WARNING

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

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"Oh this is a nice little training area," Nicholas said, dropping his bag and looking about the small fenced-in dirt arena behind the condominium. "One of the others can probably help restore it to normal if we make a mess too. Right, you girls ready?"

"For what?" Hina asked, she and Sierra watching as Nicholas turned to grin at them.

"First, an introduction," he replied. "Hina, Sierra, I'm sure you each have thought about joining a harem at some point. In Hina's case, I know you've been very intent on finding one with a tamer planning on taking the badge challenge. But both of you, while I'm sure have thought about what that would mean for you, have no idea what it means to be a member of mine. Today will mainly be to show you just what you've gotten yourselves into."

Hina giggled nervously while Sierra released the breath she'd been holding. "From day one?" the Charmander asked.

"You better believe it. From day one I will make sure you understand that I ask everything of you – and that what I ask will never be more than what you can give. It will undoubtedly be more than you think you can give, but I promise you, I have been doing this for more than ten years. I have gotten very good at measuring the abilities of my pokegirls." He looked between the two. "Some things we'll ease into. I'll first be making sure you each have a firm grasp of the basics, for example. Like the basics of combat, making sure you're comfortable with what you can do naturally before we start thinking about branching into tertiary techniques or discovering methods to augment your strengths while covering your weaknesses. Another of those basics is this." Nicholas lifted his pokedex in one hand and three radio earpieces in the other. "Communication. The most obvious method is of course just shouting, but I've developed other methods through the years. The first and simplest of those being radio. Go ahead and put these in your ears."

Sierra took the two he offered her. "Don't I just need one?"

"Maybe. You can mute one if you'd prefer, but I'd like each of your bodies to have an earpiece. Just in case."

Sierra hesitantly put a radio in each of her inner ears. "That makes it seem like you're going to split me."

"Sierra." Nicholas knelt down to gaze into the Charmander's eyes. "I swear to you. I will never, ever intentionally split you in two. The day that I do is the day I want you to leave me. Just like that. Steal your pokeball, attack me if you must, and leave. The day I break my promise to you is the day I am no longer fit to be your tamer."

Sierra swallowed, hard, but gave him a small nod.

"So how do these things work, M-Master?" Hina asked as Nicholas got back to his feet. "Do I have to tap it like in the movies?"

"That would make them useless," Nicholas chuckled. "No, it's always on. Which brings us to my next point." He raised his pokedex. "Kalmiya, would you like to introduce yourself?"

"Greetings, Hina, Sierra." Both pokegirls jumped when another voice spoke in their ears. "I am Kalmiya. Master's primary tactician and a pokegirl like you."

"Kalmiya's a bit of a special pokegirl," Nicholas said, holding his pokedex steady while Kalmiya's hologram formed above the screen to bow at Hina and Sierra. "For now, all you really need to know is that she manages all of my computer systems. Our radio communications, my pokedex functionality, all of it is being augmented by Kalmiya's abilities. And yes, that means she's always listening. She likes to do that."

"Just think of me as one of Master's Alphas," Kalmiya said to the two pokegirls. "As part of that, I can tell him no." She glanced at Nicholas with a teasing smile. "Want to gossip behind his back? I'm not going to tell him anything. The only reason I would ever break that promise is if whatever you're talking about would hurt Master or the harem." She turned back. "You may also hear my voice during battle on occasion. Master is always talking to me, and sometimes it's faster for me to talk to you."

"I expect my pokegirls to think for themselves at all times, and that includes in battle," Nicholas said. "My philosophy is that I am here to train you. To enable you to be the best you can be – not to control your every move." He snorted. "I mean, it's just far more strategically sound that way too. A tamer who teaches their pokegirls to only move at their command could be the best tactician on the planet and still be destroyed by an untrained pokegirl thinking for herself. The latency between a command and their pokegirl acting might ruin any chance that tamer had of victory." He glanced around. "Still, there are times when everyone needs help. Things we don't see, strategies we can't come up with on our own. That's what I'm here for, and that's what Kalmiya is here for. I'm here to help you and she's here to help me."

Hina and Sierra nodded.

"Right. So that's our first basic – communication." Nicholas nudged his bag with his foot. "Let's touch on our second basic. Expectations. Kalmiya, what's our schedule look like right now?"

"Everything is set, Master. Mistress Sabrina will be arriving in just a few days, and the venue is prepared for next Saturday."

"Everything's as I…?"

"I – we – have handled it, Master," Kalmiya stressed gently. "Your harem is as excited as you are to finally see their Master and Mistress come together and fulfill their last human mating ritual. We have all been waiting for this day for years. A decade, in some cases."

Nicholas let out his breath and nodded. "Okay. Okay, good. Hina, Sierra." He glanced at the two pokegirls staring at him with wide eyes. "I'm planning on these first few days together being slow. Getting to know one another, starting training. Then once I'm… married… Creator I still can't believe this is really happening." Nicholas lifted his eyes to the sky with a goofy grin. "Sabrina and I are planning on a short honeymoon, and while that's going on I've asked my Alphas to work with you. Once that's all over then the three of us will head to Aquacorde, where Hina can break the news to her friends, and then our journey across Kalos will truly begin."

"O-Oh my goodness I haven't called Gloria since…!" Hina gasped.

"You have a mate, Nicholas?" Sierra asked excitedly.

"I do. And she's an incredible woman. I'm sure you two will enjoy meeting her." Nicholas smiled wistfully at nothing in particular before shaking himself back to reality. "But. Today. Today we start training, and today I need to talk about my expectations for us before we really get started with this badge challenge." Nicholas bent down and opened his bag, pulling out a number of uniforms that Hina recognized as being the same ones from the proving grounds. "By the time we head to Aquacorde I want us to at least be comfortable fighting together." He stood back up and tossed battle uniforms to each pokegirl. "Or perhaps I should say that I expect us to be."

