Togetheart (5/6)

{...Hnng…*Yawn*}

Sitting up, Sally the cinderace rubbed her sleepy eyes as her brain slowly booted up. Not knowing why immediately, she mysteriously felt very good.

{Why do I feel so happy this morning?} She wondered.

Then, she began to recall what happened last night.

{Oh, right. I…} She said, going red. {...Did it with him.}

Piece by piece, she reconstructed the steps, from when he entered her home to…

{Oh no. Oh my god, no! I fell asleep.} She exclaimed in a panic. {Dang it! I fell asleep! Good job, Sally. Rhaa!} She growled, holding her head. {Of course, I had to screw up, eventually. Rha, he must hate me now. Falling asleep while he took the time to… Screw my life!}

~POVC~

Outside and further away, Max was walking down the streets with Aurora in the direction of the dojo.

"Slept well?" Max asked.

{So so. I started getting a bit nervous when I went to bed and it's even worse this morning.} Aurora answered.

"Everything's gonna be fine. You just have to do your best and persevere. Besides, how bad could it be?"

{...You're right, I guess I'm more nervous about not knowing what is coming at me.}

"Eh. It will happen to all of us eventually, and there's not much we can do about it."

{Your pep talks are always so inspiring.} The lucario replied while rolling her eyes.

"What do you want me to tell you? As I said, everything's gonna be fine. I'm sure you're worrying way too much."

{...Perhaps.}

It took them a couple of minutes to arrive at the dojo. To their surprise, Fushiu was already waiting outside.

{Old Fushiu? What are you doing there?} Aurora questioned.

{Why waiting for you, obviously.} The old lucario said.

"How long have you been waiting?" Max asked

{Not long, rest assured. It happens that every morning, I love breathing the morning air. It's fresh from the night and on its way to warm up.}

{...If you say so.} Aurora replied, both her and Max looking at each other.

{Well then. Are you ready to go?}

{Go? Where? You mean inside?} She said, a bit confused.

{Ah, didn't I tell you?}

{Tell me what?}

{Hehe, sorry about that. Aging, you know how it is.} Fushiu laughed.

{Well, not really, but I would like to know what you're talking about, please.} Aurora politely demanded, growing impatient.

{I was getting there. Care to follow me a moment?} The old lucario inquired before passing between them.

Shrugging his shoulders at Aurora, both Max, and her tailed old Fushiu. They walked for a short moment to the border of Togetheart before he stopped.

{See that mountain over there?} He asked while pointing at a mountain in the distance.

{Hem, yeah. And?} Aurora said, with a questioning glare.

{That mountain is called Mt. Silversoul. It is quite special. It has the magical property of opening one's mind and spirit. The tranquility and natural energy present there can strengthen one's soul.}

{I hope you're not telling us what I think you are.} Aurora said, afraid of the answer.

{This is where we're going.}

{Going? To the top?} The female lucario exclaimed with wide eyes.

{Yes. The spiritual pressure condenses the higher up you go. We'll go as high as possible, and with the view, you'll constantly feel that you are one with the world.}

{But… it's super far away. We're gonna walk there and back every day?}

{Oh lord, no. I don't have the energy to do that anymore. We're gonna reside there.}

"Reside there?!" Max exclaimed, not liking where this was going.

{Indeed. Do not worry. We have everything we need to sustain ourselves up there.}

{But…} Aurora expressed, looking at Max with worried eyes.

{If you don't think you can make it, you can still reconsider.}

{It's not about that, it's just…}

"How long will she have to stay up there?"

{Like I said yesterday, it all depends on her.}

{Then how long if we speed up the training?} Aurora questioned.

{Well, if we double the effort and skip some steps, I would say in one month you should have a good base to work on your own afterward.}

{"One month!"} They shouted in unison.

{If she really is assiduous, it's the best I can do.}

Aurora then crossed her arms, not sure about the training anymore.

"...You should go." Max encouraged her.

{But… it will mean not seeing you for an entire month.} She said with a worried voice.

"I know, but if you really need it... If it really will help you get stronger, what is a mere month compared to that?" Her trainer responded, with compassion in his eyes.

{...I…}

{I can give you another day to think about it if you want.} Fushiu proposed.

Aurora then looked at Max.

"Either way is fine by me, but it's your call."

She then went thoughtful for a moment. She heavily considered the proposition.

{I… *sigh* no. I'll go now. The sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back.}

{Splendid. Say your goodbyes and we'll be on our way.}

Both faced each other.

{...Well, I guess… this is it.}

"Yeah," Max replied before noticing a tear dropping from her eyes. "Hey now…" He soothingly said. "It's just a month. It's not like we won't see each other for years."

{But it will feel like it. I'm gonna miss you so much.} She justified with watery eyes.

"I know. I'll miss you deeply too. Someone else will have to take the place of the mean pokemon in our group, though." Max joked.

{Hehe. I'm not mean.} The young lucario laughed.

"Of course, you're not," Max reassured, strongly hugging her.

