Chapter 4:

(Victoria POV)

After falling asleep, and ignoring Oleana's sneaky peck on the lips, I wasn't greeted by the typical night terrors I usually suffered through in my slumber. You know, images of dead parents, friends, etc? No, I was greeted by the familiar sight of a void, the infinite sea as Arceus called it earlier today. Panic flashed through me and I began tearing up, I couldn't believe it.

"I died again?" I asked, dread slowly creeping up on me.

'Am I going to be taken from my family again? Tormented forever by another diety that needs entertainment? I knew it was too good to be true, but I hoped... I hoped it was with all I had!'

My gut began churning violently, tears began streaming out of my eyes, and I collapsed to my knees. I began cursing Arceus in my mind for lying to me, along with every other higher power I could think of for making my life hell. No, because at least hell would mean I would suffer eternally, and not be subjected to a sick cycle of hope and despair like I theorized I was. I had given up, I've had enough, and resigned myself to my fate as I lay down in the void, hoping to be consumed by it.

"You didn't die, sweetie." A sultry feminine voice called out to me from behind.

The voice was tender, loving, and held a maternal quality to it with how they spoke those short few words. It was a comforting voice that caught my curiosity. I tilted my head back, in order to get a view of just who this mysterious person was, and was met with a jaw-dropping sight. I had to resist the urge to stare as I felt my mouth dry up when I gazed upon her, she was... perfect.

Her thighs revealed just the perfect amount of her glistening skin, her silver hair looked incredibly soft and well-kept it was- Words simply couldn't do her justice any longer, so I stopped bothering to put her perfection into words. Thoughts of inadequacy didn't enter my mind as I gazed upon her, no, I was too distracted for such useless thoughts. Amongst the perfection of her visage, there was an unspeakable sense of familiarity I felt as I looked at her, I just couldn't place it. I watched as an amused smile worked its way onto her lips- I definitely didn't catch that because I was staring at them beforehand, no, never.

"Ufufufu~! Sweetie, as much as I enjoy making people speechless, I do have other things to speak with you about. So, why don't you pick your jaw up off of the floor and join me for some tea?"

It took a while for me to process her words, my mind being too distracted by her melodic laugh, before fully registering what she said. Tea sounded good right about now, it may help take my mind off of her. Even if it didn't work, it should still take my mind off of this bizarre situation instead. I closed my mouth, swallowed heavily, and made my way to the newly conjured table filled with refreshments. I had already seen and made things from thin air, so it wasn't a surprising thing to witness.

"Sweetie, do you have any preference for teas? Alternatively, would you prefer something else entirely?"

"Oh-Uhm-Not really... Black tea? I guess. Sorry, I don't know much about tea." I admitted sheepishly with a bowed head, my heads pawing at each other nervously.

I was deeply regretting not taking my earth grandmother on her offer of teaching me about tea right about now. There was something about this woman in front of me that told me that I didn't wish to disappoint her. It was the same feeling I had when my parent's cheered for me when I participated in sports.

"Now, now, there's nothing to be sorry or nervous about, sweetie, just giving me an answer was all I wished for, and you did just that," she replied with a gentle smile that put me at ease.

She reached over to the rather fancy-looking porcelain teapot and poured us both a cup of its contents. I ripped my eyes away from her figure and watched as the liquid flowed into the cup. It smelled like lavenders, and as the smell permeated throughout my body I began to feel less and less nervous. Peering up at the woman in front of me, she understood my unasked question regarding what tea it was and said,

"It's a lavender and earl grey blend, sweetie, it should help calm you down."

"Thank you, It's already working before I've even drunk it," I said with a small chuckle.

I only just noticed the affectionate name 'sweetie' that she's been calling me throughout this entire meeting. It felt right. Were my mommy issues that deep-seated that I didn't want to reject that name or give her my actual name in fear of her not calling me that anymore? I could guess the answer, they were, and I had no shame in admitting to that. Now, did that mean I was going to call her mother or mommy? Not in my 2 lifetimes.

We sat in comfortable silence, with this woman offering me a gentle smile and the occasional napkin when I nearly spat out my tea during my swooning after she teased me. I don't think I had ever been as embarrassed as I had during her teasing. Not even Lusamine's earlier thigh-grabbing antics had me like this. I watched as she turned and looked out into the infinite sea, a somber expression replacing a previously playful smile.

"The vast darkness illuminated by the fluttering and shining lights comprised of souls awaiting judgment, it's morbidly mesmerizing, no?"

"It truly is..."

She was right, the way the hopeful glittering of humanity's souls trying to catch the attention of a higher power so they could be judged quicker was mesmerizing. It was a rat race where the brightest one would be judged quicker, and thereby liberated from this endless purgatory. There was beauty in how morbid it actually was, and it was something I could only come to appreciate on my second journey through it.

"I asked you a question, so it's only right if you ask me one in return, sweetie."

Her question snapped me out of my trance, finding myself too fascinated with the wandering souls surrounding us before I contemplated what I should ask. Thankfully, the kind woman didn't specify a timeframe, and judging by the lax atmosphere I doubt she is worried about merging with the sea, so I had time to figure out what I wanted to ask. Deciding to start off small, I asked the question that first came to my mind.

"I don't mean to seem rude but, who are you?"

The unknown woman set her teacup down on its saucer, before leaning onto the palm of her hand with her chin while humming idly. It was clear that she was contemplating how to answer the question, or maybe she was just building tension to mess with me, I had no idea. Thankfully, she didn't make me wait too long before opening her mouth and answering.

"Hmmm... That's a hard one you've chosen... To make it easier for you to understand completely, it's more of a question of 'what' instead of 'who' regarding myself. But, to answer your question regardless, sweetie, I'm God's- or rather -The One Above All's mother."

