MATURE: Multiple Dimensionality Redux

[Ereshkigal]

Content Warning

This is a Mature-rated story for a good reason. Expect to see the following elements in it:

*Strong Suggestive Themes - Implicit and frequent mentions of nudity, sexual behavior, and sexual innuendo.

*Strong Violence/Gore - Explicit depictions of blood, injury, torture, dismemberment, and violent deaths. Possible implicit depictions of mutilations of body parts, excluding genitals.

*Suicide - Implicit depictions of attempted or completed suicide. No glorification present.

*Self-harm – Implicit and explicit depictions of characters injuring themselves. No glorification present.

*Strong Language - Explicit use of profanity, excluding real-world slurs. Some invented slurs will be present. Notably, profanity in parts of this story is on a level I am erring on the side of caution and saying the use of it bumps this up to the Mature definition, at least by my standards. Some characters are extremely foul-mouthed.

*Substance Use - Explicit and/or frequent consumption of drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco, including implicit themes of addiction and/or abuse.

*Abuse - Implicit and/or frequent references to psychological and/or physical abuse. This is not a topic I feel comfortable with in what I consider to be entertainment, so expect this to be infrequent.

And, yes, this is a second attempt at it. I've rewritten enough that it's easier to start over.



Index

Prologue: You Did What?
Chapter 1: Another Boring Class
Chapter 2: Doomity Doom!
Chapter 3: Doomed?
Interlude: Thunder Shock
Chapter 4: Survival List
Chapter 5: The Title Applies
Interlude: Psychic Powers and Physics

Other Chapters
Interlude: Names
Interlude: League Politics
Interlude: Villainous Teams​

 

[Ereshkigal]

Prologue​

General Howitz frowned at the report before him. He didn't want to believe it, yet the accompanying photos proved it beyond all doubt.

Finally, nodding to himself grimly, he tapped a number into the console before him. There were other enemies, ones far more agreeable, he would rather deal with than her, but she had to be informed.

"International Pokemon Center Organization, American Branch. How may I..." the Joy began as soon as the call connected. "Oh. It's you. What do you want, General?"

"We have a situation. An experimental Pokemon escaped."

The Joy rolled her eyes. "Another Project Psybomb? When will you guys learn to stop engineering Pokemon?"

"Around the time you learn to stop sending children to their deaths," the General snapped. "Of your first six special project teams, how many are still alive and working for you?"

Joy glared at him. "Shigeru and both Satoshis. Green was a tragedy. Hibiki, Kotone, Silver, and Kris were ordered to leave Mewtwo alone. No one could have predicted Yuki and Haruka becoming criminals. Koki and Hikari chose to stay in Distortion World." The glare grew more intense. "But none of them acted without backup, General. None of them went in alone, and many more people fell alongside them. What happened in Unova is entirely your fault."

"I-"

"No." The Joy kept staring at him with unblinking rage. "Hilbert might still be walking if you had not ignored him. Hilda wouldn't be working for Team Plasma if you didn't ignore her. Nate and Rosa would still be trainers if you hadn't ignored them. And how many died before them, General? How many American lives lost because you are too damned stubborn to accept children might actually know something?"

"How do you justify sending Serena and Kalem up against Mewtwo after what happened in twice in Kanto?"

"They walked away from that encounter with no deaths and no one harmed. We learn from our mistakes." The Joy gave a grim smile at seeing the look on his face. "I will circulate the description of your missing experiment. But that is all the aid you will receive from us. Contact me again at your own peril."

The screen went blank as the IPCO nurse stabbed the disconnect button.

General Howitz sighed. She hadn't even waited for the description. Now he needed to call her back and wait for her to acknowledge him.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Chapter 1​

Chris Hatter
Truman Trainer Academy
Plainsland City, Farm Center Region

Today is just another boring day in class.

I ducked beneath a punch from Enrico and grabbed his arm. As I stepped to the side, I yanked the arm to pull him further forward and slammed my knee into his chest while he was off balance. I let go as soon as it connected, my other hand shooting toward his back as a wreath of telekinetic force surrounded it.

Stop.

I stopped in mid-motion at the command of Athena. I glanced to the Gardevoir, who merely gave me an annoyed glance before looking to the wheezing Enrico.

Can you tell me what you did wrong? The Pokemon's telepathic voice was even more annoyed than her face.

"I telegraphed the attack and left myself too open," Enrico intoned.

And you left your glasses in your locker again. How can you properly defend if you can't even see the attack coming?

"I'm not that blind," Enrico muttered. "They just make me look weird."

A seven-foot tall man built like a wrestler looks really odd wearing reading glasses. But that same man looked just as odd wearing a frilly pink princess dress with "Slut" embroidered across the chest in rhinestones, a pink bow, and a pair of Mary Janes.

Then get contacts. The Gardevoir sighed and shook her head. Demolition Man, Slut Girl, get off the mat. It's time for Fucknut and The Incredible Nobody.

Enrico and I both flipped her off as we turned to join our class.

"You could be a little nicer!" came a strange voice.

I frowned as I looked immediately, only to blink. It was one of the Joys, of the Evalina Division. She looked just like the rest, with maybe a slight difference in chin shape and nostril size, and she was wearing the standard pink scrubs with a white apron, headband, and tennis shoes that was popular with all Joys here in Farm Central. If she wasn't standing with her hands on her hips and a furious glare on her face, I probably would have confused her for a school nurse again.

Athena sighed. Since 1996, two thousand trainers have died in various conflicts, from Mewtwo to Team Flare. That's the highest yearly average death rate since World War 2. The Pokemon's eyes narrowed as she met the Joy's gaze. My job is to prepare you to survive.

The pink-haired woman began to open her mouth. I didn't need telepathy to feel the collective mental wince of everyone in the room. The poor girl didn't have a chance to speak before Athena cut her off.

I know you are new to class, Miss Joy, but that does not excuse ignoring the fucking handout. I expect a report on my desk before class tomorrow on exactly what it says and why you shouldn't ignore briefing materials. Now give me fifty push-ups and five laps.

I shook my head and looked toward the mat as the girl dropped to the floor.

Lena walked up while Athena was distracted and took the time to make certain her shoulder-length purple hair was fully banded in a pony tail. Her opponent, whose appearance was so average I can't even remember it, took the opportunity to do a couple of stretches.

Athena turned her gaze back to the mat and nodded as she saw the pair in place. Begin.

Lena's opponent... What was his name again? I can never remember it... slipped a foot back, hands in loose fists as he balanced himself on his toes. His eyes narrowed as he focused on her, bouncing lightly on his feet as he prepared to move.

Lena turned to face him, her hands clasped behind her back, under the shoulder blade-length purple hair, and glowing green eyes closed with a smile on her face. And then she just stood there in that exact pose without moving.

The, um... I really need to learn this guy's name... average beyond all reason man stood there for a couple moments, just watching Lena while confusion covered his face. He waved at her twice, only to find she did not move. He thrust his fist at her face, it stopping just short of her nose, and found she did not move. Finally, he dropped his hands and turned toward Athena.

And then Lena kicked him in the head.

Mr. Nobody slumped to the ground, unconscious. Athena rubbed her forehead with one hand for nearly a minute before looking to the sky and thrusting both hands out in their direction.

Lena, please don't fucking murder your classmates. Then the green-haired Pokemon turned toward the class. Are any of you even bothering to take this seriously?

“No, but if you hum a few bars, I can fake it.”

Athena glared at me. You can spar Lena next, smartass.

I grinned as I walked up to the mat, which really was a set of blue mats on the old-fashioned hardwood floor. Tactically, I was thinking; like me, Lena wore a loose red t-shirt, mostly because Athena hates the color red and the t-shirt helped hide certain muscle movements. But where I went for a normal pair of black gym shorts, she chose white yoga shorts. And white tennis shoes to complete the ensemble, though these had dark brown stains from where she broke noses in the past by kicking people in the face.

Grabbing her clothing to limit her mobility wouldn’t work well. The last person to rip her shirt got telekinetically thrown through a wall. Rumor has it that experimental surgery might mean he can move his head again.

I watched as she stood before me, that same closed-eye smile as she did to, um… What was his name again? I took the opportunity to openly admire her toned, in-shape body, my eyes scanning from the top of her perfect hair to her cute nose down to her adorable neck and lovely…

Lena’s eyes shot open as she received the images I sent to her mind, her body twisting as she began to kick. I ducked under just in time, the air from her foot rustling my hair, and jolted forward as her leg switched immediately to come down hard on my head. She let out a startled noise as I collided with her other leg, causing her to squeak as she fell.

Before I could even move to pin her, her legs locked tight on my back and chest and her back arched, hands landing behind her to stop her fall. It was the only warning I had before I was flying through the air. I groaned as I hit the ground, rolling to a kneeling stop and glaring at her.

How in the name of Arceus did she learn to do that?

That’s what you get for staring at my chest, perv! came Lena’s mental voice.

What? I thought you viewed chest-staring as a Joyous occasion.

She stared at me wide-eyed as her face turned nearly the same shade as her shirt.

Or should I ask about the inch-wide stripe of pale skin on your neck?

Her eyes narrowed as an aura of what looked like green fire surrounded her, her hands rising to her shoulder level with palms up. Great purple wings made of tentacles of glowing light sprouted from her back, even as a halo of the same color slowly formed over her head. The air around her shimmered and pulsed as her power washed over it, seeming to almost breathe in time with the rise and fall of her chest.

Well, shit.

I raised a psyshield as fast as I could, the crystal scales forming a solid half-dome in front of me as I prepared for her attack. I barely closed my eyes in time as the psymissile struck it; I hadn’t even seen or felt the power being used, so I was barely prepared for the flash of light my shield released as it evaporated.

I was not prepared for the explosion she had wrapped the missile around.

I groaned as my body collided with the bleachers, the wood and metal snapping under the impact. I could feel the shield I had instinctively conjured around myself slowly fade. I glanced around, trying to ignore the ringing in my ears, and stood slowly. People were stumbling around or just hunched down as they recovered from the unintentional flashbang.

Perfect opportunity.

Stop.

Lena and I both relaxed, the light fading from her as her psychic powers slowly faded. I turned to the class, noting their reactions. Most simply looked bored, having seen outcomes like this too many times before. Athena was rubbing her forehead and telepathically muttering epithets so foul I do not wish to recall them. And our class Joy was paused in mid-push, her eyes wide with terror at what she had just seen.

For the love of Arceus, could you both have one Arceus-damned fucking spar without property damage?

“We didn’t damage school property in our last spar,” I pointed out.

You blew up a cop car!

“Ma’am, in our defense, the cop dared us to do it,” Lena said. “He didn’t believe an electric could explode like that.”

Which is the only reason we weren’t sued! I don’t… I can’t… Fuck it. Principal’s office, both of you. Then the Pokemon turned toward the others. These two were going easy on each other. This is why you need training to spar psychics.

“Do you want us to do something about Mr. Nobody before we go?” I asked.

Athena turned, a confused look on her face, and then glanced down at the unconscious body, which hadn’t moved at all the entire time he was there. She blinked once before glancing back up. Eh, he’ll wake up eventually. I’ll send for the nurse if he’s still unconscious when class is over. Now, get moving.

I swear, she has all of the tender loving care of a shanking.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Chapter 2​

Lena Thompson-Karashina
Truman Trainer Academy
Plainsland City, Farm Center Region

I am dead.

When we arrived, Principal Jackass told us to take a seat and said he was calling those we live with. Not our families. He’s calling Her. She is going to be pissed.

Maybe they’ll give me a nice funeral?

Knowing my luck, I’ll be buried in some junkyard until a half-insane punk and her time-traveling girlfriend find my body. Who knows when that’ll be?

Chris and the secretary are giving me a weird look. Was I broadcasting the junkyard grave thing again?

“I’m pretty certain you won’t be murdered and buried in a junkyard,” Chris said. “Even if that’s…” He shifted uncomfortably. “A bit weirdly specific.”

Fuuuuuuuuuuck!

Chris shook his head while the secretary glared at me. “Lena, focus. Your empathy is leaking.”

I closed my eyes and cursed beneath my breath a moment. The weirdest thing about being one of the world’s strongest empaths? It leaks. People near me begin to feel other’s emotions too. Made me very unpopular in middle school.

Now I’m unpopular because I tend to blow things up with Chris. And because of Her.

Right, focus…

I opened my eyes. The room was mostly empty, featuring a wooden secretary’s desk that doubled as the front counter, currently covered in pamphlet holders and a single flat-screen computer monitor. Walls are white plaster, which I know from the Infamous Magneton Incident have had their normal steel supports replaced with an aron steel alloy that is somehow non-magnetic. One door was behind the secretary and to her left, leading to the principal’s office. The other door was center of the wall to the secretary’s right and led to the main hallway of the first floor. Aside from black plastic chairs with padding attempts, replacements for the original high-quality metal chairs that currently lay somewhere on the bottom of the Farm Center River, that sat along the wall opposite the secretary there was only a cheap wooden table near the chairs. Oh, and several dozen posters reminding people to be careful about telekinesis and magnesis covered the walls.

The Infamous Magneton Incident wasn’t our fault. We were too busy covering the gym rafters and filling the lockers with glitter bombs. They’re still finding glitter surprises in odd lockers.

And then my face fell as I remembered. That was my first month with Her… She made a deal with the principal and I spent my entire weekend cleaning up the glitter with a toothbrush. After she laughed herself to tears.

“Feeling better now?” Chris asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “You have no idea what I’m about to face.”

He shifted uncomfortably again. “I… might.” He sighed, then shook his head. “You know we moved here from the west coast over two years ago? It was because of my sister. She…” He paused, frowning. “She got in over her head and made a bad decision. My parents are afraid I’ll turn out just like her. Awakening as a psychic only made their fears worse.”

I opened my mouth to reply, only to gulp down my words before they could come out. I can block out most emotions with some concentration for a few hours, but I require shielded rooms like the gym and this office to relax in. But two minds I never block out, and I could sense one of them as soon as she neared the door. I could sense Her, and her emotion was far worse than angry: She was disappointed.

And then the door opened and they walked in. First was Shirona Karashina, keeping her face carefully neutral but with eyes sparkling with mischief. Next was Her, Kotone Karashina, who was rubbing her forehead. Naturally, Chris was between me and the door, so he didn’t see them yet as he focused on me.

“Are you okay?” Chris asked. “You’re staring at the door as if doom were about to walk in.”

Shirona smirked and Kotone quietly facepalmed. The secretary rolled her eyes and scooted her chair away from the desk.

“Doom’s already here, mortal!” Shirona shouted in her best demonic voice.

Chris let out a startled yell and immediately leapt into action, his body glowing as Butterfree Float enhanced his movement speed and reduced his weight. A circle of psychic energy appeared where he leapt to, with him landing on it and launching himself so fast he almost appeared to simply bounce off it. As he flew over Shirona and Kotone’s heads, psybolts formed and launched from him rapidly, raining attacks down on the pair before he twisted his body to land in a perfect three point stance behind the desk.

If I hadn’t seen him spend weeks practicing it, I might have been impressed.

I crossed my arms and tried to keep from laughing. A look of sheer panic began to creep onto his face as he realized Shirona and Kotone had been completely unaffected by his efforts, with Shirona grinning and Kotone’s face contorting as she struggled not to laugh.

“Three out of ten. It was very showy, but a waste of energy better put into simpler counter-attacks,” Shirona said.

“And that’s the score from the East German judge!” I quipped.

“You vant ze Berlin Special, Frauline?” Shirona shot back with a mock glare.

“Is that the one where I surrender after being surprised? My Kalosian accent is terrible!”

Shirona shook her head and grinned. “And you just signed up for accent coaching with Brasenie and Cyane! They’ll enjoy the chance to share their native…” She paused for a moment and pursed her lips as she thought. “Maybe not. I’ll talk with them.”

Chris just stared in complete confusion.

“The Karashinas are here,” the secretary announced as the principal entered.

“I heard the demonic screeching and shout of surprise,” the principal said. “Nothing’s on fire this time?”

“Ah, good to see you again Mr…” Shirona tilted her head as she tried to think of his name. She’s only heard me call him Principal Jackass and never cared to learn his real name. “Jackson?”

“Everett,” he corrected without thought.

“Of course! Mr. Everest-“ Shirona began.

“Ev. Er. Ett!”

“Of course, Mr. Eeveeyet. Now, about Lena…”

He stared at her, fists clenched and vein bulging on his rage-purpled face. Shirona and Kotone both merely stared back with utterly serene expressions, marred only by the killer eyes both levelled on the man.

Principal Everett was only five and a half feet tall and wearing a grey business suit, which barely fit over his pudgy body. His head was bald, though his eyebrows had a mixture of black hairs and white that gave an overall greyish appearance to them. His round face was often contorted with a look of rage or disdain.

Shirona was a Japanese woman standing one inch short of six feet, with that rear-long creamy blonde hair held back out of her face by those black teardrop hairclips, each one having a yellow stripe on it; close examination had revealed the stripe not to be paint, but an oddly nonreflective topaz. Hard grey eyes stared out from beneath somewhat-bushy, unplucked eyebrows and her face, as usual, lacked makeup. Her body was the slender side of curvy, further accentuated by how her V-neck coat and underlying black shirt showed off the top of her cleavage, with the jacket held closed by a thin black string between two buttons on her chest and spreading out to reveal the shirt over her barely-existing abs. Her grey teardrop pendant hung out from beneath her breasts, appearing at first to be part of the coat until one noticed the thin string. Her normal dress slacks had been traded for a pair of small black shorts due to the August heat, though she was still wearing those black kitten heels she favored so much. This coat was one of the ones lacking the fur ruffles, and her neck was bare.

Kotone was also Japanese and standing only five feet four inches in height, with long brown hair that came down to her ankles currently held up in a complicated bun. Her forehead and the right side of her face were covered in a white mask, decorated with sakura blossoms, that had a hole over the eye so one could see both of her light brown eyes. She always carefully plucked her eyebrows, and her lips had a lovely red lipstick that matched the sakura blossoms on her mask in color. She was wearing a white tomesode decorated with scenes of sakura trees blossoming and, when I leaned to look at the back, a picture of Shirona holding a strawberry out for her to eat under a sakura tree. White gloves covered her hands, and she carried a white umbrella with her. I couldn’t see her feet, sadly.

And since they were still glaring at each other while I had ogled my wives, I turned my attention to Chris. Short brown hair that was almost black, brown eyes, eyebrows and a nose both that could use a long visit from a pair of tweezers, a pair of almost-feminine lips, and stubble from the hours since he last shaved. The red shirt clung to his body, revealing the muscles he had built up, with the knee-length basketball shorts and tennis shoes completing the ensemble. I guess he’s attractive? He kinda looks like a football player, and most girls go for that kind of thing, right?

“Is Lena suspended or not?” Shirona finally asked, just before I got bored enough to start guessing underwear.

“No,” Jacka- Everett answered. “We were going to replace those bleachers anyway. But, I want her to come in over the weekend and clean up the mess she made.”

“Why not both of them?” Shirona asked. “I’ll volunteer to supervise. His parents agreed with it before I came in.”

Chris’s expression shifted from wary confusion to fear.

Everett nodded. “That will work.” He turned to leave, only to pause. “She went full angel today.”

Chris opened his mouth.

Shirona glanced at him.

Chris wisely shut his mouth and kept quiet.

“It shall be dealt with.” Kotone’s voice was almost arctic as she finally spoke.

They will never find my body.

“You might want to go to your parents,” Shirona said to Chris as the principal left the room. “We’ll see you tonight.”

Chris took the opportunity to flee out the door.

“I should apologize to his parents as well,” I said, starting for the door.

Kotone stepped in my way and just smiled at me, tilting her head in challenge. I took a step back, only to collide with Shirona; I hadn’t sensed her move, but I normally never sense her move when I can’t see her. Before I could escape Shirona wrapped her arms around me in a loving embrace, with Kotone stepping forward and joining in a mere second later.

There I stood, trapped between two very sexy women I love with all my heart. And I didn’t know whether to feel terror or relax.

As if to answer my quandary, both reached up to lovingly caress my face, each caressing a separate side. Plus other caressing in more, um, pleasant places. My eyes drifted shut and I found the tension leaving my body under their ministrations.

“I know how you panic, kitten,” Shirona began. “I know why. But we are not going to get rid of you. We will not throw you out. We will not harm you.”

“Unless you drink my prized whiskey again,” Kotone joked.

I winced at the memory. The only time I ever raided their liquor cabinet, I woke up to a monster hangover and heavy metal blaring. Between the greasy food, banging things together, talking at the top of their lungs, and random screeching the entire day was an unending hell. I swear, the two talked at an even higher pitch than they do normally just to add to my pain.

They both began to stroke my ears as Shirona continued. “It’s been three years since you moved in with us. One year since our relationship began. You’re nineteen.”

That was the only warning I got before both were pinching my ears.

“So. What. In. Arceus’s. Holy. Name. Were. You. Thinking?” Shirona hissed. “You’re an adult! You can control your powers enough to thread needles and sew with them! You have no excuse for blowing things up like this!”

“I-“

Shirona interrupted me. “No. You act like a child, you are treated like a child.”

And with that, I was out of the school by my ears with Shirona lecturing me about responsibility, maturity, and property damage the entire time.

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“Do you want to talk about it now?” Shirona asked.

It had been four hours since we left the school. Shirona can talk for hours on end without pause; she had plenty of practice while she was the Champion of Sinnoh, and she spent three hours reminding me of that with the endless lecture that began when I was dragged out to the car.

Kotone just stared at me with a disappointed look the entire ride home, then handed me a bucket and a toothbrush before walking off. She never said a word. That was worse than the lecture.

I was now scrubbing down the floor of one of the VIP rooms in Club Marill; we lived on the third floor of the converted riverfront warehouse, while the second housed private rooms used both for VIPs and for Pokemon League events. Mostly the former, since a… specialist nightclub isn’t viewed as “respectable” in the eyes of League officials. And because Shirona is rumored to have served a particularly obnoxious government representative a laxative mocha latte.

This particular room was one of the relaxation VIP rooms. Dark grey carpet, black chairs facing a small raised stage of black stone with a dark metal pole, black lamps with dark grey shades to cast a soft light… Darkened windows allowed one to see out onto the club floor, without being seen in return. The heating was also strictly controlled to keep the room pleasantly warm, but not uncomfortably so. It was the stage I was currently cleaning.

Shirona raised an eyebrow. I was stalling.

“He sent me images of him looking me up and down,” I admitted.

Shirona tsked. “So he used something he knows you have a short fuse about to goad you into making mistakes? Kitten, you’re going to need a thicker skin against that if you wish to do well in this career. Regardless of what those who advocate social justice want, this is still very much not a kind world. And if you are going to fight beside me, I need to know you won’t start throwing explosions just because some guy peeked at your cleavage or wolf whistled.”

I lowered my head. “It’s a reasonable reaction for other people.”

“Most people can’t blow up police cars with their mind,” Shirona countered. “And your physical training alone makes you a walking weapon. Other people don’t have the same capacity for taking life or causing destruction.”

I sighed. She had a point. “He also called me out on my, um… my wandering eyes.”

Shirona’s voice was tinged with laughter as she spoke. “I’m sure he did, Cave Diver!”

I lowered my head. I hate that nickname.

“Oh, don’t look so down!” Shirona grinned, before patting the side of her chair for me to come over. “Your ‘wandering eyes’ give you an honesty I see lacking in so many your age. Perhaps losing four years of your life to your empathy aided your maturity a bit.”

I frowned as I moved to Shirona’s side, settling on the carpet beside her. From about the age of twelve to halfway through my sixteenth year, I remember nothing. I even failed a grade because I was just… lost. But before I could dwell on that and the ‘wonderful’ things it did for my social life, her hand was softly caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into it, just enjoying the attention for a few moments.

And then her fingers rubbed where she had pinched my ear earlier. “But not too mature.”

It took everything I had not to wince in memory.

Her hand settled lower, rubbing along the silk band of the black collar I currently wore, depicting the spiky marill that was also the club’s symbol on the front. “Was it because he noticed a certain tan line?” She didn’t even need to wait for my reply; as soon as my shoulders slumped slightly, she spoke. “Are you ashamed of that mark?”

“No,” I said softly. “It was the context.”

She lightly tapped me on the nose with one finger. “You need to not let such bother you. It gives you an exploitable weakness. And that could get you killed.” Then her hand drew away. “Our guest has arrived. Are you certain you do not wish to change clothes?”

Why would I need to change clothes? “No. I am fine.”

I glanced up to see her amused smirk. “As you wish. But stay right there for now. Best to not let him see you immediately.”

I tilted my head. The position I was in had her chair blocking sight of me from the door. What was she up to?

I got no answer. Instead, we sat there in silence until I heard the door open. Shirona said nothing as she lounged in the chair, instead reaching down to brush a finger softly beside my mouth in indication I should speak first.

“Evening, Chris,” I said.

“English, dear,” Shirona said, switching to that language.

I forgot we were speaking Japanese the entire time.

“Evening, Perving Pervertson the Third.” This time it was definitely English!

I heard Shirona facepalm and Kotone giggle.

“You might want to stay on that side of the chair,” Shirona said, her attention turned toward the door. “Unless you are certain you can handle it.”

“Handle what? I don’t see- GAAAAAAAAH!” As soon as he stepped around the chair enough to see me, he spun around and covered his face with his hands. I could see even his ears turning red, making me tilt my head.

Then I glanced down.

Oh, right. I’m naked. That’s why I needed to change clothes. I need to remember these things.

“Why don’t we get changed while you take a few moments to calm down?” Kotone suggested, motioning for Shirona and I to follow as she came into view.

I nodded and stood, careful to do it in one motion as taught, and began to walk out. As I passed by Chris, I smiled to myself and patted him on the shoulder. “Walk it off, perv.”

And then I was out the door, before he could shoot me an unamused glare and end up screaming again.

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Dinner was awkwardly silent. It was almost like Chris just didn’t feel comfortable.

Maybe it was our clothes? We had changed into yukatas; Shirona was wearing a black with gold trim, Kotone had chosen blue with red trim, and I was wearing yellow with rose petals emblazoned on it. All three of us had our hair done up in the same complicated bun, held in place with hair sticks (save Shirona, who used her hair clips), and had make-up carefully applied; it felt weird to walk around with lipstick, foundation, blush, mascara, and the rest of that gloop on but I could not fault the results.

Maybe it was what we were eating? It looked like traditional sushi rolls, if you were completely unfamiliar with sushi. It was made with teriyaki chicken instead of sushi, since I tend to have a bad reaction to raw fish. Kotone thought we’re just too far from the coasts and it’s some subtle change in the flesh by the time it gets here. Shirona suspected a mild fish allergy.

Maybe it was because of how outside he was? He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt depicting an image from some vampire video game popular years ago, and some attempt had been made at combing his hair. He was also eating with a fork, where the rest of us were using chopsticks.

Or maybe it was because I was sitting here with my hands lightly bound by a silk ribbon tied in a bow around them, with Shirona and Kotone taking turns feeding me from my plate as they also ate. I’m surprised I wasn’t giggling about the odd looks he kept giving my hands; he had no idea what was coming.

Finally, Chris picked up the chopsticks. “Um, are you really the Walking Apocalypse? You, um…”

“Don’t seem like the laughing madwoman who dances while destruction rains down around me?” Shirona finished for him. “I’ve always hated that nickname. They try to make me sound like I bring doom and despair when I’m often not involved.”

“But, every place you’ve visited, disaster has come nearby,” Chris said.

“That only happened seven times,” I muttered.

He gave me an incredulous look.

“I have spent the last twenty years travelling much of the world,” Shirona began. “If I really brought destruction in my wake, do you think there would be much of human civilization left?”

He sat silently a moment, looking lost in thought. “A lot of your reputation is bullshit, isn’t it?”

“Please do not use foul language,” Shirona said, though her voice had the tone of command to it. “And not all of it. While I didn’t meet Giratina, I did go through the portal with Koki and Hikari. I guarded the entrance against Team Galactic counter-attacks while they pursued Akagi.”

“You don’t seem to mind it when Lena gets foul of mouth in bed,” Kotone muttered in Japanese.

Shirona’s ears reddened, but she ignored it and continued talking. “That was after I shot Akagi, so they just had to follow his blood trail.”

“You shot him?”

“Yes. After having my garchomp kill his crobat. But he was trying to end the world at the time.”

I began to look around as the pair continued to talk about Giratina, going over the events from Sinnoh and the loss of two trainers; I’ve heard it a hundred times before. Instead, I focused on the room, noting every bit of the layout.

It was ten by twenty feet, with white walls, save for one wall that was entirely windows overlooking the club’s first floor, and a black carpet floor; Shirona loves the color black for some reason, and squeals like a schoolgirl when she gets cute clothes in the color. I know the floor and walls use some kind of diffused heating, but the cooling system is simply beyond me; Kotone knows how it works, but she gets so deep into physics when explaining it. The center of the room was an opaque volcanic glass coffee table, on top of which sat Shirona’s Keystone for her spiritomb and a remote for the TV, around which were arrange the black leather couch, with its back towards the entrance, and two black leather chairs facing it that flanked the view of the TV that was mounted on the wall in the couch’s view. To the right of the TV but on the same wall was the door to the master bedroom, with the wall to the right housing a door to a spare bedroom and the door to the kitchen. On a dark wooden stand beneath the TV were three picture frames, including a particular wedding photo I didn’t think Chris had noticed yet, while the wall beside the entrance was covered in picture frames, mostly of various times Kotone was laughing; Kotone pretends to be irritated every time a new one is added.

I was sitting between Kotone and Shirona on the couch, with Chris in a chair opposite us.

Kotone discreetly poked my side and I turned my attention back to the conversation.

“And that’s when Looker arrested Charon,” Shirona finished.

“That was when I first hit on you,” Kotone said. “I was so awkward, and you took it so well…”

“Well, you were sixteen, and…” Shirona stopped talking as she saw the look of fury on Kotone’s face.

“I was eighteen!” Kotone snarled, switching to Japanese. “How old did you think I was on our first date?”

“Twenty,” Shirona admitted quietly in the same language. “I shouldn’t have admitted that…”

“I was twenty-two!” Kotone was snarling at this point, but I was close enough to see her body quaking with barely-suppressed laughter. “I’m only eight years younger than you!”

“Should I leave?” Chris asked.

“No, I’m just teasing my wife,” Kotone said in English, the fake anger gone and an evil smile on her face. “How are the chicken rolls?”

I had to dig my nails into my arm to keep from laughing at the glare Shirona shot Kotone.

Chris frowned, then began to stand. “Okay, this is too weird.”

“What is?” Shirona asked, her attention suddenly hawk-like as she turned toward him.

“Just… this entire situation. Why the kimonos to eat in the living room? Why are Lena’s hands tied? Why was she naked earlier? What kind of relationship do you three have?”

“To screw with your head,” Shirona said.

“To mess with your mind,” Kotone added.

“I like being naked when it’s comfortably warm,” I said.

I glanced to Kotone and she almost-imperceptibly nodded. A quick tug with two fingers was all that was needed to loosen the bow, freeing my hands. I rubbed my wrists, entirely out of habit, and then the three of us presented our left hands at the same time.

Chris looked at our hands a moment, and then glanced at the pictures below the TV, staring for a few seconds at the wedding photo. And then he glanced between the photo and our hands repeatedly. Finally, he just stared at the matching rings on all three ring fingers.

“Legally?” Chris asked.

I giggled and took off the ring while Shirona explained. “Oh, no. We got these rings from a toy machine. The photo is from a costume party. We’ve been setting up this prank for months.”

Chris shook his head and sat back down. “You are demented.”

Shirona grinned. “It allowed me to see how you react to unusual situations. There’s…” One of the club’s security staff stepped through the door. “What is it?”

“Ma’am, there’s a sick pokemon in the kitchen,” the guard said, holding up a paper tag. “She was wearing this.”

Kotone took the tag from him and we frowned as we looked at it. Then we each stood, plates set down on the coffee table as each of us began to move, Kotone whispering orders to the guard while Shirona and I stepped over to the windows overlooking the club.

“Chris, go home,” Shirona said as Kotone stepped up to a window. “This is now a classified League operation. If you stay, you will not be able to remove yourself from it later.”

Chris walked over to Kotone and looked at the tag, then frowned. “I’m staying.”

Shirona nodded, and Kotone reached into her yukata to pull out a Pokeball while I tapped a hidden button to open the windows, causing them to lower to form platforms. Kotone opened her pokeball, letting out her alakazam and indicating for it to teleport Chris to the kitchen, before stepping out onto the glass platform with Shirona and I. I gave one last glance at the slip of paper, then turned, squared my shoulders, and stepped off the platform alongside Shirona and Kotone.

The paper had one set of words on it:

Whiteman Airforce Base
Lab 6
Subject 001​

 

[Ereshkigal]

Chapter 3​

Chris Hatter
Club Marill
Plainsland City, Farm Center Region

I almost threw up. I watched the three stand on the glass platforms and then, in unison, step off. Before I could rush forward to grab them, the arms of the alakazam were around me and suddenly everything was spinning. And then I was in this room with white walls, white tile, and shining metal and black marble surfaces. I was still dry-heaving when the three arrived, rushing in through a door near me.

My head was also pounding. Not from the sudden change in elevation and location, but from the psychic static of other people’s thoughts. I had learned to ignore it, to not even notice it, so I had not known what was so unnerving about the atmosphere in the Karashina apartment. But now, back among people and slammed by the statis, I realized: It was the silence. The complete lack of other people’s thoughts. Whatever form of psychic shielding they used, it was stronger than anything I had ever heard of.

And then, suddenly, the noise was gone and the silence returned.

I glanced to Shirona; she was wearing only two of her hairclips this time, and I saw one on Lena. I reached up and felt the other clipped onto my hair. Shirona shook her head and held up one hand, doing a three-count with her fingers before removing the hairclips from us.

And the static was back, and I squinted, only to feel it vanish again as the hairclip returned.

“Prepare yourself for it,” Shirona said. “Lena always needs a few tries, but you shouldn’t.”

I closed my eyes, breathing deep as I concentrated. Then I nodded. As soon as the clip came off I scrunched my eyes under the assault of all those other minds, but the sensation quickly faded to the back of my mind and I was able to open my lids and look around without the headache. I watched Shirona replace the hairclip on Lena, then remove it a couple more times before the girl smiled thinly and nodded.

I couldn’t help but stare at Lena as, slowly, her face went from slightly pained to perfectly composed. This is what she went through every day? Then she glanced at me, tilted her head, and crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. Before I could react to that, her expression went neutral and she headed further into the kitchen.

I followed, only to blink as Lena suddenly stopped, grabbed one of the hairclips from Shirona, and put it on. “Mistress, I think Chris should go on ahead.”

“’Mistress?’” I asked, eyebrow raised and voice slightly teasing.

Lena’s cheeks turned red and she ducked her head.

“I concur,” Shirona said, reaching over to caress the top of Lena’s ear and causing the girl’s blush to deepen. “Chris, you go ahead. Consider this a bit of a test as well.” And then Lena yelped as Shirona pinched her ear. “Meanwhile, I need to remind someone of the definition of discreet. She seems to be behind in her English and etiquette lessons.”

I turned and quickly headed further into the kitchen, skipping past the counters. The suppressed fury in Shirona’s tone had made a shiver race down my spine. I could hear the whispers behind me, and their tone made me glad I wasn’t anywhere close.

The room really looked like just about any industrial, professional kitchen you’d find in any high-class restaurant; the layout was even stereotypical. I guess there really is only one efficient way to prepare food? But as I neared the giant metal door that could only be the freezer, I felt it; a wave of despair and suffering. No wonder the resident empath couldn’t proceed.

I closed my eyes and concentrated a moment, then opened them and looked at a floor-level cabinet; the pokemon was there. Most movies describe this as some kind of radar or hot/cold game where you locate them by simply following the strength of the signal, but in reality it acted more like how you know what color something is; put in the effort to notice, and you just simply know.

I kneeled before the cabinet and opened the door, only to find myself staring down the barrel of a pistol. I froze in place, just staring; the weapon itself didn’t feel real, but more like a concentration of psychic energy. I looked past the weapon, pausing at the fingers; a five-fingered hand, like you’d see on a human, but definitely not human in shape and proportion; it looked more like it was made of fabric than flesh; proper trigger discipline was definitely in play, as finger was on the side of the barrel rather than the trigger, and the firearm was held steady as it pointed at me. This was no amateur at using a gun. Glancing further beyond revealed the camouflage-colored ralts inside the cabinet, trembling as she held the weapon steady. I kept calm, just watching her, and saw it as the pure fear faded from her eyes, the eyes themselves misting as the weapon she held on me began to vanish.

And then the weapon suddenly poofed into pink smoke and the ralts passed out.

I sighed and carefully extracted the pokemon from the cabinet.

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“Just heat exhaustion and malnutrition,” the nurse said. “Keep her hydrated and fed and she’ll recover quickly.”

We were back in their suite above the club, with the ralts laid out on the couch while the nurse looked over her. The nurse was a typical Joy in appearance; pink-haired Japanese with the standard hair ring on each side of her head and a pink nurse’s outfit, scrubs to match the Farm Central preference. Strangely, she was also wearing a pink collar; I didn’t know IPCO allowed variations on their uniforms.

“Thank you,” Kotone said, smiling. “Perhaps we can see you on less official terms sometime? It has been awhile since you lunched with us and I know you’re entering a busy season. Maybe bring your mother, assuming she has recovered from her affliction?”

The nurse smiled. “I would like that. But my mother still has Cranial-Rectal Lodging Syndrome, so she cannot attend.”

“A pity,” Kotone said with a sigh. “I hope she gets treatment soon.”

“Alas, she’s not responding to Crowbaritone, so we need to treat with Dynamitin.” The nurse finished packing her kit.

“Kotone and Lena can show you out,” Shirona said. “I have some administrative work related to this I need Chris’s help with.”

Lena turned and gave Shirona a puzzled look, then her expression shifted to grim and she nodded. Kotone frowned, then nodded and motioned for the nurse to head out. Shirona stood silently, waiting until they were out of the room.

“You’re not ready.”

With those words, she turned to head toward her bedroom.

I stood in shock as the woman spent some time rummaging in her bedroom before returning with what looked like a holo caster on her arm, only with a strange wand attachment connected to it by a cord. Shirona kneeled beside the couch and began to move the wand up and down the ralts’s body, staring at the holocaster screen. I was seemingly ignored.

“What do you mean not ready?”

“Just that.” She turned toward me. “If I didn’t find you convenient, I would delay your official trainer status for another five years. But frankly, I don’t want to spend the time to hunt down a psychic I can trust when you’re a known quantity. I need you to grow up and stop taking stupid risks very fast.”

I crossed my arms and stared at her. “And Lena is somehow better than I am?”

“Lena has enough sense to be cautious and know her limits. You charged in like a drunken elephant and nearly got shot.” She gave the cord a yank and the wand retracted into the holo caster. “I’m not expecting you to act with the same expertise I had at your age; you don’t have the seven years of practical experience I gained in the wilderness. But I am expecting you not to believe you’re Harry ‘Burn the Building’ Dresden and charge into a classified mission you know next to nothing about so you can somehow bungle your way to a solution. This isn’t a book or movie and you’ll get a lot worse than your hand burned if you try.”

“I just want to do the right thing,” I muttered.

“So did Hibiki and Kotone Murai, before they died fighting Mewtwo.” Shirona’s eyes turned to lock on mine. “Koki Tsumura and Hikari Toyoguchi, before they were permanently trapped in Distortion World. Hilbert Thompson, before he was paralyzed for life. Nate and Rosa Ortiz before they disappeared, probably murdered and part of someone’s basement. Those are just the ones I knew personally.”

I didn’t know the Ortizes has disappeared. Official League reports listed them as retired.

Shirona then walked past me. “You didn’t eat earlier. Will a ham sandwich do?”

“Could I get a salad instead?”

She nodded. “I should have asked earlier. Eat before bed. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

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I groaned as I felt something hard and metal bump into my forehead. A couple more bumps happened and I opened my eyes, only to blink.

A metal sphere, floating in air with two magnets on other side. It had two screws sticking out the front beneath a single eye and another screw up top. The metal wasn’t the normal soft gray of steel, but a near-black of titanium.

The magnemite bumped into my head one more time and, with a heavy sigh, I sat up and looked around. It was strange to not wake up to the normal buzz of other minds in the background. Almost peaceful.

I was in the living room, sleeping on the couch. A pillow and blanket had been brought for me; the ralts took the spare bedroom, and I had seen the other three head off into the bedroom while whispering to each other.

I frowned at that memory. It was not my place, but I could not help feeling concern. Lena was only a few months other than me, but Shirona had to be in her thirties at minimum. The age difference was a bit uncomfortable.

I sighed and stood up after the magnemite bumped into me again. Apparently, I was in its spot. The creature turned toward the TV, then settled on the couch as the screen came on and a music video came on. I blinked at seeing the Gangnam Style music video, then turned to the creature. What did it understand of music?

Experimentally, I stretched my own mind toward it. It felt… wrong. Like my telepathy was swimming through some kind of inky, oily sludge. And the mind of the pokemon was even stranger; its thoughts were two types of clicks that came in patterns of eight. And its eyesight was a confusing mess of glowing lines, with the strange stone on the dining room table seeming to glow in an entirely different way. But, at the same time, I could sense the creature was somehow soothed by the combination of light and sound, so I pulled my own mind back and left it to its relaxation.

My eyes turned toward the table beneath the TV; the joke picture had been removed, leaving behind two. But two remained, and I stepped closer to look at them. The magnemite let out an annoyed buzz as I blocked the TV. I ignored the creature as I picked up the first picture.

The first picture was of Shirona, wearing an outfit very similar to the one I saw her in at school, except the coat had black fur ruffling on the sleeves and around the bottom. Beside Shirona stood a brown-eyed girl with ear-length matching hair. The girl had to be no older than thirteen, and she was wearing a blue t-shirt with Japanese writing on it and a pair of denim shorts. Both were looking away from each other, and both looked uncomfortable in the picture.

“My daughter, Makoto.”

I cursed and fumbled with the frame before placing it back on the stand. I had not even heard her enter until she spoke.

“Could you please not sneak up on me, Mrs. Karashina?” I asked as I turned to face Shirona.

A small smile decorated her lips for a couple seconds. “I apologize. I spent four years living in the woods after becoming a trainer. Walking silently was necessary to survive and I never dropped the habit.”

I noticed she was without her hair clips today, with her long hair still a mess from sleeping. She was currently wearing a long white shirt with the planet Pluto, which had a mustache and Viking-style beard on it and a battle axe beneath, and the caption “Viva la Pluto fuck you” in all caps. And nothing else as far as I could see, though I wasn’t giving her much scrutiny.

I knew Lena had a t-shirt exactly like the one Shirona was wearing. I was with her when she bought it to use as a nightgown.

And then it occurred to me Lena never specified she would be the one wearing it.

Shirona stepped over to the picture and looked down at it, ignoring the frustrated buzz from the magnemite as she blocked the view even more. “This was taken two years ago, when we were discussing her apprenticeship to Red.” She adjusted the picture’s placement. “I was opposed. She thinks it’s because she isn’t living up to my standards of how to be a trainer. I just don’t want her to live my life.”

“Was it that bad?”

“Yes, it was,” Shirona said, turning to me. “My father died when I was five. My sister Yukio was three at the time; she doesn’t remember seeing him leave and never come back. My mother confirmed my fears at the time when she didn’t come back four years later.” She began to adjust the other picture. “And at eleven, like all ‘odd’ kids who came from a family with a bit of stigma, I was given a pokemon and sent into the wilderness with the neighbor boy. He turned out not to be as sweet as I thought, and well…” Her expression turned grim. “I emerged with two pokemon, and they never found his body.”

I took a step back and she turned toward me.

“Being in the wilderness for long periods of time, away from people like that, makes you a little… odd. Most older trainers have some form of major mental disorder because of it. Some people just go completely psychotic. The League doesn’t ask any questions if only one of a pairing emerges alive.” She glared at the magnemite as it buzzed in annoyance at both of us again, then rolled her eyes and turned back toward me. “I like to tell myself it was self-defense, but I’m not certain how much ‘defense’ involves bashing someone’s head in with a rock.”

She leaned forward, level with the picture; this had the side-effect of causing the shirt to ride up enough to reveal her lacy black boyshorts. “When I had Makoto, I gave her up to my grandmother to raise. I could teach her how to fight, how to defend herself, how to harm, how to survive in the woods, how to catch and care for pokemon… But I couldn’t teach her advanced mathematics, most sciences, social interaction, anything necessary for dating… for Arceus’s sake, I had to get help from a fourteen-year-old for my first date with Kotone… I couldn’t teach her anything she needed to know to fit in with society. I didn’t want her to end up killing someone before her fifteenth birthday.”

The magnemite made an even louder annoyed buzz and floated off the couch, then out of the room Shirona sighed and stood fully, then looked to me. “So, let me fix you some cereal and we can talk about what I wanted to address last night. I have some almond milk for it.”

“You don’t really need-” I stopped talking at the look she gave me. “Regular milk is fine.”

“Also, I’ll make certain Lena knows to mind her nudity better when you’re around,” Shirona said as she walked to the kitchen door. “I know you view her like a sister, so it’ll make you more comfortable.”

I froze. “Um, how did you know…?”

“You look at her body with disinterest at best, and brotherly disgust at worst.” Shirona stopped at the door, turned her head back toward me, and gave me a predatory grin that left me feeling cold inside. “But you know how formfitting my panties are and if I’m wearing a bra.”

I stood there for a minute as she entered the kitchen, briefly debating with myself whether or not I wanted to run screaming for safety. I decided I hadn’t gotten this far by doing the intelligent thing and walked into the kitchen.

A short hallway of cool brown tile and leaf-patterned wallpaper lead to the suite’s kitchen. Continuing the décor pattern was a table designed to look like a giant mushroom in the center of the room, surrounded by four chairs designed to look like stumps with backs formed of vines. Green curtains covered the windows, while a counter of leaf-patterned marble with brown wood cabinets connected the black-topped stove with a green fridge. A glance at the ceiling showed a field of black, with small holes for lights that were in patterns of various constellations.

“I lost a bet with Lena,” Shirona said, pulling out a cereal box from a cabinet. “For someone so obvious and honest about her feelings and opinions, she can be surprisingly sneaky when she wants to be. If she hadn’t missed an important period of socialization during her early teens, she probably would be… What’s the American term? …an ‘alpha witch.’”

I opened my mouth to correct her.

She glared before I could even speak.

I closed my mouth.

“I am aware what I said was not entirely correct, but I do not like profanity.” She began to rummage around in the fridge as I took a seat. “So, how’s Max?”

I almost bolted, but instead I forced myself to relax. There was no way she could know about that, right? “Who’s Max?”

“Your sister,” Shirona said as she turned to sit the bowl of cereal in front of me. “We know you’re still in contact with her.”

I was going to prison. I would be in prison for the rest of my life. I needed to learn how to make a shank. Are there classes on how to make shanks? Better yet, I needed to befriend the biggest guy there, and get him to teach me how to make a shank. Oh, geeze, I’d need to get prison tats, join a gang… I don’t know anything about being in a gang! Would they make me murder some poor guard while hanging upside down from some bed sheets Mission Impossible-style? I was going to be murdered my…

Shirona was definitely not wearing a bra.

“Did you just flash me?”

Shirona finished pulling down her shirt and adjusted it. “You didn’t respond to your name or being poked. It was either that or slap you.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I had no idea how to reply to that.

“Still, you have been aiding a wanted mass murderer in escaping capture.” Shirona then held up a spoon for me. “It brings into question if I can trust you.”

“She… really didn’t intend it to turn out like that,” I said sheepishly as I grabbed the spoon. It sounded horrible as a defense.

Shirona narrowed her eyes. “She killed four hundred people. Not intending to only shortens the prison sentence.”

I considered, then dug into the cereal. “How did you find out?”

Shirona smiled. “I have technical experts not available to most people. The first time Lena mentioned you, I had them focus on you. They noticed certain oddities in your communications records. So we added in a redirect for your phone in all the local cell towers and ran a voice analysis the next time an oddity occurred.”

“You’re not arresting me because I’m friends with Lena,” I guessed. Why else would she feed me and talk with me like this?

“That is correct.” Shirona then walked over to the fridge and grabbed a drink can from it. “When I first met her, she had been broken for years. That empathy nearly destroyed her. And she has become quite dear to Kotone and I. So if anyone ever hurts her, I will burn down everything and everyone they love.” And then her eyes turned toward me, that predatory grin that made the instinctual side of me want to run on her lips. “And Kotone will do far worse. Understand?”

I nodded.

She turned toward me, holding up the can and softly sipping from it. “Good. There is also… Yes?”

I turned around as her gaze focused on the door and saw Lena standing there. Lena, wearing black lacy lingerie. I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it; knowing her, complaining would just make her take it off and continue on without it. But the part of her neck that had been covered by a collar the night before was now red.

“It’s a call from League Headquarters, Mistress. Homeworld Security event.”

“Of course it is,” Shirona muttered. “Spinarak silk?”

Lena lowered her head and nodded.

“I’ll be there shortly. Kotone can salve your neck while I deal with this.” She walked past me, setting a holo caster on the table as she passed. “Kid, time to make a choice. Either finish your meal and leave, or pick that up and follow. But if you follow…” She stopped by the door to finish. “… you must cut off contact with your sister. Use only that holo caster from now on.”

I spent maybe two seconds debating if I wanted to go to prison before I picked up the holo caster and followed.

I was rather surprised when I entered the bedroom; unlike the rest of the suite, it was heavily decorated.

Opposite the door, in the center of the white wall, was a Japanese-style platform bed, with a rosewood frame and a bed spread depicting three people wearing kimonos in a lover’s embrace beneath a cherry blossom tree. Above the bed were windows, covered by soft cream curtains. Sitting on the left foot of the bed was Kotone, wearing a blue t-shirt with a cartoonized depiction of Red punching Dr. Okido on the front, with Lena kneeling with her back toward the woman on the padded dark brown carpet. The right side of Kotone’s face was visible, showing burn scars that stretched from her forehead down toward her shoulder.

A look of utter serenity was on Lena’s face as she sat there with her eyes closed and head tilted forward, holding so still she almost appeared not to breathe as Kotone rubbed some kind of white cream into her neck.

And then I noticed Lena’s fingers flex and relax a moment. It was a habitual movement that only showed when she was physically uncomfortable.

The wall to the left of the bed had a mahogany dresser in the middle, with two padlocked picture albums on top and a single picture of Shirona, Kotone, and Lena cosplaying as Street Fighter characters. To the left of the dresser was a closed door. To the right was a black wooden bookcase, covered in pictures, what looked like archaeological artifacts, and two sets of Gym badges; a complete set for Sinnoh, including the Region Champion and League World Champion ribbons, and a set for Johto and Kanto, including the Region Champion ribbon and an additional ribbon I had never seen before. The Sinnoh set had a picture of Shirona, from back before childbirth broadened her hips and enhanced her chest. The Johto-Kanto set had two pictures of Kotone Murai, one with her smiling and the other with her looking sad and wearing a mask on the right side of her face.

I turned back, looking to the right of the bed this time.

A single desk sat up against the wall, between two doors. On top of the desk was a single computer, between a litwick-shaped lamp and a regular red desk lamp. Shirona was in the chair in front of it, one foot resting on the chair and arms idly crossed over her knee as she idly chatted with the pink-haired Joy on the screen.

My nose picked up the fading scent of cedar mixed with a tiny hint of cinnamon as I moved toward Shirona.

“And he’s finally here,” Shirona said. “First time not being in overload, kid?”

“Overload?” I asked.

“The human brain can only focus on so much sensory data at once, and psychic powers add about five or six major senses,” Kotone said from behind me. “The brain tends to ignore or minimize focus on non-psychic senses to compensate. There are tricks you can learn to avoid the problem, but they do not work for Araki-tier human psychics.”

“Who’s the newbie?” the Joy on the screen asked, turning cold blue eyes toward me.

“Chris Hatter,” Shirona began. “He’s a psychic from-”

“I know who he is,” the Joy interrupted. “You should just kill him.”

What.

“That’s what you said about the pair from Kalos.”

The Joy’s serial killer gaze turned toward Shirona. “And you still should kill them. Your job is to stop threats, Karashina-san. Not give them new homes and resources to continue.”

“Stop, yes. Needlessly kill, no,” Shirona said, her face suddenly serious. “I am not going to throw away valuable and trustworthy people just because they made bad choices in the past. Now, he needs a Trainer passport and security clearance.”

The Joy stared for close to half a minute. “Fine. It will be done. Now, onto business.

“The target is Lillie Mohn, daughter of Lusamine Aether.” A picture of a young-looking green-eyed pale girl with platinum blonde hair, with two parts of it in braids on either side of her face, wearing a wide-brimmed white hat appeared on the screen. “She has recently fled the Aether Foundation, which is actively hunting for her and claiming she has stolen classified information. We need you to protect her until that information can be secured and we determine what the Foundation is up to.

“Since we started monitoring dimensional activity as part of the Homeworld Security Act in 2008, there have been constant detections of interdimensional wormholes in Alola.” The screen shifted to depict the four Alola islands, with the artificial island for the Aether Paradise appearing as well. Several glowing dots appeared across the island. “All of these have been determined to either be a result of mythical pokemon native to the region, or just naturally-weakened dimensional borders occasionally opening. Up until five years ago, this benign activity was the extent of what was noted in the region.”

Lena stood, walked over to the closed door to the left of the computer, and opened it. She started pulling out a number of suitcases. She stopped to stuff one with what looked suspiciously like grenades, shoveling the explosives in two at a time until the bag was bulging.

The map changed, the previous glowing dots vanishing and more numerous ones appearing across the island, including the entire Aether Paradise just glowing. “As of five years ago, the American monitoring satellite Cassandra started picking up activity that can only be described as artificial in origin, though we are still unable to determine how the portals are formed. The dimensional signature does not match that of Distortion World, so it was deemed best to investigate rather than assume. In addition…” The image shifted to be of the Aether Paradise, which was a large semi-rectangular island with a massive building in the middle and a small walkway that connected to a half-moon island with a mansion on it. Dozens of glowing dots covered the facility. “As of six months ago, the majority of the portals stopped appearing elsewhere in Alola and started appearing here. This was when we first became suspicious about the Aether Paradise’s research into Ultra Space and if they were in violation of the Homeworld Security Act. A suspicion confirmed when Lillie’s escape from their home facility coincided with all detected artificial wormhole activity in Alola stopping. An act we believe to prevent any accusations Lillie may bring from being proven.”

Lena finished stuffing what looked like portable gun cases into the bags and moved to the other door, pulling down more suitcases and stuffing them with carefully-folded clothes.

The screen shifted again and the Joy reappeared. “As such, we need you to gain Lillie’s trust, make certain she is safe, and determine what information she has that will aid us in investigating the Aether Foundation and arresting anyone involved in the illegal portal activity.”

Shirona tapped a couple buttons on the keyboard and watched the time setting on the computer change. “It’s currently 2 AM in Alola. Where is Lillie now?”

“With Dr. Burnet. Dr. Burnet suggest Dr. Kukui for temporary housing, but-”

“Kukui-san will be perfect.”

“I am surprised you feel that way, given your… past opinions of him.”

Shirona gave the screen a grim smile. “My conflict with Kukui-san is entirely personal. His professional actions have always been above reproach, and he would charge an angry tyranitar to save someone under his protection. She will be safer nowhere else.”

Just from the tone of her voice, I thought the bit about a tyranitar wasn’t hyperbole.

The Joy raised an eyebrow. “She wouldn’t be safer with you?”

“There is irreparable reputational damage that must be considered if she were to be put in my charge,” Shirona said. “My… particular lifestyle and public reputation as a living act of Arceus would cause her to suffer constant rumors and questions for the rest of her life.”

“You make a good point,” the Joy replied. “When do you think you can deploy?”

Shirona turned toward Lena. “I’m going to need a bag full of-“

“Grenades? Over there with the guns.” Lena then intoned, “Standard tactical loadout; one assault rifle with armor-piercing explosive rounds, three submachine guns with Chris factored in, four pistols each and an extra for you, two shotguns with a mix of door-popping and beanbag rounds, and a hundred kilos of plastic explosives with detonators.”

“And you’re grabbing-”

“Standard trip bags with extra clothes to allow for a minimum of one month’s stay, including four swimsuits each, Kevlar, and necessary hygiene supplies,” Lena intoned without hesitation.

Kotone suddenly appeared in the bedroom, beside her Alakazam; I had not noticed she left.

Shirona gave a brief smile, then turned to me. “Last chance to back out, kid.”

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. “It’s a little late for that.”

Shirona nodded and turned toward the screen. “We’ll be at the airport in two hours.” Then she looked to Lena again. “Pack a container of thermite. We have a stop to make first.”

Lena nodded and walked back to the first closet.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the trio were dressed and Shirona left a message with the school we were off. Shirona stopped to pick up the strange stone on her coffee table, and with that whatever shielding the place had faded; I had no time to ask about it before I was rushed out the door.

We stopped by my house so I could change clothes and pack for the trip. Luckily, my parents were not home; I didn’t feel like arguing with them over this. Instead, I left a message for them, sent a quick message to my sister over our connected C-Gear, and walked outside.

Shirona never asked or looked at my old C-Gear. She merely kept eye contact with me as she sat it beneath the thermite and lit the fuse. She maintained eye contact as the incendiary burned my phone to nothing, then turned and walked to the car without a word. I followed with the same silence.

And at last we were on our way to the airport. It then occurred to me that I had completely forgotten to ask about the ralts.

 

[kintsugi]

hey! seen a lotta your posts in the WW threads and figured I should take a look. this is only based on the prologue and chapter 1 btw; apologies if I missed anything

The prologue here is really terse and does a good job of portraying a grim atmosphere -- the people here clearly are used to being in command and also don't like each other very much. There's some clever nods to what looks like a rich backstory full of heroes being really bad at being heroes, which I'm always a huge fan of.

One thing that I struggled with was understanding the stakes of this conversation:

The Joy rolled her eyes. "Another Project Psybomb? When will you guys learn to stop engineering Pokemon?"

"Around the time you learn to stop sending children to their deaths,"

It seems like this is supposed to be a big deal -- General Howitz is grim in the buildup to this, and it seems like he'd have to be desperate to go deal with Joy, so this "it" that he doesn't want to believe seems really important/deadly/world-ending, but when they start jumping straight to bantering about who's responsible for killing more dead kids... the suspension of disbelief flies out the window a tad.

But that same man looked just as odd wearing a frilly pink princess dress with "Slut" embroidered across the chest in rhinestones, a pink bow, and a pair of Mary Janes.

I'm not quite sure what metaphor you were going for here.

That's the highest yearly average death rate since World War 2.

And this brings up a really interesting question! How does the presence of pokemon factor into history? Would America be the America we recognize if pokemon existed, or would there be new global superpowers given different biodiversity around the world compared to North America? How would World Wars function given that those Project Psybombs you mentioned are probably a lot more common and a lot more destructive than conventional weaponry anyway?

On a big-picture perspective, this is an interesting pivot from the prologue. It's a big leap from the global-terror feel between Joy/Howitz back into a high school drama where all the kids are edgy teens with silly names who don't really want to take their world-ending abilities seriously, but I think the attitude here works. The tensions from the previous chapters pretty much dissolve here in the face of the lesser drama, and the scope pretty much zooms straight back in to Chris's snark and staring at boobies. It wasn't quite the direction I was expecting, but the dialogue (especially with how Athena seems like a pretty awful teacher lol) sells it well.

Interesting start so far! I'll be catching up on the other chapters over time; just wanted to drop this review since your chapters seemed lonely.

 

[Ereshkigal]

hey! seen a lotta your posts in the WW threads and figured I should take a look. this is only based on the prologue and chapter 1 btw; apologies if I missed anything

The prologue here is really terse and does a good job of portraying a grim atmosphere -- the people here clearly are used to being in command and also don't like each other very much. There's some clever nods to what looks like a rich backstory full of heroes being really bad at being heroes, which I'm always a huge fan of.

One thing that I struggled with was understanding the stakes of this conversation:

It seems like this is supposed to be a big deal -- General Howitz is grim in the buildup to this, and it seems like he'd have to be desperate to go deal with Joy, so this "it" that he doesn't want to believe seems really important/deadly/world-ending, but when they start jumping straight to bantering about who's responsible for killing more dead kids... the suspension of disbelief flies out the window a tad.

I intended it to come across as more of an argument between two old enemies, and to leave the question on if both sides are not somewhat in the wrong. It also builds at least some basis for how upcoming chapters will somewhat illuminate the ongoing political situation and why that conversation happened.

I'll look over it a bit and see what I can add to make it clearer.

I'm not quite sure what metaphor you were going for here.

I wasn't. That's literally what Enrico was wearing I'll work on that one a bit after Chapter 4.

And this brings up a really interesting question! How does the presence of pokemon factor into history? Would America be the America we recognize if pokemon existed, or would there be new global superpowers given different biodiversity around the world compared to North America? How would World Wars function given that those Project Psybombs you mentioned are probably a lot more common and a lot more destructive than conventional weaponry anyway?

Much of their history remains the same, and much is changed. I'm not going to reveal how much has changed just yet; I want to save some of the surprises for when they drop. But while their America is still a global superpower, it's also not the America we recognize.

I will say Project Psybomb is a lot more recent than the World Wars.

On a big-picture perspective, this is an interesting pivot from the prologue. It's a big leap from the global-terror feel between Joy/Howitz back into a high school drama where all the kids are edgy teens with silly names who don't really want to take their world-ending abilities seriously, but I think the attitude here works. The tensions from the previous chapters pretty much dissolve here in the face of the lesser drama, and the scope pretty much zooms straight back in to Chris's snark and staring at boobies. It wasn't quite the direction I was expecting, but the dialogue (especially with how Athena seems like a pretty awful teacher lol) sells it well.

Interesting start so far! I'll be catching up on the other chapters over time; just wanted to drop this review since your chapters seemed lonely.

I hope you enjoy the read! And I know Chapter 3 is a bit of a mess towards the end, but there's a reason why.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Interlude: Names​

A list of official game characters and their in-story names. As well as the ones I cribbed from the anime to flesh out families. Not an exhaustive list, so I will edit this in the future to add more. But, basically, these are names that come up in the story, so this is a quick guide to know who is who.

This is also a work in progress, to be expanded as I have time.

Beware of game/anime spoilers.

Also including ages as of start of story, or deceased if no longer living.

Spoiler: Gen 1 games

Player Characters
Red - Satoshi Takeuchi, 31
Leaf - Green (no in-story name given; just this code name), deceased

Team Rocket
Giovanni - Sakaki Suzuoki, 67
Ariana - Athena (no last name given; just this code name), deceased
Archer - Apollo (no last name given; just this code name), age unknown

Gym Leaders
Brock - Takeshi Sugita, 37
Misty - Kasumi Iizuka, 34
Sabrina - Natsume Araki, 41

Rivals
Blue - Shigeru Okido, 31

Professors
Professor Oak - Dr. Yukinari Okido, 67

Spoiler: Gen 2 Games

Player Characters
Ethan - Hibiki Murai, deceased
Kris - Kris Murai, deceased
Lyra - Kotone Murai, deceased

Rivals
Silver - Silver Suzuoki, deceased

Spoiler: Gen 3 games

Player Characters
Brendan - Yuki Kosugi, 25
May - Haruka Kosugi, 26

Team Aqua
Archie - Archibald Schemmel, 63
Shelly - Shelly Hudson, 42

Team Magma
Maxie - Matsubusa Sasaki, 65
Courtney - Kagari Fukuen, 35

Spoiler: Gen 4 games

Player Characters
Lucas - Koki Tsumura, age unknown (aging in Distortion World unknown)
Dawn - Hikari Toyoguchi, age unknown (aging in Distortion World unknown)

Champions
Cynthia - Shirona Karashina, 36

Team Galactic
Cyrus - Akagi Miyake, age unknown (believed deceased)
Charon - Pluto (last name unknown; only this codename given)
Saturn - Saturn (last name unknown; only this codename given)
Mars - Dr. Rie Kitahara, 37
Jupiter - Michiko Nishimura, 40

Spoiler: Gen 5 games

Player Characters
Hilbert - Hilbert Thompson*, 20
Hilda - Hilda Schneider, 20
Nate - Nate Ortiz, 18 (real status: deceased)
Rosa - Rosa Ortiz, 19 (real status: deceased)

Team Plasma
Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius - Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius, deceased
Colress - Colress James, deceased
Natural Harmonia Gropius - Natural Harmonia Gropius, 24

Gym Leaders
Elesa - Kamitsure Karashina, 20
Skyla - Skyla Natochenny, 23

*Hilbert is not related to Lena. If there is any blood relation between the two, it's a couple centuries in the past at minimum.

Spoiler: Gen 6 games

Note: Last names not generated, due to lack of French voice actors. As such, you're basically just getting their French first names.

Player Characters
Serena - Serena, 21
Calem - Kalem, 22

Team Flare
Lysandre - Lysandre, deceased
Malva - Malva, 33
Bryony - Brasenie, 25
Celosia - Cyane, 27

Spoiler: Gen 7 games

Aether Foundation
Lusamine - Lusamine Mohn, 39
Lillie - Lillie Mohn, 18

Professors
Kukui - Abe Kukui, 43
Burnet - Melissa Burnet, 32

Spoiler: Anime

Verity - Makoto Karashina, 15
Professor Carolina - Dr. Ai Karashina, she threatened to hurt me if I told (don't tell her!: 83)
Ash Ketchum - Satoshi Matsumoto*, 31

*Entirely different character from Red. Because having both amuses me.

Spoiler: Miscellaneous

These are people who are canon as existing, but not named

Cynthia's sister- Yukio Karashina, 34

And, because it's confusing unless you know how it's mapped out:

Spoiler: The Karashina Family Tree

Note: This is far from an exhaustive list. This only covers the core family, not the extended branches that have been adopted in.

Elder
Dr. Ai Karashina

Ai's Grandchildren
Shirona Karashina
Yukio Karashina

Shirona's Family
Dr. Kotone Karashina (legal wife)
Lena Thompson-Karashina (treated like a wife)
Makoto Karashina (daughter)

Yukio's Family
Kamitsure Karashina (daughter)

Kamitsure's Family
Skyla Natochenny (fiance)

Kotone's Family
Satoshi Takeuchi (adoptive brother)

Satoshi's Family
Unnamed mother (I don't feel like looking up her voice actress, alright?)
Sakaki Suzuoki (biological father)
Silver Suzuoki (biological half-brother)

The Karashinas are noted within the Pokemon League for their (originally unintentional) matrilineal family name despite their Japanese origin, a trait shared only with the Joy families.

Note: Some family connections were invented by me, like Kamitsure being Shirona's niece and Red being the child of Sakaki. Others, like Makoto being Shirona's daughter, are simply copied over.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Interlude: Thunder Shock
Plainsland City International Airport information terminal​

Welcome to Plainsland City International Airport! We hope you enjoy your flight and will use our services frequently in your continental and intercontinental travel needs.

This is our standard information terminal, one of many scattered across the airport, intended to help new and old travelers alike in their travels. Please select an option from those presented below.

1. General Advice
2. Detailed Regulations
3. Acceptable Carry-Ons
4. Banned Items
5. Emergency Situation Directions
6. Shirona Karashina
>7. Terminal D
8. Tickets, Pricing, and Airlines
9. Map

Terminal D​

Constructed from 2010 to 2013, this terminal is one of fifteen in the world housing the Thunder Shock Intercontinental Transportation System. This terminal was constructed as part of the Homeworld Security Act, internationally ratified in 2008, and is one of several new or upgraded facilities intended to aid in fighting any efforts of Giratina to invade our world.

The Thunder Shock system uses magnetic manipulation techniques based upon the way magnemites manipulate magnetism to propel an airplane or shuttle from the planet’s surface to an orbital or sub-orbital location in a matter of a few minutes. Highly-classified inertial dampening technology prevents both those inside and the vehicle itself from being damaged by this high acceleration, allowing for any soldier or Trainer deployed in response to a Homeworld Security Event refreshed and ready for whatever is necessary to keep our dimension safe.

In the event the Thunder Shock is in use, all flights will be grounded and redirected so there is no danger to civilian, military, or League personnel. While having one’s flight delayed for this reason may be upsetting, both the airport and the League ask that any passengers so inconvenienced remember this is for the safety of the entire planet and that they cannot have any important meeting or event if our world is destroyed.

Terminal D, home of the Thunder Shock at our airport, is off-limits to most civilians. Only cleared military personnel, League-approved trainers, and certified civilian consultants are allowed access to this terminal and may only use the system with League approval. All others, regardless of military rank or League status, must use normal civilian transportation.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Chapter 4​

Lena Thompson-Karashina

I frowned as I sat in the car, watching what was going on in the back seat. Kotone was softly stroking Chris’s face while Chris sat there with a blank look on his face and his eyes unfocused. I turned my eyes to the road, my fingers gripping the armrest as tight as I could without breaking it.

I sighed and tried to focus on other things to keep from getting too angry. When we had changed clothes, I had selected a black crop top, shorts, and sandals; I didn’t want to sweat to death in the August heat on my way to the car. Shirona had taken one look at the outfit, shook her head, and swapped it for one with bare shoulders and a somewhat-plunging neckline. Then I put on a leather collar, which had a tag on it that had the spiky marill of the club on one side and our names in Japanese on the other.

Shirona had chosen a black spaghetti top, with detached black sleeves that proceeded from her hands to near her shoulders. And with only a few whispered promises and a tiny amount of, ahem, coercion I got her to put away the pants and put on a pair of white shorts. She then put on a black choker to cover the forming hickey and chose the short chain for her raindrop pendant, putting it close to her neck. Then she picked a pair of open-toed black heels to wear. Of course, she wore her ever-present hairclips.

With much pleading and a few illicit promises, Shirona and I managed to get Kotone into a yellow sundress. She chose a wide-brimmed straw hat to complete the look and let me talk her into a pair of Roman-style sandals. Sadly, no amount of pleading or whispered promises of mind-numbing pleasure could get her to leave the mask off, but she did choose one that depicted a field of sunflowers beneath a blue sky.

Each of us chose to wear our holo casters. Unlike the original Team Flare design, these were wrist-mounted watch-like projectors that could also display the hologram on the screen. The only sign of the holo projection were four tiny projector spots, each located on a cardinal position on the caster. They connected to our private network and were secured using an advanced version of the original Team Flare operating system.

This left each of us with our shoulders bared, showing off the tattoos on our left shoulders. Kotone’s was a spiky marill, the same symbol as the club itself, that was actually based on the marill she started out with before she… Shirona’s was a stylized representation of the pyramids in Egypt, representing her love of archaeology. Mine was a stylized representation of my Seraph Strike ability, depicting a shadowy version of me floating with angel wings spread behind me.

That left Chris, who despite my advice had chosen a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt depicting Queen Bellelba from Mystery Doors of the Magical Land 6 as she spiked a volleyball over the head of the main hero. Even at 41 Natsume could still pull of a bikini, even if the psychic neutralizers she wore on her wrists spoiled the effect. They managed to get Hilda wearing a bikini to reprise the role Nate Ortiz once played, before he… Chris was wearing a holo caster of the same design as the rest of us, an upgrade from the original design Shirona had first saddled him with after Kotone and I both glared at her for it. He had at least picked out a pair of shades that were currently over his hair, when they should have been over his glazed eyes.

Now I’m pissed again. This isn’t helping.

The car was a 2013 Chrysler Brickhouse, a brand that originally started as a purely-military vehicle that was first produced at the same time the Homeworld Security Act was ratified by the UN. It was a black vehicle with angular designs instead of rounded, intentionally sacrificing aerodynamics for armor plating. The inside featured modern electronics, with a heads-up display of potential threats on the windshield and windows, and purely touch-button controls outside of the steering wheel. Seatbelts were four straps, with three plugging into one, designed for quick-release in case of combat deployment and which used special flexible computer-controlled fibers to automatically deploy around the person and buckle them in. The brand had become popular among civilians and police alike after the Plasma War in Unova reached a crescendo in 2012.

Shirona tapped my arm, then the side of her head when I looked toward her. I narrowed my eyes and turned my gaze back to the road. “You don’t want to know my thoughts.”

She winced. I had never seen her do that before. “You never refused telepathy before.”

I gripped the armrest tighter, ignoring the slight bending of the plastic. “This time is different.”

“Don’t break my car,” Shirona said. “And you have every right to be angry.”

I relaxed my grip. “But?”

“But nothing. You are entirely right. He should not have volunteered.”

I never expected to hear that from her. Normally, she just showed agreement or approval with a soft pat or smile. “I… thank you.” I lowered my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “You normally don’t approve.”

She sighed. “I’ve never had a problem with what you get angry at. It’s always been how you express that anger that is the problem.” She then grinned. “And the look on April’s face when you gave that sex toy advice was priceless.”

“And if she makes that demand again, we will help you deliver that toy,” Kotone said, her voice harder than I had ever heard it.

Despite that, I smiled at the thought of the look on April Joy’s face at me handing her a cactus.

Shirona frowned. “Koto…”

“Don’t, Shiro. Just don’t.” As she spoke, I looked up in the rearview mirror and winced; Kotone’s eyes had shifted to purple. I kept silent as Kotone said, “Kalos, and now this. They’ve gone too far.”

“April Joy has the backing of the Joy families. We can’t easily go against her without taking them all on,” Shirona replied.

“Then maybe it’s time the Joys stopped being the face of the League.”

I sighed. “Is that Madame talking, or Mewthree?”

Kotone looked shocked, but her eyes faded from purple to their natural color of light brown. I nodded and looked back to the road; I knew she hated that nickname for the other side of her, but it always worked to bring her back into… cohesion? Anyway, it always snapped her back to normal.

Kotone finally opened her mouth, but I spoke up before she could. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

Kotone nodded. “Shiro, I-”

“Only spoke what the rest of us were thinking,” Shirona interrupted. “This was supposed to be a sport. It was supposed to be safe. Not this James Bond, paramilitary bull manure it became.”

“Well, not all of it is bad,” I said, grinning to her. My anger was long gone by this point “At least you got two lovely-”

“He’s waking up,” Kotone interrupted.

I watched Chris in the rearview mirror. His eyes focused and he shook his head. Then he looked around in confusion for a few moments.

“’Bout damn time you woke up, perv,” I said. “Enjoy your nap, princess? Or did the pea beneath the seat wake you?”

He flipped me off.

I glanced to Shirona. She nodded, with the barest movement of her head and a quick flick of her eyes toward me. “Chris, do you remember what that Joy said when Shirona mentioned your name?”

“She said you guys should kill me. Why?” I could feel his emotions shift to curious and slightly wary.

I relaxed. That was close enough to the truth not to be questioned, and a sign he wasn’t rejecting it. “Oh, I was telling Mi-” I glanced to Shirona and she nodded again. “Mistress and Madame I thought the woman was such an evil bi-”

“Language!” Shirona exclaimed.

“Fine!” I rolled my eyes. “Such an evil cu-”

Kotone lightly smacked me on the head before I could continue.

I sighed dramatically. “Such an evil who-”

“Do not make me pull over!” Despite her stern tone, I could see the edges of her lips flicker upward briefly.

“Such an evil person,” I finished lamely.

Chris just shook his head and covered his mouth with his hand, loosely balled into a fist. As he looked out the window, I could see the edges of the smile on his lips and the soft quakes of suppressed laughter. I could feel only amusement from his mind.

I relaxed more. The distraction worked, and I didn’t think he’d notice the oddity of the question.

Shirona tapped my arm, then the side of her head again. I smiled and, this time, extended my mind toward her and Kotone. I mmmed and closed my eyes as I felt the comfort of their minds. I could feel both were unhappy about this, and Kotone was a little uncertain over losing herself a bit earlier, but both were focused only on loving thoughts and emotions for the moment.

“Lena, are you purring?” Chris asked.

I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

“Why do you think we call her ‘Kitten?’” Kotone asked.

I buried my face in my hands and groaned. I could feel the amusement of the other two at my predicament, which made my want to somehow hide only worse.

You’re adorable when you blush, Shirona thought. It makes me want to tie you down and run my tongue all over you until you cool down.

I glared at her. That’s not helping!

She’s right, Shiro, Kotone thought. Use ice instead. I remember she responds very well to it!

I buried my face in my hands again. The blush just was not going away!

“What’s going on?” Chris asked, suspicion tinging his mind.

“Lena’s just remembering how much we liked her reaction to her favorite popsicle,” Shirona answered.

I buried my face in my hands again and groaned. Arceus, why can’t you just strike me dead now?

Chris was silent for a few moments before finally saying, “I don’t want to know more.” I could feel discomfort coming from him, and not the kind involving trying to hide an erection.

Shirona smirked, and I could feel a certain smugness coming from her. I looked to Kotone, who turned toward me and nodded, and smiled.

I looked back to Shirona, watching her carefully as the image formed in my head. A particularly naughty thought, involving all of the ways I could have fun with her while she was driving. Her cheeks darkened quickly as the image continued, me imagining all of the ways I could use my hands and mouth… And then Kotone imagined herself joining in, Shirona’s eyes going wide as Kotone imagined all of the ways she could take advantage of Shirona being trapped by the seatbelt and having to drive. As we both got to a particularly intense part of the scenario, Shirona’s jaw dropped.

And then we nearly hit a light pole.

The imagined events vanished as we felt the bump of the car going over the curb. A woman on the sidewalk let out a shout of alarm and jumped out of the way, rather impressively climbing a fence in only a single leap to get away from our car. Chris muttered several particularly foul phrases as Shirona yanked the steering wheel to get the car back on the street, just barely missing a second light pole in the process. Once we were back on the street, Shirona just focused on keeping us on the road while tsunamis of embarrassment rolled off her.

“What the fuck are you three doing?” Chris asked, anger mixed with fear tinging his mind.

Shirona looked around shiftily and didn’t say anything.

“I think we kept her up too late last night,” I said. “After about seven or eight, she gets a little fuzzy the next day.”

Oh, the glare Shirona would have sent me if she wasn’t driving!

“Seven or…” Chris facepalmed, his face reddening. “I didn’t need to know that!”

We’ll have to try that live once we’re in a hotel, Kotone thought. For now, break the link.

Shirona’s eyes went wide again as the telepathic connection between us faded.

The rest of the drive was silent, though I could see the blush on Shirona’s face did not fade for most of it.

The first things to come into view were the hotel and the control tower. The hotel was a more recent construction, consisting of seven floors and three basements of rooms for staff, visitors, passengers, and the permanent marine contingent that made up security; prior to the renovations to add the Thunder Shock, the airport had been entirely a civilian facility, with both Terminal D and the hotel simply not there and the control tower shorter. Renovations to add Terminal D, and the giant railgun that was the Thunder Shock, necessitated increasing the height of the control tower so it could see and scan over the cannon, and…

Oh dear Arceus! I was recalling one of the endless lectures Shirona gave on the place! She talked for-fucking-ever about it when the League was soliciting information pamphlets for Thunder Shock-supporting airports.

Anyway, the main structure was a circle, with each terminal another circle, and all were surrounded by roads. Airplanes docked at the outer circles. Storage parking was by the terminals, while visitor parking and the hotel were a bit in the distance and serviced by shuttles. A double road connected to the facility and moved away from it. I know it had once been a lot more open, but renovations to support the Thunder Shock included seriously reinforcing and enclosing the rest of the terminals, as well as connecting them to the main structure on the upper levels. The result was closer to a fortress than an airport.

The hotel was a much more recent addition. Apparently one of the jokes in my pamphlet submission caused some waves.

As we got closer, the place only became even more intimidating. The large, thick white stone walls made me believe the rumors it had been designed to shrug off a direct hit from a railgun, and marines could be seen everywhere, doing everything from standing guard to giving directions. Despite the heavy security, a few flashes of her Trainer passport and a palm scan were all that was needed to get us into parking for Terminal D, the top of which housed the cannon that would fire us into orbit.

Once we came to a stop in the parking lot, which mostly contained tanks parked there to help in defense of the airport, Shirona turned toward me and held up a finger. “No molesting the dri-”

I flicked her finger with my tongue, then undid my seatbelt and opened my door while she was sitting there with her mouth open and her face red.

Kotone motioned a marine over and whispered to him. He nodded and then motioned for six more, who immediately headed to the opening trunk and started pulling out luggage. I winced; I hate using marines like this, but this section of the airport left no choice. But no choice did not assuage the feeling this was demeaning to their status. Kotone, Shirona, and Chris all shared my look of discomfort when they looked at the soldiers.

I rubbed my forehead; it was starting. This was a crowded placed soaked in decades of psychic energy and emotion. My concentration was slipping, and the emotions of others started to seep in. Shirona shot me a concerned look and offered a hairclip, but I waved it off; I didn’t want to be a burden on her any more than I was. I could handle it.

I glanced to Shirona and noticed she had grabbed one of the packs as her carry-on, a single-strapped black leather pack that she had since before I was born. Attached to it were pokeball holders, on which I saw four of her normal six ultra balls and two solid red pokeballs; the red was the color of special League-only pokeballs and used a special capture matrix designed by Kotone.

As Shirona and Kotone started toward the entrance, I tried to follow, taking steps forward. But it was like trying to move in the ocean; wave after wave of the past decades washed over me. Fear, uncertainty, happiness, lust, love, boredom, tiredness, excitement,

i’m drowning help me

help

…

“I see they published your pamphlet,” Shirona said, holding up one. There was a stand of them just outside the glass door, in the section inset in the wall. It was enough to pull me out, for the moment.

Why did they print it? Most of it was a joke.

Shirona stepped around behind me as she opened the pamphlet. “Hmm… This is odd. I didn’t know you added this section about me.”

She helped write it. What is going on?

Then she stopped, anger on her face. No, mock-anger. It didn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes sparkled instead. “A wild animal, am I? Telling people to play dead?” She unzipped her pack and pulled out a riding crop. “I see I will have to discuss this with you.”

Why did she pack that in her carry on? What is she…

She just stood there, staring at me, seemingly waiting for me to react. Like it was a prompt.

Then I realized. It’s a game.

I held up my hands and backed toward the door, trying and failing to fill my voice with a pleading tone. “Please, Ma’am, have mercy on me… I didn’t think they’d print it…”

Shirona held the pamphlet up to her face. “’ In the event you draw the attention of a wild Karashina, it is best to avoid begging for mercy.’” She lowered the pamphlet and looked toward me, taking a step forward as I backed up against the door, feeling it open behind me. “’Like most animals, she doesn’t understand the concept and will merely kill you for making annoying noises.’”

Kotone whispered to Chris and he loudly said, “Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is.”

It took a lot of effort not to laugh; Chris said it in the most Arceus-awful British accent I have ever heard. Shirona turned to glare at him, though I could see her shaking with suppressed laughter and failing to keep a small smile off her face. Chris looked from her to the pamphlet, then clutched his chest, lowered himself to his knees as he reached dramatically for the sky, dramatically fell onto his back, and closed his eyes with his tongue hanging out. He opened one eye to glance at Shirona, then closed it again.

Shirona turned to look at me. I backed through the door and ran.

The first floor of Terminal D was a two-story visitor’s center, with black tile floors and white walls surrounding a large open space. Columns were interspaced throughout, providing support for the heavy upper floors. Most of the walls were covered in informational displays, covering various aspects of the Thunder Shock and how it related to the Homeworld Security Act. Ceiling-mounted holographic projectors added additional, easily-modifiable displays through the floor. The upper floor was mostly a catwalk around the outside of the room, with half-height dark glass railing for protection. Beds were also scattered about, added by League mandate that favored capacity to house Trainers over aesthetics intended to impress politicians. And of course, the assortment of black metal doors with card readers that led elsewhere scattered throughout, just to help drive home this was a restricted facility.

I didn’t bother with trying to sprint around things or zigzag; there were no obstacles to help me. I sprinted straight for the other side of the room, leaving my sandals behind me as I ran barefoot across the floor. I jumped through a hologram of the Thunder Shock cannon in the center of the room, landing just in time for Shirona’s arm to wrap around my stomach. I squirmed as she lifted me off my feet, until she brought the crop’s tip to rest against my neck.

For a woman wearing heels, Shirona is very fucking fast.

“Looks like you lost,” Shirona breathily whispered in my ear, before giving it a quick nip. “You’re at my mercy now.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is it better?” Shirona asked, her voice soft and gentle.

I sighed. I was draped across her lap, as I had been for the last half hour, while she softly rubbed my back and whispered soothing words to me. She was sitting on a bed in the first floor still, having sent the others ahead so Chris could go through the safety briefing. I had managed to force the sheer weight of this place from my mind, but my head still hurt from the initial strain of not being overwhelmed again.

“Head still hurts,” I sheepishly admitted.

“It wouldn’t if you had let me help earlier.” Her tone was stern this time.


“I didn’t want to burden you further.”

She slapped my ass and I yelped in surprise. “And how is needing to set aside a half hour to help you regain yourself any less of a burden than the five minutes it would have taken to prevent the problem?”

I said nothing in reply.

Shirona waited two minutes for me to answer before she finally sighed in annoyance. Then she grabbed my throat with one hand, hard enough the grip felt firm but not hard enough to restrict my breathing or risk a bruise, and gently guided me upward. I shifted my lower body until I was in a kneeling position, my upper body leaned slightly forward as she wanted, and waited for her to speak again.

“Next time, you are to tell me the very moment you feel yourself start to lose control,” she commanded. “I don’t care how much of a hurry I’m in or what emergency there is. Tell me. Understand?”

“Yes.”

She nodded, then gently released my neck, her hand moving down to support my chest as I fully leaned back. Then she sighed and stood, stretching a moment and leaning back just slightly, just how she knew I liked.

“Prepare yourself. I will need to remind a squad of marines I do have command authority.” She turned toward me and caressed my cheek. “And if you can avoid fighting with Rie, I may overlook your mistake and the half hour it cost us.” Then she booped my nose. “But, only if you’re especially good for the rest of the day.”

I bit my tongue and tried not to grumble. I hate it when she noseboops me. I sometimes think she does it just to irritate.

The elevator ride up was quiet. The elevator itself featured buttons for four of the five floors and two basements; the third floor was skipped, due to a hasty redesign of the Thunder Shock blueprints. The third floor was originally the control center for the cannon in the first facility, but after the initial test firing and a few quick funerals the replacement designers decided to fill the third floor with a shock-absorbing foam and place the control room in a basement. All Thunder Shock facilities built after copied the new design scheme.

As soon as the door opened on the fifth floor, I whistled.

This floor was mostly a catwalk and preparation area for boarding a plane that would be fired out of the cannon; the center of it was the main loading elevator that moved aircraft up and down from the cannon’s barrel, and on it sat the somewhat-rounded shape of the current Bolt personnel carrier, which was a VTOL craft designed to be capable of delivering soldiers or Trainers anywhere on Earth in as much time as it took the vehicle to reach orbit and finish reentry. It was the first design to incorporate the inertial dampeners designed for use with the Thunder Shock.

Below I could see the somewhat-dark recesses of the airplane maintenance area, including the angular black shape of a new Flashfire nuclear bomber; it was a new design, based off the B52, that sacrificed aerodynamics for armor to survive colliding with trash in orbit and was intended to be deployed as an emergency countermeasure to Giratina invading our world. It was also a disposable drone vehicle, designed entirely to deliver its payload and be destroyed in the process, so it didn’t need the same level of protection we fleshy sacks of no-longer-potable water do.

I could describe the planes or this portion of the facility more, but Shirona would be very angry if I did. There’s also the legal thing, but fuck the Man.

The first thing I noticed on our floor was the marines. All five of them wearing the modern combat armor, that bodysuit-like combination of spinarak silk with armored layers of a non-Newtonian gel sandwiched between thin layers of composites, the outer layer having the display electronics of the soldier version of the Kecleon Integrated Stealth System, which earned the mocking nickname “peck” due to the unreliability of the first units. The standard head-covering helmets with clear faceplates were also on, with each having a pistol at their side. Four of them had their armor set to the standard blacks, greys, and whites of urban camouflage. The fifth, one with the gold bar of a Second Lieutenant, had yellow armor patterned with male genitalia.

“That is an interesting pattern, Lieutenant,” Shirona said with disapproval as she strode towards the marines.

“Sorry, Ma’am,” the marine began. “My armor is stuck in this pattern and I can’t seem to change it.”

The rest of the marines did their absolute best to look innocent.

Kotone and Chris were off in the distance talking, with Kotone pointing to various sections on a screen displaying the basic diagram of how the Thunder Shock works. From the way he nodded and the half-glazed look in his eyes, I guessed he understood maybe a quarter of what she was saying. I sometimes had to remind Kotone that not all of us have doctorates in physics; Shirona had long-perfected the nod-and-smile.

Then the elevator dinged, and out stepped the rest of our team.

First out was green-haired Brasenie, wearing a red romper and holding her large green shades in her hand; the shades covered a significant portion of her face when on and were actually a display for her personal computer network and the holo caster communication grid. And this lovely pair of white walking shoes I knew I would have to ask her about later. Her orange eyes could be clearly seen as she chatted and laughed with the person following her.

That person was Cyane, who was wearing a pair of blue jean shorts and a red tank top, plus her purple-tinted advanced glasses that contained her ultrasound system and a HUD for feeds from Brasenie’s glasses. Sadly, she had picked sandals, rather than the boots I was hoping she’d wear.

Both women had grown their hair out a few inches since their days working for Team Flare, but it had a greater impact on Brasenie’s five-foot-one frame than Cyane’s half a foot taller body. I also noticed Brasenie tended to be a bit more rounded, while Cyane was more lanky; you wouldn’t know they were sisters at first sight.

And then came the hag Rie. A Japanese woman standing five and a half feet tall, with shoulder-length hair dyed this horrifying ugly shade of bright red. Then there’s her drug-user blood red eyes under unplucked eyebrows that could hide a lost civilization and her near-complete lack of lips. Sadly, Miss Needs-A-Sandwich decided to show off her “curves” with an orange-and-white striped bikini top and a pair of figure-hugging shorts. And the aircraft carriers she calls feet were clad only in a pair of sandals.

Maybe I’m bitter she tried to destroy the planet and Shirona let her go because she “did it for lurv!” And the lying sack of rancid turkey manure spent every minute since then trying to find a way to reconnect with her genocidal boyfriend.

Yeah, maybe I’m bitter.

“Nice to see you again, baishunpu-chan!” Rie called out to me.

And she insults me every time she sees me.

I bowed my head and respectfully replied with, “Fuzakeru na, yariman-kohai.”

That’s enough, you two, came Kotone’s mental voice before Rie could react. She sounded displeased.

“Well, now that unpleasantries are over with,” Shirona began, with a glare at Rie and I. “To make this short… This is Cyane and Brasenie, formerly of Team Flare. They are my tech experts. The third person is Dr. Rie Kitahara, the foremost expert on interdimensional wormholes and portals. You probably know her better for the work she did as Mars when part of Team Galactic. Any questions?”

The marines stood there, staring for a moment as though they could not believe what they just heard. Three of them shared uneasy glances, while the fourth shook her head and smiled.

Finally, the lieutenant spoke up. “Ma’am, aren’t they wanted terrorists? I should arrest you four and-”

Shirona turned her gaze fully upon him. And then, suddenly, all of the marines stood at attention and saluted her. I stood as straight as I could, with legs apart, held held high and chin level, and wrists crossed behind my back. I flicked my eyes over, to see Chris standing straight and looking confused, Cyane and Brasenie both standing straight with hands firmly by their sides, Kotone boredly browsing her holo caster, and Rie rolling her eyes.

There was no Trainer ability, trick, or supernatural element involved; unlike her hair clips and necklace, this was purely Shirona changing how she presented herself. The changes in stance were subtle; she was less relaxed, her body straighter and her stance more military. The normal mirth in her eyes had vanished, replaced by the hardened gaze of a professional killer. Her expression was mostly neutral, but slightly disapproving. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she stood straight and waited. There were other, even subtler changes, but I still had not worked out what those were.

“These three are in my custody. They will not be touched,” Shirona ordered. “And I know I shouldn’t be here; I should be preparing challenges for young trainers or sitting in a base and radioing you any help you need. But because some politicians panicked and thought ten minutes as an interdimensional bouncer give me expertise you somehow can’t acquire, I’m here. You have to deal with me, and with the people I select as important.”

She stepped toward the lieutenant, staring him in the eye. “Are there any questions, Lieutenant Dick?”

“L-Lieutenant Ma-”

“I. Don’t. Care.”

“No, Ma’am.”

And then everyone relaxed as Shirona turned away, her body subtly relaxing and the expression fading to her more near-smile she wore most of the time. I smiled softly as I relaxed as well; the lieutenant looked like someone just fed him rotten lemon juice, and the marines were giving each other impressed looks.

Finally, one of them spoke. “Ma’am, how did you do that?”

Shirona paused, then looked over her shoulder at him. “The key is the same thing that makes a super villain ‘super.’”

“Powers?”

She grinned. “Presentation.”

Then, she came to stand by me. “Before we board, I will have another expert meeting us in Alola. Ranger Michiko Nishimura, formerly Jupiter of Team Galactic.” Her gaze turned toward Lieutenant Dick. “Who, I will remind certain people, has served time for what she did.”

The lieutenant looked disgruntled but said nothing.

“Being as I am not legally in charge of your unit until we are deployed, I will brief you once we land,” Shirona said. “But I expect the greatest dangers to be boredom and sunburns. So I hope you packed reading material and sunscreen. Now, move out.”

The inside of the vehicle was cramped. Luggage toward the middle, with seats filling up the rest. There was an opening between the main body and the pilot’s area, rather than the cockpit being completely enclosed. A couple of pilots were up front, checking instrumentation. The seats also featured numerous safety belts, crossing over the legs as well as the midsection and upper body; it was designed with the idea we would be in orbit, and a lot of Trainers wear dresses and kilts. As such the door vacuum sealed behind us once everyone was settled and buckled in.

After that, the central elevator rose and delivered us inside the cannon itself, which had the barrel arcing with electricity from the already-charged capacitors. I watched through the cockpit window as the barrel elevated and rotated, the sky moving as it aligned itself. And then the inside of the cannon simply filled with that electricity, the metal walls absolutely covered with it as it prepared to fire.

Have you ever seen that old 1960s movie Verified Voluptuous Venusian Villains V? Yes, I know that sounds like adult entertainment, but other than the “space suits” made of gold bikinis it was quite tame. There’s this scene in it when the heroes are inside the Gigatrix Doom Cannon as it’s preparing to turn Earth into space’s largest diamond ring. When fully charged, the inside of the Thunder Shock looks exactly like the Gigatrix Doom Cannon. It’s uncanny.

“Aligned for orbital insertion. Skies are clear and inertial dampeners are reading nominal. Heat shielding nominal. You are go for firing,” came the radio.

One of the pilots pressed a button. For about one second, everything outside the pilot’s window was electricity. And then it was fire, accompanied by the craft itself lightly vibrating. If it wasn’t for the inertial dampeners, every single person inside the craft would be dead.

I tried not to grit my teeth as the vibrating got worse. The entire ride lasted only minutes, though it felt like an eternity as we rocketed through the sky. But soon enough the fire faded, with the sky before us quickly getting brighter as we exited it. The front window quickly tinted as we continue up, the roaring Sun coming into view and blotting out any stars in space. But beyond the Sun was the infinite black, the eternal hydrogen-filled void that made up outer space.

Well, I can now add “fired out of a railgun” to the list of things I’ve survived.

The feeling of weightlessness you get in space… Water training doesn’t do it justice. Neither do those airplane trips where the plane is moving up and down. Maybe it’s just because I’m a psychic, but… it feels different. Even strapped down as we were, the feeling of your body trying to float away from its seat is… I wish I were better educated. I just can’t describe this.

And the Earth… The side windows for our craft opened as floated in orbit, and I could see our home planet below us. The pictures don’t do it justice. The astronauts failed to describe the sight. Especially here, where most of the planet is illuminated by the sun and the other part is dark, with the jewel-like lights of human civilization covering sections of it. This is what Shirona fought for ten years ago when she tried to kill Akagi and helped stop Team Galactic.

“A textbook orbital insertion,” Kotone muttered. “Leave it to the gun-obsessed Americans to discover how to do that with a cannon.”

“Americans are geniuses with weaponry,” Shirona muttered back. “Give them the motivation, they’ll discover how to use a pistol to feed the poor.”

I tried not to giggle at the mental image of some cowboy using a six-shooter to fire sub sandwiches at the homeless. Which, knowing us, is exactly how we’d do it.

“Connected to Hau’oli Tower. Locked on Hau’oli Thunder Shock. Alola skies clear, cleared for reentry,” came the radio.

That was quick. According to the training simulations, you normally needed at least one orbit around the Earth before reentry. Clearing airspace isn’t quick; that extra half-hour we spent at the airport prior to launch was likely going to be spent just waiting for airspace to clear anyway.

I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes as reentry began. It was the same thing down as up: Side windows closed, mild vibrations, and nothing but fire to see outside the cockpit. I opened my eyes as the shaking stopped, watching as the fire faded away to a field of blue electricity. Then, as the electricity faded away, I watched through the cockpit as the plane was rotated until it faced up the cannon, which then lowered itself and rotated to the proper position. Lastly, the elevator descended, lowering the plane into the top floor of the Alolan Thunder Shock facility.

And now I’ve survived descending from orbit in a ball of fire.

“Welcome to Alola, folks. Please enjoy your stay,” a pilot said. “And Mrs. Karashina, please don’t blow up the naval base.”

“No promises,” Shirona said.

The marines stared at her.

“I’m a crazy Japanese woman with unrestricted access to military aircraft and explosives. The commander of Pearl Harbor has some concerns.”

From what Kotone and Shirona have told me, he’s a racist jackass who only keeps his position because they can’t find someone better. One of the side-effects of the military leadership shake-up after Unova.

And then Shirona launched into the main briefing, about the portals, Aether Foundation, and Lillie Mohn. I leaned back and closed my eyes; while she talked and we waited for the engineers to clear us was a good time to take a nap. And then it occurred to me I had no idea what would happen if they didn’t clear us. Would they detonate the craft where it sits and call it a day?

Well, so much for napping.

After a few minutes Shirona elbowed me, and I sat straight. Then she nodded to Kotone, who looked to Chris. Chris’s eyes instantly glazed over, and I frowned; I am still not happy about that.

“And now for the part that gets crazy,” Shirona said. “Chris Hatter is going to be a deep-cover operative. We’ve been asked to look into Interpol activity in Alola. April Joy claims they are acting oddly and has tasked us with investigating. Because they have low-grade psychics, we’ve been forced to temporarily modify his memory and use him as a distraction; they will be too busy looking at him to see our real spy.”

I still can’t believe he volunteered for this.

“But…” Shirona looked to the two women marines. “I need a volunteer. Someone who can believably be on a date with him, but also defend him in a fight.”

Neither of the two women looked happy; one, a redhead, spoke up. “Ma’am, with all due respect, this kind of horseshit is not what we signed up for.”

“It’s not my plan, and I’m not happy with it either,” Shirona said. “That’s why the rest of your squad is going to find out why. The League has never cared what Interpol is up to before. Interpol is a police organization. So…” She smiled grimly. “The rest of you need to get close to criminals. Find out what one of them knows that has April Joy so worried. And then we can stop this…” She glanced at me.

I stared at Shirona. She hadn’t let me in on this part of the plan.

Shirona raised an eyebrow, looking expectant.

“Horseshit,” I added; she never uses foul language personally, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t occasionally delegate it when it’s appropriate.

“And get back to our real job,” Shirona finished, looking back to the marines. “And once we have the proof we need, we’re going to nail her to the wall so hard the Romans will ask us for tips.”

The redhead narrowed her eyes. “And why can’t it be one of you?”

“I’m too high-profile; people would notice instantly,” Shirona answered. “Kotone is our real spy, so it would hurt her ability to gather information secretly. Lena would be too unbelievable; she’s far too honest, would never be able to sell them in a relationship, and would never be believed as cooperating.”

“Why?”

“I told April to go fuck herself with a cactus,” I answered.

“And the rest of us are terrorists,” Rie said. “We wander off too far, we go to prison and die.”

Oh, right. Teams Galactic and Flare had most of their members executed by UN order after the trials. Trying to destroy the world and attempted genocide of your own people both tend to draw the death penalty, even for the more life-loving nations.

The marines exchanged looks, and then the redhead sighed. “Fine. I’ll volunteer. But if he’s a creep, I’m breaking his arms.”

“That’s fair,” Shirona replied. The very tiny smile on her lips made me think she was pleased at the woman’s attitude. I silently suspected she asked a marine for exactly this reason.

The rear door opened and I smiled, climbing out of my seat as quickly as I could and rushing out. But, aside from the engineers milling about, the place was exactly the same as in Plainsland City. I admit I was disappointed. I knew the facilities were using a standard set of blueprints, but I expected the décor to be at least a little Alolan-inspired.

Shirona and Kotone both looked amused as they stepped out of the craft.

Shirona chose that moment to pluck one of the red pokeballs from her pack and hand it to me. “Here. Your starter. It’s a litwick.”

“Flambe!” I squealed, holding the pokeball to my chest.

Shirona twitched. I guess she still remembers how he gained that nickname. I was hoping she’d forget and I could convince her to lift the ban on me cooking over an open flame.

“I promise to be careful,” I said.

Shirona held out the other red pokeball for Chris. “The ralts we discovered yesterday. I would give it to Lena,” She looked me in the eyes. “But giving an empathic pokemon to an empath is always a bad idea.” Then her gaze returned to him. “Do you have a name in mind?”

Chris frowned a moment. “Zekintha. She’s a psychic in a book series I like.”

How necroscopic of him.

And then Shirona pulled out two small booklets from her bag and handed one to each of us. I opened mine and noticed my picture inside, along with my general information and a Trainer ID. A Trainer ID… I frowned and looked at her, only to find the grin on her face. Chris was also giving her a suspicious look.

“That whole bit about him needing a passport was just to troll April, wasn’t it?” I asked.

Shirona’s grin grew. “I have no idea what you mean.”

I rolled my eyes and stuffed the passport down my top.

“We’re hitting a hotel first. Give everyone a day to settle in and get used to the time change,” she began as the soldiers gathered near. “I expect everyone to be adjusted to local time by six in the morning tomorrow. Any objections?”

After a minute of no one speaking and several shaken heads, Shirona nodded and turned to Kotone and I. And then promptly froze like a deer facing a pack of wolves when she saw the grins on our faces. I could see the color seep into her cheeks as she remembered the car ride and exactly what we had planned.

“Shall we, love?” Kotone asked, softly grasping Shirona’s arm while I took the other.

She didn’t resist as we pulled her toward the elevator.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Interlude: League Politics​

Excerpt: Trainer's Guide to the International Pokemon League, 2016 Edition

The International Pokemon League, often colloquially referred to just as "the League," is a sports body currently overseen by the United Nations. The League's largest non-sport branch, the International Pokemon Center Organization (IPCO for short), is overseen directly by the World Health Organization and held to the highest standards of medical care for both pokemon and Trainers.

The main body of the League is split into four political parties, each of which seek to control the League as a whole and to dictate policy. The current dominant party, and one with the most members, is the Moderate Party; this party, lead by April Joy, currently dictates policy for the League and serves as the main representatives of Trainers to the UN.

All parties are outlined below. Trainers are encouraged to join and party that appeals to them, or to be a Moderate if no particular party does or they like ideals from all three equally.

Conservative Party
Leader: Ai Karashina
Notable Members: Sakura Joy, Trish Joy, Shirona Karashina, Satoshi Takeuchi
Political Stances:

• Limiting legislation only to what has proven necessary to legislate
• Abolishment of the Homeworld Security Act and strengthening of national militaries to counter the threat of Giratina
• Reformation of Trainer education to allow for Trainers to easily integrate with their native cultures
• Slap the leader of North Korea with a trout every Saturday
• Limitation of the League's role to a sporting event
• Execution of criminals too dangerous to leave alive, reformation of criminals not that dangerous or who were forced into crime

Liberal Party
Leader: Natsume Araki
Notable Members: Shiguro Okido, Kamitsure Karashina, Lena Karashina
Political Stances:

• Forced enshrinement of human rights and civil liberties in law
• Strengthening of the Homeworld Security Act and folding national militaries into the League
• Reformation of Trainer education to create a truly-unique international Trainer culture
• Slap the leader of North Korea with a shark every Saturday
• Extension of the League's role to be an international military force
• Forced military service of criminals too dangerous to leave alive, reformation of criminals not that dangerous or who were forced into crime

Socialist Party
Leader: Kaori Joy
Notable Members: Kotone Karashina, Skyla Natochenny, Satoshi Matsumoto
Political Stances:

• Legislation used to control corporate greed and public health only
• Abolishment of the Homeworld Security Act, reformation of national militaries into aid organizations
• Reformation of Trainer education to focus on aiding others and helping make people's lives better foremost
• Slap the leader of North Korea with a dolphin every Saturday
• Reformation of the League into an international aid organization
• Execution of all criminals

Moderate Party
Leader: April Joy
Notable Members: Takeshi Sugita, Kasumi Iizuka, Yukinari Okido, Michiko Nishimura, Abe Kukui, Melissa Burnet
Political Stances:

• Moderation of stances by other three parties to produce the best solution for all
• Slap the leader of North Korea with a jelly fish every Saturday

It is currently unknown why the major political parties of the League are discussing assaulting the leader of a sovereign nation with sea life, but assumed this involves some very unusual political maneuvering. It might also be an in-joke between the political leaders that has progressed beyond their control.

 

[Ereshkigal]

A quick author's note

There are areas where the verb tenses don't exactly match the rest of the chapter; this is deliberate. Many people in real life, when telling a story verbally, will make these kinds of mistakes.

Also, Chapter 5 should be up soon. I just got busy in real life.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Chapter 5​

Chris Hatter

“You’re quiet.”

I looked up; it was Mars. At some point, she had added a white lab coat and pair of small-framed glasses to her apparel. The glasses framed her ruby-red eyes perfectly, which were highlighted by her ginger-red hair and her carefully-trimmed eyebrows. Her thin, unpainted lips fit her face well, and she had the smaller build of a professional gymnast.

“Something the matter?” she asked.

I frowned and looked back out to the night sea. I was sitting out on the beach before sunrise, just watching the sea and thinking as I waited for the ball of fire to crest the horizon. But I was getting nowhere with my thoughts, other than deciding I really should have taken the advice about wearing shorts; it was kinda hot in Alola even at night. And the beach was currently deserted.

“Just… I’ve been trying to figure all of this out,” I admitted. “I got rushed off and…”

“You got the ‘you’re an evil bad man, but I need you’ speech?” Mars asked.

I nodded.

She pulled a plastic-wrapped raisin cookie from her jacket. “Welcome to the Dark Side. The cookies are real, but we stole them.”

Oh, joy. I didn’t even get a pokedex yet and I’m already a villain. This bodes well for my career.

Awesome cookie, though.

Mars sat down beside me. “So, I tried to destroy the planet.” She looked at me. “What did you do?”

I don’t know why, but… I told her everything. About my aid to Max, her decisions, the lives she cost people, the decision she made that caused so much death, my family moving across country and changing our names. Everything.

Maybe it was just the strangeness of the situation.

Finally, Mars nodded. “She acted for love.” Then she sighed and looked to the ocean. “All should be so lucky to have such a good motivation.”

I shook my head. “I don’t see how that would be good.”

“Love can make people do the most heroic things, and the most stupid,” she answered, before lowering her head. “I almost destroyed the world for it.”

I stared. I had not expected to hear anything like that from her.

“I love him,” Mars said. “Miyake-san. Even now. I thought, maybe, I could change him. That if I helped him make his perfect world, he would love me back.” Her eyes turned back toward mine. “At least your sister is loved back. I never got that from Miyake-san.”

“Do you still want to go to Distortion World and be with him?”

She looked to the ground, her face neutral for a moment, before sighing and looking up. “No. I will never let him close to me again.” Her eyes turned toward mine. “I found his journal, in the wreckage of our headquarters. Two years ago, I finally deciphered it. He was never going to love me; I was just a tool to him.” She frowned as she turned her attention to the water. “I devoted years to a psychopath.”

“Have you told Lena? She seems to hate you.”

She snorted derisively. “That smug brat? I still have some pride.” She looked back to the ocean. “If you tell others about this later, how will you tell the story?”

I considered a moment. “The truth. Except…” I grinned. “When I get to the memory alterations, I’ll related the altered parts.”

“Why?”

“Ask Lena about my Lapras stories.”

Mars gave me a confused look, and then burst out laughing. “She hates that meme!”

I grinned and slowly stood, just as the Sun crested the horizon. “So, shall we?”

She nodded, accepting my hand and standing. “Yes. I guess we should get at least some rest.”

The walk back towards the base was mostly quiet. Planetary Defense Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam-Yokota. A two-base defense point covering the vast majority of the Pacific Ocean, with two more bases being built for the network in Australia and Peru. A third base in Alaska was being considered, but some people argued it would be better for the Arctic network.

My train of thought was derailed and took out a small liquor store as I spotted a blonde woman arguing with a slightly-overweight Alolan shopkeeper in a flower-patterned red Alolan shirt and white shorts.

Her hair was braided, with one braid circling behind her head and the other making up the majority of her hair down to her knees. She wore a white shirt beneath a blue crop-top with long sleeves, with the crop top having a low neckline that came to just above where her nipples would be and embroidered with gold thread around the neckline and bottom. Beneath that she wore curve-hugging black leather pants, with brown leather medieval-style boots that came up nearly to her knee. A brown sash was around her waist, and I could see a brown leather satchel that hung down by her right hip, with its strap across her left shoulder. And as she gestured in the light from the shop’s window, I could see she was wearing fingerless black leather gloves.

There was something off about her. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Just some strange feeling of her being entirely outside context?

Then her eyes looked to mine for a second and I felt her voice in my head. Are you just going to stare all day?

I narrowed my eyes. My registration is USAFCPLC00023047. I’m a mid-range telekinetic of the Sugiyama tier. What is your registration and power?

The strange girl stopped arguing with the shopkeep and turned pale. I need to get a license?

I turned to Mars, who had stopped to stare at me. “Go on ahead. I need to deal with an unregistered psychic.”

Mars rolled her eyes and waved as she turned back toward the base. I walked toward the girl and the now-staring shopkeep, who was now standing more tense. I glanced inside his store and flicked my gaze over the mannequins covered in bikinis and swim shorts; it was a beach-side swimsuit shop.

Then my gaze turned toward the girl, who was staring at me nervously. I tried not to smile; she was only four inches above five feet and had this adorable button nose and utterly cute lips! And these soft blue eyes that shown with such wonder! Up close I could also see her pointed ears, which had gold circular plates on her earlobes connected by chains to ruby-encrusted clips further along her ears. The plates had some kind of weird symbol, which reminded me of a picture I once saw of a king cobra, and from each hung crystals of green, blue, and red.

Oddly, her ears showed absolutely no signs of surgery or make-up. It was like they had naturally formed to be pointed.

I telepathically sent her a test signal. The closest description is to call it a set of test sounds, but it’s really… like sending bits from a computer? It’s difficult to describe, save that it is a direct replication of certain signals within the brain. The human brain instinctively echoes the signal, while pokemon don’t process it at all because they lack the neural setup necessary to even notice it.

As soon as she received the test signal, the girl gave me a look of confusion. There was no echo present.

She’s not human, but she’s not a pokemon either.

“What the fuck is going on?” the shopkeep asked.

I pulled out my Trainer ID and held it up to him.

“Oh thank Arceus! A League official is here!”

I glanced at my card and blinked. It had the League representative stamp on it. I should have checked it earlier.

“Look, could you tell this ditz tha-”

“Hey!” she exclaimed.

“- that we don’t accept whatever strange gem currency she has? Dollars or credit only.”

“Gem currency?” I’d never heard that one before.

She reached into her pouch and pulled out a handful of hexagonal gems, with two of the sides being elongated. They were a mixture of green, blue, red, purple, silver, and gold in color, though they were about as long as the diameter of a penny. But while they looked like gems at first sight, they reflected light in an incredibly odd way; more like they were soft light sources rather than shiny crystals.

I considered a moment, then looked to the man. “What if I could get a celebrity to endorse your store?”

He crossed his arms. “And what celebrity would you know, kid?”

“Shirona Karashina.”

The shopkeep’s eyes went wide. “The Walking Apocalypse? Are you serious?”

I had him. I could see it on his face. “She might even recommend your place to her niece. Kamitsure Karashina.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “And how do I know this is legit?”

I tapped a few buttons on my holo caster to have it display a certain phone number. “Call and find out. We’ll stay here.”

The man sucked on his top lip a moment, then nodded and stepped into the store. I turned back to the blonde girl, who was staring at my wrist in awe. I grinned as I blanked the display.

“I’m Chris Hatter.” I extended my hand to her.

She looked at it a moment, then hesitantly grasped my hand with her own. “Mipha Hyrule.”

Wasn’t Hyrule that nation in that set of video games Lena always raved about? Probably just a coincidence.

“Um… What brings you to Alola?” Okay, that was the lamest opening ever, but I couldn’t come up with better.

She tapped her fingers together. “I was looking for someplace different from home, and well…”

“Far more different than you imagined?”

“Goddesses, yes!” Her eyes glanced from street lamp to neon sign to ceiling light. “So much light here, so much electricity… The technology here is much different than back home. I don’t think it even works on the same principles.”

“We use alternating currents of electricity flowing through metal for much of our technology.” I probably shouldn’t have revealed that. “It’s produced by a number of methods, with burning things being the most common.” Not going to bring up nuclear power or infinity energy just yet.

“We use direct energy manipulation and draw upon unusable background energy and radiation for power. Direct string manipulation allows us to convert both to usable energy.”

Wait, ‘unusable background energy.’ Was she talking about entropy? Just how advanced are her people?

Before I could ask, the door opened and the Alolan man stuck his head out. “Son, I have no idea how you have this kind of pull, but thank you.” His gaze turned toward Mipha. “Keep the swimsuit, Miss. Take it as my thanks for this.”

Mipha grinned. “Thank you, kind sir!” Then she offered her arm to me. “Perhaps you could show me around a bit more, kind sir?”

I grinned and accepted her arm. “Perhaps. There is something I need to do back at my hotel, after we hit a store. You might find it fun.”

She tilted her head as we walked down the street, toward the base. “Mmm. Maybe. I don’t know. Accompanying a strange man to hit bedroom might raise some questions.”

“What shall I show you first, Madam?”

She tilted her head, one ear twitching. “I saw this place called Mach Pizza. Their food looked delicious.”

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I wouldn’t have thought someone that short could eat that much.

Mach Pizza’s storefront had been closed, but their sign advertised “30 minutes or less, any order, anywhere, anytime, guaranteed.” I called the number on the sign and ordered a medium veggie supreme for myself, at her insistence a large meatlover’s special for Mipha. I doubted she could eat the entire thing, but it could be finished tomorrow. I gave the delivery man a tip when he delivered it in three minutes; amazing service and I would recommend the place.

Mipha was finishing the last slice of pizza, having eaten her’s before helping herself to half of mine.

The hotel room was nice enough. Cream-colored walls, a soft light brown carpet, and sound-proof doors. The room itself was sparsely decorated; a single bed surrounded by two nightstands in the center of one wall, a dresser between a door to the bathroom and a closet on another, a small desk with a computer on the third, and a wall-mounted TV over a minibar with the main door to the side on the fourth. An additional lamp on the ceiling for more light. The room was air-conditioned, with the slight buzz of psychic shielding, and the bathroom was shared with Shirona’s room.

And when she wasn’t finishing off pizzas, Mipha was helping me paint Zekintha. I had released the ralts from her pokeball, though she had not awoken yet, and we were using a set of ralts paints I bought on the way back to disguise her unique coloring. Painting a ralts and its evolutions is very common among trainers, so I hoped she wouldn’t stand out.

I had not counted on Mipha being a talented artist. She had decorated Zekintha’s back with a depiction of three women constructing a triangle of three golden triangles in what looked like a barren wasteland. The three women were dressed in white… dresses? …that didn’t leave much to the imagination. One woman had red hair and a wavy symbol with dots at the top right and bottom left. The second had green hair and a symbol of a dot that was encircled by two crescent moons. And the third had blue hair and a symbol of three crescent moons in a trangle pattern, with each crescent moon having a dot inside it. She was just now adding three people at the bottom, each one holding a golden triangle; the details were not complete enough for me to make out much yet, though one of them looked like a woman.

Seeing my attention on the image, Mipha pointed to the redhead. “Din, the Goddess of Power. Patron of change and sorcery.” Then the green-haired woman. “Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Patron of love and knightly virtues.” Third, the blue-hair. “Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom. Patron of wise laws and just order.” Fourth, to the golden triangle construct between them. “The Triforce. Physical manifestation of their power and granter of wishes. If destroyed, our world evaporates.” Lastly, to the portion she was working on. “The Divided Power. The Triforce is too dangerous to keep the pieces together. The parts have been separated, two entrusted to protectors of the realm and one gifted to a source of conflict and change.”

“Why the divide?”

She frowned, then set down the brush she was using. “After creating our world and my people, the Goddesses created three guides to aid us. Demise, the Essence of Change; Din’s Champion and some believe creator of the Gerudo and humans. Hylia, Essence of Order; Nayru’s Champion and creator of my people, the Hylians. And Link, The Everborn Balance; a mortal chosen by Farore to eternally serve as the mediator between Hylia and Demise.” She lowered her head. “But then things went wrong. Link fell in love with Hylia, and she in turn came to love him. Demise didn’t take it well.” She picked up the brush again. “It’s a long story. But Demise and Hylia chose to become mortal, each eternally reincarnating as Link does. Hylia’s descendants are the royal family of Hyrule. Each woman born in the line that is heir to the throne becomes host to Hylia and is bound to marry the Link that is born in her time. Not because they want to or because they love him, but because Hylia loves Link and she overrides their will. And Demise comes along and nearly brings Hyrule to ruin again in his attempt to force objectivity on Link.”

That pretty much confirmed it. “I heard a far different version of this tale. That Link was Hylia’s champion to stop Demise from stealing the Triforce.”

“The Legend of Zelda, right?” Mipha smirked. “I heard we had exported those to other worlds. It’s a series of alternative history novels by Manny Guildheart. Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time are both fairly accurate. Majora’s Mask was written as a satire of politics in Termina, and I hear required reading of the nobility there. Link’s Awakening is…” She blushed. “It was a dream by King Link. Queen Zelda banished the king and Manny to the Tabantha Tundra for a month after reading the book. It probably would have been longer if the king didn’t promise to recreate some of the racier bedroom scenes.”

Apparently, the Link’s Awakening we got is heavily censored. That does explain the Mario references.

“His latest novel is Breath of the Wild. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s about the rebuilding after the Great Calamity. Manny will probably blame the Great Calamity on Ganondorf instead of King Rhoam…” She drummed her fingers on her satchel as she spoke. “I hope he doesn’t describe the King’s relationship with his ex in detail… Mo- The queen won’t be happy about that.”

Who the hell are you? came a feminine telepathic voice.

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Zekintha Hatter

No offense Chris, but you suck at telling this portion. So I’m taking over.

The last thing I remember before waking up in the hotel room is pulling the trigger on my Psypistol. The fake bullet collided with a suddenly-erected shield of psychic energy instead of Chris’s head. An energy that all psychic types trained by the military recognize on sight.

Project Psybomb. Mewtwo.

Then I saw this mask-wearing Asian woman behind Chris. Her eyes were purple with psychic power. Not human psychic power, but pokemon. Her mere presence carried with it Mewtwo’s energy. But she was obviously human.

And then I woke up half-covered in paint in a strange bedroom. The guy I nearly shot was having a conversation with a pointy-eared, human-looking alien with extreme pizza breath.

I thought my reaction was rather tame.

Neither of them answered, but instead looked at each other. I had sat up and turned to face them.

You could answer my question. Unless you’re some kind of pokenappers.

“Mipha Hyrule,” she said.

“Chris Hatter,” he lied. Don’t ask how I can tell; it’s nearly impossible to explain to humans.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Try again, dumbass. I wasn’t hatched yesterday.

“I had to change my name when my family moved,” he said. And then he told me his real name.

Yeah, that name is a good reason to change it. He just doesn’t identify as it yet.

Why are you painting me? Hey, would you like someone to paint you while you’re unconscious?

“We’re in a Hau’oli, less than a block away from Pearl Harbor. A painted ralts won’t stand out, and no one is going to question a psychic having a psychic pokemon.” He pointed toward one of the doors. “We share a bathroom with Shirona Karashina. That was her club you broke into. I’m part of her team. Before you could awaken, we were deployed to Alola to deal with a problem. Marines were attached to our group, but I volunteered to distract them; Shirona doesn’t trust them, so I’ve been asked to play decoy while Shirona’s group does the actual investigation.”

Distract how? I frowned. This seemed like I was being used as a tool for some reason. And how do I fit into this?

Odd. As soon as I asked that question, I felt a fading release of power from him, like the fading energy of a psychic ability. His upper body instantly was leaning a bit more to one side, and Mipha went from sitting relaxed with her hands in her lap to leaning back with a raised eyebrow. Neither one of them actually moved; it was like… a video edit where the editors missed the two changing positions between takes?

Mipha narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him.

“I think you’re with me because Shirona didn’t have much choice,” he said. “Her other psychic isn’t suitable. Not a lot of other options that aren’t criminals.” His eyes flicked to Mipha a moment before settling back on me. I could feel his worry. “I need them to chase me across the islands. I need to hide you so they don’t notice you’re not a normal ralts.”

“Are you why I keep having déjà vu?” Mipha asked.

Chris’s eyes went wide and he turned pale. Mipha leaned over to whisper to him. I tilted my head as I watched them; he seemed to relax from her whisper, though I could feel he was still quite nervous. Then he nodded to her and she leaned back with a smile.

“While you tell her, I’ll finish the painting!” Her eyes turned to me. “You don’t want to get caught, right?”

I sighed and nodded. She was right.

Chris proceeded to talk about his sister, her mistakes, and how it affected his life. And the big secret about his psychic abilities he hadn’t told Shirona yet, and which Mipha was somehow outright immune to. I was forced to wonder just what I had been volunteered for.

Mipha pouted at me until I gave in and let her finish painting. The back supposedly had Queen Zelda, King Link, and some weird guy named Gannondorf holding pieces of the Triforce at the bottom. After she finished the picture of Zelda, Chris kept looking between the painting and Mipha with suspicion.

My sides and arms were painted to resemble wasteland fading into a bright desert beach. Down my right arm were painted the symbols of the Three Goddesses of Hyrule. As Mipha explained the same mythology to me as she did to Chris, she added the League symbols for Psychic and Fairy to my left arm. On my right wrist she painted a bird symbol and on my left the pokeball symbol of the League.

“Where did you learn the League’s symbols?” Chris asked.

Mipha began on my front. “It was in the booklet they hand out at Customs.”

Chris and I exchanged glances. The United States doesn’t have Customs offices for aliens.

“Yes you do. It’s in the third basement of Pearl Harbor, next to the portal.”

Chris immediately tapped on his wrist-mounted computer, and within a few presses of his fingers three map holograms appeared above it, each one displaying Alola with glowing dots scattered about. Each map had a glowing dot on Pearl Harbor.

“Son of a bitch,” Chris muttered. “It’s been there for years.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Mipha asked.

“It could start a war,” Chris said, tapping a few more buttons on his holo caster. “Shirona, I’ve got something important.”

“Now is not the-” Shirona Karashina began; I’ve seen her on TV a few times, so I recognize her voice.

“The Navy has been letting in people from other worlds.”

“What the actual fuck?” asked a very angry female voice. “After all of the shit they give in basic about that fucking treaty, this shit happens?” I won’t bother to repeat what she said about Tseepohr Christ and pogo sticks, but it was educational. “Fuck this fucking bullshit fuckery of a fucked up mission! I’m-”

“That’s enough, Sergeant!” Shirona commanded. “You’re a marine! Act like it!”

“Ma’am, yes, Ma’am!”

“Chris, I’m going to be over there in two minutes. Try not to utterly destroy every semblance of our plan before I arrive,” Shirona growled. “And you better have proof of this.”

I sighed and closed my eyes, as at that moment a redhead in a yellow bikini top and pair of denim shorts came out of what looked like the bathroom, followed by Shirona. She hadn’t changed clothes yet, so hopefully you remember how Lena described her outfit.

Look, do you mind if I skip the recap from them filling in Shirona and showing her the images? Because, honestly, repeating it is annoying. Just remember what we already said and add in an angry redhead cussing up a storm with each revelation.

I don’t care if you mind. I’m skipping it anyway.

And Mipha continued her artistry, but let’s get back to that in a moment.

“You seem to be a lot more foul-mouthed than I expected, Sergeant Hudson” Shirona deadpanned.

“This entire mission has been odd since the beginning,” the redhead said. “We were pulled off leave and ordered to spy on you.”

Shirona glanced to me and then back to her. “We have reasons to suspect the Defense Department of multiple illegal acts. I am not certain I can trust you.”

“Can I trust you?” the Sergeant countered. “We’re one election away from a dictatorship because of your League’s interference.”

“President Obama asked us to investigate. And we cleared him of all wrongdoing. It’s not our fault your Congress leapt on the opportunity to throw him out of office and go on a witch hunt.” The Japanese woman rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Both of our houses are filthy.” Then, she lowered her hand and extended it to the marine. “Help us clean up our house, and we’ll help you clean up your own?”

“Deal,” the redhead said, taking Shirona’s hand. “My unit will keep the Lieutenant distracted.”

“Chris, change of plans. Take the Sergeant, Cyane, and your alien friend with you. Run down what you can on April Joy with the criminal elements,” Shirona ordered. “I’ll handle Lillie and the Aether Foundation.”

Chris opened his mouth, then closed it at a look from Shirona and nodded.

“I’m going to get some coffee and give some orders,” the Sergeant said.

“And I need to give someone a lecture about operational security,” Shirona said darkly while glaring at Chris.

Shirona waited while the marine trudged out of the room, then closed the door and rounded on Chris. “What in the name of Arceus were you thinking? Do you know how much danger you put all of us in with this stunt?”

“I-” Chris began.

“I don’t want your excuses. I want you to find an operational brain cell and use it.” Shirona rubbed the bridge of her nose then. “Did it ever occur to you my plan was to protect us from betrayal? Not even the Marine Corps is immune to corruption.” Then she lowered her hand and stared right into his eyes. “And you both bring an alien into the fold and tell a marine about it. I could have salvaged the plan with the alien factor. But now I can’t and we have to pray her squad is trustworthy.”

“They were trustworthy while dying to defend you,” Mipha muttered petulantly.

Shirona’s head jerked to stare wide-eyed at the Hylian woman. The Asian apocalypse then glanced back to Chris with narrow eyes. “How many times have you lived this set of events?”

“This is my second time through,” Chris answered.

“Next time you need to alter events, warn me by saying ‘omnia tempus mutat’ or ‘tempus fugit.’” Then her eyes shifted to the door as it opened, the redhead escorting a man in yellow penis-pattern armor inside at gunpoint. “And it’s time for another lesson, it appears.”

I’m going to let Chris retake the narrative now. He can’t lie like he did the last time.

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Chris Hatter

Gee. Thanks. Because I want everyone to know what I can really do. So kind of you.

I took a step back as I saw the Sergeant enter with the Lieutenant at gunpoint. I could also see a second gun, which she tossed toward Shirona. It didn’t take any level of genius to figure out what was like to happen next.

“I caught him in the hallway. He was trying to contact Pearl Harbor. Wanted soldiers to come out and arrest you,” the Sergeant said.

“You’re harboring terrorists!” the Lieutenant spat.

Shirona stared at him silently for a moment. When she finally spoke, it was in a quiet tone that sent chills down my spine. “Chris. Mipha. Grab Zekintha and wait in the lobby.”

About four hours later, we were still in the lobby. Mipha was putting the finishing touches on Zekintha’s paintjob while the ralts napped on her lap. Kotone and Lena were also in the room, with Lena talking excitedly to a somewhat-portly man I assumed to be the hotel’s owner and Kotone designing a pokeball on her holo caster.

“… and as the Morrowitz Theorem dictates, more customers will be attracted by the resulting change in atmosphere and you will be able to raise your prices without any complaint,” Lena finished.

The man looked at me and I shrugged. She lost me halfway through the equations and I’m still confused as to how the price of tea in China and French rain patterns factor in.

The man looked back to Lena. “Could you explain again how paying my employees thirty percent more means double the profits?”

Lena opened her mouth, only to be preempted by Kotone. “Kitten, I think the economic theories are too advanced for this situation. And we need to find you lighter reading material.” The masked Japanese woman looked at Lena. “But what does all of that have to do with installing a trap door and sealing off part of the basement?”

“Operation Dumbo Drop,” Lena replied.

Well, shit. I wish she’d run this by me first.

“Ah.” Kotone then looked to the man. “We’ll pay double the rate and cover all construction costs.”

“Deal,” the man said. He immediately scurried off elsewhere into the hotel, possibly to avoid any further economics lessons from Lena.

“Aw! You ruined-” Lena’s mouth dropped open and she suddenly turned pale.

Lena wasn’t the only one to react. Kotone looked to the ceiling and sighed. Zekintha nearly leapt off Mipha’s lap and I jerked as I felt it. Even Mipha reacted, jerking as though about to hide before stopping and looking at the ceiling. It might just be a telepathy thing, but when a human dies violently you can feel it.

Tears began to slowly drip from Lena’s eyes. Kotone stood and walked over to the girl, hugging her close and murmuring soft platitudes as she stroked Lena’s back. A wetness soaking through my shirt caused me to look down and see Zekintha pressed up against me, with my arm wrapped around her; I didn’t even realize I had done it. And then Mipha leaned against me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

For a few minutes nobody uttered a sound beyond Kotone’s soft murmurings and the quiet sobs that came from Lena.

Shirona came down the stairs into the lobby, looking weary. But as soon as she saw Lena, she rushed over and embraced the girl and her wife, holding both and joining in the soft murmurings. And the three just stood there like that while Lena’s crying quieted.

They are in a relationship? Mipha asked telepathically.

Yes, I answered. Lena is their lesbian lover.

Mipha rested her head on my shoulder. And the other two?

I didn’t ask. My eyes shifted towards her. None of my business.

Mipha nodded, seeming satisfied for now. And strangely more relaxed. She relaxed even further and cuddled into my side when I wrapped my free arm around her.

Spoiler: Author's Note

I had intended this to be longer, but that last paragraph was just too perfect a spot to stop.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Interlude: Villainous Teams​

Excerpt: United Nations Special Crime Report July 2016, Pokemon Chapter

This is a detailed accounting of all known world-affecting pokemon-centric criminal organizations to have appeared over the years, limited primarily to organizations which have had still-mounting impact upon the world through their actions.

Team Rocket
Leader: Sakaki Suzuoki (former), Apollo (former)
Second-in-command: Apollo (former), Athena (former)
Status: Disbanded​

An otherwise-unnotable yakuza group, Team Rocket's combination of being led by a Gym Leader, sheer audacity in use of costumes and overly-dramatic slogans, and nearly-unmatched tenacity made them a nearly-insurmountable criminal power in the regions of Johto and Kanto. Their usage of costumes made them nearly impossible to prosecute, in large part due to how unbelievable any report of their activities were, and serves as the blueprint for many criminal organizations to follow. Even much of their organizational structure would be copied by groups to follow.

In the end, the sheer difficulty of countering them led to the Trainers being forced to take up the mantle, with Red and Green leading the way and later successfully forcing the organization to disband. The organization would be later refounded by an admin going by the codename Apollo, before being forcibly disbanded a second time by the Murai siblings. Less than one tenth of the organization was ever arrested, with the only member of leadership ending up behind bars being Suzuoki himself. None of the organizations funds were ever recovered, and it's believed that the financial administrator, codename Athena, stole the funds and fled to America. A woman matching her general description was seen a few times in Farm Central around 2011, but a lack of warrant for her arrest or interest in further investigating the group prevented any confirmation of this.

At current, there is no active warrant for any former member of this organization and ninety percent of the former membership is believed to have since settled down in legal professions. As such, there is no active interest in reopening any investigation into this group.

This group's primary impact upon the world is its role in development of Project Psybomb and unwittingly bringing to light the various offenses of Silph Co. Originally believed to have been the primary people responsible for creating Mewtwo, investigation following their invasion of Silph Co. revealed that Team Rocket were subcontractors of the corporation on the project and to be the ones to give Mew to the criminal organization. It is still unknown who hired Silph Co. to create Mewtwo, as the majority of Team Rocket's scientists and research data was destroyed when Mewtwo escaped their lab, Mewtwo is unwilling to talk with humans, and Mew has not been seen by humans since.

Team Aqua
Leader: Admiral Archibald Schemmel (former), Pirate Queen Shelly Hudson (current)
Second-in-command: Captain Shelly Hudson (former), Captain Haruka Kosugi (current)
Status: Active; current leadership of the pirate fleets of the South China Sea​

Originally a pokemon rights organization, this group rebranded themselves as Team Aqua following the initial arrest of Suzuoki due to being ignored. The group continued to be ignored, despite viewing pokemon as on the verge of an apocalyptic extinction event, and eventually turned to drastic action in their efforts to save pokemon. This led to them unleashing Kyogre upon the world, upsetting much of Earth's natural weather balance in the process. The group was later convinced to make amends by the Kosugi siblings.

Notably, a disagreement between Schemmel and the rest of Team Aqua saw him removed from leadership and Shelly Hudson installed as the new Admiral. Hudson quickly distinguished herself, both in her generosity to the poor and in her daring raids upon merchant fleets and shipping of companies she found out were guilty of illicit activity. She ascended to leadership of the various pirate groups of the South China Sea and all of the West Pacific through a daring raid on American naval forces during the leadership chaos following the Plasma War, seeing her successfully steal an aircraft carrier and four nuclear attack submarines. Hudson rebranded herself as the Pirate Queen following this, declaring her dominion to be the South China Sea; to date, none have successfully dislodged her from either position.

Team Aqua currently makes up one fifth of the pirates operating in the West Pacific and South China Sea, and including all of the supporting pirate fleets is the fifth-largest navy on the planet. This group is heavily armed, both with military aircraft and vessels, and is the only known criminal organization to possess tactical nuclear weapons.

It is unknown how they resupply and refuel their stolen military equipment, but many within the League suspect clandestine American support; this is supported both by how American forces refuse to engage the organization and how American vessels have been spotted delivering military-marked cargo to Team Aqua ports. Team Aqua seems to keep pirate activity from targeting American vessels, but heavily targets vessels of nations currently in political disharmony with the United States.

Team Magma
Leader: Matsubusa Sasaki
Second-in-command: Kagari Fukuen
Status: Active; part of the pirate groups in the South China Sea​

Currently believed to be an offshoot of Team Aqua, Team Magma's history is very similar to its sister organization. Notably, it focused on Groudon instead of Kyogre and did not have the same leadership change.

Though not as brazen or heavily armed as Team Aqua, Team Magma supports the Pirate Queen with an unending loyalty. The organization is currently second only to Team Aqua in number of pirate ships, and helps enforce the Pirate Queen's dictates on land within her territories.

Team Galactic
Leader: Akagi Miyake (former), Pluto (former), Saturn (former)
Second-in-command: Pluto (former), Saturn (former)
Status: Destroyed​

See: Homeworld Security Act History Summary

Following nearly angering a god and getting our world destroyed, Team Galactic was hunted by Interpol and Japanese Self Defense Force soldiers. The team evaded arrest for a period of time, before Shirona Karashina negotiated a special settlement between Michiko Nishimura, formerly known as Jupiter, and Interpol. Nishimura served one year of prison time in exchange for giving Interpol everything necessary to arrest the majority of the organization, with a set of raids conducted on Team Galactic safehouses across Sinnoh. In the following year, every single member arrested during those raids was sentenced to death by the International Court and subsequently executed.

At current, only three former members of the organization remain alive:
1. Akagi Miyake in Distortion World
2. Michiko Nishimura who served her sentence and is currently a Pokemon Ranger and recently received a Nobel Prize for her dedication to saving lives
3. Dr. Rie Kitahara, who rumors persist is in Shirona Karashina's custody

At current, Miyake and Dr. Kitahara both face death sentences if they are ever successfully arrested.

Team Plasma
Leader: Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius (former), Colress James (former), Natural Harmonia Gropius (former figurehead; currently leads splinter group)
Second-in-command: Uncertain
Status: Main group destroyed, splinter group active​

See: Recent Political History, United States of America, Plasma War
See: Recent Political History, Pokemon League, Disbandment of the Unova League
See: Recent Political History, United States of America, Great Politics Purge
See: Recent Political History, United States of America, All American Party
See: Recent Political History, United States of America, Military Leadership Purge
See: Recent Pokemon League History, Investigations, President Barack Obama
See: Recent Pokemon League History, Investigations, Plasma War Military Leadership
See: Recent Political History, United States of America, United States-League Political Divide

Please forgive our usage of this language, but all reviewers and editors have agreed there is no other appropriate phrase in English that quite sums it up with the same level of impact.

The Plasma War is where the shit hit the fan for the United States. The conflict is summarized in other reports; by general agreement, we will not recount the fifty plus pages of information here.

In the aftermath of the extremely-controversial lack of deployment of soldiers to support Trainers in the conflict, and resulting devastation and collapse of the Unova League as well as the destruction of United Nations headquarters, followed the most devastating non-lethal political and military leadership purge in human history. Nearly every prominent politician of both political parties, from the President down to unelected members who were simply very vocal, found themselves in prison. While the President would later be cleared by an ongoing League investigation, that same investigation was used as justification to remove him from office and imprison him before it was completed; no other investigation was successfully completed by the League, and the League found fault with the incoming leadership for loss of evidence resulting from their hasty trials of politicians and dismissals of military leadership.

The exact reasons why the military was not deployed are unknown, and lost in the chaos of the ongoing conflict and the trials that came after. But it is known there was a conflict between the President and Congress over deployment of troops, and ultimately Congress managed to prevent it by defunding the Defense Department temporarily. Exactly why is unknown. But it is known that the politicians were not expecting mass graves of American children to be found in the aftermath, many of which were Trainers still starting their journeys; the resulting public outrage is what fueled the purges and, many suspect, subsequent murders of any politician who was later found innocent upon repeal.

The further aftermath of the political situation, including whether or not the All American Party represents a collapse of democracy in the United States, is discussed elsewhere.

At current, it is known both the political and military leadership of the United States comply with supporting the League only because of the Homeworld Security Act. The upper echelons of political power and military leadership are currently not on speaking terms with League officials, and many League officials hold similar attitudes towards the American leaderships. The League has stated that if it were not for the Thunder Shock technology, they would recommend cutting ties with the United States and closing all Leagues within the nation.

The surviving splinter group of Team Plasma, led by N, is currently helping Unova rebuild, and is quickly growing as a political power within the nation as a result. In time, what started as a terrorist organization may end up being a source of stability and hope for the nation.

One lingering piece of technology from the Plasma War is the Genesect; exactly how the pokemon was created is unknown, since several pieces of technology integrated into the creature's cybernetics do not match any known technology on Earth. While this technology can be replicated, how it works remains a mystery.

Team Flare
Leader: Lysandre
Second-in-command: Malva
Status: Destroyed​

See: Advanced Ancient Weapons, Infinity Weapon
See: Recent Discoveries, Infinity Energy

Team Flare was a group of scientists and business people who advertised they were out to make the world a better place. Some of their devices succeeded in this, such as the holo caster and similar communication technologies; many of these technologies are still in use, albeit not with the same level of sophistication as the Team Flare versions. Those who joined the organization were told Team Flare was going to remake the world in their image while deriving massive profits from the venture. But only the inner circle of scientists knew genocide was to be the method.

Exactly how Lysandre found the Infinity Weapon is unknown, since Team Flare destroyed all of their information related to it and he committed suicide prior to the organization's arrest. How the weapon works is also a complete mystery; in addition to destroying their data, Team Flare also removed and presumably destroyed numerous components of the device. Attempts to recreate the missing components have all failed. All that is known for certain is that powerful pokemon are key to using the device, and the planned genocide of Kalos was just a test-run for wider devastation across the entire planet.

Serena and Kalem reported the Infinity Weapon was invented by an immortal named A.Z., but no sign of such a person has been found and no one matching his physical description has been sighted. It is currently concluded this was likely a psychic trick performed by Team Flare to help distort the origin of the device, and thus further hinder attempts to replicate or counter it.

But despite Team Flare's hopes, they were ultimately stopped by French police and Interpol led by Serena and Kalem. But just as the raid upon them started, Team Flare deactivated the holo casters and used psychic tricks to sew confusion within Trainer and law enforcement forces. This allowed them the extra time they needed for the destruction of data and components, and for certain members to flee capture. But in the end the vast majority of the organization was captured.

Descriptions during the International Court trials matched those typical of a cult of personality, with several psychologists testifying the inner circle of scientists showed signs of heavy brainwashing. Despite this, the entire organization was sentenced to death and all captured members executed.

To date, only Malva, Cyane, and Brasenie remain at large. Malva was formerly of the Kalos League and served to inform the group about investigations into them; she is currently believed to be in Somalia or the South China Sea. Cyane, Team Flare's computer hardware expert, and Brasenie, the organization's software expert, are both rumored to be in Shirona Karashina's custody; this rumor is generally discredited, since Mrs. Karashina was never in France at any point during these events and the pair had no way of contacting or meeting her.

 

[Misfit Angel]

Hello! Secret Santa here. Apologies for it being somewhat late, it's been a busy season for me. Now, before I begin, I should clarify that this isn't really my type of story. I prefer things more laid back and relaxed, specifically with characters that aren't rough and tough psychopathic swear machines. But, in the spirit of giving, I'll try my best to point out the positives. Fair warning, this is going to be a mess but I'll try to streamline it some.

First, your rough and tough psychopathic swear machines: there were quite a few instances in the first chapter alone where the excessive tough guy personas of both Lena and Chris got a smile or a laugh out of me. The manufactured style in which they speak with each other (rather than it feeling natural) was a surprising delight, as they always knew how to perfectly one up each other.

Speaking of those two, I was totally lost when they started blowing each other up with psychic powers in the first chapter. It came out of nowhere, with no explanation until after their sparring match was over. I think it would serve the chapter well for Chris to mention the fact that she's a super powerful psychic as he's approaching her for their sparring match.

That said, I loved the description in your fight choreography. This is clearly your strength and I hope you continue working at it. I could visually imagine everything as you described it without having to sit back and think about what I was seeing. There's a lot of somatic movements that I can easily picture, something I don't typically see in other writing that attempts to do the same.

But that's part of what made this story difficult for me personally to read. A lot of the action, while well written, feels like it's there for the sake of mimicking the typical shonen anime. Take for example the introduction of Shirona and Kotone -- for seemingly no reason at all, Chris breaks out in a feat of gymnastics and starts raining down a volley of energy blasts on them that they barely even notice, going as far as mocking his display of power as a waste of effort -- in classic overconfident anime villain style. It just felt so out of place, but maybe that's what this story is meant to be, a shonen work. If that is the case, you've certainly succeeded with that scene.

And then we get to the... strange relationship that Lena shares with Shirona and Kotone. I'm not unfamiliar with these arrangements, but it strikes me as odd nevertheless, mostly because I can't quite pinpoint what the underlying desire is. What I see is an older couple taking advantage of a younger woman, taking her in as their third wheel. They seem to love humiliating and mocking her, and I can't tell if that's some sort of kink aspect. They're clearly objectifying Lena to the point where she's been stripped of her clothes and forced to scrub the floors of a strip club (at least, that's what it seemed like, at first glance).

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying that this is immoral and shouldn't be written, but the way it's introduced leaves too many questions as to what's really going on. Intrigue is important for keeping a reader's interest, especially in a serial environment such as fanfic, but I'm less intrigued by the circumstances and more confused. I'm also happy to see that you're actually attempting to bring stuff like this into your writing; a lot of people shy away from non-traditional relationship models in fanfiction, and I can appreciate the courage to go through with it.

The long term plot interests me. There's something epic bubbling in the background; the military, the frequent mentions of past adventures (which I'm guessing is based on the pokemon manga), the training and the super powers -- but the first two chapters felt so oddly disconnected from it all and really soured the reading for me. This story seems to be trying to tell two stories at once: there's something big coming, something that threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands, potentially millions... and then there's two goofy kids sniping at each other both verbally and physically while this odd relationship is built up in a comedic way.

Both plotlines, when separated from each other, have great potential to be their own separate stories, with the former being an interesting and grim epic and the latter being a funny and light hearted comedy. But together... it can work, but it'd have to be done very carefully and in a balanced way. Maybe I didn't read enough to see that it's shaping up in that way, but, as I said, this really isn't my kind of story.

Despite it not landing for me as well as it could, I do hope you continue this story. I can tell that this is a passion project, and those are the most important stories that writers can work on. Your description is beautiful and your ability to imagine these high stakes, high power scenarios is above average. If you do continue to work on honing your skills and adopt a different premise, I can actually see you being published some day!

Anyways, I hope this wasn't too disappointing of a review considering how late it came in compared to other secret santa reviews.

 

[Ereshkigal]

But that's part of what made this story difficult for me personally to read. A lot of the action, while well written, feels like it's there for the sake of mimicking the typical shonen anime. Take for example the introduction of Shirona and Kotone -- for seemingly no reason at all, Chris breaks out in a feat of gymnastics and starts raining down a volley of energy blasts on them that they barely even notice, going as far as mocking his display of power as a waste of effort -- in classic overconfident anime villain style. It just felt so out of place, but maybe that's what this story is meant to be, a shonen work. If that is the case, you've certainly succeeded with that scene.

I will admit their early fighting scenes are meant to replicate shonen anime, but it's meant to be reflective of how Lena and Chris lack experience. They start blowing away with their power right off the bat, with no concern about collateral damage or even effectiveness, rather than a more conservative and ultimately more effective method of fighting. I plan to, as the story progresses and they experience actual danger, have their fighting morph from over-the-top to practical.

And the story itself is based primarily on the video games, with the anime worked in sometimes as well. Plus, anyone paying attention in Chapter 5 is likely building a list of video games that were a direct influence...

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying that this is immoral and shouldn't be written, but the way it's introduced leaves too many questions as to what's really going on. Intrigue is important for keeping a reader's interest, especially in a serial environment such as fanfic, but I'm less intrigued by the circumstances and more confused. I'm also happy to see that you're actually attempting to bring stuff like this into your writing; a lot of people shy away from non-traditional relationship models in fanfiction, and I can appreciate the courage to go through with it.

The story isn't about world-shaking events. Yes, those will come around, but they're not the focus. It's about the Journey that Chris and Lena take from adolescence to adulthood and the decisions they make that inform the people they will become. It's basically a Journey Fic with a very nonstandard plot; they're actually just beginning a gym trial and don't even know it. By the time they leave Alola, Chris and Lena will have earned two Farm Center Gym Badges. Shirona is a very nonstandard Gym Leader and few Trainers attempt her trial.

Lena's trying to distract the reader from noticing the school called Shirona instead of her parents or that no mention of contacting Lena's parents is made at all. So she intentionally presents the relationship in a way that draws attention away from that detail.

The rest of the relationship... Well, let's just say that Chapter 4 hints a lot towards their dynamic. Lena is not a passive partner in the relationship, despite how much she likes to set herself up as such.

Also, the nudity thing is pretty much purely Lena's idea. From Lena's perspective, she went to sleep one night while 12 and awoke from a bad nightmare to find herself 16. She suddenly found herself having to figure out a lot of things about herself quite rapidly. And there's one thing Shirona did early on in their relationship that was very helpful to Lena's growth as a person, but had the side-effect of completely erasing any discomfort Lena had with nudity...

Both plotlines, when separated from each other, have great potential to be their own separate stories, with the former being an interesting and grim epic and the latter being a funny and light hearted comedy. But together... it can work, but it'd have to be done very carefully and in a balanced way. Maybe I didn't read enough to see that it's shaping up in that way, but, as I said, this really isn't my kind of story.

If you do read further, can I suggest watching how Shirona treats it? It helps to keep in mind that Chris and Lena are, to a degree, still children. Their youth is already playing a major part in how the story is told.

Despite it not landing for me as well as it could, I do hope you continue this story. I can tell that this is a passion project, and those are the most important stories that writers can work on. Your description is beautiful and your ability to imagine these high stakes, high power scenarios is above average. If you do continue to work on honing your skills and adopt a different premise, I can actually see you being published some day!

Anyways, I hope this wasn't too disappointing of a review considering how late it came in compared to other secret santa reviews.

It's not disappointing at all! I admit I'm using this primarily to refine my description abilities.

 

[Ereshkigal]

Interlude: Psychic Powers and Physics​

Excerpt: Trainer's Guide to Psychics, 2015 Edition

As most people are aware, psychics exist and are relatively common; approximately one out of every ten people has some form of psychic ability. Many incorrectly view these powers as being supernatural in nature, as though they are some kind of magic that can do anything the user puts their mind to.

Thanks to the Bekele-Einstein Theorem, it is now understood that psychic abilities are not at all supernatural, but instead are highly regulated by the laws of physics and have a complex way in which they interact with our world. The Wu Equation further refines this, creating both the currently-used categorization system and theorizing the max strength of human-utilized psychic powers. It is these two scientific achievements that have allowed for technological replication of psychic powers, such as teleporters and forcefield systems; however, current limits on materials, processing power, and electricity generation serve to prevent such technologies from becoming widespread.

It is unknown exactly how humans became psychic, but current scientific theory is that there is some as-yet unexplained connection between humanity and Mew; except for chronokinesis, all human psychic powers have the same energy signature as that of Mew. This theory is further backed by the awakening rate of Araki-tier psychics; prior to 1996 they awoke at a steady rate of one in one billion, while from 1996 on they have awoken at a steady rate of ten every year. 1996 is also the confirmed birth year of Mewtwo, Mew's weaponized clone.

Chronokinesis is an exception that is currently impossible to study, since there is only one known psychic with the ability and she is currently wanted for mass murder. Celebi is theorized to be the source of this ability but studying Celebi is impossible due both to that pokemon's nature and Celebi being in the hands of the only known chronokinetic. While the Wu Equation codifies chronokinesis as an Araki-only power that can only rewind time a few hours, the only known chronokinetic tested negative for psychic powers prior to using chronokinesis and has demonstrated temporal manipulation far beyond anything believed to be within the capacity of humans; it is unknown how many of her actions are due to inherent abilities and how many are due to enhancement of her abilities by Celebi. It is known that overuse of chronokinesis will strain the fabric of space-time and result in a disaster that kills hundreds; it is unknown if the chronokinetic caused this deliberately or if this was a very tragic accident.

Following the Great Psychic Fraud of the 1970s, all psychics are required by the Psychic Powers Treaty to register with the United Nations Bureau of Psychic Affairs and to have their powers tested and ranked. While there are no penalties for not registering, registration serves to allow psychics easy access to special facilities designed with psychic powers in mind and serves as a form of fraud protection.

It is currently unknown why more Araki-tier psychics awaken in Japan, the United States, and the Ukraine. Scientific theories related to radiation exposure have proven inconclusive, with studies producing results both showing an increase in psychic potential and a decrease in psychic potential in equal numbers. Theories that these are places Mew favors do not hold up due to a lack of data and a lack of psychic activity increase in France since Mewtwo arriving there. But one hundred fifty Araki-tier psychics have awakened in those three nations combined.

Tiers of Psychic Power​

Each tier of psychic power represents a range of strengths, rather than a set power level. This is due in part to the fact human psychic capacity and skill vary massively, even within people of approximately the same level of power. As such, the tiers serve as an approximation of power, rather than a set measurement.

The following are the official tiers of psychic power, arranged from the weakest to the strongest.

Tier 0: Pseudopsychic- Not true psychics, but people with some kind of psychic sensitivity. Pseudopsychics have no known psychic powers. Ninety percent of nonpsychics are part of this tier. No registration is required.

Tier 1: Jillette- The weakest of true psychics. Nearly all Jillette-tier powers are within the range of what can also be accomplished by stage magicians with no psychic powers. This makes it difficult to convince most Jillette-tier psychics that they are psychics, and as such most remain unregistered.

Tier 2: Nguyen- The lowest tier at which all major psychic powers can be easily measured. The majority of psychic powers at this level are on-par with mid-range consumer-grade electronics as far as capability, but still exceed what can be accomplished with stage magic.

Tier 3: Murabi- The lowest tier of psychics capable of using psychic-based Trainer Abilities. Sometimes called “tactical psychics,” psychics of this tier are capable of utilizing psychic and ghost pokemon to further enhance their psychic capabilities and are the lowest tier most militaries will accept.

Tier 4: Sugiyama- Often called “combat psychics,” psychics of this tier are the lowest power level capable of directly using their abilities for intentional damage. This is the level at which telekinetics may hurl damaging kinetic blasts, empaths may use their control over emotions to cripple opponents, and telepaths may directly destroy the nervous system of their opponents. It is also at this level that abilities like teleportation become within reach of humans.

Tier 5: Jackson- Psychics of this tier reach power levels that begin to exceed what technology can successfully counter; high-power Jackson-tier psychics are beyond what low-end consumer-grade psychic protection can successfully suppress. This is the highest tier of psychics accepted for military service in most nations.

Tier 6: Khatri- Psychics at this tier quickly become harder to psychically suppress the more powerful they are. In addition, psychics of this tier also are capable of making manifestations of their innate psychic talent, such as weapons or seemingly-living entities of pure emotion, to aid them in combat.

Tier 7: Araki- The most powerful tier. Araki-tier psychics approach powerful pokemon in terms of psychic power and can do things that seem, to the uneducated, to defy or warp the laws of physics. They are beyond what technology can suppress, and some of them require specially-designed facilities to even function at a human level. There are several rare psychic powers that only exist at this tier, such as chronokinesis. A total of 205 Araki-tier psychics have been registered as of December 31, 2015. Notably, many higher-end Araki psychics have multiple primary psychic abilities, further adding to their already-excessive capabilities.

Major Psychic Powers​

All psychics have at least one special talent they are more proficient in, such as telepathy or telekinesis. But with training, psychics can use abilities from many talents, though none to the strength of their primary talent.

Detailing the full list of psychic abilities would be impractical at best. Many of them are specializations of a major psychic power; pyrokinetics are specialized telekinetics who can only affect fire and heat with their powers. The following list is therefore only the most common, or major, psychic talents.

Empathy- Perhaps the most dangerous of abilities, empathy is like telepathy in that it is purely focused on the mind. Unlike telepathy, empathy is focused entirely on emotions. Empaths are noted that they can also manipulate emotions, shifting a target’s emotional state in any way they wish, or even weaponize emotions; Khatri-tier empaths have been observed firing off psychic blasts made of pure emotion, causing those they fight to break down in tears or even commit suicide on the spot with blasts of depression, causing people to literally laugh themselves to death with blasts of humor, and even using swords made purely of the sensation of pain to cause their targets to scream in pure agony before a blast of pure fear sends the targets fleeing. Notably, modern protections against telepathy do not block empathy, as found out in certain recent political assassinations. This is also a power that cannot be deactivated; Araki-tier empaths are legally disabled due to the crippling effect this power has upon them.

Necromancy- Primarily related to communicating with the dead, necromancy is the standard ability for most mediums. Mediums sense, speak with, rebuke, summon, and can be voluntarily possessed by ghosts and ghost-types. Most mediums find use of their power in funeral homes and cemeteries, comforting the dead and encouraging them to pass on rather than remain. Whether or not ghosts are some kind of energy echo or actual souls is up for debate, but what is not debatable is how dangerous they can be when directed to attack someone.

Precognition- The ability to see the future, anywhere from sudden impulses to act unusually to outright dreams of several hours of events. Despite the general viewpoint this particular ability cannot be directly used offensively, precogs have the ability to psychically harm or even torture someone with feeling pain yet to come over and over again or to repeatedly experience horrifically-painful deaths until that person breaks or goes insane. Precognition has the limitation in that events it predicts come from only the most likely timeline, and thus are not necessarily the events that will actually happen. This is also a power which cannot be turned off, and Araki-tire precogs are legally disabled due to the sheer crippling effect constantly living in the future has upon their sanity.

Psychometry- The ability to gain information on emotions or events from objects. This power is often always on, forcing some psychics to wear gloves all the time for their own sanity. Notably, this is the only psychic power with not recorded deaths associated with its use.

Telekinesis- The ability to move objects or people with the mind. Telekinetics can also teleport and throw blasts of kinetic energy, sometimes far stronger than anything the human body can withstand. A few even use the ability to crush something or rip it apart. This ability is also used by some psychics to approximate flight, though limited entirely by their strength as a psychic.

Telepathy- The ability to read minds and communicate mind-to-mind. Unlike empathy, which focuses entirely on emotions, telepathy focuses on thoughts and images. Telepaths can read thoughts, send thoughts and images, and even attempt a limited form of mind control by directly controlling another person’s body through their mind or using projected illusions to change a person’s actions. High-powered telepaths can even send telepathic attacks, directly assaulting another being’s brain with the intent of burning out the neurons to cause brain damage or even death.

There are numerous other abilities beyond those listed; these are just the most common and most likely to be encountered by Trainers. Trainers are encouraged to research psychic powers at length, so they have some idea of what they are facing at all times.

Spoiler: ”Classified Information”

There is also another type of human psychic: Humans with Psychic pokemon powers.

Many different possibilities exist as to how this comes to be. Often, it’s related to trauma; a survivor of an assault by a Psychic type with Psychic potential can manifest the abilities of a Psychic-type pokemon instead of human psychic powers. Those who manifest via trauma end up with a psychic signature that matches the pokemon which assaulted them rather than matching Mew as normal, though how this is possible is still under investigation. Other manifestations also exist, and are under investigation.

Trainers are advised to keep Dark types on hand at all times.