The Guardian Coalition

by Approach Divinity

In a formerly secluded region, an insidious evil runs unchecked, and its native pokémon are seeming to vanish without a trace. A teen with a big heart and a strange talent, a student with big shoes to fill, and a lost man finding himself on the wrong side of morality all band together with their partners to curb it, or -more likely- die trying.

13. Call of Nature

"Ghost"

We walked in a peaceful silence as the miles passed. How long has it been since we started? I'd lost count, probably going on two weeks. Each day was the same when you had nothing to look forward to.

Overhead, the clouds couldn't decide whether to stay or go, but after some time, they took over, bringing with them a soft drizzle.

I'd checked the weather a few days ago, and it didn't have any rain for the whole week, but I supposed we'd walked quite a ways, and this was a completely different environment.

I pulled out my phone and checked again: light rain this afternoon and overnight… great.

I sighed and stowed the phone, making sure to disconnect from the data network. We would have to find something over our heads if Elise wants to sleep tonight. Luckily, it wasn't supposed to get heavy yet; that would be moving in tomorrow.

That was a task for later, however. It was only five in the afternoon, and we had plenty of time to look while walking.

Elise was walking beside me; the rain didn't bother her one bit as she kept pace with me.

She looked up and saw me staring. "How is your shoulder?" she asked.

I rubbed it with my right hand. It still hurt, but not nearly as bad as it did yesterday. "Okay," I said.

She narrowed her eyes the slightest bit. "You can drop the tough guy facade; tell me how you're really feeling."

I threw my arms before me. "I'm serious! What more do you want from me?" I asked, letting my arms fall. "Whatever that guy did yesterday, he clearly knew what he was doing."

Her eyes softened, and she smiled. "Good! I'm glad you're feeling better!"

I nodded and turned back to the road ahead. I'd noticed that Elise had begun to speak more like a human, both literally in terms I could understand and figuratively, using phrases and sometimes slang that couldn't have existed in her native speech.

It made sense, I supposed. She'd been around humans far more than other pokémon lately and must've been picking up on how I and the few other humans she'd encountered spoke, automatically incorporating it.

She took some getting used to, but she was a decent travel companion.

We walked for another half-hour before Elise complained that she was hungry. The rain dissuaded me from trying to start a fire, but I did have some stuff that was safe to eat without needing to cook it first.

I found a nice, big oak tree to help keep us dry and dug through my pack, producing a tin of processed meat. I peeled the top off and set it before Elise, who looked at it suspiciously.

"What is this?" she asked, giving it a sniff.

"It's meat; you said your kind eats meat, don't they?"

She nodded lightly.

"Then eat it," I said.

"How am I supposed to eat it? My muzzle won't fit in there!"

Looking at the shape of the tin, she was right. It was a sort of thin rectangular shape that wasn't designed to be eaten from like canned pet food.

I dug through my food reserves—notably running low—and found my last clean plastic spoon. Elise watched with interest as I scooped some out of the tin and held it out to her, which she sniffed some more.

"Well, are you going to eat it or not?" I asked impatiently.

She recoiled as if scared of the food. "You eat it first," she said.

I lifted the bottom of my gaiter and wormed the spoon through to my mouth. It didn't taste the best, and the texture was terrible, but it was food.

"See? Edible," I said while spooning another chunk out. "I'm not going to try making a fire while it's raining; it's a pain in the ass as it is, so this is all we got."

She said nothing but slowly moved in and licked the food on the spoon.

Oh, for the love of—

"Stop."

She did.

"Open your mouth," I said.

She did as instructed, showing her rows of sharp little teeth. I placed the spoon among them.

"Close your mouth."

She awkwardly closed her mouth around the plastic spoon. "Keep it closed," I said, pulling it back out of her mouth. The food was still there.

"Use your lips to keep the food in your mouth as I pull the spoon out, I said, my voice rising as my frustration grew.

Elise tilted her head. "What are lips?" she asked.

I put the spoon down to grab at her lips… only to find she didn't really have any. The flesh covering her mouth was not as full and easily manipulated as a human's.

"Oh," I muttered.

This was a stupid problem.

I brought the spoon back in. "Open up," I said; she obeyed.

Once in her mouth, I turned the spoon upside down. "Close." The plastic clinked when her teeth lightly clamped on them.

"Use your tongue to scrape it off the spoon."

I slowly pulled the spoon out of her mouth; there was still a lot of the paste on there, but it seemed like she got some.

Apparently, the taste agreed with her. "More, please," she said with a smile.

Another spoonful came her way, and she repeated the process with greater success. I felt stupid having to feed her, but what other choice was there besides letting her starve? She wasn't going to hunt anything; she likely wouldn't even try before she wasted away.

Half the tin was gone when she was finally satisfied. I didn't know what to do with the remainder; I didn't have anything to preserve it now that it was open.

"Have some!" Elise said. "You haven't eaten."

"I ate this morning," I said.

"That was a long time ago! You were walking all day; how can you go without food for so long?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Used to it, I guess."

She became agitated. "Just eat it! What's the big deal? Don't you like it?"

We stared each other down for some time. She didn't bend, which was unlike her.

It was obvious this was going nowhere; she would annoy me until I ate it, so I grabbed the spoon, scooped out some meat, and…

Ugh, dirty… nasty spoon…

It took me longer to eat my half than she did hers, and it wasn't because I had to work around my gaiter.

With 'dinner' out of the way, we were walking again, actively looking for something to cover our heads for the night. Luck wasn't on our side; we stumbled across nothing useful in the past two hours, and the forest opened to what seemed to be a park at the last of daylight.

"Damn it," I grumbled.

"Where do we sleep?" Elise asked.

"I'm working on it."

I hoped to find a cave or a rock outcropping somewhere, but it seemed those were few in this part of the nation. The trees were good, but they only did so much; we needed something more substantial. There was some light pollution in the distance, signaling civilization, but I would've preferred to scout if we were going to squat, so that was out, too.

Submitting to the fact we weren't going to find anything, I began to wonder if I could make something.

I kicked around the ground; it was very leafy, but there were sticks. The daylight was gone, so I grabbed a flashlight. I found a few sturdy branches, but not nearly enough for anything useful.

The beam passed over Elise, who had begun to shiver. It wasn't that cold to me, but she didn't have the protection of clothes; the constant drizzle had dampened her fur and was sucking the heat out.

Then I pointed the light over my pile of stuff. My backpack wasn't helpful; I was looking at the giant sheet of bullet-resistant plastic.

An idea formed quickly. I grabbed some sticks and ordered Elise to dig a hole in the dirt. She asked questions, which I ignored to work on the craft.

I stuck the sticks into the ground next to where she was digging. Then I grabbed some paracord and tied it around the handles inside the shield.

When that was done, I took it by the sides and stuck the bottom into the ground hard at a sharp angle to rest on the branches. After tying the cord around the supports that were the sticks, it was done.

A small den to keep dry.

Elise walked over and inspected the craft. "How did you do that?" she asked in awe.

"I told you, humans survived by solving problems."

She crawled into the hole she dug, now fully covered overhead. "Cozy!" she said before staring at me in concern. "What about you? Where will you sleep?" she asked.

I shook my head and sat on a log nearby. "I'm not tired."

She put on a pout. "I never see you sleeping; when do you sleep?" she asked.

I shrugged. "When I can."

Elise fussed over it for some time, but eventually, she couldn't fend off drowsiness any longer. I decided to stay near her for a while; there wasn't much else to do.

Her ability to so easily slip into unconsciousness made me envy her in a way. My white lie hung in the air; I was so tired, I would give anything for a good night's sleep, but for reasons that eluded me, I couldn't. I would be lucky to get four hours… if it ever came.

Time passed as I sat there, watching her chest gently expand and contract. My gaze stayed on her for far longer than intended. It was unlikely that anything would attack. I didn't feel the need to stand by, but here I stayed, watching her little furry form, lost in the rhythmic rise and fall.

I was surprised when the sky began to brighten. I quickly checked my phone; it was five in the morning. I'd spent the whole night there, on that log.

Not soon after, Elise woke up, taking a big stretch before meeting my stare with a confused look.

"Ee… Vee?"

I pulled out the translator I'd since removed and put the earpiece back in.

"Um, sleep well?"

She brightened instantly. "Yeah! It was nice and dry, thank you!"

I nodded in acknowledgment. She took another stretch and gracefully padded out of her makeshift den.

"What's for food?" she asked.

"We'll have to go without for a while; I can't make anything; all the wood is damp here. We need to find some real shelter to dry some for a fire."

Elise was about to respond before quickly swiveling her head to the right.

She'd heard something. I followed her eyes and saw a human closing in on us. They wore a mask with a subtle smile and two streaks under the eyeholes that were supposed to resemble war paint but looked more like whiskers. I recognized that mask.

Oh fuck.

"Hungry? Breakfast sounds good right about now. Pride could also go for a bite," he said, muffled through the mask.

There was a noise from behind us. Pride the Luxray padded over the damp leaf litter, licking his chops at me tauntingly.

"He's got a taste for you," Lion said lowly.

I didn't take my eyes off the Luxray. "Take that off; you don't know how stupid you look."

"You don't know how stupid you are," he snapped. "You had everything going for you: money, fame, prestige, and what do you do? You piss it away like the moron you are."

"I don't want your blood money, infamy, or anything related to that organization," I seethed.

"Hmph," he sneered. "Then what is it that you want?"

Silence reigned as I continued my staredown with Pride. I trusted Elise would do something to let me know if Lion tried something behind me.

"Oh, I get it! You want to save the helpless pokémon, just like you did when we first found her cowering in a bush. What a spineless pokémon; I know she's your first, but you could've chosen something better for a battler."

Elise crumpled as the attention turned to her. I could see the intensity of her trembling from the corner of my eye.

"Or… did you have other reasons for keeping her around?" he asked accusingly.

"You're fucked in the head," I stated, my building anger seeping into my voice.

"Hey, I know you; you're not the kind of person to enjoy company. If you ain't keeping her for your benefit, then it probably frustrates you to no end having to take care of a pokémon, especially one as weak as her."

His words continued to provoke me… but I didn't have anything to say.

I heard Elise quietly whimper.

"Alright, Pride, boss said he wants him back alive, so let's get this over with; just watch out for his tricks," Lion said.

"Yes, master," came a low, husky voice through the translator; it must have been Pride's.

A fight with the Luxray was not something I wanted right now, especially with my shield being out of reach and affixed to the ground.

I thought quickly. "C'mon, Lion, can't do the job yourself? Fight me like a man!"

Lion laughed. "You want to fight me? Here I thought you'd hold your reputation and fight my pokémon."

Silence for a moment; he was considering me. "Tell you what, drop your tools, then I agree to kick your teeth in."

I dropped my utility belt and the translator without hesitation; this fight was much more in my favor.

Pride's determined face melted as he was enveloped in red light and his formlessness was pulled toward Lion.

Now that the threat was gone, I turned back to the human. He took his mask off and let it fall to the ground.

I cracked my knuckles, ready to go. "I can't believe it took seven years to get to this."

"I couldn't agree more," he said, tossing Pride's pokéball out of reach.

No more words; there was nothing else to say.

Lion moved in immediately and started swinging, but I was ready and blocked them. He wouldn't be a pushover like those teenagers in the parking lot; he was harder to predict, and there was some real force behind his fists.

"C'mon, you wanted to fight me, so fight me, you pussy!" he said, throwing punches to punctuate his words. His eyes were frenzied, looking like he wanted nothing more than to beat me bloody.

I said nothing and waited, though not for long. His ego gave me a tell as he waved his right fist before throwing it. I dodged right and planted one on his cheek.

He didn't stumble, instead sending me a look that said, 'Seriously?'

"Is that all you got? Man, Bug's probably got more in him than you do," he jeered and got right back into it with a cross I didn't expect.

I staggered but kept my footing. Lion laughed haughtily. "That is how you throw a punch."

Maintaining my silence, I stepped forward and sent an experimental right jab at him. As expected, he didn't let it hit him, but he grabbed hold of my fist. I jabbed with my left, and he caught that, too.

"This is how the streets taught you to fight? You should be dead for this performance!"

He released me and kept his offensive. This fight was going nowhere fast, but maybe that was the key.

I decided to start opening my mouth. "You say I'm bad at fighting, but why can't you hit me?" I asked provocatively.

"Because you're a pussy!" He yelled and threw another cross that I ducked.

"You can't hit that pussy, huh? Is that why you're always sitting around, playing with yourself waiting for the next job?"

His face started to turn red with anger. "I get more pussy than you, shrimp dick!" he exclaimed before throwing more wild punches.

None of them landed. He became more aggressive but also more predictable. I could see the end of this fight.

I slung more insults, and he kept falling for them, advancing forward and forcing me backward. I just hoped there wasn't anything behind me.

Such was my luck; I felt my back bump against a tree. Lion seized the opportunity and jabbed me in the eye; that one stung.

His anger became hubris. "You like that? I'll dot your other eye!"

With no other options, I caught his fist. His other hand went for my neck, which I caught by the wrist.

Now we were locked in a grapple, neither wanting to let go and give the other an advantage.

"You must've walked away from that day thinking you were some kind of hero. You destroyed the facility; you saved all the pokémon!" He shook his head. "It only took a couple hours. They got power back, caught your two buddies…"

He lowered his voice and leaned in. "And they rounded up all the pokémon and put them back in their cages, where they belong. All accounted for… except one. You know what your efforts amounted to, Quinn? You rescued a single pokémon and became enemy number one to the biggest criminal orginization of this nation in the process; how sad."

His smile faded when he noticed me scowling. "What's with that face?" he asked before finding clarity. "Oh, sorry; you don't like it when I use your name."

He stopped pressing me into the tree and threw me aside, making me trip over a big tree root.

I held my arms out to block any incoming attack, but nothing I could've done would've stopped the kick to my side. I reeled in pain; being on the ground was a major disadvantage.

"You're pathetic, Quinn. Your plan was awful, your act of heroism fell flat, and now you're going right back to where you started; only who knows what Ryker has in store for you."

He delivered another forceful kick to my stomach and walked out of sight. My abdomen ached, and the edges of my vision went black. I wanted to get up, but my body would not respond through the pain.

How did he find us? How did this fight go so wrong? My thoughts drifted to the pokémon inside the facility; knowing that they were still in there—suffering, no doubt—had been heavy on my mind.

I tried to save them, but hearing Lion say they handled everything ripped the wind out of my sails. What was I fighting for anymore? I was a failure.

Failure.

Elise's crying forced my head up. Lion had her lifted by the scruff. "Doesn't even fight back. Honestly, she'd be better off in a cage; there's no way she'd survive in the wild, man."

I felt a surge of adrenaline at the sight, at his lies, his arrogance. My fists tightened. The pain was forgotten, and my feet were under me.

I was not a failure.

Elise

I was harshly dropped as Quinn began to ruthlessly attack Lion, who was taken by surprise.

Was that his name? 'Quinn?'

It was terrifying to watch, but I couldn't look away. My instincts were screaming for me to run, but I was frozen on the spot. He was not fighting like he was earlier, calm and collected; now, he raged and pushed forward without restraint.

Lion took blows everywhere to the head and body, and every one opened him up for the next. Unlike Lion, who was very vocal, Quinn said not a word.

Lion took a critical punch to the side of the head, sending him down. Quinn didn't waste a second pinning the human and continuing his beating. His hands and upper body were covered in fresh, crimson blood; Lion's face was covered in it. Not long after, Lion stopped trying to defend himself and went limp.

But Quinn didn't stop, grabbing hold of the other human's neck and squeezing tight, not caring about further tainting himself with the stream of blood running down the unconscious human's chin.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

"Quinn, h-he fainted; you can stop now," I said, terrified of the murderous energy he was exuding.

He didn't stop, continuing to strangle Lion like he didn't hear me, like he was in some kind of trance. Then I remembered that he removed the device that allowed him to understand me before they started fighting.

I had to stop him.

I bounded forward and lept, tackling him. We tumbled off of Lion with him on his back.

His attention was still locked to his target, and he tried to push me off, but I bit him in the forearm hard enough to draw blood of his own. He grunted and looked at me; his pupils were tiny but slowly dilated as we held eye contact.

"You're scaring me," I whispered, hoping he would understand.

His heavy breathing was the only sound for the longest time until that, too, calmed and left us in silence.

"…Let's get cleaned up," he muttered.

Looking down at myself, I saw my fur had picked up a lot of blood just by touching Quinn. I nodded slowly.

We shuffled around as I hopped off his chest and let him stand. I eyed him wearily as he walked over to Lion, but he just propped him up against a tree. "No doubt broke his nose; gotta keep his head up, or it'll leak down his throat, and he'll drown," he explained.

After hastily bandaging his arm, he checked one of his gadgets—his 'GPS'— stating there weren't any sources of water nearby, so he led me into the open field that the humans maintained and found a metal… thing sticking from the ground, obviously made by humans.

He opened his bag and pulled out many empty bottles. Undoing the top of one, he held it inside a depression in its surface, and, to my amazement, water magically came out and began filling the bottle.

I watched in awe until it was full, and he pulled it out. "Sit down, I'll clean you," he said.

Doing as told, I sat on my haunches and waited. He poured some water over my face and scrubbed the blood out; it was still fresh, so it came out easily.

But I wasn't paying any attention. His efforts felt heavenly, gratifying me with every drag of his fingers through my fur. He'd never groomed me before, but maybe I'll have to ask him to do it more often.

He moved on to my mane when he was done with my head. Oh, lords above, I was melting under his ministrations.

I didn't know I was purring until he pulled away; his eyes gave me a weird look.

"Uh, s-sorry," I squeaked. What had gotten into me?

Thankfully, he kept going. My world expanded as the lovely sensations resurfaced. I'd been groomed by Mother and Father countless times before, even by Vin on a few occasions, but they didn't compare to what I felt now. Why did a simple grooming feel so good?

I'd lost track of time, but eventually, he moved onto my chest, my paws, then a little on my flank.

I seized up when he touched me there, feeling like I was struck by lightning. What was happening was a mystery to me, but my instincts sure knew.

Quinn stopped again as he felt me push into his touch and heard me whimper. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

More than okay.

"Uh, yeah, I'm okay, it's just that it felt very good," I explained.

He sat there for a while, unsure how to continue.

"Right… well, you're all clean; I gotta wash myself up a bit."

"I can groom you!" I said quickly, surprised by my own forwardness.

"Um, no, that's okay; I'll be fine," he said, leaving me disappointed.

