*Slam!*
"Aaaahh! Such a pain." Naruto grumbled pushing a hand into his face as he shut the door and crumpled onto the sofa of their hotel living room.
"Well, so much for coming to blue league relatively unnoticed." Hinata sighed as their Pokégirls all took a seat around the living room with sympathetic expressions.
With their faces broadcast on live television for all to see and Ayera telling of their heroic actions and announcing their names to the public at the reporters beckoning, their subtle approach was left thoroughly butchered.
With a hesitant interview with the reporters Naruto and Hinata left with their harems feeling very strangely and exposed to the world, like a ninja sneaking in the night suddenly having city lights shined on them with sirens blaring kind of way.
Nevertheless there wasn't much they could do about it now, they just had to move forward as planned only potentially even more cautiously and she made this aware to Naruto and their sulking Pokégirls. Hinata crossed her arms over her stomach and regrouped her thoughts. On their way back Ayera had been briefly explained the dynamics of their harems and group functioning, how they trained and traveled, the unacceptable and the acceptable before being bid goodnight and balled up.
Not that they were meaning to be rude or anything, but they also had business to discuss. There was a reason why they've requested Jiroshi to clear them for Dublin, Ireland out of all of Blue League and while being broadcast live in Dublin increased the risk and difficulty, they still had an objective to complete.
With Naruto's last saddened sigh, he sobered and toughened before he turned to their Pokégirls "Were you able to find out when we'll be able to leave?" he questioned.
Raising their heads and standing up a little straighter Kiya nodded "The Dublin Port will have a ferry coming from Liverpool, England in five days on a round trip, we should be able to jump ship then."
"What time will it depart?" Hinata inquired.
"It's set to leave the harbor at nine in the evening." Myrel replied, feeling a weird sense of accomplishment and camaraderie in this.
Hinata turned to Tashira and Yue "And what about the Library?" thus lay the sole reason for choosing Dublin, Ireland. It was the National Library, first grabbing her attention when reading the Blue League Primer the day they first decided to come here.
- - - The National Library of Ireland - - -
The National Library of Ireland was protected from the purges against the sciences and has the largest collection of books and papers involving forbidden and lost tech in the Blue League. These documents are not available to the general public for viewing.
- - - xXx - - -
Perhaps, though a long shot, they may have something that might just be able to help them.
Yue smiled fervently "Good news is the National Library is in the central area of the city at least two miles west of the port, me and Tashira checked out the area. Best bet would be to try the rooftop to eliminate possible witnesses, lot of traffic in this city. With the building itself and the surrounding buildings being 200 feet or higher we'd have a higher chance of remaining unseen." She explained, tail starting to wag.
Tashira continued, "The easiest way of access on the roof is through the vents at the top of the building. Yue and I have looked at some of the brochures and highlights at the stands due to the Library being closed for the festival," The Dracass shrugged "Security wise, they have three human security guards on patrol each accompanied by one or two Pokégirls, one guard outside and two guards inside, two to roam the halls and the third to watch the security cameras, other than that it's just security cameras all seen from a booth on the eighth floor."
"Well this oughta be quick~" Naruto blew out sarcastically as he glanced at the ceiling.
"Going by unnoticed isn't going to be easy against Pokégirls, especially sensory ones like Psychics, Rock or Ground types if they have any. Employed Pokégirls are also more likely to be level twenty and above." Yue cautioned "If you got your hands on their Pokéballs from the guards you could recall them to deal with them quickly."
The red-eyed dragon-type nodded before continuing "Anyway, the initial Library spans from the first to the fifteenth floor. Few curious cliffnotes that hinted to the lost-tech and forbidden files was that they weren't allowed to disclose too much information about the contents on the third, eighth, and thirteenth floor of the library, my guess is those are where you guys should look first." She finished.
Naruto and Hinata were silent for a few moments as they took in this information and decided their plan of action. Naruto stood up "We need to figure out what types of Pokégirls they have first, then we can see if we can sneak by without a confrontation," nodding at Hinata who nodded in return, her Byakugan would be needed "If it comes to that, we'll need to disable them quickly."
The Shadow Cat nodded, "If we can find a map of the layout of the building, I can get you where you need to be."
"Can you actually teleport where you can't see or never been?" Hinata asked curiously.
Yue quirked an amused brow "If I can visualize it in detail, I can get you there," then shrugged girlishly "Although if that fails, I can see through the building's windows to get you on the floor you need." Hinata and Naruto nodded appreciatively.
Kiya stepped forward and continued the plan of action, "If there aren't that many sensory-types, then perhaps we can take the security booth and those particular Pokégirls simultaneously: Using Yue; You and Hinata's cloning technique; as well as the Byakugan?"
Naruto considered it, going over as many different tactics that would've earned a nod from even Shikamaru, "We have three days to survey the Library and come up with a viable strategy. On the day that the ferry is here and ready to leave is when we go, we'll need to get out of there quickly if things have to get loud. I'll need each of you at your best. Everybody got it?" He looked around to determined nods.
Naruto exhaled and shut his eyes, "Alright then," opening them his hardened expression relaxed into a smile "Whoo~ Enough of that. In the mean time we'll introduce Ayera to the harem tomorrow," the blonde rested a hand on the small box with their Pokéballs inside at his hip "As well as try summoning the Esper from that scroll Jiroshi gave us. We still have to find out if they have the ability to jump to different 'verses." He concluded looking at Hinata with confirmation.
"Jiroshi said we needed to present this to the Esper." Naruto pulled a single sheet of paper up between his middle and forefinger to present to the girls, reaching out to hand it to Kiya she took it dubiously "Before we leave tomorrow, prepare that recipe to take with us."
Hinata smiled and nodded as she looked at their Pokégirls "That's all for tonight girls, get some rest. You two especially, you won't be sparring with an amateur tomorrow." She dismissed as they all began to relax and ease their stances.
