FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 7: Beast of Burden.

Their lunch finished, Thomas and Mac leave the small cafe. Thomas checks the address on the stub of paper and checks the map. “It's halfway across town!" He sighed, annoyed at it taking even longer before they can head off. “C'mon, lets get there quick, we might be able to salvage today.

The two took the back streets to get to their destination, still not entirely trusting Thomas' new look to keep the mobsters away. But after another hours walk, they finally made it. Mac whistled, eyes wide at the building they encountered. It was less a shop and more a converted warehouse. Several stories high compared to a conventional building, wide as a city block and probably as deep. And to top it off, an old caravan was mounted on the roof at the front above the large weather-worn sign that read: 'Shep's Caravan; Supplies for Trainers on the go!'

“Well," Thomas smiled “No doubt we found the right place." He waved for the still stunned bug pokemon to follow. Of all the things he had seen so far, this was by far the largest and most imposing building Mac had ever laid eyes on. Thomas approached the massive sliding doors. They groaned into motion, opening just slow enough that you couldn't maintain a walking pace going through them, but fast enough that by the time you stopped moving you'd be okay to start stepping through.

For as large as the outside was, the inside had only the occasional support pillar, otherwise it was entirely open save for a small area all the way down the back. From wall to wall the place was packed with just about everything a travelling Trainer would need. But unlike the Travel center which offered essentially the same service, 'Shep's Caravan' had bigger items, and palettes of various things in bulk.

Vans and trucks specially modified for large pokemon were against one wall, some even hoisted up and mounted diagonally along the walls. Boats went down the opposite wall with recesses cut into either the front or back for everything from a Lapras to a Wailmer to slot into as the main method of locomotion. Bags larger than Thomas' new hiking pack and heavier than himself, full of pokemon treats of every variety. And way at the back, a sign indicating an outside stable.

“Welcome!" Came a shout from the back of the large interior. “Welcome to my humble shop!"

“Humble?" Thomas mused quietly to Mac. “This is humble?"

A short man dressed entirely in denim - denim pants, denim shirt, denim jacket, even the boots appeared to be denim - popped out from between two of the food palettes. “Welcome! I'm Shep. If you're looking for a great deal on pokemon training goods, you've come to the right place! Going Hiking eh?" He pointed to the pack Thomas was wearing. “Great pack that, great pack! Shame you didn't come to me first, I'd have done it for half the price!"

Thomas kept a pleasant demeanour, but inside he was cursing himself. 'Just a Grifter.' he thought, looking around. 'A successful grifter though.' He wondered whether this guy could be of any help at all without trying to sell him half the store. “That's right. Headed north. There's a bug trainer in Galbon I want to talk to about this guy." He gestured down to the Venipede still staring in awe at the size of the place.

“Galbon eh?" The salesman's eyes gleamed with possibility. “Well, that's no easy hike. Miles of hot plains and no decent creeks once you get past the empty lake. You're gonna need lots of water." He guided Thomas over to a small trolley. “Aich-Too's portable well. Big tyres for all terrain, rope and pulley system for hard climbs and it can hold over fifty gallons of water!"

“Thanks, but-"

“Hmm, not quite your style eh? That's fine, over here we have the 'Dowser 4D'." Shep dragged Thomas around the sales floor to a row of shelves packed with a strange assortment of gadgets.. “Flip that switch and it'll guide you to the nearest water source." He picked up the item, looking more like a joystick broken off it's base with a TV antenna jutting out the top. The moment Shep pulled the trigger, several lights lit up and it beeped at a horrifying volume. He quickly put it back down. “Right over a water main. Runs the length of the building." He said, still smiling.

“Shep." Thomas said, getting the man to snap out of his usual routine.

“Yes?" It was rare thing, a customer getting a word in.

“Shep," Thomas sighed “I'm not looking for equipment, I'm looking for advice."

Shep's eyes regained their sparkle. “Advice? Well, advice don't come free."

Thomas knew this routine well. “What'll it cost?"

“Straight to the point. I like you." He grinned. “Tell you what, you beat me in a match and I'll answer any question you got."

“You mean… A pokemon battle?" Thomas said, nervously. “I've only been a trainer for-" he checked his watch “about 24 hours. I haven't battled anyone yet."

“And yet you have four pokemon already?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

“They're… They're a friends. He let me borrow them, given how strong the pokemon are out here." Thomas hoped Shep wouldn't pry deeper.

“Okay. I'll keep my evolutions on the sideline for this one. Deal?" He held his hand out.

“Two pokemon each. That's all." Thomas said, realising he promised the Sliggoo she wouldn't have to fight, and this guy seemed the sort to sell Jeremy out for a handful of razzberries.

“Hmmm, okay, deal. But you lose, you clean the Camelrupt out back. She just came back from the interior and she is absolutely caked in red mud." Sheps hand stayed firm as Thomas made his choice.

With a sigh, Thomas shook the salesman's hand. “Deal."

“Fantastic! This way." He made it halfway to a large side door before turning back to face the entrance. “SHEILS!" He shouted. “KEEP AN EYE ON THE SHOP FER ME!" a Kangaskhan responded an affirmative from somewhere inside as Shep guided Thomas out of the warehouse and into a dusty battle ring.

“Okay, so I stand over here, right?" Thomas walked over to a small rectangular bit of dirt marked off in paint.

“That's right, you're there, I'm here. Pokemon must stay on their side before the whistle, and you must summon any further pokemon to your side only. Got it?" Shep's shit-eating grin was evidence enough that Thomas would have a hard time winning this fight, but he wasn't expecting the pokemon that appeared in a flash before him.

“Tauros?" Mac's eyes went wide as he saw his first opponent. It was easily twenty times the size of the poor Venipede.

“All I said was no Evolved forms." Shep grinned, raising his whistle. Thomas had to get his game on if Mac and Deino had any chance. Before he could properly think about a strategy, the piercing call of the whistle rang out across the yard. “Tauros, Take Down!"

“Mac, uh, Defense Curl!" Quick as lightning the Venipede balled up, the change in his grip on the battlefield sending him flying into the side of the warehouse as the Tauros rammed him. To Mac's credit, his ricochet had him flying back towards the stunned Tauros standing at the edge of the ring “Now Rollout!" A whir of green and magenta energy enveloped the bug as he span at phenomenal speed towards the Tauros' head.

The Tauros looked slightly annoyed as Mac bounced up and down on his head, doing as much damage as a beach ball. After the fifth bounce seemed to hit a little hard it grunted, looking to Shep. “Headbutt?" The man suggested, intrigued at the bug pokemon's enthusiasm despite it being incredibly underlevelled. The Tauros did as instructed and launched the Venipede with a solid headbutt.

Initially Thomas was worried, but apparently the Tauros was a good shot, as Mac came splashing down in a nearby pond. He groggily made it to the side and crawled out before giving up. “Nice try Mac, you fought well." Thomas said, pressing the button on the bug pokemon's ball. With Mac zapped back inside for a rest, Thomas pulled out the Deino's ball. He had no idea what level the little fuzzy ball of fury was, so he brought up the pokedex to see what moves the little guy was capable of.

In a flash the Deino was out. “We're in a battle." Thomas explained as the pokemon sniffed around. “Uh, Headbutt?"

Deino locked onto the Tauros as Shep gave his own instructions. “Iron Tail!" The trifurcated tail whipped out, trying to strike the small fluffy pokemon, but he was too fast, maneuvering underneath it's considerably larger opponent before launching upward in a headbutt that connected hard with the Tauros' ribs.

Winded, but not out of the fight, the Tauros responded with another attempted Iron Tail. An entry of possible moves for Deino stood out to Thomas. “Dragon Pulse!" The Deino took a hit from the tail, but being bat out of the way of the Tauros gave him a good line of sight. Opening his mouth, the dragon type roared, a shockwave building into visible light as it tore the air asunder. The blast smashed into the Tauros' side, sending it reeling.

“Back!" Shep shouted, surprised, before pulling out the Tauros' ball and recalling the pokemon. The next ball was an ultraball, and Thomas did not like what that meant. “Bouffalant!" The deceptively fluffy pokemon materialised on the battlefield. Before Thomas could react, Shep shouted “Megahorn!"

