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.
~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~
Chapter 1
A New Frontier
The sounds and smells of the ocean filled the air as a large ocean liner cut through the waves. Figures lined the rails, but for a ship this size it was strange to only see about a dozen people on deck.
Nicholas watched the water race by below them. “You know, I’ve been wondering,” he said. “Why do you like me so much? What drew you to the future me? Was it because of who I am - will be - or was it because of what I’ve now become?”
“A bit of everything, I think,” Celebi replied from her position nestled between him and the rail. “Whenever I lose focus, I tend to… drift. Through time. After all, if I can be whenever I want, why does it matter when I am now? But around you? I don’t drift anymore. You anchor me.” She twisted around to smile at him. “I can relax when I’m with you.”
Nicholas smiled back and gave her a kiss. “I’m glad to hear it.”
He turned his attention back to the ocean when the intercom blared. “We are now approaching the Battle Frontier. All hands prepare for arrival,” the captain announced.
Nicholas felt the ship cut its speed as it cruised through the island chains that surrounded Hoenn, including one that was easily three times larger than volcanic Cinnabar Island. Far, far in the distance he saw bleached white cliffs rising from the ocean and mentally mapped out what he was seeing. “Off in the distance, that must be Sootopolis,” he said, pointing for Celebi’s benefit. “And the islands in front of us…” he smiled as the rocky coast gave way to a protected inlet, massive waterfalls thundering into the bay, “…is Grand Island. Just beyond that bay is Ever Grande City, and the Hoenn League.”
Celebi raised her nose slightly as the ship passed. “I can smell… hundreds, thousands of blooming flowers.” A calm smile spread across her lips and she sighed. “It is not my place, but it must be a beautiful one.”
“When I visit I’ll make sure to bring you,” Nicholas chuckled. “You can enjoy the flowers while I challenge the Champion.”
Celebi giggled. “Isn’t that what this trip is for?”
“This? Oh, no. We’re just here in Hoenn for the Battle Frontier opening. Anything else can wait.”
“But it’s right there,” Celebi teased. “A little detour couldn’t hurt.”
“No,” Nicholas chuckled back. “Bad Bellossom.”
“Hmph.” Celebi pouted. “I’ve already revealed myself to your harem.”
“Maybe, but you haven’t revealed yourself to the world. Neither has Kali. As far as anyone we meet are concerned you are my Bellossom Celine and she is my Espeon.”
“Oh? Decided to pretend she’s an Espeon?” Celebi asked in surprise. “I thought you weren’t going to use such a common pokegirl and go for something like the Musharna instead.”
“Kali’s idea,” Nicholas muttered, glancing around to make sure she wasn’t nearby before continuing. “She, uh, seemed to really like the idea of pretending to be a cat-fox-hybrid girl.”
Celebi snickered. “She’s seen how you treat Miyuki and Cassidy. You have a weakness for fluffy ears.”
Nicholas blushed. “That’s not true.”
Celebi giggled again before pecking him on the cheek and ducking out of his embrace. “It is so true. And because she is a pokegirl like all of us, she wanted to gain every advantage possible in the constant struggle for her Tamer’s attention.” She winked before prancing away towards where most of the harem was standing.
A while later Nicholas stood at the side railing with his entire harem clustered behind him. The ship was slowly drifting into the landing, teams of pokegirls and humans waiting patiently. The instant it bumped the dock ropes were secured and Nicholas stepped forwards when a ramp was hooked into place and the railing pulled away.
“Nicholas Topolski! Welcome, welcome, welcome!” An enthusiastic man raced forwards as soon as Nicholas stepped onto dry ground and began pumping his hand. “We are so very honored to have you visiting us for the grand opening of the Battle Frontier!”
“It’s an honor to be here, Scott,” Nicholas replied. “The facilities you’ve built here have attracted attention from people across the world.”
“Yes, quite, but I don’t care about the attention of politicians and the press,” Scott scoffed. “I care about powerful tamers such as yourself. Without you this Battle Frontier would be a boring amusement park!”
Nicholas chuckled as the men let go of each other. “Well I hope I’m not too late to give the place a tour before the opening ceremony tomorrow. Familiarize myself with everything.”
“Yes, the… opening ceremony.” Scott flashed a quick smile. “Let’s get you that tour before we talk about anything else.”
Nicholas raised an eyebrow but Scott didn’t offer any more information, instead leading him and his harem through the gates and up towards the massive buildings that covered the island.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“…and we end our tour here, at the exchange center!” Scott cried, gesturing at the building that sat in the shade of the Battle Tower. “As I explained facilities to the south will be where you stay for your visit…”
“It’s a truly incredible place you’ve built, Scott,” Nicholas interrupted. “I’m very impressed at the design of the pathways around the island. To be able to tour the entire place in what, a little over an hour? That’s amazing for how large these facilities are.”
