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 5
Target: Galactic
Nicholas gazed at the fields of flowers while he chewed. “Bootiful-“ he swallowed his bite and tried again. “Beautiful place, this.”
Miru’s shoulders tensed, the Buneary hunched over a table. “Can you stop staring and listen?”
Nicholas rolled his eyes, taking another bite of jerky before he meandered back from the window he’d been standing by. “Come on. You can’t tell me the flowers aren’t nice.”
“We are sitting in the best accommodations in town. It’s a motel,” Miru replied. “Yes. The flowers are nice. And the town is quaint. We’re not here to sightsee.”
Nicholas grinned at her. “I wasn’t sightseeing on that island.”
Miru glanced at him. After a few seconds she sighed. “So what were you doing at the window.”
“Oh, sightseeing,” Nicholas replied with a smirk.
Miru’s eyes slid shut as Sohn giggled from her spot nearby. “Are you done?”
“Yup.” Nicholas sat down across from her. “What do we know?”
Miru manipulated his pokedex and a hologram appeared over the table. “We are here, in Floaroma Town. Looker’s message indicated that there have been complaints in the area. Bands of thugs, robbing passerby. Shady characters hanging around places they shouldn’t be. While the town is in the middle of nowhere, it’s not just a tourist destination – many people who live here work in the surrounding industrial complex that’s tucked away in the hills and valleys. For example there’s a massive ironworks to the north, and a wind powerplant to the east. Not to mention the dozens of other clean factories.”
“Mind if I ask why they build their industry out here, and not in, well, a more developed area?” Nicholas asked.
Miru nodded. “That’s right. You live in Kanto, don’t you? Industry there is much different from industry in Sinnoh.” She tapped the hologram, enlarging one section. “The people of Sinnoh heavily believe that the region is meant to exist undisturbed, for various reasons. They are part of it, exist in it, and therefore manipulate it, but they take great care to maintain Sinnoh as closely to what it would be without them. Due to that philosophy the region is actually quite segmented – for example, the coal mines and coal burning plants in the south only provide the energy for that subregion. Therefore they mine and burn only what is needed for a few cities, heavily reducing the impact of the operation. In the north, here, the people do not have a similarly abundant source, so they rely on the mountains – wind energy is most prevalent due to the geography, and most of Sinnoh’s metallurgical industry is here, closest to the mountains the ore is mined from.”
Nicholas tapped his fingernail on the table. “All the ore, everything mined in the mountains is brought somewhere around here?”
Miru nodded. “That’s right.”
“Mt. Coronet is important. We learned that from the legendaries on the Isle of Night. What if Galactic is here because something was found? More than just ore.”
Miru stared at him. “They’re robbing travelers, casing the factories. It makes sense. But do they have a target in mind, or are they just searching?”
Nicholas leaned back with a shrug. “Why don’t you ask them?”
Miru chuckled and returned her attention to the map. “I’d love to. But I’ll let Looker have that chat. Our job is to find them.”
“Well we can try to get jumped on the road. Or we can figure out which target they’re most likely to go for, and stake it out ourselves,” Nicholas replied. “Which target is likely the least defended? The farthest from prying eyes?”
Miru frowned at the hologram. “Is that the one we should look at? I’d think they would want to go for the target that has the highest chance of containing their goal.”
“That’s a good idea. But you’re not thinking like a coward.” Nicholas leaned into the hologram, his eyes searching. “These people are cowards. Bullies. People who, for one reason or another, have hidden away from reality. They take refuge in their delusions, and they will do whatever they can to avoid facing the truth. Anything that might challenge them must be avoided.” He scowled. “It’s why they flock together. Like all bullies, they know that it’s much easier to intimidate in a group. Intimidation is the easiest way to avoid ever having a confrontation.”
“Hm.” Miru propped her head up on her fists and gazed at him. “Quite the rant. You really don’t like these cultists, do you?”
“You do?”
Miru smiled. “Nicholas I have hunted the scum of the earth for longer than you’ve been on it. I don’t like them, no, but I’m well past the days when I’d get as worked up as you just did. Still, you have a point. We’ll treat them like the cowards they are.” She gestured at a section of the map. “There. The Valley Windworks are hidden away in a system of mountain valleys. Access is by tiny dirt roads. The main building is as small as this motel. If they’re looking for a weak target, that would be it.” She sighed. “Though, I don’t know what they’d be hoping to find there.”
Nicholas nodded. “How far?”
“We can be there by nightfall.”
Nicholas looked at Sohn. “Feel up for a hike, Sohn?”
Sohn slid to her feet. “Yeah.”
“Good. Then let’s go check it out.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miru sighed and passed Nicholas the pair of binoculars they’d picked up in the Floaroma souvenir shop. “Well. You seem to have been right.”
Nicholas peered down the valley. There was a man in a sort of segmented synthetic suit posted out in front of the main building. “Sure seems out of place. So?”
“The way he’s stationed, there’s no doubt he thinks he owns the place.” Miru took Nicholas’ pokedex from his belt and rapidly typed in a number he didn’t recognize. “I’ll mark the target. Let’s move to another.”
Nicholas was still looking at the cultist. “That’s it? What do you think they’re trying to get here?”
