FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This story was written by myself, GryphonWings and the incredibly talented Macabre Dragon

Thanks to Calkhi and Lost Soul for proofreading this story :)

***

If Amanda was asked to explain her reasons for visiting porn sites, her answer would be the same as everybody else. There was only ever one reason after all: nothing other than a harmless urge that needed to be satisfied every once in a while. Tonight was supposed to be no different from the rest. Nothing special, just another distraction and way to relieve stress before life's hardships occupied her mind once more.

Tonight however, she managed to find more than what she was looking for.

It was a quiet, dark evening in Goldenrod City, with the last remnants of sunlight disappearing behind a blanket of grey clouds to cover the city in a deepened blackness. Rain fell down lightly from the sky to patter against the concrete. Moonlight glimmered in soft reflections across the street as the last, late-workers walked down the street before disappearing around the bend. As the city slowly became quiet and peaceful, Amanda took one last look out from her third story apartment before closing the blinds and walking back to her computer.

Her home was a single-bedroom loft, located in one of the largest buildings in the city next to the department store. She was used to the quiet around this time of night, which was something she treasured about her lonely home. The silence helped her think, and being alone was more comforting to her than any company she'd kept over the years.

Some might think it strange for a nineteen year old girl to have never had someone to hold close. Her looks were never an issue, as many would consider her a very attractive woman, but it was exactly that beauty that made her suspicious of most men that approached her. She stood at about six feet, with long, blonde hair and a toned, athletic body developed from a life of hardship and desperation rather than any recreational activities. It was, in fact, that very reason why she didn't trust many people. Most of them couldn't see past it.

It would be a lie to say that Amanda didn't crave it; to have someone in her life that she could trust enough to take care of her. In her experience however, that wasn't something that life was willing to provide. She'd never known her parents, nor anyone in her family for that matter. Her life had consisted of one abandonment after another ever since her first family brought her out of that orphanage home, and it was only a matter of time before each and every one of them decided that they no longer wanted her. Although she'd been reassured time and time again by her caretakers that the next family would give her a long and happy life, after a while it became clear that she wasn't meant for such a life. From a very young age she needed to take matters into her own hands.

With a soft sigh, Amanda settled back in her chair and began searching through some ads on the internet for ways to make money. She scanned several ads, starting with the local opportunities before slowly searching further and further for anything that could offer her a chance to continue supporting herself. Her latest job at the PokeCenter had ended... quite abruptly. Although her job had been to heal the pokemon brought in, her manager didn't think it was that amusing when she'd injured one of the trainers for groping her. She needed a new job, and fast, if she wanted to keep her apartment and not end up on the streets.

Her right hand flicked the mouse across the screen, clicking through various job sites with discouraged eyes. Everywhere she looked they wanted experience she didn't have, and it was more and more hopeless the further she scrolled. An exasperated sigh escaped her mouth as she looked at an advertisement for a position in Pokemon babysitting, and even that one wanted at least two years prior experience. With one last, disheartened glance, Amanda slowly closed the job-site window and opened up a search bar. An hour of looking had left her feeling somewhat bored, and she slowly undid the top button of her jeans and slid the zipper down fully.

"What have we got today..." she muttered to herself, fingers sliding down to her keyboard with a wry smile. Perhaps getting off might help relieve some of the stress she was feeling. She tapped in the name of a well-known adult site dedicated to 'gym leaders' and their exploits, and began to browse around. Despite knowing all the videos contained actors and not real gym leaders, she sometimes enjoyed the idea of a handsome male gym leader giving something more to a victorious female challenger, among other such cheesy plots. Finding a somewhat suitable video, she reclined back in her chair and slowly slipped a hand inside her underwear, pressing her fingers lightly against her intimate regions before suddenly pausing.

Up in the corner of the window something had caught her eye. Slipping her hand back out and onto the keyboard, she leaned in towards the screen to get a better look at the small window. Normally most of these advertisment windows were viruses or scams, but this one caught her eye. The text read:

"Young? Female? Adventurous? Visit the Abaris Pokemon Research Center for an exciting new research role. All applications considered, generous salary."

Amanda read the banner a few times cautiously before clicking on it, recognising the name of the company from some television advertisements. The were a science institute just outside of town, a perfect place for her to try and get a job. Despite having very little hope in her mind of being eligible for whatever it was, she watched the tab load with a measure of interest. It seemed odd a reputable company like that would advertise on a porn site, perhaps they hadn't been careful with who they had used to publish their ad. Either way, she was curious.

A few seconds later her eyes were glancing over the official Abaris job site:

Wanted: Temporary Research Assistant for Pokemon Breeding Studies

Are you a young, enthusiastic woman between the ages of 18 and 25 willing to take part in an exciting, safe and monitored clinical trial? Abaris PRC needs your help to assist with a set of studies into Pokemon breeding, coupling and fertilization. The successful candidate will be required to undergo a series of controlled, harm-free procedures to help progress scientific research into the field of human-Pokemon compatibility. Abaris is an industry-leading company with over thirty years of proven medical and technological advances made available to the public. Come join us today, one position available only.

Contract: Temporary (1 Month)

Salary: 1,350,000 Pokedollars

Preconditions: Female, 18-25 years of age, no prior work experience required.

Amanda read through the offer a few times, a small smile crossing her lips when she read the salary. All that for one month's work? It seemed way too good to be true, she could live for two years on a wage like that. Chuckling a little to herself, she almost moved to close the tab when her hand paused, hovering over the X. Surely it couldn't hurt to go look, could it? It seemed a little bit strange, and had an awfully test-subject-like vibe to the job description, but at this rate she would let doctors do anything to her if it meant not living on the streets again.

