Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - My Luck Is Sometimes Scary

I woke up slowly the next morning and made my way outside to take care of necessity. Scarlet was already up and had found a nearby spring where we could refill our water skins. After everyone had drunk their fill and we broke our fast I declared that we all needed baths. I hadn't dared wade into the gather pit for fear of lurking water pokegirls and leeches in the murky water so we'd just made due with washing ourselves with silk cloths up to now, but the crystal clear pool was too inviting to pass up.

I set Friday and Harley on watch while the rest of us stripped and climbed in. We scrubbed ourselves with sand and helped clean each others' backs off. Then Scarlet and the FaerieCute used silk towels to dry off while the other two climbed in. It occurred to me that I hadn't named the FaerieCute yet and after some thought I settled on Serendipity, after our meeting. We could call her Seren for short. I stayed in through both baths to be fair to the girls who all wanted to bathe with me.

Since I haven't actually described myself up to now I suppose this as good a point as any. I'm six foot eight inches tall and have a frame like a professional wrestler. My shoulders are nearly three feet across. I'm big by anyone's definition. The only reason I wasn't a beefcake in my old life was sheer laziness. I liked a lot of indoor activities like reading and gaming and consequently hadn't exercised like I should. I had a job that kept me on my feet for eight hours a day so I never crossed that line into obesity, but any extra weight never really bothered me. It didn't affect my dating much either. I found most girls were more interested in me being witty and charming than HAAAWWT! The exception were club rats who mostly judge on appearance, but I always wanted women with more between the ears who could hold a decent conversation anyway so that didn't really bother me.

I have dark rust red hair (my grandparents were from Russia), brown eyes, and a strong jaw on a head the size of a small boulder. Seriously, I can't wear a normal ball cap. It looks like a billed yamaka on me.

After we finished our ablutions we started looking for a path up the bluffs. We spent most of the morning navigating partially collapsed inclines before we finally found one that reached high enough for us to climb over the edge. Seren probably could have found a path over quite quickly for us, but my lucky streak continued. She was a feral-born too. Seriously, how far from civilization was I? In the stories it seemed like every other pokegirl they came across was a former domesticate or threshold.

I had plenty of time to ponder this while walking. Eventually I remembered that the stories tended to gloss over the dozens of ferals the protagonists always caught and sold and just concentrated on the important ones. This was the reality of a pokegirl world where at any given time three out of every five pokegirls were feral and two out of those three were probably born that way. That train of thought hit Maudlinville so before it got there I jumped at the first transfer point and took the train to Staring-At-The-Girls'-Asses City instead. It's a glorious place. I recommend eating out in the waterfront district. Wait. Forget I said that. Those are all my exclusive restaurants.

By midafternoon we were standing on a large flat rock that protruded over a sheer point on the face of the bluffs providing a view devoid of foliage. I could see for miles. Unfortunately there were only trees, gently rolling hills, and open plains. Nothing but Mother Nature as far as the eye could see. This slice of Johto, assuming that's where I was, was completely uninhabited.

With a sigh I turned east and led my little troop away from the bluffs. The land began to slope downward and I soon realized that as the land shifted toward the sea those bluffs might be calving off from the surrounding land mass like part of a melting glacier. A bit of searching yielded a massive old tree which had crushed many others beneath it when it fell. I scrambled atop its mighty trunk in hopes of catching a glimpse of the terrain ahead.

Apparently I was right and the bluffs were slowly falling away from the rest of the land. The resulting slope allowed me to see for a few miles from my perch atop the tree and in the distance I thought I saw manmade structures. With a whoop and a grin I jumped back down and told the girls there was civilization ahead. I then spent fifteen minutes trying to explain what civilization was to them. The FaerieCute hadn't even begun to learn English yet so I just stroked her back while I talked to the others. Harley didn't get it until I used the word town.

We didn't have much of value, but I was hoping to take a tamer test and get some free starting gear at least. Then maybe I could bootstrap my operation into feral catching and gather some real resources to survive. We'd done well enough so far, but I knew we were one fight-gone-bad away from disaster.

