Pokegirl Origins - Unova Chapter 20 - Remnant of a Fallen Kingdom, a pokémon fanfic

WARNING

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT INAPPROPRIATE FOR READERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18

Nicholas couldn't help but chuckle as he gazed at the island they were passing by. "Crazy how long a couple of months feel. Remember the last time the two of us were on this ferry?"

Nikki was sitting on the ferry's guardrail, her legs swinging as she swayed back and forth in the breeze. "No. That was Victini."

Nicholas smiled slightly. "I suppose it was. You know, sitting like that you might take a dive in the bay like Cathy did."

"Oh, I'm fine," Nikki huffed, failing to realize that Nicholas wasn't just making small talk. "Besides, I can fly-"

The figure that had been sneaking her way up behind Nikki suddenly shoved the legendary off the rail and cried out. "NOW, Kali!"

It was like something out of a cartoon. Nikki yelped, flailing about before she caught herself just a few inches below where she'd started. Then the air all around her vibrated, Nikki looking up just in time to see Kali holding one hand up with power blazing from her eyes. And she plummeted, a keening squeal echoing as a heavy reverberation shook the ferry deck from the effect Kali had formed. It was just beginning to fade when they all heard the distant splash.

"YES! GOT HER!" Cathy whirled and threw up both hands to give Kali a double high five. "TAKE A BATH, NIKKI! HA!"

A plume of salt water sprayed into the air as Nikki raced back towards the top deck and her entire body was steaming when she reappeared to start screaming at the celebrating pair. "OOH! KALI! HOW COULD YOU!"

"Because that was for Cathy's revenge," Kali replied, grinning as her hand flashed out and Nikki's eyes widened. "This is mine for that day, Nikki."

"No no nO NO WAI-!" Nikki tried to scream but she had only flown up, not over, so when Kali sent her plummeting back down it was straight back into the bay she went.

Nicholas was laughing too hard to say anything when Cathy rushed to the rail and cupped her hands around her mouth. "AIN'T SO FUN WHEN WE'RE PLAYING WITH YOU, IS IT GIRL!"

This time Nikki shot from the water and took a curving path, juking every few seconds and staying below the deck to hopefully avoid Kali's line of sight. "I surrender! You win," she tried to reason with the grinning Miltank. "You got me, okay? I punted you off the ferry, you punted me off the ferry. Kali even got her moment to reeeeally punish me for breaking her little seal. Okay? We're even?"

"Hey Kali!" Cathy yelled over her shoulder. "She's over here!"

"Oh you are SO mean!" Nikki squealed. "Master!" She was already retreating so as not to test whether or not Kali would send her into the water again. "I need to go take a shower. Want to come with?"

"What, back at your island?" Nicholas called, having to cup his hands around his mouth to project his voice with how quickly Nikki was making distance. "Very tempting, but I'd like to land in Castelia today."

"Fair enough! See you there!" Nikki yelped and flashed to the blazing fireball he'd originally witnessed her as when Kali appeared next to Cathy, quickly zipping away over the waves towards Liberty Island.

Nicholas wiped his eyes. "Wow. That was great."

"Why'd you try to warn her, huh?" Cathy griped and gave him a good-natured shove. "It was hard enough trying to creep up on a girl with a pair of ears that big."

"So that she can't claim I took your side, that's why," Nicholas snickered. "I always play both sides when my pokegirls play tricks on each other."

"Such a tamer," Sabrina laughed from her position farther along the rail.

Nicholas stretched and stood up straight when the ferry began to turn. "Landing in Castelia soon." He turned to where Adalinda and Kiana were similarly enjoying the view. "I got plans for you two girls and am almost sad Nikki will be delayed."

Kiana cocked her head and Adalinda frowned. "Why?" the Snivy asked.

"Because she knows where the place is that I want to take you," Nicholas replied. "It's time for some hard training, Ada. You too, Kiana. You especially, in fact. You've got some real great fighting instincts from your time as a feral so now it's time to refine them." He clapped his hands together. "Ah! We can take the scenic route north through the city. Get a special treat on the way, and I wonder what that art gallery is showing these days? Wouldn't that be fun, honey? Revisit our day from last year?"

"Ooh, you had me at 'art gallery'," Sabrina laughed as she also got off the rail and walked over to give him a peck on the cheek. "Where are you thinking of going with your new harem?"

"Somewhere in the desert north of the city," Nicholas replied. "Before we even think of facing Burgh at his gym I want to train. It just so happens there's also somewhere deep in the wilderness I want to visit. Two birds one stone."

"Ugh, I was hoping you weren't going to say that," Sabrina groaned. "I think I'll just wait in Castelia for you to get back."

Nicholas chuckled. "That's fine. I do intend on facing Burgh before heading all the way through the desert to Nimbasa. And hey." He gave the group a shrug and a grin. "Who knows. We might even find a new harem sister to help us out there."

"New pack sister," Kiana replied happily. "Yes Master. Please Master!"

"Right, you said that was the plan… um. Last night," Adalinda said. "I'd forgotten."

"Now why on earth could that be," Nicholas murmured, grinning when Kiana sidled over to hug the Snivy and Adalinda's face flushed pink. "It's so nice to see you girls getting along."

"Ada is pack," Kiana replied seriously. "Before was before. Now is now."

"I don't think I could say it much better myself," Nicholas replied. "Right! To Castelia Cones we go!"

"Kalmiya says some of the girls were asking to rotate in when we got to Castelia, so I'll have company when you get back," Sabrina was saying. The group was standing at the northern gate of Castelia City with the desert stretching off in the distance. "I might ask Kali to teleport me back and forth too so I can spend time with my own harem, but I promise to be here when you go up against Burgh."

"Oh, I know you will, don't you worry about that," Nicholas laughed, sharing a kiss with her before turning and waving at her and Kali as he led the way down the road. "We'll be out there for at least a few days! Maybe a week! See you then!"

