Vol. 2 Chapter 28: Girl Gone Wild

"Catch her, Landon! She knows our secret!" Iono growled as she held the lower half, and Grusha nodded as she smothered poor Carmine with her enlarged breasticals. I slapped my hand to my face, but at this point, I felt like it belonged there.

"Get off of her, both of you! You are setting the absolute worst example! This is why keeping it all a secret is so important!" I growled as I peeled the two older women off Carmine, and then helped her up. "Are you okay? I can promise you that I would never do what those two buffoons just suggested." 

Carmine stumbled to her feet, brushing herself off and looking slightly bewildered but also intrigued by the chaotic situation she had stumbled into.

"I... I think so," she muttered, shooting a wary glance at Iono and Grusha, who were now pouting like scolded children. "I've never seen anything like this before. Are they always like this?"

I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. "I want to say no because I don't know them very well, but I don't think their personalities are going to change much. They are normally somewhat normal."

Iono gave me a feigned look of shock. "What do you mean, "somewhat" normal? I am just your average high school streamer! Everyone loves me!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and Tauros fly!"

Iono rolled her eyes and feigned indifference. "Pft! This isn't about that anyways! What are you going to do about her?!" She complained, pointing at Carmine.

I shrugged. "There isn't anything that needs to be done. If you would have been paying attention when you were spying on us, or asked Tallia, you would know that this is Tallia's friend. She knows about most things, and I am pretty sure she isn't going to rat you out to Geeta. Though, I wouldn't blame her if she did. You both knew that you were supposed to wait until I was done at Blueberry. If anything, this has just made everything a lot harder."

Carmine, brushing herself off and maintaining a composed demeanor despite the chaos around her, looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and a hint of amusement. "So, you're all involved in something secretive here, huh?" She glanced at Iono and Grusha, who were now trying to appear innocent but failing miserably.

I nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed by the whole situation. "Yeah, it's... complicated. We deal with Pokémon and stuff that's not exactly mainstream."

Carmine raised an eyebrow. "Pokémon, huh? Like battles and training?"

I hesitated, but then sighed. "Yeah, that's part of it, but there is a lot more to it that I can't talk about in the open. Let's just say that there are bad people after me, and I have to get stronger to protect the people that I care about. Some of the girls are training to help me, like these two. But it's not something everyone understands or accepts easily."

Carmine nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. And you think I won't rat you out to Geeta?" She smirked slightly. "You're right, I won't. But only if you let me in on this secret world of yours. I'm curious now."

Iono and Grusha exchanged looks of surprise. "Wait, what? You want to join us?" Grusha asked, incredulous.

Carmine shrugged nonchalantly. "Why not? It sounds more exciting than my usual routine, and Tallia has already joined, so it can't be that bad. Besides, it seems like you could use someone who knows how to keep a secret."

I exchanged glances with Iono and Grusha, but I already had too many women that I barely knew. I looked at Carmine, but shook my head. "I barely know you, and I have a lot going on right now. I think you are a pretty girl, but I need some time to get settled down first."

Carmine looked momentarily disappointed but nodded understandingly. "Fair enough. I suppose jumping into something like this without knowing more wouldn't be wise."

Iono and Grusha exchanged another glance, seeming to silently communicate something before Iono spoke up. "Look, Landon , she might actually be useful. Remember, the more people we have on our side who can handle themselves, the better. I know who she is, and Carmine is someone that loves battling."

Grusha nodded in agreement. "Plus, she seems genuinely interested. It's not often we find someone who's not only willing to keep a secret but wants to be a part of what we're doing."

I considered their points, realizing they weren't entirely wrong, but the list of people wanting to join did not seem to be slowing. Carmine did seem intrigued and capable, but I still had reservations about adding more women to the pile. "Okay, but let's not rush into anything. Carmine, if you're serious about this, we'll need to talk more. There are risks involved that you need to understand."

Carmine nodded eagerly. "I'm serious. Let's talk."

I shook my head at her eagerness, and put my hands up. "No, you need to show me the other biomes, and I still haven't registered, or even got a room yet. Let's talk more about this after we have had our Pokémon battle in a few days."

---

[Unknown Region: Team Rocket Headquarters]

"Did you hear about the pictures circulating?" James asked as he waited outside of the women's change room.

"Of course! I am sure that is the reason the boss is asking for us!" Jesse called from inside as she took her time to pull up each of her black leggings.

Meowth let out a sigh. "I am just glad we have a new target that isn't that electric mouse! From what I heard, this guy can turn Pokémon into people! I even heard rumors of him catch some folks!"

James winced at this. "Really? Getting blasted away is one thing, but a trainer that can catch people? Absurd! And they call us the criminals!" He complained, and then flipped his hair. "If we could catch this fellow, the boss would surely be pleased. We'll be back in his good graces for sure!"