Chapter 01: The Rise of the Coordinator

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Harrogate, Tennessee…
Lincoln Memorial University…
LP Dorm room 311…
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    The young man sighed.  It had been a long day, and he was glad the weekend was coming up.  He lay on his bed, looking around his room.  It was fairly sparse, but well-made dorm room, a closet taking up half of one wall, a table with a lamp and some books on it, and a computer in the corner, in front of the door to the mini-restroom/shower area.  The shelves on the bed contained some books and magazines, and the room was painted a semi-bright white. 

    The young man himself was a tall young man of average features and less than average build, with a small pot to his stomach, blue eyes, and short brown hair.  The twenty-five year old lay on his bed, clad only in jean shorts and a purple T-shirt, the blankets shoved to one side.  He did nothing else save lay there, watching the sunset and listening to the thrum of his air conditioner, cooling the room against the heat outside.

    It had been an unpleasant week for him.  Due to various circumstances beyond his control, he had been forced to give up a beloved pet for adoption. 

    “It would be better if he was dead…” he muttered, staring at the setting sun outside, “Then at least I would be certain of where he was, that he was happy…”

    Sighing, he removed his wallet and keys from his pocket, setting them on the table.  He sighed, turning over in his bed and closing his eyes.  He just couldn’t bring himself to work on anything else, he had no energy. 

    “I just wish something would happen… something different…” he muttered, slowly drifting off to sleep.  He felt a light tingle pass through him as he slept, but barely noticed it.

    His dreams were bizarre that evening.  One was a recurring dream involving him turning into a female superheroine, one with large muscles, animalistic features, and purple fur.  He had no idea what they meant, but they were enjoyable, so his rest was not disturbed in any way. 

    He awoke refreshed, feeling better about things.  He blinked and rubbed his eyes, and yawned, getting up to shower and change his clothes.  He yawned again as he cleaned up, idly going over to his closet and picking out a new outfit, a pair of black jeans and a dark blue T-shirt. 

    “Weekend…” he said softly, remembering that today was Saturday, “Day to myself, maybe I’ll see a movie.”

    He sighed.  He didn’t really care.  But he couldn’t stay in this little room, he would go stir crazy.  He reached down to pocket his wallet and car keys.  As he picked them up, however, he noticed something different. 

    There was a small, flat rectangle of blue plastic laying on the table.  The young man stared at it, a word flashing through his mind. 

    Pokédex…

    “It can’t be…” he said, his hands shaking as he picked up the small, handheld device.  On the front was the image of a sphere, red on the top half, white on the bottom.  Near the clasp was what looked like a scanner of some kind.  He pressed his thumb to it, and it beeped. 

    “Tamer Jonathan Towers, welcome,” the device said, unfolding itself. 

    Jonathan TOWERS?! he thought, confused.  He pulled out his wallet, checking his driver’s license.  His Tamer’s license was stacked right behind it.  Sure enough, both names read Jonathan Towers. 

    “Oh man,” he said.  He looked at the Pokédex, checking through the various entries.  He called up the history file, his heart racing as he noted how far back the changes went. 

    Don’tpanicdon’tpanicdon’tpanicdon’tpanic… he told himself, taking deep, steady breaths to try and calm himself.  He looked around the dorm room.  Aside from the Pokédex, everything else looked the same.  He opened one of the shelves on his bed, and took out a letter from his mother that had been sent recently.  The text was basically the same, except it now made references to his mother’s new Master.  He looked over at the picture of himself sitting on the windowsill.  It had been a picture of himself hugging his dog, a male, the night before, but was now a picture of him hugging a black-furred Hound, playfully squeezing her breasts. 

    Don’tpanicdon’tpanicdon’tpanicOHMYGOD!!! he thought.  He lifted up the blinds on his window, seeing some of the students who lived in the building with him outside, watching several girls with hair in colors of green, lavender, blue, and pink play volleyball. 

    “Pokégirls…” Jonathan said, slowly backing away.  He turned to his computer, and nearly tripped over his own feet scrambling towards it.  He turned it on, tapping his foot nervously as it started up.  When it got to the main window, he cringed.  His desktop image, instead of an art commission of some of his personal characters he liked to write about, had become an image of a busty Milktit being milked in pleasurable fashion by a Milkmaid. 