"See you honey!"

Nicholas kept waving until Sabrina and Kali turned to head back into the city. "Right!" He dropped his arm. "Nikki. You're our guide, and no more. Where should we go?"

"Northwest, Master," Nikki replied. She'd rejoined them at the art gallery, causing quite a stir from the patrons as one of the subjects of a previous month's exhibition, before the group had beaten a hasty path for the exit. "If we go northwest we will soon see the outskirts of the kingdom of truth."

"The kingdom of truth?" Adalinda asked curiously as they went. "As in, the first kingdom of Unova?"

"A piece of it," Nicholas replied quietly. "From what I've learned this entire desert used to be the heart of the Kingdom of the Vale. 'The kingdom of truth' was what some of the lands became known as during the war that tore the Vale apart." His eyes were gazing off into the distance. "Those under the control of the prince who claimed Reshiram." He blinked and turned to Adalinda with a smile. "But don't worry about any of that. What you and Kiana are here for is experience. You want to evolve."

Adalinda straightened excitedly. "Yes!"

"Then let's start right now!" Nicholas laughed, turning and jumping off the road to start trudging through the desert sands. "Nikki, make sure I don't go too off course, but let's find what kind of ferals make these sands their home!"

"WATCH OUT!" Nicholas slammed to a halt at Adalinda's shout and a moment later a whirlwind of leaves was slicing around his legs to pepper the sand not two feet in front of him. Immediately the ground was shifting, a scream piercing the air as a pokegirl thrashed her way into the open with bloody lacerations covering her face.

"What the-" Nicholas began, stumbling back while Adalinda slithered past him with a battle cry. "I didn't even sense her!"

"Sandile. A Ground/Dark-type pokegirl," Kalmiya was already reporting in his ear. "Sandile and their evolutions are said to be excellent ambush predators."

"Hiding her presence, eh?" Nicholas muttered. The Sandile hadn't had a chance to put up any kind of a fight – Adalinda's barrage had basically ended the encounter on its own. Her lashing vines were just sealing the deal. "Okay. Maybe we follow the road after all." He blinked. Wait a second. Adalinda's barrage? "Hey, wait!" he cried as Adalinda grabbed the wild pokegirl by her craggy tail and yanked her free of the sand – just to slam her back onto her face. The Sandile went still. "Ada, what was that attack? When'd you pick that up?"

"Huh?" Adalinda glanced back. "What do you mean?"

"You just threw leaves!"

Adalinda blinked. As Nicholas looked at the Snivy's body the only leaf-like place where the projectiles might have originated was the very tip of her tail. "I… did?" Her eyes widened. "I did!"

"C'mere." Nicholas took hold of her when Adalinda complied and began running his hands over her body. He found what he was looking for on her back. "I knew it. There's something growing in beneath your scales." He gave the soft spot a gentle probe and grinned when Adalinda let out an orgasmic moan. "Oh, I recognize what's going on here." He released the Snivy as she began to glow. "You just needed a little push."

The first change was what Nicholas had already found and it was the spot he had inspected that sprang into view first. As Adalinda arched her body tiny clusters of leaves burst to life along her spine, joining the large formation halfway up her torso with another large group budding halfway down her tail. The next came as Adalinda's entire body swelled. Her tail, growing out at least another few feet. Her torso, expanding a bit to match the tail. Her chest, growing into a respectable pair of breasts that her top no longer could fully contain. Her head. The short hair extending and gaining a messy curl to it as it did, and the small pointed ears that had been hiding within it rocketing up until they were as tall as Kiana's. These though were not furred, but pointed, leathery things with an underside as yellow as her vines.

And her vines had changed, as well. Just as the rest of Adalinda's body was restructuring slightly to fit the evolving Snivy's new proportions, like the thicker scales spreading on her underside, forming the beginnings of scaled plates to support her increased mass, Adalinda's vines were adjusting for her chest. Where they had once just sprouted from her shoulders, now the structures crept down towards Adalinda's sternum to come together below her enlarged breasts. A natural support, even if as the evolutionary glow faded Nicholas could only see a glimpse of what was going on under the newly evolved Servine's top.

Adalinda had to quickly steady herself when her arched position nearly made her fall over but she did, catching her breath before looking up to find Nicholas. As she did Nicholas saw something behind her panting lips and his grin grew even wider. The two small fangs along Adalinda's lower jaw had grown into full ones now and he had a feeling he knew what the tiny flash of white he'd seen behind her upper lip had been. "Hey, Nicholas."

"Hey yourself, Ada," Nicholas chuckled, moving to squat before realizing that the Servine was now much closer to his own height when holding herself upright. He still leaned in to wrap an arm around her back. "See what happens when we do things right?"

Adalinda blinked before recoiling slightly as a heavy blush suffused her face and neck. "Yes. Yes I do."

"Congratulations on evolving. I suppose my goals for this little outing have changed." He released her and stood up straight. "Still lots of training. But now, it's not to get you to evolve. It's to get you comfortable in your new body." He smiled. "Kiana! I want you watching Ada's back as we travel, but for today, leave everything to her unless she asks for help." He gave the Servine a tough sneer. "Her performance today will decide whether or not I tame her when we make camp tonight."

A burning heat rose within Adalinda's chest at the challenge, some part of it certainly originating from her suddenly aching pussy but most coming from somewhere she couldn't yet name. It rose in the face of her Master's words and her lips curled back to reveal all four glistening fangs when she snarled out a response. "The decision will not be yours to make."

Nicholas' eyes lit up when he heard the presence behind her words. The dragon within Adalinda was waking. "Oh, it will," he purred, catching her chin and slipping his thumb past her fangs to take a firm hold. "So help me make a good one, Adalinda."

