Disclaimer:
This work is fiction. The work is presented under fair protection where applicable.
Feedback will be read, processed, and if it’s a flame it will be given the finger, then I will burst into hysterical laughter. Constructive feedback, be it criticism or praise, will be read, processed, given a smile, and filed away. To contact me, please send an email to socom.seal@(SPAM)yahoo.com. Remove (SPAM) for a valid email.
You should not read this work if you are not of legal age where you reside. This work may contain concepts or written actions that some readers may find excessive or disturbing. This may include (but not be limited to) rape, BDSM, or death.
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Chapter 2
An Old Enemy
Nicholas stirred, slowly waking up in his hotel bed. The memories of the previous day flashed past - the lab, the fight with John, catching the Zubat - and he turned his head slightly towards where he last remembered seeing Nessa. She was fast asleep, her face relaxed even though her hands clutched tightly to his arm.
He spent a few minutes looking at her sleeping form before gently shaking her. “Hey.”
It took a few attempts before Nessa moved. Finally she yawned, displaying her mouth of sharp teeth before her jaw snapped shut again. “Mmm?” she mumbled, blearily opening an eye and cracking a grin. “Morning.”
“Morning.” Nicholas smiled when her eyes drifted shut again. “I need my arm back.”
“nnno,” Nessa murmured. “‘s mine.”
“I need to pee, and I can’t leave my arm behind.”
He grunted when Nessa rolled over, draping herself across his chest. “No.”
She was smugly rubbing her cheek against his skin when she felt a sharp pain on her chest and jumped back with a yelp. Nicholas smirked and waggled the fingers on his free hand. “Yes.”
Nessa gaped at him for a moment before her hand shot to her breast. “What the fuck was that for!”
“Oh it was just a little pinch,” Nicholas laughed. “You weren’t letting me up so I had to take drastic measures.”
Nessa gingerly poked at her sore nipple. “A little? It felt like you were going to rip my tit off!”
“Oh you’re fine,” Nicholas huffed. “Tell you what. I’ll make it better.” He blinked and scampered towards the bathroom. “Right after I pee.”
The pain was subsiding by the time Nicholas reemerged, but Nessa still glared at the man when he approached. “This is the last time I go to bed with you, that’s for sure. Asshole.”
“You’re fine,” Nicholas replied in exasperation. “I said I’d make it better and I will.”
“How do you intend to do that, huh? Just going to stick me in a-“ Nessa trailed off when Nicholas put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her flat onto the mattress, “healer...?”
“No machines,” Nicholas whispered. “There are better ways to fix boo-boos.”
Nessa’s mouth popped open when she felt him wrap his lips around her uninjured breast and begin to run his tongue over her nipple. “W-w-wh-“
“Mmmwah.” Nicholas pulled back with a cheeky smile. “A kiss and it’s all better.”
“That... wasn’t the right one,” Nessa breathed, lost in the sudden sensations. “But-“
“I know.” Nicholas bent down and gave the nipple he had tweaked a much gentler kiss. “But it still made it better.”
“Uh-huh,” Nessa mumbled.
“I was thinking we could get some breakfast, wake up a bit, and then I’d tame the Zubat. She’s fully feral, according to the nurse at the pokecenter.” Nicholas continued as Nessa silently watched him. “After that, I want to take the two of you shopping.”
“Shopping?”
“Get you both some clothes. Get some supplies. We’ll break for lunch and figure out what we’re doing from there.”
Nessa nodded slightly. “Clothes. What if I want to be naked? Do I still need clothes?”
Nicholas shrugged. “Well, there’s no law saying you can’t walk around nude. Most of my other pokegirls prefer to wear less clothing, and Kary doesn’t wear any unless she has to, so you know that I don’t mind either way.”
Nessa hummed as she thought. Finally she nodded. “I’d like to get some clothes. Something cool.”
Nicholas cracked a smile. “Something that keeps you cool, or something that looks cool?”
Nessa grinned back. “Both.”
“We’ll see what they have around here. First, breakfast.”
“First should be her.”
