FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Contains...no sex?! Oh well! ^_^

Cast list is at the end of the story (it's a long list).

Pokémon and the world in which they live (c) Nintendo, Game Freak, etc.

Doomtrain wandered through Goldenrod on his own, looking for the address he was given. He had a certain Eevee girl on his mind: she had absolutely charmed him at Charm's retirement party just three days ago. He soon stopped a passerby and asked the rabbit, "Excuse me, where does Snowfur live?"

The anthro pointed down the street, completely unfazed by the Aggron. "Past that grove of trees; you can't miss it." The Aggron bowed slightly and meandered in the indicated direction.

Past the grove was a large house. Vixxen was in the backyard, training with another Pokémon, a Machoke male by the name of Mel. They rushed each other, throwing complex kick and punch combos. Vixxen leapt into the air and landed a side kick to his head; she then spun around and landed another kick with her other leg as Mel staggered back before launching himself forwards and throwing a punch which lead into an axe kick. Both attacks missed his target as Vixxen kicked his other foot out from under him.

Train was quite impressed by Snow's house. He knocked on the front door and waited for someone to answer, holding his hands behind his back and swaying back and forth, his calm façade betraying his slight nervousness.

Tai-rain answered the door and raised his eyeridge as he regarded the Aggron, but soon chuckled upon recognizing him. "Vixxen's out back," the Grovyle spoke in the Pokémon/morph language, thumbing down the hall towards a back door.

Train smiled and walked in the indicated direction, wondering what Vixxen was doing...and if she'd accept his offer. He opened the door and watched in amazement at the speed of Vixxen's moves: she was holding her own despite a type disadvantage.

Vixxen rushed Mel again and ran up his front and back flipped off his face. He landed on his back with a loud thud, and she much more gracefully landed on her feet as her opponent got up. "You have to work on your form, Mel; you're leaving your legs and face wide open to attack." He grumbled but nodded and bowed, walking off as she noticed Doomtrain and smiled, waving cheerfully.

"Hey there, mister, what are you doing here?" She changed out of her training clothes, her tail and chestruff hiding her naughty bits as she pulled up a pair of jeans and put on a loose-fitting t-shirt.

Train waved back and averted his gaze a little out of politeness even though he knew he wouldn't really see anything. "Um, well, I was just coming by to see how you're doing, but I can already see you're really cool. Hard to believe I beat you in...." He covered his mouth. "Um, sorry...."

The Eevee morph waved it off and chuckled. "This was just martial arts practice. There were no abilities involved, so type advantages did not apply, otherwise he might have beaten me...though I'm about a full rank higher than Mel, but don't tell him that; his ego bruises easily." She winked and grabbed a half-empty water bottle from a small outdoor fridge and chugged the whole thing.

"Hahaha, I bet you can still dance on his head before he can get a decent hit in. You're really cool...kinda makes me wish I could do stuff like that, but I'm just a big ol' tank." He shrugged and patted his chest, which sounded like rock banging against steel. "Fine with me."

She smirked and slapped a lithe hip with her hand. "I am just a quick one is all. We all have our niches. So...you going to ask me out already?" She giggled her little laugh and walked up to her visitor, tossing the empty bottle in the recycle bin.

The Aggron blinked at her directness, but he figured his request was as obvious as could be anyway. "Um...yeah. Ever said that there's some kinda event going on in the department store today...he wouldn't tell me what it was, just told me to bring a friend...but I don't think he meant you," he said, scratching the back of his head and blushing, much as he did in their first out-of-battle meeting.

She laughed and winked. "Too bad. I am going; you are going, so fate has decided for us. Just give me a few minutes to get ready." She walked past him and fluffed his belly with her tail as she went to get dressed in some real clothes and clean up a bit. Train giggled a little; even though his belly was as hard as steel, it was as sensitive as normal skin when he was at ease. He couldn't help but blush a little at her mention of clothes: as with many of Ever's other Pokémon Train was allowed to be nude, which he was, if he wished.

Vixxen soon came back out with nicer clothes on and smelling lightly of cherries. No one forced her to wear clothes, but she would rather have males ogle her and try to imagine her naughty bits than actually be able to see them. Plus, she needed somewhere to keep her wallet and keys. "Ready to go?"

Train smiled at her and nodded. He took a deep breath, his mouth watering from the scent circulating into his mouth. He in fact had to slurp up a bit of drool that almost made its way out of his mouth. "Mmf...I'm sorry, but...you just smell absolutely wonderful!" he exclaimed.

She smiled and chuckled. "Thank you! So you like cherries, I see? I'll have to remember that should you warrant another date." She led him out the front door as they started walking to the department store. She walked much as one would expect, her hips swaying to the left and right, tail held high in an s-bend. She ran a hand through her bushy hair. "Good thing you came when you did: I could really go for a trim. Hope the parlor's open in the basement." Train couldn't help but sneak a little of a peek at her hips and tail; she was so adorable in his eyes. He more or less lumbered along without much grace, not that he was really interested in looking good.

They soon arrived at Goldenrod City Department Store. She looked up at the huge building and sighed. "This place always makes me feel so small...sucks to be only five-five. Must be nice to be so big Doomtrain, no one ever just not notices you." But she did not let it dampen her spirit too much. She was determined to have a good time with him: he was cute and polite and she liked him.

He gently patted her head. "It's not much fun when you don't care much to be noticed. Plus, I used to always accidentally knock things over and get into trouble for it." He looked away a little. "And some people think you're dumb because you're big and strong and stuff."

She sighed but nodded. "Wish I could have Charm's confidence; almost nothing bothers her in the slightest. But enough of that, let's go shopping!" She smiled brightly and pulled him in and towards the stairs. Heavier Pokémon not in Pokéballs weren't let in the public elevator for obvious reasons and she wasn't going to leave her friend behind. Doomtrain in particular knew not to use the lift, considering he clocked in at seven-foot-three and nearly 840 pounds of rock-solid bulk.

Despite his weight, Train had surprising stamina for such activity, just as well considering he was on such a team as Evertide's. Just before they reached the top floor, though, he had to stop and take a few deep breaths. "Whoo...see here's another reason why it'd be nice to be small."

Vixxen chuckled, being slightly out of breath as well, resisting the urge to pant. "You're not alone in that. I wish they would make a Pokémon-friendly public elevator in this place."

The first stop was her favorite, the gift shop. She instantly went to the bin full of plushies, digging out a non-anthro Umbreon and hugging it. "So cute...I could just die now." She smiled so brightly her eyes closed.

Train looked around the gift store for something he could use and he soon found an anthro Eevee plush, which he set on his head and arranged its arms so they were resting on his horns. "Heehee, this would make a great hat," he quipped.

She chuckled as she clutched the Umby toy to her chest. "Funny, but don't get any ideas, I want that spot." She laughed and paid for her plush, not having much use for money other than just buying little treats for herself so she had quite a bit of savings. "See anything you would like?"

Her Aggron friend shrugged. "Dunno, don't have much need for...stuff, really. I can be happy just about wherever I am as long as someone nice is with me," he said with a smile at her.

She smiled and walked next to him as they cruised the other floors, stopping for a while in the TM shop and looking over the merchandise. "Man, trainers still use these things?" Vixxen asked.

Train cocked his head. "Why? What is wrong with them?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Well, nothing I guess, just the way Snow trained us. He never used any TMs or even HMs on any of us, instead teaching us martial arts and such. Guess that's why we're so strong." She smiled as she thought it over. It made sense: most trainers never expected their opponents to start doing kendo against their Pokémon, and thus were dumbstruck by it, allowing for many easy victories in their early challenges.

Train's shoulders slumped a little. "Mm...I don't understand...does that mean that I'm weak because I don't know it?" He had clearly never thought of such an approach; no wonder Snow's Pokémon were so strong.

"No, you're not weak at all: don't ever say that. Ever wouldn't bring just any Pokémon to fight in a match with no rank limit. Remember who won our battle so easily? Just saying our trainers trained us differently." She gave him a big hug, though her arms didn't get all the way around his sides. "You are very strong, certainly stronger than me by far in terms of physical power. Don't ever doubt yourself...or I will kick your butt, mister!"

Train brightened a little at her reassurance. He carefully hugged Vixxen back, dwarfing the small Eevee morph. "Okay...I'll be nice to myself."

She smiled and nodded and pulled him along. "Come on, time to get the fur done, I'm getting shaggy."

They worked their way down to the underground path and she took her place in the chair as the ferret groomer began to trim her chestruff and headfur. Along the way down, Train's shoulders remained a little slumped despite Vixxen's efforts to cheer him up. He didn't understand how, but something about her words sapped a good bit of his confidence. He knew she wasn't being mean or anything, but...he needed to think a little. He excused himself from the groomer's and went for a little walk.

She murred as the ferret man used a trimmer to cut her fur back into shape, leaving her chestruff in almost a heart shape. She always loved the feeling of having her fur cut by a professional, never telling anyone, thinking it might come off as a bit strange.

The ferret, as usual, brought up conversation with Vixxen as he cut her fur. He gestured with his head over to where Doomtrain had been standing. "Quite a big 'un, he was."

She chuckled. "Yeah, but he is by far the nicest little mountain around. I like him." She continued to smile, she really did like him; he was very warm and sweet in personality and actually felt rather warm and cuddly when she hugged him, even if his skin felt as hard as a rock or steel.

He smiled happily at her cheeriness as he started to comb her headfur. "Yep, I think that was the biggest Aggron I've ever seen...which may not say too much since Aggrons are kinda rare." His smile became a knowing grin. "So you'd say he has a heart to match?"

"Yes, very much so. I see him making a female very happy one day. Though he is very strong, I think he's even more the family type than he is the battling type...a very rare person," she mused. True, Doomtrain was incredibly strong. She could never remember being hit as hard as he hit her during their battle.

The ferret's grin remained. "Heh, the gentle giant, hm? I always did like that kind of individual, whether fur or Pokémon." He noticed her tail was flicking about, a good sign that talking about the Aggron made her happy. Vixxen just smiled in response.

A little more small talk later, he finished. Vixxen blew a kiss at her reflection and giggled, then stood up and paid him. "Thanks again, good job as always." She walked to the front of the shop and waited for Doomtrain as the ferret started to clean up.

Before long Vixxen's ears were greeted by the sound of a playful and somewhat lewd howl. She turned to see a Pokémon trio consisting of a male Zangoose, an anthro male Mightyena, and a Nidoqueen (who was most likely the boss of the bunch) ogling her. She just looked away with a grunt, not seeing a clear threat from them and deciding to just ignore them, looking for Doomtrain.

They approached with their intentions obvious, looking her body up and down. "Hey, howsabout you come with us and we can get a closer look at your fur?" the Mightyena remarked, licking his chops.

Vixxen sneered at them as the Nidoqueen spoke, "I wouldn't mind examining her nether fur."

The Zangoose just chuckled like an idiot as Vixxen turned to face them. "Look, I don't want to hurt anyone, so please move along."

The Mightyena eyed the other two knowingly as they started to circle around her, getting more than their share of unwelcome peeks at her body. "You're in no position to hurt anyone, girl. Now just come with us," he said with a growl.

She snarled and balled her fist at her side, then raised them up into a kendo stance, one fist at face level and the other just under her breasts. "Over my dead body." She knew she could take the Zangoose and Mightyena; it was the Nidoqueen she worried about as the hulking female narrowed her eyes and growled.

It was then that the underground passage started to shake a little from Train's footsteps, the Aggron not bothering to be careful. He approached the group and snorted through his nose, his usually gentle and passive eyes becoming kindled by anger. "Are they bothering you, Vixxen?"

The Mightyena's and Zangoose's ears pinned back as they shrunk away a little, but the Nidoqueen held her ground. Vixxen smirked and nodded. "Yes, they want something I am currently not offering: my virginity."

The Nidoqueen stared him down as her flunkies came to her sides, leaving Vixxen between Doomtrain and her group. "Back off, blockhead, this one's ours."

Vixxen growled loudly and bared her teeth. "I....am...not...a...piece of property!" The Nidoqueen matched her growl and pressed on her belly, looking as if she were about to cough something up. Vixxen's eyes went wide: at this distance she had no chance to dodge the Toxic she knew was coming.

Train's eyes shot open as, with speed very uncharacteristic of such a bulky Pokémon, he grabbed Vixxen's shoulders with both hands and spun his body around so he was now between Vixxen and her offenders, the thick purple muck of the Nidoqueen's potent poison sliding down his back and hissing loudly as it touched the ground. "Sorry to do that so quickly. Are you okay?" he asked Vixxen. She nodded, her eyes wide at how fast he was.

The Nidoqueen just snorted. "Okay, blockhead, then I guess we take you out first. Get him!" The Zangoose got a huge smile on his face as he rushed forward and let lose a long swipe with his claws, yowling as the tips snapped off each of them. He then took his good paw and tried to punch Doomtrain in the gut, wincing as he felt as if he had just punched a brick wall

The Mightyena snarled and was about to Bite Train when the Aggron's angry glare stopped him in his tracks. "This isn't the place for this...people might get hurt. If you want to fight, let's go to the Gym."

The Nidoqueen shrugged. "Whatever, you're still going down." She nodded towards the exit and they all began to walk out, Vixxen stopping long enough to slug the moronic Zangoose in the nose, sending him sprawling to the floor. The Nidoqueen kicked him in the side. "Get your ass up and get moving." He did, grumbling holding his nose. Train stayed close to Vixxen and kept a close eye out for any unwelcome touches by his opponents.

When they reached the Goldenrod Gym, Train nodded at the manager (Whitney was out at the moment), who returned the nod and directed them to an unoccupied arena. Train went to stand in his spot and regarded his enemies. "Well, go ahead and fight however you want." Vixxen, meanwhile, stood in the area that would be reserved for Doomtrain's trainer.

The Zangoose decided he was first. He cracked his neck and rushed the Aggron, his claws glowing blue as he did a quick front flip to build a little momentum and let lose a Crush Claw, hitting so hard he sent sparks flying. Vixxen crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, chuckling as the Zangoose examined his claws, not understanding why Train was still standing. Train just put his hands on his very wide hips and looked at the Zangoose with an expression of boredom, shaking his head. The Zangoose growled and moved his open paws at his side, one paw over the other. All of his fur prickled up suddenly and electricity crisscrossed his body and merged in his paws, forming a bright yellow mass of electricity. "Now...you're...DONE!" He moved his paws forwards and let loose a Thunderbolt.

Train's eyes opened wide for a moment before he covered his face with his arms and was hit by the Electric attack, the electricity arcing across his body and leaving a few small burns. After only a few seconds he raised his head to look at the Zangoose over his arms. "Too bad, you had your chance." The Zangoose trembled and was frozen in place. He knew that should have worked and was now truly afraid of Doomtrain.

Train's eyes widened a little in anger as his arm shot out to grab the Pokémon by the scruff of his neck and toss him up a little over head level (which was about seven and a half feet off the ground in this case) before swiftly punching the Zangoose in the gut, then across his muzzle, and then, winding up a bit, thrusting his open palm into the Zangoose's chest in a Brick Break attack. The Zangoose was sent flying across the arena and impacted hard against the far wall, cracks spider webbing from around his body. He fell to the ground with a sigh, not moving again.

The Mightyena stepped up to the plate next. "I won't be as easy as that idiot."

The Zangoose was quickly carried away by the Gym's staff as Doomtrain dusted himself off a bit. He looked over at Vixxen and gave her a thumbs-up, drawing a smile and a nod from her before Train returned his attention to the hyena-like Pokémon in front of him.

The Mightyena's natural ability to Intimidate came to the surface as he glared at Doomtrain with such a fierce and feral look it even made the fur on Vixxen's neck prickle. He got the first move and jumped high into the air, holding one hand over his head and summoning a black ball of energy. He released it and it zigzagged and rushed towards Doomtrain with frightening speed.

The Aggron, as he expected, was directly hit by the ball of Ghostly energy: it exploded into a globe of black and purple energy that wavered as if it were a shadow before it vanished. Although Train flinched from the attack hitting him, he still didn't look particularly bothered, though he did internally feel his resistance to energy-based Pokémon attacks weaken. "If that's your best, you're even worse off than your friend."

After landing, the Mightyena growled and threw himself into a Quick Attack, putting his elbow out in front of him as he rushed towards Doomtrain's face.

Much as with Vixxen's Quick Attack, Train was unfazed by the Mightyena's move. "Hm...Vixxen hits harder. At least I felt it when she did it." He gave the Mightyena a little punt kick to pop him into the air before he Headbutted the canine to the ground.

