FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, something Thomas and his companions had been slowly starting to get used to. Over several hours the group unwound and became just a little more open with each other. Squishy seemed to be the pokemon of the moment with Dusty even a little jealous of the pokemon's size. But Carmen was the Gyarados' biggest fan, spending most of her time in his embrace, or he in hers. All the while Mac and Griff chirped, whistled and clicked to each other as they watched the waves lap against the dock.

Jeremy and Zana helped Thomas turn the couch around to face the door leading out to the docks, the man flanked by his Master and Mistress on either side as they watched the others catch up, chat and just generally wind down from what was essentially an intense month of survival. Despite their newfound understanding, Thomas and Jeremy barely talked, and as such Zana was reasonably silent as well, the trio just enjoying each other's presence and the knowledge that a particularly large chapter in their lives was coming to a close.

There was a little bit of excitement when Dusty apparently challenged Squishy to a race, the two squaring off to dash out to a buoy and back. Thomas couldn't help but leave his seat to stand alongside the other three for that, joined shortly thereafter by Jeremy. It was a close thing, but after a restart - Dusty having been disqualified for using High Horsepower to gain a bit of speed - there was a clear winner. Despite having to deal with the complexities of hydrodynamics, Squishy came out on top by a reasonable margin. Though Dusty took his loss in stride, he seemed a little put out. Thomas reasoned he'd been his first - and only - water type, and as that latter title had been removed within a day of his evolution, Dusty might have been feeling a little underappreciated. Thomas did his best to praise both competitors for their stellar display, which helped raise Dusty's spirits a little. But what brought them all the way back up was - of all things - Carmen falling into the water.

Her flailing brought Squishy to her very quickly, and as Thomas peered beyond the dock edge, he couldn't help but crack a smile. Reminding him of the river in Kangaskhan valley, Carmen was treading not so much water as a rapidly spreading blob of slime. Slime that Squishy was now caught in. The Goodra had a modicum of control over her own slippery by-product, but she'd not tried to manage an amount quite so large. The Gyarados wriggled and writhed, but was making little headway in the gloopy substance, while Dusty - somewhat mockingly - trotted around on the surface free as a pidgey.

Jeremy shook his head in amusement and found a mooring rope to toss to Carmen while Thomas balled a very confused Squishy. Once out, Carmen's cheeks had turned a deep shade of purple and she did a very quick walk of shame into the bathroom to rinse off the excess goo. Jeremy re-wound the rope and Dusty went for a quick trot in cleaner water to remove the remnants of his boasting from the sandy hooves.

With the group - sans Gyarados - back inside the motel room, Zana mentioned it was close to dinner and alluded to Thomas spoiling them for such a good job done. Relenting to the choir of pleading voices, the man led them out into the bright orange light of the afternoon. The six pokemon and their trainer lazily wandered down the street - except for Mac who seemed to be stuck in fifth gear - searching for an appropriate restaurant. Most were only just opening their doors, so they seemed to have a decent pick of the town.

After a half hour of walking the streets Zana yanked on Thomas' arm, pointing out a small wooden archway between two large concrete buildings. There was no sign, but the line was already close to a dozen deep. The man - more curious than anything else - guided the crew over to the mysterious entrance and getting them to stay in the line he wandered up to the front to talk to the bouncer.

Apparently 'The Garden' was one of those places you have to know exists, and they either have to know you exist too or be really empty for you to get a table. Fortunately for Thomas when the gates eventually opened the maitre d' recognised him from the news reports and guided the Drake Party straight to a table of honour in a small zen garden up the back. And after asking politely, the Mienshao servers confirmed that he could summon Squishy into the small pool nearby for water types to enjoy the experience as well. It was designed to look like it was a water feature within the garden itself, but had a small ledge for pokemon to sit on and reach the table.

The manager - a heavyset but well groomed gentleman in his mid-forties with an impeccably tailored dinner suit coloured to match the Mienshao walking around - had made his way down after realising Thomas Drake was in their establishment. After greeting the troupe, he explained they'd been under the thumb of the Rocket Rising crew for many years; having access to Sidna's elite seemed to paint that target on any business' back. The removal of that particular thorn in their side warranted free meals for Thomas and his entire entourage. He of course was attempting to be modest and politely refuse but Zana insisted he not be rude and accept the management's kind gesture.

The night wound on with exceptional food that didn't end until everyone had had their fill. The manager was even kind enough to bring down an exquisite chocolate for Thomas and a tray of rare candies for the rest. It seemed only Jeremy had come across those morsels before and while the rest happily gulped down their treat, the Hakamo-o sucked on it, savouring every little bit of the incredible dessert. Mac's eyes just about popped out of his hub-like head as the near magical combination of ingredients reacted with his mind and body in ways he'd never experienced before. That appeared to be the same for the rest of the crew as well, each one leaving behind the lethargy associated with fully partaking in a massive feast for a more energetic state of being; partly due to the rainbow of ingredients contained within and partly from the sugar itself.

Thomas' Leichi-Ganache Truffle was the highlight of the evening for him, the wonderful pairing of spicy and sweet flavours in the ganache coated in a rich dark chocolate and dusted in dried Kasib berry was a near overload of sensation for the man. He asked one of the servers for his compliments to be passed to the chefs responsible for both the meal and the chocolate. And after several minutes, he got a response from the kitchen. The display was rather unexpected, and had Thomas initially wondering what was going on. A Machamp in a chef's uniform held in his lower arms a silver platter upon which a multicoloured puff of a pokemon sat.

Thomas stared a little confused, wondering if he was being offered the pokemon or something else was going on. Zana had to lean over to snap the man out of it, informing him the pokemon was an Alcremie, and that they were probably the one responsible for the chocolate. He apologised profusely at his initial confusion and again relayed how amazing the dessert - and meal - had been that night. After a little translated conversation thanks to Zana, Thomas discovered that the Alcremie and Machamp were the establishments owners and had set up The Garden years prior, a dream of theirs made real.

They wanted to own a restaurant but couldn't afford one of the buildings, so purchased a tiny strip of land between two of the larger buildings. It was so narrow that the larger construction equipment would be unable to fit, thus making an indoor restaurant out of the question. To deal with that issue they set up a small kitchen and provided outdoor seating. Their food was so popular that soon they were able to afford better landscapers, better kitchen facilities and kept upgrading until they were the most reputable restaurant in town.

Rocket Rising attempted to force them to sell, but after Bruno had sampled their food, he knew the place would be out of business in a matter of weeks without those two in the kitchen, and they'd just set up somewhere else. So instead he would demand 'protection money' of sorts, and had done so for several years. But after Thomas' confrontation with him in the theatre, they were suddenly free of the criminal organisation. Thomas grinned as he informed them of their assault on the R.R.S. Kyogre, informing them only of the necessary details and that Bruno was last seen - tail between his legs - running away. While the Machamp was grinning madly at that, the Alcremie was leaping up and down on the platter joyously.

The rest of Thomas' crew found that little detail rather amusing, and cheered along with the restaurant's owners. The Alcremie yanked her partner's collar, pointing to Thomas, whereby he lowered the platter closer to the man. She leaned in and grabbed Thomas' face, kissing him on each cheek before planting a rather passionate kiss upon his lips. Stunned, the man blushed deeply with a sheepish grin plastered across his face. The machamp moved the platter just enough to the side to reach out and shake the man's hand. Thomas retrieved his palm from the near-crushing strength of the pokemon's grip, and reassured the two that he was only doing what he felt was the right thing.

The two chefs made their rounds of the table, having a quick chat with the rest of Thomas' crew Then they bid their goodbyes and returned to the kitchen. Thomas left a sizeable tip - which Zana gave him a strange look for until he told her it was for the servers - and gathered the group together. Jeremy and Zana each took one of Thomas' arms, With Zna getting the pokedex side. Realising he was only touching skin and not leather, Jeremy got an idea.

Sharing his thoughts with his trainer, he convinced Thomas to return all but himself and Zana to their balls so they could take a quick trip to one of the adult stores nearby. Thomas had been without a second bracer for only a short while, but for the pokemon it was too long. However as they walked, Zana made it clear that whatever bracer purchased would be her choice. Despite Jeremy's feelings on the matter, the Hakamo-o was turned to her way of thinking when it was explained that Thomas would then have one bracer for each of them. But it didn't come without a fair amount of emotional discomfort.

First Carmen was stepping on his metaphorical toes with being able to talk to Thomas without using illusions or psychic powers, and now Zana was claiming him in a more formal way too. He sighed morosely but as if sensing the pokemon's unease, Thomas slid his arm out of the Hakamo's grip to squeeze Jeremy's hand comfortingly. The gesture helped a little, but it would take more than that to improve Jeremy's mood.

As they arrived at the adult store and the doors opened, it was clear this establishment - unlike the Naughty Delphox - was heavily segregated regarding clientele. One side was pokemon restricted, while the other was for humans, the aisle down the middle flanked by thick black velvet curtains. A slit in each curtain marked entry to either side, the human section having several 'no pokemon' signs next to it, and visa versa on the pokemon side. Jeremy and Zana looked disappointed, so Thomas checked his pokedex to see if there was another shop of it's kind in the city. Alas, there was only other stores from this same chain. Frustrated, he directed the other two to have a wander through the other section to see if there was something that caught their eye, while he perused his side.

There was a very bored, mostly naked woman sitting just inside the door who greeted him noncommittally when he slipped inside before going back to playing on her phone. Thomas sighed, making his way through the shelves for anything interesting, but all the 'bondage' items were mass produced and either a plasticy faux-leather or rubber. He pondered over a couple of intricate plastic rubber pieces but ultimately decided Zana would rather something of quality to be acquired later than something inferior right now. He settled on some popping candy designed to make blowjobs more exciting and left for the counter at the end of the central aisle. He was there for all of ten seconds before Jeremy and Zana left their side empty-handed and rather annoyed looking.

The cashier - a middle aged man in an ill-fitting rubber apron and little else - put through the sale with a sigh, radiating the same energy (or lack thereof) that the woman in the human section had. Thomas waved away the possibility of a receipt hoping he'd never have to come back, and led the other two outside. The fact this store was so much more strict on the human/pokemon divide wasn't so much of a surprise given the general feelings of the populace, but having had such a good experience at the two other stores they'd visited beforehand the three were quite annoyed.

Leaving dissatisfied, the three grumbled off into the night. But sensing the unease, after a block or so of thought, Thomas linked his arms through theirs once more, endeavouring to bring his Master and Mistresses spirits up. He promised they'd find the right place at some point, and if all else fails he'd probably be able to get Miriam to express post him something from the Silken Sun. The other two seemed happy with that, though the last half hour had left a bad taste in their mouth. Thomas kept their minds busy by describing the assortment of activities and entertainment the S.S. Dianne had available according to the promotional materials, and how it'd be a nice relaxing trip to Unova. A well deserved time off for the whole crew.

Things were starting to look up with Bruno on the run and Rocket Rising in the sights of just about every law enforcement community across the globe. It really did feel like things were starting to go their way. But it had been a very long day, and Thomas needed some rest. Upon arriving at the motel, Thomas unclipped the ball holsters from his thighs and handed them to Jeremy. He yawned, pointing to the bedroom before giving his lovers a big hug. Zana managed to leave out any sass or attitude, bidding him a good nights sleep before collapsing on the couch herself.

Jeremy followed behind Thomas as he stumbled into the bedroom before falling onto the bed. The Hakamo-o pulled the covers over his trainer and kissed the man's forehead. Smiling to himself, he closed the door to the tiny bedroom. He summoned the rest of the crew, informing them that Thomas had gone down for a much needed sleep, and to try and keep it down as best as possible. He and Zana sat and watched the eclectic collection of pokemon relax and enjoy each other's company into the night, until it was just them awake on the couch. Putting aside their dominant tendencies, the two cuddled up to sleep amongst the pile of fur and scales, the group surrounded by the massive blue bulk of Squishy who had somehow squeezed into the tiny space after Carmen had begged Jeremy to try. It was warm, and despite the odd angles, comfortable.

Thomas blinked himself to consciousness and rolled over, attempting to make sense of the darkness. After a few failed attempts, he managed to swipe his pokedex to life. “Six AM?" He mumbled, unimpressed. Rolling back over, Thomas tried to get back to sleep, but the soft snoring of a half dozen pokemon from the other room was enough to keep him awake. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and changed out of the previous night's clothes back into something more trainer appropriate. After a stretch that caused several vertebrae to pop back into place, Thomas carefully opened the door.

He smiled at the sight that met him. His little family unit, all huddled together in the living area; from the massive bulk of Squishy to the tyre-sized Mac. Sensing movement, the Whirlipede's eyes blinked open. And after looking around from it's stationary state, he looked to Thomas, practically begging the man to release him from being squashed between Carmen's and Squishy's tails. Thomas held a finger to his lips in a 'shh' gesture, before strapping one of the holsters to his thigh. He popped out two of the balls - belonging to Dusty and Jeremy - and placed them on the counter with the other holstered balls, the remaining one being Macs. He winked to the Whirlipede and pressed the corresponding ball's button. In a flash of red Mac was zapped back into his ball.

There was a moment of breathless tension as Carmen rolled over to fill the empty void, Squishy readjusted his tail, and Griff stretched his wings revealing the reddy brown bulk of a surfsdale laying up against one wall. As the Gyarados stretched as well, leaving Dusty separated from the group, Thomas quickly balled him tool. He scrawled a note for Jeremy and Zana, then slipped out the door.

He'd made it a good twenty paces from the motel before summoning the two back out. Mac was awake, but it took dusty a moment to get his bearings. “Sorry for waking you up like that." Thomas apologised, but Dusty just stretched then came over to affectionately rub his nuzzle against the man's neck. “Hey…" He smiled, stroking down his pokemon's blonde mane. An impact at shin level brought the man's attention to an affection-seeking Whirlipede. “I haven't forgotten you, nutball." Thomas chuckled, reaching down to ruffle the bug's antennae.

