Disclaimer:
This work is fiction. The work is presented under fair protection where applicable.
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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 7
True Strength
“WHAT?”
Bugsy laughed. “You heard me. Both of your pokegirls against Suki. At the same time.”
“You can do that? I’ve always fought one on one.”
“Any rule of a battle can be changed. Gym leaders just usually go with the most common - unlimited pokegirls, to the harem max of six, and total knockout. But you need some help.” He nodded. “Two on one. Ready?”
Nicholas quickly urged Nessa forwards. They looked just as shocked as he felt and he grappled with his spinning emotions. The battle plan didn’t change. Wasn’t this better?
“BEGIN!”
He wasn’t ready. Bugsy had intentionally given them time to form a plan, then thrown it out the window. He wasn’t ready. It was like before, when he hadn’t believed in his own strength. He wasn’t ready.
But this time, he knew he didn’t have to be.
“SERA, get in the air! Nessa, you are the target. Defend, don’t let her beat you before Sera can help!”
A smile crossed Bugsy’s face. “You’ve made an unfortunate assumption. You think that because Suki hasn’t shown her wings she doesn’t have any.”
Nicholas’ stomach dropped. No. It had to be a bluff; every winged pokegirl he’d ever encountered had them as a part of her body. He knew some pokegirls might be able to fly, or at least levitate, without wings, but he didn’t know of any that could just...
With a loud crack, the back of Suki’s shirt split.
Nicholas stared as a pair of glittering green wing cases sprouted from the Scyther’s back. A Bug-type. Of course, her clothes were probably hiding some sort of exoskeleton. He had no experience with them, and his pokegirls were about to pay for it.
And he’d had time to use his pokedex if he’d just thought about it!
“I’ve messed up.” Bugsy looked over when he heard Nicholas speak. The man’s voice was low, his timbre clipped. “But this time, I’m not going to just roll over and take it.”
Bugsy felt a thrill shoot down his spine. He’d done everything he could to bait this challenger, the Champion, into a losing position. So why did he feel so afraid?
Nicholas took a deep breath. Somehow, the arena hadn’t formed yet. He still had a moment to think. He needed a strategy, and he needed one now.
Sera hissed as her own thoughts raced. The pokegirl - her enemy - had crouched, preparing to attack her. She couldn’t take a hit. Not yet!
Nicholas blinked, an instant before the force field sprang into place to protect the tamers. “SERA FALL!”
Sera wheeled back when Suki jumped into the air, her wings buzzing as she darted towards the Zubat. As she closed in her hands grasped the air and Sera’s face went white when two glittering blades slid into view.
“SERA FALL!”
Sera hesitated. She knew she shouldn’t. He’d just proven to her the day before that he could be trusted. He’d proven it countless times. But still, a part of her rebelled. How could he order her to just... fall?
“NESSA, WATER, GO!” Nicholas clenched his fists when Sera flapped backwards. She needed to get out of there!
Finally Sera understood, but too late. She tucked her wings, covering her body as Suki impacted.
The flashing blades sliced straight through her wings, one going wide from its intended target but still drawing a long gash through Sera’s breast. The other sunk into her shoulder.
As Sera jerked, her body weight pulling her free, she felt the blade in her shoulder twist and then a blinding pain shoot across her body. For some reason, the wing itself didn’t hurt at all.
Suki tsked. One of her blades had been pulled from her grasp, but it had done what it needed to. As Sera fell her wing snapped out, nearly twisting backwards as it barely remained attached to her body. The fluttering limb threw Sera’s fall into a spin and the Zubat screamed as she plummeted towards the ground.
Suki was preparing to chase her down when a bolt of water shot before her eyes and she dodged, spinning through the air to avoid the staccato blasts Nessa was firing.
“SERA!” Nessa charged up, spewing a wider screen before sprinting towards the falling Zubat. “I’ve got-“ she howled when a line appeared on her arm, just barely missing her body. Stumbling, she threw herself into a slide and caught the Zubat before she could hit the ground. “I’ve got you.”
Nessa winced when Sera screamed again, her blood pumping from her dangling wing to coat Nessa’s body.
Nicholas already had her pokeball ready, but he waited. Sera had come back from worse than this.
But not this time. There wasn’t even a last-ditch supersonic scream before she went limp in Nessa’s arms.
Nessa watched Sera’s body dissolve into red light. One hit. That’s all it had taken.
A clink drew her attention and she reached towards the wicked blade that had been left behind when Sera was recalled. With a growl she got to her feet, nursing the cut on her arm before pointing the blade at where Suki hovered.
“This is yours, isn’t it?” Nessa felt herself shaking and she channeled the feelings. Fear had no place with her anymore. All she needed was anger.
Suki grinned back. “It might be.”
“Then come fucking get it,” Nessa snarled. As Suki watched, she grabbed the blade and tensed.
The snap from the breaking material was like a gunshot. Instantly Suki attacked, her remaining blade twisting from hand to hand as it sought Nessa’s heart. “YOU BITCH!”
Nessa staggered backwards when a number of cuts appeared across her body. Suki finished swinging her remaining weapon, flipping it back into her hand with a scream that turned into one of pain when Nessa stuffed her charge with one hand, bringing her other arm around with a roar. Suki was sent to the floor, twisting painfully as Nessa kept hold of her arm.
Nicholas blinked when his ears popped in a staccato that matched the hits Nessa had taken. Some kind of sound attack?
Whatever, he needed to focus. With Sera gone this had become a one on one that Nessa could not win. Even now, as Suki twisted in pain, Bugsy was giving her orders.
“Nessa! Whatever you do, do NOT let her get back in the air!”
Nessa grunted. Beneath her Suki panted, the hand holding her remaining blade trapped between one of Nessa’s legs and her tail. “I spent three weeks forming that blade,” she snarled. “You had no right to break it like that.”
“This isn’t practice. It’s a battle,” Nessa intoned. “You can’t hold back.”
Suki grinned at her. “That’s right.”
Nessa grunted when she felt Suki’s foot impact against her lower back. It didn’t hurt that bad so she tightened her grip before a hand was shoved in her face.
