Warning: This chapter will involve scenes of oral vore and graphic digestion. If this is not your thing then stop reading now. You have been warned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is the property of Nintendo and Game Freak.

Guardians of Alicrest: Chapter 6: A Reckless Rescue

"What do you mean another squad has gone missing?!" Blaze erupted.

Sheena seemed unperturbed by Blaze's outburst "The second squad sent to swamp has not reported back yet. I can only assume that a Vorlord is responsible. I intend to investigate the matter personally, but in the mean time I suggest we quarantine the swamp." Sheena proposed.

"Ming an' Cedric are nya goin' ta like that." Rook said "Ava was in that group."

"Indeed, those two have grown quite attached to the young Glaceon. They will undoubtedly want to search for her." Sheena stated.

"Which is precisely why we need to quarantine the swamp." Blaze said "We can't afford to lose anymore Pokemon on reckless rescue missions against an foe we nothing about."

"Aye, it's unfortunate, but it canya be helped." Rook agreed.

"Then we are in agreement." Sheena also agreed.

"Very well, then we shall hold a camp announcement immediately. Meeting adjourned." Blaze stated.

Sheena climbed back into the shadows while Blaze and Rook made their way out of the tree. As they exited Blaze stopped to talk with the Watchog by the entrance. He instructed the Watchog to gather the other Pokemon for the announcement. It wasn't long before the tree was surrounded by a crowd of Pokemon, each curious as to the nature of the meeting. Blaze stood in front of the crowd, projecting his voice for all to hear.

"I've called this meeting to inform you that another squad has gone missing in the eastern swamps. We are unsure of the cause, but we speculate that a Vorlord is responsible. Until we better understand the threat presented, I am placing a quarantine on the swamp. No Pokemon is to enter the eastern swamp until further notice. Please inform any returning Pokemon of this policy. Dismissed."

The crowd of Pokemon began to disperse, except for Ming and Cedric, who made their way to the front.

"Sir, requesting permission to form a rescue party." Ming asked.

"Denied." Blaze stated bluntly "I've already lost two squads in that swamp. I'm not going to lose another."

"But..." Ming began.

"No 'Buts', my decision is final." Blaze cut her off "I'm sorry about Ava, but we all know the risks involved in our line of work. Now I don't want you two anywhere near that swamp. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Ming and Cedric replied halfheartedly before returning to their den.

Try as they might, they couldn't get their minds off Ava. The Glaceon had become like family to them and they couldn't help but worry about her safety. Orders or no orders, they couldn't stand idly by while Ava was in trouble, or worse.

******

As the veil of night set over the camp, Pokemon made their ways inside their dens to get a good night's rest. The only ones who remained out were a few nocturnal guards to keep an eye on the camp. But hidden among the shadows another pair of Pokemon were wide awake. Ming and Cedric snuck their way through camp, avoiding the watchful eyes of the guards. Fortunately the moon was only a crescent that night so light was scarce even for the nocturnal watchers. Cedric and Ming silently said their goodbyes to their makeshift home as they left the camp and headed east.

******

The swamp was as murky and dreary as ever. The unstable terrain would make searching difficult, but worse was the fact that they didn't even know where to start. Still, they couldn't afford to get discouraged, so they started searching the area. After a few hours, they hadn't even found a trace of Ava's squad. The situation was becoming increasingly hopeless. Just as they were on the verge of giving up, a strange tune reached Cedric's ear. It was an oddly bewitching melody, one that Cedric felt he simply must heed the call of. Without so much as a word, Cedric began to head towards the enchanting voice.

"Hey Cedric, where are you going?" Ming asked, noticing the Meowstic's sudden urgency.

When he didn't respond, Ming took off after him. She followed him for a fair distance before he stopped in front of a lone Mawile. Ming got a bad vibe from her; Something about this Mawile made Ming's fur stand on end. Cedric didn't seem worried in the least though. He approached the Mawile without a second thought.

"Oh, hello there cutie." the Mawile greeted him seductively "Do you want me to show you a good time?"

Cedric nodded his head blankly.

"Cedric, what are you doing?!" Ming asked in shock.