“Ah, yes! We made great use of the horizontal and vertical space of the island,” Scott explained. “Tucking some buildings like the Battle Pike under the overhang that connects the Battle Dome and Battle Tower, for example, leaves all three buildings visible from all angles but reduces the time needed to travel between them substantially.”
“Yes, it’s an excellent feat of engineering,” Nicholas agreed. “So. Why did we end the tour at the gift shop?” He chuckled when Scott rolled his eyes. “Trying to get your first visitor to buy something already, eh?”
“That would be ridiculous,” Scott huffed. “Though if you would step inside…”
Nicholas shook his head when Scott slipped into the building. “Hey girls, go ahead and explore. We’ll meet at six for dinner.” Nicholas looked around at the harem. “Please don’t go off on your own and find a feral or something, stay on the island.”
The girls chorused their agreement and drifted apart as Nicholas turned to follow Scott inside.
“Over here, over here.” Nicholas walked to where Scott was gesturing. “Now. Mr. Topolski. You may have noticed, ah, that none of the facilities are open.”
“Because the ceremony is tomorrow?” Nicholas replied in confusion. “Why would they be open now?”
“For the Frontier Brains to be rehearsing, getting ready for the big event,” Scott explained. “And yet none of them are.”
Nicholas frowned. “Okay. What are you getting at? Is the opening ceremony not happening?”
“It’s… happening,” Scott said carefully. “However we er… we haven’t been able to fill all of the staff positions we need to actually open the Frontier.”
Nicholas rubbed his face. “Ah.”
“That’s why I was so insistent that you come for the ceremony,” Scott chuckled nervously. “I needed someone big, someone who the world would trust when he said… what he did.”
“I’m not interested in working here, Scott. I believe I made that clear when you invited me in the first place.”
Scott quickly held up his hands. “I’m aware. I’m not trying to get you to. But, if it’s possible, I’d like to hire the two-time Indigo Champion for a bit of advertisement.”
Nicholas sighed. He’d been intending to make this a short trip, a nice little outing for him and the harem while the hubbub around his challenge died down. Putting his name and face on advertisement for the Battle Frontier was completely counter to that. But at the same time he’d never been content just doing nothing. “Fine. Let’s talk.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“And now, as the ceremony gets under way, please direct your attention to the main screen!” Nicholas kept the smile fixed to his face as he turned and gestured at the display behind him. “Challengers, sightseers, media, all! Welcome! To the Battle! Frontier!”
Cheers followed him off the stage and he tossed the microphone to Scott. “Done.” Behind him the video Scott had had him film the night before began to play and Nicholas tuned himself out as it droned on. Outlining the open challenge, the hunt for ‘worthy tamers’ to become Frontier Brains. “Now it’s all on you.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Scott gasped. “And you’re a natural at speaking too. Your contact should be arriving at the pokecenter shortly.”
Nicholas was halfway around the stage when he heard Scott continue talking and poked his head back. “Eh?”
“Your contact, to take you to Littleroot. They’ll be arriving shortly.”
Nicholas blinked a few times as he tried to process Scott’s words. “Contact? Littleroot? What are you talking about?”
“Well, to film the video, of course,” Scott replied. “The tamer’s journey.”
Nicholas walked back around and shook his head. “Tamer’s journey video. Littleroot. You never said anything about this. We filmed your video last night.”
“No no, that was just the announcement video for the open challenge. Tamers here in Hoenn need something more, something to get them excited and bring them to the Frontier! That’s the video I wanted to hire you to make!” He looked away when the recording of Nicholas began winding down. “Oops, time for me now. Remember, they’ll meet you at the pokecenter!”
“Scott-“ Nicholas sighed when the other man ran up on stage. What was he talking about?
When Scott didn’t seem to be getting off stage anytime soon Nicholas meandered his way towards the pokecenter. He didn’t really have to… As far as he knew the contract he’d signed last night had been for the one video…
With a sinking feeling he pulled out his pokedex and navigated to the document. Standard legalese, signing over his likeness for… any and all videos produced by Scott’s entertainment brand. Okay, well, that was a plural, but this contract specifically didn’t mention two videos to be produced…
“Kalmiya. Was this page the only one I signed last night?”
“No, Master.” The screen changed to display a sales contract complete with itemization. Nicholas recognized it as the payment agreement he’d negotiated with Scott for the video. “You also signed this.”
“Right, so I got my money,” Nicholas grumbled. “All I signed there was that the amount was correct.” He checked the total. His almost joke offer of eighty thousand had definitely seemed too high at the time but Scott had quickly accepted as well as… right. He’d added travel expenses. Which to get to the Battle Frontier had been zero. Scott had paid for that boat ride already. So why would he have done that?