“They could be working to commit a terror attack. This plant supplies a large portion of the power in the region.” Miru nudged him. “Come on. I want to get back to the main road at least before the sun goes down.”
Nicholas grunted. “Wait. Something’s happening.”
At the door, the cultist had quickly moved away and turned towards the building. After a few moments the door slid open and Nicholas’ eyes narrowed. He could see a red-haired woman stepping out and exchanging words with the guard, who responded by immediately thumping his fist to his chest in salute. She exited the building, a large, possibly feline pokegirl flanking her, along with two more cultists. The whole group was heading their way.
“I’ve got eyes on a potential commander,” Nicholas said, handing the binoculars back to Miru. She took a look and lowered them again. “Saw salutes from the door guard and she’s got an escort.”
“Agreed.” Miru looked like she was struggling to make a decision. “Fuck. Do we ambush and risk losing her, or do we wait for backup?”
“If we wait we can tail them,” Nicholas replied. “They might lead us to another piece of their operation. Or even better, more of the leaders.”
Miru nodded. “Sound logic. I’ll notify Looker of the description.” She glanced at Sohn. “We’re on, newborn. Now it’s my show, not your Master’s.”
Sohn quickly nodded her understanding.
The cultists passed by their hiding spot as the sun began flickering at the edge of the mountains. Using the lengthening shadows to their advantage the trio followed, keeping well out of sight whenever the path might cause one of their targets to turn and notice them. There was no need to take risks – the cultists were following the road and seemed to be showing no signs of suspicion.
Night had truly fallen when they reached the main road. While hard to see, Nicholas could just make out the group separating. Two figures went north, while it appeared two were heading back to town.
“Who’s going where?” Nicholas hissed.
Miru’s eyes were straining. “I see… I see a tail heading towards Floaroma.”
“That’s the commander, then,” Nicholas said. “Her and her pokegirl.”
Miru nodded. “Lucky us then. We get to sleep in a bed tonight.” She gestured for the group to move forwards. “I’ll take first watch.”
“Watch?” Sohn asked nervously.
“Can’t let her slip out of town unnoticed,” Miru explained. “Don’t worry. I can keep watch all night if need be.”
Nicholas shook his head and straightened. Now that they were back in the open it would probably be better to act normally. “I’ll take third. If you can handle four hours that’s all I’ll need to be back in action.”
Miru nodded. “Fine by me. We letting her out of sight?”
Nicholas nodded. The pair had vanished by now. “Too difficult to keep track of them in the dark. I'd be willing to bet the leader is heading to town for a nice night’s rest herself. Let the grunts camp out in the woods, right?”
Miru grunted. “Yeah. Right. Let’s head back.”
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Nicholas stirred. Rays of sun were creeping into the room and he rubbed his eyes before sitting bolt upright.
Miru was motionless at the window. “Morning.”
Nicholas hurried to her side and peered out. “Anything?”
“I had eyes on. She’s staying in this motel.” Miru scowled. “Looker is an hour away, even with the team rushing to get in position. She’s going to get away.”
“Then we tail her again,” Nicholas replied. “See if she goes back to the power plant today.”
Miru moved her eyes back to the window. “Guess that’s the best we can do.”
Nicholas looked her over. The Buneary wasn’t moving any more than she had to and he could see that she was only still alert because of how disciplined she was. “You should have woken me earlier. You need rest.”
Miru smiled. “You needed it more, as a human. I’m a pokegirl. I can rest in a pokeball that you carry. I can’t do the same for you.”
Nicholas stepped back when Miru slid off the windowsill. “Yes, but I need you fit. Sohn can’t handle one of their commanders.”
Miru’s smile was fading as she walked, just as she herself was beginning to show signs of fatigue, but she made it to a chair before collapsing. “Then I guess tailing is the best we can do.”
Nicholas watched her eyes flicker shut. She looked so vulnerable. Just a soft, slumbering Buneary.
He looked around for her pokeball and triggered the recall. Miru would never have let him see her like that when they’d first met. It didn’t feel right to see it now.
Noises outside brought him back to the window. The red-haired woman was standing with her pokegirl in front of the motel, talking. He hissed when she nodded and the pair turned to leave. “Shit. SOHN!”
A flustered Monferno tumbled out of the bedroom a few seconds later. “W-W-Wha… Mas- er, Nicholas, what?”
“It’s you and me.” Nicholas hooked Miru’s pokeball to his belt and quickly got dressed. “The commander is leaving. We need to move, NOW.”
“Miru-?”
“Sleeping. Now MOVE.” Nicholas was keeping an eye on the woman as best he could. “Looks like… she’s not going back out the same way. She’s headed over the fields? North? Is that north?”
Kalmiya spoke up. “Yes, Master. According to the maps Miru shared with us yesterday the area north of Floaroma is home to a large mining and refinery industry. If I recall, you made the observation that such an industry might become a target to these people, due to their operations around Mt. Coronet.”
Nicholas tsked. “Right. So yesterday she was checking on a power plant, today she’s going for the real prize. Why the power plant? Why?”
“The land to the north has no real paths, Master. If you’re seen, she’ll know she’s being followed.”
