Narrator-POV:
Our inconsiderate hero wakes up at 8. For a long time, he used to open his eyes at the break of dawn, but the sun has long since risen.
Only the somewhat villainous voice of Mars coming from the kitchen teases his mind free from his slumber.
"Good morning, my dear! Would you like some coffee for breakfast?" Leaving the kitchen, she crosses the living room in a few steps. "Some muffins?" She reaches the doorway to her bedroom before bracing herself against the doorframe. "Or perhaps me?"
Mars wears nothing but a gray apron with the Team Galactic logo printed on the front. Her back is barely concealed by two straps and a knot tying the white ruffled fabric in place. The tails of the knot dangle low, reaching all the way down to her ass crack.
The apron's skirt hangs just a little too high, allowing Swole from his angle to see a hint of red peeking out underneath. "Holy Arceus." He mutters. "I'll take a muffin. Salazzle, will you have a coffee?"
"Ssaaa!"
"And a coffee. Thanks, Mars."
Mars crosses her arms, squishing her B-cup boobs and making them spill out past the sides of the apron. "The muffins are out. And the coffee machine is broken."
"Oh. In that case, how about we go out and grab some at a café? By the way, it's very difficult to keep up the act. You're very hot."
Stalking through the room with swaying hips, Mars approaches her bed and braces her arms on it. The new angle allows Swole to see her breasts on full display, not concealed in any way by the loose straps and fabric. "And you're making it very difficult for me not to jump at you and spank your butt. A rude, inconsiderate little brat like you deserves some punishment, don't you think?"
Swole pushes himself up, meeting her face-to-face and staring her down. "I really hate being called 'brat.'" She giggles hearing him say that. "It's the only word that's worse than 'boy.' I'm so close to bending you over and punishing you instead." He holds two fingers close together, shortening the gap when he spots Mars smirking at him.
"My little boy-." she whispers. Her smirk grows wider. "-friend. Do it. Or are you too shy?"
The next moment, Mars finds herself grabbed by the shoulders, pulled onto the bed, and peppered in sloppy kisses all over her face that would make Salazzle proud - who watches it with growing jealousy from her spot on the bed.
Mars complains with unrecognizable noises instead of words. She struggles to escape the grave she dug herself - his grasp. And whenever Swole offers her an opportunity to break out, she refuses to grasp it - the act must go on.
His hands cop a feel of her breasts whenever they can, while Mars brushes against his dick on accident whenever she can.
It is not long before they tire of the play, and it devolves into passionate kissing. They wrestle their tongues and caress each other's bodies like two teens freshly in love.
And then they have sex. Yet again, our quick-shot hero has his weakness exploited. Unable to fend against the attack, Mars drains him dry, not allowing a drop of seed to spill aside.
The second round lasts a little longer, and after the third, Mars has lost count of her orgasms. At the end, both of them are close to passing out.
However, Swole eventually pulls himself free of her clutches and drags himself into the shower.
If her legs could, Mars would have joined him for one more round. Instead, she simply waits with a smile on her face.
When he returns, she spreads her legs, showing off the fruits of their labor - or rather the seed he planted. She curls a finger, inviting him for more.
"I've just finished showering. I need to get going, and you've completely wrung me dry already. Have some sympathy, Mars."
"Siiigh." Mars sighs. "Don't leave yet. You can take a second shower, and if you leave, I'll have to go back to work. We might not see each other for a while. Who knows, perhaps the next time we meet, my stomach will have already grown."
Swole's eyes widen. In the heat of the moment, he really did not think things all the way through. The consequences of his actions slowly ooze out of Mars as he continues to stare in silent dread and curiosity.
"..." He ponders. He checks the clock on his poketch phone. He thinks of the people waiting for him. But he also thinks about Mars. The last time for a while. "Alright. One more round, but I'll leave afterwards."
And one round turns into two.
Thoroughly fucked, Mars gets left behind. Her shota boytoy leaves with a limp in his step and the heavy scent of sex clinging to his pores despite the second shower.
The moment the door to Mars' apartment shuts, the phone on her nightstand begins to ring.
Mars sighs. She reaches across the blanket, not quite able to reach it. Bronzong then levitates the device the rest of the way. "Thanks." She mumbles into the blanket and turns around while fumbling for the button to accept the call.
Silence awaits her on the other side of the speakers. She understands who called her without hearing his voice.
One hand covers her breasts while the other lazily moves to her forehead, giving the man a salute even though he cannot see her. "Good morning, Cyrus. Comms are secured."
"Good morning, Mars." The steady voice comes from the speaker. "I hope you are feeling better? Did you resolve your... stomach ache?"
She has been on sick leave for weeks on such a lousy excuse.
