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He ran forward, headlong towards the structure in front of him. It was large and slick, it didn't seem like he could clear it in a single jump, even though he had a pretty good leap. But there was a space underneath it that he could crawl under...that was going to slow down his time pretty seriously, though. That was all right, though, he'd been practicing this, and he was ready.

As he neared the structure, water swirled around his hands, feet, and tail. Just a couple feet from it, he went from a run into a feet-first slide, letting loose the water at the same time; it rushed underneath him, carrying him under the blockade with barely any loss of speed. The moment he was clear of it, he leapt back upright and resumed his sprint, eyeing the next obstacle. It was a wall, but a scalable one, though the grab points were too far apart for him...he needed something else to help him up.

Of course, he had just the thing. As he reached the wall, he leapt for one of the grab points, planting his left foot on it, and with his right hand he jabbed a Shadow Claw straight into the wall. From there, he launched himself to the next one up, switching to right foot and left hand, and then repeated three more times alternating each time until the last one, where he lunged straight upwards instead, landing at the top of the wall. The incline down was sharp, but he had no fear, sending a surge of water under his feet again as he cascaded down, landing roughly - he stumbled a moment, but caught his balance and continued his charge. Only one obstacle left now...

And it was a dangerous one. The ground in front of him was electrified, and there were walls on either side, so he couldn't just go around; he had to get through the passage of electricity without stepping on it, or he'd get a nasty shock that would slow him down. There were many ways around this if he took his time, but he was determined not to be slowed down. If he put his mind to it, he'd have it...

Just as he reached the electricity, he activated his Aqua Jet and run onto the wall, using the blazing speed of the attack to carry his momentum as long as he could. A potent burst of speed, but he felt it start to peter out when he was just a bit too far away from the other side, and trying to jump from the wall wasn't going to get him enough height. It seemed like he was destined for an electric end...but he took the leap anyway, and then launched into a forceful Waterfall attack that sent him bursting forward, clearing the electric pit with a few feet to spare.

Nothing left but to bank hard left and run for it. He put everything he had into the last sprint, blowing past the line on the ground at speeds unlike anything most would have expected for a creature like him, not known for speed or agility. Only when he was safely past did he finally put on the brakes, and he did so hard, planting his feet and letting them skid across the dirt - it left a bit of a burning feeling in them, but they were tough enough to take it. Just like he was.

Still, he stepped a bit gingerly at first as he headed towards the human at the nearby table. She was a familiar one, with a lean frame, short black hair, thick glasses, and a somewhat stiff disposition, though not in an unfriendly manner. "Goodness me, Connor, that would be a personal best by a good margin. I don't think I've ever seen you run the course so cleanly."

"Yeah, well, that's what practice'll get you." As no-nonsense as ever, though Connor stood tall and proud...at least, as tall as a Totodile could, anyway. "And that's without any Dragon Dance help, imagine what I could do with that."

"You know we can't mark official scores with that kind of boost. Though I imagine you'd give a few of ours a run for their money using that."

"Wouldn't mind doing that, Cassandra. Make sure they don't get complacent, they can't let a novice outdo a natural."

"One would barely know that you weren't, Connor. But I hope you saved some energy, because you're being called into action. Freshen up and head inside, the presidio wants to talk to you."

Connor grinned in a very toothy way. "Good. I've been hankering for a good bust-up." He headed towards the main building, stopping only briefly by a shower stand near the agility training course. He could have easily made his own shower, but he'd put his water to fair use already, sometimes it was nice to get it from somewhere else.

It wasn't the life he'd envisioned for himself, to be sure. Well, that was going too far...in some ways, it was exactly the life he'd envisioned. Part of Gradian's Security Task Forces, throwing himself into the front lines of danger, using every bit of his ability to frustrate the forces of evil...he just hadn't expected to be a Totodile while doing it. Yet, after that mishap with Shayat, the rogue Jirachi with a wide-ranging penchant for trouble, a Totodile he was, and a Totodile he was staying. And, by this point, he was more than fine with that. Apart from his stature, he couldn't really find any downsides to it - he was faster and stronger than he had been as a human, not to mention the access to the many incredible powers a Pokémon could wield. He had spent a good bit of time over the past several months working to master his use of a wide-ranging moveset, breaking out of the normal limits - he wouldn't be League-legal, but he wasn't a League mon, so it hardly mattered to him. Of course, it was one thing to know the moves, another to use them effectively on the fly...his successful run through the agility course here had come on the heels of many trials which had one or more major blunders, and that had been his first truly successful crossing of the electric floor challenge, most of which had seem him falter near the end as he stubbornly tried to beat it with a single Aqua Jet. His speed simply wasn't quite enough to clear it in one like he'd seen their Buizel agent do it...but that meant he just had to learn how he COULD do it, and now he had it.

There had been a time when he'd feared that his change would get him booted off of Gradian. That thankfully hadn't happened, thanks to him proving beyond question that his psyche hadn't been damaged by the unexpected change. He still led a small team, STF Zeta, but more and more they were starting to call on him individually...and he had a feeling that was what was happening this time as well. And as he walked into the presidio's office, the presence of a firm, serious Charmander, and no one else from the forces, all but confirmed it.

