Bitter Work 3.12

November 29th, 2022.

I stretched upwards, doing my best to relax my muscles and calm my nerves overall. Today was a break day, no training, just a moment to relax and enjoy ourselves. Akari had chosen what we’d do today, and had opted for a local pool in Nakagawa for trainers and their pokémon.

The facility itself was big, more than large enough and tough enough to take whatever we could throw at it. I wasn’t exactly super comfortable with swimming in public… but seeing Akari in a swimsuit had been very tempting. Not that I told her that, and my own team being interested had provided a good excuse.

I had been forced to buy a new swimsuit since my old one… no longer fit me with some recent growth spurts around my hips and bust. I had opted to go for swim trunks and a… whatever the fuck they call the top half of a bikini, a simple black one because fancy colors wasn’t my style.

The pool itself was pretty big, about fifty meters long and fifteen meters wide with a depth up to four meters. There were lots of trainers and their pokémon hanging around, and I breathed deeply to calm my nerves.

I wasn’t super nervous either, but it has been a while since I had actually used a pool in public, and a Gym Trail did not count. Mirko was guarding me from my left, ears swiveling back and forth to catch any sound she could.

Were a few people staring at Mirko or was it just me?

I shook my head, and blew back a black bang from my face. The one downside of letting my hair grow out was how it got in my face, not that I’d want my hair cut short. I like it.

Mirko bumped me with her hips, and I rolled my eyes, as I glanced up from the ground where I was staring at my sandaled feet. Sandals felt gross. But that was the only option I had at the moment.

“Do you know where Akari is?” I asked Mirko, since her hearing was definitely superior to my own. She pointed towards the pool, and I followed it towards the… the…

Oh.

Akari was sitting at the edge of the pool, leaning back to take in the surprisingly bright sun despite it being winter. I remember a report about a heat wave due to wild pokémon overusing Sunny Day. I couldn’t focus on that though.

Akari… I rarely took the time to uhh… admire her features as it were. I very much could do so now though. She was well, incredibly athletic, with a body sculpted by work and labor and what had to be years of living with pokémon stronger, faster and tougher than any normal human could be.

Without her thick clothing well… I got a good look at her shapely legs and thighs, with her only covering being a red skirted swim bottom rather than heavily reinforced pants, and I was mesmerized by the red and blue constellation of freckles on them, like the smaller kin of the four triangles draped down the cheeks on her face. I took a deep, deep breath as my eyes pulled upwards. Her toned stomach came next after the roundness of her hips, and I picked out some of the scars, thin white lines of claw and bite marks, of injuries long since healed. I glanced at her chest… the weight of her breasts barely contained by the dark blue bikini top, and I immediately tore my gaze away and up into her amused… face.

Please kill me.

Akari smirked. “So you like what you see?” I felt my entire face burn, and ignored the stirring in my shorts because I wanted to keep what little dignity I had left.

“I…” I shut my mouth, because I knew I’d say something completely stupid. “You’re pretty!”

Whatever she was going to say was derailed by my words, a slight flush reaching her face. “Oh is that all?” I clasped my hands together at her words, and she just smiled at my reaction.

I could hear high pitched laughter, and I glared at Fennekin who had trailed at the end of the line. She was making the stupidest fucking fox face while laughing her head off.

“Oh shut up!”

Fennekin laughed even harder.

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I sank into the water, hiding after I had been hit by lesbian thirst like a fucking truck, kicking to keep myself afloat while watching the rest of my team have fun. Mirko and Llayda were throwing a ball around while swimming in the water, while Jericho was just watching… Was he admiring them or was I reading into it too much?

Fennekin was not entering the pool, while water didn’t actively harm fire types, it wasn’t ever going to be comfortable for them either. Which was why Happy was out on land too, keeping an eye on Kirby so he wouldn’t eat people’s unsecured food. Ellis was swimming, while Rosetta was just wading instead. The only explanation I got on how the water here was kept clean was ~magic~ which filled me with irrational fury.

I swam back to the edge of the pool, where it was less deep until I reached the steps and could just trudge through the cool water. Akari was swimming back too, and I pretended not to notice, even as my ears reddened at her approach.

“Hey Brandy, are you having fun?” She called me out with a look that reminded me of a Labrador retriever.

“This is more for the team than for me, I don’t hate it either,” I backpedaled when I saw her sad face. “But it’s not my favorite thing, I literally haven’t used a pool outside the Gym Trial in years.”

“Oh. So it’s not bad but it’s not… good?”

I shrugged. “Not sure how to describe it, I’m not unhappy. Just, vibing. Is that okay?” I wasn’t sure, I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, I wasn’t like bored or anything.

She searched my eyes and nodded. “Yeah. That’s fine, we’re friends so I just want to make sure you’re doing okay.” Akari offered a warm expression, and I couldn’t help returning that same expression.

“Mhmm.” I felt oddly shy now, unsure how to take her… appreciative gaze. “Sorry about earlier.” I apologized, trying to come up with something to talk about.