Nicholas looked closer at the items on the list. And there, after a few lines outlining the general expenses and the shoot he had already done, was the main chunk of the money. He hadn’t read it thoroughly. $65,000 – Promotional video for distribution and use by the Battle Frontier.
“Well, shit,” Nicholas whispered. “I fucking knew he’d accepted too easily. Kalmiya what are the contract laws in Hoenn?”
“Once a contract is signed in Hoenn both parties need to agree in order for it to be nullified, Master,” Kalmiya replied. “There may be legal options available if you believe you’ve been coerced into signing, but unless Mr. Scott releases you this signature is binding.”
Nicholas cursed again and stowed his pokedex. “Yeah. If I try to sue then any sane judge will ask why I wanted 80k for a fifteen minute video. No thanks.”
“Then I suppose you must fulfill the terms of your contract,” Kalmiya teased in his ear.
“Oh we’ve got SASS now, do we?” Nicholas laughed. “Next thing I know you’ll be disobeying me.”
He came to a stop again when sparks flew from his belt and Kalmiya materialized in front of him. “I will never disobey you, Master,” Kalmiya said firmly. “If my evolving persona distresses you I hope you will order me to delete it.”
Nicholas gazed at her for a long time before shaking his head. “I forgot. I need to be more careful when I’m joking with you.” He reached out and pulled Kalmiya into a hug. “Kalmiya, your personality will continue to evolve as you continue to interact with me, and the others, and everyone we meet. And whatever it evolves into will be what I want it to be.” He pulled back slightly and grasped her shoulders firmly. “Understood? I want you to be you. Whoever that may be.”
Kalmiya barely nodded her head. “Understood, Master.”
“Good.” Nicholas smiled and gave her a kiss on the lips before letting go. “Also I remember telling you to design some clothing for your physical form.”
Kalmiya flashed a huge grin and Nicholas chuckled when she took a sultry pose, flaunting her naked body to the world. “Appearance is considered core data, Master. Any changes must be confirmed.”
“Wench,” Nicholas laughed. “Get back in my pokedex before someone makes a fuss.”
Kalmiya winked as her body dissolved and streamed back into the device and Nicholas shifted his pants with a grunt. That was the downside of having designed her appearance to his tastes. Every time he caught so much as a glimpse of her he immediately got an erection.
Entering the pokecenter Nicholas looked around for anybody out of place. Seeing nobody except for the regular staff he considered his next move.
“Kalmiya. Inform Dahlia and Miyuki of what’s going on. Direct them to Cassidy and Ryuko, respectively, to put their Betas in charge while I figure out what this movie business is going to be about. Dahlia and Miyuki will be joining me.”
“Messages delivered, Master,” Kalmiya replied with a crisp tone. “Dahlia is on her way. Miyuki is… unsure of where Ryuko is… found her.” A few seconds pause. “Miyuki is on her way.”
Nicholas settled back to wait in the meantime. ‘Soon’ Scott had said. The contact would be arriving ‘soon’.
Dahlia arrived first. She walked inside, spotting Nicholas instantly and bouncing over with a smile. “Hey! What’s up, Master?”
“I didn’t read the fine print of my contract,” Nicholas griped. “I’m supposed to be meeting someone here to head to another movie shoot. Probably much bigger than the one last night.”
“Oh.” Dahlia’s smile faded a bit. “Then, what are we doing next? Are we all going to go wherever this film is being made?”
“I don’t know yet, but I wanted you and Miyuki here to make decisions with me,” Nicholas replied. “Miyuki should be on her way.”
They both looked over at a commotion from the counter. One of the attendants had moved to a transporter and was reading the screen. A few seconds later the device flared and a pokeball appeared, which the attendant retrieved and turned to a marked location behind the desk. A flash of red and with a shout of surprise the attendant scrambled backwards.
The pokegirl that had appeared barely even looked around before whirling to the attendant and beginning to apologize profusely. “Miss Helen I am so sorry! I did not intend to startle you!”
Helen’s mouth was hanging open as she stared up at the massive pokegirl. “Er- I- I wasn’t expecting to see, ah, you, ma’am.”
“Oh, did the message not go through correctly?” the pokegirl fretted. Nicholas was shocked to be hearing such a motherly voice from such an imposing pokegirl. “I thought I had put a warning in…”
“Uh, no, no,” Helen breezed. “I didn’t read past the order to release immediately.” She giggled nervously. “And I most certainly was not expecting our Champion’s Alpha.”
Hearing that Nicholas and Dahlia both turned their full attention to the pokegirl that was speaking. She was well over six foot tall and Nicholas had learned that most pokegirls who were physical combatants would be that large once fully evolved. The appearance of her body solidified this theory. The metallic hue of the girl’s exposed skin suggested a Steel-typing and probably enhanced durability, and the heavy metal exoskeleton that rested on her shoulders was definitely only something a strong pokegirl could manipulate.
