Rebirth (2/4)

It has been a few minutes since Max, Dusk, Scarlet, and Sally entered Mike's car, with Max feeling a little nervous in anticipation of the upcoming events.

[Is something the matter?] Scarlet asked him in his head.

(Huh? Oh, well, not really. I mean, it has been a while since the last gym battle, so…)

[You're nervous?]

(A little, yeah.)

[It's understandable, master. It has been a while since the last time, which was… well, in your worst state I'd say.]

(Makes sense. Don't get me wrong, I'm very confident in my team, but… I don't know. It feels like I'm doing this for the first time.)

[It kind of is.] Dusk said on her side. [After all, you practically have a brand new team with you.]

(Yeah… I guess I'm also hyped to see my girls in action. The girls, I mean.)

[You can say 'my', master.] Scarlet assured him. [You don't have to listen to Mad-Ji's jealousy talk if you don't want to.]

(I know, but I kinda get the point she was making. It's true that it's not so honorable of me if I see you as my belongings.)

[You know that I don't mind myself, but if it's bothering the others…] Scarlet said.

[Well, I personally like how he's trying to consider us more like his friends than just pokemon following him.] Dusk stated. [I believe it makes us more equal.]

[...That is a valid point, but I don't necessarily share it.] Scarlet replied.

[It's okay. It's nice to have some variety in opinions and mindsets. Don't you agree, master?] Dusk said, rubbing Max's closest thigh with a grin.

Oddly enough, ever since Dusk evolved, a friendly rivalry appeared between her and Scarlet since they're both psychic-type pokemon. It wasn't anything hostile or hate-inspired, but more so of 'who's the better psychic pokemon' type of rivalry.

(I guess. As long as there's no one fighting over them.)

[You know us, master.] Scarlet assured, doing the same on her side. [We're better than that.]

(I know. That's why I love both of you equally.) Max said, grabbing both of their hands.

Scarlet and Dusk then looked at each other before smiling.

(Thanks, girls. You always know how to calm me down.)

[Any time.] Both said before kissing both his cheeks at the same time.

A little while later, the group was now arriving at the beach, where a pretty good amount of people were already present. After they got out, they noticed that Theodore was already fighting another trainer.

{Looks like we're gonna have to wait.} Scarlet complained.

"We could go see. Watching others battle each other can provide us with some useful information."

{Your battle is the only one I care about, but if you say so.}

"We may be here for a while, Mike, so you can head back to the mansion. We'll either walk or teleport back."

"Understood, Mister Max." Mike acknowledged before getting back in the car and left.

"Come on. Let's see how these guys are doing."

All four of them then entered the beach zone and got close to where Theodore was fighting. Obviously, a crowd was already formed around the fighting dome. Easily finding a good place, despite the obvious crowd formed around the fighting dome, Max and co. were now a few inches away from the battlefield. After finding a good spot, they noticed that the opposing trainer wasn't doing so well, as Theodore was still using his heatmor.

"Alright, I give up." The trainer said while returning his now fainted wartortle.

"Already? You only used two of your pokemon." Theodore mentioned.

"If I can't beat you with two water-types, how can I hope to beat you with a grass-type?" The trainer replied, looking a bit salty.

"Type doesn't mean everything, but alright." Theodore accepted before dropping the dome. "I won't force you to continue if you don't want to."

Without any other word, the trainer left.

"Alright. Anyone else?" He asked everyone.

"How about me?" Max answered, casually walking in front of him.

"Ah, confidence. I like that. Wait, your face tells me something…" The gym leader said, looking at Max suspiciously.

"It's been a while, Theodore. I challenged you about a year and a half ago."

"Really?"

"Yup. You fought against my mawile and stopped the battle because you didn't want to fight me in the state I was in."

"Hmm… Oh!" Theodore exclaimed. "I remember now. Yeah, you're the guy with the mega-mawile."

"Precisely."

"Shit, man!" He laughed. "How come it took you so long to get a rematch?"

"I've been training."

"Is that so? And now you come to me to see the results of that training, am I right?"

"Yes."

"Haha! You're practically oozing confidence compared to last time. Alright, challenge accepted. Let's give everyone a good show." Theodore said, synchronizing his Ergowatch.

"We will," Max mumbled with a grin, doing the same.

"I'll start off. Let's go, Urrur." The gym leader called while tossing a pokeball, making a magmar appear.

Max was expecting at least his heatmor, but knew it wouldn't change a thing.

"Let's go, Aurora," Max called, releasing his lucario.

Upon materializing, the crowd gasped a bit with some low laughs.

"A steel-type? Strange choice." Theodore commented. "But type doesn't mean everything, so you never know. We're ready."

"Alright. Aurora, it's showtime." He told his lucario before snapping a finger.

Instantly, Aurora disappeared in flash, completely invisible after leaving a cloud of sand behind until she was already on the magmar a slight fraction of a second later.

*krrapphh!*

With the loudest punch noise that anyone could hear, the magmar was propelled in the air meters away with a Meteor Mash. Quickly, Aurora used her aura to jump in the air with tremendous force to instantly catch up to the airborne magmar. There, she assaulted it with an aura-powered Close Combat, creating blue fireworks with every hit. Next, she grabbed it from behind and used an aura-powered Seismic Toss to propel themselves towards the ground at lightning speed. A couple of inches from the ground, Aurora threw the magmar and landed on him with a Dynamic Punch, creating another big cloud of sand upon impact. Before it could even subside, Aurora did a back jump and landed exactly where she started the battle, everything happening in less than ten seconds. As for the spectators, everyone was speechless with a few having their jaws on the ground.

"...Holy shit!" Theodore exclaimed.

A moment later, the sand dropped and showed a knocked-out magmar.

"...Well, that's a bummer," Theodore said, calling back his magmar while scratching his head.

{Good job, Aurora!} Sally cheered.

"Not bad, but let's see how you manage against this one."

Throwing a pokeball, an infernape emerged from it with a very aggressive expression.

"Genji is the fastest of my team. Fast as she is, your lucario can't outrun him."

"A speedster, huh? Well, let's switch it up." Max said with a confident smile. "Incredible job, Aurora. You rock!" He praised before returning the lucario inside her pokeball. "Your turn, May." He called, releasing his mawile.