Nicholas turned to check on Sohn and was glad to see that she was standing ready. “We can try to take her down before she leaves. But… no, it just doesn’t work. There are only two options that work here. First, we capture her completely with no witnesses. Second, we tail her. Any information leaks after an ambush, especially if it fails and she escapes, and I’m burned. Miru would soon follow. On the other hand, if she slips away then we may never find the target. If we’re spotted, then we’re just as burned. Complete success or complete failure.”
“The time for an ambush was before she was in the open,” Kalmiya replied. Her voice had shifted to become highly analytical and her speech was becoming choppy – Nicholas could literally hear her mind churning. “Ambush success… not viable. Subterfuge only option. A cover must be made. Master – leave the hotel and move to the souvenir market.”
Nicholas quickly obeyed Kalmiya’s instruction. He could see the woman getting further away. “Explain?”
“One hour ago a tour left for the Floaroma honey hive, a location between the town and the industrial complex. The starting location for the tour was the market.”
Nicholas nodded. “Got it. We were late. It gives me an excuse to follow her north.” He grinned. “Well done, Kalmiya. You are an invaluable part of my harem as always.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The directions Nicholas had been given unfortunately didn’t allow him to follow the commander perfectly, and he had to watch as she slipped out of sight. But he needed to be patient. Looker and the police’s rapid response team were closing in on the power plant to the east. He knew the commander was heading north towards the refineries nearby – he just had to figure out which one.
“There’s the tour,” Nicholas murmured as a large group came into sight. Their guide was leading them a winding path through the flowers as he described the area.
“Now then! Just making sure, everyone here understood that this tour includes an experience, yes? You’re all here to be a part of the honey making process?” The guide nodded at the scattered voices of assent. “Good, very good! Then please follow me. Normally our tours continue east from here to a viewing platform where you can watch the hive in action, but we will be heading closer.”
Nicholas followed the group as they turned further north. This was perfect. Even if the commander or her pokegirl had noticed him sprinting after her the anonymity of the crowd would remove any suspicion. They were even bringing him closer to his ultimate goal. Now if he could just find a spot to slip away…
“Now as I described earlier Floaroma is known for many things, but our greatest export is our delicious honey.” The guide pointed at a structure just starting to come into view. “While there are insects that produce honey, we employ a different kind of producer. Pokegirls.”
Nicholas blinked. What?
“Any y’all have a sweet little grass type? And by sweet I mean something like the Cherubi. Everything about them is sweet. Kiss ‘em? Saliva is sweet. Lick ‘em? Pussy is sweet. Even their sweat is sweet. That’s because some Grass-types photosynthesize. Each of their cells pulls a bit of energy from the sun and turns it into sugar. And remember what I said about Combee? They love sugar. In the wild you’ll find hives keeping Cherubi and other sweet Grass-types as partners. But here, we have an arrangement with the local hive. In exchange for some of the honey they produce we provide another source of sugar.” The guide winked. A low buzz was beginning to vibrate through the air and a swarm of pokegirls could be seen approaching from the hive in the distance. “Get ready to drop your pants, everyone. Fructose sugars make up a large part of human semen.”
One of the tourists laughed and just about yanked his pants off. “So that’s what it meant by getting to be a part of the honey making process? I get a free blowie from a cute bee girl?”
“That’s right! Everyone who wants to can go right ahead. You can see that they’re already getting started.” The guide gestured at where two Combee had descended on the pantsless tourist. “If you’d prefer not to, Combee also love fruit. I’ve got a bag here you can use to feed them.” He held up a peach for one of the girls buzzing around his head and she instantly snatched it away to take a huge bite, the juices trickling down her chin. “They may be feral but they’re some of the more intelligent ferals out there due to their hive mind. They know not to go after anyone not actively looking to get sucked off. Just don’t go for their breasts, no matter how much honey they’re leaking. They’ll defend it.”
Nicholas eyed the hovering swarm. Most of the tour group was choosing to take the experience, even a few women among the men stripping down and immediately having a feral pokegirl bury her face in their cunt. “You said not to go for the breasts?”
“That’s right. Instead of producing milk Combee refine the sugars they ingest into honey, which they express from their breasts,” the tour guide replied, tossing another peach into the air and watching two girls try to grab it at the same time. “Want a peach?”
Nicholas shook his head. “None of these pokegirls seem to be producing any honey.”
“Well yeah, these girls are empty. The Vespiqueen wouldn’t send full girls to gather more sugar.” The guide shrugged. “Still worth a warning.”
Nicholas eyed the swarm again. He was very tempted to join in. The feral Combee buzzing around were naturally nude with everything on full display, their bodies at first seeming to be glistening yellow skin until they got closer and their exoskeleton was revealed. He wondered how it felt – was it hard, like armor, or pliable, like the skin it seamlessly integrated with? He wasn’t sure. But the way the ferals only had exposed skin where it mattered, on the joints, breasts, and groin, was something he found quite appealing. And something about the idea of the chests of these small-breasted pokegirls swelling as they produced honey was… triggering thoughts he hadn’t entertained in years.
Nicholas shook his head with a bemused smile. No, those kinds of thoughts he’d left behind, at least for the most part. He didn’t have to entertain those thoughts of control. Even if he’d still been thinking them after his travels in Johto the situation with Elaine had forced them into a new light, and his interactions with Rayquaza had overwhelmed such novel fantasies.
Still. Seeing these insectoid pokegirls brought back a combination of feelings – both a reminder of Ryuko, his Scizor, alongside his appreciation for an armored pokegirl, and a reawakening of sexual fantasies he’d almost forgotten.
He snorted quietly. Almost forgotten and now should be pushed away once more. He didn’t have time for fun. “By the way, my friend was supposed to meet me for this tour,” Nicholas said to the guide. “Have you seen her by any chance? Red hair, has a feline pokegirl?”
The tour guide shook his head. “Can’t say I have. If she isn’t with the group she’s back in town, or maybe wandered off into the meadows somewhere. She should be fine though – the hive just dumps trespassers back in town when they’re done with them.”
Nicholas nodded slightly. He figured the galactic commander wouldn’t let herself be caught by the feral Combee. So if the tour guide hadn’t seen her pass by, she was deeper into the meadows. Further east. He had a direction.
He was just about to start coming up with excuses when he heard the guide make an annoyed noise. The man was moving towards the orgy that had broken out with his hands waving at a writhing mass of wings and bodies. “Oi, shoo! Shoo! Wait for the poor guy to pull out before you start sucking it out of her pussy!”
Nicholas exchanged a look with Sohn and started sidling away. When one of the circling Combee turned to him with a curious expression Nicholas shot back what he hoped to be an intimidating look. It seemed to work, the girl turning her attention to the rest, and Nicholas and Sohn quickly made their way away from the scene.
“Should we have tried to follow her?” Sohn asked once they were out of sight. “We have no idea where she is now…”
“There was nowhere to hide in these meadows. Look around,” Nicholas replied, gesturing at the waving grass. “We probably should have followed her, yes, but this way kept from arousing suspicion. What if we’d followed her directly and she’d noticed us? Confronted us? What would I have said?”
Sohn grunted. “True.”
“Now even if she or one of the grunts catch us our story can be that we’re part of the honey tour group. Maybe I slipped away to try and find a Combee that was alone, to poach her. Or maybe I got lost. I have a reason to be here now that’s not me hunting them.” Nicholas pointed at where the meadows could be seen falling away. “That way. Looks like there’s a path into the forest.”
Nicholas mentioned his deduction to Kalmiya and at her direction they headed on a specific heading towards the nearest refinery. As they traveled Nicholas kept an eye out for any suspicious characters, but the woods were empty.
They remained that way all the way to their destination. Nicholas slowed, holding out a hand to signal Sohn to stop as well before pulling out the binoculars. The trees were falling away, revealing a large river and beyond it, a sprawling complex. A sprawling, quiet, dilapidated complex.
Nicholas lowered the binoculars. “It’s abandoned. What’s this supposed to be again?”
“The Fuego Ironworks, Master,” Kalmiya replied.
“This is the closest factory to Floaroma?” Nicholas stared at the quiet building. “This doesn’t make sense. Why would that commander be coming here? There are no mining deliveries being brought to this place. No artifacts that might have been swept up. Kalmiya where is the next closest location?”
“A mile to the west, Master.”
“To the west. The commander had to have been coming east.” Nicholas raised his binoculars again, picking over every window in hopes of finding what he was missing. “Is there another one east of here?”
“No, Master.”
“Why would she be going to an abandoned factory. I just don’t understand,” Nicholas growled in frustration. “If they’re looking for artifacts…”
“Master. Didn’t Miru suggest another possibility?” Kalmiya asked. “Perhaps these people have already found what they were looking for.”
“Yes, but we meant found which factory had… dug it up…” Nicholas trailed off. The power plant, the abandoned factory. A misunderstanding of Galactic’s goals. No, it did make sense. “Wait. The power plant – if this factory is abandoned, power lines to it have been shut off. In order to turn them back on you’d need to do so at the power plant feeding them. And if you’re Galactic, you’re not trying to advertise your presence. You’d want to do things secretly. In a seemingly abandoned factory. Powered by a quietly conquered power station.” He carefully slid the binoculars away. “I think Miru was right. They’re not here trying to find what they’re looking for. They’re here because they’ve already found it.”
“But that doesn’t explain the muggings,” Sohn piped up. “What were they after from random people?”
“Money? Fear? If they scare the travelers there’re fewer people willing to explore off the path and discover their activities,” Nicholas replied. “Come on. I want to check inside.”
Sohn cautiously followed him down towards the river. “Are you sure? What if you’re right? What if they see us?”
Nicholas paused. She had a point. The land between him and the ironworks was barren. Nothing to use as cover. He could see the vastness of the Eterna Forest on the other side of the buildings but that didn’t help him here, cut off by hundreds of yards of grass and a river. “What if I’m right.”
“If they’re using it won’t there be lights?” Sohn asked. “The power from the power plant, if they’re using it something will be visible. Right?”
Nicholas sighed. “I’ve looked. I can’t see anything from back here.”
Sohn nervously drifted around him. “There’s gotta be something. It’s dangerous to just walk up. Right?”
Nicholas grumbled but settled back down. He wanted to know. Looking inside the building would be the easiest way to know. But Sohn was right. She was looking at the situation in front of her and she was drawing the correct conclusion. It was too dangerous to approach. It did nobody any good if he was captured or killed here.