The Servine jerked her head free with a dangerous hiss and began slowly drifting around him. "Then go."

"This? This is why I avoided Hoenn's interior," Nicholas griped. He was grimacing as he tried to hold his arm in front of his face while simultaneously squinting into the blowing sand. The next day had found them leaving the road at Nikki's instruction and trudging through the dunes before a sandstorm had whipped up. At least they were on the right track. Occasional rocky formations provided temporary relief and their shape and size suggested these were the ruins of ancient buildings. Of course, anything sticking up above the sand had been worn down over time so none of them provided any real shelter, forcing the group to keep moving. "There's got to be somewhere we can get out of this storm."

"We're within the city walls," Nikki called from her position at the front. "The castle should still have something to protect us."

"Hope so."

"Where is it?" Nikki muttered, peering ahead into the driving sand. "It should be right in front of us. Where is it?"

She turned when there was a yelp and Kiana could be seen buried to her waist with the sand around her collapsing inwards. "KIANA!" Nicholas started to move to the Growlithe's aid before realizing his mistake. "ADA! Grab her with your vines, but don't get too close!"

The Servine spread out her entire body just in case she was sitting on another soft spot and looped her vines around Kiana's chest, slowly pulling the Growlithe back onto the surface. "Quicksand too?" she hissed as Kiana scrambled back to her feet. "What happens if I fall in?"

"I feel like if you're falling in, we're all falling in," Nicholas replied. "The way you can spread your weight means if it gets to that point we've wandered our way into a massive pit." He peered around warily. "Still. Nikki, stay with us, please? I like having someone around who can just levitate."

"Of course," Nikki replied quickly. "I just don't understand. The castle should be here. Like, we should be standing in the walls right now if I'm remembering correctly."

"Hm." Nicholas glanced at the shifting sands where Kiana had sunk. "Maybe we are. Did the castle have a basement?"

"Well, I would assume so."

"True quicksand needs water flowing through it, I thought," Nicholas mused. "We're in a bone-dry desert. Could air have the same effect?"

"What are you thinking?" Adalinda asked.

"I'm thinking Kiana might have just stumbled onto our basement." Nicholas started to take a step before grimacing. "Damn, I'd rather not test my theory by falling into one of these soft spots and be wrong. If I'm right, I could fall through into an open space. If I'm wrong, I'm buried alive."

"What the hell- you're not jumping in quicksand!"

Nicholas rolled his eyes at the gaping Servine. "I wasn't going to intentionally. I meant if I started wandering around and fell in."

"Oh." Adalinda looked around as well. "Then what were you going to look for?"

"An actual open way down," Nicholas replied. "Maybe the original stairs or something."

"I can do that!" Nikki exclaimed. "Nobody move until I get back."

Nicholas watched her vanish into the sand. "Don't move. Easier said than done but I think I can manage." He shifted his weight cautiously before settling down into a squat. "At least the sand is keeping the ferals under cover as well. Why do they all have to be Dark-types? Now I understand how Sabrina feels around them. They're fucking terrifying when you're used to being able to naturally sense every creature around you."

"That clumsy girl was hardly stealthy," Adalinda scoffed. "Don't tell me you didn't hear or see her coming."

"I mean, I did, but imagine, like… Say a pokegirl was simply invisible and the only way you'd know where she was is by hearing her move," Nicholas tried to explain. "Even if she was loud that would scare the hell out of you, wouldn't it? Your ears aren't as good as your eyes at pinpointing a location, and you'd never know if there was one out there who might be a little more quiet."

Adalinda glanced at Kiana. "I bet Kiana's ears are good enough for that to not matter."

"Yeah, fair," Nicholas grumbled. "Bet her nose is too." He motioned the Growlithe to join him and scratched behind the ears in question. "How are you doing, Kiana? Ada seems like she's getting comfortable after her evolution."

"It's hard, Master," Kiana confessed. "But I won't give up! I'll stop anything Ada can't handle!"

"Yeah, stupid question I guess when we're in a desert full of Ground-type pokegirls," Nicholas sighed. "I've just been putting some thought into your own evolution. Growlithe evolve from a catalyst, not after gaining experience, like Snivy and Servine do. If we wanted, I could buy you a fire stone when we got back to Castelia and evolve you into an Arcanine then and there."

"But why would we?"

Nicholas wagged a finger at the confused girl. "Precisely. Why would we. You feel no need to evolve yet, and there's a reason you don't. I don't need to be an evolutionary researcher to know that if my pokegirl doesn't feel the urge to evolve then she hasn't grown to the maximum potential of her current form. Once you have, when the day comes that you ask me to buy you the stone, I'll get it for you in a heartbeat. As you are now, you emit uncontrolled flames when you're really invested in a battle and can spit little embers on command. That wouldn't change if you were an Arcanine. In fact it might even be harder for you to learn to truly control your flames in a body that has so much more potential."

"Uh-huh?"

Nicholas chuckled and gave her a vigorous rub. "Uh huh uh huh. I'm going to be making sure you learn some of that control while we're out here, you know. You'll be our big ticket in Burgh's Bug-type gym."

"Found it!" Nicholas looked up when Nikki appeared from the blowing sand with a massive grin on her face. "It's got a lot of sand covering things but the stairs are still visible."

"Excellent. Let's go!"

They had to clear a narrow path as they descended, large drifts having formed along either wall of the staircase but the very light flow of air Nicholas could feel as they entered the buried sections of the castle made him comfortable leading the pokegirls inside. As did the welcome party. No sooner had Nikki lit up a few flaming orbs to provide light than they were under attack, a pair of grey-furred rodent pokegirls trying to drive the intruders from where they themselves had been taking shelter. Adalinda and Kiana handled them easily before Nicholas stepped forwards, the orb Victini had created for him hovering just behind his head and casting long shadows across the subterranean walls. "Finally out of the storm," he breathed in relief. The lower levels of the old castle started with a short hallway that seemed to be opening into a larger room just ahead. "Let's explore ahead and find a place to make camp. Those two ferals mean that this place is as safe as can be expected, at least from collapse." He glanced back at his two. "I'm saying we should be prepared for more wild pokegirls."

