Chapter Eleven: Change

Avery's Pokémon

Eevee (No Nickname)

Nature: Rash

Gender: Female

Ralts ( No Nickname)

Nature: Modest

Gender: Female

It's only been a day and a half since I last saw Mabel but so much bad shit has happened since then that it feels like a lifetime has passed. I was both nervous and excited to see her again. Being able to spend time with Eevee and Ralts certainly helped my anxiety, though most of the time was spent watching Eevee's face while she slept.

About halfway to Mabel's house, both Eevee and Ralts woke up. The two began to gasp in wonder as we passed through the city. They stared at anything and everything. It was so amazing seeing them get excited by such little things like water fountains or Pokémon statues. It made me realize that they were young, both in spirit and possibly literally, and had yet to see the world. Maybe that's why so many new Trainers are encouraged to go on Pokémon adventures, so both Trainer and Pokémon can experience life.

Eevee was pretty cuddly with me during the trip... more cuddly than trying to kill me, I guess. She wasn't exactly snuggling me but she didn't complain when I pet her and she leaned her body into mine a little. I felt blessed and incredibly grateful. I sighed pleasantly and brainstormed possible nicknames for my little starter as I walked, rubbing the puffy tuft of fur on her head.

Coming up with good names was hard. Most names were too obvious or generic, like Cinnamon or Eva. It was also hard to focus on naming Eevee. After all, my brain was overloaded with happiness and constantly switching between wanting to smother Eevee with affection now that she was being kind of nice and wanting to see Mabel so bad it hurt. After a while, I realized it was pointless so I pushed the topic of nicknames to the back of my head.

It was nice to have my mind consumed by good thoughts for once. Things honestly seemed to be looking up, something I didn't want to admit out of fear of jinxing it. I was grateful for the little bit of luck that had been sent my way. Life had been beating the hell out of me...

I used to walk Mabel home occasionally so it was easy finding her house. It was a well-built, professional looking building. After all, it was both their home and a shop. They owned the entire building. Mabel and her family lived on the top floors (there were three) and conducted business at the bottom.

There was a big sign slapped on the front of the building that read "Glam Fam". A cringe-worthy name, but according to Mabel her mom came up with it- while her dad, Basil, was the one who developed the idea to breed Contest Pokémon professionally. If I remember correctly her mother, Marge, was also the one who came up with the idea to help abused and abandoned Pokémon. She was devoted to being kind to Pokémon, just like Mabel.

As we stepped up to Mabel's doorstep I sighed and brushed my clothes off. They were still dirty from the battle in the woods. Realizing that, I felt a rush of embarrassment. I would never look "good" per se since I'm really skinny but tall, have an average face, and wear glasses but I always felt the urge to at least appear presentable in front of Mabel. When I felt like I'd brushed off as much of the dirt, grass, and such possible I pulled Ralts out of the backpack and set both her and Eevee down on either side of me.

"Hey...Remember you two...we're going to be on best behavior. Right?" Eevee and Ralts both agreed, nodding enthusiastically, and I reached my hand out toward the door. I was about to knock when there was an explosion of sound. All three of us jumped, especially Eevee who began to hiss and stare intensely at the entrance. I recognized the sound, somewhat. It was some sort of bark. I realized immediately that the big, booming bark could only be Mabel's Growlithe.

I heard a familiar voice. "Hey! Baron! Calm down!" Hearing that soft voice after thinking I never would again was too much...I exhaled, swallowing hard. I tried to force my nervousness away. I wasn't even coming here for Mabel, I was here to help Ralts. Yeah. This would be easy if I just thought of it as a formal type of engagement and not a social one...

I heard a brief scuffle, and then the door was pulled open. The ability to speak suddenly eluded me and all thoughts of this being an official, formal thing faded away. Mabel looked even prettier than I remembered. Her glasses were absent, big green eyes framed by long lashes gazing into mine and her long, dark curls flowed down to the middle of her back. Her smile was just as radiant as I remembered. I stared at her, dumbfounded. Mabel was wearing a green, floral tank top and her freckled shoulders were fully visible. She had a skirt on as usual, but it was a little shorter than usual, revealing some of her pale legs...but it was still long enough to be considered modest. That was what I liked about Mabel. She was beautiful and alluring but not in the way Juliet was where it was all superficial. Mabel wore next to no make-up but her freckled, youthful face was more beautiful than Juliet's ever could be. I couldn't help but get excited, my heart racing in my chest.

