This is the journey of a man named Chris, who had dreams shared by many, yet lived experiences known by so few... 
There are many people in the world of Pokemon, who come in just as many varieties as these strange creatures. And you 
are about to discover, perhaps, one you may just consider the rarest of all...


Chapter 12 - Hot Spring?!


The two traveled along several trails throughout the day, randomly branching off into the forests to see what they had
to offer for those curious enough to abandon the beaten paths, and they eventually found themselves heading further and 
further upwards, seemingly treading on a constant slope. Looking around, Chris had reached a part of the mountainous border 
which went in a complete circle around the forest. If you were high enough, it would likely resemble a giant bowl of 
broccoli! Which... Make Chris shudder and shake his head at the thought. He continued heading upwards more and more,
keeping an eye on the position of the sun as he traveled through the now steep forest. As the light started slowly
dimming more and more, he noticed something strange... Maybe smoke... Rising from a part of the forest not far off from
where he was, and thinking it could mean someone being in trouble, he followed the trail as it drifted upwards into the
sky. However, once he finally reached where the smoke was coming from, it turned out to be steam, coming from a spring
nobody had made use of.


"Wow... This is weird... Most of the springs around the borders have been developed into inn's and stuff... Turned into
tourist spots and the like... Guess its just our lucky night Kirlia!" he said with a chuckle, walking up to the spring.
However, as he looked over the rocky edge surrounding it, he suddenly found a large group of Mankey's, huddled together
in a circle around a Mankey who seemed to be holding one that had gone unconscious. Once they saw him, they started going
wild and jumped all over the place around the spring, glaring at Chris in rage as they tried to threaten him away. He
held up his hands, quickly trying to calm them down as he explained he was just traveling by. However, the Mankey that
had been holding the unconscious Pokemon tried to climb out of the spring with it, falling over the edge and slamming onto
the ground. This caused the group to panic, flailing their arms as they surrounded the two and raised up the member
of their group who wouldn't wake. One of the Mankey's brought up a leaf, trying to fan it as they all showed worried
expressions. "...Maybe it got too hot?" Chris said quietly as Kirlia climbed behind him nervously, sensing the strong
feelings of anger and panic coming from the group of Mankey.


Taking a deep breath, he slowly walked up to the group, keeping his hands in the air as he looked down at the Pokemon
they were worried about. "...It looks pretty young, it probably couldn't handle being in there as long as you guys. If
you don't mind... I'd like to give you a hand." he said with a nervous smile. They looked at each other nervously and
suddenly seemed to huddle up, making various noises as they spoke with one another. They all suddenly nodded and jumped
up, facing towards him together. They pointed at their unconscious friend and shrugged together, as if asking what should
be done. Walking up, Chris felt the Mankey's forehead and chuckled as it groaned, twitching for a moment until its eyes
started spiraling. "Yep... Overheated... All we have to do is get some cool water, something to fan it with... And it
might be a good idea to prop its head up a little too..."


Chris got on his knees and took out a large container, asking some of the Mankey to fill it with cool water from any
nearby sources. A small group took it with a nod and jumped into the trees as Chris took out a small rag. "So... Who
wants to hold its head up for me?" he asked with a smile. In response, one of the elders came up and sat down, holding
its head as Chris took out a small notebook and started fanning the Mankey. "There's a lot of you in this group, you
gotta make sure to keep an eye on each other when you're having fun, especially in a hot spring like this. If you don't
pay attention, this kind of thing can happen to any one of you, young or old. What would have happened if you didn't
notice this little fella' had passed out in time?" he asked, looking around at the group as they scratched their heads
in guilt. It wasn't long ater this the Mankey returned witht he container, handing it over and standing with the others.
Chris dipped the rag he got out in the cool water and started rubbing the passed out Mankey over its face, telling the
others to pay close attention. "Whenever this kind of thing happens, you just gotta slowly cool the person down. Or...
In this case... Pokemon... Its best to use a rag and carefully wipe cool water on the person, fanning them and keeping
their head lifted just a bit. Once their body starts cooling back down to normal, its only a matter of time until..."


