Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Other standard stuff applies as well. You don't like Pokemon smut or are under 18, leave now. Otherwise, enjoy.

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--Author's note-- I normally wouldn't consider doing a POV change like this, and I realize it somewhat conflicts with the overall flow of the story, but I thought it would make for a nice change of pace.

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As I tried to recover my breath, I stared in awe at the changes that had occurred. Looking down, I noticed the changes in physical form - the new (and rather sharp looking) spikes, the elongated form factor, the yellowish chest fur, the widened hips... all in all, the process of evolving had produced differences that, while staggering, were impressive at the same time. I looked down again and merely stared, taking in the majesty of it all.

The majesty of my new lucario body.

Justtyn towered over me, obviously confused as hell, which has always been a rather cute look for him if I do say so myself (and I do). I chuckled, prompting him to ask just what was so funny.

/Oh, nothing, nothing at all./ I replied, loving the slight irritation building up in him. /Aw, is the poor trainer confused?/ I teased.

He sighed and lay down beside me before responding. "You could say that. I mean we just-- and, and you just-- and then the bright light came and-- yeah, I'm just a little bit confused."

I propped myself up on one arm, still getting used to its increased length, and turned to face him. /Simply put buddy boy, you just gave me the time of my life, when I needed it the most. Do you remember what the Pokedex said about riolu evolution?/

"Yeah, it said that riolu evolve through extreme happine-- oh. Gotcha." The dawning look of realization on his face was priceless. Of course my evolution had been anything but normal, which explained why he didn't make the connection at first, but watching him discover the obvious was honestly hilarious.

I laughed again, and moved my free paw to his clothed chest and dragged a single finger across his torso. /And you definitely made me the happiest Pokemon in the world just now. Thank you,/ I concluded, bending over slightly to give him a tender kiss, the first one I actually initiated since the whole ordeal began. This kiss was actually more like the first one we shared, more loving and gentle, but I enjoyed it just as much. A brief moment passed, after which point we separated and I lay back down beside Justtyn, curling up to his comfortable body warmth, a slightly different experience than before due to my larger body size. The fire had long since dissipated, but coals and small fragments of burning embers remained, providing just enough light to illuminate the romantic scene. I knew it was late, and we needed to go to bed soon, but I didn't want that moment to end, ever.

I'll admit that I had originally been terrified of my own feelings for Justtyn. After all, he was my trainer. What right did I have to love him? But I just couldn't help it. We had grown up together, and I had watched as he changed from a misguided and lost child to a fine young adult. He had always shown preference for me over anyone else, and he had always managed to brighten my day no matter what the situation. Yet it wasn't until the first night of our journey that I truly felt a connection between us deeper than I thought possible. The feeling was wonderful, and I knew that deep down inside he felt the same for me, but at the same time I was ashamed. No matter which way I looked at it, the fact that we were of different species was a major roadblock that could not be ignored. Our newfound ability to communicate directly only made things worse, as I had to start watching what I said to prevent something from slipping out on accident. I probably would have succeeded in hiding away my feelings had it not been for my heat cycle, something I had not predicted and was thus completely unprepared for. It... changed me, made me consider options I had previously rejected, forced me to feel my love for him so much more strongly, and it's a wonder that I managed to hide it from him as long as I did. But of course his discovery brought me so much joy in the end that I wished the secret had been exposed earlier. His willingness to proceed with an act I felt was so shameful opened my eyes, made me realize that my love didn't have to be bottled up or shut away from the rest of the world. It was the best feeling in the world knowing that I no longer had to hide behind self-created walls and that I could free myself of my inhibitions. So liberating, so peaceful, so... loving.

We stayed in that position for, oh, probably 5 minutes I guess before Justtyn spoke up.

"Say Neko, I'm curious. I remember seeing a picture of a lucario before, and it had a spike on its chest. How come you only have spikes on your paws?"

Well how on earth was I supposed to know? /Why don't you look it up in the Pokedex, silly?/

"Do you REALLY want me to leave right now to get it? I'm rather comfy at the moment, thank-you-very-much!"

/Good point,/ I yawned. /Maybe I'm just a freak or something./

"Well of course you are," he commented as I glared at him. He cracked a smile and continued, "and I wouldn't change a thing, Neko. But back to more serious matters, how does this change things?"

/What do you mean?/

"I mean the evolution. Your aura. Are you more powerful now? Can you control your aura better? And what does it mean for US?"

/Not a clue,/ I replied. Again, how was I supposed to know? Sure I felt a bit stronger, but until I actually tested out my new body it would be difficult to tell if anything had changed. Of course, there was the possibility that he himself possessed a better mastery of his own aura connection with me, but if that was the case then it would have been because of our actions together, not necessarily the fact that I had evolved. It was the connection between us that was important, not my physical state, as he was the one who needed to "catch up" on the aura so to speak. After all, I could read his thoughts, feel his emotions, and project my own thoughts into his head. He, on the other hand, was only capable of perceiving my overall feelings. Perhaps this had changed as a result of our bonding. It was worth investigating at least.

/Justtyn, I want you to try something./

"Hm?"

/Try to send me a message through aura. Anything at all./

He chuckled at this. "Neko, you know that's not going to work. You're the one who evolved, not me."

Rather than explaining my idea behind the matter, I decided to save time by using the power of femininity. Cue the puppy dog eyes. /Pleeease Justtyn? For me?/

He gave a sigh, almost as if he couldn't believe he was seriously giving it a chance, then screwed his eyes together, obviously trying to figure out just how one would send such a message. Try as he might, no matter which facial muscles he tried flexing, he just couldn't figure out how to do it. I let him carry on for a couple of minutes until an idea struck me. /Hang on for a sec,/ I told him, as I reached for his hand. Gripping it within my paw, I continued, /All right, try again now./

That seemed to have done the trick. Almost immediately I heard a voice in my head, clearly identifiable, asking a simple question, //Neko?//

A grin formed itself on my face as soon as I heard it. /Yep, just like that,/ I encouraged.

//Holy crap, this is so cool!// he exclaimed. //I'm talking, but I'm not talking, and you can hear me, and... holy crap!//

I gestured my free paw outwards, imitating a dramatic scene worthy of a B-grade SciFi Channel movie. /Welcome,/ I said, /to the world of aura./

//So this is what it's like, huh?// he babbled on, hardly paying attention to my bland attempt at humor. //I mean seriously, this is amazing. We can have our own private conversations together, and no one will know! It's like the type of thing a kid dreams about doing for years, and the fact that I can hear YOU as well, it's just...//

He was so absorbed in his own sense of amazement that he didn't notice when I slipped my paw out of his grasp. I could still hear him, which was obviously a good thing. He just needed a jump-start before being able to handle it on his own. At this point, I started tuning him out, as he wasn't really going anywhere with his soliloquy. I think I might have heard something about the square root of apple pie, but I'm not entirely sure. Only when he stopped his mental tirade momentarily did I come back to reality, and I found him looking at me as if expecting a response. He must have asked a question without my knowledge.

/I'm sorry, um, what was that?/ I asked in a less-than-believable attempt to pretend I had merely misheard him. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice.

//Your heat, is it gone?//

Well now that was unexpected. Ignoring the urge to try to trace the train of thought from pie to estrus(*), I answered him honestly. /Not exactly. You've sated it for now, but unfortunately deep down my body knows that what we did wasn't the real deal./ A thought breezed through Justtyn's mind and I managed to overhear, //Unfortunately, hm?// I smirked and continued on. /But thank you for thinking about my well-being. It really means a lot, knowing that you care for me./

"Of course I care about you," he responded, finally switching back to his real voice as he sat up in his spot. "I'd be a pretty worthless trainer if I didn't, and an even worse friend for that matter. And speaking of which, I'd say it's about time we get to bed. You need to be well-rested if we're going to make it the rest of the way to Pewter City tomorrow."

I grumbled a bit, mocking annoyance. /If you insist,/ I mumbled, as I slowly rose to my feet. And promptly fell flat on my face. Guess I wasn't quite used to my new body yet. Wonderful. Rather than blaming a wayward rock or fallen stick like I wanted to, I swallowed my pride and allowed Justtyn to help me walk the short distance to our tent. We stopped for a moment and stared at the flap that served as the entrance.

"We might need a bigger tent after all."

---

So the tent was just a bit cramped, but thankfully the night was cool enough to prevent us from baking in each other's body heat. We woke up the next morning a bit later than originally intended but with more than enough time to make it to the city. Or so we thought. There was still that TINY detail about me not being able to walk correctly. Luckily it didn't take too long to get accustomed to my new body, though it did feel rather awkward for the next few hours as we started on the final stretch of that god-forsaken forest. I was getting quite tired of constant caterpie attacks, and was willing to leave as soon as possible.

Finally we saw a sign indicating we were almost there, but JUST when we were ALMOST home free, some stupid trainer jumped out at us and demanded a duel. My previous spar with Fritz's Squirtle had made Justtyn visibly reluctant and cautious, but all it took was a confident glance from me to set him at ease. Almost immediately after Justtyn accepted the duel I found myself facing, you guessed it, a caterpie. Geez, couldn't these guys get something original for once? Nonetheless, I made short work of the bug-type and before I knew it, we were back on our way, 130 Pokedollars richer. Not bad for our second fight if I do say so myself (which again I do).

Upon reaching the city, we headed first for the Pokemart, as we desperately needed some supplies. I sat down at a table in the middle of the store and watched Justtyn haggle with the merchant, knowing that he probably wouldn't strike up much of a bargain given his rather weak argumentative skills. Then again, I thought, perhaps he wasn't as bad at persuasion as I gave him credit for. After all, he was able to entice me into our little activity the night before, nevermind the effect my heat had on me. Chuckling a bit and shaking my head (noting the new dreadlocks that shook alongside it), I realized he was heading my way with several bags in his hands.

/Ooh, got any goodies for me?/ I asked as he sat down in the chair facing me.

"Actually yes," he replied, rummaging in one of the bags. "The money we got from that last trainer was enough to buy some lemonade, which I've heard is delicious."

/More than good enough for me!/ I exclaimed as I reached out for the small can in his outstretched hand. As I fiddled with the little metal tab on the top (accursed claws), a thought occurred to me. /Hey Justtyn, I just thought of something. If we're going to have an actual conversation here, you probably shouldn't talk out loud like that. I wouldn't want you to be sent to the loony bin for talking to yourself after all. Ah, finally,/ I finished, a soft click announcing my success in opening the can.

//Ah right, that would probably be best,// he responded. //Well regardless, I restocked our supply of potions and antidotes, and I finally got some of these,// he said proudly, holding five small Pokeballs in the palm of his hand.

I grimaced at the sign of the red and white orbs, but Justtyn assured me that they weren't for me. For "future additions to our team" he put it. That notwithstanding, I felt more at ease only when he put those in his pack for safekeeping.

//So Neko, what do you think? About the gym, I mean. You think you're up to a fight?//

We had fought enough forest-dwellers for me to know what I was doing, and that last fight with the trainer had definitely upped my confidence level. I took a sip of lemonade. /I'd say so./

//Excellent, then let's go!// he exclaimed as he rose to his feet.

Sighing, I tipped the can upwards to get to the last swallow of lemonade before following suit. When did he learn to be so impulsive anyway? As we walked out, I spotted an elderly man in the corner of the store who stared at the table we were just sitting at, tapping the hearing aid in his ear, a look of confusion in his squinted eyes.

--

Ow.

Double ow.

Okay, so maybe we might have rushed into the gym just a LITTLE bit too eagerly. We were so fixated on getting to the leader that we didn't even notice the trainer standing to the side, waiting to ambush us. Well that wasn't going to be too much of a problem, right? Just some practice before the main event, right? Note to self: judge the strength of the opponent next time BEFORE xrushing into battle. Who knew a sandshrew could hit so hard? Now granted, I did have some advantages of my own, such as the ability to use my aura to see his location even when he was underground, but that only served to make me aware of the upcoming attack a split second before it hit. No time to dodge, no time to defend, only a few spare milliseconds to jump back and lesson the force of the blow somewhat. I landed on my stomach, gritting my teeth from the pain, the unforgiving, cold stone floor doing nothing to cushion the impact. As my eyes reluctantly forced themselves open, I glanced into the blinding light from above to see the sandshrew jump in the air, murdrous intent glinting in his reddened eyes. A soft gasp escaped through my mouth before darkness enshrouded my vision and I passed out into sweet, sweet unconsciousness.

Next thing I knew I was being released from my Pokeball (say what?) in a Pokecenter (oh). So yeah, maybe I wasn't quite up to the challenge. Yet.

