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Chap. 66: Unpleasantries

Robin woke up in her real body slowly at first, but as she realized someone was shouting and cursing angrily nearby, the process accelerated considerably. She wasn't used to anger, and didn't like it. Usually, being raised in the program as she was, anger meant someone had died.

It was a bit understandable that she didn't like it.

Still, once her eyes flashed open, she found herself in the increasingly familiar PMC room, and recognized the voice as Alex's, muffled by the not-inconsiderable sound-proofing on the room's walls. Nibbler, Bliss, and Queenie were all downstairs at the Pokémon Healing Station, but Onahole was resting safely in her ball on the desk across the room. Not for the first time, Robin wished she'd Evolve already. She could use another powerhouse like Gyarados on her team. Having the Magikarp watch while her other Pokémon fought the other day had helped, certainly, but at the same time Robin didn't really want to give up her favorite cock-sleeve.

Maybe if Elle was putting out, but… she was pretty sure the girl couldn't handle her and Alex both, and the last thing Robin wanted was to come between her two favorite people. Mmm… sandwiching that girl between her and Alex, though… that'd be a treat! Still, she couldn't get distracted by being horny. It wasn't like she wasn't always horny anyway. Unlike most of the rest of the Combinants, she didn't need a little extra boost to get to that point. It was, for her, simply part of her nature.

Ditto were, after all, not just capable of breeding with nearly any 'mon, but wanted to, the horny fucks.

Robin let herself grin as the scenario of double-penetrating Elle ran through her mind, but she stood and stretched too. A quick shower wouldn't go amiss, and maybe the sound would be deadened by the water. She couldn't afford to bring Onahole though, that would take too long, and she'd likely still be asleep after the three 'feedings' Robin had given her the night before. But a bathroom and shower would probably let her at least finish waking up before she went to go see what the problem was. It didn't sound like there was any immediate danger, anyway.

Several minutes later, she knocked on the door of their room. The cursing quieted, but didn't stop, and she heard thudding feet stride closer before the door was yanked open. Robin actually flinched back at the look of fury on Alex's face, a moment before the door slammed shut again. She sighed, but a few seconds later, she heard, "Alex! Let her in!"

The door opened again, this time to Elle's nude, dripping form. She glanced apologetically at Robin, but scowled over her shoulder at her lover as she stepped aside, "Come on! What's wrong with you?" Then, as Robin carefully stepped in, there was a quiet, "Sorry… I don't know what's gotten in to him."

Both women confronted him side by side, but Alex, who now strode back and forth between the bed and window on the far side of the room, stopped and whirled, pointing an accusatory finger at Robin. "What's gotten into me? I'll tell you what's gotten into me! She's gotten into me!"

Elle couldn't help it, apparently. She snickered, "What, didn't like sucking her dick? Or was it in the bum?"

Robin couldn't stop herself either, because she added, "I didn't think you'd be into that, but if you want we can-"

"Fuck, no!" he yelled, and Robin jumped again, recoiling a full step behind the smaller Elle. "We haven't done anything like that, and I'm not going to! Not after the fucking bullshit Game Freak just pulled!"

He resumed his furious pacing at once, leaving Robin and Elle to share a confused glance. The blonde girl shrugged, whispered, "I'm gonna get dressed, I don't think he's in the mood for a morning 'calm-down'. Back in a sec- unless you think I should stay?"

"No, I- I think I can handle it," Robin muttered back, "I don't think he'd attack me."

Elle looked back at the man she was certain she loved, who was more angry, or at least more openly angry, now than he'd been after that ill-conceived semi-orgy she'd brought on with Morpheus' psychic powers. Then, he had fumed quietly, but this… She sighed, gave Robin a reassuring touch on the upper arm, and headed back into the bathroom she had clearly just exited, and shut the door behind her.

"Alright, I'm listening," Robin started, forcing her voice to remain calm despite her nerves as she stepped into the room and sat on the nearest corner of the bed.

Alex only looked down at her while pacing, but didn't say anything. At least, at first. After a few moments, he growled, "Like you don't know."

"I honestly don't," Robin shrugged, "I mean, I know GF are up to all sorts of things, but I don't know which one you're referring to, or what all those things are. I'm not omniscient, and I'm certainly not a member of their leadership."

"Sure fucking act like it, you seem to know everything," he muttered, and stopped pacing to yank the curtains open and stare out the window at the morning-lit city around them.

"I know specific things about the two of you, not everything about everything," she reminded him, "And that's only because I was told to get to know the two of you, which I've started to do."

