FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was quite common for the traditional ‘trainer’s journey’ to start when one was a teenager, or even just before. A time of life of self-discovery and establishing one’s identity, and asserting independence in their lives as they grew into themselves…at one time it had been far less of an accepted thing, more of a rebellion against those who wanted to keep their young in line and in order, but as that grew more common, those who had taken the journey had started to actively encourage it, to the point where it was quite common for one to go off on their own if they had dreams of really getting into the world of Pokémon in some way. Not all journeys lasted long, and it wouldn’t turn out to be the thing for everyone, but those were all parts of self-discovery as well.

However, it wasn’t uncommon for some people to start later, as well. There could be any number of reasons - maybe they hadn’t been interested before but had become interested in training later on; perhaps something had kept them home for a long time and they had to get a late start against their wishes; or, maybe an event in their lives had seen them wanting or needing a change, and this was the one they sought. In some cases the additional life experience made the journey smoother; in others, their connections to a more established life made it feel more arduous. How well it would work out depended on the personality.

Vance was one of those who was starting later, and for a little of all of those reasons. His life had revolved around taking care of his ailing mother throughout his teenage years, with no other family to help out and neighbors unable to commit to the amount of care she had needed. It was a duty he didn’t resent, but it was stressful, not knowing how she would fare day to day, watching her slowly dwindle despite everyone’s best efforts. To some, the passing of their charge could be seen as a relief in some ways, even if they didn’t want to express it that way - it was a lot, and took up a lot of one’s own life to be a caretaker like that. Vance didn’t seem to take it that way…when his mother finally went to Yveltal just after his 19th birthday, it was clearly a blow to him that didn’t seem tempered by his life opening up.

It had taken a few months to set all the rest of the affairs in order, and then Vance made the abrupt decision to leave, and take the trainer’s journey. He’d never shown much interest in Pokémon before, but he’d been seized by the grip of loneliness in the wake of his mother’s passing, and the reminders were all too painful…he needed to leave, to get his head in order elsewhere. Maybe he’d be able to come back in time, but it would have to be a while. And, having nowhere really to go, the wandering of a journey like this seemed like it could be therapeutic for him.

Getting a starter Pokémon was usually an easy thing. Pretty much any town or city of non-trivial size had an administrator who gave Pokémon to starting trainers; they received them from controlled facilities designed to keep lines of specific Pokémon which were considered effective starting Pokémon - relatively capable and quickly battle-ready, and able to handle the weaker Pokémon that tended to be closest to residential areas. Vance had known the administrator of his town fairly well - Gloria had helped take care of his mother here and there, cooking and cleaning when things got a little too overwhelming for Vance to take care of, he usually did most of that but when his mother was in a bad state it just could get to be too much. She had been one of the first to suggest this for him, and he was looking forward to what she felt would be a good match for him.

He hadn’t really counted on one troublesome complication: Mick.

Mick was one of those people who had never really grown out of the schoolyard bully mentality. A very might-makes-right-and-I-am-the-might type of person, who was used to using threats and intimidation to get his way, and thus had never developed the tools to make things happen for him in more mature ways, like common sense, critical thinking, teamwork and communication, and the like. He wasn’t well-liked around town and didn’t care, so long as he could push people around - and one thing he did have was the size to do so, being tall and thick and obvious about it. Vance was one of the few people who didn’t experience a lot of Mick’s worst, but not for lack of trying - he was so focused on his mother that he mostly just ignored Mick, and while that earned him some annoyed shoves here and there, Mick didn’t have much he could get out of him as a result, so he focused his efforts elsewhere. But there was no question Mick didn’t like Vance, and he wasn’t going to miss that annoyance.

So when he showed up at Gloria’s place the morning he was to get his first Pokémon, he wasn’t expecting to see Mick there, trying to show his full size up at Gloria and clearly getting heated. He had a lot of it to show, he was tall, broad, and aggressive, that short buzz-cut making him look almost punkish, wearing light enough clothes to show off the most of his frame. Gloria wasn’t exactly a large person, and Vance wasn’t sure how she was keeping herself upright in front of that imposing sight. “I said NO, Mick. And that means NO.”

“The fuck it does! You have to give me a Pokémon!”

