Endangered Pokemon Repopulation Center, reads the hanging sign before the zeraora. He half-turns back toward Route 8.5, the absurdity of his plan hitting him. But getting in officially is impossible for a runaway pokemon, and they shouldn’t do more than kick him out. After a steadying breath, he strides up the hill via a winding dirt path. The house casts its shadow over him, but his bright yellow fur stands out regardless. Thankfully, all the cheers, chirps, and hollers come from the other side of the house. He climbs up the porch steps, and opens the door a crack. Peeking through, he only finds a dimly-lit hallway and a staircase. He slips inside, wrinkling his little nose at the combined scent of dozens of individuals. He peers around a corner to see an empty living room, with a sliding glass door revealing the partying pokemon outside. A treecko hatchling glances through the door and in his direction. He ducks back against the wall. A hatchling rules out an orgy, which means they will be more alert than he anticipated. His stomach grants him the courage to slink further down the hall, and to his ultimate goal: the kitchen. He pounces on the fridge handle, whipping it open. Empty. What kind of kitchen is this? Madness! Before he can check anywhere else, he hears the back door open. He searches around for some way to pretend he belongs. What else does one do in the kitchen besides make food? Clean! He grabs a dirty plate from the sink and runs the tap over it. A red vixen enters the kitchen, stopping abruptly as they make eye contact. “Oh, hi there, uh…sorry.” She sets another dirty plate in the sink. “What’s your name?” The zeraora recalls all the times his former trainer addressed him, and does his best to replicate the sound. “Raidon.” “You mean Raiden?” “{I think so.}” Raiden vainly tries to spray the gunk off the plate. “{Where are the sponges?}” “Please stick to English in the communal areas. And they’re in there,” the vixen says, pointing. After grabbing the sponge and some soap from the cupboard, Raiden scrubs the plate. “Thank you, ma’am,” he says slowly and carefully. Having to use specific words to convey his thoughts, instead of infusing his thoughts into the words like in pokemon language, will always be a struggle. “Please just use my name.” “Okay.” “I guess since I forgot yours, I’ll give you a pass. Cassandra is the name.” She gestures to herself in a long, flowy motion, as if there’s something special to her middle-aged form. If there is, it’s hidden under the clothes her species insists on wearing, even in this summer’s heat. “And I should be thanking you for getting a headstart on the dishes; saves me the hassle.” “No problem, Cassandra. I like to be useful.” “And I like that attitude!” She pats his shoulder, then turns to leave. Once she’s out the door, Raiden digs into the pantry, finding spices, pancake mix, and some powder labeled “bouillon”. He inspects it, and nothing says he can’t eat it as is, but it doesn’t look appealing. Desperation claws at him, so he decides he’ll eat whatever he can find. As he closes the pantry, he reveals an obstagoon staring at him with her tongue lolling out. Raiden starts. Is his cover blown? “Hello. I was only organizing the pantry. This is expired.” He sets the bouillon on the counter. “I will return to the dishes.” The obstagoon slurps her tongue into her mouth. “You must be really committed to do chores on Hatchling Day.” “I don’t like crowds. I would rather be useful.” “Even if that’s the case, I always feel bad doing this,” the obstagoon says, tapping her claw-fingers on the plate over her waist. “But I scratch the plates up.” “It’s no problem.” “By the way, I’m bad with faces. Who are you again? Actually, I’m even worse with names. I can barely remember my name is Ash. Who are you mated to? {I’m mated to a blaziken.}” While pokemon language doesn’t use names, it still indicates a specific blaziken. But Raiden doesn’t know the individual, so that’s all he can understand. “I’m mated to, um…” Saying Cassandra surely wouldn’t work. Repopulation centers are supposedly more open-minded than breeding farms, but no way they’re tolerant of non-reproductive mateships. Nor would they possibly accept a mateless pokemon. There’s only one thing he could say. “I’m mated to you.” He curls his arms around the obstagoon’s long neck, stands on his tip-toes, and plants his lips onto hers. Raiden’s body lights up, what little electricity he has stored up shooting from his fingertips and swirling around them. Ash slips her tongue into his mouth, wrapping it around his. She keeps winding around and around, until she completely surrounds his tongue, then squeezes playfully. The sweet taste of whatever she ate drives him to wiggle around for more. He presses his swelling sheath into…cold ceramic? He jerks back, Ash’s tongue uncurling, and stares into her hazel eyes. When she catches her breath, Ash says, “Does your species also propose mateships by twining tongues?” “No. I saw my former trainer do it once, and simply went for it.” “What does your species do then?” “My species doesn’t have mating traditions.” “We just have to follow one mateship ritual then. The next step requires me to get this out of the way.” The obstagoon sets the plate she’s been holding over her waist in the sink, revealing her…male genitalia? The lithe frame; the high-pitched voice; the floral scent; it all points to female for zeraoras, so Raiden just assumed! Now he’s doubly fucked if anyone catches him! He might have gotten off easy for trespassing and stealing, but tempting one of their breeders with sodomy? Raiden shoves past Ash, but he grabs his wrist, saying, “Where are you going?” Instincts flaring, Raiden saps the electricity around him, bolts striking him from the wall and refrigerator. He’s about to expel it into Ash when a voice behind him shouts, “Hey! No powers inside, Raiden!” Shutting off his volt absorb, he looks toward the voice to see Cassandra in the hallway, as well as a few pokemon. How much did she see? What will they do to him? Can he fight this many pokemon at once? At full charge, maybe, but he has a tenth at most. Before he can consider reactivating volt absorb, tens of pokemon stream through the doorway, plates in paw, or maw for the quadrupeds. Not seeing another choice, Raiden returns to the dishes, hoping nobody saw any of his transgressions. Ash cuts in front of the line of pokemon and says, “If you still mean what you said, come to the forest house tonight, room 207.” He shuffles into the crowd of pokemon. Raiden tries to think of a way out of doing the dishes. Simply walking away would attract unwanted attention, which would make it hard to steal the bouillon. Very few could take over for him. Most don’t have proper handpaws, are quadrupedal, or are hatchlings that haven’t grown tall enough to reach the sink. The