Disclaimer:
This work is fiction. The work is presented under fair protection where applicable.
Feedback will be read, processed, and if it’s a flame it will be given the finger, then I will burst into hysterical laughter. Constructive feedback, be it criticism or praise, will be read, processed, given a smile, and filed away. To contact me, please send an email to socom.seal@(SPAM)yahoo.com. Remove (SPAM) for a valid email.
You should not read this work if you are not of legal age where you reside. This work may contain concepts or written actions that some readers may find excessive or disturbing. This may include (but not be limited to) rape, BDSM, or death.
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Chapter 10
In the Shadow of the Mountain
“So the next closest gym is south, in Pastoria City,” Kalmiya summarized. “A few weeks journey, maybe slightly longer than the walk from Eterna to Oreburgh.”
“Hm.”
Kalmiya waited. “Master?”
Nicholas jabbed idly at the map. “What about over here? Veilstone? From what I’ve heard the city is one of the most sympathetic to Galactic. Their ‘corporation’ even has its headquarters there.”
Kalmiya lowered her voice. “Is that smart, Master? I thought it would be best to visit that gym last. The tales you tell the media are good ones, but the truth is that this new harem of yours is able to hold their own, nothing more. All three of them together are at most worth one of the others.”
“And I’d only need one of the others to burn Galactic to the ground,” Nicholas replied.
Kalmiya tapped her foot. “That is not true and you know it, Master. Going south first will give them all time to grow even more, maybe even enough for Sohn to evolve. The roads lead to Veilstone after that, when we’re more prepared.”
“We’re headed east.”
Kalmiya huffed when he got to his feet. “Why do I even bother?”
Nicholas gave her a cheeky grin. “Hey. Maybe if you started listening to me a bit more I’d be more inclined to listen to you.”
Kalmiya stuck her tongue out at him. “Bleeegh.”
“Sohn, Miru, Zisela, Sammy!” The others looked up when he called their names. “We’re leaving the city. Last chance to get me to take you shopping.”
“What is there to want?” Zisela asked.
“Gear…” Nicholas trailed off as he took in the pokegirls gazing at him. Three nude, one in so little she might as well be. “…Never mind.”
Sammy slowly raised her hand. “Master?”
Nicholas nodded. “Yes Sammy?”
“I… have something I want.” She looked guiltily at the others. “But it doesn’t feel right if nobody else gets anything.”
“Who’s this pokegirl and what have you done with Sammy?” Sohn asked playfully.
“Ha. Sammy, please ask. Everyone can always ask for whatever they’d like, it’s just up to me to decide whether to get it for you or not,” Nicholas chuckled. “There’s not limit to your requests. I’m not going to say no because you’ve gotten more than the others.” He shot Zisela a look. “And the harem won’t treat you any differently for it either, because they know they can ask just like you.”
Zisela rolled her eyes at him.
Sammy took a deep breath. “I want enough good metal to build a body.”
Five sets of eyes blinked at her. “A… body?” Nicholas finally asked.
Sammy held up her hand to show the two fingertips of metal. “Enough to cover myself with, Master. Metal like this that flows with me, so that… so that if, if I, uh, when I let go of… this form… it will not have to be left behind.”
Nicholas scratched his head. “That metal was…” he trailed off. “Ah. Right. You got that tiny amount from pokeball circuitry.” He winced. “Two pokeballs for that much. I’m afraid to know how many you’d need to cover your entire body.”
“Each pokeball seems to have covered at most two square centimeters,” Kalmiya replied immediately. “Considering Sammy’s preferred body shape, at least ten thousand pokeballs would be required to provide the necessary material.”
Nicholas blanched. “Ten thousand?”
“There are likely more efficient devices for Sammy to cannibalize,” Kalmiya replied. “For example… my pokedex is much more rich in circuitry and rare metals than a simple pokeball.” She shot Sammy a look. “Other pokedexes would be the same.”
Nicholas waved his hand. “Sammy knows better than to go after you again. Isn’t that right?”
Kalmiya narrowed her eyes. “If she doesn’t she will.”
Nicholas had a flashback to the utter domination Kalmiya had gone through and stepped in between the two pokegirls. “She does. I won’t have the two of you fighting again.” He turned to Sammy. “How about this. For now, I’ll take you to an electronics shop. We can buy one of everything you like the looks of. Snacks for the road.”
Sammy beamed at him. “Thank you, Master.”
“We’ll keep track of each device, how much good metal it has and all that, and once we know the best way I’ll get you all the metal you can eat.” He chuckled. “You might get fat on all the excess.”
“I wouldn’t-“ Sammy hesitated. “The uh… the other machine was… a fluke?”
Nicholas leered at her. “Sure it was.” He clapped his hands. “If that’s all there is. Let’s go!”
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Nicholas stretched. He was maintaining a relaxed appearance despite the deadly presence watching him. Because that pissed her off most of all.
“Coming, Zisela?” He glanced back lazily at the silent Gabite. “We’re almost to Solaceon Town.”
“Yes, my drake.” Zisela only picked up her pace enough to settle back into his blind spot before slowing once more. “I was only thinking of your… human body by keeping my pace slow.”
Nicholas smirked. “That human body outlasts you easily, Zisela. Are you sure your dragon body just wasn’t able to keep up?”
“Enough.”
Nicholas halted. They were in view of Solaceon, but the snarl behind him wasn’t going to wait that long. “Yes?”
“I am tired of your disrespect. Turn and face me!” When Nicholas kept his eyes forwards Zisela’s lips drew back, her growls beginning to build before she abruptly slammed her eyes shut. Slowly, very slowly, her expression began to calm until she spoke again, eyes still closed. “Please, my drake. My… Master. I ask you to face me.”
Nicholas finally turned. “It’s been destroying you, hasn’t it?” he asked quietly. “Ever since Hearthome.”
“An upstart wyrm- a powerful one. I could understand this creature. I could allow myself, young as I am, to serve it.” Zisela opened her eyes. “I am not my mother. She has lived long enough to know a different earth than me. Since birth I knew I would live to serve her. You offered me another choice. Service to another, one powerful, but lesser. But now you call yourself human? It is too far. MUCH too far! I- To become just another servant? Another pokegirl? Bowing to a HUMAN MASTER?” Zisela roared, lunging towards him but striking far too short and sinking her claws into the dirt. She stayed there for a few seconds, panting heavily, before her fingers closed and she ripped a chunk from the ground, letting the loose soil run between her fingers as she stared at it. “And yet I- I can not help but- but bow.” Her fingers slowly curled into a fist as she raised her eyes, blazing with impotent fury, to look at him. “Bow. To a human. Me.”
“I do not hold you here, Zisela-“
“Do not START. With your misplaced ‘pity’,” Zisela hissed. “You do not hold me here. My weakness holds me, as I have lost. Despite everything, I have lost… to a human. You were right on that day. When I questioned you, and you told me you held weakness. I did not understand then, but I do now. You held the weakness of pride. You no longer do. You have accepted your place, human. And because of that I can never win.”
“It sounds to me like you are coming to understand something similar about yourself,” Nicholas replied softly.
Zisela was still. After a few minutes her outstretched fist fell back to her side. “I… Perhaps I… am.”
“I will gladly be your dragon, Zisela, or drake, if that is all you can bear calling me.” Nicholas walked back to her and extended his hand. “For I am a human, yes, but I am not a weak one; just as you are not a weak pokegirl. Are you open now to seeing that?”
Zisela snorted. “You have shown me many times.”
“And I will show you again.”
Zisela had glanced away but she looked back when Nicholas flexed his power. Even still, as he did what he had done so many times to bring order back to the others, she barely flinched. “You hold strength, my drake. My Master. It is beyond mine. But it is not yet what you claim.” She reached out her hand to his but pushed it aside instead of taking it. “One day, I said. One day the drake may become a dragon. That day has not yet come."
Nicholas shifted when she pushed past him. He’d felt Zisela’s anger building over the weeks they’d been traveling. It was good that she’d finally let it free.
The two entered Solaceon as Nicholas messed with his belt. The other three were resting, but at the very least Miru would have heard the exchange, if not the others as well. The younger pokegirls were starting to pick up on the pokeball techniques he’d been slowly training them in in between battle training and harem bonding time.
Solaceon was a small town, dominated more by the ranching industry it hosted than anything else. Though according to tourist brochures, it also held history – various ruins from before the current Solaceon Town had been settled, filled with mysterious scripts and murals. He pulled out his pokedex to take a look at some of the pictures. An intriguing place, but it seemed more Cynthia’s style than his.
As far as his harem was concerned, they would continue east from here, after following the road on this northern jog. But that… would take him farther away.
Nicholas raised his eyes to the west. The clouds were low today, hiding most of the mountain range from view, but he knew. Right here, in this small town, he was directly east of Mt. Coronet. Of its peak.
He’d kept an eye out during the journey here for whatever the Celestica elder had been referring to, but he’d seen nothing. ‘The shadow of the mountain’. Where could it be?
He was bringing his eyes down when he paused. A sullen pair stared back and he blinked. Without realizing it he’d been staring directly at a figure lounging in front of one of the small ranches that circled the town center. He was giving her an apologetic smile and wave, intending to turn away, when his attention flicked to the sign above her head.
“Free?”
Zisela glanced at him. “What?”
Nicholas blinked again. The sign definitely said ‘free’. “Uh… Kalmiya? What’s Sinnoh’s laws regarding… pokegirls as property?”
“The same as the world league’s, as a member state, Master.”
“I thought so,” Nicholas muttered. “If that’s the case then why is that girl over there being advertised?”
Zisela followed him when he altered course. “Does this really concern you, my drake?”
“No. But I choose to make it my concern,” Nicholas replied. He stopped in front of the girl. “Hi, there. I’m sorry, but does that sign up there claim you’re for sale?”
The girl glanced up for a second to follow his pointing finger before she snorted and looked back down at him. “Fuck off, city boy.”
“Er, you’re a free pokegirl, by law-“
“That’s the whole fucking problem,” the girl snapped back. “You want to discuss my contract, talk to the owner and leave me alone.”
Nicholas took an awkward step back as the pokegirl grabbed a machine from the table next to her and raised it to her breast, flicking it on to start a stream of milk flowing into the vacuum. After a while she flicked it off and unscrewed the suction cup, locking eyes with him as she emptied her breast milk onto the dirt.