Adalinda chuckled and took point. "Underground, definitely Ground or Rock-types. I'll keep in the lead again, Kiana."

"Okay!" the Growlithe remarked brightly.

However, even as the group traveled further into the ruin, nothing more jumped out at them. The room the hallway had seemed to be leading them towards turned out to just be another, more decorative hub with pillars holding up the roof. Some cracked, some broken, but most standing strong.

Nicholas walked over to a large mound of loose sand that rose all the way to the ceiling and squinted up at the source. "Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and assume my theory on the quicksand was correct. It looks like the sand from the desert is trickling through a crack up there." He looked back down at the pile of sand with a frown. "Must be perfectly balanced, the weight above pressing down on this pile below. I wonder…" The sand slumped when he kicked a large chunk from the side and immediately new grains began raining down. "Yep. You stepped on the sand above one of these cracks, Kiana."

"So we're making camp?" Adalinda asked as Nicholas began investigating the hall. "Heading back up once the wind dies down?"

"No. I think this is what I came here to see," Nicholas murmured. He'd come to a halt in front of a piece of carved art on the wall. "The remains of the kingdom the first hero of truth sought to create." His eyes wandered the carvings but they weren't really looking at them. "Before any of you ask, no I don't know what I want to find here. But I knew I wanted to see." He blinked and turned away from the wall to address Adalinda. "Sorry, camp. Yes. Yes to camp, no to heading back aboveground for a while."

The Servine nodded and began breaking out the gear while Kiana joined her Master in wandering. "Master, look!" Kiana was inspecting a scattering of shattered colored stone fragments and Nicholas could see what appeared to be a mostly intact helmet made of the same material hiding under some sand nearby. "What is this?"

"Pieces of broken armor, I guess?" Nicholas said. "That's odd, I'd expect to see metal armor if anything." He peered around. There were a lot of shards scattered about the room, and a few more intact pieces of full armor to back up his theory. A shattered greave here, a twisted plate there. "Maybe some old statues or something. They look like decorative stone at least."

"Hey, should we light a fire down here?" Adalinda called to pull Nicholas' attention from the room. "Is there enough ventilation?"

"Let's be safe and say no sustained burn, leave it at Nikki's lights," Nicholas replied, walking over while Kiana continued exploring. "We can use the good trail food. The silver bags? They've got chemical heating pouches."

Kiana made a full lap of the room before moving on to the hallways radiating from it, her senses straining as she peered into the dark. Nicholas was helping the others prepare their meal as the Growlithe took a hesitant step into one of the corridors. "Master?"

"What is it?"

"Is that a hand? It looks all stiff."

"If it's another piece of the statues I'd assume it's a gauntlet," Nicholas replied without turning. "That's a kind of armor that you'd wear on your hand." He finally glanced to her. "Or is it a mummified corpse?"

Kiana edged closer to peer at the pile of sand a few feet down the hall. "Mummy-fie means dry and shrivelly, right Master? This is thick. And big."

"Sounds like another piece of a statue to me." He frowned to himself. "Although… Kalmiya? I was just joking about the mummy thing but I seem to remember there being a Ghost-type pokegirl that has that kind of form."

"There is, Master," Kalmiya replied while Kiana inched closer and began poking at the buried object. "This would be a likely habitat for the Yamask line."

"Eh, maybe Kiana shouldn't be wandering off on her own then," Nicholas muttered. "Kiana!" The Growlithe didn't turn at first, her curiosity leading her to keep moving sand to reveal the source of the hand. A fully intact stone arm, then shoulder, then she giggled when the sand slipped off a pair of featureless tits. "KIANA!"

Kiana whirled. "Master?!"

"Come on back. It's lunch time and I don't want you running into a feral while we're distracted," Nicholas called.

"Okay!" The Growlithe scampered back to plunge the corridor back into darkness. Mostly. As the disturbed sand continued to trickle off the buried figure a faint yellow glow was slowly being revealed emanating from the seams of the torso.

A stone finger twitched.

"Yamask, huh," Nicholas mused as Kiana rejoined them and took the blank pouch he handed her. The Growlithe was confused at first but when Nicholas showed her how to pull open the seal and a burst of steam brought a heady aroma to her nose she was sold on the strange meal. "Yamask, Ghost-type. Ghost types are usually pretty versatile. Sammy certainly was. Maybe we should try and find one down here."

"Did you have a specific pokegirl in mind for our next harem sister?" Adalinda asked. "Or just letting what comes come? Like Kiana."

"I mean we've already captured those Sandile and… Minccino, were they?" Nicholas asked. When Kalmiya confirmed the rodent pokegirls' breed he nodded. "Those Minccino. Plus the clumsy puncher up in the desert, the Scrafty. If the storm hadn't rolled in we'd probably have found a few other breeds in the sands, but that's a nice selection already."

"So what's the answer?" Adalinda asked with a grin.

"Well, I think that's it," Nicholas chuckled back. "None of those ferals really stood out to me like Kiana did. So, do I have a specific pokegirl in mind? No. Do I have some kind of nebulous idea of what I'm looking for? Yes. None of the ferals we've seen so far have been it."

"It's not a certain breed you're thinking of, is it?" Adalinda asked. "It's an attitude. Kiana showed herself to be a fighter from the very start."

