FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The morning light brought with it a cacophony of birdcalls and other pokemon activity outside the cave. Thomas blinked himself awake as the golden light struck the trees outside. Mercifully, his little cave was facing northwest, otherwise the piercing shafts of light would have blinded him as he got his bearings.

Curled under and around him was the massive black-green bulk of Zye, their new serpentine form a sight to behold as they acknowledged the man's consciousness with a nod and gentle strobe of lights from all around it's body. The man blinked again,. Making sure what he was seeing was real before patting the Zygarde on the muzzle. “Mrn'ung" He mumbled, attempting to bring his mouth up to the same speed as his mind. Or was it his mind that was behind? It was too early in the day to tell. He opened his eyes wide, blinking at the morning scene as he considered what about it seemed off. Then he noticed. “Mnah- shit!"

'They left not too long after you lost consciousness.' Zye informed him, the Ship vacant from the landscape. 'Given our situation I did not see it as necessary to disturb your sleep to inform you.'

“Yeah. Yeah…" Thomas nodded, the stark realisation not the best way to wake up, but it was doing a decent job of getting his heart started at the very least. He rubbed his eyes and groaned. “Fah-fucks sake… wadda we do now?"

Zye looked out towards the reef. 'The vessel that approached us last night is very far. We should leave while we are able.'

“Just… wait." Thomas groaned. He stretched - popping some of his spinal joints back in place - before acquiring clothes. “From the sounds of what the guys - the ones last night - what they said…" Thomas was slowly getting his mind into gear, but it wasn't easy. “They have several sonar buoys out there scanning for us. And at least one other ship." Thomas exhaled pitifully as he pulled on his shirt. “We're screwed."

'Do not be defeated yet, Thomas.' Zye chimed in. 'The further away the screaming, the easier it is to be quiet.' Thomas blinked at the pokemon several times, wondering if they were trying to be cryptically unhelpful on purpose or not. 'This 'So-Nar' you mentioned, it listens by screaming, yes?' Thomas nodded. 'Well the screaming stops at the waters surface. Too close and it might be able to see a single pokemon, but far away…'

“Yeah, yeah, it'd be harder for them to sense us further away if we stick to the surface. I know that, it's just…" Thomas rubbed his temples between thumb and forefinger. “We can't send Squishy to swim back to the mainland with Zana and Carmen like we planned. They'd have to avoid the sonar- the screaming - as well as any ships looking for us. It's not..." Thomas sighed. “I'm not putting them in danger like that."

'Then we go together. If we are found out we can fight back.' Zye's solution wasn't a terrible one. Or it wouldn't have been, if Thomas hadn't had a miniature crisis in the last few days realising he knew nothing about most of his pokemon's capabilities. 'You appear unconvinced.'

Thomas exhaled deeply as he tore open a ration from his bag, hoping breakfast would help the thought process. Two pouches and a tube made up the little packet. In one pouch was a hard biscuit-like substance while the other had a chewy brown protein bar. The tube had a substance that claimed to be ultra-hydrating water, but had a consistency closer to gel. 'These poncey fuckstains aren't just rocket goon-thugs that can be frightened off. These guys are serious.' Thomas thought at Zye as he ate.

'All the more reason we should leave immediately.'

'No. Just-' He shook his head, trying to think of the best way to describe it. 'Look, the problem is - always is - whomever goes out there, they're gonna get caught. Probably. Most likely. Chances are. I mean, the sonar-screaming might not be able to track us well - hopefully not at all - at the surface, but there's nothing but water between here and the mainland.' He gulped down the last of the gel and cleared his throat. “Squishy, Dusty, doesn't matter who does the job, they're gonna be exhausted before we make it half-way. And then what?"

Zye continued looking out over the ocean. 'What is your plan?'

Thomas was silent for a moment, the dreaded question sitting there, prodding his mind. “I… I mean we could…" He thought harder. If they stayed, sure, one of the various organisations might come looking for him, but who would know? The First Mate would suppress anything internal about a passenger missing because he was the one letting the Cogmen on board in the first place. And with the timeframe he gave Dr. Colman, it could be a month or more before anyone actively started searching for them, even then they'd probably start in Unova first. Why would they think of checking some random island off the coast of Vandimland? On the other hand, the Cogmen could easily send a second patrol to check the islands more thoroughly whenever they wanted. He'd have no warning - and only this cave - to feasibly hide.

If they made a run for it and tried to make it back to the mainland, there was the possibility they'd be found out by the assortment of ships and tech looking for them; in numbers that could be greatly exceeding his own assumptions. Even then, making it back to the mainland, what then? The first mate of a pleasure cruise seemed to be in the pockets of this group after him, which was only one of many. What safe way could he possibly get out of the country without raising suspicions? The 'Hide Zye via Zana' strategy was bound to fail eventually, he shouldn't be relying on it as heavily as he was. And now with Zye as big as they were, that method would become a whole lot more taxing for the Zoroark.

“We're fucked. No matter which way you look at it." Thomas sighed, his shoulders slumping as he slid down against the cave wall.

'Thomas.' Zye shifted to the man's eye height and stared at him with one glowing hexagon. 'I considered for some time that humanity's impact on this world was a no-win scenario. That it would be best to remove your species from it to give freedom back to it's pokemon.' Thomas' eyes bulged at that. He knew the Zygarde had been considering humanity's impact given previous conversations, but he didn't realise it had gone that far. 'But you - Thomas - changed my mind. This too is not a no-win scenario. You just have yet to see the solution. Give it time.'

Thomas rolled his eyes, staring out the cave entrance to the reef beyond, and the bright orange speck on the horizon beyond that. He blinked, wondering if there were another island further out there, one he didn't notice on the map. He took a few moments, puzzling over what it could be before with wide eyes of realisation, he exclaimed “Another ship!" Zye turned to look out the entrance, and Thomas guided his head to the right angle - difficult given the pokemon's eye was on the wrong side of his head to do so easily - and pointed. “It's gotta be. Right out there. If we get into the shipping lane, they might be able to see us and give us a lift!"

Zye blinked in shock, the man was indeed correct, the vessel could serve as a way to return to the mainland without too much trouble, except it was travelling along the same route as the cruise ship; away from Vandimland. 'How would I be brought on board? News of my sighting would be hard to keep secret.'

Thomas thought for a moment before coming up with the rough outline of a plan. “I could wave them down - maybe get close with Squishy in case they miss me signalling from the island - and if you stay just below us they won't see you with Sonar, and you're pretty darkly coloured, so that'll help too. When we're close enough, you stick yourself to the hull, and when they're not looking over the side, you could come above the water line so it's not as difficult to hold on. Find a spot that can't be seen from above deck, wait till we're close to port and get back below the waterline, and I can figure out somewhere to meet up with you when we're back on solid land! Simple!"

