FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter three

Somewhere I belong.

2 months later

  Now - I'm not saying that everyone lied. I'm saying ninety percent lied, but I truly did believe a few cases. Sure - most were power-hungry humans trying to get what they craved, - power - but some were in fact self-defence. Consider this - you're a Lucario. Suddenly the world finds out they can become powerful by killing your kind and drinking your blood. Wouldn't you get a little anxious around humans too? It you felt threatened by a human or thought it was about to attack you - would you attack it? I would.

  So thus - I had created a pretty big problem. So therefore I came up with a solution. I way to fix it as best as I could, doing what I did best.

  Caring for Pokémon at the day-care centre. Because following the discovery by one particularly cruel bastard that the blood of a Riolu worked just as well - the numbers of Lucarios being placed in the day-care with breeding privileges doubled...

  I had to do something - and I've been doing something for the last two months...

  "Tane." I stop and glance up from my page. Ms Watson stands with her arms folded, tapping her elbow with a slender finger. She smiles coyly and stares at my page as I slam my book shut quickly. "This is maths. What are you doing?"

  Some people still find it in their hearts to treat me decently.

  "Just a bit of writing." I shrug. "Just to remind myself how I got here." I end on a lower, thoughtful note. Where I am now... how did this all happen? Right - that's why I'm writing it down.

  Ms Watson sighs. "You can do that in your own-... Tane, my eyes are up here." She adds very quietly. I chuckle a little and lift my eyes a little meet her gaze, both of us smiling.

  "Sorry Miri." I say, but still grinning as I refrain from staring lower.

  She shakes her head briskly, and she strides to the front of the room. As soon as her back is turned, I throw open my book again. I tear a blank page from the back and slam it on my desk, I scribble a note on it quickly in blue pen, then fold it into quarters. I close my book again, and lean across to a boy on my left.

  "Psssss, john..."

  He glances sideways at me. He edges away a fraction, staring at me as his eyes glaze over with that same fear I see everywhere. He quickly turns to the front again, trying to ignore me.

   I bite my lip, but press on. "John..." I whisper. "Can you pass this to-"

  "Tane! Again?" I cringe as I hear Ms Watson's voice cut the air. She storms toward me and snatches the note from my shock-paralyzed fingers. "Note passing? Really? I thought you were past this..." She shakes her head, muttering to herself as she heads for the front of the room again. She sits at her desk, and she unfolds the note.

  I see her irises dance quickly across her eyes as she scans the note. She smiles faintly.

  I don't interrupt her for the rest of the period. I put my head down and I dive into the problems scribbled on the board. They aren't too difficult, but I take my time in case I'm labelled "smart" again, and shifted once more. I've only recently gotten my place back in this room, and I'm planning to keep it.

  I write the answers down immediately, but still pretend to scribble to fill in the remaining time. I glance up from my paper occasionally to scope the room.

  At the opposite side of the room, my eyes meet Aedrine's. The remaining Lucario in class. As soon as our gazes lock, she immediately jerks her head away and back to her page, and holds it there. It's hardly visible, but she starts to shudder a little as I watch her.

  Just for a moment before she looked away - I saw it in her eyes. Not fear... something else. A morbid curiosity. A spark of interest. For a moment where I wasn't looking, she was fascinated by me.

  I remove my eyes from her with a hurt sigh. Every time I see her eyes I feel terrible. She's scared shitless of me. I've plotted her seat from here, and it's the furthest desk from mine. She positions herself as far from me as possible. Even at lunchtime when I see her, she just freezes up. She just freezes right on the spot, even with all of her friends around. Her eyes track me as I move, and they tremble. Sometimes she even falls over after freezing in mid-step. I want to help her up, but she'd have a heart attack if I even came close to her. Even if I did, her friends would try kill me if I came within a metre of her. Poor girl.

  The bell rings fifteen minutes later. A smile makes its way to my face as I sit upright and find Ms Watson walking towards me. She diverts just as she reaches my desk, and she tosses a scrap of paper onto my desk as she follows the flow of students into the corridor for lunch time.

  It's the same note I was passing. The same note she took off me before it reached its "supposed" destination. But no - she intercepted it. Just like we planned. I take the paper in both hands and twist it to find the folds. I pull them apart and straighten it out.

  Two messages, both in differently styled fonts.

  Miri, u doing anything 2nite? (midnight)?

• Tane

  And scribbled below:

  Mmm... nope.  ; )

I'm all urs, honey. ^^  Don't keep me waiting.

Kisses - Miri.

  At the bottom, a big lipstick smear where she has kissed the paper. Glossy, blood red. A colour I'm seeing too much of, nowadays...

  I see it all run through my head yet again. The blood splattering the wall, the stench of sweat staining the air and the clogging musk of oil clinging to my soaked foot as I splash through the alleyway. A feral, outraged roar as a shape appears ahead, materialising from the darkness and lunging at me. I remember the swing - the kill. The taste of blood. Thick... coppery... sweet, sweet blood... so rich and heavenly, like honey. As disturbing as the thought is... the memory is so good...

  I finally manage to shake myself from my trance. I glance up at the clock. Crap! Five minutes? My trances aren't getting any shorter. If anything, they're slowly getting a little longer.

  They say you hear voices... screams.

  I do.

  They say you relive the moment a thousand times every night. The moment right before the kill.

  I do.

  They say if you forget about it, it fades slowly - but never disappears. They say you should forget.

  I can't.

  They say that if you keep going - keep killing, you become numb to the voices. Their horror and pain doesn't affect you anymore. They say - their screams - they become silent.

  They don't.

  Suddenly conscious of myself, I reach up and pull my beanie over my forehead further. I can feel the marks burn. They sting faintly, as if reminding me that they are - in fact - there. They do that every time I think of them. XXI. Twenty-one. And I have a bad feeling that that number's going to increase by the day's end.

  I shake my head quickly as I realise the direction my train of thought is heading. Hey! Don't think like that. I tell myself. I glance down at the note on the desk again, managing to smile as Miri's lipstick glistens in the sun. From here I can feel the tantalising scent of Razzberry touch my nose, drifting from the paper and filling the air. She knows how much I love that smell. Be happy. You've got everything set for the perfect night. Cheer up Tane.

  No. Suddenly I backtrack on myself. Being optimistic may be mentally healthy, but being realistic is what keeps me going. Today's the seventh. You know what that means.

  "I know what that means..." I answer lifelessly as I scoop my books up and slide them into my bag. I shuffle them through the zipper and zip it up, then pull open the zipper at the front of my bag. I withdraw a plain white diary from inside, and part the pages.

  Each page is a new day. Every month, one page is a calendar. I open it to the calendar page for this month and sigh. Eight days ago, there's a note.

  Thomas Gardner - Riolu egg returned - 124 Furn street.

  "Thomas Gardner..." I replace my diary as I murmur, digging through my memory. I know the name. It only takes a moment for me to match a face to it.

  "Thomas Gardner?"

  In the corner of the library, sitting in a couch against the window, a boy looks up from his book. His eyes are lifeless and his face is pale, devoid of anything human. His lips barely move as he speaks.

  "Yes?"

  "Mr Glasgow needs you in the dean's office." The woman tells him.

  Thomas nods slowly, and he shuts his book. He places it back in the shelf beside him, and he stands. He slowly walks after the woman, keeping his hands in his pockets.

  Thomas Gardner. He's always been kind of creepy and quiet. Then again - so have I, as of late. This strikes a little concern in me. People far more normal than Thomas Gardner have tried to kill Riolu for their aura. I've killed people far more normal to keep that from happening.

  It's a funny feeling, having everyone stare at me like they do. I feel it again as I stride into the corridor from my maths class. Instantly I'm the centre of attention. Conversations stop, and students all look my way. They shuffle and edge away slightly, whispering.

  It'd a funny feeling, staring at these people. These people - some at least - whose friends you have brutally slaughtered. Yeah. I see one guy in particular who glares at me, exuding hatred in excess. The quick rising and falling of his chest is only the first sign that he really doesn't like me. After that, it's the clenched fists and the red face.

  I remember his friend. Clyde Simpson. A real smooth guy. Ladies' man. Always winked at girls as he passed, spoke loud and proud. In on the right side of the right people. Unfortunately, he also got on the wrong side of the wrong people. Specifically - me. I had him marked down in my diary too. About two weeks ago.

  Clyde Simpson - Riolu egg returned - 53 Woolworths street

  Eight days later - he died.

  My diary is full of notes like these. They're becoming more and more prominent. Notes like that. Name. "Riolu egg returned". Address. Eight days after each, either a cross, or a tick.

  So far, there are two ticks. Eight crosses. I suspect there will be nine by the end of today. Eight days later...

  I slink my way through the schoolgrounds, drawing as little attention as I can to myself and trying to keep low. I head to the school admin block, and I sign my name off on the roster. I scribble beside my name: NOI program. Then I head outside again.

  I step out of the school grounds and onto the street. As I glance down the road in both directions, a dry breeze sweeps down the street. It whistles ominously between fences and scatters litter down the sidewalk, decorating the grey urban landscape with a little colour.

  I head to the east. The same direction as I do every time.

*

  The day care centre's been around for a while. Anyone perceptive can spot that instantly. Every generation of owners has added their little touch to the compound.