Shit, I'm way too into this girl...

For a brief second, Mabel struggled with her starter. The energetic, young Growlithe was still barking loudly while staring at me and squirming around in Mabel's arms. He was clearly trying to push out of the doorway to get to me. He didn't seem very well behaved, but then again neither was Eevee who had her fur bunched up and an expression that screamed: "I'm ready to fight!" I was about to interfere and help out when Mabel managed to force the door shut, basically on Baron's face. I could still hear his barking through the door, though. What a rambunctious little guy...

Mabel sighed and then looked at me, her slight frown twisting into a huge grin. "Avery!" She exclaimed. I couldn't even get any words out before she was on me, hugging me tight and squeezing her lithe arms around my back. Her head lay against my chest and the scent of her hair wafted up to my nose...Apples? I just held her and enjoyed the moment... Usually, I was the one who pulled away but after a few seconds, Mabel disengaged from me before I could. For some reason that bothered me. Even though I was the one who didn't want us to be a thing she was the one pulling away. Was she over me that fast? Anxiety and regret flooded me but I tried not to let either emotion get to me. I was happy to see Mabel, as a friend. It was good that she didn't want to hug and be romantic with me.

Mabel gave me a warm smile and then glanced at the two Pokémon at my sides. Her smile faltered. "There's your Eevee, and I assume this cute little thing is the one who needs help?... Hmm, they don't seem to like me very much." It was true. Eevee and Ralts were staring up at Mabel with matching unimpressed expressions. Eevee even seemed a little angry. I knelt down and pet their heads. Eevee squirmed in disgust and hopped away from me, but Ralts sighed with delight.

"Nah, they just aren't good with new people. Maybe. But yeah, this is my Ralts. She's the one who needs help, she had a pretty bad concussion and is recovering from it." I picked Ralts up and tucked her into the crook of my elbow.

"Ralts!" The little Psychic-type confirmed, touching her own soft, domed head.

Mabel nodded. "Hi, Ralts! Nice to meet you. I'm Mabel, Avery's friend." Ralts didn't say much. Just nodded. She acted like it didn't matter either way what Mabel's name was, hugging my chest with her tiny arms. I coughed.

"S-Sorry. She's new and...shy? Come on, be a little more enthusiastic Ralts..." The tiny Pokémon shrugged. I swallowed awkwardly, and Mabel gave a short little laugh.

"Don't worry about it, Avery." Mabel knelt down now and smiled at Eevee. "And you're Eevee! We've met before, I don't know if you remember. It's nice to see you under much more pleasant circumstances."

My starter Pokémon didn't say anything either. In fact...she rolled her eyes and turned her back on Mabel completely. She clearly hadn't forgotten the fact that Mabel was the one who drugged her. Or maybe she just didn't like her. I choked.

"E-Eevee! Don't be rude! Remember? You both said you'd be good..." Much to my distress both of my Pokémon were giving Mabel the cold shoulder...Mabel giggled, shaking her head and resting her hands on her hips.

"Seriously, Avery...don't worry! They're not misbehaving. You can't force them to like me. I'll just have to convince them I'm good company." Mabel smiled at me again and then turned away, reaching for the doorknob, She hesitated, then scratched her head. "Baron is a pretty rowdy boy. He's probably going to jump on you, a lot. Just say hi and give him lots of head pats and at some point, he'll simmer down. Probably...He's pretty out of control..."

"Normally I wouldn't mind but Ralts being safe is my priority. I can't have him jumping on her, she could get hurt." To emphasize my words I scooped the little Pokémon up in my arms and held her against my chest. She squealed with delight and rubbed her face into me.

Mabel shook her head. "Well...you can just put her down, then. He doesn't jump on other Pokémon. According to mom, he's special. He's not an ordinary starter. Mom apparently got him for me from a shelter and arranged with the school for me to meet him during the Graduation ceremony. He came from an abusive home, so he knows that jumping on other Pokémon isn't safe." That was depressing...but I was happy Baron was in a better home. Mabel would take good care of him. I glanced at Ralts, still a little anxious.

"Alright. If you really don't think he'll hurt her I can just set her down." Ralts squirmed and complained, angrily sighing when she was dropped onto the ground. I chuckled, patting her on the head lightly, then tickling her chin. "I'll carry you all the way home, so be good." I straightened and smiled at Mabel.

"Okay, I'm ready to head inside."

"Awesome. There aren't any other shelter Pokémon here, so Baron can play with them and we can talk if you'd like." Did she mean talk about Ralts, or talk about us? I don't know if I could reject her again. It'd been hard enough hurting her before, and it was especially hard now cause I just...wanted her. Worse, I'd actually...had sex for the first time. I knew what it felt like, outside my own hand, and it felt amazing. Usually, I thought Mabel was cute, but today it was...kind of exciting seeing her.

But I shouldn't be feeling that way...

"Sadly it's gonna have to be all business," Mabel continued, "I'd love to just hang out and talk but I do have a guest."

I raised an eyebrow. "Customers? Can't your parents talk to them, or is it for training or something..."

Mabel made an odd expression. Her face kind of darkened, her eyes sad. And like the flick of a switch, it was gone... and she was smiling at me. "No. A friend, sort of. Um...when I headed home the other day I was sad. I didn't want Baron to see me like that, all depressed after just meeting him so I kind of just wandered around. Shopped and stuff and well... I ran into Omar. Our classmate?"

Omar? I kind of remember him...a quiet, sad guy that no one really paid attention to. He loved Pokémon and only really spoke when he was excited about something in class, which was pretty much never. He was mostly quiet...and he gave off this serious, depressed aura. "Yeah, I remember him. What about him though?" An anxious feeling burrowed into my chest. A part of me knew what she was going to say.

Mabel tucked her hair behind her ear and exhaled. "Well...I kind of agreed to go on my journey with him."

I knew something bad was gonna come out of her mouth, but no amount of preparation would have made me less sad. She was going to go on her journey with someone else, even though she promised she'd wait for me. And so soon after I'd completely shut her down. Was I really not that important, so easy to replace? Did she realize I'm not the nice guy she thought I was? I'd been too harsh. Completely changed her opinion of me.

That was a good thing, right? Now I wouldn't do anything illegal. "Oh," I replied. It was all I could manage to force out.

"Yeah. It just kind of...happened."

"Well, I'm glad you have someone to go with you now. Probably a lot better than me, anyway."

Mabel's expression shifted. She wet her lips...and fidgeted. Then looked into my eyes, her face so soft yet serious. "If you want to go, I'll wait for you, Avery. I'll tell Omar I don't want to go with him."

I couldn't do that.

Mabel grabbed my hands. "I don't want to go without you. I want to...be there with you. Be with you." Mabel stared at me, blushing bright red. She looked so cute when she was embarrassed. I wanted to kiss the hell out of her and that was the problem! If I went on a journey with her and it was just the two of us for so long, even I wouldn't be able to hold back.

"Well, I have to focus on me and my Pokémon. Sorry. My feelings on the matter are unchanged." The opposite was true, but I tried to force those thoughts away. I gave Mabel a weak smile and pushed her hands away gently.

"Well. I can't force you." Mabel didn't say anything else. She opened the door and let us inside.

The second it was open Baron was jumping on me. He was larger than most Growlithe and he was muscular as well, so keeping myself standing was actually kind of hard. The canine Pokémon barked loudly and shoved his muzzle against my stomach, his big paws landing on my chest. He snuffled, sniffing all over my shirt. Then lost interest. He dropped down and sprinted toward Mabel, clambering all over her.

Mabel gasped and managed to keep herself upright, eyes wide. "Seriously Baron?"

I laughed at the sight of Baron basically trying to tackle Mabel to the ground. At least it looked that way. He was woofing in delight, licking her skin. Baron finally relaxed when Mabel began to rub his fur. He flopped to the floor, woofing softly in delight, tongue lolling from his mouth. "Groww," he sighed softly, rubbing his head into her hand.

Mabel shook her head then met my eyes. She wasn't very amused. "I figured he wouldn't jump on you. I noticed he doesn't like men much. It makes sense I suppose."

I raised an eyebrow. "Was he abused by men? Wouldn't he act aggressively toward them in that case?"

