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[b][u][center]Pokémon Polyamory

Chapter 24

Sponsored by Lorvianne

By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b]

Once they dropped Croccy, Shimmer, and Bright Eyes off at the Pokémon Center, Jared expected to head up to his room for a private chat. Instead, Morty tugged him by the arm, gently dragging him back to the city as a whole. They walked down the street, making their way to the poke-mart.

“Any reason we can’t talk inside?” he asked. “I did just take a fall, remember?”

“Yes, I do. But it’s better to talk outside.”

“Why?”

“The living thrive beneath the sky. There’ll be time enough for spaces to haunt when you die.”

“…You’re really creepy, you know that?”

“So I’m told.”

Morty held the door to the market, and Jared sighed as he stepped inside. The Gym Leader walked between the different stands and aisles, pulling a few sandwiches off the shelves, grabbing a lemonade, and tucking a granola bar into the pile before looking back at him.

“Are you hungry?”

“Are you buying?”

“This time, let’s say yes.”

That was good enough for him. He grabbed two sandwiches – one would be good for later – and three drinks. He considered getting a couple of candy bars for himself, but decided against it and grabbed a box of donuts instead. When Morty arched an eyebrow, Jared shrugged.

“Some of the little guys like sugar.”

“Ah, I see.”

Unable to tell whether the Gym Leader was judging him or not, he just shrugged.

They paid quickly and were outside again shortly after. Jared popped the lid on his water bottle as Morty turned them back towards the forest. Any chance of talking inside seemed to be gone, and as much as his legs protested, he kept walking. He groaned, though; he didn’t feel any need to keep his discomfort hidden from the other man.

“Mmph…any reason we have to talk now?”

“You saw what you saw.”

“Yeah. And?”

“I want to know what you’re here for, and why they didn’t decide to eliminate you as they have tried to do to others.”

Well, that certainly didn’t sound anything less than ominous. Shaking his head he just focused on drinking his water, taking his time to just savor the cool feeling going down his throat and not think about the fact that he had come within a hair’s breadth of dying. Whatever it was down in that other facility had maintained a link in his brain, and that, in turn, had kept the three beasts from killing him.

Killing him. That was a thing he imagined that most trainers didn’t think about. Wild Pokémon were not just little creatures that were happy about sharing their space with trainers. They were wild creatures, and sometimes, that meant that they would defend their territory. Having Pokémon of one’s own could help with that, but against the powerhouses that he had seen down there…

He imagined having Croccy out. The Croconaw was the strongest of his team – or at least, one of them – and he doubted that he could have done a damn thing against even [i]one[/i] of those three. The sheer pressure that he’d felt as they took a step forward, the way that their presence changed the air around them, was terrifying. The fact that they were here, and the Rockets hadn’t made moves –

The Rockets.

A shiver ran down his spine. Suddenly, the fact that Morty was so secretive and so curious made a great deal more sense.

They reached the tree line. Morty leaned against one a few rows past the town, popping the lid of his drink. He took a sip, looking Jared over for a few seconds, then tucked the bottle into a pocket.

“So…what happened?” he asked.

“I told you. I was trying to –”

Morty held up his hand. His face shifted expression, no longer just calm, but blank. Intense, as well, staring as if he was making a decision whether to do something drastic if Jared said the wrong thing. Considering the aura around the other man and the reputation that he had as the Gym Leader of the ghost gym, Jared guessed that it wasn’t any sort of idle threat, either. There was something serious here.

“You mean, what happened when I saw them.”

“Yes.”

“…You’re not going to believe me.”

“I might. I might not. But I still want to know.”

“…Fine.”

He shook his head, thinking through it. Once he had his thoughts in order, he laid out what had happened.

“I reached that room, the one with the ladder in it. The roof was more broken up, so the light came down and let me see…them. All of them. And they saw me, too. Each one took a step towards me, and…and it was like the whole place just suddenly got charged with elemental energy. Lightning, fire, water, it was all there.”

“And?” Morty asked.

“They were going to do something. I don’t know if they were going to kill me or just hurt me, but they were going to do something.”

“Why didn’t they?”

“…Because something else asked them not to.”

“…Something else?” Morty arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “And what was that something else?”

“I don’t know. I know that it’s below-ground, and I know that it’s in Rocket possession, but that’s as much as I know for specifics. It has to be some sort of Psychic thing, but…”

“But what?”

“But it knows that I am out here, and it knows that I’m getting things done. It checks in, dragging me to it in my dreams, and…When they tried to look into my eyes, it talked to them, and told them to back off. And they listened.”

“…Fascinating,” Morty muttered.

“Not the word that I’d choose to describe it,” Jared said, shaking his head as he leaned against a tree. He rubbed his head. “I’m here trying to get a new life. I’ve got my own things to figure out, and having someone else in my head all the time doesn’t make that any easier. I just…I want to get this figured out, sorted out, and then I can just…”

“Just what? Stop?”

“…Not stop like that, but…settle down. Or something.”

The Gym Leader smiled. Not much, just barely a quirk at the edge of his mouth, but it was still something. Morty looked back at the town, shaking his head as he relaxed.

“Well, one thing is for certain. You don’t mean harm to them, and you’re not someone that’s looking to take advantage of the great beasts. That brings some comfort.”

The vague sense of danger that he’d been feeling ever since they arrived in the forest was fading, but the confusion lingered. He cocked his head to the side as Morty shook his head, and despite his common sense telling him to keep his mouth shut, he couldn’t help but ask.

“What were they? Precisely?”

“Do you know the story of the towers?”

“No, but if they have something to do with those things, I’m all ears.”

“I’ll be brief. Once, both towers stood tall, beacons of the two great birds of Johto. In one tower rested Ho-Oh, the bird of the sky, and in the other, Lugia, the bird of the sea. For a time, they were representatives of harmony that looked over the land, and were guardians of many Pokémon and the trainers that lived alongside them. It was…a good time, for many, according to the old stories.

“However, even the guardians were not immune to danger. One night, a storm struck, and Lugia’s tower burned to the ground. The great bird of the sea flew off, never to be seen again, while Ho-Oh remained in his tower, but would not speak to those that came to visit him. The only time that we have seen him was shortly after that tower burned down, where three dead Pokémon lay in the bottom of the tower.”

“…Dead? But – no. No way.”

“Quite. Ho-Oh brought them back, giving them great power in the process. They are creatures that have touched death, and they have a different perspective than most Pokémon as a result. They are [i]very[/i] powerful, but they have…insight, I suppose, into other things.”

Jared shivered. Three Pokémon that had been raised from the other side, three Pokémon that had been brought back. No wonder Morty had a rapport with them; someone that was used to working with Ghost-types would understand them better than those that only worked with living Pokémon. And no wonder they were so powerful, for that matter; the strength needed to bring them back would have probably lingered, just to keep them around.

“They’re out of the basement, now,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I don’t know where they went, but they ran as soon as we finished…”

“Yes,” Morty said. “They’re likely going to be wandering the world, now. I don’t know how long their secret will remain so, but for the moment, I doubt that anyone saw them. I barely spotted them when they leaped free; once they split from each other, I lost track of them. Anyone else would have lost them instantly.”

“Will they be okay?”

“You worry about them?” Morty chuckled. “Not many would be scared for their sake.”

“Hey. From what you’ve told me, they’ve been living in a burnt-out basement for the entirety of their…I don’t even know what to call it. Afterlife, resurrection, whatever. They haven’t seen the world since then. No matter how powerful they are, no matter how strong they can become, what happens when the rest of the world realizes that they’re out there? How long before the assholes that call themselves trainers start thinking ‘Hey, that’s a strong Pokémon, I can take it’ and either gets themselves killed or gets their hands on a walking weapon of mass destruction? Hell, what if Team Rocket finds them?”

“Any of those would be problematic, you are correct. So, I think that for now, it is best that their existence stay a secret…until we can find a way to bring them back here. They may wander back in due time, but if they do not…”

“If they don’t, then we need to be ready with a back-up plan.”

“This is true.” Morty nodded. “In that case…you might be the best back-up plan.”

“What – me?!”

“Yes, you. [i]You[/i] have a contact that has enough power to make the beasts back off. [i]You[/i] know someone, or something, that has the power to guide them if the need arises. And [i]you[/i] are the one on a mission to do something about is. Is that all correct?”

