This is a piece of fiction and should be considered as such. It is also an adult-themed story, and should not be read by those who are easily offended by such or are not old enough in their respective country to be allowed to read it. This particular work is the property of
The PokeGirl Universe was first created by metroanime. He isn't doing it any more, so don't blame him- find someone else on the site to. In other words, I didn't create the setting, and I'm not taking any credit for it, Original Characters aside. Feedback is encouraged, it provides ego and morale boosts equivalent to the power of the Stim Pack in Starcraft, or in modern terms several grams of crack.
A/N: Finally, the story begins to move along some more. It should be a lot of fun writing this boot camp stuff- fellow tamers, the 'big city', the trains, the professor friend of Andrew's, etc etc. Let's be about it, then~ !
It was windy outside, and just short of being cold; the first tinges of fall in one of the most relatively temperate places in Ruby. A few of the trees displayed leaves that had become discolored a little early, but for the most part the plant life was still green. There was almost no cloud cover in the blue sky overhead, and the sun's warming radiation made the wind-chill less of a hardship.
Irena had no problems with walking in such weather, and Marya found it mostly tolerable, although she did tend to cling to Toman a little bit some times. The young man seemed to have no objections to this. In fact, Toman allowed them both to walk beside him as much as they want, not giving a second thought to the concept to putting them in their PokeBalls unless they wanted to.
The lab assistants that he was accompanying found that a little odd; all of their girls were safe and comfortable inside their Balls until they happened to be needed. Toman had shrugged it off as differences in philosophies and left it at that. He was still happy to listen to their advice, occasionally taking notes on key points but mostly just committing it all to memory.
The three of them looked nearly mundane when compared with his dark-skinned, white-haired, nearly feminine appearance. All were over twenty and had the look of experienced tamers and consummate professionals about them. They had the fair skin and darker hair tones of native Russians, although like every lineage of the modern citizen it was specked and tinted with exotic differences. Whenever it got chilly, he noticed it seemed to bother them a little less, even though all they had was jeans and a lab-coat.
Marya gleefully took in the forest and all the sights and sensations therein, now that she was able to walk through it at a more leisurely pace than last time. As a kit she would sometimes be allowed to frolic through the closest edges of the safe part of the gigantic wooden labyrinth. All at once, it evoked that familiar childhood familiarity with tinges of haunting curiosity.
Irena was more familiar with the place; before she had been tamed she had spent her years of illogic and feral behavior here. As her mind came further along into the trappings of a civilized life, her recollection of the time had begun to fade, but many memories still stood starkly out. Scavenging for food, or taking by force what she needed- including sex. She had always felt better, more aware, after Taming- even just a little bit, even with another PokeGirl. Now she knew why. She was silent, only speaking up when asked a direct question or when she felt there was something very important to say, just like the TMs had told her was generally standard and proper.
Toman's contemplations of the forest were just a bit darker. He had two main memories of the forest, and that was it- the urgency of danger and the unbearable pain of a metal slug as it made itself at home inside his shoulder. It was unscientific, but he was convinced that his wound became even more uncomfortable whenever he thought about it, like now, and it flared up at the mention. He hissed lowly, grabbing at it out of reflex with a hand before he had gotten control of himself.
The Boobisaur noticed this, turning her head and blinking curiously. "Master? You all right? Is your wound still hurting?"
"Not really hurting, so much as... I dunno. It's not pleasant." He steeled himself, shoving the heartbreaking memory further back in his mind and partially succeeding in forming a smile at her. She persisted in her empathy, and he waved her off. "Don't worry," He shook his head. "I'll get over it." For someone who had almost never known hardship of any sort, the long hike and unpleasant memories of violence were sure to be trying. She started to speak, and then simply nodded, turning back to gaze at the tallest of the older trees.
He was determined, more than ever before, to get stronger somehow. He had to make himself tougher and able to withstand the harsh realities of life. If he didn't do so, he might make a stupid mistake or otherwise put his PokeGirls and himself in unnecessary dangers. So he would damn well slog out the entire hike, and maybe get in some battle practice if they ran across a suitably low-level Feral Girl.
They reached the first two of the Professor's monitoring devices without any difficulty, replacing the batteries and re-concealing the devices. Irena had become a bit short of breath, and Toman preemptively balled her, just in case. She didn't object. They decided to take a short break after that, sitting down to have a pre-cooked lunch on a formation of felled logs in a small clearing. A PokeGirl took turns standing watch over the humans and other Girls as they ate, as the smell of food was more likely to draw attention to them than even a campfire might have.
"How're you holding up, Toman?" The tallest of the aides, Jacob Trawley, asked through a mouthful of rice. "We can slow the pace a bit if you're getting winded. Got a long day ahead of us."
The teenager shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm doing alright." That was mostly truthful, as nothing except for a slight gasp gave away his exertion.
"Don't fuck yourself up trying to look good for us," Jacob cautioned him. "A rookie's going to look like a rookie either way. Besides, you got nothing to prove."
Toman took another bite, chewed, and swallowed before replying. "No, it's not that. I just don't want to be... you know, weak."
Jacob nodded. "Little by little, though. Don't take it all at once. I tried that and got burned out real fast. For a while." He sighed, reclining on the log. "I could stand to waste some more daylight here, if everyone agrees. Like I said, we do have all day."
"Hell yes," Marya agreed, bellyflopping into the grass and enjoying said daylight. Her skin drank in the rays, and her mind fogged over just a bit, like a lizard on a warm rock would feel. Her naturally designed chemistry went into effect, creating new energy for her and putting a lot of her current activities on hold to do so. As she languished, she also made little grass-angel impressions on the forest floor.
"Marya, you're supposed to be keeping watch," Toman chastised her, taking a big gulp of his soda.
"Oh, yeah. Right. What could possibly happen out here on such a nice day?"
"I believe the last time I was out here on such a nice day... oh... wait, now I remember," Toman began, sarcastic tone not bothering to conceal itself, "I think I got attacked and shot by a robber and my friend was forced to kill someone that time. Funny things, these nice, sunny days in the forest." He took another long drink.
The Boobisaur winced. "Master, that's just frosty. And it's not at all the right way to win my favor." She rolled over on her side to look at him, winking and running a hand down her curves. Toman nearly choked on the soda, and he shook his head in partial annoyance as she began to show off for him. She knew the other men had their eyes on her, too; even veteran Tamers usually never lost their appreciation for the female form.
"Who owns whom in this relationship?" Toman was determined not to concede the point. Mostly.
She gave him no reply, the wry smile still plastered over her sideways-leaning face. He tried staring her down, but that didn't work, either, and after he had slurped down a bit of his soup, he let out a long, profound sigh.
"Just stand up, will you." Surprisingly enough, she complied, struggling to her feet and idly brushing some of the dirt off her green skin. "We can Tame later, after we're out of the presence of others." This attempt at reconciliation went over quite well with her, and she nodded enthusiastically.
Marya turned around, sweeping her eyes over the surroundings of the group for the first time in a while. It was a good thing, too- another moment and she would have missed the crackling and crunching noises, with how faint they were. "I heard something," She blurted out, and suddenly alert heads swung towards where she pointed.
Emerging from the cover of trees, the blue-skinned Pokegirl was literally drooling from the mouth, her yellow eyes firmly focused on the packs of food around the humans. She seemed almost to shamble like like a fictional zombie. Her long, reptilian tail swung about, snapping twigs under it and causing enough of a rustle so that they could hear it. Toman whipped out his PokeDex, and in the moment it took for him to scan the semi-alligator wild girl, the youngest of the aides had said, "Titodile!"
"Feral; Titodile," The machine blithely agreed with the scientist. "The Water-Alligator PokeGirl. Near Human Animorph Type. Element Water, Libido Average. Frequency determined Rare in the Ruby League. Titodiles are water Pokegirls that move on land as well as they do in the water, making them popular amongst starting Tamers and pet owners. Their tail makes swimming easy and allows their famous Atlantis Man swimming technique. For the expanded entry, or the evolutionary tree display, tap the corresponding keys on the display now." He brought up the full entry- twenty seven pages of solid information on this well-known and understood breed, and tabbed over to the attacks section. It was standard fare for low-evolution water types- water gun, bubble beam, that sort of thing.
"What's she doing so far north this late in the year?" The same aide wondered aloud, hand instinctively going to the belt which housed his minimized PokeBalls.
"No clue, but she looks real hungry." Jacob's sigh stayed his hand. "I don't think she's gonna leave without a fight. Toman, Marya's got the obvious type advantage, so why don't you two give it a shot?"
The teenager was already on his feet, getting a more detailed reading on the Feral. "No reading on her level." The generally accepted metric of combat ability was the experience level, which represented a mixture of the real combat ability of a PokeGirl, the amount of potential relative to its physical abilities that it had shown, and actual fighting experience that generally provided an accurate reading to determine strength. The fact that a Feral, who looked Feralborn according to the entry, didn't have an experience level rating wasn't terribly surprising. "Marya, can you handle this?"
"No problem," She assured him, stepping up and separating their food from the Feral's view. This invoked her anger, and she seemed to suck in her breath, puffing up her scaly cheeks. "Huh?" Before Girl or Tamer could react, a jet of high-pressure water like a fire hose slammed into her chest, shoving her backwards and off her feet to land painfully on her bulb, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Toman didn't really need the PokeDex's helpful analysis that that attack was, in all probability, water gun.
"Ah crap," Toman shook his head. "You alright?"
"Wonderful," She gasped, rolling over onto her side and then standing back up, taking in precious air by the preverbal bucketful. "That came out of nowhere. I guess she means business."
"Use Lust Dust to distract her," He commanded. "Get back, guys." They backed away from the clearing, as an eruption of semi-transparent dust came from Marya. The Titodile tried to back away but she hit a tree on accident, throwing her off-balance and allowing the dust to catch up. A single whiff of the relatively potent substance was enough to send a profound chill down her spine.
"Follow up with Tackle! Slam her into the tree," The teenager encouraged her. Marya grounded her feet and charged, leveling her shoulder. Her target could see her coming, but was in no condition to dodge, and she took the blow in the torso. It was her turn to have her lungs forcibly emptied in surprise and force as she was sandwiched between bark and flesh. The tree shivered slightly, shaking loose a few green leaves.
Anger elevated the Titodile from her physical lust for a while; long enough to rear back and deliver a bite with rows of sharp teeth onto Marya's head. Marya screamed in pain, trying to shake herself loose as the PokeGirl designed after an alligator got a firmer hold with her powerful jaw.
"Clog her nasal passages," Toman said. "Force her to let go and then counter with Wine Whip."
Although tiny rivulets of greenish-red were pouring down through her hair and cheeks, she did as she was told, closing one hand over the scaly nose and clamping it shut painfully tight. Marya was somewhat surprised when the Feral's jaw clamped down even harder on her and overloaded her pain preceptors, dulling the agony.
"Toman, that's not going to work, most Water types can hold their breath for hours! Especially Titodiles!" Jacob told him.
".... What?" Shit shit shit shit shit... Panic set in as he saw his PokeGirl suffering and bleeding. "What can I do, then? We have to get her out of there!" His usually calm, analytical mind was coming up blank, and every moment he hesitated was costing them more heavily.
Before his escorts could offer any more advice, Marya had begun to go limp, passing out and only held up upright by the Titodile. Suddenly supporting more than twice her usual weight, the PokeGirl stumbled, trying to adjust. Toman drew Marya's PokeBall and clicked the button. "Marya, return now!" The red particle beam whipped out, wrapping around the Boobisaur and dematerializing her, storing her in the safety of the device.
That also threw the Titodile, and she fell face-first onto the ground. She recovered quickly, though, scrambling to her feet and looking around in alarm for her enemy. "We need to help Marya with-" Toman said, but paused in mid-sentence, and the voice snapped her eyes on him. "Shit." Anger, fear and sexual frenzy brewed in the perfect storm within her unreasoning mind, and she charged at him.
"Go, Cathy!" One of the aides had taken the initiative, sending out his PokeGirl to defend him. The white and red ball burst open in a flash of light, producing a Littletit. Cathy looked nothing like the traditional images of a PokeGirl- short and lacking almost any breasts at all, with normal skin hue and eyes. Toman knew the breed well enough to remember that they were Electric-types, though, which made the choice to bring her out a smart one. They were rather rare, too, and he gained a bit of respect for the aides. "Thunder Wave!"
She spotted the only possible target that her Tamer could be ordering the attack on, and silently began to accumulate a heavy static charge between her small hands in the shape of a sphere. The Titodile started running her down, not noticing the crackling of the air until it was too late. The ball of contained static burst from Cathy's hands, directed by her will like a homing missile. There was no room or time to dodge.
The Titodile's body abruptly locked up and went into paralyzed convulsions, the attack being super-effective on her. "Take her out with Thunder Bolt!" Cathy balled her fists up, each one accumulating a much greater charge of electricity, her whole body sparking with stray lightning. She planted her feet and clapped her hands together. A solid, blindingly bright yellow line appeared connecting the two girls for an instant, in which time hundreds of thousands of volts were pumped into the Water-type and her frame was backlit by yellow light. The ground beneath her feet was scorched, random grass being cooked into ash.
The Titodile went down, hard, still convulsing as though she were going through a seizure. "Toman, Ball her!" Without thinking, he reached for one of his spares and lobbed it out like a grenade. It landed and rolled up to the prone girl, opening up and absorbing her in light.
His mind was off the spectacle before the Pokeball even confirmed the capture, and he opened the PokeBall, bringing out Marya. She laid on the ground, coming out just as she had entered the ball- with a not insignificant head wound. "Dear gods." It looked worse up close, almost all of her hair mangled and bloody.
Cathy retrieved the Pokeball and Jacob reached the injured Boobisaur. "Toman, get a potion and give it to her," He said. "We can pump her full of healing medicine and let her get some rest. In fact, she could heal without the potions, but I don't think you're willing to put her through that." When the teenager didn't respond, he said, "I know it doesn't look good but PokeGirls are damn tough. When we get back to the Village we'll run her through a healing cycle and she'll be good as new. Da?"
"Da." He went over to his pack, hefting it to the forest floor beside her and fishing out a bottle full to the brim with healing liquid. "Marya.... Marya..." She quietly stirred, regaining consciousness. "Are you alright? Can you move?"
"Yeah," She whispered. "I don't think she got past my thick old skull."
"That's wonderful. Tilt your head back... okay, good, just like that. Swallow all of it." He took the lid off the bottle and tilted it over her open mouth, pouring it in. When the bottle was empty he returned it to the pack and stroked her cheek. "Good."
"You're worrying too much," She said, inflection returning to her voice. "It was just... the pain was so much. I'd never felt pain like it before in my life. Is that what it truly means to fight?"
"It's what it truly means to get your ass handed to you," The teenager said, cracking a small smile. "And you had a type advantage too."
"Hey," Marya objected. "She could have been twice my level, or more. Ugh. Felt like it." She offered no comment as she was given a second bottle. The bleeding had completely stopped now, and the damaged flesh was beginning to right itself. "See? I'll be good to go in an hour, tops." She moved her hand, brushing it along her damaged hair. "The cosmetic damage is gonna take longer, though. Uurg. I don't want a bald spot, I'm seventeen!"
"Can we stay here and wait for her to recover?" Toman asked them. He really wanted to turn the expedition around and hoof it for home, but couldn't bring himself to say it. Logically, he knew he was slightly overreacting to Marya's injury. Knowing that didn't help at all, and all of his desires focused on getting out of the damned forest.
"Alright. But then we'll have to really hump it through the forest," Jacob said, tossing the Pokeball up and catching it repeatedly. "I'd enjoy getting this done before nightfall, but I dunno if that's possible. We still got eight to go."
A ringing interrupted Toman's reply, and he fished into his pocket, retrieving his new cell phone. The caller ID was, of course, from the Samara Village Laboratory. He answered. "Hello?"
"Toman? This is Kiera, Master's having a bit of a lie down. How's it going so far? You get any new Pokegirls yet?"
"Actually, we just caught a Titodile that attacked us to get our foodstuffs." Toman glanced over at Marya. "Marya got her head ripped up a bit, but it's nothing serious at all. I think. At least that's what she tells me." The Boobisaur giggled quietly over his fretting.
"Oh? Tell her to recover fast so she can do better next time! So what are you gonna name the Titodile?"
"Huh? Nick's Girl beat it so I figured I'd let him decide. I don't plan on keeping her, really. I'll barely be able to keep up with two PokeGirls at a time!"
"Oh, right. You're still just a noob. It's hard to remember that when you're already doing so well!"
"So getting shot is doing 'well'?"
"... Actually, yes. Well, I won't keep you any longer, goodbye! Say hi to the others for me!" With that the line clicked and went out, replaced by the dial tone. He spared a single frown for the inactive phone before folding it back up and returning it to his pocket.
"Kiera called, from the Lab. She says hi, by the way." He switched conversational gears. "Hey, about the Titodile, I know I technically caught it, but Cathy did all the work for it." The Littletit had already been returned to her Pokeball so she couldn't enjoy the compliment, which the shy girl might have been uncomfortable with anyway. "So you can have her, Nick."
Nick nodded in understanding. "Alright. We'll take care of her at the lab. Maybe when you get some more experience as a Tamer you'll want her back. Of course, you still get the rank point for catching a Feral." He opened his mouth to object but he cut him off. "Just take it. After what Marya went through I'd say you two deserve it."
Then give the rank point to Marya, Toman thought sourly, although he did not voice this, sitting down again next to Marya. He took out Irena's Pokeball and released her. Irena let out a gasp and said, "Marya!" Before looking over her head wound.
"I'm alright," Marya assured her. "Look, I don't even feel the pain of it anymore." She did neglect to mention why, that it hurt so much her head was numb, but it was probably for the best. "And I'll be good as new in a day, tops."
If she was a human, her skull wouldn't have held up, Toman thought. She'd have been seriously injured or killed. And it would certainly take longer to recover. Not that it was that much of a revelation to consider how much stronger even low-level Pokegirls were when compared with the average person.
When Marya was able to walk, they started out at a brisk pace for the next monitoring device. They traced a jagged zigzagging line through the still woods, only encountering a few Hamtits that were scared off by a minimal show of force. They took several more breaks, and stopped to have their dinner between the seventh and eighth devices. Once again, they were approached by a hungry Feral- a Bunnygirl.
She tried to steal the food and run, but tripped and fell on her face, according one of the aides the chance to ball her. "We'll sell her off on the internet to some pet owners or something," He said, idly looking over the device, which had been partially covered with dirt from the ground. "Hard to imagine we'll get much for her, though- the buggers aren't exactly scarce."
"There's always someone who'll bite," Jacob replied. "With winter about settled in up north, someone up there might appreciate a warm, furry and very affectionate body."
They had no problems reaching the last of the devices, calling into the Lab again and telling them they were starting back for home. The sun was beginning to get low in the sky, casting bloody illumination over the landscape, which mixed oddly with the green flora and fauna. Marya sighed. She had gotten a lot of sun, but it had been spread out, and she felt neither energetic nor particularly tired. The pain had completely gone away, and skin had covered over the hurt, leaving only her blood-caked hair and a large scar as evidence she had taken damage. She and Irena had been returned to their balls for the time being.
The stars were out in the cloudless night sky, twinkling as millions of beads of light, by the time the expedition reached the sense of security afforded by the sonic barrier line. They encountered a Mosertack Pokegirl, who was patrolling around, and who only had to glance at them to recognize them and let them pass.
It was easy to see the village, as a good tract of land had been cleared around the town in days of past turbulence, and the street and houselights cast a blazing illumination into the shadows of the forest. Toman sighed, leaning against the last tree he reached for a moment in fatigue. His entire being was worn out to a degree he never thought he would experience, having been in movement in some fashion for hours on end. He was breathing happily and warmer than regular, although as more of a chill tinged the night air that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. But I'm still standing, he thought triumphantly, one of the only cognizant thoughts in his swimming mind. Another was a need to get Marya to the PokeCenter before heading home. The aides had two Ferals to bring to the PokeCenter for processing before they were tamed, and the group hoofed it through the nearly abandoned streets.
Samara was very much a traditionally rooted town in some ways, including almost all activity coming to a halt at nightfall, besides some bars and shops. They met nobody at all before coming to the PokeCenter and entering the bright foyer. A few people sat around, but nobody looked up at them and a few were obviously napping. The unnamed NurseJoy at the reception desk called out a greeting. "Welcome back, gentlemen. The Professor told me to expect you."
Toman set Marya's Pokeball onto the counter. "Healing cycle, please. And give her a shower, too," He told her. "Get all the blood and dirt and crap out." He himself felt the need to be clean, but that could certainly wait until tomorrow morning.
"Fresh catches, Nurse. Give them both some standard cycles and heal up the Titodile as best as you can. Just send them over the Lab along with Marya when they're good to go," Jacob said.
"Very well," She nodded. "This is the slow shift, so we'll get right on it."
"Thanks. C'mon, Toman," Jacob said, looking ready to catch him if the teenager literally passed out. He did not, walking with a slow and measured gait out and going for home through the shortest possible route. The Professor had already gone to bed, and he gave a brief greeting to Kiera before he more or less shambled upstairs and into his room.
He fumbled with Irena's Pokeball and released her, clicking off the lights and kicking off his shoes. Without a word to her he plopped down onto his bed, removing his glasses and placing them on the night-stand before turning over. She joined him after a moment, cuddling into his back lovingly. It didn't take him long at all to fall asleep.
/\/\
He blinked, his eyes fluttering open and staring up at the blurry ceiling, bathed in morning light from the window. Toman seemed contented to just lie there for a while, until he slowly began to perceive a warm weight on top of him. That weight shifted around, and he looked down, not altogether surprised to find Marya using him as a human pillow. She was still sleeping, nuzzling into his chest.
Toman smiled gently, glad Nurse Joy had gotten the Pokegirl home so quickly. One of his hands came up and stroked her hair. "Master..." He blinked, looking up and finding Irena's face a few inches from his own. "G-good morning."
He grinned proudly. "Good morning, Irena." He shifted over slightly, careful not to disturb Marya, and planted a kiss on the furry girl's lips. "You seem to be making great progress."
Her master was pleased with her, and she felt a warm glow over her face as she blushed. "Thank you." She had drilled on the polite words and forms of speech like a soldier drilled for battle, and combined with the TM conditioning she was doing it almost as though it were natural. He scratched her ears, which twitched ticklishly and produced a giggle from her.
"Today's going to be a special day," He promised her. "We're going to be leaving home."
She tilted her head. "Into the forest again, Master?" She snuggled her whole body even closer, and Marya shifted unconsciously to put her arm around the other girl as well. They were now a tightly-knitted bundle over him, whose body heat kept him very warm.
"Of course not. I plan to avoid the wilderness for at least a few months." His exaggerated frowning made her laugh again. "We're going to ride a train."
She blinked. "What's that, Master?" Although she was talking pretty fluent Russian now, she still demonstrated a fundamental ignorance about most aspects of civilized life. She was just getting used to going to the bathroom and washing by herself. The technological wonders of humanity usually amazed, and occasionally terrified, her. He had taken to the task of educating her as a personal challenge, and encouraged her to ask as many questions as she wanted. He was even planning to get her a Literature TM or two from a specialty store in the city to allow her to read, and thus learn exponentially faster.
"It's a vehicle that was invented hundreds of years ago," He answered. "It rides on metal tracks, and goes incredibly fast. Put it this way- if we hiked it on foot to our destination, it would take a week, maybe two. The train will take less than a day."
Irena gasped. "Wow. How does that work?"
He explained to her, in as many simple terms as possible to help, how the electromagnetic rails worked to shove the train forward by using the repelling force of similar fields. "So basally we line up these things called electromagnets up under the train and then run a current through it and the rails at the same time. They push against each other, and we control that motion forward to make it go fast." He sighed as he could tell by the look on her face that it was a little too much at once. "You can read about it later when you get literate." She nodded eagerly, happy to agree with him about pretty much anything.
Toman didn't find this overeager subservience disturbing at all, for a variety of reasons. His society had conditioned him to accept this as the natural way things worked. Humans had suspected, and science had proved, that nearly all Pokegirls were in fact in their native elements when enslaved. Thus, the greatest act of benevolence was to accept their obedience and look after them as a kind master should. Even he, a strong advocate of Pokegirl rights, took that for granted.
After a period of lying there with her Master and harem-sister, Marya shifted and made a few groggy noises, and Toman knew she was awakening. "Morning, Marya," He whispered into her ear, and she nuzzled him out of reflex.
"Mornin'," She yawned, coughing to clear her throat. "Ugh. I slept like a log."
"Same." He laid back against his pillow, waiting for her to become fully cognizant. He only reacted when she started rubbing her ample chest against him, frowning. "Let me go to the bathroom first, alright?" After a moment's consideration, she nodded and dismounted, leaning against Irena, who was happy to have the contact. He slowly sat up, getting to his feet and hobbling out of the room.
When he got back, he was forcefully dragged down by the still drowsy Boobisaur, as Irena fretted over her treatment of their master. Marya often acted way out of synch with what the TM told her was proper behavior. "Woah! Don't you care at all that I'm all smelly and shit from yesterday? I need a shower!"
"We could have another group shower," Marya suggested, although she was very clean from the PokeCenter. Irena needs one too, though, she hastily rationalized the opportunity for Taming.
He cocked an eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind. Irena?"
She blinked. "Um. It's ok with me," She admitted, blushing slightly. "I really liked it the last time, Master."
By the time lunch rolled around in the Laboratory, the three of them had reached the dining room, now squeaky clean, in the physical meaning at least. Most of the staff could tell by the look on their faces what had happened, and shared amused approval of Toman's continuing steep slide into Tamer morality. The food was exceptionally good, as the chef knew it would be their last meal at home for a long time.
His father took it upon himself to give Toman a more in-depth briefing about the city itself and the boot camp. "You might want to look up Shelaya on WorldMaps Online for an idea about how big it truly is compared with Samara. Make sure to ask for a map when you arrive, the city provides them free to all new visitors. Head straight for Aaron's Lab and make sure you know where you stand in terms of accommodations." He told him about notable places in the city, including decent places to eat, reputable shops, and the top of the line medical facilities for humans and PokeGirls that the city kept.
The Boot Camp is a totally voluntary course, but while you are there you'll be under the complete authority of the League instructors. I know there's a lot of bunk about Boot Camp being state-sanctioned torture, with screaming drill sergeants and grueling physical labor, but it's honestly not that bad. They'll give you a lot of really useful information, I expect you to be taking notes like the researcher you hope to be one day. I'm really glad you decided to do this, Toman. Studies have shown that this almost doubles the survival rate of new Tamers."
"Ah. Survival, that's good," Toman replied, nibbling on some lettuce. Marya got a bit bored after a while, but her master dutifully heard his father out, nodding and verbally acknowledging wherever it was appropriate.
"The train leaves around two-thirty, depending on what day it is," Professor Kross wrapped up his mini-speech. "I've purchased you a one-way ticket and made arrangements for your passage. Everything should be in order if you present this at the admissions booth," He said, reaching over the remains of the food in various fine dishes to hand his son the paper.
"Right. Thanks." He folded and pocketed the ticket, and finished off his third glass. Finally content that he had conquered all hunger and scoured it from his system, he leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh of content. "I'll miss this place, I think. Especially the cooking. But at the same time, I have to admit I'm fairly excited to finally leave this bubble and see the real world."
His father chuckled. "Some day you may rue those words, Toman. I hope you're mentally prepared for how things are going to change for you. I know you've already been through a lot for your age, but in truth, your PokeGirls adventure has only just begun."
"Wonderful," Toman replied, standing up. "I'm gonna go make sure my stuff is packed and ready to go, and then do some of that research on Shelaya City before we leave." He planned to head out to Mosertack with time to spare in case they took longer than usual for some reason.
"Before... you leave...." Kiera gasped. "I just remembered something! Toman, Dom called while you were in the shower-" She pretended not to notice how nicely red his face became for a moment or two, "and left a message. 'Tell him before he leaves that I'm going to boot camp too, and to drop by my house before he leaves town'." She finished triumphantly, looking quite relieved that her memory had been sparked.
"Oh. Thanks," He nodded, turning and continuing on to the storage closet. His supplies and pack were all in order, and he hefted the bag into his room and found his shoes. Having completed the mundane tasks of preparation, he turned on his computer and connected to the internet.
Pokepedia, the most comprehensive online encyclopedia run almost tyrannically by a devoted group of League Video Girls and Byte Bitches, had a sizable article on the major city.
He found himself reading aloud, not noticing that Marya and Irena had come in and were silently listening to him like little kids. "Shelaya City is a large city located roughly in the center of the Ruby League. It was once known as Yekaterinsburg, one of the many towns that were partially or totally destroyed by Legendary attacks during the Revenge War, though some of it did survive. It was renamed and rebuilt in 12 AS. It houses a significant part of Ruby's industrial base and huge indoor greenhouse complexes staffed by specialized PokeGirls and skilled human laborers. The city is nestled in the lowlands between the Ural and Main Shelaya Mountain Ranges, and features a population of approximately 520,000. There is a Gym within the city limits, and the world-famous Hostler Ranch is also in the immediate vicinity. The city maintains two human hospitals and five PokeCenters, scattered equidistantly throughout the urban and industrial sprawl. The air is slightly worse than in the wild parts of Ruby, although League PokeGirls are hard at work ensuring it does not become a health hazard to humans or flying-types."
"Five hundred and twenty thousand people," Marya repeated, in awe and able to tell that Toman was, too. "I've only ever been in Samara with, at best, two thousand. It's just so amazing to think of so many people, all living together in one massive town."
Irena tilted her head, unable to make much of a connection. She was just surprised by now many people were in this relatively enormous village when compared with her experiences of isolation and loneliness, and the concept of a place a hundred times larger just wasn't computing.
"Yeah," Toman agreed. He scrolled down to the section on the prominent Professors in the city, and located Aaron Shields in the top two entry. He specialized in rare Pokegirls, and ran a minor breeding operation for the valuable species that totally financed his lab, its experiments and research, and his own very comfortable life. "I'm sure he'll give me the opportunity to study rare PokeGirls with him and his staff, that's going to be great."
"Very true." Marya blinked, tilting her head. "Go down to the Gym, let's check out what our first challenge will be!"
Toman frowned. "I don't think we'll be Gym-bound any time soon, Marya. You're the only combat type I have, Irena's just not physically cut out for battle until she evolves." He was interested to learn that the Gym Leader was the son of Incom Industries' founder, and thus such a big-shot that even he recognized his name at the first mention. "Huh. He uses rock, steel and ground types. You wouldn't do horrible against that, but you're still way low level. I think it could be months or even years before we'd want to take on something that big."
Marya pouted. "You're always so strategic about these things. I wish you were more hot-blooded like anime heroes sometimes, Master."
"You're welcome for not intending to bring you up for a public beating due to our incompetence and hubris," He replied, paging down again. "Okay, there's a training gym too. That's where the boot camp is going to be meeting most of the time. It's also got a pretty open storage system for use, that's good to know..." He kept going. "You could probably do some part-time work tending crops for one of the farming complexes, Marya. Irena, I'm sure we can find general-purpose light labor for you, as well as a bit of 'higher' education."
"Learning more sounds fun," The furry PokeGirl responded. "I'll try to evolve as soon as possible so that I can be more useful for you, master!"
"Now I'm going to take the long view with you," The teenager said, nervously. "It will probably take years for you to actually achieve evolution, even with tons of training and battle experience. I appreciate the spirit, but don't push yourself. We all have long, full lives ahead of us, barring more of the getting shot."
Most of the other information wasn't as interesting to him, but he still looked over it and retained some of the key points. He had lost track of time, and at a glance to his clock he found they had spent considerable time at the website. "Well. It's coming on one now. Let's... get going." He grabbed his wallet, which had a laminated card-copy of his Tamer ID and what was left of his starting allowance of credits.
The backpack had all of the Tamer equipment and items ready to go, as well as a dozen changes of his clothing. He was not one of the most fashion-attuned people out there, and hadn't been out shopping for new threads in literally months. He crinkled his nose at the thought. "I guess I'll need some new clothing in the city."
"This is the advantage of going nude, no hassle about all that clothing bullshit," Marya told him. "I think you should do it, too. I really do. Don't you agree, Irena?" She eeped and nodded an affirmative.
Toman blushed slightly and ignored her, going down to get his shoes. "Alright, we're traveling really light so this is all we'll need..." In the living room, they found the staff of the lab, including all the Pokegirls and Professor Kross himself, sitting around. I should have figured they'd all want to see me off.
Professor Kross was about to say something meaningful when he saw Kiera lunge forward, tackling Toman in the sort of affectionate hug that only a person with an elastic body could manage. The poor boy felt like the highwayman who had attacked him for a few moments, squirming angrily as the maid spewed loving phrases and advice. "And make sure to change your underwear at least once a day! More if you do a lot of Taming! And bathe regularly!"
The teenager's lungs were afire and a single look at his face told her he wasn't amused, so she let up a bit, arms snapping back into human-like configurations. "Have I ever..." He paused to cough a few times, "Neglected to bathe regularly?"
"I was just saying," Kiera replied, still cuddling him closely.
"Get off of me," He complained, and she reluctantly did. The tsundere moment didn't last, though, because he also told her, "Thanks. I'll miss you, too." He looked over everyone. "That goes for every one of you. You're all like my family to me. And even you, Father, though you're forcing me into a life of violence and petty manual labor, I will still find it within myself to love you."
"Wonderful," Professor Kross acknowledged. "You'd best get that first step out of a million going. Make sure to call us from Aaron's lab when you get there so we know you're okay."
Toman felt something like regret as he moved over the threshold and out into the village, turning his direction first for Dom's house. The walk was pretty silent, as they trod their familiar path through the neatly arranged little hamlet of Samara. Toman seemed more pensive than usual, and Marya was having her own share of fond memories of the community. Irena didn't feel the same way, but she could tell enough to give them some respectful distance.
Dom was sitting on the front porch, and waved to the three of them as they came down the street. "Hey man."
"What's up?" Toman asked, as much a greeting as a real question. The blonde motioned for them to have a seat next to him, and they did. "Couldn't be some big goodbye thing, we're gonna see each other in a few days or so anyway."
"I can see why you're called the genius-child in some circles," Dom replied. "Actually, I wanted to talk with you about the Penance." He saw his dark-skinned friend frown, and hastily added, "No, wait, I've learned my lesson, charging off results in rape to me and gunshot wounds to beloved friends. I just. You know, was thinking about her a lot. It's still something I want to do, even though by now she could be anywhere on this continent. I want to find her some day, and I want your help to do it."
"Is this going to turn into some cheesy promise between blood-brothers that fuels entire plotlines?" Toman asked, aware that were he in a fictional tale he would have just smashed through the fourth wall like a Snorlass after her meal.
"Yup."
"... You know, why not." He harbored deep doubts that either of them would ever so much as see a Penance again, much less the specific one Dom wanted, much less actually catch her somehow. However, he found himself feeling genuinely sorry for his friend, and held out his hand. Anything to help comfort him and make him less likely to do something stupid again.
"Thanks." They shared a handshake, and then Dom sighed. "That's basically all I wanted to talk to you about. Thanks for stopping by."
The hike through the well-tended path to Mosertack Ranch tired Toman out, although less so than before he had become a Tamer. He made sure not to complain about it, as even Irena had an easy time of the stroll through the forest. Eventually they reached the gated complex housing the small administrative village of the Ranch. After a few moments, the metal grids slid open with a prideful squeaking noise, admitting them.
It was tiny, but remained a hub of some activity, with small crowds of people near the various exotic shops and importers clustered around the relatively large train station. A large group was camped out in the lobby of the station, obviously waiting for the daily train to come in. Toman walked through the entrance, getting to the ticket booth and showing it to the attendant, who marked it in her computer and told him to have a seat. "Shouldn't be long," The human reassured him.
Toman was glad to take the load off his feet, sitting down and leaning against Marya. Irena did the same thing on her other side, and in this way they were comfortable until the ground began to rumble a little. A mind-numbing set of horn blasts confirmed his suspicion, and within a minute or two the vehicle had pulled into the station. The sleek metal train gleamed in the midday light of the open-air boarding platforms, proud Russian characters proclaiming it to be owned by the Luskanya Rail Transit Corporation. Irena watched it in terror, clinging tighter to Marya and needing both of them to talk her down.
"The daily to Shelaya City and parts beyond has arrived on the main platform," The intercom declared superfluously. If someone was really deaf enough not to hear it, are they going to pick up a human voice any better? Marya shook her head. "Please form orderly lines to have your tickets confirmed and to embark. Consult the PokeGirl attendants onboard about any cargo larger than your carry-ons."
They claimed a spot about in the middle of the solidifying masses of people, waiting roughly five minutes before they got to the checkpoint gate. "New Tamer, huh?" The OfficerJenny said, looking over his PokeDex ID. "New Tamer and Watcher. Oh, you're the Kross boy. Right. Good luck in boot camp, and remember to look up recent city ordinances when you arrive to make sure you don't violate any laws."
"Of course, ma'am," Toman replied with his reflexive polite behavior he exhibited towards strangers, fidgeting slightly out of stress. The crowds were not sitting well with his small stomach.
"Go on through, then. These two are yours already?" He nodded. "Very well. Be careful about flaunting them though, sir. There's been an increase in Girl-snatching in Shelaya over the past several quarters. You might consider balling them on the streets."
"Thank you for the advice," He said, nodding to her before booking it onto the train. He had never rode a train before, but it wasn't hard to figure out where to go. An Ingenue showed them to Toman's seat, in one of the rear passenger cars. The mass-produced seating was two-by-two along the windows.
"If the seat next to you isn't needed by a human passenger, feel free to allow these two to sit there, sir. They can also have a seat on the floor if you wish." With that, she helped him put his pack up in the compartment above their heads, and went off to assist an elderly couple into the seats adjacent them.
"Does that mean Irena gets to sit in my lap?" Marya asked, planting herself in the seat next to the window. "Sorry, Master, but I need to soak up at least some of the light or I'll be grouchy later when we're Taming."
"What, once a day isn't enough for you?" Toman asked, taking the other seat. "Well, Irena? Floor or lap? Or ball?"
"Can you return me to my PokeBall, Master?" Irena asked. If the crowds had made Toman skittish, they had made her almost full-blown panic, along with the strange new technology all around her.
"Alright," He assented, returning her and pocketing the ball. "She's coming along well."
"Yeah," Marya agreed, glancing around and looking over the other people in the car. A few of them were talking, but most kept to themselves. Occasionally, humans and PokeGirls of various types would pass through, their eyes at least brushing over the pretty-looking boy. At least one of the PokeGirls actively checked him out, prompting an on-the-spot jealousy make out session from Marya that Toman had absolutely no objections to. When he could look over to the aisle again, the Girl was gone. "Mine," The Boobisaur pouted.
"It's the other way around, you're mine," Toman objected. "What do you think this is, the SIL?"
"No. I can hope, though. That place probably gets a lot of sun and water." Marya reclined a bit into the seating, letting out a long sigh. "How long is this trip gonna take?"
"Hours and hours," Toman said. "We almost certainly won't make it before nightfall."
When everyone was loaded up and secure, the train shuddered. "We're getting underway," The Ingenue announced to everyone. "Please stay belted in for a little while. After we're going at a good clip you can unbuckle and wander about the train. Oh, and if you're going to use cell phones or digital uplink devices of any kind, please do so in the rearmost car with Faraday equipment."
Toman and Marya were paying her almost no mind, instead choosing to gawk out the windows as the train began to magnetically accelerate. The clearings of the ranch and buildings dotted the horizon, beginning to tap-dance left and soon replaced by fields of shivering green- the forest. The train only kept getting faster, the floor gently shaking and humming in rhythm with the rails, which it wasn't touching at any point.
It was quickly the farthest out from home Toman had ever been. Even though his career hadn't begun as planned- at all- in so many ways- he still looked forward to what awaited him in Shelaya City.
Marya dozed off quickly after the novelty of the window had begun to wear off, and with nobody to talk with, Toman saw fit to follow suit.