Aurora returned the hug even stronger as if Max was about to be stolen from her. Luckily, she managed to control herself enough to not break anything.

{I love you, master.}

"I love you too, Aurora." He replied, kissing the top of her head.

Not satisfied with that, she raised her head to kiss him on the lips.

"But what about the dojo?" Max asked Fushiu, still hugging her after breaking the kiss.

{Do not worry, young one. Toad will take care of it while I'm gone. I advised him yesterday right after Aurora's demand.}

"Toad?"

{The poliwrath you saw yesterday. He's quite goofy, but he can be very disciplined when needed. He's just not when he doesn't have a good reason to be.}

"That's a free spirit right there." Max jested.

Still strongly hugging him, Aurora had her forehead pressed against Max's belly.

"Still not enough?"

{I'll be gone for a while, so I'm enjoying it as long as possible.}

"I understand. However, I also would like to be like this forever, but Fushiu is waiting."

With a last hug as strong as possible without hurting him, Aurora finally released him from her grasp.

"Don't worry. We'll all still be here once you've returned." Max assured her, petting the cutest thing about her; her long hair between her ears.

{You better be. Otherwise, you can be sure I'll track you down, wherever you are.}

"I don't doubt it. Take care now, Aurora." Max wished, rubbing her left cheek.

{You too, master.} She replied with a smile, touching his hand with one paw.

"See you in a month?"

{See you in a month.}

"I'll be counting the days."

After one last moment staring into Max's eyes, Aurora walked towards Fushiu with a slightly unsure pace after Max held her paw as long as he could until she was out of reach. When next to the old lucario, she looked back and saw Max waving at her. After she returned the gesture for a little while, both departed in the direction of the mountain. With a heavy, slightly emotional sigh, Max turned to get back to the canteen, where the others said they would wait for him. When he entered it, later on, sadness was apparent on his face.

{Damn! You have the face of someone that just found a dump in his shoes.} Bonny commented. {You okay?}

"More or less."

{Why are you so sad? Aurora isn't with you?} Scarlet questioned.

"Nope. She's... gone for a while."

{Say what now?}

{No. Not Aurora!} May exclaimed, worried.

{Explain.} Bonny urged.

"There is not much to explain, actually. Fushiu just took Aurora to the mountain."

{Why a mountain?} Dusk asked.

"Apparently it has the property to help her develop her aura. I'm guessing that's why it's called Silversoul."

They then took a short moment to digest the news.

{It must be hard for you.} Scarlet reassured, rubbing his closest shoulder. {I'm sorry to hear that.}

{Was it really necessary?} Bonny questioned.

{I doubt that that old lucario would abduct someone for fun. I believe that if he thinks it will help her, it will.}

{How long will she stay there?} The braixen inquired.

"One month."

{What!?} The girls exclaimed.

{You're kidding, right?} Scarlet said, hoping that he was.

"Unfortunately, no. Fushiu even said it was a fast-forward program."

{A whole month? When you said that we could wait a bit, I was thinking about a week or two at worst. What are we gonna do in the meantime?} Bonny shared.

Max then took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure.

"The best thing we can do is the same as her; training."

{...I… guess.} Bonny conceded. {Either here or somewhere else, it doesn't matter much in the end.}

{Also, May still has to master her mega-form.} Scarlet remarked.

{I'm starting to get used to it.} The mawile told them.

{Getting used to it and mastering isn't the same thing.}

{I don't understand. Why does she have trouble with her mega-form?} Dusk wondered. {I don't think Bonny had that much trouble with hers.}

{She did, remember?} The gardevoir reminded her.

{No need to bring that up. I still feel guilty about it.} Bonny interrupted.

{That aside, her body doesn't change much besides gaining a few inches. She doesn't really need a height adjustment.}

"And May gains a bit more than just a few inches. She almost gets a completely different body."

{Makes sense.} Dusk conceded.

{It still took me a little while to fully control my strength, though.} Bonny pointed out.

"Let's not forget about all of you, girls. I think you all wanted to learn a new move, right?"

{He's right. I think it's a good opportunity to really work on those. Settling here could give us plenty of time.}

{Where will we live in the meantime? Will you rent a house or…} Scarlet questioned.

"Pitching the tent at the edge of the town, where we won't bother anyone or be bothered."

{Bit of a shame. Sleeping on an inflatable mattress while everyone around has a normal bed.} Bonny complained.

"Well, I can always ask if it's possible to borrow a few camp beds if they have some, but those are much less comfortable than our mattresses. In my opinion."

{Our mattresses are just fine. However, from what I understood yesterday, they don't really like freeloaders here.} Scarlet remarked.

"I could help around. Go where I could be needed by offering my services."

Waiting for a second, with a suspicious look, Scarlet finally said {Ah, for a moment I thought you were talking about another kind of service.}

"Do I look like a prostitute to you?"

{Well…} The gardevoir replied, faking to think about it.

"Okay, scratch that. It was stupid of me to even ask." Max said, making the gardevoir smile smugly.

{I guess it won't be so bad, then.} Bonny concluded.

{Except that I still don't know how to learn a special attack.} May stated, not that enthusiastic.

"Maybe the poliwrath at the dojo can help you. He's a fighting and water-type. Water-types are good special attackers, so I'm sure he could give you some tips." Max suggested.

{Maybe. It's worth asking, I suppose.}

"Speaking of him, his name is Toad and he's gonna replace Fushiu for the time being."

{Weird name.} Bonny commented.

"I agree, but he seems like a nice guy. Well, I guess there won't be many of us over there. Aurora's gone, Luna is still missing, Jade didn't feel well this morning and wanted to skip breakfast to stay in her pokeball."

{We don't especially need everyone to have fun.} Scarlet told him.

"Need is an overstatement, I admit, but it's not true that we'll have as much fun with only half the group."

{We'll manage.}

{Anyway, what are your plans for today?} Bonny asked.

"First off, I think I'm gonna start with the tent. Then, I'll probably go see the dean and see if he has anything in particular that requires some of my help. What about you girls?"

{Mostly training at the dojo, probably. There's not much more we can do around here.} Bonny answered.

{I'll surely do the same. I thought about what you said and maybe I should learn new special moves.} Scarlet said.

"That's great."

{Eh, you're already strong enough. Do you really think you need it?} Bonny jested.

{I do. Otherwise, the brain-bird here won't last long in the wilderness.} The red gardevoir nagged while nudging Max.

"I'll have you know that I can catch butterflies on my own to eat."

{See?} She said, making the other giggles. {But I'm not that mighty. Strong dark and bug-types can still be a pain for me.}

"And we're not talking about ghost-type who terrifies you." Max pointed out before receiving a very weak Thunder Punch to his sides. "Ow!"

{I love that move.} She said, grinning. {Anyway, like any pokemon out there, I doubt I can stand against a legendary pokemon.}

"Pretty sure no one can. That's what makes them legendary, after all."

{That and also the fact that they are extremely rare. I even believe that some are entirely unique.}

"Good point. I doubt that there is more than one palkia or Dialga."

{Personally, I wonder if they even exist. It could be just some regional folklore.}

"I don't believe that we'll ever find out in this present life. Anyway, I'm guessing that you want to also train at the dojo, don't you, May?"

{Yeah, but maybe not as much as Bonny. I also like to play from time to time.} The mawile explained.

"We all do. What about you, Dusk?"

{Good question. I didn't really think about it.} Dusk replied, tapping her chin.

{We could train together.} Scarlet proposed. {You said you don't like to fight but still want to get stronger for master.}

{I do. Well, I could for a few hours per day, but honestly, I'd rather stay with master and help him.}

"I don't see any problem here. Your type combination can be very useful."

{Yeah, she's basically a pyrokinetic.} Scarlet mentioned.

"You mean, like, the ability to control fire? Then all fire-types are."

{Not exactly. You see, through my life, I've learned that some pokemon have some unique abilities with their type combination. For example, Dusk is a fire and psychic-type, which means she can literally control the temperature.}

"I'm not sure I follow."

{Let me put it like this, then. Dusk should be able to manipulate fires and flames around her with her psychic abilities, which I, a psychic and fairy-type, can't. Cooking could be a good example. Where I need to use Fire Punch to cook or burn things, Dusk can control and raise the temperature from the inside.}

"Ahh. I think I'm starting to get it."

{I don't know all type combinations and what they can do, though.}

"That's good to know. Wait, if you're a psychic and fairy-type, how come you control water?"

{I don't control it, I just create a psychic bubble around it and manipulate said bubble.}

"Ah. Well, this world is still filled with mysteries."

{Yeah. There is so much going on around us that we can't explain or even simply understand everything in a single life span.}

"I couldn't agree more."

The group then waited for breakfast to be served. Through a filled canteen, they ate until they were satisfied and left.

"Alright, go wherever you want girls. I'll go get my backpack and find a good spot for the tent."

{We all should go. That way, we'll all know where it is.}

"Good point. Let's go then."

It took roughly one hour to get Max's stuff, find a good place at the outer limit of the town with woods behind it and pitch the tent.

"Perfect. Here, we won't be bothered much and we have pretty much an equal distance from everything."

{And the dojo is just at the end of that road.} Scarlet said while pointing to their right.

"Which is quite convenient."

{It's still a long walk to get there though.}

"You find ten minutes long?"

{I think it's a bit more than that.}

"If you say so."

{In any case, I just hope no one will try to steal our things.}

"They better not. Otherwise, you can do whatever you want to them."

{That, I like to hear. It's been a while since I thought about how to exterminate a human.}

"Please, keep them to yourself. You never know who might listen around here."

{Tsk, true. Pesky humans.}

"Anyway, I'm off to go. You girls are now free to do whatever you please."

{You're busy, so I can't really do as I want.} Bonny said with a fake pouting face.

"Well, you can tell me more this evening if we don't see each other before then. See you later, girls. Don't forget to behave."

{You know us.}

"Precisely," Max said while turning to leave.

{I'll accompany you.} Scarlet proposed.

{Me too.} Dusk said, joining them, leaving Bonny alone with May.

"I don't know about you, but I haven't seen Sally the whole morning." Said max after a small pause.

{She's probably still…} Both Bonny and May heard before they were too far.

{...Well, looks like it's just the two of us, then.} Bonny stated.

{Indeed.} The mawile replied, already heading towards the dojo with Bonny by her side.

~POVC~

Through the houses, bushes, and trees or whatever else could serve as cover, a pokemon was discreetly dashing from one to another, extremely vigilant.

{Okay, Sally. So far so good. If you keep avoiding him, you'll have plenty of time to come up with an excuse.} A certain cinderace said to herself from behind a wooden fence, with only her eyes peeking out.

Seeing that the way was clear, she jumped over it and dashed next to a house, where she was less likely to be seen.

{I say that but what could possibly justify that? Like; Oh, sorry I fell asleep, it's just that- *Gasp*}

Having popped her head from the wall of the house, Sally saw Max walking with Scarlet and Dusk and immediately rushed back into hiding.

{Oh my god! That was way too close!} She said with a lightning-fast heartbeat. {What bad timing!}

Suddenly, Sally felt something poking her shoulder. She turned her head and found herself face-to-face with Scarlet, who was staring at her.

{Boo!}

~POVC~

*Wwyhaa!*

"The hell was that?" Max wondered upon hearing the strange noise.

{I don't know, but it was scary.} Dusk replied, grasping her master's arm to reassure herself.

"It sounded like something just died. A butchery nearby, maybe?"

~POVC~

{S-S-Sc-Scarlet? W-What are you d-doing here?} Sally asked in a panic.

{I could ask you the same.} The red gardevoir replied, rubbing her feather-like ears. {Good thing I don't have eardrums, or else they would be destroyed by now.}

{W-Well, y-you scared me to death, so…}

{Yeah, yeah. Anyway, master was wondering what might have happened to you. I guess that I can tell him you're fine and that you've been avoiding him like a plague since this morning.}

{No! Please, don't do that.} Sally begged.

{Why not? His reaction could be fun.}

{He… probably doesn't like me anymore, so I don't want to give him another reason.}

{Master? Not liking a pretty female pokemon? Are you sure we're talking about the same human?} Scarlet said while raising an eyebrow.

{Pretty? I don't know, but an ungrateful one? Who likes that?} Sally replied, looking down.

{What are you… hold on a moment. Are you talking about last night?} Scarlet demanded with crossed arms and another raised eyebrow.

{Ah, so you know.}

{Well, there's nothing he can hide from me as I can get into his mind and see whatever I want. Huh, master was right; it does sound a bit machiavellian when said like that.} Scarlet mumbled on the last part.

{I can't really blame him. I would probably have reacted the same way.}

{Can you tell me what's wrong exactly?}

{Your master was kind enough to give me some of his time, someone who doesn't matter to anyone, and yet, I dare to fall asleep immediately after. I don't even remember if it was right in the middle of it or not.}

{...Seriously? That's why you're walking around like a murderer on the run?

{Well yeah, duh. That was very ungrateful of me.}

{Oh, my poor Sally. You could hardly be more wrong than that about him.}

{Huh?}

{It was your first time, so it's understandable that you don't know about this, but Sally, it's totally normal to fall asleep after a good mating session. If you did fall asleep right in the middle of it, it's because he did his job well. How many times did you come?}

{Hem… twice, I think.}

{Oh. That's not a lot, but nevertheless. Now, believe me when I say this, but you didn't do anything inappropriate.}

{Wha… Really?}

{Come on, now. Even I fall asleep when he gives me six or seven orgasms from time to time.}

{S-Seven?} Sally repeated with wide eyes.

{The point is that it happens to all of us.}

{...But what about him? Wasn't it… insulting for him?}

{Heck no. My master is not the kind to whimper for so little. I do admit that he didn't cum once and I had to finish him after, though.}

{Cum? Males cum too?} Sally questioned, a bit confused.

{Oh boy.} Scarlet complained, lightly rubbing her eyes.

{Sorry, but I don't have as much knowledge as you.} The cinderace justified, sounding a bit upset.

{Well, you know what they say; it's never too late to learn. Anyway, all of that was to say master isn't mad and didn't think you were ungrateful. In fact, I even find it cute and funny.}

{R-Really?} Sally inquired with eyes full of hopes.

{Of course, he's not. Pretty sure he would like to do that again if requested.}

{...I… feel really stupid right now.} The fire pokemon shared, a bit embarrassed.

{Don't be. Master probably didn't explain a lot to you and jumped on you right away. If you ask, he's the one at fault here.}

{N-No! He's n-not. He was very nice and patient with me. He didn't do anything wrong.} She said, feeling oddly defensive.

{Hu-uh.}

{And, well… if he's still interested…} Sally said with her paws behind her back and twisting one foot on the ground.

{Maybe next time you could be the one to jump on him. Trust me, he loves females with initiative. Now that I think of it, I think he may have a fetish for female domination. I would even go as far as thinking that he likes being dominated by females that can overpower or kill him very easily.} Scarlet pondered, rubbing her chin. {But let's put that useless rambling aside. Now that everything's clarified, can you go see him when you have the time? He's worried about you and I don't like seeing him worried.}

{Y-Yeah. Sure. I'll… do just that.}

{Wonderful. See you later, then.} Scarlet wished before teleporting away.

{...That was embarrassing.}

Turning around, Sally was on her way to wander around the town. Now that she didn't have a ball anymore, she couldn't do her preferred activity; playing soccer. As she was wondering what she could do, a female zangoose came into her path.

{Oh, if it isn't our little virgin Sally.} She spat nastily. {Still walking all by yourself like a loser, I see.}

{Ah, that's where you're wrong, Zinni. I am not anymore.} Sally proudly retorted with her paws on her hips.

Zinni, a female zangoose, was the one that picked on Sally the most every time she could. Unfortunately, the cinderace never understood why.

{Are you mocking my intelligence? Do you really think that you can make me believe that? You have always been alone as far as I know. Why would anyone want you today specifically?}

{Because I'm nice and you're not.}

{You're not nice, you're just too stupid to speak your mind.}

{Someone mated with me anyway.}

{Who on earth would ever want to do that?} She snorted.

{It's the new human in town, Max.} Sally retorted, with a satisfying shine in her eyes.

Zinni then only looked at Sally with a raised eyebrow.

{Him? A good looking human like that can't have an interest in someone like you.}

{Sorry, but it's true. You can go ask him if you want.}

{*sigh* If it's true, then he has really, really low standards. Shame though, I thought he might be a good shot, but if he fucked you, then it must mean that no one wants him. Heuurr! I don't want leftover garbage.}

{I don't know, his companions don't seem to agree with you.}

{His companions? Ah, so he really is one of those trainers. Brainwashed pokemon used as pets don't count. As soon as one is caught in one of those balls, the human can do whatever they want with them.}

{That's… no. Bonny and the others think on their own.}

{Whatever. Believe what you want, I don't care. Just don't come near me with that trash smell all over you.} Zinni said before continuing on her way.

{Ah. She's just jealous because I mated with a hot male and she didn't.} She said to herself with a smirk before resuming her walk.

~POVC~

Further away, Max, Scarlet, and Dusk were still on their way to the dean's house.

{I wonder what they could possibly give us for a job. There doesn't seem to be a lot of things to do here.} Scarlet said.

"I don't know. We'll see. Maybe they need help to peel the potatoes."

{I hope they have something less degrading than that.}

"On that, I agree."

{It could also be something fun.} Dusk pointed out.

{What kind of work can be fun?} Scarlet questioned.

"Well… for example, we can… also there's…"

{Oh, I didn't think about that.} She replied sarcastically.

"Look, we'll just see as soon as we get there."

{Okay, mister grumpy.}

"By the way, you said you want to help me, but what about your training? Wouldn't you lack time for that if you helped me all day long?"

{Hm, I guess not. I can always train one half of the day and help you the other.}

"Not a bad idea. Dusk could even join you, it would be good for both of you. You can help her increase her special power and she can help you with Flamethrower."

{I'm… not sure I'm that good at teaching.} Dusk shyly stated.

"Well, you'll never know until you try."

{...I suppose.}

Later, they arrived at the dean's home. They entered and went towards Zebb's office.

"Hi, Ruby." Max greeted as they passed Zebb's espeon.

{Oh, it's you. Good morning. Have you considered staying?}

"Well, yes and no. Long story short, my lucario will be absent for a while. We'll leave as soon as she's back, but in the meantime, we'll stick around."

{I see. Zebb is a bit busy right now, but you can wait in the guest room in the meantime. He should be done any minute now.}

"Okay. Thanks."

The three of them then headed towards the guest room but had to pass in front of the dean's office. Passing in front of it, they heard voices. Curious, Max stopped to listen. The voices were loud enough to be heard quite clearly from behind the door.

"...We can barely afford a small raise. That's inhuman!" Said a voice behind, seemingly to be Zebb's.

"That's not negotiable. Inflation affects all of us and we have to take appropriate measures."

"The annual tax outcome is supposed to be five percent, not twenty!"

"Sorry if it disappoints you, but business is business. You were clearly informed that this kind of thing might occur. You should be considered lucky to be allowed to have land for your freak circus here. If it was my choice to make, I would have kicked all of you out and bulldozed everything to make a road."

"Well, lucky for me that you're not in charge then."

"No, I'm not. But those who are are expecting you to pay the bill if you want to keep that land. On that, we wish you a good day."

They then heard footsteps coming towards the door and moved out of the way. From inside, two well-clothed men came out of the office. One with a bowler hat and the other one quite beefy. When they spotted them, the first one raised his hat politely with a smile. However, the beefy one immediately glared at Scarlet.

{The hell are you looking at? You insect.} Scarlet said aggressively in her pokespeech.

As soon as the bowler hat man began moving, the beefy one glared at Scarlet one more second before following the other one.

"You know he couldn't understand you, right?" Max pointed out.

{I know. I'm just too used to you understanding me all the time.} She justified, crossing her arms and stared at where the two men disappeared.

The three of them then knocked on the door.

"What is it now!?" The dean exclaimed.

"It's me, Max. Can we come in?"

"Max? Sure, come in." He answered before Max obliged.

"Pardon my language, but who were those two assholes?"

*Sigh* "Some government lackeys."

"I believe they didn't come for a friendly talk."

"Not really, but they mostly do as they're told, so it's hard to blame them. Anyway, I'm guessing you're here to do your part."

"Indeed. Anything will do."

{Except potato skinning.} Dusk jested.

"For today there isn't much, but if you're up to it, we always need people for cleaning duty."

"*sigh* If it must be done…"

"Great. The canteen would be a good start. Then maybe helping in the sawmill. You will probably do the same though."

"I don't mind."

"Alright then. You don't need to come back after, just wander around and see how you can make yourself useful."

"Understood."

"Then good luck. Welcome to our little safe haven."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Max said before leaving. "What do you girls want to do? Wanna start training?" He asked his two companions.

{We could indeed.} Scarlet agreed. {I wonder where we could go, though. The best would be a place with lots of space so we don't burn or destroy anything.}

"Oh, I'm impressed."

{By what?}

"By you, not wanting to destroy a human-filled place."

{I can still change my mind you know. I'm doing this mostly for you.}

"Ahah, no that's okay," Max replied, briefly hugging her with one arm. "Anyway, I think I saw a playfield earlier, but I don't remember where."

{I can search your mind if you want.}

"Since when are you asking for permission?" Max jested.

{You're quite snappy this morning, aren't you?}

"Sorry." Max apologized, rubbing his neck. "I guess I'm still having trouble dealing with Aurora's departure."

{I know, I wasn't blaming you, just an observation.}

"I'm sorry nonetheless. Yeah, you can search in my head. I won't be able to remember it on my own anyway."

{Just think how strong she will be when she gets back.} Scarlet reassured while pressing a hand to his forehead and closing her eyes.

"You're right. Her presence will be missed, though."

{Yeah. She added her little something to our daily life.}

"Like all of you."

Briefly, Scarlet opened her eyes to look at his before closing them again.

{...Alright, I know where it is. It was blurry, but I managed.} Scarlet announced, opening her eyes.

"Good. See you later then."

{Try to not make too much of a fool of yourself.}

"As if," Max replied before the group split in half.

While he was going towards the canteen, Scarlet and Dusk went towards the playfield. There, there were two soccer goals and a small battlefield for friendly pokemon battles not far from it.

{How convenient.} Scarlet commented. {Not too tired from yesterday?}

{A bit, but if I only use special attacks, I should be fine. My legs and shoulders still hurt.} Dusk replied.

{I'll try to not go too hard on you then.} Scarlet assured with a playful smugness.

~POVC~

{M-Max?}

Hearing his name while on the path to the canteen, Max turned his head and saw Sally catching up to him from behind.

"Oh. Hi Sally. I'm glad to see you." He greeted, turning to face her.

{Y-You are?} She replied, already looking nervous.

"Why wouldn't I be? Where have you been? I haven't seen you at all this morning."

{Y-Yeah. I kind of did a… wrong move.} She admitted, looking around her in embarrassment.

"How so? I'm sure it's nothing."

{Well… I kind of… tried to avoid you.}

"Huh? Why? Do I smell that bad?" Max jested.

{No! Not at all. On the contrary, I like your…} She shyly said, paws behind her back. {A-Anyway. It's just that I feared that you might hate me after I dared to fall asleep while doing it.}

"Fall asleep? Come now Sally, there's no big deal about it."

{Scarlet told me the same thing, but… I still feel bad about it.}

"Well, you shouldn't. I don't want to scare you, but that might happen when it's that good. More than you think, actually. Anyway, we were already more or less done, so it's okay."

{Done? But… Scarlet told me that you weren't and she had to do it.}

"Tsk. Unable to add her salt grain that one." Max grumbled, rubbing his head.

{She said she had to finish you because… no, forget it.}

"Now come on. Finish what you started"

{I don't want to look more idiotic than I already am.}

Sighing, Max got closer to her and lowered his head to hers.

"I'll tell you a little something, Sally." He started, petting her head. "I like all pokemon. Smart or not, pretty or not, sexually depraved monster or not. However, what I don't like are pokemon that talk down to themselves. You're not stupid, Sally. If you were, you couldn't do half of the things you do."

{But… I know so few things.}

"Let me tell you a little something. Intelligence is not only about what you know or not." Max assured, gently tapping her on her nose.

Sally then didn't know what to say anymore. She also didn't know if she should believe him but had the feeling that she should.

{...Thanks, Max. You really are a nice human.} She said with a big smile.

"I hear that all the time, so I guess it might be true."

{It is! You did so much for me in one day, more than anyone else has in years. I…} She said, before getting all shy at the end. {I'm… kind of jealous of Scarlet and the others. I wish I could be with a trainer like you.} She confessed, barely able to look at him.

Max then felt a little sting in his heart. He also wished that he could, but had to remind himself that he could only have six pokemon to prevent abusive catching.

"Well, I might not be your trainer, but I might have good news for you, though."

{Huh?}

"Aurora will be gone for an entire month, so I'll stay here until she's back."

{A… month? It means that… you'll stay…}

"Yep. An entire month, so we'll have plenty of time together."

Sally seemed to be in shock for a moment until the biggest smile she could muster appeared on her.

{OH MY GOD! YES!} She yelled before starting to jump around. {YOU'LL STAY! YOU'LL STAY!}

"Glad it makes you happy, but maybe you should quiet down a notch. People might think that I'm assaulting you."

{Oh, s-sorry. I got really carried away.} She apologized, stopping with a small bow.

"It's okay."

{So it means… Will I be able to… make you forgive me?}

"Huh? But I already forgave you, Sally. Even though there was nothing to forgive in the first place."

{I mean… can I have another chance… with you again?} She shyly asked.

"Another chance? Oh, you mean doing it again."

{I promise! I won't fall asleep this time!} She fervently told him.

"Whoa now. Even if you were to fall asleep again, I don't mind."

{R-Really?}

"Of course not. To be honest, it was good with you."

{W-What? C-Come now. Y-You're just saying that.} She replied, extremely embarrassed.

"No, I'm not. I always found first-timers super cute. Their innocence and clumsiness always spark a little something in me."

Too embarrassed and joyful, Sally could hardly pronounce any words. She then briefly looked Max in the eyes, walked towards him, and hugged him.

{I… think that I'm in love with you.}

Upon hearing that, Max got a little surprised. He sure didn't plan on making her 'that' attached to him.

"Oh, you do now?"

{Hmm hm.}

"I… gotta say that I'm flattered, but…" He started, petting the back of her head. "You know that after one month I'll go, right?"

{I know, but I can't help myself. You have been so nice to me and even desired me when no one else did. I… can't control it.}

"You're nice too, Sally. However, It's quite unfair if you ask me because you deserved that a long time ago."

{...}

"I guess you were just that unlucky," Max said with a sad smile.

{But now you're here. I know I shouldn't, but… I'll try to enjoy you as much as I can for the next month.}

*sigh* "You know, you could always come with me."

{Really?} Sally said, raising her head to look at Max. {But you told me that you already have your six pokemon.}

"I do, but you could always just follow me around like Scarlet."

Sally liked what she heard. In a sense, she could always be with him. However…

{...I…} She started, breaking the hug. {That would be nice, but I think that I shouldn't.}

"Why is that?"

{It's my home here. I may not be the most popular or desired pokemon around, but it's my home. I feel safe and cozy here. Anyway, you already have a lot of pokemon with you, so if I come, I'll just be another one that you'll have to take care of.}

"It's not that much of a problem."

{I have a hard time adapting to new things, so I'm gonna be more of a burden than anything else. If you travel everywhere, I'm gonna be too much work for you.}

Max then rubbed his head in confusion.

"Are you sure about that?"

{Yes, don't worry. I haven't noticed before, but I like this place. I guess I just needed to know that I can interest someone.}

"A little boost in your confidence in short?"

{...Probably.}

Max then stared at Sally. He really found her cute. He still didn't understand how no one had ever approached her yet. She was pretty and had a very feminine physique with touching eyes.

"...Well, we'll be together for one month, so I guess you could use that time to really think about it. You may change your mind."

{I will. But in the meantime, is it possible that…} She said, shyly playing with her paws while looking away. {We could be… like… a c-couple?}

Again, Sally's cuteness was hard to bear.

"Sure thing, Sally. With all the benefits that come with it if you want."

{Yeepi!} She exclaimed before hugging him again. {I have a boyfriend now.}

"Hehe." Max chuckled, petting her once more. (I just hope Scarlet doesn't kill me.)

They hugged for a moment until Max spoke.

"Alright, Sally. I love hugging you, but I have jobs to do."

{Oh, right. Sorry. I forgot.} Sally replied, breaking it.

"Well, I didn't really tell you in the first place anyway."

{Oh, I forgot that too.}

Chuckling, Max petted her one last time.

{Can I accompany you?}

"Sure thing."

With a big smile, Sally walked beside Max towards the canteen. With her paws behind her back, she quietly hummed. Max was so glad to see how she was overflowing with happiness at the moment. He then thought about the moment he'd have to go. It might not be as bad as he could think since now she's prepared for it, but wished that she wouldn't be too heartbroken when the time came. After a while, they arrived at the canteen.

"Well, this is my stop."

{Here?}

"Yeah. I've been tasked to do some cleaning."

{Aww, poor you. Cleaning duty is so boring.}

"I have no choice but to agree with you," Max replied before both of them laughed.

{Well, well. If it is not Sally again.} A zangoose engaged that was walking towards them in the opposite direction.

{...Zinni.} Sally grumbled when she saw her.

{Wow. Sally wasn't lying when she said you were a hot-looking male.} Zinni said, getting closer to Max. {Say, how about I show how a real female can handle a male?} She tried convinced, gently and slowly crawling one claw on Max's belly, stopping at his belt.

"Can I know who you are first?"

{It's Zinni. A big meanie.} Sally answered.

{Aww, don't say that Sally. He might just believe you.} The zangoose denied, looking at Max with lusty eyes. {So, what do you say? I can guarantee you that you'll have the blast of your life. Literally. Haha.}

"Will I now?" Max inquired, looking doubtful

{Of course. I'm not the one to boast, but I could make you cum in less than five minutes and so on.}

"Less than five minutes huh?"

{Oh yes. Even earlier than that if I feel very horny. You're on the right way for that.}

"That's impressive." Max praised, making the zangoose grin in pride. "But… not quite as much as the girls I have. Bonny, Dusk, Aurora, and May can all make me cum in less than a minute if they are horny. And I'm not talking about Scarlet, my gardevoir. Every second if it's her desire."

{What?!} The zangoose exclaimed with her grin disappearing. {That's impossible. No one can do that.}

"Looks like that some can."

The zangoose then glared at Max.

{You know what, fuck you, alright? I have no time for garbage like you. Enjoy your retarded fuck toy, then.} She spat before passing by them.

"What a bitch." Max commented.

{...Thanks.} Sally said.

"For what?"

{For… refusing.}

"That wasn't hard. You said she was a big meanie."

{You still could have…}

"I don't mate with bitchy sluts."

{The worse is that she did that only to try to get under my skin.}

"You think?"

{She always hated me for no reason and insulted me every time she could.}

"If you ask me, she does have a reason."

{S-she does?} Sally inquired, a bit scared of the reason.

"Come on, Sally. It's too obvious. She doesn't like you because you're way prettier than her. And in my personal opinion, sexier than her."

{...That… would make sense.} Sally conceded, madly blushing.

"For her well-being, she better behave if my girls are around. Her life could be in danger if not."

{Hehe, probably.}

"Well, see you later then. Take care." Max wished, waving at her before heading inside the canteen.

{Y-You too.} She said back, also waving at him.

When he wasn't in sight anymore, Sally continued walking while humming. The rest of the day went well without any casualties. Max moved from one place to another for cleaning duty, Scarlet trained with Dusk and May the entire morning and helped Max in the afternoon. When their training was done, both May and Dusk headed to the dojo and trained with Bonny. Mostly May, because Dusk was there mostly so she wouldn't be all alone. Luna still hadn't shown up the entire day, which was grieving Max a little. It was her personality and he couldn't do anything about it, but still had a hard time with her solitary side. He wished her well-being but also wished that he could spend a bit more time with her. It went on like this pretty much every day for an entire month.

However, later that night, Max was relaxing in the tent after he and Sally had a very steamy mating session at her place again, where she was the most comfortable for now. This time, she prepared herself better before inviting him; she gathered information about him and males in general from Scarlet while she was training with Dusk and May, both adding a bit of information. Everything went well and a lot better than the last time; she didn't fall asleep immediately after and Max could even orgasm once. As Max was talking with the three girls, Jade called him from outside the tent.

{M-Max. C-Can we talk?} She nervously asked.

"Sure thing, Jade. Let me just put on some pants and I'm out."

{Do you think she made up her mind?} Bonny quietly asked.

"We'll see," Max replied before popping out. "What is it, Jade?"

{I… just wanted to say that…} She started, nervously playing with her fingers. {If you really think that you can make something out of me… then…}

"You accept?"

Her response was a shy nod.

"That's great, Jade. We can start as soon as tomorrow. Unless you want a bit more time to prepare yourself."

{N-No, that's okay. T-Tomorrow is fine.}

"Alright. I'll advise Scarlet as soon as I see her. Just by curiosity though, what made up your mind?"

Jade hesitated a bit before answering.

{When I see Dusk or the others doing their best to be strong… I don't know. It's just… it didn't feel right for me to do nothing whilst they work so hard. If I can be less of a burden, maybe I should try at least.}

Max then smiled.

"I'm really proud of you, Jade. I can see within the next month that you also will get better and better."

Embarrassed by his praise, Jade then was now barely able to look at Max and was still playing with her fingers, as if she had something else to ask.

"I'm guessing that you want to sleep in the pokeball?"

{Y-Yes, please.}

"No problem," Max assured before briefly half entering the tent to get her pokeball and put her in. "Good news girls!" He announced while entering the tent.