Deal: The set of cards that a player in a card game is dealt.
The breakfast Joe and his harem ate was made of rabbits and fish caught from the nearby stream. Alia and Mabella started cooking the fish first, of course. Joe and Jade did not seem to mind. The entire time the group was eating around the fire, Alia did not move more than three feet away from Joe and almost never took her eyes off him. The human did not really mind the attention that he was getting from the Catgirl, although he had never gotten that much attention from a beautiful girl, much less a pokégirl. Jade was sitting close to Joe as well, but she was not looking at him much. He could not tell if she was upset with him for telling her the truth. He could not blame her for feeling that way if she did. Jade had gotten her hopes up and Joe did not meet her expectations.
After eating their meal was finished, Joe decided that he had better get the subject of who he was and where he came from out in the open, the sooner the better. “Hey everyone,” he said. “Gather ‘round. I guess it’s time for a talk.” Joe sat down and the three pokégirls sat in front of him in a semicircle. Okay, Joe thought. Just say it like it is, and try not to worry too much. Taking in a deep breath, Joe started his speech.
“As you are aware, I look a lot like your late tamer. I am sorry to announce, I am not him. I know this is going to seem like something out of Alice in Wonderland, but I’m not making this up. I...come...from another universe...a parallel universe. In my world, it was the year 2008, which would be 6 AS for all of you. There was one, and only one, difference between this world and mine, and that is one life.
“Let me ask all of you a question. What would have happened if Dr. Sukebe were never born? There would be no pokégirls, no Revenge War, no plague and no fallen cities. That’s what happened in my world; it just continued to go on as if nothing happened. Now, I know that you are probably thinking that it seems peculiar that I know about this universe. Well...in my world, people use a something called the 'world wide web' or 'the internet' for quick and cheap communication. Just about anything can be shared between everyone linked to ‘the web.’ In a small section, there’s a group of people that write and discuss pokégirls. I was called, Joe of All Trades, since it wasn’t a good idea to use your real name. I always assumed that the writers just got their stories from their imaginations. However, one writer considered the possibility that all of us may have a strong connection with this world. I guess it looks like he was right.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but it appears that a vortex sent me into this world. However, the author that theorized the writer’s connection also gave rise to what I call the ‘Copy Theory.’ That theory states when a vortex occurs, like the one I went through, a copy is created, in which I’m the copy of…well…myself. However, since I can’t get in touch with my world and I sure as Hell ain’t going to any League for help, I guess I’m probably just gonna be stuck here. So, is it alright if I try to take on the role of your former tamer, or should I try to find a way around this world on my own?” Joe asked the harem.
After about a minute of silence, Alia answered. “I know that you are not my Den-Mar, but I still want you around. I miss him, and I prayed to the Thousand Gods to help. I think that’s why you were sent to us, to protect us and let us continue on with each other. I can’t speak for the other ‘girls, but will you stay with me?” Her big, violet eyes shined from the sunlight as she stared at Joe.
“Of course,” the human answered. “It’s not like I have anyone else that would give two shits about me.” He lightly joked. Joe turned his attention toward Jade and Mabella. “How about it ‘girls? Am I good enough for you?”
Mabella nodded her head and smiled. “Yeah, Den-Mar gave me a chance after everything that I did. It’s only far that I give you a chance too.”
Jade continued to look down at the ground and did not say anything. Tears started to swell in her eyes as she fiddled with her hands in her lap. Joe stood up and walked over to her. Sitting down next to her, Joe asked kindly, “Well Jade, what’s the verdict? Am I good eno...?”
“YES!” Jade yelped. “But it’s my fault! It is my fault he’s dead! It’s my fault...” She started to cry out and sob. She put her hands up, covering her face. Joe took her into his arms and started to hug her out of reflex.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s your fault he’s dead,’ Jade? Den-Mar’s death?” Joe looked at Alia and Mabella.
“Den-Mar was bitten by a feral Arachnae almost a week ago,” Mabella explained. “It was my fault for not acting fast enough to kill it, but Jade blames herself for not treating Den-Mar in time.” Mabella looked like she was hurt, but she was not crying, at least not yet.
“It's no one’s fault,” Joe explained. “Except for that Arachnae’s. She was the one that chose to bite Den-Mar, no one else’s. Just out of curiosity, what happened to her?”
“We killed her and took her head,” Alia explained. “We are bounty hunters in this League. It is an anti-pokégirl one and Den-Mar decided that we should work here to show “normal folk” that pokégirls are not all animals and are good for society. I wish to carry out his mission.” Alia looked at Joe with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Do you object?”
“No,” Joe answered. He let go of Jade, who had stopped crying. “If I remember correctly, there are a shit-ton more pokégirls then there are humans. To give them little to no rights is just stupid.”
“Good,” Alia said, smiling as she got the answer that she wanted. “Now that that is out of the way, there’s one more thing we need to do.”
“What’s that?” Joe asked.
“A good taming,” Alia explained. “It’s almost been a week since we’ve been tamed. Us ‘girls need to stay smart.” She grabbed Joe’s hand and pulled him up. After she had done that task with little effort, she started dragging him towards the tent he had awoken in. “I’ll get out the recover drinks so you can recharge and satisfy the rest of the harem after I’m done with you. Let’s go...Joe.”
As the Catgirl dragged her new tamer toward their makeshift bedroom, the human was protesting the entire way. “No. Alia. Wait. Stop. Can we talk? Stop.”
"Good luck Alia," Mabella yelled. "Save some for Jade and me!"
When the couple was inside the structure, Alia zipped up the door and sat Joe down. Purring, she started to remove his shirt. Joe refused to put his arms up and pushed his elbows to his sides.
"What's the matter silly," Alia teased. "Am I not good looking enough for you?" She started to look at Joe with her big violet eyes. The human could not be sure, but he was almost certain that the Catgirl’s purring was getting louder.
"No," Joe stated. "It's not that. You are very beautiful. It's just...it's just..." Joe looked away, down to the ground and closed his eyes. "I've never been…intimate…with anyone before." He lowered his head even further.
"Really?" Alia asked. "At your age? This that common in your world?"
"No," Joe let out a softly, his eyes still closed. "I wanted to get involved with girls; they just didn't feel the same way. It's not as if I didn't mind being alone either. The loneliness wasn't a problem for me, I like being alone. It's just...it's just that I wanted someone to...to..." Alia put her hand to his mouth and stopped him from talking.
"It’s okay, I understand." Alia said. "When I was a little girl, that's what I always wanted too. I found that someone already."
"Was it Den-Mar?"
"Yes, he was. But what should I call you?" Joe thought about this for a few seconds.
"Well, since I used my real first name in the Pokégirl World for my alias, I guess I can use it here too. Just call me Joe...Joseph Trades." Alia looked at Joe and thought about it for a few seconds.
"Joe Trades, that's a simple name to remember."
"Thanks, I think. But the entire group must call me Den-Mar when we are in public, okay?"
Alia looked at him a little surprised and suspiciously, "Why is that?"
"I'm afraid that the League may not take too kindly to me coming into this universe. I have no idea what they would do to me."
"What would they do to you?"
"Well, the best thing they could do is just let us continue on the way things would have been with Den-Mar. The worst thing is they could take all of you into service for the League and either keep me for breeding projects, since I'm what you would call a 'Pure-Blood,' or they could keep me in a glass chamber to study me for the rest of my life."
"Hmm, well the breeding sounds fun."
Joe leered at Alia for few seconds. "As much fun as that might sound to you, I don't plan on being a father to a bunch of children simply to repopulate the human race. I mean, what was so special about humans anyway?" Alia looked a little worried at first, but then smiled seductively back at Joe. Raising his eyebrow, Joe asked, "What's that for?"
"It sounds that you definitely are for pokégirls,” she said. “You are very similar to Den-Mar.”
“No, you can fall back to Earth. I’m just very skeptical when it comes to people. That goes for anything that has free will combined with intelligence.”
Alia continued to smirk at Joe. Slowly moving from her sitting position, the Catgirl started to crouch on her hands and feet. Joe was about to ask her what she was doing, but he was lying on his back before he realized it. Alia had pounced on him and was starting to lick his chin and neck. Before Joe could react, Alia slid his shirt off him and started to unbuckle his pants. “Now,” Alia purred. “Let’s get started.”
**********
When Charis awoke, she was in a great amount of pain. The Tigress reflexively put her paw toward the wounded area and yelped when she touched it. What happened? Charis thought. Why am I in pain? She looked around and noticed that she was in her pokéball. How did I get in here? What is going on? Where is Master Stan? Charis tried to sit up, but the pain was so intense, she collapsed and fell back to the ground. Closing her eyes and trying to dull out the pain, the Tigress tried to recall what had transpired.
After a minute or two, the wounded Tigress opened her eyes. Oh my Gods, Charis thought. That man! That naked man! He shot Stan and me! That...that...bastard! Anger started to collect in Charis’s chest, causing her to hiss. Promising that she would get revenge, the Tigress tried to get back to sleep, despite the pain. Time slowed down in the pokéball and there would be no telling when she would be released. After what seemed like two hours, she finally managed to drift to sleep again.
“Hey, you,” a demanding voice was shouting at her. “Wake up!” Charis awoke and saw a man with short black hair standing over her. “Did you hear me kiddy kiddy? I said ‘GET UP!’” Charis tried to stand up, but fell face first into the grass. "Christ, I guess when I hit you with that gun; I wasn't expecting you to be that beat up. I guess I'm the lucky one."
Charis's eyes lit into a rage when she heard this. “‘Hit me,’ you mean, you’re the bastard that shot me?!” She screamed and hissed. “You killed my master!” She turned over and snarled at the speaker.
“And now,” The Dark Haired Man stated in a matter-of-fact attitude, “I’m your new master. If you don’t like it…tough tit-tay.” He dragged out the last syllable for longer than it should have been.
“I’ll never follow you!”
“Hmm,” The Dark Man stared at her. “I wonder if that’s common for your breed. Let’s check!” He aimed the scanner of the pokédex, which was attached to his right shoulder, down at Charis and listened to the female voice of the machine speak to him.
“Tigress, the Fighting Feline Pokégirl…” The pokédex continued but The Dark Haired Man wasn‘t paying too much attention to it. He kept staring at Charis, which was starting to make her a little nervous; despite all the hate she was keeping inside of her. After the voice stopped, The Dark Haired Man continued to stare at Charis.
“Alrighty then,” he started. “The ‘dex said that your kind is loyal…that’s just what I’m looking for. So what do you say? You pledge your loyalty to me, and I heal you right up as good as rain. That sound good?” He smiled a bright and white smile at the wounded Tigress.
Charis growled at him and would have torn his throat out if she could have. She began to position herself to pounce on him, but fell short due to the pain. As the wounded Tigress lay on the ground, hissing from the wounds and the hate she was expressing, The Dark Haired Man just stared down at her. “I’ll NEVER call you MASTER!” She exclaimed at the top of her lungs.
The human frowned, “Really? That’s too bad…I was really hoping we could be friends…maybe even lovers…”
“WHAT!” Charis hissed. “You killed my Stan! You think I can just forget about everything that he and I both shared together? I’ll never be yours! I’ll kill you! I’ll rip your throat out…you…you…you sick FUCK!” Charis continued to hiss at The Dark Haired Man. The human continued to frown at her.
“Now that was uncalled for,” The Dark Haired Man retaliated. “Well, I guess the only way you’re getting healed is by your sister’s loyalty or the kindness of Stan’s partner’s ‘girls.” He pulled out one of the pokéballs that contained either one of Ralph’s girls or Sophie.
No…, Charis thought. Please not Sophie. The pokégirl did not care much for Ralph’s girls; they acted too prissy to talk to her, but Sophie… No…please not Sophie. She’d follow this guy to protect me and keep me from pain. Please Sophie…you need to be strong.
“Oh, I know what you’ll need Kitty,” The Dark Haired Man took his backpack off and looked around in it. After a few seconds, he pulled out a ball gag and a pair of handcuffs. “Here you go…” He grabbed Charis’s paws and rolled her on her stomach, causing her to yelp and cry out in pain. The Dark Haired Man cuffed her paws behind her back, grabbed Charis by the back of the head, and stuck the gag in her mouth. With tears in her eyes as she looked up at him, The Dark Haired Man gave her a small kiss on her small muzzle. “You see kitty, even if you aren’t going to help me voluntarily, you will still help me.” He got out the pokéball and pulled out the elemental pistol. “Okay boys and girls,” the human started. “Let’s see what’s behind door number 1.” He tossed the pokéball and got ready to negotiate for the pokégirl’s loyalty.
**********
Joe was panting hard after he had climaxed inside Jade and did not think that he would be able to move for the next two days. The Recovery Drinks that Alia and Mabella had both given him before he tamed Jade were working wonders for him, but fatigue was finally catching up with him. It didn’t help those drinks tasted like cough syrup mixed with motor oil. Well, Joe thought. Being this is your first, second and third time ever, and it was a complete marathon, I’d say you did okay. The human was having problems keeping his eyes open, so he just decided to keep them closed. Jade was lying next to him and thought he was either sleeping or passed out. Snuggling next him, Jade did a little medical check to see if her master was all right.
“You awake?” Jade asked.
“Yeah,” Joe was slightly gasping. “Just…a little…out of breath.” Jade finished looking over the heavily breathing human.
“Well, you aren’t hyperventilating. That’s good.” Jade stated. “I wanted to be last so I could check on your health after we were done. Just to be on the safe side.” She winked at him. However, Joe did not see it and was only listening to about one word out of every three that the NurseJoy was saying. “Hey, are you listening to me?”
“Mmm hmm,” Joe mumbled. “Healthy.”
Jade leered at Joe, but he still did not open his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Jade started to get dressed back into her nurse uniform. “I’ll be outside with the others. Come out when supper is ready. ‘Kay?” Jade turned to look back at Joe after she was finished, but noticed that Joe was already sleeping. Smiling, she walked out of the tent.
Jade looked at the fire pit and saw Mabella and Alia talking to each other, smiling and giggling. Well, it looks like things have returned to normal, Jade thought. She walked over to them and sat down on one of the large stones the harem was using as chairs. “Well, what are you ‘girls talking about?”
The cat-types looked at their harem sister. “What do you think?” They both asked and started to giggle again.
“He reminds me of Den-Mar back when we first met,” Alia stated. “He was so shy in bed, just like Den-Mar was when he first took me home. I was scared ‘cause I didn’t know what kind of guy he was and he was nervous ‘cause I was so pretty,’ at least that what he said.” Alia said gleaming. “Ah, it was like we went back in time to that first night…” Alia sighed. “It was perfect all over again.”
Jade and Mabella just stared at her. “Well, Alia is back to her old-self again,” Jade stated and sighed. She turned and looked at Mabella. “Are you gonna go all gooey on me too?”
“No,” Mabella stated. “But it was okay…for his second time ever. Where is our lover anyway?” She asked, stressing the first syllable in ‘lover.’
“He’s sleeping,” Jade answered. “I guess I was the one to wear him out,” she stated, jokingly put her fingers on her chest and held her head up proudly. “I guess you ‘girls still have a few things to learn about the male anatomy.”
“WHAT!” Alia screeched. “No I don’t! It’s not far that you got to have him last to tire him out! If it wasn’t for those Recovery Drinks, he wouldn’t have had any energy to even breathe!” Her face was starting to turn a little red from frustration. Alia did not have any fur on her face, if you could call the hair over her body fur. It was more like noticeable white body hair then fur. No one, even a three year old, could make the mistake that Alia was born a ‘domestic.’
Jade and Mabella both broke out laughing. “You’re so clingy to him, aren’t you Alia?” Mabella asked. This caused Alia to calm down a little.
“Well,” Alia ignored the Firecat’s question. “I think we should get ready for the trip back to Bristol. Jade, gather some water and get it boiled. Mabella, you and me will catch some food for supper and breakfast tomorrow.” Alia ordered.
“Got it,” they both said. When Alia and Mabella dashed off into the forest, Jade gathered the canteens and walked over to the stream. She collected the water and checked the fish traps that their group had put out. The traps that contained fish she took out and brought everything back to the inner part of the camp. Smiling, the pokégirl started to clean the fish and boil the water. Jade let out a small sigh of relief. Everything is good again, she thought. Den-Mar may be dead, but we have the best replacement any of us could hope for. Another Den-Mar. Jade smiled and silently hummed a tune. When the ‘girls get back, we’ll make supper and wake Den-Ma… Jade shook her head. I mean, Joe, up, and we’ll all have dinner together. Jade looked up from the fish she was cleaning and asked herself, I wonder who will be with Joe tonight.