“No, I don’t, and I’m not going to. You haven’t passed the tests, you haven’t proven yourself suitable. My job is to make sure everyone does things by protocol, not to sate whatever weird desires you have all of a sudden.”

Mick growled a bit. “You’d better rethink that, or I might just have to get ROUGH with you.”

“You lay a hand on me and Jenner will make you regret all your life’s choices.” Vance had to think that was the only reason Mick hadn’t already gone that far - Gloria’s Mabosstiff was not one to go easy on anyone who got rough with her. He was a complete muffin otherwise, but Vance had seen him angry…not even at him, and yet it had put the fear of Arceus in him.

Loathe though he was to put Mick’s attention on him, he felt like intervening now would be a good thing. “Gloria? Is something wrong?”

Mick jerked his head towards Vance, and snorted. “Take a hike, momma’s boy. I have business here, and you aren’t part of it.”

“I have business here too, and you’re even less a part of that,” Vance replied tiredly. ‘Momma’s Boy’ was Mick’s favorite insult for him, and it wasn’t exactly helping his mood to hear it with her death still fairly fresh. “And I’m fairly sure I’m not going to be acting like an idiot towards her for it, so I’m guessing she’d prefer to deal with me.”

“I was here first!”

“And you’re leaving first,” stated Gloria sharply. “Beat it, Mick. You’re not getting a Pokémon today. I doubt you’re going to get a Pokémon from me ever, because I don’t give victims to bullies.”

“But you’ll give one to HIM?!” Mick jabbed a finger towards Vance. “That pasty little wuss doesn’t deserve anything! Give me the Pokémon you were gonna give to him! Come on, this is so stupid, I deserve one!”

“No, you don’t! You’re the last person who should have one! Try not being a complete jackass for once in your life, maybe you’ll deserve something!”

“Fuck you! I’d like to see you stop me!” Mick looked for all the world like he was going to push the issue, literally…until another voice spoke up from the doorway.

“Is there a problem here?” All eyes turned towards the doorway, where a Mabosstiff was standing at attention. Jenner’s face had something that looked like a very toothy smile on it…but if you knew a Mabosstiff, you knew that smile was the last warning you got before your world was pain. And even a dipshit like Mick knew better than to try to tangle with a Pokémon like that. Sourly, he shot one last nasty look at all of them before turning heel and stomping off petulantly.

“…I’m almost disappointed, to be honest.” Jenner dropped the smile, returning to the doleful look that Mabosstiff usually had at rest. “I’d really like to Double-Edge him someday.”

“He’s a classic bully - once there’s a bigger fish he scurries away.” Gloria sighed, putting a hand on her chest. “That was more terrifying than I wanted it to be…it’s hard keeping firm in his face like that.”

“You did great, Gloria…I don’t think I could’ve even put up the image,” Vance said with a shake of his head.

“You’ll get there. I think this is gonna do you a world of good, Vance. And I think I’ve got just the partner for you, too. Hey, Avell! Come on out here!”

Gloria’s call inside was answered with the click-clacking of clawed footsteps. Jenner moved a little out of the way as the small Pokémon emerged - a Chespin, with an eager little smile on his face. “Hiya! You’re Vance, right? Gloria said I was gonna be going with you!”

“That’s right,” Vance said with a warm smile as he reached down to shake Avell’s hand. “Chespin, huh? And your name’s Avell? Nice to meet you.”

“A Chespin felt like the perfect Pokémon for someone like you,” said Gloria. “Very friendly and frequently sociable, so they’ll be good at keeping you company while you’re out there. And they grow into powerful Chesnaughts, who are very dedicated guardians…you’ve spent a lot of time caring for someone, and if there’s anything that’ll help your spirit recharge, it’s having someone to also be taking care of you and lifting that burden off of you a good bit. Avell here should be a great help to you.”

“Thanks, Gloria.” Vance lifted up Avell in his arms, holding him close as he nuzzled Vance sweetly. “I really appreciate this…I think it’s gonna make a huge difference for me.”

“It often does, and almost always in the good way,” Gloria agreed with a nod. “Good luck out there, Vance…I hope you find a lot out there for yourself.”

“Thank you, Gloria. I’m going to remember everything you did for me…someday I’ll be able to come back with a clear head, and I hope I’ll be able to see you again and we can catch up.”

