FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This is the first story in the Escort Files, my little fan fiction of Xianyu's wonderful Violet Enterprises series. I would like to thank Xianyu for helping me with some characterization and for helping to sand off some of the more egregious of my writing errors. Without further ado, I present chapter one of the Escort Files.

Story Keywords: Pokemon Trainer, Pokephilia, Cunnilingus, Vaginal, Vaporeon, Story Heavy

---

The wetness of the recent rain dimmed the crunch of the autumn leaves as Tommy walked along the cracked sidewalk. Glory, his vaporeon, padded softly along beside him, taking no note of either the cold or the rain. After another few steps, he looked up from his phone, staring across the abandoned parking lot at an old office complex. It was empty now. Or at least, it had been until very recently. He glanced down at the phone screen, rereading the address, before putting away his phone.

With a sigh, he stopped to consider his situation again. He'd been bouncing around Unova doing odd jobs for a while, but more serious employment needed to be found. His savings had gone just about dry when he got the email, offering him a job as a “transporter".

“I really don't know about this Glory," he murmured, looking at the few lights on in the dusty old building. “Feels like the start of some kinda crime noir story. A sudden job offer, from a company I'd never heard of, and a meeting site that turns out to be an abandoned office complex."

“Vapo, poreon," Glory helpfully pointed out.

Tommy let out an amused snerk. “Okay, point taken, it's not quite abandoned anymore. Still feels like I am walking into some sort of trap. I can't shake the feeling that…" He groaned, rubbing his face. “I don't even know. Just nerves I guess. Should we do this?"

“Vapo. Vaporeon!" He could tell from the way she looked at him and the set of her body that she still thought it was a decent idea to check out the lead. Jobs were hard to come by, and even if the company was quite odd, the offered job benefits were very tempting. The ability to travel often and for free suited him and his own personal desires to see the world.

The last thing he wanted was some boring desk job, or service job. He'd worked retail when he was younger, and vowed never to do that again. Compared to what that had been like, he figured taking his chances here was a better option. He stretched, cracking his neck and knelt down to rub Glory along the sides of her headfin.

“So, we walk in confident, set the tone. And if they're not on the level, well, we're a team: you, me, Nia and Turing. We can handle whatever comes." Smiling warmly, he adjusted his touch just enough to make her nearly purr in delight. “And I know you'd enjoy getting to blast some scoundrel across the room, you little weirdo."

“Eon," she replied, giving her best big innocent blue eyed stare. But it didn't last, as she stuck out her tongue after a moment, before looking up at him and spitting a weak line of water across his cheek, making him laugh.

Wiping his cheek with his jacket sleeve, he stood up. “Is that your way of saying I'm a scoundrel? Not to be trusted around innocent and demure pokémon such as yourself?"

“Eon~" she replied coyly.

Time to see if this is legit, or if I'm going to be glad my running shoes are on. And with that thought in his mind, he turned and started walking across the leaf-littered parking lot.

---

Despite seeming abandoned, the door opened for him easily. Inside, the fluorescent lights were on, but it seemed no one was in the lobby. There was a small information desk, behind which sat the dusty name of a company he had never heard of. He looked around, seeing office furniture haphazardly strewn about, most of it covered with white cloth.

“Marowak."

At the sudden noise, Tommy nearly jumped out of his skin, and Glory went on an immediate defensive. Spinning around, Tommy saw a marowak leaning against the wall near the door. Somehow, he'd missed noticing them when he came in.

The bone-keeper pokémon just looked from Glory to him, expression unreadable behind the bone mask they wore. Finally, they nodded, picking up their club, and starting to head off into a hallway.

“Wak," was all they said, and it sounded to him less like a request than a command.

Understanding a new pokémon when you first met them was often entirely guesswork, but there was no mistaking the meaning this time. Follow.

Tommy took a moment to look back at Glory to settle his nerves. Feels like every time I find my damn confidence, something comes along to throw me off balance again.

Tommy stepped quickly to catch up to the pokémon, who led him down to the door of one of the offices. The marowak gave a quick set of staccato taps on the door with their bone club, and a moment later, a voice with thick Kalosian accent spoke from behind it. “Please come in, Mr. Scott."

Again feeling like he was in over his head, Tommy opened the door and stepped in. Once past the threshold of the door, the office seemed like it had been the way someone had left it: comfortable, but dusty. A large wooden desk sat opposite a cushy chair, and behind the desk sat a man in dark glasses tapping on a laptop. He hit a key and locked the computer, turning to face Tommy and placing his hands before him. The man nodded to the seat in front of the desk.

“Good evening Mr. Scott, and to you as well, Glory. Have a seat, please."

Still feeling unsure of himself, he sat down. Across from him, the man was nearly unreadable behind his reflective glasses. To Tommy, he seemed like the secret agent type, calm, collected and likely ruthless. Or perhaps, more like a crime boss. He couldn't help feeling like rattata being watched by a corviknight.

“I trust you have brought your identification and trainer credentials?"

“Yeah, of course." He stuttered slightly, but covered it by clearing his throat. Tommy pulled out a pair of identification cards, sliding them across the table. The man took the cards and looked at them briefly, before sliding them back.

“Tom Scott, completed the Galar gym challenge, placed seventh in the tournament after. Originally from Virbank, age 26."

“Yes, that's all correct," Tommy confirmed, before blinking and realizing it was not a question, but statements of things the man already knew. “Do I get to know your name?"

“I will answer to Jerome." He turned to his laptop and seemed to read something before turning back. “You performed very well in Galar. Few trainers place so highly with only three pokémon."

This Jerome knew a lot about him, and even if everything so far has been relatively public information, it was still far more information about him than would be expected for a simple job interview. “I really believe I would have won if I had a full team, but pokémon care isn't cheap, and neither is going through the gym challenge. And I refuse to cut costs or compromise when it comes to providing for my friends."

That statement returned some of Tommy's confidence back to him. Reaching down, he stroked over Glory's head. Regardless of whatever else, he would always take care of his friends. Returning to them the love and help they had given him over the years was always foremost in his mind, and it had led him here.

“Understandable. Your care for pokémon was one of your standout features." He stopped, steepling his hands. “What do you know of Violet Enterprises, Mr. Scott?"

“Just Tommy, please," he said quickly. He paused a bit, deciding how he wanted to phrase the rest, and just decided to be blunt. “Violet Enterprises creates adult entertainment, featuring pokémon. Often poképhillia content, but also branching into entirely pokémon films as well."

“Excellent. I prefer it when candidates do their research. And do you understand the job you are being offered?"

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, glad to feel the calming presence of Glory leaning against his leg. “Not really. It seemed a bit vague to me, and frankly, too simple for what pay and benefits were offered." He took a breath, looking directly into where he assumed Jerome's eyes were behind the dark lenses. “It mentioned transport duty as a main job factor, with other duties being assigned as necessary. I did notice that it warned of near constant travel."

“This is correct. While you must still be completely vetted by the company, I am here to offer you a simple provisional contract. But if you take the job, one of your main duties will be to shuttle pokémon and occasionally people from place to place. In some cases, we deem it necessary for them to have a bodyguard for their protection."

He stopped, wetting his lips. “In addition, there are other items and shipments you may be in charge of seeing to their ultimate destinations for Violet Enterprises or its parent company, Silhouette."

That part made him blink, an entirely new bit of knowledge. When he looked up Violet Enterprises, he didn't remember seeing anything about this other company. “Silhouette? That's not a company I've heard of before." It's also not exactly dispelling the weird shadow company vibes I am getting here, he thought.

“Silhouette is the parent company of Violet Enterprises and runs a variety of other pokémon related businesses and research concerns. Should you attain a permanent position, you will learn more of the structure."

Despite Jerome's calm nature, Tommy was anything but calm himself. His mind raced, trying to figure this out. Okay, definitely corporate espionage or criminal empire, he thought. Just gotta figure out which…

“...why me?"

“Because our research suggests you will be an asset to the company. The information we have shows that you are a skilled and trustworthy individual, capable of discretion when necessary."

“So, I work for Violet Enterprises, I move people or things from place to place, protect them from harm, either from pokémon or people." He relaxed a bit, but couldn't help but voice a question that had been on his mind since he learned of Violet Enterprises. “Are there other duties I would be expected to perform?"

“If you mean to ask if we are scouting you for talent," Jerome said carefully, “That is not a primary concern. You may at some point be offered a contract at some point for a film, but your other abilities are what we currently desire."

Looking over, Jerome seemed to read something on his laptop before continuing. “As for other duties, I cannot say. There will be a variety of paperwork you will need to file while moving personnel from place to place, and it is likely you may be called upon for odd jobs or manual labor. It is not uncommon for those in our company to wear many 'hats' as it were.

One day may see you delivering a pokémon to a shoot, the next day may see you helping to set up lights and sets, to be a 'gofer' for the production. The exact nature will be different from day to day, but those are some good examples."

Reaching down, Tommy stroked Glory's head, before scratching lightly under her chin. “So why use a transporter? For pokémon especially, sending them through the PC system would be quicker and almost completely safe from any possible harm or interception."

“Pokémon who work for Violet Enterprises are not under compulsion, nor ordered by trainers to participate. Through their own free will, they choose to associate with our company. The ability to ask not to be placed in a pokéball is a common benefit many choose to take."

Jerome laid his hands flat on the desk. “Therefore, they must be moved from place to place via more conventional means. And either because of pokémon poachers, stalkers, competitors or common criminals, they may require protection."

“Competitors? Your competition would stoop to attacking your actors?"

“Generally, no. But it has happened on occasion, so we prefer to be proactive on this front, to discourage even the attempt. You're not being conscripted for a corporate war, I assure you. However, if you are to act as both caregiver and bodyguard, it is only right that we make clear the extent of your duties so you are prepared for any eventuality."

Closing his eyes, Tommy took a deep breath. “Well, I can't say this is a job I was expecting to be offered. But it sounds… appealing. Exciting even. What's next?"

There was a moment of silence as Jerome tapped some keys on the laptop, and Tommy heard his phone announce he had several new messages. “The provisional contract is simple. Tonight you will be given a hotel room, and tomorrow you will be entrusted with your first charge."

Jerome closed the laptop, turning back to Tommy. “You will find transport arranged for yourself and your charge, to take you to Hoenn. You are to see your charge's needs and safety, keep them out of trouble and happy. Arrive on time with your charge, transfer them to a trainer at the drop off point and your contract is complete."

“If your performance is satisfactory, you will then proceed to Ascorbia in the Orange Islands, for formal hiring and company orientation."

Chewing his tongue while thinking, Tommy looked down to Glory, who gave a happy “Eon!" of encouragement. Finally, he nodded. “Alright, I'm in, Jerome."

He was rewarded with another thin smile from the enigmatic man. “Welcome to Violet Enterprises, Tommy."

---

Tommy looked over the messages he was sent as the city bus rumbled along. He had a hotel room reserved, he just needed to say he was from Violet Enterprises and give the reservation number. The next day, he would meet his charge and the handler in the lobby. From there, they would board a ship, sail from Virbank to Slateport, then continue on to Mauville to finish the delivery.

His mind drifted to what sort of pokémon he would be traveling with this first time. While he had specific instructions on who to report to in Mauville, there were absolutely no details on who his charge was to be. This fact alone suggested his first contract was not intended to be extremely easy. The company would wish to test him before assigning him anything high priority.

With a sigh he put the phone away, deciding instead to focus on the sleeping Glory, splayed out half across the seat and half across his lap. Gently, he slid his hand down the smooth flesh of her side, to her haunch. He fell into a rhythm petting her, and she nuzzled into his stomach, mostly asleep.

She had been there with him ever since he first got his trainer license at twelve, though she had been an eevee back then. It would take eight years before he could find someone to sponsor him to the gym challenge. But from the very start, Glory has been inseparable from him.

She followed him everywhere, only leaving his side under protest, and even then preferring her ball to the company of anyone who wasn't her master. He vividly remembered having to return her to the ball before school, and letting her out the instant he was back home. She kept watch over him, and was hardly passive in her duties. If he tried to shirk his homework or chores, she'd annoy him until he relented.

He loved her with all his heart, and was proud to call her his first pokémon. Smiling, he pet her a bit more, admiring her. Her tail was a bit shorter than most vaporeon, and her eyes were a vivid electric blue. They had been even back when she was just an eevee. Those eyes, the soul and heart behind them, captivated him, and had done so ever since he first saw her.

After a few more moments, the bus reached its stop, the driver announcing the street as it slowed and the door opened. Rather than wake Glory, Tommy took her pokéball and simply recalled her. After she disappeared in a flash of red light, he stood and exited the bus into the cold evening air.

The hotel he was to stay in was rather nice, one of the better in Virbank. Unfortunately, it was also several blocks away from any bus stop, even the closest he could find. He paused a moment to look up at the gray sky, and enjoy the slight chill breeze. It might have been unusual, but he always enjoyed this sort of weather. As he walked, he plucked another pokéball off his belt.

Coming to a crosswalk, he depressed the button and tossed the ball up while waiting for the cross walk. A beam of energy shot out and resolved into the form of a rather rotund raichu, as Tommy caught the ball and reattached it to his belt.

“Hey Nia. Wanna keep me company on a walk? We're headed to a hotel. I can tell you about our new job on the way."

“Rai-rai!"

Before the traffic light had a chance to change, the female raichu scurried over and climbed up Tommy's pants and jacket to sit on his shoulder, wrapping her tail around his neck a few times as an anchor. Smiling, he leaned his head against her to enjoy her warmth. She was almost too large to sit on his shoulder, yet somehow she made it work.

Walking through the drizzle, under the light of the street lamps, he told the raichu about how the meeting had gone. About his duties, and about Jerome and how much the man seemed to know. If knowledge was power, then Violet Enterprises, or perhaps Silhouette behind them, was powerful indeed. Nia seemed to listen to his ramblings attentively.

With a sigh, Tommy rubbed along her back. “More than a little odd though. Why would a porn company call me out of nowhere for a job like this? I mean, I don't doubt our skills." He sighed, grateful for Nia's warmth. She patted him on the head and he continued.

“That Jerome seemed to know an awful lot about us." Drawing in a deep breath, he considered how to phrase the question on his mind ever since the interview. “Do you suppose he knows about…well."

He could feel his cheeks burning as considered it. Is there some way he knows about Nia, Glory and I having sex? And if he does know about that, then how?

Unable to completely voice his thoughts, Nia still seemed to understand his unease. She turned and kissed his forehead, patting him again.

“Rai, raichu." Don't worry about it.

It was a comfort to him, but it did not completely quiet his thoughts. He kept walking though and it wasn't long before they arrived before a towering modern building with a carefully manicured front garden. This section of the city was newer, cleaner, and altogether more high class than he was used to.

Tommy stepped quickly through the doors and out of the weather. Nia hopped off his shoulder, and shook out some of the rain in the entryway. The lobby was relatively large, clearly a meeting space of its own. Old leather couches, oak wood tables, a few potted plants here and there, it all helped to give a comfortable and cozy feeling to the place. A marked departure from the weather outside.

From back behind the front counter, a female clerk took notice of him, smiling. “Hello sir, do you have a reservation?"

Fumbling for his phone, Tommy walked over, while Nia climbed back to her usual place. “Uhhh, yeah…Scott, Tommy. From Violet Enterprises." He paused looking at his phone. “Reservation number 836192."

The clerk tapped a few keys, reading the screen before looking up. “Ah yes, one of our corporate partners. We have a queen suite for you tonight, Mr. Scott, I hope you find it to your liking." With practiced motion, she took a blank key card, slid it through the terminal and held it out to him.

Taking the card Tommy tossed off a casual salute before turning to head for the elevator. “Thanks."

“Chu chu!" agreed Nia, giving a final wave to the clerk.

---

The halls were empty as Tommy moved along, spinning the key card around in his hands. Keeping an eye on the numbers, he came to the one that was his for the night, 1901. He flipped the card around and slid it through the reader, and then stood in shock at the luxury before him. He knew the room wasn't the largest in the hotel, but it was still larger than some apartments he'd seen in his life. He blinked, in a kind of trance.

There was a large and fluffy bed, which looked soft enough to just sink entirely into. All the furniture was trimmed in decorative wood, having a motif of common pokémon across the woodwork. The beds had treats across the pillows, for both humans and pokémon. The room also featured a cream colored large couch facing a flat screen television, and an entire small kitchen with a snack bar.

To most, it would have seemed a classy, if by the book, hotel room. Soft colors, earth tones, sturdy and comfortable furniture. Nothing that could even remotely offend someone's design sensibilities. To Tommy, who had spent so much time in cheap motels, hostels, and even the occasional pokécenter couch, it felt like winning the lottery.

Nia was not as spellbound as him and cried out in joy, disengaging her tail from his neck and jumping down to the floor. She ran around the room in a hurry, sitting on the sofa, flopping on the bed, even looking through all the drawers, the cupboards and the closet.

When she noticed he hadn't moved yet, or closed the door, she sighed and moved back over to him, wrapping her tail around his leg. “Rai!" The discharge she let out was barely a tingle, but it broke the hold the room seemed to have on Tommy.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. Just not used to a place this swank. But we might be seeing a lot more of this in the future if we do well."

Shutting the door behind him, he dropped his bag on the couch, then slipped off his jacket and put it in the closet. He took Glory's pokéball and depressed the button, letting her out into the room. She yawned and slowly stretched, waking up. Nia called to her from a depression in the soft main bed, and Glory perked up, jumping up to experience it herself. In the meantime, Tommy kicked off his shoes and set his phone on the nightstand.

Outside, the weather has turned, and rain lashed at the window. Tommy grabbed the pokétreat from the smaller bed, stripped the foil off it, and then split it in halves for Glory and Nia. Then he sighed, flopping back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“So now we're working for a poképhilia porn company. Even if we're not specifically hired to be in front of the camera, it's… well, it feels strange." He turned his head slightly to the side where Glory and Nia were just finishing up the last of the treat bar. “What do you think about all this? It would seem like a dream job, but I can't shake the feeling that it also means things I kept private would be more public than I might like.

“Rai, Rai…" was Nia's response, with a dismissive hand gesture. The chubby raichu climbed over onto him, straddling his hips as best she could. Smiling devilishly at him, she moved her hips back and forth, grinding against him through his pants.

“Rai rai chu, raichu chu," she chided, wagging a small finger at him like scolding a child. He didn't need to bother figuring out the exact translation, her attitude made her thoughts clear. He should relax, and not worry about the future so much. It was her general response to his anxiety over anything. The response was what he expected from her, the raichu seemed to take all of life in stride, rarely being bothered.

He was also sure her idea of getting him to relax was him fucking her insensate.

Glory moved over to his side, lying alongside him, tail draped over one of his legs. Snuggling into him, she pressed her face against his cheek, nuzzling him. “Vaporeon." If anything, she just seemed proud of him for taking such a plunge. An unknown company, job offer from nowhere; a lot of folks would have just deleted the email. He almost did.

Sliding his arm around Glory to hold her, he nodded. “Yeah, we did need the job, and suspect as it is, it really does sound like something we can handle. The pay is good too, but… That meeting just seemed strange to me. I get the feeling that Jerome knew a lot more than he let on."

“Given that a poképhilia porn company reached out to us, I get the feeling he somehow knows that we've been fooling around. Not something we share publicly." He sighed, anxiety welling up in him before he was able to tamp it down. If Jerome knew that, then anyway he might have found out about it meant having access to information Tommy did not really want to share with prospective employers. Even if it had somehow worked to his advantage this time.

In addition to his personal habits suddenly seeming more public, there were other factors about the job concerning him. He was going to be transporting around porn stars! Perhaps he had some improper assumptions about them, but he did wonder about traveling with potentially very lusty pokémon.

Tilting his head, Tommy looked at Nia as he spoke. “We'll be transporting around porn stars you know. I don't want either of you to be jealous, so I wanted to check now. Are you really okay with this? There may be lusty pokémon who want to jump me during this job."

“Chu," Nia cooed, before smirking at him and making some crude gestures before sticking her tongue out. Obviously, she didn't seem to care. In fact she seemed downright excited to get a chance to watch anything that might happen.

“Right, so you don't care so long as you can watch. Adorable little perv." He reached over and pet her between her ears and she pressed up into his hand. “What about you, Glory?"

With a yawn, Glory stood up and had a big stretch. Then she shifted around, laying her head down on her forepaws while keeping her rear lifted. She flipped her muscular tail up and wiggled her butt suggestively, placing her tight blue cunny on perfect display. “Vapor vap eon~"

Given the obvious breeding position she was taking, he found it easy to read her meaning. “What about the both of you? You can have fun with who you like, pokémon or otherwise. I know you love me, and wandering off to have a little fun won't change that."

He flopped back on his back, staring at the ceiling again. “Eon?" Glory's finned head entered his vision, looking down at him.

“Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, just a little overwhelmed. We'll be working for a porn company. It's surreal. There's a chance one or all of us end up on camera one day, being filmed screwing our brains out." He fidgeted nervously. “Just… it's a real departure from everything I knew."

“And some of the stuff Jerome said makes me wonder if that's really all VE does. I really don't think porn stars need professional trainers as bodyguards. Are they really on the level?"

Finally, he let out the secret hope that clinched him taking the job. “But if they are… think of the adventure! This is the closest we'll ever come to being secret agents!" A half giddy, half nervous giggle escaped him.

“And if not, it still sounds like fun, traveling around, doing a little bit of everything."

Glory nodded, giving a simple “Por." in response. Then she looked over to the nightstand, and then back to him questioningly.

Blinking, Tommy idly stroked her side. “You want me to check on Turing? I can, but you and I both know the only world he cares about is the digital one." She nodded and looked back at the phone.

Turning his head to look at his phone, he called out softly, “Turing. Pop up for a minute buddy…"

After a moment, the phone vibrated a little and the pink and blue head of a Porygon emerged from the screen. “Ry?"

“You probably already know from the messages, emails and what not, but we're going to work for a porn company. You cool with that?"

“Gon," came the flat response from Turing as he sank back into the phone entirely. The shortness of the exchange made Tommy laugh.

“Told you, Glory. Only things Turing cares about are the digital world and the occasional battle. The world out here just doesn't hold a lot of interest for him."

---

The next morning started with the blaring music of Tommy's alarm, jolting him back to wakefulness. Quickly, he reached over the bed past Nia to tap his phone and turn it off. He'd set it to go off early so he had plenty of time in case the drop off also turned out to be early. But the softness of the bed, and the warmth around him were tempting him to stay where he was.

Yawning widely, he stopped to consider his position. Based on feeling alone, Glory was sleeping against his back, and he had been cuddling Nia through the night. Carefully, he sat up cradling the raichu, and then tucked her back into bed as he stood up. Nia yawned and stirred slightly, before falling back asleep next to Glory.

Tommy spent a few minutes stretching in the cold air of the hotel room. After that, a whirlwind of activity followed, personal grooming, then dressing, then checking over the equipment in his bag. Finally, he opened up the curtains and whistled to the girls.

“Come on, sleepyheads," he called, pulling his belt on, “Time to either get up or get in a ball. And I think you'd both prefer breakfast."

Glory was the faster riser, the vaporeon quickly standing up, and giving a big stretch before hopping down to the floor. As usual, Nia was slower, dazedly crawling to the edge of the bed and half-falling off it to the floor. Taking pity on the raichu, Tommy scooped her up in his arms.

“Downstairs for a hotel provided breakfast, then we just sort of…wait. Last email said the contact would let me know when he arrived at the hotel for drop off. I know his name, Stephen, and have his picture. No clue what our first escort will be though. Best that we stir smartly and get a good handle on the day though."

With Glory at his heels, he stepped out into the hallway, and headed for the stairs, with Nia still yawning and trying to gather her wits in his arms.

It took only a few minutes to bound down the stairs and into the dining area where there was a buffet style breakfast of any and all sorts. Knowing his friends, Tommy got breakfast for them first. For Glory, a bowl of berries and pokémon chow was the simple choice. She preferred a quick meal, simple and to the point in the morning. When dinner time hit in the evening, that's when she was much more tempted by involved recipes.

Nia by now has awoken and taken her usual place on his shoulder. Under her very careful direction, he built her a rather monstrous breakfast plate, overflowing with about one of every fried thing that was available, and a couple berry filled pastries on top. Her diet had always seemed suspect to him, but her health was always very good, even if she was a bit chubby. He could only figure that most of the calories were converted to electric current and released.

After grabbing food for his pokémon, he claimed an empty table, sliding the excited and fidgeting Nia into a chair with her breakfast before her, and setting Glory's bowl on the ground nearby. Quickly, he then helped himself to some breakfast, and came back, sitting down with them. While Tommy was fairly sure that Turing was capable of eating, the porygon never did.

Nibbling on a bagel, Tommy thought idly what sort of pokémon he would be transporting. Obviously, one who did not care to be in a pokéball, but what sort of pokémon was likely to be a porn star?

Obviously, he was aware of sexual relations between trainers and pokémon on occasion. Any trainer who had traveled as much as him would have heard the rumors. Or in his case, simply had one lonely night change the way he and his team interacted. But what sort of pokémon would be considered sexy for film?

“Hmm, Gardevoir," he mumbled, making a list to himself. “Most any humanoid one I suppose…"

“Raichu."

“Yeah, probably, Nia. After all, pikachu and raichu are popular. The size difference might also appeal to some."

Idly, his thoughts drifted back to having Nia in his lap, kissing her fiercely, feeling her soft body in his hands. Slowly pushing her downward and…

He stopped there and coughed, adjusting the way he was sitting. Nia meanwhile leered at him from across the table, munching on her pastries. Internally, Tommy cursed the fact he hadn't gotten off last night. Adding another pokémon he didn't know to his entourage wasn't going to help that.

Even if it turned out to be something cute and fuckable like…

“Porygon."

Every thought train in Tommy's head suddenly derailed and piled up in a massive accident. It took a moment before he could recover enough to realize that had not been his own thought, so much as something trying to get his attention.

“Porygon," Turing said flatly again, the noise coming from his phone.

Reaching into his pocket, Tommy pulled out his phone and quickly unlocked it. Turing was there, looking out at him from the screen. The porygon moved to the side, and brought up a file, an email that had just arrived. His contact was in the hotel lobby with his first charge. The email reminded him of the contact's name, had his picture, and strangely, still no information on the pokémon he would be taking care of. He furrowed his brow, before taking a deep breath to let the annoyance fade. “Thank you, Turing."

The porygon gave an affirmative beep, and then closed the file and relocked the phone. Putting it away, Tommy turned his attention to the girls present. “Nia, Glory…are we ready to get started on our job?"

Both pokémon nodded, making noises of affirmation. Tommy gathered up the dishes, setting them on the return cart. Nia once more deftly climbed to his shoulder and Glory fell into step beside him.

Leaving the crowded dining hall, he entered the hotel lobby which was almost empty. Almost, except for a man tiredly slumped in a chair. Checking against his phone, the man matched the description in his email, and so Tommy adjusted his bag and jogged over.

Clearing his throat he called out once closer to the man. “Excuse me, are you Stephen? With VE?"

After a moment, the man looked up, seeming tired beyond belief. It made Tommy wonder if he had been traveling all night. That seemed like something the job might require at times.

“Yes, I am Stephen, I take it you are Tommy, the provisional transporter?"

With a grin, Tommy nodded, hoping to make a good impression on his new coworkers. “That's me, just started, but ready to see my first charge off to Mauville."

The mad nodded and stood, tossing Tommy a pokéball. “Here's Wilbur's ball, though orders are to put him in there under no circumstances."

Nodding, Tommy attached the ball to his belt. “Andmy…where is Wilbur exactly?"

The man pointed down, and for the first time, Tommy noticed a small appletun dozing at the man's feet.

“Unless you have somewhere you need to be, I suggest you let him sleep. He can be a real handful."

Once more Tommy felt all his thoughts derail. Appletun? The apple nectar pokémon? Sure, it was cute. And good in battle, but what was one doing being cared for by a porn company… Did people really…

While he was busy trying to get his thoughts in order, the man waved, wished him luck, and disappeared out the door before he could form any coherent questions. After a moment, Tommy took a moment to look around for a hidden camera just in case this was all some kind of prank.

He had about satisfied himself that this must, somehow, be a real job, when the appletun yawned and woke up. Wilbur stood up on his short little legs, and flipped up his eyes to look around. When he saw Tommy, he hopped and waddled over, gently headbutting his shin.

“Well, at least this should be easy," Tommy said, kneeling down to pat Wilbur. “Hi Wilbur. Pleasure to meet you. I'll be taking care of you for a few days. Dunno what the other guy was on about, you don't seem like tro–woah!"

During the patting and introductions, Wilbur suddenly turned and bolted out the front door of the hotel, moving at a speed that Tommy would not have thought possible. With a curse, he launched into a sprinting pursuit, right onto the busy Virbank streets. He kept his eyes locked on the diminutive but surprisingly speedy pokémon to avoid losing it.

Running along the sidewalk, Tommy ducked and weaved in between people and pokémon, wishing this hadn't happened at the height of rush hour. He dodged a businessman in a suit talking on his phone before juking around a watchog that was helping signal at a worksite.

He continued to slowly gain on the appletun, but Wilbur sped through a crosswalk just as the light changed. To avoid losing him or falling too far behind, Tommy was forced to follow, leaping and sliding over the hood of a car that stopped short.

Ignoring the man's cursing, Tommy ran onward, solidifying his plan for victory. “Glory! To the right, up two blocks, and then back to this street," he panted, “Nia! Same but to the left! Turing! Get way out ahead and cut off the appletun's escape! We'll box him in!"

“Rai!"

“Eon!"

“Ry."

With noises of assent, his pokémon all took off, Glory to right, Nia to the left, and Turing reluctantly leaving his phone to fly on ahead above the crowd.

The trap now set, Tommy dodged through the outdoor section of a cafe, managing to avoid the a simisear waiting tables, but only just. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself as hard as he could, feet pounding the ground, gradually gaining the last few meters on Wilbur.

When the dragon pokémon arrived at the next crosswalk, Turing suddenly dropped down to block his path. He started to turn to the right, but Glory closed off the route. Slowing to a stop, Wilbur flipped his eyes up to look behind him, seeing Nia, and then to the side, seeing Tommy approaching.

Without a sound Wilbur plopped back down, laying on his stomach. Once he caught up, Tommy quickly picked him up to prevent further escape. “You…little…troublemaker," he panted, his sides aching from the sprint. Tommy was planning his scolding speech when he heard a shout behind him.

“Hey you! Stop right there!!"

Turning his head, Tommy spotted a massive arcanine with a police hat barreling down the sidewalk towards him, followed closely by a police officer. Everyone quickly stepped aside as they made a beeline directly for him.

“Oh heck…" he groaned, as Wilbur made a wheezing noise very reminiscent of laughter.

---

It had taken several hours to be free of police custody and suspicion. The fact that he did not actually own Wilbur was just one more complicating factor. But when all was said and done, Tommy had gotten off lightly. He'd been read the riot act, and lost more than a few hours to the ordeal, but he wasn't fined and more importantly, wasn't arrested.

And so, by late afternoon, Tommy was waiting to board the ship to take them to Slateport, keeping a wary and watchful eye upon the appletun. Turing floated nearby, also keeping silent vigil.

Turing hadn't been keen on being called from Tommy's phone, but Tommy had insisted. Both Glory and Nia were tired from the chase, and would be at a disadvantage against Wilbur's tricks in any event.

Of course, with ultimate mischief already accomplished, the small pokémon had simply decided to sleep more, resulting in Tommy having to carry him from the police station, across town, to the dock. At least while waiting to board, he could set Wilbur down on the pier.

“Even when not causing trouble," Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair, “You still manage to stress me out." Studying the sleeping pokémon, he couldn't help but wonder aloud why Wilbur was like that.

He'd barely known the pokémon for seconds before Wilbur had zipped off and away from him. Though he had wracked his brain for any other explanation, the only one that seemed to fit was that Wilbur just liked to cause trouble for the sake of it. Why else run away from someone who's supposed to help you travel the moment you meet them? Not to mention laughing as your behavior gets you scolded by the police.

The line to board the ship began moving and Tommy sighed, picking up the small pokémon. Holding Wilbur close to his chest, he dug his ticket out of his pocket to give to the crewman as he boarded.

Relatively small, compared to many of the massive cruise ships afloat, the Coral Guardian was used more for quicker jaunts between regions. Though it lacked the amenities of larger ships, it moved between regions much quicker, having little reason to tarry. Such ships were familiar with Tommy, as they were popular with trainers.

Though he had been on ships between regions many times before, it had always been on a value ticket. Though the room provided to him by Violet Enterprises wasn't a first class suite, it was still much better than he was used to. Setting Wilbur down on the bed, Tommy carefully examined the room.

For his part, Wilbur snorted awake long enough to crawl under the covers and turn around, his nose poking out, before he resumed his quiet snoring.

Meanwhile, Tommy went around just admiring the room. It wasn't as large as the luxury suite at the hotel as it lacked a kitchenette of any sort. But it still has a larger bed than he was used to, a customary smaller bed for pokémon, and a bathroom with an adjustable shower for people or pokémon.

Eyeing the shower, Tommy quickly unpacked his clothing, and sorted most of it, what little there was, into a laundry bag. Being a trainer usually meant traveling light, with few clothes, often having to wear them several times, and whenever possible, doing frequent laundry. He set his clean clothes aside and picked up Glory's pokéball, letting her out into the room.

“I'm gonna get a shower, Glory, you coming?" he asked, tossing the clothing he had been wearing into the laundry bag. “I know you hate to miss any chance to get wet…"

“Poreon!" was the response as Glory danced in a circle, before heading into the bathroom.

The shower in the bathroom was fairly large, with a very long detachable shower head. It even had a bench or perhaps shelf for supplies running through the middle near the wall. It was built slightly into the floor so that you had to step down into it. Given its size in comparison to the rest of the bathroom, it was likely designed to accommodate most pokémon as well. The bunk rooms Tommy was more used to had communal shower spaces, and this privacy was a luxury.

Glory rushed into the shower even as Tommy pulled out a towel to set nearby. He turned on the water for her quickly, because as far as the vaporeon was concerned, water was water, and she cared not a whit what temperature it was. Being human, her trainer was more cautious, adjusting the water temperature and waiting until it was well and truly warm.

Once ready, he stepped in and under the water, wary of the playing vaporeon around his legs. The steamy water brought about relaxation near instantly and he couldn't help but give a small groan of pleasure. He realized how tight his muscles had been since the chase when they finally relaxed. Stress had locked him into hyper vigilance, but he felt he could relax now. The door to the cabin was closed and locked, and Wilbur wouldn't go destroying the ship just to annoy him.

At least, Tommy hoped he wouldn't. There was no way VE would work with a pokémon that contrary would they?

After spending a bit of time just enjoying the warmth, he washed his hair and lathered up his body. Once rinsed, he managed to cajole Glory into staying still long enough to lather her up from her flukes to her nose, and then left her to dance under the water and rinse off. He took the opportunity to sit down on the bench and switch the water to a downward spray from the top of the shower. The faux rain almost sounded like the real thing, helping his mind follow his body into a relaxed state.

For a bit, his mind wandered, and then settled on Wilbur, the appletun. While he wasn't sure what Wilbur did at the company overall – was that small walking apple pie really a porn actor? – he was sure it wasn't random that he was assigned to Tommy for his provisional contract.

He'd likely been assigned a known troublemaker to gauge his abilities and patience, before a final hiring decision was made. So, if he was being tested, he'd better make sure to pass. Any further thought was interrupted by Glory climbing onto the bench and into his lap.

She nuzzled up against his chest and then buried her head in his neck, giving a few loving licks. Broken from his reverie, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her, turning her so her back was against his chest and just cuddling her. He kissed her head on both sides of her main fin.

“Sorry for ignoring you, Glory," he explained, while rubbing her tummy. “Just thinking about our new friend Wilbur."

He could feel the growl that began on her as she squirmed against him. “Porrrrrrr…"

“Don't let him get to you, love. This is just VE's way of testing our resolve and patience. In that sense, I expect him to get into a variety of trouble, seeing it like a job of his own. And for our part, we have to remain patient."

Glory squirmed around to face him, looking up at him seriously. “Vap! Vaporeon!"

Smiling, he rubbed her back gently. “Don't worry, if he tries anything truly dangerous, I'll shut it down, job be damned. But I get the feeling we'll be dealing with small annoyances, and the best response we can give will be stoic apathy."

Growling still, Glory snuggled against him, lashing her tail back and forth. Tommy flipped her around so her back was against him again and caught her tail between his thighs. He traced a single finger lightly up the underside of her tail, tracing it up and past her tail hole, then on to just over the tight two blue lips of her cunny.

“If you want," he cooed softly, “I could help get your mind off that frustration for a while." So saying, he traced that finger slowly up and down the cleft of her lips. She had stilled near instantly, and he could feel her warmth and heartbeat through the tip of his finger.

“But, if you would prefer…" As he spoke, he started to pull his hand away, but she quickly put both her front paws on his hand to stop it. He smiled and snuggled into her.

“I take that as your desire for me to continue, love…" So saying, he added another finger, pressing down and massaging around her pussy. He rubbed softly, feeling the vaporeon squirm, her breathing getting heavier. For the last few strokes, he allowed his fingers to dip deeper, rubbing between the blue outer lips of her pussy and over the pink flesh within, making her moan out softly.

“Porreeeeoooonnnn…"

After another moment or two teasing her little pink clit, and enjoying her pleasured squirming, he stood up and carefully moved, setting her on her back on the shower bench. Then he knelt down, pulling her hips towards himself, and half pinned her thick tail to the side of the bench with his chest; before learning in and kissing over her tight cunny, lapping at her lips.

Glory's paws flew to his head as she spread her rear legs wider. “Va… vaa… pooorrrr….. eeeee…" Whatever she hoped to communicate was destroyed by her quavering breaths as he teased her. It was excellent encouragement for him to take his time.

So, Tommy did, letting his tongue examine every part of her lower reaches that it could, as she twitched and whimpered. Her taste was like that of fresh rain water, pure and clean. It wasn't precisely like that, but it was all he could compare it to. Her juices were clear, sweet and refreshing. It made him only too happy to take any opportunity to go down on her.

After lapping over her pussy for a bit, he spread her wider with his fingers before gliding his tongue over her sensitive clit with soft feathery strokes. She kept one paw on his head, but pulled the other one up to her muzzle, biting it softly to stifled her moans and “vap"s of pleasure.

With her at his complete mercy, he decided to take pity, and stop teasing. He dove in, pressing his mouth right against her, letting his lip tease and rub her clit as he drove his tongue as deep into her as he could. He was rewarded with a gush of fresh juices, as her back arched and passage clamped around his tongue.

“VaaAAAAaaappPOOoorreeOOOnnnn…"

Taking the response for the encouragement that it was, Tommy moved slightly to drive his tongue deeper, letting a thumb circle over and tease her clit in the meantime. Taking his time, he probed around for sensitive spots, lingering on those that made her moan, or her leg kick.

But all good things must end, and as he curled his tongue and pulled back with it to tease the roof of her pussy, she clamped down around him with her muscles. She cried out her orgasm loudly as her inner reaches spasmed and contracted. A fair jet of vaporeon cum splashed over his face as she came.

He kept going, but less intensely, letting her ride out her orgasm as long as it would last. After it had finally wound down, he pulled back, swallowing a mouth full of her juices before licking her clean. Standing up, he smiled down at her, stroking his hard and leaking cock.

“Ready for a bit more, or have I tired you out already?"

Glory looked up at him, pulling her front paws to under her chin, and making the most innocent face possible. Laughing, Tommy stroked her cheek. “Way too late to play innocent now, you little tease." Her only response was a soft “Vap" and to teasingly wrap her thick tail around his leg as much as she could.

He grinned and leaned down over her, wrapping his arms around her and easily lifting her up. He let her rest her forepaws on his shoulders and then pressed her back against the wall, sliding his cock along the lips of her cunny. Leaning in, he kissed her muzzle, and let his tongue play over hers for a bit.

Eventually, he broke the kiss, staring down at her, pleased to see the pinkish blush across her cheeks. It was always nice to know he had that effect on her. “You ready, Glory?" He punctuated the statement by grinding his cock against her, pushing between her lips and rubbing over her clit.

She nodded up at him with a huffy “Eon…" Adjusting his hold on her, he used one hand to line himself up with her wet entrance. He pushed forward, the head of his cock spreading her flesh around him. They moaned together in pleasure as her wetness welcomed him while her tight muscles clung to every millimeter of his shaft. It was a pleasure he never tired of, a chance to demonstrate his love and affection for her.

Taking his time, he slowly slid forward until all but a few centimeters were buried between her hind legs. Warm wetness surrounded and pressed in along his cock, and he could feel both her heartbeat and every single twitch of her muscles when he touched any sensitive part of her.

Once hilted, he took a moment to savor the sensation of her around him, pulling her close. Glory nosed into his neck, huffing hotly. Giving her neck a kiss, he slid back, painfully slowly, feeling her being emptied of his presence before pushing back in, enjoying every exquisite sensation as she quivered in pleasure.

Carefully supporting her body back against the wall, he set up a rhythm, slow and steady at first. Every time he finished a thrust, she whimpered cutely, trembling as her tail curled up between his legs. “Good girl," he whispered to her, “Let me take you higher…"

Panting, he shifted his stance and picked up his pace, using her relaxation to manage to get the last little bit of himself into her, feeling his cock bottom out inside her. Keeping his hips moving quickly, he leaned in to kiss along her neck as she trembled, letting out stuttering “Eon"s of pleasure.

With her moans growing louder and her muscles tightening around him, he knew she was close. And he was also very close, the feeling of his beloved Vaporeon pushing him closer and closer to filling her with his cum. “Go ahead, Glory," he huffed, pounding her dripping pussy as quickly as he could, “Don't hold back, let it all out…"

Glory's moans picked up as her body tensed, before becoming a scream of pleasure. All at once, she clung to him fiercely, tail curled up between his legs, forepaws around his neck and shoulders. Her gloriously slick cunny began to contract rhythmically, pulling him in as deep as she could, milking him for his seed as she trembled and moaned.

Gasping, he leaned in, kissing her and cutting off her moans as he hilted her against the wall, pinning her. His cock surged as he came, giving in to her body's relentless, milking desire to be bred. Stream after stream of hot seed filled all of her deepest reaches to the brim, and when no more would fit, it leaked out, trickling down his balls and dripping onto her tail.

They stayed together like that for a few moments, sharing a kiss, enjoying the afterglow. Eventually though, he pulled back from the kiss and shifted, slowly lying her back down on the bench. As he did so, he slipped out of her, leaving her slightly gaping, his seed trickling out of her.

“V-vapor…eon…"

“I completely agree," Tommy added, leaning back and sliding down the wall. It took several minutes for them to come back to their senses completely. The faux rain feels quietly for a few minutes as man and vaporeon recovered from their lovemaking. Eventually, he roused and cleaned up before stepping out of the shower, leaving Glory to enjoy the water just a little while longer.

Toweling himself off, Tommy stepped out to get the clean pair of clothes he set aside.

Only to find them damp and smelling of apple juice. Tommy raised an eyebrow, looking back to the bed where Wilbur the appletun was trying very hard to look both innocent and asleep. With a shrug, Tommy tossed the juice soaked clothes in with his other laundry, before heading to the closet and finding there was a complimentary robe which Wilbur had apparently not known about.

Throwing it on, he cinched it around himself and moved out into the hallway to drop the laundry sack down the chute. He then went back into his room, and moved over to the bed, launching himself onto it heavily, belly flopping into the mattress.

“TUUUUN!" was the cry as Wilbur was launched slightly airborne by the maneuver. He landed roughly where he had started though, and turned, flipping up his eyes to look disapprovingly at Tommy. Smirking, the trained leaned his head against his fist before addressing the delinquent pokémon.

“If you are wanting a contest," he said amiably, “Then I am happy to oblige you. But you may find my patience extends far past your ability to cause trouble." Wilbur for his part, huffed, trying to get comfortable again. He waited for any other reaction from the pokémon, but a rough agreement seemed to have been reached. Reaching over, Tommy plucked a menu from the nightstand, along with Nia's pokéball.

He released her into the room, and she landed on the bed, once more disturbing the appletun. And right as Wilbur once more got comfortable, Glory emerged from the bathroom and leapt onto the bed, missing him only barely, and disturbing him again.

Tommy pulled the menu over, showing it to three pokémon. “And now that we are all friends and understand each other, let's discuss our dinner options. Tonight will be room service due to a laundry issue. I am sure VE doesn't mind the extra expense…"

---

The next morning, Tommy was the first to awaken, as usual. Despite the warm comfort of Nia and Glory beside him, he never cared much for sleeping nude. But with all his clothes in the laundry, it was his only option. Accordingly, he hadn't slept particularly well. It was still better than a tent and sleeping bag though.

He carefully extricated himself, doing his best to not disturb his pokémon as he grabbed his glasses and pulled on the robe again. Glory has stirred slightly in her sleep, and with his absence, cuddled closer to Nia. Looking over, Tommy saw that Wilbur was fast asleep on the secondary pokémon bed, which he had claimed after dinner.

Tommy stretched and moved around to the small desk in the room, and flipped through the small brochure about the ship. Among other things, he learned that any laundry dropped off before ten should be at the cabin door after seven am. A quick look at the clock told him it was just past seven, so he moved over to the door and checked outside.

In a very neat pile, tied with string and a receipt on top, was all his clothing, clean and dry. Down the hall, he could see a cart overflowing with similar bundles, and a pair of indeedee checking receipts and matching parcels to cabins. Picking up his laundry, he leaned out and gave a thank you and waved to them.

He also decided to leave a pack of berries by the door just in case. Gratitude was all well and good, but even indeedee need something more tangible to eat now and then.

Turning, he closed the door and set down his clothing, undoing the string and setting the receipt aside. Taking his phone, he scanned the receipt for reimbursement later. He wasn't originally going to bill his laundry to the company, but since some of it was Wilbur's fault, he figured it was only just that they should kick in a little. He dressed quickly, simple jeans and button up shirt.

Deciding to play it safe, he then put his clothing on the top shelf of the cabin's closet and shut the door. Hopefully Wilbur wouldn't find it, and even if he did, it would require a much more tricky shot to drown his laundry in apple juice this time.

Both Nia and Glory were stirring now, starting to wake up and stretch. Leaving them to it, he moved over to the secondary bed and gently rubbed the back of the appletun asleep there. “Come on, buddy. Time for breakfast. If you want to sleep in, that's fine, but the rest of us are going to go eat."

Eventually, Wilbur yawned and snorted, flipping up his eyes to look around. But after a moment, there was another snort, and he scrambled back under the blankets.

Tommy nodded to the pokémon, acknowledging the decision. “Suit yourself."

He moved over to the main bed, where the girls were awake and having an animated conversation in pokéspeak. Leaving them to the conversation, he instead carefully looked over Glory, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. Nia, however, had several strange whorls in her fur from how she had been sleeping.

Gently pulling her into his lap, he grabbed a brush from his bag and spent several moments smoothing out her fur. At this point, her conversation with Glory trailed off and she spent more time making happy little “Rai"s due to the brushing and attention she was receiving.

Once she was back to usual self, he set the brush aside and stood up, gathering his phone, wallet, and room key. He looked back at the pokémon bed where the appletun slept. “Dunno if you're awake to hear it, but I'll make sure to bring back something for your breakfast. Let's go, girls."

Stepping out with his pokémon, he headed for the main deck of the Guardian, where he knew there to be a food court. More of a transport than a cruise liner, ships like the Guardian lacked many of the amenities of more famous vessels like the Anne. But to make up for that, they were cheaper to ride, and quicker from destination to destination.

The other main difference is that Tommy was fairly sure he had never been on something that could be truthfully called a cruise liner. Those seemed more the place for people on vacation, and he didn't have the funds to do that himself.

It was a short walk along the deck to the middle of the ship, and the food court. Early as it was in the morning, Tommy walked straight up to the counter, ordering himself a breakfast sandwich, and letting Glory and Nia pick their own breakfasts. Both chose specialty pokémon meals, each with their preferred berry types mixed in. Once the food was ready, Tommy moved it to a nearby table so they could eat, and enjoy the morning.

The sea breeze blew weakly and comfortably across the dining area of the deck, and the sun promised a warm and beautiful day. Rainy weather had been left in Unova, and the chill of autumn with it.

Munching on his sandwich, Tommy considered Wilbur's troublemaking behavior. Based on it always affecting him, mainly him, and that it hadn't yet happened when he was asleep, it was obvious the appletun was trying to get a reaction from him. Either Wilbur was testing his patience for the company or the pokémon enjoyed winding people up.

Last night seemed to prove that ignoring the appletun's mischief was the best recourse. After adding his clothes to the laundry casually and not making a big deal about being inconvenienced, Wilbur had seemed to calm down. Or perhaps it was just the order of food shortly after?

The appletun had seemed only too happy to have so many choices of food, and had hemmed and hawed for a while before finally settling on a very savory meal. Maybe Tommy could use food as leverage.

---

After finishing breakfast, Glory and Nia took the opportunity to run around the ship and let off energy. Meanwhile, Tommy headed back to the counter, and thought back to last night. Wilbur had been excited about a dish that was heavily based on nanab berries. Guessing from there, Tommy assumed the appletun liked less sweet flavors, since nanab berries were a little less sweet than many other berries. Wilbur's dish had been by far the least sweet thing available on the dinner menu last night.

So he ordered up a simple breakfast berry bake for Wilbur, using kelpsy berries. Along with some hash browns, he figured it would be to the appletun's liking, and if he was correct, he would have firmly placed the little pokémon's tastes. If bribery with food is what I must stoop to, he thought, then I shall happily sink to that level.

Gathering up the to-go container, he called Nia and Glory back to him. It didn't take them long to run back to him, and together they all headed back below deck to their cabin, to see if Wilbur had finally decided to get up for the day.

The scene that awaited him when he returned to the cabin however, was more than he could have imagined. Wilbur had been busy while he was gone. Every berry packet from his bag had been opened and the contents strewn all about the cabin. Nearly every surface was covered in berries of all possible varieties.

“Raiiii…" growled Nia, and Tommy gently held up a hand to silence her.

Without a word, he stepped into the cabin, moving towards the bed, expertly dodging every berry on the floor. When he reached the bed, he casually swept an arm over one side to clear it, and hopped into bed, lying down. He grabbed a pecha berry from the other pillow on the bed and pooped it into his mouth, chewing on it and savoring the sweetness.

Then he grabbed the remote, and switched on the TV, flipping channels until he came to a program about pokémon grooming. This episode they were carefully sanding the rough bits off a riding rhyhorn and polishing a steelix. Nia hopped up and snuggled into his side while Glory swept a clean spot beside him on the bed with her tail, and then also laid down, idly chewing one of the berries.

Feeling eyes on him, Tommy looked over and saw the appletun staring at him from the pokémon bed, seeming at a loss. Internally, Tommy congratulated himself on his 'win'.

“Hey Wilbur. Noticed you redecorated," he said, smiling wide, “I wasn't a big fan of the color pallete in here myself. Anyway, good as my word, I made sure to bring you breakfast." With that, he moved the to-go container from where he'd set it on the nightstand down to the floor and opened it.

It took only a quick whiff of the food within before Wilbur's demeanor changed entirely. Smelling the food, he perked up, scampering over quickly and immediately stuffing his face. With a slight smile and sense of satisfaction, Tommy watched him a moment before turning his attention back to the program.

---

“Yo ho, yo ho, the seas forever roll," sang Tommy, watching as the ship carefully maneuvered to the dock, “Yo ho, yo ho, 'til I'm naught but skull and bones, yo ho, yo ho."

The weather in Hoenn was considerably warmer than it had been in Unova, and a great deal more sunny. And so, as the Coral Guardian pulled into port, Tommy took the time to enjoy the sun and warmth on deck with his pokémon. Glory and Nia watched the dock workers with curiosity, as Wilbur just napped next to Tommy's bag.

The remaining time aboard the ship had been largely unremarkable, as Tommy learned Wilbur's troublemaking tendencies. The only thing that still caught him off guard was having to catch Wilbur one morning when the appletun was chasing after a little girl to try and take her sandwich. That had earned the appletun quite a scolding. Annoying him was one thing, but terrorizing an innocent girl was unacceptable.

Strangely, that seemed to work, and since then, Wilbur had been mostly compliant. Tommy was still careful to avoid letting the pokémon have easy access to his laundry though, and before he knew it, the ship was arriving in Slateport. While he didn't technically have to be ready to jump ship the moment it stopped, he was still eager to get moving.

Eventually the Guardian came to a complete halt, moored and ready for disembarking. A few trainers milled around, waiting to get off. Given it was Slateport, they were likely pokémon contest trainers, though a few might be after gym badges and league certification.

Letting those in a hurry disembark first, Tommy contented himself with watching the dockworkers for a bit. There was a human operating a crane, while several sailors worked to open the large cargo doors of the ship. Several machoke and a couple of vigoroth waited impatiently to carry boxes.

Vigoroth were fairly new to him, he'd never had cause to visit Hoenn before. Such pokémon were rare, though not unknown in Unova. His main time as a trainer had been spent in Galar though, where they were completely unknown. Pacing and occasionally jumping around, the wild monkey pokémon were like impatience personified. It was likely their duty was priority packages.

With the crowd thinned, he decided it was time to leave himself. Once past the stairs and down to the beach end of the pier, Tommy pointed up into the city, to a massive lavender building, similar to a stadium. “That's the contest hall," he said to Glory and Nia, “Sometimes trainers specialize in things other than battling, and so they perform there in pokémon shows. Either to show off breeding and grooming or their specific talent acts."

His pokémon looked up at the building and the crowd around it curiously. “Never had much interest in that kind of thing, not to mention we were always busy. But maybe on the way out of Hoenn we should take the time to see a contest or two. Not waste the opportunity while we have it."

Turning slightly, he gestured up to a road winding into the hills, leading up to another city. “That's Route 110, or more accurately," Tommy explained, “Cycling road. It's our way up to Maulville. Wilbur will have to ride with me, but both of you will need to run it. Fortunately that's allow…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Nia surprised him by walking up and tapping the button of her pokéball with her tailtip, disappearing in a flash. Right afterward, Glory moved over and leaned up against him to press her nose to her own pokéball's button.

Blinking a couple times, Tommy looked down at Wilbur. “Well, I guess we know their opinions on running today."

“Pple." Wilbur's eyes flipped up and he took in the long winding path, before looking up at the trainer beside him. “Appletun?"

With a snort, Tommy started walking along the road, looking for a convenience store. “Of course I can make it up that hill. I'll have you know I spent an entire summer cycling around Kanto."

“Tun" was the only reply Wilbur deigned to give, walking along behind him.

A block away, he found a simple corner shop to get what he needed. Tommy bought some sports drinks, water and a sandwich. He also saw Wilbur staring up longingly at some ganlon berry dark chocolate bars. Though expensive, Tommy went ahead and bought two for him. “One for now, one for the summit," he told the excited appletun.

With their lunch and hill conquering supplies, Tommy led Wilbur over to a grassy spot near the bike rental place, opening up the candy bar and spending a moment to hand feed it to Wilbur. Afterward, he sat and started eating his own sandwich.

Across from them, a Rydel staff member was working on pulling a bent wheel away from a wrecked bike. Clearly someone had collided with something at high speed, likely while on a downhill trip along the road. Watching the man work for a moment, Wilbur turned back and looked up at Tommy.

“Appletun?" The question seemed nervous, as though Wilbur worried they might end up in a wreck.

“Nah, we won't end up like that. For one thing, I know what I'm doing, I'm hardly new to cycling. For another, we'll be going uphill, so we're unlikely to reach a high enough speed to cause any real damage." With that, he popped the last bit of his sandwich in his mouth, chewing and swallowing it.

Despite his reassurances, the appletun continued to give nervous glances between the steep path, and Tommy. “Seriously, you can relax," the trainer said calmly, “Even if for some reason you don't believe I take your safety seriously – which I would find insulting, by the way – you should know I take my own safety seriously. This is the quickest and easiest way up to Maulville and we do not want to end up riding a bus for hours on end. Trust me."

Seeming mollified, Wilbur nodded. Dusting his hands off, Tommy stood up and threw away the wrappers from the candy and the sandwich, before walking up towards the bike rental office.

---

The bike he managed to get had a rear mounted basket behind the seat, but it was an uncomfortable looking wire mesh. Clucking his tongue, Tommy dug around in his bag, and pulled out his heavier jacket, setting it in the basket and taking a bit of time to make it into as comfortable a nest as he could.

He gestured to the olive green jacket. “Going back to my Kanto story, that's where the coat is from. About the only useful thing I got from that region. I swear, Kantonians are so uptight that if you shoved lumps of coal up their asses, in two weeks you'd have diamonds."

Wilbur let out a wheezing laugh at that, and Tommy picked him up carefully, setting him in the basket. “Now, I'm gonna strap you in to make sure you don't bounce out somehow. I'd appreciate it if you don't break the strap, it's for your safety. If you need us to stop, just tap me on the back three times." With that, he used a utility clip strap to secure Wilbur. He made sure it wasn't tight, but would be enough to keep the appletun in place if he hit a major bump.

Wilbur seemed to shrink down into the coat and basket. “Tun appletun?"

Tommy put on his most reassuring smile. “Not possible. You didn't see it from the beach, but in addition to the high fencing along the road, there's a safety net just in case you somehow managed to make it past the fence." He patted Wilbur on the head. “We'll be fine. If you feel really worried, just close your eyes and pretend you're back on the ship. It'll be a smooth ride, I promise."

Nodding and putting his head down, Wilbur seemed content to try and ignore the steep path and harsh drops from the sides. Popping the kickstand, Tommy climbed aboard the bike and started pedaling up the path to Mauville.

---

Two hours of cycling later, Tommy had reached the top, and was getting ready to unstrap Wilbur. The sun was just starting to set, staining the sky scarlet and violet. Unsurprisingly, Tommy found the appletun asleep and thus moved carefully. Given the ride was smoother than the ship, he wasn't terribly surprised. Once Wilbur got over his initial nervousness, there wasn't much else to do on the trip up to Maulville.

He folded up his coach trainer jacket and put it and the strap back in his bag. He gave a big stretch to work out the kinks in his muscles then grabbed both Nia and Glory's pokéballs, tossing them into the air. As they reappeared before him, he wiped the sweat off his brow.

“We actually arrived a bit early. The pick up person won't be here for a while yet," he explained, “So I thought maybe we can get dinner while waiting for our contact." He then pulled out his phone, writing a quick email to his contact. They wouldn't be in town for about another hour at the earliest, so Tommy let them know he'd be waiting in the park just outside Maulville's main entrance for them.

Kneeling down, he patted Nia on the head. “Keep a watch on the sleepyhead for a minute, will you darlin'? I gotta go rack the bike." After Nia nodded with a “Chu!", he went and pushed the bike into the mechanism until it clicked into place, locking. Even being a short walk, it took him a bit longer due to his aching thighs. A terminal nearby printed out a receipt, which he pocketed.

Tommy made his way back, and gently picked up the sleeping pokémon before looking back down to his girls. “Not gonna lie, gonna be walking a little slow tonight. And probably tomorrow."

“Rai rai, raichu," Nia teased, poking his tummy with her tail tip. The touch sent just a tingle of electricity through him, and he glared good naturedly down at her.

“I am NOT out of shape. Never had to rest once coming up the path! It's just a damn serious distance and climb is all." He stopped and stretched out his legs a bit with a groan before continuing. “Besides, you both decided not to run up even part of that hill, so I don't even wanna hear about it."

He moved through the entrance closest to Rydel's, and made a beeline for the famous Mauville food court. “So…what do we fancy for dinner tonight?"

While expensive at times, the Mauville food court had dozens of places to eat, and he was content to let them pick whatever they wished. They ran along, moving from restaurant to restaurant, peeking at what was cooking. Most of the staff were happy to see them, and even pointed out options on the menu. A few, however, were less welcoming and seemed ready to shoo them away. Tommy made a mental note that he wouldn't be eating at those restaurants.

In the end, both had decided on a sort of berry quiche that one restaurant was having as the special. He didn't understand the appeal, and grabbed a simple fried veggie and noodle meal for himself. Glory led the way out the main entrance to the park, and Tommy followed with Glory's meal and his own while Nia carefully carried hers in both paws.

There was an empty spot near a gazebo where they could watch the sunset and eat in peace. Carefully, Tommy set down the dozing appletun he carried, before setting down the bag of food and setting out Glory's container. Wilbur continued to sleep as Nia and Glory made short work of their food, quickly licking any remnant they could from the to-go containers.

“If you're that hungry, I'll make sure to get us some snacks before we get to the hotel. I know you both didn't get lunch today, but that was your choice. You both bailed before I even got into Slateport proper." Despite his chiding, he did feel a bit bad about it, and so resolved to get them some especially nice treats, since he would be getting paid soon.

Then the group laid back, relaxing and just enjoying the warmth as the sun slowly sank behind the trees and into the horizon, painting the sky a variety of incredible colors before finally letting darkness dye it black. Wilbur finally woke up at this point, and Tommy peeled the wrapper and foil off his candy bar before setting it down before him.

“Told you we would be fine," he mused, as Wilbur went after the luxury candy bar with gusto. After Wilbur had awoken, it was only a minute or two before his phone rang. Pulling it out, he noticed it was a video call from someone named “Sarah". He clicked the icon to answer it, and a brown haired woman's face filled his screen.

“Tom?" she asked timidly.

“Yeah, that's me. Are you from the company?"

“I'm from Violet Enterprises, yes. You have Wilbur with you?"

Rather than answer verbally, Tommy moved the phone to face Wilbur, who looked at Sarah and happily chirped “Appletun!". He then turned the phone back to himself.

“Uh, that's good. So…uh…where are you? I'm at the park, but I don't see anyone."

Tommy turned and looked around the corner of the gazebo, seeing a woman standing in the path under a streetlight, staring at her phone.

“Don't sweat it. I see you next to the streetlight. Be there in a minute." Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and stood, cursing when his thighs burned, reminding him of all the cycling he did. So he took a moment to stretch again before heading out towards the light, Wilbur, Nia and Glory all following him.

Tommy called out and waved once past the gazebo. “Hey! Sarah, right? Good to see you. Got Wilbur right here." He gestured to the appletun, who walked along with him.

She smiled at Wilbur, then at Tommy. “So you do." She held out a hand and Tommy pulled Wilbur's ball from his belt. It was solid black, except for the white button, which had a red Violet Enterprises logo on it. She took it and pocketed it, looking down at the appletun, then back at Tommy.

“You know, Wilbur has a reputation at the company, I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

Smirking, Tommy knelt down and gave Wilbur's head an affectionate rub, which the appletun happily pressed into. “Oh, he was no problem at all. We became fast friends." Smirking as well, Wilbur merely let out a small “Apple!" in agreement.