Chapitre 55: Getting Hands Dirty
Further away from the beach, Bonny, Jade and their trainer were on the way to register Max for his revenge on the gym leader.
{I wonder what Aurora could possibly want to talk about with Scarlet.} Bonny pondered.
"A bit curious myself, I must admit, but since it's none of our business…"
{Let's just hope that everything goes well, then.}
"Even though they're far from liking each other, I trust them. They shouldn't kill each other… hopefully."
{You don't seem very reassured.}
"I'm sure everything will be fine."
{…I'm sorry, say that again?} Scarlet said to Aurora, looking a bit astonished.
{You heard me. I need someone to make me stronger and… it pains me to say it, but you're the most suited for that job since you are... you know…} The lucario started.
{Stronger than you?} The red gardevoir retorted with a raised eyebrow.
{Hrmm, stronger would be a bit exaggerated…}
Not replying, Scarlet only glared at her.
*sigh* {Fine, you are stronger than me, happy?}
{I'm not bragging about it, it's just a fact. To me, there is nothing to be proud of, considering that I had to survive.}
{…So, you don't want to help me?}
*sigh* {I didn't say that.} Scarlet replied with a not so enthusiastic expression.
{Don't force yourself if you don't want to.}
{I'm not, but I guess I'll have to be honest with you before anything. I've never really liked you, especially your attitude. You're angry at everyone as if they were responsible for your every misfortune. I'm not denying that you had it rough, but just keep in mind that you've had it easy compared to some. Now, just because you calmed down a little by getting closer and intimate with my master doesn't mean that I'll suddenly like you. You have a lot to prove before that can change, even in the slightest. I don't mind helping you because you can be an asset for the group and master. I will make you stronger if you can withstand it, but for fuck's sake, stop complaining about everything, it really gets on my nerves. If you ever complain again, even if it's something insignificant… you can be sure I'll break that attitude of yours by sending you to hell with my training! IS. THAT. CLEAR?}
For the first time, Aurora wasn't angered by the harsh words said to her, but rather, she felt ashamed and hurt. She didn't like those words, but deep inside, she knew she was right. Aurora was becoming more and more aware of how bitter she was.
{…I got it. I guess everything has been said.}
{You don't have to take it so personally. Like I said, I don't like you, but I don't hate you, either. You have some quality potential that oddly, master seems to see a lot more. But a personality and a way of thinking like yours just make me so angry, that's all.}
{I know how I am. It's just that I didn't care about making the others deal with it.}
{You didn't? Do you care now?}
Aurora hesitated and looked over the ocean.
{…Maybe.} She answered, thinking about someone in particular.
Scarlet then huffed with a tiny smile.
{Maybe you're not as hopeless as I first thought. I might go slightly easier on you, after all.}
{Do whatever you want, as long as I get stronger.}
{As you wish, but not today. Today is a special day for master, so I want to spend time with him as much as possible.}
{Alright. Let's go then.} Aurora finished before heading towards the rest of the group, with Scarlet following next to her.
{I'm quite curious, why the sudden change?}
{…Nothing really changed. It's just that I don't feel like being a burden for the group. I also have to admit that working on my own in battles hasn't worked out well so far.}
{True. In battles, humans and pokemon work together to perform their best. Is there anything else?}
{What do you mean?}
{Is it not for someone in particular?}
{…}
{You know I can read your mind anytime, so you might as well tell me the truth.}
{…If you already know the answer, why are you asking?}
{I just want you to be honest with yourself.}
{Why do you care so much about that anyway?}
{I hate lies, in any form. I hate myself when I do it, to give you an idea.}
{Alright, I'll be honest then. I don't like talking about that stuff.}
{Hehe, it has the merit to be clear. Okay, I won't insist, but let me give you a small piece of advice: master loves attention, so don't hesitate to give him plenty.}
{Good to know.} Aurora replied with a semi-sarcastic tone.
Further ahead, Max and his group were nearing the ticket booth.
{I hope we won't have to wait long before getting our revenge.} Bonny shared, walking beside her trainer.
"Me too, but I wouldn't get my expectations too high. From what I've seen, she battles every day."
{I wonder why, though. I mean, the other gyms that we went to weren't remotely as close to being that popular.}
"Good point. I guess that not every participant is here for the badge. Some could be here just for the spectacular battle."
{That doesn't make much sense if the prize and the reason for the fight is the badge.}
"Yeah. Other than that, I don't really know." Max replied before arriving at the ticket booth.
"Hi, how may I help you?" The receptionist asked.
"Hi, I would like to challenge the gym leader again, please."
"Certainly. Let me just check miss Dulshin's availability." She said before typing on her computer.
"Thanks. I hope it won't be long before we can get our revenge. Kind of getting low on money again."
{Oh, that sucks.} Bonny commented.
"If I may, if you run into some budget struggle, there are some activities you can do around to help you earn money." The receptionist suggested.
"Activities? What kind?"
"Well, as you may already know, pokemon trainer battles can be an efficient way to earn a little bit of it. If it's not enough, you can always try the trainer hand-land."
"What is that?"
"A non-lucrative organization that offers trainers jobs from various demands."
"What kind of demands?"
"It can be for anything actually. It can be from simply helping someone with a certain type of pokemon, to someone needing protection."
"Protection? Really?"
"It doesn't happen that often. The more recurrent ones are to simply get rid of a disturbing wild and, in rare occasions, dangerous pokemon."
"Dangerous? How is that even allowed?"
"You can be assured that we don't talk about the extremely high risk of danger. Squads specially made to deal with that exist but it's costly, so if they can save up by asking trainers to do lower threat tasks, it's a win-win for everyone. Anyway, they all know what they get into and they demand signatures from trainers and all of their pokemon to avoid abuse."
"…I guess that no one is forced to do those kinds of things."
"Precisely. With the decrease of pokemon trainers, a lot of opportunities were created. These days, not everyone can have a pokemon and work with one."
"Kind of strange at how fewer and fewer trainers rise nowadays."
"The exact cause is still unsure, but maybe it's because of our lazy generation that can't handle the work it takes to train a pokemon. Or maybe just because it's outdated. Who knows?"
"A trainer's life isn't easy, I admit. But personally, I think it's worth it." Max remarked, looking at Bonny with a tiny smile.
{Hm, perv.} She teased with a fake offended tone, making Max roll his eyes.
"Thanks for the advice, we'll definitely look into that."
"Glad to be of help."
"So… about that battle against Dulshin..."
"Oh, right. Certainly." The girl said before refocusing her attention on her data again. "Hm, her next available day is in two weeks."
"Two weeks?!" Max repeated, as well as Bonny.
"I know, I'm sorry. Dulshin is a very popular artist."
*sigh* "Yeah, kind of learned that when I fought her."
"Are you still interested in scheduling a match?"
"…I don't have much of a choice, so yeah."
"Alright. Your battle will take place Friday at 1 P.M. in two weeks. You're the first opponent of the afternoon."
"Got it. On a Friday at 1 P.M. I'll make sure to remember that."
"Great. Just be sure to arrive early to hand in your ticket. Do you want to spectate as well?"
"Nah. This time we'll only fight."
"Alright." The girl replied while finalizing her work. "See you in two weeks and good luck."
With a nod, Max left.
{So, what now?} Bonny asked.
"I'm kind of curious about the jobs she talked about." He answered while taking out his pokedex.
{I admit that I am as well.}
However, before starting to type in it, Max noticed something odd.
"I'm kind of surprised that you haven't asked to go back in your pokeball yet, Jade."
{Oh… hmm… Well, I… thought that maybe with all the people around, it was rather safe for me.}
"I see."
{But maybe you're right, maybe I should get back in.} She conceded with a rather sad tone.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. You're free to stay out as long as you want. I was just wondering."
{Well… I was kind of going crazy by being always alone in there.}
"Really? In a way, it's quite understandable since you always have been with others, even if you didn't like them."
{You think?}
"It makes sense, at least."
For a few seconds, Jade wasn't able to unlock her gaze from him. When she did, Bonny noticed a very faint smile on her face, making her grin a bit herself.