"Why us, then?" he shouted, "What the fuck makes us so special? Why not ply your looks and seduction and smirky, all-knowing grin on someone else? Huh?"

"That I can answer," she told him, "though I'm not going to unless you do something for me, first."

His hackles rose even further, and Robin had to fight the urge to leave the room completely as he turned his glare on her once more, this time with his fists balled at his sides. Every muscle in his body was tense. "I'm not doing shit for you. After the fucking- after- no fucking way! No way in hell!"

"Then you get no answers," Robin said quietly, "but what I want isn't hard: stop yelling at me. I didn't have anything to do with whatever you're upset about. At least, I don't think I did. So please stop taking it out on me."

With visible effort, Alex relaxed his hands, even shook them out, though once again he turned away to stare out the window. He didn't apologize, but Robin appreciated it all the same. After it became clear he wouldn't say anything else, by which time she'd heard the bathroom door creak open a little, she explained, "You, and Elle, because of your Sync Rate-"

"Whatever the fuck that is!"

She continued after the brief interruption, deciding to let that one slide, "at least, that's part of why Dr.- excuse me, Ms. Greengrass chose you. That's not all of it, your looks, your background, history, psych profile… it shouldn't surprise you to know that the moment you were selected to participate, they already knew everything there is to know about you. That's the way our world's existed for two hundred years."

He nodded silently, curtly, but again, Robin took it as a good sign that he didn't shout anything else. "She must've thought you were intriguing. I suppose a bit like I did. Yes, Alex, I chose you two. I could've gone with anyone in the upper ten percent Sync-wise. They suggested someone else, actually, some Chris guy who had an Eevee, but he-"

"Wait, I know him," Alex muttered, looking over his shoulder, "I- I fucked his girlfriend. Well, sort of girlfriend, I guess. While Elle gave him a hand-job."

"Sounds fun," Robin grinned, "maybe it's the same guy. Last I heard he didn't have a girl, but… anyway, they wanted me to run with him. I picked you two because I thought you were cute, and seemed more interesting. There's really nothing more to it than that, though. At least, not as far as I'm concerned."

"Still, that doesn't- you-" He seemed somewhat at a loss, though Alex eventually settled on, "So what's Sync Rate, really, then?"

Robin could only shrug, "My understanding is that it's exactly what it sounds like: How well the neural interface bridges the gap between your brain and the program that allows us to drive our Combinant bodies. Or in your case, your alternate body. It might interest you to know that yesterday, when we were logged out, was the second time ever I've been in a body that wasn't mine."

He turned half-way around, a look of curiosity on his face, before he frowned and silently turned back. "So? If what you're telling us is true, then you haven't had your real body since you were a little girl."

Despite herself, Robin felt something she never had before, an emotion that took her several seconds to identify: offense. She was offended. She only realized after the fact that her face had twisted in an unusual way too, somewhere between hurt, shock, and anger. "Excuse me, Alex, but you're just wrong there. This is my 'real body'. It's the only one I've ever known. Just because it wasn't the one I was born with doesn't mean it isn't real. It's solid- you can feel it. You have felt it. It's not a machine-"

"It's part fucking Pokémon!"

"So are you!" she shouted back, standing up tall, her own fists at her side. She felt furious suddenly, more angry than she could ever remember being. It was a strange, foreign emotion almost, because while in the Program they had all been told their emotional responses were muted to help them cope. Now, in the world, the real world, everything had been so raw, so bare… Robin hadn't realized how hard she was keeping a leash on herself to maintain some semblance of control.

That control had shattered.

She kept going, uncaring that this time, it was Alex that had flinched back, "You're a Combinant! So is Elle! So's that girlfriend of Chris' you fucked! So's Megumi, and Kinta! So the fuck what?! What difference does it make, huh? Does it make them feel different? Do you act, or think different? Do you? Could you even tell if you were? No! No, you can't! So what if I'm a freak? I like who I am! I'm as human as I want to be, and you and your bigoted fuckery can go fuck off!"

She jumped, spun, nearly punched Elle as the girl put a cool hand on her arm. Elle flinched back too, but held her ground regardless.

The knowledge that she would've taken the hit if it would have helped forced Robin to step back from her emotions once more, confront them as Dr. Phillips, Dr. Jones, and all other Psychers at the program had drilled into them over and over. She took three deep breaths, her eyes closed, then murmured, "Sorry, Elle. I- I'm sorry."

"No, don't," the girl said quietly, then pulled her into a hug.

Robin didn't realize she was crying until she felt the wetness rolling down Elle's slender shoulder into her cheek. But she couldn't seem to stop. Not for several long, long minutes while the only sound in the room was Alex's breathing, which decreased in volume and pace slowly, the air conditioning, and her quiet sobs.

