Chapter 57: A Date in Ferrum
Summary:
Zeryph manages to acquire a couple new spells, due to his alternate timeline. And Kaorah finally gets that date she was waiting for, even if things don't go quite as expected.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
"Urgh…" I let out a low groan as I blinked my eyes open, covering them with my hands and holding my head as I sat up. I was not expecting to wake up with a headache this morning. I quickly sorted through the information that was causing it, and found out the reason why. Two spells that I didn't recognize, especially since I hadn't made anything like either of them. One seemed to be a mark, the other…is gonna be fun for training.
"You OK?" Kaorah asked quietly, picking up on the fact my head was probably hurting.
"Just a momentary distraction. Feedback from somewhere, though I'm not sure why." I lowered my hands. "I know one of them, already. C'mere." I pulled Kaorah close without warning, channeling magic and gently biting down on the side of her neck. Green light, how fitting, flared to life for a moment. Kaorah let out a low moan as it began to shift, changing into the shape of a dragon's head.
"That felt…surprisingly good, actually. Where did it even come from?" She asked, while admiring her little gift in a mirror that I picked up for her.
"I have…no idea. Maybe it's just from that thing Dialga told me about." I shrugged. "Whatever. At least now, we both have a matching mark. I might mark everyone else later, too. Apparently, I can use my magic to mess with it, and can do things that should spice up some…other stuff."
"Sounds fun. So, what's the other thing?" Kaorah asked as she stood up, before starting to stretch.
"That one's also something interesting. Apparently, my alternate self had a variation on the dungeon portals we're familiar with. These put us in a large arena, against hordes of enemies to fight through in waves. Seems like my alternate self likes fighting through hordes like he's in a Dynasty Warriors game." I got up, myself, stretching with a quiet yawn, before going to start the same routine as every morning.
"So, what's our plan for today?" Kaorah asked.
"Taking you to Ferrum, today. And also going to make the reservation for us to all stay for a week, later on." As I started to step out from the room, I saw Zeraora and Mewtwo coming back in. They were both…a mess, but it seems like they'd had fun with whatever happened. "Boys, what happened?" I asked.
"Spar. Mewtwo seems to like planting people in the mud." Zeraora answered. Gonna have to teach him English, when we can.
"I blame my training with you, for that habit." Mewtwo smiled. "Oh, speaking of which…Zeryph?" I smiled, then flared my power and shifted form. Grinning as my Aura settled down. Zeraora matched it with a grin of his own.
"Duuude! That's pretty cool. How long has he been able to do that?" He asked Mewtwo.
"For a little while now. Picked it up during our recent mission." Mewtwo rubbed the top of my head as he walked past. I let out a quiet laugh in response. "He's…super strong, but still needs some training to be able to use it properly."
"I can help with that. And, Zeryph, get me some of those weights, when ya can." Zeraora held out a fist, and I bumped one of mine against it.
"Actually, I already did." I said. I shifted form before I helped him put them on. Yellow, accented with black markings. "There. Since you're naturally very fast, the weights are higher than usual." Zeraora tried to take a step, only to nearly fall. I caught him, and we both broke into a moment of laughter.
"Gonna take some getting used to." He said, gently pulling away from the support I was offering, before beginning to stretch. "But it won't be hard. I should be caught up in no time at all."
"From what I learned during our spar, Zeraora is…incredibly enthusiastic about training." Mewtwo commented, earning a bright grin. "And, as we've seen, very energetic. I'm willing to bet he can win any fight simply by tiring out his opponents. By taunting them into wasting their energy."
"So what you're saying is, that I can win by annoying the hell out of my opponents." Zeraora's grin didn't fade. "Sounds great."
"Even better if you do it while smiling the whole time, kinda like how Alastor always smiles." I paused for a moment. Who the fuck is…nevermind. I've never heard that name before, guess it's just some side effects from whatever that was that woke me up this morning.
"Oh, Zeryph, what's this supposed to be?" Mewtwo asked, having noticed the new mark on Kaorah's neck. "Is that a-" He was interrupted when I pulled him over and bit down on his neck. Letting out a low gasp as my magic kicked in. Zeraora let out a whistle, before quietly laughing.
Mewtwo's mark began to take shape as I pulled away. It formed into the shape of his head, in black, outlined with deep purple. Two marks in the shape of his eyes slowly opened up, as well. He reached up to rub at it, before smiling warmly.