{I wonder how the others are doing.} The lopunny asked before it started to get awkward.
"Probably fine. You could have stayed with them if you wanted."
{I could, but staying with you is way more pleasant to me.}
"Tss, you're way too love-dependent." Max teased.
{Hehe, maybe, but I'm totally fine with that.}
Although finding her cute, Max remembered that besides him, she hardly had anyone else in her life, understandably making him her only family. The thought of her seeing him as a parent and a lover at the same time made the situation a bit weird but went along with it since it made her happy. Then, all of a sudden, Aurora appeared in front of them.
{Shit! I don't think I'll ever get used to teleportation.} The lucario commented while shaking her head a bit.
"The first times aren't easy. Did Scarlet send you?"
{More or less. I asked her to take me to where you are.}
"I see. Well, we were on our way to get some money."
{Really? How so?}
With now Aurora with them, Max explained to her about the trainer hand-land along the way.
{I see. I hope you intend to ask us before taking anything.}
"Of course. All of my team need to give a signature for the risky ones."
{I wonder how risky we're talking about.} Bonny wondered out loud.
"Relax, I don't plan on getting something too intense, either."
{Great. I don't want to risk you getting injured or worse just for some meal.}
"Unless we're talking about lots of money, then…"
{Hey!} Bonny growled, alongside Aurora who was glaring at him.
"Just kidding." Max teased. "Anyway, we better get the others before doing so."
{Indeed. Should Scarlet be here as well?} Bonny asked.
"I wish I could say yes, but knowing her, she would probably say to pick whatever I want and that she would help me anyway."
[You know me too well, it's almost scary.] Scarlet teased in his head.
{True. I wonder if she's scared of anything.} Max's lopunny commented.
"That I even get the slightest paper cuts." Max jested, making Bonny laugh a little.
[Don't ask for trouble, or else you're gonna get more than just a paper cut.] Scarlet threatened him with a mischievous tone.
Inversely taking the same path, Max got back to the beach where he began to search for the others. After a while, they noticed a small group of people gathered together on the beach. Knowing how both May and Dusk had a rather strong curious nature, he guessed that they might be there. In the middle of the humans and a few pokemon circle, Max, to his astonishment, saw a girl who he recognized immediately as Luna and a quite buffed man in front of her, arm wrestling on a table-shaped stone, probably sculpted for that specific purpose.
*sigh* "I shouldn't have left them alone." Max commented desperately.
{Sometimes, I wonder who is the adult in the team.} Aurora expressed.
{She doesn't seem to have much trouble, though.} Bonny pointed out.
Barely even using a fraction of her strength, Luna was just keeping her arm in place while the big guy was sweating and grunting from trying to move it.
"Why the commotion?" Max asked after getting next to her.
Not answering, Luna just smiled at him, as she was happy to see him. She then used a bit more power and pushed the human's arm effortlessly on the table.
"Fuck!" The guy cursed.
Luna then just brought her fingers together under her chin and grinned.
"As if I'll go full power against a girl." The guy whined before leaving.
"Having fun humiliating humans?" Max lowly asked, grinning a bit himself.
{…A bit.} She replied.
Soon after, another guy came to face her, a bit bigger than the last one.
"I don't know what's your trick, but I'm gonna see through it and win." He challenged while presenting his arm.
"You should give up," Max suggested to the challenger.
"Shut up. No way I'm letting that girl emasculate us."
Giving him a warm smile, Luna took his hand and both got ready.
"Ready…" The guy started. "...set… go!"
Even while trying to cheat by forcing down her arm sooner and being a bit stronger than the last human, Luna barely moved half an inch further before preventing him from moving at all.
"What the?!… H-how's that even… possible?" He said, holding his breath.
Max couldn't help but to hide a small chuckle from the scene. After a short moment of amusement, Luna decided it was enough and began to push to win. While using all of his strength, the guy gave up and released the grasp when halfway to lose.
"I call cheater! No way a girl would win against me, even if she is obviously taking steroids." The guy spat.
Seeing how he was getting aggressive, some of his friends began to pull him away, saying it wasn't worth it. Shortly after, the crowd began to dissipate.
"Well?" Max inquired.
{What? I just wanted to have a bit of fun.} Luna explained.
"There are other ways to do that. What happened?"
{Well, it all started with that human trying to pick me up and saying how sexy I was. His pick-up line was that if I wanted to arm wrestle him for fun, to see how strong I was. I beat him and one thing brought another one and there, a couple more humans wanted to test me.}
"I see. In short, you're the victim in this story."
{I am.} She replied with a fake sad tone.
"Poor little thing. Do you need a hug?"
{No thanks.} She answered while getting behind him. {I am the one who gives hugs.} She continued before embracing him.
"Hehe, well, what's the point of giving hugs if you're feeling sad?"
{Giving makes me feel better than receiving.}
"Very noble of you. I hope someday you'll give me the chance to give to you too."
{Is that an invitation to bed me?} She whispered in his ear seductively.
"What? No, no-"
{You're getting bolder every day.} She messed with him, brushing his hair vigorously.
"Rahh," Max growled embarrassingly before getting out of her grasp.
Quickly, Max realized that some people were looking at him, especially the guys who Luna beat. Max then turns his attention to May and Dusk.
"So, how about that sandcastle contest?"
{I don't want to do it anymore.} May told him, feeling upset.
"Huh? Why?"
{Well…} Dusk started. {We kind of started well and were doing well, until…}
"Until what?"
{Those poor girls got their superb sandcastles destroyed by a big wave.} Luna responded with a slightly disappointed tone.
"Ah, damn!" Max cursed before kneeling in front of them.
{Stupid water.} May growled.
"It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure you did the best castles out here. We can always do another one later together." Max reassured, petting both of them.
{That would be nice.} Dusk replied, blushing slightly.
{I guess so.} May agreed, sounding less upset already.
"Glad to hear. But for now, it's time to leave."
{Can I get in the pokeball? I am a bit tired.} May asked.
"Of course, sweety."
{Me too. It was… nice, but I've been out enough for today.} Jade followed.
"Okay. I'll let you out next time we eat."
{Okay. If you ever…}
"…Yes?"
{…Nevermind.} She said, slightly looking down.
"Are you sure? You know you ca-"
{I'm okay, thanks.}
"…Alright." Max conceded before getting both her and May in their pokeball, not wanting to insist too much.
{Where are we going?} Dusk asked after they got off the beach.
"Someone told me about a way to make some money, so while we wait for my revenge battle, we'll work to sustain ourselves a little."
{Oh, so what are we gonna do?} Luna asked, curious.
"I don't know yet. We can pick whatever we want."
{I wonder if there will be some hunting tasks.}
"Why? Do you like taking down innocent prey that much?" Max jested.
{Well, not really. I like catching what I'm chasing like any hunter, but there's some thrill in the hunt. I don't believe I can put precise words in it, but chasing down a target provides me some… excitement that other activities can't do.} Luna explained while looking at Max with a slight hungry look.
{Looks to me that you just have a psychopathic side.} Aurora commented.
{Haha, maybe I do. I never claimed to be flawless.} Luna laughed.
"We all have our triggers. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, it's fine in my opinion, but I guess yours… well…"
{Don't worry, I'll never hunt you for food. However…} She paused before grabbing his shoulders from behind him, her head next to his. {I don't mind a small hunting game for fun.}
Max knew too well that she was just messing with him, but despite himself, an image of him lying on the ground with her on top of him in her zoroark form popped into his mind, looking at him with starving eyes after chasing him. Exciting him more than it should, he moved forward to escape her grasp.
(How the fuck does she do that?) He thought, Bonny and Luna, giggling together at his flustered expression.
{I swear, someday, you're gonna transform him into a true pokemon eater.} Bonny jested.
{Oh, I know how to deal with that kind of predator.} Luna replied, still eyeing the human.
A while later, Max had finally arrived at what seems to be their destination.
{That's here?} Bonny asked with the team looking at a rather plain-looking building.
"Looks like it."
Before entering, Max noticed that Luna was still in her human form dressed in a bikini.
"Maybe you want to wear something more appropriate, Luna."
