It was an odd thing for me to be alone. Jarque was out doing human things, Valentine had gone for a walk to calm herself down, and Diamie had left me just moments ago to take a bath at a nearby river. Goodness, she was the only pokémon in the team that liked baths. A little too much, too.

This gave me time to think. What was my goal, at the end of the day? To be happy with Jarque. I really had no more complex motivations than that. He wanted to win the League's challenge, so right now that meant that my goal was to place that championship at his feet. And then he would pet me and cherish me and kiss me at every step along the way. But that would require him to command a strong, varied team.

Valentine arrived, interrupting my thoughts. Her eyes widened at my presence, or perhaps at Diamie's absence. Oh, she probably had hoped to find the two of us together. Perhaps she found meeting alone with me to be a little awkward, specially after our little silly dance of skill like an hour ago. I could still see the marks of my claws on her face, although they were wearing off, and I could still smell the burnt fur on myself.

Valentine began to approach me, but she was looking aside with her head hanging. My muscles tensed up, because I wasn't sure how to interpret that. "Sorry, Clover." Oh. My muscles relaxed. "I shouldn't have… That was unbecoming of me, fighting you like that before. Sorry."

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of heart. Perhaps she thought she had gone too far? But at the end of the day I was as much to blame as her, if not more. "Pretty sure I was the one to instigate that dance of skill, so it would be my fault if anything."

"We both participated. Either of us could have just decided not to join." A paw on her chest, she fired a fleeting glance at me, but her eyes were soon again drawn towards the ground. "Y-You're a great leader and Jarque is very proud of you, okay? Please forget all that nonsense about taking your place. I don't know what came over me. Of course you are the one closest to master, and thus the one that deserves to be our leader."

Oh, wow. I had expected her to mellow out, but not so soon, and not this much. Did she feel guilty for introducing dissension in a team that used to be peaceful? The fact that her burns hurt worse than my claws probably didn't help matters. I had known the fire-type long enough to know that she hated being confrontational, so she couldn't keep up her outrage forever. And being the smarty-pants she was, of course she would have figured out that antagonizing the team's leader would destabilize our team and affect our performance negatively. And being the loyal pokémon she was, of course she wouldn't want that on her beloved trainer. Instead, she probably planned to just fake a smile and bottle up her anger until she couldn't take it anymore and exploded against me months, if not years later.

Well, I wasn't having that.

Let's freaking do this.

"Valentine, I would like to apologize to you."

Her ears and her eyebrows alike went up, as if unsure whether she had misheard. "Apologize?"

I nodded, my expression neutral. "Yep. I think I owe you one."

"It's okay, Clover." She shook her head, her nose pointing down but her eyes set on mine. Her mouth twitched. "Please, don't… don't apologize when you don't mean it. I'm trying to be nice and I'm not in the mood for fake pleasantries. Let's not make things worse, okay?"

I placed a paw on my waist, my eyes narrowing. "What the… I do mean it, you stupid fox! This is a genuine apology!"

"T-That is no the attitude one shows during an apology!" Valentine put both of her closed fists against her neck, then stared down to them. "What are you going to tell me? That you're sorry for accidentally hurting me during the last gym battle? That you're sorry for being selfish? That you're sorry for monopolizing master's attention?"

"Uh? No, none of that," I said as I waved a paw dismissively. "The gym thing was an accident, and I would never apologize for wanting to hog Jarque. If anything, you could do with a little extra selfishness."

"Then what are you…?"

"Valentine, I want to apologize for not taking you seriously enough as a rival."

The Braixen tilted her head as her curious eyes set on mine, clasping her hands together. "… Rival?"

