Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. This work includes artistic depictions of underage, incestuous, and Pokémon x human relationships. GKEA SINNOH SAGA has potentially traumatizing plotlines including rape, abuse, sex trafficking, grooming, and even death. While at its core a love story, drama, and adventure, there are dark parts. Additionally, I don't condone anything degenerative that I write.

Reader discretion is advised.

Any similarities to people in real life is purely coincidental, no real humans were hurt/involved in the creation of this story.

Avery's Pokemon

1. Evangeline/Eva

Gender: Female

Nature: Rash

2. Lady

Gender: Female

Nature: Modest

3. Chastity

Gender: Female

Nature: Adamant

4. Dusty

Gender: Male

Nature: Hardy

5. Sprite

Gender: Female

Nature: Quirky

6. Name: ?

Gender: Female

Nature: ?

Chapter: The Rumble Room

Avery glanced back at Eva as he left the small, rounded hollow of the meditation room with the Fair Lady by his side, a wary look etched across his gentle face. Her trainer's concern made her feel warm and tingly inside, even though he probably thought she was about to be utterly dominated in battle. Regardless of what he thought of the potential outcome, Avery at least had enough respect for Eva to let her make the decision to accept the Fair Lady's challenge on her own. The Umbreon kept her crimson gaze -jet black pupils flared- locked on the object of her vexation. She was aware that this battle would likely end in defeat, but it wasn't about winning. Not really. She accepted the challenge because of what it represented: Femchoke was a stand-in, a champion, for the strange Medicham that had played with her partner's body in front of Eva as if it already belonged to her. Eva had much to prove.

"I have to admit, it's very brave of you to battle someone who has such a huge advantage over you," The Machoke said, breaking the silence that had filled the room after Avery departed with her strong, resonant voice. "You must love that human very much."

Eva spoke before she'd realized it, her feelings came tumbling out, fully honest, "Of course I do, more than anything in the world. That's why I had to accept your challenge."

The Machoke smiled, flexing her impressive tree-trunk limbs, "I understand the desire to assert your dominance. Of course… there's a time and a place. Feelings are powerful, so powerful they can control you, make you irrational."

Eva recognized the assertion of advice when she heard it. That didn't mean she liked it. The umbreon knew she'd been acting immature, even kit-like, but she just couldn't stand the way the Fair Lady looked at her trainer, like the psychic-fighting type saw a future with him in it. "All respect, but I don't want a lecture, you're not my mother," she snapped at the older female, "you asked me to battle. So let's go. I'm assuming you know a better place for this."

Smirking, Femchoke nodded. "Yep. There's a spot we wilders go when we're quarreling with each other. I think you'll like it. We call it the Rumble Room." Turning her back, the big, broad humanoid walked towards the exit of the little alcove. Eva trotted eagerly after her.

They entered a particularly broad stony passage that led to many other parts of the underground like a spider web, at one point they had the option of five different paths to walk down, each going in a different direction and level. Eva wondered vaguely if the wild Pokemon here were as confused by traversing this place as she was. So much was dark and looked the same, tunnels seemed to go this way and that with no real sense of direction. The vague, musty scent that clung to everything, wayward wild Pokemon smells drifting from passage to passage, made it all the more confusing to someone like her.

As it was, Femchoke seemed to know exactly where they were going, and everyone they came across; they passed a lot of other Pokemon, and to each one the fighting-type offered a greeting of, "Hey! Fight in the Rumble Room!" Eva was partially horrified by just how many Pokemon started following them. Her stomach was doing flips.

"Don't worry, I'm going to make it fair for you," Femchoke smiled when she saw the look of unease on Eva's face. Glancing down at the Umbreon, she winked. "Not easy, though. I won't be using fighting-type moves during our fight. I expect you to do your very best."

Eva nodded, impressed despite herself at Machoke's consideration. She'd been too hasty in her assumptions about the fighting-type. "Thanks," she muttered.

The Rumble Room was a large, circular arena with high walls that made it feel almost like a coliseum. Eva's heart pounded in her chest as she took in the sight of the open space. The wild Pokemon following them were talking very loudly, so loud she could barely hear her own thoughts. Lining the walls like bystanders at a sports game, they watched the pair with hungry eyes. Gravelers, Geodudes, Medichams, their small ones, and many more.

