'date-nights.'"
"You could have gone to a Ranch, though?" Beth supplied. "Or taken advantage of the services offered at some Gyms?"
"And A: be a man-whore and B: admit to myself that I sucked? Too much pride. Too many half-baked dreams with no damned clue of how to accomplish them or plan." Markus countered. "You met me at a better time in my life. After a massive personality shift caused by what I can only imagine is a massive cosmic joke. Then again? When one is hoisted by one's own petard? I imagine the only way to go is 'up.' Metaphorically, anyways."
"Hm. You're not wrong." Beth said. "But still. I think it was foolish to not try."
"Oh, I absolutely agree. And if present-me could meet Past-Me? Present-Me would punch past-Me in the nuts and tell him to grow the fuck up, let his balls drop, rub some salt on the wounds in his pride and walk it off." He said, his voice getting a bit heated at the thought of his own past mistakes.
Beth put a finger to her chin as though in thought. "Cruel, twisted, and convoluted. I like it." She said. "So what are you doing now?"
"I've got a plan. Step one is a full Harem. Step 2 is reinventing my image in tamer circles. I've got a bad reputation as a washout, right now. Not helped by the fact that in finding your hideout I traded a Firemaiden back to her original owner. She got attacked by your Vampira and separated from her Tamer, going Feral by the time I found her. When I asked around online for her original Tamer? I got the distinct impression that the usual feeling towards such is 'Finders Keepers.'" He groused. He hated that kind of mentality. It reminded him too much of people who'd find stray dogs or cats and then, maybe a few weeks later, when they found the owner who was actively looking for that pet, they'd just keep them and never tell anyone, or they'd make a stink about it.
But this wasn't even about pets. This was about sentient beings. And that's another rabbit-hole Markus wanted no part of.
"Well, you are not wrong." Beth said. "Most Tamers seem to feel that if you find a Feral out in the wilderness? It is yours to do with as you wish. And if you lose such a domesticated breed as a Firemaiden then you deserve to have lost them. It is not nice, but most Tamers are not nice to begin with. It comes with the territory of being complicit with the lifestyle encouraged by the environment in which we live."
Markus wanted to hang his head, but he kept control of himself. His immediate knee-jerk reaction was avoidance and this situation fell under the umbrella of 'guilt-time!'
"But, that is the world we live in. So no use crying about it." Beth continued, shrugging her shoulders and moving on. "Tamers in general are generally not nice. This doesn't mean that they cannot be kind, caring people given the right circumstances. Nature and Nurture, so I can only assume that your upbringing, wherever that may have been, focused more upon a meritocratic view, since every time a Pokegirl's subservient role is brought up you seem to feel guilty."
"Something like that, yeah." Markus said. "So. Moving hastily along before I drag myself into the moralistic hell that is my situation… Anything I should know about you before I decide to keep or throw you out? Sadie Poken's Day isn't too far off, and if either one of us is unhappy, it means we're less likely to stick together."
"Well, I used to be an Amazon, but then got bitten by a Vampire. I got traded from my original-original Tamer a few years ago, and now I've found myself in the Indigo League. My training up to this point is next to useless, since I am no longer a Fighting type and most of my time as a Vampire has been spent Feral. I feel nothing for the Vampira, save a vague sense of amusement. Just as I feel nothing for your Archangel, save a vague sense of fear in light of the fact that she can use Celestial Attacks, which likely cause me greater harm than they otherwise would, though not as much as if I were an Infernal type." Beth said, barely taking a breath.
"Huh." Markus grunted it before he could stop himself. That was quite the bland retelling of the events that led her there, but for all he knew? She was telling the truth and her life had been just that bland before. "Ah well. For the time being? Welcome to the team. Salohiel's wonderful once you get to know her. Pythia's a wealth of intuition and growing to be a wealth of information, Xiao's a Nymphomaniac with an anal-fixation, Grace is full of sass and low-key wisdom… the Vampira is almost as new as you, so there's that much at least, but she doesn't like you for being a Vampire and being 'in control' while she's Feral. Might take a bit for her to warm up to you."
Beth nodded along, closing her eyes to better focus on the information coming at her. "Well, I cannot say I don't appreciate anal-play every so often, but I would certainly wouldn't call it a 'fixation.' I will try to get to know my new 'Sisters' individually, but I fear the Vampira has a good reason to dislike me. Still, at least if she goes Feral for some silly reason I can keep her in line." She grinned, showing off prominent K-9 teeth which grew as Markus watched before shrinking down to the more manageable 'human' normal size.
Markus sighed and moved to sit next to the Vampire, rather than across from her, putting an arm over her shoulder. She wasn't the warmest Pokegirl he'd ever felt, but she was still alive. That much he could feel.
It was nice, he decided, to just sit there with a pretty girl under the night sky. He imagined her in some of the more elaborate 'goth' style outfits and smiled to himself. He'd always loved the idea of playing 'dress up' with a girl. Like wrapping a present for himself.
If only the peace could have lasted. Sadly, day had to come, as did sleep for the Tamer. When he awoke it was to the sunlight pouring down on him and Salohiel standing over him. Beth had curled up next to him on the ground after releasing her. The sunlight had made her sluggish and weak, but she'd been more than able to release the Archangel to take over the watch. Grace had returned as well, but she was asleep in the tree, at the center of a hammock-like web.
"Master? If I didn't know any better? I'd think you were thinking of settling down right here in the middle of nowhere." Salohiel said, getting down on her knees and poking him in his forehead.
Beth grumbled at the noise, but stayed asleep and just tucked her head further into Markus' shirt.
"No, Salohiel. I just stayed up a bit late last night with Beth. Getting to know her a bit." He said. "And it's not like we've been here long. I read somewhere that some Tamers spend months camping in one spot while scouring a region for new Pokegirls."
"Indeed, but your goals won't achieve themselves, and you won't achieve them doing what everyone else does over a decade younger." Salohiel retorted.
