As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 50 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: h- t_ t_ p-s -: -/ -/ -discord . g-g / N9yDA8t6Cw (taking out hyphens, underscores, and spaces of course).

Chap. 31: Soaring

Alex had just sat down in the spectator stands when Elle's turn to battle her second opponent of the Gym came up. He was sitting right in the middle of the second row, just behind a busty woman who was conveniently leaning back to provide a nice view of her bountiful chest. He grinned, but did his best (after giving her a good look) to focus on his partner's match. Not that he thought Elle needed the moral support, but watching the girl Battle was always fun.

She was just so dynamic, and her style so fluid, it was an inspiration. Her opponent this time was a tall, skinny woman in her mid twenties, a little older than Alex or Cora, who wore an outfit quite similar to Elle's own: A white tank-top, and cut-off jean shorts. The other woman had a black jacket and a baseball cap, which struck a chord in Alex's memory, but everything else about her was unfamiliar. In opposition to being slender, her face was round, and her black hair was cropped short on the sides, but ran long in a plait down her back that swayed and bobbed as she moved.

She started with a Wingull, an older Water-Flying dual-type that, so far as Alex knew, should not have been included in the 'first and second generation's' Pokémon. It didn't seem to faze Elle at all, however, because she continued with her lowest-level battler, Nike the Pidgey. The first move even went to the opposing Trainer, and the water-jet, at least, seemed to catch Nike off-guard because it splashed against the feathered breast of Elle's Pokémon with great force, and sent it reeling backward with a squawk of protest.

He could not hear Elle's return command, but Nike beat its wings, kicking up the now rather muddy sand around it and sending globs of the stuff flying toward the Wingull, which cawed and raised its wings in a futile effort to protect itself. Then they were both airborne, and the Water- dual-type Pokémon's speed advantage vanished. It might have been quicker at the start, and the range of Water Gun gave it a definite advantage, but Nike was far more graceful and maneuverable in the air. The battle quickly became one of attrition, which was not Elle's forte, but not exactly a weakness, either.

A second burst of Sand Attack hit the Wingull a few seconds later, and its own Peck scored a glancing blow against Nike's left wing. The Pidgey's return shot of Gust blasted the Wingull from above a moment later, and the downdraft sent it perilously close to the heads of several people waiting in line to battle.

Both Pokémon were flying around in tight circles over the Battle Area that Elle and her opponent were using. Did that mean that even Flying-types had to obey an invisible vertical wall, or be disqualified for leaving the ring? He didn't know, and didn't really care. What he cared about was that Elle was winning.

Water Gun came close to hitting the next round, but a Mirror Move- even if it wasn't that effective to shoot water from a Pidgey's mouth at a Water-type- hit the other Pokémon hard. Elle grinned at the look of surprise on the NPC Trainer's face, then shouted a command Alex heard from dozens of feet away: "Finish that sack of wet potatoes off with a Quick Attack!"

Alex actually winced as he heard the sharp, high snap of several bones. He knew already that official Battles had safeguards put in place to protect the Pokémon, but Elle's experience in The Underground had made it clear that they were not perfect.

The Wingull hit the ground hard, talon-marks and a heavy puncture wound from Nike's beak in the side of its neck, but it was was the right wing that showed the most damage. It hung from a single ligament, nearly severed, but also crushed as that was both the side Nike had it it from, and the part that had tumbled into the hard-wood platform first.

By the time it skidded to a halt, Nike, a little bruised but only a tiny bit worse for wear after her second battle in a row, was flying in circles around Elle's side of the area, uncaring that blood dripped from both talons and beak.

Elle herself looked triumphant as she gave a hard look at her opponent. "Do you have another 'mon for me to thrash?"

The slender woman shook her head, the long plait swaying, "N- No... no, I think you've proven yourself to me. I'll... let me check on Wingull. You win."

The moment she had said the words, the lines that denoted Elle's side of the Battle Area flashed green, and she cheered, whooping once more, "That's two down!"

A minute later, she had rejoined Alex and given him another hug. "Come on, stud, I'm still flying high- heh, air puns- let's go hit the next platform!"

"You're doing great," he told her with a one-armed squeeze as she started walking, "Just don't get cocky. We did pretty well in Minier's Gym until you got to the last challenge, too."

"I know, I know," Elle waved off his concern, "I just have a feeling, a good feeling. I'm gonna take it all this time!"

Alex couldn't help but be convinced by her enthusiasm if nothing else, so he smiled too as he fell into step next to the girl, who was already striding as fast as her proportionately long legs would carry her past a vending machine that was flanked by two food stalls, following the signs to the winding stairs that led ever higher up the great tree.

Lt. Colonel Gregory Phillips watched intently through the holoscreen as the three-dimensional representation of Robin DeVerl, the girl he saw as both his greatest achievement as a military man and scientist, and his adoptive daughter, struggled to catch a third Pokémon. Her Rattata was, frankly, astoundingly powerful and tended to bring anything it fought down in a couple of bites. On the other hand, her Happini Starter (an unfortunate choice if there ever was one, but one that the psychologists who had ensured it happened that way insisted was necessary to teach the girl some humility) was... anything but. Yes, Blissey, and the middle form Chansey could be powerhouses in their own right for a given playstyle, but Robin didn't like stalling. She was alright at it, and good at playing support- which the line excelled at- but as a main, they just... weren't that good. Especially not with what was essentially a Pokémon baby, and all the weakness that entailed.

But she was doing it this time. Her Rattata had taken two chomps out of the blue, spined creature, and then Robin had withdrawn it because one of the spines had poisoned it.

A reasonable choice, and one that demonstrated empathy. Something the girl seemed to lack in her psychiatric evaluations, despite being pretty good at supporting roles. Maybe she was learning after all. He knew Robin was certainly bright enough, but a part of him wondered if growing up in a simulated environment like she had, especially one where all of her peers had fallen away due to failure of objectives or actual death, might have turned her into a sociopath of some degree.

At the very least, he had feared she might be un-empathetic. It had not hurt her chances of success, however, and so the team by and large considered it a worthwhile sacrifice. So what if one girl was irrevocably damaged psychologically? So long as she was capable of producing viable part-human offspring, did the rest really matter?

Not in the long run, no. That was why he had signed off on the project in the first place, and even taken charge of it. Robin was still their last, best hope of humanity's future on the other world. At least, their version of humanity. Humans on the other planet, for all their issues, still seemed to be thriving, with or without GameFreak's modifications.

Robin loved pleasure, and was already fingering herself to orgasm several times a day. No doubt, when she was in her real body it would increase as the tactile sensation was always deadened at least a little between Combinant Avatars and the real bodies of those who drove them. Synchronization Rates like those of Maline Greengrass's prized proteges, the Berkman girl and Ward Shipping heir helped, but there was always some loss.

He anticipated that once her Pokémon were old enough, or her bond with them great enough, she would have no problem using her Pokémon for pleasure, too. The problem was, Robin had always had less of a connection with, well, humans. Of any sort.

That was a risk they considered acceptable, because even if she turned into a true sociopath and used her body-warping abilities to impregnate women who wanted to be or not, it would help the viability of the species going forward.

But they needed her to get pregnant by a human at least a few times, too. Alex Ward seemed like the ideal choice, given his Sync Rate and general skill, but there were plenty of other options. She could even force some of them if it came down to it. It would just be... more complicated.

And they didn't want to even contemplate what would happen if she were to become pregnant, decide she didn't want the child (or to carry it for nine months and then some until it was weaned), and use her morphing abilities to flush her body of the 'parasite'.

But that was a constant fear for Phillips, who seemed the only one who would even admit it was possible.

That was long-term, however, and in the short term, Specimen RDV seemed to finally be performing up to the results they expected of her.

Adaptability, survivability, and growth were traits that she had to possess. Now, she was adapting by using her Happini to further whittle down the Nidoran female. Ooh... no, that wasn't good. Her Starter was poisoned now, too.

Ah! Yes, more Empathy- an immediate use of an Antidote from Robin's pack. "Good girl," he murmured into his quiet office.

The low-level intern who was beneath his desk sucking his cock while he watched his pseudo-daughter paused and looked up, then started again as she realized she was not the one being complimented. For Phillips, it was just a perk of working at GameFreak. Someone had to satisfy a distracted higher-up's urges, after all, to keep them productive. Today, this cutie had drawn the straw, not that Phillips himself was really paying attention any more.

There, another Pound from her Happini, and... oh, no, she wasn't going for a Pokéball. Instead, Robin used Refresh to sooth her Starter's wounds. More empathy, the girl seemed to truly be learning it. Or maybe she had just realized how fragile the Starter could be. Either way... ah, there was the 'ball!

Wiggle, wiggle...

Success!

Phillips nearly jumped off his chair, startling the girl down there, before he remembered and pushed her head further down his cock. His girl had succeeded, and now her team might truly be viable with two actually good combatants.

Furthermore, the Nidoran female was above-average in statistics, his linkup to Yggdrassil supplied, and of a complimentary nature to Alex Ward's.
Yes... things were looking up.

The Colonel grinned and idly reached down with both hands to push the girl's head down all the way. She started to choke and gag, but he didn't care. Even when she started trying to hit his legs, her throat convulsing rapidly on his length, Phillips kept his eyes on Robin's celebration and care for her slowly-growing team.

He climaxed after a couple of minutes, releasing himself down a limp throat, then stood up and flicked the last remnants down on the woman before idly closing his fly and thumbing a button. "Cleanup in my office, Stanson. Might be dead, might just be unconscious. Take care of it."

"Yes, sir," the tired-sounding man who was his assistant at GameFreak replied, without bothering to ask questions.

It wasn't like this was the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Phillips didn't care either way, he simply made his way to the door on the left side and used his security passkey to ride the lift higher in the massive tower. He had a quick meeting with Greengrass to go over, and he had some good news to report during it, too. Things were definitely looking up for him, and Lab 55's project.

Adisa sighed as Morley's cock slipped inside her. "Mmm," she murmured, and her hands reached around his broad, strong back, which arched as he thrust forward simultaneously with leaning in to suckle at her hard left nipple. "Needed that, needed you."

"I needed you too," he replied quietly, glad that most of the kids had gone off for the weekend. He had to admit, when he had assigned Adisa to this task, he had mostly envisioned her bilking newcomers, scrubs, and inexperienced Trainers of their money, with the promised reward of 'treasure' at the end something he would have to give out occasionally for the rare few good Trainers who came through.
But she had succeeded beyond his wildest expectations. In two weeks, almost three, she had given out four Nuggets instead of the one per day he had convinced Rocket leadership would be acceptable. She and her team were earning, after their own payroll costs and upkeep were factored in, upward of nine thousand per day. A nugget of gold in the size they were giving out cost about five.

The math was simple. A bit over nine thousand Pokédollars per day, times nineteen days was $171,000. With their upkeep, combined, of less than two thousand per week and the four nuggets, which added up to about twenty-two thousand... Their profit added up to just under a hundred and fifty thousand Pokédollars.

The thought of the money they were making- which would result in a huge bonus coming his way, on top of the one he had received for capturing Zapdos- made Morley even more excited, and his dick stiffened inside Adisa's delicious cunt. "You're so fucking hot," he grunted as he pushed deeper, making the woman's full tits bounce a little extra as he drove home against her. "I love fucking you."

"I love it when you do," Adisa moaned back, unaware and unknowing of what, exactly, Morley was thinking about while he went about doing just that. She was too caught up in the feeling already. Now she was sure there was something in the water, because the longer she stayed around here, the more horny she got. Now, she was letting Machop have his way with her once or twice a day, and she'd even encouraged her Vulpix to go down on her while her Houndour mounted the Fire-Fox.