Nicholas glanced back from where he had begun to get dressed. “Hm?”
Nessa was sitting up again. “We’re awake, but she’s not. Tame her first, and then we can all get breakfast together.” Her eyes flicked down. “Please. Master.”
Nicholas gazed at her for a bit before beginning to nod. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s a better idea. Let’s meet your new harem sister.” Nicholas released the Zubat onto the bed, carefully straightening one of her wings from where it had been tangled under her body.
“Nessa.” Nessa glanced away from the Zubat to see Nicholas looking at her. “I know that the last few days have been tough for you. I’m not that kind of tamer. I never will be. You don’t have to be so afraid.”
Nessa swallowed. “What do you mean?”
“You just panicked when you realized you hadn’t been calling me Master.”
Nessa sat dumbstruck for a few seconds before she let out a wail and buried her face in her hands. Nicholas spared a glance at the Zubat to make sure she was still groggy before moving over to wrap the sobbing Totodile in his arms. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. If you would rather not, then don’t. I. Don’t. Care.” He stroked her hair gently. “My name is Nicholas.”
Nessa hiccuped. “B-But-“
“Some people call me Nick,” Nicholas continued. “My friends usually.”
“But-“
“I’d be happy if you called me that too.”
He flinched when Nessa screamed into his chest but otherwise didn’t react. After a minute her sobs subsided and she looked up at him again. “Master Nicholas.”
“That’s my full title, yes.”
Nessa sniffed and reached up to kiss his lips. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“She’s moving.” Nessa glanced over his shoulder before looking back at him. “Wake her. I want to meet my new sister.”
“And I want to talk more. Can we do that after?”
Nessa nodded slightly. “Please.”
Nicholas released her and turned back to the Zubat. She was sitting upright but seemed to still be getting her bearings, her feral mind fighting the order the taming cycle had tried to impose. As long as she was willing, Nicholas was confident she’d be back to normal quickly.
The girl whirled when he tapped her shoulder, her fangs bared in a silent hiss as her body tensed to fight. When she saw a nude man her eyes unfocused and confusion spread across her face.
Nicholas chuckled to himself when the Zubat deflated. She was a petite thing, and reminded him of how Ashley looked when they had first met. No more than five and a half foot, without much of a chest, they even shared the same short dirty-blonde hair. But this girl’s eyes were a brilliant shade of red and framing her face he could see pointed ears.
“Similar, but different.” Nicholas mused, gently taking the Zubat by the chin and tilting her face to look at him. “What do you say? Would you like a master?”
The girl blinked and Nicholas was starting to smile when she suddenly lunged forwards. Nicholas heard Nessa scream as the girl tackled him to the mattress and he tried to deflect her, feeling a flash of panic when he saw the Zubat’s fangs bared once again. Before he could react she’d slipped past his guard and he felt a sharp sting when she sank her fangs into his shoulder.
“GET OFF HIM!” Nessa howled, scrambling towards the struggling pair. “NICHOLAS!”
Nicholas finally got hold of the Zubat’s hair and winced when he felt her fangs scrape against his collarbone. “Ow. Fuck.”
“I’m gonna-“ Nessa yelped when the Zubat’s wing blurred out, catching her across the face and sending the Totodile tumbling off the bed. “BITCH!”
“Nessa just hold on a second!” Nicholas heard the Zubat hissing and let out a pained groan when she turned to keep Nessa in view. “That fucking HURTS!”
“I’ll kill her!”
“SHE ISN’T ATTACKING ME!” Nicholas finally managed to yell. “Nessa, get behind me. Quickly, please!”
Nessa paused halfway onto the bed. Both pokegirls stared at each other until Nessa finally moved behind Nicholas. As she did the Zubat turned with her and Nicholas felt the ache in his shoulder lessen. “Okay. The pain from the bite is gone. What was hurting was her twisting her head around every time you moved.”
Nessa scooted up behind him and stared dispassionately at the Zubat. “You’re not her food.”
“No, so now that we’ve all calmed down it’s time to stop this.” Nicholas reached up and pinched the Zubat’s nose closed.