Suki was a blur, landing two strikes to shake Nessa’s grip before yanking her weapon free and inverting the blade. With a scream she plunged it towards the Croconaw’s neck.
Suki shouted triumphantly when she connected but the sound died when she saw Nessa glaring down at her out of the corner of her eye. Without speaking she tensed, throwing Suki away and getting to her feet. Suki scrambled up in time to see Nessa grab the hilt, slowly sliding the blade out of her body with barely any blood. “How?” Suki’s eyes widened. “That should have severed your artery. How are you standing?”
Nessa grabbed the blade and Suki groaned when it shattered. “Not even going to say anything?” She waited a moment before falling back when Nessa remained silent. “Hello?”
“NESSA! USE YOUR STRENGTHS-“ Nicholas trailed off mid shout. Nessa wasn’t moving, or responding. He swallowed. Not good.
Nessa’s rage filled her, her eyes glowing red as she leaned back with a deafening roar. Suki cursed when she charged, a heavy strike seeking the dodging Scyther.
“Damnit, Nessa!”
Bugsy said something and Suki took off, barely clearing a swipe from Nessa before circling above the raging Croconaw. Nessa didn’t even try to fire a Water Gun. She was lost in her own world, futilely jumping at the buzzing Scyther.
Bugsy finally shook his head and spoke. Nessa tried to retaliate but the Scyther was simply too quick; in an instant she was face down, Suki’s legs pinning her head while the Scyther’s hands locked her arms behind her back.
“The battle is over.”
Nicholas nodded. Nessa could barely move and he could see blood welling from where Suki’s blade had penetrated her neck. When Nessa relaxed her muscles the wound just opened further.
“Suki is still standing.” Bugsy waited for Nicholas to recall Nessa. “An excellent battle.”
“Yeah. Except Sera didn’t trust me enough, and Nessa let her rage get the better of her.” Nicholas shook his head. “We’ve got a long ways to go. But thank you for the match.”
“What do you think you need to do better?”
Nicholas blinked at the sudden question. Suki had returned to Bugsy’s side, but the gym leader had eyes only for him. “Sorry?”
“You just identified what went wrong. What do you need to do to do better?”
Nicholas frowned. “Well... Nessa just evolved yesterday. This blood rage thing wasn’t an issue until then, so I’ll have to help her control it. She had Suki on the ropes until she slipped.”
Bugsy nodded. “And?”
“Sera and I... have some issues we’re working through. I don’t trust her yet, and she knows that. We’ll get better over time.”
“You could always just order her to listen. After all, when she didn’t, Suki eviscerated her.”
Nichols looked at Bugsy quizzically. “Why would you suggest that?”
“Seems like a solution.”
“A stupid one.” Nicholas shook his head. “She’d never fight at her best if she was only doing it to placate me. No pokegirl would.”
Bugsy had turned back to Suki with a smile. “Well?”
“She broke my blades, Master. Both of them.”
“Are you saying she defeated you?”
Nicholas looked between the two in confusion. “Sorry?”
“I never expected you to knock out Suki, Nicholas.” Bugsy made a whistling motion but nothing came out. Suddenly the shadows came alive, three other pokegirls appearing and loosely forming around him and Suki. “Meet my harem.”
Nicholas blinked. Slowly he looked between the pokegirls and back to Bugsy. “You lied to me.”
“I did indeed.”
“Suki is one of your pokegirls? And... she wasn’t holding back?”
“I held back. I could have broken your Croconaw’s neck when she had me grappled.” Suki smiled. “But by then the battle was decided.”
“The badge is yours, Nicholas.” Bugsy held up a small object before tossing it into the air. A sudden gust of wind blew through the arena and Nicholas barely managed to catch the badge as it flew past. “Thank you for showing me how the Champion battles. I only wish we had had the chance to face each other for real.”
Nicholas stared at the badge in his hand before slipping it into his pocket. “But we did, didn’t we?”
Bugsy nodded. “True. Nobody would say your pokegirls did not fight for real. Your Croconaw breaking Suki’s blades alone proved her strength.”
“Yeah. They’re supposed to be stronger than that,” Suki griped. “Maybe my exoskeleton is weakening, Master.”
“Maybe. I’m sure Delphine will be glad to help train you back into shape.”
Suki shivered when a laugh came from one of the other pokegirls. “Yes, Master.”
“I get the reason for the deception. But I have a quick question.” Nicholas gestured at Suki. “Where did you find her?”
Bugsy laughed. “Impressed?”
“Very. And her moves after losing her blades; I want someone in my harem who can teach Nessa and any other physical pokegirls I get.”
“Then head to Goldenrod next. I’m sure it was already on your radar – Whitney’s gym is there. North of the city is the National Park, a haven for Bug-types.” Bugsy grinned. “If you’re lucky, you’ll find a wild Scyther there. Though, whether or not you can catch her is another question.”
Nicholas nodded. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Travel safe, Champion.” Bugsy waved as Nicholas left. “And thank you again. For everything.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer:Nicholas Topolski
Badges:
Zephyr Badge
Hive Badge
Harem:
Nessa, Croconaw – Level 19
Sera, Zubat – Level 18
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nessa materialized outside and groaned. She took a quick look around and smiled sheepishly when she saw Nicholas and Sera watching her. “What did I do? I blacked out.”
Nicholas shook his head. “You threw away the match.”
Nessa’s eyes slid shut. “Shit.”
“Sera, you didn’t do much either. I’m very disappointed in you.”
Nessa opened her eyes in time to see Sera silently snickering. “She was caught off guard… why are you laughing?”
Nicholas burst out laughing. “Hahaha! Ah, come on, Sera. We had her.”
Nessa squinted at the two when Sera’s laughs joined his. “I’m being bullied, aren’t I.”
“Only a little.” Nicholas grinned and grabbed her arm, pulling her close before embracing her. “You did fine, Nessa. All that crap Bugsy was saying was a big lie.” He nodded at Sera. “We couldn’t resist playing a little prank on you though.”
