Ch.09 Unacceptable Losses

 

Cerulesbian City, one of the few beacons of pokégirl rights in the Indigo League. It was cloudy but the sun was peeking out in the morning sky. Tamers and pokégirls were out in groups taking in the morning sun. Marco and his harem teleported in by a pokécenter and started walking from there. Instead of getting breakfast from the office they decided to go out to eat. The conversation was light and Marco was enjoying his juice while trying to recover from the previous night’s activities.

 

"You look exhausted; you didn't have too much fun did you?" Joke Jean, who was about to attempt to cram her second steak into her stomach.

 

"All I can say is that she's enthusiastic to say the least." He stated plainly and moved his shoulder to work out the stiffness.

 

Henrietta set down her coffee and looked over to Carrie. "So how was it?" The Penance went into a storm of sign language that was almost too much for her to keep up with. At the end Chesra almost couldn't stifle her laughter and Henrietta was gawking open mouthed. Carrie simply nodded with far too much vigor for the early morning and Kelly grinned in delight at Marco's expense.

 

Ashley was looking back and forth between the two of them with a bewildered look. "What did she say?"

 

"I'll paraphrase with simply, ridden hard and put up wet." Said Chesra as she willed her composure back into place.

 

The sound of Marco clearing his thought got their attention and they settled back down. "Yes, it was a wonderful and fulfilling night. On to today's plans for battle, Henrietta you're going to start, Carrie you've got the second today. Ashley, you’re our trump card. I know we didn't get a chance to review like we should have, but I have faith in all of you."

 

"Actually Marco, I got everyone together, we went over the normal composition of the harems that the four Gym Leaders possess. Are you sure you want to use Carrie, she wasn't briefed like the others." Chesra plainly stated.

 

"Yep, you weren't there for the briefing for the last gym battle and you did fine. You were out for the same reason she was." He chuckled when she started to blush and looked away.

 

"That was different, I didn't need to be there, and I’m a much bett..." She stopped her statement short and looked down at her plate. "My apologies, I didn't mean to question you."

 

"Huh? Now see here, each and every one of you has the right to question anything I do or say. Especially you Chesra. If I can't convince my advisor that my plans are sound then it's no good. Look, even if I'm supposed to be the brains that doesn't mean you don't have them or can't use them. Chesra, I know you and Henrietta are the strongest in the harem, and some of the best in Avalanche. But we need to give the others a chance to fight and come into their own too."

 

She looked back up and nodded her head before looking to Ashley. "It happens to the best of us too; remember that overconfidence and an ego are not good things to have. I'm sorry if I offended anyone here with what I said."

 

The Nogitsune crossed her arms and looked away in a huff. "Well I'm still offended and why don't I get to fight? Am I not good enough to take on the Gym Leader?"

 

"You don't get to be offended.” Marco said with a laugh. “The reason you don't get to fight is simple, you won't be there."

 

"And why is that?"

 

"In a strangely grand gesture by my mother, which I'm sure will come back to haunt me, I mentioned the salon you wanted to get your hair done at to her and she got you an appointment. After this we’re dropping you off then you can meet us at the gym."

 

"Oh it's going to bite you when you see the prices, I've had my hair done there before, and it’s a good thing we get paid so well." Chuckled Kelly.

 

Marco shook his head in disbelief. "On that note, to keep from making a scene, I will be outside when you pay."

 

After breakfast they continued on their way. Marco's pokédex seemed to be alive, every few seconds it would buzz from someone attempting to check his stats. Even though his harem composition was hidden it listed the number of battles he had, with such a low number it made him look like a rookie who got lucky a few times. On the off chance a tamer would look interested the sight of the Penance would ward them off.

 

Eventually they made it to the Pretty Woman Salon and Marco's eyes bugged for a moment. The line was around the corner and the building it's self was huge. Both human women and pokégirl stood waiting for the line to progress and it was moving along at a snail’s pace. Across the street was a sports bar, a safe haven for the men forced there against their will or better judgment. At the front of the building he saw two signs that gave him a little hope. The first was marked [Walk-in] and its line had disappeared around the block some time ago. The other was marked [Appointments] and was much shorter. To save the others the wait Marco put them back in their pokéballs, except for Kelly, and got to the end of the line with Jean. An hour had gone by and the sun was out in all its hot glory, luckily the sidewalk was lined with tents for shade. The receptionist greeted them with a cheerful smile when they finally made it inside the air conditioned building.

 

"Afternoon and welcome to Pretty Woman Salon you have an appointment today?"

 

"Yes, under the name Vana Readman."

 

The young ladies eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment. "Ah yes the Queen of Diamonds, your pokégirl will have a lovely time, she ordered the full treatment. That's hair, nails, facial, massage, and a mud bath using water taken from Mt. Moon."

 

Marco idly scratched the top of his head. "I see, and just how much is the full treatment?"

 

"All reservation are paid for in advance, but to answer your question 100,000 SLC."

 

 

 

His jaw hung open for a moment as he tried to fathom the idea of paying that much. "Mother must really like you." He reached into his pokepack, pulled out a clip of SLC, and handed it to Jean. "Be sure to tip them well."

 

"Thank you idio... Maste... Marco." She stammered, trying to find the proper way to address him.

 

"You’re welcome, just have a good time and come to the gym when you’re done.”

 

Marco and Kelly walked off without another word and continued on their way. They didn't talk much, just enjoying each other’s company. Miles down the road they came to the enormous gym. Much like the Pewtit gym there were statues and a very large fountain. This time water was the theme and various water pokégirl statues lined the wall, each being donated by Brock Stuart.

 

"The man really gets around." Joked Marco as he wondered if Brock had slept with the famous Sensational Sisters.

 

"Well he is a Gym Leader, I'm sure they talk to each other. Now let's get you..." Kelly finally noticed the four booths; all of them had fairly long lines except for the last one, which was empty. "You can register at that one."

 

Behind the desk sat a barely awake Ingenue. Her eyes were glazed over in boredom and her body was showing the end of a long pregnancy. He knocked on the counter lightly causing her to stir. "Excuse me, I would like to register for a gym battle can I do that here?"

 

She quickly shook herself awake and straightened up. "Sorry about that, they put me on the desk and I'm bored out of my skull... are you sure you have the right line?"

 

"Pardon me?"

 

"I didn't mean to offend but this is the expert line, see" She pointed to a sign hanging down overhead. Each booth was rated by level of the Gym Leader they would be facing, with the order going Lily, Daisy, Violet, and Kasumi. "You're currently in Kasumi's line, most of the people who faced her before are in the first two lines now."

 

"Oh, I see now, no offense taken. We're a lot tougher than we look so sure, we'll take on Kasumi."

 

"Excellent, she will be thrilled to have a challenger today. All I need is your dex sir." She took the offered pokédex and plugged it into her computer, immediately the screen flashed and his information came up along with a note. "Oh... one second sir." She pushed a small button to the side of the console and waited. A few minutes later a petite redhead walked in from the back office. Her yellow swim shorts and black tank top with yellow over-shirt kept most of her body covered. "Miss. Kasumi, this is tamer Marco Readman."

 

"So you’re the one that gave old Brock a beating, I'm Kasumi Lizuka, welcome to the Cerulesbian City Gym."

 

"Marco Readman, it's a pleasure." He took her hand and bowed before giving it a kiss. "Brock never mentioned how attractive you were, had I of known I would have tried to make it here sooner, oww." He yelped, rubbing his shin where Kelly kicked him with his other foot. "This is Kelly, she's here to watch the battle, and keep me from hitting on people."

 

"Yep, charming guy, with a strong and aggressive harem. You are exactly how Jasmine described you. Unfortunately, flattery will get you nowhere with me."

 

"You have to excuse my tamer; he has a thing for pretty redheads."

 

"You’re in his harem; you looked kind of young to be a pokégirl. No offense though, I hate to be called scrawny so my sisters take delight in doing so. You’re defiantly not a Chibi… I’m guessing from one of the magical lines?"

 

Kelly stifled her irritation at the girl, she wasn't more than a handful of inches taller than her and knew what it was like to be picked on. "My work normally keeps me busy and away so I don't get to travel with him often. I'm a Duelist so at my age I won't be getting any taller. But I am the Alpha, most don't bother me about my appearance anymore."

 

"Good, Marco I have a proposition for you. We have a time slot on PSN, it normally runs prerecorded videos of my sisters boring water shows and contest battles. At 8 o'clock tonight I want to run a live battle with you to get some ratings and show these weaklings how real tamers fight. I watched the video of your battle with Brock so I know your girls got what it takes, are you willing to do this?"