The Mawile's back jaws made their way over her head, opening above the Meowstic, poised to strike. Ming only had a moment to react. She swiftly threw herself into Cedric's side, tackling him out of the way just as the jaws clamped down.

"Cedric, snap out of it! Think about your family!" Ming yelled at him before delivering a hard smack to his face in an attempt to knock some sense into him.

"My, that was rude." the Mawile said to Ming "I guess I'm going to have to teach you some manners."

In the blink of an eye, the Mawile was in the air right in front of Ming. Ming threw up her arm in defense just in time to block the sweeping kick, but the force of the impact sent her skidding backwards.

"I'm impressed. Few would have been able to block that kick in time." the Mawile complimented Ming.

This Mawile's strength was unreal; Ming may have blocked the attack, but the force of the kick still made her arm numb. If she had been any slower, she would have been dead. There was no doubt; This Mawile was a Vorlord. Likely the one responsible for the other squads' disappearances. Ming quickly began to cycle through her few options. There was no way she could take on a Vorlord alone and with the Mawile's speed, escape didn't seem likely either. It seemed like this was the end. She would disappear, just like the other squads sent to the swamp. Suddenly a Shadow Ball struck the Mawile in the back, causing her to flinch and look behind her. There Cedric stood in combat stance, ready to fight.

"Ow, that really hurt deary." the Mawile said in the most pitiful tone she could muster.

"Save it you harpy! Your charm won't work on my anymore!" Cedric declared.

"My, so willful." the Mawile responded in disappointment "Why can't you be more like that Luxio and Simisage that I ate?"

"So you ARE the one responsible for the squad's disappearance." Ming stated.

"Indeed, and they were quite delectable I might add." the Mawile admitted.

"And Ava, you ate her too, didn't you?!" Cedric accused the Mawile.

"If only the poor girl were so lucky; At least I would have granted her a swift death." the Mawile replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Cedric demanded an explanation.

"I handed her over to Vorlord Nefarious. The poor thing's probably suffering a fate worse than death right now." the Mawile explained.

"You what?! How could you?!" Ming asked in shock.

"I wasn't particularly fond of it either, but I really don't need Nefarious breathing down my neck because I ate one of his fixations." the Mawile said.

"Tell us where you took her, now!" Cedric demanded.

"Now is that any way to talk to a lady? Why don't you try asking politely before I decide to teach you some manners as well?" the Mawile responded.

Cedric did his best to suppress his frustration and swallow his pride "Please, can you tell us where Ava is?"

"Now was that so hard? Nefarious has fort a little ways north of here. If you leave now, you should be able to reach it within the hour." the Mawile replied.

"Wait, you're just going to let us go?" Ming asked skeptically.

"This meal is quickly becoming more trouble than it's worth. Sure I COULD eat you, but I doubt it would be worth the effort. So if you'd kindly be on your way, I'd like to get back to attracting more cooperative prey." the Mawile said.

"Er thanks?" Cedric said awkwardly, not really sure how to respond.

Neither of them let their guard down as the left the Vorlord behind them and headed north. It seemed the Mawile was true to her word though; She didn't seem to be following them and soon they could hear her haunting melody fade away as they made their way north. They decided to put the strange event behind them and focus on the task ahead. If what the Mawile said was true, then Ava was in even more danger than they had thought.

After nearly an hour of travel, they could see it; The walls of a stone fortress looming over the trees of the swamp. How such a structure was sustainable on such an unstable foundation was a mystery, but there it stood. Going through the front entrance would be reckless, so they had to find another method of infiltrating the fort. Fortunately some of the windows seemed to be low enough to be within jumping distance. Ming gave Cedric a boost up to one of the windows before using her own agility to leap up to the window herself.

Once inside, Cedric reached out with his psychic powers to sense the location of any nearby Pokemon. He had to be careful to keep the probe as subtle as possible or Nefarious's own psychic powers would alert him to their presence. There were only a few other Pokemon in the fortress; Likely Nefarious's servants. Among the minds, he sensed one in particular that was dangerously weak. Although he didn't like the thought of it, it was likely Ava's. Cedric led Ming through the corridors of the fortress towards the source of the signal. The interior seemed very similar in design to Nefarious's other forts, which was advantageous to them because it meant that they were already familiar with the layout. They were careful to avoid detection. As they had learned from their last encounter, Nefarious was too powerful for them and unlike the Mawile, there would be no escaping Grumpig's clutches.