“You were just so serious in there,” Sera giggled. “I know, yesterday, and everything, but I thought you needed a laugh.”
Nessa’s smile tugged at her lips. “Funny. You’re the only ones laughing.”
“Maybe, but I see you smiling.” Nicholas pulled back. “Come on. I need to talk to someone.”
Nessa watched him walk away, nodding when she saw his path. “You’re sure?”
Nicholas slowed a bit. “Well, we have to go through the forest. To get to our next gym.”
Nessa caught up to him and took the side Sera wasn’t already occupying. “I’m sure we could walk through on our own.”
Nicholas nodded slightly, picking his pace back up. “Probably we could. But… I need to make sure she knows what I think of her.”
Nessa looked at Sera. “And what’s that?”
Nicholas remained silent for a full minute, only speaking when they had almost reached the forest. “I’m not sure yet.” He turned down the road, drifting towards the path that would take them to Celebi’s shrine. “But… I need to find out.”
“So, if we’re heading this way, and you’re talking about our next gym, we got the badge?” Nessa ducked a branch. “Did I win?”
“No, you lost. But that Scyther wasn’t just some random pokegirl. She was Bugsy’s. That’s why I said he lied.” Nicholas stepped around some fallen trees before looking at her. “You won us the badge, but you lost the fight. And it happened because you couldn’t control yourself.”
Nessa’s eyes fell. “I know. I did the same thing yesterday.” She clenched her fists. “But I wouldn’t be able to control myself if I was afraid-“
“It’s not all or nothing.” Nicholas’ words stopped Nessa mid sentence. “I have a pokegirl who’s already learned that lesson. I even told you about her.”
Nessa blinked, thinking back over the names Nicholas had told them. “Um… The Dragonite?”
Nicholas chuckled. “Close. The Gyarados. Victoria.”
“Oh. Of course.” Nessa’s eyes widened. “Oh, she’s the one you talked about when I was trying to learn to shoot water!”
“That’s her. And she had a bit where she wasn’t sure whether her emotions controlled her or the other way around. She was afraid to embrace her rage, so she kept it bottled up. And it wasn’t until she learned to let it flow that she got stronger.”
“But this is different… right? I already let my rage, you know, flow. It’s just too much.”
“It’s the same concept. You need to learn balance. Your fear will balance your rage, just like it balanced hers.” Nicholas dug out his pokedex and tossed it to her. “Give her a call while we walk. Sera can keep lookout.”
Nessa hesitated before she opened the pokedex. “You trust me?”
Nicholas glanced back for a moment. “I’ve already shared everything with you, and what I didn’t you figured out on your own.” He chuckled. “Just like I can ‘see through’ you two, you’ve seen through me. Go ahead.” He paused. “Oh, just don’t tell Victoria or any of the others what’s going on. Let them think that we’re having a nice peaceful trip around Johto. If they knew about Team Rocket, I guarantee someone would slip away and then the secret is out.”
Nessa nodded, finding the favorited phone numbers and dialing the one that said ‘Home’.”
“Hi! No, this is Nessa, Nicholas asked me to call…” Nicholas turned away when someone, he guessed Dahlia, picked up on the other end.
“Yo. Master?” Victoria settled in front of the camera a few seconds before the three emerged into the shrine clearing. “It’s been weeks…”
Nessa waved nervously when the Gyarados trailed off. “Hi. Um, I’m Nessa.”
Victoria blinked. “Where’s Master?”
“He’s here.” Nessa turned the camera so Victoria could see Nicholas before turning it back. “He asked me to call you.”
“Shoot, I was hoping he wanted to talk to me.” Victoria shrugged. “Oh well. So, you said your name is Nessa?”
Nessa took a deep breath. “Yeah. And I need your help.”
Nicholas came to a halt in the middle of the clearing. Just like before, the shrine stood alone – empty. If he waited, would she appear? Was she already here, and just watching him?
“Celebi!”
There was no response from the forest and Nicholas sighed. If she wasn’t here, she wouldn’t know he was. She wasn’t omnipotent. Even if he found the legendary at some point, and told her that he had visited, she wouldn’t appear in his past. Or could she? He shook his head and groaned. Paradoxes. He shouldn’t think too hard about that.
As far as his timeline was concerned, she wasn’t here.
Sera walked with him when he approached the shrine, hoping for a sign, or for the legendary to appear, or anything. But nothing came.
“She’s not here.”
Nicholas slowly nodded. “I know. Maybe it’s better that way.” He turned away slightly, looking back pensively. “To be honest, I’m not sure what I wanted to say.”
Ting
Nicholas blinked at the sound. When it happened again, a soft tinkling of bells, he began looking around.
“Up here, Nicholas.”
Nicholas looked up to the roof of the shrine. Perched on the peak of the roof sat the kimono woman from Violet City. “You? From the restaurant.”
The woman inclined her head slightly, causing the bells to jingle again. “We meet again.”
Nicholas stepped forwards. “Who are you?”
“Nobody of import. I’ve been watching you, you know. I saw what you did in the town to the south.”
Nicholas frowned. “At the well?”
“The very place. A tamer who is wiling to sacrifice themselves for their pokegirls, and willing to sacrifice themselves for others.” The woman gazed down at him. “What else will you show me, I wonder?”
Nicholas considered telling Sera to fly up, but with how the woman had evaded in Violet City he decided it wasn’t worth the effort. “You keep saying you’re nobody important. But you’re obviously something. I mean-“ he looked around. “At the very least you’re agile enough to climb the shrine. Or you’re actually a pokegirl.”
When the woman burst into unrestrained laughter he felt his face growing hot. “Ah-ha-ha-ha! Is that what you believe every strong woman must be, Nicholas? Secretly a pokegirl? I suppose it is impossible for you to imagine a human woman could be special.”
Nicholas’ blush darkened his cheeks. “Now, hold on, I didn’t say that.”
The woman’s teasing eyes laughed at him even though she was calming down. “I will forgive you this time. The one you are looking for is not here – I believe you have somewhere else to be.”