 

Marco looked stunned for a second then gave it a little thought. "Sure, I can help you out... on one condition."

 

Kasumi gave him an appraising look up and down. He was definitely more hansom than Jasmine described. "If you give me a good battle I'll consider sleeping with you."

 

The angry look Kelly gave him made his blood run cold for a moment as he put his hands up. "No no, though I am flattered... and slightly disturbed that you would think that of me. I'll do it if I can get the rest of my team tickets into the stands. Do we have a deal?"

 

"Deal, come back at seven and we will have everything set up." The tiny redhead shook his hand again and walked off; just before she got to the door she turned her head. "The offer still stands if you give me a good battle."

 

‘There’s that look again.’ Marco thought as Kelly glared at him. “What, I didn’t do anything this time.”

 

“Oh you know what you did, and now I’m going to have you make it up to me.”

 

“Whatever you want.”

 

“Good attitude, so were going to go back to the office, let the others out, then we’re going back to your apartment. And when we get there, you’re going to do everything you did to Carrie, to me.”

 

“As you wish my queen.” He said mockingly before running his fingers through her hair. They both had almost forgotten about Ingenue staring at them. “Sorry about that… we’ll be going now… congratulations on your pregnancy… um… bye?”

 

 

 

“It’s fine, though talk like that was how I got pregnant in the first place. Wou two have fun, and thank you sir.”

 

“Oh, one more thing,” Marco paused as a thought hit him.  “A pokégirl should be coming here looking for me. She’s getting the full treatment at Pretty Woman Salon. When she gets here can you tell her to go back to the office?”

 

"Sure thing, I'll make a note for the others."

 

Marco took Kelly's hand and they both teleported away. Just then the doors to the gym opened and Minerva walked in looking around. She checked the signal tracker and let out a string of obscenities fit to make an old sailor blush. The gentleman had closed all of her SLC cards and she was forced to make do with the little bit of cash she had on her. Not to mention the lack of taming she was getting. Suffice to say, she was quite frustrated. Now she would have to call in and say that she found him and lost him again.

 

"This fucking blows, fucking teleporting bastard, god damn it. I may as well ask around... but who hasn't seen me yet." She looked around and spotted the empty booth at the end. She had never talked to her before. "Excuse me, I'm looking for tamer Marco Readman, have you seen him."

 

"Yes ma'am, he just left not too long ago. Your battle is scheduled at 8pm tonight but he said to go back to the office."

 

Minerva tried to hide her confusion at the situation but couldn't help herself. "He was expecting me?"

 

"He said one of his girls was at the... salon... are you one of his girls?"

 

She made a snap decision and decided to go along with it. "Yeah, sorry, I thought the battle was going to be earlier. My appointment got pushed back so I came to find him. Thank you for your help." She dashed out of the building and started dialing her phone.

 

"You're early for your check in Minerva, what do you want?"

 

"Sir, Readman is finally in Cerulesbian, he has a gym battle at 8pm tonight."

 

"Good work, I'm turning your cards back on. I'll send a team to the outskirts to set up ambushes. Meet up with them and take command when you find them."

 

"There may be a problem with that sir. As far as I can tell he’s using teleportation to get around at times. His pokédex signal was here and then it was gone."

 

"Well we already have his time table; we can attempt a capture after the battle. Call me again when you make contact with the team."

 

"Yes sir, thank you sir (click). Finally I can go back home, this entire thing has been a disaster." She could feel eyes on her again, the same feeling she had been getting everyday ever since she left. "I know someone is out there and when I get my hands on them it won't be pretty."

 

Delilah stepped out of the shadow of a nearby building, “You are right Minerva, it won't be pretty."

 

_____

 

 

 

Night had fallen and everyone made their way back into the gym. The entire Avalanche unit was in attendance and already seated. True to her word Kasumi had secured seats for them, though they never expected to be in the VIP booth.

 

Marco and his harem were in the locker room and getting suited up for the event. He'd already met with the announcers and made sure that they got the names right for his girls. He was still a little unsettled with what Jean had told him earlier.

 

~"Are you sure we spoke to the same girl?"

 

"She was pregnant; yeah I'm pretty sure it was the same one. She said some pokégirl with black hair asked about you and claimed she was in your harem. She didn't get a name or anything. Is there something wrong?"

 

"No, not right now. We can worry about it later. Go ahead and get dressed."

 

"Do I have to, I'm not going to be fighting today."

 

"Yes you do, we're a team and we dress like one... your hair looks great by the way."~

 

The sound of knocking jarred him out of his trance as the door opened next to him. "Mr. Readman it's time, please get to the challengers entrance as soon as you can."

 

"Okay we'll be right there. Ladies it's time, Kasumi and her harem are on a hot streak, let's bring it to an end."

 

The stands were packed for the televised pokégirl battle. Humans and pokégirls were already cheering and getting pumped up. In the VIP box Marco could see the rest of the unit being just as rowdy as ever in anticipation to see their sisters go into battle.

 

The field they would be fighting on was a wonder all itself. An island platform surrounded by water and suspended by bungee cords, it was stable at the moment but the second people started moving around it would shift and areas would submerge. The borders were made from pokégirl resistant glass made to weather most attacks and keep the water inside. In actuality the field was one giant tank that would raise and lower if the fighting girls went into the water.

 

"That's right ladies and gentlemen we have a live pokégirl battle for the Cascade Badge tonight on PSN the Pokégirl Sports Network. Here comes the challenger and his harem now and they are looking fierce, right Riko?"

 

"Yes they are Greg, yes they are. The rules for this match are simple as always: weapons are allowed, guns; only if they are a part of the pokégirl, when a pokégirl is knocked out or recalled she is out of the match, no substitutions are allowed, the first to three rounds is the winner. The challenger is new to the pokégirl circuit and started his tamers journey at the ripe age of 26."

 

"That's right, tamer Marco Readman from Foreplay Island, and his harem: Jean a Nogitsune, Ashley a Peekabu, Carrie a Penance, Henrietta the CalamityJane, Chesra the Armsmistress, and Kelly a non-combatant Alpha Duelist. What do ya say about that Riko?"

 

"That is quite the lineup Greg, but he has his work cut out for him because here comes the Gym Leader Kasumi. Even though she's small she brings a lot to the arena as the toughest Gym Leader here. I believe she still on her streak of seventeen wins in a row. For those who don't know her and her harem we have the lineup for you. Caroline the Vaporita, Ariel the Seabra, Mariacha the royal Queenler, Sandra the Orcunt, Patty our awesome Dalmation, and the Alpha dog Sapphire the Foxxsea."

 

"Man he's in for a tough time, what are your predictions for the match."

 

"I think his Peekabu holds the key to his victory but if she comes out too early she may be too exhausted by the end."

 

"That’s true but if she gets the early lead he can take over and wear Kasumi down. Never mind that, everybody ready cause here we go!"

 

Their starting pokégirls were already on the island; Henrietta had taken her spot across from Sandra. They both were keeping their balance and waiting for the countdown timer. Unknown to Henrietta, Sandra already had her plan in motion, shifting her weight back and forth to get the platform rocking. The buzzer sounded and she jumped high into the air, avoiding the gunfire that Henrietta released. With a flip she hit the water and dove under the platform causing a wake and Henrietta to shift backwards. In a rush Henrietta ran to the center where her balance would be better.

 

"Sandra is building up some speed under the water and the field is really moving now, if Henrietta isn't careful she's going into the drink."

 

In the water the Orcunt was circling the bottom of the tank and building up a whirlpool. She suddenly changed direction and shot straight up into the corner, tilting the platform and sending Henrietta sliding down the side. Before she could hit the water she pulled out the whip she had stashed in the back of vest and slung it out with a crack. It wrapped around one of the tense bungee cords and she swung back in, face planting against the platform before it tipped to the other side and settled down.

 

“That was an incredible save and quick thinking by the Calamityjane, more importantly, where did she pull that whip from? It’s at least twenty feet long.”

 

“Well Riko, when you actually wear clothes you can hide things like that.”

 

“Well… you don’t really need clothes to hide stuff.”

 

“… Henrietta is back on her feet and looking irritated, as long as Sandra is in the water she’s at a huge disadvantage.”

 

Marco was thinking though his options and had finally come up with a plan. “Rietta, if she does that again go along with it.”

 

“Are you insane, I won’t last long down there.”

 

“The moment she makes contact with you, bring both of you back to the top… high to the top.”

 

Sandra was circling the bottom at an even greater speed than before. The whirlpool was starting to suck the platform down this time and the bungees were straining to keep it afloat. The Orcunt touched the bottom then shot up, ramming the platform and launching Henrietta off the side. With a flip she planted her feet on the edge of the tank and launched herself into the water in a dive.