"Hey." Markus shot, giving the Archangel a look of mock indignation, "Low blow, talking about my age like that. I can't talk about women's ages, so why are ya'll able to take pot-shots at mine?"
"Because, Markus. You're too nice and want to get laid. We're trained to take advantage of any weakness. By you, I'll add." Salohiel said, a smug grin making its way onto her face.
The conversation went on like that for a while, with both Salohiel and Markus taking shots at each other while he cooked up some breakfast.
"So." Salohiel began, sitting down with some sausages and eggs. "What're we going to do, now? Keep hunting out here? Training? Maybe just living out here for a while and relaxing? It's not like we've got bills or anything." Some Tamers still had to pay rent on apartments in whatever city they'd set up shop in, but Markus and Salohiel had managed for the last few years to avoid any such entanglements. At least partially because neither of them could figure out where in the hell they'd want to actually live.
Phallus was quiet, but more 'family oriented' than either of them was comfortable with. Viridick wasn't an option. Pewtit was a no-go if only for the bland color scheme… Their retirement plan was for Cinnabunns Island, where they could lounge on the beach all damned day and drink pina coladas. Maybe go to the Silver Islands where no one knew them. Or the Blue League… but that'd take Badges. Badges Salohiel was sure they could win enough of to make Markus' Passport paperwork go through.
"I say we go to Lavenderrier." Markus said. "I wanna see it with my own eyes, enjoy the scenery, maybe challenge the Gym there. See how it goes and all that."
Salohiel shrugged. Part of her wanted him to keep his mind on the 'prize' of getting badges, but even she had to admit that taking in the scenery of a 'new' world would be fascinating. And Lavenderrier would be a good test of her, if no other member of the Harem. The Vampira, maybe, would also be a good combatant to have in that Gym.
"What are we naming the Vampira, if we're keeping her?" She asked. "I'm tired of calling her 'the Vampira.' It sounds reductive."
"I was considering Barbara, but she doesn't have red hair." Markus said, pondering the dilemma. "I suck at naming anything, so I'm open to suggestions."
"Well, if we're going with standard human names? Barbara isn't bad. Rebecca, Amelia…" she began listing off names, but was cut off by Markus.
"NOT Amelia." He said. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Not happening."
"O…..kay?" Salohiel said, pausing as she came to terms with the sudden and abject denial of a seemingly random name. "Well… Sarah, Susan, Velvet, Violet… Though that last one I'd save for a more 'flower' oriented Pokegirl."
Markus was less than happy that Salohiel was simply supplying options. Some days he genuinely just wanted to be told what he had to do. Like making a checklist of things, it was nice to have some structure on occasion. Structure NOT designed by him in his usual half-crazed and increasingly sleep-deprived state.
"Let's go with Velvet." He said at last. "I like it, and it can fit. Just gotta make sure that Velvet and Elizabeth don't get all up in each other's hair." That and it'd keep him from agonizing over it all.
"Since we're having this conversation anyway? Let's get it through. What do YOU think we should try for, now?" He asked, looking at the Archangel. "Another Celestial type?" Markus was trying for it to not sound insulting, or insinuating that she had some agenda. Even if she did? The Agenda was subordinate to the overarching goal of becoming a better Tamer with a stronger Harem.
"I would like that, yes." Salohiel nodded, acknowledging that she would, in fact, like to have another Celestial involved… But then she continued. "But, I don't want to have too much overlap. I could potentially give a Blessing to any new girl we add and they'd be Celestial in nature, but then they might eventually evolve into an Angel. Not a bad thing, I'll say, but it'd give us a serious overlap of basic abilities."
Markus nodded. "You thinking maybe an Infernal, then?" He asked, genuinely curious and not looking forward to the potential conflict. "I ask only because of the massive disparity in abilities, not out of any desire for one…" he paused as an image appeared in his mind. "And certainly not because then I could say I have a literal 'devil and angel on my shoulders.' You'd always be the Alpha, and I trust you to know what the Harem needs and what it can't bear."
Salohiel sighed. She knew her Tamer well enough at this point. She knew he wasn't asking out of a desire for 'sexy edgy dark pokegirl' or anything stupid like that… But it still annoyed her. He was right in the sense that infernals brought a lot of firepower to the table, but their personalities would be constantly clashing with her own with the exception of one and even she didn't want to deal with a NightNurse.
"I know you've said no Psychic types, and for some reason won't budge on that…" Salohiel paused, seeing Markus nod. Annoying, since a Psychic type would be a good round-out for Xiao. "That means we should probably focus on finding a Pokegirl with a dedicated elemental ability. I'd suggest a Magic Knight, but those are expensive as all hell. We've got more than enough Magic types in this Harem anyway."
"Well, I'm not going for any of the traditional 'starter' 'Girls. Call me kooky, but… nope. All of the nope." Markus said. Mostly because all of them were either very difficult personality-wise later on, or they were rather inhuman-looking… And he preferred to have as little of that as possible. He held nothing against those who liked that kind of thing, but damned if he wanted to wonder whether a girl's vag was compatible solely through 'artistic license.'
"Well, 'traditional' starters aren't really a thing, you know? I presume you mean breeds like Boobiesaur or Charamanda." Salohiel probed.
"Yeah. Yet more hyper-sexualized names. Don't get me wrong. I get why they were changed around. Nintendo hated even vague references to their shit and the setting itself lent to hyper-sexualized name-schemes, but that doesn't mean I can't say they sound stupid as fuck." Markus stood firm in his assessment. He'd never really liked the naming scheme, but he DID understand why it developed.
Salohiel, meanwhile, simply nodded. Not wanting the three best-known 'starter breeds' for a region wasn't entirely uncommon, or unexpected. Markus was most certainly not a new Tamer. Even with the massive memory and personality change. This, however, left her with very little in the way of inspiration to look for a new Pokegirl to add to the Harem who'd both help them and have a workable disposition.
