Pokegirl Origins - Unova Chapter 24 - Packleader, a pokémon fanfic

WARNING

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

Nicholas raised a hand to his ear. "Jade is in position, Ada. Move in when ready."

Beside him Fiona shifted impatiently. "What is the point of calling me here, Sir Nicholas? I wish to practice my forms."

"The point is to watch," Nicholas replied quietly, his eyes gazing down into the shadowy pits and dried riverbeds dotting the remains of an old mine run. "You have been struggling in your sparring lately."

"Madam Cathy is a dishonorable opponent."

"Sounds like you still have a lesson to learn, then." Nicholas nodded out to cut off any more argument. "Watch. It's starting."

Adalinda eased around a large pile of tailings, taking great care that her body did not make a sound as she slithered towards their target. "Remember," she murmured, her voice transmitting clearly to the others lying in wait. "Nick said this feral was acting like she knew we were hunting her. Expect an ambush."

She waited for the brief murmurs of assent before continuing towards the pit they'd seen the feral Palpitoad enter an hour ago. It would make sense for the feral to take shelter from the heat of the day. But something just didn't feel right.

Kiana and Jade were picking their way inwards from the edges of the area when Adalinda reached her target. As she inched her way towards the lip Nicholas pointed. "There!"

Fiona huffed under her breath but stepped forwards to look along his arm. "What."

"You say Cathy is dishonorable." Nicholas let his arm fall as he began shouting rapid orders. "Honor, Fiona, is a luxury in battle. ADA! EIGHT O'CLOCK, LOW!"

Adalinda swiveled at his shout, the hole she had been staring into completely empty – only a small shadow at the bottom revealing the tunnel the feral had dug. The Palpitoad was launching herself out of another pit a good twenty feet away and scrambling for the trees that stood between her and the sparkling waters of the bay. With a yell Adalinda gave chase, firing volleys of leaves in an effort to slow the feral or at least turn her away from her escape route but the other pokegirl paid no heed.

"Honor? A luxury, Sir Nicholas?"

"Kiana cut her off but do not engage, Jade, foul her movement, EARTHQUAKE COMING DOWN!" Nicholas let out his breath as the three pokegirls began to converge on the fleeing feral. "Yes, Fiona. A luxury." His eyes were locked on the back of the scrambling pokegirl. "A luxury your opponents will not often choose to afford."

"I still fail to see how this situation relates," Fiona muttered sullenly.

Below them, Jade slammed her foot to the ground, sending a shockwave ripping towards the Palpitoad. Kiana was slipping around the feral in order to be out of Jade's line of fire and Adalinda was gaining on her when the Palpitoad suddenly whirled, her chest and cheeks bulging out before she slammed her bulbous hands to the earth and unleashed a torrent of water towards the unprepared Golett.

"BECAUSE A FERAL HAS NO CONCEPT OF HONOR!" Nicholas roared, springing into action and sprinting down the hillside they stood on. "THEY FIGHT HOWEVER THEY MUST TO SURVIVE! JADE! BRACE!"

Jade was too focused on her attack to defend and she screamed as the water blasted her away. Her shockwave, too, was negated before it even reached where the Palpitoad's fists had hit the ground and suddenly she was the one being hunted, the feral lunging forwards with her long tongue whipping out.

The Golett staggered, light sparkling as she tried to form her defenses but the Palpitoad was in range now and her lashing tongue smacked against Jade's helmet and began to pull. In her attempt to keep her armor on Jade was yanked off balance and she fell, her tinkling cry echoing over the battlefield.

The Palpitoad was moving in when she recoiled with a scream of her own, blood splattering across the rocks as her tongue was sliced apart by a cloud of Adalinda's leaves. Her eyes darted to where the Servine was rapidly closing, Adalinda's shouts only growing louder, before she focused squarely back on her struggling target. Jade was only back to one knee when the Palpitoad slammed into her firing stance again and blasted a massive column of water straight for her. Nicholas cursed and grabbed for the Golett's pokeball. Well, that was Jade out of the fight.

Adalinda pulled up in shock when she saw the attack bearing down on Jade. "JADE!" She could only watch as the water closed in. She'd intentionally taken a wide approach to keep away from Jade's potential attacks. If she hadn't, if she'd been closer, maybe she could… Maybe she could have… Her eyes were locked on Jade's defenseless form. It would have been so easy. Get in the way, create a duplicate to soak the attack. Even if she hadn't had the time to do that she doubted taking the hit would have hurt all that much. She'd already taken far worse and survived. Jade didn't have to. It would have been worth it. But she was slow. So, so slow.

Then flame flashed past her vision.

Adalinda gasped when her eyes tried to follow the streak and found only smoke. Fast, her brain processed, whirling to see the tail end of a comet streaking in on an intercept. Kiana hadn't taken a wide approach. She had cared only for their target. Cared only, once Jade had been attacked, of one thing.

The Golett was in danger.

Her pack. Was in danger.

There could have been no way that the diminutive Growlithe would withstand an attack she herself was just as vulnerable to. And yet Kiana threw herself between Jade and the Palpitoad's water anyways, the flames cloaking her, the flames that had boosted her speed and sent her faster than Adalinda could into the line of fire suddenly exploding in strength, exploding with a deafening boom as she planted her feet and began striking at the stream almost upon her. Water flashed to steam but Kiana couldn't repel it all and the enraged barks with every swipe were colored by pained yelps, tortured, bitten-off screams as she was battered back to slam into the kneeling Golett and the flames her fury had stoked began to flicker.

Adalinda hadn't realized her own body had begun to move. Her gaze was locked on the sight of Kiana's sodden body twisted across Jade's. She hadn't realized that she had begun to roar. Not in fear. Not in horror. Only fury.

She hadn't been fast enough to be there.

She hadn't been brave enough to be closer.

It shouldn't have been Kiana.

It should have been her.

It should have been HER.

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!"

The Palpitoad tried to turn when she heard the roar, to focus on the last remaining threat now that she had incapacitated the others, but Adalinda wasn't about to let her. The feral barely even turned her eyes from the crumpled pair before a vine slashed across her face. With a pained howl she was falling back, batting at the air as Adalinda's vines whipped through the space between them faster than a blink. Again, and again, as the Palpitoad's skin was torn apart and her blood soaked the ground. Now it was the feral who was too slow. Too slow to counter the furious serpent that had been too slow to protect her harem sisters. She would never be too slow again.

Nicholas reached the battlefield just as Adalinda's vines dealt one last devastating blow to send the Palpitoad over backwards, the feral long since unconscious and falling to lay in a growing pool of her own blood. Adalinda didn't care. She was surging after the fallen pokegirl, fully intent on beating her until she was dead, when she felt a presence snap through the blood-red haze across her vision like a thunderbolt.

Nicholas was slowly making his way towards the frozen Servine. "I said that is enough, Ada," he growled low. "Restraint is as important as anything else, my dragon." He was unsurprised when a shudder raced along Adalinda's length and the Servine began to glow. "Welcome to my weyr."

He glanced over at the two others. Jade was forcing herself upright, Kiana's limp body cradled in her arms, and he looked down to swap the Golett's pokeball for the Growlithe's. "Bring her here, Jade. I'll recall you both."

"Keeper."