"W-What do you mean by that…?" Hina stammered, catching the uniform and squeezing it in her hands. "I mean if it's just a few days you don't expect us to be ready for like, a gym immediately, right…?"

"What if I said I was?" Nicholas asked. Before Hina could stammer out a response he was chuckling. "In a few days? No. By the time we head to Aquacorde? Also no. But I intend to have us travel back to Lumiose from there on foot, and along the way is a little place called Santalune City. And there's a gym there. And I do expect to leave town with its badge in my case." He shrugged. "Should be… oh, maybe around a month to get to that point? Plenty of time for you two to be ready, I think."

"A g-gym in just a month? But there's no way…"

"I believe I have already told you that I will ask everything of you. Everything you have. How I will not ask more than what you are capable of." Nicholas was gazing steadily at Hina. "If over the course of a month you are unable to reach the point where you can win a gym battle, then you won't. But I fully believe you each can, Hina. It won't just happen – it will take hard training to achieve. I will not pretend otherwise. But it is possible. And if the two of you want to be my pokegirls," he said, turning to look at Sierra as well, "then I will expect you to be able to achieve the possible."

"No matter how hard it is, huh."

"That's right."

"That's great, but how do you expect me to fight? You've said you have some idea but if you're telling the truth about never making me split then there's going to be someone complaining about how you have two Charmander on the battlefield." Sierra crossed her arms. "It's how it's always been for me. Why I've never bothered worrying about sport battling before. No offense, but as far as I'm concerned you're asking the impossible."

Nicholas nodded. "Completely fair. With everything you know it's entirely impossible. Which brings us to our next basic." Nicholas spread his arms. "Nobody knows everything. Not even me – and certainly not young pokegirls like you."

Hina and Sierra felt a wave crash over their bodies, their eyes widening as they experienced Nicholas' aura for the first time. "Nobody can know everything," Nicholas repeated, keeping his voice quiet. "I am here to teach you of the things I know and you do not. In the process, I expect to learn from you in turn. That is the foundation on which a proper tamer/pokegirl bond should be built. I've told you of my aura senses before, but what I told you was not the entire story. While it allows me a sixth sense, to see what my eyes cannot, that sense is only an application of the true power of aura. It is the energy of life, and it is extremely versatile. So, if properly manipulated," Nicholas raised a hand. "It can also convey information," the two pokegirls heard his voice whisper in their minds, Nicholas' mouth remaining shut. "It can augment living creatures, or even affect the world around me. I am very intentionally keeping this bond between us light. One-way. But eventually, I expect we will reach a point where I can link us entirely and become almost one." He turned to focus on Sierra fully, lowering his hand and breaking the connection as he did. "Just as your bodies are one, Sierra," he said softly while the Charmander blinked. "So I believe I can use my understanding of aura to keep you as one even when your tails are separated."

"I felt… you," Hina breathed, shivering slightly as the feelings faded. "Was that what it feels like for others, when…?"

"That I have no idea," Nicholas confessed to the Froakie. "You're in your own unique position, Hina. It's certainly something to explore." He turned back to Sierra. "Sierra. Will you let me try to find a way that your bodies can stand apart?"

Sierra swallowed. "But what would it be like?"

"What I am hoping is that it will be something like this." Nicholas walked over and took one of the uniforms Sierra still clutched, raising it in between her heads so that her line of sight was broken. "Your tail might feel different, considering it won't be entwined, but in general what I hope is that this will be your experience. Separated, but still whole."

"It's… weird, not seeing myself," Sierra said, glancing at the latex between her heads. "But I get the idea. Even though I know I'm right there."

"Right. If it works then you'll be multiple feet apart, which I would assume might get a bit disorienting, but that just means you'll need to train even harder to make it in my harem."

"I'm sure I can manage." Sierra snagged the uniform back. "So?"

Nicholas sat down on the ground. "Sit with me. Hina, get changed if you'd like and then start practicing your water techniques. What I'd like you to do is go through all the steps of drawing water out, preparing to shoot it at a target, and then holding it before you do. For as long as you can. Practicing your control." He looked about while Sierra moved where he directed her. "Use that post over there as a target. Got it?"

Hina nodded. "Got it, Master."

"Great. Sierra, give me your tail."

Sierra hesitated. "Uh…"

"I will not be attempting to separate your tail. I just want to touch your flame so I can get a proper feel for your energy." Nicholas gave Sierra a gentle smile. "It might feel a bit strange, but as far as I know it won't hurt at all. I promise."

Sierra slowly flicked her tail into his hand. "How can you know?"

"I've done something like this before."

Sierra watched him raise the other hand to cup around her flickering flame. "You have?"

"I have. What I need to do first is attempt to truly identify your energy, your aura, from the rest of the world around us. Once I've done that then I will be able to adjust my own to augment yours, instead of it remaining separate or overwhelming you."

Sierra shivered as she felt the strange wave washing through her again, this time seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. "And you're sure that will work?"

"Of course I can't be entirely sure. But I'm very confident. It's the same idea as the links I've gotten good at holding with my other pokegirls, the same kind of concept as what I used to talk to you and Hina a moment ago. If I can create a strong, natural link of aura between your two bodies then you should remain whole even if you split apart."

"A link that… even if it works… you'd have to be keeping active, right?"

"Well, yes."

"And I'd have… no way to know wouldn't just suddenly vanish."

Nicholas pulled his attention from Sierra's flame to see the Charmander staring at him. "Well… no, you wouldn't," he said slowly. "We'd probably only use it when you absolutely had to be separated, since… yeah, if I let my concentration lapse for a moment, then it might get severed." He shook his head. "I'd like to think I'm better than just, forgetting something that important, but it's better to be safe."

"I'd have to trust you with everything."