The girl let out a muffled sound but kept her mouth sealed around his shoulder until she had no choice but break away to breathe. As soon as her fangs had exited his skin Nicholas grabbed her wings and pinned her to the mattress.
“You understand exactly what you’ve done.” Nicholas stared down at the giggling Zubat. “So I guess your answer is yes.”
The girl made a happy noise when she felt his member push against her stomach. Nessa was still staring at the Zubat and didn’t notice his size until Nicholas grunted. “What- oh, Creator. What happened to your dick?”
“Her venom must be an aphrodisiac as well as a painkiller,” Nicholas got out. “That’s why she bit me.” He carefully positioned the head of his penis against the Zubat’s folds. “It’s... god it’s sensitive right now. I think she gave me too much.”
The Zubat moaned as he penetrated her, barely moving until Nicholas’ balls hit her legs. Nicholas bit back a scream but still let out a strangled moan when the Zubat suddenly lifted her hips, dragging his engorged member along her walls before slamming back down to simulate a thrust. Instantly he let go, exploding inside of her as he felt the pressure begin to fade.
“Owwww,” he moaned. “Too much... fuck...”
Nessa swallowed convulsively when he fell back and his still erect penis flopped out. “How do you... feel?”
“Better,” Nicholas gasped. “But it’s sore as-“ his eyes bugged when he felt a familiar hand run along his shaft. “-NESSA!”
“Sorry. Let me make it better,” Nessa whispered, positioning herself and sinking onto his dick with a sigh. Nicholas could only arch his body as the overwhelming sensations drowned out anything else around him.
Nessa felt something brush against her back and she turned to see the Zubat staring down at Nicholas. “Hey.”
The girl barely acknowledged her before reaching out and drawing her new Master into a deep kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer:Nicholas Topolski
Badges:
Harem:
Nessa, Totodile – Level 10
Sera, Zubat – Level 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The three sat at an outdoor table in the middle of Violet City. Nicholas had brought them to the restaurant for lunch after their morning shopping trip, a successful outing that had left both pokegirls dressed in new clothes. Unfortunately, the day hadn’t been perfect. Sera ate quietly and beside her Nessa couldn’t help but steal glances between her and Nicholas, the man’s deadpan stare never flinching.
He didn’t even know how long the three had tamed. How many times he might have came. All he knew was that by the time he had gone soft, their early morning start had turned into a late one. A quick breakfast had barely taken the edge off for him and by the time they had finished shopping - something that had only taken an hour or two - he was ravenous. All because of the small girl in front of him.
She scared him.
“So-o-oo, now that we’ve gotten some new clothes, and supplies, um...” Nessa trailed off when neither of the others acknowledged her. “...Maybe we can get to know each other better. I’m Nessa, and I’m a Totodile.” She glanced at Sera. “And you said your name was Sera, right...?”
Nicholas cleared his throat. “How much of the last day do you remember, Sera?”
The Zubat took her time swallowing. “Some.”
“How about this morning.”
Sera popped another bite into her mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately. “Some.”
“Are you going to take responsibility for what you did?”
Sera paused to look at him for the first time in over an hour. After a minute she returned her attention to her food. “I dunno.”
Nicholas pulled down his collar to reveal the bandaged bite. “Do you remember this?”
Sera carefully laid her fork down. “If you’re going to punish me Master, please get it over with.”
Both Nicholas and Nessa stared at the calm Zubat. She hadn’t spoken more than a few words at a time all morning.
“Uh... I’m not.”
“Okay.” Sera picked her fork back up.
“I mean- I am?” Nicholas shook his head. “Look, you’re not in trouble for what you did while feral. You won’t be in trouble for what you did after. What you might be in trouble for is lying about it? I guess?”
Sera slowly twirled her fork between her fingers. “You’re angry.”
“We had a strange start,” Nicholas replied. “I’d like to figure out where our relationship is going from here.”
“Mmm, you’re not angry.” Sera looked up and Nicholas cursed to himself when he saw the look in her eyes. “What are you, Master?”