He picked up the binoculars once more. If they were in there, they’d show themselves eventually. Something would be out of place. He would wait.
Miles away a scattered group of uniformed operatives crouched in the forest. Looker gazed down at the bored door guard, radio in hand.
The speaker crackled. “Third in position.”
Looker straightened, the men and pokegirls around him doing the same. “Okay. All men. Attack.”
Somewhere inside the plant a low whine shifted.
Nicholas was flicking past each window now in rapid succession, so much so that everything was becoming a blur. He didn’t even notice that the glare on the glass had grown brighter until his third pass afterwards.
He quickly looked back to the window in question. It was almost impossible to tell, but something was different. A light must have been turned on. “I see something!”
Sohn was stretched out in the grass next to him but she sat bolt upright when he yelled. “What?”
“I think I see light. They’ve turned on a light.” Nicholas checked the other windows. “Another. Something’s happening in there.”
Sohn grabbed his arm. “Listen!”
Nicholas fell silent. It was barely audible, but echoing over the river was the sound of machinery.
“They must have turned something on. Maybe they just diverted power?” Nicholas asked. “Regardless, there’s no doubt. Someone’s using that abandoned factory. I don’t need to see them to know who it is.”
“Then what now?” Sohn asked.
Nicholas pulled out his pokedex. The number Miru had sent her message to was still there, though the message had been deleted. “I’ll send the info and our position. Until someone gets here we’ll keep watching.”
He had hit send and was checking the windows again when a loud pop, followed by the whine of failing machinery could be heard from the factory. All of the lights had gone dark.
Nicholas moved his view to the doors as activity built. He could see dozens of people running around now, moving back and forth through the windows and a few stepping out of the building. The ones who came into full view could be clearly identified. Galactic members.
“What’s going on?” Sohn hissed.
“I think Looker just hit the power plant.” Nicholas watched as more people began spreading out away from the building. “Lights went out, machinery died. That sure didn’t last long.”
He was watching the milling figures when the doors flew open again. The red-haired woman stalked out, an apparently agitated man chasing after her with his hands outstretched.
“There’s the boss,” Nicholas murmured. “She doesn’t look happy. I bet she was here to oversee that activation of the machines, whatever they’ve got in there.” He watched the woman raise a phone to her ear. After a few seconds her face twisted and she ripped it away. “Oh yeah. She’s not happy. Will they send a team to check on the power plant?”
Sohn stretched. “What will we do if they do?”
“That woman is our primary target.” Nicholas’ eyes narrowed when he saw the woman turn to the pleading man and start shouting. “Uh oh. She’s VERY unhappy.” He stood when the woman flipped her hand and began moving away from the factory. “Shit. She’s moving again. Come on, why can’t you just stand still?”
Red flashed from his belt and Miru appeared. Nicholas was turning to her in surprise when the Buneary yawned, one hand pressed to her face as the other stretched out. “Fwaaah. She moving? Follow her?” She blinked and lowered the hand that had been covering her eyes. “Wait… where are we?”
“North of Floaroma, at an abandoned factory,” Nicholas explained, watching Miru struggle to stay upright while she looked around. It hadn’t been more than a few hours. She was not rested. “I’ve already notified Looker. You need to rest.”
Sohn was staring at the swaying Buneary as she yawned again and responded. “Nah. We gotta… gotta follow. Right?” She blinked down the hill and Nicholas had to quickly grab her arm before she could tumble. “All the way down there?”
“Seriously. You need rest,” Nicholas retorted, grabbing her pokeball and triggering the recall. Miru didn’t seem to even notice as it sucked her back up and he turned to Sohn. “Come on. She’s leaving and we need to figure out where to.”
He and Sohn followed the woman down the river at first before she abruptly turned and vanished into the trees. After a few minutes of deliberation they slid down from their cover, wading across the river and entering the thick forest themselves.
Nicholas glanced down at his pokedex when it beeped. Before he could pick it up Kalmiya was speaking in his ear. “New message from the number, Master. ‘Just cleaning up here. See you soon?’”
Nicholas snorted. “Looker’s on his way to the ironworks, then. Call it.”
The phone rang a few times before disconnecting. “No resp-“
“I know. You hooked it through my radio. Try again.”
This time there was a connection on the first ring. “Mimi? Is that you?” An elderly voice had come on and Nicholas heard someone shuffling around on the other end. “Are you coming over for lunch?”
Nicholas rolled his eyes. He could hear Looker’s strange accent behind the words. “This is Topolski, calling because one three zero nine is out of action.”
A pause. “Topolski. I am on the way to you,” Looker replied. “What is situation?”
“Miru is sleep deprived and unable to function properly. The target is the old Fuego Ironworks, now abandoned and taken over by Galactic. One of their commanders was here – I’m now tailing her. She went into the Eterna Forest.”
“One moment Topolski.” Looker spoke to someone away from the microphone. “Yes, commander we know. Galactic here call her Mars. They talk of their base in Eterna City.”
Nicholas nodded. The commander was returning to base. “What do we do?”
Looker grumbled. “The commander, you see her?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Try find her. We round up Galactic in ironworks and move to Eterna City.”