Mars blushes as her salute breaks apart. The hand that was honoring her highest commander dips low and lands on her belly instead. "Yes, sir. My condition improved. I am ready to work again. Apologies for making a scene."
"Good. Your next mission is already waiting for you."
"Looking forward to it, sir!" Mars then pauses. Her voice takes on a strange tone. "Uhm..." she stammers. "B-boss? I have a cousin who lost an arm. Can we do something about it?"
In the meantime, Swole finishes vandalizing the visage of Victor Manchenel, drawing a crude penis on his forehead before leaving the Team Galactic building. Veneer watched him the whole time but decided not to report his actions due to his quite unique circumstances.
Instead, she just waves him goodbye.
A surprising number of people are acutely aware of what transpired last night and this morning. Even random strangers on the streets see the hints: his gait and the state of his clothes. They understand; this young hero is on his walk of shame back home.
Although, if asked, he would never call it shameful. All he feels is pride. The smile on his face is unmistakable. In the end, everything went perfectly for him.
Unconsciously, he pulls Magearna closer to himself, his procession of pokemon accompanying him down the hill. Step by step with businessmen giving him a raised eyebrow as they pass.
At the bottom of the hill, he crosses a street and heads into the park to take a shortcut to his hotel.
"Sorry, mate. Park's closed today." A man wearing a bright orange jacket and an afro haircut stops him. His skin is tanned brown after countless hours underneath the artificial sunlight of a solarium - his strange hobby.
"Park's closed?" Swole parrots.
"Yep."
After an uncomfortably long break in conversation, "Why?"
"We're cleaning up. Isn't that obvious?" The man carries a broom with him, and attached to a utility belt is a roll of black trash bags.
"It is," Swole says. "But why is the park closed for this?"
"So people like you don't bother us while we're working. Park's closed. Shoo."
"Prick."
Swole turns around and does like the trees - he leaves. Taking the much, MUCH longer way, he slowly - still with a limp in his steps - heads into the commercial district of the city.
To his right passes a clothing store. A few roads that way is the goldsmith. Then a little shop specializing in shoe repairs.
A bistro where the Team Galactic workers like to eat when the campus cafeteria opening time does not align with their busy schedule. A Staryu-bucks Café is to the left of it, featuring a Staryu balancing on top of a Sawsbuck as their logo.
Then another clothing store with a large front window allowing people to see inside. They sell women's dresses, but Swole notices something else.
"Alice?" He spots the familiar blonde head of hair with her face pressed against the glass pane to stare longingly at a classy red dress. "And Baron-guy. Hi, how are you doing?"
"It's Baron Alberto."
Alice turns around with a smile on her lips. "Hi, Swole! We're just doing some window shopping."
"We're doing actual shopping," Baron Alberto corrects her. "My dear Alice always insists on not buying anything, but then the dresses just prove too tempting."
Alice kicks Baron Alberto's shin. "Don't listen to the slander. By the way, how are you doing? Where did you go yesterday? Everyone was worried when you didn't show up for your match."
"Oh." Swole dismissively waves off her concern. "I was just presented with an opportunity I had to take. By the way, I would have won the tournament."
Alberto laughs out loud. "Ha! An opportunity, you say? Well, if that's how you want to call it."
"Call what?"
"Nothing, my dear." Alberto then points at Swole's neck while smirking at him. "You should turn up your shirt collar. Everyone can see what your opportunity was."
"Oh!" Alice gasps. "Oh my!"
Swole rubs his neck and feels a couple of small sore spots. He shrugs. "That's not what I mean. Check her--" he interrupts himself. "Ahem. I mean, yes. The opportunity was sex all night long."
"He's hiding something."
Alberto agrees. "Yep. He's hiding something."
"Sheesh! Let a man have some secrets!"
Alice giggles. "You were moments away from telling us."
"Because it's a cool secret. I lost my cool for a moment, but then I recovered. And now it stays a secret."
"So mysterious." Baron Alberto rolls his eyes.
"You think he does it to be mysterious? What do you think his secret is?"
"No. But obviously it has something to do with that mysterious pokemon who tries to hide behind him."
"Oh! Wow, how did I not see it before?" Because Magearna was hiding. "Who's that pokemon?"
"I won't tell."
"Mysterious..."
"Quite." Alberto agrees. "I've never seen one like that before. Where did you capture it?"
"That's a secret."
"Oooo." Alice coos. "Now I really want to know."
"You didn't hire a poacher for this pokemon, did you?"
"No, Baron Alberto, I wouldn't do anything illegal. Oh, would you look at the time? It seems like I need to get going." Swole ushers Magearna ahead, always keeping himself between her and Alberto and Alice. "It was nice seeing you both again."
"Likewise."
"Maybe we'll see each other again?" Alice speaks with a hopeful tone in her voice. "We'll visit every city in Sinnoh, so the chances are high!"
"Maybe. My next goal is Hearthome City."
"Oh. We're traveling the other way."
"Quite sad," Baron Alberto says, but he is not really sad about it. "Farewell, Swole Solo - hero of Alamos Town. And good luck on your travels."
"Thanks, Baron Alberto. You too."
Their paths diverge. Alice and Alberto head inside the clothing shop while Alice begins talking off Alberto's ears with hundreds of possible answers to the newest mystery they have uncovered.
In the meantime, Swole walks down the main street. He passes an intersection and heads south. Thinking back to his arrival, he remembers that western road - it leads to the train station.
Southward, he spots yet another familiar face approaching him.
"Hey, Brock!" Swole greets the young man with his face stuck in a shopping list.
Brock peels himself free to look at the owner of the familiar voice who called him. "Oh, Swole. What's up? Except the sky."
"My d-- sorry. How are you doing? Where are you going?"
The men finally meet on the sidewalk and give each other a bro-fist. "I'm about to make Ash, Barry, me, and our pokemon some curry. Do you want some as well? By the way, why did you quit the tournament yesterday?"
"Something important came up. I'd love some of your cooking, but I'm pretty sure I have to eat with the girls today. I have to apologize for just disappearing on them, you know?"
"Ah, yes. That makes sense. I could cook for all of us today? How about that?"
"You just really want to, don't you?"
Brock laughs and scratches the back of his head. "Haha, you know me."
"Well, then we'll come around at twelve. Does that sound good?"
"Make it 13. The meat will take some time to simmer. We slept in today."
"Right. Right. Who didn't? Alright. See you later."
"See you--" Brock interrupts himself. "Who's that pokemon?" He closes the gap between himself and Magearna. "I've never seen that pokemon before... How? I've studied nearly every book there is on pokemon!"
"Ah," Swole pushes himself between Magearna and Brock. "You see... well... alright. It's a secret. I'm not telling."
"That's..." Brock takes a deep breath to collect himself. "Fine. As much as I'd love to know everything I can about her, I'll respect your privacy, Swole. She seems strong. Congratulations."
"Thanks. And sorry for not telling you. I'm just still a little paranoid."
"That's fine, dude. Don't--" He suddenly startles and shakes his head. "Dude? Anyway, don't worry about it. She just piqued my curiosity. See you at 13."
"Bye."
Swole and Brock wave each other goodbye as their paths diverge.
Brock heads to the nearby shopping mall - the biggest in Sinnoh - muttering to himself about Barry while Swole continues along Veilstone City's main road.
He talks with his pokemon as he walks, "We really need to fix your pokeball situation, Magearna."
Magearna ignores him. "Why were you keeping me secret, sir? Twice in a row."
"I-- I'm not sure, actually. I guess I just don't want the wrong people to find out about you? And rumors spread quickly..." He makes a grunting sound. "Huh. Actually, I guess I made the rumors spread faster by driving their curiosity. I'm not sure if I actually can keep you a secret. I can't even hide you away in a pokeball. It's impossible. So that means I should brag about you instead... ?"
Magearna quietly listens along to his rambles, parsing the vibrations coming through the air into binary and converting the sequence into words. Neural networks then match the patterns in the tone and word choices to map their meaning onto her subconscious processing unit - her CPU.
The CPU, which is responsible for her thinking, then takes the encoded meaning along with a history of her most recent thoughts to generate the next one.
Another module calculates how to move her actuators and motors to adjust her posture while walking alongside Swole.
In the end, after around 30 billion operations - exactly half a second - she determines the most correct response to his ongoing set of questions is to nod along quietly.
"Well, maybe not brag about you. Although you are amazing and incredible, just like all of my pokemon, and... well... I still have feelings for the person you had been," he whispers too quietly. "Anyway, I don't want people to steal you from me. If any poacher or headhunter or Team Rocket finds out how amazing you are, maybe they will be tempted to steal you. And then I'd have to rescue you. All because I couldn't keep my voice shut, and because I just had to brag about you."
Another nod.
"What do you prefer? Do you want to fight on a stage and show off for everyone to see? Or would you rather battle and let your strength speak for itself?"
She tilts her head 45 degrees. "Battle?"
"Oh. Right. Do you even want to fight at all? I didn't consider that. Sorry."
Lopunny speaks up. "Lo. Lopunny."
"No, she doesn't. She can be a proper pokemon even if she doesn't battle."
"Apologies, Master Solo, but I believe Mistress Lopunny is better suited to give advice on how to be a pokemon." Magearna gives Lopunny a little curtsy. "Thank you for clarifying my purpose, Mistress Lopunny. I look forward to battling our enemies and proving my strength."
"Lopunny." Lopunny corrects Magearna.