few exceptions offer to help, but not take over. Extended conversation would undoubtedly expose him, so he turns them away. The only one to offer to take his place entirely is heavily pregnant inteleon, but that doesn’t feel right. Thus, he ends up doing all the dishes for the feast of at least a hundred pokemon. But with them done, he should be able to leave freely. He dares one last look in the pantry, discovering a package of crackers behind the pancake mix. Carrying that and the bullion, he pads out to the hallway. A group of zangoose notice him, and offer polite greetings, not stopping him from strolling out the door. With the moon high in the star-speckled sky, Raiden doubts any trainer would be traveling. Still, he remains vigilant as he ambles down Route 8.5 and eats a couple of the crackers. They’re way too salty, paling in comparison to berries, yet he has to resist eating more. The bouillon is dry, downright inedible. Maybe he could sprinkle it on the crackers, but he shouldn’t eat more; he has to ration. Who knows when he’ll get food next? Upon spotting the tree with his claw mark, he steers off the route into the forest. All the oran berry trees are barren of the titular fruit, only the fishy scent of the nearby river filling the air. He’s not sure when they’ll produce again, but probably not till next year. He enters his small cave in a hill, containing a bed of foliage and not much else. The room makes him long for the nicer room at the breeding farm where he grew up, and where some of his family still is. But all that’s an ocean away. He focuses on one of the benefits of his newfound freedom: dealing with his growing erection with his own paws. He doesn’t know if his former trainer would’ve allowed that, but the breeding farm he bought him from didn’t. It was a waste of sperm that could impregnate a female, or be sold to another farm. His rough paw pads, where he shoots electricity from, scratch his sensitive flesh. Adjusting his grip so they don’t make contact, he strokes slowly. Each glide across his barbs and the tip above has him gasping. Even so, after a few minutes, he hasn’t gotten anywhere. He squeezes his cock between two paws, but his motions are poorly-coordinated and asynchronous, pulling the skin too far one way or the other. In the end, he only succeeds in getting his shaft to retreat. He slumps into his bed, figuring that he can at least sleep now. Except that when he recalls that kiss, he’s rock hard again. Why is he getting aroused because of a male? He chalks it up to the fantasy of Ash being female. While that doesn’t help his aching erection, he eventually manages to fall asleep anyway. * In the morning, his stomach loudly protests yesterday’s rationing. This time he sprinkles the bouillon on the cracker. He bites it, and has to resist spitting it out. Way too salty and dry. He flounders around for water, but his cup is empty. He reluctantly swallows. Checking the builion’s label, he discovers it’s supposed to be put in water to make “broth”. That has to be better than this; anything would be. With his cup, he sets off to the river. The sun has long since risen, beaming on him from above. He pants as he makes his way through the trees, and even more so when he exits the shade onto the riverbank. He squats down, and fills his cup. As he chugs the water, something wet smacks his arm, causing him to spill all over himself. He’s almost grateful for the cool water in his fur, if not for his arm throbbing in pain. “{Nice shot, daughter! You’re next, son.}” Raiden dodges a water jet, then looks across the river to see a simipour and his two fully-grown panpour children. “{I thought we agreed this was my side of the river!}” “{We did, so defend it.}” The simipour takes a bite of a mago berry, the trees behind him full of them. “{Alternatively, you make for great practice.}” “{I don’t want to fight. I only want water.}” “{In that case.}” The simipour nods to his son, who brings his tail around to shoot Raiden in the chest. Like a paintball gun, it hurts, maybe even bruises, but it’s nothing he can’t endure. He shields his cup from the following blasts as he refills it and walks away. He could’ve used his small amount of charge to take out the simipour, then use his speed and claws for the panpours. He would’ve had all the mago berries and water. But he knows they’re only wild pokemon trying to survive. When the mago trees go out of season, they’ll want his oran trees, and today they were testing Raiden’s strength. If they would cooperate with him, they could share, and everyone would be fine. Alas. He sits back down in his cave. After mixing the bouillon in the water, he sips, finding it to be savory, but still not great. He dips a cracker in it and the salty savoriness is almost tasty. He eats more than his rationing allows, justifying that his body needs more food to heal the bruises. Before he knows it, he’s out of crackers. And even worse, he’s still hungry. Maybe he could get some more from the repopulation center? They should recognize him as the dish guy; someone who belongs. It’s still a risk, but his options are limited. He leaves his den and travels on Route 8.5. In broad daylight, he has to step lightly with his ears perked for the slightest sound. A few times he retreats into the forest to avoid a passing trainer. With his bright yellow fur, he has to venture deep, then come back out since he doesn’t know the area well enough to go off path. The journey takes twice as long as it should, but he gets there. Raiden walks right in, greeted by a crowd of charmeleons in the hallway. He waves back as he passes them to an empty kitchen. The fridge, though, is full! Most of the food he doesn’t recognize, but there’s a drawer of packages of different berries. “Ah, I’ve been meaning to bump into you.” Looking past the fridge door, Raiden sees Cassandra. She’s the last person he wants to run into. She could have easily checked the records to see that no Raiden is registered here. All the food before him would be lost. “{What…} What for?” Cassandra steps closer, looming over him, then leans down, and…kisses him on the cheek? “You were an absolute saint during Hatchling Day! I expected to see a pile of dishes, perhaps with somebody chipping away at them. You really went above and beyond!” “Only doing my part.” Raiden slowly takes out a package of pecha berries. When Cassandra doesn’t react, he closes the fridge, opens the package, and stuffs a few into his mouth. Juicy sweetness explodes on his tongue. He shovels them into his mouth as fast as possible “I wish everyone had your attitude. Sometimes I feel more like a maid than a supervisor. But we’re, like, the only people with thumbs.” “I don’t got one, and I can still do stuff.” Raiden presents his four-fingered paw, then retrieves another package of berries from the fridge, his