{Oh. Silly me. I'm too used to being naked all the time.} She told him with a wink.
With Max looking away while blushing, Luna got in between two buildings and transformed into her casual clothing, which was barely showing less skin. When they were all set, they all proceeded inside. The interior looked a lot like a pokemon center. It was spacious with places to sit and a huge billboard with a couple of announcements on it on a wall. Furthermore, there was a desk which was vacant for now. Half surprised, Max, noticed that he was the only trainer there.
{It's awfully empty.} Aurora commented.
"Maybe we've arrived at a calm moment." Max hypothesized while looking around.
He then saw Luna in front of the billboard.
"I wonder what kind of 'bounties' people offer." Max joked before joining her.
The first one his eyes landed on was a demand for a trainer with a very strong pokemon to move really heavy things. Another one was someone asking for a water pokemon for a kid's party, which was rather funny for Max.
"They all seem quite boring." Max expressed, not amused so far.
{Is that so? None interest you?} Luna questioned.
Before answering, Max surveyed a bit more.
"...This one looks okay," Max told her before taking one.
{What does it say?} Bonny asked, now next to him.
"Looks like someone is being harassed by a wild pokemon."
{How come a wild pokemon is doing as it pleases here?}
"I don't know. Ah! It seems that the dude is living in the woods outside the city."
{Well, he has it coming, then.}
"Pretty sure he's not in the middle of the forest but rather just a little bit deeper across the edge."
{Still.}
"Anyway, the reward is rather generous. We get $500 from that."
{Oh. Not bad.}
"If everyone agrees, let's go with that. So, what now?" Max said while looking around the receptionist counter.
{If you yell, maybe someone will come.} Aurora proposed.
Rolling his eyes, Max went to the counter and saw a small desk ringing a bell. After hitting it two times, Max waited a couple of seconds before hearing footsteps coming towards them.
"Sorry, I was on my afternoon break." A rather young but tired-looking woman said after appearing from the back room.
"Oh, do you need more time?"
"Nah, I was just a minute away, so no big deal. So, you want a contract?"
"If it's still available, yes," Max replied, giving her the paper he took from the billboard.
"It's just a week old, so it should be. I just need your team and yourself to sign some papers." The girl said while taking out a small pile of paper. "Mind taking out all of your pokemon?"
"No problem."
Immediately, Max took his remaining pokeballs and let out May and Jade. Quickly, the girl noticed how Jade looked uncomfortable.
"Is she okay?" The girl asked, concerned and slightly suspicious.
"Jade? She's just a bit shy. I haven't had her in my team for very long, so she's not very comfortable around me yet."
"Really?" She said, observing Jade carefully.
{Can she mind her own business?} Aurora growled.
{Strangely, I agree with you.} Bonny followed, glaring at the human girl.
"It's okay, girls. Can't blame someone for being a bit suspicious with all those nasty trainers around."
"Girls? How many female pokemon do you have?" The girl questioned, now eyeing Max.
"Hum, how is that relevant?" Max retorted, now slightly getting annoyed.
"Just wondering. It's not the first time I hear about a guy full of frightened female pokemon going for a 'trainer' adventure."
At this point, both Aurora and Bonny were about to go and smack her, but Max stopped them.
"Look, all of my pokemon companions are indeed female. I didn't look for females specifically, it just happened. If you were wondering, no, I'm not a pokemon pimp. If you could understand them like I do, you would see that they are happy to be with me."
"Okay, I believe you, but what about her?" The girl questioned, pointing at Jade.
"She has been traumatized by a group of her own kind, so, yeah, she has a bit of a trust issue. However, I can assure you that I ask her every day if she's comfortable being with me, as well as everyone in my team."
For a moment, the girl eyed everyone, noticing how they were looking aggressively at her. Again, her attention went to Jade, still suspicious about the subject. Knowing that they were getting nowhere, Max was about to lose it, until something quite unexpected happened. Maybe as "proof" that she wasn't held against her will, Jade took one of Max's arms and hugged it, like she once saw Scarlet do. She looked at the human girl with an almost protective expression. Everyone, especially Max, almost had their jaws on the floor.
"…Alright, they all really seem to like you, so I'll leave it at that. Sorry for all the suspicion. If you knew all the stories I've heard and even lived through myself, you would understand." She explained with a monotone voice as if it was a rehearsed dialogue. "I'll let you sign the papers while I call the customer." She added, giving Max some sheets for them to fill before getting on her phone.
Max then quickly read the contract. Overall, it says that they're not responsible for carelessness or any accidents whatsoever and that they acknowledge the potential danger of the job. After signing his part, he also read to his team what they will agree on. It roughly says the same things with some add-ons; like they're in no way forced to listen to their trainer if they think that the job is too dangerous for them and that the entire team must sign. Six pokemon signatures seem to be required, probably to avoid people "forgetting" about one reluctant member or to be sure that the trainer is strong enough. Dusk, Bonny, Aurora, May, and Jade all signed the paper in a personal way. All that remained was Luna and was writing down some half-structured letters when the girl finished her call and noticed it.
"I'm sorry, but only pokemon can sign there."
"Oh, but she is," Max said, nodding to his zoroark.
Getting the signal, Luna turned to her usual form.
"Whoa!" The girl exclaimed, almost falling from her chair. "A-A zoroark, huh? Never mind, then." She finished, trying to find things to look at around her.
"You okay?"
"Yes." She simply replied, barely even looking at him.
With Max, a bit confused, Luna continued writing her sign of approval before turning back into her human form.
"Okay, everything seems to be in order. Here is the address of the customer. Good luck."
"Thanks." Max coldly said, taking the small paper before leaving and getting May back to her pokeball.
{I wonder what that was.} Bonny questioned when they were outside.
"I know, right? The face she made when Luna turned to normal. Do you think you scared her?" Max asked, looking at Luna, at which she only shrugged her shoulders.
{She was scared of her.} Jade informed them.
"Really?"
{I'm not that good at feeling emotions, but I felt a bit of fear in her when she saw Miss Luna.}
{Please, just call me Luna.} The zoroark insisted.
"I wonder why. I mean, yeah, she's big and all, but she's not that spooky, right?"
{…Seriously?} Bonny retorted, looking at Max funnily.
"What?"
{She's more than spooky, she's nightmare fuel.} Aurora commented.
{And yet, you have seen only the surface of it.} Luna assured, petting the lucario between her ears.
Feeling her spine crawl slightly, Aurora pushed her paw away before distancing herself.
"I don't know, maybe slightly, but I find her more cute than anything."
{Is that so?} Bonny replied, looking at Max with a grin. {Eyes that are in love can change perspectives, I suppose.}
"What? No." Max protested.
{You don't love me?} Luna questioned with a sad tone, with Max unable to tell if she was being serious or not.
"No, I… Of course, I do. I mean, not as an 'I want to mate with you' kind of love, but more like… Can we just change the subject, please?"
{Again, just when it was getting fun.} Bonny complained, looking a bit deceived.
"Why do I still have to justify myself? You all should know how I feel about you by now."
{Of course, we do.} Bonny conceded.
{…So, you like me just as a friend, right?} Luna teased some more.
"Goddamnit," Max growled in defeat with the group bursting into laughter.
It took them a good hour and a half to exit the city, take an off-road path and arrive at the house of the customer. The guy was living in your typical modest wildlife wood house. Seeing smoke coming out of the chimney meant that someone was already here to greet them, to Max's delight.
"Hi there, are you the one who needs help with a wild pokemon?" Max called after knocking on the door.
{Not a very friendly-looking human house, if you ask me.}
Max was now used to Scarlet popping up from nowhere and only shrugged his shoulders without even looking at her. Almost immediately, the red gardevoir briefly glared at the pale green one, making her hide behind Luna. After a moment, the door opened halfway, the customer only revealing his face. The man was looking to be in his early forties with signs of greyish hair.
"Are you a trainer hand-lander?"
"Yes. I saw your request and thought I could be of some help."
"Who is your strongest pokemon?"
"Well, they all are, but I guess you could say it's her," Max replied, pointing at Scarlet.
With no surprise, the red gardevoir glared at the human the same way she did with Jade.