Femchoke took up a spot in the room, marked by a small hole carved into the ground. She was standing with both her hands on her belt, her chest and shoulders held high as she flexed and showed off. Eva trotted over to the side of the room opposite Femchoke, and entered another similar ditch, heart scampering away in her narrow chest. There was about five meters between them now.

"Macha Mom! Beat the pet up! Beat the pet up!" A tiny voice suddenly blurted, somehow far louder than the rest of the vocal miasma. Eva glanced sideways toward the source; it was a child, a Meditite, shaking its fist angrily.

"Yeah!" A huge Graveler grunted, grinning, "show her what we wild Mons are capable of!" He pounded the floor with his broad feet, and the other rock-types around him followed suit, creating reverberations across the floor.

Evangeline bristled at the jeering, then sighed. It was to be expected. Admittedly, she had it nice on the surface with the sunshine and the forests compared to this place. She took a deep breath, letting their voices fall away as she focused on the Machoke in front of her, her crimson eyes narrowing. Her light-rings began to glow, casting a vivid light across the rather dark chamber. A hush fell over the crowd.

A Machop clapped its hands eagerly, "Ma. She's pretty! I hope she wins!" There was a rustle of quiet agreement. Apparently, some of them were rooting for her. Eva blushed, her fur felt hot.

"There's only one rule in the Rumble Room," Femchoke declared, voice booming, "whoever incapacitates the other to the point of being unable to fight is the winner. Are you ready?"

Evangeline shook herself, breathed, and slowly nodded.

She expected there to be a moment between her nod and the start of their fight, but the second she heard the ok, the battle started with a flash. Femchoke burst forward to greet her, huge feet pounding on the ground. The gray-skinned fighting-type had promised to not use her vast type advantage, and she kept that promise.

Eva's eyes widened with confusion when the Pokémon began to rub her hands together, starting off slowly but then rapidly increasing the pace. The machoke's hands grew redder as each second went by, then she clapped once, harshly. With a burst of light, both of her hands caught on fire, and, easily closing the gap between them, she began throwing two quick punches like hammers through the air. The fire punches were fast, but Eva was faster; the Machoke was nothing compared to the Bastiodon and Rampardos she had evaded and protected herself against mere hours before.

Or so she thought. Within a second the left punch shifted direction suddenly and caught Eva by her ribs. The force of the blow sent her flying onto her back, pain shocking through her black-furred frame, her pelt gathering up a thick layer of dust and dirt with each tumble.

"A f-fire type move?" Eva gasped, legs trembling as she got to her paws. It hurt to move already. She'd never been hit by anybody so strong. Femchoke smirked at her. "Unexpected…"

"I thought it might be, I wouldn't have limited myself if I didn't have a little something under my belt. The Fair Lady has taught us all many things."'

Eva glowered at her foe. "Well, I'm not done yet. Let's see what else you have to show me."

Femchoke grinned, then charged forward again. Eva watched the lashing flames flickering around her fists; she had to be careful. The umbreon waited for the perfect moment, then sidestepped the first punch and ducked under the second. A third almost slammed straight into her, but she managed to scale the flaming arm that swept toward her, using the momentum of the swing to leap upward. Crimson eyes glowing, she jumped high into the air - high above Femchoke's full height- and let loose a shrill battle cry. Stars as big as her body began to erupt from her, launching towards the fighting type. The second-stage covered her head with her forearms, blocking the barrage of star energy slamming into her with her arms. The attack did next to nothing.

Eva landed on the ground a safe distance away, and darting forward with her ears pressed down, went full on the attack. When the Machoke relinquished her guard, arm lowering from her face, Eva's mind worked over the problem quickly. She scampered down near Femchoke's legs. As she'd hoped, her opponent began swinging at her now that they were closer to each other. That'd work to her advantage if her plan worked out. Between each of the wild mon's attacks, Eva began tossing a pawful of thick sand into Femchokes eyes, darting out of the way whenever she got too close.

"Grrr. A cowardly way to fight!" Femchoke stated, her eyes watering. Waving her arms, the flames dissipated, and she rubbed at them irritably.

"It doesn't matter how I win. Only one rule in the Rumble Room, right? Ready to give up?" Eva teased, landing gracefully beside her opponent about a few arms-length's away, waiting for the next attack and breathing heavily.