Nicholas glanced over to meet Sierra's eyes. They sat there without moving for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Look at me and ask if I would betray you like that, Sierra." He kept his gaze steady while the Charmander stared deep into the slits of his golden eyes. The calm and steadfast gaze of her Weyrleader. "I know that I have not yet truly given you any reason to trust me in the way I ask of you. I have not even introduced myself in the only way that matters to a dragon like you. Like us." He blinked, releasing Sierra to rapidly blink as well. "So let me say this now. I am Nicholas Topolski. Dragon Master, Loremaster, and scion of the ancient Draconid clan. You are my dragon, one of the many of my weyr. I protect my weyr. To be a part of it is to be a part of me. I will never betray you." He moved the hand that had been caressing her flame to reach out to the Charmander. "Can you trust your weyrleader?"

Sierra let out a trembling breath, her eyes sliding shut before she bowed her head. "You've given me no reason not to so far," she said quietly. "Even stood up for me before I'd even thought about considering you my tamer. If you have an idea how I can fight alongside Hina then I'm willing to give it a try."

"I am honored to have your trust."

Sierra accepted his hand for a moment, feeling him squeeze it, before Nicholas returned to focusing on her flame. "So… you've done this before, huh."

"That's right. It was when I helped revive the injured guardians of spirit in Sinnoh," Nicholas explained. "They are the eternal ones who embody the same aspects by which aura is given form. If I could do it for them, I can do it for you."

Sierra had gone from guarded trepidation to staring at him with wide eyes. "You've met the eternal ones before?"

"Huh?" Nicholas was nearly broken from his concentration by the shock he felt emanating from the Charmander. "Oh… Oh, I guess even for people who really follow me that's still not exactly the first thing that comes up." He bowed his head to focus completely on what he was doing. "I'll explain later. But yes. I've meet a few of the eternal ones before."

Sierra remained silent until Nicholas lifted his head again and let out his breath. "That's incredible."

"Really depends on who you ask," Nicholas replied. "I've got a good feel for your aura now, Sierra. Are you ready for the next step?"

"What's that?"

"Well… That's up to you." Nicholas shifted a bit so he could look at her better. "The end goal will be to have your bodies walking around, entirely separate, and even able to fight while I keep you linked together. So there are a few steps here. You'll need to learn how to manipulate your bodies individually. I've noticed that most of the time when you make motions with one, the other does the exact same thing. It's a conscious effort to make yourself do different things, right?" Sierra nodded. "That's the big one then. Then you'll need to get comfortable not having your tail wrapped up like it is now. I know it's a source of comfort for you but it'll be impossible to do when your bodies are separated. And of course, eventually, we'll need to actually test having you pull apart while I've got the link active. I assume the only way that's ever going to happen is if I can prove to you that this will work. Prove to you that I won't betray your trust. Only once you're confident can we even consider that final step."

"But how will I know we're ready for that?" Sierra whispered.

"Yeah. That's the truly important question, isn't it." Nicholas returned his gaze to the flame at the end of Sierra's tail. "I don't have an answer for you. It's going to have to be something we find out together."

"What if I… just focused on what I know I need to do?" Sierra asked hesitantly. "Maybe, not think about… the scary part yet. Is that okay…?"

Nicholas turned back to smile at her. "I think that's a very fair thing to ask, Sierra. How about you focus on getting good at manipulating your bodies individually while I think about how to soothe your doubts?"

Sierra nodded slightly, a light blush pushing at her cheeks. "I can do that."

"Excellent. Start small today. I'll have Kalmiya create some kind of variable training program for you – something a bit more complex than just having you masturbate," Nicholas said with a wink.

Sierra' blush darkened and she glanced away. "Oh yeah… I do like mixing things up when I do that."

"Mm-hmm. Maybe something with having one body creating flame while the other works on physical strikes. That might be interesting, right?" He tussled the Charmander's hair. "I need to go check in with Hina. Kalmiya, can you take over with Sierra for now?"

"Absolutely, Master."

"Then I'll leave you two to it." Nicholas got to his feet with a smile. "It's going to work, Sierra," he said softly. "I will not stop trying until you can fight in this harem. Unless, of course," he chuckled, "you'd rather not bother. I mean if it's too much for you you can always say something. I'd be perfectly fine having you as a part of my harem without forcing you into the badge challenge."

He heard Sierra snort under her breath and then she was also on her feet and giving him a flat stare. "I'm not going to give up that easily," the Charmander growled. "But you already knew that, didn't you? You're just riling me up. Getting me angry to get me pushing harder."

Nicholas shrugged at her while his smile twitched, threatening to break into a grin. "Would your weyrleader do that?"

"Seems like just the kind of thing he would do." After a moment Sierra reached up and bounced a fist off of Nicholas' chest. "Maybe you haven't yet welcomed me properly," she said quietly, her eyes smoldering as she gazed into his, "but I can recognize what you are. I look forward to being a member of your weyr, Nicholas."

"And I look forward to having you, Sierra."

A shared smile, and then they were breaking apart, Nicholas heading towards where Hina had collapsed and Sierra turning to the pokedex he left behind while Kalmiya's hologram appeared and began speaking to her.

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Nicholas took another trembling breath.

It had been chaos all week. The relative calm of the weekend had turned on its head in an instant. Monday had seen the finishing touches to the wedding preparations, and another day where he'd worked with Hina and Sierra, this time alongside Miyuki and Kiana, which had included a nice moment with Kiana enthusiastically congratulating Hina on joining the harem. Then Tuesday. Oh Tuesday. The first guests had arrived on Tuesday, and he'd no longer had any time for anything else, busy greeting, coordinating, worrying… And Wednesday had been Sabrina's arrival, so he had gotten nothing done that day, turning Thursday into a mad rush to catch up before Friday, with the rehearsal, the dinner, the constant press of paparazzi… And all of a sudden it was Saturday. It was the day. He was sitting there in his suit and listening to the sound of the crowd outside. The upbeat music serving as the backdrop to the prelude. His heart pounding out of his chest.

A knock at the door caught his attention and Nicholas turned as a man stepped inside. "Mr. Natsume."

"Come on son. Pretty soon we'll be family. You can call me Adam."