"…A psychic type. That will do." The man said before letting them in.
"So, what are we dealing with?" Max asked while getting in.
"The name is Lewis." The host said after all of them were inside and gestured them to the living room.
"Oh, right. Sorry. Mine is Max."
Shortly after, everyone was sitting and looking at each other.
"How much experience do you have with this?"
"Experience?" Max repeated.
"How many jobs like this have you already done?" Lewis asked differently, sounding a bit impatient already.
"Hum, well, it's kind of my first time."
"I see. I got a rookie." He grumbled.
Immediately, Max sensed Scarlet glaring at him threateningly.
"I can assure you that I'll do everything in my power to help you. I'm sure I've been in a similar situation before. It may not look like it, but I didn't get along that well with my own pokemon at the beginning."
Not responding, the man only looked at him before eyeing around him with a sigh.
"Tell us about your problem and I'll tell you if we can manage."
Since they were already here anyway, Lewis went along with what he had.
"Alright." He conceded.
The man then told his story to them. In brief, he was constantly harassed by a nidoqueen, attacking him or whatever he was constructing outside. He never was seriously injured but almost did on some occasions. She seems to be only targeting him specifically since she never tried to destroy his house but was probably stalking him as he was always attacked within a minute of being outside. Over time, he managed to find a time of day that he was less likely to be attacked, but it was never a sure thing.
"I see." Max expressed, scratching his chin and pondering.
"Have you ever dealt with a nidoqueen before?" Lewis questioned.
"Not really."
"They are strong, and only slightly less so than their male counterparts: nidoking."
"Don't worry, I'm sure there is a rational explanation for her behavior. Besides, I have a strong team with me and I trust them in helping me with this. Now, I have to ask, have you ever done anything to her to make her angry?"
"No. All I had been doing since I settled here was minding my own business with my routine when she appeared one day and began to make my life a living hell."
"I see. How does she attack?"
"In various ways. Mostly tackling, but sometimes it can be punches, kicks, or tail whips."
"Do you know if she has babies?"
"Never seen any around."
After that answer, Max went silent for a moment.
"Well, looks like the only answers we can get is directly from her, I guess." He announced while standing up.
"What are you gonna do?"
"Find that nidoqueen and uncover why she acts that way."
"I don't think it's a good idea. If it goes wrong, I don't want to make that pokemon even angrier at me."
"It's very unlikely to happen. How could she know you sent us?"
"I don't know. I don't even know what makes sense anymore."
Knowing that that would be as much as information they could get, Max put a halt to the interrogation.
"Alright, better get going if we want to see the other end of the story."
"I beg you, just don't make things worse."
"I won't. I should be alright, so no need to worry." He assured the man before leaving the house.
{Every time, I'm surprised we find more and more of these jerks.} Aurora spat.
{We seem to be very lucky with them.} Bonny pointed out.
"Focus girls, no need to pay attention to that. As long as he pays, I don't give a shit. Can you help us?" Max asked, looking at Scarlet.
{With what?} The red gardevoir inquired, looking at the human with a confused face.
"Hum… locating that nidoqueen?"
{I don't know if you're aware, but there are like millions of pokemon in a forest. How do you want me to find a specific one? I don't have a special nidoqueen detector in me, you know.} She responded, annoyed with his assumption.
"Okay, calm down. It was just a question. Geez." Max retorted, at which Scarlet huffed. "Guess we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way: looking around."
{Or, we can just stick around and wait for her to appear.} Aurora proposed.
Immediately, everyone looked at her confusingly.
{What?}
{I didn't know you could actually say smart things.} Bonny nagged.
{Me neither.} Scarlet followed.
{Fuck you both.} The jackal pokemon growled.
"Not a bad idea. It will be better waiting around for her than searching blindly. Okay, let's just do that, then."
Soon, everyone was hiding around in different spots to have a different angle of recon. Max thought about releasing May too but believed that the present group was enough to handle a single nidoqueen. In one particular spot, Max and Dusk were together.
{...Sorry for bothering you.} The braixen started after hesitating to start up a conversation.
"Don't be, I don't mind at all your company."
{I just… didn't feel safe about being on my own. I didn't want to face that nidoqueen by myself, and the thought that she would ambush me made me terrified... I also-}
"You don't have to justify yourself, Dusk. You didn't feel comfortable about being on your own, so there is no problem. Not only is it in the contract we signed, but that's who I am."
{I know, but deep inside, I can't help but feel like I'm a burden sometimes.}
Max then turned his head to look at her.
"…Is that why you have been pretty quiet lately?"
{…More or less. You already know I'm not exactly very talkative, but it's true that… I don't know. I kind of feel out of place sometimes.}
"Why?"
{Just look at Luna, Bonny, and Scarlet. They all are very strong and imposing. I'm far from being as strong as them. However, if I manage to evolve someday…}
Sensing the moment was timely, Max put a hand on her head and pet her.
"You're not a burden, Dusk. May is the perfect proof that you don't have to be big to be strong. Sure, you may not have the physical strength of Bonny or the experience of Luna, but you're still strong on your own. You are right about one thing though; you can evolve one more time and thus, making you even stronger, I'll give you that."
{I know. But… I don't think it will make me love fighting.}
"You don't like participating in battles?" Max asked, looking at Dusk confusingly.
Briefly looking at him, the braixen looked away in embarrassment.
{I'm sorry. I really tried but…}
"Why didn't you tell me before, Dusk?"
{…I didn't want to deceive you, master.}
"...So all of the training and battles were just for my sake? To be honest, I feel a bit disappointed in you for not t-"
{I know, but…} She interrupted. {I just wanted to do my best to make you happy. I kind of felt that you had put some hope in us, so I didn't want to break it.} She now started sniffing and could feel the tears threatening to come out of her eyes.
"…I…"
{Don't get me wrong, I don't hate doing it. I still feel the thrill of the battle we did against that grass-type gym leader, but… I never really liked confrontations and fights. It's… too violent for me.}
After a short pause, Max sighed.
"It was to be expected from a too nice of a girl of mine," Max said, petting her some more.
{I'm sorry, master. I must look like a weakling that screws up your plans and is scared of everything.} She said, feeling sadness and looking at the ground in shame.
"Hey…" He said softly, lifting her head so she is eye-level with him and smiles at her. "You are not a weakling, and I'm not going to think less of you just because you made the mistake of not telling me sooner about this."
{You won't? But I lied to you.}
"While that is true, what matters most to me right now is that you gathered the courage to speak out your discomfort, and I'm proud of you, Dusk. As the saying goes, 'better late than never', right?"
{...Master...} She then proceeds to hug him and vent out her sadness.
"It's okay, Dusk. Like I told you after we first met, you don't have to battle if you really don't want to."
{Yeah, I remember... So... you really think that I'm not a weakling?} She asked after separating from him.
"Of course," Max reassured, pulling her back into a hug. "I have seven pokemon with me, and each one of them has their own personality. One was fated to be less brutal than the others. If you don't want to fight anymore, I won't force you. I won't get rid of you either because of that. Unless…"
{No no, I still want to be with you and I'll still train to be stronger. After all, I promised to protect you at all costs, just like the others. Just… don't make me fight if it's not necessary. Deal?}
"Haha, you bet it's a deal."
{Thanks.} Dusk replied, returning the hug.
"By the way, what do you mean by 'like the others'?"
{Hemm… well… we kind of-}
{Here she is!} Aurora yelled not far from them.
Quickly, both Max and Dusk stood up and exit their hideout. They then saw a nidoqueen being chased by Aurora. The nidoqueen quickly got surrounded by her, Luna, and Scarlet.
"Alright, end of the line," Max announced to the wild pokemon. "No one's gonna hurt you, but we have a few questions to ask."
Feeling trapped, the nidoqueen was getting uncomfortable and nervous, eyeing everyone in succession. To escape, the nidoqueen saw Max as the weakest and tried to make a run for it through him. As soon as she started running towards him, she got immobilized by Scarlet's powers.
{Bad call.} Scarlet growled, using a lot of willpower not to crush her instantly.