"I don't think you're a freak," Elle said quietly as Robin forced herself away.

"I- I don't, either," Alex muttered, sounding almost genuinely apologetic. "I mean… you said… it. I didn't."

"But you were thinking it," Elle told him firmly.

"I wasn't," he protested, "At least, not- not like that. I know it's not her fault."

"I am a freak," Robin whispered, almost hissing, "but I'm not unhappy about it. I like being who I am, what I am. How many people outside of video games, holovids, and books can really shapeshift? Sure, it's slow and kind of hurts, but… come on. It's totally worth it."

"I'm a bit jealous, I have to admit," Elle giggled quietly, "Are you- are you okay?"

Robin's response was, at first, automatic. "I'm fine." Then she took a few seconds to process it, and said it again, more firmly. "I… it's a lot. I didn't even know how much of that I was bottling up. But yes, Elle, thank you."

Then she turned toward Alex, but kept one of the slight girl's arms around her curved waist, "And thank you, too. Asshole. Just in case you're still suspicious of why I'm no real fan of Game Freak myself. I know what they did to me. I don't… hate it. But I never got a choice. You at least did."

"I didn't choose to become a Combinant," he said quietly, turning back toward the window, though only for a moment. Steel was all over his face as he looked at Elle, "They're dosing our real bodies back home. Greengrass admitted it right after- right after I came, gave them 'a sample'. Licked a bit out of her pussy, said 'Combinant cum is yummy,' or something… then bragged about how I got that reveal because I was a good boy."

Elle stiffened behind her, nearly screaming in Robin's ear, "You fucked Maline Greengrass? You stud! Was she great? I bet she was! She's so hot, I-"

"Wait, wait," Alex shouted, this time without anger but just to get her to stop. Robin was grateful, because Elle was not being quiet, and her mouth was right next to Robin's ear. "You- that's what you took out of that conversation? That I fucked Greengrass?"

"W- Well, yeah," Elle replied, sounding confused, "So what if they're giving us Ditto DNA? We could end up like Robin!"

"Or we could die. And they're doing it without our consent!"

"So? I don't recall- wait…" Elle frowned, then picked up her Pokégear off the nearby desk and turned on the holo-screen, flicking through several of them quickly. "Here it is… the NDA and Disclosure forms… yes… see? They included it for our reference in-game. I knew I'd seen it… Search… there! You did, technically, consent. All of us did. Except maybe Robin and those like her."

"How do you mean?" he growled.

Elle stepped around her, and Robin immediately missed her warmth, though she appreciated the smaller girl's form as she strode past in her usual short, white shorts and this time deep crimson, midriff-baring halter-top, "Right here, see? 'Authorize use of any medical care or treatment deemed necessary by Game Freak's medical staff.'"

She watched Alex process for several seconds, before he turned and sank onto the bed facing the window. "Mother fucker. But- how the fuck would- fuck. Mega-Corps. Bend every damned rule, rewrite every one they can to suit them…"

"Yeah."

"What I don't get," Robin asked, "is why? Like, okay, your Combinant bodies on this side are safer. You'd be protected against this world's diseases, and all that. They can be sent through the portal without being maimed or broken or killed. Still hurts, but it's survivable. You can even have Potions and things like that used on you in a pinch, even if it's not as effective as on a full Pokémon. But why on that side? I mean… so far as I know, Combinants breed true. If even one Combinant escaped and sired or birthed, that child would be a Combinant, and all of theirs would be… and eventually 'pure' humanity would cease to exist. As far as I know, I'm a backup. They want to save our world if they can. Use Pokémon to clean it up, you know, and get this world's dimensional- or space-faring tech, their environmental protection tech, all that, and fix our world. Why would they introduce what's basically an invasive species version of humanity on that side?"

"No fucking idea," Alex muttered.

"Yeah, but you fucked Maline Greengrass," Elle giggled, "Tell us! Come on, stud, was she really that good? I bet she was."

"I want to know, too," Robin laughed, "Come on, tell us over breakfast. I wanna eat. Have you showered, yet? We gotta go meet Kinta and Megu anyway."

"Yeah, yeah… I guess I'd better tell you before I ruin his virgin ears," Alex grumbled. Still, by the time his story was done, Robin wasn't the only one rubbing her thighs together.

It was a long breakfast, but thankfully, they didn't have to take their time. They had a plan, a goal today. Training was done for now: it was time to check out the Gyms and figure out which one they each wanted to attempt first. Ice or Water, to get either the Cascade Badge, or the Frostwind Badge.