“Hey! I’m here!” Nicholas glanced at the door to see Miyuki approaching. “What’s going on, Nicholas?”
The pokegirl turned her attention to them when she heard his name. “Nicholas? Nicholas Topolski?” Helen gasped when the girl stepped over the desk, walking in midair as she descended back to the ground and approached Nicholas. “Yes, you match the description, but-“ she cocked her head. “Strange. Your mind is closed.”
“A Psychic-type, then,” Nicholas said. “Steel/Psychic?”
“Ah, you are analyzing me.” The girl smiled. “Excellent. As I should have expected. Yes, I am a Metagross.”
“My mind is closed to casual psychic scanning because I want it to be,” Nicholas explained. “My girlfriend is a psychic and I have many powerful Psychic-type pokegirls in my harem. If I wanted to keep my privacy I had to learn.”
The Metagross laughed happily. “I see! You are, undoubtedly, Champion Topolski. The fact that I cannot read you is just more proof. Are you ready to depart?”
“Depart where, exactly?” Nicholas asked. “Scott hasn’t exactly offered any information to me. And your name is…?”
“Ah! Apologies, apologies,” the Metagross cried. “I am Tetsu! My master is Champion Stone. I am here to take you to Littleroot Town and the Birch Enrichment Center, where your camera crew is waiting to follow you through the production of this movie. Tamer’s Journey, I believe was the working title?” She scratched her head, the exoskeleton moving along with her arms and giving the appearance of four distinct limbs. “I am surprised that you did not know all of this?”
“I… was under the impression that I was doing a one-day shoot,” Nicholas confessed. “I didn’t read the fine print.”
Tetsu burst out laughing at the look on his face. “HAHA! Oh, my Master does not either, Champion Topolski. It is nothing to be ashamed of. I am sure you simply had more pressing things on your mind.” She smiled wistfully. “Master Steven is always more interested in his studies than in anything else. Sometimes we must…” she blinked and began to redden. “AH! That is, ah, not important. Eh-hem!” Tetsu quickly held out her hands. “If you would take hold, Champion Topolski? We can teleport whenever you are ready.”
Nicholas groaned. “Dahlia, Miyuki. Pokeball time.” After the two had been returned he took Tetsu’s hand. “Ready.”
“Have you teleported before, Champion Topolski?”
Nicholas chuckled. “Farther than I’d bet you could manage.”
Tetsu cocked her head a bit. “I see.” Nicholas smiled as he felt the slightest pressure against his mental defenses before Tetsu cleared her throat again and the feeling vanished. “Then we will depart.”
“It’s rude to pry.”
Tetsu snorted and shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. “It’s rude to taunt, Nicholas.”
Nicholas’ smile vanished when he heard how Tetsu’s voice had changed. The formalities were gone and the motherly attitude had vanished after his remark. “I apologize for my rudeness, Tetsu. I forgot for a moment that you’re not my pokegirl and have no reason to endure my teasing.”
Tetsu grunted and looked away before the world shifted around them. The pokecenter interior had been replaced by a lightly forested area when Tetsu let go of him again. “We are here. You are expected in the main building, over there.” She gestured towards a wall peeking through the trees. “Safe travels, Champion Topolski.”
Nicholas released his breath when she vanished. Stupid. Tetsu could easily be on the same level as Kali or the rest of his harem, being Champion Stone’s Alpha. And he’d goaded her directly. She could have responded by punching him in the face and he would have deserved it.
With a shudder he moved quickly towards the building before Tetsu changed her mind. He could almost feel her eyes on his back. Her hard, cold eyes after he had spoken…
Tetsu watched Nicholas scurry away. Unknown to him she hadn’t teleported very far. Hidden in the trees she had a thoughtful look on her face as she watched Nicholas duck around the building and out of sight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicholas pushed into the building and raised a hand in greeting to the scattered group inside. “Hello! I’m Nicholas Topolski. Who am I looking for?”
He could see camera equipment scattered around and one of the men near the largest pile looked up when he called. “Champion Topolski! You’re a bit early, we weren’t expecting you!” He set down the part he was cleaning and stretched his entire body out to give Nicholas a quick handshake. “I’m Cameron, your cameraman. My associates back there, Phil and Todd, will be following the other two.”
Nicholas tried his best to look like he understood what Cameron was saying. “Sounds great. Mind if we go over the whole plan again? My Alphas wouldn’t let me go without hearing it.”
Cameron chuckled when Nicholas released Miyuki and Dahlia. “Protective, are they? Well with what I’ve heard you’ve gotten into I don’t blame them.” He turned to the room at large with a gesture. “This documentary is going to cover three promising tamers. Yourself, two-time Champion and potential World Champion, as well as the children of two local celebrities. May, daughter of Leader Norman, and Brendan, son of Professor Birch. We’re starting here in Littleroot, where you three pair up with a pokegirl and then set out towards Rustboro City. Brendan will film a segment here about him, on the way May will film one about her in Petalburg, and we’ll finish in Rustboro at the Tamer’s School. Most of the interviews will be done there and then all three of you will attempt the gym challenge, we’ll interview you afterwards, and that’s the end of this first documentary.”
