“Is it done yet?” came the voice of his employer, growling in anxiousness and annoyance, from the shadowy corner of the dim lit room. So dark was his seat that it was doubtful that even most nocturnal Pokegirls would be able to make out the features of of the figure, other then perhaps that it was a male that sat there. All other features were hidden, making it impossible to tell just who was glaring down from that shadowy corner.
“No, it isn't done yet!” he growled in return to the obscured figure, glaring over at him in anger. The furious man was clad in a dark robe, obscuring his features just as much as the shadows did the other. Papers filled with magical runes and words originating from at least seven other languages littered the ground around him, all laid about before the large, glowing circle that throbbed with power before his feet. “You know for a fact that these spells are delicate procedures! A single wrong word, a single component out of place, and I could blow us up with more force than a damn Bombshell! Do you really want that to happen before you are able to get your revenge?!”
“Fine, fine!” The employer responded with a frustrated grunt, crossing his arms with such a furious motion it made him almost appear like a child that hadn’t gotten his way. He was anxious, the mage could tell, but what he had told the shadowy figure was fact. While a good deal of magic was simply gathering energy and focusing it towards the desired form; the magic he was attempting wasn't only a great deal more difficult, but was in a branch of magic that wasn't often employed in this fashion. It left a lot of guesswork on the mages part which slowed down the speed of his work even more. “Besides,” the spellcaster said, turning back to gauge the magic flowing through the markings before him, red with energy. “We don't even know if this is the right spell to fit our needs. The others were lacking in both control and power, if you'll remember.”
“Yes, brother, I know...” The shadow stated, the tone flat and uninterested, causing the magic user to raise an eyebrow. Rarely, if ever, did his employer reference their familial relations. He detested the magic user, working with him only because he needed the power and abilities that the mage offered. Outside of their dealings, the shadow had been adamant in stating he was an only child to anyone who would listen. “And the ones before that weren't even the right kind of spells!”
“I told you from the beginning that it would be like that!” the mage snapped, his patience wearing thin with his brother. It wasn't as if he was already risking possible injury messing with these spells, oh no, but his sibling had to complain about it as well! “If you wanted me to just throw a fireball at your enemies, we could be done with this ages ago. But no! You have to be all secretive and complicated like some kind of evil mastermind!”
“I want no ties of this to be traced back to me!” the shadow retorted with a raised voice before visibly restraining his emotions, a deep breath escaping him. With a step, the mages sibling came closer to the magic circle, his sharp face lit up by the light from the concentrated energies to make him look deathly serious to the younger brothers eye. The way the light hit him made his elder brother look quite villainous indeed, jet black hair that went down to his shoulders that blended into the inky blackness behind him, a near permanent sneer on his face. He'd be right at home in a horror novel. “I want my revenge, but I must do it without retaliation from the government. They'll already have me high on their suspect list when our deed is done, and I need to ensure there is nothing left that will convince them that I was the cause of it all.”
“And you'll get it. But only with time. We need the proper spell to do this job and we lack that almost in its entirety.” the mage said, his eyes meeting his employers. There was some hope from the magic user that his brother could see the dedication to finish this job, but the realities of the situation needed to be faced. “And even when we find the right one to fit our needs, we'll need to modify it, to change it to suit our purposes. You call for stealth, so you must wait for the right time to strike.”
The brothers kept their gaze locked for a few moments, before the elder of the two nodded, slipping back into the darkness once more. “You're right, you're right. I can't let my own desires get in the way of what must be done. Tell me, if this spell fails, what are the chances that the next one will be more in line with what will fit our needs?”
“Better, to say the least. We're in the right school of magic now, the problem is finding the right components and procedure. It should be a simple matter of trail and error.” the mage answered, glad that his employer was able to calm himself. It was that temper that had caused this entire mess in the first place, going as far as to make a spectacle of the entire ordeal. But his brother had learned his lesson well from that, and while some forceful reminding was needed once in a while, the elder of the two would try his best to ensure that he was never made subject to anyone's laws again.
“Good!” His brother said from his shadowy position once more, though the mage could tell that he was smiling. “Go as fast as you can without blowing us up, then, brother. Revenge may be a dish best severed cold, but I'd like to be able to eat it while I still have teeth.”
The mage simply nodded to his brother, his full attention moving to the magic circle before him as the power begin to build. The magics had finally began to meld together and it now required him to focus entirely on it. Muttering a few words, the spellcaster pushed his power forward. The circle hummed, energies swirling together before culminating into a bright light that blinded them both.
~oOo~
Waking up has never been easy for Austin. He always considered it a direct counterbalance to the fact that he had some of the worst cases of insomnia around, often staying awake till the wee hours of the morning until his exhaustion finally wore him down enough to fall asleep. This often left him not rising from his bed until roughly half way though the afternoon. He could take care of it, sure, and have a better sleep schedule, but it never really bothered him that much to be awake when most were asleep. The young man had also made several friends of like minds and sleep schedules, and it would make spending time with them a bit harder if he started to sleep normally. So when he found himself waking up with the cold air and the first light of the dawn, Austin was less than pleased.
Grumbling a bit in annoyance, the young male opened his eyes only to freeze. Instead of being greeted by the blue and white walls of his small bedroom, one of which he had lived in for at least the better half of a decade, he was instead surrounded by the tall, dominate sight of a redwood forest. White hot panic ran through his chest, shocking any remaining exhaustion out of his system. He moved slowly, green eyes roaming around the area he woke up in, trying to figure out just what happened. He paused in his analysis of his surroundings only once, realizing he was fully dressed in his traditional black shirt and sweats, his work shoes about his feet. Worry about that later, figure out where I am now. He told himself.
It was a small circular clearing that he found himself in, it's edges lined with bushes that obscured the roots of the nearby trees. Austin himself was in the center of the open area, resting in the middle of a stump, all that was left of the great redwood that had once claimed the spot. On the inside of the stump were odd markings, symbols that the young man didn't recognize carved directly into the wood, done in a perfect circle around him like something out of a cheesy horror movie.
Of course, a summoning circle from those movies would explain why I'm suddenly on the other side of the continent.He thought, the young man discarding the thought immediately afterward. It wasn't exactly normal for him to have such thoughts, but his otherwise logical mind was hard pressed to think of how else he would end up here of all places. He just couldn't see anyone shoveling out the money to move him so far only to dump him off in some forest. Shaking off the thought for now and focusing on more productive efforts, Austin pulled himself out from the stump to start down the only open path he saw.
Wherever he was, the scenery was at least nice to look at. Other then the blasted stump he had woken up in, the trees about him stood strong and dormant, the tops reaching up to the sky. Austin was a little surprised the forest floor itself wasn't a bit darker, though. He'd thought that with the number of close nit redwoods that it would have prevented the sun from getting through as much as it was. Then again he had never considered himself that well versed in how forests worked. It was that line of thinking that brought his attention to the fact that it had suddenly gone very quiet, the sounds he had been hearing before vanishing in an instant. He could never remember if that was a good thing or a bad thing when that happened.
The sandy haired male answer came with a loud, angry hiss from behind him. He turned, slowly, and found it's source to be from a creature stepping right out of ancient mythology. She resembled a naga, her lower half being all serpent with blood red scales that slithered against the forest floor. Her upper half was all woman which, in any other circumstance, would have Austin likely staring as her full breasts were completely exposed to the air. Blood red eyes, slitted like a snakes, glared at him with burning hatred. “Uh… Hi?” the young man said, trying to put on a friendly face.
The snake girl let out another angry hiss, sharp fangs being exposed as she dived towards him, arms stretched out and forming claws. Austin let out a bit of a yelp as he stumbled backwards, falling onto his ass and saving himself from the nasty attack, the girls claws striking the tree behind him instead. A heavy crunching came from the tree, the young man looking up to see that the girl had taken three huge chunks of the thick bark out in that single swipe. It was all that it took to convince Austin to escape,the young man near tripping over his own to feet to get out of the angry snake girls path.
Acid landed before the young man the moment he turned about, Austin recoiling just in time to prevent his hand from being reduced to nothing more then a pile of goop. Instinct screamed at him, making the young man roll to the side and sparing him the claws of the snake which sunk into the ground like it was water. The extraction wasn't anywhere near as smooth as the plunge in, the monster having to tug her arms a few times to wrench herself free, allowing the sandy haired male to scramble to his feet and break into an all out run away from the creature.
Ok, so maybe that WAS a summoning circle and I got pulled into some damn horror flick. Austin thought as he ran for all he was worth, darting left and right through the trees in hopes that he'd lose the half girl behind him. Nothing else freaking explains why I've got a damned naga on my tail! The young man let out a curse as a glob of acid hit the tree beside his head, melting away the bark in moments. He turned his head as much as he dared at his speed, eyes widening as he saw the girl swerving through the trees easily, closing the distance between the two. Oh, hell, she's faster then me!
The young man's next thought was cut off before he could even begin thinking about it as the long, serpent tail of the Naga lashed out before him, the sandy haired teen unable to stop himself from running over it at his full tilt. He bit back another curse when his shoulder hit the ground, his speed causing him to spiral out, tumbling over and over again before his back slammed against another tree in the dense forest. “Damn...” he growled out, wincing in pain.
The snake woman slithered up before him, a dark grin crossing her face, her breasts only just barely heaving from the exertion of the chase. Such motions would be quite enjoyable to the young man had he not been certain that he was about to die. A growl escaped his lips as he tried, and failed, to stand once more thanks to the burning pain that lanced through his chest. There was going to be no running anymore from the Naga. Austin watched as the mouth of the girl distend, fangs showing and glistening with what he could only assume was poison. He could only close his eyes, waiting for the serpents strike to end his life.
Instead of the eternal blackness or the chorus of angels that he expected to see next, a huge hiss of pain forced the young mans eyes opened. Glancing upward Austin saw that the Naga was now cradling her left arm, a long, thin line of blood dripping down to the ground. The snake girl had turned away from him now, glaring at her new foe. The young man's eyes followed the serpents glare, finding another woman standing not ten feet away from the two.
She was slender, a single thin arm laying across her belly, hand resting on what looked like a sword. She was dressed in what appeared to be the tattered remains of a robe, the edges frayed to the point that one could pluck a string from the very edge of it and unravel the whole piece. Her hair was a raven black, done up in a style that looked like she needed a tub of styling gel to get it into such a look, twin tufts of slender bangs arching out on either side of her face, even more hair tied in a pony tail which disappeared behind her back. Brown eyes glared at the red of the serpent, lips twisted in a grimace. “Get… away...” the sword woman snarled, her voice thick.
Unexpectedly, the Naga did just that, slithering apart from the downed male. But instead of leaving, she instead turned onto the newcomer, her lower body weaving back and forth as she charged towards the sword wielder. The dark haired woman remained still, eyes never leaving the charging half human, her fingers gripping around her weapon. Austin struggled to rise, to yell out some warning to the woman, but couldn't seem to force the words past his lips.
Tail lashing out behind her, the Naga's hands formed once more into those dangerous claws, aiming to tear out her foes throat. The newcomer waited til the last moment, her eyes following the charging snake before she leaped off to the side, avoiding the attack of the charging female. With a single stroke, the wooden blade cut deep into the serpents side, a thin line of flesh being gouged out of her scaly hip. A shriek of pain erupted from the Naga's mouth, clutching at the bloody wound with murder in her eyes. Those slit pupils turned, however, to the wooden blade edged with blood before her and hesitated.
“Go.” The sword woman growled once more, her weapon steady in her hands. “Final… Warning...”
With one more angry hiss, eyes never leaving the weapon that had so wounded her, the Naga retreated back into the surrounding forest, trailing a bright red line of blood in her wake. It was only once her foe was out of sight that the raven haired woman finally lowered her guard, dropping her sword arm. Laying the blade flat before her, she pressed it to the grassy ground, whipping the blood off in a few soft strokes before sliding it back in the worn shaft of her robes. She approached Austin slowly, kneeling before him and offering her left hand. “You… Ok?”
“Y-yeah.” the sandy haired teen said, wincing as he was pulled up the swords woman, his side still throbbing with pain. “What in the hell was that anyway?”
“Sideviper.” the woman commented, her eyes turning to where the snake girl had left, almost as if half expecting the her foe to return to attack. “Dangerous.”
“No shit.” Austin grunted, shaking his head. “You wouldn't happen to know someplace safe where miss fangs wouldn't be able to follow, would you?”
“Follow.” she responded, turning from him and walking further down the path that he'd chosen at the start of this whole mess. Well, Austin thought. At least it's good to know had I not run into the… Sideviper thing I would have been on the right way to get some answers.
It took them a little over half an hour to finally get out of the woods, but thankfully there was no return of the Sideviper to bother them nor any other creature that might live in the forest. Austin use the word 'creature' in his mind, unable and unwilling to even think about what other beings could exist if a Naga like monster was normal enough to have a proper name. They didn't seem to be common enough to be be a consistent threat, thankfully.
“Here.” the sword woman spoke as the trees finally parted way before them, the forest turning into an open field. She pointed down the well worn path, at the end of which was the sight of squat, brown buildings off in the distance. “Safe.” she intoned before turning away from him, heading back towards the woods.
“Woah, hey, aren't you going with me?”
She turned back to him at the question, shaking her head, face twisted in a grimace. Her fingers also clenched a bit harder around the hilt of her weapon, as if afraid someone would steal it the moment her guard was down. “Dangerous… for… me...” she said haltingly. It was only then that Austin had noticed the odd pattern in her speech. At first, he thought that anger or the battle made the warrior woman before him limit what she said. Now, though, it appeared more like she was struggling to even say the words, almost like she had just recently learned them.
“Are you sure?” Austin pressed, concern flooding through him. Even though she had already shown that her skill with the sword was more then enough to protect her from what ever dangers would be roaming the forest, the sandy haired young man couldn't help but feel there was something wrong about the woman before him. Between the way she talked, her worn and thread bare appearance, and the way she seemed to think civilization was a danger, all of it seem to scream to him about someone who needed help.
“Yes.” she responded, starting back into the woods. The woman turned to him just as she reached the first tree, however, a small smile forming onto her face. “Stay… Safe.” she said softly before slipping past the nearest tree and disappearing from sight.
Austin could only shake his head, still feeling more then a little worried for the woman. It was then that the young man reminded himself that he wasn't exactly in the most productive position himself. Turning to the small town before him, the sandy haired male took a small breath before heading into the unknown.
~oOo~
It was still early morning by the time Austin had made his way into the town proper, the sparse and unkempt buildings with no real rhyme or reason to them marking as the outskirts. A few other humans were milling about in the early morning light, none of them looking anywhere near awake. The young man knew he'd be among them were it not for the rather terrifying morning.
He started moving towards the closest among them to ask directions to the police station when the guy pulled out a small ball from his jacket and opened it. In a bright flash of white light, a figure took the shape of what Austin could only say was a centaur. The lower half of the creature was that of a strong looking horse, with powerful legs and cream colored fur. Her upper half, though, was all woman and just as naked as the Sideviper in the forest, breasts completely exposed to the morning air.
The sandy haired male watched as the half woman knelt down on all four of her horse legs, allowing the man to climb up her back. He wrapped his arms about the centaurs middle, one hand sneaking up to cup and fondle her breast to which she responded with a sound of pleasure, before lightly pressing into her side with his heel to send the pair off down the street.
“Ok, so either this entire world is filled with fantasy creatures or I've officially gone off the deep end.” Austin muttered to himself, shaking his head as he tried to get his mind around the idea. He didn't think he had gone crazy, but then it would be hard to tell wouldn't it? Note to self, never watch Sucker Punch again.
“Oy, Kid!” yelled a rather thick set man to his right, nearly making the sandy haired teen jump out of his skin from the sheer volume.“Ya alright? Ya look a little lost!”
“Uh, yeah, just a little off balance.” Austin replied, blinking a bit and rubbing his forehead. “I think I might need to see a doctor or something, you wouldn't happen to know a place nearby I could be checked at?”
“The center is about a good half a mile down the street that way followed by a left turn for another half mile. Ya can't miss it after that.” The man said, looking up into the air and drawing the directions before him as if a map of the area appeared before him. He turned then to Austin with a small grin. “Just talk to the Joy at the front desk and she'll get you all sorted out. The woods there can take a bite out of anyone who isn't prepared."
“Thanks.” Austin called back, giving the thick man a small nod before turning down the pointed direction. He tried not to think why the guy had called the nurse by name, especially in conjunction to what he said about the woods. All that brought up to his mind was that he was more then lucky to have only met the Sideviper and the sword woman in the woods and nothing else.
With only a little bit of distraction from his overactive imagination, the sandy haired teen eventually found himself facing a small square building with a red top that had bright white letters that proclaimed it the 'Pokegirl Center'. Despite it not looking like any other hospital Austin had ever been too, he pushed forward past the sliding doors that served as the entrance.
“Hello, welcome to the Pokegirl Center!” The cheery faced, pink haired woman sitting behind the front desk said, smiling so wide that her cheeks dimpled. She gave a little bow to the sandy haired teen in greeting, which nearly caused Austin to sputter in shock, as the motion gave him a near unrestricted view of her cleavage. While not normally one to stare, the young male couldn't help but gape at both the size of her endowments-of which would have given near any man pause-but also the fact that she had a neckline plunging so deeply that it was an amazement that the bow hadn't caused her to pop right out of her top.
“Ah, buh….” Austin said with all intelligence, only just barely able to poke a finger towards the Nurse's breasts.
“Hmm? Oh! I'm sorry. I was just tamed a little while ago, forgot to button the girls all the way back up.” the Nurse tittered with a the smallest of blushes. Her fingers grasped the lowest of the clasps and wrestled it back into place, which only really served in pushing her breasts up and making them look all the bigger. The movement, however, was all that Austin needed to tear his eyes away from the sight, despite protests from both them and lower regions.
“Uh, yeah...” the teen said, blinking away the visions of flesh from his mind. “Um, could you tell me where I am, exactly?”
“Where you are, sir?” Joy asked, pink eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “What exactly do you mean?”
“I mean, what state or hell, country I'm in.” Austin clarified with a grimace. He hoped that his wild thoughts from earlier was just his imagination getting the better of him.
Such thoughts were dashed as the Nurse tilted her head, her confused looked shifting to concern. “We're in the Sunshine League, sir. In particular River Pass.” she told him, bright green eyes searching his face. “There hasn't been a state here in over a century or so, I believe.”
Austin gaped a bit at the woman before him, his head swimming with confusion. He had never heard of a place anywhere that had been called a 'League', at least not outside of something like Baseball. Taking a small breath, the young man sat down on a nearby chair before looking back up at the Nurse, who now looked very worried. “Tell me…” he said softly, trying to keep his breathing regular. “Just how far away is this Sunshine League from Chicago? It would be in Illinois.”
“Uh, sir?” the Nurse said, gritting her teeth a little as if what she was saying was painful. “There hasn't been an 'Illinois' for centuries.”
“What.” The young man said, his tone entirely flat and eyes wide, giving her a hard look. He must have heard her wrong.
“I'm serious, sir. Chicago, along with most of the rest of the world, changed face about three hundred years ago thanks to the war.” Joy explained, her tone like that of a mother teaching a child something that was common knowledge.
Austin couldn't help but fall back, pressed up against a wall as he tried to absorb this information. Everything changed about three hundred years ago? His home, hell, his country that he had lived in all of his life didn't even exist anymore? What kind of hell did he wake up in?
“You're not from this world, are you sir?” Joy said suddenly, breaking the young man out of his stupor. He looked up to see her concerned eyes, which narrowed a bit as she nodded. “Yeah, you're definitely an AUJ now that I look at you. How about you sit down over here and I'll call someone for you that will explain everything, alright?” The nurse looped her arm around his as she spoke, moving him over to a couch that leaned up against the far side of the main room.
Once Austin was sitting down, the pink haired woman moved back to the desk, picking up the phone. A screen lit up in front of her, showing a collection phone numbers, each one with a small face appearing beside them on the left. She selected the top most one, the screen flashing up a young man's face, one with rather curly black hair and serious eyes. She waited for a moment, the sound of a ringing phone echoing out throughout the room before the call was picked up, the man appearing on the other side.
“Ah, Dalaa, what's up?” He asked with a smile, gazing up at her through his camera.
“I'm going to need you to come in a bit earlier today, Cole.” The nurse said with a frown, her eyes moving to the Austin for a moment before returning to the image before her. “I think we've got an AUJ here at the Center. You know a bit more about all that then I do, so do you think you could come down and break all this to him? I don't think he'll be too accepting about things when he finds out what I am.”
“Right, I'll be there in a few minutes, then.” Cole replied with a sigh, hanging up the call a moment later.
Returning the phone to it's hook, the Nurse turned at Austin and gave him a small smile, nodding to him. “He'll be here shortly, so just sit tight till then. Would you like anything to maybe help calm you down a bit? Milk? Maybe some tea?”
“Uh, tea please. Peppermint, if you have it.” the lost teen said, still shaking his head. He still didn't have the foggiest clue what in the hell was going on, but it looked like all those comics he read that had the characters jumping between different universes had a bit more truth in them then he had ever thought. Dalaa smiled at him, giving him the smallest of bows, before sauntering off to get his tea.
~oOo~
Austin had gone through his third cup of tea by the time Cole had arrived to the Pokegirl center. He was a rather tall man, standing well over six feet tall and was fairly well fit to boot. The dark haired man scanned the room before his eyes fell on the lost teen, nodding his head. Stepping over to him, he put out a large palm in a hand shake. “I take it you're the AUJ that Dalaa called me about?” he asked, his tone friendly.
“Uh, yeah, at least that's what she called me. No freaking clue what it stands for though. The names Austin.” The sandy haired male replied, grasping and shaking the other man's hands. “She said that you could explain it a bit better then she could.”
“I’m Cole. And as far as explaining things, probably just a little bit. I've got a few friends who are AUJs and ever since the League realized that their numbers were only growing within the past few years instead of shrinking, they made it their business to make sure that anyone new around here gets the basic run down of things.” Cole said, grasping one of the chairs from a nearby desk and pulling it over to sit before Austin, the large man reversing the furniture so he could use the back rest for his arms and chin.
“Alight then, mind starting what an AUJ stands for?” Austin asked, already having a suspicion, but wanting to get confirmation.
“It stands for 'Alternate Universe Jumper'. We sometimes call them ‘Jumpers’ for short.” The dark haired man said, studying the lost teens face as he delivered the news. He was rewarded by a somewhat knowing nod from Austin. “I take it you're at least familiar with alternate universes? You seem pretty calm all things considered.”
“I know of them, but they were always fiction where I come from. Didn't think I'd ever find out they were real.” he said, running his fingers through his sandy hair with a sigh.
Cole chuckled softly, nodding with a grin. “Yeah, they're real enough, at least that's about the only thing we've been able to figure out as to explain why people who claim to come from completely different worlds suddenly end up in ours.”
“Why do people end up here though? Is there something special about this place? What about ways to get back? Just what IS this place?” Austin asked, firing off one question after another as the dam he had been holding back since finding himself in the forest burst open.
“Woah there, kid, hold your Ponytaurs! I'll tell ya everything you're wanting to know, but you've got to keep calm.” Cole said, raising his hands in a stop gesture. He smiled as he watched the AUJ before him ease back down and nodding, the dark haired man even taking a small breath to calm himself.
“Alright then.” Cole started with a nod as he straightened up. “Let's start at the beginning then. About three hundred or so years ago, there was a man known as Sukebe. Now no one really knows just what the hell set him off, but the guy eventually turns on the entire human race by creating a bunch of creatures who have the shape of human women, but have powers unlike anything you'd believe. From flinging fireballs to being able to bend solid steel like it paper, he unleashes them all on humanity in a war. Follow me so far?”
Austin nodded, though he was a little skeptical. It definitely sounded like something out of an odd fantasy novel, but the reality of the situation made it a little hard from him to really deny otherwise. Besides, with the Sideviper from earlier, the proof was a little to hard to ignore.
“Well, human kind wasn't exactly going to take it lying down, so they fought back. They lost a lot, specially in the early days. It wasn't until a solider found one the girls wounded and took care of her that he discovered a way of shifting their loyalties from Sukebe to themselves. Turns out the man was a dirty old perv, among other things, and when he created the girls, he made them designed with a need and a responsiveness to sex.”
“Wait, what? Are you serious?” Austin said, shaking his head to clear it, just knowing he had to have heard Cole wrong.
The dark haired man laughed a bit at Austins reaction. “Trust me, you're not the first or last person to have that reaction. Don't know much about the other universes besides this one, but from what I've been able to tell, having sex to control powerful female beings isn't normal among most of them.” Cole said with a grin before regaining control. “But yes, I'm being serious.”
“These women, eventually being called Pokegirls thanks to the way we were able to contain and carry them around, turned out to be a double blessing for the humans during the war. Not only did it give us the means of fighting back against Sukebe's forces, but it also helped us repopulate, as a lot of women became barren around that time thanks to a few diseases that were unleashed from both sides of the fight. Once all the fighting was done and Sukebe was killed, there was only a fraction of the worlds population left. We've pretty much spent all of the time we've had since then rebuilding society, with the Pokegirls themselves acting as a big part of it, weather it was for helping us rebuild, entertainment purposes, or just doing jobs that fit their skills. Its actually become a well known job to go and journey about, capturing wild uncontrolled Pokegirls, which we call Ferals, and making sure that in general most people are safe. Not always easy to do when you’ve got some girls that are capable of tearing down buildings with their bare hands.”
Austin sat back, his most recent cup of tea cooling untouched on the table as he absorbed this in. So, post-apocalyptic world with unusual beings that inhabit it? Sounds like one of your traditional video games. Kinda makes me wish I knew a bit more about them instead of spending so much time reading fantasy novels.
“You alright, Austin? Seem kinda quiet.” Cole spoke, interrupting the young man’s thoughts. “Not that I’m complaining or anything, but most people are either screaming at me that I’m lying or freaking out and running away. We’ve had a bit of both before when I’ve told people all this.”
“Well, there’s a couple of things, really.” The sandy haired teen started, looking the other man in the eye as he ticked off his fingers. “First off, there’s the simple fact that I don’t think anyone would waste the time, effort, or money in trying to trick a college drop out from Chicago that he suddenly got magically transported into another universe. Second, I’ve actually seen some things that just aren’t possible in my world, such as having a girl being apparently carried in a ball and appearing in a flash of light. Hell, her being topless would be a big issue back home, much less her being a freaking centaur. Third, Dalaa over there would never be allowed in a hospital in my own universe, not in that outfit.”
Cole gave a small laugh nodding a bit as he gave a look to the Nurse in question whom was doing her best to look prim and proper, not the easiest feat to do when you had as much cleavage as she was currently wielding. Austin continued on, ticking off one last finger. “And finally, the only remaining thing left to explain this is the fact that I’ve gone insane, and if that’s the case, then there’s little I can do to get out of it, now can I?”
The tall dark haired man nodded, giving the Jumper a look over and rubbing his chin. “That’s a pretty logical way of looking at things.”
Austin shrugged lightly. “I can’t see any other way to handle this. Even if I didn’t already know about all this alternate universe stuff from all the things I’ve read, it would be kinda stupid to go crazy in a world that clearly has dangerous creatures that could easily kill me.”
The dark haired man raised an eyebrow at that, giving the young teen before him a look. “Oh, ran into something scary already, did ya?” he asked, more then a little surprised. Depending on just what he had faced, Austin should have been counting his lucky stars that he was still alive.
“Uh, yeah, I think it was called a Sideviper? Or at least, that’s what I was told it was called by the gal who saved me.” the teen said, frowning for a moment as he thought. “All I know was that she was able to fire acid at me and if wasn’t for the girl with the sword, I’d probably be half goop by now.”
“Girl with a sword?” Cole repeated, frowning a bit as he sat up a bit straighter. “Tell me, did she have dark hair that hung out in her face like so?” The dark haired man put his hands above his head, his index fingers pointing down on either side of his face with both of his thumbs touching each other.
Austin nodded, recognizing the hairstyle. “Yeah, that’s her. She a friend of yours?”
“Not exactly.” the older man said, shaking his head. “She’s actually a Pokegirl herself, one of the more humanoid ones. Some Pokegirls are so humanlike it’s almost impossible to tell them apart from the real McCoy. That one you’re talking about sounds like Suzuka, a Ronin. She’s kinda well known throughout these parts for make sure that anyone who gets lost in the words are able to get out alive.”
The sandy haired male sat up at that word, raising his eyebrows. “A ronin? Like a samurai without a master? You guys have those?”
“Capital R there, Austin.” Cole said, arms crossed against his chest. “Pokegirl breeds all have their own names and there’s a great deal of them that pull directly from history or fiction, though just as much were made up by the kind of sex they like or their looks, sometimes put together. Ronin’s are sword specializing girls and are pretty well known for traveling the world when they don’t have masters. Lots of folks are interested in catching one for themselves since they tend to make pretty loyal Pokegirls once you gain their trust. I think the main reason she’s not been caught yet herself is because Suzuka tends to keep to the woods and a lot of the locals around here aren’t exactly the strongest of battlers.”
The young man pursed his lips, thinking on that bit of information. To think that the woman who saved him was considered to be the same as the Sideviper. Both being Pokegirls despite radically different looks and abilities. It made him wonder just how far down this rabbit hole went. “Well, I guess it’s good to know that she’s more then capable of taking care of herself out there then. I was a little worried with the way she was talking that she might have suffered a head injury or something..”
“Wait… what do you mean?” Cole demanded suddenly, standing straight up from his seat, the man’s face twisted in a look of worry.
“Uh...” Austin answered, off balanced by the sudden change in the dark haired man’s reaction, before coming up with a proper response. “She… seemed to have trouble talking, like she was trying to force the words out. I’ve seen that before with people who’d hurt their heads, so I thought that might have been it.”
Cole’s face went pale after that, the man bringing his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and pinching it, letting out a groan. “Shit, she’s going feral.” He said, turning from Austin to head to the Nurse Joy, Dalaa also having that same worried look on her face. “I’m going to need the center’s spare Pokeballs for this one.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Raz or Yuel? I don’t want you to get in trouble...” The Nurse joy commented, biting her lip. “I don’t think the Judge will like it if he found out you went out armed with a Pokeball, even if it is to protect Suzuka.”
“Wait, Cole, what’s going on?” The sandy haired teen asked, interpreting the pair, clearly having missed something from all this. “What do you mean feral? I thought that was what you called the wild Pokegirls. Suzuka isn’t wild.”
Cole shook his head, opening up a backpack that Austin had apparently missed. Inside was a jacket made out of some kind of leather, the material stiff and resisting to the older man’s hands as he slipped it about his large frame. “Remember how I said Pokegirls were designed to have a strong need of sex?” The dark haired man asked, strapping himself into the jacket, his hand slipping back into the pack and pulling out a small rod. He pressed a button on it and the thing extended outward on either side, becoming a large staff almost as big as Cole himself.
“Yeah, what about it?” Austin asked, still completely confused.
“Feral’s not just a name for Pokegirls who are out in the wilds. It’s also what we call a girl who doesn’t get the sex she needs. After a long enough time without it, they all eventually become more wild and uncontrollable, the vast majority losing their intelligence and acting more like beasts then humans.” Cole explained, grunting when he noticed Dalaa still reluctant to give him the Pokeball he asked for. The man took it upon himself to go behind the front desk that the Joy used, opening the top drawer and snatching the red and white sphere he saw. He turned his gaze up to the pink haired women, as if daring her to stop him from taking the ball. She didn’t, though Cole could tell from the twist of her mouth that she disapproved. The man ignored it, moving back around and grabbing the backpack. “Suzuka’s a Ronin, so her need for sex isn’t that strong compared to other kinds of Pokegirls. But she needs it regardless. I had thought she had been getting it from somewhere to keep herself in control, but if what you said is even half accurate, then she’s going to be wild herself sooner rather then later.”
“So what does that mean exactly? You’re acting like you’re going into war here.” Austin said, standing up himself now, the AUJ feeling that familiar pang of fear flood through his bones.
“You know that sword that Suzuka carries around? It’s a summoned item, requiring focus and energy to keep with her. Once Ronins goes feral, they lose the ability to call upon their weapons. There’s a reason her kind are a rare breed to find in the wild.”
It didn’t take long for Austin to figure out the reasoning from there. A sword specialist fighter suddenly losing their weapon and intelligence, facing off against who knows what in that forest? Hell, the Sideviper would likely take revenge from before if given half the chance. “I’m coming with you.” the young man stated, standing.
“Like hell you are!” Dalaa growled, the pink haired woman finally coming out from behind her desk, her soft face turned into a harsh glare as she stood before Austin. “Cole going is bad enough, but at least he knows what he’s getting into! You’re not even from this world!”
The sandy haired teen blinked, backing up a step. His face turned into a frown though as he returned the Joy’s glare with one of his own. “You think I’m just going to stand around here while Suzuka’s out there, possibly in danger? That girl risked her hide for me! I’m not just going to turn my back when she might get killed out there!”
“And you think that’s going to matter when you’re going up against a Sideviper? If she wanted to, the girl could literally tear you limb from limb! All you’re doing by going against her is giving the feral another victim!” The nurse said, stepping closer to Austin, blocking him off from the exit.
“And let Suzuka be the one torn apart instead?!” The young man roared back, surprising everyone with his tone, including himself. In any other situation, Austin might have conceded to those more wiser in the local area then him. But the situation changed that. “I get it! I don’t fucking stand a chance against that bitch! Who cares?! I’m not going to let someone die just because my own life might be on the line!”
Dalaa’s face purpled a bit, the girl opening her mouth to shout back at the AUJ when she felt Cole’s firm hand on her shoulder, pulling her gaze from the sandy haired male to his own. “Dalaa, I know you don’t want anyone in danger…” he started, his tone soft, but stern. “But I don’t think the kid’s just going to sit this one out. I promise you, I’ll make sure it’s just an in and out situation. We get there, get Suzuka, and get out. We’ll only fight the Sideviper if we have to.”
“But… Cole...” the Joy started, biting her lip as her eyes softened. She shook her head after a moment of looking at her friend though, sighing heavily. “Alright… alright. But I don’t want either of you two doing anything more idiotic then this. Get in, get the Ronin, get out.”
Cole nodded at the nurse, a smile on his face. Austin watched as the voluptuous pink haired woman returned to her desk before searching for something in it, pulling out another ball and handing it to the alternate universe jumper. “Here, Autstin.” she said, placing it into his hands carefully. “This Pokeball will help give you time. If you run into the Sideviper, toss it at her and run like hell. It won’t keep her encased for long, but it should give you enough time to escape. Otherwise, you might want to use it on Suzuka depending on how her state might be.”
The young man nodded, not exactly going to bother just how the ball worked. He knew it was something normal in this world, considering the guy with the centaur girl from before had contained her inside it, but regardless he hoped that Dalaa was right about it being able to help him get away from the possible threat of melting or being clawed to death by an angry snake girl.
“If Yuel or Raz gets here before we get back, make sure to send them after us. Though, hopefully, it won’t come to that.” Cole said, giving his friend a confident grin, one that the nurse didn’t return. He gave her a soft hug that did bring a smile to her lips before leaving with Austin following close behind, Dalaa watching the two go.
~oOo~
Austin, despite his anger and insistence on being along for this rescue mission, couldn’t help but feel a chill of fear run through his spine the moment he stepped back into the forest. The thought of the Sideviper just waiting in here… anxious for revenge just kept swimming through his mind. Shaking his head clear of those fears, the sandy haired teen turned his attention to Cole.
The large man was bent down low to the ground, running his fingers against the soil nearest to the clearing that led into the woods, the dark haired individual nodding to himself before standing again. “She went this way.” He said, turning to Austin with a smile. “She isn’t in any danger yet, with how fresh her tracks are. If we catch up to her in time, we just might get back to the center before dinner.”
The sandy haired teen only nodded, keeping quiet. He didn’t want to jinx themselves with saying anything that might draw bad luck to them. While he wasn’t necessarily a believer in stuff like that, Austin wasn’t about to go poking Fate with a stick to prove that point. Gripping the Pokeball tightly in his right hand, the young AUJ followed Cole deeper into the forest.
“You really are worried about Suzuka, aren’t you?” The larger man asked after a couple minutes silence, nothing but the trees passing them as the ventured deeper through the woods.
“Like I said, I'm not just going to let someone who risked their lives for me just die because I wasn’t brave enough to do anything.” Austin said with a small growl of annoyance. He understood that Cole and Dalaa both were worried and didn’t want to see him hurt, but there should only be so many times he should have to inform them that he wasn’t just going to hide. Cole nodded at the response, continuing their trek through the woods.
Only a few more minutes had past in silence between the two males when Cole suddenly froze, raising his hand to make sure Austin did the same. After a moment, the dark haired man pulled his traveling companion behind a tree, crouching down and holding a finger to his lips. The two stayed stationary before something came into view. It was a Pokegirl, but different from the few other examples that the young teenager had seen so far.
Her skin was a dark brown and her figure immediately reminded him of Dalaa, if not more erotically emphasized, with heavy breasts that stood out naked and hips that swayed with her steps. Of course, for such a beautiful body… it was her face that truly made the Jumper pause, as the girl had a huge maw with several sharp teeth, three pairs of glowing, yellow eyes right above slender nose. It was all that Austin could do to keep from yelling out when one of those eyes pushed out on her face, extended on a stalk, looking around for a moment before returning to her face.
The Pokegirl, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice the two men hiding in the brush, as she turned away from them after that and walked out of sight. Cole let out a small sigh of relief, standing up back to his full height. “Mileeboro… damn, didn’t know one of those lived here.” he said, motioning for the sandy haired teen to follow him, thankfully away from the direction the Pokegirl went.
“Dangerous, I take it?” Austin asked, gazing back towards where the girl had wondered off to.
“Territorial. They’re actually pretty passive girls and almost never fight to kill, but when they do fight, their main form of attack can damn near leave ya useless.” Cole responded, bending done once more to take another glance at the ground. “That’s the main problem with most Pokegirls, though. There’s so many of them that you could end up getting gutted by a girl you thought might have been a non-threat otherwise. It’s one reason they’ve made the Pokedex, but even that thing isn’t the most accurate technology in the world.”
“Pokedex?” Austin asked, watching as his companion stood up, heading to the left instead of continuing forward as they had been.
“Think of it as an electronic encyclopedia. You can use it to scan Pokegirls so you know their breeds and some of their abilities. Problem is, the thing is still written by people, and not everyone agrees what about all the abilities and personalities of the girls that they’re writing about.” Cole replied, brushing aside some lower hanging branches from one of the nearby trees. “It also doesn’t take individual members of a breed into account. While a breed of girl might normally be timid or calm for most of their kind, you just might have the unfortunate luck to run into the one that is extra angry.”
So not to far off from animals where I came from in that case, then. The AUJ thought, memories of his life before being brought to this crazy world. Pit Bulls were constantly bemoaned in the media as vicious, aggressive creatures, nothing like the playful one that Austin himself had as a kid. Might work a bit in reverse here, if what Cole is saying is accurate.
After passing by fallen tree, the smell of the rotting wood strong in the air, Austin wondered if they were even going to find Suzuka at this point. He had no honest idea just how big the woods were and if there were more things like the Mileeboro laying in wait. What if there was something even more frightening than the Sideviper looking for a taste of flesh? Any further thoughts he had about the matter halted when a sharp cry pierced the quiet around them. Immediately, Cole started running towards the source of the noise with Austin in quick pursuit.
The pair soon found themselves outside a small clearing, one that Austin immediately recognized as the same one he had woke up in that morning, with thattree stump carved with runes standing in the center. Two pokegirls stood on either side of the stump, each breathing heavily and worn from battle. Suzuka’s robes were in an even worse state now, several patches burned away by caustic acid and rips decorating edges where claws had caught her when the Ronin had dodged. The Sideviper’s own scales were wet with blood, cuts lining about her chest and hips, one of her eyes closed shut from a harsh slash from the top of her forehead down to her cheek.
“Stay back...” Cole whispered, holding his hand before Austin’s chest, as if to prevent him from running in. Like the teen was that insane to get in between a fight between two girls that could either slice him to ribbons or melt him into a puddle of ooze.
Another cry came from the Ronin as she started charging towards the snake girl, holding her wooden blade close to her side. The Sideviper instantly reared back, wary of being cut by the blade once more, as her tail lashed out to trip the charging woman. Suzuka leapt before the scaled appendage could get too close, bokken lashing out to leave another cut against her foe, this one drawing a long slender line of blood between the serpents breasts. A harsh hiss escaped from a fanged mouth followed by a spit of acid, the liquid splashing on the ground where the Ronin had once been.
Jumping as far as she could away, Suzuka landed near the edge of the clearing, falling into a roll that brought the woman to her knees. Though the attack and evasion of the Ronin had shown her skill, it was also clear that she wasn’t going to be able to keep this up. Her arms and legs shook with exhaustion while sweat trailed down her face. It didn’t look like she had much strength left in her to fight.
Austin gritted his teeth in anger at seeing the woman who had saved him in such a state. Though he wouldn’t consider himself the most chivalrous of men, the Jumper did think that girls needed to be treated with respect and cared for. To just sit by and let the woman fight, hiding in the bushes… this was worse than not coming in the first place. It was when Suzuka raised her weapon again that the sandy haired teen noticed it. For just a second, the wooden sword that the Ronin fought with wavered, like the thing was made out of smoke. It was then that Austin recalled what Cole had said before. Suzuka was becoming feral enough that she couldn’t maintain her weapons existence.
“Damn it...” The teen said before doing something he knew was stupid and suicidal. But it was also better then just sitting around.
Running out of the cover, ignoring the sudden shout by Cole, Austin let out a roar before charging right at the Sideviper. The snake girl’s eyes widened in surprise at the sound, turning around just in time to get slammed in the stomach by the young teen. After hitting the ground, she hissed, her red tail swinging around and catching Austin in the side. The AUJ flung across the clearing, landing with a heavy thud onto his side, his world spinning.
With their cover blown, Cole soon followed into the fight, instantly tossing the Pokeball at the Sideviper as she tried to recover. The red and white orb flew through the air and, for a hopeful moment, looked like it might hit the girl. That’s when the snakes clawed hand shot up, grasping the ball and keeping it shut. Slitted eyes narrowed in anger, focused now on the dark haired man, tossing the offending device behind her before starting off towards the man.
Cole was barely able to get his staff up in time before the Pokegirl hit him, the weapon taking the brunt of the attack. Unfortunately, though made out of durable metal and designed for defense, the Sidevipers feral strength proved the tougher of the two, her claws snapping it into two. The sheer force of her strike tore the remaining pieces out of Cole’s hands, the man letting out a scream of pain when he felt the sharp pain of his bones snapping, his left wrist now at an odd angle.
Her prey weak before her now, the Sideviper stretched up to her full height before the prone man, an eager smile on her face. A forked tongue teased her lips before her fanged maw open wide, ready to taste the man. She never saw Suzuka’s bokken, the wooden blade cutting through the snake Pokegirls neck. The corpse fell to the ground with a thud, shuddering and twitching for a moment, before a bright white light coated the entire body and severed head. When it had cleared enough for everyone to be able to see again, the Sidevipers corpsehad completely vanished.
“Is that normal when Pokegirls die?” Austin asked, finally able to pick himself up. He was leaning heavily against a tree that had escaped the fight, his balance a little wobbly.
“No… it isn’t...” Cole growled through gritted teeth, his face twisted in pain, his hands clutched tightly to his chest. He sucked in sharply as he stood, the very movement hurting him. “We need to get back to the center… we’re sitting ducks out here like this.”
Austin nodded before looking over to Suzuka, whom was now staring at the pair. Her eyes looked troubled, almost uncertain as they looked into the sandy haired teens eyes. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out but a weak ‘rooooo’. That caused the raven haired woman to pause, eyebrows knitting down in confusion. Shaking her head, the Ronin let her weapon fall to the ground, the wooden sword fading from existence after landing as she lost her focus.
“Suzuka...” Austin said, bringing her attention to him once more, the Pokegirl’s eyes looking lost. The teenager brought up the Pokeball he had from before, presenting it to her. “We need to all get back to the hospital. You’ve been hurt and we need to get you help. Would you be willing to come with us?” he asked, not wanting to force her. Suzuka remained still for a moment, gazing at the young man with such intensity he wondered if she was going to attack him, before reaching out and touching the Pokeball. With a flash of red light, the Ronin was absorbed into the orb, barely shaking once before it let out a ping sound.
“Great… Now let’s get the hell out of here.” Cole said, pain still thick in his voice. Austin nodded, the two men leaving the clearing, with the younger of the two looking back, wondering just what the hell had caused all this.
Author’s Notes: Welcome, everyone, to my first Pokegirls story in well over a decade. For those who don’t even know what Pokegirls are… well, I hope this story is a good break down of what the general concept is. If it isn’t, the basic gist is this: Pokegirls is a sexual Parody based on Pokemon, where all the capture monsters are instead sexy girls based of said Pokemon, though a VAST majority of the girls that exist today are either original in concept or pull from other sources. While the fandom has gone a bit more darker/edger for the sake of being taken more seriously, I’ve always enjoyed the concept itself for it’s parody routes, and for giving me a world based off my favorite game franchise mixed in with more adult themes and, of course, sex.
With having not written much if anything over the years, I thought the best way to really crack back into the Pokegirls Fandom was writing one of the more basic stories that was common during it’s heyday, which is to say a story involving someone with no knowledge of the world being pulled into it. This should both be giving me a good starting point in really getting back into writing, as well as allow anyone new to the fandom to really get a good understand of everything. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed this beginning, and I hope to produce more of this story in a reasonable amount of time.