We headed toward the town but I knew we wouldn't reach it before dark. Where the land was calving off there was a dark scar in the earth where it became something like a small dirt cliff and I knew we'd have to find a way over or around that area which would take time. We camped that night in a tiny nook between two boulders. We hadn't seen many animals around or any other pokegirls so I figured the town must have hunters who regularly swept the surrounding area.

By midmorning of the next day the town hove into view. It didn't seem too big, but I could see the weathered dome of a Pokecenter near the edge of town so I was excited regardless. The blue roof of a Pokemart beckoned from the main road through town as well.

As we approached the village our group grew quieter and quieter. An eerie silence hung over the town. Despite the hour not a single soul stirred on the streets. There should have been at least a little activity as people went about their day, but we heard nothing. No animal sounds, no children playing, not even the sound of someone gardening filled the air. There were only the soughing of the wind and the creak of tree branches and houses settling.

Without discussion we all started sneaking our way through town toward the Pokecenter. I accomplished this by leading Harley by the hand while I trusted the wild-born instincts of the others in my harem to keep them stealthy. When she tried to speak I put a hand over her mouth and after the first few times she got the message.

We saw the first body three streets from the Pokecenter. I use the term body loosely. It was just a ribcage and spine lying there on someone's front lawn like a Halloween decoration.

I quickly slipped in between two houses, putting my back to a wall, and my girls followed. I carefully peered around the corner again, but the bones were still just lying there a house further down. I bet Friday could smell it long before I saw it, but we hadn't really covered the words for danger yet as I lacked much opportunity and she lacked much vocabulary. We really hadn't hit abstract concepts very much and I was sorely regretting that lack now.

I cautiously peered around but still nothing moved. Deciding discretion was the better part of valor if something lay in wait I moved to the house's backyard and peered around that corner. We then crept from house to house checking every corner and cutting across main streets only to reach other alleys or back yards until we reached the block the Pokecenter was on. At one point we heard a thump from inside a house we were leaning against followed by the sound of some piece of furniture falling over. We swiftly got away from that house.

We saw a few more scattered remains on the way, but they were all just bones. Something had clearly been feeding on them. The street in front of the Pokecenter had several dark splashes and a few more bodies. The splashes looked like blood to me and I assumed as much since a trail of them led to very near one of the scattered bodies.

The bones didn't look very fresh. Some were weathered or had teeth marks and all held a slight stink of decay. I imagine the smell would have been worse but something had obviously eaten all the flesh leaving little to rot.

The doors to the Pokecenter were smashed in. I wouldn't be taking my Tamer's Exam here, but I decided we should look inside anyway. At the very least if the place wasn't looted we might find some pokeballs and taming gear. I knew they kept some on hand for successful test takers and they usually had a box of balls somewhere for various uses.

There were no back or side yards here, just a few storefronts and the Pokecenter itself. Some of the storefronts had broken windows and the door on a pub was hanging off its hinges. Still seeing nothing moving we crept along the storefronts until we were right across from the center. I signed Friday and Scarlet to run across and in. They took my meaning and dashed across the street and through the door. I waited a moment but when I didn't hear any fighting followed suit pulling Harley and Seren along with me.

The lobby was trashed. A fight had clearly occurred here and there were scorch marks from flame attacks as well as smashed furniture to prove it. The power was out so I used the flashlight from my emergency kit to look around. The only remains here belonged to someone behind the counter who I assumed was a NurseJoy based on the scraps of uniform lying around the bones.

Our first loot was right next to her body. Under the counter was a cardboard box filled with several layers of pokeballs. I scooped it up. On examination they turned out to be maternity and pokekit balls. This raised an issue I hadn't really thought to concern myself with up to now. I'd been having rampant daily sex with these girls without any protection whatsoever for weeks. It was entirely possible I'd already gotten one of them pregnant. I needed some regular pokeballs and I needed them yesterday. I wasn't in a position to be a father right now. (I later remembered parthenogenesis didn't work that way but at the time my mind was in overdrive and it just didn't register that that wouldn't become an issue until they were pokewomen.)

I found a set of dried-blood-encrusted keys near the corpse and carefully picked them up with a silk hanky. I didn't want to handle them directly if I could avoid it. We worked our way through the Pokecenter looking for anything of use. In the room containing the Healing Unit I found a box containing regular pokeballs. I added those to the maternity ball box. I could have used some on my girls immediately, but I wanted to turn the taming cycles off first which meant keying them to a pokedex so I could access the options. I just had to find one first.

The room with the transfer equipment was empty and a blinking light on the storage unit indicated it was running on backup power. I wanted to do something about the girls who must be trapped in storage but couldn't think of anything short of getting the power back on. I knew the batteries on those things were good for years so I made plans to come back with help and moved on.

The administration areas contained the first rotting corpse we'd seen. Her head had been blown off and dark stains coated the walls around her. She had numerous injuries but it was impossible to tell if she was alive when her head was removed. Scarlet made doctor's masks for us and we covered our mouths and noses and kept our distance.

The bedrooms were all a bust except for one which had the OCCUPIED: TAMING IN SESSION light on. I thought about seeing if there was a key to open it but then decided to simply knock. At first I heard nothing. Not surprising really, those rooms are supposed to be soundproofed. Then there came a drumming and thumping on the door. We all stepped back in surprise, but nothing else happened. Those doors were meant to keep strong pokegirls in for everyone's safety. The pounding continued. I decided that room could wait until after we left.

The last place we checked was the testing room which in rural places like this often doubled as a common room for passing tamers when they ran out of taming rooms. At the back of the room I found a closet that was locked. Jackpot! I thought with a grin. One of the keys on the keyring turned the lock and I found it was a walk-in closet. Inside were a rollout cart with a projector on it, a portable computer terminal, and the grand prize, two pokepacks!

I grabbed one and activated the menu screen. It was at half charge and contained...absolutely nothing. It must have been a prize for something or just extra storage if they need it. The second pokepack, on the other hand, contained a dozen pokedexes, twenty-three tamer belts, a full gross of pokeballs, seventeen copies of Taming For Dummies, and ten e-pads which were probably how the exam was administered.

I quickly unpacked a pokedex and turned it on. A message popped up saying it required a key to activate the pokedex. That's when I remembered these were usually keyed to the owner's DNA and required special computers controlled by the government to... I stared at the portable computer. It couldn't be that easy. I powered on the portable. It required a password.

Thinking fast I ran back out to the lobby and started looking around the reception desk. Sure enough I found a slip in the top drawer with multiple phrases crossed out and one that wasn't. I ran back to the closet with my girls trailing behind me and typed the password into the pc.

I was in! Thanking God for small favors I searched through the programs and options until I found the pokedex initialization suite. I clicked default settings and a slot popped out on the side of the computer. Guessing by the symbols on the screen I placed my finger in the receptacle. There was a brief sting followed by a hiss and a cooling sensation. By the time I pulled my finger out the screen was already displaying

DNA Accepted

Key Initialize New Pokedex Y/N ?

I plugged the data cable on the pokedex into the pc and clicked Y. There was a spinning pokeball loading symbol and then a popup asked for my name. With a grin on my face and a remembered fondness for MST3K I typed in Wilt Chamberlain. I listed my home address as Viridick City. The machine accepted this and I was now the proud owner of my first pokedex. I could have cried.

I quickly scanned a couple dozen pokeballs to register them to my dex. Then I put on two tamer belts, one as a bandolier, and loaded empty pokeballs into it. The pokeballs I intended to put my girls in would go on my belt, but first I did some searching through the options on my dex and turned off their taming cycles. After that I told my girls what to expect and then captured them, each in turn.

Harley was happy to have a ball again. Scarlet and Friday thought it was kind of strange. Seren, because I couldn't really tell her what to expect, was terrified when she reappeared and required some heavy petting to calm her down. I split our backpacks between the two pokepacks and gave one to Scarlet. Then I stored the boxes of pokeballs I'd picked up and the pc in mine for good measure.

I clipped my dex to my belt, placed my girls' balls on my belt, and we sallied forth from the Pokecenter much better equipped than when we entered.

I planned to hit the Pokemart next. There would be something absolutely essential there. In the Blue League they would have had it at the Pokecenter, but if there had been one here it was gone or lost in the clutter now. We made a beeline for the Mart this time. I wanted to gtf outta here. This town was giving me the heeby jeebies.

The Pokemart doors weren't smashed in. They were just standing open. Judging by the boards over several windows someone had tried to seal the place up. Judging by the uncovered windows and the large dried blood stain on the concrete they never finished and never would.

It seemed like there was a dry sound on the wind. I could barely discern it over the sounds of the trees and I couldn't quite place what it was. It struck me as slightly familiar though, like I'd heard it in a different context, maybe louder or at a different pitch.

Unable to determine where it was coming from or what it was I gestured to the girls and we cautiously entered. Someone had been in here and there were shattered glass cases and empty displays to prove it, but they had by no means stripped the place. Not seeing any immediate enemies I closed the doors behind me. Then I grabbed some taming restraints and wrapped several around the door handles to be on the safe side.

With the exit secured I felt like a kid in a candy shop. First thing was first though. I turned away from all the mouth-watering merchandise and headed for the book counter. There, on a chain attached to the desk, was the holy object I had sought. I knelt before it and lifted it high above my head giving thanks to God Almighty for the wondrous bounty he had provided.

One at a time I called each of the girls over to the counter and pressed the Reading T2 to their foreheads. Then I grabbed a Speech T2 and hit them all again, even Harley. I figured it couldn't hurt in her case. I asked them each if they understood what I was saying and got hesitant affirmatives all around.

After that the shopping spree was on. We could explore how well they absorbed the language later. I grabbed three more pokepacks bringing us up to one each and helped the others put them on. After a moment's thought I also grabbed the last two on the wall. I filled the extras with a wide assortment of camping gear, clothing, and anything of value I saw. I wanted a PPHU or three but if the store had any previous looters had taken them. I grabbed one of each type of T2 in the common bins and stored them in my bag. Then I stored the rest in one of the spare pokepacks. Then I stored the spare in Scarlet's pokepack.

I filled the other spare with all the MREs they had in stock and half the contents of the pokeball bins. It and the rest of the pokeballs went in Seren's pack. I was thankful they'd had a light model designed to fit between wings. It had a smaller battery but could still hold several hundred pounds of gear. I spread the p-med dispensers, antidotes, esuna potions, and other curative items amongst all our packs, clearing the rack, and grabbed an off-the-rack holster for them to attach to my belt. Then I grabbed a few extra holsters and stored them for good measure.

I was starting to feel uneasy about how easy this was but I wasn't going to stop until I'd grabbed everything I could and we were out of town. Next I walked behind the counters and started poking around. My insane luck struck again. Whoever had smashed and emptied the display cases hadn't looked below the counters. From behind the evolution stone counter I began hauling out boxes and trays containing what had to be a small fortune in stones, medals, and crystals. There was also a jewelry-making station set up back there, but I didn't know much about setting stones. I did grab all the precious metal bracelets, rings, and necklaces though. Even with empty settings they would be worth something. After that I moved over to the T2 counter and found a small case of rare T2s beneath it.

While I was ransacking the place my girls had been exploring and picking up things on their own. Scarlet had found the book bin and was packing a small library into her pack since I had showed her how it worked. She could now read the titles and all the pictures looked interesting, especially the buff looking tamers on many of the covers. Friday had found the snack bins which I overlooked in my haste and was gorging herself on jerky, stopping every so often to spit out pieces of the plastic wrappings as she went. Seren was pulling pretty clothing off the racks and trying it on. Some was even designed for pokegirls with wings. Harley, meanwhile, had been walking around looking at her feet this entire time. She'd mostly been doing this for days ever since I got her to start while in the wilderness. I hadn't tried to fix it since it had cut down on her clumsiness and focussing on one thing seemed to improve her form of rabbit ADHD.

I packed up all the stones and T2s to sort through later. I was trying to vacuum up all the drinks, canned goods, nuts, and other durable snack foods I could with the pokepack wand before Friday finished all the jerky when, from across the room, I heard Harley say, "Oooh. Shiny!"

She was standing by one of the broken counter displays staring at the ground and I wondered if she'd seen something the previous looters had missed. I headed over to see what she'd found, but I was still halfway across the store when I realized it was the evolution stone counter she was next to. Even as my mouth opened to tell her to get away from there I saw her bend over and scoop something off the floor right before she was enveloped in a blinding light.