Suddenly the Mankey started twitching again, wincing its eyes and slowly openning them to look at the others. As they
watched it come to, the group suddenly went wide eyed and began jumping all around, flailing their eyes and making loud
noises in joy. Several went up and hugged their friend, rubbing it on the head as he raised up, still seeming as if in
a bit of a daze. It took th ag off its forehead and blinked at it confused, giving it a sniff as one of the Mankey pointed
to Chris. Looking up, the Mankey stood with a slight wobble, rubbing the back of its head embarrassed and holding out
his rag. "Nah... You guys keep it. That way you can use it for this kind of thing whenever you might need it! Plus, it
feels good to take a bath and scrub yourself with it! You guys should give it a try sometime!" he said with a laugh,
the Mankey taking turns holding the rag and rubbing it on themselves happily. Looking at the spring, Chris asked the
group of Mankey if they would mind letting him use it for the night and set up camp in the spot. "It would just be for
the night fella's. We've got a long treck past the mountains coming tomorrow so it would be great to enjoy a fresh spring
before I put my body through all that... Any chance you could loan it out to us?"


Looking at each other, the group huddled up to talk again. "Ha ha... They remind me of sports players..." Chris muttered
to Kirlia, chuckling as she tilted her head confused, unsure of what a sport player was. She let out a nervous laugh
nonetheless, trying to please him and act like she understood. The group of Mankey suddenly jumped up and faced him
together, one of them walking up and holding out its paw. "Err... So... Is that a yes?" he responded, reaching out with
a nervous laugh as the Mankey shook his head, all of them nodding in response. Giving his thanks, the group jumped around
again for a moment as they made noises out of excitement, running around their now recovered friend as they continued
sharing the rag, throwing it around like a toy as well. They eventually all went off deep into the forest, leaving Chris
and Kirlia alone with their own personal hot spring! "Man... Hope it isn't too hot considering it knocked out that poor
Mankey." he laughed, walking up and dipping his hand into the water.


"Oooohhhh... That's... Niiiiice..." he sighed, feeling the steam on his face. Kirlia poked her head out from over his
shoulder curiously, feeling the steam on her face as well and letting out a sigh of her own, slightly blushing from the
cozy and warm sensations she felt. Backing away, Chris looked around at the area, deciding how to best set up his camp
site for the night. "Lets see... This here... That there... Circle these like that... Hike this up... Hang those...
And... Done!" he said, clasping his hands together as he looked at the site. Kirlia was trying to help out as well,
taking small sticks and debris to the camp fire circle and tossing it in with a smile. Suddenly getting an idea, Chris
asked Kirlia to use her Fire Punch on the wood, and with a nod, she set the small pile on fire, stepping back as the fire
rose. "No way... It worked! That makes building fires a lot easier! You really are the best kirlia!" he said with a laugh,
giving her a rub on the head. She faced up at him and flushed brightly, quickly looking away and sounding as if she was
laughing nervously and shyly as she played with her skirt. "Ha ha... You really are cute... Now then, lets see about
getting dinner cookin' while I test out that cozy looking spring!" he said, rubbing his hands together with a grin as
he took out more leftover stew and placed it in a pot over the fire to slowly reheat. Walking over to the spring, he
swirled his arm in the water as he leaned against the warm rocks and boulders surrounding it. "Maaaaan... Those Pokemon
have it gooood here..." he said as he took out soap and shampoo from his rucksack.