Akari blinked. “For thinking I’m pretty? Why would I be bothered by that?”

“For staring maybe?” Maybe I was overthinking this, I didn’t talk to many girls outside my internet friends… a surprising number of trans lesbians, which was how I had figured myself out. Though I had already been questioning things since way before then.

Akari just raised a brow. “You weren’t being creepy, admiration gives off a very different vibe than peeping,” she shook her head. “You’re at least way cuter than most of the people looking.”

I flushed, crossing my arms and watching my team spend their time in the water. I opened my mouth to ask her a question… and then felt a prickle, a crawling sensation running right up my spine.

“You! You made a fool out of me!” I flipped around in the water, splashing in panic as someone shouted at me from out of nowhere. I swore I heard Akari hiss, and I blinked repeatedly at the person on the surface. I couldn’t wear contacts for swimming so he was a tad blurry as was everything outside a couple feet.

Which explains why Akari noticed so easily, idiot. You were literally two feet away.

“Slick black hair guy?” I spoke aloud and he bristled at my comment.

“I have a name.” He hissed and that told me nothing at all.

“Are you going to tell me about it then?” I did really give a shit but he wasn’t leaving so I had to ask.

He scowled, staring at me with disdain and… jealousy? Maybe? “My name is Derik Kyle, and we are going to battle.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Was that seriously his name? Did his parents hate him?

I glanced over to Fennekin, noticing her distress, rage, fear and longing all combined into a maelstrom of emotion.

“Why?” Derik’s eyes narrowed into slits, lips pulled into a nasty smear.

“Do you know who I am? You can be in a world of trouble if you refuse a battle.” I narrowed my eyes at him, inspecting him. He didn’t look very old, several years younger than Akari from the looks of things.

I almost laughed in his face. “I don’t particularly care, I’ve got bigger problems than you.”

He loomed over me and I held my ground, until I felt the indignation that swept me like a storm, a raging flame eager and hopeful for retribution. Fennekin was staring at Derik with loathing and hate, and I felt my stomach flip and turn under that pressure, that invisible influence of her power pleading desperately.

“You know what? Why not? Though it’s certainly not for your sake.” I stepped out of the water, rolling my neck and shoulders and clicking my tongue to discreetly call Fennekin. There was a look in his eyes, something that made me suspicious.

I was going to beat this guy down with no hesitation regardless.

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“So, this is going to be a one-on-one match, this is a break day for my team.” I spoke aloud, and Derik snorted.

“I’ll only need one to beat a two-bit trainer, and with such a useless pokémon,” there was something terribly cruel in his remark, and Fennekin flinched, looking small. “It’ll be easy.”

“Don’t let him get to you, he’s not worth it.” I whispered for only Fennekin’s ears, and she released the tension that had been starting to paralyze her. Her energies relaxed, becoming controlled and steady as fire could be.

Derik rolled his eyes. “I already know the perfect counter against your pokémon,” without a second’s thought he released his pokémon. “Stand out, Tauros!”

I stared at the Aqua Breed tauros, a black furred and maned bull with twisting horns and hints of blue fur along the bottom of his mane. He reached about my height, rearing his horns with an arrogant chuff and a repeated pattern of calls that made Mirko’s nose wrinkle from where she floated in the pool.

A water type was a good counter… if one didn’t account for also having a fighting type and thus a weakness to several of my pokémon’s moves.

I’m dealing with an idiot aren’t I?

“Are we starting or what? We’ve got a referee.” I pointed to a random bystander who had bumped away some of his lackeys. “Let me crush you so we can move on.”

Derik’s face took on a deep shade of red. “We’ll see who gets crushed!”

After a signal, the ref gave us the signal on three.

“Aqua Jet!”

“Double Primer!” Fennekin darted past Tauros with a quick activation of Agility, and her expression let me see her intrusive thoughts settled by Calm Mind.

“Water Pulse, spam it!” He called out with an expression of annoyance, and I was impressed by the rapid barrage… which was boiled apart with a brief spurt of Fire Spin that she let dribble from her mouth like a tongue of fire, destabilizing their containment. “Work Up into Liquidation.” He shouted with a scowl, so he wasn’t a bad trainer, didn’t make him not an idiot.

Tauros charged while veiled within a thick layer of water, surging around him like armor. I didn’t have to order her to dodge, Fennekin simply bound forward, flipping on a dime, a second Calm Mind increasing her stats. My sight was shit, but I didn’t need it for this, as long as I kept my head in the game.

“Aqua Jet, keep moving!” Derik commanded his pokémon, who darted back and forth like a missile, side jumping rapidly to remain a moving target.

“Fire Spin tag.” Fire Spin had the special property of being both widespread, and able to ‘stick’ to a target once it made contact with its great fire whirls. It blasted out of her mouth like a blast of energy, the agile style move hitting with less power but greater speed.

So Tauros was now on fire, and Fennekin had an easier time tracking the bull with her natural ability to sense heat and flames.