"Thank you for coming, Agent Raglan." Connor looked up at the presidio, Charleston Bathwick, a tall, dark-skinned man with a powerful air about him, the man in charge of Gradian's forces. He wasn't the boss of the whole organization, but he was damn near the top of the food chain, and even those above him tended to take his word as more important than that of many others. "We've got another mission task to assign to you and Agent Ashura - another SBI mission."

SBI. Small Body Infiltration. Connor had gotten to know that term very well as of late: a mission designed for Pokémon on his scale. Many thought being small could only be a disadvantage for a Pokémon, but that wasn't entirely true - their smaller bodies were harder to hit and harder to detect, and they could get into spaces that many other mons, and just as importantly humans, couldn't get into. This made them useful for clandestine infiltrations; even if there weren't convenient access points, they could still move around much more stealthily than most others. Although Connor had always fashioned himself as more of a direct-confrontation type, he'd started to see the appeal of these missions - there was a satisfaction in striking a blow without the enemy even knowing it was struck. Though maybe that was partly because he really wanted to be able to do the same to that damned Jirachi, since the direct approach didn't work too well.

"I still don't see why this is necessary." The objection came from the Charmander, the Ashura that the presidio had spoken about. One of their most elite small body agents, Ashura was one of those mons that people tended to underestimate because he was unevolved, and they tended to pay dearly for it. Connor might have done the same, had his first observation of Ashura not been when a Garchomp was nervously deferring to him - you didn't intimidate a beast like THAT without packing some serious power. He'd never directly worked with Ashura before, though, only tangentially...and there was a reason for that. "You know I'm capable of doing this on my own. I don't need someone else adding dead weight."

"Afraid a novice might show you up, lizard?" Connor remarked, with no sense of fear. HE wasn't intimidated by Ashura - he respected the Charmander's prowess, but he wasn't scared of it. He was trying not to take the objection personally, Ashura rarely wanted to work with anyone.

"I'm not here to babysit, I'm here to get things done," fired back Ashura. "I can get in and out faster on my own than dragging around some wethead hotshot who thinks he's a match for us after a few months in a new body."

"I've done SBIs before, and successfully. Maybe YOU should be less cranky about being part of a team effort. No one's holding a gun to your head keeping you tied to Gradian if you hate working with others so much."

"I don't recall asking for your opinion, whelp."

"Please settle down, both of you," cut in Charleston before Connor could reply. "However, Ashura...Connor DOES have a point. Our work here at Gradian is dangerous, and working with others is crucial to both success and survival. And while I cannot say enough about your individual capability, we need that power to also be available to help make sure other members can come back as safely as you do. Your ability to work with and adapt to others being on the same mission as you is the only thing I can think of which you need to work on improving. And we're trying to avoid solo missions more and more as it is, since you never know what could happen. For these reasons, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stand quite firm on this. This is a mission for the two of you together."

"...Hmph." A jet of smoke rushed from the Charmander's nose, but his folded his arms and nodded. "I suppose I can't really argue against that. Very well...but I'm in charge here. No chance I'm taking commands from a novice."

"I won't fight that," affirmed Connor. He didn't care if he was in charge here, so long as things got done. His command position with STF Zeta was more than enough, and besides that, he still did need some work on thinking tactics like a Pokémon. He held back the cheeky smirk he wanted to give Ashura, though...the Charmander wouldn't ditch Gradian for anything, he might have been strong but Gradian had tools and targets, so he'd have to suffer the horrific pain of companionship. Connor might not have had the edge in many things, but in teamwork, he definitely knew his stuff better.

Charleston nodded. "Glad to hear it. So here's the mission details. Gradian has received word that a new business development in Hawthorne has risen up as a front for a trafficking ring. At the moment, we're not sure whether it's Pokémon trafficking or human trafficking, nor what group is behind it. The infiltration has the following purpose: planting audio bugs in the new building, implanting a tracer program into their computer systems to monitor and trace their communications, and gathering any physical evidence providing insight to the identity of the group or any of its members. This is a light-armor mission. Stealth is imperative, given what we're dealing with here. But if you get into trouble, don't hold back."

"No problem," stated Connor with a grin. 'Don't hold back' was always a good modifier - it meant that they didn't have to worry about the lives of their targets. Connor didn't relish killing, but he disliked even more the missions where they had to tread carefully, those were always more dangerous because their targets were often more willing to inflict mortal injury than they were. Missions with latitude like this were uncommon, but welcome - it was less stressful knowing you didn't have to aim for the hand when they aimed for the head. "What's our ETD?"

"It's a tight turnaround, due to the nature of the activity. Drop-off is tomorrow evening. You'll need to spend two nights at an encampment, one before and one after. Arceus willing, you'll be able to make use of both. Pick-up is morning of the third day. You won't be in comm contact, too many risks of interception, so you'll have to keep to schedule...if you miss the pick-up, you'll need to find a way to contact us and establish another rendezvous point."

"I'll make sure wet boy here keeps pace," affirmed Ashura.

"Someone didn't see me running the agility course today," snarked Connor.

"Anyone can do burst speed. I want to see you maintain it before I buy in." Connor rolled his eyes, but didn't argue this - Ashura wanted proof, he'd give it.

"Keeping pace is less important than keeping safe," Charleston reminded them. "We'd rather see you back a day late than not back at all. Agent Ashura, Agent Raglan, we're counting on you to help us stop this before it gets worse. Show them that we won't stand for these crimes, and help us bring their victims home safely."