However, her prisoner was resisting the psychic hold and used a lot of willpower, turned her head, and shot a purplish gooey ball at her(Sludge Bomb).
{Shit!} Scarlet growled, releasing her focus on her target to protect herself.
As soon as she was free, she charged again at Max. Before she could hit him, Luna, now in her normal appearance, tackled him away while dodging herself the blue bulldozer and let her escape.
"That was close," Max said before being helped by the zoroark to stand up. "But we lost her."
{You're welcome. Always glad to spare you the painful death of being squished.} She pointed out, slightly haughtily.
"Sorry. Thanks for saving me, Luna. But now we need to search for her, and I really doubt she'll come back here now that she knows about us."
{If only we had a pokemon who could follow her scent. Oh, wait! You have one.} Aurora said condescendingly.
"Alright," Max replied with rolling eyes. "We have two actually with Luna."
{One is more than enough.} Aurora asserted.
{True.} Luna conceded. {Lead the way.} She added with a smile.
{With pleasure.} The jackal pokemon retorted.
With the lucario passing by her, Luna followed behind her, and Max and the others did the same behind the zoroark. After a little while, Max barely noticed himself about how he was periodically looking at Luna's rear.
[The urge, huh? I can understand, I sometimes feel it too.] Scarlet telepathically said into his mind when next to him.
(What are you talking about?) Max inquired.
[Please, I barely need my abilities to notice how you look at her.]
(*sigh* The curse of having a psychic girlfriend.) He replied at Scarlet, who briefly stuck her tongue out at him.
[Why haven't you made a move on her yet?]
(Are you kidding? Look at her. No way I would be enough for her. She's so big and strong, while I'm quite the opposite.)
[You're not that small. Not everywhere at least. What about me? I'm strong and I let you fuck me.]
(It doesn't look like the same with her. She doesn't look that accessible and… I don't know. It's hard to explain.)
[Not that much. You're just way too intimidated by her than you should. I admit that she doesn't have what we call the togepi face, but still. Humans are intimidated by appearance way too easily.]
(Thanks for the remark.)
[What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be afraid. I don't especially hate or like her, but she doesn't look like the type to hurt anyone just for fun. I'm sure she would say yes if you're honest and tell her your feelings for her.]
(That's another point, she doesn't seem that interested in me.)
[Well, if she's not into humans, I guess there is really nothing you can do about it. Her loss, though.]
(She is rather flirty with me sometimes, but I'm sure she's just teasing me.)
[Are you absolutely sure?]
(Well, maybe not a hundred percent sure, but quite.)
[Well, personally, I say you never know unless you try.]
(And if she takes it the wrong way? I don't want her trying to kill me.)
[Like hell I would let her. But if she ends up mad at you, then so be it.]
(Thanks. You're really the best advisor ever.) He said sarcastically.
[What do you want me to tell you? Sometimes, you have to take risks to get shit done.]
(I guess. Wait! Why are we even talking about Luna? I mean, I admit that for a zoroark, she looks sexier than her human-like appearance, but I'm not that interested in her. She is just a friend.)
[Yeah, just a friend. Of course.] Scarlet retorted, not even trying to believe him.
(What? You think a friendship between a guy and a girl is impossible?)
[Oh, of course not. It's just that everyone in the team started as a 'friend' before getting screwed by you, just saying.]
(Yeah, well, sorry if I want to get along well with someone first before getting intimate.)
[Ahah! So you do want to do it with her.]
(Oh, shut up already.)
After a little while of tracking, Aurora and Luna came to a halt, stopping in front of a small grotto.
{The smell is stronger here. That must be where she lives.} The lucario informed.
"That or she's just very close and sneaking up on us." Max half-joked, kneeling next to Aurora.
{What now?} Bonny questioned.
"I guess we go in there and start something."
{Something like dialogue?} Aurora nagged.
"That's an idea." Max retorted a bit condescendingly while standing up, slowly walking towards the entrance.
Only a couple of steps later, Max looked behind and saw that no one was following him.
"Oh, I didn't know the word 'we' meant 'me' now."
{What?} Bonny replied. {You have such a thing with females. You'll be fine.}
"Uh-huh."
{One human looks way less menacing than all of us together.} Luna pointed out.
{We're right behind you if anything.} Scarlet reassured.
With a rather uncomfortable and desperate sigh, Max proceeded forward. When roughly half a meter away from it, he called out.
"Hello? No need to be afraid, I don't mean any harm."
Unfortunately, the inside was too dark, so Max couldn't see any movement while waiting for an answer.
"She doesn't seem to be here," Max announced, going back to the others.
{Maybe she just-}
{Watch out!}
Perceiving movement from inside the cave, Scarlet used her powers to protect Max from an incoming attack; a couple of purplish needles(Poison Sting) aimed at Max. Immediately, Max stepped backward, getting right next to the others.
{Looks like our prey doesn't want to be captured.} Luna commented, stepping out from the cover.
{Obviously. Who would like that?} Bonny added, doing the same as well as the others.
In a short amount of time, the nidoqueen left her hideout and faced the group.
{What the hell is your problem?} She growled. {Not only are you stepping on my territory, but you're harassing me even at my home? I'm not scared, no matter how many you are, so I'll ask you to leave before I get really angry.}
"Easy now." Max tried to calm her down. "We're not here to hunt you down or anything." Max engaged.
{Huh? What did the tiny monkey just say?} The nidoqueen insulted, glaring at Max.
{What did you just call him?!} Scarlet replied, moving threateningly towards the dino pokemon with two Ice Punches at the ready.
"Scarlet, it's okay," Max assured, motioning her to not move.
With a displeased grunt, the red gardevoir did as told and canceled her attacks.
"I said we're not here to harm you. In a way."
{And what do you mean by that?} The nidoqueen asked aggressively.
"You see, we're not here to cause you trouble, but rather about to ask you to stop causing trouble."
{What?} *Huff* {The nerve on that one. So you have been harassing me because you think I cause trouble in my own forest? Well, I think a certain monkey human believes he's bigger than he actually is. Tell you what, since you seem to be the most clueless idiot I've ever seen, I'll let you have ten minutes to leave my forest and never come back.}
"Oh? Ten minutes, eh?" He pondered, crossing his arms and clicking his tongue a few times. "Yeah… there's a problem with your request. You see... I'm not planning on leaving." Max refused, standing tall in front of her.
{Oh yeah? Too bad for you, then.}
"Why are you harassing that man?" Max asked before anyone could move.
{What man?}
"The human you always attack. What's up with you and him?"
{How about you mind your goddamn business?}
"The moment I agreed to help that man, it became mine."
{Oh, and you think a bunch of weaklings like you can do something about it?}
"Weaklings, huh?" Max retorted before anyone could reply. "You seem very confident in your strength."
At this point, Max was starting to get quite irritated. Anyone that badmouths his beloved companions always brushed him the wrong way.
"Tell you what, if you manage to beat any of my teammates, we'll leave you alone."
{Haha, seriously?} The nidoqueen laughed. {That's it? All I have to do is to wreck one of your pathetic whore members of your harem?}
{I volunteer to do it.} Scarlet proposed, seething with anger. {However, I can't guarantee she will stay alive.}
{Get in line.} Bonny said with clenched fists. {This one is mine.}
{I don't mind a two against one fight.} The dino pokemon boasted.
"Easy now, girls. You're playing with dangerous fire right now if you weren't aware." Max warned. "Luna, care to do it?" He asked, still glaring at the wild pokemon.
{No problem.} The zoroark agreed, more than happy to put that nidoqueen down a notch.
After only a few steps, Dusk intervened and jumped in front of the nidoqueen.
{I'll do it.} The braixen growled, glaring at her with menacing eyes.
"Dusk?!"
{Isn't that cute? The little kid wants to play.} Her opponent mocked.
"Are you… sure?"
{She has gone too far. No way I'll let her insult you like that.}
Max wasn't sure if he should let her do this. Not that he didn't believe in her, but it was more because this wasn't like her usual self. He wondered if she knew what being in a non-regulated fight meant.
"…Alright. Let's just give you some protection." He conceded before using his watch to shield her.