“A Miltank, Master,” Kalmiya supplied. “She-“
“Who’s whispering?” The girl barked. “I am no fucking cow. I am a Tauros, I am a BULL, and if you don’t get moving I will show you these horns, bud.”
Nicholas’ eyes darted to the horns on the girl’s head. “I just wanted to make sure…?” He hopped another step back when the girl huffed and began lowering her stance. “Sorry!”
“What’s going on out here!”
The Miltank, Tauros, whatever she was stopped at the approaching voice and Nicholas turned to see a man in a rough half suit jogging towards them from within the ranch. “Oh. You a sightseer? Might want to move on, Cathy’s a mean one.”
“I, uh, saw the sign and assumed wrongly, I guess,” Nicholas called back. “Sorry.”
“Tourist.” The man glanced at Zisela before frowning. “Or just a passing tamer, I suppose, with a girl like that next to you. What did you think? You could walk up and just take her?”
“Kind of?” Nicholas replied awkwardly. “I thought that was your intention, to… offload her like property.”
The man had reached the fence now and he leaned against it. “Cathy’s a contracted worker here, unfortunately. That’s what the sign’s about. You want to buy her out? No fee. I will charge you nothing to take this maniac off my hands.”
Nicholas’ jaw dropped. This man was talking about this pokegirl completely without shame and she was equally unbothered by him. “Excuse me what?”
The man glanced at Cathy. Satisfied that she wasn’t about to attack he turned his attention back to Nicholas. “Do you really care or are you just trying to waste my time.”
“I’m very curious now, actually,” Nicholas replied. “She’s a contracted worker? On a ranch?”
“All the girls here are. Miltank-“ the man had to stop when Cathy growled and continued when her noises petered out. “Miltank UNLIKE CATHY often hire themselves to ranches. They produce twice as much milk for their body weight as any animal and it’s a method for them to keep themselves relieved. It’s a win-win for both sides. We also hire on Tauros to protect the milkers and give them companions.”
“Come to think of it I visited a Miltank ranch in Johto,” Nicholas mused. “Huh. So uh, in that case…” he gestured surreptitiously at Cathy, “why are you so desperate to have someone else hire her?”
“Not just hire. Buy me out of her contract,” the man groaned. “I thought it was a steal. She was asking a Tauros’ salary as a-“ he froze. Cathy’s eyes had darted towards him. “Um, I mean, she, uh, was asking… a perfectly reasonable salary. But once she got here, um, I realized I needed another Miltank… instead. Instead of her.”
Nicholas sidled away from Cathy and unhooked his pokedex to type a message to Kalmiya. You called her a Miltank, right?
His words flashed before deleting to make way for Kalmiya’s response. She is. The pokedex scanner identifies her as a Miltank.
Then what’s this about her being a Tauros? Aren’t they two different breeds?
No, Kalmiya explained. Miltank and Tauros share almost identical genetic code. The only difference is a gene cluster that is active in the Miltank pokegirl, and deactivated in the Tauros. It is the gene cluster that controls the lactaction Miltank are known for, with the side effect of heavily affecting estrogen and other hormonal levels. A pause. This is likely what Cathy meant by her being a ‘bull’ and not a ‘cow’. Though she obviously has the activated gene for milk production, she considers herself a Tauros.
That’s what the pokedex picked up on?
Yes.
“So if I understand right, you’re stuck paying her salary until her contract expires, and you can’t break it without paying a fee?” Nicholas summarized.
“Half the ranches in town have already tried fucking me,” Cathy snarled. “I made sure this one wouldn’t be allowed to.”
“…I should have listened when they warned me not to hire her,” the rancher groaned. “Nobody wants her so I’m stuck paying her contract.”
“Why not, um… just let her work?” Nicholas asked. “Since she’s, er, a Tauros and all. Do you not need her services? Even though you hired her?”
“This jackass hired me expecting to stick me in a pump,” Cathy interjected. “I explained how that wasn’t going to happen. I even did it nicely the first time. The third time he sent me out here.”
“Yeah, fuck me for seeing a pokegirl with leaking breasts and expecting to milk them,” the rancher snapped back. He was already halfway off the fence before speaking and a good thing, too, because as soon as he retorted Cathy had whirled and slammed into where he was a moment ago. “Why don’t I let her work? Look at her! She’s as aggressive and strong as a Tauros with the body and hormones of a broody Miltank. Even when I tried to let her join the Tauros herd she just started fucking one of them. She’s a freak!”
“Takes one to know one!” Cathy screamed after the retreating man. She was breathing heavily and her eyes snapped to Nicholas when he approached the fence. “She deserved it. Treating me like a cow.”
Nicholas pulled himself over the fence. “She treated you like one of hers so you made her one of yours.”
Cathy blinked. “You get me?”
“I’ve been a tamer for years. Seen all kinds of pokegirl. Many just like you.” Nicholas glanced back. “Zisela, stay there for a moment. I’ll be back.”
Zisela sighed as he followed the rancher. “Without even a word to me.” A smile tugged at her lips. “That’s my drake.”
Cathy looked at her suspiciously. “What. What’s he doing?”
Zisela gave her a good look. “Hm. That attitude better work itself out pretty quick.”
