Chapter 5 - The Shaft

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Central Doomstad…
Market District…
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"So we just go to this guy, show the coupon, and he’ll give me a uniform and all that?" Aaron asked, walking along with Elisa.

The Gar-Gal nodded, her wings caped about her shoulders. "We should get the eval at the Pokécenter first, though. Get you set up with your temporary new identity and Pokédex. Fortunately, the field outfitter’s store is in the center."

Aaron nodded, looking around as they walked through the streets of the glimmering city. Everywhere he looked, everything seemed to glow. There was excited chatter from the various patrons, many of them clad in some kind of uniform, ranging from wizardly cloaks and wide-brimmed hats to light armor-plating with weapons strapped to the back or hip. The only real commonality between them all was the belts or gauntlets mounted with Pokéballs.

Tidy, Aaron thought, That’s the best way to describe this place. Everything was clean, almost unnaturally so. Even areas of dirt, grass and trees in the various parks they passed along the way looked clean. Something in the back of Aaron’s mind told him that this wasn’t right, wasn’t natural…

…Said something was almost immediately quashed by a much stronger thought. This is HIS city. Why shouldn’t it be like this?

Relaxing again, Aaron smiled, taking in the sights and sounds of the city. Occasionally, he would see a bird-type Pokégirl fluttering overhead, loose feathers occasionally drifting down. Pokégirls and Pokéboys walked with their Tamers. After a moment, Aaron noticed something.

"Why is there only one Pokégirl or Pokéboy per Tamer out?"

Elisa smiled indulgently. "Chaos Control Law #202: To minimize potential for disorder, each tamer is allowed to have only one Pokégirl or Pokéboy out at any one time while in major cities. This will also make it easier for Tamers to keep their Harem in order."

Aaron nodded, understanding. "And the bird-types I saw flying above?"
 

"City employed Pokégirls. Messengers, mostly."

Aaron nodded. "This is embarrassing…" he muttered, "I should know this, this is basic…"

Elisa sighed and hugged him. "It’ll all come back in time. Just don’t worry about it, and go with the flow."

The two continued walking through the glittering city, heading towards a silver-armored three-story tower. On the front gate was emblazoned Doom’s symbol with a Pokéball in the center of it.

"Ah," Elisa said, smiling, "Here we go. Doomstad’s primary Pokécenter."

Aaron blinked. "Is this a Pokécenter or a shopping mall?"

Elisa grinned. "Little of both, actually. C’mon master, let’s go in," she said, gently tugging Aaron through the front gate.

Aaron let himself be dragged in, but at the ‘master’ comment he cringed. "Elisa, please, just call me by my name. I’m not at all comfortable with being anyone’s master."

A security camera built to look like a small fly buzzed by Aaron, recording him giving permission for his Pokégirl to use his name rather than ‘master,’ sending his picture to all stations within the Pokécenter. Elisa smirked upon noticing the fly, but said nothing.

The Gar-Gal led Aaron through the throng of people, all dressed in bright, colorful clothes and uniforms, and led him up to the main desk in the center of the lobby. A slim woman in bright blue vest and dress was waiting there, typing away at her computer. She smiled at Aaron politely, but then blinked upon noticing Elisa.

"…Officer Maza? Agent M74?" she said.

Elisa grinned weakly. "Heyo Ellen. How’s Mikey doing?"

The woman stared at her, visibly shocked. "My God… When did it happen?" she said.

"Just recently. I got careless while chasing someone who stole water from Neo Jusenkyo and got tagged," she said, hugging Aaron’s arm, "Aaron here saved my life and… well, transformation shock happens, y’know?"

Ellen shivered. "Well, better him than the one who turned you." Aaron just smiled weakly, not sure what to say. Ellen turned to him and smiled. "Elisa and I have been friends for a while, ever since we graduated the Academy. She helped me find a good Tamer after I Thresholded into an Ingenue, and has saved our lives more than once, sometimes with some of the Seven. You take care of her, y’here?"

Aaron nodded. "To the best of my ability, ma’am, I shall."

Ellen blushed. "Ma’am. My, aren’t you the sweet talker. Anyway, what can I do for you two?"

Elisa uncaped her wings. "Well, as it turns out," she sighed, "My heroic rescuer and new Tamer is an amnesiac."

Aaron rubbed the back of his head, grinning weakly. "Last thing I remember is a feral Amachamp tagging me in the back of the head. It was just a glancing blow, but apparently it did the trick…"

Ellen winced. Elisa nodded, and continued. "Lord Doom and Lady Andraia are working to help restore his memory, but it’ll apparently be a year and…"

"…He needs a temporary identity until then," Ellen said, finishing the thought for her. She nodded, and sent a message to the main evaluation center. She removed a small device from her wristband, and a holographic map appeared.

"We’ve moved things around since you were last here, Elisa. The evaluation center has been moved to the bottom floor and expanded, so as to make things more convenient. Just head to the hallway behind this station and take a left going past the restaurant. It’ll be right in front of you."

"Awesome," Elisa said, "Thanks Ellen. Say hi to Mikey for me, will ya?"

Ellen smiled and waved them off, going back to her work, Elisa and Aaron walking to the back of the lobby. Aaron turned to Elisa and whispered, "Ingenue?"

"Pokégirl that’s essentially just human with Taming urges. It’s one of the most common types out there," Elisa said. Aaron shrugged, and the two continued walking along. Aaron paused as they passed the restaurant, grinning as the succulent aromas drifted outward, the uneven clinking of silverware adding to the ambiance.

Elisa grinned. "We can eat later, we should really get you evaluated first."

Aaron mocked sighed, looking longingly into the restaurant. "If you say so…"

Elisa rolled her eyes and gently led Aaron down the hall. They came upon a series of glass windows leading into a rather boring office area, with several cubicles set up along with a front desk. Several Ingenue staffed the various cubicles, although there were also the occasional cat, dog, and mouse Pokégirl wandering about as well, talking with someone at another desk or moving papers about.

The two of them went up to the front desk. A Catgirl was currently at the computer, reading through a record. Aaron looked at Elisa for a moment and then tapped the Catgirl on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," he asked, "But was a message sent here about an evaluation?"

"Nyaoh?" The Catgirl blinked, and closed the window she was looking at, opening up the messages. She nodded, and forwarded the message. "Just go down the hall, sir, and sit at the desk. We’ve recently updated the procedure, so your… um…" The Catgirl paused, looking Elisa over, and continued, "Your Gar-Gal can stay with you in the testing room."

"Good to know," Aaron said, he and Elisa heading down past the desks to a long hall with various doors.

As they left, the Catgirl looked down the hall after them, staring at Elisa, and frowned. "…Nah, couldn’t be," she said, going back to her work.

As Aaron looked through the window of each doorway in the exam hall, he saw other young Tamers, some with Pokégirls and at least one woman with a cat-type Pokéboy, all filling out exams while another Pokégirl or Pokéboy watched them.

Eventually, the two of them came to an empty room. Inside was a single Pokéboy clad in a green, loose-fitting uniform with darker-green boots and gloves. His smooth, pale-skinned face was aquiline, almost eagle-like in appearance, and bore strange glyphs around his eyes and nose. His hair long was and flowing, as white as a cloud.

"Greetings," he said, "My name is Fujin, I’ll be your examiner today. Please, sit down." He gestured to a plain gray desk with a chair on rollers next to it.

Aaron did so, Elisa sitting in a metal folding chair that was nearby, caping her wings around her shoulders again.

Fujin looked at Elisa curiously for a long moment. "Er… Can I talk to you outside for a moment, ma’am?"

Elisa sighed, rolling her eyes, and nodded. She and Fujin exited the room.

The Pokéboy looked at her warily. "Are you… Are you who I think you are?"

Elisa nodded. "Yeah. Long story. Suffice to say I got careless, and this guy saved my life. I was still in shiftshock, so after he saved me I jumped him and well…"

"Blessed Yggdrasil…" the Pokéboy gasped, "This youngling? But… Oh my…"

Elisa blinked, and pulled down the collar of Fujin’s uniform shirt, chuckling at the plastic pendant around his neck. "You collect merchandise from the show, don’t you?"

Fujin blinked and blushed, looking from side to side embarrassedly. "…Maybe."

Elisa shook her head, grinning, folding her arms underneath her breasts. "You DO realize that the show exaggerates how well we do on our missions. And that most of the current season is entirely fictional, right?"

Fujin grins weakly. "Of course I do, I… kinda… sorta… run the main fansite…"

Elisa snorted laughter. "Would you like an autograph?"

"Pretty please?" Fujin said, grinning childishly and pulling out a small notebook and pen. Elisa smiled and signed it, signing another one for the Catgirl at the front desk, who was apparently a harem-mate of the Pokéboy. Fujin beamed as he pocketed the notebook. "Thank you. Now, before I begin, is there something I should know about your Tamer?"

"He took a bad knock on the head and has near total amnesia. He knows basic stuff, like how to work his magic and so forth, but he has no memory of anything before that," Elisa said, staring sadly into the room.

Fujin frowned, tapping his pen on the clipboard. "Hm… A temp identity setup, then, plus a basic Pokébank account with some starter money… Does he remember how it happened?"

Elisa sighed. "Well, if all accounts are to be believed, he was hit from a glancing blow from an Amachamp."

Fujin blinked. "And he’s still alive?" he asked, incredulous.

Elisa nodded. "He’s lucky. So am I, because as brain-scrambled as I was when that Wendigo went after me, I would have been finished if he hadn’t come in."

"Hmm…" Fujin tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, let’s get him started then, shall we?"

The two reentered the room, Aaron looking down from where he had been counting the ceiling tiles in moderate boredom.

"Just start by filling out this form and basic test. It’ll give us a basic idea of how to proceed next," Fujin said, smiling warmly.

Aaron nodded and picked up the form, looking it over and filling it out with what little he ‘remembered,’ putting it aside to start the test. When he saw the first two questions on the test, he cringed.

Question 1.) Taming a Pokégirl (for male tamers) is described as:

1. Happy squishy gooky fun time between cool dudes and hot babes
2. A bothersome chore
3. A biochemical process involving stimulation through sexual activity of the female reproductive organs, which in turn causes the release of bio-energy that dampens the Pokégirl’s ability to function properly (re: Ferality), plus the injection of needed chemicals to help increase resistance against this energy buildup. (Process varies with Psi-Dykes and other lesbian oriented Pokégirls.)
4. Tacos nao plz.

Question 2.) Taming a Pokéboy (for female tamers) is described as:

1. Getting the hot man-meat in mah squishy parts for absolute win
2. A biochemical process involving stimulation of the male reproductive organs through sexual activity, which in turn causes the release of bio-energy that dampens the Pokéboy’s ability to function properly (re: Ferality), plus release of chemicals that can decrease resistance to this energy buildup.
3. Something that shouldn’t happen because only Pokégirls should exist.
4. It is teh r0xx0rz mah b0xx0rz

　

Aaron stared incredulously at Fujin, who just chuckled and shook his head.

"You’d be surprised how many people get those first two wrong," he said, smiling brightly, "It really helps in eliminating potential nitwits that we don’t want in the field."

Aaron shook his head and checked the right answers to the first two questions (C and B respectively), and continued down the rest of the 100 question test. The test got increasingly harder as it went from basic functionality questions to questions that could basically be described as choices of ‘morality’ versus ‘practicality.’ As he thought through the questions, Fujin stood behind the boy, his eyes and the glyphs on his face glowing as he read through Aaron’s mind and spirit, using criteria and techniques given to him by his masters to gauge the measure of Aaron’s character. Elisa watched this impassively, having seen this procedure many times before.