"A little warning would've been nice." He mumbled. "I know that was definitely magic."
"It was. I got a pair of spells earlier, when I woke up with a headache. That's one, the other is a variation on the dungeon portals. Horde-based arenas, which…definitely sounds fun." I readied the spell in my hand just to see how it looked. The colors were very different to what I'm familiar with, being darker than the usual combination. I dispelled it afterwards by making a fist. There's no telling what my alternate self has been up to.
"Yeah, that does sound fun." Zeraora agreed. "Oh, by the way, I wanna start seed training as soon as I can, too."
"Sure thing. I'm taking Kaorah out today, but tomorrow, I'll see about getting you an arena run. We'll see what happens when you eat one of the seeds, then." I turned, starting to walk towards the foyer.
"Fine by me. Enjoy your day out, you two." Zeraora said. I heard him start to walk off towards what was his room. We regrouped in the dining room after a little bit, for breakfast. I had ended up sleeping in again, which is why I caught Mewtwo and Zeraora on their way back in from a spar.
It's fine, of course. I'm glad for the extra bit of rest, after all. Following breakfast, I went to make sure I was actually ready for the trip. Mewtwo decided that he was gonna take Zeraora to the mountain cave where we trained for the tournament. Melanie went to keep an eye on them, in case one of them went and hurt themselves by mistake.
I guess Liz had shown Zeraora the tournament recording this morning before the spar between him and Mewtwo, as well, 'cause I heard him talking about how cool it was when he and Mewtwo were on the way out to train. Melanie seemed to enjoy Zeraora's energetic attitude, herself, smiling and giggling softly when she caught him trying to mimic the duel between Mewtwo and Libra at the end.
Zeraora blushed slightly when he realized he'd been caught, letting out a small laugh and rubbing his head, before taking off for the mountain. As to not have to say anything about it. Melanie smiled, shaking her head softly, before going to follow along. Mewtwo had simply teleported ahead, in order to set things up.
It wasn't long after that Kaorah and I set off. Using the Distortion World as a shortcut to get there faster. Landing at the docks in Neos City. I let out a whistle when I saw it. Since Pokken doesn't have much for walking around, and is limited in what you can see from the battle stages…I had no idea it was quite like this.
"Ya know, for winter, it is still kinda warm here. Not colder than Kanto, at least." Kaorah spoke up as the rift closed behind her. "Still, looks like it's a real nice place to just stay for a week."
"Heh, yeah, it does." I agreed. "Probably expensive, though. But not as expensive as a night in Aeos is said to be. Those are in the thousands range. Not quite as expensive if you're there for the battles, but still."
"Speaking of staying here, I think we should. There's that major event you're worried about, so we should prepare for that first. Then, afterwards, we could all use some proper time off. Maybe even try out the unique battles here." Kaorah said, looking towards the arena. "Speaking of which, why don't we go catch a few?"
"Sure. Hey, how fast do ya think we'd breeze through the league here?" I asked.
"In no time at all. We'd probably have some trouble with the higher tiers, if our battle with Cynthia was any indication." Kaorah started to walk towards the stadium. People around us began to figure out who we were- I could see the recognition. What I wasn't expecting was a Braixen to run up to us, all excited. I could see the sparkles in her eyes.
"Nia! Weavile! Look who it is!" She bounced excitedly. Calling back behind her to someone. "Hi! I'm a huuuuge fan of yours. I didn't think I'd get to see you in- eek!" A smack to the back of her head caused her to squeak, from the Weavile she called out to. She let out a soft growl, rubbing where she'd been smacked.
"Settle down, girlie. He's on a date." Weavile's quiet tone contrasted Braixen's excitement. "Sure, he's a celebrity, and it's awesome to meet him, but I'm sure he wouldn't want to be bothered so much. Mr. Ketchum, it's a true honor."
"Oh, it's fine, don't worry. It's almost like Latias any time we've been separated for a little while. Only she actually slams into me. Don't…do that." I held out my hand, offering a handshake to them both. Braixen was very enthusiastic with hers, while Weavile was much calmer.
"I…see you've met my partner. And a friend of ours, too." A woman spoke up. She approached, offering a handshake, herself. "I'm Nia, I work as the advisor for battles here in Ferrum. Generally, I also handle training newcomers, teaching them how our system works."