The Mightyena also let out a gasping sigh and didn't get back up as the Nidoqueen walked into the arena, sneering at her worthless companions as the Mightyena was removed from the arena. "Weak little...you're going down now, blockhead." She rushed him with a simple first move, trying to Body Slam him.

She moved faster and hit harder than Doomtrain expected: she must have had a lot more training than some simple thug. Even so, he was only pushed back a few feet and maintained his footing. "Wow...you're pretty good."

"Don't toy with me, blockhead, it won't work." She growled and thickened the muscles in her tail, spinning around to strike him with an Iron Tail. She had too much of an ego to see she was about to lose quite badly to the much higher ranked Pokémon: in her world she was the strongest.

Her Aggron opponent's eye twitched a little at her insult, but he tried to let it go. He tried to dodge her Iron Tail but was hit in the side, hopping away (leaving cracks in the ground) and holding his side with one hand. "Hey, before I knock you out, I want to know why you wanted to harass my friend. If you want to breed, why don't you just go to a breeding center? They'll help you."

She sneered toothily. "Don't care too much for males: weak and pathetic. All I wanted was some fun, which I plan to have without you in the way." She bum rushed him, flailing her fists in a Rage attack.

He simply took her hits, barely even feeling her attack, and sighed, once again passing up his opportunity to attack. "This is really getting nowhere fast. I'm warning you, this is your last chance to apologize to Vixxen, take your friends, and leave."

She growled and lowered her head and scraped the ground with her hind feet. She charged him but at the last second she veered to the left and went around him and aimed for Vixxen. "How about I run your bitch through instead?!" But the agile Pokémorph was prepared and waited until the last second before easily hopping over the Nido's head and throwing her off balance, causing her to embed her head in the wall of the arena. She quickly spat out some rubble and snarled. She started to turn around, hissing, "Little bitch, I'll fuck you ye-" She stopped in mid-sentence as she regarded the tank of a Pokémon standing over her, his eyes burning with fury and snorting in rage. "Wha...how can you be so fast?!" she demanded. He just snorted again before picking her up with both hands and throwing her over his head across the arena. She skidded across the arena and impacted in the opposite wall. She staggered back to her feet, the will to never lose the only thing making her return to her feet after being flung aside like so much refuse. She staggered drunkenly towards him and threw sloppy punches at him. "Wait...when did your twin show up? I'll fuck you both up...let's go."

Train growled and tossed her away over his head again, this time stomping with his massive foot and causing the ground where she landed to buckle and kick up in a very focused Earthquake, knocking her back towards him. He met her with a fist in her gut, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying. He again stomped and knocked her back at him, Headbutting her side and knocking her back away. He wasn't holding back anymore: by threatening his friend right in front of him again, she had given him the freedom to show her what he could really do.

She staggered back to her feet yet again, so out of it she could not even talk anymore. She just staggered and swayed in the middle of the arena, eyes glazed over. She could not even pick her arms up to put them in defensive positions. She was toast, though she continued to get up no matter what. If nothing else, one could admire her perseverance.

Train wasn't even breathing hard after that display of power. He kept his fierce glare fixed on the Nidoqueen but made no move to attack. "It's your choice. You can either leave on your feet or on a stretcher."

She regained enough energy to mount one last attack. Like a boxer gaining a second wind she rushed him one last time, battered, but not beaten quite yet. She spun around when she got to him and did an Iron Tail, aiming for his neck.

He caught her tail in his bare hand and sighed a little. "Too bad...you could have just resolved this peacefully," he said before narrowing his eyes. He pulled her over his head, spun on his heels, and slammed her back on the ground, then pulled her over his head again and slammed her front on the ground. He then started to spin her around and around before jumping a little and finally flinging her towards the wall. She slammed right through the wall and this time she didn't get back up, her body no longer able to fight.

Vixxen rushed forwards and wrapped her arms as best she could around her benefactor, beaming. "You were great!" She was quite amazed at his abilities. "It's no wonder I couldn't beat you. And that Earthquake thing? Awesome! I've never seen one used like that!"

He scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths to calm down from the excitement of battle. When he opened his eyes again, they were their usual soft selves. "Thank you...though I couldn't have used a couple of those moves without TMs, actually. I guess I am strong in my own way," he observed.

She laughed happily and let him go. "C'mon, let's get out of here." She again pulled him along. Train smiled happily at Vixxen's praise of his abilities and, just before they left, told the manager to call the police to pick up those Pokémon. Their detour had taken longer than she knew: the sun was low in the sky now. "Wow...guess they put up a bigger fight than I figured."

Train nodded and was about to respond when he flinched and held the side in which the Nidoqueen had Iron Tailed him; the rock-and-steel-like hide was cracked and bent. "Mmf...guess she hit harder than I thought, heh heh," he remarked.

"Oohhh...let me see...." She looked it over and then looked around. "Well, our place is closer than the Pokémon Center, so c'mon, I can treat you." She pulled him along some more until they returned to the large house.

She guided him down the halls. There were a few Pokémon milling about, the vast majority non-anthro. An anthro female Mightyena nursing a pup; a female Zangoose and male Pikachu cleaning out a store room; Tai-Rain just passing by and smiling at them.

Vixxen opened the door to her room and had him sit on her bed. They were all the same: king-sized mattresses on reinforced frames to support great weight. She set down the bag she was using to carry around what she had bought at the department store and pulled out a small medical bag, sitting down next to him and beginning to bind his injury.

He relaxed and let her do what she wanted, lifting his arm to give her better access. "Wow, I didn't know Snow had such an active house...perhaps I should come by more often and meet everyone; I'd like to make more friends," he said with a bright smile.

She nodded and smiled as she sprayed a Super Potion on the wound and began to encircle his abdomen with gauze. "Yeah, there's some thirty of us here. We all do our part to keep this place running: most of the higher-ups, such as me, participate in tourneys and in Battle Tower. Snow lets us choose if we want to train to fight there."

Train cocked his head. "I can see it's no wonder why he has so many strong Pokémon: he gives them a lot of chances to do what makes them happy. Ever's kind of the same way, but he sets up volunteer activities for us."

Vixxen nodded again. "Well he gives us the choice because quite a few of us were taken from abusive trainers. That Zangoose we passed was one of them. When she would lose a fight, she would get beaten."

The Mightyena suddenly appeared in the doorway, her pup still held to one breast. It was clear by the pup's size and the slight bulge in her belly that the pup was not long in the world. She made no attempt to hide her full and pert breasts from view and only wore an old pair of sweat pants. "Is this a new one? I was not told we would be getting any more."

Vixxen looked up from her work. "No, this is my friend Doomtrain, he got hurt saving me so I'm treating his wound from it."

The Mightyena regarded him with a heavy gaze. Not a mean gaze, but she was judging him, seeing if he was worthy of Vixxen...the Mightyena considered most of the Pokémon here to be her children, and guarded them with the same ferocity she guarded her own pup.

Doomtrain bowed a little in greeting, enough to show respect but not enough to get in Vixxen's way. "I am Evertide's Doomtrain, and it's very nice to meet you. Yes, Vixxen was hassled by a few Pokémon in the underground walkway and I made sure they won't bother anyone again." He neither averted his gaze from her, nor did he gawk at her chest.

She narrowed her eyes some but nodded back at him and walked off. Vixxen gave him a knowing smirk. "Don't let her get to you. She likes you; if she didn't, you would not be sitting here. That was Cerberas, the second oldest and second most powerful Pokémon Snow's ever trained, second only to Charm. She's kinda runs the place when Snow's not around."

Train nodded. "I'm sure she's very concerned that I'd try to take advantage of you. I suppose it's okay to be suspicious...hope I can be her friend too if I'm going to be spending more time here." He didn't notice that he had just indirectly said that he wanted to see Vixxen and her family again.

She finished wrapping him up and put the kit away. "There, now you almost look like a mummy." She giggled and sat down on the bed next to him. "So...what do you want to do now? We can go get some food: there's lots of leftover chili and stuff from our dinner last night."

"Why yes, I'd love some leftovers, thank you," he said, getting up from the bed.

Vixxen smirked and nodded, leading him down the halls again. "C'mon, the kitchen's towards the back, and like I said, she likes you. She has this strange ability to, like, know what's in people's hearts...or something like that. Snow says that gives her an edge in most things she does. Me? I am just fast as greased lighting." She chuckled as she pushed open a set of double doors at the end of a hall. It was a rather large kitchen. It was mostly empty of Pokémon at the moment, though a male Kadabra was washing dishes and a Spearow sat perched on a windowsill. Vixxen pulled a couple of plastic containers from the large fridge and popped them in the microwave.

Train decided to start some conversation as their food warmed. He smiled at the Kadabra and Spearow. "Hello, I'm Doomtrain, but if you wish, you may call me Train."

The Kadabra nodded but said nothing more than, "Hello," and the Spearow merely fluttered over to Doomtrain and hoped around on his shoulder, chittering. Vixxen giggled. "That's a wild Spearow. From what I can guess someone fed it and now it just hangs around." She then got up on the counter some to whisper to Train, "Don't worry about him, he doesn't talk much."

Train nodded. "Probably would rather just read minds directly, hm?" he quipped in her ear.

She shrugged. "I don't know, he sticks to himself. Guess he's just a loner." The Spearow ruffled its feathers and pecked at Train's shoulders, not trying to hurt him, just feeling like being annoying. Vixxen laughed again and got the Spearow on her forearm and set it back on the windowsill, giving it a few crackers to nibble on as the microwave dinged. She came back and set the containers on a nearby table, taking with her a spoon for herself and a spoon for Pokémon with less-than-dexterous hands. The chairs, like most of the furniture, were made to accommodate heavy weight. "This chili's kinda hot, so be careful if you're not used to it."

He smiled happily and dabbed a little chili on his finger to take a tentative taste, smacking his lips. "Mm, this is pretty good!" He took his spoon and eagerly began to eat it. "Who's the chef?"

Vixxen giggled as she began to eat as well. "Cerberas. She has a thing for hot food, says if it doesn't burn on the way down, it's not worth eating." She took rather dainty spoonfuls of the chili, mainly because it bordered on how hot she could take her food.

Over the course of their meal, more Pokémon came and went, some stopping to say hi to Vixxen and Doomtrain, but for the most part they just kept doing about there daily routines and paid little heed to them. The Kadabra finished the dishes and promptly blinked out of the room. The flash startled Vixxen a bit. "Man I hate when he dose that," she said both to Train and herself.

Train soon finished his helping of chili and sighed happily, patting his stomach. "Ahh, I'm really going to have to thank her...heh, sooner or later she's going to meet Solar and it's going to be interesting to see them bounce off each other," he remarked.

She chuckled and took the dishes and set them in the sink. "Ya, but as long as he acts politely I doubt she will do or say anything. She's more brooding than anything else." She really did wonder on that though: Cerberas and Charm stood side by side when they fought the Elite Four. Those two are like sisters. Vixxen could remember that day well: it was almost as if they knew what the other was going to do before they did it.

"Eh heh...I've met Pokémon who are genuinely rude, but Solar is not well known for his people skills. We'll just have to wait and see," Train said nervously. "But enough of that. What shall we do now?"

The Eevee morph shrugged. "I dunno. You would figure there would be a lot to do in a place this big, but most of us have our own things in our rooms. There is no communal game room or anything." Just then a young Zangoose kit came running into the kitchen and Vixxen snatched him up. "Hey, you little monster, what are you doing?"

He looked up and touched her nose. "Vixxy play!"

Train blinked his eyes in surprise and amusement. "Well, who's this little cutie?" he asked, kneeling to be more level with Vixxen.

She chuckled. "The daycare lady said his mother died birthing him, so we kinda took on raising him. Cerberas was late term with her pup so she nursed him for a while until he could eat solid food."

He reached a clawed paw out and pointed at Doomtrain. "Big!"

She giggled some more. "Want to go take him out back and play with him?"

He bounced in her arms a little and nodded. "Ya, play 'side!"

The Aggron beamed a smile at the energetic furball and nodded. "Yep, I'm a big guy, all right. You can scamper all over me if you want." He looked to Vixxen. "Lead the way...oh, and does he have a name?"

Vixxen smiled and walked out the backdoor of the kitchen. "His name's Ronnie." She set him down on the ground and sat down next to him as he got up and started to run around, his little white nub of a tail wiggling.

Train watched Ronnie run around. "Heh, he's a real treasure, he is...his mother must be smiling down on him."

She nodded and looked at him with a warm smile. "Yeah, but since he was weaned I have kinda taken his place as mommy...well, me and Cerberas."

Ronnie wandered into a bit of tall grass and started stalking around, only his white tail showing before he hopped out and bounced on one of Doomtrain's legs. "Gotcha!" Vixxen laughed and watched him as he scaled Doomtrain.

Train lifted his arms and twisted his body as much as he could without risking losing his balance as he watched Ronnie scamper up his body, his tiny claws getting a surprisingly good grip on him. "Heehee, you're a quick one!" he remarked.

Vixxen chuckled and grabbed Ronnie before he could get too far and tickled his belly, causing him to laugh and squirm. She then walked over to a bin and opened it, pulling out a large red ball and setting it and the Zangoose kit down between herself and her Aggron friend. "Yeah, Snow thinks his father was triple-S, so he has part of the triple-S gene in him: that's why he can talk and be so nimble at his age. But Snow doesn't know if he will turn out anthro yet or not. We don't want to traumatize him by giving him the blood test while he's still so young." She watched him tackle the ball and rolled over until it was on top of him, growling his little growl and holding it with his front paws and kicking with his legs.

Train's eyebrows raised and his eyes widened a little. "Really? Wow...I can't imagine what it'd be like if Solar and Charm had kids." He took the ball and started to roll it back and forth on the ground between his hands, having to rest on his belly to keep his weight centered. "C'mon, Ronnie, come get it!" he goaded.

She nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, they probably would be full anthro from the get go."

Ronnie got on all fours and growled, wiggling his butt in the air as he tackled the ball again. He then let it go and sat on Doomtrain's head, looking down at Train from on top of him. "You daddy?" He tilted his head to one side, his red ear wiggling. Vixxen was surprised by this and just waited for her Aggron friend to answer.

The Aggron's eyes widened in surprise again, but he just chuckled and carefully shook his head. "No, you silly boy, I'm not your daddy, but I can be your buddy. How'd you like that?"

Ronnie gave a little sigh but nodded and hopped off, running around at full speed again. Vixxen plopped down next to Doomtrain and leaned against him. "I'm as surprised he asked that as you are, it's the first time he's ever asked about, well you know...."

Train shrugged a little. "It's natural to be curious about that. I know that...um...can you keep a secret?"

Vixxen nodded, keeping her eyes on Ronnie. "Yes, of course i can." Ronnie meanwhile picked up a stick and began to knaw on it.

"Well...Solar may never forgive me if he finds out I shared this, but...he himself is a rescuee as well: Ever adopted him out of a Pokémon shelter when Solar was just a baby Torchic and he was a little kid. Someone found Solar alone in the streets and brought him there. Solar said that he has no idea who or where either of his parents are...or were. He told me that he was probably just an unwanted child and simply abandoned, but there's no way such a Pokémon as him could come from such selfish people...and I know it still gets to him that he never had biological parents." He looked away as he shared this very personal secret. "Ever told me that even as a kid, he could sense that they were destined to be together."

She nodded and leaned back. "Then it's a good thing someone like Evertide got to him first. I just hope Ronnie turns out as well. I would like to see him strike it out on his own when he's older, have what very few Pokémon like us have: a chance to survive on his or her own. This world still doesn't accept that we can take care of ourselves and don't need to have a trainer in order to thrive. "

Train cocked his head as he contemplated her words and watched the Zangoose pup tumble over himself. "That's quite a dream, yes indeed. I mean, although I can't imagine life without Ever and my family anymore, I still think Pokémon should be able to at least be given the choice."

"Of course. I love my family too, but I want to be treated like I can take care of myself and not still be treated like I'll die if left on my own." The Eevee smiled as Ronnie came and curled up in her lap and just relaxed, being tired out from running around.

Train reached over and started to gently stroke the kit's chest and tummy with a big finger. "Dunno if the world's ready for this little bundle of energy...yet. But I bet he'd do a lot of good for the world: he's a real sweetie...I can tell where he got it from."

She smiled warmly and nodded as she watched him yawn seeing all the little white pointed teeth in his mouth. "Yeah, must be nice, worrying only about what really matters. I am so glad that the daycare lady gave him to Snow: I couldn't imagine what it would be like if he wasn't around. All I have to do when I'm feeling sad is look in his eyes and all the bad stuff goes away. It's a joy I wish everyone could know."

Train looked her in the eyes. "Yep...I can definitely see where he got all that positive energy from. He has so many people who love him, especially you and Cerberas. I know that he'll grow up to be an incredible Pokémon."

Vixxen gave the Aggron a peck on his snout. "You're so sweet...thank you for being my friend." She smiled and picked up Ronnie into her arms. He curled up and closed his eyes, snuggling up against her soft chestruff.

The Aggron smiled warmly at her and stood up. "I think we should put him to bed...if he really has one, that is. Um...can I hold him?"

She nodded and handed him to Doomtrain. "Of course, his room's right in-between mine and Cerberas's." She led him to Ronnie's room and opened the door. His room was the same size as everyone else's, but instead of a big bed he had a decent-sized crib with some plushies in it. "Wait here a second." She went back to her room and got the Umbreon toy she bought and came back and set it in his crib with the few others she had bought for him on their shopping trip.

Train cradled Ronnie much as an anthro would cradle a kitten, but in terms of proportion, Ronnie was even smaller: he could quite easily be carried in one of Train's hands, but of course Train kept him close to his chest. He set Ronnie gently in his crib and stroked his forehead.

Vixxen smiled as she watched Ronnie cuddle with the Umbreon toy. She then drew the curtains, reached into a drawer on a dresser and pulled out a Pokéball and let out a small Voltorb on top of the dresser. It looked up lazily at first before using a very weak Flash, lighting the room in a soft glow and falling asleep soon after.

Train very carefully stepped out of the room with Vixxen. "You're incredibly gentle with him...forgive me if I'm being too personal, but do you plan on having any kits of your own?"

She took a few seconds to stop and think about that after she closed the door slowly. "If the right person comes along, most certainly, but right now I am content with taking care of Ronnie." She smiled as she led Doomtrain back to her room. "It's kinda nice, you know? Being around so many friends and family, having little kids who adore you and stuff."

Her Aggron friend nodded and smiled happily as he sat down on the bed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Ever has converted his house into a part-time Pokémon foster home and he takes in young Pokémon, and on rare occasions pregnant Pokémon, from time to time. Of course, some of his Pokémon don't handle all the guests very well, but I love knowing that someone is counting on me to help him or her."

She nodded and flopped on her back on her bed. "I really like you, Train. You're really courageous and powerful, but outside of battle you're incredibly sweet and even loving. You know...if you were to kiss me right now...I would not resist." She looked up at him with a strange look in her eyes...almost longing.

The eyes of the tank sitting beside her opened wide and a distinct blush showed up on his cheeks. "Um...er, but it's only our first outing and stuff...I mean...huh?"

She smiled and got up and stood on her tippy toes to give him a very affectionate kiss. "Thank you for being so sweet."

Train chuckled a little nervously as he cupped her cheek in his huge palm. "The same to you."

She smiled and just stood there staring into his blue eyes when a ruckus sounded from the front of the house. Shouting could be heard. "Get a full medical kit, she's half dead!" "What room do we put her in?" "Whatever's open! Hurry!"

Vixxen hoped down and rushed to go see what it was, seeing Snow and an anthro Absol femme, who she knew to be another of Snow's prestigious Pokémon by the name of Pressi, running down the hall, a Latias on a stretcher between them. She looked like hell: her breathing was labored and her hide was dirty and bruised as Snow and Pressi disappeared into a room at the end of the hall. Cerberas came running by Vixxen and Train and into the room too.

Vixxen padded down the hall and tentatively peeked around the corner to see them all feverishly trying to stabilize the Latias, Snow shouting above the rest of them, "I can't find why she's so weak, already used a Hyper Potion on her...search her body for wounds!"

The Aggron followed Vixxen and cocked his head in concern and sympathy, not rushing so as not to shake the ground too much, so he didn't see what had happened. "What's going on? It sounds as if somebody's hurt."

She looked back at him with both a surprised and scared look on her face. "Snow found a...Latias...she looks bad."

More voices came from the room as Cerberas found the problem. "Snow...someone shot her...." She lifted one of the Latias's little arms to reveal a small hole: it was half healed, but it was obvious that the bullet was still in her, and judging by the way she looked a bad infection had set in as Snow looked the wound over. "Call the Center, get someone over here now, she needs to be operated on," she commanded Pressi. The Absol zipped out of the room and into the main area to make the phone call.

Train's eyes widened again. "A Latias? Wow...I've never seen one...." His curiosity got the better of him as he couldn't help but look around the corner as well, gasping quietly at what he saw. "Oh my...."

The Latias was thrashing around weakly in panic as Snow looked up and nodded at Doomtrain. "I...could use your help...would you hold her down...I have to give her a shot and I don't know how she'll take it."

Train nodded dutifully and his face went from shock to seriousness. He walked over and, contemplating the Latias's body shape for a moment, gently set his hands on her throat and, after crossing her arms, her abdomen, barely applying any pressure but firmly keeping his body still, waiting for whatever was going to happen.

Snow took out a long needle and used it to draw some clear liquid from a vial and held it over a vein in her neck. "Okay, here goes." He stuck the needle in and pushed the plunger down.

As soon as he did, the Latias's eyes shot open, revealing that they were purple in color for a moment before they glowed bright purple. She began to thrash and wriggle about as best she could, letting out a long, mournful cry as she Psychiced every one in the room. Having been in physical contact with the Latias, Snow and Doomtrain took as direct a hit as they could have taken, Snow recoiling as if he were punched in the face by a professional boxer and falling on his back, out cold, and Train's head knocked back as if someone had just uppercutted him as he staggered a few steps back, shaking his head and trying to clear the spots from his vision. Cerberas took a big wallop too, as did Vixxen, though Vixxen was spared the brunt of the attack. Cerberas fell to one knee for a second before getting back up, while Vixxen just braced herself against a wall. The Latias, having spent the last of her energy, passed back out. Vixxen and Cerberas looked dazed and Snow didn't move, completely out cold.

Train's head was still killing him, but he could keep going. "Mmf...is everyone okay?" he mumbled.

Cerberas gave him a thumbs up. "She must be very strong to have affected me like that...that's what I get for dropping my guard."

Vixxen just blinked a few times and then rushed to Snow's side, as did Cerberas once they realized he was out cold. They each took on arm and picked him up to carry him to his room.

Pressi came back and sat down to watch over the Latias until the doctor came. "He should be here soon," she told Train. She pulled the needle out of the Latias's neck and put it in the hazardous waste bin and began to clean the dragon's body up some, using sterile pads to wipe the dirt from her wounds and body. "Poor thing...who in their right mind would shoot a Pokémon? Let alone a Latias."

Train leaned on his tail to keep himself balanced as his vision cleared. He walked over and stayed at the ready to restrain the Latias if she showed any more signs of aggression, but the shot seemed to have done the trick. Following the Absol's lead, he took some sterilizing cloths and started to wipe the Latias's body gently. "Only some of the most hateful people in the world. Even the Teams very seldom use guns, usually because they want their Pokémon alive. Hardly excuses their actions, but even they have limits," he responded.

Pressi nodded and finished up, tossing the last of the used ones in the trash as the doctor and a few nurses showed up, being led by Tai-Rain. Pressi pulled Doomtrain out of the room and closed the door to let them work. "You should go check on Vixxen. She probably needs a bit of help."

Train nodded. "Why not come with me? She would probably be comforted by you being there."

She shook her head. "No, I have to check on Snow so Cerberas can go back to her business, besides, her pup is probably awake now as well." She gave a little exasperated sigh. "It's not easy getting her back to sleep, too."

Train smiled at the Absol before he walked back to Vixxen's room, figuring she had gone there after taking care of Snow. He saw her sitting on her bed, eyes clenched shut and balancing her head on her hands, groaning lowly. He was at her side in a moment, shaking the floor a little with his steps as he knelt to be more even with her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Vixxen? Do you need to see the doctors as well?"

She shook her head and forced a smile as she looked at him. "I'm fine, just took a nice hit is all. Head hurts a little." She got to her feet and staggered to her dresser and pulled some aspirin out, dry swallowing them and then plopping back on her bed. "Trust me, it's not this crazy here every day, just about once every couple of months."

Train nodded. "Maybe it would help if...um...." He was too shy to continue, his blush returning.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?" She rubbed her forehead and squinted slightly, her mind still in somewhat of a fog to understand what he meant.

"Well...I dunno, I usually feel better when I'm hugging something, so...would you like to cuddle a bit?"

She nodded and held her arms out for him. "That sounds lovely. Come here, you big bear." She smiled again: even as dazed as she was she was still trying to be bright and shiny, even if she didn't feel bright and shiny at the moment.

He smiled at her and lay on his back, pulling her to rest her front on top of him. He gently stroked her head and rested his other hand on her shoulder blades. "Just take a few deep breaths, okay?"

She smiled and laid sprawled out on top of him, legs and arms draped around his sides. She murred a little as she just lay there, enjoying being close to someone she was quickly liking more and more. Her big ears picked up the sound of people talking outside in the hall, but she didn't care what they were saying.

Train's hide may have been harder than steel, but it was still sensitive enough for him to enjoy the feeling of the warm, furry body resting atop his stomach and chest. He continued to stroke her as he spoke in hushed tones, "I hope that Latias will be okay...she must be really traumatized from all that's happened."

Vixxen nodded. "But I wonder...they usually stick to small groups away from even other Pokémon. What would drive one to get into a position to get shot and beat up so badly?" The aspirin started to kick in and she propped her head up on her hands, her perky cleavage being smooshed and accented against his chest as she looked at him. She had no idea what hell that Latias has been through during the last few months.

Train shrugged a little. "Maybe it has something to do with her eyes. I've only seen pictures of Latiases, but they have amber eyes. Maybe this one was chased away for being different...or something. She might tell us once she calms down." He couldn't help but peek at her cleavage, hidden as it was by her neckruff, but he quickly looked aside.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What color were her eyes?" Not waiting for an answer, she rolled over onto her back and tilted her head up so she was looking at him again, her back popping a bit and getting a content sigh from her as she got comfortable again. "You know what? You're surprisingly comfortable. Better tell Evertide to watch out: I may try and steal you."

She winked at him then paused and put a finger to her lips, her ears twitching as she heard what she reasoned was the doctor's voice in the hall, probably talking to Cerberas. "Yes...the bullet missed her organs by a hair...but she's suffering from a bad infection from the lead...good thing he found her when he did...yes, she would have died for sure...not going to lie to you, she still may die...just give her this twice a day and keep her comfortable and call if you need help."

Train, whose hearing wasn't nearly as good as Vixxen's, was ignorant of the conversation but obeyed Vixxen's command. He looked around, following hers to the door and reasoning that whatever she was listening to was coming from outside. He returned his gaze to her eyes and cocked his head.

She looked at him after a while. "They're finishing up working on the Latias...the doctor says she might still die...." She looked a bit sad as she fully lay back down on him. "People suck some times, ya know? It's not fair...what did she do to deserve to get shot?"

Train sighed and patted her head. "I know...life is really unfair sometimes. Let's just do the best we can for her; I know it'll pay off. I just hope we can get her to trust us."

Vixxen was about to say something else when she heard Ronnie cry out, "Vixxyyyy!"

She without hesitation hopped up and ran to his room and picked him out of his crib and cuddled him, trying to get him to stop crying. "Its okay, Ronnie, I'm here, shhhhh."

Train soon followed suit, getting on all fours to be more level with Ronnie. "Aww, did you hear all the commotion, dear?"

He sniffled and nodded, tear stains rolling down his face as he pointed out the door. "Someone hurt bad...."

She rocked him and shot Train a surprised look that said, "Wow, he's perceptive." Vixxen gave Ronnie a kiss on his forehead. "It's okay...she will be okay, she just needs to rest."

Train nodded and leaned over to nose the little Zangoose, but his horns would have poked Vixxen. He whimpered a little at his inability to comfort Ronnie as he reached up with one hand to try to pet him.

Vixxen smiled as Ronnie was able to smile again, his little tail wiggling some as he hugged first Train's nose, then the Aggron's huge hand, yawning and snuggling up against Vixxen and slowly falling asleep again, feeling comforted by the two adults as a faint voice came to Vixxen and Doomtrain. "Where...am...I...?"

Train perked up and pulled away. This was far from the first time he'd been spoken to telepathically, but this voice was unfamiliar to him. He looked over at Vixxen and raised an eyebrow...well, one of the ridges he had for eyebrows. She nodded to him and gently lay Ronnie back down in his crib.

They crept back into the hallway and to the room with the Latias in it and peeked in. The Latias's purple eyes were half open as she spoke again, trying to struggle but not having the strength. "Please...don't...hurt...me...."

Vixxen nearly burst into tears right then and there. "Oh, honey, no one's going to hurt you anymore, I promise."

Train nodded and slowly crept closer. He was pretty sure he could take another Psychic, but he didn't know about Vixxen...and he certainly wasn't very well versed in what Latiases could do. He slowly started to reach over, intending to stroke the Latias's snout.

She recoiled away from him, shutting her eyes and wincing. Vixxen gently pushed Train's hand away. "Dear, you're not here against your will; you may leave as soon as you're healed enough to, but you have a very bad infection right now and you need to try and not move."

She slowly reopened her eyes and looked at first Vixxen then at Doomtrain, still fearful but calming down a little. "Why...did you...save me? I....am...a freak...."

Vixxen shook her head. "No you're not, you're perfectly fine."

Train nodded, stepping away. "Yes, you're a very special Pokémon. Some people wonder if you even exist anymore, and here you are. You're like a...um..." he searched for a word, "a real-life unicorn," he finished.

She looked back at him with her purple eyes and coughed as she continued to speak mentally, gaining some strength and confidence. "I wish others thought like you two...even my own kind rejected me. My herd ran me off for being different when I came into heat, then I was shot and beaten when I stumbled onto some people calling themselves 'Team Rocket,' also seeing me as a freak and a threat..." A tear rolled down her smooth cheek.

Vixxen wanted to hug her but did not, giving her the space she probably wanted. "That's terrible. Don't worry; as long as you're here, no one will do or say anything bad to you."

Train looked at her with great and sympathy, wishing he could do more than just talk. "You're in one of the safest places you can possibly be. The trainer who lives here has a whole bunch of strong Pokémon who will protect you and there are doctors who will take care of you."

She nodded and rubbed her round belly with her little arms. "I...haven't eaten in weeks...could...you feed me?" She was embarrassed to ask to be fed like a helpless child and it showed as Vixxen nodded.

"Of course, you don't have to be afraid to ask for anything; we are at your beck and call. Mister Doomtrain will keep you company while I go and see what we got." She smiled and walked out of the room and made her way to the kitchen, leaving the Latias alone with Doomtrain.

Train sat down on the floor, keeping his concerned gaze on the Latias. He cracked a smile at her, hoping to get her thinking positive. "Please call me Train if you wish. Do you have a name, ma'am?"

She nodded. "My name's May...are all the people here so nice?" She hissed as she struggled to sit up some, moving her little tail and wings so they were not being pinched by the bed. She patted her wounded side some, feeling the bandages and giving an audible sigh.

"Please conserve your strength, you're hurt really badly. If you want, I will help move you a little. To answer your question, I'm just visiting and I haven't met the other Pokémon who live here. But if the trainer Snow can raise someone like Vixxen and Ronnie and Cerberas, I know he wouldn't tolerate mean Pokémon in his house," he said assuredly.

She nodded and relaxed. "I am fine." Her independence shone through; even as weak and hurt as she was, she wanted to do everything she could by herself. "Then where is your home? Is your...trainer nice, too?" She was almost grilling him, wanting to know everything but his blood type. Apparently she couldn't read his mind even though she communicated with her mind.

"My trainer's home is in the land the anthros call Kanto. My trainer is very nice. If you want, you can meet him sometime. I'm sure he would be delighted to meet you." He didn't mind the questions: if this would keep the Latias calm, then he was happy to answer every question she had.

May tilted her head and looked at him in curiosity. "Then...you're very far from home, Kanto is very far away." She fidgeted and tried to scratch her head, having an itch her almost too-short arms could not quite reach without her body hurting too much to move her head in arm's reach.

"Actually, the anthros can move very quickly across the land with some of their inventions. Some even use their own Pokémon to get around, but I think I'm too heavy for that." He noticed May's fidgeting and cocked his head. "Is something wrong?"

She nodded. "My head itches, but I can't reach it...." She hesitated to ask for help yet again and just kept trying to reach it herself, grunting some as struggled.

Train stayed put, still unwilling to help her without her permission even though he was willing to wait hand and foot on her.

She finally gave up and let her arms fall to the bed and she moved her head in his direction. "Please...scratch my head...." There was disdain in her mental voice, showing she didn't like asking for help, but this itch was driving her mad.

Train nodded and happily walked over, reaching over and scratching the top of May's head. "Tell me if I'm close," he said.

She trilled happily as he hit the spot, her eyes closed as she leaned towards his hand. "Mmmm...mmmm...thank you...."

At that time Vixxen came with a thermos full of soup, a long straw poking from the top as she set it on top of the Latias's belly. "Her you go. It's hot, so be careful, just suck on the straw."

May held the thermos with her tiny paws and sipped on the straw, humming at the taste. "Thank you, this tastes lovely."

He pulled his hand away and stepped back again to let the Latias have her space. "What is it?" he asked Vixxen.

She leaned close to him. "Vegetable soup. I may not know much about them, but I know Latiases are vegetarians."

May was lost in the soup; it was like nothing she had ever eaten, and the warmth it gave her felt wondrous as she sucked on the straw. Vixxen chuckled as she watched her.

The Aggron smiled happily at seeing the Pokémon enjoy the soup. "Wow...you're incredibly good at caring for Pokémon who need you, even one you just met," he complimented Vixxen.

Vixxen smiled warmly and leaned against his arm and sighed as May finished the soup. Vixxen took it from her and covered her up. "Now you go to sleep, you need to rest." May gave in right, the soup making her tired as she lay back down and started to drift to sleep. Vixxen pulled Train out of the room and closed the door. "I think she is going to be very happy here...I hope she decides to stay."

Train nodded in assent. "As do I. I only just got here, and I can tell this is a great place to be...I should come here more often."

Vixxen nodded. "You and the rest of Ever's Pokémon are welcome here whenever you wish. Could you wait in my room for a bit? I have a couple of things I need to take care of." She walked off after giving him a hug.

Cerberas was waiting for him in Vixxen's room, though, and motioned for him follow her to her own room. Train was still a bit in lala land from being around Vixxen and followed Cerberas. He figured she would want to talk to him, so he resolved to try not to be intimidated by her.

Her room was not as dark or foreboding as one would think. In fact, it was actually rather plain; a bed, a desk, a dresser, and her pup's crib were the only items of furniture were in it as she motioned for Train to sit down on her bed and she took her place at her desk. Her pup was in her crib, lying on her back and chewing on a toy; being a few months younger then Ronnie, she didn't talk or get around much. "You know why you're here...do you plan on getting serious with Vixxen?" she asked flatly

He smiled and shook his head. "Nope. I plan on being her friend."

The Mightyena leaned forward and gave him a strange look. "You're a terrible liar. You may not believe it now, but one day you will." She leaned back. "Whatever though, there is one golden rule here. No matter what you two do, you are not to interfere with her training, ever, and that includes by impregnating her. She is still an active Battle Tower participant until Snow says otherwise, which is not soon; not until some of the others here are at a level high enough to compete in the Experimental class." She was acting as if they were already mated, which would come off as very strange, but she didn't care. She could see how close they were already getting and she didn't need Vixxen getting pregnant until she could be replaced, though she wanted terribly for Vixxen to have a kit of her own and not just take care of Ronnie. But the Battle Tower was the only way they could keep this place running and Vixxen was needed there.

Train cocked his head at the Mightyena's comment. He wasn't lying, all he wanted right now was to be Vixxen's friend...at least, he was pretty sure that's what he wanted. He nodded in agreement with Cerberas's terms, though. "Okay. When are good times to come by?"

Cerberas put a pair of glasses on and flipped through a book. She wasn't wearing glasses from age; she wasn't that old, she just had bad eyes when it came to reading. She leafed through the rosters and tore out one for Vixxen. "Here, it's still good. She trains in the mornings." The roster showed she was off Tuesday and Wednesday. "And please, protect her; she is more fragile then you could ever imagine."

Train nodded sagely. "I will protect her as I protect everyone I care about. Thank you for letting me be her friend...I hope I can be your friend as well."

She closed the book and looked up at him, taking the glasses off. "As long as you keep on the way you're going, yes, you are my friend, but I swear, you hurt Vixxen and I will break you in half." She perked an ear up at hearing her pup whimper a little, standing up and picked her pup out of her crib to begin to nurse her. "Now that that's out of the way, do you have any questions?"

Train rubbed his chin and looked at the ceiling as he thought for a moment before he responded, "I hope you'll forgive a list, but what are some of Vixxen's favorite activities? Foods? Anything at all she likes?"

She sat down at her desk and put her legs up so her chest was taking more of her pup's weight than her arms as she thought. "She's the type who likes everything and will try anything once; I have yet to find a food she doesn't like. But for activities, she doesn't like scary places." It was true; she scared quite easily when it came to certain things. Cerberas could remember when they were all younger and still on the League Challenge, having to go threw the Burnt Tower. The much younger Vixxen kept jumping and crying out every time they heard a noise, nearly wetting herself when a Haunter floated by.

The Aggron nodded. "Well, I think I can handle that." He stood up and bowed slightly. "If that's all, may I go now?"

She nodded and waved him to the door. "Just remember what I said and you will do well, and good job with the Latias." She got back up slowly and lay her pup back down and casually undressed herself, having no inhibitions about being completely nude around a stranger, and began to get ready for bed. She had an early day tomorrow.

Train started to walk to the door but he stopped in the doorway. "Oh yes, I did have one other question...may I ask what your pup's name is?"

She bent over to dig in the bottom drawer of her dresser and turned to look at him. "Her name's Genky." She then looked over to her pup and gave her a warm smile, another rare occurrence for Cerberas as she fished out a pair of sweat pants and a loose muscle shirt to wear to bed; not liking blankets, she would rather dress warm and just lie on the sheets.

Train bowed slightly and stepped out of Cerberas's room, still being careful to not shake the house. He stood still for a moment as he contemplated Cerberas's warnings and advice. She was quite fearsome, but he could sense that she most certainly had a good heart by the way she treated her charges. He smiled a little at the idle thought of her training her daughter to fight once she became old enough. Then he shook his head and went to go find Vixxen.

Vixxen was milling about her room, doing some last minute cleaning up she had neglected to do because of all the excitement of the day. That Latias...she silently wondered if Snow planned on taking her on as part of the Battle Tower team, if it would be her turn to retire. The thoughts intrigued her to say the least, but she knew even if that weren't true he would have still brought May here. This was somewhat of a halfway house, several Pokémorphs coming and going every month or so.

The Aggron lightly knocked on Vixxen's door, not speaking up in case she was sleeping. She opened the door and smiled up at him. "Just picking stuff up," she explained. She continued to clean up, picking up her dirty clothes.

He walked into her room, looking at her clothes. "Want me to help? You can use my horns for hangers," he joked.

Vixxen chuckled and tossed the last of the clothes in her hamper. "That's okay, I'm done. So do you like it here? Just the right amount of insanity?" She laughed quietly as she flopped onto her bed, the springs barely making a squeak.

Train smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's a very exciting place. I see that Snow's raised a lot of champions, both in and out of the ring."

She nodded and sighed. "Yeah, but a lot of us are rescued. Believe it or not there are some pretty dangerous Pokémon here, still in the middle of being rehabilitated. That's why Snow's hardly here; he takes them out to the middle of nowhere to train them."

He patted her shoulder. "Well, I know that they can find better lives. Just look at Solar."

She nodded again and chuckled. "Yeah, but I bet Ever's got some pretty nasty Pokémon himself." She had watched the recordings of Charm and Solar's battle, and heard the description of how it went from Charm's own maw, and heard Snow say how even he had to give the fight everything he had.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I dunno. Ever's got no one like Cerberas, though." He was obviously still a bit thunderstruck by the Mightyena he'd just met: he'd never met a Pokémon like her.

She nodded knowingly and scooted up close to him. She then thought about something. "You live in Kanto, right? The last ferry left like an hour ago and the magnet train's closed to the public soon." She really didn't mind if he stayed the night; she liked him a lot. He was quickly becoming like a best friend.

He looked for a clock to check what time it was and saw, by the clock on her dresser, that she was right. He shrugged again. "Oh well...I should call Ever to see if I can stay the night. Is there a phone here?"

She nodded and pointed to a Pokénav on her desk. "That's the latest, doubles as a cell and video phone." She chuckled; it was like a fairly big laptop, but still small compared to him and she was curious as to how Train would handle it.

The Aggron picked it up as if it weighed nothing at all and only had to use two hands to hold it because of its odd shape. "State function," a computerized voice said.

"Phone," Train spoke, "Champion Evertide in Kanto." He waited a few moments before he said aloud, "Hello, Ever? It's Train. I missed the ferry to Kanto and I was wondering if I could spend the night here...no, they didn't invite me...hang on." He held the Pokénav to Vixxen. "He wants to talk to you."

She held up and smiled. "Yeeesss?" She looked into the small camera on it, always a bit awestruck by the wondrous piece of technology.

The screen turned on to reveal Train's blink dog trainer apparently in the middle of a heated training session between a Swampert and a Sceptile: the two Pokémon were glaring at each other and itching to continue their battle and Evertide had a towel around his neck, everyone looking a little out of breath. "Hey, Vixxen. If it's not okay for Train to spend the night, just send him to a hotel, I'll wire him some money."

"Are you nuts? Of course he can stay! Snow would have my arse in a sling if I told him to leave. It'll be fun, don't worry, you will get him back." She started to hand it back to Train when a thought popped into her head. "Oh! Before I forget, Snow wants you to come back over when you get a chance; he said it was super important."

Ever nodded. "Kay, I'll be there. Nice talking to you. Oh, and Train?"

Train picked up the Pokénav and looked into the camera. "Yes?"

"Remember: their house, their rules."

The Aggron nodded. "Of course."

Ever smiled. "Good. See you around." The screen switched off.

Vixxen chuckled. "He acts like we're teenagers whose parents went away for the weekend." She snickered and winked at Train. "Been a long time since I had a sleepover."

Train chuckled. "He knows I'll behave, he just doesn't want to get on Snow's bad side. So when was the last sleepover you had?"

She laughed again. "Never, that's why it has been a long time." She got up and went to her closet and pulled out extra blankets and pillows for them to use. "Want to get something to eat? Don't have to worry too much about waking anyone up; half the Pokémon here are nocturnal."

He nodded, patting his huge (considering his overall size) stomach. "Okay. Whatcha got?"

She pulled him along back to the kitchen. She was right; there was the same amount of Pokémon milling about now as there was when Train had first arrived as she rummaged through the fridge. "We got...roast beef, ham...and salad."

He cocked his head. "Hmm...got any scrap iron laying around? Or, heh, just hunks of iron ore?"

Vixxen raised her eyebrow but shrugged and walked to another cupboard, pulling out some powdered Iron in a large vial which was clearly marked to be handled only by Snow's higher-up Pokémon. "It's got more vitamins than I know what to do with; not many Steel Pokémon live here. Snow deals manly with Dragon Pokémon for battling."

He nodded. "That's okay, I didn't really think you'd have it anyway. That'll be fine." He accepted the Iron and swallowed a small gulp. Of course, his Defense was long since maxed out, but this stuff was super nutritious.

She smiled and made herself a roast beef sandwich, finishing soon and dusting her hands off. "Anything else you want to do? Or should we hit the hay?"

Train smiled at her. "I'm ready to take a snooze if you are. Lead the way."

She pulled him back to her bedroom and hopped into her bed, pulling a pillow under her head and yanking her blanket up to her chest, squirming about a bit to make it warm. He lay down on his front next to her bed, seemingly not bothered by the lack of a mattress. She popped her head over the edge. "What are you doing? Get your armored butt in this bed right now, don't make me kick it." She laughed and popped him in the head with a pillow.

Train looked up at her, his head cocked. "Huh? Uh...are you sure that's okay?" Cerberas's warning was still fresh in his mind and the last thing he wanted to do was give her the wrong idea.

She laughed again. "Right, we're grown-ups; I think we can control our hormones for one night. Now get up here." She smiled and moved the blankets to try to make room for him.

He looked away. "But...Cerberas said...."

Vixxen sighed. "Cerberas is Cerberas. If she even had the slightest itch that would try to make moves, you would be out on your butt. You can't let her get to you; she's really not as dark as you think she is. You have to catch her with her pup when she thinks no one's around to see the real Cerberas. She just heaps responsibilities on herself because that's how she feels useful, and dare I say feels she's earned the rank of alpha female here, which may very well be true. But she trusts you; no one gets into this house she does not trust."

He looked back up (over) at her and smiled. "Heh...and what's the best way to show her that her trust in me is well-placed?" He carefully climbed into the bed. "Why, to show her I mean what I said," he remarked, smiling broadly.

She smiled and nodded as she climbed up on top of him, pulling the blankets over them. "Besides, I think I could take her...if she was tired and had the flu and had to go to the bathroom really bad." She laughed and curled up on his midsection.

Train laughed along with her, petting her back. "Just wait until Ever meets her and sees her fight. He's a nice guy, but he's a lot more competitive than he tends to realize. He's going to try to match her." He sighed and relaxed.

She chuckled. "Or just utterly melt when he sees her pup." She yawned and made a tiny sigh as she stretched out, enjoying how surprisingly comfortable Train was. "You know, if worse comes to worse, you could rent your midsection out for sleeping space; you're quite comfortable. Firm, yet not too firm."

He cracked his neck loudly and kept petting her. "Perhaps you could give me a referral to Genky, or not," he quipped.

"What do you mean?" She looked up at him through her half asleep eyes, starting to fall asleep yet wanting to know what he meant.

He grinned at her. "I mean, let her sleep on my belly. She's cute."

Vixxen chuckled sleepily. "Nah, you're mine for now." She curled up one last time and started to drift a sleep, her lithe body curled into a ball on her side, he long, fluffy tail wrapped around her front.

The Aggron sighed and gave her back one last pet before he closed his eyes and joined his friend in peaceful sleep.

---

Charm came out of the cave that had been her and Solar's love nest last night. Their near relentless mating had taken a good deal of the edge from her; she seemed somehow calmer, more even-spirited. She stretched her powerful body out, several joints cracking as she scratched her wide hips.

Solar soon walked out, joining his mate in a stretch. "Well, it's another good early morning in Fallarbor." He pointed to the barely rising sun. "When Ever and I were on our League Challenge, I always loved watching the sun rise." He leaned against the anthro Charizard, the pleasant afterglow from their matings lasting much longer and even into mornings after incredibly passionate nights.

She nodded and wrapped one arm around his shoulders, holding him close to her. "Yeah, though I always wanted to go to Kanto; could never talk Snow into it, but oh well, being here with my mate is just as nice." She sighed pleasantly and looked around. "So, what do you want to do now? Go to the sauna? Get buried in hot sand? Go volcano spelunking?"

He stood on his tiptoes to kiss her on the snout. "Well, I say we head on down to Lavaridge and see what's waiting for us. How about we screw around a little in Route 113 first? There should be a decent ashfall about now."

Charm laughed and kissed him back and nodded. "But you get to wash me afterwards; don't really enjoy getting covered in ash, dulls my hide," she said as they started to walk down the ridge overlooking Fallarbor. She knew she would enjoy playing in the ashes while they were doing it, but she did want to hit the hot springs.

The Blaziken grinned. "That's a definite can-do. Race ya there!" he said as he started running.

She laughed and spread her wings to take to the sky, flying up high and then diving to gain speed, racing along right beside him and a few feet above. "I may have a huge ass, but I can outfly almost everyone!" she shouted as she kept up with him, inching ahead a few times.

Solar started jumping to keep pace with her, giving the aforementioned ass a hearty grope. "And a sexy ass it is," he quipped.

Cast

Cerberas: Snow.

Charm: Snow.

Doomtrain: Me.

Evertide: Myself.

The Groomer: Me.

May: Snow.

Nidoqueen and her crew: Snow.

Ronnie and pretty much every minor character at the Snowfur household: Snow.

Snow: Himself.

Solar: Me.

Vixxen: Snowfur.