FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Jessa's eyes blinked open, the fuzzy warmth of the morning light casting flickers of rainbow across her room from the glass chimes outside her window. As her eyes adjusted she stretched, letting out a low grumble of resistance at having to get up. It's not as though she was being forced awake, Jessa had moved out of her parents place years before. But she still had chores to do, and several pokemon that relied on her.

With a few more stretches, Jessa slid on her clothes and strode down to the kitchen. Filling the kettle with water and placing it on a newly-lit stove she gathered a few gardening items from the bucket near the back door and stepped out into the garden. The sky was a beautiful baby blue, with golden light shining upon the trees and several friendly clouds dotting the sky to the west. It would be a nice calm day today, she reasoned happily before setting to work.

Several plant pokemon made themselves known, dropping down from the trees and emerging from bushes as she called out. “Heya folks, breakfast time." She had several packets of treats for those in her care; meeting the dietary requirements for the near-four-dozen pokemon required a lot of alternatives. Most of the grass types simply lived off of sunlight and water, but she made sure even they got some nutrient rich feed to keep their branches strong and petals extra colourful.

But by the time the kettle began to whistle from inside the assortment of pokemon had all grabbed their meal of choice and bounded back into their various resting places. Before heading inside, Jessa turned on the sprinklers, sending some of the more active pokemon into a whirl of movement as they played under the cascading water.

Fixing herself a cup of tea, Jessa looked through her pantry. It was market day in town and while her garden was especially nice, it wasn't the sort to grow actual fruits or vegetables. The few garden beds she had were for pokemon use only, while the rest of the plants served more as play equipment and housing for the various assortment of grass-types she had decided to breed.

Petilil and Gossifleur were Jessa's only real attempt at breeding pokemon, acquiring a couple of each as soon as she was able to obtain her licence. She had many older relatives that complained of aches and pains, and those two pokemon - if raised well and given plenty of love and care - were capable of producing leaves for tea and pollen for ointments that would help those who imbibed them recover from bouts of pain or discomfort. But after several years the list of pokemon grew. First to the Sudowoodo, who upon multiple requests from her older clients for her to breed to purchase from her, Jessa soon discovered they made excellent protectors from both Flying and Bug types. Especially the near-sighted ones.

The next pokemon she happened upon by accident, a Roselia with black and purple flowers. Amazed at the colouring - but unsure as to why it was like that - she observed the pokemon in the forest outside of town and studied it. After many weeks ensuring she meant no harm to it, the Roselia decided to return to Jessa's house and stay in the garden, safe from the trainers that had tried so hard to catch her. And in doing so this Roselia had produced several similarly coloured offspring. Occasionally Grass-type trainers would come by her house to see the Petilil and Gossifleur and be amazed by the rare variant of Roselia. Only after a lengthy discussion with the excessively tall Alolan Exeggutor along the back fence would Roselia permit one of her Budew to go with a trainer, and even then, generally not without making a sort of threat that they had better treat her baby right.

Jessa's three travelling companions also enjoyed relaxing in the yard when not at work; her Ivysaur, Cacturne and Sunflora. The Ivysaur had been a family pokemon bought as a bulbasaur for her back when she was but a toddler. She had named the pokemon Boop back in the day due to it's friendly nose-bumping attitude and it soon stuck. But for some reason she had never felt the need or want to name any other pokemon, and the pokemon themselves seemed fine with that. Cacturne was a gift from her mother when she left home, as a pokemon that could act like a scarecrow to keep the younger pokemon safe. While the Sunflora - then a Sunkern - was gifted to her by an aunt who was mad about Sunflora in the hopes that she would breed them instead. And to Jessa's credit, she tried. But nobody seemed to want to invest in a Sun Stone just for a Sunflora.

And the last pokemon Jessa allowed in her yard freely was of all things a bug pokemon. The Leavanny arrived as a sewaddle mixed up in a load of mulch that had been delivered to her. Feeling sorry for the bug-type she raised it as best she could, and in doing so taught it all about the Petilil and Gossifleur and the importance of their leaves and pollen. Once the pokemon had fully evolved into a Leavanny it was capable of telling when the Petilil's leaves had grown just perfect for their use in tea and became an invaluable part of Jessa's work by delicately snipping them off in the least painful way for the pokemon. With Leavanny helping out, Jessa was able to take more time to work on the business side of her venture, in the hopes of one day producing a set of marketable herbal teas.

There was however one pokemon that Jessa was in possession of that she had no idea what to do with. Her Aunt and Uncle had recently returned from Galar, and for their assortment of nieces and nephews they brought back various pokemon. While her brother was overjoyed with his Fairy-type Ponyta and cousin her Yamper, Jessa was somewhat overwhelmed with her gift. A Rillaboom. Apparently the Rillabooms original trainer had died when a speaker stack at a concert toppled off the stage and into the crowd. The pokemon was put up for rehoming and while Jessa knew her Aunt and Uncle meant well, she felt they simply saw it was Grass-type and figured 'it would do' for their gardener niece.

But the Rillaboom was way more experienced than she knew how to deal with, and he knew it. Within seconds of being free of his ball, the Rillaboom would immediately start drumming, the more and more Jessa pleaded with him to stop, or do it quieter, he would amp it up until summoning him back into the ball was the only resort left. So his ball sat on her mantlepiece until she could figure out the best way to deal with him. And as she came back in from outdoors she looked at the ball with a sigh. Shaking her head and whispering “Not today…" Jessa set her tools down in the bucket and stretched again.

Her mind returned to what day it was: Market Day. Jessa was able to leave her little menagerie for a few hours and head into town to get some shopping done. Donning some walking shoes and pokeball belt along with a wide straw hat, she wheeled her trolley-bag out the front door and towards the market. The air was crisp and the sun was bright, chatots warbling in the trees as the other market-goers milled about the place. Being a coastal town the whole place had the subtle scent of fish and seaweed, though the former became considerably more pungent the closer you got to the docks; where rows of fishermen showed off their morning's catch.

Jessa had a quick look through the fish and picked out a couple of the blue-striped Basculin for herself. Her pokemon were mostly of the sun, water and occasional treat kind, which saved her a lot of upkeep. After the fish she swung through the gardening section and picked up some mulch and a few boxes of Grass-type treats. The fruits and vegetables were next. And while disappointed that some of her regular vegetables seemed out of season, one of the sellers had a fresh Tamato Berry haul, which she all but bought out.

On her way to the market's vaguely defined 'exit', Jessa noticed a particularly interesting stall she'd only ever seen occasionally. It was a woodworker's stall, though this particular craftsperson had a rather wide assortment of items. There was the usual child's toy like a row of Psyduck that when pulled by a short length of rope would waddle side to side on their little leather feet. Or a set of Magicarp-themed dice. But what caught her attention was a jar of oversized novelty drumsticks. “Perhaps a peace offering?" She mumbled to herself before striding over.

After chatting to the stall's owner for a while, Jessa found out she makes most of her stuff on demand, and anything she makes while bored or testing a new method ends up in her market stall, which is why she's only out a few times a year. If she has a really good year she might not be seen at all. Inquiring about the drumsticks sent her off on a rant about how foreign wood is so different to work with and how the Galarian trees are so much less forgiving. Hearing that Jessa instantly made her mind up and bought a pair of the drumsticks on the spot. If this couldn't soothe the rhythmic beast, nothing would.

She stowed the drumsticks in her now bulging bag and wheeled it over to a nearby cafe, having realised she'd spent the better part of an hour talking shop with the woodworker. When she'd mentioned making tea the woman handed her her card, practically demanding the first box, which then brought up the notion of her making the boxes out of wood for a more rustic feel.

Jessa smiled, ordering her usual latte and taking a seat. She dragged a folded newspaper off the next table over and thumbed it open. The front page news had Jessa's eyes go wide with shock as she read the title aloud. “Homeless man no longer primary suspect in Simons' murder." The police sketch of Thomas Drake and a photo of Parker Simons taking up most of the page itself. She saw the story continued on page five and quickly flipped to it. “Thomas Drake and pokemon Partner - a rare Pink Hakamo-o - have been struck from the list of suspects in Parker Simons murder case say Wagwa Police Department in report yesterday. 'Evidence at the scene'... 'security footage'... 'witnesses'..." She skimmed the article until something jumped out at her. “Despite being covered with lacerations caused by a Hakamo-o's scale - which was found at the scene - the coroner ruled Simons' death to have been cardiac arrest caused by a jolt of Electricity to his chest, ruling the Hakamo-o out as a suspect."

“Shame he's still got half-a Vandimland after him." Spoke a grumpy looking man one table over. Jessa looked up, a little bewildered at both the news and this man's interruption of her reading. “Them Rockets still 'ave a bounty on im. Though, it ain't 'ard ta see why." She looked at him confused, but he just gestured for her to keep reading.

Further down the article it mentioned how in Owlra just a few days ago a gentleman identified as the wealthy entrepreneur Bruno Drekavak led a group of men to Thomas' hotel room, which quickly became a town-wide rampage as they attempted to capture the trainer and his pokemon. The encounter ended with an Electivire and Magmortar being severely injured when the Hakamo-o fought back. “Scorch marks at the scene of Simons' death coupled with the coroner's conclusion now has the multi-millionaire in the investigators' sights. However a representative for Mr. Drekavak still claims Drake and his pokemon are behind the disappearance of one Roger Mills and death of Clarence Parkinson…" She remembered reading about the last guy; the man who made headlines in the last week for his illegal and incredibly unethical Miltank farm.

“Can't pin im for one murder, make sure he makes front page news for another so boss-man stays outta tha spotlight…" The old man said flatly. “Bastards." Jessa turned to look at him but he was looking outside. She followed his gaze to a slowly moving black SUV, the occupants inside barely visible through the heavily tinted windows looking out into the street, searching. And she knew who for. The old man was giving them the finger.

“Met him. Last week." She sighed, looking back to the counter in the hopes that her coffee was almost ready. The old man turned his attention from the car back to her. “Nice guy. Really cared for his pokemon. No way is he a killer."

“See that footage of his Hakamo-o at the hospital the other day?" Jessa nodded, she had. It was the most violent she had ever seen a pokemon get. Even in a battle - when stakes are at their highest - she had never seen a pokemon exhibit that much power, that much force in its attack. That Hakamo-o wanted those two pokemon dead, the rage in its eyes left no doubt about it. And she could understand why. “He's the killer."

“Jess!" The barista called. Jessa thanked the man and collected her coffee, leaving for home. Other days she'd sit and enjoy the paper for an hour or two over lunch. But today she felt like she needed to go.

A few minutes walk and she was back inside her house. Depositing the mulch on the back porch she turned the sprinkler off, the sun too high in the sky to warrant it still being on. There was a modicum of annoyance from the grass-types outside, but they made their way to their various gardens and settled in for some relaxing sunlight after not too long a time. Placing the fish in the fridge and the Tamato berries in a bowl on the dining table, she retrieved the drumsticks. But her odd angst over the Thomas Drake situation left her too worked up to want to deal with her newest pokemon so she left them propped up between her hat stand and entryway wall.

Grabbing a book she'd recently purchased on training high experience pokemon and a recently boiled pot of tea, Jessa strode upstairs to the balcony overlooking her backyard and sat down in her antique recliner. It squealed in protest but was more than capable of supporting the young woman's weight. Surveying her yard briefly she flicked through the pages until she found her ribbon bookmark. With a sigh she began reading.

Jessa had barely managed a page before a flash of movement out the corner of her eye caught her attention. A green and magenta travellers pack was bobbing up and down through the bushes in a park nearby. Some part of her mind was churning extra fast trying to figure out where she'd seen that pack before, but couldn't place it until the pack disappeared from sight; a black SUV grinding to a halt nearby. “Thomas!" She gasped.

Rushing to the balcony railing she leaned over to get a better view. The SUV doors opened, revealing four black-suited men - one whom she thought she recognised from the pokecenter on route 13 given his rather outlandish greased up pompadour. They began to fan out, walking around the edges of the park. She could barely see Thomas in the bush the pack had disappeared into, and he did not look good. Her mind began racing about what to do. He was still being investigated for murder - or rather, his pokemon was - but he did seem like an honest guy back on the trail, even though he did lie about who he was.