"Who said anything about me giving up?" With that, Femchoke moved again. This time, the fire dispelled, and sparks began slowly crackling on her forearms, a field of electricity erupted across her fists. So, she was switching things up. That was alright with Eva.

The shadows of her own training began to chase her in the peripheral of her mind, a reminder of just what she was capable of, and what she'd been trained to be. It was odd, once upon a time she'd been subjected to fighting just like this: Her callous, Sylveon mother, had been brutal with the way she went on the attack as well. Back then, Eva had been paralyzed by her fear. That had just made her mother angrier, Marissa Wainwright angrier. At that time, she'd taken the abuse, not understanding why it was happening to her, what the purpose of fighting was… The past and present were like night and day. She wouldn't be paralyzed again. Even if she was afraid… she'd fight on, against electricity, fire, and whatever else was thrown her way.

Eva's heart raced as she dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding the Machoke's vicious swings, but she never hesitated. Mind racing at the same pace as her heart, she was vaguely aware she couldn't keep this up forever; one wrong move and it was over. The muscular mon rushed towards the dark-type again, closing the gap, and raising a single, sparking fist, the thunder punch scattering bolts that brushed across her belt, sending a bit of a shock through her.

Eva just narrowly dodged under the swift blow, digging up another pawful of sand and quickly splattering it towards Femchoke's face while she was prone from the momentum of her swing. A fair amount hit her target. Irritated, the second-stage threw a punch toward the general area that she knew Eva was and missed miserably. As well as her next attack. That meant an opening; taking the opportunity, Eva darted behind her opponent, scrabbling up the back of the fighting-type and burying her fangs in a fierce bite at the back of her neck. The skin was tough, but it gave way beneath her fangs, and the taste of iron flowed into her mouth.

"RARRGH!" Femchoke roared in pain, and Eva realized the mistake she made when a pair of hands, strong as steel, dragged her off the older mons back. Squeezing the umbreon's body, she tossed Eva as if she were a sack of oran berries across the arena. The Umbreon was sent flying, tumbling on the ground a few meters, body rolling over itself. Eva shook her head, trying to clear it, as she struggled to get back to her feet. She was dazed and disoriented, and she could feel bruises forming all over her body. She looked up at Femchoke who wasn't finished with her.

Stomping her huge feet on the ground, a rippling shockwave of tossed up earth came toward her. Eva had no time to think. She threw up a protect, soaking up the damage from the rocks and debris that threatened to crush her into the ground. The glowing shield began to slowly crack before completely shattering, and she went on the attack. Rolling out of the way of the next bulldoze, she sent a swift wave of golden stars; the golden-hued attack hit the Machoke right in the face. Femchoke staggered backwards, her arms flailing as she tried to regain her balance.

Eva didn't waste a moment, leaping forward on her paws to deliver a series of her most powerful swifts to her opponent's midsection. The glittering barrage of stars brutalized her. The Machoke grunted in pain as each stream smashed into her huge body, an easy target for Eva. Eyes still clogged, the fighting-type could hardly see, none of her attacks connected while all of Eva's did. The umbreon smirked.

"H-Hit her, hit the topsider!" A geodude near them yelled, raising an angry fist, and those gathered around him cried their agreement.

"You have to actually land a blow to beat your opponent!" Another bystander bellowed, shaking his rocky fist in the air, clearly not liking the direction of the battle.

Breath ragged; the fighting-type seemed to be extremely pissed off that she hadn't been able to get another solid hit yet. Spurred on by the taunts of her peers, Femchoke rushed forward in an attempt to prove her might. Both of her fists came flying out again and again, without fire OR electricity this time, they seemed to have the same texture and power of metal instead. Eva panted, throwing up another protection just in time to soak a flashing bullet punch.

"ARGH! ENOUGH! I said FACE ME! Stop hiding behind your shields, little one!" The Machoke shook her head and took a long, deep breath that swelled her chest. Then she exhaled, her posture shifting from one of taut aggravation to a proper fighting stance. Her body began to glow as one by one a copy of the Machoke spread in a semi-circle, all walking towards the Umbreon and punching their fists together as they grinned menacingly. The dust Eva had kicked up now worked to her disadvantage, she wasn't quite sure which was the real one anymore.