“Uh, Uh…" Thomas kept swiping through moves on the pokedex as the Deino did it's best to dodge attacks. “Uh, Body Slam?" Deino looked at him and shook his head. “Shit. Regular Slam?"

Before the little dragon pokemon could strike, Shep shouted “Earthquake!" The resulting stomp of the Bouffalant's hooves knocked both Thomas and the Deino to the ground. Taking advantage of the smaller pokemon's failed footing, he shouted again “Wild Charge!" Over the course of several paces, the pokemon built up speed, it's horns wreathed in electricity as it smashed into the Deino, sending him careening through the air.

Thomas ran to the injured pokemon. “You okay buddy?" Deino nodded, his breathing ragged. “You did a great job. Let's get you to a poke-center." With a press of a button, Deino was away again. Thomas felt bad about the loss, but more so about the state of the two pokemon that just got steamrolled. “I need to get these guys to-"

“Ah, they'll be fine." Shep waved him over. “Once back in their pokeball they'll remain stable until brought back out again. Besides, you owe me a Camelrupt cleaning." He slapped Thomas on the back. “Aww, don't look all down. What was it you wanted to ask me?"

Right then all Thomas wanted to do was punch the man. He sent two vastly more experienced pokemon against a fresh trainer. There was no way Thomas could have won. But Shep was offering to answer his question. Thomas sighed. “So I'm gonna be hiking north, my bag's heavier than I'm used to and it's only got the essentials in it." Shep stopped, to properly face Thomas as he spoke. “I just want to know what wild pokemon around here might be able to help carry this load."

Shep looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. “Pound for Pound, Mudbray's yer best bet. They're all over the place north of Cannab, and while they're small, even one would be able to carry a fair bit of weight for a while. Not to mention their evolution Mudsdale. That thing could pull a cruise liner inland." He led Thomas to a stable around back. “Third stall on the left. You'll need to get her to the shower room, use only hot water. You don't want a cranky Camelrupt." He slapped Thomas on the back again.

“I gotta get to the shops before they close, just call Sheila over when you're done. She'll check to see if you've done a decent enough job." Thomas groaned as Shep thrust a bucket and brush into his hands. “I'm sure you'll be right." And then he left the way they came, whistling to himself.

“There goes the possibility of heading off today." Thomas growled. “Cheating bastard." He was tempted to not go through with the punishment. He got what he wanted, he could just leave the cheat to do the dirty work himself. But Thomas knew he'd regret it if he left. He made a deal, and he was going to stick by it. Shep could be the one dealing with the ethical dilemma of cheating a fresh Trainer.

He walked over to the stall and opened the gate. An annoyed looking pokemon stared back at him for a moment before it realised he wasn't Shep. She sniffed the air, moving closer to Thomas as she tried to figure him out. The name plate above the door read Daphne. “Daphne? Is that your name? Funny, I just met someone in town who-" The Camelrupt grunted, steam blasting from it's nostrils as she dared Thomas to continue. “What I mean to say is I like the name." Daphne stared at him. “Okay, are you gonna come with me for a shower or not?"

The Camelrupt stomped past Thomas towards the shower room, her tail swishing back and forth with each step. The man could smell the earthiness of the mud through her coat as she passed him, but there was another sweeter smell he couldn't place. The two slowly made their way to the concrete box; the most basic utilitarian shower room. It had two shower heads coming from the ceiling with two more handheld hoses attached to the wall.

“Wait a sec." Thomas said, stopping Daphne from entering. She looked a little annoyed, but mostly confused. Thomas quickly ducked inside and spun the taps. The cacophony of grumbling pipes preceded the burst of water from above. Thomas sticking his hand out to test the temperature. He fiddled with the knobs until he felt it was hot enough for the fire-type, his shirt getting doused in the process. “At least I have a spare. Come on in." he motioned for Daphne to enter, so she did. As her head ducked under the hot water she sighed, eyes closing with a smile.

While the Camelrupt got into place, Thomas filled the bucket from the hose. “Okay girl, tell me if I'm doing this wrong, okay?" He wasn't sure what about cleaning a huge pokemon he could do wrong, but knowing his luck, he'd find a way.

Thomas started with Daphne's left side. Her fur was absolutely caked in red dust and mud from the arid lands west of Cannab. He used the hand hose to get close and blast away a lot of the dirt, using his fingers to swirl the shampoo through and the brush to get it out. With one side done, Thomas walked around her front to get to the other side, upping the temperature of the hose as he went. She moaned her approval as he walked past, nudging his waist with her muzzle.

Thomas put the weird behaviour down to her just wanting to say thank you, and started work on her right side. In little time, Thomas had finished both sides including the two volcanoes along her back. While not agitated, they seemed to lay dormant, with hot water occasionally spilling out from them while the shower filled them back up.

On his way back to the hose, this time to decrease the pressure, Daphne nudged him again. “Hey, I'm going as fast as I can." As he bent over to mess with the taps he felt a thick tongue run up the inside of his leg. It was a long, sensual stroke, and it had his body responding quickly. Thomas tried to think of anything else, but as she began giving him a second lick, he knew it was no use. He just had to finish the job and get out of there.

With a deep breath and a commanding look of 'you're not gonna keep doing that', Thomas started work on Daphne's head. He used his fingers rub in the shampoo, massaging it into her scalp as she moaned her gratitude. He focused on getting the dirt and grime out of her bangs, and in the process, was giving her a wonderfully sensual experience. As his fingers worked their way from Daphne's head to her neck, she struck. In a quick motion the Camelrupt stuck her thick tongue out, hitting Thomas's abs before sliding down into his pants. He froze, body shivering from the sensation of her incredibly hot tongue against his privates.

But she wasn't still. Daphne used her tongue to force the man's pants around his thighs, slurping his growing erection into her mouth. “Da- Daphne… what… what are you-" She sucked hard, interrupting him as his member was squeezed by her deliciously hot mouth. Her large tongue slid against the underside of Thomas' shaft as it made its way out to lap at his balls. “F- Fuck me…" Thomas stuttered, her large mouth controlling the situation.

A rumbling moan that sounded almost like an earthquake echoed through the concrete room as the Camelrupt brought Thomas to full mast. She was thinking of what the man would do to her next, or rather what she would orchestrate. Daphne gave Thomas' member one last long suck before releasing his swollen privates to the warm humid air.

He had barely enough time to catch his breath before the Camelrupt turned in place, positioning her rear towards Thomas as she lifted her tail. What awaited the man beneath that thick extremity was the largest, plumpest and wettest pair of lips Thomas had ever seen. They were bestial in appearance, the slit forming more a 'T' than an 'i'. It glistened in the shower mist, beckoning for the man to touch.

How could Thomas refuse? His only concern was that Shep may return early, or Sheila may pop in to check up on him. But with Daphne presenting herself and his own member not going down any time soon, he resigned himself to his fate. “You're lucky the last couple of days have opened my mind." He chuckled, removing his pants entirely as he hefted her tail over one shoulder. “I just hope I'm, uh…" Thomas realised the possible insult at saying 'big enough' so left the sentence hanging as he lined himself up.

Even without touching her, Thomas could feel the heat radiating from her puffy folds. His cock throbbed at the sensation, and he desperately wanted to know what she felt like. He started entering slowly, but when he felt practically no resistance, he picked up the pace. Thomas sank himself to the hilt within Daphne's pussy in seconds, her moan reverberating through the air with such force Thomas felt his bones shudder. But he could barely concentrate on anything because it felt like his cock was on the verge of being boiled.

The heat was intense; not so hot as to warrant an immediate evacuation but hot enough that keeping it still began to sting. So Thomas withdrew. Initially he was just going to withdraw to the tip, but the sensation of the comparatively cool air against his length had him pull all the way out before plunging back in. He'd never felt anything quite like it. A brief thought flashed through his mind as to whether all fire pokemon were hot, and cold pokemon cold. Whether Water pokemon were naturally more lubricated and if Rock pokemon-

His mind was snapped back to reality as Daphne bucked her hips backward, unsatisfied with the man's pace. Thomas responded by bucking as well, slamming his meat into her hole with a slap of their hips. The two both shuddered at the incredible sensation. So Thomas pulled back and thrust again. She looked back at him, eyes half-lidded, begging him to continue. “Yes Ma'am." Thomas smiled mischievously as his rhythm grew faster, his thrusts harder.

A subtle red glow became apparent on the ceiling as the Camerupt's volcanoes became active. Steam and vapour flooded the room, almost to the point where it was hard to breathe but fortunately the vents on the side took out as much of the scalding hot air as possible.

Thomas felt his climax approaching. It wasn't far off, but he had time to get his fiery lover to her own before then. Leaving the tail to rest on his shoulder unaided, Thomas slid a hand down to grope the large puffy lips that surrounded his cock. Even for his hands they were hot to the touch, but the slipperiness of the shampoo helped him caress and massage them without it being too much. To counteract his own impending orgasm, Thomas began pounding away with long, hard strokes; squeezing Daphne's lips with every withdraw.

His rhythm and power drove Daphne over the edge. As soon as he felt her pussy get tight and quiver, Thomas knew he was clear for his own climax. Fortunately her size meant he could continue to pound away with the added bonus of her pussy squeezing him to keep his throbbing cock inside her. A blast of heat against Thomas' face gave him a very observable time limit as a stream of lava began to pour down the Camelrupt's volcano.

The threat of danger and an orgasmic moan from Daphne sealed the deal. Thomas slammed his cock deep inside the pokemon's quivering cunt and released his own hot flow. Her insides had just tipped over from being tingly to causing distress, but he didn't care. Blast after blast of his cum painted Daphne's inner walls, cooling them down ever so slightly and making it bearable to remain inside her to continue the process.

But eventually both eruptions came to an end. Thomas retrieving his reddened member from those glistening lips before grabbing the hose and giving himself a washdown. He offered to give the Camelrupt a wash to clean up his mess, but she responded by flattening her tail against her hole and moving it away from the hose. “Want a souvenir do you?" He chuckled as she nodded contentedly.

Done cleaning both himself and Daphne, Thomas turned the shower and hose off. His clothes were soaked, but he had a spare set. Popping his head outside the shower to see if anyone was around - and relieved the rest of the stable was empty - Thomas grabbed his pack and ruffled through it for the clothes he had bought earlier. He donned them quickly, though not before Daphne could get another sneaky lick of his balls as he bent over.

“Hey," Thomas laughed, jumping to the side before doing up his belt. “Cheeky." Daphne gave him a look of 'I know.' before wandering off back to her stable. “What is it about me specifically-" He muttered to himself, smiling as he struggled to get his socks on while standing “that pokemon interpret as 'Please fuck me'." In a minute or so he had done his shoes up and wandered back into the main warehouse.

“Sheila?" He asked, looking around. A quizzical roar of a reply came from the front of the shop. Thomas made his way over to the register where a Kangaskhan was waiting in front of it near the door. She nodded. “Hey, just finished with Daphne." Sheila sniffed the air and gave him a cocked eyebrow. “I- Shep asked for me to clean…?" She gave him a knowing smile and waved to the door. Thomas blushed, then gasped when she slapped him on the arse as he walked past.

“What is with the pokemon around here?" He sighed once out of earshot of the massive building. “Are they like this everywhere and I'd just not noticed?" Thomas thought it through as he made his way to the pokecenter to get Mac and the Deino fixed up. “Maybe it's just me?"

---

“Is it just me, or are folks gettin' more apathetic these days?" The raticate-faced man asked his partner, walking out of the thirtieth shop that afternoon.

“Nobody respects the old ways." The larger man grumbled, looking up and down the street. The picture he held in his hand was the best drawing the group could manage in such a short timeframe, and it wasn't perfect. But the fact nobody had seen anyone even remotely like the picture was frustrating beyond belief.

“I blame all these cameras." the smaller one gestured to all the security cameras dotting the storefronts. “Between them and folk's phones, we can't be discreet no more. Shame that."

“Shame." They crossed the road to the travel center. Everywhere else was closing and it was their last hope. Once inside they spotted a local chatting to one of the cashiers. Without pause, the larger thug strode up, their conversation abruptly interrupted by the suited man's presence. “We're looking for someone. Stole a bunch of Dragon-types." He held the drawing out for the two to see. “There's a reward for any useful information regarding his whereabouts.

“Reward you say?" Shep grinned, giving the picture a once over. “Hmm… Drop the stubble and cut the mop, this bloke was in my shop this afternoon. Fought me with a Deino. Practice match of course. Offered to clean one of my Camelrupts. How much was that reward?"

The two mobsters grinned. Each taking one of the man's arms they led him out the door. The larger one smiled. “Let's take a walk shall we?"

---

“That Shep. I'm gonna have words with him the next time he's here. Mark my words!" Nurse Joy was fuming. All Thomas did was mention he battled a trainer that tricked him into a match he couldn't win. Joy didn't even have to guess, she just knew. “Preying on new trainers. That man takes advantage of everyone that walks through those doors."

“Yeah, I got that impression. Tried to sell me an electric dowsing rod." He chuckled, watching the screen behind Joy as icons representing a Venipede and Deino were surrounded by a slowly moving green circular outline. “So once that line completes the circle, they're healed?"

“Never been in a Pokecenter before, huh?" Nurse Joy asked, smiling.

“Not officially. Was kicked out of one a few times for busking." He chuckled, though he felt Nurse Joy's gaze fall squarely on him. He turned, holding his hands up defensively “You don't have to worry. My music box was smashed to pieces by an angry Magmortar." He sighed. “Not a critic, just angry that I got in the way of it killing a Hakamo-o." He gulped, realising he'd said too much.

“You what?!" Joy shouted. Thomas quickly looked around the room. The dozen or so people waiting for their pokemon all stopped to stare at him.

“SSssshhhh!" He hissed, leaning a little over the counter. “Look, I shouldn't have said that."

“If there's a pokemon out there killing other pokemon-" She started before being interrupted by Thomas.

“No, no, it's not like that. Is there somewhere we can go to talk? Officer Jenny of the Milra Police Station already knows, and I'm pretty sure she's sent word through their system."

Nurse Joy pointed to a small desk off to one side. It sat between an out of order vending machine and a secure door to the emergency area, while still having a good view of the main desk and door. “Over here." They sat down, Nurse Joy pulling a notepad and pen from her apron. “Okay, from the start."

---

“What do you mean he left!" Shep shouted at Sheila before turning back to the two men with a sheepish smile. “Well, he was here at least." he gulped, trying to think of a way to make the situation better. “He- he said he was going to Galbon. Yes, Galbon. I'm sure it was Galbon. But- but he was worried how late in the day it was."

“And you made him clean your Camelrupt when he was already running late?" The raticate-faced man asked, eyebrow raised.

“Well, I mean, I didn't want to do it, and he wanted information, so I figured-"

“Information." The bigger man said, getting tired of Shep's rambling. “What information?"

“Well, you see, um…" Shep desperately tried to remember what he'd been asked. “Bag! He just bought a new bag. And it was heavy. So he wanted to know what pokemon would be good to carry it. Naturally I told him a Mudbray. I'd have sold him one but-"

“But you don't have a license to sell pokemon." The smaller mobster interjected. Shep pointed at a signed document on the wall detailing how he was allowed to sell pokemon.

The big guy pulled out a small set of half moon glasses and peered at it a few moments before turning back to the nervous shop owner. “That ran out of date a decade ago."

“D-did it now…" Sheila facepalmed from behind the desk. She knew not to get involved, especially as Shep was doing far more damage to himself than the mobsters were.

“Look, Shep, buddy." Sheps eyes went wide as the smaller guy draped an arm over his shoulder, turning him away from the other man. “We need to find this guy. It's been a long day and so far, we ain't found nothin' worthwhile. So unless you can give us more than just 'Galbon'-"

“The Pokecenter!" Shep blurted out. “I- I mean, my pokemon thrashed his two. He'd need to heal 'em up, right?... Before going?... To Galbon?... Tomorrow?..."

“Stop." Both men snapped at the same time causing Shep to turn a fresh shade of white. Then with the smaller of the two flicking a coin to the Kangaskhan, they strode through the doors into the afternoon sun.

---

Thomas had recounted to Nurse Joy the tale starting from him leaving for the Nanab Berry farms and encountering the man in grey through to arriving in Cannab and avoiding being spotted by the mobsters at the bus stop. “I meant to set off for Sidna today, but after hosing down that Camerupt, I've decided to leave it 'till tomorrow."

“If we were any further inland, I'd suggest travelling at night and resting during the day. Less chance of being spotted and it keeps the sun off your back. But it can get pretty cold at night in the mountains on Route 13." She flipped back through her notepad, and jabbed a finger at the words 'little green pokemon'. “Would it be okay to have a look at the little guy? I might be able to help. At the very least I could check to see if he's okay."

Thomas thought about it, and thought about what Darius had said. “I was told to keep it a secret, but… giving it a checkup would probably be a good idea. I certainly don't want to hurt it by accident."

Nurse Joy swiped her card on the door's access panel and it slid open, leading to an operating table. Thomas placed the bag down and unzipped the cool-box. “Smart idea keeping it in there with a hot hike ahead. Good thinking." She proudly pat him on the back. Gently Thomas extracted the small backpack nest, sitting in the middle of it was the large eye'd pokemon, blinking away as it observed it's bright surroundings.

“The scientist's pokedex entry didn't give a name, type or anything. I don't know what it eats, if it eats, or anything like that." Thomas looked down at the little guy and sighed, wishing he knew how to take care of it.

“That is most definitely a new pokemon." Nurse Joy nodded, leaning in closer. “You're doing a good thing taking it to the institute. But they were right. Show no-one." She pulled out a stethoscope and small rubber mallet, tapping the pokemon in various places while listening to it's internals. “It's the weirdest thing. I can't hear a traditional heartbeat, it sounds like rolling waves, or a windy forest. Just a… 'whoosh'ing sound."

The dull chime of an electronic bell sounded, indicating another visitor to the center. Thomas glanced through the glass window of the door and dove for cover behind the table. “Shitshitshitshitshit…" He murmured, trying to think fast. “Those two Rocket Rising guys I keep seeing!" he whisper-shouted to Joy.

To her credit, Nurse Joy didn't so much as flinch she stood up and motioned for him to follow. “Pack your bag and head to the back door." He quickly - but gently - stuffed the smaller pokemon back in the backpack, zipping it up tight before slipping out of the operating room and into the pokecenter's main hallway.

He scurried quickly towards the back door as he heard Nurse Joy greet the men. “Welcome to Cannab Pokecenter. How may I help you?"

“We think this man may have visited here. Recently." He recognised the voice as that of the larger of the two.

“Yes he was here not too long ago."

“But he's not here any more?"

“Excuse me, but who are you?"

“We," the smaller guy spoke “are tracking a Pokemon Thief. He made off with several rare Dragon-types four days ago. If you know of his location, you have to tell us." Thomas' fists balled and his teeth ground as they threatened Nurse Joy.

But two things prevented him from running out there and doing something stupid. The first came in the form of a Chansey, who padded up to him with a pokeball in each hand. Thomas said a silent thanks and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. The second was the unmistakable voice of Officer Jenny as she burst in through the pokecenter doors.

“What's this I hear about a Pokemon thief! In my town?!" both the sound of her feet and that of heavy paws - 'probably her Arcanine' Thomas guessed - thudded across the pokecenter floor. “Both of you need to come to my station to file a report."

“Uh, we…" the smaller one stammered, before laughing nervously.

“A stolen pokemon is no laughing matter."

The Chansey shooed Thomas' towards the back door, the man smiling as he realised the whole thing was a stalling tactic. As Officer Jenny and the Rocket Rising duo discussed the need to make accurate reports Thomas slipped out the back. The chansey pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to him with a wink before closing the door behind her.

Thomas looked the card over. On the blank side was scribbled 'Trust Only Blissey', while on the official side a cursive font stated: 'Miss Blissey's Pokemon Lodging. 13 Fishstick St.' He'd heard of Pokemon lodgings before. Essentially they were for errand pokemon sent between towns without a trainer. With the Rocket Rising thugs spreading out across town, it might be the only place left for him to go. He took a quick glance at the map before setting off in the fading light.

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