Nicholas ducked his head. “Yeah. Fine.”
“We will meet again, Nicholas.” The woman’s smile followed him as he left the clearing. “I will await you in Ecruteak City.”
Nicholas glanced back one last time but the woman was gone.
Sera grumbled as they rejoined Nessa. “She’s such a weird human.”
“Yeah. And I still don’t know why she’s following us around. Me around.” Nicholas sighed. “Something’s going on here, and I want to know what it is.”
Nessa looked up when they approached. “What happened? Was she there?”
“No. But that kimono woman from Violet was. She said she’s been watching us.”
Nessa frowned slightly. “Is she an enemy?”
“I’m going to say no. Just infuriatingly mysterious.” Nicholas shook his head. “She said she’d be waiting in Ecruteak. I think that’s pretty far north from here, but we’ll be headed that way at some point.”
“Okay.”
Nicholas nodded at her. “How about you, Nessa? Did you find what you needed?”
Nessa looked back down at the pokedex still in her hands. “I… don’t know. But I needed to talk to Victoria. I know that.”
Nicholas smiled. “When you’re ready to share, I’m here.”
“Yeah. I know.” Nessa handed him the device back. “Goldenrod?”
“Goldenrod,” Nicholas agreed.
Behind the shrine, the woman hung upside-down from the eaves. Somehow her dress didn’t fall and rested against her legs, even with her fully inverted position.
“Are you going to hang like that all day, Kuni?”
The woman pulled herself back upright, balancing neatly by using her feet to clamp the edge of the roof, and bowed to the figure that hovered in the air. “My apologies for climbing over your shrine, timeless one. It was the easiest way to maintain a distance from that man.”
Celebi shook her head and floated to the ground, prompting the woman to drop with her. “As long as you didn’t break anything.”
“Not a tile.”
“Then no harm done.” Celebi peeked around the wall but Nicholas had already disappeared. “I seem to have arrived too late to see him.”
Kuni let out a polite laugh. “As I’m sure was the intention? After all, you are always when you want to be.”
“Yes. My presence brings him pain.”
“You have already met him?”
“You already know I have. You were watching when he first came here.” Celebi turned back to Kuni. “Speaking of which. Why are you here, servant?”
Kuni sketched a deep bow. “We believe this man is important.”
“What makes you think that?”
“They say he already bonds with the artificial one. If he can do that, what else will he accomplish?”
Celebi nodded slightly. She already knew Nicholas was important. It was why she had stopped moving through the time streams here in Johto altogether. The first time she had met this human, years into the future, he had acted as if he already knew her – yet she had no memory of that meeting. Something impossible.
At this point in history, he was a normal human. She had tested as such by finding him at her shrine and then stepping back to speak with him in Violet City. Events had played out as they should, though she had used an illusion to be safe. But at some point, Nicholas would leave her control, her own personal time stream. It was this event that intrigued her so deeply. For the first time in her long life, Celebi felt impatient. She couldn’t simply go to when she pleased. Not this time.
Kuni stood patiently. “Timeless one?”
Celebi blinked. “Yes?”
“Did you hear my explanation?”
Celebi waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, you think he’s important. Well, do as you will. I have no interest in him yet.”
Kuni laughed again. “I will watch for the day that you do, timeless one.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will. Now, off with you.”
Kuni bowed again before turning and racing into the forest.
Celebi remained where she was for a long, long while before sighing. She should have asked Kuni if Nicholas had said anything about her. She still didn’t know if he was willing to speak with her. Though, perhaps it was for the best. This way, she didn’t have to tell him the truth. That she was not some simple “legendary” like he had guessed. That she was one of the most ancient pokegirls, known only to most humans as a fairy tale. A myth.
This way he would be wary, but not afraid of her. Maybe it was for the best.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicholas cursed when another grove of trees snapped back in his face. “Damn this forest.”
“What’s wrong?”
Nicholas glared ahead of him. Nessa was somehow moving easily through the same undergrowth that was painfully slowing him and Sera. “I don’t know how you’re doing this so quickly but these tree branches keep smacking me!”
Nessa turned back. “Oh. Uh… Sorry?”
“I doubt it’s your fault.”
“No, it might be.” Nessa reached out and Nicholas saw the trees drawn back to reveal her. “I wasn’t thinking. Sorry.”
Nicholas stepped out next to her, Sera close behind. “Not thinking about what?”
“Well, I was distracted with what Victoria talked about…”
“Yeah, I get that. What weren’t you thinking about.”
“Um. Those two Farfetch’d, they told me how to cut through the forest. I guess I was just… doing it.” Nessa hung her head sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Nicholas patted her shoulder. “No harm done. If you know how to cut through most efficiently, do you think you can do it and still leave a path for us?”
Nessa nodded. “I’ll focus on doing that.”
Suddenly their strenuous trek turned into an easy walk with Nessa manipulating the trees they walked through. Nicholas flinched the first few times he saw one seeming to whip back, but when none of them hit him, he learned to ignore the violently swishing plants and focused completely on staying behind Nessa.
After a few hours they emerged into a less dense part of the forest and Nessa slowed, turning to make sure Nicholas and Sera were all right. “How was that?”
Sera laughed quietly and stepped around Nicholas to grin at Nessa. “Should have done that from the start.”
Nessa nervously returned the smile. “Sorry.”
“Nah, good job.” Sera clapped her on the back before turning to survey the forest. “Now. Which way do we go?”
Nicholas pointed at a part of the forest that no light was shining through. “Is it just me, or does that look like a wall?”
Sera squinted a bit. “Maybe?”
“Lets check it out.”
It was a wall, and when they got closer Nicholas started to make out the shape of a building. The three entered and Nicholas brightened when he saw the long interior leading to a set of double doors with bright daylight shining through.
“Looks like this is the way out,” he laughed. “Nessa, well done.”
Nessa blushed slightly. “Thanks.”
“Hey, another tamer!” Nicholas turned to see a woman and a Butterfree seated nearby. “Want a quick match? Or are you on your way to the park.”
Nicholas blinked. “Well…”
“I’ll take that as a no.” The woman leaned back and continued stroking her pokegirl. “Good luck.”
“Wait, I’m new around here. Yes, I was thinking of going to the National Park, but how did you know I was?”
The woman’s eyebrow rose. “Oh, you didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Today’s Saturday. The contest is running.”
Nicholas slowly made a ‘keep going’ motion with his hands. “And…?”
“The bug-catching contest? The main event, held weekly, in the National Park?” The woman rolled her eyes. “Wow, you really aren’t from around here. See, the National Park is a kind of preserve for Bug and Grass-type pokegirls. Every Saturday, they hold a contest, to see what tamer can catch the strongest one. There are prizes, but the real prize is finding a partner.” The woman smiled when her Butterfree cooed. “See, the pokegirls that live in the park know about the event, even the wild ones. So you usually find the strongest ones looking for a good fight.”
Nicholas shared a quick glance with Nessa and Sera. “We need to get there.”
“Or you could wait a week.” The woman chuckled when Nicholas began jogging towards the exit. “Good luck! It’ll be running all night!”
They burst into the sun and Nicholas burst into a run, prompting Sera to take off and Nessa to double down and match his pace. “Why are we running???”
“Didn’t you hear what that woman said? Today is when all the strongest Bug-types are out looking for a new tamer.”
“I didn’t know you loved Bug-type pokegirls so much!”
Nicholas shook his head. “To be honest, I never really have.”
“Then why…?”
Because of Suki.” Nicholas glanced back at Nessa. “That Scyther was a terror, and I want that kind of skill and power on our side.”
Nessa slowly grew a grin. “You sound like a tamer.”
Nicholas grinned back before turning his attention to where he was going. “Good. That means I’m getting better.”
Nessa didn’t say it, but she agreed. And hearing him talk about strategy, instead of half-hearted emotion, made her think of what Victoria had told her on the phone.
“You can’t just let it control you. You need to have a goal, something you can focus on.” Victoria leaned back from the camera. “When I first learned to embrace what I am, it took my lover to keep me grounded. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have found the secret on my own.”
Nessa ducked her head in embarrassment. “The only other pokegirl Nicholas has here is Sera, and I don’t think… I definitely don’t feel that way about her.”
“That’s fine. I was just telling you how I did it.” Victoria tapped a finger against her chin for a few seconds. “I think the secret is that goal, that focus. Do you have anything you can really hold onto?”
Nessa laughed nervously. “Well, there’s Nicholas…”
“It would need to be something other than Master. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to listen to him in battle. And even though he’s a useless human, he has a dragon’s heart.” Victoria’s fangs gleamed when she grinned. “Keep him safe for me, little sister. And trust him. He won’t lead you wrong.”
She still wasn’t sure what her goal could be, but she was starting to understand what Victoria was talking about regarding Nicholas. A dragon’s heart… The moment they had shared in the well flashed back to her and she shivered. She already had seen that.
They were running past a few scattered buildings when someone called his name. “NICHOLAS!”
Nicholas slid to a halt, looking around to see Ethan waving at him from the side of the road. “Oh. Hey, Ethan? What are you doing here?”
Ethan jogged up. “I’m here visiting my grandparents. They own the breeding ranch here.” He gestured behind himself at the sprawling complex. “What about you? Doing your challenge thing?”
“Yeah, but right now I’m headed to the National Park.”
Ethan took a moment before he remembered. “Oh yeah! The contest is today, isn’t it.” He glanced up at the climbing sun. “You might want to hurry.”
Nicholas snorted. “That’s what I was doing, before you interrupted me.”
Ethan laughed and quickly backed off. “Sorry, sorry. Oh!” He pulled out his pokedex. “I forgot to ask back at the lab. Can I get your phone number?”
Nicholas chuckled. “Was the autograph not enough?”
“No, I mean, yes, but…” Ethan trailed off. “I think… I might want to give the gym challenge a try. Maybe just a little bit. But I don’t know how to start.”
Nicholas smiled and pulled out his pokedex. “Sure.”
Ethan’s face broke into a grin. “Thank you! Thank you so much.” They exchanged numbers and he stepped back again. “All right. Good luck at the contest.”
“And good luck with Mary,” Nicholas chuckled, noticing the flouncing pokegirl bearing down on them from within the ranch.
Ethan looked confused for a moment as Nicholas ran off but quickly turned when he heard footsteps. “Oh! Mary, hey, hey, HEY! WHOAH!”
Nicholas laughed to himself when he heard the collision and the chaos behind him.
The ranch sat at the outskirts of Goldenrod so within the hour Nicholas saw the city itself rising ahead of them. Sera flew down closer to avoid the gate, landing at a run and slowing down as Nicholas and Nessa did the same. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know, but I know where we can find out.” Nicholas pointed at a nearby pokecenter. “Let’s head in there and ask around.” He looked between the two. “We haven’t really fought anything, right? Are you two ready to go?”
Sera shrugged. “Those few wild pokegirls in the forest, but nothing other than that. I’m fine.”
“All right.”
They stepped into the pokecenter and Nicholas headed straight for the counter. “Hi. I’m wondering if you could help tell me where the National Park is?”
The attendant nodded. “Of course. Here for the Bug-catching contest, I assume? The National Park sits just to the north of the city. You can get there by simply continuing down the main road, under the bullet train rails, and through the northern gate. You might have to fend of a few battles before getting there, but the roads are clearly marked! If you hurry, you should make it just before nightfall.”
“Thank you so much.” Nicholas turned. “Hear that? More running.” He grinned when the two pokegirls groaned in unison and stepped between them, moving back towards the doors. “Now, now, no complaining…”
“Nicholas?”
Now it was Nicholas’ turn to groan. Who was it this time? But as he turned to see who had called him he blinked.
“Bill?”
The researcher hurried forwards, grabbing Nicholas’ hand and pumping it excitedly. “I thought it was you! It’s been a while, how have you been?”
“Uh, I’ve been fine. Just doing the gym challenge here in Johto… What are you doing here?”