He took a deep breath and pointed over to a pier several blocks away. “The Sidna Sunday Markets are famous for having a huge range of interesting things for sale. Figured as this is our last morning before getting on the Dianne, I should get everyone a little something." Mac started bouncing rapidly at the notion of getting presents, to which Thomas just smiled and shook his head in amusement. “Well I don't need to ask you if you want to come...," he turned to Dusty “Up for a quick jaunt through the markets?" The Surfsdale whinnied, turning in the direction of the pier, looking back to see if Thomas would follow.

It didn't take long before the trio had arrived at Pier One, the clock just ticking over to 7am but looking busier than a lunchtime rush already. The first section they walked through - or squeezed through given the sheer number of people and pokemon - was the fresh food section. The morning's catch laid out over crushed ice, baskets upon baskets of this season's berries, freshly baked breads, cakes and other assorted foodstuffs.

Halfway up the pier the crowd thinned down to something more manageable as they entered the clothing and accessories market stalls. Tee-shirts with an assortment of Pikachu, Mew and Kangaskhan designs were everywhere, along with matching socks, hats and all sorts of other knick knacks. One of the first stalls up had a selection of jewellery hand crafted from gems and varying gauges of wire. Spotting something he thought Zana might appreciate, Thomas paid the merchant quickly and moved along.

The next stall that took his fancy was offering a range of woven garments, mostly shawls and the like, though he did spot a clearance bin with some scarves inside. He chuckled, remembering Carmen's description of putting lots of little scarves on magikarp and sending them off into the cave. Spying an appropriately green scarf Thomas laughed and pulled it out. The seller mentioned offhandedly that she had a whole lot more of that material in her van in that colour. She'd followed the trend of earthy colours the previous winter, but nobody seemed to like the almost mucus-green colour, much to her Araquanid's dismay; having spent many a night weaving the bolt of material. Retrieving the roll of off-green silk, Thomas knew it would be perfect for Squishy. He enquired about it getting wet but the seller just laughed. Being Araquanid silk, it would be fine even if submerged in the deepest depths of the ocean.

Thomas paid for the two scarves - or rather the scarf and bolt of material - and the three of them set off to find more gifts, which is when Mac came across an interesting stall consisting of a set of steps leading into the back of a truck. The sign on the awning proudly proclaimed in big red letters: Pin Missile Piercings. Mac made a considerable amount of fuss when Thomas tried to pass by, and after asking several times if the bug-type was sure, they entered; leaving Dusty to wait around outside. The piercing itself didn't take long - a quick paf of air from a little gun-like tool and the hole was made - but Mac spent an eternity trying to decide on the piercing itself.

There was a large range of studs, rings and dangling things. Some flashed, some glowed, most were either a solid resin or metal, but a few had moving parts and intricate mechanisms. What the Whirlipede ended up deciding on was something they called a 'ball closure' ring, where a C shaped plain steel ring was slid into the hole before having a magenta-coloured metal ball pushed between the two ends and held there under tension. He was ecstatic once it was fully attached, nearly causing damage to the shop with his excited whirling. Thomas paid up and ushered the hyperactive living wheel out of the truck under the guise of showing Dusty his new piercing. The Surfsdale was more amused than anything else, eyebrows raised as the Whirlipede zipped around with renewed vigour, the occasional clink of metal on concrete evidence of the purchase.

A few more stalls down was a leatherworker. Wearing a leather vest and covered in tattoos, the bald and bearded man looked more like a bikie than a craftsman. However, seeing the range of clothing sparked an idea in Thomas' mind, and after a quick discussion with the leatherworker, he'd acquired what he hoped would be the perfect gift for Griff.

A larger and more official looking setup next to the leatherworker housed a range of items boasting claims of being able to enhance a pokemon's battle prowess; from tinted glasses that would help certain pokemon see better, to an assortment of sashes and belts that - if the signs were to be believed - grant the user extra stamina. He spotted a wristband with a flame motif emblazoned upon it and looked to a nearby card for a description. If the seller was telling the truth - which Thomas doubted - that particular band would help keep a pokemon's blood pressure steady under heavy stress, allowing it to survive hits that would otherwise cause the wearer to faint. It was a tough sale, but noticing one in Hakamo-o yellow and grey piqued his interest further. There was only one left in that style and as the man showed him, flipping it inside out showed the Hakamo-o's shiny colour palette. The colours alone sold him on it, adding Jeremy's gift to the growing number of bags he was carrying.

In a drastic change of tone from the mass-produced items to those hand-crafted like the leatherworker, the next stall was that of a woodworker. Thomas had a quick peruse through the items, until he spotted an L shaped piece of wood with intricate paintwork in dots. He hadn't seen a boomerang in years, and after having a chat to the carpenter about it, decided it would be a nice souvenir for himself. To remind him of home while away in another region.

Lastly he wanted to get something for Dusty. Throughout their wanderings he'd been keeping an eye on the Surfsdale, hoping to catch the pokemon glancing longingly at something, or at least showing some amount of curiosity. But he got nothing. That is, until they made their way right to the end of the pier, where a proper shopfront stood. 'Angela's Oceanic Emporium' painted in massive letters across the front window. Dusty nodded his head in the direction of the entrance. Thomas, figuring it couldn't hurt to see what they had inside, held the door open for both Dusty and Mac. Once inside, he immediately balled the enthusiastic Whirlipede; the aisles of glass fish tanks posing far too great a risk.

Dusty walked down the aisles, staring into each tank inquisitively. Most contained various forms of seaweed and other marine plant life. But it was the sign at the back of the shop above a black-curtained doorway that really got the Surfsdale's attention. 'Coral Downstairs'

“I see ya fella's int'rested in me Coral." The voice had the softness of age but the crackle of a hard life lived. Thomas looked around to see a rather short and quite tanned woman walk over to them in a loose fitting blouse and tight fitting one-piece swimwear. Her flip-flops smacked against the ground with each step until she stood before Dusty. She gave him a few gentle pats on his flank - which he enjoyed - then turned to Thomas to explain. “Y'see, Surfsdales don' just pack 'ere 'ooves wi' sand; shells'n coral make up tha mix too. Coral 'specially as iz noice and porous - givin' 'em a bit more buoyancy if'n when they needs it - and also nice'n rough for gettin' traction on sand."

“Makes sense." Thomas nodded.

“Name's Angela." She held her hand out for the man to shake, which he accepted. Her grip was impressive, as was the intensity of the shake itself.

“Thomas." He managed to get out before subtly rubbing his hand. “Whaddaya say Dusty? Wanna browse the coral?"

Angela smiled. “Com'iz way boys, we'll find whatcher aftah." She led them through the curtain and down a flight of stairs below the pier. Beneath the shop was a massive caged off area of sea water, the wire fence extending all the way to the sand and rock below. She showed Dusty to a concrete wall with several panes of plexiglass sealing off coral samples set into gaps. Their descriptions were painted beneath each one, though some barely legible from the years of salt water stripping it away. “'Av' a ganda. Lez know if'n ya find sumfin' ya like."

Dusty paced up and down, looking at each sample, seemingly torn between a couple different ones. Specifically a light blue coral and an electric orange one. He looked around for inspiration and noticed small, flat buttons on the floor, several of them still marked with the letters UV. Experimentally, he stepped on one, the blue coral suddenly a bit more brilliant in colour as the UV lights in the sample area flickering to life. Enthusiastically tip-tapping his hooves on the metal grating that made up the catwalk around the fenced off area, Dusty quickly made his way over to the orange one and pressed that button as well.