Nicholas nodded. “Understood. Good luck.” He hung up and looked at Sohn. “Keep an eye out. We’re probably not going to catch up to that commander but we don’t want to let her hide somewhere in the forest, either.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicholas and Sohn were taking a break when his belt flashed again. Nicholas watched Miru coalesce, the Buneary actually seeming to be coherent this time as she found him. “Where are we.”
“Somewhere deep in Eterna Forest. We’re tailing that Galactic commander, and by now I wouldn’t be surprised if Looker has hit the abandoned ironworks.”
Miru stared at him for a few seconds while her thoughts caught up. “She got away?”
“After you collapsed-“
“I did not collapse.”
Nicholas looked at her. Miru’s eyes were still struggling to stay open. “Mmhm. After we left the motel I had to take a detour to avoid drawing suspicion but continued on the woman’s trail. Eventually Sohn and I found an abandoned factory in a river valley – I came to the conclusion that Galactic took over that wind power plant to divert power to their hidden operations there. After a while I managed to confirm their presence and sent the information to Looker. It was right around that time I assume he retook the power plant, and shut off the diverted power. That caused the commander woman to get angry and leave, so we followed, which brings us to now.”
Miru took a step forwards. “So why are you just sitting there? Let’s go.”
Nicholas sighed. “Miru, we’re keeping pace but we haven’t actually seen her in hours. At this point we’re just assuming she’s on her way to Eterna City – I’m focusing on making sure she doesn’t slip away somewhere here in the forest. We’ve been running a search pattern to guarantee that she’s still in front of us and Looker’s team will be heading straight to Eterna soon in an attempt to cut her off.” He watched Miru continue walking away. “Haste makes waste, Special Investigator. We’re not trying to beat this woman to Eterna. We’re trying to slowly close in on her.”
Miru growled and swiveled back. “We should have ambushed her when we had the chance.”
“Maybe. And maybe doing so would have failed, burning both of our covers and alerting the entire organization to our presence.” Nicholas patted the ground next to him. “Sit.”
Miru eyed him. “Is that supposed to be an order, Nicholas?”
Nicholas rested his arms on his knees. “I’m not sure. Is thirteen oh nine in any position to be in control?”
They watched each other for a while before Miru finally drooped, her body dipping as she staggered over and sat down, hard.
“I thought so.” Nicholas relaxed. “We’ll be moving again soon. I intend to put you right back in a pokeball so you can sleep. Stop forcing yourself awake.”
Miru grunted softly. “That’s the point, wasn’t it.”
“It was.”
They sat in silence for a bit until Nicholas started getting up.
“She would have loved this place,” Miru muttered under her breath.
Nicholas glanced at her. “Who?”
Miru didn’t look at him. “My old partner from the rapid response unit. She was a Murkrow, and loved to perch in the absolutely gloomiest spots she could find.”
Nicholas smiled. “You’ve really opened up these last few weeks. I think it’s just the lack of sleep talking.”
Miru snorted. “Shut up and put me in the pokeball, Nicholas.”
Nicholas chuckled and obliged. “Let’s go, Sohn.”
The shadowy forest was getting darker by the time they found anything interesting. Nicholas paused, peering through the trees. There was a large building just visible in the distance.
The two broke from their routine to head in that direction and much sooner than expected they were stepping past a shattered gate and onto an overgrown lawn. Nicholas looked around. “What the hell is an old mansion like this doing in the middle of a forest?”
Sohn jumped. “I- I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“What? It’s just an old building.” Nicholas looked around again. With night approaching the shadows were making strange shapes across the dilapidated exterior. “Let’s sweep the inside for ferals. If it’s clear we’ll use it as a campsite for the night. And that commander might have taken shelter here too.”
Sohn grabbed him when he stepped forwards. “Something isn’t right, Master.” Nicholas turned in surprise. Sohn very rarely called him that. “Please. We shouldn’t go inside.”
Nicholas turned back to the building. “It doesn’t seem dangerous…” He slowly began to smile. “Sohn… don’t tell me you’re afraid of ghosts.”
Sohn’s fingers tightened on his arm. “Um-“
“Sohn, come on. Ghosts aren’t real,” Nicholas chuckled, but the rest of his sentence died on his lips as a chill gripped him.
He blinked and the feeling was gone, but now he found himself eyeing the building with the same trepidation Sohn was. Ghosts weren’t real? Was he stupid? He’d watched one beat a man to death. Ghosts were very real. A run-down, abandoned mansion in the middle of dark woods was the stereotypical haunt.
He shook his head and stepped forwards, pulling a protesting Sohn with him. Ghost pokegirls, maybe. Sohn could handle those. There was no way this abandoned building had actual ghosts in it.
Sohn was jumping every time anything made a noise during their exploration and finally Nicholas couldn’t take it anymore. “Would you calm down?” he asked in exasperation. “Nothing’s jumped out at us, there’ve been no weird floating things, no ghosts! You’re starting to get on my nerves.” He pushed open a door, peeking inside at the remains of a grand dining hall when he heard a sob behind him.
Nicholas sighed. “Sohn, come on. That wasn’t mean enough to make you cry.”
Sohn was staring back the way they had came, knees shaking, face white. “Th- th- th- that w- w- wasn’t m- m- me.”
Nicholas turned. The hallways behind them were empty. “Come on.”