“I’m afraid of you.”
Sera was taken aback by his confession. “You- you are?”
“I am.” Nicholas forced himself to hold her gaze. “You’re the first feral pokegirl who’s managed to get the drop on me like that. You’ve got sharp fangs.”
He breathed out in relief when he saw a light blush appearing on Sera’s cheeks. “But you won’t... punish me?”
“No.”
Sera blinked a few times before sniffing. “I wasn’t feral.”
“What point?”
Sera glanced away from him. “The moment I tasted your blood.”
“You came to your senses with your fangs in my shoulder. I don’t blame you for keeping up the act.”
Sera nodded slightly. “It’s been... a very long time since I could even remember my own name.” She gazed into the distance for a bit. “I was worried that if you knew, knew that I’m a monster...”
Nicholas cocked an eyebrow. “A monster?”
“...I’ll be right back.”
Nicholas twisted to watch her dash off into the restaurant. A few minutes later she walked back and plopped down next to him.
Nicholas looked at her in confusion. “What’s up?”
Sera gestured at her barely eaten plate. “I had to puke.”
Realization dawned. “Oh. You feed on blood?”
“Nothing solid. Fruit is good. Especially stuff like watermelon.” Sera stared at the plate across the table. “I know you just wanted me to have something nice. I’m sorry-“
“Nessa, can you find the waiter?”
Nessa bobbed her head and got up. “I’ll be right back.”
Sera’s expression was unreadable while she watched Nessa leave. “Really?”
“If it’s what you need it’s what you’ll get,” Nicholas replied. “Like this.”
“But the food-“ Sera stopped when she saw Nicholas raise his arm in front of her, “-will... what?”
“I have a feeling I’ll want that skillet later.” Nicholas grimaced but picked up a knife. “Here.”
Sera stared as he rested the blade against his forearm. “But...”
“Sera, you are a pokegirl. By the very definition humans give you, you are a monster.” He looked at her. “So is Nessa. And so is every other pokegirl in my harem. If this is what you need, it’s what you’ll get.”
He could see the tears begin to fall as Sera turned to look at him. “Really?”
“Really.”
Nicholas was preparing to cut when he felt her take his arm and gently but firmly remove the knife from his hand. Sera puckered her lips for a few seconds before carefully resting her fangs against his arm, her breath hot against his skin. He felt a quick pinch when she bit but the feeling vanished almost instantly as she kissed the wound.
“I got the waiter. He’ll bring over a fruit bowl.” Nessa stopped when she saw Sera. “What- hey, our Master is not your food!”
“Yes he is,” Nicholas replied calmly. “Or to be more precise, I’m willing to be a snack. Right, Sera?” He looked down at the Zubat but her eyes had slid shut, her breaths coming in ragged gasps by this point. “You’ll be fine with fruit most of the time?”
Nessa threw up her hands when Sera responded with a moan. “Great. Now you’re going to have an erection all day.”
Sera cracked an eye open and lifted her head. “I made sure I didn’t inject him with that venom.” She glanced back down and licked where Nicholas’ blood had begun to well. “Does it hurt, Master?”
“No.”
“I’m glad.” Sera whispered. “I- I can barely hold back. I’m so hungry I could drain you dry.”
Nicholas responded by resting his bleeding arm over his empty glass and turned to Nessa when Sera let out a strangled gasp. “You look good by the way.”
Nessa glanced down at her zipper crop top. “I feel good.” She sighed and sat back into her own seat, keeping one eye on the enraptured Zubat. “You’re sure about this?”
“I’m sure.”
“Then I’ll stop complaining.” Nessa shook her head. “Thank you for the clothes.”
“They look good on you.” Nicholas smiled. “Both of you. Sera’s button down shirt was a good choice.” He used his free hand to muss the Zubat’s hair. “When you evolve we’ll have to cut out the back, but that’s not a problem.”
The waiter came and went, delivering a to-go box and Sera’s fruit, and Sera took the full glass when Nicholas offered it. She drained it almost immediately, her eyes flicking every few seconds to where he was wrapping the holes in gauze.
