I awake in the m feeling rather short of breath like something is restrig my airflow. I open my eyes to find that I am in total darkness, which is odd as I see in the dark. A moment ter I feel a geig on my fad realize it is floof attempting to remove me from my mortal coil. I reach up gently and grab the makeshift nightmask and remove it, only to find it attached to an Eevee that begins to stir beside my head.

  “Vee?” A sleepy Pokemon voice calls from beside me.

  “Good m to you too.” I respond quietly as I softly pet the fluffy Pokemon who lets out a small noise of te. On my other side, my girlfriend buries her fato my neck, her lips feather against my skin causing a delightful shiver down my spine. I gently my other arm around her bad give her a gentle hug, just enjoying the feel of her against me.

  I’m not sure how long our cuddling tinues. I really didn’t bother keeping track, but eventually, Fnnery lifted her head while blinking away sleep in an adorable way. I softly smile at her and give her a small kiss on her nose.

  “M babe.”

  “M-mooornin’” She yawns out.

  “Ready to start training?”

  “No.” She buries her fa my chest causio giggle.

  “Too bad. e o’s go take a shower.” With a pitiful whine, Fnnery pulls herself away from me, slips off the bed, and disappears into the bathroom. With a small smile of my own, I follow her into the shower, I mean we shouldn’t waste any water, should we?

  *~*~*

  Needless to say, we wasted a ton of water. It is nearly two hours ter before I found myself standing on a sandy cove about fifteen minutes away from the city. With how packed the city is, every training area and arena are filled and even the immediate area outside of the city is filled with trainers.

  Taking a look around, I find that there is no ohat see me currently and I ge my crop top and shorts into a thin white microkini. If I’m going to be on a beach, I’m going to enjoy it. Once I am set, I release all of my Pokemon, except for Beldum, in front of me. Skadi lets out a cheerful bark as she sees me and es over to me brushes against my leg.

  “Alright dies,” *Ting* “aleman, I think it is time for you all to meet our eam member.”

  “Pix?””Vee?” My two fluffiest panions tilt their heads adorably.

  “No you didn’t miss me catg them,” I say as I reato my bag and pull out a jet-bd gold pokeball. The sight of the Luxury Ball still gives me a small headache as I still don’t know how to expin having something like this. I let out a sigh, tap the release, ahe Pokemon out oher side of my party.

  The red light dims as a long silver-white metal body appears with three golden cws on one end. The other end is a ball-like head with a glowing red eye in the ter of it. The Pokemon does not make any noise as it floats idly before my team and I.

  “Hi, Beldum. I am sorry for not letting you out sooner, but the manner in which you appeared was difficult to expin…” I try to expin to the Pokemon. The only response I get is a ck of respo all. “Um, well… We were about to start training for the gym. Would you like to train with us?”

  Beldum just tio stare at me silently. The awkward silence tinues on for what feels like forever when Skadi lets out a little huff, gets up, hops into my arms, and gres at the Pokemon. Skadi’s a seems to break the tension as the rest of my Pokemon turn away from Beldum as well and bae.

  “Ah, um, yeah. So I guess you do your own thing for now.” I try once more, only to get ion. I sigh quietly and slump my shoulders a little before turning bay team.

  “Alright!” I say putting a little more life into my voice, “We have two weeks to train to beat Surge! From what I know, he is known for his lightning-fast attacks. This means we are going to be learning how to dodge. Aurora, I want you to work with Zephyr to try and learn Quick Attack. Skadi, I want you and Lono to spar. Lono, see if you learn Icy Wind from Skadi, we o reduce the speed of his team as much as we !”

  With cheerful cries, all of my Pokemon, except for Beldum who tio stare at me, head off to start their training. As for myself, I pull out my phone and lounge bato the sand to start researg the uping battle and training ideas.

  *~*~*

  -??? POV-

  I arrived in Vermillion City after a nearly month-long trip on a cruise ship. I had heard stories about what happens out at sea, but my flight from home was thankfully uful. I spent most of the day looking around the city and trying to find some pce where I could stay. I could try for a Pokemoer, but I am nistered for the local league. The thought of the registration requirement—having at least one Pokémon—sank my mood, and I fought back tears.

  Two months ago, it would not be an issue. Yet now I ’t evehe most basic requirement. All thanks to him. He tore away the st reminder I had of my parents in his greed. My loving parents, with their successful careers as actors in Unova, suddenly died in an act o. At least, that’s what I was told. On the day of the will reading, I discovered that my parents had arranged for my care if they were gone. I was to i everything on my eighteenth birthday. I was lucky to have only six months left—until everything ged.

  As the st liviive, my dad’s brother took me in, and at first, it was fine. But a little over a month ago, I started notig that something was off with my uncle. Sometimes he’d ehe room and just stare at me for minutes before muttering to himself. Other times, he’d wander around with a knife in hand, his eyes empty when I tried to speak.

  I couldn’t shake the fear. I made sure he was asleep before I went to bed, always log my bedroom door. My only fort was my pet Eevee—a birthday gift from my parents. Eevee stayed by my side stantly, calming my nerves. I eve with her in my arms every night.

  And then… and then the sed worst night of my life happened. It was the middle of the night when Eevee stirred in my arms and woke me up. At first, I thought that I held her too tight, but her growl told me a different story. In my doorway, with my door halfen, stood my u first I didn’t think anything about it, but then I remembered I locked my door and froze. My door creaked open further until I saw my uncle holding a knife in one hand as he stepped into my room.

  What happened is still a blur. My uncle suddenly rushed towards me and in response Eevee tackled him. The tackle caught my uncle by surprise as Eevee rebounded off him and grabbed my pant leg, urgio move. It wasn’t until I saw the look in my uncle's eyes as he started to get up from the ground that I realized what was going on. He wants to kill me. Ohat thought registered in my mind, I bolted out the door with Eevee right behind me.

  A momehere is a loud crash as the door bursts open. I look bad see my uh a feral snarl on his face as he rushes at me with the knife raised. Eevee, my quick-thinking friend, gets between the portly man and me befoing for aackle. This time, my uncle was not caught off guard and swiped with his knife which sent Eevee flying with a pained yelp and a shower of crimson. I screamed out for Eevee but as my uurned back towards me I made the choice to run.

  Thankfully I was much more athletic tha bastard and I quickly escaped. I ran until the house was out of sight and I couldn’t see anyone following me. With gasping breaths, I look for a pce to hide and disappear into the dark treeline beside me. When I finally paused to catch my breath, I reached out instinctively for Eevee—and my ha empty air. I grimace slightly at my a, I hope she is okay…

  I found a spot under a bush to finally rest and curled up into a ball trying to slow my breathing, unknowing if I will o run again. Some time ter, I heard the leaves rustling and the sound of something being dragged across the ground which caused me to freeze up and suppress my breathing to stay quiet. It isn’t until I hear a weak sounding cry from Eevee that I finally risk taking a look.

  My faithful friend and defender crawls on weak legs towards my hiding spot. As she moves into a small beam of light from the moon my throat ches at her state. Her body is covered in deep cuts and her once beautiful ful is matted with her blood. Her tail ys limp on the ground with some of it missing, and her back legs don’t seem to work. I scamper out from the bush and crawl over tently pig her up.

  She looks up at me as out a quiet cry of happiness at seeihe pain hidden in the cry breaks my heart. I hold her gently and whisper my thanks to her as softly pet her head. I try to think of where the Poketer is that would be able to save her as I get on my feet and start heading toward the town as quickly as I .

  When I break out of the tree line and into the moonlight I finally realize just how bad her injuries are. Her entire body is covered in blood, taking her usual cream and white colored fur and turning it a siing molted crimson. The sight draws a deep fear within me, I don’t want to lose her too, she is the st thing eg me to my parents. I take off running again, with an increasing feeling of dread as her movements start to slow and she lets out another quiet cry.

  I make it into town a while ter and run towards the Poketer. I frantically ask for the Joy to help and she quickly rushes Eevee to the back, but the sinking feeling in my stomach doesn’t lessen. It had been a while since I st felt her move before I got here, and her body was unnaturally limp when I handed her to Nurse Joy. A few mier, she walks out with a sad look on her fad my world pletely shatters.

  In that heart-stopping moment, the loss hit me like a wave. I sat down on the cold ground, my body trembling and my mind reeling from the shock. The world seems to lose all color as the silent night pressed in, the abseny stant fort leaving a void I knew would haunt me for a long time.

  The week was a blur of activity. I had an interview with Officer Jenny about what happened and about my uncle, who fled and is currently missing. After I was escorted home, I packed some of my belongings aos from my parents before heading to the port. I didn’t feel safe in this region without my family and with my crazy uncle on the loose. Officer Jenny escorted me to the cruise ship headed for anion, I didn’t care where, a me off with a promise that they would catch my uncle.

  I spent the few weeks sitting in my room and staring at the wall. oint is there for me to leave my room, I don’t know anyone here and everyone I loved is dead. I likely would have tried to starve myself, but despite not being hungry, I felt something urgio eat. It must be my body tellio live, even if my heart isn’t in it. Ohe ship arrived in port, I got off and headed into the unknown city. I needed a pce to sleep but I couldn’t afford a hotel for long.

  My search brought me to a Pokemoer much rger than any I have ever seen, standing at nearly forty meters tall. I slipped into the ter and got a room with no issue before heading up and falling asleep without even looking around. After a few more… days? I’m not sure as I don’t have a window… of not doing anything, I felt a familiar o get out of my room. Without a destination in mind, I head towards the elevator and weakly press the button. A few moments ter the elevator arrives and I step in only to find that I am not alone.

  In the elevator are two girls about my age, oh hair the color of fmes, the other that looks like she is made from freshly fallen snow. That isn’t what catches my attention though, it’s what they are doing. I have only seen something like this on the bd e website. The snow girl is nearly naked with her tits pletely exposed and her shorts nearly falling off her hips. The fme girl gives me a wink as one of her hands pys with one of the snow girl's breasts and the other disappears into her shorts, the movement I see shows exactly what those fingers are doing.

  I only stare at them as the fme girl tio tease snow girl until the elevator stops again. The fme girl says something I ’t hear but the snow girl nods and walks out of the elevator with a sexy sway to her hips. She suddenly stops and turns to me for a moment before taking off her bikini top and tossing it at me. On reflex, I grab as she saunters off down the hall. The fme girl stands in the door for a moment as if sidering something before she grabs the tight shirt she is wearing and takes it off in front of me, lettiits out as well. She also tosses me her shirt only for her to wink and walk away toward the snow girl.

  What. Just. Happened?

  Kurotsuki007