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The hot water cascaded down Emily's exhausted body, steam rising thick around her as she leaned against the tiled wall of the small shower stall. Her muscles ached in ways she hadn't felt in a long time, not since her trip through the victory road leading to the Indigo Plateau, when every waking moment was dedicated to pushing her body and her Pokémon to their absolute limits. But this was different. This was the kind of deep, bone-weary soreness that came from manual labor, from hours of hauling and lifting and scrubbing and bending in ways her body had forgotten it could bend.

She let out a long, slow breath, watching the water swirl around the drain beneath her feet. Her sides throbbed with a persistent dull ache where Daisy's powerful forelimbs had squeezed her during that embarrassing incident days ago that still mortified if not slightly aroused her at this point. The bruising had finally faded from deep purple to a sickly yellow-green, but the tenderness remained a constant reminder of just how strong the Flygon's embrace could be when she was popping her quark.

Her fingers traced lazily along her ribs, probing the tender spots, before drifting lower down her inner thigh to her shaved groin. She pressed gently against the folds of her sex, wincing slightly at the lingering sensitivity. Everything felt tender to the touch in ways that made her simultaneously flush with the memory of what happened and wince at mild discomfort it had brought her all week. Noivern had been... thorough. Overwhelmingly thorough. And while the memories of that night sent pleasant shivers down her spine despite the heat of the shower, her body was paying the price for his attentiveness.

"You're poking at yourself again~" Gardevoir hummed softly, her melodic voice carrying that teasing lilt that hadn't left her tone since the prior weekend. Slim arms wrapped around Emily's waist from behind, the Pokémon's body pressing warm and soft against her back. Gardevoir's skin was always so smooth, so impossibly silky compared to any human Emily had ever been with. “Drifting into memories, are we Master?~”

"J-Just checking..." Emily murmured, letting her head fall back against Gardevoir's shoulder. "Making sure everything's still... functional… still can’t believe she's just as tender as yesterday."

Gardevoir's laugh was a gentle, more a vibration against Emily's back than an actual sound. Her fingers replaced Emily's own, tracing along the outer folds with a feather-light touch that made Emily's breath catch. "Mmm. I can understand why you're concerned. Noivern does have a bad tendency to overdo it." Those clever fingers pressed slightly deeper, and Emily felt the first stirrings of arousal despite her soreness. "He's so attentive to me, you know. So thorough. I can only imagine how he treated you that night..."

"G-Gardevoir… c-come on, I-I have work to do today…" her voice trailed off with a soft whimper as the gentle circles continued.

"I remember how he made me scream~" she continued, her voice dropping to that sultry whisper. "That textured tongue of his, all those little ridges rubbing against every sensitive spot, reaching places I didn't even know could feel that way..." _Her fingers slid between Emily's folds, and the trainer gasped, hands flattening against the shower wall. _"Did he make you scream, Emily? Did he make you beg?"

Emily's knees threatened to buckle. "Y-You know he did~" she managed, her voice ragged.

Giggling softly, Gardevoir's fingers found Emily's entrance, circling it slowly, teasingly. "Can you even remember how many times you popped? One… after another, no rest in between? No wonder you're tender." She pressed a single digit inside, drawing a soft hiss from her trainer. _"Oh!" _Gardevoir paused immediately, her free hand coming up to rest soothingly on Emily's hip. "I-I’m sorry, it is still sore inside?"

Emily nodded, letting her forehead rest against the cool tile of the shower wall. "I-It's not bad... Just... tender. Everything's still really tender.."

"Yes well… while the texture on his tongue is wonderful, it’s a weapon for sure if he’s being overzealous with it." Gardevoir said, pressing a gentle kiss to Emily's shoulder blade. "He doesn't mean to. All those little ridges are wonderful when you're in the heat of the moment, but afterward..." She withdrew her finger slowly, carefully not to cause her anymore discomfort. "I’m sorry again, I thought things would have been better by now."

“Heheh it’s alright, can’t be too upset with you being a bit eager… I’ll let you know when everything is better, then you can enact your revenge… just give me a little more time if you don’t mind.” Smiling Emily leaned back against her.

Gardevoir's hands shifted to Emily's hips, turning her gently until they were face to face. The Pokémon's red eyes were soft with affection, her green cap darkened by the water and plastered against her pale skin. "You've been working yourself too hard." Gardevoir said plainly, reaching up to brush wet hair from Emily's face. "I can see it in the way you move, the way you flinch when you think no one's watching. That hugging incident with Daisy did more damage than you're admitting."

"I-I'm fine, honestly my cooch is the worst thing right now..."

"You're stubborn." She smiles gently. "You always have been. Even back when we first met, when you were just a scared little girl trying to prove she deserved to be a trainer, you've always pushed yourself past your limits and refused to ask for help."

Emily opened her mouth to protest, but Gardevoir silenced her with a kiss, making Emily flail a little as she was pushed back and up against the shower wall. When she pulled back, her eyes sparkled with mischief. “But I suppose that’s just part of your charm… your tough girl, foul mouthed charm that I oh so adore.”

“L-Lady y-you need to calm down.” Emily stammers, squeaking as her pokemon pressed in close, pinning her firmly up against the shower wall. “G-Gardevoir, I-I have w-work today~”

“Oh I know... just so you do not forget that I don’t need to touch your vagina to make you squirm my dear master, I can quite easily tease you just by this… alone.” Leaning in close she placed a soft kiss against Emily’s shoulder, and then the side of her neck, giving her a soft little nip that made her trainer shiver.

“O-Ok point taken… p-point… hnng~” shivering, Emily bit her lip hard, her hands moving to her pokemon's side as her legs crossed and squirmed, her insides squeezed and clenched with a gentle ache of arousal as she patted Gardevoir's side. “Okokokok... Uncle, Uncle!”

Giggling softly she finally relented, pulling back with a sly little smirk, taking in Emily’s deep blush. “You still have plenty of time before you have to be there.” she hums, leaning in once again only to pause as the alarm on Emily’s phone went off. “Oh… uhh, maybe not as long as I had thought.”

“Ahh shit, Shit!” pressing Gardevoir back carefully she finished washing her hair and turned the shower off. “Fuck I was soaking too long!”

“Calm down dear, you’re alright.” Using her psychic energy Gardevoir floated a towel over and draped it over Emily’s head. “Don’t move around too quickly or you’ll pull a muscle.”

Getting out of the shower and quickly drying over herself Emily hastily got herself ready as fast as she could, trying to move around quietly so as to not disturb the sleeping Noivern on the bed. Pulling on her shirt she looked around for her pant’s crossing the room a few times before she snatched them up from under the bed where they had been half haphazardly tossed. Shoving her leg through one hole, her foot snagged a bit, sending her face first into Noivern's gut, making him flinch with a squawk of surprise, bracing a wing against his stomach with a groan, looking around confused. “Sorry buddy I’m late!”

Shutting the door to her temporary housing Emily began to jog towards the main building only to slowly stop. The parkinglot was completely barren besides the few cars belonging to the workers there, and the fields were empty. Sunday had been very busy, and Monday was torturous with all the last minute attendees having come to try and squeeze in their pokemon only to be turned away since there was simply not enough help. Tuesday had been a little better though she was still running around everywhere, to see everything so quiet and still made her do a doubletake. “Uhhh… did I… oversleep?” she mutters checking her phone.

The door behind her closed as Noivers gave a wide yawn and a stretch, scratching at his stomach as he slowly made his way over to her, resting his head on her shoulder to look at her phone. “Breewr?”

“I-I don’t know, did everyone just up and die or something? Did I sleep through the apocalypse?” she sighs, looking around with a shrug. “Ok well I guess lets just go see what the Shelby’s have to say... sorry about the gut check earlier, you ok?” she asks, getting a sleepy nod from her pokemon.

Making her way across the grounds she tugged at the main entrance only to find it caught, still locked. “Locked? It’s 10:10, they should already be open a long time ago…” she mutters, tugging the door a few more times until Noivern tapped her shoulder with one of his red wing claws and pointed to the sign on the door. “What is it bud?”

‘The daycare will be closed today for our staff to enjoy the celebrations of all our hard work. If you need a groomer please consult the following local businesses. We will be opening again on Thursday’ it read, and bellow it was a list of the other various grooming businesses in and around Goldenrod and their phone numbers.

Muttering aloud Emily perked up. “Oh shit… we’re closed for the day!” she says breathing a soft sigh of relief, letting her head hang to the side. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about it?”

Noivern gave her shoulder a light nudge as he trilled, making her turn to look at him.

“What? Oh… the whole… thing with… yeah.” she mutters scowling a little as she holds her hands behind her head, looking up at the cloudy sky. “Well, at least it isn’t raining anymore… let's head inside bud, see if there’s still any work to be done around here.”

Making her way back around the building she pulled open the employee entrance, pausing as she looked around the vacant building. “Uhh… hello? Anybody?” she called out looking a touch surprised. “Really? No one’s here at all? Is everyone at the padgeant?” she mutters, making her way back into Mr Shelby’s office.

Mr Shelby was sitting at his desk typing away on his computer with old school music playing loudly in the background from his speaker as he worked, he hummed along with the lyrics, danced a little and spun in his chair. Upon seeing Emily and Noivern he gave a loud startled shout, nearly falling out of his chair and into the floor. “Damn it girl you scared the piss outta me!”

Chuckling softly Emily braced a hand on her hip as she watched him. “Old school rock huh? Thought you’d be a country guy if I’m honest.” she says as he turns the music down. “I came to work, where is everyone?”

Collecting himself he held a hand against his chest. “There isn’t any work today, We closed down so that all the workers can go to the pageant to see all their hard work in action.” he says as he nods. “Everything went off without a hitch and Mr Lanchester's already sent in the money.” he says as he nods. “It’s done, you fulfilled your obligation here rather admirably might I add, don’t know why I bothered to even came up with a separate list for you to do if you were just going to ignore it and work on everything like everyone else.”

“I’m not one to take a hand out Gramps, you know that about me by now, especially not with that kind of money.” she says as she slouches against the wall. “Honestly I’m glad there’s no work today, after everything that’s happened over the past few days I’m pretty sure that if I lift one more feed bag I’m gonna die. Everything hurts.”

Chuckling softly Mr Shelby shrugs. “Yeah, that will go away after a little while… I appreciate you staying here and working with us, I know it all was last minute and you had to make arrangements because of it, but I do really appreciate you.”

“Yeah… I am pretty awesome aren’t I?” She asks with a playful chuckle. “I’m kidding… thanks gramps.”