Zye continued to blink as he took the plan in. It was a long shot, but they'd have to admit it stood a greater chance of survival than trying to swim back unaided, or waiting for a rescue that may never come. They nodded in agreement. 'Yes. You are correct, that is preferable to other options. Though what should be done if the boat is populated with those searching for us?'

Thomas froze. He'd not considered it. 'Well… Shit." He thought a moment before shrugging. “We run?" a huff of frustrated air blew across the cave floor as Thomas shook his head. “I mean, we could try to run. I get in Squishy, we do what we did before, find an underwater cave to prepare then creep along the ocean floor to confuse the sonar. Go cave to cave if we can to rest and try to get back to shore that way. Or find another ship. I- I dunno…"

The pokemon's revelation had entirely burst Thomas' bubble, what had been an almost victorious moment where his solution saved everyone, suddenly twisted into yet another way for them to be captured. He knocked his head against the cave wall repeatedly as Zye watched apathy and fear creep over him. 'We will not know if the ship contains friend or foe unless we board it. But whatever we plan to do, we should do so soon. It is not as large as the previous vessel we travelled on, and it approaches fast.'

Thomas looked out of the cave entrance, and Zye was right. It was a much smaller craft, and seemingly faster too. He scrambled for the rangefinder, but the neon orange glare of morning sun off the side of it's hull made it too difficult to tell the vessel's size, other than it being vaguely cargo-ship shaped. “Okay." He sighed, accepting all might not be lost. “Let's get ourselves rescued, eh?"

It took several minutes for them to get organised; Thomas repacking his bag and getting his swimmers on, while Zye took one last look through the caves below the island for a different way out. Unfortunately the assortment of tunnels and passageways that led further than the temple had either collapsed or were far too tight for either pokemon or man to traverse. With both of them ready, Zye led Thomas down to the shore, the changes to their body all the more stark in the bright morning light.

Once at the waters edge, Thomas summoned Squishy in the shallows. It took a moment for the Gyarados to figure out what was happening, but once Thomas acquainted him with the plan, he was good to go. Thomas had chosen the best clothing he owned for emergency ingestion, the boardshorts and rashie being as unobtrusive as possible. He slung the duffel over Squishy's neck and climbed on behind, securing the bag with a couple straps. With a nod to Zye and a pat on the massive blue head, the trio set off towards the shipping lane.

However it wasn't long before Squishy began acting strange. He began shaking his head and blinking a lot. Zye noticed and called out to Thomas. But before they could communicate the strange behaviour appropriately, Squishy flung Thomas off his back into the water along with the bag.

“FUCK!" Thomas spat saltwater out as he cleared his eyes of saltwater. When he opened them he could see Squishy staring at him with malice. But he could tell something was wrong. The pokemon's eyes were pure black, whisps of shadow curling out from under the eyelid. As he lunged forward, ready to strike his trainer, Zye leapt from the water, tackling the gyarados to one side. Thomas was - at first - frozen in shock, stunned at why his friend had so quickly turned on him. But once that moment wore off and he could see Zye and Squishy wrestling in the water, the trainer scrambled for the right pokeball. He slapped the button on the dive ball and Squishy disappeared in a flash of purple and black. It was then Thomas noticed the lights in the water.

“Uh… Zye…" Thomas started, but the Zygarde was beginning to shake their head as well. “Zye, dude, snap out of it!" The Zygarde thrashed in the water, ribbons of light spearing through the darkness below, causing those lights to undulate in response. Another blast of arrow-like lines were fired at the supposed source of Zye and Squishy's discomfort, but even Thomas could tell it was a losing battle. If something could take Zye on in that form, it was not something to be taken lightly. He considered summoning Squishy or Dusty, but they were either exhausted or too easily swayed by whatever was causing the issue. And a non-water type would have considerable difficulty fighting in the middle of the ocean.

But Thomas' consideration of who to bring out to aid them was cut short as a wave of sadness washed over him. 'I am sorry.' Zye managed to whimper as the hexagonal cells making up his body spasmed. 'I hope you will forgive me.' Thomas' eyes went wide at those words, the pokemon's request the last communication the man would get before a whirlwind of green and black was sucked into the Zygarde 'cube' buried in their chest, immediately sinking into the void.

“ZYE!" Thomas screamed as the darkness below quickly swallowed the geometric shape, though the bright yellows and blues remained in the man's abruptly activated aura-vision, showing Thomas where his friend was quickly disappearing to. But the colours were not staying that way for long, as Zye sank the blues and yellows dimmed considerably as the brightness flowed out in a thick ray to encompass the swirling maelstrom of dark colours nearby; red, purple and orange intertwined in angry flashes.

Thomas was thankful on a subconscious level that the deep blue of the ocean below was rendered grey by this strange auric sight, as it allowed him to see the dark tentacles as they fired through the water to strike at him. Though seeing the deep purple strikes was nearly useless as the human was ill equipped to maneuver quickly in the water. But it was enough that he could at least brace. However as the multi-limbed shape continued to lash out, the bright energy emitted by Zye before he dropped into the depths began winding into the whirlwind of malevolent energy, brightening and saturating each colour as it went.

The red became as rich as blood and the purple as light as a belue berry. However the orange barely shifted in tone, staying dark despite the lighter colours muting it like a half moon would break - but not destroy - the shadow of night. Thomas triedt to amplify the change, reaching out to grab a broad tentacle as it bashed him in the chest. But the coilours refused to shift, his concentration too broken to focus properly on the task at hand. The beast attempted to withdraw, pulling Thomas with it. He tried, but whatever this thing was, he just did not have the power to push past it's will.

The man was dragged under the water, stopping nose-to-beak with a very angry face. Then, both their expressions changed to confusion as a muffled ping sounded in the water. Thanks to Thomas' aural implant, the pokedex's voice was reasonably clear despite being submerged. “Malamar, the Overturning Pokémon, Dark-Poison type. Possessing the strongest hypnotic powers of any Pokémon, Malamar can compel others to do anything it wants them to do." Thomas looked from the light of his pokedex - blurry in the salt-water - to the curious gaze of his captor. The pokemon prodded the screen curiously with a spade-shaped tentacle. “Male. The Vandimland variant differs from it's cousins by having poisoned suckers instead of a blade at the end of it's tentacles, and white and orange colourings with glowing blue markings. Warning!-" Thomas could feel his lungs burning as the Malamar kept him trapped below the surface, and almost let out a panicked gasp as the voice took on a more serious tone. “Malamar have a tendency to be very Human-phobic. Approach with Caution."

