It was mid afternoon, when my team and I approached the Gym. We had spent the rest of the day, yesterday, doing some extra training and preparations for today. Including using the market system to buy a couple Empowerment Seeds. And most of today was spent on preparation, as well. The trainers we faced yesterday, will have more than likely reported on our performance.
There's also the possibility of word coming in from the Gyms in Cerulean, Pewter, and Vermilion. That is assuming that Brock, Misty, and Surge, were able to report on my team's performance against them. Especially in the former two cases, while they still had time to do so.
What I wasn't expecting was for the Gym's interior to look…totally different to how it looked, yesterday.
"Okay…what happened to the Gym? I don't remember this at all." Kaorah commented.
"Me neither. There's not any way they changed this that fast, overnight." Mewtwo said. "Think it was the System?"
"For sure. I wasn't contacted about it, but it's the best reason for it changing like that." I answered his question. "Still, it doesn't look any different on the outside. And it's much bigger in here, than it is out there. I think it's trickery, for sure."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Solais was the one to speak up. "Honestly, I still don't understand the whole System thing, at all."
"I don't think any of us do. I just feel like it's better to ignore it, unless something significant comes up." Pidgeotto said.
"You're probably right. It's probably like understanding time travel. If you aren't getting a headache, you aren't looking into it properly." Melanie said.
"Unless you're Dialga, or Celebi." I replied.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"Still, I'm probably the one with the most understanding of the System…course, you and Mewtwo have access to my memories on the subject, so…you could probably look over…most of it." There's always the possibility that the System will automatically block any information on itself, from those other than the players or…staff.
Sabrina was waiting on us, when we arrived. I felt her testing my mental defenses, as we approached our side of the field. It's likely the other trainers informed her of what we had going on.
"Your defenses are surprisingly strong." I heard her say. "I've never seen anything like it. In fact…" A barrier went up around the field, between us and the stands where people had sat down. The crowd here was huge, far larger than the building would appear to allow.
"I have foreseen many things, but you…you are an anomaly. A blank spot in the things that I have seen. I cannot see you, or those who are in your team. I can't see what any of you have done, or what you will do. I wasn't even aware of your presence in the city, until you entered the gym. Why, is all of this happening to you, specifically?" Sabrina asked a good question. And also brings up something interesting. I wonder if it's not just the System hiding what I do. I've already begun to suspect that I've got the attention of the Creation Trio.
"It's likely my own powers. It would take far too long to explain, and still have a battle afterwards. In fact, that's what we're here for. We've drawn quite the crowd, and I don't want to bore anyone." I said.
"Agreed. Shall we begin?" I nodded.
"For this battle, each trainer has four Pokemon each. This battle continues until one side has no more usable Pokemon. Both trainers may switch their Pokemon, when one of the opponent's Pokemon faints. Or, when the situation calls for it. When you are ready, send out your first Pokemon."
Sabrina sent hers out, first. A Mr. Mime, whose Fairy Typing could be troublesome for Solais, possibly.
[Observe.] I cast, mentally. Muttering it might give a hint that something's going on. At least though, Gamer's Mind hides anything I do mentally, as part of its defensive programming.
Mr. Mime
Level 4 (43)
Psychic/Fairy
Ability: Filter
Moveset
1: Psychic
2: Reflect
3: Light Screen
4: Double Slap
Looks like I was right. Unfortunately, we don't have a Poison type…or a Ghost or even Steel type. But I do have a means of dealing with him. It's both fortunate, and unfortunate, that he's not a Galarian one. Fortunate, because, no strength against Kaorah. Unfortunate, because that Fairy typing takes care of the weakness that would give Solais an advantage.
But at the same time, he lacks any Fairy attacks.
"Solais, this round is yours." My Absol stepped onto the field. During our training yesterday, she reminded me of a move that she'd had since she joined our team. One that would've helped out when we were facing Johan. Night Slash… I had completely forgotten she had it. It's a shame she doesn't have Super Luck, though, because I would've gotten her a Scope Lens, right away. Wonder if the critical numbers turn red if the chance gets high enough.
Solais started the battle off, using a powerful Night Slash, aimed at the ground in order to kick up a large amount of dust. She was using a strategy that Mewtwo came up with, to take maximum advantage of her being undetectable to Psychic types. Using any sort of screen to hide herself, meant being able to close the distance without being seen, so long as she was very quiet.
There was a loud bang from within the dust, and more kicked up. I knew that it was her weights coming off, but her opponent, did not. A purple blast of light vanished into the smoke as her opponent sent an attack at the sound.
"Look out!" Sabrina's warning would arrive too late. At her speed, Solais appeared behind the opponent, and struck with Night Slash long before her opponent would react, before quickly vanishing into the cloud once more. Although it wasn't as strong thanks to Mr. Mime's Fairy Typing canceling out the Dark weakness, It would still hurt.
Two flashes of light signified the formation of a barrier. The dust was beginning to settle, as well, so the advantage was fading. I saw the notifications that mentioned Solais raising her attack damage. She charged out of the cloud, right into a Double Slap, but it was intentional.
With her increased attack damage, and catching the attack head on, she was able to redirect it into a Payback. At that range, there was no way of avoiding it. Her opponent stiffened, then slowly fell over backwards. Unconscious, but otherwise unharmed. Mewtwo was the one to retrieve her weights, and he helped her with putting them back on.
"If I may, what were those things?" Sabrina asked.
"Training weights. My whole team has them. They usually only come off when the situation calls for it." I answered. Although, the weights also come off when we've all returned to our rooms for the night, too. Though I'm pretty sure that's a given, at this point.
"Kaorah, want the next one?" I asked my starter.
"Hell yeah." She and Solais traded places. In response, Sabrina sent out her second, after her Mr. Mine was returned. Although, I had planned on it being a Slowbro, based on memory of the most recent Kanto games…I should've also guessed that she'd switch it up, and send out her Jynx.
Jynx
Level 4 (43)
Ice/Psychic
Moveset
Psychic
Lovely Kiss
Ice Punch
[Hey, watch out for Ice Punch.] I warned Kaorah, mentally.
"Ice Type, wonderful." Kaorah didn't give any indication that she'd caught my warning.
"And you are a Dragon Type. This will be easy." Her opponent responded.
"I warn you now, don't underestimate me." Kaorah said. "Let's go. I'm already looking forward to proving her wrong."
"End this quickly, Ice Punch." As Jynx charged, Kaorah cut her weights from her body. And when the attack swung, she dodged just enough that it grazed her, wincing slightly as the attack passed. But at the same time, her opponent made a sound, and a small drip of blood fell to the floor.
"Surprise. Rough Skin." If anyone is at all curious how I don't get hurt by that, every night…don't worry about it. Would take too much time to explain.
Kaorah lit her fangs on fire, and bit down, hard. There was a loud yelp of pain from her opponent. Jynx blasted her with Psychic, but Kaorah held on. With no choice, Jynx began to use the same attack again, with her free arm. Her attacks still hit hard, thanks to type advantage, but with Kaorah's Rough Skin, she was hurting herself more and more every time.
It wasn't long before I realized what Kaorah was doing. Every time she got hit, she moved closer to the edge of the field. So, that's her plan. She's going to drag Jynx out of the ring.
"Let. Go. Of. Me!" Jynx continued to try and get herself loose. If not for the END stat, this strategy probably wouldn't have worked. Even with it being there, Kaorah's health was steadily getting lower with every hit. When Kaorah finally did let go, she was close enough to the line that she was able to quickly follow up with Dragon Tail. Though she took another hit, she still knocked her opponent out of the ring. And thanks to Rough Skin, the hit was enough to nearly cause a faint, as well.
And although she won, Kaorah still gave in to her HP ending up very low. Slowly falling forward, only for Mewtwo to appear and catch her at the last moment. He then teleported, finding a space on our side to carefully set her down, so she could rest.
"That was certainly an…interesting strategy." Sabrina commented, as she returned her Jynx.
"I didn't plan that, if you're wondering. It was all her." I replied. "Still, she managed to win with it, so it worked. There was a much faster way she could've won, but we wouldn't want to risk the Gym."
"And what would that be?"
"Earthquake." Sabrina nodded. In fact, the only reason we almost never do use Earthquake, is because of how risky it is, to both our allies and our surroundings. As seen previously, it does quite a bit of collateral damage.
Mewtwo stepped onto the field while we were talking, taking Kaorah's spot. I had thought that Melanie would go in the third spot, but then again, Sabrina had also gone out of order with her own team.
"He's an unusual one. Never seen a Pokemon like him." She commented, as see sent out her Slowbro.
"You wouldn't have. He's…unique, shall we say. I wish I could talk about his origins, but I made a promise that I wouldn't." I said.
Slowbro
Level 4 (43)
Water/Psychic
Psychic
Yawn
Surf
Calm Mind
[This one's mind is surprisingly clear. There is only focus on battle.] I heard Mewtwo's telepathic comment.
[They might be setting up with Calm Mind. I advise you to end this quickly.] Mewtwo answered with a nod. His opponent started off with an attempt to tire him out quickly, using Yawn, even though it won't work. Whether or not Sabrina was surprised, she didn't show.
The attempt was followed by our Pokemon engaging in a mental battle. It would quickly come to an end, with Mewtwo shaking his head slightly from the backlash, while his opponent would fall unconscious.
"Well, that was…anticlimactic." Sabrina commented. I answered with a nod, in agreement. "Does every battle he's in, end that fast?" She asked.
"Usually, yes. He's the strongest one on the team. A training battle I had them fight, proved that he was. As far as official battles go, he has a perfect win record, so far." Not counting dungeons as officials. They shouldn't be, anyways, since rules have no effect on them. He also hasn't come up against a stronger Dark Type. Solais definitely would give him trouble, in training battles. He just has yet to face one stronger than her.
"Final Pokemon, when you're ready." Sabrina said. Her Alakazam was sent out.
Alakazam
Level 4 (44)
Psychic Type
Psychic
Night Shade
Melanie stepped onto the field. She likely would've been the one facing Slowbro, if Mewtwo hadn't stepped onto the field before her. She started the round off by gathering energy into her right hand, and then waving it outwards, from left to light. A small swarm of pink orbs left her hand and scattered into the air, before homing in on her target.
Alakazam responded with Night Shade, using it to knock the orbs out of the air, unaware of what their main purpose really was. I quickly shielded my eyes, because on contact, they erupted into very bright light. Melanie's flares were meant to draw the enemy's attacks, as they would blind the enemy…so long as they had eyes. Even if the enemy didn't attack them, only one needed to get close enough and be in line of sight.
"Agh!" Alakazam flinched, covering his eyes with his hands. The moment of blindness, allowed Melanie time to charge up a following attack, before launching it. While somewhat weaker in the day, Moonblast still hit really hard. By the way, it's actually just normal strength during the day. But, it gets boosted at night, dependant on both clouds overhead, and the phases of the moon. I'm not sure why this happens, by the way.
Melanie's attack hit, earning a grunt from her opponent. He slid backwards, wincing from the pain where he'd been hit. Alakazam shook off the blindness, before launching a counterattack, using Night Shade.
Melanie's barrier flared to life, only to crack as the attack hit it. Melanie winced, but her barrier held. Type advantage still caused her to take a little damage, though there wasn't any physical sign of it. She gathered energy into the palm of her right hand, and threw back another attack of her own. The Psychic was countered with the same attack from its target, both blasts destabilizing and exploding, causing a cloud of dust to be kicked up from the ground.
With her barrier still up, Melanie took the full brunt of a Night Shade she didn't see coming. In the shadow caused by the dust, it would've been a fair bit stronger than normal. Her barrier cracked, badly, but it held. She was forced to slide backwards, and tears briefly appeared in her eyes, but she fought through them.
"Melanie, you-"
"I'll be fine. I have a…backup plan, from the bag." Did she grab an Empowerment Seed? I didn't even notice.
Alakazam must've realized the attack hit, because another one broke through the dust. And just as it would make impact, there was a loud crunching sound. The attack would harmlessly dispel, in a wave of bright, multicolored light.
[BGM Suggestion- Kiss Me Sunlights]
As the light died down, the horns on the sides of Melanie's head had changed. They now curved upwards around her eyes, with her hair coming down around the back of them. Her dress had puffed outwards at her waist, and all of its green coloring was gone. In fact, it even looked more like a bride's gown now, you could say, rather than how it looks normally.
The spike that emerged from her chest had split into two, and the sleeves that once covered her arms were gone. Her forearms and hands, however, now had white gloves covering them. Her power spiked, though unlike Mewtwo's, hers felt calm, peaceful, radiant. Two orbs of bright orange light flared to life in her hands.
"I wonder what Melanie's plan is." Mewtwo said. "You stated yourself, those are meant only for emergencies…so using one for a Gym Battle is a little extreme." He fell silent for a moment. "Looks like it has helped her with her flame element."
"Maybe." Melanie threw the two orbs outwards. They sailed through the air, leaving a trail of light as they sought their target. With the dust still in the air, they wouldn't find him, but they were close.
"I do have a question though, where is that music coming from?" If I hadn't been so focused on the battle, that wouldn't have been as sudden as it was here.
"I, have no idea. Best to just put it in the list of things the System does." I answered.
"Noted."
When the dust finally did clear, there was a series of gasps from those that hadn't seen Melanie's transformation.
"What? But…how did she…? You don't have a mega stone, or a keystone, so how did you do that?" Sabrina asked. She seemed completely stumped.
"Empowerment Seeds. They do basically the same thing, but without needing a bond to activate. I realize it seems extremely busted, because it is. They're supposed to be emergency only." Melanie and I would have a conversation after this.
But for now, I would allow her to focus. There's no point in calling her out in the middle of battle and distracting her. With her transformation, her strategy had totally changed. With her left hand, she formed her Force Cloak, and then began to walk forward as though she were using the Assimilate augment. I don't know if it's been mentioned that normally, she can't move with it active.
With the barrier up, there wouldn't be any damage to her. Since there's no way to take it down without hitting it, Alakazam took up the strategy of run and gun. Or in other words, attacking while keeping his distance, though he had to be weary of the field's lines.
Which means, he did eventually get backed into a corner, and rather than continue to try and face an opponent he couldn't beat in his current form, he surrendered. I feel kinda bad now, because it shouldn't have gone this way. He and his trainer were not prepared to face a mega, at all.
The referee called our side as the victor, anyways. I sighed, with that stunt, it didn't feel as earned as it would've been otherwise.
"Well, despite that…surprise." Sabrina said as she walked over. "You still won, congratulations." She handed me the Marsh Badge. Even though I felt like it got somewhat cheated by something unexpected, I still took it.
I saw the team congratulating Melanie on her win, though there wasn't really much cheering. The spectators that were here had already started to leave, as well. I shook my head.
"I'm…sorry, about that. I feel like it wasn't fair. In fact, I had no idea she had even taken one of those with her." I said.
"It's alright. No matter how unexpected your strategy may have been, your team still showed great skill in battle." I didn't really plan anything besides the order they went out in…mostly. "Though I may agree with you on how the battle ended, I still feel that ultimately, you earned the badge."
"Thanks, I guess. Melanie, come here please." There was a flash as she returned to her base form. She looked worried, I could see it. "Come on, you and I are gonna have a chat." I took her hand. "Mewtwo, could you take us to that spot from the date?" To be specific, the spot of Misty's date in Gold/Silver/Crystal, and also the HG/SS remakes of the former two.
"Everyone else, return to the Pokemon center, we'll return in a little bit." I said, as the world blurred around us.
[Break]
When the world came back into focus, we were in a grassy area at the top of a cliff, overlooking some water. Just down a set of stairs to our right, was Bill's house. It's evening hours by now, not too far off of sunset. I believe Mewtwo brought us to Cerulean Cape.
"Here, sit with me." I said, as I sat down by the fence, overlooking the water below.
"I'll let you two be, you can contact me when you're done." Mewtwo vanished in a flash of purple light.
Melanie slowly sat down, she had her head bowed and her eyes closed. I sighed, reaching over and slowly lifting her head up. She blinked her eyes open.
"Hey Mel…so, what was that about?" I asked.
"I…I, um…"
"Relax…take your time."
"I was…I was worried that I'd lose, so I…planned ahead." She sighed. "I was training on my own after yesterday, as well as some other days when I've got time to myself. I found out that it helps me with my fire problem and…" I stopped her.
"Melanie, be honest with me, how many of those have you had?"
"I don't…"
"Mel, please."
"Th…three. Not…not counting that one." I sighed, loudly.
"Melanie, you know those are for emergencies and dungeons.
"Yes…I know."
"Training with that form on your own, is dangerous. You could've hurt yourself, or…or worse."
"I might…uh." She cut herself off.
"Melanie."
"I didn't…I"
I put my hands on her shoulders. She looked at the ground, or to the side, in a bid to avoid eye contact.
"Show me your hands, Melanie."
"I…"
"Please." I saw her eyes watering, and with a sigh, she slowly lifted her hands, palms up, and showed them to me. There were marks, faint, but they were there. Burn marks. That certainly explains why this morning, she had almost never physically picked up anything.
"Melanie…"
"You're mad, aren't you? You're gonna yell, or get…physical. About my failure to-" I put a hand up to her lips, covering them with a single finger.
"Stop. Just, stop it. What's going on, right now? I'm not mad, okay. Sure, I'm disappointed that you'd do something like this, but we can work past it, easily. Just…quit acting like…not yourself." I pulled her into a hug. "This isn't like you. Something's wrong…I can tell. You don't need to be upset, okay? If there's a weight on your shoulders, let it off. I'm glad to listen."
Speaking of weights, she could've taken those off instead of using a Seed, but that's not important right now.
"OK…fine, you're not my first trainer." I certainly wasn't expecting that. "It was… several months ago. Not too long after I first discovered my unusual powers…"
[Months Earlier]
[Melanie]
"I sat out in the rain, that night. It was cold, windy…the rumble of thunder and the roar of falling rain. My knees pulled up to my chest, my arms folded atop my knees, and my head rested on them. Tears slowly dripped from my eyes, indistinguishable from the rain that flowed down my skin, that dripped from my hair
" You failure!" He screamed. "Even with all that unusual power, you still lost! I can't believe you!"
He struck me across the face. It was his go-to whenever he was mad at me for something.
My right hand slowly passed over a red mark on my cheek. A dim light flickered from my hand and the stinging pain dimmed, only to return as my healing magic faded. My mind was too clouded to really use it properly. Even with that brief moment, the pain persisted.
"'We're returning to the Pokemon Center, but not you. You get to stay in the woods tonight. If I see you before morning, well, you know what happens." He said. "I warned my brother, too. Not to come see you at all, or he'd be sorry for it. I'm so mad at the both of you. You for your failures, and him for insisting on keeping you around. Well, we'll see if there's reason for you to stay after tonight."
I reached for my powers, trying to bring the flames to my hands, but only heard hissing in my ears, smoke rose from my hands as my attempts failed once again, whether or not the rain extinguished them, didn't matter. If only I could just get it to WORK.
(In fact, I'm surprised Sabrina didn't recognize me. But, I guess I didn't use the same things I did back then.)
(Focus on your story, don't worry about the present right now.)
"Don't mind my brother. He's…just upset. He'll be fine in an hour or two. He never was great at taking a loss, when it comes to competition." His brother said to me. They both trained us at the same time. He was the nice one, the other…well, you already know. His brother had come to see me despite the threats.
"Go back! Don't let him find out you've been here." I tried to warn him, but he didn't listen.
"Gardevoir… It's going to storm, so…best to try and find some shelter. I'll…bring you something to eat." The brother told me. "I'll be just fine, wait right here for me, okay?" It was him, who encouraged my training. He's the reason I'm able to use healing and lightning magic so well. Even if I don't actually have a name to my spells." (Melanie smiled in the present, briefly. Then, the tears began to fall from her eyes.)
I muffled a sob. It was my fault, if my powers hadn't failed me when I needed them most…
"It…was the last time I ever saw either of them alive."
Two gunshots echoed through the clearing. Echoes in my mind, as loud as they were when I first heard the bangs. I ran to where I heard the sounds, desperately reaching for my healing magic, as I came across the site.
Two bodies and a smoking gun, one bloody, one standing over it. I slid to a stop at his side, my hands going to his chest in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, to save his precious life. But my powers… (sob) didn't…they didn't work.
"No! No, no, no, no!"
"'Gardevoir…please…help me…'"
"Don't go! Don't go! Don't go! Please…not now!"
"'I told you…you failure…your so called magic…is a lie." His brother said, lowering the firearm that he had used.
The sound of a smack echoed through the forest., as he struck me across the face again.
"Get away, he's dead."
"I don't know what he ever saw in you…and now he's dead because of you. I hope I never see you again."
"You couldn't save him, and you won't take me in, either."
He held me at gun point.
"Get away, but leave him here. And I swear to God, if you ever rat me out, I'll hunt you down, and you'll end up just like him."
[Present]
[Zeryph]
We slowly fell into silence. Melanie's face had been buried into my left shoulder, and I held her as she quietly cried. I…had no idea that had even happened. She never once gave any indication that she had such a story.
It certainly explains why she…why she knows Dream Eater. I, I think I understand now.
"Mel…how long, how long have you been bottling this up?"
"Ten…ten months." She whispered.
I put my right hand under her chin and gently lifted her head until her eyes met my own.
"Melanie…you…can't hold onto stuff, like that. You have to let go eventually, you know. If you bottle it up like this, things like that could destroy you from within."
"Look…I'm sorry for your loss. I…remember, a while back, something on the news about a shooting. I didn't think it was related to you."
"It…it was on the news, I know. I saw it. I was there for…for the funeral, and then…I came back here, to Kanto. I don't know why but, I just felt like I had to come back."
"Do you hate him?"
"Huh?"
"Do you hate him? The one who murdered his own brother? The one who…" Melanie's eyes began to tear up again, so I stopped.
"YES! Yes, I…I hate him so…so MUCH!" Melanie swung her right arm, and a perfect fireball left her hand with a loud 'fwoosh!'
I ducked, out of instinct. The fireball harmlessly dissipated over the water.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to" I let her see a smile.
"You did it…you threw a fireball. While I'm not glad it was from negative emotions, I'm proud of you."
"What?"
"You did it, without mega evolution. Without aid from another element. That was a pure fireball." I put my right hand on her cheek, and slowly, she covered my right hand with her left. I felt her right hand in my own left hand, still warm to the touch, but she didn't give any indication of discomfort or pain.
"I'm proud of you, sweetheart. You finally did it, casting the element you had so much trouble with. Maybe it was getting this weight off your shoulders that did it. I'm glad you were finally able to tell someone." Melanie sniffled, and then I felt myself get wrapped up in a much tighter hug. The tears returned, but there was no sobbing, only a faint smile.
"Thank you…" She whispered. We'll find that guy who did this to her, and bring him to justice. This, I swear.
A pair of lips were suddenly pressed against my left cheek, and I smiled softly.
"Hey, wanna go…get dinner? My treat. Even if things, didn't go as well as I hoped, I still owe you a celebration. You got the match point today, and won us a badge."
"Yeah…I'd like that. Is this a…what do you guys call it?" I smiled.
"A date? If you want to call it that, sure." I pinged Mewtwo, and he appeared, the same way he had left.
"So, how did it go?" He asked us.
"I think things went alright." Despite the fact Melanie was crying, and the fact that my shirt's soaked.
"I'm gonna guess…tough story?"
"Yeah…but it's her decision if she wants to tell you later."
"I completely understand, and I won't say a word. Sharing it is all up to her."
"Take us somewhere nice to eat, so long as it doesn't have a fancy clothes requirement."
"What, am I your personal chauffeur now, or something?" We all shared a short laugh.
I smiled when I saw that Melanie was, as well.
"You can't drive, but you're also the only one that can teleport us great distances."
[Between you and I, taking her on a date?]
[I owe her a celebration dinner. She won us a badge, after all.]
[Fair point. Kalos or Alola? They're the only places who won't get suspicious about you two.]
[Alola, it's closer to my original home if you get my drift.]
[The States, of course. Even with trickery, our worlds are still similar to each other. Hold on.]
The world around us blurred, and bright light filled the sky causing us to wince.
[Break]
"Sorry about that, time differences and all that." Mewtwo had dropped us right outside…what basically looked like a Pokemon equivalent to The Cheesecake Factory. Huh…well, at least he guessed at what would be good. It's the only restaurant in Alola I guess, that has any similarities to one from my past life. I lowered my hand as my eyes finally adjusted to the bright light. Melanie did the same, shortly afterwards.
"This is the best I could do. You know what to do whenever you're ready to head home." He vanished once again. I felt Melanie grab my left hand.
"I guess I can't get mad at his choice. Shall we?" Looks like they just opened.
"Sure." The staff greeted us as we walked in. Trainers and other citizens around us might've at least glanced our way, but nothing more than a glance. I'll be honest, Kalos was an expected as far as Human/Pokemon things goes, but Alola? That was definitely a surprise, though not an unpleasant one.
If the food is good here, I might have to bring the others.
"What's all this?" Melanie drew my attention to a display with some of the best versions of a certain sort of cake that I have loved for a very long time.
"Cheesecake, and lots of it. This place is a mirror of a restaurant from my own past."
"Is it really?"
"Yup."
"Hmm…is this any good?" I smiled.
"Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? Personally, I suggest the S'mores flavor."
We both were seated at a table with, thankfully, plenty of leg room. I immediately stretched out my legs beneath the table. I love Kanto and all, but the leg room is seriously lacking, over there. World's just not built for tall people, sometimes. An excellent reminder that I'm six-foot-six.
Melanie had even adjusted so that I had a little extra room, which I smiled at her for.
"That must be real nice."
"You have no idea. It's why it takes me a little time to figure out good places to sit, back home."
"Yeah, as tall as you are. You already stand out at home enough, as it is."
"Uh-huh, and then there's the fact I don't keep any of y'all in your Pokeballs."
"You know, I'm curious…why do you talk like that?"
"It has to do with where I grew up, the first time around. Even reincarnated, it never went away."
"Oh, really?"
"Mhm. Carolinas,on the east coast. Even though Alola's based off of one of the States, it still does kinda feel like home…kinda. Maybe it's just because I'm basically back in the States again." Honestly, Kanto's more of my home nowadays, than the US, or rather, the Pokemon equivalent, but still.
Lunch, uh, supper, ended up being pretty good. The pair of us ate slowly, in between casual conversation. And to think several minutes ago, I was hearing a story that I'll admit, was tough to listen to, but I needed to listen anyways. It was her chance to tell it, and I wasn't going to take that from her.
"So…how do I eat this?" And now for desert.
"Like so." I cut a piece of my cheesecake by pushing my fork down through it, then broke it off, lifting it up and taking the bite. I didn't show on the outside, but internally I was tearing. I missed this stuff.
Melanie froze when she tried hers.
"How is it?"
"It's…delicious. How have you not gotten us this sooner?"
"I don't think I ever saw a chance, over in Kanto."
"And, what's this?" She poked at the white mass, melted over the top of her cake.
"Marshmallow. Incredibly sticky when it's melted, fluffy when it's not. Very sweet, and very good. Fire roasted is the best way to have it. With chocolate and graham crackers, it's even better." Good reason to be thankful that Pokemon are able to eat chocolate just fine, depending on the species. Sure there seems to be kinds made for each species, but some are able to enjoy it the way we do. Gardevoir just happens to be one species that can.
Following that, I took her to look around the city for a little bit. There wasn't any sign of the Trial Captains we all know, for obvious reasons. Though, I did happen to spot Alola's professor, Kukui. We're here very early, so none of the Alola stuff will be going on, not for a while.
During our walk around, I had her stop and wait as I happened to spot something in a window. I slipped away and entered the shop where I'd seen it.
"Excuse me." I got the cashier's attention. "I just happened to see something as I was passing, and I'm interested in buying it."
"Sure, just show me what it is." I gestured to what I'd seen on a display, a silver butterfly necklace, with amethysts set into its wings, and diamonds for its body. It does look bloody expensive, but when one has the System on their side, money's an easy thing to handle. All those repeat dungeon runs that were done in the midst of those ten days of training, were about to pay off even more.
"Oh, that one, sure. It's gonna be five hundred Pokedollars for it." Five hundred? Huh…I thought it looked way more expensive. I shrugged, and took out what was needed.
"Here you go. It's for the Gardevoir outside."
"Is it really? So, one of those trainers?" She asked me.
"Guilty as charged." I answered.
"Well, nobody's gonna judge you any differently here." She got a box out, then took the necklace and put it in, safely. "Here you go, hope she likes it." The cashier told me.
"Same here. We need to be going, we're here by teleport and it's probably quite late back in Kanto by now." I said, taking the box and the receipt and starting to leave.
"Well, I hope you have a good night. And if I happen to see you around again, tell me what she thought of it."
I smiled and nodded, then left the store. Finding Melanie wasn't hard, even with the quickly forming morning crowd. I whistled softly, and Mewtwo reappeared.
"Ready to head back?"
"Yeah, it's probably pretty late over there by now. You can leave us on the center's roof."
"Sure thing. Here we go." The world blurred around us.
[Break]
Mewtwo winced as we landed. "I'm not used to such long distances when transporting others, at least for now. I'll adjust, don't worry." He started for the stairs. "See you in a few minutes, if not tomorrow morning. If it's the latter case, have a good night."
"You too, bud. Good night." I replied.
"So, why up here?" Melanie asked.
"Because, I got you something." I handed her the box. "Go ahead, open it."
She opened the box, finding the necklace inside.
"Oh, wow. It's gorgeous. You didn't have to get me this."
"But I wanted to. It's yours, now."
"Aww…thanks." She hugged me, careful of the spike on her chest, much like she had been earlier. I felt her kiss me on the cheek, too. When she pulled away, she was smiling, with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Here." I helped her put it on. "Just make sure you don't sleep with it on."
"I know that." She took my right hand in her left. "Come on…let's go on down." We walked to our rooms in silence. With everyone already being in bed, there was no need to let go. As we reached our doors, she let go.
"Despite the bit with my story and…what happened at the tail end of our gym battle…I had a fantastic day, or…night, I guess. Thank you." Melanie said.
"I'm glad you did. It makes up for that, doesn't it?"
"It sure does. Well, I guess it's time to say goodnight."
"Yeah, it is. I'll see you in the morning."
I started to enter my room, only to feel Melanie's hand grab my wrist.
"Actually…Zeryph, could you…um…stay with me, tonight?"
She now wore a decent blush on her face, which must've felt like it was burning lightly.
"What brought this on, hmm?" I asked.
"Just…even if it's only for tonight, please."
"Oh, alright. If you're sure." I let her pull me into her room. The door shut quietly, and locked with a faint click.
"So…" She sat down on her bed, and patted a spot next to her. "I'm sure you're wondering what this is all about." She said
"You're right, I am." I replied.
"Well…you see, it's related to last night's conversation." She put her left hand on top of my right. "After today…the battle, then the fact I told you the hardest part of my backstory…and then the date we had earlier. Well, I think…I'm sure of what I'm feeling now."
She reached up, gently placing her right hand on my cheek and turning my head towards her. "The necklace, the nice dinner…you didn't have to do those things, but you did. Just simply spending time with you would've been enough, but you let me get a weight off my shoulders." She leaned in, very close. Her blush deepened, just a little bit.
"You listened, you never got mad at me, you were willing to let me explain what I needed to. And though, I am sorry about getting into the seed reserves outside of a dungeon or emergency, that's not important right now."
"What is, is that I now know what I feel, and that is…" Her lips connected with my own. And though I was briefly surprised, I didn't hesitate to return it. I would've thought my first kiss would've been Kaorah, but her two forms don't exactly allow for such contact.
We separated after several seconds. Melanie lifted her left hand to her chest and took a slow, deep breath.
"My heart is really going. I'll be honest, the whole time we were on our date, I was working up the nerve to do that." She said quietly.
"I'll also be honest, I had my suspicions…I'm glad they were correct." I replied.
"Oh, were you? Hehe…did you suspect this?" She lifted herself up, swinging her right leg around and straddling my legs, settling her lighter body into my lap and pressing herself against me, with her forehead against mine. I couldn't help the faint blush that now rested on my cheeks. Hers had mine beat though, for sure.
"I'm happy…very happy, right now. I haven't honestly felt this good, since…you know the story." Her arms wrapped around my waist, and she crossed them over my lower back. Her head rested on my left shoulder. I felt her fingers slip beneath my shirt, gently rubbing my back.
"Melanie…are you absolutely sure of what you're doing, right now?"
"Yes…I'm sure. Please, let me have this." When I nodded, she smiled. Her lips met my own once more, but when we separated, it was only for a moment to get air. As a side note, the END stat seems to affect how long we can hold our breaths, too. Anyways.
Melanie's hands slipped up under my shirt, all the way. I let her lift it up and pull it off, before it was discarded to the side.
"No matter how often we see you without a shirt, at least…I don't think it's something to get used to." Melanie said.
"Depending on which one of you it is, maybe not. Don't forget that I'm not the only one whose attire can be removed." I replied.
"Sure, but mine requires a transformation. Speaking of which, could you maybe…"
"Not on the first time, sorry." I said.
"Hm…alright. But, next time maybe?"
"Gladly." We began to make out again. I find myself wishing I were able to do this with Kaorah, though I'm fine regardless of if we can or not. It would really enhance our relationship, though.
Slowly, I stood up, shifting my arms to hold Melanie at waist height. I felt her legs wrap around me, making sure that she was secure, even though her lack of gravity meant she didn't need to. I turned around, and set her back onto the bed. When our lips next separated, I began to slowly trail downwards, earning a gasp as I kissed down the left side of her neck.
I passed her shoulders, and began to slowly move down her chest. When my lips found the spike that protruded from her chest, she gasped loudly. Her blush returned, deeper than it had been before. I earned a soft moan when I began to trail upwards towards its tip, before going back down the other side.
I still find it odd that the thing is soft when in an embrace, but it's not when her species isn't in some sort of hug. Probably something not worth thinking about.
Melanie put a hand on my forehead, and gently pushed me back. With her hands, she pulled the front of her dress apart. Her blush deepened, but she was smiling. Her slit was already wet, whether it was from the attention I'd given her chest, or from contact, I'm not sure.
I lifted her legs, and let her rest them on my shoulders, and I began to slowly trail kisses up her thighs. Her breathing slowly got louder as I approached what she wanted most. I reached the end point, and gave a slow, experimental lick.
"Ah~" I smiled up at her, and then continued. It certainly sounds like she's enjoying it. Her right hand gently settled onto the top of my head, and her moans filled the silent room. I cast soundproofing just before we had started, just to be sure.
Unlike Kaorah, Melanie's moans were soft, not too far off of if she'd been humming along to a song. They were still nice to listen to, for sure. And the sounds of her enjoyment, encouraged me to continue. I felt the tips of her legs where her feet would be, if she had any, slowly rub against my back.
Her fingers slowly ran through my hair as she rubbed the top of my head. I stopped licking briefly, taking time to close my lips around a tiny, sensitive nub, before gently suckling it.
"Mmmm~" Melanie's blush deepened, and I felt her squeeze slightly with her legs. As I shifted back into a series of licks, her breathing began to speed up. Her breaths were becoming slightly deeper with each passing one, the volume of her moans slowly increasing until she put her hands on the back of my head, holding it in place.
"Aah~" Her voice held a long note, her legs twitched and pulled, pressing my body against the bed. She let out a whine as her body spasmed, once, then twice, then she slowly relaxed with a sigh. With each spasm, she squirted, just a little bit. I didn't even know Pokemon could do that. The sweet taste of her juices left on my tongue and my lips as I slowly pulled away. I stood and leaned close, capturing her lips in a kiss and allowing her to taste herself on them.
"That was…incredible." She said as we pulled away. "I didn't know humans could do something like that."
"It takes some practice. I've got a partner already who's experienced it twice."
"Hehe…" She giggled. "Well, a dragon is certainly harder to please. Still, that was wonderful."
"There's so much more to it than that." My shorts had begun to feel uncomfortable. "Question is if you think you want to go that far."
"Yes, I do. There's no point in starting and not finishing." She reached out, grabbing the waistband of my shorts and undoing the button, before the zipper got the same treatment. She pulled them, and the underwear beneath, from my waist and allowed them to fall.
"Oh…so that's what it's like for humans?" Her right hand gently closed around my shaft.
"Why, not what you were expecting?"
"Hmm…I wasn't sure what to expect. So many species on the same planet. Besides, this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this." I let out a soft purr when she began to move her hand."Wait a moment…was that purring I just heard? Like a cat?"
"Yes…yes it was."
"Hehe…" She giggled softly. "That's adorable. Wonder if Kaorah's ever gotten to hear that." No, but…I'm glad you think so.
"So how do I…never mind. Just…if I do something wrong, tell me." Slowly, she slid it into her mouth, taking care to not do something wrong, or unpleasant. I allowed her to hear the same sounds as just moments ago, when I'd started purring, as she slowly began to bob her head.
Much like she had done, I put a hand on top of her head, guiding her movements when necessary. Unlike Kaorah's attempt, she didn't have very sharp teeth to worry about, or a long tongue. But, at the same time, she was doing very well. I mostly let her choose the pace, though I gave her slight pushes when I felt like she should speed up.
As she continued, my quiet purrs turned into low growls. I began to tighten my grip, just a little bit.
"Mel, I'm…" I didn't have to finish what I was saying. She seemed surprisingly prepared, so when I came in her mouth, she was able to catch it all without any spill, before swallowing it without a second though. She smiled at me afterwards.
"Now, how was that?" She asked.
"For your first time, that was very well done." I answered her honestly. I didn't think she would know how to do such a thing, but apparently she did.
She pulled herself further onto the bed, before laying backwards and spreading her legs. She made sure that her dress wouldn't be in the way. In the future, we'll use her anthrofied form more often, so that it isn't an issue.
I took some lubricant from my inventory, started carrying it around mainly as preparation for the eventuality that myself and Mewtwo are in a position like this. I opened the bottle and squeezed some into my right hand, before slowly rubbing it on. The bottle was closed and put away, afterwards.
"What's that for?"
"Lubricant. Although Kaorah doesn't need it, I feel like using it for the rest of you is something I should do, to be nice." I answered Melanie's short question. Slowly, I got onto the bed, positioning myself on top of her, with my hands on either side. I felt her legs wrap around my waist.
"This might hurt, when I first push it in. I want you to tell me when you're ready to keep going, okay?" I'm not sure that female Pokemon have a hymen, but it's better to be safe in that regard.
"I'm ready…" I felt for her entrance, and when I made contact, I slowly pushed until I felt myself slide in. The lubricant made it much easier for the first penetration, and while there wasn't a hymen to worry about, Melanie was still very tight, though not unpleasantly so, for either of us.
Her blush returned in full force, and she gasped as the unusual feeling reached her. Her arms wrapped around my sides, and I felt her hands on my back, once again.
"I…I think I'm ready, now." I smiled, and began to move, taking a slow, steady pace so that she could adjust to it, and have time to enjoy the process. Her soft moans and the pleasant feelings we were sharing, made it even better.
I settled into a comfortable position, turning it into a loving embrace that we held each other in, and I began to speed up, settling into a faster pace than before, yet not one that would be overwhelming for Melanie's first experience. I knew she was enjoying it, based on sound alone.
"Faster…" I complied with her request. Her moans began to increase in volume as she drew close to release. I don't mind giving her a little extra speed to finish with.
"Zeryph…I…I think I'm…" I silenced her with a kiss. We both moaned into the kiss as we came together. Or, rather half moaned, half growled, but whatever. As we slowly came down from orgasm, I pulled out, and then settled down next to her. She grabbed my right hand with her left and gave it a tight squeeze. Melanie was out of breath, but she was clearly, very happy.
"That was amazing…thank you." I turned my head to the side and we shared another kiss.
"Want to go again?" I asked her.
"No, not tonight. We'll need to work something out with Kaorah now, won't we?" She asked.
"Yeah, you're right. We still should at least shower though." She tried to get up, but found that her legs were too weak. I stood up, then helped her to stand. Our shower was enjoyed in silence, and then we returned to the bed, snuggling up to each other. I didn't bother redressing, there wasn't much of a point.
"I love you." I shared one last kiss with her, for the night.
"I love you, too." We soon drifted off in each other's arms. Tomorrow morning, we're off for Celadon City.