 

"Uh oh it looks like Henrietta is in the pool; this is where Sandra does her best work."

 

"I don't know Greg, that looked like a planned move to me."

 

The mechanical platform raised the tank so the spectators could see what was happening. Under the water Henrietta ditched her 9mm and summoned a revolver before she stared firing shots. Nothing was impacting but it was keeping the Orcunt from making a straight line for her. On the sidelines Marco's harem were holding their breath in anxiety. The fight wasn't going in their favor at all but Marco seemed to have a plan.

 

"Hey Chesra, why did she change guns when she went into the water?" Asked Ashley.

 

"She explained it to me once before. Even though she summons her weapons they still have to follow the properties of the original design. She said that handguns with slides are bad to use underwater, the shell casings get stuck and the gun jams, or it may still have pockets of air stuck and could explode. Revolvers are sturdier, don't trap air as easily, and the shell casings are stored in cylinders."

 

"I guess that makes sense."

 

Back in the tank, Henrietta had finally run out of air and had to resurface. Sandra picked that moment to attack, tackling her and taking her on an unwanted tour of the tank. The Orcunt was building up speed again and launched them both out of the water in a high arc, completely clearing the width of the platform before going back down with a splash. Henrietta was barely able to keep her eyes open with the speed they were going at. She was able to focus just long enough to see they were about to hit the bottom and in an instant both girls were gone.

 

The speed was still maintained when they reappeared overhead and came crashing down with a thump and a crack. The platform submerged then came back up, launching them a short distance before they tumble to the ground.

 

"That was incredible, Henrietta pulling the old switcheroo on Sandra and both look like they took some heavy damage."

 

Henrietta was clutching her right shoulder and rolling on the ground in pain. "MOTHER (beep)!"

 

"And as always we would like to thank Psychic Censors for providing a family friendly viewing experience. That's Psychic Censors for saving the psyches of our sensitive and suggestive fledgling spectators."

 

"Riiight, thank you Riko. Both fighters seem to be in a daze but the CalamityJane is the first back to her feet."

 

Henrietta didn't have time to be injured; her opponent had taken the worst of the impact. In a desperation move Sandra created an ice wall keep them separated, she was limping after landing hard on her knee. Henrietta decided to press the attack anyway, punching a hole through the barricade and launching herself at the Orcunt. With her secondary arm disabled she was still dealing vicious blows to the girl’s body. That was until Sandra dropped to the ground and fired a water gun attack that sent her back through the ice wall, shattering it completely. She made the attempt to get back into the water but was halted when the whip latched around the foot of her bad leg and she was pulled back to the center of the field.

 

"It doesn't look like Henrietta is going to give her opponent the chance to swim away this time. The two girls are locked up again and this looks like the first round is almost at an end."

 

Sandra managed to overpower Henrietta and had her pinned to the ground in preparation for a point blank water gun attack. Before she could fire though the sound of a gun shot went off through the arena. Sandra clutched her side and rolled over, though her body was dense the bullet impacted her ribs were surly broken. Henrietta didn't hesitate for a second, firing two more shots to the same spot. She stood over the writhing girl before planting a foot on her bruised chest and leveling the gun off at her head.

 

Her fire red braid had come undone and she was exhausted, she glared into the eyes of Kasumi. "Recall her now! Or else I start at the bottom and work my way up." The return beam fired and the Orcunt was removed from the field.

 

"That was a heck of a turnaround for the Calamityjane Henrietta. She put her tamer on the board, taking the first round."

 

"Marco must be proud after that gritting display of determination. I sure am happy I wasn't in there with her. We are going to a commercial break and when we return we have round two of the Gym Leader battle."

 

The referee made his way over to Marco's box. "We are on a commercial break, no healing but you can talk to your pokégirl before the next round."

 

Marco waved Henrietta to come over and she looked about dead on her feet. "Good job with that first win, how are you feeling?"

 

"My fuckin shoulder is dislocated… again, I can still fight but it hurts like a bitch... this is all your fault ya know."

 

"I didn't say to teleport when she reached max speed. Hey Ref, can I fix her shoulder?"

 

"As long as there is no healing involved, better make it quick, the next round is about to start."

 

"Great, take a deep breath." The loud pop and snap of something going back into place could be heard throughout the stadium, as well as her high pitched scream. "All better, now get back in there." He gave her a firm slap on the ass to get her moving.

 

"And we are back with round two of this battle for the Cascade Badge. Tamer Marco Readman is facing off against the red hot Kasumi Lizuka. Henrietta has taken the early lead for Marco, besting the tough Sandra in a stunning victory."

 

"Now she's going up against Mariacha, hopefully her injuries from the last battle won't be giving her too much trouble. There's the buzzer and it's time to start round two."

 

Henrietta had faced a few Queenler in her time but never ones at the level Mariacha was at. From behind her back she pulled two whips and cracked the right one. Her arm stiffened for a moment then relaxed, she wouldn't be able to get too much use out of it.

 

Mariacha stretched out before forming her carapace armor. "Hey, you’re pretty good. Got enough energy left to take me on?"

 

"There's only one way to find out, how about you get a little closer and we figure it out together?"

 

"That's ok, it feels safer over here."

 

"Spoil sport."

 

"The two combatants are staring each other down and gearing up of the fight."

 

Mariacha opened the fight with a water gun attack. Henrietta was barely able to avoid the blast of water and countered with suppressive gunfire trying to move forward. Unfortunately for Henrietta, the Queenler sped forward also and struck with her oversized claw, knocking her backwards. She rolled back onto her sore shoulder and winced in pain before snapping her whip out and striking the claw. Though no damage was done Mariacha noticed a faint purple line on her carapace, one sniff told the story of what the substance was.

 

“Poison? I believe Henrietta just tried to poison Mariacha, but can she get around that armor. ”

 

“That right Greg, most people forget that first and foremost, Calamityjane are poison pokégirls and can do some nasty things with a whip.”

 

“Just like you at the New Year’s party... sorry.”

 

“It looks like Henrietta is starting to run out of steam. Will Marco recall her now, or will he give her the chance to do more damage.

 

Henrietta took the full force of the water gun attack and slid back to the edge of her side of the field, her head dipping into the water and waking her back up. She sprung back forward on to her feet and shook her head, her eyes were going in and out of focus.

 

Marco pounded on the glass to get her attention. “Rietta, do you want to me to recall you now?”

 

“No! Let me get one last shot in, then Carrie can take over.”

 

It was hard to tell whether it was the strain of the battle or the water but she was starting to turn green and then a shade of purple. Her body appeared to drip with poison as she readied her final attack. Mariacha was faster by a significant margin and she had an entire pool of water at her disposal. Suddenly Henrietta broke into a mad dash straight for the Queenler, who countered with a hydro pump. It was just as the Calamityjane had hoped for, mere moments before the impact she teleported and reappeared at full speed charging her target and knocking them both into the water. The water around her body tinted purple from the poison she was emitting.

 

“That was an amazing move, Riko, have you ever seen that done before?”

 

“Yes Greg, that was Venom Rush combo with a teleport. Smart thinking as a last ditch effort, the CalamityJane doesn’t appear to be moving.”

 

“And there is the capture beam taking her away. The crowd is on their feet after such a valiant battle. Mariacha is out of the water but looks like she is in bad shape; the last attack has left her poisoned for sure.”

 

“Yes, but that’s the end of round two. At one to one the score is all tied up and we are going to commercial.”

 

On Marco’s side of the field Henrietta was being healed by Kelly. They were all careful not to get too close to her, there were still remnants of the poisons she used on her body. Her forehead had a nasty lump where she impacted against the oversized claw during her tackle. “You did a great job out there. How ya feeling?”

 

“Ugh, like crap, I’m pretty sure I managed to poison her though. If you’re still planning on sending Carrie in, she should have a better chance than she did before. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be fine.”

 

“Good, I’m proud of you, it was a tough fight but you got some good shots in. Take a break, Carrie you’re up.”

 

From the other end of the arena Kasumi was shouting to get Marco’s attention. “Hey Marco, you give me another round like that one and I’ll make good on the second part of our deal!”

 

“What is she talking about?” Asked Henrietta.

 

“She’s under the impression that I only agreed to a televised battle so I could sleep with her.”

 

“He was flirting with her wasn’t he?”

 

“Oh yeah, you should have seen it, kissed her hand and everything.” Stated Kelly as she helped Henrietta onto the bench the rest of the harem was sitting on.

 

“Jackass.”