    He checked some of the files in his writing folder.  Every one of his stories was gone, the Pokégirl information replaced by various official files in text format.

    “This is nuts…” Jonathan said softly.  He went to open his Internet browser, cringing as he noticed it was named Mozilla Vulvixx.  Shaking it off, he opened the web browser and immediately typed in http://www.pokegirls.org/.

    All he got was a 404 response. 

    A chilling thought came to him, and instead of pokegirls.org, he typed in pokegirls.com. 

    “Welcome to the Official Global Pokégirl Informational Site!  All information and photos have been officially verified and studied.  We hope this site proves useful in your journeys and travels as a Pokégirl Trainer!” said the first three lines of text on the website. 

    “Oh… My… God…” Jonathan said. 

    The website looked like a greatly expanded version of pokegirl.org.  The Pokédex was now more professional looking in appearance, and the photos section had actual pictures of Pokégirls instead of just found images that resembled them.  There was a larger blog site for travelling tamers, a kids section complete with a rumors and sightings site about the Legendary Pokégirls, who were apparently popular myths.  He was tempted to go into the chat room, but was too afraid.  What if he was the only one who remembered the old world?  How would he ask to find out?

    Jonathan shook his head, trying to clear it. 

    “Okay.  Okay, calm down.  Things are going to be fine.  The entire world has shifted, becoming something you were working on as a writing project, but things are going to be fine,” he said.  He got up and poured himself some water, shivering slightly.  He laughed madly for a moment.  “When I said I wanted something to happen, I didn’t quite mean this!”

    After a few minutes, he calmed himself down.  “Okay… Assess the situation.  The world has changed, but there’s a lot of things the same as well.  You still have your car keys, so that means you have a car,” he said, pacing back and forth, “Now.  What would be the smart thing to do?”  He frowned, thinking about the question for a moment, and nodded, “Right.  Go investigate further.”

    He turned to exit his dorm, shutting down his computer, when he noticed the note under his door. 

    It was in his father’s handwriting.  Next to it was a gift certificate from the local Pokégirl ranch, the address listed being the same as the county animal shelter in the old world.  Frowning, Jonathan picked up the note and read it.

    “Son.  I’m so very sorry that you lost Estonia in the Feral attack on the school last week.  She was a good dog and I know you two had been friends for so long.  The Feral Vixxen who did it has been caught, so she won’t be hurting anyone anymore,” the first paragraph said.  Jonathan blinked, his chest tightening up as he realized what it was implying.

    In this new timeline his dog was dead.

    He slumped against the wall of his dorm, closing his eyes tightly as he tried to force himself not to cry.  “I didn’t… I didn’t really mean I wanted him dead… I just…” Jonathan said, his voice cracking.

    It took a few minutes before he could stop crying.  Once he got control of himself, he finished reading the note. 

    “I know that nothing will truly replace Estonia, but perhaps some new Pokégirls will help you not be lonely.  The college has a three Pokégirl limit for Freshmen I’ve found out, so this gift certificate for two Pokégirls at the local ranch is just perfect.  I hope you feel better soon, son.  All my love, Dad.”

    Jonathan frowned.  His initial reaction was distaste, as he wasn’t fond of his father because of the part he played in his dog’s removal in the old timeline.  But after a moment, he realized that if he wanted to go anywhere in this world, he would be much better off with a Pokégirl to back him up.  He distinctly remembered a tagline on the old pokegirl.org website.

    “Where men are the small squishy ones…”

    He sighed, pocketing the gift certificate as he exited his dorm room and headed out into the brightly-lit halls, heading for the elevator. 

    “At least this hasn’t changed,” he muttered, pressing the button to go down.  When the door opened, he cringed slightly.

    His neighbor, Jeff, who lived two rooms down from him, was in there.  And the stocky, blonde-haired older man was with a Pokégirl, a busty, smiling young girl with light-bluish fur and vulpine features. 

    Hoarfoxx? Jonathan thought. 

    Jeff blinked, as if noticing Jonathan for the first time, and smiled sadly.  “Hey man.  I heard about your Hound.  That’s rough, losing a bond-partner as close as you two were.”

    Jonathan just grinned weakly, not sure how to respond other than to say, “Thanks man…”

    The Hoarfoxx churred softly, her expression sad as she hugged Jonathan.  It took every bit of willpower he had not to flinch.