"I'm gonna wash myself off before hopping in the spring Kirlia. Some of those boulders are big enough to hide me, so i'll
be there if you need anything." he told her, excitedly jogging over to his hiding spot to clean off. However, she couldn't
help but want to join him in a bath, giving herself a sniff and blushing embarrassed after a muggy day in the forest.
Listening to where she heard his humming coming from, she carefully made her way to the spring, feeling her way along the
warm rocks and boulders with a happy sigh as the warmth soothed her through her hands. Finally hearing him up close,
she poked her head from around one of the large boulders hiding him and called out, causing Chris to jolt and drop his
soap. "K... Kirlia... Wh... Whats up?" he asked with a blush, blinking nervously at her as she came out from behind the
boulder. She shyly flushed and twiddled her small hands, pointing at him and motioning with her hands to show wanting
to wash herself too. "Y... You're... Female, ya know...? I mean... I'm a human and your a Pokemon but... Still... Its...
Embarrassing anyways..." he said, looking down shyly. Kirlia's horns started to dimly glow as she picked up on his emotions,
clearly sensing his shyness and nervousness. She showed a smile and let out a sigh of relief, knowing he was feeling the
same as her about it, so she slowly made her way up to him and, after looking down shyly once again and twirling her
foot embarrassed, she slowly reached up to him. "Well... Okay then..." he said, picking her up and sitting her on his lap,
facing him. He lathered up his hands and started combing his fingers through her hair, looking away embarrassed while
doing so.


"Sorry again about... You know... How I found out you were a female and all Kirlia... I really didn't mean to be all
invasive or anything... Back at the inn I really was worried I actually hurt you. It kind of makes your heart stop when
your first Pokemon suddenly passes out on you like that." he said with a nervous laugh, sweating slightly as Kirlia
blushed at remembering he saw something even a Pokemon considers sacred and most personal above all else. But... She
couldn't help blushing and smiling knowing he had, and faced up at him, letting out a happy noise in response as she
shook her head to say she didn't mind. She reached up and held his hands, rubbing off the soap from them onto her own
and, staying still for a moment, she suddenly touched him and started rubbing soap on his torso nervously, trying to
return the favor. Chris flushed in response and told her she didn't need to do that, but she shook her head and kept
rubbng her hands on him anyways, spreading the small handfulls of suds she had all over him clumsily. With a deep breath
and a sigh, Chris continued washing Kirlia, rubbing her cheeks and slightly smushing them together so she made a fishy
face, making him laugh and causing her to get slightly irritated, pushing his hands away with a quiet grumble. He told
her he was sorry as he got a little more soap, and as Kirlia tried to reach up to rub soap on his chest, she suddenly
froze and let out a quiet gasp, her body going into a complete shudder as she flushed red enough to glow.


On top of her head, Chris was gently rubbing her horns, tenderly covering them in soap as he hummed. He didn't really
consider the fact that a Kirlia's horns are one of, if not the most sensitive parts of her body, and they generally
detest having them touched by anyone. However... In this case it seemed the opposite... Due to her affection towards
him, the more his fingers rubbed all over her horns, the more her heart raced, causing her breath to slowly become more
and more heavy as her eyes went wider and wider. "These puppies are gonna be nice and shiny when we're done! I'll make
them look as beautiful as you!" he laughed, starting to get used to bathing with her, female Pokemon or not. However,
this comment only made it worse on Kirlia, as she suddenly felt the twitching she felt back at the inn coming back in
the middle of her legs. As he rubbed his fingers along the rim of her horns, she suddenly felt something between her
legs squeeze painfully tight, and she could no longer resist letting out a loud shout as she started convulsing, leaning
forward and holding onto him as she gasped and shuddered all over, slightly drooling as she grit her small teeth together
trying to control her body.


"Wh... Woah there... Y... You alright Kirlia?!" he asked, his eyes going wide as he pulled his hands away. She rapidly
shook her head no as she felt the painful squeezing happening again, and she jerked back with another shout, clutching
herself between her legs as she flushed with tears welling up in her eyes, feeling something unbearable yet irresistable
rushing through her like a wave. Slightly scared, he suddenly got some water in a container and started washing all the
soap off Kirlia, thinking it might have something in it that was hurting her. "I... I'm sorry... You gonna be alright?
I got all the soap off! Does... Everything feel okay now...?" he asked, putting a hand on her. After spending a moment
getting her body to relax as she slowly calmed her breathing, she finally wiped off her face and nodded, suddenly giving
him a hug with a blush still on her face. In her mind, she was wondering what it was she suddenly felt... It wasn't bad
at all... Scary but not bad... And... Felt incredible... Yet was painful too... and as these thoughts regarding her body
rushed through her mind, Chris told her it would probably be for the best if she tried to check on the stew for them.
He didn't want to bring her into the spring in her condition and risk something happening to her, like with the Mankey,
or maybe worse. "There's a ladle in my rucksack... Will you be able to find it on your own and stir the stew for us
Kirlia...?" he asked in a soft voice, trying to be as kind as possible while rubbing her head. She nodded and pointed
to the ground, with Chris slowly lifting her up and setting her down.