“The Trainer doesn't matter anymore. Just get the 'mon" She heard one shout as another began taunting the man with death threats.

“I hope I won't regret this." Jessa mumbled, summoning her Cacturne. It gave her a quick hug before being pushed aside. “No time. I need you to Pin Missile the ground just in front of that bush." It looked at her utterly baffled. “Trust me, hurry!"

---

It had been a rough morning for Thomas. Waking with Jeremy at his side was wonderful, the two enjoying some alone time to just be in each other's company while he packed up the campsite and had a quick breakfast. The two even walked side-by side most of the way to Bait Bay. But by midday they had made it to the town's outskirts, and Thomas felt it safer if the Hakamo-o were hidden from sight. He managed to get most of the way to the Ferry, but had been blocked by a group of suits waiting for him.

Not wanting to risk a confrontation he backed off and circled round through the town, but with so many people attending the market the Suits had decided to compensate. Not a single street seemed clear of those black SUVs, though for all Thomas knew it was the same one and he just had really bad luck. But his luck was to get worse. When crossing a road one of the cars turned onto it a block away. He hoped they hadn't spotted him, but when he heard the engine roar to life and saw it tear down the street towards him, he ran.

Dashing through an alley and into a park managed to get him clear, or so he thought. But a few moments later that car came screeching to a halt at the park entrance; the men piling out to hunt him down. “Shit shit shit…" He mumbled, fingering the pokeballs at his side. “Think Thomas think!" He ducked down in the bush and tried to calm himself, but it was no use. He tried breathing calmly but it only made him breathe harder, he was cracking his knuckles and readying himself for a fight when-

Thud thud, thud!

Thomas - confused - looked at the ground nearby. Several sharp rods a few inches in length lay half-embedded in the dirt. He looked quizzically at them.

Thu-thud, thud-thud!

Four more. When he traced the pins back to their origin, Thomas' eyes nearly fell out of his head. “Jessa?" He said to himself. When she noticed him looking at her through the leaves she made a motion for him to cover his eyes. Unsure, but lacking a better idea Thomas shut his eyes tight and placed a hand over each one. Suddenly he felt the ground beneath him move and shudder before a blast of sand roiled up around him. It blasted against his skin and away behind him into the park. He barely heard the next few thuds at his feet. Cautiously opening his eyes the man could see Jessa hurriedly waving him over to what appeared to be her backyard.

Breaking into a sprint he did just that, chancing a look to his pursuers. He smiled at the sight of the four men wiping sand from their faces before leaping the back fence. A Particularly surprised Exeggutor glared down at him before being hit in one of his heads by a book. All but the annoyed head looked to the balcony above to see Jessa giving a 'no-no' swish of her finger as she disappeared into the house. Thomas picked up the book and ducking low moved quickly onto the back porch, hiding behind a well-placed trellis.

The door opened a crack “Thomas?"

“Jessa?" He replied. The door was swung open, a woman's hand grabbing him by the bag straps to haul him inside. The change in brightness from midday sun to unlit kitchen caused him to blink into the darkness. But as his eyes adjusted he definitely recognised the woman before him as the one from route 13. Without thinking he swept her up in a tight hug “Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you…" The Cacturne took a step forward to intervene but seemed unsure of what to do. Before it could commit to an action Thomas let Jessa down and collected himself. He cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry."

Jessa took a step forward and gave him a more appropriate, friendly hug before guiding him to the dining table. “Please, take a seat, I'll make us a fresh pot."

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you." Thomas sighed, slumping into the chair with a creak.

“I've got a pretty good idea." She said, peering through the window at the frustrated men in the park outside. “It's good to see you again."

“Same." Thomas admitted, though he soon realised how he'd left her. “Look, I'm sorry about before."

“I understand why you did what you did." Jessa said calmly, taking a couple of clean teacups from a wooden rack. “And to be honest, had you told me, I'd totally have claimed your bounty." Thomas looked a little shocked, and considerably more wary. Jessa put the man's mind at ease. “Would have then, but I've read the news. You had nothing to do with that Simons' guy." She took a deep breath, realising what she had to say next.

Thomas beat her to it. “But my Hakamo-o…?"

Jessa put the cups down on the kitchen bench and sighed. “They say he was trying to defend his trainer, not kill him." Thomas nodded, knowing she had a second part coming. “But the other two - on route 13 - well…" Thomas shook his head, slumping further in the chair. The Cacturne looked between the two humans tensely before tapping Jessa on the waist. It pointed to the other two pokeballs and made a few gestures. “Get him out. 'Jeremy' was it?" She summoned forth her Ivysaur and Sunflora.

“Yeah." Thomas answered, pulling Jeremy's ball from it's holder. With a few breaths of contemplation, Thomas pressed the little button and in a flash Jeremy was beside him. The Hakamo-o looked confused as he took in his surroundings, the other three pokemon in the room all looking at him with a hollow stare of fear he knew all too well. Jeremy looked up to Thomas who just gave him a small hug with one arm. “I think they want to ask you a few questions." Jeremy raised an eyebrow, glancing outside to the forest on the outskirts of town. “At this stage," Thomas added, understanding Jeremy's concern about mentioning the Zygarde but remembering the psychic tree in the yard nearby “there's no point in holding back. We can trust them."

Thomas looked to Jessa as he said that and she was somewhat taken aback, but held her composure as best as possible. The four pokemon stepped out onto the porch, the Ivysaur pulling down a sun-shade so as to hide them from prying eyes; the suited men in the park still tromping around looking for a trace of Thomas. It was smart of them, the man had to admit. Were the three to find Jeremy's excuse lacking they could easily warn the suits of his presence and there would be nothing Thomas could do about it. But it was a risk he had to take. The alternative was running again.

Jessa and Thomas sat at the table in silence, sipping tea while Jeremy explained himself. He was getting better at understanding the Hakamo-o's tone, and even felt as though he was following Jeremy's tale given the raising and lowering of tone, the hand gestures and everything else. Once done with the overall story the Ivysaur seemed to have several questions for him, questions he did not want to answer. But with the occasional glance at Thomas - met with a nod and weak smile from the man - he continued and gave his account as best as possible.

When describing what Thomas assumed to be the incident involving the Rocket Rising guy on route 13, the Cacturne became agitated, the Sunflora visibly wilted and the Ivysaur vomited. Jessa - shocked - stood to her pokemon's aid but was signalled to stay where she was with a wave of the spiky green stump of an arm and a stern expression. But Jeremy continued the description and by the end the other three sighed, nodding in agreement. The Exeggutor groaned from the corner of the yard, also nodding with a concerned look.

After that, Jeremy then recounted the man who tied him up for the bounty - the Hakamo-o showing off his shoulder and ankle scars as proof - and getting a much more agreeable reception from his audience upon finishing. At that he just stood in silence, waiting for them to cast judgement. Thomas could see the weight of Jeremy's actions written across the Hakamo-o's face, unsure if this was the first time explaining himself fully to another pokemon; let alone his trainer.

But after some deliberation and raised voices from an ever growing huddle in the backyard, eventually the three grass types returned to the back porch and ushered Jeremy inside. “That looked serious." Jessa said to her pokemon. The Cacturne nodded slowly, then gestured for Jeremy to stand front and center, though the Sunflora and Ivysaur looked a little unsure, as though they felt Jeremy shouldn't be put through what was about to happen. The Cacturne then pointed to Thomas and imitated it's battle stance. “When we fought. You mean route 13?" It nodded, then gestured for Jessa to talk to Jeremy. She looked to Thomas.

“Ask away, we're tired of hiding. I'll try to fill in the gaps if you need-" but he was silenced by the Cacturne swiping at him to stop. “Oooor not..." Jessa looked at the pokemon sharply, but he didn't back down.

“Okay. Do you know what happened to Roger Mills?" Jeremy looked at her a little puzzled. “Roger- the Rocket guy on route 13 that the newspapers say is missing." He nodded sheepishly, looking to the ground. “What happened to him?" Jeremy took a breath and was about to talk when the Ivysaur and Sunflora both erupted into sound, trying to explain it was all a mistake and that he didn't mean it, but they were silenced by the Cacturne drawing a stumpy upper limb across its neck as though slitting a throat. Jessa gasped. Thomas sighed, but didn't look disappointed much to Jeremy's surprise. Instead he looked understanding, as though he knew it was the only course of action. “Thomas, mind filling me in?"

“I still don't know the full story of what happened across those few days." The Cacturne threw its arms down in a huff. “Jeremy and I got… separated after his run in with… did you say Robert Mills?"

“Roger." Jessa corrected. “I think that's what I read."

“Roger Mills." Thomas cleared his throat giving the forest outside a wary look. “Jeremy and I have been tasked with returning an unclassified legendary pokemon to the Unova Dragon Institute for study. But there's a guy - pretty high up in Rocket by the looks of things - that wants it instead. Killed Jeremy's last trainer for it; Parker Simons." Thomas took a sip of tea. “Whatever Jeremy did, he did it to keep the Legendary pokemon, his friends and myself safe."

“Friends?" Jessa couldn't quite figure out what Thomas meant by that.

“Jeremy didn't come to me alone, he had a Sligoo and Deino - Parker's pokemon - along with him. So I've been taking care of them too."

“You did have a Deino!" She shouted, punching Thomas in the arm. “I knew it!"

Thomas blushed “Sorry," He said, grabbing Jeremy's ball and making it disappear “Sleight of hand. Couldn't risk being found out. Figured Mac would be a common enough pokemon that he could be chalked up to coincidence." He sighed, taking another sip of tea and making a mental note to ask her where she got that particular blend from. “But back to Jeremy." Placing the ball back on the table, Thomas continued. “I don't think Jeremy would have killed anyone unless he was absolutely sure there was no other option. Pokemon or Human."

The Ivysaur nodded, getting Jessa's attention. “He had no choice?" She repeated, and the Ivysaur lifted one of the leaves on its back to reveal a large scar. The ashamed cringe that settled on the Cacturne's figure caused Thomas to look between the pokemon and it's trainer somewhat confused. But Jessa knew exactly what it meant. Seeing the man's bewildered expression she regaled him with the scar's origin. “A couple years ago, Cacturne was sparring with Boop and kinda… improvised. Without realising it he had learned Pin Missile and managed to land a particularly powerful blow in a vulnerable area." A tear rolled down Jessas cheek as she remembered the events unfold. “Boop was touch and go there for a while, but he eventually made it through. Cacturne blamed himself - of course - but really it was just a mistake."

With Jeremy nodding in agreement, Thomas realised there was far more that he didn't know than he thought. “So the rocket guy died fro-" He was silenced by one of the Ivysaur's tendrils waving in front of his face. “Not the guy but one of the pokemon?" Boop nodded.

Jessa turned to look at Thomas. “You didn't know?"

“Look," Thomas said flatly, the hint of frustration in his voice “Since we left Cannab we've been separated and reunited three times, I've had a major surgery after almost having my brain sucked out my ear by a Crobat, and we've both had several close encounters with Rocket bloody Rising. I don't speak 'Hakamo-o', and even if I did we've only had a couple waking hours together since we first got split up. There were more important things to do than go over the semantics of Pokemon battle law."

“Okay, okay…" Jessa threw her hands up defensively “Sorry, just asking."

“I know." Thomas sighed, head falling into his hands before looking through caged fingers at Jeremy. “It's just been a bit stressful is all."

Jessa returned to her questions. “So you, what: accidentally killed Roger's pokemon?" Jeremy held up a finger. “One of his pokemon." He nodded. “Then what?" Jeremy held up a second finger and pretended to fight defensively; dodging and blocking imaginary punches. “His other pokemon attacked you?" He mimed being swung at the neck “Kill you?" He nodded. “So… you…" Jeremy nodded again, sadly. “But why Roger?"

The Hakamo-o remembered the rage overtaking him. He remembered the terror in the Scyther and Human's stares as they looked up at his demonically glowing eyes in the moonlight. And he remembered why his fists struck hard and true. Jeremy lost composure, leaping into Thomas' embrace. He wrapped his pink and yellow arms around the man tightly and wept. Thomas held him close, head falling on the pokemon's shoulders as he comforted his friend, his lover. “Hey… it's okay." He all but whispered. “That was then, this is now."

Jessa saw now the extent of their relationship. Given the looks Jeremy had given Thomas throughout the afternoon's exchange, she could tell there was more than just a simple rescue mission going on, but the passion by which they embraced sealed it. She nodded thoughtfully, giving the two a few more moments to calm down before stating her verdict. “You two have been through a lot. I'm not gonna turn you in. Please, stay here tonight - at least - and when you're ready to head out," She looked to her three pokemon, unsure how they could help “we'll see what we can do." Boop and the Sunflora seemed happy with the decision, while the Cacturne moped away, still embarrassed for being called out as hypocritical.

Jeremy sobbed into Thomas' neck, though his body had become less tense than before Jessa's decision. But he pulled himself together when his trainer grunted with annoyance. “Dammit, I forgot about Zana." It was Jess' turn to look confused as she was about to ask who Zana was, but Thomas beat her to it. “She understands pokemon and can speak normally too." He facepalmed, groaning “She would have made all this so much easier…"

Jessa's eyes went wide, staring at the mantelpiece and the pokeball atop it. “I might just have something else she could help with." She strode over to the pokeball and took it down, rolling it over in her hands. “My Aunt and Uncle sent me a Rillaboom, and he won't stop drumming. Won't listen, won't talk, and when I try to force him to he just bangs louder and louder." She turned to look at Thomas and his still sobbing partner. “It's... it's not the right time, I'm sorry."

Jeremy cleared his throat and stood out of Thomas' embrace before tapping Zana's ball. “You sure?" Jeremy nodded in response to his trainer's question, standing next to the man with one arm around his neck; both a statement of affection and ownership. Thomas unclipped the newest addition to his belt and pressed the button. Zana stretched in the kitchen, a moaned yawn escaping her lips before checking out her environment.

It's not the last place she was expecting to find herself, but it sure wouldn't have been her first guess. She ran fingers through her still tangled hair. “I see we haven't made it to a pokecenter yet." a wavering disembodied voice filled the room. “Well, Introductions then Poke-"

“Zana!" Thomas growled as a warning, though she continued to smile happily at her little jab. “This is Jessa." He indicated the woman before turning to her two remaining pokemon “And also Boop, Sunflora and…" He looked around for the third but failed to spot him “and a cacturne is somewhere around here."

“Zana?" Jessa said warily, holding out one hand politely. The Zoroark was tempted to refuse the friendly notion but a death stare from Thomas made her change her tone. She gently took the woman's hand but turned it so her own palm was on top before a swift shake and release. “Sorry, I've never met a pokemon that could talk before."

“Not many folks do." The pokemon mused. Behind her, Thomas held up two fingers and winked with a mischievous grin. It took Zana a second but she remembered what he'd said about the Feraligatr pool and their diminutive 'elder'. “Yes, quite."

Jessa - realising there must be a significant amount of Thomas' adventure that she was well unaware of - decided to bring the topic of discussion back to the present. “Thomas felt you might be able to help me with something."

“And he offered my services for free did he?"

“Room and board." Thomas interjected before Zana could take control of the situation and demand… actually he had no idea what would happen if she decided to get paid more than room and board. But he felt it in his best interests to keep it as clean and clear as possible until Jeremy, Zana and himself could have a thorough talk.

Zana looked a little annoyed, but nodded in agreement. “Fine. What's the problem?"

Jessa held out the pokeball for Zana to take, but the pokemon was wary of the object. “I was sent a Rillaboom that won't listen to me."

“A What?" The Zoroark asked without hesitation.

“Rillaboom. It's a Galarian pokemon."

“And Galarian is a place?"

“Galar. My family moved from there to here a few generations ago." She added. “It's a decent distance away. Many weeks by boat. Well, Sailboat."

“Okay, well, let him out."

After a quick sigh followed by a deep breath, Jessa summoned the Rillaboom into the room. With a heavy thud and creaking floorboards, the Kitchen was all but filled with the massive frame of the ape-like pokemon. It surveyed the gathering before it, then pulled a massive stump from off it's back and slammed it onto the floor. Retrieving sticks from it's cuffs, the Rillaboom began thrashing the makeshift drumset.

Every beat slammed into Thomas' chest as though he were standing in front of a concert speaker turned up to 11. It was almost deafening to him, but he couldn't imagine what the affect was on the other pokemon. Jeremy had leapt behind the couch in the nearby livingroom, while Zana was clutching her head and scanning the room for something. Spotting it, she grabbed her ball and disappeared in a flash of red. “Some help!" Thomas shouted at the ball as it clattered to the floor.

Jessa stepped in front of the beast, hands out and begging for him to soften the noise, but he refused and increased tempo just to spite her. She turned to Thomas, face winced and near tears. Thomas looked around the room for something to help when his eyes settled on an item in the corner. His jaw dropped and irises went wide. Jessa followed his gaze to the antique instrument sitting on a side table. She shuffled around the thrashing arms of the Rillaboom and extracted the box with a crank at one end from it's resting place and brought it to Thomas.

With trembling hands he took the instrument in hand. It was bigger than the one his father had made, and so much older. Here he thought it was a family invention but no, what he held was proof that yet again, he was wrong. But in that moment, the notion of right and wrong, of self depreciation and fading memories all flew past him. His hands took over and he wound the crank, faster and faster.

With a low drone the Hurdy-Gurdy came to life in Thomas' skilled hands. He lightly tapped the keys and tweaked the strings to get it in tune, all while the Rillaboom stared at him, curious. Then rivalling the near-deafening drum beat, the Hurdy-Gurdy burst with sound. Experienced fingers danced along the keys as the antiquated instrument sang for the first time in decades. The Rillaboom's drumming calmed to an even beat as Thomas laid down a series of notes on repeat. Notes he grew with each round, changing keys and adding chords to create a heavy - almost medieval - tune.

Then feeling the buildup of drums Thomas stepped back a bit, only using supporting chords while Rillaboom smashed into a drum solo. Tears began to flow down Rillabooms cheeks as unbeknown to those surrounding him he was still mourning the loss of his trainer. The leader of his band. His new trainer didn't understand. He was just another grass type like those around her. Except she wasn't in the room anymore. He thrashed a little harder on his stump, really letting the rage over his trainer's death take over.

Then he heard it. They all did. A deep, strummed D. Thomas looked around to see Jessa had hurriedly linked a bass guitar to an amp in the living room. It took Rillaboom halting his playing to turn and see what the man was smiling about. Listening to his supposedly new trainer accompany the Hurdy-Gurdy he could tell she was a novice, but she was trying, he had to give her credit for that. Sliding his wooden drum kit into place the grass-type returned to furious drumming in time with the other two.

By that stage Jeremy had come out of his hiding place and was gathered along with Boop and the Sunflora in the kitchen, where they were soon joined by a somewhat confused Cacturne. The four looked on as their trainers jammed to the best of their ability. Occasionally Thomas would mix it up by dropping the melody to let Rillaboom go solo, and at one point they even let Jessa try a bass solo. But with a sheepish grin and several massacred note progressions she returned to what she knew and so did the other two.

A few minutes later the trio brought an end to the song, but not without a final flourish of drums from the Rillaboom. And what a flourish. For the two humans it was just the end of the song, but for Rillaboom it was the end of more than that. With a final strike he brought down both sticks at full force. And with a heart wrenching crack, one of them snapped clean in half.

Thomas looked from the stick to the pokemon holding it, the already teary eyes welling up at the splintered shaft of wood. “Rilla-" It groaned, a deep bass tone reverberating through the room. Thomas blinked, his peripheral view catching the blurry motion of Jessa darting to the entryway. She returned quickly, but the last few steps were slow and deliberate as she approached the massive pokemon. She held aloft the two drumstick-shaped rods she'd picked up that morning.

“It was meant to be a welcoming gift, not a replacement." She said, offering the sticks to the Rillaboom. “You clearly loved your trainer, and you both loved music, right?" He nodded sadly. “I'm sorry. I know I'm not the best, and I know being sent to someone halfway round the world isn't what you wanted." The Rillaboom shrugged noncommittally before reaching out with one hand to take the new drumsticks. “And I know I'm not that good at bass." There was the hint of a smile across the Rillaboom's face for the briefest of moments. “But I can learn." She placed the sticks in his hand and rested hers on top. “Just give me a chance."

The Rillaboom looked from the sticks to the pokemon around him, to Thomas then finally Jessa. With a heavy sigh, he pulled her in close and gave her a gentle hug. “I think that's a yes." Thomas mused. Several seconds later the Rillaboom softly pushed Jessa back, pointing at the Bass resting on the couch. He shoved his intact older stick into his mane of leaves along with the two shards of the other one. Then after spinning the two new drumsticks several times, he began tapping out a beat.

Enthusiastically Jessa's newest grass-type began showing her the right finger movements to pluck the strings and a few standard progressions as well. Thomas made several pots of tea - which surprisingly the Rillaboom seemed quite keen on - and spent most of the afternoon with Jeremy on the couch listening to the two jam, occasionally joining in on the Hurdy-Gurdy if the pokemon requested a specific tune or melody for Jessa to play with.

As dinner time approached, Jessa was exhausted. With Thomas offering to pay, it was agreed they would order out. One of the noodle restaurants in town was pokemon-friendly so they ordered a veritable banquet from them and soon had more food than they could responsibly eat. Though after the appetite they had worked up playing all afternoon, Jessa and Rillaboom were almost eating competitively. The seven-foot pokemon with the bodybuilder physique was always going to beat the skinny human that was a head shorter at least, and before Jessa could eat herself into a food coma, Rillaboom pushed his plate aside and carried her upstairs.

As he ascended, Jeremy couldn't help but take a glance at the pokemon's rear. He went to elbow Thomas, but the man was already getting an eyeful of the Rillaboom's glutes. Boop grunted in mock disgust and excused himself from the table. Sunflora and Cacturne had both refused dinner to instead spend time in the yard with the others, so with the Ivysaur gone, Hakamo-o and trainer were able to be a little more loose with their talk. “I know it's just a 'humanoid shape' thing, but he kinda makes me think of the Machamp back in Cannab."

Another groan echoed up from beyond the table as the Ivysaur made his way to the stairs. He gave the two a cocked eyebrow while turning at the half-flight landing. Thomas and Jeremy looked to each other, both a little red in the face. Then Jeremy shushed Thomas, listening carefully as the man could barely make out the ivysaur saying something. A few seconds later the Rillaboom descended the stairs. It seemed a little distracted, but after downing several glasses of water it approached Jeremy.

The Hakamo-o looked a little shocked with the first round of questioning words from the grass-type. But once he got that look in his eye - and cheeky grin across that muzzle - Thomas knew what they were talking about. The Rillaboom looked Thomas over with a more hungry gaze than before, smiling and chuckling at what Jeremy had to say. “I know you know I can't understand you. But I do know you're talking about me." They both raised their eyebrows at that, before getting back to talking. “Fine. I'll figure it out one of these days, I will. That'll catch you by surprise." Thomas walked over to the couch, but only got halfway before he felt thick fingers wrap around his wrist.

“Rilla." The booming bass note of the pokemon's voice caused a shiver to flow from the man's ears, down through his chest and into his feet before bouncing back up. He turned Thomas around to face him, leaning over until his muzzle was barely grazing Thomas' neck before whispering “Booooom…" Thomas placed a hand on the pokemon's chest, feeling the soft, short fur as he slowly ran his fingers down the impressive musculature. In a lot of ways this was very much like the Machamp, but this time he wasn't doing it as some sort of bet or dare while in a confused state. This time he wanted it. They both did. Though somewhere in the corner of his brain there was a small voice warning him that if the Rillaboom fucks like he drums, then Thomas may end up back in hospital.

The man gulped. “So, cards on the table… I take it you can understand me?" The mess of leaves bobbed up and down with each nod. “Righty. And you're up for… y'know…" The Rillaboom winked at Thomas, who bit his lower lip with a needy whine. Jeremy stared at the man, pointing to his scaled wrists, reminding Thomas of the bracers on his own wrists; the reminder of his voluntary subservience. The Rillaboom was looking down at the man with a twinkle in his eye, and Thomas finally put two and two together. “You ever fuck a human before?" he whispered. The room was filled with the sound of swishing greenery as the Rillaboom shook his head. “Then you're in luck," Thomas pulled his wrist free of the Rillabooms grip and proceeded to trace both sets of fingers down the muscular chest before finding the well hidden slit below his abs “Because I absolutely love pokemon cock."

The Rillaboom's genitals were very human-like in appearance, the slit in it's fur serving more like a pouch that everything was held within. As the thick orange cock extended from its hiding place, a similarly coloured ballsack also dropped free. Thomas was mystified by this development. Every male pokemon he'd encountered so far had internalised testes. But these grapefruit-sized balls were swinging freely. Seeing Thomas' bewilderment, the Rillaboom swung his hips from side to side, emphasizing the weight of those cum factories as they slapped against each thigh.

Had Thomas known anything about Rillaboom mating rituals, he might have become a little more wary of what was in store for him. But he didn't know that male Rillaboom use their genitals to beat their drums as a show of masculinity. The more weighty and rigid the cock, the louder the beat. Some males were so well endowed that they could use their testes as well, and those that could hold a beat with both at the same time were often considered to be of prime genetic stock. Fortunately for the man, the Rillaboom didn't require the dance and song that would usually accompany his lewd antics, as the human was already clearly gagging for it.

Thomas reached out and fondled the large orbs, gently kneading them much to the Rillabooms delight. “Woooow…" He moaned, subconsciously licking his lips. One hand wrapped around the thick orange shaft and angled it upwards so the man could lean in close. With a soft kiss, his lips began exploring the low-hanging fruit. Several more kisses later and the man's tongue joined in, giving the orange balls long licks. All the while Thomas looked up into the Rillabooms eyes with an obvious deep desire for pokemon cock plastered across his face.

It didn't take long for his explorative tongue to move from the churning balls to Rillabooms throbbing cock. It had grown even larger, Thomas' hand barely able to fit around its circumference. With a gentle pumping motion he gave the pokemon it's first human handjob, kissing along the length of the shaft until he bypassed the section his hand was pleasuring to plant his lips across the pulsing orange crown. It really was very human-like in appearance, only lacking any foreskin or evidence that there ever was any to begin with. The member was smooth but veiny and rock hard. Thomas found it difficult just to shift its position slightly to get a better look at it.

The Rillaboom growled deeply, the deep notes sending shivers down both Thomas and Jeremy's spine. The latter was seated quite comfortably on the couch nearby, masturbating to the sight of his trainer servicing the much larger pokemon. With a quick lick around the circumference of the orange cock's head, Thomas opened wide and began to descend. The Rillaboom had mated before, but not like this. It was a more animalistic thing he had done previously, more down to the base issue of continuing the species. He knew he was an excellent specimen and he made sure to remain that way with exercise and diet. But this human was in it for pleasure. And that was a new thing for him. What Thomas was doing felt amazing and he wasn't about to stop him, though he was wondering what to do.

Jeremy noticed the big pokemon's hesitation and got up from his seat to observe what was going on. Thomas was being a good little poke slut and practically inhaling the Rillaboom's meat, beginning to bob up and down on the top half of it's lengthy shaft. But Jeremy knew how Thomas wanted to be treated, and he knew he'd have to show the grass-type how to be a little more forceful. Though he realised with those muscles, Jeremy didn't want him to be that much more forceful.

The Hakamo-o guided Rillaboom's hand to the back of Thomas' head and pushed down, forcing a couple more inches of the meaty prick into Thomas' mouth. From the sounds he was making, Jeremy could tell that prior to then Thomas had been taking the member to the back of his throat, but no further. Whether he was taking it slow on purpose due to being a little out of practice or because he was waiting for further instruction didn't seem to matter. As the Rillaboom got into the rhythm of it, Thomas was quickly swallowing the entire pole several times before coming back up for air.

“Rilla..." He moaned, bucking into Thomas' mouth with each gulp <Yes!>

<He's a good little fuck toy, isn't he?> Jeremy moaned, returning to the couch to watch as Thomas deepthroated the near foot-long orange cock.

<He enjoys this?> Rillaboom grabbed the back of Thomas' head as he thrust into him several times in rapid succession before letting go.

<I think he's addicted to it.> Jeremy snickered. <That's how it seems to me…>

<And he's okay with me going… up there?> Rillaboom slid a hand down Thomas' back and under the waistband of his pants. The man moaned whorishly into the cock being thrust into him.

<You need further proof?> Jeremy laughed, getting off the couch again to walk behind Thomas. <Let me get him nice and ready for you.> With a swift tug Jeremy had the pants around the man's kneeling knees and had positioned his pre-leaking cock at his trainers puckered hole. Smearing the pre around Thomas' ring brought several more begging moans. Then in one push he speared Thomas from tip to base. The muffled scream of part pleasure, part pain reverberated through the Rillaboom's body; pitch rising high before settling into a low growl.

<Damn, he likes making a bit of noise, doesn't he.> The pokemon chuckled <Could be a singer with a range like that.>

Jeremy held himself deep inside Thomas as the man adjusted to the welcomed intrusion. He looked to the strange instrument on the table and thought back to the scattered remains at his campsite the first day they met. <I think he used to. Before being a trainer.> Jeremy felt himself squirt a decent sized dollop of pre inside his trainer's rear and began gyrating to spread it around. <Said he used to busk.>

Rillaboom changed position a little to allow Thomas a momentary breath before pistoning into his throat. <Has he… been doing this… that long… too?>

<I was his first.> Jeremy growled before joining in on the larger pokemon's rhythm. <Thank me later!> The two found a pace that worked well for them and proceeded to lay into Thomas with full force, pausing long enough for the man to breathe before slamming back in. His body rammed back and forth by the synchronised pokemon's thrusts as his chin was assaulted by the massive set of balls swinging beneath the orange member. It was all Thomas could do in his oxygen deprived state to remain conscious.

<I'm getting pretty close…> The rillaboom admitted, grunting with need as his thrusts increased in force.

Jeremy slid himself out of Thomas with speed. <In his arse! Cum in there!> He had to practically pry the two apart to get the edging Rillaboom to re-align, but once aimed at the proper hole, Jeremy let the beast make its move. The difference between the two pokemon was primarily length, but also that the dragon-type's member was tapered from near the base all the way to the tip, while the grass-type was more like a long cylindrical rod with a slight bulge around its center, as though there was too much cock to be contained within a simple rod. And as it slammed that footlong flesh wand home Thomas saw stars; his own climax bursting forth at the sensation of being instantly filled so deep while the massive balls landed percussively against his own twitching member.

But he was in for one wild ride. The tip of Rillaboom's cock was thick enough to seal off that part of the man's insides, and after a few more thrusts, Thomas realised exactly how different this time would be. He felt the cock throb and pulse until at long last Rillaboom rammed himself as deep as possible to unload himself fully. A flood of pokemon cum erupted into Thomas' belly. It was warm and comforting, and it flowed through him with each twitch of the massive orange member. But to his surprise it didn't end after the first couple of shots, it continued to fill him.

Jeremy looked to Rillaboom, then to the pokemon's balls. The testes were significantly smaller than they had been, having shrunk to the size of tennis balls as they continued to shudder and twitch. <Oh, he's gonna love you…> Jeremy chuckled as the grass-type groaned contentedly. <Just… wow..>

“Fuck…" Thomas whined, out of breath still and barely able to stay on all fours his arms and legs were shivering so intensely. “Fuck…" He moaned again, pressing one hand against his almost pregnant-looking belly. “Fuck me..."

<If you're sure.> Jeremy said rhetorically, knowing the human couldn't understand him. As Rillaboom pulled out to make way, Jeremy was quick to ram himself in to stop any leaks. He licked up Thomas' back causing the man to shiver so bad he lost the use of his arms, faceplanting into the living room rug. The new position worked well for Jeremy, who felt the man's insides twist and turn against him as he pulled out a few inches; just enough to get some movement but not enough for the faux knot to exit the man and coat the livingroom in Rillaboom jizz. <I know you can't understand me but I'm gonna fill you to the brim, pokeslut.>

“Fill me, Jeremy…" The Rillaboom looked amazed at the apparent translation of the Hakamo-o's words until he realised it must be a thing between them. The massive pokemon wandered back around in front of the man and sat down. Without requesting it, or even forcing the notion, Thomas was quick to begin licking the orange pole clean, savouring the taste of his most recent lover's spunk. “Mmmmmm…" He moaned as jeremy ground inside him “Your cum is so damn tasty…" Thomas wolfed down the member again, sucking it all the way to the base before pulling off of it. “Thank you." He kissed the cock head gently before returning his attention to the Hakamo-o drilling into him.

Jeremy was getting close as well, and wrapping a hand around Thomas' chest he pulled the man upright, bouncing his almost limp body upon his raging erection. “Cum in me master!" Thomas whined, the Rillaboom looking on in awe. “Cum in your pokeslut! Fill me!"

After watching Thomas get railed by - and then clean - the Rillaboom, having him talk dirty like that was just too much. He slammed Thomas down into place and growled, loosing volley after volley of hot draconic seed into his trainers belly. Turning Thomas' face to his, Jeremy shoved his tongue down the man's throat before linking themselves in a passionate kiss. Every burst of fiery cum inside his rear brought a needy moan from Thomas' throat, which in turn prompted a gentle squeeze from Jeremy's unorthodox hug; one arm tightly holding the man around the chest while the other was keeping his hips in place.

Pulling out of the kiss, Jeremy looked to the Rillaboom. <The big trainers pack over there. Big side pocket behind the shovel.> The larger pokemon's girthy fingers fumbled with the zipper, but eventually got it open. <Black plug looking thing.> He tried to describe it but couldn't think of any better words in his head. <Yeah that- wait…> The black plug that the Rillaboom had retrieved was similar to the one they had bought at the Naughty Delphox, but it had a thicker base with several buttons.

Thomas glanced up at it and chuckled. “I fucking love you Jeremy…" He managed through staggered breaths. “Big button. Push it." The Rillaboom did so and almost dropped the thing in shock when a whirring motor sounded within, leading the plug to slowly double in size. Triple in size. It had gone well beyond the size of grapefruit and was beginning to enter small melon territory. And it would have kept going if not for a small beep followed by the cessation of the electric hum of the pump.

<Where did you… Nevermind, it's perfect.> Jeremy motioned for the Rillaboom to bring it over. By pressing the smaller button to deflate the plug, and the larger one to re-inflate it they managed to get it to the size Jeremy thought best. <Here you go, slut.> He quickly withdrew before ramming the plug in and pressing the inflate button for another moment. Thomas was well and truly plugged. He sighed as Jeremy rubbed the bulging belly <So full of cum, you almost look pregnant.> He chuckled.

Rillaboom leaned down to Thomas and gave him a big lick up his cheek, but Thomas reached out and pulled the pokemon's lips to his, locking them in a furious kiss. After several seconds he released the bewildered pokemon. “Okay…" The trainer sighed. “We should probably get some sleep." He tried to stand but was still a little too dizzy and would have collapsed back to the floor if not for Rillabooms quick hands. “Thank you, again." Jeremy stood and took his lovers weight before motioning to the spare room Jessa had done up for them.

The Rillaboom checked to make sure his new drumsticks were tucked away before slinging his drum kit to his back. Then with a push of a button and a flash of light he disappeared back inside his pokeball. Jeremy sighed, not needing to put on a show for anyone as he helped carry Thomas to the fold-out bed. <I love you Thomas.> He said, lowering the man onto the bed.

“I love you too Jeremy." The man sighed, almost asleep already. The two stared at each other, realising for the briefest of moments that Thomas had - without thinking - responded to Jeremy's display of affection. Was it a product of routine? Insinuation of Tone? Or had they finally come far enough together to begin to understand each other innately. They were both too tired to care, falling into dreams side by side, hand in hand for the second night in a row.

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