“Unleash your power, pin him down.” Fennekin spat out rapidfire shots of Ember at Tauros’ feet, Derik sputtering, seemingly panicking as the battle didn’t go his way.

Fennekin breathed and I breathed with her, offering support with a smile and the radiance of my aura.

Stored Power exploded into life, drawing vast amounts of energy from within and without, and Fennekin released it outwards, as a deceptively compact mass of psychic energy which then…

Bloomed to life, unfolding and refolding like a flower across a myriad of realities.

Tauros didn’t stand a chance as he was scoured by hostile psychic energy, legs crumbling as the raging bull pokémon collapsed into a dead faint. I expected a second wind, some secret technique or simply me being blind as a bat.

But nothing happened except Derik returning his pokémon with an oddly disquieting expression. Fennekin looked smug, vindicated and happy, her tail smacking against the ground, and her ears expressing her emotions very clearly.

“Good thing this is an unofficial match, ehh?” I didn’t care enough to place a wager on this.

“You… you had to have done something, some trick I’m not seeing, I will get another match with a pokémon I know can battle!” He pointed at my face as he stalked over to me, and I yawned as he loomed over me.

A split second later, he was forced to back off as Akari appeared at my left without a sound, looming over him with an intimidating stoic look on her face.

“That will not be happening, you had your match, accept it and move on.”

Derik tried to protest and I felt a prickle of fear as Akari’s aura was filled with her killer intent, like spikes stabbing the air and tainting the atmosphere.

Derik fled with Fennekin laughing in his ears and I perked up as an idea popped in mind.

“Nickname! Have one!” I clenched my fists, waving at Fennekin to catch her attention. She bound over, stopped with an embarrassed head tilt and walked the rest of the way with more dignity.

“Fo?”

“When I saw the flower shape of Stored Power… How about Fleur? It’s a pretty nice name.”

She took a solid minute of pondering, dragging it out with her tsundere shenanigans.

She nodded. “Fo-fo.”

A pleased grin was on my face. “Now that that’s done, let’s get back to the pool.”

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The rest of our time at the pool ended up being far more comfortable and fun, and I was in a very good mood because of that. Just a time to relax with friends, just a time to not be so alone and—

Ahem.

“So I’ve been wanting to ask about that whole… Lord business that the Tohoku region has going on, what’s so… important about them if that doesn’t sound rude to ask?”

Akari looked surprised at my question from where she was letting her head hang off of her bed, shirt pulled up to reveal her smooth belly. She pulled herself forward, and practically flipped into a criss cross sitting position.

“I would have thought you looked it up?”

“No. I was busy.” My hyperfocus had been more on taking online courses on pokémon biology than on specific cultural aspects in recent weeks.

She folded her arms, and nodded. “Lords are much like the Nobles of Sinnoh, blessed by divine power in some way, disciples and or seekers of Legendaries, and gifted with power and might due to their efforts. Totems are the same, given power by the Tapus. The Lords of Tohoku are specifically the ones that have survived to the modern day, with an important role in shaping the history of the region.”

“Oh.” That was… interesting wasn’t it?

She clasped her hands, and I felt her aura pulse as she gave her explanation. “Six prefectures, and twelve Lords to rule them all. Lord Electivire, a disciple of Zapdos, and Lord Dusknoir, a disciple of Giratina rule Uto. Lord Garchomp is said to be a herald of Zekrom, and Lord Ariados is blessed by a god yet unknown to us, ruling Ushu. Lord Milotic was a nephew of the Prince of the Sea and guards the coast, though he’s known to bring pretty girls to his home from time to time.” She shrugged at my dumbfounded expression. “Along with Lord Emboar, who brings tribute to Moltres, they rule Suika as a land of water and fire.”

Akari is kind of a drama queen huh?

The blue haired woman took a natural pause to breath and continued. “Lord Froslass is a disciple of Articuno, and with Lord Staraptor, a follower of Tornadus they guard the reaches of Katayama. The next pair is more familiar to me… Lord Togekiss, blessed by the Seelie fey goddess Diancie and Lord Torterra… the hidden lord blessed by Shaymin, who protect and guard Shiromiya.”

“They’re like titles then, passed down from generation to generation? With some knowing their personal chosen names?”

Akari perked up. “Exactly, though Azazel has been around for hundreds of years.”

“Damn.” That was a long lifespan.

“That leaves the Lords of Michinoku, Lord Krookodile, protector of the great desert and tasked with that purpose by Zygarde, and Lord Gallade, a student of the Swords of Justice.”

“That’s all incredibly cool as fuck,” I shook my head. “Is it wrong I want to meet them even if I know they’d easily be able to destroy my fragile human bones?”

“You probably could meet them? They’re used to humans, at least some of them anyway.” She shrugged nonchalantly, and I muttered to myself on whether I’d be able to handle the pressure of their aura, of a power that could fracture reality.

“Tell me more about them, now I’m curious.” I leaned forward so I could drop onto my chest, grabbing a pillow to support my weight with a lopsided grin.

Akari shared it. “Well…”