“Just as smug and sassy as your mother too.” he added as he turned to type on the computer. “That being said… I am unfortunately about to ruin your day.”

Emily’s heart dropped as she looked at him. “Don’t… tell me that Mr Landchester tried to exclude me from the bonuses… I helped his kid out all week, do you know how much that little brat was whining about having to haul gravel and shovel dirt?”

“Oh no you still got your bonus, I wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise… no unfortunately… Mr lanchester is handing them out personally this evening at the pageantry.” he says, shaking his head. “I had told him that it wasn’t really the type of thing that you were interested in going too but… he’s been persistent, you might have to go there to get your money.”

Tensing up Emily slapped the wall. “God Damn It!”

Nodding slowly Mr Shelby regarded her with a softer look. “I am sorry, I tried to convince him otherwise but as I said… he is very persistent, he wants pictures with everyone, and he was adamant that he would get yours and his autographed.

“Son of a bitch… Son of a stupid… stupid bitch!” growling through her teeth she let her head thump against the wall. “Of course he does, of course he wants me in front of camera’s being the smug rich asshole he is!”

“Oh hush you’re fine.” Mr Shelby says, giving her a scowl. “Stop whining like a child and go take the damn picture, sign it, get paid and don’t worry about having to ever deal with the guy again. Are you really going to be this stubborn with the amount of money in question here? Are you stupid?”

Emily’s complaint died in her throat as she folded her arms, giving him a scowl “You didn’t need to say it like that.” She mutters, pressing back against the wall. Looking up at Noivern as he regarded her with a worried look. “I’m alright buddy… just…”

“You don’t want to take the chance of running into Lance up there, we get it you hate the guy, but this is more important than this grudge you have. Man up and go get your money, or shut up, go back to your room and hope he might make an exception and bring it to you, though my guess is he won’t. The choice is yours, just make it already and get out of my office. I've got a lot of work to do finishing filling out all these papers before ‘I’ can go to the pageant.”

Slightly offended by him Emily gave Mr Shelby a stare, one he promptly returned. Rolling her eyes Emily sighs. “Fuuuuuck…”

“I’ll see you up there, make sure not to get into any more fights this time.” he says with a faint little smirk about him. “Oh! Speaking of which, while I have you here, do you… have any idea what happened in the shower room on Saturday?" he asks, making Emily pause. “There was a big mess in one of the cubicles, looked like someone had been showering in there after hours and there, it was awful, I don’t know what happened in there but the tiles in the floor were scratched up and it looked like someone spilled shampoo all over the place and it had an odd… smell.”

Emily and Noivern both tensed up, glancing at one another as a dark blush rose to their cheeks. “Uhh n-no! I-I… can’t say that I know what happened in there… I mean I sprayed Noivern down in one of the cubicles on Saturday, but I made sure to clean up everything and turned the hose off afterwards. The big fella got a little muddy while helping me walk the fences, but I didn’t see anything odd when I went“ ShitshitshitshitshitDoubleFuckingShitFuck!!!!!

“Weird… sorry I don’t mean to bring this up out of nowhere, it’s just you were the last one heading that way, I was just wondering if you saw anything strange.”

“Uhh nope, just a standard hosing down for my boy here… fifth cubical down since it had the good sprayer head on it, gave him a hosing, cleaned everything up, went right on to bed… do you uhhh… have cameras in there… see who did it?” she asks as her heart pounded in her chest, she was absolutely going to jail never to be seen or heard from again.

“Well not in the cubicles themselves, the water and the steam in there would short out any kind of camera that we use here... There are those little ones with the covering but they're so expensive, the only camera in there is the one in the hallway before you get into the different cubicles, and it was on the fritz at the time, I’ve gotten it fixed now… I don’t know. Ahh well, I just wanted to check and see since I saw from the outside camera you were the last one in and out of there. Be sure to be polite to Mr Lanchester when you go to the pageant.”

“W-Will do… it uhhh… still sucks I have to go there to get my money but… I-I guess that’s just how it is… umm… I-I’ll be going now.” she stammered as she turned, nudging Noivern along and out of the office.

Outside Emily broke out in a cold sweat, her face was so red she could feel the heat coming off her cheeks. Camera’s, she didn’t even think about checking for cameras! How the fuck could she have been so careless! “H-Hooly fuck dude.” she says, breaking out into a stressful laugh, slouching against Noivern who looked like he could have died on the spot. “Spilled shampoo! Hah! Hahahahah!” she says breaking out into laughter, hiding her face in his chest as he gruffed a trill, looking down at her with an embarrassed smile.

Making her way back to her room Emily pressed the door open, hanging her work hat up with a sigh. “Gardevoir… I hate my liife.” she says, closing the door behind Noivern as he lumbered in behind her.

“Concerning that that is the first thing you say when you come back inside.” Gardevoir spoke from the other room. “May I ask why?”

“We have to go to the Pageant." She was sour about it, of course she was going to be sour, her whole thing that week was about getting paid and not having to go to the pageant, She Didn’t Want To Go to The Stupid Pageant!

“What?” rounding the corner from the bathroom Gardevoir regarded her with a concerned look. “What do you mean? I thought that you would be paid and that we would be leaving.”

“Yeah well… wrench in the plan, Mr Lanchester wants to hand out the bonuses himself and get pictures with all the workers… also wants mine and his picture autographed… which I admittedly promised him I would.” Scowling, she folded her arms. “Worst kick in the puss I’ve had in a while.”

“Oh dear.” she mutters as she looks at Noivern who just shrugged. “Well are you going?”

“Of course I am! Not going through everything this week just to get stiffed at the end by some rich prick… but I just know that he’s doing this all on purpose for what happened to Julias.” she mutters, furrowing her brows. “Getting me in a public setting in front of cameras and all sorts of flashy shit… fuck I don’t want to go.”

Gardevoir placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder, holding it there until their eyes met. “Remember what I said… you owe them nothing, not Mr Lanchester, not Lance, not anyone anything… we’ll be there with you.”

Looking between them Emily looked off to the side where Ty was still sleeping peacefully curled up. “Thanks… but I think… I want to have Ty with me there this time around.” she says as she nods. “If they want answers then I’ll give them answers.”

Looking a little surprised, Gardevoir tilts her head “What do you mean?”

“I mean… If they want to know where I’ve been for the last eight months, I’m gonna tell them, I’m done with all this running and hiding bullshit.” she mutters, shaking her head. “If he thinks he can get one up on me by dragging me into the public after I said that I wanted to keep my head down, he’s got another thing coming. I’m a spiteful bitch. Hey Ty!” she spoke up, making the fire badger perk up, slowly blinking one eye after another as he lazily looked towards her. “Wanna go shove it in that Lanchester prick's face?”

Ty regarded her for a brief moment only to give a wide yawn, curling back up with a grumble, going right back to sleep.

“Ty? Ty buddy? Oh come on man get your laze ass up, I’m doing a whole scheming bit thing here!”

Giggling softly Gardevoir shook her head, she didn’t know what she was going to do with her sassy human.

Pulling off her work clothes Emilly pulled her backpack over, fishing out an attire that she hadn’t worn in a long time, not since the accident. Inside, neatly folded despite the months of neglect, was her trainer jacket. The fabric was still crisp, the colors still vibrant, dark blue with gold trim, the subtle insignia of the Pokémon League on the shoulder. She had worn this jacket through every major battle of her career. She had worn it when she defeated the Elite Four. She had worn it when she had recalled Ty and rushed him out of the arena after her victory against Lance. She left it at the bottom of her bag after it had been washed, never thinking that she would actually wear it again.

Emily dressed slowly, methodically, each piece of clothing a small act of defiance. The black undershirt. The fitted cargo pants with padded knees. The gloves that had protected her hands during countless battles. And finally, the jacket itself, settling across her shoulders like armor.

She looked at herself in the small mirror hanging on the wall. The woman who stared back at her was a lot different from the one who had worn this outfit in the stadium. A little thinner, a little paler and yet there was the same flicker of a flame that had yet to die out in her eyes, a defiant young woman who refused to let a smug prick get the best of her for a publicity stunt.

Tightening her gloves she smirks, pulling her damp hair up into a ponytail, flicking it off to the side. “I… am not looking forward to this at all.” she says confidently, all the while Ty was still trying to get up, complaining as Noivern poked at him with his wing.

The flight to the National Park was short, but it gave Emily time to think. Noivern's powerful wings carried them over the streets of Goldenrod City, the buildings shrinking beneath them as they climbed higher into the sky. The wind whipped at Emily's hair and jacket, the familiar sensation stirring memories and confusing feelings.

How many times had she flown like this? How many times had she raced through the skies on Noivern's back, heading toward her next challenge, her next victory? The feeling that had once filled her with excitement and anticipation, now only made her chest ache with a hollow sort of grief, then again it wasn’t really a victory or a new adventure she was flying off too, but a resolution to something that she had been regretting.

She had loved being a trainer. She had loved the thrill of battle, the bond between human and Pokémon, the sense of purpose that came with every journey, feelings that burned inside of her even now.

The National Park came into view ahead, a sprawling expanse of green nestled against the edge of the city. Even from this distance, Emily could see the crowds that had already gathered, tiny figures milling about the park's paths and gathering around the various attractions. Banners and streamers decorated the trees and pavilions flowing in the cool Autumn breeze, their bright colors visible even from high above. The sound of music and laughter drifted up to meet them, a stark contrast to the turmoil churning in her gut.

Noivern circled once before descending, his large ears twitching at the sounds below. He landed gracefully at the park's entrance, folding his wings against his sides as Emily slid from his back. She returned him to his ball with a quiet word of thanks. “Don’t worry buddy, if I need you, I’ll get you.” she says, shuffling to pull Ty’s ball out, releasing him with a flash of light.

Ty gave a wide yawn as he appeared, looking around with a gruff of surprise, sniffing at the air and all the new scents that washed over him in an overwhelming mixture of food, pokemon, and people alike. “Bakoo?”

“Still half asleep are ya? Gotta get our money and get the hell out of here before we run into any unpleasant company… we may get stopped and asked a bunch of questions bud, but we’re only here for the money.”

Giving a tired nod Ty grumbled, moving to hug her making Emily grunt and chuckle, returning the hug as she patted him on the back. "Yeah, yeah alright sleepy boy, come on, let's get moving."

The park was exactly as overwhelming as Emily had figured it would be. The moment she stepped through the entrance gates, she was engulfed by a sea of noise and color. Vendors called out their wares from every direction, selling everything from rare berries to custom Pokeball designs, beauty products specifically for pokemon. Children ran between the stalls with uncontainable energy and their parents trailing behind with tired but indulgent smiles, and everywhere, everywhere, there were Pokemon.

Walking along through the park she looked over the different food vendors, chuckling as Ty looked around wide eyed and mouth open. “Looks really good right? You want something to eat bud?” she asks, pausing at one of the concession stands. “Can I get two hotdogs with chili please?”

As she paid for their food she offered one of the hotdogs to Ty. “Careful it’s still-” he was already stuffing the steaming thing into his mouth with a blissful look about him. “-hot… of course that's not gonna bother you, you breathe fire.” she scoffs with a smile, leaning against him as she takes a bite of her own food.

There were a lot of people around, all of them going about their own business, some street performers showed their pokemons talents off to the side where there was a little bit more space, though that wasn’t the main attraction. The stage that had been set up in the middle of the park, a walkway for trainers to show off their pokemon and their moves to be judged. Emily didn’t fully understand the appeal, it was pretty much just like contest stuff but different? She didn’t care enough about it to really invest in learning about it.

As she finished her food she dusted her hands off, tossing their trash into one of the many provided recycling bins. “Mmph, let’s see if we can find Lanchester and get out of here.”

“Bakoo!” Ty protested, grabbing her arm and pulled Emily close before motioning around with a happy smile.

“Buddy I-I know it’s really pretty here and there’s a lot of cool stuff, but I really don’t want too much publicity if I can avoid it.” she says as she looks up at him.

Ty only snorted a puff of smoke, tugging at her jacket before he folded his arms in that sassy way of saying ‘oh really’, she was wearing her old trainer gear, of course someone was bound to recognise her.

“I… like this jacket ok? It’s a really nice jacket and it costed a lot! I know it’s what I was wearing when the accident happened but I’m… trying." she admits, looking rather self conscious all of a sudden. “I’m trying to not run from things you know? I’ve been a shut in for months now and I’m… trying not to hide from the world anymore, I shouldn’t have too... guess... that means just grabbing the money and leaving is doing exactly what I'm trying not to do...”

Ty offered her a soft smile and a nod, leaning in to nuzzle her face, making her smile warmly.

“Yeah, yeah, come on hotdog breath, let's get paid… I guess we can look around for a bit too, it couldn't hurt too much... Besides I don’t see any of the assholes from the league so I’m sure that everything will be fine” she says, getting a cheerful nod from Ty. “You just want to see Iris on stage don’t you?”

“Emily?”

A cold chill went up Emily’s spine as she heard the voice, it wasn’t one that she was expecting, but it was one she knew well. Turning slowly Emily looked back at the rather blatant silvery-blue hair of the woman. “Speak... Of the fuckin devil…” she mutters under her breath.

“Emily Verner? Oh my gosh it is you!” Karen, the fourth seat in the Elite four and Dark type specialist. “Good heavens woman, where in the world have you been? It’s been almost a year since anyone has seen you around anywhere!” The Elite Four member's expression was a complicated mixture of surprise, concern, and something that might have been relief.

Emily held her silent stare for a long moment, probably longer than she should have. “What do you want?” Her response was cold and hollow as she stared the woman down.

"Look, I know you probably don't want to do this right now," Karen said, her voice dropping to a more private level. "But I've been worried about you. We all have. When you just... disappeared after the championship, and then the reports started coming out about Ty being injured, but no one could get any real information..." She shook her head. "It's been eight months, Emily. Eight months of silence. Do you have any idea what that's been like?"

Emily felt a flash of white hot anger swell in her chest, but it was too tired to fully ignite. "I've been busy" she said, the words coming out detached.

"Busy?" Karen repeated, her tone spiking. "Busy doing what? The last anyone heard, you had left the Plateau without a word, you didn’t show up for the party that was set up for or give any comments at all, you just dropped off the face of the earth!”

Emily looked at Ty, who was standing very still beside her, he offered Emily a concerned smile before images of him strewn out on a hospital bed clinging to the railing of the bed and her bloody hands overtook her mind briefly. “I… had somewhere that I needed to be.”

“Somewhere you needed to be? Are you serious?” Karen spoke, resting a hand on her hip. “Do you realize how awkward that made things for everyone in the league, throwing a party for someone who didn’t even show up?”

“What the fuck do you want me to say Karen?” The words had left her before Emily even realised she had spoken. “Ty got hurt… he got hurt bad, he had to be-” pausing she let her hed hang, closing her eyes she simply shook her head. “No… no you deserve an explination, not when you could have easily come and seen for yourself.” she says shaking her head as she turned away.

“W-waht? w-wait a second, I’m not done talking to you, hold on what happene-” Karen reached for her, only for her hand to be smacked away so hard it made a loud slap. Yanking back her hand she shook it. “Ow! W-What the-” Karen froze.

Emily glared at her, a look of anger that ran deep and was rather startling to see coming from the once bright and cheerful trainer that she remembered facing off against her. “Don’t… you ever… fucking touch me.” Emily warned her in a frightfully calm tone “Ever…”

Whimpering Ty quickly moved in between the two of them, bracing his paws on Emily’s shoulders. “B-Bakoo!” Giving her a little push he eased his trainer back, offering a Karen a little apologetic wave

Emily held her glare until it slowly melted into a look of pain. "I need to go... got shit to do-" Emily said, turning away before Karen could see the tears threatening to form in her eyes. "-somewhere I need to be."

"Emily, w-wait" Karen reached out again, but Emily was already moving, Ty keeping pace beside her, offering another apologetic look behind him as the crowd swallowed them up.

Sighing in frustration Emily glanced behind them after a few minutes of walking, thankful to see that they hadn’t been followed. “God damn it… Thanks buddy… I-I don’t know where that came from.”

“Bakoo!” folding his arms Ty gave her a hurt if not scolding look, tapping his foot as he motioned back in the direction they had just come from.

“I-I don’t know ok!? I just… she started to get an attitude and it just… came out.” she mutters, sighing as she shakes her head. “Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea… maybe I need more time cause that was… a lot of anger.” she says shuffling in place uncomfortably.

Giving a smoky snort Ty hugged his arms around her, pulling her face into his chest fluff as he gave her a soft grumble. Pushing her back he pats her cheeks with both paws. “Bakoo!” he spoke sharply with a look of confidence, taking a deep breath in and then out, offering her a little thumbs up afterwards as he smiled.

Looking up at him Emily takes a deep breath, nodding her head. “You’re right… you’re absolutely right.” patting his chest she smiles. “Thanks buddy, for pulling me out of that, come on, let’s try and enjoy ourselves… have a little treat and forget about all of that yeah?” She asks, getting a happy grumble from the badger.

Walking along the concession stands Emily couldn't help stealing little glances behind her to make sure that Karen had properly fucked off. "Oooo what about that?" she asks, motioning to a vendor advertising fresh-made Poffins and Pokemon treats. "You want some poffins? It’s been a hot minute since we’ve had any of those."

Ty’s eyes were practically stars at the offer, clasping his paws together with an eager nod of his head

The vendor was a cheerful older woman with a Lopunny helper who bounded between the display cases with enthusiastic energy. Her eyes widened slightly when she recognized Emily, but to her credit, she didn't make a fuss. Instead, she simply asked what they would like, as if Emily were any other customer.

"Two of the berry mix Poffins, please," Emily said, gesturing to the colorful array. "And… what do you think? Something spicy? Sweet?” she asks, patting Ty’s arm.

Ty looked over the display case carefully in thought, starting to point at it only to pause, grumbling softly in thought. As he made his selection the elderly woman smiled, collecting the poffins for them and wrapped them up neatly.

As Emily paid she smiled in return. “Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the pageant!” she chimes, leading Ty to a relatively quiet bench near the edge of the crowd. She handed him his snacks, watching as he sniffed over one carefully before taking a small, appreciative bite. The look of surprise and pleasure on his face made her heart swell as he popped the whole thing in his mouth.

"Good?" she asks, snickering as he responds with an enthusiastic nod, already going in for another one.

She ate her own Poffins in silence, letting the simple pleasure of good food distract her from the chaos around them. For a few moments, she could almost pretend this was just a normal day, just a normal trainer enjoying a pageant with her partner.

But of course, normal wasn't something she got to have anymore.

"Emily? Emily Verner?"

The voice was one that still frustrated her to hear, one she had gotten used to hearing whine and complain about having to do commoner work, and when she turned, she found Julias, the spoiled rich boy who had attacked her unprovoked, nearly twice, and his Serperior Sterling coiled elegantly at his side. The young man looked different than she remembered, his clothing less ostentatious, his posture less arrogantly assured. There was something almost humble in the way he stood, waiting for her acknowledgment rather than demanding it.

"Julias." Emily muttered as she paused from her poffin. “What’s up? You come to try and attack me again now that you got your pokemon back?”

"N-No I… I hoped I might run into you." His voice was tentative, completely different compared to the entitled tone she remembered from their previous interactions. "I've been… wanting to talk to you, but I wasn't sure if you'd be here today, and then I heard from my father that you were coming to collect something, and I thought..."

He trailed off, seeming to realize he was rambling. His Serperior made a soft hiss, pressing its muzzle into the boy's shoulder giving him a reaffirming nudge.

Wrapping her food back up she sets it aside as she folds her arms "Yeah? Then talk, what do you have to say to me, rich boy?"

Julias took a deep breath, visibly steeling himself before he spoke. "About what happened... Between us, I-I mean… a-and before that… what I said I-”

“Spit it out already, I’m not here to listen to you stutter.” She retorted.

Taking a deep breath the boy bowed his head. “I-I’m sorry!” it came out nearly as a shout, making him blush in embarrassment as he looked off to the side, bracing his hand against his arm. “I-I’m sorry for attacking you… it was wrong, I-I didn’t realise that you… that you made a deal with my dad so that I could perform... and keep my pokemon.” he says trailing off until Sterling gave his shoulder another nudge. “Even after everything I did you were still...”

Emily softened her gaze, a little surprised admittedly, he was actually trying to take accountability for what he did, apparently putting him to work at the daycare wasn’t that bad of an idea after all, even though he complained the entire time.

“I didn’t realise that so much went into taking care of a pokemon… to me before they were just… status symbols, I-I didn’t even think of them having their own personalities… their own likes and stuff and I just… used them like tools… but after seeing everything at the daycare I was surprised to see how much life they really had in them… they had things that they liked to do, they played and laughed and I… I never saw my pokemon do that before.” he admitted looking rather ashamed. “I… I’m really sorry for what I did… but even after that you made a deal with dad that if I worked there I could keep my pokemon, even come here and perform and I… I-I don’t know.” he says looking as though his eyes were already starting to get wet. “I-I’m really sorry for what I did.”

“You should be.” she says, speaking sternly, taking on a hardened look. “Pokemon aren’t tools to be used on a whim, they are living creatures with feelings and goals of their own. And to force them to attack a person is probably the worst thing you can do, and you have every right to be ashamed of yourself for doing it. Instead of apologizing to me why don't you try it with your pokemon first, they are the ones that suffered the most.” she says firmly making both Ty and Sterling flinch back from her words.

Julias tensed up, looking like he would break down and cry. "I-I did... I hardly got any sleep last night cuz I was hugging him and saying I was sorry... I-I wanted to come and say sorry to you again for hurting your hand and... for being a brat."

Emily regarded him for a minute, reaching out and poked a finger against his chest. “Good... Now that you've done that, you can start over properly with him.” she says, catching his attention. “It takes a real man to stand up and admit where he was wrong. Yeah ya screwed up big time, but you had the decency to come find me on your own without your dad and apologize for what you did, that takes a lot of guts.”

Sniffing a little he nods, looking a little hopeful. “S-So… you’re not mad at me?”

“Oh no I’m still pissed off at you for doing it, your actions have consequences. You put a mark on me for no reason other than you were flaunting your pokemon like a trophy and I didn’t stop to take in the show, I was busy trying to find a friend of mine for a really important appointment that I was late too because of you.” she says, making him flinch again. “Being a trainer is a very big responsibility, it’s not something that you do just for looks or to show off.” she says, reaching out to pat Ty’s shoulder. “It’s a commitment, a promise that you’re going to be the best trainer that you can be for them, because that’s what they deserve. Just as they try to be the best pokemon they can be for us.”

Julias hung his head as she spoke, nodding slowly. “I-I know that now” he says, looking up as Sterling as the snake leaned in to nuzzle his head. “I didn’t treat him or Iris very good.”

“No, you did not… but you have plenty of time to make up for what you did.” she says offering him a nod “You have time to start over, actually learn about your pokemon, and not from textbooks or the internet either, I mean actually ‘learn’ about them, what they like to eat, what they enjoy doing, how they like to be groomed and pampered. A strong bond with your pokemon in my opinion is absolutely the most crucial part of being a trainer. The other stuff is important too of course, but getting to know them… let’s just say I’m an emotional sap… but I made it as far as I have because of them, and only because of them.”

Ty gave a whimper, nuzzling into Emily’s cheek, making her smile and chuckle as he hugged her tightly against him.

Smiling a little, Julias nodded slowly. “Right… I’ll do everything I can to be a better person and a better trainer, because that’s what they deserve… right Sterling?” he asks, looking up at the Serperior, who in response gave a soft trill and a nod.

"Don't go attacking people anymore either." Emily snipped at him making the boy tense up. "There's already enough punks in the world that do that and that will just get you're ass beat if you do that to the wrong person, I was actually going to turn you over to the police if your father hadn't interviened the second time, I still almost did." She warned him. "Play stupid games you win stuipid prizes, so try to think about what you do and how it will effect people or make them feel before you do it."

"Y-Yes Ma'am." he stammered, shying back against Sterling, hugging an arm around the snake. "I-I promise I'll not use my pokemon to hurt people ever again. I-I'll learn everything I can about him and I'll do better." he says, trying not to sniffle.

"Good, because he's better than that and so are you. If you stick together like that than you can face anything the world can throw at you, just make sure you know your limits and don't try to push him too hard, cause that can get a pokemon hurt too." she says as she nods.

"I-I won't push him too hard, he's already gotten stronger than the last time you fought him, he's... he's actually really impressive, and I wana continue seeing how impressive he can be!" the says with a firm nod of his head.

“Geeze, for a rich kid you get pretty sappy ya know that?” Emily snickers, smirking as she leaned forwards. “Only took a week of hauling gravel and dirt to straighten you up, I’m scared to think you might actually turn out to be a pretty decent trainer if you kept it up.”

Julias blushed with frustration as she spoke, resting his hands on his hips. “Hey! I’ll have you know I’m going to be a great trainer! Just wait and see!”

“Oh yeah? I’m excited to see you prove me wrong, pipsqueak.” she says with a smirk. “Just remember this feeling right here in case you ever have any doubts. This road is a long and pretty painful one sometimes and it isn’t gonna be easy by any means, and if you find yourself falling back into your old ways, just remember that I’m gonna be waiting for you one day.”

The frustration in the boy's face boiled into confusion as he looked at her. “Waiting? And just what will you be waiting for exactly?”

“I’ll be waiting for our rematch.” she said rather plainly, wiping the look of frustration from Julias’s face. “Only next time it won’t be against some random girl you saw at the daycare you were carelessly flaunting your pokemon off in… you'll be up against a Champion of the Johto league, a person who beat the elite four and defeated… Lance.” she really had to chew his name around before spitting it out. “I’ll be waiting to see just how tough of a trainer you can really be, and I better not be disappointed.”

A mixture of surprise and determination seemed to take him over as Julias stood firm. “I… I would love to have the chance to wipe that smug look off your face!” he says pointing at her.

“Then listen to what I told you, take care of your pokemon and they will take care of you. Travel the world and see what it has to offer, what all there is you can learn from it, and one day in the future, we will have a proper battle.”

“I promise!” He was rather eager with his words, looking like she lit a fire under him. “I’ll be the best trainer in the world with the most fabulous pokemon ever, and then I’ll show you!” he says with a happy smile. The PA system in the park went off making Julius pause and look over his shoulder. “Oh shoot, that’s us… just you wait Emily, Me and Sterling are going to be super strong one day!”

“Don’t forget about Iris, you know, your typhlosion?” she says with a little smile. “Don’t want to leave her out of all the action, even though she seems like a proper lady.”

“Wha? Oh no Iris is my dad pokemon, he just lets me use her when I’m going out on my own so I’m protected. I told him Sterling and I was ok, but he always insisted on it. She's still at the daycare cause her showing isn’t until tomorrow when my fathers competing… Anyways I’ve gotta go Emily, I’ll talk to you later!” he shouts, offering her a wave before he rushes off.

“Stay out of trouble!” she called out after him, looking up at Sterling as the snake regarded her with a nod of his head. “You’re a good boy Sterling, sorry for flattening you out before, I went way overboard. Can’t wait for you to have the chance to get me back for it.” she says with a smile as the snake regarded her with a sly look, turning to hurry off after his trainer.

Watching them go Emily honestly felt a little better about everything, she had been really pissed at the kid before now, but after all that she had a new appreciation for him. “Little shit… might actually turn out to be a pretty decent trainer if he keeps up that attitude… what?”

Typhlosion was giving her a big grin, grumbling as he leaned in to lick her face making her sputter.

“Blaa aww come on man not in public! Your breath still stinks like hotdogs, only sugary and sweet now! Keep that tongue in your mouth.” she chuckles, pulling her poffin back out to continue eating on it. “Mmph am surprised to hear Iris is his dads pokemon though… then again he was all too eager to tell me how expensive she was.” she says, looking at Ty who had a dreamy look about him. “I can’t even with you I swear.”

The pageant grounds were a maze of activity, and Emily quickly lost track of how many times she had to politely decline photo requests and autograph seekers. Her face was a little too well known for her to move through the crowd unnoticed. She kept her responses brief and forward, offering tight smiles and vague answers to the handful of reporters and other people who managed to catch her attention. No, she wasn't looking to make a statement. No, she didn't have any battles planned. No, she couldn't comment on her future plans. The same questions over and over, the same invasive probing she remembered all too well.

Ty stayed close to her side throughout it though, his presence was a comfort even as the attention made him vaguely uncomfortable as well. He wasn't used to this anymore either. In the months since the accident, they had lived in relative isolation, and now being back out in public like this again was a little daunting, though he kept a strong posture and stood beside his trainer with his head held high to be as brave as he could be. Emily just wanted the constant stream of questions to stop.

The afternoon sun had begun its descent toward the horizon by the time Emily made her way to the pageant stage, looking around idly as she looked for the stupid rich guy who had her money, she was ready to leave this place, and judging by Ty’s frazzled look from all the questions, so was he. “Don’t worry bud, we’ll find this guy and get out of here… wana go back in your ball?”

Perking his ears, Ty quickly shook his head with a gruff, he wasn’t about to leave her to deal with all of this on her own, however in the haste of his head shaking he paused with a quick “Bak!” patting Emily’s shoulder, pointing across the stage where the other daycare workers were already assembled, a small group of tired-looking people in matching polo shirts that identified them as Shelby Daycare staff.

“Oh sweet! Good boy Ty, good eyes buddy!” she chimes, petting over Ty’s head, making him give a proud little gruff and a little puff of steam from his nose. Wading through the crowd of people Emily sighed as she made it to the group. “There you guys are, no one told me we were closed today!”

“It was posted on the doors on all of our units, you just didn’t notice it.” One of the workers commented as another patted her on the back. “What’s with the getup?”

Looking over herself Emily blushed a little. “Oh well… I was wanting to wear my old trainer gear out today… Was I supposed to dress in our work uniforms? Sorry, Mine are still dirty from all the mud and gravel.” she sighs, getting a few chuckles.

“Naah you’re good, it’s all casual. We're getting a group picture and we wanted to all dress the same. You’re still gonna join us for it right?”

“Oh yeah absolutely! I mean I’m gonna look really weird and out of place, buut it will give you guys something to poke fun at anytime you see it.” she snickers, leaning back against Ty as he hugged onto her. “Where’s that Lanchester guy anyways? I’m ready to head back and get a hot shower.”

“He’s over there talking to the press, he was wanting to get his picture with each of us we get to keep with some kind of gift that he’s handing out? I don’t know, this is the first time I’m hearing about it.” the worker says as they shrugged.

Oh were they in for a good day. Emily only knew because Mr Shelby told her to get her to stay and help out around the daycare, she had figured that they would have all heard about it by now, but maybe it was more a secret than she had realized, it was a good thing she didn’t mention it to anyone else.”

“A gift? Whaaat?” She asks more to herself, doing a very poor job acting surprised, that got her a few looks from the others only for her to chuckle softly. “Sorry, Mr Shelby wanted me to keep it a secret.” she admitted.

“No wonder you stuck around so long this time.” One of them commented, making the others chuckle.

“Ahhh that was Mr Shelby’s idea, trust me I didn’t want too… I just couldn’t stay away from you guys and your charms and good looks I guess.” she snickers, getting a few nudges. “Really though you guys deserve it, you all worked yourselves really hard this last week.”

"Alright, good afternoon everyone, so happy to see you all here today!" A voice boomed from a portable speaker system, quickly getting adjusted to not be so loud, Mr. Lanchester himself stood on a raised platform near the main stage carefully tugging the cord to the microphone around in his hand. The older man was dressed in an expensive suit that he had been wearing the day she met him.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for you hard work over this past year." Lanchester continued, his voice carrying the practiced warmth of someone used to public speaking. "Mr and Ms Shelby, the owners of the lovely daycare on route 34, have told me wonderful things about each and every one of you, how hard you've worked to ensure that all of our lovely pokemon here at the pageantry this evening were painstakingly taken care of to ensure that we had a spectacular show this year, and I'm pleased to be able to reward that dedication today. In a few minutes, we'll begin by calling you up here one at a time and give each and every one of you a chance to be recognized for your contributions to the daycare, and to the fine people of Goldenrod City. We even got together to give you all a little something to show you our personal gratitude that you can take home with you, and I hope each and every one of you enjoy this moment, because you’ve earned it!" he says leaving the crowd to erupt in cheers and claps

Emily felt a prickle of unease at his words. She had dealt with enough media-savvy individuals during her many years as a trainer to see when there was an interview coming on. “Fuck… I really should have dressed differently. This was a bad call, a really bad call.”

Her suspicions were confirmed when everything had began and she watched her fellow workers being called up one by one. Each person was greeted by Lanchester with a warm smile, a handshake, and presented with a thick envelope that she could only assume was their money, and then positioned for a photo with the wealthy man. The cameras flashed, the crowd applauded, and everything seemed perfectly designed to showcase Lanchester's generosity.

It was admittedly smart, really. By making the bonus distribution a public event, he ensured that his generosity was a televised spectacle. The presence of a former Champion among the recipients would only add to the publicity value. A little sting crept up the back of her mind at the thought that he had orchestrated all of this just to get back at her for what happened to his son, though that was just speculation, she shouldn’t dwell on it, just take the stupid picture, get the money and leave.

"-And finally ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls we have a special treat for you all this evening!" Lanchester announced, his voice carrying an extra note of enthusiasm. "Our very own Johto League Champion. Emily Verner! It's truly an honor to have you with us today, please come on up here."

When Emily's name was called, she moved forward with Ty at her side. The crowd's cheer was loud though it was also full of surprised murmurs and confusing looks, cameras angled in her direction with renewed interest. She kept her expression neutral, her pace steady, refusing to give them anything to analyze.

When she reached the platform she accepted the handshake he offered, her grip firm but brief. "Thank you Mr Lanchester" she said, keeping her voice quiet.

"Oh, the pleasure is entirely mine my dear" Lanchester replied, his eyes gleaming with something that made Emily's skin crawl. He began to hand her the envelope before he paused. "In fact, I was hoping you might do me the honor of saying a few words to our lovely audience. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been wondering where you've been all this time. Your fans have been worried sick, and I thought perhaps you could put their minds at ease with a couple of words."

And there it was, she knew it was all too good to be true and it left a rather bad taste in her mouth, the way he had announced her, the extra enthusiasm, it was all just to get as many peoples attention as possible. “I… would rather not.”

“Oh come now, everyone’s been worried about you, it’s been in all the papers about your mysterious disappearance, just a few words if you please... I insist.” he says holding that smile of his, that stupid smug smile that made her want to just punch him in his fuckin teeth.

Ty gave a gruff and a displeased grumble, carefully tugging at Emily, stopping only as she took a deep breath. “Alright.” She spoke matter of factly, something that seemed to catch Mr Lanchester off guard. “I can spare the time... since you insist… ok.”

“Ahh wonderful!” His smug smile widened as he patted her on the shoulder. “Truly wonderful! Please by all means.” he says, handing her the microphone.

Looking over the microphone in her hands Emily stared out and into the crowed, she felt a tremble in her hand, a swell of anxiety in her chest that made her breath catch in her throat, though there was something in the crowd that stilled her nerves and grounded her so hard that any other emotion she had was replaced by a white hot wash of bitter rage. Lance was standing near the back beside Karen, she was watching with undisguised concern, and Lance still held that same stoic look he always had, a look she had grown to hate with every fiber of her being.

“Well then… I can’t say I was expecting to be giving any speeches today, that's for sure.” She started out with a smile. “Just a picture and an autograph… but what can you do? These sorts of things can just spring up on you out of nowhere am I right?”

Ty moved to hold a hand against her side, giving a soft comforting trill. “It’s alright… I’ve been gone for quite a while and the public should know the truth about what happened. I mean it’s not everyday a new champion just comes in and then just disappears, like it was really abrupt.” she chuckles, shaking her head.

“First things first let me be clear… I’m still around, if me standing here isn’t an obvious sign, I’m not off galavanting in another region or traveling, I’m still here. So funny enough what had happened was…” the sassy words in her throat tightened into a knot, the humor drained from her as she looked at the podium, her smile faded as the jokes grew sour in her mouth as she let the humor pass.

“The truth is… the past eight months have probably been the most stressful of my entire life… at the end of my championship match I ran off stage without so much as a glance at my opponent, because the attack from his dragonite… had been catastrophic, the lightning bolt that struck him mid attack, made said attack far stronger than what it should have been… and-” the words fell sour in her mouth.

Ty gave a soft grumble, nuzzling Emily’s cheek before he turned, showing the jagged scar that stretched down his back and into his vent, electing a few hushed gasps from the crowd.

“Thanks bud… He had to be airlifted to Celadon city, the pokemon center at the stadium was nowhere near equipped to handle an injury like that… he had to undergo a 32 hour surgery where he... Passed away several times on the operating table, but thankfully the doctors were able to save him… unfortunately he had also fell into a coma.”

Emily had to pause, shaking the memories from her head as she took a deep breath, keeping herself composed.

"For a month, I sat in his hospital room while he lay in a coma. I watched him waste away, kept alive by tubes and wires, of machines I don’t even know the names of. The doctors told me on more than one occasion that… that euthanasia might be the more humane option, that he might never wake up, and that even if he did, he would never be the same."

Her voice cracked slightly, but she steadied herself. "He did wake up… obviously… and then began the two months of physical therapy, painful exercises designed to help him relearn basic motor functions and movements, months of watching him struggle to do things that had once been as natural as breathing. I stood by his side through all of it, helping where I could, but mostly just watching. Watching him fight for every inch of progress."

The tightness in her chest felt like it could rip her appart, a dizzy feeling swelled in the back of her head. "The uhh... the doctors told us the damage was permanent. His flame sac, the organ that allows a lot of fire type pokemon like himself to use fire, was too badly damaged. They told me he-” A hot sharp pain twisted in her heart like a knife making her voice faulter. “-he will never be able to use fire attacks again. He will never battle the way he used to again. He will... he will never be the Pokemon he was before... during that championship match."

A speechless silence fell over the crowd as she spoke, one that brought with it uncomfortable silence that she let linger as camera shutters clicked and flashed. Her hands were trembling a little as she stared a hole into the poduim in front of her, the memories of her partner sobbing in his hospital bed left her eyes heated, it took everything she had not to let her emotions spill out.

“But… he is alive and still with me today… So despite all of that I... I am thankful to the doctors and nurses at the Celadon City Medical Institution for keeping him alive, for giving him back to me when I thought that I lost him.” she couldn’t fall apart, not this time, she could not give that rich fuck or Lance the satisfaction of seeing her tears. “Though I am… deeply disappointed in the League for releasing a story based on half truths, that he had only sustained minor injuries and planned to make a full recovery… It was a blatant lie to save face, and I cannot and will not support that kind of behavior.”

Ty reached his paw up to hold on her hand gently squeezing it in his paw, giving her a soft knowing look making Emily nod slowly in return.

“I nearly lost my best friend that day… and not a single person from the league cared enough to see what happened, and I think that’s what hurts the most… I have my family and my friends though so I know I at least have someone watching my back.” she says with a smile. “My mother, my best friend Redgie, Mr and Ms Shelby who run the daycare, and most importantly my pokemon, those here with me now and those out there possibly watching. I wouldn’t be where I am today, so to them… and only them, Thank you.” she says waiting for the cheers to quieten down

"Ty is doing okay. Better than okay, actually, I mean look he’s right here.” she says patting him on the chest, making Ty grumble, snorting a push of smoke. "He's a fighter like he has always been, and he's proven that over and over again these past eight months, and the past 17 years we’ve been out here causing havoc. He's still my partner, still my best friend, and I will spend the rest of my life making sure he has everything he needs to be happy and healthy." she says as she looks about the crowd with a renewed smile

“The last thing I’m gonna say today before I leave, because I’ve still got a lot of work to do when I get out of here. To those who promised me that I would have someone to look to if things fell through or went wrong, that they were only a phone call away, that they would come and check on me in case I ever needed any sort of support… well I can’t honestly say what I want to say to you because there's children present and I don’t want to ruin anybody’s good time here at the pageant on this beautiful cool and cloudy day… but you just keep doing what you’ve been doing, giving out false promises, lying to people, and putting on a pretty face cause that’s all you’re good for, and I don’t need your petty excuses and your hollow apologies, cause it’s too late to apologise… it’s too laaate” she hummed through the microphone getting a few chuckles from the crowed. “I love you, Goldenrod City! Keep having an awesome day, stay warm and get some of this awesome vendor food, it’s really good! I’m out!” she shouts, setting the microphone down on the podium making the speakers give a hum of feedback.

Turning she gave Mr Lanchester a stern if not hurt look, reaching out to snatch the envelope from his hand. “There you go, you got your few words… I hope you fuckin choke on them.” she says as she walks down the stage without giving him a second glance as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

As Emily passed through the crowd she felt the pats on her shoulders and back, the cheers of encouragement and and the chants that deep down inside of her made something painfully familiar stir and stretch, like a muscle that seemed to relax and untwist after a charlie horse, like something she had been holding onto that was precious that had been set free, it was a bittersweet feeling and in the moment she didn’t know what else to do other than thrust her fist up into the air, yelling out along with the cheers of the crowd, making them erupt all over again.

The walk from the stage to the park exit felt both endless and instantaneous. Emily moved through the crowd like a woman possessed, her eyes fixed forward, ignoring the reporters who scrambled to catch up with her wanting more details, the cameras that continued to shutter with every picture taken, the hands that reached out trying to get her attention.

She could hear Karen calling her name from somewhere behind her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. If she stopped, she would fall apart, and she wasn't ready to do that in front of all these people.

The sunlight outside the park gates was a welcome sight. Emily nearly doubled over, holding a hand on her stomach as she took deep calming breaths. “Holy shit… holy shit that just happened… all of that just fucking happened… dude I’m… I might throw up I-I’m not even kidding right now.” she says as Ty patted her back gently. “That fucking prick… ooo god I could of fucking drilled him in the teeth back there… oh my god.”

Ty offered her a soft chuckle of amusement, hugging an arm around her side and guided her over to one of the benches outside the park to have a seat. “Bakooo” he hummed, seeming to congratulate her.

“Fuck I’m sorry Ty, I-I didn’t even mean to it... It all just came out... Sorry for putting all that private shit out there I just… fuck that guy.” she groaned in frustration, looking up as Ty patted her on the shoulders, offering her a gentle smile and a shake of his head. “You’re ok?” she asks, getting a quick nod from him. “You’re sure? You’re not bullshitting me right?” Ty rolls his eyes, giving her a more amused look. “Get the fuck away from me, I’mma punt you in the nuts.. Sassy prick.” she groans, getting another chuckle from the overgrown badger.

As her breathing calmed Emily shook her head. “We gotta go, Lance saw all that, and I don’t need fuck face coming over here trying to be all friendly and goody-goody with me after all that.” she says as she pressed herself up. “Back in the ball bud, I’ll let you out once we’re back at the daycare.”

Ty gave a nod, shuffling closer as he watched her retrieve his ball, closing his eyes as she recalled him back inside with a red glow of light.

Shuffling around on her belt she unclipped Noivers ball, pressing the button to enlarge it, only to pause as she heard the frantic footsteps running after her. “Emily Wait!”

Karen hunched over, slightly out of breath from having been chasing after her. “W-Wait… j-just stop for a second will you?” she says frantically. “Are you serious? Everything you said back there… you’re not just exaggerating?"

A hot swell of rage nearly ripped through her chest at the meer utter of the word exaggerate “I… will beat the dog shit out of you… if you ever fucking say some shit like that to me again.” Yeah there was all that anger back in full force. “Exaggerating!? Are You Fucking Serious!?” clicking the button on her ball again Noivern was released with a flash of light, stretching with a happy look only to tense going wide eyed seeing the seething hatred dripping from his trainer's expression.

Karen took a few steps back, reaching back for her pokeball from the sudden shout. “I-It was just a question.”

Gritting her teeth Emily had to fight with all of her control not to go at her, turning abruptly as she balled her hands into fists so tight her knuckles whitened. “Don’t… fucking bother me right now… I said everything that I wanted to say, and I meant every single fucking word of it… if you can’t accept what I said as the truth, that’s fine, but don’t you ever fuckin insinuate that I would make something up like that.”

“I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to upset you it’s just… It’s a lot to take in, and the league said everything was ok.” In Karen's defense she was right, no one truly knew what had happened, Emily knew that, but at the same time it was easy to find out why. "Emily please just talk to me."

"I Said Everything I Needed To Say! Everything!" Emily shouted hard nearly throwing her into a fit of coughs. "You Said You Would Be There! You Said It! Not A Fucking Phone Call! Not A Fucking Email! You Said You. Would. Be. There!" She shouts as Noivern quick moved, bracing a wings around Emily to hold her back. "He Nearly Fucking Died Karen! He Nearly Fucking Died... You Could Of Found Out But You Didn't! You-" huffing Emily grit her teeth so hard she though she might of cracked one. "You didn't... couldn't be bothered to look... to ask some simple fucking questions... So No, I'm not gonna talk to you... I 'never' want to speak to you again... I never want to 'see' you again" she huffed as she turned.

"E-Emily p-please I... I didn't know."

"I don't fucking care anymore... the truth is out now, and I hope you all fuckung suffer a fraction as much as Ty had too... We're done here... if you try and fallow me, I'll break you." she hissed, gently patting Noivern's shoulder. "We need to go... now."

Noivern watched her nervously, unfolding his wings from around her with a concerned warble. Lowering himself enough Emily climbed up and onto his back, giving his side a nudge with her foot for him to take off.

As they took up and into the air, Emily slowly looked back behind her, seeing Karen still having the same look of concern on her face as Noivern angled up towards the gray clouds.

The door to her room at the daycare swung open hard as Emily kicked it open, waiting for Noivern to slip inside before she shut the door behind him. Dropping her back she simply faceplanted into the bed, laying there for a moment before she inhaled sharply, screaming out as loud and as hard as she could, muffling herself with her pillow.

Noivern settled back on his haunches, watching her do this a few times with an understanding look, this was much better than letting his trainer just outright beat a woman in the park, even though her throat would undoubtedly be sore later it was a good step in the right direction for her, at least he thought so.

When she finally managed to scream out all the rage and haterful energy she had left to be frustrated with, Emily rolled over in the bed, just laying there as she looked up at the ceiling red faced, possibly going to cry, again, cause of course she was, the thought of it frustrated her even more. Mr Lanchester and that stupid fucking smile of his frustrated her, he had used her and what happened to her pokemon as a publicity stunt, Fucking Karen and her whiny ass accusing her of exaggerating, and god damn Lance was a fucking asshole for existing!

Thrashing on the bed in a full on tantrum Emily shot up with a weak shout. “Fuck them! Fucking stupid… Assholes!” she shouted, stomping over to Noivern and simply flopped against his chest, burying his face into his neck fluff.

Rolling his eyes Noivern hugged a wing over her back, carefully patting her with his wing claws as he rests his chin ontop of her head. “Breeewr.”

Groaning out in his fluff Emily pulled back, tugging her jacket off she tossed it to the side half haphazardly. “I need a hot shower… a really hard drink… and to be left alone.” she mutters, pulling off her belt, poking her pokeballs releasing her other pokemon. “I’m fucking done with the day... I'm too upset... I... fucking Belt!” she says, flailing and yanking her belt off before throwing it against the wall with a thump before making her way over to the bathroom, opening and closing the door with a loud bang as her pokemon filled the room.

They shared a bew brief looks towards one another before looking to Noivern who daintily scratched a single claw against his neck not exactly sure how he was going to explain everything that had happened.

The hot water hit her skin like a blessing, sluicing over her shoulders and down her bruised back, carrying away the sweat and grime of the day. She stood there for a long moment, just letting the heat soak into her muscles, trying to release the tension that had coiled in her neck and shoulders.

Then, slowly, she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor of the shower, her knees drawn up to her chest, the water raining down on her from above.

"What the hell was I thinking…" she muttered to herself, thumping her forehead against her knees again and again. "Just... blurting all of that out on live television… God damn it… Fucking Karen... Fucking Lanchester..."

He'd been so cheerful, so casual, as if he weren't about to completely derail her and use her as a spectical. She'd only gone to the stupid pageant to get her bonus because that much extra money would be stupid to just pass up on. She hadn't expected to be ambushed like that, she had seen it coming and there were clear signs, but she hadn’t expected it to sting so much. She should have walked away. But she'd been caught off guard, surrounded by cameras and microphones and eager faces, and before she knew what was happening, the words had started pouring out of her stupid face like water from a broken dam.

Thumping her head against her knees a few more times she took a deep breath trying to quell the embarrassment, the unfathomable rage, the frustration. She'd laid it all out for the public's eye in excruciating detail, unable to stop herself once she'd started. The cameras had captured every moment. She did have to admit seeing the face the prick had when she was done talking was amusing.

"That'll teach you to put me on the spot," Emily muttered, though there was little satisfaction in the words. "Fucking asshole."

She leaned her head back against the shower wall, letting the water stream over her face. She was angry, angry at Mr. Landchester for ambushing her, at herself for losing control with Karen and nearly beating hear, at the entire situation that had brought her to this point, sending her pokemon away when she needed them the most. But more than that, she was frustrated. Frustrated that she couldn't seem to move on, that she couldn't seem to find her footing again after the accident, that every time she tried to take a step forward, something seemed to always drag her back.

She thought about Mr. Landchester, not about how much she was pissed off at him, but really thought about him. He was a rich philanthropist, the kind of man who donated millions to charity and organisations, but never missed an opportunity to get his name in the papers. He'd forced her back into the limelight against her wishes, had exploited her moment of vulnerability for his own gain, and she doubted he'd lose a wink of sleep over it, the thought alone made her jaw tighten.

“I swear I’m gonna get you back for this you prick.” she hissed under her breath, only to pause, slapping her hands against her cheeks. “Guuh, get it together Emily, fat chance you can do anything like that, already have a death grudge against too many people as it is… adding a rich prick to the list isn’t going to solve any of your problems, only compound the ones you’ve got and make new ones, already did enough fucking up his little speach thing, that’s enough… it’s enough… it’s absolutely enough, y-you don’t need to do more… even though you want to slash his fucking tires and take a shit in the airfilter of that stupid fancy car of his… you don’t need to, you don’t need to do that, it’s not gonna bother you… it’s not gonna bother you… it’s… ooo it's bothering you, it’s bothering you a Lot! A Whole Lot Cause He’s A Prick, With Shitty Hair and A Stupid Shitty Suit! FUUUCK!” she shouts, flopping outstretched in the shower, letting the water splash on her face “This… is my life now…”

Outside the bathroom door, Gardevoir sat with her back against the wall, her slender legs folded beneath her. She focused on the psychic presence on the other side of the door. She could feel Emily's turmoil, the chaotic swirl of emotions that roiled beneath the surface of her thoughts. Overwhelming anger, frustration, shame, and beneath it all, a deep and abiding sadness.

“Emily…”

She projected the word gently, tentatively, not wanting to intrude on her trainer but unable to simply sit by and do nothing.

“Please, talk to me. What happened at the pageant?”

“It was all a trap… Mr. Landchester… He had cameras and everything. He asked me about... about everything. About why I disappeared, practically refused to hand me what I earned until I answered…” Emily spoke up from behind the door.

“And what did you tell him?”

“Everything… Every bit of it. Ty's accident, the coma, the physical therapy… I couldn't stop myself. I just... broke down in front of everyone… embarrassed myself with stupid fucking jokes that were terrible.”

Gardevoir narrowed her eyes, giving an angry ‘Tsk’. She'd never liked Mr. Landchester, there was something slimy about the way he smiled, something calculating in his eyes that set her nerves on edge. The fact that he'd ambushed Emily when she was vulnerable, that he'd pushed her into revealing painful memories for the sake of entertainment, made her want to do things that were distinctly un-Gardevoir-like.

“He had no right!” she projected, her mental voice loud with restrained fury. “That was cruel and thoughtless. You didn't deserve that!”

“Oh yeah I know. But what the fuck can I do about it? He's a rich asshole, he's powerful, and I'm... I’m just me.” She says, letting her head slump forward onto her knees. “Feels like I’m just a washed up trainer at this point…”

“Don't say that.” Gardevoir's response was immediate and fierce. “Ty's accident wasn't your fault. You know that. He knows that. We all know that.”

Emily was quiet for a moment, looking over the floor of the shower as she hugged her legs a little tighter to her chest. “Doesn't feel that way sometimes.”

“Emily…”

Closing her eyes she began to sag back only to pause, narrowing her eyes as she sat up. “You know what? No, It wasn’t my fault… and I’m not gonna sit by and let that fucker get away with doing that to me… I want to get back at him! I want to make him pay for what he did!” she says firmly only to deflate. “But I don't know how. I can't hurt him cause that’s just me in jail with every assault charge under the sun, I can't go to the media cause that would just give him more publicity and he’ll sue for defamation… cause I can’t control my potty mouth.” she grumbles, thunking her head against her knees. “Sort of stuck here.”

Closing her eyes, Gardevoir thought about it long and hard, her eyes scanning the room before falling on Ty as the badger watched T.V. laying out on the bed. Looking at him for a moment there was a dawning of realisation only for her to blush at the thought. “Well… What if I told you…” Gardevoir hesitated, weighing her words carefully. “What if I told you there was a way? Something that would hurt his pride and his wallet without putting anyone in danger?”

There was a brief pause before Emily responded. “What are you talking about? That big psychic brain of yours come up with something?”

“Rude, but… I believe it may have… although it’s… not exactly a dignified retaliation… and it’s… well not really like me actually to even suggest something like this.” Her thoughts strained with doubt as she glanced back at Ty.

There was another pause. “Shit something underhanded coming from you? I’ve gotta hear this, come on in… just don’t pick on me about the mess.”

Pressing herself up Gardevoir slipped inside the bathroom, the steam from the shower had fogged up the mirror and coated every surface with a fine layer of moisture. Through the faded curtain, Gardevoir could make out the shape of Emily's body sitting on the floor of the shower, her knees drawn up to her chest.

Emily pulled the curtain aside, stretching herself out under the water with her arms crossed under her boobs. “Alright… let’s hear this dastardly plan of yours.”

Gardevoir settled onto the closed toilet lid, crossing her legs beneath her gown-like form. She met Emily’s gaze, and there was a devious glint in her eyes that she had rarely seen before.

“It's about a certain… Pokémon.” she began, her mental voice calm if not flustered. “Specifically Iris.”

Emily blinked. "Iris? Like Mr Lanchester's pokemon Iris? What about her?"

“Oh… so she actually belongs to Mr Lanchester and not Julias, his son?” _Gardevoir perked up at that, seeming a little more excited than before. _“Even better… tell me, what do you know about her?”

"Uhhh… weird question… I know she's a really rare species of Typhlosion… and I know she's entered in some of the beauty contests tomorrow. She apparently cost him 3 million, or so he claims. Why?"

“Iris is a thoroughbred, Emily. An extremely expensive one. Mr. Landchester claims she cost him three million dollars because the Hisuian variant of Typhlosion is nearly extinct and supremely rare, correct?” She asks, getting a confused nod from her trainer. “So that means that she's probably one of the most valuable Pokémon in his collection, and one of his biggest sources of pride.”

"Okay..." Emily said slowly, not quite seeing where this was going.

“She's also entered in several breeding programs with other high-class thoroughbreds. Mr. Landchester has been very careful about who she mates with or so she’s told me, he's picky about bloodlines, genetics, about maintaining her value. If… and that’s a big if… she were to say… become pregnant outside of one of his approved pairings…”

Slowly, understanding dawned on Emily's face, followed quickly by an open mouth look of shock. "Garde- No… You’re-" Sputtering Emily rubbed her face as she sat straight upright, wincing and bracing a hand on the faded yellowy green bruising on her sides.

“I am only suggesting.” Gardevoir replied calmly, holding up her hands to try and ease her trainer's shock. “That if Iris were to become pregnant with Ty's eggs, it would take her out of any pageantry work for the next six to eight months at the bare minimum, what with child rearing, feeding and all that. It would also be a significant blemish on Mr. Landchester's reputation. He'd be seen as careless by the upper class, as someone who couldn't control his own Pokémon's urges. The scandal alone would be humiliating for a man who prides himself on his immaculate image and extremely rare and valuable pokemon.” she says, taking on a more condescending tone.

"Bro… That's... that's fucking hella underhanded!" she said finally. “Kind of brilliant. But… god damn Gardevoir... where is this coming from? Since when do you come up with sick shit like this?"

Gardevoir's expression shifted to something more firm. “Emily… you've been through so much in the past eight months. You've suffered, you've struggled, you've worked so hard to put yourself and Ty back together... and then this man, this petty, self-important man, decides to exploit your pain for his own gain? He forced you into doing something you weren't ready to do, on your own terms, in front of hundreds of people and the media.”

“I mean… if I’m being completely honest no one knew what happened outside the league officials, I can understand him not knowing, but I can also only guess that he had people digging up any dirt on me that they could find.”

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t care about all of that… I don't agree with how he's treated you. I'm angry at him for it… and while I know this plan isn’t the prettiest, I'm willing to set aside my moral compass, just this once, to see that he gets what he rightfully deserves.”

Falling quiet Emily pinched her chin in thought, was she really even considering this? Would Iris be ok with it? Would Ty? While it would hit the guy where it hurts the most and take one of his pokemon out of pageantries for a long while costing him a lot… maybe, who’s to say he wouldn’t just have the eggs destroyed? Or if he had other pokemon just like Iris… what if she was hurt because of it. “I… I don’t know Gardevoir… There seems like a lot that can go wrong with that… What if he just got rid of the eggs? What if Iris gets in trouble for it, like badly?”

“Well… Actually, that's not a problem at all. Iris and I spoke at length yesterday when I was tending to her feeding. She's... well, she's quite frustrated, if you understand my meaning. Mr. Landchester keeps her scheduled so tightly with pageants and competitions during the seasons that she rarely has time for... personal pursuits. She's been complaining about how long it's been since she's had any ‘quality time’ with a decent male. However Mr Lanchester isn’t a monster, he is rather attentive to his pokemon when he isn’t too busy with other pursuits.”

Emily blinked. "She told you all of that? Is that why you just up and disappeared for like an hour and a half yesterday? They were looking for you at the front desk!"

“Oh they did just fine without me there helping… but yes that is where I was. She's very open about her desires and her life of luxury at the cost of tedious amounts of training. When I mentioned Ty- just in passing, you understand- she expressed significant interest. She thinks he's quite handsome, actually. Especially for a standard Typhlosion… Those were her words not mine. And the idea of having such a long break away from the pageantry life did seem to entice her, she was rather fond of the idea of having children actually.”

Emily’s expression soured briefly before returning to one of thought. “So… she is treated right, Mr Lanchester isn’t gonna get rid of the eggs cause she is in breeding programs, he won’t get rid of her, or beat her or anything?”

“Oh good heavens no! He is actually rather good with pokemon… apparently better with them than with people actually, it’s people he’s manipulative and conniving with.” she says as she shifts. “That’s the only reason I would even mention it, I wouldn’t put the poor girl or her possible offspring in danger… besides she did seem rather interested when I mentioned the possibility of conceiving with her.” she says with a sly little smile.

Blinking Emily held her hands up. “Waaait wait wait… you all talked about this yesterday? Her getting knocked up by Ty and having kids? You’ve not said anything about this to me at all.” she says, mouth opening. “Oh… my god… you hoe! You had a plan aaall worked out to get Ty with her didn’t you?" Emily asks, resting her elbow on the lip of the tub, leaning more towards Gardevoir. “You’re a sneaky little bitch.”

“N-Now hold on a moment! I-I was exploring… Options.” _Gardevoir says, a faint smile of embarrassment playing at her lips as she promptly stared at the wall opposite of her trainer. _"I-I didn't know if it would be necessarily appropriate… all things considered, a-and of course I would have asked you before doing anything as outlandish as sneaking Ty into her private enclosure.” she chuckles nervously, though her amusement faded as she took on a thoughtful look once more. “But after what happened today... What you were made to do… I think it's more than appropriate. I think it's exactly what Mr. Landchester and what Iris deserves.”

Emily sat back under the spray of the shower, letting the water run over her face as she thought. The plan was sneaky for sure, Gardevoir wouldn’t have even brought it up if she thought for a second that Iris or the babies would be in any danger, and it sounded like it would benefit Iris by giving her a break from all the pageant crap and suckerpunch that rich asshole in the nuts, there was just one last thing that needed to be taken into consideration.

"I can't just make Ty do this." she said finally, pushing wet hair out of her face. "If he's not on board, the whole thing is off. I'm not going to use him like that… just because I’m pissed off at the guy."

“Oh well yes of course not” Gardevoir agreed. “That's why we need to ask him. Get his opinion. If he's not interested, surely we can find another way.”

"Yeah, another way that doesn't involve using my Pokémon as pawns in some revenge scheme." Emily added firmly. “This is sort of low even for me… but I know Ty really thinks she’s pretty, she ‘is’ really pretty.” she mutters as she folds her arms.

“Agreed, but as I said I am completely certain that Iris nor her offspring would face any serious repercussions, if anything Mr Lanchester can offer them to the professor for new beginning trainers to start their journey with… though even from an unknown parent he would likely sell them to recover what he lost with her being out of the works for a while.” Smiling Gardevoir nods.

Folding her arms Emily hummed in thought. “Alright, I guess this is as good a plan as any… The only problem is that she is in a private enclosure with her own security camera, not really able to get him in there without being seen, and even if we aren’t, the second Security see’s Ty in there sniffing around they’ll be all over them in seconds.”

“This is true yes… however there is… something that we could do, so long as a certain young fellow in the next room doesn’t mind helping us with.” _Gardevoir says as she smiles. _“No one has been here all day to tend to her besides her feeding, and I’m sure if you check Ty in with the security guard under the ruise that Iris needs a good cleaning in preparation for tomorrow's pageant, you can slip her off and into one of the shower stalls out in the back, sounds familiar?” She asks with a smirk. “With all the workers at the pageant and the afterparty that will be on tonight, no one will be here for quite a while, and I’ll even stand guard outside the showers to help warn you if anyone is coming.”

“Turn in Ty? How is he gonna fuck her if he’s with the Security Guard Gardevoir?” Emily asks matter of factly.

“Because it isn’t Ty that’s going to be with the security guard.” she retorts with a smile.

“What? O-Oh! Oh so we’re involving Piko in this too?”

“It will be difficult, but if you do want to be a petty bitch and get back at Mr Lanchester then this is the most legal way you can do it… so long as no one knows that you’re doing it, otherwise you’ll probably have to pay a substantial fine… but at the same time it would also give Iris little ones and a break from her work.”

Rubbing the back of her neck Emily sighs. “Alright then… before we plot any further lets get Ty in here, make sure he’s even ok with any of this. Ty? Ty Can You Come In Here Buddy?” Emily called out. “Otherwise I’m tempted to say fuck it to the whole revenge thing, I got paid and the public off my back so that’s already a plus, and he looked pretty freaked when I left anyways so… we’ll see.”

The bathroom door hesitantly creaked open leaving Ty to poke his head in, slowly entering the bathroom while keeping his eyes averted from the tub. “B-Bakoo?”

“Hey there bud.. It’s ok, I don’t mind you seeing me naked, just boobs and cooch, nothing you’ve not peeked at before.” Emily snickers, resting her arm on the lip of the tub. “Have you been eavesdropping in here at all or…”

Hesitantly Ty looked at her, glancing over her form before shaking his head. “He was watching T.V. whenever I first came in here, you know how he gets when he’s distracted by something.” Gardevoir chuckles lightly.

“Right, right… so… let me just lay it all out on the table for you, you’re a big boy so you should be able to handle it without freaking out or anything… so.” clasping her hands together. “Me and Gardevoir came up with a really sneaky way to get back at Mr Lanchester for all the shit that he did just a little while ago, and to do that we… are going to sneak you and Iris to the shower room so you two can buck wild and possibly get her knocked up, because if you do she’ll have to be out of pageantry stuff for like half a year or so. What do you think?”

Ty regarded her for a moment, his cheeks darkening deeply with a blush as his expression cycled through horror, excitement, confusion and bewilderment. “B-B-Bakoooo!?!”

“Right so… I can’t really understand that… Gardevoir, do you mind being the interpreter here please?” she asks making finger guns at her pokemon.

“Why yes of course. Clearly he’s surprised by that, you did sort of just lay everything out on the table.” Gardevoir giggles softly.

“You know me, I don’t like beating around the bush, besides we’ll need to move quickly before anyone gets back from the pageant.” Emily says looking back at Ty. “Now I know you’ve had the oogly eyes for this gal all week, you’re practically drooling anytime you see her, but I’m not just gonna assume that you're ok with something like this, I wanted to ask you instead of putting you on the spot. Would you be ok with doing something like that?”

Ty was still gawking at her, like he was trying to process everything. Poking his claws together his face remained red as he shuffled back and forth with a quiet series of muttered grumbles to himself.

“You can say no, you’re under no obligation to me over this whatsoever.” Emily added as she nodded. “I mean yeah this is petty revenge… but I also know you’ve wanted to hit it off with a pageant gal for months now, help drain your nugs so your not as frustrated… well, until Gardevoir gets a hold of you again.”

“B-bAaaAk!?” His surprise was a little loud but he blushed all the fiercer as he avoided looking at her, moving around a little more frantically. “B-Baaa-”

“Save it.” Emily interjected, holding her hand up as she smiled. “Buddy I don’t mind that at all, I’m just happy you get taken care of. I’ll tell you like I told her-” she began motioning at Garrevoir. “-It’s a relief that your needs are being met, specially by someone I know will treat you right while your doing it. I’m not upset, I’m happy for you guys… just make sure you keep on cleaning up any messes that you make cause I swear to god if I step in cold cum while stumbling to the bathroom in the middle of the night I’m breaking legs.” she chuckles.

Grunting Ty slowly sat down, still embarrassed as he thought long and hard for a little bit. Motioning his paws around he gave a series of grunts and ‘bak’s’ as he looked at Gardevoir. “He is asking how in the world if he did agree would we pull something like that off.”

“Well, first things first We’ve gotta talk Piko into disguising himself to like you so he can hang out with the security guard, can’t quote unquote ‘have you with me around her’ as Mr Shelby said. After that I’ll take her to the showers to get washed up and you can come in and do your thing.” Emily says as she nods. “There’s no cameras or anything in the showers so you two will have your privacy, we can get you cleaned up and washed down, and no one will be none the wiser.”

Ty’s embarrassment only seemed to have deepened as he thought about it, looking off to the side he opened his muzzle, stammering as he continued speaking.

“Oh… oh dear… that is right.” Gardevoir says, holding a hand over her mouth. “Um… Emily… There is a security camera in the hallway before you get into the shower cubicles. Mr Shelby had it fixed after your and Noiverns… excursion.” She says making Ty nod, only to blink and tilt his head in confusion.

“Yeah and? So what if I’m gonna be in… there…” Emily paused as she thought about it for a moment as her cheeks began to heat up. “Uhh…”

“You won’t be able to stand out in the hallway while they are busy, you’ll have to be in the room with them otherwise you’ll show up on camera, Iris can’t properly spray herself down now can she?”

“Right… that would look weird and suspicious if I take her to get cleaned up and just wait outside the room for like 20 minutes.” Thinking Emily gave a shrug. “I mean I guess I will get a front row seat then.”

Ty whimpered softly as his vents sizzled and steamed with embarrassment, making him cover a paw over his eyes, making a few more noises as he shuffled.

“He is worried that you’ll be embarrassed seeing something like that, he says he doesn’t want to make things anymore awkward between the two of you.” Gardevoir says with a soft giggle, looking at Emily with a tilt of her head. “Perhaps you should let him know about what happened between you and Noivern?”

“That’s a little personal.” Emily says tensing as Gardevoir gives her a flat look. “Ahh I-I mean it’s… I did sort of out you for talking about you and Ty’s sexy times so… well… Ty buddy, I want you to listen closely cause this might also affect you one day.” she says as she pressed herself up slowly from the tub, pausing to turn the water off. “So… apparently that kiss we had was a little more… life changing than I thought it would be.” she chuckles softly. “Sort uhh… well… I may have given Noivern some hands and… mouth on attention.”

Ty blinked, looking rather surprised, only to turn around as a whine of embarrassment came from the other room from Noivern and a gruff laugh from Piko.

“Stop Listening In You fucking Perverts!” Emily shouted, glaring at the cracked door before her expression softened as she wrapped a towel around her head, giving her hair a quick dry. “Got eaten out until my legs were jelly and my coochy was sore, sort of why I’ve been walking funny all week.” Wrapping the towel around her she sat down on the lip of the tub. “So… I’m a lot more into Pokemon than I thought I was gonna be. So when I tell you that I don’t mind seeing a preview of what could… I don’t know, could be something that ‘we’ share one day… I’m ok with it… but you’ve gotta understand that I don’t want to force you to do anything that you're uncomfortable with, or feel any kind of obligation to me in that regard… You're my best friend, all of you guys are. I want you to be comfortable, happy, and satisfied… that’s why I’m asking if you’re ok with this thing with Iris, I need to know or the whole thing’s off, we got paid, we head back home and keep on going with our lives.”

Ty’s face couldn’t have gotten any redder, weak flames flickered along his vents as he looked to his paws for a long while, shuffling a little here and there as he thought. After a few minutes he looked up at her with a slow nod of his head and another series of sounds and ‘bak’s’

Folding her hand in her lap Gardevoir hums. “He agrees, though he says this is a lot for him to take in and wants to discuss things more once everything is settled with Iris… Speaking of which, I believe now that my work here is done with you two, I’m going to go see if she’s ok with the plan.” she says, her form glowing a soft white before she simply teleported from the bathroom.

Emly looked to where Gardevoir had been. Pressing herself up she let the towel fall away, slowly crossing the small bathroom to stand right in front of Ty, leaning to the side to press the bathroom door shut. Ty swallowed hard as he looked at her, even sitting on the ground as he was; she was still just shy of an inch shorter than him. “Ty… be honest with me… are you ok with it?”

Ty gave a slow nod of his head, blushing as he glanced down at her form before abruptly looking away.

Reaching her hands up Emily gently rested her touch on his cheek, smiling as he let her turn his head to look at her. “It’s ok, I don’t mind… you boy’s always so bashful about seeing me naked, it’s cute.” she chuckles.

Grumbling Ty gave a mocking little sway of his head, pausing as Emily poked his nose.

“Hey… one last thing.” she says as she moved to rest her hands on his shoulders, rubbing down to take his arms in her hands and pull them towards her, leaving Ty to carefully hug his arms around her sides. “If at any time you want to stop, or you get uncomfortable, you let me know… I’ll get you out of there… ok?” she asks.

Ty nodded slowly, gently pressing his paws against her sides, pulling her closer to him. His gaze softened as he looked down at her. “Bakoo?”

Tilting her head Emily hummed. “I… I’m not throwing too much at you all at once right? A lot’s happened that I’ve not talked about… and it’s been a really crazy day today all things considering… I mean you saw for yourself... well... not the whole thing with Karen.”

Nodding Ty leaned in and gave her head a little nuzzle, pulling her into a gentle hug as he rests his head over her shoulder and pets her back.

Chuckling Emily hugged her arms around his neck, feeling along the fire that flickered from his vents, the flames dancing painlessly around her hands and arms was a stark reminder how much he trusted and cared for her. “I love you buddy… So please, don’t let me do something that either of us would regret… ok?”

Pulling back slowly Ty crooned, pressing his head against hers, giving the faintest of nods.

A tremble ran through her form as she looked up at him, her head tilting as she smiled. She began to pull away, only to be met with resistance as Ty’s arms held her close, she looked a little surprised at first, but nowhere near as surprised as she was when he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips.

Her heart fluttered in her chest from the simple and slightly awkward kiss, his mouth far larger than her own, though it was the emotions behind it that made her tighten her hug around his neck, pressing into the gentle affection with a deep and blissful sigh.

When they finally seperated she couldn't help but smile softly. "Wow, wasn't expecting that from you... you're a sappy boy aren't you?" she snickers softly as Ty bleps.

Pulling back from him she strode out into the room, resting her hands on her hips. "Piko you heared all that right? Nosy prick, you good with pretended to be Ty so he can get laid?"

Piko looked at Emily, looking her nude form over blatantly before giving her a thumbs up, going back to watching the T.V with a rough chuckle