“In Goldenrod? I live here!”
Nicholas blinked again as he tried to process. “No, you live north of Cerulean… Don’t you?”
“That’s just my vacation home. Or, well, my research home, as it’s turned into.” Bill laughed and turned to the pokegirls. “It’s my pleasure to meet you both as well. Nicholas, you said you’re taking the Johto gym challenge? Haven’t you had enough of that kind of thing?”
“Apparently not yet.” Nicholas pulled his hand free. “This is Nessa and Sera.”
Bill repeated his greeting to them before turning back to Nicholas. “Oh, but Nicholas, you should meet my family. Won’t you come back to my house? We can have dinner, you can tell me all about what you’ve been up to…”
“Um, we’re actually trying to get to the National Park today,” Nicholas replied. When Bill seemed to deflate he hurriedly continued. “But we’ll be back in Goldenrod! I mean, I want to challenge the gym at some point.”
“Excellent! You can come visit me when you get back. In fact, I insist! No camping for you while you are here. You will be my guest.”
“Yeah. Sounds good.” Nicholas carefully stepped away before breaking for the door. “Nice seeing you, Bill!”
“See you soon!”
Nicholas quickly moved down the road as they exited and Nessa had to jog a few steps to keep up. “Who was that?”
“A researcher I met in Kanto. He’s a good guy, but maybe a bit too earnest.” He rolled his eyes. “I can’t hate him for that. So we’ll be accepting his offer when we get back.”
“He wants to be your friend, doesn’t he?” Sera asked. “Why don’t you want to be his?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to be…” Nicholas trailed off. “Look, he’s a good guy. And I had a great time talking to him before. But he’s just too much! He never stops!” Nicholas sighed. “I just get exhausted talking with him, that’s all.”
“Have you told him that?”
Nicholas frowned to himself. “No, I guess I haven’t.”
“So try that when we get back.” Sera grinned. “That’s what you always tell us to do, isn’t it? Speak our mind?”
Nicholas smiled back. “Thanks, Sera.”
“Hey, even if you didn’t get a chance to talk to that legendary, I can still remind you of what she said,” Sera leered. “Take your own damn advice every once in a while.”
“Yeah. I really should.” Nicholas turned back to the road. “Come on, we’ve got a long afternoon ahead of us.”
There were only a few battles throughout the day, with Nessa taking care of the wild pokegirls that showed up along the road. Finally, they approached a welcome center as the sun dipped below the trees.
“This is probably it,” Nicholas mused, looking around. The only other path was smaller and snaked away from the building. “And we arrived right when the NurseJoy said we would.”
“Finally.”
Nichlas turned and laughed when he saw Nessa collapsed on the ground. “Nessa, come on! How am I fine and you’re exhausted.”
“Because you haven’t been getting beat up all day!” Nessa cried. “Ugh, sometimes I wish you’d carry us around in our pokeballs.”
“What, like John? Only letting you out when I want you to fight?”
Nessa sighed. “No.”
“Well then suck it up.” He winked when she glowered at him. “Need a break?”
“Please.”
Nicholas recalled her and turned to Sera. “Guess it’s just you for this one.”
Sera nodded. “I’m ready.” She flexed her wings, flaring them opposite to her arms before folding them back against her body. “In fact, I feel ready for anything.”
Nicholas nodded back. “Good.” He studied her for a moment but declined to say anything before they stepped into the building.
“Hello, and welcome to the National Park. If you’re here for a tour, we’re closed on the weekend.”
Nicholas stepped towards the man at the info desk. “Actually, I’m here for the contest.”
“Ah, the bug-catching contest. All of the day slots have finished, so if you’d like to sign up for a night slot?”
Nicholas blinked. “There are slots?”
“Yup. Five tamers at a time, with some time in between to let the wild pokegirls calm down. So? The next slot starts in half an hour.”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
The man gestured at a nearby waiting area. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll call for you when we’re ready.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Next contest is beginning now! Tamers, please come to the door!”
Nicholas stood along with three other tamers and their pokegirls. Even though the coordinator had said there were five slots, it seemed they would be starting with four.
“All right. Tamers, you all have one hour to capture a wild pokegirl. At the end of the hour, we will judge your capture and award prizes. You will get more points for catching a stronger pokegirl, but be careful that you don’t overestimate your skill and get knocked out without even getting a capture! Now, if anyone needs pokeballs, please say so.”
Two of the tamers raised their hands and Nicholas raised his after a moment. “I’m running kind of low.”
“Not a problem, you can have some of ours. Just return whatever you don’t use.” Nicholas accepted the small bag, looking inside at the patterned pokeballs. “Now. If everyone is ready?” The coordinator turned to the doors and pushed them open. “Three, two, one, begin!”
Nicholas let the others hurry out before stepping into the night air. This area in front of the building was clear, a few benches and lights scattered about for the regular tourists. But the group of tamers ignored them, moving straight down the path and around a bend.
“Ready, Sera?”
“One second.”
Nicholas turned to see her unbuttoning her shirt. “What are you doing?”
Sera finished, pulling her shirt off before dropping her shorts. “The same thing Nessa did. I don’t want them getting destroyed.”
Nicholas took the clothes. “You think this is going to be that bad?”
“I know you. You’re going to look for the strongest pokegirl in the area. And I’m going to get to fight her.” Sera grinned, but it wasn’t to hide anything. She looked genuinely thrilled. “Now, I’m ready. Let’s find my new harem sister.”
Nicholas grinned back and the two moved down the path, slowing when they saw the group up ahead. One tamer was walking away, but the others stood in front of a twisted mass of grass and trees.
“What are they doing?”
Nicholas frowned as he watched. “They’re probably deciding whether or not to go in there.”
Sera blinked. “In there? There’s no way a pokegirl could fit in that mess.”
“You’d be surprised. Back in Kanto, I traveled through a forest that was completely overgrown, just like that. And Bug-type pokegirls were popping out every few minutes.”
“I won’t be able to fly if we try to go in.”