Nicholas chuckled softly as Sabrina's father walked over and sat down next to him. "I don't see why that would change whether I address you respectfully, Sir. It's how I was raised."

"I know. It's why I know you'll properly respect my little girl." Sabrina's father exhaled through his nose as he turned his attention to the far wall. "Though I suppose she's not so little anymore. She's not the child I had to always hold, to help control the powers that sought to control her. That so very often did." He sat in silence for a while before continuing. "She's told me that you take care of her. That even when she feels like she's slipping away she knows you won't let her go. That you keep her safe."

Nicholas bowed his head with a quiet laugh. "I do my best, but sometimes she's just as important for me as I am for her."

"She's told me you've had a few of those moments and ignored them to help her instead." Nicholas looked up when he heard the tone of Sabrina's father's voice. The other man was looking straight through him. "You knock that off. Alright? Take care of yourself. I need you at your best if I'm going to entrust my daughter to you." He reached over to firmly pat Nicholas on the back. "She's a feisty one. Always has been. Strong will, too, but that comes with being a psychic of her caliber. So you're not allowed to neglect your own health, son. Not if you want to keep up with her." A smile had been twitching across Sabrina's father's lips as he spoke. "But I figure you already know all that. Don't you."

"I, I do," Nicholas chuckled, finding a smile of his own before he lifted a hand that Sabrina's father immediately grasped. "Thank you. I know you calling me… son… is just a casual thing, but… thank you. For everything."

"Not yet you're not," Sabrina's father growled, flashing a grin as his hand squeezed down on Nicholas'. "Tell me that in a few hours. You aren't her husband yet." With a wink Adam let go and stood up. "I'll see you at the altar, son."

Nicholas began to open his mouth to respond when the words died in his throat. Sabrina's father was gone. There had been the barest hint of energy, from the unassuming man, and then he had… vanished. Teleported? Had he just teleported?

He would have sat there stunned forever if it wasn't for another knock on the door, this one more of a pound than anything. "Yo! Nick! You ready? They're playing the 'get in position' song." A pause and then the door was flung open, a man Nicholas' age pushing inside and casting about. "You were in here, right…? Hey, Nick!" Nicholas shook himself and let Michael pull him to his feet. "Come on, man, I know you're in love but you can't be losing it now! You're so close!"

Nicholas couldn't help but laugh at Michael's insistent expression, coughing a bit and accepting the water bottle his friend handed him with a quick word of thanks. "Shit… Yeah, thanks, Mike. Sorry. Daydreaming a bit."

"Well you can't be doing that, we're supposed to be walking the aisle first, remember?" Michael hissed, pushing Nicholas ahead of him and into the hallway. "Let's move it Nick, one two, you asked me to be your best man not your best babysitter."

"I'm walking, I'm walking." The two made their way to the vestibule of the church and Nicholas waited while Michael gave his suit a final inspection. "It's when this song ends, right?"

"Yeah. You ready?"

"As I think I'll ever be." Michael nodded when the officiant joined them and exchanged pleasantries with the two men, all waiting as the music wound down. Nicholas felt his heartrate increasing as the song came to a close. Any moment now he'd be hearing those fateful chords…

There it was. The processional song. "Gentlemen," the officiant said, giving them a nod before turning and entering the main hall.

"Where's everyone else…?" Nicholas murmured as the doors swung next to them. "Why are they not getting ready too…?"

"They'll be here. Come on." Nicholas felt Michael tug him towards the entryway. "It's our turn. Head up. Deep breath. Go."

Nicholas could only focus on the altar when they stepped into the hall. The crowds to either side of the aisle all blended together. The guests, their pokegirls, so many pokegirls. Turning what he and Sabrina had originally planned to be a smaller gathering into an enormous crowd. He kept his eyes forwards as he and Michael walked. Only glancing aside when he reached the end of the aisle, looking at the empty seats at the front, on Sabrina's side… and then drifting to his own. Gazing at them for a few long moments before wrenching his slightly watering eyes back to the aisle in preparation to see Sabrina's mother walking towards him.

But that was not who was approaching at all. And the music, it… as Nicholas stared at the figure slowly making her way towards him, the sweeping song had become far more muted. Somber. The crowds of guests turning to watch the pokegirl walking the aisle, their heads dipping as she passed each row, giving respect to the two lei hanging from her hands.

"What is this…?" Nicholas began, feeling his throat closing up when Galina reached him and the Marowak came to a halt, her usual savage attire nowhere to be seen in favor of a formal jumpsuit. "Galina, what are… Why…"

"My Master once told me," Galina replied, her voice soft and clear without her signature helmet covering her head, "that there is no need to cling to what we have lost, because what is lost is not gone. It remains within us. Just as my mother lives on within me, Master, your mother and father have lived on within you." Nicholas' vision was blurring. Tears sliding down his cheeks. "But that does not mean we cannot remember. Your mother and father may not be here today, Master, but their memory should be. And so I offer you these two lei, crafted in their memory, so that you may know they are still with you."

"But how…?" Nicholas began to choke out, bowing his head when Galina lifted her hands and letting her drape the lei around his neck. "How did you know…?"

"You can blame me for this," Michael murmured beside him, and Nicholas felt the other man placing a comforting hand on his back. "I managed to find someone back in Alola who knew what to do."

"The designs…"

"Took me just about every day from the one when you asked me to be a part of this to get it all right," Michael whispered, smiling as Galina bowed her head slightly and drifted off to find her seat. "Take your time. We'll continue when you're ready."

It took a while. Multiple minutes before Nicholas lifted his head and blinked away his tears. "I'm… ready," he whispered, and Michael gave him one last comforting pat before nodding to the band.

Now Sabrina's mother appeared, but Nicholas was too busy taking steadying breaths and gently wiping his face with a handkerchief to give her more than a quick respectful nod while she found her seat. Next came Ash, though the woman on his arm was not Misty, but Erika, the Kantonian gym leader looking out of place in a bridesmaid's dress instead of her usual kimono. They were followed by Dahlia and Diana, the Venusaur and Alakazam representing Nicholas and Sabrina's entire harems respectively as their Alphas. He let himself appreciate Dahlia as she moved past him to join Ash, each giving him a small touch of support on their way to stand beside Michael, as the Venusaur had insisted on wearing a full suit to match the two humans she stood with. The poor thing was bursting at the seams.

And now came Misty. Sabrina's maid of honor and, scampering along next to her, her and Ash's daughter, Dendra, carrying the rings to the altar. The music was shifting. The organ was taking over. And the hall rose to its feet as Sabrina and her father stepped through the doors.

Nothing else in the world mattered anymore. It was only her. The radiant white figure making her way towards him. He'd been expecting something less… extravagant, from his fiancé. Other colors maybe. But Sabrina was walking down the aisle in a pure white bridal gown covered in intricate embellishment, the flowing train sitting at twice the width of the aisle and creating a soft rushing sound as it slid past the seats. Before he knew it she was in front of him, and his hand was lifting to take hers, her father giving him a small smile before he turned to sit next to his wife.

The officiant was talking, introducing the ceremony, thanking the guests, as Nicholas gazed into Sabrina's eyes. "You look incredible," he breathed. "I wasn't expecting you to go for a dress like this…"

Sabrina cracked the tiniest of smiles. "Hush," she chided with a barely audible giggle. "You're going to ruin everything."

"Right, right," Nicholas murmured, swallowing to try and clear the lump in his throat and turning with her to face the officiant as they began to recite their speech. Before he knew it it was time.

"Nicholas and Sabrina." The officiant smiled at them both. "Do you both take the other to be partners for life?"

"We do," Nicholas and Sabrina chorused.

"Do you swear, in good times or bad, through sickness or in health, to support each other every day?"

"We do."

"And do you love what you know about each other today, and trust in whatever else will come?"

"We do," the two whispered.

"Then I believe it is time for the rings."

Dendra popped up to thrust the box towards the officiant with a grin and Nicholas gently took the ring on his side as he lifted Sabrina's hand. "Sabrina," he murmured, swallowing one last time and lifting his eyes and voice to her. "I, Nicholas Topolski, give you this ring to signify that I will always be with you. That I will always love you, unconditionally and to the end of our days. That I will never forsake you, and will stand to defend you, against all comers, as your wedded husband."

He felt Sabrina's fingers tighten as he slid the ring onto her hand. "And I," she replied, her own voice and hands trembling just as much as his were, "Sabrina Natsume, give you this ring to signify that I will always welcome you. That I will always embrace your love, and return it to you in kind, as we have and forever will until the end of our days." Now it was Sabrina's turn to blink away tears. "That I will never leave you, and will always support you, as your wedded wife."

"These rings are a symbol of a lifetime of commitment," the officiator said as Sabrina slid Nicholas' ring onto his hand. "They are a seal for the vows you have just taken to each other. May they never be broken." The officiator raised their arms. "And so, by the power vested in me, and by the strength of your own love, I now pronounce you husband and wife!"

"You may kiss-!"

Nicholas and Sabrina hadn't waited for permission. They were wrapped around one another while the hall filled with cheers.

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.

"…and so I would like to end by offering a toast!" Sabrina's father cried, raising his glass as all around the room the guests did the same. "To the good health of the happy couple!"

Nicholas listened to the clink of glass as the reception cheered and he waited for Sabrina's father to sit back down before finding the microphone in his lap and getting to his feet. "Thank you, um… Adam." He took a steadying breath when Sabrina's father just smiled. "When I first started thinking about what I would say today, how I could ever possibly thank all of you for being here, how I could properly express how, how very much I love the woman here beside me." Nicholas cracked a smile and cleared his throat when he felt Sabrina squeeze his hand. "When I first started, I did not know exactly how today would go. And if you could all please excuse me for just a moment, I… I need to break from what I had originally planned." He gazed over at Adam and his wife, and the two empty chairs next to them, each with a lei hanging down over the front of the backrest. "Because I am so very, very grateful to Adam and Lisa for bringing my beautiful wife into this world, and for their unwavering support of our union. But there were two others I was only going to mention in passing. Until… my best man, and very, very best friend surprised me today." Nicholas adjusted his grip on the microphone. "My parents passed when I was very young. But today, I… I am reminded of my father's strength, and my mother's earnestness, the qualities that shaped the man I am today. So thank you, mom and dad." Nicholas turned to face Michael. "And thank you, Michael. For bringing them here to see how far their son has come." He let his words hang on the air for a few moments before clearing his throat. "Anyways, that's… That's the extra bit. From there I had many things I wanted to say, but there's just so much, so… I figured that I should follow one of the core tenants of the relationship Sabrina and I have built together." He turned from Michael to smile at Sabrina. "It is not weak to ask for help. Sabrina and I help one another every day. My wife?" Nicholas had a huge smile on his face as he extended his hand towards Sabrina. "Do you think you could help me with my speech?"

Sabrina laughed and rose with his hand in hers. "Of course, my husband," she replied, her own microphone having appeared from where she had been hiding it. "But you can take the lead this time, can't you? Or are you going to always make me do everything?"

Nicholas rolled his eyes as a wave of suppressed laughter rolled through the reception. "She'll never let me live it down," he said. "She asked me out first. Proposed first. Beat me to the punch both times. But I put that ring on your hand first," Nicholas said, play-wagging his finger at the grinning woman. "I won that race."

"I suppose I can let you have that one," Sabrina replied with a sigh, each grinning and sharing a kiss to the sound of cheers before they turned and continued speaking back and forth until passing the mic to Michael, who further lightened the tone with a couple of jokes within his speech. It didn't take long until he was handing it off to Misty, and she took just a few minutes to reminisce on her friendship with Sabrina and congratulate them both before calling for the dinner to start. It was within that sudden bustle after Misty lowered her microphone that someone else approached the new couple.

"So, earlier today I swear your father teleported himself," Nicholas was saying as Sabrina laughed. "Can you do that too?"

"Master Nicholas? Mistress Sabrina?"

"I can but since meeting Diana I haven't teleported myself that often," Sabrina said, turning with Nicholas towards the voice. "I used to teleport things all the time when I was a kid. Yes…?"

It was Celine, with the supposed Bellossom in a real sundress to match the dress code. "I wanted to slip in as soon as I could, but without interrupting anything," she said, the two humans quieting as she spoke. "I believe it is tradition to offer the newlyweds a gift at this reception?"

"Well sure, but you didn't have to…"

"I did," Celine interrupted. "Mistress Sabrina. I believe I once told you that there were those among us who would gladly give you their blessings, if they had any to give." Celine's eyes were intense as she gazed at them. "I regret to say that Celine still has nothing she can give. Neither does Celebi. But Celebi can stand in for another, if they will it. And the Mistress I serve above all has seen fit to grant my pleas."

"What… What does that mean?" Sabrina asked in a hushed voice.

"Please extend your hands."

Nicholas and Sabrina did so and Celine brought them together, waiting for the two to clutch each other before placing her own hands around them and bowing her head. "In vows you have pledged to stand at each other's side until eternity. Now, by the grace of the one who formed me, the lady of time who exists beyond the fringes of this world, I grant you this blessing." It would have been invisible to the crowds, but to Nicholas and Sabrina the power flowing from Celine to engulf them was indescribable. "May you both live to grow old and die together."

"…What have you done to us?" Nicholas breathed as Celine let go of their hands. "Celine?"

"Granted you my blessing," Celine replied quietly. "By Dialga's grace I have entwined your time together. Your blood and the blessings you hold would have stretched your lifespan tremendously. Mistress Sabrina's, on the other hand, would have ended as a human's naturally would." She turned her eyes to Sabrina's wide gaze. "He would have been forced to watch you wither away, and go on alone for many years," she explained softly. "But now, Mistress Sabrina, that will not be. When the day comes you will face it together, and by Master Nicholas' power I pray it will not come for a long, long time."

"This is…" Sabrina breathed. "When you once told me you would seek a way, some kind of blessing you could give, I… I could never have anticipated this."

"It is the greatest gift I could imagine within my abilities," Celine said with another small bow before she backed away. "I will leave you now to enjoy the rest of this night. And many more together, yes?" She lifted her head to smile at Sabrina. "Thank you, Mistress Sabrina," she murmured, "for allowing us all to share your wonderful mate."

Nicholas and Sabrina remained staring after her for a while after Celine slipped away. Eventually, though, they turned back to the event. The rest of the night passed in a whirl. The dances, the cake. The constant flow of congratulations. The dances. The crowds slowly dwindling away. It was very, very late when Nicholas pulled Sabrina to the empty dance floor for the final time, and they shared a slow, intimate moment to a quiet tune, before finally exiting the hall, leaving the last few guests behind to stand out at the top of the steps that connected the basilica to the city of Lumiose below.

"It's finally official," Nicholas murmured, Sabrina's head resting on his shoulder and his own leaning onto hers while their arms wrapped around one another. "We're married."

"It was as special as I'd always dreamed," Sabrina murmured back. "Thank you, Nicholas."

"Thank you for loving me."

"Mmm." Sabrina smiled and rubbed her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for setting it all up. This view is lovely."

"I think I'm supposed to say something to that."

"Oh hush and look at the way the city is lit up," Sabrina giggled, both gazing out at the Prism Tower, the structure standing tall in the center of the city and casting light out across the twinkling buildings. "I wish I could stay here with you for more than a week. We should have a real honeymoon sometime, not just this mini one."

"I've got a great idea for a forever honeymoon, on a quiet island in the middle of the sea."

"I think I'd like that very much."

"So would I."

They remained standing together for a few minutes before Sabrina fidgeted and Nicholas lifted his head to allow her to straighten as well. "Ready to head back?" he asked.

"Yeah. Do we need to ask them to pack up the food and…?"

"They know we'll want the leftovers during the honeymoon. Some of my girls will bring them by tomorrow." Nicholas began to turn back towards the hall. "Let me get someone to take us to the condo. Or maybe you can call Diana? I'm sure she's still around…"

"No need." Nicholas began to turn back with a questioning look when the world around them shifted. The grand view across the city was gone. It had been replaced by the familiar interior of his suite.

"Holy-" Nicholas began before he felt the woman still in his arm crumple. "Sabrina!"

"I'm good, I'm good, I just- Wow that's harder than I remember." Sabrina clung to him as she struggled back to her feet. "H-Hey," she laughed nervously, "you asked if I could teleport too…"

"Oh you crazy woman," Nicholas gasped, planting kisses across Sabrina's face as she giggled and weakly tried to fend him off. "But now what have you done. I'm supposed to carry you in!"

"Well, I only put us in the living room…"

Sabrina squeaked when he swept her off her feet, gathering her gown's train as he turned towards the door to the bedroom. "Are you trying to say we won't be leaving the bedroom for our entire honeymoon, honey?" he purred, carrying Sabrina in and laying her on the bed before unbuttoning his suit jacket. "How can I help with that dress?"

"Want to see a magic trick?"

Nicholas glanced down and froze in place. Sabrina was in nothing but her underwear. A crinkling noise from nearby made him turn and he watched as her gown slowly deflated onto the floor. "What the…"

"Teleporting objects is easy," Sabrina purred, a flick of her hand sending Nicholas' suit coat to join her gown and leave his hands clasping nothing at all. "Nice shirt, husband. Off." Nicholas was shirtless. "Pants?" The sheets rubbed against his bare thighs. "Oh, seems your boxers are caught on something, dear."

Nicholas didn't bother stopping his swelling penis as it slowly pushed out the front of his shorts. "I've heard of undressing someone with your eyes," he said, shivering when Sabrina reached down to seductively pull her stockings off before flipping them into the air and making them vanish before they hit the bed. "Don't think it was ever meant to be taken literally, honey."

"You like my magic trick?"

"I'm not hiding anything from you tonight," Nicholas whispered, crawling onto the bed towards her. "Do you even have to ask?"

She caught his head when he leaned in, and they just embraced for a while, tenderly kissing one another, feeling their bodies against the other, knocking the last stitches of clothing askew. Eventually they found themselves lying together and staring into each other's eyes.

Sabrina broke the silence. "I want your child."

Nicholas chuckled softly and reached over to push a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm pretty sure it's like, three in the morning, honey. How you're still awake is a miracle."

"I don't care what time it is," Sabrina whispered, catching his wrist and transitioning into squeezing his hand. "I stopped feeling tired hours ago."

"You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure in my life." Nicholas grunted when Sabrina rolled over and straddled him, her dangling bra finally falling from where it had been caught around her shoulder. It joined the rest of their underwear as the only articles of clothing on the bed with them. "No more protection. No more restraint." She hissed as she found his erection and slowly lowered herself onto it, and when she looked up to find him he could see that her eyes were full of a burning passion. "Make me a mother."

"Is it a good time?"

"It is the best time," Sabrina replied, beginning to shift back and forth and grind against him. "It's been about two weeks since my period. But just to be sure," she purred, gazing down at him with a widening smile while her hips did all the work, "you are going to fill me up every. Single. Day that we're together."

Nicholas matched her grin, moving his hands to Sabrina's thighs and giving them a squeeze before beginning to help her bounce up and down. "Yes, my beautiful wife."

.

.

"Hurry back to me."

Sabrina beamed as she held Nicholas' hands in her own. "It's just a few more months of filming," she said happily, squeezing down on his hands as her breath caught. "In a couple weeks, I… I'll do the test. I'll call you."

"I can't believe I won't be there when you find out," Nicholas breathed. "Creator I feel like I should be, I…"

"You were here when it happened," Sabrina murmured to him. "The test is just going to tell us what we already know." Her beaming smile shone as he gazed into her eyes. "We're having a baby!"

"We're having a baby," Nicholas repeated, lunging forwards to wrap his lips around hers as the two laughed and cried in the same breath. "When you get back, I'm taking you to see the house. They've made so much progress since you last saw the land."

"I can't wait." Sabrina pulled back from him. "And I can't wait to see how far you've made it by then."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They shared one last kiss before Nicholas let Sabrina's hands trail through his and he watched her turn away to head towards the vehicle waiting outside.

"There she goes," Nicholas murmured, watching the taxi drive off. "Right." He turned to face the two pokegirls waiting behind him. "I need to start moving and distract myself. Otherwise I'll do nothing but worry until Sabrina calls me with the test result." Giggles while he cracked a goofy smile. "You two ready to take our first official steps as a harem?"

"I'm… ready," Hina said, squeezing her fists tight while Sierra nodded beside her. "So then, we're… we're going to Aquacorde, M-Master?"

"That's right. I'm sure your friends are out of their minds waiting for you to bring me to meet them."

"Erm, actually…" Hina hesitated, "…I kind of… haven't told them about you yet."

Nicholas cocked his head at her with a frown. "Huh? Why?"

"I, um… I was hoping to surprise them."

"Oh. Well, they're your friends," Nicholas replied with a shrug. "Whatever you'd like. How do you usually get there?"

"There's a daily bus route," Hina replied. "Today, I think it's… three in the afternoon when it leaves from Lumiose?"

"Oh that shouldn't be hard to make at all," Nicholas snorted. "Excellent. You two get packed and I'll go find Cathy." He shook his head with a rueful chuckle. "That Miltank would kill me if I snuck off without her."

"Will it just be her coming with us?"

Nicholas nodded at Hina. "Yeah. Cathy's the pokegirl the others trust to watch over me when I'm away from the full harem, so she's started tagging along on my badge challenges. You won't have to worry about her, though. She's usually pretty hands off."

"Oh, that wasn't… I'm glad she's going to be there," Hina stammered out. "Do you think maybe some of the others could come to Aquacorde as well…?"

Nicholas frowned. "Oh? Who? Why?"

"Well, so… My friends. Gloria and Floris." Hina gave him a cautious smile. "Each of them, um, each of them are fans of some of the pokegirls here. Just like… Just like I am," she admitted with a nervous giggle. "So I was thinking. What if I really, really surprised them…?"

A smile slowly grew across Nicholas' face. "You want to ask some of the others to come along with us. To meet your friends."

"Yeah."

"You are a devious pokegirl and I love that," Nicholas crooned. "Who?"

"At least Elizabeth, Cathy, Ashley, and Elaine," Hina listed. "Maybe a few more, but I didn't want to be too annoying…"

"Well Cathy's a given and I would bet the others won't be too hard to convince," Nicholas said. "And once word gets around that we're taking a small group on the trip we'll get a few hitchhikers. Who else were you thinking?"

"I, um… I'd kind of like it if I could spend some more time with Ryuko," Hina muttered.

"Ryuko, huh? That's interesting. I'm curious what draws you to a Scizor." Nicholas shrugged. "Well, she'll be happy to have an excuse to be around me for a bit longer, so I'm sure she'll agree to come along for the ride. That's it for the shortlist? Anyone else?"

"I mean dropping everyone on Gloria would probably make her explode," Hina giggled. "Yeah, that's… I think that's everyone I was really thinking about."

"Cool. You girls go get packed and I'll gather everyone," Nicholas said. "Next stop, Aquacorde!"

.

.

Floris nervously ruffled her feathers as she hopped from foot to foot. "Wasn't it supposed to be here already? Where's the bus?"

"It'll be here," Gloria grunted, seemingly composed but with worry hiding deep in her eyes. "We're here, Nia… You're almost home."

"Did she tell you anything?"

Gloria shook her head. "Nia hasn't sent me anything in nearly two weeks," she murmured. "Well, not until she sent that text message this morning that she would be finally catching a bus. I can't imagine what she's been going through."

Floris strained her neck, standing as tall as she could while she peered down the road. "I see the bus!"

"NIA!" "NIA!" Hina gasped when she stepped off the bus and Gloria immediately slammed into her, Floris fluttering along behind while both pokegirls clamored. "We've been so worried, but you're home now, it's okay, we're here…"

"O-Oh, Gloria, ah-" Hina gasped, stumbling out of the bus's doorway and falling to the ground with Gloria wrapped around her. "A-Actually," she stammered, laughing a bit as the other passengers walked past them, "I… I've decided to go back to Hina."

"Huh?" Floris poked her head in to peer down at Hina. "But why? I thought you liked Nia better."

"Well, I did," Hina replied, pulling herself a bit out of Gloria's embrace and turning to look at the slow stream of people disembarking. "But since I left I've learned that Hina is a special name… A very special name for my new, um… Master."

Stunned silence over the other two pokegirls for a moment before Nicholas stepped off the bus.

Gloria was the first to react – she shrieked, releasing her hold on Hina and springing back to stare at the smiling man. "NIA! I, I mean HINA! That's- That's not-!"

"You must be Gloria," Nicholas said, nodding at the Rhyhorn. "Hina has told me all about you." He turned his smile towards the frozen Fletchling next to her. "And you must be Floris! It's a pleasure to finally meet Hina's friends in person."

"Don't tell me you-!" Floris squawked.

Hina clambered to her feet and threw her arms around them both. "I didn't fail at all!" she sobbed, beginning to laugh as her friends erupted into excited shrieks. "I'm Champion Nicholas' pokegirl!"

The two were busy celebrating until the rest of the bus offloaded. Specifically, until the owner of a set of heavy footsteps thudded down next to Nicholas. "So that's the little girl who can't get enough of staring at me, hm?" Gloria heard, wrenching her away from Hina to stumble back as her widening eyes beheld a grinning Nidoqueen in battered armor. "She's cute. Reminds me of when I was just a Nidoran, Master."

"Y-Y-You're-" Gloria barely managed to get out.

"Gloria, was it?" Elizabeth asked, walking over while Gloria stammered. "I'm Elizabeth." She winked. "But I hear you're already quite familiar with me."

Gloria fainted.

The other members of Nicholas' harem that had come along erupted into laughter when Elizabeth bent down to scoop the unconscious Rhyhorn over her shoulder and turn to where Floris was similarly standing in shock. "Hey, bird girl. There somewhere she can recover?"

"Um in the, uh, the uh-" Floris stuttered, her eyes darting from Elizabeth to Hina to the Blaziken that had just stepped from the bus. "Th-The hostel, we, um-"

"I'll show you," Hina said, grabbing Floris' wing and attempting to get the Fletchling to move. "C'mon, Floris. I know you're not as bad as Gloria."

"Should I come along?" Elaine asked with a smile, walking over with Floris' eyes locked on her the entire time. "Or maybe you'd prefer Ashley? Hina said you've talked about us both."

"She's-!?" Floris squeaked, finally unfreezing when the Pidgeot in question jumped out of the bus and an instant later had taken off, stretching her wings after being cooped up for the ride. "Oh dear…"

Nicholas chuckled to himself as he watched the group trudge away. "It's fun meeting fans, isn't it?" he asked Cathy.

The Miltank chuckled back. "You just like teasing pokegirls, Nicholas. But yes. I'll have to introduce myself to that Rhyhorn myself once she thinks she's gotten over the initial shock."

"So mean, my bull," Nicholas snickered, thumping a fist off Cathy's side as she laughed. "Don't you remember Hina saying that Gloria has her favorite from each harem, and even among them you and Elizabeth are the top two?"

"Why else would I be saying I should introduce myself?" Cathy asked smugly. "This is a good farewell for my new sister. She gets to see her friends realize their dreams, just as she has hers. Not for the last time, of course."

"Of course not. But unless those two want to tag along there'll be some time before she sees them again," Nicholas replied. "Speaking of. Sierra."

The Charmander let out a deep sigh. "Yeah. I know."

"I don't think Hina can overcome Santalune on her own," Nicholas said gently. "I know, I immediately went and ignored you in favor of my mate, but if you're going to fight in that gym…"

"I've been working on moving my bodies independently, just as I promised," Sierra replied, demonstrating by turning one head to gaze off at where Hina was leading the others down the street while leaving the other watching Nicholas. "It's still disorienting. If I try and do it while I'm walking I get sick." She lowered her eyes. "I know it's not enough," she whispered. "I'm trying."

"Hey." Sierra looked back up when she felt Nicholas place a hand on her shoulder to see him smiling at her. "It's more than what I've done in the last two weeks. I'm going to focus everything on your situation now, alright? I promise. Let's make it work. Together." He glanced over as Hina's group vanished behind some buildings. "I have a feeling we'll have some time until Hina has had enough of celebrating with her friends."

Sierra giggled. "It might take days."

"That's fine." Nicholas turned back to her and Sierra gasped when he swept her around to slam against the bus while bending down right into her face. "I'm sure there's plenty of things we can do to pass the time besides training," he growled softly. "After all, I have yet to welcome you properly."

Sierra hissed back, her pupils dilating as they stared into the golden slits of Nicholas' draconic eyes. "It's taken you long enough," she breathed.

Nicholas chuckled, taking her in a kiss before moving to gather their bags as the group wandered off into Aquacorde.

.

.

POKEDEX UPDATED

Tamer: Nicholas Topolski

Badges:

Harem:

Hina, Froakie – Level 6

Sierra, Charmander – Level 7

Non-Com Harem:

Kalmiya, Porygon-Z – Level 35
Cathy, Miltank – Level 76