 

‘So I have a thing for hot redheads… it’s not a crime… but I’m not sure how much more my body can take of their jealousy.’ Thought Marco, every single one of his harem was glaring at him in various degrees of disapproval.

 

“And we're back Riko. This is a gutsy move on Marco’s part, sending in the Penance. Everything on paper says that she’s at a huge disadvantage.”

 

“Very true, I was expecting the Armsmistress to hit the stage or possibly the Peekabu. With the challenger being weakened by the poison from the last round, a victory would be quick. But I guess that’s why I’m not a tamer.”

 

“That and the fact that you’re a pokégirl may have something to do with it.”

 

____

 

 

 

“Minerva, give me a status report.”

 

“I’ve made contact with Richard and we are in the city. Readman’s dex signal is still coming in strong from the gym. We are planning to hold until we have an opportunity to attack.”

 

“I am watching him right now Minerva, he’s on PSN doing a live pokégirl battle. The camera cut to a shot of the VIP booth and there were over a dozen pokégirls up there. I think that the office is empty.”

 

“Then now would be a good time to break in and access their computers. Is there a team in place for that?”

 

“Yeah, go to the closest pokécenter and call me again. I’ll send a teleporter to get you and take you there. Break into the computers, get all the information you can, and leave. If there’s a pokégirl there, attempt to capture her.”

 

“Do we use the APLM rifles?”

 

“You have Master balls, unless you want to risk fighting a girl who is going to be way out of your league, you’ll use the fucking rifles.”

 

“What about Readman and the girls here?”

 

“I’ll take care of that, you handle the job I gave you. (Click)”

 

“What an asshole, let’s just get this over with.” She raised her head and looked around for a moment. “Where the hell is the closest pokécenter?”

 

_____

 

 

 

“And we are back with the start of round three. The challenger has sent in Carrie the Penance against the poisoned and possibly injured Mariacha. Can you hear the excitement in the crowed?”

 

“I sure can Greg, it’s not too often we get to see a Penance battle. Her score card says she 2-1 for battles so let’s see what she brings to the table.”

 

Carrie pulled her hood down nervously as she looked around the arena. There were even more people around than the time at the other gym and she didn’t like all those eyes on her. Unexpectedly she could hear the faint cheer of her name. From the VIP booth, the unit was about to go over the rail cheering for her. With her confidence renewed she eyed her opponent, looking to make sure she didn’t waste Henrietta’s last attack. Mariacha was in bad shape, her vision was starting to blur and she was sweating profusely. Whatever poison the CalamityJane had used was taking effect in a major way.

 

The buzzer sounded and Carrie was gone. Mariacha’s vision cleared up just in time to see her sweeping in from the right and kicking her in the side of the face. Carrie’s blades left a deep gash in the carapace armor and the crustacean pokégirl was wobbling on her feet. It took the Penance by surprise when the large claw shot forward and locked around her neck. She was barely able to keep it from closing as she held it apart with her hands. Bubbles were foaming from Mariacha’s mouth, marking her irritation at the situation. She knew she was stronger that the Penance but she felt herself getting weaker by the second.

 

Unknown to the Queenler, Carrie was actively draining her strength as she kept the claw from closing on her neck. In a burst of dark power the entire center area of the field was taken up by the black orb.

 

“What happened, I can’t see, ouph…” The sounds of a full on assault could be heard coming from within the orb.

 

“This is the most vicious beating I have seen in quite some time, it’s like the Queenler can’t see at all. She isn’t even defending herself.”

 

“That is a Dark technique, Shroud of Darkness, she can’t see a thing and Carrie is allowing us to see inside of her own free will.”

 

Kasumi was just about to jump out of her box in frustration. It was hard for her to watch her girl getting pummeled. ‘That damn CalamityJane did far too much damage, I need to take over.’ “Maria, water gun straight down, then back fist with the claw!”

 

The Queenler followed her tamers orders to the letter, shooting the water downward and breaking Carrie’s footing. Then she spun, striking with the little bit of strength she had left and knocking Carrie a few feet back. Despite the strength she drained from the crustacean, the hit still hurt and she punctuated it by spitting a tooth out.

 

Carrie looked at Kasumi with fury driven eyes. ‘Okay then, if that’s how it’s going to be.’ The sound of Carrie’s Howl echoed as she threw her head up and summoned her Ashen Wings. She thrust her palm towards Kasumi and the outside of the orb darkened. Whatever she was about to do on the inside, no one was going to know about it but her. From the outside all that could be heard was struggling, then uncontrollable screaming.

 

“Ahhhhhhhh! Help somebodyanybodygetmeout! I… I… I can’t… no… no more!”

 

Kasumi had heard enough and activated the pokéball, returning the girl from the darkened orb. The sphere dissipated and Carrie dismissed her wings, she slowly walked back to her side of the field to her waiting tamer and harem sisters.

 

“Well that was different, I really wish I knew what she did to Mariacha.”

 

“What happens in the orb, stays in the orb. It’s rare to see a Penance fight and if they all use abilities like that one then we know why. Kasumi is letting her pokégirl back out and she still looks pretty shaken. We’ll be right back after these messages from our sponsors at: Bar Maid Beer; from the tap and into the can, always good to the last drop. Mach 1 delivery; their Sonica are always a leg up on the competition. Blow Hole Doughnuts; try our new knee shaking blownuts. And the Sensational Sisters at ‘The Selkie’s Secret’ night club, come for a drink stay for the scene. ”

 

Marco and the others were looking at Carrie in a different light, she was getting tougher every day and her powers were increasing dramatically. Marco scratched the side of his head and ran his fingers through her hair. “That was… what did you do to her?” Carrie few into a torrent of sign language again and Marco looked over at Chesra. “Translation please.”

 

“Short hand, she used Heart of Darkness to break her opponents will. Being tired, poisoned, having her strength drained, and the Howl, pretty much shattered her completely. Nice work child.” Carrie smiled in embarrassment and waved at the girls in the VIP booth.

 

From the side Kasumi walked up and waved at the harem. “Marco, your girls are phenomenal. I didn’t expect that much power from the silver cutie, nice work Carrie.” She stuck her hand out but Carrie shied from the hand and pulled her hood back down.

 

“You must forgive her; she still gets shy around people she doesn’t know. But she thanks you for the compliment, right?” The Penance nodded quickly and waved as she backed up further. “What can we do for ya?”

 

“Nothing really, just came to meet and greet. After the match we are having a party at The Selkie’s Secret, everyone you brought with you is invited, win or lose.”

 

“Oh, thank you, we’ll be sure to attend.”

 

“Good I’ll look forward to it. One more thing, my Alpha is a handful, keep on your toes.” She gave a smile and a wink then proceeded back to her side of the field.

 

“We’ll you didn’t flirt with her this time. I guess it’s a start, Carrie, you’re needed back on the field.” Kelly plainly stated while finishing her healing up Henrietta. “Be careful out there.”

 

“And we are back with round four of this epic battle between tamer Marco Readman and Gym Leader Kasumi Lizuka. Readman has the lead 2-1 and his Penance seems to be ready and raring to go.”

 

“That may not matter anymore because here comes the Alpha Dog, Sapphire. Sapphire has been instrumental in Kasumi’s winning streak with a record 35-4 victories in her matches.”

 

“Our combatants are taking the field and the buzzer is about to sound. Can the water fox claim a victory over the Penance or is she going to add another notch to her loss column.”

 

The waters were still and calm as the two pokégirls waited. Sapphire’s cool and calm demeanor was ever present even when the buzzer went off. Carrie started to charge forward but stopped when the Foxxsea raised a halting hand. “Before we start I have a simple yes or no question for you, is that ok?” Carrie shrugged and nodded in reply. “Oh good, tell me, do you know how to teleport?” The Penance gave a questioning look then shook her head no. “Great.” With a simple wave of her hand water washed over Carrie’s half of the field, dragging the girl into the pool. A whirlpool formed out of nowhere and pulled the poor Penance right to the bottom, though she struggled valiantly she couldn’t break free of the current. Marco quickly returned the girl and let her back out on the sideline.

 

“Well that was one for the books. She was taken out so quickly I almost believe that’s a new match record.”

 

“Close but not quite, oddly enough for these two teams the fastest match record is held by Marco’s CalamityJane, at 4.3 seconds. But that was against a tamer, as far as Gym Leaders go I think that is pretty close.”

 

“The score is now 2-2 and Sapphire didn’t even break a sweat to get her team there. Now comes the main event. The Peekabu is on her feet and is looking ready for a fight.”

 

Back on Marco’s sideline Carrie was busy vomiting water and Ashley was stretching in preparation for her match. “You did good child, just remember, never answer questions asked by the opponent. Ashley, remember what we talked about earlier.” Chesra’s stern voice stopped the hyperactive Peekabu in her tracks. “We are counting on you for the win…” Chesra thought back to what Ashley and Teá used to say to each other. “Give it everything you got…”

 

“And then some more. Henrietta can you lend me your strength?” The Peekabu got closer and whispered in the other girls ear.

 

“Are you insane? You never properly learned how to use that.” Henrietta shook her head in disapproval; Ashley had gotten down on her knees and clasp her hands together in preparation to beg. “Okay, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

 

“The Peekabu has finally entered the platform and her earlier energy seems to be gone. Her eyes look cold in determination.”

 

“Those are the eyes of a focused pokégirl who’s ready to do battle. Greg, hold onto your seat, because things are about to get rough.”

 

The buzzer sounded and the crowed was cheering both girls on. The Foxxsea hadn’t moved from her position since she took out the Penance and was waiting for the Peekabu to make a move. “Oh I almost forgot.” She put her hands together then pulled them apart. All the water on the platform moved off the side, the field was left looking dryer than before the battle started. “Can’t have you getting any bright ideas.”

 

“Ya know… I kind of like you. I’ll try and make sure you’re conscious when this…” Ashley stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m looking forward to doing battle with you.”

 

“Keeping your emotions in check? You learned something from your last gym battle I see. I have a question for you though.”

 

Lighting shot straight forward and crashed against the glass border. “You can ask me when we’re done, no more words right now.” She shot forward off the starting line, making the best use of her speed and agility to close the distance. Just as she got within arms distance she threw a lightning punch. In a poof of vapor Sapphire disappeared and teleported to the other side of the platform. “But you can teleport I see.”

 

“You caught me, I guess I’m going to have to step up my game.” The pool began to wake violently but the neither girl seemed to care. Ashley shot forward again dodging left and right, avoiding jets of water being shot her way. Her hands began to glow and crackle as she built up more electricity. She ducked down and shot forward, swinging with her left for another lightning punch. Once again the Foxxsea teleported away, but this time she was in for a cruel surprise. The Peekabu jumped high, flipping forward, and from upside down launched a stream of lightning from her right hand. Sapphire barely had time to register the attack and she summoned a stream of water that funneled the electricity into the pool. “You’re pretty nimble there, let’s see if we can put an end to some of those attacks.” She placed her fingers on the side of her head and summoned some of her psychic powers.

 

Ashley was suddenly starting to feel odd, not bad, but just a little off. “What did you do to me?”

 

“Not too certain, but I hope I disabled your ranged electric attacks.”

 

“What?” Ashley felt the electricity coursing through her body and threw a hand out. Nothing happened, she tried again and still nothing. In one final attempt she punched her hand into the platform. Electricity shot out a short distance. “Well I need to catch you then.”

 

"Oh that's easier said than done. I know this isn't a sex battle but let's see what kind of fun we can have together." Water began to pool in the middle of the platform, then formed into a large sphere. "I hope you don't mind tentacles."

 

"I think that's a bit too friendly of you, I'll pass." The tentacles started to take form and Ashley was already in motion and closing the distance. She swept to the outside, avoiding the mass in the center, but was stalled when something grabbed her leg. The mass in the center was just a distraction; suddenly the entire pool was a mass of writhing tentacles. Thinking quickly Ashley grabbed her picks and focused her energy through them. The arc burned through the tentacle and evaporated the water. "Way too friendly."

 

"To borrow a line used by the Calamityjane. Spoil sport!"

 

"The Peekabu doesn't seem to like the attention she's getting from Sapphire, but is showing some amazing skill as she narrowly avoids the twitching tentacles."

 

"I think you may have spoken too soon Greg, it looks like one managed to slow her just long enough for the others to close in. She is struggling but can't seem to break free; it looks like she is in for an orgasmic time. As a Foxxsea, Sapphire has amazing control over her Hydrokinesis."

 

Ashley had never been a fan of the uniform Marco made them wear into battle but was starting to appreciate it more and more each second. The tentacles were doing their best to reach the sensitive parts of her body, but with her pants being stuffed in her boots and her vest covering her chest and belt buckle, they were running into snags. The Foxxsea had decided it was safer to turn the feelers into hands, than to risk getting too much closer to the struggling pokégirl. Her weapons had already been discarded and clips and zippers were being undone at an alarming rate. She relaxed just long enough to gauge the distance Sapphire had walked into.

 

'Just a little bit closer, come on you bitch just a little closer.' "Are you really planning to just have your way with me?"

 

"Maybe later, it you let me. Right now I just want to watch you squirm. But first... you could use a nice cold bath." With a simple hand gesture she dunked Ashley into the pool and held her there.

 

Marco looked on as his best chance of winning stopped moving. Before he could activate her pokéball a hand stopped him. Kelly was by his side and shaking her head. He looked closer and Ashley's thumbs were up. Sapphire pulled her back onto the platform and her body hung there lazily, suspended by water hands.

 

Ashley's eyes opened weakly and she gauged her range again. '15 feet, that's good enough.' "Are you... done playing with me yet?"

 

"I'm disappointed, I expected more from you... yep I'm done."

 

Snap!

 

"Good cause so am I!" In a burst of strength she broke free and grabbed the whip Henrietta had hidden on her back, snapping it out and around the neck of the Foxxsea. "I'm supposed to keep my ego in check but I'm going to enjoy this far too much."

 

She poured her electricity into the water soaked whip and shocked Sapphire until the hands released her. The Foxxsea was stunned from the shock and gripped the end of the whip, trying to loosen it from around her neck. Ashley didn’t need her getting away again and yanked, pulling her opponent into her hands. Her punches came in so rapidly the fox didn’t know what was happening. In a desperate move Sapphire lunged forward and grabbed, teleporting both of them to the bottom of the pool. That didn’t stop Ashley, with her outstretched hand clutching Sapphires throat, she unleashed the full force of her electricity. Lightning shot down through the dome roof and the water was evaporated in a burst of steam.

 

“That was amazing, a solid turn around for what looked like a bad situation.”

 

“That’s the power of teamwork; nothing in the rules against loaning your teammates your weapons and that whip came in handy.”

 

“And with the third and final win, Marco Readman and harem takes the Cascade Badge. Let’s go back and look at the highlights of the outstanding battle.”

 

____

 

 

 

“Damn it Minerva, what took you so long?” The Gentleman complained through the phone.

 

“I got lost trying to figure out where the pokécenter was. Gwyneth is here and we’re ready to move in on the Avalanche HQ.”

 

“Good, delay the entry by a half an hour. Richard has eyes on Readman, they are heading to Selkie’s Secret. It looks like the entire VIP booth is going with them. That’s the Avalanche for sure.”

 

“Yes sir, we will delay by a half an hour then try to seize all the data from the computers. If we come across any pokégirls we’ll attempt to capture first. What if someone shows up?”

 

“Well you either capture them or kill them, it’s that simple. (Click)”

 

“If it was so simple, he would be over here doing it.”

 

The Dark Lady tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. “Watch yourself Minerva. You have exhausted your securities with the gentleman. One more comment like that and I will be forced to take care of you.”

 

Minerva’s temper was already short and she was not going to stand for being talked down to by a foot-soldier. “I’m the one in charge here and don’t you forget it. Threaten me again and I’ll remove your head… and I won’t make it quick. Trust me, you don’t have the body to support the disfigurement I would force upon you.” The Sarama stepped in closer, going nose to nose with the Dark Lady. “So tempt fate and piss me off, I am not in the mood.” The air around them began to crystalize as it rapidly cooled.

 

“Fine Minerva, it’s true that you are in charge, and if things go wrong, you will be the one to pay the price.”

 

"Just be ready."

 

_____

 

 

 

The parties at Selkie’s Secret were always the best in Indigo. Great food, great music, and dozens of women wearing outfits that could make a man’s heart skip a beat. Avalanche was there and everyone was having a good time. The VIP treatment didn't end at the gym, they had the entire second floor to themselves and drinks were half off. A topless Tavernmaid was acting as the bartender and had the ingredients to service any request, strait from the tap.

 

Both harems were mingling and having an all-around good time. Kasumi was enjoying Marco's company while then others were hitting the dance floor. Those who had been around him long enough knew that he couldn't dance to save his life, but if given enough to drink he could be coaxed onto the dance floor. Kelly had made herself scarce, disappearing into the bathroom and taking some of the harem with her.

 

Jean was looking in the mirror and touching up her makeup along with some of the other club goers. "This has been quite the day. We win the gym badge and end up at one of the hottest clubs in Indigo." She glanced over to the brooding Duelist. "What's the matter?"

 

"I swear if I get carded one more time I'm going of hurt someone."

 

"Look at it this way, in another seven years you'll have an appreciation of not looking old."

 

Kelly was about to reply when her PDA went off. "If the others are looking for me tell them I had to go home for a moment."

 

"Would you like me to come with you?" Asked Chesra.

 

"No, you stay here and keep an eye on Marco. If anything comes up I'll call." She teleported away without another word.

 

____

 

 

 

Back at Avalanche HQ Minerva and Gwyneth were slowly making their way through the building. They had no idea where the main computer was but knew it had to be somewhere. Once they entered the Ops Con room their prize was at their fingertips. There was just one long problem, the access code.

 

"I thought you were an infiltration specialist, what do you mean you can't crack the code?" Groaned Minerva. “This is a stupid problem to have."

 

"Yes I do infiltration, but so do the people we are trying to infiltrate. I don't normally run into a 48 character, alphanumeric, case sensitive, access code. So if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them."

 

"Don't you have a code breaker of some kind?"

 

"Yes, but it would take hours to crack this. And some asshole had the bright idea of welding the entire thing to the ground. Whose bright idea is that anyway?"

 

"It was Marco's, I told him it was overkill but he insisted it was worth it. I guess he gets to say I told you so." Back at the club Kelly had received a page from the security system informing her of an attempted break in. After she teleported out she grabbed her combat vest from her office then made her way down to find the two of them. "Sooo... you want to tell me what you’re doing in my home?"

 

"Who the fuck are you little girl, get lost the adults are busy." Spat Minerva as she eyed the seemingly underage girl in the door way.

 

"Minerva, she was with Readman during the pokégirl battle. That is a noncombatant Duelist, Kelly I believe was the name given."

 

"Well it's clear that you're spying on my Colonel, what business do you have with him? As far as I can tell, you both are military of some kind."

 

"Look kid, our business is none of your business. You can't fight so you're of no use to us... I thought he was a Lieutenant Colonel."

 

"It appears that your information is both out of date and incorrect. Also, if you call me a kid again I will be forced to hurt you… a whole lot."

 

"All we wanted was the information from the computer, and I'm pretty sure you have the access code. Now you're either going to give us the code or the two of us are going to have to beat it out of you... kid."

 

"Good luck catching me… you old ugly bitches."

 

Kelly didn't waste any time running away. Every time she would go around a corner, and out of their vision, she would teleport a bit further than she could have normally run. Both Minerva and Gwyneth were in hot pursuit, the Dark Lady laughing maniacally. Once outside the real chase was on. Minerva was being left in the dust attempting to keep up with both of them. She pulled the pokéball from her belt, releasing the Thundercunt she was carrying and the girl instantly joined in the chase.

 

When the lightning bolt crashed next to Kelly she instantly started teleport hopping. With the electric type in the mix she instantly came up with a plan to take her out of the game. Even though she could get away at any time she made sure they had a visual on her at all times. Just up ahead she could see her destination for her stand, the electric training field. Overhead Gwyneth fired a power bolt, striking in front of Kelly and causing her to stumble into one of the post.

 

Gwyneth landed a short distance away from her. She knew that of all the magic pokégirls in the world, the ones that used cards for their powers were some of the most dangerous to fight. With a nearly unlimited combo of powers it was hard to gauge what they would fight with.

 

"Minerva, this isn't a fight we want to have right now. We should capture her and take her back to be interrogated later. I'm sure that she can give us the same information we came for..." The Dark Lady looked her up and down with a fiendish grin. "I also think he'd rather enjoy a taste of her as well."

 

Minerva didn't spare a second pulling out the APLM rifle. "I agree, but first she will pay for calling me ugly." She fired the master ball and it impacted on Kelly's vest before sparking and dropping to the ground and landing at her feet. "The fuck?"

 

"The best in anti-capture technology. Now to get one thing straight; you are in my territory, and you are dealing with Major Kelly, the Alpha of Avalanche, and I am no noncombat pokégirl." She activated her rings and kicked the master ball, striking the Dark Lady in the head and capturing her. But before she could make a move to catch the ball the area flickered for a second. She was able to catch a faint glimpse of a pokégirl before she disappeared with the ball. "The fuck?"

 

She didn't have time to lament over the missing ball, the Thundercunt was powering up and getting ready to start shooting lightning. Kelly jumped back and pulled out her PDA, activating the overcharge program on the field. The humming of the rods being turned on was music to her ears, as the first lightning bolt was pulled off to the side.

 

The plan was spiraling out of control, not only had they not managed to get the files from the computer. Gwyneth was gone without a trace and she was the only one of them that could teleport. Now they had to face down the Alpha of Avalanche, who apparently couldn't be captured, on a field that nullified the attacks of her only support.

 

'This is still a two on one fight; we can take her down and escape somehow.' Minerva looked around; the area they were in was out in the open. No means of escape from the Duelist. "We can beat her Denise, between the two of us, we can take her down."

 

"It's sweet that you have so much hope. But you called me a kid three times. I'm going to kill you."

 

"You're alone child, you can’t beat both of us by yourself." Stated Denise.

 

"I'm a Duelist, we’re never alone." She pulled a set of cards from her vest pocket and began summoning. "I would like you to meet my Ladies of War." Two of her cards began to glow then vanished. At her sides knelt two human females. They raised their heads simultaneously and readied their swords and shields. "Cassandra, Sophita, please keep them occupied for me."

 

"Yes Mistress." They said in unison. Though human in appearance, they were both extremely capable fighters and often training partners to Avalanche. The two warriors charged ahead engaging the fight.

 

"Forget them, if we can subdue the Duelist they will fall. Oh shit!" Minerva ducked out of the way from the first sword slash aimed for her head.

 

Cassandra had stepped in low, jabbing with her shield and knocking Denise back. She was just able to roll out of the way when the card jumped in, stabbing into the ground were her stomach was. Minerva was making the best use of her ice powers. When she finally got Sophita to the position she wanted she switched targets and fired at Kelly. The Duelist narrowly avoided the chilling blast and was not amused.

 

"When I said this was my territory I meant it." Another two cards began to glow and vanished. The skies in the area darkened, stars formed out of nothing, and a purple vortex appeared. Minerva's heart sank when the roar of a dragon sounded from overhead.

 

====

 

 

 

Back in Selkie’s Secret Marco was looking around. The club goers, the harems, everyone was having a good time. All except for one guy on the first floor. Sure, he was dressed casually enough for the scene but he looked out of place. Marco was certain he caught the guy looking at him on several occasions and had dismissed it for a while. As he looked around he was spotting more people who didn't look like they were there for a good time.

 

"Hey sticky fingers," Mina looked over; it was one of the nicknames Marco had given her. "You see that guy at the bar that’s monitoring the whole room?"

 

"Yep, you want me to snatch his wallet?"

 

"Got it in one, be careful though. The way he's standing says military."

 

"Oh come now, I've taken your wallet hundreds of times."

 

"Yeah and one day I’ll figure out how you got it off the chain. Get to work."

 

Kasumi had inched up closer to him in the booth they occupied. "Is there something wrong? You don't look like you're having a good time anymore."

 

"I'm hoping that it's nothing but you never know. Before our match Jean said that there was a pokégirl who claimed to be in my harem trying to find me. The Ingenue at the gym told Jean that she had come in right after Kelly and I had left."

 

"I guess that would be odd, maybe you have a stalker. Megami are known to seek out tamers that are good and just and worth protecting."

 

"I am from the islands, trust me I know all about them, and I do not meet the criteria. Nor would I be willing to put up with them."

 

"I would like to argue that with you but something tells me that I'd be wrong. Though you have to be doing something right, you have all these pokégirls. Hell, you got them all out of storage to go and see your match... How do you keep up with taming them all?"

 

The soft rumble of every Avalanche member not harem affiliated came out. "He doesn't."

 

"All of you get back to having fun."

 

"You don't tame them all? Who are they to you then?"

 

"Um... coworkers, friends, family... pretty much all of the above."

 

"Right... I can only assume that you had a different job before you became a tamer."

 

"Indigo Military, special forces. The majority of us have been together for a long time. So yeah, we’re a giant family."

 

"That still doesn't explain the not taming them. Why would they listen to you otherwise?"

 

"I didn't tame any of them because I refused to show any type of favoritism between them. Only two in the harem are from the unit, Chesra and Henrietta, Kelly isn't really in the harem so I listed her as noncombatant... where the hell is she anyway?"

 

Mina had just gotten back and tossed the wallet on the table. "Richard Spenser, I.G.S Indigo Government Security. He's wearing an ear bud too. My guess is that anyone down there who looks bored out of their mind are far too alert is with him."

 

"Well Marco, I guess this means I won't be able to coax you into going back to my place."

 

Mina sat down next to Kasumi and put an arm around her shoulder. "I doubt Kelly, Chesra, or Henrietta would let you do that anyway. By the way, where is Kelly?"

 

====

 

 

 

The electric training field was on fire, which was impressive considering it was mostly dirt. Kelly's Yami card had turned the field into a magic domain and she was bolstering the power of the Red Eyes Dragon she summoned. Minerva could hardly take anymore. Her plan to attack the Duelist directly was gone when the dragon landed and covered its master with its wings. When she did try to attack she was countered with a brutal flame attack.

 

Even though Minerva and Denise managed to beat the Alexandria sisters their progress came to a halt. The pretty boy in the white haori was just toying with them both and they knew it, while the woman wearing the same stood patiently next to her summoner.

 

"I'm done with you. Way of Binding 1 and 4, Sai, Hainawa." Minerva suddenly found her hands bound behind her back, Denise's wings were bound to her sides and they both dropped to the ground. "I'll be sure to make this quick." A sword formed in his hands as he slowly made his approach to the downed and terrified pokégirls.

 

"Stand down; I have some questions for them." Kelly dismissed the dragon and made her way to the girls. "Minerva, I believe that's what the Dark Lady called you. Why are you hunting my master?"

 

"I'll never tell you anything. What did you do to Gwyneth?"

 

"I'll give you that for free, I have no idea where she is. Now what do you want with my master? My patience with this is wearing thin."

 

"You have to kill me before it talk!"

 

"I'm planning on killing you so don't worry about that. But, the road to death can be very long, very bumpy, and extremely painful."

 

Just as before the air around them began to flicker, Kelly rushed forward but was too late. The image of the strange pokégirl appeared again. She struck the Thundercunt in the back of the head, knocking her out, then grabbed them both and teleported away.

 

"Can you catch them?" Kelly asked in frustration.

 

The young man took a knee in front of her and lowered his head. "No mistress, whoever that was is completely out of my range."

 

"Fuck, I better inform Marco about what happened. Thank you for your assistance." She recalled the left over cards she had summoned and started to the office. 'If I see any of them again...'

 

====

 

 

 

Delilah dropped the two pokégirls on the ground and took a seat. The surrounding appeared to be in shambled, apparently ruins of some sort. Minerva managed to sit up, the bindings on her hands disappearing. She looked around franticly and finally relaxed when she saw Delilah sitting calmly, balancing a master ball on the back of her hand.

 

"What happened out there Minerva?"

 

"Delilah, it's always a pleasure to see you." She couldn't stand the pokégirl before her. It never made any sense; she had no true loyalty to her master but served as his right hand when she was around. Minerva could feel it again, that same presence she'd felt since her mission started.

 

"What happened out there Minerva?" Delilah asked again.

 

"We made it into the HQ and found the computer. Gwyneth was trying to crack some long ass access code to the computer when this pokégirl showed up. We chased her down and attempted to capture her. The master ball didn't work and she hit Gwyneth with it and cap... tured... Hey isn't that the same pokéball?"

 

"Continue with your report Minerva."

 

"No! You were there the whole time and you didn't help us?!"

 

Delilah sat forward, the darkening aura began to build up around her and her eyes flickered. Her voice had deepened as she growled out. "Continue your report Minerva."

 

The Sarama recoiled; it was clear who had been following her the whole time. "With Gwyn gone and no means of escape we decided to fight. Apparently we picked a fight with the Alpha of the unit and she was kicking our ass. The pretty boy bound us somehow and she was going to kill us both. Then you came in and got us out... thank you by the way."

 

"You're welcome; did you get all that sir?"

 

Minerva didn't even notice the cell phone sitting next to Delilah and cringed when the voice came through. "Yes I did, why didn't you help them Delilah?"

 

"Because that wasn't my job or my problem. I was simply supposed to make sure that none of this came back on you."

 

"I don't like your tone."

 

"And I don't like your whining. I am not your pokégirl nor am I bonded to you. Now what do you want me to do about her and the others?"

 

"Send Gwyneth back to Richard when you get the chance and have Denise healed."

 

"And Minerva?"

 

"... Dispose of her, make it an example to the others. I will not tolerate any more failures from her. (click)"

 

"You are kidding right? None of this was my fault!"

 

"As I told him, not my problem. You took the job, you failed the job, and now you must pay the price. I remember you saying that when you found the person who was stalking you that it wouldn't be pretty. Well here I am. What will you do now?"

 

"You're tough, but I can still take you on."

 

"You're delusional. The good news is that all he told me to do was dispose of you. That leaves me with plenty of options."

 

Minerva was instantly on her feet and fired an ice beam at point blank range. Unfortunately for her the beam vanished in a blast of steam. Delilah was still sitting in the same spot, her hand was out emitting Hell Fire. She sprung forward through the steam, catching Minerva by the throat and throwing her to the ground with the hold.

 

"I just thought of what to do with you." Hell Fire leapt from her other hand as she placed it against the Sarama's face. The sound of the screaming could be heard throughout the ruins and the air smelled of burning flesh filled the air. Delilah looked down to admire her work, Minerva's coughing and groaning alerted her to the fact that she was still alive. "So you lived through that? Congratulations, since I feel much better now, I'm going to have you level fived, healed, and sold to some lucky soul. Of course if you don't like my plan I can continue to cook your skull till I can shake your brains out like salt."

 

"Please... just make... this pain... stop. Pl… please.” Minerva was barely able to rasp out.

 

Delilah took a seat again and sighed deeply. “You know, for being an utter bitch, you’re not all that bad. At the very least you have always been polite in dealing with me. Whether it was fake or not I don’t really care… (buzz, buzz)” She pulled a second phone from her back pocked. “Master… no, the gentleman ordered me to kill Minerva now that she has failed again… I’m sorry sir, all this time and I still have no idea what his name is, I’ll try harder… I’m pretty sure that the next plan is to attack Readman and just kill him out right… Yes, I don’t think that will be a problem. Oh, by the way, Minerva is still alive, would you like to see her? I planned on having her level fived and sold but I’ll leave it up to you master… Consider it done. (Click) More good news, my master would like to see you. I have been ordered to get you healed up and take you to him after I finish my task for the gentleman.”

 

“You… you never worked… for us… at all?”

 

“Oh heavens no, I answer to someone else. He’s very hansom too, I think you will like him. Really what do you have to lose?” Minerva was going to reply but the pain had finally overcome her and she passed out. “Nothing I guess. Now to take care of my task.”

 

_____

 

 

 

"What do you mean she went home Jean?"

 

"She got a message on her PDA and said she needed to go home, that was like a half an hour ago."

 

Marco whipped out his pokédex, the security app was flashing in the corner. "Somebody broke into the office. I better check and see if she's ok."

 

"I'm fine," She ran up to his booth from the side and took a seat. Her hair was a mess and she was still wearing her combat vest. "I fought with these three pokégirls trying to get into our computers. Right when I was about to interrogate them a forth showed up and teleported them away."

 

"Why did you go alone?" Marco was more concerned than mad but it was hard to tell the difference. "You could have been killed!"

 

"If I thought I would lose I would have teleported away."

 

"And if they had a teleport jammer?"

 

"I would improvise, just like you taught us to."

 

He took a deep breath and attempted to regain his composure. "That's not the point. I'm going to trust you to lead everyone, I can't do that if you decide to fight alone. Remember we all talked about not being overconfident..."

 

Chesra placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Marco, you two can do this later. We should be more concerned about the problems in front of us. Kel, did you get a chance to figure out what they wanted?"

 

"No, but I know they were military of some kind. They had master balls and a military grade APLM. I took out the Dark Lady with the pokéball the Sarama shot me with, then battled her and the Thundercunt into submission. I didn't get the chance to figure out what their extraction was, she seemed to just flicker in and out."

 

"I'm still upset about you fighting on your own... but good job."

 

"Thank you sir, they never would have gotten the computer information anyway... and you were right about welding it to the floor. They were bitching about that when I found them."

 

Kasumi waved her hands to get Kelly's attention. "Wait, wait, wait, you took on a Thundercunt, a Sarama, and a Dark Lady alone, and walked away?"

 

"I'll tell you the same thing I told them, Duelist never fight alone."

 

Mina pulled a chair up to the booth and sat down. "What do we do about Mr. Spencer down there?"

