Bitter Taste

Stepping into the stadium, thunderous cheering could already be heard. Obviously, the cheers were primarily aimed towards Dulshin, but it was to be expected since she was the champion and the crowd's favorite. In contrast, Max knew what to expect, since Dulshin's reputation as a gym leader was more or less towering above him flimsy appearance as a trainer. Still, he was quite proud for having even very little. Like he was told, there was indeed a small area with benches right next to the gate where Luna, Dusk, and Jade could sit. Not wanting to be noticed, Jade was the first one to sit on one of the benches, shortly followed by the other two, watching Max stepping onto the battlefield. With a pounding heart, Max was walking towards Dulshin, trying his best to look confident. He wasn't sure though if he was able to hide his nervousness. Stepping in his designated spot, Max could see Dulshin's smile was directed towards him.

"My my, I sure have been getting quite the handsome challengers lately." The gym leader complimented, making Max blush slightly.

Even though he didn't know where Scarlet was, Max knew she was around when a faint presence of jealousy and discontent feeling briefly passed through him.

"I know it's your first time, but if you don't mind, let us begin quickly. I have a rather busy schedule today." Dulshin informed him.

"How do you know it's my first time?" Max asked, reaching for a pokeball.

"Easy. I don't remember seeing you, and I typically remember every cute boy I meet," she answered with a wide smile.

"Oh! Looks like our champion has taken a liking to this particular challenger. Will he be her favorite of the day? Will she go easy on him? There is only one way to find out, so let the battle speak for itself." The presenter enthusiastically announced.

Trying his best to not look affected by Dulshin's flirting, Max released his pokeball and let out his first pokemon onto the center platform, May.

"A mawile?" Dulshin exclaimed. "Interesting choice. For my part, I'll start with him." she finished before a dewgong appeared from one of her pokeballs in front of May.

"Looks like she does want to go easy on our new challenger." the announcer pointed out. "Dulshin's dewgong is known for being her least aggressive pokemon. However, don't let his cute face fool you. While being quite resilient, he can still unleash powerful attacks if the opponent is not careful."

"You think I'm not worth your strongest Pokemon?" Max half jested.

"Not at all, but I like to see first who I'm dealing with."

"Alright. Let me guess, honor to the challenger?"

"I can start if you insist."

"For once, I think I'll let my opponent begin."

"Such a gentleman. Okay then, let's start the show."

Immediately at the end of her sentence, the dewgong quickly jumped and went underwater, causing the audience to cheer, obviously for Dulshin again.

"Figures, seeing that he's a water type. Alright May, stay alert. Who knows what they're up to." Max instructed.

{Understood.} May replied, trying to be extra aware of her surrounding.

Max tried to see where the dewgong could be by looking at the water currents, but he, unfortunately, could not, probably due to the dewgong's altitude in the water.

"Great, I'm already at a disadvantage. What a start." Max mumbled to himself. "Okay May, as soon as it reaches the surface, start with combo one."

{Okay.} May acknowledged, getting ready to attack.

For a couple of seconds, they waited for the water-type pokemon to attack. Suddenly, a small pillar of water emerged from the pool. As soon as Max's and May's attention went towards it, the dewgong appeared and used a powerful Water Gun move on May, slowly pushing her towards the edge of the battlefield's platform.

"Oh! Could we have been wrong? Dulshin is already trying to push her opponent into the water. Is she already intimidated by the challenger's Pokemon and wants to end it quickly?" The announcer bawled.

"Like hell, we'll let that happen. May, move out and attack him."

With some difficulty, May managed to get out of the stream and rushed towards the dewgong. Unfortunately, before she could even get close, the water Pokemon was already diving underwater. Before they could even search for the dewgong, another pillar of water appeared right behind May, with him appearing from it half a second later. Unable to react in time, May took another Water Gun attack from behind, pushing her towards the edge again. Not waiting for Max's order, May quickly moved out of the way. Again, May didn't even realize that the dewgong was already gone.

"Alright May, we'll try to outspeed him."

This time, it took a few seconds before Dulshin's Pokemon attacked again.

"Behind you May, attack him," Max called as soon as another pillar appeared behind her.

Moving before she even started turning around, May charged towards the pillar before she could be hit.

"Pound him!" Max ordered.

With a raised and glowing fist, May used Pound right at the pillar, hoping to hit him before he does. Since she was convinced that she will hit something, May used pretty much all of her might, making her quickly lose balance when she noticed that she struck nothing when the water stream faded. Not only was the dewgong not even there, but May lost too much of her balance close to the edge and was about to fall.

"No! May!" Max cried.

Unfortunately, she couldn't regain balance and began to slip from the platform. She tried to grab the edge but missed. An audible 'Plop' could be heard.

"May!"

About a meter from the surface, May couldn't hear a thing, if not for the noises that the humans were making outside. Opening her eyes, May didn't see the dewgong anywhere. She then tried to swim towards the surface, but suddenly, she felt movement behind her. Turning around, she failed yet again to see anything. A second later, a movement was felt behind her once more. For a moment, she kept looking around in hopes of not getting caught by surprise. Then, after one last turn, she saw the dewgong charging at her.

"May? May? Can you hear me?" Max yelled from his place, feeling powerless.

For a moment, nothing was heard. Even the crowd was watching in silence.

"May?" Max tried to call one last time.

After a couple of seconds that felt like hours, a stream of water appeared from where May fell. Lasting a few seconds, the stream disappeared with May landing in the middle of the platform.

"May! Are you okay?" Max exclaimed in fear.

With May slowly rising and coughing out water, Max could see that she took a couple of hits underwater before being pushed back. Luckily, she wasn't down yet and managed to stand up, but was looking already tired. With shaking legs and strained to breathe, May took a fighting stance.

"Tough one. Not a big surprise from a steel type." Dulshin pointed out.

At this moment, the dewgong then jumped out of the water and faced the mawile.

"You should rest for a moment, May."

{No, I'm okay. I can do this.}

"But-"

{The damage is already done anyway.}

"… I guess. Let's go all out then. Combo four."

Upon hearing the order, May dashed forwards with a raised fist. The dewgong tried to stop her with a Water Gun attack, but May quickly jumped over it before falling towards him with Brick Break. The dewgong dodged it and May chained with the fake maw attack. Thinking that she would attack and not wanting to let her have the time to do so, the water Pokemon attacked with Water Gun once more. Not only was May's giant maw protecting her from the attack, but it was also splitting it into two streams coming out from her sides.

"Holy... Come on May, you can do it. Go near him." Max ordered.

Even if the attack was more or less nullified, the pressure was still restraining May's movement, slowing her down quite a lot as she was moving towards her opponent. Suddenly and to both Max's and May's astonishment, the water Pokemon stopped using Water Gun. Then, at this very moment, May was hit by a blueish white beam, freezing May into a tiny iceberg in place.

"What the... what happened?"

"Poor Max, you should be more attentive." Dulshin taunted a little.

Without any oral order, the dewgong charged at May and used his spike to hit her strongly, breaking the ice along the way. Propelled across the platform, May landed a few meters away.

"Come on May, we're not done yet!" Max yelled, trying to motivate her.

Unfortunately, after she tried a moment to get up, she fell on her belly and was unable to fight anymore.

"Oh no! Looks like it's already the end of Max's first Pokemon. What will be his next Pokemon?!" The presenter exclaimed.

"…It's okay, May, we did all we can do." Max comforted while calling her back. "Alright, let's go hostile ourselves." he continued before releasing his lopunny.

{Bring it on!} Bonny growled, looking pumped as always.

"Okay, Bonny, it doesn't look good for now. May is down and she's still with her first Pokemon."

{Is that so? Is he really that strong?}

"On land, a bit, but as soon as you fall into the pool, it's almost done."

{No swimming today then.} Bonny replied, staring at the dewgong.

"Yeah, try to avoid that for now."

{Any plan?}

"He seems to like attacking from a distance, so close combat would be good."

{Fighting up close, just the way I like it.}

"Let's start with combo one."

{Alright, here we go.} Bonny acknowledged, immediately dashing forward.

Before the dewgong could even attack, Bonny began with a Charge attack. Surprisingly, the attack was too fast for the water Pokemon to dodge. The dewgong received the attack and was, pushed backward by the impact.

"Is it me or is your dewgong not that fast?" Max asked Dulshin.

"I have to admit that your lopunny seems faster than I expected. However, there is one place where my pretty Pokemon can't be outspeed."

"Shit! Don't let him go in the water, Bonny."

This time, Bonny wasn't fast and couldn't prevent her opponent from diving underwater.

{Dammit.} Bonny growled.

"It's okay, Bonny. As long as he doesn't touch you, you should be fine. He will probably try to use Water Gun from afar."

{Got it.} Bonny acknowledged, being on guard.

Like he guessed, the dewgong tried to use the same strategy that he used with May against her. However, Bonny was faster than the mawile and was able to dodge all incoming attacks.

"I think it's time to use another tactic," Max spoke to Dulshin.

"Seems like it." the gym leader replied with an unfazed smile.

Using a similar strategy as before, Bonny's opponent used the water to his advantage, but instead of pillars it only created brief water walls before shooting icy spears from behind. Even worse, the projectiles this time were even bigger. As a result, Bonny had a harder time dodging the attacks, having to block some of them. Despite her good defense, Bonny took a bit of damage from each hit.

"Don't block them, Bonny, hit them with your ears."

Obeying, Bonny was now smashing the ice projectiles into dust, effectively preventing herself from being damaged.

"Hmm, looks like that won't work either." Dulshin pointed out. "That lopunny is quite the fighter."

"And yet, you have seen nothing. If you quit running away, we could show you."

"You're right, I think it's time to stop playing around." Dulshin agreed with her Pokemon jumping into the platform, facing Bonny. "My pretty dewgong has never been very good with ranged attacks anyway."

"Not good?" Max mumbled. "Wait… what the-"

Before Max could get what she meant, the dewgong spoke for itself and charged at Bonny rather quickly. Not expecting that at all, Bonny could only block his Horn Attack, taking a bit of damage.

"Looks like you're gonna have your close combat fight after all." Max encouraged.

{I'm not asking for any more.}

Then, as Bonny was getting ready, everyone noticed something odd about the dewgong, especially Max.

"Hem… is it me, or does he look different?" Max wondered, inspecting the Pokemon.

{He doesn't look different, he's looking at me with perverted eyes.} Bonny explained with a slightly disgusted tone while hiding away her body.

"I was afraid this would happen. Your lopunny is a female, right?" Dulshin asked to Max.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, I'm afraid that my dewgong has been infatuated by her."

"Infatuated?"

"If your lopunny has the Cute Charm ability, then there is no doubt."

"Cute Charm? Oh, right, the ability that makes a physical attacker fall in love with the one he attacks, rendering him almost useless." Max remembered.

"More or less. With enough willpower, the Pokemon can snap out of it by itself. If not, the effect will wear off after a little while."

"Well, we won't wait for that to happen. Come on, Bonny, assault him with Ear Punch."

Quickly, Bonny initiated a series of multiples of Ear Punches, overwhelming the helpless dewgong. Even while being hit, his "love" for Bonny wasn't fading away. Max even wondered if he actually liked it, but maybe it was just his perverted side. Soon enough, the dewgong was getting weaker and weaker.

"Okay, Bonny, finish him with a strong Jump Kick," Max instructed.

After one last Ear Punch, Bonny jumped backward and unleashed her move on the still infatuated water Pokemon. Since he was also an ice type, it was obvious that it would be the last hit for him. Landing further away from the hit, the dewgong fainted with a smile.

"That was quite unfortunate." Dulshin declared while recalling her Pokemon "Let's avoid that from now on." she added, immediately sending another Pokemon to the battlefield.

Looking more intimidating and tougher, a cloyster made its entrance.

"No matter whom you toss, if we can render it helpless…"

"Good luck with that, my cloyster is a female too."

"…Damnit." Max lowly cursed.

{I don't need that to win.} Bonny said, getting in a fighting stance.

"… You're right. Until now, we have won all our fights without it, so let's keep it that way." Max conceded.

Before Max and Bonny could be fully ready, the cloyster charged at Bonny with amazing speed. Luckily, it was still a bit too slow for Bonny's reflexes and missed the bunny pokemon.

"Combo three Bonny!"

As soon as the cloyster turned around, Bonny was already dashing towards her with a Jump Kick. The good news is that the hit landed successfully, the bad news is that the cloyster had closed her shell and raised her defense, weakening Bonny's attack. Following the combo, Bonny chained with multiple Ear Punches. Unfortunately, it seemed to have little effect on the cloyster.

"Retreat, Bonny," Max ordered, making Bonny leap backward a few meters away.

As soon as the lopunny's feet touched the ground, the cloyster opened her shell, showing her mischievous and scary face.

"Solid defense," Max mumbled, trying to think of a strategy.

{It's not anytime soon that I'll get through that defense with regular attacks.} Bonny pointed out.

"I think so too. I suppose that we'll have to go for a stronger one. Return could be good since I believe it's your strongest attack, but Jump Kick will be extra effective against her since she's an ice type."

{So we should focus on those two?}

"Yes, but we still need to try to not be too obvious about it."

{Any plan then?}

"…"

"Are you plotting something over there?" Dulshin asked with her usual smile.

"… Maybe. Okay Bonny, let's harass it with Combo one a few times, then go for combo five."

{Five?}

"Sorry, I know it tires you out quite a lot, but I believe in you. If anything goes wrong, we still have our secret trick."

{… Alright, let's go for it then.} Bonny acknowledged before charging at the cloyster.

As anticipated, the cloyster enclosed herself in her shell, mitigating a lot of damage from Bonny's Ear Punches and Charges. When she was finished executing the combo, Bonny initiated the fifth one by starting with Jump Kick. However, as soon as Bonny launched herself towards it, the cloyster quickly opened her shell and dodged the move, making Bonny miss. Even worse, since her opponent dodged the attack, Bonny hit the floor instead, damaging herself a bit in the process.

{Grhh…} Bonny growled in pain.

"Come on, Bonny, I know you can do it. Don't let her have the time to retreat."

Ignoring her pain, Bonny then ran in the direction of the cloyster. Around halfway, Bonny went for Return and landed the hit. Even though the water/ice pokemon hid in her shell yet again, a tiny impact shockwave emanated from the collision. After the protected cloyster was propelled a few meters away, Bonny chained with another Return, causing the same effect. Again, Bonny's opponent was pushed back a few meters, not moving. After Bonny jumped backward to create some distance, Max noticed that she was panting a little, looking a bit tired. On her side, the lopunny saw the cloyster opening her shell. At this moment, she felt a faint sense of relief when she noticed that her opponent wasn't in top shape too. Not in bad shape, but not good either. However, even though she was happy that her hits were effective, she still wasn't out of the woods as she had to recover a bit while her opposer was still able to attack any time. As to be expected, the cloyster didn't let Bonny have the time to catch her breath and charged at her.

"Jump Bonny!" Max exclaimed quickly.

Doing as told, Bonny dodged the charging pokemon by jumping in the air.

"Make sure to land your best move on her this time Bonny," Max commanded.

Acknowledging him, Bonny then waited for her ascent to stop and initiated Return on her descent. Bonny understood Max's idea and hoped that gravity will make the move stronger. Then, before she could reach the ground, the cloyster shot an Ice Beam at her and she received it fully since she couldn't dodge mid-air, transforming her into a solid block of ice. Frozen, Bonny couldn't do anything but to wait for her fall to be stopped by the platform. When she was a couple of meters away from the ground, the cloyster hid in her shell once more, but this time, she didn't stop there. After a small moment, a crystalline shell appeared all over the pokemon. When spikes formed all around, the cloyster began to spin on itself and move towards the falling lopunny when it touched the ground (Icy Flail). When Bonny finally hit the ground, the block of ice around her broke into pieces, freeing her. Then, she immediately got hit by the cloyster's attack, taking heavy damage. The force of the impact was strong enough to toss her in the pool.

"Bonny!" Max yelled.

{Oh no! It doesn't look good for master!} Dusk exclaimed a bit in fear behind him.

{Don't worry, both of them are tough. They won't stop there.} Luna reassured.

{… I hope.}

{I'm sure they'll win.}

{I really wish for that.}

With Dusk almost praying, Max had his eyes locked in the water, in the hope to see Bonny emerging.

"I think she needs help, dear," Dulshin told to her pokemon.

Not hesitating a second, the cloyster jumped in the water where Bonny fell. A few seconds later, a loud splash noise could be heard when the lopunny was tossed out of the water. As she was ascending, the cloyster followed and jumped to her height. There, she made her horn glow and shoot a few spikes at Bonny (Spike Cannon), making her crash hard onto the platform.

"It's okay Bonny if you mega evolve, we can beat her."

{… O… kay.} Bonny replied, hardly getting on all fours.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to try to stand up as she fell on the ground, unable to fight.

"Oh no! Our challenger's second pokemon is out of the game. It doesn't look good for him." the presenter pointed out.

"… Good job, Bonny," Max mumbled while calling her back, but not without a slight agitated feeling.

"What a strong lopunny you have there, and the strength of that Return… she most certainly loves you." Dulshin complimented.

A bit salty, Max didn't answer and took Aurora's pokeball.

"Please, Aurora, work with me just this once," he mumbled with her pokeball on his forehead before releasing the lucario.

To his dismay, Aurora seemed to still have her arrogant look, meaning she will probably work on her own like always.

"Okay, Aurora, here's the situation; Bonny and May are both out and she still has two pokemon left."

{Two? What the hell the others were doing?} Aurora spat.

"Their best, okay." Max rejoined a bit angrily. "So please, you have to listen to me."

{Do you still believe that I'm some kind of pet to you, obeying every time you bawl?} Aurora retorted, almost in the same angry tone as Max.

"No, I-"

{Forget it. I always have fought better on my own anyway.} she shot while using Bone Rush and dashed towards the cloyster.

"Damnit, Aurora!" Max blustered.

Suddenly becoming deaf, Aurora started the hostilities by assaulting the water/ice pokemon with torrents of Bone Rush hits. Protecting herself, the cloyster took little damage from the lucario's attack. If it wasn't for that fact, the cloyster would have stayed there forever, but Dulshin knew that she couldn't stay like that forever. Aurora's opponent then suddenly opened her shell while the jackal pokemon attacked, pushing the moves away with the sudden movement. Left exposed, Aurora was briefly open to a counter-attack. Taking the opportunity, the cloyster used Ice Beam on Aurora. Quick to react, the lucario had the time to block the move, only having her arms covered in ice. Doing a high backflip, Aurora broke the ice on her arms before landing a few meters away from Dulshin's pokemon.

{Cheap tricks I see.} the lucario grumbled. {Two can play this game.}

Making her bone disappear, Aurora then charged up an Aura Sphere and tossed it at her opponent. Obviously, the cloyster protected herself with the shell, weakening Aurora's attack. However, being the stubborn one, she kept shooting Aura Spheres a couple of times. Suddenly, after tossing a big one, the lucario quickly moved to her flank and went for a Force Palm. To everyone's surprise, the attack seemed to have impacted the cloyster quite a lot.

"Oh, silly me, I forgot that Force Palm is one of lucario's specialties," Dulshin remembered, a bit disappointed in herself.

"Why this move specifically?" Max asked.

"Haha, don't tease me, we all know that even though it's not a powerful one, Force Palm is a move that bypasses defenses almost entirely."

"… I, y-yeah I do," Max replied, poorly feigning to know what she's talking about.

"Then you will understand that I can't let you do this as pleased."

At this very moment and since he was looking at her, Max saw her move one of her feet, but briefly. He however ignored it, thinking that she was just too into it. Anyway, he was too busy looking at the cloyster charging at Aurora with a glowing horn (Horn Attack). Luckily, Aurora managed to block her with Bone Rush, moving only a couple of inches backward from the impact. She then tried to swing her bone at the cloyster but dodged it backward. Before Aurora could do any movement, the shell pokemon began to blow a strong, glacial wind at her.

{It's blizzard.} Luna pointed out. {The more she stays there, the more damage she takes.}

"Move out of there Aurora!" Max commanded.

{I can… take this.} Aurora replied confidently.

With a paw covering her face and a bone on her other paw, Aurora began to slowly walk towards the cloyster through the blizzard. With each step, she tried to move faster, but to no avail. Slowly, she was feeling her strength leaving her but still kept moving.

{I have… to get close… and…} she mumbled.

Even though she was growing weaker, Aurora managed to move fast enough to get close to her opponent within seconds. As soon as the cloyster stopped using her move, Aurora initiated Close Combat. Thanks to her speed, she managed to hit the water/ice pokemon, but not without her protective shell. Fortunately, the hits were strong enough to damage her a bit, forcing her to retreat a little.

{You won't get away.} Aurora exclaimed before going for another Close Combat move.

Not wanting to be hit again, the cloyster dodged backward, making Aurora miss her move. Too stubborn again, the lucario tried Close Combat again, but only to be dodged once more. For a few times, Aurora tried to get her opponent with that move until she was close to the edge, where cloyster took the opportunity to dive underwater.

{Running away?} Aurora asked a bit arrogantly.

"Don't stay close to the edge, Aurora," Max warned.

{Yeah yeah, whatever.} Aurora replied, looking around in the hope to find Dulshin's pokemon.

At this point, Max let out a heavy sigh and gave up on hoping that Aurora would listen to his commands.

{Say, Dusk, how have the other gym leader battles went so far?} Luna asked.

{Oh, hem, m-master won all of them.} the braixen answered, a bit taken by surprise.

{On the first try?}

{Y-yes. Why?}

{Just wondering.} Luna replied, not looking so happy.

Still looking at the pool, Aurora searched for any suspicious movement.

{… There you are!} she shouted before tossing an Aura Sphere in the water.

After the explosion, water briefly fell all over the lucario, who was trying to see if she hit anything.

{Damnit, she's fast in there.}

For another moment, Aurora kept looking down while being ready for another attack.

"Behind you, Aurora!" Max yelled.

Quickly turning her head, Aurora saw a big wave coming from the pool towards her (Surf). Since she saw it in time, the blue pokemon managed to jump in the air in time, dodging the move.

{Good luck on trying to get me wet.} Aurora growled after landing on the platform.

Almost at the same time, the cloyster jumped out of the water a couple of meters above platform level.

{About time.} Aurora barked while planning a Bone Rush attack.

Before Aurora could move, the cloyster went for another Blizzard attack, but the jackal pokemon saw it through.

{Not this time.} she exclaimed before rushing forwards.

Since the move was rather linear, Aurora managed to dodge the move without slowing down. When close enough, she jumped in the air to try to hit the water/ice pokemon with Bone Rush. Maybe a few inches away from her, the cloyster used Water Gun to propel herself further in the air, making Aurora miss her move.

{For fuck's sake!} Aurora yelled while descending back to the platform. {… What the-} *Hompf!*

Upon landing on the platform, almost everyone failed to notice that the cloyster's last move had frozen the water that was all over from the Surf move, transforming it into a huge ice rink, at which Aurora slipped and landed hard on her back.

"Okay, time for the grand finale," Dulshin exclaimed with a raised hand pose.

With a mischievous grin, the cloyster began to make her descent towards Aurora with a white-ish aura emanating from her body, doubling the falling speed every half second (Giga Impact).

"Move, Aurora!" Max yelled.

Upon seeing what was coming towards her, Aurora, for once, agreed with Max and decided that it was a bad idea to stay there.

{… Fuck!}

Unfortunately, she couldn't take a single step before the ice made her trip again, rendering her helpless. A fraction of a second later, Aurora tried again to stand up and move, but only to trip once more. Turning her head, the last thing she saw was the cloyster only a few inches away from her.

*BAAM!*

Upon impact, a tiny shockwave could be felt with a cloud of dust hiding them from the slightly destroyed platform. From the cloud, the cloyster emerged from it by jumping and landing in front of her master. For a little moment, everyone held their breath and waited patiently for the dust cloud to dissipate. When it does, a horrible feeling then gained Max; the sight of seeing one of his companions unconscious and in bad shape, and the taste of defeat.

"And it's another win for our favorite gym leader, Duuuuulshin!" the presenter exclaimed, followed by torrents of cheers and screams of joy.

"That was a nice match, Max. You should be proud." Dulshin encouraged him while calling her pokemon back.

"… Yeah, I should." Max angrily mumbled before doing the same.

Without even responding or saying anything, Max turned around and left.

"Alright folks, be ready for the next battle that will be in about…"

{Master! Wait!} Dusk called, catching up to the leaving trainer. {Where are you going?}

"Where do you think? To the pokemon center." Max coldly replied, not even looking back.

Upon hearing him answer this way, Dusk got a little scared and stopped following him.

{Don't worry, he didn't mean it.} Luna reassured with a paw on the back. {I think he's just a bit frustrated.}

{… Is it… my fault?} Dusk asked, a bit sadly.

{Of course not. He's just a bit emotionally sensitive right now and doesn't know how to express it. Relax, you didn't do anything wrong.}

{… Okay.}

With Dusk a bit reassured, she, Luna, and Jade then caught up to Max who was now outside the colosseum and heading towards the pokemon center.

(He… wasn't he a bit… aggressive just now?) Jade said into Luna's mind.

However, Luna didn't answer.

(I-)

(You have nothing to fear from him, I can assure you that.) Luna confirmed. (If anything, I'll be here to teach him some discipline.) she added, glaring at Max from behind.

(… Okay.) Jade replied, feeling more or less reassured.

Without anyone speaking, they arrived at the pokemon center around fifteen minutes later.

"Hi, how may I help you?" a pretty woman behind the reception counter asked.

"I need my pokemon to be healed please," Max replied, slightly less coldly before handing her his pokeballs.

"Right away." she acknowledged, taking them. "A fight with Dulshin?"

"... Yes."

"I'm guessing it didn't go well." she guessed while putting Max's pokeballs in the rejuvenation machine.

"Not really."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Not only is Dulshin a great animator, but she's a good strategist as well. She actually has more wins than defeats, so no need to feel too bad about it."

"... I suppose," Max answered to her attempt to reassure him, half listening.

A moment later, the woman gave back Max's pokeballs.

"Here you go. I wish you good luck for next time."

"Thanks." Max simply responded before leaving.

Outside, Max was heading towards the hotel.

{Hem... m-mister...} Jade started very shyly.

"Oh, right," Max exclaimed while stopping. "Sorry, Jade. You probably want to go back to your pokeball."

{Y-yes, p-please.} she replied while Max withdrew her pokeball. {... Sorry for your defeat.} she added shyly, mainly looking at the ground.

"... You don't have to, it's not your fault, but thanks." he thanked her before putting her back in her pokeball.

Only noticed by Luna, Max expressed a very faint smile and resumed his walk.

{You know, you don't have to keep it to yourself.} Luna pointed out.

"Keep what?" Max coldly replied.

{We both know that you feel pain right now.}

"Don't exaggerate. Anyway, even if it was the case, what would you want me to do?"

{Talk about it.}

"About what? That I hate losing? That she probably cheated or something? That we lost because of…" Max explained aggressively.

{Because of?}

"… Never mind. Just leave me alone."

{… Alright, as you wish.}

Quickly, Luna transformed into a liepard and jumped away from Max. Turning his head, he only had the time to see her disappear through the roofs.

Sighing, Max resumed his walk. After only a few steps, Max was aware that only Dusk was now with him and turned his head to look at her. As soon as he noticed how uncomfortable she looked, he stopped to face her.

"Hey there, my pretty. Are you okay?" He gently asked, kneeling before her.

{… I don't like seeing you like this.} she confessed, shyly looking at him.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. It's just…"

{It's okay, you don't have to justify yourself. You have your reason to be like this, it's just…}

"… Just what?"

{… You were a bit mean towards Luna and… m-me.} she added, looking away.

"I know, and I'm very sorry." Max apologized before hugging her. "I shouldn't get on you girls for something like that. You don't deserve that."

{It's okay, Master.} Dusk reassured, returning the hug.

"… Will you forgive me?" he asked, breaking the hug to look into her eyes.

{I already did.}

"Thanks, Dusk." He finished while putting his forehead against hers.

With a now reassured braixen, Max arrived at the hotel and went straight into his room. As soon as he was in, he let himself fall onto the bed with a heavy sigh. Immediately after that, Scarlet teleported inside the room.

{… So, it's gonna be like that?} she started with her hands on her hips.

"Like what?"

{Are you really planning on whining about your loss and moping all day long?}

"… What if I say yes?"

{… Ghra, you sometimes.} Scarlet expressed, a bit irritated. {For someone who says that winning doesn't matter…}

Not responding, Max only turned his back to her. Scarlet was about to reply, but Dusk interrupted her.

{Maybe… it wasn't the best thing to say.} she told to Scarlet a bit shyly.

{It's still true. I thought he was stronger than that.} Scarlet expressed with crossed arms.

{Scarlet-}

"Guess you thought wrong."

For a moment, Scarlet felt a bit angry but decided to not express it.

{Alright, I won't stop you from acting like a crybaby. You're an adult after all. If you want to be like that, fine.} she replied before preparing to teleport.

{Where are you going?} Dusk asked, knowing what she was about to do.

{Leave for a while until he's finished throwing a tantrum.}

With that, Scarlet teleported away, leaving the braixen and Max alone again. Even though it was said a bit too rough for her comfort, Dusk didn't feel any mischievousness or anger in her words, but rather a sadness. She was about to say something to comfort Max when he turned around to sit on the bed. Not saying anything, he grabbed his pokeballs and let everyone out except Jade.

"Scarlet is out to get some fresh air, so maybe you girls also want to," Max explained to Aurora, Bonny, and May.

{Did we… lose?} May asked, noticing Max's sad face.

"… Yes, but it doesn't matter. You girls should go out a little and have fun, you deserve it."

{What about you?} Bonny questioned.

"I'll stay here a little." He answered, lying on the bed again. "I'll join you, girls, a bit later."

{What? You want us to wander in the city all by ourselves?}

"Come on, you're pokemon. What's the worst that can happen to you?"

{What?} Bonny exclaimed, a bit confused.

"Don't worry about me. I just want to be alone for a moment."

{If you stay, I stay.}

{You heard him, Bonny, he wants to be alone.} Aurora intervened.

{Since when did you bother about his needs and demands?} the lopunny retorted.

{If he doesn't want to see me, he won't need to tell me twice.} Aurora added before heading towards the room door.

{Can someone tell me what's going on?}

Looking at Max confused, Bonny felt one of Dusk's paws touching her shoulder.

{Come on, Bonny, I'll explain.}

Hesitant for a moment, she decided to follow Dusk outside, followed by a worried Mawile.

{Explanations?} Aurora asked as soon as Dusk closed the door.

{I don't know if I can really explain it, but I think the defeat hurt him badly.} Dusk tried to explain.

{So we really did lose.} Bonny started. {And from how he reacted, it wasn't a close call.}

{Not really. That gym leader only used two pokemon, and the cloyster didn't seem to have taken a lot of damage.}

{The cloyster? Wait? Was I the first or second?}

{Second, I was first.} May informed.

{Okay, so that means, Aurora was last. Are you telling me that she didn't beat her?} Bonny theorized while looking at the lucario.

{No I didn't, but neither did you.} Aurora argued.

{Of course not, I already fought her other one when that cloyster went into the battlefield. I was hoping that you could at least finish what I'd started.}

{If you fought the same cloyster as me, you would have noticed that this one was very tough.} Aurora argued aggressively.

{Not that much. If I didn't fight and 'beat' the other pokemon, I would have beaten her.} Bonny replied, getting more aggressive.

{But you didn't, so your words mean shit.}

{Stop it now!} Dusk intervened, getting between them and pushing both of them apart.

{Tsk, no wonder we lost. Two against three wasn't a very fair fight.} Bonny spat before leaving.

{… Bonny.} May mumbled, worried for her friend.

For a moment, Aurora couldn't do anything other than look at Bonny. She was angry for sure, but that wasn't the only feeling inside her. She was hurt by her words and was feeling rather upset.

{… I'm sorry. I'm sure she didn't mean to.} Dusk tried to reassure Aurora with a paw on one of her shoulders.

{Whatever.} the lucario replied while pushing her hand away from her shoulder before leaving as well.

At this point, Dusk didn't know what to do. Should she go back inside and try to comfort her master, or do what he wanted and leave him alone? She really wanted to be with him at this moment, but deep inside her, she knew it was best to leave him alone for a bit. Convinced that he would get better after a while, she decided to go out alongside May. When out, she wondered what to do when she didn't see anyone else from the group anywhere.

{Did he unleash his anger on you?} Luna asked, who was taking the form of a meowth and sitting on the balcony fence of another room on the second floor.

{No, he just wanted to be alone for a little.} Dusk answered.

{And he thought that maybe it would be better for you to walk around outside than being in your pokeball.}

{… Probably.}

{Well, the least we can say is that he's quite the human. For a moment, I suspected that he might've vented his anger onto his pokemon, but despite his frustration, he stayed true to himself. Hard not to understand why you all have an interest in him.}

{I really feel bad for him. He did everything he could to win, and yet…}

{I understand. I feel bad for him as well. I don't know him too well, but I hope that he will learn from that defeat.}

{Learn?} Dusk repeated, both her and the mawile looking at the dark pokemon with an interrogative expression.

With a small grin, Luna jumped down and transformed into her human form. She then motioned the two pokemon to go for a walk with her.

{If it's the first time he experiences defeat, he'll learn that you can't always win, no matter how hard you try the first time.} she stated as both she and Dusk began to walk down the streets. {If it's not, he'll have to learn what mistakes he made and what he lacked so he can come back stronger next time. In any case, he has to get better and train to achieve victory next time.}

{I don't think he's in the mood to train right now.}

{I suppose not. At the moment, he needs to overcome his sense of defeat first. From what you said about him and from what I've seen myself, he's quite the resilient one, so just give him a day or two and he should be fine.}

{I hope. I like the cheerful and clumsy master better.}

{Haha, that makes two of us.}

{Me too.} May intervened.

{… That stupid lucario, it's all her fault.}

Walking quite angrily on her own in the streets, Bonny was grumbling to let out her frustration.

{If she was just a tiny bit less of a bitch, maybe we could have won.}

{Damn, I wonder who you're talking about.}

A bit too absorbed in her own thoughts, Bonny only took notice of Scarlet, who was leaning against a wall in a dark corner of a small alley she was passing by, after her sarcastic commentary.

{I'm not really in the mood for bitching around.}

{I'm guessing it's because of the battle.}

{I can't believe it, it wasn't supposed to go that way. I agree that those pokemon were pretty strong, but we could have won.}

{You can't be sure of that. None of us saw who the last pokemon was, even though I have a pretty wild idea.}

{Who would it have been?}

{It doesn't really matter now.}

{I'm really starting to wonder which side you're on.}

{Beside master's, I'm on nobody's side in particular.}

{Really? To me, it's like you tried to defend Aurora a second ago.}

{I didn't, I just pointed out facts.}

{Like always.} Bonny semi-growled before heavily sighing. {If only they were at it already, maybe things could be and have been different by now.}

{You still believe in that?} Scarlet asked with a raised eyebrow.

At this moment, Bonny then remembered what she saw in the forest the other day before getting into the city.

{Yes.}

Quickly, Scarlet understood that Bonny might know something that she doesn't.

{Hm… You definitely know something that I am not aware of.} the gardevoir accused with slightly narrowed eyes.

{… Maybe.} Bonny answered while shrugging her shoulders.

{Tell me then.} Scarlet demanded, seeing that she wasn't in the mood to play around.

{I'm not really in the mood to talk about her right now, so why don't you go look for her by yourself?}

{Look by myself? You mean, in your mind?}

{Why not? You do it all the time.}

For a moment, Scarlet looked at Bonny with a questioning face. Even though she didn't like reading others' minds, Bonny managed to arouse her curiosity.

*Sigh* {I swear, if you make me see you masturbating, I'm gonna kill you.}

{I don't really want you to see that anyway.}

Rolling her eyes, Scarlet motioned Bonny to approach her. When Bonny was at hand's reach, she put one hand over her head and closed her eyes. For a moment, she got past some useless memories until she came across what she guessed Bonny was hiding. Taking the place of the lopunny in her memory, Scarlet saw in the forest Aurora touching herself. At first, she was half surprised by it since everyone has needs, but what got her was the shirt on her snout and Aurora moaning her master's name. When she had seen enough, she left Bonny's head and re-opened her eyes.

{… That was... quite the scenario actually.}

{The more I learn about her, the more I think that she's just a frustrated bitch.}

{To me, she's just in desperate need of love but is terrified by it. She needs the warmth of affection, but is too scared to be hurt by it again.}

{Geez, way to switch from black to white in two seconds.}

{What?}

{You were the first to hate her for no particular reason, but now that she screwed up everything for our master, you feel pity for her?}

{First of all, I feel pity for no one. Secondly, master is tougher than you think and won't let trivial shit like that get to him. Lastly, don't you get it?}

{Get what?}

{Now that we pretty much know what her problem is, we can finally put down that bitchy and annoying personality of hers. If she finally opens her heart to master, we can say bye-bye to the frustrated Aurora we all know.}

{… I admit that's a good point.}

{All we have to do is to put them together. By that I mean to get both of them to fuck each other so that she can finally shut up.}

{Well, that's nice and all, but how exactly do you plan on doing that? Aurora isn't really the type to accept something like 'Let's bang tonight'.}

{I'm aware, don't worry.} Scarlet replied before going thoughtful. {Somehow, we need to help them a little.}

{And by help you mean force them?}

{What? No. Forcing them to fuck with mind control or any other twisted method won't do anything besides screwing everything up.}

{What's the plan then?}

{Hmmm... We somehow need to provoke a situation where they're together and...}

{… And?} Bonny repeated, impatient.

{Ghaa, I don't know. I'm just smart, but I'm not a god. Let me think about it. I'll try to come up with something.}

{Alright then.}

With a small nod, Scarlet teleported away.

(Honestly, I think only a god can change her.) she thought before resuming her walk.

(I mean, it could be a good idea if it can make her bearable, but what if she never opens her heart to him, even after they have sex? Well, master is good at it, so she'll be stupid not to even like it. Anyway, despite all this, I still wonder if she really deserves it.)

Since she was lost in her mind and busy rethinking what made her angry in the first place, she failed to notice a sawk in front of her and bumped into him.

{Damnit. I'm sorry.}

With the sawk turning his head towards her, Bonny was struck by small shivers at how intimidating his face looked. She had never seen a sawk before, but this one was quite big and tall and looked like he could murder her at any moment.

{… It's okay. No harm done.}

However, as soon as he spoke, Bonny was not only reassured but also confused at how his voice and tone were quite soothing, not matching his appearance at all.

{I was a bit lost in my thoughts and didn't see you, so I guess it's my fault.} she justified before resuming her walk again.

{… You seem bothered.} the sawk pointed out after Bonny made only a few steps.

{… You can say that, but it's nothing to be worried about.}

{You need help with anything?}

For a few seconds, Bonny stared at the sawk with a perplexed expression. His face and stature were contradicting the vibes his words were giving, which increased her curiosity a little.

{… Eh, do you always offer help to each pretty girl you see?} Bonny asked with her paws on her hips.

{I try to help as much as I can. That's a value me and my friend have in common.}

{Your friend? Another pokemon?}

{I'm sorry, I forgot that most of us call them master.}

{You're talking about your master?}

{He prefers being labeled as a friend, as so do I.}

{I see.}

{I don't judge those who do, it's just not our thing.}

{Well, personally, I think it suits a guy-to-guy relationship pretty well.}

For a second, or maybe two, the sawk eyed Bonny.

{I'm guessing yours is a male human and that you have a special relationship with him.}

{What? I…}

Quite astonished, Bonny stared at the blue pokemon, who was doing the same calmly.

{Let me guess, it's that obvious?}

{More or less. Your reaction and commentary gave me the answer.}

{I see. Keen perception you got there.}

{I must. A good fighter is only one if he's prepared for every eventuality possible and it's good to invest in your adversary.}

{I'm your adversary? I didn't know we were fighting.}

{We're not. However, it seems that you have trouble expressing yourself, so maybe a little fight might help you.}

{A fight?}

{Feel free to refuse, I'm not looking for trouble, but I can see through others better when fighting them. Some can have trouble expressing themselves, like you, and some try to use lies to hide it. However, fists never lie.}

{…}

{I asked you because, by the way, you look, you seem to like fighting.}

{By the way, I look?} Bonny replied, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

{Not by the way you think. Sorry if I sounded rude.}

For a moment, Bonny inspected him while thinking about his proposition.

{Well, it's true that I'm pretty upset right now and that I need a way to exteriorize my frustration. Alright, if you don't mind being my anger expeller, I accept.}

{If it helps you, I don't mind.}

{A way to do it?}

{Follow me.} the sawk concludes before starting to walk down the street.

Despite being slightly cold, Bonny didn't feel bad vibes coming from him. Following him, she told herself that if it's a trap of some kind, he'll learn that she's not a lopunny to mess with.

Back at the hotel and half an hour later, Max was still lying on the bed when he felt a lightweight sitting on it.

[… I'm sorry. Maybe I went too harsh on you.]

Sighing softly, Max turned his body and head towards the red gardevoir he loves.

"Maybe, maybe not. Whatever you may have tried to tell me, I know you didn't mean any harm."

[Eh, I love you so much.] Scarlet expressed, rubbing his cheek.

"I love you too," Max replied, rubbing her hand with his.

[I'm still wondering why. You felt bad about something and all I did was try to bash you.] Scarlet shared, sounding morose.

"Come on now, that's not all you can do. You came to apologize and reassure me."

[For my own mistakes.]

"Don't-"

[Don't try to butter it, please. I acted wrongly and I came back to apologize. The least you can do is to accept them.]

"… Haha, of course, I accept them."

[Thanks. I know it might sound a bit selfish, but I needed to hear that. I tried to be better when I was punishing myself, but it looks like some things can't be changed.]

"Maybe there are some things that don't need to be changed," Max affirmed, making Scarlet look at him funnily. "I love the way you are, Scarlet, you know that. If you really want to improve yourself, then let yourself have the chance and time to do so. Just go little by little."

[Eh, I came back to apologize and reassure you, but turns out it was the other way around again.]

"Despite everything, I love you, Scarlet. Unlike me, you are good and have huge potential."

[Stop saying that! You know I hate it when you do that.]

"Tsss."

[Besides, I don't know what potential and goodness you're talking about. I'm way more hopeless than you.]

"Ha, what are 'you' talking about. You're all strong and mighty. You can do almost anything you want."

[Pff, anything but being the way I want with you.]

*Sigh* "Let's say we're both hopeless then." Max said before turning on the bed, his back facing the gardevoir.

[Please, don't be like that.] Scarlet exclaimed while putting her hand on his hip. [Don't turn away from me, please.] she softly added.

With a low sigh, Max turned around again to face Scarlet.

[I'm really sorry about your loss, but acting like that won't do anything.]

"... It makes me feel better."

*Sigh* [You're lucky that I love you. Not many would do so with that childish attitude you can have sometimes.] Scarlet expressed, rubbing his cheek with a hand.

"Good old me."

[Yes, fortunately.]

For a moment, both of them looked into each other's eyes silently.

[... If I wasn't that hateful towards humans and I didn't mind being seen by them, just this time, maybe I could have fought for you.]

"No Scarlet. Even if it was the case, I would probably have refused anyway."

[Why?]

"Because you don't like fighting, Scarlet. I wouldn't have wanted you to do something you don't like for my own personal interest."

Scarlet was about to reply but was immediately interrupted.

"Also, how can the others improve and get better if you always win the fight for them?"

[What's the problem if I do 'all' the fights precisely?]

"Because it's always good to have teammates or friends to back you up. What if you encounter someone you can't beat on your own?"

[That would be my loss, my problem.]

"What if my life is at stake then?"

[...]

"You know, someone once told me that alone, you go faster, but in a group, you go further."

[Who told you that?]

"Hemm... a friend of mine?"

At that, Scarlet looked at him suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. I read it on the internet."

[Thought so.] Scarlet replied with a small grin.

"But you get the idea."

[Ever saw one about not feeling down due to a loss?]

"Why does it always come back to me?"

[Why not? I thought you liked being the center of attention.] she said while pinching his nose.

"Not really," Max replied, defending himself.

[Anyway, I think it's time for me to leave you alone for a while. I just wanted to say that if you need anything or just want to talk, I'll be around, okay?]

"Okay, thanks."

[No problem.] she told, rubbing his hair. [At least it will be an excuse to train and spend more time with your companions.]

"I don't think such positivism is good for your health."

[Fuck you.] Scarlet teased while moving her head closer to his.

"By you, any time." Max retorted before both of them kissed for a couple of seconds.

[... Take care.]

"Thanks, you too I suppose."

With a small grin and one last kiss, Scarlet teleported away, leaving the human alone once again. On the roof of the hotel building, she reappeared at the edge, looking at the horizon.

{Alright, let's have a word with the one that fucked up... again.} she mumbled to herself before starting to focus on the living beings of the city.

After a little while, she finally found her target.

Pretty far away from the hotel, Aurora was in a rather big park she found, sitting under a tree as far as possible from anyone or any pokemon.

{... Do you like to do that?}

Behind the tree, Aurora heard the red gardevoir speaking, leaning her back against it on the other side.

{Leave me alone.} Aurora ordered.

Oddly, her tone wasn't aggressive, but more morose, almost depressive. Scarlet hesitated before continuing.

{You know that every time you act like this, you make master look like an idiot.}

{... He already is.} Aurora retorted, sounding more and more down.

{... Why do you even stay with us if you hate everyone that much?}

{...}

{I don't know if you saw it yourself, but I did.}

{Saw what?}

{The face master did when he knew that he lost when you charged like an idiot again. I'll do you a favor and spare you the feeling he had at that moment.}

{... That's very kind of you.}

If she didn't know her, Scarlet could have missed the sarcasm due to how she was responding.

{Look, I don't know why and how much you hate our master, but I think I've tolerated that attitude long enough. Either you change real fast or I make a decision for you.}

{About what?}

{About if I want you on the team or not.}

At Aurora's silence, Scarlet then left her by teleporting away. When gone, Aurora grabbed her head, almost painfully, and began to seriously question herself.

{Where are we going?} Bonny asked, still following the sawk.

{In a place where we won't bother anyone.}

{... Okay. Can I at least know the name of my kidnapper?} Bonny jested, walking slightly behind the sawk.

{I suppose. My friend gave me Blue for a name.}

{Hehe, not only is it not very pokemon like, but it's not very original as well.}

{I told my friend that I wasn't really into names, but he insisted on a way to call me, so I told him to go with the first word he thought of. To be honest, I'm okay with that name.}

{I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of you or be disrespectful.}

{No harm done, don't worry. I do agree that it's not a name that's easily guessed.}

{That's the least we can say. Do you... have a name of your own?}

{... I once did, but I denied it a long time ago.}

{Why?}

{It is said that those who have a high curiosity have high intelligence.}

{They do?}

Briefly, Blue looked behind with a very faint smile and raised an eyebrow.

{Oh, you're talking about me. I'm not too sure about intelligence, but I guess I'm indeed a bit curious.}

{Intelligence appears in various ways.}

{Yeah, I heard my master say that once.}

{Must be quite the wise type of human.}

{He's not perfect and may not think a lot before speaking sometimes, but he's the best human I ever met.}

{I'm glad to hear that.}

{I didn't meet many before him, not to say none, but with those, I saw after and until now, no one ever came close to him.}

{We must cherish everyone special we meet, for those, are very scarce in this world.}

{True, that's why I'm making sure to fulfill every little need he has as much as possible.}

A few minutes later, both of them arrived at the city's park.

{Is it here?}

{Yes. Something the matter?}

{Not really, but even if it's a park, we're still in the city, so I was wondering if there will be enough space.}

{This city is not just mainly known for the colosseum and the gym leader, but also for its big park. It's not the biggest in the region, but close.}

{I see.}

{Pokemon spar or battle almost all out here with others barely noticing, except for very strong ones.}

{Why?}

{When a pokemon has the potential to destroy a city by itself, even the biggest park couldn't be enough to contain it.}

{Scary.} Bonny expressed, half sarcastically.

{I agree. Let's just hope such power never ends up between evil hands, or paws.}

{Yeah.}

When inside the park, they went further in it until Blue stopped in a moderately open zone. Looking around, Bonny noticed that the ground and trees all around were scarred by numerous battles.

{I see that we're not the first ones here.}

{There's a couple more of them around here, but this one is the most likely to be free since it's the smallest.}

{Eh, yeah, there's barely enough space for a single snorlax.}

{It's not bad for pokemon our size who only want a friendly fight.} Blue explained while getting in the center of the zone. {I'm ready whenever you are.} he added, getting into stance.

{Not the kind to waste a second I see.} Bonny told, doing the same.

{One of my weaknesses is that I can't resist a little exercise.}

{Eh, I don't think it will be little.}

{Show me what you've got, then.} Blue taunted in a friendly manner, with Bonnie dashing towards him.

Somewhere else in the city, May and Dusk were walking together rather aimlessly.

{What do we do now?} May asked.

{I don't know, I'm not really good with ideas.}

{Seriously? Not even a single one?}

Instead of answering, she only looked at May a bit shamefully.

{There's must be something that you're interested in here. Besides master, what do you like?}

{Well, walking in flower fields.}

{Yyeeeah... anything else?}

{... Not really.}

{You don't even like to train with us to get stronger?}

{... Maybe a little. Anyway, we can't really do any of them around here.}

{True. No flowers around and training around humans won't be good.} May pointed out while going thoughtful. {I know, why don't we go try to find where the beach is and see how it looks like?}

{Without the others?}

{We won't bathe without them, we'll just do a little reconnaissance.}

{... I suppose knowing where it is could be very helpful later on.}

{Yes. I've been dying for the past few weeks to see and enjoy the beach. It looks so fun.}

{Master looked quite enthusiastic about it, so surely it is.}

{Then let's go!} May almost bawled before speeding up her pace.

{Hey, wait for me.} Dusk called, catching up to her.

For almost an hour, both of them navigated through the city in search of the beach. With the help of the temperature of the air, they were able to find it by how cool the air was getting and the smell as they were getting closer.

{Whoaaa!} May exclaimed, with her jaw almost on the ground.

{It's huge.} Dusk followed, doing the same.

Both of them were now at the entrance to the beach and were astonished at how big it was. From left to right, a few kilometers of sand were surrounding the ocean with humans and pokemon alike on it. The beach looked so big that they were barely filling fifteen percent of the surface, and there were a lot of humans and pokemon.

{I don't know if I'll be comfortable with that many humans and pokemon around us.} Dusk shared, a bit worried.

{Come on now, with the size of that beach, I'm sure we'll be able to find a quiet place. In any case, you won't be alone.}

{... It's true.}

{Oh man, I can't wait for master to get better and come back.}

{Me too, but I wonder what we'll do.}

{We'll think of something when we're there. I'm sure master knows what we can do.}

{I'm sure too. Do you think we should go back to him to see if he's alright?}

{Maybe. I don't really know what else we can do on our own besides walking aimlessly.}

{Maybe we'll think of something while doing so.}

{Good point.}

Turning around, May and Dusk then resumed their walk, wondering what they could do. Then, as they walked into an oddly deserted zone, Scarlet appeared in front of a building, close to the wall.

{Hi, Scarlet.} May greeted.

{Hi. What are you girls doing?}

{We thought that maybe we could come see how the beach was looking. Now we're looking for something else to do.}

{I see.}

{How's master doing?} Dusk asked.

{He doesn't really feel better, but I think some company could do him good.}

{Didn't he like yours?} May asked, a bit surprised.

{Not for long. Maybe he'll get better when you two get back.}

{Maybe.}

{So, what about you, May? How do you feel about the defeat?}

{It sucks, that's for sure. Stupid water-type pokemon and their pool. Not only can you not do anything when you're in there, but you also can't hear a thing. I'm pretty sure master was telling me things, but I couldn't hear him.} May explained a bit angrily.

{Yeah. Water has the nasty property of disturbing sounds.}

{If you ask me, it was a totally unfair fight.}

{I agree. The stage was made to give the advantage to water pokemon only.}

*Tsss* {I would like to see them in a stage where 'I' have the advantage.}

{It could be possible if master ever becomes a gym leader, but both of them are very unlikely to happen.}

{Rha, I know.} May growled, a bit upset.

{Guess it will have to be done the old-fashioned way, which is to adapt and kick their asses in their own element. Trust me, it's way more satisfying.}

{Still.}

{I believe that all we can do about it is to come up with a strategy with master.}

{I hardly see any strategy other than 'not getting into the water'.}

{That's why a human trainer helps some of us to see outside the shell a little.}

*Hmpf* {Sorry for not being smart.} May expressed, a bit upset.

{Don't say that. You're smart, in your own way.}

At that, May looked at her with a more upset look.

{Hehe, I'm just messing with you. We have eight brains in our team, so surely someone will come up with something good eventually.}

{... I suppose. So, the sooner we start, the better.}

{Calm down a little, we have plenty of time. Master didn't schedule another fight yet and from what he saw, it could take a while before we have the chance to have our revenge.}

{What do you mean?}

{Master was lucky this time because someone canceled at the last minute. If it wasn't for that, he would only have been able to fight next week.}

{Next week!?} May bawled a little, surprised. {Then what are we waiting for? We must go there at once.}

{Sorry to tell you, but it's not up to us. Only master can decide when he wants to do it.}

{Looks like some 'encouragement' is needed then.}

{Ohh, I admire your determination.} Scarlet commented with a small grin.

{If you're up to it, I wouldn't mind a little help, Dusk.} May said while looking at the fire pokemon.

{M-me? Are you s-sure?} The braixen replied, embarrassed.

{It's been a little while since the last time for me, and I'm sure it's the same for you.}

Unable to answer, Dusk only looked away, hiding her face a little.

{But if you don't want to, I'm fine with it.}

{N-no, it's okay. I think I'm still a bit embarrassed with that sort of thing, even more so when I'm not alone.}

{Thanks Dusk, that would spare me the extra work.}

{N-no problem, I think.} Dusk replied, not totally sure about it.

{Well, guess I'm gonna leave you two with a pervert human before he sees me. Later.} Scarlet told them before vanishing.

{Time to go.} May exclaimed before quickly walking towards the hotel, quickly followed by the braixen.

Nearly half of an hour later, both of them were back at the hotel. After a minute or two of thinking, they remembered the room where they came from and went in. Closing the door behind them, they noticed that Max was napping.

{Oh no, he's sleeping.} Dusk pointed out, sounding a bit disappointed.

*Tsk* {And we came all the way here to cheer him up.} May complained.

{What do we do now?}

{... Well, we can't back out now, can we?}

{Are you, planning on... doing it anyway?}

{Why not?}

{Won't he get upset?}

{Under normal circumstances, if he was sleeping for real, maybe, but he's just napping.}

{... Is there any difference?}

{Maybe, maybe not. Care to find out?}

{I... don't know. I really don't like upsetting him.}

{It sure it will be fine. Even if he does, he never stays mad at us for long.}

{True, but we have to consider that he was already a bit upset before we left.}

{... Good point. Damn it, I'm starting to hesitate.}

{Should we abandon the idea then?}

Letting out a heavy sigh, May went very thoughtful.

{Rha! I hate turning back on what I've planned.}

{I understand, I too-}

{That's why I won't stop here.}

{What?! Do you really want to risk it?!}

{I think the best thing to do is to wake him up first. Remember that he prefers being asked before.}

{It's true, but waking him up to ask something like that...}

{I mostly agree with you on that one, but I really want him now that we've planned on doing it. Worst case scenario, he will say no and I'll just relieve myself alone.}

{I... don't think I needed to hear that.}

{Come on, don't be so stuck up. In any case, things won't get anywhere if we stay like this doing nothing like idiots.} She said before jumping on the bed.

{Hnn!} Dusk whimpered before following May. {I'm not sure I like this.}

{If we get what we want, I'm sure it will change.}

Slowly, both of them crawled to one side of Max and sat down.

{Master?} May softly called while shaking him lightly.

Not moving, Max only let out a low groan.

{Master?} May called again, a bit louder.

"... What?" he answered with his eyes still closed.

{Me and Dusk were wondering if we could... cuddle a bit.}

Before answering, Max moved onto his back.

"Sure."

{Thanks.} May thanked, hugging one side while Dusk did the same a bit shyly on the other side.

For almost a minute, they stayed like this to enjoy their master's presence as well as his scent.

{Just a small question master.} May asked.

"Hmm?"

{I was wondering if you knew what I meant by cuddling.} She expressed while gently rubbing the skin of his neck.

Max's reaction was to look at her with one eye.

"... Both of you?" he asked, looking at Dusk.

{... I...} the braixen stammered.

{You don't have to say yes. I would understand since you don't feel very well at the moment.}

"And you thought that abusing my body would cheer me up?"

{Hem... Well...} May replied, not sure what to answer to that.

"Eh, relax, I'm just kidding. I believe that it has been a little while since you two asked for it, so why not."

{Well, I wasn't feeling that horny lately, so sorry about that.}

{Me neither, but mostly because I was a bit too much into training.} Dusk followed.

"No need to be sorry. Like I already said, I kind of like that everyone else isn't like Bonny and Scarlet."

{And a dead trainer isn't a good trainer.} May finished.

"Exactly." Max agreed while petting the pokemon and before stretching out. "Hnnnnga! Alright, what do we start with?"

{Hmmm... I was thinking by saying how much we love you.} May proposed while snuggling him a bit sensually, shyly followed by Dusk.

"Is that so? Well, that's a pretty good start." Max replied, petting the two pokemon.

{And I was thinking that we could continue by saying that we want to do naughty things to you.}

"Wouldn't that be a bit too perverted?"

{Maybe.} May retorted before kissing him on the neck.

"Do you agree with that, Dusk?" Max asked, looking at the fire-type pokemon.

{Y-yes. I... want you, master.} Dusk shyly replied before kissing him on the mouth.

Even though Dusk was getting quite confident, there will probably always still be a bit of shyness in her. After all, it's part of her personality. In a way, Max really liked that shy attitude, which was making her incredibly cute, so he didn't mind at all if she always stayed that way. A bit too busy with Dusk, Max failed to notice that May was already working on his pants. With astonishing speed, his pants were already down with his slowly hardening member pushing through his underwear.

"You're getting way too good at this, May. It's almost scary."

{Skill comes with practice, master. You have only but yourself to blame for letting me do this all the time.} May cockily accused while starting to rub his manhood.

"That will teach me to be nice to you." Max jested.

{Whatever. This one here absolutely loves it.} She told him while rubbing a bit harder.

Max was about to reply, but Dusk prevented him by shoving her tongue through his lips. Giving up on the argument, Max extended a hand over to Dusk and began to rub her thighs, making her muscles contract a little. A few seconds later, he was rubbing the inside of them and about to go up when a sudden wet and hot feeling on his shaft startled him.

"Attacking without warning huh? I like your style." Max praised.

{That's the only way to catch your prey flawlessly.} The little mawile replied while pressing the thing onto the side of her face, gently rubbing it.

"Clever girl," Max said before returning his attention to Dusk.

Resuming the rubbing while feeling May's tongue all over his shaft, Max quickly began to go up, rubbing Dusk's outer lips in a matter of seconds.

{M-master... stop teasing me.} Dusk moaned.

"Why? I like it."

At this very moment, May put his member in her small mouth and went as far as possible.

*Humpf* Max huffed in pleasure before looking at her.

He then saw her doing a very perverted but scolding face.

"Two against me huh? Fine." Max conceded, rolling his eyes.

Not wanting to upset both of them, he stopped teasing the poor little braixen and went directly for the drenched cherry.

{Ahh!} Dusk moaned in pleasure and surprise.

"Wow, Dusk, I'm always amazed at how fast you get wet."

{I'm... not.} She tried to deny.

"Really? What is this then?" Max asked, rubbing a bit harder.

{Aahhh!} The fire pokemon moaned again, but louder, and grabbed Max's shoulder a bit firmly.

"Do you like it?"

{Y-yes.} she shyly admitted.

"Great. Let's go further than," he told before shoving one finger through her lips, starting to finger her.

Almost instantly, Dusk lost her strength and fell on Max, using the very little strength she still had to not fall over. Over time, Max discovered where the G spot of everyone was, except for Scarlet. Either he really didn't or he did but Scarlet is too prideful and doesn't want to give him the pleasure of knowing it. Quickly, Dusk's breathing got faster while tightening her grasp on Max. Speaking of him, his pleasure was also growing due to the little mawile assaulting his shaft almost endlessly with everything she had. When one of the team doesn't have their fun time for even a little while, they almost turn savage when they finally get into it.

{Master... it feels so good. It's... coming.} Dusk moaned in Max's ear.

"Already? Well, it shouldn't surprise me since you're the most sensitive one, so I can barely imagine when you're all pumped up over there."

{It's not... true. Ahnnngg!}

Barely finishing her first sentence, Dusk got her first orgasm, trying her best not to pierce Max's skin with her claws.

*Pant* *Pant* {Thanks... Master.} Dusk thanked with difficulty.

"My pleasure, my pretty."

{Mind helping me here?} May asked Dusk after deepthroating Max's hard member.

Still, up for more, Dusk crawled next to her and joined her in the human pleasuring session. Not saying a word, both of them began to either suck or lick, alternating between themselves. From there, Max's pleasure was multiplied as the pleasure was switching from a small and tight mouth to a soft and very hot one. Soon enough, the pleasure started to become unbearable.

"Please Dusk, I need you." Max almost begged after a minute.

{Yes master, take me.} Dusk replied very lustfully.

Like usual, the braixen became very lewd and cooperative when smelling Max's musky scent. Pushing him on his back, she went for small kisses before aligning her wet and burning entrance with his manhood.

{Here I go, master.} Dusk told him before pushing it in. {Braaii!} she moaned in pleasure as soon as the tip was in.

Trying her best not to scream, Dusk kept pushing more or less silently until all that could fit was in.

"And here I am," Max replied, feeling his shaft almost melting.

{Well, master, since you want Dusk to please you rather than me, you will have to take care of me to make it up for it.} May expressed, a bit upset while crawling next to him.

"Well, since I have to deal with that giant maw of yours, I'll comply with your demand." Max jested while giving her one of his hands.

{Hey, that was rather mean.} May started, taking his hand. {You know I'll never use it against you. The only maw that will ever bite you is this one.} she added, licking and sucking one finger.

"Very kind of you."

Letting go of his finger, she placed it under her and let the human do his job, which he did at the same time as Dusk started to bounce on him. Instantly, Max was overcome by heavy pleasure, which made him go slightly too rough on May.

{Sl-slower, please... master.} She softly but lustfully asked.

"Sorry. I kind of got attacked by a wild braixen." Max jested.

{That's… not nice… to say… master.} The fire pokemon scolded him, not slowing down one bit.

With a chuckle, Max kept working on both of them until Dusk was the first to be close to her climax.

{Ahh… it's so good… I'm about to reach it.} Dusk exclaimed, almost too enthusiastically.

"Same here." Max seconded before both parties went slightly faster.

In a matter of seconds, Max came first, pouring his white and hot goo inside her, triggering her orgasm as well.

*Pant* *Pant* {That was… a good one.} Dusk told, going limp on Max.

"That much?"

{Yes, and unfortunately, that will be enough for me.}

"Why unfortunately? It's already good enough that you gave me some of your time, even more so your body." Max reassured, petting the firefox.

{I would give you anything, master, you know that.}

"In a good way, I hope."

{Of course.} She finished before moving away from him. {Time for the clean-up now.} She added with a shy smile, heading towards the bathroom.

{Master! Don't forget about me.} May exclaimed, feeling Max going softer on her.

"Sorry." The human apologized, going back to the previous speed.

{Do you mind… going with something else?}

"Something else?"

{Your fingers just are not enough.}

"Oh, I get you. You want something that has more pleasuring potential, do you?"

{Maybe.} May answered, looking away shyly.

"Alright. I assume it's one of my roles to please the dirty needs of my perverted companions." Max commented with a grin while moving on all fours above her, dwarfing the pokemon a little.

{Please, master, I've done nothing wrong.} May playfully begged.

"Oh, but you did. Now you're about to get what you deserve." The human informed before lowering his head.

{Noo.} May lowly whined with a fake scared tone.

Obviously, she couldn't keep the act very long when she felt Max's lips on her tiny womanhood, giving gentle kisses, making her letting out soft moans. For a little while, Max kept giving only kisses, even going off-zone until May grew impatient.

{S-stop it… Master.}

"Do you really want me to stop?" Max teased.

{Well… No, but… I just want you to… ahh…. go for it.} May explained between pleased breaths.

"Well, since you asked nicely…"

At that, Max stuck his tongue out and went into her entrance all the way up.

{Ghaaa!} The mawile loudly moaned, grasping the human's head firmly.

Not giving her time to even breathe, Max did the same thing one more time with the same result. He did it a few more times before he began to properly eat her, focusing mostly on her tiny clit. Quickly, the steel/fairy type pokemon's moans grew louder alongside faster breathing, letting out a couple 'yes' here and there.

{Faster, master!} May almost ordered with a depraved face.

Not even a minute later, she contained an ecstatic and loud moan due to her rather strong orgasm.

*pant* {Thanks… master.} May thanked, feeling light-headed.

"No problem, sweetie." Max replied, briefly petting her.

A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened.

{Are you… done?} The fire pokemon shyly asked behind.

"Why, yes. Did you wait in there all that time?"

{I… didn't want to interrupt.}

For a second, Max wanted to tell her that she didn't need to, but realized that it was probably also because she wouldn't have known what to do or where to be while they were doing it.

"Eh, I understand." Max replied with a small chuckle. "You can come out now."

Being herself, she moved out and closed the door slowly and carefully.

"Well, what you girls want to do now?" Max asked, lying on his back.

{I don't know. I'm not really the city kind of girl, so besides being with you, there's not much I can do.}

"I see. We can always watch TV."

{That would be nice.} She agreed with a small smile.

"Great. Why don't you leave the bathroom and join me then?" Max said with a smile as well.

{Oh, right. Silly me.} Dusk retorted with a wider smile before joining Max in the bed. {What about her?} She inquired, pointing at the now asleep mawile.

"She's gonna watch it with us. Kind of." He answered before picking her up and placing her between his legs. "Looks like she already fell asleep even before the tv was on, hehe."

{I'm… not sure I get it.} Dusk informed, feeling that he tried to say a joke.

"Oh, hem, well, humans tend to fall asleep in front of a movie or a series, so that was the joke."

{Oh, I… think I get it. Sorry, I'm not good with jokes and such.} Dusk apologized, feeling a bit bad.

"Don't be." Max reassured, petting her. "I'm the one that should apologize for making dumb jokes."

{They're not always that bad. You do funny ones sometimes.}

"Eh, thanks my pretty." Max thanked, gently hugging her. "So, something in your mind?"

{Even though you already talked about human movies, I still don't know much about them. The only thing I know is that I don't want scary movies.}

"Hehe, don't worry, I kind of figured that you wouldn't."

{Unless you really want to watch one. In that case, then…}

"I'm okay, really. I'm not a big fan of horror movies. Not because they're scary, but because they have become kind of sloppy. If it's not a romantic one, I'm okay with anything."

{Me too.}

"Alright, let's see what we get."

For the rest of the evening, both Dusk and Max watched various movies. Their first one was a comedy movie, and the second one was an action movie. As it was getting late, they were watching their third movie, the sequel of the previous one.

"I don't know about you, but sometimes, the 'way too nice' type of guy gets annoying really fast."

{Really? On the contrary, i think I can understand why the girl likes him.}

"Likes him? I lightly doubt that, with the way she acts when being with him is a bit of contradiction."

{She reminds me of Aurora somehow.}

"In a way, kind of, I'll admit. The only difference is that I doubt Aurora likes me like that girl."

{No one can know for sure. Personally, I think that if she really hated you, she wouldn't have stayed with you, even after all this time she has spent with the team.}

"… Perhaps."

Suddenly, almost at the same time, the room's door bursts open with Bonny rushing in with a worried expression.

"Bonny? What's the matter?" Max asked, scared a little.

{Master, I think we have a problem!}

"A problem? What kind of problem?!"

{Aurora… is leaving!}