Neither, she knew, would be easy. But Robin didn't mind a challenge. Not when her friends were there. And even if Alex never did quite apologize that day, at least he treated her like…

Well, a person. He even held the door for her on the way out of the PMC after they'd met up with their temporary(?) team-mates… and had a sheepish little grin that was just so cute on his stubbly, sexy jaw!

"Okay," Adisa called out tiredly, looking around the clearing with a critical eye, "This… this looks alright. We can stop here, for now."

She was answered by exhausted cries of, "Finally," and, "About time!"

The tall woman ignored them. They knew what was at stake, what it would cost them if they hadn't been hiking all day. All day… Adisa snorted quietly to herself. Three miles. They'd made it three miles since setting out that morning. Even calling it 'morning' had been all-but a joke. Maybe they don't understand what's at stake… what Rocket will do to them. Fuck… I thought they'd get it, after the last two weeks, but…

She had told them the plan, that they were picking up and moving camp first thing in the morning the night before. There had been celebrating, cheering, lots of sex- some of them had even done so openly around the fire, swapping partners out there, as she'd suspected the teens had been doing in private for more than two months. Even calls of 'down with Rocket!'.

Now… she wasn't sure it even counted, any more. The kids hadn't gotten their shit together until nearly eleven, and by then they might as well have waited until after eating lunch before moving out, right? Once they had gotten moving, there had been endless bathroom breaks, rest breaks, and 'ooh, let's catch that Pokémon' breaks (those, at least, Adisa understood, though she hadn't caught one of her own in… well, months too), and so on.

They had crossed over two hills and gotten to the top of a ridge-line just a little further north-east of Cerulean from where they had been, but Adisa trusted the pedometer in her Pokégear to measure the distance accurately. If nothing else, the GPS would… would… fuck. "They might be able to track out," she murmured, "but if so… there's nothing we can do."

Around her, the tired teenagers and two pre-teens (who, thankfully, had yet to engage in anything untoward as far as she knew, even if they were getting too close for comfort) were already staking out their territory for tents and whatnot. "Don't set them up permanently," Adisa instructed them, "You're breaking camp tomorrow morning and going further east. This is still too close."

The eight remaining kids grumbled, but listened. Eight… They'd started the morning with twelve. Two had stayed behind, two hadn't even made it a mile before turning back, choosing Team Rocket and slavery over likely capture anyway. "Just get caught tired," one had muttered.

The worst part was, Adisa couldn't blame them. They were probably right.

But she still had to try. Try to get these kids somewhere safe. Only, if they were tracking her… the kids were nobodies. Peons, not even worthy of registering on Rocket's radar. The lowest of the low cannon fodder. Her? Well, she might be valuable to them. Which meant…

"Hey, Adisa," one of the girls said, "Why aren't you setting your tent up? Tired? I can maybe help, if-"

"No," she replied, cutting her off, and turning to face the teens with her hands in the straps of her own pack, much weather-beaten after three months outside of civilization. "I'm going on further. I need to leave you guys."

"Wh- What?" two protested, while the rest looked on wide-eyed.

"I have to," she explained, "They might be tracking my 'gear. If I stay… it's just putting you all in danger."

"But- we don't care!"

"We're in danger anyway!"

"Yeah, what if wild Pokémon attack? We can fend off some, but-"

"You're way stronger!"

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. They were right there, too. All of them. But…

Could she, could they afford to separate?…

Could they not?

Adisa didn't know. She didn't feel like she knew anything, anymore. "Fine," she murmured, "One more night. But you guys really need to get up in the morning. We barely made any progress. If you want to stay ahead of Team Rocket, we'll need to do at least ten miles every day. Not three."

"Ten?"

She nodded, "Ten. At least. I'm serious. If you can't keep up, I haven't got a choice but to leave you behind to save the rest. If that's too much… probably best turn back now. The others weren't wrong when they said you'd only get caught tired. But the first settlement we find that isn't a likely Rocket stronghold, we need to separate. Go our separate ways- not just me and you guys, but all of us. Go in twos and threes, maybe four- I know that's just two groups and me, Tony- but split up. Spread the word to people you can trust about what Rocket's doing, but otherwise just lay low. Find a family to stay with, an orphanage… something."

The children suddenly looked scared, like they hadn't since she had driven off the creep weeks earlier. They looked to her for leadership. For strength. She wasn't a leader. She might be strong compared to them, but Adisa wanted nothing more in that moment than to break down and cry, most definitely hand off the reigns to someone else. Anyone.