Her thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock at the door. Letting out a small sigh, she settled back in her chair. She recognized that knock.

"Yes? Who is it?" She called, failing to hide the sarcasm from her voice.

A light, feminine laugh sounded from the other side of the door. "I think you know who it is," the voice said. "You're smarter than that."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Amanda said, feigning an exhausted sigh that she hoped would be loud enough to penetrate the door.

"Yes, I do, now come an answer this door please, I'm tired of speaking through it"

With a rather animalistic huff, Amanda stood up and zipped her pants, coughing to hide the noise before making her way over to the door. It was one thing to keep annoying strangers locked out, but beyond her ability to make her landlord's wife go away without permitting her to look inside. Amanda would get into trouble for it eventually, and she didn't need that kind of attention now.

Light flooded into her apartment as she opened the door, revealing the tall woman standing outside. Her visitor was large and imposing, with long, black hair flowing down to the tops of her breasts. A plain, white blouse covered her torso while a long black skirt covered her hulking legs. A rounded, pouty face stared down at her with the same, familiar derision with which Amanda had grown accustomed to over the course of her stay. Compared to some of the other women she'd dealt with in her lifetime Laura wasn't at all that bad, but it still ruined her day to see those judgemental eyes fixed on her person.

"Hello Laura," Amanda said, holding the door open halfway.

A small nod was all Laura gave in return. "Yes, hello, have you got this month's rent yet?" She asked, idly casting her gaze back into the darkened apartment beyond with a small hint of distaste.

"No, not quite yet but I'm getting to that," Amanda snapped. "You know I've just lost my job right? I need some time to find something else before I can start paying your husband. Besides, payment isn't due for another week."

Laura crossed her arms and stared pointedly at her tenant with a smug expression. "Yes, forgive me, I just thought that with you being responsible and all you might have had the money early," she said. "Doesn't hurt to check now does it?"

Amanda bit back the words she wanted to say, staring glumly at her tormentor. It was obvious now, why Laura was here. She'd done her best to keep her firing a secret, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the people interested in her financial state found out. Laura always took each and every opportunity to irk her ever since she moved in. For now she only had a few small suspicions as to why, but she never gave it any serious thought or investigation past that point. Her efforts were better spent trying to support herself, which was a valuable lesson she'd learnt long ago. The best method was to keep calm and smile at your troubles as they assaulted you.

Still, this woman really knew how to push her buttons.

Stepping forwards a bit, Amanda was just about to give Laura a piece of her mind when she heard a small noise from down by her feet.

"Eevee!" The small pokemon called, looking up at her with a happy smile. The canine, seemingly oblivious, (or choosing to ignore) the hostile situation at hand simply looked up at her with an adoring expression. The Eevee looked past Amanda and into the apartment, sniffing curiously at the carpet leading inside.

Immediately, Amanda felt her anger melt away. "Awww... he's so cute!" She said, bending down to give the pokemon a pat. Eevee looked up at her with a soft purr, leaning into her scratches.

"Actually, it's a 'she'," Laura said, bending down as well to pick the Eevee up and bring the pokemon protectively away. "As an employee at the health centre I would've expected you to know better by now."

"I got fired remember," Amanda replied, giggling as the Eevee wriggled in her owner's grasp. She just couldn't find it in herself to remain angry at Laura, not when a pokemon was around. "Besides, I always had trouble telling the difference between male and female. It was never an issue when you were healing them."

"Yes, well, do learn it better," Lauara said, huffing and storming away towards the elevators. "I'll be back next week for the payment."

Ignoring Laura completely, Amanda smiled and waved a little goodbye as the Eevee sped down the hallway, continuing to look back at her with a bemused, curious face. It seemed that even the cold presence of her landlord's wife could be penetrated by the warm cuteness of those wonderful creatures.

When she shut the door and walked back into her apartment, it took a full minute before Amanda was reminded of the severity of her situation. As much as she hated to admit it, Laura's threat was indeed correct: she would need to have payment by the end of next week. No job would be able to pay her that quickly, but with the new opportunity she stumbled across, she might have a chance at getting some quick money, regardless of how suspicious she was of its authenticity.

Tomorrow, she was going to go and check it out.

***

Stepping out the door, Amanda stretched her arms out wide and yawned, washing off the last remnants of a good night's sleep. With the job application printed and tucked into her pocket, she began to walk from her home out towards the outskirts of the town where the Abaris research facility was located. Her best dress adorned her body as she made her way past the large city buildings, waving to one of her neighbours as she passed by them in the street. Goldenrod was a nice place, and she really didn't want to have to leave because she couldn't pay the rent. She knew she had to get this position, even if she had no idea what to expect.

The further she walked, the smaller the buildings got. Abaris PRC was on the border of Route 34, requiring the extra space considering its size. She'd viewed it from the outside many times before but had never had any reason to enter its halls. They were a company that had produced all sorts of medicine, technological products and other contraptions for Pokemon and humans alike. With the kind of acclaim the institution had, it seemed unlikely to her that she could get any kind of job there. Still, she was only applying to be a test subject, for lack of a better description. How hard could it be?