"Apologies, Mistress Lopunny. I meant to say opponents." At night, they have settled on those two distinctions. Magearna then turns to Swole. "What is the difference?"
"Enemies are those we have to defeat to survive, and opponents are those who are optional."
"Lopunny." Lopunny corrects Swole.
"Understood. Those who Master Swole dislikes are enemies, but both need to be defeated at all costs."
Our hero can only roll his eyes at their antics as their walk through the city continues.
The industrial district passes on the right. A few rows of shops are all that separates them from the smoking chimneys of a coal power plant that supplies the city with electricity.
To their left, adjacent to the park, lies the pokemon gym. Swole's muscles are still feeling drained and sore, but he vows to visit tomorrow for more heavy workouts.
Then, the orange top of the pokemon center comes into view.
The opaque glass front doors slide open, allowing an older boy with purple hair and a permanent scowl on his lips to exit.
As he leaves the pokemon center's property with Electabuzz by his side and steps onto the sidewalk, he just happens to cross our hero's path.
Their eyes were locked into each other's the entire time, brows tightened. The moment their paths intersect, they stop abruptly moments before crashing into each other.
A fujoshi's wet dream.
"You."
"Asshole."
"Do you have to be so childish?"
"I honestly can't remember your name. It's too unimportant, you know?"
"Likewise. I only know your name is something stupid. Spoil. Soil. Sperg. Something like that."
The boys scowl at each other.
"Well--" - "Well--" They speak at the same time. "I'll get going." - "Don't waste my time."
They both continue on their ways... and their ways just happen to lead the same way.
"Why are you following me?" Paul Shinji asks.
"I'm not. My hotel is that way."
Paul grunts. He thinks about speeding up or slowing down, but either option would make it look like he was fleeing from his rival.
Swole grunts. If he speeds up, he will look like a bitch. If he slows down, he will seem weak.
"Why are you following me?" he asks.
"I'm heading to Pastoria City. That's why I'm walking south." Paul suddenly stares at our hero's face. The scowl on his face mixes with curiosity, disappointment, and accusation. "Why did you ditch our fight yesterday? Afraid?"
"Pah! No. I had sex with Commander Mars from Team Galactic instead. Thought that would have been a better use of my time than to crush you in battle."
Swole lies; Paul knows that. It just is not possible that he really had sex with the Team Galactic Commander Mars. While he keeps staring, he wonders about the real reason. But why would Swole lie? Surely he must have had a good reason to forfeit.
His eyes tighten in a glare. Doubt nags, but most importantly, "The tournament could have been a real challenge, but you ran away, and Ash threw his match against... that other guy."
"Against Barry."
"Right! Against Barry! That guy's such a weak loser."
"..." Swole just stares back. "Was that your way of calling me a worthy challenge? Are you just too shy to say it?"
Paul's teeth grind against each other. "No. Obviously. The other beginner trainers this year just don't stand a chance against me, and I still want my revanche against you."
"Did you mean revenge?"
Paul smirks. "Revanche comes from Galarian. It's revenge specifically for the purpose of regaining power or status."
"I knew that!" Swole scowls. "I just didn't think you'd know that."
"Yeah, right. Just like you ran away from our fight to fool around with some Team Galactic commander. Do you take me for a fool?"
"Yes." Swole's scowl worsens. "In fact, I think of you as even less than a fool. You're a cruel asshole. You treat your pokemon like shit--"
"You don't know me at all. Don't pretend like you do."
"I saw you beat your own pokemon!"
Some passersby notice the slowly escalating argument of the briskly walking teens. Some would try to resolve their arguments, but the intimidating pokemon surrounding the pair prevent even the bravest goodie two-shoes from intervening.
"I push my pokemon to surpass their weaknesses!"
Swole rolls his eyes. "By beating them?"
"Fuck you. At least I don't coddle them and squander their talents, unlike you and your friends do." Paul speaks up louder, cutting off Swole before he could reply. "Do you think you'll get anywhere in life by half-assing everything and letting your pokemon dance all over your nose?! My brother showed me what happens to your type..." All of a sudden, he gets quiet. "He died while breaking up a fight between his pokemon. They didn't respect him--"
"Do I look like I want to listen to your origin story? Fuck you, asshole. And fuck your sob story."
Electabuzz tenses up when his trainer's hand reaches for a pokeball. The pokemon gets ready for a brutal fight. He knows he is currently outnumbered.
Lopunny, Salazzle, and Lucario step between their trainer and the opponent. Growls and hisses give Paul the pause he needs to calm down.
He glares past Lopunny. "I thought we were just rivals, but it seems I was wrong. I despise you, Swole Solo. If we ever have a match, I'll do everything to destroy you."
