A Trainer's Tale - Chapter 23

Story by FoxStriker25 on SoFurry

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#23 of A Trainer's Tale


Fox: I'll be honest here, I have no idea how this was supposed to go. I just.. kinda did and went going. I'll run along now... have to avoid the stones that are (probably) aimed at me. The last part was brought up due to a few messages. While it -doesn't- cover everything I wanted, it bugged me the more I thought about it. So, there we go. I'll see about covering it more in-depth, somehow. And I know it's 'late' for Halloween', but we were kinda busy beforehand in the story...

Brimcon: There are some things money can't buy, for everything else, there's UltraCard. Accepted at your local Pokémart.

Disclaimer: Pokémon is copyright of Nintendo, Game Freak, etc. Individual characters are my own imaginening, and are not intended to be any part of main cannon / plotline. Individual characters like Aaron, Song, Zin, etc, are my own creations, so please ask before using. Thank you.

Chapter 23: The Ghast Festival

I woke up, startled by my head being petted. The room was dark, my heart pounding loudly in my ears as adrenaline coursed through my body. I pushed myself up from the bed, seeing a familiar Lucario laying underneath me. Strong arms wrapped around me, before pulling downwards. My face met her chest, soft fur brushing against my face. I struggled momentarily, until she growled above me.

"You're a feisty one." Baast said casually. "Can't you sleep for an entire night?"

"What time is it?" I asked.

"I don't know. Probably close to midnight or so. You were more than happy to curl up and sleep like a child." she said, stroking my hair again. "Nurse Joy dropped off your Pokémon not too long ago. She wished for you to know, but you were fast asleep when she appeared."

"And you weren't?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I am constantly aware of my surroundings." she said, tightening her hug on me. "My Aura sight allows me to see even while I sleep. It's why we are so hard to catch unawares."

"That doesn't explain why you weren't asleep."

She grabbed my nose between her fingers for a moment before letting go. "I was getting to that. We can detect individual Aura's, even while we rest. It was not that I wasn't asleep, it was more that Nurse Joy woke me up."

"And that was when?" I prompted.

"I don't know." Baast said with a shrug. "I haven't looked at the time."

I grabbed at my pockets, feeling my Pokédex still resting against my leg. My fingers grabbed hold of it, forcing myself to open it as I held it in front of me. The glow from the screen blinded me momentarily as the device proudly displayed whatever it was. The device displayed a screen that said "Scanning..." as I looked at it. What was it scanning for? Before the concern could become worse, the words displayed turned into a thumbs up, before disappearing.

What?

The display changed to my team. A new model was added, glowing brightly for a moment before matching the rest. I felt Baast move slightly as my world spun. She snuggled behind me, my back resting against her chest. Her paws covered my hands as I tried to figure out what just happened.

"You have a lot of Pokémon." she pointed out.

"Welcome to the madness?" I offered. "You're not going to back out now, are you? I don't particularly want to keep that Zapdos."

Baast shook her head, her fur tickling my neck. "I think I can manage."

I smiled in relief. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do to make the transition any easier." I said. "At the very least, we can make sure that we have your favorite snack for the road."

Her muzzle appeared in my peripheral vision, teeth gleaming in the small light of the Pokédex. "Well, since you put it that way... can we get about half a dozen Mago Poffins!?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Well, you offered!" she said, her paws crushing my chest in a hug. "And I just so happen to like them very much! And we can get them during The Ghast Festival! You know that you want to."

"You know, I haven't gone out for The Ghast Festival in years." I said with a grin. "I think it would be fun!"

"Jon hates it." she said, shaking her head against me. "He never lets us relax half the time."

"Well, I hope you don't scurry away from training." I said with a chuckle. "Also, I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"About what?" she asked.

"Well, the whole Darkrai stuff. Then there's Zin to worry about. Not to mention anything else that happens. There seems to be weird things going on with me."

She shrugged, her paws grasping my shirt tightly. "It's better than being bored with Jonathan." she said. "I'll take my chances."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For... everything? For believing in me? For trusting me? What else?"

She laughed, her hug tightening. "I'm glad. Sis is going to hate my guts when I show up at the village again with you."

"Why do you say that?"

Baast laughed again, harder if possible. I was afraid that she would wake someone up at this time. "She had her sights on YOU ever since you stepped inside the village!"

"Arceus! All the Pokémon with me are crazy!" I said, struggling against her grasp.

Baast laughed, easily pinning me down as my world flipped around again. With the light of the Pokédex, her wide grin visible in the faint light. Her eyes were wide, almost glinting mischievously as I tried to breathe. Her paws held my hands down, her legs at my sides. If this was any other of my Pokémon, I think my clothes would be flying off my skin by this time. Somehow, her grin widened in my eyes.

For a split second, I was afraid that she wasn't going to keep her word and get what she wanted. Baast must have seen my reaction, because she shook her head. She was still smiling, but not as domineering as her grin was a few moments ago.

"I told you I'm not going to go behind Zin's back." she said. "I am staying to my word, though I like that you're willing."

She leaned down, her lips brushing past mine for a moment. "What are you doing, Baast?" I asked, my voice wavering. Her breath was hot on my skin as she breathed.

"This is the closest I will be with you." she said wistfully. "As much as I want to do more... I will hold myself."

I raised my head, meeting her lips with mine. She made a high pitched sound, before returning the affection immediately. I was surprised by the force behind her actions, but she didn't break anything. The bed protested as slightly as we moved. She pulled back, taking a deep breath before giggling.

"Well! I can't be blamed now if you instigate the physical contact, now can I?" she asked, before giggling again.

I smiled at her. It was nice to see her relaxed, though I didn't understand why she was so nervous about meeting Zin. Did she think that Zin would reject her outright? I didn't want a rift starting because of that Houndoom being hard headed. I gave a sigh, shaking my head. The look of Baast's face showed concern, but I shrugged. She nodded, bringing her body down on top of mine.

"Thank you." she whispered softly.

"I don't know for what, though."

"For the kiss." she clarified. "I feel comfortable around you. It is reassuring that you feel the same way, too."

I nodded, a smile on my face. I opened the Pokédex one more time, glad that it wasn't scanning for anything anymore. My fingers moved by instinct, revealing the time to me. Three minutes past five. In the morning. What in the world? I slept for over half a day?

"Did I tell you that you looked exhausted when you finally went to sleep?" she asked. "Because you were. Your Aura was a faint gray around your body. You were physically and mentally drained, far more than anyone else."

I shrugged. "I'm going back to sleep now. You're more than welcome to stay awake if you can't go to sleep."

She laughed again, her muzzle rubbing against my cheek. "No way. I'm not going anywhere. Not that I am awake, either."

Her paws let go of my hands, resting on my sides. I brought my arms around her body, holding her close to me. Baast giggled softly, but didn't stir as we relaxed and waited for the inevitable sunrise.

=========================////////////////////////=========================

Morning came, in the form of Joy coming to our room and kicking the bed. I almost jumped in surprise, but my body was still under Baast. Joy's hair was tied in extremely long pigtails, with a bright yellow shirt and jeans. She looked like she was ready for adventure. She even had her bag slung over her shoulder and everything.

"Wake up, lazy bum!" she said. "It's morning, and your breakfast is going to get cold if you don't get your ass up!"

I turned to face Joy, taking a deep breath. "Tell that to her." I said, pointing to the Lucario above me. Baast laughed, her paws hitting my sides gently. Joy rolled her eyes at us, but the Lucario above me got the message. She rolled off me, Baast helping me to sit up. Joy grabbed my hand, forcing me to stand and following her out of the room. Baast followed us outside, Jon holding our seats as he ate his plate of pancakes.

"Cheater." I said as we approached. "I haven't had pancakes in years."

"You can't lie worth a damn." Joy said with a laugh.

We sat down, Baast more than happy to sit next to me. Jonathan raised an eyebrow as she leaned her head against my right shoulder. I did my best to shrug with one shoulder, to not bother Baast with the motion. I was extremely thankful that my injury had healed enough

"Already?" he asked. I blinked, shaking my head.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, surprised. "It's not like we did that."

"She's never acted like that around me before." he pointed out.

"I'm sorry?" I offered. He waved my apology away.

"You better eat before it gets any colder." he said, but I was already ahead of his suggestion. I ate with my left hand as quickly as I could, though Baast was quick to grab a piece I cut and eat it. Looking over to the Lucario, she gave me a grin as she chewed happily. Joy laughed.

"Well, that's one happy Lucario." Joy observed. "I have to say Aaron, you have the touch!"

I'm pretty sure that she wasn't one that would say that kind of thing. But then again, she saw me with Baast on my lap while we slept together. So she probably means exactly what she said. Joy grinned at me and laughed. I felt my cheeks warm up, but still ate as best I could. Jon sighed, shaking his head.

"So, when are we leaving for headquarters?" Jon asked.

"Probably later today, maybe tomorrow?" I offered. "I'm in no hurry to get this done. As long as your boss keeps your end of the bargain, that is."

He sighed. "He will." he said. "If he won't answer your questions, I'll get them for you myself."

I nodded. "Then we have no reason to hurry then. For once, lets relax before anything starts happening again."

Jon shrugged. "Suit yourselves. But why would we wait here, out of all places."

"Well, we really have nowhere to go." Joy said with a shrug. "Unless you have a brilliant plan like yesterdays."

Jon winced at that. "We'll figure something out, but I can agree with you. We've been around, haven't we?"

I laughed. "That's putting it mildly." I said, pointing my fork at him. "Flying from one end of a region to another, fighting for our lives, become a breeder, come to Johto to be chased around by a psychotic Zapdos. Life just can't get any better."

"Well, it can, you know." Baast said, grabbing another piece of pancake and eating it. "Can we stay for The Ghast Festival, please?"

"That's the first time I've heard Baast ask for anything." Jon pointed out.

Baast glared out to Jonathan, and he immediately turned to focus on eating what was left of his food. Even if she was technically my Pokémon, she wasn't afraid to exert her influence over him. We all laughed, but Jon shook himself.

"So we're going to go trick or treating with a bunch of kids?" he asked.

"Dude, I'm eighteen. I haven't changed how I acted since I was fifteen. Other than Joy tainting my vocabulary with her colorful swear words."

"Shit, kid!" she swore, laughing. "We'll make a man out of you yet one of these days!"

"You can't be serious." Jon said with a sigh. "Joy, you can't tell me that you're going to go trick or treating with a bunch of kids."

"Are you telling me that I'm too old to go trick or treating?" Joy asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Fuck you! You're never too old for free candy! Ain't that right, Aaron?"

I nodded. "Damn straight."

"You two are HOPELESS!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "I hope you're happy."

"About free candy?" Joy asked. "Why shouldn't I be? Are you kidding?! You probably were some depressed emo kid that never went trick or treating."

Baast snickered and I did my best to hold my laughter. Jon laughed, though, giving Joy a shrug. "Nah. I just think since you're an adult you shouldn't be taking kids candy if you're not going to dress up."

"And who said I wasn't?" she asked back, grinning.

I laughed at Jon's surprised expression. Joy looked over at my direction and grinned from ear to ear. "Do you have a costume, Aaron?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet, but you can help me figure something out?" I said hopefully.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, clapping excitedly. "Oh, this is going to be great! Baast, are you coming with us, too?"

"Can I? I've always loved to go out during a Ghast Festival. But a certain somebody was too busy to allow us."

"We would be in the middle of work!" Jon exclaimed, frowning. "You weren't complaining when we had to be fighting."

"While that may be true, I would have enjoyed to be out having fun with you as well." Baast pointed out.

"I'm suddenly very glad I don't have to handle your affection." Jon pointed out.

"You never enjoyed it, so I used it to tease you. I'm glad that I have a trainer that appreciates it AND enjoys my company."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised at her words. "Baast, I don't think you should say things like that." I cautioned. "We don't want to dredge up stuff. This is a new start for you, right? Let's not pull the old up with it the new."

The Lucario looked at me with surprise in her eyes. She smiled brightly though, nodding at me. Baast turned to Jon and lowered her head. Jon waved the apology.

"I kind of deserved that." he said with a shrug. "I appreciate it Aaron, but it's true. I am a workaholic, and it hurt my relationship I had with most of my Pokémon. Still working on making that better."

"Then why don't we all go trick or treating?" Joy asked. "We can bring all our Pokémon! I'm sure that not a single one of them is going to complain if they're going to get sweets and be up to all hours of the night."

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Baast said, nodding. "I'm sure that no one would object."

"Well, lets run it through everyone so that we all know the plan." Joy said with a nod. "I'm sure that we can work here with my sister to make some extra cash if we need it."

"That would be amazing." I said with a nod. A flash of inspiration hit me. "Oh! Do you think Nurse Joy has one of those fancy telecommunicators?"

"Of course I do!"

We turned around to see Nurse Joy giving us a smile. She nodded at me. "Yes, we do. Did you want to call someone?"

"My parents. It's been some time since I've last talked to them."

"Then why don't you come along now? Your Lucario seems to have eaten the rest of your food without you paying attention."

I turned around to see Baast put the last of my pancakes in her mouth, with half of it hanging out of her mouth.

"Baast!" I exclaimed, grabbing the bit that was left. She tugged back, ripping it readily in half. Half being relative, as it looked like I ended up with an eighth of a piece instead. Everyone laughed, as Baast chewed on her piece and I popped mine in my mouth. The Lucario looked satisfied, but she gave me a worried look for a moment. I shrugged, pulling her hand and insisting that she stand with me.

I turned to Nurse Joy. "I'm ready."

===================/////////////////////////==============================

"Oh, sweetheart!" Mom exclaimed. "I'm so glad to see that everything is OK. But why are you calling from Johto? Is that a mistake?"

"No Mom, it isn't a mistake. I'm really here in Blackthorn City."

"But why? Are you in trouble?"

"No Mom. I'm perfectly fine. We're all fine here."

"Are all your Pokémon fine, too?" Dad asked, peering over Mom's shoulder. "You better not be lying to me, young man."

I shook my head. "No Dad, I wouldn't lie. Everyone's fine over here. We've had other issues, but we're all alright now."

"Other issues? Nothing with authority?"

"No Dad, I promise. I'm not in trouble with the police or anything."

He looked at me over Mom's shoulder with a grin. "Good man, then."

"How's been the digs?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "I did leave before we finished that last one."

"It's been going great, actually!" Mom answered excitedly. "We'll be moving further into the ruins soon, too. You're help is definitely missed, but we've managed as best we've been able to. It's just like if you were still a kid, or you were out helping out at the Pokémon Center. We've handled it quite well, I think."

"All things considered, right?" I asked with a grin. "We got things done really quick when I helped."

"WHEN you helped and weren't distracted by thinking about Pokémon! Or being distracted by the Unown!" Dad said with a laugh. "It's fine, though. It's not that we're strangers to hard work. We're just glad that everything is working out for you."

"Well, the trainer life hasn't been ideal, that's for sure." I said with a laugh. "It's definitely taught me that a warm bed is amazing to appreciate."

"Missing home already?" Dad asked, grinning.

"I miss both of you, but it's been a real adventure out here." I said with a grin. "I've met two friends, too. One of them is a Johto Ranger, the other a world renown Pokémon Breeder."

"Well aren't you in good company!" Mom exclaimed. "I'm so glad that you're safe, Aaron."

"And you're both safe too, aren't you?" I asked back. If there was one thing I needed to know, it was this. My parents had to be safe.

"We're perfectly fine." Mom said with a smile. "Nothing out of the ordinary out here. By the way, you should have a lot of money to your name. We've been putting in money on a weekly basis to your account. Have you been needing any more?"

Money? "Um... actually I haven't been using a lot of money recently, so I should have more than enough."

"Really? Can you check your account from your Pokédex?"

I grabbed my Pokédex, fiddling with the buttons for a moment before finding it through the multiple menu's of Pokémon health and status functions. I found a menu with my name clearly visible, as well as my current status as a Pokémon Breeder. Underneath that was a neat little area space where quite the large number was printed.

"Am I reading this number right?" I asked, bringing the Pokédex to the camera.

"Well, it says you have four hundred fifty thousand. That sounds about right." Mom said with a shrug. "Are you needing more?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. Dad, have you been worrying about me?"

"Me? Nah! You're my boy! You're always safe!"

Right, because falling off a bridge doesn't count as a near death experience.

"He's practically crying himself to sleep almost every night."

"Have not!"

"Yes you do!"

"Alright! Mom, Dad, I have to get going. I'm getting weird looks from people over here."

"No you aren't. You shouldn't lie to your mom when there's a camera pointing at your face."

Damn. Mom smiled at me anyway. "It's fine, we needed to go anyway. There's a few interviews were having in a few hours and we need to prepare. You stay safe alright?"

I nodded. "I will, mom. Please take care of dad, too."

"I do not need to be babysat!" Dad yelled, just before the connection cut.

"You have interesting parents." Baast said with a smile.

"Oh, not you too." I said with a sigh. "The next thing I need is Zin having a fit because you joined in."

=======================/////////////////////==============================

The Pokémon Center had a small area in the back for trainers if they needed an open area to relax. I made quick use of it, though I made sure with Nurse Joy that it was alright. With her blessing, I made my way over there quickly and released everyone out of their Pokéballs. It was a sight to see, if I was a judge of sights. Though I have to say that getting drowned in fur and limbs is not something to be repeated on a constant basis.

When everyone had settled down, I called for everyone's attention. "I want to cover two things, so if I can have your attention I'll stop talking faster.

"The Ghast Festival is arriving in a few days, and since we're not leaving for a while I thought everyone would like to stay for that. Joy has the grand idea of going trick or treating, and suggested that everyone came along."

"Everyone?" Zin asked.

"Everyone. That is, if you want to come along of course. There's Poffins and candy in if you do."

Everyone cheered in excitement. Deoxys looked a bit confused, but Spirit noticed and explained what was going on to the confused Psychic type.

"OK, we all know what happened yesterday." I said, continuing to the second point of today. "I just wanted to say thank you for trusting and believing in me. We wouldn't have done it without that."

I got an affirmative of some kind from everyone, excluding Xola. Zin called her down closer to her, and they talked softly between the two of them.

"Anyway, what I wanted to bring up was that Zapdos is making a full recovery, so we'll be getting our answers as soon as she's fit." I continued, motioning to Baast. "Also, since Zapdos is Jon's responsibility, Baast has taken the initiative to trade herself willingly so Jonathan can do whatever it is to be done with Zapdos."

"You WHAT?!" Zin exclaimed.

"Excuse me?"

"You traded Zapdos for her? Are you insane?!"

I looked at the Houndoom, confused at her outburst. Why was this a problem? Zin bolted suddenly, but Xola reacted just as quickly. The Milotic's body pinning the Houndoom to the ground. I blinked, taking a step back.

"Zin?"

"You better have a really good reason why it smells like she just got off all over you." she snarled at me. "Because if you don't, I'll roast you alive!"

I sighed. "Zin, you're overreacting." I said. "Baast and I did not do anything behind your back. In fact, Baast wanted to speak with you before anything happened."

"Liar!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Have I needed to lie to you before?" I asked. "What did I do to make you think like this? You expected me to keep that psychotic bird with me?"

I didn't get a response from her with those questions. I sighed. "Look, Zapdos wasn't my responsibility. Ultimately, she was Jon's problem. Joy didn't mention that she had Pokéballs on her, so I couldn't risk that. It was either we did something to save her, or we did nothing and she died. And in all honesty, I'd rather do something."

"She tried to kill you?" Xola asked.

"Zapdos? Yeah. Death by disembowelment it would have been. If it wasn't for Baast, it would have happened."

The sudden lurch of my thoughts being snared made my eyes water instantly. Baast grabbed me before my feet gave out from under me. The sky looked pretty today. Was it almost noon already? The sun was hanging high in the sky.

"He is not lying, Zin." Deoxys said from somewhere.

"Deoxys?" I called.

"Yes?"

"Next time, if you're going to rip out my thoughts, please do it a little more gently." I pleaded. "I feel like ten minutes of my life are suddenly gone."

I rubbed my temples, Baast helping me sit up. Deoxys came up to me, all four of her tentacles wrapping around my torso and lifting me up. She held me close to her chest, the jewel embedded in her body glowing a bright blue. Everyone walked up to us, Zin at the head of the group. They all looked concerned at my condition, but I smiled.

"I'm fine." I said with a smile. "Other than the migraine that I feel coming on."

"I apologize, Master." Deoxys said. Her eyes avoided looking at me.

I chuckled, patting one of the tentacles around me. "It's fine. You just overdid it. I'm still alive, and I can live without the ten minutes of me not talking with my parents. Though oddly I still remember that. Whatever. It probably ended up being like three minutes of my life. In the end, everything is alright and I don't want you beating yourself over it, understood?"

Deoxys nodded, her tentacles relaxing from my waist as Zin walked forward. Somehow, I could feel the antagonistic energy in the air. It didn't help the fact that dark embers were floating from the Houndoom's mouth. Baast walked in front of me, but I walked in between both of the female Pokémon before anything too drastic happened.

"Zin and Baast." I said loudly. I only continued when both recognized my voice. "We're going to talk about this, civilly. We don't need a rift forming between us, especially since we haven't even come close to what the real dangers are.

"Everyone else, you're more than welcome to stay with Joy or Jonathan, or go back inside your Pokéballs. This shouldn't take long either way."

All of my friends voted to go back in their Pokéballs. Surprisingly, even Deoxys and Mist were recalled without complaint. I only relaxed when everyone was recalled, and even then it was slightly. The fear of both of these Pokémon to go to blows was too real of a possibility.

"We need to talk." I said with finality. "We're not going to get very far if I have to hold someone down. Nobody is going to take each other seriously with a human on top of them."

Both Pokémon nodded at me. "Also, I need you both to not attack each other. Both of you know I would be hard pressed to dodge your attacks, or survive one for that matter. It's really important that you actually not try to kill each other, alright?"

"Yes, Master."

Both Zin and Baast answered at the same time. They both growled at each other, teeth bared without much of a thought to what they just agreed to. I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I was thankful that they both stopped when I started to groan in frustration.

"Right... headache. Sorry." Zin whimpered.

"It's fine. I just want to know why do you think Baast would take advantage of the situation."

"And you don't think anyone else would?" she countered. "I would have!"

"Zin, any time you're not thinking of sex is when you're being satisfied. And then, you're just looking to the next time it can happen."

"And your point is?"

I sighed, covering my face with my palms. "If you don't trust me, why didn't you trust Deoxys' verdict?" I asked.

Zin narrowed her eyes at me. "I could smell her on you." she said, growling. "Her scent."

"I did not do such acts behind your back, Zin." Baast growled back. "I specifically told our Master that I wished to gain your permission before following up with my own desires. It would be extremely bad form to not go through his mates."

"And why didn't you bring this up before!?" Zin demanded.

"You were indisposed." Baast answered. "By the time Nurse Joy returned you all to our Master's room, he was finally resting. I didn't want to bother both you and him with my problems. I can control myself. He did kiss me on the muzzle, but that was it."

"You kissed her." Zin deadpanned.

I felt the hairs on my neck stand. I nodded, though, feeling that lying wouldn't be worth the effort here. "Yeah, I did."

"May I ask why?"

Something told me that when a very loud mouthed individual begins to speak calmly, run. The grin that was beginning to form on Zin's muzzle wasn't helping me either. I figured that answering honestly was the best policy in this situation.

"Baast confessed that she had feelings for me, but was afraid to act on them due to not speaking to you or anyone else beforehand." I answered. "I didn't want her to wait that long. Zin, we slept together for like... thirteen hours. Maybe more, I'm not sure, but I promise you that we didn't do anything."

Zin looked at me with a thoughtful expression. Her entire body was still. Even her tail, a limb that would normally be ceaseless in motion, was frozen. I dreaded that I said something wrong. Whatever she had thought of, it shook the Houndoom out of her frozen state. Her body became alive again, a grin creeping up on her muzzle.

"Baast, can we talk? In private, please?"

The Lucario gave me a look and I shrugged. "It's your call." I offered.

Baast nodded, walking towards Zin. The faced each other for a moment, before Zin turning around and walking a few steps away from us. Baast took one last look over her shoulder before following Zin. They stood side to side, and while I could hear them talking it wasn't in the human tongue. Baast was even talking like a regular Pokémon and not with that psychic mumbo jumbo. I sighed, rubbing my right shoulder gently. I was glad that it finally healed, that's for sure. It sure beat being bed-ridden or worse.

I was glad that things were finally calming down. Beats being chased by a Zapdos, that's for sure. I was curious what they were talking about, but it probably concerned me. All of me. Having Zin being a sex mad Houndoom was starting to become a worry. She kept it under control, though... usually. What was she thinking? And why the sudden need to have other 'worthy females'? The danger wasn't an unknown factor to me. I just want everyone to be safe when the fallout hits.

What bothered me the most is that the Zapdos was relatively mild in comparison to Darkrai. Maybe what she said was true, and she wasn't at full power. Then were we getting stronger? I didn't want to think that we've been at a standstill all this time. Everyone had worked really hard during those two weeks. Even Jon was impressed with how much dedication everyone put in. I rested my chin on my hands as I looked at the two ladies ahead of me. The faint sound of a laugh pulled my attention.

"WHAT?!"

I was startled at Baast's exclamation. What happened? Zin was rolling on the ground, laughing her head off. Baast had her hands balled up into fists, though I hoped more out of surprise than anything. Zin shook her head, continuing to speak in their own tongue. Baast calmed down, though she shook her head. Zin approached her, leaning against the Lucario's legs. She kneeled down to be at equal level with Zin, who turned to her and smiled widely. Then they both turned to me. A look that I've only really seen on Zin was on both of their faces. It made my blood run cold. My body reacted before any thought could process. My limbs scrambled to stand and push my body away. I might have taken a step before Baast tackled me to the ground. My world spun around, ground and sky replacing each others spots as I rolled. A gasp escaped me when a Houndoom dropped on my chest suddenly.

Zin was grinning down at me. Baast tightened her hold on my body. Though it was probably impossible for me to escape her, I really didn't want to.

"You're going to like what I have planned for you." Zin said happily.

"Something tells me it revolves around sex, you, and probably including Baast." I said.

"How'd you know?!" she exclaimed, laughing. I sighed.

"Zin, I don't mean to be rude, but you're easy to figure out."

"Am not!"

"You're right, you're not. I'm a guy. I can't understand female thinking. But you have to admit that sex isn't far away when you think about me."

Baast laughed. "Perhaps, but it wasn't what she was thinking. I thank you for offering the suggestion, though."

I blinked, before having the sudden urge to pound my skull into the earth. "I really need to keep my mouth shut around you."

"Your mind isn't that safe, either!" Zin exclaimed with a bark. "Mist is always letting me know what you're thinking."

"Sneaky ghost. And I imagine that you have Spirit giving you updates on my sleeping patterns, too?"

"You're good." she answered with a wink. I didn't know if I should take her seriously or not.

I sighed, shaking my head in defeat. "I give up. It's not like I've ever tried to stop you before."

Zin laughed, her paws rubbing my chest. "See? I told you he was smart."

Baast's paws tightened around me. "I know."

The Houndoom laughed happily. "Let's get him up. We have much to talk about."

Zin got off my chest, allowing me to stand up. I helped Baast stand up, her paws holding my hands tightly. We headed back inside the Pokémon Center when we met Joy. She smiled and waved at me, walking over to us.

"So, did you ask everyone?" she asked. She looked at Baast and Zin. "You know, I'm afraid to ask what they talked about."

"Please, don't." I pleaded. "I'm scared enough as is. Your sister is just as bad as Zin."

Joy laughed, shaking her head. "Either case, what was their answer?"

"Everyone agreed." I answered. "They were all excited about it, too."

"Good!" she exclaimed. "Do you want to go out and look at costumes? Or did you have something specific in mind?"

Zin shook her head. "I'll go with her." she offered. She gave me a grin. "Don't expect that this saves you from me. Hand her everyone's Pokéballs. I'll make sure that she doesn't get anything too... fruity."

Joy laughed, giving me a shrug. "It's your call." she said with a grin. "I was thinking of something that would go together with the costume I had in mind for Zin."

"We'll see about that." the Houndoom replied with a grin. "Well?"

I looked over to Baast. "Think we can trust her?"

"She is trusting me with you, so I must do the same." Baast replied. "I believe her."

"Treat him gently now, alright?" Zin called as she walked over to Joy's side. Joy raised an eyebrow but I shrugged.

"How much money do you need?" I asked.

"Just hand me your wallet. I promise I won't go overboard. I'll try to find simple things and not full blown costumes. We both don't have the space for a pile of useless junk. And in all honesty, I have no idea how Deoxys will want to dress up as."

I nodded. "I trust both of you." I said, passing over my Pokédex. "I should have enough money for everything. I'll be here if you need anything."

Baast unbuckled my belt, the Pokéballs being held in their respective clasps. Joy wrapped it up in a loose bundle, holding it in her hand. She gave me a grin, waving at me with Zin walking next to her. I felt a small amount of unknown dread creep up my back. Baast grabbed hold of my shoulders, turning me around and pushing me to our room. The door was unlocked, with Baast pushing me in.

=========================/////////////////////============================

I landed face down on the bed. The room was quiet and dark. The only sounds were my breathing and the soft footsteps that Baast would make as she made her way to the bed. Flipping myself over, Baast was quick to keep me pinned. I gave a token struggle, trying to gain the upper hand in the situation. She didn't let me, though, her paws holding me firmly and her legs tightening on my sides.

"Baast?" I called hesitantly.

She laughed above me. "Are you scared?" she asked.

Slightly. "Maybe." I answered with a smile. "You like being in control, don't you?"

"I don't intend to lose it." she answered, her lips grazing mine. Before I could form a thoughtful answer, they pressed against me fiercely. Not to be outdone by the eager Lucario, I kissed back to match her fervour. Her tongue fought against mine, hers winning easily as she explored my mouth. A bit of our mixed saliva escaped our joined lips, lines slowly oozing over my cheeks. Her teeth grazed my lips, making me pull away from her. Baast's paws flew to the sides of my head, holding me still as she deepened our kiss. Her tongue soothed where her teeth touched me, as if to tell me that all was alright.

With my hands now free, I touched the sides of her face. She didn't flinch at the contact, her paws only traveling to my hair and gripping it tightly. She pulled gently, thankfully not enough to hurt but more than enough to get my attention. Her fur was soft under my fingers as I explored her back. Her tail thumped against my legs, even as she pulled away to breathe.

She grinned at me, her paws groping at my sides. "You need to take this off." she said. "Or else, I'm going to rip it off."

I don't need any ripped shirts, thank you. I raised my hands over my head, and Baast was more than happy to remove the offending article. Without the shirt, her paws roamed over my chest, a rumble of appreciation coming from her. Her paws explored lower, touching at the waist of my pants. She tugged at them for a moment, the button popping at her insistence. Her paws touched at my arousal, a cold shiver running down my spine.

"Well, you surely did not waste any time."

Baast jumped off me, as Mist slowly emerged from my crotch area. The Mismagius laughed as she emerged from my body. She floated over, shaking her head with a smile.

"Do not mind me too much." she said with a smile.

"What are you doing here, Mist?" I asked. She laughed again.

"Does a ghost need a disguise during The Ghast Festival?" she asked. "I do not think so. At Zin's suggestion, I came here to make sure you were well in the mood."

"That you successfully ruined!" Baast yelled, before storming off. The Mismagius looked confused as Baast opened and shut the door behind her.

"Did I...?" she asked softly. I nodded. "Oh dear, I apologize, Master. Zin also encouraged me to join."

I covered my face with my palms. "I don't think Baast was ready for an interruption."

The ghost nodded. "I apologize, Master. I must say that this time of year, my kind does get more rambunctious than usual. I was more than eager to be with you again."

Huh? My eyes fell on the Mismagius, who was thoughtfully looking towards me. She smiled.

"I will explain. During this time that you humans celebrate The Ghast Festival, we ghosts get more... excited than normal."

"When you say excited... you mean you're horny." I deadpanned, standing up from the bed. Mist passed me my shirt that Baast threw to the ground.

"Well, since you put it so eloquently, yes. Did you ever wonder why I insist in having such contact while you are pleasuring the others?"

I shrugged. "I have, though the thought went more along the lines that maybe you just enjoyed it."

"As much as I enjoy being inside of you and feeling you do the act, it is much better actually doing the act." she responded. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes, but I couldn't help to chuckle.

"So you need satisfaction. Is there a negative side to this?"

"Our powers run out of our control." she explained. "This is why hauntings happen. It is the excess of power that is not contained within our bodies due to our excited nature at this time."

Mist followed me as I opened the door and closed it behind me. Baast was standing in front of me, the fur around her eyes matted with tears. I slowly reached out to her, as to not startle her. She let me touch her shoulder, her body shivering under my touch. I brought her to me, hugging her gently. Her paws grabbed hold of my sides, gripping me tightly. Her body shuddered as we stood together. My hands stroked her back as tears landed on my neck.

"I apologize." Mist said. Baast shook her head.

"No, I should apologize." she said softly. "I was ready and willing to share our Master with Zin, but not with anyone else. I didn't trust her judgement like I promised."

"I'm sure that it was a complete misunderstanding." I said with a smile. "We'll try again whenever you're ready, alright?"

Baast nodded, sniffling against my shirt. She pulled back, standing on her own power. A smile formed on her muzzle as she nodded. "Promise?" she asked.

"Of course. I don't think Zin would let me off the hook if I didn't. Seeing her mad makes me do things properly."

Baast laughed, and relief washed over me. "Well, let's make sure that Joy got us something that isn't embarrassing."

"If she did, I'll just buy candy and sit in the room." I said with a shrug. "Make her wear it and see how she likes it."

=======================/////////////////////////==========================

Seeing Zin purposefully wearing anything resembling human clothing was a scary thought. That it was her choosing made it terrifying. That the fact that the intention of the costume was that it was similarly matched did not escape my awareness.

"It means that I claim you." she said as I drank some water. My throat almost convulsed at that, the liquid going down the wrong tube. Breathing became much easier when Baast came over and hit my back a few times. The gasp of sweet night air filling my lungs was something I wasn't going to get tired of.

"Thanks, Zin." I said between gasps. "Appreciate it."

Zin was wearing something that looked like a black wedding dress. Obviously fitted for her frame, and without much of the frill behind. Her tail wagged in the air as she looked at me. Resting on her horns was a golden colored crown, inlaid with plastic gems. Price: fifteen thousand.

Baast stood next to me, a smile on her muzzle. She was dressed in white strips of cloth, that would cover a ladies modesty. Her muzzle was hidden behind a thin veil, with thin golden chains and bells hanging from her costume. Price: ten thousand.

Akalia actually got a dye job, the black fur streaked in a multitude of reds and yellow. When I say the black fur, no section of her body was untouched. The streaks were in the shape of lightning bolts, elaborately designed. Her fur was washed, shining in the light. Price: seventy five hundred.

Xola and Spirit wore a matching garb of green. Flower designs made them look like handmaidens in some kind of fantasy novel. The dress for Xola was as long as her upper body, so it wouldn't get dirty on the ground. Xola's had more aquatic plant life stitched into her dress, in contrast with Spirit's more earthly floral arrangement. Both Pokémon had cloaks attached, Xola's having an elaborate waterfall and Spirit's emblazoned with the sun above a mountaintop. Price for both: twenty-five thousand.

Deoxys costume was something more elaborate. For some reason, Joy had the grand idea of dressing her as some kind of witch or magician. The black dress was huge on her frame, the sewed edges making a pattern of shooting stars. The main dress had sleeves for all four of her tentacles, each sleeve with similar design to the hem of the dress. The dress itself sparkled in the light, probably due to the high amount of glitter embedded into the fabric. A matching hat, too big for her, completed the set. I thanked Arceus that, at the very least, it didn't have a little pointed star at the top. Price: thirty thousand.

Mist had outright refused to have a costume. She argued that it wasn't worth hiding herself behind a mask of any kind. Joy, not taking no for an answer, bought her a Spell Tag. Now it was impossible to not see the Mismagius with a funny little piece of paper hanging from her 'hat'. Price: five thousand.

Aurora was apparently extremely hard to please. The little ice princess just couldn't find anything she liked. This is, of course, according to Zin. She finally settled in a similar costume to Deoxys', except the dress being blue in coloration instead of black. Not satisfied with a palette swap, she demanded fragile wings attached to the back of her little gown. And of course, no little ice princess would be without their little magic wand. Because a Weavile needed a wand to freeze things to solid blocks of ice. Price: twenty thousand.

I was dressed with an elegant black jacket with a white shirt underneath. A matching pair of slacks and shoes completed the simple costume. Joy had gotten her hands on a very large make-up kit, and soon demanded that I be more scarier. Fake teeth were gotten at the last second, and with some red marks around my eyes and lips, I was a homemade vampire. Price: fifteen thousand. The teeth were free.

We were all outside the Pokémon Center, finishing setting up a few things that Nurse Joy asked us to. We were all more than willing to help out, especially if it nets us another day here. I really didn't want Jonathan's boss to pull another bright idea from his fat butt in telling us to stay at Ranger HQ.

A group of kids passed by, dressed up a wild assortment of costumes. From the lot, I spotted at least three pirates and one ninja. I laughed, knowing that if it came to a fight, that would be a hard one to bet who would win.

With bowls of candy in hand, we handed out the sweets. I don't think many of the kids expected someone with a bunch of Pokémon helping, much less dressing up for the occasion. A man, either a parent or guardian, actually came up to me and asked the very same.

I chuckled, removing the fake teeth from my mouth so I could speak properly. "You know, I was just thinking the same thing." I pointed out to him. "I haven't celebrated The Ghast Festival in years, and everyone wanted to be a part of it. And I went 'Why not?', right?"

The man nodded, giving me a grin. "Totally. It's nice to see the kids be carefree for a night."

I nodded. I was about to continue when in the distance a familiar set of horns appeared in the shadows of the night. The moonlight highlighted a parasol being held high above the Sawsbuck's head, as his rider steered without a word. She rode towards us, people walking out of the Pokémon's way and trying to get a good look at the rider. The Sawsbuck stopped next to us, and I extended my arm to aid the rider in stepping down. A gloved hand reached out to mine, the riders pink dress allowing her to slide down. Nothing too frilly, though not form-fitting. Upon landing, she lost her balance, throwing her hands around me. Joy's face, gave me a smile, the makeup on her face leaving her looking like she was blushing or embarrassed. I honestly couldn't tell if it was just the make-up or if it was real. I silently hoped for the make-up. But seeing Joy dressed up like a pretty pink princess out of some Victorian dress of some novel was priceless.

"Thanks, Aaron." she said, smiling.

"No problem. Though I have to ask how did you snare Variel into the role?"

She laughed at my question. "Variel always loves a good Ghast Festival. He's more than happy to let me ride him if there's Poffins to be had."

Sounds like a certain Lucario I know. I grinned back at Joy. "Where's Jonathan?" I asked.

"He went to handle 'work'." Joy answered, rolling her eyes. "Can't handle the fun apparently. Forget about him, and lets enjoy ourselves!"

I nodded as Joy grabbed a tray, another group of kids coming along towards us. A lot of them were in slight awe of my Pokémon being dressed up in costumes. Many actually praised Deoxys and her costume. She did pull off that whole witch theme, that's for sure. I honestly wasn't convinced the first time I saw it. The kids that visited were amazed enough, so all the merrier. Deoxys was enjoying herself from what I could tell. While it was impossible to tell due to having little facial features, there was a small skip to her step as she walked back and forth. It didn't help that she carried four of the candy buckets by herself. That's when she decided not to use her psychic powers.

Xola and Spirit were getting more attention from the adults than the kids. It was probably due to their costumes being more subdued. Still, it was nice to see them having a good time. A lady came by and allowed Spirit to hold her baby girl, too. The look on my Flygon's eye was something I wasn't going to forget. It was my hope that she really was over her pain. She smiled, though, and the baby didn't make much of a fuss. The mother was quick to help Spirit if the baby began acting up. Xola was also curious of the child, and while she couldn't hold her, she was more than happy to entertain the baby with making faces.

Walking past them, I overheard Xola talking with Spirit. When the Flygon mentioned something, the Milotic laughed. "Well, why don't you ask him?" Xola asked Spirit. "Do you think he would like that?"

I suddenly felt like an intruder in a conversation not meant for my ears. I hastened my step, to make sure that neither of them spotted me. Nurse Joy met me halfway, and she took my hand. She was dressed in a nurse's outfit, though more... risque. The low neckline of her top revealed more cleavage than I thought humanly possible, her top making her chest extremely eye catching. The pink dress itself was stained with fake blood, while her face was painted with smeared mascara.

"You like?" she asked, twirling around. I chuckled, but nodded.

"It looks a bit like Joy's." I mentioned. "The mascara and the fake blood makes it look really creepy."

"That's not fake blood." she said with a serious face.

"What?!" I exclaimed, recoiling back. She laughed.

"Gotcha!" she said, barely holding back her laughter. My heart pounded, surprised at her words. I let out a chuckle, feeling myself relax slowly.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell you that you guys can go now." she said with a smile. "That should be most of the kid groups already, so you can go get your free candy."

"You've got those Poffins, right?" I asked. "None of my Pokémon are going to accept any other form of payment."

Nurse Joy laughed, patting my shoulder. "I promised I would, so don't worry about it. Go have fun! I'm sure sis will like to go out and get free candy."

"Free candy!?"

Joy came up to us, and her sister laughed. "You know, I think Jon had a point of not giving you free candy. Aren't you too old for that?"

"Too old for free candy?" she asked with a gasp. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Never!"

I shrugged. "I agree with you. Let's go. Your sister said that she's fine by herself."

"You sure?" Joy asked. Her sister nodded.

"Go ahead! You didn't get dressed up just to hang out here. Or did you?"

"Nope!" Joy exclaimed. "Let's go, Aaron. Time is candy!"

Joy dragged me along, and after getting everyone's attention we grabbed a few buckets for our own stash. We took down the streets, mingling with the locals. Our first house was quite surprised that we were still parading through the streets, but we just shrugged and said we were helping out Nurse Joy. The lady nodded, handing us what was left of a bag of candy and said to keep it. Joy grinned at me as we walked away.

"Maybe next time we can get some Poffins." Joy said with a grin.

I grabbed a lollipop from the bag and let her grab something from inside. "Actually, Nurse Joy is offering to pay us in Poffins for our Pokémon's time."

"Really?!" she exclaimed. "Oh, that's awesome! We can totally focus on getting candy now!"

"Well, that's fine and dandy." Zin said, walking next to me. "But what about now?"

I kneeled next to the Houndoom. "Hopefully the next house will have something for Pokémon, too."

Zin nodded as we made our way to the next house. It was decorated with little tombstones that made a mock pathway to the door. The lights were off inside the house. There were two bowls of candy on a chair next to the door. A sign said 'Please take one" propped behind the bowls.

"So, one for each of us, right?" Joy asked with a grin.

=======================////////////////=================================

We were all headed back to the Pokémon Center with plenty of candy in tow. Joy was beaming happily, Variel eating out of her hand. All of my Pokémon were in high spirits, as well. Aurora was riding on top of my head again, Zin and Akalia walking at my sides. Mist hovered over Zin, as Spirit, Deoxys, and Xola walked behind me talking amongst themselves. Mist turned to me, giving me a grin as she floated closer to me.

"Master, I think you know what to do." Zin said. "Joy, we're following you."

"But why... oh!" she said, before laughing. "Yeah. Stay safe, Aaron!"

My feet followed the ghost as we parted the group, passing by the Pokémon Center. The full moon was high up in the air, giving off enough light to brighten my path. There were barely any kind of street lamps, though the Ranger HQ was brightly lit and decorated. How was an entirely different question.

We continued moving, Mist floating by my side. I looked over at the ghost, seeing her body outlined with a faint purple glow. My fingers gently touched her body, but we didn't stop walking. She turned to face me, a smile on her face as her body glowed brighter. Mist approached me, letting me carry her as she rested on my arms. I highly doubted that it was due to exhaustion, but she closed her eyes as her head rested against my chest.

"Master?" Mist whispered.

We were walking past the gym, the water gently washing on the sand. The moonlight reflected off the water, the nightlife surrounding us giving a soft ambiance. I don't know what kind of Pokémon Johto has for their night wildlife, but it sounded just like back at home. It put me more at ease, reminding me of back home. I continued to walk, Mist's chest rising and falling at gentle intervals. Trees began to cover the familiar path that leads to the Ice Path. I continued to walk as if my body was under another's control. For all the odds, I probably was.

Mist floated out of my hands, her lips finding her way to mine. Her ghostly hands rested on my cheeks, stroking my skin. Our lips parted, her hands on my shoulders gently pushing me down. I sat without complaining, all too aware of what she could do if she was angry. My back leaned against the tree, Mist floating towards me gently. Her hands wrapped around my neck, her lips on my ear.

"Does this remind you of our first time?" she asked. Suppressing a shiver, I nodded. She giggled softly.

Her hands played with the buttons of my pants. The crystals brightened considerably when my pants were pulled down enough. My boxers were next, but those weren't treated as gently as my pants. A faint ripping sound could be heard as the material yielded to her insistence. I didn't bother looking how they ripped when my shaft met the cold air outside of its safe haven.

I wasn't left with time to contemplate, as Mist lowered herself on my member. Her body felt warm against my flesh. A moan escaped her lips as she slowly pushed herself down on top of me. My spine tingled as I wrapped my arms around Mist's body. Her tunnel massaged my cock eagerly, the glow around her body escalating rapidly.

"Mist?" I gasped, trying to catch my breath. "Are you alright?"

She grinned at me. Her hands stroked at my chest, going through my clothes and touching my skin. Mist then lifted herself up, my body complaining at the sudden shift. I cried out in pleasure as she dropped herself back down on my lap. The lewd sound of my hips meeting hers, her arousal beginning to cover my hips. The gems on her body glowed in random patterns, lighting up our area.

My hands went to her body, sliding my fingers along her body. She slid upwards, her arousal allowing her to slide off and swallow me up again. Mist rubbed against my waist, as my grip tightened around her body. I began to match her pace, our moans breaking the silence around us. Her pace slowed down, her panting hot against my shirt.

Slowly our movements began to pick up speed. Mist's breath felt hot even through my clothing. Her body squeezed at my cock, the pleasure making my thoughts focus on her. I felt her hands grip my own, squeezing me tightly. Her body was tightening around my flesh, my hips eagerly thrusting into her willing form. Her mouth was open as she looked up at me. I leaned to her, our lips meeting eagerly as my hips thrusted against her. Her hands held my face tightly, our movements slowing down as we held each other tightly.

My hips began to pick up speed again, lust beginning to drive my actions. Mist gasped as my thrusts sped under my control. She gasped, her moans increasing in volume and pitch as I continued to thrust. My own moans matched hers, my vision blurring as purple energy surrounded me. I held her tightly as my sharp sensation rushed through me. Our lips met hers once more as she moaned. Her pussy tightened, her tunnel grasping me rhythmically as my orgasm pumped out of me. My body tensed as I held Mist against me, my heart pounding loudly in my ears.

My Mismagius sighed, resting her head against my chest. Her breath was ragged, matching mine. When she looked up, a smile graced her thin mouth.

"Thank you." she whispered. "I... I am sorry. I..."

I chuckled, holding her tightly against my body. "No, you won't be sorry." I said softly. "Not when we feel this way, alright?"

She nodded with a satisfied sigh. "Thank you."

I sighed, rubbing the back of her head. Purple energy was still coming out of her in waves, the gems shining brightly. "We're not alone here." Mist said. "Baast."

The silhouette of the Lucario came to my range of vision. Baast looked surprised, her costume still visible in the shards of moonlight penetrating the canopy above. Mist turned to face Baast and giggled. "Would you like to go next?"

Baast walked up to us, leaning next to both of us. "Would that be alright?" she asked softly. Mist answered for me with a nod. The Lucario gave the ghost a smile before nodding.

"Thank you, for giving me another chance." she said. Mist and I nodded.

The Mismagius slowly began to meld inside my body. I felt my body exposed, as she passed through my clothes and inside of me. Baast was wide eyed as I shivered slightly but it didn't stop her approach. The Lucario threw her paws around me, climbing over my body to take Mist's recently vacated spot on my lap. My dick was still sensitive as it rubbed along her fur. I gasped, the spot between her legs already feeling warm. Baast gave me a coy smile.

"I guess I don't have to ask if you're ready." she said, her paw playing with my shirt. "I also can't just rip this shirt off. You would freeze."

"It is a bit chilly." I agreed. Her paw wandered slowly downwards, playing with the frayed bits of cloth that were my boxers. Before she said anything, I leaned forward to kiss her lips. She eagerly kissed back, one of her paws grasping my hair. Our kiss deepened, her tongue entering my mouth and overpowering my own. I felt her other paw touch my manhood, sliding up and down my length gently. My arousal was still pronounced, and Baast wasted no time in taking advantage of that fact.

She raised her hips, aligning herself with me. My hands reached for her waist as she placed both of her paws on my shoulders. She looked at me for a moment, as if silently asking permission. I nodded with a smile, feeling her legs dropping her down on top of my crotch. The first thing I felt was the wet fur as my tip spread her lips. If Mist was warm, Baast's body was a furnace. Her body willingly opened to my rod, spreading her open as she slowly sank downwards. Her moans were loud, her tunnel tightening at random intervals. Shivers ran down my spine already, my sensitivity already high.

Her pussy was incredibly tight. Baast whimpered softly, leaning forward for a moment and trying to sink more of me inside of her. I moved a hand to the base of her tail, gently stroking it in the hopes of arousing her further. Her body shuddered above me as I stroked her lower body. My other hand moved to her chest, feeling the sharp point of her chest spike. I felt one of her breasts under my fingers, finding her aroused nipple. She whined as my fingertips teased the sensitive flesh, her body shuddering as she slid down again. Baast's body shuddered sharply, paws grasping tightly. Her eyes were closed, warm liquid spilling out of her body. Taking deep breaths, she placed a hand on her belly and smiled at me when our hips finally met.

"You're inside of me." she said, her voice at a level of a whisper. I nodded, silently stroking her tail softly. Her tunnel clamped on me like a vice every time I reached where the tail and her body connected. Her tight muscles held me as she slowly pulled upward, her ridges making my skin crawl in pleasure. I moaned as she lowered herself slowly back down on me, a wet sound marking when our bodies connected again.

I took a deep breath, my lungs fighting for air between moans. "Maybe this would be more comfortable if I was laying down?" I offered. She nodded as she stopped her movements. Her body shuddered on top of mine, as if the pleasure was too much for her. I held on to her paws as I slid back, lying on the ground with Baast on top. She smiled brightly, her teeth gleaming.

"Thank you." she whispered again. Before I could ask why, she lifted herself up and slid back down again. We moaned in unison as Baast set our tempo. Her muscles began to gain their own rhythm, squeezing as she lifted up to drag her walls against my sensitive flesh and relaxing on the way down. Every time she dropped down, I could feel her arousal on my skin as she grinded herself against me.

Her paws rested on my chest, her pace slowly picking up speed. Her breasts swayed in my vision, arousing me further the faster she moved. I did my best to keep up with her demand, her body moving faster and dropping harder against me. My hips thrusted upwards in time with her movements, our moans echoing around us. She slowed down, putting more strength in her movements. I moaned, the muscles surrounding my shaft squeezing tightly.

My body began to twitch as Baast continued to change tactics, alternating from a fast pace to a slow one. Her tail attacked my legs as her whimpers turned to growls. I moaned helplessly, my impending orgasm threatening to overtake me. Her howl echoed in the silent night, her body locking up suddenly. Her pussy coaxed my cock to give her body what it wanted, and my body was more than happy to deliver. My body twitched as my orgasm enhanced the sensations my body fed my pleasure filled brain. It was a few moments later that the connection formed that I needed to breathe. Breathing was a job in of itself, as Baast slowly dropped her body on top of mine. I helped slow down her descent, taking care not to impale myself on her chest spike. The muscles under her fur and skin twitched at my touch, her breathing labored and ragged.

I stroked her cheek gently, her eyes fluttering open. One of her paws touched my hand, her fingers stroking my hand. She smiled widely as she continued to touch my skin.

"This isn't a dream." she whispered. I chuckled, leaning my face forward to touch her cold nose.

"No, it isn't." I said with a smile of my own. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Never better."

===========================///////////////////////========================

We walked back, hand in paw. Silence followed us like a shroud, but it was a comfortable silence. We didn't need to talk, the feeling of complete ease around us. I looked over to Baast, a smile on her muzzle every time she caught me looking at her. Like right now. Her teeth glinted in the moonlight, a predatory look easily superimposed in my mind. A thought crossed my mind that troubled me slightly, but I decided not to pay it any mind.

"What are you thinking about?" Baast asked.

Female intuition. I shook my head. "It's nothing. I don't want to ruin our night with some deep philosophical musing."

"But those are the best." she said with a soft whine. "Please?"

I chuckled. "Alright, you asked for it. I was idly wondering if Jonathan caught you as a Riolu, or were you a Lucario?"

"I had already evolved when he came to our village." she answered with a smile. "You were wondering if there was a link between us, weren't you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to know. It would feel really awkward to-"

I would have continued with my sentence, but she silenced me with her lips. Her tongue dominated mine again, and I kissed back with as much passion as I could. When Baast pulled away, her tongue brushed my nose.

"It wasn't his love and care that caused me to evolve." she continued. "I never had cause to feel a deep emotional bond with him. While I respected him, it would have never gone deeper than that. It's why I spoke the way I did to him.

"With you, on the other paw, I knew that there was something different. Not the way you attacked me, far from it. It was how you respected everyone. It wasn't faked. I knew that I could trust you. It was something I knew."

I nodded. "I'm sure it goes deeper than that, huh?" I asked. She nodded for an answer. "It's fine. I don't need a psychological book on Jonathan. He confuses me enough just being around me."

"I wasn't intending to." Baast said with a smile.

"Well, then we better hurry and get to the Pokémon Center. I don't want Zin to worry about where I ended up tonight."

"A question, if I may."

"Go right ahead."

"Why do you allow Zin to govern your personal life?"

I laughed. "That's a good question. Well, ever since she took me for her own, it's been... a convenience? I guess that's the appropriate word. It wasn't my intention to have an ongoing relationship with all my friends. Certainly not with a Houndoom I didn't know. But here I am, right? While it was unexpected, it certainly hasn't been unpleasant. I think you can agree with me there."

She nodded, a smile on her muzzle. "There's more to it, isn't it?"

I shrugged. "Probably. I don't think I deserve any of this."

"What do you mean?"

I shook my head. "It's my problem." Baast growled at me and tightened her grip on my hand.

"Answer the question, please." she said sweetly.

Sighing, I shook my head. "You have wonderful ways to persuade people." I commented. "It was when Zin was with Romulus, back in your village. I felt jealous. Though I never asked if anything happened, I guess it was just buried in my mind that she might have actually gone off and did it. It bothered me more that it actually bugged me than anything else."

"So, you haven't confronted her about it." Baast said. I nodded.

"And that is exactly what we will do." she continued. She grinned at my shocked expression. "We will get through this. I have an invested interest in your well-being, as well as hers."

Baast pulled me along, quickening our pace significantly. Not exactly how I planned to spend the rest of my night. We reached the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy was still in her costume. She looked at us and gave us a grin.

"Now THAT is some bed hair." she said, laughing. I felt my cheeks burn at her comment.

"Your room is still available." she continued with a grin. "It's pretty crowded in there. All your Pokémon refused to go back inside their Pokéballs."

I nodded. "Thanks, Nurse Joy. I'll be sure to be quiet."

She giggled, waving us both away. Baast lead me to our room, quietly opening the door. Zin was still awake, laying claim to the bed. Everyone else was sleeping, each in small groups. Even Deoxys, which I was for sure that never slept.

"I'm glad you two showed up." Zin whispered as we walked up to her. "So, how was it?"

Baast's grinned at Zin. "Better than I thought possible." she said.

Jeez. Next thing I'll hear is both of them discussing strategy.

Zin's eyes hardened after a moment. "You both want to talk about something."

Baast looked surprised for a moment, but nodded. "Yes, it's about Romulus."

A laugh escaped the Houndoom's muzzle, before burying it in the bedsheets. Her tail swung in the air like a metronome. I shook my head, surprised by her display. When Zin calmed down enough, she was still grinning at us.

"I get it. You got jealous." she said, looking at me directly. I nodded, too afraid to know what would happen if I lied to a straight request from her. She shook her head.

"I'd never betray the trust that I have with you." she said in a normal tone. "I'm sorry to say, but I don't envy you humans. You have to handle all kinds of crazy emotions."

I nodded. "I don't envy myself, either."

"Then let me say it again. I would NEVER betray you. I love you with everything I am able to give you. I don't need anyone else, as long as you're there with me."

My body felt numb at the confession. I walked forward, wrapping my hands around the Houndoom. My eyes stung slightly as tears began to blur my vision. Zin licked my cheeks, cleaning away the tears that fell.

"You big baby." she murmured with a giggle. I buried my face in her fur, my hands grabbing hold of her tightly. Baast nudged my back, and I lifted myself up to the bed. With Zin against my chest, the Lucario was more than happy to snuggle against my back. Zin's horns rubbed against my shirt as Baast hugged me gently.

"I'm sorry." I whimpered, but Zin giggled at me.

"You don't have to be, but I forgive you anyway." Zin said. "Get some sleep. I think Jonathan isn't going to waste any more time here if he can help it."

I nodded, hugging the Houndoom tightly. "Thank you."