"And y'all already know who we are." I said, motioning Kaorah over as I did. Braixen's eyes lit up even more, only for her to pout when Kaorah roughly rubbed the top of her head, ruffling her fur. "But just in case, I'm Zeryph. And this is Kaorah, my starter."
"It's nice to meet you, truly." Kaorah spoke up. Nia gave her a surprised look.
"She knows English?" Nia glanced at me. "Did you teach her?"
"Everyone on my team, outside of one of us, for the moment. It's way easier for everyone to learn when you have a pair of Psychic-Types who can pick it up in an instant." I smiled. "Anyway, Kaorah and I are on a date, like your Weavile said. Kaorah wanted to come to Ferrum, watch the battles for a bit."
"Ooh! We can show you the dojo, where training battles are done. Weavile, how about a spar?" Braixen asked.
"Sure. Our score is even, for right now. We have a friendly rivalry, the two of us." Weavile agreed. "Follow us, please."
"Well, I guess…you'll get to see how our battles work, after all. Heh." Nia began to follow her partner and his friend. Kaorah and I moved to follow behind, as well. "They're very different to what you're likely used to."
"Oh, I know. Ferrum and Aeos definitely have unique styles compared to…every other region, really." I smiled. "Maybe Kaorah and I can try the battles, ourselves."
"Well, humans aren't really-" Nia was interrupted by a flash, turning and giving me a surprised look. I grinned, lifting a hand and waving. "How? How did you?"
"Magic, Nia. That's how." I said, chuckling. I saw the blush that formed on Braixen's face when she glanced back. And even Weavile to a lesser extent.
"He's uh…kinda cute, actually." Weavile mumbled, earning a surprised look from Braixen.
"I didn't expect you of all people to say that. I thought you didn't swing that way." Braixen commented.
"Well, I mean…even if I don't, I can still say someone looks good." Weavile said. I returned to my human form, after a few more seconds.
"You'd have some tough competition, if you really were interested." I spoke up. "Between Mewtwo, and what's likely to soon be Alex and maybe Zeraora, as well."
"How many of your Pokemon are you together with?" Nia asked curiously.
"It's fine. Nia and I are a bit closer than we let on." Weavile commented.
"Kaorah was the first, and there's also…Melanie, my Gardevoir. Solais, my Absol. Mewtwo himself. Lexie, my Cinderace, and…Latias. She's the most recent to get that far with me." I smiled warmly. "Even better than that, Lexie and I are gonna be parents."
"What?!" Nia blushed. Braixen and Weavile also whirled to stare at me, stopping in their tracks. "How is that…the Lucario form! Of course!"
"That's…awesome. Hey, congrats." Weavile commented on it. Braixen nodded in agreement, but looked slightly disappointed. "Believe me, a lot of couples in this region who are human/pokemon wish they could do that."
"Well there's always adopting, if nothing else." Kaorah spoke up. "Speaking of adopting, we could ask about taking in the Riolu. Zeryph, you know the one."
"Yeah, but she might've also been taken in by Riley, too. We won't know for sure unless we see them again when we visit the Kingdom." I realized the trio had no idea what we were talking about. "Oh, yeah, that's from a while back. Her mother was killed in battle, but took her attackers with her. We found the Riolu not long after."
"Aww…that's…awful." Braixen let out a whine.
"Last time we saw her, was when we gave her back to the Kingdom. I hope she's doing OK, for sure." I looked at the seals on my arm. "Wonder if she sensed when I powered up, that day."
"I think everyone sensed that, whatever it was." Weavile spoke up. "Even me, and I'm a Dark-Type. That Aura of yours is something else. Our Lucario fighters had to stop their battles because they couldn't focus."
"Sorry about that, heh." I shrugged. "The Lake Guardians have been helping me with control training. Mostly exercises during meditation and such." I let my first seal go, shifting into phase one without an issue. Green light washing over my body. I only held it for a few seconds before sealing it again.
"I don't think our equipment can handle it, honestly." Nia commented, once she'd seen it for herself.
"Samuel's lab equipment overloaded when he tried to take a scan, actually." I let out a short laugh. "Samuel Oak, I mean."
"I know. I think everyone knows who Professor Oak is." Nia started to walk. "Anyway, let's get going. I know these two are eager to show you how a battle works, here."
[Break]
Our walk to the dojo wasn't all that quiet. Mostly Braixen and Weavile asking questions about the team I've got going. I ended up telling the pair that we planned to have a vacation here in Ferrum, once some stuff cleared up. I didn't mention the mission from Dialga, since they didn't need to know about that.
Their reaction to Giratina opening a rift was amazing. Well, it was mostly Braixen, who let out a squeal I've never heard anyone get near, jumping away in fright. Before recovering and glaring fiercely at him. Weavile thought it was hilarous though, before mentioning that a local Darkrai never got close to scaring Braixen quite like that.
I revealed my shadow powers afterwards, showing just how far along I've gotten with using them. I still need a lot of work to improve, though. Deoxys was proof of that, for sure. It's a wonder I haven't gotten stuck with nightmares after what he put me through. Perhaps it's because Rayquaza disintegrated him.
Other Pokemon in the dojo stopped to turn and look towards us as we walked inside. The battle arena wasn't in use, currently. I could see shield tech set around the edge of the arena, stuff that looked like it was a lot stronger than what we've got back home, in Kanto.
"Best of three?" Braixen spoke up.
"As always, let's get ready. Supports are set, the arena just needs to warm up." Weavile and Braixen began preparing themselves for battle. I formed a shadow clone, earning a set of surprised looks. He didn't say anything, disappearing into a rift without a word.
"When did you pick that up?" Kaorah asked.
"Last night. Should've done it sooner, but now that I've got 'em, I plan to make use of it." It wasn't long before Melanie stepped through the rift, floating softly to the floor. Then my clone dispelled himself, since his job was done.
"Whoaaa…she's way prettier in person." Braixen said quietly. Melanie giggled softly in response, smiling softly.
"I'm here in case either of you get hurt. Zee, the boys are doing OK. I think Zeraora's working on a project with Mewtwo, actually. But I can't say what, he wants it to be a surprise." Melanie found herself a spot to sit down. Kaorah and I went to sit with her. "Speaking of surprises, that package you got me…you're gonna love that."
"It must be pretty good then. I've also gotten something to surprise you with, later on." I hadn't revealed the…outfit, not yet. Not until I work up the nerve to actually wear the thing.
"Ooh, maybe you can show it to Kaorah tonight, whatever it is." Melanie suggested.
"Sounds like a fun idea." Kaorah agreed. Guess I'll be wearing it sooner than I thought.
"Hey, what's this?" Nia asked, reaching to feel of the flower in Melanie's hair.
"Lunar Tear. We have a memorial cave where we planted some, in memory of people who aren't with us anymore. And Melanie also wears on in her hair 'cause it looks good on her." I said softly. Melanie giggled, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me over against her.
"Same reason why I changed my hair color. He really likes it the way it is." Melanie kissed my cheek softly. "I'm thinking about changing it again, soon. As to not have solid red all the time. I'm thinking maybe black with blue highlights. Not gonna change it today, but in the near future."
"Wonder if the color magic works on your gown, as well." I'm thinking it would, since it works on her hair.
"Huh…maybe. I'll try when I'm back home." Melanie looked towards the arena. "Looks like they're ready. Are they yours?" She directed her question towards Nia.
"Only Weavile is, and we're both together as well." Nia sat down with us. "Braixen is a friend of his. She doesn't have a battle partner yet, so she can't use Synergy. Weavile doesn't use it against her, in order to be fair. They're both evenly matched. In fact, I believe their score is tied at the moment."
"We're ready." Weavile spoke up. Nia smiled, then picked herself up, before moving closer to the arena shield. On her call, the pair began their battle. They're surprisingly fast, actually, for not having weight training like we do. Braixen's ranged attacks weren't quite as fast. And, from the way he moves, Weavile seems to know how to avoid them without having to block any.
He closed the distance fast, swiping with his claws, only for Braixen to catch him mid-jump in a well-timed Fire Spin. Using Fire Blast while he was trapped to knock him away. Indicating that she has an answer for close-range when her opponent is someone fast enough to close the distance.
Braixen spun her staff in her hands, lighting the ends on fire and going on the offense. Though her attacks weren't as fast as Weavile's, she had the reach and the heat to make up for it. Forcing Weavile to act evasively. When he did take a hit, it didn't do as much damage as I was expecting.