What was happening? My behavior was not my own. If only Mother were here… she'd have the answer.

Whatever it was, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I wanted more.

Quinn ran his hands under the stream of water produced by the magic machine. Considering he just cleaned me with his hands, they were free of blood in no time.

"Do I have any on my face?" he asked.

"A little here and there," I said before noticing a slight ring around one of his eyes. "What's wrong with your eye?"

"Which one? This one?" he asked, pointing to the correct one.

I nodded.

"Great…" he said. "It's called a black eye; nothing to worry about."

He wet his hands again and wiped his head and the exposed parts of his face.

"There's some on your face cloth, too."

"Alright. Turn around, please," he said.

I did as asked and gave him privacy. Other humans didn't cover their faces, so why he did was a mystery. Regardless, he was taking me back to the mountains, so putting up with his quirks wasn't much of an ask.

"Ah, damn it."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I think I split my stitches. The bandages are bloody, which means the cotton pad is saturated."

Well, that wasn't good.

"Ugh, wet clothing," he complained. "Alright, you're good."

I faced him and saw Lion's blood on his chest, as well as his own on his shoulder. "Aren't you going to clean your clothes on your body?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I've got bigger worries; I need to call that Matthew guy to redo my stitches quickly.

He pulled out his 'phone' and assumedly 'called' the man. "My battery's almost dead too! What a great day this is shaping up to be."

Whatever that meant, he still seemed to be able to speak to Matthew even though he wasn't here; human technology was fascinating. They talked for a little while before he put his phone away.

"He'll be here in about two hours," he said, pointing toward the human settlement. "There's another park on the north side of town; I told him to meet us there. I don't want Lion coming to when we're still around.

With that, he beckoned me forward. "Let's get going. It's still early. Hopefully, not many people will be awake to see us."

Quinn gathered his things, and we walked through the drizzle toward the settlement. The morning was a little chilly, but it was reminiscent of my home in the mountains. I was excited to get back, but Quinn said there was still a long ways to go.

We walked along the outside edge of the human civilization as long as we could. We pushed through fields that humans used to cultivate food—Quinn called them 'farms'—to conceal us from wandering eyes. Eventually, however, we encountered an obstacle that Quinn wasn't very thrilled about.

"Well, that's a highway," he said, pointing ahead. I assumed he meant the line of human vehicles streaming to and from the settlement. "We can't cross that; it's dangerous, and we'll be begging for attention we don't want."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

He stood deep in thought for several moments before speaking again. "We need to go through town and cross like normal people. I don't like going in there with all my gear, but what choice do we have?"

With that, he pushed intently toward the outer buildings of the settlement. I didn't like having to go to a place with more humans, but seeing as mine was gaining distance on me, I didn't have a choice, either.

We pushed through the rows of berry bushes until we broke through the other side. Luckily, this seemed like a less frequented area, so reaching the pavement was easy.

My hopes that the rest of the settlement was as vacant were dashed as we rounded a corner. Numerous people were out and about, walking on the pavement and moving between buildings. Some even had pokémon by their side, but they were far more comfortable in this environment than I was; we just didn't fit in.

My eyes glanced around nervously at all the activity around us. This place wasn't as foreboding as the last place we went through, people here seemed more busy than hectic, but I still shrank at the looks that came my way.

I stuck to Quinn like glue, occasionally pressing my side against his leg when we had to stop. His strength and stability allowed me to find some comfort of my own; I felt protected in his presence.

We came to a place where many vehicles ran down the 'road'; this must've been the highway Quinn was worried about. They formed neat lines and stopped under large metal trees with different-colored lights on them. I assumed this all must've been some kind of system they followed.

Quinn walked up to the edge of the pavement, pressed a button on one of the trees, and waited. I wanted to ask what he just did, but a human appeared directly to my left.

"Woah, man, where'd you get one of these?" he asked, looking at the shield on Quinn's back. "This is some serious equipment."

Quinn pretended he didn't hear them and continued looking forward, but they persisted.

"Um, excuse me, did you hear me where'd you-?"

"At a sporting goods store in Idian; can't remember the name," Quinn said impatiently.

The other human didn't say another word, effectively shut down. For once, I was glad Quinn was good at avoiding conversations he didn't want to have.

Ahead of us, a light changed from a picture of a red human hand to a white one of a human walking, which was apparently our cue to cross. My escort broke ahead of the small crowd that built up behind us, forcing a trot from me to keep up.

The line of vehicles to our left was nerve-wracking, to say the least. There was nothing we could do if the ones in front decided to trample us. Luckily, whatever human rules forced them to let us finish crossing before continuing on their way.

We didn't slow our pace until reaching the outer edges of the settlement. No other humans engaged with us. I was learning that this was normal in human society; most of them preferring to keep to themselves.

We got off the pavement and back into the farm fields. Only then did we relax. "I don't know what was worse: that or Spin City," Quinn said.

With the detour out of the way, it didn't take long to reach our destination: another park that looked similar to the one we'd slept at. This one, however, had a wooden structure to sit under and take refuge from the rain.

Now, all we had to do was wait for this Matthew person to come and treat Quinn again.

Speaking of, Quinn immediately sat everything down that he carried and began rummaging; throwing a whole host of things in a haphazard pile.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He didn't look up at me. "Trying to figure out how Lion found us out here. There's gotta be something that's sending a signal they're tracking."

He kept going until his backpack was empty, then resumed digging through the pile he'd made.

"This doesn't make sense! None of this shit is connected to the internet, how the fuck did he find us?"

He kept looking for a long while before giving up, having a seat against one of the structural supports.

I shuddered suddenly. Even after the trek from one side of the settlement to the other, my body still held onto what it felt like to receive physical attention from him; it buzzed pleasantly and fluttered in anticipation for more.

Guided by forces unknown, I padded over and curled up next to him. He radiated a pleasant warmth, and I leaned into it as we rested and waited. Secretly, I hoped he would drag his fingers through my mane again. Oh, Arceus, the feeling of him grooming me there was divine! Speaking to my body in a way I didn't understand but craved nonetheless!

My thoughts drifted randomly, like I was blasted with a confuse ray. I couldn't control them; they came entirely of their own volition. That didn't matter, though; they felt oddly… right, like their presence was somehow appropriate. I just wished he would use those strong hands to grab me by the sides and…

…and what?

Clarity returned as my mind stumbled into territory I couldn't follow. Never before had this happened, and it honestly began to worry me. Was I sick?

I shifted uncomfortably. The gentle warmth was becoming a little much to bear, cutting through the chill of the rainy morning… No, it wasn't that kind of warmth. It was like I was blushing, but all over, overshadowing the cold.

"You're strangely quiet; it's been over an hour since your last word," Quinn said.

His voice stoked the fire in my body; my tail flicked in agitation. "Nothing to talk about."

He eyed me with suspicion but thankfully dropped it. I didn't feel like talking right now.

At this point, I was famished. Maybe that was it? Either way, I just hoped Matthew would be here soon. Quinn was right; this day wasn't turning out well.

The landscape had brightened considerably with daylight before he arrived. We'd only just met the human, but his friendly face was a welcome sight nonetheless. His pokémon, Sabi, scampered alongside him energetically.

He was holding an object above his head, providing them both cover from the rain.

"Alright, let's get down to business," he said, opening the bag he used last time. "Man, that's quite a shiner you've got there."

Quinn didn't respond.

Taking a hint, Matthew began working. "Take your tops off and tear off those bandages for me; I'll ready the sutures."

Quinn began removing his clothing, but only the ones on his upper body. Large but thin patches of fur covered his chest and stomach. Vastly insufficient to keep someone warm, but also allowed full viewing of his muscles, which were well-defined and appealing, even for a human.

I caught myself. There it was again! And with them brought the confounding, uncomfortable warmth that seemed to worsen ever so slightly.

I shook the thought out of my head but couldn't stop myself from having another look. This time, I noticed a line of slightly off-colored flesh on his abdomen; was that a scar?

Matthew also took notice, poking it with a finger. "What kind of operation was this?"

"I'd prefer not to talk about that, please," Quinn stated sharply.

"Okay, okay," Matthew said, reaching for his tools.

"Hi!" came Sabi's cute voice. I turned to see her standing right in my face.

"Oh, um, hi," I said weakly, still struggling with myself.

She didn't pick up on it, however. "Come on, come on! Let's play! Oh, maybe we could battle! I bet I would beat you!" she said excitedly.

I shook my head. "I'm not feeling up to it today, sorry."

"You don't want to battle? You're weird!" she said.

Unsure how to respond, I ignored her and turned my attention to the humans. Matthew worked quickly, closing the wound once more and lathering it with white goo before starting the bandages.

"You know, I told you no strenuous activities until these were to come out; what were you doing anyway?" Matthew asked.

"Trying not to be kidnapped," Quinn said simply.

"Oh," Matthew said, clearly caught off guard. "Well, try to be more careful."

Without warning, Sabi cuddled up next to me. "You're very warm, just like Matthew," she said. Despite being ready to battle moments ago, she seemed content resting, at least for now.

"I told you twice a day until gone," Matthew said, beginning to raise his voice.

Quinn shrugged. "Forgot."

"Where's the bottle?" Matthew asked.

"In my pile of crap," Quinn said, pointing to the pile. Matthew walked over, finding a small orange container and inspecting it.

"Looks like you just took the one; keep using these," he said.

I felt a sharp change in Matthew's demeanor, dropping his frustration for something else. He reached back into the pile and pulled out an object resembling a human face, except with no mouth, wisps of black flowing over where it should've been. Two holes inside the whiteish material resembled the most impassive of eyes. It reminded me of Lion's 'mask' from earlier, but distinctly different.

"Is this… what I think it is?" he asked cautiously.

"Yep," Quinn said.

Matthew took a moment; processing and calculating. "Are you still… with them?"

"Considering I did a little sabotage and the others are hunting me down, I'd say no."

Matthew took interest in the item around Quinn's neck. "What about that necklace you're wearing?"

"Supposed to signify that I'm one of them," Quinn said.

"One of the Phantom Four?"

Quinn shook his head. "It runs so much deeper than that. Under the surface, they call themselves Team Carbon; they're responsible for most of the atrocities and tragedies you see in the news, and they take great care that as few people know about them as possible. That's why you hear about the 'Phantom Four' and not Carbon." Quinn grabbed his 'necklace.' "The type of jewelry dictates a hierarchy, I think; all of them adorned with this black material."

Matthew's face lit up, like he found a desperately sought answer. "They're responsible for a lot, you say? What about the disappearance of wild pokémon?"

"Eyyep," Quinn said. "They call those 'harvesting' jobs."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "And you don't care that I know all of this?"

"I don't really…" Quinn started, then sighed and threw his arms up. "Y'know, it really doesn't matter; they're already after me. Once I get to Seren, no one's likely to catch wind of me again. All I'll say for you is keep your mouth shut and stay well away from anyone wearing one of these jewelry pieces."

"If you're not affiliated with them anymore, why don't you get rid of this stuff?" Matthew asked, puzzled.

Quinn looked away. "I don't know," he said after some time.

Deciding she'd had enough inactivity, Sabi began prancing about, staying under the shelter.

Matthew stared inquisitively at me, which made me shrink. "Your Eevee doesn't want to play with Sabi? They seemed to have fun the first time around," he said.

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with her; she's been acting weird today," Quinn said, turning to Matthew. "You said you were in school to be a vet, right? Could you look her over?"

"I certainly can!" he said with a smile.

He approached me and came down to my level. "Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" he asked.

I failed to make eye contact. "I-I'm fine, just a little warm…" I said.

"I'm going to ask you some questions; answer with a nod or shake of the head, okay?"

I nodded, but Quinn interrupted. "Here, this might make things easier," he said, removing his translator and passing it to Matthew, who looked at it incredulously.

"These aren't widely available yet; where did you get this?" he asked.

"I'll give you one guess."

Matthew nodded and clipped part of the device to his ear; turning to me. "Alright, let's try this again; how are you feeling?"

"Fine, just warm," I repeated. Matthew seemed awestruck.

"It works so well! You have such a pretty voice." I shied away from his compliment.

He took a piece of equipment from his bag and held it out. "I'm going to be a little invasive, apologies in advance," he said and stuck it in my ear. It was a little uncomfortable, but nothing like they did to me in the lab.

"You have a name, sweetheart?" he asked.

"It's Elise," I said.

"That's a nice name. I'm Matthew, but I'm sure you've got that already."

The item beeped softly and was removed from my ear. "Hm, no fever," Matthew mused. "Could you explain 'a little warm'? What does it feel like?"

I thought for a moment. "I just feel… warm inside, but not actual warmth; it's hard to explain…"

"Is this constant?" he asked.

"No, it comes and goes," I said.

"Does something bring it on?"

I began to nod but immediately changed to a fervent shake. I hoped he didn't notice.

He did. "Come now, you can tell me. I just want to make you feel better," he said.

I glanced at Quinn, who was busily packing his things, then back at Matthew. He saw where my eyes wandered and tapped his ear, reminding me he had the translator. He was very perceptive and smart.

I sighed. "It started this morning when Quinn protected me from the human trying to capture us. He was strong and brave, something I want to be someday."

My tail flicked involuntarily; it knew where this was going.

"Then he cleaned the blood out of my fur, and it felt…"

The words wouldn't come out on their own. Matthew silently encouraged me with a hand.

"It felt very nice. Being groomed is nothing special, but this time felt very different. My thoughts ran away, and my body seemed to beg for more."

If the look on his face was anything to go by, Matthew was utterly confused. I could almost hear his thoughts come out of his head.

Eventually, he pulled out a phone and worked on it. His face remained stumped but then immediately changed as he realized something.

He put away the device. "Alright, I think I got it; could you lay on your side for me?"

I did as told, rolling over and exposing my belly to him.

Matthew moved in. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable; I just want to confirm something," he said, reaching out and rubbing over my belly.

"So the warmth you feel, is it all over your body or in specific places?"

It felt like it was all over, but now that he mentioned it, it was more intense in one area. I was about to speak up, but a sharp sensation made me moan; Matthew had rubbed a finger deliberately over one of my teats. My body flared up as if ignited, but focused most between my hind legs.

Immediately, I balled up and licked my burning nethers urgently, like tending to an itch that demanded scratching.

"Mhm, I got it," Matthew said, rubbing my head softly. "I'm sorry, sweetheart; it's awful, isn't it?"

I heard Quinn's boots as he approached. "What's wrong with her?" he asked. Tears streamed down my face as hearing his voice made it ten times worse.

"I wouldn't say there's anything wrong; she's just entering her mating cycle," Matthew said.

I wanted to ask what that was, but my mouth was busy. Luckily, Quinn was just as confused.

"I only speak stupid idiot, Doc. Could you explain this as such?"

"Well, most—if not all—mammalian pokémon go through at least one mating cycle per year, meaning their brains and bodies release hormones that get them 'in the mood,' so to speak while also attracting potential mates. There's nothing wrong with her, quite the opposite, in fact; it means she's healthy."

I stopped licking myself raw, but my tears continued to flow freely. "Why does this happen?" I asked.

"Your body is trying to influence you to find a mate; this is how eggs are made, sweetheart," Matthew said.

Eggs?

Quinn cleared his throat, stealing Matthew's attention. "So she's going to be attracting horny male pokémon while we're traveling?" he asked, agitation seeping through.

"That's not an outlandish assumption," Matthew said.

"Great, and this just so happened to start now?"

"Well… yes. Normally this happens in the spring for her species, but there are circumstances that would cause abnormalities. If you ask me, she's just a late bloomer."

"How long will this last?"

"Around a week."

"A week? A whole seven days?"

"Hey, that's extremely short compared to other species. For many, the estrus phase lasts for a month or more."

"There's nothing we can give her to stop it?" Quinn asked.

"Nothing that will help now; canines' estrus cycles are hard to manipulate. She'll likely be very uncomfortable for the duration or until she finds a partner to help."

A partner?

"I think that's out of the picture; she's needy enough as it is. Anything else I should know?"

"Not really 'need to know,' but things you'd quickly find out. Elise will likely become affectionate and easily distracted, along with some other behavior you might find strange, so have some patience with her."

"What kind of 'strange behavior?'"

"You'll know," Matthew assured.

"Do humans have these cycles?"

Matthew burst out laughing. "No, our kind doesn't have to worry about these things."

"Before you go, could you run some errands for me? We're running out of food, and I'm not particularly comfortable doing my own shopping if you know what I mean."

"Especially not with your sweatshirt looking like that; I can wash that for you."

Quinn took a while to respond, like the decision was difficult, but ultimately passed it over. "Sure, here."

"I'll be back in an hour. Come on, Sabi, let's go."

"Bye, friend!" she said to me and trotted to Matthew's side.

When they left, I sheepishly rolled back onto my belly. I almost welcomed the hunger gnawing on my stomach; at least it served as a decent distraction from the previously unknown burning I now felt.

"Uh, you feeling okay?" Quinn asked. He had a look in his eyes like he didn't know what to do, absently playing with his hands.

The answer was no. I wasn't okay, but judging by that look, my answer didn't really matter, so I nodded.

"Do you need anything?"

Mate me.

I whimpered as another wave passed through. Talking to him made it worse, and what was that just now? Quinn… be my mate? That was silly, right? A human couldn't be a mate for a pokémon.

"What are you… doing?" he asked.

Pulled out of my thoughts, I realized I was in a compromising position, holding my rear in the air. When did that happen? I didn't do that! My body ran renegade, but it knew what it wanted. We were facing each other, though; it wasn't a proper presentation.

Turn around.

My muscles began acting on their own as if I was possessed. Resisting was difficult; I was fighting instinct, but through sheer will, I forced myself back down to my belly.

My body instantly retaliated by turning up the heat. It was agony; I wasn't sure how long I could stand it.

"Do you want to sit over here?"

I almost shot up but resisted again and shook my head, eyes tightly closed. "No, thanks; I'm alright over here."

My ears perked as they heard him rise and approach; I was picked up and brought back to his spot. As he handled me, the sensations switched from being torturous to pleasureful so fast that I whimpered; were they trying to tell me something? His hold was awkward and made it hard to breathe—just like our first night trip through the city—but this time, his grip above my hips felt right.

What are you waiting for?

He sat me down in his lap and, after a moment, began to pet me. I didn't have it in myself to resist anymore; I purred loudly and nuzzled his hand forcefully.

Please…

Soon, I found myself on my back, squirming and basking in his scent; It was too much.

Despite attempts to entice him, he remained inactive. His eyes watched me carefully but without any discernable interest. Didn't he understand my need?

We sat there in silence; even the sound of the rain fell away as I lay against him; nothing else mattered. I still felt very irritable in my fur, but I quickly learned that being next to Quinn and feeling allured was much better than being punished by my heat.

So, despite everything, I was content waiting for Matthew as long as I got to stay in the presence of my mate.

"I'm back!" came a call to our left. Matthew was walking the path, approaching us with bags of items in each hand. Sabi was nowhere to be found; she must not like the rain.

I was doing better. I learned that its influence came and went, but it was never truly gone; it was still there, lying dormant.

Matthew dropped the bags and tossed Quinn his sweatshirt. "I managed to get the blood out of it, but you should really get a new one; that one looks ready to disintegrate," he said.

"Thanks," Quinn said simply, throwing it on.

Matthew dug through his pocket, making some muffled jingling noises. "Here's your change," he said, but Quinn raised a hand to stop him.

"Keep it; I don't have much use for it."

The other human shrugged and crossed his arms.

"Thanks for coming to help," Quinn added.

Matthew nodded. "You're welcome, but seriously, no strenuous activity, and keep yourself out of fights. You're really on the verge of problems you'd need an actual doctor for, plus I can't be traveling all over the nation to help you."

Quinn said nothing, waving goodbye as Matthew took his leave. I hopped off Quinn's lap and looked over the bags; they had many cans in them.

"Didn't keep in mind I had to carry all this shit, did he?" Quinn pondered as he began sifting as well. "Ah, this'll do for now."

He pulled out another bag, but this one was sealed and contained strips of… meat?

Slicing it open with a knife, he pulled one of the strips out and offered it to me; I was so hungry that I accepted it without question. It was dry, and the texture was unappealing, but the flavor was excellent. It was gone before I knew it, and I looked to Quinn, asking for more.

"Alright, you like jerky; here you go," he said, handing me another piece. It was very savory, much unlike the meat that Mother would provide. Humans must've done things that altered the taste.

He kept feeding me as he packed away the supplies. Soon, the bag of jerky was gone, and he was almost ready to go, taking a moment to dispose of the 'garbage' before hoisting his bag. "We gotta get moving; I want to find some decent shelter before the rain really starts."

I could've gone for more food, but he was the leader, and I was ready to follow.

We set out back into the rain, moving to avoid walking through the settlement again. Soon, it was far enough behind us that it vanished, and we were once again left with the trees.

I heard a thud and turned to see Quinn picking himself back up. "Damn it, these wet leaves are getting slippery." He sighed. "There should be a trail through these woods; I want to find it."

He pulled out his GPS and discovered it was marked on the map. He led us to the right a ways and soon, we found a path paved by humans.

"I don't like walking public trails; stupid fucking rain…"

We followed the path for a while, looking for shelter all the while. Not long after we found the trail, the raindrops increased in frequency.

"Here it comes," Quinn grumbled.

Water began seeping through my overcoat again, making me shiver. I wished the rain would stop…

Then, to my surprise, I stopped feeling the soft impacts against my fur. I looked up to see Quinn was holding one of those things Matthew had over myself; protecting me.

"Thank you!" I said, beaming.

He nodded, scanning the surroundings before coming to an abrupt halt.

I turned to see what he was looking at. It was a human building hidden from view by a hill. It seemed in bad shape compared to the buildings in the settlement earlier; moss and vines were beginning to climb the sides, and plants sprouted on top.

Quinn approached, prompting me to follow. "This place looks abandoned; broken windows, the shingles are falling off, siding's fucked…"

The building provided its own cover and allowed Quinn to put the 'umbrella' away. He tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Locked."

He gave it a push. It resisted, but not very much.

"Highly doubt anyone's living here," he said, dropping his things and taking a step back.

Before I could ask what he was doing, he lunged forward and bashed into the door with his good shoulder. It complained loudly before falling inside the building. Quinn followed suit, landing on top of the broken door.

"What happened?!" I asked.

"Well, I'm not positive, but it looks like the door broke off the hinges," he said sarcastically, rubbing his side. "Voilà, we have shelter."

Collecting his things, he tossed them inside and beckoned me to enter. "Watch your step; there's glass everywhere. Don't go near the windows."

I shook out my soaked fur. Inside, the building was dark, but Quinn touched something on the wall, and light came on in the room. "Huh, didn't expect this place to have power still, but I'll take it," he said.

With the light on, I could see the glittering of the glass on the floor; it was indeed everywhere.

"Under the table, along the walls, around the appliances…" He groaned. "Stay there; I'm going to see if I can find a broom or something."

With that, he rounded a corner and out of sight. Sounds emanated through the rooms as he searched. "Fully furnished, it's like these people just up and left," I heard him say before something clattered to the floor. "Shit."

The rummaging continued. I wanted to help, but I was stuck sitting on the fallen door. I tracked him with his footsteps through the admittedly creepy building.

"Ugh, something smells rancid!"

Another door opened. "Alright, found one!" he called.

He returned quickly, using the 'broom' to clear the floor of glass, pushing the shards into a place where we wouldn't step on them. "Okay, the kitchen is clear; just be careful if you walk around," he said.

My paws took cautious steps; I wasn't interested in exploring, more so in staying by his side.

I heard something clicking; Quinn was messing with one of the appliances, but I couldn't see what was happening.

"This place still has gas, too? We could live here," he said before I heard a sharp creak. "Nevermind, no water. The pipes are probably rusty anyway."

"Humans live in these places?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Looks a little different than a pokémon hovel, don't it?"

I nodded. Human ingenuity and technology were all around us. Perhaps he'd teach me more; he had been much more talkative lately.

A growling came from my stomach, pulling me from my thoughts. It wasn't satisfied.

Quinn must've heard it, too, because he walked over to his supplies and pulled out some cans of various kinds. "Well, since we have a gas stove, there's no need to dry wood."

He chose two cans and put the rest away, turning on the 'stove.' "Matthew also gave us some containers of berries and a bag of dry food for you, but we'll save it since we can cook here."

He peeled the top and the 'label' off the can and set it on the stove, stirring it occasionally with a spoon.

"It's bizarre that humans can survive without needing to hunt their food, that it comes in neat little packages and cans," I said absently while watching him work.

He laughed derisively. "'Survive' is a funny way to put it. Yeah, it solves hunger problems, but this stuff is so bad for us, it ultimately ends up killing us more often than starvation."

We conversed on the subject while he worked. Bit by bit, I was learning more about humans, their rules and technology, as well as their problems and such. Once he determined the food was done, he set it on the table.

"Probably will leave a ring scorched into the wood, but I have a feeling the residents won't mind," he said.

I clambered up the chair and onto the table. Whatever he just made smelled good but looked strange. "What is it?"

He dipped the spoon into the can. "It's called chili; made of meat and some other stuff."

Again, the can was unfit to be eaten from, so he would need to help me. Quinn already understood, though, pulling the spoon full of food and holding it out for me.

I accepted, having to remind myself not to bite the spoon. It was okay, but the taste of the 'other stuff' took away from the meat. Not that I was complaining; I was hungry!

"Should've asked Matthew if feeding pokémon human food was a good idea," Quinn pondered. "You're still alive; it's probably fine."

The rain could be heard pummeling the already damp ground outside through the broken window. Occasionally, the landscape would flash, lighting up the entire house.

"Bastards didn't say anything about a thunderstorm… good thing we found this place."

I nodded in agreement as I finished the last spoonful. Anything was better than sleeping out in the rain.

"I don't understand how something so small can eat the whole thing of chili," he said, making me feel a tad guilty.

"Sorry, I should've left you some," I said.

He shrugged. "Whatever, I have more."

He dug out an identical-looking can and prepared it. When it was done, I sniffed it; it smelled very different but looked the same!

"I don't think you'd like this," he stated, stirring the can's contents.

I looked at him defiantly. "I wasn't going to ask, but now I am!"

From behind his face cloth, I could've sworn he was smirking. "Alright, here you go," he said.

Like the many spoonfuls prior, I took it. Unlike previous times, my mouth felt like it was set on fire.

Immediately, I spat it out onto the table, but it didn't help at all. It was pure pain as I heard Quinn snickering beside me.

"That's what you get," he said.

I would've commented if the situation were any different; instead, I glared at him.

"Alright, hold on," he said, grabbing a water bottle and filling the plastic 'bowl' he made from another bottle. My tongue couldn't lap up the water fast enough.

Even though it was at my cost, this was the first time I'd heard any kind of joy from Quinn. It made me happy that he might've started warming up to me, but I decided not to bring it up.

"How can humans eat that?" I asked.

"Many people like spicy foods. Compared to the stuff only crazy people eat, this is nothing." He gestured to the room behind him. "Some privacy, please? There aren't any windows in the next room, so it should be safe to roam," he said.

I drank until the pain was gone as he rinsed off the spoon. The next room had softer ground, more comparable to earth than what was in the 'kitchen.'

The house was intriguing, but I felt compelled to ball up and wait for Quinn to finish his food.

I thought back to what Matthew had said, that my ailments would last a week. To my knowledge, a human 'week' is seven human 'days,' and a 'day' was a full day-night cycle. This was troubling… I could hardly last one!

But Matthew did say there was another way out: secure a mate. Things slowly began to make sense; my body was influencing me to find one, and it declared that it found the human in front of me to be the one… but why? I was a pokémon; he wasn't. He was only my caretaker and escort as we made our way to the mountains.

Then it clicked—that might've just been it! He provided food, secured shelter, and had the strength and courage to ward off danger. Everything made sense; he was everything a good mate needed to be.

Without warning, the sensations of my heat flared up, making me utter a pitiful whimper.

"You okay?" Quinn asked from the kitchen. "It looks like we'll be spending the night here; the storm will keep on through midnight, which isn't a big deal. There must be someplace in this house that's suitable to sleep in." He wasn't at the table anymore; he must've been going through his things.

We need him.

A naughty, intrusive idea ran through my head. Suddenly, our differences weren't that important.

"Quinn, come here!" I called.

I didn't know what to do, but my body did. I turned to face away from the kitchen, letting my front half fall to the ground while my hind legs kept my rear elevated. I needed him, and I showed him how badly I needed him.

When the heavy footfalls stopped behind me, I looked back, watching his eyes as he looked me over. Seeing how he was appraising me felt right.

But, as quickly as it began, he averted his gaze and rolled his eyes. "So this is what he meant," Quinn muttered, stepping around me.

Emotions surged forth at his rejection of my offering, predominantly frustration. Couldn't he see my plight? I needed him to save me from the unbearable, burning arousal.

Getting up, I followed him through the house. I was so fixated on catching him that I wasn't even interested in exploring the environment.

I found him in another room with more soft ground; he seemed to be inspecting it. Silently, I walked over and dragged my body across his leg.

"Elise, what did I tell you?" he asked impatiently, pointing at the wall. "Broken window. Glass everywhere."

That was the least of my worries. "Quinn, please."

"Please, what?" he asked.

"I need you! Please help me!" I begged, dropping to a crouch.

He stood there momentarily, calculating his words, before shaking his head and leaving me behind again.

I didn't understand; was there something wrong with me? Was I not good enough?

That's when it hit me; maybe that was exactly it. I was weak, frail, in constant need of protecting and caring for… He said so himself when we talked with Matthew and remained silent when Lion questioned my strength.

He provided everything for me, but I offered little for him. Because of this, I was not a suitable mate in his eyes.

My nethers burned; stupid heat.

"Elise!" Quinn called from elsewhere.

My ears perked at his call. I ran through the halls so fast I didn't care that I was knocking things over. Did he change his mind?

When I found him, he was sitting on a long… something that looked very soft.

"This room is like the only room in the house with windows that aren't broken, plus it's got comfortable couches to sleep on," he said.

My disappointment was immeasurable.

Quinn took off his boots and laid down on the 'couch.' "We've got a lot of time to kill waiting for the storm to blow over. Let me know if you get hungry, I guess."

I looked out the window. It might as well have been night with how dark the sky was. The lightning was still fierce, blinding as it tore through the sky, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

As Quinn said, there was nothing to do. It was clear he didn't want to talk to me in this condition, so I wordlessly jumped up on the couch and curled up by his legs. My mind still ran rampant but managed to take me nowhere.

Eventually, I managed to fall asleep while watching the rain streak down the window. It was a troubled, dreamless sleep, but all throughout, I felt like someone was trying to talk to me.