"Ma--" My voice cuts short when Mars sticks her tongue into my mouth. She pulls on my collar, dragging me into the elevator before pushing me against the wall.
My back must've hit a button; my pokemon rush to enter the elevator before the doors close, and it slowly makes its way up.
A button of my shirt tears off, and something snaps in Mars' mind. She lets go of my collar just to tear the rest of the buttons apart, not once pausing the wet wrangle between our tongues.
One hand of hers glides over my skin while the other grips my ass and squeezes as hard as she can. A strand of my sparse chest hair is painfully torn out when it gets stuck between her finger and the golden ring hugging it tightly.
My heart still hammers in my chest. Unable to think of something in the heat of the moment, I push her away, just to ignite her aggression further. Her hand slides down my stomach before squeezing past my belt and into my underwear, where she grabs a fistful of nuts.
With my hands already on her shoulders, switching to grab her ass and tit is quick and almost instinctive. The soft tissue, contained by her skintight suit and skirt, squishes between my fingers. My tongue fights back - I stick it past her teeth, wince in pain when she bites down hard enough to draw blood, and grab the back of her head, a fistful of hair to tear her off of my face.
Blood spills past the corner of her lips. She snaps her eyes open and wipes it away with the back of her hand before smiling like a deranged animal.
"Holy sit." My tongue hurts. "Whath's gotten into you?"
I look down, trying to get my emergency potion, just to notice that her hand is still down my pants.
She grabs my member and starts jerking it. "You drive me insane." She whispers, leaning back into my face while I treat the cut on my tongue with a stinging spritz of a potion. "We're going to fuck."
"S-seriously?"
She grabs my face with both hands before leaning even closer until our noses and foreheads touch. A lost strand of her red hair threatens to poke into my eyes.
I try to look past her, searching for my pokemon in my time of need. Lucario has her back turned. Salazzle watches everything with lust. Lopunny taps her foot in annoyance. Magearna covers her mouth in shock - the tarp hikes up, revealing her metallic legs underneath.
Lopunny could save me. "A little help?"
~"She's a human. You deal with it."
Mars moves in the way, blocking my line of sight with Lopunny. "There's no dealing with me today. You're going to fuck me, Swole! You owe it to me for all the torment you've put me through!"
"Me?! What did I do?! You just locked yourself into your room and avoided me! How was I supposed to deal with that?!"
"By fucking my brains out, you stupid child!" She screams before biting my shoulder with all her might. "You always pretend to be sooo mature! Pah! You're still an innocent little virgin!" Mars then kisses my lips gently, literally purring as she speaks. "But that's what I love about you the most. That pure spark of untainted innocence. Your drive to be a good little hero. My good, little boy."
She whispers the last word into my ear, then bites my earlobe.
"Let me corrupt it. Let me devour your innocence. I will take all of your first times until there's nothing pure in your soul left."
"My first times?"
"Your first real kiss. The first chest you've got to hold, the first ass you get to slap, and the first woman to lie with you." A tear rolls down her face. "I'm taking it all for myself."
My first kiss belongs to Lopunny. The first chest I fondled was Lopunny's. The first ass I slapped too... Even my first time is hers.
There are no firsts left for me to give to anyone else. They all belong to Lopunny... I already am corrupted.
"Take it." I smirk. "I want you to have it." There's no need to tell her the truth.
The elevator door dings before opening. We're on the fifth floor - I see it through the edges of my sight as Mars pushes me ahead of herself. One of her hands guides me along by holding my open shirt like reins, while the other presses firmly against my chest.
Suddenly, she stops pushing and grabs the torn parts of my shirt instead. Then she abandons the fabric before holding my face. Tears stream freely down her face. She closes in on my lips, sealing mine with hers in a kiss - no tongue. Just a gentle, chaste kiss, like Akari would kiss me.
Her eyes slowly drift closed while her body inches closer to mine. Her fingers feel soft and delicate against my skin. Her breath sounds calm, collected... calculated.
With the click of a lock, a door opens behind my back.
Mars' lips let go of mine. Her eyes open up. "I'm sorry." She whispers and caresses my cheek. "I'm a terrible monster."
She pushes me, and I stumble. Psychic powers pull me deeper into the room until I land with my back on the floor - my startled pokemon flutter in after me, landing beside me.
Mars still stands in the hallway, tears ruining her makeup. "Goodbye."
---
The door slams shut. The room shimmers with the ability of some pokemon's attack.