"Yes! All this time I saw you as just another pokémon, as just an irrelevant creature that had joined me in my adventure with Jarque because this region required it. Never thought much of you. I thought your significance started and ended as a powerful fighter. But I was wrong. I was terribly wrong, and I have been unfair to you because of it." I suddenly pointed at her with a paw, making her take a step back. "Because the truth is, you are almost as good a fighter as me, and almost as charming and attractive as me, and would make almost as good a team leader as me. Hell, I bet you would be almost as good at dances of love as me. Because I realize that you're not some peripheral character in my journey with Jarque. No, you are the second best pokémon for him, in combat, platonically, romantically, and I bet even sexually. And I was just sitting here not noticing that. So for that I want to apologize, for not having seen you as my rival until now."

Valentine stared at me with blank eyes for some long seconds before she burst out laughing with that cute, overly feminine laugh of hers. She spoke as she badly stifled her giggles. "Oh, buttercakes, Clover! What kind of apology is even that?"

Okay, now I felt silly. "Hey! I'm pouring my heart out here! Who reacts like that to such a heartfelt apology?"

"Sorry, sorry. I appreciate it, I think?" Her laughter was dying down, although the occasional giggle still escaped her. "But seriously, what does that even mean? Rival? So we're not even pretending we're friends anymore?"

"Bah. I don't do friends," I said as I crossed my arms, closed my eyes, and turned my head to the side, looking very cool and not sad at all. "It's clear the whole friend make believe isn't working out for us, so let's just cut to the chase and acknowledge each other as rivals."

"I suppose it's true that the members of a pokémon team are under no obligation to be friends. When I was with my previous trainer I didn't particularly get along with the rest of pokémon, but I like Diamantina, and you're not terrible yourself every now and then. But what is this thing about rivals?"

"I wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for you. Since you are so strong, I have to always put extra effort when honing my skills and cultivating my body so that I can overcome you and prove to Jarque than I'm a better fighter than you. I can never rest on my laurels, because neglecting my training even for a day could mean you overtaking me! And since you're so smart and so kind to others, I was forced to improve in strategy and teamwork, even though I was never the best in those fields. And I can admit that part of the reason I got frisky with Jarque so quick after evolving was that he was paying a little too much attention to you since you are so gorgeous. So I was forced to act fast lest you take him from me! So you being such an overwhelming rival is part of what has pushed me to always improve and always give it my all. Because I knew that if I ever got complacent you were just one step behind me, ready to surpass me and become Jarque's favorite. So for that I guess I have to thank you."

Valentine grabbed her tail and began to fluff it as she spoke, looking down to it. "Geez, how am I even supposed to interpret that? I guess it's nice that you have such a high opinion of me."

"I see it now. You are not a thief of affections. A thief is someone who wants to take something that has not been earned. But you're trying to earn it. You're trying really hard every day to overtake me, and so I must do the same. You are not a thief, you are a fair contender." I pointed a paw at her in this very cool and dramatic way, but the Braixen had nerves of steel for she barely reacted. "That is why you're my rival! Because I want to prove to Jarque that I am the best for him, that I am the best leader his team would have!" I lowered that arm to raise the other one, also pointing at her. "And I will also prove it to you that I'm the best leader for this team! Just you wait! I will improve so much that you won't want to kick me out ever again!"

The contender of affections had a shrewd grin on her face. "Oooh. Big words, cat. Think you can do it?"

I closed my hand into a fist and shook it around. "Yes! Because I have Jarque, and Diamie, and you! Jarque will motivate me to persevere because I want to always be the best in his eyes, Diamie will cheer me on so that I never give up, and you will pressure me to always push ahead so that one day you can respe — so that I can show you who's boss, you stupid dogface!"

Valentine brushed her knuckle against her chin as she stared at me. Her face was difficult to read, but at least she was smiling. "You are a more complex girl than I give you credit for. I will accept the kindness hidden in your words for what it's worth." Her smile grew wider, but it quivered for an instant. "So you don't actually hate me, Clover? That's kind of what worried me the most."

It would be easy enough to say no. It would be easy enough. "In all honestly I dislike you a little because you have a very real chance at stealing Jarque from me. But on the other hand your presence pushes me to continuously improve and become a better and better partner in his eyes, so I have that much to thank you for, at least. Even if you weren't around I'm sure there would be other females, human or otherwise, that would take an interest in the future champion. So I must become the best mate possible so that no one else can lure him away from me! It is your company that rouses me to become my best self, because there's no way I'm beating you if I bring any less than my absolute best." I grabbed the leaf-handkerchief covering my chest, looking down. "Uh, I know that didn't sound like a compliment, but I swear it was."

She walked closer to me. "Coming from anyone else I would have taken it as an insult, but I have known you long enough to know that those words are high praise coming from you. Plus, I agree that competition is a good thing. You have also helped me elevate myself beyond what I would have achieved if there was no one else around to compare myself to. So if this rival thing consists of helping each other grow stronger, I find it acceptable."

"So you somehow don't hate me?"

Valentine held her hands behind her back as she leaned towards me. "I do begrudge you a little, I guess. I still wish I were master's ace instead of you, but I do recognize that you and him have better chemistry and have been together for longer. And at the end of the day I just want to grow and learn with a human that appreciates me, in a team, even if I'm not in the leading role, to get a chance to be part of something bigger than myself." She pressed a finger against the leaf over my chest. "And you, miss, you are a bit of a cretin sometimes, but your devotion to our trainer is second to none. I will follow if you will lead, and I will help you along the way with a smile, but if you act like too much of a jackass or lag too far behind, then I will consider you not good enough for our master and I will feel justified in trying to usurp your place."

I had a faint chuckle as I scratched by itchy neck. "Brutal honesty. Sincerely appreciated. But, uh, by usurping my place I assume you are referring to my role as leader, not as his mate, right…?"

Valentine winked an eye. "We will never find out, because you will do an excellent job."

"T-True!" I said a little too excitedly, which made her giggle. I playfully punched her shoulder, and she returned the gesture. "Then, uh… we're good?"

Valentine leaned her head to the side, smirking as she tapped a finger against her lips. "Oh! So we're friends now, Clover?"

"A-As rivals, I meant!"

"I see, I see." She extended her arms open, inviting, and signaled at me with her hands to come closer. "Care for a hug, then?"

I covered my body with my arms as I stared at her intently. "A hug? Isn't that something friends do?"

"Oh, but this is like a rival hug."

"Ah. Then that makes sense."

Valentine put her arms around my neck, being just a bit taller than me in spite of being younger, and pushed me against her body. I also put my arms around her body, because I had no reason not to. My body was immediately assaulted by a feeling of comforting warmth as her fur brushed against mine. I hated how relaxed and snug I felt in her arms. I could easily imagine falling asleep in her embrace. How in the world was I meant to compete with the ultimate hugger? Her soft breasts squashing against mine also reminded me that she got the advantage there too, even if only by a little. You probably wouldn't be able to tell at a distance, really.

After I don't know how long she pulled back, and I felt a strong chill immediately overtake me. Ugh, I missed her warmth already. No, seriously, how the fuck does anyone compete with a fire-type of all things. I would really need to up my game if I didn't want to lose Jarque. But as the Braixen treated me to one of her melting smiles, I at least felt like a genuine ceasefire had been reached and peace had returned to our homely team. And that made me fell a little more confident in myself. I could resolve conflicts in this team before they escalated to the point where they would affect Jarque and the team negatively. And part of the credit of course went to Valentine. A very big part. She could have really screwed me over to curry Jarque's favor, but instead helped me make amends for the good of the team. Perhaps this Braixen was deserving of more trust than I was allotting her.

Night had arrived. It was a cold night so thank goodness for this low quality tent. Jarque was initially appalled to find burn patches on my cheeks and claw marks on Valentine's face, but we managed to convince him that it was just a sparring session that had gotten a little out of hand. He didn't quite seem to buy it, but he didn't press the issue. Much like Diamie, he had probably guessed that this was the kind of thing we had to resolve on our own. I appreciated the high degree of autonomy he always offered us. He had tended to my wounds with some very stinging human lotion to avoid infection, and he was now treating Valentine. Which gave me a little time to think.