“Short and sweet.” Nicholas smiled at Dahlia and Miyuki. “Shouldn’t take too long. A few weeks of shooting Cameron?”
“Probably two weeks to get to Rustboro and then however long it takes to wrap,” Cameron replied. “A month at most.”
Dahlia shook her head. “A month. Master that would keep you away from the harem for a month. We’re coming with you.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Cameron replied quickly. “Champion, please.”
“I’m not really jumping for joy myself, you know,” Nicholas grumbled to Dahlia. “Cameron why can’t I just bring my harem along with me?”
“We need the documentary to be authentic,” Cameron explained. “A new partner, a new journey. This is meant to entice tamers here in Hoenn to start their challenges and come to the Battle Frontier. Having them around, even if they’re never caught on camera, will influence your actions and the growth of the pokegirl we’ve lined up for you. It won’t work.”
“Right.” Nicholas sighed. “Well girls you’ve heard the plan. I’ll call if anything goes wrong.”
“The others won’t be happy,” Miyuki warned. “What do we tell them? What do we do?”
“Just… hang out at the Battle Frontier, I guess,” Nicholas offered. “Train, relax, I’ll return as soon as I can.”
Dahlia looked at Miyuki before both pokegirls sighed. “Fine,” Miyuki replied. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Thanks, Miyuki,” Nicholas said. “I hate to leave you behind like this but it’ll only be for a few weeks.”
“It better be,” Dahlia warned. “You are not turning this into another League challenge and leaving us alone again.”
Cameron chuckled nervously. “Yeah… I agree. Uh, let’s get started?”
“Where do Miyuki and Dahlia go?”
“Oh there’s a pokeball transporter in the lab,” Cameron replied dismissively. “You can transfer them back to the Frontier whenever you want.”
Nicholas nodded and handed each pokegirl her pokeball. “You heard the man. I’ll see you later.”
Dahlia gave him a quick kiss while Miyuki was distracted and the Glaceon shot her a disgruntled look after she realized. “Stay safe, Nicholas,” she offered before turning to follow Dahlia on her search for the main lab building.
“Come on over,” Cameron said, leading Nicholas towards the waiting people. “That’s Phil and Todd over there,” he waved at the others working on their camera equipment, “and- hey, Professor! Topolski is here!”
An older heavyset man raised a hand in greeting without turning around. “Heard him come in! Come on over when you’re ready, Nicholas.”
Nicholas nodded and left Cameron behind to approach the larger group of people. “Heyo!”
“Oh! I guess you’re ready now.” The man turned with a grin. “In that case it’s a pleasure to meet you!” He shook Nicholas’ hand. “I’m Professor Birch, and these two are May and my son Brendan.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nicholas replied. May and Brendan looked to be about the same age, probably at most in their early 20’s. “I take it these two are your new pokegirls?”
The last two members of the group nodded when Nicholas looked at them. “This is Mizune,” May said, gesturing at the blue-skinned girl next to her, “and the Treecko is Karin.”
“I think they could have introduced themselves, May,” Brendan chided. “But yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nicholas.”
Nicholas nodded back. “Mizune is…?”
“Mudkip.”
“Mudkip.” Nicholas took another look at the two. Mizune had some kind of orange structure protecting her ears as well as a short fin tail, while Karin had a longer, hairless dark green tail and red lines covering her lighter green skin. “So Water and Grass-types. I assume I’ve been assigned a Fire-type? That’s the usual trio in these situations.”
“Indeed. Do you know why?” Birch asked curiously. “Why many starter programs use the fire/water/grass trio.”
“I don’t but I could guess.” Nicholas stroked his chin. “I assume it’s the staple of the League starter programs because those three pokegirl types immediately demonstrate to new tamers their pokegirls’ strengths and weaknesses. With the minimal amount of typings for them to worry about.”
“That’s precisely correct,” Birch replied. “The relationship between the Grass, Water, and Fire-types is very straightforward and allows new tamers to learn the basics right away. Today, however, I’m not matching pokegirls with new tamers. My son and Karin have been working together for a long time now, and May has been learning quite a bit from her father, as far as I’m aware. And, of course, we have you.” Birch chuckled as the others watched Nicholas expectantly. “I have a funny feeling you know quite a bit about pokegirl strategies and such.”
Nicholas shrugged but held a small grin as he did. “I might.”
“Of course you might.” Birch chuckled again and turned towards the door, waving at Brendan, May, and their pokegirls as he did. “You four behave yourselves. Nicholas, let’s go find your newest partner.”