They were getting close now. The signal was getting stronger, but was still dangerously weak. Cedric dreaded to think of the kind of state they would find Ava in. Finally they entered a room that seemed to be some kind of torture chamber. The room was littered with devices that didn't look pleasant, but it was nothing compared to what was right in front of them.

Ming gasped in horror at the nightmarish sight in front of her. There Ava lay unconscious on a stone slab, her limbs bound in chains forcing her into an 'X' shape. Her back and flank were covered in gaping wounds that oozed blood down her body. Her left shoulder was particularly bad, exposing some muscle that looked as though it had been eaten away. Ming had seen some messed up things in her life, but nothing even came close to the level of cruelty she was faced with now.

"Ava!" She cried out in horror, rushing towards the unconscious Glaceon.

"Don't touch her!" Cedric instructed, halting Ming before she could inadvertently cause further harm to Ava.

He hurried over to Ava himself. The first thing that would need to go would be those cuffs. Fortunately the cuffs seemed to use a psychic locking mechanism instead of a key. This meant that with just a little tinkering, Cedric was able to use his powers undo the cuffs. He then used his psychic powers to carefully levitate Ava through the air.

"She needs medical attention immediately. Let's go." Cedric said.

They started to head towards the door they had entered through when they heard a voice coming down the hall.

"I know I heard voices coming from this direction." The voice said.

Moments later a Sceptile entered the room and started at the sight in front of him.

"What the hell?! Where do you think you're going with her?!" the Sceptile shouted in shock.

"Stand aside!" Cedric commanded.

"Like hell I will! If Nefarious finds out I let Ava escape, I'll be on the dinner menu for sure." the Sceptile responded.

Cedric grunted in frustration "We don't have time for this!"

Using his psychic powers he lifted the Sceptile into the air and slammed him into the wall behind him. Ming was quick to follow up, dashing forward and jabbing the Sceptile in the chest, causing him to black out. They hastily made their way to the nearest window and out of the fort. But now the more pressing matter was at hand. If Ava didn't receive treatment soon, she would die. Unfortunately Ming and Cedric were only familiar with basic forms of first aid; They were not trained to handle injuries of this magnitude. Worse yet, they were at least a days travel from the base and Ava would not survive a trip of that duration. Their only hope was to scour the swamp and pray that they could find someone who could heal Ava.

They decided to head west, at least putting them closer to base and further from those vile Vorlords. Adrenaline drove them forward as they searched high and low for any sign of civilization. After a half an hour of searching, they were in luck. They found what appeared to be a small community of swamp dwelling Pokemon. They wasted no time in making their way into the small village.

"Please! Please! We need a healer urgently! Can anyone help us?!" Ming shouted frantically.

This drew the attention of many Pokemon who were surprised by the sudden disruption. Many of them gasp in horror and muttered among one another when they saw the ravaged Glaceon. However, one Pachirisu was courageous enough to step forward.

"There's an Audino that lives on the other side of town. He's our resident doctor. I bet he can help you." the Parchirisu said.

"Oh thank you! Thank you!" Ming praised the Pachirisu "Can you take us to him?"

"Sure, follow me." the Pachirisu replied.

They followed the electric squirrel through town, drawing the eyes of many other Pokemon as they went. Finally they reached a tree on the far side of town.

"This is the place. I hope your friend gets better." the Pachirisu wished them luck before scampering off.

"Doctor, doctor! Come quick, we need your help!" Ming shouted into the den urgently.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! No need to shout!" A voice yelled back.

A moment later an Audino emerged from the den, rubbing his sensitive ears.

"Okay, what can I help you with toda..." his voice trailed off as he set eyes on the wounded Glaceon in front of him "Dear Acreus! Well don't just stand there, get her inside!" he instructed them.

They all hurried inside the Audino's den.

"Now set her down on that pile of leaves." he pointed to a pile of leaves on the far side of the den.