My little argument with Valentine was solved and she accepted me as the leader of the team once more. My idle thoughts now wandered to the next issue at hand, namely, her feelings towards Jarque. Valentine had confessed to being in love with Jarque, and even if she hadn't, it wasn't like it wasn't obvious anyway.

… So what should I do about it, if anything? I didn't imagine Valentine making a move on Jarque, so I probably didn't have much to worry about in that regard. But still, she did like him. Probably wanted to mate with him too. Was that something I could afford to ignore? No, I was the leader of this team, which meant that my teammates' problems were my problems. What if lust took the worst of Valentine and she did something she would later regret? Or what if she ignored her urges and that affected her performance during dances of skill? No, I had to figure a solution. Because it's not like I could just ask Jarque to pound her silly…

…or could I? Wouldn't that actually solve the issue? Valentine would receive intimate attention from our trainer, which I'm sure she would appreciate, and would get to sate her thirst. And I doubted Jarque would mind since he would get to fool around with another voluptuous female, and I knew he was into pokémon because, well, because me. This could also strengthen their bond and make our team more tight-knit. Wasn't this the ideal solution? The only issue was that it would require Jarque to dance with a female other than me, and just thinking about it…

…made me realize I didn't particularly mind? I leaned my head back, closing my eyes. I needed to take a step back and think. What was important to me? What did I care about? Jarque, duh. I wanted him to love me and only me. That was not up to debate. What about sex, though? Did I care if my trainer had sex with another female? The thing is… not really? Maybe it was a pokémon thing, or a starter thing. Perhaps it was because of my grass typing, or it had something to do with the Sprigatito family. Goodness, maybe it was just a me thing. Be it as it may, the thought of my male having fun with other females wasn't necessarily an unpleasant one. He would get to enjoy it, and I wanted him to feel lots of pleasure. What was bad about it? Now, the thought of him falling for someone else hurt me deeply, but so long as it was just physical activity, why should I care?

My limited understanding of human society suggested that this was an unusual way of thinking among humans, but it was common enough around us pokémon, or at least it was for some species like the ones they called starters. At the end of the day I couldn't have it all, so I should prioritize what was important to me.

Like, what was my worst fear? What was the worst possible scenario? Jarque falling in love with someone else. Specially him falling for a human, as that meant he would spend less time with us. That was a pretty big problem, as I understood that human-pokémon relationships were seen in a bit of a negative light in this region. Not outright illegal, but working in a don't ask don't tell kind of fashion. So Jarque might feel tempted to pair up with a human instead since society would be more understanding and supportive of it. If I wanted to keep that worst case scenario from materializing, I had to ensure that he would focus on the team and avoid outside distractions. As such, if we had him lie with different females in the team that would surely draw his attention towards us. And since his sexual urges would be quenched he would be less likely to be seduced by any outsider temptress!

And in truth, Valentine fancying Jarque wasn't even the worst possible case. What scared me was the possibility of my teammates becoming infatuated with pokémon of other trainers, specially if those trainers were female. First, because that meant they would now divide their attention between us and the other team. But also because I had heard many stories of human couples forming because their pokémon would fall in love and so they would be forced to spend a lot of time together.

What would happen if Valentine fell for, say, one of Sen's pokémon? Jarque would have to spend a lot of time with a pretty human girl his age, and that was just asking for trouble. That lass would totally become smitten with Jarque before long! Anyone would after enough time! No, if the Braixen was going to develop a crush on someone, Jarque was perhaps the best candidate after, like, Diamie or me. That way she would devote herself to the team and want to train extra hard to impress Jarque!