When Aaron spoke, Fujin flinched, caught completely off guard, and quickly stepped back to the place he was before. "Forgive me," Aaron said, "But what breed of Pokéboy are you? It’s on the tip of my tongue, I just know it…"

Fujin smiled indulgently, and said, "A Kami-sama. Like many Pokéboys, I am a male-equivalent to a breed of Pokégirl, in this case the Megami-sama."

Aaron nodded, said, "Okay, just wanted to know," and went back to finishing the test. Fujin went back to reading Aaron’s mind and soul. What he found there, however…

Elisa blinked, looking up at Fujin, who’s eyes had widened visibly. "You okay?" she asked.

Fujin blinked, turning to her, and then took a breath to calm himself. He smiled again, but it wasn’t the same smile as before. To Elisa’s well-trained eyes, it was a more cunning smile, one who had discovered something and wasn’t willing to share it.

"It’s nothing… I just saw the Amachamp attack in his mind… No wonder this boy’s mind is as fragmented as it is…" Fujin said, "No wonder at all…"

Elisa frowned, not trusting the answer, but decided not to pursue it for now. After almost an hour, he finished, and handed it back to Fujin.

Fujin nodded. "Now, if you’ll be willing to wait here for a few minutes, I need to go get this processed. I’ll be right back as soon as possible."

Aaron nodded, Elisa moving her chair over to sit next to him. Fujin grinned, and added, "Just to let you know, Taming isn’t allowed in these rooms. They stain like paper cuts, and the janitors give us hell when they get messy."

Aaron blushed, and Elisa rolled her eyes, Fujin chuckling as he went down the hall to the processing center. But before he did, he whispered a small prayer. The glyphs on his face glowed, and Fujin whispered, "The first ripple has appeared."

He went inside the processing center and fed Aaron’s form into a massive, box-shaped computer stationed there. He flirted playfully with the G-Poindexter running the station for a few moments, waiting for the analysis to finish.

After ten minutes, the unattractive gray box of a computer made an absurd beeping noise, a panel opening to reveal a large tray. On it was a small, circular blue device with a small depression and a button in the center, a blue cloth patch, and six blue and white Pokéballs.

The G-Poindexter snorted. "Ugly thing," she said, kicking the computer, "Ugly and noisy. I don’t give a damn if it’s one of the more advanced on the market, there’s no reason it has to be ugly and noisy. The Video Girls and VGUs in Doomstad Central Mainframe won’t even go near it to try and fix it."

Fujin rolled his eyes. "Preaching to the choir, Danika, and I’ve heard this sermon many times before," he said, "See you later."

"See if you can use that heavenly influence to get us a better machine. We’re the freaking capital of the entire Light Hemisphere, we should have machines that don’t sound like explosive flatulence when they work!" Danika said, calling down the hall. Fujin snickered, and headed back to Aaron’s testing room.

To his complete lack of surprise and mild amusement, Aaron and Elisa had partially disregarded him. Aaron had one hand under Elisa’s shirt, gently squeezing one of her ample breasts as the two of them kissed, the Gar-Gal sitting on her master’s lap.

Fujin coughed. Aaron meeped, and quickly pulled his hand out from underneath Elisa’s shirt, grinning weakly. Elisa just smirked, not moving from her spot (or bothering to straighten out her shirt, which now showed the soft curving underside of her breasts).

"We weren’t taming, we were cuddling," she said.

"Of course you were," he said, "At any rate, you’ve been gauged as a Blue-rank Tamer, which basically means that you’ll have a fairly easy time in most towns except for the Violet ranked villages and Red ranked villages. The patch goes in a slot on your uniform, or if you don’t qualify as a journeyman you can keep it in your pocket or something."

Aaron blinked. "Color ranking?"

Fujin nodded, placing the patch and the Pokéballs on the table. "The color ranking determines how extreme your beliefs are to the right or left, based on the colors of the rainbow. Green is the ideal, although Yellows and Blues are well-accepted for the most part as well. Red-ranks mean ultra-conservative, and believe strongly in the old ways of absolute human dominance over Pokéboy and Pokégirl. Reds we have to watch strongly for abuse of their harem. Violets are the other end of the spectrum, in that they are liberal to the point where we have to watch them for causing riots. A good example of Violet-ranked persons would be the so-called Sisterhood, and for Red-ranks the so-called Friends of Humanity. The WorldGuardian considers the existence of both of those groups a personal insult."

Elisa nodded. "With good reason. No one should disrupt the order He has laid down."

Aaron nodded in agreement as well, but still, something felt off about doing so. He decided to ignore the feeling for now, not picking up on Fujin glancing at him and smirking as the thought passed through his mind.

"Moving on," Fujin said, his manner becoming businesslike again, "You’ve also been given the standard starter pack of basic Pokéballs. You can pick up more while on missions, which come to you in THIS handy little device."

He placed the circular disk on the table. "This handy little gizmo is the current model Unity Technologies Unlimited Pokédex," Fujin said, pressing the button in the center of the device. It literally blossomed open, a large holographic display popping up. Fujin began to manipulate the holographic display, showing the various functions of it. "The Pokédex is your most important tool in the field besides your Harem. It has information on all known breeds and varieties of Pokéboy and Pokégirl, an index of abilities for all of the above mentioned breeds, a complete historical record, Internet capability with full viral and malware protection, plus personalizable e-mail and webpage, GPS tracking system and map. It’s also the latest model video phone, with enough space to hold thousands of songs. You have to pay for downloads, however, the piracy penalties are FIERCE. It acts as a homing beacon in times of emergency with TREMENDOUS range, is a quite effective digital camera and recorder, can act as a word processor to hold documents and resumes, and is also your personal bank. All monetary transactions take place through the ‘dex."

Aaron blinked. "What happens if I lose it?"

Fujin chuckled. "Then you’re kinda screwed. However if you’re in the system, just report to the local authorities and they’ll provide you with a new one if the old one is damaged somehow. Be sure to give them the exact date you lost it, though, as they’ll also cancel any purchases made since then. Thankfully, ‘dexes can be tracked easily through the homing beacon, and are nearly hack proof except by Team Rocket experts or Video Girls, so there’s no worries about identity theft. Because, really, why would they bother in this day and age?"

Aaron nodded, and pocketed the Pokédex, patch, and Pokéballs. "Nice little setup," he said, "So what’s next?"

"A simple gauging of your abilities to see what Journeyman tamer Job Class you’re qualified for, and what uniform you should get at the field outfitters down the hall," Fujin said, "If you’ll come with me please?"

Aaron nodded, and let Fujin lead he and Elisa out of the room and down an outside hall. They came to a large, green wireframe room. Fujin led Elisa behind a reinforced glass door, pressing a button to activate the intercom.

"All right then, Mr. Towers. Since you got the Journeyman Tamer’s standard issue Pokédex instead of the civilian one, you qualify for a Job class, a specialized classification based on abilities learned in the Academy. If you would be willing to explain your abilities for me, and give a demonstration, we can give you a classification for what missions you’ll be getting.

Aaron nodded. "Okay then…" he said, gripping his necklace. "Um… These gems are all actually spirits. I can catch malevolent spirits and trap them in crystal form in my necklace. The evil in them manifests as a form of energy that I can tap into for various magical effects. Like, for instance, I can cast a healing spell, can use elemental abilities, can summon a ghost that can give me information, and so forth… The thing is, each spell has a cost to it."

"Interesting…" Fujin said, "Define ‘cost’ for me."

Aaron grinned weakly. "It’d be better if I just showed you. It’d take too long to explain."

"If you insist," Fujin said, tapping a button. A target appeared in the room in a flash of light, a simple bullseye.

Aaron nodded, and pulled his necklace out from under his shirt. There were six crystals on it, one black, one blue, one white, one pink, one green, and one that randomly shifted colors. Aaron grabbed the shifting crystal and concentrated.

"Shifting winds, blow strong and fast! End my foe with a crushing blast!" he shouted, his eyes glowing as he concentrated. He took a deep breath, and exhaled a massive, powerful gust of wind which battered the target into shreds. After the target was destroyed, Aaron collapsed, clutching his chest and gasping, visibly hyperventilating.

"Aaron!" Elisa almost shrieked, preparing to dash down into the training field. Aaron, slowly managing to catch his breath, held up a hand to stop her.

"It’s *gasp* okay… It’ll *gasp* pass in a *gasp* minute…" he wheezed. Elisa frowned, placing a taloned hand on the window that separated her from him, but kept still as he requested.

Fujin blinked. "Interesting. I also noticed that when you invoked the wind spell, your aura shifted… If my guess is right, in addition to the backlash effects of using your spells, you also become more vulnerable to them…"

Aaron nodded, slowly getting to his feet as his breath slowed to normal. "Yeah… *huff* All my spells have costs… The elements do a partial backlash on me. The healing crystal makes me feel the pain of whomever I heal and can’t be used on myself. The land restore crystal temporarily bonds me to the land I’m healing, which in turn means I suffer whatever the land is suffering until I restore that particular patch. The seduction crystal, it leaves me temporarily over-aroused. The fighter crystal gives me the skills of that fighter, but not his full strength, plus he possesses me for the duration of the spell. The knowledge crystal’s punishment is that the spirit inside is fully sentient and has its old personality, which is a pain to deal with," he said, holding up the color-shifting crystal, white crystal, green crystal, pink crystal, black crystal, and blue crystal respectively.

"Which is…" Fujin prompted, curious despite himself.

"Unrepentant pervert and pedophile," Aaron said matter-of-factly.

Fujin put his face in his palm, sighing. "Marvelous… I noticed there are four blank spaces on the chain…"

Aaron nodded. "I can collect up to four more spirits. The backlash costs will be cut down to almost nil for all save the blue crystal, and I’ll be able to use more ‘traditional’ necromantic powers, such as spirit world communication and undead control. I think," Aaron said, frowning and rubbing his head, "I’m… I’m not too clear on all the details, just the basic information…"

Fujin nodded, making a sympathetic noise, although his mind was on other issues about Aaron.

It’s exactly like the visions… I need to contact Yggdrasil…he thought. Out loud, he said, "At any rate, with your powers, I’d say it’s safe to say that you qualify as a necromancer, and for all the pay rate, expectations, and benefits associated with that job class. I’ll just add that to your Pokédex, and you’ll be fully registered. All that’s left is getting your uniform. Now, it’ll probably take out a rather large sum of your starter money in your account, but…"

Elisa grinned, holding up the coupon she had gotten from her comrades.

Fujin nodded, smiling. "Ah, yes. I should have guessed a member of the Magnificent Seven would be prepared for that."

Elisa chuckled, smiling sadly. "Former member, now…"

Fujin shook his head. "Madame, in my eyes and in the eyes of many of your fans, you will always be Magnificent."

Elisa blushed, and gave Fujin and friendly hug. "Thank you."

Fujin briefly fought off a surge of fanboyism brought on by Elisa’s hug, and managed to collect himself. He and Elisa went down into the demonstration room, Fujin adding Aaron’s job class information to his Pokédex.

"There. You’re all set, licensed and registered as a Journeyman Tamer, Necromancer Job Class. Your first mission assignments should come in through the e-mail account in about an hour or so," he said.

Aaron nodded. "Thank you. So I guess we’re off to the outfitter’s place, then?" he said, turning to Elisa.

"We are EATING," Elisa stated, gripping his arm, "I know I insisted we do this first, but we have some time now before our first assignments come in. Also, I missed breakfast and I’m starving."