Lucario and Lopunny jolt and scramble to their feet to surround me. Salazzle flicks out her tongue, looking left and right while Magearna struggles with the tarp covering her body.
"Good evening, Mister Solo." A cold, ruthless voice tears me out of the shock.
"What?"
Another voice. "Watch your decorum, son. Get up."
"Dad?"
I'm inside an enormous ballroom with expensive decor, a golden chandelier, and a large, round table in the center of it - this is the central meeting room.
But windows cover the walls on all sides. How is that possible? There's a hallway and the personal rooms between this one and the outside.
Are those... display screens?
The hardwood slab of a table in the exact middle of the room is truly massive, capable of seating dozens of people. A projector in the center of it shows a live camera feed of the hallway outside by casting the view into the air - a 3D projector currently showing a 2D image.
Beyond the device on the other side of the table sits a man. He wears a suit in the Team Galactic gray colors with a golden emblem on his chest. Blue, spiky hair, hollow cheeks, and deep black sacks under his eyes identify him as none other than Cyrus himself.
Behind me, standing with his back to the wall beside the entry door, is my father. He wears a suit - as always. His is black with a Team Galactic-gray tie around his neck. The emblem on his chest is a golden pin in the stylized shape of a G.
Dad has his arms crossed. A stern look on his face as he waits for me to get my shit together.
I stand up the rest of the way before tucking my shirt into my pants and closing the dress shirt as much as possible without any remaining buttons.
Lopunny stands ready to fight, but there are no enemy pokemon in the room - which must be some kind of trick. A pokemon's move has sealed off the room the moment... the moment Mars shut the door.
My eyes dart to the live view of an empty hallway...
Mars...
I turn to Cyrus. There's work to distract myself with. "Good evening, Cyrus."
He was typing away on a laptop until I addressed him. He lowers the lid, turning his attention to me.
His deep blue eyes bore into my soul with the weight of a freight train. "It is the second time we meet, and you are once again mostly undressed. Is that a frequent habit of yours?"
My father sighs behind me.
"It surprisingly is. But I swear it's not a hobby." Except for that one time when I got excited about the exhibitionism when Lopunny and I were training. "Ahem. It seems like I got here by mistake somehow. I should leave. You're a busy man, after all."
He holds his body completely still as he speaks, never wasting even a single motion. "My work can wait for a few minutes." Cyrus glares at me. "It has come to my attention that you stole something very valuable from me."
Fuck. He already knows? Were there cameras? Did my father betray me? Or Mars? "Me? Steal something? No, that's impossible. I wouldn't steal anything."
His glare intensifies. "Do not treat me as if I were a grunt. You have abducted my Magearna." He sighs, muttering the rest to himself. "Shuppet... honestly, how could that imbecile fall for that?"
"I'm not returning her." I grab her by the waist and pull her closer and behind me. "And I didn't abduct her; I rescued her from that inhumane prison!"
"I suppose you did." Cyrus... agrees? "But I need her to stay imprisoned. Without her, Devon Corp will be the only manufacturer of pokeballs. Do you understand what that means?"
It means they'll have a monopoly on something quintessential to becoming a pokemon trainer. It means the prices will surge. It means they can grow in power. It means Hoenn might become the only region where loads of new pokemon trainers come from. It might mean a war of conquest in a few decades, or a preemptive strike before that.
"I understand, but she's mine. I'm not giving her b-- to you. She's not yours anyway - or do you have her pokeball?" If he has, maybe I can steal it right now?
Take the pokeball and then flee.
"I do not." Cyrus says. "It seems like she was caught in the distant past, and her pokeball was lost to time. So, we both share equally little legal ownership over her - is that the point you wanted to make? Do you even know how little laws mean to me?"
Might makes right. He's basically as powerful as the government - maybe even more. Nobody knows how he would match against Cynthia.
"I understand, but I don't care. She's mine, and I'll fight with every fiber of my being if I have to."
"Commendable." He stands up, and I get ready for a battle.
He walks with his arms crossed behind his back. Slow, steady steps bring him around the enormous round table until he reaches a remote control. He grabs it, turns away, and approaches one of the fake windows.
Cyrus reaches out and puts a hand on the window pane - the LEDs dent under the pressure, and his handprint deforms the image. "It is a beautiful world out there. Do you agree, Mister Solo?"
The windows show the sight one would have if they stood atop the Team Galactic Headquarters. Clouds passing by, the evening sun approaching the horizon, and flocks of wild pokemon flying to the forest that encroaches upon Veilstone City in the west.