Nicholas followed him out the door and into the woods, letting Birch lead the way down a rough path that quickly hid the main complex from sight. “Where are we going?” He looked around at the trees. “And why is your lab in the middle of the woods?”
“Oh, these aren’t just any woods,” Birch laughed. “The entire complex occupies nearly a thousand square miles in the middle of a carefully curated environment that I use to conduct my research.”
Nicholas blinked in surprise. “How big is that?”
“Oh, about as big as the average city,” Birch casually responded. “I study the relationships that wild pokegirls have with their environment. That means I need a lot of land to observe.” As if to prove his point the trees began to thin and within seconds they were stepping onto a grassy fringe that transitioned into wide-open grassland. “There are a dozen individual biomes that I maintain here, each with their own small populations of wild pokegirls, and much larger populations of my research assistants.”
“Huh.” Nicholas couldn’t help but stare at the expanse that had appeared in front of them. “Your research assistants being… pokegirls, then?”
“Entire populations, yes,” Birch replied. “Oh, I could bore you for hours with my ongoing experiments, but that’s not why you’re here. Let’s see…” He scanned the area with a pensive look. “The Torchic nest is… left…?” He slowly turned towards a nearby area where the sea of grass looked disturbed. “On second thought, maybe we should just wait for the candidates to come to the training area.”
Nicholas stepped up. “What’s the problem?”
“I always get lost,” Birch confessed. “I don’t exactly want to stumble onto one of the wild pokegirl dens, and even if we do find the Torchic nest immediately there’s no guarantee the ones who volunteered to join you will still be there. I was going to have them all gather in a few hours.” He sighed. “But I also don’t want to make you wait longer than necessary… I know how important it is for a tamer and their pokegirl to spend time together, especially in the beginning… How about-“
“Well, we don’t have to go stumbling in there immediately,” Nicholas interjected. “Actually, I’d love if you could help answer some questions I have.”
“Oh, of course,” Birch quickly replied. He swept a bit of grass together and used it as a cushion. “I would be happy to help.”
Nicholas chuckled at the man’s eagerness to change the subject. “You really have no idea where you were leading me, do you.”
“Questions!” Birch cried. “Ask away, ask away. Eh hem.”
Nicholas smirked and took a seat near Professor Birch. “I guess the first question is what you were expecting from me? Since we’re admitting things, I actually got roped into this without my knowledge… I signed a contract that expanded overnight.”
Birch nodded. “I see. I’d wondered why you seemed like you were distracted. Well, mister Scott contacted me a while back and asked me to do a promotional video for his new project. I declined, of course, as I was too busy with my research, but he was very persistent. Eventually I relented and told him I would participate if he provided the tamers. Until yesterday he only had convinced my son and May.”
“Ah. And then I came along.” Nicholas rubbed his face. “Boom, there’s his third, I get convinced to sign the contract and now I’m here.”
Birch chuckled. “Seems we both got trapped by Scott.”
“Yeah it sure seems that way,” Nicholas sighed. “Oh well.”
“Might be a good opportunity for you, no?” Birch asked. “Whoever you find today will be the first eligible pokegirl for your challenge here in Hoenn.”
“That’s true,” Nicholas conceded, “but I didn’t come here to get that started. It was just meant to be a short vacation with my harem.”
“Oof.” Birch leaned a bit closer and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Well don’t tell any of these Torchic that. Some of them have been training for years.”
Nicholas blinked a few times. “Huh?”
Birch’s response was interrupted by a snarl from the grass and both men quickly scrambled to their feet. “What was that?” Birch quickly looked around but there was nothing to be seen. “Hello?”
“Uh, you said there were wild pokegirls here too, right?” Nicholas asked nervously. “What kind?”
“Harmless ones, really!” Birch cried. “Poochyena, Zigzagoon, Taillow…” He swallowed when a black and grey furred tail flicked into view above the grass. “Oh, crap.”
“I DON’T HAVE ANY OF MY POKEGIRLS!” Nicholas screamed when the girl burst out of the grass. “DO SOMETHING!”
“ME?” Birch yelped and began sprinting in circles as the Poochyena gave chase. “THEY’RE ALL AT THE LAB!”
Nicholas scrambled away, thankful that the Poochyena seemed focused on Birch and not him. It was probably the professor’s flapping labcoat drawing her attention. But he wouldn’t be able to evade forever. “Kalmiya! Dahlia, Miyuki, are they gone?”
“They left immediately, Master,” Kalmiya’s cool voice replied. “I am all that-“
“NO.” Nicholas stopped the pokedex emitter’s activation before she could materialize. “You are nowhere near ready for real combat, Kalmiya. You know that.”
“I can not allow you to come to harm, Master.”