Aaron started to protest, but then his own stomach rumbled as well. "Heh. I guess we’re off to the restaurant, then," he chuckled.

Fujin nodded, smiling warmly. "Enjoy yourselves. And may the WorldGuardian be with you."

"And also with you," Elisa and Aaron chorused as they left the training area.

Fujin, once the two of them were out of earshot, sighed, shivering. "The first ripple… And Doom has him… Gotta tell Yggdrasil… That old Esper is definitly gonna wanna hear this…" he said, vanishing in a flash of light.

The two headed down to the restaurant. Aaron took brief note of the sign on the door, which read "Tamers only allowed one Pokégirl out at a time. Public Taming not allowed. Snorlasses, Grizzlars, Polar Lasses, Gulpitins, and Swalloalots forbidden,’ and then headed inside.

The inside of the restaurant had the feel of a classic greasy spoon. There were booths and tables everywhere, weapon-wielding humans in various uniforms, along with an amazing variety of Pokégirls and Pokéboys as well.

Aaron and Elisa sat down at an open booth, a cute, buxom Doggirl waitress in a black mini-skirt and midriff-baring top wiping down the table and seats for them. She wurfed happily, gave the two of them a couple menus, and pulled out a notebook.

"You ready to order?" she asked, "Or do you need a few minutes?"

"Give us a bit, okay?" Aaron said, smiling. The Doggirl nodded and trotted off, heading for another booth to take their order.

Aaron and Elisa looked over the menu choices, all fairly standard stuff for a restaurant. Sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs, various entrees, salad choices… Elisa eventually settled on a fish dish while Aaron decided to go for an open-faced turkey sandwich, a little worried by the tag that they promised ‘real poultry’ in all their sandwiches.

When he expressed this concern to Elisa, she chuckled and said, "Turkeys, surprisingly, were among the only regular animals to survive the Revenge War other than small, unnoticeable rodents and the like. They’re dumber than anything, but they somehow managed to remain unnoticed for years as the environment readjusted, and thanks to some chemical accidents actually started to overbreed to the point where they can be found easily in the wild. They were discovered again and raised for food product in about 400 AS. All other meat products are produced by food production-capable Pokégirls like the Khangasscunt and the Giltlectric."

Aaron nodded and grinned. "So I don’t have to worry about eating turkey Pokégirl?"

Elisa grimaced. "Good lord, no."

Aaron sighed. "Thanks for telling me this… I feel like I should know it already, but this is just…"

Elisa smiled, holding Aaron’s hand. "It’ll be okay. The WorldGuardian will get your memories back to you, and you’ll be yourself again. Until then, I suggest we enjoy life as it comes."

Aaron grinned, blushing. The Doggirl waitress came back and took their orders, looking at Elisa for a long moment and shaking her head, dismissing a thought. She went to deliver the orders to the chef, leaving Elisa and Aaron to talk.

"So how’re you feeling?" she asked, "Excited? Nervous?"

Aaron chuckled weakly. "A little of everything, I think. I’d feel better if I could remember if I had experience in this sort of thing, if I had Pokégirls before this… Almost everything from before the Amachamp attack is a blur…"

"You’ll be fine," Elisa assured, smiling warmly, "And the WorldGuardian himself is working to restore your memory. You’ll be able to get yourself back soon."

Aaron shivered excitedly at the mention of Doom, a small itchiness in his neck arising as the chip implanted in him made him feel love for the so-called ‘WorldGuardian.’

The human and the Gar-Gal chatted amiably for a few more minutes, the Doggirl waitress eventually returning with their orders. As she left, and the two of them started to eat, a scream was heard from the kitchen, followed by a rapid-fire series of barks. Aaron looked at Elisa, who nodded, the two of them heading through the kitchen door, along with several other Tamers and their Alphas.

Elisa scowled when she saw the cause of the noise.

A smallish Puppy, around four feet five inches tall with beagle coloring, had somehow snuck into the kitchen and was raiding the food pantry. Bits of food were around her mouth, a sign of her snacking, the young canine Pokégirl visibly emaciated, her ribs visible in her chest. She was backed up into a corner, growling and barking at the Tamers and Pokégirls around her, many of them brandishing weapons.

"What’s going on?" Aaron asked.

"A feral Puppy snuck in," said a woman in a stylized, lightly armored robe. On her head was a large-brimmed hat that obscured all her face save for her eyes, which glowed lightly in the shadow of her hat’s brim. "Best guess is that she’s been alone in the wild for quite some time, decided to risk coming in." She nodded to her Pokéboy, a moth-like creature, and he began to move towards the Puppy, fluttering his wings.

Aaron scowled. "So why all the weapons?"

"Standard operating procedure," Elisa said. The robed woman nodding in agreement, adding, "Contain the Feral and Pokéball her, then give her to the Center’s staff to set her up for adoption. Overkill in this case, yeah, but it’s the general rule for all beast-type Ferals."

Aaron frowned. "More like stupid idiotic procedure. You’re all scaring her," he grumbled.

The robed woman shrugged. "Like your Gar-Gal and I said, it’s SOP. If you’ve got a better idea…"

Aaron noticed a platter of hot dogs nearby. He picked one up, and said, "Yeah, actually, I do. Get everyone to back off and holster their weapons. Pokégirls and Pokéboys too."

The robed woman nodded, understanding. Several other Tamers got the idea quickly, withdrawing their weapons and either calling back or Pokéballing their Pokégirls and Pokéboys, backing off from the Puppy, who was still growling fearfully, her back against the wall. Aaron slowly approached her, holding out the hot dog in both hands, his palms open.

"It’s okay, sweetie, it’s okay…" Aaron said, slowly walking towards her, keeping his voice soft and gentle. "No one’s gonna hurt you… You’re hungry, right? Well this is for you…"

The Puppy growled at him, looking warily from Aaron to the hot dog, her tail tucked between her legs. She was frightened, but Aaron could tell she really wanted that food.

"It’s okay… No one’s gonna hurt you…" Aaron said, his voice almost a whisper, "This is for you… See?"

He motioned forward with the hot dog, tuning out the curious eyes of the other Tamers surrounding him. The Puppy swallowed nervously, still growling, but looking longingly at the hot dog in Aaron’s hands. After a few tense moments, the Puppy hesitantly reached forward and grabbed the hot dog out of Aaron’s hands. She devoured it quickly, still looking wary of Aaron.

 

Aaron turned to Elisa. "Would you…"

"Already on it," she said. Anticipating what Aaron was planning, she had gotten another hot dog from the platter, handing it to Aaron, placing the platter within reach so she could hand him more. He held out the hot dog to the Puppy, who licked her lips nervously. Slowly, cautiously, she stepped forward. She looked from Aaron to the hot dog, her tail starting to wag, and held out her hands.

Aaron smiled, and put the hot dog in her hands, moving slowly so as not to frighten her. The Puppy ate the hot dog quickly, and held out her hand for another one, her tail wagging faster now as she started to relax. Aaron gave her another hot dog, the Puppy eating it more slowly as she started to get the idea that she wasn’t going to get attacked.

Aaron, sensing an opportunity, slowly walked towards her, reaching out his hand with his palm upturned. She flinched back reflexively, growling, but when nothing happened, she leaned forward to sniff Aaron’s hand. Slowly, Aaron cupped the Puppy’s cheek, and then reached up and started gently scratching behind her floppy ears. The Puppy smiled, her tail wagging happily, and leaned up against Aaron, wurfing and finishing her hot dog. Aaron smiled and hugged her.

Elisa, deciding to take a chance, approached the Puppy with the platter of hot dogs in hand. The Puppy blinked, growling nervously again, but this time pressed herself up against Aaron.

"It’s okay…" Aaron said, "She’s with me, see? And she has more food, too."

The Puppy was confused. The Man was nice to her, but the Wing Lady was kinda scary… Still, she did have food… Elisa held out a hot dog to her, setting the platter on a nearby counter. Hesitantly, she leaned forward and sniffed both the hot dog and Elisa’s hand. She took the hot dog and began to eat it, letting Elisa reach forward and gently pet her, running her taloned hand through the Puppy’s short, light brown hair. She smiled a little, and snuggled into Aaron, gently licking Elisa’s hand before going back to her food.

Several of the Tamers who had followed Aaron in, seemingly satisfied by this, went back to their meals. The robed woman applauded lightly.

"Not bad," she said, "Pretty slick, and you didn’t even cause a fight, either. I’m betting the manager will appreciate that."

"I just didn’t want to see her hurt, y’know?" Aaron said, shrugging, "She looks like she’s been starved for weeks."

"Things are rough in the wild," Elisa said, "She probably had been."

"Heh. But it looks like she’ll be okay, though. Granted, you had to steal somebody’s meal to feed her, but still…" the robed woman said.

Aaron blinked, and looked at the platter, suddenly becoming embarrassed. "Oh boy… Um, I can pay for that."

"Relax," the robed woman said, "It was MY meal. Lisa Dumont’s the name. My Mothling, Charlie, loves hot dogs and I wanted to treat him."

The Pokéboy grinned weakly from behind her, fluttering his wings in mild frustration.

Lisa nudged him playfully with the sleek wooden staff she carried, "Oh relax, you’ll still get your snack."

Charlie managed to smile, and shook his head. "If you say so, Mistress."

Lisa nodded. "Anyway, don’t worry about it. I’ll pay for it m’self."

"Actually, thanks to you two taking care of this problem without blasting anything to bits," said a vaguely effeminate man’s voice, "You both won’t have to pay this time. I’ll even make a new platter of hot dogs for your Pokéboy, Miss Dumont."

Everyone (save the Puppy, who was more interested in eating the hot dogs) turned to see a slender, handsome man with long black hair bound in a ponytail. If it weren’t for his goatee, he might have been mistaken for a woman.

Charlie grinned. "And thus, the situation becomes win-win for everybody. The cute little Feral gets fed, and the even more adorable bug gets his deliciousness."

Lisa gently bapped Charlie with her staff, the Mothling grinning weakly. Lisa rolled her eyes and nodded to the manager. "Thank you kindly, sir."

The manager nodded, waving them off, revealing a yellow patch on the shoulderpad of the black suit he wore. "Still, sir, I am going to have to ask you to take yourself elsewhere. The rule is one Pokégirl out at a time, and if my guess is right, you’re going to want to let her sit out and eat with you and your Alpha?"

Aaron nodded. The manager sighed, and nodded as well. "Very well then, I shall have your orders put in take out boxes."

He clapped his hands once, and the kitchen staff and waitresses went to work again. Aaron, Elisa, and Lisa all scowled at him, Charlie’s attention wandering to a flickering light up on the ceiling.

"Charming, ain’t he? At least Yellows are nicer than Oranges or Reds…" Lisa said after a moment.

"There will always be people like that," Elisa said, "You just have to learn how to deal with them."

Lisa threw her cloak off her shoulder in a dismissive gesture, revealing the indigo patch in her uniform. "I find a lightning bolt to the butt works wonders…"

Aaron chuckled appreciatively. Lisa looked at Elisa for a moment, and frowned. "Miss, forgive me for asking, but are you…"

Elisa nodded. "Yeah. Long story. I got careless, I got changed… And then I jumped this poor guy here after he saved my life from a Wendigo."

Lisa winced. "Ouch…"

Elisa shrugged. "I’ll get used to it. Meantime, could you not mention it? I really don’t want people fanmobbing me while I’m still adjusting to being a Pokégirl…"

Lisa nodded, giving the Gar-Gal a thumbs-up. "Sure thing. I hate the fandom of that stupid show almost as much as the show itself, so no worries on it slipping outta me."