---

The sun was already well on its way to setting by the time Connor and Ashura were hopping out of their drop-off vehicle. A very nondescript blue minivan, a vehicle that wouldn't have looked out of place in a nice peaceful suburb, but might have in the relatively empty field outside of the city. They weren't anywhere near their target at the moment - keeping someone from being suspicious meant staying well out of the way. That was why they'd be camping out that night, so that they could make a foot incursion the next day. All told, most of the mission was going to be transit - they'd likely be inside the building for an hour at most, maybe a little longer if they were able to find something important.

"No sign of anything unusual." Their driver, Candace, knelt down in front of the two of them. "I'll be back at 10 AM third day from now. If you get into any stickiness, take evasive action. You'll be able to connect to us through PDCS, and we can arrange another pick-up in a more secure location. But hopefully that won't happen...I know you two are experienced, and they wouldn't be sending you if they didn't have confidence. So I'll just say godspeed and good luck."

"I don't think we'll need luck," replied Ashura coolly. "Or at least I won't, the drip over here might."

"I won't say no to it whether I need it or not," Connor stated, with a touch more aggression than he usually would. "I'm glad to know my comrades are thinking of me."

Candace laughed a bit. "Try to get that out of your systems before you reach the objective. All right...see you soon, agents." She rose up and stepped back into the van, and Connor and Ashura took off into the darkening fields, the roar of the motor fading into the distance. Now it was just the two of them, on their own, charging headlong into peril...and Connor couldn't help but feel excited. People had said there was something wrong with him all his life, that he would deliberately put himself into sticky situations for his causes; Connor wouldn't have said there was anything wrong with that, but there was truth that he got a thrill out of facing danger for a good reason. He wasn't an idle thrillseeker, he didn't like just being in peril for the sake of being in peril, not like some daredevils who did car jumps or other nonsense like that...but when he stood as a bulwark between evil and its victims, when it really MEANT something, danger lit him up.

That didn't mean he wasn't facing it prepared, though. He and Ashura were geared up in their light armor get-ups, and small though they might have been, no one would mistake them for non-threatening. Connor's chest was guarded with a flexible but tough vest, somewhat bulletproof, a material like kevlar but even sturdier, though heavy arms were still a threat. He had a specialized brace on his right arm, onto which he could attach the firearm strapped to his back; the gun was big for his size, and the brace helped him handle the kick. The gun itself was special, able to fire regular bullets but also attuned to his energy, so he could fire elemental shots as well - much better for disrupting or incapacitating, they were less likely to be fatal but quite effective at neutralizing threats nonetheless. He also had a melee weapon strapped on his left side, a large Totodile-sized dagger that he could use offensively or as a utility; it was less likely to be effective given its size, but Connor preferred it for its lack of encumbrance over something larger, especially given his bigger firearm. His legs and feet were armored as well, with boots that were tipped with sharp titanium claws to compensate for his lack of toe claws, another extra weapon to get him out of scrapes.

In front of him was Ashura, lighting the way for him as the night descended on them. His equipment was similar in some ways and different in others...he bore the same type of vest that Connor did, and also carried a firearm and melee weapon. His gun was smaller than Connor's, packing less overall kick in favor of more precise and deadly shots, which he could deliver with harrowing precision - the Charmander was Gradian's top marksman, and was particularly renowned for his vicious elemental shots, combining Steel and Fire into a 'shell' that could embed and explode. Connor had seen footage of the test simulant, watching the ballistic gel head get partly exploded was a sight that lingered with him. Ashura also carried a longer blade, a katana-like design with a blade he himself had forged, which was stunningly lightweight for how sturdy it was, and which was so well-attuned to the Charmander that he could actually pull it to himself from a distance if he lost control of it - though that rarely happened, by his statement - and could very easily be turned into a literal blazing blade if he willed it. Unlike Connor, he didn't have an arm brace that linked to his gun, instead opting for regular arm guards on both arms, as well as leg guards that left his feet bare - with his natural claws, the substitutes weren't necessary for him.

About the only thing Connor envied - much as he was glad for any offensive advantage he could get, something about wearing shoes was off-putting to his Pokémon self, it felt like he was just a little bit more out of touch with nature. Something he would put up with for the sake of the job, without argument, but he wasn't going to claim it wasn't uncomfortable. And as they reached a secluded little tree grove as their encampment point for the night, the first thing he did was pull them off and sigh in relief as the bare grass was back in contact with his feet. "Guh, what I wouldn't give for natural claws down there."

"You'll just have to evolve for that," remarked Ashura. He was doffing his armor, setting it off to one side; marginally risky, but sleeping in that stuff was almost impossible, and they were far enough away that there was almost no chance of anyone being suspicious - and if all someone saw was a natural Totodile and Charmander, they wouldn't think anything of it. "If you even can. Which I doubt."

"Big words from someone who said he'd die before he evolved," Connor jibed as he slid off his vest and kicked it back until it was partially hidden under a bush. His arm brace was the last thing off, and joining the rest of his gear, he now looked like an all-natural Totodile, albeit a slightly more lean and menacing one.

"It's not like I reject it for everyone, just myself." Ashura's armor was stowed away under another bush, leaving him in the buff as well. And Connor had to admit, he looked pretty good - a toned figure with a bit more visible muscle bulk than one would see in a typical Charmander, particularly in the arms. "I'm what I want to be. Not everyone is, they can make those decisions for themselves."

"You think a rogue Jirachi agrees with that?"

"I think a dingus who tries to approach a rogue Jirachi should be lucky he can still talk."

Connor scowled a bit. "That was my mission. I had to try to stop it from pulling its shit."

Ashura snorted. "And you were a dingus to take the job. It's literally a GOD. Of WISHES. Even if you somehow managed to ball it, it could still work its magic on you. What the hell were you going to do with it? Take it back to Gradian? I'm sure it would have LOVED that, getting to act on everyone who'd be able to trouble it without even having to work for it."

"Well, then, what would YOU do?"

"Hunt down another legendary avatar. That's the only thing you want to pit against a rogue. Even a Dark-type normie is only barely a chance, the legendaries are good at doing an end-around of their psychic blocking. Getting a psychic rogue or a dark rogue would give you a much better shot. They're designed to keep each other in check, so they can stand toe-to-toe with each other. Heck, there are places where you can talk to avatars of Arceus, bring it the right plate and it can deal with anything. What I wouldn't do is be a dingus who thinks he can overpower a god with his own brute force."

The Totodile gave a bit of a growl. "What'd I do to you anyhow? We've barely worked together, I don't get why you hate me. Because I'm a 'novice?'"

Ashura snorted. "You think too much of yourself. I don't hate you. Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate ANYONE at Gradian. I just think you're a hot-head liability, who doesn't think things through and gets into trouble as a result. I mean, getting wish-fucked by a rogue Jirachi once is bad enough, but then you went and did it again?"

"I got it to stop harassing trainers around there. We can't just find gods on command, something had to be done."

"Maybe you can't. Or maybe you don't try. Because you don't want to give up the thrill of getting into trouble personally. Wouldn't be satisfying if you didn't take the blow and land one, right?"

"I'm willing to take it and I'm willing to dish it out. That doesn't mean I'm flinging myself in front of cannons, but better I do something than let other people suffer. And I had a team out there, we were all trying to capture it. Something you don't understand the meaning of, it seems."

"I understand the meaning just fine, doesn't mean I want to do it. Things go fast and simple if I can get to it. I just want to do what I want to do without any dead weight."

"Well, you're the dead weight if you can't get along with people."

"...You wanna say that again?" Ashura's tail flame flared up a bit as he glared at the blue reptile.

"Gladly," snarled Connor. "If YOU can't get along with others and work with them, YOU'RE the liability. You don't join a group and then act like you're a fucking satellite who doesn't engage unless you're forced into it. I don't care how strong you think you are, you're useless to the team if you won't be part of the team. Who wants to trust the guy who only ever blows you off to go do his own thing? You wanna be part of Gradian? You gotta be PART of Gradian. You don't wanna work with others, leave. No one's stopping you."

The Charmander's hard look initially looked like it was going to erupt into something rather violent...but, instead, that flaring tail ebbed back into a gentler size, and Ashura slumped back and looked away, still with a hard expression. "I don't want to leave. But why do I have to get close to anyone? People die doing this shit. What's the point of getting close to someone just to have them get waxed and feel horrible?"

"Idiot. You get close to them so you feel that urgent need to protect them and help them so that they're less likely to get waxed. So that when you know there's something you can do that can raise their odds of coming back, they listen to you, rather than not caring about what the standoffish asshole who doesn't care about them anyway has to say. I've watched a few Zetas get promoted who wouldn't be there if they didn't trust me and I didn't care about them. We're here because we're stronger together, but together means caring. You can't have one without the other. That's why you need to stop getting forced to team up and start actually making it happen, because you could do a whole lot of shit for them but you won't, and that's why you don't have value to the team, no matter what value you have to the mission."

"You make that sound so easy," huffed Ashura, smoke rushing from his nose. "And then what when someone does bite it despite all that?"

"You feel like shit, you vow never to let it happen again, and you let that fuel you. Because we all knew what we were doing when we signed on and no one would want us to pack it up just because they died trying to protect others." Connor shook his head. "I've been there. I hate it. But I pick it up and keep going, because if I don't, lots of other people are going to feel that same thing, except without trying to get into trouble. And if you think it sucks for you, imagine all the others who would have to go through it because of some of the assholes we're trying to take down. And if you don't like the thought of that, then realize that you should have the backs of the people you work with just as much as you want to have the people you don't. Because you're trying to protect them both, and they need the help just as much, if not more."

Ashura gave Connor a side-eye and a snort. "...Fuck you for being right."

Connor smirked at the Charmander. "You'll get over it. Don't forget, I might be a novice in this body, but I've got seniority over you in Gradian, and in life. Try to learn a few things from me, especially since I've had a lot of shitty experience because I didn't have anyone trying to set me straight for a long time."

"Tch. Fine, maybe you do, but that doesn't mean I'm not in charge here and now. And I don't like feeling lectured by a subordinate."

"Then be a leader. But you can't be a leader if you keep your distance. No one doubts your chops. You can make our resident Garchomp fear you. But can you make him respect you? You get that, you won't get much backtalk, unless you need it."

"Hmph. Maybe you've got a point. But I want my control back until we've got this shit done. THEN maybe I'll ask more about it. I don't want it distracting me here." It might have sounded a bit petulant, but Connor didn't see it that way - Ashura clearly was not used to the idea, and he wasn't going to do a 180 overnight, even if he seemed to be understanding the point. The main thing was that he'd clearly gotten through to the Charmander...which, he was starting to think might have been one of the reasons Charleston had roped him in on this one. At his heart, Ashura wasn't too dissimilar from Connor - he saw a lot of his younger self in the reptile, he hadn't been particularly a personable sort in his earlier days either. Well, he wasn't really NOW, either, but he knew how to connect with others, at least. And if Ashura could figure out how to do the same, all the better...but that wasn't happening out here, so it could at least be tabled, with the main points absorbed.

Which didn't meant Connor wasn't still going to try to push against him in other ways. "Well, I'm game to let you try to take it back, if you think you can."

Now it was Ashura's turn to smirk. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I can. Without too much trouble, at that."

"Oh, really? You might be a hotshot, but I'm pretty sure I'd have a halfway decent chance at kicking your ass. You're good, but you're not unstoppable."

"Cocky wethead. I'd prove how outclassed you were now, but we're on the job. But I still know how to put you where you belong. After all, I don't know how well you fight, but I do know what you do OFF the clock."

Connor's surety dissipated in a hurry as he felt heat rush to his face. "Ex...cuse me?"

"Oh, no excuses needed." Ashura was grinning now, clearly having taken back the emotional edge as he'd intended. "I've heard allll about it. Pokémon know how to chatter about it without humans being any the wiser, and you'd better believe you've got a different reputation outside of Gradian."

"That...you...that doesn't mean I'm just going to let you do what you want with me," growled Connor, though he was starting to get a touch nervous. If Ashura knew about his reputation...outside of Gradian, things were definitely QUITE different, as he played his role as dutiful pet to his Grovyle roommate, Gardé. The other bit of wishfuckery he'd ended up on the wrong end of, though he couldn't rightly say he didn't like it...or love it and revel in it, even. There was just something so relaxing about ceding everything to Gardé, and it had really done a good bit for his mental health overall. Which wasn't to say Gardé didn't support him in other ways, but it was definitely being his pet that Connor enjoyed most. But as it was, Pokémon tended to be big on sharing, and Connor had experienced more than his share of servitude to other Pokémon...and one didn't do that without getting a bit of a reputation, it seemed.

And Ashura clearly knew the full scope of it. "Oh, I think you're going to. Because that's what you like to do, isn't it? You like to be a perfect little slutgator."

Shit. There it was...Connor didn't even have the chance to ready himself for it. As soon as the word clicked in his head, he felt himself relaxing, head fuzzing a bit, and he knew there was no stopping it now. This was Gardé's work, too - through his salacious imposition, he'd wired what essentially amounted to a trigger word into Connor's head. It wasn't one he really needed to make use of, since just about any of the Grovyle's words was immediately treated as directive by Connor, but it was specifically meant for others, to induce him into that same state of servility to them for a short period of time. Either Ashura had heard about the trigger word through that word of mouth, or...well, it wasn't impossible that he'd gotten it from Gardé directly, the Grovyle had given it to a couple of his Pokémon colleagues, and it wasn't the first time it had been used on him. But that was always off the clock, too...this was not, even though technically it WAS down time. And the technicality clearly mattered - Connor wasn't inevitably bound to surrender to it, he wouldn't go under if he was in a dangerous or otherwise important situation, which was why it rarely worked while he was on the job. But clearly his mind didn't consider this 'engaged' enough to resist it...and thus, there was no option but to accept his surrender.

And Ashura clearly knew it, as he was beckoning the Totodile over with a clawed finger. "Come on, then, show me your talent, slutgator. I wanna know what makes you so popular."

"Mmph...you don't have to be a brat about it," Connor muttered, though that wasn't stopping him from crawling on all fours towards the Charmander. He could feel his cock stirring within his slit, hardening and leaking as the arousal flooded him...no matter what Ashura said or how he acted, the desires and pleasures of submission were going to override that. No one was ever going to get him as completely pleasure-zonked as Gardé, the Grovyle had supremacy over all, but he would sink into that haze of bliss eventually, which meant his snark had to come out early or not at all.

"Heh, maybe not, but maybe I like being a little hot when I'm in charge," Ashura replied back without concern, spreading his legs and offering the Totodile his everting cock. He was pretty big for a Charmander...then again, he was also big for a Charmander, so maybe it made sense that down below matched up. "I think your mouth can be put to better use than annoying me, though."

Yes, it could be, and Connor went to it, opening his mouth and letting his tongue dart out to lap at that hot shaft. He moaned a bit as he felt the sensation of heat on his organ, but both the heat and the spicy flavor were somewhat muted, the burn not as intense as it could've been, and Ashura hissed almost as loud as his fluids on that hot rod. Not necessarily a surprise, he was a Water-type, and he wasn't as vulnerable to submissive acts just as he wasn't as vulnerable to Ashura's fire in other ways - and Ashura's hiss meant that no doubt he was feeling an overwhelming sensation that wouldn't be as pleasurable to him. Of course, Ashura wouldn't necessarily mind that - if it was more about dominance than just raw pleasure, the Charmander would certainly endure, maybe even prefer to assert himself despite the challenges, if he was trying to show Connor up...

"Hold up, slutgator." Or maybe that wasn't the case, as Ashura bade him to stop, which he did, looking up at the Charmander curiously, maybe even a hint defiantly. But Ashura clearly wasn't done with him...he leaned over, pulling at his vest and opening up a pocket, and popping out an ochre-colored lozenge of some sort. "Eat."

"...What is it?"

"You'll find out." Ashura's smirk might have been maddening if he wasn't finding it so sexy.

Connor scowled a bit, even as he put it in his mouth. The taste of it was fairly sweet, quite palatable even as he suspected it was masking something more insidious. "This had better not affect the mission."

"The effects last an hour." Well, that confirmed there were shenanigans afoot. But nonetheless, Connor munched and swallowed, not questioning the Charmander's assertions. Ashura had too much pride to sabotage the mission for a cheap thrill...though, clearly, he had been counting on a cheap thrill, to have something like that in his vest. Yeah, I'm glad I got to say my piece beforehand, because there was no way he wasn't going to put me under the spell either way. Oh, well, let's call it 'team bonding.'

Connor shivered a bit as he felt a strange sensation through him. He wasn't sure immediately what it was...but then he felt the burn in his nose, the spicy yet light musk of Ashura suddenly much more potent. "That...ah...that...was an Inverse Candy, wasn't it?"

"Bingo," replied the grinning Charmander. "Fun as it might be to show a wethead like you that I can overpower you just fine, I'd rather get the most out of this, AND make you howl out in pleasure. Get your maw back on the job, now."

Connor didn't need to be told twice, leaning back down and slurping at that steamy shaft once again. And this time, that spiciness was flaring up in his mouth, the heat making his eyes water a bit. Not that that deterred him, in fact it felt rather good overall...courtesy of the Inverse Candy, mostly. His first time taking one, but the prospect had always been there - they were considered useful on the job in certain circumstances. Under the effects, a Pokémon experienced an inversion of their type sensitivities - a weakness became a resistance, and vice-versa. They were useful for missions where an abundance of Pokémon who were strong against an agent would be present, allowing for a chance to get the upper hand without them expecting it. Other compounds existed that could unilaterally raise resistances to a certain type or across the board, but they were expensive and not always easy to come by - conversely, the Inverse Candies were cheap and abundant. They also didn't effect attacks - he'd still be able to bash a Fire-type with a Water Gun - but in this particular interaction, his body sensitivity was what mattered more. And no doubt, Ashura was getting a lot less starkly intense sensation from his tongue, and a MUCH more pleasurable one.

And Connor had no complaints, really, because that would make it that much more pleasurable for him, too. A type weakness was always more physically enjoyable...he'd had plenty of induced weaknesses since becoming Gardé's, the Grovyle had plenty of herbs that could have lots of different effects on him, and that was a common one just because it was so easy and effective. He didn't need one for Gardé, of course, but for others, he never hesitated, and it made things all the better. Not just the basic sensations, either, under the candy he would assert most strongly that Ashura tasted better, his musk smelled more enjoyable, and even his voice seemed to be more compelling. Maybe some of it was psychological, but whatever the case, it was to his benefit.

And that was manifest in his amplified submission as well. He moaned lewdly as he slurped up and down that shaft, letting some of his wetness droll down that shaft and hiss as it slid down into Ashura's slit, while drinking up the Charmander's precum and swallowing down, shivering as the heat of it dribbled into him. His ire towards Ashura was waning fast, he was focused much more on the desirable scent and taste and that wonderful heat that was all around and in him, and all of it was making him feel good - so of course he needed to return the favor and make sure Ashura felt good, too.

A hot hand on the back of his head aided him in that, as Ashura pushed him down on him more vigorously. "Yeah, that's right, use that big jaw of yours how it was meant to be used. Mm, yeah, that feels amazing...guess you've really learned how to suck dick like it gives you life, haven't you?" Connor wasn't going to dispute that even if he could, Gardé had made sure to teach him how to give blowjobs with a considerable expertise, aided by the fact that his jaws were long enough to take a fair few Pokémon without even needing to open up his throat - though he of course could do that, too. And his tongue was no observer, he actively used it inside and out, wrapping it and slurping it and using it to tease and tantalize, while the rest of his maw enveloped the whole of that shaft. He was in full slutgator mode now, and would be until they woke up in the morning most likely...at least, unless there was a need for him not to be, but that seemed highly unlikely, and wasn't even on his mind.

What was on his mind was how close Ashura was to shooting. The Charmander was leaking a lot more, his breaths were getting heavier and steamier, as were his moans and growls - which, Connor had to admit, were far cuter than the image Ashura usually projected. He was bucking up a little bit into the Totodile's maw, his cock grazing those fangs without any issue, it would have taken a firm bite to do any damage and Connor's reflexes were perfectly arrested in this mode, there was no chance of any accidents happening. Ashura's tail was sweeping underneath Connor, teasing the Totodile's erection now, making it leak a lot more precum onto the grass as it rubbed against that rubbery staff. It was working him, but not enough for him to get off...just enough to make sure he'd be eager to beg for that result when Ashura was done pumping his load down Connor's throat.

He wouldn't have long to wait, as Ashura let out a cry and began firing his spicy load into Connor's maw. The Totodile dutifully swallowed, murring at the potent taste and fierce burn that flooded over his tongue, shuddering as heat pulsed into him and flushed through his whole body. It was a surreal feeling being so sensitive to heat, compared to how usually it barely did anything to him...it was rather nice, he had to admit. He kept himself painted against the Charmander's crotch, huffing that spicy scent as he drank down every drop of lava that Ashura pulsed into him, the peppery flavor buzzing on his tongue long after the source was sucked down into him. Only when Ashura pushed him off did he relent, pulling back and sitting down on the ground, panting as he tried to quell the lingering burn with just the open air...his water might have helped, but he didn't want to use it and wash away the taste.

"Hah...now that's more like it..." panted Ashura, grinning at Connor cheekily. "Little slutgator must really like swallowing spunk, you sure were greedy for it. Taking dick must be second nature for you, eh? Gardé must really enjoy sharing his wish-granted plaything."

"Ah...y-yeah..." Connor gulped a bit, flushing at the entirely true charges. "I'm used to it by now...just like I'm used to being in this body in the first place..."

"Guess you're as natural a slut as you are a Totodile."

"...Why, Ashura, that was almost an actual compliment." He wasn't so totally out of it that he didn't pick up on that. And Ashura must not have intended for him to register that, because the Charmander suddenly started steaming around the face.

"Er...well...uh..." Ashura rubbed his head, looking away. "...Look...you're, uh...you're...pretty good at being a Pokémon. Most humans are kinda useless when they transform, especially involuntarily...they don't know how to be a Pokémon and try to keep being human, so they never get any better at it. But you're, uh...you do a good job. I've seen you running the drills, you make use of your natural abilities like you really KNOW them. No one would know you were a novice if they were just meeting you. You...I thought they were making a mistake keeping you on Gradian. That you weren't gonna cut it...I was...wrong. You belong there." The Charmander took a breath. "They called me in first because they wanted to ask me who I was taking with. I mean, I wanted to do it alone, but they didn't give me that option...I...I asked for you. Because I thought you were the best option, if that was what I had to do."

Ashura's seal of approval really shouldn't have meant that much to Connor, who had plenty of people who already had expressed the utmost confidence in him. Still...a Pokémon as powerful as Ashura, and as inveterate a loner as Ashura, feeling like he made the best choice of person to trust for a mission meant for Pokémon specifically, despite the stigma that came with being a 'novice'...well, why wouldn't that be pretty darn meaningful, really? And it meant that it hadn't been Charleston setting him up to be out here to advise Ashura, it had been Ashura himself. "I...uh...I didn't realize...I, uh, I...I really...appreciate that, Ashura...it...means a lot to me. It's, uh...it's hard to tell from humans how well I fit myself like this...and, uh, I'm not exactly always thinking about that when it's me and Gardé..."

"I gathered." A little bit of that grin returned, tempered a bit this time though. "But...yeah. You're good. And...well, if I have to learn to get closer to others, I guess it makes sense to start with someone I know I can rely on on the job. Though knowing I can still put you in your place when I feel like it doesn't hurt, either."

"Glad to know I'm more than JUST a fuckable face," Connor snorted. "But...whatever makes this more rewarding and encourages you to expand your circle is a good thing. I'll make sure you don't regret it."

"I'm holding you to that, because I know you're good for it. Just like I know you're good for another thing." Ashura stood up and stepped over to Connor, licking his chops a bit; he was still sporting that erection, and Connor knew he was planning to use it. "I've heard you've got a nice TALENT for a particular something...something that a lot of mons enjoy."

Connor flushed again; he didn't need elaboration on that. But if Ashura wanted that, who was he to deny it? He laid himself back, spreading his arms and legs to offer himself to the Charmander...and, as he did, he tensed his loins, and with some effort drew his leaking boner back into his slit. Not the easiest thing, given how turgid it was, but Gardé had trained him well here, and bending to Gardé's desires made a lot of things possible. As the tip disappeared, his slit remained nice and open, offering passage to anything else that wanted inside...his cock would make it a tight fit, but he'd get all the sensation of being frotted along with rubbing on his super-sensitive slit, and he knew from ample experience that this was fucking amazing.

Ashura seemed all too eager to be the next to ride that ride, dropping himself onto Connor, hands on the Totodile's shoulders. He had an intense look in his eyes and a wide grin on his face, a stark contrast to the deferential expression on Connor's face, but there was definitely something more earnest about it, it was more than just a cheap thrill to him. Not that it would have mattered if that was all it was - the tip of that blazing cock pressing against his wet slit would've felt phenomenal either way - but Connor felt much more eager now from his own inner self, beyond the typical induced desire, and that always made things just that little bit better.

When Ashura struck, he didn't hold anything back - his cock plunged into Connor's slit with quite the force, penetrating in deep and creating that potent stretching sensation that Connor had gotten to love. He cried out amorously as searing heat rushed over the top of his cock and against his vulnerable slitflesh, primed to be as sensitive as it could be from the Inverse Candy's effects. He almost came right then and there, his cock already having been teased quite a lot...it wouldn't be long before he released at this rate. "Ngh...Ashura...I..."

"On the verge, slutgator?" Ashura replied teasingly. He caught the hint perfectly well. "I don't think so...I don't want to feel you shooting off until I do. You can handle it, tough guy, I know you've got the SKILLS." What he was asking was going to take more than skill, but with his body primed to respond to direction, it might be at least possible...though it was going to be a task either way, as Ashura started humping into him, giving him a feel of the Charmander's real power as well as what that heat was going to do to his slit.

It wasn't going to be possible to contain the leaking completely - Connor's precum was making his slit extra-messy, and Ashura's was only adding to that, the Charmander's less prolific but much more impactful. That burning feeling was resplendent, making Connor see stars and cry out freely as his slit spasmed around the length, making it an even tighter fit. The constant rubbing of that fiery shaft against his was sending thunderbolts of pleasure through him, trying to pierce through his desperate efforts to hold back his orgasm and keep Ashura's fire as the dominant force. It was a withering assault on his senses and on his resolve...it wasn't the first time he'd been tested pretty hard, but remembering all that didn't make it any easier to hold himself back.

But he was managing, somehow. His balls were protesting, they wanted to unload SO badly, much more than the leaky dribbles of pre that he was letting through. He was clawing at the grass, trying to grip anything that would make it easier for him to keep that tightness going, to prevent him from failing at his endeavor. It just felt so good, all that delicious stimulation within his slit, all that fierce prodding trying to get him to unload, to get him to loose his shots and surrender to the pleasure...Ashura was reaching so deep, the Charmander now hilting in his slit, touching places that rarely felt anything other than the cocks of other mons who wanted a go at this hole, and as such were REALLY craving those touches and trying to reward him for allowing them...

"Hah...you're doing even better than I expected..." Ashura was somewhat breathless above him, but hearing his voice grounded Connor just a bit. "That's a good slutgator...bet it feels impossible, doesn't it? Like you're gonna explode if you try to hold back any longer...but just think how GOOD it'll feel when you finally get to let go, all that spunk building up 'til your balls feel like they'll burst, rushing out all at once, letting you finally unwind all the way...I know you can do it, and you'll feel so GOOD when you succeed..."

Oh, it was going to feel SO good to finally let go...but it felt good now, too, all that potent heat pulsing through his cock, pulsing through his slit, lighting up every nerve he had and sending them into a frenzy. His body felt so hot from the seed he'd swallowed, the pre gushing into his slit, the heat from Ashura's body feeding into him...it felt like he was going to boil, and his balls were the indicator of that pressure, keyed up to burst from being held back from letting out that steam. But all he could do was nod at Ashura's encouragement, cries and whimpers escaping him in mere squeaks now as his entire body held onto that tension. The Charmander wanted him to hang on until he felt that lava splashing inside, and he wanted to do whatever he could for him...it seemed like an impossible fight against his body's urges, there was only so much he could possibly do...

Yet, he hung in there, enduring that searing staff spearing into his most sensitive area, stroking against his restrained shaft, basking in the overwhelming pleasure that was coursing through him. It almost felt like the euphoria was backed up itself, his body saturated in it, waiting for it to be unleashed properly though a momentous climax. He didn't know if he could hold it any longer, his cock was throbbing madly, Ashura's cock was doing the same, the infernal precum leaking into every crevice and roasting his gonads to the very limit...it wasn't feasible, he couldn't do it, he couldn't hold back, he couldn't stop himself, the fight was getting to be too much for him, there was no way he could hang onto it any longer-

Ashura cried out and drove in once more, and then Connor felt it, a HARD gush of thicker, volcanic spunk into the deepest recesses of his slit. And that was finally it, Connor's eyes rolled back and his voice went dead as all that built-up pressure was violently unleashed, his orgasm outright explosive as great gushes of watery spunk geysered hard from his cock. It forcefully gushed out of his slit, and with Ashura's kissing up to it, that was where a good portion of it went, blasting hard into the Charmander's slit and making him yell out energetically as he got a massive dose of extra stimulation. It only fueled his release into Connor, the Totodile's cock and slit bathed in that magma, overwhelming even the flood of Connor's own seed into that space. An almighty mess was forming between their bodies as the overwhelmed slit disgorged so much of what was being unleashed, onto Connor's chest and down his taint, and off down the sides of his body, hissing in the fierce heat and amplifying their mixed scents in the air, a spicy swampy miasma of sex hanging in the air around them, bound to linger for some time.

Connor was very glad he was laying down for it all, as every discharge of cum from his taxed balls felt like it shot out a good bit of his energy with it. He felt himself getting more and more fatigued the longer it went on, but it was worth it, because DAMN if it didn't feel radiant, it rarely felt this good, only Gardé could get him worked up to this point and it was something that wasn't an everyday occurrence even with him. He could have swum in that morass of bliss forever, but his body had its limits, and he was now feeling that release taper off, his cock no longer gushing but merely drooling, his slit completely full and having pretty vastly overflowed. And Ashura flopped down on him, also panting hard, his breath coming out hot and smoky in Connor's face, adding to the overall wild sensation of heat that he was feeling all over inside and out.

"Hfff...fuck..." Ashura rubbed the Totodile's side gently. "Wasn't sure you could actually hold back that long...you really ARE good, heh..."

"Ah...th...thank you..." murmured back Connor, too weary to do much more than that.

"Guess we're gonna need to clean up this mess...tomorrow." With effort, Ashura pulled himself out of Connor, and then flopped down on his back next to the Totodile; his own midsection and groin were plenty messy, though not as much as Connor's was. "And then we'll do our job with those fuckers, and get back here and have another good night before we get back. And that's an order..."

"Yes, sir." Not exactly the most emphatically delivered order ever, but how could Connor have found any of that proposition disagreeable? He was going to make sure Ashura knew he'd made the right choice to trust him, and hope that the Charmander could use that to build bridges to others as well...but he wouldn't mind if he was 'the favorite,' and as far as his co-workers went, Ashura could very well end up being the same for him...