Pokémon is owned by Game Freak and Nintendo. All other characters, settings and plot belong to me.

A/N: The setting here is a bit different than usual. Think of it as the Johto region as if it were placed in today's society. That means cars, electronics, drinking, etc. You can think of the cities more from the anime's perspective of large, populated locations. All Pokémon are pokémorphs, as well. That means anthropomorphic Pokémon. Other than that, enjoy the story!

The click of billiard balls was one of the many sounds lost in the overall atmosphere of the room. Every Tuesday night, a couple of old college friends of mine, along with some others, met each other at a local bar. We played each other in a tourney of pool, in addition to any goofing around a group of guys in their mid-20s would do.

"Ricky, you're way too good at this game, man," Brad, a friend of mine, commented from where he was leaning against the wall as I sunk my last solid, the 3 ball. He was eliminated from our bracket in the first round. He and the other guys were watching my other old friend, Tom, and I play each other in what would be the championship of our mock-tournament. We didn't have a pot or any winnings, our play was just casual fun, and a way to do something together.

"Yeah, but check out his shot now," noted Tom, waiting for me to take my shot. He was mocking me on the fact that between the cue ball and 8 ball was a stripe, the orange 13. "There's no way he's making this one. And I'll sink my last two stripes next turn," he bragged confidently.

'Perhaps a bit too confidently,' I mused to myself. I didn't reply to Tom's jeer, and just took my place on the other end of the table. I leaned over, lined up the 8 ball and cue, and hovered my cue stick just under the center of the white ball. With a short, quick motion, I jabbed the cue ball. From the point of impact, it jumped over the 13 and struck the 8, which rolled smoothly into the top left corner pocket.

"That's game," I said with amusement.

"I don't believe it," Tom shouted, throwing his arms in the air.

"And that's why you don't play the physics major in a game of collisions," joked George, who was only half-watching the game.

"Well, that's it for me. It's getting late. Almost midnight," yawned Brad, with a check of his watch. "I'll catch you guys later, if not next Tuesday." He threw away his trash, then walked towards the door. The other guys did much of the same.

"Great game man. I love seeing those trick shots. Keep 'em coming." said Tom, reaching out for a handshake before turning to leave.

"Yeah, I'll catch you next time. Practice up, will you?" I joked. I took a seat at the physical bar, turning my attention to a soccer game while finishing my drink. I checked the time, noting only ten minutes left in the game, which was between Goldenrod City and Ecruteak. I watched with half-attention, getting tired myself. I was just getting ready to leave when I heard someone sit down next to me.

"Ooh, this is supposed to be a good game," commented a smooth female voice. I turned to my left and saw that a pretty female Umbreon had taken the nearby bar stool. "You wouldn't mind buying a girl a drink, would you?" she added, giving me a pleading look.

I was wary of girls who would ask for a drink only to take it back to their boyfriend across the bar. So I employed my own tactic: "I'll pick up your next one if you buy your first," I offered.

"Mmm. Smart guy. Very well then. Excuse me, bartender?" she called, ordering herself a drink. She received it, and turned her attention back to me. "So, what brings a cute guy to a bar like this at such a late hour?" she asked.

"Um, thanks, I guess," I responded, first to the compliment. "I just finished up a tourney of pool with a couple of buddies of mine. It's something we do every once in a while. I was finishing my drink, watching the game before heading home," I explained, giving a brief reason of being here late. I still didn't know what she wanted, so I was being cautious. "Oh, the name's Ricky, by the way," I said, remembering my manners.

"Oh, right. Sorry for the poor introduction by the way. I'm Danielle, but just call me Dani," she said, finishing the courtesy. It was as she introduced herself that I got a good look at her. She was a thin, average height girl, with black hair that came down to her shoulders. Her ears poked out from beneath it on top of her head. Her eyes were a deep red with black pupils. She was wearing a yellow tank top that complimented the yellow rings that appeared on her ears, forehead, arms, legs, and tail. It had some black text art that I didn't care to read on it. She had denim short shorts that came about a third of the way down her thigh. I couldn't help but notice the decently sized breast she was sporting, especially because all she had covering them was that yellow tank. She couldn't have been any older than me, being twenty-three myself.

After I finished checking her out, I offered some small talk. "You mentioned you knew about the soccer game," I referred to her comment earlier, "do you play or just watch?"

"I play for a club league here in Goldenrod. They do round robin competitions every once in a while," she replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"No way, I'm in the same league with some of my friends! The league starts up later this week, right?" I asked her.

"Yeah, the first game is on Saturday afternoon at the recreational gym behind the radio tower," she replied. She leaned up against me suddenly, the soccer small talk forgotten, and whispered "I believe you offered to buy my a drink, right?" She waved her empty glass in front of my face.

I shoved her off, grabbing the glass and calling for the bartender. "Yeah I did," I said. Her previous action caused me to be wary again. It was just weird, and sudden. 'Either she's drunk already or trying to flirt with me.' I thought to myself.

We spent some more time talking and drinking. I didn't order any more drinks because I still needed to walk home. When our glasses were empty for some time, she asked, "Well, you wouldn't mind if I came home with you, would you?" I could tell she was just the slightest bit buzzed.

I understood that invitation loud and clear. "Sure, you're welcome to. It's just a couple of blocks down the road, so we're going to walk," I told her.

"Oh, why thank you, mister gentleman," she said with a seductive tone. She rubbed her palm up my thigh as she reached for my hand. I grabbed my jacket off the wall and followed her tow out into the street.

It was autumn in Goldenrod, and the breeze blowing down the street made it chilly to someone without many clothes on. Dani was shivering the moment we began our walk down the street.

"Would you like my jacket?" I offered, holding it out to her.

"Yes, thank you. I forgot how cold it gets at night on these side streets," she mumbled between chattering teeth. 'Or because you were showing yourself off,' I commented to myself, noting her skimpy clothing.

The walk back to my apartment was quick and brisk. As we approached our building, I told her where I lived. "My apartment is in this complex here. Only three floors, and mine is one of the suites at the top. There's no elevator, so we need to take the stairs," I told her, to which she audibly groaned. I led Dani up the stairs to my apartment, then reached into my pocket for the key. I opened the door and let her in first, taking back my jacket and hanging it on the wall as I walked in.

"Wow! For a college kid, this place is impressive!" she exclaimed. She looked around, noticing the separate spheres of living. The layout was basically one giant room, with each corner serving as a separate living necessity. One corner was my bed, nightstand, and a bookshelf. Another had a small kitchenette, complete with a refrigerator, stove, microwave, and cupboards for food. The other half was a "living room" of sorts, which had a couch, TV, and a couple of chairs, along with a coffee table and a desk, on which sat my computer.

The last thing Dani spotted held her gaze for a while. When I followed it, I noticed she was staring at a glass-paned opening above my bedroom, just about the same size as the bed beneath it. "There's no way you have a skylight in here! That's incredible!" She held her gaze there, with her mouth open a little bit.

"Yeah, it took me a couple of years' worth of part-time job paychecks to finance this place," I commented, admiring the apartment myself.

I let her stare a bit longer at the stars, then jabbed her with my elbow. "Alright, first thing either of us is doing is getting a shower," I told her when I got her attention. "We both smell like a bar," I joked, pointing to a door that held a relatively small bathroom when compared to everything else.

"Making your guest shower the minute she walks into your house? That's not very gentlemanly…" she teased, giving me a mock glare. When she realized I wasn't kidding, she added, "Fine. But you're taking one with me." She walked over to the door I pointed out earlier, already beginning to take her top off.

I raised my eyebrows, watching her go, before taking off my own shirt and pants and following her into the shower. When I got in, she was already naked, and was stepping into the shower. I heard her turn the water on, even though she left the curtain half-open.

I threw off my boxers and followed her in. When I stepped past the curtain, she was rinsing her hair in the hot water, her back to me. I grabbed some shampoo, rubbed it on both hands, and began to lather it into her hair as gently as I could.

When she felt my touch, she leaned back on my chest, and allowed me to continue my ministrations. I finished washing her hair, took some soap, and went back to her ears first. As I washed her ears with the soap, I noticed something weird. The more I rubbed her ears, the yellow on her rings faded to a bright electric blue. I stopped myself from gasping, and decided to continue without saying anything.

I moved down her body, beginning again with her neck. I washed up and down both of her arms, noticing again that the yellow rings faded to blue. I gently shifted to her chest, cleaning her breast and stomach fur, but not giving too much pleasure. I decided to wait for the teasing, first moving up and down her tail.

Once I hit her waist, I bent down to get her feet and legs, saving her sweet spot for last. As I worked my way up her legs, I could hear her breathing increase. She was bracing herself against one wall of the shower. I made my work short and sweet. I rubbed her pussy briefly, while she gasped overhead. I inserted two fingers, and gently slid them in and out. My pace would speed up and slow down, never going at the same rate continuously. I could feel her stance begin to falter, so I withdrew my fingers, not wanting her to get spent too quickly. It would ruin any fun later.

As I stood back up, I heard her begin saying, "Aww. Why'd you sto–" I quickly silenced her with a kiss. Our lips locked, and she found the entrance into my mouth. I let her explore a bit, while the water rinsed us off. I pushed her back out, ending our passionate exchange.

"Well, I'm glad that I'm all clean now," she said with a grin. "I'll let you finish up yourself while I go dry off." She left the shower, giving me a wink as she stepped around the curtain. As she turned around, I stared at her once yellow, now blue, rings.

'Oh well. She'll probably be sitting on your bed when you walk out, you can just ask her then,' I thought to myself. I then proceeded to take one of the quickest showers I had in a long time. I turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off, and threw my boxers back on. I walked out of the bathroom and, sure enough, Dani was laying on my bed, wearing only her panties and bra. I wasn't going to put anything else on, but stopped in front of a mirror to fix my hair with a hand. As I looked at myself, I could see Dani's reflection behind me. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide, and she screamed.

I turned around quickly, thinking somebody had walked into my apartment, but she just kept staring at the mirror.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice frantic.

"Why didn't you tell me!" she yelled.

"What? Why didn't I tell you what?" I replied, not knowing why her gaze was fixated on the mirror.

"My rings! There blue again! Why didn't you tell me the dye came out in the shower!" she shouted. Pounding the bed, she added to herself, "I'm so dumb, I should've known that dye wasn't waterproof!"

She covered herself with the sheet, even though her ears still stuck out. "You know, I can still see your ears…" I said gently.

Her response was to pull the sheet completely over her head, and she flip over onto the bed, her face in a pillow.

I walked over and laid next to her on my bed. I tried reaching out to wrap her in an embrace, but she pushed my hand away. "Why is it a problem that the dye came out? It doesn't seem like a big deal to me," I shrugged, still afraid she was mad at me for some reason.

"I just… I-I hate other people seeing my rings blue. I hate them like this. I wish they were yellow, just like all the other Umbreons," she said, turning away.

I was at a loss for a way to comfort her. How do you help someone who wants to hide them self? I've never had to deal with anyone like that before.

I remembered then about somewhere I wanted to take her before we got comfortable for the night. It wasn't much, but it might make her a little bit happier than she was right now.

I stood up, and opened my dresser, grabbing a pair of gym shorts. "Put your shorts back on for a minute, Dani. I forgot I wanted to show you something," I said, eagerly hurrying her along.

"Wait. Like what?" she asked, confused by my change in attitude.

"It's on the roof. Trust me, being an Umbreon, you'll enjoy it," I told her, wanting to convince her to follow me. I led her to the door of the apartment, grabbing the key before we stepped out into the extended hallway that ran between other tenants.

I led her back to the stairs. We only got up half a flight before we hit a large metal door. I pushed it open and held it for her. Before I let go, I made sure to put a wood block in between the door's path and the frame, so we didn't get locked out. I walked over to the edge of the roof, which had a two-foot ledge encompassing it all around. From where we were, Goldenrod City could be seen, in all its ambiance. She was staring at the light coming from the city, when I pointed for her to look up.

She gasped, taking in all the stars above us. Luckily, tonight was completely clear, and the entire sky was ablaze with pinpoints of light.

"I love it up here," I told her, leaning on the edge with my elbows. "You can see the beauty of Goldenrod, but the ambient light doesn't block out the stars overhead. I come up here whenever life gets too overwhelming. It's peaceful," I concluded. I let the conversation fall, letting her take it all in; the city in front of us, the sky above us.

I waited perhaps five minutes before working up the courage to ask her, "Dani, why do you dye your rings, if you don't mind me asking? It's like your hiding yourself, and well, I just don't get it."

She took a deep breath before answering. "You see, back in high school, I didn't dye them. I kept them blue. But high school isn't the place where it helps to be different. It's the opposite. I had some friends and acquaintances, but I was always aware of other people staring. The ones who didn't know me always looked at my blue rings and thought 'Wow, that girl must be really weird, with her different coloring.' After high school, most of my friends went away, doing their own things, like most high school friends do. Once I got into college, I started dyeing my rings to be yellow, because I didn't want that part of high school following me." She kept looking ahead at the city, never looking at me during her entire explanation.

I decided it was my turn to speak up. "Well, I like them blue better than yellow," I told her, to which she just twitched her tail. "And to be honest, I didn't bring you home with me, show you around, and take a shower with you to know a façade of who you are. I want to know the real you, not someone who thinks they need to conform to a certain look for society to accept them." I paused, not sure what else to say. "You look more beautiful out here with blue rings glowing than you would have with the yellow anyway," I said, aiming less for flattery and more for sincerity.

She didn't reply back right away. I turned my gaze back to the lights of the city. You could see the main roads, with late night drivers stuck in traffic. You could see the nocturnal population scurry around street corners, into buildings. You could see the business district lit up like always, never stopping when the sun went down. You could see the stars above the city, giving texture to the dark night sky around them.

I was surprised when she finally said something again, breaking the silence between us. "You know, I didn't think that you were this deep," she said. I turned to face her, but she kept on staring out into the distance.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"When I saw you at the bar, I thought you were just a normal, slightly rambunctious guy hanging out with his friends. I didn't see much outward emotion," she explained, "But here, talking to you, I realize that there's more depth to you than just that. You have strong emotions, but I never knew them until now."

I wasn't sure how to reply to that at first. But I gradually found the right words to use, and let them explain for me.

"You know, you're right," I said, turning back to look at the glow of Goldenrod. "I guess it's kinda like you and your rings. I do have emotions, and they're strong. But I keep them hidden most of the time. I recognize the potential the world around me has to hurt feelings like mine, however childish that sounds." I paused, waiting to put my thoughts together before continuing. "I guess that's why I seem so hard on the outside. But I really care about people. My friends. My family. It doesn't show too often, but when it does, people feel it, I guess."

I thought about it some more, and added, "Even most of my friends don't know my innermost emotions. They know that I'm strong on the outside, and that I can have some fun while being hard to the bad things in the world."

I stopped, unsure of how to explain it any better. We just stared out, taking solace in the silence.

"Let's go back inside. It's getting cold up here," she said, standing up to leave. We walked back to the door, back down the stairs, and into my room.

I threw off my shorts, leaving myself in just boxers as I climbed into bed, I was moving the sheet and comforter down to leave Dani some room, when suddenly something tackled me from behind. I turned over, and came face to face with her crouched over me.

She leaned down and whispered very seductively, "it would be a shame if we wasted this opportunity, wouldn't it?" She didn't wait for a reply, and instead chose to kiss me right there. She licked my lips, looking for entry. I granted it, and while she explored my mouth I unclipped her bra, freeing her breasts into the open air. I pushed her tongue back into her mouth, where we fought for dominance.

She took the opportunity of our tongue war to begin to slide my boxers off, which required some effort from me. I raised my legs to allow her to flick them off, leaving me bare naked on the bed. Needless to say, I was at full mast now.

It was her turn next. I lifted her up, gently laying her down on top of me, while I slid her panties off of her in one swift motion. The feeling of her fur on my skin was incredible. It felt like a furry blanket covering me from head to toe. All this time we were still making out, and we both took a huge breath of air after pulling back.

She pushed herself up, bracing her arms on my chest. "Convince me that I made the right choice coming home with you tonight," she said, smiling playfully.

"Alright, if that's what you want," I replied, chuckling.

I reached up and hugged her, bringing her down on my length. She pushed me back down on the bed, and took over, sliding me in and out at a moderate pace. I let her take the lead, and she would gyrate her hips every once in a while, getting in a rhythm. A really sexy rhythm.

When she had been going for a while, I took over. I thrust up into her, meeting her hips as they came down. The effect on her was immediate. She relaxed her actions, and let me took over. I could feel my own pleasure rise from the increased speed, and I could only guess that she did too.

Suddenly, she shifted to hold herself up with her forearms, her hands not enough to support her. "F-f-faster… Aaahh… G-go faster," she gasped between heavy breaths. Both of us were breathing heavily at this point.

I reached up and grabbed her hips, really slamming into her now. "Dani, I-I'm not gonna be able to hold out much longer like this," I warned, unable to keep the pace. I was reaching my climax, and I could tell she wasn't going to last either.

She had her tongue hanging out, utterly lost in the euphoria. "I-I'm on a pill, so don't worry about it," she said, really having to focus on speech.

Suddenly, I felt her insides clamp down, holding my dick in tight. This sent me over the edge. I hit my climax, firing ropes of spunk into her. "Aaaaahhh!" she screamed. Her own juices flowed out, and a mixture of our love-making was evidence of what we did. She slumped over onto me, completely content in just laying limp for the extent of the afterglow. I hugged her tight, and slid her onto the bed next to me.

She shifted so that her back was to me, and I wrapped my arms around her stomach, pulling her in close. She snuggled up to my body, mimicking the shape so that we fit together just right. Her blue rings were glowing so that just enough light was available to see her silhouette. I pulled the covers up over us, whispering, "Goodnight Dani," before closing my eyes.

I was just on the edge of consciousness when I heard her whisper back, "That was wonderful, Ricky. 'Night."

I held her tighter, afraid that we wouldn't be like this for much longer. It turns out I was right.

Dani's POV

I was the first one awake in the morning.

It took me a moment to figure out where I was, with the sun shining through a skylight above me. I threw off the covers that were over me, and got up out of the bed. I found my clothes from last night scattered across the floor. I bent down to pick them up and put them back on, and noticed the guy who I spent last night with.

He was just as naked as I was. It looked like he was sleeping peacefully from where he rested. I turned from him, and froze in front of a mirror hanging on the wall.

From where I stood, I could see my rings were their natural light blue. But they weren't supposed to be. Just then, all of the memories from last night came flooding back, hitting me so hard I had to hold myself against the wall. When I regained control, I looked back at the bed where the guy laid.

'What was his name again? Robert? Richard? Ricky! That's it,' I told myself. I had the urge to get back in bed and snuggle longer, but my body held me back.

I was used to leaving first thing in the morning, before the guy I slept with would wake up. But for some reason, this one night stand was different. My brain kept telling me to book it out of the apartment, but I didn't really want to go. I felt relaxed, and not inclined to leave.

I made my way over to the kitchenette, looking for something to eat. My stomach was growling. And that wasn't the only part of me aching. I rubbed my crotch, which was giving off a dull throb. "Man, he really gave me a good run last night," I said to myself, thinking out loud.

I rummaged through the cupboards until I found some breakfast bars. I grabbed one, and munched on it while I went back to check on Ricky. He was still asleep, laying on his side, in the position we were in before I woke up.

I found myself staring, and had to snap myself out of the trance. My body was telling me to leave – I never stayed this long in the morning – but my heart wanted to get back in bed with him. I felt attached for some reason. Like I was committing a crime by leaving before saying goodbye. This was a weird feeling, something I've never experienced before.

I decided to write a note to him. I looked around and grabbed a slip of paper and a pen lying around.

I hastily scribbled down my note, stopping halfway through to read over what I had written. I scratched out things that didn't sound right, and added things I forgot to say. When I was done, I set the note on the counter by his microwave and toaster.

I threw away the granola bar wrapper, and went back to look at him one last time. I got lost staring at his form again, just laying perfectly on the bed, like someone could crawl up and hug him tight.

I couldn't understand why, but I couldn't get over him. I was used to leaving first thing in the morning. I was used to getting up and leaving without a second thought. My mind was commanding me to go, before he found me awake. But my heart wanted me to stay, my soul being pulled back to him, like an invisible force was tugging on me. I was in a state of confusion, unsure of what to listen to, my heart or my head. I looked at the mirror, looked at my rings, and remembered what he told me last night.

'To be honest, I didn't bring you home with me to know a façade of who you are. I want to know the real you, not someone who thinks they need to conform for society to accept them. You look more beautiful out here with blue rings anyway.'

Thinking of something else, I ran back and wrote one last thing on the note before tiptoeing over to the door. I didn't realize it before, but I was making a lot of noise. It was a wonder Ricky didn't wake up yet.

I took one slow last look at the room. At the bed. At Ricky. I was almost in tears. With a heavy heart, I walked out the door and closed it quietly.

A/N: I know you guys probably want to kill me for another shower scene, but it had to happen for plot purposes. This story will end up being a couple of chapters long, so follow, read and review.