 

"Well it was pure luck that the entire unit was out of the office then, they must have known that it was empty. It's also pretty clear that I'm either the target or you all are. Considering its military trained, government forces we are dealing with... I got nothing." Marco let his head rest on the table while he was trying to think. "Any suggestion?"

 

"This is turning into a regular war council. If they were in our home then we need to sweep it for bugs, I would also suggest making sure it’s occupied at all times." Stated Selena.

 

 

 

"How did they find it anyway? The location of Indigo Special Ops bases aren't common knowledge. Even to us gym leaders." Asked Kasumi.

 

"This is a government operation, so they would have the location on hand. Most of the Avalanche information is Omega level Classified. Since I joined General Butchers division, we were officially moved to black ops." Marco’s head was still on the table while he was trying to explain.

 

Kelly sat up as if something had stung her. "That explains it." The others looked on, waiting for her to elaborate. "The Sarama, Minerva was her name, she called you a Lieutenant Colonel and I told her their information was out of date. As far as I know they think you retired. Still doesn't explain why they thought I was a noncombatant."

 

"If they were watching the battle on TV it does." Kasumi plainly stated.

 

"Shit, this is another play to get you all. The meeting I had before my 'Retirement', someone higher up must not have liked how that went and so they are still trying to get you all."

 

"But they can't, we are your pokégirls. You made that pretty clear in the meeting." Henrietta took a sip of her drink and got closer to the table. "Besides, General Butcher laid into Barnes for the attempt."

 

"As far as they would know, I'm a civilian. If I were a government official and I wanted something from a tamer I would either have them thrown in jail on bullshit charges or kill them and take it. Under normal circumstances, if I were to die out in the wilderness, anyone who was in storage would be claimed by the league after their time elapsed. So you kill the tamer, take the girls that are still alive after the battle and wait for the ones in storage."

 

"But if you die we become free pokégirls." Said Mina in a far off voice.

 

"Yep, but they don't know that. Either way we're in danger."

 

"I suggest we continue as usual, we have the element of surprise on our side. Still, Selena has a good plan for the house. If we could capture an enemy this would a lot be easier." Said Chesra.

 

"You're right Chesra, for now we just do as we always do."

 

"Back to my question on what to do about Spencer."

 

"It looks like he’s just keeping tabs on us; still the pokégirls down there could be a problem. If they are legit government then they won't attack us in here. The possibility of civilian casualties is too high."

 

Suddenly Kelly ducked down in the booth. "That's her, that's the Dark Lady I was fighting with."

 

Gwyneth had time to change her clothes to an appropriate evening gown. Her head was held low as she spoke to Richard and he didn't seem pleased at the information he was being given. When he looked up at the area Marco was sitting in he found an unnerving amount of eyes looking back in his direction.

 

"We've been compromised, we are leaving, now!" The last part came out in a harsh whisper.

 

"But Master, they are right there, why not take him now and be done with it."

 

"Don't you argue with me Gwyn. You’re already in for it, you fucked up your mission."

 

"But that wasn't my fault Master. Minerva was in charge."

 

He reached out and took her arm roughly. "And she paid the price for her failure, just as you will pay for yours. Why didn't you just take the whole damn thing with you?"

 

"Master, the computer was the size of a dinner table and welded to the floor."

 

"Who the fuck welds a computer to the floor?"

 

"He does sir."

 

Richard tightened the grip on her arm. "Don't get cute, that was rhetorical." Just as he was nearing the end of his fuse his comm. unit went off. "Sir we have eyes on Readman but he knows that we are here."

 

The voice of the gentleman came through loud and clear. "Spencer I am tired of waiting, I don't really care how you do it or who gets hurt in the process. Bring him to me."

 

"Sir, there are a lot of people here. We can't risk fight with this many civilians around."

 

"Arrest him as an enemy to the league, he's a civilian. Hell, have Gwyneth bring him to you. I don’t give a damn, just do it. (beep)”

 

“Ok Gwyneth, you want to keep yourself from your severe punishment, bring Readman to me. Make it quick too.”

 

“As you command master.” She turned to face Marco and made direct eye contact with him. Her eyes seemed to glow with power as she connected with his mind. ‘Now to find a target, but who…’ She saw Kelly sitting to the far end of the booth a made up her mind.

 

Marco shook his head, suddenly feeling dizzy and tired. He closed his eyes for just a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘It’s been a long…’ When he opened his eyes again Kelly was down there being strangled by the Dark Lady. He quickly turned around to order the rest of his unit but no one was there, not even Kasumi and her harem. At that moment nothing mattered, his only concern was getting to Kelly and saving her. “KELLY!!!!”

 

He activated his rings and flung himself over the second floor railing. As soon as he hit the ground he was in a dead sprint for the bar Kelly was at. Everyone stopped moving and watched the mad man running and yelling like had lost his mind. On the second floor Kelly, Chesra, and Henrietta were holding their heads like they were having a migraine. With the higher ranking and civil members of Avalanche apparently out of commission Mina took the reins.

 

“Avalanche! Get the Colonel back! Everyone else hit the floor or hit the door! If you are standing you are a target!”

 

Henrietta was the first to recover of the three of them and she was pissed. “I’m going in, Carrie darken the entire area!”

 

The Penance let out a loud Howl and started summoning her dark powers. Anyone who wasn't battle ready was attempting to make a strait shot for the exits and weren't being too kind about it. Gwyneth and Richard had lost Marco in the commotion and were wading through the crowd. With her concentration broken Marco came to a stop in the middle of the floor.

 

His senses were slowly coming back and he saw Richard making a straight line for him. Before they could make contact everything around them went black. Only Carrie could see through her darkness ability and she was fighting through the panicking club goers to make it to her master. From what she could see Marco and Richard had made contact and were fighting it out on the dance floor. There were still too many people around and both groups were hesitant to use their more destructive powers.

 

Henrietta connected with the Dark Lady and the two of them were fighting with all they had. In such a confined space there wasn't much Gwyneth could do except fight toe to toe with the much stronger CalamityJane. In a stroke of pure luck a random pokégirl shoved past both of them and knock them to the ground. Henrietta was on top of Gwyneth in a second and choking the life out of her. All of a sudden the Dark Lady's hands started to glow with black flames. She reached out and grabbed Henrietta by the neck forcing her to break the hold.

 

"Everything is better when you add fire you bitch."

 

Henrietta's vision was starting to fade, the pain was so intense she couldn't see strait. Her vision suddenly shifted, she could see herself and the Dark Lady, she could see Richard too. The eyes she was looking out of were exhausted. Richard was hitting hard and fast, this wasn't her body but she could feel the blows being landed. 'Whose body... is... Marco.' With the last of her failing strength she summoned a large revolver and fired a single shot.

 

Pain was racing through Marco's mind as he was fighting Richard. He was being hit but this was a burning pain coming from his neck. He looked past his opponent, Henrietta was leveling off her revolver and squeezed off a shot before her hand went limp and dropped to the ground. Both Marco and Richard felt the bullet impact, having gone through Richard and lodged itself in Marco.

 

Chesra was just finally recovering when she heard the shot. Though the area was dark she could sense Marco's general location and dove in to save her master. Gwyneth kicked the lifeless body of Henrietta off to the side and sprinted into the area.

 

"Gwyn, I'm hit get me out!" Richard grunted in pain.

 

With the little bit of strength Marco had left he pushed forward, desperate to make it to his fallen love. "HENRIETTA!!!"

 

Both girls dove for the voice of their masters and teleported away the instant they laid hands on them. The pokégirls that were from I.G.S retreated as quickly as they could while the members of Avalanche we're making sure everyone was ok. Carrie charged up to Kelly and flew into a flurry of sign language while crying hysterically.

 

"Slow down you're going too fast..." Kelly's eyes widened in horror as the Penance started over again. "What... FUCK!"

 

Mina was shaking Kelly as hard as she could. "What happened, what did she say?"

 

"Henrietta is dead and Chesra picked up the wrong person."

 

"Then where is the Colonel?" Both of them looked on as Carrie went into another spin of signing. Kelly dropped to her knees. "What, what?"

 

 

 

 

Delta

Echo

Indigo

 

Beta- Chesra- Armsmistress	KIA- Henrietta- CalamityJane	Beta- Mina- Kunoichi
Emaline- FireMaiden	Field Beta Selena- Caphoochie	Renae- IceMaiden
Arianna- War Hound	Alexis- Cherub	Isabella- Mecha Musume
Kim- Bombshells	Rebecca- Smokey	Zianna- Lupina
Nikki- SexSlash	Lily- Gloomy	Leona- Lamia

 

Harem

Chesra- Alpha

Carrie- Penance

Ashley- Peekabu

Jean- Nogitsune