GKEA: Sinnoh Saga

by GKEA GUY

Avery is an ill-tempered, strait-laced 19-year-old focusing on school and work. However, a hurricane of conflict is about to enter his life, revolving around one thing- Pokephilia. Now his black and white world is turning into shades of grey, and nothing will ever be the same. (Pokemon x Human and Human x Human. Feral Poképhilia and more.)

56. Vigil of the Fox

Avery's Pokemon

Umbreon

Name: Evangeline. More commonly, Eva.

Gender: Female

Nature: Rash

Summ: Avery's first Pokemon, once a rambunctious Eevee. Loyal and excitable, Avery and Eva can't seem to get their hands (and paws) off of each other. Once they were rivals, Eva was afraid and resistant of his love. They've come far.

Kirlia

Name: Lady

Gender: Female

Nature: Modest

Summ: Once an innocent Ralts running from an abusive human, Lady was isolated from Avery during a head injury. Lady has since seemed different. Now a Kirlia, she demands different things from her 'Master' and sees it as entirely unfair that Eva seems to get all of his romantic attention. Reluctant to tie herself to her companions, Lady has shown her seemingly true colors time and time again. Perhaps change may be on the way after recent developments with a new "Friend"?

Buneary

Name: Chastity

Gender: Female

Nature: Adamant

Summ: What is this sensual bunny's deal, anyways? Purchased from a strange man at Vanessa's mansion as a gift from the wicked mistress herself, the Buneary seems a mixture of fierce pride and fiery sexual whim. In other words, she's kinda totally topping Avery and Lady from a meta level.

Furfrou

Name: Dusty

Gender: Male

Nature: Hardy

Summ: Seemingly the only successful battler of the bunch, Dusty has proved to be a steadfast companion despite starting the journey as a total sexpest, tryna bang Chastity like that! Can you blame him? Give a guy a bone! It appears battling is not the only talent of this fierce young Furfrou.

Surskit

Name: Sprite

Gender: Female

Nature: Quirky

Summ: This innocent, yet somehow seductive balloon, is exactly what she seems. Very fond of Avery, with a playful spirit. Nearly killed by the collapse of the Coronet cave-in her life was saved by Lady, albeit reluctantly.

The great doors opened and a mighty earthen corridor lay within, bathed in a seeping darkness Eva's glow-rings did little against. A powerful gust of air - strange, seeming to speak of the ages with scent alone, musty and strong-smelling enough that we hid our faces from it. The bellow swept out all around the passage we had just crossed. It was as if this ancient mouth on the inside of Mt. Coronet was taking its first breath of air after countless years without it.

The burst of internal air hit with surprisingly strong force, and in order to not stumble I had to brace myself on the massive, unwavering surface of the stony door that I had just pushed open like a feather. It was serving as a great anchor against the wind. My hand tingled, it felt white hot as I slid it up and down the length of the door, its stony surface was frigid and lifeless against my warm palm; its current state was at sharp contrast with the warm, lurid glow that had overtaken it only moments before. I laughed in disbelief as the wind died down, the sound of my voice echoing back at me as it traveled into the earthen aperture and hit the walls of the cavern system, bouncing back at us. Inside, abstract subterranean carvings stretched all around, making the already dark shadows seem to house shifting shapes when stared at for too long.

I'd been following instinct and it had led me to something almost absurd, but I felt connected to whatever the hell was going on down here. The drilling, the fights, the mansion... it all started to take on a different meaning. Surely this was meant to be. Was it dangerous to start thinking that way about the world? I've never been one to look forward in such a hopeful way. Never believed in anything beyond the thoughts in my head and my interactions with people. At the same time this was far beyond my usual gray reality, somehow the grays of these underground walls were more miraculous than my past. This was far more interesting than anything I'd ever seen in Hearthome. My mind couldn't comprehend the history all around me, the magic of it all.

I wasn't the only one in disbelief. The two machokes and the medicham seemed to be in a state of shock, particularly Medicham. He stepped in front of us, pressing one foot inside and then halting to turn back at me with a strange expression. Seeing the look in his eyes my body went cold, a frigid feeling settling deep into my bones as I saw the lack of warmth gazing back at me. Then Medicham turned his gaze aside - as if deep in thought, sharing a look with his fighting-type companions.

Well, there was nothing I could do about how they were feeling right now. There was no way I knew more about this than they did. I turned to Eva. "H-How did we do that?" I asked, shaking my head. "Eva - that was us, we did that." I couldn't help but smile as I relived that mystical moment. The past few minutes were replaying in my head - over and over. "T-This is the path forward. It has to be - w-what do you think, Eva?"

"U-Umbri," My partner replied, her voice low and weary - her glow rings flickered. Eva didn't seem able to hold their light much longer in her current state. Her familiar exhausted face peered back at me. I expected my starter to be glad about this too, excited even, yet when I looked into her eyes there was a strange, intense doubt flickering there. Was she just tired? No, her ears were drawn back, and she had withdrawn into herself. She was shaken, disturbed, staring at her paw as if she was in pain- a sharp contrast from me.

The first thing we needed to handle was her health. I knelt and took the chocolate bar out of my pocket and gave her a few pieces, caressing the back of her neck fur. She did not lean into my touch as she usually did, instead she turned her eyes to the art on the walls, shaken and faraway.

"Eva." She did not respond. "E-Eva! Hey, baby... you okay? Look at me." I held her chin in my hand, stroking her ears with my other as I forced her to look at me. The umbreon trembled, she squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look at me. I realized then the only possible reasons for this behavior... Evangeline had made her own realizations about humanity, and me with it. After witnessing all these things- as I saw the way her gaze flickered to my hand, touching her, I knew she didn't want it there right now.

It felt like I'd been hit. How could she feel worried about that with what we had? I was reminded of the first days I had her, when she had attacked me and forced me as far away from her soft little heart as she possibly could. I couldn't go back to that, and I trembled. "Hey - what we saw on those walls... we don't properly understand it. We couldn't. I promise I- I'd be one of the humans fighting for you Eva. Do you understand? I'm not one of..."

I glanced back and stared at the human figures - the pale-robed figure with their chained Pokemon slaves, their weapons, the peace on their stone-wall faces as they butchered and conquered. "I'm not one of them... I'm sorry." I turned back to Eva. My Umbreon's eyes widened as she took in the expression on my face, and she listened quietly, intently.

"Umbreon umb!... Umbri." She stared up at me with a pleading look on her dark-furred face, placing her paws onto my chest and nuzzling my cheek and neck. A purr resonated in her chest as I put an arm around her.

' It's not about me. That's what she's trying to say...' It couldn't be. It was about the bigger picture. If I felt anger at what I'd seen then there were likely no words for what Eva felt. I'm sure the distance between us felt vast, and only deep reflection could bring Evangeline peace from her current thoughts. I wanted to push into her mind, hear her thoughts on all of this directly, but that was impossible - Eva turned and walked off a few paces with a distant look in her eyes, eating the chocolate in solitude. If she wanted time to think by herself I wasn't going to deny her that. Her sleek, dark form was barely visible at that distance and the clinging darkness was banished by only a soft, pale pulse of light every few seconds, like the moon being hidden by the clouds. The sound of Eva eating helped relax my frayed nerves.

I stepped back, trying to piece together all the imagery and make sense of what just happened. I had imitated what I saw on the wall, the Lucario king stared boldly ahead. I didn't understand, and it seemed like our companions did not know what to make of this either. I wasn't sure what I expected to get as a reaction from them. It wasn't admiration or worship, but I didn't expect the intense level of anger I started to get from Medicham. As if he finally seemed to make up his mind about me- there was so much fear and animosity just beneath his skin, the fighting-type tensed up and clenched his three-fingered fists.

'How did you do that, what made you do it? I would like to know. We have walked these halls, watched over these ancient places for many years- as well as the guardians before us. Never has it opened, never has something like this happened!' Medicham started gazing at his own three-fingered hand, as if it was a far-off thing, an enemy. Then his dark circular pupils flicked back to me, burning like twin black holes. He was envious? Quickly, he moved towards me. His pale, lithe body darted forward with a pink flash and in seconds I found myself turned and slammed up against the stone wall by my chest, his palms resting against me there. Medicham was panting, his gaze steadily burning into me, and I saw nothing but panic and distaste for me. 'You and your slave did something. tell me what it was!'

Eva knew not to jump in right away, but she quickly came running back, finishing eating apparently. The umbreon's eyes were narrowed, and she hissed deep in her throat. "Umbreon! Umbr!" Her red moon eyes flicked back and forth in warning. The machokes turned to glare at her, arms crossed on their chest as if daring her to interfere. There was no sympathy in their eyes, and one of them unfolded his muscular arms, giving her a warning look. "Choke! Mach machoke choke!" The bulging fighting-type grunted.

Eva slowly nodded, her fangs grit as she forced herself to stand down. I sighed with relief. Unlike in the past, she set aside her anger and didn't just fight because someone was threatening us. What could she do against these three wild fighting-types? Not much. They were not just guides or bodyguards. They were sent here to watch us, to deal with me if need be and it seemed right now was a need be kind of moment.

The medicham's hands were trembling as he held me up against the wall, fingers burrowed in my jacket. Gone was the aura of peace and understanding earlier, but I planned to earn it back. I had a feeling that this hatred he felt for me, flickering in sometimes; gone at others, was not about me. It was about this place that he supposedly protected, it was about the Fair Lady; and the eggs, and it was about his place in this world and the power I had over him above ground.

I understood him being mad at me. Especially since me being here was bringing about change impossible to understand right now. That was why we had to go forward. "We did something, you're right, but I'm not sure what."

'You and your slave- you did it together. I don't understand...'

"We're in the same position, I'm just as confused. But Eva is not my slave-" I replied, refusing to shut my starter out of the conversation. The Medicham rolled his eyes at my words, and that pissed me off, but I bit back any attitude or aggression I wanted to send his way. "Your Fair Lady is the one that asked us to come down here.. don't you think she suspected something like this might happen?"

Medicham swallowed hard. '... The Fair Lady had her guesses. She used to spend every waking second here meditating and trying to find answers. Dreaming when rest came, refusing to leave until she figured out the secret of this door... yet you solved it. Only a human... Only a human and its pet can solve the puzzle of the door. What could that possibly mean?'

I grit my teeth. "Get it through your damn head! Eva is not my pet, she's not my slave!" That wasn't the only thing that bothered me about what he said. "D-Do you think that Lucario - that king - was a slave?" The image of the woman clutching the precious egg bundle in her elbow, and Lucario leading and protecting her- that was not a human and her pet, nor a woman and her slave. It was clear Medicham thought differently on the matter. The wild Pokemon glowered at the art, but finally let me go.

'I don't know who they are. I've read this story, these walls.. many times- There is so much that we do not know, so much that has been lost. On the surface, do they even ask these questions?'

At that very moment the earth began to shake and tremble. Far, far stronger than it ever had before. The sound of a machine screamed in my ears, coming from inside the chamber. We all turned as one toward the source of the noise, much farther in. Eva gave me a glance, and we nodded.

"Someone is asking questions, that's for sure. Seems they're here or about to be. Let's find out exactly who they are," I called out above the noise of the drill.

As we ran inside, Eva's energy revitalized for now and her glowing body illuminated our surroundings. I realized pretty quickly that these walls told as many stories as the ones leading here. The passage rapidly thinned to a broad, circular chamber with great, tall pillars leading upward. It was made by both man and mon, that much was clear, but who specifically? The stones told many stories but if I were to try and read every tale being told in each image, pick apart the specifics of every battle or heroic scene or great atrocity, I would become a withered old man. There were ancient tools and other objects resting inside. Huge urns, strange pieces of art, and more were scattered about the open room. The true source of wonderment though was what lay at the center of the great chamber.

I realized exactly what this place was... "It's some kind of... central burial chamber!? I think maybe their bodies are here!" Eva nodded her agreement. Was this merely a catacomb, full of corpses left behind from a bygone age? Then why the ritual with the door?

The muffled sound of metal against rock echoed louder & louder, the drill thrashed just above the chamber. How far above was the question. That question was shortly answered, as the silent tomb was soon engulfed with the shrill sound of the drill bursting through the roof. Dust and soot soon filled the tomb like a tidal wave.

The wild mons looked at each other. "Cham, medicham!" Medicham pointed to the golden-gleaming tomb at the center of the room, and the two machoke ran over in front of it. Their strange mouths were grit in determination, their muscles bulging as they readied themselves for whatever engagement was about to happen.

Then the machine broke through. It was much smaller than I expected it to be. I'd been sure the source of such disruptions, such noise, had to be huge. To these mons it probably was massive but I'd been expecting something three times the size of an industrial crane, something like that. Instead, it was about the size of a tiny house. The cabin was made entirely of sturdy, compact metal except for a single panel of dark glass. It was difficult to see through but clearly the place where humans operated it. My Poketch was like a tiny beam on the glass, bringing to my attention the shape of various human silhouettes.

The top half of the machine was a wide, squat chamber; while the center had various robotic arms extending from it. Those strange arms were gripping the hole they had just drilled through, like a mankey dangling from a tree branch, and at the far base of the mighty machine was the drill itself. With a loud -pssh- of air the arms moved, carefully lowering the drill down a level. Another metallic hiss filled the air, a gust of steam belching from a tube as the dark glass hatch was raised; multiple human figures appeared, clambering down the machine with climbing cables.

I had been expecting the white-clad forms of Team Salvation, or worse, but I was shocked when I actually recognized the style of clothing. Miner's clothes... Fully industrial mining equipment, climbing cables and picks included. All hanging from their uniforms. There were five humans in total, Pokeballs strapped to sturdy belts. The massive full-face helmets they wore also had great, beaming lights strapped to the tops. Those flashlights were far stronger than Eva's rings.

Two of the humans took the lead, walking across the vast, open chamber toward us. Specifically toward me, I could tell immediately Medicham and the Machoke twins felt slighted by that. They weren't used to humans at all. The rest of the miners scattered, two pulled out notebooks and equipment. Walking around the vast expanse of the burial chamber, they started studying whatever they found, and making notes on it. Their headlamps illuminate deep indents in the walls in the shape of archaic figures, as well as text that made no sense that resembled Unown imagery. My fellow humans moved about with a sense of wonder. I would've been the same if I didn't have responsibilities right now. The third miner didn't bother taking notes and instead took pictures of everything and sifted through the different containers in the nearby area.

The two humans walking toward us paused, they walked with confidence like they were used to leadership roles. Medicham marched in front of me, stepping between me and the newcomers. "Medicham cham, medicha cham!" He raised his palms in warning and the machokes growled as one of the miners approached the golden tomb.

One of the figures raised their hands in surrender. They slowly reached down and began to unhook and pull off the great, glowing helmet. I was shocked when I vaguely recognized the crimson-haired figure within. His hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to his skinny face. "Wooh," the man exhaled heavily, "I didn't expect to find someone else here before us." He unfolded a pair of glasses from an extra pocket and placed them onto his sweaty, dirt-smeared face. "I have to say I'm disappointed.."

The second figure also removed its helmet, and for a moment I was struck dumb. She was not beautiful, but her features enraptured me either way. She had a strong, shapely button nose and deep-brown eyes that simmered from within a plain face a decade or so older than mine. Her skin was a bit darker than mine, patches of pale Vitiligo here and there, seeming only to make her strong features more striking. Her face was smileless, serious, and she wore her hair in a practical way, tied back in a braid that hung about 6 inches down her right shoulder. She was more muscular than the man she stood next to, her somewhat bulky body obvious even underneath all that heavy equipment.

"It shouldn't be possible that you found this place. How are you here?" Was the first thing the braided woman asked me. Her eyes then scanned across the fighting types who glowered at her. She met each of their eyes in turn, then glanced back at me with a certain intensity in her face.

The redhead spoke up, coughing nervously, "T-The wild Pokemon population has been keeping workers out of this area for years, yet here you are! Don't mind my partner's angry, disgruntled tone... she just talks like that." She almost reminded me of myself, like there was so much emotion under the skin welling up.

I glanced at Medicham. 'What should I say? They seem friendly.'

He stared at me, shrugging his shoulders. 'The Fair Lady told you. Use force, use words. Whatever is necessary to get these people to leave. We'll help enforce your decision.'

With that in mind I answered carefully, trying to make sense of all this. If my suspicions were correct about who this guy was it was very possible that this could be solved easily. "I'm only here because these Pokemon are my friends, they sensed trouble. Did you know that your operation here is unwelcome? You're treading in places that have been closed off and protected for a reason. You're basically breaking into Pokemon territory that means a lot to these wild Pokemon. Do you guys have any idea the kind of destruction you've caused coming down here?" I tried to find a balance between accusation and genuine curiosity.

The red-haired guy sighed, almost sadly. "We are well aware of the damage that we've caused. A price that simply has to be paid, it's horrible. Pokemon don't like the drill, it's by design of course. There's a special note in it that when heard makes wild Pokemon panic. They run away from it, and are thus safe from any damage we might cause while drilling. A safety feature! Of course in their panic, they usually tear apart their own habitats, and then you know... chaos reigns as the weak fall prey to their fear. Then of course the disruption of the drill itself is disturbingly loud. But again... all of it is necessary..."

I picked his words apart carefully. "A design failure then. Many Pokemon are not running away, they're standing here with us right now but before we talk about that... you knew this place would be here? How?"

It was the braided woman who spoke up now. She had a steady but soft voice, a bit rough as if she wasn't used to talking. She spoke impatiently. "I have a right to be here. More than these Pokemon, and far more than you- I can tell by the look on your face that you think you know more about this sorry world than I do." She stepped up to me and I was shocked to find she was only two or so inches shorter - surprising considering I'm pretty damn tall. She jammed a finger in my neck. Her brown-black eyes simmered. "You don't. I am the one leading this expedition, I knew of this place, and I know of others." The white patches stood out, her headlamp illuminating a sphere around us, clutched in her arm.

'I understand why the Fair Lady doesn't want to let her in or talk to her. This woman's kind of a dickhead, isn't she?' I let my thoughts float over to Medicham. Surprisingly, his cold face melted for a second and he snickered. The woman abruptly stopped talking, and she stared between the two of us suspiciously.

Her eyes narrowed and she glowered at me. "So that's how it is."

"O-Okay, this is getting a bit intense!" The redhead miner chuckled nervously and drew her away a few feet. It wasn't necessary. She wasn't intimidating me. She was nothing compared to Darkrai, Vanessa, Noella, Red Ebony.. My mother- She refused to look away. "C-calm down, no reason we shouldn't all be civil!" He bowed to all of us, including the Pokemon, and then turned to me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge, ID, and a handful of papers. "Citizen, my name is-"

"Roark the Dork," I interrupted, "you're the Oreburgh gym leader, right?"

He winced, then grinned sheepishly, adjusting his helmet in the crook of his elbow and nodding. "That nickname again, huh?"

"I'm Avery, that's Evangeline, Eva for short." I nodded at my Umbreon and she nodded back slightly, just once, her red eyes burning into the humans digging around. It was clear that if they tried to take anything she would go on the attack. It was also obvious to me that Roark and the woman were aware of that too. Their hands kept twitching, like they were wary and ready to grab their Pokeballs. I had to get rid of that train of thought. "These three are my friends, but they're not my only friends. Not all of the Pokemon ran away. I'm not really representing myself right now, I'm speaking on behalf of a Pokemon that leads the caverns down here."

The braided woman's eyes widened, then she cursed under her breath. Roark laughed. "Wow. D-Does that mean you talk to them? You said the caverns... do you mean to say there is a Pokemon society down here?"

I crossed my arms. "I can't share many details, I'm sorry." Medicham was giving me a warning look so I spoke cautiously.

Roark rubbed at his sweaty face with his arm, shaking his head in disbelief. "T- That is unfounded. If it's like you said, then that means you were right, Dishop." What exactly was she right about, what did she know? The braided girl, apparently 'Dishop', clenched her teeth.

"Of course I'm right. Isn't that why you're here Roark? Supposedly you believe in me, in what I have to show you." She turned back to glowering at me.

"You'd be a lot more compelling if you smiled, you know," I interrupted the rant I knew she was about to go into. Her eyes widened.

"Y-You little-" She exhaled through her nose. "No, you're not going to upset my balance. I've worked too hard for this. We are not here for any other reason than a stone. Once we find it we'll be gone before you know it. So tell this Pokemon you represent that they can mind their own business."

Roark pushed the papers my way. "She's right. At this point we need to find what we came here for. This is an expedition funded by the people of Oreburgh. If Duskiidishop is correct about her theory regarding our target then we could change the whole world. I'm afraid even habitats are worth the price. Rest assured, we've already put into consideration any repairs that will be necessary afterwards. Eco restoration is not a problem, so the wild Pokemon can relax. We'll help fix this mess." He shook his handful of papers again, as if he really thought they were important.

'Inform them they're not allowed to take anything.'

I sighed as I took the papers, and beckoned for more light. Dishop walked over and reluctantly offered me further illumination. My eyes ached as I skimmed the words on the paperwork. I adjusted my glasses, rubbed them, then carefully read. It appeared to be an actual government-cited document, with full permissions to essentially do whatever they wanted in the pursuit of a...

"Sacred stone? What is that?"

Medicham repeated himself, more impatiently. 'Inform them they're not allowed to take anything!'

The bustle of the workers around me was making me anxious, as was the aggravation in Medicham. He seemed about ready to snap. It appeared that whatever this stone was he didn't want them having anything to do with it.

"It's a powerful gemstone. After careful examination of what was left of my family heirlooms," Dishop said carefully, "I uncovered many locations under the earth. This is the first one we've checked, and it proves that I was right. My family's right. For years they called us crazy, but they'll be forced to take me seriously now. This is undeniable proof and so are your words."' She cast her gaze toward the center of the room, swallowing as she gazed at the tall, majestic casket which housed the monarchs of legend... probably.

Dishop continued speaking. "It took years to convince people it would be worth the price. What is one more ecosystem, one more wave of destruction, when the power of this stone is worth a million times that? It took me five years to raise the money necessary, meet the right people, to get down here. The drill, the permit, years of dedication- all to find it."

I laughed. "Find it at all cost, huh? Even caving in the whole system between two cities?"

The expedition leader stared at me with a very serious look in her deep brown eyes. "Yes," she said simply.

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry... but that is not enough for me to allow you to take anything or to support what you're doing here. This paperwork means nothing to me, even less to the Pokemon here."

Medicham nodded, grinning at me in appreciation, stepping up right beside me.

The dark-eyed woman shook her head, her expression said she was hardly listening. "I'd burn down whole cities for it if I had to. The stone has properties from another world. A wondrous one. It has latent power in it. If harnessed, the amount of good it could bring to everybody would be unheard of. I'm sorry, but you won't stop us from reaching our goal. We're mere feet from it. My scrolls say that it will be in there." She pointed at the gleaming, golden body chest standing proudly at the center of the room.

"My other friends are just waiting for our signal. Can you handle a swarm of wild Pokemon?" I was completely making shit up but how else could I get them to leave? Anything was worth a try if it meant avoiding a fight and I had a feeling asking nicely again wasn't going to work.

"Hmm... It's not a question of being able to, it's a question of needing to," Roark admitted. "Why exactly are you representing these mons? It would be a simple thing to open the tomb, take the stone if it's there, and then that's it. The worst of the damage is already done, so you could just let us be done with it. We're leaving everything else."

If only things were that simple. It was about respecting the dead, and other things too.

"I see you're still hesitating to step back... well, if we go missing and die here I'm a gym leader- my dad was one of our primary donors. He won't let me disappear, they'll come looking, find what we just found, and then it'll be even more out of our hands at that point. If we go, though, we can get a patent on the research - it will be our jurisdiction at that point. I will absolutely keep the wild Pokemon in mind for all our future expeditions - Dishop will too, of course."

"No, no she won't! She said it herself - she'd level cities and even more habitats if it meant she could get this fricking chunk of rock!"

Roark laughed nervously. "Well, I think she was just trying to say it's that important to her! And it is important!" His face grew serious. "Please, don't get in our way. It's too late to turn back now, she's right - we'll get what we came for, and you'll find our drill is more durable than you'd think." He made a small signal with his hands. Behind us the three workers were now approaching the golden casket, each grasping a Pokeball. They were going to break in and take the stone - even if we didn't like it.

"Avery, tell your Pokemon not to fight us." Dishop warned quietly.

My Pokemon... Well, there was the misunderstanding - I'd probably never had control over any of this. I was hoping Roark would see it my way, but there was nothing I could really do except ask very nicely or try to beat his ass. My starter had apparently had enough listening, because Eva suddenly darted forward, hissing and snapping at Roark's feet. It was like a thunderclap going off- one moment everything was fine the next the Machoke's were rapidly shambling forward toward the miners. I watched with a disturbed expression as one of them reached a human before they could even throw their Pokeball. With a roar the fighting-type raised the miner and broke the person's body against a nearby statue, shattering the outcrop of stone. The man's helmet was then ripped off his body, a brutal shower of Machoke's punches whipping toward his face. The human man wailed in agony, unable to escape, and then there was a sound like a watermelon squishing and the brutal crack of bone- he was silent.

Roark stared in utter horror, eyes widening behind his glasses. His partner seemed less sad.

At that exact moment Dishop threw out two balls to either side of me. In the next second her fist was coming toward me, toward my gut specifically. I darted backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow and leapt on top of a nearby surface, pushing a giant urn in front of me.

"H-Hey! Don't you see - the Pokemon don't want you here!"

She grimaced and pushed the urn carelessly aside. "The Pokemon don't know what they want, least of all that false monarch."

"Darrr!" With a crimson flash of light Dishop's first Pokemon appeared, sweeping through the air on powerful wings. The green and brown bird, not a Sinnoh region-native, viciously attacked the murderous Machoke. The big bulky mon had been heading toward his second human victim when the unfamiliar, owl-like Pokemon slammed into him from behind, digging its claws into the fighting-type's neck. The machoke roared, grabbing at its attacker and attempting to throw the bird off. The flying type's wings rippled, it caught itself mid-air, and with a few great strokes shot back toward the ferocious pair of Machokes, launching into the fray.

Dishop's second Pokemon was also a grass-type, a massive Torterra that began changing towards Medicham upon Dishop's order. The two faced off, meanwhile the miner's other Pokemon started appearing. It was a relief , they were small fries. Machops and a few Geodudes, one Golbat, but Roark's Pokemon were the real deal. It wasn't possible to stop him from releasing them; there was a Rampardos and Bastiodon, both with their eyes set on my starter as she attacked Roark's feet. When she saw them listening she got ready.

Roark's Rampardos had his huge head pointed toward Eva.

Roark stepped off a distance, "Unless you have an army of wild Pokemon to back you, Avery, you're not going to stop an official expedition- you can't stop a Gym Leader. Besides, there's no reason for it! Think logically! Give up!"

"Tell your friend to stop trying to beat me up!"

"Your Umbreon was the one who made the first move!" Dishop yelled, and I panted as I ducked her fast, well-practiced punches. She knew what she was doing, and was vicious with every strike. She wanted to knock my lights out, each strike whipping through the air with disastrous force.

'I don't suppose my lies weren't bullshit and we might actually have back-up?"

'Forgive me, human. They were speaking honestly about the sound of their machines... We were the only ones brave enough to come. The rest of us... they are not as reckless and willing to throw their lives away. They're not... hopeful. Most want to just protect their eggs, they are focused on protecting them not old, dusty chambers - no matter how much they mean to the Fair Lady. W-We must handle the humans ourselves!'

In the next second Medicham was too busy ducking great, lashing vines sent his way by the Torterra to think of anything to say back.

The Torterra roared, stomping toward him on its sturdy legs. Medicham leapt up into the air - landing on the great trunk extending from the grass creature's back. Two huge vines whipped out, and the Torterra groaned its name, lashing them toward the fighting-psychic. Medicham leapt off again, the slowly snapping vines not quite reaching him in time, and he landed beside me - swinging at the human female currently trying to beat my face in.

The punch that hit her face clearly stunned her, she stumbled back, clutching her cheek and gasping. Roark anxiously witnessed all of this, eyes whipping back and forth.

"Medicham!" The Torterra violently pursued him, and he leapt away again, trying to take out the massive Pokemon with punches and kicks, always darting out of the way before it could land a hit. How long could he keep that up? The burial chamber was being destroyed. How was fighting in it, destroying it, worth just letting them have the stone? But I couldn't say that - because I didn't know what the Hell the stone was!

The Rampardos and Bastiodon were coming at Eva as a team - both with monstrous intent. Eva had never moved so fast, the Umbreon was barely managing to avoid the sweeps of the fossil Pokemon's huge skulls. She was backing up, darting away - I realized she was leading them away. The rampaging Rampardos didn't have a care in the world, it shattered countless old objects, blindly charging forward again and again while the Bastiodon had much slower, more precise strikes - both, however, were missing the Umbreon as she led them away from the grave at the center. The yards between us rapidly grew in a matter of mere seconds.

'Eva, please be careful...'

Their bulk was dwarfing my umbreon's but that just made it even easier for her to avoid his swings. One of our Machamp twins roared, and I watched in awe as he grabbed two of the trainer-owned Geodudes in each hand. The rock-types seemed shocked as the wild Pokemon lifted their heavy stone bulk, then proceeded to use their bodies to bludgeon their own trainer. The miner's Golbat tried to interfere, but the second machoke approached instead. It lunged toward a nearby stone structure, breaking it apart and slashing at the flying-type with a vicious stone edge.

All around us battle flared... the kind of battle that was painted on the walls we had just walked through. Humans truly brought destruction... including me? As Medicham leapt in front of me again, fighting off Dishop and a Torterra at the same time, his eyes black with rage - I saw Roark trying to sneak past me- toward the golden enclosure at the center of the room.

I couldn't let him get whatever was inside there... I had a suspicion it was the body of a king. The stone - the one engraved in the pommel of the sword, the one from the wall.

Roark caught my eye, saw the look on my face, and got serious.

The gym leader took off, calling out to his two rampaging fossil mons. He'd determined his path to the coffin and he was going for it - I had to follow. He expected his Pokemon to come to him but without any planning at all Eva had been smart, she'd drawn them away from everything, likely to get them away from me and our friends. Whenever she could not escape a blow - her exhaustion seeping back in- she began casting protect. The huge, glowing shields of energy waxed and waned as their skulls hit it. Her body glowing in the distance was like a tiny bulb in the dusky chamber, and they charged at her again and again.

I reached into the minds of the most determined of the Machoke's, the killer. 'Listen to me, buddy. Don't question this.' The fighting-type jolted as I invaded, shocked into stillness. I tried to speak soothingly, but speaking in any specific way was difficult. It didn't feel real, but I had to get him to listen. 'Whoever gets the coffin open, it doesn't matter, just be ready. I'm going to grab what's inside, then you grab me. Don't worry about Medicham, don't worry about your friend. We're going to run like hell. For whatever reason... They want this Sacred Stone. If that's the goal, then that's what we're protecting. Do it for me, buddy!'

The Machoke whose mind I'd gone into turned a single mad, crimson eye to me and grinned.

This place was the dream of excavators, of historians, it was a sacred place and we were destroying it - why? - for a stone, supposedly! Someone had deemed one thing valuable above all. The way they spoke about it was almost religious, especially the braided woman this Duskiidishop - Dishop to Roark. I didn't know what to make of a person in my way that wasn't outwardly a monster. A Vanessa, a Jack, a Salvation grunt. I had barely known how to handle their humanity,, and this braided girl with her stern eyes seemed to have so much passion. I was obeying the will of this Fair Lady, but not just because she'd been nice or I felt I had to. Also because of what I'd seen on the walls. Was it the right thing to do?

'In this case there is no right thing to do.' I would just follow my instinct, the same way I had when Eva and I placed our hands on the door.

Everything else but my path to the coffin blurred out of focus. I had to make it there. Couldn't let anything get in my way - I panted as I ran. Roark was shockingly fast for someone whose nickname was the dork. I wondered if his family member Hardy had his hands in this, it felt inhumane. All of the doubts, the questions flowed out of me. I had to let them go. Just reach the coffin, then grab the "Gemstone." One chance to grab it in one go. A sword, not a gemstone, if my guess was right.

'Grab the sword, Machoke grabs me. Grab the sword, Machoke grabs me,' I chanted it in my head.

Except right as I reached my max speed, legs eating away the few yard distance between myself and the coffin, my body failed me. I stumbled, just barely managing to catch myself and keep running. My body... My body hurt. The air whipped against my throat, my lungs ached. My muscles were sore, and the adrenaline wasn't enough for me to get there first. Roark threw out a third Mon, and a Graveler appeared right beside him. Apparently he needed help lifting the top of the coffin, he was straining trying to do it himself.

My murderous Machoke friend was ready to move. He turned to face us - ignoring his former opponents completely. Roark skidded to a stop a foot away from the grand burial place of the king - did he even know the truth about it - did either of them? Grabbing the sturdy sides of the coffin and trying to lift them, he strained to get it open.

Roark's Graveler reached down, launching giant rocks that blasted at Machoke's body as he began quickly jogging towards us, his red eyes gleaming like twin red moons. The upturned orbs of earth flew with deadly precision toward him. The Graveler marched right past Roark and the coffin, determined to stop Machoke from even reaching us. Machoke merely roared as the stones arrived, reaching up and striking them with his muscular, red-veiny forearms. With soft, satisfying crack sounds the stones splintered. Roaring his name, Machoke swung about wildly but precisely, fighting off the Golbat, machops, and geodude with vicious determination. The miner's were clearly in a panic, it seemed that the other Machoke had gone about ripping off their helmets - throwing them aside and making the humans unable to see or properly give orders. How many more of these miners would die?

'How many Pokemon have?' A sound that would make all Pokemon leave - that was utter bullshit! Eco restoration? Repairing damage? No - if we were not allowed to get past, if we could not battle our way past, what right did we have to be down there? Passages buried in the deep dark - they had to be allowed to stay there.

How did Dishop know about all these places, anyways? She had said so vehemently - that she had a right to be here, what did that mean? But there was no room for doubt right now. I felt a fresh surge of energy.

Machoke's muscles were bulging, the wild fighting-type Pokemon was panting, saliva dripping down his chin as he threw off his opponents, yelling in rage each time. I reached Roark. He still had not managed to lift the coffin open, and he was yelling at his Pokemon to come help - but they were still preoccupied with Eva. How long could that last, how long could this go on? I had to stop it. I grabbed Roark by the hair, surprising him, and slammed him into the side of the gleaming tombstone. We both hit it hard, he started trying to wrestle me off.

"Get off me, kid!" He shook his limbs but he was burdened by the heavy equipment clinging to his frame. I forced him onto the ground.

"Come on, Roark! You know this isn't right!"

"You don't know anything! If Dishop is correct, the power of that stone-"

I slammed the Graveler away with both my feet, using all my strength. The rock-type grunted in surprise, tumbling away, slowly picking its body back up. Hopefully that had bought me enough time for Machoke to reach me and defend me.

"It's not ours!" I slammed him down, and grabbed his glasses, smashing them across the metal coffin in the next second. The glass shattered, and I pushed Roark back down onto the ground. I was stronger than him. At that exact moment, Machoke reached us. He grabbed the Graveler, lifting him in the air and broke his body against the coffin, roaring.

I heard an angry voice yell. "Dartrix! Stop them!" Dishop roared the command.

The flying-type was about to interfere - its face feathers twitching, when Medicham saved the day. Apparently, he had overcome his opponent. The Torterra was passed out behind him, its body slumped on the ground. Unrelenting, Medicham ran toward us, splitting the distance fast. Once close enough, the psychic-type held his head, and with an almost primal scream he lifted Roark's Graveler - the round rock-type wiggled its short, stubby legs and fists in the air, like a bug turned on its back. Its entire body was glowing with vivid energy. Medicham threw the graveler toward the flying-type, the bulky weight of the rock-type striking the bird's body - knocking both of them out in one blow, their bodies tumbling away across the cold, stone surface of the floor.

Machoke ripped the top of the casket off. Roark gasped, throwing the upper half of his body up, clambering against the side of the structure. It felt like the entire world went cold, and silent. Roark and I, even Dishop, stopped fighting - how could we not? I panted, disbelieving what lay within. The inside of the coffin was empty save some linen-like material wrapped up around two clumps of bone dust.

Seemingly, we'd all been fighting for nothing. Or so we'd be expected to believe. But I had felt a strange, invasive energy, noticed a drifting shadow in the darkness around me, a strange shimmer in the air. There was a Pokemon nearby, maybe even in the casket itself right now . We could not see it, but it was here. No one else had noticed the strange ripple effect in the air - only me.

"No... I-It has to be there. It can't be empty!" Dishop sounded anguished. "I promise you, Roark- the sacred stone, it's supposed to be here! M-My scrolls can't be wrong! I read them so carefully. Look closer, let's look everywhere - a proper excavation.."

Roark just stared in horror, uncaring as he sifted through the coffin. He almost seemed to be losing his mind, anguished. "If it's here then… W-Where is it? Dishop, tell me this expedition was worth more than a few dusty old relics! These corpses…"

It was almost surreal the way the Gym Leader reacted. It was like he was seeing an utter nightmare, and he shook his head. I was horrified too, but it was more than that. Something in the air felt off. My head ached and I breathed steadily.

Roark let out a frustrated yell, casting me away and panting. He walked off, patting himself off and returning his Pokemon. He swore under his breath. He was covered in dirt, now beat up and soaked thoroughly with sweat. Humans and Pokemon alike had been hurt. The only thing worth anything here was the sanctity of the dead - In their eyes, they had done everything for nothing.

Dishop seemed just as horrified. "There's nothing there... nothing."

Roark turned his back to me. "Avery. Come speak to be in Oreburgh the moment you make it out of here." When he glanced back, Roark was solemn-eyed, his face pale. In the next few minutes everyone settled down. As a peace offering, Roark offered me one of the helmets - the one belonging to the dead guy, who certainly wouldn't need it anymore. "I've seen enough of this. The destruction we've caused..." He touched his sweating forehead.

"If I show up, are you going to get me arrested? These Pokemon don't belong to me." I followed him, Machoke twins and Medicham close behind me. They were equally in a state of shock. "I just did what I felt was right."

"No, I hold nothing against you - it was brave. It reminded me of myself when I was younger. I've let so much go, for a damn stone. I... I think it's best that what happened is forgotten. There are things we need to talk about - For.. for what it's worth I'm sorry . I got so excited about the idea of a magic stone. Please, tell their leader that I'm sorry . The funding for the rest of Dishop's expeditions - it will likely be pulled. I hope that... that no other graves like this will be disrupted... but I'm not sure who will try to come next. Hopefully the wild Pokemon here will be ready." He used his climbing equipment to scale the bulk of the drill, climbing back into its cockpit. The braided woman was still standing outside, her Pokemon by now returned.

Her face was clasped in her hands, as she murmured, "It had to be there. The scrolls said it would be there..."

"Dishop! Come on," Roark called out.

Dishop suddenly shook her head, hands quivering, "You have your Pokemon! Why are you holding back? W-we can defeat them! L-Let's go all out, then we can explore every inch of the chamber! It's nearly a mile long, it has to be here somewhere! Perhaps... perhaps buried underneath the coffin, m-maybe elsewhere! Perhaps I mistranslated something. Not inside the burial chamber, but nearby!" She stared up at him with wide eyes.

But her desperation made Roark cringe, and he sighed, shaking his head. I knew he'd reached a realization. These Pokémon were not just wild animals, weak and senseless. They were willing to kill, defending their home - their Pokemon used to gym battles, highly trained or not, were not on the same vicious level. Eva had even distracted the pair of Gym Leaders Pokemon.

"No. I think we've disturbed enough." The two other workers, beaten and bruised, gripped the body of their fifth companion - the corpse was mangled. Beside me, the two Machoke and Medicham panted heavily, my Umbreon resting in my arms. I snuggled her into me, sure that Roark would make the right decision. I had seen it on his face - he didn't notice that the Sacred Stone was indeed nearby. He'd lost faith in his angry companion, the brains behind this expedition.

He stared down at me. "Avery... even if I'm wrong about the stone - if it is here..." He closed his eyes. "I knew you were right. About it not being ours. I was against this for so many years, but I- I thought that maybe - just maybe - it could be worth it. Dishop spoke of it with such wonder... it was hard not to get caught up in it."

"If Pokemon wanted you here then you would be here - the very same way I am. Through cooperation-"

"Communication..." Roark grit his teeth, disbelieving again. "You're... come speak to me, please. In Oreburgh. I'll be waiting. Thank you... for letting us live."

So he had realized, then - how utterly outmatched he was by these wild Pokemon's will to kill, will to survive - they had lost one, the other two looked like walking corpses themselves, and Roark could barely see - his glasses shattered. I didn't apologize for that.

He was very lucky the Machokes, the Medicham, were willing to let them live. I wasn't even sure why they were. Medicham had a look of sorrow on his face. I covered my ears as the drill roared to life. Even to a human it was horrible - it was far worse for the Mons. I could see in their eyes that it took everything for them to not fall to the ground and scream in pain. The great arms of the impossible drill lifted, and began to surely, steadily pull the machine up the hole it had plunged into the earth. The humans returned to where they came from, where they belonged. Back to human homes, leaving the Pokemon and I alone in the earth.

"I take it if they get to live, I get to live?" I questioned. Medicham and the killer Machokes glanced at each other. Medicham nodded slowly.

'You fought for us... you are one of us. Aside from that, the gemstone in question... it is not even here. Was the Fair Lady wrong?'

I stared at the empty coffin, gleaming brilliant gold. I had a feeling she wasn't wrong, and neither was Duskiidishop.

'I... need to get away, need to think. When you are ready we will meet you upstairs near the water.' Medicham murmured, turning his back to me. 'Human - Avery... Thank you.' Then the trio of fighting-type Pokemon marched away. True to namesake of their type, they had fought like Hell. Was it worth it?

Alone in the vast open chamber now, Eva and I relaxed. I half-expected the drill noises to break my eardrums again, but it seemed that exiting was a lot faster than coming down - the sound of the machine was already far in the distance by now.

I stared into the darkness, thoughtful for a moment. Perhaps it would be better to let it rest - but who knew when other humans would come back. I had been the one to open the door, I'd been the one to see the gemstone get grabbed before anyone had a chance to steal it. I swallowed hard.

"... You can show yourself. I'm a friend."

Eva stared at me, cocking her head, then gasped as right in the spot lit up by the headlamp a strange, spiral form appeared.

A grinning creature crawled out from the darkness. More than that, something else appeared - the coffin was not empty at all. Grave goods appeared, stuffed in among the dusty bodies of the former Lucario king and the human woman. Streams of glittering gold, a sword, and other objects were scattered within. But more than that, there was a creature on top of the pile of treasure.

I recognized it immediately - yet there was something strange about it. The creature was hard to meet the eyes of. It splayed its furry, elegant body across the edge of the golden coffin as if laying across it without a care in the world - its gray, vivid fur rippled out this way and that. A long mass of crimson fur did little to hide the haunted, golden glow of its gaze. It stared at me like I was fresh meat.

'You saw through my illusion~ How delightful~' The creature purred as it invaded my mind with an unnatural ease. The voice was decidedly female. It was allowing me to live. Had allowed all of us to live - merely watching from where? 'I'm impressed with you human. Tell me - what drove you to defend a Pokemon's home?'

Eva glanced back and forth between us, her eyes wide.

'It was just instinct.'

'Instinct, hmmm~?" The slim creature's fangs were on display now. Its body drifted idly... It looked like a Zoroark, foxlike and sharing many features including a natural allure yet was far from the red-named mon I was used to. Death, despair seemed to radiate off its sleek fur, but there was no doubt that it was beautiful. It smiled, all fangs and glittering yellow eyes as it reached out - it extended its lithe body, and for a moment I remembered Red Ebony moving in the same way. The supple curves of the distinctly beastial body... the strange Zoroark grasped my face, peering right into my eyes. 'I like instinct...'

'... Do you know what those humans were looking for? Is it here? This Sacred Stone?'

'The King and Queen went up to the mountain... but they never came back down...' The zoroark's strange, ephemeral voice echoed in my head. 'He told me he was so sure that they would return if we begged them to, if they saw the love between Man and Mon - then surely everything could change!... But he was wrong... nobody came. Nobody saved us. They were buried in the depths of the Earth, right here, and the world forgot them. Their people forgot them.'

The strange, pale Zoroark leaned back in the coffin. She hugged one of the piles of remains, squeezing it tight and rubbing her furry face across it.

A strange feeling filled me. 'You're not just a ghost-Pokemon. You're a spirit - you're... her. The human. You're the queen.'

'I don't know what I am. I know I'm here, that I've been here as long as this place has been here. And I know that story - that echo of a story. And I know...' She stared down at the dust, all that remained of the Lucario king, just beneath her frame. 'That he... was very precious to me.'

I clutched Eva tight, and turned away. "... I'm sorry that we disrupted your sleep. Please forgive us."

But as I turned to walk away she darted in front of us, hissing loudly in her throat- one moment she was laying down, the next her claws were against my throat, the very throat a dark, angry version of her had ripped into. She didn't tear me open though, instead the mystical zoroark just smiled, golden eyes glittering.

'It is no longer safe for me here. No longer safe for the stone. That human... I felt the anger inside her. She will return, not just to this place - to all the others. I would go with you, human. You protected this place... You will do it again.' She waited patiently, staring back at me and smiling eerily. Her fur rippled in its odd, unearthly way. I swallowed hard.

This beautiful Zoroark - this strange, impossible creature - wanted to leave with me? Despite obviously being a ghost or some kind of spirit - Was she even real? - her fur was warm against mine, her claws curling into my skin. She was very much real. Eva, still curled up in my arms, merely stared, watching with wide eyes. The Zoroark purred at her.

"Zoroaaaa~" Her voice came out, wisp-like.

"... You're not like any Pokemon I've ever seen. You're... you'll stand out. I- I'm not sure I'm the kind of human that can protect you."

The mysterious Zoroark shook her head, her long, bountiful mane so soft that it was hard to not reach up and run my fingers through it, the pale fur brushing against my face as she nuzzled close. She gazed down at Eva resting in my arms with an almost lustful look in her eye and stroked a clawed hand across my cheek.

Her breath hit my face. Sweet... 'It can only be you. Perhaps I will show you not-so-nice things and make you take me? I can do that. I could have done it to all of you, showed you such horrifying things that you would've willingly died - would've killed each other for me~ That would've been more convenient, but I spared you, human. I decided to wait, to hide myself and the stone instead... but please understand. I am burning with hatred. I simply must insist you take me.'

Her golden eyes - twin suns - were aglow with a twisted excitement. This Zoroark surely had whatever it was that Dishop and Roark were looking for. She was right they would come back down here, but why not just scamper off into the darkness and disappear again? There were so many questions in my head, but as I stared into her eyes I found her impossible to resist. If her powers were true, if she could have done that to all of us then surely she had spared me for a reason. For whatever reason... she wanted to leave, and I couldn't find it in me to refuse this addition to my team. So I smiled back at her, as warmly as I could, and nodded.

"You're more than welcome to come with me."

"Medicham! Cham!" A tired voice yelled to me from a distance. The fighting-type was wondering what was taking so long. The Zoroark smiled happily, and her body seemed to fade, disappearing into the darkness.

'You have the same magic spheres that those other humans do. I would have you put me inside one, the very same way they did. It is for transportation, correct?'

"It's called capturing you - you'd be safe in there, and it'd be easy for you to hide, but..."

'I would have you put me inside. I will come out when I please, rest assured, nothing in this world could trap me. Not until my anger is quenched.'

What exactly would quench her ancient anger? Was ancient the right word for this beautiful creature? I glanced down at my Pokeball belt. She was right that it was for transportation, and other things. It supposedly weakened the wills of weak-willed mons, and it had other effects that we didn't even know about. Least of all the pokeballs given to me by Marissa Wainwright - but as I stared back up at the Zoroark I realized that this - this wasn't optional. She was not asking, just like she wasn't asking me to take her. She was ordering me to take her, ordering me to capture her. She wanted out of this burial chamber - for whatever reason she had survived the ages, and she wanted to break free. A hunger for life burned in the depths of her gleaming golden gaze, and I finally nodded.

"Alright... but if you regret this, well... it's on you." I reluctantly showed the Pokeball to her, trying to answer her few questions about it. Then she smiled and waited, reappearing on the casket. "Once we're away from all this... will you show me the stone?"

The Zoroark cocked her head, saying nothing. Well... whatever.

I threw an empty Pokeball at her, fully expecting this to be some kind of dream. Zoroark simply didn't look like that. Ghost Pokemon were surely not really ghosts, and who ever heard of a ghost Zoroark anyways? Least of all the spirit of a human queen - none of this could be reality. But the Pokeball twitched. Once, twice, three times - and despite expecting her too... the Zoroark did not burst out in a flash of ruby light, did not scamper away or float or disappear into the darkness. The ball simply sat there. I picked it up in my hand, in awe.

"Cham cham cham!"

"Machoke!" There was movement in the distance, they were all calling out to me.

No more waiting. I turned away from the treasure-filled casket. If she was willing to leave it behind that likely meant there was nothing truly wondrous here. I wondered where she kept the stone - how she hid it. But I forced my thoughts of that item away. As we walked out, I shined the headlamp's light up into the wide-open hole the drill had carved, and shook my head.

Would it have been so bad if we'd simply left this burial place the way it was, untouched for the rest of the ages? But it was too late for that. I decided to keep the "Zoroark's" presence to myself, she clearly showed herself to Eva and I exclusively for a reason.

I ran after the others, quickly catching up to the trio of wild Pokémon that had fast become something like friends. I clapped the Machokes on the back, the sweat there slick against my hands. The two sturdy figures were shorter than I'd expected, and it was dark enough that my hands didn't quite land where I expected. That didn't feel like a back at all.

"Um. Is this…" I squeezed on instinct. Butts…

The Machokes turned to me. Their strange, almost canine faces were taut. I thought it was rage I saw there, but then I saw the looks in the eyes of the one on the right. I'd begun to recognize his energy, he was the one I'd reached my mind into.

Was the Machoke on the right… blushing at me!? "Choke choke…" Its crimson eyes drifted to my hand on its butt. The one on the left swept my hand off with a roll of its eyes but the right left it right where it was. Instinctively I squeezed again.

Medicham interrupted. 'Unless you're planning to stay down here with her I'd suggest not giving her any ideas. Even wild Pokémon have needs, you know.'

She? Needs!? The blushing, killer Machoke - I couldn't think about the creature any other way- grinned ear to ear. Then, much to my shock, she slipped one buff arm around me in an almost brotherly way. And she slapped one big, firm hand onto my butt, cupping it. The two of us were now attached at the hip it seemed.

Eva was now pressed up against the fighting types left pec, and she glanced between the two of us. When I tried to move I was firmly locked against the fighting-type. Eva rolled her eyes and sighed, making herself comfortable.

Maybe I'm more like my mom than I thought.

---

The lights gleaming in the kitchen seemed to burn like individual suns. Amy Higgs slowly registered the words directed at her from those three sources. There were four sets of eyes on her, yet she was still lost in the one: the burning gaze of Alder Higgs. He did not blink. She felt trapped, the way she always did, when he looked at her. It felt like he could see everything inside her, hear all her thoughts- it used to be that she found comfort in that. Because of her secret behind closed doors upstairs ie. her infidelity, she did not want him to know anything about her anymore; about her life, about her kids, and she certainly didn't want him to know the answer to his question. Well, she didn't know the answer.

Worse was the reason Avery had left. The memory of that night swept in, she would hate if Alder knew about what happened between her and her sweet son… About what she'd done, tried to do, or not done. It was all so confusing, his rage had paralyzed her.

Did Avery leave because of her coupling with Buster? Or was it because she reached out her hand to him to get him? When Avery, her own son, stared at her with despair in his eyes Amy did not hide her body or do any of the appropriate things a mother should in that circumstance.

She'd done the opposite. All insight, all logic, had fled from her with every stab of Buster's cock inside her. Avery's angry eyes had done something to her body; when Amy stared at him she had not seen him as just her son, she saw him as the man that had provided for her over the years. And she saw the hot, throbbing cock poking up underneath his boxers - begging for her hands, her lips to ease his pain. She'd only ever been good for one thing. His eyes hated what they saw, but his body had reacted, and so had hers. She did not mean to reach out her hand for him... did not mean to want him. It had just happened. The next day he was gone. She never got the chance to explore what any of it meant. Amy felt the usual guilt, the shame, settle inside her like a monstrous insect.

Standing before Alder now she shivered violently, hiding her breasts and crotch with her arms, visible under her robe. She did not want to think about Avery leaving her. Zoey had left on her own accord, with things between them settled in some minute way. But Avery... Avery hated her. She felt it in her core, her own son thought she was a degenerate, a pervert - and she had nothing but proof of that. Even now, when she thought about the night that he'd left, she felt that tingle in her clit as she thought of his dark, burning eyes-

That was the biggest thing Amy could not afford for Alder to know.

Laughing with faint amusement, Alder cupped Amy's cheek. His frigid expression twisted into something warmer, his lips curled into a sneer. "You don't have an answer to my question, do you? Where is our son?" He asked calmly as he palmed her cheek, one thumb brushing Amy's mouth in a fond, sensual manner. She hated that he touched her like this after all these years, as if he had some right to her.

Yet Amy wanted to melt. She wanted to cry out with joy and throw her arms around this stranger who she still loved in a part of her heart, even if she was so angry at him showing up like this! Instead, she stared down at the ground, wrenching her gaze away from his. "You don't have a right to ask about MY children. I'm the one who raised them... You left. For that woman."

The silver-haired woman in question, seemingly mother of the two startlingly beautiful twins, and gorgeous herself was everything Amy was not by appearance alone. She merely watched the exchange in silence, no expression on her face at all. It was unnerving. The twins themselves seemed entranced by the display between Amy and Alder.

Her husband made a gesture, like he was brushing her accusation into the wind. "I'm the only reason you're still living in this house."

She flinched. He paid the rent, absolutely, but that was not a substitute for what he was supposed to do as a father!

"More importantly, you've not been loyal, either. Have you?"

She wondered how he knew, and that question faded from her mind as she heard a familiar voice.

"Amy, what's going on?" It was Mason. The matronly Higgs woman spun, horrified, as her boyfriend entered the kitchen. The well-built personal trainer was tying his silken blue bathrobe shut, the bulge of his arousal still prominent. Buster the Machamp walking close behind him.

Mason narrowed his eyes at the sight of all these people in their home, and he crossed his arms on his chest. "Is this man bothering you, honey?"

"Hardly. Mind your own business…" Her husband spoke up before she could, voice silky smooth.

Amy turned back and forth between the two of them. "I-I thought you were gone forever, Alder! P-Please, don't be mad. And Mason, I'll explain everything to both of you later!" She wanted to protect Mason and Buster from her husband, but when she met Alder's eyes again there was no anger, no jealousy. Shocked, she fell into silence. Her husband merely seemed amused. As did the twin girls who peered at the embarrassing scene and giggled. She hated the way their laughs sounded. Hated how pretty their faces were; one with striking, almost icy blue eyes, the other with a rich, deep velvet color like a midsummer night. Both stared with the same intensity their father did, spitting images of him in many ways - not just appearance. Despite it being silly, Amy hated their young bodies, hated what they represented. Most of all she hated the middle-aged beauty standing behind Amy's husband, quiet and compliant.

Sensing her high level of anxiety the way he always did, Buster stepped in front of Amy. His gray-skinned body taut with visible rage; forehead furrowed and mouth in an angry slit. Amy had never seen the good-natured Machamp look so pissed off. With one huge, muscular arm he pushed Amy behind him. His body was a barrier between her and the man who had broken her heart. Her frailty melted away at the mere touch of Buster's hand. Her stress faded.

This wasn't so bad. Alder did not want her, love her, but that was not new information. He never had, she knew that now. Yet, she was not alone and unloved. She had Buster and Mason, a handsome man nearly half her age and more than Alder's match in masculinity. They were her precious partners, and they weren't going to stand by and let Alder hurt her.

They were here with her, for her. Buster pointed at the door. "Champ!" His voice was a nasty boom.

Alder shrugged. "So be it. Amy."'

He turned his burning violet gaze back onto her. "It's very important that if you discover the location of my son-"

"I-I won't tell him!" She blurted out in indignation. "Why do you even want him after all these years?"

"For years he was as useless and pathetic as you," Alder said calmly, " because of you. A man should be, by nature, ambitious. Yet he was obsessed with you, obsessed with making you happy, just the way you wanted."

"Obsessed!? That's extreme!"

"Is it? I've had people watching over the years, keeping track of you. He's devoted his entire life to caring for you, making sure your life was an utter delight. Sneaking off to the gym to fuck a Pokemon while staying that same selfish, uninspired woman. Unsurprising."

"A-ALDER!" Amy couldn't hold her rage back - she didn't realize how badly she needed to get so many feelings out. She screamed, shaking her head, "I-I love my son, isn't that what matters?! I confided in Avery as a kid too much, maybe that made him feel like he had to care for me but you always expected too much from all of us. I may have depended on him too much… but you weren't dependable at all. You weren't here."

"Before I left I did everything for you. Did you truly expect me to stay for such little potential?" His voice took on a sharp edge as Amy stared defiantly back at him. She would never just give in - not anymore.

His daughters stepped back as Alder showed that flash of emotion. It looked like it was the first time they were seeing his pretend facade fall, and he glanced at both before his disinterested, impenetrable mask was put back on.

Amy swallowed hard, "Y-You judge me, but you- you're more pathetic a parent than I ever could be. At least I was there to be a bad parent, you can't say the same!"

For a moment she thought the old fights were going to begin anew. That he'd yell at her, force her to submit. Instead, he merely turned his back to her. The twins immediately went to his side, the woman casting Amy a slow, languid smile. Alder walked toward the door, then stopped at the foot of the frame, exhaling heavily. He cast an aggravated gaze back, his void purple eyes narrowing. They were always his prettiest feature, other than his rare smile. Amy hated seeing him walk away despite everything…

"If you see my son, tell him about me coming for him. I'm taking him away to where he belongs, and you will not stand in my way. If I'd known he had so much potential I never would have left him with you, Amy. I subjected him to a life of suffering under you. A part of me knew that I should have taken the boy with me..." He trailed off, running his fingers through his inky hair and sighing.

She hated that cold look. "I won't tell him anything about you!"

Buster glared at him, as if daring him to press it further.

The man exhaled heavily. "As always... you throw off my careful balance, woman. It's why you were never worth it. You will tell him."

"You'll be lucky if Avery looks up to you - after everything you didn't do for him." Amy snapped back at him. "If you want to talk to him you need to find him yourself. He at least deserves that, not a messenger."

Alder sighed. "My time is not so invaluable, and if you insist on not telling him about my arrival, I'm afraid you leave me no choice but to take an alternative path to my goal. I was prepared for this. Girls..." He glanced at each of the twins, "this is now your new home. When Avery inevitably returns he will join all of us. As for your mother and I, we will be returning to Johto as planned. This business trip is over."

The blue-eyed twin gasped, shaking her head. "Father! What -" Alder raised a hand, shaking his head. The angry girl sighed, stepping back and lowering her head in instant defeat. It reminded Amy of how Alder had wanted her to behave. Why had he been so different with Zoey, had he just been lenient because he'd truly given up on their kids, on her? It made her heart ache. Buster lightly squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"I'm asking very little, Emiko." He turned to the other sister. "Emiko, Chizuru… I want both of you to make yourselves comfortable. I am the one who owns this house and you- " He pointed at Amy, smiling slowly, "you are merely a guest in it. It was your playground but I think you'll find my daughter's make use of their space the way they wish. Things won't be the same. I could leave and in the process leave all of you behind but Amy you've all grown very interesting. I think this investment will pay off. I'll let you keep yours," Alder glanced at Buster and Mason, "pets..."

"Emiko" as Alder called her, was a beautiful young lady. The bright, almost almond-shaped blue eyes full of life, the porcelain of her skin, the starling clarity of the emotion in her face. The way she held her shoulders and presented herself… a truly gorgeous girl. Her silver hair was wrapped in thick cloth strands at the front of her face, framing each side of her cheeks. The back of her hair was drawn into a thick, low hanging tie.

Her twin sister was just as sensual a sight, Mason was clearly enthralled by all of them even in his confusion. He had that look in his eyes, Amy didn't blame him. Alder surrounded himself with only the best.

Without another word her husband walked away again, and it was just like the first time. The door opened, closing with a light gust of evening air. Sweet but somehow sad. Amy shivered. The twins were left standing in the doorway.

Amy got her first look at the girls now that Alder was gone. One of them, Chizuru, wore her silver-white hair long, forehead bangs just touching the edge of her eyebrows, a few specific strands worn in big bow-like rings on either side of her face. She had piercings in various places - the ears, one on the lip, the right eyebrow. She was truly lovely in her improperly worn, loose kimono, and she approached Amy with a strange, almost seductive look in her eyes, a certain familiar motion in her hips.

Amy gasped, and Buster seemed unsure of himself. This girl was looking at Amy like she was prey!

"Don't worry, Mother. We won't kick you out." The twin with bangs and piercings, Chizuru, purred this with a lilt in her voice. "May I call you that, Amy? I'd like for us to get to know each other~" Chizuru had a strange, far-off voice like she was talking from a dream. The peculiar tilt of her head was unsettling.

"I-" Amy shook her head to clear her thoughts, confused. "No, you girls-"

"Mother it is then." Emiko interjected, laughing with wicked delight. In contrast with Emiko's almost glacial blue eyes, the same as her real mothers, Chizuru's had a horrid, violet glint more like Alder. The two stared at her, and Amy suddenly felt horribly small despite being older by at least a few decades.

The realization of what had just happened actually started to hit Amy as she stared back and forth between the twin sisters. It was true that she had no actual right to this place. She had no way to pay for this home on her own. It was all in Alder's name, everything that mattered.

"I-I'm not your mother!" Amy gasped, shaking her head in denial, the flirtatious tone of the pair was aggravating. "I won't just sit here and take this- I-I'll figure out a way to get out. I'm not going to be a guest here in my own home- I've lived here for years!" The indignant older woman crossed her arms on her heavy chest, and staring at that bulging flesh the slender twin with the blue eyes and hair wraps scowled.

"If you're capable of actually doing that, what was holding you back all these years? Was father right about you? How shameless, Mother." Chizuru said softly and leaned up, pushing her face close to Amy's, peering with those horrible eyes so much like Alder's. Buster grunted, not sure when to interfere.

"I-I am… I don't know what has been holding me back. A lot of things." Amy placed a hand on her chest, rejecting the words of these two girls. This was her house, hers. If it wasn't she'd find a way to make it out. She would absolutely not bend knee to these horrible girls!

"Tsk. Showing off those things - you're too big for your own good," Emiko suddenly interrupted, muttering under her breath. The younger girl glowered angrily and stepped away. " Cow woman !"

Was she looking at Amy's chest!? She was not sure if she should be offended.

Their perfect faces were near-exact replicas of each other aside from make-up and cosmetics. But If the two were truly glanced at side by side the differences would slowly become startling. The contrast in expression, eye color, aesthetic. More than any of that was Emiko's tiny breasts- in comparison with her twins' much more buxom frame Emiko was sadly lacking. Her slim body moved beyond elegantly as she approached the two - specifically Mason, and stared up into his eyes.

"Please understand that you are now our guests, not this cow's." Her mouth twisted into a wicked grin. "I'm Emiko…Do you like what we look like? You're a big, handsome man. Surely you know you can do better than a run down hag like our new "mother." Do you want to be one of our playthings?"

Perhaps it was silly for Amy to expect Mason to be loyal, considering everything, but she didn't expect him to be so open about his desire. To be so brutally honest… the guy could barely contain his glee at the proposition.

"S-Seriously? What's the catch? Would I be able to, well, fuck both of you?"

"Both of us?" Emiko smiled coldly . "No. You don't get to fuck either of us . .. but… you can look at us. Look at us while we play with each other. Maybe I'll even let you lick me down there if you're a good boy. What do you say?"

Amy could not believe such filth was coming from this girl's mouth! So shameless… her twin idly stroked Amy's arm. Perhaps she should not be surprised her ex's kids were like this. That man was a monster, even if she missed him everyday. Even if she was angry at him.

Mason swallowed. He was at a loss. Just an honest to goodness hard worker, a simple man with simple desires, he had no clue what to say. He ran a gym with Buster - but if he left he had a feeling he'd never get this chance again. If Mason was perfectly honest, he'd never really been dating Amy. Buster was. Right now, his Pokemon was holding her in a tight protective embrace, peering every now and then at Amy anxiously. Buster hated when she was sad. That was love, loyalty… by comparison he was just some dude.

He almost agreed to it. Then Mason saw the look on Buster's face, the anger as the tall Pokemon glowered his way, and he blinked. Fuck, he had almost just agreed to something wild! Mason shook his head, seeing good sense.

"N-No way, I'm sorry. I understand I'm a guest here. But I'd like to stay here please, with Amy." He felt the opportunity fizzle away in the air.

The twins glanced at one another, then Emiko - seemingly the crueler of the two - scowled and turned away. "Hmm. I see you've made your choice. You may stay tonight, oaf-man, but after that you coming around will be considered trespassing. Your Pokemon... Well, I suppose it's welcome to stay. It'll be fun seeing the way this fat-titted cow plays with such a brute. You may leave."

Emiko beckoned at them, like a princess dismissing her servants.

"Goodnight mother ," the purple-eyed sister remarked with a slight, slow wave, smirking. The two humans and the Machamp went off together, heading up the stairs to their bedroom. Amy was pale, like she couldn't believe this was happening.

"That was insane," Mason whispered to himself. He wasn't sure if he was talking about their proposition, or his refusal of it. Buster clapped him on the shoulder as the two walked away "Amy... was that really your ex-husband?"

"I-I lied about the ex part. We never officially got divorced. He left and I just..." Amy took that moment to explain herself, as much as she could. She had to figure out a way out of here… or get used to the presence of those strange, unsettling girls.

---

When Amy and Mason departed to their room, Emiko sighed warily. Walking over, Emi melted into the embrace of her twin. Her eyes were suddenly teary. The other girl was at first reluctant, hesitant to embrace, but then held her other half close.

"Chizuru, Father left us! - he wants us to speak to that horrid brother of ours! Wants us to represent him here in this horrid region while he returns home. Why us!?" Emi was miserable, utterly miserable. Why did their real mother simply smile and not say a word at their dismissal? No proper goodbye, no affection. The way she always was. That damn invisible woman.

Now all she had was that pathetic woman Amy and this tiny Hearthome abode. Sure, it was nice, and sure the cow woman was pretty - but her training with Father was being cast so violently aside..! So abruptly, so unexpectedly . Though, Father had warned her he might have expectations of them - never would she have suspected it'd be this. Why this? She wasn't sure what she was feeling; a dozen different kinds of anger, and excitement too.

Chizuru seemed far less upset, she almost seemed pleased. She spoke in that distant, dreamy voice of hers that seemed to enthrall and trap boys souls. "That "horrid" brother of ours - the way he took care of that woman. Pampered her. Well, it's quite adorable, isn't it? Loving."

Emiko sighed, rolling her eyes. "He sounds like a mommy's boy, Chizuru. Imagine if we were so attached to Mother. Our breeder is at least worth something , did you see the way she talked back to Father… Did you see his face?" Emiko thought back on that moment, it was discomforting.

"He never looks that way at Mother," Chizuru admitted, vaguely, "but she does her best not to be seen."

"Why does father need a son anyways? We're more powerful than he ever could be. We're wasting our time here instead of training."

Chizuru merely sighed back and shook her head. "You know the answer, Emi. We are born for one purpose. Of all our lessons this is one you fail to understand. Father's going to expect you to get rid of this senseless pride one day. With your power he'll want you to procr-"

Emiko shushed her, the only way she knew how. Aggravated, she pushed her sister against the nearest wall and with a hungry kiss on the mouth silenced her. Despite everything Chizuru moaned in appreciation, opening her mouth for further assault, always wanting more.

Emiko laughed sadistically. "You sound exactly like the invisible woman, like Mother. So shameless. Unlike you I will not step into the shadows."

Chizuru swallowed, wilting instantly. She twiddled her fingers. The purple-eyed girl hated it when her fiercer, blue-gazed twin was angry. Chizuru would do anything to appease Emiko's anger or desire and always had.

"I-I just meant to say that in the future-" Chi whispered.

"Make no guesses about my future when your cunt is your brain." Emiko whispered, grabbing onto her other half's much larger chest, and Chizuru froze. She instantly turned red as her twin groped her. The elegant beauty worried her bottom lip with her teeth and at least had the decency to appear ashamed as she obviously grew more excited at the other girl's touch. Emi's pathetic sister was the type of girl that looked more aroused than scared when she was being violated.

"Spread your legs. Show me everything, Chi. A house to ourselves. I know why you're excited. Pervert."

Emi's twin whined and obeyed, shivering all the while. Like a puppet, Chizuru spread her trembling thighs wide, pulling her kimono open to reveal her big, bountiful breasts hanging high.

Emiko smirked with glee. She loved the way Chizuru did everything she asked. "You're just like that pathetic woman, Amy. And just like the invisible woman. Cows. All three of you. You have piercings in places the sun doesn't shine just for me to tug on while we play together - what kind of girl does a thing like that? A whore, just admit it~"

Chizuru licked her lips. "I-I'll admit it. I-I'm a whore. A cow. A …"

"That's right. You're a virgin and a slut, it shouldn't be possible but here you are - and wearing my face, too. How dare you? You should say sorry."

Flushed, Chizuru shivered, melting under the barbed words of her sister. "I-I'm so sorry… please forgive me."

Whatever Emiko wanted, that was what mattered. Father always put her in charge, after all, she was better at everything. Emiko giggled as she stroked Chizuru's cheek, reading the excitement reflected back at her.

"While we wait for our pathetic brother to return one day from wherever he's run off to - let's play with our new mother, as you so adorably called her."

Chizuru smiled at that. She rolled her tongue across her lips, the piercing on it glinting. They weren't allowed to play with men - they were maidens and bred to understand the value of the first cock you slam into you. But a new mother would be fun.

"A machamp of all things," Chizuru murmured under her breath, sighing dreamily. "Amy is almost brave... What do you think our brother is like, do you think he's as brave? As... insatiable. A machamp and her boyfriend - and she was clearly more into the machamp!"

Emiko rolled her eyes. "What does it matter what that pig woman wants or desires? Come, let's inspect our new home. Leave the annoying questions in your head. Let's think up an answer for a more important question - what Pokemon shall we have Amy try next? One of mine, Arbok? Perhaps... Perhaps one of yours~?"

---

She saved his life. Luke wasn't thankful for that. Bleakly, he wondered how gratitude could be on the table considering everything. But… Well, he supposed it didn't matter anyway. He still wasn't even sure why she had saved him in the first place, and his memories were blurry. He remembered his name was Luke, and he remembered a curvy, furred form with a torrent of fire behind it- saying something barely audible that he couldn't understand. Luke also remembered ignoring the figure, closing his eyes. That was the last thing he could recall from that night, and when he woke up he was being roughly prodded awake by a crimson-clawed hand. The same claws that dragged him from the hot flames before they could take him. Just like the poison that woman had seeped into him hadn't yet taken him.

Luke pulled his scarred, malnourished body up another outcropping of stone, and wheezed when he made it to its somewhat flat surface. He wondered if they would ever catch up to their target. It would make more sense for the Zoroark to leave him behind if she truly wanted to complete this strange hunt of hers, yet she refused to abandon him. Why?

'Why save me at all? Why save anyone?'

There was no point to her rescue. His starter Pokemon was gone. Not traded, or in its ball, or even released into the wild. He was dead. A word so rarely used in their society, for it brought about an instinctual fear, a deep sorrow. His starter was truly dead . This world he lived in… it felt unreal. He couldn't possibly exist in a world where-

His head hurt and he winced, grabbing it. Perhaps it wasn't that he didn't remember…it was that he didn't want to. The fumes, the violet hue under flesh. His entire body shivered and writhed as acid rose. Before he could stop himself, he was on his knees, retching up what little meal he'd managed to eat up that day. His savior spun, and knelt, her red mane flowing behind her.

The Zoroark that saved him could have been the kindest soul in the world. As it was, she was anything but kind. "Zoro!" She hissed out, grabbing at the back of his shirt and tugging him back up. It was clear that she wanted him moving again.

"Not possible. I'm sorry," he mumbled out blearily around a mouthful of lukewarm bile.

The blue-eyed Pokemon clenched its fangs, shaking its head in frustration. She looked west toward the peaks of Mt. Coronet, so close and yet so far in her eyes. To him it was just one more boundary between him and a right, proper rest… she could have- should have left him behind right then and there. Instead, Red Ebony sat down beside him. She undid the bag strapped to his back, stuffed with supplies that she herself had stored there. Red brought out some crumbly, dry bread and gathered water in a bottle from a nearby stream. Supplying both to him, the Zoroark sat down at his side, and waited.

A slow hour passed as his painful stomach ache came to a rest. He used the water bottle to clean out his mouth, and started devouring the weak meal. He was hungry, desperately hungry, but he couldn't run away from this. She was taking him West, and for whatever reason had decided she would be his sadistic caretaker. Just like in the mansion, just like in that basement- he was trapped; Trapped by his sickly body, frail mind, and inability to change his fate. His savior had stunts of kindness, but only because she needed him. Pokemon on their own were bound to be captured.

Tears leaked down his cheeks. "Did you save me... just because you want to hunt this person?"

The Zoroark said nothing, staring back calmly. She had no answers for him.

"Red Ebony, Please... Please just leave me behind. What your trainer did to me, I can't forget it! I want to die- I want to burn up!-" He stared at her feverishly, laughing softly as delusion set in, "Please... Please you don't know what it was like! I was supposed to die there! Just let me die, just let me-"

The Zoroark went from silent to hissing in seconds, pinning the scarecrow frame of the boy against the ground. She ran her claws against him, stared deep into his face. "Zora zoroark!~" When he tried to speak, she clamped her paws over his mouth and silenced him, shifting her hips above him. She purred, placing her crotch against his. Despite his condition, despite everything, Luke found himself getting excited. Grinning, the dark-furred predator ran her muzzle up against him, inhaling his scent deeply. She liked his smell because he was familiar. Anyone could see that, she grew dazed. She had hurt him in the past and would do so again, even without Vanessa here. Luke trembled, the cold air whipped his frame. He did not know what had happened, but he knew they were hunting for revenge- a Zoroark on a death march. Dragging him, a ragdoll, along with her...

She was just like her owner, a startling reflection of that woman. She pinned his wrists down, placed her crotch onto his. When she pushed his pants down with the claws along her feet, all while wiping her wetness across his abdomen, his cock came out hard and ready for her. His erection betrayed his broken heart, he couldn't forgive himself for liking this… it'd just been so long since he'd had touch. Touch of any kind. Red grasped his face and licked a hot, hungry stripe across his cheek. She shivered at the taste of him, and he gasped. She was so wet for him, she wanted him. Him, this miserable worthless husk of a human. Ebony hated him, longed for him, just like Vanessa had. She had never forgiven him for running away. It had made his stay at that damned estate an utter humilia- NO! He didn't want to remember that. Didn't want to remember any of it. Then, much to his surprise, she didn't put him inside her. Instead, the Zoroark ran her wetness along the belly of his cock.

Red Ebony smiled down at him, and stared at him, waiting.

His eyes widened. She was making him ask for it. Teasing her dripping, hungry entrance against his member. Daring him to thrust his hips, daring him to ask her to sink down onto him- daring him to surrender. To surrender both his energy, and a part of himself. He had nothing left to give- but right now he did. A purpose. The only purpose. To pass as her trainer, to let her do as she wished with him. He started to laugh, throwing his head back.

It was like his contract had never ended - the contact from Hell - but that wasn't so bad was it? He'd seen there was no good left in this world, so why not just embrace this?

The blonde boy stared into her hungry face, the muzzle dripping an inch from his, and started smiling. For a moment, Red Ebony was startled by the look in his eyes. Her ears twitched, her eyes narrowed, but then she shivered with excitement. She whimpered above him, pressing herself down till just the tip of his cock sunk in. she couldn't resist herself, her feral excitement. The vixen caught herself at the last moment, throwing her maned head back, ears giving an occasional twitch. She rested a claw against her muzzle and licked her lips.

Luke was tired of holding back.

"This won't be what you think- I'll do everything I wanted to do to that bitch to you instead!" The hungry words burst out of him, a newfound strength and a will to live that he clutched onto. The Zoroark ran a hungry paw down the curves of her body, and he sunk his fingers into her fur. He forced his cock up into her, the wet, slick noises goading him. "I'm your trainer now~ that's it, isn't it? I have your Pokeball. Why pretend to be Vanessa yourself when I can just do to you what she did, right Red Ebony?"

He stared into her eyes and smiled. She gasped, trembling and pulling herself away with little avail. Luke grasped the side of her ear in one hand, and her hip in the other as he pulled the Pokémon back down. He thrust up into her every time she tried to squirm away. The food was starting to settle in, the energy filling him, or maybe it was just the adrenaline of all his frustrations and desires. "Want me to sell you? Want me to fuck you til it hurts? I'll do it. I'll do it but worse than Vanessa did, do you know why?"

He pressed his ear against her muzzle. "Because I've got one of these." He thrust up, deep inside her. "Feel it? Feel it in you!? Yeah…~" The Zoroark shivered, moaning for him. "That's right. Good enough for that bitch you called a master, good enough for you . You want revenge on some human, I assume the one who burned it all down? Well, we'll do it my way then."

He leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head, glancing suggestively towards his lap as if to say 'You do it.' He ceased all physical contact with Red, save for the place where she crouched on him. The slim-muzzled female froze, realizing that Luke was committed an intentional act of disrespect and dominance. She had demanded he thrust up into her, a mere Pokémon. That was how Vanessa saw her- a tool, so he would think the same of her. He knew it too; he could see it in her eyes- that it excited her. Red's pussy clenched around him. She'd not expected this. Just like Vanessa hadn't expected it when he didn't want her, but that's the way it was with these people. He beckoned at his cock.

If he was wrong about this he would be dead or abused, one of the two, but his doubts were cast aside when mere seconds later the Zoroark gave in. She clasped her hands around his face, stroked his jaw almost lovingly. A daze entered her neon blue gaze, framed by those dark rings of fur that made her so popular on the net. She submitted and began to lower herself onto him.

"Good girl. Mmm, your pussy really was made for this. The human you're after... Show me his face tomorrow, transform into him. No need to keep up this chase across the mountains. Let's make a home, make a plan. I think we're going to play for a while. You're going to do what you do best." He tugged at her long, furry ear, dragging her close and licking her muzzle. His tongue dragged across her saliva-slick fangs, and she loved it, throwing her legs wide, sinking down hard onto him. He licked his lips. "I'm tired Ebony. So, I think I'll let you do all the work."

He closed his eyes and trusted his decision- trusted the wetness of the cunt squeezing around him. Vanessa had enslaved and broken this Pokémon well because Red Ebony did not attack him, she agreed to his terms, agreed to be his as she sunk her dripping insides down onto his human cock, desperate for him. For the warmth she no longer had from Vanessa. Did she feel alive when she rode his cock? It seemed like it.

He almost looked like Vanessa, in the evening light- the golden hair, the hungry dead eyes. "It was so much easier to let a human handle it, wasn't it? Acting so tough, but you were secretly so worried if we'd find him, if we'd make it. Well… you can relax now. You can trust me." Luke laughed as he mated with this impossibly pretty creature. After this, he'd drink more water and then sleep well tonight. He had his own ideas about the people who wronged him, about what came next.

What did you think? Let me know! :D