Thomas got to see the wonder and joy of a child opening his biggest birthday present reflected in Dusty's eyes. He turned to his trainer with an excited look. “So that one?" He frantically nodded. “Huh, matches your flower too."

“Riptide!" The woman called out into the water. A massive yellow conch shell broke the surface, a dopey blue muzzle grinning beneath it. “Got any a tha' Ranga Sitosa?" The pokemon squinted one eye in thought, then nodded. “Good. Take this'n unda. 'E'll need…" She looked dusty up and down, paying extra attention to his hooves “...maybe eight-weight?"

The blue pokemon looked to Thomas expectantly. “Wait, you want me to-" He began asking Angela, but halfway through his sentence he realised she was already headed back up the stairs. “Right. Gotcha." He turned back to the pokemon, trying to figure out what it was. He slipped off his shirt then pointed to the pokedex. “Do you mind?" It shrugged in response, flipping onto its back while it waited.

'Samurott; The Formidable pokemon. Water Type. Part of the armor on its anterior legs becomes a giant sword. Its cry alone is enough to intimidate most enemies.' Thomas looked from his pokedex to the pokemon floating on his back squirting a stream of water from his muzzle into the air like a fountain.

“Formidable huh…" He raised an eyebrow but the pokemon stifled a grin and continued floating. Thomas stripped down to his briefs and grabbed a well-worn but seemingly functional miniature air tank and goggle setup from the rack under the 'full' sign. He slid the full face mask on and turned the regulator valve open. He felt a slight increase in pressure, and figured everything was working fine. He then grabbed a mesh bag nearby and without a second thought, Thomas then leapt feet first into the early morning ocean.

That was a mistake.

The cold water almost instantly sucked out not only all the warmth from his extremities, but seemingly all the air from his chest as well. The regulator could barely keep up with his frantic breathing as he hurriedly resurfaced. “Fu! Gah! Fuh!" He tried to find words, but decided on instead getting calmer first. He looked over to dusty and pointed an accusatory finger. “You better bloody appreciate what I do for you!" It came out angry, but Thomas couldn't hide the smile. “Fuckin' Freezing!" He took several quick but deep breaths before ducking below the waves once more.

The amused Samurott had been swimming circles around the man as he struggled with the water temperature. Seeing his customer had finally decided to get to business, he gave a cheery nod and gestured for Thomas to follow. Thomas did so to the best of his ability, taking shallower breaths to help with his buoyancy. His life for the last few years didn't consist of overly fatty meals, so for the most part he was a collection of muscle and bone. But the last month had seen him get a bit more in the way of nutrients and treats, so his body had begun to fill out a bit. If he'd spent more time with his shirt off, he'd probably be able to compete with some of the local surfers for looks, but Thomas would have been far too reserved for something like that.

They dove down towards the sandy sea floor about fifty feet below the surface. There Thomas found row after row of rocks with multicoloured corals jutting out from every available spot. Some had recently been broken off, others were massive gnarled tangles of what looked like branches but were really thousands of tiny polyps. The pokemon settled on its hind legs before grasping the plating around it's elbows. Then with a flourish it pulled out one of its seamitars, the deadly sharp blade glinting in the rippled half shadow beneath the pier. Part of Thomas had its own little freak out, wondering if this was where he would die. But the rest of him was more impressed than anything else. “Damn. I take it back." He chuckled, the mask muffling his voice somewhat. “'Formidable' nails it."

“Sa!" Riptide agreed with a prideful tone. He gestured to the selection of coral nearby with the blade. “Rott, murott."

Thomas snapped out of his daze and got back to the task at hand. He looked at the various corals and pointed to one of the larger orange ones. “Start with that one I guess?" In a flash, the pokemon had carved through the water, his blade slicing effortlessly through it and the coral in one swipe. The orange mass tumbled in slow motion before landing on the sand. Thomas was back in the daze.

Riptide looked at the man before pulling himself out of the ninja-like pose and back to a more casual one, but that didn't stop Thomas staring. The human was amazed at both the speed and musculature of the pokemon. The way it moved so effortlessly through the water was a thing of beauty, muscles rippling, not a one of them working at less efficiency than it should have been. “Mu?" The samurott was somewhat curious as to what was going through the man's head as Thomas seemed incapable of not staring. He stroked a long puff of whiskers like a gentleman would his moustache and tipped his head in a nodding fashion back to the coral.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry." Thomas excused himself, trying to get various thoughts out of his head. He went over to the detached coral and slipped it in the mesh bag. Riptide slid his shell sword back into its sheath and held up two fingers on each hand curling and straightening them once to indicate the number eight. He then procedurally curled three over. “So three down, five to go?" Riptide nodded. He pointed to another cluster of orange coral and Thomas swam over. The rock this time was situated on a metal grate, which seemed to be partially buried in the sand along it's full length, but the tide had created a small channel under this section, leaving the grate exposed a good two feet above the sand below.

“Rott." Riptide pointed to the grate then to Thomas' feet.

“Ah, yeah, no. I'll be careful." he replied, keeping a few feet distance from the rusty metal as he got a good look at the coral. Spying a nice thick segment a few inches in, he pointed it out to the water pokemon and swam back. Another blur of movement and the coral had been separated from it's base and was slowly falling. Riptide, revelling in the attention he was getting from Thomas didn't notice the coral falling towards the grate, and Thomas was distracted as well. It was only when they heard a soft clunk that the two looked down. “Ah dammit!" Thomas shook himself out of it and swam down, the coral having split in two, where one half was resting on the grate while the rest had fallen through to the sand below.

“Rrrrott…" Riptide growled apologetically, swimming back to give the man some room.

Thomas bagged one of the pieces, then set it aside, pulling himself close to the bars to see if he could get his arm through. He was just barely able to get in up to the shoulder, but it was still just ever so slightly out of reach. Riptide swam back over and leaned in around Thomas, trying his best to reach with his long - but not long enough - reach. As the two struggled and strained, the Samurott changed position, grinding his hips against Thomas' arse, pressing the man hard against the metal bars. Riptide froze. Not because he realised what he'd done, or was worried about Thomas' health, but because the man moaned at the rough act.

Thomas' heavy breathing became far more noticeable as the two tried to be as still as possible, the soft crash of waves against the pylons above mixing with the swishing of sand as the only other sounds. The pokemon was torn between letting the man be and double checking what he heard. He opted for the second, gently gyrating against the man's rear. “Ahh, fuck…" Thomas wheezed, his body trapped in place as the Samurott seemed to gently dry hump him.

Riptide quickly retreated, unsure of what to do. Thomas sighed as the familiar coldness of water rushed in to fill the pokemon's spot. He looked over to where the Samurott was doing figure eights in the water, what Thomas assumed to be the water-types version of pacing. “Riptide, sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I'm…" How best to put it? He knew if Zana were around she'd insist he call himself a pokeslut. But in this instance, he thought it more appropriate to take a less obscene route. “I'm complicated." It was way too hard to put a label on it other than pokeslut. Thomas racked his brain, but ended up deciding the truth was best. “Look, my partner - sexual… partner - is a Hakamo-o. We have an open relationship, and I'm sorry if my reaction was… inappropriate. But…" He looked at the now still Riptide, glancing over the pokemon's body before biting his lower lip. It was several seconds before the man blinked himself out of it and apologized again before returning to the task of retrieving the fallen coral.