"Pah. Good luck." Swole scoffs. "Nothing you could do would ever be enough to win against us. People like you disgust me; I don't care for your backstory. I wouldn't even care if you were Cyrus himself - trainers who mistreat their pokemon are filth. I look forward to the day I'll turn your threat around. You're going to lose."
The words simmer in the air. Young tempers boil. Tension thickens. Swole has his arms crossed, surrounded by an army of pokemon ready to lay down their lives for him.
Paul has his finger on the trigger - the buttons of the pokeballs on his belt. Four fingertips - two of each hand - are ready to release Primeape, Gliscor, Ursaring, and Magmar at a moment's notice. With those to support Electabuzz, he reasons, he should be able to fight without losing too much focus trying to handle multiple battles at once.
The people around them dare not to get any closer.
Slowly, a perimeter of mumbling humans and pokemon pets forms around them, setting the stage for a fight in the middle of a busy street.
Seeing that, a driver turns his car around - "Nope." - he mutters to himself as he decides not to risk denting his property.
Only one woman is brave enough to breach the crowd. "Hey!" a pink-haired tomboy shouts. "No fighting on the streets! Split up and get your asses to the gym if you want to battle!-- Huh?" She recognizes one of the teenage boys. "Paul!?! That's perfect! Let's head to the gym right now and have a rematch!"
The crowd mutters to each other. Some whisper her name. "Maylene?" - "She returned?" - "Did you hear that? Rematch?"
"No." Paul just states and turns away. "I was leaving already until this cretin decided to bother me. If you want a rematch, look for me in the league championship."
At a brisk pace, he stalks away. The tension in Swole's limbs relaxes when Electabuzz hurries to catch up with his departing trainer.
Maylene shouts after him, brows tightened in fury. "Get back here, you brat! You owe me a rematch!"
The only thing Paul owes her is a stinging rejection. Thus, he lifts one hand, almost as if to wave her goodbye, but with his middle finger stretched out and the others scrunched up into a fist. "Loser."
The crowd parts before him. "Oof." - "Pretty pathetic to beg for a rematch as a gym leader." - "The rejection makes it even worse!" - "Isn't that the guy who sent Maylene running away crying after their gym match?"
"Grrr!" Maylene can only gnash her teeth and grumble impotently. She glares at the judging eyes surrounding her with a scowl. "Everyone! Disperse! There's no fight going on! You're blocking traffic!"
A few who arrived late to the scene leave without needing to be told twice. But a lot of those who saw everything feel emboldened enough to hurl more insults at their shameful gym leader.
Their curses grow in creativity until the crowd disperses on its own, thins, and their courage fades. In the end, they flee just as well.
Grinding her teeth, Maylene finally turns around and faces the other teenage boy. "You! What the fuck did you think you were doing, causing a scene like that in my city?! Who the fuck are you?!"
"Me?--" Swole gets interrupted by Lucario whispering something to him. He then looks straight at an empty spot of air beside Maylene. Then at a suspiciously shaped shadow by her feet.
He takes a deep couple of breaths to calm himself down. He mentally reminds himself that Maylene is a gym leader. He tries his best to cool down his heated temper, but the fury still rages within.
His brows remain tightened in a scowl.
---
Swole-POV:
"I'm Swole Solo from Twinleaf Town." I'm easily a whole head taller than her, so looking down on her isn't hard. "Hero of Alamos Town. Pleasure to meet you, gym leader Maylene."
Her scowl worsens. She's pissed off - perfect!
She steps up to me, craning her neck to look me in the eyes while poking a finger against my chest. "I don't care who you are, hERo of AlaMOs ToWN. You're causing trouble in my city. You look like you might be a trainer, so if you want to start a fight, let's head to my gym, and we'll have a fight!"
Look like?!
"Nah. I'm good. I already have your gym badge." I say while sliding off my backpack to pick out my badge case. In it are five sparkling, polished gym badges.
The Mine Badge, Coal Badge, Forest Badge, Icicle Badge, and finally - the newest badge - the Cobble Badge. Five badges.
"... Fuck." Maylene mutters defeated when she spots my array of achievements.
"The Cobble Badge was honestly the easiest. It was so easy; it's barely even worth mentioning at all. So easy, in fact, that if I were to write a book about my adventures, it would get brushed over or skipped entirely."
"Fuck!" Maylene curses. "Ponyta-crap! You're that other stupid fucking brat who's turning the gym challenge into a laughing stock! How did you get that badge?! Did you steal it?!"
"No? I battled some dude in your gym for it. I didn't bother remembering his name. He had some muscles, was a gym assistant, his chin was massive--"
"Chad?"
"Right! Chad. I defeated his team with only Lucario."
"Fuuuuck!" She grabs at her pink hair. "I fucking told Hazel to schedule your fight against me! Fuck!"
Kinda cringe how much she curses.
Her eyes widen, looking at me with a manic craze dilating her pupils. "Let's have a rematch!"