{This is gonna be fun.} The blue female monster said while getting ready to attack.
As soon as Dusk did the same, the nidoqueen charged at her and went for Poison Jab, but missed with Dusk dodging it. She planned an immediate counter-attack, but the nidoqueen was faster and hit her with her tail. The hit was strong enough to send Dusk flying a few meters away.
"Stay away from her and use your psychic type moves, Dusk," Max commanded.
{Psychic type? Better be careful, then.} Dusk's opponent commented.
"Damnit." Max cursed, unintentionally revealing part of Dusk's moveset.
Attacking again, Dusk used Psybeam and aimed at the nidoqueen. She easily dodged it though and then she used Headbutt. Dodging as well, Dusk counter-attacked with Psybeam yet again. The nidoqueen dodged once more and attacked with Headbutt again. This time, it landed pretty heavily.
{It doesn't look good for her.} Aurora commented, feeling a bit worried but trying her best not to show it.
"Indeed," Max replied confidently. "Dusk looks like we need more speed."
{Understood.} She acknowledged with a small grin while standing up with slight difficulty.
{Is that all you got?} The nidoqueen nagged cockily.
After a short glare, Dusk engulfed herself in flames and charged at her with Flame Charge. Not expecting a move like that, the nidoqueen barely dodged her.
{You have some tricks up y-}
Having no time to speak, she again got charged by Dusk with Flame Charge immediately after the first one. With the braixen even faster than before, she moved out of the way but got her skin brushed by the flames.
{Okay, enough playing around.}
The nidoqueen then raised one leg and dropped it to stomp the ground, creating more or less aimed fissures towards Dusk(Bulldoze). The impact was strong enough to destabilize Max and made him lose balance. Luckily, Luna was close enough and grabbed him with a hug from behind.
{Tripped on something, little pup?} She teased with a warm smile.
"Thanks." The human said before getting on his feet with a faint blush.
On the battlefield, Dusk had escaped the move by jumping over the nidoqueen and was now using Psybeam on the top of her skull. The speed was now too much for the nidoqueen and took the hit point-blank. Just with that, the nidoqueen held her very slightly burned head and falls on her belly, defeated.
*Tsk* {Looks like she is not used to taking hits.} Scarlet commented.
"She must be better at intimidating than actual fighting." Max theorized while looking at the slightly injured pokemon. "Have you calmed down yet?"
{Fuck you.} The nidoqueen growled.
"If you promise not to attack us again and calm down, we'll heal you."
Hurt and not feeling well, she looked at him with angry eyes.
{I promise you nothing.}
"It's not in your interest to act this way."
{I don't care. Just get the fuck out of here.} She commanded, feeling humiliated.
After that, Max didn't know what to say anymore. Sighing, Scarlet then kneeled next to her.
{Listen here, we are here to get rid of a troublesome pokemon, which happens to be you. The thing is, we were not told how to do so. Personally, I have my ways of dealing with things like this, which most of the time involves the head of my victim on a spike. Now, you have two options; my master's or mine. Pick your choice.} She threatened with a controlled anger tone.
Just by looking at her eyes, the nidoqueen knew she was being serious, or could at least, and understood she was in a way worse situation than she thought. If the braixen was the weakest one of the bunch, surely the entire team could shred her into pieces.
*Tsk* {Fine.} The dino pokemon complied, lowering her eyes.
"Thanks," Max said, looking at Scarlet with big eyes.
[What? It worked.]
"Can you heal her now, please?"
*sigh* {I guess.} The gardevoir retorted with zero enthusiasm.
In a couple of seconds, the nidoqueen's injury was healed thanks to Scarlet's Healing Pulse.
{Sometimes, I think that I Iearned that move just for you.} She commented while the poison/ground pokemon sat up.
{What do you want me to do? Leave the area? That would mean leaving my place and leave behind my belongings.} The nidoqueen proposed.
{What belongings? Everything you find here you can find it pretty much anywhere else.} Scarlet pointed out.
Max then motioned her to stop.
"We do not want to chase you out of the woods or hurt you. We just want to know what's your problem with that man."
{My problem? What's his problem?! He is in my territory and he thinks he can do as he pleases on it.} She accused abruptly.
"I see. You know, it's not like he's taking a lot of space, so why not share the very little he is currently using?"
{It's not about how fat his ass is, but more about principles. What will I look like if I allow anyone to do as they please in my territory?}
"Well…" Max mumbled, not knowing what to retort.
{Seriously, who does he think he is? Settling there, minding his own fucking business, thinking it doesn't concern anyone else.}
Max found this statement quite… peculiar.
{Mind if I speak with you?} Luna asked from behind him.
"What is it?" He questioned when they were a few meters away from them.
{You noticed too, right?}
"More or less. I'm starting to really question her motive."
{You could say that.} She said with crossed arms, looking at the nidoqueen.
"You, you have figured out something, didn't you?" He remarked, pointing an accusing finger at her with a grin.
{Perhaps. We agree that she's rather aggressive and she's not afraid to punch things, right?}
"Yeah, even me."
{However, don't you find it strange that the human she harasses looks in rather good shape?}
"…Now that you mention it…"
{Remember what he said. He said that she was punching, kicking, and breaking things with her tail. If she really wanted him to go away, she would have been more persuasive.}
"Right. Wait, do you think what I think you think?"
Instead of answering, she just smiled.
"Damn. That would explain a lot."
{Looks like our guest is in love and doesn't know how to express her feelings properly.}
"Looks like it. Still, we've yet to resolve this issue. We identified the problem, but how on earth will we be able to resolve it?"
{That, unfortunately, I still have no answer.}
"If we confront her, she will probably deny it. If we tell the dude, he will probably find us crazy."
{I believe we got involved in an impossible love trap.}
"Indeed." Max agreed, going thoughtful.
Scarlet then approached them.
{Working out your brain? I could hear it burning from over there.}
"More or less. The situation took an unexpected turn."
{Yeah. I heard.}
"What do you suggest?"
{Well, my first idea would be to control her head to confess her affection to him and stop being irrational about it.}
"Something less barbaric, maybe?"
{Then my second one would be to convince her the boring way that her behavior isn't appropriate and she will go nowhere that way.}
"Hmm, tremendously simple, but I suppose that's the best we can do."
{Love is quite a soapy road.} Luna commented.
{Depends on who you love.} Scarlet replied, hugging Max. {Pretty simple and easy for me.}
"Kind of agree with you. I'm lucky that we all are on the same page."
As the nidoqueen was complaining about how much of an idiot the human was, Max rejoined the group.
"Alright Miss, I think there is some explanation that needs to be shared."
{About what?} The blue pokemon growled.
"Why don't you tell us the real reason why you always try to get his attention?"
{His attention? The hell are you talking about?} She demanded, immediately getting defensive.
"You know very well what I'm talking about. You're a powerful pokemon and he's just a frail human. If you really want him to leave, how come he's still here after all those tries?"
{What? W-well, it's simple. I… I'm just that kind of pokemon. I don't want him around here, but I'm not a psychopath. Besides, it would be too easy to just squish him like a bug.} She explained hesitantly.
"Uh-huh," Max said skeptically. "So, I guess it wouldn't bother you to know that despite what you did, he finds you interesting."
{W-what? R-really?} The nidoqueen stammered, a bit shocked by the statement.
"Well, I don't remember his words correctly, but I think he said something about not being able to be that mad against a pretty pokemon like you."
{P-pretty?} She repeated, blushing madly. {Has he… said anything… else?}
"I don't know. I didn't actually hear him saying it, but by judging your reaction, you have a thing for him."
{You… W-wha… Y-you little...!}
Standing up, the nidoqueen was about to attack Max but stopped almost instantly when Scarlet and Aurora got between them.
{…What are your plans? Blackmailing me into leaving the place so he can live peacefully without me?}
"We could do that," Max confirmed, making her glare at him. "Or, we could help you to try to match both of you. Your choice."
Upon hearing his second suggestion, the nidoqueen's expression went calmer and a bit perplexed.