"Another steel-type? Well, I won't underestimate you this time. Let's hit hard right off the bat."

"Iron Defense, May," Max commanded, with May using the said move upon herself immediately.

"Quick, hit her with full power before she could increase her defense!" Theodore ordered.

With one fist bursting in flame, the infernape rushed at May at high speed and hit her with Fire Punch. However, May chose not to dodge and instead blocked it with her arms. Even though the impact noise was rather loud, May didn't even move an inch. A second later, the infernape pulled back his fist and held it, groaning in slight pain, meanwhile upon lowering her arms, May didn't even look scratched.

"What's up with these pokemon?" Theodore wondered out loud.

"These pokemon are my pride and Joy, Theodore. They've gone through the harshest training regime you could ever imagine. They've worked to change their weakness into strength, and their strength into even better strength." Max started monologuing. "They've been broken and reforged by their instructor before being broken once again the next day. For the past year and half straight, they were never in one piece for a single day, so you can bet that they won't lose here."

"...Damn… Genji, go for a ranged attack then." The gym leader said, making his infernape retreat.

"Nice try. May, Rollout."

Running at the infernape, May jumped a little in the air before rolling into a ball and started spinning towards her opponent.

"Dodge it, quick!" Theodore commanded.

With the infernape barely succeeding, May continued her attack and went over the dome shield, where she bounced back at the fire monkey pokemon. Unable to dodge, it took it at full power, sending him flying meters away. As soon as he touched the ground, May was already on him and struck him again.

"Genji! Counter!"

Unfortunately, May had built up too much speed and was basically tossing the infernape around like a toy. After a couple more hits, she hit him once again and launched him into the air. Stopping instantly, May glided on the ground for a short distance before jumping towards the infernape and using Iron Head. With both of them in the air, they landed on the ground at the same time, May on her feet and the infernape on his back, fainted.

{That was impressive.} Scarlet praised.

{Whoo! Way to go, May!} Sally exclaimed louder.

Not saying a word, Theodore recalled his pokemon.

"Well, seeing as how my pokemon don't even last thirty seconds, I don't have a hard time believing you. There's a colossal difference in power between then and now. However…" He said, pulling out another pokeball. "No matter how strong your pokemon are, it will be hard to beat her. Come on out, Flakie!"

The gym leader then released an emboar on the battlefield. However, this emboar was no ordinary one. She was an oversized emboar with huge arms. At every exhalation, she was spitting out flames from her nose.

"Flakie is the strongest emboar you'll ever see. Speed and power mean nothing to her, as she overpowers every opponent she faces with her overwhelming strength." Theodore presented.

"Strength, huh? Well, I have just the opponent for her. You were perfect, May." Max said, calling May back.

He then withdrew his last pokeball and released Bonny, who was looking overly confident and overly relaxed.

"A lopunny? You sure are full of surprises."

Not even waiting for orders, the emboar menacingly approached Bonny, trying to intimidate the lopunny with her towering height and glare. However, Bonny wasn't phased in the slightest and was even amused by the emboar's attempt. Annoyed by the lopunny's arrogance, the emboar tried to grab her with her two large hands.

*Clang*

However, the emboar momentum was stopped cleanly by Bonny, who grabbed the emboar's hands with hers.

"Calm down, Flakie," Theodore said to his pokemon. "You're dangerous when you lose control."

From behind, he then saw his pokemon shaking.

"Uh… Flakie?"

Sweating intensely, the emboar was using all of her might to outpower Bonny, but it felt like she was trying to move a skyscraper.

{Ghnn! Damnit!} The emboar growled, unable to move the lopunny's arms even a little.

On her side, Bonny wasn't even shaking and was even having fun with a smile, not even using half of her strength. She then trapped the emboar's hands in a handlock and played a brief little game of crunchy, with Bonny easily bending the emboar's wrists. Bonny's opponent then tried to escape, but Bonny's grasp was already locked tight, preventing the fire pokemon from escaping. With a wider grin, Bonny even began to push the emboar backward, with her being powerless against the lopunny's might. Some people in the crowd even gasped.

{What the hell… are you?} The emboar growled.

Not responding, Bonny kept pushing the huge and heavy pokemon with relative ease until she pressed her against the dome wall.

{Let... me go, damnit!} The emboar ordered while having her arms being pushed away against the wall as well.

{As you wish.}

In a swift motion, Bonny lifted and threw the emboar at the other side of the dome shield with such ease that it was like she tossed a pillow.

"What… kind of lopunny is that?" Theodore asked, astonished by the abnormal strength of a normal-type pokemon.

"Eh, probably the strongest in the world," Max replied proudly.

"Huh?"

"You see, when we started our training, we discovered something about her."

~Nineteen months ago~

After the first weekend of rest, Max and his companions had, Monday had approached and they were on their way outside in the early hours.

"*Sigh* Mondays are always the worst," Max complained.

{Don't let her hear you, otherwise, you're gonna get double the work.} Aurora suggested.

"I know. My arms still hurt from last week. I hope she'll be more forgiving this morning."

{Eh, don't count on that.} Scarlet assured.

When outside, they saw Mad-Ji already waiting for them while doing one-handed push-ups with gravity that she seems to have increased on herself.

{About fucking time.} She said, stopping everything before standing up. {I hope you all rested well because from today on, we will be kicking things up a notch.}

"Already?" Max said.

With Mad-Ji glaring at him, he immediately bowed his head a little.

"Sorry, ma'am." He quickly apologized.

{...Thirteen laps around the garden for a warm-up, and quickly. We don't have all day.} Mad-Ji instructed while still glaring at Max.

With Max sighing in his head, Max was about to run, but Mad-Ji stopped him.

{Not you two.} She said, stopping Bonny as well.

When Mad-Ji got closer to Max, he began to fear for his life.

"I'm sorry again, ma'am." He apologized.

{Ass licking doesn't work on me, Nemako.} She snarled at him. {...But you're in luck this morning because that's not why I brought you here.}

"Really? Then why?"

Before answering, she touched both of them and got teleported to a mountainous region.

{I want to test something.}

Max and Bonny then looked around, not recognizing the zone, which was resembling shrublands.

"Where are we?"

{Hundreds of miles away from home, so you better not piss me off if you don't want to spend the next few weeks finding your way back.}

"...Understood."

{Now then…} She started while turning around, walking towards the mountain that they were at the foot of.

With Max and Bonny following, she stopped after a couple of seconds of walking, now only inches away from the wall of the mountain. She turned to face them.

{Let's see how strong you really are, Cheerleader…} She continued, looking at Bonny.

{Huh?}

Clenching one hand into a fist, Mad-Ji gathered so much power in it that all of the air deformed around it. Then, she struck the wall behind her with a hammer punch. The impact was so deafening and intense that it resonated over a couple of kilometers radius and even shook the earth beneath Max and Bonny, causing them to almost lose their balance. After that, there was a dead silence. As Max and Bonny were wondering what she was doing, rocks and boulders began to fall behind Mad-Ji.

"What have you-"

{Don't disappoint me.} She told them before teleporting away.

With more and more rocks rumbling across the wall of the mountain, both of them were now wondering what was really going on.

"The hell are we supposed to do?!" Max exclaimed.

Then, when they looked up, both got white from fear. Spotting it just in time, a colossal boulder was descending towards them. By the size of it, they knew they wouldn't move out of its way in time to dodge it.

{GET DOWN!} Bonny yelled before pushing Max to the ground.

After a few seconds of waiting for the inevitable with hands on his head, Max heard a loud impact noise. It then took him a few more seconds to notice that he felt absolutely nothing. Wondering if he was dead or alive, he raised his head and noticed that the boulder was floating over him. Confused, he then looked around and his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw that the boulder was actually being held by Bonny.

"B-B-Bonny?"

In the middle of the boulder, Bonny had her two paws and a part of her head encrusted into the boulder, mostly resting under a tiny crater. Her muscles were so contracted that they almost looked twice in size and very veiny. Her legs were also heavily shaking and her jaw clenched to the point that she could break her own teeth.

{Ghaaaa…} She groaned with closed eyes, doing her best not to lose balance. {M… o… ve…} She hardly said.

Like a deer in front of car headlights, Max was petrified, not understanding the unreal scene before him. Then, he suddenly woke up when he saw Bonny spilling blood from her nose and seeing the boulder getting lower by the second. Knowing that she was already at her limit, Max crawled as fast as he could and got out of harm's way after a couple of seconds. With him now behind her, Bonny used all of her remaining strength and tossed the boulder a few meters away in front of her. By the sound and shock wave it made when landing, the boulder was surely weighing at least a hundred tons. Bonny's strength left as soon as it landed, causing her to fall on the ground with her muscles shutting down completely.

"Bonny?" Max shouted, dashing towards Bonny.

Kneeling next to her, Max pulled her head into his thighs. At least, her heart and lungs were still functioning, as she was heavily panting with a very fast heartbeat and closed eyes.

"Bonny? Talk to me. Are you still with me?" He asked, gently tapping one of her thighs.

{I…*Pant* *Pant* Don't…*Pant* *Pant* Know…}

Shortly after, Mad-Ji reappeared next to them.

"What the fuck was that!?" Max yelled. "Were you trying to kill us?"

{Why ask a question that you already know the answer to?} Mad-Ji nonchalantly replied while rubbing the boulder. {Hmm… I estimated this boulder to be roughly one hundred tons, but I guess I miscalculated and dropped a heavier one.}

"What are you talking about?"

{Nevermind. Well, looks like it's not today you will be crushed to death by a two hundred and twenty-five tons boulder.}

"A… what?" Max replied, looking at the boulder behind in front of him.

{Anyway, let's get back home. I'll be magnanimous and let her at least rest for the morning.} Mad-Ji said before teleporting them back to the mansion.

~Present day~

"...Discovered something, you say?" Theodore repeated.

"You could say that my lopunny has unimaginable strength that could outmatch a machamp." Max boasted.

"... *Hpmf* Decidedly, you're full of surprises and definitely not the same trainer I fought a year and a half earlier," Theodore admitted with a small smile.

"And we're not done yet. Bonny, let's finish her off but contain your power. I don't want you to destroy the city." Max commanded.

With a smiling huff, Bonny slightly crouched while having her eyes locked at the emboar, who was trying to recover from the throw against the dome wall.

"Bonny… Return."

In a flash, Bonny's muscles exploded and propelled her towards the emboar at a lightning-fast speed. The impact was so strong that a shockwave created a small and very brief sandstorm inside the dome. Then, with no one understanding how, the emboar was thrown further, outside the supposedly present shield dome, and landed on a small rock formation nearby, exploding them upon impact.

"Holy fuck!" Said some people in the crowd, having dodged the flying pokemon.

"What just happened?!" Said another one.

"What the… Flakie!" Theodore exclaimed, rushing towards his pokemon.

With the sand still falling, Bonny jumped outside the cloud and landed near Max, not even looking exhausted.

"Are you okay?" The gym leader asked, now next to his pokemon.

{I'm good… don't worry. I'm just… dizzy. And in pain.}

Not understanding what she said, Theodore felt her answer and knew she was okay.

"What a relief."

"Are you serious? No way he could have done that." Said one girl from the crowd. "That dome is supposed to withstand anything."

"How do you explain that, then?" One guy replied. "His lopunny freaking destroyed the shield dome."

"But… even an average machamp can't do that."

"It's possible if he becomes strong enough, but…"

"Nice work, Bonny." Max praised, with both high fiving.

{I still have a bit of trouble properly pulling my punches.} Bonny said, looking at her clenched fists.

"At least you didn't kill her," Max replied, petting her affectionately, making her smile in glee.

{You did it, Master!}

Turning, Max saw Sally jumping on and embracing him in a hug, almost making him lose his balance.

"Oof!" Max huffed, holding the cinderace over the ground with one arm.

{You're the best!} She exclaimed, fiercely rubbing her face against his.

"Now, now Sally. We're in public, y'know?"

{Who cares? You won.} Scarlet pointed out.

"Haha, true." Max conceded, rubbing Sally's head.

They then noticed Theodore walking towards them.

"Well… looks like I got my ass handed to me." Theodore started with a smile.

"They worked really hard," Max told him, still holding Sally. "I'm extremely proud of them."

Those words couldn't make the girls happier.

"You do have something to be proud of. And as the rule states, I present to you the fire badge." The gym leader announced, giving him a fireball-shaped badge. "It's better if I hand it to you since you could just rip it off of me." He jested.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Max replied, taking his reward after dropping his cinderace.

"Now then, I think I'm gonna get back to surfing now, so no one sees me crying." Theodore joked.

"Haha. I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you feel bad about it."

"Relax, Jax. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. That's life. But let me tell you this; with a team like that, you're gonna get far."

"...It's Max, but thanks. We'll work endlessly until we reach the top."

"I can't wait to see your team facing other strong pokemon in the Rados Regional. Hell, I might even see you going to Worlds for the title of champion."

"We still have a long way to go to reach that level, but… We'll do our best."

"I'm rooting for you, then. With that, I'll wish good luck to all of you."

"Thanks," Max replied before Theodore left.

Then, Max released his two other fighters.

"Look, guys," Max said to everyone, showing off his badge with a foolish smile.

{I didn't even doubt it.} Aurora said with crossed arms.

{Me neither.} May agreed.

{You're the best, master.} Bonny praised.

"No, Bonny. We're the best." He corrected, petting her.

{What now? Back to the mansion?} Scarlet guessed.

"Yep. There's nothing for us here anymore."

{Teleport?}

"Yes, please."

Granting his wish, Scarlet teleported everyone to the front of the mansion.

{Phew. Teleporting that amount of living beings is still a bit demanding.} Scarlet expressed.

"I believe you," Max replied while they all headed inside.

After passing the front door, the group didn't expect what was going on. All around the main hall, maids and butlers were organizing some kind of celebration, decorating multiple tables all around the room. A bit lost, the group walked further and came across Mike, who was giving them directions.

"Did someone give birth or something?" Max commented when behind Mike.

"Oh, Mister Max." The head butler said while turning. "Not really."

"What's the occasion, then?"

"Well, maybe it's best if you ask lady Helene. She will explain it to you in detail."

"...Okay. Where is she?"

"In the kitchen, I believe. A bit higher, Laurent." Mike told one butler, now back to his work.

"...That's weird," Max commented with the girls following him.

{Maybe they want to celebrate our victory.} Sally guessed.

{A bit overkill, don't you think?} Scarlet replied.

{I agree. We won a badge, sure, but I doubt it's something that you make a celebration out of.} Bonny said.

{Maybe they are just that nice.} May pointed out.

{Helene sure is very kind, and when it's about Max, she doesn't look at what she spends.} Aurora mentioned.

{Master deserves it after all.} Dusk stated.

{He really does!} Sally agreed with Dusk.

"Come on, now," Max said, a bit embarrassed. "It was just a gym battle. But I agree with Bonny; I doubt all this is just to say 'Congrats on your victory'."

{How can you be so sure?} Aurora asked.

"Did you see how many tables there were? If they're planning to put a buffet there, it's obvious that they are expecting a lot of guests. I'm pretty sure Helene won't invite hundreds of people just to celebrate the win of some passer-by trainer."

{...When you put it that way…}

{How about we wait to ask Helene first instead of overthinking it?} Scarlet suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that." Max agreed.

A bit later, they reached the dining room before entering the kitchen, where Helene was giving a speech to her cooks.

"I'm counting on you to do better than your best. I want this night to be unforgettable."

"Yes ma'am!" The cooks agreed before starting to work on their stoves and such.

Turning, she almost jumped when she saw Max.

"Oh, Max. Already back?" She asked, slightly surprised.

"It went fast. The girls all swept their opponents in less than twenty seconds."

"My my... Good thing I didn't come, then. I doubt my heart would have withstood such adrenaline." She said with a smile.

"More like you wouldn't have had the time to enjoy it. Anyway, are you celebrating something?"

"You could say that, yes."

"What is it?"

Only laughing, Helene got past Max and left the kitchen. Confused, the group decided to follow her outside the dining room.

"Do you mind if I tell you a little bit, later?" She said, strangely looking at Scarlet.

"I guess… sure. Is it that top secret?"

"In a sense, yes. Who knows who might listen." She said with a wink.

"Geez. Better get going before we get involved in something illegal." Max jested.

"Haha. Don't worry about that. Though, do you mind if I borrow your pokemon for a while?"

"I… Not at all, but why?" Max asked, a bit perplexed.

"I could use their help to make the necessary preparations."

"Alright, then I could help too if you want."

"I appreciate that, but the help I need is from those who can fly, use psychic abilities, and carry really heavy things… Besides, you are requested outside in the garden."

"In the garden? Just me?"

"Yes."

"But…" Max said, looking at his girls.

{It's okay, master.} Scarlet reassured with a hand on one of his shoulders. {We'll manage. As usual, if something happens, I'll be there in a second.}

"...Alright. See you later, I guess."

After leaving everyone, Max wasn't sure to understand what just happened. He felt like they just tried to get rid of him for some reason. He then told himself that whoever wanted to see him, maybe it's someone he could get some information from. A minute later, he arrived at the back door and went outside. To his surprise, he saw someone he recognized, smoking her weird cigarette while resting against the fence.

"Mad-Ji?!" Max exclaimed. "I thought you left."

{*Hmpf* If being absent for a week is enough to lower your guard, then your training has clearly taught you nothing.} She engaged with her usual contemptuous tone.

"You didn't really teach me that vanishing and giving no news for a week means that you'd still be there."

{You better work on that, or else you will still be an easy target. Never take anything for granted.}

"...I'll try to remember that."

{Good. First of all, congrats on your victory. You put up quite the fight.}

"You saw it?"

{Of course. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't waste my time on them. It could have been better, but still decent.}

"Thanks. I'm really proud of what we accomplished, thanks to you."

{Marvelous.} Mad-Ji retorted sarcastically. {Secondly, I wanted to see your full potential.}

"Huh? Why me specifically?"

{Because you're the weakest link in your little menagerie. You're the one that they prioritize over everything else. If you die, your fragile companions will probably lament that for the rest of their lives, rendering my efforts useless.}

"Okay…"

{So, an idea came to me to resolve that. Remember the day I first arrived?}

"Ugh. How could I forget? You almost killed me."

{That's right. Good times.} She said with a tiny smile. {So, how about we do that again?}

"Hem… do what… exactly?" Max asked, not reassured.

{Last time, I asked you to survive an hour against me, but now that you're supposedly stronger and more disciplined, how about you last until sunset?}

"For the whole afternoon?!" Max exclaimed.

{What's wrong? We've spared for longer than that.}

"Yes, but it was training, not 'survive against the…"

Raising an eyebrow, Mad-Ji looked at him, unamused.

{Go on, say it. I dare you to finish that sentence.} She commanded.

"...Against Mad-Ji the psychopath." Max finished.

Not reacting, Mad-Ji looked at Max a moment before chuckling.

{Hmph. You actually grew a pair in the past year. I like that. However…} She said, standing up. {You are aware that I can't let that slide.} She continued while cracking her knuckles.

"Yeah. I shouldn't let my emotions get the better of me." Max replied, raising his fists.

{Great. Now, let's see if I can carve that into that brain of yours.}

In a flash, Mad-Ji went for a hook, but Max managed to block efficiently. Grinning, Mad-Ji then used Teleport and transported them in the middle of the garden higher in the air. Obviously, Max couldn't do anything but fall. Luckily, he managed to roll and retaliate fast enough to block an uppercut.

{Not bad. I can't wait to see how you will do once I take this seriously.}

"Eh, you really don't want me to go, huh? Do you perhaps have a crush on me?"

{I do. And do you know what I do with those who catch my eyes?}

"Kill them?"

{Would you look at that? Maybe you aren't as clueless as I thought.}

"See? Girls just can't resist me."

{Let's see if you can resist this.} Mad-Ji said before kicking Max in the balls.

"Fuck!" Max growled, holding his package in pain. "I hate it when you go for a low blow like that."

{Wake up, Nemako. You're trying to survive here. Any tactic is useful if it means staying alive.}

"Really? Alright. Let's try this then."

Quickly standing up, Max faked a hammer hit from above but instead tried to go for her crest. In a swift movement, she grabbed his arm.

{Don't even think about it.}

"You know it crossed my mind."

Mad-Ji then threw Max over her shoulder a couple of meters away. On his back, she tried to punch his throat, but dodged in time and rolled back on his feet.

"I could do this all day." Max taunted with raised fists.

{Great, because now you have no choice.}

"Looks like my departure will have to wait a little, then."

{If you stay alive, that is.}

Again, Mad-Ji rushed at Max and attacked him with nothing but her bare hands. Like Mad-Ji planned, they fought through the rest of the day with the sun starting to set.

"Damnit…." Max cursed while panting, bent with his hands on his knees. "You're… a real monster."

{I get that a lot.}

Suddenly, something tickled Mad-Ji's forehead.

{Well, well, well…} She said after touching it and feeling something wet. {You actually managed to make me shed a drop of sweat. If I were to be told that you would be able to do that…}

"Really? So… I really made you… work for it?"

{Don't you go all egotistical on me. Making a gardevoir break a sweat in a physical fight isn't something to be impressed with.}

"I… guess."

Despite his best effort, Max couldn't match her even in a fistfight. However, Mad-Ji acknowledged his progress and didn't see any gain from belittling him after going all out.

{But… it is me we're talking about, so… it's almost an achievement in itself.}

"You think? So that means…"

{That you're on your way to becoming a decent human and a real male, yes.}

"Eh… just on my way…" Max repeated with a smile.

{It's something, right?}

"Hehe, true. After the hell you made us go through, I'm glad I at least got there."

{Who knows. Maybe your balls will drop someday too.}

"Haha… you would like that, wouldn't you?"

{Anyway, time to get in. They are expecting you.} She announced before walking back to the patio.

"Huh? 'They?' Who are 'they'?" Max asked, following.

Not responding, Mad-Ji kept walking. Max insisted on what she was talking about, but she ignored him. After passing the back door he had given up and just followed her. Shortly, they were joined by Helene in the hallway.

[There. I kept him busy until you were done.]

"Thank you so much, Mad-Ji. I really appreciate it."

"Huh? Did I miss something or…" Max asked, completely lost.

"I hope you will stay and enjoy the festivities as well."

[Probably not. I'm not exactly the 'festive' type.]

"Who knew?" Max joked, making Mad-Ji glare at him. "Sorry. I can't shut up sometimes."

[Anyways, I'm done here, so I have to prepare for my departure.]

"Why are you now just leaving?" Max asked.

[How about you mind your goddamn business?] She growled.

"Mad-Ji, please. At least not tonight." Helene requested nicely.

[*Sigh* I'll see in time.] Mad-Ji concluded before turning around and walking away.

"...I admit that it's gonna sting a little, not seeing her anymore," Max said after she was far enough.

"Really? She went really rough on you, so I thought that it would be the opposite."

"Ah. I can't say that I'll miss her yelling, but… I don't know. She was a part of my recovery process, so…"

"I see. Sometimes, we just can't not grow into someone."

"Yeah. Despite everything, she did take her time for us, and… yeah. I think I'll actually miss her a little. I'll miss everyone here in fact."

"Let's try not to think about it for now. Tonight is gonna be your night."

"What's up with all the mystery anyway?"

"Follow me. I'll show you."

Turning around, Helene left and headed towards the main hall. Still confused, Max followed her. Then, he arrived at a breathtaking sight. The main hall was filled to the brim with guests and well-dressed people that he has never seen before. The table he saw earlier was filled with food and pastries and the piano has been moved to the corner of the room, with someone playing it. It was like a gala for the rich.

"Damn!" Max exclaimed, impressed. "What's the occasion?"

"You still haven't figured it out?"

"I… what?"

"Haha. Follow me. They will explain it to you."

Again, Max followed Helene, but this time, through the ocean of people. Not surprisingly to Max, most people were moving out of Helene's way as she was coming through. She led him upstairs and Max saw from there that the party was more intense than he anticipated. They then went even further until they reached a room that resembled an actor's dressing room. Upon entering, Max saw his entire team, Luna included.

"Luna!" Max exclaimed, rushing towards the zoroark, almost tackling her into a hug.

{Hi there, little pup.} Luna greeted back, gently hugging him as well.

"I missed you."

{Me too.} She replied, rubbing his hair.

Max then broke the hug.

"I… would kiss you, but…" Max told her, looking at the others, but mostly at Helene.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Helene assured him with a smile. "Go for it."

Looking back at Luna, Max got a bit embarrassed while getting closer. Being taller, Luna bent a little so their lips could meet for a brief moment.

"*Ahem* So, hem… What occasion are we celebrating?" He asked, a bit red.

[He still doesn't get it?] Scarlet asked Helene.

"I figured that you could be the ones to tell him," Helene replied.

"Tell me what?" Max asked, still not understanding.

{Geez. He can be so dense sometimes.} Bonny commented.

{It's for you, master!} Sally exclaimed happily.

"For me? You mean… the party down there?"

{There it is. Now he's all caught up.} Aurora said with a smile.

"Huh? But… What?" Max stammered.

{*Sigh* You're lucky that you're cute as hell.} Scarlet said, floating close to him. {Helene threw this celebration for you. Not only for today's victory but also to celebrate your success at getting back on your feet, stronger than ever.} Scarlet explained.

"My success?"

"Yes, dear. I remember the first day we met. You were in so much pain and were ready to give up on everything. Yet, in the end, you didn't and worked hard to get through that pain. You fought grief alongside depression, and you won. So I thought it was something to celebrate." Helene explained.

{When Helene asked you if she could use us, she shared her plan to throw a big party for you and we all immediately accepted.} Dusk said.

{We were so excited to see how you would react!} Sally said enthusiastically.

{Naturally, we had to keep you busy until we were done with everything.} Aurora mentioned.

{That's where Mad-Ji intervened.} May said. {Helene managed to convince her to help us with that.}

"Eh, you sneaky pack of sevipers. You were all part of this, even Mad-Ji, and planned everything behind my back." Max said, getting red from embarrassment. "I can't even with you guys, sometimes." He added, trying to hide his face. "I… don't know what to say. It's… too much."

{No, master. It's never too much for you.} Scarlet assured, touching his shoulders. {You're strong, you're iron-willed, you're determined, and you're simply the kindest and the most committed trainer ever. And personally, I think that deserves a little bit of recognition at some point. Am I right?} She said before looking at the girls.

{You bet it does.} Aurora agreed, alongside everyone else.

"I…"

At that moment, Max was so embarrassed that right now, he wished he could turn invisible. Scarlet sensed it but didn't react at all as she wanted him to feel their gratitude for him, whether it's embarrassing him or not.

"So… all those people are there for me?"

"Well, not exactly," Helene admitted.

"Huh. Glad I wasn't suspicious for nothing."

[The invitations she sent for the party were a cover-up, something about 'celebrating the success and supremacy of society's nobles.' No need to tell you that a theme like that attracted a lot of people. Rich people, along with their oversized egos...] Scarlet joked while looking at Helene.

"Haha. I admit that we do like to boast about our achievements every now and then. But in all modesty, I have to say that I'm not the type to show off. At least, not often."

[You're less stuck up than most, I'll give you that. Anyway, the theme is just a cover-up, but everyone here knows the real reason.]

Not knowing what to add, Max rubbed the back of his head, making the situation a bit awkward.

"Well, what are you waiting for? You better go get dressed." Helene announced.

"You mean, wear a suit?"

"Indeed. I have nothing against your choice of clothing, but… let's just say it's not very noble-looking."

"...I guess you're right," Max admitted, pulling at his shirt.

{A shower would do nicely, too. Playing with Mad-Ji surely made you quite dirty.} Scarlet told Max.

"Yeah. We played a game on who can endure each others' punches better." Max replied sarcastically.

{Just go undress and get your fatass clean already.} Scarlet commanded.

"Well since you asked so nicely…" Max retorted with a smile. "I'll be back, then." He added while heading outside.

"You girls can go enjoy the party in the meantime," Helene told Max's pokemon. "Oh and, Miss Scarlet?"

With the other still walking outside, Scarlet stopped.

[Yes?]

"I was wondering if you could help me pick out Max's attire."

[...Hm. Why not? It could be fun.]

"Great. Right, this way." Helene said enthusiastically with both of them getting further in the room.

~POVC~

Outside, Max was on his way to the bathroom. However, when he heard the girls stepping out, he turned and stopped.

"Luna?" Max called while walking back.

{Yes?} She asked, stopping to face him.

"Sorry to ask this after just reuniting, but how did the search go?"

{Oh. For a moment, I thought you were about to ask me to join you in the shower.} She jested.

"Dirty mind as always," Max said, smiling.

With a low sigh, Luna crossed her arms and laid against the wall.

{Like I told Scarlet, the news isn't so great. I completely lost their trail.}

"...Damnit…" Max cursed, rubbing his face.

{I'm sorry.}

"Don't be, Luna. You're the best tracker I know. I know you did your best and if they did manage to get away from you, then they must be doing something right."

{Still. I managed to track them pretty far away, but all of a sudden, their scents disappeared completely, as if they never existed.}

"I wonder if they somehow managed to know that you were on their asses?"

{And I'm a dark-type, which makes it more confusing.}

"See, that's what I'm most concerned about. If they knew that you were trying to find them without actually sensing or spotting you, then maybe they have more relations in the wilderness than we thought."

{That's very plausible.}

"Qsalyla is one hell of a manipulative bitch. Surely she would have bribed other pokemon to join her 'cause'."

{That wouldn't be good, indeed.}

Sighing, Max rubbed his face once again.

{Anyway, by how far I searched, they are probably miles away from here. We should enjoy this evening and put Qsalyla out of our minds for now.} Luna suggested.

"Yeah, we should…"

Taking a deep breath, Max calmed himself down.

"You're right. We'll worry about that another time."

{Glad to hear.} The zoroark replied with a smile.

"So… about that shower… You joining me isn't that bad of an idea."

With crossed arms, Luna raised an eyebrow with a wider smile.

~POVC~

In the main hall, Bonny, Aurora, Dusk, May, and Sally were together near the buffet, having claimed a small corner for themselves.

{It's kind of embarrassing being the only pokemon here.} May commented.

{We shouldn't be surprised. After all, it is a human party.} Aurora pointed out.

{Yeah, but… not one of them has even a single pokemon out. I feel so out of place.}

{Don't be, May.} Dusk reassured her. {We are what humans call 'V.I.P's', we have more than the right to be here.}

{Dusk is right.} Bonny agreed, munching on a plate of food she served herself from the buffet table. {I dare anyone to say that we don't belong here.}

{Seriously? Already digging into the food?} Aurora commented.

{What? It smelled so good and it is good.} She said before shoving another big bite of food. {Oh my god! You have to try this, Sally.} She suggested the cinderace next to her, also helping herself to the buffet.

{*Sigh* We don't really make a good first impression.} The lucario commented.

{Let them be, Aurora.} Dusk defended. {It's the first time they've had this much fun and can really enjoy themselves.}

{I know, but… I wanted to at least wait for Max to be here.}

{It could take a while.} May started. {You know how long he can stay in the shower, especially since he has to look presentable.}

{When it isn't groping one of us under it, it's not that long, most of the time.} Aurora pointed out.

{Which he'll probably do in a moment.} Dusk said.

{How do you know that?} Aurora inquired.

{He's currently on his way to the shower with someone I have trouble identifying, so it must be Luna.}

{... *Sigh* Can you pass me that drumstick on a plate, Bonny?} Aurora gave up while getting near the buffet table.

~POVC~

A little bit later, Max had just got undressed and entered the shower, shortly followed by Luna.

"Ahh! This is nice, is it not?" Max engaged.

{In a practical way, I was due for proper cleaning.}

"*Sigh* Always about the practicality and not just the moment, huh?" Max said, turning to face her.

Every time Luna was getting all wet, he couldn't help but stare at her form, well-defined by her wet fur. Tall, divine hips, practically no body fat… her stunning body was getting him every time. In a sense, it's like she was naked.

{Little pup?}

"Huh?" Max said, snapping out of his trance.

{You could at least look into my eyes when speaking to me.} She scolded playfully.

"Yeah, sorry. But…" Max replied, looking back down again. "The sexiness of that body…"

Max then couldn't contain himself and got closer to Luna. With his head at her chest level, Max gently fondled her abs.

{I wonder if joining you was a good idea after all?}

"Why? You don't like me touching you?" Max said, now caressing her hips and outer thighs.

{Well, you certainly have your way with your hands that isn't unpleasant.}

"A simple 'yes' would have sufficed." Max retorted, now back to her abs, but slowly getting down. "Your body is so appetizing Luna that I could just literally eat you. Too bad you don't like it figuratively."

{I'm sorry. I know you aim to please, but…}

"It's okay, Luna. I know and respect that you don't like having someone's face there. You have the right to not be comfortable with it. But what I would give to be able to have my head squeezed in between those thighs."

{I'm sorry. But there's a chance for things to change in the future.}

"Oh, that's good news," Max replied with a smug smile. "But in the meantime, you still deserve some pleasure yourself, so…" He said, now touching her womanhood. "Fingers will have to do it for now."

{Hmm…} Luna moaned in contentment, putting her clawed paws on his shoulders. {I like the straightforward type of human you have become.}

"Heh heh. With a beast like you, I wonder how I wasn't straightforward before. However…" He replied, gently rubbing her. "There's still room for improvement before I can make you fall on your knees."

{If you ever reach that level, you would be the very first.}

"No matter how hard it is to heat you up, I'll do whatever it takes."

{My my, aren't you just the most committed human around.}

"When it's with a beauty like you, always." He assured her, sliding a finger inside.

Even though she didn't react much, she slightly sank her claws in Max's shoulders when he began to move his finger around, barely stinging him.

"I may still be unable to give you an orgasm, but I'm starting to know your vagina by heart, knowing every sensitive spot."

{Hehe.} Luna giggled. {And all it took was an entire year of practice.}

"Better late than never, right?"

{I admit that I'm quite happy that you managed to achieve that. Oof!} She said before Max touched a place that was sending small waves of pleasure. {But I wonder… Do you plan on using only your fingers?}

"I don't know. Do you have a special request?"

{Well… I do prefer the natural way of mating.}

"Seriously? Even if I'm not that good?"

{If we keep trying, you'll get there eventually. But… I thought that by now you knew that mating isn't always about the orgasm. For me, at least.}

"Yeah. They all like having multiple, but the girls also say that the orgasm isn't as important as the significance behind the sex and how they feel good while doing so. Well, I'm not really sure about Bonny, since she often says that the best case would be to have both."

{Why are you so bothered about that, then?}

"Because… I'm a dude, and my mind has a hard time understanding that concept."

{It's not that uncommon. Humans and a lot of pokemon species are like that; males seek to orgasm and females seek the pleasure it brings.}

"Well, I'll try to give you what you seek," Max assured her.

{In that case, I'll also try to give you what you seek as well.} Luna said, moving one paw over his shaft, now rock hard.

Luna then lowered her head, pressed her lips against and shoved her tongue inside Max's mouth with passion. While doing so, she gently pumped him with her claws, playing with it. They made out for a moment before Luna looked at Max with a predatory face and grinned. Without using her paws, Luna pushed Max against the wall and put her arms beside his head, looking all dominant and staring at him with lustful eyes from above.

{Well? Now that you've turned me on, what do you plan to do?}

"What kind of question is that? Making love to you, obviously."

{Making love, huh? Hmm… now it's me who could just literally eat you.}

"The scary part about this is that you actually can and-"

To shut him up, Luna shoved her tongue inside his mouth once again, only to remove it a couple of seconds later.

{You still talk too much.}

"Sorry. I know you prefer the sound of sex rather than my voice when we do it. I'll shut up now."

{You don't have to completely shut up. You can still say how I make you feel good and moan my name. I love it when you moan for me.}

"What are we waiting for, then?"

{Well, the others are waiting for you, so let's not hang around for too long.} She said before going for his mouth again.

While making out with him once more, Luna shifted her entrance near Max's rod and raised a leg. With Max holding it, Luna aligned herself and made Max slowly slide inside her, all the way to her bump.

"Fuck! That freaking bump…" Max complained in pleasure. "It gets me almost every time …"

With Max busy holding one of her rather heavy legs, Luna was the one doing the work, moving up and down at a rhythmic pace with her bump sucking in and out his tip. True to her word, she didn't want it to last forever as she was making herself and her bump as narrow as possible, gradually going faster with each thrust.

"Shit, Luna! You're going way too fast!"

Even though he improved his resilience and stamina, when one of the girls wanted him to cum fast, it was humanly impossible for Max to last for an extended period of time like he was able to do now. He only managed to last for roughly five minutes before giving in, exploding inside the fierce zoroark.

"That was… great. Even though I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would."

{I promise to give you a great time another day. For now, you need to get clean and get ready for your night.}

"Alright." Max conceded before taking a bottle of shampoo for pokemon. "But not before I make your fur extra shiny."

Sighing in desperation, Luna agreed and let him take care of her fur before washing himself up. When they finished a couple of minutes later, Max left and let Luna madly shake to dry herself and followed. When Max was done with his towel, he gave it to Luna before heading outside.

"I'll be seeing you at the party?"

{Yes, go ahead. I'm gonna take a moment to dry myself properly.} The zoroark said, rubbing the towel across her body.

"See you later, then."

When out, Max headed back to where he and the girls gathered earlier.

"Hello?" He called out when inside.

"In the back, my dear," Helene said loudly.

As soon as he passed the other door that was leading to a gigantic walk-in, Scarlet almost jumped on him with clothes in her hands.

{I found the perfect suit for you, master!} She exclaimed before unfolding it in front of him.

The suit was a non-tailcoat black and red Victorian outfit with a slight touch of steampunk.

"Damn. I'll look like a vampire lord in that. I like it."

{I knew you would.} Scarlet replied happily. {I know your taste.}

"It's cool and all, but… I've never been the type of guy to wear a tuxedo."

{I know, master, but it would please Helene if you wear this. Just for tonight.} She pleaded while Helene was joining them.

"I see that she has made her choice." She engaged them.

"Yeah, but…"

"You don't like it?"

"No, I do, it's just that…" He started to explain while looking at Scarlet, who looked back at him with an eager expression. "...I've never worn anything like this. It looks complicated." He said, doing it for Scarlet and Helene.

"It's easier than it looks. I'll show you."

[I'll wait outside. I want to see him when he's ready.] Scarlet announced before the two of them alone.

She then waited for a couple of minutes until they joined her.

"So… What do you think?" Max asked as soon as he entered.

Scarlet's eyes slightly widened, liking what she was seeing. The suit was really accentuating the form of his shoulders, strangely appeasing the gardevoir.

{Wow! You look like a fine gentleman now.} She commented while eyeing him.

"Because I don't usually look like one?"

{Nope. You usually look like an idiot.}

"Ouch, that almost hurt."

{Hehe, I was just kidding.} She assured him, getting near him. {I love you no matter what you wear.}

"You almost sound like your opinion is not biased. Almost. "

{Who cares?}

"Haha, you got me. Very good point."

Both of them then couldn't turn their gaze away from each other's eyes.

"You both are so cute," Helene commented, involuntarily interrupting them.

"*Ahem* Well, let's head down, shall we?" Max said, slightly embarrassed.

"Not quite yet," Helene said.

"Huh?"

"I still have one more gift for you two."

"A gift for both of us?"

"Hm hmm. Wait here." She instructed before leaving the room.

"I wonder what it could be."

{She said it was a gift for both of us. Maybe it's something to unify us better.}

"You mean, like, an engagement ring?"

{It could be. Marriage between humans and pokemon isn't legally recognized, but nothing is said about secret weddings.} She told him before coiling her arms around his neck.

"Well… it will be a bit weird, don't you think? If she really wanted me to have something like that, she would have given me the ring so I could propose to you."

{True… maybe it's condoms.}

"Wha-Goddamnit, Scarlet."

{Hahaha! You should have seen your face.} Scarlet laughed.

"As if we need them," Max said, rolling his eyes.

{I guess being a pokephile is quite beneficial. We can't breed and we can't catch anything. That kind of protection sure would be pretty useless.}

"True, and I'm very glad for that because feeling you fully is the best."

{Yeah. You couldn't enjoy my tightness as much as without it.}

"Indeed."

{Say, master. After tonight… would you like to feel it? My tight vagina, crushing and squeezing your dick relentlessly?}

"Why wait 'til then? You're starting to put me in the mood here."

{Really? What kind of mood?} She asked, moving her face close to his.

"A naughty one."

{Is that so? Hmm, too bad Helene is about to return, otherwise you would be feeling it. Right here, right now.}

"You devilish imp. Turning me on just to back away."

{Contained lust sometimes mutates into something more… scary.} She said with a lustful voice and eyes.

At that moment, Helene got back.

(You better prepare that pussy of yours, because the next time we're alone, I'm gonna destroy it.)

[Shut up before I rape you in front of this poor old lady.]

"I'm sorry for the wait." Helene apologized.

"It's okay. We used that time to plan a few activities for later." Max said with a small grin, with what Scarlet replied with a discreet predatory face.

"But it'll be worth the wait, I'm sure of it."

When she got closer to them, Max and Scarlet noticed that she was holding a very small case, the kind that could indeed hold a ring.

"I knew it! It's totally a ring. I will say that you will look stunning with a ring on." Max exclaimed, looking at the gardevoir.

{I don't know. It wouldn't be practical in battle, but I guess I could remove it before doing so.} Scarlet said, sounding half enthusiastic.

"Well, you're close, but it's not quite that. Here, I'll let you open it." Helene said, giving the case to Max.

"Whatever it is, I hope it's something red to match your color." Max expressed before opening it. "Let's see. It's…"

As soon as they opened it, both were paralyzed by the shock of the discovery.

"Is… is that…"

{Oh. My. God…} Scarlet almost bemoaned with her eyes getting all watery.

Max then grabbed what was inside and held it between his fingers.

"Is that… a… gardevoirite?"