Mabel kissed the panting Growlithe on the top of the head. "No. Sadly, it's not that simple. Baron was abused by a woman." I had a bad feeling. "According to what my mother tells me he was... raped by his trainer. It's...really sad. He was abused, forced to have sex with women that this rich woman ordered him to. Because she was his trainer, obviously he listened. He's started to socialize with girls better but he still has a...disinterest, I guess, in guys. He'll jump on them, smell them, then just not care. I suppose that's better than him doing to you what he does to me. Baron requires my attention pretty much 24/7. I'm hoping I can help him get better as time goes on since I've only had him a few days."

I didn't know what to say. Or think. I was disgusted that a part of my brain went a ...dark place. The idea of Baron wanting attention from Mabel for impure reasons was like an insect burrowing into my brain. The second the thought was planted there, I imagined it. Growlithe pinning Mabel to the ground...I choked. "That's horrible." It was horrible. The fact that Baron was forced to have sex with other trainers...and my filthy thoughts. I was ashamed.

This was why I needed to keep Mabel away from me.

"Yeah, it's really sad. Mom wants to take in Pokémon abused by Poképhiles. She thinks they don't get enough support after they're taken away from their trainer. Training them, helping them normalize contact with humans is difficult when they've done that type of stuff."

Absol had presented herself to me like a prize. She'd wanted it, been dripping wet. After having my dick, I suppose she'd keep wanting it. Probably not mine specifically but sex in general. That made sense. Had I fucked up Absol mentally? Were both Absol and I wrong for wanting each other? It's not like Juliet forced her to get wet, and if Absol wanted to she could easily hurt Juliet who was like 5,3 and really slender...right? Or was thinking like that wrong?

I glanced at Eevee, who noticed my stare. She gazed back at me, unblinking. I didn't want to have sex with her. Not Ralts, either. There was no way they wanted me sexually and I could never introduce them to that sort of thing.

Why was this shit so god damn confusing!? I couldn't make up my mind!

"Avery..? Avery!"

I blinked. I'd been zoning out, I guess. Mabel was staring at me. "Sorry, I kind of...was out of it for a second."

Mabel cocked her head, but smiled. "You're so weird, Avery. I asked you if you wanted something to eat or drink."

"I'm good. What about you guys? You hungry?" I glanced down at Eevee and Ralts. Eevee stared at Mabel with distrust, but Ralts started nodding enthusiastically. I leaned down and held her still. "You keep nodding your head like that and you'll probably hurt yourself, little lady."

Ralts paused. "Ralts?" She gave me a questioning look.

Her expression was difficult to read. But she was smiling slightly. "What?" She pointed at herself, then touched my mouth. I understood immediately.

"You like the name Lady?" Ralts began to nod enthusiastically.

"Hey! What'd I say about nodding your head so much you little bobblehead!?" Ralts giggled. I rubbed her head and grinned.

"Eev!" Much to my shock...My starter Pokémon tackled Ralts. The little Pokémon gasped when she hit the ground. She didn't look too hurt, as Eevee hadn't been very forceful, but she began to cry. I think anyone would cry at being shoved like that by their friend randomly.

"Eevee!? Why'd you do that!?" I turned my gaze toward my starter who was staring intensely at Ralts with a look of surprisingly intense rage in her eyes. Mabel immediately dropped down and picked up Ralts, much to the Psychic's type surprise, but she didn't struggle too much, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Eevee stared dead at me, eyes narrowed. Mabel touched my arm. "I think she...is jealous." Eevee glared at her, but didn't disagree. I didn't understand. She didn't even seem ashamed of what she'd done.

"You protected Ralts in the forest! You'd hurt her now over something so little!?" I demanded, kneeling down and glaring at her. Eevee narrowed her eyes further, then trotted toward me. I gasped when the little thing began to press herself against me, fluffing her fur up, tail stroking me. The message was clear. I was hers. She sat back, seeming satisfied, smiling.

"You realize you're being possessive of the trainer you tried to kill," I muttered, glaring at her. "A day ago you were trying to murder me Eevee."

Eevee hissed, and I had no time to react before she had scratched me across the face. It was surprisingly painful, considering her claws were basically nonexistent. "What the-!?" I raised my arms as if to defend myself, concerned Eevee was going to go berserk again, but she just sat there and stared at me.

"What is wrong with you!?" I demanded. Why was Eevee acting like this?! She felt things so intensely and had no idea of what was right or wrong, apparently.

"I don't think she likes you calling her Eevee," Mabel murmured. Eevee's ears flicked and she nodded her head.

"Eeve!" She smiled, tail swishing back and forth.

So Eevee was demanding I name her now that I'd given Ralts one, huh? She was jealous "Lady" got a name first. I suppose that made sense...Again the nickname little bitch entered my head, but I obviously wasn't going to name my bratty starter that. "So you want a name? Right now?"

Eevee nodded, puffing her chest out. I sighed. I wanted to make sure Ralts was ok, but didn't want Eevee to have another fit. Plus, I trusted Mabel with her. I scratched my jaw, rapidly brainstorming names. "Eev-" Eevee narrowed her eyes, "...kiddo-" She crept forward now.. "...I can't come up with a meaningful name off the top of my head! I don't want to give you a stupid name!"

"Eev!" The little normal type snapped, shaking her head.

"She sure is demanding. Reminds me of Juliet," Mabel stated suddenly.

I blinked. That was...so true. It was like a lightbulb went on in my head. The name came so suddenly. A part of me felt guilty for reusing it, but...it fit. Thank you, Juliet. "Princess?" I questioned, gazing at Eevee. The little Pokémon blinked, her eyes widening.

"Eev?" She cocked her head.

"A princess is a beautiful girl who is very rich, beautiful, and powerful. She always gets her way." Eevee's face visibly lit up. She began to nod enthusiastically. "Princess it is." I swallowed. "So will you behave and not attack Ralts ever again?!"

Eevee - Princess- nodded her head, smiling, chest puffed out. I sighed with relief. "...Lady...is your sister now, okay? You were supposed to take care of her. No matter what emotion you were feeling you should never have hit-"

I expected her to listen. Instead, Eevee walked away from me. In the middle of me talking she just trotted away as if she'd never heard something more boring in her life. "Hey! Get back here! This isn't our house!... You still need to eat!"

Mabel crossed her arms around Ralts, holding her tight. "I usually wouldn't say this but...Avery. Your Pokémon is a bit crazy." I mean...she was bred by Marissa, the craziest bitch in the world so...no surprise there. I sighed. "It's okay. Nothing dangerous for her to get into. Hey, Baron. Can you make sure she is being good?"

The Growlithe, who'd been licking his junk up until that point, looked up. He gave Mabel a goofy, dumb grin and walked after Princess with a woof. I was a little afraid for his life, honestly. I'm sure Eevee would realize Growlithe was sent to babysit her, essentially. Once he was gone too Mabel stared at me, extending Ralts out.

"Are you sure Lady is going to be ok with her around?"

I glanced at the Ralts, cheeks still wet with tears, and held her close. "I'm...not sure." I gently rubbed the psychic type Pokémon, stroking her back. "You okay?" I whispered, staring up into her eyes. Ralts stared back at me. Then she nodded, burying her face in my chest. I would have to make sure Eevee didn't hurt her again personally. I pat her back gently. "I'll take care of her."

Mabel watched this exchange, her eyes soft. Then she smiled. "I love that part of you. Sometimes I think about how we'd rant about battling, how passionate you are about Pokémon. I can't think of a person better suited to taking care of Pokémon than you, Avery." Would she still think that if she knew I'd come inside an Absol and liked it?

I was sure she wouldn't. Lady squirmed and pushed herself into me as if sensing my distress. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her warm body, then glanced at Mabel. "Where's Omar, anyway?" I was half-expecting that he'd been there all along, the guy was so damn unnoticeable and quiet...

"Upstairs. He's playing with his Pokémon. They love the toys we have here. We have several sample products from up-and-coming Pokémon toy companies that want sponsoring from Glam Fam. We've been getting quite the reputation in Sinnoh now that we're starting to become more vocal about supporting abused Pokémon. "

"Ahh..." By her definition, I was abusive too. The thought bothered me. "Omar's from a rich family, right? What'd he get?"

Mabel nodded. "A Munchlax and a Riolu."

I raised an eyebrow. "Two Pokémon?"

Mabel walked into the kitchen, me following, and started opening up the cabinets. "Yeah, he's a year older than me. His parents figured he was mature enough to get two Pokémon."

So he also got his starter Pokemon arranged by his parents. "Pretty cool that you rich kids can have your Pokémon basically predetermined by your parents." I felt sort of bad for the other teens and kids in our school that got shitty Pokémon. Then I felt bad for thinking "shitty Pokémon". I really was an asshole, wasn't I? Mabel laughed and gave me a dirty look. She took a huge bag of Pokémon feed out of the cabinet and plopped it down on the counter along with three big bowls.

"You had Jack get you an Eevee, so I wouldn't sound so...bitter about it, if I were you?"

The mention of Jack's name was like a knife. "Ralts?" Lady gazed up at me, cocking her head. I was starting to think she could actually sense my emotions. Is that a thing that Pokémon could do, or just Ralts..." I forced myself to relax.

"Hey...you okay? You looked kind of scary for a second," Mabel questioned as she poured the Pokémon food into the bowls.

"Jack...isn't my friend anymore." Mabel froze and stared at me.

"What?"

"He..." I didn't want to say it. Because telling Mabel was kind of...finalizing it. Once I said what he did, I had to really accept that it really happened. Had to come to terms with it, and think about what to do next. But no matter how many excuses Kiana made for him, or how much Zoey "liked him", or how much I loved him...it didn't change the cold, hard facts. "Jack has been grooming my little sister for like...two years."

"Did you kill the guy?" A voice asked, and I looked over to see a familiar guy coming downstairs. A teen with dark, almost black hair and brown eyes. He had bags under his eyes and was wearing a shirt that read "Live, laugh, munch, relax" with a picture of a Munchlax under it. Fitting considering his starter Pokémon.

"Hey, Omar."

"Hi, Avery...did you kill the guy?" He asked again.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't kill him. I'd be in jail right now if I did.."

Omar chuckled. "True. Kind of worth it though right? He messed with your little sister."

I had thought about fighting Jack, but it wasn't something I wanted to do. I wasn't the type of guy to resort to physical violence unless I felt like I had to, like with Eevee and Ralts in the forest. And I wanted to talk to Jack about this before I did anything. But I felt like Omar was judging me. "Yeah well, I don't think hurting him will help my sister, even if it feels really good."

Omar nodded, glancing at Mabel. "Ricecake heard food being poured into a bowl. He wants some." Ricecake? My expression must have displayed my confusion because he smiled at me, slightly. "My Munchlax."

"Ahh." I didn't like the way Omar smiled at Mabel. And I knew how irrational it was being bothered by that. There was no desire in Omar's eyes, no hint that he wanted something else from Mabel but...for some reason...I...hated him. Mabel grabbed another bowl.

"That little fatty," she giggled. "Here, give him this." She gave Omar one of the already filled bowls. He accepted it, chuckling softly.

I didn't want her to giggle like that because of some guy. I didn't want her to smile at some other guy, either. Funny that I'd been judging Eevee for being jealous, yet here I was. Omar headed back upstairs immediately. Mabel continued pouring food. I hesitated.

"I don't want you to go."

"Okay," Mabel replied like it wasn't a big deal at all.

"That easy?"

"Considering I lied about going with him to make you jealous, and you reacted the exact way I thought you would...yes. That easy." Mabel was smiling as she turned to me. "You really think I'd say I'd wait and then leave with a different guy immediately just cause you said some stupid, hurtful stuff?"

I swallowed hard. "It...was not stupid. It's illegal to be with you."

Mabel shrugged. "I guess. But something being legal doesn't make it right or wrong. Five years ago it was legal to have sex with Pokémon in the Sinnoh region. It's still legal in Alola. Nine years ago it was legal in all regions to be with a person if they were ten years or older. The age that a person should be allowed to train a Pokémon is constantly changing."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you need to decide for yourself what is right or wrong. I'll be the first to admit that I think there is an exception to every rule. You know? In general, I think dating underage girls can be creepy but I am only three years younger than you Avery. And I am fully aware of what I want. I may not be an adult, but I'm old enough to know I want you."

I couldn't meet her gaze. My heart pounded in my chest. "Why are you hanging out with Omar, then? If you weren't going to on a journey with him."

"We're going to the Pokémon Fanclub. Apparently, they're accepting new members and he already is one so..."

My eyes widened. What were the chances that we'd be going to the same place?! I glanced at Ralts. "Lady, Princess and I were going to go there right after we came by here." I showed Mabel the slip Nurse Joy had given me.

She smiled as she read it. "Wow. Funny how this worked out! Meant to be?"

"I guess you could say that," I grinned.

Mabel set the bowls down on the floor and began clapping her hands, loudly. "Baron! Princess! Food time!" I set Ralts down, and the little Psychic-type hobbled over to one of the bowls. She picked up one of the pellets inside, inspected it, then stared at Mabel.

"You can eat it," the brunette smiled.

Lady nodded and plopped the pellet into her mouth. Her face immediately lit up. She clearly enjoyed the taste. "Ralts, ra!" She smiled, stuffing even more of the pellets in her tiny mouth.

With a loud bark, Baron burst into the room, sprinting toward the food bowl. After a few moments, Eevee walked in too, head held high. She really was uptight, wasn't she? She was so cute I couldn't blame her for being that much of a bitch...

"So...are we dating now, Avery?" Mabel asked, turning her pretty green eyes on me like spotlights. I exhaled. I didn't expect to be put on the spot like that...I stared into her face. She really was beautiful, wasn't she? And she was surprisingly sly, the way she'd tricked me into being jealous. Mabel knew me well, apparently. Even if she didn't know about...some of the bad parts of me.

But...I wasn't too far gone. I didn't want to have sex with Ralts and Eevee. And they weren't weird like Absol. They didn't want me in that way so...with Mabel at my side...I could be normal again. I could cut Jack out. Never talk to Juliet again. Get Zoey to knock it off. If she met Mabel I'm sure Zoey would see that it was wrong...

But it's not wrong. The way Absol wanted you wasn't wrong. Remember Zanzan? He loved his trainer, you could see it in the way they interacted, in the way they made love. What about them? Static loves Zoey, so much, and you know it! Mabel was wrong, wasn't she? Pokémon could be abused by trainers but...nine times out of ten...it was love. Lucia loved her Mightyena and her Umbreon. That girl loved her Zangoose. Red Ebony loved her trainer. ...I had to change her mind. For people like Amara Harmon, who was imprisoned for loving her Pokémon. For people like Lucia who had to keep her love a secret. And..maybe, sorta...for Juliet and Absol too. Mabel was right.

Laws were constantly changing, and they didn't dictate what was right or wrong. And I was sure that Poképhilia...Pokélove, as the Pokémon porn website called it, wasn't wrong. "Yeah," I replied. "We're dating now, Mabel." I stared into her eyes.

She blushed bright red and buried her face in her hands. "I wish I made you jealous sooner!" Her voice was high-pitched and flustered.

Eevee and Ralts...Princess and Lady were staring at us curiously. And I could tell just by looking at Baron that he knew what was happening, and wasn't happy about it. He seemed...sad, his eyes resting on Mabel like he'd lost something important.

What a dramatic boy. But if I had my way...then he had no reason to be sad. Was I seriously going to try and change her mind about Poképhilia? Or was I just being crazy?

Mabel stared at me from between her fingers. "...Will you...finally kiss me then?"

Now I was the one blushing. I'd been kissed. By Juliet, by Lucia. But I was still new to it. I was afraid I'd be bad at it. I walked towards Mabel, slid an arm around her waist and...leaned down to kiss her.

Her lips were unbelievably soft. So soft I felt like I was going to lose my mind. They tasted like lip gloss. And when I opened my eyes, she had her big, green eyes open too. So beautiful. Mabel pulled away, blushing. But that wasn't enough. Maybe a few days ago it would have been. Before I punched a guy, before I fucked a Pokémon, and got a blowjob from Jack's sister. But I was a bit different now. I probably wasn't even the same guy she wanted. I wasn't against Poképhilia, I was willing to battle if my Pokémon wanted to. In a way, I was deceiving her. I wanted Baron to get between her legs, the same way I wanted to, and she didn't know that. It's not like I was going to make her, or anything like that. But he was clearly hurt that she wanted me. I had to open her eyes, in a way.

Was that wrong? I buried my fingers into Mabel's hair, swallowing her gasp with my mouth. Shoving my tongue between her teeth. Mabel didn't push me away, in fact...she squirmed with delight, and pressed her body against mine. Our tongues met, slowly twining together, her soft breasts pressing into my chest.

Maybe it was wrong but...

It didn't feel that way.