{Why would you want to help me? It's none of your business.}
"Because I know how awesome love between two individuals can be. Or more specifically, love between a person and a pokemon." He explained before hugging both Scarlet and Aurora, with what the lucario moved away from his grasp. "You can't be that evil, so you deserve affection like anyone else."
{Cheesy as shit.} Aurora mumbled, making Scarlet giggle.
{…So what if I'm interested in him? What are you gonna do? Make him go naked and force him to plow me?}
"Would you like that?"
{N-no.} She denied fervently, blushing madly. {Not that way.} She added with a lower voice.
The nidoqueen then stared at the group looking at her funnily.
{Shut up.} She commanded.
"Like I said, the choice is yours."
For a moment, the nidoqueen considered the offer.
{Whatever the facts are, I don't even know what he's into. What if he despises pokemon?}
{He could be gay, even.} Aurora pointed out.
"Not helping." Max scolded.
{Forget it. There is no way things like that could work. I don't even like him that much.} The dinosaur pokemon complained.
"Well, why the commotion, then?"
{Because he's… not an ugly human, but that's all.}
"You're right. Why risk happiness?" Max said sarcastically. "Look, nothing will change if you sit on that plump ass of yours. If you are too scared, we can go speak for you."
*Huff* {And what else? I'm still able to do things on my own, you know.}
"Alright. Lead the way, then." Max replied, showing her the way.
Sighing, the nidoqueen stood up and began to head towards the human's house, the rest of the group following behind.
{What do I say to him?} She started after a minute.
"He probably won't understand any word you speak, so it doesn't matter what you say."
{Great. How am I gonna tell him that he's too much of an idiot to pay attention to me, then?}
"That's why we are here. Relax, everything will be fine."
{That's so stupid.}
{I agree.} Aurora lowly agreed, now next to Max. {I can't believe we're actually helping her.}
{What's the problem? Not only we accomplished the mission, but two creatures might become happy together. Isn't that nice?} Bonny intervened, on the other side of Max.
{Tss. She's just a bitch. I don't think it will end well.}
{I don't know. I once knew someone who couldn't show her good side to anyone and she still managed to get loved by someone.}
{I don't know what you're talking about.} Aurora denied, making Max chuckle. {Pretty sure that 'the someone' you're talking about has a rather comprehensive and patient special someone with her.}
{She does, I'll give you that, but it still means that anything is possible if given the chance.}
"I kind of agree with both of you. Our job is to stop her from causing trouble, but if we form a couple along the way, it's a plus. And also… Nah, forget it."
{Come on, speak up.} Bonny encouraged.
*sigh* "I don't know. A pokemon and a human coming together is kind of… I don't know. Beautiful, I guess."
{Why? Because it makes you feel less bad about it?} Aurora suggested.
{That was just mean.} Bonny reprimanded.
"Honestly, maybe a little, but mainly no. You could say I'm on the anti-conformist side of the road and pokephilia is pretty much the paroxysm of it. And like I already said, personally, I believe that pokemon are the best."
{I don't know about them, but someone sure is shopping for a not-so-quiet night.} Bonny said a bit lustfully.
"Tss, don't act like it's the first time you hear it."
{I feel like it is every time.} She replied, rubbing the back of one of his thighs, slowly going upward.
Behind, the nidoqueen looked at them with disapproving eyes.
{The first thing others feel when seeing something like that is mostly disgust or embarrassment. Someone rarely feels envy.} Scarlet said while floating next to her.
{Yeah, a gardevoir. Those who can't help but to spy on other minds. You psychic-types are all the same.}
{Sorry, but I'm not. We can read minds, but our main feature is to be able to feel the emotions of others, despite ourselves most of the time. If you don't want me to feel them, just don't have any.}
{Eh, you're a funny one. We're not all dead inside like you, so we can't really just not have any.}
{Just like I can't turn off my emotion receptor. If you don't mind, I have a favor to ask you.}
{I don't think I'll comply, but you can try if you want.}
{Lately, and by lately I mean that since I met you, I have had the irresistible urge to rip you in half before burning the remnants. My favor is to ask you to shut the fuck up and drop the attitude immediately before I do something I won't be proud of.} Scarlet demanded with a calm but powerful tone.
The nidoqueen was used to threats, but hers was no ordinary threat. It was a promise in which she would die horribly and there was nothing she could do about it if she didn't comply. Taken by fear, she dropped the eyes and head and stayed silent.
{Thank you.} Scarlet thanked warmly. {Now, care to share with me your name?}
{…Kooshinda.}
{Hmm, not a bad name.}
With nothing else to ask, Scarlet just kept floating next to her, looking forward but making sure she wasn't at a dead angle. Kooshinda then felt that she returned to a more friendly aura.
{…Say...} She started, not looking at the red gardevoir.
{Hmm?}
{How… is it? Being with a human, I mean.}
{Wonderful. If you're lucky as me, of course.}
{That much?}
{Master is the nicest human I have ever met. I hate and despise humans, and yet, I love him with all my being.}
{I see. Also, I was wondering: How come you're red? I've never heard of a gardevoir of that color.}
{My color and hate for humans are tightly linked. There is nothing more you need to know.}
{…Okay. I'm guessing he is very nice with all the females around him.}
{Like I told you, he's very nice.}
{It… doesn't bother you?}
{Not really. Why would it?}
{Well, because it's like, he's not very loyal to you.}
{He is, and I suggest you to not badmouth him.}
{I-I'm not, I'm just… perplexed, that's all.}
{Keep your nose away from our business and you won't be.}
{…I suppose that if everyone is happy, it's fine.}
{We are.}
Seeing that the gardevoir was getting colder and colder with every spoken sentence, Kooshinda began to feel rather uncomfortable. Obviously, Scarlet felt it immediately.
{It's not perfect every day, but we are happy. I don't mind sharing him because we all agreed that I'm his official girlfriend and they're all just his mistresses. It also doesn't bother me because I know I can't offer him everything he might need. I don't have the kindness of Dusk, I don't have the patience of Luna or the cuteness of May. I know master takes care of and loves all of us equally, but favors me more. If at the end of the day he comes to me to love me deeply, I'll be more than glad to be in his presence. In the end, he can do whatever makes him happy if he makes sure that I am as well.}
{…Wow, you do seem to love him very much. It must be nice to be with someone like him.}
{You never were with anyone?}
{I did. Like everyone else, I had experiences, but they never sustained.}
{Why is that?}
{The reason that comes back most of the time is that I'm hard to live with.}
{I wonder why?} Scarlet pondered sarcastically.
{Maybe they were right. That's why I wanted to try a human. Maybe they are more patient.}
{So, you just decided to go for humans? Just like that?}
{I never was very picky with my orientation. For me, humans are sex toys just like anything else.}
{Charming.} Scarlet commented, rolling her eyes. {I can't really speak for your human, but-}
{His name is Rolento, by the way.}
{…Cool, but I don't know if all humans are that patient. Mine is, but maybe not yours.}
{Oh damn. I didn't think about that. What do I do, then?}
{He might be, but if in doubt, why don't you change some things about yourself?}
{Change? Why would I change for anyone?}
{Because you want his dick?}
{I don't-} She started before Scarlet looked at her funnily. {Fair enough.} Kooshinda conceded, blushing slightly.
{Trust me, as soon as you start to notice how he cares for you, you'll change on your own. Unless of course, you don't seek a serious relationship with him.}
{I don't know. Until now, I kind of more or less given up on that.}
{It's understandable. At this point, I don't really know what to tell you anymore besides that you'll never know until you try.}
{I suppose.} Kooshinda replied, a bit unsurely.
A little while later, the group were back at the man's house. Max is about to knock on the door when the nidoqueen stopped him.
{Actually, is it possible to not tell him that I, you know…}
"Changing your mind?"
{No, but… I had some thoughts recently and I want to take it slowly. If he's not interested in pokemon, maybe I can slowly change his mind.}
"If you-"
[Leave it there, master. Our goal was to stop her from harassing him, nothing more. As long as we get what we're here for, I don't care if she thinks humans can be converted that easily.]
[…Not very chivalrous if you ask me.] Max argued, at which Scarlet only glared at him. [Okay. I don't mind about that guy, but can we at least tell her it won't be that 'easy'?]