"..."

I nearly died as I choked on my tea after hearing her response. What a pathetic way that would have been to die, it certainly would have been up there with Kazuma's from Konosuba. She calmed me down and rubbed my back reassuringly as I calmed myself down once more. I thought I was free of anything that could possibly shock me. I had too many strange things happening to me in my life that I was confident in gauging whether or not someone was telling the truth, and my gut was telling me that she was which certainly added to the shock factor.

I mean, what was there left for me to truly discover? I already know what goes on beyond death, confirmed the multiverse theory, had Arceus grant me wishes, and the list goes on. However, this certified MILF, the original MILF, decides to just let me discover her existence as God's fucking mother?! This only raised more questions than I previously had.

'Oh, man... I was staring at the God's Mother's tits and thighs earlier... is her son going to smite me as soon as I leave this place?' I worried mentally.

"You don't have to worry about that, sweetie, just try not to stare too much, okay? I'm a married woman after all." She said, pointing to the ring on her finger.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me heavenly mother for I have sinned!" I bowed my head.

She may have said that I didn't need to worry about that, but there was no chance in hell that I was going to continue this conversation without apologizing. Was it for her? Partially, as I feel like I was making her uncomfortable, and her partner if they were watching. Mostly, however, it was for her son who may not be as forgiving. There was no way that Arceus would be able to protect me from God with a capital 'G' if he went after me.

"Ufufu~! I don't think anyone has ever sought forgiveness from me before, it's a tad embarrassing, I don't know how my son deals with it all the time. Raise your head, sweetie, you've already been forgiven."

The discovery that she's God's mother also made me understand why she keeps calling me 'sweetie' as if I were her own child because I am- or her granddaughter. I have no idea if she made me or her son did. It was also a bit disappointing because it meant that she called other people sweetie too, which removed the uniqueness of it.

The ringing of a spoon hitting a teacup caught my attention and inadvertently made me raise my head. I was a tiny bit embarrassed about my seeking of forgiveness, though I don't regret it a single bit. If it was saving me from being smitten, I would do it again without hesitation. Just before I could voice out another apology, she asked her question.

"Now that you're finally looking me in the face, we can continue the conversation we were having. I believe it's my turn to ask a question now. How are you enjoying your return to the world of pokemon?"

"I guess, I'm enjoying it..."

"You don't sound completely convinced, sweetie."

After pointing out the obvious, she took a sip of her tea and allowed me time to answer the unasked question of 'why?'. I guess she doesn't want to ask two questions in a row, but this is pretty much the same thing. Nonetheless, I ignored the fact she was pretty much asking two questions in a row because I needed to vent a little. There was also the point of me wanting any answers I could get on what I should do, and if anyone would be able to give me them it should be God's mother, right?

"It's just been a lot to process, you know?"

"Oh, I can certainly imagine how much of an information overload you've been having. It must have been stressful, huh?"

"I have 50-ish years of memories in my body, of which I have to search through 30 plus years of them to get used to life in the pokemon world. That alone has been a chore, but it's much easier looking at the past than figuring out what I'm going to do in the future."

"Mhm."

"I don't know what I want to do, which when combined with everyone's expectations of what they want me to do leads to me being stuck in a constant loop of indecisive decisions. What woman should I choose to spend the rest of my life with? Should I choose none, or them all? How do I decide on that when everyone involved in the decision-making process is influencing my decision? How would I even go about doing any of that when I choose an option too? That's one of the more pressing matters on my mind right now."

I looked towards GM, short for God's mother, with hopeful eyes. I wanted her, a person who should be omniscient, to give me the answer that I needed. Was this disrespectful to the girls? A tad bit, but they will never know about it. I lifted my teacup to my mouth and began sipping on the soothing liquid, in hopes that the silence would make GM answer. Fortunately for me, she took the cue without letting me stew for too long.

"Aww~! Sweetie, the question that you should be asking yourself is, do you even want to choose between them? If you can answer that question, it will help you reach your answer far faster. Your indecisiveness on this topic alone should already answer that question for you."

There were two ways that question could be interpreted, it could mean whether or not I want the power to make the decision for myself, or actually, it could mean whether or not I want to split the group of people up. I knew she meant the second one, but part of me didn't want to come to a conclusion that quickly, as it would subconsciously force me to start acting. I didn't want to lose or hurt any of them, it was a simple and selfish answer.

It wouldn't be fair to the girls to postpone an answer for as long as I would like, preferably indefinitely, as they deserve an answer to their feelings. Some had waited 5 years, and others had waited decades, but the point is that they had waited longer than they rightfully should have. I also wanted them, it was accurate to say that my heart ached for them, for a relationship to be formed. But... I'm not ready for that yet.

"I don't want to lose any of them- but isn't that too selfish? They each deserve a person to give them their all, and one person who can't commit can't satisfy that need."

GM hummed as she took a sip of her tea, which seemingly never ended unless I missed watching her refill her cup, and looked at me. I didn't know if she was judging my soul or getting ready to smite me. What I didn't miss in her eyes, though, was the maternal care she had as she gazed upon my nervous stature. I was nervously eating away at the nearby confectionaries as if the dream cookies would make my anxiousness go away.

"There's a bit to tackle there... I suppose we should start with your commitment issues, sweetie. I apologize if you didn't wish it to be labeled so brazenly; but I digress, why do you believe that you can't commit? Are you scared of forming a relationship and getting too close to someone? Or is it about whether or not you are scared about giving it your all to someone?"

"A bit of both to be completely honest... I mean, everyone I cared about died when I got too close to them for over two decades, that's probably why right?"