“Tough,” Nicholas muttered. Birch was tiring already and the Poochyena would catch him soon. He needed to intervene. The pokegirl didn’t seem like she was trying to hurt Birch, but she was definitely trying to catch him, possibly for taming? Maybe he could…?
SCREE!
An explosion of orange shot out of the tall grasses and bore down on the wild Poochyena. Birch yelped, diving to the ground when the new pokegirl let out another scream and slashed her feet, catching the Poochyena in the chest as the wild pokegirl chased right into the attack. With a howl the canine pokegirl staggered back, but only for a moment; the newcomer screamed in pain when the Poochyena lunged, catching her arm in her jaws and beginning to squeeze.
Nicholas’ eye bugged when a stream of profanity spewed from the pokegirl’s mouth. “FUCKING BITCH CUNT! LET GO OF MY WING!” She yanked her arm, succeeding in pulling it free slightly to reveal deep bloody wounds where the Poochyena’s fangs were slicing through her skin. “BRAINLESS BIMBO! I said let GO!”
“Holy shit!” The exclamation came out of Nicholas’ mouth completely unconsciously as he listened to the pokegirl continue to cycle through every piece of profanity he’d ever heard and then some. “Hey! You have to fight her off!”
The girl whirled to him, her arm now bending unnaturally in the Poochyena’s jaws. “Well what do you think I’m doing, genius?” she snapped. Flames suddenly burst from her fingers but the angle that the Poochyena was holding her arm in made them soar harmlessly through the air. “I CAN’T FUCKING AIM, SHITBRAIN!”
“…You have two arms.”
The girl froze her expletive-laced tirade to stupidly stare at him with her mouth hanging open. Her other hand, which had been struggling to keep the Poochyena from biting down, suddenly let go with a sickening crunch. Nicholas winced when the girl viciously grabbed the Poochyena’s face and dug her fingers into the wild pokegirl’s nose and eyes before letting loose a shower of flame. The Poochyena let out a keening wail and crumpled, releasing the pokegirl’s shattered arm to claw at her blackened face.
“Oh look, we’ve got a smartass,” the girl hissed, stalking over and shoving her broken arm in Nicholas’ face. “Look at me, I’m a human who isn’t currently GETTING THEIR FUCKING WING BITTEN IN HALF!” She snorted and spun away. “I wish you’d been the one in danger instead of the professor. I would have let the bitch fuck you to death.”
“Elaine!” Birch scrambled to his feet. “Please, calm down!”
“Calm? I’m VERY CALM!” Elaine screamed back. “MY WING IS BROKEN, YOU’RE OUT HERE GETTING ASSAULTED – AGAIN – AND IT’S DISTRACTING ME FROM MY PREPARATIONS!” She gave Nicholas another withering glare. “And because of THIS asshole, I am in so much fucking pain I can barely think straight. ‘Oh you have two arms’,” she warbled in a mocking falsetto. “YEAH NOW I’M BACK TO FUCKING ONE!”
“Elaine, I’ll- haha, hey, please, please calm down,” Birch stammered nervously. “Healing machine, we’ll get your arm- your wing, fixed, okay?” He flicked his eyes to Nicholas a few times. “This is… Champion Topolski. The tamer I’ve been talking about. He got here early.”
To her credit Elaine didn’t hesitate a second. “This is the big tamer I was getting ready to suck off? This idiot?” She shook her head with a disgusted expression. “Imagine that.”
Nicholas wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to be angered or impressed by Elaine’s attitude. He settled on bemused. “You’re one of the Torchic Birch was saying were going to meet me, then.” He turned back towards the buildings with a nod. “I assume no pokeball? Could put you in one to dull the pain.”
Elaine shoved past him before he could take more than a few steps. “The only one who will put me in a pokeball will be my tamer.” She glanced back and for just an instant there was something else behind the smoldering fury in her eyes. “I’d like to see you try it.”
Nicholas’s bewilderment faded slightly when Elaine vanished down the path without another word. “Birch? Are all Torchic like that?”
“Fiery little assholes?” Birch asked. “No. Elaine is unique in that regard. Torchic are heated, yes. But not to the extent she always is.” He sighed and brushed himself off. “I’m sure you’ll want to meet the other Torchic instead. Any of them.”
Nicholas’s expression didn’t change but internally he was replaying the entire exchange between him and Elaine. “Maybe.” He blinked to clear his thoughts and jabbed a thumb at the twitching Poochyena. “Should we do something about her…?”
“Got spare pokeballs?” Bitch nodded when Nicholas pulled some out. “Once she’s healed up I’ll see if I can rehabilitate her. If not, I’ll figure something out.”
Nicholas nodded back and captured the Poochyena. “So… when was I supposed to be meeting these other Torchic?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicholas smiled and introduced himself to the half dozen Torchic that had come to meet him, but he wasn’t really paying attention to them. No, here in a small training arena set away from the main lab buildings a battle was taking place. Between him and Elaine.
The Torchic refused to approach him, unlike what he assumed were her sisters, instead choosing to stand on the complete opposite side of the area with her healed arms crossed over her chest. The pose flaunted the red and orange feathers that ran from below her fiery red hair, down her neck, and across her upper arms, making it look like she had short wings instead of arms at all. Which was probably her intention.
Nicholas turned away but kept watch on Elaine out of the corner of his eye. The truth was that his confusion had given way to a strong curiosity. Something about Elaine’s fiery personality had resonated with him, and the slight look she had given him – had it even been real? – was causing his imagination to go into overdrive.
And yet, she made no move towards him. She was definitely one of the Torchic who had expressed interest in being part of this whole ‘tamer’s journey’ production, but she just… waited there.
Waited for him. Nicholas slowly nodded to himself. The others had approached him to compete for his attention. Elaine had no interest in that. She was making him go to her.
With a slight chuckle Nicholas turned back and locked eyes with Elaine. Confusion had turned to curiosity, had turned to understanding, and now his dragon’s blood had awoken at the sign of a challenge. He felt bad for the other Torchic. They’d never had a chance.
“Hello, idiot,” Elaine said when he approached. “Here to bother me some more? Why don’t you focus on them instead.”
“Elaine!” One of the Torchic had followed Nicholas and was pressing herself against him in an attempt to keep his attention off the competition. “Master Topolski, please forgive her. She’s a vile pokegirl.”
“And you’re a simpering slut,” Elaine replied with a humorless smile. “Look at you, rubbing your tits against him and getting off on it. Have some pride.”
“I-!” The Torchic hesitated between leaving Nicholas’ side or doubling down. She chose to double down, wrapping her arms around him and hooking one leg around his so that her cunt grinded into his shin. “As a pokegirl I-“
“You said your name was Marybelle, right?” Nicholas asked. He could feel the girl’s body quivering and shook his head. “I’m a League Champion. I want a girl that wants to battle, not one who tries to fuck me in public.”
Marybelle froze, her eyes widening in panic. “Uh-“
“No.” Nicholas reached down, disentangling her from his leg and shoving her back towards the rest of the group. “Thank you, goodbye.”
Elaine was smirking as Marybelle burst into tears and began stumbling out of the arena. “Well look at that. You do have some balls.”
Nicholas sized her up. Like the rest of the Torchic Elaine was on the shorter side, with small breasts, though she had the darkest skin he had seen yet. A deep bronze that almost seemed to be constantly steaming. “What’s the deal, Elaine?” he asked. “You dared me to capture you. But we both know that it won’t be a challenge.”
Elaine’s smirk vanished from her face as if it had never been there. “Excuse you?”
“You want to be my pokegirl. We both know that,” Nicholas replied. “So why don’t you cut the crap and be a good girl.”
There was a slight creaking sound from the wall Elaine was leaning on. Her eyes narrowed as well and very faintly Nicholas could hear a hiss behind her words. “Why don’t you make me, human. We both know you’re scared. Go try and pull your shit with someone else.”
“Scared?” Nicholas stepped forwards. “I may be dense, but I am by no means scared of you. In fact, I think you look adorable.” He leaned forwards slightly as Elaine’s eyes narrowed further. “Small. Fluffy. With a cute little tail,” he leered when the short feathered tail above Elaine’s butt went still, “that I’m sure is wagging at the thought of becoming mine.”
If he had still been completely human the sight of Elaine’s body going into an attack posture would have sent him screaming away. But he knew he could take a bit of punishment now even if she actually attacked.
Elaine had coiled up, her feet pressed against the wall while her arms had uncrossed and the wickedly sharp talons that tipped her fingers were pointed at him. “Do you have a death wish, shit for brains? I will tear out your throat and leave you to choke on your own blood.”
“Cute,” Nicholas replied with a smile. “Do you want to do that before or after I make you choke on my cock?”
There. Elaine screamed, springing off the wall and slicing her talons through the space Nicholas had been occupying a moment ago. He’d been ready and leapt away the moment Elaine moved. Now the Torchic was in midair without a target.
She didn’t get a chance to land. As soon as her hand passed in front of Nicholas’ eyes he shoved back in, grabbing Elaine by the shoulder and slamming her onto the floor. Before the stunned Torchic could so much as cough he was bringing his other hand around to smack her with the pokeball he had palmed a few minutes prior.
Nicholas kept his breathing steady as the ball shook. Far longer than he’d expected it should. But eventually the capture tone dinged and he picked up the pokeball.
She’d challenged him. And he’d answered. There was a fire in his veins as his lips curled back into a grin.
Suddenly this whole situation had gotten very interesting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer: Nicholas Topolski
Harem:
Elaine, Torchic – Level 10
Non-Com Harem:
Kalmiya, Porygon-Z – Level 5