However... He didn't realize that, as he picked her up off his lap, she left something... Sticky... Smeared all over
his legs where she was sitting, and as she was lifted up, a trail of it could be seen coming from under Kirlias skirt.
She carefully walked off, clutching her chest, and as she heard Chris climbing into the spring behind her, she suddenly
realized something was... Between her legs... And as she rubbed her upper thighs together, it felt... Gooey... Kind of
slippery... And she suddenly faced down, reaching under her skirt curioiusly to find out what it was. She rubbed her
small hands around, feeling her inner thighs and slowly gliding them up until her hands were between her legs. As soon
as she felt her fingers touching there, she jolted and blushed once more, feeling... Sensitive... Kind of tingly... And
she poked her fingers around for a moment, feeling something very, very tiny poking out like the smallest pea that, when
touched, sent a shudder throughout her body, and she also felt something weird... Kind of... Like her skirt in a way...
Between her legs... Folds of skin... And the more she was curious with herself, the more of the weird gooey slippery
stuff she felt between her legs. It wasn't like the rest of her body there... It felt... Really... Different... And
she noticed whenever she thought of her human friend... The feeling that came from the strange spot felt... Irresistable...
In a way...


But her curious exploration was cut short, as she suddenly heard Chris calling for her, making her yank her hands out
from between her legs in humiliation while running out from behind the boulders in a panic, popping out in front of the
spring so reassure him she was alright, waving her arms rapidly while sweating. "You're... Acting a bit... Funny... You
sure you will be alright Kirlia...? I don't mind running you to a center to get checked on... I don't like being worried
I did something to hurt you a second time..." he said with guilt in his voice. Her horns glowed slightly, showing her
his emotions in her heart, and as she felt his guilt and worry because of her, she suddenly smiled from ear to ear and
danced around happily, making cheerful sounds as she sought out his rucksack using smell and felt for the ladel, holding
it up high in the air in a "found it!" kind of way. Rubbing the back of his head, Chris told her to be careful when she
stirred the stew, not to burn herself or anything, and with a nod, she went up to the pot and stood on a large rock to
help cook.


As he rested his chin on his arms and watched, he smiled, impressed at how well she was managing the food, even giving
it taste tests while blowing on the hot spoonfulls like a pro. "Not bad Kirlia! It dousn't sound like anything is sticking
to the pot either so far... I think I should make you my own cooking student too!" he said with a grin, making her blush
with a happy smile, nodding in response. Once she thought it was done, Kirlia let out several noises and pointed at the
pot, signaling Chris to come out and give it a check. With a nod, he climbed out of the springs and wrapped a towel around
him, coming out from behind the large boulders with a stretch. "Man... Whenever we come back I am DEFINITELY going to
stop by this spring again... Now lets see about that grub!" he told Kirlia, walking up and leaning over the pot to give
it a smell. "Not bad... For leftovers this actually smells freshly made..." and he picked up the ladle, giving it a taste.
With a nod, he told Kirlia it was time to eat, but... After he put on some pajamas! With an embarrassed laugh, he went
into the tent to put them on, coming back out to find Kirlia already doing her best to pour the stew into two bowls.
She had a little difficulty, but she did it nonetheless, and he started clapping his hands as he sat near the fire.
"Very nice! This was sweet of you!" he chuckled, scratching under her chin.


With a happy sigh, she sat next to him and, together, they began enjoying another meal under the stars...