Nicholas nodded. “I don’t think we’ll have to. Look.”
One of the tamers shouted a command and his pokegirl pointed at the grove. A burst of fire shot from her hands, quickly eating through the dry wood until the entire area was ablaze.
“Are they trying to burn the park down???” Sera cried.
“No, that other one is a Water-type… there she goes.” Nicholas watched the second pokegirl quickly contain and direct the blaze inwards. “They’re flushing out whatever is in there.”
Sure enough the trees erupted, dozens of pokegirls fleeing into the open. With a triumphant shout the Water-type’s tamer gestured, prompting his pokegirl to send a deluge washing through the singed plants before both tamers took off after the fleeing pokegirls.
“All right!” Sera started towards the action, faltering when Nicholas didn’t move. “Aren’t we going too?”
Nicholas shook his head. The charred and broken trees in front of them were silent, but they had been before. “No. They’re going after what fled.” He pointed. “I want whatever didn’t.”
Sera looked back, realization crossing her face. “The ones that stood their ground?”
“They would be ready to fight, not flee.” He looked at Sera. “Are you ready?”
Sera shivered. “I’m ready.”
“Then let’s do this.”
Sera took to the sky, orienting herself before diving towards the trees and sending a blast of supersonic noise crashing through the undergrowth.
Instantly the grove turned into a roiling mass of movement and Sera screamed when four winged forms shot from hiding. She quickly evaded, frantically dodging until she had gotten out of the trees and could turn to see her opponents.
Light from the lampposts glinted across the angry pokegirls, a few rays shining on their exoskeletons and reflecting off the wicked stingers sprouting from their wrists. Nicholas didn’t need to grab his pokedex to recognize this breed – they’d managed to piss off a hive of Beedrill. “DO NOT LET THEM HIT YOU!”
Sera snarled and dropped, folding her wings to avoid a lunge from two of the wild pokegirls. She threw her wings back out before she could hit the ground, swooping so close that a stone pinged off her nipple before she was able to pull back into the air. Ignoring the sting she braced, energy building along her wings before she brought them down.
The winds caught two of the Beedrill instantly, throwing them head over heels until they slammed into some trees and went still. But the other two dodged, one taking the lead as she buzzed directly at where Sera hovered.
Nicholas’ eye was drawn to where more forms had appeared from the trees. “Shit. Sera, WE’VE GOT COMPANY!”
Sera didn’t turn. She knew what he meant, but she needed to focus on the two in front of her. If she could break through, she wouldn’t have to worry about attacks from behind.
The first Beedrill feinted, causing Sera to slide to the side before she stabbed forwards with both stingers. Sera gasped when the stinger slid into her side and she tried to twist away but felt the barbs catch in her skin. She couldn’t even try to grapple with the Beedrill – the Bug-type pokegirl had wings to fly, and arms to attack with. Hers were one and the same!
The Beedrill screamed when Sera lunged forwards, finding the wild pokegirl’s neck with her fangs and sending the two tumbling from the sly. She barely managed to get on top before they slammed into the dirt, pulling free and letting the energy she had stolen start working to close the hole in her side.
Above her, the remaining Beedrill dove, closely followed by what looked to be three more from the trees. Sera growled, stepping over the latest unconscious Beedrill, and prepared to get back in the air. It just wasn’t fair. She could fly, and she could grab, but she couldn’t do both at the same time. Her arms were stuck as the structure for her wings. She was just as weak as she had pretended John’s Zubat had been. If she wanted to fight, she couldn’t fly. She had to walk.
Her angry scream was punctuated by a blast of white light as Sera shot towards the diving pokegirls. With every pump of her wings Sera tensed, her anger causing her arms to clench violently and propel her even faster. Finally, as the evolution took hold, she felt them separate.
It was not a good time for a flying pokegirl to experience a shift in her body structure. Midair, with enemies closing in, Sera suddenly found herself flapping out of time. With a screech she plummeted, her newly forming wings struggling to turn her descent into a controlled glide, and then into a controlled crash. Sera threw her arms over her face when she impacted, bouncing a few times before coming to a moaning halt in the middle of the road.
“SERA!”
Sera stirred, pushing herself upright. What happened? She had been flying, and then she fell. Why? Was she really that weak?
As she reached out to pull herself to her feet she froze. Her hand and arm sat in front of her eyes, but they were bare. No wing membrane trailed from her skin. As she turned it over she felt something pull against her back and she craned her neck, gasping when she saw the enormous bat wings sprouting from behind her.
She slowly got to her feet, giving her new wings a few experimental flaps, before drawing her attention back to the circling pokegirls. The blast of light from her evolution seemed to have confused them, giving her a few moments to recover. But it wouldn’t last. Not if she had anything to say about it.
Nicholas laughed excitedly when Sera shot into the air. “YES!”
So this is how Nessa felt, Sera thought to herself as she ascended towards the Beedrill. This power. Demanding to be released. A savage grin grew as she closed in, energy rippling along her new wings.
The Beedrill she targeted never had a chance. One moment she was clearing her head, and the next she was fifty feet away and unconscious. The others scattered when the sonic boom assaulted their ears, Sera whirling and diving towards her next target. The slicing winds that she fired were no longer scattered, like the gusts before her evolution – now they were like blades, cutting through the space between the pokegirls almost as fast as Nicholas could blink.
The next Beedrill fell, blood streaming from her lacerations, and Sera was turning to the last two when a movement caught her attention.
Nicholas saw it, too. As the last two Beedrill fled, he could see another pokegirl stepping into the open.
Sera’s grin widened and entered her eyes, turning her savage expression into one that could only be described as insane. With a happy screech she blitzed towards the waiting Scyther.
The Scyther planted her feet, reaching up when Sera got close. The impact sent a blast of wind radiating out from the two pokegirls as Sera’s wings tried to pull her back. But the Scyther held on, her own wings unfolding from her exoskeleton before the two launched into the skies, trading blows as they rose.