Cathy bristled. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“HO!” Nicholas raised his voice when he got closer to the house the rancher had hidden inside. “Sir! It’s the tamer from the gate.”
After a moment the man poked his head out. “Yeah? What do you want?”
Nicholas held up his pokedex. “To solve your problem.”
The man stared at him for a bit before stepping back outside. “Are you offering to buy out her contract?”
“Sure am.”
“You have no idea how much she’s asking.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Nicholas jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “She’s a problem, I’m offering to solve it. I promise you she will never bother you again.”
The rancher snorted. “She wants to work. She’s just too much of a freak pokegirl to fit in ‘round here. Yeah, you can buy her contract, but she won’t go with you, if that’s what you’re expecting. She wants to be on a ranch. She’ll just end up hassling all of us when her cash runs low.”
Nicholas waggled his ‘dex. “How about I pay you and you let me worry about the rest.”
Zisela looked over Cathy’s shoulder. “Here he comes.”
Nicholas slid back over the fence and took a look at Cathy. The girl had retreated back to her spot under the sign and though she appeared relaxed, he saw a subtle tension in her body. Glancing at Zisela it was obvious why. Cathy had retreated to put her back to something in front of the Gabite.
“So?”
Nicholas rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. “This is your signature, right?”
Cathy barely glanced at the paper. “Sure. That’s the stub from my contract with that jackass.”
Nicholas tore it in half.
Cathy watched the pieces flutter to the ground. “You better have my money if you’re going to do that.”
“Oh, I do.” Nicholas tapped his pokedex and withdrew the credit chip he’d loaded. “All hundred grand for the five-year contract.”
“That’s just the payout for termination,” Cathy growled. “What about the fees? Loss of shelter. Food. You know, the expensive part?”
Nicholas smiled slightly. “True. Your pay was pretty low, because your costs of living were covered on the ranch. Unfortunately, I’m only interested in paying off your salary.”
Despite her wariness of Zisela Cathy still got to her feet when he said that. “If you think you can bully me, fucker, I am air-fucking-tight on that contract.” She took only two steps towards him, blocked by the Gabite, but it was enough for her to loom over Nicholas. “You’ll be paying me in court.”
“No, no,” Nicholas breezed. “I’m not trying to say I won’t provide what you’re owed. I’m just saying I won’t hand you money for it.” He flicked her the chip. “Join my harem. I won’t give a damn what you are as long as you fight for me.”
Cathy stared at him. Nicholas stared back with a calm smile. She was a mountain of a pokegirl. Thinking over his entire harem, the only one who rivaled Cathy’s sheer mass was probably Morgana, and she was over seven feet tall. Even Dahlia and Lili, two juggernauts, would only come close to this Miltank. Or Tauros? He frowned. He’d probably just refrain from labeling her as anything when possible, but the pokedex would undoubtedly call her a Miltank. Officially, he’d have to call her that, so hopefully she got over her stigma once he showed her how little that breed designation meant to him.
Unlike Morgana Cathy was not approaching eight feet tall. No, she was just a few inches taller than him, maybe 6’ 4” at most if he counted her horns. Maybe an inch taller than Zisela currently was, actually, though Zisela wouldn’t remain her size forever. Most of her mass came from two similar places – her thick body, smooth and seemingly without defined musculature but large enough to be hiding strength to rival any pokegirl, and of course her two, massive, dripping breasts.
It was her breasts that led him to believe Cathy’s large body was hiding a terrifying strength. She stood easily. Without any pain or even apparent stress while what had to be forty pounds of milk and flesh hung off her chest. It didn’t matter that muscles didn’t bulge from her skin. They were there, and they were powerful.
Her dark skin. Nicholas took a long look at the pokegirl in front of him while she deliberated. She had long brown hair reaching past her waist, though her bangs and the hair between her twisting ivory horns was much lighter, more of a dirty blonde. The hair, or maybe fur, that made up her pubes and also covered from her thighs to halfway down her shins was the same dirty blonde color, and a tuft of the same capped the end of her thin flicking tail, the rest of which was covered in a brown like the rest of her hair. The color scheme repeated itself in her eyes, two bronze orbs framed by stray whisps of brown hair pushed forwards by a pair of long pointed ears.
Eventually she spoke. “I want to protect a herd. That is what I want to do. So thank you for the offer, but I’ll take my fee.”
“You think you’ll protect a herd here?” Nicholas asked. “You seem to me to be quite an intelligent pokegirl. You understand contract law well enough to write your own, after all. You know nobody here wants anything to do with you, so what makes you think you’ll be allowed near any of their herds?”
A growl rumbled in Cathy’s chest. “I’ll go somewhere else then. But I will find a herd.”
“Why not a harem?” Nicholas asked. “Sure, it’s a bit smaller. But it’s something to protect, isn’t it? I’m offering you something to protect, in an environment that will celebrate you for what you are, not try to force you to be something you’re not.”
“At best, a harem is a herd of five,” Cathy replied. “A tiny herd that can protect itself. It doesn’t need me.”
“A tiny herd that gets itself hurt every day,” Nicholas countered. “You could take the hits for them. Protect them. Until none of them are ever hurt again. Wouldn’t that be worth it?” He saw Cathy hesitating so he stepped towards her. “And my herd is not only five others, even if right now it’s only four. My herd is more than twenty pokegirls. Now that’s a good sized herd.”
Cathy snapped to him. “Twenty?”
“More than,” Nicholas repeated. “Some of which have been so hurt, they need a protector. They need someone like you, Cathy. They need to be safe.”
Cathy stared at him for a full minute. “Where are they?”
Nicholas raised an eyebrow. “Is that a yes?”
Cathy snorted and scuffed her foot impatiently. “Yes. I’ll let you take over providing for me. Where are the ones who need me?”
“How can I trust you near them?” Cathy froze. “I’ve barely met you, and what little I’ve seen doesn’t fill me with confidence. I’ll make you a deal.” Nicholas extended his hand. “Travel with me in Sinnoh. Show me you can be the protector you want to be. When I’m satisfied, I’ll take you to the others.”
It had been a while since he’d had a pokegirl whose emotions could be read in her body. Morgana had kept her ears hidden, even Sohn holding her tail steady most of the time. So when Cathy slouched, her ears drooping and her tail twisting around one leg, he was astonished at how blatantly honest this pokegirl was. “I… accept your terms,” Cathy murmured.
“…Well. That settles that.” Nicholas watched Cathy finally, and astonishingly gently, take his hand to shake. “Are you satisfied with the name Cathy?”
“Yes, it’s my name.”
“Okay. Cathy, this is Zisela.” Nicholas gestured towards the Gabite. “She is your Alpha.”
Zisela raised an eyebrow.
Cathy blinked at her before a blush tinted her cheeks. “I understand now. Alpha.”
“And?” Zisela growled.
“…Sorry.”
“Hmph.” Zisela turned away. “It’ll do for now. Well, my drake? May we continue to our destination?”
Nicholas nodded, nudging Cathy’s ass to jolt her into motion. She quickly gathered up the small pile of items next to her seat and chased after them. “We can. First though, Cathy. Anything we need to retrieve of yours?”
Cathy cradled what she had grabbed. “No… No, nothing. Just this.”
Nicholas looked over to see what she was carrying. “Do you really want to keep those pumps?”
Cathy sighed, her eyes on the handful of portable milk pumps she carried. “I need them. I hate that I do, but if I don’t do something my breasts start to hurt.”
“Would you like anything, then?” Nicholas waved at the stores they were passing. “Some clothes so you’re not running around naked?”
A shadow flickered over Cathy’s face. “The bulls always wore such strong outfits. I never can. My damn breasts ruin anything I put on.”
Nicholas glanced at her thoughtfully. “Because you leak?”
Cathy gritted her teeth and fumbled with her pumps, finally getting one on each nipple to begin abating the drips that wet the dirt beneath her. “Yes.”
“What about pants?”
Cathy lifted one leg to show off her fur. “Too uncomfortable.”
“Then did you try shorts?”
“What’s the point?” Cathy asked bitterly. “My breasts nearly hang that low in the first place. There’s barely a difference to be seen if I wear some and they’re a hassle.”
“Well,” Nicholas replied, sidling up to her again and grabbing her ass, “there’s still a difference. Especially back here.”
Cathy jumped out of his grip and glared at him, showing that his antics were starting to bring out the anger she’d first showed against the rancher. “Stop that.”
“Why? You’re wagging about in full display,” Nicholas replied. “Besides, you’ve chosen to be my pokegirl. I’m going to enjoy every inch of you I can.”
Cathy’s eyes narrowed. “Will shorts stop you groping my ass?”
“Not at all,” Nicholas replied immediately. “But they’ll make your ass look even better than it already does.”
Cathy stared. Nicholas had to lean closer when she mumbled something. “Hm?”
“I said… I’d like to look even better,” Cathy mumbled.
Nicholas grinned and aimed a swat at her rear, whooping when she agilely twisted away. “Ha! Let’s get you something then. Something… what did you say? Strong?”
Half an hour later the three were back on the road with Cathy’s rear now sporting a pair of heavy denim shorts. Her breasts were a bit smaller too, having been pumping them constantly during the shopping trip. They were depleted enough that she’d put away her pumps in Nicholas’ bag and, more importantly, her confidence had rocketed back up, leading her to strut right beside him as they exited Solaceon.
“So the road should fork pretty soon,” Zisela mused. “When it does we head east. Towards the next gym.” She went quiet for a bit before turning to him. “I… am trying, my… Master. To understand. But, I, I- no matter how I try, I can not accept serving a human.”
“What if I had been a Celestica?” Nicholas asked. “They are humans too.”
“The Celestica are… more than human,” Zisela replied after a moment. “They are humans, but within them are the spirits of dragons. You are merely a human cloaked in a dragon’s power. It is not the same.”
“That’s been the problem from the beginning, hasn’t it?” Nicholas asked. “I’m strong enough to be your Master, your drake, but no matter how much I claim the power is my own none of your family see it that way. Because of that it doesn’t matter to you how strong I am, or that I’m stronger than you. I am unworthy.” He gazed off into the distance. “Maybe I shouldn’t fool myself either. I never earned my power. I was born with it, an inheritance of a gift. But Zisela, I have spoken to many, many people on my journeys. And some of them told me something. Something that has allowed me to move forwards and grow.” He looked back to her. “The manner in which I received my gifts is irrelevant. It is what I do with my power that defines whether I deserve it. It is what I do with my gifts that matters, not the circumstances of my birth.”
