Chapter 9
The upper deck of the ferry was much less crowded and Isabella led Nicodemus up there as soon as she could. The view wasn’t that interesting. Magikunt was a tiny village of less than four hundred people. It was officially kept alive by the Magikunt gym, the ferry to Rosslare and a small but thriving tourist industry involving dolphin and puffin watching. Unofficially, smuggling contributed a great deal to the local economy. The ferry had a no pokegirl policy and they’d put everyone into their pokeballs for the trip.
Isabella sipped at her soda and idly watched the deck hands closing the loading gates and preparing for departure. “I still wonder if Bucket is involved in the smuggling.”
Nicodemus frowned and glanced around to see that they were alone. “Oh, that. Yes, he’s in it up to his neck.”
She blinked. “Really? He seemed so nice, not criminal like us.”
“That’s an amusing conceit, but actually he’s trying to stop the smuggling. Naomi says she picked up some hints from his mind that he’s somehow involved with a BLSF operation to crack down on the smugglers.”
“We were consorting with a cop? How far have we fallen?” She chuckled as the ferry lurched and started moving away from the pier. Both of them frowned when the yelling started.
“That voice sounds familiar.” Isabella moved to the stern of the vessel and looked over the edge. She grinned. “It’s Cecilia Stanton. It appears that she missed the ferry.”
Nicodemus joined her in time to see the Tamer gesticulating wildly at someone who was shaking his head negatively. She pointed at the ferry and yelled something that the growing distance swallowed before stomping her foot and heading back up the quay.
He frowned and released Naomi. She looked in the direction he pointed. “That’s Cecilia Stanton. Teleport over there and bring her back here if she wants you to.”
The Espea grinned. “Yes, master.” She vanished as he pulled out his binoculars and trained them on the departing Tamer.
Cecilia jumped when Naomi appeared in front of her. There was a quick conversation and she took the Espea’s hand. They disappeared and reappeared on the deck as he stowed the binoculars in his pack.
“Nicodemus, Isabella, thank you. That jerk wouldn’t let me on board because he didn’t want to go to the effort of opening that bloody gate.”
Naomi disappeared in her capture beam as Isabella smiled. “We’re always glad to help a friend, Cecilia. Can I take you downstairs and buy you a soda?”
“That would be nice.” Isabella gave him a little wave and the two women headed down the ladder.
When they came back, Nicodemus was leaning against the railing and watching the ocean. “I didn’t know you were going to Rosslare.” Cecilia sipped at her drink. “Just passing through, or do you have business there?”
“We’re going to the Harvest Moon Ranch.”
“What do you want there?” Stanton suddenly looked interested. “Nicodemus has a full harem and you don’t seem to want any more girls right now.” She was referring to the handful of feral pokegirls that Nicodemus and Isabella had caught while hunting KATTLE. All of them had been put up for auction in Magikunt.
Isabella shrugged. “I’ll have to finish filling my harem, but we’re actually hoping we can apprentice there. We’d like to open a ranch.”
“Oh.” Cecilia suddenly looked thoughtful.
The ferry came about and engines suddenly roared. It accelerated hard and came up on it’s hydrofoils as it increased its speed to a hundred kilometers per hour for the one hour trip.
Cecilia resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened. “Around Rosslare?”
“No,” Nicodemus joined the conversation. “It will be somewhere else, maybe not too far from Killarney.”
“Ah, you’re out to break the jinx?” She smiled at their expressions. “It’s thought there’s a curse. There’ve been five ranches started in the Killarney area and none of them have lasted longer than a year. Some blame the ghosts of the first ranchers.”
Isabella glanced at Nicodemus as he shrugged. “I don’t think the bad fortunes of previous attempts will dissuade us, but we will ask around and try to determine if we need to be afraid of ghosts.”
“That’s the spirit.” Cecilia blinked and giggled at her little joke. “I want to thank you again for helping me get on board.”
“It was our pleasure,” Isabella reassured her. “Nicodemus likes to break the rules once in a while.”
He looked shocked. “Me?”
***
“Welcome to Rosslare.” Cecilia grinned as they headed up the pier. Rosslare looked to be about the same size as Magikunt. The harbor was full of ships sporting nets drying in the sun, hinting at the primary economy of this village. “And welcome to Eire.” She released Toni and headed off.
“Thanks.” Isabella shouldered her pack as she watched Cecilia leave without a backward look. “Have any idea how to get to the ranch?”
“I’ve got a map, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask for directions, too.” He checked his watch. “It’s almost lunch time. That would mean that right now, the pub would be our best bet.”
Isabella shook her head. “I’m beginning to think that any time of day the pub is a good place to start.”
He chuckled. “Now you’re starting to sound like an Irish wife.”
She smirked and looked thoughtful. “Do I? Should a good Irish wife allow my poor, misguided husband in such a place?”
“No, but I understand that great Irish wives do.”
“Well, if I have to choose between good and great, I want to be a great wife; so let’s be off.”
“I just think you want to beat someone else at darts.”
She grinned. “You bought me that dart set for the trip. I thought that to show my appreciation I had to keep in practice. Care for a friendly game?”
“I’m not sure you’re capable of a friendly game and I grow tired of losing to you. Find someone else to pick on.” He eyed her suspiciously.
“Don’t worry, I will.” An amused look appeared. “Do you think Tarquin will forgive me?”
“If you are asking me if I think he will forgive you for the fact that you took his undisputed title of caravan dart champion, probably not. He might have forgiven you if you’d had the grace to lose the rematch.”
“I’ll probably lose sleep over the thought of his anger.” She cheerfully slipped her arm through his.
“I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s probably written you off as a fluke and awarded himself the title again.”
***
Lucretia circled in and landed. “The ranch is about a kilometer ahead, sir. I’m not sure what I expected, but that wasn’t it.”
He nodded. “Well, let’s go see what you didn’t expect.”
“Who do you want for aerial patrols, sir?” Lucretia apparently didn’t consider Isabella being around as meeting the criteria for private.
He shook his head. “I don’t want them to think we’re casing the place, so I don’t want anyone up there. Our approach will be as non-threatening as possible. You, Kay, me and Isabella together is probably more than enough.”
“Very well, sir. I just don’t like being exposed this way.”
“Neither do I, but this is what circumstances warrant.”
Isabella chuckled. “I agree with her. I don’t like it either.”
“Would you like it when we have a ranch and a Tamer shows up with several combat pokegirls arrayed in what could be considered a provocative pattern?”
“He won’t like what happens.” Kay looked surprised and then pleased at her mistress’ words. Isabella paused. “So, you’re not doing this so they don’t feel like they’re being attacked, but so we don’t get attacked by them. I understand now.”
He nodded and they moved on.
Once he saw it, Nicodemus decided that the Harvest Moon Ranch looked more like a fortified encampment than anything else. There was a central building surrounded by outbuildings, some fields surrounding those and a moat encircling the fields. The path they were following led to a footbridge that crossed the moat. Tiny figures could be seen moving in the fields but, otherwise, it looked quiet.
Isabella paused. “What do you think of the layout?”
He frowned. “They’ve taken some basic precautions against ferals, but I’d rather aggressively patrol instead of building passive defenses. If the patrols catch any feral pokegirls they run across, we can sell them while reducing their numbers. Lowering their population density will do more to keep them out of our fields than a moat. Still, it’s something to consider.”
“They’re wide open against flying types.”
“They’re wide open against a lot of types,” he replied. “Maybe they’ve got defenses we can’t see or maybe it’s just been quiet here.”
“I don’t want to rely on luck to keep us safe.” Isabella glanced at him. “It never works.”
“We won’t. Perhaps it was complacency that prevented the other ranches in Killarney from succeeding.”
She nodded. “That’s entirely possible. We’ll have to be careful and investigate what happened thoroughly.”
“That sounds like an excuse for more dart games.”
Isabella laughed. “It does, doesn’t it? They are a good form of social contact.”
“That and you get to beat people regularly.”
“That’s only an incidental pleasure.”
He gave her a look of disbelief. “Try losing instead.”
“Nico, that wouldn’t be fair to them. Best effort all the time, right?”
He just shook his head. “Let’s see what happens when we approach with a bug pokegirl.”
It was obvious when they identified Lucretia, at least from the scream of terror and the mad dash for the buildings. A couple of heavyset pokegirls came out from one building and scanned the sky before spotting them. One headed back inside while the other jogged towards the footbridge.
“I think waiting here might be good. That’s a Galem.”
Isabella kept her eyes on the Galem as the pokegirl slowly navigated the footbridge. “I agree. “ She continued in a musing tone. “Although I’m sure Ana could turn her into gravel, I think I may want a water type pokegirl soon.”
“I still have some evolution stones, including a couple of water stones.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t know we were really married.” He gave her a deadpan look as she glared briefly in his direction. “I didn’t.”
“I’ll be wanting an inventory of what you’ve got.”
“Now you sound like an average Irish wife. The Galem is waving at us.” Sure enough, the pokegirl was motioning for them to come closer.
She stood with her arms folded as they approached her. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“My name is Nicodemus Azrael and this is my wife, Isabella. I would like to speak with Mr. Maloney.”
The Galem didn’t move. “Is Mr. Maloney aware of your visit?”
“I sent him an email yesterday, but he never replied.”
She grimaced. “Just a moment.” She opened her hand, revealing a small radio. “Sir, it’s a Tamer. He says he sent you an email yesterday.” There was a pause. “Yes, sir, I’ll escort them in.” She sighed loudly. “Sir, could I ask that you put your bug up while you are here? She frightens the youngsters.”
Nicodemus nodded. “Very well. I’ll see you in a little while, Lucretia.” The Ladyien vanished. “Is Mr. Maloney available?”
“This way, sir.” The Galem continued talking as she led them over the footbridge. “We have a good selection of pokegirls ready for adoption. I’m sure you’ll be able to find some that you’ll like.” Her voice was the singsong that constant repetition could bring. “We don’t allow taming of the pokegirls before purchase and only pokegirls with blue ribbons are ready to go to a Tamer. If they don’t have a blue ribbon we cannot, according to Blue League law, allow the girls to leave as they are underage. We will not hold pokegirls for a Tamer except if Mr. Maloney agrees.” She glanced at them. “I’ve been here for sixteen years and he’s held two pokegirls in that whole time, so don’t get your hopes up for that.”
Isabella started to say something but stopped when Nicodemus shook his head slightly. The Galem led them to the central building, where a Belle Awesome rocked on her heels as she waited for them. “Thanks, Tika.” She turned to the humans as the Galem’s eyes narrowed slightly before she turned and headed off. “Sir, madam, I’m Bell and Mr. Maloney will be along in a few minutes. Would you like to look over our selection of ready girls beforehand? We’ve got some prime picks right now.” Her voice was bubbly and cheerful and her smile professionally friendly. “Did Tika explain the rules here?”
“I believe she did,” Isabella replied. “She told us about not taming before purchase and about the blue ribbons.”
“Oh, good, then I don’t have to repeat them. I’ll have the eligible girls summoned right away.”
“We’re not here to purchase.” She blinked at Nicodemus’ words. “I left Mr. Mahoney a message saying that I was interested in interviewing for an apprentice position.”
Bell’s smile evaporated. “I see. I wasn’t told that.” Her voice became crisp. “Please wait here.” She disappeared into the building.
“I don’t think she likes being out of the loop.” Isabella looked around slowly. “I guess the adults stay here in the central building.”
“I was watching when they noticed Lucretia. All the pokegirls ran into the outlying buildings. I suppose it’s more secure for the Breeder and his harem, but it would be easier to steal pokegirls.”
Isabella raised an eyebrow at his speculative tone. “I hope that’s merely professional curiosity you’re expressing.” She smiled when he looked startled. “That’s what I thought. We don’t do that anymore, remember?”
He looked slightly embarrassed. “You are right.”
“Are you the man who wants to be my apprentice?” The speaker was in his early fifties, with weathered skin. “I’m Dermot Maloney.”
“Nicodemus Azrael.”
‘I’ve already heard about you. My niece doesn’t like you very much and doesn’t think I should take you on.”
A look of confusion appeared on Nicodemus’ face. “Sir?”
“You tried to kill my niece’s pokegirl. Are you going to do that to one of my kits?”
Isabella’s eyes narrowed. “Your niece is Cecilia Stanton.”
“That’s right. She claims you tried to kill Toni.”
Nicodemus shook his head. “No, I didn’t.” He looked into Maloney’s eyes and his face went still. “You believe her. You believe her and you are not going to listen to anything I have to say. Good day.”
“You don’t have the temperament to be a Breeder, boy, and I’ll make sure you aren’t ever one.” Maloney’s laughter followed them to the footbridge.
“What do we do now?”
Nicodemus glanced at her. “We’ll continue on. There’s another ranch at Cork, the Blue Diamond. If he can blackball me, then we’ll find out there.” He absently rubbed his arm. “I shouldn’t have threatened Toni and this is her revenge.” He sighed. “That’ll teach me to give warnings.”
“What happens if he can blackball you?”
“There are other careers.” He released Lucretia. “We’re leaving to go to Cork. Once we get a couple of kilometers from here, we’ll set up a regular patrol pattern.”
“Why wait, sir?”
“There’s no reason to scare the children. It’s not their fault he won’t give me a fair hearing. It’s mine.” He smiled. “This is a lesson learned. No more being nice and giving warnings. It’s back to business as usual.”
Lucretia frowned. “What happened, sir?”
Isabella was watching her husband. “The owner of the ranch is Cecilia’s uncle and she told him Nicodemus tried to kill Toni.”
“That’s absurd. Toni’s still alive. If he’d been serious, she’d be dead, Mistress.”
“She doesn’t know that, does she?” Nicodemus’ voice held a hint of bitterness.
Lucretia glanced at Isabella before asking the next question. “Sir, will she find out?”
The blonde blinked in surprise and then her eyes narrowed.
“No. We don’t have time for that kind of distraction. Besides, it wouldn’t solve anything.” He rubbed his hands together briskly. “On to Cork.”
***
“Did you say you were looking to apprentice at a pokegirl ranch?”
Nicodemus turned in his chair to look at the man behind him. “I did.” He’d been discussing their options with Isabella and this man had apparently overheard their conversation.
“Try at the Shamrock Ranch. It’s up around Kilkenny. I heard they’re looking for help.”
Isabella raised her pint at the man. “We will. Thank you very much.” She turned back to Nicodemus and dropped her voice as he opened his pokedex. “Should we try it?”
“Kilkenny is about sixty kilometers from Waterford.” He frowned. “I guess we can find out if Maloney is going to be able to cause trouble for us. If nothing else, we could cross over to Scotland and look for a ranch there if he can.”
“We’ll make it work, Nico.” Isabella clutched his hand fiercely.
He changed displays. “The Shamrock Ranch is owned by Rowan Stewart and she raises primarily Ponytaur for sale and as starters.”
“That could be promising. We’ve had lots of experience with them. Should we go now or wait until morning?”
“Let’s go now. It is a few hours until dark and we can be almost halfway there by the time we have to camp for the night.”
The next morning found them heading into Kilkenny, where they had breakfast and got directions to the Shamrock Ranch. It was only a handful of kilometers north of the village so they elected to walk. Once the ranch came into sight, they put their pokegirls up before proceeding.
The Shamrock Ranch was laid out differently from the Harvest Moon. The buildings were all in a circle inside a high palisade. A fosse surrounded the palisade and fields were outside the fosse.
“The layout is different here,” Isabella commented as she looked around. “There doesn’t seem to be a set pattern.”
“Each has a defensive ring. That may be something we’ll want to copy.” He pointed at the palisade. “Put Tabitha behind there in her quad form with her spear and I’d hate to try to climb or jump it.”
“Why is the moat dry?”
“It’s not a moat. It’s a fosse, put in to slow attackers and to give defenders the high ground. You can pour gasoline into it or line the bottom with wood or steel stakes to deter attackers. Most feral pokegirls would stop in the fields to eat and not bother the ranch proper. Intelligent foes would be immediately identified because they’d stop to evaluate the defenses. Feral predators would ignore them until they got hurt.” He looked thoughtful. “So, here they’ve decided to sacrifice the fields to protect the pokegirls and the humans. I suspect we may also find a place where the fields are in the innermost area. It all depends on what the builder thinks is a priority.”
“How do you envision our ranch?”
“I think we will have some plots scattered among the buildings with more fields in the outlying area. It’s more practical for food production and will give the place some color. We’ll also have pens for KATTLE and rabbits.”
“Where will we get those?”
“We’ll catch wild ones. It’s done all the time. We might try to find domesticated rabbits since their meat and fur is of better quality.”
The road led to a large gate that was currently closed. Nicodemus checked his watch. “It’s not that late, but I’d have someone tending the fields already. Different places, different rules.”
There was a bell on a pull and he rang it confidently. A few minutes later, a young woman appeared on the walkway over the gate. She looked human and had expertly applied cosmetics that whitened her skin and darkened her eyes, making them look larger than they actually were. Black lipstick expertly done on her full lips made her look even paler. Nicodemus pegged her as a Goth of some sort, either Wannabe Vampire or Makeup Artist.
She smiled. “Hi. Can I help you?”
“We were told in Waterford that there was an opening for an apprentice here. I’d like to apply for that post, if it’s true.”
Her smile widened. Since it now revealed teeth that looked normal, he decided she was a Makeup Artist Goth. “Please wait here while I get the mistress.” She dropped out of sight and he heard footsteps hurry away.
Isabella gave him a wry smile. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “A little; I’m concerned about Maloney’s threat.”
“If he has that kind of power, there’s little we can do about it.”
“I know. That’s what’s so frustrating.” He blinked as he heard a bolt being slid and the door opened slowly.
A woman with a shock of green hair shot through with gray shook her head slowly at the sight of them. “I’m sorry Mary didn’t let you in, but we had a Team Viper attack not too far from here and everyone is on edge.” She stepped out of the way. “I’m Rowan Stewart and welcome to the Shamrock Ranch.” She waved them inside. They saw a handful of young pokegirls who ducked into one of the buildings before either of them could identify them.
Soon, they were seated at a table and had tea and biscuits. Rowan looked them over. “I only have the one apprentice position available. We’re not so big as to need any more than that.”
Isabella smiled. “We’re a team. You get a two for one if you hire us.”
Rowan sipped at her tea. “What’s your name?”
“Isabella Azrael. This is Nicodemus.”
She blinked and a slow smile appeared. “You two are the ones Dermot is up in arms about. He said some very bad things about you.”
“I’m sorry I threatened his niece’s Psi-Dyke, but she’d just taken part of my arm off and I was unhappy about it. It won’t happen again.”
“Is that what happened? Dermot claims you attacked her and Cecilia without provocation and tried to kill both of them.”
Nicodemus blinked as Isabella went white. “I did no such thing.”
“You didn’t attack her without provocation?”
“I didn’t attack Cecilia at all and Ruth was defending me. I went over there to help Cecilia.” He muttered something under his breath.
“What was that,” Rowan asked with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not as young as I used to be and my hearing is starting to go.”
He grimaced. “I said I should have told Sheridan I couldn’t help him.”
“Who’s Sheridan?”
“Sheridan Bucket was the owner of the wagon train that we were in. He asked me to help Cecilia become a better wagon driver.”
She put down her tea and gave him a flat look. “Don’t lie to me. I know Sheridan Bucket and it won’t take me any time to contact him about you.”
“Then contact him. Hopefully, he’ll tell you the truth.”
She stood. “I will do just that. You stay here.”
Isabella looked around slowly. “She left us alone.”
“Where are we going to go? The gate is probably closed and locked again.” He sighed. “So, now we know that Maloney made good on his threat. Now we need to find out just how much power he has.”
“Not as much as he thinks.” It was Rowan. “Sheridan couldn’t chat, but he told me that you’re one of the best trainers he’s ever seen. He even tried to hire you. That’s impressive.” She settled down and picked up her tea. “He also told me about Cecilia Stanton. You were out of line in what you did, but you acknowledge that. Still, while Dermot is an ass, he is influential in certain circles and I have to pretend to care what he thinks.” She eyed him narrowly. “You impressed Sheridan and Tarquin, so I’ll give you a chance to impress me. I’ve got a pokegirl who has an injury that we can’t diagnose. Why don’t you have a go at it and see what you can do?”
He nodded. “I’ll take that offer. Where is she and what will you tell me about her?”
“I don’t want to influence your attempts at diagnosis, so I won’t be telling you anything about Jenny.” She picked up a bell from the tray and rang it softly. “Tammy will show you to Jenny’s room.”
“Thank you, Ms. Stewart.”
“Call me Rowan. If you stay, I won’t know who you’re calling otherwise; if you don’t, it won’t matter.”
***
Jenny sat in a chair and watched them as the Goth led them in. She was about six feet tall, with a long brown hair and blue eyes. Oddly, her skin was a mixture of very light brown and white patches. “Jenny, this is Nicodemus and Isabella. They’re auditioning for the apprentice position and mistress has asked them to take a look at you.”
Jenny nodded without enthusiasm. “Thank you, Tammy.” She eyed them as the Goth slipped out. “Nobody can figure out what’s wrong. Why don’t you just leave?”
Nicodemus scanned her with his pokedex. “You’re a Rapitaur. Why are you here?”
“I’m here because I can’t fight and nobody wants a crippled pokegirl.” Jenny sighed. “I have terrible pain and weakness in one of my legs when I’m in my tauric form and nobody knows why. I’ve been scanned and healed and nothing works. The NurseJoys who looked at me all said there’s an injury, but they don’t know why it won’t heal. Nothing shows up in scans when I’m in my pokeball.”
Nicodemus released Brenda. “Brenda, this is Jenny and she’s got an injured leg. I’d like a full examination please.”
The G-Poindexter nodded. “I will begin right away, master. Will we be healing her as well?”
Jenny snorted as Nicodemus nodded. “Once we find out what’s wrong, yes, we will.”
“May I borrow your pokepack, pokedex and her pokeball for the exam, sir?” He’d taught her what he knew about using the pokepack to interrogate pokeballs and obviously she intended to use it here. Jenny looked at them with the first signs of curiosity. “My ball is on that shelf.”
Isabella silently handed it to Brenda before sitting down on the bed. “You might want Naomi or Kay to scan her mind to determine exactly where the pain is.”
“That’s a good idea, mistress.” Brenda returned the Rapitaur to her ball. “After I read the data, I’d like to use them both for redundancy.” She popped the pokeball into the pack and connected the pokedex to it. “There appears to be nothing wrong with her, sir, but that’s what we expected to find.” She looked blankly at the wall and pursed her lips. “I wonder if…” her voice trailed off.
Nicodemus gave her a minute before prompting her. “If what?’
The G-Poindexter jumped. “Sorry, sir. I was remembering an article that I read two months ago. A professor in the Edo league wrote a paper about metamorphic pokegirls and pokeballs. He said that a rare problem was that a pokeball preserves the pokegirl in an energy format that is exactly identical to what she was when she was put into the pokeball. For the vast majority of pokegirls, this means nothing out of the ordinary; but for metamorphic pokegirls there could be a problem if she’s pokeballed in the same state each time.”
Isabella frowned. “That sounds like gibberish.”
Brenda nodded. “Sorry, mistress, let me try an example. If you have an Umbrea, like Ruth, each time you pokeball her she stays the same, with minor variations due to injuries or if she’s eaten before being put away. A metamorphic pokegirl has two or more states and, therefore, you can get different data readings depending on which form she held when she was balled.”
“However, if I extend the paper’s reasoning, then one can conclude that with metamorphic pokegirls there is the potential for another problem. As I said before, basic pokeballs preserve the energy matrix as it was when the pokegirl was absorbed. That means that if a metamorphic is pokeballed in a changed form, the ball will keep her form intact until she’s released and allowed to change again. What can happen is that if a pokegirl has a second form, like a centaur pokegirl, that second form isn’t registered by the pokeball. In rare cases, the author of the paper noted that some Tamers always put their pokegirls into their pokeballs in the same form. This means that their secondary form never receives scans. It only becomes a problem if the second form has an injury that isn’t present on the primary form.” She smiled. “I think that might be the case here.”
Nicodemus frowned as Isabella still looked lost. “You mean that in her quad form she has an injury that disappears when she becomes a biped?”
“Sir, that is exactly right. I suspect she doesn’t become a quad, since it hurts, so she’s never evaluated in a pokeball in her quad form.” She looked pleased that he understood. “All we have to do to test my hypothesis is to have her become a quad and put her back into her pokeball for evaluation.” She hesitated. “Do you mind if I do that, sir?”
“Go ahead. I want to see if this will work.”
Brenda nodded happily and released Jenny. “Ok, I’ve done my preliminary evaluation and I’d like you to assume your quad form.”
Jenny shook her head. “I don’t want to. It hurts too much.”
“She’s going to pokeball you immediately, so you won’t hurt.” Nicodemus smiled reassuringly. “I don’t want to cause you undue pain, I promise.”
Jenny stared into his eyes for a long moment before nodding. “All right. Please pokeball me right away.” She changed to her quad form and almost instantly vanished into the capture beam.
Isabella cocked her head. “Would it be possible to capture a pokegirl while she’s in the middle of changing form?”
Brenda blinked. “It would require millisecond precision and, as soon as you released her, the transformation process would finish, but I think it might be possible. It’s an interesting theoretical question, mistress.” She put the pokeball into the pack and picked up the pokedex again.
“Sir, Jenny has a great deal of damage to her right front leg. There is no cartilage in the knee and a great deal of erosive damage has occurred as a result.” She looked up. “The front legs are the ones that have no comparable analog in her biped form. Her hind legs become her legs and her front legs get absorbed to wherever those things go. Nobody knows for sure where that is.”
“What needs to be done to heal the injury?”
“What needs to be done to heal the injury?”
“Sir, the injury is already healed as much as it can. Healing magic or potions will have no further effect, explaining why they were unable to fix the issue.”
Isabella stirred. “Why not?”
“Potions and healing magic only work on fresh wounds, mistress. They will not repair scar tissue or damage that has already healed. That is not the way they were designed and thus not their nature.”
Nicodemus nodded. “But we do know one way to replace scar tissue. Would it work here?”
Brenda frowned at him. “Sir, the technique I used to repair your chest scars has never been used for major surgery. I would have to remove the leg above the wound before attempting to regenerate it. However, it is theoretically possible.” She looked thoughtful. “If it worked, it could be a major advent in pokegirl medicine.”
“Human, too, if they were willing to let bits of themselves be lopped off.” Isabella shivered. “I think I’ll just try to get healed right away.”
“That would be the most efficient method, mistress,” Brenda agreed absently. “Sir, I would like permission to perform the procedure.”
He nodded and stretched. “Keep Jenny in stasis in the pokepack. I’ll talk to Rowan and let her know what we found. She may not be willing to let the surgery take place.”
***
Jenny’s hair formed a corona as she shook her head wildly before giving Rowan a surprised look. It turned out that her skin patches were indicative of the fact that she was an Appaloosa when transformed. “It doesn’t hurt.” She gingerly put her right fore hoof on the ground. “It feels weak, but it doesn’t hurt.”
“She’ll need a lot of intensive therapy.” Nicodemus smiled slightly as Brenda nodded at his words. “Regeneration didn’t cure the muscle atrophy but, eventually, she should be battle ready.”
The G-Poindexter hastened to add to his statement. “There’s nothing wrong with her leg anymore, mistress Rowan, but she’s gotten into bad habits and will have to learn to use it all the time. I could have a preliminary therapy program designed in a day or two, once I can see what resources are available. A pool would be very helpful.”
Rowan was watching Jenny. “I didn’t think you could find out what was wrong, much less fix it. Pokeballs and static energy states.” She glanced at him. “Nicodemus, you have impressed me. A normal apprenticeship is two years, but I can shorten it to six months. Any shorter will require the league to sign off on it and Maloney can keep that from happening. He’s not the biggest or most powerful ranch, but he does have some influence.” She grinned at him. “He’s caused trouble for me in the past and I’m tired of the fact that he thinks he’s the Harris Conservatory of Ireland. The sooner I can get you onto a ranch of your own, the sooner I’ll be happy because he won’t.” She nodded to herself. “In six months, you’ll be able to pass whatever tests the Blue League sees fit to send your way and, by then, I’ll have lined up the support necessary to throw a spanner into Maloney’s plans.”
“Thank you, I accept.”
“Good. You can get started by planning out Jenny’s therapy and making sure she does it.”
***
“Position one, pesade!” Jenny tucked her forelegs underneath her body as she rose on her hind legs to a forty five degree angle. Next to her, Tabitha easily duplicated her movements. Both Rapitaur held the position as Nicodemus glanced at a stopwatch. “Down!” Both mares dropped.
“Position two, levade!” They both duplicated the same movement, but this time held at only thirty degrees above horizontal. Jenny wobbled a bit and Tabitha snickered. Jenny glared and steadied herself, sweat pouring down her torso. “Down!”
“That looks hard.” Rowan settled down next to Nicodemus.
He ignored her. “Position three, croupade!” Both Rapitaur bounced straight up and tucked their hind legs underneath their bodies at the height of their jump. They kept the line of their bodies parallel to the ground until they landed again in the same place they’d started at. “Three minute break for water and whatever. No eating!” He held up the stopwatch and theatrically clicked it on. “Go!”
He turned to Rowan as Jenny raced for a bathroom and Tabitha laughed at her. “Yes, it’s hard, but it’s what Jenny wants as a reward after her therapy. I’m teaching both of them dressage.”
“Jenny wanted to learn to do that?”
“She did. Tabitha was feeling left out, so I offered to teach her too. One neglects the pokegirls in one’s harem at one’s peril and all that.”
Rowan chuckled. “That’s true. How is Jenny coming along?”
“As fast as she can. She really wants to get back into fighting trim. I’m glad I’ve got Tabitha to goad her, but as she gets stronger, it’ll be interesting to see who ends up challenging whom. In another week or two, I can start battling Jenny.”
“Can I watch today’s lessons?”
“If you want, but we’re not going further than the croupade today. I don’t want to injure her again.” He glanced at the watch. “ONE MINUTE REMAINING!”
There was a wail from the bathroom trench. “I’M HURRYING!” Tabitha started laughing again.
“What happens if she’s late?”
“I won’t call time until she gets back here. I’m only doing it because during therapy she has a tendency to stop and chat. There, if she’s late, I run the lesson longer. My rule here is if she’s late, the lesson ends. She’s making excellent progress, so I’m going to give her another fifteen minutes before I think she’s had enough.” He flashed a tiny grin as Jenny came tearing back and skidded to a halt, almost sitting down on her haunches as she braked hard. “TIME!”
“I’M HERE!” Jenny cried frantically.
“You cut it rather close, but you are correct. Ladies, onto the field.”
***
“So, ladies,” Nicodemus looked around at the group of pokegirls, kits and women, “last night we finished our book. What do you want,” he broke off as a book was dropped in his lap. “You want me to read this one?” He opened the book and looked at the sea of expectant faces before returning to the tome and turning the first page. “I think this is an excellent choice. Are we ready?” He glanced up to see a wave of nods. Absolute silence had been a necessary rule almost from the start. “‘Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting next to her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do. Once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it…’”
Forty five minutes later, his watch chirped and he carefully marked his place before decisively closing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “We’ll take up from here tomorrow evening.”
The pokegirls dispersed without complaint as Rowan shook her head slowly. “They’re not that still in class and they’re never that quiet. How do you do it?”
“I laid down the rules and when they break them, reading time is over for the night. They’re not stupid and learn quickly that I’m serious.”
Isabella handed him a glass of water. “He’s got the natural trainer blood gift. He sees it as common sense and can’t understand why we all go ‘wow’.”
Rowan nodded. “Where were you twenty years ago?”
“I think I was in the left ovary, but it’s hard to be sure.”
“His trainer blood gift does not extend to humor.” Isabella offered Rowan another glass, which she gratefully accepted.
“I don’t care how he does it; he’s made all my pokekits better students, which will help them in the long run. I just wish I could duplicate it.” She drank deeply. “By the way, congratulations are in order for Lily evolving.”
“Thank you.” Isabella rubbed her forehead. “It happened while I was sparring with Nico this morning. She’s excited and scared right now. Being a Rapitaur means she goes back to the drawing board on a lot of her training and she doesn’t want to look bad in front of Tabitha and Jenny.” She glanced at her husband. “Tabitha can be cruel.”
“Yes, she can.” He shrugged. “I’ll help you with Lily.”
“Thank you.”
***
Nicodemus looked around the practice ground and back at Rowan. “I hope this doesn’t give them too many ideas.”
She smiled softly as she looked around. The area was filled with every pokegirl at the ranch. “I hope it does. An idea can be a powerful thing.”
“They’re your kids.” He raised his voice to carry across the field. “Ladies, front and center! First movement, piaffe!” Tabitha, Jenny and Lily used their enhanced speed to blur onto the field and halted in front him, hindquarters low to the ground as they cantered in place. Each pokegirl struck the ground at the same time with the same leg as they moved in unison. Between each strike of a hoof all three seemed to hang in the air for a heartbeat.
“Second movement, pirouette!” Still cantering, they began to rotate in a circle. Their hind hooves described a tiny circle as their front hooves beat a much larger circle around each individual pokegirl. There were a few scattered gasps from the some of the Ponytaur.
“Third movement, halt!” The three Rapitaur came to a simultaneous stop. “Levade!” They tucked their front legs under them as they smoothly raised their forequarters to a thirty five degree angle. Nicodemus gave a satisfied smile as none of them wavered.
He let them hold it for a silent ten count. “Pesade!” They rose up to a forty five degree angle and held motionless for another ten-count.
“Capriole! Three, two, one, now!” Hind leg muscles bunched powerfully and they launched themselves straight up, twisting slightly to land lightly on all four hooves. Pokegirls cheered loudly.
Nicodemus held up a hand and the cheers quickly died. “Courbette! Three, two, one, now!” The three Rapitaur rose up in what looked like the pesade and jumped forward, landing on their hind hooves and jumping again in unison. Six times they jumped before landing lightly on all fours. “Return!” They cantered back to their original positions. “Finish!” All three Rapitaur bowed deeply. He turned to the stands as applause and cheering broke across the grounds and pokegirls surged forward to surround their favorites.
Isabelle slipped her arm through his. “Two months of hard work paid off nicely. You and they did a wonderful job.”
Rowan was watching her pokegirls with an odd expression. “Can you teach that to some of my instructors?”
“I don’t see why not. I’ll get the three Rapitaur to help. That’ll please all of them.” He frowned at her expression. “What is it?”
“Good. I want to be able to have some who can do that. It’ll help to motivate the others.” She gave him an amused look. “Jenny wants to go with you.”
“I’ve got a full harem already. She’ll be better off here.”
Rowan shook her head. “You made her whole again, Nicodemus. She’s loyal to you. She’ll do you well at your new ranch and I’ll get you storage rights, so you can take her with you.”
“Coordinators don’t have storage rights.”
“They don’t in other leagues, but here we make our own rules and the Coordinator hasn’t been finalized yet. You’ll help to do that.” She gestured at the Rapitaur. “If they’d been using ignite or some other technique, you’d have had a first class contest routine. Synchronized dressage.” She shook her head. “Take her. She’ll be good security at your ranch and, frankly, I suspect she’ll just pine here without you. You haven’t tamed her, but you are her Tamer.”
***
Nicodemus Azrael – Coordinator
Ladyien – Lucretia
Thundrix – Elena
Umbrea – Ruth
Espea – Naomi
Whorizard – Hestia
Rapitaur - Tabitha
G-Poindexter – Brenda – Noncombatant
Isabella Maria Carmen de la Vega Azrael – Master Tamer
Ka–D–Bra – Kay
Amachamp – Ana
Rapitaur – Lily