Also, I was as competitive as they come, and I wanted to prove that I was Jarque's best possible partner. What value was there in proclaiming he enjoyed my body the most if I was the only female he had ever tasted? If he humped a few more females, he would get to contrast and compare and would come to the conclusion that no one outclasses me when it comes to pleasuring him! At least Valentine was a trustworthy female and wouldn't try to screw him over, because in my mind every other girl was a potential homewrecker unless proven otherwise. The only females I trusted were those in his family, and Valentine. Oh, and Diamie too — she's proven to be quite the peacemaker, and I'll be honest, I really need someone like that around. And, hey, who knows, I might even learn a thing or two from the Braixen that I could later apply to delight him even more.

It actually served my interests to have them lie together. Valentine was bound to become even more loyal and happy if her feats were rewarded with something more than headpats, and Jarque was a horny teenager that would not say no to more tight pokémon pussy. The entire team would become closer too. It would feel fulfilling for Valentine to get so intimate with a human since she is a starter, so she would feel rapturous and perform her tasks better. And Jarque would have more opportunities to let off steam so that he can be more relaxed when doing his boring human duties and formulating strategies. And they would both be thankful to me for having orchestrated this! Was I a great leader or what?

Jarque's voice brought me back to reality. "And you should both be good now," he said as he finished applying his human treatment to Valentine, stroking her head to soothe her as it probably stung like hell. "I know this Lum antiseptic stings like a bitch, but we want to make sure we're preventing infection." He let Valentine go, and after scratching her ear, the Braixen walked to my side and seated near me. "Look, I don't want to get too strict or nosy when it comes to your personal affairs, but I just hope you two have sorted out this… uh, this whole sparring matter."

"We are good," I said to him, practicing speaking his language. "All solved."

I noticed Valentine pushing her paw against her temple with her eyes closed, probably also relaying some assuaging message directly to his mind. Jarque nodded to us as he stretched out his arms. "Gotcha. I'll trust you girls to deal with this. I won't pry, but just ask me if you need help with anything, okay?" Jarque took a moment to open the zippered door of our tent to look outside, but the cold persuaded him to go back inside. "We should go fetch some firewood. This seems like it's going to be a particularly chilly night."

Valentine made a gesture to the Brionne. "It is our turn on kindling duty, isn't it?"

"Yup!" came Diamie's quick answer, then she winked at me. Right, right. Usually two of us would go find wood while someone else waited behind to protect Jarque in case something happened, although nothing ever happened. Every three days it would be Valentine's and Diamie's turn to go collect some wood. Which gave me the perfect excuse to take care of a different kind of wood, since Jarque and I would be left alone for a little under an hour.

But as the gears turned in my head, I figured a change of plans was in order. "This is a pretty safe forest, isn't it?" I asked the other two girls, who gave me a confused nod. "The wilds around this area aren't too aggressive, and are pretty weak in any case. Most of them are like ground and rock-types too since we're near a mountain pass. Diamie, do you think you could gather the wood by yourself?"

Diamie shared a brief glance with the Braixen, then set her puzzled gaze on me. "I mean, yeah. If that's what you want, it's not an issue on my part, chief. I have no problem transporting wood even with my flippers." Her dark cyan eyes took a peek at Jarque, who watched attentively even if he didn't understand a word of what we were saying. "But I thought you would like to be alone with him, chief."

"Don't worry about that. So think you can do it after all?"

The sea lion beamed at me, even though there was still incertitude in her eyes. "Sure thing! You can leave it to me!" She tapped her flipper at Valentine. "Is that okay with you, Valentine? Do you want to stay behind?"

"I suppose I am a little bit tired," Valentine said, staring at me even though she was speaking with Diamie. "Clover, uh, are you sure you are okay with this? I don't mind going with Diamantina if you want some time alone with master to… you know."

I shook my paw from side to side before turning to the Brionne. "Stay safe, Diamie!"

Diamie looked at Valentine, then at Jarque, and then at me, a knowing grin curling her lips. As she waved us goodbye before leaving I wondered what must have been going through the Brionne's little head at the time. She was surprisingly perceptive when it came to social matters. But regardless, now she was gone and the only ones left in this pitifully small tent were Jarque, Valentine, and me.

Oh, this would be fun.