  First there's the cottage-like centre. A new coat of white hides the history behind it, but it still exists in the old-timey décor. The original owners were just an old couple who used to occasionally look after people's Pokémon for a small price. They just let them play in the yard, feeding them from time-to-time. Eventually the couple died. A new owner moved into the house, and thought it would be cool to continue the day-care services. He, however, made a small business out of it. He built an enclosure and wire fencing around a compound. After him, he passed it on to his ambitious son - who is the forefather of the modern day-care system. He built a special "medical bay" into his day-care, to care for injured Pokémon and evaluate their health. He started Pokémon training and education programs for them. He remodelled the entire compound - expanding it, creating ponds, creating caves, planting trees. He expanded his operations from there, and soon enough the day-care centres began popping up all over the world.

  I really wish he hadn't sold it from there - but he was growing old. He sold it to another owner. Pity that. If he had kept it in the family, chances are that I would be running the place. Yeah - that guy was my granddad. Dead now. Like my dad.

  The new owner has essentially upgraded everything already there. High-tech security, cameras nearly everywhere, a near-indestructible mesh dome over top so nothing can get in or out. He pretty much turned the place into a fancy prison. No - not a prison. That makes it sound unpleasant. It's a nice place. Fields, ponds, trees, caves - it's great. More like... a modern castle. A fort. Nearly impenetrable.

  I stride through the front door with a relieved murmur as I feel the warm circulation of the room engulf me. "That's the stuff..." I shut the door behind me quickly, closing out the cold.

  A woman sits at a desk ahead of me. About thirty. She glances up from a computer at the desk and nods; her thick rouge locks bounce behind her.

  "You're early." She points out monotonously. "By thirty minutes." Our eyes lock as I stop. I stand, she sits, and we're both still. "Again."

  "Well school doesn't need to know that." I shrug, smiling nervously.

  She sighs, and returns to her keyboard. "Whatever."

  I breathe out heavily - releasing my pent-up tension with a relieved grin. She doesn't care. I walk to a nearby wall and swing my school bag onto a hook. I replace this with a satchel, identified by a "Jubilife Day-Care" logo. I take a badge from one pocket of the bag and pin it to my shirt. "Tane". Like anyone knows how to pronounce my name, anyway. I usually get called "Tain", like train, or sometimes "Tarn", like barn. Tane. Tarn-ay. Sounds like "barn-hay". Tane. Probably needs an "I" at the end, actually.

  I begin towards a door behind the counter, but the woman speaks up again. "Yours are waiting in the employee lounge." Her annoying shrill voice reminds me.

  "Oh..." I stop with my hand on the door handle. I turn to the door with a nervous gulp, removing my hand a little. I know what's going to happen as soon as I set foot inside. Unless... Unless I can run it. Unless I can charge through and out the other door and lock it behind me before they can get me.

  I tense my fingers around the doorknob and draw a last, hopeful breath. I twist the doorknob, and I wrench the door towards me. I jump around the side of it, and sprint straight for the door on the opposite side of the room.

  "Rio!"

  "Car!"

  "Riolu!" I've barely made two steps by the time I hear their voices chime up. I take a doomed glance to my right as I run - but all I see is blue and blur. It knocks the wind clear out of me - and I land painfully on the floor before I've even made it halfway to the door.

  "Ri-ri!"

  "Cario!"

  "Rio!"

  "Luca!"

  "Ri!"

  "Car!"

  "Ri-Riolu!"

  "Riolu!"

  "Rio!"

  "Olu?"

  "Ri-rio!"

  "Rioooooo!" it all comes as one great excited babble as furry bodies surround me from every angle. My face is slammed into the ground, and three somethings land on my back to pin me to the ground. Then - two pairs of tiny paws grip each arm and leg, holding me down also. For their size - they're friggin strong!

  "Crap..." I life my head a little, grinning. I manage to look up enough to meet the glare of a little Riolu. Arms crossed and staring at me, smirking and greatly amused by the looks of things. I know that look. That's the "You thought you'd get away, huh?" look.

  "Ri-ri-ri..." He shakes his head with a long, almost pitying sigh. He takes my cheeks and lifts my head a little more, crouching in front of me. He closes his eyes and nuzzles into my forehead - his grin turning goofy. "Rio!"

  "Alright - you got me." I chuckle. At my surrender, the weights on my back lift immediately. They fall aside, and suddenly I'm surrounded. A Lucario lying on either side of me, one lying in front of me, and over a dozen Riolu climbing over top of them. "Hey guys." I roll onto my back as they shuffle in closer. The two Lucarios each grab one sleeve and cuddle up close on either side, purring. The third Lucario's face appears hovering over mine, grinning as she kneels over me. I can tell them apart now without difficulty. This one's the easiest though, being the only female of the group. I'd admit she's pretty hot - if she wasn't only three months old. Coz it's weird being attracted to a three-month old. At least - I think. It feels weird. "Hey Rissa."

  "Car." She strokes one digit down my cheek as the Riolu clamber all over me. They fall onto my arms and lie on my stomach, each grabbing a fistful of my shirt and snuggling up close as if "personal space" is a foreign policy.

  And then there's the others. Sure they're all guys, but I haven't let that stop me from getting a little friendly with them. We're all friends. It's the fact that they're all young guys that bothers me. Exactly how old does a Lucario have to be for you to screw it without being a paedophile?

  So here I lie - covered in Riolu and sandwiched between two Lucarios with one stroking my face. I can feel all of their warm furry bodies rub against me, and they're all purring in delight.

  Best feeling ever. Which is ironic, considering my stance on Lucarios months earlier.

  "Alright - up boys." I sigh finally, and make an attempt to stand. Nothing. Nobody even budges. In fact - they all grin their cheeky grins and hang on a bit tighter to my clothing. "Up you get. I have to work."

  "Loosen up." Rissa croons as her paws stroke down my neck to my shoulders. She rubs around in gentle circles, still smiling. "I learned this from a Dusclops today. I wanna try it on you."

  My resolve deserts me quickly as I try to sit up. I fall back onto the floor again as her claws lightly prick my skin. "That's good..." I moan.

  "Thought you'd like it." She beams at my reaction, and presses to her advantage. She's found a way to keep me down now - unfortunately for my work ethic. I lie back with a lazy, wide grin as her wonderful paws gently lull me into a state of euphoria. I don't usually relax - but I decide to make an exception for this.

  "Liar..." I manage a weak smile as she continues. Even the others are getting into it - I feel the other Lucarios stroking down my arm and their paws creeping up the shoulders of my t-shirt, and I feel the Riolu all settling on my stomach and rubbing me through my shirt. I'm just surrounded. "You can't have learned how to do this in one day..."

  "Okay - maybe a few days." She confesses sheepishly.

  "Really, Rissa? Really...?" My back arches as her claws hit a sensitive spot - lifting the Riolu on my chest up a bit. They giggle collectively, but cling on.

  "Okay - two weeks. I wanted to nail it."

  "Oh - you have it nailed..." I almost purr the last word. Arceus - if they could all handle me like Rissa, I think I'd spend my entire life inside just lying down like this all day and being massaged. Hell yeah...

  "Tane. Slacking off again?"

  "David..." I slur my words in my state of sensation-intoxication.  I open one eye, and nod weakly as they all keep me pinned. "Hey... wassup...?"

  "There are a lot of hungry Pokémon out there who need feeding." He reminds me in his usual buzzkill tone. "Do you want them to starve?"

  "There are a lot of Pokémon in here who are hungry for attention." I reply. I feel the Pokémon snuggle a bit closer at that remark. "Do you want me to let them, starve?"

  "Tane." He crosses his arms and stares coldly. "Do me a favour. Go out there and feed those Pokémon "attention". I dare you. They'll bethrilled, I'm sure."

  "All right, all right..." I cut in. Jeez he's a whiner sometimes.

  My Pokémon won't let go of me - they're too strong for me to break out - so I guess I'll just have to go through.

  I close my eyes for a moment to focus, whispering under my breath. With a tremendous mental effort, I flush my inner energy into my physical body. Think air - think of weightlessness. Think of being surrounded by nothing - no obstacles to stop me. Pull my body from the physical world and into spirit - a world where nothing will hinder me other than my own willpower.

  Fixing this idea in my head, I subconsciously lift myself. The Pokémon around me gasp and chirp in surprise - despite having seen my act too many times - and leap aside after falling through my phased stomach. I lift myself off the ground through levitation, though consuming my entire mind-set to pull it off.

  At the top of my lift, I twist my energy - throwing my upper body forwards and my lower backwards. I spin forwards quickly, and land perfectly on my feet.

  "Don't do that, man." David stumbles back a little. His face is pale with fright - even though he too has seen it a few times already. "Enough with it..."

  "Okay, sorry." I wave it off, scooping up my satchel once more. Fortunately it wasn't damaged in the tumble. I hoist the strap onto a shoulder and begin towards the outside door.

  The next hour is just more of the usual. I sort and organise different Pokémon foods and dish it out correspondingly into different areas. A few occupants receive a special bowl accustomed to their tastes or specific training diet, so those take me a little longer to prepare.

  My Riolu and Lucario team spread themselves between helping me unload bags of food and keeping the drooling Pokémon at bay, alternating on occasion between roles.

  Just when I think I've finished - more work manages to bog me down.

  "Tane!"

  I groan and stand upright. I hear my back crack as I unbend it and I let the empty feed bag drift to the ground. "Yeah... what?"