For the first time in her life, Sera was able to fight and fly. The pure unfiltered adrenaline that pumped through her as she fought back against this pokegirl, the same breed that had so utterly destroyed her just days ago, was so powerful that she found herself laughing. Not from happiness, or nervousness born of fear, or of any emotion that she knew how to name. She simply laughed because there was nowhere else the energy could go.
The wild pokegirl screamed in pain and Nicholas recoiled when she was thrown from the sky, one arm twisting unnaturally when she impacted against the trees and tumbled to the ground.
Sera landed hard, her feet sinking into the earth a few inches before she straightened. Nicholas took an unconscious step back as he listened to her laughter. A momentary break in the clouds caused the moon to shine through, joining the flickering lamps in illuminating the laughing Golbat. Her naked body glistened with blood, painting a splattered red over her pale skin. As she turned to him Nicholas was transfixed by her glowing red eyes and he finally found his voice when she stepped towards him.
“S-s-s-Sera!”
Sera’s laughter didn’t even slow as she walked forwards and Nicholas felt his heart fail when he saw the blood dripping from her fangs. This was it. She was finally going to kill him.
He let out a muffled cry when she pushed up against him but trailed off when he felt her lips gently press against his. After a few moments he opened his mouth, shivering when he felt a fang nick his lip. “Sera?”
Sera had finally stopped laughing and she worked the kiss so tenderly that Nicholas wasn’t sure what she was doing until he felt her pull away to look at him.
“My Master.” Her eyes had not lost an ounce of ferocity but they also held a burning passion that Nicholas could feel directed squarely at him. “That is who you are. I am nothing but your slave, destined to fight… and live by your side.” Her lips twitched upwards. “I bring you a gift.”
Nicholas slowly stepped away from her. Those eyes… he shivered. The look in them was the same as what Kary had shown him, years ago, when Giovanni had threatened to kill him. He had managed to find another fanatic for his harem.
Finally he looked away and at the unmoving Scyther. “Is that your gift?”
Sera rubbed up against him, not seeming to care that she was covering him in blood when she rested her head on his shoulder. “She is. You wanted one that could fight. She can.”
The Scyther vanished into the capture beam and Nicholas slowly walked over to pick up the pokeball, Sera not letting go for an instant. “Do I have one new pokegirl, or two?”
Sera blinked at him. “Why does it matter?”
“I liked Sera.”
Sera smiled. “I’m still here, Master.”
“Are you, though?” Nicholas looked down at her. “Because… you’re scaring me.”
“You swore that I would become the most terrifying pokegirl our enemies would ever see,” Sera whispered. “I have scared you before. You did not need to trust me then. Why does that change if you need to trust me now, now that I accept my purpose?”
Nicholas sighed. A bit of daylight, some time for her to calm down, and then he’d try to talk with her. Right now Sera was riding a high from her evolution and he bet nothing would snap her out of it.
Well, maybe one thing would. He pulled a hand free and released Nessa.
The Croconaw materialized with a yawn. “Hi, Nicholas…” she trailed off when she saw the blood. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
“Sera evolved.” Nicholas braced himself. “Wash us off.”
Sera blinked and glanced at him. “Wash what-“ she was blown over when Nessa hosed them down, spluttering for air as soon as the stream was done. “WHAT THE HELL!”
Nicholas shivered but scrubbed at the drying bloodstains, sighing in relief when they washed down his body. “Thanks.”
“THANKS WHAT! THAT WAS FUCKING FREEZING!”
Nicholas glanced over. “Nessa, I think she needs some more.”
Sera’s eyes bugged and she prepared to dodge. “I do not-“ Another indignant yell was all she got out when Nessa took better aim and blasted her away with a stronger jet.
“Why did she get blood all over you?” Nessa asked tiredly. “STAY DOWN, Sera. I swear I’ll keep hosing you until you’re unconscious.”
Sera glared from her position on the ground, half poised to attack. “Every time. Every fucking time you ruin the moment. Why, Master? Why do you hate me?”
“Oh, she’s calling you Master again?” Nessa shook her head. “Come on, Sera. You know he doesn’t like that.”
“He doesn’t care what I call him, so you stay out of it.” Nicholas turned to her when he heard her emotions returning to normal, a bit of anger overtaking her fanaticism. “I should beat you down for what you just did-“
“I told her to. So drop it.” Nicholas made up his mind and stepped forwards. If this was what she wanted, he would give it to her.
Nessa raised an eyebrow when Nicholas struck out, flipping Sera back onto her wings and using one hand to pin her arms above her head. Before Sera had time for more than a yelp his other hand was at her groin, fingers flicking in and out of her pussy as his mouth crushed against hers.
“Yeah, I’ll stand watch.” Nessa waited for a minute but, receiving no reply but Sera’s pleasured screams, turned and surveyed the carnage of the battlefield.
At the end of the hour the tamers grouped up and Nicholas ignored the numerous stares they were getting. Sera was clutching him, still nude, and positively glowing with happiness. Every other pokegirl nearby was shooting her jealous looks while the tamers were doing their best not to match Nicholas’ eyes.
“Okay. You’ve all captured a pokegirl, so we can start the judging.” The coordinator professionally ignored the scene in front of him and instead pulled out a scanner. “Please present the pokeball you wish to have judged.”
Nicholas held out the Scyther when the coordinator got to him, taking her back when the man nodded and moved on. After a few minutes he looked up from the device. “All right, the winner is the young man with the Beedrill over there. Second place, the Scyther in front of me. And third goes to the Beedrill to his right.”
The last tamer drifted away while the other three accepted their prizes from the coordinator. Nicholas was still inspecting the plain looking stone he had been handed when he heard someone clear their throat.
He looked up to see the coordinator watching him. “I’d appreciate if you could move along; we need to clean up after that battle of yours.” He glanced at Sera. “Congratulations on your new pokegirl.”
Nicholas nodded and headed back to the welcome center, Sera only letting go enough for them to walk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer:Nicholas Topolski
Badges:
Zephyr Badge
Hive Badge
Harem:
Nessa, Croconaw – Level 21
Sera, Golbat – Level 22
???, Scyther – Level 20