"Nope."
All of a sudden, she collapses to her knees. Medicham turns herself visible and grabs her trainer's shoulders. "Medi?!"
"I hate this stupid fucking job!" She tears at her hair. "These stupid fucking pencil pushers! Stupid fucking secretaries! Stupid fucking board of ministers!" She releases her hair just to punch the ground. "Fuck!" Another punch leaves a red stain and a crack in the stone. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
She then looks up, piercing my eyes while tears bud in the corners of her eyes. "You asshole!"
Another pokemon appears - looking like a crazy-mad Primeape, the pokemon grows out of her shadow to put a massive hand upon Maylene's shoulder.
A ghost-type Primeape?
Maylene punches the ground again - blood spills from her heavily bruised knuckles. "Fuck it." She mutters, utterly defeated. Slowly, she pulls herself up. She rubs the tears from her face while spreading the blood as she puts on a mask of stoicism. "Have a nice day."
Her pokemon help her along as she slowly lumbers past me.
... Now I feel bad.
"Hey!"
She doesn't stop for me.
"Sorry that I was rude to you."
She probably heard me but keeps going.
Man... I'm such an asshole.
I walk away - the opposite direction she went into.
What a way to start the day, huh? ... Fuck me.
I need to be better next time. I shouldn't lose my temper like that. Stoic, gentlemanly, kind but firm, and compassionate to those who don't deserve my scorn. That's who I want to be.
... Should I turn around and apologize properly?
Nah. She'll just take it as an insult.
Why was she even looking for trouble when she was clearly already in a very bad mood-- no. I mustn't blame her. I'm at fault.
I need to be more courteous. Maylene could have been someone I cared about, and I would have ruined that person's day just the same, simply because I was mad and couldn't keep control over my emotions.
I should apologize to her properly tomorrow. At the same time, I will issue her a proper challenge for the league championship. We might end up battling against each other anyway, but I don't want her to hate me.
Selfish.
Urgh. My pokemon watched that all. "Sorry, you all had to see me like this."
~"Huh?"
"I'll be better next time." Even though I get the feeling like none of them care.
Social appearances are such a human problem.
The hotel comes into view--
"I will hold you to your promise, sir."
My steps get tangled up, and I stumble. "Huh?"
"I will hold you to your promise, sir. You realized that you did not behave like a gentleman but promised to improve. That is very commendable."
"I-- uh... Thanks, Magearna."
I guess at least one of my pokemon cares. That means I really have to hold myself to a better standard.
"Mistress Lopunny, did you notice that the person named after an impolite anatomical part also had purple hair?"
~"Urgh! Not that again!"
---
I grab the golden handle of the hotel front door and pull the glass doors open. They scuff against the red fuzzy carpet that is stained with dirty, overlapping footprints.
The entire time we've stayed here, I've not seen anyone clean up anything. Except us. We cleaned our rooms when we noticed the lackluster work of the hotel staff.
Magearna finds the ground filthy enough to walk on the tips of her feet. Maybe I should go and complain to someone.
... But the reception is empty again. There is nobody to complain to.
The elevator is still out of order. It broke down like a week ago - how has it not been taken care of yet?
Stairs again.
Heading up and around the first bend, I quickly count my pokemon to make sure we're all together - Lopunny, Salazzle, Lucario, Swadloon, and Magearna.
If Swadloon evolved, we would be quite the formidable force. Then just one more for a full team before we can face the championship.
Should I search for one?
The stairway bends again, and the third story comes into view. Loud music blares from room 302 - Barry and Ash are having fun while they wait for Brock to return.
Obviously I'm on the lookout, but maybe I should actively search for the last one instead? Take a week off or two and scour the wilderness?
On the opposite side of the hallway - room 303 - Dawn, Zoey, Akari, and Marley are waiting for me. Literally. At least Akari should already know I'm here.
... Another camping trip... That would be...
Aura tells me Dawn is pacing around aimlessly in the living room. Zoey is sitting down on the couch with Marley.
Good grief - I'm in trouble, aren't I?
I turn around and knock hard on Barry's door. I deepen my voice as much as I can - "Turn that ruckus off! We're trying to sleep!" - it only cracked a little.
A few moments later, the music shuts off and Ash shouts through the door. "Sorry! We'll be quieter!"
"An Arceus-damned sorry won't fucking cut it, you brat!" Huh. It feels strange being on the other side of that word. "Get out here, boy!"
The bolt slides out of the way - a key turns and the door unlocks. In the last moment, I grab the handle and pull it up with everything I've got.
Ash struggles to use the door handle, but it only budges a bit. He's surprisingly strong. He curses. "Fuck."
"What's the matter?!"
"N-nothing!" He then talks to Barry, but the door is too thin, allowing me to hear. "Barry, the door's stuck. What do we do?"