“Yeah, but –”

“Then this is the back-up plan. You will continue on your mission, aided by everything that I can throw at you, and you will make every effort with this unknown being to get them to help you when the time comes. If nothing else, you will remain silent as to the existence of the three beasts, and we will see what can be done in the meantime.”

Jared stared at the Gym Leader, his mind running loops trying to figure out how he had been looped into this plan. The more that he thought about it, the more that he realized that it benefited him in the short term, but the worst that it fucked him in the long term. The beasts could be anywhere, and whatever was down there in the facility could easily be too angry and too power for him to control or deal with when it was finally found. Who knew what it was? It might be better locked up rather than allowed to run all over the place.

But he didn’t see a way around it. Morty was still watching him with care, and he doubted that the other man would just let him leave the forest without some form of confirmation that he’d try his best on this particular matter. Whatever else this man was, he seemed to genuinely care for the beasts. Their safety and security was his priority.

Jared sighed, grinding his palm against his forehead.

“Fine. Fine. I’ll do my best.”

“That is all I can ask with an unknown quantity,” the Gym Leader said, shaking his head. “And I thank you for it.”

“I’m going to get myself killed, you realize that? I don’t even know what we’re talking about here, or if it’ll be halfway decent when I find it. It might just decide to kill every human in the facility down there, considering what’s probably going on.”

“Then you best not provoke it…or make it wait.”

“Well, not sure how I’m going to do that.”

“Allow me to help you on your way, then.”

Morty dipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a badge. He tossed it through the air, and Jared instinctively caught it. He blinked, holding it out and shaking his head in disbelief.

“…I thought I was going to have to fight you for this thing.”

“That would slow you down. I’m sure that you can leave for Olivine City tomorrow, now that you have that in hand. Unless there was something else?”

“No, no, this, uh…this helps.”

And it had been achieved without having to fight someone in a Pokémon battle. As far as Jared was concerned, that was as good a win as he was going to get, and he wasn’t going to do anything to change that. If this was what Morty needed to feel that he was deserving of a badge that’d let Croccy use Surf, then he’d take it, regardless of the reality of the situation.

“Get back to the Center,” Morty said, tucking his hands into his pockets and walking down the road. “You’re going to need some rest for the route, and I imagine that you’d like to care for your Pokémon after the nurses have brought them back to health.”

“Yeah…yeah, I do.”

“Take care.”

Jared clenched his fist around the badge, shaking his head. Technically, he had gone against the rules for the battle here, but he had been ready to actually fight for it. He wouldn’t have been happy about it, but he had been ready. Thankfully, Morty had been one of those trainers with half a brain in his head; they could work out a deal.

And now…

Now, he had a night to himself. And a night in which he and Bright Eyes would need to have their talk, as he kept promising the Abra.

[i]That[/i] was going to be a thing.

#

The day passed quickly, though without much in the way of incidents. He shared the donuts with Snugs and Gobbler, and he took Lurch for a walk around the Pokémon Center to give him some sunlight for his food. The plant Pokémon was happy enough for the company and the one-on-one time, and seemed particularly thankful for the chance to nuzzle in and spend time with him.

They didn’t say much, but it was nice. The little Bellsprout was a comfort, sometimes, particularly as he was one of the least pervy of the team and seemed happy enough just to be out of the ball and in the light.

Other than that, he spent most of the day thinking, hanging out in the room, and occasionally getting snuggled up with by his Ekans while waiting for the rest of the team to come back from healing. Snugs kept booping his chin, too, bumping him and nosing up under his head every time that he reacted with a hissing chuckle.

“You never get tired of touching me, do you?” he muttered after the sixth bump and slither, looking to his right as the Ekans poked his head out from under his.

“Hehehehehe, nope.”

“Snuggly snake.”

“Boopin snake!”

Snugs tried to dart in to boop his nose again, only for Jared to catch him on the snoot in mid-motion. The shocked expression that consumed Snugs’s face was just perfect, and he had to bite off a laugh.

“Nooo! I do the boopins! No boopins the snake!”

“Sorry, but I just did.”

“Noooo!”

Knock, knock. Snugs lifted his head up to stare at the door, and Lurch and Gobbler both paused in their subdued conversation to do the same. Jared grunted as he dragged himself off the couch bed, still feeling the impact of falling down the hole and hitting the ground as hard has he had. He rubbed his thigh as he opened the door and poked his head outside.

