Zarius was greeted by an empty room, save for the eternally bubbling soup pot on the stove. No clue where to put the corpses, he thought as he gestured for Lucien to just dump them outside the door. “The cold should keep them from rotting,” he said softly.

  Lucien did so, and Zarius headed to the back and descended. He could hear the soft sounds of sleeping people, and approached the far door for Mary, knocking politely before standing back and waiting. A minute passed, Lucien rejoined him, and then the door opened to reveal a bleary-eyed Guild Leader. “You look like shit,” she muttered.

  Zarius held out his shirt, “I killed the thing – two Pokémon, actually – and their corpses are upstairs and outside. Plus I got these! Little Luxray pups.”

  Mary looked into his shirt-pouch spot and a look of joy crossed her face. “Aww. They are so cute!” The normally dreary Ghost-Psychic Trainer had a look of utter adorableness. “What are you going to do with them?”

  “I don’t know,” Zarius replied. “Lucien said we won’t kill them because they are just pups.”

  “Well…they need to be trained, but they could make for good guard dogs when they get bigger.” She tapped her chin a few times. “Let me send my Bound Companion to chat with the head of the guards. See if he’ll pay something for them. In the meantime, you can put them in one of the empty rooms.” She frowned, “And as for the corpses, those can be taken to the leatherworker on the outside, western edge of town. I’ll have Corina show you tomorrow.”

  Zarius nodded and began to turn, but Mary stopped him. “You also need a bath. And clothes washed…well, I’m already getting interrupted sleep. Come on. Follow me.” She glanced past Zarius to Lucien, “You too, mudball.” She squeezed past the two, opened a spare room where Zarius set the pups down, and then took them upstairs.

  The Guild Hall has a secondary building to the side and behind it. A wooden hut with a bubbling pool. Mary explained, “My family’s Torkoal sleeps next to metal pipes that are run across the town to provide heat. The water is hot, and when you’re done you can flush out the water and let it refill by using these levers.” She demonstrated, and Zarius saw that the levers opened a small sluice gate underwater that led it presumably into the stone underground. Then she pulled another lever, and water came in from a sluice on the other side.

  Lucien immediately jumped into the water and began swimming little laps. “I enjoy this,” he commented. “Very soothing.” He found a little underwater shelf and perched on it, letting out a sigh of enjoyment.

  Mary giggled, “Good to see he’s enjoying himself.”

  Zarius looked down at his clothes. “Am I good to wash these in here, also?”

  “Yeah, just get rid of the water when you’re done.” She turned around with a brief wave.

  Zarius stripped down and hopped into the luxuriously hot water. There were a few rough, pumice-like stones that he was able to use to scrub the caked-on mud, grime, and other travel residue from his body. The familiar feeling of the rough stone scraping across flesh was almost meditative as it threw him back to his cult origins and the ritual cleansing.

  “Mind doing that for me?” Lucien asked as he dunked his head into the water a few times.

  “No problem, buddy,” Zarius replied as he helped scrub clots of mud and blood from the fur. He had to drain the water a few times and then let it refill, but a good hour later they both were as clean as could be. “Didn’t happen to spot a towel, did you?” he asked with a frown.

  “What’s a towel?” Lucien asked.

  “Right…cloth you dry with.”

  Lucien barked out a laugh. “No. Shaking it off is better.” He hopped up onto the small, stone ledge surrounding the tub and shook himself vigorously, flinging water all over and causing Zarius to laugh and cover his face to prevent the assault of liquid being flung his way.

  “I was expecting to sneak up on you in your bedroom. Not out here,” Corina said softly as she opened the door to the building.

  Zarius looked back at her and grinned, “Hey there. I finished a Mission!”

  “I saw,” she replied as she began to disrobe, her metal wings folding back against her back as she slipped into the hot water next to Zarius, causing him to go flush as his heart began beating. “You took out a few big Pokémon. Really impressive.” She dunked her head underwater and when she came back up her black hair was almost pearlescent.

  He shuffled a little bit away from the shelf, and Lucien just rolled his eyes and walked outside. “I’ll leave you to your mating,” he stated.

  Zarius wanted to shout back a retort, but his voice failed him as Corina touched his leg, sending a jolt through his body. “Looks like your Umbreon has some manners,” she whispered.

  “I…uhm…” Zarius felt his body responding to her provocations, and as she moved over him, her large wings spreading to create an almost welcoming cocoon of darkness, he chose to surrender to the bliss she sought to indulge in.

  Morning came quickly, the sun rising up and coming through the small hole in the top of the building which let the steam out. Zarius was quite pleasantly warm, with Corina snuggled up next to him in the tub. The few hours of pleasure was…interesting. Zarius had no experience with women aside from that experience, and the level of animalistic, primal lust that had taken ahold of both of them was not what he had heard described by other young adult cultists who had spoken about such deeds in hushed whispers.

  But, he did not complain. It felt good, to be hunted, longed for, in that way. The water had to be drained a few times from the blood that had polluted it, as, apparently, being a Trainer and having that Bond with a Pokémon, in turn, caused that Trainer to behave in a more primal way. It explains why the guards were so cautious, Zarius thought as he lightly brushed his fingers across Corina’s shoulder.

  Lucien poked his head into the building, “You done in here?”

  Zarius just waved his hand dismissively, “Not sure. Corina?” he asked.

  She mumbled a response and shook herself awake. “Sorry, nodded off there.” She glanced back at Lucien, “Oh, hi.” Then back to Zarius, “Morning already?”

  “Early morning,” Lucien replied. “The pups are crying. They probably need food. And people are looking at the corpses from our hunt. Better deal with it sooner rather than later.” He pulled his head back from the door, and it clacked shut.

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  Corina glanced at Zarius, “What did he say?”

  “Well, we hunted down the Electric types – turned out to be two of them. One evolved. Killed them both. They had a few pups that we brought back.”

  “Oh! I want to see them!” Corina scrambled out of the water and tapped a well-hidden panel on the wall, revealing a few towels. She tossed one to Zarius and began drying off. “Hurry up!”

  Zarius quickly did as he was told, put on his now-clean but still-damp clothes, and followed Corina to the front of the Guild Hall. Lucien was standing guard over their hunt as several townsfolk stood around, looking on in awe.

  Corina waved them off, “You’ve all seen us pull some big Pokémon back before. Go on! Clear off!”

  Her demeanor seemed to do the trick to scare them off. Zarius looked at Lucien, “Keep an eye on the corpses,” and then went inside. Heading downstairs, he showed Corina the pups, and she dashed over.

  Picking one of them up, she snuggled it against her chest, “It’s so cute! These are Shinx, the earliest evolution in that line.” She glanced up to Zarius, “Can I have one?”

  “I don’t see why not,” he replied. “Mary was going to offer them to the guard to train up.”

  Corina clicked her tongue, “Ah, probably for the best. I doubt that Graven would get along with a little morsel like this.” She put the mewling pup down. “But they do need some food. I’ll feed them. You should go and take those corpses to the tanners near the edge of town. Get some good coin for them.”

  Zarius leaned against the wall and mumbled, “Thanks for…earlier.”

  “Hey, I took what I wanted. Everyone else is intimidated by me – all the eligible guys, at least. You weren’t scared off by the wings or my…bestial side.” She let out a light, high-pitched giggle. “I wanted it, and based on what you did in return, you wanted it.”

  “It has been quite a while since I experienced carnal pleasure,” Yveltal quipped. “It was far better than I recalled. Although last time was different, as I was female.”

  Zarius brushed aside the comment as he blushed and just waved a hand dismissively, “It was fun. Let me know if you want a repeat performance.”

  Corina grinned, “Will do. Now go get those corpses dealt with.”

  Zarius turned on his heel and went upstairs. He joined Lucien and helped drag the bodies – still wrapped in his cloak – down the street. Asking for directions occasionally, he was directed to tanners, who offered to give him fifty silver coins for the Luxray, and thirty for the Luxio. Striking the deal, Zarius walked away with a hefty coin pouch. 120 silver, he thought as he held the pouch. I should consider getting my gear repaired.

  “Head to the leatherworkers. They should be somewhat close.”

  He had been shown the location by Wilson on his arrival, so after a quick jaunt across town – getting some looks of distaste from various townsfolk – he arrived at the two-story building. Entering, he was greeted by the scent of clean cloth and subtle spices. A whole host of colored bolts of cloth were hung on the walls, with long shears and work tables covered with needles, thread, and other tools of the trade.

  A young woman was sitting at one of the tables, working on a piece, and looked up as he entered. “Ah…Oh…a Trainer.” Her initial enthusiasm seemed tempered as her eyes registered what Zarius was.

  “Hi there,” he said.

  “Pokémon stays outside,” she stated.

  Lucien rolled his eyes, “Asshole,” and trotted outside.

  Zarius let the door shut and glanced over to some bulk clothing. “How much for a simple set or two?” he asked.

  “Two silver. One for the pants, one for the shirt.”

  Zarius counted out four to get two sets, placing the coins on the counter and grabbing the clothes before shoving them into his pack. He walked over to her, “I need my outfit repaired.”

  She set her project down, leaned back, and looked him up and down. “Fancy clothes. I don’t know if I have the exact colors, but I can fix it up. It’ll take me all day – but I’ve got no other pressing projects. Ten silver if you want the closest color match I can get, eight if you want anything.”

  “Let’s keep it close,” he replied as he pulled out another ten silver.

  She gestured to the table, “Leave them here, then. Changing room is over there.”

  Zarius went to the door, quickly swapped to one of the casual outfits, and placed the Dark Trainer Armor on the table. “Is there any way you could look at sewing some armored plates into the torso, forearms, shins, and thighs?”

  She raised an appraising eyebrow, “I could. It’ll make it heavier, and I’ll need additional funds not just for the extra cloth, but to buy the plates from the smithy. Let’s put it at…thirty.”

  Zarius pulled out another thirty coins and set them down. “Still one day turnaround?”

  She smiled and nodded, “I’ll get right on it. Tomorrow evening, at the latest. Take care, Trainer…” she trailed off with an inquiring tone.

  “Zarius, Dark Type.”

  She grinned, “Will do, Trainer Zarius.”

  He left and Lucien glanced up at him with a coy smile, “The white does not suit you,” he quipped.

  “Well, we have a day and some change to burn…what now?”

  “Just walk around town? I’ve never been in one. Plus, some great smells are coming from over there.” He pointed with his fore paw to a part of town where hot steam was rising into the air before dissipating into the cold skies.

  Zarius closed his eyes and focused on his sense of smell, picking up the faint notes of cinnamon and freshly baked bread. “Oh, yeah. Let’s go get some food!”

  The rest of the day the duo went around town, buying little bits of food from different merchant stalls in what he later learned was a main marketplace. Zarius had limited experience when it come to foodstuffs, and the variety of smells, flavors, and spices were luxurious as he reveled in the experience.

  Even Yveltal expressed joy, “I have not had food in a long, long time. I forgot how good it tastes!”

  Corina found them in the marketplace, sitting at a wooden bench. Zarius and Lucien were watching two older gentlemen play a game of strategy. Something with odd shaped pieces. The woman wrapped her arms around Zarius’ shoulders and put her head on top of his, in between his ears. “Ah, King’s Squares. Fun game. Good for thinkers, not for fighters.”

  Zarius nodded and quietly replied, “I think I get the gist of it.”

  One of the older men playing chuckled and glanced sideways at him, “You can have winner,” he said with a gruff, wheezing voice.

  Corina squeezed his shoulders slightly, “Enjoying your day on the town?”

  “Yeah.”

  Lucien brushed himself up against Zarius’ leg. “You would lose at this game.”

  “No shit,” Zarius muttered.

  Corina lifted up and tapped his head, “Come on. I’ll show you a place with a nice view.”

  “I assume she means her naked form,” Lucien interjected with a slight laugh.

  Zarius rolled his eyes and stood up, “Where at?”

  She pointed up into the sky, “Question is, do you trust me?”

  “If she decided to drop you, we could glide down. Granted, it would absolutely mark you as far less normal than other Trainers.”

  “I trust you,” Zarius stated.

  She spread her wings, grabbed him around the chest, and glanced at Lucien. “He’ll meet you back at the Guild Hall.” She looked up, “Fly!”

  Zarius felt the wind streaming by his face as they shot straight up into the sky. A hundred, two-hundred, three-hundred feet before they stopped and hovered. She was holding him tightly and turned in midair, giving him a gorgeous view of the surrounding landscape.

  The town below them was expansive, and the river that ran along the eastern side carved a deep channel which the one bridge crossed over, leading up to the evergreen forest and the mountains that Zarius had come from. To the south were lush, fertile pastures and he could spy the small creek that he had fought in the night before. West led out to farmlands and two rivers that wound around grassy plains full of boulders. North of town, an expanse of swampy, sunken ground that led to the graveyard he had been told about – a damp, dreary place. But he saw, in the middle of that graveyard, a shimmering, crystalline tree.

  When he let out a gasp upon seeing that, Corina spoke. “You must be looking at the graveyard. The trees are only visible to Trainers. And you can’t just go flying in – you have to reach it on the ground. Meeting whatever challenges are present.” She sighed, “Ready to go down? I’ve got a few more seconds before we plummet and I’d have to use another Fly.”

  “Yeah,” Zarius whispered. He felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, “Thanks for this…the world from up here is…wow.”

  “We are a Flying type, technically, as well. Fly should be a Move we eventually will have access to. And when we ascend, get used to this feeling – because it will be this way all the time.”

  Corina descended rapidly, landing them in front of the Guild Hall. Lucien was just walking over and let out a slight snort. “That was fast,” he commented.

  Zarius was going to reply but Corina grabbed his hand and dragged him into the Guild Hall. “When is your armor going to be done?”

  “The clothing you mean? Tomorrow.”

  She grinned and pulled him along to the stairs, “Then I’m going to have you the rest of today, tonight, and into the morning.”