“I can not deny the truth of those words,” Zisela replied softly, “but neither can I deny my own soul. It quails when it imagines a life beneath you. Perhaps that is not right. Perhaps I should be… proud to serve a human such as you. Perhaps I am wrong, so very, very wrong.” She closed her eyes and glanced away. “But it does not change how I feel.”
Nicholas breathed out. “I will not use my power to hold you here, Zisela. Those words are not said with pity, but with grace. I offer you freedom.”
Zisela remained in her position for a long, long time, long enough for Cathy to begin nervously pretending to search the area before her eyes opened again. “It would be a far greater shame to flee from you now. You have beaten me. I can only pray that one day you become something I am proud to serve.”
“I intend to.”
Zisela nodded. “Then I pray that day comes soon.” She finally turned to look at him again. “Shall we continue?”
“Sure. But we’re not turning east.” Nicholas strode forwards, forcing the surprised pokegirls to follow. “We’re continuing north. The Celestica wait in the shadow of the mountain.” As he spoke a breeze blew past them and Zisela shivered at its icy bite. “Let us make that day come as soon as possible, Zisela.”
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POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer:Nicholas Topolski
Badges:
Mine Badge
Forest Badge
Coal Badge
Relic Badge
Harem:
Zisela, Gabite (Alpha) – Level 32
Sohn, Monferno – Level 30
Miru, Buneary – Level 29
Sammy, Rotom – Level 31
Cathy, Miltank – Level 30
Non-Com Harem:
Kalmiya, Porygon-Z – Level 10
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“They’re growing more restless. Making mistakes.”
Jacquelyne crouched beside her Mistress, a long bone-like staff clutched in the Lucario’s hand and propping her up. Below where they stood a few unassuming people held a furtive meeting. “Shall I, Mistress?”
“Hm.” Cynthia gazed at a woman, one of her personal secretaries. “I’m not sure. We still don’t know enough of Galactic’s plans. If we scare them now, who knows what could happen. No. No, leave them.” She turned away. “We won’t be the ones to start this war, but we will be the ones ready to end it. Have René gather the others. If what the media has reported is true, Nicholas is marching east. He’ll arrive in Veilstone soon.” A frown flickered over her face. “Or… perhaps somewhere else.”
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Nicholas stood alone in a forest.
There were no sounds. No birds, no animals. A deep fog covered everything, limiting visibility to just a few feet in front of him. They’d lost the road days ago.
His pokegirls all sat in their pokeballs. With the fog so thick there was a real possibility they might lose track of him, or he of them. Or both.
According to local reports, the fog that choked him now filled the mountain valleys of this area year-round. Travel was nearly impossible without a local guide. He’d dove straight in without paying the warnings any heed. He’d thought at worst he would have to do what he had done before, to locate the nearest concentration of life energy, power, just as he had done to locate Zisela’s home. That had taken him a few weeks, but he had rations to spare.
What he had neglected to remember was that he could not sense the Celestica’s power. He hadn’t been able to in Hearthome and he certainly couldn’t now, smothered in this fog. For the last few days he’d stumbled blindly through the woods, drifting upwards, intending to break into open air, then changing his mind and stubbornly pushing deeper into the valleys in pursuit of his goal. It was the most vulnerable he had ever been, these muted days and nights, as he was left alone and isolated. Every step peeling away more of the pride and ego he had come to rely on. As if the drifting mists were washing him clean.
The long isolation had given him plenty of time to think. It was how his days went now – wake up, store his gear, and start to walk, sometimes with little more than some dried fruit as his breakfast. He seldom rested until he could walk no more, at which point he would unpack and fall right asleep.
He had much to think about. And, while it took many, many days, the roiling mess of those thoughts slowly began to order themselves.
What was he? He was human. As Zisela was so fond of reminding him, just a human. His own strength was nothing more than what any human could do. He held a lot of it, yes, as he had demonstrated in Hoenn and refined under Zinnia’s tutelage. Rayquaza’s. But it was a human’s power only. He commanded more, but it was not his. He commanded the power of a dragon, as gifted to him by Rayquaza. It had tried to change him. It had given him superhuman endurance, stamina, and even to some extent, strength. Rayquaza’s strength, a dragon’s strength, that he enjoyed. That power had even spread to his eyes, a permanent mark of the emerald dragon’s touch. His thoughts drifted momentarily, to Latios, Latias, the twin dragons in their human guises. The eyes, so much like his, but also the flaring scales decorating their faces. The further draconic looks that shaped their bodies. Pokegirls, yes, but in guises meant to emulate the chosen humans they served alongside – and he remembered the similar features he had seen depicted in the murals, so long ago, within the Blackthorn clan’s halls. The features Zinnia, the human Zinnia, had claimed her predecessor bore. The Lorekeeper before her, and before him.
His lack of those alone proved he was not what he claimed.
Yet, he did not want it. He did not want what he had been promised during his meditations in Blackthorn. He had striven to remain human then, and he, with great relief, realized he still wanted that now.
He wanted his humanity. The draconic power of his bloodline was one he wielded happily, but it was not one he wanted to further shape him.