Nicholas glanced back up. Kiana was stirring. Pushing at Jade's arms to slip free and fall to her hands and knees at the Golett's feet. "Kiana- Hey, Kiana!" Nicholas let off what he was doing and jogged over to grab the Growlithe as she faded in and out of consciousness. "Kiana. Stop. Rest." His grip tightened when he felt her resisting. "Kiana." When she still seemed to be fighting him he paused, then shifted his hold to press against her shoulder comfortingly. "Kiana. They are safe." A smile twitched at his lips as he thought back across the weeks prior. "They are safe, Kiana. Your pack is safe."

Finally the Growlithe seemed to sigh, her body going completely limp and Nicholas bent down to lift her into his arms. He knew that soon he would no longer be able to do so so easily.

He found the Growlithe's pokeball and recalled her, exchanging a few quiet words with Jade before recalling her too and turning to where Adalinda sat. The evolution was finishing now and he wandered over, chucking an empty pokeball at the bloody Palpitoad as he went. "Ada."

Adalinda was staring off into the trees when he called and she blinked before turning towards him. "Weyrleader."

Nicholas chuckled and came to a halt a few feet away. "You've grown."

Adalinda blinked again and Nicholas could see that this time the evolution had been more than just a larger body. Much of the shape of it had changed as well. He was reminded of how Zisela had changed, when she had gone from a Gabite to a Garchomp. Structures that had once been more for decoration than function had filled out and now promised the Serperior gazing back at him would have no issue making use of them.

Adalinda let out a long, hissing sigh and lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."

Nicholas smiled. "And for what."

Adalinda remained silent for a few moments before lifting her eyes again. The shape of her head had grown far more streamlined and it created the illusion that she was glaring down at him, the grand, sweeping crests her vines had become imposing a stately elegance to her appearance. "I failed them," she stated simply, her voice soft. "I should have been on point. I am meant to fight smart and yet there I was, in the most stupid position imaginable."

Nicholas began to laugh and stepped forwards to embrace her. "We were caught off guard," he said, releasing her after a moment and smiling up at the downcast Serperior. "You were on point until you weren't. Your harem sisters did their jobs. There is nothing to apologize for."

Adalinda lifted her chin and took a deep breath. Her old top was strained to its limits from the Serperior's larger body and greatly enlarged chest and there were a few creaks from the fabric when she inhaled. "Thank you, Weyrleader."

"Am I Weyrleader now, Ada?"

Adalinda took a moment before she released her breath and smiled. "You are, but I feel no compulsion to keep kissing your ass. Hope you enjoyed while it lasted."

Nicholas' grin split his face as he laughed and clapped her on the arm. "That's my girl. You've finally become a dragon, Ada." He squeezed his grip slightly. "In every aspect. I can tell."

"Sir Nicholas?" Nicholas turned when Fiona jogged up beside them. "Sir Nicholas. I…" she hesitated before bowing slightly. "I… apologize, Sir Nicholas. I may not understand the lesson you sought to teach me here but I understand what I saw. Honor, dishonor… None of it matters in the face of death."

Nicholas nodded slightly. "Good enough, I believe. Go ahead and return to the campsite. I'll be along shortly." He waited for Fiona to bob her head and begin trotting away before turning back to Adalinda. "But before we head back, I have one last thing to say to you, Ada." He stepped back and gestured towards where Kiana and Jade had lay. "You did not fail them. You learned. You all did." He looked down at where Kiana's pokeball hung from his belt. "Learned some rather important things about yourselves, I believe."

He looked back up to see Adalinda gazing at him solemnly. "I want to try that TM again."

Nicholas nodded and turned to begin leading the way back to camp. "You and she both."

POKEDEX UPDATED

Tamer: Nicholas Topolski

Badges:

Basic Badge

Insect Badge

Bolt Badge

Harem:

Adalinda, Serperior – Level 36

Kiana, Growlithe – Level 34

Jade, Golett – Level 35

?, Palpitoad – Level 34

Non-Com Harem:

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

"There's Driftveil," Nicholas called, gesturing off the side of the bridge. Another few days had brought the group to the Driftveil Drawbridge and now they were moving into the city proper. Even though he'd been here for the Pokegirl World Tournament he hadn't seen the city from this angle before so it felt as new to him as it did to the pokegirls around him. "We're hitting the pokecenter first thing and getting you all at full strength before exploring the city or thinking about our next move."

There was no argument from the tired trio following him, though a voice did speak up as they were stepping off the bridge. "Master. I want to evolve."

Nicholas turned back. Kiana could barely walk after the beating she had sustained from the feral now hanging from Nicholas' belt but her eyes still burned as they stared at him. "I figured you might," he replied, pointing at where Adalinda brought up the rear. "I've got plans for you and Ada while we're here in Driftveil. Plans for you too, Jade," he called, nodding at the plodding Golett. "Let's get you all healed up and I'll tell you about them."

"No."

Nicholas blinked. Kiana's eyes were still locked onto him. "No?"

"No." The Growlithe slowly moved forwards until she was standing right in front of him. "I want to evolve, Master. Now."

Nicholas studied her. "You're exhausted. Let's get you healed first."

Kiana's tail was beginning to raise. "No. You said that when the day came that I was ready, and I asked for it, you would buy me the stone." Nicholas blinked. Despite her fatigue it was clear that the Kiana speaking to him was the one that he had seen lurking behind an excited puppy's eyes. A voice that had no right coming from such a cuddly looking pokegirl. She was right. She was ready. But she was still barely standing.

He decided to try a different tactic. "You're right. I did." He glanced at where Jade stood. "But Jade is injured. A pokecenter will allow her to no longer be in pain." He looked back to Kiana. Her tail had stopped bristling and he could see hesitation in her stance. "Are you demanding she suffer so you may be satisfied?"

The Golett shifted. "Keeper, I am-"

Nicholas held up a hand to silence her. "Kiana?"

The Growlithe's ears drooped and she lowered her head. "Please, Master. Jade needs healing."

Nicholas smiled at her. "Then let's head to the pokecenter. We can buy you a fire stone right afterwards." When Kiana nodded he raised her pokeball and recalled the Growlithe before looking back to Jade.

The Golett cocked her head slightly. "I am functional, Keeper. Why did you lie to Kiana?"

"Because she wasn't," Nicholas replied. "She needed a healing. And if I'm right, the only way she was ever going to let me take her to a pokecenter right now would be if it wasn't even for her. Only if it was for you. Or Ada." He glanced at the Serperior. "But not for herself."

Adalinda nodded slightly.

"Only if it were for her pack," he said quietly, turning back to gaze at Jade. "Is it?"

Jade gazed back before inclining her head in a slight nod. "Alpha Kiana has proven herself to me, Keeper."

Nicholas chuckled. "Leave it to Jade to say the quiet part out loud." He turned back to Adalinda. "I didn't misinterpret your own little nod, did I, Ada?"

The Serperior smiled. "You didn't." She looked at the pokeball still in his hand. "Evolve her." A beatific smile spread across her face. "I want to witness my Alpha."

Nicholas nodded and grabbed each of their pokeballs. "I'll buy the stone on the way to the center, then. Ada, you're fine postponing what I promised you?"

The Serperior's fangs gleamed when she grinned at him. "I remember what happened the last time I tried to get in between you and Kiana, Nicholas. I'll wait."

