Finally the day was here. It started with Clara waking me.

"Master, wake up you we need to get ready." She insisted as she shook my shoulder.

Realizing what day it was I immediately snapped awake, startling Clara as I sat up. I apologized as she caught her breath and felt a warm wet nose bump up against my thigh, telling me Flare was now up as well. I reached over and patted the big dog on the head as Clara climbed out of our bed.

"I'll start making us breakfast, you get dressed." She said, smiling at me as she left the bedroom. I couldn't help but stare at her ass as she walked; there was something almost hypnotic about the way she swayed her hips. I snapped myself out of it and crawled out of bed myself as Flare sat and watched me as I quickly pulled open my dresser and began donning my uniform. Once dressed, I exited to the living room with Flare close at my heels. Clara smiled at us from the kitchen and I could smell bacon frying in the pan she was tending. My mouth began to water almost immediately, but I waited patiently for her to finish cooking. In the meantime I poured Flare an extra-large bowl of his own food, making sure he'd have plenty of energy for whatever they decided to throw at us today. Clara finished cooking and before long we sat down to eat together. The food was tasty but not quite as good as the last time she cooked; guess she was still getting used to her new body. Clara ate her own food happily and we remained mostly quiet throughout the meal.

Just as I finished eating my cell phone rang. I quickly answered, expecting to hear Mrs Feld, but I was surprised to hear Sarah's voice instead.

"You better not disappoint us today Mark." She started, "You don't want to know what kind of strings I had to pull to get permission to be present for your exam today."

"You did what?" I asked, surprised.

"You thought I would invest the time in training you and Clara and not want to see how it turned out?" She asked.

"Well, no." I said, "To be honest I'm just surprised you could actually convince Mrs. Feld to let you be there."

"Yeah, me too." She admitted, "Though she was easy on me because she knew I was helping you train, you still don't want to know how many volunteer hours I had to agree to for this."

"Thanks Sarah, really. I'm glad that you'll see." I said.

"Yeah, just don't let all that training go to waste." She said, "Good luck mark, I gotta get heading if spinarak and I are gonna make it there in time."

"Okay, we won't let you down" I said, and she hung up.

"Sarah's going to watch us?" Clara asked from across the table.

I blinked, surprised. "Yeah, you could hear the phone from over there?" I asked, puzzled.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I was hearing her as you were. I couldn't do stuff like that before but now I can reach further into your mind for stuff like what you're seeing or hearing."

I stared at her, not sure if I believed. "You can really do that?" I asked.

She grinned and winked at me, "I know you were staring at my butt earlier." She teased.

I blushed, "Alright, I believe you." I said, feeling a bit embarrassed about being caught.

Clara giggled.

"You feeling ready for the exam?" I asked her, quickly changing topics.

"More than ready." She said confidently.

"How about you, Flare?" I asked, turning to the large dog who had just finished eating. He gave a woof and wagged his tail, which I took to mean yes.

"We're really going to do this." Clara said, almost to herself. She seemed almost giddy at the notion.

"You bet," I said, "You'll finally be able to be my partner like Flare is."

"And I'll be able to come with you to school!" She added, getting even giddier.

"Yup." I said, smiling at her; though I wondered how she'd fare with the boredom of classes.

Clara's giddiness seemed to fade. "May I ask you something personal Master?" She asked, seeming a bit worried.

"Anything." I assured her.

She paused and swallowed hard. "I-If I don't pass the test, will you still want to keep me around here?" she asked.

I blinked, surprised that she'd ask that. Clara must have took my pause to mean doubt for she looked down in shame. I quickly reached out and took her hands in mine. "Clara, you aren't going to fail this test," I said, "you've put in so much work and even evolved for it. Besides, you've already been my partner for a long time now, this test is just to see what the academy thinks."

Clara looked up at me, her mood visibly brightening. "Really?"

I nodded and leaned down, gently kneading her hands as I held them. "Your home is here no matter what the academy says."

Clara blushed and grinned "Thank you so much Master, I won't let you down!"

I smiled back at her and my phone rang again. I quickly flipped it open. "Hello?"

Mrs. Feld answered, "Mark, glad you're up. Are you feeling confidant in your pokemon?"

I grinned. "Of course."

"Good, because your tests won't be easy." She said, "You have an hour to get here and prepare; the review committee, your friend Sarah, and Myself will all be waiting for you in the gymnasium." She hung up before I could even respond. I stared at my phone and shrugged, no longer phased by the abrupt endings she gave our conversations. I looked over to Clara to fill her in, but a nod from her reminded me she already knew.

"All right then," I said, standing up, "Let's get going." We got ready to leave, and I double checked to make sure I had everything I needed; then headed out the door with both of my partners close behind.

The walk to the academy was silent as we mentally prepared ourselves for the challenge ahead. I noticed halfway there that Clara was no longer the timid little girl I had met on the beach two weeks ago. She had grown up, in more ways than one, and I could help but smile as I saw the confident look she now wore as we walked. Clara must have sensed me looking because she turned and smiled at me, though she remained silent.

The walk was short but it had felt longer than normal because of the tension we felt as we made it. When we finally arrived, I gave each of my partners a nod before heading inside and to the gymnasium, which was dark except for the entrance. There Mrs. Feld, Sarah, and a group of about five people were waiting for me. Of the group which I guessed to be the review committee, I only recognized one face: our coach from PE. The rest were all dressed in either high ranking officer uniforms or suits.

"You actually arrived early" Mrs. Feld remarked, smiling to herself, but before she could add any more one of the review committee stepped forward.

"Welcome Mark." He said amiably. "You certainly are ambitious for someone your age; I just hope you're as good as Mrs. Feld here makes you out to be. Considering you're here ahead of time, how about we get to the exam immediately instead of waiting around?"

I looked to Clara, who showed no signs of disagreement. "Alright, sounds good to me." I said.

"Good!" the man said, smiling. "I like your confidence."

Coach stepped forward from the group. "Alright, this part isn't going to be like your midterms with Flare." He said. "It's less formal, but far more challenging. Follow me." He said, walking towards a pair of orange cones which were just barely within the lit area of the gym. "You're only allowed to go forward, obviously you can't just walk around everything we put in front of you. Each challenge will be lit up as you reach it, so no looking ahead either. You and your Gardevoir are to complete the course as quickly as possible, and if your time is good enough you'll advance to the final test involving both your pokemon. Do I need to repeat anything?"

I shook my head, "No, we're ready Coach." I turned to the huge canine standing next to me. "Flare, you wait with Sarah okay?"

Flare woofed and quickly trotted over to her. She smiled and pet the Arcanine as he sat down next to her.

"Okay then." Coach said. "We're going to move so we can see the whole course as you run it, and I'll be waiting at the end for you. When we're in position and ready for you, I'll fire my starting pistol and your time will start."

I nodded, and watched as Mrs. Feld pulled out a small flashlight and led everyone away into the darkness. Clara and I stood together at the edge of the darkness, waiting in silence for our test to begin. Time seemed to drag on and I felt my nerves slowly start to work me. Anxiety slowly built as I stared into the blackness in front of me. I turned to look at Clara, who was staring straight ahead.

"We're finally doing it." I remarked, trying to ease the tension.

"Yes." She said, still staring ahead.

"You nervous?" I asked.

She blushed and looked down, smiling a little. "Yeah." She admitted.

I smiled "Me too." I said.

She looked over at me, still smiling. "But we're going to do this." She said.

I nodded, still smiling myself. We both went quiet again and resumed looking into the darkness, waiting for the signal. Then, with the loud pop of the pistol, the floor ahead of us flooded with light and we started our test.

We rushed forward in tandem, Clara now easily keeping up with my running pace with her long legs. Ahead, I recognized the climbing wall Sarah had put used for her first test of our abilities, but the ropes for climbing the fifteen foot cliff were now missing.

"You've got to be kidding me." I mumbled to myself as we reached the wall, but before I could even begin to think of how to scale it I felt myself being lifted up by some invisible force. I squirmed and looked down to see Clara's eyes glowing as she lifted me telekinetically, seemingly without effort. I relaxed and let her carry me as she hauled me to the top of the wall before gently dropping me down on top of it. I quickly knelt down and reached out for her to grab my hand, but there was still about four feet between my fingertips and the highest she could reach.

Thinking quickly, I sat up straight and quickly undid my belt, pulling it off before kneeling back down and dangling it down for her to grab after wrapping it around my hand once for grip. Clara smiled at my ingenuity and jumped as high as she could, and just barely was able to grab the end of the leather strap. I grunted and started to reel the belt in. She held onto the end tight as I brought her closer to my hands, and once close enough she yanked herself higher and grabbed onto my wrists. I hauled her the rest of the way up and slipped my belt back on as she stood up. Just then more lights came on ahead of us, leading us forward.

We jogged down the slanted back of the wall as before and saw what appeared to be a huge wall in front of us made out of plywood. There was an opening in the middle of it, and as we got closer I saw a cluster of more walls inside of it.

"It's a maze." I said as we reached the entrance.

"So we just need to find the exit?" Clara asked, inspecting the entrance.

"Yeah, though I have an idea of how we can do it quickly." I said. Clara looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to explain. "We'll split up; each of us goes a different way. If I find the exit first, I'll yell. If you find it, let me know."

"How does the other find the exit after that?" she asked looing confused.

I just smiled at her as I pictured the dildo we had used in our fun the night before in my mind.

It took Clara a moment to figure it out, but once she did she grinned and nodded before rushing into the maze ahead of me. I smiled and followed her; though I went a different way than her at the first intersection. Thankfully they hadn't built the maze with a ceiling so it was well lit inside. I followed my own winding corridor for a few dozen feet before being presented with a forward path or turning to my left. I ran to the left without thinking, and after a few turns along that path I ran headlong into a dead end after turning one last corner and collided into the wall with a thud. I stumbled, a bit winded from the impact. I shook my head clear and rushed back to where the path split, making sure to go the way I hadn't gone before. I wondered how Clara was faring as I followed the snaking path, but was soon met with another split, either right or left. I went left again, and was a little relieved when I was met with another intersection instead of a dead end; this one either right or forward. I went forward, but after a only a few turns I was met with another dead end. Sighing, I jogged back and went the other way but found the same result.

"Tricky..." I mumbled to myself and jugged back to the intersection prior to the last one, heading straight as I passed it. Soon enough I found another branching path with three options. I sighed and began with the left path, but after a few turns I found myself back at what looked like the same intersection. I blinked, confused and tried what I thought to be a different path, and wound up at another familiar split with only two options. Scowling, I backtracked to the four way intersection and tried the only remaining option, but once again found myself at the same intersection.

"How the..." I started, but trailed off as I heard Clara's voice speak up in my mind.

"Master, are you ready?" She asked.

"You found the exit?" I asked

"Yes, they were using a psychic pokemon to try to disorient me but once I got that figured out it was pretty easy." She explained.

I blinked, suddenly understanding how I got so lost. "Good work, get me out of here!" I shouted, smiling to myself. Suddenly my vision went blindingly white. I shut my eyes, wincing at the brightness, and after a moment I felt Clara's hand on my shoulder.

"You can look now Master" She said.

I opened my eyes and saw I was now standing outside the maze complex, but before I could get any further orientation the lights ahead of us went on and we jogged forward to our next challenge.

This one was fairly straight forward, it was one of the team lifting gates, but was slightly modified. Across the front, blocking the path were three boards which were commonly broken as a test of strength in PE.

"Alright Clara, you know how this one works but you have to snap the boards in front of it before we can pass under." I explained Clara nodded and brought her hands up to her forehead. After a moment I felt a thump like someone had turned the bass on their stereo to max as Clara let out a psychic pulse. I could see a ripple through the air as it traveled into the boards, and felt a rush of air as it collided with them, causing them to creak loudly. I scowled, seeing they were using far tougher boards this time than they would with even Flare, but before I could tell Clara I felt two more powerful thumps as she tried again, this time producing a loud crack as one of the boards went flying in two pieces.

"Good job Clara, just two more!" I shouted. Clara nodded and fired off three pulses in rapid succession, causing me to feel lightheaded as they passed. The last two boards snapped easily under the rapid assault and I quickly ducked down and grabbed ahold of the slab of metal. It seemed impossible to lift as I first pried on it, but soon became almost as light as a feather as Clara pitched in, grunting as she hefted the massive piece of steel. I wedged myself under it, putting all my strength into holding hit up as high as I could for Clara to pass through, but just as I got under It I noticed two more boards blocking the other side in and x shape.

I grunted, noticing Clara's eyes were shut as she focused on lifting. "Clara, there's two more boards on the other side, I'm gonna hold it up, you hit them as hard as you can, okay?"

Clara grimaced, but nodded. I felt the weight gradually return to the slab as I strained to hold it above me. The weight drove me down on one knee just as a massive pulse rushed past me, all but shattering the boards. Before I could give any more orders Clara dived forward and crawled under the gate as I held it up, not out of strength but more a refusal to get crushed by it. Once on the other side she knelt down and quickly brought her hands to her forehead again and I felt the slab suddenly get lighter before and invisible force yanked me off my knees and into Clara's arms. Mere moments after I was clear the gate crashed shut with a massive thump. I laid in Clara's arms for a moment panting before she helped me back to my feet, and to my surprise I heard clapping from behind us. I blinked and looked around, seeing coach standing there with a stopwatch in hand. I turned and saw the two cones marking the finish line cleverly hidden behind the gate so we couldn't see them from the other side.

"Four minutes, twelve seconds Mark," Coach said, sounding impressed. "though you handled the gate pretty stupidly by holding it up yourself. Seriously that thing weighs two hundred pounds at least!" he all but shouted

Clara stood up smiling and helped me do the same, only to have us both be knocked down as Flare crashed into us, barking happily. He pinned us down and began to give us a thorough congratulatory licking as the rest of the group walked towards us.

"Way to go Mark," Mrs. Feld said, sounding impressed as well, "That pretty easily qualifies you for the final test."

"I expected no less," Sarah remarked, her Spinarak waving it's front legs frantically from her shoulder. "Though I had no idea Clara could teleport, you guys still keep surprising me."

I finally pried Flare off of us and regained my feet before helping Clara up. "What's up with Spinarak?" I asked Sarah, watching the bug continue to spaz out.

Sarah blushed and giggled nervously "He's kinda been freaking out ever since that last Psychic Clara used, even Flare was acting up for a bit."

I blinked, not sure what she meant.

"Don't worry, he's fine," she assured me, "He just got scared by all the power she put into that attack."

"Oh," I said, only partially understanding. I turned to Mrs. Feld. "When do I start our final exam?" I asked.

She grinned. "So straightforward, what's the rush?" She said.

"Just eager I guess." I admitted.

"Fair enough," Mrs. Feld replied. "though you may be a bit disappointed by the test."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Mrs. Feld started to speak, but Coach spoke up interrupting her. "What she means is that she and the committee couldn't think up a decent test for two partner pokemon with very different abilities." He explained.

Mrs. Feld shot Coach a dirty look before sighing. "He's right, the course you just ran was originally supposed to be for a Kirlia and an Arcanine when we came up with it, that's why it was dark." She explained, "We had to modify it at the last minute and suddenly our trump card for you was only your first test, and you basically breezed through it with only one pokemon helping you."

"So then?" I asked, feeling rather confused as to what they had in store.

"So then you've basically already passed, all we need to do is assess your ability to direct both pokemon at once and you're set." Mrs. Feld said.

I noticed Sarah started suddenly grinning and quickly covered her mouth.

"So how do you do that?" I asked.

Mrs. Feld looked at a loss for words, and it was Coach who filled in again. "It's rather informal for this academy, but the best way we could come up with to test you at such short notice was a double battle."

Suddenly it clicked and I understood why Sarah had reacted the way she did.

"The only catch is there's only two of us on the committee who have more than two pokemon." Coach continued. "Me, and Feld here; and you know why I can't fill that role." He said.

I looked over at Mrs. Feld, who was glaring at Coach. "So I have to battle my counselor?" I asked, barely believing it.

Mrs. Feld gave a long sigh. "Yes." She finally admitted.

I blinked and stared at her, stunned at the opportunity. "Does that bother you?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "You'll see why I'm flustered when we get to the battle." She said.

I thought to ask her more, but let it go.

"Alright, unless you need a break to catch you're breath we're headed to the beach" Coach said.

"Clara, you good to go?" I asked, turning to face her.

She smiled and nodded. "Let's go." She said.

With that, Coach pulled out a small remote and hit a button, causing the whole gym to light up before leading the crowd out the front doors. Sarah stuck close by me, but didn't say much along the way. Most of the way, the man who had stepped forward at the start of the challenge chatted with me. I learned he was the chairman of the academy, and that he was quite impressed another student of his would be requesting two partner pokemon. I asked him who the other student was, but he wouldn't say, instead he asked me about my personal life, about Flare and Clara, and how we had chosen to train the last two weeks. Once I explained our methods and told him it was Sarah who directed us he made sure to compliment her on her methods and to her surprise offered some pointers that really seemed to make her think. I asked him if he used to be a pokemon trainer, but he was quick to deny it, saying he was always studying but never got the chance to raise his own pokemon. Before long, coach stopped the group. We were at the boardwalk.

"Alright you two," Coach said, pointing to me, them Mrs. Feld, "You proceed down onto the sand and we'll observe from here. Both of you need to tell me when you're ready, and the match will start on my say so." He turned to face me "Mark, you don't need to win this battle, in fact you won't. Your only goal is to last as long as you can and demonstrate you're coordination with your pokemon."

I nodded, understanding. I turned to Clara "Are you okay with that?" I asked her.

She nodded. "I'll be okay." She said.

I studied her face a moment, not sure what to make of her statement, but from the confidence she still wore, I decided to go ahead. I Led Flare and Clara down the steps to the beach below, and Mrs. Feld followed after them. We took our positions on the sand, standing a good fifty feet apart on the sand parallel to the boardwalk.

"This is why I was assigned to be your counselor." Mrs. Feld said, pulling two pokeballs out of her pockets. She flung them at the beach simultaneously "Go, Charger and Nora!" She shouted as two flashes of light revealed her pokemon.

I stared wide eyed, as it suddenly clicked for me. Mrs. Feld deftly caught both pokeballs as they flew back at her. "Get it now?" She asked.

Before me stood two pokemon very similar to my own. Charger, who I presumed to be the Growlithe she was given by the academy, but was now evolved into a truly massive Arcanine; standing even taller than Flare. Nora, who I quickly identified as an Alakazam, stood directly in front of Clara.

"Mark, I seriously don't know what the odds on this are," Mrs. Feld said, "but at least you get why they made me the person to guide you."

I looked over the boardwalk to see the chairman smiling calmly at me and Coach grinning.

"It's been a long while since I saw you two," Coach hollered out, "How's she been treating you?"

Charger gave a loud bark and wagged his tail at Coach, eliciting an annoyed scowl from Mrs. Feld. Nora looked calmly up at Coach and an unfamiliar voice spoke up in my head like Clara's speech. "She's been taking very good care of us, sir, thank you for asking." It said.

It took me a moment to realize it was Nora who was speaking. I noticed Clara looked at least as surprised at our opponents as I was.

ust then, Nora turned her gaze to me. "I apologize for invading your mind earlier in the maze, I usually ask permission first but I was under orders from my partner not to make my presence known."

"Oh, uh... sure, it's no problem" I stammered out, and Nora seemed to smile. I shook my head and looked to my partners. "You both feeling ready for this?" I asked them, suddenly feeling eager to get this battle started.

Flare gave an eager bark and he crouched low, ready to fight. Clara nodded as she took her own battle pose.

"Yeah, we're ready whenever too." Mrs. Feld said casually. Her pokemon put some distance between each other and oddly it was Nora who took the advance position on the field rather than the physically stronger Charger.

I could see Coach grinning wider as raised the starter pistol. He waited a long time before pulling the trigger and shouting "Begin!"

Feld took the first move, "Charger, Fire blast!" She ordered, and the canine seemed to know who to target without being told.

"Clara, bring it around back at Nora!" I shouted. Charger unleashed a massive ball of fire from his maw directly at Clara. Clara first leapt to the side of the oncoming ball, then grabbed a hold of it, grunting audibly as she changed its trajectory and brought it in a wide arc back around towards Nora. The massive cluster of flame suddenly disappeared when it was a few inches in front of the yellow fox though.

"What?" I yelled, not sure what had happened. There was suddenly a loud whoosh and a yelp as I saw the ball reappear directly in front of Flare and crash into him.

"She teleported it!" Clara called out.

I gritted my teeth. "I didn't expect that..."

I heard Mrs. Feld laughing from across the field. "She really did just evolve yesterday didn't she." She teased. "My partners have been working together far longer than that, you'll need to use more than those simple tricks if you want to even scratch them."

"Flare, get back there and hit Charger with Extremespeed!" I ordered, not letting her taunts get to me.

"Charger, Flare Blitz." Feld said casually.

Flare leapt forward in a blur as Charger began glowing orange. Flare collided with the rival Arcanine squarely, but only elicited a growl from his opponent before it suddenly leapt forward in a wave of fire, obscuring both of them for a moment before Flare was sent flying out of the blaze and crashed back into the sand on my side with a heavy thud.

"Flare, you okay?" I called out. Flare slowly picked himself up, seeming shaken but not out yet.

"Good try there Pooch" Feld taunted, "But you need a lot more practice before you can hit like Charger here"

Flare growled at her, seeming to increase his resolve.

Suddenly an idea hit me. "Flare, hit Charger with a flamethrower!" I ordered.

"Really?" Feld asked, seeming annoyed. "Charger, just counter with Fire Blast"

Right as Flare unleashed his jet of Flame I called out to Clara mentally, picturing a jet of flame curving to the right. I saw her nod, and as planned as soon as the fire reached the halfway point it arched straight into Nora, knocking the pokemon back, but before any more damage could be done the countering ball of fire flung by Charger engulfed Flare's attack. I sent another image of Nora teleporting the first Fire blast. Clara wavered, but attempted to teleport the attack anyway. In a flash, half the ball disappeared as the remainder crashed into Flare, sending him rolling.

"Nora, Protect!" Feld suddenly yelled out a split second before the attack reappeared, heading for Nora. It crashed into the beach obscuring my view of the pokemon for a few seconds, and when it cleared Nora stood there unscathed, with the sand around her superheated to glass now.

"No way." I marveled.

"Again, good try." Feld said, "Though I give you credit for the flamethrower bit."

"Thanks, I guess." I said.

"Charger, hit Flare with a Wild Charge attack!" Feld suddenly called out.

"Flare, counter with Close Combat!" I stammered out, taken off guard.

The larger canine began crackling with electricity, which I hadn't even thought possible, before charging straight at Flare as Flare made his own powerful charge at him. The dogs collided powerfully and held their positions, each digging in as they tried to overpower and toss the other.

"Clara, hit him with hypnosis!" I called out, taking advantage of the pause. Clara leapt forward and fired off her special psychic wave far faster than she had before and Charger stumbled before being tossed by Flare.

"Well played," Feld commented, staring almost curiously at her Arcanine as it snored on the sand. "Nora, Shadow ball!" she ordered, again catching me off guard.

Nora conjured what appeared to be a ball of darkness between her hands before flinging it forward at Clara. The ball slammed into her, knocking her back on the sand and I felt her pain, wincing and clutching at my temple as she fell.

"Flare, Extremespeed!" I shouted half out of panic. Flare rushed forward, slamming into Nora and knocking her back before she could fire off another attack. "Now Crunch!" I shouted, not giving Feld any time to react. Flare leapt upon the Alakazam and bit down on her midsection, and I saw Mrs. Feld wince and fall to one knee.

"You felt the attack too?" I asked her.

She grunted and regained her feet. "It's what happens when you're really close to a psychic pokemon, they give you their all and unfortunately that means their pain too." She shook her head vigorously. "Nora, toss him back with Psychic!"

Suddenly Flare was floating high into the air away from the Alakazam, flailing his limbs in a futile attempt to get down before being sent crashing into the sand back on my side of the field with a heavy thump.

"Flare!" I called out, but he just laid there panting heavily. "Flare, can you get up?" I asked, and all he responded with was a weak whimper. I scowled and pulled out his pokeball, calling him back with the red beam of light. "You did well, partner, now have a good rest." I said quietly as he disappeared into the light.

"You willing to keep going?" Feld asked from her spot as Nora clawed her way back to her feet.

I thought for a moment. "Yes, we're not giving up that easily." I said adamantly, getting a smile out of my counselor.

"Good." She said, "Nora, use Dream Eater." She said, still smiling.

"What!?" I asked, stunned. A dark purple aura surrounded Charger and Nora as she sapped energy from him, healing her wounds from Flare's attacks.

"My partners share everything, health is no exception" She explained. "Still want to keep going?"

I grit my teeth before issuing my next order. "Clara, Safeguard then Psybeam!" I shouted. Clara suddenly started glowing with a silver aura before unleashing a bolt of rainbow light straight for Nora. The attack hit her in the chest, but she seemed unaffected by it.

"Nora, show her a real Psybeam!" Feld yelled, and Nora obliged, with a massive blast of rainbow light, sending both me and Clara reeling when it hit. I managed to regain my feet after a moment, but Clara remained down, though her safeguard remained.

"Clara are you okay?" I aksed, but before she could answer Feld issued the next attack.

"Nora, end this with Shadow Ball!" She shouted, and her Alakazam once agains conjured a ball of darkness and flung it, hitting Clara hard. Pain exploded throughout my head and I doubled over before everything began to fade. I vaguely registered panicked shouts about a pokeball and felt weak tugs at my pockets before totally fading.

I awoke with a start in an unfamiliar place, and after a moment realized I was in the pokemon center lobby, laid out across the bench. Sarah was sitting next to me, and looked worried.

"What happened?" I asked, causing her to jump.

"Y-you idiot..." She growled before looking away.

"What?" I asked.

"Here!" She shouted, shoving a pokeball in my face before standing up and walking away.

I blinked and took it as I sat up. A quick inspection and pressing the button to pop it open proved it to be empty. Before I could think of what she wanted me to do with it, I felt a sharp pain across my face. I blinked, tearing up at the stinging sensation before realizing Mrs. Feld was standing in front of me and was winding up to hit me again. This time I ducked the swing.

"Why didn't you tell me she was a wild pokemon!" She shouted.

"S-she's not, she's my partner!" I stammered out.

Feld balled her hand up in a fist. "She doesn't have a pokeball you idiot! Because of you she's..." she trailed off.

"She's what?" I asked, worried now. "Tell me she's okay!"

Feld glared at me. "Just look where you are and you tell me."

Suddenly the battle came crashing back to me and I leapt out of my seat, only to have Feld grab me by the collar of my uniform.

"I know it impressive to tame a wild pokemon and all that but it's really stupid." She growled. "There's a reason we use pokeballs, it makes them easier to patch up after rough matches, and when they don't have a pokeball..."

"W-when they don't have a ball?" I asked, feeling panic start to overtake me.

She roughly let go of my collar and looked away. "Go look for yourself." She said, pointing down the hall.

I needed no further prompting and immediately took off sprinting down the hall, praying that Clara was okay. I was suddenly grabbed by an arm sticking out of an open door and dragged into the room. After a moment orienting myself I saw it was Coach who had grabbed me. He wore a look of mixed worry and admiration. Before I could say anything, he put his finger up to his lips in a 'shh' motion. I nodded and turned around.

Laying on the examination table was Clara. She had a thin blanket over her and had an oxygen mask crudely strapped to her face, but she was barely breathing.

"It's really special when someone forms a trainer bond with a pokemon without catching it." Coach whispered from behind me. "Most people don't want to corrupt that bond with a device that makes the pokemon obey them, think it may sully the pure kind of bond they share by taking away teamwork and making themselves the master."

I slowly nodded, seeing what he was saying.

"and who knows, maybe they're right. Maybe it's not so pure afterwards. But let me tell you, when a time comes like this and you have to choose between losing a partner or changing your relationship with them, neither of them will choose the first option. I can tell you that, and so can Azu."

I turned to face him "Azu didn't have a pokeball either?"

He smiled weakly. "Not until that last battle he didn't, and because I was so stubborn to keep that bond pure, I was too late and he never healed right..." he trailed off. He was silent for a long time before he spoke again. "Listen Mark, she'll still be the same Clara you knew before, having a pokeball for her won't change that. She'll still be your friend and your partner."

"Is she gonna be all right?" I asked, worried.

Coach frowned. "This time, yeah." He said. "She's hurt bad, you felt that. But she'll heal. I can't say the same about the next time though, or the time after that."

I stayed quiet, not sure what to do.

"And what if some miscreant decides he wants your Clara for himself and captures her himself?" He asked.

I winced. "A-all right..." I said. "I see your point."

"You know what you need to do then." Coach said softly.

Slowly I walked up to my partner. I gently took her hand in mine and stood at her side for a long time, watching her breath. I swallowed hard and forced myself to press the button on the pokeball Sarah gave me, causing it to expand before pressing it against my pokemon. There was a flash as she faded away into the ball, the blanket folding down on the now empty space beneath it. I felt the ball wiggle weakly in my hand a few times before a quiet chime signaled a successful capture. I sighed, partly in relief, partly in frustration.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "There, things will be okay now." Coach assured me.

I nodded silently and he led me out of the room to the nurses' station, where the nurse on duty took my partner and carried her back to their healing machine. I listened to the chimes as the machine did its work and after a few minutes the nurse returned, handing me back my pokeball.

Coach smiled at me and motioned for me to go on, and nervously, I called her out. "Clara, come out." I said as I hit the button, popping the device open and unleashing a flash of light. After a moment the light subsided and the ball clicked closed. Before me now stood Clara, looking confused, but otherwise healthy.

She looked around for a moment before spotting me. "Master, are you okay?" She asked, sounding worried, "You feel really sad."

I reached out and hugged her tightly, breathing a deep sigh of relief as she tentatively hugged me back. "I'm so sorry!" I stammered out

"D-did I fail the test?" She said, sounding concerned

"The test doesn't matter Clara." I said, holding her. "I still have you, that's all that matters."

She slowly rubbed my back as I calmed down, reassuring myself that she was still here and okay. We stood there together for a long time before someone loudly cleared their throat behind me. I quickly let go of Clara and turned to see who it was.

"Glad to see you've come to your senses." Sarah said, looking simultaneously annoyed and relieved. "Still I'm amazed you were able to get close enough to her to feel her pain like that without a pokeball. Guess it's a good thing you two are partners."

I blushed at the compliment "Thanks, but I don't know if the academy will be allowing that after this whole incident." I said sullenly.

"I don't know about that." Coach spoke up, still standing near us. "pokeball issues aside, you still have quite a bond with that Gardevoir and showed you know how to use both your partners together fairly well. And you have at least one person on the review committee who's going to make sure they don't overlook that." He said grinning.

"Really?" I asked, not believing his generosity.

"Don't worry about it." He said, "Just keep your phone nearby these next few days while we review your performance, Mrs. Feld will call you with the results when we make the call."

"Thank you, Coach." I said.

"Don't mention it." He said smiling, and then started walking away.

I noticed Flare in the lobby at the same moment he saw me and Clara. He immediately galloped over, almost knocked Sarah over as he rushed past her. He didn't knock us over, but still knocked us off balance as he began showering Clara with whines and licks, causing her to giggle.

"I'm fine, Flare. Don't worry." She assured him, eventually getting him to calm down

"Glad to see things are back to normal for you three." Sarah commented. "I need to get heading too though, I'll see you Monday Mark." She said, turning to leave.

"See ya." I said.

"Master?" Clara spoke up, "Can we go home now?" She asked

"Oh, of course." I said, then after a moment of thought "Would you like me to carry you again?"

She blushed and smiled "Yes please!"

I smiled back and assumed the position as she jumped on my back, nuzzling my neck as she got comfortable. Once she was situated comfortably, we headed out and walked home together. I let Clara down as we got to my apartment complex like before, and all three of us headed up. Once inside with the door shut behind us I felt the atmosphere change almost immediately. Without warning Flare picked me up by my belt as Clara giggled.

"What's going on?" I asked, dangling from Flares mouth as he carried me to the bedroom with Clara following close behind.

"Flare and I are gonna do something special for you." She said smiling, and started to unbutton my shirt as Flare held me up.

I blushed and sighed, deciding to sit back and enjoy it rather than fight what they had planned. Sensing I was compliant, Flare set me down on the edge of the bed after Clara had removed my shirt. Before I could get comfy though, she had spread my legs and was kneeling in front of me, eyeing my crotch. I blushed and felt my manhood begin to swell. Clara smiled and licked her lips as my pants bulged further out, and slowly she reached out and began to undo my belt. She smiled as I watched her pull belt off, drawing it out so she could savor the view of the growing tent I was pitching. Before long her patience wore out as she unzipped my pants and opened the slit in my boxers, revealing my now rock hard shaft. She smiled and let out a short yummy sound before kissing the tip and starting to carefully lick up and down my shaft. I moaned, leaking pre from the sensation, which she quickly cleaned up with her tongue. She didn't let me enjoy it for long though, as she soon backed off and unbuttoned my pants before yanking them down with my boxers. I stood up, making her job easier as she fully disrobed me. Once she had me naked, she stood up and kissed me deeply, and I could feel her own swollen member pressing against mine as I kissed her back.

Suddenly she spun around with me and fell back onto the edge of the bed, spreading her legs for me as she pulled up her dress, exposing her tight pucker and stiff cock to me. "Take me, Mark." She begged. Too horny to resist, I brought my member to her hole, and still slick with her saliva I did my best to enter her gently. She was still loose from the night before and entry was far easier, causing us both to moan as I sunk myself deep into her asshole. I held myself inside her for a while, letting her get used to my size. She smiled and took advantage of the time, suddenly teleporting my bottle of lube in front of me. Before I could ask what she was planning she had her fingers lubed up and pressing against my asshole. It didn't take her long to loosen me up as I had a lot of practice under my belt from taking flare so often. She smirked and fingered me quickly as I stayed buried deep insider her.

"Do you like this?" she said, teasing my prostate. I moaned, and nodded as I leaked more and more pre inside her. "Good, because this part wasn't for you." She teased.

I suddenly felt fur and warmth press against my back as Flare mounted me from behind. I blushed and panted as I felt his hot rod slide across my asshole. Clara giggled and reached behind me, helping guide Flare's massive shaft to my hole, and once situated he wasted no time sliding deep inside me. I moaned from the added stimulation and pressure on my prostate.

We stayed like that for a while until Flare's patience ran thin and he began his work thrusting in and out of my ass. I panted and did my best to match his motions as I began doing the same to Clara. Every time I pulled out of Clara Flare would thrust deep into me, and vice versa. We worked out a good rhythm to this and quickly built up pace as the penetration became slicker from pre. Clara and I moaned together as Flare panted and humped away at my ass. Soon I felt Flare's knot swelling inside me though and he made one last thrust into my ass before being stuck inside me as he began cumming. I panted and moaned as the massive knot crushed my prostate, though I could no longer keep thrusting into Clara's deliciously tight ass as I was stuck on the massive canine shaft.

Clara suddenly giggled and motioned something to Flare, and before I knew what was happening, Flare had flopped down on his back, pulling me with him and out of Clara. I looked up at Clara from my new vantage point as she smiled down at me. She crawled over me, straddling my hips as she took my cock in her hand and guided it back into her ass. I moaned as she took me into her, and moaned even more when she started bringing her hips up and down, riding my shaft as fast as she could. Her own pink member bounced against my belly as she went, and my hands involuntarily went to her hips, pushing her down harder onto me as she moved. it didn't take long for her to cum, her moans rose to a scream as she started spurting her seed all over my chest and face as she continued to ride me. the rhythmic clenching of her asshole as she orgasmed were all it took to push me over the edge and I unloaded all I had into her, much of it dripping out of her ass and onto my waist as she slowly came to a stop and collapsed onto my chest, panting.

I wrapped my arms around her, and stuck where I was, we cuddled on top of Flare. We passed out together there; though I awoke sometime later that night to find that Flare's knot had deflated and Clara had somehow moved me to the bed and climbed in next to me, holding me from behind. She must have been half awake because my clothes were still sitting mere inches in front of my face. I noticed Clara's pokeball clipped to my belt in front of me and carefully took it. I laid there staring at the device for a long time, wondering what it really meant in the long run for Clara and I. reflecting on seeing her in the pokemon center barely alive, I admitted to myself it was for the best. Clutching her pokeball tight I made a silent vow to myself to always do what I could to protect her. As if sensing this, Clara shifted and snuggled closer to me. I smiled, taking comfort in her warmth and slowly drifted back to sleep.

We slept in Saturday, and showered first thing when we woke up. Clara and I washed Flare first, and then showered together once he was clean. Clara took the opportunity to cop a good feel of my member while I was naked which quickly turned into her jerking me off as it grew at her touch. I grunted as I came against her thigh, causing her to giggle and kiss me deeply as she started washing away the new mess. I checked my phone when we got out to see if Mrs. Feld had called but the phone said there were no missed calls. I sighed and got dressed before realizing my bed sheets were splattered with cum from last night, whether it was form Flare's seed leaking out of me, my seed leaking out of Clara, or hers rubbing off of me. I quickly stripped the bed and carried the sheets down to the Laundromat on the first floor to wash them. Clara came with me, curious to see how washing machines worked and watched the little round window as it did its thing, transfixed by the swirling water. Once the sheets were washed and dried we carried them upstairs and Clara helped me set the bed again, smiling once everything was clean and in order. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching TV before heading to bed together.

Sunday passed in roughly the same fashion, though we woke up earlier and started watching TV earlier as well. At least until my phone rang wround four in the afternoon. I froze for a moment, then answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Mark." Mrs. Feld said.

"Yes?" I said, my anxiety increasing.

There was a long pause at the other end. "You and your Gardevoir passed." She said, almost begrudgingly.

"Really?" I asked, amazed.

"You have your damned coach to thank for pushing us this far, we better not see another stunt like the pokeball thing, do you understand?" She said sternly.

"Yes ma'am." I said.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She said and hung up.

I didn't even get a chance to close my phone before Clara tackled me, hugging me tightly. "We did it!" She exclaimed.

I grinned and hugged her back. "I know!"

She started giggling uncontrollably. "I'm officially your partner now!"

I kissed her deeply, causing her to blush and kiss me back. "You've always been my partner, Clara." I said after pulling back.

She smiled and kissed me again, slowly pulling me down onto the couch with her. We made out for a long time before getting carried away and making love right there. From that moment on I knew Clara and I would be partners as long as we were together, and that I wasn't going to let anything separate us. But for the time being, I laid with my lover and snuggled in our afterglow and enjoying her warmth.