Cedric took great care to lower Ava gently onto the leaf pile. The Audino immediately went to work. Holding out his hands, he began to channel healing energies into Ava's body.

"These look like chemical burns." the Audino observed "What in Alicrest happened to her?"

"Vorlord Nefarious tortured her." Cedric replied.

"I should have known. Only he would be sick enough to inflict this upon another." the Audino said.

"Please doctor, can you save her?" Ming asked.

"It's too soon to say, but I'll do everything I can for her." the Audino answered "For now I need absolute concentration, so if you two don't mind, please wait outside."

The waiting was unbearable. It was impossible to relax when someone's life hung in the balance. They hated not being able to help, but there was nothing they could do for Ava now. They could only trust in the Audino's expertise. After about an hour, the Audino emerged from his den. He looked serious, but not distraught. Ming looked at him hopefully.

"Well she'll survive, but I doubt she'll ever fully recover. The damage to her skin will heal in time, but the damage to her muscles is not so easily repaired. The damage to her left shoulder was particularly severe. Even simple tasks like walking will be difficult for her now." The Audino reported.

"Poor Ava, first her parents, and now this." Ming said.

"It's like the universe itself has it out for her." Cedric agreed somberly.

"On top of her physical injuries, I'm worried about her mental health as well. It is likely that she was subjected to intense pain for a prolonged period of time. Who knows what kind of psychological damage that did to her." the Audino continued "Does she have any family nearby?"

"I suppose we're the closest thing she has to family." Cedric responded.

"Well, I'm sure it would mean a lot to her if you were there when she wakes up." the Audino said.

"Of course. We won't leave her side." Ming promised.

Suddenly shouts and cries could be heard coming from the other side of town.

"Oh no. Not now." the Audino muttered to himself.

"What is it?" Cedric asked.

"Some wannabe Vorlord and his two goons. They've been terrorizing our town for the last few months. Unfortunately none of us have the power or courage to stand up to them." the Audino explained.

"We'll take care of them for you." Ming said in serious tone.

"B-But we can't ask that of you. It's too dangerous." the Audino replied in shock.

"We can't just stand back while innocent Pokemon suffer. Besides it's the least we can do for you for saving Ava." Cedric responded before they both made their way towards the source of the commotion.

A crowd of Pokemon had formed a ring around event taking place. Ming and Cedric managed to force their way to the front of the crowd and what they saw was a dreadful sight. A Swampert flanked by an Arbok and a Scolipede stood at the center of the crowd, smug looks plastered on their faces. The Swampert had his hand held above his mouth and dangling from that hand, just inches away from the beast's maw, was the Pachirisu from earlier. Ming and Cedric quickly stepped forward to intervene.

"Put him down immediately!" Cedric commanded.

The Swampert seemed to eye them for a second before dropping the Pachirisu into his awaiting gullet.

"No!" Ming and Cedric cried out in unison.

With one powerful gulp, the Swampert sent the Pachirisu down his throat. Ming and Cedric could see the lump travel down the Swampert's throat and disappear into his body.

"You! You'd better cough him up right this instance!" Cedric threatened him.

"You two don't seem to know how things work around here." the Swampert said smugly "Fellas why don't you show these two what we do to heroes around these parts."

"With pleasssure bosss." the Arbok responded.

Both the Arbok and Scolipede snickered wickedly before stepping forward. The crowd of Pokemon backed away, sensing that a fight was imminent. Ming and Cedric took their stances. They didn't want to show it, but fatigue tugged at their minds and bodies, the hectic nature of the day starting to get to them. Still, they should be more than a match for these two goons.

The Scolipede made the first move. He curled into a wheel and shot towards Cedric. Cedric jumped to the side just in time to dodge the attack, but the Scolipede swerved around to make another pass. Cedric dodged again, but this time he unleashed a blast of psychic energy that knocked the Scolipede away a short distance. The Scolipede quickly got to his feet and charged at Cedric. Cedric aimed his paw forward and fired a stream of psychic energy that stopped the Scolipede in his tracks. For one final measure, Cedric formed a ball of shadow energy in his other paw and launched it at the Scolipede. That attack hit dead on, knocking the Scolipede out.