Nicholas grinned back and recalled them both. "Fair enough. Fair enough." After a moment he turned to find Fiona. "Self-sacrifice. Do I inspire it in them, or do I only look for those who already have it within themselves?" He continued before she could reply. "Can't be the latter. There are a decent few within my harem who care for nobody but themself. So why, then? Why do those who follow me so willingly sacrifice themselves for others?" He gazed into the distance. "What is it I do to earn such respect?" His eyes traveled back to Fiona's. "Let me know one day. Once you've figured it out."

Fiona's hand drifted to the hilt of her sword and she squeezed it as Nicholas turned to begin waving them forwards. "Right, enough of that! I've got an Alpha to evolve and a horny newly evolved Serperior who's threatened to swallow me whole the next time I tame her. I'm choosing to believe that's some kind of euphemism for a real good blowjob. The longer I make her wait the more unsure I'll be. Which means we are hitting up an evolution store, then the pokecenter, and the rest of the day is probably going to be spent with my harem." He cocked his head. "Kalmiya, Sabrina's still not here yet, right?"

"She has been tied up back at Pokestar Studios, Master," Kalmiya replied. "I have promised to notify her when you are going to be challenging the gym, but otherwise, she has asked not to be disturbed."

"When's opening night again?"

"In just over a month."

"Ooh, for sure don't bother her." Nicholas clapped his hands together. "Right! Let's get moving then. I want this harem in a good spot before we're forced to take a break for the premier." He hummed as they walked. "Which means I need to start filling it up, and that Palpitoad… She was a cunning thing. I wonder." He smiled slightly as he pulled open the door to the store. If he was going to add the feral to the harem then he'd need to check with his Alpha first.

"And here are your pokeballs, sir."

Nicholas smiled as he took the four pokeballs from the tray. "Thank you, Ma'am. Taming cycle for the Palpitoad?"

"Of course, taming for her and healing and cleaning for all." He didn't notice but the pokegirl's eyes were bright as she spoke. "Do you require a room?"

"Do I require a room." Nicholas rolled the pokeballs over in his hands. "I might. Can I have a moment?"

The nurse hid her disappointed look and gave him a curtsy. "Of course, sir. Next tamer please?"

Nicholas stepped off to the side to allow the next person in line to step forwards. After a moment he turned to where Cathy and Fiona stood and held out Adalinda and Jade's pokeballs. "Cathy, would you mind taking these two and finding something to do?"

Cathy accepted the pokeballs with a nod. "Of course."

"Thanks." Nicholas placed Kiana and the Palpitoad back on his belt and pulled up his pokedex while the Miltank steered Fiona out the door. "Kalmiya, mind giving me a little primer on the Arcanine?"

Kalmiya's hologram materialized above his screen. "What do you wish to know, Master?"

"What, can't you read my mind?" Nicholas sighed and let his eyes wander around the pokecenter. "I don't know. It's just that… I thought I knew who Kiana was. Sure, there was more beneath the surface but I'd started enjoying the cutesy puppy who couldn't get enough of cuddling in my lap. The last few days have made it feel like she's gone. I guess I want to know what to expect when I give her this stone."

Kalmiya gazed up at him for a few moments before speaking. "Master, everything I can find regarding the Growlithe and Arcanine breeds suggests the same things. There are almost no other pokegirls who will display the same level of loyalty to their tamers. They are loving, devoted, and fiercely protective of those they call their pack. Evolving a Growlithe to an Arcanine does not change that, Master. From what I am reading, it only changes how they show it." A smile began to spread across her face. "In fact, I believe I have found an account that is precisely what you are looking for."

Nicholas looked back. "What's that."

"An excerpt." Kalmiya's voice shifted to an ambiguously feminine tone. "No, Nancy. My adorable Haley is only gruff and snarly when I have her watching over the kids. They love it. She makes them feel safe, and when nobody is watching she is still the same snuggly Growlithe she was before my husband got her the fire stone. And she's even better than before once the kids are asleep so I can manage to coax her away from their sides to join us in bed."

Nicholas leaned up against the counter. "Meaning what."

"Meaning, Master," Kalmiya said, her voice returning to normal, "that all the accounts, the pokedex entries, they are all skewed towards the experiences of traveling tamers like yourself. All you have ever seen an Arcanine be is a fierce and destructive combatant, yes? Even Kiana has displayed those tendencies in battle. What I am trying to tell you is that other tamers who talk about their Arcanine describe them as being just as loving and happy as a Growlithe when they're alone with each other."

Nicholas let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and looked down at his belt. "Alone, huh. And it just so happens I just sent the others off to do their own thing for a bit." After a moment he glanced back up at Kalmiya, a tiny smile twitching at his lips. "Alright. You're saying I shouldn't expect much different from the Kiana I know. You're saying she's just been changing because I never see her alone anymore, it's always with one of the others or walking around in public." He straightened up. "I can believe that. What about the other thing that woman said. What should I expect once my pants come off?"

Kalmiya giggled happily. "Master, I think you need to just go for it and find out for yourself."

Nicholas grinned down at her. "I like the sound of that."

"I knew you would." Kalmiya winked at him before dissolving into sparkling light and vanishing back into the pokedex. "Get a sturdy room," her amused voice said in his ear before the pokedex screen switched off.

Nicholas was still grinning as he grabbed his pokedex and put it back into place on his belt. "Ah, excuse me?" he called, leaning over when the tamer the nurse was helping turned away from the counter. "I'm thinking I'll need that room after all. Have any rated for a more… 'energetic' session?"

The nurse flushed slightly and had to quickly fan her face before responding. "Ooh. Ah, I mean, yes, of course, sir. I should, um, warn you, sir, all of our rooms are monitored and any damages will be held against your league profile."

Nicholas' grin grew larger. "I was wondering why you suddenly got all hot." He leaned in very close so the next tamer in line couldn't hear what he whispered to the nurse. "We've got a little voyeur Chansey at the front desk, don't we? Better hope those cameras record. You'll want to save what you're about to see." He plucked the keys from her trembling fingers and left the flustered nurse fighting to compose herself while his cackling laughter faded away down the hall.

Nicholas unlocked the door and stepped into the room with an appreciative whistle. It had been a while since he'd used a pokecenter's facilities and this one's had to have been one of the best he'd seen. The room was blank, every surface sporting a thick padding, but every wall and even parts of the floor and ceiling had markings on them to indicate various items. A large closet clicked open when he pressed a section and twisted a handle, the door sliding over to reveal a massive collection of sex toys all neatly arranged within what seemed to be a sanitized hollow while harnesses and ropes and other BDSM gear shared hangers with rated restraints up to what had to have been something that even Kali might take a few moments to break free of. He slid that closet shut, though. Maybe if he went for the Palpitoad, but not for Kiana. He had something very specific in mind for the Growlithe.

He gave the rest of the room a cursory examination, noting the washing facility and the small selection of snacks and drinks hiding to the side, before turning to the main wall. There was only one real thing that he could see there and with a press of a button the bed smoothly unfolded. He waited for it to settle before climbing on, testing the give of the mattress before slipping back off and pulling off his clothes. They joined where he'd stashed his bag, but not before he reached into the pocket and pulled out the pulsing fire stone he'd purchased earlier. That was carefully wrapped up in his shirt before he closed things back up and walked back over to the bed with the wrapped fire stone in one hand and Kiana's pokeball in the other.