Elisa grinned. "Finally, someone with good taste."

Lisa chuckled. "Listen, I’m gonna go wait for my food. I really did promise Charlie I’d do something nice for him. You gonna take that Puppy to the med center?"

Aaron nodded, looking at Elisa curiously. "Yeah… We might as well eat our food there, too."

Lisa nodded, and grabbed Charlie just as he was starting to flutter up towards the flickering light. "See y’all around," she said as she pulled her Pokéboy out, "Maybe we’ll get assigned to the same mission sometime!"

Aaron waved farewell to her, and then turned to Elisa. "You had a show?" he asked.

Elisa gagged. "The WorldGuardian had the ‘brilliant idea’ of taking the Seven of us public and marketing us as role models for everyone. So he brought in some writers, voice actors, and animators and made a Saturday morning cartoon show, naturally toning down and in some cases exaggerating our various missions. The show took off tremendously in popularity, and more and more merchandise came out… We sometimes had to deal with fanmobs. I think the whole damn thing is stupid, truthfully. Even if they did manage to get an actress who sounded just like me… Salli Richardson, I think her name is…"

Aaron shook his head, chuckling weakly as he hugged the Puppy, who was busying herself by eating the rest of the hot dogs on the platter. "Wonderful," he muttered.

Elisa shrugged. "I’m hoping we won’t have to deal with a lot of fans… I have enough headaches trying to get used to this…"

The Doggirl waitress from before came up to them, carrying a couple take-out boxes with their food inside. The Puppy leaned forward, sniffing them curiously, her tail wagging. The Doggirl grinned happily, her own tail wagging, and put another box on top of Aaron’s.

"Thanks for not hurting her," she said. "I managed to sweet talk the boss into letting you have some free cookies as well."

"Excellent," Aaron said, grinning, "Thank you."

The Doggirl grinned and kissed Aaron on the cheek. "See you later," she said as she trotted off, "I gotta help some more customers."

Aaron grinned, blushing. Elisa nudged him playfully. "Quite the ladies man, aren’t you?" she teased.

"I wouldn’t say that…" Aaron said, "Let’s just get our new friend here to the med center and get her checked out."

Elisa chuckled. "Of course. Master."

"Quit that…" Aaron muttered.

The med center thankfully was not far from the restaurant and training center. The Puppy had to be restrained a couple times from running off, as all the sights and sounds around her were making her curious. Fortunately, they still had some hot dogs left and were able to lure her along with those.

They went through a pink door into the medlab, a bright, shiningly white place that looked even more unnaturally clean than the outside did. A NurseJoy came up to the two of them, grinning cheerfully.

"How can I help you today?" she asked.

Aaron gently nudged the Puppy forward, the young canine looking curiously at the NurseJoy, sniffing at her. "We found this Feral in the restaurant. We managed to get her out of there without a fight and wondering if we could get her looked at. We think she’s been going without food for a while…"

The NurseJoy blinked and frowned. "Oh my," she said. She turned to the Puppy, holding her hand out to let the dog-type smell her. The Puppy wurfed happily, her tail wagging, and the NurseJoy grinned, scratching her ears.

"She’s certainly a cutey. We’ll take good care of her. Will you be wanting to adopt her afterwards?" the NurseJoy asked.

Aaron blinked, and looked at Elisa, who shrugged. "It couldn’t hurt."

Aaron turned back to the NurseJoy and nodded. "Yeah, I will. I’m getting kind of fond of her."

The NurseJoy held out her hand again. "Then I’ll need her Pokéball and your Pokédex."

"Ah…" Aaron said, "I haven’t actually put her in a Pokéball yet."

The NurseJoy blinked, and chuckled. "If you’d go ahead and put her in one for me, we can make this a lot quicker."

Aaron nodded, and pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket. He held it up to her, sliding his finger along the side of it and expanding it to full size. "Okay… I need to put you inside this," he said to the Puppy, "I promise it won’t hurt."

The Puppy pawed curiously at the Pokéball, and held up her hot dog warily. Aaron smiled. "Yes, you can finish your hot dog."

The Puppy barked happily, nuzzling Aaron, and quickly polished off the hot dog. As she was licking her fingers, Aaron lightly tapped her on the head with the Pokéball. It snapped open, the Puppy turning into a cloud of red light and getting sucked into the ball. The ball snapped shut, blinking and shaking for a moment before falling still.

Aaron’s Pokédex beeped. He took it out curiously and activated it, the device blossoming open as Aaron’s personal datapage appeared. "New capture registered," the device beeped, "Species: Puppy. Age Class: Pokékit, one year from first puberty and subsequent transformation to Pokégirl. Shall you name your capture?"

Aaron blinked. "Pokékit?"

Elisa nodded. "I thought as much. It means she’s too young to be tamed. Pokékits still need contact, though, so expect to do a lot of cuddling with her."

Aaron nodded, not quite understanding. "Okay then…"

"Shall you name your capture?" the Pokédex beeped.

Aaron thought for a moment, and then grinned. "Lexi," he said, "I think… The more I think about it, the more I think I had another dog-type named Lexi in the past…"

The NurseJoy blinked, and discreetly turned to Elisa, who mouthed the word ‘amnesia.’ The NurseJoy winced, and then turned back to Aaron, smiling. The Pokédex beeped, and stated, "Confirming Name Registry of Puppy, current designation: Lexi."

Aaron nodded, and pressed a button on the side of the Pokédex, closing it, and handed both the Puppy’s Pokéball and the Pokédex to the NurseJoy. She motioned them to the waiting room, while she took Lexi and Aaron’s Pokédex to the back.

Elisa and Aaron sat in the waiting room, eating their meals in relative silence. Elisa was quietly contemplating how her life had changed so drastically in a short period of time, Aaron sitting and trying not to think about the fact that he couldn’t remember anything other than how to work his powers… After finishing his sandwich, he looked around the waiting room, his eyes falling on a pile of magazines. He picked a couple up, seeing that they were a couple years out of date.

He chuckled idly. "Same thing everywhere," he muttered, "Hospitals never have current issues…"

After a half-hour, the NurseJoy came back, smiling. "She’s fine. She’s rather malnourished, probably because she was chased off from food several times from stronger Ferals. She’s in good health otherwise, although the other Nurses and I would feel better if we could give her the basic round of inoculations before we release her back into your custody. After that, we’ll do a cleaning cycle, and she’ll be all yours."

Aaron nodded, glad she was relatively all right otherwise. "Whatever you think is best, nurse."

The NurseJoy nodded, grinning. "All right then, I’ll let you know when we’re done," she chirped, heading back to the medlab.

The entire process took about an hour, after which Lexi was brought back out to them. Aaron and Elisa thanked the NurseJoy and then headed out.

"Wanna release her, let her stretch her legs?" Elisa asked.

Aaron thought for a moment and shook her head. "…Nah. As many times as she wandered off just going to the medlab, I’m worried we’d lose her before we got to the outfitters. We’ll let her out when we get there and pick up an outfit for her."

Elisa nodded, the two of them heading back down the hall, passing the main lobby again, and into the field outfitter’s place.

It was as Spartan as Aaron expected it to be, with a long line of uniforms for various job classes, very little color variation in each. Weapons of all sorts adorned one wall, while several rows of Pokégirl/Pokéboy supplies dominated one fourth of the store. In the center of it all were a muscular, white-haired man in a dark green tank top and camouflage pants and a Pokéwoman in lavender silk robes, a silk band around her long, grayish-black hair, an image of a hieroglyphic eye painted into it. Needles on thread floated around the Pokéwoman as if they were tentacles.

The old man looked up as Elisa opened the door, and blinked. "Elisa? Is that you?"

Elisa smiled sadly. "Afraid so, Donny."

The old man came out from behind the counter and hugged Elisa. "Oh my… What happened, honey?"

"I got careless while chasing Glasses. He had stolen some Neo Jusenkyo water and used it on me. I got attacked by a Wendigo afterwards and my new friend here saved me. After that I… ah… kinda jumped him," she said, blushing brightly as she motioned to Aaron.

Donny sighed, and hugged her again. He then turned to Aaron and said, "I hope you’re taking care of her. She’s been like the daughter I never had."

Aaron smiled weakly. "I’m doing the best I can, sir."

Donny frowned for a moment, glaring at Aaron. After a moment, though, he scratched the back of his neck and chuckled, Aaron noticing for the first time the heavy scars criss-crossing the man’s body. "That’s all we can do sometime, I guess…" he said, "Anyway. What can I do for you today?"

Elisa held up the coupon, idly brushing a fly out of her face as she did so.

"Ah. Free outfitting, then? Need to replace yet another weapon, Elisa?"

Elisa blushed. "I had something of an excuse this time. And I haven’t gotten that many shudderblades destroyed."

"Thirty isn’t that many, she says," Donny laughed, playfully slapping her on the back. "So how about you, kid? What do you need?"

"Well, I guess I’m hear to pick up a Necromancer uniform," Aaron said. After a moment, he blinked, and let Lexi out of her Pokéball, the Puppy appearing in a flash of red light. "Oh, and I picked up this Feral Pokékit today after she snuck into the restaurant. I was wondering if I could get her an outfit as well?"

The Pokéwoman, a Seamstress, suddenly became very interested. "Oh she’s simply adorable!!" Coming out from behind the desk, the Seamstress came up and gave the very surprised Puppy a hug. Lexi barked, alarmed, but calmed down quickly when the Seamstress produced some cookies for her. She ate them happily, her tail wagging.

Aaron chuckled. "I think you’ve made a friend," he said.

Donny grinned. "Anne-Marie has that affect on people. Even if she does come on a bit strong at times."

Anne-Marie blushed, and hugged Lexi again. "Oh, but I can’t help it. She’s just too ADORABLE!"

Donny rolled his eyes. "Just whip up an outfit for her. And try not to make it too flashy."

Anne-Marie looked mock-offended. "’Whip-up?’ Sir, I am an arTIST. I shall make her look GORGEOUS!"

With that, the Seamstress led a rather confused Lexi down an isle to a room marked ‘private studio.’ Donny shook his head. "She can be a bit of a ham at times, but she means well. Can I see your Pokédex Registry real quick?" he said.

Aaron nodded, and blossomed the Pokédex, setting it to show Aaron’s personal registration file, and showed it to Donny. The store proprietor studied it for a moment, moving some information around on the solid holographic display, and nodded.

"Everything’s in order then," he said, "Necromancer uniforms are in isle ten. Also, wands, staves, and rods are near the back, with the spell ingredients and potion bases. I’ll let Elisa get a new shudderblade, and… well… I was wondering if it was okay for me to talk with her alone while you shop? It’s been a long while since we last met at a time when I wasn’t in danger for something."

Aaron smiled and nodded, heading down the appropriate isle.

Nice guy, he thought, But meeting everyone Elisa knew is gonna be pretty awkward… Geez, what about her parents? What are they gonna do when they find out what happened to their little girl? Dumb jerk, you haven’t even asked about them…

Aaron frowned, and decided to put aside his berating for now, wanting to concentrate on finding a uniform in his size. Of course, that wasn’t to say he was happy with the uniforms anyway, as they all seemed to come in the same standard black with white trim along the arms and legs, a long, shrouding black cloak surrounding it all.

"Oh good grief," he muttered, "Could they get any more stereotypical?" He then noticed the skull-shaped cape fastener, and snickered. "Oh. Of course they could. Silly me."

Eventually finding one in his size, he went to the nearby dressing room to try it on. After undressing, he remembered his wallet, but was annoyed when he found it missing. He briefly wondered what happened before remembering the Raccunt that had swiped his wallet from before, and that his original clothes were torn to pieces when Elisa jumped him the first time.