“Better?” Nicholas asked.
Sera nodded and looked him in the eyes. “Better.” She licked her lips, making sure she’d cleaned up most of his blood before drawing him into a deep kiss.
“Down, girl,” Nessa grumbled. “What’s the plan now?”
“We’ll wait for Sera to finish eating,” Nicholas replied, “and then we’ll check out the gym.”
Sera was reaching for a piece of melon when he mentioned the gym. “Already?” She glanced between him and Nessa. “But... I just got here.”
“Don’t think you’re ready to fight?”
Sera blinked. “I didn’t say that.”
“You sounded like you did,” Nessa jeered.
“All right girls, lets play nice.” Nicholas warned. He was about to say something else when the world swam for a moment and he had to prop himself up on the table.
Instantly Sera’s wings were wrapped around him. “I knew it would be too much.” Nicholas shivered when he felt her lips against his neck. “Stay with me, Master.”
“I’m- I’m fine,” Nicholas managed. “Just give me a minute.”
“It is rare for a tamer to make such a sacrifice for their pokegirl.”
Nicholas turned at the new voice to see a woman sitting at a nearby table, dressed in a flowing red kimono. As she turned slightly to look at him bells jingled, the ornaments in her hair dancing with every movement of her head.
“Sorry?”
“To sacrifice your own strength, your own blood, to feed a pokegirl.” The woman gazed sidelong at him. “A rare thing. Only one who truly loves pokegirls would even consider paying such a price. But by doing so you may have earned more than you expected.”
Nicholas frowned. “Who are you?”
“Merely a passerby.” The woman turned away again. “Nobody of import. Just as you are.” Her bells jingled again when she quietly laughed. “Isn’t that right?”
“Who aren’t you, then?”
The woman’s laughter faded. “Maybe you will learn one day. Until then, Nicholas.”
“Hey-“ Nicholas reached out in an attempt to grab the woman’s arm but in a flash she had leapt from her chair, whirling through the air and landing on the patio fence. Nicholas caught a glimpse of her eyes watching him, bright against her powdered face, before she flipped onto the street and vanished into the crowds.
“...What the hell was that?” Nicholas looked down at where Sera still hung from him and back at Nessa, but both pokegirls wore identical looks of confusion. “Who was she?”
Nessa shook her head slightly and got up. “Some crazy human.” Without another word she headed into the restaurant with their bill, leaving Nicholas and Sera alone.
“What was she talking about?” Nicholas felt Sera pull herself up against him. “Sera?”
“I don’t know everything, but I already knew part of what she said.” Sera let out a shuddering breath. “You didn’t have to feed me. You could have ignored me. Ran away, or done the minimum for me to survive. But you gave me the greatest gift you had. You gave me your blood.” Her lips parted slightly to reveal her glistening fangs. “I am yours, Master.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So, what’s your story?”
Sera didn’t respond at first, choosing instead to keep her eyes on where Nicholas paced. The three had walked across the city to the gym only to find it locked shut with a hand-painted sign hanging over the handles.
‘Gym closed. For inquiries, come to Sprout Tower.’
Nicholas had had some choice words when he’d seen it.
“I don’t really have a story,” Sera finally replied. “I’m pretty sure I’m feral-born, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Yeah, I guess it was.” Nessa pondered her next words. “So… is Mas… Nicholas your first tamer?”
“You’re getting pretty personal now, aren’t you? I already said I’m pretty sure that I’m feral-born.”
“Well, yeah, but… I’m just curious, you know? If you’re feral-born then how do you speak so fluently? I, well, I don’t think I’ve ever been feral before, so I don’t know what it’s like but I always thought…” Nessa trailed off.
“Thought that I should be acting more like an animal? Like the monster I am?”
“No, I didn’t say that…”
“Have you ever killed something, Nessa?” Sera’s piercing gaze transfixed the Totodile in place. “Not an insect or something. Something bigger.”
Nessa swallowed. “N-No.”
“I don’t know if I have. All I know is that I have memories that aren’t as foggy. Memories that teach me words and feelings.” Sera turned away. “Memories that only last for days at a time. Is that enough for you?”