The Growlithe appeared on the floor and immediately got up, her senses directing her straight towards where Nicholas sat before they began checking out her surroundings. "Master? Where is the pack?"

Nicholas smiled at her and patted his leg. "Hey, Kiana. They're fine, I asked Cathy to look after them so we could spend some time together." He patted his leg again when Kiana's eyes flicked back towards him. "It's just us, Kiana." He waited a moment. "Come on. It's been weeks since we last cuddled." When she still didn't move he held out his arms. "Please?"

A smile bloomed over the Growlithe's face before she darted towards him with an excited yip. Nicholas laughed when she slammed into his chest and he fell backwards as he tried to control the excited pokegirl while she covered him in kisses. "Hey, hey! There she is. There's my good girl. There's my Kiana." He laughed harder when Kiana's squirming grew more frenzied at his use of the pet term and she started grinding against him while her mouth went straight for his. "Hey! WHOAH! Hey, girl, hey," he laughed, finally managing to grab her well enough that all Kiana could do was shimmy against his chest and make happy noises as they kissed. "Hey now. I said cuddle, you maniac. Cuddle. Mmmmmwa." He pulled back from a particularly deep kiss and grinned at her. "You've been so serious lately. I'd started thinking you weren't you anymore."

Kiana's ears drooped with her tail as she tried to sit back and give him a pitiful look. "I worry Master?"

"You did but that cute little pidgin tells me I never had anything to worry about," Nicholas said fondly, shifting his grip to draw Kiana to his chest and shimmying back upright so that her legs were forced to curl up in his lap. "I hope I never will. But I wasn't sure. I'm so glad Kalmiya was right." He smirked slightly. "She often is."

Kiana nuzzled her cheek against his neck. "She was?"

"Yeah. She was." Nicholas stroked Kiana's fur for a while before speaking again. "She said that it was all still you in there. That all I had to do was get you alone, in a place where you didn't feel compelled to be something for others. That I would find my pup if I did. And here you are."

Kiana had stilled. "Master, what is this about?"

Nicholas smiled slightly at what he heard in Kiana's question. "And here you are too. Will you still let me cuddle with you, Kiana? When I give you this stone, when you evolve, whatever that means… I'm a rather greedy human, you see. A greedy dragon. I've grown to enjoy your affectionate side." When Kiana didn't respond he gave her a slight squeeze. "Not in front of your pack, of course. I wouldn't dare make you do that. You can be everything you want to be for them. Their protector. Their denmother. Their packleader. Their Alpha." He smiled when he felt her heartbeat quicken from where she was pressed to his chest. "Yes. Your pack, Kiana. Their Alpha. My Kiana."

The Growlithe shivered in his arms. "My pack…"

"The Alpha of your feral pack must have been something else to control such a strong-willed Growlithe," Nicholas murmured, gently stroking her body as Kiana leaned into his touch. "Do you remember her?"

Kiana was silent for a few seconds before a low growl began to be heard rumbling from deep in her chest. "Arcanine."

Nicholas grinned when he felt her body heating up and wisps of smoke twisted from her fur. "An Arcanine, was she? Tell me, Kiana. How close was the fight? When you challenged her for the pack."

Kiana's growl was beginning to vibrate her throat. "When she abandoned her." She suddenly shoved out of his arms and landed on the floor, twisting around to stare at Nicholas with her eyes smoldering. "She bled. They all did. All will bleed. All who threaten my pack. All who stand against me. All."

A wild grin was spreading across Nicholas' face as he listened to Kiana. "So it wasn't close at all, was it. They fled. One Growlithe, against her entire pack, to defend but a single unhatched egg. And she won." He leaned down and caught Kiana's chin, listening as her growl continued rolling past clenched teeth. "But they were cowards, weren't they, Kiana? You didn't want them, did you. That is why you did not claim that pack." He slowly reached back to unwrap the fire stone and brought it around in front of Kiana's eyes, the Growlithe's gaze snapping to it the instant it entered her vision. "What about this one."

Kiana's eyes narrowed slightly and a hand took Nicholas' wrist, pulling him away from her chin as she reached out with the other towards the stone. "It is mine."

Nicholas leaned back when Kiana's hand wrapped around the stone. Immediately it flashed white, cracks radiating through the material before the stone shattered in Kiana's grasp. Energy raced down her arm, sinking into her chest while reappearing and vanishing again as it surged throughout the Growlithe's entire body. Kiana's hand yanked itself from his wrist, the Growlithe taking a heavy step backwards as her growl began to grow deeper, louder, until an unmistakable roar was echoing from her jaws.

The evolutionary glow betrayed what was happening as Nicholas' eyes lifted with it. He'd been right. His little pup was no more. When it flashed away, the blinding light racing down from the tip of Kiana's head to reveal the body underneath, he was staring at a completely different pokegirl.

Kiana had become an Arcanine that he imagined stood well over six feet tall, but he couldn't get a proper feel for her new height when he was sitting down. The thin, undercut style her hair had taken before was nowhere to be seen, replaced by what could only be described as a massive, flowing mane of soft dark blonde covering her entire head. It still peaked in a similar fashion while it crested her scalp but then exploded in volume as it cascaded over her shoulders and hung at least to her ass, where it met the much more voluminous tail of similarly colored fur that now extended twice as far from Kiana's body as before. All of her fur had expanded in that way, actually, now that he was looking at it, the newly evolved Arcanine's body only hinted at beneath the ocean of orange and black that covered every inch of her. Every inch, except where it mattered. Because while Kiana had once been covered in lighter fur from groin to chin it now had crept slightly higher, framing her face with fluffy beige, and in return no longer reached past her cleavage. From sternum to cheeks it was greater than before, that was for sure, but below it. From her exposed chest to her newly naked taint was nothing but a deep, dark black skin. He couldn't even focus back on her face once he saw how her coloration drew his attention to the peeking pink of her pussy, or the massive pair of breasts hanging in front of his gaze. Not until Kiana shifted and his eyes were torn back up to see her bending down to look at him. Finding the one thing that had remained of the Growlithe. Her own eyes. The cloudy gray, now gleaming from within the last shocks of orange fur that graced Kiana's face. The beige had taken over everywhere else. Only the fur around her eyes and the proudly standing ears piercing through her hair remained as brilliantly orange as the fur spreading over her limbs and, he assumed, her back.

Those eyes blinked when she saw him gazing back at her. "Master."

Nicholas breathed out when he heard her voice. There was nothing left of the bubbly Growlithe there. Only a deep, powerful sound. "Hello, Kiana."

Kiana slowly bent down, her feet shuffling as she tried to find a good position. "Master, it…" Her lips drew back, her lolling tongue falling out as she gave him a cheeky grin. "Now I look down at you, Master."

Nicholas blinked. It hadn't been the same as the Growlithe, but, coloring Kiana's tone… "Kiana?"