Justtyn tried to lift my spirits, but honestly I wasn't really listening to most of what he was saying. My confidence was shattered, and it was going to take more than a few shallow compliments to cheer me up. Like, say, food. I was surprisingly hungry, as my rumbling stomach happened to conveniently announce for me. Luckily there happened to be a restaurant right next door that served both human and Pokemon food, and it didn't take much convincing to get Justtyn to consider going, as willing as he was to lighten my mood. I loosened up over a plate of whatever the heck goes into Pokemon meals (hey, it was tasty at least), and even consented to try some of the dessert that Justtyn offered me. His arm outstretched across the table to give me access to the chocolate pie dangling on the end of his fork, we were interrupted by a familiar voice. "Hey Justtyn, what's going on--HOLYCRAPALUCARIO!!!"

Fritz.

Justtyn jumped in his chair, obviously surprised, the fork falling to the table with a noisy clang. All too late I noticed my mouth was still open, clamping it shut in embarrassment. This was certainly a rather awkward situation.

It was Justtyn who recovered himself first. "Uh, hey Fritz. You okay there?"

"Yeah, I'm good, but geez dude, how on earth did you get it to evolve that fast?"

Justtyn cocked a single eyebrow (how does he do that anyway?) in a questioning glance. "It?"

"Oh right," Fritz corrected himself. "Her name was Neko, right?"

"Yeah. She just evolved last night after a, um, uhhh..." Justtyn stammered, clearly at a loss as to the best way to finish that statement gracefully. We exchanged a glance, as if he was expecting me to answer for him. Heck if I knew what to say (and watching his struggle was actually rather entertaining, to be honest). "After a rigorous training exercise," he finished somewhat lamely, immediately followed by a loud outburst of laughter from me. I couldn't help it, his excuse was so ridiculous and revealing at the same time that I had to laugh at it. Fritz eyed me strangely, my behavior obviously indicating that Justtyn wasn't exactly telling the full truth.

A grin appeared on Fritz's face, one I didn't like one bit, causing my laughing fit to fade and my paw to fall back down to the table after a failed attempt at stifling myself. "Must have been a really enjoyable 'training exercise' for her to have evolved from it." He started elbowing Justtyn in jest; "Eh? Eh?" he continued, obviously treating the whole thing as a joke, expecting Justtyn to deny the implications Fritz was, well, implicating. When no refutal came, his grin slowly faded. "You--you're kidding me, right? You didn't actually... you know... did you?" More silence.

"Holy crap."

--

I suppose we were lucky that Fritz was exactly who he was. After the initial shock wore off, he didn't seem to be too fazed overall. In fact, he even offered his support, which came as somewhat of a surprise to the two of us. He quickly excused himself, but as he neared the exit, I could sense a hesitation on his part, and even a tinge of... was that jealousy? Very curious indeed. I sat there, staring at the wooden door in all its splintery splendor, wondering just what was going on inside Fritz's head. There was obviously more there than we gave him credit for, but the question was, just what exactly WAS running through his mind? Only the words "back into the forest" snapped me out of my reverie, and rather abruptly at that.

/Say WHAT now?/ I demanded. /You can't be serious, going back into that... that infestation of insects!/

"Well I wouldn't exac--" he began to respond directly before thinking better of it and opting for something a bit more normal-sounding. You know, something that didn't make him look like he was talking on an invisible cell phone. "We'll be heading back in there to catch some more Pokemon now that we've got the means, and to train you up for another shot at the gym leader. Assuming you're alright with that of course," he added without a hint of sarcasm, smiling warmly, reminding me once again that my opinion actually mattered to him.

A sigh escaped me as I tried to sound out just why I wasn't quite ready for the forest again. /I guess I just thought that now that we've finally reached civilization, or at something close to it, that we'd stay here for a while. That, and, well.../ Heh. It's funny, after all we had been through so far and I was still unable to freely discuss my most personal problems, even knowing that nobody would overhear. All I could do was blush and hope that he'd be able to read my emotions well enough to understand. Not that my blush was visible through my fur or anything, but he understood nonetheless.

//Oh, right,// he responded, opting to talk through aura this time for privacy. //I almost forgot. Has your heat been bothering you recently?//

I blushed harder, at the same time wondering just HOW he could "forget" something like that. /A bit, yeah. I was able to ignore it during the battle, but it's gotten worse over the past hour or so./

He leaned back against the wall of our booth, hooking his hands together behind his head. "So what would you like to do then?" he asked, using his actual voice again. "I could rent a hotel room for the night, and we'll wait until tomorrow to head back into the forest. That sound good to you?"

I nodded.

"Good. I suppose it's probably too late in the afternoon to have accomplished anything anyway. Oh, waiter, check please!"

Words couldn't describe my gratitude toward Justtyn at that point. Luckily we didn't have to use words, now did we? I sent a flash of empathy his way. He got the message.

--

I gotta say, it's really handy for the Pokecenters to double as hotels. Seriously, the two seem like completely different types of institutions, but it works out surprisingly well. After all, who better to accommodate Pokemon and their trainers than those who do nothing but aid them? I ogled the chandelier in the middle of the lobby for ten minutes (hey, it was shiny!) while Justtyn paid for the room, and I followed him upstairs once he received his room key. Yet as we walked through the third floor hallway, an uncontrollable urge lodged itself in my head, and I quietly moved to his side and slipped my paw into his hand. Justtyn seemed surprised but did not pull back, and so hand-in-hand (so to speak) we entered the room, knowing exactly what was most likely going to happen at some point during the night but choosing to ignore such thoughts for the time being.

The room itself was nothing fancy. Well okay, it was a rather large step up from a tent in the middle of nowhere, but it wasn't anything I hadn't already seen for years at Justtyn's grandparents' house. One table, a severe shortage of chairs, an ancient-looking TV opposing a worn sofa that could extend into a bed if needed, a couple of lamps that were never bright enough, and a shower with a curtain rod that bowed out to give the impression that the tub was larger than it actually was. Fairly standard stuff, from what Justtyn told me. I could smell the harsh cleaning agent they must have used mere hours before our arrival, and while it wasn't really unpleasant, the room could have used an air freshener or two. Then again, we weren't exactly the epitome of cleanliness as we were, given our whereabouts over the past few days. Justtyn must have been thinking the same thing (and probably was, come to think of it, given my mental influence on him), for he announced he was going to take a shower and quickly disappeared into the bathroom.

I lay down on the single bed in the room, listening to the sound of the running water, wondering what I could do to pass the time. Before long however, I found myself standing in front of the bathroom door, silently pondering what I was doing. What began as a mere nagging thought in the back of my mind soon took center stage, and I was helpless to prevent myself from longing to be there with him. I knew that it was my hormones screwing with my thoughts; I was aware that I was not in my right mind. But I couldn't stop the urge. My paw knocked on the door without me even realizing I was doing it, and when I heard him proclaim "The door's unlocked," I stood transfixed, my eyes watching on the sideline as I almost involuntarily reached for the handle.

Why was I doing this? What did I hope to gain?

The door opened. I heard his voice from behind the shower curtain, "What do you need Neko?"

The answer popped into my mind an instant before I said it. /I just... was wondering if I could join you,/ I replied, my nervousness even affecting the way in which my telepathic speaking was projected. Why was I so nervous anyway? Where was my usual playful self? Why was I acting so strange right now?

I heard a switch close as he apparently set the water to flow out the main faucet rather than the shower. "Sure, come on in." Why was he being so casual about this? How could he not feel my uneasy manner, my confused soul? Or maybe he could feel it all along and had an idea of how to handle the situation. What a strange role reversal, with Justtyn being confident and me lacking any sense of self-worth. An odd situation indeed. With my swirling chaos of a mind in tow, I approached the shower curtain and reached out my paw to its edge, hesitating mere inches from its surface.

/Are you sure?/ I asked. Why was I so full of doubt? What happened to the aggressiveness I possessed just the night before? Heck, we nearly mated and yet here I was afraid to take a simple bath with him. He had bathed me before tons of times back at his grandparents' house, so what made this case special? Why did it have so much more meaning this time around?

//Of course, come in.// He replied, and this time I could sense the sincerity in his voice, or whatever you want to call his telepathic speaking.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. I opened the shower curtain and stepped inside the tub, finding it to be halfway full already with warm water. Glancing out of the corners of my eyes, I saw that Justtyn was already seated in the back of the tub, so I followed suit, avoiding eye contact the whole time. To stall for time, I leaned forward and fiddled with the faucet, attempting to sort things out in my mind, which didn't really help. All too soon I was forced to turn off the water or risk overflowing, and with nothing else to do, I sat back down properly, pulled my knees up and underneath my head, and waited. Waited for something to happen, for either one of us to say something. I heard a splash behind me as Justtyn scooted forward to where I sat and put his hand on my shoulder. //Neko, what's wrong?//

I racked my brains, but this time no answer appeared. /I... I don't know./ It was the truth, or at least partially. In the back of my head I still recognized that my heat was responsible for all this, but I was simply unable to collect myself or simplify the millions of thoughts swimming around my mind. Yet at his touch, I suddenly felt ever so slightly more at ease within myself. /I don't know./ I repeated, unsure of what else I could say.

Even if Justtyn didn't know exactly how to identify the feelings I was projecting, at the very least he recognized the change that occurred the instant he touched me. Thank goodness he wasn't stupid. He slowly began to knead my shoulder in his palm, and not long after he added his second hand to the mix so that both of my shoulders were receiving attention. I breathed a deep sigh as the confusion ebbed away and my prior inhibitions evaporated, leaving nothing but the relaxation he provided.

"Neko?"

/Mm?/

"You feeling better now?" Of course I was. Somehow he was always able to have that effect on me, no matter what, and I nodded my head in appreciation. "Well that's good. I, uh, don't really know how to give a massage or anything, so I'm kinda winging it here."

It was okay. It was enough. I scooted back another foot until I was sitting just in front of his lap, both of his legs protruding on either side of me. As I leaned back onto his chest, his hands left my shoulders and wrapped themselves around my midsection in a tender embrace I could not resist. My eyes closed as I savored the moment and the pure bliss of being here in his arms. Suddenly everything started making sense to me now that my mind was clear. Justtyn was more than just a master to me, more than a trainer, more than a friend or even a best friend. He alone provided my one source of security. He alone was always there, would always listen to me, would do anything for me if I asked. He was my rock, my comfort-bringer, my only source of true joy.

My mate.

Oh how I longed to stay there like that forever. How I wished I could freeze time right then and there. But alas, this was not to be. I soon grew weary of sitting in the same position for so long, and as I readjusted myself, Justtyn took the opportunity to grab the sponge and shampoo from the corner of the tub. With practiced hands he began to wash my body, though it was apparent that he was still accustomed to my smaller riolu form. Despite this minor setback, he delicately worked the shampoo into my fur before rinsing it out with a small bucket, starting at my head and working down. When he reached my chest, he hesitated for a moment, unsure of how I would respond. Glancing back, I gave him silent permission to continue, again relying on the understanding between us rather than words. As the sponge brushed past my nipples, I shuddered involuntarily, the minor sensation re-awakening desires within me that I had managed to suppress since the beginning of his treatment. While Justtyn was thorough and didn't skimp on the region, at the same time he didn't spend extra time there. A soft whine escaped from my lips as he moved on to my midsection, only to be answered by a single word: "Later." Clearly he was aware of my feelings, opting to delay action on them just a bit longer. A similar exchange occurred at the moment he finished with my outer thighs, and again I allowed him to finish his job. But oh, the feelings that welled up inside me when the sponge brushed through my nether lips! It became more and more difficult to concentrate with each continuing second, pangs of lust shooting through my mind, slowly but surely taking over my every thought. In a daze, I turned around and gave him access to my footpaws, only vaguely aware of what I was doing again.

Satisfied with his cleaning job, Justtyn stood up and held out his hand, which I grabbed and pulled myself up with, noticing at the same time his half-erect state. I almost lost control at that sight, my gasp catching Justtyn's attention. He grabbed the base of my chin and forced me to stare him in the eye. His face was stern, his voice unexpectedly gruff and commanding.

"Neko. Can you hear me?" I gave a weak nod in response, as much as his grip would allow me to give. "I told you we'll take care of that later." Suddenly his expression softened as he added, "And I meant it. We just need to get ourselves dry first, alright?" Another weak nod. "Can I let go of you now?"

/Yes./

Justtyn handed me a towel, but honestly I was still mostly oblivious to my surroundings. All that mattered was his promise. That was the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. After drying himself off and noticing that I had made no progress whatsoever on the task, he gave a quick sigh and took the towel from my hands, drying my body for me. This time however, he avoided my most sensitive areas until the rest of me was mostly dry (or slightly damp at worst). Only then did he move the towel to my chest, and it wasn't until then that I lost it. I could control myself no more. I turned to face him--my sudden movement making him jerk in surprise--reached behind his neck to pull his head down to my level, and pressed my lips against his in a crude, rough kiss.

He was surprised, that's for sure, but he quickly adjusted, dropping the towel from his hands in favor of reaching around to the back of my head and pressing deeper into the kiss, prompting a guttural moan of approval from the depths of my throat. Our tongues quickly darted out to meet each other, my longer lucario tongue all the better to explore the confines of his mouth. Somehow in the middle of it all, our bodies became pressed up together, and I became aware of a noticeable jab around my midsection, which only served to increase my arousal. When we finally separated for air, I lowered my arms so they wrapped around his waist and managed to squeak out, /Is it time yet?/

Rather than giving me an answer, he reached down to gain leverage and hoisted my body into his arms, looking down at me and smiling warmly. My head resting against his stomach, I closed my eyes and enjoyed my ride as Justtyn began to walk out of the bathroom. Was this how a bride feels? Could anything truly describe this feeling of being completely and utterly loved? This sense of belonging?

He reached the lone bed on the far side of the room and gently laid me down on the mattress before climbing up himself. "So... any special way you want to do this?"

Of course, he was as inexperienced as I. But I was okay with that. The knowledge of the fact that he was sharing such an experience with me alone for the first time was frankly somewhat of a turn-on. Again I found myself taking in the sight of his naked body, something he had been modest enough to shield me from in the past. The feelings of love I had just experienced raged a fierce battle with the oncoming waves of lust building up in my mind. Within moments, I could sense myself losing control again, succumbing to the "needs" my body was creating for me. But this time, I didn't hold back. I turned to Justtyn and kissed him again, my furry paws roaming around the smooth skin of his chest, silently begging for him to do more than just kiss me back. I could sense in him some hesitation, which I suppose was typical, and I was reminded of the fact that I had to initiate everything the night before as well. Not too big of a problem of course. I grabbed one of his hands and brought it to my left breast, and thankfully this time he did not question my motives and instead immediately began to knead it in his hand. Pleasure shot through my brain as he massaged the delicate area, pleasure which nearly doubled when he brought his other hand up and gave my right breast equal treatment. I moaned into his mouth in appreciation, my mind becoming ever more clouded by primal, animalistic lust. Within a few minutes, he slid one of his hands down towards my nether lips and began slowly working the area in his palm. And all without any prompting from me! Such an excellent learner! I would have complimented him, but all that came out was /Oh god, yes!/ which I think got the message across nevertheless.

While this was all fine and dandy, I still wanted more, NEEDED more, craved that which could not be satisfied by mere fondling no matter how pleasurable it may be. I reluctantly pulled his hands away from my body and broke the kiss, sensing the surprise in Justtyn's mind. Surprise which was quickly replaced with comprehension as I rolled over and got on all fours, lifting my tail to present Justtyn with a view of my needy sex, wet with anticipation. I turned my head to look at him and panted out, /Please, take me./

Closing my eyes and dropping my head almost down to the level of the mattress, I waited, breathing out heavy guips of air, each second feeling like an eternity. His hands finally grasped my backside, his touch nearly electrifying my senses. He moved his hands up and down my admittedly large hips for a moment before physically pushing me out of my position, causing me to yelp in surprise as I was forcibly rolled over onto my side. Furrowing my brows, I stared at him with a questioning glare.

"I wanted to be able to look at you in the face," he explained simply.

It made sense, I supposed, and honestly at that point I was ready to go along with anything as long as I got my needs fulfilled. And so I grabbed a pillow for my head and lay on my back, knees bent and legs spread, awaiting my mate. His one hand descended upon my shoulder, and at long last I felt him prodding at my entrance, preparing for the entry I so desperately craved. I could sense the hesitation in him, could hear the voices in his head screaming at him in a futile plea to reconsider what he was doing. I knew he wanted to ask me if I was sure, if I was ready, if I had any second thoughts before we passed the line of no return. But he didn't ask, mentally or otherwise. He understood that my love for him knew no bounds, and he was willing to trust me for the sake of his own love for me. He didn't ask, not because he wasn't concerned for me, but because deep down inside of him, he already knew the only answer I could possibly give. It was with these thoughts in mind, with the bond between us closer than ever before, that he slowly pushed forward and entered me.

It was a strange sensation to be sure, being filled like that. Inch by inch he firmly made his way into my passage, my muscles squeezing themselves around the invading force in unfamiliarity. My eyes squinted, I breathed out in short gasps until he finally came to rest, fully buried within me. I had no clue how large he actually was, probably somewhere around six inches, but all that mattered was that his maleness filled me fully and completely, a perfect match for my petite body. Once fully hilted inside, he paused, catching his own breath while allowing me time to adjust to the new sensation. Mere moments later I was ready, and flexed my walls around his cock to tell him to get moving. Not that I was being impatient or anything. Really.

With gentle yet deliberate motion, Justtyn slid himself out, waiting for the tiniest fraction of a second at my entrance before barreling himself back in, sending another shock of pleasure throughout my body as I gasped for breath yet again. And thus it began, that most primal act of passion, and god I never imagined it could feel so good. Never before had I felt so alive, never before had I experienced the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Battles be damned, this was true living, this was REAL. Soft whimpers escaped my mouth with each thrust, and I began to grind my hips into his in a desperate bid to increase the force of impact, to get just that little extra bit inside me. Almost subconsciously, my legs found their way back behind his back, again forcing closer contact between us. My mind, still clouded over, barely registered the grunts Justtyn made, or the tiny "schlick" sound made at each pound, instead becoming saturated with nothing but pure pleasure.

I began to feel that pressure again, that which I had felt only once before the previous night, though this time I at least knew what it was. Ever so slowly it began to well up inside my body, gathering near my stomach, bringing me closer and closer to the edge of orgasm. At the same time, Justtyn began speeding up noticeably, the friction increasing the pleasure even more on an almost exponential level. My breathing became labored, my body squirmed, as I struggled to hold off the inevitable, but how could I? Rather, why should I? Justtyn seemed close himself, if his ragged breath was any indication, and I began flexing my walls around his cock with each thrust, hoping to bring him to his own peak at the same time as my own. He in turn grasped and groped my breasts, so much more sensitive now than before for some indiscernible reason. The combination of our rough mating and the stimulation he provided was almost too much to handle, and I nearly lost it. His thrusts became sporadic, harder and deeper than before, and I heard him gasp, "I'm--I'm about to... to... oh god!"

And with one more thrust, he hit a spot deep within me I never knew existed. I tensed up and let out a high-pitched scream as stars flashed in front of my eyes and I let go, allowing the release to take hold of me. My body spasmed, squeezing his cock within my passage, and his yell joined mine as he too orgasmed, shooting his warm seed inside me, coating my walls. He continued to thrust in and out at random intervals, prolonging my own orgasm as his began to die down, until finally he came to a halt, both of us panting heavily from our exertions.

A vague sleepiness took hold of me as Justtyn leaned over to kiss me, his softening maleness still buried within my depths. Breaking the tender kiss, I pulled him down to lie down on his side next to me and wrapped my arms around his form. /Thank you./ I said, and nothing more. No additional words were necessary; all that needed to be said had already been spoken through our union. I had no regrets, no second thoughts, and knew he felt the same way. Our lives would be forever changed, but as long as we had each other, we'd make it through whatever fate had in store for us. After all, who's to know what the future would bring? Perhaps we'd catch some more Pokemon, maybe even earn a badge or two. We might make it big or fall short in frustration. Yet no matter what, despite any setbacks we would or would not encounter, we would have each other. We would have aura, and we would have our bond.

And we wouldn't give it up for the world.Chapter End Notes:It's been a fun trip, but I'm gonna call it quits here. I know there are still some loose ends that never got tied up (Fritz being a closet Pokephiliac, which Pokemon they end up catching, if they ever get any badges, etc) but to be honest I'm kinda burnt out on the whole thing. This story started out as an experiment to see if I could successfully write a decent lemon, and now, almost 20,000 words later, I think I've succeeded. Hope you guys enjoyed the story despite its spectacular lack of any real plot and excessively repetitive sentence structure. In any case, this is Ricochet, signing out.

A couple other random notes:

(*) A few of us played the Wikipedia game from "pie" to "estrus cycle" and our shortest path was 5 links:
pie - chicken - embryo - sexual reproduction - estrus cycle
Honorable mention goes to the runner-up with 7 links:
pie - fish and chips - fish - spawn - reproduction - sexual reproduction - estrus cycle

Also apparently "I lay on my back" is the correct grammatical way to say it for the past tense. Sounds strange, I know, but the Internet never lies. EVER