"I am quite serious, sir, this Catgirl is very mean, you should definitely not challenge my Master."

Your fingers dug a little deeper into Monica's scalp, and her purrs became louder, the vibrations moving through your hand and nearly up to your arm. Monica's white hair lay on your lap, her body curled up at your side as she enjoyed the pettings, her warmth permeating through you. The set of oversized sweater and sweatpants hid the bulk of her muscle, but what really sold off the performance was her contented little mewls as she suckled on the wet piece of strawberry candy your other hand was holding against her soft lips.

A slight sigh escaped you as you turned with a bored expression to look at the young man that had tagged along Kiara. You could see the bulge in his pants and the way he looked at the Succubus' rear whenever he thought she wasn't paying attention. It made a part of you want to frown, but you held from showing any outward signs of what you were thinking. "Who did you bring this time?" You wondered at the infernal, glancing at the guy and scoffing with a derisive roll of the eyes.

The young man bristled, stepping forward before Kiara could answer your question. "I was told you were looking to give your cat a challenge, to get some practice in."

"And I'll probably keep looking," you replied, shaking your head in dismissal.

You saw the young man pull out the Pokedex, just about to scan Monica, but Kiara leaned into his arm, cooing into his ear as her hand glowed ever so slightly while caressing his chest. "See? I told you Master would not believe you would be up for the task." Her voice was a honeyed purr. "Perhaps you could show him how serious you are?"

The young man hesitated, blushing ever so slightly while squirming. "I mean..."

"Just leave him, Kiara." You waved off, following the script. "Stop teasing the boy."

That ticked him off, and he stomped forwards. "I'll challenge for salvage."

"You can't, I'm on cooldown." You almost laughed. "Just bet some money and throw in whoever you want and let's call it a day."

"Four thousand sound good?"

"Sure." It was about half as much as capturing a feral Doggirl and selling her to the nearest ranch. It was enough for a handful of meals; it would do for a quick match. "Do we need a special field or...?"

"I've got a Kitsune to give your Catgirl a run for her money."

A slight pause- you nodded at yourself, you'd read the entry. Kitsune was a fox-like pokegirl; most specialized in illusions but they could be trained into using certain fire and electric techniques which held stronger battle potential. The breed, for the most part, was just above your average Catgirl. Lucky you, Monica was several steps above that.

You expected this would be a quick thing.

"Let's use one of the smaller fields, then." You heard the purring stop as you stopped petting the feline, and Monica pouted up at you. "Come, we're going to fight."

"Fight!?" Monica's ears perked instantly, she was on her feet before you had finished moving. "Fight, Rick? Soon?"

"Sure." You glanced at the small tennis-court sized fighting pit meant for the less explosively capable pokegirls to duke things out; you moved towards your starting position and gestured at the tamer to do the same. "Just one round, yes?"

The young man nodded. It would be only then that Kiara parted from his side and skipped her way towards your side of the ring; there was a twinkle in her eyes as she looked at you, a sly smirk and a pleased grin. You suspected the smile was there for more reasons than just the successful coerced tamer, but you didn't want to think about it too hard.

Turning towards the tamer, you'd consider asking for his name, but doing that had led to others thinking about things and hesitating and going through the usual precautionary steps of making sure what they were up against. Which would spoil the purpose of this fight to begin with. So you punched in the bet into the dex so it'd be recorded, and sent it his way with the press of a button.

After the confirmation tap, he tossed a Pokeball. "Elle, come on, let's fight."

Out of it came the Kitsune. You scanned to make sure and nodded. The girl quickly confirmed the situation and moved towards her end of the ring, removing her clothes and tossing them out of the fighting area. "Ready!"

"Monica, remember, be careful," you said, tugging at her oversized sweater a bit. "Breaks no pets."

She pouted but nodded, the pout quickly forgotten as soon as she glanced at the fox pokegirl and stepped into the combat area. There was a moment of silence; for a split second neither appeared to do anything, but you noticed the shadow of hesitation cross the fox's face as she looked at Monica.

"Seems she just figured out that's no Catgirl," Kiara whispered as she leaned into your shoulder, smirking from ear to ear as the impossible silken softness of her naked figure exerted a teasing pressure against you. You kept an eye on whether you could sense any odd warmth out of her touch or if it was just the normal sort rather than the feeling of her curves.

"Monica, fight," you ordered, moving your hands to cover your face.

The following second, you were sprayed with loose dirt and small rocks; Monica had burst forwards as if an explosive had gone off under her feet. Elle for her part had clearly not expected this sudden rush of movement, and she pulled back, throwing two hastily put together balls of fire at the feline. Neither hit its target, as Monica had just slapped them out of the way before reaching Elle and bringing down an elbow strike to the pokeigrl's shoulder.

You flinched at the cracking sound.

Elle collapsed, screaming. You forced your gaze away and closed your eyes, sighing, hearing the sound of the recall. "Monica win," the cat had declared proudly a moment after, popping her shoulders up and back, thrusting her chest out, and raising her chin.

The tamer's eyes glared at you, with hurt pride and anger. "She's not a fucking Catgirl."

You sighed more deeply. "I did warn you," you replied dismissively, turning to leave, and gesturing to the smug Monica to follow- the tamer didn't pursue.

The feeling of his eyes glaring at the back of your head lasted for a good ten seconds. It wasn't until you were sure he wasn't about to chase after you that you relaxed.

"You could've gotten him to bet some more..." Kiara glanced your way in clear disappointment, tucking herself against your side as she tried to pretend not to be doing it intentionally.

She tempted you, kept tempting you- she wasn't allowed to initiate, but she was making damn sure you wished you took that initiative. You had to remind yourself of Tomas, winded, panting, pale. You could not afford to let her get her way like that. "I don't need the drama," you replied dismissively. "The last thing I want is some grudge, better do more people for less."

With a pout, the Succubus shrugged her shoulders. "So long as I get my reward for the extra effort."

"Don't see why not, though this time you're going to have to put on some leg restraints."

Kiara tripped, her release from your arm as much appreciated as it was missed. Most of all it was amusing as you saw the Succubus catching herself with her ability to float before falling face-first to the ground, taking the next moment to get back to her feet. "I wasn't going to ask for THAT," she spoke in haste.

"Sure you weren't," you snorted in amusement, scratching your chin. "Anyway, we've met the quota, going to take you girls to the centre to relax a bit since we'll be having the gym match later." Your words were met with a slight frown from Kiara before Monica stepped in.

The feline's smile went from cheekbone to cheekbone. "Candy," she declared intently, already removing the set of baggy clothes you'd given her to 'trick' people into not paying closer attention to the bulging muscles and threatening predatorial looks she'd shoot towards anyone she sought to take seriously.

Taking the piece of candy out of your pocket, you tossed it at Monica, watching her catch it mid-air and, very carefully, unwrap it. Her eyes focused like lasers onto the bright pink surface, checking for remaining pieces of paper. She took a moment and carefully licked it, nodded, and tossed the whole thing into her mouth. She'd been just about ready to toss the wrapper when she noticed the look you gave her. A little determined nod followed as she crumpled it into a ball and put it into the pockets of her pants.

"Good Monica," you told her, and her smile brightened further.

"Trash bad," she proclaimed.

"Now if only she could learn that random body parts are special trash too," Kiara chuckled, and you could feel as she watched you squirm, definitely revenge for your earlier little comment. "You really feel bothered by dead ferals, huh."

"Is it that weird?" You snapped at her, your hands pressing against your belt; Diane's and Raven's pokeballs remained a twitch from release. "I don't like seeing dead people."

The Succubus scowled. "Ferals aren't people."

"So you'd stop being people if I opted to keep you balled for a couple of weeks?" You arched a brow.

She froze, scowling, lips drawing thin. "You wouldn't."

"No, I wouldn't," you confirmed. "But the point stands, I'd think of you as people even if you went feral. You'd just be a 'people' in need of some human 'help' to recover your consciousness."

Ignoring the look she gave you, you kept your pace while heading towards the medical centre. Not that you made it more than five steps before you felt a pair of arms wrapping around your shoulders. You stiffened, recognizing the return of the pressure of soft breasts on your back and the manicured sharp nails of the Succubus.

As she hugged you, Kiara leaned in to kiss your neck, and it made you shudder slightly. "What's that for?" You asked, glancing at the Succubus' smirk as she tightened the hug, preventing you from shrugging her off for only a second, and then letting go a moment after.

"Hm..." She muttered, tapping her chin as she licked her lips. "You keep tasting weird."

"Weird?"

"There's something missing," she muttered, not really paying that much attention to you.

"What does that mean?"

Rather than answer, the Succubus turned her attention away from you, and with a single short step she landed in front of a young woman that'd been walking in the opposite direction to your own. You couldn't really react in time before Kiara pulled her into a kiss, the woman swooning in the Succubus' grip for a fraction of a second.

"Hey!" You stepped forward to stop her, but she'd already let go of the woman.

"Ah." The succubus turned towards you. "Yes, you're missing some of that tangy peppermint."

"What?"

The question was spoken as the assaulted woman blushed furiously and hurried off, shooting a look at Kiara as the Succubus threw a wink in turn.

"What do you mean?" You insisted at the infernal, watching her lick her lips once more.

"Neither you, nor the boy, nor the girl, nor the old fart, none of you have the tangy peppermint..." A slight leaning of her head. "I always thought humans would have that taste, but not you. Why?"

"How should I know?" You replied defensively, shaking your head- no, she was marking the flow of the conversation, you had to regain control. "You initiated without permission."

"Oh, alright." A sigh and a roll of the eyes. "What's going to be my punishment over a harmless kiss, oh cruel and strict Master?"

 

---

 

Sitting within the cool pokecenter lounge, your ears picked up the scattered conversations and mutters that were happening all around you, and the wooden chair underneath you creaked as you leaned slightly back.

"This is still bullshit, it was only a kiss. This stinks of cat."

You glanced at Kiara as she scowled. She was wearing the oversized sweater Monica had worn that morning, and it was large enough it might as well have been a burlap sack, covering the Succubus' body all the way to her calves and keeping her curves hidden from view. Her brows were a singular line of annoyance. It brought a little smile of amusement to your lips. Rather than answer, you turned back down to glance at the Pokedex and the email you'd received from one of the other survivors. A small update of things going well, a small desire for well-wishes.

A small touch of things past and civilized.

Still in the process of typing a small response of greeting to the message, you could feel the infernal's scowl intensify.

"I can't eat like this, people aren't watching my body."

"Is that a pout?" You blinked a little in surprise, looking at her, now letting out a small chuckle. "Is the mighty Kiara feeling frustrated over wearing an oversized shirt? Is the punishment actually a punishment?"

"Ha ha," she sarcastically forced a laugh, sitting down next to you, crossing her arms and ignoring the several new sets of eyes that glanced her way.

You turned your attention from her and to the others in the room, meeting their eyes one by one; each stranger was quick to look away. With the distraction dealt with, you turned back to your pokedex, finishing up the small message and sending it over. Meaningless little text of enjoyment over knowing things were working out, that the group was slowly adjusting.

As soon as you were done you reached for your belt and pulled out Diane. The nurse appeared with a moment of nervousness, looking around to confirm her situation before looking at you. Well, at you for about only a second, then her eyes moved to Kiara as she sat next to you, covered from neck to knee in the dark black sweater.

A chortle escaped her, and she covered her mouth quickly as the infernal glowered. "Did she do something worth giving her clothes for, Master?"

"She initiated a kiss with a passerby," you replied, patting the seat next to you opposite to Kiara.

The nurse hesitated, looking around the waiting room at the other people present before looking at you again. "Master, the seat..."

Glancing up at her, you tapped the empty seat again, watching as she nervously nodded, moving to sit and lowering her gaze. Once more, you glanced around the room and met the eyes of anyone who glared your way. "Good girl," you told Diane, stroking her hair until she calmed down. It took her a moment before she relaxed, leaning into your shoulder.

"Why did you call for me, Master?"

"One sec." You glanced at Kiara, reaching out to pat her head. "You're a good girl too."

Her gaze narrowed dangerously, but she stayed quiet, smouldering embers in her eyes with a promise of retaliation you were not going to worry about... at least for the time being. It was too amusing to really care right now, especially when you were in a pokecenter surrounded by dozens of tamers and pokegirls. If Kiara dared to do anything, you had little doubt she'd regret it.

"I called you out because we're going to go now to the gym to challenge it, made the appointment and everything," you said. "What should I expect?"

"Oh!" Diane immediately straightened her back, nodding more seriously than a moment ago. "Violet city is renowned for being a mail transport nexus for the southern edge of the league, many of the aerial speed mail transported to any of the southern cities and villages tend to go through Violet first." Her words caused you to arch a brow, and she flushed. "Sorry, it was what the brochure at the centre said, I'd read it when I got bored and had reception desk duty..." A slight shy smile. "The gym leader is the owner of the bigger mail deliverance companies in the city, so many of his pokegirls double as workers in the mail delivery when in their off time."

"Am I going to fight the leader?"

"Doubtful since this is only..." She paused, glancing around and lowering her voice. "It's a low-rank match, you will likely match against an assistant, but assistants usually train to potentially replace the leader one day, so..."

"So flying pokegirls are likely to be what I'll have to handle." You grimaced, imagining having to fight pokegirls like Kiara. "Anything else?"

"Those would be the likely thing to keep an eye out." She reached out to touch your knee carefully. "With Kiara and Raven, you should have not much of an issue, and Monica..." A pause and a slight frown. "I think she might be able to do something against low strength flying pokegirls, she's feral, she certainly has the experience to match."

"I'd bet the cat has eaten a fucking dragon at some point," Kiara snorted at your opposite side. "Fucking battle maniac."

"And a maniac for fucking too," you replied, hiding the grimace. "Anyway, besides what we might face, anything I should keep in mind?"

"For a second badge?" The infernal spoke out loudly, drawing attention again. "You should probably expect a gaggle of mice."

You noticed some chuckles going around the room, people looking your way and cracking a smirk. Kiara swelled a little as she looked at you with a wide smirk. One that faltered a little as you glanced at her with a slightly arched brow. Wordlessly, you looked back at Diane; the pokegirl had a severe scowl aimed at the succubus.

"Don't." You reached out to caress the pink-haired nurse's cheek, making her hesitate and breaking the glare, forcing her to look at you.

"But..." A moment of pause followed with a slump to her shoulders. "Yes, Master." A sigh, looking away almost in dejection as she grumbled but nodded.

Your Pokedex dinged, the message on the screen being one large green checkmark. "Wait here, I'll be back in a second." Standing up, you headed for the front desk, showing your dex and receiving Monica's Pokeball. Turning back to glance at the two pokegirls you'd left behind, you noticed Diane quickly looking around while Kiara was looking at you instead. The intensity of her stare was gnawing at you; you could guess you'd gone and done something else she hadn't expected.

Two steps in, you looked at Monica's ball as you realized why. Ah, you hadn't sent one of your girls to pick it up.

"Let's go." You motioned and headed outside, releasing Raven and Monica as soon as you'd stepped under the warm noon sun.

"Master Rick." Raven bowed.

Monica opted to greet you by pulling you into a hug followed by a purr. "Don't be too eager now, we're going to have another fight soon."

"Fight?" The feline perked up, releasing you and glancing at you eagerly.

You nodded, motioning for her to follow; your eyes moved towards the Arachnae, the single member of the team that you'd yet to have a good read on. "We're going to do a gym match, did you have anything like that back in your league?"

"In Edo there were tests of honour, requiring a Master or Mistress to overcome certain powerful feral foes through the aid of their pokegirls," she spoke softly. "If the team succeeded, they would get to keep the feral, or a reward if the feral died."

"I like the sound of that," Kiara chuckled.

"Over here it's similar, but no feral," you spoke up. "More like a tamer facing off a representative of the government."

She followed your words with a little bow of her head. "If I am to be used in combat, I will do my best, Master Rick."

And you were left with the feeling that there was little else to add to the conversation; a slight sense of frustration swelled and was calmed down before it could go anywhere. You glanced at the white-haired pokegirl as she kept her gaze straight ahead, her hands tightly on her lap and all but two eyes closed while her steps remained a measured short step.

A woman that was your slave and appeared intent on not showing a shred of emotion whenever she was within your line of sight. You had to sigh and keep the grumbling inwards. How could you get a proper measure out of someone who appeared very much determined to avoid showing any obvious preferences? It reminded you of the students that would usually sit at the sides of the classroom near the middle rows. They'd come into class, avoid drawing attention, do their homework, and leave. You never did find a good way to engage them, and it seemed the same was going to happen now.

With a mental note to see who you could ask for possible help in the matter, you carried on towards the gym.

"Let's get this over with," Kiara muttered as soon as you stepped into the lavishly decorated lobby. The floor was polished marble, and there was a chandelier hanging from the roof.

And no sooner had you taken a single step did a young ivory haired woman stand in your way, bowing slightly. "Excuse me, sir, pokegirls are not allowed outside their pokeballs here."

"Oh."

With a look at the rest, you gave them a sheepish shrug. "I'll pull you out later, then."

Four flashes of red light and the white-haired sharply dressed straight-faced woman bowed again, gesturing for you to continue inwards. You certainly felt like the clothes you wore were three zeros beneath what would be minimally appropriate for the area, but it wasn't like you could do much all things considered. So you just shrugged and went to the receptionist.

She smiled a peppy sparkling smile upon your approach. "Mister Rick?"

You hesitated. "I don't remember being here before."

"The building scans your dex upon entry, sir." She kept the bubbly friendliness. "Would you be here to challenge the gym?"

"Indeed, I looked up online the available slots and..."

"And you reserved the early noon slot for the two badge challenge, yes. Could you please lend your dex for verification of your ID? It's merely a formality."

A little taken aback at the swiftness of her words, you handed the dex over, receiving it back within ten seconds. The way the woman moved her hands across the desk was startlingly fast; you had to suspect she was either well acquainted with the process, a pokegirl, or both. "There we go, assistant Garcia will be the one to give you the gym challenge, she should be here within five minutes. Please feel free to take a seat while you wait."

You had a suspicion you weren't going to wait long, so you moved a bit out of the way, looking around the lobby that was empty save the receptionist and the white-haired woman near the door. There was an empty chill about the place, perhaps from how large the area was and how few seats there were there for people to use while waiting.

Not a full minute passed, and one of the polished wooden doors opened and a woman came through. "Tamer Rick?"

Her cold dark eyes and sharp hair made her look upon you as if cutting through you.

"That would be me." You nodded.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" She gestured at the cigarette, to which you could only shrug.

Idly, you noticed the smell of smoke didn't quite feel like the one you remembered from back on Earth; it was far milder, almost aromatic, fruity. The woman turned back towards the doors and led the way. The hallways reminded you of the first gym, wide, with wide doors at either side, each and every one numbered.

"Would you mind if I ask something?" You prompted, looking at the young woman as she partially turned your way. "I've wondered what the purpose of the gym leaders and assistants are. Besides the having matches with tamers part."

"To help the city, and protect it if need be." Her answer was dismissive, but she did look at you for a second. "I have a question of my own if you don't mind."

"Shoot."

"Your record shows thirty won challenges within the past couple of days," she spoke, and there was something about her tone that caught your attention. "Any particular reason for the burst of activity?"

There was a slight moment of apprehension as you held back from showing any reaction. "Just wanted to test how tamers fought, and trying to teach my feralborn how to hold back. I'm not exactly the most experienced of the bunch." With a moment of hesitation, you looked at her. "What's your name by the way?"

"Erica Garcia." She smiled at you, the expression not reaching her eyes. "I'm glad you were seeking to understand how tamers fought, Tamer Rick, I think you will find this to be a rather intense learning experience." The words brought about a knot to your gut just as she turned towards the door to the right. "This way, please."

Stepping through, your eyes widened. The arena was large, at least a football field, practically a hundred meters long, and just as wide. There were two podiums on either side of the area, and you noticed several people standing at the corners of the field. 

"First time seeing a proper fighting arena?" Erica had barely a hint of mirth on her lips as they pursed in an upwards curve. "You won't need to worry too much over the fight itself, the gym staff will keep a barrier up to avoid any accidents from escaping the fight zone."

A little frown came to your brows. "I was expecting something brief."

She laughed. "Oh, I'm sure it will be brief." With a flick of her wrist, she tossed out a Pokeball; in a flash of red a pokegirl emerged.

You would've focused on her state of undress except your eyes were immediately drawn to the cold, hard, ruthless gaze with which she was looking at you.

"It's going to be a four on four all-out fight," Erica spoke, ignoring how you and the pokegirl had locked eyes. "My new girl here, Hara, is going to be leading the other three. I'm trying to teach her to hold back, I think the workout will do her well."

 

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Dex Entry of the day: Kanggal -- (Source: Erm, can't find it, it's from a manga though, that much for sure)

Bonus commentary: Behold THE breed that sparked the MOST arguments over at the Discord compared to any other. She got renamed at least 5 times within the span of a week, and there was a constant back-and-forth over the entry like none other (we also had lots of trouble finding any decent pics).

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