12

-== INTERLUDE 12-1 ===-

[May 9th, 306 A.S., Pramesh Residence]

 

The sound of an explosion woke Maya up from her sleep, prompting an annoyed grumble as she hopped out of her bed, tossed on a thin robe, and walked out into the hallway. Making her way down the stairs, she found herself in the kitchen, where, as suspected, Sanaki was standing, her hair somewhat singed, looking at one of her latest gizmos and wondering just what went wrong.

 

Maya sighed. “You know, you have a workroom for this, Mother. Two.”

 

Sanaki chuckled in embarrassment. “Sorry. I just felt cooped up in there. You know. Needed some air.”

 

“Then why are you still indoors?”

 “Ummm...”

 

“Just don't make me clean it up, at least.” Shaking her head, Maya poured herself a glass of orange juice. “Blech, pulp. I thought we agreed to stop getting juice with pulp?”

 

“Well, yes, we did, but you know it's good for you, Maya.”

 

The unpleased expression on Maya's face told all.

 

“We've got mail!” Mr. Pramesh called as he walked in the door, his raincoat soaking wet as the monsoon season began in full force. “Oh, Maya. You're up early.”

 Maya shrugged. “Well, you know. Up with a bang. I'm gonna head upstairs.”

 “We've got another letter from Vikram.”

The tall girl stopped in mid-step. “Really? That time already? I...suppose it wouldn't hurt to see what he's gotten himself into this time.” Snatching up the paper, she began to read it aloud...

 

 

 

 By the time you read this, Dearka, Yzak and I should have arrived in Svadhisthana. It will be my first time in one of the Seven Great Cities, and it would be nonsense to say that I'm not nervous – there is no place for me in the big cities – but I am somehow looking forward to it nevertheless. My first Sadie Pokens (who came up with that name, honestly?) – the day I will truly be a tamer. I hope both Lynn and Zhao stay with me, as I am growing fond of the pair, although I am afraid of what that might mean for me...for us...in a few years time.

 

-==END INTERLUDE==-

* * *

[May 9th, Svadhisthana]

 

 

“Wow! Would you look at this place?! It's huge!” Dearka laughed excitedly as he and the rest of Vikram's team walked in through the massive entryway into the Svadhisthana event grounds – a massive complex, used to host Sadie Pokens and other major league events. Lynn, Zhao, Millie, Shiho, and Rin were all out as well, Sayla and the rabbit being balled for safety reasons, and Traxia taking an extra-long nap. The three, as well as several of the girls, were wearing water-resistant ponchos, soaked by the pouring rains outside of the complex.

 

Already, the complex was filled with figures of every shape and color – thousands of tamers and many, many more Pokegirls were walking around – or flying, or whatever – creating a spectacle which put the comparatively tiny Festival of Colors to shame.

 

“Aaahhh! I can't wait! There's the all-you-can-eat buffet, there's the battle arenas, the shopping booths...” Dearka's smile was wide. “And from the looks of this place, you'd have to be hard pressed to not get some free pussy around here.”

 

Millie bapped him on the head for that one, curling her lips into an exaggerated pout, though her eyes were smiling. “What, is my free pussy not enough for you anymore?”

 

“Hey, I'm still a guy, you know. But rest assured, I could never get enough of your pussy.”

 

“Alright you two love-birds, keep your pants on. We have to go and register first.” Vikram reminded him. “You can go nuts once we have our rooms reserved.”

 

“Oh, come on, man! Way to rain on my parade. Lord DePrae will be here, you know? Don't you want to try and test your skills against him? Win or lose, that would be spectacular!”

 

Even Vikram had to smile at that. “That does sound tempting, but that's all tomorrow. Let's go get the paperwork out of the way, alright? Then we can party.”

 

“I look forward to seeing White Lotus's finest in action, myself!” Yzak grinned, and Shiho's own feral grin was a close match to his own. Those two are waaay too much alike.

 

“Nnn? Who 'Deh-pry'?” Zhao looked over at Lynn questioningly.

 

Slipping past a gaggle of chattering Elves in less-than-covering attire, the group found their way in line for registration. They were fairly long, but thankfully they also moved reasonably fast, and about half an hour later and way more jealous stares from the girls around than Vikram was comfortable with – it was Vikram's turn.

--------

 

He was lead into a side booth, where a nicely shaped girl with a slightly chubby face and long, curly pink hair met him. Sort of. She was looking out the window, up towards the stormy sky. Vikram frowned a moment, before calling out with a “Hello?”

 

The girl...slowly turned around to face Vikram with a slightly surprised look on her face. “...Sneaky. Didn't notice. Sorry.” The girl spoke softly and slowly, giving off a 'kinda there, kinda not-there' feeling. She gave Vikram a vacant gaze, before her eyes widened in understanding.

 

“...Can't feel your thoughts,” she said, lazily looking into Vikram's eyes. “Somehow... refreshing. Here for evaluation...Mysterious Stranger?”

 

'Mysterious Stranger'? “That's correct. I'm Vikram Pramesh. You might as well just give me the questionnaire – as you've noticed, Pokegirls can't read my mind like that.” She's got to be either a Slowboob or a Slowsis. Let's see, easiest way to tell the difference was... Vikram gave a quick glance at the pokegirl's ample chest. Yeah, gotta be a Slowsis.

 

“Mmmm.” The girl gestured towards some stapled papers on the desk. She looked at Vikram for a few minutes as he filled it out. “...like you. Vik...ram... Nice...feeling. Will recommend.”

 Err...thanks?

 

“...Wait.”

 “Busy...now.” The girl slid a small card across the desk. Vikram recognized it as a room service I.D. “Free...later.”

 

Vikram sighed. Another offer. Still...he picked up the card.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, where'd everybody go?” Vikram asked, curious when he noticed that both Yzak and Dearka had left, taking their girls with them.

 

“Gone already,” Lynn replied with a shrug. “You took a long time in there.”

 

Took a long time? But all I did was- “Psychic scans. Riiight. No wonder they didn't wait. Got their room numbers?” Lynn flashed a thumbs up, then tossed him a small, folded piece of paper. “Excellent. C229 and C244, and we're...G314? Bah, we're practically on the other side of the hotel. Well, whatever. Let's get ourselves moved in for the moment.”

 

Leading them towards one of the hotels side elevators, a glass-like (but in truth, vastly stronger and reinforced than any normal glass) contraption sitting in a similarly transparent tube on the outside of the building. Through it, he could see the clouds roil in the sky as the monsoon season began it's vengeance. He walked inside and beckoned the girls to follow him.

 

“Ah. That's right. This would be your first time in an elevator, wouldn't it, Zhao?”

 

Zhao quirked her head to the side. “'Elevator?'...Why are we entering invisible box?”

 

“You're about to find out.” Vikram grinned, pressing a button as the glass doors closed.

 

“....Yeeeeeeek!”

* * *

 

“That *was* mean, master.” Lynn commented, Vikram nursing a stinging cheek. “You're probably going to pay for that tonight.”

 

Sayla, who, now that they were in a less densely-packed area, had been released to accompany Vikram back to the room. “Man, I wish I could have seen that. You really have to do more of these things while I can see them.”

 

“We went up two floors!” Vikram objected. “I thought she would think it was neat. I also thought it was your turn tonight.”

 

“Not anymore it isn't.” Lynn winked. “After *that* level of panic, I think she needs a nice calming down.”