first already gone. “I knew that was just an excuse!” Cassandra pats him on the shoulder. “Anyway, I gotta run. Oh, one thing.” She peeks into the fridge before saying, “Save that last container. I want to make some pie with it tonight.” She twirls around and approaches the group of charmeleons. Raiden takes a package of chesto berries instead. Figuring he looks weird just standing there, he wanders out the back door. He’s briefly blinded by the sparkling sand of an artificial desert. A dune blocks the view of most of it, but the hill he’s on is a little taller. In the opposite direction, a swamp is nestled between the hill and a river, with a housetop poking out from the treeline. Raiden is instead drawn toward the forest in the middle, probably because of the scent of all the fresh berries hanging from the trees. Almost every tree is a different species, from persim to nanab, and some that aren’t fruiting. He plucks a couple. He can’t have too much food, can he? As he’s meandering and trying new berries, Raiden spots Ash speaking with a blaziken. He shouldn’t associate with him. Somebody to talk to would be nice, but he’s a needless risk. Before he can turn tail, Ash locks eyes with him. Raiden freezes, suddenly short of breath. Ash says something to the blaziken, then approaches him. “Hey, haven’t seen you since…Did you just forget? I really, um…” He looks back at the blaziken, who smiles at him. “I really don’t know what I did, or didn’t do, but I’m sorry. I wanted you the instant I saw you, and I thought you wanted me, but maybe I was too forceful, and I–” “Stop talking.” “Sorry. Did you want to say something?” “I only want you to stop talking about such things.” “I see. I’ll leave you alone then.” Ash returns to the blaziken. Did she overhear? What was Ash thinking talking about sodomy with someone so close? Even if she won’t report them, anybody could be behind that tree. Or that one! The entire exchange with the blaziken, Ash’s eyes are glued to the ground, and his paws to his sides. Raiden's chest tightens at seeing him like that, but he had to do what he did. While Ash might get away with a slap on the wrist for sodomy, Raiden would lose his food source. Not to say he would mate with him under different circumstances! He would just say “No, thank you,” then befriend him. Lost in thought, Raiden doesn’t notice the blaziken nearing until it is too late.“Yo, I’m not trying to tell you who to mate with, but you could’ve let him down easy.” “What do you mean? I am…” Raiden gestures to himself. “And he’s, well…he.” “He’s what?” The blaziken scratches her brow with her talon-like hand. “Look, I know nothing about the culture of…whatever species you are, but all you had to do was explain that to him, and everything would be chill.” “I don’t understand how my species is relevant.” “Well, whatever your reasoning, you could’ve been nicer about it. I’m his only mate, while I have two. So he’s super self-conscious. And, uh, let’s just say he wants something I can’t provide.” “Oh, you actually want me to…?” Realizing he’s talking to another person complicit with sodomy, Raiden panics. He cannot afford to associate with these people and their nonsense! “I need to throw this away.” He holds up the empty berry package. “Goodbye.” He hurries away as fast as etiquette allows. After throwing it away, the sun starts to set. Raiden considers finding a place to curl up in the compound, but he’d have no answer if someone asks why he doesn’t have his own sleeping area. On his way back to his den with yet another package of berries, Raiden’s mind keeps wandering to ways he could’ve handled that better. If Ash wanted mateship, there had to be a way to convince him to scale that down to friendship. He’s never had such a conversation before, so he’s unsure what would work. In the time it takes to arrive at his den, he comes up with nothing that isn’t risky. Fundamentally, hanging out with a sodomite is a risk; they could pull something at any time. He’ll have to find somebody else to befriend, or maybe even a mate. He’ll have to be careful in the getting-to-know-each-other process, but it would solidify his place in the repopulation center. For now, he falls asleep with a full belly. * At the compound the next day, he doesn’t receive the usual polite greetings. Most everyone ignores his presence, whispering inaudibly. Disregarding it, he finds a lone meowscarada as she–definitely female this time–is digging in the fridge. “Hey,” he says. She looks him up and down, closes the fridge without grabbing anything, then strolls past him. He stands there for a few seconds before shrugging it off. He doesn’t know much about meowscaradas, so it’s possible such a greeting is unacceptable in their culture. With a package of berries, he continues his search for a friend or mate. But nobody will talk to him, or even look at him for more than a second. He even offers berries to the particularly cute females, only for them to walk away. Eventually, one individual looks at him, even stares at him: a tiny, bunny-like hatchling playing with a stick under a tree. As he approaches her, she says, “Are you z-ze meanie my mom warned me about?” “I don’t think so.” Raiden sits with his back against the tree, still taller than she is while standing. “She descwibed him as a fewo-feroci… {ferocious yellow monster.}” From her pokemon language, he learns that she is a victini. “Kinda like you.” “Well, it’s not me. What did this monster do?” “My mom told me zat he was really mean to Ash, zen Cinder told him that being mean is wrong, zen he was mean to her with this big scawy look on his face. Oh!” The hatchling tosses her paws in the air, throwing the stick behind her. “And zen somebody else also said zat he shot lightning at her, zen Ash helped her and they both got away. Can you shoot lightning?” “Not any more than the next guy.” “What does zat mean?” “Nothing. Thanks for the warning. I’ll keep an eye out for this monster.” Raiden shoots to his feet and stomps away, wondering how he will fix this. Cassandra will surely confront him about this slander, and he has little means to defend himself. The truth will only make him look worse. He should have known they would spread rumors about him in case he intended to report them for their attempted sodomy. He never would have! Maybe he should’ve, but he thought Ash was a nice guy who doesn’t mind breaking a few rules. Now it’s clear he’s someone who tears down anyone in the way of what he wants. He’s back at the house, but hesitates to enter. He could grab all the food he can carry and run, but a more long-term solution comes to mind. If the world is against him, he’ll just have to be against the world. Growling to himself, he rounds the house to a secluded side. After double checking no one is watching, he extends both paws to where the electricity converges in the wall. It flows into him in the same lightning bolt pattern. The light through the window flickers, then shuts off completely, and the lightning dies out. Barely half a charge, but it’ll do. He dashes away before anyone catches him. With the power coursing through him, he doesn’t bother being careful on the route. He knows he should; a trainer could have several pokemon, or a ground-type, but he hasn’t felt this good in forever. In record time, he makes it to the river. “{Hey! I’m drinking from your river!}” The simipour climbs down from a tree across the river. “{Are you asking to get blasted?}” “{I am. It’s really slow drinking like this.}” Raiden leans down and laps water out of a cupped paw. “{If that’s what you want. Daughter! Get down here and practice your water gun. I better see an improvement from last time.}” After jumping out of the tree and eating the last of a mago berry, the panpour says, “{But last time was plenty good. I’m bruised him real bad.}” “{I want more than just bruises.}” The panpour swings her tail in front of her, but hesitates. “{Wait, are those sparks around his paws?}” “{What? No. If he were an electric type, he’d have shocked us a long time ago. Stop stalling.}” “{Fine.}” Raiden aligns his paw with where the panpour is aiming, a thunder wave brewing. When the panpour fires and the water grazes Raiden’s fingers, her entire body tenses, then she falls backward. The simipour rushes to her side. “{What’s wrong? Did you lose your balance from the recoil? Get up!}” He tries to help her to her feet, but she is completely limp. “{We really need to get you a water stone. I’ll have to do this myself.}” He lines up his tail similarly. This time the blast snaps one of Raiden’s fingers back before the simipour collapses. Raiden cracks his finger back in place, unfeeling. He races forward and jumps over the river. Looming over the helpless pokemon with his claws bared, he considers the best non-lethal approach. A slash across the chest should work, deep enough to scar, but shallow enough that their family will have time to apply a potion. A rustling approaches from behind. He swings his arm back, then slashes…a gray-black blur? The metallic scent of blood hits him before his eyes adjust to the sight of Ash, with four gashes in his arm. “What are you doing?!” Ash crouches down to check the breathing of the paralyzed pokemon, then gets back in Raiden’s face. “Cosplaying a trainer and bullying wild pokemon?!” Even though Ash is potentially dooming him to starvation, Raiden can’t bring himself to attack him. He’ll make him understand, then he should get out of his way. “This is how the wild works. I need food; they have it; I take it from them.” “You’re not even a wild pokemon.” “Have you ever seen before the day that I was doing the dishes?” “No, but–” “{Dad,}” the panpour says as she rises. “{What are they saying?}” “{Doesn’t matter,}” the simipour responds as he springs to his feet. “Go get your siblings and mother. Quickly!}” Raiden shoves Ash out of the way with one arm and charges a thunderbolt with the other, aiming at the panpour. Before the electricity releases, water slams into his shoulder with a loud cracking sound. His arm limply falls to his side, unresponsive. Ash moves to stop the simipour from firing again, but the panpour is long gone. Seeing no other choice, he jumps back to his side of the river. Ash and the simipour continue to scuffle, but that’s not his problem. He sprints into the trees, not even sure where he’s going. Once the adrenaline wears off, the pain from jostling his arm forces him to slow down. He tries to relocate it, but his bones are completely shattered. He stops to make a makeshift cast out of foliage, struggling to use the broken finger on his good arm. Once completed, the cast holds his arm and shoulder in mostly the proper position, which dulls the pain if nothing else. After a bit of deliberation, he decides to head back to the repopulation center. People don’t like him there, and he’s about to be uncovered. But he can siphon electricity to heal, and Opelucid City is even riskier. Neither his natural healing, nor a potion would help. And he can’t go to a pokemon center because they’ll find out he’s a runaway, and return him to his trainer. Escaping a second time might prove difficult. He’ll probably spend most of the rest of his life in a pokeball. About halfway there, footfalls approach him from behind. He panics before he looks back to see Ash. As much as he hates to admit it, he’s relieved to see him. He’ll be safer with a mostly uninjured pokemon beside him. “Hey, you got hit, right?” Ash runs up beside him, holding a potion. “Whoa, this will do nothing for that. Let’s get you to the pokemon center.” He grabs Raiden’s paw and tries to tug him in the other direction. “{No.}” Raiden electrifies his paw, shocking Ash’s away. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help.” “{I need to go to somewhere in the repopulation center where there’s not a lot of others around.}” “There shouldn’t be many hanging around the house I live in. Did you want to go there?” At Raiden’s nod, Ash veers off the path into the trees. “We can cut through here.” As they weave through the trees, Raiden asks, “{How did you find me way out there anyway?}” “Well, um…” Ash slows down, and Raiden has to as well since he doesn’t know where he’s going. “I was trying to figure out what I did to make you…suddenly not like me. I thought it was something to do with your culture, but I didn’t know your species, so I borrowed a pokedex and looked for you. I saw you running and followed.” “{I already told Cinder that my species is not relevant.}” Raiden’s ears perk at the sound of voices, and rushes ahead to find a small house with a group of bulbasaur hatchlings playing outside. He passes them, while Ash catches up behind him, then enters the house. The layout is familiar, and there’s only a quilladin lounging on the couch. Still, he needs to be uninterrupted. “{Is there somewhere more private?}” “There’s my room. Is there something you need to do there?” “{Yes.}” “Alright.” Ash leads up the stairs, and down a hallway with many doors clustered on either side. He opens one of them. The cramped interior is filled with his natural, floral scent. “Did you need to tell me something?” “{No. Stand back.}” When Raiden flows the electricity into himself, he keeps it at a low voltage to prevent the breaker from tripping. His finger bones quickly reattach, while the ones in his arm have to restructure themselves, each little fragment finding its place and gluing back together. Eventually, he rips out of the cast. “You could’ve just told me you had volt absorb. {I would have brought you to my mate’s mate.}” The pokemon language indicates species, but Raiden is unfamiliar. “You’ve seen me use it before.” “That’s what that was? But you weren’t hurt.” Ash’s eyes widen. “Did I? Is that why you–” “{No. I was using volt absorb to charge my electric attacks.