AN: Honestly, I wasn't expecting the response this story got. But it was sufficiently positive that I got really motivated to get out the next chapter, and...I may have made a horrible mistake. The good news is, the chapter is done. It's right below this text, and you can even read it if you want!
The bad news is, I'm pretty sure I actually went insane towards the end. Don't expect another one of these for a while, for my brain is quite broken now and I should probably check into a mental hospital now. Beep boop.
Though...I guess I could answer a couple of questions on my way out.
zarc4d - While this fanfic was borne from a particular brand of pokemon-induced insanity, I don't think I'm qualified to write an actual fanfic on the subject. If I have a wheel house, it's pretty firmly TLH.
Cookie Warlord - I appreciate that you found the first chapter funny. Maybe stop this one about...a third of the way through? My short term memory has been severely impacted by writing this, but I think it gets weird. There definitely wouldn't be any Palworld-inspired stuff if I ended up writing more of this. I haven't played it, and don't really have anything against it, but all the praise I've seen people heaping on the game has been for how it's different from mainstream pokemon. And...that's kind of a problem for me, because I like mainstream pokemon. So I don't really have any desire to play something that...isn't...that. If I want to play something that's not pokemon, I'll play something like Monster Rancher. Specifically, the one that has Ultraman in it. Also, apologies, but I don't feel particularly inclined to include Shelby in anything at this point. I liked her just fine in the Christmas special, but I didn't like her in the way that would cause me to put her in the kind of fanfics I write. Lucy, OTOH, was actually supposed to show up in this chapter, I had some gags for her written out and everything. But the final product felt meaty enough without her. I came up with an alternate way to introduce her, but that's contingent on me figuring out where the heck things go from here. So, we'll see how that goes.
SonicMax: This comment could probably describe almost my entire library of work. Which I'm choosing to see as an accomplishment.
"Why do I have to walk?" Lynn asked, scowling as she lightly jogged along the road. It wasn't the exertion that was the issue, even the scrubbiest QT-Mon enjoyed enhanced physical abilities that eclipsed those of a comparable human, and as a Sporty type, Lynn was at the furthest end of that scale. Absent any undue hardships, she could likely keep up that pace all day without getting winded, and probably still go a few more miles besides. No, Lynn's ire was borne from a much more personal nature.
"Because I don't like you," Luna replied, smugly. The Alpha QT-Mon, by contrast, was walking at a slow, almost leisurely pace, but each stride of her long legs carried her much farther, and much faster than Lynn's comparatively stubby legs could manage. As a result, it was she who was setting the pace for their trip, and both girls were very much aware of that facet.
"Well, how come Lincoln doesn't have to walk?" Lynn protested, jerking her thumb at the young man who was currently perched atop Luna's shoulder.
"Because he's my manager," Luna interjected as Lincoln opened his mouth to reply, and Lincoln suddenly found himself tongue-tied as she favored him with a warm smile.
...Which quickly turned sultry.
"And that means he can ride me any time he wants," She added, her voice taking on a pleasing, melodic lilt as she fluttered her eyelids coquettishly at him. Unsure how to respond to that, Lincoln settled for opening and closing his mouth a few times.
"He's not your manager, he's my coach!" Lynn shouted back, her eyes narrowing. "And I think I liked you better when you couldn't talk!"
Luna's expression changed to mirror Lynn's. "And I think I liked you better when you were something I could just step on."
As the girls glared at each other, it occurred to Lincoln that changing the subject right now was probably a really good idea. If for no other reason than letting Luna's attention wander while she was walking was just asking for trouble.
"S-speaking of which," Lincoln interjected, "It's really great to have you on the team now, Luna." This caused the larger girl to beam happily. Which, more importantly, left her facing forward, instead of at Lynn, which was already a marked improvement.
"It's just a shame you couldn't help us learn much about the Alphatization phenomenon," He said, pulling out his QT-Dex, a handheld device that cataloged and chronicled a wide variety of information about QT-Mon, and frowning at the woefully empty entry on the subject. "That was our secondary objective, and Lisa's not going to be happy that we couldn't make any headway there."
"Sorry, dude," Luna said, and to her credit she did look apologetic. "But, I told you everything I remember. I used to wear a size S. Then I found this...hole in the ground, with weird energy coming out of it, and everything after that is mostly a blur. Next thing I know, I'm wearing a size XXXXL, and…"
The edges of her lips curled up into a small smile. "...this guy's handing me flowers, and reading me poetry."
"Y-you…" Lincoln swallowed loudly, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "...you were, uh, aware, for that part?"
"Uh-huh."
"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Lincoln asked, thoroughly flummoxed. "We weren't even halfway through the purification process! We could have...you know, stopped!"
She laughed softly. "Well, I'd thought about it. But then you started on the foot massage, and that was a real strong argument for keeping my mouth shut." Lincoln groaned, mortified as the larger girl continued to snigger at his expense.
"Still…" She continued, her smile growing thin, and slightly melancholic, "To be honest, I guess it was also just that...nobody's ever treated me like that before. It was...nice. And, you're...nice. And...I liked it."
Lincoln found himself staring into Luna's eyes, vaguely aware that she seemed doing the same to him. And then, as if by some unspoken signal, they both turned away, practically in unison. Lincoln did his best to look at literally anything other than the pretty brunette. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that the air had suddenly grown significantly hotter.
"A-anyway," Said Luna, her voice sounding reasonably steady. "I think we both enjoyed the way it ended. So, it wasn't exactly time wasted."
"C-can't argue with that," Lincoln agreed. Without thinking, he placed one hand against the small of his back..and winced, immediately regretting it. Good thing Lynn had bought a lot of ointment while she was in town…
"Don't mind me," The sporty girl's voice drifted up from the ground as if prompted by his thoughts. "Just barfing down here."
"Right," Said Lincoln, clearing his throat, and feeling properly chastised that, just for a moment, the presence of his long-time partner had completely slipped his mind. "Well, I'm glad we were able to get you back to normal…"
He paused as he looked down, noting just how far off the ground he was.
"...ish," He added, apologetically. "Sorry we couldn't reverse the rest of the process."
"Eh," Luna said, shrugging indifferently, the innocuous movement forcing Lincoln to grab onto her to avoid being dislodged. "Honestly...I think I like being this way. I was never all that popular in my old community. The other Qts said that I was annoying. That I was...too loud, but…"
Luna reached for one of the trees that lined the path, and in a single motion, yanked it out of the ground and snapped it between her fingers, as easily as a normal person might snap a twig.
"...I don't think anyone's going to be saying anything like that to me now," She concluded, laughing softly to herself. Then, she frowned. "Except Lynn, I guess."
As Lincoln was trying to process the...complicated series of emotions that Luna's demonstration had stirred within him, he realized that his other companion had grown strangely quiet.
"Lynn?" He asked, peering down from his perch. To his surprise, Lynn was no longer beside them. Quickly glancing around, he finally spied her a little ways behind them, standing perfectly still, and staring intently forward,
"Hey, Ly—!" He began to call out, only to stumble over his own words as the girl sharply swept her hand across her mouth. "Shut up!", was the obvious, unspoken command. Taking her meaning, Lincoln patted Luna on the cheek to get her attention, then motioned for her to stop. She raised one eyebrow in askance, but to his relief, the Alpha heeded his request, and she slowed to a halt, allowing Lynn to catch up with them.
"Hear something," Lynn muttered, gesturing to her ears. "Getting—"
THOOM
"—closer," Lynn said, sighing in annoyance, as the shaking of the trees, the small, periodic tremors that now wracked the ground, and the extremely audible sound of something that sounded distressingly like footsteps rendered her precautions largely irrelevant.
"And since we know it's not this one," She said, jerking her thumb in Luna's direction, "That can only mean—"
As if summoned by her words, the treeline ahead of them was split asunder as a towering figure emerged from it.
"...Another alpha," Said Lincoln.
Lincoln's brain kicked into overdrive as he desperately tried to glean when he could about the newly arrived creature so he could best direct his team on how to respond. Okay, she was...really tall? Not particularly helpful. And...blonde? Slightly less unhelpful. And—
"Woah!" Lincoln squawked as Luna suddenly pivoted in place, scooped up Lynn with one hand, and dove off the path, and into the woods. There was some bouncing, and almost certainly some additional bruising on top of what he was already suffering, and when it was done, the trio found themselves lying in a crumpled heap. But, thanks to Luna's quick thinking, they were alive, and even more importantly, no longer out in the open. So...Lincoln was willing to chalk that up as a win.
"For crying out loud," Lynn grumbled, glaring at their largest companion as both girls pulled themselves upright. "Warn a girl next time!"
"Baaah…" Was Luna's reply, her timbre quavering strangely.
"I can't believe we're already doing this again!" Lynn groaned. "Can't these things take a number or something!?"
"Uh, Lynn?" Said Lincoln, tapping the brunette on the shoulder to get her attention. "I think you're forgetting that, yes, while it's distressing that there was apparently another Alpha around that nobody knew about, this time we've got a pretty big advantage that we didn't have before."
"Meaning...?"
Lincoln jerked his thumb at Luna.
'Oh!" Lynn's eyes widened in understanding. Then a wide, wicked smile spread across her face. "Again, not a dumb idea, Linc. That makes you two for two!"
"Thank you, Lynn," He muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, Jumbo!" Lynn hissed. To their collective surprise, Luna didn't react to the taunt. She was sitting upright, but she was staring straight ahead, her eyes strangely unfocused. It was...unnerving, and Lincoln was seriously starting to consider grabbing his smelling salts, hoping it might snap her out of...whatever this was.
But, as was often the case, Lynn had her own methodology.
"Get your head in the game!" She growled, reeling back one leg and delivering a mighty kick to Luna's booted food. The Alpha started in surprise, her mouth beginning to open, but Lincoln lunged forward and pressed his hands against her lips before she could cry out.
"Bweh?" Luna inquired, blinking slowly.
"Time to pull your weight," Lynn hissed, giving the larger girl a casual once-over. "As if that's even possible!"
Luna's eyes narrowed, and Lincoln removed his hands from her face and scuttled back a smidge. His instincts told him that standing between the girls was suddenly a very bad place to be.
"Meaning what?" Luna growled.
"What do you think?" Lynn gestured emphatically at the small trail of destruction they'd left as they tumbled off the road. "You're an Alpha. She's and Alpha. Go get her!"
To Lincoln's surprise, the mixture of animosity and confidence that Luna had consistently directed Lynn's way since she'd joined their team dried up in an instant. And was replaced by blind panic.
"M-me!?" She asked, her voice suddenly many octaves higher than it normally was. "Why me?"
Lincoln and Lynn exchanged confused glances.
"Because you're the most expendable," Lynn replied. Exhaling sharply, Lincoln leaned over and gave his partner a sharp swat across the back of her head, eliciting an outraged yelp from the girl.
"She means, you're the best suited for the job," Lincoln interjected, ignoring the dagger-filled glare Lynn was shooting his way, and giving the team's Alpha the most confident smile he could muster. "You're strong, Lunes. You've got this."
"Are you nuts?" Luna hissed, her voice hitting an alarmingly high pitch. "I can't go out there!"
"Why the hell not?" Lynn growled.
"Hello? Look at me!" Luna said, gesturing to herself. Lincoln chose to take her up on that offer. And kept on doing so—
WAP!
—right up until Lynn had apparently decided that it was her turn to get a smack in.
"I've looked," Announced Lincoln, his voice slightly muffled by his now swelling cheek.
"Yeah," Lynn added. "Still not impressed. So what?"
"You're both out of your minds if you think I could just waltz up to a girl like that!" Luna retorted, burying her face in her hands. "I-I mean, she's just...so…"
Not entirely certain as to why Lincoln found himself leaning closer to Luna. And out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lynn doing the same.
"P...pretty!" Luna moaned into her hands.
A moment passed, as Lincoln tried to process this.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Lynn deadpanned, almost as if she'd read Lincoln's mind.
Lincoln low crawled back the way they'd come and poked his head out of the brush. The Alpha was more or less where they'd left her, and, for better or worse, didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to leave. As he reached for his QT-Dex and aimed it her way, he was forced to admit that Luna was right, she was definitely a looker. Lincoln's time with Lynn had cultivated a powerful appreciation for brunettes in him, and meeting Luna had only compounded that. But he had to admit, blondes definitely had their own appeal. The device quietly hummed in his hand to signal that it had finished collecting data, and he began his trek back to their group's hiding spot.
"What is wrong with you?" He heard Lynn hissing. "Lincoln almost literally worked his butt off helping to fix your stupid, broken brain, and you've been rubbing my nose in it ever since! And now you're swooning over her?
"Hey! I meant every word I said!" Luna protested, sounding genuinely hurt. "And I still do! It's not my fault there's a literal goddess out there! It's like, biology or something!"
Lincoln politely cleared his throat to announce his presence before stepping into view. Lynn was standing well within Luna's considerable personal space, but upon seeing his approach, she took a step back. He glanced between them, Lynn looked extremely irate, while Luna seemed to be having trouble meeting his eyes.
Taking a moment to consider the situation, he walked over to Luna and plopped himself down next to her. Reaching out with one hand, he began to gently rub small circles into her back. Initially, she tensed up, but as each circle blended into the next, he could see her slowly loosening up. Turning his attention back to Lynn, he saw that she was looking at him, incredulously.
"We've got to strategize," He said, patting the ground next to him. "And it'd be a lot easier if the three of us were…" He glanced upward and saw that Luna was looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Together."
Their small, impromptu thicket grew quiet as both girls considered each other. Then, movement. The next thing Lincoln knew, was constriction.
"Still don't like you," Lynn muttered from her new position: laying in Lincoln's lap with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Feeling's mutual," Luna replied, from her new position, draped over Lincoln's shoulders with her arms around his upper body. There was a warm, seductive softness pressing atop Lincoln's head, powerful enough to be felt even through his cap, but in the interest of preserving his blood flow to the parts that needed it (namely, his brain), he chose to ignore it as best he could.
"F-fair enough," He said, pulling out his QT-Dex.
"So, this is what we're looking at," He said, after the trio had rearranged themselves that could, conceivably allow them to actually be productive. Lincoln was now sitting in Luna's lap, and while Lynn had refused to join him there, she had settled for sitting on the floor next to him with one arm protectively wrapped around his waist. It was...functional, and for now, that was enough.
"Apparently she's named Sam," He said, bringing up the new Alpha's entry, which contained her name, an unrealistically flattering picture of her that should not have been possible, given the distance at which he'd scanned her, and...nothing else. Still, as he looked her image over, he couldn't help but empathize with Luna. As an unpurified Alpha, she was, objectively speaking, a rage-filled beast. But her tight white t-shirt, lightly distressed jeans, and stylish teal jacket painted a very flattering picture. She may have been a monster, but she was a damn good-looking one.
"Look at that streak in her hair," Luna said, admiringly. "She's so cool!"
She glanced up, and grabbed a bit of her own hair between her fingers. "I wonder if I could pull that off."
"I bet a purple streak would look great on you," Lincoln said, looking up at her. Luna didn't respond, but her cheeks took on a noticeably rosy tinge.
"Great," Lynn interjected. "So now we know what she'll be shouting while Luna stands there in a stupor and lets her snap you in half. How does this help?"
"It...doesn't," Lincoln admitted. "But I think I've thought of a way we could handle her. One, which doesn't involve fighting her."
"But...that's part of the process." Said Lynn, confused, gesturing at Luna. "That's how we got this one, by following Lisa's ridiculously thorough ritual."
"We had to fight Luna, because with just the two of us, our options were limited," Lincoln said, giving an apologetic glance to the larger girl. "And the rest of the ritual turned out to be overkill anyway—"
"Really wish we'd known that before I had to spend most of our earnings on ointment."
"My point," Lincoln said, shooting an annoyed glance at Lynn, "Is that I think we just need to pacify her for the healing to happen. And I think we have a unique way of pulling that off here."
"What could you possibly...be…" Lynn trailed off as she looked upward. Following her gaze, Lincoln saw that she was now paying attention to Luna, whose gaze was still very much focused on the image of Sam still being displayed in his hand.
"You're insane," Lynn said as Lincoln turned his attention back to her. "Actually insane. I'm in love with a nutjob."
"That's still nice to hear, even with the insult," Lincoln quipped, chuckling to himself. "And seriously, I think it could work."
"Ugh," Lynn groaned, shaking her head in disgust. "Fine. But put me back in my ball first, I don't want to be around when this whole thing blows up in your face."
"You'd still come to my rescue," Lincoln replied, smirking knowingly.
"Of course I would!" Snapped Lynn. "But you also have a knack for coming up with stupid plans that actually work! And this one is so unbelievably stupid, that it's basically guaranteed to work! And I REALLY DON'T WANT TO BE AROUND FOR THAT!"
Reaching into his sachel, Lincoln produced a stack of cards and peeled one off the top. On one side, it read "LINC.O.U", and the other side displayed a large heart.
"Now I owe you double," He said, offering it to Lynn.
"And you damn well bet I'm going to collect!" She snapped, snatching it from his hand.
"W-why are we doing this?" Luna muttered, her breathing bordering on hyperventilating, as she trotted along on unsteady legs. "There's a bunch of other directions I could be walking in...why are we going in this one!?"
"You're going to be FINE...Luna", Lincoln wheezed, his encouraging words stifled as every bone in his body was briefly fused together. He had intended to come along with Luna as emotional support, but one thing led to another and he'd quickly found himself being clutched against the brunette's chest, like some kind of teddy bear. Honestly, it was an extremely pleasant place to be, but every now and then Luna's nerves would fail her, and she'd figuratively squeeze the life out of him.
The tree line parted before them...and there she was. Sam, in all of her extremely quantifiable glory. She was slowly pacing the area, like a lioness patrolling her den.
"Oh,...noyes" Luna breathed as she caught sight of her fellow Alpha, momentarily seizing up.
"One foot in front of the other," Lincoln muttered, trying to keep his voice low. To his surprise, Luna actually listened to him.
"It's going to be fine," Lincoln said, giving Luna a soothing pat on the arm. "It's going to be…"
A low growl reached his ears. Mustering his courage, Lincoln lifted his eyes. And there, he saw the Alpha. Staring directly at them.
"F-fine," He said, only just noticing that he, and by extension Luna, was trembling. Though it was impossible to say from whom it was originating, it certainly felt like there was plenty of terror to go around.
The blonde's lips twisted into a sneer.
"It's going...to be…"
"SAAAAAAAAAAM!" Roared the blonde, as she leaped forward, and sprinted towards the duo. And as she barreled towards them, impossibly fast and large, it occurred to Lincoln that it was very likely that the only reason he hadn't succumbed to his terror at this point and fled, was because his feet were not physically touching the ground.
A...thought, more of a temptation really, to suggest that Luna retreat, and they pick this up again...later, much, much later, was quickly overruled as the Alpha was suddenly upon them. Time seemed to slow as Sam skidded to a stop, one arm reeling back to deliver a powerful blow filled with wild fury—
—and that was when his brain finally came up for air.
"Now! Luna!" He shouted, his voice rapidly approaching falsetto. "Do it now!"
"H-HEY! GIRL!" Luna bellowed, her voice cracking with nervous enthusiasm and fear. "How...uh...YOU...doin'?
For a moment, Lincoln was certain that time had stopped. He froze, Luna froze, and their (well, more than likely his) impending death froze completely still. But before he contemplated how he might take advantage of this fortuitous phenomenon, the illusion was dispelled as the blonde tilted her head to the side.
"...Sam?" She asked, perplexed.
"What the hell was that?" Lincoln muttered, glancing up at Luna.
"I don't know how to talk to girls!" Luna replied, mournfully. "I probably should have mentioned that!"
"Saaam," Murmured the blonde leaning in close, curious, but with her muscles still tightly coiled, and ready to strike. She looked Luna in the face, then sniffed her, making sounds that...did not sound displeased. Her gaze lowered, trailing its way down Luna's neck, her soft curves...and then froze, as it took in the thing she was clutching so tightly to her chest.
"You," Lincoln's brain helpfully pointed out. "You are the thing she is looking at."
Lincoln opened his mouth to respond...which...was probably a pretty clear indicator of just how far gone his mental state was, but before he could make that particular faux pas, his view was suddenly completely full of a terrifyingly pretty, rage-addled face.
"SssssssAAAAAAAAM!" She intoned, a low growl rapidly ramping up to a full-blown roar. And it was at this point, so close to her that he could practically taste her, that he noticed her irises were alight with an unearthly, crimson glow.
"L-Luna?" He asked, trying to remain still. "S-situation update? Please?"
"She says she really doesn't like you," Luna whispered to him. "At least, I think that's what she said? Her dialect is a little weird, I don't think she's from here."
"What did I do?"
"Well...it's not an exact translation, but according to her, something to the effect of 'humans bad'."
"T-that seems a little—"
"SAAAM!" Bellowed the blonde, as she raised one meaty fist, and swung it down at him.
Lincoln's life flashed before his eyes, and in that moment, he realized...way too much of their budget was spent buying Lynn sandwiches.
"S-stop!" Luna shouted. "Don't hurt him!"
Luna darted forward, slipping inside Sam's guard with an artistry that even Lynn would be forced to admire, and delivered a powerful thrust directly into her opponent's chest. Unfortunately, because she was still holding Lincoln in both arms—
"S..SAM!?"
—all that actually accomplished, was passing her burden to someone else.
Pillowy softness suffused Lincoln. Engulfed Lincoln. And there was a powerful urge to fully succumb to it. Drown in it. But a soft, whimpering reached his ears, drifting down from above, and Lincoln, ever the do-gooder, even when it orchestrated his own misfortune, drew himself from his stupor, and craned his head upward, to see what was the trouble.
Sam's face. Crimson, mortified, stared down at him. And it was at that point that his brain finished connecting the dots.
"Hello, Sam", he said, his voice muffled due to the sound-suppressing nature of the Alpha's ample cleavage.
"S-SAM!" She yelped, taking a step backward. Unfortunately for her—
"Sam! Wait!"
—Luna wasn't yet done helping.
As the blonde reeled back, the brunette lurched forward. With neither girl having taken care to retain solid footing, the matter was dumped into gravity's waiting hands. And just as a hammer sees every problem to be solved as a nail, gravity has but one solution to any conundrum.
The trio tumbled. They tussled, and then they fell.
For the third time in what was quite possibly as many minutes, Lincoln found himself face to face with the gargantuan blonde. However, this time there was no anger in her face. Her expression looked...almost pained, but...not quite. There was a quality there, one he was familiar with, but couldn't quite put his finger on.
"S..Sam," She breathed, her breath hitching in her throat. "S-Sam!"
Lincoln realized that he was atop the Alpha. Straddling her, even. And there, cushioning his hands, were her glorious bosoms. He gazed into her panting, breathless face...and immediately tried to back away—
—only to find his path barred by another wall of devilish plushness. He tried to rise, and immediately found himself forced back down, the weight upon his back driving him back down, and as he descended, he saw Sam's arms reaching upward, toward him, past him, and pulling them into her embrace. As he once again found himself staring into the face of the blonde Alpha, the weight upon his back shifted, and he could feel the peculiar sensation of warm breath tickling the nape of his neck.
"Luuuuna…" Purred a familiar voice, planting a soft kiss against his cheek.