“It w- w- wasn’t, honest,” Sohn babbled.
Nicholas felt the hair on the back of his neck standing up and he whirled back to the dining room in time to see a man slipping away. “Hey!” He stepped in, reaching a hand out but coming to a halt when he noticed the room was empty. There was nothing in the direction the figure had been moving except a solid wall.
“…Okay, maybe we should leave,” Nicholas stammered. Sohn didn’t need to be told twice. Nicholas heard her break for the exit and he chased after her, slipping in his haste and bouncing off a wall. He didn’t remember the hallway turning there. He called for Sohn but she was in a full panic, sprinting down the hallways that just seemed to stretch on and on. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a face flash by and he whirled but it was only a painting; when he turned again Sohn was getting further away. “SOHN!” Sohn ignored him and Nicholas hissed when he felt the distance between them growing unnaturally wide. “SOHN, STOP!”
Sohn finally looked back and skidded to a halt in shock. “Master…?”
Nicholas tentatively took a few steps forwards. All noise had ceased. The walls around them crowded in and yet fell away at the same time. It took a few minutes but eventually he made it back to her side. “I need you to stay calm,” he said, keeping his voice steady so as not to project his own fear on the Monferno. “Obviously something’s going on here. Some kind of illusion, or something. We’ve taken a turn I don’t remember us making before.” He looked around. Now he thought the paintings were watching them. “We need to find the way out of here, and we’re not going to find it by running around wildly.”
Sohn swallowed. “Okay.”
“Let’s be rational.” Nicholas flinched when a low moan broke the silence. “If we head back we can find the dining room again.”
“But…” Sohn swiveled. “Which… Which way is back?”
Nicholas turned around, only to come face to face with a solid wall. “Fuck.”
“Master I’m scared,” Sohn sobbed. “We shouldn’t have come in here, I knew we shouldn’t have…”
“You want to play with us, is that it?” Nicholas yelled, keeping his eyes fixed on a single point on the walls. “You want to have fun with us. Well fine! I get it. We’ll play your game.”
“What are you saying?” Sohn cried.
“Has anything attacked you yet?” Nicholas asked.
Sohn blinked. “Uh, n- no?”
“I don’t think whatever is here wants to hurt us.” Nicholas raised his voice again. “You don’t, do you? You want to play?”
The low sound faded away and Nicholas stood in silence for a while before he heard a quiet giggle and a door slammed open next to them.
“Come on, Sohn.” Nicholas led the way, stepping through and taking in the room on the other side. It looked like it had been a bedroom at some point but there was nothing to see now and he turned back to the door just to find it had vanished.
“Look!” Nicholas turned at Sohn’s cry to see a doorway on a previously blank wall. Steeling himself he pulled it open.
They stepped into another hallway and Nicholas looked around, walking to a new door and trying the handle. Locked. He moved to the next, and it was locked too.
Play with her, too.
Nicholas blinked. The hallway was back to normal and he turned around to see the entryway behind them. “That’s the exit?” He moved forwards before stopping. Sohn tried to keep going but he yanked her back. “Hold on. Look. We’re on the second floor somehow.”
Sohn looked at the stairwell ahead of them. “When did we…?”
Nicholas grimaced. “I want to leave but there wasn’t a second floor when we came in, was there?”
Sohn swallowed. “I don’t think so?”
Nicholas tried one of the doors next to them and was surprised when it opened easily. “Here. Come in here.”
Sohn followed him in and Nicholas closed the door behind them. He watched it for a minute before sighing and turning to look at the rest of the room. The only real feature was an old, old television propped up in the corner. “Did you hear that whisper?”
Sohn nodded. “We’re not done yet, are we?”
“I don’t think so.” Nicholas slid to the floor. “What a mess I’ve dragged us into.”
Sohn sat beside him. “We’ll… We’ll be fine. Right?” She pasted a brave smile on her face. “They’re just playing.”
Nicholas snorted softly. “Right.”
He shot back to his feet when the lights flickered. Something was watching them. Where?
Suddenly the television burst to life, static filling the screen. Nicholas backed towards the door and cursed when he felt the handle jam. Locked. Of course it was.
He glanced at the power cord for the television, jumping forwards and yanking it from the wall. It didn’t help. The static still surged across the screen and now the lights around them were starting to flicker again.
Sohn shrieked and Nicholas followed her quivering finger to see something beginning to take shape on the screen. At first it was just a circle, then it began to elongate, and then the static began splitting in places as a head pushed its way into view. Nicholas growled when he saw the television screen bulge. Well wasn’t this just great. Like something out of a horror movie.
The noises had picked back up again. He could hear a low moan and with a soft thud a hand smacked the screen from the inside. Then another. The noise got louder as the figure slowly pushed its head free, the static flowing over them and scampering back to the screen as it did.
“This one is different from the child ghost that was laughing at us earlier,” Nicholas observed as the figure’s hand stretched out and firmly grabbed the top of the television frame. The other hand soon made its way to the bottom and the additional leverage allowed the pale figure to pull itself even further out of the screen, the rest of their body starting to become visible. “This one is…”
Nicholas trailed off. The moaning noise was still there and getting louder, but… the figure pulled again. And with a crackle of static two massive breasts swung free.