"Let me try," he replies moments before the handle rattles. "What the fuck?"
"Brats, do you want me to get the room service so they can fix that?"
"Oh no," Barry mutters. "We're boned! The hotel doesn't have room service anymore!"
"Huh? What kind of hotel doesn't have that anymore?"
"This one doesn't! All the workers have quit!"
Huh?
I release the handle. "Try again, brat. I think I fixed it."
He tries again, this time opening the door without problems. It swings open to reveal-- "Sweet Mew, what's wrong with you guys? Get dressed!"
"Swole?!"
"You asshole!" Barry shouts. He's wearing just his Turtwig-themed underwear, complementing Ash's Pikachu-themed shorts.
"Hehe."
"Prick."
Ash looks past me, up and down the hallway, but only spots my pokemon. "That was you?"
"Yep. Got you guys good, eh?"
"Oh, yes." Barry's voice drips with sarcasm. "You really got us good when you acted like an old fart - you old fart."
"I'm younger than you."
"Not in spirit. Old-timer. How's the hairline?"
"How's the temperature? Actually, why are you both in your underwear? Gay?"
"We're cleaning up," Ash says. "The clothes are in the bathtub, and Monferno washes them."
Is that wise? Letting a fire-type pokemon handle washing clothes? "Good luck. Hope they don't burn."
"He'll be careful." Barry waves it off before getting louder. "None of that! Where were you yesterday?! You handed Asshole a free win!"
"I caught a new pokemon."
"Huh?"
Ash cranes his neck to look into the hallway again. "Holy moly Mewly! Who's that pokemon?!"
"That's Magearna. She's pretty, isn't she?"
"Pretty?"
My eyes widen. "Pretty... tough. Say hi, Magearna."
"Hi, Magearna." She repeats what I said with my exact voice.
"She can talk?!"
"Of course, Ash. Every pokemon can talk."
"Well, yeah. I know that. But not like that. How did she do that? Can she only record your voice?"
"No." Magearna says. "I am fully capable of speaking without copying anyone's voice."
"Woah! She really can talk just like a human!"
"Huh?" Now I'm confused. "What do you mean?"
Barry looks at me as if I'm stupid. "What do you mean, 'what do you mean?' She can talk like a human. What's there not to get?"
I turn to Magearna. "Can you?"
"Of course. How else would you understand me?" Her lips don't move with the words. Her tongue rests calmly in her mouth while her jaw opens and closes in an uncanny manner. "I am fully capable of using the human language."
My mouth gapes open. "I didn't know that."
"Hey! That's pretty cool!"
"You're right, Barry. That's so cool! Where did you capture her, Swole?"
Capture... I don't like that word. "I freed her. She doesn't have a pokeball either."
"That is incorrect, Sir. That is my pokeball, and you captured me 1061 hours ago." She points at the 5th pokeball on my belt.
A plain and simple pokeball - formerly my emergency ball that later housed Banette... She's dead... I should bury her pokeball-- Hold on, "This one?"
"Yes."
"How is that possible?" I mean, it must be because of Aura. Nothing else makes sense. Is it even true? What if she just believes it to be true?
Can pokemon sense where their pokeballs are? Isn't that weird? That would be as if I had a 6th - or rather 7th - sense to feel where my home is.
"Are you alright, Swole?"
"Huh?"
Barry repeats himself. "Maybe you should come inside -" Cum inside. Haha... "- and rest for a bit. You look exhausted. Kinda drained even."
Mars did drain me. "I am drained, but I actually have to get going. The girls are probably worried sick and wondering where I am." I point over my shoulder.
Barry hisses through his teeth. "Oof. Sounds like a hassle. Well, have fun."
"It's honestly your own fault for having a harem." Ash nods along to his own wise rambles. "You only have yourself to blame. Come, Barry, let's finish cleaning up."
We say goodbye, and the door swings closed, leaving me and my pokemon alone in the silent hallway... the music picks up again.
I take the notebook from my bag and write down to check Magearna's pokeball situation.
Then I turn around, approach my room, and knock softly.
---
After knocking, I wait quite a while in front of the door, listening to Ash and Barry's terrible choice of music while waiting for someone to open.
Dawn stopped pacing immediately. Akari approaches the door. An especially loud part of the song makes me wince. Lopunny presses her ears flat against her head.
The doorknob rattles. Akari opens up with a smile on her face. She briefly scans the faces of my pokemon, only stopping for a short moment on Magearna before her eyes return to me.
"Good morning," she says. "Was your mission successful?"
"Yeah. But how did you know?"
"It was just a hunch. Want to come inside?" Hehe. Cum inside... "Dawn baked muffins for you."
"With Zoey!" Dawn stands behind the couch, blushing up a storm while deflecting blame. Does that mean the muffins didn't turn out well?
Wait, "They baked muffins for me? After I went missing without telling anyone? Why? What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on, ya paranoid bum." Zoey speaks up. "We just wanted to do something nice for ya."
Bum as in ass - or bum like the homeless? My shirt is very untidy and full of creases. And I did leave them alone yesterday without explanation. It could mean either.
"Stop looking at us like that!" Dawn stalks around the couch and approaches the door. "Come inside already!" Hehe. Cum inside already. "We were-- I mean... we weren't worried. We just couldn't wait to see you again."
Zoey rolls her eyes at Dawn's slip-up.
"Alright. What's going on? Why are you acting so strange? Did aliens invade and brainwash you?"
"Why did you say it like that?"
"Say it like what, Dawn?"
"Never mind her. We've not been replaced or manipulated. We're just concerned-- We just wanted to bake ya something and treat ya nicely after yer hard, stressful, and difficult mission. Right girls?"
"Right." They all repeat after Zoey.
My eyes tighten in a suspicious glare-- oh? Dawn suddenly grabs me by the hands and pulls me inside.
She pushes me along until I stumble and fall into Zoey's embrace.
"Hi." She puts an arm around my back as my face is pressed against her chest.
I turn to look her in the eyes. "Hi." She really does look a lot like a younger Mars. "Oh. And good morning."
"Soooo!" Dawn plants herself beside us, between Zoey and Marley. "Want to t-- uhhh... N-nevermind."
"T--... talk about it?"
She nods.
"Why didn't you say so?"
She glares. "Didn't want to be nosy."
Dawn, of all people, did not want to be nosy? "Alright, what's going on here? Why are you acting so strangely?"
"Urgh! I told you all that wouldn't work!"
"You were right, Dawn. He's just too tense for this."
Did she mean dense? I pout at Zoey. "I'm not dense."
She flicks a finger against my forehead. "Tense. But dense too. It was Akari's idea to pretend not to be concerned and let you do your thing. Then, now, once you've returned from whatever it was you had to do, we were going to pamper you with muffins, coffee, and..."
"And?"
"Cuddles." Zoey blushes and looks anywhere but in my eyes.
"And that was Akari's idea?"
"Yes." Akari takes the remaining seat on the other side before grabbing my hand and interlacing her fingers with mine. "I believed you had good reasons to disappear on short notice, and I convinced Dawn and Zoey not to send you infinite text messages while you were on your mission."
"Is that also why Dawn doesn't want to be nosy?"
"Yes. You don't have to tell us what happened if you don't want to. All that matters is that you have returned safe and soundly."
"That's... Wow." I don't even know what to say. "So you just want me to relax instead? N-nothing extra I need to do?"
"Nope." Zoey's hand brushes over my back. "You can keep your secrets today-- I mean, for now. Oh, crud. I meant to say period. You can keep your bloody secrets, Arceus damned it-- Dawn, did you infect me with something?!"
Haha.
"Me?!"
"Yes, you! Yer the one always putting a whole foot in your mouth!"
Dawn blows Zoey a raspberry. "Cripple." Her eyes then widen. "Sorry."
"See?!"
"Hey! Not always! Tell her, Swole!" Dawn grabs my other hand and squeezes my fingers. "Tell her I'm not!"
"Haha."
"Swooole! Pleaaase!"
"Haha - no way." My hand begins hurting when she tightens her grip and pinches my skin. "Alright, alright. You're not putting whole feet into your mouth all the time." A blatant lie.
"A blatant lie." Zoey knows. She then rests her hand against the back of my head and pushes me a little harder between her breasts and against her sternum. I can feel her heartbeat slowing down as she sighs. "But have it your way, Dawn. I take it back."
Dawn pumps a fist as if she had won something. Beyond her, Marley giggles silently, hiding herself behind a hand. Akari doesn't hold back, chuckling loudly before catching herself and giggling like a fine lady instead.
A smile grows on my lips as I dig my face a little deeper into Zoey's tomboyish breasts. "Thanks, girls."
"What was that?"
I speak up again. "Really, thanks a lot for doing this for me. I promise, tonight, I'll tell you about everything that happened. But for now, I really just want to close my eyes and... realax."
"Did you mean relax?"
"Oh. I've not done it for such a long time that I forgot what it's called." Kidding. Or was I? "Can you wake me for lunch? There are still a few things I need to take care of today."
"Seriously?" Dawn begins complaining, but Akari shuts her off.
"Of course." She caresses the back of my hand with her thumb. "You may rest assured. We will awake you later today."
"By the way, Brock invited us all for lunch at 13."
"I will remember that. Now hush. Sleep tight."
Haaaa... perhaps... perhaps I can just have a short nap.
Narrator-POV:
Three weeks later...