She backed away, eyes darting between each individual figure, panic threatening to set in. So much muscle, so many angry, crimson eyes leering at her. She trembled, her confidence fleeing as she tried to work out a proper strategy for this assault. What would Avery direct her to do? That was hardly helpful. They'd battled together very little. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to collapse and surrender, but she forced those feelings aside.

She couldn't be afraid right now, couldn't freeze up. If she did, this was over. Even now the reverberations from the machoke's huge, powerful feet were growing stronger as the wall muscled bodies sprinted closer, ruby eyes aglow. It might look like there were a dozen of them, but in truth, there was only one. The umbreon closed her eyes for the briefest moment, soothed by the gentle darkness, and let her body relax. Her mind eased into an easy calm. She still had the advantage, she just had to find the real target.

Her eyes snapped open, and she charged forward, weaving between huge, broad legs. The machoke and all her clones let out deep, reverberating growls, swinging at her - and missing. She clawed at each individual body, one by one, and whenever she landed a hit, the false images were dispelled. She could smell victory, there were only four left now- but she wasn't fast enough. She gasped that when hands like iron sealed around her. She didn't even realize it had happened until there was a gray form standing right next to her, lifting her. Despite her best efforts, Machoke had finally won an advantage. Eva screamed as, one hand raising her aloft by the ears, Femchoke used her free arm to send a steel-colored fist blasting into her skull, disrupting all thought.

The force of the blow knocked her into a deep, temporary darkness, pain rocking through her skull. Even her mother's abuse was nothing compared to this. Her body felt weak - even a move that wasn't especially effective had devastated her defense. She wasn't able to stand as she was roughly thrown to the ground, as if she were nothing more than garbage.

"GRRRRAH!"' The Machoke roared with gusto, and the crowd around them cheered. The battle was surely won, that blow had been something fierce… Eva, gaze half-lidded, took in all their passionate, proud expressions. She considered closing her eyes and succumbing to the darkness that loomed, the sweet and easy unconsciousness… then her eyes locked onto the lone machop at the front that had cheered for her. He was staring at her with sadness in his eyes - surely, he was thinking it was a shame that such a pretty Pokemon had lost… Femchoke continued to lumber around the huge chamber as she flexed, showing off her impressive physique and glimmering belt. Like the crowd, she clearly thought the battle was won already and was making a big display of herself.

Eva wasn't done yet! Not even close. The fluffy dark-type gnashed her teeth. What could she do? Her body was failing her… then a vague memory pressed itself against the edge of her mind. She'd watched her parents battle, many times, and when Candy, her mother, was pushed to the brink there was one move the Sylveon always called upon that helped her turn the tides. The shouts of prideful exclamation died down into gasps of surprise as Eva's glowrings began to shimmer vividly, a moonlike glow falling over her frame, weaving into her body and healing all that had been broken and battered. Like she was resting in the rejuvenation pools once more, a gentle feeling of refreshment filled her frame, and the umbreon climbed to her feet, her breathing far less labored. The moonlight died away.

The Machoke turned back toward Evangeline after she saw the looks on the other wild Pokemon's faces, her own expression becoming one of slack-jawed shock when she realized the umbreon was healthy once again.

Eva grinned, ears twitching. "I'm not even close to finished!"

In a fit of rage, the Machoke charged. "You should've stayed down!"

This time, Eva let the fear channel through her body. Her fur began to bristle, and she felt a natural, acidic sensation begin to bubble beneath her fur. It was the strangest sensation, but it felt… right. Thrusting up a shimmering barrier before the Machoke could reach her, she embraced the strange feeling.

The fighting type's eyes widened. "I-what-NNH?" She stumbled back as Eva's body - no, not Eva's body, Eva herself- let loose a splash of violet liquid which splattered the face of the sprinting wild mon. Femchoke uttered a horrible yell, the toxic goo mixing with the sand to create a very uncomfortable sensation in her eyes. But still, the machoke did not fully relent, she continued to charge, chest heaving even with her face coated with poison. But, Eva's work had been done, she could hardly see. They fell into a rapid, dancing rhythm, one that surely drove Machoke to madness. It seemed to. With each swing, her breathing grew heavier, her swings clumsier, her steps less steady. Sometimes Eva would dodge, sometimes, she would protect. Between these actions, she would kick up sand in the face of the fighting mon, or poison, and shoot dazzling swifts that exploded against the barrel chest of the huge female. It got to the point where, eyes so soaked with sand, streaming angry tears, the machoke was incapable of seeing anything . Femchoke swung uselessly around herself, trying to block attacks that came from every direction.