}” “So you were trying to attack me?” “{I was trying to get away. As I am now.}” Raiden turns around and opens the door, only for Ash to block him. “Where are you going?” Raiden could easily paralyze him and run away. But he realizes this is his last chance to understand why Ash is in his way, yet acting like he’s helping. “{Back to my den. Why are you trying to stop me?}” “Because…” Ash looks away, his tiny ears pinned to his head. “Because I care about you, even if you don’t care about me.” Raiden clenches his fists. How could Ash say that after everything he’s done? “{If that’s true, let me leave. I don’t know what they will do to me.}” “Do to you? Nobody’s going to do anything to you. What are you talking about?” “{A lot of things!}” Raiden throws his paws in the air. {“Like the rumor you spread, and how you knew I couldn’t tell people I didn’t attack you.}” “I didn’t spread any rumors. {Cinder was pissed off and was telling people what you said.} But she wouldn’t lie! Why can’t you tell the truth?” “{The truth is I, an outsider, tempted you with sodomy. I don’t know what the punishment for that is here, but back at the farm, it’s quite a severe offense.}” “A breeding farm?” Ash tilts his head. “Those are illegal in Unova. Tempting someone with…{sodomy} is allowed here, encouraged even. More mates equals happier pokemon equals more hatchlings.” “{That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t believe you.}” Ash shrugs. “So you were thrown out because you fooled around with another male?” “{No! I was…}” Raiden’s posture droops at the memory. “The why makes no difference. They decided I was no longer valuable as a stud and sold me as a battle pokemon. Then I ran away from my trainer.}” “Hmm, so you can’t enter here officially. But you can stay here, in my room, with me. And if fear of punishment is why you didn’t want mateship…” Ash embraces Raiden, tugging him closer as he leans down. Raiden freezes. After everything, Ash still wants this? Maybe it is allowed, but he doesn’t understand why anyone would do it. Or why his heart is racing, and he’s losing control of his electrical current, creating sparks around him. He’s felt this before, but he shouldn’t be feeling it now! “Oh.” Ash stops his advance, eyes flitting to all the sparks shooting from Raiden’s paws. “No need to shock me. I just thought…Sorry.” “{I wasn’t trying to shock you. I was…}” Maybe that should’ve been his response. It still should be. He needs to leave, but he’s trapped in that fluttery feeling with Ash so close. Somebody clears their throat behind Ash. “Gentlemen, do either of you want to explain the power surge that came from this room?” Ash steps aside to reveal Cassandra, who continues, “I’m assuming the culprit is the one with lightning bolts for whiskers.” “Sorry, Cassandra,” Raiden says. “I needed to heal.” “There are ways that don’t double the electric bill. But I’ll give you a pass if you don’t do it again.” Cassandra starts to turn away, then stops and says, “Oh, and one more thing. I’ve been hearing that you attacked Cinder and Ash yesterday. Is this true?” “No. We were, um…” Raiden shuffles his feet. If there’s a chance Ash was telling the truth, he has to go for it. If he’s not, Raiden can fight his way out. “I proposed mateship to him, and he was talking to me about it. I told him to stop talking, but I never attacked anyone.” “I just saw you getting sparky a minute ago.” Why isn’t she questioning him trying to form a mateship with another male? It’s a far bigger offense than a little scuffle. By the time Raiden realizes he should say something, Ash speaks for him, “He never attacked me. I got handsy and he was defending himself.” “Okay. Have fun figuring all that out.” Cassandra leaves down the hallway. Raiden closes the door and, head spinning, sits down on the bed. “Are you okay?” Raiden is too busy trying to understand what just happened to respond. After twiddling his fingers for several seconds, Ash asks, “Maybe you’re hungry? I could get something for you while you think.” “{That’d be great. Thanks.}” Once Ash has padded out of the room, Raiden falls back on the bed. The idea that sodomy is allowed is a square peg trying to fit into the round hole of Raiden’s mind. But he can’t think of another reason Cassandra would latch onto him shooting a few sparks instead of the attempted sodomy. The loss of profit from allowing it has to be astronomical. Is it possible they don’t care about that? If profit’s not a focus, what’s the point of the Endangered Pokemon Repopulation Center? The idea that they only want to help endangered pokemon is another square peg. Before he can sink further into his thoughts, Ash enters the room with two slices of pie on a plate. “These are leftover from last night.” Raiden sits up, back against the wall, and takes the offered plate. “{Is one of these yours?}” “You need it more. I assume that if you got into a fight with that family over food, you must be pretty hungry.” “{True.}” Raiden cuts off a piece with a fork and takes a bite. Sweet fruitiness blossoms in his mouth, with a doughy flavor underneath. He hasn’t tasted anything this good since the farm, recalling the meals he shared with his family. He never got to do something so simple in the care of his former trainer. “{It’s a bit awkward when you watch me eat.}” “Sorry,” Ash says, casting his eyes down. “{No. Come. Share.}” Raiden pats the empty space beside him. Ash slides next to him, then he takes the fork. As he lowers it, his claw-fingers scratch the ceramic with a grating sound. “Sorry.” He adjusts his grip to be higher on the fork. “I don’t usually do that.” His paw shaking, he leans forward to eat off the fork. “{How do you manage with those things?}” Raiden asks as he takes the fork back and gets another mouthful of pie. “I use my tongue for anything that needs a delicate touch.” When Ash tries to grab the fork, Raiden resists and brings a bite to his mouth. Ash smiles, slips his tongue out, wrapping around the pie, then brings it to his mouth. Once he swallows, he says, “See? It’s nice and graceful.” Raiden cannot muster a response as the sight of his tongue reminds him of their kiss. He’s tried to forget about it; suppress the flushed feeling it evokes, but his reasons to do so are crumbling. Maybe it doesn’t matter why he’s allowed to explore these feelings; only that he wants to. As they finish the pie together, he starts to forget about why he was distancing himself from him. “Are you still hungry?” Ash asks. “I could get more.” “{No. Tired, actually.}” “Oh. Sorry, but you’ll have to sleep on the floor. My species only sleeps with family, mates, and…{prospective mates.