"As did you," Nicholas replied teasingly and leaned over to pat Adalinda's tail. "That's a very good observation, actually, well done. As expected of a pokegirl scientist." Adalinda blushed hard from his praise. "Yeah, maybe that's it. All of the pokegirls I've accepted into my harem have spirit. But if I've never really turned one down, what does that mean?" He thought for a moment before chuckling again. "There have been plenty of skittish ferals I could have tried to tame and bring into the harem. But the only tame pokegirls who have joined the harem are those who are attracted to me in the first place. That's it precisely." He took a huge bite of his lunch. "Sho, when I'm in the wilds, I look for the fighters."

Adalinda was smiling and nodding when her eyes moved past him and the Servine froze. "Um. Nicholas?"

Nicholas blinked at her. "Hm?"

"Is that a pokegirl?"

Nicholas turned. The figure Kiana had found beneath the sand was no longer there. Instead, it was standing, completely motionless. Its head turned in their direction. Visible in the dark by the light shining from within its body.

"It's a problem is what it is," Cathy growled.

"That's no statue," Nicholas said, hurriedly swallowing his food and resealing his bag. "Pokegirl is the most likely option."

"Scanner is inconclusive."

Nicholas grimaced at Kalmiya's report. "Too far for a read or negative result?"

"Negative result, Master," the Porygon-Z clarified. "If that is a pokegirl in full body armor then it is possible the scanner is unable to penetrate."

"If that's a pokegirl then why is the exterior basically featureless?" Nicholas muttered back. He braced when the figure took a step and somehow despite what should have been the sound of stone on stone there was absolute silence. "Great, I talk about an enemy not being visible and only making sound and we find one that's perfectly visible while being completely silent. This isn't much better."

"Coming for pack." Nicholas glanced at Kiana. He'd noticed by now how the Growlithe slipped into much more simplistic sentences when she wasn't completely focusing on speech. Maybe she'd grow out of that, maybe she wouldn't. If he was being honest he found it rather cute. "Master. I attack?"

"I don't see why not. But you are to stay right here with us," Nicholas replied. "Let's make this a test for you, Kiana. Project your flames."

Kiana growled unhappily and began finding her energy as the stone figure took another step towards them.

"You know, I could just handle this," Nikki said from where she was still sitting, lounged back to watch the show. "But you're not going to let me, are you Master."

"You're not the only one," Cathy retorted.

"I refuse to use your power to win," Nicholas shot back to Nikki.

Nikki made a pleasured noise and squirmed happily. "Oh I just love hearing you say that."

"Both of you be quiet and let Kiana try," Nicholas snapped. The Growlithe was trying her best but the flames were only appearing around her body and as soon as she tried to bring them past that they flickered and died. "Unless you know more than we do?"

"Oh, I know what she is," Nikki replied immediately with a shit-eating grin. "But Master, if I told you, wouldn't that be… cheating?"

"Well now you've let slip that it's a pokegirl, and one that existed alongside the old kingdom," Nicholas shot back, wiping Nikki's grin from her face to be replaced by a slack-jawed expression of shock. "Kalmiya?"

"The only match in the World Dex is Golett, Master," Kalmiya said without any pause. "Golett is a Ground/Ghost-type pokegirl said to have been sentries since ancient times."

"Another ghost, eh," Nicholas muttered as the Golett stepped fully into the main room with them and the light more clearly highlighted her features. Or lack of them, in this girl's case. If the shattered rubble they'd found here was the remains of other Golett then there had to be something inside the stone armor but whatever it was apparently didn't need to see. "Also, thanks for reminding me. When we get somewhere with a good enough connection I want you to update the pokedex with every breed currently known, not just what the World League knows within their borders. If I'm starting to think about heading home who knows where else in the world I may travel."

"I can't, Master," Kiana whined as another burst of flame shot from her hands only to fizzle before it even could splash across the Golett's stone body. "I want to hit!"

"That's okay, Kiana. We'll figure it out." Nicholas frowned slightly. Most Arcanine he'd met emanated their flames. Even Ash's had… well, actually, she'd kept them contained to her own body, hadn't she? He'd been surprised then too. Maybe Kiana was similar. "But not right now. Ada?"

"You better give me a real night when we get back to Castelia for all this," the Servine grumbled as she carefully moved forwards to engage the wild Golett. "I could barely move in that tent."

With a confident shout the Servine's vines whipped out. Only for Adalinda's confidence to die when they smacked against the Golett's armor and simply bounced off.

"What the-" Adalinda started, drawing back for another try, before the Golett came to life. Light spurt from the major joints of her torso, the shoulders, hips, and neck, and now something appeared. Sand had been constantly falling from her joints but now it also blasted from what would be the face of this pokegirl to reveal two jagged vertical eye slits, providing the only true opening on this pokegirl's armor to view what lay inside. There was nothing but the light. The energy. As Nicholas took in the Golett's appearance he was reminded squarely of Sammy, his Rotom, and also Ashley, Sabrina's Gengar. He had yet to meet a Ghost-type pokegirl whose true form wasn't fully incorporeal.

"Looks like we've got a real fight on our hands!" Nicholas roared, backpedaling when the Golett moved forwards and her light began to shine from within a clenched fist. "Ada, target the joints! The armor is just a shell, the real pokegirl is inside!"

"How am I supposed to-?" Adalinda started to ask before shrieking in pain. The Golett had swung and despite Adalinda's attempt to dodge the wild pokegirl's glowing fist seemed to track her down. When the punch hit an explosion of shadow had burst out on the opposite side of the Servine's body from the impact point. Nicholas knew that kind of effect well. The Golett's energy had torn straight through Adalinda to emerge on the other side. This pokegirl was dangerous.

"Get her restrained! Kiana!" Nicholas pointed. "GRAPPLE!"