So, both Markus and Salohiel did their own research. Salohiel used Markus' Pokedex, the one that was given to him when he started his career, while Markus used his phone. The thing that could actually get a signal when the stars aligned properly, and acted as a Pokedex. Salohiel began looking up potential breeds of Pokegirls to add to the Harem while Markus looked up information on Lavenderrier.
Lavenderrier had a gym, which was based on the Hellsing Organization from the anime Markus was oh-so familiar with… Not something Markus really wanted to tangle with as an enemy, but it'd still be fascinating.
In the same way that watching a live broadcast of a surgery would be interesting. Best done when you're not actively involved. Markus mainly wanted to see the gym, maybe take a look around, consult on the care and training of Ghost types (Elizabeth in his case) and perhaps look at the Heavenly Host Ranch in the town for consulting on Celestial breeds.
His next stop after that, Markus decided in the privacy of his own mind, would be going to Fight City, which when he checked his map was just about a day's walk to the West if he took the main roads. He wanted to see if he could find a good bit of training for his Harem… And maybe find some like-minded individuals who wanted nothing to do with Psychic types.
Salohiel's research was far more in-depth, and would thusly take far longer, along with consulting with all members of the growing Harem… Even Elizabeth, much as Salohiel hated to admit it. She could get behind the newly-named Velvet joining. A dedicated Night-guard would be a boon. A Dark-type Pokegirl would add some versatility and with her Tamer's new aversion to Psychic types it might give him a bit of confidence to face that aversion and get over it. But the Vampire? Too much work. Too little reward.
The only benefit she saw for it was the prestige of 'keeping a Vampire happy' among Tamer circles. It'd definitely be a big turnaround from her Tamer's former reputation, but that was a lot of effort and investment that could well have gone to other possible Pokegirls. Not to mention the need to keep the girl Tamed when he could have gotten a much lower-maintenance Pokegirl.
That train of thought repeated itself several times while Salohiel tried to concentrate on her research, but in the end she gave up on it as a repeating circle of ever-increasing annoyance.
So when the sun reached its zenith, Markus called out the (non-Nocturnal) members of his Harem and had them help to pack up their campsite. No way in hell he was going to do it alone when he could easily get help. Xiao happily got to work while Pythia went about doing as much as she could, testing out the few spells she had for such utility like 'Minor Telekinesis' which she hoped one day to expand to its greater forms, which would allow her to lift heavier objects or possibly use it in combat.
By half-past 1 in the afternoon? Their campsite was cleaned, the fire pit was filled and their equipment was put back into the packs before all Pokegirls but Salohiel were recalled to their Pokeballs. She and Markus would walk, or fly in Salohiel's case, the rest of the way. It was less than a day to get to the main route between Lavenderrier Town and Fight City, Route 8. From there, given the unpaved nature of the path it would be another half-day to get to Lavenderrier Town and the blessed comfort of the Pokecenter with it's free hostel-like rooms.
Salohiel took the initiative of flying all around her walking Tamer, incapacitating Ferals as they went and putting them in Pokeballs. A few Bunnygirls, a Growlie, more than a few Vixxen… She didn't even bother with the bug-types. Markus noted that the bug-types sold for much less than he'd normally see for any of the more 'interesting' breeds.
When the path came into view, it was as the dense forest thinned out before opening up into a wide grassy path. Several unpaved 'roads' could be seen, as the intercity convoy structure had long-since made such things a necessity… Markus was confused as to why they'd never gotten around to paving the paths, but it probably had something to do with the sheer amount of punishment paving took from the natural weather alone. Let alone the idea of Pokegirls with their myriad elements screwing with them. Probably cheaper all told to just make more off-road compatible vehicles, tires, and shipping methods.
When a hovering truck drove past along the unpaved path, the air beneath it distorting with whatever effect was keeping it from ever touching the ground, the displaced Tamer blinked. Then he blinked again, trying to clear his vision. And then he shrugged. He remembered something about hoverbikes being a thing, so why the fuck not hovertrucks and hovercars for shipping? They were probably prohibitively expensive for most to own and operate, so chances were good they only existed in the employ of major corporations or governments, anyway.
Walking East, Markus began his trek towards what in his mind was the 'origin' of Ghost Types. Seriously. What in the hell does one expect when they make a building the size of the Mall of America into an indoor graveyard? Puppies and Kittens?
Salohiel landed when Markus began walking about 15ft away from the path. He'd just seen a friggin truck come blazing down that path. No way in hell he was gonna play road-chicken with that shit.
"Three Tamers." She said, her four wings folding up behind her. "They're spaced out a bit, but it looks like they're camped out here, probably just keeping watch on these areas. They might be Watchers, but they usually either operate in teams much closer than these three, or they operate alone in a much larger area."
"Hence… Probably Tamers. Might be newbies?" he offered. "Just got their starters and wanted to train out here where the worst they'd get is a particularly peckish Pidgy?"
"You had to think about that alliteration, didn't you?" she asked, lightly 'punching' him in the arm, but smiling nonetheless.
"Just a little." he admitted, grinning back at her. "I've been waiting to use it for a few days."
"So, shall we avoid them? Or do you wish to begin making updates to your reputation as soon as possible?" Salohiel asked. She liked the idea of 'stretching her wings' as it were, but Markus DID have other Pokegirls to use…
"It's getting a bit late." he said, noting that the sun was getting close to setting. "Much as I'd like to just leg it for Lavenderrier Town? I get the feeling that It'd probably be best to camp for the night."
"Well, you're not wrong." Salohiel said, nodding. "The other option is that you continue until about midnight, making use of your new additions to the Harem. I imagine that Elizabeth and Velvet might appreciate being let out to stretch their legs, maybe get into a battle or two of their own. Not only would that give you a chance to get used to them, but it'd give them a chance to get used to your style of battling."