    “Kayla so sorry for Master Jonathan…” the Hoarfoxx said, churring softly as she nuzzled him.

    Jeff just smiled, his wide-brown eyes shining slightly in the light of the hallway.  “Listen, if you need some company, Kayla here’d be more than welcome to let you Tame her.  Also, some of the guys are getting together to go to that cave filled with bat-type Pokégirls in the national park this weekend, get some more action.”

    Jonathan held up the gift certificate.  “Actually, I’m heading over to the ranch to get a couple new ‘girls.  My Dad got me this gift thing, and…”

    Jeff nodded, smiling.  “Ah, good.  Get you some new bedwarmers and have some fun,” he said, playfully nudging Jonathan in the side. 

    Jonathan grinned weakly.  “I better get going, I wanna get there before the ranch closes.”

    Jeff nodded.  “Say no more, buddy.  We’ll get out of your way.  C’mon Kayla,” he said, motioning to his Hoarfoxx, “My offer still stands, by the way.  You can bring your new girls, introduce them to me!”

    “No prob.  And thanks, Jeff,” Jonathan said.  He sighed wearily, and pressed the call button for the elevator.  Since it was still on that floor, it opened quickly.  He rode it down to the basement and went out into the parking lot. 

    He frowned.  It was a lot emptier than he remembered.  There were a lot of cars there that he recognized, but more often parking spaces were occupied by what looked like high-tech motorcycles. 

    He tried not to think about what that meant, and found his own car in the parking space he had left it in last night, the only changes to it being paneling on the front that looked like pictures of solar panels he had seen.  He checked his keys, and was relieved to find that they still worked in the car.  Getting in, he slowly drove out of the parking lot of the dorm.  He drove around the campus, observing the changes.  The most prominent of which was the tennis court, which was replaced by a force field-protected fighting range.  Two tamers were watching as their Guntit and Dodongo battled, occasionally calling out strategies or tactics.  The smaller tech Pokégirl seemed to be winning at first, plasma bullets peppering the armored skin of the Dodongo, but the armored creature suddenly reared back, spitting a blackish-red ball of lava.  The Guntit barely managed to dodge the resultant explosion. 

    Jonathan was tempted to stay and watch, but he also wanted to get to the ranch and get his new Pokégirls.  The longer he was without one, the more vulnerable he felt…

    He drove out, heading away from the campus.  The route felt the same, although he had to stop and let his car be inspected when going through the mountain tunnel.  It drove the same as well.  Even the layout of the town of Middlesboro, which was the closest town coming out of the tunnel, felt the same.  He drove through the city, noting with growing dismay at the number of renamed, Pokégirl-themed stores. 

    “This is nuts,” he said, thinking aloud as he drove along the path to what would NORMALLY be the animal shelter, trying not to think about the possibility of Feral Pokégirls in the wooded areas on the sides of the roads.  He made the turnoff onto the path leading to his goal, noting that the road was wider than normal.  Eventually, he came on the ranch, in the exact same place the animal shelter was. 

    The main building looked exactly like it did normally, a long, blue building with several enclosures.  However the clearing in the side of the mountain was much larger, with a couple more buildings than the three that were at the animal shelter in the old world.  He pulled up into a parking space on the other side of the road, and cautiously walked up to the main door.  He knocked on it politely, and waited. 

    To his surprise, instead of the friendly, matronly old woman who ran the shelter, a large, gruff, thick-furred form answered the door. 

    Jonathan stared.  The figure was large, seven feet tall at least, and thickly built.  Her fur was a patchy brown and white, and her face was canine in appearance.  It took a minute for him to place the features. 

    St. Bernatit… He thought, stunned at how LARGE the girl was. 

    “Wurf?” the large Pokégirl said curiously.  Jonathan blinked, and held up the gift certificate almost defensively.  The St. Bernatit looked at it curiously and nodded, motioning him inside.  She barked once, and Jonathan heard a voice from the back.

    “Coming, coming…”

    Jonathan recognized the voice as belonging to the owner/manager of the animal shelter in the old timeline.  To his surprise, instead of the matronly old former lawyer he had been expecting, a muscular, rugged-looking version of the same woman came out.  She kissed the St. Bernatit on the cheek and smiled at Jonathan. 