Adalinda rallied and the Golett's head jerked to look as the Servine's vines lashed around her arms, each pokegirl straining as they fought the other's strength. With a howl Kiana charged in, smashing straight into the Golett's face before flipping over the wild pokegirl and grabbing the base of her head, helmet, whatever it was from behind and beginning to heave. The Golett was twitching, her head slowly being pulled in Kiana's direction while Adalinda pulled her body in the other direction, until with a sudden and piercing cry from the feral Kiana ripped her helmet free. Immediately the girl was acting, Adalinda yelping as she was jerked off balance and then the Golett was whirling, her revealed head a featureless blob besides two brighter points which were likely her eyes that zeroed in on the scrambling Growlithe.

Hatred.

Nicholas involuntarily gagged when he felt the wave of vitriol that exploded from the feral. The others felt it as well. Kiana's ears flattened and she whimpered, trying to slink away as Adalinda gasped and tried to scream a warning. "KIANA, DODGE-!"

There was no dodging what the Golett had decided to do. Her gauntleted hand reached up, clenched in a fist, with her eyes locked on the pokegirl that still clutched her shattered helmet, and it rocketed straight through her own head.

Nicholas gasped when he recognized the motion. "FUCK! Kiana, HOLD ON!" He immediately dove for her pokeball as the Growlithe slammed to the ground, the Golett's helmet spinning out across the floor when the Growlithe began seizing. "A feral? A fucking feral has the guts to use that technique?" He recalled Kiana and roared another command. "ADA! She's open now and she just weakened herself to curse Kiana! TAKE! HER! DOWN!"

"With fucking pleasure," Adalinda snarled. The Golett had fallen to one knee and that meant her already exposed head was wide open. Adalinda abandoned her vines, choosing instead to bring both hands whipping forwards as a storm of leaves detached from the growths along her back. The maelstrom shredded the Golett's form and she fell, crashing to the ground with her armor actually making a sound this time. The wild pokegirl herself was out. "What the HELL did she just do?!"

"Something no proper tamer would ever tell their pokegirl to do," Nicholas growled. "A devastating technique that can incapacitate any foe, at the cost of a pokegirl's own health. One that apparently most Ghost-type pokegirls know but that I've only ever seen from one before."

"Will Kiana be okay?"

"I'm going to keep her in her pokeball for a bit to be sure, but yes," Nicholas replied. "The curse seems to lift once the affected pokegirl has been recalled and the link is broken. It's not like an injury, a burn or something, where it's permanent until she faints."

"Thank the creator for that," Adalinda breathed. "What did you yell?"

"Huh?"

"'A fucking feral has the guts'?" Adalinda asked. "Was that what you yelled?"

"Well, yeah," Nicholas replied. "I've never seen a Ghost-type willingly inflict that technique on themselves. You saw how she punched her own head? She did that and suffered the full extent of her own strike to transfer that echo to Kiana."

"Just as devoted as the ones of old," Nikki said. She hadn't moved an inch during the battle. "It's because Kiana tore off her helmet. Golett react, as you saw, quite poorly when their true bodies are revealed to an enemy."

"I've changed my mind. We're not exploring any deeper," Nicholas growled. "No offense to you whatsoever Ada but you couldn't take that Golett the same as the other ferals we've found so far. She's stronger. And if another one we find decides to pull that technique and incapacitate you at a bad time we'd be screwed."

"Yeah… That's fair," Adalinda stammered with a nervous laugh. "But she's supposed to be a Ground-type, right? I hit her as hard as I could."

"That armor must be something tough," Nicholas replied. "Looked like she hit you hard too. That's a scary combo. Hard to take down, hits hard, I assume her weakness is that she's slow considering how she was lumbering around. Even a Ground-type built like that would be able to tank enough of your hits to be a problem."

Adalinda had turned her eyes on the motionless Golett. "You think Kiana will forgive her?" A moment of hesitation. "Like I forgave Kiana."

Nicholas frowned. "Eh?"

"You're talking her up like crazy." Adalinda turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. "We've found our new harem sister."

Nicholas blinked. "Well…"

"She has the guts, doesn't she?" Adalinda asked. "She's a tank, a scary pokegirl. She's got the attitude you want. You've talked about her more than any of the other ferals we ran across. That means she stood out." The Servine gave the unconscious Golett a meaningful look. "Didn't she."

"I'm not sure I want a girl in my harem who's willing to just use that technique," Nicholas replied.

"I'm sure you can iron out the wrinkles," Adalinda replied. "Come on. If she doesn't make the cut, what will?"

Nicholas grunted. She had a point. "A Ground-type will help balance the two of you. A Ghost-type will be valuable. Fine." He found a pokeball and threw it at the Golett but it just bounced off her armor the first time without activating. "Whoops." A second attempt hit the girl in her exposed neck and this time the pokeball worked fine, sucking up the Golett's true body but also vaporizing her armor with her. "That's odd. That means the stone armor is part of her, but a scanner doesn't read it and the pokeball doesn't recognize it?"

"It is most likely a summoned construct, much like Morgana's clothing," Kalmiya replied. "Unlike Morgana's clothing however the armor fully encases a Golett's body."

"I suppose I'll have ample opportunity to explore that if I'm adding her to the harem," Nicholas replied. He gave the ruined hall a nervous look. "Let's finish lunch and break camp. Head back to the stairs. I'd rather not be even this deep anymore."

"Guess we figured out why the other pokegirls didn't come this far, huh?"

Nicholas gave Adalinda a grimace. "Yeah. So we did." He glanced down at the Golett's pokeball. "Damn. How am I supposed to tame this girl if she reacts that violently to having her armor removed?"

"The ones of the Vale had keepers," Nikki replied teasingly. "If they could figure it out, why can't you?"

"Great. Keep your secrets, wench!" Nicholas shook his head when Nikki burst out laughing. "I don't think I want to test anything until we're back in Castelia. Once the storm clears I'd like to walk around aboveground and then we'll head back."