 

“What treachery is this?” Vikram complained, though his eyes were laughing. “Ahh, she's so fun to tease sometimes. Ah, here we go, room G314...huh? Is that...?”

 

A few doors down the hall, another teenage boy walked out of one of the other rooms carrying a number of what Vikram could only guess were a numerous assortment of paper charms, his ice-blue hair and pale skin a match for any Icemaiden. Lynn blinked in surprise, though she grinned as she recognized the face. “It's Ashton!”

 

Vikram walked forward to greet him, but slowed to a dumbfounded pause as he watched Ashton pull out a hammer, some nails, and...began nailing the paper charms around the doorframe. The job done, Ashton gave his handiwork a once-over, checking for...something, before nodding in acceptance. It was then that he noticed Vikram standing nearby, turning his perpetually tired-looking eyes towards the trio.

 

“Oh. It is y-you again. Just making sure my room is s-safe.” Ashton's gaze drifted across the group, pausing for a moment to consider Sayla. “Y-you don't...use her like *t-that*, do you?”

 

Safe from ghosts, maybe, but not the hotel staff. Pretty sure that's illegal, too.

 

“You know, tape probably would have worked just as well.” Vikram commented, before shrugging. “Do or don't, that's not your business. Glad to see you're doing well, too.”

 

Ashton took the blunt remark in stride. “W-Well, not as well as I'd hope, hence my...p-p-precautions. I s-should be p-purified by tomorrow. Don't want to s-scare away my future girls, yes?”

 

 

“No, we certainly wouldn't want that.” Vikram nodded in agreement, beginning to dislike this conversation. “In any event-”

 

Suddenly, the door to Ashton's room opened, revealing the petite, but lush, form that was – if memory served – Ashton's pet Damsel. “Master, I've finished setting up the bed. Oh!” Her eyes few wide open as she recognized Vikram. “You're-”

 

“I SAID TO STAY INSIDE!”

 

With what might as well have been a roar, expression twisting, the Damsel's greetings were cut off as Ashton's hand roughly rushed up to her throat, grabbing her by the neck and tossing her back inside. Almost as quickly as it had happened, Ashton's expression was back to blank normality, apologizing for his Damsel's unsightly behavior.

 

After Ashton left the hall, locking the door behind him, the three in the hall could only share a glance.

 

“That man – Ashty or whatever? - he's got some problems up here.” Sayla tapped on her head. “Beyond apparently being an ass. Well, it should all be over tomorrow. With a master like that, I'd be running to give my ball to the nearest possible guy, no matter how bad he was.”

 

Lynn nodded grimly. The excitement she had felt at recognizing one of the faces here had rapidly vanished. “Ashton Krieg. I don't like him. I don't like him one bit.”

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure I have to be locked away? You know this isn't fair, master!”

 Sayla, in her grown form this time, lay on her stomach on the extra-large bed, complaining bitterly. “Just because of some stupid league rules!”

 

“Sayla, even if the rules weren't rules, I still can't let you run about willy-nilly here. Dark Ladies have a very bad reputation of self-control when it comes to being around Celestial girls, and at something like Sadie Pokens, there's bound to be plenty of those around.” Shrugging, Vikram looked apologetic. “Furthermore, you should know as well as I do the dangers of wandering off when you have that curse on you. There's a lot of people here, including people and girls from all over the league. If there was a place with high odds of running into the target of your 'geas', it would be here. I'm not risking that here. You haven't earned my trust that tightly. It was a risk just letting you out in the walk down the hallway.”

 

“Rnnnngh.” Sayla growled, pouting into a pillow. “You know I hate my pokeball.”

 

Vikram sighed. “I know, I know. You'll just have to bear it for a while. I can let you loose in the room while I'm here, but that's the best I can do.”

 

“Be stuck in this room while everyone else goes around and has a fun time? Screw that.”

 

“Oh dear,” Vikram said as Sayla marched up to her pokeball and shut herself in it. “She's going to be trouble later.”

 

“When isn't she?” Lynn quipped, and Vikram had a hard time finding an answer.

 

 

 

“Come on, come on, come on!” Yzak demanded, nearly plowing through the streets in his straight-backed, serious manner, Shiho ever at his side, with Vikram and Dearka following shortly behind him. Vikram himself wore a strange outfit – tired of the stares from the day before, he had donned a form-covering blue robe, a white cloth mask which kept all but his eyes covered, and a flower-studded turban, hoping to avoid some unwanted attention. (The flower had been at Lynn's insistence.) Judging by the way the pokegirls around him were glancing his way, and the 5^th attempt to be interrupted on route, Vikram was beginning to wonder if all he'd done was accidentally step into a 'mysterious stranger' guise. 

 

 “Come on! We don't know how long he'll be here!”

 

“Calm down a bit, dude, we don't even know when he'll be here. Check out all those shopping booths!”

 

“He is here. Already! I want to witness the power of this man Vikram is so obsessed with.” Yzak said.

 

 

The arena zone was one of the largest sections of the complex, a series of about a dozen small to mid-sized arenas carved out of the ground and fortified with complex metals, reinforced stone, magical protection, and a series of tall walls over the edge through which bystanders could watch – walls of industrial-grade glass, of course. On each end of the arena was a raised platform, connected to the ground above by a staircase. Given the high-power, high-risk combats that often took place within, the League never skimped on safety. The arena itself was wide and varied, over 50ft in diameter, with terrains of numerous types all encapsulated within it, as to provide every pokegirl who might fight within with proper ammunition.

 

“Now, who next brings the challenge?” Innes asked from his place in the combatant's platform, gazing up towards the crowd. He didn't wait long.

“I'll bring that challenge!” Yzak called out, jumping up over the railing and onto the tamer's perch with a bit of help from Shiho, who joined him shortly after. “I challenge you, DePrae of the Nine Gems!”

 

“Wahaha! This one has spirit! Good, good! Your name, challenger?”

 

“Yzak Fule, a son of Edo League!”

 

“Is this your first Sadie Pokens, Mr. Yzak?”

 

“It is.”

 

“Very well! I congratulate you on your success in reaching this far. How many girls do you bring to the challenge?”

 

Yzak held up all of his pokeballs. “Three.”

 

“Three vs three it shall be, then. Allow me to make the opening move!” Tossing a pokeball into the air with a flourish, Innes grinned. “It's showtime!”

 

A girl with long, wild red hair, short red fur, and feline hands and feet appeared into the arena, looking up at Yzak. The Firecat clenched a fist and shook it with a feral grin. “Bring it on, punk!”

 

“Hmph. Only a fire type? Let's do this properly, then.” The heavy form of Yzak's Droido entered the sunken arena, and glared at the relatively puny challenger. “Rin, let's clean house.”

 

“Gladly.” The Droido's face split into a grin that made even Innes's eyebrow rise...and then charged forward like a bullet, a sword of stone jutting from her wrist. The Firecat was caught by surprise, too, barely sidestepping the powerful thrust in time to deliver a mostly ineffective kick to Rin's hardened skin.

 

“Rin! I did not give you the order to...Argh!” Yzak glowered. God damn was this girl hot-tempered! Across the arena, Innes laughed. “Quite fiesty, that one. Lily, evasive tactics. Keep your distance for now.”

 

The two girls began a wild chase across the arena, boulder versus cat. Frustrated, Rin began conjuring spears of thick stone and pelting the Arena, cutting off the Firecat's ability to flee as it liked. The air around the Firecat shimmered as she ran, making her harder and harder to hit, even as bolts of fire rained across the arena and smacked into Rin ineffectively.

 

“Rragh! Get the heck back here, you cat!”

 

“Meoooow~ Make me!”

 

Another volley of Rin's missiles flung across the stage, but the Firecat zipped around them all. As Yzak watched the girl run around the stage, his eyes narrowed as his keen eyes noticed the Firecat's fur...growing, becoming more wild, even as flame increasingly covered her form. And then, the living fireball charged across the arena towards Rin, one hand raised with a flaming fist.

 

The Droido deftly intercepted the wild strike, sending it flying wide and retaliating with a strike of her own, a powerful fist slamming the firecat right in the gut. Rin smirked as the girl spun around from the force of the blow, dropping down several inches...

 

“How do you like THAT, you flaming bitch!”

 

The silver-haired boy facepalmed. Unlike the Droido, Yzak had noticed it. Rin's strike hadn't hit – instead, the Firecat had caught it full-on with her other hand and turned it into a spin.

“DIVIIIIDE-”

 

Yzak facepalmed. “...Hot-tempered idiot.”

 

“-KNUCKLE!” The Firecat's 360 degree spin completed, the force of Rin's strike turned into momentum, smashing Rin's chin with a brutal twisting uppercut. The statue-like girl staggered back, the unexpected, off-type technique smashing through the rock-type's usual defense. Rin growled, preparing to charge forward after the Firecat, but the feline had already backed away, slamming both fists into the ground, a powerful shockwave of earth and flame meeting Rin's charge dead-on, and slamming her up against the arena wall, unconcious.

 

“Ugh.” Yzak held out his pokeball, recalling Rin into the safety of it's confines. “I had the feeling your girls would know moves beyond their normal range, but I should have been more cautious about them.”

 

“Indeed. You can never be sure what you face ever is quite what meets the eye.” Innes said, nodding. “Your move, young Yzak.”

 

“Hrmph. Very well.” For a moment, Yzak considered sending out Shiho to mop up and take care of Innes's second girl...but he held back. The way the Firecat had held back her effective moves until late in the round... “Izumi. It's time to go.”

 

Izumi's short, feathery form entered the arena, still as a statue, occasionally turning her head to stare at the flaming feline in front of her. “...Izumi. Cut her up.”

 

The bird-type's mouth spread into a smile, then shot up into the air, unleashing several razor-sharp feathers down at the Firecat as she ascended. The cat herself growled, dodging the attacks, and returning fire with fire, firing bolts of flame from her outstretched paw. Compared to her combination shockwaves, however, they were minor strikes, and got nowhere near the swiftly moving Rack as she danced around the attacks.

 

Innes watched the Rack climb up into the sky with curiosity. A second girl with volley-based skills? Was the beginner in front of him specialized, or was this an opening to something bigger? “Careful, Lily. You can't strike her from there. Wait.”

 

“Hmph. Go ahead and wait. IZUMI! Change of plans! TWISTER!”

 

Izumi flight path spun into a loop, around and around and around the perimeter of the battlefield, gaining speed and strength with every pass, great gusts of wind following her. Powerful winds whipped the arena below, scattering water from one of the arena's pools all around the area, a storm-in-miniature. The Firecat hissed and scurried for cover, but could find none, as soon the entire arena was covered in an inch of water.

 

“Lord Innes. Please do not make the mistake of assuming you are the only trainer who knows how to use T2 machines. IZUMI!”

 

A caw from above, and the whirling winds instantly began to chill, flash-freezing the water on the ground into a thick sheet of ice. The Firecat roared in rage, intensifying her heat and freeing her feet from the ice in all of a second, but by then, Izumi was already in a dive, a brown-feathered blur that slammed into the Firecat at top speed, sending the already weakened girl flying against the rocks, knocked out. Izumi herself recoiled away from where the Firecat had stood, tumbling across the ice, feathers slightly singed from impact with the flaming Pokegirl. Even so, the Rack slowly stood up and turned to face Innes, not done yet.

 

Innes clapped. “Nicely done. Slow to setup, but it kept Lily tied down long enough to do the job.” He retrieved the Firecat, and held up his second pokeball. “Perhaps this will be more to your liking.”

 

A flash of red, and...a short girl completely covered in a violet robe appeared, even her face and hands mostly obscured by the cloth. Yzak frowned at the strange appearance. A spellcaster of some sort? Out of each sleeve came a long, thin needle-like weapon, and Yzak's fears were justified. Crap.

Which is why both Izumi and Yzak were shocked when the cloaked girl bolted forward, tossing one needle towards Izumi, a long black string of...something...shiny??...trailing it. Izumi dodged to the side, avoiding the pin-point attack, but the projectile turned mid-flight, the string catching on Izumi's wing and causing the needle to whirl around it several times, latching hold.

 

“H-Huh?!” Izumi stared at the string, whipping her wings in an attempt to break free, but the strange, almost goey substance refused to budge. “What the heck is this gunk!?”

 

“...INK.” A bell-like voice replied as Innes's girl flashed behind Izumi, the needle in her hand gone, replaced by an claw-like web of black inky lines that hovered over her hand like an umbra. “KAH!” The girl lashed out with the claw-arm, the claw stretching out from her like rubber and slashing across Izumi's back, causing her to cry out in surprise and pain.

 

“W-What the hell is that thing?!” Yzak's eye twitched. “Izumi! Cut that bind and FLY!”

 

A sharp feather later, and Izumi roared skyward, though not as fast as before, weakened by the claw. Flapping her wings mightily, the Rack sent a great wave of cutting air towards the cloaked girl, causing parts of the robe to tear and shred, and revealed a pale young girl with short hair and a headband. A girl whose body was lined almost in it's entirety with a series of strange and arcane...tattoos?!

 

“She's a TATS?!” Yzak's eyes flew open, cursing himself yet again. “How the hell'd you convince her to put on a robe, you shifty bastard!” He called out towards Innes, a headache forming. “Izumi! Stay away from her!”

 

“Heh-heh-heh. Guess the cat's out of the bag.” The Tats said with a grin, a third needle appearing to replace her discarded one. “Time for some fuuun!” Her hands flashed with mad speed, inking her designs upon the air with her magic before throwing both of the needles up into the sky – needles that soon grew inky wings, claws and beaks like a pair of hunting eagles that soared into the sky after their prey, black trails following them down. “Go ahead! Stay in the air all you like!”

 

“Gck!” I cannot even begin to guess what tricks this guy's girls will pull out next! “Stay focused, Izumi!” Yzak watched the Tats' hands skillfully maneuver the 'birds' like vicious kites – kites that were strung onto her very hands. “Watch her hands! She can't use her needles and the birds at the same time!”

 

“Easy for you to sayy!” Izumi spun down into a dive, trying to avoid being caught by the swooping inkbirds, blowing past them in a rush, claws extended wide as she turned the dive into a wild strike from above. The Tats rolled to the side, avoiding the attack, but Izumi had already whirled about, sending a volley of feather blades towards the Tats, who took the full brunt of the barrage, her needles clattering to the ground as the inky magic she used to manipulate them faded away.