"We have systems in place that disable Type advantages." Nia explained, without turning away from the battle. A holographic screen formed in front of us, thanks to the tablet in her arms. Weavile's health had dipped just a little bit. From the attacks that Braixen had landed. "That way, everyone has an even fight. Even in cases where one Pokemon should have an overwhelming advantage against the other. In fact, abilities usually won't work, either."
"Zeryph's been working with us on something similar. In fact, he's already demonstrated that he can hit Ghosts with his Aura." Melanie mentioned how I was able to hit Gengar with Aura. "But, as you've likely seen, he has Giratina's power to help with that."
"I picked up his weaknesses too. Those attacks can actually get through the shadows I defend myself with. Something for us to work on, later." I hadn't revealed that discovery from training, until now anyway.
Weavile got through Braixen's guard, drawing our attention back to the battle. Shifting into a rapid combination of attacks that ended when she was knocked away. Braixen flipped in the air, landing softly on her paws, before sending out a blast of multicolored light that Weavile narrowly dodged.
"Maybe she'd be interested in learning some proper magic." Melanie commented. "I'd be glad to teach her some."
"So long as it's nothing that's crazy powerful, our rules would allow for it." Nia said. "A few ranged attacks would be OK."
"They're both pretty good, actually." I gave my own commentary. "I'm impressed, especially since neither of them seem to be distracted by the fact that we're here."
"When you go into the arena, do you wanna face one of them? Or would you rather bring one of your own?" Nia asked. Glancing away from the arena, and looking back as Weavile took a solid hit.
"Kaorah, would you mind?" I asked her.
"Not at all, could be pretty fun." Kaorah smiled. "Been meaning to get a spar in against you, for a while now."
"I'll limit myself to phase one, to be safe. No megas or anything, but that probably goes without saying." I thought for a moment. "I won't use Sacred Sword, either, given how strong mine is."
"Right. We can still drop weights, and I'll make sure to not hit as hard as Cynthia's Garchomp did, when we faced her team." Kaorah got a surprised look from Nia.
"Did you guys really fight Cynthia?" Nia asked.
"She wanted to test us, yeah." I confirmed. "Makes me real excited for when we face her team at full strength."
We watched Braixen and Weavile for a bit longer. Their battle coming to an end when the timer ran out, rather than from them knocking each other out. Melanie treated their injuries afterwards, just some light bruises and cuts. Weavile had gotten hit with a couple burns, as well.
As they left the arena, Kaorah and I took their spots, after dropping weights. I shifted into my Lucario form and began to go through the warmup exercises that Gurkinn's boys taught me. Including forming the staff I had gotten used to, with Bone Rush.
"What are we doing, first to yield?" Kaorah asked.
"Yield, ring-out, or knockout." I answered. The shields changed colors, so now they won't block us from passing through.
"We don't normally do ring-out as a rule, but the option is there." Nia spoke up. "Just remember, no crippling hits or worse. Are you both ready?" We answered her with a nod, and she gave us the signal to begin. I was barely able to get my staff up in time to defend myself. My power flaring as my first-phase seal was released. I slid backwards under the force of Kaorah's Dragon Rush.
Nia winced, holding her tablet away as the scanner systems shorted out. In fact, the arena shields did for a moment as well, before stabilizing. I quickly realized just how hard it was, being on the receiving end of Kaorah's wild fighting. Though her swings seem slow at a glance, the hits behind them are incredibly strong. Cracking the staff I was using and even breaking it in half. I was forced to disengage, long enough to make another one.
After the fight against Deoxys, I had learned one lesson- to not hold myself back so much. With that thought, Phase Two releassed. My power surging a second time as green embers began to flicker upwards. The air rippling under the force of my second phase. This time, the shields did fail, shutting off and tripping a warning alarm.
"Wha…what's going on?" I barely heard Nia, over the clashing between Kaorah's claws and the bone staff. Reinforced by extra Aura, it was holding up much better than the previous one.
"Zee has limiter seals along his right arm, numbered one to eight. Each phase is a huge step up from the previous." Melanie explained it. "The highest he's gone so far is…Phase Four, I believe. Much too strong for any normal battle."
"Dear, shall we forget the agreement and step this up?" Kaorah asked. "I wanna really test myself."
[BGM Suggestion]
[Yasuharu Takanashi- Rising Dragon]
"You sure?" I asked. Kaorah's answer was a nod. "Oh, very well. Phase Three." Small green flames began to light up along my forearms, the ground cracking as my third seal was released. To push it even further, I felt my Mega Form waiting to be released. My form shifting in a huge burst of power.