Neither then did he want the flames burning within his soul to do so. Ho-oh’s flames. She and Celine, before she had taken that name for him and was only Celebi, had each described what the eternal phoenix’s flames had done to him. It had burnt his presence from the weave of fate. Elevated him, or perhaps removed him from the spiderweb of power that covered this world. He was beyond Celine’s manipulation of time – beyond any legendary pokegirl’s manipulation, at least any that existed on this earth. A wish granted from his desire to be free. It had… exhibited a few side effects, leftover power from Ho-oh protecting him, granting him her regenerative powers, and her mark made him shine to the other eternal ones as if he was one of them. But it had not changed him, and he did not want it to. It also was not his power, merely one he wielded.
Every moment of his life since he had first become aware of his own strength. Every instance he had spoken, acted, sought to control – it all meandered through his thoughts as he catalogued every moment under each of the three powers he held. His own, as a human; Rayquaza’s draconic blessing; Ho-oh’s burning flames. Everything he had ever done could be explained by those three sources.
All… but one.
That one moment was what dominated Nicholas’ thoughts now. The moment his first doubts had entered his mind. His doubts as to whether he was truly human.
That moment was at the peak of the Goldenrod Radio Tower. When Nicholas had finally broken through to confront Archer. As his last two pokegirls had sacrificed themselves for him. Miyuki, the shining Glaceon, Alpha of that harem, being burnt alive by Archer’s Houndoom. Ryuko, the steadfast Scizor, his most devoted servant, standing up to Kali – standing up to Mewtwo, and being turned into a screaming ragdoll for daring. They had bought him the opportunity to close with the Team Rocket boss. But it had been Kalmiya, his Porygon or, at the time, a shattered and broken Porygon-Z, seemingly giving her own life to destroy the broadcasting device that had set him off. Her sacrifice had won the day. In doing so she had awoken something within him. Something that had allowed him to overpower Archer completely. Something… that sought to change him.
He shuddered. The fog wasn’t cold, but still a deep chill had crept through him. He… remembered. He remembered his body moving. Not him – only his body. For a few seconds his hands and feet had moved on their own. Battered Archer. Dragged… him to the window. But at the last second he had been able to lower his hand. He had been able to regain control. He remembered. Galina’s words, and his own had echoed to him that day. They had been what brought him back.
He could not explain that moment through the lens of any of the three powers he thought he held. So there must be another.
Could it have been his aura?
…What even was aura? Understanding. Riley had described it as understanding. He had asked him if Nicholas wished to change the world. He had thought perhaps he did, and he had grown more confident, confident enough to challenge Cresselia and Darkrai on their island. But he had not challenged them with aura. Far from it. It had been Ho’oh’s blessing that had captured the two legendaries’ attentions.
Aura… was what intertwined everything, Riley had said. That Nicholas could never understand until he understood… what he lacked?
The face of the old Celestica woman swam before him. “Perhaps once you have come to understand what you lack your stories will be worth listening to.”
Had she meant aura too?
No… no, it was not a lack of understanding aura. Riley had said it was an understanding of what he did not have, the other side of the ‘coin’ – a pokegirl’s power, primal power. He understood his own, humanity’s. He understood it well. He did not understand a pokegirl’s.
The slightest hint of a frown flickered over Nicholas’ face. How could he come to understand a pokegirl’s power? He wasn’t one. He didn’t shoot flames from his fingertips. He couldn’t fly, not on wings or by force of will. He could not bolster his strength using his own ess-
Nicholas stopped. He… had done exactly that. In Goldenrod. For a few seconds, something else had taken control. Had pumped his strength until he crushed Archer’s hands within his own. Had landed only a single blow that had all but knocked the Rocket boss unconscious.
It was not a pokegirl’s power. It couldn’t have been. But it had not been human.
No, because a human used the power of their will. It was an intangible power, one that was effectively useless on its own. But one that could multiply another. A pokegirl’s power. Direct, material. One that was completely tangible, but relatively unfocused. Together…
Nicholas held up his hand and stared at it. Together, they would form a tangible power that held the ability to amplify others. Precisely what Riley had demonstrated aura to be.
He… understood now.
And as he blinked, his eyes flickering, he thought he could see something in the distance.
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One last step and the fog was gone. Not thinned – gone. Nicholas stood in front of a wall of white and stared at the silent buildings before him. Winced, as his vision flickered again. The scene vanishing and reappearing, replaced by a patchy field of light.
He screwed his eyes shut. He still saw spots like this but-
He stilled. With his eyes closed the patchy field of light had returned, but… it was not fading. Each light moved, some imperceptibly, some purposefully, but they did not fade. Each spot was unique.
“How incredible for one of your kind to find this place.”
Nicholas cracked his eyes open. One of the lights had drifted in front of him and as he looked he saw a man, older than him but not by much. “H-Hello?”
“You did not merely stumble through the mists, did you?” the man murmured to himself. “No. No, the way you stare… When did you awaken? More importantly, how?”
Nicholas closed his eyes again when the world flickered. “I don’t… I don’t understand your question.”
“It must have been quite recently, then.” Nicholas shied back when the light in front of him seemed to get closer and jumped when he felt a hand take his arm. “Peace. Keep your eyes closed. Control will come with time.”