'Now it tells me.' Thomas thought amidst the rest of his mind screaming about their near-death situation. He tried again to shift the energy colours about, and with the pokemon distracted, he seemed to make a modicum of progress. He knew the orange would be impossible to shift, he could feel it somehow. But the red and purple already had. So reaching into himself, he pulled what he could of the bright blue still circulating inside him and fed that brightness into the purple fog of the tentacle latched to his chest. The action worked well.

Too well.

Thomas looked down as the suckers on his chest pinched through the swimming top to grab at his skin, followed by a burning sensation. 'Dark-Poison' the words echoed around in his head as he looked down to see the brightness of his blue flowing out and into the Malamar's purple, while a dark blue pushed into him, winding through his weakened armour of colours to his core. The sting felt hot, but everything else became cold, became stale. As his oxygen-starved brain screamed for help, Thomas' body refused to answer, arms going limp and eyes closing.

Even when he was pushed above the waves, he barely had enough drive to take the breath he knew internally would literally save his life. He looked down at the orange and white tentacular beast below. Blue dots along it's abdomen shone brightly to contrast the glowing purple eyes. He blinked at the sight, the strange foggy colours having pulled back like a curtain in his mental exhaustion, Thomas unable to see the pokemon's aura as it held him aloft in the middle of the reef's passage.

His mind was barely functioning, his thoughts as free as a man waist deep in concrete; they could be struggled through, but not without effort. He considered Zye's sacrifice, and the changing of colours. Before that sight had been taken from him, Thomas noted the pokemon's mood had felt different than when he'd initially spotted it. There was less hate, and less anger. The rest… Well, Thomas had seen those colours before. If the Pokedex was right about this species' malevolence towards mankind, then he'd be a fool to think it should spare him. But with the colours the way they were, he had no choice but to accept what was no doubt about to happen.

What Thomas expected was something akin to the Grapploct back at the massage parlour. A single tentacle acting as one long phallus. But looking down at the beast forcefully spreading the man's legs, he had no idea which of the various tentacles was 'that' one. With his masseuse it had been the one carefully wrapped around their waist like a belt. But with the Malamar, there was either it's 'hair' or it's 'arms'. Several of the thick but short tentacles atop the pokemon's head reached out to wrap around the man's thighs, pulling him down while the longer ones used their suckers to ensure Thomas' arms weren't going anywhere it didn't want them to.

He was lowered down into the writhing mass of tentacular hair slowly, the Malamar drinking in every torturous moment as Thomas whimpered his pathetic defiance. There was no stopping the inevitable, and soon Thomas felt his pants ripping as the mass of orange rushed to get inside them. Shreds of the material fell away into the cool waters, Thomas' whimpers turning to groans as several of the inquisitive appendages found his rear passage. There was a throaty chuckle from the water below, the Malamar enjoying Thomas' inability to end the indecent act as it continued to sensually torture the human as much as possible.

The Malamar wasn't sure why he was suddenly so ready to copulate with this human. It had initially intended to force his own pokemon to eat him, keeping them under his thrall for just long enough that the man would be properly dead. Over many years he'd watched humans pollute the waters, overfish the ocean and destroy his home for their own pleasure, only to turn around and capture any pokemon that dared try to stand against them. This human was just like the rest, surely they were all the same.

Humiliation. That must be it. With the utter hopelessness of this man's fight against him, he must humiliate the man before he finishes him. If he even needs to. Perhaps the humiliation would be enough? No. No he still had to be dealt with after, but causing him untold embarrassment at being debased by a pokemon for such a lewd act, that would surely cause him a great deal of suffering. To be pumped full of pokemon cum and left floating in the human's shipping lanes to be discovered by other humans… No. No, he had to die. He was a human. He'd trespassed into Malamar territory with his captured pokemon and he needed to pay for that. But he definitely needed to be fucked first. To be shown who was really in control.

Thomas felt first one then two tentacular tips prod and poke his ring before slipping inside, the subtle sting of the saltwater as it gushed into him caused barely a gasp as the poison worked it's magic. It wasn't as though he couldn't move or feel what was around him. He just didn't care. Why bother fighting back, it was far stronger than he was, and it was born for swimming; he was not. His regular baths in the local creek back at Milra were nothing compared with the ocean, the man clearly out of his depth in a very literal sense. To some degree Thomas knew it was the poison affecting his mind and body, driving him to apathy rather than a proper paralysis, but he was finding less and less of himself able to care.

Though while he didn't necessarily care about what was happening, he could certainly feel it. Zye had put their last ounce of energy into upholding the rule they had both agreed on way back in Owlra; not to use that aura-altering power unless in an absolute emergency. Which meant this was a life or death situation. And if he were to live beyond this day, then that would certainly be reason to rejoice. But if he were to die, then being able to have one last hurrah before the end would be better than not. If he were in a better state of mind, he'd probably have something against his potential killer using the last moments of the man's life for self-gratification, but at that moment, it was an insignificant detail.

The Malamar used the two tentacles in Thomas' rear to pry the hole wide enough for a third to slip in, though to say it simply 'slipped in' would be a disservice to the pokemon. It slowly inched into the man, the girth widening in tandem with it's length until Thomas' arse was dragged down to it's base, stretching the opening taut against the rubbery, prehensile phallus. It shifted and twisted inside him, Thomas releasing a lustful moan with every little movement. He could feel the poison fighting his system, his pleasure attempting to override the apathy befalling him as jolts of sensual electricity sparked in his muted nerves down below.

The Malamar was intrigued, was the man actually enjoying his punishment? It thought of how wonderful and different the human felt compared to his own species, let alone other pokemon. Malamar females would store their eggs in a special sac inside their mouth, extracting the male's seed by sucking on their equipped tentacle. Though every Inkay soon learned that not every species reproduces in that manner, with many of them ending up tentacle deep in one pokemon or another while experimenting in their youth.

It was no secret that water types were very wet, and usually quite resilient; with either tough skin or scales to get past on the outside and internal organs tight to deal with intense pressure from living below the water's surface. This human was not only easy to penetrate, but was luxuriously soft once inside. He flexed his tentacle to feel the man squirm around him again, marvelling how the muscles gripped his intruding limb so gently. He could tell Thomas' body was trying hard not to be overwhelmed just from the miniature spasms deep inside. For a brief moment it seemed almost unfair the sheer amount of pleasure the Malamar was getting from this man's body. At least, it was until the pokemon realised his human prisoner really was having just as much fun.

He unwrapped his tentacles from around the man's wrists, smacking Thomas in the chest with the large spade-shaped pads as a way to snap the man out of his sensual trance and realise what was actually being done. But with that moment of freedom, Thomas' fingers gripped one of the shorter tendrils each and used them to pull his body further down onto the pokemon's head.

Both figures groaned at the sensation before the Malamar snapped out of his own stupor to quickly bind the man again. But it was no use, Thomas' grip was like that of a Kingler's claw. So instead he slid those sucker pads up the man's body, wrapping around the side and over the man's shoulder to latch on just below his collarbone. Even though the human had his own hold on the pokemon, there was no way he'd be able to escape that binding.

Feeling the sting of those suckers as they adhered to his chest gave Thomas the burst of adrenaline he needed. Fists closed tight around a tentacle each, pulling himself down in a quick thrust to grind against the base of the tentacle before sliding back. The Malamar was caught off-guard by this move, but relished the notion that the man was so far gone he was willing to pleasure the pokemon himself. With a bit of guidance from the larger tentacles wrapped around Thomas' body, a gentle rhythm was formed.

Thomas' mind was a strange mix of passive indifference and intense sensation. The best he could equate it to was seeing a pair of male houndoom fucking in the park one night. The one on the bottom seemed so overstimulated he was barely capable of moving as the larger one railed him with his massive knotted cock. But afterwards, when the dominant male had tired himself out, the other picked itself up and sauntered off; albeit walking a little bow-legged. With that thought in mind, Thomas knew what he had to do.

The man's burst of energy seemed to come to an end as his motions slowed, the Malamar picking up the slack as he forced Thomas down with longer and more urgent strokes. Thomas in no way ceased his moans however, and was practically calling out to the beast in unintelligible grunts of desire. The pokemon took great delight in halting the man's sensual moans with sudden stillness from his appendages, before turning the volume up by madly thrashing inside him when resuming thrusts. For whatever reason, his own satisfaction had become secondary to this perverse game of 'Fuck-a-man'.

The surface of the water splashed and foamed as the two figures thrashed about, Thomas wailing in sensual bliss while the Malamar beneath him kept the man's head above the waves. The suckers across his chest squeezed and pulled at the skin rhythmically along with the tentacular assault, pushing him closer and closer to his inevitable climax. But the Malamar wasn't done yet. He wanted this human to be tormented by the sexual escapade, to be changed by it. Just as he felt Thomas' body edge towards the point of no return with the man's muscles seizing and breath halting, the pokemon would relax, allowing the opportunity for relief to fully dissipate before returning to the overly-active state he was in before.

The first time this was done, Thomas felt as though hope had abandoned him. He was trying to preserve his strength, to have something left at the end in the hopes he could escape. But if the Malamar kept doing that, his body would be unable to take it. Or perhaps that was the pokemon's plan; to reduce him to a drooling little cum-slut. Thomas steeled his mind, he would not let that happen. He could not. He thought of his crew; Team Drake. They were counting on him. But more than that, Jeremy was counting on him.

The thought of that colourful Hakamo-o filled Thomas with the sense of purpose he'd almost lost. It was almost as though he could feel Jeremy's fire burning in him, feel the absolute need to press on, to see it through. He felt renewed, revitalised, and ready for whatever was to come next.

Thomas continued to play the hapless human, begging and pleading with nonsensical noises as the Malamar thrust his way to another edge before denying the man his desired relief. But Thomas too was playing that game. Every thrust of that thick tendril into his sore arse was met with an increased fervour inside; muscles gripping tighter and milking faster. He subjected the pokemon to every bit of retaliation he could muster while keeping the appearance of a sex-drunk man.

And it was working.

The Malamar's thrusts were gaining in speed and force, the pokemon barely realising he needed to pull back from Thomas' climax and even then unable to keep from the ploughing that ass for too long before getting back to it. Thomas did his best and bide his time; images of Jeremy taking hit after hit against Lorenz without flinching before launching into a flurry of violent action that inevitably took down the Melmetal. Thomas felt his body weather the punishment; the devastating thrusts that made his insides feel like mince meat, the hard tugs of suckers on his chest that seared with every drop of saltwater that splashed onto them, every bit of this Malamar's rage and lust struck him with force but he maintained composure.

Until it stopped. The pokemon groaned as the thick tentacle inside Thomas erupted with warm, slimy pokemon jizz. He could feel it ooze into him, the consistency more like that of syrup than the watery cum of other species. It flowed up and through him, only slightly warmer than the tentacle itself, but soothing him as it seemed to draw out the salt water or at the very least replace it. Thomas moaned, his own release at hand as the warm - almost numbing - sensation spread through his gut. Spurts of milky human seed fired into the water where they were lost amongst the rippling surface.

It didn't take long for the pokemon to pull himself free of Thomas, allowing the man's body to bob to the surface, limbs spread wide. The Malamar panted and groaned, it's milky seed muddying the water as it seeped from Thomas' enlarged hole. Thomas allowed himself to float on his back for a moment, feigning exhaustion as the pokemon stretched and caught it's breath; or whatever water pokemon do in those situations. He allowed his hand to brush against the thigh holster and found the spare dive ball with the knuckle of his thumb. Thomas took a few deep breaths and without waiting for the pokemon to recover, he grabbed it by the head and smashed the pokeball into its face.

The tentacular fiend was suitably shocked as the ball clocked him square on the beak, disappearing in a strobe of red While Thomas quickly summoned Squishy. If his plan worked, fantastic. If not, he'd need the support. The Gyarados blinked in confusion as the ball in Thomas' hand pinged several times before clicking. “Fuck…" Thomas breathed a sigh of relief hearing the successful capture. He had no idea what would happen come opening that up again, though He'd make sure to have several of his friends ready to lay the smackdown should it try something similar. And at that time, they'd be prepared. And preferably on land.

Squishy's confusion turned to horror as he remembered what had transpired before being balled. Before his pleas for forgiveness could be vocalised, his trainer silenced him. “Hey, hey. It's okay. We're alive… barely, but alive." Thomas took several long breaths, calming himself as he pat the ashamed Gyarados on it's side. Then he realised what had happened before. “OH SHIT!" He whipped around, coming face to giant face with the startled Gyarados. “Shit! Zye!" Thomas pointed to the dark water below. “He- he just kinda, sank. Shit! Shitshitshit…" Taking a quick breath, Thomas grabbed Squishy by the whiskers and gave the pokemon an order. “You need to find them. You need to dive down and find them." He let go of the pokemon to hold his hands out in a rough approximation of size “Weird metal-stone shape, about this big. It's basically Zye's pokeball. Made of this stuff." Thomas gestured to the bracers before glancing up at the horizon, the ship not more than a mile off. “Quick, before the boat comes."

Squishy dove down with a splash - Thomas realising if the plume of water ejected from the maneuvre didn't get he ship's attention, not much would - and proceeded to head straight for the ocean floor. Meanwhile Thomas tried to spot his duffel bag. Unable to, and with time running out, he summoned Griff into the water with him.

The naturally airborne pokemon immediately proved rather inept at swimming, Thomas having to scramble over to save the Noivern from drowning. <What… why?> He whistled, stumped as to why Thomas would choose to bring him out without so much as a stick to keep him buoyant. The man had hold of him around the waist, and was paddling extra hard to keep them both above the surface.

“Look, things haven't gone to plan, I need you to find the bag." Thomas grunted before grabbing Griff by the feet and hefting the pokemon into the air. Griff - despite his confusion - quickly located the bag nearby, floating just high enough in the water that he could balance atop it precariously. It wasn't far, so Thomas started swimming. He could tell from the position of the islands that they had been caught in a relatively slow current, and he hoped it wasn't too much greater in the waters below or Zye could be lost for some time.

Thomas explained the previous night's happenings to Griff as he waited for Squishy to return, and the boat to draw nearer. But as it closed in, he got nervous. The paintwork down the side was not what he expected. It was a strange pattern of blue and grey, mottled in horizontal streaks, and very hard to look at. Thomas quickly unzipped one of the bags pouches and withdrew the rangefinder. He wasn't sure how waterproof it was, so tried his best to keep it above the surface and splash free. Fortunately the bag seemed just about water tight - or at least that particular compartment had been - so he held high hopes for the rest of his stuff not being too waterlogged.

He scanned the prow of the ship, and was a little proud of his initial assessment. It was indeed a cargo ship of sorts, though sitting very low. The deck itself was only twenty feet or so above the waterline, and it was maybe thrice that in width. Cargo containers could just barely be made out on the deck, covered in tarpaulin and chains. When a man walked into view, Thomas' eyes went wide. He grabbed Griff and hauled the pokemon off the bag and into the water. “Shit!" He panicked through gritted teeth. The Noivern was staring at him from his sudden de-throning. “They've got guns!"

The panic went from 'going to drown' to 'going to get shot', which in this situation meant Griff's attempts to scramble back onto the duffel bag quickly changed to staying as far behind it as possible. He looked to Thomas, his wings having a hard time moving through the water as he tried to smack his own ball's button and be taken away from the situation. But Thomas brushed him off. “No." he whispered sternly. “I'm gonna need you if we're gonna get on that ship."

<You want to get us ONTO that ship?!> Griff whistled in astonishment.

Thomas fumbled with the bracer on his right arm, attempting to get the latch undone. Finally something clicked and he pulled out the end of the metal cable by a small but sturdy ring. He then unwound the length of it, coiling it in his hands until the other end pulled tight on the larger ring at his wrist. “Right, I hope it's long enough." Griff looked from the cable, to Thomas and back again. “I need you to fly up the side and attach it somewhere. We won't have long, so I'll get Squishy to distract them." He put a hand on Griff's shoulder, rubbing the new leather vest comfortingly. “You can do this. I know you can."

The boat was approaching fast, so fast he began to worry the Gyarados wouldn't get back in time. He was relieved when the big blue and beige face emerged just beside them, Zye's 'ball' firmly wedged in their jaws. Thomas took it and quickly stowed it along with the rangefinder in the duffel. He managed to get a fair bit of his stuff wet in the process, but if that was a price he had to pay for survival, so be it.

The boat was close enough to hear the waves crashing in its wake. “Squishy, I need you to make a distraction. Go to that side," He said, pointing to the ship's starboard “and.. I dunno. Jump out of the water, get their attention. Just for long enough for Griff to get me on deck." Squishy looked the soaked flyer up and down with a contemptuous eye, but nodded in agreement and quickly swam off. A few seconds later Thomas could see the glistening blue plates of his strange friend somersaulting through the air, causing a commotion on deck. “Go!" Thomas flung Griff into the air again, tossing him the cable. Then as the ship approached, he slid the duffel bag over his back as securely as possible, and waited.

Griff flew low over the water before pulling sharply up the side of the ship and landing on the empty deck. He had only a few seconds before the cable would be yanked from his grip as the boat sped past, and searched frantically for a place to hook it. Spotting an empty life-preserver holder, Griff quickly looped the cable through it before it pulled taught with a creak. He looked at the connection with one eye closed, but it held firm. A loud splash from the other side combined with shouts of “That's not how you throw it, gimme!" reminded Griff of the presence of armed men on board, forcing him to take cover under one of the tarps nearby.

The boat roared past Thomas, and as he watched Griff glide up and over the deck, he could feel a strange kind of suction at his feet. Before he knew it he was being dragged under and along the rough, rusty hull of the ship. He felt the sting of saltwater in his blood as several rashes developed from the metallic assault, but after a few seconds he was rolled right back up to the side to be pulled forcefully by one arm through the ship's roiling wake.

The duffel bag felt as though it would tear his arms off as his body spun and twirled through the water, but with a strength he didn't know he had, Thomas managed to get his bracer into a position where each rotation would wind the cable around it. It took several waterlogged seconds before he was far enough out of the water that he could get his feet against the hull. With the bag hanging heavy on his shoulders and the saltwater stinging his eyes, Thomas focused solely on getting up on deck. Occasionally he'd spot the telltale blue scales of Squishy darting underneath him to see if he'd made it up on deck yet before hearing the splash of his friend distracting the crew on the other side of the boat.

It felt like an eternity, but Thomas finally clamped his shaking fingers around the guard-rail at the top and took a deep breath. Looking down he saw Squishy pass back under the hull and with a smile used his free hand to zap the pokemon back into its ball. A few hushed clicks caught the trainer's attention as he spied Griff huddled under a tarp. With the last of his strength Thomas hauled himself over the edge and onto the deck. Realising he wasn't out of the woods yet, he crouch-ran over to the hiding place and gave Griff a hug.

The noivern pointed a shaky claw at the still-hooked chain and Thomas flicked the cable at it. After several attempts - and more noise than he'd have liked - Thomas succeeded in unhooking the ring and quickly wound it up, clicking it back in place. But realising their hiding spot was only good from a distance, Thomas looked around for a better solution. However, hearing someone approaching, he panicked, and settled for the container they were propped against.

He carefully lifted the large latch and swung the door open just enough to enter. There was hardly any space inside, with waist-high crates crammed together in a single layer all the way to the back. He pushed Griff in, then followed behind, closing the metal door as gently as possible behind him. The latch was something he couldn't close from the inside, but with the careful application of a very wet sock, he was able to jam the door closed for the time being. In the damp darkness, Thomas could hear Griff's breath a few feet away, crawling across the top of the crates to wrap his arms around the man. “Thank you buddy. You did great!" He chuckled, hugging Griff back.

The pokemon smiled, enjoying their relieved embrace. The two used their body heat to warm up while Thomas got his bearings. He pulled out the flashlight from his pack and twisted it's shell to activate the lantern mode. There were several pinpricks of light and a soft glow around the mostly-closed door, but he couldn't see like Griff could, and needed the help. Once lit, Thomas surveyed the space they were holed up in. Multiple boxes marked 'Mixed Apricorns' filled the bottom third of the space, apparently the labels along each surface marked 'Fragile' meant they couldn't be double stacked: much to Thomas' relief.

With that, Thomas settled in as he thought about what to do. He gave Griff one final hug before withdrawing him, hoping the sound wouldn't alert anyone. He hated to do it, but the alarm on the pokeball would be much louder, and would definitely give away their location. He thought about whether it would be beneficial to summon someone else, but the options were limited. Jeremy was really the only one of them that would fit in the small space comfortably, with everyone else either too large or too exhausted, and despite their recent fun, he still had yet to talk to his lover about everything that had happened.

Since their separation on Route 13 the two had held secrets from each other. Not by choice - to some degree - but there was rarely a time they could rest to open up properly. Thomas had hoped with the cruise taking a week or so to get to Unova that he'd have plenty of time to get Jeremy to himself for a while and talk. About everything. About what happened to Roger Mills: the Rocket Goon with the Scyther and Dodrio. About the Wooloobell fight. About Zana, Griff and everyone else in the crew he'd been sleeping with. And Zye; they definitely needed to talk about Zye.

He rubbed a thumb over the pokeball on his wrist, his want to speak to his lover burning him from the inside out. They needed to talk, and although he really didn't want to do it locked in a shipping container on a boat full of armed men, the need to get it all off his chest was too great. He listened through the slight gap made by the sock in the door, and timed it so the semi-regular patrol would be far enough away not to hear the telltale sound of a pokeball activating. Fortunately it was a bright midday sun bearing down on the ship outside, so the light shouldn't be noticeable.

Thomas held his breath as the glowing form of his lover burst into being atop one of the crates. Jeremy - taking a moment to look around - finally saw his trainer and leapt into the man's arms. The two embraced for what felt like forever, feeling the heat of their breaths on their necks, and the beat of their hearts in their chests. “I always feel safe when I'm with you." Thomas whispered with a sigh. “It doesn't matter that we're locked in a container on a ship run by armed thugs. I'm safe."

It took a few moments for that nugget of information to properly land in Jeremy's brain. When it did, his breath faltered and his body tensed. <Locked up?> Thomas nodded. <Armed thugs?> his voice got a little louder, so Thomas pressed a finger to his lips. <Armed thugs…?>

“I mean, to be fair," Thomas said, flushing red “we don't technically know that they're thugs." Jeremy rolled his eyes, prompting Thomas to recount the events of the last twenty-odd hours. Jeremy nodded here and there, growing progressively more concerned at the mention of Zye's change, the appearance of the Malamar and Thomas' observation of the ship's crew.

<So…> Jeremy took a deep breath, before attempting to sum up their predicament <We're on a boat controlled by… someone, hiding in a shipping container full of something-> he looked down to double check the box's contents <apricorns, okay. On our way to… somewhere which we'll reach… sometime?> Thomas nodded. Jeremy blinked. <And we didn't head back to the mainland because?...>

“Because apparently my snap judgements suck." Thomas grumbled. He let out a sigh, realising the position he put them in wasn't as grand as he initially thought; armed thugs aside. “Look, wherever they're going is away from the Cogsmen, and that's a win." Jeremy looked at the man with a cocked eyebrow. “Fine. It was a terrible decision and I've put everyone in danger. I tried doing the right thing, got raped by a Malamar, half the gang are out-of-action, and I only had a matter of minutes to decide whether an armed boat of people who weren't looking for us was preferable to several armed boats that were."

<Sorry, I->

“No. Just… don't."

The two sat in silence for a while, each hoping the other would speak first. In the end neither had to as two crewmates walked past the container's entrance, talking. Thomas missed the start of the conversation, but as soon as Jeremy looked at him with wide eyes and held a finger up for silence, he began paying attention.

“-point in searching. Like, we expectin' ta see him just hangin' out on a fuckin' rowboat?"

“Don't be a dumbass. They don't do rowboats on ships like the Dianne. He'd be on a jetski."

“Wouldn't matter. If he were on a boat, he'd be back on shore, surely."

“Sure, shirley."

“Shaddahp." Thomas heard the thump of one guy being punched.

“Fuck you." there was a chuckle behind the retort. “Cap'n just wants us to look over the side now an' again."

“Yeah yeah, if it gets 'er off our backs. What'd this guy do anyway?"

“Dunno. Carl said somethin' 'bout pissing off Rocket?"

“Who hasn't…"

The voices trailed off further down the ship, and Thomas let out the breath he'd been holding in. “Well fuck." He turned to Jeremy and sighed. “I know, I know. It's my fault."

<Thomas, stop. I'm sorry.> Jeremy leaned over and gave his trainer a hug, whispering in his ear. <I know you're doing your best. I… I forget that sometimes.>

Thomas hugged back, shaking his head as he held his lover close. “I… I…" He swallowed heavily, both from nerves and to help keep the tears down. “It may be my best, but… I don't know what I'm doing, Jeremy. I really don't." The floodgates opened, and it was all Thomas could do to not audibly sob in the confined space. “I'm trying, I really am, but these things… they keep happening." Jeremy hugged Thomas all the tighter at his confession, stroking down the man's back as he let his lover shed stress-filled tears. “It just… It's just…"

<Deep breaths.> Jeremy whispered soothingly, trying to calm Thomas both in comfort and to keep the noise down. <Deep breaths, as you said, we're safe.> He kissed Thomas on the cheek before flexing his muscles to squeeze the man gently. <I know what toll others expectations can have. The last month has been hard for both of us.>

Thomas pulled back so he could look into Jeremy's eyes. There was love and understanding in those crimson eyes, and Thomas' heart melted as he stared into them. He nodded, taking several deep breaths before trying to speak again. “So much has happened. We… we need to talk. We've needed to talk for a while and… we haven't. I… I haven't..."

Jeremy nodded, there had been a lot over the last month, and while he'd been able to air some of it at Jessa's place, there was so much more they needed to cover. And as they seemed more capable of understanding each other - despite being in a terrible location for doing so - it seemed there in the container was as good a time as any to go over things. <Okay. So… If we're going from the top, I should probably go first.> Thomas nodded, thanking Arceus for Jeremy giving him a little bit of time to compose himself. <What I said back at Styx's place was mostly true.>

“Styx?" Thomas asked, a little confused.

<It's what the Rillaboom's first trainer called him.> The look of recognition that he was talking about the newest addition to Jessa's roster signalled to Jeremy that Thomas was on the same page. <Remember what I told the others, about it being an accident?> The man nodded, his nerves finally calmed. <Well that's not exactly how it happened.> Thomas' eyes went wide as Jeremy recounted the nights events in what detail he could. How the Dodrio and Scyther willingly went against the 'rules' regarding pokemon hierarchy to serve their trainer. He admitted he killed the Dodrio on purpose, because if he didn't, he had no idea what they would do to Carmen, Cav, Mac, Dusty or even Thomas himself. Human or not, if they were willing to deviate from the hierarchy, there's no telling how far they would go.

Thomas listened as Jeremy spilled his thoughts and feelings, occasionally taking the pokemon's hand to squeeze it comfortingly. After describing that scene and how hurt he felt when Thomas handed him his ball, he then described what transpired after that; following him, sneaking into the camp at night to talk to Zye, and then rescuing him from the flood the next morning. Thomas swept Jeremy up in a passionate embrace, realising he'd never truly thanked the Hakamo-o for that. Jeremy gave it a minute or two before continuing, enjoying the contact with his lover and cursing the fact they were stuck in a container in hostile company and couldn't risk being found out over a bit of sexual release.

When Jeremy got back to his tale, he cleared up the situation regarding Titan's former trainer, and how he'd been shot at and almost killed. But again, he admitted that the attack causing the explosion was entirely intentional, making him a murderer several times over by that point. He considered telling Thomas of the blasting putty and the bounty-hunting ditto's cuffs, but he had no idea what had become of those two, perhaps the DItto managed to stay focused long enough, perhaps not. Without knowing the result, he didn't feel Thomas needed to be burdened with the news. There was already a lifetimes worth of secrets he was keeping from the man from his time prior to meeting Parker Simons. 'Baby steps.' The Hakamo-o thought to himself.

Jeremy avoided Thomas' gaze for a while, the man allowing his lover time to process the admittance before getting Jeremy's attention. “I'm not happy it came to that," Jeremy's heart sank as he nodded in understanding at Thomas' disappointment “but you did what you thought you had to." He squeezed the hakamo's hand, smiling weakly. “I don't expect you to kill for me, and I would never ask you to. You… you just wanted to keep us safe. And I… I can't thank you enough."

It was Jeremy's turn to pull Thomas into a hug, overjoyed at his partner's acceptance. It was clear Thomas wasn't happy with the events, but in so few words, Thomas' forgiveness allowed all the pent up stress and worry to pour out of the pokemon. They held each other for some time, quietly weeping into each other's arms as a month's worth of emotion bubbled to the surface.

It was close to sunset - judging by the light leaking in through the thin gap in the door - when they finally released each other. Thomas' gut had begun growling, having skipped lunch in all the commotion. He pulled an ration pack from the bag and a pack of Jeremy's chosen treats. Before the Hakamo-o could take them from him, Thomas looked over the wrapper. It showed a blue cartoon machamp head winking with a smile next to a stylised Coba berry. The blue treats seemed directed towards Fighting types, and while the small text on the back was too hard to read in the dim light, Thomas could make out the words 'super-effective' and 'flying' as they were written in bold.

He realised the flashlight was probably going to be a problem once the sun had set, so after opening his pouches and lining them up in his lap, he gave Jeremy a comforting smile before turning it off. They sat in silence for a few minutes, quietly demolishing their dinner before Thomas pushed the wrappers to the side and snuggled up against Jeremy. Once the Hakamo-o had finished his own treats, he nestled his muzzle against the man's neck and sighed. <Do you regret leaving your home?>

The question seemingly came out of nowhere, but Thomas kept his composure. “Yes and no." He admitted, placing a hand on Jeremy's thigh. “Do I miss the calm? Miss not being hunted? Of course." Jeremy could hear the smile in the mans voice as he continued “But I wouldn't give up having you by my side." He turned just enough to plant a pecked kiss on Jeremy's muzzle. “Not sure if a shipping container is a step up from the shed though…"

Jeremy had to stifle a laugh. <You've traded up from dirt to wood, can't be too bad.>

“I guess we'll find out come morning. Let's get some rest."

<Weeeell…> Jeremy grinned <Maybe, maybe not.>

“Oh, and why's that?"

<You snore.> Jeremy had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing.

“I- I do not." Thomas said defensively. But he too had to refrain from laughing. “Is it bad?"

<Normally? No.> Jeremy pat his lover on the head. <Probably a bit much for here though.> He gestured to the steel walls around them.

Thomas breathed deep then sighed. “Damn. Guess we'll have to stay up." The two hugged a little, just happy to keep each other close before Thomas realised he'd not spoken to Jeremy about his own issues. He slouched a little, causing Jeremy to squeeze him comfortingly. “Thanks, I… I need to get some stuff off my chest too. And if we're gonna be up all night, I might as well do it now."

Jeremy nodded in understanding, holding Thomas tight as the trainer released his own stressful story. He started with Zana. With how they had met, going into more detail than what he was allowed in the back of Dash's delivery truck. He described how she'd tricked him up to a point, but the sex was consensual. How he honestly loved the way both of them treated him and how he was so glad they were able to come to an agreement. But he further explained how he felt he'd somehow done his relationship with Jeremy harm in the process.

Thomas had seen the look in Jeremy's eyes when Zana spoke about having her own bracer, not to mention his reaction to Carmen learning to talk right after their own understanding had reached that pinnacle. He brought this up and after several minutes of reassurance, Jeremy admitted his feelings on the matter. <I know I was there at the start for you, and I know how much you're willing to sacrifice for me. I just… Sometimes it just feels…>

“Jeremy." Despite being pitch black, Thomas managed to find Jeremy's face in his cupped hands, and rested his nose against the pokemon's muzzle as he spoke. “You are everything to me. Carmen may talk, and Zana may lay claim to me; as much as you do at least." He gently kissed Jeremy on the nose. “But it's you who I will always come back to. It's you who lives here." He took one of the pokemon's claws and held it to his chest. “I love our little bunch of misfits, with all my heart. But not the same way I love you."

Jeremy's claw slid up the man's chest and neck to the back of his head. Then he forcefully pulled Thomas towards him, thrusting his eager tongue past the man's lips as they shared a kiss fuelled by desperate longing and passionate love. Thomas could barely contain himself. His hands struggled to find a purpose, simultaneously pulling Jeremy towards him and pushing the pokemon away. He moaned until Jeremy's tongue pushed down his throat to silence him before coming up to tease his mouth once more.

When they eventually pulled apart, Thomas took a deep breath and sighed. “There's more…"

<It can wait.> Thomas could feel Jeremy's muzzle nod against his cheek. <For now, let's just rest.> The two lay upon the wooden crates staring off into the darkness as they tried not to sleep. Every time Thomas felt himself slipping off, Jeremy was there to prod him awake. When both of them began losing consciousness, Thomas pulled a jacket from the bag and covered their heads with it, pulling the pokedex up underneath it to show Jeremy the Malamar's details and explain the encounter he'd barely escaped from. This of course led to the man having to describe what happened and getting Jeremy to promise not to kill the cephalopod when it's brought back out at another time.

Explaining everything seemed to wake the two up enough to prevent dozing off for a while longer, so the two returned to just holding each other for a few more hours. By the time they were both struggling to remain awake, sunlight began creeping in through the small gap of the doorway. Thomas yawned, and retrieved more snacks for Jeremy as he flicked the flashlight back on, the light outside bright enough to warrant it's use. He pulled out a potion bottle to dig deeper for the blue treats when Jeremy facepalmed. <Was Zana one of the crew that is 'out of action'?> Thomas - oblivious to the revelation - nodded in confusion. Jeremy picked up the purple spray bottle and swished the contents around.

Thomas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hating himself for the now obvious stupidity. He listened carefully for the patrol passing by and when he thought the coast was clear, he pressed her button. The telltale silhouette of a Zoroark appeared in a flash of white next to Jeremy, who very quickly moved in front of her and placed a claw across her lips in a 'shush' motion. “What's going on?" She asked blearily, trying to keep the volume down while also working through the extensive headache of trying to keep a galloping Surfsdale unseen and unheard by an entire cruise-liner for several minutes.

<We've stowed away on some sort of cargo ship. But the crew have guns, so we gotta be quiet.> Thomas held the potion bottle up for Zana to see, and gestured towards using it on her. She sighed, but nodded, raising her arms so he could get a good coverage. While puffs of healing mist sprayed against her body, Jeremy continued. <Thomas has been up for the whole day, and has had a bit of a run in with one of the locals.> Zana looked Thomas over with a cocked eyebrow. <yes, what you're thinking, but the bad kind.> Her look of curious amusement turned to concerned anger.

“I caught him to stop him being a problem." Thomas whispered “But it cost us." He emptied the bottle with a final couple of sprays then retrieved Zye's 'cube'. “Zye's gone into some sort of hibernation or something. He… they used up a lot of their energy to save me. If Squishy hadn't found it…" he turned the iridescent object around, the light playing across its surface the same way it did across his bracers.

<Thomas needs sleep, but...>

“The snoring?" Zana sighed, smiling with as playful a look as she could muster.

Thomas just looked at the two of them sarcastically. “It's not that bad."

“Mmmmm…" Zana stretched, wrapping her arms around Thomas' shoulders in a mock hug. “Tell that to my eardrums sweetie."

“It's not that bad…" Thomas whispered in her ear, causing the Zoroark to shiver.

“Well, have a lie down then." She pat a hard wooden cross-beam running diagonally across the top of the crate she was seated on. “Wait." She grabbed the lamp-like flashlight and brought it closer to inspect the surface. “What is in… Apricorns?" She looked to Thomas and Jeremy confusedly.

<They're a type of fruit. Not surprised you haven't heard of them, they're native to Johto.>

Thomas hadn't considered that. Which only served to raise some questions in his sleep deprived mind. “So why are they leaving Vandimland? Shouldn't they be an import?" Jeremy and Zana shared the same puzzled look Thomas had before they all came to the same conclusion. “I think I have a tool for this in the bag."

Thomas dug through the duffel and retrieved a folding camping spade, the tip of which was sharp enough to wedge under the lid of the crate, and utilising Jeremy's strength might be able to be pried up. Zana used her newfound burst of energy - thanks to the healing potion - to drown out the sound to anyone nearby as with several hard tugs Jeremy managed to get the lid loose enough to slip his claws in and pull up. What they found inside was hundreds of apricorns, each set in a cube-like cardboard holder with an attached serial number. “Mmmm, with protection like that, these must be valuable. And if food is valuable, it's probably because it's tasty." Zana moaned as she reached in for one of the red fruits.

Thomas could tell Jeremy wanted to say something, but held back, keeping a smile hidden enough that the Zoroark couldn't see it. Zana bit down on the fruit with a creak. The hard outer skin dented in several spots with her teeth-marks, but was otherwise undamaged. She restrained an outburst, though whether it was in pain or anger Thomas couldn't tell. She was about to throw the apricorn against the side of the container when Thomas caught her wrist and pulled the fruit from her grasp. Jeremy offered her one of the spicy treats she'd picked out in Wooloobell and contained his amusement.

But Thomas was curious about the fruit. He'd read about Apricorns in school many years before though he'd never held one in his hands. He turned it over in the dim light, inspecting it. When he moved it around so the stem was in the palm of his hand, he felt it press down. Before Thomas could react to this strange occurrence - for a fruit - a beam of light cracked through the container, ending in a small blob right between Jeremy and Zana. As everyone's eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, a small, bound pokemon lay still on the lid of the opened crate. It looked up between the two pokemon to Thomas, it's dazed expression indicative of some sort of paralysis.

“L-L…" Thomas snapped out of it as soon as the pokemon tried to speak, and was desperately searching through his bag for the bottle of paralyze heal he knew he had. He yanked the yellow spray bottle clear of the bag, tore off the safety cover and doused the little pokemon in it's mist. Emptying it in record time, all he could do was wait and see if it worked. Seconds ticked by as the pokemon blinked, barely stirring until Jeremy realised it's limbs were still bound with a sticky strand of sorts. He sliced his sharpened armour plates along the strange bindings, releasing the pokemon.

It looked to Zana and Jeremy, then to Thomas. Blinking, it gulped nervously. Thomas snatched one of Zana's treats - forgetting it's spiciness - and held it out for the little guy to eat. Before the other two pokemon could intervene, the little purple and beige pokemon's eyes went wide, flame sprouting from it's back; the container suddenly filled with intense heat and light. A second later, the temperature returned to normal, though Thomas, Jeremy and Zana's expressions retained their shock.

“Lavaahhh…"

:link1749625: