Chapter 2 - A Promise to the Stars

My lip curled and the bastard child of a growl and a groan came from my throat as the most obnoxious sound kept repeating, chirping like a Pidgey who’d inhaled too much helium. Forcing one eye open, I cringed away from the bright shine of blue the sunlight pulsated inside the tent. Closing it and opening it again, I squinted till my eye became used to it, able to distinguish the shadows of leaves against the tent sides from the sheer blue that had stung my eye. 

Reluctantly, I opened the other and moved to pry open the skylight, wanting a better gauge of time other than “crap, it’s bright.” The full force of noon-day sun washed over my skin and I felt my lip curl again, realizing I’d not only slept longer than I’d originally intended but I’d wasted almost half a day.

Moving to reach for the sound, the insistent chirping like a hyper Growlithe, I felt my muscles pull along my chest. Pausing, I moved my hand back to rub along my collar, frowning. It must have been from yesterday’s training...

My mind suddenly flashed with what else it could have been from.

I... had mated with my Absol.

Cocking my head a little to the side, I considered the matter briefly, despite the general reluctance of my mind to join me in the waking world. No... even in the light of day, I still didn’t regret the choice. In fact... I could feel a smile forming . While my muscles whispered pain as a gentle reminder, I could feel a deeper contentment that lay dormant against my bones. 

Giving a sharp curse, the sound still not shutting up, I shoved my hand under my pillow then the sleeping bag, digging around for the source. My hands finally came in contact with the unrelenting source, my Pokenav. It buzzed like a Beedrill who’d been disturbed from collecting pollen from a sweet flower as the chirping seemed all the louder without the cloth muffling it. Trying to shut it up, I dropped the thing. Noticing the green button in the center lighting up, alerting me to an incoming call, I hastily pressed it, not bothering to check the ID. The top of the round, yellow device flipped open to reveal a screen, blinking online as it flashed “Answering...”

May popped onto the screen as it rested in my lap.

“Hi, Zack! I just wanted to-” 

She cut herself off with a yell, the screen shaking violently as her face suddenly vanished from view. I thought she’d dropped it for a second before I heard her squeak, “Sorry!” and the line disconnected.

The screen went blank, flashing “Call ending...” as the device deactivated and closed itself. Staring at it, I tried to figure out what the hell had happened. In my groggy state, it took a few more seconds then it should have for me to realize I was still naked. Naked... while the Pokenav rested in my lap... angled upward... 

...probably not the head she thought she was going to see when she called. 

I laughed to myself, rubbing the back of my head with my hand and ruffling my hair. May, apparently, was still her shy self. Regardless of having sex with me before, the sight of me naked was probably enough to leave her flustered for a few hours.

“Heh, guess that didn’t go too well, huh, Kat?” Turning my head, I frowned. Where I expected Katherine to be I saw nothing but an indent of where she’d slept and a few stray ivory-colored hairs. Curious and a little worried, I decided I’d better go find her. Kat was the most dangerous when you couldn’t see her, especially in my current... vulnerable state.

Deciding now would most definitely be the time to be getting dressed and waking out of my stupor, I groped around for my pants from the night before.

Nothing.

Frowning, I could feel my lips pinch into a tight smile. As frustrating as it was, being unable to find them, the thought of what Kat and I had done to lose them made my cock give a single, hard throb, the memories hot and fresh against my mind’s eye.

Rubbing my face, telling myself I really didn’t have the time for a morning wank at last night’s pleasures when my little hellion was doing who knows what, I decided to try hunting for the boxers instead. At least it would give me passable covering till I could find the pants...

What the hell?

Where were they?!

Lifting the sleeping bag off the ground and checking the remainder space of the tent, I sat naked in bewilderment. Neither my pants nor my boxers were anywhere to be found. In fact, besides the sleeping bag, pillow, and Pokenav... it appeared as though I’d been robbed.

The fact Kat was gone, I had a hunch who’d done it.

Unzipping the tent, muttering to myself under my breath, I peered outside the tent, checking for humans first. I could use the sleeping bag if I had too...

There, a little ways off sitting in a circle, were my Pokemon. Confused, knowing I hadn’t let them out, I frowned when I saw Katherine in the middle of the circle. Squinting, I watched her go through several elaborate motions, her head tossing from side to side as she hopped and grinned, apparently speaking in Poketongue. The others, whatever she was saying, were all watching her. It reminded me of story time in kindergarten, with Kat in the role of teacher.

A chill suddenly ran down my spine at the thought.

Trying to gauge what she was saying, I glanced at the others, hoping it would give me an idea of how to proceed. Celia, my Flygon, was laying on her belly, her arms crossed under her neck as she kicked her back legs absently, listening intently to whatever Kat was saying with a smile, her wings buzzing every few seconds while her tail swayed. 

Moving to the next one, I saw Angel also on her belly... but she didn’t have much of a choice as a Lanturn. Her fish tail twitched as an open mouth grin spread along her face, equally engrossed in Katherine’s story. Her glowing antennae bobbed, the amulet I’d given her as a gift shifting from it, flashing in the sun.

The coin swung to one side just as Kiki, my Skitty, attempted to bat at it with a little pink paw. She was drawn to the coin like so many fish to Angel’s lure, her little body pressed hard against the ground before she made a leap, batting frantically at the empty air before falling back to the earth and making several jumps in quick succession. Concerned more with the shiny just out of her reach, she didn’t appear to be listening to anything Kat was saying.

Beside my Lanturn and the bouncing kitty was my Ninetails, Fara. Her head was angled to the side, her left ear cocked upright as she listened. The sun glided along her fur, her tails in their ambient state, rising in a wave from left to right, making them appear like a golden wave. Her head turned further to the side as she hid what could have been a laugh as Katherine made a rather suggestive movement with her hips.   

Finally, there was Trent, my Sceptile. He was a head and a neck above them all, towering over the group as he watched my Absol tell her tale. He didn’t seem as interested as the girls were and noticed me quickly, bringing his scaly claw to his mouth and clearing his throat in my direction.

The girls turned to look at me, frozen like guilty children. Seeing no one else around the clearing, I stepped out of the tent, shuddering as the late summer breeze wrapped around me. It wasn’t unpleasant... but it was new.

Stepping towards the circle, it was easy to confirm my suspicions about my thief. My bag and all its contents had been sprawled around the center, Katherine having taken everything out to share with the others. I saw my porno mag with a couple of pages torn out; one of two young couples in a sixty-nine and one of Nurse Joy (or an amazing facsimile) underneath an older male in a position that looked similar to the one Kat and I had been in last night.

As I moved closer, several bird Pokemon flew out of the branches of the nearby bushes and away from the clearing. Great... I suppose they’d been listening in, too...

Stopping outside the circle, I gave a slow turn, taking in all of their faces. Celia looked at me for a moment before glancing away, as if distracted, a classic maneuver to avoid making eye contact, I thought. Angel’s smile seemed to grow wider, her antennae wiggling and drawing Kiki’s short attention span away from me and back towards the coin. Fara’s head turned towards me, her lips pressed together as they failed to hide a smile, her eyes giving away her amusement. Trent, meanwhile, was looking away from me and back to Katherine, the Absol waving her right paw up and down in excitement.

“Hey, Master!” she cried out in human. “Good to see you’re awake!” Her right paw patted the dirt twice in quick succession. “Come ‘ere!”

I took a step forward, spotting my boxers and pants. “Kat, what’s the deeeeaaaah!” I swore sharply as Fara’s cold nose nudged my nutsack, taking several deep breathes that tickled against my pubes. Remaining very still, certain her teeth wouldn’t cut my flesh but reluctant to move all the same, she pulled away after a long exhale and gave one curt nod. Celia’s green scales darkened along her face and under her eyes, her claws moving to late to hide the charming blush.  Angel gave a laugh, like a squeaky toy with all the air squeezed out, drawing the air back in, and having several short squeezes following it. Kiki didn’t give any signs of caring, still intent on trying to obtain the coin. Trent gave a grunt that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, raspy with a hint of a crinkle to it. If I wasn’t awake before, the cold nose to my crotch had certainly done the trick.

Katherine laughed, her head tilted back as her mouth opened wide enough I could see her fangs glistening. “Oh, nothing,” she finally snickered when her laughter had died down.

Sighing, I resisted the urge to rub the small wet spot Fara’s nose had left. “You told everyone.” I didn’t even bother shaping it in the form of a question.

The smile on her face still, her tail gave one quick wag. “You didn’t tell me not to.”

“I was asleep!” I protested, throwing my arms out in exasperation.  

“Aw, come on.” Katherine gave a roll of her eyes that I had never seen her do before and didn’t want to admit that somehow she must have picked it up from me. She gave a one sided shrug by lifting her left shoulder up and then settling it back to normal height. “What harm could it do?” She looked up at me and grinned, sitting back and waving her paw once. “Lighten up.”

I thought about it. Among my own Pokemon, they either didn’t care or were amused by the whole thing so I didn’t foresee any problems. Among others, however…

 “Kat…” The way I dragged out her name, slow and stern, made her blink and watch me. “Nobody else popped by to hear your story, did they?”

She glanced up and to the side, thinking. It took her a few more minutes than I would have liked to answer. “Hmm… maybe a few people…”

“Katherine!” 

“Alright, alright!” She gave a snort and shook her head. “Some birds came by, that was it.”

I frowned at her, trying to look stern. I guess it didn’t work because she just glanced at me and started giggling. She might find it funny but that last thing I needed was someone ruining my reputation before I became a Master. While Poke-Human relationships were gradually becoming a more socially recognized pairing, the majority of humans rallied against it. Only the younger generations and a few of the older ones seemed to understand and accept it… it was going to be a long time before it was accepted worldwide. 

Her laughing fit slowed to a stop and she looked up at me with what I’ve come to easily identify as Croconaw tears. “Unless… you’re ashamed of me?” She pouted her bottom lip out, her eyes growing wider as she pulled up her left paw, holding it like it was injured.

Moving my hand to rub my temples, I decided to drop it. “My clothes, Kat.”

She gave a grin, turning sharply to grab my shirt with her teeth, shaking it thoroughly like a Growlithe with a chew rope, chasing the dirt off of it before she trotted it over to me. “Would you like me to dress you too, Master?” she asked, her voice muffled from around the cotton.

“Very funny.” I yanked the shirt away, ignoring her grin. “How about my underwear?”

The Absol turned around to show me that she was wearing them, her tail poking through the crotch hole. I didn’t notice before because of how they matched her white fur, I suppose. “You’ll have to take them,” she giggled, emphasizing her words by crouching down with her ass in the air, wagging her tail so hard her butt shook.

My lips tightened as my other Pokemon began laughing. Celia gave a quiet giggle into her paws while Fara’s laugh rang like crystal bells. Trent’s chuckle was more apologetic, like he couldn’t help but find the situation funny, whereas Angel rolled on her left side, flapping her right fin against her side as her body shook. Kiki turned this way and that, confused, before she saw her chance to pounce and grab the Lanturn’s antennae with a victorious, “Nya!”

Katherine gave me a saucy wink, her tongue peeking out from her mouth. “Well?” Her head turned to the side, daring me to come get her. “Are you going to disrobe me, Master?”

Hiding my groan by keeping my teeth clamped, I walked around her to grab the hem of my boxers, tugging. It didn’t take long to discover it was all but impossible to remove them, the chorus of laughter around me not helping the situation. The rustling I could hear from the nearby trees made me certain some of the birds had returned, watching the show of the great pants-less trainer wrestling a pair of boxer shorts off his Absol.

With a final tug, I loosened my lower garments from her hind end, sending her doubling over in laughter. Growling, I tried putting them on. While they were still warm from Kat, the crotch hole had been irreversibly stretched so that my lower bits all but fell through. The giggling intensified till I shot them all a look, causing it to quiet but not stop.

This, I decided, was the last straw. I wasn’t going to let my Absol, that brazen little thing, undermine me in front of my other Pokemon! As I was opening my mouth to say as much, I heard a sound like a long drawn out bike horn with a pitch so high it would make the dogs back. Hands to my ears, I turned to find Kiki dangling from the Lanturn’s light bulb by her sharp little Skitty fangs, her tail wiggling with pleasure as Angel crawled with her front flippers, slapping them against the dirt in clear distress. Kiki, swinging to and fro like a novelty ornament, was oblivious to the distress she was causing. Closing my eyes and giving a sharp, short hiss, I opened them again and let the topic drop so that I could go help out my poor, imperiled Pokemon.  

I could tell it was going to be a long day.

***

Orange painted the sky, touched with pinks and purples like thin tendrils of Spinarak webbing that cast a dim glow across the forest as Nincadas sang their shrill song into the dying day. Shadows gradually dragged their way along the ground where I stood, chasing the last bits of daylight from the small grove like a hungry Snorlax. Giving a slow look around at my Pokemon, I checked the small marks that proved their long day of training: scuff marks, bandages, even the little groans they gave all told me just how hard they’d been working. 

Deciding they’d had enough and I’d re-established myself as the Master of our little group, I gave a sharp enough whistle that they all stopped what they were doing to look up at me.

“Alright my little battalion,” I said with a smile. “Despite this afternoon’s… incident,” I glanced at Kat who gave a soft grumble, shifting her sore shoulder. “I’m proud of the work you did today. Keep this up and the League won’t be any trouble!”

Half-hearted moans of acknowledgement greeted me… apparently they were too tired to do anything else.

“As a treat, you all get to sleep outside of your balls tonight!” Everyone seemed to perk up at that, save for Kiki who immediately accepted my words as an invitation and fell to her belly, a small pile of fatigued fur that began to snore. As Kiki hadn’t been part of the mischief earlier, I decided to cut her some slack. “With the apparent exception of Kiki, the rest of you have one more task to complete before relaxing. Trent,” turning towards him, my Sceptile stood up straighter, listening. “You set up the tent. Kat, firewood.” The Absol gave a weak moan but nodded. “Celia, fire pit. Fara, once the pit and wood are done, light them, please.” Fara’s tails waved as she inclined her head, Celia’s tail thumping against the ground in agreement. “Angel’s on dinner duty. Fish, if you would.” A clear whistle as she lifted her fin was the response I got, the Lanturn already swimming contentedly in a small riverbed. “Okay, everyone,” I gave a loud clap. “Let’s go!”

The team broke apart, heading on their tasks with a newfound vigor (save for the slumbering Kiki), while I noted the setting of the sun. Figuring I had a good portion of time before their return, I decided to see to myself and tend to the small cuts and bruises I’d accumulated in today’s exercises. Unlike the Pokemon who maintained a field of energy around their bodies, invisible (for the most part) which protected them from the brunt of most attacks, I had to be careful each day when training with them. While it did give me an improved sense of my Pokemon’s skills and showed them my willingness to put myself in their position, it could be dangerous. Not that they didn’t try to hold back their attacks when we worked together… but even in the midst of training they could become overexcited and forget. Fara, once, had almost speared me with her tails, having not realized she had the ability. I had lost a shirt and gained a scar from the ordeal, but it was worth it.  

Working with them, training alongside them, was the only way we could grow together and I could truly be a Master.  

As I was cleansing a scrape on my elbow (gained while diving to avoid a blow from Trent), I remembered May’s rather abrupt call earlier. I felt tightness along my cheeks as I tried not to smile, along with a light, burning sensation, as though her shyness was contagious. Figuring I should get it out of the way now before it grew worse, I unlatched my Pokenav from my belt holster, dialing her number. There were a few short beeps as the “Dialing…” message scrolled, then the screen flashed to show May. Her face looked the way that mine was feeling.

“Hi, May.” I did my best to keep the embarrassment from my voice but I could hear traces of it as I spoke. Clearing my throat, I hesitated before asking. “Was there something you wanted to talk to me about earlier? Or would you like for me to put my anatomy back on?”

May’s face grew even darker, like an Octillery’s skin, glancing away before turning back to the screen and puffing out her cheeks and letting out an exasperated breath.  She should be used to me by now. “Well, I… um…” She wasn’t the outgoing type but nonetheless she traveled the Trainer’s road. She was smart, probably a gift from being daughter to a professor, and always had several bits of information about the Pokemon she encountered, even those unfamiliar to me. Her ambition, unlike mine, lay in line with her father’s research, identifying and studying the Pokemon of the world, rather than going against the League.

“Oh!” I blinked once at her vocalized insight. “That’s right! I was going to ask you if you were busy this weekend.”

I closed one eye and lifted my head, thinking. “My schedule is clean for training the next few months… Why did you ask?”

“Well, if you aren’t doing anything next Saturday… I’ve decided to start entering my Pokemon in contests!” She gave a wide grin, seeming to have forgotten all of her earlier fluster. “I figured this would be a great way to see about different species in an environment other than the wild or battles… I mean,” she said quickly, “not that it’s not a form of competition… but… well, you know. It’s different.”

I gave a nod, understanding, but not exactly enthused.

“There’s something else you might be interested in too.” She leaned closer, glancing to her right before whispering, as if worried she’d be overheard. “There’s a rumor that the winner gets to talk to the reigning Champion of the Hoenn League! He’s going to make a special appearance with his Blaziken at the end of the show… or so the speculation goes.”

I suddenly found myself a lot more interested in attending. Seth, the Hoenn League Grand Champion, was thus far the only person to have broken the level barrier. 

I can almost remember the lectures now.  Professor Foxglove, way back when the study of Pokemon was new, had recognized the barriers of energy that surrounded Pokemon and helped power their attacks. Due to the nature of the energy, being unseen, he found a way to measure the levels with the aid of a Pokemon.  Setting up a structure of measurement, from level one (weakest, basically newborns) to level one hundred (the strongest), his research was actually what Professor Oak had later combined with the Pokedex, allowing it to measure the strength of a Pokemon and compare it to ones own team.  It helps in judging a Pokemon’s growth, because once they reach their centennial their bodies are physically unable to improve without doing physical harm.

But Seth’s Blaziken is the only documented Pokemon to breech the one hundred marker.  Nobody’s sure how, and he’s not telling his secrets, but maybe that’s something I can ask him firsthand.

“Can you take a friend?” I asked, the words coming out in a rush.

May laughed. “I was intending to.”

Grinning, I found myself hoping the rumors were true. Seeing Seth in action was nothing short of a trainer’s dream… to actually meet him…

“I’ll see you Friday then.”

May did something like a hop and a dance sway. “Alright! See you then!” She reached to turn off her Pokenav before pausing, apparently remembering something. “Oh, one more thing, Zack.”

“Yeah?” I found myself leaning closer, hoping it was something else about Seth.

“Make sure you put some clothes on.” She was fighting to keep from laughing, the grin on her face so wide it’d have made a Totodile envious. “Can’t have the whole world seeing the future Champion naked!”

Dryly, I felt myself rolling my eyes only to stop, recalling Kat’s earlier behavior. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”  I smiled again. “Good night, May.”

She gave a playful wink before turning her Pokenav off. Laughing to myself, glad she was feeling better, I clicked my own device off and holstered it. From behind me, a sudden voice made me jump.

“So… that was your mate?” 

Turning, I saw Kat. I wasn’t sure how long she’d been there but I had the strong feeling she’d not gotten the wood like I’d asked.

“I guess you could say that,” I answered, not quite sure what Kat would define a mate to be. “Don’t you have wood to gather?”

She moved to run her body against my leg, her furred face brushing my waist. “I guess you could say that,” she repeated, a soft undertone to her words that made me glance at her. It was then I realized she had very little marks in regards to today’s workout, though I know she’d worked very hard. If anyone else had taken a look at her, they’d have probably thought she’d been lazing in the sun rather than the regiment I’d assigned her today.

My hand reached down to ruffle her head fur, taking a moment to glance at the camp. Kat must have gathered some wood after all because Fara was next to the fire pit, two quick twitches from her tails summoning a blue will-o-wisp to leap into the hole and set ablaze what lay within. Trent was helping with the fish-pikes (a shorter way of saying “spears with dead fish on them”), Angel tossing him the fish she caught in the river. Without looking, he was able to catch and spear them, jabbing the end into the ground so that the whole fire pit was soon surrounded. Celia was missing… but if I wasn’t mistaken, Kat had probably convinced the sweet Flygon to get the larger pieces of wood she couldn’t carry.

“Is she strong?” Kat continued, bumping my thigh lightly with her head, mindful of her horn. Huffing, her tail gave one sharp wag. “She sounded like a wimp.”

I hesitated with my answer, not liking to speak ill of someone when they weren’t present to defend themselves. 

“Not in the way I am,” I finally hedged. “And not in the way you are.”

Kat shook her head, apparently unimpressed. “What other way is there, then?”

“She’s… smart,” I offered, knowing May’s area of expertise lay mainly with capturing and recording data for her Pokedex rather than battling to strengthen her team. She did have evolved Pokemon with her, like her Swampert, but I think they’d either been caught that way or evolved to protect her.

“So, if she’s not strong, what attracts you to her?” Kat had her head tilted, her confusion apparent. As her scarlet eyes watched me, waiting for me to answer, I had to think about how best to explain to a Pokemon what humans find attractive.

“She has her good qualities,” I started with, thinking more about May and what I’d liked about her. “She’s kind to others, intelligent when it comes to strategies or things in general…” I smiled, thinking for a moment of the first time we’d shared together. “She’s definitely beautiful… once her hair is out of those wing-buns of hers…” I laughed suddenly. “Oh, and she does this cute thing where she puffs her cheeks out when she’s mad!”

Kat’s head tilted to the other side, her brows pinched in a frown. “That’s it?”

I tried to think of more but couldn’t. “Well… yeah.”

Kat made a “tch” sound before shaking her head in a series of short gestures. “Doesn’t sound like much of a mate to me.”

I expected something like this from her but decided I’d rather be regretful after asking than curious and cursing myself for not.  “Okay… how should a mate be, then?”

“Your mate…” She looked up at me before grinning. “…Shouldn’t be a girl who you have to protect.”

“Strength isn’t everything, Kat.” Moving to scratch her neck, she giggled in response.

“I suppose she could have her uses,” Kat conceded. “Cooking, maybe? Or strategizing…” She gave a shrug with both her shoulders lifting, her eyes rolling to look upward. “She doesn’t look like she’d be able to take the pain of giving you a strong kid, but… you humans have ways around that, right?”  She grinned suddenly, looking at me. “I mean, your book with the naked humans said-”

Suddenly, I didn’t feel so comfortable talking about this with her. “…Kat, go see if the food is done.”

Her mouth hung in mid-sentence before closing into a frown. “But-”

“Listen to your Master, Katherine, or you’ll sleep in your ball tonight.”

Annoyed, Kat drew in an angry breath, holding it before letting it go in a disappointed huff, looking for a brief moment like May when she was angry.

“Fuh-iiiine,” she said, in a tone specifically advising me that the only reason she was doing it was because of the threat, not because she wanted to.

Trotting towards the others, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “If you change your mind,” she called, “and want a strong mate, you know where to find me!” She bent her front down, like she had when I’d been on top of her, jutted her ass out and gave a sassy wag of her tail before leaping away, a series of running jumps getting her back to the camp before I could say anything. 

Groaning, I muttered to myself about giving an Absol an inch before feeling the wind picking up and tugging on the tail of my shirt coat. Letting the breeze wrap around me, forcing my loose clothing into a frantic dance, I reached my arms up in an embrace, feeling the power behind it as it pushed at me. With as much force as it had behind it, it couldn’t budge my Skitty much less myself. Hell, no one was going to push us around or knock us down! I was going to become a Master… No! The Hoenn Champion! Travelling the world as Hoenn’s Pokemon Ambassador, basking in celebrity, getting honored for every step I’ve taken to be where I am, gaining the respect of the whole region and free swag to boot! 

Being a Champion was going to be awesome.

As the wind died, I moved towards the camp, squinting in the now dim lighting. I was able to make out the tiny outline of a pink dot that was inching forward towards what looked to be a fish-pike. Before I could blink, Kiki had grabbed it and was running, a shrill whistle calling after her as my poor Angel remained in the river and unable to properly pursue. Kat, however, was free to do so. While the white streak darted after the pink and the green raced after, I glanced along the horizon in time to see the stars slowly brightening the night sky.

“You’ve all watched me come this far,” I told the pinpricks of light, speaking to each and every one of them, “and I promise to climb to the top so that I can shake each and every one of your hands.  You’re all my biggest fans after all, right?”

Smiling, invigorated despite my soreness, I returned to my camp feeling taller and stronger than I had before, feeling the moon guide every one of my steps like a spotlight for the stars to watch this grand performance.