POKEDEX UPDATED

Tamer: Nicholas Topolski

Badges:

Basic Badge

Harem:

Adalinda, Servine – Level 20

Kiana, Growlithe – Level 19

?, Golett – Level 21

Non-Com Harem:

Kalmiya, Porygon-Z – Level 35
Cathy, Miltank – Level 72

"You're sure?" Adalinda asked worriedly.

Nicholas patted her head with a smile. "Last time I asked you to interfere you got hurt. I can handle myself."

Cathy snorted from her position in the doorway. "Last time was with an aggressive feral. This time is with a murderous one."

"Sera tried to feed on my blood when I first tamed her," Nicholas replied. "Marin was set to rape me and probably toss me to her school. Zisela broke more of my bones when we first met than I think I've ever suffered at the same time." He raised an eyebrow when Cathy's own shot up. "Yeah. You weren't there yet but that's how it went when I met your Alpha."

"Are you looking for a new most dangerous first taming?"

Nicholas snorted at Cathy's question. "Of course not. I'm trying to stress how Kiana truly was just another feral. This Golett is no different. Besides. I have an idea how I might be able to make her a lot more receptive than Kiana was."

"I want to be here."

"No." Nicholas folded his arms. "I get it, Cathy. I really do. We're defining the lines for this little guard duty as we go. I'm drawing a hard one here. New pokegirls, even if they're ferals, will get their chance to initially bond with me however I deem is best."

Cathy grumbled sullenly. "I don't like it."

"Tough shit," Nicholas replied. "I'm not as fragile as most humans in the first place so I'm not going to concede to your demand just to make you feel better."

Cathy's nostrils flared. "Fine."

"It will be fine. I promise," Nicholas said. "And I'm not going to do something stupid like try and lock the door to keep you out. You burst in when you heard Kiana going wrong. There won't be anything stopping you from doing that this time either."

Cathy finally stepped out of the doorway to let Adalinda leave. "Find a tamed girl for the next one. So I don't have to worry so much."

Nicholas snickered. "We'll see."

Cathy just grunted and shut the door.

Nicholas turned to the bed and hefted the Golett's pokeball. He'd played confident for Cathy but the truth was he had no idea what was about to happen. If the Golett materialized still missing her helmet, there was a very good chance she'd lash out at him. So…

His aura flickered to life around his body. It didn't hurt to be cautious.

Sure enough, even after a healing cycle the Golett appeared with the broken armor from their battle. Nicholas immediately moved to a more respectable distance and averted his eyes from staring directly at the pokegirl's exposed head. Since she'd been captured lying down he'd pointed the release at the bed and she hadn't noticed him quite yet, getting her bearings before rolling over and freezing when that brought her eyes around to stare directly at him.

Nicholas swallowed. It was very hard for him to keep his own eyes fixed on a point a few feet away while the Golett's maintained an intense lock on his body. "I assume you're a feralborn like Kiana," he said in a calm voice. The Golett didn't budge. "That's going to make this a bit tougher, but with any luck you'll reform your helmet so I can at least make an attempt."

It was almost as if she understood him. When he finished speaking the Golett swung her legs over the side of the mattress, getting to her feet as sparkling dust began to flow up her head. When she stood up straight the dust had solidified into a new helmet, only the Golett's eyes remaining visible through the slits.

Nicholas glanced over. The Golett had stopped moving again and was just standing there staring at him, perfectly motionless. "In order to tame you, I assume I'll need to get you out of that armor somehow," he said, continuing the one-sided conversation. "Nikki said that your breed used to serve the ancient kingdom as guards. The pokedex talks about the same thing. How Golett and Golurk are unwavering sentries for the Master they serve." He waited. This time the Golett didn't react when he paused. "But you… Golett aren't eternal. You haven't been waiting in the basement of that castle for four thousand years, have you? You were just born there, so you remained because it was all you could think to do. It's not because you were sworn to the ruins. You have no Master to serve." He turned squarely to the silent pokegirl. "I will be your Master. Serve me."

Once again the Golett seemed to understand because when Nicholas finished she took a step towards him. Nicholas resisted the urge to fall back, standing calm as the girl walked over. Making no sound, just like in the ruins. He was very curious how she managed that but curiosity would have to wait.

The Golett halted within arm's reach and Nicholas looked over when her hand raised, fingers spread. When she stopped in that position he glanced back at the eyes burning within her helmet. "What's this?"

No response. Not even a twitch broke the illusion of this pokegirl being a stone statue.

Nicholas turned back to the girl's hand. She'd stopped at what seemed to be the exact halfway point between them. Was she asking for him to mirror her? And what was with how this feral somehow seemed to be fully understanding his words? The nurse at the pokecenter had confirmed that she was well and truly feral but it had been a while since he'd seen a feral this responsive.

Well, he might as well see what she did if he raised his own hand.

The instant he'd pressed his palm to the palm of her gauntlet the Golett's fingers clapped down. Nicholas jerked, trying to pull himself free and failing before he felt a tremendous pressure pushing against his arm. The Golett was holding him just firmly enough so he couldn't break her grip as she shoved her hand forwards to bend his arm back.

"Oh, you wanted to test me, is that it?" Nicholas snarled, flexing so he brought the Golett's inexorable push to a standstill. "You seem to understand me, so understand-" he paused. He'd been about to feed his aura and push back, but the act of reaching for it had brought a thought. Aura. It allowed him to merge his thoughts with his pokegirls. To communicate with them without words. And he'd summoned his before even releasing this Golett. He'd been maintaining it this entire time. As Nicholas turned his eyes to look into the Golett's he realized. This feral, her light feral state was most likely due to her breed. But her ability to understand what he was saying was because of him. Because of his aura. "So understand this," he finished, leaving the Golett's testing arm where it was as he reached for a different power to feed his aura with.