“I’ll call that a promise!” Gloria waved as Vance went off, Avell chittering excitedly about what was coming up. Despite the unexpected intrusion, things were going well…but, he was making sure to keep an eye out for Mick, just in case he tried to make good on his promise. The last thing Vance wanted was to have a partner he was rapidly warming up to get taken from him by someone who didn’t deserve him…

———

Thankfully, Vance found his next few days refreshingly Mick-free, giving him all the time he could hope for to get familiar with his new partner. Avell was just as advertised, exceptionally friendly and easygoing, happy to get to know all about his trainer, and empathizing very strongly with his situation. Already Vance could pick up on that protectiveness, apparently even Chespins could want to be the shield for their trainer, even if they weren’t quite as well-suited for it yet. It had him feeling good about what the future held, though…he wasn’t looking to be a master-class trainer, and wasn’t even sure yet if he wanted to be picking up other Pokémon at all, so having one that was determined to keep him safe was definitely the best-case scenario.

It was a few weeks before they really hit the road, Vance making extra sure to prepare himself as best he could, knowing that it was going to be a long time before he was back. He wasn’t exactly the most familiar with the wild, so he didn’t want to rush into it and get himself into trouble. Thankfully, Avell was more than willing to help advise him, even though he was lab-bred he had a good instinct for the wild, and had heard plenty of stories about these things from others at the lab, from Pokémon who had been in the wild for a good portion of their lives. Between that and Vance’s own research, he was able to get to the point where he felt reasonably confident about things.

And so, off they went, departing on their journey with only a scant few goodbyes - Vance was feeling less than eager to rehash with everyone he knew, the less he talked with others the easier it would be to actually take the first step. Once they were out of town, he rapidly felt himself unwinding and relaxing…it was cathartic, in a way, to get away from that place that had stressed him out so much, even if by no fault of its own. Like he was leaving the weight of it behind…maybe the next time he got back, the weight would still be in the background, letting him enjoy what had been his home once again.

Of course, he got his reminders that he was still a novice trainer, too…and rather quickly at that, as the day he left was willing to provide a reminder. A fierce battle with a wild Pikipek left Avell smarting and needing some attention. Vance had tried to guide him but hadn’t been exactly the quickest or most adept at it, and he was fussing over Avell as he sprayed a Potion onto him. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have suggested Vine Whip, I just panicked…”

“It’s fine, Vance,” replied Avell, sounding a bit tired but still in good spirits. “I was gonna take a beak to the face no matter what I did, and a Rollout isn’t exactly a sure-fire solution.”

“It still would have been better,” sighed Vance. “Or a Growl or two to take the edge off…I’ll get better at this, I promise.”

“I know you will! And I will, too! I’ll learn some better moves to make sure those annoying birds don’t harass you. Or me…I think they’re gonna kinda be a problem for me in general.”

“Huh? Oh, wait, yeah, Chesnaughts are Fighting-Types, too…” Vance rubbed his head as he returned the potion bottle to his backpack. “Jeez. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have some back-up…I don’t think I’m ready for that yet, though. I’ll just have to make sure you’re in good shape after they come at us…ngh, but is that really the right thing? I don’t want you to be hurt…”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry, Vance,” Avell said warmly. “I’m a Pokémon, we’re made to take a few blows, especially from other Pokémon. Better you than me, you’re not built that way, so don’t worry about letting me take the brunt of it. A few thumps aren’t a big deal…it’s the long game that matters more, right?”

“The long game?”

“Yeah, that’s what someone at the lab said a lot. As long as you’re making progress towards your goal, stumbling here and there isn’t gonna be that big a deal. Like, for me, if I wanna be a big, strong Chesnaught someday, I’m gonna have to get into some battles, and I’m gonna have to be willing to lose them if I’m gonna get into them - but even if I lose some, if they get me closer to being how I wanna be, then it’s a good thing in the end, even if it doesn’t feel good in the moment. I like the way they put it, it makes it feel less like a problem if I struggle with something or don’t win a match.”

Vance smiled a bit, patting Avell on the head. “I like the way you think…I’ll work on trying to think like that, too. It’ll be a bit new for me, though…I think the last time I had a ‘long game’ to look at, it was only gonna end one way and that one way was badly. Thinking in the moment was the only way I could handle things…”

That smile was fading fast, and Avell quickly grabbed Vance’s hand and help it firmly. “Hey, hey, hey, now…you said we were gonna leave stuff like that behind, right? Don’t go grabbing it and dragging it with you now! We’ve got new things to look forward to, and you’ll have plenty of time to look back when you’re feeling better about things, right?”

Vance bowed his head. “Yeah, you’re right…that’s something for me to work on, too, I guess. Let’s keep going, then…I think the more distance I get, the easier it’ll be.”

“That’s the spirit!” chittered Avell happily. “Let’s make sure the wildies out here know who’s boss!”

Hopefully the answer is us, though I’ll need to be a BIT better at the commands if I want that to happen. Still, Vance was feeling the energy from his Chespin buddy, and that was helping to buoy him. With Avell at his side, surely he could face down what he needed to…

———

A week later, though, that viewpoint was going to be put to the test in an entirely unexpected and unwelcome way.

Vance and Avell had made their way to a small town and rested for a day, and now they were a day out from that and well on their own in the woods. It had been fairly uneventful to start, something Vance was grateful for, as it was helping him get his bearings a bit - he was getting a bit snappier at the commands, though still sometimes jumping too quickly to the first one that popped into his head. Which was basically always Vine Whip, not the optimal choice against the bird Pokémon and floral Pokémon that were most of their opponents. The latter, at least, weren’t much more effective against Avell, though the former could give them some trouble…Avell was getting much more comfortable with Rollout, though, which ensured that he’d be giving plenty, even if he usually got as well. Vance was making sure to stay stocked up on Oran Berries and Potions, and letting Avell rest after battles to keep his energy up. It wasn’t always pretty or easy, but he seemed like he was getting into the swing of things.

They were resting after one such battle with a Pidove, which thankfully wasn’t quite as much of a problem as the Pikipek or Spearow that could show up around there. Though that wasn’t the only thing that could be a problem, it seemed…

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Avell rubbed his head, grinning somewhat abashedly. “More a wound to my pride than anything. I musta looked like a total goof careening into that tree.”

“I worry about how wild that Rollout attack looks,” Vance remarked with a shake of his head. “I’m surprised it hits anything, sometimes…”

“Hard to steer yourself when the whole world’s spinning around you! At least the second one connected, though, I think that Pidove was enjoying my folly too much to notice I was coming for him again.” Avell seemed unbothered by it for the most part, which Vance somewhat envied; the Chespin was good at letting things go, a skill Vance was still working on developing. At least he was given ample opportunity to learn by example…

“You’re definitely getting stronger, though. They’re having a harder time weathering your attacks than they used to. I didn’t think it would happen so quickly…”

“Heh, it always looks like a lot early on, but I’m sure it’ll seem slower later…I just started being actually trained, so I have a lot of growing I can do early on, but they say once you’re more experienced it seems like the gains are slower.”

Vance nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised. Just gotta keep working at it to see the rewards, I guess…and have a lot of patience when it seems like things aren’t going anywhere.”

Avell was about to respond when another voice, out of nowhere, popped in rudely - one the Chespin didn’t know but Vance knew all too well. “Or you could NOT be a lame loser and get a strong Pokémon right at the start. But a momma’s boy like you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

Vance leapt to his feet and wheeled around before the voice stopped speaking, though he didn’t need to see who it was to know who it was. “Mick! What the hell?! W-were you following me?!”

“Tch. Duh. Easy as fuck, too, you’re an idiot who doesn’t know how to even look behind you half the time.” Mick stepped forward with a smug look on his face. “You thought I was just gonna let that go, back then? You getting a Pokémon you didn’t deserve and denying me? I can’t take it out on the bitch, but you’re just as much at fault for that, and I’m gonna make sure YOU pay, at least.”

“Is this that guy you were talking about?” Avell was taking a combative stance already, glowering at Mick. “Sheeze, you really DO sound like a jerk!”

Vance clenched his jaw. “I swear, Mick, I don’t care what they say the rules are, if you try to take Avell from me, I WILL give him the go-ahead to attack you.”

Mick snorted. “Why would I want that little bitch rat? You know, I was pissed when I didn’t get him before, but when I thought about it, it was pretty obvious that weaklings go with weaklings. And I don’t want a weakling, I want a REAL Pokémon. The bitch might not give me one, but Poké Balls are cheap and, you know, there’s lots of places that don’t check if you have a trainer’s license. So I got myself a REAL Pokémon, and now I’m gonna put you in your place, momma’s boy.”

Vance watched as Mick pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket - no belt, probably to keep from flaunting it and drawing attention to himself - and causally tossed it it front of him. It burst open, and out popped a Pokémon Vance hadn’t seen before except in pictures - a Raticate. His eyes widened - that was a BIG Pokémon compared to what they’d fought before! And he looked mean and nasty, seemingly a perfect match for Mick…even the same smugness as he regarded the Chespin, his ostensible opponent. “Well, well, well…that’s the ‘little rodent’ that rejected you? Hah, no wonder, he looks as useless as it gets.”

“Couldn’t even TRY to hold a candle to you, Gnawty,” agreed Mick with a twisted grin. “Why don’t you show ‘em what a proper rodent can do?”

Vance took a nervous step back, looking around for a possible opening for escape…but even as he did, he knew it was futile, they weren’t in a dense woods and he couldn’t really hide from Mick anywhere, and he wasn’t even sure he could outpace the bigger man. A battle was inevitable, he had to steel himself for it. “Avell, go for Vine Whip!” he shouted nervously, he didn’t really have a lot of options so the default was what popped through first.

Avell pulled his arm back and then swung, lashing out with his natural vines. Vance was hoping to see whether it would do that much to Gnawty, to give him a gauge of how tough the Raticate was…he wasn’t expecting Gnawty to leap away and make it miss completely. How could something that looked so thick be so FAST? Avell tried to follow up, but he wasn’t able to keep up with the Raticate, and he hadn’t figured out how to anticipate his opponent’s motions to try to catch him off-guard, so it was all vines hitting the ground ineffectually while Gnawty leapt around him.

“Hah! What a wuss!” guffawed Mick. “Gnawty, show him a REAL move! Hyper Fang!”

Vance saw Gnawty grin just a brief moment before he launched into the attack. He wanted to tell Avell to look out, but his voice was frozen…the attack connected, and it hit HARD, sending the Chespin sprawling and tumbling. He was slow to rise, breathing hard from the blow, worse than any other Vance had seem take. “Avell!”

“Just as I thought…worthless!” Mick was reveling in his clear advantage. “Why would anyone bother with a weak little bitch of a Pokémon when you have a Raticate with Hyper Fang? You don’t even need anything more, look how effective it is! But I doubt a pathetic momma’s boy like you could even handle something as big and tough as a Raticate, you don’t have the stones for it.”

“Hff…you…talk way too much…” grunted Avell as he shakily rose up.

“Avell, Growl!” Vance was scrambling now, trying to find a way out of this. Growl would at least blunt the effect of follow-up attacks, but it wasn’t going to win him the battle…the thing was, he didn’t know what WOULD win him the battle. Rollout wasn’t going to work any better than Vine Whip against something that was clearly superior in speed…and he somehow doubted that Avell’s recently-learned Bite attack was going to be anywhere near as effective as that Hyper Fang. Right now he wanted Avell to be able to recover and maybe avoid the next attack, give him a chance to think about things…

Avell went for the Growl, but it had Gnawty just chittering in amusement as he took it. “That’s your big plan? Useless! I’m so far above you that it’ll barely matter!”

“Finish him with another Hyper Fang!” commanded Mick with a wide grin. “Show him how a REAL Pokémon fights!”

“Avell, get out of the way!” yelped Vance as Gnawty rushed in. Avell did try, the idea was sound, but the disparity in speed was far too great - Avell simply couldn’t evade fast enough to keep the bigger mon from connecting. A pained squeal erupted from him as he went tumbling again, and this time he couldn’t make himself rise again, his shaky arms collapsing under him as he flopped back down. Vance’s heart sank…there was no hiding from the outcome, he’d lost.

And Mick had won, and he was making sure he knew it. “Never a doubt! It’s as I always said, weaklings always hang with weaklings. What a pathetic display, pretending like you’re a real trainer when you don’t have a Pokémon worth a shit!”

Vance felt a lot worse about the insults towards Avell than himself…his Chespin surely didn’t deserve that, it had to be more his fault that they’d lost, he hadn’t been able to adapt at all. “What do you want, Mick? I don’t have much money, if that’s what you’re after…”

“Psh. I don’t need your measly coins. Besides, it’s Gnawty who’s gonna get the reward anyway.” Mick’s grin widened malevolently. “Oy, Gnawty, go ahead and show ‘em what we do to LOSERS around here.”

“Hah, gladly.” The Raticate trotted over to the downed Chespin, making Vance’s eyes widen. What the hell were they doing, you weren’t supposed to go after a downed Pokémon! But it got worse as Gnawty lifted his leg a bit, and showed Vance exactly what his intentions were - as a long, pink shaft pushed out from between his legs.

It helped him find his voice at least. “Wh-what are you doing?! Stop that!”

“Oh, we’re NOT stopping,” Mick declared evilly. “And just so we’re CLEAR on it, if you try to recall him to his ball, Gnawty here’s gonna be using YOU instead. You’re gonna WATCH as he takes it like a good little bitch mon, got it?”

Vance had almost started reaching for his Poké Ball already when that warning came through…and it paralyzed him. The thought of Avell being raped by the Raticate was terrifying, but himself at least as much so…and his self-preservation instinct made him freeze, keeping him from doing what he’d intended to do. Part of him was arguing that it should have been him anyway, it was more his fault than Avell’s, but he couldn’t resolve it, and could only watch helplessly as Gnawty roughly rolled Avell onto his side, gripping him tightly as he lined up…it HAD to be deliberate, making a display of it as he prepared to defile the Chespin in front of his trainer. Vance was giving his most fervent hope that it was a ruse, that Mick would call it off…but at the some time, he knew that Mick would NEVER be that merciful.

And he wasn’t. Avell cried out sharply as Gnawty speared in, and not remotely gently either. The Raticate’s dick was big enough compared to Avell that it made Vance cringe, it might not have compared to a larger Pokémon but it looked bad enough just the way it was. He made sure Avell couldn’t escape, arms wrapped around as much as they could in a tight hold, fangs clamped down dangerously onto the Chespin’s shoulder, not piercing but threatening to if he tried anything. Avell didn’t seem to be able to do anything but squirm and mewl out uncomfortably, torturing Vance as he tried to convince himself to get Avell out of this mess…but even though he was bigger, he wasn’t sure he could handle that Raticate attacking him and using his ass the same way, to say nothing of whether Mick would do the same…the thought of having to let Mick do anything to him was so violently repulsive that it continued to stay his hand, despite the self-recrimination.

And of course, Mick was going to rub salt into the wounds, as he let out a cruel laugh. “Hah! Just as I thought, the bitch’s getting into it!” He pointed at Avell, whose own cock, pointed and dotted with very short little barbs, was pushing out of his usually-hidden sheath. “Just proves how much of a pathetic weakling you are, getting off to being raped!” It was almost an accusation leveled as much at Vance as Avell, despite the fact that Vance wasn’t even a participant…but he felt certain that Mick believed absolutely that every trainer was exactly like their Pokémon.

He saw Avell open one eye briefly to shoot an irritated look at Mick, but it didn’t last as Gnawty picked up the pace, slamming in forcefully with an aroused murr. Vance’s face burned a bit as he could hear the lust creeping into Avell’s groans, even if it was clear it was unwillingly so…of course this had to be just as deliberate. Gnawty probably could have been even rougher and nastier, but this wasn’t just about getting his rocks off, it was about humiliation…and Vance was feeling plenty humiliated. How useless was he, watching his Pokémon be raped and made to respond to it, and being too much of a coward to step in? Even if he knew it would end badly for him, surely he should have done something, right?

But…what? He had no other Pokémon. He couldn’t stand up to Mick physically or mentally…even if he tried to run, he was convinced that if Mick ordered him to stop, he would, even as much as he didn’t want to, because he was just that intimidated. Maybe that was what Mick was hoping for, him to try to abort what was happening just so he could destroy Vance completely…

Not that he didn’t seem to be closing in on that now, the way he was taunting Avell. “That’s right, you little bitch rat, cum from being raped like a good slut. Bet you wish you’d gone with me, now, huh? Maybe you would’ve been something better than a Raticate’s cocksleeve. But that’s what you deserve, hitching yourself to trash. You’ll never be anything better than this, so enjoy it! And show Gnawty how much you enjoy it, too!”

Avell, for his part, wasn’t noticeably responding to the taunts, but it was clear he was faltering in whatever meager resistance he was putting up to Gnawty. His strained cries were twisted with reluctance and unbidden pleasure, his body was tensing up…the Raticate was merciless, driving in forcefully with very deliberate strokes, trying to push him to his climax…Vance might have been a virgin but he wasn’t naïve, he’d seen porn, he’d seen Pokémon mating videos, he could tell what was happening. Sure, some of those were played for effect, but this was just as much played for effect, they were TRYING to get that response, because it was what they wanted to see.

And they got it. Avell cried out once more as he stiffened and came, shooting somewhat thick fluid from his barbed cock as he clamped down involuntarily on Gnawty’s dick. This spurred the Raticate on, suddenly he was slamming in hard, letting loose all that energy that had been pent up from his efforts to work Avell over, and finally he let out a scratchy screech as he slammed in all the way…Vance could swear he could see a ripple in Avell’s body to showcase the shots of Raticate cum being fired into him, though maybe it was his imagination punishing him for his weakness and inability to step in. The evidence of it was made much less ambiguous as he saw whiteness leaking out of Avell’s rear around where that dick was pierced in, undeniable physical proof of his defiling at the hands of Mick’s Pokémon.

Apparently just to add a bit of insult to injury, Gnawty pulled out before he was done, letting Avell out of his arms to slump onto the ground, before shooting a final few splats of seed onto the Chespin’s back…while Vance could only realize that Avell’s front was probably messy with his own fluids, he’d been dropped right onto them. The Raticate chittered in amusement as he stepped around Avell. “Easiest bitch I’ve had so far. Most satisfying one, too…a weakling refusing you deserves what he gets.”

“As it should be.” Mick sounded so twistedly smug, he was clearly loving the sight of Vance and Avell having been defeated and humiliated so thoroughly. “Now maybe you know your place, momma’s boy. You’ll never be a thing compared to me…once a weakling, always a weakling. Maybe next time I’ll have another Pokémon and you’ll get to share…heh, maybe I won’t even have to beat you down first, see if you remember where you belong. ’Til next time, bitch…”

Vance could only watch as Mick receded into the woods with Gnawty, leaving him alone in his despondence. Things couldn’t really have gone any worse than they had…not only losing the Pokémon battle, but being forced to watch his partner being punished for that loss in a pretty nasty way, unable to do anything about it…or maybe it was more appropriate to say unwilling, which was even worse. What good was he as a trainer if he couldn’t protect his partner from something like that? Maybe this whole thing had been a mistake, and Avell was paying the price for it…would he be better off trudging back home in defeat and leaving the Chespin with someone who could do better by him? Maybe Avell would be, at least…

“Nnnghh…” Vance started and looked over at Avell, who had flopped onto his back, still leaking Gnawty’s seed from his rear end, his fur a mess all over. “Cruuuud…that coulda gone…a whole lot better…”

“Avell!” Vance suddenly remembered himself and rushed over, grabbing his bag and getting some medicine out. He quickly got a Revive into the Chespin’s hands, and Avell downed the medicine languidly. “I’m so sorry…I…I should’ve done something, I…I failed you…”

“Hey, hey, easy…” Avell sat up, still looking weary but trying to give his trainer a reassuring smile nonetheless. “Sorry to have worried you…I didn’t see that coming at all, maybe I shoulda been more prepared for it. Damn, that guy really IS a jerk…”

“I should’ve known he wouldn’t let things go…” Vance shook his head sadly. “It was stupid of me to think I could get away from him…from anything…I…maybe I’m not cut out for this…you got hurt because of me…”

“Don’t think like that, buddy. That’s not gonna help anything, believe me.” Avell got to his feet, a little wobbly in the legs but forcing himself through it to get over to Vance and hold him tight. It transferred a bit of the mess to Vance’s clothing, but Vance couldn’t care one bit about that. “Yeah, that didn’t go well…but sometimes that happens. And I’m glad that, in spite of everything, that asshole Raticate didn’t get a chance to do anything to you…I was so worried that he was going to turn on you after he was done with me, no matter what that jerk said.”

“Avell, I…” Vance sniffed a bit as he passed an Oran Berry to the Chespin. “I should’ve done something…I should’ve been the one to have to deal with that, not you. You were…I let him…I made you…”

“Vance, that’s what I’m here for. I’m here to protect you. That means sometimes I’m the one who’s gonna take the blows…more than sometimes, really. But that’s what I’m made for. You didn’t ‘make me’ do anything that I wasn’t already trying to do. I may not have WANTED it, but I wanted it to be me rather than you. I can handle a dick up the tailpipe if that’s what’s going to happen…in the wild, sometimes that’s the best outcome you can reasonably hope for. Definitely wasn’t as nice as those Charmanders back at the lab, but I guess you can’t expect much from a dickhead Raticate. But I would’ve been in agony if it had been you instead…I would’ve been the failure there, if I can’t handle this then I shouldn’t be relied on by anyone.”

Vance wasn’t certain he was entirely convinced, despite the earnestness of Avell’s statements. “I…I don’t know if I should be making you have to go that far for me, Avell. I know you’re here to protect me, but…I…I don’t want to see you get hurt. And if I can’t handle this…if I can’t help you beat him…”

“Now don’t go thinking that everything’s over just because we lost, Vance. Remember what I said before? The long game matters more. And that’s something that jerk doesn’t get.” Avell took a large bite of the berry and swallowed. “Look, I’ve heard about that sorta thing, the veteran lab Pokémon always tried to teach us about some stuff to be prepared for. And mons like that were a big one…they were always called the ‘newb terrors.’ Because they peak early, so they seem strong to new trainers who haven’t dealt with Pokémon that have some power to them, yeah? Whether you’re the one using them or the one facing them. But…that’s the thing, they peak early, and what you get is what you’re gonna get. That Gnawty guy, he might have my number now, but he’s not gonna get much better than that, especially with a trainer who doesn’t really know what he’s doing and just relies on having a bully of a Pokémon to get by. He thinks Hyper Fang is the end-all be-all of powerful moves, but that’s because it’s the best he’ll ever be able to do. But me, I’m gonna get a lot stronger in time, I’m gonna learn moves that make Hyper Fang look pitiful…and eventually you’re gonna feel shocked that we ever struggled against him.”

“…You really think so?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t! And you’re gonna get better, too. Like, who gets flung into a battle like that that quickly in their time as a trainer? Of course we weren’t prepared for that. But you’ve got a lot more potential than that jerk, too. You try to learn, you try to get better, while he just tries to push people around while he can. But he’s stuck there, because he doesn’t want to try to get better, he just wants to make everyone else feel worse. And eventually he’s gonna find that everyone else got better around him and he’s still the same ol’ jerk. And the few wins he got early on won’t be making him feel any better when he’s outmatched in every way.”

Avell’s encouragement was starting to get through to Vance. Perhaps he’d been too quick to cede to hopelessness…if Avell was confident they could get better, maybe there was something to it. Even the fact that he wasn’t upset about Vance’s inaction…Vance was still upset about it himself, but maybe that was a good thing, a motivation to improve so he could ensure it never happened again. “I guess…we’ll just have to get there quickly so we don’t run into him again while he’s still got the advantage, huh?”

“Heh, I’m all for that. Itching to get some payback…though, I think I’ll probably forgo the fucking, I like to think I’m a LITTLE more civilized than that. Uh, speaking of, do you think we could head somewhere where I can wash up a bit? I don’t wanna stink like Raticate all day long.”

“Yeah, let’s get you somewhere where you can do that.” Vance took Avell in his arms and lifted him up as he stood, accepting that he’d get a bit messy and considering it a price he should pay. It was the least he could do after Avell had taken what he had…and he was intent on making sure it was the last time Mick and Gnawty ever got the better of the two of them. Maybe there would be other setbacks, but at the very least, he wanted to make sure that lingering element of his old life got pushed away, so the rest of it could be properly left in the past as well. His mindset had to change…he couldn’t be thinking like he had, fatalism had no place here where the future was wide open. He owed it to Avell, and to himself, to get better…and with the help of his encouraging buddy, he had a feeling he could get there.