}” The obvious solution comes to him, but Raiden hesitates. A mateship such as this has no tangible purpose. He’s supposed to make hatchlings with a mate. That’s what he was taught, but is it what he believes? He never really cared about producing hatchlings, since he never got to raise them, and they were sold the instant they reached adulthood. Right now is about what he wants, not what others want from him. As he leans in, his heart crawls in his throat. Does Ash still want this after being rejected so many times? The doubt shatters as Ash embraces him, and closes the gap between their lips. Raiden slips his tongue into his mouth, doing his best to twine tongues. Shuddering against him, Ash winds his tongue around Raiden’s, until he enters his mouth and reaches the back of his throat. They stay like that, caressing through each other’s chest fur. Ash playfully squeezes his tongue, causing Raiden to squirm, then encourages him to lay back as he climbs over him. Ash unwinds his tongue from Raiden’s, lets it hang from his mouth, then slowly slurps it back in. Raiden’s heart pounds as realizes that Ash will probably ask to mate, since he’s atop him. He knew kissing him would lead to that, but it was supposed to be a far-off thing. Should he even say no? He doesn’t know how much rejection Ash will take before he leaves him. Not only would he lose a better place to sleep, and likely his food source, but also the first person he connected with since he was sold. When the last of Ash’s tongue retracts, he says, “What were you tickling me with?” “{What?}” Once Raiden's worrying settles down, he figures out what he’s talking about. “{Oh, this.}” He unleashes a few sparks onto Ash’s arm. “That seems like a fire hazard.” “{I can’t help it.}” Raiden fidgets with his paws. “{Can we share the bed now?}” “Of course. I’m not really tired, but I’ll hold you as you sleep.” “{I’d love that.}” Raiden rolls onto his side, and Ash spoons him from behind. He’s never cuddled with someone outside of his family before. He never knew the females he bred to warrant such affection. The warm contentedness is almost there, if not for a gnawing worry of the future. Ash will eventually want more than this, and he’s not sure he does. A nuzzle on his neck jerks him back to the present. Instinctively, he purrs, the loud rumbling filling the room. Ash holds him tighter, saying, “You sound pretty.” With that, Raiden’s thoughts focus on the coziness of the moment, and he drifts off. * The toastiness of Ash’s arms around him causes him to restart his purr the instant he wakes. Ash shifts behind him, yawns, then settles. After a few minutes of silence, he says, “So how are you feeling about our {prospective mateship?} Are you still concerned about…whatever it was you were saying?” “{I don’t know.}” Raiden wiggles in Ash’s grip, but he won’t let go without a fight. The more he thinks about it seriously, the more unsure he is. “{I still feel like this shouldn’t be something studs are allowed to do. How does this place make money?}” “Well, first of all, we aren’t studs; we’re residents encouraged to build families. And from what I understand, this place runs on donations.” “{I’m still struggling to believe all this.}” “Well, seeing is believing.” Ash disengages their embrace, hops over Raiden and onto his feet, then offers a paw to him. “Come on.” “{Where are we going?}” When Raiden accepts the help up, they keep holding paws, even as Ash tugs him out the door. An infernape also exits her room at the far end of the hallway. Raiden tenses since she can definitely see their joined paws, but realizes that he’s only holding Ash’s paw tighter. When he releases, Ash doesn’t. “{Let go!}” “Remember you gotta speak in English outside the room.” Raiden is about to yell that that isn’t important when the infernape passes by, unnoticing or uncaring. “See? Not a big deal.” Unconvinced but not wanting to argue, Raiden says, “Why do we have to speak English? It is a worse language.” “The supervisors say it’s to help the hatchlings learn, so they can then learn to read. But it’s dumb because they enforce it even when a hatchling isn’t around.” “You say that, but you speak English everywhere.” “I got into the habit. My English was terrible when I first got here so I spoke it as much as I could.” They arrive at the staircase, and Ash practically has to drag Raiden down them. “I promise nothing’s going to happen. Have you not seen the other gay mates?” “I wasn’t looking.” “Exactly. Nobody is.” At the bottom of the stairs, a couple of ivysaurs are conversing, and a few pokemon are in the kitchen getting breakfast. “I still do not see gay mates.” “Well, if that’s what you want, I know just the place.” Ash leads out the door into the crisp morning air. With no one around, Raiden relaxes as they stroll through the forest, the grass cooling his foot paws with morning dew. He’s never held paws before, but he finds himself squeezing and caressing Ash’s, who cannot reciprocate with his claw-fingers. He briefly panics when they pass a high-up nest of rowlet hatchlings and a decidueye, but they pay them no mind. Soon, they cross into the artificial desert. Without shade, the sun bares down on them, and the sand heats his foot paws. They climb a dune, panting, yet walk close enough to warm each other’s shoulders. When they reach the top, the flat desert sprawls before them, dotted with sparse vegetation. A house similar to the rest stands in the middle, its shadow tempting Raiden with relief. The journey there is filled with burrows. Pokemon scuttle within, and a fennekin hatchling pops out with its giant, orange ears. Further down, more curious hatchlings poke out of various species, most he’s unfamiliar with until they speak in garbled pokemon language. While cute, they hurry along. Raiden sighs relievedly as they reach the shade of the house, then enter directly into the living room. A family of garchomp, gabites and gibles lounge on the couch, and plenty of pokemon are eating in the kitchen, but Ash approaches two pokemon in the corner playing a game on a computer. “I swear,” Cinder says as she drops her controller onto the desk. “The only reason you want me to play is so you can kick my ass.” “Not true!” A stout, purple lizard exclaims, the yellow frills on her head flaring. “I love your ass too much to ever consider kickin’ it.” “Good morning, gals,” Ash says. “Heya, Ash. Hold up.” Cinder points to Raiden. “What’s he doing here?” “Well, we made up, and long story short, I need you two to kiss in front of him.” “So there was a condition? He likes to watch lesbians and–” “Why are you complaining?” the lizard interrupts. “C’mere.” She turns Cinder’s head toward her, and laps at her beak until she parts it. Their tongues meet, and no one else in the room spares them a glance. “Do you see gay mates now?” Ash asks. “Yes. But gay females are different.” “You are being needlessly difficult. But I got an idea.” Ash picks Raiden up by the legs, and presses him into the wall, earning several squeaks. Joining lips, he wiggles his tongue inside. Any thought of resisting melts as his tongue wraps around his. Before he can lean into it, Ash retracts his tongue and eases him down onto his own feet. It isn’t until Raiden catches his breath that he remembers there are other people in the room, but only Cinder is looking at them. “How come you never kiss me like that?” she says. “Because your beak would stab me.” “Excuses. A real man would–” “Who needs a real man when you have a real WOMAN!?” The lizard’s bellow attracts the attention of the family on the couch, and even a few from the kitchen, as she jams her mouth into the hook of Cinder’s beak. Their tongues dance briefly before she pulls back and says, “Nah, he’s right; that hurts.” “Doesn’t feel great for me either.” The lizard pivots in her chair to face Ash. “So who’s your new mate? I’ve just heard him called by variations of prick.” “His name is, um…” Ash hides his face with a paw. “He forgets my name too,” Cinder says. “Even though he gave it to me.” “Raiden is my name. I’m a zeraora.” “I’m Mauve, a toxtricity. As you can tell, Cinder has a habit of naming her mates after their color.” “I can’t forget your names if I see it right in front of me.” With the casual way everyone’s talking about gay mateships, on top of everything else, Raiden’s mind opens up to accept the square peg, and he starts to see his actions in a new light. “About me being a prick, I’d like to apologize. I was–” “No need to explain yourself,” Cinder interrupts. “If Ash has forgiven you, I have too.” “I haven’t apologized to him either.” “{It’s fine, Raiden.} I understand.” Ash pulls him into a side-hug, with Raiden wrapping his shoulder-tail around them. “Actually, I’d also like to apologize,” Cinder says. “I shouldn’t have told everyone about you being a bit mean. The truth tends to warp, especially after everyone saw you shooting lightning in the kitchen.” She stands up from her chair. “So I’m thinking that we all go down to the river and show off that we’ve made up. People should figure out it was no big deal.” “Why the river?” “Everyone hangs out there. Let’s go.” * The swim in the river doesn’t go quite as planned, since there are too many people for them to be noticed. Plus, everyone is focused on bathing, or enjoying the cool water in the summer heat. Still, the trip makes Raiden feel accepted in the small group of four. The rest will have to come in time. With some controlled flames from Cinder, they all dry off. She kisses Ash before saying she and Mauve have something to do back at the desert house. As Ash and Raiden enter the forest house, Ash asks, “So did you have fun today?” “I did.” Raiden squeezes their joined paws, even though there are plenty of pokemon in the living room and kitchen that can see them. “I haven’t had a day this good in a long time.” Ash leads up the stairs, where they have a little privacy. “Do you want to have more fun?” Raiden stops in his tracks, a few paces from the bedroom. “You mean like…?” Of course that’s what he means. The real question is how Raiden should respond. He doesn’t want to hurt Ash’s feelings, but he’s unsure about even touching another male’s parts. “Yeah, sorry for being weird.” Ash tugs Raiden into the room, turns to face him, and holds his other paw. “You see, my species… {consummates the mateship} the day after the first night sleeping together. To propose that, we trace the markings on the neck, which you don’t have. {And Cinder suggested I say that.}” He releases his paws and steps back. “I don’t want to pressure you. I would never mate with someone unwanting, but if you are wanting…” Without the courage to flat out refuse, Raiden says, “{I don’t know. I’ve only ever mated to breed.}” “Well, if you want hatchlings, I would love to have them with you in the future.” “But we can’t m–” “We won’t have trouble finding someone to help us.” With that, the final piece clicks. Building a family, after losing his only one, is what Raiden truly yearns for. And he can’t think of anyone else he would rather do it with. “{What would we do exactly?}” “My species’ only restriction is that both partners reach orgasm. And traditionally there’s an inspection beforehand. I’ll use my tongue, but you can use your paw.” “{My paw pads aren’t soft enough to–}” Ash runs his palm along Raiden’s pads. “Not so bad.” He grabs lube from atop the headboard. “Just use some of this when you need to touch anything sensitive.” “{What exactly are we inspecting?}” “Everything that we can reach. Is there anything you don’t want me to touch?” “{As long as you don’t go inside of anything, I don’t mind}” “Alright. Follow my lead.” Ash steps close again, then flops his tongue onto Raiden’s head, sweeping through his fur and up his ear, bathing him. The instant Raiden makes that connection, he purrs, and licks the long neck before him. The grooming and rumbling synchronize in a slow, steady rhythm. Raiden nearly forgot this intimacy. His former trainer hired a professional, and lately he’s been washing in the river, but nothing beats sharing this simple act of cleaning. They reverse head positions, so Raiden is lapping at Ash’s ears, whose long, slender tongue trails down his neck. By the time Raiden has licked through his head, Ash has done most of his torso. Raiden rests his head on his, his paws aimlessly caressing through Ash’s fur, while Ash meticulously explores everywhere. His tongue nears where his black stomach fur becomes yellow again. He veers to the outside of his thigh, down to the zig-zag pattern on his knee, and around to the other side. He ventures back up, and Raiden tenses, especially as Ash finds his tailhole and lingers there. Raiden has been penetrated before–the farm regularly ensures prostate health–but he can’t imagine taking pleasure in it. Thankfully, Ash moves on to his other leg, then rests his tongue on his hip. At this point, most of his coat is damp with Ash’s salvia. He pulls his head off of Ash’s, who flicks his eyes up to meet his. When his tongue reaches his sheath, sparks shoot out of his paws. “{Sorry,}” he says, ending his purring. “{I’ll try to stop that.