Nessa barely nodded.
“So are you the Alpha?”
Nessa quickly followed Sera’s lead and changed the subject. “No. Well, not really. I’m his first pokegirl.”
“Alpha by seniority.”
“…I don’t think so. We talked this morning and I’m probably not going to take the job.”
“Oh?” Sera’s eyes had returned to Nicholas. “It’s open, then.”
“Yeah. But you don’t get to decide that it’ll be you.”
Sera glanced back at her with a challenging smile. “I don’t?”
“No. He might, but you won’t.” Nessa returned the smile. “And I’ll fight you if you try.”
Nicholas glanced over when he felt the mood shift and sighed when he saw the two pokegirls bristling at each other. “HEY!”
Both jumped at his shout. “Master?” Sera called.
“Cut it out. There are laws against starting a battle in the street.”
The two pokegirls blushed in unison. “How’d you know?” Nessa asked.
“You think this is the first time I’ve seen pokegirls posturing for status?” Nicholas chuckled. “You two have nothing on Ashley and Elizabeth.”
“Who are they?” Sera asked.
Nicholas blinked. “Oh, right, you don’t know all that yet. Ashley and Elizabeth are two of my pokegirls. I have a full harem already.”
Sera looked at Nessa. “But, she said she was your first?”
“My first here in Johto.” Nicholas walked over and pulled out his pokedex. “I’ve already completed the gym challenge in Kanto.”
“Wow!” Sera reached for the dex but hesitated when she saw Nicholas staring at the screen. “Can I see… Is something wrong?”
Nicholas stared at the blinking notification. Three missed calls. One unread message. All from…
He jumped when the phone rang and he quickly accepted the call. “Sabrina? What’s going on?”
“Oh, I finally reached you. Thank goodness.” Sabrina leaned back with a sigh. “Are you in private?”
Nicholas glanced up. “My new harem is with me but otherwise, yes.”
“Can you trust them?”
Nicholas glanced back down at the screen. “What?”
“Do they know… things yet.”
“They know I’m the Champion.” Sera gasped but Nessa clamped her hand over the Zubat’s mouth before she could speak. “That what you mean?”
“We don’t have time to play games. Get somewhere private, please.”
Nicholas glanced at the two pokegirls again before walking a fair distance away. “All right. Go ahead.”
“It’s about Team Rocket.”
Nicholas groaned. “What.”
“We think they’re in Johto.”
Nicholas stared down at her. “What? Why?”
“Well, the islands where Archer said he was going were deserted.”
“Yeah, but we sacked their warehouse. Didn’t we?”
“It wasn’t as full as it should have been. Large amounts of materiel had been removed, we could tell that much. We just didn’t know where it had gone.”
“You think it came to Johto.”
“We know it has. The details are in the text I sent you, but the bottom line is that they’ve been seen. People have reported tamers dressed in all black with a red R on their shirts all across Johto. More than one or two remnants. Organized groups.”
“This just started today? Really? Right as I left on my trip?”
Sabrina took a deep breath. “I hate to say it, but yes. I think it did.”
“What?”
“They’ve probably been there the whole time, but working secretly. Making sure not to tip anything off. And they’ve come out when they know the Champion isn’t in place to stop them.”
Nicholas had to sit down. “How? How did they know?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll call for Ashley, or transfer the harem here to Johto, and I can-“
“That’s also in the message.” Sabrina took a deep breath. “You’re not going to like this.”
“What.”
“Your question, ‘How did they know?’. We don’t know that, but we know that they did somehow. There has to still be a traitor. Someone high up.”
“Someone with knowledge of my plans.”
Sabrina nodded. “I’m currently under investigation.”
Nicholas shot to his feet. “WHAT!”
“Relax. It’s being done extremely secretively, with no other gym leader or Elite Four knowing. And I’m the obvious one to look at.”
“You cooperated fully after I… we drove them out of Saffron.”