Energy snapped as Nicholas' aura surged, flickering with everything he held within him. "You sought to test if I was worthy enough to serve?" he murmured, eyes beginning to blaze with power as they remained locked on the feral's. "I am a Master who would make even your ancient ancestors kneel."

The snarled command slammed into the Golett like a physical force and she staggered back, releasing Nicholas' hand in the process. For the first time Nicholas saw a slight tremor in the Golett's stance before her leg folded and she slammed to one knee with a loud thud.

Nicholas took a step closer as the Golett's head bowed. That had done it. There was life to the unflinching stone now. "I am your Master," Nicholas stated, reaching out to rest his hand on the Golett's head. "I am your tamer. I am your keeper." He squeezed his grip slightly. "Serve me."

Immediately his fingers found themselves flexing on empty air. Nicholas pulled his hand back as the Golett's armor melted from head to toe, turning back to dust and vanishing, into the Golett's true body or simply vanishing he wasn't sure, but the meaning was clear when the girl slowly lifted her head to meet his eyes again. She had dismissed her armor to signal that she accepted him as her Master. That she submitted to him. Now, with it gone, the Golett was just a feminine figure made of light. Nicholas tried to get a look at her body but wherever he went he found nothing but her general shape. The only definition across the Golett's entire form was the two pure white spots of her eyes. Nicholas held out his hand again, this time holding it palm up as he offered it to the Golett. "Now rise. Rise, and enter my service."

The hand that took his was surprisingly real. In fact he was immediately reminded of how Kalmiya had been when she had first formed. The Golett's body was almost hard to the touch. This pokegirl wasn't incorporeal at all. She was simply physical light.

There was no face to emote at him when Nicholas brought his other hand to the Golett's side, no breathing for him to gauge the feral's reaction when he caressed her hip and slid his hand between her legs. Only the lightest of motions of her body as she folded over his touch and the slightest of pressures on his hand, the one still holding the Golett's, when his searching fingers found what they were looking for.

Nicholas slipped his fingertips into the Golett's vagina and ran them along her labia, testing the give of her body there against what he'd already observed. Just like Kalmiya, again, the entrance was pliable enough to let him in and though the Golett's insides pressed down quite firmly on his probing fingers it was soft, and warm, and familiar.

Inviting.

The Golett without her armor was nearly weightless when Nicholas took better hold and lifted her into the air. "This won't work right unless I have you pressed against something," he said, carrying the girl to the bed and laying her out. He didn't need to ask her to do anything because as soon as she was on her back the Golett spread her legs, letting go of his hand and lifting hers to her chest to seemingly disappear.

Nicholas got out of his clothes before checking the Golett's chest, finding her hands still perfectly formed and simply kneading her own breasts. With how uniform the light shining from her body was he just couldn't see anything properly besides her outline against the mattress.

"Welcome to my service," Nicholas said, hesitating when he realized that he should be addressing this pokegirl by name. Did he have one for her? As his mind raced an image of the Golett's armored form flashed by. "Welcome… Jade." He smiled as he nestled in between her legs and began stroking himself erect. "Yes. Welcome, Jade. Welcome to my harem."

Now, finally, the Golett made a noise. A melodic cry when he pushed into her. The entire time he was thrusting she just took it, the only real reciprocation he got when her legs folded behind him. She was a slow and steadfast pokegirl serving her new Master. Nothing wrong with that.

A thought hit as Nicholas felt his orgasm coming on. If this pokegirl continued as he'd seen, then as soon as they'd finished her armor would reform and lock her real body away under a layer of stone. She was almost certainly a feralborn pokegirl herself. That meant he needed to apply the language TM and he might have some small problems getting the Golett to lower her helmet until the next time she wanted to be tamed.

It was a good thing she was so light. He was easily able to bring her with him as he slipped from the bed, getting a confused note from the Golett until it vanished when he pulled her tightly onto his dick and came. He used the Golett's temporary shock at feeling it to grab his bag, scattering supplies before he snagged the TM case and pulled out the right disk. He was pretty sure he felt the Golett orgasm when he activated the TM and spurted out a second wave of his own when her body tensed as part of the TM's writing process, her walls squeezing down on him before Nicholas managed to pull out and carry the Golett back to the mattress. The combination of taming shock and the TM had frozen the girl and Nicholas let her lay there while he went to clean up. He began hearing stilted words while he was in the shower and when he reemerged the Golett was moving again. She'd sat up, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed and her head turned to find him when he walked back into the bedroom.

"Hello, Jade," Nicholas said as he stopped in front of her in nothing but a towel. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, Keeper."

Nicholas blinked. There had been no motion on the Golett's face to suggest a mouth forming her words and her voice seemed to echo from all around them, a subdued yet bright sound like the hum of crystal. "Well, I'm glad to hear that," he replied. "You prefer calling me Keeper, then? Not Master?"

The slightest of head tilts. "Yes. You are my Keeper," Jade stated. "I have never had a Keeper who I serve. This is strange."

Nicholas' eyebrow rose. "You've had a Keeper before?"

"No."

Nicholas waited for Jade to elaborate. When she didn't he frowned. "So… Why would it be strange?"

"The one I serve would be a King," Jade replied. "My Keeper would be in their service. Yet you are one and the same."

Nicholas blinked again. "I see." He shrugged. "That hierarchy must be part of your breed's genetic memory. I'm glad to see you functional already, Jade."

Jade's body began to emit the glittering dust she formed into her armor as she slid from the bed. She landed without any sound and this time Nicholas finally noticed how she did it – Jade's feet didn't hit the ground. They stopped just above it, meaning the Golett was actually levitating. "To serve my Keeper," she replied, her voice unchanged by the appearance of her helmet. "I remember others. Where are they?"

"Waiting outside," Nicholas said, gesturing to the bedroom door. "Let me put some pants back on and we can do introductions before heading to bed for the night."