"I can only imagine, but you needn't worry about being subjected to any more malicious 'activities', sweetie. You now have my protection surrounding your universe, meaning absolutely nobody can interfere with you any longer. It's not a cure to your trauma or a solution to your problem, sure, but it should put your mind a little more at ease, hm?"

She took a bite of a nearby cupcake, before washing it down with a gulp of tea. After letting out a sigh of contentedness, she continued,

"Also, it's fine for you to be selfish when it comes to love, only if you, in turn, become selfless towards your partners after that initial selfishness in wanting to take them for yourself. Your loved ones should be just that, loved. So, as long as you can provide them with that love, I see nothing wrong with it."

That really does... Arceus may have promised me that Sakuya may not have been able to access the pokemon world, but that didn't mean that other malicious deities couldn't. Arceus didn't really rank high in my eyes when it came to cosmic beings and deities' power scale, meaning that I didn't trust his barrier as much as I could when compared to GM's who was a being probably at the absolute zenith of the ladder. God's mother had to be powerful, right? Surely.

The selfish and selfless talk wasn't something I firmly believed in, but it was a temporary solution to my feelings that I was happily going to latch onto for the time being until I either find a new solution or until I believe in it myself. There had to be some truth to her words, God was supposed to be omnibenevolent so their mother should be too, right? I thought so, even despite the fact her son let me suffer for years.

"Yeah..."

"The worries you have regarding your distancing problem will naturally cure itself. Having that many clingy girls after your heart will erode your worries with enough time, it's not an overnight process, but it will work itself out sooner than you think. It will reinforce in your mind that you are safe, everybody around you is safe, and that you are finally free when you see that nobody is getting hurt."

After taking another long sip of her tea, she continued,

"With that rather major worry out of the way temporarily, it will in tandem work on your 'effort giving' issues as you would no longer be afraid to give it your all. Now, sweetie, I can't stay for much longer as my wife- yes I said wife -is waking up and needs her morning cuddles. So, I will return you to your regular slumber for now. If you require any advice or help in the future, just think of me before going to sleep and I will do the same as I did for you today. Also, try and keep my existence a secret for me, okay? There's a reason why people call my child the One Above All, it's because they don't know I exist."

The table and things on it, including the teacup I was holding, disappeared. She stood up from her seat and gestured with open arms for a hug. Not being the one to disappoint this lovely lady in front of me, I gave in to my urge to hug her. It was a tight embrace, but I didn't feel crushed or overly smothered, I felt at peace.

"Thank you... I'll try not to take advantage of your kindness too much, you've already done a lot for me and I wouldn't wish to take you away from your wife for too long." I said as I melted into the hug.

"My wife has an eternity to spend with me, sweetie, she wouldn't mind it if I spend a few minutes a night on you. So, make sure to ask for help when you need it, okay? You aren't a burden to me, and you aren't alone anymore."

When we broke off the hug, reluctantly so on my end, she gave me a short smile before everything faded to black. After a short while, I began dreaming of the typical night terrors. My short moment of peace went just as quickly as it came, but I was fine with it. I had gained more than enough positives from tonight to where I would happily stomach some gruesome scenes for the thousandth time.

- - - - - - - - -

(Arceus POV)

Today had been one of the more eventful ones in my lifetime.

I had finally been able to reclaim the soul of someone who I allowed to be taken and toyed with for decades from my realm, became that very same person's partner pokemon, and found out the wonders of chocolate. Well, comparing anything to spending millions of years in the Hall of Origin would make it exciting, as the two things just weren't comparable at all. Chocolate alone was already better than spending any more time in the Hall of Origin because there was no chocolate there.

I can sense great potential in my trainer, they might even be worthy of the elusive Pokemon Master title that nobody- to my knowledge -has ever achieved before. Not even did I know how to achieve the title, but I had hope that my trainer would be able to acquire the elusive title.

Unfortunately, before she could think of achieving it she needs to overcome some personal problems. As her partner pokemon and self-proclaimed best friend, I will assist her in overcoming those problems and growing as a person. I think that's what best friends do, I had no idea but it felt right.

My trainer has had an... eventful life, which has led to some fascinating things being in her memory, which I had been reading ever since I brought her to the infinite void. Normally deities wouldn't be able to observe the earth, with us needing to have permission to do so from the One Above All before we could even try.

Such permission was typically never granted, but I had recently been permitted to observe and collect the soul of Victoria Rose, the person who was taken from my realm. Unfortunately, I couldn't view earth for long as Victoria Rose was killed and therefore I needed to collect her soul before she completely merged with the infinite sea.

So, I had to view her memories of earth from her own mind in order to see what the mysterious place was like. I saw the pokemon world there is a 'fictional' media setting, and it proved insightful. It helped me know who my creator was, and enlightened me to many discoveries.

It also meant that I knew of Cyrus and his plans to recreate the world, which I labeled as foolish almost immediately. If it gets too out-of-hand, I would just Extreme Speed over to Mt Coronet and kill him before releasing Palkia and Dialga from the Red Chains created by the lake guardian trio. However, I could guess that my full power may not be needed as my trainer will most likely take care of it when the time comes.

Currently, I was in my Luxury Ball. I was naturally curious about whatever the interior of the ball would entail and how luxurious it may be, and I wasn't disappointed. It seemed as if it morphed according to my own idea of luxury, which was a mountaintop temple with a view of Sinnoh, however, there was a room inside the temple that was filled with chocolate bars of many varieties.

I tested out the morphing capabilities of the ball and began changing the surroundings around me. Meaning, it would always give me whatever I wanted, and I didn't know what else I could ask for in terms of luxury. It truly lived up to my expectations of what I wanted, which I was more than pleasantly surprised about.

However, I couldn't enjoy my luxury for too long as I felt someone intrude on my trainer's mindscape, and it was, unfortunately, a very familiar person who was intruding. I had thought that the One Above All had stripped her of her power, which was clearly a lie if the person I was gazing at across the infinite sea was who I think it is! I waited until she returned my trainer back to her regular dreaming before I approached her.

There were some revelations regarding Sakuya's lineage that certainly explained how she had her powers back once again, I hated the reveal that she was the mother of the One Above All, it meant I had nowhere enough power to protect Victoria from her.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know?"

"It's even ruder to not introduce yourself to the person whose realm you've so rudely invited yourself into, so keep your hypocritical talk of manner and social etiquette to yourself, Sakuya."

"Ufufu~! You almost sound upset to see me, why is that?"

I wasn't going to take her bait. If her actions regarding my trainer were anything to go by, she was definitely the playful sort of deity, and someone I didn't want to engage with unless necessary. However, I was furious, and I didn't want to cower in front of her. She was back and intruding on Victoria's life once more.

"I dislike the fact that you have intruded on my realm for the second time, and are tormenting the same innocent soul once more. Do you have no shame? No compassion? It truly baffles me how somebody could ever love a manipulative monster like you, let alone enough to even consider marrying you unless they were another one of your previous victims suffering from Stockholm syndrome or a being just as twisted as you are."

For the first time in history, the infinite sea shook, the entire void was shaking in huge tremors as the sea threatened to collapse in on itself and wipe out creation. The cause of this was the woman in front of me who had a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes held nothing but scorn and fury as she looked towards me. I collapsed onto my knees and watched helplessly as she glared at me under the immense pressure that she was radiating.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry." I begrudgingly apologized.

The shaking stopped soon after, before returning to the eventual silence that usually permeated the area. I didn't want creation wiped out because I decided it was a good idea to anger the woman in front of me who was now staring at me with her previous carefree expression as if her anger never existed in the first place.

"Ufufu~! It seems as if the ignorant fool truly does know not to talk back to his betters, how amusing. Now, I would advise you to never bring my wife into this again, or I will turn you into my next plaything, okay?"

Her sickly-sweet sing-song tone of voice didn't match when combined with her thinly veiled threat, but it got her intended point across nonetheless. I stood up with shaky legs and asked her,

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm simply helping out a poor soul that I once wronged, is that so wrong of me? I don't think so. So, if she asks about me you will not tell her of my identity as Sakuya, don't even elude to it, okay? I would hate for you to see me actually lose my temper, I can be quite mean as you might know. Bye-bye~!"

She ejected my astral projection from the infinite sea and forced my consciousness back into my body with a dismissive wave of her hand before I could even reply. It was frustrating knowing that she didn't respect me even a little, even when she's the one who's been intruding on my realm twice!

Yet, there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do now was hope that she keeps her word when she said she was helping my trainer, and keep quiet about her true identity when prompted. I sat down on the floor of the temple in my Luxury Ball and tried to calm myself down before Victoria awakens in the morning. There was no sense in acting like a nervous mess in front of her, it would only lead to increased suspicion.

- - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware of the near-collapse of creation, Nessa was on her way back to Hulbury, where her apartment and gym were located. It was a long journey that takes a few hours from Wyndon even while taking a Cornight Taxi. Sure, she could have taken the train which would have been far quicker, but it wouldn't have given her the view that she desired.

The Wild Area was down below her as she peered down at it as she leaned against the window, watching as the nocturnal pokemon came out to play. It was a beautiful view, which when combined with the starry night sky overlooking it, couldn't be beaten. She reminisced about what happened today in the serene silence that permeated throughout the cab, and couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

When she woke up this morning, she was dreading today. Her schedule was tightly packed even despite the gyms being closed today. Every single year she forgot why the gyms would be closed before her assistant would gently remind her of the tragic reason, an event she so deeply tried to ignore. It was the 5th anniversary of Victoria Rose's death, the one person that supported her in her dreams without calling it 'impractical' or 'impossible'. Even going as far as to give her permanent employment in Genesis, Victoria's fashion line associated with Macro Cosmos, as a model with a generous contract.

She worked the hours she wanted, had as many holidays as she wanted, paid wages higher than she should be, and free clothing after shoots. It was the perfect job, and the flexibility really helped her in managing her training and gym duties on top of her modeling career a lot. She was deeply thankful for Victoria, as the older woman believed in her dreams when nobody else did, not even herself at times.

As a young child of color, Nessa admired Victoria, who- in her eyes -was living her dream. She was undefeated, strong, a successful model, and was always positive. So, when she managed to meet up with Victoria when the hero visited the Hulbury marketplace where her mother worked selling her father's caught fish, it was like a dream come true.

Nessa let out a chuckle as she briefly remembered just how excited she was at the time, even dropping an entire crate of fish as she let out a giddy squeal as soon as she saw her. Sure, her mother gently scolded her afterward, with the scolding only being gentle because Victoria had purchased the dropped crate of fish. Then she remembered as Victora had stolen her away from her parents for the rest of the day, which they then spent diving in an Aura Bubble to the bottom of lakes. It showed her the beauty of Water-type pokemon, especially the Milotic that she saw that day. There were many days like that, just the two of them going out to explore the dark watery depths.

It was a wonderful memory and an even greater day in her life that helped shape who she currently is today, which is why the sudden disappearance of Victoria was something that devastated her. Nessa wiped away the tears that formed in her eyes as she recalled that dark time in her life, it wasn't something she liked to recall and would happily suppress towards the back of her mind forever.

The last thing she wanted to do was break down in the back of a cab, which would certainly make the news tomorrow if it could get past the bigger news of Victoria's return that is. She finished up her photoshoot as soon as the news broke of her boss' return and took the train to Wyndon immediately. As she arrived, however, it was already too late, Victoria was no longer meeting with anyone.

She did meet up with Sonia, her best friend, and Bea. Bea didn't join her and Sonia to the cafe, for a reason that she still doesn't know, as the Fighting-type gym leader just said that she can't go. They spent the next hour talking about Victoria, with Sonia saying that she was unfortunately under an NDA so she couldn't tell her any specifics about what had happened in Rose Tower. While unfortunate, she knew how to push the right buttons to get the information she wanted regardless of an NDA when it came to her ginger friend.

Sadly, she didn't manage to worm out a lot of information, but what she did obtain was more than enough for her. Victoria had lived in an entirely different universe for 26 years, a universe without pokemon! She remembered spitting out her latte as soon as the words left Sonia's mouth, it was too unbelievable that it simply had to be true. That, and she knew all of her friend's indicators for when she lied. A world without pokemon, she dreaded to think how terribly boring such a place would be.

Before she knew it, the unmistakable view of Hulbury, her hometown, was now in sight. The iconic lighthouse and port facing the vast sea, and the marketplace that was now shutting shop for the night were sights that she could never hope to replace. The feeling she felt whenever she saw these sights could only be described as one word, nostalgic. That irreplaceable feeling was what kept her tied to this small town, even though she could have moved to Wyndon and lived the high-life in one of the high-end mansions like her assistant and many others had suggested.

Something about having more 'opportunities' in her modeling career, even though she was already a world-renowned model for being the front page model for Genesis, the world's biggest fashion brand, for years now. Her big opportunity came a decade ago, and it was when Victoria gave her the job and trained her personally for it. She wasn't about to leave her hometown for something as small as maybe a few extra photoshoots for a pharmaceutical company etc, it wasn't worth it no matter how much her assistant objects.

As the cab began descending towards the parking lot near her apartment, she gathered her things and got the money out to pay the driver. It was a hefty sum of money because of the long-distance, but it didn't put a dent in her purse.

"Alright, here we are lass, the fare is 77,000P."

She knew that if it were any other customer, the Corvinight Taxi driver would have been hesitant about accepting the job. Not everyone has that amount of money on them, and it would have been a waste of a few hours of other potential fares if the rider didn't have the money. She slid the wad of cash into the tray connecting the two seating areas and left.

"Thanks, have a nice night."

"You too, lass!" She overheard the giddy driver yell from inside the cab.

As soon as the cold sea breeze hit her she was all the more thankful that she wasn't doing a swimsuit shoot instead of the winter line today, the bulkier clothing certainly helped with the frigid winds. The Water-type gym leader soldiered on and made her way through the apartment complex to her door, where she entered shortly after unlocking it.

Looking down at her phone she saw it was currently 3 am, a time way past her usual sleeping schedule. Knowing that it would severely mess with her bodily clock if she was awake any longer, she hurried in packing away all her things before heading off to bed as soon as she could. As she slipped under the covers in her pajamas which consisted of an oversized shirt and panties, she let out a sigh of contentedness.

Her eyes subconsciously wandered over to the framed league shirt, it was one of her own that Victoria signed after her first day as a gym leader. It was her most treasured possession and something that her fans kept asking her to let them buy.

Having the rare signature of the hero of Galar on the first-ever gym leader outfit of the most popular gym leader in the region was a collector's item that many wanted, but she would never sell it. While she was looking at the shirt with increasingly heavy eyelids, and singular thought drifted into her mind before she fell asleep completely.

'I'm not gonna lose this battle...'

Unbeknownst to the Water-type gym leader, the very same thought was running through the same minds of more people than she realized. Each of them was extremely determined to be in Victoria's life in some way, whether it be as a pillar of support and/or a romantic partner, none of them wanted to lose. Even those such as her fellow Fighting-type gym leader Bea who was confused about her feelings didn't want to lose, and she doesn't really know what she was competing for.

In short, war was subconsciously declared with the spoils of war being a singular person's heart. The person whose heart was the prize? A person who was running away from Elmo as it was chasing her down with a chainsaw inside of a nightmare, Victoria Rose.

- - - - - - - - - - -

(Victoria POV)

After I finally managed to turn the tables on Elmo and become the one chasing him down, I was abruptly awoken before I could land the finishing blow on the obnoxious red demon. My messed-up bodily clock stole my kill by waking me up! Damn the pokemon past version of me that always woke up at 6:30 am to train religiously!

My heavy eyelids opened against my will as I wearily let out a short sigh when the view of my white ceiling and the fancy chandelier entered my line of sight. I was now awake, and if there was anything I knew about my body in the two lifetimes I've lived, it was that when my body wakes up it doesn't ever want to sleep until it deems itself ready. It was annoying because it meant that during bad nightmares which wake me up, I would then have to stay awake until the following day's night.

The bed was far too comfortable, even with the koala-like woman firmly attaching herself to my torso as she slept away peacefully. Peering down at Oleana, moving the hair out of her face, I got a good view of the sleeping beauty beside me. She no longer had the serious face that she wore while at Rose Tower, she was sleeping without worrying about her public image, it was a nice contrast that made my heart flutter in my chest. It was the same face she made when she slept in the same bed as me the first night she entered the mansion, it was certainly a nostalgic sight that brought a fond smile to my features.

She looked at peace.

I held her tighter in my embrace while making sure not to disturb her rest like my own had just been and began thinking of what I was going to do today before the meetings started up once more. I knew what my body wanted to do, it wanted to exercise, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it helped me maintain my physique and aura reserves. But, I just didn't know if I wanted to use my time like that for today. I also have the GM's question to think about, hell, I have that entire dream sequence to think about!

Of all the things that could have possibly happened as I slept, meeting with God's mother was not one that I could have ever expected to happen. Yet, it did. She was really nice, knew just what to say, had a wonderful maternal presence, and looked super~ pretty to the point I'm jealous of her wife. How does someone even go about wooing her in the first place? I had no idea, but the person who did probably deserved her heart as it most likely took a great deal of effort.

Disregarding my minor jealousy, I hadn't expected to even be noticed, let alone had pity taken on me by someone like her. Hell, I didn't even know she existed before last night! She helped me narrow down my options in the future within a few words, which my indecisive self is more than grateful for. Thinking back on her words, I couldn't help a possessive feeling come over me.

'Do you want to choose between them?'

Of course, I didn't. That was not even because I was indecisive, it was because I wanted them all, even though I still have some reluctance about the whole multiple partners thing. I wasn't even sure if polyamory or polygamy was a legal thing in the pokemon world, something I would need to research later. Luckily, I have an entire year to do that before I would need to go towards Kanto for the start of my gym challenge.

Sure, I could do the gym challenge in Galar too, but I wanted to have some titles under my belt regarding pokemon battles before challenging Leon. I will try my best to be undefeated, which shouldn't prove too hard with my meta-knowledge, so when I battle Leon it will be a big spectacle in my home region.

Also, if I became the champion then I know that Leon will abandon me before I could even attempt to give the boy his title back, effectively locking me into the Galar region as champions aren't allowed to do other region's gym challenges. It was taboo and could be seen as an act of aggression if the proper planning wasn't done perfectly on both regions' end. It was a political mess that I didn't want to get entangled in.

'It's fine for you to be selfish when it comes to love, only if you, in turn, become selfless towards your partners after that initial selfishness in wanting to take them for yourself.'

Those words she said were what stoked my possessiveness, and was what made me lean into Oleana's sleepy cuddling. I didn't know why I was getting possessive, as she said it was alright to be 'selfish' not 'possessive', but I'll try to work on this new issue that cropped up today before it grows out of control. If polygamy was legal, and I did indeed try for a polyamorous relationship in the future, it would already be a delicate situation as is, and possessive tendencies weren't needed in such a relationship in my eyes.

I spent the next 5 minutes enjoying the comfort I found myself in before a rumbling noise interrupted the amicable silence. Consequently, the timely interruption of my stomach's rumbling has given me something I needed to do in order to get my mind off of things, eating breakfast. I also had two pokemon that needed to be fed- or rather -only Bagon does as Arceus can sustain himself by existing, but not feeding Arceus would make me feel awkward.

I slid out of Oleana's grip without disturbing her and left towards the walk-in wardrobe on the other end of the room. Greeting me as soon as I entered the wardrobe was a plethora of perfectly organized clothing that I could barely recognize which was mine. I reached out towards one of the nearby shirts and checked the label for size, and it matched my own. After obtaining my chosen outfit for the day, I went and showered before changing into them.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I remembered that I needed to leave a note for Oleana lest she wakes up and assumes the worst, aka, me not being real. I imagined up a pen and a piece of paper that would catch someone's eye, there was no point in wasting time searching for normal pens and paper which were in my study.

"Now, what should I write..." I murmured.

(A/N: You've already read the note, it's at the end of the previous chapter so I'm not gonna write it again.)

When I was satisfied with the note's content I left it on my bedside table before retrieving my phone, Lusamine's number, and two Luxury Balls. I slide the note with Lusamine's number into my jean pocket and left the room in search of the kitchen. However, not before dropping my previously worn clothing into a laundry basket nearby the door. As I closed the heavy wooden door as quietly as I possibly could, so as to not disturb Oleana's rest, I noted that she wasn't stirring which was a good sign.

"You really should rest more often," I whispered to myself as I gazed at her before the door fully shut closed.

'Hopefully, I can help ease her burdens even if only a tiny bit, she has clearly been overworking herself.' I said internally before facing the corridor in front of me.

As soon as I looked down the dauntingly long well-kept corridor, I realized just how wealthy I was. There were gold accents affecting everything in sight, the dark-wood floor looked polished to perfection, the carpet I was standing on looked like something I could sleep comfortably on. Although, despite all the fancy-looking decorations lining the walls and furniture, I also noticed something else.

"I'm lost."

I had used my memories to find my bedroom yesterday, but other than that, I had no idea where anything was. Before I could think of a game plan, Bagon released himself from his ball and looked excited and ready to explore. He instantly ran over to the nearby table to climb on top of it to get a good view of the outside. I walked up behind the dragon type as his stubby little legs couldn't propel him high enough to reach it, and placed him back on the floor.

"Ba!" The Dragon-type was pouting in front of me.

"You can explore later, Bagon, now come with me as I try to remember where everything is."

He held onto my sweater and began happily following me as I walked through the corridors, hoping to find a member of house staff or my desired location of the kitchen. His head was darting around trying to get a better grasp of where he was, as it wasn't the building he was initially in, in short, he was very confused which I understood. He stood by me as I walked through the corridors and tried to search through my memory once again for the location of the kitchen. It was a hazy memory, so I reasoned that I wasn't ever really in the kitchen.

After locating the kitchen's whereabouts in my mind, I worked out a mental map of where I should go to enter the kitchen, which was apparently 2 doors in front of me and a right from there. While I made my way there I wondered what I should make for the pokemon.

I wanted to start Bagon's EV training immediately, as it wouldn't require battling as the games did. Fortunately, many supplements grant EV, or Effort Values, in the game which I could create with imagination manifestation. It didn't matter that Rare Candy in the anime only caused pokemon to grow in size, as I could force the ones I create to operate like the ones in the game.

Then there was the Experience Candy introduced in sword and shield that works similarly to the Rare Candy, the Dynamax Candy that would be useless until I compete in Galar, Vitamins that gain 10 EV's in the desired stat, and the Candy from Let's Go games that are broken as they give AV's. Basically, I can buff my level 5 Bagon with enough stats to where he could steamroll through the entire region by himself, but I will hold off on that until I can confirm there are no side effects from doing so. My Bagon was one of a kind and I didn't want to accidentally turn him into a genetic monstrosity by messing with his stats.

In the end, just before I entered the Kitchen, I decided to make french toast with some pokemon world ingredients interchanged throughout. A few such changes include changing normal eggs for eggs that Chansey produces, and normal milk for Moomoo milk. Naturally, I sucked at cooking, and I didn't have to cook in my life. So, to overcome this slight obstacle in my way? It's time to abuse my cheats a little.

Imagination manifestation was an ability that should be able to defy logic itself and make illogical things. One such thing could be that I can use it as a form of talent creation as long as I could imagine it, so I could overcome this small hurdle by making a pill that could give me the cooking ability of the top chefs in Food Wars.

'Now, the only thing left is to try it and hope Arceus doesn't stop me.'

Before I could even blink and tiny white pill formed into my upturned palm, without letting Arceus have a single chance at deleting it I swallowed it immediately. It took a quarter of my reserves to make that pill, but I didn't have time to be shocked as the cooking-related information flowed through my mind rapidly.

"Bagon?"

'I do wish that if you were going to do that, that you would at least sit down before doing so. If I hadn't already increased your mental capacity and processing speed to keep up with your two lives, you may have blacked out.' Arceus scolded me through telepathy.

'Huh? Don't be like that, this means I can cook sweets like chocolate now, shouldn't you be praising me?... Also, thanks for the heads up.'

'... Just don't overuse that facet of your ability, or I may decide to take it away from you.'

Looking down towards the worried Dragon-type, I gave him a reassuring smile and pat on the head before speaking,

"Don't worry, Bagon, I was just thinking about what to cook for breakfast."

I decided to pimp the french toast up from its initial plain recipe that I was thinking of to a guaranteed tastier version of it, a spiced banana honey french toast. All that was needed now was for me to look in the pantry and fridge to see what was available to me. It had all the ingredients I needed apart from the banana, which I decided to replace with some Nanab berries, the golden variant specifically. They had a similar taste to banana, but with a slightly bitter aftertaste which the honey and spices would help mask. The Nanab berry also has a calming effect on whoever eats it, with the golden variant making the consumer the calmest.

"Bagon, I need you to go and get four plates from that cupboard, can you do that for me?" I asked the eager pokemon who nodded before excitedly plodding off.

'Arceus, can you make sure to use Telekinesis in the event that any are close to being dropped?' I requested, there's nothing wrong with having a backup plan after all, with him thankfully agreeing.

I simmered 3 tbsp of Vespiquen honey, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp ground cardamom in a non-stick pan and swirled it around until it reached a dark golden color. While I was cutting the Nanab berries, Bagon dutifully delivered the plates to me, which I received after placing the knife down.

"Thank you, Bagon, you did great!"

My praise worked wonders for the prideful Dragon-type who was now puffing his chest up with a big smile across his face. I didn't forget to thank Arceus either, as he may have had a part to play in it as well. I added the sliced Nanab into the pan and carefully tossed the berries in the hot honey, making sure not to have any splash on me by accident. After I was satisfied with their coating, I fished them out of the pan and put the glazed slices onto a plate to cool before putting the pan in the dishwasher after an initial rinse in the sink.

Before I got onto the toast part of french toast, I noticed I had gained a bit of an audience, the house staff were watching me from near the door. Not being uncomfortable in their gaze, I retrieved a rectangle baking pan from a nearby drawer near the oven and started on the mixture.

It was a simple mix of 1 large egg, equivalent to a normal Chansey egg, and 300 ml of Moomoo milk. that were whisked together. I let the sliced brioche soak in the mixture for 30 seconds on each side before frying them on medium heat in butter for 4 minutes initially, before flipping and cooking for another 4 minutes until golden brown. I repeated the steps before serving it all up on the four plates with a squirt of whipped cream on top after I had Arceus fetch an extra plate for Oleana, as her original one had the Nanab cooling on it.

After packing away all of my cooking equipment into the dishwasher, I saw that they were all drooling. Deciding against my better judgment, I imagined up 10 more exact replicas of the dish for them to share. I walked past them, carrying the four plates on a tray made of aura. I passed one of the plates on the tray to the head maid, before speaking to the crowd of maids whose eyes didn't leave the food.

"Eat up girls, I'm heading off to the garden to enjoy mine. Also, make sure that one gets to Oleana, she's asleep in my room currently, just leave it on her bedside table if she isn't awake."

"It's wonderful to have you back, Lady Rose." The head maid replied with misty eyes.

"It's wonderful to be back. Now, hop to it, dear, we wouldn't want the food to get cold, would we?"

"Nice to see you haven't changed at all, Lady Rose. I will have my Gothitelle bring the plate to Ms. Oleana as soon as possible, enjoy your meal in the garden."

"Will do~!"

I finally made it to the garden, with Bagon constantly trying to keep his drool from leaking onto the floor, I had to refrain from chuckling in case I hurt his pride. Sitting down at the table in the grand marble gazebo, I placed the plates down gently onto the marble table. Arceus couldn't sit on a chair, so he settled for sitting on the plush grass outside of the gazebo to eat his meal. Before I took a bite, I remembered that I may have gotten a bit too excited to use my Food Wars cooking talent and have overdone it a tad bit. I surrounded myself in an opaque aura shield so that nobody would be able to see me in the event of clothes ripping or worse.

As soon as I took my first bite, I was instantly thankful for the barrier. Euphoria shot through my system vigorously as I felt like I ascended, I felt my clothing shoot off of my body and heard the tattered remains of them impact on the barrier. I had tried a lot of drugs in my life and had been in the wildest of lesbian orgies, but nothing could compare to the feeling I had right now.

Every other form of pleasure I had felt before paled in comparison to this foodgasm I was having. Then I remembered that the Nanab berry had a calming effect, meaning that this was a muted version of what it could feel like! That discovery only made me thankful that I had bothered with swapping the banana with the Nanab. Then, a thought flashed through my mind,

'Oh fuck... The maids and Oleana are eating this too!'

Deciding that I wouldn't enter the house for the rest of today, as it would be far too awkward. I would inevitably have to deal with Oleana as she rides with me to Rose Tower for the meetings, but I think that she would be at least able to put up a professional front. Also, there was a chance- no matter how small -that she may be happy that I made her cum, even accidentally. I, however, had other problems to focus on like how I had to redress myself.

After imagining up another set of clothing, I also made a handheld ball so I could play with Bagon and hopefully tire him out before I'm needed at Rose Tower. I didn't want the curious Dragon-type to just pop out of his ball and wander off somewhere because it caught his eye. It took an hour of catch, with my gradually increasing the power behind my throws until Bagon flopped onto the floor tired.

Deciding to reward the tired pokemon for his valiant effort in catching the ball, I imagined up an EV juice for him, specifically a pink one made of Persim and Mago berry which will increase his speed EVs by 32 if the information on my phone proved to be correct. I created a pair of sunglasses that could see pokemon EVs and put them on before handing Bagon his juice. As he slurped away at the juice I watched in astonishment as his speed EVs gradually rose from 0 to 32 by the time he finished the juice.

"Bagon, can you run to that tree and back quickly for me, I want to see how fast you've gotten."

He had no qualms about this, and I watched as he ran to the tree quicker than he could previously. It was a small improvement overall, but it was a dramatic improvement to have in such a short length of time that would have pokemon breeders crying tears of envy if they knew.

"Bagon! Ba-Bagon!" He said as he began running around in circles, before falling dizzy and landing on his ass.

It seems as if Bagon noticed his improvement too, probably assuming that if he drank enough of that pink juice he would end up growing wings or something. I had no idea, but that was all I imagined that Bagon's would think in that scenario. Naturally, I could use aura to translate what he was saying, but I didn't really need to as I understood what he was saying through his expressions well enough already.

"You did well today, Bagon. I promised you that I will let you achieve your dreams- your wings -we only need just over one more year to do it, so bear with me for now, okay?"

Bagon, hearing the mention of wings instantly snapped out his dizzy spell and nodded eagerly. He stretched out his hand and I met his own with mine as we bumped fists. I returned him to his Luxury Ball and stored his ball away in my pocket for now. Oleana soon came into view as I was relaxing under the gazebo, and she avoided my gaze whenever she could with a small smile on her face.

"Hahaha! I'm guessing my cooking was just that good, hm~? It even got you to smile."

She coughed into her hand in a vain attempt to not act flustered, with her atomic red blush giving away her feelings anyway,

"It certainly did, and much more, Victoria. I would like to ask that you refrain from cooking in the future if that is the result of it."

"Oh? And just what is the result of my cooking escapade earlier?"

"Half of the house staff is n-naked and high off of food-induced pleasure on the kitchen floor, one could easily mistake the scene for one found inside a brothel. So, for the sake of allowing them to do their jobs efficiently in the future, I would like to request that you never cook for them again."

"Okay, only for you."

"Thank yo-"

"I shall only cook for you and myself from now on. Thank you for agreeing to it already, Oleana, I can't wait to see your reaction in person when we eat together. The way you writhe in pleasure on your seat, face flushed, body quivering, it will be amazing."

I had no idea why I was saying this, but I put my body on autopilot mode ever since I saw Oleana, and this was the result. I stood up, approached the blonde whose eye's where glued to my thighs, and whispered,

"It's been a while since somebody undressed me with their eyes, Oleana, they typically use their teeth. I think you'll find that approach much more efficient, dear."

Yep, it's official, I didn't even last a week before my sex addiction caught up to me, for fuck's sake... I just wanted to lock myself away and cry. I was never going to let myself go on autopilot again unless absolutely necessary because the last thing I wanted to happen just did. I really should take Magnolia up on her offer quickly, maybe she can help me with all my fucked up mental issues during the day and GM could help during the night.

I now left the stock still Oleana in the garden as she gradually processed what I just said, before making my way to the front gate. I had used my Arceus phone to call for a Corviknight taxi, and conjured a bag into reality for my Luxury Balls and phone as I waited for its arrival. Arceus had returned to his ball as Bagon was playing catch earlier; so it was just me alone, waiting for Oleana to reboot and come after me.

- - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile, the blonde in question was currently standing in the luxurious back garden of the Rose mansion completely distracted by her thoughts. Victoria's words ran through her mind like a freight train and nearly demolished her self-restraint.

'No! Until she is completely ready, I will not pursue a sexual relationship with her! It was a heat of the moment thing that she said off-handedly, right? Yeah, I will win this war, but not by taking advantage of her fragile mental state based on her 2nd life.'

After reassuring herself and strengthening her resolve, she straightened out her clothing, and left to find Victoria, but not before collecting the plates on the marble table nearby and depositing them in the kitchen. Even though her mind was frazzled and libido almost at its peak, she still had a job to do today, and a company to run. Her feelings and the burning in her loins came second to those duties.

(A/N: In other news, we are back on the road tonight. It was an entire fucking mess, and the hotel rooms were repulsive because we were in the middle of nowhere where health and safety standards apparently don't exist. Anyway~ I am free from that hellhole, and can get back to doing something other than drinking and writing. Stay safe people..)