Sabrina cracked a smile at that. “It was all you, honey. But like I said it’s fine. It’s not me, and someone knows it, which is why I’m still on the Anti-Rocket Task Force. The investigation is mostly a formality, a way to vet me before the team gets busy. It won’t take long.”
“Still. Do I need to talk to someone?”
Sabrina let out a happy giggle that made him smile. “No, Nicholas, you don’t.”
“Good. So anyways, I’ll get the rest of my harem-“
“That’s the point. You can’t.”
Nicholas frowned. After a moment he sighed. “If my harem suddenly leaves the house, they’ll be tipped off.”
“Bingo. You need to continue your Johto challenge until we know where they are and what they’re doing.”
“But… I’ll be stuck with amateur pokegirls.” Nicholas glanced over at Nessa and Sera. “Am I supposed to run the other way when I see activity?”
Sabrina shrugged. “Sounds like you need to use your skill as a tamer and get them from amateurs to veterans. Fast.”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing special…”
Sabrina’s eyes narrowed. “Shut up. We are not having this stupid argument over the phone for fuck’s sake. I get it. I really do. You can’t accept that you’re special because until the last year or two you weren’t special. But you are. And until you get that through your thick, wonderful skull, you’ll be holding every one of your pokegirls back.” Sabrina stood on her side and walked up to her pokedex. “So you’d better figure it out quick.”
Nicholas stared at the blank screen for almost a minute after Sabrina terminated the call. Eventually he pulled up a photo of his Kanto harem and wandered back over to where Nessa and Sera were waiting. “Here, Sera. This is the rest of the harem.”
Sera barely even glanced at the screen. “You’re the Champion.”
“Yeah.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
Nicholas didn’t look at her. “It wasn’t important.”
“Not important? There is exactly one human title I know about, and that’s the Champion. The strongest tamer in the entire region.” Sera’s eyes had begun to grow wild as she spoke, every syllable punctuated by a manic glee. “MY MASTER holds that title. How could anything be more important than that?”
Nicholas was going to retort, but Sabrina’s words were still fresh in his mind. After a few seconds of silence he shook his head. “Now you know. These are the pokegirls that won the title.”
Sera finally took his pokedex and looked at the picture. “Which ones were we talking about?”
Nicholas pointed out Ashley and Elizabeth, but he didn’t miss how Nessa had remained quiet. The Totodile was watching him as he answered Sera’s questions and, as they finished, and Nicholas put his pokedex away, she spoke.
“Who was that on the phone?”
Nicholas grimaced. “My girlfriend.”
“What’s going on?”
Nicholas took his time securing his pokedex. “...I can’t tell you.”
“Can’t, or won’t?” Nessa accused.
“I don’t know if I can yet.”
“Why? What’s the big secret? I heard your girlfriend ask if you trusted us. And then you walked away.” Nicholas found himself unable to match Nessa’s accusatory gaze. “Why?”
“Nessa, we’ve known each other for less than a week.”
“And I trust you with my life.” Nessa’s lips curled back in a snarl. “Are you telling me I made a mistake? Has everything been one big lie?”
“I trust you.” Nicholas finally looked Nessa in the eyes. “But I’m trying to protect you.”
“Protect me? You are my tamer, my master. I protect YOU.”
“If I tell you this, this secret, then there is no going back.” Nicholas looked at Sera. “For either of you. If you ever choose that you don’t want to be with me anymore, I might not be able to let you leave. If I don’t tell you, then you’re still free.”
“We’re pokegirls.” Nessa glanced at Sera. “We were never free.”
“You know what I mean.”
“And you know what I do.” Nessa’s tail had been swishing angrily behind her throughout the conversation but now it came to a halt. “I have used my choice. My freedom. And I have chosen to surrender it to you.”
Nicholas looked at Sera but the Zubat just grinned and repeated the vow she had whispered in the cafe. “I am yours.”
“Fine.” Nicholas turned and began walking back into the city. “Then we’re heading back to the hotel. I’ll explain there.”
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POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer:Nicholas Topolski
Badges:
Harem:
Nessa, Totodile – Level 10
Sera, Zubat – Level 6