But it was several seconds more before he felt the warm body of Riptide again at his back. “Mmmm." He hummed happily, partly from being warmed up, but mostly the contact. He glanced up to see an intrigued pair of eyes staring back at him. They seemed to be asking permission, so he nodded. “If you're gonna keep me warm like that, you can do whatever you want." The shocked expression on Riptide's face said it all. Thomas realised exactly how forward he'd just been to a complete stranger. His mind went back to the discussions he'd had with Zye about how in the early days they'd dropped pokemon's inhibitions so low they were practically begging to be fucked, and now that seems to have flipped. Except Thomas couldn't sense Zye anywhere, so he had to wonder; was he doing this to himself?

Thomas didn't have time to consider the implications much further as a pair of flipper-like hands sensuously slid down his sides to catch on his briefs. “Ahhhnnnnmmmm…" His underwear was yanked far enough down that his rock hard erection sprung out to strike the metal grating with a dull ringing thump. In a few moments, Thomas could feel a slick hardness press against the small of his back, the cock slowly emerging from between the shell plates running down Riptide's chest and abdomen. The man had had several types of cock before, but the way it pressed against him felt different than most. More bulbous in form, and much harder to boot.

The Samurott penis was different from many other pokemon species thanks to the comparatively massive penile bone within their anatomy. When aroused it would extend with the rest of the member, allowing it to penetrate the female with added rigidity; useful in a species that often copulates underwater and has their privates hidden behind a thick shell. To Thomas it felt like a balled up fist at the end of an arm was prodding his back. An arm not quite as large as his own, but larger than the average cock that was for sure.

Riptide pulled back and gently pressed his member against the man's rear passage, opening it just enough that with a few gentle gyrations he was able to pump several large globs of oily precum inside Thomas. “Oh fuck!" his breathing stopped momentarily as the sensation of liquid warmth spread inside him. “Oh Arceus... Riptide, that… oh shit!" He barely got his words out before the pokemon slid his three-fingered hands off Thomas to grip the bars below and push forward.

Thomas was used to tapered cocks, or at least ones with a more malleable head that could spread him gradually over the length of the first thrust. But this one was something else. Immediately the bright pink samurott cock was spreading him wide, his arse straining to be elastic enough in the cold water. But just as the scale was to tip from pleasurable pain into just pain, the extremity of Riptide's girth passed beyond Thomas' rim; the man's arse practically inhaling the rest of the cock. Riptide hummed his pleasure as Thomas' voicebox battled with the sensation. “...uuuAAAaaaaahhhh…." The air finally made it out of his lungs as he felt the warm shell-like hardness of Riptide's body press against his arse.

“Sa-muuuu…" Riptide warbled, body twitching from the intimate connection. He'd only ever copulated with one other human - the woman upstairs - and she had only barely been able to take his cock. But he was able to enter Thomas in his entirety, hilting his slick member in the man's tight arse with a shudder. The two began grinding against each other simultaneously, prompting Riptide to take things a bit further.

The pokemon withdrew as far as he could, the thick head of his cock wedged firmly inside Thomas. The oily precum not only helped lubricate the man for the intense pounding he was about to receive, but it helped keep a water-tight seal, and prevent any saltwater or sand from ruining the mood. When the samurott reached a point where he began pulling Thomas off the metal grating, Riptide thrust forwards, his rigid member slamming deep inside the man's passage. “GAH!" It was less a moan than it was a declaration of lust cried out into the salty water.

With every other cock it had felt like his arse had parted amicably, even the Rhyperior back on Route 13. But to Thomas this felt like someone was ramming a Watmel Berry up his arse every few seconds. It was a new - but highly pleasurable - experience. Riptide's fins grasped the metal bars just beyond Thomas' shoulders and held firm, each thrust pushing the man into the pokemon's wrists, and preventing him from sliding away with each thrust. Then he increased his pace. Thomas released a primal, guttural moan; deep and rumbling. Unbeknownst to him, his lustful call managed to get more attention than he'd intended.

Riptide's movements began to get more hasty, more rough. Thomas' body was slammed against the metal grating over and over, his cock swishing through the water with each thrust of the massive member behind him. He could feel the Samurott getting closer and closer to release, and while ultimately pleasurable, he knew he was too far behind to reach his own climax before the pokemon. The water was too cold and the anal ravaging was just a little too rough, not on his hole, but the iron bars beneath him scraped and scratched against his skin in an irritating way. It was the sensual equivalent of 'two steps forward, one step back'.

With his shoulders pressed into blue fuzzy wrists, hands tightly gripping bars and legs pinned down by thick fins, Thomas accepted the first blast of pokemon cum with great relief. Riptide roared into the water as he unloaded into the man, spurt after spurt of oily cum painting Thomas' insides white. The rigidity of the samurott's cock combined with it's thickness helped keep every single drop inside.

Thomas thought it was all over, but he was wrong. The commotion had garnered the attention of a school of Horsea, led by a pair of very inquisitive Seadra. Thomas' waggling erection must have looked particularly appetising as the cluster of pokemon approached with a gleam of hunger in their eyes. Riptide noticed the school and watched them approach with curiosity. When he realised what their goal was, he tried to dismount the man. But he did so ever so slightly too late.

As Riptide began to pull out, the first seadra dashed forward, sucking Thomas' cock into it's tubular muzzle. The intense suction caused the man's body to tense, his arse puckering tight around the samurtott's bulbous cock head. Thomas loosed a silent scream of surprise before looking down to the pokemon beneath him, the group trying to figure out what this strange worm seemed to be. The first seadra let go of the member, allowing the second to try it's luck at removing the stubborn thing from it's strange rock. This new mouth tried twisting back and forth with a gentle suction, hoping to gently pry the strange worm away.

Riptide had to stifle his laughter in case he frightened the pokemon into a panic, or worse caused the seadra to attack. Thomas was hardy, but he knew humans were considerably more vulnerable down there than most pokemon. A hydro pump point blank could kill the man, and even if he survived it would be doubtful those parts of him would be intact. Instead he gently settled back down on top of Thomas, pushing his cock deep once more. Thomas groaned, also trying to keep his noise to the lowest possible volume so as not to frighten the Seadra.

But the water types seemed unphased, if anything the one suckling his member doubled their efforts, possibly assuming the groan was the worm crying out in pain and thus getting weaker. Thomas' libido fought against the fear of having a wild pokemon attempting to eat him. On one hand the sensations were almost unbearably pleasurable; nobody had ever given him such a powerful blowjob. But on the other, the Seadra's movements were erratic and while it felt amazing, the lack of rhythm meant the man couldn't quite get in the groove. Any other time he'd have tried thrusting a little to get some sort of rhythmic motion going, but with the danger presented by the wild pokemon and being pinned against a metal grate by a samurott buried foot-long in his arse, Thomas had little option but to just take it how he could.

When the second seadra pulled back, just as confused as the first, the school of smaller Horsea rushed in, each one attempting to suck the strange worm into their mouth, but it proved too big for their mouths, so all they managed to accomplish was sucking against the skin before releasing with a pop. Thomas grit his teeth as the light hickies they were giving his cock drove him crazy. One of them even became fascinated with his balls, trying to suck one up before swapping to the other. Another slightly larger Horsea noticed what the other was doing and came to investigate, it's mouth just large enough to get Thomas' left ball halfway down it's tubular muzzle.

Thomas gasped, his muscles tensing from the sudden sensation, the bouncing cock frightening off most of the horsea, with the few left scattering when the first seadra came back for another go. This time it meant business. With no lead-up, the pokemon inhaled as much of Thomas' member as possible before starting it's intense sucking again. Thomas could feel a thin tongue coil around his member, yanking it in synch with the sucking, finally starting to build a rhythm.

Being so on edge from the last ten minutes or so of sexual attention meant as soon as the Seadra built up a pace Thomas came. The wild pokemon's eyes bugged out as a stream of gooey warmth flooded it's stomach. Unsure what to do, it swallowed the first blast of jizz, and the second. But it was pushed aside before the third pulse by the second seadra, who had seen and heard it's fellow pokemon swallowing something. The next spurt of cum sprayed out into the water, the school of Horsea quickly dashing in to gulp down as much of it as possible. An angry - and still hungry - seadra growled it's annoyance and quickly sucked Thomas into its muzzle before yet more seed could be spilled into the water. The seadra was surprised by the strange taste and warmth of whatever this source of protein was. But it continued to suckle, pulling more and more of the fluid from the strange worm.

Riptide found the whole thing immensely hilarious, and as the Seadra finally released the rapidly shrinking Thomas back into the water, he finally let out a bellowing laugh. The horsea fled back the way they'd come, one seadra following close behind while the other tried to discern the source of the noise. But noticing Riptide's face poking out over Thomas' shuddering form brought about the desired reaction, the pokemon quickly retreating along with its kin.

The Samurott lay with Thomas a little while longer until he'd grown flaccid enough to pull out of the man. After several long breaths, Thomas opened his eyes again, spotting the coral beneath him. The Seadra and Horsey's escape had kicked up a fair amount of sand, and in the process, rolled the coral over into a position that the man could reach. He managed to curl his middle finger around one of the segments and pulled it up. Rolling onto his back he looked up at the Samurott cleaning his tool with his tongue as it slowly withdrew into the armour plated slit. “Damn…" He huffed, feeling both warm and cool at the same time. “That was something…"

Riptide floated over Thomas and held his fingers out; flashing four then three. Thomas groaned, looking up to an orange coral near him, grabbing one of the smaller branches and snapping it off. Riptide raised an eyebrow, then uncurled a fourth finger. The pokemon reached down, taking the last pieces of coral and stuffing them in the mesh bag with the rest. He gestured for Thomas to surface, and the man did so slowly after pulling his briefs back up.

Pulling himself out of the water and up a rusted ladder, Thomas had a towel lobbed at his head by Angela. “Took ya bloody longenuff." He looked to Dusty, who just gave him a knowing eyebrow waggle. Riptide handed her the mesh bag, and she snapped her fingers. “C'mon, lez getcha done up." The Surfsdale followed her up the stairs and back into the shop above, leaving Thomas alone with Riptide again. He took a seat on one of the wooden benches near the stairs, drying his hair with the towel and deciding how best to get dressed.

At this stage his briefs would just give him an unfortunate wet patch, so he emptied Griff's present into the bag containing the scarves and boomerang then used the empty bag to hold the sopping wet underwear. Riptide grinned mischievously as Thomas redressed, having gone 'commando'. The man grinned back, giving the pokemon a wink. The samurott blushed, looking to the water as though there were something he'd forgotten down there, and effortlessly dove back into the waves. Thomas chuckled; it wasn't every day he could make a pokemon almost as big as him quite so uncomfortable in a good way.

By the time Thomas had gotten dressed and back upstairs, Angela had ground the coral into smaller chunks the size of gravel and spread it throughout Dusty's hooves. The pokemon was absolutely ecstatic, posing for Thomas under the blacklight as the trainer walked over. “Looks great! You'll turn a few heads, that's for sure." He gave a nod of approval before fist bumping the raised hoof. Dusty seemed a little confused at the man's act before a look of pride washed over him, the words sinking in. Thomas paid Angela, rounding up for a tip.

And with their run of souvenirs acquired, Thomas led Dusty from the shop, summoning Mac as soon as they were outside. Mac was a little miffed initially at being balled, but cheered up instantly when Thomas came across a place selling 'mega-macarons'; essentially a macaron five times the size as a regular one. He picked up a couple more packs of poketreats to add to their stockpile and the three set off on their journey back to the motel, Thomas doing so with a slightly odd gait, prompting the man to drape the assortment of bags over Dusty's back.

Come morning Jeremy woke to a slightly more empty room with a hastily scrawled note on the kitchen bench informing him that Thomas had left early with Dusty and Mac to get various items from the Sunday markets. How he'd managed to extract the Surfsdale and Whirlipede from the mass of bodies without waking anyone else was uncertain. But it wasn't too much later that the man returned, several bags slung over the Surfsdale's back. Zana - who was always interested in shopping - was initially quite put out that Thomas had left her behind, but he was forgiven once he handed her what he termed as 'an apology for being unable to find a bracer'.

She carefully opened the small black bag and tore apart the tissue paper inside to reveal an intricately carved black gemstone set in a golden tiara of sorts. Zana was taken aback by the detail within, the gem being cut with angled facets like a standard gemstone on one side, while the other, hidden side depicted a Triquetra inlaid with what looked like gold rope. Having held it for some time frozen in awe, Thomas took the initiative and gently plucked it from her grasp before carefully fastening it to the pokemon's mane, the black gem sitting perfectly across her forehead.

Thomas then turned to Jeremy and handed him a similar small black bag. The pokemon quickly pulled the item out and looked at it with a raised eyebrow. It was a wrist band that seemed very similar to the sorts of sweat bands he'd seen pokemon and humans use while training, except this one was grey with fluorescent yellow flames stylised across one side. Thomas offered to slip it on but Jeremy was well ahead of him, though navigating around his claws proved a little tricky to begin with. It wasn't as showy as Zana's gift, but something deep inside Jeremy knew it would be far more practical than her tiara.

Once Jeremy and Zana hugged Thomas in thanks for their gifts Mac then wheeled around, showing off his recently pierced antennae, the thick metal ring occasionally thudding against the floor as he rolled. Dusty also showed off his recent acquisition; a collection of orange coral now embedded in his sandy hooves. Thomas then summoned Carmen and Griff into the room. Squishy would have to wait until later, but Thomas was sure the Gyarados wouldn't mind.

Carmen was quick to tear open her bag, retrieving a long piece of green fabric made from a strange silken material. Thomas explained it was a scarf made from Araquanid silk, meaning being wet wasn't detrimental to the garment's quality or material lifespan. She thanked him, a little confused as to why Zana got a pretty necklace while she just got a scarf. Until Thomas pulled out a massive bundle of the same green material and handed it to her, saying it was Squishy's scarf. She went from nonplussed to overjoyed in an instant, honoured that her trainer would find something so personally meaningful for them instead of just another bit of Jewellery.

Griff looked at the assortment of gifts given out so far and wondered what Thomas could have gotten him. Unlike Carmen, Jeremy and Mac, the Noivern hadn't been around since the beginning. And unlike Zana, Dusty or Squishy, Griff hadn't saved the man's life. When Cav had left, he felt he was the only one of the crew to understand why, having felt the same feelings of uselessness and insignificance himself. The previous night's fun was certainly that: fun. But it came about because Thomas felt bad for showing how much of a burden the pokemon had become. So with apprehension and confusion, Griff waited for Thomas to pull his gift from the bag, assuming he would even get one.

But whatever he was expecting, what Thomas handed the pokemon was not it. Thomas held out a leather vest, around the right size for the Noivern. He slipped it on with a little help from Thomas get it over his arms. Because of the pokemon's wings being attached down his side, the garment was one solid piece at the back, fastened down the front by a zipper and clasped on the bottom at the sides by press studs to attach front and back. A few corset-like strips of inserted plastic ribs held the leather firm against where the wing met the torso enabling him to move around unrestrained but still have the vest looking like a vest. Zipping it up at the front pulled the lapels just up under Griff's neck fluff, while the short split at the back sat just a little further up from the base of his tail. Griff rolled his arms around and nodded at the fit; it wasn't perfect, but it was close.

The Noivern hugged his trainer, smiling. Whether Thomas had intended it or not - though he assumed the man had purchased the vest partly for this purpose - it covered the large scar caused by Jeremy on their initial meeting, and gave him a bit more of a tough look to boot. Jeremy sidled over and gave the Noivern a fist bump and pat on the back, the other pokemon also giving out compliments on their recently acquired gifts.

Thomas dumped a selection of assorted foodstuffs on the table before shifting his attention to his semi-packed duffle bag. Carmen asked for Squishy's pokeball to give him the scarf and Thomas agreed, the result of that being a very large splash followed by a cry of the trainers name so loud the building shook and the roar of water being forcefully speared through by an overexcited gyarados. Thomas glanced up to see Squishy shoot past the doorway ridden by Carmen, their respective scarves flowing behind them as they powered back and forth in the water. The man just shook his head with a smile and went back to packing.

By the time he'd gotten everything organised it was late morning. The rest of the crew had eaten their fill of breakfast - except Dusty, who was still eyeing off a pack of poketreats on the counter - and for the most part calmed down to enjoy the last few moments in Sidna. Thomas gathered them up one by one, zapping them back into their balls with the excuse of needing to get to the police station to hopefully get a secure link to Dr. Colman. Jeremy was the only one left out, Zana saying she'd prefer to be released once in the first class cabin, and Thomas knowing it would just be easier all round not to argue. He also realised he only had six slots available in his ball holster, so deciding someone needed to draw the short straw, he opted to place Zana in the bag given her request, though her lack of combat capability did enter into Thomas' mind as well. He doubted they'd have trouble on the way, but he couldn't be sure and didn't want to take the chance.

He paid up the remainder of his bill at the motel desk and left with the duffel bag slung over one shoulder, Jeremy by his side. The two had an uneventful tram ride through the city to police headquarters, just enjoying each other's company for the majority of the trip, with Jeremy asking the occasional question about buildings they were passing, or billboards advertising something he didn't quite understand. Thomas did his best, but the pokemon seemed more interested in hearing the man respond than the information behind his words. When they arrived at their destination, Jeremy requested to be balled up as well, not wanting Thomas to be delayed from what he needed to do by the paperwork necessary to bring a pokemon into the private areas of the building.

Thomas inquired at the front desk about a secure vidcall and after a few minutes an officer came out to meet him. After confirming his identity and submitting his pokeballs to the holding area while he walked the complex, the woman took him to one of the small video conference booths and motioned for him to sit. He did so politely, glad the front desk had taken his bulky bag as it would have been difficult to store in the closet-sized room with the door closed. He swiped Dr Colman's card through the machine and after a few moments of dull tones signifying an outgoing call, the man finally answered.

“Thomas, mah Boy! So good to see you!" Assistant Jackson raced over and gave a wave.

Thomas reciprocated the wave before responding. “Good Morning Doctor, how's it going up there?" Thomas sighed, a little relieved to see a friendly face.

“It's been a wild few days, as I imagine it has been for you as well. I was informed of the successful raid you had to drag yourself into." The doctor's tone was accusatory, but in a somewhat jovial way. Thomas could tell the man disapproved of his actions but was either relieved or impressed - perhaps both - at the overall outcome.

“Well, uh…" Thomas wondered how much he should tell the doctor, but given he was just about the only person the trainer could properly trust at that point, he figured he might as well go all out. “The, uh, the raid went fine. We rescued the Zygarde's friend-"

“A…" Dr Colman rifled through a stack of post-it notes on his desk “Quilladin? Correct?"

Thomas nodded. “That's correct. He belonged to the man whose truck blew up on Route 13 a few weeks back. Zye- The Zygarde took an interest in him and they've become friends. Though…" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Thomas' pause, silently requesting he continue “The… What Bruno did… It left more than scars." Thomas cleared his throat and tapped at his pokedex. Twine had been kind enough to send several photographs of the Quilladin taken as evidence of the Rocket Rising leader's 'hobby', the man's fingerprints apparently all over the bolts.

“In Arceus' name…" Jackson gasped as the images were transferred to Dr Colman's vid-screen. “Are those-"

“Smelted from Steel types, and screwed in deep enough they can't be removed without severe trauma." Thomas took a deep breath, trying to keep himself composed. He swiped away the photos and that helped. “Hopefully during his next evolution - to a Chesnaught right? - the bolts will be pushed out by his body reforming. That's the surgeon's hope at least."

“I hope so as well." The Doctor sighed “Though more so you're not delayed further by a Zygarde bent on vengeance."

Thomas bit his tongue. He knew the Doctor meant well, but it was obvious the man was more interested in the legendary arriving at their institute quickly than happily. “So," Thomas decided to change the topic “We have tickets for the S.S. Dianne this afternoon. I've looked at the itinerary, it should take us near to a week to get to Castelia City, then after that… well I was hoping you'd tell me."

The Doctor chuckled, knowing Thomas didn't have their exact location on hand, for good reason. “I'll have Jackson here meet you at Opelucid Gym. It's a dragon gym, so if you get asked why you're headed through the region, just say your - was it four now? - dragon pokemon heard about the gym and wanted to train there."

Thomas took a deep breath. “Three."

“I'm sorry." Dr Colman gulped, a little surprised. “Did the Noivern not make it?"

“Griff?" Thomas was momentarily confused, but pieced it together relatively quickly. “No, no the Noivern is fine. No, the Zweilous. He… well, as silly as it sounds, he fell in love." Eyes of both the Doctor and his Assistant bulged out, Jackson quickly resorted to stifling his laughter by biting one of his knuckles as Dr Colman blinked through his confusion. Thomas let them stew for a minute before putting them out of their misery. “The cave where the Crobat attacked? Well, there was a Salazzle that took his fancy, so he kinda… went back."

“The Zweilous." Jackson chuckled “With a Salazzle?"

“Hey man, I don't judge. Love is love."

The Doctor cleared his throat, silencing the other two. “I really wish you could have let him go after consulting me about it." Thomas stared at the floor, the weight of his decision beginning to weigh heavy on his shoulders. The Doctor was right to be pissed, technically Cav wasn't 'his' pokemon to release. It was Parker Simons and therefore the Dragon Institute's until they decided otherwise. “But what's done is done. Any pokemon you've caught yourself are yours of course, but Jeremy, the-" He swiped across the windscreen to pull up a file “Goodra, and the Zygarde need to be brought here before we decide how best to proceed with their ownership."

Something inside Thomas twisted at those words. The notion of any of them being owned - much less Jeremy - tied his stomach in knots. But true to the lessons learned of his life on the streets, he didn't let his true emotion slip. “Understood. If I've read my map correctly, that should mean we only have about… a little less than two weeks before we're there."

“Excellent! Though I must warn you, it's not going to be easy. Back in Wooloobell I mentioned that Rocket Rising may be done with you, but there are others out there." Dr. Colman warned.

“Yeah, you mentioned. Anyone I should look out for?"

“Many, though fortunately they all like to dress the part, so you shouldn't have much trouble spotting them." Dr Colman swiped away on his screen for a bit before tapping it, bringing up a photo of some gentlemen in what looked to Thomas to be some sort of fancy dress. “These guys have already made their presence known in Vandimland. They call themselves the Cogmen."

Thomas had to admire the effort they had gone to with their theme and clothing. Tight white pants tucked inside tall brown leather boots, and a bronze Cuirass emblazoned with one large twelve-toothed cog. They had puffy blue shirt sleeves and brown leather satchels containing what seemed to be various devices including one that looked similar to what Thomas had seen the Rangers use: a Styler or something like that. They also had matching bronze helmets with thick green goggles and ornate crests of what looked to be a clockwork-stylised pokeball. “The Cogmen…"

“Yes. Apparently they have developed pokemon-automatons which they've apparently been using to devastating effect."

Thomas gave it a moment for the term 'pokemon-automaton' to sink in. “They have Poke-bots?" Dr Colman's eyes went wide at the terminology before he quickly scribbled it down on a new post-it.

“Poke-Bot. That's much easier to say." He mumbled before turning back to the trainer. “Yes. 'Pokebots'. Quite hard to take down, as they require a full shutdown before they're considered safe. Well, they dislike pokemon in general, and the return of the Zygarde poses a direct threat to their ideology."

“So these Cogmen guys are out to kill Z- the Zygarde." Thomas chided himself internally for almost letting slip his name for the legendary, though why he felt he needed to be so secretive of that he was unsure.

“That seems to be their goal. As is GeNext." Thomas opened his mouth to ask, but the Doctor cut him off “They're a group that are anti-'extinct' pokemon. Their view is that pokemon like Zygarde, Kabuto and the like have had their time, it's now the era of the current generation of pokemon and those that inevitably come next. The Cinnabar labs - I don't know how well you know the Kanto region - but those labs were recently devastated by a series of arson attacks. The whole Island had to be evacuated for a few days while teams of Rangers and Police rounded up the GeNext gangers and their pokemon."

Thomas took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. “So you're saying I got my work cut out for me."

“That's just the start!" Jackson exclaimed, nudging the Doctor out of the way. “Then you got the Renewal Movement who revere the Zygarde as a kind of God and think it'll bring them into a new age; the Church of Xyz - but they pronounce it 'six' - who also see him as a god, except technically one of three gods; then the Emerald Gauntlet who-"

“Okay Jackson," Dr Colman interrupted, pushing the assistant out of the way so he could once more take center screen. “I think Mister Drake gets the point." Thomas nodded, slightly paler than before. “We have our eyes open and our ears to the ground. This is not a time for us to be complacent, and neither should you be. They will come for you. You will need to be prepared."

Thomas ran fingers through his hair, trying to think how he could possibly prepare for all those groups hunting him down. “Prepared? How- I mean…"

“Do you have a mountable pokemon? Says here you have a Mudbray-"

“Dusty's a Surfsdale now." Thomas interjected, his otherwise worried tone interlaced with a hint of pride.

Dr Colman raised an eyebrow, before doing a quick search on his computer. “Ah. Excellent, you have a pokemon to help you escape on land and water." The doctor smiled, rubbing his hands together a little nervously. “Can you ride?" The look on Thomas' face was answer enough “Okay, learn to ride. You've got a week on the ship, plenty of time."

Thomas sighed. “Okay, learn to ride a pokemon ten times my size in a week, got it. Anything else?" He tried not to be quite so sassy, but the conversation had drifted down an uncomfortable path.

“How strong are your pokemon?"

Thomas thought back to the gym fights and the challenge rating he'd been given. “They're... strong?"

“Not strong enough. Train with them. What's on your team?"

“Uh, Jerem- A Hakamo-o, Surfsdale, Goodra, Zoroark-"

Dr Colman perked up “You found a Zoroark? I didn't think they were native to that region."

“More like she found me. And technically, she doesn't fight." The doctor seemed significantly unimpressed with that fact. “Also got a Whirlipede, Noivern and our most recent addition; a Gyarados."

“Gyarados? Really. How did you manage that? Get a Magikarp stuck in your boot in one of those caves?"

“Actually, you're not far off." Thomas shot back, causing Jackson to giggle. “Though I want you guys to take a look at him. He doesn't act like normal pokemon."

“What do you mean?"

Thomas cleared his throat “Well, uh, y'see… He doesn't roar or speak a pokemon language, he kinda just… shouts my name."

“Shouts your name?" Dr Colman and Jackson said in synch.

“THOMAAAAAS!" He did his best Squishy impression. “It's just… it's not 'right'."

“Oh I definitely have to-"

“Bring it in and we'll take a look." Dr Colman interrupted his assistant again, shooing the dejected man off. “Look, Thomas." He leant in closer to the screen. “I cannot overstate how much danger you're in, until that Zygarde gets to the institute. It's not too late to get it into a ball and-"

“Believe me." Thomas groaned “I've tried asking. That's just not gonna happen."

“Then travel fast, and travel safe Mister Drake. We'll be waiting for your arrival. Remember, Opelucid Gym. We'll take it from there." And with that Dr Colman gave Thomas a thumbs up and cut the connection.

Thomas sat back in the chair, absorbing the massive info-dump he'd just survived, thinking how best to tell the crew that they're nowhere near being out of the woods yet. He sighed, shaking his head as he made his way to the door and down the hall back to the front desk. They retrieved his bag and a few minutes later his pokeball holsters. He strapped them to his hips, swung the duffel bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the building.

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[Long story short, this week's been rough, see my last journal for more info. Suffice to say the plan was to have the voting stuff up at the end of this chapter, but the planned end of this chapter is now the end of the next chapter. So, any last pokemon requests, throw 'em in here, you've got about a day, maybe two. Next chapter going up asap, and that'll have the voting round stuff attached.]