FSE

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The woods were quiet, which was to his advantage. He'd had enough people sneaking up on him lately, and the last thing he wanted was another unpleasant surprise to deal with.

Case walked slowly through the woods, eyes darting everywhere, ears as tuned to the environment as possible. His motions were aimless by intention, not trying to get closer to a particular destination in mind and not wanting to stray farther away from it, either. Things were uncertain enough already. At least he was out here; Sion was considerably closer to the belly of the beast right now, and he didn't enjoy the idea of the Sceptile being all on his own in a situation like that, but he had to trust him to do what needed to be done.

"Case, I'm not happy about this...I never wanted to be back to this place again. You know how she feels about us, and I just don't feel comfortable here."

Sion may not have been there, but Case was not alone. His Pokémon were out, flanking him, and making sure that no one got to him without going through them. An Arcanine, a Luxray, and a Glalie, kind of an odd trio but they were quite loyal to him and Case couldn't ask for more.

"Neither do I, but we're not going to stop being harassed unless we take this head-on. I just hope we can get there without too much trouble. Speaking of...any scents, Oxford?"

The Arcanine chuffed and shook his head. "Tons of olds ones that probably wouldn't be good for us to cross, but nothing fresh. I guess they aren't actively searching for us here."

"Good. Maybe a bit of peace."

The Luxray scowled. "No peace. Not while we're here."

"I appreciate the attentiveness, Gerrus, but you don't want to be too tense. You'll be sparking at shadows."

"Hmph. Almost rather would, shadows here might be as much a threat as anything."

"Do you know what she wants, Case?" the Glalie asked in its very strange voice. To Case it had been pretty creepy at first, but now he was more than used to it.

"I'm not sure, Rollick, but it might have something to do with some of my recent interventions on behalf of the other side of my family."

"You mean-"

"Not out loud, they might be listening."

"Right. And she's trying to punish you for it?"

Case shook his head. "Probably not punish me so much as try to get information out of me. She'll be disappointed, but then again, there's not time she's not, because I'm not a piece of shit like she is."

Oxford snorted. "So much for watching our words."

"Offensive is fine. Incriminating isn't."

"Why bother? She already knows about it, doesn't she? Otherwise she wouldn't be coming after you."

"Yes, but she doesn't know what I know about it, and that's the important thing. And we need to get the drop on her if we want to have a chance of dealing with this without having people on our asses for the rest of time."

"We? I hope that's not including us," Gerrus said. "You know we're not setting foot in there, right? She might never let us get out."

"Don't worry, you can stay out here on the grounds. I'll just go with Sion."

"That could be a problem. We're supposed to keep your ass safe." Snickers from the others at Gerrus' remark. Case took it in stride; they hadn't exactly been friendly towards Sion at first, not that anyone could blame them given how things had started out. Sion had won them over over time, though, and now they just made cracks about their relationship, which Case was fine with - after all, they were a bit unorthodox as a pair. He wasn't worried about jealousy - the three had made it clear to him that they had no interest in him that way, and the feeling was mutual. Heck, Case would have found it very uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you two will be all right though? The guards won't give you any trouble?" Rollick asked. "She's probably giving them incentive to go all out on you if they see you..."

"Sion said he could make a deal with the guards an the entrance. After that, we'll be fine...Sion'll take out anyone who actually tries to give us trouble, but most of them should just leave me alone. They'll know it's me, and they don't want to cross me, lest they piss her off."

"Well, if you're sure...I don't know that I trust them, though. I mean, they work for her, they've gotta be shady."

"Eh, I mean, most of them aren't that bad, they're just doing their jobs. It's only a select few that are scum..." Case paused, as he sensed something. "...Sion's close. He'll be with us in a moment."

"I still don't know how you do that," Oxford said with a shake of his head.

"Neither do I, but it's fortunate that he's not someone I'm trying to sneak up on anymore." The Sceptile emerged from the trees as predicted, grinning at the four of them. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important, but I've just facilitated our passage."

"Oh, you got the guards to let us by? Should I ask how you accomplished that?"

"Naturally, I struck a deal with them. However, they swore me to secrecy about it until later, so I'm afraid the revelation is going to have to wait. All I can say is that it will require us to stay fairly close by overnight."

"If you say so." Case shrugged and turned to the others. "All right, guys...we're gonna go take on the monster. You can split up or stick together, just don't let them get you. If they even come close to you, you've got free reign to take them down."

"We'll definitely do that," Gerrus responded with a nod. "They'll learn they don't want to mess with us. You'll come find us tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, so you'd all better be in good shape when I do, otherwise I'll have to have some words with you."

"Same goes for you," Oxford fired back with a grin. "Knock 'em dead, Case."

---

A short while later, Case and Sion were out of the woods and in sight of the expansive manor building sitting on a hill. It was a beacon of memories for the human; he'd grown up in there, spent years within its halls, and it brought back recollections both good and bad. Though, right now, the bad ones were foremost in his mind, thanks to his current mindset.

Sion was unburdened by such thoughts, and so had none of the unease that he had. "Well, it seems we shall be getting what we have been aiming for. Are you ready?"

"Never, Sion, not for this. I've spent so long trying to stay away, the last thing I want is to get closer. But if we don't do it ourselves, eventually they're going to make us come here anyway, so let's just get this over with."

Sion nodded in understanding, but said nothing more as they came out of the woods and into the large yard of the manor. The area was surprisingly empty, no patrols around to bother them, but they could see figures by the residence. The two of them put up an air of confidence, a show that hopefully would dissuade anyone who caught sight of them and wanted to try to put out an alert...then again, Case doubted they would do that, despite their falling out he was still part of the family and the guards wouldn't risk a clash on their turf.

As they got near the doorway, a rather impressively-sized wooden double-door with ornate carvings, they could see two Pokémon standing guard, arms folded and watching them keenly. A Pangoro and a Nidoking, both of them quite imposing...Case remembered when they'd arrived, about a year and a half before he'd bailed, and he had been impressed at the time. The Nidoking was a titan relative to his kind, standing as tall as the Pangoro and with the physical girth to match - and the Pangoro was on the larger side to begin with. They still towered over Case, and he knew that if they didn't want him around they could easily stop him. Sion seemed confident enough that they wouldn't do anything, but he wasn't so sure...

But they remained at their posts as he pushed open the door, making no move to stop him. They did each give him a grin that didn't make him fully comfortable...it was the kind of grin he'd seen before on Pokémon, and he knew what it tended to lead to. If they were risking the wrath of his mother, what they were getting in return was going to have to be VERY appealing.

Shaking his head, he entered the manor with Sion. It opened to a wide foyer, with several hallways leading off in various directions. Though it had been years, his mind immediately snapped back to earlier yeas when he had the run of the manor...he knew exactly where he was going, all he needed to know was where he needed to end up. And he had a pretty good idea of that as well.

He started off in one direction, Sion following behind without question. He could hear the lizard's claws clicking against the hard floor, echoing along with his own footsteps in the open room. Case took a brisk pace as they entered the hallway, his demeanor shifting to one a lot less apprehensive than before now that they were near their destination. His decisive march was a clear signal to anyone around: don't get in the way.

They passed by a couple of people as they wove deeper into the manor. None of them stopped Case, and in fact they moved aside for him. One of them looked like he wanted to do something, but a glance from Case was enough to get him to back off. It was quite a departure for Sion, he'd never seen the human so in control before. Then again, they'd had scant few opportunities for him to take charge in such a way.

Eventually they reached another large door in the middle of the hallway. Case stopped in front of it, casting a look at Sion as the Sceptile caught up. "This is the room where she usually likes to conduct business. You'll see why she prefers it that way when you get inside. She's usually in here when she's got nothing better to do, so I think it's the most likely place for us to find her. You ready?"

"Indeed. Let the confrontation begin!"

Case nodded and pushed open the door, and the two marched in. The room was quite large, mostly long, and raised up at the far end so that anyone over there was looking down on entrants. As Case suspected, at the end of the room, sitting on something that could have been called a throne, was his mother, Patricia. It always gave Case a feeling of revulsion to see her - she was quite overweight, and not in a way that was remotely pleasant-looking. She was dressed in a very ugly green dress, which was stained in multiple places, a sign of ill hygiene that was common for her as of late, at least when she wasn't on business. Her expression as she looked down on the two arrivals was exceptionally unpleasant, the same expression he'd seen on her face too many times when he'd opposed her.

"You! How did you get in here on your own? Where are the guards?"

"They let us by," Case responded tightly. "Why are you disappointed? You've been coming after me for weeks now, I figured this was what you wanted."

"I wanted you here on my terms! Not your own! You were supposed to be captured, not waltzing in here like you own the place!"

"Sorry to disappoint, again. Since I'm here anyway, maybe you can tell me why the hell you're so adamant about trying to capture me."

"You know full well why!" Patricia looked more furious than ever...it had been a long time since he'd seen her this worked up, but not long enough in Case's mind. He was surprised that Sion had remained quiet thus far, but wasn't willing to break eye contact on her to check on him. "You got in my way and you sent them away! Now you're going to tell me where they are!"

"I'm sure it would be much more helpful to all of us if you mentioned who you were referring to," Sion finally spoke, with only a hint of his usual amusement.

"Don't play games with me, lizard! You know who I'm talking about, you were in on it!"

Case scowled. "So Holly and Dad, then. I should've known. Why would we tell you where they are? They don't want anything to do with you, not after all you've put them through. Why can't you just leave them alone?"

"Leave them alone? After the insults, the slanders, the stress and anguish they put me through? They deserve nothing but the severest of punishments, and they're not getting that at all while they're out of my clutches! You of all people should understand me, Case! You're my son, you're supposed to be on my side! As many times as you've betrayed me, you still have a chance to make things right!"

"I have made things right! I got them away from you, so they can be happy and don't have to constantly be looking over their shoulders! The last thing I'd do is turn on them and take that away from them!"

"They don't deserve happiness! If your father wanted to be happy he should have stayed with me! And she should never have been brought into existence in the first place!"

"You speak as if you should have dominion over them," Sion observed. "Are they not their own people, making their own decisions? Perhaps they are simply free spirits-"

"That man took me in marriage! He should be forced to obey me! I can make people pay for not honoring their business arrangements, I should be allowed to do so for something as serious as this! This was a bond that transcends his petty complaints."

"Well, I think the vows also talk about loving and cherishing and such. Perhaps you breached contract first by failing to provide that?"

Patricia glowered viciously at him. "You have no right to make such accusations of me! You don't know me in the slightest!"

"Fair enough, madam, but I'm getting a fairly good impression of you so far. Regardless, we have no intention of providing the information you desire. Perhaps your attention could be thus oriented towards more fruitful pursuits, I'm sure a businesswoman such as yourself has much to do."

"I can do many things at once, and I will do them as I see fit! Now, I demand you tell me where you sent them!"

"Forget it!" Case shouted back. "All that matters is that they're safe, and away from you!"

Now she turned her gaze back on him, the hate and anger in it almost enough to melt steel. "How dare you defy me like this...I've never been so disappointed in you in my life! You resisted me when I told you what he was like, refused to accept me as the one true authority in your life...and now you're actively working against me! It's a travesty! I have to rethink whether you're really worthy of being my heir!"

"Yeah, whatever. Not like I want to take over for you anyway."

"And you! Lizard! How dare you steal from me! Taking something so valuable from my clutches and giving it to the one person who I hate the most in this world! You'll be lucky if I don't have you put to death!"

"A threat I have heard many times, I assure you," Sion chuckled. "But I daresay that pendant belonged to the young lady, and not yourself."

"No! It was pretty and I wanted it, and anything I want can and should be mine! I had to pay a lot of money to that twit Willard Fink to make sure he kept it out of anyone's hands, and you went and spoiled that! You owe me for what it was worth, and that value will keep you in chains for many lifetimes!"

"I'm afraid I haven't that many lifetimes to spare, madam, so I shall simply have to respectfully decline."

"Appalling! This is who you keep company with these days, Case? I thought I raised you better than this!"

"You barely raised me at all," Case shot back with a malevolence that even got her attention. "The only time you cared about me was when you were trying to brainwash me into hating Dad for leaving you after you beat him up one too many times. Otherwise you fobbed me off on your servants, saying you had more important things to do than raise some brat. You think I didn't hear that? I heard lots of things. I know the only reason you never hit me was because you knew being a child abuser would ruin your reputation. I know you were planning to have me shipped away to some boarding house that was supposed to mold me how you wanted...why did you think I ran off in the middle of the night?"

"I was trying to groom you to take over when the time was right! You could have had everything you wanted-"

"You don't even care what I want! You only care about what you want! You wanted a puppet you could control, someone who would never question you! You could have hired any two-bit idiot off the street to do that, but you targeted me because I wasn't bending to you! I don't want your life, and I don't your excuses! I just want you to leave me alone!"

"You...you...argh!" Patricia was clearly losing her composure. She stood up and pointed down at Case, fury marring her face. "You're worthless and hopeless! I will have nothing more to do with you! You're out of my will, Case! You'll have nothing, just like the rest of them! No one opposes me, not even my own son!"

"Seems to me I just did. Don't come after me again." With that, Case turned on his heel, striding away purposefully from her, leaving her fuming voicelessly.

Seeing this, Sion gave a hurried bow. "Farewell, madam...perhaps this will give you something to think about, if you are indeed capable of such a thing." And then he turned around and dashed away, not leaving her time to form a coherent rebuttal. A scream of frustration was the last they heard from her as the exited the room.

Out of sight and earshot, the two of them slowed down, and Case let out a long sigh. "Well, that went as well as we could've hoped, even if that's not saying much. Thanks for being there, Sion. You really got her goat, I kinda enjoyed it, as much as I could while being in that awful place."

"Yes...well, I can certainly understand your hesitation." Sion did not sound like his usual upbeat self. "I've come across some foul individuals in my time, it's inevitable when one lives a life like I do, but I believe that was the most singularly unpleasant person I have ever had the misfortune to cross."

"Yeah, she'll do that to you."

The Sceptile looked at him in near shock. "I'm amazed you can sound so blasé about it! Someone so horrid...that you could stand there and be so openly combative, agitating her to the point where she might do something unpredictable..."

"Don't forget, I lived with her for 12 years. Alone. All those people around, they aren't friends, or allies, they were helping her, not me. I was basically on my own against her, and she tried to do everything in her power to twist me into something like her. They worked for her and they would have turned me in in a moment if they thought it would curry her favor."

"I don't know that I ever appreciated your resilience like I do now. To survive that so long, without any support...a testament to your strength! Any wild Pokémon would commend you for surviving if they knew what it was like!"

"Heh, the fewer who know about it, the better. I'd rather no one have to experience her unpleasantness...unfortunately, she's got the opposite goal, she wants as many people as possible to know her and be beholden to her. She's a real nasty bitch, and she doesn't care who thinks it as long as she has all the power over them."

"Dear goodness...I fear for the world if she succeeded."

"Yeah, same. Thankfully, she doesn't have the means to realize all of her ambitions...won't stop her from trying, though. Come on, let's get out of here, the farther away we are from her the better."

Sion nodded briskly. "Indeed, please, let us make all haste."

---

"I know I said I'd let you, but...are you sure about this?"

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. You'll understand the deal soon enough."

"I sure hope so...I mean, I'm fine with feeling exposed most places, but we're a bit too close to Mom's place for my comfort."

Sion nodded. "Yes, I know, but we shouldn't encounter any difficulties here. They haven't exactly been making a momentous effort to chase us around here, right?"

"I guess not...hey, not so tight, that's gonna hurt!" Case said as he felt the vines pull tight around his wrists. For reasons unbeknownst to him, Sion had ordered him to strip down and submit to bondage out in the middle of the woods. It was strange of him to do so, but Case had given him the go-ahead to take charge like this every now and then, and he didn't really have a compelling reason to rebuff the Sceptile. Thus, he was finding himself bent over a log, lashed to it, arms held, legs forced to spread wide open by a thick stick acting as a spreader bar. It was obvious to Case that he was about to get his ass reamed again, not that he was complaining about that...but the prospect of doing so so close to the threat was definitely a bit daunting.

"Almost done...there." Sion made sure the vines were holding tight. "Perfect...and now one last thing..."

"Last thing? Wha-" Case was cut off when he felt something thick enter his mouth, and soon enough Sion was tying the vines behind his head. Now he was fully gagged, no chance of saying anything.

"Don't worry, it's only a seed, nothing noxious." Sion walked around towards Case's head, admiring his handiwork. "Not a bad look on you, if I do say so myself...a pity it's not going to be me taking advantage." He chuckled a bit at Case's perplexed expression. "I figured you'd wonder about that...no, today someone else gets to be the lucky one...or, I suppose it's the lucky two...ah, and I think they're here now."

Case's eyes widened as he saw two figures emerge from the trees. Nidoking and Pangoro...suddenly their looks earlier made all the sense, of course this had been the way things would go. "Well, well...the lizard came through after all. And here I thought you were just a sweet talker," Nidoking rumbled, a deep bestial voice that Case was surprised by. Patricia very much preferred her Pokémon to be seen and not heard, most of the guards were supposed to be like wild Pokémon, not speaking in a way that could be understood by humans.

"I hold up my end of deals I make, thank you very much," Sion replied, sounding mildly offended. "And I expect for you to reciprocate. If you harm him in any way, you will know my wrath, and it WILL be deadly."

"Settle down," Pangoro responded without concern, his voice also deep but smoother, a contrast to the grating tone of Nidoking. "We don't want to hurt him...after all, we want to make him feel good, hurting him would be...counterproductive."

"See to it. Very well, he's yours." Sion stepped back and sat himself against a tree, and Case found himself totally at the mercy of the two guards. The first to act was the Pangoro, who stepped behind him, Case swearing he was stomping a bit to make himself sound bigger than he was. As if that was necessary, he was big enough already...two large paws slammed down on either side of the log, and he felt a thick cock sliding up against his hole.

"Rrr...feels nice and tight...can take a gang of Rhydon and still feel untouched...this is gonna feel good for me." The Pangoro wedged the very tip of his cock into Case's hole. "Hope you weren't planning on any preparation...then again, doesn't sound like you ever do."

Case couldn't really respond, with his mouth covered like it was. All he could really do was moan out loud as the Pangoro slammed in HARD, burying most of his cock into Case's ass in one thrust. It was BIG, long and thick, the largest thing he'd taken since the Rhydon, in fact even larger than them, though slightly less dry which made it slightly easier on him. The Pangoro seemed to be making it up in force, though, as he pulled back slightly and thrust the rest of himself in, hilting into Case without mercy. "Rrgh, yeah...feels as good as I hoped. Hope you're ready for a ride, bitch, because you're gonna get it whether you are or not."

Case was as ready as he was going to be, simply bracing himself as the Pangoro began thrusting hard. There was no build-up to his pace, he simply started slamming in like he was possessed, his natural strength making sure he hit hard each time. It only took a few thrusts for the pleasure to start racing through Case, even the large size and unaided entry weren't enough to slow things down anymore...his muffled voice gave out only pleasured moans, and his own cock was at full mast, tingles running through it as his prostate was brutally mashed.

"Fuck, just like we thought, Jiko...fucking moaning like a slut already." The Pangoro grunted loud and deep as he felt his cock get squeezed by the human's ass. "Shoulda gotten to him before he left, been waiting too long for this..."

"We'll just have to make up for lost time, Balor," the Nidoking replied with a dark growling laugh. "Show the little bitch what he's been missing...even if he's getting his ass split open more than anyone else here, he'll know what we can give him." Case was getting a good impression already, as Jiko's dick was standing at attention right in front of him...it had to be even bigger than Balor's, and was covered in small spines all the way down its length. He'd be feeling THAT for sure...

But he was feeling Balor right now, and the Pangoro was letting him know it. He was squirming in his bonds, unable to keep fully still as the powerful Pokémon ravaged him, his cock leaking pre freely now as he was pushed to the limit. Each heavy thrust felt like it was splitting him open all over again, but it was such a wonderful stretch, something that made him feel so joyous, he couldn't do anything but sing the praises of Balor in his head, and urge him to go harder and faster.

Balor couldn't read his mind, but he ramped it up anyway as he felt his orgasm coming on. He lifted his body more, putting everything from all his limbs into the fucking he was giving Case. The change in angle led him to directly impact Case's hot button, and he came with a muffled cry, his fluids splashing against the ground forcefully. And still Balor kept at it, slamming wildly into him and extending his orgasm through the constant stimulation in his ass...until he snarled and collided with Case one more time, shooting off a massive wad of bear cum into the human's bowels, flooding him with a heat and weight he'd rarely felt before.

For a good minute, he felt the bear pump his fluids into him, his grip tight on Case right up to the very end. When it was over, he pulled out roughly, letting some of that built-up pressure out and some of his cum leak out from Case's rear. "Lovely...just the kind of sight I like to see in a bitch. Have at him, Jiko."

Once again, Case could feel the Pokémon taking place behind him, this time the big Nidoking whose cock had him wondering what he would be feeling. His wonders were quickly answered when Jiko thrust in fully in one motion, taking advantage of the lubrication left behind by Balor and the stretching Case had already gotten. Hard hips smacked into Case's rear, but he barely noticed, his mind too occupied by the raking of those barbs against his insides. It was a powerful, unprecedented sensation, enough to bring his flagging cock back to life.

"God DAMN...you're right, it's even better than I thought it would be..." Jiko growled as he started it on his own thrusting, a bit slower than Balor but it felt so much more powerful with the scratch of those spines. "He hugs my cock so tightly, even with the barbs...I could get used to this."

Case could have as well, each thrust felt like it was magnified thanks to the sharpness he felt with every movement. Not only was there the pressure of his size, but he could swear he was being made ever more sensitive by each movement as it clawed at him from the inside, and made every touch to his most sensitive spots drastically stronger. If Balor had made him squirm, Jiko made him writhe, almost as if he was trying to break out of his bonds, though that was about the farthest thing from his desires.

Jiko was as relentless in his assault as Balor had been, driving the full mass of his cock in with considerable force and speed. Case would have pushed back if he could, made it even harder than it was, but he could only take what they had to give. He was already nearing his second climax, the spines just so potent that they overrode his exhaustion easily. In fact he was worried he would blow too quickly, and fall limp under the ravages of the Nidoking...he wanted to give Jiro the most he could of himself, so he tried to hold it back as best he could.

His eyes wandered over to Sion, wondering what he was making of this, expecting the lizard to be rather enjoying how much he was liking this...an odd scene greeted his eyes, Sion wasn't looking at him at the moment, he was...talking on Case's cell phone? He seemed to be more listening than talking, but there was no one he could have been calling...Sion seemed to pick up on his curiosity after a moment, and mouthed the word later to him. Whatever it was that was going on, he wasn't going to find out now.

Jiko brought him back rather quickly with a lustful growl. He suddenly picked up the pace, his thrusts getting erratic, a sign he was going to be losing it soon. The sudden uptick in the sensations was once again too much for Case, and he could hold back no longer, spurting a smaller volume than before but feeling no less of the high that come with the climax. Just as before, it was driven to continue by the hot pace of the Nidoking, who wasn't going to let up until he reached that pinnacle himself.

Just when Case thought it was going to make him pass out, Jiko gripped him tight and drove in for the last time, unleashing an even bigger load than he'd received from Balor. The thick cum flooded him even more deeply, making him feel slightly bloated as it seemingly flowed in without end. "Take it all, bitch, feed off of it!" came the snarl from Jiko as he ground his hips into the human, trying to milk himself for all he could and leave as much of it in his target as he could.

It felt like it went on a lot longer than it did, and Case was a bit relieved when it ended. Jiko's last withdrawal gave him one more dose of those wonderful spines, and there was a lot less leaking thanks to his thicker load. He was worn out, but immensely satisfied...but he could see Balor in front of him, and realized that the Pangoro was hard again. Clearly, his time was not over.

"The bitch looks tuckered out...Jiko, why don't you give him a dose of your special sauce?"

"I like the way you think." Case let out a muffled yelp as he was pricked with something in the leg, he could feel something pumping in at the point of entry but had no clue what it was. The question was answered when he felt a rush of blood to his cock, filling it back up and making it throb...no, now his whole body was alight with need, with lust, with a fundamental desperation to take in cock and reach his climax again, overriding any weariness he had.

"That oughta get us one more go each," Jiko snickered behind him. "As long as we're quick about it, anyway."

"And here I was hoping to make it last. Well, maybe we'll just have to see if we can't try to get another go some other time."

Case had no other option than to let them do what they were about to do. He could see Balor descend on him again, and all he could think about was getting that panda cock back in him and abusing his asshole. He'd be sleeping well tonight.

---

When he finally woke back up, it seemed to be the next morning at least. He was worn out and had no small amount of soreness in his rear, but Sion had cleaned him up and set his clothes out next to him. The Sceptile was sitting against a tree, seemingly waiting for him to return to his senses. "And a good morning to you, Case. How do you feel?"

"Sore."

Sion chuckled. "Not a surprise. Those two were really into the idea of having their way with you...you seem to have an aura about you that entices Pokémon and draws their lust. You could exploit that quite effectively if you put your mind to it."

"Not sure that's as good a thing as you make it sound. But it would explain the looks they gave me when we first walked in. I hope selling me out wasn't the first thing that came to your mind, though."

"Well, it came to mind early, but I certainly didn't use that as the first negotiating tool. In truth, I made several overtures to them which were rebuffed, and they eventually became rather insistent about this particular opportunity...I believe that they've been rather interested in you in this way for quite some time."

"They certainly sounded like they wanted more than just a one-time deal..."

"Yes, they did, but that wasn't part of the deal, I assure you. So it'll be entirely your own prerogative if you want a repeat performance."

"Hah...I have to think about that one. They were rough, but they were definitely aiming to make me feel good...I think they knew how to raise their chances." Case shook his head. "But it's probably not going to happen as long as Mom's around. I doubt I'll ever be welcome around here again, and even if I was, I don't know that I'd feel comfortable with being this close. She's probably going to take a kill-on-sight approach at some point."

"Ah...yes...about that..."

Case looked at Sion; the reptile was suddenly looking quite uncertain and avoiding his gaze. "Huh? What's up? Did she try to sneak up on you or something?"

"No...that phone call yesterday that you saw me taking...that was from someone in her employ, wanting to give us some vital news. Case...your mother died yesterday."

It was such an unexpected revelation that he didn't really know how to react. Stunned silence was about all he could manage. "...What? How?"

"A massive heart attack. In all likelihood she was in the midst of suffering it while we were there yesterday...but of course she didn't let on at all that anything was wrong. I can't imagine the stress did her any good..."

"She never did take care of herself." Case shook his head. "Well, damn...hard to believe, but, honestly, I can't say I'm that broken up. It'll probably get her off our asses, Holly and Dad won't have to worry anymore. Cruel as it sounds, I'm happier not having to worry about what she's going to do."

"One can hardly blame you. But there's the small matter of her estate."

"Estate? What does that matter? She said she was taking me out of the will, it's got nothing to do with me."

"I certainly heard her say that as well...but, apparently, she didn't actually get to that before she passed. I suppose she was intending to but the heart attack took her before it happened. Case, you're the ONLY person in the will. She left everything to you."

Case's eyes widened. "You're kidding...what was she thinking? She knew I didn't want to be following in her footsteps...why would she give me all that? She knew I couldn't handle all that! Surely she had someone else she was grooming for a replacement..."

"From what I was told, she believed until just yesterday that you were still going to take her place. I'd go as far as to say that was delusional, but she struck me as the type that would be delusional about something like that. I think she had this fantasy that she really did control everyone, even the people who constantly fought against her."

"Yeah, but jeez..." Case shook his head, still in awe. "So much stuff...she's got businesses, houses, a fortune to deal with...that's not the kind of thing I know that much about, or that I want to know that much about."

"Indeed...it seems unlikely that you'll be able to keep wandering, with such a massive amount of obligations to take care of-"

"Obligations my ass. I never wanted these! I'll figure out a way to deal with them all. The businesses can be sold, so can the estate if people clean them up. I'll send a bunch of the money to Dad and Holly, the people she hired can go elsewhere. I'll only have to stick around as long as it takes me to get everything settled, and believe me, that will still be too long."

"Really? You don't even want a place to go back to for a rest or anything? Even most wild Pokémon have dens."

"Eh. Some place out of the way, where I can relax and sleep inside for a day or two now and then...that's all I need."

'Perhaps, but you currently have much more than that." Sion shook his head grimly. "And it's not going to be simply ignorable, something you can pass off without a thought. It's going to take time, and probably keep you well and truly occupied."

"Yeah, but I'll deal...you seem awfully concerned, Sion. I know this isn't the kind of thing I'm used to, but what do you think is gonna happen?"

"It's not...well, concern isn't the word I'd use. I simply fear that you'll find your life burdened more than you expect...something so unfamiliar to you, you might find it more difficult to free yourself than you think. Sometimes the greatest trap one can fall into is having so much."

Case chuckled. "Sounds like the same reason you don't steal stuff you might want to keep."

"Exactly. I'd hate for someone I love to be so greatly weighed down, it saps the life from you. If things should become bogged down in the details..."

"...Someone you love?"

Sion's eyes widened, and he suddenly looked at Case with a bit of fright. "Ah...y-yes...I did say that, didn't I?"

"Wait, hold on. Did you...mean that? You really...love me?"

The Sceptile swallowed. "Well, I mean...I always hesitate jump to conclusions too quickly...it is a feeling most unfamiliar to me, and I can't be certain I know what it really feels like...but, if this isn't what it feels like, then I can think of no possible way I could know otherwise. It has this...sensation, breathtaking and splendorous, elation conferred by your mere presence, desire fostered by everything you say and do. I don't know when exactly it happened, but I've been feeling it for a while, now..." He laughed a little bit, a quiet and abashed sort of sound. "It's a bit ironic, I suppose. The master thief, having his heart stolen...a nice poetic charm."

"Sion...I..." Case felt like he was in a whirlwind, his emotions tossed about uncertainly Yet, he thought back to previous days...feeling such a sense of comfort, contentment, happiness just with Sion being next to him, a desire to keep him nearby, feeling so soothed by his voice and touch. "I think...maybe I feel the same way...I don't know what love really feels like either, but this is...definitely new and really...really nice...it might be..."

"Case...if you're willing to take me...I'd like to stay by your side." He sat down next to Case, eyes a little wet, as he leaned towards him for an embrace. "Your presence means more to me than anything...I'd give up stealing for good if that's what it took, settle down and leave everything behind..."

"Sion, I can't ask you to do that." Case wrapped his arms aroused the Sceptile, holding him tight. "It's who you are that made me want you so much...I want you to be who you are, we'll live our lives around that. Who cares if our rules aren't like those of the rest of the world? I just want to be by your side, close to who I love. No unnecessary compromises, only what we need from each other."

"You're a wonderful person, Case. Thank you. I don't know how much I can do, but I'll help you deal with all this, however I can."

"All I need is for you to be my support, Sion. We'll figure things out." At the moment, Case didn't want to think about that at all. He'd just found love, and all he wanted was to just enjoy it for a while. What would come would come, and he'd face it when it did...but it wouldn't be alone.