“Yes?” he muttered.

“Here’s your Pokémon, sir,” the nurse outside said, holding up a tray with three pokéballs on it. “They’re back to full health, as promised.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” he said, taking them one by one. “I’m sorry that they were like that; I do my best, but –”

“The important thing is that you brought them in before they were any worse, sir. And thank you for taking the time to care for them properly. There are many trainers that would have wore them down to nothing before coming back. It’s a shame that more of them don’t actually care about their partners. If they did, we wouldn’t have to work as hard as we do.”

“I…guess that’s a fair point. But still. Thank you.”

“Goodnight, sir.”

The nurse bowed her head and walked back down the hall, leaving him alone with his team once more. He shook his head, turning back to the healthy trio before tossing the balls to the ground.

With three pops, Croccy, Shimmer, and Bright Eyes joined them. The Abra immediately teleported to a small shelf on the upper wall, getting comfortable, while Shimmer alighted on the back of the couch. Croccy just stood there, rubbing his head and groaning to himself. He still had a mild bump on the back of his noggin, and Jared shook his head. The little guy kind of deserved that for being so carefree back at the ruined tower.

“You’re going to be feeling that tomorrow,” he said, sitting down on the couch.

“Nnngh. What happened?” Croccy asked. “Did we find the guy?”

“I found him after I fell down the hole after you,” Jared said, shaking his head. “And there’s a lot that’s happened since you were unconscious. Including…”

He reached into his pocket and flashed the badge that Morty had given him. The whole room went quiet, staring at it. Jared chuckled, tossing it up and putting it back into his pocket as it came back down.

“We can surf now,” he said. “And we’ll give that a try tomorrow while we’re on the way to Olivine.”

Croccy threw his fist in the air with a loud cheer, and the rest of the team seemed just as happy to avoid a battle this time around. Croccy grabbed Gobbler and the pair of them started dancing around, laughing and swinging themselves to and fro, while Lurch waved his little leaf arms. Shimmer sat on the back of the couch, proudly preening, while Snugs wiggled and swayed his head from side to side.

And Bright Eyes…

Bright Eyes stared. Jared turned to meet the Psychic-type’s eyes, and heard his voice in his head.

“[i]That’s not the whole story,[/i]” Bright Eyes thought at him.

[i]I know,[/i] he thought back.

“[i]Part of our conversation?[/i]”

[i]Yes.[/i]

“[i]This is going to be a long, long chat…[/i]”

#

He put the others to bed shortly after, making sure that they were comfortable before getting up. They didn’t question his late-night walk, nor did they say anything about him bringing Bright Eyes along. He’d made it clear to all of them that they all mattered, and Jared imagined that they were just assuming that he was taking some special alone time with the rather grumpy Abra.

Ecruteak City was different at night. It had more of an eerie atmosphere to it rather than the warm but bleak beauty that it had during the morning. The mist had returned, falling on the town and making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of his face.

All the better for this private chat, he supposed. He walked along the road, Bright Eyes following him while floating off the ground, flashing ahead a few feet at a time. They walked around the Dance Theater, abandoned for the evening, and settled down on the grass behind the large structure. It was cool, almost chilled, but that was not a bad thing. It woke him back up after the long day.

Yet, even as he leaned back against the building, Bright Eyes flickered into the space in front of him. The Psychic-type didn’t quite sit on his lap, but it was a very close thing, and the smaller male was staring right into his eyes. There would be no getting around it this time, and for once, he actually felt good about that. This was a talk that needed to happen.

“You want to know what happened first, or do you want to know where we stand?” he asked.

“[i]What happened. After I fought, I…was unconscious. Even in the ball, I couldn’t feel anything. What happened? What aren’t you telling the others?[/i]”

Jared took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. Bit by bit, he explained what had happened in the underground of the Burned Tower. From the moment that he stumbled upon the three beasts, to the moment where the voice in his head made them back off, all the way to the deal that he made with Morty. Through it all, Bright Eyes just listened. The Abra was uncharacteristically patient, his triangular head completely still as he listened to the events as they unfolded, and it was only at the end, when he leaned back, that his Pokémon said anything at all.

“[i]So…there’s something even stronger out there…and we’re looking for it.[/i]”

“Uh-huh.”

“[i]And you are doing this while still trying to figure out how the hell you’re going to keep it working out with…them.[/i]”

“That’s pretty much it. And before you ask why, it’s because I have no choice. They made it very clear before sending me here that anything less than a perfect mission basically is going to have me sent to prison, or worse. They’re giving me a chance to make things better, and if I don’t…well, they’re going to go out of their way to make my life worse, and that’s all there is to it.”

Bright Eyes was silent, though that wasn’t helped by the fact that the Psychic-type broke eye-contact. The Abra looked at the grass, and he wondered what was going through his mind.

For his part, Jared had been thinking about what he would say for hours. It wasn’t just the fact that he had come to realize what he felt for the various members of his team, though that was certainly part of it. After all, learning that he had a sort of love for all of them – even for Bright Eyes, who he’d felt much closer to after the Abra had saved his life – had been a pretty big thing. He even…

“[i]Will you…need me?[/i]” Bright Eyes asked.

“…What?” Jared blinked. “What do you mean? You mean, on the team, or –”

“[i]There’s something else out there, something more powerful than any of us. You could get rid of me, get rid of all of us, and probably still do what you need to. If it saved you from them – what do you need any of us for?[/i]”

He blinked. Of all the things that he had expected, a fear of abandonment wasn’t one of them. As he stared, Bright Eyes never looked away, all but demanding an answer with that stony stare of his. Jared fumbled about mentally, trying to find one, and finally did.

“Do you seriously think I have [i]any[/i] chance of making anything that strong do what I say?”

“[i]…[/i]”

“I don’t. You know that, and I know that. If I can help it, maybe it won’t kill me, and maybe it won’t squash my brain like an egg. That’s about as much hope as I have for the whole thing right now.” Jared shook his head. “Why the hell would you think that I’d abandon you? And why the hell would you save me down in the basement if you thought I’d be someone that would do that?”

“[i]…I don’t know. It just…felt like the right thing to do.[/i]” Bright Eyes shook his head. “[i]But you’re not lying. You’re not. I can…I can see that. Good. Good.[/i]”

“Yes. Good.”

“[i]Then the other thing. You. Me. The others.[/i]” Bright Eyes unfolded his legs, standing up properly. Even though Jared was sitting down, this barely put them on eye-level with each other, but there was something rather powerful about the act, regardless. “[i]I told you before. I’m not going to be like them. I won’t be toys. And if you’re going to be open with all of them – and me – then…I want to know that you’re not going to be fighting me with that.[/i]”

“You want to know that I’m going to treat you with the same respect?”

“[i]More. I want to know that you’re going to let me be me. Not bending over like the Water lizard. Not just…making you blow like the plant. Not some player of games like the snake. Whatever you have with them is your business, but with me –[/i]”

“Let me stop you there.”

Bright Eyes blinked. Jared sat up a little straighter as he reached out and took the Abra’s hand, squeezing it gently. The Psychic-type clearly wasn’t the most comfortable with physical touch, but he didn’t teleport away, nor did he try to pull his hand out of his grip. That was the important part, for Jared. That was the thing that meant that Bright Eyes was listening.

“You saved my life down there. You didn’t have to, but you did. That earns you a lot of trust from me. I don’t know what that’ll lead to later on, but it means that I trust you a lot more than I did. And…to be honest, I trusted you a fair bit before.” He smiled despite himself. “Not a lot of people – or Pokémon – would be as cuttingly honest with me as you were. Not many would see the difference between us and still go ‘You’re lying to yourself.’ You did. You…pointed out the things that I didn’t want to think about, the things that I didn’t want to admit.

“I’m not saying that I am [i]just[/i] the things that you were pointing out in the park. I’m not…some pushover, some…bitch. I will still do…other things. But you are right. There are…other options, and I should be open to those, too. And if I’m going to try it out, it should be with someone that has earned my trust.”

“[i]…Someone like me?[/i]”

“Someone like you.”

“[i]I…feel strange. You are strange.[/i]”

“Is that a no, then?”

“[i]No, it’s not – I just didn’t expect – did you plan this? Did you come up with this idea to completely fluster me with all this, hoping that I would go lighter on you when I finally had my turn away from all the others?[/i]”

“Heh, no, but I’m not going to deny that it’s cute.”

Bright Eyes’s eyes flashed, and without warning, psychic energy flared all around Jared’s body. What had been a simple lean became a pressure all along his body, holding him against the wall of the Dance Theater. His Abra leaned in, one hand on the wall over his shoulder, and those barely-open eyes continued to glow, shimmering.

“[i]I…am not…cute.[/i]”

This was a new side to the petite Pokémon in front of him, and despite the sheer threatening aura that poured off of him as he spoke, Jared wasn’t going to deny that there was a certain appeal to that sort of…force. His eyes went wider as Bright Eyes leaned in further, lifting one foot off the ground and slowly pressing it between his legs. Jared gasped as the split toes of his Pokémon pressed to either side of a rising bulge in his jeans, huffing as the energy around him firmed up, getting more defined around his arms, his legs, everywhere as Bright Eyes exerted himself further.

“[i]The only cute one here is you…and I’m going to…enjoy this…[/i]”

There was just enough hesitation to tell Jared that there was a question there. Was his Abra allowed to go further? Was this the time? Was it finally time to see how he felt about this?

The answer was yes. He let the affirmation show in his mind, and things changed.

“Gah!”

Pushed away from the building, he hit the ground and felt his arms and legs get pulled out, spread-eagle. There was no pulling it in, no hiding himself, and the more that he pushed against the energy holding him down, the more that he felt it push back against him, pinning him in place and ensuring that he wouldn’t be able to get away. He blushed as that only made his cock stiffer, harder, and he didn’t know [i]why[/i]. All the other times with Croccy, Shimmer, and the others, he’d been the one doing things, but this time…

This time, Bright Eyes was the one in charge. Bright Eyes was doing what he wanted, and that took the pressure off of him and let him just enjoy what was happening.

Bright Eyes was completely silent as he floated off the ground. Despite the quiet, Jared could see the little sweat drops that were already forming on the poor guy’s forehead, showing the effort that he was putting out to maintain so much energy at once. Even with all this power at the Abra’s disposal, he [i]was[/i] still an Abra, and that meant that he didn’t have the same control over his power that he would have when he evolved. If he wasn’t careful –

“[i]Stop thinking. I don’t want you to think. Not when you’re with me,[/i]” Bright Eyes said. “[i]Human. I want you to have a quiet mind. Let me…let me show you where you belong…with me…[/i]”

Jared nodded, even as his cheeks burned when those two-toed feet rested over his groin. One set of toes curled around his zipper, slowly pulling it down until it was completely undone. The bulge in his briefs showed in stark relief through the gap, and the tip was already slightly damp. Bright Eyes chuckled.

“[i]So you DO enjoy having a Pokémon telling you what to do. I knew I was right. I knew…I knew. Now. Let me have some fun with this thing.[/i]”

Those toes were surprisingly gentle as they traced lines on either side of his shaft. The pressure around him changed shape, moving like hands along his thighs, keeping his legs spread, while his arms were pulled up and back over his head. He was, in all honesty, completely helpless. And more to the point, if someone wandered around back here to see him, there’d be no hiding what was happening.

That should have terrified him, but instead, there was something freeing in this submission. He shuddered as the clawed toes hooked the edge of his briefs, pulling them down slowly, dragging the cloth out of the way of his cock, letting his shaft bounce up and expose itself to the night air.

As Bright Eyes pinched the rigid thing between his toes, Jared knew that the night was going to be a long one. All the delays on the road, in the tower, and elsewhere had led to both of them being very pent-up for this moment. He could feel his balls churning, his breath coming faster, and despite his partner’s quiet, he could feel the intensity pouring off his Abra. Bright Eyes had plans for this, and it was probably going to get more and more extreme before it got simple again.

Somehow, that only made the whole thing that much more appealing.

“[i]Let’s see how many times this thing can squirt, shall we?[/i]” Bright Eyes whispered.

[b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b]

Summary: After the events of the basement, Jared has a talk with Morty to fill out some gaps in his knowledge, and finally has a chat with Bright Eyes about their status with each other.

Tags: M/M, Foot Fetish, Body Control, Psychic, Domination, Polyamory, Pokémon, Human, Abra, Ekans, Snake, Various Pokémon, Trying Something New, Series,