"Ooh boy." Melanie started to back away, the air rippling as her Force Cloak flared to life. "I think he's gonna-" She trailed off as the fourth seal lit up. I didn't have as much control over my third and fourth phases as one and two, so I had to set a time limit.
"Mewtwo worked with me on something while you were away training." Kaorah smiled, then lowered herself into a stance. One she only took whenever she was about to undergo a transformation. Her form shifted in a surge of power, the blades on her arms lighting up with a reddish orange glow. She then charged forward, bringing her right arm around in a massive swing. Caught as it clashed against Sacred Sword.
I saw Pokemon in the dojo, and even other humans, now gathering around as Kaorah and I clashed at rapid speeds. The five minutes counting down in my head as we continued to test the other, and ourselves. I could tell that I was on the defensive, for now. Still, it gives me a reason to try it.
"Phase Five." I mumbled. I felt my power surge, and the time limit decreased down to a little over ninety seconds. To anyone on the outside, I would appear to be cloaked in emerald flames, my eyes having turned into a solid, bright green. The moment the power surge kicked in, things switched. And I was quickly on the offense. Kaorah let out a laugh, a grin forming that refused to fade away, even as I started gaining ground.
My senses caught the cameras circling around us. Rotom drones, from the way they feel. Sure, it means that this is the first anyone's seen of Phase Five…and that it also means how strong I really am. Fortunately, for Ferrum's officials, Kaorah and I were limiting ourselves to physical attacks, only. And yeah, I realize that we got carried away…very quickly. Given how the two of us trained in the past, even before our journey, I'm not surprised.
I dropped Sacred Sword as my timer reached the twenties, changing for channeling Aura into my fists. Without having to worry about the blade, I started to attack even harder. Kaorah's defence began to falter, but she managed a lucky shot. Enough to force me to back off. I saw her tail rising, and as I began to charge forward, my timer hit zero. I felt the seals re-engage, and I stumbled as my power, and Mega Form, dropped all at once. Suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion, there was no way to stop the impending Dragon Tail from connecting.
I felt something crack, letting out a wheeze before being thrown from the ring, landing hard and bouncing to a stop. I let out a groan, fighting to catch my breath. Melanie walked over, kneeling down before slapping me hard across the face, glaring at me for several seconds, before sighing and shaking her head. She started to heal the injuries I got from my unplanned flight without a word.
Kaorah appeared in my view, back to normal, and dropped my weights on the ground.
"The hell is wrong with you two? Light spar, my ass." Melanie grumbled. "We're having a talk when you two get finished with your date. About how to not go too fuckin' far. You especially, mister." She poked my snout with a finger. "You were not ready for Phase Five. I know that for a fact."
I reached up to rub the cheek where I'd been slapped. Truly, I deserved that one.
"You're lucky it's just a fracture. If she had hit any harder, you likely would have broken ribs, and possibly a punctured lung. That would've ruined your date real quick. I don't care if the Distortion World heals you or not, I would've personally hauled your ass home." Melanie sighed.
"Woo…seems the nurse is-" Kaorah wisely shut her mouth when Melanie glared at her, raising her clawed arms in surrender. "Fine, fine…I'm sorry."
"If you would've restrained yourself, this wouldn't have happened." Melanie pulled her hands away, then sat me back up. She then sighed, wrapping an arm around me before gently placing a hand where she'd slapped me. "Sorry, just…after the shit he went through against Deoxys…plus what we all had to deal with. The stress still has its claws dug in. Not to mention hurricane efforts and…" She shook her head. "I think I need a massage, again. Plus, with Lexie having that egg on the way and starting my advanced stuff…I've got a lot stacked on over the past few days."
I shifted back into my human form after slipping my weights back on, then wrapped Melanie up in a side hug. Melanie placed a soft kiss on my cheek.
"It is supposed to be our date, but…you could join us." Kaorah said quietly. "You being healer means you need a lot more time to unwind than the rest of us."
"Yeah, I…think I will." Melanie stood up, then pulled me up afterwards. "Any soreness?" She asked.
"A little, but not enough to be a problem. I think you've gotten everything that isn't a light bruise." I felt her magic wash over me, just a quick check to make sure.
"Zeryph…you…are scary." Nia said as she walked over. "I have…never…seen Aura like that. Even our local Lucarios don't get anywhere near what that was."
"That was phase five. I got…carried away. Sorry about the electronics." I apologized. "If I need to pay for those, I will."
"Oh, no, it's not the first time. Last time was when Rayquaza started offering to work as a support summon on occasion. In his Mega Evolved form, too." Nia let out a soft giggle. "Anyway, I have to oversee the repairs now. You three can go, enjoy your date."
"Wait!" Braixen called as we started to leave. "Could, uh…could I be your battle partner?"
"Braixen? Are you sure about this?" Nia asked.
"Yeah, he's gonna need someone officially registered. And I really wanna get stronger. I wanna win the season this year." Braixen smiled.
"Well, we aren't registered, buut…when I do, I'll ask for you specifically." I got a bright grin from Braixen. "Hey, Nia, if she wants to leave with us when we head home, is there any way for her to transfer to my team?"
"Uh…maybe?" Nia held up her tablet. "This thing's cooked, unfortunately, so I can't check. I'll have to let you know later on."
"Well anyway, enjoy your date. I'll see you all later, I guess." Braixen turned to walk away, going to help out with whatever she could.
"Well, she's a cutie, isn't she?" Melanie whispered. "Isn't Braixen one of the…popular ones? If you know what I mean." I felt my face heat up a little bit.
"Yeah…heh…I think so." I began to think about something. "Speaking of things that got popular for those reasons, I got something from the tokens. I might even show you two, tonight."
"Ooh, sounds fun. I've got something to surprise you with, too." Melanie let out a soft giggle. "You'll love it, I'm sure."
The three of us began to walk around, exploring Neos city. The soreness from the injuries faded within an hour of walking. We didn't go into any of the shops, outside of stopping to look at the displays on occasion. Mainly because we'd get to really look around when we're here for our downtime.
Considering the fact that it is Ferrum, word about the battle between Kaorah and I had already spread, quite rapidly too. Including the footage of it. Especially that which showed each of the phases as I shifted between them. Thing is, it also told people that I was here, now. And because of it, that means people started recognizing me. Thanks to Ferrum's stance on certain relationships, people left us alone.
Melanie picked out a place for lunch, which ended up being pretty good. After which, she wandered off on her own, saying she'd catch up with us in a little bit. Kaorah put up the idea that we should go see about getting our rooms for when our vacation comes around. There was a hotel, one with a real nice set of ocean-side rooms with a great view on the upper floors. Bloody expensive, but it's worth it. We still have that huge prize payout from the Indigo League, which we've only barely tapped into.
[Break]
By the time Melanie caught back up, the rooms were all reserved. She had some bags on her arms, ones set up as to not reveal what was within. The smile I got suggested that she had plans of her own. She went to drop her things off in the cabin. Since our rooms were set for a week, I figured I'd go for Sunday, which is a couple days from now. Then, we're staying for a week, checking out next Saturday.
"Heard quite a bit while I was out on my own. Some folks suggested that we go visit the old town." Melanie told us. "I know where the shuttle stops are now, so we can catch one. C'mon." She started to lead us out, going for one of the stops. We had to wait for a bus with proper seating for a Garchomp before we could get onto one.
"Did anyone tell you what the town had for us to look for?" I asked her as we got seated.
"Hmm…gift shops, mostly, as well as some other stores. Including a candy store that's pretty popular." Melanie made herself comfortable, before leaning over against my side. "I'm really sorry for blowing up earlier, like I did."
"Hey, it's fine. You're team healer, you have the right to be hard on us when we do something dumb like that." I rubbed the top of her head, causing her to giggle. She reached up to fix her hair. "And like you said, you haven't had proper time to de-stress."
"Yeah. I know the date was meant to be you and Kaorah, but…still, thanks for letting me tag along." She smiled.
"Well, I think it's more fun with you here, personally." Kaorah spoke up. "Oh, and, what did ya buy, earlier?"
"Oh, that's a surprise. For him, specifically." Melanie poked my arm. "Stuff I think he'd really like, and plus, it works with my other form."
"You have the spell? Since when?" I asked.
"Oh, for a while now. I just never said anything." Melanie lifted her left hand, casting anthrofy with a quiet snap of her fingers, then hugging me tighter. From this close, I caught something familiar. "And…stacked on top of the stress…"
"Yours started today, didn't it?" I asked quietly, and Melanie nodded.