He gasped when the Arcanine abruptly pounced on top of him, her lips crushing against his as he was engulfed in her fur. There was a rumbling noise coming from Kiana's chest again but it wasn't a growl this time. Kiana crooned as she wrapped around him, her body far too large to fit in his lap anymore but it wasn't stopping her from trying. He was pressed against her bare front, feeling the heat of her body radiating from her skin, as all around him her fur draped in and Kiana continued to hungrily push at his mouth. He was instantly rock hard. How could he not be? It was all of the affection of the Growlithe from a body that could no longer be called 'little' or 'cute'. He let himself laugh, pushing back to return Kiana's kisses as his hands finally shot up to begin exploring her body. The bare skin, so incredibly tight as he gripped her and promising a remarkable strength even though the Arcanine did not show it through any musculature. He could already feel it, after all. As Kiana embraced him he could feel himself being squeezed against her just as hard as someone like Cathy would do. Almost exactly the same, in fact, as he was pressed in between her breasts. Pressed in and held there as Kiana's hips humped against his and returned to scoop his erection from where it was caught against his stomach to slide deep into the Arcanine's cunt.

He nearly came instantly. He'd been expecting the penetration to come sooner rather than later, that wasn't the issue, but the feeling. The warmth. Kiana was so unbelievably soft and wet as she enveloped his dick that he nearly let go then and there. She certainly did. A low groan echoing from behind her lips as she held her latest kiss and her grip tightened down on his body.

He hadn't cum and she wasn't nearly done from just one orgasm so as soon as Kiana had finished riding her high she was right back to smothering him in affection. Only this time it was accompanied by her jerking hips as she rode Nicholas' stiff cock and he kneaded her plump breasts in his hands. He came for the first time before she did for the second, his fingers tightening around her tits as he pulled her down and then Kiana felt his teeth press against her lip, her noises no longer the only ones coming from the entwined pair. Nicholas was growling too. A heady, joyous sound as he released his worry over her evolution and instead reveled in what she had become and that noise, and the clear meaning behind his playful nip, brought on her second orgasm as Kiana released an excited whimper of her own. Before she could make a move Nicholas tensed, leveraging all his strength to lift them from the mattress and off the bed, the pair slamming onto the padded floor. He was on top only for a moment before Kiana rolled, her own teeth drawing blood when she bit his cheek just as she once had on that first morning, so many months ago, only this time with less playfulness and far more lust. She came again when his hand somehow flashed around her back and yanked her tail, drawing Kiana's spine into a hard arch as she threw her head back and howled her joy to the world. Her own blood broke from her skin when Nicholas bit her breast and with her tamer clearly showing his willingness to play rough all inhibition fled Kiana's mind. Claws dug into Nicholas' limbs, the Arcanine's teeth snapping as she laughed, and though over the next few hours Nicholas took the lead on occasion, it was entirely her show as the two crashed across the entire length of the taming room and back again multiple times. Until finally he managed to pin her, though only because Kiana let him. Both panting, completely exhausted, as her sparkling gray eyes stared up into the fully draconic slits of his. Staring up, filled with joy, and no hint of subservience. He caught his breath and gave her a smile. Only a pokegirl who called herself his Alpha could manage that when he brought his full will to bear. Not even Morgana could resist him when he got serious. There was no question as to Kiana's status. His Alpha. Her pack.

Nicholas lay back blissfully as he basked in the rumbling purr vibrating from Kiana's chest. The Arcanine herself held him in her arms, settled back against a nest of pillows while they cuddled. She might not fit in his lap anymore but that just meant she had decided to reverse their positions while completely ignoring his halfhearted protests.

"I can't express how happy I am for you, Kiana," he whispered, his fingers idly rubbing her inner thigh. "I want you to know that."

Kiana chuckled and her tail thumped against the mattress. "I know, Master," she said happily. "You couldn't say it with words but you said everything already."

Nicholas smiled and gave her leg a tiny squeeze. "I suppose we did, didn't we." He let out a contented sigh. "I could lay here like this with you forever. But we shouldn't. Should we."

Kiana bent down to nuzzle the top of his head. "If Master wants…"

"I do, Kiana, I really do," Nicholas murmured. "But we can't. Not right now, at least." He shifted, rolling over and pulling back slightly so that he had a clear view of her groin. They were both still naked and covered in sweat and other fluids from the taming session and he ran his fingers along Kiana's slit to a happy noise from the Arcanine. "We need to get up, clean up… and then talk." He pulled back and sat on his heels. "Your pack is eager to meet you, and there's someone new I need to ask you about adding to it."

Kiana pushed herself off the pillows and crawled over, giving him a much gentler nip on the ear before sliding off the mattress on all fours and smoothly lifting herself to her feet. "I know, Master."

Nicholas marveled at the way her body moved as she walked over to begin inspecting the walls. "You know?"

Kiana glanced back with a mischievous smile. "My ears are good."

"Yes, but I only talked about those things when you were in your… pokeball…" Nicholas trailed off. "One of the others taught you, didn't they."

Kiana grinned and turned back to the wall until she found the shower. "All of us, Master. Didn't you realize?"

"No, but now that I know I'm not letting you freeloaders get any more free naps." Kiana squealed when he appeared behind her and hooked a hand under her butt. "Don't you agree, my Alpha?"

Nicholas recoiled when Kiana licked his face and she giggled when he shoved right back into her space and sent the two crashing into the shower together. "Yes, Master," she replied, making appreciative noises when he turned on the water and began fully soaking her fur. "Mmm, that feels good."

Nicholas unhooked the shower head and pressed it deep into the fur on her back to make sure the sticky fluids were being completely washed out. "So you sweat now," he said, coming around to rinse her front once the Arcanine's back was dripping wet. "Does that feel weird? Sweaty on your stomach and chest, dry under your fur?"

"I… hadn't thought about it yet," Kiana admitted, waiting for him to spray himself down and reach for the soap before she pulled them together and began rubbing her slippery skin against his. "But I can handle it if it means I can do this with you now, Master."

Nicholas chuckled and beckoned her down for a soft, sensual kiss before pulling away. "I can't argue with that. Let's finish up."

After a few minutes he turned the water off and stepped out, finding a towel for himself and looking around for some kind of dryer for Kiana when he felt a sudden burst of heat behind him. He turned to see the Arcanine completely alight, her arms spread and her eyes half-shut in bliss as scalding steam began to boil across the ceiling. Nicholas quickly found a switch for a vent fan and watched as the air cleared, Kiana still burning, until her eyes opened and she let the flames die with a contented sigh. "Thank you, Master," she said, watching Nicholas turn the fan off again once all the steam was gone. "That felt very good."

"I'm glad," Nicholas replied, toweling off and walking back towards the bed. "I have to say. What you just lit up with was a stronger flame than I remember you ever creating as a Growlithe."

Kiana glanced at one of her hands and flexed, a small fireball flashing into view before her fist slammed shut to smother it. "I feel stronger, Master." Her feet shifted and she let out an impatient growl. "Urrgh, I want to stretch…"

"Restrain yourself, my Alpha." Nicholas perched on the edge of the bed and shivered. The ventilation fan had drawn quite a bit of heat out of the room but it wasn't bad enough to make him want to get dressed. "I need to discuss your pack with you first."

Kiana settled back on her feet with a nod. "Yes. The… frog." She went silent for just a moment before giving him a shrug. "She was powerful, Master. She hurt. It will be better for her to be within my pack than not."

"Okay. Guess that settles that." Nicholas slid back off the bed and walked over to where his gear was stored before shooting Kiana a suspicious look. "What if you change your mind."

Kiana gazed back blandly. "Change my mind, Master?"

"Let's say I tame this Palpitoad and you don't like her. What are you going to do, Kiana? I remember what you said before you took the stone. 'All will bleed. All who stand against me.' What does that mean if one of your pack doesn't meet your expectations?"

Kiana held a thoughtful expression for a while before she shook her head. "None of my pack would fail to meet my expectations," she stated confidently. "Even if one did, she would still be part of my pack, Master." Her expression firmed and her eyes narrowed slightly. "I protect my pack."

Nicholas stifled a chuckle. None would fail, eh. Yeah, Kiana was happy and cuddly with him now but he was looking forward to see the Arcanine's attitude once they met back up with the others. "Good. I'm glad to hear that, Kiana." He flipped the Palpitoad's pokeball in his hand. "Then I'm going to release this girl, get her tamed, and we can go find the others while she recovers in her pokeball. Sound good?"

Kiana nodded. "Yep!"

Nicholas nodded back and turned to release the Palpitoad onto the bed. He thought he remembered the nurse telling him that this girl hadn't been a complete feral, not like Kiana and Jade, but that conversation felt like an age ago after the wild taming he'd had with Kiana. So he'd have to treat her with caution.

Except he didn't, because the moment the Palpitoad appeared she was rolling onto her stomach and letting out an annoyed grumble. "'s bright, lemme sleep…"

Nicholas blinked at the clearly discernible speech. "Erm. Hello?"

The girl stopped trying to claw for one of the pillows Kiana had been lying against and popped her head up to blink blearily at the wall. "Hullo? Whozat?"

"Erm… Behind you."

The girl flopped over and sat up, her jaw popping open in a massive yawn before she closed it and began smacking her lips while staring woozily at Nicholas. "Issa… Human." She yawned again and rubbed her eye. "Brrr. Whyzit so cold in here…"

Nicholas glanced at the vent and back down at the Palpitoad. "I had to run a fan to get some hot steam out of the room, sorry. Is that a problem?"

The girl grunted, still rubbing her eye. "Eh. Just makes m' sleepy is all." She yawned one last time before stretching and shaking her head. "Bluh. Right. I'm awake." The Palpitoad stared at him for a few seconds before she hiccupped, her cheeks inflating and immediately deflating with a croak. "Uhp-kero. Sorry." She shook her head one more time and sighed. "Where's that perv at, who are you."

"Well, I'm Nicholas," Nicholas replied, gesturing at Kiana, "and that's my Alpha, Kiana." He spared the Arcanine a glance. She could have passed for a statue with how still she was as she stared at the Palpitoad. "I'm afraid I don't know who you mean by 'that perv'."

"Master Miron? You know, short dude with an afro, sleazeball, always sporting an erection?"

Nicholas cleared his throat. "I'm afraid we found you half-feral in the middle of nowhere. I've never met anyone, named Miron or otherwise, who fits the description you just gave."

The girl stared at him. "You're lying."

"I think we need to report a missing tamer," Nicholas muttered, turning away from the Palpitoad and walking over towards the gear locker. "Kalmiya!"

"No, you're lying, right?" The Palpitoad called. "Look, he's a little shit but he's still my Master…"

"You don't have to explain, I don't judge," Nicholas replied, pulling out his pokedex and searching the Unovan tamer registry while Kalmiya went off to start investigating. "But no, I'm not lying. We're currently in Driftveil City, and we found you on the other side of the Driftveil Drawbridge, half-feral and hunting to survive." He spared the Palpitoad a glance. She was in complete shock. "You don't remember anything, do you."

The girl jerked. "I… No, I, I don't."

Nicholas sighed to himself and returned to his search. He wasn't sure what he was hoping for, because there were only two real options to find a pokegirl like this fending for herself in the wilderness. Either her tamer had lost her, meaning he was likely dead, or he had abandoned her. The first option would be easier for the Palpitoad to come to terms with, he suspected, but the second would mean there probably weren't more tame pokegirls out there losing their minds… He paused. He'd found the proper profile and his mouth thinned. He saw six active pokegirls registered and none of them were any evolution of Tympole. The last update was a few hours prior. Well.

"Miron Atenim. Age 26, and the picture seems right." Nicholas flipped his pokedex around and held it out to the Palpitoad. "Is that your Master?"

The girl took the device and nodded. "Yeah, that's Master Miron."

Nicholas sighed again, this time loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Well, he's probably alive. That profile updated just a few hours ago. Adding in that… Lumineon, I think it was." He slowly reached over to retrieve his pokedex. The Palpitoad had gone very still. "A pokegirl doesn't start to go feral in a few hours. You don't remember what happened?"

The girl swallowed, hard. "I… Last I remember, Master Miron was saying he was putting me in storage."

"Ah. He's one of those." Nicholas shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that must have happened weeks ago. Months even. There are laws that tamers have to follow to use storage systems but you can easily bypass them if you try." He rapped his pokedex. "Kalmiya. Can you pull the storage records of this tamer?"

"Already on it, Master." A pause. "I am seeing a pokeball registered to one Sue, Palpitoad, being rotated in and out of storage over the course of many weeks. Three days in, one day out, repeating like clockwork. One moment." She paused again before continuing quietly. "While inconclusive, each rotation's pokeball data when withdrawn matches the data when deposited within margin of error for a day of normal pokeball functionality. It is… exceedingly likely that the pokeball was never opened during the days it was outside of storage."

Nicholas nodded slightly. Sue had brought one leg back under her butt and her eyes were unfocused. "How long."

"Master…"

"How long," Nicholas repeated. "Say it through the speakers. She needs to hear."

"The last time the pokeball registered to Sue the Palpitoad was withdrawn from Miron Atenim's pokegirl storage was one year, eight months, and nineteen days ago, Master. The pokeball was unregistered two days after being withdrawn. It was not registered again."

Nicholas watched the Palpitoad. She'd drawn her other leg in now and was hugging her knees. "Nearly two years. If I may, that's a rather impressive stretch of time to fight off the feral state."

"You're lying," Sue whispered, her voice cracking.

Nicholas sighed. He'd expected the girl to react like this. "I wish I was," he replied quietly. "We were. But the ugly truth is that there are far too many tamers out there who will treat pokegirls like you as nothing more than disposable objects. I'm sorry."

Sue shoved her face into her knees. "He wulin," she mumbled, a combination of her position and the tears Nicholas had seen creeping into her eyes causing her speech to slur. "Yuh lie."

"It wasn't even an accident," Nicholas said, ignoring Sue's denial. Suddenly her soft insults held a much different weight and he gambled that she needed the hard truth to free her from the shadow of her previous tamer. "He kept you in storage, in your pokeball, until you were starting to go feral. He rotated you in and out to make sure the automated systems that exist to stop precisely what he was doing wouldn't realize. Then, once you'd lost your mind, he took you into the wilderness and left you there, destroying your pokeball once he was done." Nicholas shook his head. "Twenty months you survived out there. Twenty months and you were still sane enough to be brought back by just a simple taming cycle. Still intelligent enough out there to have given me and my harem one hell of a fight when we captured you." He snorted. "Your old master was a real moron for letting you go."