}” Ash nods, and wraps his tongue around the furry pouch. He strokes up along it, then dives inside to curl around the flaccid cock. Raiden squirms, but soon bucks into it. His barbs tug free from the tongue as his shaft emerges. After following it out of the sheath, Ash journeys down to play with the sac. With the reduced stimulation, Raiden remembers he’s supposed to be “inspecting” as well. He glances down to Ash’s fully erect cock. The long, thin shaft has an elongated ‘S’ shape, the tip resembling a hook. The sight doesn’t evoke the same excitement as a muff. But with a desire to reciprocate, he pours some lube on his paw and grips the length. Ash grunts, his tongue loosening around Raiden’s balls, and leans his head against his. Raiden glides up the smooth length. Unsure what to do with the tip, he strokes back down, adopting a slow pace. He can’t say he enjoys warm hardness, but Ash’s little gasps make it worth it, as well as his growing arousal mixing with his natural floral scent in a surprisingly delightful concoction. Wandering up from the sac, Ash’s tongue wraps around Raiden’s cock, right below the tip where the barbs are. He embraces him tightly, forcing Raiden’s paw to stop as it is crammed between their bodies. When he moves it out of cramped space, Ash ties their lengths together with his tongue. Raiden’s cock is tricked into thinking it's in a warm and soaked hole. He thrusts on instinct, though he can’t go as fast as he wants while standing. The contrast between his barbs raking across Ash’s firm length on one side, while his tongue cushions them on the other, makes Raiden moan louder than he usually would. He never got bored of breeding females, but the newness of the sensation amplifies it beyond anything he’s experienced. Especially since Ash isn’t some logistical choice; he’s someone he chooses and cares for. On a rough thrust, the bent tip of Ash’s cock slides into Raiden’s urethra. He freezes. Maybe that’s too new. But Ash’s shudders against him are far too addicting, so he eases the pre-slicken tip all the way into his dick. The mild discomfort is barely noticeable as Ash tightens his grip on their dicks. Raiden rocks his hips, keeping Ash inside him. Never before has he done something purely for his partner’s enjoyment, but with Ash, he revels in his every twitch, and moan. Especially as those rise in pitch. When they reach a crescendo, Ash unfurls his tongue, their cocks bouncing off of each other and into their fur. “{Why’d you stop?}” Raiden asks, grinding into Ash’s thigh. Ash retracts his tongue, then says, “Well, um, I was…You don’t have to, but I was hoping you would penetrate me. You know, down there.” Only minutes ago Raiden would instantly decline, but his dick begs for anything to unload into. He’s never been pent up before, or even teased, and right now he’s both. “{Get into position.}” He twirls Ash around, and pushes on his back until he drops to the floor on all fours. “Just so you know, I’ve never had a real–” “{I’ve taken many virginities before. Trust me.}” After pouring liberal amounts of lube on his paw and Ash’s backside, Raiden circles the puffy tailhole. He finds it convenient that he can see the muscle tensing instead of fully relying on feel. He eases a finger in as it relaxes, while monitoring Ash for any discomfort. He only pushes back, so he slides the rest of his digit in. Upon some digging around, Ash gasps and has a full-body twitch. Found it, Raiden thinks, withdrawing his finger. Wait, what did I even find? He forgot this is entirely different anatomy, but thankfully remembers before he licks his finger clean. He gets to his knees, then lines up his achingly-erect cock. “{Ready?}” “Yes, please.” Raiden slips his tip in, stopping just before the barbs, and they share a small moan. When Ash pushes back, Raiden says, “{Stay still.}” Virgins love to think they’re tough, then promptly hurt themselves, and he will have none of that. He lays on his back, hugging and nuzzling him. As he’s inhaling the floral scent, he realizes he’s broken his routine in a wonderful way. He slowly buries his cock deeper, stopping as the tunnel reflexively tries to force him out. Drawing out, he reaches for…usually he would massage their clit to disguise the discomfort from his barbs with pleasure, but he supposes Ash’s cock can serve the same purpose. He strokes Ash’s erection, and sinks in a little deeper than before. He repeats the process every time Ash tenses, gradually reaching further depths. When simple strokes aren’t enough to relax him, Raiden grinds his palm on Ash’s bent tip. Pre gushes on his paw, filling the air with more bitter, male arousal. Ash melts beneath him, and allows Raiden deep enough to reach his…male G-spot? Regardless of what it is, it causes Ash to squeal. Hilting, Raiden gives his partner a small break, and showers his neck with kisses. “{Are you ready to be bred?}” he says before he realizes it doesn’t make sense. “Please!” Raiden tightens his hold on Ash as he withdraws, his barbs dragging along his walls, then rams back in. Steadily, his speed and force increase, earning louder cries from his mate. The warm hole grips him in a slightly different way than he’s used to, but is no less pleasurable. In fact, Raiden is thankful for the constant reminder that this isn’t just another breeding. The repeated plap of Raiden’s balls smacking into Ash’s becomes quieter as they tighten against his body. It’s much harder to control his orgasm after being pent up for so long. He furiously jerks Ash off, mashing his palm into his tip like before. Raiden was always mandated to bring his partners to orgasm first, as they claimed it increased impregnation chance, and he could always be replaced with a more effective stud. Now, he does it simply because he wants to, and because Ash deserves it for giving him a life worth looking forward to. Ash lays his head down, pushes back into Raiden’s thrusts, and moans prolongedly. His dick throbs as it paints the carpet below him white, the musky scent overpowering everything else in the room. Raiden cups a paw in front of his urethra as the tunnel clamps down on his cock. When Ash’s shooting slows, Raiden drills into his male G-spot repeatedly. The cum spurts into his paw with renewed vigor. Out of all things, Ash’s blissful smile and his tongue lolling out is what makes Raiden lose control. He slams into his lover, his cock pulsating, and embraces the ecstasy. Thick jet after jet pumps into Ash’s depths. For the first time, Raiden’s cum is for no one's profit. He’s seeding him because it brings both of them pleasure, and that is more meaningful than a hatchling he’ll never get to know. Even more than that, his seed consummates a mateship in which he’ll finally get to raise hatchlings. Slowly, Raiden becomes aware of how overheated and thirsty he is. He laps Ash’s cum out of his paw. Far too salty to help, but he licks it all up anyway. When his cock softens and slithers out of his lover, he rolls off of him and onto the floor. Ash crawls closer to him. “You weren’t lying when you said you used to be a breeding stud. You mated me so hard, and filled me so much, that I wouldn’t be surprised if I swell with your eggs.” Raiden’s sheath plumps up again at the fantasy. “{If I mate you harder, will it happen?}” “Calm down there. I’m going to be sore as it is.” Raiden climbs atop Ash. “{That wasn’t a no.}” “Alright, alright.” Ash spreads his legs, revealing his leaking tailhole. “Give it your best shot, stud.”