Eva saw her chance and took it. She pushed herself forward, using all her strength to launch twin kicks with her clawed back paws against Femchoke's toned midsection. The Machoke let out a pained grunt and, arms waving in the air wildly, she collapsed onto the ground. Once there, the huge mon scrabbled at her sand-coated eyes as she tried to pull herself up, only to be brutalized by another rush of Eva's swifts. Finally, Femchoke stopped trying to stand, her ragged breaths shooting in the air like plumes of smoke. Eva panted as she stood a few feet from her opponent, heart racing with adrenaline. She almost didn't believe it when the fighting-type did not get up again. She stood there, panting and exhausted, as the wild Pokémon gathered around her.

She only believed it when her biggest fan sprinted up to her - the machop from earlier. "You beat her, you really beat her! I knew you could do it!" Eva was about to offer her heartfelt thanks when the grumpy geodude from earlier nudged her, pushing the machop aside.

"T-that sand thing! That was so smart! Can you teach me how to do that?"

Another voice: "You were amazing, I-I was wrong to think bad things about you, you're so strong!"

It started to become overwhelming. Many voices interlapped, but Eva ignored their questions and compliments, interrupting to yell, "Can somebody get some water for her eyes?" She beckoned toward Femchoke as she asked, then smiled at all her "fans'' and continued to speak when there was a moment of hesitation. No one wanted to go fetch water, they wanted to talk to her. "I appreciate the congratulations, but I'd like to spend some time alone with my rival now. If one of you could go and grab some water…?"

"I-I'll do it, I'll do it!" The Machop blurted, immediately sprinting off. Very reluctantly, the group began to disperse.

Breaking her defeated silence, Femchoke sat up, glowering at all of the loiterers. "You heard her! Get going, all of you! You've got work, training, repairs to get to!" They scattered much faster after that.

Eva settled down on her haunches next to her defeated opponent, trying not to grin, her tail swishing this way and that.

"I shouldn't have limited myself, shouldn't have gone easy on you," Femchoke snarled, rubbing her sore body. "You're fast and smart, I'll give you that. Grr, damn it! I should've used all my moves, should've been unbelted!"

That made Eva smirk. "Hmph! Then… next time... don't hold back."

Femchoke stared at her for a long time, then began to grin. "...Next time, huh? Alright."

"So… what's the Fair Lady going to do when she hears about how I kicked your butt?"

The muscular Pokémon sighed. "Laugh at me, probably. Oh well." She pulled herself fully up. "My eyes are killing me..."

"Someone's getting you water, don't worry."

"Ugh, thank you... Your name, it was Eva, right?"

"Evangeline. Eva. You can call me either."

"I respect you so... I'll give you my name from before I came down here; I'm sometimes called Cilia."

A surprisingly pretty name for such a brutish figure. Grinning, Eva kept her thoughts to herself. "Cilia... it's nice."

Once her eyes were restored to health, they walked back to the Fair Lady. Femchoke walked beside her in silence for a while before speaking up. "You know…. I used to think that wild Pokémon were better than the ones trained by humans. But you, Eva, are one good fighter."Eva felt warmth spread through her chest at the compliment. "I mean it. And I promise that next time we battle, I really won't hold back."

"I'll be waiting."

"Well… here we are."

The Umbreon felt a pang of jealousy as they entered the room where the Fair Lady and her trainer were located. She could see Avery and the Medicham talking and laughing together, but couldn't hear them. She had the puffy part of her right leg brushed up against the left side of Avery's, and it made her heart ache. Eva wasn't sure what aspect of that experience with the Fair Lady bothered her the most, watching her trainer succumb so readily to his desires despite previous promises, or the way her body had ached and throbbed with need as she watched the psychic-fighting type do things to him she was incapable of with her own body.

Avery had looked so different while being pleasured by the Medicham, the same way he looked different when he mated with Chastity, and likely anyone else he partnered up with. Seemingly, he had a special love for everyone he met, but she was starting to resent that side of him. Avery could be so impulsive and insensitive at times, like in the rejuvenation pools. He knew what happened between him and the FL could hurt Eva, but pleasure and excitement had seemed more important. It just so happened that it had been exciting, and that Eva had forgiven him, but even now she wondered if that was the right choice.

What would he decide was more important next time? What if one day he no longer wanted her as his companion and cast her aside? What if he grew bored of her body, so unlike his own? As a Pokémon, she would have no say in the matter if he released her or ended their relationship. Of course, Avery would never do that. Avery loved her, of that she had no doubt after everything they'd been through. Her human was kind and loving from the very beginning, even when she didn't deserve it, but there was an undeniable distance between them she couldn't quite understand and it destroyed her common sense. Jealousy was normal, fear was normal, but traversing those feelings felt impossible. Her father, Jasper, had never taught her anything about this, and her mother Candy even less so. All she knew was that, despite her anger, she would never let these creeping, dark feelings go too far. She feared losing him, their connection, but she wasn't like Lady; vindictive and cruel, she wouldn't make him miserable in her own pursuit of happiness by his side.

She pushed the feeling aside and approached the Fair Lady with Femchoke by her side.

"Well done, Eva," the Psychic-type said with a smile, "You've proven yourself to be a formidable opponent."

'Of course she already knows I won! I don't even get to brag!'

The Fair Lady gave her a knowing smirk.

Eva was really sick of Psychic-types.

When Eva walked in, just as Athena had promised she would, my Pokemon mentor was sitting beside me, thankfully no longer in my lap. The underground matriarch was trying to teach me how to stop others from invading my mind. For whatever reason, she thought it was very important for me, and I wasn't going to complain about learning more about these supposed talents of mine. So far, we'd tried at least a dozen times, and each one was a horrible failure where I just sat there looking like an idiot by the end of it. I was starting to think that any previous potential I had to do stuff like this was just luck or a straight-up fluke, but the Fair Lady claimed it was something "blocking my paths," which meant pretty much nothing to me.

After a while, hearing the same repetition of "Calm your mind, think of a fortress. Your mind is that fortress, but you must build it from the foundation up, stone by stone" threatened to drive me crazy, but the Fair Lady was not one to put anything but 100% effort into activities, it seemed. She wouldn't let it go. The Medicham kept a hand fixed on my arm, keeping me in place as she attempted to gently walk me through more practice. I felt like I was in school again, and not in a good way.

It was a relief when my Umbreon interrupted, and I could tell from her huge grin that her battle had been a total success. Athena had said she'd be returning soon. I'd honestly assumed the worst, but standing before me now, Eva seemed worn out yet happy. Her crimson eyes had a delightful glow.

"Eva… you did it?" I didn't mean to sound so incredulous. Eva didn't take it personally. Instead, she puffed her chest out proudly and raised her head. I knew by the way her little puff was extended that she wanted praise and pets. I scooped her up in my arms and supplied her with both. She melted in my grasp and settled with her paws resting on one shoulder, face nuzzling my neck. It seemed she had no plan to be put down, and I was cool with that. "Good girl," I whispered.

She made a sound, half a whine, half a purr, and her ruby eyes flicked to meet mine. We rested our foreheads together as I ran my fingers through her silky fur.

The Fair Lady coughed abruptly. "I suppose now is the time to escort you back to your friends."

Now was as good a time as any.

Oddly enough, I had a feeling I was going to miss the underground. Like when I was in the forest, I had grown comfortable with my foreign surroundings. I could barely see most of the time, but being around a bunch of wild Pokemon who were okay with my presence made it worth it. Each step toward the surface was taking me a mile away from some of the most surreal happiness I'd felt for a long time. What would it be like to just… stay? To spend my life beside the Medicham matriarch down here. Well, I knew already. My eyes were already sore, and that would only get worse. Human vision wasn't meant for places like this, and that was just bullet one of a long list of problems with my idea. A strange sadness gripped me. It didn't help that I had made friends with both Mancham and the Fair Lady, two mons I'd never forget. In fact, the male Medicham and his daughter came running to meet us when they heard we were leaving. Now, they were murmuring quietly and walking with us with a calm demeanor. Femchoke was there too, of course.