Ten minutes later the building came into view. Polished glass and curved, modern-looking metal adorned the exterior, while a snaking pathway between a set of massive gates and a beautiful garden led to the front door. She was impressed as usual by the architecture, but this time she wasn't just passing by. She reached the gates and walked right through, heading up the path to the glass doors. Opening automatically, the glass panels slid to the sides to admit her into the building. Stepping inside, she immediately felt the coolness of the air conditioning and the bustle of activity all around. Despite its peaceful exterior, there was a lot going on within.

Men and women wearing lab coats, suits and other professional-looking attire moved about the various halls, some with clipboards, others with Pokeballs in their hands, some holding things whose function she couldn't even understand. It seemed to be a hive of activity, but her attention was captured by a big desk in the center of the entrance. A receptionist sat behind the counter, typing away at a keyboard rapidly. Swallowing nervously, Amanda slowly made her way over and smiled at the receptionist.

"Hi, I'm here to apply for the temporary research assistant role," she announced, trying her best to sound bright and confident. The woman behind the counter stared at her for a moment behind stern-looking glasses before entering a few things on her PC. Looking up after a few moments, the lady finally gave a small smile and gestured to the right.

"Head down the hall and into the seventh room on your right. That's Wayne's office, this is his project and he'll assess you for the role."

"Thank you," Amanda replied with a smile, before turning and heading off down the indicated hallway.

As soon as she turned the bend, Amanda found herself walking down a well-lit hallway with vertical, luminescent bulbs lining the ceiling. The walls were colored a bright, pearl-white while the floor was a light blue marble, covered in the odd scuffs or marks that suggested this was a well-travelled area of the building.

She ran into a number of different curious sights along the way that included a mix of both humans and pokemon. Most of the humans she saw were wearing white lab coats as well. Some of the men and women gave her polite nods as she passed, seemingly recognizing the presence of lost strangers as a common sight before immediately getting back to their work. Others never even glanced up as they passed, too involved in their work or mesmerized by the data on their beige clipboards as they scurried past.

Much to her delight, Amanda also noticed a good amount of pokemon wandering the halls freely as well. She saw a good variety of different types with different duties, and it seemed like there was quite a bit more tolerance for them to be out of their pokeballs as opposed to what she saw when she first entered. Most of them were following around one of the humans scientists, either carrying some sort of supplies or following with some sort of device hooked up to their little bodies. She saw a Hitmonlee walking easily behind a girl who was making notes with a small apparatus wrapped around his body with flashing lights and beeping noises. An arcanine walked past them in the other direction, moving with purpose and gripping a long, metal pole in it's mouth while weaving through every obstacle in a careful, precise manner. Although she might've gotten skeptical before if she'd heard that people were doing experiments on pokemon, it seemed like every single one of them were happy and in good health.

After a few more steps however, it became apparent that humans weren't the only ones supervising the inner workings of the building. As she walked, Amanda noticed that a number of other pokemon were wearing lab coats as well. A group of Lucarios fixed her with an interested stare as she walked past them, their white lab coats swishing in the breeze before she spotted a Raichu, moving with a tiny coat dragging along the ground behind it as it focused intently on a clutch of papers in its hand. She had a hard time imagining what such pokemon could possibly be involved in, but everyone else didn't seem to think it strange for such things to be happening.

Taking just a few more steps, Amanda came to a sudden stop as she looked up and found her destination. A dark blue door was directly to her right, with a glass window positioned at head-height in front of her, and the words "Dr. Robert Jamesson, Pokemon Breeding Expert," printed across it in black, bold letters. Lifting up a hand, she knocked on the door and waited a couple second before a voice sounded from within.

"Who is it?" A light, masculine voice said.

Clearing her throat, Amanda talked loudly to be heard through the door. "Hello...um, my name is Amanda. I'm here for the job opportunity I saw on the Abaris website and I was told you were the one to speak to."

"Oh! Ah yes," she heard some excited scrambling of papers on the other side of the door before they settled. "Do come in! Make yourself comfortable."

Turning the doorknob, Amanda stepped into the office and closed the door. As she turned, she immediately began to take her surroundings, even as the polite, excited doctor invited her further inside and asked her to take a seat.

It was a simple workspace, crowded with nothing more than a well-stocked bookshelf along the wall to the right and a dark, wooden desk directly in front of her. The office seemed thoroughly washed and spotless, with evidence of smooth, polished surfaces and a vacumed interior that gave off a very clean smell. The carpet was a deep blue similar to the marble floor in the hallway, while the walls were a pure white.

Turning to her left, Amanda was surprised to find a tall, slender Blaziken sitting in a chair against the wall. Although she might've expected a pokemon in a neat office such as this to be wearing a lab coat as well, the pokemon wore nothing at all, and rather displayed the ambient colors of red, yellow and white along her body in a stylish, appealing manner. She held a brown clipboard in her hands, which she immediately began writing in when Amanda sat down.

The pokemon offered Amanda a smile as she looked over, relaxing her somewhat as she sighed and looked back at the doctor. "I'm sorry?"

The doctor smiled at her. "I was just saying that we're pleased to have you Amanda," he said. "We're very excited to get started on our new program here, so believe me when I say that you're a welcome sight." He smiled at her then, gesturing towards himself. "My name is Dr. Robert Jamesson, as you probably already know from the door. This pokemon is my lab assistant, and believe me when I say that she is just as excited to get started as I am."

Amanda nodded and smiled as Dr. Jamesson spoke, as she knew it was important to look happy and confident during such interviews. She studied him as he spoke, noticing that the good doctor was actually quite a bit more handsome and charming than she would've expected a doctor to be. He didn't fit the stereotypical agenda. He had a narrow, clean-cut face with broad shoulders and a warm smile that wasn't marred by any glasses or signs of awkwardness. He spoke with a deep, confident voice that expressed intelligence as well as a sense of prowess in social situations.

"...And I must say, that you do certainly look like a good candidate to give our program a try," Dr. Jamesson said, nodding to himself as he looked her up and down. "Although I must warn you that this advertisement you came to us for is a job that is quite... shall we say, intimate in nature? I hope that won't be a problem."

When the doctor finished speaking, Amanda cast a quick look over at the Blaziken. The female pokemon was looking up at the doctor, giving the man what she could only describe as a lustful expression. The Pokemon winked at Dr. Jamesson before offering him another smile and looking back down at the the clipboard, idly scribbling some notes.

"And what sort of job is that?" Amanda asked. The doctor gave her a small smile and took the clipboard from his Blaziken's claws, looking down through the notes she'd written.

"Well, I'm part of a division here at Abaris that specializes in Pokemon breeding," he explained, looking up at her curious expression. "For the past few years Blaziken and I have been developing a special kind of medicine which we are hoping to finally get on the market in the next year or two. It's a special kind of Pokemon fertility drug, never before seen in the world. We're quite excited for it, but it's not quite ready for public sale yet. More specifically, we want you to help be our first live sampler for the drug, to help push it through the 'human-ready' phase of trials." Amanda was a little surprised by this news, but she had expected some kind of medical experimentation, and a simple drug seemed easy enough. Still...

"Sorry Doctor," she quickly interjected, "but is it... you know, safe?"

"Oh yes, yes, don't worry about that," Robert replied with a quick wave of his hand, "I can personally assure you all the ingredients are natural. Provided you don't have any existing allergies, the product will be perfectly safe. No, what we're looking for is to test the effectiveness of the product, not the safety. I take it you would pass a full medical test were we to hire you?" Amanda nodded, and spread her fingers.

"No allergies here," she informed him with a smile, and he quickly jotted it down on the clipboard.

"Very well then, that's settled," he commented, and placed the clipboard on his desk. "Now then, I shall not beat around the bush, so to speak. This is a one-month trial, in-house. You will have to remain here in the laboratory during the week, but may leave to do as you please on weekends. You will be administered the pill once a day, in the mornings, to be swallowed with a glass of water. The drug itself is currently name PFC-X1, pending a further 'retail' name after the approval process."

"What does it do?" Amanda asked, already feeling rather relaxed about it all. If staying in a lab for a month meant not losing her house for a few years, then it was well and truly worth it, especially if it were all safe.

"Well..." the doctor paused, and the Blaziken quickly stepped in.

"The drug makes humans more receptive to Pokemon," the fire-type explained with a slight smile, "in other words, taking it will make you vulnerable to Pokemon's attentions. You will, provided the drug works as intended, be able to be fertilized by a Pokemon. PFC-X1 makes humans able to give birth to Pokemon eggs." Her eyes widening, Amanda placed her hand on her lips to stifle a gasp.

"Wait..." she spluttered, "you can... you're making... humans... and Pokemon..."

"Yes," Dr. Jamesson said quickly, "many may find it strange, or disgusting, but I can assure you, we have done deep market research. There are many people out there who love their Pokemon just a bit more than most, and would jump at the chance to make that bond just a little more intimate. We hope to provide the public with a drug that will allow trainers and humans to form connections beyond that currently possible. We hope this does not discourage you from participating, but I would strongly urge that you at least hear us out." Amanda was quite stunned, and she took a few moments to let what she had heard process properly in her mind. They had developed a way to make let humans fall pregnant to Pokemon... She's heard of such things before, trainers and their Pokemon being closer than just companions, news articles of gym leaders who had been found in compromising scenarios with them, but she hadn't ever thought the job would involve something like this. It wasn't illegal in the Johto region to be intimate with Pokemon, but it was still something she'd only heard in the deep corners of the newspaper or internet. Taking a deep breath, she found herself inclined to refuse the job, when the image of her landlord crept into her mind. If she refused this... she could lose her home. What on earth was she supposed to do?

"D... does this mean I would be implanted with a Pokemon's... well..." she stammered, trying to not say the words.

"Not quite," the Doctor replied with a slightly flustered voice, "but to your credit the last girl left when I mentioned that. So... thanks for staying."

"You're welcome..." Amanda replied reluctantly, "but it's only because I need the money." Robert chuckled and tapped the clipboard.

"I won't ask your reasons for needing the job, but I require a willing candidate and you fit the description. If it makes the choice easier for you, if you accept the job now I'll give it to you. Blaziken and I have worked hard on this, and we want to see it go public as soon as possible. Before you say anything, however, I'd like you to come with me. You need the money, I need you to work for me, so come along with me and I'll have my colleagues explain the job in more detail."

Amanda thought it over for a few moments, weighing up the benefits. It was a lot of money, and safe, so he'd said. She would be set for years, and all she had to do was a month's worth of taking a pill and some artificial insemination. Worst case scenario, she gave birth to a Pokemon egg and made some kind of medical history. It grossed her out in her mind, but the temptation of the money was too much to ignore. She already knew she'd take the job, but perhaps it would be best to hear what his 'colleagues' had to say before making any final decisions to his face.

Amanda followed the doctor back out into the bustling hallways. As they walked, Blaziken locked the door behind them and quickly caught up, walking behind the two of them as they weaved their way through the odd person or pokemon.

"So, tell me Amanda," Dr. Jamesson said, ushering Amanda down a corridor to the left before stepping in stride once again. "You've told me that you've an interest in signing up for my program because of the money, but are there any other reasons why this job piqued your curiosity?"

Amanda gazed curiously over at the doctor as they walked. "Is this part of the interview still?"

"It would be wise to consider any conversation we have for now as 'part of the interview' my dear, but I was simply curious. Money can be an effective motivator, but I'm more interested in getting to know you as a person. I'm sure my colleagues will as well."

"Well..." Amanda began, pausing after a moment of thought and stepping around a group of people walking in the other direction. "To be honest with you, I didn't really know the nature of the trails I would be involved in, other than that they would entail pokemon breeding in some way, but..." She paused again, thinking of a good answer. "I'm happy to see that the pokemon here are treated so well. They all seem very happy."

Dr.Jamesson smiled at her. "Oh yes, the pokemon here are treated like staff, just as any other person," he replied. "Of course, each pokemon here belongs to somebody, but they're all happy to help, and they receive the same benefit and care that would be expected in an organization involved in pokemon research such as ours."

Both of them stopped as Jamesson motioned her towards a door, where Amanda stood waiting patiently while Blaziken stepped forwards and opened the door for them. "And the same goes for my colleagues as well," he continued, stepping through the door.

As she contemplated Dr. Jamesson's meaning, Amanda stepped through the door and cast her eyes around the room with mild surprise. Unlike the rest of the building, this new room was more of a lounge, with long, sprawling couches arranged in a square in the middle of the room, a kitchen over on the far end of the wall, and a large, ornate wooden table arranged to the side with four chairs surrounding it. The floor consisted of a soft, grey carpet, whereas the kitchen floor was made of white, square tiles. A circular skylight was placed on the roof, directly in the center of the room and brightening up the middle seating area with a pleasant glow.

What really caught Amanda's attention however, were the three pokemon seated around the room, who all looked up to stare directly at her as she walked in the door.

Laying sprawled out on the couch facing her was a Lucario, who immediately sat up and gave her a smile when she entered. The steel-type pokemon gave her a nod in greeting but said nothing else as Amanda's eyes swept the room to stare at the other occupants. Standing at one of the counters in the kitchen, Amanda noticed a rather large Typhlosion, who was busy fiddling with some sort of dish and didn't pay her any attention for several moments before he finally looked up and gave her a happy smile as well.

It was the pokemon sitting in a low crouch next to the table however, that drew the majority of her attention. The last pokemon in the room was a Charizard, a creature that Amanda never really had the pleasure of seeing up close until now. The dragon-like pokemon immediate set its eyes on her when she looked, regarding her with a steely set of eyes that radiated with a calm sense of authority. Although she couldn't explain why, she felt a small shiver run through her before she broke eye contact, and instead look over at the professor.

"Alright you three, come on over here," Dr. Jamesson said. "I have someone to introduce you to." As he finished speaking, the Lucario glided from the couch and began moving towards her, whereas the Typhlosion immediately set down whatever it was doing and wobbled over as well. The Charizard remained where it was for the moment, but the doctor continued regardless. "Everyone, this is Amanda, and she's been kind enough to volunteer for our program."

"Mm, Amanda is it? That's a very pretty name," Lucario said, his voice a smooth baritone as he stood a few feet away and crossed his arms. "A pleasure to meet you my dear."

"I um... ohh," Amanda said, unsure of what to say at first. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." She was surprised at her fumbled words, but she hadn't been expecting the doctor's colleagues to be more pokemon. Although she should've anticipated it based on what she'd observed, it came as a genuine surprise to be in the presence of three such interesting pokemon and to have all of their attention fixed on her.

"Yes, it truly is," Typhlosion added, stopping at a respectable distance away before nodding. "Please, allow me to thank you on behalf of the others for taking the opportunity to participate in our program. It means a lot to us."

"Oh, you're very welcome," Amanda replied, finding her voice. "I'm glad that you think so." Again, the politeness of the pokemon was catching her mildly off guard. She didn't quite understand her role in all of this as of yet, but she figured to keep to the polite formalities for now. The Charizard finally walked over from where he'd been standing and nodded his head.

"Good to meet you," he said simply, looking at her with a somewhat unreadable expression. Amanda simply smiled toward him before her attention was grabbed by the doctor once more.

"These are the three Pokemon you'd be working with," Dr. Jamesson told her with a gesture to the trio, "they're a great group of Pokemon, very eager to help me out with my work. They all belong to me, technically... but I prefer to think of them as my partners in science, more than pets to battle like most. I rescued them all when they were young, from trainers who abandoned them, and did my best to try and raise them with some manners and scientific knowledge. I daresay I'm no trainer, but I think I did an okay job with these three." Amanda listened and looked at the three while he spoke, nodding her head in agreement. They all seemed well looked after, at any rate.

A moment passed after he finished speaking, and Amanda took the time to formulate a few questions.

"I think I'm eager to take the job," she admitted to the doctor with a smile, "I guess I just have to ask... by 'working' with these three, do you mean they are the ones that the... you know... 'samples' will be taken from?" Robert nodded swiftly and adjusted his lab coat slightly.

"Yes, they'll provide the specimens to test the effectiveness of the drug. I hope this isn't a problem for you?" he asked with a concerned glance. The Pokemon all watched with interest, wondering how she'd react.

"I... can't say I've done anything like it," she replied cautiously, "but... I guess I'd be willing to try. How... I mean, how will it be... applied? Like... do you use needles or anaesthetic or some other procedure?" A small silence met her words, and even the doctor looked away from her for a moment.

"I realized that I may have forgotten to mention that part," Dr. Jamesson said with an embarrassed expression, "my deepest apologies. You see... well, the test scenario we wished to run this drug under involves a little bit more than... artificial environments. What I mean is... using tubes or containers or injections would not provide the correct data to prove the drug's effectiveness in real-world trials. What we need is... a test environment as close to what a paying customer would experience. I..." He rambled on but was cut off by the Blaziken next to him.

"What Dr. Jamesson is trying to say, Amanda, is that the three Pokemon you see here will have to administer their semen directly into your body themselves, in the natural way." A few seconds of silence passed as those words sunk in, before Amanda's mouth slowly opened and closed in shock.

"Y... you mean..." she stammered, suddenly flushing red in the face as the implications of Blaziken's words hit her, "you want me... to... to... have sex with... them?" She stepped back a little, feeling slightly lightheaded as her mind began to spin. They weren't looking for artificial insemination, they wanted her to be... be impregnated by those three... like, for real! She couldn't believe it, it had seemed too good a job to be true, and here was the catch right in front of her. Sensing her shock, Blaziken quickly pulled up a chair and helped ease the stunned woman down into it, watching her with concern.

"Yes," the fire-type said quietly, "that's what the job entails. I know this is a lot to take in, so Robert and I will go get you a glass of water while you wrap your head around the idea, okay?" Not waiting for a reply, the Blaziken quickly moved towards the door, taking Robert along with her in the process. Hearing it open, Amanda looked up and saw that she was now alone with the three staring male Pokemon as the door closed with a click.

"We'll give you some space," Typhlosion told her, stepping away back to the couch with Charizard in tow. Lucario, however, stood where he was and looked down at Amanda with a reassuring smile. The other pokemon moved away and began conversing in low tones while the steel-type remains where he was, studying her with a calm set of eyes.

"I thought you said you were going to give me some space?" Amanda snapped, looking at the Lucario as thoughts continued to race through her head. In light of the announcement, the once comforting presence of the three pokemon was suddenly making her feel nervous and awkward.

"Nobody is forcing you to do anything you don't want to do, you know," Lucario said, ignoring the question before stepping over to the side and sitting down on the ground, crossing his legs. "It's understandable that you wouldn't understand what the good doctor has in mind for these experiments, but it was only ever a volunteer position. It's not like we're going to force you to do it or anything..." The pokemon let out a little chuckle at his words before immediately silencing his laugh at Amanda's blank stare. He swallowed to recover himself before continuing on and quickly changing his tact.

"But you of all people surely know that these sorts of relationships exist right?" He continued, doing his best to keep his voice steady and calm. "That's why Dr. Jamesson and the rest of us are so passionate about this project. All around the world, there are thousands of pokemon lovers like yourself that would love for this pill to be a success, not to mention the positive effect it would have on the pokemon population."

Amanda looked up at that, fixing her eyes on the Lucario who stared back at her with those piercing, yet compassionate eyes. Thoughts of what the doctor was asking of her continued to play through her head, yet she found herself slightly calmed by the pokemon's words, and calmed by his presence yet again.

"Yes I know, it's just..." Amanda paused for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. "I didn't think that would be an option for an experiment like this. It seems more like a pervert's fantasy than actual science."

Lucario let out a deep, full throated laugh after those words, drawing a steady look from Typhlosion and Charizard before they both turned away once again. "Oh... oh... yes I can see why you might think that," he said, struggling to contain his mirth. "In all perspectives I suppose it really does seem like something out of a pokeporno or something, but trust me when I say that that's not the case."

Amanda lowered her head and gave the pokemon a dubious look. "And how do I know that for sure?"

"Well, there's no cameras in the back or anything, you can be sure of that," Lucario said, giving Amanda a smile before quickly biting his lip as he regarded the stern expression on her face. "No really, there isn't. Trust me, when you think about it logically it all makes sense just... give me a moment." He paused for a moment, searching for the right words to say.

"What we're trying to do here, is to create a pill that will allow pokemon and humans to mate: to give them a chance at making their relationship more than it was before," he looked up at Amanda, his voice sounding more and more confident as he went along. "We need to make sure that it works in the most natural way possible, else we risk letting down all of those people, or giving them false hopes that the product will work for them when really it can only be successful in an artificial environment like this one." He gestured around the room, waving his paw in the air before letting out another soft chuckle and looking back down at the ground. "Again, nobody is forcing you to do this, but we believe it's the only way." He cast his gaze up at her one more time. "Dr. Jamesson believes that this is the best way."

Amanda was silent for a long while after that, lost in her thoughts as the impact of the pokemon's words hit her. All this time she'd been telling herself that it was all about the money. With her rent coming up and the possibility of being kicked out of her home becoming a more likely with each passing day, her motivations had been solely in preserving her situation, not for the benefit of anyone else. What Lucario was saying however, is that this was much more than simply another job to take: she would actually be making a difference.

"I don't know if I c-can or want to..." Amanda admitted, speaking her thoughts out loud. "I've never felt the urge to have... to... be with any of the pokemon I've seen."

Lucario gave a solemn nod and stood up, reaching out with a paw to lightly touch Amanda's arm. She didn't pull away. "Yes, that's understandable," he said. "We all know that we've put you on the spot here, but it was a necessary obstacle we had to come to eventually. Again, if you don't want to do it, we'll find someone else. There's bound to be lots of volunteers out there that want to help us."

Bending down and resting on his ankles, Lucario placed a furred digit just underneath Amanda's chin, lifting her head to make eye contact with her once more. "Dr. Jamesson is a good human, he saved us," he said softly. "All of us were rejected in some way: left to fend for ourselves or trapped in undesirable circumstances. Dr. Jamesson pulled us out of it, and I have a feeling that if you were in his place, you would've done that same thing as well."

Lucario stood up after that, backing up a few steps before relaxing and crossing his arms once again. "If there's anyone you can trust to do this right, it's him, Amanda."

With a soft sigh, Amanda looked back down at the ground and closed her eyes. She could back out now if she wanted to, as Lucario had said. There were always other opportunities out there if she looked hard enough, she was just looking in the wrong spot. With a few more days she could probably find another position somewhere that would get her the money she needed.

She didn't have a few days however: not if she expected to get the money on time. Any new job she did acquire would most likely not pay her til the end of the month, and it would most certainly not be anywhere the amount she would get for accepting this one. She's never been curious about what it would be like to have sex with a pokemon, but now that she was considering the option she soon found the thought not as disturbing as she once did.

"I guess I'm scared," she admitted finally, "you only hear about this kind of thing on forums and occasionally in the news. It's not... like... normal, you know?" Lucario chuckled quietly and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's more common than the news would tell you," he explained, "Dr. Jamesson has done case studies on the matter, and found about fifteen percent of trainers have explored some kind of intimate contact with their Pokemon." Amanda looked at him skeptically, surprised at the statistic. Rubbing her fingers together she slowly stood back up and looked at the three Pokemon in the room. Charizard and Typhlosion looked over at her, both giving her similarly kind smiles. She didn't feel she had anything to fear from these three, despite how powerful they all looked. Turning her gaze to Lucario, she looked him over for a few moments.

"If I accept the job..." she said with a cautious tone, "would you... you know... I'd feel most comfortable with you... first." The steel-type's eyes shone slightly, so slightly she barely even noticed. He gave her a smile and held out a paw, cupping her hand and holding it reassuringly.

"It's difficult for us too," he said, "none of us have ever had this kind of contact with a human either." Amanda's eyes widened and she suddenly felt quite foolish; she hadn't even thought of their own wishes in all of this.

"We want to help Robert a lot," he continued, nodding his head, "and we also want to help everyone else out. Humans who love their Pokemon are something that should be encouraged, and by giving them a chance like this, we hope more people will form lasting bonds with their trainers. For Pokemon like us... deserted by those who should have cared for us... we can only hope to further the efforts of our new carer. We're his Pokemon, but it never feels like it; he's more committed to his research, and so we feel like his assistants. It's wonderful to be respected like that. Blaziken was his first Pokemon, however, and so she'll always be special to him. But we, as Pokemon who were given a second chance by him, will do whatever we can to see his dream become a reality." Amanda listened to every word intently, her mind made up by his speech. It was a job... but it was an important one. If not for her, then for many others out there.

"Okay," she said finally, clasping her hands together nervously, "I... I'll do it. I'll take the job." The three Pokemon in the room lit up with smiles as she spoke those words, and Lucario released her hand and looked at her fondly.

"If you go speak to the doctor, he'll give you the right forms to fill out and then you'll probably have to swallow one of the pills. After that... come back here and you and I can discuss things further. I promise that we'll go at your own pace, you can stop at any time, and I'll do my utmost best to make sure you're content." Lucario smiled again as he spoke, and Amanda nodded and turned towards the door. Taking a few steps forward she reached for the handle, when she heard him speak once again.

"Thank you," the jackal-like Pokemon said sincerely, "it'll mean a lot to Robert. You're... a very beautiful woman." She blushed profusely at his final sentence, and quickly moved through the door before he could see her red face. Walking back down through the corridor, his words echoed in her mind. She'd never been called beautiful by a Pokemon before, and knowing what they might be doing soon, it left her feeling flustered. A few seconds later she arrived back at the office, and taking a deep, calming breath, she opened the door and stepped through. Sitting at the desk in front of her, the doctor looked up from his notes, while the Blaziken smiled at her from across the room.

"I've decided to go through with the program," Amanda said, taking a deep breath and feeling an odd excitement well up inside her when the words spilled from her mouth.

"Oh, excellent," Dr. Jamesson said, opening his arms enthusiastically as a giant, warm smile spread across his face. "You have no idea how pleased I am! I mean, years of research and hope have been dependant on a someone like you agreeing to this but I never imagined I would find someone so soon, especially someone who's never even considered a carnal relationship with a Pokemon, or even owning one for that matter. What changed your mind?"

Amanda looked up at the Doctor and Blaziken as she considered her answer. "I suppose it was the money, in the end," she said. "I realized what kind of trouble I would be in if I didn't accept. I need this to keep my home."

"Hm," Dr. Jamesson said, leaning back in his chair and giving her an incredulous look. "I would hate to think that your circumstances forced you into doing this Amanda. It almost feels like blackmail on our parts if that's the case, are you sure you want to do this?" It was at that moment that Blaziken cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the room.

"I don't think that's the full truth Richard," the Pokemon said to the Doctor before smiling at Amanda with a knowing expression. "This job is much more than simply a means to income, it's a way of securing a happier future for all. Is that not right Amanda?"

Amanda looked down in nervousness at the Pokemon's gaze. "I suppose for some it is..."

"You're the perfect one for this kind of project Amanda," Blaziken continued. "Someone that has no previous knowledge or even thoughts of mating with a Pokemon is going to make this experiment much more successful than if we hired someone with experience. All around the world there are people like you that don't expect anything from their Pokemon. Sometimes..." she paused and winked at Dr. Jamesson. "A connection can just... happen."

Dr. Jamesson smiled at this and pushed a few papers he'd been getting ready across his desk, putting a pen down next to them. "Whenever you wish, simply sign the bottom of this contract here," he said. "Take all the time you need to read it."

As she tried to decipher the wink that passed between the other two occupants in the room, Amanda pulled up one of the chairs and sat down in front of the contract in front of her. In normal circumstances, she would've simply signed it without and question and moved on; however, for this job she would've an idiot to not read absolutely everything before subjecting herself to the treatment.

There were the expected sections regarding her safety in the process, and the conduct she was expected to follow. She would need to remain at the lab during the week for them to monitor her health, and spend the night to obviously... commit the act. Free time would be allotted during the weekends but even then, any alcohol or other substances were completely prohibited while she was on the pill. There were several pages outlining every possibility, though none of it seemed suspicious or unexpected. Every expectation was clearly defined, leaving no room for ambiguity. She paused however, when she reached a section near the end.

"Professor, what is this part near the end about 'ownership?' Amanda asked. "I'm not sure I understand."

The doctor nodded at the question before answering, placing his fingers on the bottom of his chin in thought. "Yes, that section is unclear for a reason," he said before leaning forwards and tapping a finger down on the page where the section began. "In the event that the experiment is successful, you will become pregnant with Pokemon offspring. Once they are born, they will need the utmost care, and need to be monitored for quite some time before I'll be confident that there are no side effects. Afterwards however, they would be yours if you chose; or, you could leave them with me. It will be up to you to decide."

Amanda stared at the page for a few minutes longer, her thoughts muddled with the arrival of this new complexity. She hadn't considered what would happen afterwards, or what would happen with her if she ended up being able to get pregnant from having sex with a Pokemon.

"We can always discuss it at length when the times comes, you may not know what you want now," Dr. Jamesson said. "In the end, we'll both have to do what we firmly believe to be best for the Pokemon. I'm sure you understand."

After a few more moments, Amanda slowly lifted her hand, took the pen in her hand, and signed the bottom of the page. "Yes, I do," she agreed. The doctor seemed visibly relieved by her signature, and he quickly took the documents and filed them away in one of his many cabinets.

"Wonderful, I'm glad to have you on the team. The money will be sent to you in weekly installments to an account you can discuss with me a little later on, provided you keep to the rules of the contract. Other than that, we can get you started right away. It should be more than enough to compensate you for your work, I daresay." Amanda nodded in agreement, relieved that she wouldn't have to lose her apartment for a couple of years. It was more than enough time to find another job after that to keep her Goldenrod City apartment safe.

She watched as the doctor scribbled a few notes and passed them to the Blaziken, before standing and walking over to another cabinet across the room. Taking a key from his lanyard, he opened the lock and took out a small pack of pills. He walked back to Amanda and placed it in her hand, giving her instructions.

"Take one of these once a day when you wake up, and you'll become fertile for the entire day. However, the pills cannot affect your natural human cycle, so if you wouldn't be able to have a child to a human man on that day, then even taking the pill will not allow it. That is why this is a one month trial; we have to wait until you're receptive naturally before the drug can kick in." He stepped back and gave her a brief smile, before Blaziken sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll have to couple with at least one of them per day," the fire-type explained, "that's why we're offering you three males, in case one isn't able or willing on any given day. And... perhaps for a little variety, too, it never hurts." Amanda blushed while the Pokemon spoke, but she nodded anyway. It was a somewhat daunting task; she had to have sex a minimum of thirty times in the next month, when she hadn't even had boyfriend since high school. It'd been a few years since she'd had any intimate contact with a man. Popping open the bottle of pills, she looked inside and saw they were all small, round tablets, white in color. She took one out and looked at it, seeing the letters PFC-X1 etched into the side by a machine.

"Got a glass of water?" she asked, and the Blaziken swiftly went to the tap and poured one out for her. Handing her the glass, she took it and popped the pill in her mouth, quickly chasing it down with a large gulp of the clean water. She finished off the rest of the glass, and placed it back down on the table. It felt almost anticlimactic; nothing was really any different. She knew internally the drug might be making her able to be knocked up by a Pokemon, but there didn't seem to be any sign of it.

"There's no side effects," Robert told her, "we've done enough testing to know it's entirely safe and painless. We just haven't been allowed human trials until this point due to regulations and legal annoyances, but now we can. Now, when you think you're ready, you should go back out to the Pokemon, I'm sure that getting to know them better might help ease you into the process."

"Thanks," she said sincerely, slowly getting to her feet, "I'll do that then. I hope I don't make a fool of myself." The doctor laughed and moved over to the door, opening it for her.

"We don't monitor anything in there," he said with a smile, "for your own privacy. I'll be asking you and the Pokemon how things are going, but I won't pry into any details. I just need to be sure my investment is following the contact, I'm sure you can understand." She nodded and shook his hand once again, before stepping through and hearing the door close behind her. Up ahead was the Pokemon room, and with nervous steps she began to walk down the hall.

The next month was going to be very interesting indeed.

***

More to come in Chapter 2!