[Why?]
[Because I love pokemon.]
[You love female ones. I bet you anything that if it was a male pokemon, you would have less remorse.]
[…Maybe a bit, but it will still be a pokemon.]
[…Alright, do whatever you want.] Scarlet gave up. [After all, I'm not the one that needs the money.]
Rolling his eyes, Max turned his attention to Kooshinda.
"I hope you do know it might not be that easy if he's not interested."
{Yes, but I can be very convincing. After he sees what I can do, there is no way he'll be able to resist me.}
"If you say so, but if it never happens, can you promise us to still leave him alone?"
{We'll see how it goes.} Kooshinda answered, making Max glaring at her impatiently. {Fine. I'll do my best not to punch him too hard.}
Sighing, Max gave up and knocked on the door.
(Not much left to do with a lost cause.)
Shortly, the man from before opened the door again.
"What is… What is she doing here?" The man demanded upon seeing the nidoqueen.
"Do not worry, sir. You see, we managed to convince this charming nidoqueen to stop harassing you."
"…You did?" He replied a bit skeptically.
"It wasn't easy, but we eventually agreed and came up with a deal."
"What was the deal?"
"That, umm…" Max paused, looking at the group. "...that in exchange for stopping her aggression towards you, she wants some company."
"Company?" The man repeated, even more, skeptical about this.
"...Well, you see, the pokemon are all afraid of her so she doesn't have friends. And because of that, she doesn't know how to express her feelings." Max relayed, feeling himself cringe from the improvised reason of Kooshinda's actions.
Scarlet couldn't help but to facepalm.
{That must be the worst excuse I ever heard.} She commented.
{I think I died from the inside from just hearing that.} Aurora followed.
Max wanted to tell them to shut up, but couldn't.
"…So, basically, she just wants some attention?" The man concluded.
"More or less, yeah."
The man then looked at Kooshinda for a moment.
"That must be the worst way to show interest I have ever seen in my life. There's a better way, you know." The man scolded, making the nidoqueen look at the ground in shame. *sigh* "It may take a while for me to forgive you, but I guess if she doesn't want to destroy my stuff anymore, I suppose I don't mind some helping hands around."
With the ears of the nidoqueen perking up with a small smile, Max looked at her.
"Hear that? This man wants to be your friend." He explained to her, feigning not having talked to her like they did.
{Yay!} She exclaimed lowly, going along with him.
"I guess we managed to solve your problem."
"I guess so. Wait here." The man said before closing the door.
A minute later, he was back with the promised reward.
"Here you go." He said while handing Max a couple of bills. "500 as agreed."
"Thanks."
Taking the money, Max left after wishing them good luck.
{Not the most exciting adventure we had.} Aurora commented.
{Yeah.} Bonny agreed. {It was slightly anticlimactic.}
"What else were you expecting, girls? We just had to stop an annoying pokemon, that's all. Besides, we even had a fight, what more would you have wanted?"
{Don't know. Maybe more opponents or a stronger one.}
{I think she was strong enough for me.} Dusk intervened.
{More opponents, then.} Bonny picked.
{Speaking of fight, it tired me out a bit. Mind if I go back in my pokeball?} The braixen asked to Max.
"Sure thing." The human agreed before doing as demanded.
{As for me, I think I'm gonna spend some time around.} Luna informed.
"Oh yeah. I believe you're about to go to sleep."
{Not right now, but soon, yes.}
"Alright. Take care."
{I should be the one to say it.} She finished with a smile before leaving in the depths of the woods.
"What about you, girls?" Max asked to Bonny, Aurora, Scarlet, and Jade.
{Well, I don't mind some hugs.} Bonny coaxed before hugging one of his arms.
"Hugs? Like, real hugs or…"
{Either way, she doesn't have a lot of time. Weren't you about to do some training for the rematch?} Scarlet intervened to stop her.
{Well…}
{Remember, you told me that if you have the time for some mating, you would instead spend it for training.} She lied, indirectly referring to the agreement they did yesterday.
"A minute or two won't bother her that much, would it?"
{No, she's right. If I really want us to win, I should focus all my energy on getting stronger.} Bonny explained while almost boiling from the inside.
"Are you sure?"
{Yes, don't worry.} She added before heading to the city.
{Well, looks like I'll be the one to help you with that.} Scarlet said before embracing him.
{I do not want to see this. Wait for me.} Aurora called before joining the lopunny.
{I'll… go with them.} Jade told them before catching up with the two other pokemon.
"That's very unlike her. I know she likes training, but preferring that to some sexy time…"
{Don't mind her, she's just doing what she thinks it's better for us, for you. Besides…} She said before starting to fondle him. {You have more important business at hand right now.}
"Can't this wait until we're at the hotel?"
{Nope.} She answered before pushing him against a nearby tree.
"Wait. What if that dude or the nidoqueen sees us?"
{Afraid one of them might like it and join?}
"Not really."
{Not really?} Scarlet repeated. {I know nidoqueen are not your favorite, but I see in your mind liking the idea of being pleased by both of us.}
"..."
{Anyway, none of it matters because right now, you're dealing with only me.} She told lustfully before shoving one hand in his pants. {Already getting hard? Geez, at least give me some challenge.}
"I could say no."
{Yeah, right. Like hell, you would say that right now.} She affirmed while playing with his tip.
"You can't really know for sure. One day, I could really not be feeling it."
{We'll see what we can do when that day comes. In the meantime…" She said before getting on her knees, quickly working on his pants so they were now on his ankles, his shaft all exposed.
{What. A. Sight.} She teased, pulling it down with one finger and releasing it in one go.
Slowly but eagerly, she started the foreplay by licking his tip softly. Her long, slender and soft tongue was just the best. In a matter of a few seconds, Max was already leaking precum from the excitation. Then, she began to add some nibbling on his tip while gently brushing it with her lips. When she saw that Max couldn't take it anymore, she went up a notch and started to suck it.
"I hate it when you do that, but god, I love this." Max expressed with closed eyes, he couldn't get enough of it.
With a satisfying grin, Scarlet was going further and further, centimeter by centimeter each time she bobbed her head. A moment later, Max's tip was hitting the back of her throat with two-thirds of his shaft in. Then, that's where things got serious as Scarlet did her favorite task: deepthroating.
"D-damn." Max moaned.
With a good grip on his thighs, Scarlet was now getting a bit more savage, sucking him like a hungry beast. The intense feeling was making him strongly grasp the tree he was lying on. Every time she was doing that, it seemed that she could go further and further, gaining a fraction of an inch every time. The very first times she did it, she could barely go at half of his shaft, and now, she was about to go further than three-quarters of it. After a couple more times, maybe she will be able to swallow it whole. The mere thought of it was enough to raise his excitement and lust. Scarlet sensed it but was too busy to check in his mind what was the cause. Max was very close to come when Scarlet stopped and faced him.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
[You know I love it more when you fill me up rather than eating it. But rest assured, that doesn't mean I don't like it.] She explained, gently stroking him.
"You know I won't last long from now on, right?"
[You think I don't know you by now? That's the plan.] She said while positioning herself, held by Max with his arms.
Like he anticipated, it didn't take more than a few thrusts for Max to explode inside.
"Told you." Max pointed out when finished.
[Glad you enjoyed me that much.]
Like always, Scarlet made one of her hands glow and instantly raised Max's lust to its apogee again. He quickly began to ram the red gardevoir with renewed energy, to the pokemon's pleasure. With Max holding her and Scarlet holding herself around his neck, a satisfied and extremely depraved face appeared on Scarlet's face. The new vigor of her master was all she needed to orgasm rather quickly. To her delight and since he hasn't cummed yet, Max didn't stop a second and kept moving the gardevoir up and down. After a little while, both of them finally came together, putting a stop right here.
"Well, that was quite the mating session. Do you mind if we join the others now?" Max questioned, slightly panting.
{What? One is not enough and you want more? What a beast you are, master.} Scarlet jested.
"Ah, you wish." Max retorted playfully before putting her down and his pants back on before both starts heading back to the city.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone