Poképhilia Story
Love Has No Bounds

A Sleuth’s Valentines Kitty
Valentine’s Day 2024
       By J.C. Solis
       
       The cold was becoming unbearable for the people around the Lakeshire Town area, with snow falling daily and temperatures dropping to sub-freezing levels even during the day, and close to subzero at night. It was a time for warm chimney fires, piping hot mugs of hot cocoa, and thick clothes that were sure to help stave off the cold. It was this time of the year that often required one to take extra precautions with the weather being this extreme. Though the temperature was not as cold as in more northern regions of the country, another thing to note is that this winter was slightly warmer than last year, it was still something that few people were used to if not from the area.
       But for those who wanted to keep extra warm with their special other, the weather provided a comfortable time to cuddle underneath many blankets in bed. It was the perfect occasion for this and something that many of the town Poképhiles were already in the process of doing. In one apartment abode within the central district of the Downtown area, the ambiance was clear that the frigid cold was no match for a man and his Pokémon lover in their embrace.
       Cecil Robinson was stirring from his bed, his eyes opening wide as he looked off to his alarm clock. Today was his day off of work, though that didn’t mean he was about to sit idly by while who knows who is out there causing trouble for his city. The Detective was not known for sitting idly by while mayhem was happening, and he certainly would not suffer this riffraff for bringing harm to his fellow Lakeshire Town residents – or worse.
       But as Cecil woke up, he remembered the situation he was in. His right hand was handcuffed, which would be the major stumbling block towards getting out of bed. And his hand was handcuffed to none other than his Pokémon partner – the ever-spunky and overly-attached Rachel the Meowscarada. The Pokémon had her arms wrapped around him; her green fur pressed against his bare torso. She was not about to let her trainer go for a minute, her embrace a sure sign of her undying love for the man and his unflappable demeanor.
       More importantly, the handcuff was not just so he could be bound to his partner but also so that Rachel could force him to stay at home and in bed with her, making sure he’d take his day off seriously and not spend it on cases that didn’t concern him at the moment. And she would make that known to him when he began to stir and think of a way to get out of bed.
       “Go back to sleep, hun,” said Rachel as she felt her master start to fiddle with the handcuff. “I’m not letting you go until we’re done cuddling.”
       “Come on, Rachel, just open the damn handcuff already,” griped Cecil. “I’m not going to stay here in bed all day.”
       “Well, I’m also not going to allow you to do who-knows-what on the day you should be taking time off,” refuted Rachel. “Come on, Cecil baby, you don’t have any major cases right now. If you’re thinking about going out to patrol, well guess what, you’re not a street cop anymore. Leave that kind of stuff to your subordinates.”
       Cecil smirked at this realization. Maybe he was taking his work a bit too seriously. Maybe he was thinking about the crimes that were taking place in his city and all that he hoped to do to help mitigate them. He was a Sword of Justice through and through, even on his days off. And this was something that he very much had to work on.
       “I guess you’re right,” sighed Cecil. “But either way, it’s going to be hard for me to cook breakfast with you handcuffed to me.”
       “Who said anything about cooking?” announced Rachel. “It’s Sunday today, so we’re eating out this morning. Not to mention that I’ve been wanting to go to church all this time. Heck, maybe you can spend some time with Cousin Justin and your little sister. So put on your church pants and a thick coat for the cold. We’re going to be holy today.”
       Cecil could only frown at that last part. Things between him and Sarah had indeed gotten better, but it was still a long road to recovering her love completely. At the very least, she didn’t hate his guts anymore and was now starting to see his reasonings.
       “I guess I have no choice. But uncuff me, for Arceus’ sake. I can’t put on my church pants, as you say, with a useless arm.”
       Rachel turned around and grabbed the key from the bedside drawer, putting it into the keyhole and twisting. The cuff was undone and the trainer and pokémon were separated. But before Cecil could move about, the Meowscarada did one more pounce on him and hugged him deeply, purring hard and affectionately as she did.
       “It’s going to be Valentine’s Day next week, Cecil. Aren’t you happy?”
       “I suppose. Though, to be honest, I don’t know where to take you that wouldn’t frown on us being Poképhiles.”
       “Ah, who cares? I’d be happy to go anywhere with you, just so long as you’re ready to have a good time.”
       Cecil climbed out of bed, wearing only his boxers, and went to the closet to put on some clothes, all while Rachel cleaned and made their bed and tidied the room up a bit. The day was ahead of the two of them, and it was bound to be a memorable one. It had been a long while since Cecil had been to church, and Arceus only knew of the things he had witnessed as an officer of the law. The important thing was that he’d at least get the chance to see both Cousin Justin and his sister Sarah, as well as his Uncle Cristian, the Church’s pastor. Uncle Cristian had always said that he was welcome in the church and even welcomed him to come for many a prayer session.
       Cecil was always thankful to his uncle. When the event took fold that led to him subduing his father when he went to kill his mother, his uncle was one of his staunchest supporters – believing that were it not for Cecil subduing his dad then an even worse crime would have been committed, landing the father with an even worse sentence. But Cecil didn’t like to think about that moment in time all too fondly. Nobody ever wants to have to subdue their family member as a result of a drunken rage, let alone shoot them in the shoulder. But it was either he stopped his father or witnessed his mother get murdered right in front of everyone – and then nobody would be able to save him from his fate.
       But with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it was hoped that these old and dark memories could be put to rest and that the man could find his peace. And with the wintry air still jolly from the passing of the holidays, it was still a time that one could find solace and rejoice. It was hard to have to live with these feelings, but one thing that always helped was the tender love and care that a loved one can bring.
       And for Cecil, that specific loved one came in the form of Rachel.
       The two, now fully dressed, got ready to head out of the apartment. With his badge pinned to his waist and his weapon tucked into its holster, the two of them headed out of the apartment and went for the parking garage underneath the building. There, the monstrous Hellcat that Cecil owned, awaited him. He got into his ride, turned on the rumbling and powerful V8 engine, and drove off toward the downtown district of Lakeshire Town.
       In many ways, it was good to leave home and eat out in a restaurant. Cecil wasn’t much of a cook, and though Rachel certainly knew how to make a fine meal, the two of them were often so busy with police work that they hardly ever had the chance to eat a home-cooked meal. It was a bit of an unhealthy lifestyle, one which took a toll on the man’s health from time to time. But Rachel would always be there to nurse the man back to heal if he ever got sick. And for sure, the overly attached Meowscarada was not about to sit idly by while her master was ailing.
       The two arrived at the parking lot of the Lake Shire Heritage Restaurant, a classic diner-styled restaurant that offered great, homely food that could comfort the soul. They got out of the car and headed inside, where there appeared to be a whole host of people already waiting to dine inside.
       And some of them were people that Cecil was already familiar with.
       Two ladies were waiting in line, with both of their pokémon in tow: Saria Price and Francien Olivier, along with their pokémon partners Razor the Greninja and Christopher the Lycanroc respectively. The two ladies were happy to see the familiar faces of Cecil and Rachel.
       “Hey there, Cecil!” chirped Saria. “Or, shall I say, Detective Robinson?”
       “No need to be so formal, you guys,” replied Cecil. “Besides, I’m off duty right now. I don’t have a case to work on for the time being, so Rachel and I came here to grab a bite to eat.” He then turned to the Alola native. “How are you doing, Fran? You doing good?”
       “Yeah, I can’t complain… except for how fucking cold it is,” replied Fran with a shiver. “I’m not yet used to winters here. Just hope that the food and coffee here are warm and filling.”
       “They are. Rachel and I come here often. The food here will make you feel like it’s Christmas all over again.”
       To this, Razor, Chris, and Rachel got together for their little chinwag.
       “You know, Fran and I never came to this restaurant. We’ve always seen it, but never got the idea to visit this place.”
       “You are missing out, Christopher honey,” replied Rachel.
       “The food here is delectable, I must say,” added Razor. “My Sweet and I used to come here all the time. In fact, we made it a tradition with all our other friends to come here whenever the New Year comes around. It’s excellent food.”
       With the three friends and their pokémon together, the gang was soon called up to a table for six, one which had been recently vacated and had finished being bussed. Cecil sat with his partner on the edge of the table, just in case. The gang then grabbed their respective menus and began browsing them for something that they’d like. There was so much to ogle at with hungry eyes, and Cecil and Rachel had no idea what to order first.
       But as the gang was ordering their food, the sound of someone choking could be heard, though as to what was causing the distress no one knew. His inner cop instincts kicked in, Cecil got out of his seat and ran toward where the choking man was heard. He soon found an elderly man who was gripping his neck, desperately flailing as he tried to get his stuck food out of his throat.
       To induce the man to spit out his food, Cecil immediately did a Heimlich maneuver to try to help the old man. Grabbing him from behind, after one solid squeeze the man spat out the food that was causing him this distress. And with that Cecil let him go, hoping that there weren’t any dire consequences.
       The old man turned to look at Cecil with a relieved face, happy to have been saved before he could choke to death.
       “Thank you so much, young man,” replied the gentleman.
       “Don’t mention it, old timer,” replied Cecil. “Just doing my job.”
       But suddenly, the man’s face began to turn pale, his face turning grim and harrowed. It was a sudden transformation that left Cecil even more worried. Without warning, the man began choking again, grabbing his throat as it appeared he was about to choke again. His throat began to tense up, almost as though it was sealing up. In a moment, she turned to grab Cecil.
       “Are you okay, Sir,” asked Cecil more seriously. “Need me to take you to the hospital?”
       But the old-timer looked as though he couldn’t breathe, barely rasping out the words:
       “It was… Martins…”
       The old man then collapsed to the floor, unmoving once he fell with a thud. Cecil once again went to the rescue, but when he did he found that the man was no longer responsive. His pulse was no longer felt.
       The other friends soon approached Cecil and Rachel, the four worried sick over what had happened while also getting a sinking feeling as to the body that was on the ground.
       “Is he…” whimpered Saria.
       “Sure looks like it,” joined Fran.
       Cecil got up off the floor, a grave look on his face. He knew that this wasn’t a death by natural causes. After he had saved the man from choking he should have been fine. But the way he turned pale made Cecil suspicious, and his inner detective instincts were sounding the alarm.
       Without wasting a moment, Cecil reached for his phone and made the call.
       “Hello. This is Detective Cecil Robinson. We have a man who has become deceased here in the Lake Shire Heritage Restaurant. I suspect there is foul play going on.”
       The operator replied by saying:
       “Copy that, Detective Robinson. I am now sending support.”
       The girls and the Pokémon looked at the detective with grave faces.
       “Foul play?” said Saria nervously. “As in… this guy’s was murdered.”
       Cecil nodded his head.
       “I have a sneaking suspicion of that. After I saved him from choking, he began to turn white. And then he said to me some last words that made me even more suspicious.”
       “What were they?” asked Fran.
       Cecil caught himself. He knew he’d be breaking protocol if he gave any information about the investigation. But since they were both close friends, he knew that at least they were trustworthy.
       “His final words were ‘It was Martins’. I have a feeling that he was referring to that Team Shroud lieutenant who planned the attacks on you guys all those months ago.”
       Saria and Fran began to feel a bile come up their stomachs. They remember him as the man who planned the attack on their friend Natasha and her family. Cecil had a bunch that this dead man was connected to that infamous Team Shroud member. But as to what caused the man to die and the reason for his demise remained to be seen. For sure, Cecil felt a bit disgruntled at having to share the same first name as this monster, the two men sharing the same name of “Cecil”.
       The police soon arrived, and the area was corded off from the rest of the restaurant. The crime scene was made, and Cecil and Rachel immediately went to work. All poor Saria and Fran could do was to have takeout food made for them to eat at their homes, but with this cold, the food was bound to no longer be warm by the time they arrived. Though, for one, Rachel was a little grumpy at being unable to enjoy a wonderful meal with her lover.
       “I can’t believe this shit,” griped the Meowscarada. “We barely have time to eat together with friends and already there’s trouble. What, are we trouble magnets?”
       With that, Rachel pointed to the camera that the forensic team brought them and snapped some photos of the corpse and of any the surrounding materials – namely a phone that was pulled out of the man’s pocket and then sealed away for further analysis, as well as a notebook.
       “Well, there’s the breaks for you, Rachel,” swayed Cecil. “I just hope that we don’t have to deal with any more of this stuff come Valentine’s Day.”
       “Don’t jinx it, you blockhead!” cried the Meowscarada, fearing the worst may soon come true as she snapped more photos.
       The police had already cordoned off the kitchen of the restaurant, with fellow detectives also looking inside for anything suspicious. To Cecil, it appeared as though the man had been poisoned, and as he dug through the man’s clothes he brought up a notebook from the dead man’s coat pocket. It was a journal of sorts, and what it contained was enough to make Cecil note why such a man would be poisoned.
       The journal revealed that the man was a journalistic reporter for a media company over in Luminance Town and that he was investigating none other than Team Shroud. It seemed as though the old timer had managed to meet with Cecil Martins, the man behind the recent terror attacks in the area. Of course, he didn’t reveal that he was a journalist, only that he was interested in supporting Team Shroud financially, and that Martins was looking for anyone with deep pockets to help fund the terror group’s machinations. But it seemed that this man was found out, hence why his final notes were on how he felt he was being constantly followed and watched on.
       The name of this man was Herbert Meyers, as it was read from the ID that was in the wallet that Cecil dug up from his pants pocket. And it seemed as though Herbert got too close to uncovering a truth that Team Shroud didn’t want to have revealed.
       At this point, a large and rotund man in a suit came forward, looking at Cecil’s hard work. A grim look was on his face, not all too happy to see the dead body on the ground.
       “I take it that this is the old man who bit the dust not too long ago?” wondered the man. “Good grief, what is this world coming to?”
       “I think this man got a little too close to comfort with Team Shroud, Chief,” replied Cecil. “He knew a lot of their dirty laundry, and so it's more than likely that he was taken out. As to by whom, well, that might take some time.”
       LTPD Chief John Larkins grumbled as he saw what was happening to his town. He couldn’t believe that the team would go as far as to assassinate someone to keep their secrets under wrap. But then again, if Mister Meyers was indeed coming close to revealing some deep revelations, then it was no wonder that he had incurred the wrath of the team. Larkins asked Cecil to fill him in on what had happened, and the detective told his boss of all the evidence he just gathered, as well as to Meyers’ position in all of this mess.
       “I guess that we can pin another murder on Team Shroud, then,” sighed Larkins. “I’ve already got the other detectives in the kitchen looking for any poisons or interesting things that might have led to Mister Meyers’ demise. In the meantime, I’m going to have to ask you to look into bringing all of the employees here over to the station for questioning. I have a hunch that our killer is among the working staff of the restaurant.”
       “Sure thing, Boss. I’m done here anyways, and Rachel is finished snapping photos,” agreed Cecil.
       Cecil and Rachel dropped what they were doing and headed off into the backrooms of the restaurant, where all of the employees were huddled up together along with two armed police officers and a pokémon keeping watch – a Blaziken wearing police pokémon uniform.
       “Alrighty then, I’m going to have to ask all of you to follow me to the police van off to the side of the restaurant. All of you are going to be brought in for questioning. I’m sorry, but until we figure out who among you was the one responsible for this, then I’m afraid we’ll have to put all of you under arrest.”
       The staff all groaned as they were all walked off by the officers and their pokémon partners. None of them were willing to try anything that would incriminate them in the crime. But Cecil noted that someone was missing from the staff.
       “Aren’t we missing the waitress?” wondered Cecil. He then turned to one of the police officers and asked him where she was.
       “We couldn’t find her,” said the bumbling cop.
       It was then a loud crack was heard in the side hallway. The sound of a gunshot was heard, followed by the thud of a man falling to the ground. Cecil immediately pulled out his gun – a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle – and prepared himself for a fight. He ran to where the thud came to find one of the two police officers down on the ground. The officer was still alive but clung to his shoulder as the bullet pierced him, all while his partner tried to apply first aid.
       “Are you alright, Dan?!” cried Cecil. “Where did the suspect go?”
       “She went… that away!” pointed Officer Dan in pain to the exit – an open door that was wide open leading outside. Officer Peter, meanwhile, was there tending to his coworker’s wounds. “I got her in the leg. She’s injured! *gasp* Go after her, but be careful, Cecil. That bitch is armed to the teeth with two USPs!” Dan rasped through his pain, noting the woman being armed with H&K USP handguns.
       “All right, I’m noted.” Cecil then turned to his fellow officer. “Peter, look after Dan and get him some help,” he ordered as he looked at Rachel. “Come on, Rachel. We have a perp to go hunting after.”
       Cecil and Rachel charged for the exit, going out of the restaurant and out into the streets of Lakeshire Town. The two were in a stinking back alley, the place cold and covered in snow. Due to how dense the snowfall was, it would be hard to run in this environment, and even less so with a bullet wound in the leg. But the snow also made for better footprints that Cecil and Rachel could follow, and there was also the added benefit of a thin trail of blood due to her injury. The footprints and blood trail led to a side alley further along. And it would be here where Cecil found a woman limping away from him and Rachel.
       “Halt! Police! Stop where you are!” demanded Cecil as he pointed his gun at her. Rachel, in the meanwhile, prepared to use a Pokémon move in case she needed to subdue the perp. But the woman continued trotting through the thick snow before turning around and pointing two guns at them in turn.
       The woman fired her guns at Cecil and Rachel, to which the two ducked for cover behind a dumpster while she walked backward. The two returned fire, with the detective poking out of cover and firing back with his hand cannon and Rachel lobbed grenades of energy using Seed Bomb to subdue the woman. But the woman had extended magazines in her weapons, meaning that it would be a long while before it would require her to reload. She fired a barrage of bullets at Cecil and Rachel, riddling the dumpster with so many bullets that the front plate was dented from the bullets.
       Cecil poked out of cover to fire a few rounds from his gun, aiming at the woman as she walked away – though he couldn’t poke his body out for long due to her ability to aim dangerously well. This wasn’t some common goon, but rather someone who was trained in the art of assassination and marksmanship. And the woman was so good with her aim that one bullet just barely missed hitting Cecil on the side of his head, with him hearing the bullet barely wiz by him as it hit the back wall.
       But Rachel also had good aim, with her using Seed Bomb move to lob grenades of grass energy near the position of the assassin. And it was this that proved to be the deciding hit. A Seed Bomb that was thrown landed on the assassin’s head, causing her to fall over and be stunned when she fell to the floor. Cecil took this as an opportunity to get out of cover, but the assassin recovered from her stunned state quickly and resumed firing at the man. But by then Cecil had already taken sufficient aim and fired.
       A .44 magnum bullet whizzed through the air, flying fast and true toward one of the guns that the assassin was holding. The bullet struck the gun around the trigger guard, knocking the weapon out of her hand and causing her to shriek in pain as she was forced to drop her weapon. Though she had another pistol in her other hand and was prepared to shoot it, Cecil managed to snipe this one out of her hand as well, successfully disarming the woman before she could use her weapons even more.
       With that, Cecil and Rachel approached the assassin and pointed their weapons at her. Rachel placed a foot on the assassin’s chest while Cecil brought out some handcuffs from his pocket, ready to bring her in for questioning.
       “You’re under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,” said Cecil as he turned her around and slapped the handcuffs on her.
       “Screw you!” cried out the woman. “When Team Shroud finds out that you have me, they’ll come after you and everyone you know!”
       “My family and I are already under a ton of death threats. One more won’t make a difference,” scoffed Cecil. “But I do hope you’ll cooperate and give us what we need – including how the hell you managed to acquire military-grade handguns like those P8A1s you have with you. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long time behind bars for you.”
       Cecil noted the type of guns that the woman had been using the whole time to fire back at him and his partner. The guns were of a kind and variety that he recognized as being a military issue. There was no way that a civilian like her would be able to acquire them, especially from a place as far away as the German Region. 
       With her escape attempt having been foiled, the woman looked on defiantly even despite the threat of either being sentenced to life or death. In her mind, there was no way she would snitch on her organization, even if she were coerced to do so. And Cecil had a feeling that this perp would do whatever she could to cause as much damage before being sent to the slammer. But before she would be hauled away by the officers who were now arriving at the scene, the woman had a final threat to give.
       “You’re that Poképhile detective, right?” said the woman with a sneer. “I hope that your cousin Justin will be able to sleep soundly tonight. This might be the night he sleeps forever.”
       Cecil’s face turned white on hearing the threat. He knew that Justin and his father had been targeted in the past, but to hear the murderess tell him of a planned attack on him made him fear for his family. But as soon as the fear subsided, white fear turned to red rage as Cecil slammed his fist on the ground, shouting the words:
       “You leave My Cousin out of this mess!” he roared. “You don’t think he’s suffered enough? He’s a soft and innocent man who just wants to live in peace! Don’t you and your people understand that all we want is peace?”
       The woman bent her head back and began to laugh, her laughter getting more and more maniacal.
       “Oh, you poor fool. Peace will only be obtained when the world meets its end. And Our God will make sure such a thing will come to fold.” The Woman then looked gravely. “Those who don’t fear Team Shroud will soon tremble at our name. Remember our motto: May Darkness Shroud the World!”
       Cecil was coming close to slapping the woman as she began to laugh maniacally again, but as he lifted his fist, he felt someone grab hold of him. Rachel managed to calm her partner down, making sure he wouldn’t do something that he would later regret or that would compromise the investigation. In the end, the man could only watch as his fellow officers came over to haul the maniacal madwoman away. He was left wondering about two things: Who was Team Shroud’s god, and why would he want the world to be destroyed?
       Cecil turned around and went for the rest of his men with Rachel in tow. There was nothing else that could be done. The investigation into Team Shroud would carry on as usual.
       
       It was now three days after the incident at the Heritage Restaurant, and Cecil Robinson and his Meowscarada partner Rachel were hard at work with his coworkers in trying to put together the pieces. They retrieved a load of information from the previous incident, as well as loads from the assassin herself. The vial of poison that was used to murder Mister Meyers the journalist was found in her possession, though the amount she had was absolutely overkill. The poison was a concentrated pokémon poison that was so strong that it would work in a short amount of time – almost to the concentration that it would mean instant death upon ingestion. It seemed that Team Shroud really wanted this man to be dead.
       As for Mister Herbert Meyers himself, he indeed was a journalist from Luminance Town, his bosses being given the news that one of their star journalists had been murdered. The whole organization even posted an online obituary dedicated to the life that they lost, with many people from outside of the organization even pooling in to honor his memory. Meyers was not known to be a Poképhile, so at least not many people came forward to issue derogative commentary at him. But there were still the odd people who accused Meyers of being a Poképhile lover and a heretic against Arceus.
       Those people, though, soon met the might of the internet’s wrath as the community lambasted them. The backlash was so great that the comments were removed by moderators for fear of the flame war crashing down the obituary’s comment page.
       As for Mister Herbert’s work, it became clear that he was on the right track toward finding out who this god was that Team Shroud was serving. And as he and Rachel browsed through the journalist’s reports, he noticed one name pop up in particular:
       Tenebrae Arceus, or by the more common name: “Dark-Arceus”.
       This was the name that some members of Team Shroud gave the god. But despite his efforts, not even Meyers could track down the true name of the deity. Tenebrae Arceus was the closest that anyone outside of the shadow organization had come to finding out the truth.
       Cecil and Rachel looked at each other as they wondered who Tenebrae Arceus was. There was no way of knowing whether this god was Arceus himself or if it was a codename for a different god. All they knew was that this was about as close as they could get to knowing the truth behind Team Shroud’s religious beliefs other than the fact that they worshipped a supposedly all-powerful deity. And the whole investigative team was trying their hardest to understand the reasoning behind this god’s anger toward the world’s Pokephiles and why he would instigate an all-out assault on them all.
       The Alpha was known for being a benevolent and caring god, with him often giving his grace toward the people and Pokémon who called on him most. And it just didn’t make sense for this particular image of Arceus to exist, with him callously ordering the destruction of Pokephiles simply for having special relationships with Pokémon. To the contrary, Arceus had long approved of pokémon and humans getting close to one another, hoping that the two of them would cooperate in this shared world and work together in peace and harmony.
       But Tenebrae Arceus didn’t seem to adhere to this mantra. He even killed people when he came to Team Shroud’s rescue all that time ago.
       Cecil scratched his head to figure this revelation out. He spoke with his fellow detectives to make sure that they could all pitch in to decipher the truth behind this matter. Yet no one was able to provide a satisfactory answer. They even considered bringing in a priest or church leader to ask what on earth Tenebrae Arceus was and what he intended to do.
       But with Valentine’s Day now a couple of days away, Detective Cecil was in the middle of preparing with Rachel to spend their time together. He knew that Rachel wouldn’t let him off the hook for doing nothing this Valentine’s Day, and the Meowscarada would make sure to hold him to his promise of taking her somewhere nice.
       It was only this hope of celebrating a wonderful Valentine’s Day that gave Cecil something to look forward to. In the end, he could feel something foreboding in his heart. He didn’t know what or why, but it was something that told him that something big was coming. Maybe not now or immediately, but sometime in the future.
       There was only the hope that this hunch was just misplaced paranoia…
       
       It was now Valentine’s Day within Lakeshire Town and the whole of the populace was out and about celebrating and making merry. The restaurants were filled with people who wanted to spend time with their sweethearts, the masses piling in and ordering succulent dishes to enjoy with their partners. What was curious was that occasionally those partners weren’t human. Sometimes, Humans and Pokémon were sharing the dinner table, with the two ordering food and talking with one another as though it were a common occurrence. It was a sight that would normally set the Crusaders off in a huff, ranting about why humans were being romantic with pokémon out in public.
       But to people’s surprise, the Crusaders weren’t present in town, and neither was Team Shroud. It was even expected for Team Shroud to pop up and make a dastardly appearance to terrify the masses. However, the people’s paranoia proved to be unfounded, and the masses were able to enjoy their meals in relative peace. Many of the people were accepting of the Pokephiles as they ate their meals with their pokémon partners. And many saw that the Pokephiles were respectable-looking people who merely wanted to make the most of a romantic day.
       Among the respectable Pokephiles were Cecil and Rachel. The two were out eating a wonderful meal over at none other than the Shire Lake Bordeaux Eatery. Cecil had made the reservations well in advance since the eatery often had people coming over who wanted to take their special other to eat at the restaurant. What helped the day out even more was the fact that it was also snowing, meaning that the temperature began to plummet. Nobody wanted to go out in the cold for a chance at a meal, no matter how good it was, and so the restaurant happened to have quite a few reservations open.
       Two of those pairs of dinners were none other than Justin Solis, his Gardevoir Lillia, Cousin Sarah, and Sarah’s partner Virgil the Zoroark. The three close family members were all dining at the same table, making it cost-effective as they only had to make one reservation.
       Cecil and Sarah initially became awkward with one another, the brother and sister still haven’t yet fully come to terms with their past scuttles. But the two were at least done arguing with each other, and they began to grow more amicable after the initial fallout of their grievances. Another calming factor was the fact that Cousin Justin was there, and he was not about to suffer whatever nonsense the brother and sister would cause one another if they decided to get testy. Justin didn’t enjoy seeing his cousins argue, and he was more than willing to butt heads into the argument if he found out that it wasn’t worth it.
       To the contrary of their masters, Rachel, Lillia, and Virgil all got along well with each other, talking about their recent activities with their masters’ and how life was carrying on in general. The three pokémon were discussing life’s many whimsical moments, making merry as they recounted the misadventures that they got themselves into. Rachel, for one, was well into talking about all sorts of topics with Lillia, whom she had always gotten along with. But poor Virgil remained silent as his friends commenced chatting up a storm. The Meowscarada and Gardevoir tried to include him in their conversation, but the Zoroark made sure to keep silent. He was just not yet used to being chatty with people – having been a wild pokémon barely a couple of years ago who willingly stayed with a trainer.
       The food soon arrived, and everyone tucked into their ordered meals, as well as a course of expensive wine to go along with the food. Nobody got drunk, but it was clear that the mood was about to get merry as the three trainers and their partners finished bottle one and were on their way to bottle two. The Merlot wine was just too delicious to pass up, and considering they were all going to pay a bill that would easily reach three figures for each trainer, there was no point in not going all out with the finery.
       Cecil looked forward at Rachel with a smile on his face, happy to see her as she grinned at him bashfully. It had been such a long while since the two of them had a happy meal like this, and though she had to share the table with his cousins, she didn’t mind having to spend Valentine’s Day with some initial company. At least she was able to spend her time with her love, able to enjoy some good food, and make the most of their time together.
       When dinner was done, all of the trainers paid their respective food bills and went on their way, the three giving their regards to a certain sous chef in the kitchen who lovingly made their meals. Cecil decided to walk even further into Lakeshire Town along with Rachel, with Justin, Sarah, and their partners returning home to spend the evening over there.
       It was a quiet walk, the sun still above the horizon of the evening as the two lovebirds walked their way into the downtown district. There was something to be said about all of the antics the two had gone through these past days. Though the mystery behind Team Shroud and “Tenebrae Arceus” left them stumped, there was nothing they could do right now until they could find out more info.
       “So, what do you think of this evening, Cecil hun?” asked Rachel as she wrapped her arm around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Quite the busy week we’ve had. It’s nice to have some time to ourselves for a change.”
       “I just hope that we can make the most of tonight,” replied Cecil. “Team Shroud has been a major pain in the ass, and I don’t even want to get involved in their mess anymore until we know the facts about their plans.” He then wrapped an arm around Rachel in return, pulling her close to him as they walked. “Still, I’ll take opportunities like this whenever they come. I can’t be all work and no play, now should I?”
       “And here I was thinking that you’ve been unaware that you’re turning into a workaholic,” teased Rachel. “But you’re right about one thing: all work and no play will quickly make you a dull boy.”
       The two passed by a particular store in the downtown district that quickly caught their attention: Zazzy and Co’s Intimate Pleasure Shop. They already knew about the shop, for two reasons: One was because the storeowner, Susanna Blakely, often called the police to escort unruly hecklers who were becoming an eyesore to people who wanted to come for the store’s wares – and Zazzy had plenty of hecklers these days on account of her vocal support of Poképhilia.
       The second reason was because they knew that one of their friends – Saria Price and her Greninja Razor – were frequent customers at this store. Cecil and Rachel didn’t dare to ask what the two bought or what they planned on doing with said purchased goods, but they could tell that they were into some kinky stuff. Though Cecil hadn’t seen the antics those two came up with, Zazzy did mention that those two bought a lot of BDSM materials. It didn’t take a detective to imagine that the two perhaps had a sex dungeon somewhere in their house where they could put all of that equipment to use.
       Rachel looked wryly at Cecil as she ran for the store, barging in and getting the welcome from Polly the Chatot parrot. All the while, Cecil chased after her to prevent her from causing a scene. It was inside where the two met the store owner herself, the tall, ebony, and proud latex-wearing dominatrix standing before them with her partner Axel the Bisharp.
       “Well hello there, sugars,” said Zazzy in her usual sultry voice. “I didn’t expect none other than the great Detective Robinson to show up to my store again. I had a feeling the two of you liked the wares that I got you the last time?”
       Cecil could only blush, scratching his head as Rachel spilled the beans.
       “I couldn’t get enough of Cecil as my plaything, Miss Zazzy,” replied the Meowscarada. “And I want to buy even more things to have fun with him tonight.”
       “Well then, I’d be happy to recommend some of my wares,” she replied. “I had a feeling today I would be busy. Been having loads of customers come over – including a Greninja Poképhile couple who couldn’t wait to try out some things.”
       “Whatever you two need, we’ll be sure to pack it for you nice and special,” added Axel with a pep. “We’ll make it discreet and private, especially since you two are well-known law enforcement.”
       When the two left the store Cecil was wondering how he had reached this point in his life, or for what sin he was being punished by Lord Arceus. Zazzy and Axel, though, only smiled as they saw two of their frequent customers leave their store, happy to have both made a sale and to have helped in the bedroom antics of one of the town’s many couples. Rachel couldn’t arrive at their apartment building quickly enough, the cat tugging on her hesitant trainer with the bag of goodies he was clutching. And indeed, the bag he was holding quite a few interesting trinkets.
       Upon opening the door, Rachel shoved Cecil past the front door and locked the door behind them with all of the door’s locks, making sure that they would remain undisturbed. And with the door sealed tighter than a bank vault, Rachel dragged Cecil into the bedroom and demanded that he take off his clothes, the man neither resisting nor supporting in any way. The detective was more of a “Goes with the Flow” kind of fellow, especially when it involved the sexual antics of his pokémon partner.
       And Rachel had a lot in mind to do to him in turn.
       “I know you’re giddy to try all of this torture equipment out, but can I at least give my two cents on what you’re planning to do?” said Cecil as he began taking off his clothes.
       “Shut up and keep undressing, Cecil hun,” replied Rachel as she set up the bed. “I’m not about to let you off the hook today. It’s Valentine’s Day, damn it, and you’re going to get laid whether you want to or not. And my bag of goodies will be just the thing I need to try some stuff I’ve been wanting to do.”
       Cecil only sighed as he undid and lowered his trousers. He had already taken off his shirt, revealing a bare and muscular chest. The only thing he had on was his boxer briefs – which Rachel decided to leave on him to serve as something she personally wished to unwrap.
       With the session about to get underway, the Meowscarada had her unwilling partner lying on the bed, the poor man lifting his arms as if he were to grab the corners of the bed frame. With this, Rachel enacted what she wanted to do. She had installed handcuffs onto two upper corners of the bed, but these were fluffy handcuffs with poofy fur to provide comfort. Once she had her man shackled to the bed, she then went down to her trainer’s underwear – and it was here where she would get started.
       The Meowscarada pulled down on her trainer’s underwear, revealing his member as it was still not yet erect. But Rachel wanted to do something before it hardened. She got a cock ring from the bag of goodies and placed it at the base of his cock as it became erect. Cecil’s penis fitted through the ring snuggly as he became hard, his arousal coming from the fact that he secretly enjoyed going through these sessions. And when he became fully erect his cock was longer and harder than it normally would be. And it was all to Rachel’s glee.
       “Ready to cum for me, hun?” asked Rachel mischievously as she climbed onto him. “I hope this will be a fun Valentine’s Gift for you.”
       “It’s already becoming a bit much for me,” related Cecil.
       “Oh, I know you love it. Don’t kid yourself,” chided Rachel as she leaned her head up to his.
       “Well, maybe I do. But some of the people I know would find it odd that a detective like me was into femdom like this,” he noted.
       “Well, I’m happy that you’re into stuff like this, and that you trust me with giving you a good time. I promise to make it worth your while.” And with this, she leaned even closer to his lips.
       “Well then, then let’s get to it then,” ushered Cecil.
       The Meowscarada sealed her lips with those of her trainer, smooching him as her lips quivered and pressed against his. Rachel was a good kisser, sticking her cat tongue into his mouth and getting a taste for it and his saliva. Her passion was evident with every smack of her lips, a scene that filled the air with both loving passion and the sound of literal lovemaking as the squelching sound of their lips was heard. And at this point Cecil offered no more resistance as he submitted to the whim of his pokémon, the Meowscarada French kissing him with the love that only a lover could give.
       As she kissed her master, Rachel also grabbed Cecil by the cock, causing him to spasm a bit at the sudden grabbing of his tender member. The cock ring did its thing, much to her delight as it meant that she had more penis for her to stroke up and down. As her tongue danced inside of her trainer’s mouth, she continued stroking his length as squirts of pre cum came out due to the force of her hand. And her hand was applying ample force to make him give as much of his sperm as he possibly could without cumming yet. And the more she kissed and stroked, the more of the delicious, pheromone-rich, and sticky white fluid oozed out of his erect and sensitive tip.
       But eventually, Rachel pulled back from Cecil’s mouth to lay down beneath his lap, making sure that his cock was in front of her face. She didn’t plan on riding him yet but instead grabbed a bottle that she had placed on the side of the bed to squeeze some sticky liquid onto him. The fluid was a lubricating gel that had the special property of increasing the longevity and endurance of both penis and vagina. And the best part was that it was also edible, meaning that it was safe to use when giving a blowjob.
       And that was precisely what Rachel intended to do next.
       Rachel rubbed Cecil’s cock with the gel before opening her mouth wide. She stuck out her tongue to see how the gel would taste, and to her delight, it was tasteless but enjoyable. She then proceeded to cover his tip with her mouth, placing the end of his urethra at the base of her tongue before enveloping her lips around his cock, stroking him even more as she also tasted his cum mixing with the gel. The gel did little to inhibit the pheromone-filled flavor of the semen. As such she bobbed her head up and down, applying pressure at the base to squeeze and stroke him while she suckled and licked his tip.
       The poor man could only lean his head back and moan as he felt himself being squeezed to near-painful levels. And when Rachel grabbed him by the balls, playing with his scrotum, feeling, and playing with his testes, Cecil let out a yelp as a shiver went up his spine from the feeling of being sucked, squeezed, and groped. Rachel was in full control of the amount of pleasure that he was receiving, and she would make sure to stimulate his cock and balls as far as she could go.
       Cecil lasted for a long time while being sucked and squeezed, the cock ring and the lube doing wonders with his stamina. But even with the boost, after almost half an hour of what one could describe as “Sexual Torture”, the man was already reaching the end of his rope. And the Meowscarada could tell, feeling his cock pulsate in her hand as he was getting closer and closer to the edge.
       “Get ready to cum for me, Cecil baby,” said Rachel as she stood up, preparing herself for the shower that she had been waiting for. “Bathe me in your hot, sticky spunk, My Master!”
       On hearing that, Cecil groaned loudly as his cock began to throb hard, the first jet of cum squirting out of his hard and pulsating rod as it shot up and hit Rachel on her chest, covering her breasts in a line of cum. The first jet was followed by another, and then another. The man was cumming hard, releasing an incredible amount of sperm into the air as Rachel was bathed on her chest, face, and neck with the pheromone-laces, sperm-filled white fluid. And the aroma of semen wafted off of Rachel's body and into both of their nostrils, enticing the two even more. 
       When Cecil was finally finished cumming, Rachel had been bathed with a torrent of semen as she had emptied her lover’s balls of all he could give. This might mean that there would be less semen for what she planned on doing next, but she was more than happy with what she got. She slathered the cum all over her fur, even licking some semen that was on her face near her mouth and getting a taste of the delicious and viscous fluid. She couldn’t have asked for a bigger and better torrent of seed than this.
       But the Meowscarada was far from finished with her master. She then proceeded to rise and align his cock with her pussy. Cecil opened his eyes to see Rachel looming over his cock.
       “Give… me… a minute, won’t you?” pleaded Cecil as he panted hard.
       “No can do, Cecil honey. I’m going for Round Two now, and I’m not going to stop until you cum for me again!”
       And with that, Rachel sank down hard onto Cecil's member, sinking his cock deep into her pussy. At first, the sudden penetration shocked both Cecil and Rachel awake, with the two letting out a loud moan as they both felt the pain. Rachel figured that perhaps she should have gone a little slower to not cause herself pain, but she wasn’t about to slow down now that she was in the thick of it. And her next actions showed this off to a tee.
       Rachel rose and fell with greater speed, the Meowscarada hopping up and down as her tight pussy clenched on Cecil’s hard member. Her vaginal canal made sure to squeeze him for all that he was worth, and her rear slammed down hard onto Cecil’s pelvis when she came down before rising till only his tip remained inside her. Then, she would crash down onto him yet again, her rear smacking on his thighs and making a noticeable plopping sound as she sat on him. She was sure to make the most out of the man, riding his cock with passion as she relished the feeling of his meat pushing deep into her hole.
       Rachel even sprayed some more of the gel that she had been using previously, lubing her partner’s rod to make it an even more pleasing ride for her. The gel made the sliding between their sex organ much smoother and facilitated her to ride Cecil even faster. Being that she was in the cowgirl position, she was able to ride him at a steady speed. And her speed was quick but steady, making sure that she didn’t wear herself out too quickly – energy-wise and sexually. But since Cecil already came, his stamina was now much higher, able to withstand much more punishment as Rachel rode him with the ferocity of an animal and the sex drive of a nymphomaniac.
       But all things must come to an end. After the half-hour mark of cowgirl, femdom sex, Rachel was nearing the end of her sexual endurance – as was Cecil, despite having already experienced orgasm. His cock lasted a good while, especially with the cock ring he had on. Yet his second wind was waning, and he would soon reach the end of his rope as well. Rachel took this opportunity to truly pound Cecil’s pelvis, riding him even faster as she moaned out with elation. Her tongue was sticking out and her face had a noticeable ahegao to it.
       It was now time to end this.
       “Come on… Master… give me all… of your cum!” demanded Rachel with all the conviction she had welled up inside her.
       The Meowscarada slammed down on her master one last time, burying his cock as deep as he could get inside of her. Her pussy began to pulsate and convulse hard, milking his cock for all that he was worth. The Meowscarada sat still as her orgasm flushed through her mind, filling her thoughts with wave after wave of pleasure as everything started to feel so wonderful, just so wonderful. And when Cecil came as well, squirting what remained of his semen into her womb, her elation rose to levels she had never felt before. The warmth that filled her inner body was too much, and her mind could not withstand it.
       Rachel’s mind went out like a burnt lightbulb, the poor pokémon leaning forward as her facial expression gave the look of someone who had been truly mind-fucked. Her thoughts were all focused on her sexual high to the point that she could sense nothing else. And with her mind now lost and scattered to the wind, she began to lean dangerously forward.
       The Meowscarada went forward and collapsed onto Cecil’s bare chest. Being handcuffed, Cecil couldn’t stop her from falling, but even if he wasn’t he still wouldn’t be able to stop her due to how mind-fucked he was as well. The feeling of release was even stronger this second time than the first one. And his cock was still throbbing, having released what semen remained in his system and shot it all into his pokémon’s reproductive system. All he could do was pant hard as he tried to recollect his own thoughts, hoping that at the very least he could cuddle with his pokémon after he was released from his handcuffs.
       Rachel lifted her head, a satisfied look on her face as she smiled at him. She hadn’t had sex this good in a long while, and she was happy to have spent this moment with her trainer.
       “Had a good time, hun?” asked Rachel as she leaned onto him, her fur giving off the familiar aroma of semen. “I know for a fact that I did.”
       “Yeah… I enjoyed this a lot,” replied Cecil as he smiled back at her.
       The Meowscarada leaned into her master and purred, saying the words:
       “Happy Valentine’s Day, Cecil.”
       Cecil leaned his head back, wishing that he wasn’t handcuffed so he could hug her. But his mouth was at least free, and so he replied:
       “Happy Valentine’s Day, Rachel.”
       With Rachel resting on his chest, the two reminisced on a happy time together. There was nothing but joy as they rested together, happy with what they achieved. And the day was still young, with still being eight in the evening.
       Rachel got the keys and undid Cecil’s handcuffs, freeing him from the bed as the two got off and headed for the shower to clean themselves off – since the smell of cum would soon turn into a stench that wouldn’t be pleasant. The two showered together, bathing each other and wiping with sponges to clean each other off. When they got out they each grabbed a towel and dried themselves off as best as they could. With that, Cecil returned to the bedroom to put on some pajamas.
       The two went to the apartment living room and rested on the sofa. They hoped to watch some good TV shows for the evening, hoping to make the most of the evening that remained before them. Though outside it was starting to get cold, inside it couldn’t be any warmer.
       Despite the mystery that came with Team Shroud, this Valentine's Day wouldn’t be ruined by the organization. People all over Lakeshire Town were making the most of the evening that remained. And they just wanted to live in peace. Whether they supported or rejected Poképhilia was another matter entirely. Today was a day that all couples, Poképhile or not, would get to spend time together and bask in the warmth of shared company and companionship.
       Rachel and Cecil would discover more truths about the shadowy organization with time, but for now, there was just the matter of relishing this tender moment as they watched feel-good romcoms on the TV. Cecil would even get off the couch to bring a bottle of chilled wine for them, along with two wine glasses. He popped the cork and poured them both a glass, the two of them taking a long sip together as they cheered for their future together.
       Whatever the future had in store remained to be seen. But on this day, everything was as it should be… in love, peace, and calm…