"Hn, I've heard that Neo-Iczel's are fearsome fighters. It should be nothing short of awe-inducing." Myrel considered eagerly.
"Hmm, I figured you'd be more excited for your first group mission." Kiya teased while pocketing the recipe, Myrel responded evenly that she was just as excited to have a hand in this operation, although foreign to breaking the law as this was all a new and invigorating experience.
The Dracona looked eagerly at her Tamer, she never considered herself to be a criminal nor even have the characteristics of one, but despite this she always felt that a dragon-type of her exquisite beauty and caliber deserved better treatment than what she had been given. She also didn't necessarily feel any attachment to the laws of this world as those regulations in question did a poor job of attending to her as Kiya so aptly rationalized it, Myrel found herself agreeing with the notion. In such as her case, she would throw herself into this operation with the utmost conviction while adorning a smirk to remain in the harem that treated her far better than any of her predecessors. She would prove her place in this harem.
"In any case, we'll be ready for her." Tashira declared as she punched a fist into her palm enthusiastically making Yue giggle and remind her that the Neo-Iczel was loads stronger than them.
Naruto and Hinata recalled them to their Pokéballs for tonight.
Xx
xX
… The Next Morning …
Naruto scanned the surrounding area. Glancing back at the city five miles in the distance he narrowed his eyes and took in the... scenery.
With Ayera's ball still attached at the hip, the usual group stood within a multitude of desolate old and destroyed interchange roads, a vehicle sat here or there rusted and ravished with greenery, the entire outskirts of the city was covered in shrubs, ponds, and more greenery that had long grown over these ruined roads. Every other overpass was collapsed that prevented any hope of moving forward to the other side of it.
Hinata felt strange looking at these ruins, throughout their travels they've seen a ruin or two, rusted boat remains, an abandoned building or structure, but unlike then she never had this feeling of something so... dystopian. It was troubling to imagine actual whole cities in such waste and decay.
"Down there is good." Naruto stated, pointing off the edge of the overpass they stood on to a clearing of grass on the ground shaded by these roads resting alongside a developed pond "Let's go." taking a simple step off the collapsed edge he disappeared.
"... Anyone else find that really cool?" Yue mumbled.
- - - - xXx - - - -
*Clap!* Hinata's hands came together in excitement "Are you girls ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be to see a Poké-type I've only ever heard of." Myrel replied with her arms crossed, shrugging off Tashira's elbow.
Naruto grunted "Kiya, the cake?"
Kiya looked down at the recipe in her hands The Legendary Sweet Lemon Joltina Surprise Cake… what a lame and tedious way of calling it a cake packed with a shit ton of sugar and lemon juice "Still in pristine condition, don't worry it's fine."
The Myobu looked over "According to the data log on Espers, Chandra is considered the youngest and weakest of them." relaying in attempt to reassure, albeit it wasn't saying much when each were a powerhouse in their own right.
Naruto shuffled the scroll from hand to hand in consideration "She's also the nicest and most polite of them all. Hopefully she's open-minded."
"Well you two are the experts at wooing things over so what's the worst that could happen?" Yue muttered as she used a pinky to scratch inside her ear.
Naruto kneeled to lay out the scroll, unveiling various black markings that decorated a portion of the parchment, and along the left side of it gave a data entry listed about this Esper "Whoa." Oddly, Naruto and Hinata's eyes twinkled simultaneously in interest, reminded of their own world's summoning scrolls, seals and fuinjutsu.
Tashira raised a brow "What's it say?" referring to the entry on the parchment.
- - - - xXx - - - -
Esper Summoning Contract: Novice
Name: Chandra
Pokégirl Species: Esper
Element: Food (See Interesting Notes)
Four Main Attacks: Belly Stuffing, Vorpal Pie, Sausage Grinder, The Cake of Doom
Pre-Requisites For Summoning: Must be able to prepare at least one of the recipes she's given to summoning teachers.
Summoning Fee: None. Chandra is a 'starter summon' and is willing to come without cost.
Distinguishing Marks: Like all Espers, their appearances vary wildly.
Summoning Warnings: None. Chandra is a friendly, likeable Pokégirl.
Background: The first child born to the thirteen original Espers, Chandra is one of the friendliest, kindest Pokégirls out there. She has found a way of going between the human and Esper worlds aside from summoning and without using so much of her magical energy. She is greatly protective of her mother, but adores humans as well. When she was first discovered by Vale, who were studying Espers as a possible type of Pokégirl to summon, Chandra agreed to let herself be a 'beginning' summon, someone easy to call and command, for beginner Shrine Maidens and human summoners. Tamers with Snorlasses and other high-appetite Pokégirls tend to try and learn how to summon her as well.
Interesting Notes: Chandra's element is unique to her. She has no Pokégirl techniques beyond her food-related and attacks and her magic, so she was given Food as her element. She is strong vs. Fighting-type Pokégirls, Poison-type Pokégirls (thanks to her mother, Cuchulainn) and Pokégirls with high appetites, but is weak against Flying Pokégirls, Water Pokégirls, Rock Pokégirls, and Ground Pokégirls.
All of Chandra's attacks are food related, and exclusive only to her. Belly Stuffing involves her manifesting a feeding machine out of thin air that force-feeds the opponent until they are too full to move, their bellies usually bloated out from the amount of food forced into it.
* Vorpal Pie is Chandra's basic projectile attack, as she simply throws what she calls an 'explodey cream pie' at the opponent.
* Sausage Grinder has never actually been used, but she only threatens male opponent's with it, manifesting a large meat grinder with a belt attachment for tying around the male opponent's waist. Most males surrender immediately when Chandra tries to use it.
* The Cake of Doom is Chandra's favorite attack, as it involves her summoning a twenty-foot tall, multi-layer cake to land on the opponent from above and smother them.
- - - - xXx - - - -
Naruto felt a strange involuntary chill run down his spine near the ending. Clearing his throat he grunted "Alright let's get to it." The directions next to the seals weren't complicated nor was it costly on the summoner's energy, here's hoping that it didn't go anything like his last summoning.
The Myobu stepped up next to him and placed the cake next to the scroll.
Naruto pressed his palms flat against the seals "Here it goes!" He exclaimed surging forth his chakra and pushing it in the scroll. The moment his chakra touched the parchment paper the black seals started to glow a bright gold and emit a light that illuminated the area within a ten-foot radius.
*Poof!* Suddenly smoke blew up in front of them and shrouded the spot where they could only assume the Esper had appeared.
Each of them peered just a little closer...
"HIIIIYOOHH~!" an extremely high-pitched and girly voice exclaimed as a silhouette jumped into the air out of the smoke cloud making the group to step back in surprise.
A graceful back flip- side twirl - and landing with a final front flip a cheerful Pokégirl revealed herself to be no taller than 5'1, very humanoid in nature she looked almost like an actual human if not for the various non-human characteristics she encompassed. She wore tight black spandex pants underneath a bright bubblegum-blue short mini-skirt, above she wore a pink nearly see-through loose-fitting long-sleeve shirt that drooped off her right shoulder to show a white tank top underneath. Each ear sporting two pierces with a ruby and an emerald, a golden-heart chain hanging off her neck. Her figure was lithe and fragile looking with average B-cup sized breasts.
The more non-human characteristics being her skin coloration was a light purplish hue and very glossy looking that made her shine in the sunlight as if under her skin resided a thin layer of gel and glitter, eyes were an enticing bright neon-yellow with an almost luminescent golden glow to it. Her hair a bright violet almost neon color draping down past her pointed ears gently over her shoulders to the sides of her breasts.
"Whoa..." Naruto whispered eliciting an eye-roll from Myrel, the rest of the group falling silent.
Chandra's arms were raised and her eyes shut in a smile as if she just finishing a performance and awaiting applause. Peeking open an eye she blinked "Eh?" confused at the sight of the group before her.
Looking at her surroundings she then pointed a dubious finger at them "Hold on, this isn't Vale academy or a Church. How did you guys get my scroll?" She asked curiously, then paused as she pushed a thumb under her bottom lip "Although then again maybe a Shrine Maiden gave it to you- Nevermind did you- Aha! Yes! This one's my favorite!" She rejoiced, not giving them room to respond as she snatched up the cake.
Raising an empty hand a silver fork warped into existence allowing her dig in. Almost literal sparkles burst from her eyes at the first bite of which they could only assume was due to her magic abilities. The young looking Esper ate with as much ferocity as Naruto on his first bowl of ramen.
Tashira curled her bottom lip "Chandra the Esper... The reason we've summoned-"
She raised a finger mid-bite "Mm-mn~ That ain't how it works, the Tamers gotta speak for themselves darling." she interrupted.
Tashira's left eye twitched 'Darling.' with an impatient huff she crossed her arms and closed her mouth.
Hinata and Naruto shared a look before Hinata approached the topic "Well Chandra, the reason we-"
She raised a second finger mid-bite "Hold on *Glob* right after I finish I promise." she interrupted again, giggling and snorting to herself at the deliciousness of the sugary recipe, mumbling about how glad she was that she didn't eat this morning.
*Sigh* Kiya shrugged her shoulders, if she could take anything away from this impression it was that she got the recipe right. It was not an easy cake to make so she had hopes for the Esper to damn well enjoy. The Pokégirls remained awkwardly silent as they each looked to gauge their sisters' reactions, the entire group simply waiting for three minutes for Chandra to scarf down the cake.
"Ah!" ~Burrrp!~ She giggled childishly as she fanned the air "Waah~ So good! Okay, what can I do for you guys?" she asked, plopping onto the ground and leaning back onto her hand and rubbing her belly with the other, there was a noticeable growing violet hue in her cheeks as she began to smile and blush.
Hinata hardened "Well, we-"
"You look familiar."
Naruto blinked at the third interruption as he stared at the finger pointed directly at him "Huh? Me?" Hinata and the Pokégirls reacting in the same fashion at the diversion of interest.
... Chandra tilted her head "It's the whiskers... you're that boy from six years ago. What, do you like dying your hair, wasn't silver last time? Well- I don't, I like to keep it natural. It's pretty isn't it?" She asked, swaying her hair left to right temptingly.
"Hmph, the sugar." Myrel noted irritably.
"Must be like an aphrodisiac to her." Kiya mumbled in thought, Pokégirls who have a known sweet-tooth usually consider them so.
Naruto did a double-take "Y-you know Kitsuto?" He questioned in surprised realization, six years ago... so did that mean that it was Jiroshi that summoned her? Why so long ago?
She snapped her fingers "That was the boy's name! Soo you finally grew into the average condom huh? You said you liked my hair back then, remember that? Hm you just couldn't stop blushing ~Giggle~ it was adorable. Well I guess I can take you for a spin now since you've grown into such a cutie!" She gushed at his veiled altered appearance, suddenly she was on her feet with her hands crossed to grip the bottom of her shirt ready to pull up "The female to." winking at Hinata "You can recall the girls until then right?" saying it as if that was the agreed upon plan.
The Shadow Cat's eye twitched "Oh to the Thousand Gods-" Yue sighed in annoyance, there was a time and a place. Hinata mimicked Yue's irritation at being interrupted for the second time.
"H-hey hold on you got it all wrong," Naruto uttered "I'm not Kitsuto." He revealed honestly.
"Em?" Chandra stopped in slight surprise, taking a step forward she re-scanned his whisker marks "Three... oh yeah~ that's right, the boy had four. So, you're not with that frog pervert?" she asked curiously without any indignation.
Few could not help but note that for someone who had not seen Kitsuto in six years she was amazingly perceptive in addition to her photographic memory.
"No... we're not. Although it is Kitsuto and Jiroshi you're talking about aren't you? How do you know about them?" He asked earnestly.
Chandra leaned and rolled her head back left to right in thought "Wellll~ I haven't seen him since the thing with aunt Zalera, but the frog pervert use to summon us occasionally back then." She reminisced and pondered "Wonder what the man has been up to?"
Naruto glanced back to the girls in surprise before returning "Another Esper? Did something happen?" he asked.
The light and glimmer in her eyes died for a moment at the memory. Shaking her head of it she shrugged with a simple smile "It's not important. So, if you aren't the boy from back then: Hi I'm Chandra! Beginner Esper for any and every one! Except bad people and as long as you aren't a bad person I am here for you! What are all your names?" She restarted with vigor and awareness, happiness returning.
They all were taken aback for a moment "... Uh- names Naruto." and in the same fashion they each rattled off their names.
"Well it's nice to meet you all, what can I do for you in such a strange place?" She asked as her eyes curiously wandered the ruins.
Hinata composed herself and tried again "Well Chandra, we were wondering if you could discuss the abilities Esper's like yourself possess. You're actually the first we've ever seen and we're really interested in your kind." she approached.
Chandra perked up at the odd request. Consideration passed along her face "Well I suppose it depends, what is it about?" Remaining reserved.
Myrel and Tashira simultaneously grunted in impatience as Tashira bluntly came out with the reason "We want to ask about your ability to jump from dimension to dimension." She interjected peevishly; "Finally" Myrel muttered; "I know right?" Yue returned.
Chandra was quiet for only a second before smiling "Okay sure! What about it interests you guys?"
Hinata and Naruto tensed: Just like that?
"W-well. Yes we were curious," Hinata prodded "I'm not sure if you're in the know about what's on the media, however recently there has been discussion of what has been named the Multi-verse theory. The Espers are the only creatures in existence, other than possibly the Legendaries, that know how to travel to different dimensions. So we are here to ask if you also possessed the ability to jump to various Universes."
Chandra blinked precariously for a moment at such an odd question. The others leaned just a little bit closer at her response.
She started giggling "I... have absolutely no idea." She was in the middle of laughing at the peculiar question and apologetic for not knowing "I know people are talking about it with that red-haired guy that was brought through old Sukebe's lost tech and then that Nendo-whatever stranger-"
"Nendo-who?" Naruto asked.
"-But I honestly never thought much about the topic, kinda boring if ya ask me." She answered, witnessing their tense shoulders start to deflate in disappointment "I'm sorry." realizing that this meant something to them.
She didn't know? Hopes were dashed, unfortunately it hit harder than Naruto and Hinata were expecting. Perhaps they had their expectations too high.
Hinata's entire demeanor slowly deflated as she looked at the ground.
The Esper's smile started to fade into seriousness, something that didn't fit the bright Esper. She didn't understand their extreme displeasure, they would get over it. Young Tamers often changed interests and moved on with their lives. Raising her hands she turned away with a lighter mood "Something like that shouldn't matter anyway, let's discuss something more fun! Whatever the reason it can't be that-"
Her lip quivered "W-we're not from this world!" Hinata interrupted with a near outstretched hand at her turn away, eyes widening as she shouted it.
...!
"Hinata..." Naruto whispered in shock, their Pokégirls snapping to Hinata in speechlessness.
Her eyes shifted for a moment, her mouth bobbing for a second before continuing "It's- it's because we are not from this Universe. That is why we're asking miss Chandra," Hinata looked up at the Esper frozen in place with her back turned to them.
She hadn't meant to blurt out such a thing, but it was just that the disappointment was insurmountable. She invested too much into it and she should have known that it was too good to be true but goddamn it if the thought didn't elate her "... We're trying to find a way back to our world."
Naruto clenched his teeth and turned to the Esper, the Pokégirl in question seemed to be visibly trembling judging from her frozen vibrating hands.
Chandra whirled around, sparkles again seemingly bursting from her eyes in an awe of her own "Ooh! How interesting! If that's true anyway, hmhm!" She chirped unexpectedly, suddenly in front of Naruto and Hinata causing their Pokégirls to take a step back at her speed.
Hinata's sadness was yanked out along with her face and replaced with confusion as Chandra cupped her cheeks, pulled her forward and turned her face left to right "U-um, what are you-?" Hinata murmured.
"Fascinating! Never seen one of you guys up close, you look exactly like the humans here! Mommy is gonna melt!" She laughed.
Kiya's doubtful expression receded "You're... taking this extraordinarily well." she made aware.
Chandra waved her hand "Hm? What other way is there to react? You guys seem like really sweet people so this makes everything so much more fun!" Stepping back and twirling with a more attentive glint she stood in front of them with her arms out "I mean, I may not know much about other Universes but I'll try my best to help you guys! It'll be exciting to work with summoners from a different Universe! I love trying new things."
Naruto nearly stumbled "Wha- really?" Hinata just as surprised "How do you mean Chandra?"
"Zodiark." She said simply.
"Zodiark?" Hinata and Naruto repeated confused.
She nodded happily "Mmhm, she's one of the strongest and the one that discovered how to travel from the Earth realm to the Esper realm. If any of us have the know-how to unlock the secret to traveling to another Universe, it's her!"
Naruto nearly jumped "T-that's great! Hahaha so all we have to do is summon Zodiark and have her help us -Tebayo!"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Chandra replied softly "You see she only allows herself to be summoned so as you successfully summon all twelve other Espers along with six other summon-able Pokégirls beforehand," interlocking her fingers behind her back she rocked on the heels of her feet "Anything less and you pose no chance of earning her respect... she's like really strict."
They all shared similar glances "Well then that's what we'll do..." Naruto whispered in realization "It'll take a while but we'll summon each Esper until we get to Zodiark... we have to."
"Yes." Hinata agreed, her teary-eyes quickly drying with resolve.
Tashira blew air from her lips "Tch- nothing's ever simple is it?" she muttered.
"Just be glad we have an idea on what to do now." Kiya reasoned as she shook her head with a relieved smile.
"Hinata, you okay?" Yue asked as she rested a hand on Hinata's shoulder, at her grateful nod Yue calmed.
Chandra's eyes simply frittered from one person to the next in brightening curiosity and cheerfulness, with a simple giggle she nodded "I'll put in a good word with the others, maybe it'll help?" something about this group, she wanted to see more of these guys and how this developed, it was too interesting not to. Living for as long as they have, things that interested a being with longevity were few and far in between. She felt like a moth being drawn into a bright flame and she loved every second of it.
"Hm?" The darting of her eyes and the slight raise in her brow was not lost on those before her "... Why the highway ruins?" she had to wonder as she rested a hand on her hip.
Catching the descending Pokéball Naruto grinned and stepped forward "Morning Ayera!" Kiya and Myrel mimicked his steps with eager expressions of their own "How did you sleep?"
Hinata perked in interest. Ayera was perceptive, the new member glanced between the two Pokégirls before her tense shoulders eased readily "Well." almost satisfied, her stance shifting to place her right foot forward with an amused smirk coming to life "So, in what manner are my bones going to be pounced upon?" she asked with slow smile as if the joke were merely for her own sake.
Kiya noted her shift in posture and clocked a mental note to find a way to maneuver around it in the future as she and Myrel stopped beside their Tamer.
Naruto paused and grinned with a shy red tint, ignoring Myrel's exasperation "Ara? Ahha- Nooo-"
*Smooch* Kissing him on the cheek Kiya smiled sympathetically "Let me take it from here Naruto?" she requested rhetorically, the momentary speechlessness was all Kiya needed as she and a Dracona shaking her head stepped in front of the embarrassed blonde.
Naruto sighed with a simple shrug and cross of his arms, just caught off guard was all... buuut he could let the alpha prove whatever she felt she needed to.
*Crackle* Ayera notched a brow at the Dracona cracking her knuckles in preparation, her smile visibly falling to a less than amused frown as she turned focus to the celestial-type.
~ Inhale ~ "Ayera." Kiya nodded, unlatching her supply pouch and weapon holster in unison with her sister she smiled "Since you've been allowed to join Naruto's harem and take part in our group's journey there are certain considerations that must be defined and accounted for that isn't quite understood simply by reading data within a Pokédex or obtained through discussion." they tossed their supplies to the wayside "Myrel here will be your first opponent and after a few minutes I will be your second. I'll be clear. There is no malice or ill intent masked within this spar... do you understand?" Kiya approached with narrowed brows to make sure she grasp that this wasn't a power play, intimidation factor or some twisted rite of passage into the harem.
Myrel rolled her eyes at the amount of wordiness as she rotated her left shoulder in eagerness.
The red-haired woman bit her bottom lip and hummed "You can drop that annoyingly gentle "slower than myself" tone. Let me guess: These spars will play into the assumptions of my behavior... Whether or not I'll play nice and mingle cooperatively with you all? You can gather so much just by observing someone's strategy and use of abilities in even a short battle." she stated aloud so they were all aware she was not to be babied like a young kit.
Ayera rolled her eyes upward and looked at the sky as she blew air from her lips "Whew~ for a moment I thought this was going to be more complex than I initially thought."
Bringing her thumb and forefinger within an inch of the other she looked at the three-tailed Myobu "And you explained it so well all by yourself. Maybe all fox brains are not as small as they say~" her expression and posture bored into the supposed alpha with evident hostility for her in particular.
"Hrrm- what a smartass." Yue huffed then meowed at Hinata's light slap "She is though."
Naruto gave a reluctant semi-frown as he crossed his arms.
The Dracona stretched her neck and looked to her alpha "I would like to get started now."
~... Exhale ~ Kiya shut her eyes with a wrinkled smile "I suppose we should not waste anymore time then? Since you are well aware of the purpose?" she had to wonder the reasoning behind this confrontational act 'Is it simply because I'm Naruto's alpha?' despite the reason she had to be prepared to rise to the challenge.
Ayera lazily raised an under-sided palm to the Dracona and rolled it in "Come on then."
Myrel raised a brow at the casual coldness, and quirked her bottom lip "This is quite exciting." she muttered to the Myobu earning her ear "Even if this doesn't last long... I have to admit the sensations I am experiencing from all of this right now are phenomenal." she was rewarded with a bemused chuckle.
There was a light pat to her butt "Just remember not to get too excited, we're grooming her to be our harem-sister so just take it easy okay? There is no winning or losing here Myrel." Kiya reminded gently as she pressed a palm to her shoulder "By the way," once Myrel peeked down at her Kiya smiled "You are her big sister."
Myrel smiled as she turned back to Ayera.
She didn't care for the obvious domination confrontation and tension between Ayera and Kiya. That was their thing.
In the short amount of time they've had her with them she was included in so many things that were both common and uncommon to her. Planning to break into Dublin's library being a major uncommon aspect of Tamer and Harem life that she was surprisingly pleased to be a part of. Then there was the common that was something as simple as having a say in the initiation process of a new harem-sister; With the bonus of doing so in such an interesting way than just shooting the shit at a pub to loosen tongues and eliminate awkwardness.
While both of these were still very foreign to her it was a very nice feeling to be a part of something and for once not feel entirely alone within a harem.
Her first spar as one of Naruto's official Pokégirls and she was facing a Neo-Iczel, if scales could spur goose bumps it would be present and quite obvious to the blindest eye. Even if she was explicitly told to hold back she doubted she would be able to contain the desire she felt right now to let her dragon nature take its course for as long as she was able to stand, she supposed the silver-lining was that she didn't need to worry about things getting out of hand because the Neo-Iczel could handle what she could dish out.
The dragon-type felt overwhelmingly calm and reassured, despite her losses in past situations like this in official matches: what made this so vastly different was the lack of pressure to win and knowing that at the end of the day the rest of them would still smile at her and tell her she already came so far in a short amount of time.
Free from crushing expectation and implicating punishment, it was instead replaced with support and that was what brought a smirk to her lips as she shot off toward the Neo-Iczel.
- - - xXx - - -
The moment the spar set in motion the seemingly few tethers of taunt and ease within Ayera's features dissolved. Naruto side-glanced at his alpha, the slight tilt of her head and the curve of her lower lip signaled that it was not just him to notice.
Naruto quirked a brow in slight hesitation. Ayera was quick to show that she didn't care for his two Pokégirls in the mere minutes they've interacted so far. Crossing his arms he kept a watchful eye on the spar as he was still holding out hope. Myrel started off stronger than what he expected the spar to begin with however Ayera easily adapted to the level of intensity his Dracona started with.
She swung for her head- the Neo-Iczel ducked then side-stepped at the secondary strike before she skipped backwards with a less than impressed look. The blonde noted how determined yet relaxed Myrel seemed to be, gauging her skill and feeling out her stance and reaction-time.
For the following minute and a half they danced their quick but light spar, sizing up the other until Ayera suddenly upped the ante as she maneuvered quickly within reach underneath Myrel's hay-maker and executed a taut gut-punch followed by a quick rabbit punch dead-center into the slightly surprised Dracona's face forcing her to backpedal with a grimace.
Ayera's expression had hardened and unbeknownst to Myrel who came back preparing to return the favor whilst adorned with a smirk, Ayera quickly made it clear that play time was over.
Naruto nearly shouted out as he took a step with a near-glare on his face as Ayera brushed off her backhand, a frown adorning her features as her right fist lit up with a bright whitish-green glow and proceeded to use her Magic Fist to uppercut his Pokégirl forcing her off the ground and sending her crashing against the ground and rolling to a fifteen yard distance.
The slight grunts from Hinata's Pokégirls mimicked his own shock. That was just not called for.
"Hey!-"
"Naruto!" Kiya called over calmly.
As Naruto's tensed fists faltered- he found himself on the receiving end of Kiya's simple gaze, an expectant gaze. Furrowing a brow in slight confusion his vision bounced from his alpha to his Dracona slowly pushing herself to her knees whilst rubbing her jaw.
Hot air slowly exhaled from the sides of his mouth as his posture slackened. With a slight grit of his teeth he observed Ayera with an obvious show of disappointment but stayed himself nonetheless. He knew Myrel could shake it off, but cranking up the spar from a three to a ten out of nowhere was a cheap shot.
Myrel was at her again, more vicious and determined as she put more emphasis into her strikes that Ayera rather avoid than block. She evaded left and right until Myrel left herself open- in a series of well positioned and powerful strikes Myrel was put on the defensive and backpedaling, it wasn't long before her back was to the grass and she was sliding backwards again to a stop.
Naruto felt the presence of his best friend taking a more analytical stance beside him, resting a hand on her hip she looked to him "I admit that hit was dirty... but, remember Naruto this spar is more for them than it is for you." he huffed at Hinata's reasoning much to his chagrin.
So he ignored her.
Hinata returned to Myrel getting to her feet and lightly brushing the dust from her thigh before dashing back at her opponent for another round. She knew Naruto had to remind himself that Kiya and Myrel were in the front of the pack for this. Not wanting a repeat of last time with their Pokégirls and Myrel, their innate instinctual habits and urges had to be accounted for. The book they had purchased elaborated on how when Pokégirls were placed in a harem they assumed a set of animal behavioral habits and instincts according to the order of command established within it. Those social structures had to be instated and recognized on new members by the existing members in the harem.
Simply put, unless he wanted to completely fuck over the inner harem dynamic, it was out of the Tamer's hands.
Kiya was the alpha, Myrel was here before Ayera, and Ayera had to know how this worked. It was still very confusing for one who didn't encompass such instincts and urges but Hinata and Naruto acknowledged that it was something that they had to be understanding of.
Naruto knew it was their decision on how this played out, but his in-the-moment attitude sometimes ignored this "Remember what we read... it is their choice on how to handle their haremsister-"
Naruto vividly twitched once Myrel was knocked back again, back skidding against the grass before her claw gripped the ground to bring her to a stop.
"Aahh~ Okay Hinata, I got it-... wha?" he grunted causing both to perk up at the unexpected widening of Myrel's smirk as she shot off ready for more.
The Dracona swung left and right where every other occasional strike grazed the Neo-Iczel's cloth, she charged her and forced Ayera to backpedal and evade until eventually a backhand caught the side of her face directly. The fighter-type quickly spun with it in order to minimize the damage while bringing out her elbow to force air out of Myrel as she made contact to the left section of her ribs.
Ayera maneuvered around expertly: A quick three-hit succession to her kidneys followed by a side-kick into her abdomen. She dodged again before spinning in order to roundhouse the Dracona in the middle-section of her back which succeeded in shooting her forward and somersault onto the grass.
She rolled onto her feet and kicked up grass to run back toward Ayera with her odd smirk growing into a grin, her claws starting to glow white as she prepared her slash attack and initiated a flurry of claw strikes that the Neo-Iczel quite easily accommodated for with only minimal scratches.
At her last claw strike she bent and aimed for her shin forcing her to jump, there wasn't a pause in sequence as Myrel spun and struck her in the abdomen with her four foot long tail firing her backwards and rolling across the ground.
Myrel charged after her "Hahah! SO much fun!" she bellowed.
*Silence* eyebrows slowly arose, Hinata nodded slowly "She learned a few new things." she congratulated her crush, spotting Tashira's side-smirk at the dragon-type.
Naruto didn't respond as his cheek twitched, taking this all in with a little more awe than all the others apparently were 'Why is she so excited? It's obvious she's gotten a little better, yet it's only been a week or so...' he could spot her fighting-style having smoothed compared to the last few seconds of fighting he caught against Tashira and what he had observed when she trained.
"Tashira and Kiya have been giving her pointers." Naruto heard her, Hinata also mentioning that they were helping her to use her Poké-energy more effectively, from increasing the strength of her techniques, to enforcing the strength of her attacks. Myrel was far from familiar with the aspect and it showed, but just slightly she could see that she was continuing to learn and adapt... very quickly.
When told about the concept of their Pokéball training... he never thought that it would show this amount of progress in such a small amount of time.
Perhaps the reason he was struggling to process these quick changes were due to believing he had Myrel figured out. Maybe he grew too confident after receiving Kitsuto's knowledge that he thought he could accurately predict what she could handle and how she would react just out of the two and half weeks he spent with her.
Ayera looked more annoyed at her perseverance than determined and amused. Naruto glanced over at Kiya, her eyes were narrowed and her posture rigid in concentration at the proceedings of the spar with Myrel on the defensive and losing end of the spectrum as she took knees to her abdomen, harsh kicks to the side and strong punches to her body in stride, but it was getting to her and was very apparant that each strike hurt. Kiya's shift in stance showed that she acknowledged that Myrel would be tapping out in a few moments.
Naruto and Hinata watched silently as Ayera proved to be quicker, stronger, and much more experienced and adept at combat that rendered Myrel's vigor and seemingly increasing adrenaline and exhilaration moot. With one poorly placed punch from the Dracona Ayera had closed the distance.
Kiya side-stepped to the right to allow Myrel's body to soar past her- smash into the grass and roll backwards into the river alongside the pillar of the highway overpass structure they remained under. Water erupting into the air upon her impact.
~ Inhale... ~ Taking a slow drag to compose herself Ayera shifted her focus to the alpha who said nothing, their locked gazes electrified and crucial.
"Hm, finally." the Neo-Iczel murmured impatiently as she reset her stance for the Myobu that she would soon face next.
- - - - xXx - - - -
"Bwaah! ~*Panting*~" Naruto didn't mind the wetness, instead he looked with intrigue as he helped Myrel out of the river with her arm over his shoulder "You okay?" he asked calmly.
She wiped the water from her face with her other hand and gathered her bearings "Couple more seconds and I would've had her~" she coughed, eyes lifting to see her Alpha and Neo-Iczel now preparing to have their time at it.
"I believe it," Naruto entertained with a quiet smile allowing her to stand on her own as he gestured to Hinata's Pokégirls "You did really well Myrel, I'm impressed. Go ahead and rest for a bit." he reccommended noticing the slight blush and lift in her lips at the compliment.
Myrel wiped her jaw on her forearm and chuckled with a smirk of her own, her scales were still hot and she was still very pumped for more "It'll be a short rest- Hnhn damn that was a fun fight." eyes nearly looking lost in Ayera's direction before she snapped back to reality once she realized Naruto was staring at her with a divertly raised brow "What? Yeah I'm going." she muttered rubbing her bruised rib-section as she set off to stand beside Tashira now dripping wet "Fuck that hurt~"
'What is up with her... maybe it's a dragon-type thing.' Naruto had to ponder, not even slightly negatively affected by being defeated, the pain she edured or by the fact she only placed a handful of successful hits as he stepped back at Hinata's side to continue the next phase of the spar.
- - - - xXx - - - -
"Your turn celestial." Ayera ground out with a narrowed gaze.
Kiya calmly tilted her head. She noticed that as the sparring proceeded the Neo-Iczel had gone from taunting and thinly veiled hostility to... analytical and just a little more cold. Although despite the change in behavioral ques she felt that the coldness in general wasn't directed at any of them.
It made things curious. She was gauging their fighting style and strengths, but why? Maybe to decide if she found them worthy of Naruto's harem or maybe for another reason entirely.
With a slight inkling of eagerness she mulled over the arsenal of techniques now at her disposal, of which there were a few she could perform right now to give her the upper hand. However she decided against a few of the more dangerous and powerful techniques, this was a spar and she needed to bare in mind that Naruto wouldn't take the mantle of Alpha of the harem from her despite the outcome.
'Hm, what an alpha decision to make.' she realized "Fine." Kiya rushed at her as it was evident the second phase of their initiation spar had begun.
The Neo-Iczel prepared her counterattack in advance. Kiya raised a side smile "Quick attack." her body illuminated in a light white glow as she zipped left to right at her "Psychic Illusion." she whispered as her eyes began to glow a slight blue.
She could see Ayera's features falter on her location now caught unaware.
'And finally.' as if going through a checklist, her fingers began to spark with blue electricity to encompass her fist "Lightning fist."
~BZzt! Bzzt! BZZT!~ Electric splashed off into the air with every impact, the first punch was blocked however slow and slightly distracted enough that allowed the Myobu to proceed with a quick five-hit succession to her sides before her leg pulled back and struck her dead-center in the abdomen to send her somersaulting backwards.
The Neo-Iczel recovered into a three-point stance, parts of her twitching involuntarily from the elemental attack. Kiya was already before her unleashing a haymaker to be stopped by Ayera's forearm, still coming to as she looked up at the fox-type with recalculation.
"A psychic technique?" she murmured as her body rotated atop her other hand to bring her left leg into the air to kick Kiya in the chest whom 'Forearms X' blocked and was sent skidding backward.
Kiya simply observed her "Yes," bringing her arms down she went on the offensive "You're weak against psychic attacks then?" Ayera blocked the following combo of regular punches, bitter and hardened as she returned her own series of punches and kicks that never touched Kiya.
The Myobu's expressions transitioned to that of understanding and concern "I see. I will not use any more for the remainder of the spar then." she accommodated of which brought an almost immediate snarl from the Neo-Iczel whom threw a much stronger punch only for the fox-type to evade and put distance between them.
"Do whatever you want." Ayera stated with a simple iciness, realigning herself as her own fists began to emit an energy of their own.
Kiya tensed her busted lower lip as she narrowly evaded another energy swipe 'Even with the use of my hyper-sensitivity...' at the very least she covered the areas she struck with electric to deal some damage in return whenever Ayera managed to hit her.
The Neo-Iczel was harsher with her: Showing to be even faster than when she fought with Myrel, her punches quick and painful, she was putting the pressure on immediately.
It was amazing she lasted more than ten minutes really, her electric-based techniques and hyper-sensitivity assisted her in fighting on an almost even playing field. The Myobu found herself learning something about the Neo-Iczel with every second that passed, the longer Kiya lasted the more Ayera would up the ante only to be surprised further at her being able to withstand it. However it wouldn't be long before Kiya wouldn't be able to hold out any further.
Kiya's vision blurred as the side of her temple flared at the back-fisted swing to side of her head which forced her feet to stumble a few steps to the left. Ducking underneath her next swipe she used a Fist of Fate punch deep into her stomach of which she handled quite well as she simultaneously gripped the sides of her forearm and jumped back to lessen the damage.
The Kitsune's eyes widened as she was pulled forward as Ayera jumped backward. The Myobu could see her knee coming up to her face but she wasn't quick enough to do anything else but watch.
Body parrallel to the ground Kiya saw the cracked concrete of the overpass above her, ears deafened for a moment as everything went quiet... then the world spun and her body hurt as her hearing returned.
~ Pant... pant ~ Tiny stars blurred her vision before she came to, her own body spread out like a star in itself within the grass. In the next moment she was rolling onto her side on a mission to get back to her feet to continue the fight without much of a second thought, only once she squinted at something dripping onto the grass beneath her did she realize her nose was bleeding.
Kiya was quiet as she stared, words from her harem merely murmurs before she got to her feet with an intent to turn this spar up another notch, one she previously swore off at the beginning of the spar as she narrowed her pulsing eyes at the Neo-Iczel simply observing her.
Before she could allow the ensuing fury build a voice rang through the air-
"I think that's enough. I'm calling the spar! You both did very well." Naruto called out as he walked in between the middle of them.
Kiya's body was numb as the words were simply noises at first, her black slitted eyes slowly enlarged back to normal as the words finally began to process. The instinctual urges and adrenaline within her slowly ceasing.
The Myobu blinked in quick-succession as she was now aware of her surroundings instead of solely focusing on fighting, slightly caught off guard she simply nodded and raised a hand to her nose "Right." her stance slacking.
'What a dirty fighter.' Kiya thought to herself as her furred hand soaked up the blood as she, Myrel and Ayera walked toward Naruto at the beckon of his finger motion. As Ayera and Kiya eyed the other the Kitsune was glad Naruto called the fight when he did, she almost went back on her decision. In her own little way she was satisfied that she managed to keep to her word till the very end. She kept her intensity at a moderate, stayed herself from the more dangerous and energy-consuming attacks. Her full speed remained untapped and to top it all off she didn't even use psychic energy for the rest of the spar of which she had a major weakness against.
With perhaps a bruise or two on the Neo-Iczel her coldness lightened in the next moment "Hm? Doesn't winning against your alpha not at least show that maybe someone else should be it?" Ayera playfully hinted to Naruto as she slowly reached a hand to his chest, casting a side-glance at Kiya.
Naruto softly frowned as he pushed her hand back "That's not what it was about though Ayera," turning a glance to Myrel and Kiya in turn "What about you two?"
Myrel had her arms crossed with a simple nod "At least she's not weak. Think with the three of us we can just... spank the rest into her- heheheh." flashing a mocking grin her way, however Ayera didn't return the banter.
Naruto looked between the three of them before rubbing his head "Kiya?" seeing her still covering her nose and simply staring at Ayera.
'I managed to keep my word.'
Kiya glanced his way before she slowly raised a soft smirk of her own as she casually flicked her bloodied hand at the grass "Sure. In a few months she can be a little sister we'll all be proud of." she voiced as she offered her non-bloody hand for a handshake, vanquishing any lingering bitterness Kiya had within her 'She's still new after all.'
The Myobu could see it all. Ayera's own smugness slowly dissolved to a frown at their responses before her lip twitched at the mention of 'little sister'. Of her own volition Kiya couldn't help but smile a little more as Naruto cutely blinked at these turn of events.
"Don't call me that." Ayera spoke up "I don't really care for those kinds of things in a harem."
"What, little sister?" Myrel piped in, the Dracona still riled and excited as she stepped closer to the frowning Neo-Iczel "But that's what you are. You could be a Pokémother and you would still be our little sister here!" She taunted with a slight uncontrolled chortle.
Kiya observed silently as the bright-haired Pokégirl's brow twitched and her jaw clench.
"Err- I think she gets it Myrel," Naruto calmed easily as he turned to Ayera who met Kiya's gaze "Well Ayera?" his words breaking her out of whatever 'this' was as she struggled to return to her usual smirk.
"Hm, okay then." Stiffly shaking the Myobu's hand.