 

“N-Not bad for a bird.” The Tats said with a grin. “S-Sorry, boss. I'm gonna have to pass this one onto you.” And then she was down.

“Hmm. Worry not, friend.” Innes recalled the Tats, Yzak across the arena likewise recalling Izumi. “Done already?”

 

“Phht. Hardly. I have a question for you, Lord Innes.” Innes held out his arm to keep Shiho at his side – the girl looked absolutely itching to enter that arena. “These girls you are using...Are these your personal girls, Sir?”

 

“Heh. Such a question...but I'll humor you nonetheless.” Innes slipped his hands into his pocket, looking across the field at the silver-haired challenger. “These girls are some of my precious pupils, undergoing training at my local gym. I've been given the honor of bringing them out for this event. They are not, however, members of my own harem, nor do I own them.”

 

“I see.” Yzak's eyes matched those of the white-suited man across the arena. He scowled, throwing out his arm to point to the crowd. “You've been choosing girls available to you not to bring about victory, but to be as close of a match to mine as you can find in terms of strength. In other words, rather than fighting, you've been putting on a pretty show for our guests.” Taking a deep breath, Yzak's fists came crashing down on the platform's guardrail, his eyes glaring with a passionate fire.

 

“I have already defeated your first two girls, Lord Innes! Do not do me the dishonor of holding back on me any longer. Even if it is to be my own crushing, humiliating defeat, victory means nothing if my opponent did not truly try! I did not choose to face you to put on a show! Face me with YOUR strength, Lord Innes, the strength that brought you here and now! I will not force my Alpha to endure being used as a pretty showcase for a mere training match! Show me...a real fight!”

 

Innes laughed, and gently raised his hands to calm both Yzak and the stirring crowd, more than a few of which had found the silver-hair's comments grating.

 

“As you wish. In honor of your passion, for this final round, I shall hold nothing back.”

 

Yzak and Shiho's grins regained their feral intensity as the crowd's excitement built to a roar. Innes of the Nine Gems, going all-out?! Innes reached down, and flicked his arm and wrist into the air, a hidden pokeball flying out from his sleeve into his hand, expanding to it's normal size.

 

“Together, let us seek the Truth...Dlanor.”

 

Out of the pokeball came a short girl – almost a child? - in blue finery. Something akin to an inquisitor's outfit of old, complete with ruffled front, though it had clearly been modified into something more appropriate for the times, the pants and shirt replaced with a full-torso, form-fitting tunic, not unlike a swimsuit, and a pair of long leggings, reaching up to mid-thigh. Her hair was a mix of lavender and pink in hue, the hair on the sides of her head done up into harsh, drill-like coils. Most unusual of all was the massive, golden armor plating which covered her entire left arm, something that looked far more suited for a massive knight than something someone of such a tiny size should bear. The girl stared ahead with a cold, blank expression, though Yzak could feel a more than a mere chill when their eyes matched. Even then, he knew.

 

Despite appearances, against a girl such as this, he stood no chance at all.

 

“Dlanor. Show this young man a battle worthy of your truths.”

 

The girl – Dlanor – nodded, her expression curling up into a smirk. “As you WISH.” A long, red blade of light leapt from Dlanor's right hand, a shorter but equally vivid blade of blue appearing in the golden gauntlet that made up her right hand. The small fighter settled down into a low stance, her eyes sending a shudder through those assembled nearby, though they gazed at Shiho, and Shiho alone. “I look forward to your CHALLENGE.”

 

“Heh. Heh-heh-heh. Brilliant. Perfect. Just what we've been looking for.” Yzak laughed, a bead of sweat falling down his chin as he fought to keep his body from trembling. “You ready to stick with me for another one, Shiho?”

 

“I wouldn't dream of anything else!” Shiho responded, pulling up her sheath and replacing her katana back into it, before likewise matching Dlanor's low crouch, her right hand clutching the sheathed blade. Yzak nodded to himself, a smile on his face.

 

They both understood. With that technique, Shiho would only get a single chance to strike. But against this girl...

 

At least they might get that one chance.

 

“Begin.”

 

Dlanor shot forward as if a cannonball, a burst of wind enveloping the field and knocking Yzak back a step. To meet her, Shiho's blade leapt from her scabbard as though it were lightning, and the mighty Dlanor the lightning rod. Flashing metal met the charging Dlanor head-on, red and blue blades bearing down on her. She did not have to dodge. There would be no meaning in it. After all, those blades, Shiho understood, represented the inevitable 'truth' of her defeat. All that she could do-

 

-was strike simultaneously, and take Dlanor down in the counter!

 

Pouring all of her fighting spirit into the single cut, the air was filled with Shiho's battle cry as the shining blade struck it's mark.

 

...and then shattered like porcelain, the hardened steel having all the durability of glass against Dlanor's golden armor. Dlanor's glowing red blade came up, tight against Shiho's neck, while the blue shot forward, aimed directly for her gut. Both blades stopped cold, a pair of perfectly aimed attacks stopping but a sliver away with pinpoint accuracy.

 “You are DEFEATED.” The Warrior Nun intoned, and not a single person there could disagree.

 

Shiho's grip on the now-useless katana handle weakened, and it fell to the ground with a clatter. Dlanor might not have landed a single blow on the Slicer's body, but she didn't need to. Shiho dropped to her knees, all the strength in her muscles lost.

 

“Know that reaching too far is as dangerous as reaching too LITTLE.” Gazing at the Slicer for a moment, Dlanor looked as though she had something else to say, but she turned away. Right now, she probably wouldn't even be heard.

 

The crowd around them burst into cheers and clapping, thrilled by the short, but spectacular battle. At one time, Yzak would have enjoyed those cheers. But now, it was as if they didn't exist. He walked forward, crouching down next to Shiho, wrapping her arms around her. The Slicer looked down at the ground dully, staring with teared eyes at the sundered fragments of her trusted blade.

 

“H-Hicho...I'm...I'm sorry...”

 

“I'm sorry, Shiho. I never thought that...”

 

Shiho shook her head, whiping at her tears. “N-No. This is something...that would have happened someday. I'm glad that it happened now, against a girl like her. Hicho...had a warrior's end.”

 

“Is that the end, young Yzak? You still have your 2^nd girl left, as I recall.”

 

Yzak stood to face Innes. “No...that is enough. Izumi is weakened already, and would fare no better.”

“I see...well, what do you think, boy? Did I live up to your expectations?” The tall man asked, Dlanor standing by his side.

 

“I...thank you, Lord Innes. It is my defeat, but it was a defeat worth having. I see now, how far I've come, and how far I still have to go.”

 

“Well said, my boy. I see the spirit of the phoenix within you. Live like the phoenix, and be reborn with your defeat into something greater. I hope to see what you become someday.” With a soft smile, Innes recalled Dlanor, and left the arena, his cape fluttering behind him, leaving Yzak and Shiho alone.

 

Gathering the fallen remnants of her sword and recalling her into her pokeball for some rest, Yzak walked out of the arena to meet up with the others, but, to his surprise, only Dearka was there.

 

Vikram and his girls had vanished completely.

 

* * *

 

It had begun about mid-way into Yzak's battle.

 

It started off rather weak...a faint, 'static'-like sound that nobody else seemed to hear, and yet sent alien shivers down his spine. Vikram tried his best to ignore it, but soon found that it wasn't going away.

 

“Hey, are you alright?” Lynn asked. She was the first to notice Vikram's troubled expression.

 

“No, I've got some weird headache or something. I don't get it, but it's not going away.”

 

“Do you want to take a walk? Maybe there's something around here which is bothering you.”

 

 “Yeah, but Innes...Yzak's match-”

 

“Will happen just fine WITHOUT you. Come on, master.”

 

By this point, Dearka had noticed as well, and he nodded in agreement. “Better safe than sorry.”

Grumbling, Vikram allowed himself to be dragged away, a small smile on his lips nevertheless as he watched Lynn. I'm proud of her, he thought. It's a greedy thought, but...I hope she stays tomorrow. I'll honestly miss her.

 

It did not take much wandering, however, for the feeling to get worse, like a speaker rising in volume. “Urgh....What the heeeellll...?” Vikram frowned, looking around, trying to understand. They were still in the battle arenas, and there were girls everywhere one looked. Everything was a whirl of movement and color – dizzying...dizzying...

 

“Master? Are you alright?” Lynn's nervous voice seemed oddly far away. A hand (whose?) shook someone's shoulder (his?), and his face turned towards an increasingly panicked Lynn (why?).

 

And then, looking past Lynn, he saw 'it'.

 

“Off! Off!!” Vikram ordered, throwing Lynn's hand from his shoulder, lurch-stepping forward towards one of the arenas and ignoring the objecting complaints from his companions. The static in his head grew worse, but he ignored it. This, here, was important. Very important. He didn't know what it was, but he had to know. Vikram gazed into the arena, where a pair of girls were battling it out with an intense frenzy, his jittery arm holding out his Pokedex in a desperate attempt to know for sure, aiming it at the faster of the two girls.

 

The entry for the 'Tick-Tock' breed flashed on his screen.

 

“A...Tick-Tock...? C-Could it be...” Steeling himself, he stared at the battling Tick-Tock, and focused his senses upon it, allowing his eyes to shifting colors unto the spectrum of 'time' once again. Instantly, the static was gone...

 

...Replaced with a piercing, tearing ringing sound that threatened to split Vikram's mind in two.

 

A strange, twisted world surrounded him, time and space bending in an alien measure. Around the Tick-Tock, time flowed differently, and the sight of two conflicting rates of 'time' was nearly enough to – no, it was definitely enough to make him ill. Vikram swooned, his balance rapidly deteriorating. Like a mic put right up to it's speaker, the screeching sound in his head build upon itself, growing louder and louder, an infinite loop, drowning out even his own screams.

 

And then he collapsed like a cut marionette, Zhao's quick reflexes catching him before he hit the ground, quite unconscious.

 

* * *

 

Some time later, Vikram slowly came to, groaning at the throbbing headache he'd just acquired. Lurching up from his prone posture, he slowly took sense of his surroundings. He was laid out on a cloth couch of some kind, apparently in one of the side hallways of the convention center, away from most of the populace, thus resulting in the constant chatter of people reduced to a soft buzz. Sitting cross-legged across the hallway, Zhao was watching him intently, already shuffling to her feet in one smooth motion. “Biikram! You awake!”

 

Vikram smiled as the chinese girl rushed up and caught him in a hug, which he softly returned. “Yeah, I'm awake. Sorry about that. How long was I out? Where's Lynn?”

 

“Not long. Maybe half hour. Lynn went to buy drinks. Worried you overheated. Should be back soon.”

 

“Aha. Well, I don't think that was quite it, but a drink sounds really good.” Vikram shivered, remembering that...hellish sensation. Was that time magic? Was he so tuned to the way time flowed that he could sense it's manipulation? He winced. Oh, he sensed it alright. Sensed it with the force of a bloody jackhammer to the brain.

 

 

“I'm back!” Lynn rounded the corner of the hallway, carrying several cups. “Oh! Vikram! You're up! Are you okay?”

 

“Apparently, yes. I seem to have an unexpected weakness to deal with now.” Pushing himself up off of the couch with great effort, he took up one of the cups – heavier than it should have been, but green tea, lightly spiced, and delicious – and took a sip.

“Whoa, are you sure you should be moving so fast? That fall of yours was really scary.”

 

“It's alright for now. Well, I still have a headache, but it's more of a dull pain now than a mind-breaking clusterfuck.” Vikram shrugged weakly. “We'll discuss what happened some other time. What happened there today may be a lot more important than it looks.”

 

“I really don't like the sound of that, master.”

 

“Neither do I, but it's the truth.” Downing the rest of the drink, Vikram pursed his lips. “Alright. I think I need to find some peace and quiet for a while. Yzak'll probably be pissed, but I think I'll skip the rest of the fights for the day and head back to my room. Zhao'll help me back. Why don't you go and get some rays up on the roof or in the gardens? I'm sure you could use the extra sunlight.”

 

“Nghh...I can't argue with you there...” Lynn shivered. “I don't really like it when there's so many people around, but...”

 

“Oh, just let them enjoy the show. It's not like there aren't hundreds of other girls wandering around wearing less than you.”

 

Lynn frowned, her hands on her hips. “But I'm naked!”

Vikram merely looked smug. “I rest my case.”

 

“But...but...that makes no sense! Agh! Forget it, I'm going up to the roof before I get a headache.” Lynn slipped away down the corridor as Vikram chuckled.

 

With Zhao by his side, Vikram slowly made his way out of the convention center and towards the hotel, making sure to take a route that kept him as far away from the arenas as possible. Deciding to avoid the elevator, at least for now, they took the stairs up the hotel, soon arriving on the third floor, not far from their destination. A few feet from their door, a timid but determined voice called them from behind.

 

“U-Um! Excuse me...!”

 

Vikram and Zhao both stopped and turned. Ashton's doorway was opened – partly, anyway - and standing there - still inside the room, not even touching the doorframe, was the young Damsel.

 

For the first time, Vikram was able to get a long, clear look at her, and his heart skipped a beat. She was gorgeous – a little on the short side for an adult, but adorably so, her body voluptuous and pale from clearly not getting much sun. The unflattering bondage outfit she wore hid little, though it made her chest – which already seemed disproportionately large for a woman her size – stand out proudly, in contrast to the girl's nervous posture and expression. Her face was soft, a bit pudgy, with long black hair that fell past her ass, with warm, chestnut eyes.

 

The Damsel smiled as she noticed Vikram and Zhao turn around, breathing a sigh of relief, though she looked out the doorway as best as she could, as if making sure no one else was around. Slowly, she took a deep breath...then several...constantly wringing her hands in nervousness...and then finally, she blurted out -

 

“I need your help! Please listen to me!” Her voice was clearly tinged with desperation, and judging by the way that she was acting, it wasn't hard to figure out why. Ashton.

 

It was a bad idea, of course. Vikram didn't want to get into anything troublesome – and he could tell, for sure, that this was trouble. One look at the Damsel's pained expression, though, was all Vikram needed. Oh, what the hell!

 

“Zhao.” Vikram said quietly. “Please go and watch the lift. If you see a man with light blue hair land on this floor, warn me IMMEDIATELY, do you understand?”

 

Zhao nodded, her expression serious, before bolting towards the lift.

 

 

“Alright, miss Damsel. What's the problem?” Vikram felt weird, holding a conversation with a girl on the other side of the door, but...

 

“T-Thank you...” The Damsel nodded. “Y-You see...I, um...Master is sick.”

 

 

“He's...sick?” Vikram stared at the Damsel, somewhat taken aback. Okaaaay.

 

“Yes! It's not...a physical thing, though. He thinks...he thinks I'm someone else. My sister. Or a replacement for her. It's...hard to be sure at times. I'm not even sure if he knows himself.”

 

Vikram frowned. “Where is your sister now?”

 

“She's...dead. Killed as a bystander to a rogue pokebattle, years ago. Master was...heartbroken.”

 

“Oh.” Oh. Suddenly, Ashton's fixation on the occult made a bit more sense. “Please, continue.”

 

“I think...I think...Oh, god. Sir, I think I'm hurting Master. I can't explain it. He's getting worse and worse every month, forgetting who I am and then remembering and going into these rages, hurting everyone!” The Damsel trembled. “I want to help him, but I can't anymore, all I am doing is making things worse. That's why...that's why I need your help.”

 

Oh boy. I don't like the way this is going. “And that would be?”

 

“I-I...I! I thought that if I could take my sister's place, Master would be able to recover. But he isn't! I made a mistake! I think...Master needs to come to terms with the fact that my sister is dead...but he can't do that while I am here! We were twins, see. Exactly identical. I thought...because it's Sadie Pokens, I could give him space, but I just can't go against Master's wishes and give myself to another master. Master has forbidden me to leave the room for any reason, and has even forbidden me from giving my pokeball to anyone else!”

 

Vikram winced. League laws might allow Pokegirls to choose their own masters during Sadie Pokens, but league laws meant nothing to the Damsel, for whom their master's word was effectively sacrosanct. If Ashton had forbidden the Damsel – a breed infamous for it's weak willpower, particularly towards their masters – from giving away herself to anyone else, there was little that she could possibly do about it.

 

Except for one thing...and one thing only. And it boggled Vikram's mind that a Damsel could think of something so completely audacious.

 

“...I see. I think I understand your request now. You realize you're asking something incredibly unreasonable? And that I could potentially get into a great deal of trouble for it?”

 

“Yes! Yes, I know that, but there is nothing more that I can do! I can't even leave the room, and you're the only person I know whom might be able to help!”

 

“You don't even know my name. How can you trust me?”

 

“I know...because your girls always looked so happy.” The Damsel smiled, a warm, cheery expression that sent a nervous blush up Vikram's face.

 

“I...” Vikram simply stood there, stunned for a moment. “I don't think I will be able to help you.” The Damsel's face fell, and Vikram winced. “However, if your Master happens to be out tomorrow during the Choosing, and if the door just happens to be open a crack, and if you there are no other girls around...I might be able to bring you a gift. Do you understand what I am saying?”

 

Her eyes widening, the Damsel stared at Vikram in surprise, but nodded. “J-Just a gift, right?”
 

“Right. Just a gift.”

 

“BIIKRAM! Person comes!” Zhao came tearing around the corner from the lift. “Freaky person comes!”

 

“That's my cue. I hope and your master have a nice day...Miss Damsel.” Vikram winked, before rushing down the corridor into his room, the Damsel...whose name he still didn't know...closing the door behind her.

 

Vikram plopped back on his bed and sighed heavily, Zhao curling up next to him and looking at him curiously. “What you talk about?” she asked.

 

“I do believe she just asked me to steal her.”

 

* * *

 

“Are you crazy?! Help her?! You just collapsed! I thought you said you were the type that wanted to AVOID potential trouble! And here you go just leaping headfirst into it?!” Sayla frowned. “She's either too cowardly to run herself, or she's baiting you. This is a bad idea.”

 

“Don't be absurd, Sayla!” Lynn stared back. “Of course Vikram's going to help her. Besides, we're not *really* stealing anything. We're just helping her choose her own master in the spirit of Sadie Pokens. Right?”

 

“I'm telling you, that guy's not right in the head. Do you think he's just going to take this lying down? If he discovers this, finds out that you took her-”

 

“WE took her.”

 

“...WE took her, then you'd better believe there's going to be trouble!”

 

Vikram sighed, leaning back on the bed. “If we can keep them separated long enough, then there is a chance that Ashton will come to his senses. Personally, I'm rather doubtful of that, but, we will deal with that bridge when we come to it. The fact of the matter is that timing is on our side. If we can do this while the Choosing is taking place, then, as far as the world is concerned, it will seem that the Damsel simply went off and chose her own master like the rest of the girls would. Even if Ashton goes to the police, they hear hundreds of cases like this every year. Some arrogant jerk complains that his girl was stolen and demands that the police return her, even though the reality is that the girl left him fair and square. The police will roll their eyes, and life moves on. If we are careful, there should be very little risk.”

 

“But it's a DAMSEL!” Sayla barked.

 

“A Damsel who is asking for our help!” Lynn barked back.

 

“Nrgh! Alright, fine. That's all well and good. But are you forgetting something? You said this will be taking place during the Choosing, Master. In other words, you'll have no pokegirls capable of doing this, or bailing you out in case things go wrong. They will all be elsewhere.”

 

Vikram snorted. “I think you're the one forgetting something. Even if Lynn and Zhao leave me – which, I repeat, they are free to do – I'll still have YOU, won't I?” Vikram smiled, a wide smile which alternatively made Sayla want to both blush profusely and punch him in the face. “I'll be counting on you.”

 

“You want me to-” Sayla frowned. “I thought Dark Ladies were supposed to be in their balls during the event. You know. Regulations.”

 

“What's this? A Dark Lady that cares more about regulations than orders?”

 

Sayla's expression twisted a bit. I could care less about the damn regulations, the one I'm concerned with is you! You were the one who said you had to be wary of the law! “Very well. I will do as you say. Just know that I don't agree with it!”

 

“That's a good girl.” Sayla couldn't help but huff a bit at the compliment, though she did it mostly to hide her blush. “All it will be is a quick in-and-out. For someone of your skill, that should be easy, yes?” Sayla huffed again. “Excellent.”

 

 

* * *

“Alright.” Vikram looked at his watch. It was nearly 10 am. “The Choosing should be starting right about now.” All three of his girls were out of their balls, a bratty young Sayla moping over in the bed, with both Lynn and Zhao standing by the door. Vikram reached into his pack, and offered Lynn and Zhao their pokeballs.

 

“These are yours. From here on, you are free to go and join whatever tamer you may choose.”

 

The two girls accepted the balls, looking at them quietly. “Why Bikram want us to leave?” Zhao asked, looking confused.

 

“I don't,” Vikram replied honestly. “It's up to you. You can give that ball to any tamer that you want. That's what Sadie Pokens is about – giving you girls the chance to choose your own masters.”

 

“Any?”

 

“Any.”

 

Both Zhao and Lynn exchanged glances, then smiled, and held out their pokeballs in return.

 

“You gave me the choice to stay or leave when we first met, and I'm going to stick by that choice,” Lynn said. “I'm sticking with you 'till the end, Master.”

 

“Zhao too, Zhao too! Zhao not going anywhere without big sis, and Zhao made promise to mother! You not get rid of Zhao that easy!”

 

Both of the girls were shocked when Vikram stepped forward, pulling the two of them into a powerful hug. “Th...thank you...both of you...” Lynn's eyes widened when she realized the man was fighting back tears.

 

“Well, nuts. So much for things becoming quieter around here.” Sayla sighed, plopping back onto the bed and swishing her feet into the air. “Welcome back to the team, I guess.”

 

“Hah!” Zhao pointed a finger at Sayla, still in the hug. “You can't get rid of Zhao that easy!”

 

Vikram slowly broke himself away from the hug and regained his composure. “Errhrm. Well. I think it's about time that we begin the next plan for the day.” Vikram again donned his face-concealing outfit. “Are you ready, Sayla?”

 

“Are you kidding me? I'm beside myself with boredom in here. Let's get this shit done.” Sayla hopped off of the bed, stretching a moment before the two walked out into the hallway, the Dark Lady's form growing and shifting into her true, adult form. The hallway was abandoned, as they had hoped. Now, the question was...would the Damsel carry out her end of the deal?

 

The door was open. Slightly.

 

“Hold on a minute.” Sayla held Vikram back from the doorway. “You don't plan on just waltzing in there, do you?”

 

“Does it matter?”

 

Sayla eyed the doorway carefully. “As crazy as that freak might be, I think his studies might be more thorough than I'd thought. Those silly papers on the door actually work.”

 “They...'work'?”

 

“Yeah. I'm sensing a really slight magic in them...more empathic than designed. I think the room is set up so that he can tell if anyone enters or exits.”

 

“That's...a problem.” Vikram frowned. “Is there any way around that?”

 

“For you? No. I don't think so, not without tearing down the papers, and that's as good as shining a beacon saying 'hello, somebody else entered your room'.” Sayla's grin grew wide. “However, magic like this is meaningless against me, especially such a cheap, amateurish piece of crap that this one is. It won't notice me leave OR enter. Perfect.”

 

“I'll head down the hallway and watch the elevator. I'll 'read a book' or something. I'll alert you if anyone's heading this way.” Vikram nodded towards Sayla and walked away, leaving the Dark Lady to do her work.

 

Alright then, Sayla thought. Let's get this over with. Raising her hand, Sayla reached up to knock on the door. Preferably, she'd just teleport into the room and be done with it, but there was no guarantee that the Damsel was alone (or indeed, even in there), so she couldn't risk such an invasive first move when there might be other witnesses. Slowly, the door opened a bit more, and the damsel peeked out into the hallway, meeting Sayla's gaze with a start.

 

“Yo.” Sayla grinned. “Mind if I come in? My master sent me with something to show you.”

 

“O-Oh.” The Damsel's hands trembled, but she nodded and opened the door, allowing Sayla to walk inside, Sayla closing the door firmly behind her. “U-Um...What is it that...you needed to show me?”

 

“It's a little magic trick. I call it 'Escape from the Closed Room'. Do we have a volunteer?” Sayla spun a finger around and leveled it at the Damsel's nose. “Why, yes we do! Round of applause, everybody.”

 

“U-Um...yeah...about that...I-I'm...not sure if this is a good idea...” The Damsel's trembling was growing more violent, now, as if witness to some inner, mortal terror. “I shouldn't...be doing this...”

 

“Yes, you SHOULD.” Sayla spat. “You need to get away from your master, and your master has to get away from you. So how about you show me where your pokeball is, so that we can do this nice and easy?”

 Well, damn. The poor girl's practically a wreck. Sayla eyed the Damsel closely. She didn't move – well, no, she moved a whole damn lot, actually, but basically stayed rooted in the spot, her hands jittery, constantly fiddling with hair or a buckle on her suit. She grinned as the Damsel's eyes involuntarily jerked towards the desk.

 

“Never mind. I know where it is. For my next trick!” Sayla snapped her fingers, and a pair of shining golden chains shot up from the floor, wrapping their way around the unsuspecting Damsel and easily tying her in place. Stepping up behind her, Sayla whipped a ball gag out of nowhere and quickly gagged the Damsel. After a few moments, the Damsel was secured, the self-enhanced bindings locking her limbs down tight. “There. That was easy,” Sayla commented, bumping the Damsel lightly, causing her to fall to the floor with a thump. Being durable to the point of being ridiculous, and lacking any sort of sense of pain, the Damsel barely seemed to notice, still jittering nervously. “Now for part two.”

 

Putting on a pair of fresh gloves, Sayla gingerly opened a drawer, finding...paper. Paper scraps and random talismans. So. Many. Talismans. On to the next drawer! Junk. Dammit. This will get *complicated* if her pokeball isn't in here! Sayla moved to open up the next drawer, but swore. It was code-locked, which meant it would only open to the card-owner of the room...or to the exact code the card used.

 

Damn! Normally I could just EMP the damn thing and open it, but if we leave any hint that it was forced or damaged, a thief will be implicated! Sayla growled in frustration. We can't let it appear that anyone but the Damsel was in here!

 

 

“Already?! Fuck! Why can't that guy stay away for any reasonable length of time!?” Sayla took a quick look around the room, but there was no sign of the code anywhere. After all, why write it down when you can just use the card?

 

“Damsel! Do you know the code to that drawer?!” Sayla barked, undoing the ball-gag, letting the damsel speak freely.

 

“Y-Yesss?”

“Girl!” Sayla reached out, grabbing onto the Damsel's shoulders tightly. “I'm not you, so I can't tell you what to do! This is your life to live! If you really want to help your master, you have to trust yourself. Can you do that? Forget about trusting me, I don't matter here. Matter of fact, trusting me is probably a bad idea. Wait, scratch that part.” Sayla shook her head and took a deep breath. “ANYWAY!The very fact that I'm here tells me something, and that something, is that you're different. You can't just accept the status quo. Sometimes, the only way to save someone means hurting them first. That's what you thought, right? So if staying here is only going to hurt your master more, there is absolutely no reason to hesitate for one second on this! Your master never forbade you to tell the code to anyone, right? Riiight? Then it's not a problem! If you know the code to that drawer, tell me!”

 

The Damsel jittered for a few seconds, calmed for a moment...and nodded. “C51187Q.”

 

“Atta girl!”

 <Uh, Sayla, you're running out of time! Lynn and I are heading down to the lobby now!>

 “Fuck!”

 

 Sayla rushed over to the console, gloved fingers tapping away at lightning speeds. With a 'click', the drawer opened, and 'lo! A pair of pokeballs. “Crap. Which one's yours!? Red or Blue?!”

 

“B-Blue!”

 

“Premium Ball. Snazzy!!” Snatching up the blue pokeball, Sayla closed the drawers, letting it lock itself again, and then walked over to the Damsel, hefting the scantily-clad girl over her shoulder.

 

“Time to hit the road, honey!” Opening up the door into the hallway, Sayla walked through the door with Damsel in tow, knowing that by doing so, it would trigger the effect of the talismans, alerting Ashton -if not immediately, but once he returned – that a single person, the damsel, had left the room, seemingly of her own accord. No need to even close the door, though the Damsel wound up doing so anyway, apparently loathe at the idea of leaving Ashton's room unbarred.

 

'Nobody' entered the room, and 'only' the damsel left. Who's our witness? Ashton himself. Sayla smirked. Sucker!

 

Recalling the Damsel into her pokeball, it's job done, Sayla smirked, vanishing from the corridor as she teleported away, far away, leaving Sadie Pokens far behind her.

 

 

* * *

“Is that it?” Lynn asked, looking back up towards the stairway as Vikram purchased a mocha drink from one of the hotel vendors.

 

“Well, I certainly hope so. Sayla can't contact me back for a while, so for now, we wait. Sayla's probably going to go off and relax somewhere for a while anyway, so I'll pick her back up from the storage system tommorow. ”

 

“Are you sure we can trust her to come back?”

 

“Mmmm...” Vikram took a sip of the mocha. “...Probably.”

 

“P-Probably?!” Lynn looked aghast, while her tamer merely shrugged.

 

“I don't get the feeling that she's going to run. She's frustrated right now, but rightly so. Hopefully we can clear things out some more while we're on the road, but for now...simply trusting her with this task may help. Sayla seems...very independently spirited, but she's never going to trust us if we don't trust her. She's a smart girl. She'll stick around.”

 

“If you say so,” Lynn replied, looking rather dubious. “Should we go and see what girls decided to join us?”

 

“Hmmm...in a bit. There's still some time left, so let's go grab some food for tonight first.”

 

The two left the hotel, and spent a few hours at a nearby restaurant in food-filled celebration, before Vikram, choosing to travel alone across the convention hall, arrived at the room where much of the Choosing took place to pick up his girls. While handing one's self over in person happened on occasion, usually it happened here in the Choosing Hall, where row after row of desk-sized machines were lined up. Each one had a screen showing a photo of the trainer, their various testing scores and others pieces of information useful for assisting their decisions. In addition was a small pedestal – a girl simply placed their pokeball on the pedestal and activated it, catching themselves and placing themselves into temporary storage for later retrieval.

 

Arriving at his station, he looked at it, scanning his pokedex and his palmprint to open the device...but it refused to budge. On the screen, Vikram could see only 2 words.

 

'TERMINAL LOCKDOWN'.

 

“...What the hell?”

 “...Are you Vikram DePrae?” A woman's voice rung out behind him. Turning around, Vikram was surprised to see a Jenny, wearing a uniform of Sadie Pokens Security, apparently waiting for him.

 

“I am. Can you explain why my terminal isn't working?”

 “We've shut it down for the moment.” The Jenny replied, revealing her badge. “Please come with me, Mr. Pramesh. Security needs to ask you a few questions.”

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Chapter 12: Sadie Pokens - End

Notes:

 

Harem Lineups:

Vikram Pramesh – Tamer

No Alpha.

Lynn – Boobisaur

Zhao - Amazonkapoeraa

Sayla – Dark Lady

Dearka Lensman - Tamer

Milliaria – Cameragirl <Alpha>

Traxia – Guntit

????? - Minitop

 

Yzak Fule - Tamer

Shiho – Slicer <Alpha>

Izumi – Rack

Rin - Droido

 

Important Pokegirls:

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Normal/Magic

Frequency: Rare, Uncommon (Crimson League, Blood League)

Diet: Human-style diet

Role: Sexual exploration, Ego-stroking, Domestic roles, Target Practice

Libido: High

Strong Vs: Ghost

Weak Vs: None

Attacks: Sing, Cheer, Cry, Dodge, Once More, Helping Touch, Cure, Cura, Overwhelming Attraction

Enhancements: Enhanced Endurance (x6), Enhanced Durability (x60), Advanced Regeneration, Pheromone release

Evolves: Berserker (Shield Stone)

Evolves From: Ingenue (orgasm)

 Perhaps no Pokégirl is quite as strange as the Damsel. Damsels are well known for two things – their incredibly submissive demeanors, and their near-indestructible bodies. Formed from the common Ingenue via orgasm evolution, they have had their share of controversy over the years. Some say Damsels were made to insult women. Others say it was to fill a sense of need for females of this type, since the vast majority of Pokégirls have personalities that are the polar opposite of this breed. Others say that Sukebe was so fucking nuts by the end of things he had little idea of what he was making.

 Damsels are generally slender, dainty Pokégirls that have very curvaceous bodies, with slender waists, breasts averaging an E-cup in size (with D-cups being the recorded minimum), flawless features, and long, silky hair.

 Damsels have a very submissive mind-set, to put it mildly. They will submit to almost any will stronger than her own - which is just about anyone who isn't a Damsel – with or without a Bond of any sort. Thankfully, Damsels that have Alpha level bonds or higher can resist commands and orders of people who would give Damsels orders that her master would not approve of, and Delta-bonded Damsels can resist the orders from anyone but her master and those her master approves of.

 

Damsels are very loving, affectionate Pokégirls, always ready with a compliment or kind word. They get stressed out easily, and are easily frightened as well. Researchers are unsure of how or why Damsels are content to be so submissive or selfless – the current theory is that acting in that manner actually helps calm and relax Damsels, which may account (in part) for why they so quickly become stressed under some conditions and why it is so difficult for them to act contrary to thier usual manner. It is important to note that, whenever so stressed or afraid, Damsels emit a powerful pheromone that draws Ferals towards her and makes her a priority target. If the Damsel is also aroused, the pheromone changes, and acts as a powerful aphrodisiac instead.

 

Damsels have almost invulnerable flesh and can take damage that would otherwise maim, kill, obliterate, and generally destroy anything short of (and sometimes, beyond!) a Widow. Unfortunately, they are totally inept at battling, having a powerful mental-block against aggressive behavior or harming others, on top of the natural stress such action would place upon them. For years, the remaining scientists in the world were at a loss as to why Damsels were so overwhelmingly hard to kill, until they discovered that Damsels, in addition to having no sense of pain, and a heightened sense of pleasure, had an incredibly advanced cellular regeneration ability, letting them recover from obscene amounts of damage. It is theorized that they cannot become Penances, but no one is willing to test this theory. Dominas and their evolutions adore them, as they can do whatever they want to them and get a reaction that pleases them. Conversely, Pokégirls such as Psi-Dykes hate Damsels with a passion for their submissiveness.

 

People saw little use for the breed at first, but many uses began to arise for them. Damsels are immensely popular in domestic roles and as Pets, as they are entirely non-threatening, willing to please (both sexually and not), possess minor healing talents, and are not clumsy, ditzy, or cranky like many other commonly domestic Pokégirls. Even in the more hard-line Anti-Pokégirl leagues, this is one of the more acceptable Pokégirls to keep as a pet, though some will still question the owner's character.

 

Damsels are not commonly seen in a Tamer's harem for several reasons, not the least of which is that they are pointless in battle. They are not, however, without their uses. As mentioned earlier, they can be used for keeping Dominas busy and getting their focus away from dominating the harem. Some Tamers use Damsels as training targets for weaker Pokégirls, as they can take a lot of punishment before getting tired out. Still others keep them around for their healing talents, finding them useful in a pinch. Another favorite use for Damsels is tying them up and using them as bait for randy wild Pokégirls. This use is generally discouraged, but efforts to put a stop to it were quickly abandoned, as finding the Tamers doing it proved to be a pointless endeavor. Because of the Damsel's heightened sense of pleasure, they are poor sex-battlers, though their endurance means that – even if they do orgasm - they can keep going for long afterwards.

Capturing a Damsel, should one somehow stumble upon one in the wild, it truly a joke. If the Damsel doesn't have a bond or is Feral, simply telling her that you're her master now and that she should hold still while you capture her works. If not, find a way to hold her down and attack her, as Damsels are not very strong, and hope that the Damsel will get exhausted before your Pokégirls do.

 Thresholding into Damsels is rare, but not unheard of.