    “What can I do for you, deary?” she said, smiling. 

    “Um…” Jonathan stared at her for a moment, and then pulled out the gift certificate, “Hi Ms. Nagle.  I… ah, I have this gift certificate and…”

    Ms. Nagle nodded, taking it from Jonathan.  “Let’s see.  This qualifies you for two prepaid Pokégirls at the usual rate, along with a coupon for a week’s worth of food at the local participating markets… Okay then,” she said, “Adding to your harem then, love?”

    Jonathan sighed, and shook his head.  “No, getting a new one, actually… My Hound was killed recently and…”

    “Oh you poor dear,” Ms. Nagle said, a sad expression crossing her face, “You come back and take a look at our girls.  I’m certain you’ll find something you like.”

    She motioned Jonathan towards the nearby door and led him inside.  Instead of the usual animal smells and cages, there was a long display platform, with ten girls standing on it.  Jonathan blushed brightly as he realized they were all naked. 

    “You’ve caught us at a good time.  We had another prospective buyer coming in,” Ms. Nagle said, “and we were getting ready to display for them.  We don’t have as many as we usually do right now, but we do still have a fine selection.”

    Jonathan gulped hard, and looked the various ‘girls over.  There was a Bunnygirl-type, one with silvery fur, and a Plussy and Miboobsy that were hugging each other nervously. There were five human types, although what they were was not apparent right off-hand.  There was a rather surly-looking Statue Pokégirl who looked as if she didn’t care one way or the other if she was purchased. 

    It was the last one who caught his attention. 

    She was standing a little ways behind the others, looking shy and fearful.  Her bottom was slightly wider than her bust, and she had a long, fluffy tail, the black fur of her body broken only by a long white stripe down her back that tapered off into two stripes on her tail.  She was shorter than the others, a sad look in her eyes.  It took a moment, but Jonathan recognized her as being a Mephitits. 

    Jonathan motioned for her to come forward.  She gulped nervously, and stepped forward on the platform, the other girls stepping back, most of them looking a little disappointed. 

    Jonathan smiled at her.  She managed to smile back, but she nervously began rubbing one arm as she looked up at him.  “Um… Hello master.”

    “So what’s your story?” Jonathan asked, in an attempt to break the ice with her.

    She bit her lip nervously, shuffling her feet.  “I… um… My master traded me here for a stronger Pokégirl… I have been here ever since…”

    Jonathan frowned.  “How long have you been here?” 

    The Mephitits looked away.  “Um… About a year…” 

    Jonathan looked startled.  Ms. Nagle came up behind him and nodded.  “Poor dear.  I tried to discourage the release, but he wanted one of our stronger Pokégirls.  And since Mephitits are so common in the wild, no one has wanted her.”

    The skunk-girl just sighed softly, wrapping her long, fluffy tail around herself.  “It’s… it’s okay, really… I don’t mind…”

    Jonathan frowned.  The others did look more powerful, true…  He looked the Mephitits over thoughtfully, gently cupping her cheek with one hand.

    She stared at him hopefully.  Maybe… Just maybe…

    “Aaaah, I’ve always been a soft touch, I guess,” Jonathan said, “I’ll take her.”

    The Mephitits went wide-eyed.  The Bunnygirl-type seemed put-out, and huffed.  The Plussy and Miboobsy hugged each other and smiled, while the human-types seemed a mix of irritated, sad, and happy for their Ranch-sister.  The Statue just smiled softly, as if she was hoping for this outcome. 

    The Mephitits, tears in her eyes, hugged Jonathan tightly.  “THANK YOU MASTER!!  I promise, I’ll be a good Pokégirl for you!  I can cook, I can clean, I’ll do whatever you want, let you do whatever you want to me!” she said excitedly.

    “Whoah, whoah…” Jonathan said, smiling, “It’s okay, really…” Okay… So the world has gone sideways on me, and something I thought was a writing genre is now reality… I think I’m starting to see how this could possibly be something other than a bad thing…

    Jonathan hugged her, elicting a pleased churr from the skunk-girl.  “What’s your name, hon?” he asked. 

    The Mephitits blushed.  “I… I was never given a name by my old master…”

    Jonathan frowned, and rolled his eyes.  Probably should have expected this… Tennessee, that probably means I’m in Indigo… If the League system is still in place… Damn, I should check this out once I get back to my dorm… He nodded, and turned to the other displayed girls.  “Okay… Any of you have a name for her?”

    The ‘girls looked surprised, unused to actually having their opinions asked of them.  After a moment, one of the human-types, a busty, blue-haired girl, stepped forward.  “I’ve always just called her Molly… It was my sister’s name…” she said.

    Jonathan nodded, turning back to the Mephitits.  “Okay then.  Your name is now OFFICIALLY Molly,” he said, turning back to the Pokégirls on the display stand, “Thank you.”

    Ms. Nagle and her St. Bernatit traded knowing smirks as the Pokégirl looked surprised and pleased at the compliment.  The now-named Mephitits hugged Jonathan again, her tail flitting back and forth happily. 

    Ms. Nagle smiled and said, “Okay then.  I’ll provide Molly’s Pokéball for you once you are ready to leave.  You get one more Pokégirl with this gift certificate, sweety.”

    Jonathan nodded, and started to look at the others.  But as he did, though, a loud shriek of terror sounded from the back room.  “NO!!! PLEASE, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

    Jonathan blinked.  “I know that voice…” he said, Ms. Nagle looking at him curiously.

    A nude, silvery figure ran out from the back, ducking a red beam of light.  “GOD, PLEASE, DON’T PUT ME BACK IN THERE!!!! PLEASE!”

    Jonathan stared.  From the completely metal, flowing body he recognized the breed as being a Mercury.  But the dusty, dark blonde hair and the face was something else he recognized…

    “Amy?  Amy Parker?”

    The liquid-metal girl whirled, her shining eyes widening in shock.  “J-Jonathan?”

    “Amy… How…?” Jonathan said.

    Amy turned, and then ran out to Jonathan, hiding behind them.  “Please… Jonathan, you have to help me!  I went to bed in my dorm… and then I woke up as this silver… thing!  And I was in some kind of ball, and… Oh god, Jonathan, you have to help me!”
   
    “Amy, Amy, it’s going to be okay!” Jonathan said, trying to calm her down.  But even as he did, he realized that she remembered the old world too…

    He glared at the two ranch employees who came running out after Amy, who cringed and hid behind Jonathan, sobbing.  He turned to Ms. Nagle, who held up a hand to stop her employees from trying to go after Amy again.

    “You know this girl?” she asked.

    Jonathan nodded.  “She’s a classmate of mine.  I had been wondering what happened to her.  What were you trying to do?”

    Ms. Nagle shook her head.  “Poor thing.  A recent Threshold case.  Her parents and her boyfriend just dropped her off here last night, saying they didn’t want her anymore.  I was going to have her level fived, but if you’re willing to take her in, maybe you can help her through this…”

    Jonathan, as well as all the Pokégirls save Amy, who was still sobbing, flinched visibly at the mention of a ‘level five.’  He nodded and said, “Sure, I’ll take her.”

    “Oh thank you… thank you thank you thank you…” Amy sobbed, hugging him tightly. 

    Ms. Nagle frowned at her, shaking her head sadly.  She motioned to her two employees, who looked a little disgruntled at not being able to bring her to the Taming cycle chamber.  They handed Jonathan Amy’s Pokéball and went back into the back, grumbling.  Ms. Nagle sighed. 

    “There’s just a little more paperwork to do, dearie.  Come with me please,” she said.

    Jonathan nodded, following Ms. Nagle and her St. Bernatit to the front office.  Amy clung to Jonathan’s back, crying softly, as Molly obediently stayed by his side the whole time.  After signing a few papers, Ms. Nagle had her St. Bernatit retrieve Molly’s Pokéball and turn it over to Jonathan.  He bid her goodbye, and went back to his car. 

    “C’mon,” Jonathan said, motioning for both Amy and Molly to get in the car, opening the side door for them as he got in the driver’s side.  Molly giggled, and tried to sit on Jonathan’s lap, but because the car was small, she was unable to fit. 

    “I appreciate the thought, love,” he said, smiling at her, “But I really need you to sit next to me.”

    Molly nodded, smiling eagerly.  She kissed him and got out, quickly dashing around and sitting in the middle of the front seat.  Amy, still sniffling and covering her nude form as best she could, got in next to Molly, closing the door behind her and leaning up against it. 

    Jonathan looked at Amy and sighed.  He really hoped he could help her… But for now, he had to keep up appearances.  He knew he was probably being paranoid, but he couldn’t help feeling that the less people noticed him the better…

    He drove in silence back to the college.  Molly snuggled up close to Jonathan, trying not to hinder his driving while staring worriedly at Amy.  She had been Feralborn, so she didn’t know what Thresholders went through, although she did wish to help her new Harem sister… she just wished she knew how.

    It was only after he got back to the tunnel and was stopped for examination that he realized he may have a problem. 

    The inspector looked at his car and frowned at the two Pokégirls.  “Sir, you need to put your Pokégirls back in their Pokéballs before you go into the tunnel.”

    Jonathan frowned.  “Neither of them are energy users, sir.  And besides, I just got them and…”

    The inspector scowled, interrupting him.  “It’s the law, sir.  No Pokégirls outside of their Pokéballs in the tunnel.  I don’t care if you have a Hamtits and a Titmouse in there, they have to go in their Pokéballs.”

    Amy was horrified.  “Please, Jonathan, don’t put me back in there.”

    Jonathan frowned.  He wanted to argue the point more, but it would attract attention he didn’t want right now.  Besides, he needed to get back to his room to try and get his head together on this, as well as help Amy. 

    “Sorry Amy…” Jonathan said, lifting up her Pokéball. 

     Amy whimpered, holding her hands in prayer as she pleaded with him.  “Please, oh God, not again, Jonathan, please DON…” she was cut off as the capture beam hit her, absorbing her back into the ball. 

    Molly looked at the expression on her master’s face and frowned.  “Is everything okay, Master?” 

    Jonathan sighed sadly.  “Yeah… Yeah, it’ll be okay,” he said, managing to smile for her. 

    Molly nodded slowly.  “If you say so, Master…” she said, not resisting as she was put back in her Pokéball. 

    The inspector sighed.  “The Mercury a recent Threshold?” he said.

    Jonathan nodded.  The inspector snorted.  “She’ll get over it,” he said, “And if she doesn’t, just have her level fived at a Pokécenter.”

    Jonathan bit back the urge to scowl.  “I’ll think about it, sir,” he said in a voice that clearly said he wouldn’t, “Can we move on now?”

    “Yeah, yeah, you’re holding up the line…” he muttered, waving dismissively, “Fucking liberals…”

    Jonathan drove through the tunnel, cursing the man under his breath.  Once he got back to the college, he headed immediately back for his room.  Before he could unlock the door, Jeff noticed him as he came out of his own room.

    “Hey buddy,” he said, smiling amiably, “Got you some new bedwarmers?”

    Jonathan smiled weakly.  “Yeah.  A Mephitits and a Mercury.” 

    “Cool beans, lemme see them!” he said. 

    Jonathan sighed.  “Look… Jeff… The Mercury is a friend of mine… She had just finished Threshold and is pretty torn up… I found her just as they were about to level five her, and I kinda wanna help her through this…”

    Jeff winced.  “Ooh, rough stuff.  Fair enough, buddy.  You want me to go grab you some lunch while I’m out?”

    “I don’t know if I have money to pay you…”

    Jeff scoffed.  “Ahh, don’t worry about it.  You loaned me some creds a few months ago, this’ll help pay ya back.  See you later,” he said, walking towards the elevator. 

    Jonathan watched him go, and sighed.  He went into his room, removing the two Pokéballs from his pocket.  He looked them over, and sighed once more.  Eventually, he opened Molly’s Pokéball first. 

    The Mephitits blinked as she reappeared, looking around the room in awe.  “It’s real… I have a Tamer again…  I have a real home again!” she said, grinning widely. 

    Jonathan smiled despite himself.  The skunk-girl’s good cheer was just infectious.  He started to say something, but was promptly knocked back onto the bed when she turned and tackle-hugged him. 

    “Thank you, Master Jonathan!  I swear I’ll be a good and loving Pokégirl for you, I promise!” she said, hugging him tightly and smothering him with kisses. 

    Jonathan laughed and reluctantly pulled her away.  “I know you will, Molly.  I just need to do a couple things first.”

    Molly giggled and nodded, sitting down next to him on the bed.  Jonathan picked up the other Pokéball, staring at it.  He shook his head and released Amy from inside it.

    “Oh God…” she said upon fully reforming, putting her hands over her face and sobbing, “Oh God… I can’t take this… I… I need to get out of here…”

    She turned, starting to leave.  “Amy, wait,” Jonathan said, reaching for her. 

    “Please, just leave me alone… I need to find a phone, I need to call my family, my daughter…” Amy said, shrugging his hand away.

    “Amy, I don’t know if she even exists in this timeline anymore…” Jonathan, voicing a concern that had been growing in him as he held onto her silvery shoulder. 

    Amy scowled.  “You… You’re crazy.  Just… just leave me alone.”

    “Amy…” Jonathan said sadly. 

    “I said LEAVE ME ALONE, DAMN IT!” Amy snapped.

    Jonathan shook his head, gripping her shoulders forcefully.  She yelped in protest as Jonathan pulled her back, forcing her to look at her reflection in the mirror.  “Amy… You can’t go out.  Not like this.”

    Amy just stared at her reflection in the mirror, the horror on her face evident.  Slowly, she walked forward, extending a hand out towards the mirror, as if trying to see if what she was seeing was real.  When she did, she noticed her hands for the first time, their silvery, fluid texture.

    She staggered back, her hands shaking as she brought them up to her face, feeling her new skin.  She looked over her shining, metallic body, and moaned, collapsing in tears into Jonathan’s arms. 

    “Damn it all…” Jonathan muttered, he and Molly helping her lay down on the bed.  He covered the Mercury with one of the quilts and sighed, watching her for a moment as she covered her head and sobbed.

    Molly frowned, looking from Amy to Jonathan and back again.  She was worried, her soft eyes alight with concern.  “Master…  Will she be okay?” she asked, idly playing with her tail. 

    Jonathan sighed.  “I don’t know…” 

    Molly bit her lip, and said, “She mentioned a daughter…”

    Jonathan shook his head.  “There’s something going on, Molly.  I don’t know what it is, or how it happened… and I don’t know if you’ll even believe it… But please, just trust me when I say that I will figure things out one way or another…”

    Molly nodded, not quite sure what to say to that.  She got up and came over to him, kissing him on the cheek and slowly trailing a soft-furred hand down his chest.  He smiled at her and said, “We’ll get to know each other better in a minute.  I just need to do something online real quick…”

    Molly giggled and nodded, kissing him once more, this time full on the lips.  Jonathan smiled at her as she went over to look in his closet, wanting to see what her new master was like.  He shook his head, his thoughts whirling, bouncing around from his shock and fear about the world changing on him, his nervousness about what he may or may not need to do with Amy, and especially to the fact that he now had, for the first time in his life (or his old one, at least), had a woman who’d gladly have sex with him. 

    He sighed, and sat down at his computer desk, turning the computer back on.  After a few minutes of thinking, he checked a website he knew and set up a private chat room, one that was password protected.  He then went to a message board on pokegirl.com and registered there.  It took him a while to think up a name, but eventually he settled on one.  He then went directly to the message board, and began to type. 

    “Sudden changes have you confused?  Wishing for older times?  Contact me at this address, I’ll lead you to a place where we can talk about it! 
                            -The Coordinator”

    Jonathan sighed, adding his e-mail to the entry.  After a moment, he checked to see if he still HAD his e-mail, and once he verified that it was still there, posted the message.  He then went to other message boards and posted the message again and again.

    Jonathan shook his head.  “It isn’t the best idea…” he said, mostly to himself, “But it’s the best one I could come up with…”

    “Master, lookie look!” said Molly.  He turned, and snorted laughter. 

    The Mephitits was wearing one of Jonathan’s shirts, an old white tie-dye tank top with faded colors.  But because she was so much smaller than he was, it hung on her loosely, giving her the appearance of wearing a small tent. 

    “It looks good on you,” he said, heading over to her. 
   
    Molly giggled happily.   Jonathan smiled warmly, and went over to her, hugging her tightly.  Molly churred happily, wrapping her tail around them both. 

    With any luck, my messages will be found by people who remember the old world… If nothing else, I can get us all together and talking… But for now, I guess, I should enjoy what I have…he thought, blushing as Molly’s questing hands found his crotch and began to caress…