  "I have to be somewhere." The woman paces towards me quickly, stretching the front of her skirt out with her impatient gait. "Something's come up. I need you to cover for me."

  "Do I have to?" I groan. I try to roll my shoulders and loosen them, but they protest and fight against me - like the joints are rusted over.

  "Yes." Her head bobs quickly. "Look, I'll forward my pay for the next hour to you - I just have to go. My father's been taken to hospital."

  "All right - I got it." I groan. Anything to stop her nagging... besides. I've got another two and a half hours before I get to business.

  "Good." She sighs a little. For a moment she appears relieved, but she immediately dashes back into her impatient stride back for the reception again.

  "Hm." Rissa appears beside me, staring after the departing woman. "Not even a "thanks.""

  "I didn't expect one." I shrug. "Hey, can you and the boys handle the horde while I take over at reception?"

  "We're on it." She nods quickly, snapping to a brief salute, then shoots off towards where the boys are goofing off under a nearby tree. I head after the woman to the reception with a chuckle as I hear Rissa shouting orders to the boys. She loves being top dog.

  I take point at reception for the third time in my work-life. First time wasn't too good, but I learned quickly for the second time.

  "Welcome to Jubilife city day-care. Name please." I recite with the plastic grin which has become part of my uniform now.

  "Allery Smith." She places her elbows on the counter, starring around at the roof and surroundings and making a brief profile.

  "You aren't on our client list..." I tell her after a moment of scanning through the computer database. "Would you like to make a booking, or would you like information on the services we offer?"

  She doesn't return eye contact fortunately, and keeps glancing about the room as she answers. "I'd like to make a booking."

  And so goes the general conversation. The girl's never been before, so I give her the run down as she inspects the reception. I take her details, dish out a handful of fliers and information brochures, then send her on her way.

  Just as she disappears through a pair of sliding doors, another strides through. I can tell just by the way her knee-high red boots move that she's been here before. There's two main ways to walk into a place. The "where am I?" walk of the girl previous, and the "I know this place" walk of this one. This girl's stride falls comfortably into the "I own this place, bitches" subcategory. She's a regular.

  "Hey. Wassup." Not as a question - just a tension-busting "wassup".

  I let my fake smile drop. She's casual enough that I'll get away with it. "Workmate emergency shift-jump." I sigh. She nods a little, smiling that grin that knowing grin. She gets it. "So... name's Tane and I'm your desk jockey today. What can I do ya for?"

  "Trisha Johnston. I have an appointment. Lucario."

  My fingers freeze over the keyboard on the last word. I lift my eyes from the screen for a moment, fixing her a curious stare for a moment. "Lots of Lucarios being put in day-care recently." I comment as I get back to work on the computer.

  "Yeah. Funny how the numbers increase after this whole "Volraith" situation."

  "Yeah... it is funny..." I reply flatly.

  "Also funny how many guys end up getting killed after picking up Pokémon eggs from here..."

  Now she catches my attention. I look up quickly - but her eyes are dawdling across the roof. As if it was a totally innocent comment, in no way accusing.

  "It's not funny at all." I reply, keeping my cool.

  "Oh, I know who you are, Tane." She looks down again with a somewhat patronising grin. Patronising, but not insulting. "My boyfriend's roommate is your lawyer."

  "Oh..." my clenched fists ease a little. "So... you know about it all?"

  "I know." She nods. "I can't say I agree with your methods - but your heart's in the right place. That's worth something."

  "Thanks." I smile a bit, and take her pokéball from her side of the counter. Some people understand.

  "No privileges." She says before I can ask. "No mating, no fighting - she just needs a place to stay. She's my boyfriend's Pokémon, and he's away for a while. We're both Rangers."

  "I could tell by the uniform." I scan my eyes up the thing briefly from toe-to-head, making sure not to pause anywhere inappropriate. "Aren't those uncomfortable?"

  "How so?"

  "Like..." I lift my hands to just in front of my armpits. I run them down my sides, running them over the imaginary "curves" that identify the feminine physique. "I mean, I don't have breasts so I wouldn't know, but that looks tight."

  She glances down at her bust for a moment, murmuring through gritted teeth. "You get used to it." She says after a moment, looking back to me again. "It's uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it. Sex sells, and all that business jargon."

  "I wasn't aware the rangers sold anything."

  "It sells the image." She explains, shrugging. "Think about it. A bunch of women running around in skin-tight blue Lycra suits and hot-pants, tiny red jackets that we can't actually button up over our breasts, and knee-high red boots. Pretty hot. Then compare that to if we wore hazmat suits instead."

  "Sex sells." I agree definitely with a dumb nod, still a little occupied by her description.

  "Anyway, her name's Aedrine." Shit... of course it's Aedrine... fucking ironic universe... "She's in a few of your classes, I believe."

  "Yeah... she is." I gulp privately as I stare at the ball in my hand. If she can tell what's going on outside her ball, chances are she's having a heart attack right now. "I'll take care of her."

  "My thanks." The girl smiles faintly. "Ah - and one last thing..." One hand darts into the pocket of her jacket. It emerges holding a scrap of paper and a pen. She uses her right hand as a backboard and scribbles something onto the piece of paper in her left, then she slaps the piece onto the counter in front of me.

  "What's this?" I take the piece from the counter and flip it over. There's a number scrawled from one side to the other in large, neat print considering how quickly she wrote it down.

  "It's my number." She replies. As my gaze lifts to meet hers, she raises me an impish smile. "Call me - kay Tane?"

  I keep a frustrated sigh under my breath, refraining from banging my head on the counter in front of me. I stare at my feet, gritting my teeth and clenching the fist which is hidden behind the computer screen.

 This again.

  "I thought you had a boyfriend?" I remember, bringing my eyes back to her.

  "He's out of town for the week." She dismisses as if it's nothing. "So that means I'm all alone for the five days. All alone in my apartment, no jobs until the fifteenth... catch my drift?" As she ends, she grins again, using her facial expression to encourage me as much as possible.

  "And why me?" I sigh. It's so... random how this always happens now.

  She strides forwards to meet me at the counter. "'Cause you're cute." She purrs the end of the sentence, leaning across the counter a little. My eyes helplessly avert downwards as one of her hands dances around her collar, casually tugging it down a bit and showing off a bit of skin. "And you're Volraith... I bet you know how to make a girl hot." She winks.

  Between her bewitching stare, dirty words and the finger teasing the collar of her suit, I'm too transfixed to notice her other hand appear under me. My lips part a fraction in surprise as her fingers brush against my neck, but before I can pull away she really gets into me. Her hand flattens against my collar, and her fingers explore along my shoulders and about my throat.

  "Yeah... you like that..." She giggles at me as I helplessly fall into her touch. I feel my face burn with embarrassment as she abuses my instinctive Pokémon reaction, but still sink into her stroking fingers. It isn't the situation that's so damn shameful - it's how helpless I am to fight against my natural reaction to being stroked. I just love it... God I love it....

  "Oh yeah..." I reply huskily, feeling my head crane back to let her fingers play up my throat like a demented instrument, provoking my quiet growling or purring as she tests different ways and places to touch me.

  "I bet you're dynamite in the sack..." She croons with an evil, satisfied smile. "Oh, I just can't wait to make you explode..."

  My head lurches forwards to follow her fingers as they disappear. I nearly throw my arms out to catch her as I leave, but reality comes crashing back down as cold wraps around my neck to replace the warmth.

  Crap!

  She pirouettes on one heel, and she begins towards the doorway again. "Call me, Tane." She reminds me, looking over her shoulder and putting her fingers and thumb to her ear to mimic a phone.

  I stare emptily at the doorway for a few moments until I'm sure she's gone.

  "Craaaaaaap..." I fall forwards and bang my head on the keyboard in front of me. I just want to curl up in a ball and hide after that.

  I'm like a fucking animal... I nearly growl my innermost thoughts - almost revealing my greatest shame to the world. That's not the first time that's happened to me. Not the first time someone's abused my innate reaction to being touched. Every time... every time I can't resist it. They just press me to the point where I'm not sure if I'm human anymore -purring, growling, rubbing against their hand sometimes... damn them all.

  I groan again as I lift my head once more. I brush a few black locks away with a grunt. Always those same few locks that fall out of my beanie. Parts of my hair grow faster now. I've worked a few particular strands to grow at four-inches every month. Those strands are the ones I've given up on trying to control, and just braided together. So short all over, but with a dozen braids falling about on all sides and just sticking out under my beanie.

  I lay my hand across the counter, palm up. The scrap of paper unfolds in my hand, revealing the number again. As much as I want to screw it up and burn it in my hand - I just can't bring myself to. Sure - she embarrassed me and abused my helplessness - but damn she knew how to touch me. And the submissive and Pokémon parts of me absolutely loved it.

  Plus - she was hot.

 All right Pokémon-ness. I think with a short growl, pushing the paper deep into his bottom of my pocket. You win this round... for now... Maybe I'll call her. Maybe I'll bring myself to reject her invitation and get rid of the number. Only time will tell. Right now I have more immediate concerns.

  I take a minute to head back into the compound and find one of my Lucarios. I hand one of the males Aedrine's ball, and give him specific instructions on releasing her and her orientation - including that he shouldn't mention me no matter what. After that I hurry back into the reception, where a young boy and his mother are waiting patiently in front of the counter.

  Just under two hours of the usual go by without another "event" of any kind. Throughout the whole time I find myself glancing up at the clock behind me, measuring how long it is. Working out the equation in my head - the time from laying to hatching of a Rioulu egg. Also the time it'll take me to head across town. Also the margin for error.

  As closing time draws near, I begin packing up a few minutes early. I head about the complex quickly - being sure to watch out for Aedrine and stay out of sight - and check food reserves, close off the gates between different areas and all the usual maintenance work. I then hang up my satchel, unpin my nametag, then log the computer on again for a quick check.

  One search of "Thomas Gardner" brings up all that I need. "Borrowed". He placed a borrowed Lucario in day-care. One he borrowed from someone else in order to receive an egg. Just as I feared.

  It's always the "borrowed" ones. The Lucarios who rent themselves out to trainers for breeding purposes. It's a funny system - a lot like prostitution. Lucarios hire themselves out to trainers to be placed in day-care and to be bred with other Pokémon. Some are simply sluts looking to make cash. Some are nymphomaniacs or sex-addicts who see a perfect opportunity to make money and have fun at the same time. Some are specially-bred and exceptional genotypes which are used to breed Lucarios of the highest quality. Some are a mixture of these.

  That's where I come in. "Said person" wants a Pokémon with "said genes or qualities". "Said person" talks to me. I check my database, do some digging to trace genotypes, order the drugs required and point out what Pokémon are required for the desired result and who owns such a Pokémon with desired the genotype. Then I totalise the costs for everything, according to the drug prices and the prices charged by the required Pokémon's trainer and by adding a small fee for my services.

  I'm a breeder, in other words. And a damn good one at that. My claim to fame is actually one of my brother's young Pokémon. He's been a legendary co-ordinator from the age of nine, believe it or not. As an extra special birthday present, I got him a very special Torchic egg. Borrowed a few thousand dollars from mum after showing her my research and assuring her I had all the genotypes mapped out, then set to work a year before my brother's birthday. I had to get the genes of an Absol - of all things - to a Blaziken. It took the initial Absol (who only really had a few specific genes I wanted), a Lairon breeding with it while both them were on specific conception drugs, evolving the male child through to an Aggron, breeding that with a female Lucario (In a word - ouch. poor bitch.) with both on conception drugs to pass on the specific genes, then evolving the male Riolu child into a Lucario and breeding it with a Blaziken. Then that egg I gave to my brother.

  He never understood the effort I put in or the exceptional quality of his present until about a year ago, when it began winning. A lot. Phenotypes for the slimmest, most aerodynamic body possible, iv setups to maximise every aspect of her ability, I even set her genes for maximum brain capacity so she can learn quickly.

  It was the most god-damn-spectacular Blaziken the world had ever seen. For about three weeks after the Blaziken's rise to fame, I was in the running for breeder of the year. The name "Tane Chase" was associated with "champion-quality breeding" for that period...

  Until it happened.

  Then the name "Tane Chase" meant "Volraith". I wasn't the champion breeder anymore - I was suddenly "the Pokémon guy". People stopped contacting me about breeding after that... I lost all the professional trainers who previously had appointments with me in an instant. It seemed they suddenly didn't want to know me anymore.

  And so goes my train of thought as I stroll across town with my troop of Lucarios and Riolu in tow, ducking through evening traffic in the most populated city in the region. I swim through the hustle and bustle and to the subway, where I catch a ride to the other side of town. I step off still preoccupied with what I used to be for about three weeks.

  I used to be famous.

  Famous like my prodigy co-ordinator little brother. Famous like my "champion of the Kanto region" brother, Lance. Famous like my "Leader of team aqua" mother. Famous like my "ex-leader of team aqua" father. Famous like my "establisher of the day-care movement" grandfather.

  Amongst these heroes and idols - I'm infamous.

*

  I arrive just at the edge of my "room for error". An area that spans ten minutes either side of the apparent hatching moment - giving me a twenty minute window. I pull my diary from my bag as I stand in front of the house, and I flick it open to the page I was checking this morning.

Thomas Gardner - Riolu egg returned - 124 Furn street.

  I glance up at the rusted white mailbox in front of me. 124. I glance down the street, to where I can barely make out the lettering on the signpost. Furn street.

  I sit myself just to the side of the property, on the footpath. I lean back against the neighbour's fence, and I close my eyes. At my sides, my Riolu and Lucarios land beside me. Eleven paws land on my shoulders and arms as I lift one hand to my face, and I place it over one eye - hiding it under my palm. As I call upon my own reserves of strength, I feel my Pokémons' aura flow into my arms, assisting me as I draw the energy into my left hand.

  Under my right hand, my right eye closes. "Foresight..." My left fist opens, palm up. The air has thickened slightly into a little orb.

  Instantly - my head spins. I clench my other eye shut with a grunt of pain.

  The dual-visions merge into one - and I'm staring through the ghostly eyeball in my hand. I see my fingers in front of me, half-closed around the eyeball. It's like looking at the screen of a TV and playing a video game. Ghost camera.

  I move the eyeball left and right a little, testing it for movement. The road ahead of me and the houses opposite scroll from side-to-side in my vision. I lift the shadow eye up and down for a moment to test vertical motion. So far so good. I lift it up a bit more, and I turn it around. I find myself staring at my body - slouched against the flaking fence behind me. I see my lips curl into a little grin. It's funny being able to see yourself like this.

  I alternate eyes. Being careful to fully close my right eye first. - avoiding another "double vision" migraine - I open my left eye. My head spins for a moment of discomfort as my vision shifts back to my own, and I find myself staring at the ghostly eyeball floating just in front of my face.

  It's nearly invisible. Just a patch of air that's slightly discoloured towards purple. Upon closer inspection I can see a slightly darker patch for the pupil and a patch shimmering more vigorously which is the iris, but at a glance it isn't even there.

  I alternate eyes again, shifting to the eyeball. I lift it up a little, and then shoot it forwards. My vision shoots towards the fence behind me at frightening velocity. Even now, I still wince as my vision flashes right through the wood behind me. The rational part of my mind sees me travelling towards something quickly and tells me to close my eyes. The rational part of me tells me I'm about to crash - but my ghost eye travels through without hindrance.

  I fly my eye around the side of the house, over the scraggy garden skirting the bottom of the house. I fly it around a small corner, and fly to the first window I see. Since people naturally look at windows often - just in case someone's vision is good - I fly my eye up a bit and to the right.

  Everything goes blank for a moment as my phased eye passes through the wall, but it emerges on the other side to light. A woman in her late forties standing in front of a small bedside cabinet, staring at a photo. She doesn't move, but her weary eyes sit on the photograph - like the thousand yard stare.

  I zip back through the wall again, and move across to the next window.

  The light doesn't blind me this time - it's softer. In the middle of the room, a bedside lamp illuminates the room in a soft, orange glow. I recognise Thomas as the boy sitting on the bed adjacent. Cross-legged with the egg sitting in his lap. A small crack along the top is enough to tell me it's about to happen.

  I zoom my eye back through the wall behind me, and turn it around. I spot one of my Riolus edging around the back of the house and sticking close to the wall, watching carefully for anyone who might decide on a casual walk around the place.

  I fly towards him and lower to his level. He stops and glances up at my eye as soon as it's within three metres. He probably didn't see it - but he can feel it. I fly close to his face so he can see, then hover up and down quickly.

  "Rio?" He cocks his head.

  I turn my eye around and fly towards the window to Thomas' room. The blinds are pulled, so no light escapes.

  "Rio." He nods staunchly. He scarpers across the grass to just under the window and shoots up the wall. He grabs the ledge and hauls himself onto it. He presses himself flat back against the window like in an action movie, raising one arm across his torso. Ready to smash through the pane and leap in on my order.

  I fly my eye back through the wall. I immediately focus on the egg as I enter the room again. The top of it has cracked a little more, and I see Thomas is suddenly a lot more alert. I can't hear anything inside, but by his excitement I assume it's making cracking noises.

  It happens so suddenly. The top of the egg breaks away, and a tiny blue paw shoots through the gap. Thomas' head jerks back a little in surprise, but he's back in there as soon as his nerves have settled again. We both watch carefully as more of the egg's shell is smashed away, and more blue is revealed inside the shell.

  The side of the egg suddenly breaks away, and the rest of it follows - splitting down the middle and falling in half and releasing the Pokémon into the world.

  There's a look. Riolu are born with greater awareness than most other species. That means as soon as their eyes open at birth, they're sentient and curious. There's always a look. A brilliant, sparking curiosity that fills their bright little eyes as they receive their first glimpse of the world. You can feel the awe and joy through their aura as they see colours for the first time. It's a feeling that can't be described. It can't be compared to anything else because it's so unreal. Their curiosity and shock and wonderment at every little detail. Gravity, colour, temperature, even the three-dimensions of the world - every little tiny detail fascinates them.

  I feel a smile sprawl across my face. Even though I know what's probably about to happen - I can't help but smile. They always make me smile.

  But alas - after a moment my grin settles into a grimace as bliss falls back into reality.

  There's a window of opportunity. In an egg a Pokémon is invincible. The shell of an unhatched Pokémon egg is - as far as we know - indestructible. The skin of a Pokémon too - even a young one - is very, very tough. Too tough for many conventional human weapons to damage. But - between being in egg form and being in true Pokémon form - there's another phase. The transition phase. The transition phase is between egg and Pokémon form. It's the period where a Pokémon's body first charges its inner energy. In transition phase - a Riolu is just a funny-shaped blue human. No aura power. No super Pokémon strength. No energy to toughen it. It's a differently shaped human, without any Pokémon power. That period lasts approximately five minutes. That's the kill-window.

  I used to think of it like a video game. Stamina or shields. If an enemy hits you, your shields or stamina go down. When your shields reach zero, you can be hurt and killed. The transition phase is like charging those shields for the first time.

  I watch the event without a move, though I can feel the word "go" resting on my lips - ready to send my Rioulu in at any moment.

  Thomas brushes the egg fragments away from the Riolu as it still gazes around. He gently scoops it up under its armpits, and he brings it a little closer to him. I see his mouth move, and form a smile after he says something to it.

  I can't believe it.

  I watch for the next ten minutes in dumbstruck silence. Well past the transition phase.

  I can't believe it.

  I fly the eye back out slowly. I bring it around to my Riolu, and move it side-to-side. He wipes his brow in relief, and he hops down from the windowsill. I watch him as he lands softly in the garden, then dashes for the front of the property again.

  I close both eyes, and I remove my hand from my eye. When I open them again, everything is normal once more. The shadow eye is gone.

  "Looks like a tick, then?" Rissa's tail wags a little. Not the "I'm happy" wag, but the "everything's okay" wag.

  "Yeah..." I nod a little, though shakily.

  I honestly thought he was going to try to kill it. I honestly thought he was going to kill the Riolu. I expected him to. I was fully prepared to order my Riolu smash open the window, jump in the window after him and kick the living crap out of Thomas Gardner.

  "People are human..." I remind myself as I stand. It's hard to believe it sometimes - judging by the cruel shit they do - but people are, in fact, human. They aren't all killers or monsters... like me.

  Suddenly the situation has reversed - and I'm the monster. I was going to be the hero who leapt through the window at the last moment and saved the helpless Riolu from the crazy heartless killer. But now I'm the crazy killer ready to jump through and slaughter the innocent schoolkid if he makes a wrong move.

  Arceus... what's wrong with me...

  I glance up as I feel the paws return to my arms. My team cuddles in around me - grabbing my clothing and resting their heads against me. I feel the Lucarios' arms wrap around me a bit, and they pull themselves against me. They can feel my sadness... they can feel my darkness.

  "It's okay..." Rissa sits in my lap, stroking down the back of my neck. I feel her twist one of my braids around a claw and toy with it a little, still stroking me. "There's no darkness in your heart - so stop seeing it."

  "Rissa - you don't understa-"

  "Tane." She cuts in sharply - stopping me short by tugging a little on my hair under my beanie. She tilts my head back a bit by my braid, and she places a paw on each cheek - beaming at me softly. "You've created a lot of illusions with your powers, but the biggest ones..." her paws drift away. One slides a claw gently down my neck and stomach, and stops above my heart. "Are here..." Then her other paw drifts up a little, and stops on my forehead, "and here. The darkness in your heart, and the cruelty of your mind. Your biggest illusion is that you're a bad person. It's so good that even you can't tell it's an illusion. You can't see through it and see the gold behind it." And then, she leans forwards. She places a quick peck on my forehead, and then draws back with a faint blush. She inclines her head with a cute, nervous grin - her aura receptors bouncing behind her. "Kay?"

  Arceus, you're a lifesaver. I think as a smile grows on me. "Kay." I nod - swayed by her words. "Thanks Rissa." I finally lift one hand off the ground and I bring it around behind her. I place it on the back of her head, and bring her in to kiss her furry forehead. "Thanks." I whisper as she draws away again, and I tenderly scratch her neck with a finger.

  She's just brilliant.

  "Now come up." She lifts herself off me and holds a hand down. I nod and take it and allow her to pull me to my feet. "This one can be put to rest. Now there's just one more situation to deal with..."

  "What's that?" I dust myself off a little as I speak. A few gritty clumps of gravel cling to my backside, but I brush them off with one sweep of my hand.

  "Miri."

Twenty minutes later

  "Heeeeeelloooooooo?" I slink between the door and doorframe, glancing about carefully. On my shoulders, two Riolu peek around my head - each holding a braid in one paw for balance. The kitchen's empty. The oven is off and the elements aren't red. The refrigerator is closed for once...

  I usher my troop inside, and quietly close the door behind them. "You head off to my room, kay guys?"

  "(Kay.)" The Lucarios respond with telepathy also. Two Lucarios bend down and scoop up a few Riolu each, then carry them away to a door at the side of the kitchen.

  The Riolu on my shoulders jump to the floor and run to Rissa's feet. They join a third in tugging on her leg, and jump a little with small yelps.

  Rissa ignores them. She crosses her arms and stares at me, tapping a foot.

  I sigh and roll my eyes. "And girls. The girls - or should I say girl - can go too."

  "Thank you." rissa smiles. She bends down and scoops the three Riolu up in her arms, and carries them after the other two.

  I grunt a little, smiling as she disappears from sight. Funny thing about her. She never counts herself as one of the "guys". I tell her that I just use the term generically for them all, but she insists on being separate. Maybe it's a pride thing - being the only female in the group - or maybe she just likes to feel special. She was my first Lucario anyway, so she seems to feel she has a special spot in my heart. Though I'd be lying if I said she didn't.

  I head off through another door into the lounge. I stop in the doorway as a familiar sight presents itself.

  In the middle of the room - there's a Blaziken. Yes - that Blaziken I'm always on about. The one I genetically coded.

  Her perfect, athletic ass is up in the air and her slender, gorgeous legs and spread level at 180 degree angles. A perfect upside-down splits. Her claws - sharp and shiny - hold the floor under her, keeping her toned, perfect body upright in a precise handstand, facing away from me.

  Did I mention she's perfect?

  Her body is mostly naked, save a tight, Lycra one-piece gymnast suit covering her breasts and running in a strip between her parted legs.

  I creep forwards on my toes - a devilish smile working across my face. She doesn't notice me. She's too preoccupied with her training. I wriggle my fingers a little as I appear behind her, and draw my hand back.

  "Saalie!" I swing my hand forwards, and land a solid smack right on her ass.

  "Laze!" She squeals in surprise and pain, and she tumbles forwards. She lands between her legs, still with them spread wide. "Blaze-blaze!" she growls shortly, ending in a huff and mutter.

  "Focus..." I taunt, holding an arm out to her. a playful grin overturns her face, and she lashes out at me. I can't pull my arm back fast enough, and she grabs me and flicks me over her head.

  "Shi-"

  Thump.

  "Ouch."

  "Blaze." She smirks as she stands up, standing over me. She pokes her tongue out through her beak, and she strides away. She leaves me.

  "Huh..." I grumble as I roll onto my stomach and climb to my feet again. "Ungrateful bitch."

  Ungrateful's the word. Even with her perfection she still manages to complain to me. "Tane, you could have at least given me some tits" is the most common one. She seems to forget she was designed for aerodynamics. Big breasts just aren't aerodynamic. Though in a few other ways - they'd be an improvement.

  "Tane!"

  Crap...

  "Have you been interrupting Saalie again?"

  From a doorway on my left, a boy a little shorter than me strides out. His golden blond hair only adds to his boyish appearance - making him look even younger. Especially as he irritably blows a few strands out of his eyes with a childish glower.

  Behind him, I see Saalie appear with a big, teasing grin. She sticks her tongue out again.

  "No." I lie with a shrug. "Why would I do that?"

  "Because first - she's not training. And second - you're here. She came into my room and pointed in here."

  I glare at her over his shoulder. "(Ratty bitch.)" I sneer - though all my brother hears is "Volraith-Vol". I try to refrain from doing it - butdamn it feels good to say that. The word just rolls off my lips - it's sweet, like oral honey. It feels right to say it.

  "(Aaw, sorry.)" She replies with an even bigger grin.

  "Stop doing that." My brother growls.

  "(He's getting shitty nowadays.)" I observe with a sly grin.

  "(A little.)" Saalie shrugs.

  "(A little?)" I chuckle. "(He's as shitty as you get on the twenty-third.)"

  Her smile flattens in an instant. "(Don't you even go there!)" She growls.

  "(Woah - you're kinda grumpy today.)" I laugh. "(Maybe your period's come early.)"

  "(Asshole!)"

  We both spin at the same time. She dashes after me, and I dash away in the opposite direction.

  "Tane! Saalie!" My brother screams after us - making a doomed attempt to chase us.

  I shoot into a nearby hallway - Saalie hot on my tail. Literally - I feel her heat behind me, and it's increasing.

  "(Catch me, bitch!)" I bellow over my shoulder. I run straight into the wall - phasing - and jump through.

  Thump!

  I collapse when I land on the lawn at the back of our house. Not fatigue - no - just the sound of Saalie running into the wall behind me throws me into a fit.

  I roll on my back for a moment - roaring with laughter and clutching my aching stomach. I can just picture her crashing into the wall behind me. Fucking brilliant...

  After what seems like half an hour of side-splitting laughter, I pull myself from the ground - though the occasional giggle still catches me.

  It's all in the name of fun. She might be a little bitter about the wall when I return tonight, but we'll still be on good terms with one another. It's all a big joke between us.

  I stroll around the side of our house - staring up at the fourth floor as I go. That's what mum calls the "command deck". The place where she runs all her operations for all over the world. In a way - our house is Team Aqua HQ.

  I stroll all the way down our huge driveway just glancing around randomly. A few gardeners catch my eye as they work on preening Pokémon-shaped bushes lining the driveway. At the end, I stop at a keypad in the huge stone gateway. I punch a quick code in, and wait a moment for the steel gates to slide away. At the tops of the watchtowers on either side of the gateway, I see the guards glance down at me.

  Substation. I remember, turning right.

  "Hey!"

  I stop. I glance across the street to my left to see a girl my age strolling across.

  Street kid by the looks of things. Her head is covered by a red and white baseball cap fitted backwards, and her golden fringe - much like my brother's - is parted to either side of her face. Beneath that she sports denim jeans, and a super-baggy beige t-shirt so huge the collar falls down her right shoulder a little. But even under all that material - I can tell she's got a lot going for her.

  Hot.

  "Hey, I was waiting for one of you to open up your gates." She smiles as she heads towards me. "Good to see a face on the street. I never want to touch the doorbells on these places. They're so huge..."

  "Yeah." I agree, meeting her at the edge of the footpath. "Even I have to work up the nerve to go near the gate - and I live here. "

  "Yeah, they're pretty huge." She nods, grinning at the massive gate behind me as it closes. "Hey - I'm not familiar with this part of town. Do you know where the old arena is?"

  "The old one?" I glance over my shoulder with a murmur. "Um... head east along this road. This joins onto Teller street going east but it curves up north... then take the tenth road on the right, going east. Blytail avenue."

  "East. Teller. Blytail." She nods. "Got it. Thanks."

  "No problem." I nod, watching her head away east. "Hey - what's going on there, anyway? I heard something somewhere, but I wasn't paying attention."

  "Ah..." She stops on the spot. She stays still for a moment, then answers carefully: "A convention..."

  "Okay then..." I nod slightly. She turns and stares at me for a moment with a very different, almost scared expression - but she smiles suddenly and begins off. "Thanks."

  "No problem." I nod, and wave briefly. I watch her go down the street for a moment, then I head quickly back to the gate. I punch in my code again and slid through the gates as soon as they're apart far enough for me for fit through.

  I stride down the driveway very quickly, and through the front door. I hurry through the house - ignoring everyone else - and straight to the toilet.

  Suddenly I need a moment alone. I don't know why - but I. Am. Fired up. I've seen hot girls before, but I have never seen anyone as shatteringly attractive as that...

  I don't know why I'm so turned on, but I just am. Really, really turned on...

*

I didn't make the connection at the time. The low cap, the attraction... it didn't register with me.

Twenty minutes later

  I sigh as I stumble out of the bathroom again - fully relieved. I told myself I wouldn't masturbate through today with my date with Miri approaching tonight - but I just had to.

  I wipe my sweaty forehead and head back into the lounge - trying to remember where I was going.

  Filling in time. Going to the park for a few hours...

  "Afternoon."

  I stop in the middle of the living room - cringing.

  "Didn't see you there..." I confess, slowly turning to look over my shoulder. "Hey... mum..."

  Most of her is hidden behind the newspaper she holds in front of her like a great shield, but I see the bandana. A shade of blue somewhere between a medium and an azure, and adorned with a white skull-and-crossbones at the front. Standard-issue Team Aqua attire.

  She glances up after a moment. The eye that isn't hidden by her eyepatch narrows a little, and she inclines her head. "What's up?"

  "Dunno." I shrug. I head across to the couch where she sits, and I fall onto it beside her. "Just thinking..."

  "About what?" She folds a page across.

  "Dunno... stuff." I shrug. "Hey - do you know what's going on at the old arena? This chick asked me for directions."

  "I remember seeing it somewhere..." she pauses for a moment, and suddenly backtracks through her paper. She flips the pages across for a few seconds, then stops. "Here it is. V-meet."

  "V-meet?" I reach across and take the paper from her.

  "Sounds like you kind of place." She mentions with a grin. "Quite literally."

  V-meeting is adjourned?

  The upcoming "V-meet" in Hedgehome district of Jubilife city has hit a snag today. The meeting put forward to local council late July by minister of interspecies relationships - Jonathan Utard -is scheduled for the seventh of August to "acquaint the growing Volraith community". According to Mr Utard "[The Volraiths] are a genuinely confused race. Shunned for a myriad of reasons - most unjustified - the majority tend to question their own validity in society. This meeting - the "V-meet" as it will be known - will bring the community together. This communication between the Volraith community will bring them together and give them a chance to learn what they are capable of, and to just talk things over with others who understand what they feel."

  Immediately after the V-meet was confirmed, opposition reared its head - lobbying the council and calling for an annulment. Elected chairman of the un-named party - Christopher Wilks - commented: "We don't need [The Volraiths] to meet. There's no point, and it will only do more harm than good. Most of them have killed - in self-defence or otherwise - and are mentally deficient or unstable. Placing that many super-powered, unstable hybrid humans in one place cannot be a good idea!" Mr Utard has noted the party's concerns, but his response is quite clear.

  "They need to meet. It will go on."

  It is unclear whether lobbying will continue or if protest action is underway - but Mr Utard remains resolute that V-meet will continue.

  Alan Prescott.

  "Holy shit..." I feel my jaw hit the floor as I gape at the paper. That girl out the front... she was like me...

  Of course!

  The cap pulled so far over her forehead - it hid her kill tally. That incredible sexual attraction toward her... that same incredible attraction that people feel towards me. She's like me...

  She's a volraith... I mouth it, still dumbstruck. She's like me, and I didn't even know. I let her leave just like that - but she was like me...

  "So are you gonna go?" Mum's voice pulls me back into the real world.

  "Huh?"

  "V-meet?" She shrugs as she takes the paper back, smiling a little. "Sounds like it might be a good idea."

  "You're serious." I raise my eyebrows - I can't believe this. "You're serious?"

  "I don't see why not." She shrugs, though she's returned to her paper now. She looks preoccupied with an ad in the top right - but there's multitasking for you. Women. Talk and read.

  "Because they're mostly criminals - all of whom have slaughtered Pokémon." I reply dryly. "I thought parents don't like their kids hanging out with the wrong crowd?"

  She throws her head back, and a sharp cackle splits the air. "Please!" She chuckles, shaking her head. She looks across at me and lays the paper in her lap with a very amused grin. "Tane - you're a one-man wrong-crowd. Hell - you're worth three wrong crowds- I doubt anyone else could bog you down any further."

  My eyes narrow on her, and I feel a short growl slip between my lips. "Thanks for the support." I mention - but I manage to grin a little.All in good fun... "So... you're fine with me going?"

  "Yeah." She takes her paper again. "Try not to accidentally set anything on fire." She adds as I stand from the couch.

  "Purposely?" I ask over my shoulder - stopped mid-stride on my way to the door.

  "Only if you have a good reason." She replies calmly. "Buh-bye." Her hand appears over the paper and flashes a quick wave.

  "Kay." I nod with a smirk, and resume my route to the door. "See'ya mum."

*

  This is just nuts... I clench my fists at my sides, staring at the entrance to the old arena. The carpark around me is practically deserted. There's even less cars parked here than usual - which is saying something.

  The old arena's an old basketball complex - long since abandoned. Now it's just a community centre. Casual games of basketball are played in the weekends, meetings are held on the court throughout the week. The place is still upkept though, which is pretty great.

  I collect another long breath, trying to settle myself. There's just so much going through my head. Sure - I'd like to find out about myself and the others - but what if I find something I don't want to know? What if I learn something horrible about being a Volraith? Maybe we die early, or go insane, or go blind or experience random pains or - fuck it; I'm just going in before I think about it too much. There's got to be good things to learn - even with all the murderers around.

  The front entrance is a simple pair of sliding double glass doors - switched off and held open by the looks of things. At the entrance, two men dressed in black mutter between themselves. At their feet, a Mightyena and a Vaporeon. Both with type advantages against our kind...

  I sink a pang of anger as I approach them - it's just for security. I shouldn't take offense...

  So why do I feel pissed off about it?

  I funnel my anger into my right fist and clench it at my side, squeezing my palm tightly. One of them points as I approach, and they fan across the entrance in front of me.

  "Name." One lifts a list from his side. The sun glances off his empty, black lenses - showing no evidence of a soul behind them.

  "Tane Chase." I say after a few seconds of reluctance. I hate telling people my name.

  The man beside him straightens up after a moment as my name registers. The first man remains professional and shows no reaction. "Marks."

  "What?"

  "Your marks." He lifts his pen and jabs at the air - pointing to my head. "We need proof."

  Crap... my shoulders slump a little. I hate taking my beanie off. I hate people seeing my marks - they always stare at me.

  The other guard, however, comes to my aid. "Hey - he doesn't need to show marks."

  "Why not?" Te other man throws him a sideways stare.

  "That's Tane." He nudges his friend, glancing at me for a moment. "He's the first Volraith. Don't you remember it on the news?"

  My eyes face the ground as the conversation goes on.

  "Huh..." The other guard murmurs for a moment. I feel his eyes bore down on me - judging me from a new angle now. Judging me as the freak who first discovered human evolution. "Oh yeah - I remember his face now. Head on in." He steps aside.

  "Thanks." I lift my head a bit.

  Oddly enough - both guards smile a little, lifting my spirits. It takes me a few moments of confused staring to realise - they're both wearing hats.

  "You two, too?" I straighten up and stagger back a bit.

  "Yeah." They nod in unison. "We killed three Lucarios when a drunk guy tried to push into a bar down south. The guy sick'd his Pokémon on us - so we took them out."

  "Figured we might as well - seeing as they're dead." The other continues. "So we became Vs."

  "Vs?" I cock my head.

  "Volraiths." They both say it at the same time. They glance across at one another with similar grins.

  I know that grin. That's the "volraith" grin. The same grin that shows the same inner warmth I feel every time I say it. It feels so good to say - and these guys both know it.

  "So head on in. I bet everyone would be thrilled to meet you."

  "Yeah. They'd be all over you." The other chuckles.

  "I'd... rather avoid that..." I scratch the back of my head, but I return a little grin.

  "Then use a fake name." One suggests. "Something simple and easy to remember. Like Rob."

  "All right." I grin a bit wider. If these guys are really murderers - they're the nicest damn murderers I've ever met.

  I stride between the two guys with a growing smirk, and head into the reception area. That's the first time in a while I've ever really felt... talked to. It was like the three of us had this special... weird, bond. We were all the same...

  I was confused - and I let it all out to find

  that I'm not the only person with these things in mind.

  I head through the doorway into the court, still grinning.

  "More of the same" gets a new meaning.

  There are dozens of them. There has to be at least one-hundred of them - maybe more. They all hang about somewhere on the court. Most hold a plastic cup in one hand, taking gulps occasionally as they chat with others. Some I see at the far court - playing ball and leaping huge height with their superhuman strength and slamming the ball through the basket.

  Some even have tails out. Grey, scaly tails rising from the back of their trousers and hanging by their feet, pointed tips flicking side-to-side on occasion or wagging about a little.

  I glance over my shoulder with a thoughtful murmur as my own tail flicks about - making small waves in the back of my slacks. I usually try to ignore it. I stare for a few - deciding whether I'm comfortable with whipping it out.

  No... not yet. It's still kind of surreal. The thought of it being visible is a little uncomforting still.

  On that note - it seems there are others who aren't particularly comfortable. Most of us still wear hats of some description pulled over their foreheads and most keep their tails hidden, though a few discarded hats lying on the floor tell me that the discomfort must ease eventually. Then again, all the heads I can see are ones. Only one mark. One kill - from the Lucario.

  "Hey, wassup?" Someone behind me calls.

  I freeze. That voice...

  "I thought I wouldn't find anyone my age here."

  I turn around, managing a smile. "I should have figured."

  It's the same girl from this afternoon. The really, really hot one. Even now I can feel the arousal setting in - though I've felt it from the second I entered. The girl's cap is gone and her golden blonde hair spills over her shoulders and down her back like a waterfall of honey. But then - down her forehead is a single scar. One.

  She freezes for a moment and stares, registering what she's seeing. "You..." Her smile falls for a moment, but it reappears after it sinks in. "Hey! You gave me directions here! You never told me you were Volraith!"

  "It isn't something I share." I shrug, smiling back. A real, proper smile. She's like me. All these people... they're all like me. For once - I'm not different.

  "Yeah - I understand that." She glances over her shoulder. "Some people are bigots."

  "Maybe they're jealous, maybe they're scared. Idunno. People feel weird things."

  "Yeah, ae?" She nods quickly, then offers a hand. "Shawna."

  "Rob." I nearly say "Tane" but I catch myself. I shake her hand. "Pretty weird feeling being here, huh?"

  "Yeah." She nods and takes a quick scan of those people surrounding her. "It's surreal. All these people are Volraith..." She stops short, then returns her eyes to me. "Hey - do you feel that?"

  "Feel what?"

  "Volraith." She says, smirking. Her eyes twinkle beautifully as the word sparks her soul. "Every time I say it - it's just like... amazing."

  She gets it too...?

  "Yeah, I feel it too, actually." I confirm happily. She gets it too. Like me. She understands.

  "Volraith..." Her smile reaches high, and her gaze drifts to the roof as it to follow her words into the air. "Volraith..."

  "Volraith..." I repeat, grinning dumbly. "Just rolls off the tongue."

  "I love saying it..." She adds. "(Hey, we should talk like this! It'll be great.)"

  "(Sure thing.)" I reply in poké-speak. Again - there's that warmth of saying "Volraith" repeatedly.

  "(Come on. Let's go watch the game.)" She lifts her arm high above her head, and points one finger to the far end court. "(We can watch them and chat.)"

  "(Alright.)" I nod, and follow her. We weave our way through the crowd heading to the end. I hear titbits of conversations in poké-speak. I hear their words properly, but I also hear it with human senses. So I hear "tonight I'm going to this club" and "Volraith Vol-Volraith" at the same time. Somehow I manage to keep a migraine at bay, despite the overwhelming noises.

  Shawna leads me to a bench alongside the court and sits at one end. I sit halfway along and lean forwards.

  "(So - how long have you been a Volraith?)"

  "(I evolved shortly after evolution was discovered.)" I reply after a moment's thought, fabricating a tale to keep my identity secret. "(I was attacked by a Lucario who liked my girlfriend and wanted her. So there was a fight... after that, you can sort of tell what happened...)"

  "(Is your girlfriend okay?)" She asks after a short silence. I smile a bit wider as I identify it as a cleverly disguised alternate question. Do you have a girlfriend still? She doesn't care about my girlfriend - she just wants to know if I'm single.

  Score.

  "(We aren't going out anymore.)" I reply - giving her the answer she's looking for. "(But she was okay. A bit scared, but she was okay.)"

  "(That's pretty crazy.)" She mentions idly, nodding as she watches the game. "(But me? I didn't actually kill a Lucario.)"

  "(What happened?)" I ask a bit quickly. Something finally sets in. This wonderful, super-hot Volraith chick is probably a cold, calculating killer.

  I feel my hear sink a few levels with the realisation... Shit...

  "(My dad had a Lucario.)" She explains, releasing a weary sigh. "(My dad died six months ago. Ever since then his Lucario went downhill. He got sick and started deteriorating.)"

  I lift my head a bit. This isn't the usual excuse for killing a Lucario that murderers give.

  "(He became really, really sick. He got to the stage where he could barely even move...)" Shawna trails off into silence after that. Her head falls and her eyes drop to her feet. "(He hated it. He asked to be put down - but he made me an offer first. You see - I only had him left. I lived in a common house. No relatives, I had no friends - I had nobody but myself and him. So I guess he figured that he would do me a favour, and he offered his blood to me after he died. He said I'd have to depend on myself now - and that being a Volraith would make things easier for me...)"

  "(Oh, damn...)" I stare blankly at her, trying to piece together how she must feel. Maybe I believe her story... maybe... okay, I do. You can't make up something like that, and the way she mopes is evidence enough that she's telling the truth.

  "(Sorry 'bout that.)" She straightens up suddenly, lifting a smile again. "(That was a bit heavy. My bad.)"

  "(Nah. No worries.)" I smile back, in an instant bringing back the hand I was about to place on her shoulder to comfort her. Whoa, this chick is nuts...

  I like...

  We sit back for a somewhat awkward moment as my badly-covered move is still fresh in both our memories. I lock my fingers together and stare at my feet as I slowly feel my face flush red. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her beaming at me.

  She saw right through my cover-up. D'oh...

  "(Sorry - I shouldn't act like that.)" She chuckles after a moment. "(I'm just random sometimes. Up and down - bouncing off the walls.)"

  "(No kidding...)" I glance up for a fleeting moment in an attempt to shift the direction of the conversation. "(Hey - speaking of bouncing - do you wanna play?)" I stand up quickly. It's not like I'm going to run away - but I like to be in the position where I can if I need to.

  "(What, you assume just because I dress in baggy clothing and wear a cap that I play basketball?)" She laughs herself to her feet. "(Ah - stereotypical, typical me. Let's go then.)" She nods to confirm, and strides onto the court.

  We take sides on opposite teams after the guys call us on. Four aside. I end up being the shortest on our team, playing alongside two guys a little older than me and a woman who looks about thirty. On the team Shawna plays with, three guys dressed similarly who look just above my age. Probably friends...

  I may not be the best at basketball in the world - but I have an advantage on everyone else.

  Experience. Because I've been a Volraith the longest.

  At the very start of the game, the guys on the other team clear the air pretty quickly - showing me that it isn't a game of skill today as they practically bash their way through our defence. The second to receive the ball drops his shoulder as he runs and barges one of my teammates out of the way as he dribbles through, then he leaps from the circle and slam-dunks it through the hoop.

  "(Yeah bitch! Who's your daddy?)"

  The ex-leader of Team Aqua, motherfucker! I think with a smirk as I watch him drop from the net. But you don't need to know that.

  "(What's this all about?)" Shawna grins as her teammate returns. "(Prison rules?)"

  "(What else?)" The guy laughs. He falls to a low position, grabbing his knees. He watches the woman on our team go to retrieve the ball - rocking side-to-side a little in his position.

  "(They've been playing like this all through the game.)" I turn to my left to find one of my teammates heading for me. He stops beside me and frowns at the other team. "(Playing rough.)"

  "(So?)" I shrug, grinning. "(What do you do if a Poocheyena shits in your cereal?)"

  "(Um...)"

  "(You rub his fucking nose in it.)" I grin wider and turn to the woman. She passes the ball after a brief inspection of the sly look on my face, but backs away a little. "(You give him a taste of his own shit and see how he likes it.)"

  "(Already tried.)" The guy sighs - a total buzzkill tone. "(That guy in the middle. He whipped off his cap earlier in the game when he was boasting. He's a three. Three marks.)"

  "(Three?)" I quickly turn to the guy.

  "(We're all ones.)" He sighs. He's still being a downer.

  "(Three...)" I drone, slowly turning towards the opponent in question.

  "(Hurry up!)" He shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth. "(Fucking hell... come on! Go!)"

  He's a three. That means he's killed two more. To make a long story short - there's a huge chance that he's a heartless killer. Killing oneLucario is something that happens sometimes in self-defence, but killing another two after that? That's not normal - unless he's doing something like I am. Which I highly doubt.

  I feel my lips tug into a growl at his next taunt. That's it. This guy's getting it.

  I hold the basketball in one hand - and hold my arm outstretched. A coy grin stretches across my face, and I tilt my hand. The ball seems to fall in slow motion from my hand, distorting time as it nears the ground. Everyone's eyes follow it.

  Thump.

  Time lurches forwards again and slow-motion jerks up to speed as my opponents rush forwards as a wave. All straight for me - head on.

  The first to arrive drops his shoulder like he did previously. His arms fly out in front of him in a form more suited to a rugby-tackle.

  I swat the ball right, and make a swift sidestep to follow it. I phase my body partially to minimise air resistance, and practically glide out of the way. Shock fills his eyes as he hurtles past - but I go one better. As I reach one hand out to meet the ball, I throw my free hand back onto his back - shunting him sideways.

  As I move forwards, I hear his cry of surprise as he hits the floor.

  One down.

  The second charges at me similarly, but a bit slower and he hasn't lowered his body. He watches me - ready to follow my movements.No problem. I slam the ball down at his feet, making a quick step backwards. His eyes fly wide as the ball slams up into his gut painfully, and he doubles over forwards. As his upper body falls, I jump forwards and land on him. My right foot lands on his neck and my left foot lands on his shoulder, and I jump off his back like a springboard. To put on a show - I even throw myself into a forwards flip as he falls flat on his face behind me - kicked down by my jump.

  Two down. I grin over my shoulder as I land, grabbing the ball from the ground behind me.

  As I look up, I notice the third guy is waiting back. Smart boy. I think with a grin, taking note of the sheer shock wrought across his face. I dribble the ball rapidly at my side and run at him, staying very low. At a long distance, I suddenly bring my arm and the ball up high, and I slam it down with epic force. The boy's head flicks back as his eyes try to follow the ball shooting above his head. His head's tilted back so much he doesn't even notice me running at him. Somewhat like the second boy, I leap at this one. I leap right up onto his shoulder as he's busy staring at the ball, and I leapt off from there and grab the ball from the air - kicking him forwards as I push off.

  Three down! I let a manic grin fill my face as I soar through the air in a perfect arc towards the net. "(Three-pointer-slam-du-uughh-)" A sudden strike to my right smacks the breath out of me. My trajectory's thrown off sideways as I fly towards the net, and the ball tumbles from my hands. "(Shit!)"

  My entire right side flares up with a huge pain as I crash into the backboard. I flail my arms but catch nothing. My foot catches on the net as I fall and pitches me forwards.

  Thump.

  I land flat on my face. Literally.

  "(Fuck!)" I roll onto my front and clutch my nose, swearing under my breath. "(fuck, fuck, fuck!)" I wipe my hand away with a grimace. No blood - fortunately. One of the advantages of being a Pokémon. It's quite a chore to damage you. Hurt - easy as anything, but todamage a Pokémon requires another Pokémon.

  As I look up again, I catch a glimmer of gold as Shawna's hair flutters. Her frame launches clear off the ground and right up to her net, and she slams it through.

  "(Yeah, baby!)" She drops from the net and immediately punches the air as she lands. She turns around with a huge smirk, and begins towards me as her aching team lifts themselves to their feet. "(Didn't hurt you too bad, did I?)" She strides across the court and stops in front of me, holding a hand down to me.

  "(I've been hit by girls before - but damn that took the cake.)" I laugh, and I take her hand. She pulls me to my feet as if I weigh nothing and beams at me.

  "(You sure you're okay?)"

  "(I've taken much worse.)" I nod.

  "(The fuck!)"

  "(That was amazing.)" She remembers as she hears her teammate. She glances over her shoulder for a moment, then back to me.

  I see it. They gleam in the overhead light. That thing I couldn't put my eye on. She has two sharp, pointed teeth either side of her front teeth. Like little fangs.

  Aaw, cute.

  "(How'd you do that?)"

  "(I got skills)" I shrug. "(Plus I've had a bit of experience with running... and jumping. Especially jumping...)" I refrain from mentioning "fifty floors out of an apartment building".

  "(What the hell was that?)" Shawna's outraged teammate appears over her shoulder. Doesn't look happy...

  "(Prison rules.)"

  "(Oh, I see.)" He grunts. "(You're a smart ass? You think you can just waltz in here and shove me around?)" He strides forwards - swaggering outrageously. "(You think you're tough?)"

  "(Hell of a lot tougher than you.)" I retort calmly - but I add a cheeky smirk just to piss him off.

  "(You wanna start something?)" I nearly flinch as his arm raises - but it flies to his head. It grabs hold of the front of his cap, and it tears it off.

  Three.

  "(How about that?)" He throws his arms wide with a sneer. "(Huh? Three, bitch!)"

  "(Well I hate to disappoint you -)" I smirk a bit wider, "(But if the number three's really such a huge number to you, I doubt you could count this high.)"

  "(Try me.)"

  It's at that moment I notice everyone staring at me. It's like the whole place has just frozen and I staring at us. Eyes everywhere have fallen on the two of us - drawn by the other guy's shouting. Whispers... whispers filter through the crowd. Shock, surprise, excitement. They think something's about to go down.

  Everyone's staring at me expectantly. Waiting for me to make a move. Back down or take the challenge.

  "(Try to keep up.)" I reach up, grab my beanie, and tear it away.

  It's not like me. It's nothing like me to draw attention - but suddenly I'm determined. Determined I'm not going to let this punk push me around and belittle me. I am the big man - and he's the scrawny little prick.

  The crowd rises in volume for a moment as more shock and awe is shared between its persons. They gasp and fight their way to the front to see me. They stand on chairs to get a look. They stare and gawk and they marvel at me.

  The boy in front of me backs off a little. He remains frozen for a moment before he regains himself. "Huh - what do you use to do that? Costume makeup or Plast-"

  "(You wanna know, asshole?)" I cut him off. "(You wanna know what I use to do that? Motherfucking blood.)"

  My arm phases out slightly as it raises, glowing black around it. A shadowy trail follows it as I swing it out, and land it palm-flat in the boy's gut. The surrounding energy explodes from my palm and throws him across the room. His limbs flail madly as he arcs across the court, and he crashes into the backboard opposite. His flailing body collides with a dull thump, and falls onto the net where it hangs limply off the rim.

  "(And that - is why you don't piss me off.)" I cross my arms and lean back a little. That felt so good...

  Then there's something to bring me back. A familiar golden-haired head appears around the side of my face. Her eyes are wide as she reads my tally, and she stumbles back a little.

  "Whoa..."

  Oh... shit...

  Fear strikes across her face. She turns suddenly - and she runs.

  "Wait up!" I call as she sprints in the opposite direction. "Shawna! Wait! I can explain!"

  The crowd splits apart as she rushes into them - charging away from me. They spread apart even further as I follow her - tugging my beanie back on as I go.

  Shit shit shit! What have I done? She thinks I'm a criminal!

  "Shawna!" I race into the carpark after her. I skid to a stop a few metres out the door and glance around frantically - but she's nowhere to be seen.

  The air chills around me as night descends, and the horizon throws an eerie shadow across me. it rolls like a wave from the distance, and washes across me in an instant. The city is blanketed in dusk.

  My arms fall limp and my breath runs short, and I suddenly find myself panting. I look around hopelessly as a despairing whimper escapes my throat.

  The guards at the door are gone. The carpark is a concrete jungle without a person in sight.

  I thought I had made a friend. I was wrong.

  "Shawna?" I call - one last time. My call rolls emptily across the pavement, and out onto the deserted road. Nothing answers - save my own lonely echo. The lonely, desperate cry of my own voice.

  Suddenly - as the city rests its weary head to sleep. Suddenly - as my warm heart snap-freezes in my chest. Suddenly - as the memory of what it feels like to be happy drifts from my mind... I realise.

  I'm all alone.

*

  Author's notes: This chapter's song is "Somewhere I belong" by Linkin Park. It has that great, soft beat that builds up into this nice, quick techno-ish pace. A sort of lamenting tune, but the beat is sort of following in the background - ready to burst out. It's all spoken thought - it words great for this chapter.

  I'm a fan of Linkin Park, so expect a few references to songs or albums. Also a fan of some Eminem songs. Not a rap fan, but I love how he puts messages across. Plus the titles are great.

  Anywho -Please review or comment. Reviews are like... dope for the writing soul. Good stuff. I love criticism as it gives me something to look at and improve on. I also like to know what kind of people read my stuff - so chances are that if you have a profile I'll probably sift through and maybe R&R something of yours if you spark my interest. And I usually leave huge reviews, too. I often run out of characters... damn limitations.