"Stupid bandit," he muttered, turning his attention back to the uniform. He put on the lightly armored bodysuit, noting briefly how it seemed to conform to his body’s curves. He frowned, the outfit making his lightly bulging midsection more prominent. "Definitely gonna have to work out more often… Especially if I’m gonna be traipsing about in the woods and having sex so much…"

He shook his head, and then blinked. The armoring on the bodysuit formed a skull.

"Oh good gravy…" he muttered. Shaking his head, he put on the gloves, belt, and boots, taking brief note of the pack on the side. He opened it, finding holders for up to twelve Pokéballs. Nodding, he took his Pokéballs out of his regular pants pockets and mounted them, filling up seven spaces. He blinked when he noticed Elisa’s, seeing that it had a faint image of her curled up form on it, remembering that Lexi’s had the same thing. He shook his head, and picked up the cloak, scowling at it. He shook it once, and a mask fell out.

"Oh no… Oh HELL no…" he moaned when he picked it up. The mask was a black, full-face covering vaguely designed to look like a skull. "This is too silly to be real…"

Sighing wearily, he decided to just bear it out and put on the mask and hooded cloak. He fastened the cloak in place, and put the hood up over his head. He stared at himself, and stuck out his tongue in annoyance, making a face at the mirror.

"Woogie woogie woogie!" he said, waving his hands ridiculously. The outfit certainly accomplished the affect of making him look like a stereotypical necromancer. His face was shrouded by the hood, the mask obscuring his features. "Luke… cohhh… hhhh… I am your father…"

Aaron snickered, wondering where he heard that phrase before, and shook his head, deciding not to worry about it. He took off the mask and put it in the hip pack. He came out of the dressing room, his regular clothes underneath his arm, and went back to the front desk, where Elisa and Donny were talking casually, a new shudderblade holstered at Elisa’s waist.

Elisa grinned when she noticed Aaron. "You look great, Aaron!" she said with all sincerity.

"I feel silly," he said.

Donny shook his head, grinning. "Nonsense. You look ready for anything. Or you will once you get your weapon, supplies, and pack."

"I don’t know if I need the weapon," Aaron said, frowning, "I can focus my powers through my hands. Also, this silly-looking thing is HOT…"

Donny shrugged. "I can’t help how the uniforms are. I just know people have to wear them until they earn the right to individualize. Also, as for the weapons, that’s Chaos Control Rule #102. All Journeyman Tamers must have at least one weapon on hand, as they have a responsibility to stay as ready for action as their Pokégirls and/or Pokéboys. Make sure you put your color rank patch in. The slot’s on the shoulder."

Aaron blinked, and removed the patch from his pocket, having forgotten about it. He placed it in the slot almost absently, and said, "What about the fact that this stupid thing is hot?"

Donny shrugged, grinning mischievously. "Invest in an ice-type?"

Aaron sneered, Elisa gently bapping Donny on the head as the outfitter snickered. Aaron shook his head, annoyed, and went over to the weapons rack, heading past the various swords and smashing weapons towards the mystical staves. He looked over the various wands, letting his hand brush each weapon, feeling the mystical core powering each wand, sometimes an enchanted feather buried in the wood, sometimes a crystal mounted in a claw on the top. Eventually, his hand brushed a slender, black staff with a dark black crystal mounted on the tip in a silver mount. His necklace shimmered slightly, and Aaron nodded, sensing that this would be a good staff for himself.

"Okay, let’s see…" he said, turning to the supplies. After picking up some potion ingredients he recognized, he stared at the rest of the potions and the like blankly, unable to think of what to take. He eventually ended up looking up what to take in his Pokédex, stuffing a large black duffel bag from the rack nearby with several healing sprays and potions, as well as some universal anti-venoms, burn salves, splints, bandages, stitches, and paralysis treatments, as well as some extra Pokéballs. He then put his regular clothes in the pack as well.

He came back up to the counter just as Anne-Marie came out of the back room with Lexi, the Puppy happily gnawing on a beef-flavored rawhide bone. To Aaron’s surprise and pleasure, Lexi’s outfit was surprisingly conservative, a light brown pair of shorts and a tank top, along with a pair of slim hiking boots.

Anne-Marie chuckled at Aaron’s expression. "Oh, don’t be so surprised, deary. Just because I go for the more fabulous look doesn’t mean I don’t realize that it doesn’t work for everyone else," the Seamstress said, chuckling. "You should see what Master Donny here looked like in one of my first outfits for him."

Donny gagged, giving Anne-Marie a dirty look. Elisa grinned. "Was that the one with the sequins or the heavy amounts of pink?"

Anne-Marie frowned, shaking her head, the needles and thread flitting about her drooping slightly. "The fuschia one with the sequins. Not my best work. Now, the pink one, that worked for him. He’s got a good skin tone for pink."

"Anne-Marie, dear, I thought we agreed never to mention those outfits again," Donny snarled through gritted teeth.

The Seamstress just gave him an amused look. "I do not recall making such an arrangement."

Aaron snickered. Donny sighed, rubbing his temples. "Anyway, you got everything?"

Aaron nodded. "I believe so, yes."

Donny nodded, Elisa handing him the coupon. "Then thanks for coming. You take care of Elisa now, y’here? She and I go way back."

"I’ll do my best, sir," Aaron said, nodding and going over to join his Pokégirls.

Anne-Marie leaned down and hugged Lexi, the Puppy wurfing happily and wagging her tail. "Goodbye, you adorable thing you," the Seamstress said, her voice cracking slightly.

Lexi licked Anne-Marie’s face affectionately, the Seamstress smiling warmly. Lexi then went over to Aaron and Elisa, the two of them heading out of the shop and heading for the main gate.

"So," Aaron said after they had gotten back into the lobby, "Where to now?"

Elisa thought for a moment. "We’ve been assigned and registered, so we should have missions already. Journeymen are assigned missions according to their ability and their harem, with pay being for successful completion, with bonuses for how well you do. Check your e-mail."

Aaron nodded, and blossomed open his Pokédex again, calling up his e-mail screen. The solid light hologram flickered as Aaron moved through the various windows, calling up his e-mail account. Lexi stared, fascinated by the lights, as Aaron opened up a message marked Assignment One."

"‘Help request from Cresden Bay on northern Dark Continent in dealing with dangerous Feral. High experience Journeyman-level tamer requested.’" Aaron read.

Elisa blinked, and nodded. "Okay, I get it now. They’re assigning you some of my low priority missions from before I changed."

When Aaron gave her a confused look, Elisa said, "The Seven were essentially a Last Resort group, although sometimes not all seven of us were needed. Sometimes when local Journeymen aren’t enough, a request can be sent in for high level help, sometimes a single member of the group, sometimes just a well experienced Journeyman Tamer." She looked at the message and frowned, her ears drooping slightly. "Strange, though, that there’s no details on what type of Feral it is, or why just a single Feral would merit a call out for experienced Journeymen…"

Lexi pawed at the hologram, wurring curiously. Aaron smiled at her, and then sighed. "Well, if we’re assigned to it, maybe we should get there? How far away is it?"

Elisa nodded. "Not far. About a day’s walk north from here. If you want, though, we can take the hoverbus and be there in a couple hours. Both Lexi and I would have to go in our Pokéballs, though…"

Aaron frowned, closing up the Pokédex. Lexi yipped as the image vanished, blinked, and shrugged, turning her attention back to gnawing her rawhide bone. "While I’m still not keen on the two of you being locked up in a Pokéball, I guess we should get there quickly if they called for help from a top level Tamer," Aaron said.

 

Elisa nodded. "Okay then. There’s a bus stop right outside with a computer to make reservations for the trip."

Aaron nodded, and reluctantly pulled out Lexi and Elisa’s Pokéballs. Elisa shook her head and chuckled, kissing Aaron on the cheek and grinning mischievously. "It’s okay," she said, "You can just make it up to us later with cuddles for her and tamings for me. "

Aaron nodded, and triggered both Pokéballs, the Gar-Gal and the Puppy vanishing into them in flashes of red light. Aaron looked at the Pokéballs and sighed, putting them in the hip pack with his mask. He went out to the bus stop and after a moment of fumbling with the computer, managed to make a reservation for the trip to Cresden Bay, which was on the eastern curve of Ebony Lake at the topmost part of the Continent. He sat down, idly twirling his staff and trying to sort through what little memories he had…

At that moment, a young man in leather and metal armor came out of the Pokécenter, his body bulging with muscles. Aaron looked back when he heard the familiar flash of a Pokégirl being put in a Pokéball, and turned.

The newcomer was an excitable young man with dark black hair, an indigo patch on his armor. His armor and build suggested to Aaron that he was a hand-to-hand combat specialist of some kind.

That, and brass knuckles on his hands and the nunchucks holstered at his waist. Aaron turned back and tried to ignore him, but to his dismay, the overly perky young man came over and sat down next to him, randomly punching at the air.

"All right. I am ready, I am PUMPED! Graduated last week after eleven years of gettin’ my ass handed to me, got my eval finished today, and I am ready to ROLL, baby!" he laughed, "Maxy Donovan in da HOUSE!"

He blinked, and turned, noticing Aaron for the first time. He grinned, and extended his hand amiably. "Yo yo yo, wassup wassup? I be Maxy Donovan, newest Combatant in da grand game o’life. I’m guessin’ from the creepy weepy garb that you be a Necromancer, right?"

Aaron sighed. "Yes, yes I am. I’m Aaron Towers."

"’At’s cool," Maxy said, "You emo? I heard that all ghoulymancers are emo. Not that I’m stressin,’ I’m just askin’ is all. Heard me a rumor."

Aaron stared at him blankly. "…What the hell does emo mean?"

Maxy chuckled. "Emo means that you is… y’know, emo. Like, badly ragged. Low in the soul, man," he said. To Aaron’s dismay, he stood up on the bench and began to sing. "Y’know, you’re all like CRAAAWWLING IIIIN MYYY SKIIIIN…"

Aaron stuck his staff in-between Maxy’s legs and tripped him, making him fall back down onto the bench. Maxy chuckled, undeterred. "I’m guessin’ you ain’t emo, then."

"What I am is annoyed. What the HELL was that song?" Aaron said.

Maxy grinned. "I dig the oldies, man. Some old researcher found dozens of classic music disks preserved in an old lab, managed to restore them. Every day on Radio station DKME! DICK ME BABY! The TAMING STATION for AAAALL them sexy bitches! HAHAHAHA!!!"

Aaron groaned softly. Maxy didn’t notice. "So where you off to, m’man? Me an’ my main Amazonchan babe Penny is headin’ to Cresden Bay. Heard there was somethin’ big time happinan, wanted to get in on it."

Aaron stared at Maxy for a long moment, the young martial artist patiently waiting for his response with a dopey grin on his face. "…I’m heading there as well."

"COOL!" Maxy exploded, "That’s AWESOME! Maxy and the A-dog headin’ out to kick some names and tap some ass!" He laughed, patting Aaron on the back.

Aaron cringed. "Please don’t touch me." To Aaron’s surprise, Maxy backed off.

"It’s cool," he said, "Some dudes only like the dolls to touch them. I can dig it. So you use the comp out here or the main office one?"

Aaron gestured vaguely to the computer on the wall of the bus stop, wondering when the bus would arrive.

"Heh. Cool. Convenience, man. WorldGuardian be praised. Hey, can you believe the films they show in the Learncens? BOW-RING, m’man…" Maxy said, talking about whatever was on his mind, not really noticing that Aaron wasn’t paying attention.