Nicholas felt the man tug him forwards. “Hey, hold on. What are you talking about? Control? And where are you trying to take me?”
“Peace, I said, friend. You are safe here. You have found your destination. Welcome to Celestic Town.”
Nicholas stumbled forwards as the man’s words sank in. “I… I have stories to tell.”
Nicholas couldn’t see but the man grew a broad smile at that. “I thought as much. Come now. I’ll take you to someone who wishes to listen.”
Nicholas fell into step after a few moments. The lights swam around him, his vision dominated by the one guiding him. He… was seeing aura. The aura of every person here. He had known how to look for it before, taught as he was by the Blackthorn clan, but it had always been a conscious decision he had to make. Even when he had looked, he had only ever seen wisps, hints, except on rare occasions such as when he had beheld Ho-oh herself approaching the Bell Tower. Now he did not see weak hints. He saw everything. Everything, and he had no choice in it.
After a few minutes Nicholas took some stairs at the man’s instruction, shuffling into a building and towards a few more lights. They halted some distance away and the man bowed. “Elders. This man has come with stories to tell.”
“Why does he keep his eyes shut?” a female voice asked gruffly. “Is he blind?”
“I am not blind, elders Celestica,” Nicholas replied, turning and bowing to each of the four lights he could see. “I am… simply struggling with a sight I once thought weak.”
The man let go of Nicholas’ arm and took another bow with a smile. “I will let him speak for himself, elders. I beg your leave.”
“Well then.” Nicholas straightened at the new voice. “Speak, dragon-touched. Speak first your clan, so we may address you with the respect you offer us.”
Nicholas spoke. He introduced himself first, including his position, before explaining everything he had come to understand in the fog. His entire life, told to the four figures in front of him, until the sun had set and the flickering of lanterns lit the interior of the ceremonial hall.
“…and then, finally seeing something within the fog, I turned towards it,” Nicholas was finishing. “I stepped into your town. Here in the shadow of the mountain.”
“What you are experiencing is not something any of our clan ever do, Draconid,” another voice explained. “It is the awakening of your self, or as you describe it, your own aura. Celestica are born understanding their selves, you see. We learn to use our souls just as we learn to walk and talk. But the power you describe this other man holding, this… Riley. What is it you called him? An aura knight?”
“Aura guardian is what he called himself,” Nicholas replied.
“No Celestica extends their souls beyond their flesh as you claim this man does,” the voice said. “You have brought us a grand story indeed. One worth hearing, not only for that, but for the teller. Whomever you met in Hearthome was correct. Now, you understand.”
“Why did you come here, Draconid?” the first voice asked him. “It would seem to me the answers you sought have been found on the journey, not at the destination.”
“…I guess they have,” Nicholas replied softly. “But now that I’ve found the answers I have further questions. I… do not know how to control what I have found. Will you help me?”
A snort. “We should help him if only so he stops looking about with his eyes closed,” an old man grumbled. “He looks ridiculous.”
Scattered chuckles from the others. “Unfortunately, Riley was correct in one thing, Draconid. What you ask is impossible. Control is not something that can be taught. It is something you must discover for yourself.”
“Surely you have tips?” Nicholas pleaded. “The Blackthorn Clan taught me aura sight in the first place. If that can be taught…?”
The four looked between themselves. Another man sighed. “Our duty is to listen. Not guide.”
“That law does not apply to our own clan,” the old man said. “It is meant for the unenlightened humanity. This man – this Draconid, dragon-touched, blessed, whatever you wish to call him, he is not unenlightened. No, he is not Celestica. He is somewhere in between.”
“If he is not Celestica we are bound,” the final voice said.
“It appears we are divided,” the gruff woman stated. “Nicholas, you said your name was?”
“Yes.”
“I hope you will understand, there must be a consensus between us. It is our way.”
Nicholas breathed out. “I understand all too well, elder. By my station.”
“You are welcome to stay here, Nicholas, Lorekeeper Draconid, as long as you wish,” the woman said loudly. “Our hospitality guarantees as much. I hope to match the eyes you speak of one day.”
Nicholas forced his eyes open to find the woman. It was his first time seeing the elders and he took a moment to take in their appearances before finding the speaker and looking into her eyes. “As I said I am not blind, elder. I will gladly match your eyes now, because the pain it causes me is nothing I haven’t endured before.”
He kept his eyes open as whispers began spreading between the other three, despite the aching pain the flashes were causing. After a moment the last voice, the man that had spoken against him just before the woman had passed her judgement, stood. “This Draconid may not be Celestica by blood but his soul roars as loudly as any of ours. I can no longer object.”
The woman was looking at Nicholas approvingly. “Then it is decided. Close your eyes, Nicholas. You may be able to endure but there is no reason to suffer.” As Nicholas obeyed she gestured for an attendant to take his arm. “We will speak more in the morning. For now, rest.”
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POKEDEX UPDATED
Tamer:Nicholas Topolski
Badges:
Mine Badge
Forest Badge
Coal Badge
Relic Badge
Harem:
Zisela, Gabite (Alpha) – Level 34
Sohn, Monferno – Level 33
Miru, Buneary – Level 32
Sammy, Rotom – Level 32
Cathy, Miltank – Level 30
Non-Com Harem:
Kalmiya, Porygon-Z – Level 11