Sue let out a tortured wail and flung herself to the mattress, scrabbling at the blankets until she tore them free and could roll over and over to wrap herself tightly inside. "He never wanted me," she sobbed, her tears causing her hiccupping croaks to return. "He-kero. Never. Never looked at me-kero. Like the others."

Nicholas placed his pokedex down and was walking over when another figure pushed in front of him. Kiana slipped onto the bed and wrapped the despondent Palpitoad in a big hug as her body began to smoke. "Calm," she murmured. "Warm."

"W-What are… hip… hi-kero…" Sue's feeble struggles within the blankets began to slow as Kiana's warmth soaked through her. "What are you…"

Kiana rubbed her cheek against the Palpitoad's possessively. "No cry," she stated firmly. "Safe. Pack."

Nicholas chuckled to himself. Whether or not Kiana was doing her pidgin on purpose it completely sold the idea that the now towering Arcanine was just a cuddly, affectionate mountain of fluff – despite the fact that she had proven herself, even as a Growlithe, to be a menacing, vicious fighter. He had a feeling she was doing it intentionally. The little hints he'd seen of what lay within his new Alpha had led him to believe that, though Adalinda was the Grass-type starter, Kiana was the one following in Dahlia's footsteps. The Venusaur had always been a cunning pokegirl, and had never been above portraying herself as being soft or otherwise vulnerable when doing so would gain her an advantage. From what Kalmiya had told him of the Arcanine breed, well, maybe with Kiana it wasn't just pretend. But the effect was the same. A pokegirl who could have easily cowed by fear and awe was instead causing her target to splutter and squirm as she smothered her in love.

"H-Help!" Sue managed to squeak out when Kiana began rumbling happily and the Arcanine's grip tightened around her. "Mister tamer, sir, a-a little, uh, help?"

Nicholas sat on the edge of the bed with a grin. "You're a Palpitoad. She's an Arcanine. If you really wanted you could fight her off pretty easily, couldn't you? But you're not."

"B-Because we're inside!" Sue cried. "I wouldn't want to cause any trouble…"

Nicholas gazed at what little of her he could see past Kiana's fur. "You're cute," he said softly. "You're very cute. But I won't order Kiana to let you go unless that's what you really want. I intended to tame a feral Palpitoad today, to wake her mind and then ask her a question. There appears to be no need to tame that Palpitoad anymore, though depending on her answer to my question, I'd be happy to swap those two things around in my plans." He leaned over. "I want to add you to my harem. Would you like to join me?" When Sue didn't respond right away he brushed some of Kiana's fur away so that she could see him. "I swear to you," he said quietly, gazing into the Palpitoad's eyes, "that what you have suffered at the hands of your old master will never happen to you again."

Sue shivered. "You… want me? But you don't even know…" She blinked the beginnings of tears from her eyes. "It's so warm…" With a start her watering eyes snapped to Kiana above her and a hot blush raced across her face. "Y-You! Miss, um, Arcanine. Will he really… let me stay?"

Nicholas leaned back again as Kiana let out a happy whine and Sue was engulfed in kisses despite her quite vocal protests. "To be perfectly honest, it's not really up to me whether you stay. The Arcanine you just asked that question to has made her decision. Kiana has claimed you as part of her pack. She's not going to let you go."

"W-W-Wait, you're-" Sue sputtered, thrashing her way far enough back so that she could catch a glimpse of the huge grin on Kiana's face. "Your pack, he says… Are you the Alpha?"

Kiana settled down at the question and her grin faded into an intense stare down at the Palpitoad. "Yes," she replied, and Nicholas smirked when his suspicions were proven quite correct. Kiana's fur was beginning to bristle as her lips slid back over her fangs. "You are mine." Her eyes narrowed and a thunderous snarl ripped from her chest. "If that other man who hurt you ever comes near… I will tear out his throat."

Nicholas leaned back over to get a look at Sue's reaction. She was a pokegirl, so he expected the display of strength and possessiveness from the pokegirl identified as potentially being her Alpha would go over well, but he hadn't expected it to go over quite as well as this. Sue's eyes were stretched as wide as they could possibly go as they remained locked on the image of the Arcanine perched over her and involuntary tremors were racing through her body. It wasn't until Nicholas entered her field of view and he snapped his fingers to startle her from her reverie that the Palpitoad moved again. "Hey. Hello?" He snapped his fingers again until Sue turned her head and blinked at him. "Hi. Well, you heard her. I'll make her let you go if that's what you want, but you have a place here. Would you like to join my harem?"

Sue blinked again before her eyes fell. "But you don't even know why… he… might have wanted to get rid of me."

"Don't much care, to be honest," Nicholas replied. "I have no interest in why a bastard like your last tamer would want to abandon you. I don't do that here. If, for some insane reason, we truly don't get along, then I'll just hand you your pokeball and let you leave. You wouldn't be the first pokegirl who'd decided she didn't want to be with me. I doubt you'd be the last." He studied Sue's face. "But even that's not good enough for you, is it. You're afraid. Terrified that I'm going to change my mind."

Sue flinched and glanced away. "Yes."

Nicholas snorted and crawled over to settle in beside her. "Okay. Then let's hear it." He waved at Kiana to get her off of the Palpitoad. "Kiana, let her unwrap herself. I think she's warm enough now."

Sue squeaked when Kiana did and he started to unwrap the blankets around her. "N-N-No, wait!" Her fingers snagged the last layer and kept it firmly around her body. "Wait, wait, wait… Wait!"

Nicholas let off with a frown. "What is it?"

Sue had started hyperventilating slightly and she took a few seconds to steady herself. "You… You want to know. You want to know?"

"Of course."

Sue squeezed her eyes shut. "I… My body, is…" Her eyes snapped open when she heard his tired groan. "Oh, no, you…"

Nicholas was rubbing his face. "Pokegirls and body positivity. I swear to fuck humanity is a blight on your entire species." With a gasp from Sue he ripped the blanket from her grasp and spilled the nude Palpitoad onto the mattress. "Yes. Your body. What's wrong with it." He blinked. There was a rather large wet spot near where… He fought to keep from laughing. Oh, she was going to be fun.

Sue scrambled in an attempt to cover herself with her arms. "M-My… My body…"

Nicholas gave her a quick look over. "Doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it."

Sue swallowed. "I… I'm…" With a jerk she thrust her arms to the sides. "I'm flat!"

Nicholas stared at the Palpitoad's chest while he tried to figure out how to respond. She was certainly not flat, for one. She had a very nice pair of breasts. Smaller, maybe, especially for what he understood to be a second stage pokegirl, but not flat. "Your last tamer… Cared?"

Sue had braced herself for his response and Nicholas' confused question threw her off entirely. "W-Well, he… Yes?"

"Let's make something clear, then." Sue gasped when Nicholas shoved into her space and she fell back onto the mattress with him hovering over her. "First – you are NOT flat." Sue's breath caught when he pressed his hands into her chest. "See? I can squeeze your boobs just fine." He did so, fondling the Palpitoad's chest until her gasps were coming heavy with arousal. "Second. I don't care." He bent down to brush his lips against her nose. "I know Kiana over there has a pair of melons hanging off of her, but she's not my only other pokegirl. The others you will meet, the rest of Kiana's pack, they aren't, either. I have many pokegirls. Many, many members of my harem. They range the entire spectrum of body types. From truly flat to needing heavy support, from tiny to towering, skin every color of the rainbow, figures indistinguishable from a human to one who is a true monster." He smiled. "And I love her even more, because she no longer hides it. And no, before you can let that worry creep into your head, all of these pokegirls I mention, none of them, not a single one, are left to rot away in the storage system. I don't touch it. Ever. Because I have no need to. If I can't take care of the pokegirls who trust me to, then I would have failed as a tamer. As a human." He gently pressed his lips to hers, testing Sue's reaction and continuing the kiss when he felt her mouth invite him in. "So if that's all you were worried about, then there's absolutely nothing to fear."

Sue was crying, her tears flowing out of the corners of her eyes as she let him kiss her. "B-Before I evolved," she bubbled, her hiccups returning but not coming forcefully enough to make her croak, "I… I was. I was, a flat little Tympole. He… He said, he'd wait, and see if I… if I was 'fixed' when I evolved, but when I did… When I did, all I saw, was his disappointment."

"Well of course you were a flat little thing as a Tympole," Nicholas said kindly as he pulled back to begin stroking the rest of her body. "Very few early-stage evolutions have curves. And you aren't even fully evolved now! There's no telling what might happen once you become a Seismitoad, though I will say, I doubt you'd join Kiana over there."

"She would have fit right in with what he wanted," Sue whispered as she closed her eyes again. "He was such a… such a fucking disgusting, perverted bastard."

"Heh. Well so am I, but I'm not a villain," Nicholas joked. "Definitely perverted though. I saw something when I pulled you out of those blankets that I liked."

"What was…" Sue started to ask before her eyes shot open with a gasp.

Nicholas had to grab her when the Palpitoad tried to scramble away from his probing tongue and she let out a shocked scream when he wrapped his mouth over her labia and began to suck. When Nicholas let go and began licking at the spots where her juices ran down her thighs it was to leave the Palpitoad a stunned and quivering mess. "That," he joked, pulling himself back up to cup Sue's cheek and smile down at her. "You were soaking wet. I just had to clean you up."

"Uh-huh-huh…"

Nicholas grinned and kissed her again, working it tenderly before sitting back. "I would love nothing more than to continue teasing you all day, you know. You're just so cute. Sue, I think it was?"

His smile faded. The moment he'd said her name Sue's body language had shifted. She was closing up, and fast. "It… is."

She shuddered when she felt his gentle hand firm its grip. "It doesn't have to be," he murmured. After a moment of thought his lips thinned. "That's what he named you, isn't it."

Sue flinched from his touch. "…Yes."

"And there's something else he didn't like about you, isn't there." Nicholas followed her despite Sue's attempt at getting away, holding her steady while the tears returned. "It wasn't just your body. If it was, I would think I've shown you that I'm not like him. But me saying that name brought your fear right back. Because it reminded you of him. There's something else."

Sue avoided his eyes. "W-Weren't you about to tame me?"

Nicholas shook his head slightly. "No. I was teasing you in preparation for that, sure, but I'm not taming you until you're comfortable in me doing so. You can't let go of your fear. So tell me. Everything. Every reason that the clown who hurt you had in his stupid, twisted, upside-down pea of a brain."

He got the reaction he wanted when Sue laughed, though she quickly choked it off. "It's… I…" After a moment he saw her eyes hesitantly move back to his. "He… called me annoying. Loud."

"You're a Palpitoad."

"Yeah."

"Your entire- your entire thing is sound," Nicholas said incredulously. "And what did he even mean by that? You're not loud, or annoying, ever since you came out of that pokeball there has been nothing to make me think that."

"It's, I…" Sue trailed off before tearing her eyes away again. "I like… to sing. When I'm happy. I loved to sing for him."

Silence. Sue fearfully peaked back at Nicholas to see the man staring down at her with sadness in his eyes. "You loved to sing for him," he said, his voice hardly rising above a whisper. "You poured your heart and soul into doing something for that waste of air and he said you were annoying." He felt Sue hiccup, the Palpitoad squeezing her eyes shut as she fought not to start crying again. "When you were happy, you said. When you wanted to give that happiness to your tamer." His knuckles were turning white and he had to forcefully release his grip before his nails could break the skin of his palms. If they ever found this man… Kiana wouldn't get a chance to rip out his throat. He'd do it himself.

Sue's body jerked as she fought another sob. "Yes," she said miserably. "I did."

She flinched when she felt Nicholas' hand brush past her cheek again but stilled when she heard him. Nicholas was humming, trying to find a gentle tone and as he did, his hand caressing her head, he began to sing. Wordlessly at first, but when he found his voice he reached for her hand. "You wanted to sing," he murmured, stroking her and staring down into the Palpitoad's eyes while he found the right words. "Then sing with me, sing with me," he called, "sing now with me, a great duet… your voice, and mine combined." He smiled when the tears in Sue's eyes began to dry and a look of awe replaced them. "Let those who shunned you now, be lost to time… A name, a life, forgot, sing now and become mine."

His gesture had won the Palpitoad over instantly. Sue was already rising, her eyes filled with wonder as she answered his refrain. "My voice, with yours combined," she sang, and Nicholas immediately squeezed her tight. It was marred slightly by the Palpitoad's ugly tears, and hesitant as she forced past her fear, but her voice. Her speaking voice had been pleasant to listen to already but as she raised it and poured her heart out it transformed into a beautiful melody. "Our souls, intertwined."

"And with your voice," Nicholas sang, Sue joining him in duet, the Palpitoad shifting the verse to refer to herself, "you'll sing for me!"

"And with my voice, I will sing for you!" Sue cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as she was overcome by her happiness.

"SO SING!" Nicholas cried back, dropping his grip on her head to grab both of her hands and hold tightly to the awestruck Palpitoad. He knew exactly what he needed to say. "SING, MY DARLING, SING! SING FOR ME, MY BEAUTIFUL MELODY!"

Sue's breath caught. "Melody…?"

"SING!" Nicholas roared, releasing her and falling back before bringing his arms around in a flourish as if he was a conductor. "SING TO ME YOUR JOY! CAST OFF YOUR SHADOW, AND BECOME MY MELODY!"

The newly renamed Melody leapt to her feet, somehow completely surefooted atop the shaking mattress and screamed in pure unadulterated joy as she lifted her voice to begin to sing. There were no words, and there didn't need to be. Only her voice, bursting free as she sang her thanks to him. Until she looked down, her song trailing off before Melody dove on top of Nicholas, kissing him for the first time since she'd come out of her pokeball. Her long tongue was probing deep into his mouth and the feeling quickly worked him erect. Soon Nicholas was listening with a smile as Melody sank onto his length, the Palpitoad throwing her head back with a musical cry when she felt him let go and add his load to her already dripping cunt. The room was filled with her voice as she rode him, every thrust or twist adding a note to her song, and he welcomed her into his arms when Melody collapsed in exhaustion from her emotions. Holding her close as she drifted off to sleep.

"I think you'll form a wonderful duet with Jade, if you can convince her to join you," he murmured with a smile, stroking the Palpitoad's hair as she slumbered against his chest. "Welcome to my harem, Melody."