Beyond that forest, far in the distance lies Mount Coronet with its snowcapped peaks. The center of the universe, according to ancient Sinnoh legends.
Out there are the most dangerous pokemon, bloodthirsty, trying to eat anyone who doesn't meet their standards of strength. But even among those, there is true beauty to behold: Lopunny.
"We're living in a beautiful world." I can't help but agree. "Despite everything, it truly is an amazing world filled with all kinds of different pokemon."
Cyrus turns away from the displays, the sunset lighting him up from behind. "What if I told you we could make it..." He takes a deep breath, searching for the right word. "Perfect."
"We? Perfect?"
Cyrus stares at me through the corners of his eyes. His face barely shifts, but I can tell. He's disappointed, as if the suspicion in my voice was unexpected.
"You are a talented young pokemon trainer. The entire region has seen it on their television. You are the type of pokemon trainer Team Galactic needs." When he turns to stare me down, his face becomes shrouded in the shadows cast by the setting sun behind him. "Your father, Mars, and everyone else - we're all working together to save the world. When duty calls, will you help us?"
"You... want to offer me a job?"
"Not quite." He presses the button on the remote controller, and a 3D hologram of Sinnoh appears above the middle of the table. "Two to three months from now, we'll begin an operation to conquer Mount Coronet. We'll be asking many trainers to help us, but we need the best of the best to succeed. Otherwise, humanity - and all of this beautiful world around you - will be doomed."
I turn to my father, looking for answers, but he keeps quietly watching with a rock-solid expression that doesn't give anything away.
"Can I think about it?"
"Of course you can. Although, there is little to think about." Cyrus already has a very deep voice, but now, it turns menacing. "If we fail, it is game over. All hopes and dreams shall be wiped out. The world, with all its flaws and features, will come to a sudden end."
He steps closer. His face is still half-shrouded in shadows while a menacing glare stares past heavy bags underneath his eyes. Piercing eyes glint in the darkness. A finger points right at me.
"I want you to join the mission." His hand extends and lands upon my shoulder, heavy with burden - with the fate of the universe. "Of course, nothing is free. In exchange, I will allow you to become Magearna's new trainer - without any opposition. You will be free to walk away today."
I gulp. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." He nods. "I already got what I needed most from Magearna. And by giving her to you, I would say I am making a great investment. Do you agree?"
What did he need? The Master Ball? And what investment? Just for my participation in the mission, or something else?
Fuck. First and foremost, I need to ensure Magearna's safety. "Alright. Deal. I'll join your mission."
I have to. There's no way I can beat Cyrus, and I'm not sure on whose side my father would fight.
"That is perfect." Cyrus lets go of my shoulder, turns away, and heads to his place at the table. He stares at me. "But I want you to think about it more carefully. This is a dangerous mission, and I need convicted trainers. The fate of the world is at stake."
He flips open his laptop.
"You have one month to decide. I will be here. Until then, Mister Solo." He eyes the screen, and his fingers begin tapping away with the soft clicking noises of a high-quality keyboard.
I wait for a few moments, but he is done speaking. His attention is fully absorbed by his work.
"Goodbye then, Mister Cyrus." Does 'mister' belong before a codename?
I turn around, making sure Magearna - still weakly disguised as a Shuppet - stays close to me as I approach the exit. My other pokemon follow suit.
My father, standing next to the door, motions for me to go ahead.
I twist the door handle and enter the empty hallway. No sign of Mars, only the Lampent lingers on the ceiling... Did the pokemon security system end up calling me out? I wish I knew who betrayed me...
I wish someone could tell me it wasn't Mars... But she did it, didn't she? She lured me into the room with Cyrus.
However, Dad was inside there too. Maybe Veneer suspected something after all and ratted me out. Or maybe a psychic pokemon saw what I was doing from afar?
Dad somehow always knows everything - he knew what I wanted when Veneer called him on the phone! Was he the betrayer?! My own father!?
The door opens again, and the suspected Raticate exits the meeting room with his back held ramrod straight and his eyes looking right at me. He heads for me just to put his hand on my shoulders, firmly pushing me in a direction. "You stayed behind. Good. I want to talk with you in private."
I stay standing. Rock solid, not even budging an inch.
"Son?"
"What were you doing inside the room with Cyrus?"
"To--" He looks left and right, paranoid that someone might listen in. "I was in there to ensure it wouldn't come to blows. Now follow me - we can't talk like this in public."
He leads the way. Unlike last time, I walk on my own, through my own choices.