It seemed she'd completely lost interest in me romantically, or at least she chose not to show it, and instead was lavishing Eva with all her attention. I'd set her down, and the two were chatting at the front of our group, clearly very invested in their conversation. I smiled, then it withered away into a frown. All these Pokemon, they were better people than my only true human friend. It hurt so much to acknowledge that, and it was at that moment that I knew the feeling of wanting to stay was the very same as wanting to run away.

A warning trembled at the edge of my mind - and this time, I felt it, and was prepared for it. When the consciousness tried to gently nudge into mine, I imagined myself being sealed away, cold and aloof, far from everything. I imagined a building, a castle, a shrine - Athena had promised it didn't matter. No one was allowed to have access to me but me.

The probing ceased, I let her in. The Fair Lady smiled, pleased. 'That's right, Avery. Only you are the arbiter of your reality. Step one to creating the future you desire… don't look back at the unworthy ones you left behind. Opposite that, always carry in your heart the ones you cherish - even if you hurt them, even if they're no longer here in person they are in memory. Do you understand, Avery? It's about passion. It's about connection. There is no chaos to the art… it all comes from inside.'

"Y-You promise this will work?" Lady whispered nervously. It had only been a short time since they'd been separated but the Kirlia was already anxious at the thought of seeing him again. Hopping along beside her, Chastity nodded.

"Of course it'll work, but not if you doubt yourself," the fluffy normal-type said, glancing at Dusty. "You're a male. How did it feel when I denied you and you saw me walk away with my cute little hips wiggling?"

"...Like you deserved to be bred, really, really hard," Dusty admitted.

"That's right! It's a timeless seduction technique. Trust me, Lady."

"...But he's a Pokemon . What if I act like I don't want Master and he's just glad about it?"

"We both know he's lying about not wanting you. The brush, remember? If he didn't want you he would've closed the door. Right?"

"... I suppose."

"Listen, Lady. It's not about whether he's a Pokemon or not. It's about taking control of your body. Only you are the master of your body. He had free reign over you, could do whatever he wanted - well, that time has passed! Now, it's time for you to regain some of your dignity. Gone are the days where you begged for kisses, longed for his touch. It's time to flip the dynamic."

Lady let her friend's righteous, angry female energy fill her. Chastity was right. The master had to be punished. He didn't deserve her sweetness, her affection. She didn't want gentle kisses on the dome of her head, she didn't want a soft hand on her shoulder offering guidance. She wanted HER future. But she had to earn it.

Calming her mind, Lady inhaled deeply, supremely confident. 'That's right…I'm going to play hard to get. I'll win Master over with his own reluctance, use it against him...' So supreme was her confidence, nothing could have prepared Lady for the way it was shattered when - finally rounding the corner that would allow them to meet - she saw Him. All thoughts of reluctance flooded out of her, especially when she saw the way he was looking at the psychic-type Pokemon next to him.

"M-Master!" "Kirlll~!"

Avery's dark gaze swiveled to meet Lady's ruby one. Just like that, she felt like she was the only Pokemon in the world again. "Lady!

"..." Chastity watched in silent annoyance as her lover sprinted the distance and, using her powers to levitate, threw herself into Avery's arms with a squeal of pure happiness. He caught the little bundle easily. His big, strong arms immediately locked into place around the Kirila in a familiar, almost paternal embrace.

"She's never going to seduce him at this rate…"

Dusty grinned and woofed in agreement, his tail swishing. "It's kind of funny how she acts all big and tough towards us but is, well… that… around Avery."

Chastity smirked. "Don't you mean 'Master' ?"

At that, Dusty burst into laughter, the emphasis on Lady's subservience toward their trainer amusing him even more. From atop his head, Sprite made a sweet, shrill sound, gesturing around with her little head mandible this way and that, voicing her own thoughts on the matter.

Chastity gasped. "You're sooo right, Sprite. I can't be so judgmental and hopeless! We only live once, and as girls, we have to do our best to help support each other with that idiot... I love this new energy you've had since you almost died, verryy optimistic Sprite, keep it up! Now, that one time I was watching you guys in the stream, I saw you squirt some sweet stuff from your head. I have an idea..."