The Shark

 

 

The Shark

 

 

         She could hear him. Talking, bragging, in the other room. She carefully dabbed at the oozing wound on her side, groaning when the fresh scab tore open and dripped blood onto the floor.

 

         Where was her Master? What had she done wrong? Why did she deserve this?

 

         She heard a door open and close, the voices now only one. She whimpered when the door to her room opened, the man stepping inside with an object gleaming in his hand.

 

         “God, I love stupid young kids.” The man gloated, stepping towards the terrified Boobfin. “Always got such nice prizes when I beat their ass.” He raised the knife into the light, turning it slightly to catch the drying blood. “Little bit of... sushi.”

 

         The pokegirl shrank back, watching in terror as the man advanced. Master lost her? This man was... Master? She screamed when the man lunged forwards, the blade sinking into her side. She jerked aside, drawing open another large gash as the man just laughed.

 

         “Yea, I like fighters!” The man crowed. “You’re mine now, girl. And knowing you’re tamed is going to make this even better.” His eyes hardened. “Fucking sluts. Just die.”

 

         A fighter? She was a fighter. Master called her that. The girl felt the pain and the fear melt away as she grasped at the only memories she had left. She would NOT die! She would FIGHT!

 

         The man’s low laughter cut off when he swung again and the pokegirl raised her hand, allowing the knife to plunge into her palm before she closed her fingers and pulled, ripping the blade from the man’s grasp. He gasped when she surged to her feet, blood pouring from her mangled palm even as she dove at him. The man cursed, clawing at a pokeball on his belt but was far too late; the Boobfin slammed her clenched, bloody fist into his skull, her desperate strength cracking the bone. The human fell, clutching at his head as he screamed.

 

         The Boobfin didn’t stop. Her blood splattered across the wall when she pulled the blade from her hand, clutching it in her good hand and driving it into the man’s chest. Again. And again. She didn’t stop until the last of his breath had long since bubbled through the bloody holes in his chest. Until the spreading pool had begun to dry, her own wounds painfully raw because of her movement.

 

         Finally she shrank back, staring numbly at the knife in her hand. It fell with a clang, her shaking hands unable to grasp anything.

 

         The Boobfin stumbled back, staring in horror at the body in front of her. She... had killed him. She had killed a human. Her breathing began to quicken, the severity of her crime sinking in. They wouldn’t care that he would have killed her. They wouldn’t care because a human was dead.

 

         The girl began to cry, tears running down her face when she realized what she had done. She had only wanted to go back to her Master, but now... now she could never see him again.

 

         A noise outside brought her back to her senses, staring at the outer door and the voices behind it. There were others. She would be discovered. She whirled to the window, grabbing at the latch and straining as she tried to open it. She looked back when the voices swelled, frantically weighing her options. They were coming. She couldn’t be here.

 

         She raised her bloody fist, driving the already lacerated hand through the glass. The voices changed at the sound, one shouting. She quickly began to climb out when she remembered the pokeball, her pokeball, a way they could stop her. She leapt back down, tearing through the dead man’s pockets until she found what she was looking for.

 

         “YO, you alright in there man?” A voice yelled, accompanied by knocks on the door. “Still fucking with that fish?”

 

         The Boobfin stared at the door, already halfway out the window. They were like him. She looked at the dead man and her eyes narrowed. Murderers. Evil. She winced when she felt her wounds. If she would never be able to be with Master again, then she could do this. She cried out when the cuts in her side sent a searing pain through her body. First she needed to heal.

 

         “Yo, he’s not answering.” The voice yelled. “C’mere, give me a hand!”

 

         The Boobfin ran, listening to the panicked shouting that broke out behind her. They had found him. There was no going back.

 

         She ducked away from the main road, running towards the rising sun, and the ocean it reflected off of. Every step sent drops of blood spattering to the ground but she ignored them, focusing only on getting to the water. To safety. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally dove into the ocean, her powerful tail pumping to send her far, far away. She would heal. And she would return. No other would be lost from their Master like she was. Not to them.

 

         Her teeth bared in a silent snarl as she rocketed through the water. She would return. And they would die.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

         The pokegirl was cleaning up when she heard the door ring. She took a moment to glare at the counter before smoothing her expression and turning to the door. “Good evening, and welcome to-“ she stopped when she saw who had walked in. “Oh, um, you can’t be in here without your Tamer.”

 

         The Boobfin’s chest shook, tears running down her cheeks. “He-he-“ She hiccuped, “-he told me not to-to- come back until-“ she screwed her eyes shut and held out a small box. “Until I f-finish the shopping.”

 

         The pokegirl gave her a sad smile. “I can’t let you come in, honey. My Master doesn’t let unattended pokegirls in the store.”

 

         “Please.” The Boobfin whispered. “Is there someone else? Anyone?”

 

         “No, it’s only me this late.” The girl shook her head. “And I’m closing up. You’re going to have to tell him to come back tomorrow.”

 

         “No, please!” The Boobfin stumbled forwards. “He’ll beat me! Please!”

 

         “You can’t!” The pokegirl caught the sobbing Boobfin. “I’m sorry that your Master will do that but I can’t risk-“ suddenly she seized, her eyes rolling back when she collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

 

         The Boobfin dropped the smoking device she held, hissing in pain. “I’m sorry too.” She muttered, grabbing the pokegirl and dragging her out of sight. She inhaled, wiping away the fake tears and moving quickly towards the back of the store.

 

         The pokegirl hadn’t locked the case and she pulled it open, wrapping heavy cloth around her hands before shoveling the elemental stones inside into a sack. She paid special attention to a small locked box attached to the back. This one was definitely closed, with barely any play to the door.

 

         The Boobfin carefully positioned her hand over the lock. “She said... like... this!” She grunted, summoning her water blade.

 

         The pressure nearly blew her hand back but she managed to hold on, digging her fingernails into the lock and twisting. It turned easily and she dismissed the technique, yanking open the door and grabbing the two stones inside.

 

         She could hear the alarm trigger, the vibrations reverberating through her body. She quickly bundled up the bag, wrapping one of the stones separately and bolting for the door.

 

         There was no resistance as she ran down the street, not slowing until she had left the city limits behind. She slid into the meeting place, dropping the sack and falling to one knee while she recovered.

 

         “You got it?” The Boobfin glanced up, nodding weakly before returning to catching her breath. The Foxxsea grabbed the bag, peering inside and brightening. “Well done. This will get me at least a mate position.”

 

         The Boobfin glanced up. “You?”

 

         The vulpine pokegirl sneered and closed the bag. “Grea is nearly feral already. As long as Sally keeps delaying with that male, she’ll slip all the way. And then I’ll be in charge.” She held out her hand. “You should join me, Mairin. I can make sure you’re treated well when we join a crew. I need someone like you.”

 

         “But Grea’s our leader, she already knows a ship.”

 

         The Foxxsea let out an exasperated sigh. “Don’t be stupid, Mairin. She’s not fit to be leader. Join me.”

 

         Mairin got to her feet and stepped back. “She should have left you to die.”

 

         The pokegirl gave her a sad smile. “I thought you might say that.”

 

         Mairin felt herself thrown back, fighting against the stream of water battering her. The Foxxsea stepped forwards, focusing her Water Gun attack to send the Boobfin flying through the air. “YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID YES!” She screamed, watching Mairin crash to the ground. “It’s only a matter of time before I kill Grea too. You chose the wrong side, Mairin. Loyalty is weakness as a criminal. You’re too kind. Death is a mercy for you.”

 

         Mairin could feel something broken when she tried to shift her weight, and her thoughts flashed back to the day she had lost everything. She growled low, forcing her battered body up. “You are nothing.” She snarled, grabbing at her side and ripping the bundle from her waist. The makeshift skirt fell away, her trembling fist clutching the evolution stone she had separated. “I will not die to you.”

 

         The Foxxsea screamed, dashing forwards when Mairin unwrapped the diamond stone. Mairin felt the Foxxsea’s claws digging into her arm, desperately trying to separate the Boobfin from the stone. She screamed when the pokegirl’s jaws clamped down on her wrist, twisting and tearing at her flesh in an attempt to make her lose her grip. The pain was unbearable for a few seconds until she felt the energy from the evolution surge through her body, her broken ribs mending in an instant and twisting her new, growing body violently away from her opponent.

 

         The Foxxsea was thrown away when Mairin’s arms flailed, her body surging in size. The pokegirl blanched when she saw how Mairin now towered over her and ran, abandoning the bag of loot in favor of escape.

 

         Mairin slammed to the ground, lifting her body to allow her new tail to swing free. She slowly felt along her unmarked body, running her fingers along her face. She carefully bared her teeth, feeling the razor-sharp edges in wonder.

 

         The noise from the Foxxsea’s panicked escape brought her back to her senses and she stood, letting the torn cloth wrap fall away from her breasts.

 

         The Foxxsea sobbed as she ran, tripping over herself before throwing herself behind a tree. “Okay.” She whispered. “She went crazy. She’s a threat. I can turn them against her. I’ve just got to get back.”

 

         The Foxxsea glanced behind her, looking for Mairin. She couldn’t see the Boobfin and pushed away from the tree, stumble-running towards their hidden camp.

 

         “SALLY!” The Foxxsea roared, “GET UP! MAIRIN’S GONE CRAZY!” She kicked at the tent they had looted from the Tamer they had ambushed. “GET OUT HERE!”

 

         She nervously waited for the pokegirl inside to get up, watching Sally begin to move around the tent. She froze when she noticed the size of the form inside, turning to run when the tent burst open.

 

         Mairin lunged forwards, blood streaming down her chest, Sally’s dying body draped over the bound man inside. The Foxxsea screamed, the noise turning into a horrifying gurgling when Mairin drove her hands into the pokegirl’s chest. She managed to jerk free, falling towards the cave where Grea rested. “Grr-ghu-“

 

         Mairin strode forwards, yanking the Foxxsea up be her hair. “Say it.” She hissed, grabbing the base of the pokegirl’s neck and beginning to squeeze. “Confess. TELL HER WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO!”

 

         The Foxxsea feebly grabbed at Mairin’s hand, unintelligible noises escaping from her throat. Mairin snorted, loosening her grip slightly. “Tell her.”

 

         “Grea.” The Foxxsea gasped. “Help me.”

 

         Mairin leaned in, sinking her teeth into the pokegirl’s ear. The Foxxsea’s eyes widened and she tried to twist away before Mairin pulled away, ripping the ear away and pulling a bloody streak of skin from the pokegirl’s head.

 

         The Foxxsea bit her own tongue as she screamed, blood from her mouth pooling down her chin and mixing with the wounds across her chest. “Tell her.” Mairin hissed again. “TELL HER WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE!”

 

         “SHE ISN’T WORTHY!” The Foxxsea glared at the shadow that was watching them from inside the cave. “YOU’RE WEAK!”

 

         Mairin tightened her grip, looking at Grea while the Foxxsea clawed at her hand. “Since she won’t say it,” Mairin growled, “she planned to let you go feral before murdering you.”

 

         “Thank you, Mairin.” The pokegirl turned to the struggling Foxxsea. “Please say it isn’t so.”

 

         Mairin relaxed her grip to let the Foxxsea speak. “You’re not fit to lead.” She rasped. “You’re too weak. Too weak to even kill me yourself.”

 

         Grea pulled herself to her feet, stepping into the light. “Mairin.”

 

         Mairin glanced at her in shock. “Ma’am, no.”

 

         “I can not stand and allow her to insult my worth.”

 

         “She’s playing you.” The Foxxsea’s eyes bugged when Mairin’s grip tightened again. “There’s no need to let a traitor determine anything about you.”

 

         “Damn you Mairin, let me fight!” Grea stumbled forwards before collapsing to one knee. “Fuck!”

 

         Mairin watched her struggle, turning back to the suffocating Foxxsea. “No.”

 

         Grea bowed her head when she heard the Foxxsea’s motions cease. “Damn you.”

 

         Mairin was staring into the Foxxsea’s blank eyes. “You are my captain.” She turned to look at the kneeling Catfish. “I will protect you, ma’am. No matter the cost.”

 

         Grea slowly shook her head. “Maybe when you were a Boobfin. You are not my little Mairin anymore. You’ve become more.” She looked up at the Sharptits. “Will you take your revenge?”

 

         Mairin didn’t respond to her question. “You need to be tamed, Grea. He’s still alive.”

 

         Grea sighed. “Let him go.”

 

         Mairin stilled. “Grea-“

 

         “You’ll keep me sane, Mairin.” Grea smiled. “I know you will. Alpha.”

 

         Mairin stared at her for a long time before walking over to the bound Tamer. “Do not follow us.” She growled, holding her hand inches away from his face. She could see his face twitch while he tried to pretend to be unconscious and she released her technique, dousing him with water to rinse off the worst of Sally’s blood. He didn’t flinch when she grabbed his hands, slicing the ropes and dropping him back to the ground.

 

         “We should go.” She murmured, helping Grea to her feet. “You need rest.”

 

         Grea didn’t protest when Mairin lifted her into her arms. “The stones.”

 

         “I’ll get them later.” Mairin replied. “We’ll use them. Join this crew. We will survive.” Her eyes gazed off towards something only she could see. “I will fight back.”