In the meantime, Ming was engaged with the Arbok. It was like the two were performing a deadly dance. The Arbok would try to constrict her, but she effortlessly escape his grasp. Ming would attempt to strike, but the Arbok would shift his body out of the way. Finally Ming jumped back some distance and focused her mind. The Arbok launched at her prepared to sink his venomous fangs into her. However at the last moment, Ming shifted to the side and brought her elbow down on the Arbok's head, slamming him to the ground. She followed up with a low sweep, sending the Arbok flying into a nearby tree. He fell to the ground unconscious.

The Swampert's confidence melted into fear as he saw how quickly Cedric and Ming dispatched his lackeys.

"So are you ready to surrender?" Cedric asked.

The Swampert grunted in frustration. There was a moment of silence before the Swampert lifted his hand into the air and slammed it into the ground. The entire ground shook with the force of the impact, knocking Ming and Cedric off their feet. They quickly recovered, but were confronted with a wall of Muddy Water. They both braced themselves for impact as the wave struck them. They managed to hold their ground, but they were covered in muck that obscured their vision and slowed their movements. When they finally managed to clear enough of the muck to see properly, the Swampert was no where to be seen. A mound of dirt at the Swampert's previous location was the only indication of where he had gone. He had run like the coward he truly was and had taken with him any opportunity they had to save the Pachirisu.

Cedric pounded his fist into the ground in anger. "Blast it! BLAST IT!"

That Pachirisu had been the only Pokemon kind enough to help them find a healer and this was his reward? It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair. Tears formed in Cedric's eyes as the culmination of the day's events finally became too much for him to bare. He let out a frustrated wail of defeat before he broke down crying.

******

Somewhere out in the swamp, the ground split apart as the Swampert dug his way back to the surface. He sulked around for a little bit, his mind deep in thought. Curses! Who were those two? He had been raiding that village for months and no one had been able to stand up to him. But those two just had to show up out of nowhere and ruin everything. He didn't even get to enjoy eating the Pachirisu thanks to their interference. He wished there was some way he could get another opportunity to properly enjoy his meal. "You'd better cough him up right this instance." The words echoed through his head, giving him an idea. It had only been a few minutes; There was still a good chance his stomach hadn't started to digest the Pachirisu yet.

He firmly planted his legs on the ground and inhaled a deep breath. Then he started to heave, trying his best to get his stomach to give up its contents. It was rather unpleasant, but it would be worth it if he got another shot at eating his prey. Finally he met with success. He felt his stomach abruptly expel its contents and force them back up his throat. He could feel the ball of fur tickle his throat as it made its way back towards his mouth. With one final hack, he spit out the ball of white and blue fur. The Pachirisu was completely drenched in saliva and other digestive fluids. He was shuddering violently in mortal terror, so much so that he didn't even notice the change in his surroundings for a few moments. Slowly he began to realize that he had been released from the hellish pit that was the Swampert's stomach. He looked up at the Swampert, who was staring back down at him.

"Are you letting me go?" the Pachirisu dared to hope.

The Swampert gave him an evil smirk "I'm afraid not. I merely didn't get a chance to enjoy you properly the first time."

The Pachirisu's eyes went wide in horror at that statement. The Swampert was sure to snatch the Pachirisu before he had a chance to flee. The electric rodent began to struggle in his grasp, once again faced with being eaten. The Swampert opened his mouth, but did not return the Pachirisu there immediately. Instead he release a steady stream of water to hose the bile and gunk off his prey. This made the Pachirisu struggle more as he attempted escape the stream of chilling water. When the Swampert was done, the Parchirisu was shivering from both fear and cold. Satisfied with his work, the Swampert opened his mouth wide and began to bring the Pachirisu toward it.

"No! Please! I'll do anything! Just please don't send me back in there." tears formed in the Pachirisu's eyes as he begged for his life.

His pleas fell on deaf ears though as the Swampert continued to bring the Pachirisu closer to his maw. The Pachirisu could see the rippling throat muscles, eager to devour him once again. He continued to thrash about in the Swampert's grasp, desperate to avoid another trip to that prison of flesh. The Swampert closed his mouth around the Pachirisu's body, trapping him withing the slimy confines of his mouth. He didn't swallow immediately this time. He savored the Pachirisu, allowing his tongue to caress every inch of the electric squirrel's body as he took in the flavor.

