Story Notes:
This is the "other" Runaways story, the long one with more characters, plot, and some other stuff too.Okay, *clears throat* I do not own pokemon, or any of those characters. the events and characters of this story are all fictional and any resemblance to persons live or dead is purely coincidental, and not meant to be insulting.Also, the inclusion of Lucario and wave guidance is all Felix's fault. Go read "Luca"... it's good and it inspired some of this story.Also, categories will be updated as necessary. They will changeAlso, I will be changing the categories as they need to be changed. the main characters are all a bit young at this point for sex, but it will probably show up in some form or another later.Also, if you can guess what the title is talking about I'll give you a cookie! (And maybe a story request, if you want)
Ch 12: Bottling
CRASH!
I jump like a startled Glameow, sending my chair sliding across the floor as Gile skids over the tile along
with a crap load of broken glass. I can hear Rogue shouting, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" from
outside, which means that it isn't those DNA people that did this. That is a good thing, I guess, except it
makes me the one responsible for fixing the Feraligatr. Fuck.
Melissa starts to rise and I shout, "DON'T MOVE!"
She looks at me with a frightened expression, "What?! Why?!"
"There is broken glass all over the floor. You don't have shoes and your feet are soft. If you walk around
you will cut up your feet and then we will have two injured people to deal with."
Gile groans as he starts to sit up, "I'm fine."
"No, you aren't. You just got hit with a Giga Impact and you have some big glass shards in your back." I
say as I walk back over to where Gile is sitting. Crouching down behind him, I take a deep breath before I
put a hand on his back, "Don't move while I get these out."
However before I can grab hold of the first glass shard, the sharp fragment is enveloped in a blue glow
and begins to move on its own. I pull my hand back in surprise as all the glass embedded in Gile
suddenly jerks out of him and floats in the air around me. These shards are soon joined by all the other
fragments littering the floor and even what glass remains in the door frame is pulled out to join its
airborne kin. I turn and look behind me to see Crystal, her eyes and chest spike glowing brightly as she
manipulates the hundreds of glass shards. The glass suddenly seems to liquefy and flow towards a single
point in front of Crystal. All the pieces coalesce into a single glowing sphere of liquid glass. Her
expression hardens as the sphere slowly deforms and morphs into a familiar shape. She then takes hold
of the newly formed glass lucario and holds it to her chest with a smile.
"Okay. That was pretty damn cool." I say with a grin.
"Thanks!" Crystal says with a giggle before disappearing back into the living room.
I turn back to Gile's back and eye the puncture wounds that speckle his back. It would be best to potion
these away before they get infected.
"Okay, I'll go get some potion." Melissa says as she rises from the table.
Gile turns his head to look at me, "How did you know it was Giga Impact?"
"It's the only move Rogue knows that would send your fat ass flying through the air like that." I say as I
take a couple steps back from the feraligatr. Gile glares at me. "What? It's not my fault you got a fat
ass."
"Dannnnnyyyyy..." Rogue singsongs as she walks towards the house.
A chill runs up my spine and I jerk a thumb over my shoulder, "I'm gonna check on Gin."
I hurry out of the kitchen but freeze as soon as I enter the living room. Gin and Crystal are both gone. I
only trust Crystal about as far as I can throw her, which is actually pretty far, but I can't throw her
through walls. Probably. Regardless, she isn't the most predictable of individuals, to put it lightly, and
she'd already tied Gin to a ceiling fan with lots of tinsel. Arceus only knows what she will do next.
I shut my eyes and go into wave sight, seeking out Gin's aura. My sphere of vision shoots straight to
Crystal's room. Gin is still tied up and sitting at a table with Crystal, and just like she told me, they are
surrounded by piles of what look like stuffed pokémon. This doesn't surprise me too much, but what
does surprise me is that Gin seems pleased with whatever is going on.
I quickly make my way up the stairs and down the hall. I stop outside the door, unsure of whether I
should actually open it or not. I mean, Crystal is unpredictable and if I'm interrupting...
"Come in!" Crystal calls out. Hiding outside of rooms apparently doesn't work with psychic types.
I push open the door and my jaw drops, "Tea?! You are making Gin drink tea?! And he is enjoying
it?!"
Gin grins as he looks up from his tea cup, "Not tea!"
A large wine bottle floats out of one of the mountains of stuffed animals. I think it might be a red,
maybe a dark pink color; it is hard to tell since the glass is colored. I blink in surprise, "Where did... can I
have a cup of that?"
"Nope." Crystal says with a giggle as she pours Gin another teacup of the wine from her porcelain
teapot. "You aren't invited to this tea party."
"I see no tea." I chuckle, "This is hardly a tea party."
A gallon jug of sweet tea emerges from another pile of stuffed animals. "There is tea." Crystal replies
with roll of her eyes, "I'm not about to touch a drop of that stuff."
I raise a brow as she fills her own tea cup with the jug. "Okay then. I guess I'll be going." I reach over to
close the door. "Oh, just so you know, in case you didn't already, Gin is a horny philosopher when he's
drunk. Last time we got drunk together, he broke down chivalry into the love of pussy."
"Oh really now?" Crystal leans towards Gin with a huge grin. "Now just how does that work?"
Gin stares at me then back at Crystal. "I... uh.... I plead the fifth?"
"Then you obviously haven't had enough wine."
I chuckle as I close the door, my job here is done.
~0~
Back down stairs I find that Melissa has finished fixing Gile up and he and Rogue are at it again. I stop
next to Melissa and watch for a moment. Gile is darn impressive, not only is he a serious powerhouse,
but he is incredibly fast for someone with such a fat ass.
"He is not fat."
I chuckle, "No, he isn't. It's mostly muscle. Still, he is very bulky."
"Yeah," Melissa admits with a sigh, "I've had him taking carbos for a while now."
"That would explain the speed."
Melissa winces as Rogue playfully leaps onto Gile's head and does a flip off of it. "Of course, he may as
well be eating Styrofoam for all the good it does him trying to catch Rogue."
"I know the feeling. She's always been really fast." I chuckle, "The only one that can mess with her and
evade her is Mew and she cheats."
"Huh?"
"She teleports. I'm sure you could too eventually."
"How?"
"Hell if I know." I say with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure the best I can teach you is aura type stuff."
Melissa grins, "That's perfect!"
"It is?"
"Yes!"
She looks t me excitedly, obviously eager to learn. I frown and shake my head, "I still don't get it. From
all appearances you are dead set against learning to be a pokémon and learning aura sphere and a few
Fight type moves isn't going to help you be human."
"Well, it won't help me be human, but at least I won't be randomly floating off the ground." What?
Melissa sighs, "Your power comes from aura and your control of it. Aura is your 'Type'. The mechanics of
controlling my power is probably very similar to yours, only my type is Psychic."
Well that sorta makes sense. I shrug and roll my neck, "Okay, I'll teach you, but first we have to get away
from those two and away from anything breakable. In terms of raw power you're pretty dangerous, I
seriously doubt focusing that power is gonna make you any safer until you learn how to aim it."
"That's what I hope to learn."
We head out into the day care area, giving Rogue and Gile wide berth as they continue to spar. When
we are behind the ice habitat, I strip.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't want to ruin your dad's clothes." I say with a chuckle.
"Well, you are still missing half your underwear." Melissa says with a snicker, "And if Gile comes around
the corner..."
Oh hell. That would not be good. "Good point." I say, quickly pulling the pants back on, "You're dad's
pants are gonna have to take one for the team then."
"What makes you think you are going to ruin the pants?"
"Well, when I first met you, you had just finished demolishing a high tech lab, and since then your tail
alone has tried to kill me twice. You have also blasted Gin and me on a couple occasions. You also kicked
me in the nuts earlier today. Odds are, before we are done here, I will be hurting."
Melissa rolls her eyes, "Oh please. Those were all with extenuating circumstances."
"You kicked me in the nuts."
"You were being a smart ass."
"Ever thought of using a backhand?"
"Not as effective."
I groan, "Anyway, to start with you have to concentrate your energy."
"And how do I do that?"
I frown, It's been a long time since I had to actually concentrate on focusing my aura. It's kind of second
nature to me these days. "Um, kind of imagine that your entire body has a power flowing through it.
Does that make sense?"
Melissa closes her eyes, "Okay, now what?"
"Now focus on moving that energy to a single point." I say watching her carefully, ready to dive or use
Protect at a moment's notice, "In your hand for instance."
Melissa lifts a hand and I take a step back as a pure white sphere forms in her hand and rapidly begins to
grow larger. Oh crap. "Melissa I need you to very carefully try and reverse what you just did."
"Why?" Melissa asks as she opens her eyes and looks at the sphere, now about the size of a beach ball.
The air around the sphere crackles with energy and I can smell ozone. "ARCEUS!"
I immediately dive under the sphere and tackle Melissa. The sphere stays in place as Melissa falls under
me. As we hit the ground I throw up a Protect shield.
The sphere distorts briefly before exploding violently. A wave of raw power smashes into my Protect
screen and the green shield bulges inwards towards us. I put all of my concentration into maintaining
the integrity of the shield. To my surprise the shield pops back into shape before vanishing and we are
thrown along the ground. Melissa screams and clings to me as we tumble over the dirt and grass.
Finally, we roll to a stop under some bushes. Melissa releases me and sits up to stare at the smoking
crater in the ground from her misfire. "What the hell just happened?"
Rogue flies around the corner, followed closely by Gile. They both stare at the crater as well. The crater
is a few feet deep and about fifteen feet wide. I groan, as I lift myself into a sitting position. "I tried to
teach you Aura Sphere and you ended up almost forming a Hyperbeam." I glance down at the pants,
"And your dad's pants are ruined."
"I did what you told me to do though."
"Mew can use all the elements." Rogue replies, shaking herself as she trots over to where we are. "You
have to actually pick an element to use if you have access to more than one. Danny should have known
that."
"Of course, because I'm a professional Move Tutor after all and know everything there is to know about
pokémon and pokémon moves." I roll my eyes, "I learned everything I know by instinct and
experimentation. That does not translate well to teaching hatchlings."
Whop!
I yelp and hold a hand to my nose, "What the hell?!"
"I'm not a hatchling!" Melissa says with a glare that conflicts with the cheerful vibes she is giving off.
"And you said you like backhands."
I stare at her for a moment in disbelief. Finally, I laugh and climb to my feet. I grab Melissa by the
shoulders and lift her up onto her feet. "So I did. But those are for special occasions. Like when I'm being
a complete asshole."
"I usually just Headbutt him in the nuts." Rogue pipes up from next to Gile, "That usually puts him right
back in line. Well, as soon as he can stand again."
Melissa smiles and I wince, "Fortunately, your head is at a much less convenient level for such an
action."
"My knees are though."
I thought we just went over this. That is what backhands are for. I think at her. I shake my head,
"Regardless of future pains that are headed my way, I think it is time for you to teach me something
useful."
"What? How could I teach you anything useful that you don't already know?"
I start walking towards the house, "I'm obviously going to be eating vegan for a while. I wanna know
how to cook vegan." I pause, "Are Lucarios and Gardevoirs in the same egg group?"
"What kind of question is that?" Melissa asks with a shocked expression.
"Because Crystal is busy getting Gin sloshed right now, and I'm not ready to be an uncle."
Melissa is off like a flash shouting Crystal's name at the top of her lungs. I glance over at Rogue who is
laughing so hard she can't walk straight. I shrug, "I don't think Gin would mind much."
"You and I both know that Gardevoirs are not in the same egg group as Lucarios." Rogue says once she
finishes laughing.
"And so should Melissa." Gile adds scratching his head, "I suspect it is probably a combination of the fact
that the wine is her father's and that Crystal has been disqualified from a gym match before for
'indecency'."
"Whut?" I laugh, "How can someone who essentially walks around naked all the time be indecent?"
"She improvised Attract." Gile grimaces, "It was... super effective."
I stare at Gile. "How do you improvise Attract?"
"Think about what Mew does with you almost every time she comes around." Rogue says, rolling her
eyes as she trots past me into the kitchen, "And then take it to the Nth power."
I blush furiously, suddenly very grateful Melissa's focus is elsewhere right now. I stop at the kitchen
table and look down at an empty coffee cup. "What happened to my coffee?"
"I thought you were finished." Rogue says as she takes a seat at the table across from me. I sigh and take
the cup to the sink where I begin rinsing it.
I squirt some dish soap into the cup and begin to use my fingers to work the soap into lather. Once I am
satisfied that it is clean, I rinse it out and set it on the counter. "See this?" I ask pointedly while holding
up the coffee pot, "This is mine. All mine. And the pot I make after dinner is mine too. So paws
off."
"You do realize that all this is technically not yours at all." Gile points out with a smirk.
I turn to Gile, "Guess who I met today?"
"Richard?"
"Yeah, I met the Royal Dick, but that wasn't who I was talking about. I was referring to Toni." I say with a
chuckle, "Apparently a fire-type has been whooping your butt regularly."
I can feel Rogue's eyes burning holes in my back and I'm not sure if it is my imagination or if I can
actually hear electricity crackling. "Well, I fought her today in a one on one, and to be brutally honest,
I'm not surprised." I pour myself another cup of coffee as I continue, "I have no doubt that you are one
hell of a bruiser. Feraligatr's are known for their physical attack power, and you are an excellent
specimen. I bet you could go toe-to-toe with a Machamp and win. Is that an accurate assessment?"
I set the coffee pot down and turn around to look at Gile and Rogue. They are both staring at me with
dumbfounded expressions. Gile is the first to find his voice, "Did you just compliment me?"
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" I say with a chuckle, "If you'd like I can balance it out by saying you have speed
issues, something Toni is very good at. I was barely able to keep ahead of her attacks and ended up
having to use a counter blow to make an opening for my own attack."
Gile is about to reply when a blood curdling wail causes all of us to just about jump out of our respective
skins. I whip around to see Melissa walk into the kitchen carrying a partially depleted bottle of wine
while a wailing Crystal is clinging to her tail and being dragged across the floor. Melissa stops halfway
across the kitchen and tries in vain to yank her tail out of Crystal's grasp. "What the hell is wrong with
you? You hate wine and you know how jealously my dad guards this particular bottle."
"BUT I NEED TO KNOW HOW CHIVALRY EQUALS THE LOVE OF PUSSY!" Crystal wails at the top of her
lungs.
Melissa's mouth drops open in shock and she stares at the gardevoir in shock. Rogue snorts and I
struggle to keep a straight face. Gile just shakes his head. Melissa finally finds her voice, "What the hell
does chivalry have to do with something as vulgar as that and why is wine the key to discovering that!?"
"Danny told me that Gin gets all philosophical when he's drunk, and that last time they got drunk Gin
managed to effectively describe chivalry in terms of tits and pussy."
Melissa turns to look at me, "Is this true?"
"Yep." I say with a crooked grin, "We do most of our really deep thinking when we get our hands on a
bottle."
"It's really the only time you can expect them to not break anything." Rogue adds quickly. "The kind of
deep thinking they do when sober is along the lines of 'Can gravity be used to create a Meteor Smash
attack'."
"Can it?" Gile asks curiously.
"Yes, but you have to throw the individual really, really, really high." Rogue says shaking her
head, "Gin wasn't able to walk without a limp for a week."
Melissa rolls her eyes. Gile shrugs, "Well, it was an interesting question. Anyway, yes, Toni is way too
fast for me, but I'm sure if I could just land one solid blow I could level the playing field."
"Have you tried learning Aqua Jet?"
"What?"
"It's a high speed water type move, kind of like a quick attack using water to launch yourself at an
opponent." I say taking a sip of coffee, "Turning someone with as much bulk as you into a water-
propelled missile would not only be a powerful move, but a good ace in the hole or surprise opening
against quick moving fire-types." I can feel Melissa staring at me in surprise. "What?"
"I thought you said you weren't a trainer."
"I'm not." I reply with a frown as I turn to her.
"But you're giving battle advice."
"So?"
"Isn't that a trainer thing though? Teaching pokémon battle strategies and stuff?"
"Am I forcing him to battle against his will? Am I stealing him away from his home and family? Am I
treating him as a weapon or a tool?" I ask gesturing with my coffee cup. "No, I'm not. I'm giving him
advice he can use both in a life threatening situation as well as a friendly battle." I pause, "Pokémon
battle for fun in the wild too. There are also life and death type battles there too. Battling advice isn't a
trainer thing, it's a friend thing."
"That's the other part. You do not like Gile. Why would you give him advice?"
"I...I'm not entirely sure." I admit, "Except that you are the one that is going to be with Melissa when I'm
gone."
"When you're gone?"
"Yeah, once everything returns to normal you won't need me and it would be best for everyone if
Rogue, Gin, and I left." I chuckle, "Unless something crazy happens and my criminal record is erased,
then my staying here makes you a criminal too."
"Well that sucks."
Gile nods sagely, "Indeed, and I really don't know what they would do with us, or you for that matter.
They can't just put you in a human prison now. They'll probably keep you in an ultraball or something."
"Nah, they won't keep her in a ball." Crystal says shaking her head, "They'll want to figure out what she
is and study her."
Melissa grimaces, "Thanks guys. That is oh so encouraging."
I take another sip of coffee before setting down the mug. "So, on a more pleasant note, how do I
vegan?"
~0~
"That was actually really good." I say as I help clean up the dishes with Melissa.
"See? Vegan isn't so bad after all." Melissa says, flicking me in the arm playfully with her tail.
"Well, I'm not about to give up animal products forever, but I can definitely live with this for now." I
reply with a chuckle.
"What are you going to do after you leave here?" Melissa asks as she begins filling the sink with soapy
water.
"No idea." I shrug, "We never really had a plan when Rogue and I took off originally. Things just kind of
fell into place all on their own." I laugh, "I actually owe you a thank you for catching that growlithe."
"Why?"
I grab a dish rag and begin scrubbing down a bowl, "Well, if you hadn't caught the growlithe, Gin and I
wouldn't have been attacked by the Arcanine. If that hadn't happened, we probably wouldn't have
gotten into the business of working for pokémon and life would have been very different. We definitely
wouldn't have been brought out to the island by your Gyrados."
"So, what you're saying is that if I hadn't caught that growlithe, I would still be trapped in a lab
somewhere?"
I pass her the bowl to dry and start cleaning another dish, "Or you may still be human. Depending on
how our encounter impacted you, you may have just gone on to be another trainer and have been in the
League by now." Melissa freezes with a strange expression on her face. I set the dish down in the sink.
"You okay?"
Suddenly Melissa lashes out and slaps me upside the head. I yelp and rub the place where she whacked
me. "What the hell?!"
"That's for the huge part you played in my becoming a pokegirl." Melissa says crossing her arms.
"A what?"
"Pokegirl. A pokémon girl thing. Pokegirl."
I frown, "How did I play a huge part?"
"If it weren't for you I wouldn't have Rio." Melissa growls, "And if I didn't have Rio I wouldn't have been
on that island where they turned me into a pokegirl."
I frown, for a couple reasons. The first reason is that Melissa is acting angry with me when I can easily
tell that she isn't. In fact, she is still calm and even happy right now. The second reason is that I don't
understand how I am responsible for her having a chicken gyrados. "Again, how?"
"Both Crystal and Rio were rescues of sorts." Melissa says rolling her eyes, "I actually bought Rio as a
Magikarp from a seafood restaurant tank and Crystal kept getting shunted from trainer to trainer until
she got to me because she didn't ever listen to commands and is one hell of a firecracker."
"Well, that certainly explains a bit about those two." I chuckle, "But how is that my fault?"
"It was you and Gin who pointed out that by capturing wild pokémon we take them away from their
family and their homes. I didn't want to do that, so I have only added pokémon to my team who didn't
already have those."
"Okay, so maybe I am a tad responsible for your current state." I sigh, "Anyway, I am trying to make it
better."
"Yes you are." Melissa agrees before leaning in and giving me a quick kiss.
I can feel my eyes going wide as saucers. Sure it was only a quick kiss, but it was on the lips. Yeah, so
that may not be a big deal to most Casanovas, but I'm no Casanova and I've been told twice that I either
had no chance or that I should stay the fuck away. Is this just a kiss or is it a proposition?
"Which do you want it to be?" Melissa asks with a smirk that I have seen many times over the years.
"Uhhh... don't you have some sort of crush on a bad boy celebrity or something?" I ask, wondering if
Gile is around, and if Melissa's smirk being identical to Mew's teasing look has any significance
"Yeah, I do. You."
Whut? Me? A celebrity? I guess I might be kinda infamous. But still... "So the guy that Crystal told me
you had a crush on was actually me?"
"Yes."
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.
Melissa and I both turn to look at the stairs as Gin tumbles down them to land on his back in the kitchen
floor. He sits up and shakes his head, which only makes him fall over again. He tilts his head to look back
at us without sitting up. "Do you know where the wine went? I can't find it anymore." He goes a bit
cross-eyed, "I'm also not feeling that good."
"Falling down the stairs will do that if you've had too much to drink." I sigh, "Something tells me your
dad's wine is a bit stiffer than most."
"You could say that." Melisa giggles.
I walk over to Gin and throw him roughly over my shoulder. "Come on you druncario, let's get you ready
for the inevitable hangover."
"Okay."
~0~
After setting Gin up at the toilet, and listening to him postulate about the source of fetishes for about an
hour or two (I did contribute to the conversation, but it was mostly a monologue), I come back down to
the kitchen and grab my mug of coffee and get another coffee pot brewing. Then I head outside.
I make my way again to the 'ocean' and sit down. Cold coffee and cold ground with a cool breeze. Very
refreshing, if a bit on the chilly side.
"What are you doing out here? You're not going to sleep out here again are you?"
I glance back at Gile in the darkness, who is looking at me while on all fours. "Nah," I hold up the coffee
mug, "I'm just settling in for a boring all-nighter."
"Why?"
"I'm pretty certain that tonight is the night of my night terrors." I say with a shrug, "So I'm gonna try and
stay awake."
"Well don't be doing anything suspicious looking or I might jump you. With the door busted wide open
like it is, I'm not going to be sleeping either."
"Gotcha. I'll be as innocent as possible." I say turning back to the ocean. I relax as I hear Gile walking
away. I take a deep drink from my mug and sigh. It's been one hell of a day, and it's going to be one hell
of a night if I let myself fall asleep. Fucking nightmares.
It doesn't take long for boredom to set in and my coffee cup to be empty. A dreadful combination if you
want to stay awake on a dark night like tonight. I groan as I climb to my feet and start walking towards
the house. I grab the coffee pot off the counter and head right back out. I sip the bitter drink straight
from the pot as I take a seat in the wet sand. The acrid taste is a pleasant reminder that I am still awake.
I sigh and then freeze as I hear a growling voice say, "I am most displeased with you."
I slowly turn to look behind me and my jaw drops, "Oh shiiiiit."
I jump like a startled Glameow, sending my chair sliding across the floor as Gile skids over the tile along
with a crap load of broken glass. I can hear Rogue shouting, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" from
outside, which means that it isn't those DNA people that did this. That is a good thing, I guess, except it
makes me the one responsible for fixing the Feraligatr. Fuck.
Melissa starts to rise and I shout, "DON'T MOVE!"
She looks at me with a frightened expression, "What?! Why?!"
"There is broken glass all over the floor. You don't have shoes and your feet are soft. If you walk around
you will cut up your feet and then we will have two injured people to deal with."
Gile groans as he starts to sit up, "I'm fine."
"No, you aren't. You just got hit with a Giga Impact and you have some big glass shards in your back." I
say as I walk back over to where Gile is sitting. Crouching down behind him, I take a deep breath before I
put a hand on his back, "Don't move while I get these out."
However before I can grab hold of the first glass shard, the sharp fragment is enveloped in a blue glow
and begins to move on its own. I pull my hand back in surprise as all the glass embedded in Gile
suddenly jerks out of him and floats in the air around me. These shards are soon joined by all the other
fragments littering the floor and even what glass remains in the door frame is pulled out to join its
airborne kin. I turn and look behind me to see Crystal, her eyes and chest spike glowing brightly as she
manipulates the hundreds of glass shards. The glass suddenly seems to liquefy and flow towards a single
point in front of Crystal. All the pieces coalesce into a single glowing sphere of liquid glass. Her
expression hardens as the sphere slowly deforms and morphs into a familiar shape. She then takes hold
of the newly formed glass lucario and holds it to her chest with a smile.
"Okay. That was pretty damn cool." I say with a grin.
"Thanks!" Crystal says with a giggle before disappearing back into the living room.
I turn back to Gile's back and eye the puncture wounds that speckle his back. It would be best to potion
these away before they get infected.
"Okay, I'll go get some potion." Melissa says as she rises from the table.
Gile turns his head to look at me, "How did you know it was Giga Impact?"
"It's the only move Rogue knows that would send your fat ass flying through the air like that." I say as I
take a couple steps back from the feraligatr. Gile glares at me. "What? It's not my fault you got a fat
ass."
"Dannnnnyyyyy..." Rogue singsongs as she walks towards the house.
A chill runs up my spine and I jerk a thumb over my shoulder, "I'm gonna check on Gin."
I hurry out of the kitchen but freeze as soon as I enter the living room. Gin and Crystal are both gone. I
only trust Crystal about as far as I can throw her, which is actually pretty far, but I can't throw her
through walls. Probably. Regardless, she isn't the most predictable of individuals, to put it lightly, and
she'd already tied Gin to a ceiling fan with lots of tinsel. Arceus only knows what she will do next.
I shut my eyes and go into wave sight, seeking out Gin's aura. My sphere of vision shoots straight to
Crystal's room. Gin is still tied up and sitting at a table with Crystal, and just like she told me, they are
surrounded by piles of what look like stuffed pokémon. This doesn't surprise me too much, but what
does surprise me is that Gin seems pleased with whatever is going on.
I quickly make my way up the stairs and down the hall. I stop outside the door, unsure of whether I
should actually open it or not. I mean, Crystal is unpredictable and if I'm interrupting...
"Come in!" Crystal calls out. Hiding outside of rooms apparently doesn't work with psychic types.
I push open the door and my jaw drops, "Tea?! You are making Gin drink tea?! And he is enjoying
it?!"
Gin grins as he looks up from his tea cup, "Not tea!"
A large wine bottle floats out of one of the mountains of stuffed animals. I think it might be a red,
maybe a dark pink color; it is hard to tell since the glass is colored. I blink in surprise, "Where did... can I
have a cup of that?"
"Nope." Crystal says with a giggle as she pours Gin another teacup of the wine from her porcelain
teapot. "You aren't invited to this tea party."
"I see no tea." I chuckle, "This is hardly a tea party."
A gallon jug of sweet tea emerges from another pile of stuffed animals. "There is tea." Crystal replies
with roll of her eyes, "I'm not about to touch a drop of that stuff."
I raise a brow as she fills her own tea cup with the jug. "Okay then. I guess I'll be going." I reach over to
close the door. "Oh, just so you know, in case you didn't already, Gin is a horny philosopher when he's
drunk. Last time we got drunk together, he broke down chivalry into the love of pussy."
"Oh really now?" Crystal leans towards Gin with a huge grin. "Now just how does that work?"
Gin stares at me then back at Crystal. "I... uh.... I plead the fifth?"
"Then you obviously haven't had enough wine."
I chuckle as I close the door, my job here is done.
~0~
Back down stairs I find that Melissa has finished fixing Gile up and he and Rogue are at it again. I stop
next to Melissa and watch for a moment. Gile is darn impressive, not only is he a serious powerhouse,
but he is incredibly fast for someone with such a fat ass.
"He is not fat."
I chuckle, "No, he isn't. It's mostly muscle. Still, he is very bulky."
"Yeah," Melissa admits with a sigh, "I've had him taking carbos for a while now."
"That would explain the speed."
Melissa winces as Rogue playfully leaps onto Gile's head and does a flip off of it. "Of course, he may as
well be eating Styrofoam for all the good it does him trying to catch Rogue."
"I know the feeling. She's always been really fast." I chuckle, "The only one that can mess with her and
evade her is Mew and she cheats."
"Huh?"
"She teleports. I'm sure you could too eventually."
"How?"
"Hell if I know." I say with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure the best I can teach you is aura type stuff."
Melissa grins, "That's perfect!"
"It is?"
"Yes!"
She looks t me excitedly, obviously eager to learn. I frown and shake my head, "I still don't get it. From
all appearances you are dead set against learning to be a pokémon and learning aura sphere and a few
Fight type moves isn't going to help you be human."
"Well, it won't help me be human, but at least I won't be randomly floating off the ground." What?
Melissa sighs, "Your power comes from aura and your control of it. Aura is your 'Type'. The mechanics of
controlling my power is probably very similar to yours, only my type is Psychic."
Well that sorta makes sense. I shrug and roll my neck, "Okay, I'll teach you, but first we have to get away
from those two and away from anything breakable. In terms of raw power you're pretty dangerous, I
seriously doubt focusing that power is gonna make you any safer until you learn how to aim it."
"That's what I hope to learn."
We head out into the day care area, giving Rogue and Gile wide berth as they continue to spar. When
we are behind the ice habitat, I strip.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't want to ruin your dad's clothes." I say with a chuckle.
"Well, you are still missing half your underwear." Melissa says with a snicker, "And if Gile comes around
the corner..."
Oh hell. That would not be good. "Good point." I say, quickly pulling the pants back on, "You're dad's
pants are gonna have to take one for the team then."
"What makes you think you are going to ruin the pants?"
"Well, when I first met you, you had just finished demolishing a high tech lab, and since then your tail
alone has tried to kill me twice. You have also blasted Gin and me on a couple occasions. You also kicked
me in the nuts earlier today. Odds are, before we are done here, I will be hurting."
Melissa rolls her eyes, "Oh please. Those were all with extenuating circumstances."
"You kicked me in the nuts."
"You were being a smart ass."
"Ever thought of using a backhand?"
"Not as effective."
I groan, "Anyway, to start with you have to concentrate your energy."
"And how do I do that?"
I frown, It's been a long time since I had to actually concentrate on focusing my aura. It's kind of second
nature to me these days. "Um, kind of imagine that your entire body has a power flowing through it.
Does that make sense?"
Melissa closes her eyes, "Okay, now what?"
"Now focus on moving that energy to a single point." I say watching her carefully, ready to dive or use
Protect at a moment's notice, "In your hand for instance."
Melissa lifts a hand and I take a step back as a pure white sphere forms in her hand and rapidly begins to
grow larger. Oh crap. "Melissa I need you to very carefully try and reverse what you just did."
"Why?" Melissa asks as she opens her eyes and looks at the sphere, now about the size of a beach ball.
The air around the sphere crackles with energy and I can smell ozone. "ARCEUS!"
I immediately dive under the sphere and tackle Melissa. The sphere stays in place as Melissa falls under
me. As we hit the ground I throw up a Protect shield.
The sphere distorts briefly before exploding violently. A wave of raw power smashes into my Protect
screen and the green shield bulges inwards towards us. I put all of my concentration into maintaining
the integrity of the shield. To my surprise the shield pops back into shape before vanishing and we are
thrown along the ground. Melissa screams and clings to me as we tumble over the dirt and grass.
Finally, we roll to a stop under some bushes. Melissa releases me and sits up to stare at the smoking
crater in the ground from her misfire. "What the hell just happened?"
Rogue flies around the corner, followed closely by Gile. They both stare at the crater as well. The crater
is a few feet deep and about fifteen feet wide. I groan, as I lift myself into a sitting position. "I tried to
teach you Aura Sphere and you ended up almost forming a Hyperbeam." I glance down at the pants,
"And your dad's pants are ruined."
"I did what you told me to do though."
"Mew can use all the elements." Rogue replies, shaking herself as she trots over to where we are. "You
have to actually pick an element to use if you have access to more than one. Danny should have known
that."
"Of course, because I'm a professional Move Tutor after all and know everything there is to know about
pokémon and pokémon moves." I roll my eyes, "I learned everything I know by instinct and
experimentation. That does not translate well to teaching hatchlings."
Whop!
I yelp and hold a hand to my nose, "What the hell?!"
"I'm not a hatchling!" Melissa says with a glare that conflicts with the cheerful vibes she is giving off.
"And you said you like backhands."
I stare at her for a moment in disbelief. Finally, I laugh and climb to my feet. I grab Melissa by the
shoulders and lift her up onto her feet. "So I did. But those are for special occasions. Like when I'm being
a complete asshole."
"I usually just Headbutt him in the nuts." Rogue pipes up from next to Gile, "That usually puts him right
back in line. Well, as soon as he can stand again."
Melissa smiles and I wince, "Fortunately, your head is at a much less convenient level for such an
action."
"My knees are though."
I thought we just went over this. That is what backhands are for. I think at her. I shake my head,
"Regardless of future pains that are headed my way, I think it is time for you to teach me something
useful."
"What? How could I teach you anything useful that you don't already know?"
I start walking towards the house, "I'm obviously going to be eating vegan for a while. I wanna know
how to cook vegan." I pause, "Are Lucarios and Gardevoirs in the same egg group?"
"What kind of question is that?" Melissa asks with a shocked expression.
"Because Crystal is busy getting Gin sloshed right now, and I'm not ready to be an uncle."
Melissa is off like a flash shouting Crystal's name at the top of her lungs. I glance over at Rogue who is
laughing so hard she can't walk straight. I shrug, "I don't think Gin would mind much."
"You and I both know that Gardevoirs are not in the same egg group as Lucarios." Rogue says once she
finishes laughing.
"And so should Melissa." Gile adds scratching his head, "I suspect it is probably a combination of the fact
that the wine is her father's and that Crystal has been disqualified from a gym match before for
'indecency'."
"Whut?" I laugh, "How can someone who essentially walks around naked all the time be indecent?"
"She improvised Attract." Gile grimaces, "It was... super effective."
I stare at Gile. "How do you improvise Attract?"
"Think about what Mew does with you almost every time she comes around." Rogue says, rolling her
eyes as she trots past me into the kitchen, "And then take it to the Nth power."
I blush furiously, suddenly very grateful Melissa's focus is elsewhere right now. I stop at the kitchen
table and look down at an empty coffee cup. "What happened to my coffee?"
"I thought you were finished." Rogue says as she takes a seat at the table across from me. I sigh and take
the cup to the sink where I begin rinsing it.
I squirt some dish soap into the cup and begin to use my fingers to work the soap into lather. Once I am
satisfied that it is clean, I rinse it out and set it on the counter. "See this?" I ask pointedly while holding
up the coffee pot, "This is mine. All mine. And the pot I make after dinner is mine too. So paws
off."
"You do realize that all this is technically not yours at all." Gile points out with a smirk.
I turn to Gile, "Guess who I met today?"
"Richard?"
"Yeah, I met the Royal Dick, but that wasn't who I was talking about. I was referring to Toni." I say with a
chuckle, "Apparently a fire-type has been whooping your butt regularly."
I can feel Rogue's eyes burning holes in my back and I'm not sure if it is my imagination or if I can
actually hear electricity crackling. "Well, I fought her today in a one on one, and to be brutally honest,
I'm not surprised." I pour myself another cup of coffee as I continue, "I have no doubt that you are one
hell of a bruiser. Feraligatr's are known for their physical attack power, and you are an excellent
specimen. I bet you could go toe-to-toe with a Machamp and win. Is that an accurate assessment?"
I set the coffee pot down and turn around to look at Gile and Rogue. They are both staring at me with
dumbfounded expressions. Gile is the first to find his voice, "Did you just compliment me?"
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" I say with a chuckle, "If you'd like I can balance it out by saying you have speed
issues, something Toni is very good at. I was barely able to keep ahead of her attacks and ended up
having to use a counter blow to make an opening for my own attack."
Gile is about to reply when a blood curdling wail causes all of us to just about jump out of our respective
skins. I whip around to see Melissa walk into the kitchen carrying a partially depleted bottle of wine
while a wailing Crystal is clinging to her tail and being dragged across the floor. Melissa stops halfway
across the kitchen and tries in vain to yank her tail out of Crystal's grasp. "What the hell is wrong with
you? You hate wine and you know how jealously my dad guards this particular bottle."
"BUT I NEED TO KNOW HOW CHIVALRY EQUALS THE LOVE OF PUSSY!" Crystal wails at the top of her
lungs.
Melissa's mouth drops open in shock and she stares at the gardevoir in shock. Rogue snorts and I
struggle to keep a straight face. Gile just shakes his head. Melissa finally finds her voice, "What the hell
does chivalry have to do with something as vulgar as that and why is wine the key to discovering that!?"
"Danny told me that Gin gets all philosophical when he's drunk, and that last time they got drunk Gin
managed to effectively describe chivalry in terms of tits and pussy."
Melissa turns to look at me, "Is this true?"
"Yep." I say with a crooked grin, "We do most of our really deep thinking when we get our hands on a
bottle."
"It's really the only time you can expect them to not break anything." Rogue adds quickly. "The kind of
deep thinking they do when sober is along the lines of 'Can gravity be used to create a Meteor Smash
attack'."
"Can it?" Gile asks curiously.
"Yes, but you have to throw the individual really, really, really high." Rogue says shaking her
head, "Gin wasn't able to walk without a limp for a week."
Melissa rolls her eyes. Gile shrugs, "Well, it was an interesting question. Anyway, yes, Toni is way too
fast for me, but I'm sure if I could just land one solid blow I could level the playing field."
"Have you tried learning Aqua Jet?"
"What?"
"It's a high speed water type move, kind of like a quick attack using water to launch yourself at an
opponent." I say taking a sip of coffee, "Turning someone with as much bulk as you into a water-
propelled missile would not only be a powerful move, but a good ace in the hole or surprise opening
against quick moving fire-types." I can feel Melissa staring at me in surprise. "What?"
"I thought you said you weren't a trainer."
"I'm not." I reply with a frown as I turn to her.
"But you're giving battle advice."
"So?"
"Isn't that a trainer thing though? Teaching pokémon battle strategies and stuff?"
"Am I forcing him to battle against his will? Am I stealing him away from his home and family? Am I
treating him as a weapon or a tool?" I ask gesturing with my coffee cup. "No, I'm not. I'm giving him
advice he can use both in a life threatening situation as well as a friendly battle." I pause, "Pokémon
battle for fun in the wild too. There are also life and death type battles there too. Battling advice isn't a
trainer thing, it's a friend thing."
"That's the other part. You do not like Gile. Why would you give him advice?"
"I...I'm not entirely sure." I admit, "Except that you are the one that is going to be with Melissa when I'm
gone."
"When you're gone?"
"Yeah, once everything returns to normal you won't need me and it would be best for everyone if
Rogue, Gin, and I left." I chuckle, "Unless something crazy happens and my criminal record is erased,
then my staying here makes you a criminal too."
"Well that sucks."
Gile nods sagely, "Indeed, and I really don't know what they would do with us, or you for that matter.
They can't just put you in a human prison now. They'll probably keep you in an ultraball or something."
"Nah, they won't keep her in a ball." Crystal says shaking her head, "They'll want to figure out what she
is and study her."
Melissa grimaces, "Thanks guys. That is oh so encouraging."
I take another sip of coffee before setting down the mug. "So, on a more pleasant note, how do I
vegan?"
~0~
"That was actually really good." I say as I help clean up the dishes with Melissa.
"See? Vegan isn't so bad after all." Melissa says, flicking me in the arm playfully with her tail.
"Well, I'm not about to give up animal products forever, but I can definitely live with this for now." I
reply with a chuckle.
"What are you going to do after you leave here?" Melissa asks as she begins filling the sink with soapy
water.
"No idea." I shrug, "We never really had a plan when Rogue and I took off originally. Things just kind of
fell into place all on their own." I laugh, "I actually owe you a thank you for catching that growlithe."
"Why?"
I grab a dish rag and begin scrubbing down a bowl, "Well, if you hadn't caught the growlithe, Gin and I
wouldn't have been attacked by the Arcanine. If that hadn't happened, we probably wouldn't have
gotten into the business of working for pokémon and life would have been very different. We definitely
wouldn't have been brought out to the island by your Gyrados."
"So, what you're saying is that if I hadn't caught that growlithe, I would still be trapped in a lab
somewhere?"
I pass her the bowl to dry and start cleaning another dish, "Or you may still be human. Depending on
how our encounter impacted you, you may have just gone on to be another trainer and have been in the
League by now." Melissa freezes with a strange expression on her face. I set the dish down in the sink.
"You okay?"
Suddenly Melissa lashes out and slaps me upside the head. I yelp and rub the place where she whacked
me. "What the hell?!"
"That's for the huge part you played in my becoming a pokegirl." Melissa says crossing her arms.
"A what?"
"Pokegirl. A pokémon girl thing. Pokegirl."
I frown, "How did I play a huge part?"
"If it weren't for you I wouldn't have Rio." Melissa growls, "And if I didn't have Rio I wouldn't have been
on that island where they turned me into a pokegirl."
I frown, for a couple reasons. The first reason is that Melissa is acting angry with me when I can easily
tell that she isn't. In fact, she is still calm and even happy right now. The second reason is that I don't
understand how I am responsible for her having a chicken gyrados. "Again, how?"
"Both Crystal and Rio were rescues of sorts." Melissa says rolling her eyes, "I actually bought Rio as a
Magikarp from a seafood restaurant tank and Crystal kept getting shunted from trainer to trainer until
she got to me because she didn't ever listen to commands and is one hell of a firecracker."
"Well, that certainly explains a bit about those two." I chuckle, "But how is that my fault?"
"It was you and Gin who pointed out that by capturing wild pokémon we take them away from their
family and their homes. I didn't want to do that, so I have only added pokémon to my team who didn't
already have those."
"Okay, so maybe I am a tad responsible for your current state." I sigh, "Anyway, I am trying to make it
better."
"Yes you are." Melissa agrees before leaning in and giving me a quick kiss.
I can feel my eyes going wide as saucers. Sure it was only a quick kiss, but it was on the lips. Yeah, so
that may not be a big deal to most Casanovas, but I'm no Casanova and I've been told twice that I either
had no chance or that I should stay the fuck away. Is this just a kiss or is it a proposition?
"Which do you want it to be?" Melissa asks with a smirk that I have seen many times over the years.
"Uhhh... don't you have some sort of crush on a bad boy celebrity or something?" I ask, wondering if
Gile is around, and if Melissa's smirk being identical to Mew's teasing look has any significance
"Yeah, I do. You."
Whut? Me? A celebrity? I guess I might be kinda infamous. But still... "So the guy that Crystal told me
you had a crush on was actually me?"
"Yes."
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.
Melissa and I both turn to look at the stairs as Gin tumbles down them to land on his back in the kitchen
floor. He sits up and shakes his head, which only makes him fall over again. He tilts his head to look back
at us without sitting up. "Do you know where the wine went? I can't find it anymore." He goes a bit
cross-eyed, "I'm also not feeling that good."
"Falling down the stairs will do that if you've had too much to drink." I sigh, "Something tells me your
dad's wine is a bit stiffer than most."
"You could say that." Melisa giggles.
I walk over to Gin and throw him roughly over my shoulder. "Come on you druncario, let's get you ready
for the inevitable hangover."
"Okay."
~0~
After setting Gin up at the toilet, and listening to him postulate about the source of fetishes for about an
hour or two (I did contribute to the conversation, but it was mostly a monologue), I come back down to
the kitchen and grab my mug of coffee and get another coffee pot brewing. Then I head outside.
I make my way again to the 'ocean' and sit down. Cold coffee and cold ground with a cool breeze. Very
refreshing, if a bit on the chilly side.
"What are you doing out here? You're not going to sleep out here again are you?"
I glance back at Gile in the darkness, who is looking at me while on all fours. "Nah," I hold up the coffee
mug, "I'm just settling in for a boring all-nighter."
"Why?"
"I'm pretty certain that tonight is the night of my night terrors." I say with a shrug, "So I'm gonna try and
stay awake."
"Well don't be doing anything suspicious looking or I might jump you. With the door busted wide open
like it is, I'm not going to be sleeping either."
"Gotcha. I'll be as innocent as possible." I say turning back to the ocean. I relax as I hear Gile walking
away. I take a deep drink from my mug and sigh. It's been one hell of a day, and it's going to be one hell
of a night if I let myself fall asleep. Fucking nightmares.
It doesn't take long for boredom to set in and my coffee cup to be empty. A dreadful combination if you
want to stay awake on a dark night like tonight. I groan as I climb to my feet and start walking towards
the house. I grab the coffee pot off the counter and head right back out. I sip the bitter drink straight
from the pot as I take a seat in the wet sand. The acrid taste is a pleasant reminder that I am still awake.
I sigh and then freeze as I hear a growling voice say, "I am most displeased with you."
I slowly turn to look behind me and my jaw drops, "Oh shiiiiit."
Chapter End Notes:
And that brings this to another glorious cliffhanger. YAY! Tell me what y'all think