Markus had to consider that. On one hand? He'd always been a night-owl. Being awake in the day on average was a new thing for him. The idea of staying up 'late' and getting a bit of personal time with two of the newest additions to his increasing stable of willing (eager) sexual partners indeed rang with validity!
Yes, he even thought like that on occasion.
"Point. A very valid point." He said, raising a finger and marking an imaginary 'scoreboard.'
"I, of course, will stay out as well." Salohiel said, "To keep an eye on things."
Markus nodded before taking out the two plain pokeballs he'd set aside for the new 'permanent' additions to his Harem. While the sun was still up, they'd be next to useless, the both of them, so he simply set them aside before hefting his pack once again and began walking.
Taking care not to be a complete idiot, Markus kept within sight of the beaten path. He didn't particularly feel the burning desire and need to get lost as all hell on a well-travelled route.
The first Tamer Markus came upon was a younger man with a Growlie, a Wraith, and an assortment of other relatively common breeds. The battle was relatively quick for Markus, since Salohiel was quite capable of handling the opponents presented with only a modicum of difficulty. The Growlie was taken out by a few solid fighting-type attacks, the Wraith was taken down with a flurry of Feather Shurikens, a Bunnygirl was taken down in much the same way as the Growlie… Markus barely paid any mind to the fight aside from giving his orders. It was an easy battle for an Archangel with 4 years of dedicated training to beat.
The next hour of travel was blessedly free of interruption. Markus and Salohiel walked quietly, or flew in Salohiel's case, down the route towards Lavenderrier until the sun went down.
"Ah!" The newly-named Velvet sighed as she stretched her arms out over her head when she was released from her Pokeball. "That's much better. I feel re…. freshed." She stumbled over her final word as she caught sight of Elizabeth doing similar stretches.
"I get the feeling that having you both out at the same time might be either the smart thing, or the dumb thing." Markus said, walking up to the materialized duo. "Elizabeth? This is Velvet. Velvet? This is Elizabeth. We've decided to give it until Sadie Poken's Day to decide whether or not to keep her around."
Velvet looks to Salohiel, who landed quietly with barely the ruffle of feathers to give her away. "First off… Velvet? I can deal with that." The Bat-girl said, running a hand over her cloak-like wings. "Secondly? Don't expect me to like having her here. I don't care if it means you get rid of the both of us in the end? I don't like Vampires."
"Believe me," Elizabeth started, "I'm just as disinclined to associate with you. But it is our duty as the subordinate members of this relationship to at least try to get along." Her voice was cold, aloof, and if Markus wasn't entirely mistaken, slightly hurt. "We were both Feral at the time. I'd like to think that a little latitude is warranted."
"You can think whatever you like." Velvet groused. "Doesn't mean I have to like the fact that you basically used me and a bunch of others as gophers while we were Feral."
"All unpleasantness aside." Markus said, seeing Salohiel wasn't going to step in just yet. "You're both, at least for now, members of my Harem. I expect you to at least try to get along, as Elizabeth said." He put an arm around Velvet's shoulders. "Just think of it this way, Velvet…" he leaned in close to whisper, grinning wide as he plastered a lascivious look onto his face. "You could get her servicing you, rather than the other way around."
"That…" Salohiel nodded. "And the fact that while Velvet will make an excellent night-guard, having Elizabeth as well will make it much easier, and she can operate in the daytime, albeit at a reduced capacity."
Elizabeth simply shrugged at the mention of one of her main weaknesses. She had no reason to feel bad about not being able to operate fully during the day. Velvet, meanwhile, was still less than enthused at being reminded of her breed's major failing. It was not her fault that Vampiras went torpid when the sun came up, damn it.
Markus put his other arm around Elizabeth's shoulders, dragging the two of them closer to him. "Now. Let's all get going. It's still a few hour's walk at least 'till we get to Lavenderrier Town, and I want to at least make some headway in getting there."
While it seemed that, at least for the time being, Velvet and Elizabeth would stay away from each other's throats, metaphorically and literally, Markus began walking. Salohiel walked along nearby, rather than flying, to keep involved in the small talk.
They mostly talked about lives before Beth and Velvet had gone Feral most recently. Velvet's Tamer leaving her alone after Sadie Poken's Day last year, and Beth's Tamer having been devoured by another Vampire after she'd been bitten…
"Is it just me…. or are most Tamers fucking morons?" Markus asked. "Seriously. I've read a lot about Tamers, and it always feels like the ones who aren't idiots are in the minority."
"To be fair, Master?" Elizabeth started, "Isn't that the general case with humans? I was born a Pokegirl and I can tell you that about half of the Pokegirls in my generation were less than spectacular in the intelligence department. It seems like the whole of humanity suffers from the belief that they are smarter than anyone else around them, despite all evidence to the contrary. The few who acknowledge their own limitations feel they are somehow morally superior to the even fewer number amongst them who try to overcome those limitations."
"I have to agree with Elvira there." Velvet said, leaning against Markus' shoulder. "The smartest people seem to be the ones who want to continue improving, rather than being content with what they've already accomplished while still acknowledging that there's a lot they don't understand."
"While I disagree with her giving me such a nickname? I can't help but feel as though she's cut to the heart of the matter." Elizabeth said. She was keeping herself upright, walking with dignity befitting her ego despite the temptation to follow the Vampira's lead and lean on her Tamer's shoulder. She could keep the pace on her own, thank you.
"Not like our current Tamer, though." Velvet said, grinning. "You seem to be relatively down to earth, yeah? But you're still trying to improve."
"Flattery. How quaint." Elizabeth snarked at the Vampira. "One might think you felt insecure and wanted assurance that Markus wants to keep you around, if only to play to his ego."
"At least I try, Blood-sucking hussy." Velvet shot back, tensing noticeably under Markus' arm.
"Oi!" Markus hugged both girls closer as they walked. "No fighting. You both drink blood, remember, and while I appreciate having my ego felated just as much as the next guy, I like to keep a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses."
"Is 'anal' on the list of weaknesses?" Velvet asked. "'Cause Xiao seemed far too into it for it to not be a weakness of yours too."
Markus was a little gobsmacked, his mouth hanging open as he tried to respond for a moment before he shut it with a 'click' of his teeth. It took him a moment, in which both Elizabeth and Velvet seemed to find some common ground in humor, before he simply shrugged. "Yep. Yes it is." He said, finally. Sue him. He liked anal. Giving, mind you. Not receiving. His bootyhole was a one-way exit-only.
"Well, I can't blame you. With Xiao around? If I had a dick I'd be tapping that until it fell off." Velvet said.
"Please don't look to my pert posterior for your deviant desires." Elizabeth said, returning to her usual dignified mien. "I prefer to keep some things explicitly for 'exit only.'"
"Do you even eat food, Elizabeth?" Markus asked. "I mean, I know your dietary needs include blood to the exclusion of all else… Given that you have a liquid diet, I can only assume there'd be no biological reason for you to HAVE an anus, unless I completely miss something about the chemical makeup of blood and the parts you need to digest…" Markus was seriously confused.
"Of course I eat regular food, master. I enjoy a good curry, fish and chips, tea, crisps, biscuits, and give me a good steak and potatoes any day of the week. I need blood to survive, and a majority of my diet is blood, but while I might not digest it as well I can eat and even gain small amounts of sustenance from regular food. Don't try giving me any of the 'Pokechow' though. I can't digest it at all. I tried while I was Feral. I got sick everywhere." Elizabeth explained. "I happen to enjoy a glass of wine every now and again. I wonder what would happen if I mixed in some blood? I might have to switch from Rose wines to reds… And no more Lager for me, I guess." She sighed.
"Wait, you like Curry?" Markus asked. "You know where we can get some? I mean other than the Blue League or White Lotus?" he asked, suddenly gripped by the topic.
"Oh lord…" Salohiel sighed.
"Yes? Well… Not right bloody here, mind you. But I remember finding a decent shop in Viridick City, along with one in Celaboner. And as long as you've got the ingredients, I remember my mother's recipe." she put a finger to her chin in thought, trying to remember the recipe. "It's obviously been a while since it came up, and going Feral obviously doesn't work wonders for my memory, so…"
"Don't care!" Markus exclaimed, suddenly all smiles. "You tell me what you need? I'll get it done. I haven't had a good curry in fucking months, and my spice-addiction has gone deep into withdrawl!"
Traveling by night turned out to be a boon for the group, as the other Tamers had packed in and left or set up camp for the night. Markus walked along, watching one of the three Salohiel had scouted, roasting some fish over a fire pit, and the four unanimously decided that, despite the advantages of getting to know each other's styles of fighting better? It'd be best to test that kind of thing in the wild first, where wagers and prizes weren't on the table.
Lavenderrier Town at night apparently looked much as it did during the day. Even by the light of day it would look like a Halloween exposé. The houses all looked like they were at least 100 years old, the more commercial buildings looked as if someone could walk up, throw a bucket of goat's blood on the walls, and carve arcane symbols into the exterior and it probably wouldn't actually do much to the market value or the general visual aesthetic.
The only buildings that didn't look like it might have been ripped right out of a horror-movie fan's poster collection was the Pokecenter and the Heavenly host Ranch. The Ranch was closed, much to Markus' disappointment, which left the Pokecenter for lodgings.
The Rapha at the desk looked bored out of her mind as she flipped through one of the magazines usually left in the lobbies of doctor's offices. Markus was fairly certain it was about developments in the automobile industry, given the colorful pictures of cars, bikes, and other highly expensive means of transportation he saw when she flipped the page right before he stepped up to the desk.
"Can I help you?" she asked, not looking up or even sitting up from her resting position with her head held up by her hand, her elbow on the desk in front of her.
"Yeeeaaaaah." Markus drawled out a bit, uneasy dealing with people like this at the best of times. "I need a room… preferably for a few nights at least?"
"Third room on the left, down that way." She said, pointing with her 'free' hand down a hallway to the right of the desk. "Bathrooms and showers are two doors down. Lock's on the inside. Stay as long as you like. Not like we get many people coming here and staying for long."
Markus just nodded and silently followed the directions, followed by his trio of Pokegirls.
"Well, that was… interesting." he said once they'd secured themselves in the small room afforded to travelling Tamers. "Her manner was… Distant, wasn't it?" he asked, looking at the Pokegirls.
"Indeed." Salohiel nodded. "But it's to be expected. Lavenderrier Town isn't exactly a hotspot of tourism, unless you're into Ghost-hunting. And even then those types prefer to be in and out, or they prefer someplace less 'haunted' to actually sleep."
"She's not wrong." Elizabeth said, shrugging before plopping herself onto the bed and laying back, her arms extended over her head. "But I like this place. It's cozy." she gave a fanged grin.
"You would…. To be fair, so do I." Velvet said, seating herself on the sole chair, leaving Markus and Salohiel to sit on the bed next to Elizabeth.
"The religious hold on this town is somewhat famous, Markus. They follow the Church of the Thousand Gods quite closely, so having all of us out and about during the day? Not likely to be a good thing. If anything? You're probably safest having one of us out at any given time, and only when we're right beside you. I highly recommend not letting Xiao out of her ball unless we need to fight something." Salohiel said, calmly getting a brush out of the pack and beginning to 'wind down' by brushing her hair.
"If you want, Master, I can stay out for the rest of the night. I can entertain myself if you're willing to let me borrow your phone. I won't make any long-distance calls or anything like that. I just like to have something to read." Velvet said, poking at the small TV allotted to the room before thinking better of it.
"Feel free. I've got, like, a month's worth of Audiobooks left to listen to, and about two months worth already listened to." Markus said, taking the phone out of his pocket and passing it to his designated 'night watch' Pokegirl.
"Any good fiction?" Elizabeth asked. "I like a good informational nonfiction just as much as the next girl, but I'd love to hear some good fiction."
"I got a good spread, I think. Non-fiction and Fiction. I need to catch up on a metric ton of series that never finished before I got here, so… yeah." Markus nodded. "But for now? The two nocturnal Pokegirls can do what you like. Me need Sleepy-times. My legs will likely be noodles tomorrow, so I might need Salohiel's help to get to the showers…"
"You're on your own on that front, Markus." Salohiel said. "I need my own shower, as well, and my wings need to be cared for." With that said, though, her wings vanished and she positioned herself so she could just go straight to sleep. Markus followed her lead, pulling both Salohiel and Elizabeth to him on the somewhat cramped bed.
"I know I said both were free, but Elizabeth has been volunteered to be my other arm-warmer for the night, now. At least until I get to sleep." he said, pulling the blankets over himself and the duo before pulling them against him. It took some positioning, and rearranging, but he managed it, damn it. That was all that mattered in the end.
Waking up in the midday was more Markus' speed. He'd worked afternoon shifts for a few years before this wonderful firsthand introduction to interdimensional travel, and waking to see the sun already at or past its zenith was his usual. Velvet had long-since gone torpid, sleeping like a log after having collapsed on the bed and curled up under a spare blanket likely found in the small closet. Markus' legs were, as expected, noodles. The pain radiating from his feet was less than pleasant… And his arms were both occupied by the two Pokegirls he'd dragged into dreamland with him.
Elizabeth was snoring softly to his left, while Salohiel was playing 'little spoon' and curled up facing away from him toward the wall to his right. With a bit of feeling around, Markus was able to find his hands in the mess. One was on Elizabeth's chest, his arm being used as neck-support by the Vampire, and the other was pinned beneath Salohiel.
Barely moving his pinned hand, Markus found Salohiel hopping up, suddenly fully clothed and seemingly ready to go… All of this did nothing to awaken either of the more nocturnal Pokegirls, who were quickly recalled to their pokeballs. When he was ready to go for the shower (Really a sitting shower than anything, if his legs had anything to say on the matter) Markus got all of the pokeballs for his Harem together and put two stickers temporarily to differentiate between Velvet and Elizabeth's, and then got all of the filled Pokeballs he'd gotten on the trip together.
The front desk attendant didn't seem at all concerned over Markus walking up to her in a terry cloth bathrobe, and seemed immediately more 'perky' than the night-shift Rapha.
"Hi there! How can I help you?" she asked in a sweet voice, tilting her head slightly.
"Hi. I've got a metric ton of Pokegirls for sale, I'd like it if my Harem could go through a Healing and cleaning cycle, and if you could give them these T2's, I'd appreciate it." he said, handing over the bag filled with Pokeballs, the pokeballs with plates and stickers marking them as his Harem members, and the T2 disks he had on him. "And do you have any town-specific T2's I could make use of?" he finished.
"We'll have the girls all cleaned up and refreshed in a jiffy!" the Rapha said happily, taking the Harem members Pokeballs and placing them into a tray. "The sale of Ferals will, of course, be reduced if you go through us to sell them…" She looked at Markus, watching for signs of disapproval. Finding none as Markus really didn't care, she continued. "And we don't have any 'town-specific' T2's. We only offer the basics, I'm sorry."
"Not a problem. Figured I'd ask. I've always wanted to see Lavenderrier, so I was mostly just hoping to find something unique to the place other than the atmosphere." he finished by giving the girl a friendly smile. She was being nice, conversational, and seemed invested in the conversation. No sense in not returning the sentiment.
"I understand, sir." the Rapha said, smiling back. "Well, the healing and cleaning cycles will be done in about an hour, so feel free to do whatever you need in the meantime!"
"I fully intend on using the shower." Markus said. "I know I probably smell worse than I feel, so it's probably for the best that I take a while and soak in some hot water."
"Oh! Do you not feel well, sir? I can help with that!" the Rapha offered, holding out her hands. Not like she was asking for money, but more as a general 'giving' gesture.
"Nah… Just my legs. Didn't like all the walking I've been doing… Or the pace I set for myself. Only way I'd get help for that is if I had a Pinielf available to help me get more efficient with my walking." Markus said, laughing a little at the thought.
"I don't know if that's how it works, sir… but alright." The Rapha said, bringing her hands back towards herself. "If you still feel bad after your shower? Feel free to come see me. I'm more than happy to provide an examination."
"I'll keep that in mind." Markus said, giving the girl a two-finger salute before hobbling towards the shower room.
The showers were, blessedly, private stalls. With seats. And generic soap. Markus turned the water on, found the right temperature, and then sat down in the hot spray of water.
He sat there for nearly half an hour, just thinking and poking at his legs, finding the muscles that hurt the most and putting his body in position so that they'd get the most exposure to the nice hot water. Soap could wait. Hot water was now. It took him a while, just luxuriating in the nice hot water, before he got to work actually cleaning himself off. The soap was coarser than he was used to, but it felt alright. Better to get all of the dirt and caked-on grime out of his skin. His own shampoo, he used. He liked the brands of shampoo available in this world. It was honestly the first time he'd even thought of 'Carribean Rum' as a scent used in shampoo.
When he finally exited the shower? He felt refreshed. Clean for the first time in what felt like months (it'd only been, like, 2 weeks) and his legs and feet felt much, much better without the tense muscles causing themselves even more damage. With 15 minutes left on the clock before his harem was finished being cleaned and healed fully, he met back up with Salohiel, who'd gone into the women's showers while Markus was busy getting the rest of his 'Girls taken care of.
"So. We've got, like, fifteen minutes." he said, looking at the Archangel as she dried herself off fully in their room.
"Well, don't think I got cleaned up just for you to get me sweaty and mussed up again." she said. "I am absolutely not getting my hair messy while it's still wet. That's a recipe for tangles for the next few weeks."
"Nah. I was thinking of going to the Heavenly Host Ranch." Markus said, holding back a laugh. "I figure you might get a chance to do what you celestials usually do, see if there's any interesting Pokegirls to add to our number, do a little shopping for Celestial-specific stuff if they've got anything, and just see what a Ranch actually looks like."
"You've seen ranches, Markus. We've passed by at least one." she said, her voice a deadpan monotone.
"Passed by, yes. But never actually visited one. And I'm curious if my imagination was right about how they operate." he countered.
"This is true… And I could scout out if any girls there are worth looking into…" Salohiel acquiesced. It would be nice to just 'hang out' with other Celestial breeds. Sometimes it was nice to have a common ground so integral to their very being.
As Markus had thought, even during the day Lavenderrier looked like someone took every Haunted House from every State Fair and set them up next to each other. For a 'small' town, there were still thousands of people living there… When he saw 'Elm Street' on one sign, Markus shook his head, mentally shouting 'NOPE!' before taking a longer route than the one suggested by his GPS app.
The Heavenly Host Ranch was… Humble. It seemed more like a large expansive and comfortable home than a place of business. Markus and Salohiel were greeted by a vibrant young Angel (By the wings and otherwise human appearance) waving them further inside. Unlike the buildings nearby, the Ranch seemed to have been built to a relatively modern aesthetic, and a livable building code!
"Hi there!" the young Angel said happily when Markus and Salohiel approached. The entryway of the Ranch was set up like a lounge, with the Angel sitting on one of the comfy stools at a bar-like table with a salad in front of her. "Welcome to the Heavenly Host Ranch. My name's Audrey. It's so nice to meet you! Are you guys here to take a look around and see if one of us wants to go with you? Or are you just here to see how awesome Celestial Pokegirls are in comparison to those disgusting Infernals? Maybe looking for an edge on the Gym leader?" she asked, shotgunning the questions.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Markus held up his hands in mock surrender, "one question at a time, yeah?" he asked, laughing a little. "Yes, we're here to look around. Not necessarily to see if anyone wants to come with us… Salohiel here is the only Celestial I need in my life, but I'm open… Well. I wouldn't say 'no' to an edge on the gym leader, but I think I've got that covered at the moment." he finished by putting a hand on Salohiel's shoulder. The Archangel's wings ruffled slightly, but she kept herself composed.
"Oh! How silly of me. You're obviously already aware of how awesome Celestials are." the Angel said, sticking her tongue out and knocking herself lightly on the side of her head, sending short blonde hair shaking slightly from the minimal impact. "So… You're here to… What, exactly?" she asked, genuinely curious as to the reason for the duo's visit.
"Mostly for me." Salohiel said. "To talk with other Celestial Pokegirls for a while and for Markus to speak with the Ranch owner, see if there is anything he could do better in training me. Consulting with a leading authority on our type, as it were."
"I see…" The angel said, nodding. "Well, you're welcome to wait for him, if you'd like, or you can come to the 'Adult room' where the mature Pokegirls are allowed to mingle freely." She completely neglected to mention the 'youth room' which was only accessible to Pokegirls under the age of 18, those who were not allowed into the 'Adult room.' The Breeder, Yojin Fuji, set things up to keep the younger Pokegirls as safe as he could, after all, with every intention of keeping the younger Pokegirls from being taken advantage of.
Markus decided to just wait for Mister Fuji… He had to stop himself from giggling over that, while Salohiel went off to socialize with the resident Pokegirls.
Mr. Fuji was old. Just like Markus had always expected him to be. He was bald, though his eyebrows were grey enough that the worn lines on the man's face only confirmed his age alongside his slow walk and cane.
"Ah, Mister Williams, I take it?" He asked. "How lovely of you to come and see us. Audrey tells me you brought an Archangel here?"
"Yes, Mister Fuji." Markus said, trying to be respectful of the old man. Even in the Pokemon games, he'd liked Mr. Fuji as a character, for all the minimal part he played in the whole storyline. It took some serious balls to march up to Team Rocket and harangue them for abusing Pokemon. "Salohiel's my Alpha, and I figured I couldn't possibly miss out on seeing this Ranch while I was in Lavenderrier Town."
"How nice." the old man said, smiling. "It warms my heart to see people with an interest in Celestial Pokegirls. So many these days want to go for the 'dark' and 'edgy' Infernal breeds without ever realizing how truly special all Pokegirl breeds really are."
"Well, Mister Fuji…. To be honest? I used to be one of those young morons more interested in Infernals… It wasn't until after I'd hit rock bottom and met Salohiel that I started really thinking about it." Markus said, more than slightly embarrassed.
"That's understandable, young man." Mister Fuji said, the warm smile never leaving his face. "It is often only when we have nowhere else to turn that we realize we can always look up. I know Miss Salohiel isn't one of my Pokegirls, sent out into the world with some young Tamer. Might I ask how you met her?"
Markus nodded, "I'd like to ask you a few things afterwards, if that's alright? I want to make sure I'm training Salohiel in the best way possible." When Mr. Fuji nodded, Markus explained what HE knew of the story. How he'd lost his whole Harem to his own idiocy, how he'd been contemplating retirement in disgrace when Salohiel, then idiotically named 'Miss Fluffyfeathers,' met him and they'd hit it off. He described some of the training regime's he'd been using, as described by his journals, and Mister Fuji just nodded along at appropriate moments.
"So far as I can tell? You're doing a well enough job. Your training regiments seem to be generalized for Flying types, which while apropos isn't optimal. I would suggest daily meditation for both you and her, and any other Pokegirl in your Harem who might wish to join. Group Meditation, I find, helps Celestial Pokegirls focus on both the Cosmic Will and on the Here and Now. Filtering out the 'white noise' of the universe, as it were." Mister Fuji said. "I might suggest training her to wield proper Celestial attacks. It is difficult to master them, but in the end they are quite useful when dealing with those of evil intent."
Markus nodded. He'd completely forgotten about the Celestial attacks. The main difference between normal elemental attacks and Infernal or Celestial attacks was that anyone, human or Pokegirl, could learn them if they had the right mindset for them and dedication to training.
The conversation went on for a while, Markus enjoying talking to an expert in the field who didn't mind dumbing things down for a newbie. At least this newbie was interested in improving! When the conversation came to items for purchase, Mister Fuji revealed that he operated much like a General Store, like most Ranches, and Markus resupplied his dwindling stores of food and miscellaneous equipment. Antibiotics (with clearly written instructions, thankfully,) Wide-angle antivenom and antitoxin, and a pair of new Collars for Elizabeth and Velvet.
The big spends, however, were the full Pokepack and a pair of bracelets for Salohiel. The Pokepack was normal for its kind, allowing him to store more things easier. The Bracelets, however, were supposed to help focus Celestial energy. Mr. Fuji warned him that a Human could use them, but that it would be dangerous unless they could already use Celestial techniques. The Energy might abandon them at the worst moment, or it might explode from within if they gathered more than they could handle…
Markus decided right then and there that while he'd try to learn the techniques for himself, he'd leave the bracelets in Salohiel's care. The fact that each of them had glass-like stones in a sunburst design on them didn't hurt. Not her motif.
It took Salohiel a little over an hour after Markus' conversation had concluded before she rejoined her Tamer.
"Sorry, Master. I got caught up. An impromptu choir started and… well, we got singing?" she ended with a slight hitch to her voice as though wondering how best to describe the 'gathering' she'd had with the other Celestial Pokegirls. Most humans would never quite understand the amount of information that could be exchanged when Angels, Archangels, Seraphs and even a couple of Megami got together and just started singing with each other. Salohiel had gotten caught up on need-to-know events, updates from other Angel-breed Pokegirls, and new interpretations of old prophecies… All within the span of a few songs.
It definitely helped Salohiel get some new ideas for additions to Markus' Harem who wouldn't be too troublesome to deal with. The bracelets were met with Salohiel's usual 'public face' of calm.
The next stop was the Lavenderrier Tower. Part graveyard, part Gym, the purpose of the visit was to see the graveyard. After picking up his thoroughly cleaned and healed Pokegirls from the Pokecenter, Markus and Salohiel were off to see the main sight of the town.
It was bleak. The Warrior Nuns on the ground floor were helpful, even if Markus wanted nothing to do with any of them. He didn't mind their existence, but he knew what they were based off of and he would have rather had his tongue stapled to the ground with a croquet hoop. No thank you, Paladin Alexander Anderson. That and they kind of freaked him out, with the utter dedication to religiosity.
The second floor through the sixth were the actual Graveyard floors, with the seventh being the Lavenderrier Gym. That was a huge 'Nope' for the time being, by Markus' estimate. He wanted to actually train with his whole Harem for a while before they tried to take on a Gym leader. Especially one who used mostly Ghosts and Infernals. The Graveyard would be a good place to go Ghost-hunting.
Hell, the Warrior Nuns had outright offered to assist in leading the way. Honestly Markus just wanted to see if he'd find a group of Goths or some such lingering about. Goths got good money when given to the League for Starter Pokegirls. According to Salohiel, that counted as a tax break!
So Markus speedily went through the church-like ground floor with the Warrior Nuns and went up the stairs.
The Graveyard was… bleak. That was the single best way to put it. Memorial stone after memorial stone lined every wall, and made 'alleys' down which one could walk. It was almost heartbreaking to see pictures of deceased Pokegirls and humans. It seemed like every section had a dedicated 'theme' with Pokegirls and humans being separated by a small divider halfway across the floor.
'Here lies…'
'Gone but not forgotten.'
'When We Meet Again.'
'Beloved…'
The epitaphs went on and on. Markus nearly choked when he saw a picture of what could have only been a young Pokegirl, the cat-ears and tail gave it away, on one memorial with the words 'beloved daughter and sister.' What nearly got him choking was the Revival Pill placed in front of the picture.
It was a sobering thing. Many of the memorial stones had been reused, with memorials placed on the walls, the ceiling, even put into the tiling on the floor with names and dates and epitaphs. The whole experience was… Humbling. Markus had gone there with every intent on running through it over and over trying to find Pokegirls to capture and possibly Tame. Like he'd done in the Pokemon Games, never really considering the sheer number of graves signifying the end of a life. Randomly picking up 'hidden' items never realizing that they were meant as offerings for the dead.
"Hello, Cognitive Dissonance. Thought I'd lost you back there…" Markus whispered, keeping his voice low out of respect for the dead.
Salohiel nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know you thought of this world, and whatever it was based on, as something like a game. A fantasy. But this is the reality, Master. People die. Others are left behind. It's not all fun and camping and sex. This tower is meant for remembering those important to the living for generations to come. It costs quite a bit to get a spot here, but many feel it is worth it to have others see and remember their loved ones."
Markus nodded and, with a great deal of effort on his part, forced his feet to keep going. One foot in front of the other. As long as he concentrated on that simple motion? He could keep moving. The concentration on it was not something he was used to. Normally it was an instinctual thing to just… walk. Now? It was like he had to mentally direct every muscle and nerve to just function.
He didn't catch a single Pokegirl there. He didn't even look after the reality of the situation caught up to him.
/End Chapt.
This chapter kind of got away from me. Sorry 'bout that… 13k words. *sigh.* Promised myself I'd stop at 10k, and 'slice of life' never appealed to me. Sadly that was most of this chapter. Setups and just 'existing' which I think deserved its own chapter… Or at least my muse did. Gonna start on chapter 7, now, so's I can at least feel like I've done something worthwhile with this effort before I post both.