Nicholas stared. He couldn’t help it. The dread he had been feeling was just… gone. Suddenly the moaning didn’t sound terrifying. It sounded… horny?
“Wh- What the…” Sohn was just as shocked as the woman pulled herself a few more inches from the screen. “What the hell is this…?”
“Wait, is this one a pokegirl?” Nicholas blurted out. “There’s no fucking way an actual ghost is floating around with tits like that.”
“Activating scanner, Master,” Kalmiya stated. “Interesting. My sensors have been unable to function since entering this building, but they are fully functional now. Pokegirl scan complete. Subject identified as a Rotom. The plasma pokegirl.”
Nicholas took a step closer and the Rotom’s head snapped up, her open mouth just visible in the middle of her long, unkempt black hair. “I knew this felt like a scene from a horror movie. A chick emerging from a tv screen? I’ve seen that before.” He watched the Rotom struggle, her massive breasts swinging through the air. “She seems stuck. Is a Rotom a Ghost-type? How does a Ghost-type get stuck?”
“Rotom is a Ghost-type, yes, Master,” Kalmiya replied.
“Wonderful.” Slowly a smile spread across Nicholas’ face. “I wonder if she realizes that she’s right at waist level.”
“OH MY GOD!” Sohn’s groan was muffled when she threw her hands over he face but it was definitely there when Nicholas dropped his pants. “You CAN’T be serious.”
“Out of everything that’s just happened in this mansion? This is the most normal thing we’ve seen,” Nicholas laughed and the Rotom’s moans were stifled when he shoved his dick in her mouth. “Sure, I’ll play with her! Ha!”
Sohn peeked out from between her fingers as the Rotom began sucking. “This is stupid. This is so stupid. A minute ago I was- I was terrified and now you’re going at it with a feral??”
“I am making the best of the situation,” Nicholas replied loftily. “I gotta say, if that other ghost was trying to get this pokegirl tamed she sure makes a great wingman. Wing-ghost? Whatever.”
“I hate you,” Sohn sobbed into her hands.
Nicholas snickered. He was returning his attention to the Rotom giving him a blowjob when he felt something about her mouth change.
He jumped when he looked back down. The Rotom’s head was gone. He was now balls deep in the Rotom’s vagina and the girl’s hips were moving up and down even though her ass and legs were the only things now sticking out of the tv. “The fuck?” He hesitantly grabbed the girl’s waist, taking a thrust before throwing caution aside and going full speed. He could feel the pokegirl trembling but with her upper body now gone he had no cries to go on, making the taming one of the strangest he’d ever had. Still, he could feel her body shuddering when she orgasmed and a bit after he came too, pulling out and watching the Rotom’s legs slump so that she was reduced to just an ass hanging from the screen with a bit of his cum slipping out.
“Fucking wild,” Nicholas chuckled. “What an interesting pokegirl. She might have been crawling out of that tv but she crawled right into my harem.”
Sohn groaned. “Her? Really?”
“You know it,” Nicholas snickered. He found an empty pokeball and bounced it off the Rotom’s asscheek, astonished to see the television get sucked up with her. “Wait, what was that? The tv was part of her?”
“According to the pokedex Rotom are known for possessing electrical appliances,” Kalmiya replied.
“Wild,” Nicholas repeated. “Well. I played with her.” He pulled his pants on and raised his voice. “Can we go now?”
The mansion had returned to its silence and he and Sohn made it through the doors without any more problems. The moment she was outside Sohn scampered away, giving the silent mansion a look while Nicholas joined her at a more relaxed pace. “Well we didn’t find shelter, or the commander, but that was a fun little detour.”
Sohn glared at him in disgust. “I hate you.”
“Good. That’s just the way I like it.” Sohn’s breath caught when he swept her up and kissed her lips. “You have a harem sister now! Isn’t that great?”
“I-“ Sohn’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, I do. A really weird harem sister.”
“I’m sure she’s not weird. We just have to get to know her,” Nicholas chuckled. “Why don’t we do that tomorrow.” He glanced up at the night sky above. “Tonight’s your last night as my only pokegirl. I assume you want to make the most of it.”
Sohn grinned and kissed back, dragging him to the ground without even waiting for him to pull out the tent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A woman flicked the lightswitch and closed her office door, nodding as a pokegirl rose from where she had been languishing on a couch and joined her. The girl’s abs rippled as she walked, her eyes almost as sharp as the fins that graced her body and tail.
“Oh! I’m terribly sorry, Ma’am.” The woman stopped when an aide popped out of a nearby office. “I was hoping to catch you before you went home. A police report has been filed containing some of the key words you asked to be monitored.”
The woman took the file she was offered and flipped through. A smile tugged at her lips. “Good. Thank you.”
The pokegirl waited for the aide to leave before grunting. “Him, Mistress?”
The woman nodded. “We’re leaving for Eterna. Tomorrow.” She pulled out her pokedex and swiftly penned a new message. “It’s time to cleanse this filth from my league.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer:Nicholas Topolski
Badges:
Mine Badge
Harem:
Sohn, Monferno – Level 18
Miru, Buneary – Level 17
???, Rotom – Level 15
Non-Com Harem:
Kalmiya, Porygon-Z – Level 5