"I took something for it this morning, sorry I didn't say. Liz gave me a stronger dose than what you gave Lexie, for hers. My self control is…not…all that great. When it really hits me, I mean." Melanie returned herself to normal with another snap of her fingers. "Even under suppressors, it's…really, really hard to not…ya know."
"I thought I caught it, this morning." Kaorah spoke up. "So you might actually have to handle both of us tonight, Zeryph. Hope all that training gave you a proper stamina boost, 'cause you're gonna need it."
"Maybe so. Especially if the wilder side of hers-" I nodded towards Melanie. "Shows itself. By that, I mean the one you and everyone else has mentioned."
"Oh, baby…I thought you'd never bring it up." Melanie said quietly. She leaned in close, before softly kissing my neck, on the left side. I shuddered, gently pushing her away and giving her a look that said to settle down. I get real twitchy about the left side of my neck. Was hit there with a paintball when I was younger.
"Not the left side…if you're really gonna do that. Personal reasons." I rubbed at the exact spot. "If you're curious, got hit with a paintball." The girls both winced.
"Ooh…sorry. I…didn't know." Melanie apologized, softly. I pulled her back over to hold her against my side.
"Hey, Zeryph, what about the magic, this morning?" Kaorah asked. I smiled, then pulled Melanie over, gently biting down on her neck, on the right side.
"Mmm~" Melanie smacked a hand over her mouth to muffle a moan, squeezing her legs together a little bit. The magic from the spell sank in, forming into a mark. It took a shape similar to the lunar tear she wears, with a soft red fade to the tip of its petals. Referencing her bright red hair.
"So…when did you pick that up?" She asked quietly.
"This morning. From what I can tell, I have some control over what the marks do, and even the design they form into." I thought about it, momentarily. Melanie suddenly squeaked, covering her mouth and blushing. Trying her hardest to silence what would've been a loud moan. Kaorah also had a reaction of her own, growling softly and giving me a weak glare.
"Aww…great. Now I'm all…aheh." Melanie mumbled, softly. "I blame you for that."
"Wonder what else it can do." Kaorah commented.
"Well…let's see…other than that, it can also…increase sensitivity, as well as decreasing it. And, seems to be able to…huh, stop an orgasm." I saw Melanie's blush deepen. Kaorah even began to sport one of her own.
"Uh…wow. So…you can edge us for as long as you want?" Melanie mumbled. "I dunno where you got the spell from…don't care. That actually…sounds kinda…fun. And…really, really hot."
"Of course you would be into that, immediately." Kaorah growled softly. "I for one, don't like the idea of being messed with like that. It's bad enough when she holds me down with her powers."
"Now I've definitely gotta show you that surprise. Tell ya what, after you and Kaorah are done tonight, you and I can go a round or two." Melanie smiled. "Maybe we'll see if you're any bit at all interested in something I've been thinking of."
"Better yet, I can show you the one I've got, and you save yours for later." I said to her. She smiled and nodded, then shifted into a position where she was comfortable.
[Break]
"So, plan for tonight?" Kaorah asked. Our day had gone very nicely, even if most of it was walking around. Still, getting to explore Ferrum and figure out where we wanted to go would help us later.
"You and I, first. Then Melanie gets some for herself." I pulled Kaorah's head down, stealing a nuzzle. My Lucario form was shorter, by just a little bit.
"Want me to set some fun stuff up?" Melanie asked.
"If you want to, sure. Just…don't go beyond what my comfort zone is." I told her. She smiled and nodded, before walking off through a portal I opened. "Kaorah, why don't you head on inside and up to the bed. I'll be along shortly, as I need to get changed." I watched her head through, then pulled up my inventory. Wondering how in the hell I was meant to put…this on.
The outfit that I got, I mean. Sure I can just use the inventory for it, but at the same time...knowing how it fits together is a good idea. In case the girls wanna try to pull it off. Melanie very well might. In fact, I might even play submissive tonight, only because I think it might work well with the outfit itself. Something tells me Melanie might try to get my Lucario form into a maid outfit sometime, if this goes well. Uh...there's a mental image. Aaanyway...things are about to be real fun.
Notes:
Personally, I didn't expect Melanie to get involved, either. She just kinda…did, and I went along with that idea. Still ended up being pretty fun, anyway. Also, cliffhanger, heh. Still, next chapter's gonna be…fun.
