FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 12: Cohabitation

The storm poured down on Thomas' raincoat, though after his brief time in the rapids of the flash flood there was little of him that wasn't soaked through. At least sheltered from new water helped his body heat the clothes around it. His shoulder still ached from where it had been pulled from its socket as he was hoisted from the water. Part of him knew it was Jeremy, but why wouldn't the Hakamo-o stay afterwards? Maybe it wasn't his friend but someone else. Thomas sighed. It had taken a delicate kick from the Mudbray to get that joint back in place, and Thomas felt only slightly better off for it; the ability to use his arm outweighing the pain of it's repair.

Mac and the Deino had joined Carmen in their respective pokeballs, with the Mudbray practically demanding to remain at the man's side. Mac had been pretty insistent as well, but travelling in the fluorescent yellow raincoat meant that despite walking the trail and not the road, he was still visible a mile off. And if the mob were looking for a Deino or Venipede, why would they bother a man with a Mudbray?

After a few hours of walking, he came across his first trainer of the day. She was younger than him, but had obviously been training for some time. Her Dewpider was in its element, and held tough against the Mudbray's ground attacks. So after Mudbray had taken a fair number of hits, Thomas pulled it back to send Mac out. The Bug pokemon found an equal match, and despite some water-based shenanigans, managed to knock out the competition with a well timed Roll Out.

When she brought out her second pokemon - a Galvantula, Thomas knew Mac was out of his depth and swapped him back out for the Mudbray again, dousing the donkey pokemon with a super potion as they sized each other up. This time the spider-like pokemon had a hard time getting its attack through, the rain not helping much aside from dramatic effect. It was when the Mudbray completely tanked a Lightning Bolt and remained standing that the other trainer forfeited. She withdrew her pokemon, forked out Thomas' winnings and went on her way with a smile. Once she was out of sight Thomas realised the lightning had fused the Mudbrays feet to the clay-like ground beneath them, and several minutes with a shovel were required to dig him out.

The rest of the day went on in much the same way, with the occasional hiker or trainer on the trail happy for a friendly battle to be relieved from the monotony of the rain. Thomas had never met such an interesting array of people. One Hiker shared his theory that Kecleon are actually like Eevee in that they could evolve into other unknown pokemon under the right circumstances. He was convinced that the mammalian pokemon having exclusively 'Special'-type evolutions meant there must be a reptilian pokemon with 'Physical'-type evolutions. When Thomas postured that it could be a fish instead of a lizard, the just laughed it off, calling such an idea preposterous before suggesting a battle. Of course he had only Kecleon and they were soundly beaten between the Mudbray and Deino.

The other interesting individual they came across was an old man with a Kangaskhan. Thomas had spotted the individual laying down in a patch of mud, just staring up at the sky. His pokemon friend was sitting peacefully to the side, only stirring as Thomas approached. “Are you okay?" He asked, concerned for the elderly man laying down in the middle of a thunderstorm.

“I'm fine, mate." He smiled back, not opening his eyes. But he did pat the mud next to him. “Come, chill out fer a bit. Take in the serpent's gift." Thomas looked from the man to the colt, who was smiling and already making himself home in the red mud. Thomas felt his sodden clothes and shrugged. Taking his pack off and setting it against a nearby tree he covered that with the raincoat just to make sure and lay down.

It was an odd sensation. He'd always avoided damp ground, it was cold and musty and often led to breathing problems at night. But this was different. The mud felt almost warm; it's thin, clay-like texture slightly gritty between his fingers. He looked back to the old man who had his eyes shut. They weren't squinted closed, but just relaxed, as though he was thinking of a fond memory he wanted to visualise. So thomas lay his head back and closed his eyes.

The difference in sensation was enlightening. He'd not noticed it before, but he could feel every raindrop against his chest, every massive droplet smacking against his skin as it ended its journey that began miles above. The air was fresh, crisp and… heavy. As the rain pelted his body, Thomas was finding it ever so slightly harder to breathe. “It's ya burdens." The old man said, still smiling. “Ya carry dem wit ya, even when ya rest."

Thomas took a deep breath, but he could feel himself choking up as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. “How do I get rid of them?"

“Ya don't." The elder said, sighing. “Ya just haf ta accept they're yours ta carry. Own ya burden, or it'll own you." Thomas nodded, taking several deep breaths as he tried to get his emotions in control.

“I don't know if I can own a burden this big." Thomas said, somewhat rhetorically.

But the old man took it as a challenge. “'How so?"

Thomas doubted this man would sell him out, but as he tried to form the right words to tell him about the backpacks tiny passenger, his mind went blank. Then he thought about the protected painting. “Two days walk west there's a rocky outcrop on a hill overlooking Route 13. It has an old painting inside."

“I know da one. Used ta walk out there every spring wif me family." His smile grew wider, but also sadder. “Kids these days too busy with trainin' 'n' stuff." He sighed, turning to face Thomas. “Whatta 'bout it?"

“The dots." Thomas said, opening his eyes to stare into the lightning-flecked clouds above. “That kind of burden." He could tell his words had caused a reaction, the Kangaskhan rising as it looked to the elder, concerned.

The old man opened his eyes, the lenses white with cataracts as he stared at the newcomer. Thomas was ready for a dressing down like Miss Blissey or a shouting match like with Jeremy. But instead the man just nodded. “Was bound ta hap'n 'ventually." He sighed. “Yer right tho. that's one 'elluva Burden." The elder pulled himself up to a sitting position, the Kangaskhan offering him a hand, which he gladly took. He stretched, vertebrae popping back into place before turning away from Thomas. The Kangaskhan handed him a long walking staff as the two made their way into the bushes.

“Wait." Thomas said, his mind finally snapping back to reality. He tried to stand but the mud was too slick. “What's going to- Dammit!" He tried again, and failed. It was only after the Mudbray came over to give him a steady handhold that he got vertical. “What'll happen?"

The old man stopped, turning side on to the man. “Nuthin'. Ev'rythin." He jabbed the stick in Thomas direction. “Depends on You." It was only a matter of seconds before they were far enough into the heavy rain that neither the old man or his pokemon could be seen, leaving Thomas standing shin deep in mud, soaked to the bone and very confused.

Thomas stood, thunder rolling through the trees as the rain continued to bombard him from on high. He was breathing hard, trying to make sense of things. But it wasn't helping. “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" Thomas screamed into the wind and rain. All he got was thunder in response.

Stomping through the mud to his pack, Thomas looped the raincoat through one of the straps on it's own rain cover, forsaking the water-resistant clothing due to how wet and mud-coated he was. The Mudbray looked up at him, giving him an uneasy smile of encouragement. Thomas tousled his mane. “There's just so much happening and none of it makes any sense. Arceus knows why everything fell into my lap!" He swung the pack over his shoulder and strapped it up in a huff. “Get to the coast, get to Unova." He groaned, repeating it like a mantra. “Get to the coast, get to Unova. Get to the coast," He started walking back down the trail “-get to Unova."

The rest of the day saw five more trainers try their luck, and only one Black Belt managing to get the best of Thomas' team of three. Mac was learning moves left and right while the Mudbray and Deino even managed a couple themselves. By mid-afternoon there was so little sunlight left that Thomas made the call to set up camp. Still worried about staying at or near registered campsites for fear of being discovered, Thomas looked around for some landmarks he could navigate by.

They had gotten close to but not quite arrived at the Divided Mountains, so the rolling hills would have to provide enough cover for their camp. As a web of lightning shot from cloud to cloud, he spotted a copse of trees on a nearby hill and made his way over. Walking through the bushes late at night in the pouring rain without a trail took him longer than he expected, and by the time he and the mudbray reached those trees night had claimed the land.

He dropped the bag on the damp ground, the heavy rain considerably less so under the large trees. Flicking on the lamp Thomas could see hundreds of sets of eyes upon him. “Oooookay…" He considered his options, not wanting to risk an all out brawl. “You're all probably hiding here from the rain. That's okay. I'm not going to try to catch any of you, I just want to stay out of the rain too." He slowly pulled out the tent and pegged down the base. Fortunately the ground was damp and loose enough he could drive the pegs in with his bare hands-albeit still requiring a fair bit of muscle to do so.

In very little time at all, he had the tent up and threw the bag inside. The Mudbray was about to walk in when Thomas threw up a hand. “Wait. Gotta get clean first." He had a couple towels shoved in a plastic bag, with the shape of several pokeballs jammed in the side as well. “All of us." He led the pokemon out to the opposite side of the hill from Route 13 and set the torch down. A Couple flashes of light later saw Mac and the Deino out of their balls and enjoying the downpour. “No need to go full shampoo this time, just want to get the mud off, guys." The Mudbray whinnied, confused. “Those are ceramic works of art, they can stay." Thomas smiled regarding the Mudbray's hooves. All proud with that ego boost, the donkey pokemon trotted around in the rain, getting soaked and by the end of their shower, free of any loose mud.

Thomas led them back to an area under the trees and dried them off as best as possible before zapping all three of them back into their balls. Walking back alone to his tent, Thomas felt far more vulnerable as the various pokemon stared at him. “Next time, I have to find a less creepy place to stay." He muttered, stepping into the tent.

Setting the towels down to the side. Thomas brought everyone back out again; he didn't like keeping them cooped up inside their balls if he could help it. The three pokemon he'd had out all day milled about and generally rested while nomming on their rations, while the Sliggoo, still glowing from her morning session was just happy to curl up on the sleeping bag as Thomas went over the days accomplishments.

“Great job today folks! We hit some milestones." He pat Mac on the head. “You've known it for less than a day but you seem to be getting the hand of Poison Tail quite well." The bug chirped happily under the man's touch. Thomas turned to Deino “And you too, some great moves out there!" The dragon type leapt over demanding head scratches as well. Not wanting to disappoint, Thomas obliged, giving the fuzzy head a good all-round scratch. Thomas waved the Mudbray over. “Not gonna forget you." He brushed a hand down the colt's mane “Would've been a lot harder walk without you by my side."

“Sliiii…" The Sliggoo murmered, wanting attention as well.

“How could I forget." Thomas said cheekily, rubbing her belly, probably still full from the morning's fun. “Everyone, meet Carmen." She grinned widely, so very proud of her name, though the redness in her cheeks showed a different story. Mac Leapt on her, giving her a big hug while the Mudbray just nodded in approval. Thomas had kept the reason behind her name secret, but just the act of saying it aloud to others made her squirm.

“Okay." Thomas got everyone to settle down again. “So the rain has us a little ways from where I'd hoped we'd be tonight. Hopefully the weather will be a bit more forgiving tomorrow." That's when Carmen noticed the gash on his arm, pointing at it with wide eyes. “Yeah, so after packing up this morning we kinda had a run in with a flash flood." Carmen looked confused. Mac chirped something at her and her eyes went even wider. “Well, those three got across, but I got caught in the water. I think I would have died if…" He looked to the empty spot on the backpack's pokeball holders. “Someone or something pulled me out, but left before I could thank them."

Carmen looked to Jeremy's missing ball as well, nodding in understanding as she came over to hug Thomas' arm. “Sli. Goo."

“Thanks. All of you." He thought perhaps he should update them with what he knew, but sighed thinking about Jeremy's reaction at the news. 'Later.' He told himself. 'When we're safe.' “But for now, we need rest. I dunno about you but my body is killing me. The other pokemon nodded enthusiastically, taking up spots on the large bedroll as Thomas hunted through the pack for the first aid kit.

In a few short minutes - and with a little help from Carmen - Thomas had his wound bandaged. He hoped the delay in getting it properly covered wouldn't bring rise to an infection, it would make the mountainous trip ahead of them considerably harder if that were the case. But he'd used about half the bottle of iodine, so hopefully that would be enough to kill any bugs.

With his arm wrapped in bandage, Thomas picked the Sliggoo up and pulled her into the sleeping bag with him. Carmen purred against his chest as he stroked down her body. “Okay you, no funny business, I'm gonna need as much sleep as possible." She gave Thomas an extra long lick up the side of his neck. “Okay, okay. Maybe next time." Thomas flicked the lamp off and within minutes the entire tent was snoring peacefully, a long hard day behind them.

Morning arrived and with it came yet more rain. Thomas handed out some breakfast rations and let the group wake up before beginning to pack down the tent. Carmen kept to the agreement and left her playfulness to the level of 'tease' as they all got ready to head back out. They took their time getting everything right, the bag a little more efficiently packed this time around as everything was strapped in tight and properly. Thomas had on a dry set of clothes, so after getting as much water out of the inside of the raincoat as possible, he donned it with hood before hefting the pack. Then one by one he recalled the rag-tag assortment of pokemon, leaving the Mudbray out like before.

He gave the surrounds a good look before leaving the bushes atop that hill, walking briskly down to Route 13. They arrived to an empty trail, which was quite enjoyable after the battle-heavy time they'd had the previous day. It may have only lasted until lunchtime, but for those first few hours it was nice to just take in the beauty and serenity of the wilderness they were trekking through.

As the hills became more and more frequent and the mountains ahead drew closer, the pair began coming across trainers. The first was at a mobile food stand, and was patient enough to wait until they had had some hot chips before demanding a battle. As had become standard by now, Thomas threw Mac into battle first, letting the little guy size up the opponent before deciding whether to replace him with the Mudbray or Deino. This time the trainer had a range of grass-type pokemon. And thinking she had the upper hand seeing the Mudbray, she was shocked when Thomas chose a pokeball and summoned Venipede onto the field, recalling the Mudbray with a different ball.

It was a massacre as Mac took down her entire team in just a few minutes. But the bug pokemon's victory was cut short as he froze and began to twitch. “Uh, Mac, buddy, you okay?" But Mac wasn't paying attention. His gaze went distant then he began to glow. At first Thomas began to panic, he fumbled for Mac's pokeball but before he could press the button, the other trainer spoke up.

“Oh don't you want your Venipede to evolve?" It was Thomas' turn to freeze. He stared at the bug pokemon as the glow became more intense, the whiteness of it sparkling before fading back down. Before him stood a wheel of chitinous plates and spikes. The other trainer clapped. “YAY! I love watching Pokemon evolve, it's so magical!"

“Mac?" Thomas asked, dumbfounded by what had taken place.

“Wait, was that your first evolution?" The trainer asked, smiling widely.

“I, uh… yeah." Thomas said, still stunned by his pokemon's transformation. Mac looked around, his eyes much higher off the ground now. “Dude!" He yelled, dropping to his knees. “Get in here!" He held out his arms in an invitation for a hug, and Mac came rolling over, practically crashing into the man. “You evolved! Excellent work, Mac! Oh, hold on…" Thomas pulled the sleeve of his raincoat up, exposing the pokedex.

“Whirlipede. The Curlipede Pokemon that evolves from Venipede. When not storing energy for it's next evolution, the Whirlipede uses its body like a wheel to crash into opponents at high speed." A muffled chirp of wonder came from the center of the wheel-like bug.

“Congratulations on your Whirlipede." The trainer leaned down to give the two a quick hug. “Looks like you really care for the little guy."

“He's my first pokemon. I'm really proud of him!" Thomas said, hugging the stranger back.

“That makes it all the more special. Here-" She stepped back, lifting her pokedex to take a picture of the two. The flash went off, blinding them briefly before she held her pokedex out to Thomas'. His wi-fi symbol blinked intermittently with that of an envelope. He tapped the symbol and his pokedex screen displayed a photo of him and Mac. “To remember the moment." The other trainer smiled, waving goodbye. “Be safe you two!"

“Bye." Thomas waved back “And thank you." He looked at the photo again with Mac. “Not a bad photo that one. Hold on... “ With a few button presses and dropdown menus, Thomas set the photo to the pokedex's lock screen. “There we go." Mac chirped happily as he broke free of Thomas' hug to wheel about the place. “Alright, you can stay out, but don't go too far ahead." He called out after the quickly disappearing bug.

The rest of the day went reasonably smoothly, with trainer after trainer challenging Thomas as he went. He was fortunate enough that Plant and electric pokemon seemed to be quite popular around here, what with the abundance of wild ground and flying types calling the area their home. He did come across some fire and ground types, which given their trainers tended to be the more aggressive and assholic led Thomas to believe they were here only to fight the other trainers. But for the most part, Mac and the Mudbray were capable of taking on anyone they came across, with the Deino coming out once or twice to deal with the occasional trouble fight.

It was mid afternoon when they had reached the foothills of the Divided Mountains. And it was getting dark when the first hailstone struck the ground in front of Thomas. He bent down to inspect the marble-sized misshapen ball of ice when another bounced off his pack. “Hail!" He yelled, the Whirlipede ahead of him turning to see what the fuss was about. Thomas waved the pokemon back as the previously rainy sky turned far more dangerous, a white tide crashing to the ground below with crunching thuds. As soon as Mac was within range, Thomas pressed the button on his pokeball; he wasn't about to let his recently evolved friend get smacked down by the storm.

Scanning the horizon through the thick wall of blurry ice was near impossible, but Thomas remembered a few minutes back along the trail he noticed another, smaller dirt path leading off with a sign posted there. It had a picture of a cave on it but the rest of the writing was faded and he was too far away to make it out. If there was a cave, or even an outcrop, that would be their safest option.

Sprinting through the forest with a heavy pack on marbles of ice is not something Thomas ever trained for. And it seemed with every ten paces he gained a new bruise, scrape or cut. But with his pokemon counting on him, he ignored the pain and pushed on. Realising the incoming evening had taken most of his light and the Hail was further hindering the sun's attempt to break through the clouds, Thomas unhooked the flashlight from the bag and flicked it on, focusing the beam on where he thought he'd find the path.

After several minutes he finally came upon the trail. The sign showed a warning but the sun had faded it's message. Not wanting to stay in the hail, and given the path itself wasn't barred or chained, thomas chanced the danger and made his way up the path. Uncut branches whipped against his face and his shoes lost their grip more than once. But as he burst through a succession of branches into a small clearing he could make out a cave entrance in the side of a hill.

Without a second thought he ran for the safety of it's opening, stopping just inside the darkness. He swung the flashlight around the immediate area and noticed a rather steep uphill climb inside. “At least I'm not gonna fall down a cave." He sighed to himself, placing the flashlight down with a twist, activating it's lamp mode. Thomas slouched against the cave wall, spotting a plaque just on the inside. “Beware…" He read, the lantern barely providing enough light to read at that distance. “This cave is protected under Vandimland Endangered Wildlife Act of 1997 as being one of the last Vandimland Rhyhorn habitats." Thomas gulped. He pulled up his sleeve, exposing his pokedex and asked “Uh, do you have an entry on Rhyhorn? Uh, I mean, Vandimland Rhyhorn?"

“Rhyhorn, the Spiked Pokemon. Rhyhorn is known for its physical power and its considerable offensive and defensive skills. The Vandimland variant is dark orange in colour, matching the local rock types of Vandimland and has a hard metal horn, making it a steel-rock type along with its evolutions. Rhyhorn evolves into Rhydon." Thomas tapped the screen. “Rhydon, the evolved form of Rhyhorn. It is known as the drill pokemon. It's large horn gives it formidable attack power. The Vandimland variant's horn is metallic and has ridges down it like a miner's drill. Rhydon evolves into Rhyperior."

Thomas saw the stats for Rhydon, and at six foot tall, he was worried how he or his team would fare against an even taller pokemon. But with curiosity burning him up inside, Thomas tapped the pokedex again. “Rhyperior, the evolved form of Rhydon. Rhyperior can throw rocks at its enemies by tightening its arm muscles and launching them from the holes in it's palms. The Vandimland variant - also known as the Mining pokemon - was almost hunted to extinction as it's armor plates are made of a hardened Opal-like stone. Given their endangered nature, Rhyperior are coinsidered extremely territorial."

A crunch of stone from beside him sent Thomas' hairs standing on end. He slowly turned his head. A huge, clawed orange foot was the first thing he saw. Despite appearing calm on the outside, the man's heart was set to explode. But for some reason he just had to look. With him sitting on the floor of the cave, at his shoulder height shone a brilliant kaleidoscope of purples and oranges, the kneepad gemstone picking up the faint glow of the lamp several yards away.

His breathing drew quicker as his gaze continued upwards. A large, rusty orange belly surrounded by a belt-like formation of fiery opaline plates slowly undulated with heavy breaths. A fist, easily bigger than Thomas' head was clenching and unclenching as a large metal tail club that looked similar to a sledgehammer swung impatiently behind.

Finally Thomas looked up past the gemstone armor plates, past the spiked elbows and the clenching fists to the narrow red eyes staring down at him from either side of a very long, very shiny and very pointy drill-like horn. Every bone in his body wished to flee, but oddly Thomas didn't. He didn't scream for help, he didn't beg for mercy. He defaulted to Busking 101.

“Evening." He said calmly, looking back down at his pokedex, tapping away at the Rhyperior's entry. It was as if someone wanting to start trouble had bumped into him on the street. And his experience with that was to be polite and let them wander off on their own accord. And much to Thomas' surprise, it was working.

The Rhyperior was used to poachers, used to trainers trying to sneakily catch one of the young ones. But no, this human was just calmly sitting there, fiddling with his machine. He shook his head, roaring loudly. Again, Thomas' primal instinct was to book it, but he held firm.

“Hey, sorry, but could you keep it down? I just spent the last half hour sprinting through the hail, I need a few minutes to chill out." He gestured to the hail outside. The Rhyperior looked form the man to the lantern-lit hail and back. He took the stance and was about to roar again when Thomas interrupted him. “Okay, okay." Thomas held his hands up in defeat. “I'm going." When he tried to stand, his legs gave out. And he crashed knees-first into the floor. Dropping down on all fours he cursed before holding up an index finger to the massive pokemon. “Just, just give me a sec."

Thomas made a motion to crawl to his pack when the Rhyperior slammed it's club tail down between them. “NOW HOLD ON!" Thomas shouted back, afraid for his pokemon's safety. The Balls might survive an impact, though it was unlikely. But the little green guy probably wouldn't. “There's an injured pokemon in that bag. Not in a ball, in the bag!"

The Rhyperior was not used to having humans tell him off. Either they were rangers checking up on them or nasty types trying to catch them, not some random hiker with all the menace of striking up a conversation. He stared Thomas down, shuffling closer to the bag as the man flattened himself against the opposite wall.

“Check yourself. Bottom pocket. No bottom. No under that. No, ugh! Above that." Look let me-" the tail club thudded against the cave wall inches from Thomas' head. “Nope, you're doing fine." The Rhyperior continued to struggle with the zipper while Thomas slouched back to the ground. “A Hakamo-o found me about a week ago. His trainer had found that little guy, hurt but alive. He was gonna get it help, but then a pack of assholes came by and killed him." The Rhyperior paused, listening to Thomas' story.

“So the Hakamo-o grabbed the pokemon and ran. Kept running until he found me. I got them to the Police Station, and was told not even a pokecenter could help. Little dude refuses to go into a ball, so I can't send him anywhere to get the help he needs." He sighed, thinking about Jeremy. “From there I've been trying to get him somewhere he can be looked after, maybe even healed properly." The Rhyperior finally succeeded in hooking the zip with a claw and began carefully undoing it. “Bastards are after me now, so I can't take a bus. Gotta walk to the coast and hope they don't spot me on the way. And so of course it started hailing. And I almost got washed away by a flood." Thomas pulled his sleeve up to show off the slightly bloody dressing. But the Rhyperior wasn't paying attention. He was staring into the bag.

His entire demeanour changed. Before, the bag was some annoying thing standing between him and his curiosity. But now he was handling it like a sacred relic. “Oh Arceus, not you too." Thomas stood. No reaction. He walked over to the bag. No reaction. He gently took the bag away from the Rhyperior and pulled out the little green pokemon. “I've seen cave paintings, I've had a Blissy practically short circuit and my friend…" Thomas swallowed, resisting thoughts of Jeremy. “The Hakamo-o left when he figured it out. But I still have no idea who or what this little guy is. All I want to do is get him healed up and away from those Rocket thugs." The Rhyperior seemed to snap out of it at the mention of Rocket Rising, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Thomas. “So please, let me stay out of the hail tonight. I'll leave come morning. I promise."

The Rhyperior looked from him to the pokemon and back. Then it turned it's head like it was listening to something incredibly faint. Thomas listened but all he could hear was the hail outside and the heart beating a million miles an hour in his chest. It blinked, breathed deeply and nodded at the man.

“I can stay?" It nodded again. “Thank you, so much, really." He placed the little guy down gently before reaching for his team's pokeballs. But the club came down again, gently this time with just enough force to push him back. “But, I always let them out when I can." It shook it's massive head, pointing to a sign at the entrance. It was a picture of a pokeball with a line through it. “Really?" The large Pokemon nodded firmly. “Okay, okay, one extra set of rations I guess." Thomas sighed. He tried going for his bag again, but was stopped once more by the club. “Oh come on! It's freezing in here! I need my sleeping bag, bedroll, all that stuff. I don't have thick hide like you." He considered prodding the Rhyperior out of jest but given it's expression, he thought twice about it.

The Ryperior gestured for Thomas to follow him. Thomas did so, gently placing the little pokemon back in the pack before strapping it back on. Holding the lamp out to see, Thomas was glared at momentarily by the Rhyperior. But realising the man didn't have the same low-light vision the mining pokemon had, he allowed Thoams his light for the time being. The upwards climb became difficult when the rock turned smooth, almost like glass. Thomas was doing well, but as a foot slipped, the Rhyperior's club tail came out of nowhere and landed under him, giving him something to grab on to.

Thomas held on for dear life until the cave floor evened out again. It felt smooth, like velvet but hard as rock. Thomas reached down and felt it; likening it to the time he found a shard of glass in the river that had been turned by the water so much that the rocks had worn it down to what looked like a translucent green stone. The small cavern they were in had a passageway on either end with a sizeable cavity in the middle of the floor that took up most of the room. It was concave like a shallow bowl and the Rhyperior slid down into it comfortably. Thomas reasoned it's probably where this pokemon keeps guard.

“Your cave is beautiful." The man commented, placing the lantern down, then removing his pack, leaning it up against the wall. The Rhyperior looked back and nodded, a proud smile across it's huge head. He pat the smooth stone next to his orange hip. Shrugging, Thomas removed his raincoat and shoes so as not to get the large stone bowl wet and muddy, then slid down into it. The indent must have been at least ten foot in diameter, and at least four foot deep. But it was a nice comfortable curve and it set Thomas up laying right next to the Rhyperior's side.

The first thing he noticed was how warm the pokemon was. Despite having what appeared to be an incredibly tough hide when not plated with stone, the Rhyperior's skin was almost like a hot water bottle to the touch. Thomas felt an arm rest to his other side, the leathery hide pressing against him with an even amount of warmth. He sighed into the sensation, realising the stone beneath him was quite warm as well, probably because the pokemon had been laying there for some time before the man had disturbed him. He blushed, a little embarassed now that he thought about it. “Sorry for barging in like that. I… I didn't mean to disturb you."

The Rhyperior just hugged him with one arm, holding the man in place as he rolled over to face him. When he was settled, thomas did the same, pressed against the otherwise eight foot tall pokemon's rotund belly. The pokemon maneuvered his other arm over to give Thomas a proper hug, and the man sighed into it, the feeling of warmth all around him was just too good. He stretched his arms out as well, attempting to hug back, but his hands barely reached the pokemon's armpits. The Rhyperior chuckled at his attempt. “Well, I doubt many would be able to wrap themselves around a big guy like you." Thomas quipped.

Of course it may have been that he was already thinking it, or perhaps that just about every experience he'd had with another pokemon while alone lately had been a sexual one. But Thomas realised the unintentional innuendo in those words about the same time as the Rhyperior had. He hoped the pokemon didn't get the double entendre. The claw softly trailing down his back proved otherwise. He gulped. “What I mean to say is-"

He cut himself off as he felt something shift near his legs. Rolling slightly to the side to see what was going on had Thomas transfixed on the Rhyperior's crotch. The gemstone plate below the pokemon's belt was being pushed out, revealing a guarded sheath. And from that slit, a shiny black growth emerged. It was pointed at the tip, but tapered quickly to look like a slightly curved cone about as wide as Thomas' wrist. The man gulped as it continued to extend. He'd not realised it, but as the member was slowly roused from its slumber, Thomas was helping it along by gently rubbing the skin around the hole on one of the pokemon's hands. The cluster of nerves within that hole were used to help guide the muscles with their aim when launching rocks and the like, but given their sensitivity, Thomas was essentially giving the Rhyperior a kind of reverse hand-job.

The black cock continued to slide forth, a glob of translucent pearly precum leaking from the tip. The shaft started off relatively thin, but soon grew as thick as Thomas' arm. It was at nearly a foot long when the monster cock slowed down, Thomas amazed it was that big in the first blace, though given the size of this pokemon, that wasn't saying much. But when the black muscle popped forward another few inches, Thomas' jaw dropped.

At the base of the Rhyperior's cock were two thick bulbous masses, joined together in such a way as to serve only one purpose. Thomas marvelled at the sheer size of the knot. If he balled his fists and placed them knuckle to knuckle, wrist to wrist, then they'd be somewhat comparable. His hand was squeezing the Rhyperiors pretty tight, fingers stretching down into the hole and massaging the muscles in there. The Rhyperior moaned, which clued the man in to what his hand was doing. But he just smiled. “I caused that much of a reaction?"

Once more, Thomas had to decide if he was going to humor his host or risk the consequences. But he could think of worse places to spend a night. The only major concern was the veritable club between the pokemon's legs and this time, not it's tail. He'd certainly not taken larger, but he had been stretched a bit lately, especially by the Nidoking. Taking a deep breath, Thomas smiled, and began removing his clothing. “Just… be gentle." He asked politely, lobbing first his shirt then his pants up to the pack. The briefs were the last to come off, his member springing to attention.

The Rhyperior pulled Thomas close, his thick arm practically pinning the man to his chest as he rolled onto his back. The pokemon turned Thomas to face him before slowly sliding him backwards, the man finally able to see the Rhyperior up close and face to face. The large being had old scars across the stone plating, and even his skin. The shiny metallic horn was sizeable, but very worn and in some places pockmarked from damage. He was not dealing with any pokemon, this one must have been around for quite some time, perhaps why he was able to converse with Thomas so readily.

As the pokemon sighed, Thomas noticed his mouth was the same velvet black as his cock. The man gulped, feeling the oozing tip of the slick member pressing against his rear. “Y-you don't beat around the bush, do you." Thomas gasped as the tip came to rest against his pucker, its point gently probing for the right spot. “I, I was serious before…" Thomas felt the cock head press into him, the syrupy pre-cum pulsing against his insides as it quickly warmed him up “gentle, please…"

The Rhyperior seemed to be listening, using his grip on Thomas to slowly press himself further inside. They both moaned as the conical head popped past the man's ring, causing a throb of pre to splatter against the walls of his passage. Each could feel the other's heartbreat, their breaths ragged from the intense sensation of the coupling. But as Thomas's hole adjusted to it's girthy invader, he nodded the all clear.

Another push, another couple of inches, the glistening black shaft taking it's time to slide further and further. About a third of the way in, the Rhyperior decided to withdraw a little, give the man's relatively tight arse a break. Pulling back to the small flare, the pokemon sighed.

It had been many years since his mate had died, and their kind mated for life. Part of the reason he'd been on guard duty was most of the others had families or were looking for a much younger mate. His time had come, and he thought it had gone too. But with the human's arrival, it opened the door to a release that had long been forgotten. Despite wanting to devastate that human arse with his massive cock, the pokemon knew he'd have to take his time so as not to break the man. He'd have his fun soon enough, and so would the human, he'd make sure of that. But first, Thomas' arse needed to be prepared.

Having given the man enough time to recover, the Rhyperior pushed in again. His cock throbbed with a need to rut that he was just barely keeping under control. Thomas loosed a gutteral moan as the first half of the black cock sunk into him. It was already wider than anything else the man had ever taken, and save for the knot, this was the widest part. Rhyperior began to pull back out but Thomas shook his head.

The two lay there, joined in bliss as Thomas decided to take the rest of the descent into his own hands. He grabbed the opaline belt and used it to push himself down onto the massive black cock. He felt it grind away at his insides, the natural lubricant the only thing keeping it from doing damage to him. And then his heart all but stopped as his stretched ring pressed against the knot. Rhyperior growled huskily, a clawed hand on each of Thomas' thighs holding him in place as the war between his mind and body struggled with the notion of pushing the man down, forcing that knot inside.

It was so warm, and so nice. Thomas' own cock was stiff and twitching madly, the pleasurable sting of being stretched turning to a dull throb as the Rhyperiors thick muscle warmed him up from inside. “Gentle gentle…" he moaned, pulling himself up the cock barely an inch before pushing back against the knot again. Each time he pressed a little harder, and every withdrawl he felt a little looser. It was an indescribable experience that continued until Thomas was bouncing up and down on the glossy black prick, riding it's bumps and veins all the way to the top before plunging back down; his cheeks smacking against the knot with a slap.

He could feel himself getting closer and closer to orgasm as his ring got stretched wider and wider. “Al-most… al-most…" He muttered over and over, determined to take this massive knot. But his desperation brought a solution. “That stuff!" He pulled himself off of the Rhyperior, who lay back confused as his cock swung free in the humid air. Thomas barely got enough grip to scale the side of the stone bowl, but he did make it to the top after a quick scramble. Unzipping pockets trying to remember where it was, Thomas finally held the small bottle aloft victoriously. "Found it!"

He slid back down into the well worn nook and climbed back on top of the Rhyperior. Sitting on the pokemon's chest and facing the massive cock, Thomas squeezed out some of the cool liquid onto it. The Rhyperior gasped, his body going tense as Thomas rubbed it in before leaning back. “Technically its for me, not you, but it should still feel good." The large pokemon knew exactly what that smell was, and knew what would happen. Though with the amount Thomas squeezed out, he doubted the human knew what the overall effects of using that much would be.

The Desert Pea was a cure-all plant. It's soft beige peas were a well known painkiller, and had been used as a numbing agent for centuries. The scarlet red Petals were considered a good energy booster, much like caffeine or guarana. And the dark brown pods when ground up and added to food would thicken sauces, some varieties even powerful enough to turn juice to jelly. But when they were processed like that lotion - with petals, pod, peas and all - then something quite different would happen. The Rhyperior knew from his own experience with the pea that eaten whole it would not only keep a male stiff and energetic, it would also increase the volume and viscosity of his seed and relax or numb the passage of the recipient; all without losing sensitivity. The dichotomy of hot and cold simply came down to the petals having a minty aftertaste while the peas themselves were quite spicy. In contrast, the pod tasted like nothing at all, which is why it was used so heavily in cooking.

Thomas fastened the bottle's lid and lobbed the bottle towards the bag, landing it in the crumpled pile of clothes. “Now push me down." The Rhyperior needed no further instructions and placed a hand on each of the man's shoulders, sliding Thomas down his belly towards the giant throbbing cock. With the man on his back this time, the monster member hit all sorts of different buttons sliding deep into his arse. The few seconds the mans member had spent unstimulated and deflating were immediately reversed by the time his stretched ring bumped against the massive knot.

Both Thomas and the Rhyperior paused for breath, the desert pea lotion giving them conflicting tingly sensations. For thomas it felt like a burning hot iron rod was lodged deep inside him while a ball of ice pressed against his taint. But after the two managed to get their breath back, and the Rhyperior began manhandling Thomas like one would a sex toy, the man found his climax waiting just around the corner. The drill pokemon was living up to its name, Thomas felt like he was being industrially machined with each firm stroke, Rhyperior's vice-like grip on his waist holding him at just the right angle.

The knot smacked repeatedly against Thomas' arse, widening it ever so slightly every time. It stung in the most glorious of ways, the pain barely felt though the pleasurable tingling numbness that pervaded his rear. But he could feel his body approaching the crescendo. Knowing he wouldn't last much longer, Thomas made the decision. Somewhere deep in his mind there was a part of him screaming to stop, but the sex addled man couldn't hear it. He turned to face the black, panting maw of Rhyperior and reached up with a hand to stroke the pokemon's muzzle. When their gazes met, Thomas simply nodded, the look of nervous readiness blushing across his cheeks.

The pokemon knew what the man wanted, it was the same as him after all, and he increased the pressure on Thomas' waist. The knot stretched the man to his limits, setting off subconscious wails of painful pleasure. “Ah, ah, ahnnn… mm… mmm..." The corners of Thomas' vision began to blur, little sparks flying in to slowly cloud his vision as the desert pea lotion worked overtime to keep his pain receptors clueless. And then, it was in.

“AAAaaahhh!" Tomas half moaned, half screamed as the knot popped inside him. The remaining four inches of cock slammed deep inside, ramming his insides in-line with it. That was something the desert pea couldn't match. Thomas winced.

The Rhyperior on the other hand was in fuck mode, and began gyrating his hips against the man, his knot firmly wedged inside. He was restraining himself - barely - and as he noticed the man's member begin to grow limp from the brief pain of his knots entry, the Ryperior did something he'd only done to himself. Scooping up some of the dribbled pre from between his legs, he let the fluid dribble down into the hole in his hand. And lining it up, pressed the entrance against Thomas' member.

Thomas' mind was quickly brought back to the present, his blurry vision explaining the suddenly intense feeling of suction on his cock. The Rhyperior's palm was planted firmly on his hips, which at first confused the man as it felt less like his member was being squashed, and more like it was being wrung through a tight tube of muscle. But then everything clicked as the hand began pressing into him rhythmically in time with the Rhyperior's thrusts. Thomas was once again brought to full mast as the two of them began bucking against each other with reckless abandon.

Thomas was the first to climax, his arse clamping down on the thick knot inside as he thrust up into the hand hole, his cum quickly flooding the tight space as the pokemon contracted the muscles within as though he were picking up a rock. It was like being milked by the most desperate of farmers, wringing every last drop of his seed from the throbbing member. It was too much, Thomas felt dizzy, his sight a plethora of sparkling gold now pulled tight across his entire field of view. His arms and legs felt like jelly and his arse was in some sort of ticklish fire.

Thomas fainted.

When he awoke, his face was sliding against the smooth stone, the mixture of his cum and the Rhyperior's pre causing the surface to be slippery rather than abrasive as he realised he had been shifted onto all fours so the pokemon could take him from behind. He had no idea how long the Rhyperior had been fucking him, but his arse felt looser than ever. It was then he noticed the whole cock - knot and all - being pulled out of him with every withdrawl, and rammed right back at every thrust. His insides were entirely numb, practically no sensation at all which may be why the Rhyperior hadn't finished as well, if he too was suffering from numbness.

And to a certain degree it was true, the large pokemon had grown so numb and gotten so close he wasn't ready to give up without a climax. He drove his still solid cock into and out of the man's rear with ease, but even his usually hard stokes were not enough to bring him over the edge. Until Thomas spoke.

“F-Fill M-m-m-eee-eee…" Thomas had either remained hard or again become hard while being railed by the pokemon, and having felt so wonderfully full at the adult shop, he felt the need to be that way again. Except this time, the Rhyperior would surely be able to give him more. Thomas grabbed the pokemon's hand as it gripped his thigh tight. “Fill me up… Give me everything." He moaned, pressing hard against the Rhyperior's hips, blushing red with arousal and embarrassment for his words “I want to bathe in your cum."

The Rhyperior lost it. With his next thrust he unleashed a lust-fuelled roar, and with it a torrent of thick, white cum. The pea had made it almost the consistency of honey, so it impacted Thomas' insides with less of a spurt and more of a splat. The pokemon grabbed Thomas' waist and rammed himself as deep as he could go, the man's silent scream of pleasure reddening his face and bulging his eyes as he felt his insides quickly fill to bursting with the Rhyperiors plentiful seed.

Thomas was so full that as the pokemon withdrew to plough into the man again, the sheer pressure of cum blasted the cock free, causing the pokemon to instead blast a hot, gooey mess between Thomas' legs and across his chest and chin. Thomas was too far gone to fully appreciate the situation as with his cock still at full mast despite his balls having been recently emptied, it was splattered with burst after burst of the Ryperior's cum, keeping the man's orgasm flowing from one into the next as the pokemon used him like a human fuck doll.

The Rhyperior wasn't done yet, and getting a better grip on the now drenched Thomas, he slammed his cock home once more, filling his arse with throbbing poke-meat. The stone bowl they were fucking in was now several inches deep in the syrupy mix of human and pokeon cum, but Thomas couldn't care less. His face was pressed into it, his mouth scooping up globs as he was pushed forward with every harsh thrust. He was being used, and loving every minute of it. “Fuck me, fill me." He moaned between mouthfulls, his stomach distended from the sheer volume of cum inside. “Fill me up…"

It was well past midnight when the Rhyperior finally collapsed from exhaustion, his body sliding to the bottom of the pokemon's self-carved resting nook. Thomas slid with him, his arse stretched wide from the absolute reaming he'd received. The man's body was not just resting in a puddle over a feet deep of Rhyperior cum, he was covered in it, from head to toe. At one point he tried offering his mouth to service the large member just as it was about to climax, fortunately he caught the blast of cum full to the face as if he'd gotten the head in his mouth he may well have drowned, not to mention the knot dislocating his jaw.

As he'd requested - with most credit going to the desert pea - Thomas nodded off literally bathing in Rhyperior cum. It was warm against his skin, and oddly quite invigorating. His mind slipped into thoughts of what the next day would bring, and whether he'd find time after Unova to come back here. Perhaps he'd join the park rangers and help with conservation in the area. As sleep finally caught up with him, Thomas was left with the Rhyperior shifting around to give the man a sideways hug, keeping the man's head above the cum's surface.

:link1489960: