FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

**********8**********

The battle against Carey and his dark type pokémon left Chris more mentally exhausted than he was prepared for, but with another badge under his belt, he feels all the effort was well worth it. The battle kept playing over and over again in his head. The way Tora and Kaden turned things around in the heat of the moment was nothing short of amazing. To say that he was proud of them would be the understatement of the century. After making a trip to the pokémon center, Chris went out to celebrate their victory, with Alice and her pokémon tagging along. The group went to a little place called Bebe's Bakery on the west-side of the city that has a reputation for making delicious cupcakes and pretzels.

As soon as they stepped inside, the scent of muffins, crescents, cookies, and other baked goods hit their noses and put them in a state of relaxation. "Mmm, this place smells really good," Alice commented, taking a deeper inhale of the delicious smells around them.

"Yeah, I almost want to try everything they have," Chris added.

"Can we?" Tora asked, feeling just hungry enough to consider trying such a feat.

"Do you have 'try everything they have' money?"

"Uh... No?"

"There's your answer then. You can have your pick of one or two things that you want though."

"Does everything on the menu count as one thing and a piece of cake count as another?" Alice asked.

"No, it doesn't," Chris replied. "And I'm starting to think you two want me to go broke. I thought you were my friends."

"We are your friends... Just hungry friends," Aaron said.

"With friends like you guys, I might never get to eat again."

"Maybe, but you'll get a cookie before we leave here today. Come on, let's order something." With that said, the group went up to the counter, both trainers ordering for themselves and whatever their pokémon wanted to eat before finding a booth to seat everyone. "What's this thing, Master Chris?" Nyx asks as she stares at a long, twisted form of baked bread.

"It's a pretzel," Chris replied as he took a bite out of his apple pie.

"Try it, it's good." He held the twisted bread up to the misdreavus. The ghost took a small bite, finding the bread a little tough at first, until she broke through the crust and discovered the softest bread she's ever had in her life.

"Oh... my stars! This is delicious!" She squealed, eagerly taking another bite of the pretzel.

"Hey, slow down. You're going to choke if you keep eating it like that."

"She's not the only one you should be saying that to," Tora commented, watching Kaden nearly devour one of his honey-glazed doughnuts in one bite. Chris turned to the bug, surprised to see the first doughnut already gone.

"Jeez, did you even taste it?"

"Of course. That's how I knew it was good," the heracross answered, licking his claws and mouth clean of the glaze. Chris could only shake his head. He knew that Kaden, being a bug pokémon, loved the taste of honey, but he had no idea the depth at which he did. It almost looked like he craved it.

"They're looking pretty lively," Alice said.

"Of course they are. We just won another badge."

"And we're going to do it again!" Tora yelled, which earned a round of cheers from Chris' other pokémon.

"And the liveliness has been raised. So, I take it we're going to Celedan once we leave here?"

"Yeah, I really want to go to the mall over there. They say the shopping district there is the largest in Kanto and, I know I'm being a total girl here, but... there are some shoes there I really want that are only sold there."

"Oh, you're a girl? I hadn't noticed."

"Shut up," she laughed. "You better be glad I'm enjoying this pie or else I'd jump over this table and sock you one."

"Pssh, like you'd hurt me," Chris said dismissively. "So, anyway, what you're telling me... is that this is a shopping trip for you."

"Not exactly. I mean, there is a gym there. I'm just going to make the best out of it while we're there. Isn't there anything you want to get in Celedan? There's got to be something, right?" Chris shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing I can think of. I'm not really a shopper person."

"Not a shopper person?" Alice couldn't help but raise a brow to his last statement. "We're gonna change that attitude when we get to Celedan."

"You don't have to-"

"If you two don't stop flirting, I'm gonna be sick," Lani commented while making fake gagging noises, which earned a few snickers from the other pokémon. Warmth spread through Chris' face as he let out a nervous cough and rubbed the dragons head.

"None of that is going on, Lani. Why on earth would you say something like that?"

"What'd she say?" Alice asked.

"N-nothing really. She's just, uh... being silly..." The pink dragon giggled and resumed eating her cookie while Chris picked at his dessert.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I don't know; I haven't really decided yet."

"Um, Chris? Can we spend the day together?" Lani asked; a hint of pleading in her voice. Chris looked to the dragon, a bit puzzled by her tone. It was almost as if she were asking after not seeing him in days.

"Sure we can. We can do whatever you want today." He said as he rubbed behind the fins on her head, eliciting a gentle coo from her.

"Oh, can I also join you? I haven't enjoyed the outdoors in a little while," Nyx asked.

"Yeah, that's fine. The more the merrier, right? Is that alright with you, Lani?"

"Oh, Uh... Y-yeah, she can come," the dragon replied hesitantly. She hadn't expected the ghost, or anyone else for that matter, to want to spend the day outside their pokéballs with Chris. She was honestly looking to having some alone-time with him for once. Nevertheless, she didn't want to be rude and deny the ghost' want to be with him.

"Great. It looks like I'm with these two for the day," Chris said, taking another bite of his pie. Thinking about now, he realized that he hasn't spent that much time with Nyx outside of training. Other than her mischievous playfulness, he doesn't know a whole lot about her, despite being on relatively good terms with her. 'I guess this is as good of an opportunity to get more familiar with her,' he thought. "So what are you going to be doing?"

"Don't you remember? I start work at the pokémon center today," Alice said matter-of-factly.

Chris gave her an incredulous look. "You work today? You never told me about that."

"Yes, I did. I told you yesterday that I'd be working here for a couple days when you were leaving to go training again. You were in a rush, so I guess you didn't hear me."

"Oh, my bad."

"Meh; it doesn't matter now. What does matter is that I'll have enough money to buy those shoes I want," she said, grinning as she thought about her desired prize, to which Chris could only chuckle at.

*****8*****

It wasn't long after their conversation ended that everyone finished their baked desserts. Aaron and Tora were the first to leave once the group left the bakery. The psychic already had a place in mind for the two of them to relax the rest of the day. "Where are you taking me, Aaron?" Tora asked.

"I told you; it's a secret," the mew replied, casually flying about above her. "Trust me, you'll love it." The chu let out a half-hearted sigh. He hasn't told her exactly where they were going, only that they were going to a nice spot on his island.

When he told her that they were going to his island, the chu thought about the last time they went there. She had great time being shown around the area, especially tasting the weird-looking berry that was as big as she was. It was that which led to Aaron introducing her to Rei, one of his long-time friends. She thinks the lugia, although a bit too straight-forward with the way he talks sometimes, was a fun pokémon to be around. With all the stories of him and Aaron in their younger days, she couldn't help thinking of the psychic cat being more childish than she originally thought, which was saying quite a lot. Still, it's been a while since they've last seen Rei and she could only imagine how he'll react when she tells him that they were finally a mated couple.

As they continued walking, Tora noticed the ground had been getting steadily steeper and the air was definitely more humid than before. Not only that, but tall bamboo replaced the trees and bushes surrounding the path the two were on. The whole atmosphere of the forest felt so foreign and odd, yet filled her with a sense of wonder. "We're here, babe," Aaron announced.

The rest of the path in front of them was paved with stepping stones, leading up to the porch of a wooden house. "Aaron... What is this?" Tora asked, wondering why such a structure was here in the first place.

"It's my personal bath house."

"What's... H-how did... Why is this here?"

"It took a bit of planning, but I got down and built this little house here next to the hot springs I told you about earlier. I'll admit, it wasn't exactly easy, but I think it turned out well. Come on; I'll show you the inside." The mew flew on ahead.

Tora followed behind, her admiration for the old-fashioned house growing as she got closer. She thought it looked like one of the houses she'd most likely see on the outskirts of FushiaCity. The people who live there still hold on to the old ways, as far back as the days of samurai and ninja, while keeping up with present times. Even as the chu walked passed the two dragonair statues positioned on both sides of the front steps, she felt an urge to act more... disciplined than usual, as if behaving as herself would not be acceptable.

"Oh, I don't have a lot of furniture inside, but it should be comfortable enough," Aaron says as he opens the sliding door and guides the chu inside. Tora almost couldn't believe her eyes. Everything; from the finished hardwood floors, to the decorative artwork on the walls, was perfect.

"It's beautiful," she gasped.

"You did all this yourself?"

"Mostly, but Rae helped out too. Once we finished the roof, there wasn't much he could do as far as inside work, since he's almost as big as the house. And before you ask, yes, he knows how to do this kind of stuff too. He's a lot smarter than his personality would have you believe, but his specialty lies in meteorology and any subject ocean related."

As he was explaining all this, he showed her the entire floor. There were six rooms in total, including the kitchen and bathroom. Each room, despite the lack of furniture, was beautifully decorated. The chu could see how much time and effort he put into building this house the way he wanted. "So, just out of curiosity... Is there running water and electricity?" Tora asked.

"There is, but the explanation on how I did it would be boring. We're here to relax and that's what we're going to do."

Aaron led Tora through the house and out the back door. There, surrounded by small and large stones, she saw her first hot spring, a pool of water with a gentle steam rising from its surface. "This is pretty cool. I never thought I'd ever get to go to a hot spring." She says, excitement bubbling in her stomach, a smile having made it on her face. She felt Aaron's body press on top of her head.

"Then we should do this right," Aaron said, his paws gently massaging her scalp. "There's a process to enjoying something this amazing. If done right; I swear you'll feel as if you were born again."

"Oh, that sounds heavenly... And this doesn't feel too bad either. So, what do we do first to enjoy this amazing experience?"

"First, we take a little shower, we got to get clean before enter the water."

"Why's that?"

"The spring is meant for soaking your troubles away, not bathing. You wouldn't want to sit in someone else's filth, would you?"

"No way," she laughed, picturing little specs of dirt floating in the water.

"Then let's get clean. And afterwards, I'll show you a day you'll never forget." That said, Aaron escorted the chu to the shower area nearby. There were bottles of shampoo on a little shelf right next to the shower head, right under it being a small stool. "Alright, sit on the stool and we can get started." While Tora situated herself on the stool and closed her eyes, Aaron grabbed the shower head and turned the water on. He then sprayed her with warm water from head to tail, making sure to have every inch of her soaked. Once he was satisfied, Aaron turned the water off and turned to the shelf of assorted shampoos. "Do you have a particular scent you want me to use?" he asked.

"Eh... Not really. Use whatever you like." Tora replied. Aaron nodded and grabbed a bottle cherry-scented shampoo. Opening it, he couldn't help but sniff the pleasant aroma within before squeezing the contents on the chu's head and begin the washing process. Tora cooed in delight as his paws worked the soap in her fur. His little paws went everywhere. There wasn't a place on her that went untouched and she made no effort to hide that she enjoyed the attention he gave her rear area, not that he made the effort to hide his enjoyment either. Up and down, side to side; she felt the psychic knead her rear almost obsessively until she was sure his paws and up to his wrists were covered in soapy foam.

She felt him stop and heard the water turn on for a brief moment. "Are you done?" she asked.

"No, just getting more soap," Aaron replied, squeezing soap in his paws. "Gotta get your other side too, you know. It's the side with the most personality."

"Oh, charming." Tora smiled, feeling her mate's paws on her cheeks and a soft kiss grace her lips before he set to work. Just like before, his small paws caressed her body in a way that made her a little weak in the knees.

Aaron had a constant smile on his face, the satisfaction of knowing how he was affecting the chu spurring him on. Not only that, but he wanted to touch her, to make her quiver and squirm with graze of his claw. With every twitch of her tail, unconscious flexing and loosening of her muscles, and every little gasp escaping her mouth, he was learning that much more on how to please her body. Bathing her alone is arousing in itself, but becoming more familiar with her body in the process put him in a partially lustful trance, like he was with her rear.

Once he finally made it down to her lower belly and inner thighs, he nearly lost all control over himself. Hinting behind the scent of cherries and soap was... "Getting a little excited, are we?" Aaron asked, looking up to his mate. Tora smiled.

"Heh, what can I say? You're really good at this," she replied, only slightly embarrassed at having been found out. The chu, when starting to feel the tingle between her legs, thought the shampoo would be powerful enough to mask her arousal. It wasn't that she was desperate to hide it, but didn't think he would find out so soon.

"Well, I do aim to please."

"Then carry on, love. You just might get something out of this by the end of the day."

And continue he did; massaging her toned thighs until they were nice and relaxed. He was very tempted to simply, with her scent wafting in his nostrils, flip the chu on her back and have his way with her, but held himself back. There would be time for that later; that he would make sure of. Still, he couldn't help spending a little extra time down there 'going over his work.' "Okay, I think we've fooled around enough," Aaron chuckled, realizing he was getting carried away, getting a giggle out of Tora.

"What do you mean 'we've' fooled around enough? You're the one who couldn't keep his paws off my thighs and butt." Tora lightly retorted.

"You have such a lovely thighs, though; and that butt... it's so soft and round..."

"Jeez, maybe I should cover up before you try to pounce on me..."

"It'll take more than mere cloth to keep me off of you."

"Heh... Now you're starting to sound like a real sex fiend," she says as she turns to face him. "C'mon, it's my turn to wash you now."

"No, I'm too shy," Aaron replied bashfully as he floated some distance away, his paws covering face. "I don't want you to see me... so indecent..." Tora gave him a funny look.

"The time for being shy ended the moment that thing between your legs went in my mouth. Now get over here."

"Yes dear..." The mew flew back to his mate, facing away from her. "And might I add, such a bold statement."

"Oh, hush." The chu applied the same shampoo on Aaron, starting on his head as well and working her way down. She still marveled at the quality of his fur. The hairs were so fine, yet still gave him enough protection against the elements to go anywhere, not to mention how surprisingly soft it was. It was as if she were washing living plush toy.

Once she finished getting his back, she moved on to his front side. The chu pulled the psychic close so that his back was pressing against her, continuing the wash from behind. From there, he was like putty in her paws. She remembered most of where his weak spots were on his chest and stomach and focused on those areas, earning the occasional quiet sigh and feeling, the more frequent, deep rumblings of his purring. It was a little amusing for her to see the mew being so cute, but for the most part, she felt good for providing such pleasure for him.

To her, washing Aaron's lower half was the most exciting experience. Touching his male parts still seem like forbidden territory to the chu, so her heart raced faster the longer she lingered in that area. Tora fondled and groped his furry sheath and testicles to her heart content, while still keeping the goal of getting the mew clean at the forefront of her mind. Still, she almost let out a giggle when Aaron began pushing against her touch. 'Heh, I feel so naughty,' she thought, carefully rolling his furry testicles in her paws.

Once it became apparent that her teasing/fondling was going a bit far, his tip poking from his sheath, she moved on to his legs and feet. Aaron couldn't say that he wasn't the slightest bit disappointed, but he didn't fret over it, telling himself that this trip is about relaxing. Even so, he still though of a few ways to possibly work that kind of activity in. "Alright, enough fun time for now. It's time to rinse." Aaron used his telekinesis to grab the shower head and turn on the water, rinsing their fur completely free from suds. Tora, more out of instinct than habit, shook the water off, while the mew remained dripping wet. He led her back to the edge of the hot spring, noticing that his mate was getting a little excited along the way.

Tora entered first, cooing slightly as the hot water was already working its magic on her. It was like taking a nice hot bath, only it a bit different. She could feel her muscles slowly loosen up, even the ones she didn't even know were tight. "Feels good?" Aaron asked, lowering himself into the water beside her.

"Mmm hmm..." Tora hummed, closing her eyes and letting her body fully relax. The psychic smiled, scooting a bit closer so that he could lean on her. The chu, in turn, put her arm around him and nuzzled the top of his head, adding a small, affectionate lick. "Thank you," she whispered. "This is really nice."

"Anything for you, love," Aaron replied, returning the affection.

He wished that he could touch her like this more often, more intimately, but he believes that even if it were weeks before they got another chance like this, there would always be a spark between them that would grow into a flame whenever they're alone together. He could say the reason they get so passionate on these little dates is because they're still in the 'honeymoon phase' of their relationship, where everything is pleasant and they're still head-over-heels in love with each other. It was valid point, but it wasn't as if they instantly fell in love with each other at the same time. His love for her has only been fully returned just recently, when she confessed her own love for him and accepted to being his mate. Perhaps it was the intervals between their alone times that made every date feel more exciting than it really was, but he didn't care much for the reason. As long as there was love between them and that they were together, he couldn't care less of how they spent it.

*****8*****

"Master, let's go over there next!" squealed an excited misdreavus as she flew over the heads of the many people beneath her.

"Slow down, Nyx! It isn't going anywhere!" Chris shouted after the ghost. Some of the people he passed by snickered as they watched him trail behind the ghost, but often took a second glance as they noticed the pink dragon hanging on his shoulders. He didn't pay them any mind though, he's been getting those looks all day, his main concern being not to lose track of his seemingly hyper misdreavus.

Currently, the trio is located at the mall. Chris thought it would be a nice place to bond with his pokémon, since there were a couple events going on that seemed like fun to do. What he didn't expect, however, was how excited Nyx was going to get around all the stores inside. As soon as they stepped inside, the bright lights, smell of different foods, the mass of people, the overall atmosphere of the place, seemed to immediately take hold of her. Her sense of wonder and curiosity drove her to visit nearly every store, with Chris having to follow behind her all the way. He was glad that she was happy and all, but some of the stores' managers... weren't too happy with a bubbly ghost appearing out of nowhere, not to mention her accidentally scaring off a few patrons with her antics.

"And you thought this was a good idea," Lani said with a slight chuckle.

"It would've been, if things had gone as planned," Chris replied, slipping passed two people. "But I guess this works too; she really looks to be having fun." He had finally caught up to the ghost, who was hovering just outside a jewelry store.

"You're slowing down on me. You're not tired, are you?" Nyx asked energetically.

"Not exactly... but I we should slow down a bit."

"Slow down? But we've only covered half of the top floor."

"We have all day to look around, so there's no need for us to run around like it's closing in an hour. Let's take our time... and not cause any trouble in the other stores." Nyx seemed to simply float there, thinking over his suggestion.

"Aright, but after we visit this place," she said before darting inside the store. Chris could only sigh as he, once again, followed her into another store.

"You know, this is good practice for when you get a girlfriend," Lani commented. "I hear human girls really like to shop."

"You're just full of jokes today, aren't you?" Chris laughed.

"I just might be."

The jewelry store wasn't, in Chris' opinion, all that and a bag of chips, being in a mall and such, but it was nicely set up for a corner store. There were only two display shelves, a small one in a corner and the long one with a small register on it. A man dressed in a suit was standing behind the register. "Master, aren't these beautiful? They're all so shiny!" Nyx said as she scanned over all the merchandise.

"Yeah, they're really pretty," Chris said. He looked away and caught the eye of the man behind the counter. He didn't look particularly pleased at them being there, or more precisely, at Nyx looking around the merchandise. Given her species, or better yet, her types' reputation, he guessed the latter to be the reason for his gaze.

"Nyx, this is great and all, but there's another place I want to take you."

"Mmhmm..." The ghost nodded absentmindedly, still entranced by the shiny jewels, before she caught herself and readied another response. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Master Chris. I'm... being a real nuisance, aren't I?" The remorse from her actions was clearly heard in her tone. "I didn't mean any disrespect towards you..."

"No, no; it's alright," Chris said, seeing how guilty Nyx felt. "I actually should've expected this from you, this being you first time in a mall."

"Still, it isn't an excuse to disrespect you like I just did. You are my master, after all."

Chris shook his head. "I'm your trainer, not your master. Above anything else, I'm your friend first, alright?"

The ghost nodded, albeit she was a bit hesitant about doing so. Even as playful as she is, she found it in bad taste to treat her superiors with any form of disrespect. When she was living in the manor with the other ghost pokémon, she was looked up to as a leader of sorts. Her second-in-command was a mischievous Gengar, who was somewhat of a bad influence on the younger ghosts, and even her on rare occasions. Still, even he behaved around her, so she should do the same around her trainer/master. "Of course you are, Master Chris. And, once again, I apologize for causing you trouble."

"It's alright," he said as he ran his hand through her hair, bringing a smile back to her face. "Let's get going. I'm sure we've bothered this guy enough."

"Young man," the guy behind the counter called as they made to leave.

"Yes sir?"

"Do you... really talk to your pokémon?"

"Um... yeah."

"And you understand them?"

"Yeah, that's right. Why do you ask?"

"Well... I have a favor to ask of you, if you don't mind." Chris and Lani looked at the man a bit skeptically. The ghost was also looking at him, off in a corner, but hadn't made any noticeable changes in her facial expression. To Lani, the man didn't look like he really wanted them there in the first place and now he was asking for a favor just because he overheard Chris talking with Nyx? That alone made her not want to trust him much, but at the same time, she was curious as to what he wanted.

"What did you have in mind?"

"My pokémon has been acting... Moody lately and I don't know why. I've tried everything to make her happy, but she won't budge. Since you can talk to pokémon, I was hoping that you could help me in solving this matter," he explained.

Chris thought over his request. It didn't seem like too much of a hassle, being a sort of mediator between someone and their pokémon. The only foreseeable problem would be the depth of their problem. Sure, it sounded like an easy fix, but that has yet to be determined. He still has to hear from the other party. "Alright, I'll do it," Chris said, mentally preparing for what's to come.

"Great, thank you." The man took out a pokéball from his pocket and released a small yellow and black pokémon with ruby-red eyes. At first, Chris couldn't tell what the pokémon was due to its back facing him, consequently looking down a massive jaw with really sharp teeth, but he quickly realized that it was a mawile.

The pokémon looked about for a moment before it settled its eyes on its owner. "What? Is it already lunch-time?" she asked disinterestedly, her arms folded across her torso. Already, Chris could tell this could take a bit of time.

"Ruby; I know you've been upset lately, so I've ask this young man here to be a translator of sorts so you can tell me what's been bothering you." The mawile immediately turned around to see who exactly he was talking about. She locked eyes with Chris, mildly surprised at him being only a child, and took only a glance at Lani and Nyx before turning back to her owner.

"I don't wanna talk to him," she huffed. "How's he even going to tell you what I'm saying anyway? There's no way a human could understand what I'm saying anyway."

"I can understand what you're saying loud and clear, Ruby," Chris said, earning a surprised look from the mawile.

"Did you...? You can really..."

"Yes, I can. Would you be willing to talk to me now? You don't have anything to lose and, at the very least, you'll get everything off your chest. So, what do you say?"

The mawile looked between Chris and her owner, contemplating whether or not she should go through with this. She knew nothing about this human her master introduced her to, other than that he's... unusually gifted. Given the circumstance, this might be the opportunity she's been looking for. "Alright, I'm in," she said firmly. "As long as you can really help."

"I'll try my best," Chris replied as he knelt down to her level. "So, how long have you been feeling like this?" He wasn't exactly sure how to start, so he tried something simple he's seen dozens of times on television.

"A while... I think a few months now..."

"Do you know the reason behind it?"

The mawile nodded. "It all started when he started hanging around that... human female he likes so much..." The last part came out with such of malice; enough that Chris wouldn't be surprised if she spat on the floor just now.

"Sir, do you have a girlfriend or anyone like that?" Chris asked the man.

"Well, yes. I've been seeing someone for a while now. Why; did she say something about her?"

"She's horrible," Ruby huffed.

"She doesn't seem to like her," Chris said.

"She never seems to like any of the women I go out with. I knew it was going to be the same with this one, but she seems awfully upset this time around." Chris turned his attention back to Ruby.

"What's the problem this time around?"

The mawile frowned. "She's trying to change him and he keeps letting her walk all over him. He doesn't play with me or do any of the stuff we always do together just because she doesn't like it!"

"I see."

"And even when he does play with me, I know he's only doing it because I'm mad at him and his new... plaything with a bubble chest," she said as she made a motion of groping her own large non-existent breasts, eliciting a giggle out of Lani and Nyx.

A brief smirk crossed Chris's face, but he quickly turned serious. "I take it this sort of thing has happened before, with the other women?"

"Not really... I'll admit that I was... jealous sometimes because they were taking him away from me, but this one is actively trying to break us up and it's pissing me off that he doesn't understand that!"

"Alright, calm down. That's why I'm here. Believe me, I know how you feel. We're going to get through this together, okay?" Chris rubbed her cheek to further illustrate his point and to calm her down, which seemed to work because her face softened some. He could see in her bright red eyes the frustration of her situation, the sadness of feeling alone, the uncertainty the future, and even the fear of losing her friend. She was clearly hurting, and it made him even more determined to resolve this problem. "Your mawile says that your behavior has changed and that you're not bonding like you used to because of your new girlfriend."

"What?" the man exclaimed. "No... I mean, it's true that I act a little differently when around my girlfriend, but who doesn't when they're trying to impress someone?"

Chris frowned. "Sir, whatever it is you're doing around her, it's affecting Ruby in a negative way. She doesn't like your girlfriend and the way she's apparently treating you. I hate to say it, but your new relationship is toxic to the one you have with Ruby."

The man's face showed confusion for the longest time, not completely sure what to make of what Chris said. "Toxic? But... Is it really that bad?"

"Ruby believes so and, personally, I think having someone close to you looking in from outside can give you a good perspective on what's going on around and in your relationship."

The man went quiet, seeming to think on what to do next. Then, his attention turned to Ruby, his beloved friend. Looking at her face, he could see her pain, her pleading eyes calling out for him to return to her side. As the memories of their time together surfaced in his mind, a smile crept on his face. He knelt down and placed his hand on her cheek. "Ruby... I'm sorry I put you through this... again. I must be driving you crazy with all these women."

"You don't know the half of it," Ruby replied as she took hold of his larger hand, smiling up at him as she rubbed her face against it.

"If you feel strongly about it, I'll break things off with Michelle. Honestly, I didn't see us getting that far and I was just... Well, you know..."

"Heh... Its okay, I forgive you. And I'm sorry for being so mad at you, Davy."

"She said-"

"It's alright,. I don't need a translator to know what she said. I sort of... felt it just now... if that makes any sense at all."

Chris smiled. "No, it makes perfect sense."

"What do you say we find the perfect girl for us?"

"I don't really swing that way, but I'll make a little exception this time," the mawile said.

The man, now known as Davy, turned to Chris. "Thank you for your help, young man. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am."

"It's no problem, sir. I'm just glad I could help you two at all," Chris replied. "Although... I didn't mean to mess with your love-life or anything..."

"No, no, it's not your fault. I asked you to do this for me. Beside, Ruby is more important than some chick I wasn't too invested in quite yet. Thank you again, Chris."

"You're welcome, sir." Chris turned and walked out the store, feeling pretty good about how the situation ended. He would've hated himself had he somehow made things worse between the two.

"That turned out well," Lani said as she readjusted herself on Chris' shoulders. "I almost thought she was going to break down and bawl her eyes out."

"Yes, that was a favorable outcome," Nyx added as she twirled about over their heads.

"You should get your own TV show doing that kind of thing. You could be 'The Pokémon Whisperer' and resolve issues between people and their pokémon around the world."

"Yeah, right. I'm not really a TV personality guy," Chris said.

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

"They'll be fine. They seemed like really good friends."

"I think those two will make a cute couple," Nyx giggled.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't notice. It was so obvious that she has a huge crush on that man. I'm sure Lani has noticed this as well, right?"

The pink dragon laughed. "'Yeah, I noticed."

"Wait, wait... How can you two be so sure about that? I didn't notice anything like that."

"Someone can't read between the lines. To answer your question, other than her body language, I poked her mind a bit to rule out any other probable causes of her distress. I was a little surprised to say the least, but... he is pretty attractive for a male human."

"He was kind of cute," Lani added.

"Can we... not talk about how cute you think that guy is?" Chris asked.

"Aww, is someone developing a little jealousy too? Don't worry; you're the only man for me," the dragon cooed as she ran her tail under his chin, causing him to blush a bit.

"I second that statement," Nyx said, rubbing her face against Chris'.

"H-hey, cut it out, girls," Chris said, nervous at the sudden attention he was getting.

"Oh, he's blushing! I would think a male would strut around proudly at having two girls at his beck and call all over him; two girls willing to do An-y-thing for him... anything." Lani sensually whispered the last word in his ear and coupled it with small lick along his neck, causing a shiver to go throughout his body and heat to rise in his face.

Chris, with his flustered mind going haywire, couldn't help the initial impure thoughts that were brought forth, which lingered far longer than he liked, due to the dragon's flirtatious behavior. He forced such thoughts aside for a more... innocent meaning to her words, so as to not feel any more uncomfortable than he already was. 'She couldn't possibly mean... That... right?' Trying to reassure himself of it not to be true proved even harder than he thought, with the dragon giving him a very flirtatious look. The situation was made even stranger with Nyx grinning at him as well... But she was always doing that, so he chalked it up to his mind possibly over-thinking things... for the moment.

Out of his peripheral, he saw a large, colorful sign. Luckily for him, it was advertising a free class on making poffins, exactly what he came here for... and what he needed to take his mind off things. "H-Hey, let's go over there and make some poffins. The sign says that everyone is welcome and we can keep the ones we make."

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Nyx said excitedly, although that was a feeling that was short-lived. "What are poffins, exactly?"

"They're baked treats that are really good if done right. C'mon, I'll show you how good of a baker I am."

"Our trainer; not ashamed to be seen naked in front of females, but the second one so much as bats an eye at him, he clams up tighter than a virgin's pussy." Lani states, which sent Nyx in a giggle fit.

"What are you; a one-liner Linoone?!" Chris exclaimed. "And watch that mouth of yours. It's in the presence of sensitive ears."

"Sensitive ears? Well, I don't... think..." She paused, feeling something around them she couldn't place. She lifted her head so that it was over Chris' and scanned the area, looking for whatever it was that was sending her senses up the wall... which is where she is currently looking.

"Is something wrong?" Chris asked, bringing her back to reality. He wasn't sure if she realized it or not, but she was starting to coil her body around him rather tightly, more specifically, his neck. On impulse, he brought his hand up and rubbed her body to calm her down and to keep from being strangled.

"...No, it's... It's nothing," she said, relaxing her body somewhat and lowering her head to its previous spot, but still on full alert.

"Are you sure? You're... still pretty tense."

"Yeah, yeah. I thought I... heard a pervert..."

"A what?"

"Never mind. Let's get going; that class is going to start soon." Chris, although wanting to make sure the dragon was indeed fine, went on ahead. He hoped that maybe the distraction of all the baking would ease her mind of whatever seems to be bothering her.

*****8*****

"Master Chris, I've noticed something. It seems we have our best times together whenever food is involved," Nyx stated as she circled overhead, Chris falling in behind her with Lani around his shoulders. The young boy made straight for the bed and sat, only waiting for the pink dragon to slither off onto his lap before flopping backwards on his back. Three hours. He spent three hours baking and was pretty tired. That wasn't to say he didn't have a good time. It was the most fun he's had in a while. In his hand was a large bag full of two of nearly every possible kind of poffin imaginable, courtesy of Nyx's insistence.

"Hmm... You may be right. Food is the sure way to someone's heart and the life of a party," Chris replied. He idly rubbed Lani's head, right behind her ear fins, eliciting a low coo from her. "Still, I think we may have gone a bit overboard. What are we really going to do with all of these?"

"We're going to eat them, silly," Lani said as she inched to lie on Chris' chest so he didn't have to reach so far. "I'm sure the others will appreciate all the hard work you put into making these."

"And this has nothing to do with either of you two just wanting to eat more of these?" he asked skeptically, to which both pokémon couldn't help but giggle.

"I would be stretching the truth if I said that was the only reason," Nyx chuckled.

"Well, either way, you two aren't getting another one until everyone else has had one. You've already eaten more than your share."

Both the dragon and ghost let out simultaneous whines. "Aww, don't be like that," Lani pleaded half-heartedly, even going as far as giving him the sad puppy eyes.

"Yes, I thought you loved us!" Nyx cried with the same look.

"I do love you, which is why I'm keeping you from being overloaded with sweets," Chris replied, chuckling at their behavior.

"I'll be your friend," Lani said.

"You're already my friend... And that hasn't worked on me since I was a kid."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Nyx pleaded.

"...You two are too adorable right now."

"Enough to get another poffin?"

"Not that adorable."

"Aww," they both whined again.

Despite their insistence, neither pokémon felt the need to indulge in anymore sweets, or any food for that matter. Their bellies were fit to burst with all that was made by their precious trainer and appreciated all the time spent with him, some more than others. Lani, despite not getting the day she wanted with Chris, really enjoyed herself. The ghost proved to be more of a riot than she initially thought; and she thought she was plenty crazy already. The pink dragon is already looking into ways of furthering their rapidly growing friendship.

On the note of a growing friendship, Lani leaned forward and nuzzled under Chris' chin, resisting the temptation of licking his neck this time. She actually wanted to get him all hot and bothered again, something she's finding increasingly difficult to resist as of late. His reaction earlier was... amusing as well as refreshing. His innocence reminded her of her own in her younger days and she felt an urge to corrupt him a little, tease him for a while. From what the dragon knows about him, she believes that he feels... conflicted, at best, about the possibility of doing such things with pokémon. She won't say that for sure quite yet, not until she actually hears his opinion on the matter, but going off their earlier comments about the man and his mawile, he didn't seem bothered by it at all.

"Maybe one day I could return his kindness to me in other ways...in a 'friends with benefits' kind of way. Being his friend is great an' all, but I kind of want to...to...or maybe not. I might be mixing up feelings right now and I don't get my hopes __up too high, only for it to be crushed later on. Hmm... a girl can dream though..." While the dragon was pondering all this, she wasn't aware that she was currently staring at her trainer.

"You're being awfully affectionate today," Chris remarked, noting that the dragon's tail was lightly rubbing his leg and she was staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Hmm, I noticed the same thing. She has been quite clingy," Nyx added with a small giggle. Lani blinked as she snapped out of her thoughts, her face flush with the heat of embarrassment.

"Oh, sorry," the pink dragon said, ceasing her actions. "I was... just thinking and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing..."

Chris rubbed along her lengthy body. "It's alright, girl. What were you thinking about?"

"I was... thinking about you. I... can't even tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me. It really means a lot to me."

"That's great, but I didn't exactly do everything by myself."

"I know; and I've already thanked Tora earlier. I just haven't gotten to you yet. I just want to repay you somehow."

"I'm happy you feel that way, Lani, but you don't have to repay me or anything. I helped you of my own freewill and knowing that you're safe and happy is enough for me." Chris kissed her nose, getting an immediate surprised reaction out of the dragon.

"Oh, um... that's good...."

"Does anyone else hear that?" Nyx asked, a yawn managing to escape her. "I didn't know this pokémon center played music in our room." Both Chris and Lani lifted their heads and listened to the beautiful melody being played in the room. An overwhelming feeling of drowsiness overcame Chris as he tried to think of where it could be coming from. Lani and Nyx started feeling the same level of drowsiness as well, the former wondering why they were feeling so tired.

The dragon thought it was strange because the melody didn't seem like it was coming from outside and it sounded a bit familiar. "...Shit! Cover your ears!" she shouted urgently, already lunging to cover Chris' head. Neither Nyx nor Chris was able to react fast enough, being too far under the song's spell, and the two soon collapsed where they were. The dragon wasn't too far off either, her eyelids feeling heavier by the second. The gentle melody became louder as she heard the loud, unmistakable bang of a vent crashing on the floor. Coming into view on her right, a vague dark figure casually approached her. "You... Bastard..." she growled before everything faded into darkness.

**********8**********