The door to his room opens, and we step inside. A shimmer of some pokemon's attack - most likely Alakazam - encases the space and seals us in.
"What did you mean? And how did you know I was going to free Magearna when Veneer called?"
My father walks along in his room. It's meticulous. The living room is devoid of all distractions - just a work desk with neatly stacked documents and his own laptop.
"I didn't know." He admits it while sitting down. "I just knew you would have a good reason for breaking into Team Galactic's Headquarters. You were supposed to be winning a tournament right now, weren't you?"
The tournament! I forgot about it! "Yeah... It's long over, isn't it?"
"Paul Shinji and Barry Pearl are fighting against each other for the first place right now. You were disqualified because you did not show up within 5 minutes of the start of your match." He eyes Shuppet - I mean, Magearna. "Can you remove the disguise? I'd like to see the pokemon that was worth the risk with my own eyes."
Magearna looks at me through the little eyeholes in her costume. I nod, prompting her to remove the tarp. It falls to the floor behind her, revealing her damaged body, her dull, tortured eyes, and her metallic dress - dissolved from Salazzle's acid in some places.
Hope shimmers deep within the pink of her eyes, but also fear. She steps closer to me as my father's judgment presses down on her.
"Magearna..." He mulls over her name. "A well-kept secret. I've never seen one before - but you knew she'd be here. How?"
"That's personal."
Dad raises an eyebrow. "Alright. Fair enough." He searches for a document on his table and puts it before himself. "Ahem." He clears his throat, reading from the paper. "Son, I am proud of you."
... "What?"
"Did I stutter?"
"No, Dad." He's... proud of me?
"You have come a long way since I sent you out to catch your very first pokemon. Your journey until now is nothing but impressive; those who fought you kept praising your skills. Not even half a year has passed, but you have already become a much stronger trainer than I had been at your point on my journey. I am impressed with your results. I am looking forward to seeing you continue to grow even stronger. My son - I am truly proud to call you that."
He grabs a little box from inside a drawer and pushes it towards me.
"Well done. And keep going."
Dad looks up from his paper and forces a smile. It looks like he has just now tried it out for the first time in his life.
I force the same smile. "Thanks." My eyes fall to the box. "What's in the box?"
"I intercepted some black market trafficking while an Officer Jenny was putting an... associate of mine behind bars. I believe this belongs to you, doesn't it?"
"Is it..." I open it up, finding a plum-sized crystal marble inside. A beige, glass-like sphere with light- and dark-brown rotating wisps inside. "My Lopunnite!"
I was wondering when I'd get it! Apparently, if it wasn't for Dad's connection, it would have never arrived!
"Thanks, Dad!"
"Anything to make you become stronger, son." His forced smile almost turns a little more natural. "Now, get going. I need to clean up the mess you made in your little break-in. Again." He shakes his head. "Try to be a little more stealthy next time. You were caught five times."
"Wait, what?"
"After I had joined Cyrus in the meeting room, he received five reports of you breaking into the building."
"A-are you joking? Five? I could have sworn I got past everyone!"
"Your lousy excuses didn't work as well as you thought they would. And you're too trusting of people who are close to you - keep that in mind next time."
So... that confirms it beyond any doubt. Mars was one of the five. Fuck.
"Alright... I'll be more careful from now on."
Mars... An evil monster - a liar who cannot be trusted. I should keep her more distant.
"I'll get going then. There are a few more things I need to be doing." Mars - that bitch. "Bye, Dad."
"Goodbye."
I storm out of my father's room and walk along the circular hallway until reaching door number 504 - Commander Mars' room.
Either I have to be distant with her... or better yet... Mars is an unpredictable monster who needs to be kept on a tight leash.
I knock harshly on the door, trying the handle just to find it unlocked. I push through, briefly surprised when the floor is already cleaned - Mars was on the way to answer the door.
"Get in." My pokemon enter quickly.
Mascara ran down her face with tears. A knocked-over pot of tea lies on her table, its contents wetting the carpet. The teabags never even made it inside, tossed aside instead.
"Swole?" Genuine surprise sounds from her voice. "You're--" Mars stammers. "You came--" Her voice cuts short when I slam the door shut and grab her by the throat. Her eyes widen in fear. Her mouth opens and closes like a Goldeen out of water as I push her through the living room into the bedroom - she chokes and coughs.
I throw her on the bed, belt buckle jingling as I loosen my belt. "Hi, Mars. I'm here to fuck that monstrous brain out of you."