The Pachirisu once again found himself slathered in saliva. A nightmare he had to live not once, but twice. The Swampert continued to toy with him, pushing him around the mouth with his tongue and occasionally sucking on him like a piece of hard candy. Finally the teasing stopped and the Pachirisu felt his world begin to shift as the Swampert tilted his head upward. The Pachirisu's saliva slicked body easily slid to the back of the throat. The hungry throat muscles grabbed him and began to pull him deeper into the Swampert. Unlike last time, the swallowing process was much slower, the Swampert no longer in a rush to finish his meal. A lump could be seen traveling down the Swampert's throat as he slowly gulped down the helpless rodent. The throat muscles rippled around the Pachirisu as they hugged his body and pulled him closer to his final destination. Minutes ticked by before the Pachirisu once again found himself at the gates of hell. That tight ring of flesh that separated an uncomfortable massage from a painful, agonizing death. With one last gulp, the sphincter opened, allowing his body to slide into the Swampert's gurgling gut.

So here he was again, back in the bowels of hell. His brief escape had been more like a curse than a blessing. It was like fate was taunting him; Allowing him one more glimpse at freedom, only to snatch it away and force him to relive the nightmare of being eaten. The familiar sounds of the Swampert's heartbeat and gurgling stomach surrounded the Pachirisu as he curled into a quivering heap, hugging his bushy tail for comfort.

The minutes dragged by as the Pachirisu awaited his fate. The anticipation was torture. Every gurgle and squelch made him tense up, expecting to feel the sting of gastric acids on his skin. But the stomach seemed content to just hold him for the time being. A few more minutes passed and the stomach began to ripple. Finally content that it would receive no more food, it began excrete its digestive acids. It didn't take long for the digestive fluids to soak through the Pachirisu's fur. His skin began to tingle as the stomach acids went to work slowly breaking down his body. His fur began to fall loose as the acids weakened his skin. He squeezed his tail tighter, but only succeeded in rubbing off a large chunk of fur from the bushy tail.

Over the next couple of minutes, the tingling slowly intensified to uncomfortable itching sensation. This caused the Pachirisu to squirm around fitfully, attempting to relieve himself of the irritation. But it was futile, his squirms only aided in removing more of his fur. The white and blue fur practically melted off of his body and joined the slowly forming pool of chyme around him. With his last line of defense gone, the acids had free reign to attack his bare flesh.

The itching grew to a burning sensation as the digestive enzymes slowly broke down is skin. He hugged his tail even tighter, which again proved to be a mistake. The frail piece of flesh easily giving way to the increased pressure. The Pachirisu cried out in alarm as a sharp shot through his tail. The pain only increased as more of his tail was destroyed by the vicious stomach acids. But this was only the beginning. Slowly other parts of the Pachirisu's skin began to break apart, wracking his body with new waves of pain.

Suddenly the stomach walls contracted around him, kneading his body like dough. The stomach was intent on grinding the acid into his flesh and tear his body apart. He was taught a whole new meaning of pain as his skin melted from his body leaving his muscles exposed to the stomach's digestive fluids. Time moved agonizingly slow as every nerve in his body cried out in pain.  He was vaguely aware of the slowly rising pool of chyme around him. That had been his fur, his body, his lifeblood, reduced to nothing more than nutrients for some sadistic Swampert. He would have cried in mourning had he had the strength.

His body twitched and fidgeted uncontrollably as the acids ate away at his muscles. He could hardly think straight anymore as pain wracked every corner of his mind. He wasn't sure how long he had stewed away in the Swampert's stomach, but it felt like an eternity to him. He continuously prayed that each moment would be his last, that his body would stop fighting and just shut down. Finally his prayers were answered. The acids had reached his internal organs and he could feel his senses fading. His agony finally ending as he spirit separated from his body. His body left to churn away in that caustic stomach, soon to be nothing more than another lay of blubber on Swampert's body.