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Sweet as Salac

Chapter 001: The First Homecoming

The M.V. Vanderly was one of maybe three or four large, powerful passenger vessels servicing the three cities on the Johto Gulf: Goldenrod, Olivine and Cianwood. The gulf route has always been a popular route. Or at least, ever since it became possible for seafaring vessels to navigate those particular waters safely. The old steamships of the previous decade – ships like the famous S.S. Anne – may have serviced between Goldenrod in Johto and Vermillion in Kanto, but would never traverse any further west than the eastern-most coast of the gulf. The Whirl Islands, and the tropical weather systems that brewed in that area, made it too dangerous. As such, it was somewhat of a modern convenience, today, to be able to sail directly from Goldenrod City in the east of Johto, to Cianwood City in the west.

Which was great, because I was so ready to be back home.

It was the last day of our voyage. I was leaning hard on the edge of the stern, looking out at the ocean disappearing behind us, enjoying the privilege of being allowed on deck again. The M.V. Vanderly routinely locked down for a full day during voyages, in order to keep passengers safe while it navigated the heart of the gulf; word was we sailed straight through a minor tropical storm late last night. From how little sleep I got, I was inclined to believe it. But today was an open-deck day: the water was calm, the air was fresh, and the sun refracting through the thin mist that hung around us made for a subtle but spectacular light show. We were due to make landfall within a couple of hours.

“Feels good, doesn't it?" Off to my side, a young woman with exceptionally long, blonde hair was leaning on the railing as well. Aileen Savant, wearing her bright red uniform – the two of us matched in that regard – technically my supervisor, but a close friend besides. I nodded, taking in a deep breath of sea air. It wasn't clear to me whether she was referring to the relaxing atmosphere or the feeling of finally being off mission, but the answer was the same either way.

Despite the sometimes-accompanying turbulence, I found seafaring to be rather energizing. To be away from the buildings and the cars and the crowds, to experience nature, and to get swallowed up in it… it was a powerful sensation, one that filled me with boundless energy even on days like today, when I was running on maybe three hours of pretty mediocre sleep. A daily walk in the woods kept me clear, focused and grounded, and speculating over an endless landscape of shining ocean yielded similar effects. Feeling that kind of attachment to the world around me was one of the main driving forces in my becoming a Ranger.

There were a few of us Rangers aboard, several of us being close friends: beyond myself, there was Kavi, whom I met during my first year at the university; Eleanor, who transferred in a year later; and, of course, Aileen, who despite being close to our age, was responsible for our recruitment (about the same time Kavi and I met Eleanor), and served as our supervisor now. Kavi, Eleanor and I lived together for a chunk of our university time, but really all four of us were pretty close, especially after our most recent misadventure. Living in a tent city for an entire winter is the kind of trial that invariably binds people together.

“So, I don't think you ever got around to telling me… did the three of you manage to graduate?" Aileen asked after a while.

“Barely," I said with a nod. “But yeah, all three of us."

“Even Kavi?"

“That's kinda blunt, don't you think?" I laughed. “Yes, even Kavi. That motherfucker works harder than you'd ever believe."

“Harder than I'd ever believe?" she snickered. Kavi was a pretty blunt guy, too, and just about as open of a book as you could get. But the cover of that book would never lead you to believe he was a pre-med, and boy, did he work for it. “I'd believe that much."

I tapped the railing. “You… heh, you believe that you wouldn't believe?"

Aileen just rolled her eyes.

In the middle of our senior year, an emergency summons by the Pokémon Ranger Bureau called Eleanor, Kavi and myself away from our studies. Aileen wasn't going to school, but she was in the area, and came with us. It was the Johto Route 30 area, wild with unexplained forest fires, and it was taking all the personnel we could throw at it to contain them. Cherrygrove City, just south of the disaster area, bustled with more police, firefighters, Rangers and other volunteers than there were buildings to house. We literally began setting up camps – something Rangers have always been good at, fortunately. Unfortunately, there was a lot of speculation that arson was involved, and Cherrygrove was more or less under occupation for the last two long months of winter and a little into spring. Between juggling logistics and emergency task responses, Eleanor, Kavi and I scrambled to keep up with our university work remotely as well. It was, almost very literally, trial by fire, you might say.

The change in atmosphere as we traveled from Cherrygrove back to Cianwood was a bit like a slap in the face. A pleasing slap in the face, but a slap nonetheless: hard, abrupt, and dramatic. Cherrygrove had been dry, bitter and usually more than a little smoky. We typically slept on the ground in thin sleeping bags, and our meals were donated military rations. More than once I'd been awakened in the middle of the night to help with crowd control or to provide medical assistance, and most days I was running on less than 6 hours of sleep.

Well… the sleep part hadn't changed much so far, and the beds on the ship weren't great. But everything else was like a rainbow at the end of a thunderstorm… if a rainbow could slap you in the face. The air was cool but the sun was warm, and the humidity hinted of a lively spring just getting started. I had entire days to myself, or to whatever the four of us could get out to do while we waited for our ship (or waited for the ship to make landfall). And, of course, I finally got a chance to put a bit of weight back on. I ate like I'd not properly eaten in months.

…You know, because I hadn't.

So there we were: four Pokémon Rangers headed home after a long and hard mission, weary but proud, feeling like heroes. We made little secret of our presence aboard the ship; though wearing our uniforms in public was perhaps a less than modest way to draw respect, I at least felt we deserved it, especially after Cherrygrove. If nothing else, the Ranger uniform was pretty damn comfortable. Though, as an added bonus, it did give us a little credibility to have Pokémon out and about, without people assuming we were trainers. That would have been embarrassing.

“Hey, doesn't the League Challenge start around this time of year?" Aileen asked, as if reading my mind. I had been absently looking around the deck, but only just then realized the same thing Aileen had: there really weren't any trainers around, at all. In years past, it would have been common to see ships like these bustling with young, aspiring trainers. Today it was just common folk. “Kinda quiet for spring."

“I've got no problems with that," I admitted. “The fewer trainers, the better."

Aileen nodded. It was a common sentiment. “Hmm… you know what the Pokémon Administration is saying though, right?"

“What?"

“They say if things continue like this, we're going to wind up like Kalos," she muttered. “And of course, they blame the Rangers for it."

“They're always blaming the Rangers. It's kind of our job to keep them in check, right?" I reminded her. The grim look on her face lasted, though. “Oh come on, you don't really believe them, do you?"

Before she could answer, a voice from the balcony above our deck called down to us. “She shouldn't."

Looking up, I found Eleanor was staring down at us. Tall with hazel eyes; black hair, long but tied up in a bun; always wearing a hat, usually of the wide-brimmed variety; a long pearl necklace was her sole article of jewelry. If anyone had an opinion on Kalos, it was her. When she left the region to study in Cianwood, it wasn't necessarily by desire to live in Johto, and she brought much of her Kalos culture with her. From her position on the balcony above us, she had a very condescending appearance. “No one should believe what the Pokémon Administration says," she went on. “It's rhetoric, it's slander, and it's poisonous. The collapse of the League in Kalos didn't cause the Revolution; it was the Revolution that killed the League, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

I cocked an eyebrow. “How long have you up there, huh?"

“Long enough," she said plainly. “Though I at least agree with the whole 'less trainers' bit. I hate explaining to idiots that Nålia is not up for trade. I swear, it's like those people think you can just exchange friends like you exchange trading cards."

“Yeah, it gets tiring telling people they can't fight Shikimin, too," I laughed. “Even though my guess is he'd usually whoop their ass."

“Hey, how's Shikimin doing, anyway?" Aileen asked me. Shikimin, whom I'd known since not long after he'd hatched, evolved into a Luxray in the middle of the night before boarding day, surprising all of us… especially since it somehow didn't wake me up. When I did wake the next morning, I was slightly panicked to discover a much larger electric-type on my bed than I was accustomed to. That panic was quickly replaced with disappointment when I realized I'd missed my second and final chance at seeing my best friend evolve.

“Oh, still sleeping off cramps I'm guessing," I said with a sigh. “Poor guy. Hey Eleanor, Shikimin still asleep up there?"

“He might be. It's been hard getting Nålia to stop bothering him, though," she laughed nervously. Nålia is this cute little Eevee that Eleanor keeps around for company, much like Shikimin with me. It was a funny relationship; of course, none of us owned Pokémon, per se, and Pokéballs were considered pretty… gauche these days, anyway. I simply see it as friendship or companionship. Eleanor's undecided on what she wants to call it, but she's delighted to have Nålia around. “Sheesh, didn't realize she was so into bigger males."

Aileen gave a surprised snort, quickly averting her gaze.

“And you're sure she's not, like, trying to sneak him more Salac berries, right?" I went on. Eleanor shrugged. “Well, he's never going to get any sleep if he keeps eating those."

“More importantly, we won't be able to replant those berries if he keeps eating them all!" Aileen butt in, quickly regaining her composure. “Come on, what's important here? This assignment is kind of a big deal, remember?"

I relented with a quick nod, but truth be told, I'd snitched a few Salac berries myself since we left Cherrygrove. They were a bit addictive.

For further explanation, I suppose there are three things you probably need to know about the Johto region. The first is that, up until a small handful of years ago, Johto has always had a significantly less diverse population of wild Pokémon than probably anywhere else in the world; the second is that, also up until a small handful of years ago, fruit has never grown well in the region, either. The only fruit-like substance (well, technically they behave more like nuts) that's ever grown in Johto is the Apricorn. Nice history behind Apricorns, but they're not exactly a bountiful crop or source of food.

The third important thing technically has more to do with Hoenn: 12 years ago, when the crisis in Hoenn was unfolding, the power unleashed by Kyogre and Groudon caused a pretty significant climate shift. Some of the effects were immediate: everyone knows about the sudden eruption of the once-dormant Cinnabar volcano, though it took a few years to connect the incident with Hoenn. Other effects took longer to truly appreciate. Years since then, climate and soil quality change has been observed in almost every region. Berries, for example, had always grown well in Hoenn, but now they were booming. And as it happens, Johto is pretty darned close to Hoenn.

So the Pokémon Ranger Bureau in our region has been importing berries and trying to get them to grow here, as well. They did, and the results were as startling as they were fast: species of Pokémon never seen before in the Johto region, suddenly in great numbers. Since then, what started as a small agriculture experiment has now become a region-wide campaign to diversify the wildlife.

And it's all thanks to berries.

“I have to wonder what people would say if they knew our big important Ranger mission was planting fruit?" I joked. Aileen rolled her eyes again.

“They'd probably try to scarf it all, like your pig Luxray friend," she retorted.

“Oh come on, you can't tell me you've not shared one or two of those with Juna, at the end of a long day," I said with a wink. Much like Nålia for Eleanor, and Shikimin for me, Aileen traveled with her own companion: an Absol named Juna. I gave her a playful nudge. “Eh? Ehh?"

Aileen flustered pretty hard. “D-don't say it like that! It sounds… dirty."

Eleanor cleared her throat. “Sex isn't dirty, Aileen," she said, cutting out any pretense of ignorance. The Ranger supervisor flushed a deep crimson, frustrated profanity right on the tip of her tongue. Catching herself, she brushed me aside and stormed off, leaving Eleanor and I to ourselves. A loud sigh floated off the balcony above me. “Good Lord, why does that woman get so uptight about these things? Does she really expect people to just not know?"

“She's probably a bit insecure," I ventured. “Though, if we're being honest, not everyone is as desensitized to this as you."

“You are," she replied. I gave a relenting shrug.

“Maybe, but I also don't press the issue with people that aren't."

“Well, you're never going to get people to think critically about their preconceptions by being perfectly polite all the god damned time," Eleanor insisted. The lasting effects of her Kalos upbringing shone through brightly at that moment. “Ugh… you know how I hate the phrase, 'Grow some thicker skin,' but there is such a thing as 'too thin.'"

I simply nodded. Classic Eleanor – her chutzpa was endearing, but it was best not to argue with her when she gets like this. At least, unless you really, really want to have a nice, long debate. She can usually sense when she's being overbearing, though, so long as you're not insistent on getting the last word. I think she takes that as an invitation. Either way, when I didn't reply, she didn't push the issue, and I went back to enjoying the scenery.

Looking back out over the railing of the stern, I found our ship had attracted a bit of an entourage of water-types: Mantine and Marill, and even a few Wartortle; countless fishlike Pokémon as well, obscured just beneath the waves; all bobbing along in our awake, apparently having a grand old time. “Whoa, that's a crowd…"

In truth, I was really quite happy to watch the Pokémon Administration's gradual decline into obscurity. They held a lot of political and economic power – inappropriately so, in my opinion – and have always been the source of endless controversy and scandal. As a resident of the Johto region, it was refreshing to see them appear less on the media, and to not have to fight their political agenda quite so much. As a Ranger, it was relieving to not have to babysit so many adolescent nomads in their zealous quest for money, power and fame. And, as a Pokémon fanatic, it was delightful to see more Pokémon appearing out in the open. No, in years past, you would certainly have never seen this many Pokémon near a seafaring vessel, where the risk of a trainer encounter was so high.

So, I was pretty content overall.

As we neared Cianwood Island, the ship turned into the late evening sunset, casting a great shadow in our wake. Shortly after, a buzz of excited commotion stirred amongst the other passengers along the stern, as a raft of curious Buizel from the island suddenly made itself known. In their own little water show, they began to leap from the surf, one after another, arching through the air like dolphins. Tails spinning, chattering eagerly before vanishing beneath the waves once more… Buizel were especially curious and playful Pokémon. I could watch them play for hours.

One of the Buizel, a little larger than the rest, was putting on an especially skillful display. Its leaps became higher and higher, and it ventured much closer to the ship than any of the others. So close, in fact, that a few of us on the lower deck got a nice splattering of salt water. 'Brave,' I thought with a chuckle as I took my glasses off to wipe them down. ' And kinda cute.' A moment later, it – no, she, I discovered from the fur pattern on her back – made another flying leap, twirling around in mid air. I got sloshed again, and decidedly put my glasses away instead of bothering to put them back on. The ruckus in the surf below her made it sound like her pack was cheering her on, and the crowd of interested bystanders on the stern grew over the course of a few minutes.

Alas, close enough was close enough, and as we came into our final approach on the city, the veritable mob of Pokémon trailing our ship lost interest and dispersed. But by this time I'd had quite my fill, and a grin plastered on my face to go along with it. “Shame Shikimin's resting," I said to Eleanor. “He woulda enjoyed that."

Eleanor, who had not moved from the balcony above me, replied, “You could always take him to the beach whenever he's feeling up to it."

Yes, I could do just that. And my guess was, if we went around lunchtime, we'd see the very same pack of Buizel that had been tailing our ship.

As I made my way back to the upper deck where our cabin was, I passed Kavi, who by the looks of it had spent the afternoon bothering attractive female passengers. Short, dark hair, round face, beady eyes… in need of a bit of exercise, even after our time in Cherrygrove it seemed. He caught my gaze with an upward nod but continued to chat with the uninterested woman he had attached himself to.

Taking a slightly more forward approach, I came up beside him and gave him a firm punch on the shoulder. “Oi, Kavi, grab your bags from the cabin already."

“I'm in the middle of something, bro…" he muttered back.

I shook my head, laughing a little condescendingly. “Aahah, ah no, no I really don't think you are. Come along, now." I gently but firmly grasped his arm and walked him back up to our cabin, even as he stared daggers into me. “Kavi, my man. You are seriously going to get yourself arrested one day. Do you know how to read women at all?"

“Wha – it was fine man! She was fine!" he insisted.

“No, she was screaming 'oh my god, please go away man I've never seen before,'" I explained to him. “She just may have not said those words out loud."

Returning to our cabin, Eleanor, Kavi and I set about gathering up our things to disembark. It was crowded: the cabins were supposed to be for two people (and maybe a Pokémon). Officially, Kavi was on the same ticket as Aileen. Eleanor and I, in our infinite generosity, gave Aileen the room to herself and Juna, and pulled Kavi up to our cabin. In total that made five of us in there, once you factored in Shikimin and Nålia.

I was surprised to find Shikimin actually wide-awake, even pacing around the room a bit. “How are you feeling, big guy?" I asked, scratching behind his big, round ears. Shikimin was quite the sizable cat now, with shoulders up to my waist. Add on the neck, head and very pointy mane, and Shikimin measured about four feet tall. His body was patterned with a combination of long, off-black fur and shorter blue fur, with a few yellow spots marking his legs, the insides of his ears and, of course, the star-shaped tip of his tail. A handsome cat, though pretty standard as far as Luxray go. Shikimin craned his neck, rubbing along my side with great enthusiasm and nearly knocking me down. “Whoa, heh… easy there. You're a lot bigger than you used to be."

The grin on his muzzle made me think he already knew that, though.

If my legs were getting a lot of attention from Shikimin, Shikimin’s legs were getting a lot of attention from Nålia. The energetic little Eevee was maybe a foot and a half tall, all things said, and she was getting very friendly with the large feline Pokémon. A cute, pink bow was tied around the base of her tail, and a smaller one around her left ear; clearly Eleanor already knew what she wanted Nålia to evolve into. “I think someone wants to play with you,” I chuckled to Shikimin, nodding at the small brown Pokémon practically worshipping him. He gave an amused snort, but I knew he liked the attention. At his weary sigh, Eleanor came around and scooped up the fluffy Eevee in her arms.

“Nålia, darling, the poor guy does not have the energy for you right now,” she told the pouting Pokémon… even though I know Eleanor would have loved to watch the two go at it.

And so would Kavi, who was making very little secret of it. “Oh, come on Eleanor, I never get to watch them…” he complained as he came around the corner with his bags.

“And it’ll stay like that, if you keep this up,” she retorted, protectively turning away with her Eevee companion. “Just, like… stick to your porn stash, okay? You’re too loud to be a real voyeur, anyway.”

Kavi gave an indignant huff. “It’s a collection,” he insisted, but Eleanor paid him no further attention, instead gathering up her own bags. Shikimin and I exchanged a funny grin; business as usual.

And so the lot of us made our way off the ship. The port in Cianwood City was bustling with activity, and our ship was maybe one in half a dozen. Ten years ago, the city didn't even have a port, and only one major ship came by a year. The rest of its visitors were brave (or foolish) trainers making the trip on the backs of their water-type Pokémon.

Eleanor (with Nålia in tow) set off into the city at once to pick up groceries for the next week, and Kavi departed down the beach to the landlord's office to pick up the keys to the flat he, Eleanor and I had left behind months ago. Both left their luggage, leaving Aileen, Juna, Shikimin and I with a veritable mountain of suitcases and bags on the docks. “You ah… want some help getting these back to your place?" Aileen offered.

I took a deep breath of the familiar air, deeply satisfied to be back. Still, looking around, it dawned on me that there were really only two of us apt to wheel around four persons worth of luggage. “You know what, that'd be great."

We set off down the beach like Kavi had, headed for the neighborhood instead of the landlord's office. Each of us lugged a pair of well-packed suitcases, plus additional backpacks, all in all making for a rather slow trudge. Still, Cianwood City and the surrounding beach real estate were relatively compact, so even at a slow walk, it was only about ten minutes from the port.

Our two companions flanked us on either side as we rolled over to the residential area. Juna calmly inspected the ocean as she trotted along – that was nice, I thought, as an anxious Absol is never pleasant news. Her white fur was clean and bright even though the entire beach was cast in the shadow of the setting sun behind the island's tall mountains. Shikimin, meanwhile, was full of energy, and he bounded about like a cub, staying by my side for only brief stints. Every now and then he'd cross over to Juna's side, trying to catch her attention… seconds later, Juna would be on my side. Shikimin got the cold shoulder the whole way home.

This was not lost on Aileen, who had an uncomfortable blush on her face. “You ah… think he should know that Juna's only into other females?"

I shrugged. “He'll get the message eventually. He's not blind like Kavi… just a bit of a peacock." I was a bit surprised Aileen mentioned it, though, with how she reacted to Eleanor on the ship. I took that as a positive sign. “Hey so… I know Eleanor was a bit blunt about you and Juna, earlier…"

Aileen gave a deep and frustrated sigh. Okay, so not entirely positive.

“But… I just wanted you to know you're in good company," I reassured her, this time with a somewhat friendlier wink. “I can drop it at that. Just wanted you to know."

She nodded, and we walked for a little while. Shikimin had given up trying to get friendly with Juna, and returned to my side. He hovered his nose around, reacclimatizing himself with the scents of the beachside city. I wondered how his sense of smell compared with that of his Luxio form.

I also noted that he was walking much more steadily now, than he was on boarding day just after he evolved. His limp was entirely gone, and his shoulders rolled evenly between steps. I smiled, feeling oh-so-satisfied, happy to see him happy, happy to see him all grown out, with his fantastically spiky mane coming off the back of his head like his own personal crown. He really was quite something. And I, being maybe the closest thing he had to family, was brimming with pride.

Seeing me looking at Shikimin must have sparked something in Aileen. “How long have you known him?"

I blinked. “Hm? Who, Shikimin?"

“Yeah."

I rolled the numbers over in my head for a moment. “Uh, nine years. He hatched nine years ago."

Aileen let out a low whistle. “That's… a long time to know someone."

“You think?" I asked.

“Well, let's see, I've only known Juna for… what is it now, three years?" she muttered after a moment. Juna's ears perked at the mention of her name. The two apparently met and started spending time together at the Ranger headquarters. To this day, Aileen hasn't told me exactly where Juna came from, though, or how it was the dark-type managed to get into the headquarters building in the first place. “Three and a bit."

“Hm. So not long before we met, when you think about it," I said. “I dunno, I think three years is plenty of time to get to know someone. I mean, the plain fact that you two stick around one another says something, doesn't it?"

The other Ranger stammered a bit. “I – I don't know if…"

“Aside from that," I laughed. Aileen flushed darkly again. “Hey, relax. I keep telling you, I don't judge. But what I mean is, I don't think you need to know someone for years and years to have a nice relationship with them; friendly, or more than friendly."

She seemed to chew that over for a while, but I could tell she wasn't entirely satisfied. An unasked question lingered in the air as her gaze flickered between Shikimin and I. “Izák, can I uh…"

“…ask me a question?" I finished for her. She nodded.

“A kind of personal one."

“Shoot."

“Are you gay?" she asked, plain and simple.

Huh.

Well, I’d had many years to think on that question myself. But I don’t think I ever came to a cut-and-dry conclusion. The question seemed… unfair, like it was forcing me to pick sides. Like it didn’t leave room for compromise. Especially growing up with Shikimin, and growing close to him, I remember not liking that question very much… even though I was never asked it. Do I do gay things? Of course I do gay things – I have an incredibly close and personal relationship with another male. But that isn’t the only relationship I have or have had. So, to answer the question, ‘Am I gay?’ with a plain and simple ‘yes,’ seemed wrong.

So I shrugged. “I love Pokémon," I said instead. “And I love my friends. That's all that seems important to me."

Well… Aileen seemed to accept that. She nodded, and that was the end of it.

Our flat wasn't far off the coast, which was nice because we all loved the ocean… but a bit inconvenient because it was further from the heart of the city and, of course, the university. Not that that meant much, with how small the city was as a whole; we'd also graduated over the winter, so the university was little more than a landmark now. At a glance, it was a fairly petite building, but the accommodations were almost fanciful – nice wood floors, reliable air conditioning… doors that stayed locked. Things like that – and its rent, at least compared to the properties downtown, was fairly low.

Kavi got the building with our keys moments before Aileen and I did… which, despite the four of us taking a more direct route than he, wasn't all that surprising considering all the baggage we were hauling. He gave us a wave as we approached. “Home, sweet home!" he chuckled, unlocking the front door for us and heading in.

Aileen smiled and she rolled the suitcases up to the door and dropped the bags she was carrying beside them. Juna rubbed up affectionately against her side, and Shikimin, perhaps feeling a bit competitive, mirrored her, but against my side instead. “Alright, looks like you're all set," said the other Ranger, giving me a pat on the shoulder. “I'm still living on the island, so give me a shout if you need anything."

“Will do," I nodded. “Take um… good care of Juna." I gave her a knowing smile, which she countered with a curt one.

“Uh huh… and you take care of Shikimin," she replied, sticking her tongue out. Then she turned to the big cat himself. “And… and you. I'm onto you. You need to stop eating all the Salac. Capiche?"

Shikimin gave a low meow and swiped at Aileen's legs. Her uniform absorbed the blow entirely but she startled even so, leaping back a few full feet. “W-whoa!"

“Hey! That's enough!" I scolded the big cat, who turned his attention to me and gave me a batting instead. I caught his quick swipes against the backs of my uniform gloves. Aileen looked on anxiously for a few moments. I gave a coarse laugh. “You're fine, Aileen. He's just being a little over-playful."

“Ah. Uh, okay," she muttered quietly, perhaps not entirely convinced. Shaking it off, she smiled, gave us a wave, and turned to go. “Alright. I'm out. You uh… have fun, I guess."

And with that, she was gone.

I let out a relieved sigh. Popping a squat, I found myself more at Shikimin's height; the big cat's posture relaxed, looking much less like he was ready to pounce on someone now. He peered at me intently for a minute, as if sizing me up, and it was clear by his gaze that he considered me a much more experienced 'rival' than poor Aileen. I held up my hands defensively; he, of course, batted at them like he had before. But this time, he did so almost casually, like he was fiddling with a small toy, rather than trying to dominate a challenger. I caught each 'blow' in my gloves. “You can't do that with just anyone, okay?" I explained. “She's not used to you like I am."

In response, Shikimin growled and gave me a slightly harder smack.

Kavi looked over, chuckling in amusement. I noticed he was snacking on an Aspear – we had a lot more of those than we did Salac berries, fortunately – he gestured at the two of us. “You guys always play-fight?"

“I got scars to prove it," I replied. Kavi gave an approving nod.

“Right on, man," he said, taking another bite of his berry. Aspear had a light but tart flavor, and had the interesting effect of making your mouth cool, kind of like mint. Similarly, Aspear were pretty good at starving off nausea. I wondered for a moment if Kavi was soothing some remnant seasickness. Either way, he made himself useful and started pulling bags inside. “Here, I can get some of these out of your way…"

I nodded, still sitting with Shikimin. His tail was flailing back and forth, telling me he had a lot of energy to burn off – a surprise to me, considering how tired he was after he evolved. “Feeling better now, huh?" I asked, giving him a playful bop on the side of his face. The big cat yowled, sinking his fangs into my protected hand. The fingerless Ranger gloves soaked up his bite entirely, and the fangs never reached my skin. “Jeez, you recovered fast."

“Eleanor called me while I was getting the keys, by the way. Says the market is packed to shit,” Kavi informed me as he pulled the last suitcase inside. Finally disengaging myself from the feisty feline Pokémon, I led him inside and closed the door behind us. Kavi headed down the hall to his room. “My guess is dinner won’t be for an hour or two, so if you wanna freshen up, you’ve got time.”

I had a pretty good idea for what ‘Freshen up’ translated to in Kavi-speak. He probably had plans to freshen up as well, with that collection he’s always so eager to show off.

Still, maybe I could use to unwind a bit. “Sounds good to me,” I said, brushing off my hands. Once more, I took a deep breath; lots of familiar scents, out here in Cianwood, and many of my favorite memories to go along with them. It really and truly made me feel at home. Feeling reinvigorated, I grabbed my backpack and suitcase and hauled them down to my room.

The flat was divided roughly into halves: the foyer, kitchen, dining space and living room were all basically one large room, with a divider here and there; a single long hallway lead down the other half of the house, branching off into a few bedrooms and bathrooms. My bedroom was at the end. I set to work quickly remaking my bed and repopulating my closet with the contents of my suitcase. Shikimin came in behind me, patiently watching as I made up the room.

Then, I took a look in the mirror. Still me, as far as I could tell: Izák Alvin Markov, raised in Blackthorn. Six foot and kind of lanky for my liking, with how rough winter was; dark brown hair, long in the back, wavy in the front; and vivid green eyes, usually resting behind a pair of frameless glasses I came to like. I'd not put them back on since I took them off on the ship – that was fine; in truth I didn't really depend on them for anything. In terms of dress, I was already wearing my favorite set of clothes: my Ranger uniform. The uniform consisted of a thin, tight thermal black and white shirt; thick padded black pants; a bright red reinforced vest; a pair of fingerless gloves, and a pair of heavy duty hiking boots. The stuff behaved roughly like body armor, but felt like a luxury suit… and made me feel equally as fanciful.

Yeah… I really like my Ranger uniform.

But alas, I couldn't wear it all the time. I carefully stripped out of my uniform, laying it safely on the bed. I slipped on loose jeans and a plain white undershirt in their stead – two articles of clothing for which I cared much less about what might happen to them over the next half an hour.

Shikimin's reflection remained in the mirror behind me. His bright yellow eyes seemed to absorb and focus light, and it often feels as though I'm being looked straight through. Aileen says it's uncanny and intimidating, but I've had years to get used to it. In truth, I know what that stare really means – it means Shikimin's interested in something.

I sat myself down on the rug, and Shikimin slowly padded over. “Gosh, look at you," I breathed as he stood in front of me. “Such a handsome guy." Okay, perhaps in need of a bit of grooming, but handsome nonetheless. His lips rumbled in a low, husky growl, and his tail waved proudly behind him.

Chuckling, I grabbed something out of my backpack that I'd snitched before we came off the ship. “Aileen's right when she says you've gotta stop eating all of these… but I figured you deserved a little treat today," I said with a wink. Shikimin already knew what it was. Actually, he probably followed its scent into the room. It was small and green, fitting comfortably but fully in the palm of my hand. A fruit, covered in thick, prickly skin, with a tall stem and a leaf coming off the top. It was, of course, a Salac berry. Extremely rare, even in the Hoenn region where berries grew like weeds… but sublimely delicious.

Shikimin waited ever so patiently as I peeled the rough skin off the rest of the berry. It gave off a very strong, sweet scent, even before breaking it open – strong like you'd never get the scent out without a wash. My backpack was going to smell like Salac berries far into the foreseeable future. Though the skin was hard and bristly, the flesh inside was famously sweet, with a tart, citrusy tanginess that was incredibly refreshing… and more than slightly addictive. Once the skin was removed, the rest split readily into three large cloves. Each one I dutifully broke open to check for large seeds, before offering a majority of it to Shikimin. He delicately nibbled the fruit away from my fingertips. Once clear though, he ravenously wolfed it down like hard-earned prey.

While the eager electric-type devoured the two cloves I'd peeled for him, I delicately munched on the third myself. It just had this wonderful balance of flavors. No doubt about it, it was a sugary berry, a snack that leaves you feeling simultaneously refreshed and needing more. As I ate my share, I found Shikimin staring at me again, eyes flicking slightly. I returned the inquisitive gaze, wondering what was going on in that curious head of his.

There are two sides to Shikimin's personality, I know now. There's his animal, which is a proud, primal, feisty and territorial creature… but fiercely loyal and incredibly respectful. That is, if you know what respect looks like, coming from a big cat. When I'm in my Ranger getup and Shikimin knows it's safe, the animal is the role he's more comfortable playing in public. That's the side of him that spits and growls and fights for dominance. It's also his pride and his pompous. It's what makes him a Luxray like every other Luxray.

But Pokémon… are not simply feral animals. Like human beings, they are intelligent, sentient creatures. They may be a little more attached to their instinctual tendencies than we humans are. Well, a lot more – I think humans are just flat out afraid of instincts. But beneath every powerful, prideful Luxray is a very complex, unique creature, each with his or her own experiences, desires, aspirations, quirks…

And sometimes you find that, beneath their feral façade, a Pokémon isn't what they appear to be.

Shikimin licked his chops. The sweet scent of Salac hung in the air around our faces. His nose inched closer to mine, and a warm blast of breath brushed my face. “Good, huh?" I asked, playing my fingers around in the soft fur under his neck. Of course, I already knew the answer. The only question now was: how did Shikimin feel like thanking me?

In truth, I was a little surprised when the big cat closed the rest of the distance. His many whiskers tickled my cheeks, and when he growled, the little air left between us resonated and the hairs on my face tingled. His spiny tongue dragged across my lips, and for a brief moment, we breathed as one. Then his head tilted ever so faintly to the side, and we kissed.

Shikimin and I shared an… interesting relationship. To say that we were close would be a gross understatement. It wasn't exactly romance – that'd be a bit tricky, with the language disparity. That and, well, I'm pretty sure Shikimin's more into females anyhow – even so, it was certainly intimate. The air around our faces grew warm with each other's breathing, the lingering scent of Salac mixing with the large Luxray's otherwise gamy cat breath.

There was a certain… urgency in the way he pressed into me – an energy that needed to be released – I felt my face flush as the space between us disappeared. His licks were rough and needy, his barbed tongue grazing my lips and chin and even my teeth. He was practically panting; actually, I was kind of panting, too. It seems so cliché, if not even in bad taste, to say that there was electricity between us… but there was; almost real enough to electrocute me. Definitely real enough to make my hair stand up on end.

When his cold nose found its way under my neck, though, he really did give me a jolt. I gasped as he pressed his snout hard against that particularly sensitive spot. I clumsily reached behind me, closing the door to give us some privacy… seconds later, I was rather erotically pinned down on my back. His whole weight bore down on me, and his forepaws came behind my waist like a feral hug. Something rubbed hard against the crotch of my pants – Shikimin growled sharply, warm breath running down my neck – claws came out, pricking me through my clothes…

I lied there for a minute, acutely aware of Shikimin's slight shuddering movements against me, and of his bared fangs, flush against my skin. I pulled my arms around the large lionlike Pokémon, holding him close, wanting to feel more of what he was feeling. “Jeez, you're a quick cat," I breathed, teasing him just a little. He didn't seem to mind; he licked my neck, very tenderly, before giving his hips a little jerk. Seconds passed, before I felt the wet spot he'd left on my pants start to soak through and dampen my skin. A rich purr rumbled in the pleased Luxray's chest, making my entire body – to which his was tightly pressed – vibrate in resonance.

It didn't take him long to recover, and a series of quick, hard jabs against the growing tent in my pants told me that Shikimin was by no means finished. But I, still pinned underneath him, could do nothing but lie there. I gave a little twist, pushing him with my shoulder. “Alright, alright… if you really want to keep going, the least you can do is let me join you," I said with a huff. The frisky cat gave an apologetic snort, snapping out of his trance long enough to give me some space to move. He carefully stood up over me, leaving quite the view of the mess he was making between us.

Just under his hind legs, where the blue fur of his belly became increasingly short and fine, four inches of red flesh proudly protruded. True to his animal semblance, Shikimin's member was short, slightly curved, tapered at the tip and subtly lined with thousands of tiny, fleshy barbs. It was also pretty slick now, smeared with thin cat semen – a little bead dripped from his head, landing on my pants, leaving the two connected by a strand. Every few seconds, it gave a happy twitch, and I knew Shikimin had found the outlet he'd needed for his pent up energy.

“You do want to keep going, right?" I asked. I was pretty sure I knew the answer, though. Shikimin gave a firm nod; felines finish quick and finish often. A single go wasn't going to satisfy him.

So, I unbuttoned my pants and pulled them away. My boxers followed, leaving my own manhood exposed and erect. He leaned down and nosed my shirt and, getting the message, I removed that, too, leaving myself completely naked beneath him. Shikimin took a moment to appreciate the view, and a sexy growl rolled off his lips. I practically trembled beneath him, his rumbling, wordless voice music to my ears.

He lowered himself down on me again, carefully adjusting his legs so he was almost sitting on me. When cats mate, their haunches curve inward, allowing them to point their genders in the right direction. In this case, “right" meant parallel to, and right up against, mine. His member gave an excited twitch as it fell along side my own, and I almost giggled at how his barbs tickled me. His hips rolled, and our shafts dragged against one another, smearing around his first emissions until we were both slick. We weren't going for more than ten seconds though before he shot again. Something like a cross between a growl and a snarl came hissing from between his fangs, and the barbs on his sex stood up on end, dragging roughly against me, as he sprayed another few spurts of Luxray cum onto my belly.

“Keep going," I whispered to him, pulling on his neck, forcing him to lay against me again. His belly came down on mine, and our members were sandwiched between wet flesh and dampening fur. Once again his forepaws found their way around my back, though he made special care not to poke me with his claws again. With his body flush against mine, the comparatively huge feline began again in earnest, happily mating against me. A couple times a minute he's tense up and growl, the warm flesh of his gender pulsing, and the dampness between us would grow a little more. He'd rest for just a couple of seconds, giving me an affectionate lick here or there, and then keep going like it was his first. And I loved it. Every motion, every tense, every little growl and mewl and the breath on my neck…

… though eventually, my own manhood was starting to feel rough and raw from the loving abuse it was receiving. At some point, Shikimin was going to tire himself out, and I really wanted to be a part of his mating, not just an object for it. So I took matters in to my own hands… rather literally, squeezing my fists between our joined hips. I seized both of our members at once in a double fist and started to pump and squeeze. Shikimin grew tight on the spot, immediately shooting into my fingers. I flexed and rolled my digits, letting the stickiness coat and get between them. When I didn't slow down or stop for him, Shikimin's growl became a breathy, lazy hiss… and I nearly lost it. “C-come on, big guy, you can do this…" I gasped, egging him on. I mashed my hips up as hard as I could – which wasn't much, he was just so damned heavy – and stroked faster and faster.

Though this wasn't the way Luxray typically mated, it was certainly having an effect on Shikimin, who's legs trembled weakly as I jerked the both of us through one of his orgasms. I could feel his claws flex and prick my back, and with each wavering sigh from the larger Pokémon I could feel my ears burn red and my loins grow tight. Finally I felt fangs sink into my neck – just a little bit, just a tiny, delicate love nibble – but those great, sharp things poking maybe my most vulnerable spot sent a surreal panic through me…

… and I loved it.

No matter how you spin it, I was in an incredibly compromising situation. Nude, no repel, no Pokéball, out of range of meaningful help, pinned down underneath a very real predator – and a Pokémon predator, nonetheless – a Pokémon, with the ability to very swiftly end someone's life in all manner of violent ways: claws, fangs… and, of course, electricity itself. Anyone else, in my position, would be drowning in the panic I felt right then. But I would not. I thrived in it. Because at the end of the day, I knew I was safe. Not rationally – no rational realization of safety compares to the irrational panic of being pinned down and bitten by an intimidating predator – this kind of safety could only be known irrationally, instinctually… a mindset developed over many years. No, no matter how primal or fierce or vicious Shikimin might act, I knew him… probably better than anyone else on the planet, now. He would not exploit my vulnerability. My vulnerability made him fear. What he wanted, right now, more than anything else, was to protect me.

And so when he tenderly bit down on my neck, and his rough tongue dragged against my skin, and his hot, hard breath rolled down my back… my eyes flew open, and stars danced in my vision. It was pleasure, I felt. I hissed like Shikimin had, exhaling hard through clenched teeth, fingers clamping down on both of our members which, as if on cue, both throbbed and jerked in unison. Both of us trembled against one another as we released all of our stress and tension and energy in a long, sticky torrent of spunk that soaked my belly and seeped into his…

… A few minutes passed. The room was quiet, almost. No sounds of shuffling feet or lewd wet squelches. Only a guy and his Pokémon friend catching their long lost breath, feeling warm and a little sweaty… and very satisfied.

“Oooh…" I sighed, not daring to move from underneath him… nor daring to withdraw my soaked and sticky fingers from between us, though I did really, really want to hug him just then. Shikimin nuzzled my neck where he bit me, licking it like a wound, even though I was pretty sure he didn't even break skin. “Haaa… Ah, all better, buddy?"

A low, contended growl affirmed.

I nodded, and planted a kiss in his neck fur. “Mm… you wanna look?" I asked. There was a moment's pause, but I knew that at some point, Shikimin wouldn't be able to resist. Slowly, he stood up off of me, just like the first time. Except this time, it wasn't a small damp spot and a strand of semen. His belly fur was matted and dripping, and everything south of my chest was slick with cat jizz… well, and with my own, I guess. Shikimin took a good hard look and snarled, and his member gave a few hard throbs at, what to him, was a delightful image: something territorially attached to him, covered in his essence and his scent. Another couple of lines of his spunk came raining down on me. Shikimin flushed darkly under his fur, as if somehow embarrassed by his own reaction.

Then, leaning over, he nosed my splattered belly and gave it a long, loving lick…

… But that didn't last long. Recoiling suddenly, the Luxray coughed and sputtered and gagged, spitting at the offensive taste. I couldn't hold back a laugh any longer. “O-oh, jeez! Come on, Shikimin, you know you don't like that," I teased him. The poor cat… if there was one thing the two of us never did together, it was oral, and this was why. He retched, tongue lashing, as he tried to cleanse his mouth of our mixed seed, and he cast me this pleading look. “Oh, no. I am not getting you more Salac just for that."

The sickened Luxray gave a pitiful mewl in response, but I just shook my head again.

“No, no sir," I laughed. “Go get the shower warmed up, we both need it – I'll grab you an Oran berry, maybe."

That was all the convincing Shikimin needed. Tail between his legs, the otherwise sated cat Pokémon shimmied his way through the almost closed doorway and over to the bathroom, leaving me to collect my bearings. With a sigh, I sat up, surveying the mess between my chest and my crotch. Gosh, that cat really left his mark. It was going to be a long shower…

I waddled over to the door, accepting the fact that I, on my twenty-foot trip to the bathroom, would be no less nude than I presently was. There would be no reasonable way to get a bathrobe around the mess that was my entire front, not without ruining the robe completely. Kavi was probably occupied in his room, but I still probably wasn’t getting over to the kitchen like this.

'Sorry Shikimin,' I chuckled to myself. 'You're getting that Oran berry after we shower, I think…'