She still could not admit to herself that it was the best cunnilingus she had ever received, but it was. It was a little easier to admit the other part, somehow. "I missed a human cock, and yours is great," Adisa moaned as he started thrusting smoothly and evenly.

Morley paused for only a moment with his hips, but raised his mouth from her nipples to grin down at her chocolate face, "Human cock? Have you been fucking your Pokémon, my dear?"

Adisa felt her face heat, and was glad that her skin was dark enough he probably couldn't see her blush. "Uhm..."

He laughed. He actually laughed, and it made her blush deepen. Then he kissed her fervently, and she felt her body heat up further, but down lower. When he pulled away, Morley told her with a wide smile of his own, "Don't feel bad, most of us do. It's not something a lot of Trainers talk about, but when you're out there in the wilds, alone, and get horny... besides, it's not like the Pokémon mind. Most of them are all too eager to join in. I've been enjoying the tight pussies of both my Eevee and Chikorita for years."

"Y- You what? I mean... I... w- well, like... everyone? Everyone does it?"

"Why shouldn't we?" Morley laughed, and sat up to grope her chest while he thrust forward and back faster. "The Pokémon want it, and you have to admit- we humans are a horny lot. If we can get off, we want to. Most do it in the privacy of the wilds or their own home, but I know maybe like six Trainers well- out of hundreds I know pretty well- who don't, and aren't interested in doing so. Most of them just aren't sexual people at all. But we all like a tight pussy, or a big dick, right? So why not use what's readily available?"

"I... I guess," Adisa admitted, and looked away shyly as he rutted her. The conversation was unnerving her, and somehow, knowing he was fucking his Pokémon too- while doing the same with her- kind of turned Adisa off. Not badly, because it did feel really good, and she had missed a human dick and connection beyond the creeper who watched the kids go at it all the time.

So while she let him use her (and did enjoy it enough to orgasm eventually), most of Adisa's attention was quickly mired in thought.

Was it alright? She'd let Machop have her again and again, and loved his relentless pounding and immediate recharge. She'd enjoyed thinking about her dog, and let her fox go down on her. She'd loved it, too. But... did everyone- or nearly everyone- do the same behind closed doors? Surely not!

But... But what if he was right?

Clearly, many of the teenagers she was watching over on the route to her camp were entertaining each other openly, and in a very open way, passing each other around like candy, and using sex as favors or... well, for whatever. Were they doing the same with their Pokémon, and she had just not noticed?

"Hah... fuck, you're a good fuck," Morley chuckled again as he pulled out, then bodily flipped Adisa over before driving into her from behind, one arm underneath her waist to help him aim better. He was getting close, she knew he was, but just then it couldn't come fast enough. She wanted it over, yes, but she also wanted him to cum inside her.

It was a need she wasn't that familiar with, having been reluctant every time back on Earth- in the real world. But now, after having Machop do it again and again, Adisa felt herself desperate for the extra heat, and extra fullness of it. Not that the sex wasn't good. It was.
It was just that, as an intellectual person first and foremost, Adisa's mind was now occupied quite thoroughly with the revelations Morley had just casually dumped on her mid-fuck.

She had thought herself a deviant, a monster.

What if she wasn't?

What if, as he said, everyone did it?

It... it certainly opened some doors.

Maybe she could do as GameFreak asked.

Maybe she should.

Morley was tensing up as she came to that conclusion, and, free of the burdens of overthinking, Adisa Chuke let herself cum with him, her body relaxing into orgasmic bliss at the same moment he did.

She would be happy to fuck him- and her Pokémon. If it was true, then there was no reason not to. It wasn't like they were in a relationship, he had made it clear their relationship was professional with sex as a pleasant bonus.

Adisa found herself more than fine with that. Besides, it might be fun to watch him plug up his Pokémon just like he did with her. She certainly enjoyed receiving it, at any rate.

Yes... she could definitely abide by GameFreak's request to 'fuck more'. She could do that happily.

Alex cheered again as Elle's latest opponent, now her sixth, brought out their last Pokémon. This was it, her last fight before the Gym Leader. Nike had lasted longer than either of them had thought, but was now exhausted. His partner and all-but-lover had used five Potions on the little bird, so his wounds were healing or minimal, but he was just too exhausted to continue after carrying her alone through two thirds of the Gym.

This fight and the one before had started with a surprise: Kole. Alex had known he would come out eventually, but the Growlithe had utterly crushed not just one, but three Pokémon in a row before Elle had switched him out on seeing another Water-Flying type. That had resulted in Loki making his first appearance, and ended that Battle very quickly afterward.

But this last opponent was a lot tougher. She had four Pokémon, for one thing, which was two more than any opponent Elle had battled so far. And their level was just as high as Elle's own party on average. Kole had actually been withdrawn after he had struggled to bring down the last one, as tough as the flaming canine was.

Which meant this last matchup before the Gym Leader was going to be even harder. Elle was still trying to keep her trumps- the Diglett whose name he still didn't know, and Squirt the Horsea- a secret. So she pretty much had to bring out Morpheus.

Yes, there the yellow Drowzee was. And the other side, a young man with sharp, aqualine features and a bald-shaved head in overalls, released... What was it?

A bird, yes, of course. But it was black of feather, and they almost seemed to form a hat-like shape around its head in a strange crest. The eyes were white with red rings, enlarged compared to the rest of its small frame, and...

"Morpheus, Confusion!"

From the front row, now that many of the other competitors had failed out or were finished for the day (it was already twilight even up here on the mountaintop), Alex had a prime view of the Drowzee's most powerful direct attack do... absolutely nothing.

The other Pokémon, who was still standing on the ground in front of his Trainer, gave a caw that sounded suspiciously like derisive laughter.

"Murkrow is Dark-type, dummy," the bird keeper laughed too, "He's immune to your lame Psychic attacks! Do better, kid, or go home!"

"I'll show you better," Alex heard Elle growl, "Morpheus, if that doesn't work-"
"Ah, ah! My turn! Murkrow, we'll be gentle for a bit since he can't hurt you- just start it off with a Wing Attack!"

The Drowzee, never the fastest of Pokémon, recoiled and lifted its stumpy arms in a meager defense as the Murkrow flittered forward, slapping its wings across the golden-domed head several times before it backed away to arc in a graceful circle around the other half of the larger arena.
With each platform, the battle arenas had gotten larger, and now, at the second highest, there was just one that covered nearly the whole place.

"Tch- Headbutt that prick if he comes close again, Morpheus!"

"Easy enough to counter, Murkrow. And no worry anyway. Just use Pursuit, chase him down as he runs."

But Morpheus didn't run. It didn't matter, he was still knocked sprawling by the force of the much smaller bird's blow to the back of his head, but Alex knew that, with a Type Disadvantage, it wouldn't matter. Yes, Pursuit got stronger if it was used against an opponent being withdrawn, but Morpheus was already out of this fight. "Pull him out, Elle!"

"He'll get creamed," she shot back.

He pressed anyway, "He's gonna get creamed anyway if he stays in! Switch to someone else, and end it!"

Elle, high on her previous victories, was clearly reluctant to admit that this time she had gotten unlucky, or made a bad call. But she did withdraw...

And Morpheus got hit again, this time straight between the legs in a full-body blow just before he vanished into light.

The psychic cry of pain that rippled over the platform had many of the last spectators, and Alex, wincing in pain themselves.

Elle only seemed furious that she had finally, after all of that, had a Pokémon knocked out.

In older Generations, you could leave a Gym and come back. But they knew in this one it was different. Each attempt had to be completed, start to finish, or it didn't count. If she didn't get her Badge this time, she would have to fight all of the Trainers on the platforms below again.

It was a good thing she was determined, then, Alex thought.

The girl, scowling now, reached for another Pokéball, thought better of it, returned, and then went for a second choice after all.

It was not what he had expected. Squirt or her Diglett would've been good choices. Squirt could probably bring down any of the birds here in a hit or two with Aurora Beam, and would be alright against Flying- and Dark-type moves. The Diglett would be hard-pressed to hurt a Flying-type, but he had enough moves to make something work, Alex thought.

She had sent out Kole again, even though her Fire-dog was hurting and almost as tired now as Nike was.

"Alright, mate," Elle murmured just loud enough for Alex to hear as she got down on one knee and patted her dog's head. "This is an important battle. That's his last Pokémon. You're hurt, I know. But you aren't going to be able to help in the next fight. I need you... I need you to take him down. No matter what it takes. Alright? Can you do that for me?"

"Lithe, Bark-Lithe!"

At least, that's what it sounded like to Alex. Either way, the tiger-striped canid sounded confident and eager, and its tail was wagging, injuries or not as it padded forward onto its side of the battlefield.

"An interesting choice," the bird keeper acknowledged, "and not one I'd have made given that you still have at least two Pokémon in reserve. I've watched your battles for the last couple of hours, and I think I know your plan... but let's see if it's enough! Murkrow, open it up on this good boy with another Pursuit!"

The bird was fast, very fast.

It hammered into Growlithe's ribcage hard, and the dog Pokémon staggered sideways twice, but he recovered quickly too. There was just too much difference in mass. Kole's fur grew brighter, until it was nearly shining. As the Murkrow came in again for a second pass, it leaped up and forward, spinning mid-air to catch the left wing in its jaws. The Murkrow was shaken viciously three times, left, right, left, before Kole landed and threw it bodily to the platform.

It was still up, somehow, and it lurched into the air, squawking in agony and clearly favoring one wing.

"Reversal," Elle grinned triumphantly. "Flying might be good against Fighting moves, but Dark is weak against it, so it balances out. You're fucked, man."

"I don't think so," the bird keeper growled, "and watch your language, kid. Murky- Dark doesn't work, so try Wing Attack again."

Elle shook her head. "Kole- whatever it takes! Takedown!"

"Elle, no!" Alex shouted, but it was too late.

Both Pokémon charged, one in the air and one in great bounding leaps, straight for each other.

Inertia won out, as it often does. Kole took a sharp beak and talons to the face, yes, but the two ended in a biting, clawing, slashing roll across the platform that nearly had both of them out of bounds. While that would have ended in Elle's victory- she still had most of her team intact, after all, while the opponent was down to his last- they didn't quite get there. When the dust settled, it was clear who the winner was: the Murkrow was once again locked in Kole's fiery jaws, with embers scorching its already inky feathers darker still, while a heavy paw held the other wing in place as it feebly tried to flap.

The bird keeper sighed. "Alright, alright, you win, kid. Good job. Go on up- the Gym Leader takes his challenges seriously, just a heads up. And he's not bad at fighting at night, so be careful."

"Thanks," Elle grinned, and returned Kole with a few softly-murmured words of encouragement to his 'ball. Then she turned to Alex, and he knew.

He knew. She would win.

Not only because she still had three Pokémon in decent to good shape in Loki, Squirt, and her Diglett, and not because two of them were her still unrevealed trumps against the Flying Gym.

No, it was because she had learned some things from him, just as he had from her. She would not give up until she did.

Maline Greengrass was a nightmare for both of them, and for similar reasons. But this Gym (and presumably The Steelworks) were not her Gym.

He gave the girl a nod that displayed his own confidence in her. Now only two things remained: For her to seal the deal...
And for him to follow it up the next day.

He couldn't just let her have a team more powerful than his, after all. And he certainly couldn't let her lord over having a Badge before he did for more than one night. No way.

That just wasn't going to happen. He had no choice but to win now, too.