After a thankfully brief time, the hoverbus came, a large, silvery vehicle in a vaguely cylindrical shape. The door opened, revealing a large, heavyset man in a green uniform. He leaned out slightly, looking at Aaron and Maxy.

"You two going to Cresden Bay?" he said.

"Yo yo yo, that’s us!" Maxy said. Aaron twitched, and nodded.

The bus driver nodded, and motioned for them to get onboard. "Surprising. That Emergencall’s been out for a few months now, and almost no Tamers have been takin’ it. Especially male Tamers."

Aaron blinked, gathering up his staff and bag and getting on the bus. "Why’s that?"

The bus driver shrugged. "No one knows. The male Tamers go, somethin’ happens to them that makes them incapable of Taming for over a month."

Maxy winced. "Dude… Harsh…"

The bus driver shrugged, and put a smile on. "But, I’m sure you guys will be just fine. Bags and weapons in the overheads, let’s go."

Aaron nodded, and put his staff and duffel bag in an overhead compartment near the driver. To Aaron’s dismay, Maxy put his bag and nunchucks in the same compartment, sitting down next to him.

"Um…" Aaron said.

Maxy laughed. "We pals, now! We gots to stick together on our journey!"

Goddess help me, he moaned inwardly, Two hours with this idiot…

Aaron turned, hoping to find someone who might catch his attention, but the bus was nearly empty, save for a man in scientist’s garb reading from a journal in his Pokédex, and a rather heavyset man in white robes taking a nap in the back. Maxy began chattering again, talking about whatever came to his mind, occasionally lapsing into a song he liked.

The trip was fairly uneventful, save for Aaron’s growing desire to shove Maxy’s nunchucks into various parts of his anatomy that weren’t meant to act as a weapon holster. The bus stopped at a station about a mile out from the town and let the two of them off near the wooded path.

"Later dude!" Maxy said, waving to the bus driver as he took off. Aaron sighed, and took out the mask, putting it on and pulling his hood over his head. Maxy grinned at him.

"Dude, I just love ghoulymancer uniforms. They’re all like ‘RAH!’ and ‘Wooga wooga!’ and…" Maxy ranted.

"Shut. Up. Please," Aaron snapped.

Maxy snickered. "Sorry dude, I gots the gift o’ gab and I must share it with the world."

Aaron shook his head. "You’re giving me a headache…"

Maxy chuckled. "Sorry dude. Talkin’s kind of a reflex with me. I won’t sing anymore, though, ‘izzat better?"

Aaron sighs. "A little…" Aaron reached for Elisa’s Pokéball, and then a horrible thought occurred to him. "…Hey, what’s your opinion on the Magnificent Seven cartoon?"

Maxy almost squealed. "DUUUDE!!! That show is AWESOME! I love the way they’re all like ‘BOOYAH!’ and ‘WHA-CHA!’ all before they start pullin’ out their Pokégirls and Pokéboys! And oh my oh my are Elisa and Motoko ever the absolute fireballin’ HOTNESS! I swear to God, I love my Penny but I would love to get my ramrod in those asses! WHOO!"

Aaron cringed. I can’t inflict this guy on Elisa… He withdrew his hand from his pocket and walked on, letting Maxy rant about whatever was on his mind at the moment and doing his best to tune him out, silently cursing his lack of memories to distract him from the annoying ranting. The two walked on, Aaron ignoring Maxy as best he could. After a few minutes, though, he noticed something astonishing: Maxy had gone silent.

He looked back, dismissing the brief fantasy that something had bitten Maxy’s head off. Instead the young Combatant was staring at something in the woods. Aaron followed his line of vision, eventually spotting a Feral Pokégirl in the woods.

"Some kind of plant type, I think…" Aaron said, taking note of her green skin and the large green bulb on her back, "Maybe a… a…" Aaron struggled with the name for a moment, the basic information implanted into him by Andraia’s chip coming to the forefront, "A Boobisaur, I think…"

"Notice anything weird about her?" Maxy asked, his tone surprisingly serious.

Aaron looked again, and noticed that the Pokégirl’s midsection was bulging. "She’s pregnant? Hmmm…"

Maxy frowned. "Gotta be partho… parthoge… apartheid…"

"Parthenogenesis," Aaron said, nodding.

Maxy scratched his head. "Odd to see it so close to a town, though…"

The two of them continued on, Maxy’s inane chatter starting again after a moment, and stopping again just as quick. Aaron turned to see where he was looking, and frowned. Another pregnant feral was scampering through the bushes, this time a Bunnygirl. She looked at Aaron and Maxy curiously, as if she was considering going to greet them. But before she could, she bolted, being chased off by a cat-type who was also pregnant.

"Three pregnant Feral Pokégirls…" Maxy said, "Maybe the dangerous Feral is a poison-type? One that’s dumpin’ drugs in the water or something? There’s like over a thousand breeds o’ Pokégirl alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was one that had that kinda ability…"

Aaron frowned. "Let’s keep moving. We’ll ask the mayor of the Bay to tell us what’s going on…"

The two walked on, both of them spotting a rather large amount of pregnant Feral Pokégirls in the surrounding woods. Maxy, becoming nervous, unsheathed his nunchucks and twirled them idly.

"Maybe it’s a Pokéboy of some kind…" he said, "…I really don’t want another guy Tamin’ Penny and I ain’t ready to be a Pop yet…

"Keep moving. The faster we get to the town, the sooner we can get answers," Aaron muttered.

The two Journeyman Tamers kept walking, eventually coming out of the woods and into a cozy little town. Quaint white cottages lined the various streets, which formed a curving pattern out from the docks, visible at the bottom of the hill. Feeling a bit more relaxed, the Combatant and the Necromancer entered the town, heading for a large, red-bricked building near the center of town, passing by the various Feral watchtowers as they did.

Their relaxed state vanished when they started encountering several pregnant women and Pokégirls in town. To make matters worse, there was something else.

"…There’s no men…" Maxy said, twirling his nunchucks nervously, "Why are there no men?"

"The driver did say that male Tamers tend to avoid this place…" Aaron said, keeping his expression as still as he could, not wanting to give away his growing wariness.

Eventually, they began encountering some men, but they were few and far between compared to the amount of women and Pokégirls in the town. They reached the mayor’s office, right next to the single floor Pokécenter, which was similar in design to Doomstad’s, albeit lacking the upper floors.

A slender, slightly effeminate man in a black suit with a violet patch on it came out, followed by a heavily gravid Damsel. He greeted Aaron and Maxy vigorously, shaking their hands and sighing in relief.

"Thank you for coming," he said, "I’m Dietrich Edsel, the mayor of Crescent’s Den Bay, home of Sweet Dreams. When I heard that a couple Journeymen had booked a bus here, it came as a great relief. We haven’t had anyone to deal with the problem here in a long while, and as you can see it’s gotten a bit out of hand. It seems the local supplier has been giving us cheap Pokéballs that don’t have the contraceptive effect…"

Aaron frowned. "Sir…"

"I’m a little surprised to see a Necromancer here with a Combatant, since those two Job Classes really don’t compliment each other… But I’m sure you’re prepared for whatever’s out there, otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten your Journeyman licenses," Edsel continued, his voice almost frantic.

"Sir…"

"Now, we’re prepared to give you full room and board for the duration of your stay to take care of the problem and three days afterward, as well as use of any town-employed Pokégirls you’d like in addition to your own Pokégirls… If you don’t mind pregnant girls, that is…"

"About that…" Aaron started. When Edsel didn’t interrupt, Aaron nodded and continued, "What exactly are we facing here?"

Edsel sighed. "Well… It’s a little embarrassing… None of our locals could defeat her…"

"Dude," Maxy said, getting irritated and cracking his knuckles for emphasis, "That message was vague. Start bein’ unvague."

Edsel grinned weakly. "It’s… It’s a Dildo Queen…"

Aaron and Maxy both stared at the mayor.

"A Dildo Queen?" Maxy said, irritated, "You dudes can’t handle a dickgirl?"
 

"She’s quite strong, I assure you, and knows many powerful techniques. We think she may have belonged to a high ranking military Tamer who was killed in the field… She’s long since gone Feral…" Edsel said.

Aaron frowned. "Where is she now?"

Edsel pointed towards the forest. "There’s a glade a few miles out, near a river. She and a few of her favorite ferals usually rest there during the day… Some of them may have given birth already, so she’ll probably be more vicious now…"

"Wonderful," Aaron muttered.

Maxy rolled his eyes, and started walking in the direction of the forest. "I’ll take care of this. You take care of the fooljoke here."

Aaron blinked. "Maxy, wait a minute! We don’t know how strong this thing is yet, and you just got out of the goddamn Learncen!"

Edsel looked alarmed. Maxy snorted, set down his duffel bag, and let out his Pokégirl, an Amazonchan with lavender hair and muscular arms. "I can handle a freaking Dildo Queen. Later, my dude. C’mon Penny, let’s race."

With that, both human and Tamer laughed wildly and took off, dashing at surprising speed. "Goddess he’s an idiot!" Aaron snarled, setting down his own duffel bag. "Take these to our hotel rooms!" Edsel nodded, picking up the bags, Aaron shaking his head in frustration and running off after Maxy. He took out Elisa’s Pokéball and released her.

Elisa blinked as she reappeared, shivering. "Never gonna get used to that…" she muttered, dashing off after Aaron and catching up to him quickly. "Why are we running?"

"I met this idiot rookie named Maxy on the way to the mission site. He apparently decided he could handle it on his own and dashed off right after the briefing!" Aaron snarled.

"Rookies," Elisa muttered, "What’s his capability and what are we up against?"

"He’s a Combatant who quite literally graduated just a week ago and has some nunchucks and brass knuckles. Also, he has an Amazonchan that looks greener than he is," Aaron said as they passed into the woods, "Also, apparently we’re up against a Dildo Queen that’s got stronger abilities than usual."

Elisa blinked. "A Dildo Queen?"

Aaron nodded. "Apparently it’s been knocking up any female it gets its hands on."

Elisa cringed. "Suddenly I’m very glad that Pokéballs act as a contraceptive…"

Aaron shook his head. "Try to catch up to him and save his ass before it gets violated," he said. Elisa nodded, and broke into a four-limbed loping gate, quickly moving ahead of Aaron, who did his best to keep up.

Winded and out of breath, he eventually caught up to Elisa, who was currently hiding behind a tree. He collapsed next to her, and panted to catch his breath. When he recovered, he asked, "Where’s that idiot?"

Elisa hushed Aaron and cringed, and pointed to the center of the glade she was looking into. Aaron looked as well, and went deathly pale. "Holy shit…"

Maxy’s Amazonchan, Penny, lay unconscious on the ground, her lightly armored spandex leotard torn to shreds, semen leaking from her sex. Maxy, however, was in much worse shape.

The two of them had apparently been overwhelmed by the Dildo Queen’s personal ‘harem’ the moment they had entered the glade, Maxy accidentally hurting a Pokékit. The strongest of the group aside from the Dildo Queen, a Skarmoress, had flattened the two of them easily, allowing the Dildo Queen to do what she was currently doing. Which was ramming her thick, meaty cock in and out of Maxy’s ass, the formerly boisterous young man now cringing and whimpering under the elegant girl’s ministrations, his hands tied up by the chain of his nunchucks.

"Ow…" Aaron muttered, "Why aren’t we saving him?"

Elisa shook her head. "There’s a Skarmoress, VenusWhore, Mist Bunny, Rosebreasts, and Blastits out there. I’m good, but I’m not strong enough to take on all of them at once. We need to wait for the right time to grab the two of them and get them back to the village, otherwise it’s the two of US that’ll be speared by that thing’s member."

Aaron twitched. "Yeah, that’d be a bad thing…"

After a while, the Dildo Queen let out a low moan of pleasure, her body shivering as she came, her seed gushing into Maxy’s rear. She slowly pulled out of the young man and backed off, wiping her forehead and going over to hug her various ‘harem sisters,’ gently rubbing their heavily gravid stomachs.

Despite Aaron’s growing nervousness, Elisa insisted that they wait. Penny just lay there unconscious, while Maxy lay curled up in a ball, whimpering. Finally, after almost three hours, the Dildo Queen and the ten Pokégirls she had with her began to drift off to sleep.

Elisa nodded. "Wait here," she said, "And be ready to run. I’m going to grab the newbie and put the Amazonchan in her Pokéball."

Aaron stared at Elisa a moment and nodded, trusting her. Elisa crouched down low, caping her wings around her shoulders, her movements giving her a bestial appearance, and vanished into the underbrush. Aaron watched as the vegetation around the glade twitched slightly, the Gar-Gal slowly making her way over to Maxy. She made it over to the Combatant and picked him up, placing him on her shoulders, putting Penny in her Pokéball.

Aaron grinned. Elisa made her way back to Aaron, and motioned for them to run for it. Aaron nodded, and stood up… stepping on a twig in the process.

Aaron and Elisa traded worried looks, and then looked into the glade. The Dildo Queen had woken up, and was staring at them in confusion, a slow smile spreading over her face as her member became erect again.

"Keep calm," Elisa said, walking backwards, a nervous Aaron following suit, "And slowly back away… Get ready to move when I tell you…"

The Dildo Queen leaned forward, cupping her hands in front of her massive member. Elisa blinked in confusion. "What’s she doing…"

Then she noticed the energy buildup. A very familiar, very frightening energy buildup. "Oh no… Don’t tell me she knows…" Elisa moaned.

"What?" Aaron said, visibly panicking, "What technique is that?!"

"RUN FOR IT AND DON’T STOP!" Elisa screamed. She and Aaron turned and ran just as the Dildo Queen did a pelvic thrust, a massive beam of thick, golden-white energy firing from her member, tearing through the forest and just missing the two of them.

Later that evening, Mayor Edsel prepared for bed. He put on his bathrobe and was walking through his mansion to his bedroom, when a pair of taloned, four-fingered hands grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. Mayor Edsel blinked, seeing an infuriated Gar-Gal with glowing red eyes holding onto him, her long black hair a mess and her clothes in shambles. Aaron, in similar condition, emerged from the shadows of the dimly lit hall, glaring at him through his mask.

"I can explain," Edsel said.

"I feel I was denied vitally important need-to-know information," Aaron snarled, "You have five minutes to explain, and if I’m not happy I’m letting Elisa crush your skull."

Edsel gulped, and said, "Our town’s protector was a retired military-class Tamer named Erica Jameson, who specialized in teaching techniques to her Pokégirls that they wouldn’t normally be able to learn. Her Alpha was the Dildo Queen, an SS-ranked Threshold case named Glorietta. The two of them were very much in love, and acted as protectors of our home. A while back, there was a report of a Giantess clan in the mountains just west of us, and she went to investigate with her entire harem, never coming back. Best guess is that Glorietta and her harem sisters managed to get away after the death of their and went Feral a long time ago. The breeding is probably the Dildo Queen’s way of compensating for the loss of her Master. Glorietta herself is the only real hostile one, as the others seem to not want anything to do with the town…"

Elisa growled. "And you didn’t think to mention that one of the techniques she knows is HYPER BEAM!?"

"She has a DICK LASER, MAN!!" Aaron wailed.

Edsel gulped nervously. "Like I said, Glorietta’s Tamer taught her techniques that couldn’t normally be learned by her breed… What happened to the young man you were with?"

"The Dildo Queen got a hold of him. He’s in the Pokécenter hospital recovering from severe anal trauma. He’s embarrassed beyond all measure but he’ll be fine otherwise," Elisa said.

"A DICK LASER!!" Aaron wailed again.

Edsel winced again, laughing weakly. Elisa scowled at him. "Why did you leave information on her breed and attacks out?" she demanded.

Edsel gulped. "We were afraid no one would believe us… We didn’t anticipate rookies would come. Or that she would… ah… actually be able to use Hyper Beam while Feral…"

Elisa shook her head, and let Edsel drop to the ground. Aaron barely fought off the urge to kick him while he was sitting on the floor. "You should have anticipated it," Elisa snapped, "Now we have to change our tactics entirely…"

Edsel nodded. "Whatever you need, we’ll get it. We’re getting a shipment of various chemicals and supplies in tomorrow, along with the aid we applied for to help take care of the numerous younglings on the way…"

Elisa sighed. Aaron shook his head, irritated and more than a little frightened. "We’re turning in for the night. We’ll think of something tomorrow," Aaron said.

Edsel nodded. "My original offer stands. Free room and board at our best hotel, which is right next to the Pokécenter, and use of any city-employed Pokégirls you may want."

Aaron nodded vaguely, he and Elisa leaving the mayor’s house and heading outside, walking towards the hotel.

"What a mess…" Aaron muttered, "Do you think you could take her? If we got her alone, I mean?"

Elisa shook her head. "I’d rather not take the risk of collateral damage to the ‘kits…" she said, "I do have an idea, but I’m not sure it will work."

Aaron frowned. "Then what’s the idea?"

Elisa looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded. "I’ll need a few things… You want to check on Maxy before we go bed down for the night?" she asked.

Aaron sighed. "Yeah, I guess…"

Elisa and Aaron headed towards the Pokécenter, checking in with the NurseJoy at the front desk. They were shown back to Maxy’s room, where he was resting on his stomach, bandages around his hips. His Amazonchan sat next to him, a sad look on her face. When he noticed Aaron, he waved, grinning weakly.

"Hey hey, ghoulymancer," he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "I told you to wait."

Maxy nodded. "And I didn’t, and I got reamed for it. I get it," he said, sighing, "I’ll be more careful in the future."

Aaron nodded. "Next time, listen to me before running off."

Maxy chuckled. "’Fraid their won’t be a next time for us, m’man."

Aaron blinked.

Maxy shook his head. "Only reason I went for a Journeymen’s license is that I wanted to impress some assholes who thought I couldn’t do it. Me and Penny have been together for years, and I thought that if we stuck together, we could handle anything. We got overwhelmed on our first day out ‘cause I stupidly ran in."

Aaron lowered his head, his hood hiding his smile. "So what are you going to do now?"

Maxy shrugged, wincing. "Maybe stay around here for a while, get a job as a researcher’s assistant. I’ll think of something. But one thing’s for sure," he said, "I ain’t doin’ stupid shit like this for the rest of my life. It ain’t worth it to go up against beasties like that."

Aaron shook his head, chuckling. "Maybe. But someone has to."

Maxy looked up at him. "You goin’ after that thing?"

Aaron nodded. "My Gar-Gal is a Jusenvic," he said, his mind briefly registering the oddness of using a phrase like that and dismissing it, "She was a cop before this, and a pretty strategic thinker. She says she has an idea that may work and I believe her."

Maxy chuckled, wincing again. "Well, best o’ luck, m’man."

"Be well, Maxy," Aaron said, heading out again. As he did, he heard Penny talking with her master.

 

"I’m so sorry, Maxy," she said, "I just wasn’t strong enough…"

"It’s okay," Maxy said, "I shouldn’t have thrown you up against a buncha tiptops like that without thinkin.’"

Penny paused for a moment and said, "Still, if I had been just a bit stronger, I could have fought off that Dildo Queen before she…"

"Hey," Maxy said sternly, "It’s like I said after you Thresholded: We’re in this together. Y’dig? Whatever happens, through thick and thin, and all that. I ain’t given up on you that easy, so long as you don‘t give up on me."

Penny blushed and smiled. "Thank you, Master…"

Maxy chuckled weakly. "My only real concern is whether or not that thing’s giga-schlong made you prefer size over talent like mine…"

Penny giggled, and kissed her Tamer. "Trust me, Master, I’m still in love with your body…"

Aaron shuddered, muttered ‘dick laser’ again, and stalked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. He met Elisa in the hallway. She smiled at him, although her expression was mildly annoyed.

"He okay?" she asked.

Aaron nodded. "A little bruised in the dignity and needing to be with his Amazonchan to reassure himself of his sexuality, but otherwise fine."

Elisa sighed. "I still don’t see why I couldn’t visit with him as well."

Aaron snickered. "Elisa, he’s a fanboy of the show."

Elisa gagged. Aaron grinned, and continued, "He told me in great detail several of the sexual fantasies he’s had about you and Motoko. Shall I go into detail about them?"

"I’d rather you didn’t, thanks…" Elisa muttered. Aaron laughed.

"So what’s our next move?" he asked.

"I’ve talked to some of the Pokégirls and Pokéboys in the Pokécenter’s novelty shop and supply room. They have most of what I need, and the last is coming in tomorrow with the supply shipment. I’m still fleshing out the details, but if all goes well, we should be able to wear out that Dildo Queen and capture her. The other Ferals she’s impregnated will probably surrender as well if we capture her," Elisa said, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Any plans for getting past the goddamn Dick Laser?" Aaron asked.

Elisa cringed. "The technique is named Hyper Beam…"

Aaron scowled. "She fired it from her dick, thus and therefore I calls it Dick Laser."

Elisa sighed, rubbing her temple, deciding not to argue the point. "At any rate, yes, I do, but I don’t want to say anything until I’ve got all the details in place."

Aaron shrugged. He was really too tired to think right now. Plus, he stank and wanted to shower, and was hungry as well.

Tamer and Pokégirl headed out of the Pokécenter and went over to the hotel, confirming their reservations and heading up to the penthouse that the mayor had reserved for them. The room was elegant, dark varnished wood and plush bedding, a wet bar in one corner and a holovision viewer mounted on the wall, a beaded curtain leading into the white, polished bathroom area. Next to the bed, along with a trio of terrycloth bathrobes, was Aaron’s duffel bag.

Nodding in approval, he let Lexi out of her Pokéball, the Puppy reappearing with her rawhide bone in her mouth. She wurfed, surprised at her change of location, and began to sniff around the room curiously. Aaron sighed, and began to strip off his uniform, setting it in an uneven pile near the bathroom.

Elisa caped her wings, her tail flitting back and forth as she watched him undress. Not the best body… But still, at least he’s capable of keeping up with my needs… she thought, And he’s likeable to boot, so I’ll be able to enjoy myself around him… Granted, I still don’t know how to break this to my family, but I think they’ll approve of him. Best not to think of that now, though… It’s my duty as a Gar-Gal to protect him. Also, the mission comes first…

As Aaron went into the bathroom to clean up, Elisa grinned, another thought occurring to her. The mission… And other things, as well… "Lexi, you stay out here, okay? Master and I are going to get cleaned up."

The Puppy blinked at her and nodded, clambering up onto the bed and sniffing the pillows. The canine Pokégirl perked up on noticing the small chocolate mints layed out on the pillows and happily ate them. Elisa pulled off her own uniform and used the comm-link on the wall to call for someone to pick up their laundry for cleaning. She then sauntered over to the bathroom, parting the beaded curtain with her tail.

Aaron didn’t notice her at first, as he was busy shampooing his hair in the spacious shower stall. Once that was done, he turned to pick up the soap from the nearby dish, and blushed upon noticing Elisa, the Gar-Gal setting two of the bathrobes in the sink.

"Hey there," Elisa said, her hands on her hips. She grinned playfully at Aaron, uncaping her wings, leaving herself completely bare before him.

Aaron gulped hard, a grin coming to his face. "H-Hi…"

"I called for laundry service," she said, "So we won’t have to worry about that. Lexi is sniffing about, so all that’s left is cleaning up."

Aaron nodded, still staring at Elisa’s body, his eyes tracing over her curved, muscular frame, lingering for a long moment on her ample breasts. "O-Okay…" he said.

Elisa almost purred in amusement as he admired her body. She reminded him a little of Matt, her first Pokéboy, a Growrowl. Matt acted just like this before he got used to being with her. The memory of him made Elisa’s smile turn sad for a brief moment, but she quickly put it aside, knowing that he wouldn’t want her to be sad. She sauntered over to the shower and opened the door, letting herself inside.

Elisa grinned, and pressed herself against Aaron’s body, feeling his erection growing against her hips. Aaron gulped again.

"So how about it, Master?" she cooed, picking up the bar of soap and offering it to him, "Wanna help me get cleaned up?

"Ah… Aiyah…" Aaron managed after a moment.

Elisa giggled. "I’m still not used to this new body yet. I could use some help in scrubbing some of those… hard to reach areas…"

 

"Oh… Oh really?" Aaron said, trying to regain some of his composure and failing miserably. Elisa just smiled and put the soap in his hand. Aaron’s eyes widened. "You… you want me to… I can…"

Elisa nodded, grinning and stepping back a little. "Feel free to go anywhere you like, Master. I belong to you now," she said.

Aaron nodded numbly, barely aware of dull ache in his loins. He was still trying to process all this, still trying to get used to the concept of having a willing woman who actually desired him with him at all times. He may not remember his life before a few days ago, but he was certain that the first time he had ever made love was when Elisa jumped him after the rescue. But even as he thought about this, a thought centered in a part of his body a little lower than his brain told him to stop looking the goddamn gift horse in the mouth.

Slowly, the warm water pouring down over the two of them, he began to run the soap over Elisa’s body. He started slowly, rubbing the soap just above her breasts, although after a few moments, Elisa placed her hands over Aaron’s own, guiding them down over the soft, firm mounds of her bosom. Elisa cooed softly, her tail almost unconsciously wrapping around Aaron’s leg as he rubbed the smooth, pink bar over her chest. Her nipples hardened as Aaron’s hand began to lower across her torso, Aaron leaning in to kiss her as he began to rub the soap across her hips. Elisa moaned as her Tamer began to rub the soap between her legs, the wetness down there no longer from the water alone.

Aaron wrapped one arm around her waist, gently running his thumb across the older woman’s pubic bush, making her shiver in delight. He rubbed the soap across her womanhood a few times before letting it drop to the ground, the shower water carrying the bar over to the drain and out of the way. He held Elisa to himself, caressing her womanhood with two fingers, gently parting her and pressing inward, his thumb reaching up to find her clitoris.

"You’re being more relaxed about this than I thought you would be," Aaron breathed, his body aching with desire but wanting her to enjoy this as well.

Elisa moaned softly. He was definitely inexperienced, but was learning decidedly quickly. "I was… oohh… a Pokéboy Tamer… aah… Before I met you…" she said, shivering in delight from his fingers caressing her in rather intimate areas. "Now… aaah… while this is nice… oooh… may I suggest actually sticking something other than your fingers in me? Because a girl can only take so much teasing…"

Aaron shivered softly. The invitation was all he needed. He grabbed Elisa’s legs, lifting her up and pressing her against the wall of the shower stall. Elisa was a little surprised at how forward he was being, but let him do as he wished, putting her arms around his shoulders to brace herself. She gasped, feeling Aaron begin to push his member into her, her internal muscles stretching tightly around his maleness as he began to thrust his hips in and out of her, his maleness pumping into her with each thrust.

Aaron was in Heaven. This was better than the first time, which was rather quick and desperate. He held her up against the wall of the shower stall, her wings splayed out behind her, the Gar-Gal bobbing up and down with each thrust of Aaron’s manhood into her tightly stretched sex.

Elisa groaned softly, shivering in pleasure as she felt her body grow hotter from the feel of her Tamer thrusting himself into her. It had been too long since Matt and Goliath had been killed, she knew that now. She NEEDED this, and strangely enough, it felt even better than before since she was the one being tamed instead of the other way around. The first time didn’t count to her, as she was in Feral shock at the time and had just come off nearly being killed. She barely even remembered how it felt. This… This was so much better for her.

Elisa arched her back, unknowingly flexing her talons and leaving scratches on her tamer’s back. Aaron barely noticed, his mind awash with sensation as he Tamed his Pokégirl.

My Pokégirl, he thought, She’s mine. The thought aroused him even further, making him thrust harder into sex. He tried to hold back, but the feel of her tight, gripping sex was just too much for him, and after a few minutes he let out a low moan of pleasure, his maleness stiffening and shooting a load of his seed into her. He kept pumping his hips even as he felt the surge of pleasure go through his body, wanting Elisa to climax as well.

To his satisfaction, he managed to keep going, Elisa’s internal muscles flexing around him, her body shaking as she let out a wail of pleasure, her own fluids gushing out over his sex as she climaxed.

Aaron let go of her, letting her set her legs down, and slowly pulled out of her. She smiled at him, wrapping her wings around his shoulders. He grinned weakly.

"I’m sorry," he said, "I didn’t mean to… well… go off so soon…"

Elisa shook her head, chuckling. "It’s okay. You kept going long enough to get me off as well, and that’s what counts. Besides. This is like, what, the second time you’ve had sex as far as you know? You just need to build up your endurance more," she said, hugging him tightly and kissing him, the soft mounds of her breasts pressing up against his chest.

After they broke the kiss, Aaron smiled and asked, "I don’t suppose you have any way of helping me build up?"

Elisa grinned playfully and gently tweaked his nose. "Plenty. Like I said, I was a Tamer before I was a Pokégirl. My Matt was a virgin when I first got him, and I worked him up into a very fine lover."

Aaron nodded. "Whatever happened to him? I didn’t notice any Pokéballs with you…"

Elisa’s elvish ears drooped, her tail falling limp as she sighed, her smile turning melancholy. "Matt and Goliath, my other Pokéboy, were killed by the Pokégirls of the man who employed the person who changed me into a Gar-Gal."

Aaron winced. "I’m sorry… I didn’t know…"

"It’s okay," Elisa said, sighing and resting her head on his shoulder, "I didn’t tell you… Being with you, it just has been bringing up some old… rather fond memories…"

Aaron smiled weakly, not sure what to say.

Elisa sighed, and grinned warmly. "Anyway. That’s then, this is now. We’ll finish up in here, eat something, and then head to bed, as we have a big plan to get that Dildo Queen to stop molesting people."

Aaron nodded, remembering something that he wanted to ask her. "…Elisa?"

"Hm?" Elisa looked up at him curiously. Aaron looked into her eyes, seeing the sadness there, and chickened out, not wanting to make her feel worse right now.

"Never mind. It’ll keep…" he said.

Elisa shrugged. "There is one thing, though…" she said, looking rather embarrassed.

"What’s that?"

Elisa grimaced, and used her tail to pick up the soap as best she could. "I do kinda need help getting cleaned up. I’m still not quite used to this body yet… Hell, I don’t even know how to use these wings for gliding… If you could just… y’know, help me clean my wings and tail…" she asked, visibly embarrassed.

Aaron stared at her a moment, and chuckled softly. "Sure thing," he said, "Just lemme get the soap and…"

Elisa grinned playfully. "Nono, I’ll do it." She took a step towards the soap and bent over, deliberately bumping her rear into Aaron’s crotch.

Aaron chuckled. "Careful. A guy might take that as an invitation."

Elisa grinned widely, turning around and holding the bar out to him. "For you? It always is. I may have not wanted this change, but I’m determined to make the best of this. In the meantime, though…"

Aaron nodded. "Right, right. Cleaning," he said, taking the offered bar of soap. She turned around again, Aaron taking one of the washclothes mounted on a rack at the top of the stall and using the two items to gently scrub Elisa’s wings.

As Aaron cleaned her, Elisa wondered again how she was going to break this to her family. She had managed to go without thresholding for so long, and then this happens…

The two finished washing up, chatting idly. They dried off and put on the bathrobes, Elisa noting to her relief that there was a zipper down the back of one of them, allowing space for her wings. They came out, and found Lexi curled up on the bed, still happily chewing on the rawhide bone the Seamstress back at Doomstad’s Pokécenter.

"You said you had a plan to deal with the Dildo Queen?" Aaron said.

Elisa nodded. "Yeah, but you are not going to like it…"

Aaron frowned, but decided not to pursue the matter. He ordered dinner for everyone, and the three spent the rest of the evening quietly, Elisa sharing with Aaron and Lexi stories about some of her favorite missions. Eventually their clothes came back, Aaron putting on the pants and getting into bed. Both Elisa, clad in her outfit again, and Lexi joined him, Lexi hugging Aaron and burying her face in his chest, snuggling up tight. Elisa smiled, and gently petted the young Pokékit, snuggling up to Aaron as well.

The next day, a NurseJoy came to the hotel with a large box. Aaron was surprised to see that she was still working, the nurse Pokégirl sporting a rather large, heavily pregnant belly.

"Um…" Aaron said, staring at her.

The NurseJoy giggled. "You’re wondering why I don’t seem bothered by this?"

Aaron nodded. Elisa began looking through the box, Lexi sniffing everything curiously.

The NurseJoy smiled, running a hand over her rounded middle. "Well… Glorietta and her Harem sisters have protected the village so many times. Plus, I came from a big family and always admired my mother for keeping up with all five of my siblings and I… I guess I wanted to give being a mother a try m’self." She cringed, and added, "Granted, getting molested by a feral Dildo Queen isn’t my IDEAL way to become a mother, but still…"

Aaron winced, and grinned weakly. "Don’t worry. If all goes well, we’ll be able to get her back under control."

The NurseJoy nodded. "Just don’t hurt her, okay? We owe her and her harem sisters a lot for the work they and their Tamer did for us."

Elisa smiled, holding up a couple vials. "Don’t worry, ma’am. With this plan, if it works out, she’ll actually enjoy it."

Aaron frowned. "What are those?"

Elisa first held up the vial with a reddish liquid. "Essence of Hentai. Because of Hentai’s legendary inability to be satiated, she was in misery a great deal of her life. One of the few good things to come out of the Hopper War was the Seismic Dildo. Some perverted Hopper’s idea of a joke, but it was still a dangerous weapon. That is, until Hentai found out it was the perfect thing to satisfy her needs. Finally calm, she let League scientists take a blood sample from her, using it to create this little medicine. Essentially, it’s a Taming aide for Tamers who have ‘girls like a Hentaicute or anything else with an abnormally large libido. It temporarily induces extreme lust in whomever it’s exposed to."

Aaron frowned. A sinking feeling growing in his gut. "And the second one is…"

Elisa held up a vial of grayish powder. "Enhanced Temporary Effect Gender Dust. Normally, the temp effect stuff only turns a guy into a girl for about 24 hours. This one lasts for up to four days."

Elisa looked at him pointedly. The NurseJoy was the first to get it. "Oh dear…"

Lexi barked, wondering what was going on. Aaron, finally, went deathly pale as he understood what his role in the plan was.

"Oh fuck…"

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To Be Continued…
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